Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers…Isn’t it interesting that when we meet someone for the first time, the conversation usually revolves around our profession, where we’re from – and maybe even why we’re here, where we went to school, our family, and sometimes, but rarely, we might even have a chance to mention our faith; “I’m Lutheran, Presbyterian; Methodist, Catholic”, etc.  All of this gives us a chance to present the image we want the other person to see, but it doesn’t open the door to who we really are.  In other words, we have no idea what is really going on inside the other person. To get from that level of “acquaintance” to a real friendship takes an investment of time and desire.

In the culture in which we live today, there have been a lot of faulty “success” equations bandied about.  For instance, in the book, “The Sensation of Being Somebody”, Maurice Wagner points out some of these misconceptions: a good appearance plus admiration equals a whole person; star performance plus accomplishments equals a whole person; a certain amount of status plus the recognition we accumulate equals a whole person; success equals happiness, and conversely failure equals hopelessness. “Not so”, he says.  “These equations are no more correct than 2 plus 2 =6.”  It is not what we “do” that defines “who we are”; it’s actually “who we are” that defines what we “do.”  Let me explain.

By worldly standards, we have to keep up with the constantly changing culture in terms of the latest fads, fashions, changing values and morals in order to be considered “hip” or “with it.” To stand against this changing tide takes a strong sense of identity and courage because one can expect a barrage of demeaning labels such as “racist”, “bigot”, “xenophobe”, “misogynist”, or “homophobe”.  The current culture, which claims to be tolerant, is particularly intolerant toward those who hold opposing views and have the courage to stand up for their belief.  Truth be told, the stress and turmoil that comes from participating in this worldly “rat race” often results in what our medical profession has labeled “psychosomatic illnesses”.

The challenge for today’s culture is, “where will you find your identity?”  Will it come from the world, or do you want to find your identity in the immutable standards found in God’s Kingdom?  In God’s Kingdom, there is only one equation: Me + Christ = fulfillment, joy, purpose, peace and serenity.  As one who was totally sold out to the worldly way of thinking for the first half of my life, I‘ve experienced what it means to live the “lie”. In my quest for fulfillment, happiness, and purpose, my desire was more accolades through my job, alcohol, drugs, women, and more and more material things as I tried to fill that proverbial “hole in my soul”. But all of that was temporal.  There was always “something” missing.

Neil Anderson, author of “Victory Over the Darkness”, states that God’s will for our life is two-fold.  First, He wants us to accept His Gift of Grace (Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior). And second, He wants us to begin growing in the knowledge of Jesus Christ: who He is, why He came, what He did for us, and what He will continue doing for us right here, right now.  Jesus promised His disciples, and that includes those of us today who are in Christ, that He would not leave them as orphans.  He told them He would ask the Father to send the Holy Spirit, who would live in them to be their counselor, their comforter, their guide, and who would lead them into all Truth.

The Holy Spirit will also empower us to become the person God created us to be.  God gave us this gift because He knows we are still living in our fleshly bodies, that we are living in a fallen world, and that we have a formidable foe who is hell-bent on shipwrecking our best effort to become more Christ-like.  But God’s plan for us already includes victory over this darkness!  Just keep reading. 🙂

1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us: “…God is faithful.  He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can’t stand up against it.  When you are tempted, He will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it.”  That way out is the Holy Spirit,  empowering us with His wisdom, courage, strength, insight, patience, perseverance – whatever it is we need – to be victorious over our trials and tribulations.  Two scriptures that totally support this are: 1 John 4:4 “But you belong to God, my dear children.  You have already won your fight with temptation because the Sprit who lives in you (the Holy Spirit) is greater than the spirit (satan) that lives in this world.”   And nothing is more pleasing to God than when we bring James 4:10 to life: “When you come humbly before the Lord and admit your dependence on Him, He will lift you up and give you honor.”

Because we are in Christ, we’re in!  We inherit everything Christ did on the cross on Good Friday, and we inherit the eternal life to which He rose on Easter Sunday.  To fully understand our identity in Christ, and the power that comes from that identity, let me point out that  our sins are forgiven (Christ paid our ransom, freeing us from spiritual death); we inherit eternal life (because Christ rose to eternal life); we have the indwelling Holy Spirit (so we can become the person God created us to be… right here, right now); we are grafted into God’s family (we are now His Children ); we are the righteousness of Christ (not because of anything we did, but because of what Jesus did for us); we are worthy and acceptable in God’s eyes (because we are covered by the blood of Jesus); we are heir to every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm, and we are heir to every promise and covenant in the Bible.  How’s that for hitting the spiritual jackpot?

The prerequisite for the indwelling Holy Spirit is being in Christ. Once we’ve accepted Him as our Lord and Savior, this is God’s gift to us so we can bring honor and glory to Him through our choices, and it’s also the pathway to becoming the person He created us to be. So when either of these two purposes motivate us to say, “Holy Spirit, empower me with YOUR wisdom, power, perseverance, courage, insight, patience, eyes to see, ears to hear”, James 4:10 above says He will honor this request.

So the final question is…”do you want to live by the standards, teachings and turmoil of this world, or do you want the simplicity of adhering to God’s equation:  Me + Christ = fulfillment, joy, purpose, peace and serenity?  Oh yes, I forgot to mention, for ETERNITY!.  When I was confronted with that question, I found it to be a no brainer!

Feel free to respond to this posting, and please “like” and share with other social media friends.

May God bless you abundantly,

Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)

Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers…I remember the first time I read these words in the Epistle of James, “Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy.”, I was stunned. I re-read that sentence numerous times, and the more I read it, the more baffled I was at that claim. Even the next few sentences didn’t allay my skepticism. “For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything.” (James 1:2-4)

Truth be told, the impact of those powerful words never did come alive in me until Pam and I came face to face with our own tribulation about six weeks ago. It was at that time she was diagnosed with CIDP, or MS with a few extra quirks. Wow! Talk about turning our world upside down…

Jesus was very clear about what it meant to be a Christ-follower, and He never promised us a rose garden. In fact, He said, “In this world you will have trouble. But fear not, for I have overcome the world!” (John 16:33) Since this is a fallen world in which we are living, there are many directions from which that trouble might come. It can be in the form of mockery or ridicule from those who despise us for our belief in Jesus. (Remember, Jesus talked about this in John 15:18: When the world hates you, remember it hated me first.) Trouble can also result when we yield to satan’s schemes, which can lead to divorce, addictions, depression, anxiety, and suicide, or it can come in the form of disease, pain and suffering.

Whatever the source of our tribulation, we have one of two choices for our response. We can shake our fist at God and shout, “Why God? Why is this happening to me?” This, unfortunately, can lead to doubt, frustration, getting angry at God, or falling away from our faith. Our second choice is to push into Jesus as our source of strength, and rely on Him to lead us to victory. This is the path Pam and I have chosen, and the results have been nothing short of astounding.

This memorable statement from Neil Anderson’s book, “Victory Over the Darkness”, is appropriate in this scenario: “The strength of our faith is based on the object of our faith.” No doubt, trials and tribulations challenge our faith, but when the object of faith is the Lord God Jehovah, Creator of the universe, Godhead of the Trinity, the omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, immutable One, Alpha and Omega (these are His majestic qualities), and yet, He is Love, Mercy, Grace, Compassion, and Forgiveness. So, how can we not believe; how can our faith not be unshakeable?

God created us for a relationship with Himself. But in order for us to enter into that relationship, we have to come to know Him, to know what He thinks, what He thinks about us, what His plans are, what His plans are for us, what His standard is, how that standard relates to us, what His promises are, and how we receive those promises. Since we are finite human beings, and He is in the spiritual realm, how can we ever come to know Him? Quite simply, He revealed Himself to us through His Word, the Holy Bible. In that Book is everything we need for answering all the above questions, and everything we need for living life to the fullest.

