Mid-Day Devotion 10/6/09

“Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength.”
Isaiah 26:4

Come what may, come what must, there is no force, there is no strength that can stand against the force or the might, the power or the authority of the Lord God Almighty. Come bitter captivity and brutal iniquity, against the will and the righteousness, the judgment and the Word of the Lord it shall have no ability to stand amidst the test of time. Come evil men in their wicked ways who act through their sinful hands to oppress and to subjugate their fellow man in fearful loathing and bitter hatred they have not the capacity to challenge the Lord God of deliverance who governs the affairs of men.

This is the faithful assurance of a loving God who, through His mercy and His compassion, contends with the cause of His children, a loving and faithful God who shows them that He shall forever by the rock in which they can anchor themselves even as evil seeks to sweep them away and drown them in a sea of affliction and pain, anguish and agony, suffering and torment. He shall be the ever present, ever vigilant force for freedom and liberty in this world as He shows that there is justice in His hands and grace in His works, forever contending with the cause of His people for the sake of their righteousness.

So much so has He shown this that even as a lost and fallen humanity found itself in held by the dark power of sin, death and the Devil, kept in that captivity that would lead to the torment and the torture of the fiery pits of hell, He, through the power of that great and encompassing sacrifice, set us all free. Through Christ Jesus, His only Son, God made manifest His great love for mankind, as they were ransomed by that Cross and in that power. No longer held hostage to iniquity and transgression, by the old adversary who took them and held them in such gloomy, grim places. It was there, only there, that they found hope. A hope that could only come through the grace of God and the love of Christ as we were led by the power of the Spirit to the blessed air of liberty.

Just as He has set the soul free from all that would seek to assert its dominance over it, all that would seek to hold it amidst the chaos and the torture that could be inflicted against it, so too does He now do battle against all that would strive to hold the body and the mind, all that would seek to break the heart and crush the spirit amidst this world as evil men try to work their wicked ways. He sets Himself to the cause of the prisoner and the captive, the slave and the hostage, showing that though this world may favor the strong, He shall always and forever favor the weak, never letting them, in their anguish, suffer through the hatred that holds their life to be cheap and without value or dignity, without any integrity attached to it.

He shall always and forever favor the weak, showing them mercy and love, compassion and kindness, as He tells unto them, whispering gently into their ears, that they will never be given more than they can handle, and through His hand, even as it seems as if it is too much, too much for them to bear, He shall give them a means of escape, a way out as He leads them to righteousness.

What a promise that truly is, what a blessing that rightly must be seen as. For even when it seems like evil is on the rise and that the slow march of hatred seems to be gaining the ground we know that that is not just the end of the story, we know that that is not just how events will run its course. Even when darkness seems to be all around us, ready to engulf us and swallow us whole we know that there is more, that there is forever and always going to be more. God will work His will and work His ways throughout this world, putting such iniquity and wickedness to flight as His Spirit gives peace and comfort, grace and solace, soothing even the most troubled and afflicted, even the most tortured and tormented of souls.

As He walked with Moses, as He stood with David, as He contended with Elijah, as He held the hand of Isaiah, as He proved Himself with Christ Jesus, so too shall we see the light of life shining through when we put our faith and our trust in the power of the Lord and the promises that He has made in the devotion that He has for us. It is undying, unending, inalterable love that He shows and against it no hatred or fear, no loathing or detestable, repulsive behavior inflicted against our fellow man shall be able to stand.

What a blessed comfort and a wondrous assurance that truly is in the lives of all those who would be left to the hopeless and detestable state of captivity that would seek to destroy them and cast them away as if there was nothing of any value and importance about them, as if there was nothing significant in their lives, worth seeing or being respected, that should be honored or cherished .

Here then must we view the nature of God rightly, as the Rock of Salvation in which we can put all of our trust, all of our hope in, even as captivity comes, even as wicked men seem on the rise, even as evil tries to triumph, He shall move in and through this world, weaving Himself through the course of its events, showing that He is a God of righteousness and of mercy, a God of justice and a God of love, who shall always hold freedom and liberty in His hands, dispersing it to the lost and broken spirits that are in so much need of it.

Lord, grant this unto us all.

