(Because to the targeting nature of the next few blogs, the first two paragraphs will be a copy of those in Pt. 1. The new material will begin in the third paragraph for the next few weeks.)

Good Morning, Unbelievers (and faithful Readers): Welcome! Let me introduce myself: My name is Dan. You might not know me, but I know you. “How do you know me”, you might be wondering? Because I was an unbeliever myself for most of my life. I was a very proud Atheist; I was an intellectual. In fact, I even had the title, Professor, to prove it. Therefore, I could not possibly accept that trivial drivel the church is selling. I mean, “Come on…smart people like me and you can’t fall for gibberish that makes no rational sense.” That was my excuse. What is your excuse? You don’t believe in God, or you believe in god, but not Jesus. You don’t believe in organized religion, or you’ve been scared by organized religion. You don’t believe there is only one way to an after-life; you don’t believe in heaven or hell; you don’t believe the Bible can be true; you’ve seen church leaders that you once followed fall from their pedestals; you know hypocrites who claim to be Christians, but who continue to live as heathens; you see no way you could have fun if you’re expected to follow all of those confining “dos” and “don’ts”, or… you believe you are a “good person”, in fact, better than most, and you know that God, because He is a good God, will welcome you into heaven. Those are many of the classic reasons for remaining an unbeliever. I get that! The truth is, all of those thoughts were stumbling blocks for me as I continued to live in bondage to my arrogance.

So, you may be asking yourself, “What is Dan’s deal? Why does he care about what I believe, or what happens to me? My honest answer to that question is this: There was certainly a time when I could not have cared less about you, your belief or your destiny. But during that period of my life, I was totally consumed with “me”, my agenda and my career. As smart as I thought I was, in reality…I was totally ignorant of The Truth. I had a lot of knowledge and common sense, but I was ignorant of what I now know to be THE TRUTH. (I want to be perfectly clear here; I am not referring to worldly truth, worldly philosophy, or situational truth. I am referring to God’s Word (or God’s Truth, which is collected and codified in the Holy Bible). Today, it breaks my heart to know that people will perish just because they do not know THE TRUTH. I want to do everything possible to give unbelievers the same opportunity I had for redemption. I hope you will take five minutes to read each of these blogs, If you have questions, or criticisms, please respond to me at drpresgr@gmail.com. What have you got to lose?

This is the beginning of new material, and is the continuation of “God…Who is He”

Last week, we learned about God’s nature, His Majestic Qualities, and His personal qualities. Today we’ll see what He says about us; what His plans are for us, what His standard is, and what His promises are and how we achieve those promises. (I encourage you to read the previous blogs)

We are His proudest creation. We were created in His image (Gen. 1:27), therefore we were/are created to bring honor and glory to Him, and to be of service to our fellow man. (You shall love the Lord with all of your heart, soul, strength and mind, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself. Luke 10:27) It tells us in Ephesians 1:4 that even before He created the world (and Man), He knew that we were going to follow a different path than the one He originally planned for us. But God created us anyway! Why? Because that is how much He wanted that all-important relationship. He delights in us! (Psalm 27:23) He is our biggest cheerleader. “When we come humbly before the Lord and admit our dependence on Him, He WILL lift us up and give us honor.” (James 4:10) Regardless of who you are, or what you have done, His mercy WILL abound. “All have sinned; all fall short of His glorious standard. Yet God, in His gracious kindness, declares us, NOT GUILTY.” (Romans 3:23) For those who are in His family, “when we come humbly before Him”, (James 4:10), His mercy always trumps His judgement. Everything God does is rooted in love, because His very essence is LOVE!

God’s Plan For Us: When God created Man, He had plans for us. “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it.” (Gen.1:28) Not only did He have plans for us, but He also made himself available to develop that sought-after relationship. He communed with Adam and Eve in the Garden, and He provided for ALL of their needs. God reinforced that statement when He spoke through the prophet, Jeremiah: “I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (29:11) Nothing more does God want than for us to invite Him into our lives. When we open that door to Him, we are on the cusp of a new existence. Just like it said in the previous paragraph, “He WILL lift YOU up and give YOU honor! (James 4:10) To have that opportunity to give us a 2^nd chance at life gives Him “great pleasure!” (Ephesians 1:5)

God’s Standard: When the Israelites were freed from 400 years of bondage to Egypt, Moses led them (totaling about half a million people) through the Red Sea and into the wilderness. They were on their way to the Promised Land, a trip that should have taken about two weeks…if all had gone well. But the Israelites were a rather rambunctious lot, and this problem was exasperated by their sheer numbers. They became unruly, disrespectful, and eventually they fell into debauchery, paganism and idol worship. When they decided to camp at the foot of Mt. Sinai, the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain and presented him with 10 Commandments. If the people would agree to follow these laws, order could be restored to the utter chaos. Notice that God’s apparent reason for giving these commandments was to restore civil law, but there were two other subtle reasons for these words. First, it was also His moral standard; second, it was to show man, without a doubt, that he was incapable of keeping these laws through his own best effort.

Now ask yourself, “What was God’s motivation for giving the 10 Commandments?” Was He trying to be a kill-joy, or was He protecting the people from the unwanted consequences that would result from disobeying those directives? (Homework: Look up the 10 Commandments, then superimpose the previous question. You be the judge.) The 10 Commandments are still God’s standard today, but the good news is…we now live under the New Covenant. Today it is NOT about us trying to live up to His standard through our own effort. Now God has provided a new way for us to be declared NOT GUILTY. (More on that when I write about the Gospel of Grace and our inheritance.)

