Good morning, Meetpastordan Readers…It’s 5:00 am, and Cliff and Glenn – our pooches – and I are huddled in the office getting ready to start writing my weekly blog.  Hot coffee is beside me; they are stretched out in their favorite pillow, so we are ready to get down to business.   I had one topic ready to go this morning, but during the night I tossed and turned with another thought concerning the importance of today’s Memorial Day celebration.  So the latter, My Friends, is going to take precedence.

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…We know that Jesus came to give us life, and to give us life to the fullest. But so many Christians I meet indicate that they aren’t experiencing the “abundant life” Jesus talked about. That situation bothered me for a long time, as I searched for the answer to “what was missing?”  Then I discovered Neil Anderson’s powerful book, Victory Over the Darkness, and I believe he hit the nail on the head when he talked about the misconception between “justification” and “sanctification”.  That misconception has proven to be the case when I ask Christians who are struggling with “life issues” this question: “How has being in-Christ changed your life?”  In most cases I get either a blank stare, or their response begins with “Welllll…..”

I have found that most people believed that re-birth would change their life and their circumstances.  But the reality is…if you had relationship issues, financial issues, health issues, or job issues the day before you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, the day after your salvation experience you still have to contend with those same issues.  What re-birth does provide, however,  is a new way for us to go about changing our life and our circumstances by changing the choices we make.

At the moment we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, these things happen instantaneously (Justification).  2Corinthians 5:17-18 tells us, “When we become a new creation in Christ, the old is gone (our sin-nature) and the new has come. (the Holy Spirit). Now we are no longer slaves to our sin-nature.  The indwelling Holy Spirit gives us an option and the power to make different choices that are pleasing to God.  Galatians 5:17-18 tells us what to expect. “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 and your choices are never free from this conflict.  But when you are directed by the Holy Spirit, you are no longer subject to your sin nature.” 

Not only do we receive the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit to guide us, but our identity has also changed.  Now we are grafted into God’s family and we become a Child of God; our sins are forgiven; we inherit eternal life; we are now worthy and acceptable in God’s eyes; we become the righteousness of Christ – not because of anything we did, but what Christ did for us on the cross.  When God looks at us he no longer sees a sinner, but a Saint (one who is holy and set aside for a sacred purpose).  And…we are heir to all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly realm and all the promises in the Bible. Wowzzer!  How is that for transformation?

No doubt we are a new creation in-Christ!  But this “transformation” is only the first step in a life-long process called “sanctification”, or becoming more Christ-like.  And because this new journey is a process, it is imperative that we understand what it means to participate in that process.  And this misunderstanding, I believe, is why so many Christians stumble.

When we lived as an unbeliever, we learned a whole pattern of responses or reactions to situations that kept us safe; or helped us “get ahead” in worldly terms; or fulfilled our lustful desires. Unfortunately there is no mental delete button that wipes clean these strongholds in our mind. So unless we call on the Holy Spirit to empower us to make different choices,  we tend to default to our old behavior.  Therefore, we have to intentionally make different choices; not the old choices we naturally made to satisfy our old self, but new choices that are pleasing to God. (Refer to Galatians 5:17-18 three paragraphs above.)  These choices have to be intentional, and they have to be repeated in order to establish a new process.  As Apostle Paul states in Romans 12:2:  “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.  Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.”

The indwelling Holy Spirit was given to us as a gift from God so we can rise above the world around us to become the person he created us to be.  He knows we’re only dust, and he knows we’re weak.  So the Holy Spirit empowers us to do what we proved from Creation to 2000 years ago we could not do for ourselves…and that was overcome the issue of SIN.  Romans 5:6 reveals our pathetic state: “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners.”  Notice Apostle Paul included himself when he stated “us sinners”.  “Utterly helpless” tells me that God knew we could never become sin-free of our own volition, so he implemented his plan to send a Redeemer to do for us what we proved we could not do for ourselves.  Remember, we cannot come into His presence if we are stained with sin.  1Peter 1:16 states: “For he himself has said, “You must be holy (consecrated, sin-free) because I am holy”

Because the Holy Spirit has replaced our sin-nature, we can now call on him to give us wisdom, courage, strength, patience, perseverance – whatever it is we need to handle a challenging situation, so the outcome brings honor and glory to God.  Ephesians 1:14 tells us: “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.”

This is how we victoriously move through the process of Sanctification.  We count on the Holy Spirit to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves.  1John 4:4 tells us: “He that is in me (the Holy Spirit) is greater than he (satan) that is in this world.”  The power of the Holy Spirit in us is THE answer to living the  abundant life Jesus promised.  And it is also the answer to a life that is characterized by happiness, joy and freedom!

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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Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers… In a world that exalts the teachings on man over the teachings of God,his Word and His way seems “foolish”, or even more demeaning…”intellectually shallow” to the nonbeliever. “How can people accept such a “fairy tale?” they ask. I mean, come on… a virgin birth? The Son of God? Savior of the world? I understand the weight of those questions and the need for answers. Those very questions kept me separated from God’s truth for many years.

Today however, I understand the prophetic scripture that speaks perfectly to this challenge. The “stone that makes people stumble” was first referenced by Isaiah eight centuries before the birth of Jesus. It was repeated again in 1 Peter 2:8 when he referred to Jesus as “the stone that makes people stumble; the rock that makes them fall.” God knew people would have trouble grasping his ways and his majestic qualities such as omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence, Alpha and Omega, the Trinity, and of course the Biblical truth that proclaims, “Nothing is impossible with God!” (Luke 1:37) That is why He spoke through the prophet Isaiah telling us, “My ways are not your ways, my thoughts are not your thoughts. As high as the heavens are above the earth, as far as the east is from the west, my ways are not like your ways and my thoughts are not like your thoughts.” In Psalm 46:10 He tells us, “Just be still and know that I am God.” I believe God was clearly telling us that we will never understand, with our finite minds, the wonders and ways of the Creator of the Universe. That is why throughout the Bible He uses the most unlikely people, situations and methods to carry out His plans. He delights in showing his power and strength through the least likely messenger. That, however, is the same reason so many people stumble or fall when grappling with His thoughts and ways. God is so far outside our paradigm of rational thinking that we will never be able to intellectually wrap him up and put him in a box. Let us not forget… Christianity is based on faith, and faith comes from standing on a scriptural foundation based on the truth of God’s word.