Now may the peace of the Lord, that transcending, encompassing peace, that peace that surpasses all human understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, even unto life everlasting, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Mid-Day Devotion 10/5/09

Christ on the Cross, Peter Paul Reubens, 1627

“I will love thee, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.”
Psalm 18:1-3

There are times of darkness, times of hardship and sorrow, agony and pain that hold the soul captive amidst this world as the spirit cries out and the body finds itself hurt and so wrought with pain, growing tired and weary in the challenges that it faces. There are times when the world, so prone to chaos, ceases to make sense and the trials and the tribulations seem so near, so overwhelming, so overshadowing as they break the heart and leave the shattered ruins of a person’s lives in its wake.

It is there that they long for some sort of comfort, for some sort of relief, as they find that their peace is ripped from their hands and their hurt has become so palpable, so real in their lives. Their voices may seem weak, almost as if a whisper or a whimper from their lips as they call out, but their cries are so loud, so real as they do, wondering where their help is, wondering if this is all that they have to expect in this life, wondering if they are going to be left to these gloomy, harsh and hard times that threaten to rob them of everything, even their life. They can’t help it as those same words called out by Christ seem to escape their lips “My God, my God, why hath thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46)

How could they not feel that amidst the desperation and the despair, amidst the destruction and the desolation that they see and feel and know so well?

Yet even amidst the darkness of brutal captivity and bitter tyranny, in whatever form it may take, there is hope. Even in the grim and harsh cruelty of the bondage that seeks to destroy the spirit and the soul, the body and the mind, as it tries to crush all that makes a person who they are, as it tries to lay to waste all that they dream of being, there is hope, and it is a wondrous, abiding hope that transcends the ages. In its hand it has the key to unlock the chains of slavery and lead captivity captive as it ransoms all the hostages and prisoners to evil and to wickedness who now find themselves in such evil and wicked places of iniquity, held within the grips of those dark forces in this world.

As we toil amidst this temporal existence and find ourselves in this earthly plane, there is always going to be the power that the wicked try to exert itself, there is always going to be a darkness and a chaos that they use as their weapons as they seek to set the world ablaze amidst the chaos that they reap and dwell off of. There are always going to be those who are ruled over by iniquity and hatred, fear and loathing as they hold humanity cheap and try to rob life of all of its dignity and its integrity.

Yet to live in faith is to abide in the undying and unending hope that there is an ever present help, an ever present force for good in this world that will end captivity and break the chains that would seek to bind us. It is to believe that there is an ever faithful and devoted power that contends with the cause and the plight of the people and never abandons them as they find them held by the contemptful forces of evil that can abide in this world. To live in faith is to find the hope that there is an inevitable triumph, and that to every crisis of the spirit, to every plight of the heart, every captivity that seeks to take people hostage, every captivity that seeks to ransom them off as if they were nothing more than a piece of property, or nothing of any real value or worth, there is a triumph. A triumph that comes to dwell amidst the people that shines a light through their souls as a beacon of hope.

That is to live in the hope, the strength and the truth of the Lord, and it will always and forever shelter His people in the shadow of His wings, according to His love and compassion, His mercy and His grace. He shall stand against the enemies that rise against His word and His people to show them that He is their strength and their deliverance in any and all things that they face.

What a wondrous blessing, what an amazing assurance it is that comes from the word of the Lord, as He proves Himself to be ever devoted, ever faithful to the cause of His people, regardless of the challenges they face, regardless of the trials and the turmoils that weighs deeply on them. There is no tribulation, there is no captivity, that He will let abide. He will set it all to flight as He draws His people close, holding them near and dear to His breast, as He gives them that comfort and that peace that they have so longed for, that they have so yearned for, through the power of His Spirit.

Therefore be strong and of good courage. Find strength and hope in the faith that you have in the Lord, knowing that He will never fail you or forsake you. He will never abandon you, He will never leave you, even as the wolves seek to devour, even as they seek to put an end to all your life and all that you had in it. God shall show His light and His truth, and His righteousness , and He shall lead His people down the path of His glory according to His grace and according to His name’s sake.

Through the power of Christ Jesus, His only begotten Son He proved that there is no power, no force in this world, of this world, or with this world that can stand against Him as he set His people free through that encompassing sacrifice that came at the Cross. No longer then were they held by the dark power of sin, death and the devil, but rather they were reconciled unto Him as He broke the chains of bondage and Christ led captivity captive. There may be we forever know that if this is the power of the Lord contending with the cause of His children, then how much more does He do for them amidst the pains and the trials of this world, as the iniquity of others tries to bring them pain, a pain that He has already released us from?