God’s Promises to Us: Throughout the Old and New Testaments, God made many hundreds of promises to His faithful followers. These promises, should we decide to accept them, teach us God’s Truth, and keep us in line with His will. Some promises are statements of Truth, such as, “I will never leave you or forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:6). Other promises require a response from us, such as, “If you follow My teaching, you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”  How do you reap the blessing of knowing the truth and being set free? By following His teaching. (Notice, He was very specific about what teaching He was/is referencing; it was MY teaching, not worldly teaching, worldly philosophy, or the latest, greatest religious revelations.” God made this promise to us long ago. “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will NEVER pass away.” (Matthew 24:35)

Remember, since God is a spirit and we are finite human beings, speaking through prophets (and scribes transcribing those words) was His way of revealing His character to us. He gave us His promises so we could experience His truth and His faithfulness coming alive in our lives. For instance, Matthew 6:33 reveals this truth: “If you seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, all of these things will be added.” The “things” referenced here are all the things in the previous two paragraphs that we strive so hard to get through our own effort. His promise to us is, “If we seek Him first, (this is one of those promises that requires an action on our part) those “things” will be bestowed on us as blessings. The wisdom of Solomon recorded this attribute of God: “He will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4) That’s a promise, but first we have to be in line with His will; we have to seek Him first. (Again, more will be revealed when I write about the Gospel of Grace and our inheritance.)

Next week I will introduce the Gospel of Grace. This is the essence of Christianity.  Hopefully, I’ll meet with you again next week. Believers, please partner with me and copy this blog to give to unbelievers. Together we can save lost souls.

May God Bless You Abundantly,

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

Good Morning, Unbelievers (and faithful Readers): Welcome! Let me introduce myself: My name is Dan. You might not know me, but I know you. “How do you know me”, you might be wondering? Because I was an unbeliever myself for most of my life. I was a very proud Atheist; I was an intellectual. In fact, I even had the title, Professor, to prove it. Therefore, I could not possibly accept that trivial drivel the church is selling. I mean, “Come on…smart people like me and you can’t fall for gibberish that makes no rational sense.” That was my excuse. What is your excuse? You don’t believe in God, or you believe in God, but not Jesus. You don’t believe in organized religion, or you’ve been scared by organized religion. You don’t believe there is only one way to an after-life; you don’t believe in heaven or hell; you don’t believe the Bible can be true; you’ve seen church leaders that you once followed fall from their pedestals; you know hypocrites who claim to be Christians, but who continue to live as heathens; you see no way you could have fun if you’re expected to follow all of those confining “dos” and “don’ts”, or… you believe you are a “good person”, in fact, better than most, and you know that God, because he is a good God, will welcome you into heaven. Those are many of the classic reasons for remaining an unbeliever. I get that!  All of those same thoughts were stumbling blocks for me as I continued to live in bondage to my arrogance.

So, you may be asking yourself, “What is Dan’s deal? Why does he care about what I believe, or what happens to me? My honest answer to that question is this: There was certainly a time when I could not have cared less about you, your belief or your destiny. But during that period of my life, I was totally consumed with me, my agenda and my career. As smart as I thought I was, in reality…I was totally ignorant of The Truth. I had a lot of knowledge and common sense, but I was ignorant of what I now know to be THE TRUTH. (I want to be perfectly clear here; I am not referring to worldly truth, worldly philosophy, or situational truth. I am referring to God’s Word (or God’s Truth, which is collected and codified in the Holy Bible).

The next obvious question should be, “How do you know the Bible is The Truth?”, and I would answer: “Because I have experienced the transforming power of those WORDS OF LOVE. OF TRUTH, OF POWER, OF PEACE, OF HEALING, OF CONFIDENT ASSURANCE. On April 21^st, 2000, this wretched man was at the end of his rope with nowhere else to turn. In sheer desperation I cried out, “God…I don’t know if you’re there or not, but if you are, help me stop drinking and drugging. I know I can’t do it. Please help me.”  That Tuesday morning, God met me in my brokenness, and a new journey was revealed. I had no idea what God’s plan was for me, but I was a willing participant.

Seven years later, I became Pastor Dan. Today, I know THE TRUTH, and that truth has indeed set me free. Therefore, when the chips are down and our time on this earth has drawn nigh, YOU will either be raised to eternal life, or YOU will perish. It breaks my heart to think that people might perish because they don’t know THE TRUTH.  I want YOU to have the same opportunity for redemption that I had.  It’s free; it doesn’t hurt; I’m not interested in promoting any particular religion; I don’t care what your past has been. All I want is for You to have Your own personal relationship with God, and to realize “how pleasing and perfect His will is for Your life”. (Romans 12:2) The fruit of this endeavor, should you decide to accept it, will be wisdom, strength, courage, joy, peace and serenity.  All that is required of you is an open mind, a willingness to learn and a desire to grow in knowledge. What have you got to lose? It only takes five minutes to read each of these messages. If you have questions or criticisms, contact me at drpresgr@gmail.com  Go for it!

My plan for this journey is to take certain fundamental Truths from the Bible, and explain why these Truths will become the anchors in your platform of faith. My first subject will be “God…Who Is He?”  What does He say; what does He say about us; what are His plans for us; what is His standard; what are His promises, and how do we reap those promises?

God’s Majestic Qualities: At the burning bush experience, when Moses asked God for His credentials, God introduced Himself as, “I AM” (The One Who Always Is). In other words, He is TIMELESS; He is EVERYTHING: Creator of ALL creation, (things material, spiritual, seen and unseen) “Let there be Light” was the beginning. (Gen. 1:3); He is Godhead of the Trinity (3 parts in one entity: Father, Son, Holy Spirit.) He said, “Let’s make people in our image. They will be masters over all life.” (Gen. 1:26) We ARE God’s proudest creation, because we have something no other member of the animal species has…a brain for rational thinking.

