I will continue with part 4 of my 5 part series, “The Time of the End.  Are We There Yet? tomorrow.  This will be about the second coming of Jesus and the New Jerusalem. However, this is Memorial Day, which is one of my favorite holidays, and I would be remiss if I didn’t share my Memorial Day thoughts.  Therefore, I hope you all have a great Memorial Day celebration with family and friends, and please take a moment to ponder the true meaning of this very important day.

I love America.  I believe in America.  I believe that even with all its issues facing our great country today – including the short-comings of our culture, America is still the greatest country the world has ever seen.  And when I think of the men and women who stepped up to serve in the Armed Forces in times of peril, many who never returned home to their families or loved ones, I always get a lump in my throat and a sense of pride about who “WE” are as Americans.  My father served in WW II; I served in the Vietnam era; and I am enclosing a video clip later that summarizes horrors of war as seen through the eyes of my long time hero, Colonel Arnald Gabriel.

Here is a familiar quote that packs a wallop in its truth.  “The only two people who have ever volunteered to sacrifice their life for the benefit of others were Jesus Christ and the American soldier.”  Wow!  And what was their common purpose?  So that others could be set free or remain free. Jesus’ sacrifice freed us from the bondage of sin; the American soldier’s sacrifice keeps us free from tyranny and oppression, which illuminates the statement, “Freedom isn’t free!”

Jonathan Cahn, messianic Rabbi, history scholar and best-selling author of The Harbinger, makes an interesting observation when he compares  our country with ancient Israel.  He states, “No doubt Israel was blessed from the beginning: first as a people group because they were descendants of righteous men (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob), then later as a nation, delivered from bondage to the most powerful nation at that time – Egypt. God chose to show his power through Israel because it was the smallest and weakest of nations.” 

Then he goes on to say, “America was the only other nation to receive such a blessing”.  And why was that?  Cahn continues his thoughts, “because this was a nation founded on prayer and built on Judeo-Christian principles. Therefore America would rise to heights no other nation had ever known. Not that it was ever without fault or sin, but America did aspire to fulfill its calling.” And what was that calling, you ask? According to Cahn, “To be a vessel of redemption, an instrument of God’s purposes, a light to the world. It would give refuge to the world’s poor and needy, and hope to its oppressed. It would stand against tyranny. It would fight, more than once, against the dark movements of the modern world that threatened to engulf the earth”.

The United States declared its independence in 1776, adopted the Constitution in 1787, added the Bill of Rights in 1791, and was clearly recognized as a world power by 1798.  In light of world events at that time (ie. the effects of the French Revolution), religious persecution was rampant in Europe.  America was that light on the hill; that bastion of hope for all people seeking freedom…freedom of worship, or just freedom to fulfill their dreams…to be all they could be.

An inscription at the base of the Statue of Liberty identifies America’s purpose.  It was taken from a sonnet, The New Colossus, written by Emma Lazarus in 1883 and reads: “Give me your tired, your poor; your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. The wretched refuse of your teeming shore; send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me. I lift my lamp beside the Golden Door!”  Liberty’s image is one of strength, majesty, and hope.  It is visible in her eternally raised right arm which carries the torch of freedom.  Holding aloft a light that never fails, she represents hope to the hopeless, welcome to the poor, and courage to the meek. Facing outward toward the ocean, her lamp is a beacon on stormy seas, drawing to her shores, those from afar who seek a better life.  For these, and for countless others who embrace her message, the Statue of Liberty represents the Golden Door.  It is the passageway to liberty and freedom from oppression that is the promise of America – a land, a people, a way of life.

For Americans, freedom is our most precious possession.  “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” is a well-known phrase in the United States Declaration of Independence. The phrase gives three examples of the “unalienable rights” which the Declaration says has been given to all human beings by their Creator, and for which governments are created to protect.  It is the protection of those rights that have inspired brave men and women to answer their country’s call .

I mentioned earlier a video clip that features my life-long hero, Colonel Arnald Gabriel.  I know Colonel Gabriel as the commander of The United States Air Force Band in Washington D.C. but as you will see from the video, in World War II he served as a combat machine gunner with the famed 29th Infantry Division in Europe. On June 6, 1944 he went ashore at Omaha Beach with Easy Company, 116th Infantry, 29th Division.  He received two Bronze Star medals, the Combat Infantry Badge, and the French Croix de Guerre.  This man, and all who served this great country, should be our heros today.  They bring this phrase to life: freedom isn’t free.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10152384981199627&set=vb.801829626&type=2&theater   turn volume up

My hope and prayer today is that as Americans, we will have the courage to do anything and everything possible to protect our freedoms from enemies –  both foreign and domestic. As Americans, we must never let the sacrifices of these brave men and women be in vain. I hope you’ll take time today and thank a veteran for their service, then take time to thank God for blessing our great nation.

Happy Memorial Day, and may God continue to bless America.

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

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

Good Morning Meetpastordan Readers… welcome to part three of a series entitled, “The Time of the End. Are We There Yet?” This part deals with The Great Tribulation and the Rapture. (Granted, “Rapture” is not a Biblical term, but it is so commonly used and it no doubt refers to the hope for all Believers found in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18. Therefore, I’ve decided to continue its use here.  And I suspect that this presentation of the Rapture at the end of The Great Tribulation might be disturbing to those who hold to pre-trib thinking, but that’s OK too. My current study of Revelation changed my thinking regarding this matter.) So…that’s it for my clarifiers. 😊

Last week I talked about Christians enduring periods of tribulation, meaning times of trouble, from the first century until present times – just because they were Christ-followers. But in End-Times prophecy, the time of Tribulation is presented in two parts.  The first part contains many signs, such as those found in Apostle Paul’s discourse in 2 Timothy 3:1-5, and Jesus’ discourse found in Matthew 24: 4-8. (You can review these signs in last week’s blog found at www.meetpastordan.com and click on blog.) In the later discourse, verse 8 ushers in The Great Tribulation with this statement: “But all of this will be only the beginning of the horrors yet to come.”  In other words, the first part of the End-Times Tribulation is a lining up of signs concerning people and their attitudes and behaviors, an increase in false prophets and messiahs, an increase in turmoil and aggression between countries, and environmental catastrophes that indicate The Great Tribulation is coming.

