The blog contains daily devotions and notes from the weekly messages.  We encourage you to review the notes during the sermon or through the week!  Most of the posts will have an audio and/or video link at the end of the notes.  From time to time the pastors will share other insights and devotions here.
 
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Seize the Moment – Day 868

S E — — —: E is for Effort

 
The next letter for the acrostic is E for Effort.
 
“So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.”
 

The Christian walk requires an effort on our behalf. While there is nothing that we can do to earn our salvation, we must make the effort to do our best to be our best by allowing the Holy Spirit to lead and guide our lives. We make the choice to accept or reject His leading, thus it demonstrates our level of effort.

Effort is defined as the “the conscious exertion of power; a serious attempt; the total work done to achieve a particular end.”* We make the choice and the effort to surrender. We make the choice and the effort to follow God. We know that love is an action verb, and we are told to “Love the Lord with all our heart, mind and strength, and to Love our neighbors as ourselves.” So we must make the choice and apply the effort to love God and others, even those that make it difficult for us to do so. And Peter reminds us that we are to make every effort to be right with God.

 

Seize the moment today and make every effort to show that we are Christians by our love, for God and for one another, and that we will be found blameless on the day that He returns for us.
 
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
 

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Ken reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.
 
 

*Merriam-Webster https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/effort
 
 
 

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Seize the Moment – Day 867

S _ _ _ _ : “S” is for Surrender

 

For the next couple of weeks, I will be doing the daily phone calls. As you know, I love acrostics because they help you to remember not only the word, but also a characteristic that goes with each letter. Today’s letter is S for Surrender. You also may hear this word and some of the scriptures coming in a message to a church near you!
 

I Corinthians 13:3 (NASV95)

And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.”

 

Many time, the word surrender carries a negative connotation. When in a battle, when you surrender you have given up and declared defeat. 

But for a Christian, it carries a positive connotation. When we surrender our lives to Christ, we trade in all the strife, cares and worries of how we are going to make it, to find the promise of peace, joy and contentment in this life, knowing that He is taking care of everything. 

We are not promised that we will not be faced with difficult times, but He did promise that He would be with us every step of the way. This past year has had some difficult situations in my life, but I found that when I fully surrendered those things into His very capable hands, that the joy came through the tears, knowing that He was at work.

Seize the moment today and surrender afresh to God that which you are facing or have taken back from Him. Believe me when I say that He always works all things together for our good.
 
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
 

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Ken reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.
 
 

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Train to Live on Mission – Week 23

Battle Drill #23:

Rejoice and Be Glad!

Proverbs 15:13-16 (NAS95)

FBC’s Worship in the Park at Memorial Park
Today, we are going to walk through the four action steps of a soldier’s training routine to learn the next battle drill – “Rejoice and Be Glad!”
 
There is great joy to be had through a relationship with Jesus Christ! This is not only the joy of our eternal salvation, secured through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, but this is the work of the Holy Spirit, the fruit of God’s presence in and though our lives that gives us a joy that will empower us through the mountain tops and valleys of our emotions and life experiences. Nehemiah 8:10 commands and promises, “Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” We are going to learn today how to rejoice and be glad in all our circumstances, not as your response to the circumstances, but as your heart posture in all circumstances. Let’s take the first action step of a soldier’s training routine to live on mission.
 

Action Step #1) Know the Field Manual.

The battle drill we are going to learn and apply this week is from Proverbs 15:13-16:
A joyful heart makes a cheerful face, but when the heart is sad, the spirit is broken. The mind of the intelligent seeks knowledge, but the mouth of fools feeds on folly. All the days of the afflicted are bad, but a cheerful heart has a continual feast. Better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and turmoil with it.
This is what the Field Manual says, let’s now take the second action step to learn how to apply today’s battle drill to our everyday lives as good soldiers of Jesus Christ.
 

Action Step #2) Train together as one unit.

My favorite song to start off the day is from Psalm 118:24,
 
“This is the day which the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
 
This verse both reminds me and exhorts me to live according to what is true. One of the greatest ways to train this battle drill is through singing, so let us sing together this wonderfully simple, yet powerful hymn from Psalm 118:
 
This is the day (this is the day).
That the Lord has made (that the Lord has made).
We will rejoice (we will rejoice),
And be glad in it (and be glad in it).
This is the day that the Lord has made.
We will rejoice and be glad in it.
This is the day (this is the day)
That the Lord has made.
 