Because we are in Christ, we are heir to everything Jesus Christ did on our behalf, and every promise from God concerning healing.  For instance, Psalm 107:6, 20 tells us, “Lord help! they cried in their distress, and He rescued them from their distress.” and “…He sent His Word and healed them.” God’s Word is truth, power, love, life and healing. Healing was also in the atonement: “He died for our sins and our diseases. By His stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5-6)  Psalm 103 tells us “He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.” God also revealed His expectation for His Word: “I will send out My Word, and it will always produce fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to accomplish and will prosper everywhere I send it.” (some versions say “it will not return void.”)

Because God’s Word is truth, power, love, life and healing, and because God does not want His Word to return void, and because God Himself is the author of all of these promises, Pam and I stand on these promises and pray them aloud back to Him. Since we are heir to all the Spiritual blessings in the heavenly realm, one of which is Spiritual healing (ref. Ephesians 1:3), we claim what is rightfully ours. Now couple that with the truth found in James 4:2, “The reason you don’t get what you want is you don’t ask for it” (assuming it’s in line with His will), and 1:6, “When you ask Him for something, expect Him to answer”. All of this is to say that we know God to be faithful.  We have experienced His goodness and His faithfulness time and time again in our lives. Why would we expect any less now? As Jesus said in Mark 9:23, “All things are possible for them that believe.”

Now back to those baffling words found at the beginning of the Epistle of James. Once we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, God’s desire for us is to march down the path of sanctification (a churchy word for becoming more Christ-like in our thoughts, words, and deeds.) It is in that process that we mature in our relationship with Jesus. Part of that growth process is facing trials and tribulations. (It is referred to in the opening Scripture as “our faith being tested, our endurance growing, and our character strengthening.”)

Part of that maturation is becoming less self-centered and more Holy Spirit centered. Remember, the Holy Spirit is God’s gift to us so we can overcome tribulations in a way that brings honor and glory to Him. 2 Peter 1: 3-4 explains this process: “The more we grow in our relationship with Jesus, His divine power (the Holy Spirit) gives us everything we need for living a godly life. He has called us to receive His own glory and goodness. And by that same mighty power, He has given us all of His rich and wonderful promises.”

This is also substantiated in James 4:10: “When we come humbly before the Lord and admit our dependence on Him, He will lift us up and give us honor.” Every time we get out of the way and call on the Holy Spirit to empower us with His wisdom, strength, courage, patience, perseverance, whatever it is we need to honor God with our choices, His promises tell us He will do that! As Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid, just trust me!” Pam and I stand firmly on that Scripture too.

Needless to say, this is not a journey we would have chosen for ourselves… but non-the-less, here we are. But there is joy in this tribulation. Pam and I have spent more time together in prayer; we have grown closer as a couple; we are a stronger God-centered family, and we both believe, without a doubt, that she will be completely restored. We return God’s promises back to Him with the confident expectation that He delights in our faithfulness, and our unwavering trust that His Word will be manifested in Pam’s physical body.  Praise God for His unfailing love, and His faithfulness!!

Please feel free to “like” this blog, and please share it with other social media friends.

May God Bless You abundantly…

Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)

Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers: The events that were celebrated this past weekend represent the very essence of Christianity; they changed the course of world and human history. On Friday, the Lamb of God was slain to pay the penalty for the sins of the world and to bring to an end the Old Covenant; on Saturday, Jesus descended into the bowels of the earth to gather together the Saints of the Old Testament (Matthew 27:52); and on Sunday, Easter Sunday, Jesus ushered in the New Covenant as He triumphed over death and was raised to eternal life  by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Ephesians 1:4-5 describes God’s perfect plan: “Long ago, even before He created the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes.  His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave Him great pleasure. 

 I’m going to attach one of my favorite dramatic presentations depicting the incredible swing of emotions between Friday and Sunday: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cikenKl92Og

Nothing shows God’s unconditional, unending, unfailing love for us more than His plan for our Salvation.  Mankind had from Creation to 2019 years ago to wrestle with the dilemma of SIN, and the end result continued to be a downward spiral into an abyss of darkness.  Romans 5:6 eloquently depicts our pathetic state: “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.”  It is my opinion that utterly helpless defines just the right time.  I believe our loving God concluded, “they are absolutely incapable of becoming holy (Ref. Ephesians 1:4 above: set aside for sacred use; sin-free) through their own effort. Therefore, I will do for them what they have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt they are incapable of doing for themselves.” This is God’s Gift of Grace. 

Let’s begin by defining “Grace”. Grace is unmerited favor.  That means we did nothing to earn Grace, and truth be told, we certainly did not deserve it.  Notice Romans 5:6 tells us that God gave us this gift while we were still sinners.  That’s important because He didn’t wait for us to clean up our act so we would be worthy in His eyes!  No!  The fact that we were utterly helpless moved Him to act on our behalf.  This is unconditional, unfailing love.  His plan was always to provide a sacrificial lamb to do for us what He knew we could not do for ourselves.  To begin reaping the rewards of this Gift requires only that we accept the truth that Jesus is the Son of God and He came in human form to pay the penalty for our sins on the cross.  Once we make that decision, we are in Christ and heir to all the promises in the Bible and heir to all the “spiritual blessings in the heavenly realm”. (Ephesians 1:3)

God’s salvation plan can be explained as having three parts.  The first part deals with forgiveness of sin. (This had to be first because it is a prerequisite for eternal life.) 1Peter 1:16 tells us, “we have to be Holy because God is Holy.”  In other words, we cannot come into His presence if we are stained with SIN.  Why?  Because SIN spreads, contaminates, kills and destroys. If you doubt that, look at the world today.  Remember, this world was originally perfect. It was Paradise.  But with the fall of man, sin entered the world and manifested itself as fear, greed, hatred, anger, jealousy, lying, envy, pride, sickness, pain, suffering, and death. These qualities, which are the by-products of our sin nature, took the world from “paradise status” to “cesspool status”, and truth be told, these same qualities still define today’s culture as we sink deeper and deeper into spiritual and moral decay.

The reward for being a follower of Jesus Christ is that we will spend eternity with Him in Paradise. But as we can see from the paragraph above, for Paradise to be “Paradise”, it has to be sin-free!  Therefore, only those who are in Christ – those who have been washed white as snow by the blood of Jesus – can come into His presence. But again, God continues to show His love, mercy and patience with us because Jesus will not return until every person has heard the Good News and has had the opportunity to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. God doesn’t want to lose even one soul.

The second part of His salvation plan has to do with our eternal destiny.  Jesus defeated Satan  when He defeated death and rose to eternal life. Therefore, because we are in Christ, we too inherit eternal life. You see, God wanted our relationship with Him to be an eternal relationship, and again, the blood of Jesus makes that possible.  Romans 5:9-10 explains it this way: “And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, He will certainly save us from God’s judgement.  For since we were restored to friendship with God by the death of His Son, we will certainly be delivered from eternal punishment by His life.”  Our eternal destiny is no longer a question. It is a promise!

But God’s perfect plan for us did not stop at this point.  What about those of us who will continue to live in this fallen world for another 30, 40, 50 years after we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior?  Can we endure?  Can we make it to the end?  Well, if it were up to our effort, definitely not!  But again, we serve a loving God who knows we’re only dust. He is keenly aware of our “utterly helpless” state of being. Therefore, His plan was always to do for us what He knew we were incapable of doing for ourselves.

On the night of Jesus’ betrayal, He had a conversation with His disciples and revealed God’s plan for their victory (and our victory) over the world.  This conversation can be found in John 14:16-18. “And I will ask the Father and He will give you another Counselor, who will never leave you.  He is the Holy Spirit who leads into all truth.  The world at large cannot receive Him, because it isn’t looking for Him and doesn’t recognize Him.  But you do, because He lives with you now (it’s ME) and later will be in you.  No, I will not abandon you as orphans – I will come to you”, in the form of the Holy Spirit.

