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 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.
 
 

You can listen to the message here:

 

You can watch the message by clicking HERE.

 

 

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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Seize the Moment – Day 858

Today’s modern day hymn focus will be

Hymn of Heaven

 Philippians 2:10-11(NASV95)    

 

so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

 

 This modern-day hymn was written by Phil Wickham. We sing other songs he has written such as: “House of the Lord”, “Living Hope”, “This is Amazing Grace” just to name a few. During the recent global pandemic, Phil wanted to help the church overcome the unprecedented obstacles that it created by separating people from each other and from them gathering at the church building. He wanted people to realize that worship should be happening in our homes and in our hearts.

 

There will be a day when all will bow before Him

There will be a day when death shall be no more

Standing face to face with Him who died and rose again

Holy, holy is the Lord.

 

We need to wake up and realize that this song is full of praise and thankfulness to God. By lifting up the name of Jesus and speaking what we know will be a reality even though we cannot see it, we are creating moments where people can encounter the presence of God. We don’t have to wait for Sunday to sing this song of praise. Let it begin in your hearts today.

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.
 
If you’d like to hear the song, click on the link below:
 
 

Hymn of Heaven

 
How I long to breathe the air of Heaven
Where pain is gone and mercy fills the streets
To look upon the One who bled to save me
And walk with Him for all eternity
 
There will be a day when all will bow before Him
There will be a day when death will be no more
Standing face to face with He who died and rose again
Holy, holy is the Lord
 
And every prayer we prayed in desperation
The songs of faith we sang through doubt and fear
In the end, we’ll see that it was worth it
When He returns to wipe away our tears
 
Oh, there will be a day when all will bow before Him
There will be a day when death will be no more
Standing face to face with He who died and rose again
Holy, holy is the Lord
 
And on that day, we join the resurrection
And stand beside the heroes of the faith
With one voice, a thousand generations
Sing, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain”
 
And on that day, we join the resurrection
And stand beside the heroes of the faith
With one voice, a thousand generations
Sing, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain”
“Forever He shall reign”
 
So let it be today we shout the hymn of Heaven
With angels and the saints, we raise a mighty roar
Glory to our God who gave us life beyond the grave
Holy, holy is the Lord
 
So let it be today we shout the hymn of Heaven
With angels and the saints, we raise a mighty roar
Glory to our God who gave us life beyond the grave
Holy, holy is the Lord
Holy, holy is the Lord
Holy, holy is the Lord
 

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Seize the Moment – Day 857

 

Jonah’s Cameo Appearance!

2 Kings 14

 

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, July 22.

 

Who has made a cameo appearance in some of your favorite movies? Maybe it was when Alfred Hitchcock revealed himself on the screen of his classic works, or more recently when Stan Lee would surprise us throughout the Marvel movies. My favorite cameos are the ones that reveal the creative force behind the work, such as the author or director.

 

In 2 Kings 14:25, as Jeroboam II was being introduced as the new king of Israel, there is a cameo appearance of a famous prophet,
 
“[Jeroboam] restored the border of Israel from the entrance of Hamath as far as the Sea of the Arabah, according to the word of the Lord, the God of Israel, which He spoke through His servant Jonah the son of Amittai, the prophet, who was of Gath-hepher.”
 
This is the only Old Testament reference to Jonah outside of his own book.

 

After Elijah and Elisha, the significant prophets had their ministries recorded in separate prophetic books. While that must have been an honor, it has the unintended consequence of pulling them out of their historical context. While it is easy to know where Elijah and Elisha fit in the timeline of Israel’s history, most people don’t know when Jonah prophesied, they just know he got swallowed by a large fish after taking a boat to the wrong city. That’s why Jonah’s cameo appearance is so important; it puts flesh and blood on a Bible character whose story, from his own book, has grown in reputation to mythical proportions.

 

Jonah was a real person during a specific time of Israel’s history! Amazingly, Jonah made a cameo in the New Testament when Jesus referenced, “the sign of Jonah” (Matthew 12:39-40; 16:4; Luke 11:29-32).

 

Seize the moment and look for God’s cameos in your life because He is actively at work for His glory and your good in today’s world.

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 856

 

Act in Faith!

2 Kings 13

 

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, July 21.

