(I have no idea why this first paragraph is in all caps, nor can I find a way to fix it!)

Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers… I certainly hope you‘re staying warm as we kick off 2018 in deep-freeze like conditions. I just spoke to my good friend, Mike, who is vacationing in Gulf Shores, Al ,and he awoke this morning to a less than balmy temperature of 29 degrees. I also heard from and friend in Tampa, and they are experiencing snow!! This is discouraging to me because we are planning to move to Florida in 2020 to escape these cold winter months. Who knows…this just may make me a hopeful proponent of global warming…NOT!

I have been drawn to today‘s subject because I hear the term “blessed“ used so freely that I feel compelled to take a whack at clarifying what I believe it really means. Let me first turn to Merriam-Webster as a point of reference. Blessed or Blessing – 1. act or words of one who blesses: she said a blessing over the food. The Priest will bless the wine. 2. approval or encouragement: he asked for the parent‘s blessing before he proposed. 3. a thing conducive to happiness or welfare: my wife has blessed me in so many ways. AA, while I first hated it, turned out to be a blessing in my life.

No doubt people like the idea of being blessed, and the Bible speaks of blessings quite frequently. But in my mine there is a prevelence of misconception about achieving that end, as evidenced by such statements as, “I want to be blessed,so I‘m going to do this or that“ or “I‘m going to do this so I‘ll be blessed.“ Since we are under the New Covenant, that doesn‘t ring true with me. God, after all, isn‘t a vending machine who dispenses blessings because we ‚“do“. That conception was the crux of the Old Covenant, which was in place until Christ fulfilled his purpose. Now God wants us to “do“, not to earn his favor, but because we have already been blessed with his Gift of Grace. That is why he spoke through the Prophet Hosea in 6:6 stating: “I don‘t want your sacrifices, I want your love. I don‘t want your burnt offerings, I want you to know me (some translations say, “I want your heart.“) Clearly God wants us to respond to him out of love and in a spirit of thanksgiving rather than from a sense of obligation.

I believe the difference between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant can be summed up in this statement: It‘s not about doing to get; we‘ve already got so we do. In other words, if we are in Christ, we were instantaneously “justified“ (made right in God‘s sight), meaning our sins have been forgiven; we‘ve inherited eternal life; we have the indwelling Holy Spirit to empower us to make different choices; we are now worthy and acceptable in God‘ sight, not because of anything we did or didn‘t do, but because of what Christ did for us on the cross. We‘re no longer a sinner but a “saint“ because we are covered with the blood of Jesus; we are grafted into His family, so we are now heir to ALL the spiritual blessings in the heavenly realms and ALL the promises in the Bible. Wow! How‘s that for a super-duper blessing? No doubt we are a new creation, but the fact is…at this point we haven‘t taken the first step in the process of “sanctification.“ (growing in the likeness of Jesus.)

Neil Anderson makes this statement in his book, “Victory Over the Darkness“: “God‘s will for your life is two-fold. First he wants you to accept his Gift of Grace, and secondly he wants you to grow in your relationship with Jesus Christ.“ 2 Peter 1:3-4 substantiates that statement: “The more we grow in our relationship with Jesus, his divine power gives us everything we need for living a godly life. He has called us to receive his own glory and goodness…and we will share in his divine nature.“ Our growth and transformation takes place in this process of sanctification, and the more we meet and transcend our trials and tribulations, the more we grow spiritually; the stronger our faith becomes because we are witnessing the truth of God‘s word transforming us, and the more we are blessed.

Matthew 6:33 tells us,“Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well .“ And what are the things that will be given? In the previous Scriptures Jesus is pointing out that God knows our wants and our needs, so he is telling his audience not to burden themselves by worrying about these things, but to seek first the Kingdom of God, and these things will be added as blessings. 1John 5:14 reinforces this truth: “And we can be confident that he will listen to us whenever we ask him for anything in line with his will. And if we know he is listening when we make our requests, we can be sure that he will give us what we ask for. (to repeat: if it is in line with His will.)

T.D. Jakes, a well-known Gospel preacher, has made this statement one of his hallmarks: “God wants to bless ya… God loves to bless ya! But he ain‘t goinna give ya those blessins‘ until you‘re ready to receive ‘em!“ In other words, the more we grow in our relationship with Jesus Christ, the more blessings come our way. And they are given to us, not because we are doing anything to earn them, but because we are putting His Kingdom first. Now we choose to do things that bring honor and glory to Him as a way of saying “Thank you for what you have done for me.“

Ephesians, chapter 1, tells us about God‘s secret plan that was in place even before the world was created. That plan included finding us worthy and acceptable in his eyes because we are in Christ; adopting us into his own family through Jesus Christ; and at just the right time, bringing everything together under the authority of Christ, everything in heaven and on earth. This, we are told, gave Him great pleasure.

So when was “just the right time“ for God to implement his secret plan? Romans 5:6 provides that answer. “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time to die for us sinners.“ When we proved ourselves utterly helpless to overcome the dilemma of Sin through our own effort, God‘s plan was always to provide a Savior to do for us what we proved we could not do for ourselves. Because we are in Christ, we are covered with the blood of Jesus. That is the only way we can qualify to enter the eternal Kingdom of Heaven, because as God revealed through Apostle Peter, “You must be Holy (sin-free; set aside for a sacred purpose) because I am Holy.“ In other words, if we are stained with sin, we do not even qualify to come into His pesence.

The coming of Jesus Christ fulfilled the Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament and the Law. In fact, Jesus himself said, “Don‘t misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the law of Moses or the writings of the prophets. No. I came to fulfill them. I assure you, until heaven and earth pass away, even the smallest detail of God‘s law will remain until its purpose is achieved. Today we fulfill God‘s Law not by doing, working, or trying harder, but by “Loving the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul, and all our mind, and by loving our neighbor as ourself.“ (Mathew 22: 37,39) Jesus told the Pharisees that if we focused on only those two things, we would indeed fulfill the other eight commandments.

The secret weapon of all Christ-followers is the indwelling Holy Spirit. We are told in Ephesians 1:14, “The Holy Spirit is God‘s guarantee that he will give us everything he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people.“ Our role is to get out of the way so the Holy Spirit can work through us so we can become the person God created us to be. John MacArthur makes this statement in his book,“Why Believe the Bible?“ “I find that the longer, the more intensely, and the more devotedly I look into the glory of Jesus Christ through the pages of Scripture, the more the Spirit of God changes my life into the image of Christ. There are no shortcuts. If I am to grow, to mature, and to finally be transformed, I must feed on the word of God!“  John’s statement is validated by the truth found in Colossians 2:3: “In Christ lay hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.“

Since this is such a weighty subject, I would like to hightlight these key points. If we seek first the Kingdom of God and consciously try to stay in line with his will by continuing to grow in our relationship with Jesus Christ, God promises to bless us abundantly. The Old Testament bears witness to that. When people and nations were in line with his will, they were blessed. When they were out of line with his will, there was fire and brimstone, wars, famines, plagues, etc. To reflect once again on T.D. Jakes‘ statement: “God loves to bless you, but he isn‘t going to give you those blessings until you‘re ready to receive them.“ Being in Christ and growing in Christ is the pathway to receiving His abundant blessings.

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

May God Bless You…

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

Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers… Happy New Year to Y’all! Isn’t it wonderful to have a new beginning? January 1, 2018 represents the beginning of a new era, and just the thought of being able to start over with a clean slate is inspirational for all of us. For many its about making a New Year’s resolution to visit the gym regularly; for others its about changing eating, drinking, gambling, or shopping habits. In our mind we can see a new person; a thinner, more healthy person who has faced some serious demons and won the battle. But unfortunately the statistics to support this mindset isn’t encouraging. Depending where you look, by January 14^th, the drop off rate is anywhere from 20%-31%; by January 21^st, 32%-56%; and by January 28^th, 57%-86%. So what’s the problem? Everyone wants a second, sixth, or possibly even a twelfth chance at a new life, but the truth is…IT’S REALLY HARD!