In Ephesians 5:17-21, Paul teaches that people who are filled with the Spirit are to gather as a community of believers, to speak the truths of God to one another through songs:
So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.
 
Music is meant to teach, inspire, and encourage us in our Christian lives; to spur us on to Christlikeness and faithful living on mission for God. In Colossians 3:15-17, Paul further explains how our singing is an admonishment to one another:
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.
These Scriptures take us into the third action step of a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
 

Action Step #3) Seek the Commander’s approval.

Rejoicing is a choice that we each must make moment by moment because of our faith, not in consideration of our circumstances! Dare I say that this battle drill is an act of obedience to what we know is true and it’s for our good – it’s to strengthen us for the mission and to shine God’s light in dark places! It’s an act of defiance against the evil and injustices in the world, declaring that this is not the way it is supposed to be!
 
Paul commands us in Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!” This decision, whether you rejoice and be glad in your circumstances has significant implications on your emotional stability, mental health, and spiritual vitality. We see that in today’s Proverb:
  • Emotional stability according to Proverbs 15:13, “A joyful heart makes a cheerful face, but when the heart is sad, the spirit is broken.”
  • Mental health according to Proverbs 15:14, “The mind of the intelligent seeks knowledge, but the mouth of fools feeds on folly.”
  • Spiritual vitality according to Proverbs 15:15-16, “All the days of the afflicted are bad, but a cheerful heart has a continual feast. Better is a little with the fear of the Lord than great treasure and turmoil with it.”

 

It’s about faith in your Commander, not about your feelings (emotional), perspectives (mental), or interpretations (spiritual) of your circumstances. Joy is about trust in God and His promises! Let’s walk you through five Scriptures to demonstrate this spiritual fruit from God:

  1. Psalm 16:11. “You will make known to me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever.”
  2. John 17:13. “But now I come to You; and these things I speak in the world so that they may have My joy made full in themselves.”
  3. Romans 15:13. “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
  4. Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
  5. 1 Peter 1:3-9. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.”

 

When you train yourself to rejoice and be glad as your way of life, and not simply as a response to your circumstances, as the good fruit of the Holy Spirit at work in you, at all times and in all circumstance, then it brings you to the final action step of living your life as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.
 

Action Step #4) Live on mission.

The battle drill of “rejoice and be glad” becomes the foundation on which we can be resilient when knocked down so that we can bounce forward and persevere to the end.
 
When joy is the deep bedrock of our souls we can experience the human realities of anger, grief, and sadness without being displaced from the rock of God’s joy into the shifting sands of human emotions. You can experience the hardships and injustices of real life, and respond authentically as a child of God, and authoritatively as a soldier of Jesus, without the forsaking of the joy of the Lord because you are secure in the Father’s love and sovereign grace.
 
We live on mission by reflecting the heart of Jesus Christ in how we live our lives and in how we conduct our business. This is our calling as image bearers of God. After exhorting us to have the same attitude as that of Jesus Christ in Philippians 2:5, Paul gives us a way forward to fulfill the mission of God, which includes today’s battle drill in Philippians 2:12-18:
So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain. But even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all. You too, I urge you, rejoice in the same way and share your joy with me.
 
Regardless of the cost of his sacrificial service for Christ, Paul rejoiced and shared the joy of God’s salvation with others so that they, too, would be able to rejoice in God’s salvation as they lived on mission. Paul was following the example set for him, and us, by Jesus Christ at the Cross, as described in Hebrews 12:2-3:
 
Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
 
We are to follow His example and to do the same today. Make this battle drill a reflexive, instinctive, and habitual part of your Christian life so that you can CM – Continue the Mission! Therefore, live on mission today and train the battle drill of the week for the glory of God. Let us pray.
 
 

Listen to the message here:

 

You can watch the message by clicking HERE.

 
 

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Seize the Moment – Day 865

Today’s hymn focus will be

Are You Washed in the Blood?

 

 

1 Peter 1:18-19(NASV95)

knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.”