Let’s look at two examples of God’s ways, starting with Samuel, chapter 17 to see how a boy named David saved a nation. When Jesse sent his son David, a young man of about fourteen years, to the front lines to deliver food to his three older sons who were fighting with the Israelite army, little did he know he was sending the nation’s next hero. When David arrived at his destination, he was shocked that the army was shackled with fright at the sight of Goliath, who was shouting insults and demanding a volunteer come out to fight him. David asked, “Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God.” (vs. 26). David volunteered to meet the challenge, picked up five stones and walked toward the giant armed only with a slingshot. He knew the same God that protected him from the jaws of lions and bears as he tended his sheep in the hills would also protect him against this opponent. With one stone he took down Goliath, brought victory to Israel, and brought honor and glory to God when he told the giant, “You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord Almighty – God of the armies of Israel…” We must never lose sight of this fundamental Biblical principle; Nothing is impossible with God!

Now let’s look now at what was probably the most outlandish battle plan in the history of the world. When Moses died, Joshua was appointed leader of the Israelite’s. Their plan was to conquer the land of Canaan under the Lord’s guidance. God spoke to Joshua, who felt terribly unqualified, with this message: “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9). As the Israelite’s prepared to move into Canaan, God commanded Joshua to have the priests carry the Ark of the Covenant into the center of the Jordan River, which was at flood stage. As soon as they stepped into the river, the water stopped flowing. It piled up in heaps upstream and downstream, so the people could cross on dry ground. God performed the same miracle for Joshua that he had done for Moses when he parted the Red Sea.. The people were now in the Promised Land, but the first obstacle they encountered was the walled city of Jericho. God had a strange plan for the battle of Jericho. He told Joshua to have the armed men march around the city once each day for six days. The priests were to carry the ark; appointed trumpeters were to blast forth on their ram’s horns, but the soldiers were to keep silent. On the seventh day the assembly was to march around the walls of Jericho seven times, and during the last round, at Joshua’s command, the men were to give a great shout and Jericho’s walls would fall down. At that time the army was to march into the city and conquer it. Remember…God had already promised Canaan to the Israelites. All they had to do was take it. Joshua certainly knew that, so even with this less than orthodox battle plan, he relied on two Biblical truths: “God would never leave him or forsake him”, and “nothing is impossible with God”.

Undoubtedly the most mysterious display of God’s thoughts and ways can be found in the whole scenario of Jesus birth, as presented in Luke, chapter 1. The angel Gabriel visits Mary, a virgin in her middle teens, and tells her, “You have found favor with God. You will become pregnant and give birth to a son who will be called Son of the Most High. He will reign over Israel, and his Kingdom will never end.” Mary asks the angel, “But how can that be? I have never known a man.” Gabriel replies, “…nothing is impossible with God”. Mary replies, “I am the Lord’s servant. I will do whatever he asks.” As we continue reading the story, new questions will undoubtedly arise: from Mary’s encounter with the angel to Joseph’s acceptance of conception by the Holy Spirit; from the trip to Bethlehem to the birth in the stable; then there is the host of Angels proclaiming to the shepherds in the hills, “The Savior – yes, the Messiah, the Lord has been born tonight in Bethlehem.” (Luke 2:11) Absolutely none of this makes sense to a logical, rational thought process. I mean…

• Who were Mary and Joseph? What were their qualifications?

• Why Bethlehem, of all places, for the birth? Wasn’t Jerusalem just up the road with more accommodations?

• And a stable (Yikes!) for the birth of The Savior; the Messiah; the Lord? Nothing about that seems appropriate for the long awaited Messiah!

• And the announcement of his birth to shepherds. Didn’t they occupy the bottom rung on the social ladder? Who would believe them??

The only way to grasp the truth of this event is to come to know God, and only then, through revelation from Him, can the pronouncement through Isaiah become authentic, “My ways are not your ways, my thoughts are not your thoughts.” This story has always been God’s plan, “even before the world was created” (Titus 1:2). Because God is a loving God who wants an eternal relationship with us, Romans 5:6 tells us, “While we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time to die for us sinners.” Romans 3:23 also tells us, “All have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” Because of our “human nature”, we could never make ourselves holy and acceptable to God through our own effort. 1 Peter 1:16 tells us, “We have to be Holy because God is Holy”. That is why Jesus HAD to come as Savior of the world. He fulfilled all the prophecies of the Old Testament, and at the same time gave us a new way of being made acceptable to God. Romans 8:1 tells us, “There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ.” God’s gift of love to us is his gift of grace, which allows us to be in Christ.

No doubt about it; Jesus – the Savior, the Messiah, the Lord -arrived in a totally unorthodox manner. The world was, and many still are, waiting for a Messiah who would unite Israel and bring the rest of the world under his (their) control. Everything about this story challenges our intellect. But when we come to know God as a loving God who wants an eternal relationship with us based on our faith in Him and not on our own works, AND as a God who was willing to sacrifice his Son as payment for our sin so we could become part of that relationship, we need to stop and ask ourselves: “would I want to worship a lesser God? I might not understand His ways and His thoughts, but why would I put my faith in a lesser god that even I can figure out?? Remember…God gave Jesus to be a stumbling block to the world. We are supposed to be challenged. Yet this same Jesus becomes a Savior to all who allow their minds and hearts to be transformed by the truth of God’s word. As Apostle Paul states in 1Corinthians 1z;18-19: “I know very well how foolish the message of the cross sounds to those who are on the road to destruction. But we who are being saved recognize this message as the very power of God. As the Scriptures say, ‘I will destroy human wisdom and discard their most brilliant ideas.”

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

May God Bless Ya…

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

“Why do the nations rage?  Why do the people waste their time with futile plans?

The kings of the earth prepare for battle; the rulers plot together against the Lord and against his anointed one.