 

God invites His children to take steps of faith. When we act in faith, God does more than we can ever imagine or dare to ask.

 

In 2 Kings 13:14, Elisha the prophet was on his death bed when Joash, the king of Israel, travelled to him and wept over him saying, “My father, my father, the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” This was a reference to the famous story of Elijah’s ascension, found in 2 Kings 2:12, when Elisha received a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. On his death bed, as recorded in 2 Kings 13:15-19, Elisha invited the king to act in faith with a prophetic sign-act:

 

Elisha said to him, “Take a bow and arrows.” So he took a bow and arrows. Then he said to the king of Israel, “Put your hand on the bow.” And he put his hand on it, then Elisha laid his hands on the king’s hands. He said, “Open the window toward the east,” and he opened it. Then Elisha said, “Shoot!” And he shot. And he said, “The Lord’s arrow of victory, even the arrow of victory over Aram; for you will defeat the Arameans at Aphek until you have destroyed them.” Then he said, “Take the arrows,” and he took them. And he said to the king of Israel, “Strike the ground,” and he struck it three times and stopped. So the man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck five or six times, then you would have struck Aram until you would have destroyed it. But now you shall strike Aram only three times.”

 

Elisha’s final act was to invite the king into greater faith – to believe God for the victory! Amazingly, God responded in like-kind to the king’s measure of faith. With even greater faith, God would have done more than the king could have imagined. The same principle is at work today in our lives.

 

Seize the moment and act according to your faith in Jesus, “who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us” (Ephesians 3:20).

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 855

 

Keeping up with Building Repairs!

2 Kings 12

 

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, July 20.

 

Do you own a house or does your house own you? It takes significant planning, financial resources, and a large group of talented people to keep up with building repairs, whether at home or at church. This was true of the temple. In 2 Kings 12:4-5, the king calls for a significant financial campaign for building repairs:

 

Then Jehoash said to the priests, “All the money of the sacred things which is brought into the house of the Lord, in current money, both the money of each man’s assessment and all the money which any man’s heart prompts him to bring into the house of the Lord, let the priests take it for themselves, each from his acquaintance; and they shall repair the damages of the house wherever any damage may be found.”

 

Then, in verses 11-12, Jehoiada, the Chief Priest, allocated those resources to the skilled workers:

 

They gave the money which was weighed out into the hands of those who did the work, who had the oversight of the house of the Lord; and they paid it out to the carpenters and the builders who worked on the house of the Lord; and to the masons and the stonecutters, and for buying timber and hewn stone to repair the damages to the house of the Lord, and for all that was laid out for the house to repair it.

 

Then, after all that effort to make the building repairs, the enemy threatened to tear it all down.  The king had to use an abundance of their allocated resources to protect Jerusalem from Hazael, king of Aram (17-18). In Matthew 6:20-21, Jesus calls us to wisdom in all our work, “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

 

Seize the moment and invest your time, talents, and treasures into the work of the Lord.

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 854

The Hope of a Baby!

2 Kings 11

 

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, July 19.

 

King Jehu of the northern tribes of Israel brought great religious reform through the destruction of the house of Baal and the deaths of the royal family of Ahab and Jezebel. Seemingly caught up in Jehu’s reformation was Ahaziah, the king of Judah. But the political intrigue deepened in 2 Kings 11:1-2, when we learned that Ahaziah was the son of Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab:

 

When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she rose and destroyed all the royal offspring. But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah and stole him from among the king’s sons who were being put to death, and placed him and his nurse in the bedroom. So they hid him from Athaliah, and he was not put to death.

 

This is a family feud as Jehosheba defied her family of origin to rescue the last of the royal offspring, the remnant of the line of David. Her husband, Jehoiada, the Chief Priest, protected the baby by hiding him for six years and then led a rebellion against the wicked queen to return the rightful ruler to the throne of David (6-12). Just like Jehu had done in the northern tribes, Jehoiada, in the name of a baby, destroyed the house of Baal and its wicked priest in the southern tribes (13-18).

 

Their hope for a better future was placed in a child! Just like our hope is found in the coming of a baby. The angel proclaimed in Luke 2:10-11, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

 

Seize the moment and put your hope in Jesus, our Immanuel – God is with us (Matthew 1:23)!