The Great Tribulation will be characterized by the revealing of the Anti-Christ or Beast, and the man of lawlessness, also referred to as the false prophet.  It will also be a time when people will have to make a choice between taking the mark of the Beast or remaining true to their faith. And to make matters worse, without the mark of the Beast, one cannot participate in commerce. Unfortunately, it will also be a time of extreme persecution for Believers. Jesus describes this time in Matthew, 24: 21-22: “For that will be a time of greater horror than anything the world has ever seen or will ever see again.  In fact, unless the time of calamity is shortened, the entire human race will be destroyed.  But it will be shortened for the sake of God’s chosen ones. (Us Believers.)

Apostle Paul describes it this way in 2 Thessalonians 3:3–4, 8-12 : “For that day (the return of Christ) will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed – the one who brings destruction.  He will exalt himself and defy every god there is and tear down every object of adoration and worship.  He will position himself in the temple of god, claiming that he himself is God. This evil man will come to do the work of satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles.  He will use every kind of wicked deception to fool those who are on their way to destruction because they refuse to believe the truth that would save them. So God will send great deception upon them, and they will believe all these lies.  Then they will be condemned for not believing the truth and for enjoying the evil they do.” But here’s the good news: When Jesus returns, “He will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy the man of lawlessness by the splendor of His coming.”

But at the end of the Great Tribulation (in Revelation, before the Lamb breaks the seventh seal), an incredible event happens. As the four angels, who were holding back the onset of the wrath of God, were preparing to release its fury, another angel carrying the seal of the living God shouted, “Wait! Don’t carry out your duty until the seal of God has been placed on the foreheads of His servants.” 144,000 were marked with the seal of God. They were the ones coming out of the Great Tribulation. They washed their robes in the blood of Jesus and made them white. (They held firmly to their faith. They did not take the mark of the Beast, therefore they were martyred for their choice.) They will never again be hungry or thirsty, and they will be fully protected from the scorching noontime heat.  For the Lamb who stands in front of the throne will be their Shepherd.  He will lead them to the springs of life-giving water.  And God will wipe away all their tears.” Revelation 7: 3-4, 14,16-17)

In 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18, Apostle Paul gives us his words regarding the Rapture. “I can tell you this directly from the Lord.  We who are still living when the Lord returns will not rise to meet Him ahead of those who are in their graves.  For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the call of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, all the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. Then together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and remain with Him forever. So comfort and encourage each other with these words.”

 Apostle Paul also comforted the Corinthian Believers when he told them about their resurrected bodies.  “Let me tell you a wonderful secret God has revealed to me. Not all of us will die, but we will be transformed.  It will happen in a moment, in the blinking of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown.  For when the trumpet sounds, the Christians who have died will be raised with transformed bodies. And then we who are living will be transformed so that we will never die. For our earthly bodies must be transformed into heavenly bodies that will never die.” (1 Corinthians 15: 51-53)

What follows the Great Tribulation is the wrath of God.  I have decided not to spotlight that event because we, as Believers, luckily will not be here. We will be with Jesus. But for those with inquisitive minds, I can direct you to Revelation 8-9, 16, 20;7-15. It’s not for the faint of heart, and it is extremely difficult to read, but have at it if you will.

Next week I will write about Jesus’ return and the New Jerusalem.  Feel free to respond to this message and please “like” and share with other social media friends.

May God Bless You Abundantly…

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

Good Moring Meetpastordan Readers…As I mentioned last week, I felt particularly drawn to this series of blogs, partly, I think, because of my current study in the Book of Revelation, but also because I have always been fascinated with the prophetic accuracy of the Bible. I am also particularly concerned about the state of our culture right now, in that it has fallen so far away from the truth of God’s Word, The Holy Bible.  When I look at not only our culture, but the volatility of the world in which we live, signs of the Tribulation are certainly lining up; this is something no one can afford to ignore.

No doubt many of the signs listed below have happened in earlier times too, but when you look at the technological advances that have taken place in the last quarter of a century with computers, the internet, and cell phones alone, the speed of information distribution and transfer is moving at a pace not even imagined in earlier times. And year after year it gets faster and faster and more sophisticated as the latest and greatest gadgets become available.

Many people take solace in the fact that the end will not come until everyone in the world has heard the Gospel of Grace. To some people, that sounds like an impossibility. But the fact is, Jesus stated this truth in Matthew 24:14: “And this Gospel of the Kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Notice that the Gospel will be proclaimed throughout the world.  That does not mean that everyone will hear it and receive it.)

Keep these three things in mind. 1. The never-ending advances in the technology listed above have made mass distribution of information possible in ways never available before. 2. In China, Africa and also in the Middle Eastern countries right now, Christianity in being embraced by millions upon millions of new Believers as they hear for the first time the Gospel of Grace.  It is THE beacon of hope in their world plagued with despair. (I suspect this could come as a surprise since I know you’ve heard nothing about this in the major news outlets.) 3. Don’t be surprised if you see a nation-wide Revival in America in the not-to-distant future. I say that for two reasons. The door of pathos is certainly open for such an event, and since I believe we are in a time of reprieve, I know there is a movement underway to proclaim the only hope that we believe can restore our country to its former glory. And that would be, putting God in His rightful place.

Let me be clear about that last statement. I am by no means proposing anything like a Theocracy. Our country was founded on religious freedom, and as such, everyone has the freedom to worship as they choose, as long as someone’s freedom doesn’t hinder or disparage another person’s freedom. After all, God set the example.  He gave us free will. Therefore, we make our own choices, and we reap what we sow. (In my opinion, no man or government should ever have the right to impose a particular religion on the populace.)

I talked earlier about a period of Tribulation, which is defined in its most general terms as a time of trouble. No doubt the followers of Jesus Christ, from the first century until now, have dealt with tribulation.  In fact, Jesus was very up-front about what to expect as a Christ-follower.  In John 16:33, Jesus told His disciples, “In this world you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, I have overcome the world. And again in John 15:18,21 He said, “When the world hates you, remember it hated Me before it hated you. The people of the world will hate you because you belong to Me.”  No doubt, Jesus never soft-pedaled the journey, but the focus was always on the reward. This world is not our home; we’re just passing through on our way to our eternal destiny.

