Notes of Faith August 16, 2023

Notes of Faith August 16, 2023

The Great UFO Invasion

Are we experiencing a UFO invasion?

Lamb and Lion Ministries:

Nathan Jones: You’ve probably been following in the news all the excited talk about Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs), also called Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAPs). Recently, former military intelligence officer-turned-whistleblower, David Grusch, appeared before the House Oversight Committee’s National Security Subcommittee claiming the Executive branch agencies have been withholding real spacecraft and alien remains for decades.

And, earlier this year, the Biden and Trudeau administrations were both shooting suspected UFOs out of the sky: one blown up off the coast of South Carolina, another one up in Alaska, a third in the Yukon, and a fourth one in Michigan. Biden actually shot a sidewinder missile at the first UFO! It was hovering way up in the stratosphere some 60,000 feet up. The wreckage later confirmed it was, in reality, a Chinese spy balloon. The other three UFOs were discovered to be much smaller man-made devices that had been traveling lower some 20,000 feet up. Air Force officers, such as General Glenn VanHerck of NORAD, who when asked if UFOs were real, went on record as saying: “I’m not gonna categorize them as balloons. We’re calling them ‘objects’ for a reason.”

So, Tim, as a retired Air Force Colonel, can you or any of your connections confirm that we have been shooting actual UFOs out of the sky, or possess alien remains?

Tim Moore: People often ask if Lamb & Lion Ministries would tackle the subject of UFOs as it relates to Bible prophecy, and now here we are.

Well, I’ll say this, if we don’t know what something is, it is unidentified. If it’s in the air, then it’s flying. And, if its size is substantial, then it’s an object. So there you go — there are UFOs! But, are they extraterrestrial? I highly doubt it.

As an Air Force Colonel, I know there are technologies out there that would blow most people’s minds if they knew about them. Even when I was briefed on the top secret programs back in the early nineties, I was amazed at what could happen then. I would tell people that once the tech was at last declassified somewhere in the 2020-30s, people would exclaim, “Wow! We can do that?” The answer is, “No, we could actually do that 30 years ago!” So, there are some phenomenal technologies out there that are just coming to light.

We’re certainly getting mixed messages from the White House. The current White House press secretary has indicated the administration was not wanting to talk about extraterrestrials and aliens, but then we’ve got the general of NORAD and NORTHCOM speculating, as you mentioned. The government seems hesitant to leave out the possibility of extraterrestrial spacecraft.

Let’s just recognize this. There’s a great curiosity among all people as to what is by definition unexplained objects appearing above our heads. We often just don’t know what they are, so they’re unexplained.

UFOs in the Bible?

Nathan Jones: The big question on many Christian’s minds nowadays is, “Did God create life beyond the Earth?” Some people will point to 2 Kings 2:11 when Elijah was taken up to Heaven in a fiery chariot and claim that’s an ancient person’s description of a UFO. And, later, in 2 Kings 6:17, when Elisha was given the ability to see the chariot, he was really seeing a UFO. Or, with Zechariah 5:2 and the vision of the flying scroll, they’ll conclude that the flying scroll must be a form of spacecraft. They’ll also point to Ezekiel 1:1-10 where Ezekiel witnesses the throne of God, which sits on wheels within wheels, and then claim that God is floating around on a flying saucer.

Personally, I think that’s taking Scripture to the extreme. Sure, ancient people were trying to explain what they were seeing. And, now we’ve got modern-day people trying to explain what we still don’t understand. Frankly, I don’t believe these are aliens at all but instead are addressing the spiritual realm. I don’t believe that God has created life outside of this world because He created mankind alone in His image and He alone died for the sins of mankind.

So, then, let’s address how the spirit world is perceived. Jesus revealed in Matthew 12:43 how, “when an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none.” The Bible also addresses spirits of the air that dwell high up in the sky, that these spirits are bodiless, and that they float around looking for bodies to inhabit. We can conclude then from the Bible that there is indeed a spiritual dimension all around us that we mere mortals just cannot see.

So, when it comes to UFOs, are we talking about little green men say from the planet Mars? No, it doesn’t seem so. But, what we are most likely experiencing is demonic in nature. And so, as pilots get higher and higher up into the stratosphere, which is really high up, possibly we are encountering these beings of the air.

Could it be that with our modern sensing equipment, coupled with our ability to travel higher into the sky, which we’ve only been able to do for a hundred or so years, that we could actually be encountering angelic or demonic spirits?

Tim Moore: From a technical perspective, I don’t think so. According to 2 Kings 6:8-23, when it came to Elisha and his servant, the servant had to be given a special dispensation to see spiritually what Elisha had been seeing all the time. The servant saw the physical threat of the Syrian army in front of him, but when the Lord opened his eyes, he beheld the angelic armies arrayed around the city of Dothan. So, sometimes the Lord does give us the ability to see what is normally unseen.

Satan is always trying to deceive, so UFOs could well be demonic apparitions. But, to be honest, even though I don’t know what these objects are exactly, I figure that there’s probably a logical explanation. Many of our secret hi-tech devices are being utilized by our government, not to mention enemy and foreign governments. To protect our secret hi-tech from being stolen, our government would naturally not be transparent about them or risk espionage.

Distraction and Deception

Tim Moore: Now, our government would shoot down something just to distract us from what really is taking place that it doesn’t want attention drawn to.

Nathan Jones: Certainly, every time a president gets in trouble, they lob a missile and cry out, “Look over here!” And, right now, President Biden has a lot of shady reasons to distract the American public.