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 853

 

Finish the Task!

2 Kings 10

 

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, July 18.

 

How would you respond if squatters moved into your back yard? Even though you had legal rights to your house and land, how would you react if they worked to influence your family and take possession of what belongs to you?

 

God was actively working through His people to eradicate Baal from His promised land. It was King Ahab, and his wife Jezebel, who introduced Baal into Israel. They even built him a house with an altar in the back yard of Samaria (1 Kings 16:31-32). God was provoked (1 Kings 16:33) and He called forth Elijah to declare a drought (1 Kings 17:1). Elijah was tasked with destroying the cult of Baal worship (1 Kings 18:17-40). He had a great victory, but he didn’t complete the job (1 Kings 19:1-8).

 

God passed Elijah’s task to remove Baal from His back yard to the next generation of prophets and kings, to Elisha, Hazael, and Jehu (1 Kings 19:15-16). What God began with Elijah, in response to the abomination of Ahab building a house of Baal in Samaria, was completed by Jehu with the destruction of that house and the eradication of Baal from the northern ten tribes of Israel.

 

The final report of King Jehu’s religious reforms was given in 2 Kings 10:26-28,
 
“They brought out the sacred pillars of the house of Baal and burned them. They also broke down the sacred pillar of Baal and broke down the house of Baal, and made it a latrine to this day. Thus Jehu eradicated Baal out of Israel.”
 
Jehu finished what Elijah had begun!

 

Seize the moment and remove anything that is not pleasing to God from your life. As a Christian, God has legal rights of ownership to your heart, mind, body, and soul (Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30). Invite the Holy Spirit to finish the task Christ began in you (Galatians 3:1-14; Philippians 1:6).

 

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 21

Battle Drill #21:

Slow to Anger!

Proverbs 14:26-30 (NAS95)

 

Today, we are going to walk through the four action steps of a soldier’s training routine to learn the next battle drill – “Slow to Anger!”

 

Soldiers must be emotionally healthy. Emotional health doesn’t mean you will experience your emotions less, it is the ability to be aware of your emotions so that they don’t hijack your thoughts, words, or actions. The military trains soldiers in a difficult school so that they can learn to make good and right decisions, regardless of their circumstances or emotions. Soldiers are pushed emotionally, mentally, and physically to be able to do the harder right instead of the easier wrong. As soldiers for Jesus Christ, we must train ourselves in the same way.

 

Today we are learning the battle drill, “Slow to Anger” because anger is a real emotion that every single person must learn to bring into submission, otherwise, it has the potential of causing a wildfire. For example, the thought of a trained soldier with a gun on mission doesn’t bother most people, because that is a soldier’s life. But what does bother us, is when a trained soldier with a gun has lost control because of their anger. In the same way that this is a scary reality, so are Christians who use the Word of God in anger.

 

It is my calling to equip you to use the Word of God effectively, so that you may bear the good fruit of a disciple of Jesus, but it’s not enough for me to teach you the Word of God, I must disciple you to use it with emotional health, under submission to the Holy Spirit, not in your flesh. 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 14:26-30:

 

In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, and his children will have refuge. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may avoid the snares of death. In a multitude of people is a king’s glory, but in the dearth of people is a prince’s ruin. He who is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who is quick-tempered exalts folly. A tranquil heart is life to the body, but passion [jealousy, envy, rivalry, zeal] is rottenness to the bones.

 

To better understand how I am applying this Scripture, you need to hear these verses in their context, as a part of the whole of Proverbs 14. (Read from the Bible). 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.

An important principle to understanding how to train this as a member of the body of Christ is found in the ancient prophecy from Isaiah 9:6-7:

 

For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal [same Hebrew word “passion” in Proverbs 14:30] of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.

 

Who will accomplish bringing righteousness and justice to the nations? God will through His Messiah! God has a plan; trust Him. He reminds us of this in Psalm 46:10, “Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

 

Is it your zeal or striving that exalts God? No! It is “the zeal of the LORD of hosts [who] will accomplish this.” Don’t take on the offenses of God; He is fully capable of exalting Himself! God accomplished this through the coming of Jesus Christ and we are His body, the Church. We must remember that God will establish the Kingdom of Jesus Christ and uphold it with justice and righteousness. As Psalm 100:3 proclaims, “Know that the Lord Himself is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.”