 

First published in 1878, this hymn was written by Elisha Hoffman. He was a minister in the Evangelical Church. He is also known for writing “I Must Tell Jesus”, “Leaning on the Everlasting Arms”, and “Glory to His Name”. It is both a call for salvation and a song that enumerates some of the many blessings of being washed in the blood.

 

Are you washed in the blood, in the soul cleansing blood of the Lamb

Are your garments spotless, are they white as snow

Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb

 

We need to wake up and proclaim with a resounding “YES” that we are washed, our sins forgiven, and our lives made whole through the precious blood of Jesus. It is through our relationship with Him that we are able to be faithful in our commitment to our Lord and Savior.
 
 
 
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
 

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Ken reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.
 
 

 
 

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Seize the Moment – Day 864

Ministry Partnerships Get the Job Done!

2 Kings 19

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, July 29. 

Has God called you to do something for Him with your life? Don’t try to do it alone. Even great leaders like King Hezekiah need partners to accomplish their plans. God raised up Hezekiah for such a time as this, but he could not stand against the evil of the Assyrian Empire by himself. Unlike Ahaz who turned to evil in his distress, Hezekiah turned to God. In 2 Kings 19:6-7, he sought the counsel of God’s prophet:

Isaiah said to them, “Thus you shall say to your master, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed Me. Behold, I will put a spirit in him so that he will hear a rumor and return to his own land. And I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.” ’ ”

Whereas both Ahaz and Hezekiah had received a prophetic promise through Isaiah, it was Hezekiah who submitted himself to God’s Word. In 2 Kings 19:19, Hezekiah prayed that God would receive all the glory through the defense of his nation, “Now, O Lord our God, I pray, deliver us from his hand that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, O Lord, are God.”

God saw Hezekiah’s humility and He responded (20-35). For God’s name’s sake, the angel of the Lord struck down 185,000 Assyrians in a single night and the king of Assyria fled to Nineveh. All because Hezekiah knew he needed help and didn’t want the credit, but desired for God to get all the glory.

Seize the moment and pray to God for His assistance in the plans He has entrusted to you. You never know who He might bring into your life to help you get the job done for His glory. 

God bless you!
 
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
 

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.

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Seize the Moment – Day 863

Pray at the Crossroads!

2 Kings 18

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, July 28. 

Have you ever come to a crossroads and didn’t know what to do?

Every nation will come to the crossroads of their own history, and we need leaders who know what to do. God raises up leaders “for such a time as this” (Esther 4:14). King Hezekiah of Judah was such a leader, as we read in 2 Kings 18:5-7:

He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel; so that after him there was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor among those who were before him. For he clung to the Lord; he did not depart from following Him, but kept His commandments, which the Lord had commanded Moses. And the Lord was with him; wherever he went he prospered. And he rebelled against the king of Assyria and did not serve him.

Hezekiah was a political leader who secured independence from Assyria, and he was a religious reformer who rescued the people of Judah from the false worship of his predecessors. His story is expanded in 2 Chronicles 29-32 and Isaiah 36-39. Hezekiah is one of the most celebrated kings in the Bible because he stood firm in his faith at the crossroads of Israel’s history with the Assyrian Empire rampaging the region, including destroying the northern ten tribes. Hezekiah preserved Jerusalem for future generations, while also calling the people back to covenant faithfulness. 

I am praying for God to raise up leaders for such a time as this, today. We need political leaders who will secure our independence against evil, and we need religious reformers who will rescue the Church from the false worship of our predecessors. God did that for Judah in the one man of Hezekiah, He will do it again in our land when we cry out to Him in repentance (2 Chronicles 7:14).

Seize the moment and pray that God will raise up leaders in today’s crossroads of history (1 Timothy 2:1-4).

God bless you!
 
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
 

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.

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Seize the Moment – Day 862

Heed God’s Warnings!

2 Kings 17

 

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, July 27.

 

What is God warning you about in your own life? Are you listening?

 

Today’s chapter explains one of the most tragic events in the ancient history of Israel – the destruction of the northern ten tribes. This event is recorded in 2 Kings 17:6,
 
“In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and carried Israel away into exile to Assyria, and settled them in Halah and Habor, on the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.”
 