I find it interesting what the Bible says in Ephesians 6:12, “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.” This verse isn’t denoting spirits in Heaven, but in the heavens, meaning the sky. From this verse we learn that the demonic world, though unseen to us, can exist in the sky as well as dwell in the high places, meaning the mountains.

Since these disembodied spirits dwell in the air, whether they’re manifesting themselves as unidentified flying objects that can be seen or we now possess just the right modern technology to see them, their purpose seems to be for distraction. Why the distraction then? It’s part of the end-time deception that Satan is using to deceive the world. He’s long been planning on ruling and reigning the world through the Antichrist and so needs to create a crisis. All this UFO talk very well could be preparing the world for the Antichrist to come and as a deception for the Church’s disappearance in the Rapture.

Tim Moore: Agreed! This goes right back to Matthew 24, when Jesus said we will be hearing not only of wars and rumors of wars, but of all sorts of other fearful events happening, which will get us stirred up, put our spirit on edge, and make the world fearful. In Matthew 24:24, for instance, Jesus revealed, “For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.” Sadly, there are many of the “elect” right now who are all worked up over the threat of UFOs. Even with all of this drama that we are witnessing, remember what Jesus said in John 14:1, “Let not your heart be troubled.” Satan is going to try to deceive and distract to lead people astray from their Savior. Our Enemy misleads so that people do not focus on Jesus Christ. So, Christians, don’t be distracted! Keep your focus on Jesus Christ.

Nathan Jones: Absolutely! Remember what the destiny of demons is as Jesus told us in Matthew 25:41, “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels”. All of the wickedness and evil in this world will eventually be dealt with by Jesus Christ. When He returns, evil will be sent to Hell. And, for those who are in Christ — who have accepted Jesus as Savior — we will rule and reign with Him forever.

These unidentified flying objects will eventually be identified. And, this crazy age in human history will come to an end. But, right now, let us keep our focus on the Bible and Jesus Christ so that we will not be deceived.

God gave us truth in the Bible about Himself and His creation. Satan and those who are against the Word of God deceive and believe things that they make up. Human beings are the only thing created in the image of God and the rest of creation was created for man to have dominion over. I believe that what people are seeing is new technology or spirit beings that God is allowing us to see in this age, whether they are angels or demons. Let’s try hard not to make up what is and try harder to believe what God says . . . truth is truth.

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith August 15, 2023

Notes of Faith August 15, 2023

A New Song in Your Mouth

He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in Him. — Psalm 40:3

You will have a new song in your mouth — that’s the second way you’ll know you’ve waved goodbye to the pit. Right after the psalmist tells us that God sets us on the rock and gives us a firm place to stand, He tells us God gives us a new song: He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. (Psalm 40:3)

Every one of us was born for a song. Even the one who can’t carry a tune in a bucket. Even the one who wouldn’t mind church so much if it weren’t for the singing. The one who just doesn’t get it — and doesn’t think she wants to.

Right after God sets us on the rock and gives us a firm place to stand, what, according to Psalm 40:3, is the very next thing He does?

“I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to me, for I have redeemed you.”

Sing for joy, you heavens, for the Lord has shout aloud, you earth beneath. Burst into song, you mountains, you forests and all your trees, for the Lord has redeemed Jacob, He displays His glory in Israel. — Isaiah 44:22–23

Have you begun to hear a God-song in your heart? Can you put words to your song? If it is an actual song that you can sing, sing it!

Speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. — Ephesians 5:19–20

God gives us a new song.

A God-Song

Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvelous things; His right hand and His holy arm have worked salvation for Him. — Psalm 98:1

You were born for a God-song. Your heart beats to its rhythm and your vocal cords were fashioned to give it volume. A God-song in the simplest man’s soul is greater than any symphony. It’s more than emotional intoxication or getting lost in the moment. It’s the unleashed anthem of a freed soul. A song expresses something no amount of spoken words can articulate. No amount of nonverbal affection can demonstrate. Music is its own thing, especially when instruments and voices respond to the tap of the divine Conductor. Nothing can take a song’s place. If the outlet gets clogged, the soul gets heavier and heavier. And nothing on earth clogs the windpipe like the polluted air of a pit.

“Your heart beats to the rhythm of a God-song, and your vocal cords were fashioned to give it volume.” What is a God-song?

My heart, O God, is steadfast, my heart is steadfast;

I will sing and make music. Awake, my soul! Awake, harp and lyre!

I will awaken the dawn. — Psalm 57:7–8

When you’re in a pit, you may be singing a song, but it’s usually not a God-song. What are some of the Enemy’s songs that you’ve been singing? If you can’t think of an actual song, make up a song title that fits your situation. (Think country, and have fun with this!)

I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; before the “gods” I will sing your praise. — Psalm 138:1

Excerpted from Get Out of That Pit: A 40-Day Devotional Journal by Beth Moore, copyright Beth Moore.

I ache for everyone to know God and truth. Eternal life is more than abundantly good or more than devastatingly bad. Heaven and hell are real! Life after death is assured! But we must believe that God is, and is a rewarder of those who believe in Him. Persevere in the work that we have been given to make disciples that will make disciples of Jesus. We will inherit the kingdom of God soon!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith August 14, 2023

Notes of Faith August 14, 2023

Two Builders

Everyone who hears My words and obeys them is like a wise man who built his house on rock. — Matthew 7:24 NCV

Jesus once told a story about two builders. One was wise and one was foolish. The wise builder built his house on solid rock. The wind blew, the rains came, and the water rose up all around him. But that house didn’t fall. Because it was built on rock.