 

Paul reminded the Church in Galatia with his rhetorical questions in Galatians 3:3, “Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” In other words, if the zeal of the Lord is to establish the Kingdom, will your flesh now uphold it with your anger at people’s mockery of God, fueled by your self-righteousness religious zeal?

 

No, absolutely not! That is an arrogant, prideful, and blasphemous thought! One, which has fueled churches for way too long! We must keep reminding ourselves of this if we are going to train ourselves to be slow to anger. Anger is often fueled by discouragement and disappointment, in ourselves and others; when expectations are not met and ideals are not realized. We hate it when our plans, or, even worse, God’s plans seem to be thwarted every which way we turn by evil and sin. And when I’m angry about something, I feel powerful and when I act upon it, I can do mighty things. In the past, as a teenager and young military man, I fueled my anger, thinking that I could harness it for greater accomplishment, only to learn the hard way that anger was a wildfire that while powerful, yes, it was destructive as it spread into areas of my life that I did not want fueled by it, such as my relationships. I made hurtful and bad decisions because I was trying to harness the power of a wildfire. A popular culture illustration of this is the transformation process of Anakin Skywalker into Darth Vader in the Star Wars universe.

 

Anger is very real, but it must not be allowed to be in control of your faculties. God does not desire for your life to be fueled by wildfires, such as anger. Rather, God desires your life to be fueled by His holy fire, the Holy Spirit, just as Jesus desires that our lives be fully submitted to His yoke – His ruling authority of peace! Paul taught in Ephesians 4:17-27:

 

So this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. But you did not learn Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity.

 

What are the first two examples Paul used in applying this teaching to our everyday Christian walks? First, you are to give an honest report (see my sermon from July 3, 2022) – “Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we are members of one another” (25). Second, you are to not sin in your anger (26-27), which means, when you are experiencing the very real emotion of anger, you are not to give it lordship of your life. Nor are you to use anger as a motivation or fuel source in your life. Your Lord is Jesus Christ crucified, risen, and coming again. Your fuel source is the Holy Spirit, who dwells in you to give you everything you need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). Your motivation is the glory of God alone! That takes us to the third action step to training yourself to being slow to anger.

 

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

Paul said in Ephesians 4:26-27, “Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger and do not give the devil an opportunity.”
 
Anger, just like any emotion we allow can become a wildfire, which runs unchecked through our heart and mind. Paul says that gives the devil an opportunity (or “foothold”) in our lives. Paul is teaching us that being slow to anger is a means by which we protect the Lordship of Jesus Christ in our lives by not letting the devil get an opportunity to seize control of the throne room of our lives, even if just for a second with our tongues or fingertips, or any member of our body. No one wants a hostile takeover of their faculties! I see being slow to anger as a way to proactively seek the Commander’s approval.

 

How? By becoming like Him! God is “Slow to Anger.” That is one of Yahweh’s first descriptions of Himself, as God revealed His character to us in Exodus 34:6, “Then the Lord passed by in front of [Moses] and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth.” This is one of the most repeated verses in the Bible because God wants you to know who He is. He has revealed this truth to us on purpose.[1] The following passages repeat that God is “slow to anger”:

 

  • Numbers 14:18, “The Lord is slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, forgiving iniquity and transgression.”
  • Nehemiah 9:17b, “But You are a God of forgiveness, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness; and You did not forsake them.”
  • Psalm 86:15, “But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, Slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth.”

 

Did you hear that God is slow to anger? Now, listen again to today’s battle drill from Proverbs 14:29,
 
“He who is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who is quick-tempered exalts folly.” Importantly, twice before this passage, in verses 26-27, Solomon highlights the fear of the Lord, “In the fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, and his children will have refuge. The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, that one may avoid the snares of death.” Solomon is saying that those who know God, His character, and His attributes, will find safety in being like Him. A primary example of this is found in us being “slow to anger” which, according to Solomon in Proverbs 14:29, those who do this have “great understanding.”