The reason for their destruction is given in 2 Kings 17:22-23:

 

The sons of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they did not depart from them until the Lord removed Israel from His sight, as He spoke through all His servants the prophets. So Israel was carried away into exile from their own land to Assyria until this day.

 

God had been actively working to bring His people to repentance for generations. God was “slow to anger,” but they would not listen. They were stubborn and stiff-necked people. They were reminded of these warnings in 2 Kings 17:13-14:

 

Yet the Lord warned Israel and Judah through all His prophets and every seer, saying, “Turn from your evil ways and keep My commandments, My statutes according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you through My servants the prophets.” However, they did not listen, but stiffened their neck like their fathers, who did not believe in the Lord their God.

 

God is still speaking to His people today through His Word and through faithful men and women who teach and preach God’s Word. He speaks to get our attention and to return us to Him in covenant faithfulness. Are you listening?

 

Seize the moment and respond to God’s grace by repenting of your sin while there is still time (Hebrews 12:12-17).

God bless you!
 
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
 

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.

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Seize the Moment – Day 861

 

Two Wrongs Don’t Make a Right!

2 Kings 16

 

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, July 26.

 

You’ve repeatedly heard it said, “Two wrongs don’t make a right.” Why do so many people fall into this trap?

 

Ahaz, the king of Judah, refused to band together with Israel and Aram in the defense of their region against the Assyrian Empire, so they attacked him at Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 28:5-15; Isaiah 7:1). In a string of wrong responses, Ahaz retaliated by seeking the protection of the Assyrians (2 Kings 16:7-9). In his distress, he made a sly political maneuver that cost him far more than he anticipated – the soul of his nation. Ahaz made a foreign altar and offered burnt offerings at it, polluting himself and corrupting the nation of Judah (2 Kings 16:10-18).

 

King Ahaz let his survival instinct take control of his decision-making process. He took matters into his own hands and disregarded the Word of God as given to him by Isaiah (Isaiah 7:1-16). Ultimately, by his lack of faith, he forsook God and responded to evil with evil, as recorded in 2 Chronicles 28:22-23:

 

Now in the time of his distress this same King Ahaz became yet more unfaithful to the Lord. For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus which had defeated him, and said, “Because the gods of the kings of Aram helped them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me.” But they became the downfall of him and all Israel.

 

In 2 Kings 16, we witnessed how a king responded to evil with evil in hopes of something good coming from it. That never works out for the good! Jesus posed a probing question in Mark 8:36, “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?”

 

Seize the moment and defeat evil by aligning yourself with God to do good. “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21).

God bless you!
 
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
 

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.

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Seize the Moment – Day 860

The Danger of Division!

2 Kings 15

 

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, July 25.

 

History teaches us that one of the clearest signs of a nation on the way to destruction is internal division. As Jesus taught us in Matthew 12:25, “Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself will not stand.” When people see one another as the enemy, whether in a marriage, a church, or in a nation, the stage has been set for evil to get a foothold to divide and conquer. There is a grave danger in division! In 2 Kings 15:19-20, events have escalated toward the destruction of the northern ten tribes of Israel at the hands of the Assyrian Empire:

 

Pul, king of Assyria, came against the land, and Menahem gave Pul a thousand talents of silver so that his hand might be with him to strengthen the kingdom under his rule. Then Menahem exacted the money from Israel, even from all the mighty men of wealth, from each man fifty shekels of silver to pay the king of Assyria. So the king of Assyria returned and did not remain there in the land.

 

The Assyrian Empire gained a foothold in Israel. What lead up to this was decades of political instability and social unrest. Over a twenty-five-year span, there were six kings in Israel, many of which were murdered by the person who took over the throne. Evil was looking for an opportunity and it was the wickedness of the kings that allowed Israel to be easy pickings to the Assyrian Empire. Heartbreakingly in 734 BC, during the reign of the last king of Israel, 2 Kings 15:29 records the first deportation of the Israelites,
 
“In the days of Pekah king of Israel, Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria came and captured Ijon and Abel-beth-maacah and Janoah and Kedesh and Hazor and Gilead and Galilee, all the land of Naphtali; and he carried them captive to Assyria.”