The other builder was not so wise. This foolish guy decided to build his house on the sand. Maybe it was easier. Maybe he didn’t have to travel as far for supplies. Maybe he liked the view. But when the winds blew and the rains came and the water rose up all around him, that house came crashing down.

What did Jesus mean by this story? Who are the builders? And what are the rocks and the sand?

The Rock is God.

The builders are you and me and everyone. We’re all building our lives. The question is, are we building our lives on rock or on sand?

The sand is the world. When we listen to the world and let it tell us what is important, that’s like building our house on sand. Because just like sand, the world is always moving and changing. If you count on being the best soccer player, the smartest kid in the class, or the most popular to make you feel important and special, then your house is sitting on sand. What if you sprain your ankle? What if you flunk the test? What if the cool kids decide someone else is more popular? The sand will shift, and your house will come crashing down!

The rock is God. If you let Him tell you why you are important and special, then you’ve built your life on rock. Because God never changes. Make Him the most important thing in your life, and no storm of life — no flunked test, no lost friend, nothing in this world — will be able to knock you down.

Lord, help me not to build my life on unimportant things. Teach me, instead, to build my life on You. Amen.

Excerpted from You Can Count on God: 100 Devotions for Kids by Max Lucado, copyright Max Lucado.

Building our lives on anything but the truth of God is building on sand and will shake and fall in the trials of life. Building on the rock (God) will allow us to withstand all of the trials of life and stand firm because of the foundation on which we have built. Let us grow in knowledge of God and intimacy with God until we see Him face to face! Maybe soon!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith August 13, 2023

Notes of Faith August 13, 2023

Uncomfortably Limited

The Frustrating Beauty of Finitude

Article by Marshall Segal

Staff writer, desiringGod.org

When did you first become acquainted with your finitude?

To some, that may seem like a funny question. When was I not acquainted with finitude? For as long as you remember, you’ve been confronted with the limits you face in the mirror. Sometimes, it may even feel like the mirror has come to life and follows you, carrying your flaws and failures wherever you go. There’s a friend who sticks closer than a brother, and finitude draws closer still.

Where shall I go from my limits?

Or where shall I flee from my weakness?

If I work diligently into the night, you are there!

If I wake early before the others, you are there!

If I give all I have, and do all I can, and make every possible effort,

even there you find me.

Finitude, of course, touches a dozen different nerves. You may get tired more quickly than others, and end most days worrying about what didn’t get done. You may have a hard time falling asleep, or staying asleep. Or if there’s an opportunity to get sick, your body seems to seize it. Maybe you’ve battled chronic illness or persistent pain over years or decades. Or you’re called to some difficult relationship that always seems to demand more than you can give. It’s part of the mystery and brilliance of humanity — these creatures that can harness electricity, transplant a heart, and visit the moon, and yet still need naps and sick days.

Whatever limits you, you can probably walk outside and see something of yourself in those tiny green blades beneath your feet:

As for man, his days are like grass;

he flourishes like a flower of the field;

for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,

and its place knows it no more. (Psalm 103:15–16)

Six-Foot-Tall Grass

If you follow this grassy trail through Scripture, you realize that our finitude isn’t the accident it often seems to be (or at least feels like in the moment). If you can believe it, it’s actually a feature.

“Humans are finite to maximize, not minimize, what humans are made to be and do.”

Notice, even before the fall (before our need for redemption), God made us unavoidably limited. And now after the fall, he uses our finitude to draw us back to him. From the beginning, humans are finite to maximize, not minimize, what humans are made to be and do. To be fully human requires feeling and embracing the limits of being human. Even glorified humans living with God in the new heavens and new earth will still be finite — free from sin and pain and sorrow, but not without the limits of a body.

We know our finiteness is intentional and purposeful, because God brings it up again and again in the Bible. As he does, he often reaches for grass (which, remember, he himself sovereignly sketched and planted).

All flesh is grass,

and all its beauty is like the flower of the field.

The grass withers, the flower fades

when the breath of the Lord blows on it;

surely the people are grass. (Isaiah 40:6–7)

As I write, our yard’s been without rain for several weeks. Despite some real (modest) effort, I’m watching the withering in real time the brief and fragile life of my poor lawn. And I’m learning about myself. All flesh is grass, even mine, and my short spring and summer will soon fall into winter.

But grass isn’t the only window we have into finitude. Even in Psalm 103, God gives us another metaphor for our limitations: “He knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust” (Psalm 103:14). Man was formed from dust, and we must all return to dust, and in between, we are small, brief, and brittle, like dust. Dust from dust to dust.

By the sweat of your face

you shall eat bread,

till you return to the ground,

for out of it you were taken;

for you are dust,

and to dust you shall return. (Genesis 3:19; see Ecclesiastes 3:20)

Like grass, like dust, like a single drip of water: “Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as the dust on the scales” (Isaiah 40:15). We were meant to feel this way, like a 5-foot 9-inch blade of grass, like a 195-pound shadow. If you feel the discomfort of finitude, you’re not alone and you’re not crazy. You’re human.

Prayers of Finitude

The more I walk through the field of Psalm 103 in particular — “As for man, his days are like grass” — the more I realize that finitude weaves its way through the whole psalm. These have been some of my favorite verses to pray in all the Bible:

Bless the Lord, O my soul,

and all that is within me,

bless his holy name!