‘Let us break their chains,’ they cry, ‘and free ourselves from this slavery.”  Psalm 2:1-3

“The earth suffers for the sins of its people, for they have twisted the instructions of God, violated his laws and broken his everlasting covenant. Therefore, a curse consumes the earth and its people.” Isaiah 24:5

“First, I want to remind you that in the last days there will be scoffers who will laugh at the truth and do every evil thing they desire.”  2Peter 3:3

“Destruction is certain for those who say that 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 think they are wise and consider themselves to be clever; who take bribes to pervert justice.  They let the wicked go free while punishing the innocent.”  Isaiah 5: 20-21,23

These Scriptures and Prophecies were spoken thousands of years ago.  Do they seem applicable to today’s world?   While there may be a plethora of history books from which to choose, the Holy Bible has a corner on the market when it comes to the hundreds of prophecies contained therein.  Many have been fulfilled; many will be fulfilled again.

Mike Bickle, author of “Growing in Prayer” – when speaking of a growing world crisis – makes this statement:  “ The nations are increasing in lawlessness and moral confusion, and engaging in escalating conflicts, including those inspired by racism, terrorism, and sexual immorality.  In addition we are facing the threat of devastating global economic crisis; the breakdown of marriage and the family; the rapid, wholesale acceptance of the “gay agenda”; and a full-blown assault on Christian values and teaching.  The prevailing sentiment worldwide is one of growing fear, unbelief, and mistrust, as the earth shudders under the weight of man’s escalating sin.”

Now let’s look now at our own culture and see how we measure-up when it comes to the application of the opening Scriptural truths.

The Bible is an awesome collection of history, all of which is substantiated by secular writings, and with even a cursory glance, the cause of the rise and fall of empires is clear and always remains the same.  Secular writings explain the process in “natural terms” (greed – the desire for wealth, power and control) and the Bible presents the process in “spiritual terms” (turning from God and exalting the desires and teaching of man).  That exact process is at the heart of world events today, and at the heart of our own cultural malaise. It is wrapped in what I will refer to as The Liberal Progressive Agenda (LPA).

The LPA is an agenda wrapped in wealth, power and control. “It” seems to be under the umbrella of a huge, bureaucratic government that believes the more “it” can make the populace dependent on government, the more “it” can control the populace.  “It” presents its case by assuring us, “this will make things better”, ie. Obamacare or Common Core”; “It” believes in the distribution of wealth, ie. those who have earned wealth and status should be mandated to share it with those who have not; “it” believes in high taxation to keep the “gravy train” coming in; “it” believes in chip, chip, chipping away at traditional values on which this country was founded, ie. the Constitution, traditional family values, religious freedom; “it” professes freedom of speech, yet vilifies anyone who expresses a different opinion, hence…political correctness; “it” professes a disdain for “Wall Street”, yet allows those who furthers the LPA to become billionaires at taxpayer expense, ie. the “green energy industry”, the “abortion industry”; “it” keeps people divided rather than unified, ie. today’s racial tension, fanned by such radical groups as “Black Lives Matter; and last, but not least on my list… “it” never lets a crisis go by without making political gain.  (This list is by no means complete, but it serves my purpose for this article.)

This agenda is propagated by an intelligentsia that believes the more gray area it can create around traditional values (traditional family unit, religious freedom, tolerance, etc.) the more it has wiggle-room to redefine and advance its agenda. If this effort is supported by collaborating forces such as government, the press, and wealthy backers, they can keep this “new way of thinking” in the spotlight, and the effect is a numbed-down and dumbed-down society. Therefore, what used to be valued and thought of as “right” slowly slips away and a new norm takes its place.  That is exactly what happens when the teachings of man are exalted over the teachings of Jesus.

So do the above prophecies and Scriptures describe what is happening today?  No doubt there is persecution of Christians and Christian teaching throughout the world.  No doubt our culture has twisted and violated the teachings of God.  No doubt there are scoffers, and no doubt there is an attempt to redefine “right” and “wrong”.  The Bible is clear about what happens when people and nations continue to turn away from God.  There is calamity and destruction.  But if we repent and turn back to him, he is faithful to hear our cries.  “Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land.”  (2Chronicles, 7:14)   Christ-followers…if there were ever a time for fervent prayer for our country, the time is NOW!

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

May God Bless Ya…

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

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good Morning, My Friends… Last week Pam and I took a turn from our normal work vacations and actually spent a week resting and enjoying white sand, palm trees and the ocean at Destin Fl.  What a blessing that was!  The day before we left, I wrote an intended blog for last week- having it set to be published on Monday (4-26) as usual.  Unfortunately it didn’t publish, but when I got home I discovered my computer had powered down.  I can only assume that was the reason.

Part of my relaxation and enjoyment was preparing for a new class I will be teaching at Grace Church – St. Louis called “Steps to Freedom”, which will begin May 15^th.  It is based on Neil Anderson’s classics, “Victory Over the Darkness” and “The Bondage Breaker.”  I have read the books numerous times, but with my chair in in the ocean and a gentle wave massage, they took on a whole new meaning.  As the name of the books and the name of the class imply, it is about being set free from bondages that keep us mired in Darkness and void of the abundant life Jesus promised.

I feel particularly privileged to be able to work with both non-believers and struggling Christians.  With the non-believers I just expect misconceptions because they haven’t been exposed to the Truth of God’s Word.  And believe me, if you are a product of this morally and spiritually bankrupt world, the teaching of Jesus sound as preposterous today as the Sermon on the Mount did 2000 years ago to that culture.  But unfortunately, I have also discovered a prevailing misconception among struggling Christians that can keep them mired in darkness for years – or even a lifetime!  But the good news is… freedom – glorious freedom – is definitely available through the Truth.

And this is the misconception: “getting saved is going to change my life”.  I liken this misconception to the 1956 movie, “Invasion of the Body Snatchers”, except in this case they believe the Holy Spirit is going to take over and direct their life, change their circumstances, and lead them to the promised-land.  But the sad truth is, if you have relationship problems, financial problems, health problems, job problems before you get saved, you will sadly find yourself in that same predicament the day after salvation.