This was God’s plan for assuring Christ-followers victory over the world, right here, right now! (This is the third part of His salvation plan.) The Holy Spirit empowers us to become the masterpiece referenced in Ephesians 2:10: “For we are God’s masterpiece.  He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things He planned for us long ago.”   With the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, we are now capable of becoming the person God created us to be through the decisions we make.

This is the secret weapon of every Christ-follower. The Holy Spirit is our source of power.  Regardless of the issues we may face, be it addictions, relationship issues, anger issues, integrity issues, lack of wisdom, courage, patience, etc., we can call on the Holy Spirit to empower us by giving us His wisdom, insight, courage, perspective, whatever it is we need to make decisions that bring honor and glory to God.  When that is our motivation, His promise to us is victory over the darkness.  1John 4:4 tells us, “The Spirit that is in me (the Holy Spirit) is greater than the spirit in this world.” (satan)  And Luke 10:19 recalls Jesus telling His Disciples, “I have given you authority over all the evil schemes of the devil.”  The victory is ours!  We just have to know that to be the truth, then tap into our source of power, courage and strength.  

Happy Easter to everyone!  During this time of celebration, take time to thank God for His incredible plan for your life, both in this world and in the world to come.

Please feel free to respond to this message, and please “like” it and share it with other social media friends.

Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)

Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers…I find it amazing how many times I hear Scripture taken out of context, misquoted, or twisted in a subtle way to drive home a particular point of view. This practice, however, is certainly nothing new. This has been going on ever since the early days of Bible codification. Scripture, because of its very nature (being the inspired Word of God), has always been a target for unbelievers and skeptics. I have no doubt that sometimes this practice is intentionally used to further an evil intent, but I suspect that in the majority of cases, it is nothing more than an innocent misquotation. None-the-less, innocent misquotations can have unintended consequences.

There is one Scripture that I hear misquoted, perhaps more than any other, so I will use that as my example. The misquotation is, “God doesn’t give us more than we can handle.” I smile every time I hear that statement, then I wonder how, or if, that “scripture” has ever manifested itself in the speaker’s life since it is opposite of the original promise.

I must admit, almost every time I have heard that bogus statement, it has been an attempt to comfort someone who is facing a challenging situation. But regardless of the comforting intent, it directs the victim away from the truth and power found in1 Corinthians 10:13: “But remember that the temptations (also trials and tribulations) that come into your life are no different from what others experience. But God is faithful! He will keep the temptation (and trial or tribulation) from becoming so strong that you can’t stand up against it.  When you are tempted, He will show you a way out so that you will not have to give in to it.”

One fault with the bogus scripture is the unspoken second part: “God doesn’t give us more than we can handle, so good luck as YOU tackle this tribulation.”  This scripture is totally opposite of the power and truth of the original (which is the unintended consequence). The Truth says, “God is faithful”, and indeed He has promised us “a way out so we will not have to give in to it.” And that way out, My Friends, is not through our own effort, but by relying on the Holy Spirit to empower us to rise above our circumstances.

The bogus scripture is wrong on many levels.  First, I want to dispel the notion that God “gives us”, or “puts on us” unwanted circumstances to punish us. That could not be more wrong; that is contrary to His nature.  He is love; He is mercy; He is grace; He is compassion; He is forgiveness. He is the way out of the circumstance, not the author of the circumstance.

When we look at the trials and tribulations we are facing, if we are honest with ourselves, we will see they are the result of decisions we have made. This even includes sickness. Isn’t it our choice to make unhealthy lifestyle choices? Admittedly there are other second-hand consequences such as second-hand smoke, herbicides, pesticides, air pollutants, and genetic predispositions, etc., but we must be careful not to blame God for our tribulations.

Many times, God miraculously lifts us out of our pathos, but other times He uses our troubles as a time of testing and growth. James, in his opening chapter gives us these insightful, but also perplexing, words. “Brothers and Sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy. For when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.  So, let it grow! For when your endurance is fully developed, you will be strong in character and ready for anything. God blesses people who patiently endure such testing.”  (James 1:2-4, 12)

In other words, when we find ourselves in the grip of temptation, trials, or tribulations, we have one of two choices.  We can shake our fist at God and ask, “Why, God?” “Why are you doing this to me?”  This can lead to doubt, fear, and even falling away from our faith, OR… we can press into Him as our source of strength and rely on the Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth, to guide our path, and to be our comforter…just as His Word describes the role of the Holy Spirit. Our troubles, and how we handle them, can be stepping stones to spiritual growth.

This gift of the Holy Spirit is part of God’s salvation plan. As a result, it is comforting to know that our eternal destiny is secure because our sins have been forgiven and we have inherited eternal life because of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. But what about those of us who are still living in this fallen world right now? We are called to live according to His standard, which is quite different from the standard to which the world subscribes…or should I say, “the standard to which the world has digressed”?  Either way, we are called to rise above our trials and tribulations and make choices that bring honor and glory to God.

After the fall of Mankind to “Sin” (living separated from God) in the Garden of Eden, God allowed us to wrestle with that dilemma through our own effort until 2019 years ago. (That’s when He implemented His own plan {Jesus Christ} for our redemption, Ref. Ephesians 1:4.) Romans 5:6 is the report card on our best effort to overcome our bondage to Sin. “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.” Wow! That’s quite an indictment. And what was just the right time for God to implement His plan? It was when we proved ourselves to be “utterly helpless” to overcome Sin through our own best effort. No doubt God was convinced of our helplessness; that’s why He gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit. This is an intentional gift so we can make choices that honor Him, but this is also how we become the person He created us to be…right here, right now, in this fallen world, in these carnal bodies, and against a formidable adversary, satan.

Make no mistake, God knows what this world is like; He saw what it did to His Son. He also knows that we’re weak when it comes to honoring Him through our choices, because our track proved us to be “utterly helpless.”  But as proclaimed in the Scripture, “God is faithful!”  When we accepted His Gift of Grace (Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior), God included a gift designed to bring us victory in the midst of this fallen world, whether facing temptations or trials and tribulations. His promise to us is, “When you are tempted, He will show you a way out so that you will not have to give in to it.” This is the power of this message, and this is also what is lacking in the counterfeit version. The “way out” promised in the Scripture is the indwelling Holy Spirit, empowering us to do what we proved ourselves incapable of doing.

Jesus was upfront about the challenges of being a Christ-follower. He said, “In this world you will have trouble. But fear not! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) Since we are in Christ, we have inherited everything He did on the cross.” Since He was/is victorious over the world and the devil, so are we! That victory comes through relying on the power of the Holy Spirit to work through us.

“And how do we do that?” you might ask. The answer is for us to call Him into action. If our intention is to bring honor and glory to God through our choices, OR to become the person He created us to be, we can say: “Holy Spirit, give me your wisdom, courage, power, strength, patience, perseverance, eyes to see, ears to hear”…whatever it is we need, and His Word tells us He will honor our request.  James 4:10 substantiates that truth: “When you come humbly before the Lord and admit your dependence on Him, He will lift you up and give you honor.” Every time we call on the Holy Spirit to “empower us”, we are bringing that Scripture to life.

Nothing brings more pleasure to God than our obedience to, and our growth in, His Truth. The Holy Spirit is a gift to be used for our victory as we mature in our relationship with Jesus. Romans 12:2 speaks to this process: “Do no be conformed to the customs of this world, but be transformed (through the Holy Spirit) by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good, and pleasing and perfect His will really is.”  How’s that for a formidable promise?

Feel free to respond to this post, and please “like” and share it with other social media friends.

May God Bless you abundantly…

Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)

Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers… In this life of only a few short years – only a “blink” in the eternal scheme of things – I’ve learned quite a few valuable lessons.  Some lessons have been life changing, others have been life saving. But one of those valuable lessons that has been both life changing and life saving, was learning to discern the difference between a contradiction and a paradox.