Other Majestic qualities that are revealed throughout the Bible are: Omnipotence (meaning all-powerful); Omniscience (meaning all-knowing); Omnipresence (able to be everywhere at once); Immutable (meaning without error); Alpha and Omega is (timeless, without beginning or end). Because of these Majestic qualities, we accept Biblical statements, such as “Nothing is impossible with God” (Luke 1:37), or “My ways are not your ways, and 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 your ways, My thoughts are not your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)

We are finite human beings who exist in a world of five senses (touch, taste, smell, sight, and sound). We make choices about our environment based on these receptors. Quantum Physics, however, has continued to break apart, and study the atom in multiple environments, called dimensions. At the time of my last research concerning this matter, perhaps five years ago, science had discovered 12 dimensions. (I suspect that number is greater today). But the point is, we exist in an environment defined by five senses, but science has already discovered 7 new dimensions that are beyond our natural realm. Supposing God exists in 20, 50, 100 or even a1000 dimensions. Is there any wonder why His ways sometimes seem irrational to us? We can never put the enormity of God into a man-shaped box. We can only stand in awe of His Majesty. Would you want to worship a lesser god?

The Flip-side of God: Probably the closest we can come to relating to these majestic attributes is understanding the definition of the terms Omnipotence, Omniscience, etc. I mean, how can we relate to Omnipresence? But we can most certainly relate to His personal, tender side.1 John 4:8,16, tells us that “God IS Love!” Not only is He loving, but His very essence is LOVE! (If you’ve spent too much time in the Old Testament, you may want to question that fact. Feel free to send questions my way. I understand your (erroneous 😊) thinking. If God IS Love (and He is), think about how you would treat someone you love. Wouldn’t you be loving, kind, patient, filled with goodness, gentleness, patience, joyful and under control? These attributes also describe God’s nature, and His feelings toward you. Really!

When God created us, He created us for a relationship. Not just a here and now relationship, but an eternal relationship.  As I’m sure you already know, before any relationship can develop, each party has to get to know the other before they can commit to entering into that union. Since God is a spirit, and we are finite human beings, how can we get to know one another? Well, God already had that figured out. He chose to speak through prophets (righteous people chosen by Him) to reveal Himself to His proudest creation. 2 Timothy 3:16 tells us: “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true, and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. It is God’s way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing He wants us to do.”  And again, in 2 Peter 20-21, we are told: “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy or Scripture ever came from the prophets themselves. It was the Holy Spirit who moved the prophets to speak from God.” Through them, He revealed His truth to the world. Everything we need to know about Him, about life, about promises and blessings, and about salvation is revealed in the Holy Bible (His Word, His Truth)

God has promised that anyone who wants to participate in this relationship can find Him. “If they will seek Me with all their heart, they will find Me” (Deuteronomy 4:29) Again He said, “Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:13) God wants a relationship with YOU. He will meet YOU wherever you are, regardless of what you are facing, or what you have done. He doesn’t want to lose even one person to eternal damnation. How is that for unconditional, unending and unfailing love.

Next week I will continue with this same topic: “God…Who Is He?” We will delve into what He says about us, what His plans are for us, what His standard is, and His promises, and how we achieve those promises.

I’ll see you next week. If you are a Believer reading this, please share this blog with one of your unbelieving friends. Let’s partner in this endeavor. Together we can do our best to save lost souls.

May God Bless You abundantly,

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

Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers… I first want to apologize for missing you all last week. Pam and I planned for a short get-away after the hustled and bustle of Christmas, so we treated ourselves to two (hoped-to-be) revitalizing days at the Resort and Spa at Safety Harbor.  I intended to take my computer with me, because I was looking forward settling in and writing. I finally had zeroed in on a new approach for my next few (or perhaps quite a few) blogs, but alas, I forgot my computer. But as it turned out, shortly after we arrived, I was plagued with a sore throat, followed by a terrible cough, then flu-like symptoms, including a fever. That cut our stay short, so when we got home, I went straight to Bay Care Urgent Care because I felt particularly miserable. This led to a Covid-19 test with directions to quarantine until I got the results.  That sounded good to me, because I was still feeling yucky, and my inspiration to write had certainly waned.  But here is the good news in the midst of my trip down misery lane: I’m feeling human again, and this morning’s Covid-19 results were negative.

Happy belated New Year to each and every one of you! Isn’t it wonderful to have a new beginning? January 1, 2021 represented the beginning of a new era, and just the thought of being able to start over with a clean slate is an inspiration for all.  For many, it’s about making a New Year’s resolution to visit the gym regularly; for others, it’s about changing eating, drinking, gambling, or shopping habits. In our mind we can see a new person – a thinner, healthier person, who has faced some serious demons and won the battle. But unfortunately, the statistics to support our new effort aren’t encouraging. Depending on 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, a sixth, or possibly even a twelfth chance at a new life, right? 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, mankind has wrestled with the inability to rise above “self”, because human nature is drawn to things that gives pleasure, things that exalt, or things that titillate our emotions – whether they are 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 people we were created to be.

In my previous life, which I like to refer to as my BS period (before sobriety, or it could also be, 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, cars, and to more and more material things. Truth be told, they all worked for a while, but eventually I had to keep going “back to the well” to get that elusive “fix”. 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 perspectives, but a Book filled with God’s perspective. In this Book, I have found everything I need for becoming the Masterpiece referenced in Ephesians 2:10. When I’m immersed in that zone, I have the confidence, joy, peace and serenity that I always wanted, but here-to-fore had been looking in all the wrong places.

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 from my AA meeting this morning was “A New Beginning”, and the testimonies regarding each of our transformations was nothing short of staggering. And virtually everyone credited God and His loving kindness for their successful journey. I love that 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 meets each one of His broken creations when we call on His name. That is the humility that is referenced 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.”

So far, I have apologized for missing last week, then I wished you a happy belated New Year and confirmed that it is indeed hard to keep New Year’s resolutions. But what I really want to introduce here is what I believe is the direction the Holy Spirit is prompting me to go. This is the answer to many months of praying and asking for clarity.