The misconception here is rooted in the faulty understanding of “justification” (a happening – it’s instantaneous) and “sanctification” (a process – a life-long process).  At the moment of re-birth (a happening), we become a new creation in-Christ: our sins are forgiven; “the old is gone (our sin nature) and the new has come” (the Holy Spirit) [2Corinthians 5:17]; we are grafted into God’s family – we become a child of God; we are worthy and acceptable in God’s eyes; we are covered by the blood of Jesus – we are a Saint; we are “heir to all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly realm” (Ephesians 1:3).  All of this is instantaneous.

However, accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior is just the first step in a life-long journey (Sanctification) to become more Christ-like. It’s a process…a process in which we must participate daily.  Paul refers to this as dying to “self”: “I have been crucified with Christ.  I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” (Galatians 2: 20)  The lack of understanding of our role in the Christian walk will keep us stymied, frustrated, and even wondering, “can I really do this?”  Make no mistake, that last sentence is a truism.

But once we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, our journey begins. But uh-oh…we also find we have a target on our back.  We have made a decision to leave the Domain of Darkness and move into His Kingdom of Light, and we have a formidable enemy who is going to go into warp-speed to try to shipwreck our efforts.  He will use every lie and deception to fill our minds with doubt, fear, guilt, shame a remorse; he’ll tell us “we can’t…”, “we’ll never…”, we’re” less than”…  Now add to that we still live “in the flesh” (our learned independence from God for as long as we were non-believers – and there is NO mental delete button).  Now add to that the fact that we live in a fallen world that exalts the teachings of man over the teachings of God, and you can clearly see the challenges ahead.

But fear not!  We serve a loving God whose Word tells us we are already victorious!  When we stand on a platform of faith built on these truths, our whole attitude becomes fortified.

Luke 10:19: “I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy…nothing will harm you.”  John 16:33: “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows.  But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”  1John 4:4: “He that is in me (the Holy Spirit) is greater than he (satan) that is in this world.”  1john 5:18, “I am born of God, the evil one cannot touch me.”

God knows we will struggle with this process of sanctification.  He knows we are only dust.  That’s why his salvation plan for us includes the indwelling Holy Spirit. But we must first understand what the Holy Spirit does and does not do.  The Holy Spirit does not change our lives or our circumstances for us.  He does, however, empower us to change these things.  For instance, since we live in these fleshly bodies, whatever actions, reactions, thoughts, desires we developed in our natural state (before re-birth) are still ingrained in our mind.  These were our coping skills for the world.  Unfortunately, they are still in us, and we will inherently default to these old behaviors until we learn, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to make different decisions based on God’s will rather than our will.

Prior to re-birth, we just followed our natural-self – our sin nature.  We didn’t plan to sin; we didn’t think about sinning, we just sinned because we lived for our self and our own lustful pleasure and were independent of God.  But now we have to start making intentional choices as we march down the path of sanctification.  Now we have choices we didn’t have before.  If our motivation is to become the person God created us to be, or to bring honor and glory to God through our thoughts or actions, we can call on the Holy Spirit – God’s gift to us – to empower us with wisdom, patience, courage, strength, perseverance – whatever it is we need to overcome the old, ingrained behavior.  His promise to us is… we will receive his power.  Ref. 1John 4:4 above.

As a follower of Jesus Christ, the more we turn to the Holy Spirit and ask him to illuminate the path that brings honor and glory to God, the more enhanced our spirit-filled walk will be.  Jesus promised us an abundant life, and Galatians 5:22 tells us a life guided by the Spirit produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.   It’s all about us getting ourselves out of the way  so Jesus can live his life through us.  These are the goals of Steps to Freedom and “Victory over the Darkness!”

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)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

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

We live in a culture that tells us it’s all about ME! For instance: you deserve a break today; look out for number one; go for the gusto!; your future is in your hands; ya gotta do what ya gotta do; you only have to be true to yourself, etc. No doubt that sounds good. And in fact, there is certainly truth (worldly truth) in those statements. But it is NOT the answer to being happy, joyous and free.  That only comes from changing the heart, and that quite a different process.

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

Needless to say, it was a divisive message then and it is still a divisive message today.  Why? Because it is contrary to our human nature -, which is vulnerable to our fleshly desires, the world around us, and  Satan’s lies and deceptions!  Our human nature, or as the Bible refers to it, our “sin nature”, is “just doing what comes naturally”. Without transformation, people can go from the cradle to the grave and miss the whole purpose and reward God has planned for them.  Apostle Paul refers to this in Romans 12:2:  “Do not be conformed to the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.  Then you will know…how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.” 

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

REMOVING ROADBLOCKS

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

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

THE ANSWER

To be born again (spiritually reborn), we have to make a decision to accept God’s Gift of Grace. When we do that we inherit what Jesus did on the cross.  He paid the price for our sins, so we are now sin-free and can come into the presence of God.  Romans 8:1 says, “There is no condemnation for those who belong to Jesus Christ.”

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

Those two truths are what draw most people to Christianity.  And well it should, because now we have no doubt about our eternal destiny.  But there is more…much more, and this is the answer to living a life that is happy, joyous and free.  As stated at the beginning of this posting, we are living in a fallen world where temptation abounds.  We are slaves to our fleshly desires and the enticements of the world around us. And if we make a decision to break free and follow God’s path for us, satan is relentless in his assault to keep us mired in his quagmire of sin.  Make no mistake, he IS the prince of darkness, and our human nature is no match for him!

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

When we accept God’s Gift of Grace, we will be in a spiritual war that can only be won with the help of the Holy Spirit that indwells us when we become a “new creation in Christ.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)  It IS way beyond our human capabilities. Galatians 5: 17, 19-22 tells the whole story. “The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants.  And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires.  These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict.  When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry, participation in demonic activity, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, out-bursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, envy, drunkenness, wild parties and other kinds of sin.  Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” 

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

Feel free to respond to this posting and feel free to share it with your FB friends.