We all know that a contradiction is something that has aspects that are illogical or inconsistent with each other, or in other words…both can’t be right.  A paradox, however, is a statement, proposition, or situation that seems to be absurd or contradictory, but in fact, it is true.  For instance, in the matter of war, victory and surrender are contradictory.  But I belong to a recovery program that holds to this fundamental paradox: the only way to win is to surrender. In this case, one depends on the other.  Not only is that paradox true in the recovery program, but in order to become the person God created us to be, it is absolutely essential that we grasp the truth of this paradox.

There is a song that I learned in my church when I was a child, and it became one of my favorites.  The title is, “I Surrender All”. All to Jesus I surrender; All to Him I freely give; I will ever love and trust Him, In His presence daily live. (Refrain) I surrender all, I surrender all; All to Thee, my blessed Savior, I surrender all. All to Jesus I surrender; Humbly at His feet I bow, Worldly pleasures all forsaken; Take me, Jesus, take me now. (Refrain) 

Unfortunately, when I was belting out this song in church, I totally missed the message.  I was much more interested in picking out harmony notes to go along with the melody than scrutinizing the words. But today when I see those words, I realize the awesome truth and the life saving message contained therein. In fact, this message is the key to becoming the person God created us to be.

Whether we are walking into a recovery room and admitting our powerlessness over whatever we put in “the blank” (alcohol, drugs, women, cars, gambling, pornography, money, power, etc.), or whether we hit our bottom and cry our “God help me”, it all begins with humility.  Finally, at that moment, we have come face to face with our own insufficiency and realize we do need help.  Now we are ready to surrender!

The truth is, at that moment we are experiencing  the truth of a powerful promise found in James 4:10: “When we bow down (come in humility) before the Lord and admit our dependence on Him, He will lift us up and give us honor.”   We have just taken the first step in a process that can change and save our lives.  (I used the word “can” rather than “will” in the previous sentence because whether that step produces the desired end result depends on our willingness to surrender to the process.)

There are many reasons people ask for help. In the recovery sense, perhaps it’s a spouse or a boss that has given an ultimatum: “Either YOU get help or we’re through”, or you get a bad medical report with the threat of liver damage, or the police offer you the option of getting help or going to jail. Now it makes sense to you to do this… but, in too many cases, just long enough to get the “monkey” off your back.  Unfortunately, there is nothing in your thought process about changing YOU. You just want relief from your uncomfortable circumstance, and you’re already looking forward to “getting back to life as usual”.

Sometimes it’s not much different in the Spiritual sense. Perhaps your own mortality is becoming more real to you, so you ask yourself this probing question: “What if Bob, the Christian up the street, is right and I’m wrong?  Hum…?  (“Fire insurance” probably makes sense in this thought process.)  So you make a decision to accept Jesus as your Savior, and you feel good about securing your eternal destiny.  Yes indeed…forgiveness of my sins and eternal life…this is good!  Maybe in your own mind you decide to seal the deal by becoming an avid church-goer, then in a moment of exuberation, you even volunteer to serve on the finance committee.  Yes indeed! This Christian life is pretty good!  But Monday through Saturday, it’s pretty much “business as usual”. And truth be told…you’ve been wondering, “why am I not experiencing the ‘abundant life’ and the peace and serenity that Jesus promised?” 

In Neil Anderson’s book, “Victory Over the Darkness”, he states that “God’s will for your life is two-fold.  First and foremost, He wants you to accept His Gift of Grace, Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior; and secondly He wants you to participate in the process of Sanctification – becoming more Christ-like.” This is how we become the person He created us to be, and this is how we become useful in furthering His Kingdom right here, right now!

When we accept God’s Gift of Grace, Jesus Christ immediately becomes our Savior.  At that moment we are Justified in God’s eyes because we are in Christ, meaning our sins are forgiven and we’ve inherited eternal life; we now have the indwelling Holy Spirit; we are grafted into God’s family; we are now worthy and acceptable in His sight, not because of anything we did, but because of the ransom paid on our behalf by Jesus at the cross; in God’s eyes we are no longer a sinner but a Saint (sin-free and set aside for a sacred purpose); we are heir to all the promises in the Bible, and we are heir to all the Spiritual blessings in the heavenly realm.  At this point we have been fully prepared to participate in the process of Sanctification, but as of yet, we haven’t taken the first step.  And whether we take that first step depends on our willingness to surrender to Jesus as our Lord.  (At this point it might be good to look back to paragraph three and focus on what I’ve underlined. This is all part of the Sanctification process.)

No doubt the idea of “surrendering”, or Jesus being Lord (first and foremost), is frightening to most people.  Our first thought is, “But what about me.  I don’t want to give up my control to anyone or anything.”  That’s OUR human nature talking.  But here’s another paradox to ponder… it’s about us getting out of the way and letting, or better still, depending on the Holy Spirit to set US free.  Romans 12:2-4 addresses this: “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.  Then you will know what God wants you to do and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect His will really is.”

God’s will for our lives is so much greater than ours, why should we be afraid?  He wants the very best for us, as stated in 2Peter 3-5: “As we know Jesus better, his divine power (Holy Spirit) gives us everything we need for living a Godly life.  He has called us to receive His own glory and goodness!  And by that same mighty power, He has given us all of His rich and wonderful promises. He has promised that we will escape the decadence all around us caused by evil desires and that we will share in His divine nature.   So we must make every effort to apply the benefits of these promises to our lives, then our faith will produce a life of moral excellence.”

God gave us the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit to do for us what we proved we were “utterly helpless” (Ref. Romans 5:6) to do for ourselves. He knows we are living in a fallen world, in these fleshly bodies, and He knows we are no match for the devil.  That’s why the walk to sanctification is not done through our own effort, but by us getting out of the way and trusting the Holy Spirit to empower us to become His masterpiece, as referenced in Ephesians 2:10: “For we are now God’s masterpiece.  He has created us anew in Christ Jesus so that we can NOW do the good things He planned for us long ago.”  

It is only through the process of surrender that we can begin experiencing the victory Jesus promised, and that victory is freedom from bondage to our old self and our old behaviors. That freedom can also be explained as the “Great Exchange”: Jesus took our sins and our diseases on the cross, and in exchange we received His righteousness and eternal life!  How’s that for VICTORY?

Feel free to respond to this post, and please “like” and share it with other social media friends.

My God bless you abundantly,

Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)

Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers…Every morning when I open my eyes, the first thing I do it pinch myself to see if my life, as I experience it today, is “real”, or am I still in a dream-state?  I make that statement because the life I live today…I certainly never planned for; nor would I have ever thought possible.  The amazing truth is, I finally found what I was always looking for, but as the familiar song tells us, “I was looking for love (or value; or meaning; or fulfillment) in all the wrong places” for half a century. Today I am thrilled to say, my life IS happy, joyous and free! In fact, if I had a banner song it would be “To Life!” from Fiddler on the Roof.

So how did this happen? What caused this transformation?  Well…it’s quite simple.  I changed the way I think, and I know who I am today.  But let me preface what I am going to continue writing about by saying: the answer is NOT a self-help solution!!  In fact, it is just the opposite.

We live in a culture that tells us…it’s all about ME! For instance: you deserve a break today; look out for number one; go for the gusto; your future is in your hands; ya gotta do what ya gotta do; you only have to be true to yourself, etc.  All of that sounds good. In fact there is certainly truth (worldly truth) in those statements. But it is NOT the answer to being happy, joyous and free.  That only comes from a change of heart, and that is quite a different process.

When Jesus launched His three-year ministry, it began with the famous “Sermon on the Mount”.  In this presentation He revealed God’s perspective of the way things “should be”, and it was absolutely upside-down from the world’s perspective.  For instance, in Matthew 5 we find: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven”; Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth; Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted; Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called Children of God.”  Then Jesus went on to say we are expected to control our anger, to love our enemies, to help the poor, to honor our vows, to forgive those who have wronged us, and not to worship false-idols such as money, a job, power, prestige, etc.