Bless the Lord, O my soul,

and forget not all his benefits,

who forgives all your iniquity,

who heals all your diseases,

who redeems your life from the pit,

who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,

who satisfies you with good

so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. (Psalm 103:1–5)

I’ve long loved these verses for rehearsing the height and width and depth of God’s power and love, but I’ve recently learned to appreciate them even more for being prayers of vulnerability and finitude. These are the prayers of people acquainted with sickness (“who heals all your diseases”), of people in desperate situations (“who redeems your life from the pit”), of people wrestling with weakness (who renews your youth), of people weighed down by sin (“who forgives all your iniquity”), and in the next verse, of people who’ve been wronged and wounded (who “works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed”).

“Finitude exists to lead us to Infinitude.”

In just a handful of lines, we can each find someone who relates to our finitude. We can find a cry for whatever fragile moments we experience. We also find a God ready to meet and bless us in our particular limits and weaknesses.

Where Finitude Takes Us

If we let it, finitude really will help us live happier, more fully human lives, but only if we see through the grass, the dust, the shadow, the drip. Follow Psalm 103 through the field: “As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more. But . . .” Now we’ll learn where the good path of finitude finally leads. All of our weakness, sickness, frustration, disappointment has been leading us to and through this sentence:

But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him,

and his righteousness to children’s children,

to those who keep his covenant

and remember to do his commandments.

The Lord has established his throne in the heavens,

and his kingdom rules over all. (Psalm 103:17–19)

Finitude exists to lead us to Infinitude. God never grows weak or tired. He never needs help. He never sins. He never feels stuck or desperate. He never needs to sleep in or take a nap. Unlike us, he’s not like grass. If all the nations are a drop in the bucket, his kingdom is an ocean.

So, as we come up against our limits again and again, when we feel our dust-ness more acutely again today, or tomorrow, or sometime next year, we’re meant to see and feel his limitlessness. There’s no ceiling to his ability, no reins on his power, no vulnerability in his plan, no exhausting his mercy. The grassiness of our short, complicated, confusing, often discouraging lives should lead us to his iron throne of love. Every limit and weakness that sets us apart from God can help us savor more of him.

He Knows Our Frame

Being himself infinite, you might think God would have a hard time relating to finite creatures like us, but he doesn’t. In his infinitude, he finds the heart to father the weak and flawed, to love us as if we were his own children. He loves us more than an earthly father could (Luke 11:13).

As a father shows compassion to his children,

so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him.

For he knows our frame;

he remembers that we are dust. (Psalm 103:13–14)

We know our frame, and we grumble and despair. God knows our frame (even more than we know ourselves), and yet instead of complaining about us or rejecting us, he draws close to strengthen and help us. In Christ, his power is made perfect in our weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). He approaches our frailty with the heart of a devoted father, not of a ruthless manager. If we fear and follow him, the limits we’re tempted to despise about ourselves stir and inflame the coals of his compassion.

And he not only knows our frame, but sent his Son to bear our frame. Our God is the only God ever conceived who can sympathize with finitude. Jesus lived a short, physically demanding, relationally trying, temptation-battling life. He slept and got sick. He even died. And then he rose to give your grass-like life a throne-like weight and glory.

So, if you feel a little like grass, let those sharp green blades point you up and away from your frustrations and insecurities to the God who knows your finitude, planned your finitude, lived your finitude, and now redeems your finitude.

Just a note of encouragement for your finite walk in this life. We never know when it might end, but it was meant to be beautiful and filled with joy as the grass and flowers illustrate. How are you doing with that part? Yes, we are finite and will return to the dust from which we were made, but we were made for glory and in Christ will be glorious for all eternity. Praise God for the way He made us and in Christ will keep us beautiful and filled with joy forever!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith August 12, 2023

Notes of Faith August 12, 2023

Peace I Leave With You

A friend and I were texting today about how our mornings had not started well. She had lost her keys and subsequently missed both a dentist appointment and a work meeting. I had placed an important form in a “safe place” and then could not remember where I put it. The longer my friend and I kept looking for these items, the more flustered and upset we became.

As time dragged on, my friend’s worries grew. What if she did not find her keys? Had she thrown them away by accident? Getting a replacement key fob is not easy nor cheap. My concerns mounted as well. While requesting a new form would not set me back in money, it sure would set me back in time. I just knew I would have to call customer service and be passed from person to person to request what was needed. I dreaded the hassle it would be. Instead of stopping a moment to collect the proper perspective—and most importantly, pray about it—we both swirled through our homes like raging storms.

Thankfully, I am happy to report that we both found our missing items. My friend’s keys were in a closet on the top shelf. She had looked in that closet but in a raincoat pocket. She never thought to look up at the shelf. I had misfiled my form, and in my agitation and haste, must have flipped right on past it while looking. I was relieved but not proud at how easily I lost my cool. And if I am honest, this is not an isolated case. How many times have I let minor inconveniences and agitations rob me of my peace? Yes, today we misplaced important items. Tomorrow it may be traffic. We may spill something the next day and make a huge sticky mess. Sometimes, our peace is jeopardized not by something that happens but by worries and negative thoughts.

There are many verses in Scripture where peace is mentioned, but one of the most studied and quoted is John 14:27. In this verse, Jesus is preparing His disciples for the fact He will be leaving them soon. He says,

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.

There are three sentences in this verse. Each one is packed with importance.

“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you.”

“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you.”

Various Bible scholars point out that “peace” was often used as both a greeting and a parting sentiment. We find examples throughout Scripture of its use, specifically after the resurrection of Jesus (John 20:19-26). However, the way Jesus emphasizes peace in this verse by using the word “My” makes peace seem more than just a mood or feeling but an actual gift or possession. Peace is valuable, and Jesus wants nothing more than to give it to His disciples. This type of peace – a peace that passes all understanding (Philippians 4:7) — is only possible in the giving of Himself. He knows they will need this level of peace for what lies ahead, both His crucifixion and the start of the Church where most of them will be martyred.