May God Bless Ya…

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

Good Morning, Meet Pastor Dan Readers…last night I attended an intercessory prayer service at Grace Church St. Louis for the first time.  I have known they had such services at our church for a long time, but with our church-wide study, “Growing in Prayer” and the positive feed-back I received from others who have been attending these services, I was prompted to join them last night.  What an over-whelming experience!  Anyone within a block of Grace Church must have also felt the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.  Wow!!  Did He show up!!!

If you are unfamiliar with what intercessory prayer is, Mike Bickle, author of “Growing in Prayer”, provides this definition: “Intercession is prayer for others – the lost, the oppressed, missions, families, friends, the church, leaders in government and in every sphere of society.  Intercession is prayer that is in agreement with what God promises to do.”  The fact that Jesus intercedes on our behalf reveals how important intercession is.  Hebrews 7:25 tells us, “He (Jesus) always (forever) makes intercession for us.”  The purpose of his interceding is to release God’s power to/through us.

Our church is not only concerned about the moral and spiritual decline of our society, but offers programs and activities to counteract this decline.  Most recently the focus of the intercessory prayer services has also been to break down strongholds that harbor and perpetuate this moral and spiritual decay, and to pray for revival in the mind and hearts of our leaders.  (For clarity sake, a definition of “stronghold” is in order here. Again I turn to Mike Bickle:  “A stronghold is a collection of ideas that are in agreement with Satan’s lies and accusations against the truth of God.  They are lies about God; who he is; what He says He will do, and when we receive these lies, they bind our hearts in darkness.”)  Not only can we have personal strongholds to deal with, but whole geographic regions can be affected by the same lies and assaulted by the same demonic darkness that affects us personally.

I realize that the subject I am writing about will be totally foreign to any non-believer who might be reading this. To those who exist only in the natural realm, a discussion about the spiritual realm is gobbledygook or nonsense to them. Apostle Paul addressed this in 1 Corinthians 1:18:2:24 “I know very well how foolish the message of the cross sounds to those who are on the road to destruction.  But we who are being saved recognize this message as the very power of God.  But people who aren’t Christians can’t understand these truths from God’s Spirit.  It all sounds foolish to them because only those who have the Spirit can understand what the Spirit means. 

Unfortunately, our society is a secular society that keeps sinking deeper and deeper into a black quagmire of disobedience because it elevates the truth of man over the truth of God.  Throughout the Bible there are accounts of people and societies that were in line with God’s will, and they were blessed.  But there are also accounts of people and societies that turned away from God – much like our country today – and the consequences of such action was disastrous. (Remember Sodom and Gomorrah?) But the only way to gain insight from that history is to open the Good Book and become acquainted with its content. Unfortunately again…that is a practice that has certainly fallen out of favor with todays culture.  In fact, that Book is mocked and ridiculed – even prohibited in some cases – by our government.

Our country was founded on Judeo-Christian principles.  In fact, those very principles were in the minds and hearts of our Founders as they wrote a timeless Constitution on which our Republic was to be built.  In a book by James D. Best entitled “A Republic…If You Can Keep It”, he recounts the following scenario.  “At the close of the Constitutional Convention of 1787, Franklin was queried as he left Independence Hall on the final day of deliberation. A lady asked Dr. Franklin, “Well Doctor what have we got, a republic or a monarchy.”  Franklin replied, “A republic . . . if you can keep it.”  Our Constitution created a limited representative republic.  A republic is different from a democracy.  In a democracy, the majority can directly make laws, while in a republic, elected representatives make laws.  Basically, in a pure democracy, the majority has unlimited power, whereas in a republic, a written constitution limits the majority and provides safeguards for the individual and minorities.”

But as in all cultures throughout history, agendas rise and fall in and out of favor.  When traditional values  come under attack by a new way of thinking, it is usually with the promise, “things will be better this way.”  In our current culture, that new agenda is what I referred to in a previous blog (12-7-15) as “The Unmentioned Enemy”. It is culturally referred to as The Liberal Progressive Agenda (LPA).  Below is how I see this new agenda.

The LPA is an agenda wrapped in wealth, power and control. “It” seems to be under the umbrella of a huge, bureaucratic government that believes the more “it” can make the populace dependent on government, the more “it” can control the populace.  “It” believes in the distribution of wealth, ie. those who have earned wealth and status should be mandated to share it with those who have not; “it” believes in high taxation to keep the “gravy train” coming; “it” believes in chip, chip, chipping away at traditional values on which this country was founded, ie. the Constitution, traditional family values, religious freedom; “it” professes freedom of speech, yet vilifies anyone who expresses a different opinion, hence…political correctness; “it” professes a disdain for “Wallstreet”, yet allows those who further the LPA to become billionaires at taxpayer expense, ie. the “green energy industry”, the “abortion industry”; “it” keeps people divided rather than unified, ie. today’s racial tension, fanned by such radical groups as “Black Lives Matter: and last, but not least on my list…”it” never lets a crisis go by without making political gain.  (This list is by no means complete, but it serves my purpose for this article.)

This agenda is propagated by an intelligentsia that believes the more gray area it can create around traditional values (traditional family unit, religious freedom, tolerance, etc.) the more it has wiggle-room to redefine and advance its agenda. If this effort is supported by collaborating forces such as government, the press, and wealthy backers, they can keep this “new way of thinking” in the spotlight, and the effect is a numbed-down and dumbed-down society. What used to be valued and thought of as “right” slowly slips away and a new norm takes its place.  That is exactly what is happening right in front of us, and it is driven by human nature (or “sin-nature”, as the Bible calls it) on steroids.

What I just talked about is an example of a “cultural stronghold” as referenced above: “a collection of ideas that are in agreement with Satan’s lies and accusations against the truth of God.  What we see here is motivated by greed and a desire for more wealth, power and control.  The more the LPA can edge God out, the easier it is to accomplish its purpose.

So can the direction of our culture be reversed?  I think not by a political solution. Is it too late?  Well, since the crux of this problem is a spiritual problem, I believe the answer can only be found in a spiritual solution…and the God we serve is bigger than our circumstances!  The good news is…our hope lies in 2 Chronicles, 7:14: “… if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and forgive their sins and heal their land.”  