But in End-Times prophecy, the term tribulation is used twice.  There is a first period of Tribulation, and that is described by Apostle Paul in 2 Timothy 3:1-5 as follows: “You should also know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times.  For people will love only themselves and their money.  They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful.  They will consider nothing sacred.  They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control; they will be cruel and have no interest in what is good.  They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God.  They will act as if they are religious, but they will reject the power that could make them Godly.”  And Jesus gave us this description in Matthew 24: 4-8. “Don’t let anyone mislead you.  For many will come in My name saying, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will lead many astray.  And wars will break out near and far, but don’t panic.  Yes, these things must come, but the end won’t follow immediately.  The nations and kingdoms will proclaim war against each other, and there will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world.  But all of this will be only the beginning of the horrors yet to come.” (Can you see the above proclamations lining up in our world right now?) 

And “the horrors yet to come” will be ushered in by The Great Tribulation, which will be the subject on next week’s blog. But I will end that blog on a happy note with what has commonly been referred to as the “Rapture”, although I have never found that term used in the Bible. But no doubt the term refers to 1Thessalonians 4: 13-18, the great hope for those of us who are in Christ.

So plan on joining me next week for part 3 of this series, and please feel free to respond to this post, and please “like” and share with other social media friends.

May God Bless You Abundantly,

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

Good Day, Meetpastordan Readers…I am totally excited about my upcoming blogs!  As I’ve confessed many times before – because I have never considered myself to be anything even close to a writer – I’ve learned to count on the Holy Spirit to prompt me with a particular direction, then to lead me through each presentation. Sometimes when I read what I’ve just written, I can only smile, shake my head, and say, “Thank you Holy Spirit for your faithfulness! No doubt, “He must become greater, and I must become less.” (John 3:30) Then I say, “Thank you, Danie”, my earthly angel who has taken on the arduous task of being my proof-reader, because she keeps me presentable. As you can plainly see, it takes a village to keep me rolling 😊, but now, I have come to love this forum.

Without a doubt, I have a particular message to carry, which is the truth of the Gospel of Grace, and I try not to deviate to far from that endeavor. But I also enjoy current events and politics, so when I feel I can combine the two, I have always enjoyed doing that. I am mentioning this because I have a small Bible study group that has committed to joining me on a trip through the Book of Revelation. We agreed at the outset to commit six to nine months to thoroughly examine every Scriptural reference, and to research multiple commentaries on each chapter. So far, we’re four and a half months into it, and we’re half way through the chapter.

But even at the half way point, the message is clear. This chapter is nothing but hope and confirmation for Christ-followers, but it should scare the living hell out of non-believers. Not because God is a mean God or a vengeful God, but because He is a just God.  Sin (living a self-centered rather than God-centered life) produces unwanted consequences because its contamination “spreads, kills and destroys” (John 10:10). Remember, this world was Paradise at the outset.  But does it look like Paradise now?  Absolutely not!  “Why?” you ask.  Because Sin entered the world. All of the hatred, anger, fear, jealousy, guilt, shame, remorse, lying, cheating, stealing, murder, depression, stress, finger-pointing, name-calling, poverty, oppression, addictions, sickness and even death are the result of Man choosing to live separated from God’s will. None of this was part of God’s plan for the world. In fact, when He created the world and Man, He proclaimed both to be “good”.  And “good” in God’s jargon means perfect!

When I was walking the dogs early this morning, I felt strongly that I was being directed to tackle this particular subject for my next few blogs. I believe that the only way to combat the bondage that enslaves our culture today is by presenting God’s Truth.  As Jesus told His disciples in John 8:32: “If you follow my teachings, you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” Is that true?  The only way to know is to go to the source of Truth, the Holy Bible, and challenge it.

The Holy Bible makes a formidable claim.  It claims to be the inspired Word of God. Is that true? Well, that claim has been challenged from its inception by some of the greatest minds in history: scientists, physicists, mathematicians, philosophers, scholars, academics, atheists, agnostics, all with the intent of proving it wrong. As far as I know, that has never happened.  I mean, just imagine what would happen today if the Holy Bible could be proven wrong.  Every news station, every headline, every ticker-tape would stop and reset; signs would be made and people would proclaim, “The Bible is a fraud!  We always knew it was a fraud!”  If that happened, I believe we would certainly know it. But I think this is a more likely scenario: People have read the Bible, then put it down and have said , “I don’t accept this” or “I don’t want to live like this.” That is their right. God gave us free-will, and we all make our own choices. But with every choice comes a consequence, and therein is the rub.

For instance, when the Israelites experienced freedom after four-hundred years of bondage to Egypt, utter chaos ensued among the people in the wilderness. Therefore, God gave them Ten Commandments as civil law.  His promise was, “Do these ten things, and you can live in peace and harmony.” This was God’s light given to them in their time of darkness.  But true to their sin-nature (human nature),”they loved their darkness more than the light, because their actions were evil.” (John 3:19. I used this verse here because I think it’s truth is applicable here as well.)  But because of the Israelites continued disregard for God’s Commandments (civil law), they wandered around in the wilderness for forty years, not reaching the Promised Land until the whole older generation died off.

Not only is the Bible a book of history, but it also has no equal as a book of prophecy. God spoke through prophets throughout the Bible foretelling of coming events with pin point accuracy. No doubt hundreds of Messianic prophecies in the Old Testament were fulfilled with the coming of Jesus Christ, but some of the Old Testament prophecies, especially in the Book of Daniel and Zechariah, and the New Testament prophecies have been very explicit about what is to be expected as we enter into “the time of the end.” (This term was first used six hundred years before the birth of Christ in the Book of Daniel, Chapter 12. Daniel was told by an Angel (most likely Gabriel) that in his vision he saw “a time of anguish, horror, and wickedness greater than any since the nations first came into existence. But you, Daniel, keep this prophecy a secret; seal up the book until the “time of the end.”)