“I do not give to you as the world gives.”

Thinking back to my harried morning, one could argue that a better organizational system could have prevented my situation. Yes, organization is a great thing, but all the planners and filing systems in the world will not deter humans from misplacing things from time to time. Human error is a reality and trusting our peace to things of the world (even though I do love my day planner) is simply an illusion. Life happens. What matters is how we react. That is why our peace should not be dependent on everything going right. It will not happen.

“Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

When I read this sentence, I tend to focus a lot on the last part where He says, “do not be afraid.” Fear is crippling, so it is comforting to know His peace is available for those moments in life that bring us to our knees – the loss of a loved one, serious illness, and more.

While we know from Scripture that Jesus cared very much about the hurting people He met in His earthly ministry, His peace is more encompassing than just for serious seasons of life. He wants His followers to claim His peace every day. Notice in the first part of the sentence He says, “do not let your hearts be troubled.” That does not mean we will not have frustrations – they are just a part of life. But accepting Jesus’ gift of peace means we will look to Him in both the big and small situations. After all, He cares for our every need (1 Peter 5.6-7).

Are you feeling unsettled today? Could you benefit from a fresh infusion of God’s peace in both big and small concerns? Take a few minutes to talk to God about both the troubles and the fears you are facing. After prayer, take some time for yourself. Many people find the rhythmic motion in coloring to have a calming effect. You can color today’s Scripture from Peace Be with You: An Inspirational Coloring Book for Stress Relief and Creativity. Share your finished creation on social media with the hashtag #coloringfaith.

Written for Devotionals Daily by Mandy Wilson.

Peace be still! Wouldn’t this be a great command for you (okay, and me) today? If Jesus were to speak those words to us we would be instantly at peace. The Bible is the Word of God. He is speaking peace into our lives. Listen to Him. Obey His voice and live at peace…His peace.

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith August 11, 2023

Notes of Faith August 11, 2023

God’s Word in Your Real Life

Let’s be honest with each other.

You’ve likely heard that spending time in God’s Word is vital to a flourishing relationship with God. And one hundred percent that is true. Scripture is filled with truths about what God says about us, thinks about us, and what it means to be loved, set free, and chosen by God.

But what happens when reading the Bible starts to feel mundane and routine? A joyless obligation? When our faith feels stale?

If you’ve ever felt these things, you’re not crazy and you’re not alone. And over the years, I’ve met thousands of people who feel this same way. I’m raising my hand here, too. I have two theories regarding why the habit of reading Scripture is hard for many of us.

We Think of God’s Word as a To-Do List Item

Some of us were taught that reading Scripture is an obligation, and that came with negative connotations (perhaps strictly religious ones) that have been a serious strain to overcome. Perhaps you gave your life to Jesus and then someone handed you a Bible and said, “Now read this,” so you’ve been doing it because it’s what Christ followers are “supposed to do.” Or you have known Jesus your whole life and read the Bible your whole life, so it’s a practice you’ve always done; you just haven’t felt anything fresh from it in a while, and you don’t feel more joy or peace — but again, you know you’re “supposed to.”

Overtime, it can feel like a lifeless to-do list item. This might be one of the Enemy’s favorite ways to keep you from knowing who you are!

God spends a lot of time in the Bible telling us who we are. The Enemy’s greatest threat is us knowing who we are.

And the Enemy knows that when we stop engaging with God’s words, we grow disconnected from God and disconnected from ourselves.

Don’t let the Enemy convince you that knowing what God says about you is a religious box you must check every day, or else. That is what happens when we put the emphasis on the structure of our faith, not the Source of our faith. There is no power in the structure. Reading God’s book of truths is meant to connect you to the Source of life, which is Jesus Himself.

Jesus came to set you free from guilt.

If your Bible-reading brings you feelings of guilt, you’re doing it wrong.

If it’s taking life out of you instead of giving life to you, then you’re doing it wrong.

If it doesn’t bring you closer to the person of Jesus, then you are doing it wrong.

Which brings me to my second working theory.

If your Bible-reading brings you feelings of guilt, you’re doing it wrong.

We Don’t Personalize Our Practices

This is the truth: There is no one-size-fits-all way to read God’s words for every person in every season.

Your time with God doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s time with God. It doesn’t have to look like your mom’s, your pastor’s, or that one person on Instagram. And it does not have to look like your routine fifteen years ago. If you are struggling to enjoy God’s Word, maybe you need a fresh way to read what God says about you.

Do you want to know what the fresh way is?

It’s the way that works for your lifestyle, your personality, how you engage, how you enjoy, and most important, what’s that’s doable.

Consider trying a new translation of the Bible to see if it helps you see the Scriptures in a new way. Try Bible apps, audio versions, or praying through a Psalm each morning. Switch up times of day, consider involving a friend, or search out Bible study guides that pique your interest. When my little brother gave his life to Jesus, we slowly read through the Gospels together. Reading it slowly and in community helped me see Jesus in a brand-new way.

When Jesus was growing up, He went out of His way to know what God said about Him. One time His family lost Him on a family trip, and they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. — Luke 2:46 NIV

Jesus did not always follow the path everyone else was on. It was urgent to Him to read, learn, and engage with God’s Word.

The question is not, “How does everyone else practice reading God’s Word?” The question is, “How will you make time and space to engage with what God says about you today?”