This is why intercessory prayer is so vitally important.  NOW is the time for action!  Individual prayer, and especially corporate prayer – like last night at Grace Chruch – is the very power of God at work!  We are doing what Jesus is doing on our behalf…calling on God to release his power through us.  We are asking God to provide revelation in the hearts and minds of our leaders, and to heal our city, our state and our nation. We need all the workers we can get.  The challenge is great, but the harvest will be even greater!

Please 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, Meet Pastor Dan, Readers…if you’re reading this, you probably realize  the title line is not an original from me, but rather Apostle Paul’s exasperated plea that resulted from wrestling with his own humanness. Here is the man that wrote the first six chapters of Romans and laid-out with such amazing clarity God’s plan of Grace for “us sinners”, yet in Chapter 7 he admits his own struggles with the very issues we all struggle with.  No offense intended, but I find that rather comforting.   It tells me there’s hope for me!

As you know, this path of “sanctification” is laden with trials and tribulations, but it is by facing and overcoming these challenges that we grow in our endeavor to become more Christ-like.  AA makes this statement about its pathway to sobriety, “This is a program of progress, not perfection”; the same can certainly be said about our journey. Even though we are in Christ, we will continue to fall short of God’s glorious standard, but the good news is…we are covered with the blood of Jesus. So in God’s eyes, we are a still a saint (“holy ones” who consecrate themselves for God’s service) who has fallen short.  The important thing to see here is this is not a “sin issue”.  That was taken care of at the cross.  God just wants us to get up; to see and admit our error; and continue on our journey toward perfection.

The reason I chose this subject for today is because I just had an Apostle Paul moment.  This weekend Pam and I attended an event that I didn’t particularly want to attend.  Consequently I copped an attitude of negativity, judgment and condescension. And as you probably suspect, it didn’t take long for people around me to pick up the vibe.  The worse thing is…I maintained that attitude throughout the weekend, and it didn’t really dawn on me until I started thinking about today’s blog.

As I have stated many times in these postings, I always ask the Holy Spirit to lead me to the right subject and to direct my path as I write about it.  Last night it was as though my attempts to communicate were hitting the ceiling and falling back to the floor.  Nothing was coming.  And I have to admit, I was getting a bit irritated. But then a scripture flashed through my mind: “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 there beside the altar.  Go and be reconciled to that person, then come and offer your sacrifice to God.” (Matthew 5:23-24)   It took a few minutes for me to get the message, but as I continued to pray, my recent attitude and behavior was spotlighted. Uh-oh…that certainly wasn’t very Christ-like!  Nothing about that was bringing honor and glory to God.

So my response was, “Holy Spirit, that is not the person I want to be.  Please give me your wisdom in future situations so I can rise above my circumstances to become the “masterpiece” God created me to be.”  The scripture referenced here is 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.”  Quite to the contrary…there was not much good in the attitude I displayed.

So the point is, regardless if it is Apostle Paul, Dan Presgrave, or anyone…even though we are justified with God and become a new creation at the moment of “rebirth”, that is just the first step in the process of transformation that will take the rest of our life.  And there is no mental delete button at re-birth, so the old attitudes and behavior are still imprinted on our mind. Unfortunately we default to them until we have reprogrammed our mind through spiritual growth and maturity.

There are numerous scriptural references to this process, for instance: Romans 12:2 tell us, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.  Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.” The author of Hebrews talks about this using the metaphor of a race: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress.  And let us run with endurance the race that God has set before us.  We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, on whom our faith depends from start to finish.”   And Ephesians 4: 22-24 tells us: “throw off your old evil nature and your former way of life, which is rotten through and through, full of lust and deception.  Instead, there must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes.  You must display a new nature because you are a new person, created in God’s likeness – righteous, holy, and true.”  And finally Apostle Paul, near the end of his life, in 2 Timothy 4: 7-8 states: “I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. And now the prize awaits me – the crown of righteousness that the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that great day of his return.  And the prize in not just for me, but for all who eagerly look forward to his glorious return.” 

The race referenced above is the new life of a Christ-follower.  And it’s a marathon, not a sprint, and we are called to remain faithful until the end.  But will we fall short and stumble along the way…absolutely.  But God has given us the answer through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  Prior to our rebirth, we were slaves to our sin-nature.  We just did what came naturally; we made choices to please our self.  But now that we have the indwelling Holy Spirit, we can call on him to help us make the decisions God wants us to make. This is how we become his masterpiece referenced above.  The more we stay intentional about our choices, the more we move further away from the lure of the world, the lustful desires of our flesh, and the schemes of satan.

The following two scriptures show us the glorious result of intentional living. Romans 8:1-2, 12:  “There is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.  For the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you through Christ Jesus from the power of sin that leads to death.  So dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation whatsoever to do what your sinful nature urges you to do.”  And Galatians 5:17 tells us: “The old sinful nature loves to do evil, which is just opposite from what the Holy Spirit wants.  And the Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires.  These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict.  But when you are directed by the Holy Spirit, you are no longer subject to your sin nature.”

So, My Friends, even though we are in Christ, we are also on a life-long journey (or a race, as referenced above) of transformation.  Will it be bumpy…absolutely!  But it is through this journey that we mature into the person God created us to be.  And take solace…we are already promised victory.  1John 4:4 tells us, “The Spirit that is in me (the Holy Spirit) is greater than the spirit that is in this world.” (satan)  So dig in and enjoy the race, and don’t lose sight of the prize at the end – eternal life with Jesus in Paradise!

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

May God Bless Ya…

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

 

 

 

 

Good Morning, Meet Pastor Dan Readers… as I have mentioned before concerning the subject for my blog, I always count on the Holy Spirit to lead me down the right path – not to say this is any different – but the prompting for this topic has been particularly overwhelming.  First…at Grace Church we are starting the second part of a church-wide study based on a book by Mike Bickle entitled, “Growing in Prayer”. We are picking up this week on chapter 12 entitled, “The New Testament Model for Spiritual Warfare”.  I was particularly interested in, and moved by, the content of that chapter and started thinking about that topic for today’s blog. At church yesterday, Pastor Ron’s message was also entitled, “Spiritual Warfare”.  Since this is such a powerful and important subject, I was convinced I would share my thoughts on that subject today. I believe it will be an eye-opener for anyone reading this.