From a worldly perspective, there is a plethora of self-help books and methods to enhance our ability to become the person we want to be. We hear about breathing exercises, yoga, focus groups, the power of positive thinking, and we’re even encouraged to tap into the universal consciousness (whatever that is) to help us reach our full potential. But from the beginning of time man has wrestled with his inability to rise above “self”, because our human nature is drawn to things that pleasure us, exalt us, or things that titillate our emotions…whether they’re good for us or not. I would like to propose that, contrary to worldly thinking, becoming aware of our own insufficiency is the first step in the process of becoming the person we were created to be. (More on that later.)

In my previous life, I like to refer to that time as my BS period (before sobriety and before salvation), I was always searching for “that something” to flip my switch. I became a workaholic; I turned to achievements and accomplishments, to alcohol and drugs, to women, and to more and more material things. And truth be told, they all worked for awhile, but eventually I had to keep going back to get that elusive “fix” again and again. Unfortunately that “thing” I was looking for was always just beyond my reach, so I tried harder, more often, and was willing to do whatever I had to do to get what I wanted. That mindset and behavior set up my downfall in April of 2000.

Thankfully my BS period is behind me and today my identity is in Christ. While the previous New Year’s resolutions that were tackled by my “old self” were defined by frustration and defeat, my resolution this year is the same as it has been for the past few years: “Holy Spirit, help me to seek first the Kingdom of Heaven, and help me to get out of the way so you can work through me.” My self-help book today is not a book filled with worldly perspective, but a Book filled with God’s perspective. In this Book I have found everything I need for living a Godly life, and for becoming the Masterpiece referenced in Ephesians 2:10. When I am immersed in that zone, I have the confidence, joy, peace and serenity that we had always been searching for, but here-to-fore had been looking in all the wrong places. I gotta tell ya…there’s nothing like this “new creation!’

But I have to be honest here, because last night I couldn’t help but take a quick glance back on the “good ol’ days”? New Years Eve was always an excuse for excessive partying. But it wasn’t just the party that was attractive; where the party was happening also had its own unique appeal. New York, LA, San Francisco, Las Vegas or a Fiesta Bowl, each had its own brand, and I couldn’t wait to be a willing participant. But last night was quite the contrast. My Tootsie and I sat on the sofa in front of the fireplace, drinking sparkling cranberry juice and watching a movie. When the movie signed off, we wished each other a Happy New Year at 9:10 pm and adjourned to bed. And the icing on the cake was this…when I woke up this morning to attend a 7am AA meeting,I felt terrific! I added that because there were previous years when January 1^st, and sometimes even the 2^nd, were no more than a blur. (And that was fun?)

But the good news is found in Romans 12 2-3: “Do not conform to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by changing the way you think. Then you will know how good, pleasing and perfect God’s will really is for your life.” The topic for my AA meeting this morning was “A New Beginning”, and the testimonies about each of our transformations was nothing short of staggering. And virtually everyone credited God and his loving kindness for their successful journey. I love this because it brings to life the truth found in Jeremiah 29:13: “If you seek me you will find me when you seek me with all your heart.” No doubt God met each one of his broken creations when they called on his name. For almost all of these recreations, this first step opened the door for a deeper and more meaningful relationship with God.

All of us were at one time a broken creation in need of a Savior. None of us came into this world spiritually connected to God, so we all became the sum-total of the choices we made.  For some the answer came in a state of brokenness, when we were face to face with our own insufficiency and we had no place else to turn other than to cry out, “God help me!” For others the answer came in the form of an epiphany. But whatever the reason, we came to the realization that our best efforts were failing us. Suddenly the thought of “something greater than ourselves” was a welcomed answer. (That’s Step II in the twelve step recovery program. But AA is not a religious organization, so they do not define “higher power”. AA does, however, understand the necessity of planting seeds.) I wish I could say that everyone found Jesus Christ to be their higher power, but the fact is, not all do. I’ve concluded that all I can do is pray for revelation in the hearts and minds of those who are still seeking, and consciously let the light of Jesus shine through me by the way I live my life.

But those of us who are in Christ know that we have found the one true higher power. Neil Anderson states in “Victory Over the Darkness” that God’s plan for our life is two-fold. First he wants us to accept his Gift of Grace (Jesus Christ as Savior), and secondly he wants us to grow more Christ-like in that relationship so that he will also become our Lord. For those of us in that process right now, we understand that our secret weapon is the Holy Spirit, a gift given to us by God so we can now become the person he created us to be. (Ref. Ephesians 2:10 again) The Holy Spirit is our comforter, our guide, our teacher who will lead us into all truth. When called upon him, he will empower us with His wisdom, courage, strength, insight, patience, perseverance, eyes to see, ears to hear, whatever it is we need to overcome our trials and tribulations in a way that brings honor and glory to God. When we do this, we are bringing to life the truth found 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.” We know we have been lifted up by the confidence, joy, peace and serenity that comes from being a follower of Jesus Christ.

So back to A New Beginning. My prayer is that 2018 will be the best year ever for all my readers. And if you are not in Christ, I challenge you to pick up the Holy Bible and let the truth found in that Book transform you. Once the seeds of truth start to sprout, you will become a new creation, much like the butterfly coming out of the cocoon. And once you’ve been set free, you’ll never want to go back.

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 Morning, Meetpastordan Readers… I can’t tell you the number of times I have been confronted with today’s topic, or something similar, such as “How can a loving God put disease or tragedy on someone?”  The short and true answer is, “He doesn’t”, but that never seems to satisfy the probing nature of this intended indictment. So the follow-up statement is usually of this nature: “Well, if he’s really loving and all powerful, there wouldn’t be a hell and there wouldn’t be disease and suffering!”  My next answer is, “How right you are! That’s why he created the perfect world where there was no sin, no disease, and no pain and suffering.  The world he created was perfect; it was paradise.”

The very nature of such questions displays an ignorance of God and his nature, as well as an ignorance of the Truth. I’m not using the term “ignorance” here to mean stupid, but rather to mean “a lack of understanding of the truth.” Most people making such statements are generally intelligent, but unfortunately they are still in the domain of darkness.  But the Good News is…there’s still hope for them because God IS Love, and he doesn’t want to lose any of his proudest creation.  So let’s return to Christianity 101for an overview of the basics.

“How we praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we belong to Christ. 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 own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ, and this gave him great pleasure.  So we praise God for the wonderful kindness he has poured out on us because we belong to Jesus Christ. He is so rich in kindness that he purchased our freedom through the blood of Jesus Christ, and our sins are forgiven.  He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding. God’s secret plan has now been revealed to us; it is a plan centered on Christ, designed long ago according to his good pleasure. And this is his plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ – everything in heaven and earth.  Furthermore, because of Christ, we have received an inheritance from God…” (Ephesians 1:3-11)

If you read and study only that paragraph, you cannot miss these two truths: 1.The very essence of God Is Love.(1John 4:8). That Love manifested itself by creating a perfect world for man, and man was created for a perfect relationship with a loving God, and this gave him great pleasure.  But because God is omniscient as well as loving, he knew his proudest creation was going to go astray, and that is exactly what happened in the Garden. When the first inhabitants yielded to temptation, the spiritual connection that originally existed between God and Man was severed. At that moment Sin entered the world, and Man was now on his own to deal with that dilemma through his own effort. Roman 5:6 reports our progress: “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time to die for us sinners.”  Now that’s an indictment!

2. Our loving God knew we could not overcome sin through our own effort, so he already had a plan in place for our salvation – even before he created us! In the paragraph above, it is hard to miss his intention. In Bible-speak, when something is repeated once, that means it is important.  Two times means you can’t afford to miss this point.  But in the paragraph above, his plan – Jesus Christ – is repeated eight times.  Wow!  That means if you miss this, you miss the ticket to heaven. God’s plan was always to save us from ourselves, and Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross paid the penalty for our sins.