 

Seize the moment and love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-40), remembering that there is only one enemy and it’s not your neighbor; it’s Satan who seeks to divide and conquer through our divisions.

God bless you!
 
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
 

YOUTUBE:

If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.

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Train to Live on Mission – Week 22

Battle Drill #22:

Keep Control of the Rudder of Your Life!

Proverbs 15:1-7 (NAS95)

 

Today, we are going to walk through the four action steps of a soldier’s training routine to learn the next battle drill – “Keep Control of the Rudder of Your Life!”

 

I was a soldier, once upon a time, but I have never served as a sailor. I do know that the rudder is one of the most important components of any boat. The rudder allows the pilot to steer, control, and direct the vessel when out on the water. In a small sailboat, the rudder is controlled by a tiller, a long rod that allows the pilot to turn the rudder directly. It’s simple, reliable, and effective, all you must do is keep control of the rudder. If you want to get from point A to point B, then you must keep control of the rudder of your ship. That may not be hard when there are calm waters, but it can be incredibly difficult during storms.

 

The same is true in life! As a Christian, you are not who you once were (Point A) and you are not yet who God desires you to be (Point B), you are sailing to the destination, on the journey of life. Along the way there are calm waters and there are stormy seas, and in every circumstance, we must train ourselves to keep control of the rudder of our lives. We will now look at the first action step of a soldier’s training routine to live on mission.

 

Action Step #1) Know the Field Manual.

The battle drill we are going to learn and apply this week is from Proverbs 15:1-7:

 

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise makes knowledge acceptable, but the mouth of fools spouts folly. The eyes of the Lord are in every place, watching the evil and the good. A soothing tongue is a tree of life, but perversion in it crushes the spirit. A fool rejects his father’s discipline, but he who regards reproof is sensible. Great wealth is in the house of the righteous, but trouble is in the income of the wicked. The lips of the wise spread knowledge, but the hearts of fools are not so.

 

This is what the Field Manual says, let’s now take the second action step to learn how to apply today’s battle drill to our everyday lives as good soldiers of Jesus Christ.

 

Action Step #2) Train together as one unit.

If you want to be who God predestined you to become, “conformed to the image of His Son” (Romans 8:29), then you must keep control of the rudder of your life. You are under construction, and it is “God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13). We are all under construction and there are many dangers, toils, and snares along the journey of Christlikeness, and one of the greatest dangers is as close as your next breath.

 

The long slow obedience of daily decision making to become like Christ, through both the calm waters and stormy seas of life, requires you to have control of the rudder of your life, which is your tongue! We must keep control of our tongue if we are to fulfill God’s good pleasure for our lives. We learn that from Proverbs 15:1-7, which states three times in quick succession:

 

  1. “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise make knowledge acceptable, but the mouth of fools spouts folly” (1-2).
  2. “A soothing tongue is a tree of life, but perversion in it crushes the spirit” (4).
  3. “The lips of the wise spread knowledge, but the hearts of fools are not so” (7).

 

“Tongue” and “lips” in these passages, as well as in other passages, is referring to our spoken words, what we say. In today’s world, that will also include the words we text, post on social media, etc. Proverbs 18:21 teaches us the power of our words, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” It is not the actual fleshly tongue that is the rudder, but the spoken word that flows from our hearts. As Jesus said in Matthew 12:33-37:

 

Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil. But I tell you that every careless word[1] that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.

 

Your spoken words reveal your heart! It is an everyday reality that we talk and write about what is important to us. It is also true that our idle and thoughtless words reflect what is hidden in our hearts, sometimes even from ourselves. Do your words reveal that your heart belongs to Jesus Christ? Who or what rules your heart? Your tongue has the power of life or death, so train yourself to submit your tongue to the lordship of Christ and be vigilant in what you say – “be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger” (James 1:19). Let’s take the third action step.

 

Action Step #3) Seek the Commander’s approval.

The half-brother of Jesus explained the power of the tongue in James 3:1-12:

 

Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment. For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well. Now if we put the bits into the horses’ mouths so that they will obey us, we direct their entire body as well. Look at the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot desires. So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell. For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race. But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce fresh.