Needless to say, it was a divisive message then, and it is still a divisive message today.  Why? Because it is contrary to our human nature, which wants to yield to our flesh, the world around us, and to the prince of this world…satan!  Without a spiritual transformation, people can go from the cradle to the grave and miss the whole purpose and reward God has planned for them.  Apostle Paul refers to this in Romans 12:2: “Do not be conformed to the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know how good and pleasing and perfect His will really is.”

Make no mistake…God delights in blessing us.  The Bible is full of promises that we will inherit after we make a life-changing decision, and that decision is described in John 3.  A Jewish Pharisee named Nicodemus came to speak with Jesus. He said, “Teacher, we all know that God has sent You to teach us.  Your miraculous signs are proof enough that God is with You.”  Jesus replied, “I assure you, unless you are born again, you can never see the Kingdom of God.”  Nicodemus did not understand, so Jesus continued: “The truth is, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of the Spirit. Humans can only reproduce human life, but the Holy Spirit gives new life from heaven.” The point is, to live the life God has called us to live, is an impossible endeavor through our own volition.  No amount of self-help will enable us to do that.  Why?  Because a spiritual transformation must take place in our hearts, and that only comes through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  That is also why people who are not ready to hear this message will not hear it.  Satan, the prince and power of this world, has darkened their minds to this truth.

Removing Roadblocks

Maybe you too are like Nicodemus, wondering “How do I do that?”  Before I answer that question, let me dispel two myths.  Being a good person is not the answer!  No doubt God wants us to be good people, but that in itself will not solve the sin-issue.  Notice, we are given both the bad news and the good news in the same verse, Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is DEATH, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Jesus is God’s gift to mankind. He was the ransom paid for OUR sin!  That is why it is referred to as a Gift of Grace; we did nothing to earn it, and we certainly did not deserve it.  In fact, Romans 5:8 tells us: “But God showed His great love for US by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” 

Believing that Jesus is Lord is also not the answer!  We are told in James 2:19 that “even the deamons tremble at the name of Jesus.” To know Jesus…even to know Him as Lord, is not enough.  Each of us must accept Him as Lord of our life in order to be reborn.  That is the essence of Christianity.  It is not about religious trappings; it’s all about our relationship with Jesus Christ and allowing Him to live through us.  Please trust me when I tell you from experience, His plan for my life far exceeded anything I planned.  Today I’m doubly blessed!  I still have opportunities to conduct music, AND I have opportunities to proclaim the Gospel of Grace.  I gotta tell ya…it doesn’t get any better than this!

The Answer

To be born again (spiritually reborn), we have to make a decision to accept God’s Gift of Grace. When we do that, we inherit what Jesus did on the cross.  He paid the price for our sins, so we are now sin-free!  Romans 8:1 says, “There is no condemnation for those who belong to Jesus Christ.”  Now that we are in Christ, in God’s eyes, the sin issue is over for us! Do you get the power of that last statement? Our slate is wiped clean by the shed blood of Jesus Christ!

Three days after Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, He walked out of the tomb. In doing that, He broke the bonds of sin and death as He rose to eternal life.  That is also part of our inheritance when we accept Him as our Lord and Savior.  Apostle John explains in 1John 5:13, “I write this to you who believe in the Son of God (those of us who are in Christ), so that you may know you have eternal life.”

Those two truths are what draw most people to Christianity.  And well it should!  Now we have no doubt about our eternal destiny.  But there is more…much more, and this is the answer to living a life that is happy, joyous and free.

As I stated at the beginning of this blog, we are living in a fallen world where temptation abounds.  Prior to our rebirth, we were slaves to our fleshly desires and the enticements of the world around us. But once we make a decision to break free from the dark domain and follow Jesus Christ, satan then becomes relentless in his assault to keep us mired in his quagmire of sin.  Make no mistake, he IS the prince of darkness, and he is not going to give us up without a battle. And believe me, it IS a battle, and our human nature is no match for him!

This point is highlighted in Ephesians 6:13: “For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms. Use every piece of God’s armor (God’s Word – the Holy Bible) to resist the enemy in the time of evil, so that after the battle you will still be standing firm.”  In other words, our only defense against satan and his evil minions is to combat them with the truth of God’s Word, just as Jesus did when He was tempted in the wilderness.  This spiritual war can only be won with the help of the Holy Spirit that indwells us now that we are a “new creation in Christ.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Galatians 5: 17, 19-22 tells the whole story. “The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants.  And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires.  These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict.  When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry, participation in demonic activity, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, out-bursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, envy, drunkenness, wild parties and other kinds of sin.  Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, He will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” 

I want to close with one of my favorite promises:  1John 4:4, “He that is in me (the Holy Spirit) is greater than the spirit in this world” (satan!)  Knowing and standing on that truth is our only pathway to a life that is happy, joyous and free. That promise tells us we are already victorious!  The world will never grasp that truth because it takes the Spirit to discern Spiritual truths.  James makes it very clear in 5:10: “When you come humbly before the Lord and admit your dependence on Him, He will lift you up and give you honor.”  Every time you call the Holy Spirit into action, you bring that very Scripture to life. A-men!

Feel free to respond to this posting, and please “like” and share it with other social media friends.

May God Bless Ya…

Dan Presgrave, (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)

Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers…Thank goodness you weren’t one of the others who passed up today’s blog because of the subject matter. There has probably been no more controversial subject in the church than Spiritual, or Devine Healing. In fact, I was part of a pastoral staff at a church that was torn apart because of this very subject. Over the years I have come to believe that the schism came about due to the lack of understanding of why and how this truth becomes, or does not become, manifested. I have personally been the recipient of such healing; I have been privileged to be an intercessor on behalf of others; God’s Word is very specific about this reality, and Pam and I are going through a season that requires our complete submission to this truth.

In God’s Word, there are many promises. For instance, John 8:32 reveals this promise from Jesus: “If you follow My teachings you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Is that promise true? Notice that Jesus was very specific about what teachings He was talking about; He was talking specifically about what He taught! So…what did Jesus teach? He taught about love, forgiveness, mercy, grace, tolerance, acceptance, compassion, kindness, goodness, seeking God first, and being of service to our fellow man. When these characteristics fill our hearts, there is freedom, peace, serenity, and joy…the likes of which are found nowhere else, nor from anyone else.

When we first read the Scripture above, we most likely thought, “Wow…I hope that’s true.” But if we respond by implementing these characteristics in our lives, we soon come to “believe” the Scripture is true because of the positive impact we experienced in our attitude and behavior. The more we experience the truth of God’s Word coming alive and transforming us, the more our faith grows because we have experienced the faithfulness of the Author of The Word. In other words, we know HE IS TRUTH, and as a result we are filled with confidence, security, peace, serenity and joy,

A prayer- warrior friend of ours gave us a book a few weeks ago when she came to visit and pray for Pam’s healing. It is called, God’s Creative Power for Healing by Charles Capps. It is an absolute must for anyone experiencing disease, pain and suffering, and anyone who has decided to trust God for healing and restoration. From this point on, I will be quoting extensively from that book and the Bible. In addition, I will be adding some of my own commentary. Truth be told, I see no reason for me to try to restate this magnificent treasure trove of healing truth.

“Medical science aids healing through physical means by administering medicine to the physical body.  God’s Divine Healing is Spiritual. It is administered through the human spirit.  Psalm 107:20 tells us that “God sent His Word and healed THEM”.  Notice that it didn’t say that God sent His Word to heal, but He sent His Word and Healed THEM. God considers it done. He respects our FAITH in His Word!

God’s Word is LIFE.  It is also HEALTH, or medicine to all our flesh.  God’s Word will heal our body, but it does so through spiritual means.  Healing can be received into the human spirit through the Word, but once it is conceived there, it permeates the physical body as well. Just as we would take medicine into our physical body to aid healing by physical means, we must receive God’s Word concerning healing into our spirit for supernatural healing.