So now let’s tie this in with the title.  Christ’s sacrifice on the cross opened the pathway to heaven and eternal life for everyone.  He died for the sins of mankind, regardless of who we are or what we have done.  All we have to do to inherit this gift is believe that he is the Son of God and that he came to pay our sin-ransom.  Romans 3:22-25 states this beautifully and succinctly: “We are made right in God’s sight when we trust in Jesus Christ to take away our sins.  And we all can be saved in this same way, no matter who we are or what we have done.  For all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet now God in his gracious kindness declares us not guilty.  He has done this through Christ Jesus, who has freed us by taking away our sins. For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God’s anger against us.  We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us.

Someone much smarter than me once said: “Life is a journey.  At the end we are the sum total of the choices we’ve made.” And one choice we definitely want to make is to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  “Jesus himself said, “I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one comes to the father except through me.” (John 14:6)  God paid a hefty ransom for our souls; it cost him the blood of his Son.  And why did he do this? So we can enjoy an eternal relationship with Him, Jesus and all other Christ-followers. He said, “You have to be Holy (Sin free, set aside for a sacred purpose) because I am Holy.” (1Peter 1:16) If we are stained with sin, we can’t enter his Kingdom.  Why?  Because sin spreads, contaminates, destroys and kills.  If you doubt that, look at the world around you.  Remember…this world was perfect when it was created. That’s why anyone stained with sin will not be allowed to enter.  And the only way to be sin-free is to be covered with the blood of Jesus.

So you see, our loving God offered us a Gift of Grace (something we didn’t earn, nor do we deserve it). All we have to do to receive it is accept it.  The choice is ours.  Romans 6:23 presents this option most clearly: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift from God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  

The answer to the title question is…God does not condemn anyone to hell.  We condemn ourselves by refusing his Gift of Grace.  And for the follow-up question in the first paragraph, the world God created was perfect.  There was no disease, no pain and suffering, no death, no anger, no hatred, lying, cheating, stealing, fear, doubt, shame, addictions, pornography, gambling etc.  None of this was part of God’s plan.  Everything just listed is from the Prince and Power of this world…Satan himself.  Because this world is ravaged with sin, we are subject to its contamination. Consequently, we experience all the ugly manifestations of that contamination. When we are faced with trials and tribulations, we have two choices: we can shake our fist at God and shout “why me”, “why me”, or we can press into Him as our source of strength and courage.  Again, the choice is ours.

I want to close with this hopeful truth: “For God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten (from the same substance) Son. Whoever believes in him will not perish, but will have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:16-17)

Feel free to respond to this blog, 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 doubt that I would get much push-back if I referred to this as a crazy, whacko, _____ (you can add your own adjective) world in which we live.  Just when we think the news can’t get any more crazy and bizarre, sure enough it does!  I’ve heard many exclaim that they are turning off the news, their TV’s, and even moving away from their social media sources because they just can’t stand listening to the vile diatribes and sheer hatred that defines those outlets. No doubt we are living in the era that was described by the prophet Isaiah a few thousand years ago: “ Woe be to those who say evil is good and good is evil; that dark is light and light is dark; that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter. Destruction is certain for those who take bribes and pervert justice. They let the wicked go free while punishing the innocent.” (Isaiah 5:20,23)  There is no doubt that what once was considered  honorable, sacred, and even worshiped is now mocked and ridiculed, while what used to be perverted, disgusting, or downright shameful is basking in today’s cultural spotlight!

Never in my lifetime have differences of opinion been so divisive and explosive, even leading to the separation of family and friends.  The middle-ground that many people used to choose seems to be nonexistent, because either you are for this and hate that, or you hate this and support that. There is virtually no compromise today!  No wonder anxiety, fear, and doubt are at epidemic proportions.

I’ve set this blog up with that background because I feel that probably no subject has garnered more controversy than the subject of conceal and carry…and especially the matter of conceal and carry in the church.  I have chosen to write about this based on a radio interview I heard last week on Bott Radio, a Christian radio station. Here is the scenario.

The radio station interviewed a Bishop from a particular denomination in rural North Carolina who, based on the massacre that occurred at a church in Texas a few weeks ago, asked the members of his congregation who had conceal and carry permits to bring their weapons with them to church.  He said they were a rather small congregation, numbering around 200 members, and that they had no budget for hiring security guards.  Since we are hearing of these happenings more and more frequently, and since the church would be considered a soft target, he felt compelled, as Shepherd of his flock, to do whatever he had to do to keep them safe.  After a brief discussion with the Bishop, they opened up the phone lines, and I was shocked at the vitriolic comments that were coming from fellow Christians. I guess what amazed me most was the quoting, misquoting, and taking Scriptures out of context to substantiate their point of view. But perhaps even more baffling than that was the total lack of what I consider to be “common sense.”

No doubt Jesus never encouraged violence; and no doubt he preached love, forgiveness, mercy, grace, compassion and tolerance.  But it seems to me that the underpinning of the Bible is a morality play of Good vs. Evil.  This is a constant battle, and as we know, Good wins out over Evil. I can’t think of any situation where we as Christ-followers are told to stand down against evil. But to check myself, I asked this question in as many ways as I could of Google: (Not that I consider Google to be an authoritative source, but just to joggle my memory) “Is there any passage or story in the Bible where good is called to stand down in the face of evil?”  After a half dozen attempts, the Google wheel kept spinning, but no answer. Therefore, it is from that perspective that my own view is bolstered for today’s topic.

No doubt the church is a soft target.  It seems that those who hate our Christian faith and our way of life want nothing more than to silence and destroy us. Their hearts are filled with anger, hatred, envy, and  jealousy.  Many times they are furthering a different ideology, but occasionally it is someone who just wants to inflict as much shock and pain as possible because he, for some reason, feels justified in doing that. In either case they are willing to go to any length to further their agenda, even if it means the slaughter of innocent men, women and children. It is happening at an alarming rate around the world, and it is becoming more frequent here.

Since the church is perceived to be a soft target, when someone breaks in during a church service and is hell-bent on death and destruction, I do not think we are called to sit by and let it happen.  Thank God the neighbor next to the church in Texas grabbed his gun and confronted the crazed murderer, shooting back at him and running him off. Otherwise the death toll definitely would have been higher than 26.

When I heard people calling into the radio station, I heard such crazy comments as: “Jesus doesn’t want us to defend ourselves.  He wants us to turn the other cheek!”  “If I were assaulted, I would call on God to loose angels, then I would dial 911.”  “Guns can only make things worse.  God hates guns.”  “We are not to participate in violence.” “Jesus sacrificed his life for his enemies.  We’re called to do the same.”  Yikes… I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

“God didn’t give us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love and self control” (some say “sound mind.”)  (2 Timothy 1:7)  In the face of danger, if either I or my family is threatened, I believe I am instructed to defend my family. “But those who won’t care for and protect their own relatives, especially those living in the same household, have denied what we believe. Such people are worse than nonbelievers.” (1Timothy 5:8) I believe that guns are totally neutral. Depending on the heart of the person who is holding the gun, it becomes an instrument of either good or evil. “For from the heart comes evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all other sexual immorality, theft, lying and slander.” (Matthew 15:19)  And true, Christ did give up his life for his enemies; that was his mission. But I don’t believe we are called to sacrifice ourselves to further an evil agenda. “Stand your ground, putting on the sturdy belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Ephesians 6:14,18)  I know that passage is referring to spiritual warfare, but I feel it is equally applicable here. Anyone on a murderous rampage is evil personified, and we have been given authority over all the evil schemes of the devil by Jesus Christ himself. (Luke 10:19) I firmly believe that being defenseless and allowing evil to run roughshod over us is certainly not God’s will for his Children. Quite the contrary! I believe we are called to stand tall in the face of evil so we can continue to be His instruments of Truth.

As the Good Shepherd, Jesus’ role was to protect his flock.  Since we are in Christ, are we not called to protect our brothers and sisters too? I now want to turn to a brief, and admittedly a very controversial, passage in the Gospel of Luke 22:35-37. This is inserted right after Jesus tells Peter he will deny him three times, and after this statement there is no other commentary. “Then Jesus asked them (disciples), ‘When I sent you out to preach the Good News, and you did not have money, a traveler’s bag, or extra clothing, did you lack anything? ‘No,’ they replied. ‘But now,’ he said, ‘take your money and traveler’s bag. And if you don’t have a sword, sell your clothes and buy one! For the time has come for this prophecy about me to be fulfilled: ‘He was counted among those who were rebels.’ Yes, everything written about me by the prophets will come true.’