 

When you yoke together Jesus’ teaching about our words proceeding from our hearts and James’ teaching about our tongues and hear them through the lens of the ancient wisdom of Proverbs, then you know that it is all about whether you are a wise person or a fool. Jesus made it very clear in Matthew 7:24, “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.” Your tongue, your spoken and written words, reveal the truth about whether you are wise or foolish, and whether or not Christ rules in your heart.

 

If you want to do a heart check, then check your tongue! Paul taught us this, as the fourth example of the new life we have in Christ, found in Ephesians 4:29-32:

 

Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

 

Again, Paul said in Ephesians 5:1:

 

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints; and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.

 

In one last example, Paul exhorted in Colossians 3:8-11:

 

But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him – a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.

 

There is no contradiction between the teaching of Paul and James. Paul’s exhortations of how we are and are not to use our tongue agree with James’ teaching that no one can tame the tongue and that it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. It is the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives when Christ takes His rightful place on the throne of our hearts. Our words are transformed for the work of the gospel – to build up others and praise God.

 

When we live on mission for God, then our tongues come under His dominion, and are no longer our own. This is not automatic, it requires training! We must train ourselves to use words surgically, effectively, and productively with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. A well-timed word can transform a person’s attitude, actions, or even the course of the person’s life. Paul explained in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.” A temple is place of making right sacrifices unto God. This is a daily choice; a daily sacrifice so that you can know what God expects of you as you live your life on mission. God calls us to do the work, and sacrifice our own emotions and agendas to give Him dominion over what we say. This is the action item of Romans 12:1-2:

 

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

 

Your life, including your tongue, coming under the Lordship of Christ to be a spiritual house of worship through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit brings us to the final action step.

 

Action Step #4) Live on mission.

Do you know when a rudder is useless? When it is idle at dock.
 
I don’t know what your journey between Point A and Point B has been like in the past, how much of it has been calm waters and how much has been stormy seas, but it’s time to CM – Continue the Mission! It’s time to get off the dock! Like at Pearl Harbor, a battleship at dock is nothing more than a target. If we are to live on mission then our words must be used to advance the Kingdom of God, to spur one another on towards good works, to build up the body of Christ, to encourage one another. If we know the mission and we know our assignment, we are to be trained to respond in every circumstance to advance the Kingdom of God with our words.

 

Each of us is being challenged to set sail on the next leg of the course, which is your life mission while you are here on Earth. Paul testified near the end of his journey in 2 Timothy 4:7-8, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.” The only way to get to Point B is to undock yourself from whatever is paralyzing you, let the sail out, and allow the Holy Spirit to propel you forward. You must be vigilant with the rudder when your sails are full and you are on mission on the way to the destination of God’s good pleasure for your life, which is your Christlikeness!

 

Have you gotten comfortable sitting at the dock? You’ve got one hand on the tiller with a drink in the other hand telling tales of your days out at open sea. Maybe you’ve had too many storms and you just don’t think your boat can handle another one. Until you arrive at the destination of your life’s end, you are called to CM until the race is finished. Just as Paul testified of his own life as he was having to sail directly into a storm in Acts 20:24, “But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.” Never forget that while it may feel safe to sit on the dock, in a safe harbor, but that is not the life God created and saved you for – you have enlisted to be a good soldier of Jesus Christ, to live on mission for His glory and your good (2 Timothy 2:3-4)!

 

It’s time to undock yourself, set your sail to activate the power of the Holy Spirit in your life, and keep control of the rudder of your life so that you finish the race with confidence. Make this battle drill a reflexive, instinctive, and habitual part of your Christian life so that you can CM – Continue the Mission! Therefore, live on mission today and train the battle drill of the week for the glory of God. Let us pray.
 
 

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FOOTNOTES:

 
[1] Emily Hurst remarked to me about this passage, “The Greek word used here is “argon” which means idle, lazy, thoughtless, unprofitable, injurious. That covers much more than the things we say in anger, with the intent of being hurtful or malicious. It covers the things we say without thinking. The tongue is such a weapon because our brains work faster than our hearts. Without a tight rein on our tongues, we speak things that hurt others all the time, simply because we don’t first seek our hearts to see if what we are about to say needs to be said!”
 

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