Something Up His Sleeve

Rescuing the human heart is the hardest mission in the world.

The dilemma of the Story is this: we don’t know if we want to be rescued. We are so enamored with our small stories and our false gods, we are so bound up in our addictions and our self-centeredness and take-it-for-granted unbelief that we don’t even know how to cry out for help. And the Evil One has no intention of letting his captives walk away scot-free. He seduces us, deceives us, assaults us—whatever it takes to keep us in darkness.

Like a woman bound to an affair from which she cannot get free, like a man so corrupted he no longer knows his own name, the human race is captive in the worst way possible—we are captives of the heart.

Their hearts are always going astray. (Hebrews 3:10)

God is filled with the jealousy of a wounded lover. He has been betrayed time and again.

The challenge God faces is rescuing a people who have no idea how captive they are; no real idea how desperate they are. We know we long for Eden, but we hesitate to give ourselves back to God in abandoned trust. We are captivated by the lies of our Enemy.

But God has something up his sleeve.

Eldredge is brilliant, his ability to put thoughts in to words is amazing!
Epic 62 - 64

Is He trying to tell me something?

Sometimes it may be God trying to tell you something or send a message. Its not always what you might like to think it is.....

The Sniper

It has been a while.... I have to say there is a lot going on in my life these days. I am still getting settled in to my new job, the kids are involved in all kinds of sports, I had braces put on my teeth about a month ago, I had minor surgery on my right thumb a couple weeks ago, a friend of mine is battling a lawsuit to preserve his business that will become a key piece of the missionary ministry that I am part of and I am preparing to head to Colorado in a couple of weeks to attend a Wild at Heart Boot Camp with John Eldridge and his band of warriors. What does all this mean?

SPIRITUAL WARFARE is abundant in my life. The enemy is sniping me at every turn.

About a month ago I was considering leaving the church we attend because of some perceptions that I had developed. The enemy was right there feeding me with all kinds of judgemental thoughts. I was on the edge of leaving when I sat down with my friend, Jeff, and talked to him about it. Jeff is somewhat of a spiritual mentor for me [he is also an elder in the church]. I explained to him what I was thinking and he told me to follow my heart and allow God to lead me. He encouraged me to "remember why you are there [at church], you are not there for anybody but God" - this hit me like a ton of bricks and exposed the enemies strategy. I prayed after my meeting with Jeff and removed the enemies foothold....

I went to court a few Friday's ago to support and pray for my friend, Robert. He is the rightful owner of a company and technology that he is fighting to keep. He also has a heart for kingdom work and would like to use this company to fund a ministry that I am a part of. This SCARES the enemy for sure! So I went in to the court room and sat with the opposing side and prayed the entire time. I prayed for Robert's protection and success and I also prayed for all of the folks that are trying to steal Robert's company. That night the right side of my mouth became a bit sore and by Sunday night I was in extreme pain and unable to sleep most of the night due to the infection that had set in on the right side of my mouth. The sniper had got me again. I don't know if you have ever had a gum infection before, but it ranks in the top 5 of pain for sure. I went to the dentist on Monday and got some medicine and began to heal. Long story short, it did not heal right and I had exposed jaw bone in the back of my mouth for about a week - a final pot shot by the enemy.... how ridiculous, right?

I knew this whole gum infection thing was a direct attack and had to laugh about it, despite the amount of pain I was in. I began praying about it quite a bit and was really "ok" with the attack. I figured the pain I was experiencing was nothing compared to the cross. I must have read Eph 6 about 10 times during the whole thing.... the armor definitely helps as long as I remember to put it on.

Finally, there have been a number of other attacks on various relationships, some ethical issues at work, silly arguments with my wife that I can not even remember what they were about. The enemy is lurking in the shadows with his sniper rifle and taking shots at me all the time.

I expect the battle to get worse and the attacks to become more intense as my trip to Colorado draws closer. I will stand strong in the faith knowing that angels are near and that the armor of God will protect me. With the authority given to me by the one who lives in me, I will rebuke the enemy and move forward in the battle.

I will glorify Him daily and will always be thankful for His grace and sacrifice that make salvation possible.