If you begin to research this, you will find multiple commentaries and multiple speculations as to what this passage actually means.  I have spent a great deal of time on this, and have concluded that my thoughts are in line with the thoughts laid out in the NIV Study Bible. Jesus knew that there would be persecution of his followers, especially since their leader was one “who was counted among those who were rebels.”  Also, the area around Jerusalem was laden with bandits and travel was treacherous.  Jesus also knew he had to count on these men to carry his message after he was gone, so I believe he was cautioning them to be “prepared” physically as well as spiritually. I like common sense, and I believe being cautious and prepared is common sense. Now, no doubt Jesus was outside the “norm” on most occasions because his Kingdom was not of this earth, but I’m still  believing that he recognized and respected “common sense.” 🙂

No doubt this topic will strike a different chord with different readers, so I encourage you to respond to this post.  I in no way pretend to have the “authoritative answer”, so I would like to hear your thoughts whether in agreement or disagreement. Ideas that cause reconsideration are good for the soul, not to mention the mind.

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

May God Bless Ya…

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

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Good Morning Meetpastordan Readers… I love this topic because it is based on a conundrum.  For instance, everyone wants to be fearless.  We hear exciting stories of knights, warriors, and our own modern  day heroes, as being fearless.  But unfortunately, the obstacle in the way of being fearless is fear itself. Therefore, in order to be fearless, one has to fear less…and therein lies the challenge.  Fear is that emotional culprit that can keep us from achieving our full potential, or living life to the fullest.  Fear is the excuse for resisting change and staying in bondage to a mediocre existence. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve heard, “I really want to, but I just can’t!” or “I wish I could, but I just don’t have the courage.”  The biggest detriment to change is fear of the unknown.

If you’ve seen Star Wars or Superman, you know the superhero wins the battles and gets the pretty girl in the end. But you also know that they are superheroes because they plug into a “force” beyond themselves that gives them supernatural power. They know their source of strength! So it’s easy to fantasize about this and wish you too were a superhero. But all to often, reality sets in and you say, “Ah, it’s only Hollywood; that’s not true.” But I’m here to tell you…it is absolutely true!  In fact, we have the opportunity to plug into a power that can propel us to superhero status in our own life and make Skywalker’s “force” or Superman’s Krypton-power pale by comparison. It’s all about knowing your source of strength.  Clark Kent was a mild-mannered reporter until he chose to become Superman.  We too can be mild-mannered, timid, fearful and stymied if we don’t know how to use our source of strength to accomplish God’s purpose in our lifes.

Luckily we serve a loving, merciful, gracious Father who knows his proudest creation intimately.  He knows our strengths as well as our weaknesses, and just as he promised, “I’ll never leave you; I will never forsake you.”  He knows we’re living in a fallen world, that we’re in these fleshly bodies, and that we have a formidable enemy who relentlessly tries to shipwreck our effort to change. But when we come face-to-face with our own insufficiencies, if we call on his name, he will answer.  This is confirmed in James 4:10: “When you come humbly before the Lord and admit your dependence on him, he will lift you up and give you honor.”

Fear is contrary to God’s plan for us.  We are told in 2 Timothy 1:7, “God didn’t give us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of love, power and self-control.” The power referenced in that Scripture is not our power, but the power that comes from the indwelling Holy Spirit.  Ephesians 1:14 confirms that: “The Holy Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us everything he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people.”  The Holy Spirit is a gift from God so we can rise above our circumstances, or our lot in life, to become the person he created us to be.  He does not want fear to keep us in bondage; that’s why the Holy Spirit empowers us to win!  The only stipulation for tapping into this source is being in Christ. If you’re in Christ, you’re IN, just like it says above; “he purchased us to be his own people.”

I would like to focus right now on the matter of anxiety.  In this fallen world, anxiety is rampant due to more and more uncertainties – such as economic uncertainty, job security, or personal safety – that pervade our lives And what exactly is anxiety?  It is an unpleasant state of inner turmoil, often accompanied by nervous behaviors caused by the fear of future events or situations.  So how do we deal with this?  We first have to recognize the source of the turmoil, and that would be satan.  Remember, his sole purpose is to keep us separated from God’s love, and one of his favorite tactics is to make us think our challenges are bigger than our God. Worry, doubt, fear, guilt, shame and remorse are his favorite tools to keep us mired in our misery.

But look at what Jesus taught about anxiety: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life…Can any one of you worrying add a single hour to your life?” (Matthew 6:25,27,33) He goes on to say, “But seek first the Kingdom of Heaven and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”  In other words, don’t let satan distract you, but keep your focus on God because he is your rock, your salvation, your shield, your protector, and your provider. And as James 4:10 pointed out above, “when you admit your dependence on him, he will lift you up and give you honor.”

Sadly for those of this world, they have no knowledge of this supernatural power that God has given his children. Jesus explained this in John 14:15-17: “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 will lead you 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…”  Jesus made it very clear that this is a gift to empower all Christ-followers to fulfill their purpose on earth.  Ephesians 2:10 now refers to all Christ-followers as His masterpiece: “For we are 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.” (even before the world was created Eph.1:4)

Succeeding in overcoming the evil schemes of the devil is a challenge for all Christ-followers.  But that success comes from recognizing his schemes and immediately taking authority over them.  Last week’s blog was on that very subject, “Claiming the Victory that is Mine”, and can be found at http://meetpastordan.com/claiming-the-victory-that-is-mine-225/.  I would suggest clicking on this link and reading that blog too.  It clearly presents this as a spiritual battle for our souls; it expands on the authority Christ has given us to rebuke the enemy; and it affirms that the power to win the battle comes from the Holy Spirit.  The truth is, we are already victorious; we just have to know that and stand on it!

To be fearless means to be void of fear. So the obvious question is, “How do we get to that state?”  The answer is to know the truth, and this is the truth: “God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. There is no fear in love, because perfect love drives out all fear.” (1John 4:16,18) There is no substitute for knowing your object of faith intimately, and God reveals himself in His Word. He tells us who he is, what he thinks, what he thinks about us, what his plans are for us, what his standards are, what his promises are, and how we can be blessed by those promises. His desire for us is two-fold: to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, then to grow in that relationship, becoming more and more like him. In this process we become transformed by changing the way we think and act, realizing this doesn’t happen through our own effort, but by relying on the Holy Spirit to empower us to do what we can’t do ourselves.

The more we grow in this manner, we develop a sense of confident assurance, a sense of peace and serenity , and a sense of power that drives out fear. Now we are fearless because we know who we are in Christ: our sins are forgiven; we’ve inherited eternal life; we have the indwelling Holy Spirit; we are grafted into God’s family; we are now worthy and acceptable in his eyes; we are heir to all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly realm, and we are heir to all the promises in the Bible!  How’s that for hitting the spiritual jackpot?  Wowzzzzer!  When we are standing on this Rock, how can we not  fear less?  Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior and God is our rock, our salvation, our shield, our protector, and our provider.  It makes ya wanna sing that ol’ Gospel song, “This world is not my home; I’m just passin’ though.”  🙂

Thank you, God, for your incredible plan, not only for my salvation, but for the opportunity to begin experiencing Your Kingdom on earth right here, right now. I pray for revelation in the hearts and minds of those who do not know Jesus Christ.  I pray that someone will plant a seed that will take root and sprout within them, allowing them to experience the inexpressible joy, confidence and security that comes only from being in Christ. Amen!