As I have been saying for quite some time, I believe that our culture is spiritually and morally bankrupt. I’ve also pointed out, during the past few years, the preponderance of evil and corruption that has become tolerated as “just the way it is today.” Now couple that with the development of a new derangement syndrome that is rooted in anger, hatred, violence, and jealousy that is tearing our country apart, and you have the backdrop as we usher in a “clean slate” called 2021!

We’re all looking for a new beginning, so what is your idea of how to bring that about? If you had the leader’s ear, what would you tell him (her)? How do we start to change the mess that we find our country in right now? Well, let’s begin by not forgetting Einstein’s insightful words: “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking that was used to create the problems.” (Let me now refer you back four paragraphs to the truth found in Romans 12:2-3) I propose that a new government is not the answer; I propose that adding more laws is not the answer; and I propose that erasing and rewriting history is not the answer. My proclamation is this: “We have drifted away from, marginalized, and ridiculed The Truth of God’s Word, and we have exalted human knowledge and philosophies as our idols of worship. I believe that our country is in the mess it is in, because what we are seeing is  Man’s best effort at playing God. Unfortunately, people are fallible, and subject to yielding to “self-indulgence.”

The Bible has been very clear, through ancient prophecies, through the teachings of Jesus, His disciples, and Apostle Paul, that Jesus WILL come again. We just celebrated His humble birth in a manger. But when He comes again, He will not be the lowly Baby in a manger. No indeed! He will come as a roaring Lion to judge the world. Those who are in His family WILL be saved. All others will perish. That very truth is what has been bothering me. It breaks my heart to think that so many people will perish because they just don’t know The Truth.

I believe we are in the end times, because there are so many signs that indicate that. Therefore, I believe I have been directed to write specifically about The Truth of God’s Word, and why we can stake our lives on it? Then I’ll connect the dots of Truth that connect God, Jesus and Man. And finally, I will be sure the Gospel of Grace is presented in every blog. My prayer is that these blogs will be shared with unbelievers. I encourage questions; I love questions! I know that before I could have accepted The Truth, I had to get answers to my stumbling blocks. My desire is to share this Truth, in all of its magnificent splendor, with unbelievers. I hope you will join me in this endeavor.

May God Bless You abundantly in 2021,

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

Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers… I first want to apologize for missing you all last week. Pam and I planned for a short get-away after the hustled and bustle of Christmas, so we treated ourselves to two (hoped-to-be) revitalizing days at the Resort and Spa at Safety Harbor.  I intended to take my computer with me, because I was looking forward settling in and writing. I finally had zeroed in on a new approach for my next few (or perhaps quite a few) blogs, but alas, I forgot my computer. But as it turned out, shortly after we arrived, I was plagued with a sore throat, followed by a terrible cough, then flu-like symptoms, including a fever. That cut our stay short, so when we got home, I went straight to Bay Care Urgent Care because I felt particularly miserable. This led to a Covid-19 test with directions to quarantine until I got the results.  That sounded good to me, because I was still feeling yucky, and my inspiration to write had certainly waned.  But here is the good news in the midst of my trip down misery lane: I’m feeling human again, and this morning’s Covid-19 results were negative.

Happy belated New Year to each and every one of you! Isn’t it wonderful to have a new beginning? January 1, 2021 represented the beginning of a new era, and just the thought of being able to start over with a clean slate is an inspiration for all.  For many, it’s about making a New Year’s resolution to visit the gym regularly; for others, it’s about changing eating, drinking, gambling, or shopping habits. In our mind we can see a new person – a thinner, healthier person, who has faced some serious demons and won the battle. But unfortunately, the statistics to support our new effort aren’t encouraging. Depending on 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, a sixth, or possibly even a twelfth chance at a new life, right? 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, mankind has wrestled with the inability to rise above “self”, because human nature is drawn to things that gives pleasure, things that exalt, or things that titillate our emotions – whether they are 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 people we were created to be.

In my previous life, which I like to refer to as my BS period (before sobriety, or it could also be, 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, cars, and to more and more material things. Truth be told, they all worked for a while, but eventually I had to keep going “back to the well” to get that elusive “fix”. 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 perspectives, but a Book filled with God’s perspective. In this Book, I have found everything I need for becoming the Masterpiece referenced in Ephesians 2:10. When I’m immersed in that zone, I have the confidence, joy, peace and serenity that I always wanted, but here-to-fore had been looking in all the wrong places.

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 from my AA meeting this morning was “A New Beginning”, and the testimonies regarding each of our transformations was nothing short of staggering. And virtually everyone credited God and His loving kindness for their successful journey. I love that 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 meets each one of His broken creations when we call on His name. That is the humility that is referenced 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.”

So far, I have apologized for missing last week, then I wished you a happy belated New Year and confirmed that it is indeed hard to keep New Year’s resolutions. But what I really want to introduce here is what I believe is the direction the Holy Spirit is prompting me to go. This is the answer to many months of praying and asking for clarity.

As I have been saying for quite some time, I believe that our culture is spiritually and morally bankrupt. I’ve also pointed out, during the past few years, the preponderance of evil and corruption that has become tolerated as “just the way it is today.” Now couple that with the development of a new derangement syndrome that is rooted in anger, hatred, violence, and jealousy that is tearing our country apart, and you have the backdrop as we usher in a “clean slate” called 2021!

We’re all looking for a new beginning, so what is your idea of how to bring that about? If you had the leader’s ear, what would you tell him (her)? How do we start to change the mess that we find our country in right now? Well, let’s begin by not forgetting Einstein’s insightful words: “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking that was used to create the problems.” (Let me now refer you back four paragraphs to the truth found in Romans 12:2-3) I propose that a new government is not the answer; I propose that adding more laws is not the answer; and I propose that erasing and rewriting history is not the answer. My proclamation is this: “We have drifted away from, marginalized, and ridiculed The Truth of God’s Word, and we have exalted human knowledge and philosophies as our idols of worship. I believe that our country is in the mess it is in, because what we are seeing is  Man’s best effort at playing God. Unfortunately, people are fallible, and subject to yielding to “self-indulgence.”