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Mid-Day Devotion 10/1/09

David, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, 1623-24

“David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee.”
1 Samuel 17:37

It doesn’t matter, the challenge or the danger, the struggles or the adversity, the trial or the plight, there is no evil that can stand between the child of God and the love of the Lord that He has for them, for He is a God of deliverance that will always and forever contend with the cause of His people in all times, in all ages, throughout the world.

This was the faithful assurance that David, the young shepherd boy from Bethlehem, put so much hope in as he looked to the greatest of challenges that was now before him. He was about to march off, to go into the valley to face Goliath, the champion of the Philistines, who stood so tall and proud on the battle field, striking fear into the hearts of even the greatest of Israel’s warriors. The boy had no idea that this would set him on a journey where this would be only the first of His struggles. Saul, the King to with whom he now spoke to, would chase him through the ends of the nation, seeking his death as David was left to hide in the caves, his son Absalom would rebel against him when he would later take the throne.

He would be caught against trying days of hurt and pain that would seek to destroy him, that would search for ways to lay waste to his spirit and his soul as hope was robbed from him and courage seemed fleeting.

Yet there would never be a day when David would give up that fundamental and basic belief that he would utter first to King Saul as he prepared to stand against the enemy of his people and his God on that battlefield, knowing that the Lord would be by His side. Perhaps it defied logic and the reason. Perhaps it defied the wisdom of this world. After all, it was spears and swords that won the day, it was armor that protected the soldier in battle from death. Yet David would have none of these. He would be protected only by the armor of the Lord and the prayer that His sling would be steady and true in the moment of truth.

By all wisdom of this world, by all the knowledge of it, David should have died that day against Goliath, and his people should have been taken captive, to be made slaves to the Philistines as they were faced with the inevitable defeat that was to come.

They were not though. Faithful to His promises and His assurances, faithful to the hope that is placed in Him, the Lord stood by David, taking his fear and his doubt and casting it away, delivering him from the hands of the Philistines just as He had “delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear.” He contended with David’s cause, and even in the most trying of times He walked beside him in the same promises He made to Moses and to Joshua, whispering gently in His ear, “There shall not any man who will be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” (Joshua 1:5)

If the promise of the Lord, faithful and true, is that He will not change and that His people will not be destroyed, (Malachi 3:6) if the promise is that “Jesus Christ,” His son, our Savior, who delivers us from captivity of the Spirit and the Soul, is “the same yesterday, and today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8), then we know that the same promises that God made unto David are the promises that He makes to His children today even amidst the days of trial and the times of struggle.

There are going to be days of challenge in this world as the forces of evil seek, through their wickedness, to take people prisoner and captive, to make them into hostages and slaves, as they laugh in the face of God and mock His righteousness and His truth through their actions. Like the Philistines they will seek to assert their dominance as they plan to take people and hold them in dark bondage. They work through this world and amidst it, asserting themselves on others and ripping their lives away from them, holding it to be cheap and without purpose or meaning, without value or integrity.

Yet God is there for His people, just as He was there for David, to deliver them from the hands of wickedness and unrighteousness, to deliver them from the dark forces of the world that would seek to hold them, that would try so desperately to destroy them. He does not just leave them amidst the dark hold of evil hands that grasp at them and choke them, draining the life and hope from them amidst their wickedness and iniquity, He does not just forget about them or say that the challenge is too hard or harsh, that the struggle is too great. He is there to shield them in His truth and His righteousness in these, their hours of greatest need, for the cause of their deliverance, in the mercy, the grace, the love and the compassion that He has for them.

So trust in the faithfulness of the Lord. Though we do not know the depth of the challenges that will be faced or the darkness that may be ahead, He shall always and forever contend blessedly with the cause of His children, offering to them hope and deliverance even in the darkest of days of trial and despair.

He is there forever, to blessedly contend with the cause of His children, offering them the miracles of His hand, for the cause of their freedom and liberty, for the cause of justice and righteousness, so that it may not fade upon this earth, among the maliced hearts and the wicked intent of unrighteous people who seek to work their will and their way, ignoring the plan of God, ignoring the love of God. He shall always and forever contend blessedly with the cause of His children, seeking their deliverance even as gloomy and dark days lay ahead, even as gloomy moments of trial and adversity, as struggle and despair lay before them, what feels like such a great weight and burden upon their soul. He will be there to lift it from them, to make light their way so that they will be delivered from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear. Just as He did for His servant David, so shall He do for His servants now, today, amidst this world.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Morning Prayer 10/1/09

Psalm 105:1-22

1 Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name;
make known among the nations what he has done.

2 Sing to him, sing praise to him;
tell of all his wonderful acts.

3 Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.