Feel free to respond to this post, 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 hope you all begin each day by offering praise for the bountiful blessings you receive from  your “Abba Father.  So many are common-place, and if not careful, we can take them for granted. But every day and every breath is a blessing, and every heartbeat is a blessing.   If you’ve been aware of either the sunrises or the sunsets lately, you know how absolutely inspiring they are, especially at this time of year.  Now ponder this for a moment…the same God that displays this incredible majesty and artistry is the same God who desperately wants a relationship with us…each and every one of us.  (I’m giving you conversation fodder as we approach Thanksgiving Day.)  🙂

I have a dear friend who has been struggling with various addictions. Maintaining his sobriety and his sense of worthiness is a constant battle.  He wrote to me last week and asked if I would consider writing about “changing direction” and acceptance. He knows what to do; he knows what the answer is, but he is still struggling with staying the course.  Can any of you reading this relate to that dilemma? Well, if you are breathing and still have blood in your veins, I know you can relate to that situation.  How do I know that?  Because we are all in the same spiritual war, and the truth is, “we’re not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world; against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits of the heavenly realms.”  (Ephesians 6:12)

My friend is in-Christ, which means he is “perfectly equipped”  to be “victorious over all the evil schemes of the enemy” (Luke 10:19). But here is the truth: Unless he, or anyone in that same downward spiral,  exercises their position of authority over their life, satan will continue to have his way with them.  Satan may be a defeated foe, but he is relentless in his effort to stymie the growth and perfection of God’s children.  Remember, that is his only way to get back at God, and he is a master at his craft.  Even Jesus referred to him as the “Father of Lies” (John 8:44); Apostle Paul referred to “the evil schemes of the devil” (2Corinthians 2:11); and Revelation 12:10 refers to him as “accuser of the brethren.”  Do not mistake this truth: at the first chink in our “Armor of God”, satan and his evil minions are there like flies at a picnic ready to wreak havoc with our vulnerability!  Satan, the Prince of Darkness, does not want us to move from his domain and experience the love and joy to be found in the Kingdom of Light.

This is a war, a spiritual war for your very soul.  Make no mistake about that.  Apostle Paul words this perfectly in Ephesians 6:11, 13: “Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all the strategies and tricks of the devil. Use every piece of God’s armor to resist the enemy in the time of evil, so that after the battle, you will still be standing firm!  Stand your ground by putting on the sturdy belt of truth…”  So what is God’s armor?  The Word of God!  What is the sturdy belt of truth?  The Word of God!  Standing on the truth found in The Holy Bible is our only defense against satan’s lies, deception and schemes.  This principle cannot be minimized: The only way to combat a lie is by knowing, and standing on, the truth! And what is the Word of God? It is Truth…God’s truth.

Jesus demonstrated this perfectly when he was tempted by satan in the wilderness.  Notice Satan’s tactics in his three temptations. Matthew 4:1-11: “Jesus was led out into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to be tempted there by the devil.  For forty days and forty nights He ate nothing and became very  hungry.  Then the devil came and said to Him, “If you are the Son of God, change these stones into loaves of bread.” (notice that satan showed up when Jesus was weak from hunger.  He challenged His identity and appealed to His physical need.) “Jesus replied, ‘It is written…People need more than bread for their life; they must feed on every word of God.” (Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 8:3)

“Then the Devil took Him to Jerusalem to the highest point of the Temple and said, ‘If You are the Son of God, Jump off.  For the Scriptures say; ‘He orders His angels to protect You. And they will hold You with their hands to keep You from striking Your foot on a stone.” (notice that satan also knows scripture. {Psalm 91:11-12} He challenged Jesus to prove that He was the Son of God; to see if He would trust in the truth of scripture.) “Jesus responded, ‘It is written…Do not test the Lord your God.” (Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:16)

“Next satan took Him to the peak of the very high mountain and showed Him the nations of the world and all their glory. ‘I will give it all to You if You will only kneel down and worship me.” (notice satan is appealing to His own pride, envy, and is challenging Him to compromise.) “Get out of here, Satan!  For it is written, ‘You must worship the Lord your God; serve only Him.’ (Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:13) Then the devil went away, and angels came and cared for Jesus.”  Notice that Jesus preceded each of his responses by stating “it is written.”  If that happened three times, that fact is important to copy.

There is NO substitute for knowing the truth of God’s Word. These truths (Scriptures) make up our platform of faith, and we must have a platform of faith on which to stand. And each plank in that platform is a Scripture. There is no getting around this. We are living in a fallen world, and Satan himself is the ruler of this world. Distractions are part of his weaponry: TV, smart phones, computers, social media, worldly entertainment; commercials and advertisement that bombard our minds and numb our senses. Coupled with that, we are living in these fleshly bodies which succumb to titillating presentations that arouse our carnal desires. Unless we’re prepared, before we know it, we are yielding to temptation.  This is the world in which we live, and even for the most committed Christ-follower, there are times when we get caught-up in it, just like my friend.  It’s not a matter of if…it’s a matter of when. And when that battle ensues, just like the one Apostle Paul talked about earlier, will you still be standing after it is over??

Well…here’s the good news.  God wants us to succeed! But he also knows that we can’t overcome our flesh, this fallen world, or satan through our own volition.  We proved that from Creation until 2020 years ago (the coming of Jesus). Therefore he gave us the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit so we could each become the person He created us to be.  This is spelled out in Ephesians 1:14: “The Holy Spirit is God’s guarantee  that He will give us everything He promised, and that He has chosen us to be His own people.”  Galatians 5:16-18;22-23 tells us why we are already victorious: “So I advise you to live according to 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 our choices are never free from this conflict. But when we are directed by the Holy Spirit, we are no longer subject to our sin nature. But with the Holy Spirit directing our lives, we will produce this kind of fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

Couple that with these three truths. 1. “Because we are in Christ, He has given us authority over all the evil schemes of the devil.  No harm will come to us.” (Luke 10:14)  2. Jesus told his disciples, “In this world you will have trouble. But fear not; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) Therefore, because we are in Christ, we too have overcome the world.  We’re already victorious.  We just have to know it, claim it, and stand on it.  3. And 1John 4:4 tells us: “He that is in me (Holy Spirit) is greater than he that is in this world.” (satan)  We are…ARE…ARE already victorious!  We just have to take authority over the defeated enemy, and claim what is rightfully ours, just like Jesus did. “Get behind me, satan!” Or, “It is written…”, followed by one of the scriptures in your platform of faith.  Keep doing this and don’t stop. Another truth is, “Satan flees at the name of Jesus.” (James 4:7)  So when you rebuke satan, do it in the name of Jesus Christ.  You have that right and authority! It’s time to flex your “gifted” spiritual muscle.

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

May God Bless You abundantly,

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

Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers… Well, I have to be honest with you at the outset; it is not without a bit of trepidation that I have decided to tackle this subject today. It has certainly crossed my mind in the past, but I’ve let it go because this is one of those controversial subjects that has divided churches.  In fact, at the last church where I was part of the pastoral staff, this very subject led to a schism in our midst. But for the past couple days I have felt prompted by the Holy Spirit to follow this direction, partly, I’m sure, because of my personal encounters both as a recipient of spiritual healing and as one who has served as an intercessor for others in prayer.

Let me begin by saying that spiritual healing is absolutely in line with the truth of God’s Word. Now let me substantiate that with these Scriptures: “Isaiah 53:5, “But he was wounded and crushed for our sins. He was beaten that we might have peace. He was whipped and we are healed.”  Psalm 103:3, “He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.”  Mark 5:34, “Daughter, your faith has made you well.  Go in peace. You have been healed.”  Jesus told his disciples in John 14:12, “The truth is, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.  You can ask anything in my name and I will do it.” (to clarify, “anything” that is in line with His will.)  Ephesians 1:3: “How we praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we belong to Christ.” And to be sure, one of those spiritual blessings is spiritual healing.  So the substantiation for spiritual healing is unquestionable, but there are variables that come into play that need to be addressed.

Does everyone who asks for spiritual healing receive that healing? The answer is “yes” and “no”.  If we are in Christ, Ephesians 3 tells us we are heir to spiritual healing. In other words, we have been healed. Revelation 21:4 tells us: “He will wipe away every tear from our eyes and death will be no more.  Neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, for the old world and its evils are gone forever.” Obviously that’s from God’s eternal perspective; that is when we will be in his presence.  But from our perspective, we look at birth as a beginning and death as an end, so when we are praying for spiritual healing, we are asking for it here… and especially now. Can that happen?  Absolutely. But does it always happen…well, keep reading.