The Bible has been very clear, through ancient prophecies, through the teachings of Jesus, His disciples, and Apostle Paul, that Jesus WILL come again. We just celebrated His humble birth in a manger. But when He comes again, He will not be the lowly Baby in a manger. No indeed! He will come as a roaring Lion to judge the world. Those who are in His family WILL be saved. All others will perish. That very truth is what has been bothering me. It breaks my heart to think that so many people will perish because they just don’t know The Truth.

I believe we are in the end times, because there are so many signs that indicate that. Therefore, I believe I have been directed to write specifically about The Truth of God’s Word, and why we can stake our lives on it? Then I’ll connect the dots of Truth that connect God, Jesus and Man. And finally, I will be sure the Gospel of Grace is presented in every blog. My prayer is that these blogs will be shared with unbelievers. I encourage questions; I love questions! I know that before I could have accepted The Truth, I had to get answers to my stumbling blocks. My desire is to share this Truth, in all of its magnificent splendor, with unbelievers. I hope you will join me in this endeavor.

May God Bless You abundantly in 2021,

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

As Christians approach the day in which we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, it is a time that is filled with wonder, majesty and awe.  Yet for some, this history changing event is wrapped in skepticism and doubt resulting from questions that have never been answered in a way that redirects worldly thinking.  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 Godhead of the Trinity, immutable, 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.”  And again in Psalm 46:10 he tells us, “Just be still and know that I am God.”  I believe that God was/is 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 characters.  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.  But 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 three examples of God’s “nothing’s impossible” 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 father’s 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…”  A miracle?  Yes!  But how?  Because  “Nothing is impossible with God!”

Now let’s look at what was probably the most outlandish battle plan in the history of the world.  When Moses died, Joshua was appointed leader of the Israelites.  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 Israelites 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 rams’ 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 come tumbling down. When that happened, 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”.

But 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 replied, “…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, such as Mary’s encounter with the angel, Gabriel; Joseph’s acceptance of conception by the Holy Spirit; the trip to Bethlehem and the birth in the stable; then there was 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?  Why them? Who would believe them??

The only way to grasp the truth of this event is to come to know God and His ways. Only then, through revelation from Him, can the pronouncement from 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” (Ephesians 1:4). 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.”  Then 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. And 1Peter 1:16 tells us, “we have to be Holy (sin free) 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, He 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 of the World, the Messiah, the Lord -arrived in a totally unorthodox manner.  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 by our own works – AND, as a God who was willing to sacrifice his Son as payment for our sins 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 knew Jesus would be a stumbling block to the world. We are supposed to be challenged.  Yet this same Jesus becomes a Savior to all who will allow their minds and hearts to be transformed by the truth and love of God.  I gotta tell ya…that’s one Christmas gift that fits all!

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

Merry Christmas, 2020, to all of my Dear Friends, and Happy New Year!

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

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

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

What a Friend we have in Jesus, All our sins and griefs to bear!  What a privilege to carry, Everything to God in prayer! O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry, Everything to God in prayer.

Have we trials and temptations?  Is there trouble anywhere?  We should never be discouraged, Take it to the Lord in prayer. Can we find a friend so faithful, Who will all our sorrows share? Jesus knows our every weakness, Take it to the Lord in prayer.

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

When we make the decision to accept God’s Gift of Grace, we become a new creation, as explained in 2Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore, anyone who is in Christ, is a new creation.  The old is gone (meaning we are no longer slaves to our sin nature), the new has come. (we now have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to empower us to live the life God planned for us long ago.) (Ephesians 2:10)

Think about the power of that truth.  Now that we are in Christ, we inherit everything that resulted from Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross: our sins are forgiven; we inherit eternal life; we are gifted with the indwelling Holy Spirit; we are now worthy and acceptable in God’s eyes; we are grafted into His family as His children; we are the righteousness of Christ (only because we inherited His glory); we are heir to all the promises and covenants in the Bible, and we are heir to all the blessings in the spiritual realm.  And because we are in Christ, Christ is in us. “I no longer live, but Christ lives in and through me.” (Galatians 2:20)

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

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

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

Once we realize that the work was done by Jesus 2020 years ago, and we no longer have to work to earn God’s approval and acceptance, we can finally experience “rest” (or peace). This is all because we are in Christ.  Our eternal destiny is sealed, and we have Christ in us in the form of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, we can rise above this fallen world to become God’s masterpiece.  “For we are God’s masterpiece, created anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can NOW do the good things He planned for us long ago.” (Ephesians 2:10) Now, add to that statement this exclamation point of truth. One of God’s many promises tells us that we are already victorious, because “He that is in me (the Holy Spirit) is greater than he (satan) in this world.!  Do you see that?  We are already promised victory because we are no longer slaves to our sin nature.  We can now count on the Holy Spirit to empower us to make decisions that are pleasing to God. 

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

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

“Have we found a friend so faithful… who will all our troubles share?”  Absolutely!  Jesus Christ, who laid down His life for our salvation!   Only when we understand who we are in Christ and grasp the truth of that new identity can we begin to experience both the promised rest and abundant life. I encourage you at this point to scroll back a few paragraphs and once again compare the stark difference of life directed by our sin nature, and a life directed by the Holy Spirit.  Then ask yourself which list describes your life??

The good news is… “Jesus knows our every weakness.  He knows it because, as the Son of Man, He experienced the brokenness of this world. (Oh, did He experience it!!)  He knows what we face as His followers.  But even when we stumble…even if we fall, “we can take it to Him in prayer.”  As long as we turn to Him as our source of strength, we can count on Him to empower us to become the person He created us to be.  Wow! “What a friend we have in Jesus!”