4 Look to the LORD and his strength;
seek his face always.

5 Remember the wonders he has done,
his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,

6 O descendants of Abraham his servant,
O sons of Jacob, his chosen ones.

7 He is the LORD our God;
his judgments are in all the earth.

8 He remembers his covenant forever,
the word he commanded, for a thousand generations,

9 the covenant he made with Abraham,
the oath he swore to Isaac.

10 He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree,
to Israel as an everlasting covenant:

11 "To you I will give the land of Canaan
as the portion you will inherit."

12 When they were but few in number,
few indeed, and strangers in it,

13 they wandered from nation to nation,
from one kingdom to another.

14 He allowed no one to oppress them;
for their sake he rebuked kings:

15 "Do not touch my anointed ones;
do my prophets no harm."

16 He called down famine on the land
and destroyed all their supplies of food;

17 and he sent a man before them—
Joseph, sold as a slave.

18 They bruised his feet with shackles,
his neck was put in irons,

19 till what he foretold came to pass,
till the word of the LORD proved him true.

20 The king sent and released him,
the ruler of peoples set him free.

21 He made him master of his household,
ruler over all he possessed,

22 to instruct his princes as he pleased
and teach his elders wisdom.

Mid-Day Devotion 9/29/09

“For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
John 3:20-21

God is a beacon of hope on to the world, and through His Son, Christ Jesus, He sets light upon the world shining His love, His truth, His grace, His mercy and His compassion unto the world through the power of His righteousness that guides the faithful through the murky, rocky waters of this world to the safe shores of their Heavenly Home. He is that great Lighthouse set amidst the distant seas, to guide us through the dangerous waters, to guide us all dangers that seek to afflict us, that we may be protected until that time we reach His tender, loving kindness that regardless of what may come our way, regardless of what may seek to beat against the bow of our ship, that we may know that there is nothing that can so harm us that it can rob us of that grace, nothing that can take from us that safe landing.

Yet there are those who, through their wisdom, in rejecting the light of God, seek to lurk in dark and hidden places, working evil as they try to do their own will, their own way in this world. They set sail under a gloomy banner and they keep themselves in shadowy places, hoping that that they will be able to stay just out of the range of the light, hoping to drag others to their concealed places that they may put a veil over their eyes, trying to hide them from the light and the light from them, burying them in the obscure places that they hope that God will not be able to see.

Through their actions they become agents of chaos and harm, hurt and pain, suffering and affliction as they work their wicked ways in this world, taking free men captive, persecuting the proud, violating the innocent, destroying the good, all that they may, in their own self righteousness, in their hatred and their fear, their loathing and their rejection of all that is good that they may assert their dominance on this world. Their life isn’t given to helping those in need, but in making the need greater as they take prisoners and make slaves as they become a force for evil in this world.

God though is clear, and through His Son, Christ Jesus, in the text today, makes His heart and His will known. Those who seek to hide themselves from the light, those who seek to abide in darkness, they do so far from His grace, far from His Spirit as they do what they want, believing that there are no consequences for their actions, that they will never have to be forced to take responsibility for the deeds in which they have done. Yet, for as much as they try to conceal themselves, as much as they may try to keep themselves far from sight, what is done in the darkness, it shall always be brought into the light, as His will is done on earth as it is in Heaven.

What needs to be remembered is the faithful assurances and promises of the Lord. It’s hard, at times to find oneself abiding in them when things seem so hard, when they seem so harsh and evil is on the march and wicked iniquity seems to be on the rise, and it looks as if it will have the inevitable triumph. Yet God is ever devoted and loyal to His children, contending with their cause as He dedicates Himself to their plight.

It’s here then that we know that justice will always be done and that the Lord will bring all men, all people who work wickedness and iniquity, hatred and fear as their weapons of choice in this world to justice through His divine integrity and His loving compassion, His tender mercies for His children. He will never let such evil abide for all times in all places, but rather He shall move through this world, in this day for the cause of His people to put an end to their suffering at the hands of others. He shall move in this world, never failing or forsaking the sheep of His pasture, never leaving them to the wolves unto the slaughter.

A mighty fortress, God protects His people, guarding them against unrighteousness as He searches for them in the darkness, that once more His light may shine upon their lives and they may be then brought out of the gloomy, murky estate that they are held in, to the safe places that He has intended for them. A rock of ages, He sets Himself as a firm foundation so that even in the harshest of days, even in the worst of times His light will still be anchored in their souls, giving them some measure of solace, some measure of peace in the further reaches of their soul, a understanding that cannot be taken away, come what may, come what must.