Truth be told, what is happening with our fallen culture and in the world right now should not come as a shock to anyone. In fact, it’s been predicted with pin-point accuracy for thousands of years.  But Bible reading and study has certainly fallen out of favor with today’s liberal progressive agenda. That is most unfortunate because most people run the risk of being caught off guard.  We are called to watch and listen, and if you know what to watch and listen for, it’s not hard to see the signs lining up.  We are told the end will come as in the days of Noah.  Matthew 24:37-39 gives us this glimpse. “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. In those days before the Flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties, and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat.  People didn’t realize what was going to happen to them until the Flood came and swept them all away.  That is the way it will be when the Son of Man returns.”

My plan is to use the next few blogs to talk more about the Tribulation, signs, and the Great Tribulation. Then a repeat of the Gospel of Grace and why that is the only choice for a would-be survivor.

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…As I indicated at the end of last week’s posting, this will be a continuation of the same theme, “What Is This Thing Called Love.” But this is the how-to approach concerning the manifestation of “Agape” level of love in our relationships.  At this point, it always brings a smile to my face when I think about one of the most popular mis-quoted Scriptures which shares this untruth: “God never gives us more than we can handle.”  Wow! Now let me remind you of our calling.  We’re called to love our neighbor as our self, when at the outset we don’t even like them; we’re called to forgive someone who has wronged us, when all we want is a pint of blood; we’re called to keep no record of wrongs, and our secret weapon is that list; we’re called to help those in need, when sometimes we don’t think they’re doing anything to help themselves; we’re called not to judge others who have different beliefs or participate in  different life-styles than us.  Talk about challenging!

Now let’s look at the true presentation of the mis-quoted Scripture.  It can be found in 1 Corinthians 10:13: “But remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience.  And 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.”

Now before I break that scripture down, let’s review a basic truth. As Christians, God has called us to live according to a different standard than that which is common to the world. For those not in Christ, they are living their lives directed by their sin-nature (commonly called “human nature”), meaning they are directed by self-will rather than God’s will. God recognized in the first sentence that we all will be challenged by these issues, but for those who are in Christ, He gives us a different way of dealing with the temptation so that our choices bring honor and glory to Him.

Just before I sat down to write today, I got an email from Deb, a lady who helps me facilitate our “Open to Victory” class at Grace Church.  Since our class is about victory, and what I’m writing about is victory, her message and attachment was timely.  Her remark was, “Funny how this truth keeps popping up” as she sent me an attachment of Rick Warren’s “Daily Hope”.  It too was about this God-given power to achieve His standard. It said: “You need more power than just willpower to live a Godly life. You need His power to direct your life.  You try to say, ‘I’m going to be more patient’, or ‘I’m going to be more loving’ in the face of adversity, but willpower continues to cave-in. The super-power we need in this situation can only come from the inside, and that is the Holy Spirit working in and through us.” This is God’s gift to us so we CAN become the person He created us to be.  2 Peter 1:3 reinforces that truth: “The more we grow in our knowledge of Jesus Christ, His divine power gives us everything we need for living a Godly life. He has called us to receive His own glory and goodness!”  That everything referenced above IS the Holy Spirit.

Forgiveness of sin and inheriting eternal life seals our eternal destiny, but what about those of us who will live 30,40,50 years in this fallen world after we’re saved?  Well, the good news is, God has made provision for us as part of His salvation plan.  The Holy Spirit will empower us to rise above the decadence of the world around us to bring honor and glory to God.  This discourse in the upper room after the Last Supper will attest to the power of the Holy Spirit. It is found in John 14:15-18: “If you love me, obey my commandments.  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 (those not in Christ) cannot receive Him, because it isn’t looking for Him and doesn’t recognize Him.  But you do, because He lives with you now, and later will be in you. No. I will not abandon you as orphans. I will come to you.”

Jesus knew that the twelve men (or eleven at this time) standing in front of Him were not rock-stars. And He knew that when He sent them out to heal the sick or cast our demons, He prayed for them and they drew their strength from Him (and they knew that too!)  But of utmost importance, these were the men who were going to be entrusted with the task of carrying His message into the world after He was gone. “Therefore, He wanted them to know that same power would continue to be with them in the form of the Holy Spirit. Notice He said “the world at large cannot receive Him, nor would they recognize Him. But you do because He lives with you now (hint- it’s me I’m talking about), but later will be in you.”  The Holy Spirit IS the power of Jesus Christ living in us.

Because we are in Christ, we too (as His modern-day disciples) inherit the power of the Holy Spirit to empower us to live up to God’s standard.  And the same way God does not impose His will on our free will, the Holy Spirit does not impose His will on our free will either. He must be called into action. So as an example, let’s assume you are going to have a conversation with your spouse that could be contentious. Before you engage in this conversation, call on the Holy Spirit: “Holy Spirit, give me your wisdom, patience, courage, perseverance, words to say, ears to hear…whatever it is you need to deal with this conversation in a way that brings honor to God, praying in the name of Jesus Christ of course, and The Word says He will honor that prayer.  James 4:10 reinforces that promise: “When you come humbly before the Lord and admit your dependence on Him, He will lift you up and give you honor.” Calling on the Holy Spirit brings that Scripture to life.

Now to tie this directly into last week’s message, the definition of Agape Love is found in 1 Corinthians 13-4-8: “Love is patient, love is kind.  Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love does not demand its own way.  Love is not irritable and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful and endures through every circumstance.  Love will last forever.”  Read that a few times and meditate on what is called for.  Can you do that?  The answer is NO!  It is absolutely contrary to our human nature. But when we call on the Holy Spirit to empower us with His power, using the format given one paragraph above, we can expect Him to lift us up and give us honor.

This is God’s gift to us, and He wants us to use it as often as necessary.  When our goal is to honor Him, He is faithful to lift us up to heights we never would have thought possible.  Why rely on our willpower when we have God’s power in us?