Just like Jesus, you might have to go out of your way. But this will be one of the primary ways you connect and stay connected to Jesus, and with who you really are.

You will know who you really are when you spend real time with the One who knows you the best.

Adapted from You Are More Than You've Been Told: Unlock a Fresh Way to Live Through the Rhythms of Jesus by Hosanna Wong, copyright Hosanna Wong.

What is the most intimate relationship you have? If you did not say God, you are missing being blessed to the highest level! If you want this intimacy with God, you must pray (talk to Him), read the (YOUR) Bible, (listening to Him speak), and responding with love for the love He has for you! There is no better relationship. We must be in the Word as much as possible to be close to God. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. He is always near. He is never far away. He will never leave or forsake you!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith August 10, 2023

Notes of Faith August 10, 2023

Philippians: Chasing Happy

Sometimes fear, anxiety, worry and panic can make my thought-life slide right off the runway.

A while ago, I was on a red-eye flight with a friend to Houston on my way to do some mission work in Guatemala. Red-eye flights are the worst. Trying to eke out a bit of sleep sitting up, with a neck pillow and cramped legs, is tough, to say the least. I think I had accumulated a whopping hour and a half of sleep when the captain came on the intercom and let us know that we might have a bit of a rough landing since it was raining in Houston. Too tired to care, I closed my eyes, leaned my head back, and determined to sneak in a few more minutes of sleep.

Suddenly, our plane hit the runway... hard. And immediately we started sliding to the left. We had another hard hit when the plane hydroplaned off the runway and into the grass, slamming into a field. Ambulances and fire trucks, complete with flashing lights, rushed out to our airplane.

So we did what any normal people would do at 3:30 in the morning when your plane slides off the runway. We took a selfie.

I don’t know about you, but, just like that plane, my thoughts can slide off the runway, too. And before I know it, I’ve mentally crashed. I’m in full-tilt panic mode. And I’m surrounded by sirens and emergency lights.

But the pathway from panic to peace is prayer.

Here’s what Paul says to the Philippians 4 starting in verse 6,

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Some commentators say that word “prayer” is better translated: a prayer whose essence is worship and devotion. Yes, we need to take our requests to God and ask Him for what we need. But prayer should start with worship.

It’s extremely difficult for a closed-fist posture of worry, anxiety and stress to coexist with the raised-hands posture of worship. When we come to God with open hands, acknowledging His goodness, recognizing His kindness, trusting His sovereignty and control, we release the worry we’ve been holding onto so tightly.

Maybe you’re not in a season where your worship looks like dancing and praising and celebrating right now. But you can bow down before the Lord and worship Him declaring:

Even in the midst of this heartbreak, I’m leaning on God’s faithfulness.

Even in the middle of this hurt, I’m trusting God’s provision.

Even in the center of this grief, I’m believing in God’s presence.

Even under the intensity of this confusion, I’m following God’s direction.

Even in the depths of this fear, God, I’m counting on you!

We come to God with worshipful prayer, present our requests to Him, and then Paul says,

the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. — Philippians 4:7, NIV

What is the peace of God? Charles Spurgeon says it is “the unruffled serenity of the infinitely-happy God...” It’s that calmness and peaceful tranquility that comes from a perfectly, infinitely happy God. It is beyond our understanding. It’s more than we can comprehend. It’s impossible for us to explain. But we know it when we experience it.

The pathway from panic to peace

is prayer.

Anxiety ceases when we encounter the peace of an infinitely-happy God. When we rejoice in the One who is perfectly happy, we are filled with happiness.

Look again at Philippians 4:8. Paul says,

Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me — put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Paul has already said that through prayer you can exchange your worry for the peace of God. Now, he’s saying that as you start to live out all of the things of God that you’ve fixed your thoughts on, the God of peace will be with you.

He is the source of peace. The maker of peace. The giver of peace. There is no true peace outside of Him.

The peace of God in you.

And the God of peace with you.

When you’re discouraged and life doesn’t seem to be going your way, the peace of God in you and the God of peace with you.

When it feels like your work is hitting a roadblock, the peace of God in you and the God of peace with you.

When you’re tired and have nothing left to give, when you feel broken and cry yourself to sleep, the peace of God in you and the God of peace with you.

When you wonder if you’re the only one who’s struggling, the peace of God in you and the God of peace with you.

When your marriage is hanging on by a thread, when your kids are rebelling and just breaking your heart, the peace of God in you and the God of peace with you.

When you question if you’re enough and if God made a mistake with you,

When you’re drowning in disappointment from unfulfilled dreams, the peace of God in you and the God of peace with you.

Nothing in your life has to change for everything in your life to change.

You turn your panic into prayers and the peace of God will be in you. You fix your thoughts on the things of God and put them into practice, and the God of peace will be with you. That’s when you’ll find the happy you’ve been chasing all along.

Written for Devotionals Daily by Lori Wilhite, author of Beautiful Word Philippians.

Prov 3:5-6

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,

and do not lean on your own understanding.

6 In all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make straight your paths.

ESV

Panic arises quickly. Peace takes its sweet time. It is like patience…I want it, and I want it NOW! It is so much easier to panic than be at peace but if we put our trust in the Lord every moment belongs to Him, in His control, and we can be at peace.

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith August 9, 2023

Notes of Faith August 9, 2023

What Holds the Key to Your Heart?

When Jesus heard this, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in Heaven. Then come, follow Me.” — Luke 18:22

I long to follow hard after Jesus. And I’m not talking about a plastic-Christian life, full of religious checklists and pretense. No, that would be hypocritical at best and deadening at worst.