I can’t help but think back on my BC (before Christ) days.  As my regular readers already know, for most of my life I was a non-believer.  In fact, I was a professed atheist – although in retrospect, I doubt that title when applied to me was thoroughly accurate.  I always hoped there was a God, I just didn’t see Him behaving the way I thought he should behave, and I also was convinced he had given up on me…consistent repeat-offender as I was!   So I was quick to challenge those who professed “their faith”, and I particularly mocked the idea of satan, the devil, or beelzebub (small first letters are intentional) claiming it was just something concocted by the church to instill fear and to keep the flock “in line”.  In my mind, “the enemy” was even more of a myth than God!  If I sound like I was a jerk back then…I was.  If I sound particularly uninformed back then…I was!   But the good news is…today my God is very real!  The bad news is…so is our “Enemy”!  To not be aware of that “Truth” can keep a person in bondage for their entire life.

So let’s just review a few pillars from Christianity 101 before we get started.  In the Book of Genesis, it tells us (1:26-28), “Then God said, ‘Let us (the Trinity) make people in our image, to be like ourselves.  They will be masters over all life – the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the livestock, wild animals, and small animals.  He created them male and female.”  “God blessed them and told them, ‘Multiply, fill the earth and subdue it.”  No doubt God’s plan was for Mankind to rule the earth.  But as the story continues, Adam and Eve gave dominion over the earth to Satan when they exercised their “free will” and disobeyed God. (Genesis 3)  With that one act of disobedience, the door was opened for all the sins of “natural man” (pride, anger, fear, hatred, jealously, desires of the flesh, desires for power, wealth, control, etc.) to also enter the world.  Unfortunately that sinful nature is still alive and well because satan still has dominion over the natural world!

But because of the enormity of God’s love for us, – we are his “proudest creation” – he always had a plan to save us from our “self-absorbed” selves.  And that plan – “even before the world was created” (Ephesians 1:4) – was to provide a Savior (Jesus Christ) to do for us what we clearly could not do for ourselves.  Romans 5:6 tells us when God decided to implemented his plan: “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time to die for us sinners.”  With the death of Jesus on the cross, he (Jesus) took back dominion over this world and offered a new way of salvation to those who accept God’s Gift of Grace.  And if we do accept God’s Gift to us, we are now capable of becoming his “masterpiece” because “we are created anew in Christ so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (Ephesians 2:10)  In other words, now we are capable of becoming the person God created us to be. 

Sounds easy, right?  Well it would be if it weren’t for our Enemy…satan.  Even though he is a defeated foe, that doesn’t deter him from attempting to fulfill his sole, or in this case “soul”, mission: to keep us separated from God by keeping the focus on our self rather than on Him.  And he IS a master at his work, even though his only weapon against us is lies and deception.  We are told in John 8:44, “There is no truth in him.  When he lies, it is consistent with his character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” 

But you might be asking yourself, “How can he do that?”  Well, he does it by planting seeds in our mind (in a voice that sounds very much like our voice), such as… “go ahead, it will be different this time”; or “go ahead, you can control it”; or “go ahead, no one else will know” (the “it” might be alcohol, drugs, porn, gambling, cheating on a spouse etc.).  Then when you “give in” and it turns out to be NO different from any other time…perhaps even worse, your emotions kick in and you hear, “look at you, you’re such a looser!”;  or “How much longer do you think God is going to tolerate you? He must really be ticked”; or “Do you really think you can change?  You’re so weak.”, or “Why fight it? You’ve tried again and failed again?  The more we give in; the more we fail; the more we start believing the lies.  In our mind we’re now believing we are a looser; that we’re weak and can’t change; that we’re a disappointment to God; that he must be ready to kick us out of his Kingdom. Unfortunately… if we believe that, our demeanor and our behavior will reflect that belief.  But remember, it’s A LIE, A LIE, A LIE!

But the truth is…we have to know who we are in Christ: that we are a Child of God; we are forgiven; we are totally worthy and acceptable in His sight; that we are heir to all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly realm; we are heir to all the promises in the Bible; and that we are covered with the blood of Jesus. So even when we fall short, which we will, God doesn’t see us as a looser, or as weak, or as unworthy, but he sees us as a saint. He just wants us to get up and keep marching down that path of sanctification – becoming more Christ-like along the way.  That, by the way, is a life-long process.

Because we have moved out of this natural world into the spiritual world of being in Christ, satan isn’t going to give us up without a battle – and it can be fierce!   Galatians 5:16-18 describes our human dilemma.  “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 Holy Spirit gives us desires that are opposite from what the sinful nature desires.  These two forces are constantly fighting each other, and your choices are never free from this conflict.  But when you are directed by the Holy Spirit, you are no longer subject to your sinful nature.”  Romans 8: 12-14 reinforces that message.  “So dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation whatsoever to do what your sinful nature urges you to do.  For if you keep on following it, you will perish.  But if through the power of the Holy Spirit you turn from it and its evil deeds, you will live.  For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.”

As followers of Jesus Christ, we have three very powerful ways to defuse satan’s  assault against us.  First we have the authority to pray in the name of Jesus Christ.  James 4:7 tells us, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”  We also have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to empower us to resist satan’s tactics by asking the Spirit for wisdom, courage, strength, insight, patience, perseverance, whatever it is we need, to be victorious over satan’s temptation.  1John 4;4 tells us, “Greater is He who is in me (the Holy Spirit) than he who is in the world”. (satan)  We are already victorious!

And finally, we can resist satan the same way Jesus resisted him in the wilderness.  We can stand on the truth of scripture and say it back to satan in the name of Jesus.  Let me give you some examples.