T.D. Jakes, the renowned Gospel preacher, is well known for this statement. “God wants to bless ya;  He loves to bless ya; but he ain’t going to give you those blessings until you’re ready to receive them.” And that, my Friends, is the truth!  “Ready” most likely means in line with God’s will or having achieved a level of maturity to handle the blessing.

Two things that can stand in our way of receiving blessings are unbelief and unforgiveness.  Notice in Mark 5:34, three paragraphs above, the woman who Jesus was addressing was healed because of her faith.  Notice in the next example, John 14:12, “believing” (faith) is a prerequisite for “doing the same works Jesus did”.  Therefore, “faith”, as we know from Hebrews 11:1 is “the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen…”  Now let me point out one other pertinent Scripture. A father brought his son to Jesus to cast out an evil spirit. He asked Jesus, “Have mercy on us, and help us if you can.’ Jesus replied, ‘What do you mean ‘If I can? Anything is possible if a person believes.’ The father instantly replied, ‘I do believe, but help me with my unbelief.” James also cautions against unbelief. “When you ask God for something, be sure you really expect him to answer, for a doubtful mind is as unsettled as a wave on the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. People like that should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.” (James 1:6-7) Needless to say, our faith must trump our unbelief.  So how do we get to that point? We have to become intimately acquainted with our object of faith, Jesus Christ.  There is no substitute for the confident assurance that HE IS, HE CAN, and HE WANTS TO.

Another pertinent Scripture that is relevant to this subject is Matthew 5:23-24: “So if you are standing before the altar in the Temple, offering a sacrifice to God, and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, leave your sacrifice beside the altar.  Go and be reconciled to that person, then come back and offer your sacrifice to God.” God’s “royal law of love” (James 2:28) directs us to love one another.  If we are harboring  unforgiveness, anger, hatred, lying, cheating, stealing, etc, we are outside of God’s will. As such, we are called to “be reconciled” and then repeat our request.  This is also in line with T. D. Jakes’ statement, “being ready (in line with God’s will) to receive those blessings.”

Let’s be very clear about the source of pain, suffering, and disease.  Satan is the source of all discomfort and distress, and this fallen world is his playground.  His sole purpose is to keep us separated from God, and his favorite tools are pain, suffering, disease and relationship issues. As long as he can keep us focused on our circumstances and away from God’s love, he is winning.  But,  because we are in Christ, we are already victorious.  We just have to know that and stand on it.  Two scriptures that substantiate this are Luke 10:19: Jesus told his disciples, “I have given you authority over all the evil schemes of the enemy. You can walk among snakes, scorpions and crush them. No harm will come to you.”  (Metaphorically speaking, we still deal with snakes and scorpions. It’s called “life”)  And 1John 4:4: “The Spirit that lives in me (Holy Spirit) is greater than the spirit in this world.” (satan)  It’s important we exercise our authority and rebuke satan.  I can’t emphasize that enough!

So far I have talked about the necessity of our faith being greater than our unbelief.  We have to know that He can and that He wants too. I have also talked about extenuating circumstances than can prevent us from receiving the blessings, such as an impure heart or the need for reconciliation.   One last thing I want to talk about is God’s timing.  When Jesus’ disciples asked him. “Rabbi, why was this man born blind? Was it the result of his own sins or those of his parents?’ Jesus answered, ‘It was not because of his sins or his parent’s sins.  He was born blind so the power of God could be seen in him.” (John 9:2-3)  Then Jesus restored the blind man’s sight.  He did this so that the man’s testimony would bring honor and glory to God the Father, which it certainly did when he told his story to the Pharisees. “I was blind, but now I see.” (John 9:25)

Everything God does is for a purpose, and the timing of his blessings is certainly for a purpose.  When we seek healing, no doubt we want it now.  The truth is…It can be now, perhaps later, or perhaps not in this lifetime. But when it comes, it will come at a time that brings honor and glory to God.

When I pray for healing in people, I always point out that I am praying with the expectation that this prayer will be answered. (Ref. James 1:6 above)  If the healing is not manifested immediately, I caution them against doubt, and encourage them to continuously thank God for the healing that is rightfully theirs.  I also ask them to search their hearts for any unforgiveness or any other negative emotions that can short-circuit their receptivity.  If evident, I encourage them to ask the Holy Spirit to empower them with his wisdom, courage, patience, insight or whatever it is they need,  to overcome that obstacle.  But above all, keep thanking God for the healing that is rightfully yours.  This healing is as real today as it ever was.  I am living proof, both as a recipient and as an intercessor.

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 Morning, Meetpastordan Readers… In this crazy, dark, perverted, ______ (add your own adjective) world in which we live today, there isn’t much we can count on – I mean REALLY count on!  What used to be thought of as “normal” is being assaulted and turned inside out and upside down right before our very eyes.  For instance: accountability for one’s actions; the expectation of law and order and hope for an honorable judicial system; the traditional family unit and gender identity; the value of human life; the reliability of our history; the freedom to stand on one’s religious convictions; reverence for our founding documents; the erosion of faith in our leaders and a government that seems more and more corrupt with each passing day, etc. Wowzzer, Zowzzer!  Can you believe this is still America?  Did we pass through a time warp and awaken on another planet where we’re actually humanoids devoid of love, kindness, empathy, conscience and COMMON SENSE??

Well, as crazy as this is, it shouldn’t be surprising because these times have been predicted for years, decades, and even centuries. But unfortunately, most people aren’t familiar with THE history/prophecy Book . The prophet Isaiah predicted “our time” with pin-point accuracy: “Destruction is certain for those who say that evil is good and good is evil; that dark is light and light is dark; and bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter. Destruction is certain for those who take bribes and pervert justice.  They let the wicked go free while punishing the innocent.” (Isaiah 5:20, 22)  A few chapters later (40:6-8), the prophet speaks as directed by the Lord: “Shout!’ ‘What should I shout?’ I asked.  ‘Shout that people are like the grass that dies away. Their beauty fades as quickly as the beauty of flowers in the field. The grass withers, and the flowers fade beneath the breath of the Lord.  And so it is with people.  The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of your God stands forever.”  This is restated in Matthew 24:35: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but the words of the Lord will never pass away.” (some translations say, “will endure forever.”)

As hopeless as what I just wrote about appears to be, wouldn’t it be reassuring if we could find SOMETHING to stand on?  SOMETHING that we knew we could stake our lives on?  Romans 6:23 presents two black and white truths, and the choice is ours.  The first half is the fate of the non-believer; the second half is the fate of those who accept God’s gift of grace. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift from God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”   The choice to continue living separated from God leads to anger, frustration, turmoil, depression, and hopelessness. The choice to accept God’s Gift of Grace gives us confidence, courage, strength to persevere and hope…even in today’s topsy-turvy world.

So the question on the tip of most people’s tongue is…how did we ever get in this deplorable mess?  Well…I’d like to share a bit of history with you, and I believe if you connect the dots as I present them, this will shed some light on that very question.

In my opinion, two fundamental principles that undergird everything else written in the Bible are: 1. God is love, and 2. God wants a relationship with us – an eternal relationship with us.  We are told in Ephesians 1:4-5, 10:  “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. And this is his plan:  At just the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ – everything in heaven and on earth.”  So the logical question here is…why did God need a plan even before he created the world and Man?

I propose that since he’s the omnipotent, omniscience God, he knew that he would have to give man free-will so that we could choose to enter into that desired relationship with him.  And no doubt he also knew that man would use that free-will for something other than its original intent. And that’s exactly what happened when the first inhabitants of the Garden of Eden disobeyed God’s directive. When they took the focus off of God and yielded to their own desire, that was the original SIN. In fact, that is the very definition of SIN…living independent of God.