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… I am thrilled to be able to write about this wonderful subject today. I was headed in a different direction theme-wise, but when I got up last night for one of my nocturnal trips across the room, this came flooding into my mind. “Ahh, I thought…I get it”. And it shouldn’t be surprising since I spent Saturday and Sunday at Grace Church in leadership huddles with “love” as the underlying theme both days. But not the example of love we’re used to reading about in novels, or viewing on the Hallmark channel, or the love we hear about around the water cooler at work. No indeed! This is a very special kind of love called “Agape Love.”
Whenever the term “love” is used in the Bible, it is referring to Agape Love. This is self-sacrificial love; this is the love that puts the other person first. This is the love that Jesus demonstrated when he walked on this earth. In fact, He loved everyone who crossed his path, from the lepers, to the prostitute, to the tax collectors, the demon-possessed, and even the men who drove the nails into his hands and feet. He flabbergasted the Pharises, the religious elite of his day, with his choice of associates. They would exclaim, “How can He associate with those people.”
In our culture today, the term “love” has gotten so watered down that it has become virtually meaningless. For instance, we love chocolate; we love our job; we love our dog or cat; we love this movie, or that music, or we love Fridays. Let’s face it folks…sometimes we even loved the Rams! But the love expressed here was a very emotional kind of love that has to do with feelings. So having said that, it should come as no surprise that the first answer out of most people’s mouths when I have the opportunity to ask the question, “How do you know you love him or her?” is, “Well, I just feel it.” (Hmm…What about days when you don’t feel it. Are you then out of love with the other person?)
In the original Greek language of the New Testament, there were four different words used to describe four different levels of love. The first was “Eros”, meaning physical attraction. For instance, you’re in a room and you see someone who really grabs your attention, and you think, “Wow! He or She really looks great! I’ve got to meet that person; I’ve got to get a phone number; I wonder if…etc.etc. The next level of love is “Philia”, which means you’ve invested enough time with this person that you have come to realize that not only is He or She beautiful on the outside, but they have a great personality and also a brain. In fact, there is something about them that challenges or inspires you to be your very best. So now it’s not only about physical attraction, but a respect is developing for who that person is. The next level of love is “Storge” or familiar love. This is the love that parents have for their children, or siblings have for one another. It comes from close association and bonding.
When God created His proudest possession, Man,He created us for a relationship with Himself. Now since God is God, no doubt He knows a thing or two about relationships. He knew that He could not just expect or demand that we love Him. No indeed. In order for a relationship to exist, two people have to make a choice to enter into that relationship. Therefore, we are His proudest creation because He gave us something that no other member of the animal species has. He gave us a brain for rational thinking so we could choose to love Him back. We are told in 1John 4:19, “We love because He first loved us.”
God’s love toward us is pure. It is unconditional, unending and unfailing love. It is Agape Love, meaning it is “other person” focused. But unfortunately, all of that changed in The Garden when Man chose to take the focus off of God and put it on “self.” With the focus on self, love very quickly became about how we feel. If we feel good, if we’re in charge, if we’re exalted in some way, we want as much of that as we can get. Many times that feeling becomes our god. But if something doesn’t feel good, or our dominion is challenged, or our desires are thwarted, those feelings very quickly can become anger, frustration, hatred, jealousy, rejection, depression, spite, coniving, etc. That is why the very essence of love cannot be defined by our changing emotions.
I just described God’s love as unconditional, unending and unfailing. That is best exemplified by His Gift of Grace. When God created us for a relationship, it was not just a here and now relationship, but an eternal relationship with Him in Paradise. But when the focus was shifted from God-centered to self-centered, our sin-nature developed because the door to our heart and soul was open to the Prince of this world, Satan. With him appealing to our self-centered nature, we very quickly became his puppets. We were living life to the fullest as he encouraged us to satisfy our wants and needs. “Go for it! Go for the gusto! You deserve it! Everyone’s doin’ it! You don’t want to be left out, do Ya?” When we were listening to those lies, he had us right in the palm of his hand. He had us separated from God.
The chasm separating God and Man continued to widen as we sunk deeper and deeper into the quagmire of Sin. Remember, God gave Man from the Garden until 2018 years ago to wrestle with this eternal dilemma, and instead of getting better, we kept spiraling downward until we became utterly helpless in our effort. Romans 5:6 succinctly describes our situation: “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time to die for us sinners.”
It tells us in Ephesians 1 that long before He created the world, God had a plan for our salvation. His plan was always to provide a Redeemer to do for us what we would prove we were totally incapable of doing through our own effort. In our utterly helpless, pathetic state, our loving Father provided a sacrificial lamb to pay the ransom for our sins. He did this so we could qualify to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. This is unconditional, unending, unfailing love at it’s best. Notice He didn’t wait for us to make ourselves worthy and acceptable in His eyes. No indeed! He wanted us and he knew we could never meet His standard of Holiness (perfection) through our own effort. Therefore, He was willing to sacrifice His only Son for OUR salvation. That is Agape Love. That is other-person centered love.
“Wow!” you say. “How can that be? I could never do anything like that.” And you would be right. But God’s plan for our Salvation is perfect. Next week I will write about how that state of unconditional love can be manifested in our lives.
Feel free to respond to this posting, and please “like” and share this with other social media friends.
May God Bless Ya…
Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)

Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers… For some reason the past two days have not produced much inspiration when it came to blog writing.  This is attempt number (3), now 4, to get something going, and I feel as though I‘m still floundering around in a wasteland.  For as many times as I have written about asking the Holy Spirit to illuminate the right path for me, it would seem that would be the natural go-to. Well, I wish I could say that were the case, but sometimes I get so wrapped up in my effort, my struggle, my angst, that I can’t see beyond the end of my nose. But after erasing my 3rd attempt last night, I had a moment of clarity early this morning when I sat down again, closed my eyes, got quiet and started a prayer that began with, “Heavenly Father, I stand in awe of who you are!”  All of a sudden, my mind was opened, the blinders came off, and I knew I had it.  That’s what I’d been waiting for.  I can only attribute that to the truth of John 30:3: “He must increase and I must decrease.”