His Word is supernatural medicine.  It works through the human spirit and is a spiritual cure, but like any other medicine, it must be applied on a regular basis.  You MUST SPEAK GOD’S WORD BACK TO HIM concerning your individual circumstance or situation. Once the Word of God is engrafted with your spirit, it becomes a part of you. YOU BECOME THE WORD MADE FLESH. Now the supernatural power of God’s Word is greater than the disease itself (satan), allowing God’s promises to become manifested in your physical body!  He respects our FAITH in His Word!

The image that the Word creates in us is already a reality in the spirit realm. (We’re heir to every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are in Christ. {Ref. Ephesians 1:3} One of those blessings is Spiritual Healing.) When we speak God’s Word aloud from our hearts – without doubt, without hesitation, “and with the expectation this prayer will be answered” (James 1-6) – our faith gives substance to the promises of God.  This is NO time for double-mindedness.  Pray earnestly; pray with fervor; pray unceasingly. After all…God’s Word is TRUTH; God’s word is LIFE; God’s Word is HEALING. The words of Jesus ring very clear concerning this matter: “Daughter, your faith has made you whole” (Mark 5:34) Giving voice to our faith in God’s Word will also make us whole! He respects our FAITH in His Word!”

Before I give you Scriptural truths to pray over your body, let me caution you regarding two obstacles that can short-circuit this process. Unforgiveness and doubt are the two culprits. Since we are called to forgive those who have wronged us, if we are still carrying resentments and bitterness against others, we must resolve those issues before we can ask God to bless us. And if there is doubt, praying these truths aloud back to God will, in time, replace any doubt with a confident assurance that He WILL restore our flesh!. These are power-packed words of healing, spoken as promises by God, and claimed as rightfully ours because of our inheritance in Christ! Pray only with the expectation of healing!

Pray these healing Scriptures and principles over your body throughout each day. The more you do this, the more engrafted His Word becomes, not only in your spirit, but in your physical body as well.

“Jesus bore my sins in His Body on the tree. Therefore, I am dead to sin and alive unto God. By His stripes I AM Healed!.” (1Pet.2:24; Rom 6:11; 2 Cor. 5:221)

“Jesus bore my sickness and carried my pain.  Therefore, I give no place to sickness or pain.  For God sent His Word AND healed me”. (Ps. 107:20)

“You have given me abundant life.  I receive that life through Your Word and it flows to every organ of my body, bringing healing and health.” (John 10:10; John 6:63)

“Heavenly Father, I attend to Your Word.  I incline my ears to Your sayings.  I will not let them depart from my eyes.  I keep them in the midst of my heart, for they are life and healing to all my flesh.” (Prov. 4:20-22)

“Jesus took my infirmities and bore my sicknesses. Therefore, I refuse to allow sickness to dominate my body. The Life of God flows within me bringing healing to every fiber of my being.” (Matt. 8:17; John 6:63)

“Heavenly Father, through Your Word you have imparted Your life to me. That life restores my body with every breath I breathe and every word I SPEAK.” (John 6:63; Mark 11:22)

“Your Word IS manifested in my body, causing pain and suffering to disappear. Muscle pain and nerve pain are a thing of the past.  I make a demand on my bones and joints to function properly, in Jesus’ Name.” (Mark 11:23; Matt. 17:20)

“Every organ and tissue of my body functions in the perfection that God created it to function.  I forbid any malfunction in my body, in Jesus’ Name” (Gen. 1:28,31)

“Father, Your Word has become a part of me.  It is flowing in my bloodstream. It flows to every cell of my body, restoring and transforming my body.  Your Word has become flesh; You sent Your Word and Healed me.” (James 1:21; Pa. 107:20; Prov. 13:3)

“Heavenly Father, as I give voice to Your Word, the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus makes me free from the law of sin and death.  Your life is energizing every cell of my body.” (Rom. 8:12)

“Arthritis, you must Go! Sickness, pain and suffering, you must Go! Evil such as these can’t exist in me for the Spirit of God is upon me and the Word of God is within me.  Sickness, fear, and oppression have no power over me for God’s Word is my strength and confession!” (Mark 11:23)

“I command my blood cells to destroy every disease and virus that tries to inhabit my body.  I command every cell of my body to be normal, In the Name of Jesus Christ!” (Rom. 5:17; Luke 17:6))

“The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in me, permeating His life through my veins, sending healing throughout my body. (Rom. 8:1)

“In Jesus’ name, I forbid my body to be deceived in any manner.  Body, you will not be deceived by any disease germ or virus. Neither will you work against life or health in any way. Every cell of my body supports life and health.” (Matt. 12:25, 35)

“Father, I resist the enemy in every form that he comes against me.  I require my body to be strong and healthy, and I enforce it with Your Word.  I reject the curse, and I enforce life in this body.” (James 4:7)

God respects our FAITH in His Word!

Please feel free to respond to this posting, and please “like” and share with other social media friends.

May God bless you abundantly…

Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)

Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers…One of my fondest childhood memories is recalling our church body being emotionally caught up in the singing of the traditional hymns.  I always liked the iambic pentameter-type writing, the simple harmonies, and especially the emotional rush I got from being part of that collective spirit.  The piano was often out-of-tune, or the organist would play her share of “colorful notes”, or take liberties with the printed rhythm, but that never distracted from our zealous praise and worship.  I still find myself mentally singing, or if alone in my car, bellowing out those time-honored hits!

Today I find myself not only drawn to the emotional impact of those hymns, but enlightened by the incredible power and truth of the words.  Each of those hymns can stand as a mini-sermon in its own right.  Take, for example, one of my favorites; “What a Friend We Have in Jesus”.

What a Friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear!  What a privilege to carry, Everything to God in prayer!

O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry, Everything to God in prayer.

Have we trials and temptations?  Is there trouble anywhere?  We should never be discouraged, Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Can we find a friend so faithful, Who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness, Take it to the Lord in prayer.

To drive home the power of the first sentence, I will defer to John 15:13: “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”  That display of faithfulness was the ultimate display of Jesus’ love for us.  And that display was also God’s plan, “even before the world was created” (Ephesians 1:4) so that we could be sin-free and worthy to come into His presence and spend eternity with Him- not because of anything we did, but because of what Jesus did for us.

When we make the decision to accept God’s Gift of Grace, we become a new creation, as explained in 2Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore, anyone who is in Christ, he is a new creation.  The old is gone (meaning we are no longer slaves to our sin nature), the new has come. (we now have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to empower us to live the life God has called us to live as followers of Jesus Christ.)

Think about the power of that truth.  Now that we are in Christ, we inherit everything that resulted from Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. We are sin free; we are forgiven; we are worthy and acceptable in God’s eyes; we become His child; we are the righteousness of Christ (only because we inherited His glory); we are heir to all the promises and covenants in the Bible, and we are heir to every blessing in the spiritual realm.  And, because Christ is in us, “I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” (Galatians 2:20) Therefore, since we have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (the essence of Jesus Christ) in us, we are no longer slaves to our sin nature.

Galatians 5: 17-21 explains it this way: “The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants.  And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires.  These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict. When you follow the desires of your sinful nature your lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin.”  Apostle Paul ends this litany with the following capstone, “Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God!”  (my underline)

Now look at the stark difference of living in the Spirit.   “But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, He will produce in us:  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”  Apostle Paul’s capstone here is, “…but those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit.” Galatians 5:22, 6:8

Now let’s look back at the hymn and the rest of the truth in verse 1.  “All our sins and griefs to bear,” and “O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we often bear”.  Jesus told us in Matthew 11:28-30: “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.  Take My yoke upon you.  Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls.  For My yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light.”  For instance, when two oxen are yoked together (usually a younger one on the inside and an older one on the outside), one is learning from the other.  When we are yoked to Jesus, we learn THE truth, and that truth sets us free.” (John 8:32)

Once we realize the work was done by Jesus 2019 years ago and no longer do we have to work to earn God’s approval and acceptance, we can finally find “rest” because we are in Christ.  Our eternal destiny is sealed.  And because we have Christ in us in the form of the Holy Spirit, we can rise above this fallen world to become God’s masterpiece as explained in Ephesians 2:10: “For we are God’s masterpiece, created anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can NOW do the good things He planned for us long ago.”  Now add to that this exclamation point of truth. One of God’s many promises tells us that we are already victorious because, “He that is in me (the Holy Spirit) is greater than he (satan) in this world.!  Do you see that?  We are already promised victory because we are no longer slaves to our sin nature.  We can now count on the Holy Spirit to empower us to make decisions that are pleasing to God. 