 

Who will give you this great understanding? The answer to that is found in the axiomatic battle drill of the book of Proverbs, found in Proverbs 1:7, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.” When you fear God, then you will have knowledge. When you are slow to anger, then you will have great understanding. Only fools, who despise God’s wisdom, are quick tempered! James taught in James 1:19-20, “This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.” Those who fear God will please God by being like Him (that is righteousness). That brings us to the final action step.

 

Action Step #4) Live on mission.

It is impossible to be on mission without working with people and dealing with the brokenness of this world that has corrupted every aspect of creation. Jesus got angry (Mark 3:5)! We see real emotion in Jesus’ life and ministry.

 

There are things worth getting angry about, even when you are slow to do it, but, and this is a big but, we are not permitted to sin in that anger, no matter how righteous the cause or holy the crusade may be to you or others. We conclude today’s sermon by learning from Jesus’ example when He was on mission and got angry in the face of injustice and corruption in the temple courts, from John 2:13-17:

 

The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And He found in the temple those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. And He made a scourge of cords, and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and the oxen; and He poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables; and to those who were selling the doves He said, “Take these things away; stop making My Father’s house a place of business.” His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house will consume Me.”

 

Jesus’ anger is righteous because it flows out of love and is focused on the real and legitimate enemy. Imitation is the greatest complement you can give someone! Paul said in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ” (cf. 1 Corinthians 4:16). Here are three practical observations you can apply to your life about anger, gleaned from Jesus’ displays of anger in the Bible:

 

  1. Jesus had pure motives with His anger. He did not seek selfish gain but desired the best for the other person in why He was angry and how He expressed His anger. Because He loves the person and hates the sin!
  2. Jesus focused His anger on the sinful behavior or corrupted activity. His anger was fueled by love and bound by the Word. Jesus’ response to His emotions was always for the will of God to be accomplished in and through His life, words, and actions. Anger that does not flow out of godly love is focused on the wrong target.
  3. Jesus was in control while He was angry. He did not “see red” and lose control. He did not hold on to his anger. Jesus controlled His emotions; His emotions did not control Him.[2]

 

Walk in the Spirit, not in the flesh. Be slow to anger and you will reflect God in how you conduct yourself, even when you are experiencing the very real emotion of anger, just like Jesus Christ did in very real situations. 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.
 

This message can be listened to here:

 

This message can be viewed HERE.

 
 
 

FOOTNOTES:

 

[1] For an easily accessible study on “slow to anger,” watch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeQ1nq_YJD0.

[2] “Was Jesus ever angry?” https://www.gotquestions.org/Jesus-angry.html. Accessed July 14, 2022.


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Seize the Moment – Day 851

Today’s hymn focus will be

Where He Leads I’ll Follow

 Matthew 4:19-20(NLT)

 

Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed him.”

 

William Ogden was a gifted musician and songwriter. By the age of 10 he was able to read music and listen to a song and write out the melody, and at the age of 18, he became the choir director for his church. When the Civil War broke out, he enlisted and then organized a male choir that was known throughout the Army of the Cumberlands.

 

After the war, he resumed his study of music under some of the most prominent musicians of the day. He would go on to teach in the US and in Canada. He wrote and published this hymn in 1885.

 

            Where He leads I’ll follow, follow all the way.

            Where He leads I’ll follow, follow Jesus every day.

 

We need to wake up with this mindset, declaring our confidence in the One who saved us! His promises are sweet, and His message is one of hope, grace and love. So follow Jesus with everything you’ve got.

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.
 
If you’d like to hear the song, click on the link below:
 

Where He Leads I’ll Follow

1
Sweet are the promises,
Kind is the word,
Dearer far than any message man ever heard;
Pure was the mind of Christ,
Sinless I see;
He the great example is, and pattern for me.
 
Chorus:
Where He leads I’ll follow,
Follow all the way.
Where He leads I’ll follow,
Follow Jesus ev’ry day.
 
2
Sweet is the tender love
Jesus hath shown,
Sweeter far than any love that mortals have known;
Kind to the erring one,
Faithful is He;
He the great example is, and pattern for me. (Chorus)
 
3
List’ to His loving words,
“Come unto Me;”
Weary, heavy-laden, there is sweet rest for thee;
Trust in His promises,
Faithful and sure;
Lean upon the Savior, and thy soul is secure. (Chorus)
 

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