Just saying those words aloud, “Heavenly Father, I stand in awe of who you are!” brings a smile to my face and gives me a sense of peace, serenity and purpose. Wow, do I stand in awe of Him! Now I can’t wait to tell you about my Abba Father who has given me a second chance at life through his unconditional, unending, and unfailing love.

I stand in awe of God because He exists on so many levels. I have a friend who once said, “Would you want to worship a God you could figure out?” Well, when I look at the majestic qualities of God, I don’t think there is much chance of that. At my very best, I can say, “I understand the meaning of the adjective describing God”, but do I really understand the depth of what that means… absolutely not!  God described Himself as “I Am!”  At best, I can only concur, “You Are!”

For instance, my God is Creator of the Universe – creator of everything seen and unseen; He is the Alpha and Omega – He’s timeless, the beginning and the end; He’s the Godhead of the Trinity; He’s Immutable – He never changes; He’s omnipotent – all powerful; He’s omniscience – all knowing; He’s omnipresent – everywhere at once. How can I wrap my mind around any of these qualities?  I would have to say, I can’t!  But that’s OK, because God spoke through the Prophet Isaiah and said: “My ways are not your ways; My thoughts are not your thoughts.  As high as the heavens are above the earth, as far as east is from the west, My ways are not your ways, My thoughts are not your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9) Now couple that with Psalm 46:10, “Just be still and know that I am God.”, and I believe He is saying, “Don’t sit around trying to figure me out, because with your finite minds, that will never happen.”

But that same majestic God also has a side that I definitely can relate to. I John 4:8 describes God with one word: “God is Love.” The very essence of God is to love. Since that is true, from Love can only emanate such qualities as forgiveness, mercy, grace, compassion, tolerance, acceptance, patience, kindness, and goodness.  In God “there is no darkness at all”. (1John 1:5)

Now I know there is someone reading this who can’t wait to take me to task because in the Old Testament, “God was a jealous God” (Exodus 34:14); “He is a consuming fire” (Deuteronomy 4:24) When there were people (or nations) outside of His will, there was fire and brimstone, famines, plagues, and wars. No doubt that is true, but again, we must understand why that had to happen.

God selected ancient Israel to be His “chosen people”. Why? Because they were the smallest and weakest nation, and they were surrounded by much larger pagan nations. Therefore, His might and glory could shine even brighter through Israel.  His oath to the people was, “if you remain obedient to me, I will be your God and you will be My people.” (Jeremiah 30:22) But as we know from reading the story, obedience for His chosen people proved to be the “rock that made them stumble.”. Consequently, there are numerous times when even they tasted His punishment in order to get them back in line with His will. But In keeping with His nature, He always prefers repentance over judgement, as exemplified by the numerous times this proclamation was sounded throughout both the Old and New Testament: Repent! Turn from your sins and turn to God!  That same proclamation was proclaimed by Billy Graham in his lifetime, and is still being proclaimed by Franklin Graham and others today.

Ephesians 1:4-5, 10 tells us of God’s ultimate plan: “Long ago, even before He created the world (and Man), 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 family through Jesus Christ, and this gave Him great pleasure.  And this is His plan: At just the right time He will bring everything together under the authority of Jesus Christ – everything in heaven and on earth”.  What an incredible example of God’s unfathomable love for His proudest creation yet to come.  This also attests to His omniscience, because He knew in advance that we were going to use our free-will for self-exaltation rather than for His exaltation.

In the Scripture above, it said this would happen at “just the right time” Romans 5:6 is the fulfillment of that promise: “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time to die for us sinners.”  Notice that He didn’t insist we clean-up our act in order to be worthy for this Gift of Grace. No indeed!  He wants and accepts sinners just as we are.  Whenever we are willing to reinstate that Spiritual connection that was severed at The Fall, He is waiting for us with open arms, just as the father was waiting for the Prodigal Son.  Since I too am one of the recipients of His Incredible Gift of Grace, that is why I shout out, “Heavenly Father, I stand in awe of WHO YOU ARE!”

Thank you, God, for this second chance at life!

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)

Good Day, Meetpastordan Readers…I’ve been thinking about today’s subject matter for a few weeks now, but an appropriate introduction continued to be elusive. So before I even started writing, I opened the Bible with the thought, “Holy Spirit, I’m looking for a missing link”, not even sure of what that looked like, but the random opening took me to Jeremiah 6, subtitled “Jerusalem’s Final Warning”. Here’s what I gleaned from this chapter: (vs10-11) “To whom can I give warning? Who will listen when I speak? Their ears are closed, and they cannot hear.  They scorn the word of the Lord.  They don’t want to listen at all. So now I, the Lord, am filled with fury!  Yes, I am weary of holding it in! (vs.16-19) So now the Lord says, “Stop right where you are! Look for the old, godly way and walk in it. Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls.  But you replied, ‘No! that’s not the road we want to travel’. I set watchmen over you who said, ‘Listen for the sound of the trumpet!’ But you replied, ‘No! We won’t pay attention.’ Therefore, listen to this, all you nations. Take note of my people’s condition. Listen all the earth! I will bring disaster upon my people.  It is the fruit of their own sin because they refuse to listen to me.  The have rejected all of my instructions.”  Voila!  This is the perfect introduction.  All I have to do is substitute “America” for “Jerusalem” and I have the perfect introduction for my thoughts. (Thank you, Holy Spirit)

Other than ancient Israel, no other nation in the history of the world has been more abundantly blessed than America.  In fact, many scholars and theologians have made a case for America being the prophetic beast referenced in Revelation 13:11:1. In prophecy, beast represents a great nation. 2.This nation grew out of the earth and in a wilderness while previous great nations grew out of the seaports. 3. This nation started out as a baby lamb, then grew into a Christian nation. 4.The prophetic horns with no crowns means no rule of kings. “America did rise to heights no other nation had ever known. Not that we were ever without fault or sin, but we did aspire to fulfill our callings. “And what were those callings”, you might ask? To be a vessel of redemption, an instrument of God’s purposes, a light to the world. It would give refuge to the world’s poor and needy, and hope to its oppressed. It would stand against tyranny. It would fight, more than once, against the dark movements of the modern world that threatened to engulf the earth.” (Jonathan Cahn, The Harbinger) In fact, after our country’s first presidential inauguration, the President, his Cabinet, and Congress adjourned to St. Paul’s Chapel to dedicate this great country to God, and to ask for His blessings on the United States of America.