Let’s look at verse 2 of the hymn.  “Have we trials and temptations?  Is there trouble anywhere?”  Absolutely!  We live in a fallen world where the truth of God’s Word is challenged and marginalized at every possible opportunity.  We live in a culture that has turned its back on God. The fallibility of human wisdom reigns. So while we look at the Gospel of Grace as the very power of God, to those who do not have the Spirit in them, it seems foolish…like a fairy-tale. (1Corinthians 1:18) I know that for a fact, because I was one of those “too smart for this message.”

“But we should never be discouraged because we can take it to the Lord in prayer.”  God’s salvation plan is absolutely perfect.  Our eternal destiny is sealed because we are in Christ, and the indwelling Holy Spirit empowers us to rise above this world and become the person God created us to be. And in so doing, we bring honor and glory to God.  When we are in line with God’s will, He will hear and answer our prayer.

So, “have we found a friend so faithful… who will all our troubles share?”  Absolutely!  Jesus Christ, who laid down His life for our salvation!  He said He came to give us rest, and He said He came that we may have life, and have it abundantly.  Only when we understand who we are in Christ and grasp the truth of that new identity – a Child of God, forgiven, acceptable and worthy in His eyes, the righteousness of Christ, heir to all the covenants and promises in the Bible, and heir to all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly realm – can we begin to experience both the promised rest and abundant life. I encourage you at this point to scroll back a few paragraphs and once again compare the stark difference of life directed by our sin nature (or “human nature” as our politically correct culture describes it) and a life directed by the Holy Spirit.  Then ask yourself the source of your life; which list describes your life??

The good news is… “Jesus does know our every weakness.  He knows we’re only dust. (Psalm 103:14) He knows that because, as the Son of Man, He experienced the brokenness of this world…Oh, did He experience it!!  He knows what we face as His followers.  But even if we stumble…even if we fall, “if we take it to Him in prayer”, the Holy Spirit will give us the wisdom, patience, perseverance, courage strength, whatever it is we need to continue to grow in the likeness of Christ.  As long as we turn to Him as our source of strength, we can count on Him to empower us to be the person He created us to be.  And that, my friends, is the goal of a Christian life!  Amen!

Please feel free to respond to this message, and also feel free to “like” and share this with other social media friends.

May God Bless Ya..

Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)

Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers…I know we have all heard, and probably even repeated, phrases such as, “life is fleeting, so make the most of every moment”, or “live today to the fullest because you never know what tomorrow will bring.” Those are well meaning phrases, actually words of encouragement, intended to bring a sense of peace to someone wanting to make a decision about the future, but perhaps still a bit unsettled. I know I have used both phrases numerous times, and truth be told, Pam and I have consciously tried to live that attitude throughout our marriage. But think about what remains when the words of encouragement are lifted. What is left are two life-truths that each of us will have to deal with some day: “life is fleeting” and “you never know what tomorrow will bring.” I don’t think most people dwell on those two truths for any length of time.  I know we didn’t. We were too busy making the most of every moment, and living our life together to the fullest. So, my question to you is, “what will happen when your world is turned upside down? Have you thought about that?”

Unfortunately, Pam and I are living that scenario right now. Let me give you a brief history. On December 10^th of 2018, I had knee replacement surgery. Pam cared for me during my healing process. On December 21^st, 2019 our roles changed when she had two disks replaced in her cervical spine. On January 15^th of this year, she had a second surgery, a lumbar decompression in her lower back. Back pain and nerve pain are common with this surgery, and can last for a month or two after surgery. But shortly after that procedure, other issues began to raise their ugly heads. Muscle weakness got worse on a day by day basis, dizziness and balance issues became more prominent, along with excruciating lower back pain that radiated down her legs. At this time, she was using a walker, but she still experienced two falls.

Last Friday, she passed out in the bathroom.  I took her to the emergency room where they treated her for dehydration and messed-up electrolytes. She came home that afternoon. The next Monday morning, I took her back to the ER when she said she had problems raising her arms and her legs were too weak for the walker. This time they admitted her to the hospital, and she was there for five days under the scrutiny of five specialists ordering test after test after test including two brain scans and a spinal tap. All the test results are not back yet, but the consensus of the five specialists seems to be MS. Talk about a shocker!  Wow!

The point is, when we are faced with a traumatic issue such as an unexpected illness, a divorce, or financial collapse, we have one of two options.  We can either shake our fist at God and say, “Why God? Why is this happening? We can be angry with Him, maybe we even blame Him, OR we can press into Him as our source of strength, and ask for wisdom, courage, patience and perseverance to deal with this in a way that honors Him. Pam and I have chosen the latter.

I keep thinking to myself, “What do people do in catastrophic situations when they are not in Christ?” Where do they find their source of strength? As followers of Jesus Christ, we are heir to all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly realms, which includes spiritual healing; we are heir to all the promises in the Bible, which are numerous, and we are gifted with the indwelling Holy Spirit who empowers us to rise above our circumstances. Jesus was blatantly up-front about what it means to be a Christ-follower.  He never soft pedaled it, and He never promised us a rose garden. “In this world you will have trouble. But fear not, for I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) What that Scripture means to those of us in Christ is this…if Jesus has overcome the world, so have we!

Last week I used a quote from Neil Anderson, author of “Victory Over the Darkness” which seems very appropriate here: “Do not let your circumstances or your feelings define you, because both can change. Instead, stand on the truth of what God’s Word says about you.” (I’m a Child of God; I’m forgiven; I’m unconditionally loved; God delights in me; He created me for a relationship with Himself; He will never leave me nor forsake me; God is merciful and full of grace; He is faithful.)

Whenever anyone is faced with trials and tribulations, you can count on satan, our adversary, to show up to amplify your pathos. This is when he is at his worse. His primary purpose is to keep us separated from God, and he will use every lie, deception, or scheme in his playbook to keep us focused on our circumstance, or in this case, our pain and suffering, rather than on God…the source of our strength. C.S. Lewis explains this tactic in his famous book, “Screwtape Letters”. Screwtape, satan, teaches his nephew, Wormwood, the art of deception. “Wormwood, you should make the patient focus on his own feeling instead of God. You should make the patient want to feel better rather than praying for forgiveness or courage. This way the patient will try to feel forgiven or feel brave. Humans do not know our full power, Screwtape writes, so they can easily be tricked into following our lead.” (Screwtape Letters, Letter 4)

Apostle Paul’s rebuke to the above presentation can be found in 2 Corinthians, 10:5: “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” When we are dealing with pain and suffering, it is very real. And don’t think satan doesn’t know that, because he is the author of pain and suffering. His ploy is to make that pain and suffering more real to us than our God. This is a pretension that we must demolish by standing on the truth of God’s Word. Here are some truths we can stand on. “He forgives all my sins, and He heals all my diseases.” (Psalm 103:3) “God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4) “He (Jesus) healed people who had every kind of sickness and disease.” (Matthew 4:23) “So we don’t look at the troubles we can see right now, rather, we look forward to the joys yet to come.” (2 Corinthians 4:18) “For He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5) And, because we are in Christ, “we are heir to every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms”, one of which is spiritual healing. (Ephesians 1: 3) Now that we know we are healed in the spiritual realm, we can pray for the manifestation of that healing in the physical realm. As followers of Jesus Christ, we are heir to every one of those promises.

So here is where the rubber hits the road. Do you believe those promises are true? Do you think they pertain to you and your situation right now? Are you willing to trust God to be faithful? Remember what Jesus said to Jairus when he got word his daughter had died; He said, “Don’t be afraid. Trust Me!” (Luke 8:50) That’s the same message Jesus gives to all of us today when we are going through a crisis.  Our challenge is to believe that our God is more real than our circumstances.