Trust therefore in the Lord and the power of His light, knowing that it is there to illuminate all places and that there is no darkness that can abide or stand against it. A loving and merciful Heavenly Father, He is always there for His people regardless of where they may be, regardless of what may hold them, and He is at work to give them hope in even the most hopeless, even the most challenging of adversity, putting to flight the unrighteousness of this world and letting His justice come to bear throughout this world.

Trust in the Lord knowing that He does not just leave His people adrift in a sea of no hope as they are left to wonder just how long it will be before they are finally engulfed by despair and hurt, hardship and pain, suffering and sorrow, as it seems like there is nothing left for them but the darkness that now overwhelms and encompasses them. A God of Deliverance, He shall always set Himself to work, moving through this world and in it for the cause of His people in all that they see, all that they know, and all that they face.

Abide therefore in His light, letting it encompass you, that hope and faith may overwhelm you, that you may stand with courage unto all the days of this age, like the saints of old and the saints to come, given the mercy and compassion, the love and kindness of the Lord.

For this is His promise, this is His assurance unto all His people.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Mid-Day Devotion 9/28/09

“Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”
1 Corinthians 2:13-14

Why? Why do men take captive other men? Why do they take them hostage, ripping them away from their homes and from their families and from all that they love and care for? Why do they ransom them off, holding their lives cheap as if it was nothing more than something to be bought and sold in the marketplace? Why do they traffic in human flesh, trading life as if it was nothing more than cattle or life stock, laying to waste lives as they strip it of all dignity? Why do they make slaves of people, robbing them of everything, even their pride?

Why do these things happen? That is the question that we so often struggle with as we hear of the plight and the struggle of the hostages and the prisoner, the captive and the slaves, those languishing in bitter agony and painful suffering as their world is ripped away from them. It all seems so senseless as their lives are held in the hands of tyrants and terrorists, pirates and dictators who would do anything it would seem to extend their power and authority, to increase their wealth and influence, to further than ambition and their agenda amidst this world.

It’s easy to just say that they are misunderstood as some people do. We have heard the argument put forward that we have the wrong idea about them or that we have misconstrued their intentions and their work because we just don’t comprehend what it is that they are doing. Some even go as far as, in some of the cases, blaming the victims, claiming the true victims are those who are taking the captives, and making prisoners out of people. After all, we just have misinterpreted their motives and what they are doing, it is argued.

It’s easy to just say that it’s because there is evil in this world, as most of us do. We look upon the chaos and the havoc that is wreaked and we are left to realize that there are wicked and vile people who give no value to life as they hold it contemptuous, as nothing more than a weapon they can use to cause hurt and pain, suffering and sorrow in this world and then throw it away as if it never mattered. We see the anguish and the agony of those despicable people who buy and sell human flesh as if there was no dignity to be held in life as it is destroyed right before us, hidden in plain sight and we know that there is evil in this world, that there is a corruption in this existence that does so much harm. It’s hard to disregard the wickedness of these people’s iniquity as they work their malicious malevolence in this world.

But it’s not just that and that alone, there is something more to it altogether…

It is a rejection of the Spirit of God, as these men embrace this world and all of the foolishness, all of the wickedness and hate, all of the fear and loathing that it can inspire. It is a rejection of everything good and righteous that the Lord offers unto this world through the power of His Spirit as they reject love and compassion, mercy and grace and instead embrace the vilest of iniquity and sin that can bring the worst sorrow.

After all, how can any who take captive abide in the Spirit when we know that where the Spirit is, there is liberty? (2 Corinthians 3:17) How can they abide in the Spirit of the Lord when we know that where the Spirit of the Lord is, men and women abide in that fundamental and basic commandment to love their neighbors, to love their fellow man as themselves? (Mark 12:28-31)

Why though is this significant for the Christian to understand? Why is this important for them to understand and to have knowledge of?

It’s because of that greatest commandment taught unto us by the Lord. As hard is it may be, and for as much evil as they work in this world the believer is called to love their fellow man as they love themselves. Take that with what we are taught in Matthew’s Gospel account as we are told that we are to love our enemy and pray for those who seek to persecute us. (Matthew 5:44)

How though do we pray for ourselves and how do we pray for the Spirit in our lives?