All of that sounds great! It definitely makes me proud to be an American. But the country I’m looking at today seems to be headed in a totally different direction. Rather than standing on the fundamental principles that made our country great, such as the Constitution, Judeo/Christian principles, freedom of religion and speech, the traditional family structure, upholding the rule of law, and pride in our history and our accomplishments, there seems to be an all-out assault on these values.  The pride and unity we used to feel as an American is challenged today by a new norm that is characterized by yelling, screaming, finger pointing, name calling, defaming our flag and our military, lying, cheating, and promoting a “Liberal Progressive Agenda” (LPA) whose capstone is a big government that will become our hope, our provider and our god.  When the populace is dependent on the government for its well-being, that government has power and control over the populace. Hmm…what could possibly go wrong with that plan?

“Wow!  How did that happen? What went wrong? you ask.  Jonathan Cahn masterfully addresses these probing questions: “It started with a spiritual complacency, then spiritual confusion, then the merging of God with idols and then, ultimately, the rejection of His ways. Just as with ancient Israel, America began ruling God out of its life, turning step by step against His ways, at first subtly and then more and more brazenly. As God was expunged from American life, idols came in to fill the void, idols of sensuality, idols of greed, of money, of success, comfort, materialism, pleasure, sexual immorality, self-worship, and self-obsession. The sacred increasingly disappeared, and the profane took its place.  The smiles of heaven cannot remain on a nation that disregards the ways of God. If America turns away from God, its blessings will likewise be removed and replaced with judgment.”   (The Harbinger)

In 2016, when Donald Trump shocked this country and the world by winning the Presidential race, I, like so many other believers in Jesus Christ and Bible prophecy, believed this was a time of reprieve. I believed this was a gift to us, a time to fulfill the message of repentance that has been proclaimed throughout both the Old Testament, the New Testament, and even today by Billy and Franklin Graham. Repent! Turn from your sins and turn to God!  The Bible is resplendent with examples of people and nations being restored when they responded to this proclamation, but there are also many examples of people and nations being destroyed when they refused to respond. This is recorded over and over throughout Biblical history (and also in world history, although the terminology is secular and refers to “human nature” rather than “sin nature.”)  Unfortunately, reading the Bible is out of vogue today, and the prevailing thoughts about history seem to be, “how can it be rewritten to further a particular agenda?”

But like the Scriptures from Jeremiah that were used in the introduction, or the words of wisdom spoken by Jonathan Cahn, when men or nations believe they no longer need God and begin expunging His Words and His teaching from their midst, history has  proven that they bought into the same lie that deceived Eve in the Garden: “You will become just like God, knowing everything both good and evil.” (Genesis 3:5)  Just as Eve could not resist becoming her own god, that same lie has always been irresistible to the intellectual mind. “Why submit to something when I can be CEO of my own life and my own agenda?”

Let’s look briefly at how the Serpent works today.  Remember, he is the Father of Lies, the Master Deceiver and the purveyor of the evil that we see running rampant throughout our culture today. He always wraps his enticements is something that is appealing or something that sounds righteous.  For example, let’s take the hot-button topic of “tolerance”, and again I will refer to Jonathan Cahn. “There is a growing tolerance for immorality and a growing intolerance for the purity that is now being mocked, marginalized and condemned. Innocence is being ridiculed and virtue is being vilified. Children are taught of sexual immorality in public schools while the Word of God is banned. It is a tolerance that has put the profane on public display and removed nativity scenes from public sight…as if a contraband; as if some how they had become a threat to a strangely intolerant tolerance. ” (The Harbinger)

Obviously, I believe the answer to our nation’s malady must be found in a spiritual solution rather than a political solution.  I mean…just look at our political system.  It is totally corrupt and broken!  What you see is man’s best effort. But the truth is, people are fallible; they can be agenda driven; they can desire power and wealth; and in many cases they are willing to do anything or say anything to get what they want.  Unfortunately, the swamp in our nation’s capitol seems to be healthy, and it still tries to do business as usual.

My purpose for writing this is just to get my thoughts somewhat organized and on paper, but even more important, I wonder what my readers think about these challenges. I started off with Scripture presenting Jerusalem’s Final Warning?  Do you think this is applicable to America today?  Have we chosen our own way, a way contrary to God’s will for our country? Is there an agenda designed to destroy the America we once knew?  Did God give us a reprieve in order to “Repent! (become willing to make a decision to change course.) Is it  time to return to the fundamental principles that made our country great, and to restore the Judeo/Christian principles that provided a moral compass for us as a nation?  If these questions are legitimate, how are we doing?  How are we responding to God’s reprieve as a nation?  Do you see any change?

Feel free to respond to this posting, and please “like” it and share it with other social media friends. Or if you really feel brave, share these questions at the water cooler.

May God Bless Ya….

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 that depicts 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 2016 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 for us has to do with our eternal destiny. Jesus defeated Satan at the cross 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! 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 Day, Meetpastordan Readers… What a crazy morning. Even though I was up at 5:00 am, I just couldn‘t get started. Too many distractions: email, voice mails, issues to follow up on from the past weekend, some FB follow-up and one error correction, 8:00 blood draw, etc. etc. Usually when I sit down to write, I don‘t open anything before I‘m through. So…lesson relearned. But the good news is…me and my new hip are becoming the best of friends. The staples are out now and I‘m walking around the house without the use of a cane. Won‘t be long before I‘m on the dance floor again.

In my search for a place to land today, I decided to turn to the Book of Acts and read for awhile. I remember as a kid, history didn‘t hold much interest for me. But today, I can‘t get enough. I read about the incredible growth of the Jerusalem Church and the bold transformation of Peter, John and James in their presentation of Jesus Christ, followed by Apostle Paul‘s first missionary journey. It‘s interesting to see the opposition they all encountered and the efforts to undermine their message by ruling governments and the religious leaders. They would stop at nothing to silence the Good News, and I couldn‘t help but compare that time to our culture today. It seems nothing much has changed. I was going to pick up on that topic, but instead I was stongly led in this new direction.