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

May God Bless You Abundantly,

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

Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers…Sorry to have missed you all last week. Truth be told, I missed writing my blog. but I also needed some time to reset. With all that is going on at this time in our history, it’s easy to reach the “overload” threshold, that time when our bodies and our minds cry for a “time out.” Such was the case with me.  I just wanted to sit down, take a few deep breaths, and get my priorities straightened out. I, unfortunately, found it really easy to get bogged down in worldly minutia, while at the same time losing sight of what really matters. In my case, the number one priority is seeking first His Kingdom, then furthering it here on earth. I’m happy to report that I am energized, revitalized, retreaded, and ready for another 100,000 miles. 😊

I suspect that some of you, when reading the title, were rather surprised. It’s actually a theme I have had in mind for quite some time. I was waiting for the right time to spring it, and this seems like it could be that time. I say that because there are a lot of misconceptions about what that term “Christian” really means. In its purest sense, it means that we have made a decision to accept Jesus Christ as our Savior. But unfortunately, the scenario below is not uncommon.

You’ve just heard from your wife’s cousin, Sal, that John 3:16, probably the most well know Scripture in the Bible, tells us that all we have to do is “believe” and we will have “eternal life”. That doesn’t sound too hard. Now couple that with what you’ve heard from your neighbors up the street about forgiveness of sin and eternal life.  They seem to be nice people, and they appear to be living a “normal” life. Quite frankly, I’m not really sure if they even attend church any more. But even if they do, they don’t seem to be hampered by their religion; they still like to party; they like to drink and smoke, to go to the gambling casinos, the wife is the gossip of the neighborhood, and  rumor has it that they have even vacationed at some of the “adult only” islands in the Caribbean. (Note: I am not judging these things as “sinful”, but only as typical “worldly” behaviors.)  As you can see, it certainly doesn’t seem like being a Christian has snuffed out their desire for a good time. Therefore, perhaps we ought to give it a try. Have you ever heard anything like this before?

Anyone can call themselves a “Christian”, but if “fire insurance” is all they want, and then they return to their former worldly lives, they’ve just chosen to miss out on the abundant life Jesus came to give them. The term” Christian” is an action word; it encompasses the process of becoming more Christ-like. 2 Peter 1:3-4 explains this process: “The more we grow in our relationship with Jesus Christ, His divine power gives us everything we need for living a Godly life. And because of His glory and excellence, He has given us great and precious promises.  These are the promises that enable us to share His divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.”

Neil Anderson, author of Victory Over the Darkness, made this statement: “God’s plan for your life is twofold. First, He wants you to accept His Gift of Grace, meaning Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Secondly, He wants you to mature in that relationship so you can become the person He created you to be.” When you accept Jesus as your Savior, you are immediately “justified” (made right) in God’s eyes. But when you start to mature in that relationship, Jesus becomes not only your Savior, but also your Lord. It is in this life-long process of “sanctification” (becoming more Christ-like) that you are transformed, and transformation is the primary goal of being a Christian.  Ephesians 2:10 substantiates that statement: “We are now God’s masterpiece. He created us anew in Christ Jesus (at this point we are justified) so we can NOW (my emphasis) do the good things He planned for us long ago”. NOW is very important in that Scripture because it is through the transformation process that we are “now prepared “to do the good things He planned for us long ago.”

Prior to my rebirth in Christ, I can’t think of a time when I woke up, jumped out of bed and thought, “I wonder what God wants me to do today?” Before, I was always keenly aware of what I wanted to do each day. But now that I have been through the transformation process, it is quite a different story. Now, each morning when I wake up, my first thought is, “Holy Spirit, whatever your plans are for me today, I’m in.” The more I mature in my relationship with Jesus, the more important it becomes to honor Him with my time and my talent.  This is my way of saying, “Thank you Jesus for what you have done for me.

Now let’s refer again to 2 Peter 1:3-4 three paragraphs above. Notice that it says, “His divine power gives us everything (not some things, not many things, but everything) we need for living a Godly life.” That is a particularly bold statement! So, what is that everything? It is the indwelling Holy Spirit. And what is the indwelling Holy Spirit? The essence of Jesus Christ living in us. John 15:16-17 makes that statement crystal clear. In this passage, Jesus is telling His disciples about the Holy Spirit. “, who leads into all truth.  The world cannot receive Him because it isn’t looking for Him, and wouldn’t recognize Him. But you know Him because He lives with you now, and later will be in you.  And in the same chapter, vs. 26, Jesus also said, “But when the Father sends the Counselor as my representative – that is the Holy Spirit – He will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.”

As a Christian, we have the ability to tap into the supernatural realm. That’s what the Holy Spirit does for us. He doesn’t change our circumstances or our feelings, but He empowers us to do that. So how does that work? We have to call the Spirit into action. We say, “Holy Spirit, give me your wisdom, your courage, your strength, patience, eyes to see, ears to hear, words to speak – whatever it is that we need to handle any matter in a way that brings honor and glory to God. His promise to us is…He will answer that prayer. James 4:10 substantiates that truth: “When we come humbly before the Lord and admit our dependence on Him, He will lift us up and give us honor.” Every time we begin a sentence with “Holy Spirit”, we have just brought that promise to life. (And we’ve just opened the door to the supernatural realm.)  This is also how we bring His promises to life that enable us to “overcome the corruption of the world caused by human desires”, (Refer to 2 Peter 1: 3-4 above)

The more we grow in the Spirit and walk in the Spirit, the more we experience the abundant life Jesus promised His followers. That’s why we should never stop at justification, because at this point, we are only prepared for the big show. But the Big Show, with all of its splendor and fireworks, doesn’t happen until we’re immersed in this life-long journey of becoming more Christ-like.

For Christians who settle for fire-insurance only, not only have they missed out on the transformation process, but they have also missed out on the many blessings God has for those “who seek first the Kingdom of heaven.” Our God is defined with one word: LOVE. His very essence is LOVE; He is forgiving, merciful, and full of grace. And nothing does He love more than participating in that all- important relationship with us. Is there anything in this world that can possibly compare with intimacy with God? That is the real experience, and meaning, of being a “Christian.”