In the book of Psalms David offers up a prayer that should and does instruct us all as he cries out to the Lord, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.” (Psalm 51:10-13)

As hard as it may be for us, we must also pray this for those who would persecute and who would take prisoners, those who would take captives and make slaves. We do this so that the Spirit of the Lord may come upon them, creating a clean heart in them, that it may wash away the foolishness and the evil of this world. We do it so they may have the right Spirit within them, that they may put aside their wickedness and their vile ways, their sinful iniquity and their fearful loathing and come to a sincere understanding of the love of God. We do it that they may come to salvation in Christ Jesus that they may repent of their sins, and come to justice, releasing those whom they take, those whom they hold in such bitter estate amidst their dark immorality and the hatred.

We do so because we know that there is a transformative power in the Spirit of the Lord that can and will convict even the most hardened of hearts, and the most wicked of people and bring them out of the darkness and into the light. It is then that they will finally stop and the people of God, the children of God, whom He cares for so deeply will finally be made safe.

Pray earnestly therefore knowing that there is power in it and that the Lord will work His will and His ways throughout this world through the humble supplication of His people as they raise their voices up to Him. Pray for His Spirit, that Spirit that brings liberty and freedom, justice and righteousness with it, that finally the integrity will be restored to life and the dignity will no longer be robbed from the innocent as they are held in dark, hidden places. Pray with all of your heart and all of your soul, with all of your spirit and all of you mind, knowing that there is strength in the power and the precepts of the Lord and that He will not let such malice and iniquity abide for all ages in all places.

He shall, as He promises, bring His goodness, His love, and His mercy to bear and their will come a time then when, one way or another, the Spirit shall set free all prisoners and captives, slaves and hostages that are held throughout this world.

What a wondrous promise, what a blessed assurance that truly is for all to put their faith and hope, the courage and their confidence, their strength and their expectations in as they look to the Lord their God with a faithful, devoted heart, committed to His wisdom and his ways.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, Amen.

Morning Prayer 9/28/09

Psalm 89

1 I will sing of the LORD's great love forever;
with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations.

2 I will declare that your love stands firm forever,
that you established your faithfulness in heaven itself.

3 You said, "I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant,

4 'I will establish your line forever
and make your throne firm through all generations.' "
Selah

5 The heavens praise your wonders, O LORD,
your faithfulness too, in the assembly of the holy ones.

6 For who in the skies above can compare with the LORD ?
Who is like the LORD among the heavenly beings?

7 In the council of the holy ones God is greatly feared;
he is more awesome than all who surround him.

8 O LORD God Almighty, who is like you?
You are mighty, O LORD, and your faithfulness surrounds you.

9 You rule over the surging sea;
when its waves mount up, you still them.

10 You crushed Rahab like one of the slain;
with your strong arm you scattered your enemies.

11 The heavens are yours, and yours also the earth;
you founded the world and all that is in it.

12 You created the north and the south;
Tabor and Hermon sing for joy at your name.

13 Your arm is endued with power;
your hand is strong, your right hand exalted.

14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
love and faithfulness go before you.

15 Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you,
who walk in the light of your presence, O LORD.

16 They rejoice in your name all day long;
they exult in your righteousness.

17 For you are their glory and strength,
and by your favor you exalt our horn.

18 Indeed, our shield belongs to the LORD,
our king to the Holy One of Israel.

Mid-Day Devotion 9/25/09

"This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other.' "But they refused to pay attention; stubbornly they turned their backs and stopped up their ears. They made their hearts as hard as flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the LORD Almighty had sent by his Spirit through the earlier prophets. So the LORD Almighty was very angry. "'When I called, they did not listen; so when they called, I would not listen,' says the LORD Almighty.’I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations, where they were strangers. The land was left so desolate behind them that no one could come or go. This is how they made the pleasant land desolate.' "
Zechariah 7:9-14

Short of the salvation that is granted through the life, sacrifice and death of Christ Jesus, His only begotten and beloved Son, given at the cross and made complete with his resurrection, conquering the power of sin, death and the Devil before his ascension to the right hand of the Throne of Might on High, one of the greatest of ways that the Lord shows His love onto His children is in how He instructs them to love one another. After all, the greatest of commandments is that we love the Lord our God with all of our hearts and all of our souls and all of our might, the second though is like unto it, that we love our brothers and our sisters, that we love our fellow man as we love ourselves. (Mark 12:28-31)

This is the means in which justice is truly administered and compassion and mercy is shown. As love, that transcending love of God that is given through the power of the Spirit in our lives, comes to encompass us we dedicate ourselves to being a force for God and for His goodness and His benevolence, abandoning the sin of our former selves and the shameful delight of its vanity, selfishness and self-righteousness. We become a force for freedom rather than a shameful oppressor, we offer ourselves for the cause of liberty rather than the cause of hatred, we seek justice rather than seek fear, and, in all things, through all things, we devote ourselves to the cause of the captives and the slaves held in dark bondage and cruel subjugation.