“I have given you authority to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.” Luke 10:19

Jesus said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations”.  Matthew 28:18

“I am dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.”  Romans 6:11

“I have received abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness and I reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.”  Romans 5:17

When you were part of the natural world, satan and his demonic legion left you alone.  Why?  Because he already had you where he wanted you.  You were self-absorbed and separated from God.  But now that you are in Christ, it’s like you have a target on your back.  And trust me when I tell you, you will live the truth of Galatians 5; 16-18 listed above.  But true to his Word, you are already equipped to be victorious over his satan’s lies and deceptions.  You just have to know your new identity in Christ (listed above), and stand firm on that rock.

Have you experienced assault from, and victory over, satan and his legion?

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, My Friends.  What a beautiful Easter season we had.  We were blessed with beautiful weather, except for a bit of rain yesterday; the flowers were blooming; the trees are budding; it felt like the beginning of Spring; we had a great Good Friday and Easter service at Grace Church St. Louis; and, for the most part, we turned off the news – although we did hear Jim Carafano and Jim Talent talk last Thursday evening about the threat of ISIS. But all in all, it was very rejuvenating to tune out the world and focus on what an awesome God we serve and the true meaning of Easter.

Truth be told, the thing I missed the least during the last few days was politics and debates, if you can call what we’re seeing “debates”?  I don’t know about you, but the more I hear from our Presidential candidates, the more I am convinced our “best and brightest” are staying clear of that cesspool. And can you blame them?  Who in their right mind would want to put their self, their family, and everything they hold dear up to such despicable scrutiny and slander?  But the sad truth is, that is what our fallen culture has produced; an attitude of “go for what you want, and do what you have to do to get it”, even if it mean shedding all decency and resorting to lying, cheating, slandering, name-calling. Geeessshh!!

I can’t help but look at today’s political spectacle and compare it to the Biblical simplicity of selecting leaders. In the book of Exodus, 18:21, we are told about Jethro’s advice to Moses for selecting leaders. He said, “find some wise men who are honest (who stand on the truth), who fear (revere; know) God, and who hate bribes (men of integrity).”  Wow! That was it.  So why does it have to be more complicated than that today?

This may seem like a rabbit trail, but I think it speaks to the last question. I was traveling between Kansas City and St. Louis and was in an area where radio reception was spotty. I finally landed on a talk show where the subject was, “Does God still perform miracles today?”  The first person to speak was Dr. XYZ, who’s lengthy list of credentials included writing a book on this subject. His basic premise was, “God doesn’t need to do that today because our culture has evolved to the point of being self-sufficient”.  Whhaaaattt??

Unfortunately, that outlandish response is not atypical in our culture today, which exalts human wisdom over Godly wisdom. I have previously written about this “Liberal Progressive Agenda” (LPA) that has at is very core the attempt to create grey areas around truths and Godly traditions so as to allow “wiggle-room” to question their sanctity.  The more the pillars of our society are challenged and disparaged – such as the traditional family unit or Christian values – the more the LPA can promote its perspective.  So when it comes to the debates, the more the LPA and the media can keep the viewers distracted by this “political circus”, the more the focus stays on the personalities rather than on the issues plaguing our country.  And many issues facing our country today are a result of failed LPA efforts.

It’s interesting to examine how values have changed in the last 25 years.  What used to be honored, revered, and worshiped is now mocked, ridiculed and vilified, and what used to be shameful, disgusting and thought of as sinful is now basking in the spotlight. In fact, they’re the subject of the latest movies and TV shows.  Isaiah addresses this issue in 5:20,21,24; “Destruction is certain for those who say evil is good and good is evil; that dark is light and light is dark; the bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter.  Destruction is certain for those who think they are wise and consider themselves to be so clever. Therefore, they will all disappear like burning straw.  Their roots will rot and their flowers will wither, for they have rejected the law of the Lord Almighty.”

Jonathan Cahn, author of “The Harbinger” offers these perspectives on the founding and the decline of our great country.  “Other than ancient Israel, no other nation has received God’s blessings more than America.  And why was that?  Because our country was 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, mind you, but America did aspire to fulfill its calling to be a vessel of redemption, and instrument of God’s purpose, and 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. No other nation in the modern world has been blessed like America has been blessed.  But to whom much is given, much is required.”

But is America turning away from God?  Well, the effects of the LPA on our culture certainly have us moving in that direction.  In fact, it is very much the same way ancient Israel turned away from God. “America began ruling God out of its life, turning step by step against His ways, at first subtly and then more and more brazenly.  It started with a spiritual complacency, then spiritual confusion. 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.” 

As God’s chosen nation, he put a hedge of protection around us and was with us in times of conflict. (just like he was with ancient Israel)  But what if a nation so blessed turns away from God?  Jeremiah 18:9-10 is quite clear on this matter: “But if I announce that I will build up and plant a certain nation or kingdom, making it strong and great, but then the nation turns to evil and refuses to obey me, I will not bless that nation as I had said I would.” 

Has our country turned away from God?  I don’t think anyone reading this would doubt that truth.  Therefore, no political candidate with a R, D, or I behind his or her name is the answer to our country’s problem.  Why?  Because the crux of our country’s problem is a spiritual problem first, and a political problem somewhere down the line.

So what does that mean to us?  As followers of Jesus Christ we are the mighty force of prayer.  We can pray in His name for revelation in the hearts and minds of our culture and for enlightenment for the political candidates.  James 5:16 tells us, “the prayers of a righteous man avails much.”  I believe we can collectively pray “earnestly and unceasingly” for the restoration of our country, and expect amazing results.  In fact, it is even promised to us in 2 Chronicles, 7:14: “… if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and forgive their sins and heal their land.”

Our country was founded on Judeo-Christian principles; our Constitution was undoubtedly inspired, and our forefathers turned to God for wisdom and direction.  Let’s do what we can do as prayer-warriors and stand against the LPA, and pray for the anointing of a Presidential candidate who will turn to God for wisdom and guidance, and who will return us to the principles that made this country great.  I believe this would be fulfilling our great commission right now.

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

Best wishes to ya…

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