So here’s the crux of the problem. When man functions independent of God, he becomes his own god.  As such, he knows what he wants; he wants it when he wants it; and if it is pleasurable, or in some other way elevates his stature, he wants as much of it as he can get, and many times is willing to do whatever he has to do to satisfy this craving.   When that happens, these character defects begin to define our sin nature (human nature): anger, hatred, envy, jealousy, deceit, lying, cheating, stealing, guilt, shame, remorse, impure thoughts, sexual immorality, hostility, quarreling, etc. I’ll let Apostle Paul sum-up the result of yielding to these defects of character: “Let me tell you, as I have before, anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God! (Galatians 5:21)

So when sin entered the world, this “perfect world” (so proclaimed by God) and Man’s spiritual connection with God came to an end. From that point until 2017 years ago, man lived independent of God and was dependent on his own effort to deal with the dilemma of SIN.  So how did that work out for Man?  Roman’s 5:6 is our report card: “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.”  So what was just the right time?  When we were utterly helpless to overcome the dilemma of SIN through our own effort   What an indictment!

But thank you God for your mercy, your grace, and your unending, unfailing, unconditional love for us. Your plan was always to provide a Savior to do for us what you knew in advance we could not do for ourselves.  Your plan, as stated above in Ephesians 1:10 says: “At just the right time you will bring everything together under the authority of Jesus Christ – everything in heaven and on earth.” Romans  5:6 above is the fulfillment of that promise.

Here’s why this presentation is so important.  In Ephesians 1:4 above, the term in Christ is used.  For those of us who accept God’s Gift of Grace, we are in Christ, meaning “We are a new creation in Christ; the old is gone (our sin nature) the new has come.” (Holy Spirit)  Remember, this world was perfect at creation.  But look at the world we live in today.  Not only is it not perfect…it’s a cesspool! The world you see today exhibits the ravages of SIN. And since God has been expunged from our culture by an evil agenda that wants to dismantle the fundamental pillars of our society, what you are seeing is man’s sin-nature running rampant.

But God has promised that all of us who are in Christ will spend eternity with him, Jesus and all other Christ-followers in Paradise.  But He also revealed this qualifier in 1Peter 1:16: “You must be holy because I am holy.”   Holy means to be sin-free; to be set aside for a sacred purpose. In other words, we can’t come into the presence of God if we are stained with sin because sin spreads, contaminates, destroys and kills.  That’s why and how this world deteriorated from paradise to a world characterized by squalor. But that won’t happen in the Kingdom of Heaven because there will be NO SIN!  Revelation 21:27 confirms this: “But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” 1 Corinthians 2:9 is the exclamation point on the subject: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind can imagine what God has prepared for those who love him.”

Since man proved he cannot overcome his sin-nature through his own effort, God’s Gift of Grace is our only answer for salvation. Jesus has already paid our sin-ransom.  All we have to do is accept his sacrifice in our place to avoid the wages of sin – spiritual death.  As Jesus stated in John 14:6: “I am the way the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.”

 I would like to close now with the hope found in John 3:16:  “For God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten Son; that whoever believes in him will not perish, but will have eternal life.”  A-men!

Feel free to respond to this post, 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…The five words in this title might make up the most challenging proposition that is ever put before us.  I suspect all of us have had varying experiences with accepting or rejecting the challenges of fear and trust. In my opinion, the challenge exists on two levels.  The first level is being willing to surrender self; the second level involves trusting the source that asks for trust.  An example of the first scenario would be when a counselor prescribes a certain pathway for recovery, but you are not really ready to give up your familiarity with certain people, places or things.  The second scenario could be a visitor to New York City encountering a slick man on Times Square who offers you a “deal” on a genuine Rolex watch for $29.99.  Would you trust him?

Fear is part of our makeup; it’s part of our emotional system. Sometimes it keeps us safe, such as when we reject the temptation to experiment with drugs, and sometimes it keeps us in bondage, such as when we reject change because we fear the unknown.  But trust, on the other hand, is not innately a part of us.  This is something that has to be earned through experience.  In many ways fear and trust are polar opposites.

Now for those of us familiar with the Holy Bible, we know we are called to live by faith.  And what is faith?  Putting our trust in what we have experienced to be the truth. If it is not experiential faith, it is blind faith, and blind faith in the end won’t sustain us. Hebrews 11: 6 tells us: “It is impossible to please God without faith.  Anyone who wants to come to him must first believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.”  1 John 4:18 reinforces this: “Love (God) has no fear because perfect love (God) casts out fear.  If we are afraid, it is for fear of judgment, and this shows that his love has not been perfected in us.”  In other words, when we come to know God (whose very essence is love) and the truth of his Word, we begin to trust him because love casts out fear.  Fear is not part of God’s plan for us.  The source of fear is our enemy, satan, who wants to steal our joy by keeping us separated from God.

Faith (trust) is always a challenge unless we know the source of our strength.  I mentioned in the previous paragraph the difference between experiential faith and blind faith.  Let me clarify this. People can claim anything.  They can say, “I believe this…or I believe that”, and perhaps they can quote scriptures in a most impressive way.  Blind faith is expressed in words, but when the chips are down, does this professed belief translate into action? (experiential faith)  Let’s look at Disciple Peter as an example of both.  Here I believe we see a work in progress.

Peter had the courage to step out of the boat. That’s good. So far we’re witnessing experiential faith. But he took the focus off of Jesus and all of a sudden the waves looked bigger than his object of faith.  (oops, he’s not quite there yet in terms his development)  And again, after telling Jesus he would die for him (Matthew 26:35;70-74), he denied him three times. (still not quite there.) But the real example of Peter’s experiential faith can be found in Acts, 2:14-41.  After the Holy Spirit fell on the disciples at Pentacost, Peter, the same Peter that denied Jesus and was absent at the Crucification for fear of what might happen to him, preached the truth of Jesus’ resurrection so boldly that three thousand people were added to the church roster that very day.  So what was the source of Peter’s transformation?  The Holy Spirit.

Now let’s look at the example of Jarius’ asking Jesus to come to his house to heal his daughter . ”My daughter just died, but you can bring her back to life if you will come and lay your hands upon her.” (Matthew 9:18)  Notice Jarius’ experiential faith.  He came knowing Jesus could raise his daughter to life.  He stepped out in faith.  But on the way to his house, he was met by messengers who told him, “Your daughter is dead.  There’s no use troubling the Rabi now.” (Mark 5:35) But Jesus’ response to Jarius is the same response he has for all of us today.  “Don’t be afraid. Trust me!” (vs.36)  Now if we follow this story to completion, we can see the reaction of the unbelievers who were gathered outside the synagogue leader’s house “weeping and wailing”.  When Jesus told them the girl was only sleeping, they all laughed at him.  Isn’t that the same reaction Jesus gets from unbelievers today? But as you might expect, the story has a happy ending. The daughter was raised to life.

Growing in knowledge of Scripture and intellectually believing that the words are true is essential in our walk with Jesus. But those are just the building blocks for stepping out in faith.  At this point we have only created the platform of faith on which we can stand.  Next we’re called to put our faith into action just like Peter eventually did, and Jarius did. Perhaps Jarius witnessed some of Jesus miracles?  Whatever the source of his strength, he came to Jesus believing He was the source of his daughter’s miracle. That’s what we’re called to do; we’re called to put our faith into action.

But as Christ-followers, we see the transforming power of Jesus at work in our life each day. That’s because we’re seeking it.  It isn’t just enough for us to “be”; we’re in the process of “becoming”, which is what we’re called to do.  The more we grow in Christ, the stronger we become in our faith.  The stronger (more real) our faith, the easier it is to step out in faith.  We rely on the Holy Spirit to empower us to become the person God created us to be.  We aren’t afraid because our source of strength dispels all fear.  We are told in 2 Timothy 1:7: “God didn’t give us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of love, power and a sound mind.” (some translations say self-control.).