There are many ways the dark prince of this world afflicts his captivity on this world, binding the hearts and the souls, the bodies and the minds of men and women. Through his dark powers he ties the hands of people and he straps a stone to their neck, casting them amidst a sea of trouble then watching with delight as they drown, the hope drained from them as the old adversary, through his grim hold, asserts his dominance on this world. The war he wages may be a spiritual conflict, it may be a battle for the soul, but he will try to break not just the soul and the spirit, not just the heart and the essence of a person, but the body and the mind as well, hoping the shatter them to their very core.

To deal then in love with your fellow man held in such captivity, held hostage by the power of the Devil, regardless of how that hostility is made manifest by him, is the calling for every Christian, for every faithful child of God, hearing the voice of Christ in their heart through the Spirit moving with them. Make no mistake, to ignore it, to refuse to pay attention to it, to pretend as if does not matter, constitutes an act of betrayal against God and His Holy Word and Divine Commands.

In Zechariah we hear the account of the Prophet talking about how the Lord told his people to care for the widows and the fatherless, the aliens and the poor and not to oppress them, and how they ignored him. It’s clear though that by God’s words and by His careful admonition that His judgment was solely upon those who did oppress and those who did make slaves of those who were in need. It was upon all who turned a blind eye to it as well, and who refused to show compassion and mercy, those who refused to administer true justice. After all, a sin of omission is just as much a sin as a sin of commission.

Is that really how we want to consider our lives? Given to turning a blind eye to suffering and affliction, sorrow and pain, anguish and agony amidst the captivity of this world? As the ones who could have dedicated themselves to pushing back against the dark power of the old adversary as he takes prisoners and hostages by his evil authority but who turned their back, believing it was someone else’s job or someone else’s calling or duty or obligation to administer true justice and show mercy and compassion? Is that really how God would want us to use the gifts He has given us?

If we are truly called to be imitators of Christ, if we truly are called to live our lives as He lived His, then the answer we must forever and always come to is “No”. We are called to something better and more as we dedicate our lives to ending captivity and to being a force for justice, mercy, compassion, and liberty in this world, regardless of whether it is a captivity of the body, the mind, the spirit or the soul.

Yes these days… the days may be long and the struggles great as we toil amidst this world against the forces of evil that would seek to devour and destroy. But even in that, we know we have the Lord God Almighty listening to our prayers and hearing our calls. He shall then answer them, shining His light and His love as a beacon amidst the darkest of places, even in the darkest of hours that would seek to so afflict people in their greatest need. A God who would never ask us to go it alone, we know that He truly is the Spirit of liberty and justice and where He is freedom shall reign. There we know that as we hear His words telling us to be this force for His will in the world, this voice for His calling in this temporal existence, we will not be alone nor will we be left to face the challenges alone. He shall walk beside us and He shall, through His Holy Hand administer His justice against the wicked and the vile, against the evils of this age and all ages.

Trust then that Rock of Ages know that this is the blessed assurance of our calling from the Lord, a true and faithful promise that we know through His calling. Therefore put your hope and your trust in it, knowing that God does not fail or forsake those who work according to His will to put an end to oppression. He is there to put to flight the acts of corruption that would so violate His commands of love as He works as an ever vigilant force for good in this world.

Blessed be His Holy Name for that.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and Of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

No Show Today

Because of technical problems at Blog Talk Radio, we are unable to do a show today. God willing, we will be back tomorrow. Please continue to pray for the hostages as always.

Mid-Day Devotion 9-22-09

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
Romans 12:1 and 2

All too often there are those who conform themselves to this world, abandoning the path of righteousness and letting themselves be tools for wickedness and iniquity. They seek not the Lord and His wisdom, nor Christ and his love nor do they try to find the Spirit and that peace that comes through it. Instead they let themselves become a force for evil and for sin as they put themselves and their will above the will of our Heavenly Father. And there, though they may pretend as if it is somehow different, they establish themselves to be gods with power over life and power over death, dominating through misery and despair every step that is taken.