I want the kind of soul-satisfying closeness that can only come from daily keeping pace with Him. A rich and deep level of intimacy that frantic attempts at rule-following will never produce.

Rules and regulations were an everyday reality for God’s people in the Old Testament. Lists of dos and don’ts to help sinful people maintain fellowship with a holy God. First the Ten Commandments. Then law after law about sacrifices and ceremonies, food and cleanliness.

But in the New Testament, Jesus shows up on the scene and turns everything upside down with His message of grace. A message that declares, “Following rules won’t get you into Heaven. Being good won’t earn you bonus points. Lay down your checklists… your agendas… everything… and follow Me. Believe in Me. Receive Me.”

It was a complete shift in thinking. One that left people perplexed, like the rich ruler in Luke 18.

We first meet the rich ruler when he approaches Jesus with a question:

Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? — Luke 18:18

Jesus, already knowing his checklist-mindset, begins naming several of the Ten Commandments. It’s a list the rich ruler feels he has kept well. But Jesus has more to say:

You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in Heaven. Then come, follow Me. — Luke 18:22

It would be so easy to gloss over this moment and think Jesus is simply talking about money. We could be tempted to label this a story for “those” people — the ones we think have more money than they know what to do with. But the words in this conversation are for every single one of us. Because the core issue Jesus is getting at is this:

What holds the key to your heart?

What holds the key to your heart?

Oh, how I want my answer to be “Jesus.” I want to want Him most. To live completely captured by His love. Enthralled with His teachings. Living proof of His truth.

There have been others who have gone before me who desired this as well. Imperfect heroes of faith we read about in the Bible who, despite their shortcomings, pleased God. And it wasn’t perfect actions that carved a path to God’s heart. It was something else. Something less defined that can’t be outlined and dissected. Something that was sometimes messy and offensive. But something that was so precious at the same time it caused God to pause.

Abandon.

It’s a word used to describe a little girl leaping from the bed’s edge, completely confident her daddy will catch her. It’s the same thing that fueled David’s courageous run toward Goliath with nothing but a sling and five smooth stones. It’s what fueled Joshua. And Moses. And Noah. And Paul.

And it’s the one thing Jesus is asking of the rich ruler. Not for a life lived perfectly, but a heart of perfect surrender.

So this is my prayer:

Everything I have. Everything I own. Everything I hope for. Everything I fear. Everything I love. Everything I dream. It’s all Yours, Jesus. I trust You in complete and utter abandon.

Sadly, it’s also the one thing this man felt he could not offer. He stood on the edge of everything uncertain with the arms of all certainty waiting to catch him. And he just couldn’t jump; he lived his life entangled in lesser things.

He was not captured by, enthralled with, or living proof of the reality of Jesus. And so he walked away from the only One who could ever truly satisfy his soul.

Oh, friends. Let’s not allow this to be the tragedy of our lives. Let’s be found captured by Jesus’ love, enthralled with His teachings, and living proof of His truth. Let’s be found living with abandon.

Because the life that follows Jesus with abandon is the life that gets to experience His presence, His provision, His promises, His soul-satisfying abundance.

Father God, please forgive me for all of the times I have settled for lesser things. I want to want You most. Today, I am handing You the key to my heart. The key to everything in my life. I love You. I need You. And I want to follow hard after You. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Excerpted from Embraced by Lysa Terkeurst, copyright Lysa TerKeurst.

Understanding and living for that which lasts forever, having an eternal perspective through your relationship with Jesus, will make your daily life filled with joy, peace, abundance, and love. Intimacy with our Creator and Sustainer is what we all need to receive the treasure house of God. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith August 8, 2023

Notes of Faith August 8, 2023

Most will never see their faces; Never know their name

What they do they do alone; They don’t need the fame

On their knees they touch the Lord; Knowing He will care

And change the things that man can’t change; With a simple prayer

They are prayer warriors fighting on their knees

True soldiers in the Lord’s army

Front liners ready every hour

Doing battle constantly with supernatural power

The preceding lyrics are from the song, Prayer Warriors, which was recorded on the Change the World album in 1985. The album was really the result of a conversation I had with a fellow Christian artist, Sheila Walsh. Sheila and I, as well as several other Christian artists, were in “The Green Room” at an artist retreat in Colorado. As we were waiting for our cue to take the stage and present our music, we engaged in conversation about spiritual warfare. Sheila was very passionate about the topic so she shared and I listened. Soon, one of the program directors called for Sheila to take the stage. I remained in the Green Room for another 20-30 minutes, reflecting on our conversation.

I had certainly heard the term “spiritual warfare” before, but I don’t think up until that point I had seriously considered what that meant and what implications it held for me and the Christian community as a whole.

From that rather brief conversation, ongoing study of God’s Word, and much prayer, I gained a clear and challenging understanding of the reality of spiritual warfare. I was also motivated to write the songs for the Change the World album, which would address the spiritual warfare issue.

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12 NASB).

This verse, perhaps more clearly and specifically than any other (and there are many others), highlights and articulates the spiritual battle that rages continually. This is a battle we’re each engaged in. There is no sitting this one out!

The question is, are you a prayer warrior? Are you a frontliner? As the song’s imagery asks: are you a true soldier in His army, fighting in prayer on your knees? Are you ready every hour to do battle?