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

May God Bless You abundantly.

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

Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers…What a beautiful day in our little slice of paradise right here in Southshore Falls, Apollo Beach, Fl. I woke up early this morning and took a few minutes to bask in the beauty of His creation, asking again for a subject, a direction, anything that could get me going on the blog that I intended to write today. For the past two days, my “creative well” has been bone dry, and I wasn’t getting any promptings…but I was persistent.  “Ask and keep asking; knock and keep knocking; seek and keep seeking.” Matthew 7:7. All of a sudden, I got what I was hoping for, and not only the subject, but an idea for the layout.  Why that happened now, and not earlier, I cannot say. But what I can say is this: God is faithful when we stand on His promises. So today, I would like to talk about the story of Jesus and the Samaritan Woman at the Well. (This story is found in its entirety in Matthew 4:1-42)

Jesus learned that the jealousy and disdain for Him from the Pharisees had reached a feverish pitch, so He and His disciples left Judea to return to Galilee. The most direct route was through Samaria, but Samaria was considered to be an “unholy country” because of the history of intermarriages between Jews and pagans. Most Jews chose to walk many additional miles to circumvent Samaria, but not Jesus.  He and His disciples walked straight into Samaria, and all the way to Jacob’s well, because Jesus had a divine appointment to fulfill.

When He and His disciples reached the well, the disciples left to find food.  Coming from another direction was an unaccompanied woman to gather water. She was unaccompanied because she was shunned by the other women. Her poor reputation and her promiscuous behavior left her with no friends. But that didn’t deter Jesus.  He said, “Please give Me a drink of water.” Surprised, the woman replied, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are You asking me for a drink? Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you, and who is asking you for water, you would ask Me, and I would give you living water.” He went on, “People soon become thirsty again after drinking your water. But the water I give them takes away thirst altogether.  It becomes a perpetual spring within them, giving them eternal life.” “Please, sir” the woman said, “give me some of that water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to haul water.”

When Jesus was speaking of water, living water, He was speaking of Himself, the giver of new life. Once people accept Him as their Lord and Savior, they are reborn; they receive a new life…eternal life. They are never spiritually thirsty again. Even when it first appeared that the woman might be getting the message, she then revealed that her hope was in never being physically thirsty, and never having to come to the well to gather water again. This wonderful offering could make her life simpler. But this scene was only the introduction; the next scene rocked her world.

Jesus then told the woman to “Go. Call your husband and bring him here.” She replied, “I don’t have a husband.” He replied, “You’re right. You don’t have a husband. But you have had five husbands, but you’re not married to the man you are living with now. No doubt the woman was absolutely shocked by Jesus’ knowledge of her life. To give herself time to regroup, she drastically changed the subject.

“Sir” the woman said, “You must be a prophet. So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped”. Jesus replied, “Believe Me, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father here or in Jerusalem. You Samaritans know so little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about Him, for salvation comes through the Jews. (Jesus again was referring to Himself here as the fulfillment of the Scriptures.) But the time is coming, in fact, it is already here, (again Jesus was referring to Himself) when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for anyone who will worship Him in that manner. For God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.”

We always have to remember that when we are reading about Jesus’ life, we are still in the Old Covenant. The New Covenant doesn’t begin until His resurrection. Therefore, what Jesus is doing is giving the woman a glimpse into what the New Covenant will look like. For instance, the woman’s concern is, “where is the proper place to worship?” Since Jesus fulfilled all the Scriptures and the Law, and since we are in Christ, we have the indwelling Holy Spirit in us – the essence of Jesus Christ. We can’t get any more intimate with Christ than having Him inside of us. We can worship, pray, have a conversation with Him any time and any place.

And to worship Him “in spirit and in truth” means that we are not under the Law; we don’t worship to earn God’s favor. We are in Christ, so we already have His favor! Therefore, we worship as our way of saying, “Thank you, Jesus, for what you did for me.”.  In other words, we no longer count on our own effort to make us right with God; we get out of the way and let the Holy Spirit work through us to accomplish God’s purpose.

This is a story of hope. The woman in the story was a fallen woman, a shunned woman, an adulteress. But Jesus went out of His way to offer her the gift of salvation. As Apostle Paul says in Romans 3:22: “We can all be saved in the same way (through Jesus Christ), no matter who we are or what we have done.”  And the last part of this section is a reminder of the difference between the Old Covenant (the Law) and the New Covenant (Grace.) Under the Law, we had to live up to God’s standard through our own effort. From the Garden of Eden (the Fall) until 2020 years ago (the coming of Christ), God allowed Man to wrestle with the dilemma of sin through his own effort. And how did he do? Romans 5:6 is our report card. “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came, at just the right time, and died for us SINNERS! And what was “just the right time”?  When we proved ourselves to be utterly helpless to overcome sin through our best effort.

Now, for the rest of the story. “The woman said to Jesus, “I know the Messiah will come – the one who is called Christ. When He comes, He will explain everything to us”. Jesus replied, “I AM the Messiah!” The woman left her water jar beside the well, and went back to the village to tell everyone about what had just happened. “He told me everything I ever did.” The villagers came out to see Jesus, and they begged Him and His disciples to stay in their village. They stayed for two days, long enough for most of the people to hear the message and believe. They said to the woman, “Now we believe because of what we have seen and heard ourselves. He is indeed the Savior of the world!”

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

May God Bless You All abundantly,

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…It is Thursday morning, and I am sitting down to write. I waited a few days after the “big event” so I could simmer down.  Never did I think that in my lifetime I would see our right to vote compromised the way it is being shamefully manipulated right before our very eyes. Thankfully, I recognized the need to give myself time to come to my senses before I opened my mouth. The old me, the “sinful-nature dominated me”, still occasionally shows up and wants to shout, to curse, to point fingers, and to say what is still in those “mostly-under-control” strongholds in my mind. But today I have a choice. I can give in to my “human-nature” impulses, or I can remember who I am in Christ, and then turn to the Holy Spirit for wisdom, courage, strength and patience to deal with this quagmire in a way that is honoring to God.