Pam and I have talked about our situation and what it may mean in the short term, and possibly in the long term.  We are committed to keeping our focus on the prize at the end of this journey, which for us is restoration of her body, and a return to some semblance of normalcy. Our challenge will be the same as everyone else’s: Not to be afraid, but to trust Him! Our confidence lies in the fact that we know our source of strength, and we know the Holy Spirit is a gift to empower us to do things that we can’t do through our own effort. We will call on Him for His wisdom, His strength, His courage, His patience, and His perseverance as we follow our commitment to dig ourselves out of this dark place. No doubt satan intends to use this infirmity to separate us from God’s love, but we are counting on the Holy Spirit to bring this tribulation to victory! “The Spirit that is in me (the Holy Spirit) is greater than the spirit in this world.” (satan) 1 John 4:4.

We ask everyone who reads this to lift us up in prayer. Please pray with us that we will face this journey in a way that brings honor and glory to His holy name!

Feel free to respond to this posting, and please “like” and share with other social media friends.

May God Bless Ya…

Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan) and Pam

Good Day, Meetpastordan Readers…This was the topic for our Freedom in Christ class at Grace Church last Sunday, and it reminded me that this truth cannot be overstated. Unfortunately, we all grew up in, and are living in, this fallen world. Our life experiences here have taught us that “if we do this”, we will get that, or in some cases, “if we don’t do this”, we will get that. Therefore, it doesn’t take us long to realize that many aspects of our lives are “conditional”, meaning the outcome is based on how we respond to different situations. That’s the way of the world in which we live.

Unfortunately, that same mindset can put up a roadblock when it comes to grasping the all-important concept of God’s unconditional love for us. No doubt, the way love is portrayed in the media, in popular magazines, and then played out in today’s marital reality, makes it clear that love is frighteningly “conditional.”  “Well, if he (or she) would just do, act, or look-like this, that would make me happy.”  Falling short of this ‘iffy” performance standard is a strong contributor to these divorce statistics: mid 50% – mid 60% of new marriages fail (depending on where one looks for statistics), and the success rate for the second-time-around crowd isn’t much better.

I know there are times when everyone feels separated from God for one reason or another, but I want to point out a wonderful quote from Neil Anderson, author of “Victory Over the Darkness”, that quickly draws me back to reality. “Do not let your feelings define you, because your feelings change. Instead, stand on the truth of what God’s Word says about you.” (I’m a Child of God; I’m forgiven; I’m unconditionally loved; God delights in me; He created me for a relationship with Himself; He will never leave me nor forsake me; God is merciful and full of grace; He is faithful.) Regardless of who we are or what we have done, if we have accepted His Gift of Grace, the sin issue is over for us! Romans 8:1 confirms our position in Christ: “There is NO condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.” (my caps)

But you might be saying, “How can that be? I know I continue to sin! I don’t want to, but I just can’t help myself. I know I disappoint God, and I suspect He’s ready to kick me out of the Kingdom!”  My answer to your pathos would be, “Is that really what God says about you? I don’t think so. You’re listening to the “accuser of the Brothers.” (Revelation 12:10) Now let’s contrast satan’s lies and deceptions with the truth of God’s Word: “Can anything ever separate us from God’s love? Does it mean He no longer loves us if we have trouble staying the course? No!  Despite these shortcomings, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loves us. I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from His love. Death can’t, and life can’t. The angels can’t and the demons can’t. Our fears for today and our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can’t keep God’s love away!” (Romans 8:35,37-39) That, Dear Readers, is the truth!  And make no mistake…nothing means NOTHING!

When we were of this world, satan didn’t bother us because he already had us in the palm of his hands. We were solid citizens of the domain of darkness! But once we made a decision to break free from that domain and move into the domain of light by accepting God’s Gift of Grace, that’s when the relentless torment began. All of a sudden, we have targets on our backs! And the more we grow in Christ, the bigger the target, and the more hellacious are the lies, deception, schemes and accusations! And believe me, he is a master at his craft.

You must remember, satan’s sole purpose is to shipwreck our best effort to mature in our relationship with Jesus. He knows he was defeated 2019 years ago at the cross, and he also knows his eternal fate is the lake of fire. Therefore, the only way he can get back at God is by enticing, tormenting and ultimately destroying His children. 1 Peter 5:8-9 describes his tactics this way: “Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour. Remember, all Christian brothers and sisters all over the worldare going through the same kind of suffering (and torment) you are.”

Satan knows us intimately, but his interest is in our weaknesses. Therefore, he and his minions (helpers…the other fallen angels who were kicked out of heaven with him after their rebellion against God) keep constant watch for opportunities to exploit our vulnerabilities. And trust me when I tell you…he (or they) NEVER fail to show up when they see a chink in our character. They are as predictable as flies at a picnic!

Satan’s battleground is our soul, which consists of mind, emotions and will. Before we were in Christ, we lived separated from God. Therefore, imprinted in our souls are old thought patterns, defense mechanisms, emotional successes and failures, willful decisions and activities that pleasured and exalted us. Even after we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, even after we become that new creation in Christ, satan relentlessly continues his diabolical schemes to take us down. “But since I’m reborn, how can he do that?” you might ask. And the answer would be, no one pushed the mental delete button!  All of that old “stuff” is still stored in strongholds in our soul, and it becomes satan’s ammunition. But fear not! At rebirth we also received the indwelling Holy Spirit to empower us to be victorious.

From this point forward, the Spirit’s job is to bring our earthly soul in line with God’s will. Apostle Paul explains this battle in Galatians 5:16-18: “So I advise you to live your new life in the Holy Spirit. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just the opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants.  And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires.  These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict.  But when you are directed by the Holy Spirit, you are no longer a slave to your sin nature.”  It’s all about making the right choices!

One of satan’s favorite tactics is planting thoughts in our minds (in the first person, of course, so we think it is our own thought) then tempting us with lustful thoughts, fearful thoughts, prideful thoughts, jealous thoughts, covetous thoughts, etc. This sets up an expectation, and most likely an action will follow. He always wraps these enticements in a most appealing way, such as “remember how much you liked that”; “no one will know”; “no one will get hurt”; “you deserve it”! He knows how to push all the right buttons, but it’s all a lie.  And once the indiscretion is complete, he shows up again as the accuser: “What a disgrace; how can you call yourself a Christian?” “You’ll never be able to please God. Go have some fun!”   Does any of this sound familiar?

Even though satan is a formidable adversary, God’s plan for our redemption far surpasses satan’s abilities. The whole purpose for God giving us the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit is so we can rise above our circumstances, and our trials and tribulations, to become the person He created us to be. All we have to do is call Him into action. “Holy Spirit, give me your wisdom, courage, strength, patience, perseverance, whatever it is we need to bring honor and glory to God through our choices.”  His Word tells us He will answer that prayer. “When you come humbly before the Lord and admit your dependence on Him, He will lift you up and give you honor.” (James 4:10)

As I mentioned in an earlier paragraph, since Christ paid the penalty for our sins, the sin issue is over for those in Christ. Instead of being a Sinner, we are now referred to as a Saint, which means a follower of Jesus Christ. Now when we fall short of God’s glorious standard, which we will, it is NOT counted against us as a sin. Instead, we are a Saint who has fallen short. At this point, God just wants us to stay in the process of becoming more Christ-like by yielding to the Holy Spirit’s direction rather than caving-in to satan’s lies, deceptions, schemes, and accusations.  Even when we feel like a total looser for falling short, FEAR NOT! NOTHING CAN SEPARATE US FROM THE LOVE OF GOD. He wants all of us to experience the abundant life that Jesus came to give us.

Feel free to respond to this post, and please “like” it and share it with other social media friends.

May God Bless Ya…

Dan Presgrave, (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)