I recently had the privilege to lead a men’s bible study on this very topic. I asked the men if they had been involved in sports while growing up. Most raised their hand and said they had. Some played football, baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer, and other sports. I questioned them about the different kinds of training and preparation they’d endured to prepare themselves to succeed on game day. Wind sprints seemed to win out as perhaps the least liked and most grueling exercise. I then asked the men what percentage of their efforts were spent in preparation for their sport of choice compared to the percentage of time actually realized competing in the sport on game day. We all agreed that probably somewhere around 90% (perhaps more) of our time was spent practicing, conditioning, and preparing for the 10% (maybe less) of time we actually played the sport in competition.

Did you know that in the average NFL game, which usually lasts 3-3.5 hours, there are only 11-12 minutes of actual playing time? If you total up all the plays from the time the ball is snapped till the play is whistled dead, the actual cumulative total time actually played is 11-12 minutes. But to compete at that highest level, one must train off-season, during the season, hours, days, weeks, and months to succeed in that gridiron battle.

Now, what does all this have to do with prayer and spiritual warfare? I think we can all agree that if one didn’t train, prepare, and practice in sports, there should be no expectation to succeed.

Yet, too often we treat prayer as some minimal exercise and burdensome obligation. We take a hit-and-miss approach to the absolute necessity of the discipline and privilege of prayer and then wonder why we don’t succeed more in our spiritual life. The world, the flesh, and the devil are always and ever conspiring to defeat us. The devil seeks to steal, kill, and destroy. Prayer is a most powerful weapon against that which seeks to defeat us.

An old saint was once asked, “Which is more important: reading God’s Word or praying?” To which he replied, “Which is more important to a bird: the right wing or the left?”

I’ve often said, “We talk to God through prayer, He talks to us through His Word.”

They are both equally important, but for our purposes here, I want to establish the absolute necessity of a consistent and fruitful prayer life. We could discuss many purposes for prayer, but let’s focus on four that I think merit consideration: Adoration, Thanksgiving, Repentance, and Petition.

Adoration: Take time always in prayer to just glorify and adore our Holy God. Extol His divine nature and marvelous attributes. Proclaim His eternal power, His love, His mercy, and His grace. Examples: Psalm 18:1-3, Psalm 145:1-6

Thanksgiving: Be thankful for who He is and what He has done. Recall His many benefits. Even in difficulty, we are more blessed than distressed. Examples: Psalm 7:17, Psalm 95:1-3

Repentance: Always pray with a repentant heart. Confess your sins, apologize for your offenses, and receive His cleansing and forgiveness by grace through faith. Move forward. Don’t remember against yourself that which He has promised to forget. Examples: 2 Chronicles 7:14, 1 John 1:9

Petition: Never be afraid to itemize your requests. We often are too vague in our prayers; we can never be too specific. David Wilkerson once said, “Get specific with God and He’ll get specific with you.” Examples: Philippians 4:6, Hebrews 4:16

These scriptural examples of prayers of adoration, thanksgiving, repentance, and petition are only the “tip of the iceberg.” Let me encourage you to search the scriptures and find many other verses relating to these topics. It will encourage your faith.

Search out scriptures, especially in the Psalms, and pray these verses. The joining of prayer to scripture and scripture to prayer is a powerful thing!

Finally, let me offer a few practical helps to praying: Start with Thanksgiving and Praise.

Consider the greater needs first, such as the Persecuted Church, nations, missionaries, and others first before your own needs.

Imagine the Lord standing next to you or sitting by you at the table or in your car. Talk to Him as a friend.

Pray in the Spirit. Trust in His Spirit to intercede when your vocabulary is exhausted. “Groanings which cannot be uttered are often prayers which cannot be refused.” (Spurgeon)

All these which I’ve offered in this letter are really so brief and basic compared to what could be discussed in the realm of prayer. I hope and pray these simple thoughts help and encourage you to “go deeper” in prayer.

In the solitude of prayer; Victories are won

With the help of Heaven’s power; They will overcome

As one chorus fighting now; Warriors press on

Bringing strongholds to the ground; With a prayerful song

We are Prayer Warriors!

In Christ,

Dallas Holm

We need to grow spiritually until we are always in thought and attitude in prayer, always in communion with God. Indeed, pray without ceasing!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith August 7, 2023

Notes of Faith August 7, 2023

Loving Those Who Hate

Dear Jesus,

Sometimes it’s really hard to love people, particularly when You ask me to love those who hate You and do evil things. Please show me. How can I hate evil and still love the haters?

Isn’t that what Paul did when he was in prison? In the worst of circumstances, he hated evil but continued to love. And You did the same, Jesus. When You were beaten, mocked, and crucified, You asked God to forgive Your enemies because they didn’t know what they were doing. That is pure love.

Love requires that you pray for those most in need of salvation.

Jesus, You are always in my heart, guiding me and leading me to be more like You. And for that reason, I have to pray for those who hate You and do evil things. I don’t love what they do, Lord — but I want them to know You, so I pray for them. I love them enough to ask that You will save them. Please, Lord Jesus, come into their hearts. Open their eyes to see You. They need You so much.

You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.

— Matthew 5:43–44

When Jesus was on the cross, He prayed for His enemies and asked God to forgive them. Can you love someone who hates the Lord or who willingly inflicts suffering? Love doesn’t mean that you accept acts of hatred and evil, but love requires that you pray for those most in need of salvation. Remember them when you pray.

Excerpted with permission from 100 Days of Prayer, copyright Zondervan.

It is easy to love those who love you and pray for those who care about you, but Scripture tells us to love those who persecute us, and pray for them that they might come to Jesus in believing faith. Even if they continue to “hate” and persecute, continue to love them as Jesus does. They too, are created in His image.

Pastor Dale