I have noticed that when I talk about our sin-nature, or being enslaved to our sin-nature, I most often get push back . “I believe there is good in everyone.“ “I believe everyone wants to do good.“ “I don‘t believe we‘re born with a sin- nature.“ “At birth I think we‘re neither good nor bad.“ So at this point, I definitely see the need to define the meaning of the term in question. Sin-nature simply means we live with the focus on self rather than on God. (In our culture‘s lexicon, the term sin-nature has become “human-nature“. I guess it minimizes the sting.) But remember, at Creation God‘s proudest creation was spiritually connected to Him, and He proclaimed that good. But that spiritual connection was severed when Eve and Adam became disobedient by taking the focus off of God and focusing on their own desires. Consequently, every generation after Adam is also born spiritually disconnected from God. So let‘s see how our sin-nature developes and how it plays out.

When a baby is born, the first thing it becomes aware of is self. It‘s in a new environment filled with lights, people, hustle and bustle, and a different temperature. So what does the baby do? It cries. Why? Perhaps it wants to feel the mother‘s touch again, to feel safe again; perhaps it‘s cold; perhaps it wants to nurse? But make no mistake about it, the baby has becomes aware of self. And it doesn‘t take long for the baby to realize that if it does want something to satisfy its need, whether it‘s to be held and cuddled, or nursed, or changed, crying is the answer.

Now let‘s jump ahead a few years. Once we have figured out what we like and what brings us exaltation, gratification or pleasure, our human nature wants to repeat that “stimulus“. Perhaps we want it often; perhaps we want as much as we can get. Perhaps we even become willing to do whatever we have to do to insure we get it. And therein is the problem. Now we‘re dealing with obsessive, compulsive and addictive behaviors.

In order to satisfy our needs or desires, if necessary we might resort to lying, cheating, stealing, all manners of deception, threats, covetness, aggression, jealousy etc. When our need to satisfy our desires is tharwarted, we will most likely experience anger, hatred, guilt, shame, remorse, depression, stress, withdrawal, aggression, threats, jealousy etc. None of these emotional behaviors have their root in God; they are all products of our sin-nature and our desire to take care of self, or in other words, me, me,me at any expense. Unfortunately, when this describes the state of one‘s heart (more on that later), unwanted, undesired and unhealthy behavior most surely will follow.

Galatians 5:19-21 explains our human condition, and Apostle Paul hits the nail squarely on the head. “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, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group, 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.“ I don‘t know about you, but in my previous life I could have checked all of those boxes!

What I am writing about is what the Bible refers to as our “flesh“. Our flesh is the sum total of all the old thoughts, our old manner of living, our old reactions and responses that we learned and developed to keep us safe and satisfied as we coped with life. This describes our natural life before rebirth (accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior,) . But should we some day become aware of our own insufficiency, experience a trauma, or have a burning-bush esperience, this old “bag of flesh“ becomes an albatross around our necks. Why? Because it‘s all contrary to the way God has called us to live.

Even though we are transformed spiritually at rebirth, there is no mental delete button to erase these strongholds that are deeply rooted in our minds. Unfortunately, satan knows that too. That‘s why our minds become his playground and the battlefied for sabatoging our best efforts to participate in the process of “Sanctification“ (becoming more Christ-like.) God wants us to live a life rooted in love, a life characterized by humility and service to others…just the way Jesus lived. But satan wants none of that! His sole purpose is to keep us mired in the “old self“, to keep us separated from God through his lies, temptations and accusations. And believe me, he is a master at his craft!

Referring once againto Galatians, but this time 5:17-18, the two verses that preceeded the Scripture listed three paragraphs above, Apostle Paul again nails the never-ending battle that characterizes our “Christian walk“. “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 our choices are never free from this conflict. But when we are directed by the Holy Spirit, we are no longer subject to our sinful nature or the law.“ He goes on to say, (vs 22-23) “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.“

The mind is part of our physical body. It contains the information input from our natural self. The heart, not the physical heart, but the spiritual inner core of a person, is the part of us that is transformed at rebirth. From that moment of transformation, our inner spirit is now filled with the indwelling Holy Spirit and the process of bringing our soul (mind, will, and emotions) and our body (flesh) in line with our new Spirit, begins. That is the process of Sanctification and it is a life-long journey.

But believe me, the rewards that come from sticking with this journey are overwhelming! This is our source of joy, peace and serenity. The Holy Spirit becomes our guide, our teacher, our counselor, our source of strength, courage, confidence, our rock and our salvation. Once we‘re clothed in the majesty of Jesus Christ, our old self, our old ways, and our old thoughts lose their appeal as they continue to pale by comparison to our new life in Christ. Apostle Paul states this very clearly in Philippeans 3:4-9: “I could have confidene in myself if anyone could. If others have reason for confidence in their own effors, I have even more. For I was circumcised when I was eight days old, having been born into a pure-blooded Jewish family that is a branch of the tribe of Benjamin. So I am a real Jew if there ever was one! What‘s more, I was a member of the Pharisees, who demanded the strictest obedience to the jewish law. And zealous? Yes, in fact I harshly persecuted the church. And I obeyed the Jewish law so carefully that I was never accused of any fault. I once thought these things were so very important, but now I consider them worthless because of what Jesus Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have discarded everything else, counting it all as rubbish, so that I may have Christ and become one with Him. I no longer count on my own goodness or my ability to obey God‘s law, but I trust Jesus Christ (Holy Spirit) to save me.“

The truth is, it‘s possible to go from the cradle to the grave living a self-centered life and completely miss the whole panorama that is available to anyone who has the guts to look behind the curtain…God‘s curtain. 1 Corinthians 2:9 gives us a glimpse of what could be: “No eye has seen; no ear has heard; no mind can imagine the wonderous treasures God has prepared for those who love Him!“ So what are you waiting for? If you‘re still of this world…take the plunge! You‘ll never look back.

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May God Bless ya…

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