The prince of the dark domain is raging right now. In fact, not only is he raging, but he is celebrating what appears to be the straw that will break the back of the first experiment in democracy. America, a government “of the people, by the people and for the people” is being stretched to the breaking point. Thank God, some true patriots have the guts to stand against what appears to be our modern day Golieth.

As I have said in previous postings, nothing ignites fear in our hearts more than change. Having worked with a number of alcoholics, addicts and victims of abuse, I’ve seen people choose to stay in unhealthy situations or relationships rather than face the “unknown” that inevitably comes with change. As Christ-followers, we are called to stand against “fear of the unknown”. We are called to stand on the promises of God. The following story is the perfect example.

Moses had just died, and the Lord was speaking to Joshua. “You must lead my people across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. I promise you what I promised Moses; ‘Everywhere you go, you will be on land that I am giving you. No nation will be able to stand their land against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you. Be strong and courageous, for you will lead my people to possess all the land I swore to give their ancestors. Be strong and very courageous!

Obey all the laws Moses gave you. Do not turn away from them, and you will be successful in everything you do. Study the Book of Law (first five Books of the Bible) continually; Meditate on it day and night so you may be sure to obey all that is written in it. Only then will you succeed. I command you – be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. The Lord, your God, is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1: 2-9) Regardless of how dreary things look, God’s promise is to give us strength and courage to overcome fear (if we ask for it.) He also promises us success if we stay plugged into our source of strength. And most important, He promises not to fail or abandon us. (FYI…the land promised to the Israelites was already occupied by many pagan nations: the Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Perizzites, Girgashites, Amorites, and Jebusites. Not only that, they were giants. Yikes!)

Here is the take-away. Every promise in the Bible, whether in the Old or New Testament, is still 100% applicable to everyone who is in Christ. Everything God said to Joshua, He said to us as well. “Be strong and courageous”; “I will never leave you or abandon you;” “Do not turn away from God’s Word, then you will be successful in all that you do.”  Now let’s jump to the New Testament.

Under the Old Covenant, the Holy Spirit fell on chosen people to empower them to accomplish God’s purpose. Under the New Covenant (the New Testament), God’s provision for us is different. Jesus revealed these truths to His disciples in the 14^th chapter of John. “I will ask the Father and He will give you another Counselor who will never leave you. By Counselor, I mean the Holy Spirit, who is my representative. He will lead you into all truth and will remind you of everything I Myself have told you. The world at large cannot receive Him, nor do they recognize Him. But you do, because He lives with you now, and later will be in you” Now hold onto your hat, because this IS THE TRUTH! As a Christ-follower, you have that same power living in you that raised Jesus from the grave. Surprised? Well, first you have to know that truth. And secondly, you have to know how to use the Holy Spirit.

God gave us the 10 Commandments (The Law) for three reasons: 1. so we could live in peace and harmony with each other; 2. so we would know what standard of behavior he expected from us, and 3. to keep us safe from unwanted, or unexpected consequences. When Jesus came to earth, He came to model the 10 Commandments. “Why”, you ask?  Because we proved ourselves utterly helpless to overcome the plague of sin through our own best effort. He was The Word incarnate; He lived them perfectly. In fact, not only did He model them perfectly, He even raised the bar a few times.

When Jesus was early in His ministry, He explained Kingdom principles to a crowd. This was one of the reasons He came to earth, to show the world how far it had drifted from God’s will. For instance, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven”; Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” (All eight of these Beatitudes are listed in Matthew 5:3-10) In the same presentation, Jesus addressed anger. “You have heard that the Law of Moses says, ‘Do not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgement’. But I say, ‘If you are angry with someone, you are subject to judgement. If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the high council. And if you curse someone, you are subject to the fires of hell.” The Law of Moses also says, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say, ‘Love your enemies.’ Pray for those who persecute you. In that way, you will be acting as children of God.” The Law of Moses also says, “Do not commit adultery’. But I say, ‘Anyone who looks at a woman with lust in his eyes has already committed adultery with her in his heart. So, if your eye causes you to lust, gouge it out.”

The standard which God expects from us is far beyond our ability to achieve. Regardless of how hard we try; regardless of how many times we say we’re “sorry” and commit to change”, our sin-nature yields to self-satisfaction and self-exaltation. We had from the Fall of Man in the Garden until 2020 years ago to wrestle with the dilemma of Sin, and instead of getting better, we continued spiraling downward into the black abyss of sin.

God said, “I am holy, therefore, you too must be holy.” (Leviticus 19:2) Holy means to be sin-free; to be set aside for a sacred purpose. In other words, if we are to come into His presence, we too have to be holy. “Why”, you ask? Because Sin contaminates, spreads, kills and destroys. This should clarify the necessity of the indwelling Holy Spirit. It is only through the Spirit that we can rise above “self” to overcome anger, to love our enemies, to forgive those who have harmed us, and to become the person God created us to be. This is a gift from God, and we inherited this gift when we accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  Thank you, God!

The insanity we are dealing with today calls for a response, and no doubt those who feel victimized by what is happening want to respond. But for those of us who are in Christ, we are called to respond in a different manner. We are called to turn to our source of strength (the Holy Spirit) and pray for wisdom, courage, strength, and patience. We are commanded not to return evil for evil, but to rise above our circumstances and feelings by allowing the Spirit to reveal a path that will bring honor and glory to God. This is how we let our light shine brightly in the darkness. Remember His promise: “Be strong and courageous.  I will never leave you or abandon you.” We, too, want to keep our promised land

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

May God Bless You abundantly,

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

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