Now, I want to end this presentation with a personal experience.  I had the privilege of officiating the marriage of my primary care physician three weeks ago.  I met a lady at the reception and we had a wonderful “meaty” conversation about faith, our country, and our culture, when all of a sudden she told me about the “celebration of life ceremony” they were planning for her recently deceased father.  Then she asked if I would consider speaking at that event.  She said, “since it’s a celebration of life, perhaps you can talk about eternal life.”  Well, how could I refuse such an offer?

But I have to tell you, Satan didn’t want that to happen. He messed with me from the day I said “yes” until one minute before the ceremony yesterday. It was brutal and he pulled out all the stops: doubt and fear; laryngitis; distorted concentration…I would be going over what I was going to say, and I kept losing my train of thought.  “Look at you” he’d say. You’re going to embarrass yourself, Pam and even God. He might cast you out of the kingdom after this!” Now I like speaking and am confident about what I’m doing, but this was getting me down.  As soon as I would take authority over one situation, another would pop up.  It was like spiritual whack-a-mole!

As soon as we got to the ceremony yesterday, I began to relax.  But shortly before it was time for me to speak, I adjourned to the men’s room and asked the Holy Spirit to give me his strength; his courage; his words to speak that would bring honor and glory to God and to the family that invited me. Immediately peace came over me; a sense of confidence swelled up in me; and the five words in the title rang in my head.  “Don’t be afraid…trust me”.  And true to his promise…He spoke through me that afternoon.

So my final words are…if you’re challenged to step out, I highly recommend stepping out in faith!  Why go it alone?  You have a force in you that would put Luke Skywalker’s to shame. J

Feel free to respond to this, 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…Isn’t it interesting how sometimes we believe that whatever it is we’re experiencing is the worst possible thing that could ever happen to us, but then it turns out to be a blessing in disguise?  I’m sure everyone has had that experience at some point in their life, but in my case, I’m referring to my experience with the 12 Step recovery program. When I heard people introducing themselves by saying, “I’m so grateful I’m an alcoholic!” I knew I was definitely in the wrong place.  Grateful?  Are these people nuts? What is there to be grateful about?  I’m at the depth of despair; at the moment I see no hope that I’m going to be smiling in the near future, and there is no place I would rather NOT be than here!  That was my mind-set when I took a seat at my first AA meeting.

I met Mike, the person who was to become my sponsor, at my second meeting, and dutifully accompanied him to other meetings – actually 90 meetings in 90 days. But it took awhile for my mind to open and for my heart to soften.  I was very skeptical of the first three Steps of recovery, which are admitting I’m powerless over alcohol and drugs; believing in a “higher power”; and being willing to turn my will and life over to the care of God as I understand him.  (honestly, I had no clue)  These steps are intended to get us on a spiritual foundation before we start the action steps, but in my case the foundation was pretty shakey.

Step 4 is the first action step and would prove my biggest challenge.  This is where we are called to take a fearless and thorough moral inventory of ourselves.  So here’s the truth…I was very good at taking everyone else’s inventory.  I had no problem telling you what your problems were. In fact I could easily point out that if you changed this or that, I wouldn’t have to react the way I characteristically did.  So you see, it wasn’t my problem, it was really your problem.  So shape up!

My sponsor was particularly patient with me. He pointed out my arrogance and championed my need for humility. (Was he talking to me?  I couldn’t believe it.)  But he never let up, and eventually his message began puncturing my ego.

The first time I wrote my Step 4, it was on a napkin.  Mike shook his head, smiled, and emphatically told me to buy a notebook – a thick one – and to do this step in pencil.  Every day we met I would think, “Surely this will be my last day on this Step”, but it always ended the same way.  “Keep writing!” he would say, and he never failed to stress this point: “You have a chance to change your life right now.  Take advantage of it. Keep going and be honest, because whatever you don’t deal with now will eventually rear its ugly head again – and probably at the least opportune time.”  For some reason I believed him, so I kept writing.

The whole point of Step 4 is to come to the understanding that we are not god.  What I discovered through this step was that I always wanted what I wanted, when I wanted it.  And in most cases, if it   was pleasurable and if it fed my ego, I couldn’t get enough of it and was willing to do whatever I had to do to keep the spigot flowin’.  I discovered I needed to feel valued and important.

This Step is usually the make-it or break-it step in recovery, and it can be the same story for our Christian walk.  This is where we come face to face with our distorted thinking; this is where we have to ask ourselves if we are really ready to give up the old me to start crafting the new me.  In most cases this is not an easy question to answer. But if we honestly assess where our ego-centered thinking has taken us — in many cases, places we would never have thought possible – then the thought of a way out can suddenly become appealing. Now we are more willing to explore the possibility of “what if”.  What if this concept of a higher power is true?  What would it really mean to turn my will and my life to the “care” – not control – of God.  What if God is loving?  What if he does want the best for me? What if I really can become an Overcomer?

When our mind opens and our heart softens, we begin showing signs of being transformable, which is exactly what the 12 Step process and our Christian walk is about.  And what follows next is the often dreaded “getting into action mode”. But now that we are experiencing a glimmer of hope, the action idea is less daunting than before.  In fact, the thought of change is now becoming appealing.   What if….what if?

At this point I’m sure it’s hard to tell if I’m writing about the recovery process or the Christian walk.  Well, that is not surprising because they are actually one and the same.  The 12 Step recovery program is based on solid Christian principles.  The Proclamation that has existed in the Bible throughout the ages has been “Repent! Turn from your sin and turn to God” Repent means to be willing to change course.  If we substitute the word “self” for “sin” (which really means “living with the focus on self rather than God”), the battle cry is exactly the same.  In both cases the need to turn to something greater than self (God) is the answer. (In the Overcomer classes at Grace Church St. Louis, we proudly proclaim our higher power to be Jesus Christ!)

In the Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, it states that the quality of our sobriety is directly proportional to the daily maintenance of our spirituality.  In the Bible we are called  to “die to self” so that the power of the Holy Spirit can empower us to do what we can’t do for ourselves.  In the Book of James, 4:10 it is stated this way:  “If we bow down before the Lord and admit our dependence on him, he’ll lift us up and give us honor.” 1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us:  “God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out.”  And that way out is in the power of the Holy Spirit.

From the fall in the Garden of Eden until today, man’s eternal dilemma has been the Sin issue.  And at the root of the Sin issue is man’s sin nature, which is living independent of God with the focus on self; believing that he is god and that he doesn’t need God. As long as man is in charge, he wants what he wants, when he wants it, and he wants as much as he can get.  Getting those needs met produces these character defects: anger, hatred, jealousy, envy, deceit, guilt, shame, remorse, lying, cheating, stealing, lustful thoughts etc.  All of these defects of character are rooted in evil and are contrary to God’s plan for our life.  And yes, they characterize our sin nature. (human nature)

That’s why 2017 years ago, when we proved ourselves to be “utterly helpless”  in overcoming SIN issue (Romans 5:6), God implemented his plan that was formulated even before the world began.  He always intended to provide a Redeemer and Savior, Jesus Christ, to do for us what man has never (including today) been able to do through his own effort.  God did this so we could qualify to enter the Kingdom of Heaven to spend eternity with him.  And what is that qualifier?  1 Peter 1:16 reveals God’s answer: “You must be Holy because I am Holy.”  In other words, we can’t come into the presence of God if we are stained with sin (unholy).  Jesus Christ in the only answer.  If we are in Christ, his blood has washed away our sin and we are heir to eternal life.  As Jesus said in John 14:6, “I am the way the truth and the life.  No one comes to the father except through me.”  Thank you, God, for your perfect plan for our salvation, and thank you, Jesus, for being willing to pay my sin ransom with your holy blood. (And thank you, Mike, for your patience)

As you can plainly see, when I was at my most shamefully broken time with no hope for the future, God revealed himself to me through the 12 step process.  The things I used to mock, ridicule and demean are the truths that guide my life today.  And FYI…today at meetings, I introduce myself as “Dan, a very grateful, recovering alcoholic.” 🙂  God revealed this truth through the prophet, Jeremiah: “I know the plans I have for you; plans to prosper you, not to harm you; plans to give you hope and a future.”  That’s our loving Father speaking to his Proudest Creation (us)…even in our broken state.

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)

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