They hold men and women in captivity, ransoming them or selling them, using them as slaves and as property, asserting their dominance over them as if it was meant to be them, not the Lord God Almighty who is meant to control the destinies and fate of mankind. They hold nothing sacred but themselves and their own power as they do what they want, when they want with no thought or consideration as to anything but themselves as they make light of humanity and rip the innocence away from those whom they come in contact with, those whom they touch. In the end they leave nothing but the hollow, shallow frame of their victims in their path, or the broken forms of their bodies all around them.

They conform not only to this world and to the evil that can be present in it but they seek to transform it into their own heavy, dark image as they try to set a fog about it that our eyes will be unable to see the works of their hands and the deeds of their hearts as they move around us, causing so much hurt and pain, suffering and sorrow, agony and anguish. They set the world ablaze through the chaos of their hands so that when it is done, from the ashes, they can remake every place in their own grim, dark image.

But then, through the history of humanity, it’s so often how it ends up happening when we follow our own path, letting the unrighteousness and the wickedness of the prince of this world overtake us. We establish ourselves to be the highest authority, we create for ourselves false idols and false gods to justify what we are doing, false gods made in our own image, whether its power or money or our own political agenda and we completely forsake the nature of humanity with all of the value that the Lord, our God, places in it. In the end all it causes is pain and torment as we think only of ourselves and our own gratification, never stopping to consider the effects that it has on anyone else’s life.

Then why would we? This, after all, is what our false gods demand of us.

A captivity of the spirit and a captivity of the soul…

Here, what we have to remember is that every captive and prisoner, every slave and hostage, they are held by those who are taken captive as well. By their conformation to this world and the prince of it they have let their spirit and their souls be taken captive and held hostage by the force of evil, an authority that forces them into their wicked actions, because of their unwillingness to break free or to seek that which will give them liberty, by their own unwillingness to be transformed by the presence that ransoms all those who are taken hostage by the forces of sin, death and the devil. Through their rejection of what is good and their acceptance of that which is evil as they become agents of misery they ensure their own captivity through their thoughts, words and deeds, holding themselves in the darkest of places that afflicts not just their victims to distress but themselves as well.

This is why we pray for all to be moved by a sincere repentance, because the compassion and the mercy of the Lord demands that we do. We do so not because we accept what these men of darkness do nor because we somehow believe it is right or anything less than pure evil. We do it because they, through their works, have set themselves captive and only when they are ransomed by the love of Christ and his great sacrifice is an end put to their wicked ways and to ensure the freedom of all hostages and prisoners, all captives and slaves. It’s only then that finally a true and lasting sense of freedom is sought.

Just as we seek not to conform to this world but to be transformed by the everlasting love of the Lord through and by the power of His Holy and Divine Spirit, let us pray also that all those who, in their wickedness, working their vile ways throughout this world are also transformed that they may find the errors of their ways and come to finally know that their ways are not God’s way and their judgments are not God’s judgment. Let us pray that though evil fills their heart they may come to know the hatred and the fear that they have inflicted on this world that they may finally come to know the hatred and the fear that Satan has so darkened their hearts with. Let us pray that they see their evil for what it truly is, a rejection of all that is good and righteous, a rejection of all that is given in love and compassion, and have hope that finally they too shall be set free.

We may not understand how the captivity of their spirit works nor may we understand how their souls have been taken hostage, disgusted by their acts and by all that they have done to cause misery and pain, yet we what we must understand is that when the Spirit of the Lord moves there is freedom, there is a lasting sense of liberty and it overtakes. This is the best force for true freedom in this world, and when it is at work God reveals His truth even to the most wicked of men who have worked in the most contemptuous ways to let them finally understand the true cost and the true toll of their deeds, transforming them from evil calling to set those that they hold in their tight grip free.

So seek to pray that these who work such wickedness and iniquity in this world may come to be transformed and made whole that once they do they shall no longer move with such vileness in their ways but shall seek to set all their hostages and prisoners, all their captives and slaves free, bringing themselves to justice so they can answer for the crimes that they have committed against their fellow man and all of humanity.

In this then true justice will finally be served and a lasting and abiding sense of hope shall overtake and overshadow the dark presence at work in this world, shining the light of the Lord and the love of Christ and the peace of the Spirit in all of the hidden, murky places that we know exist in this world and through this world. It will be then that there will be no captivity that shall so bind and capture the innocent, no captivity that will rob them of their dignity and their lives, just an abiding understanding that we are called to be transformed by the Spirit through the sacrifice of Christ that calls us to the greatest possible love.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.