I read Numbers 31 and simply laugh because I could come up with no other emotion. As I read through scripture, I am blown away at how God just comes to a point that he says, “enough” and destroys everything, everyone, and often anything. If someone ever says that God is against war. . . .hmmm.
The next section of reading is Psalms 33. Verse ten says, “The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever. . . Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord . . .”
The Midianite people were responsible for enticing Israel into Baal worship. God decided that they should be destroyed; not just their army or for a takeover of the land, but women, children, personal property etc.
Is my nation like the Midianites? What is the Lord’s plan? Will our nation’s plan be “foiled” because our “Baal” is arrogance, money, things? All I know is that I am glad I am saved and I know the score in the end.
Jesus – Please steer me from sin. Please deal with the sin I have in a renewing of my mind.

It has been a long time since I read a piece of scripture so many times. Hebrews 9:11-28 is worth the time to read it over and over; if not to memorize it, then to fully grasp its meaning.
God is showing me the difference between the old and new covenant – Moses’ law vs. Jesus’ grace. The thing that I walk away with (the reason for reading it so many times) is the inner-workings of the blood. We used to sing, “. . .there is power in the blood, power in the blood. . .” and hear, “Jesus’ blood washed away your sin”. But what does that mean?

I don’t necessarily have any scripture to support this but it is fun to think about:
What if:
God connects with me through my blood. In Genesis, God said to Cain, “I HEARD your brother’s blood calling out to me”. Many, other scriptures refer to the blood as “life”. It is almost as if God made our blood the house of the Holy Spirit.
Could it be that Jesus shedding his blood released his spirit to the world in a physical manner?. Then God (at Pentecost) gave Christ’s blood (the Holy Spirit) permission to live in and through our lives (blood). Jesus’ has given his LIFE not just to save us from the consequence of sin but to give us HIS life. The symbolism of this section of scripture. . .WOW!!
Makes me want to never bleed. . .Ha Ha.

I feel fortunate to get this section of scripture and the time to really study it. I want revenge Lord!! Psalm 58 (an imprecatory or cursing Psalm) is a mindset that I often find myself in. “Lord destroy that, bring him down, that is of Satan. . .AHHHHH!!”
I so often feel that our spiritual world is unjust. I am reminded through scripture who wins in the end but Satan is such a. . . he is so. . .he is a LIAR and needs to be taken down just like the men in authority that David writes about.
After getting fired up reading Psalms, I turn to Proverbs 23:12:
“Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to word of knowledge.”
This is so ironic to me. The people that David is writing about in Psalms lack the understanding and wisdom that Solomon writes in this verse. Oh ya, then I look at myself, my life, my heart and mind. I then get to see that I often think that I know better, that I can do it better. “Listen to me you fools” or “this is how it should go”.
The people likely to gain knowledge are those who are willing to listen. If I do not listen to wisdom from the word, other believers and such, I become eager to “have justice” done instead of having love be so powerful that it blinds the evil from peoples’ eyes. “Listen to me you fools” becomes “Don’t you see the consistency, truth, and love that Jesus has for you. . .you fools?” Ha Ha!!

I so often talk to people, read the word, listen to a pastor or speaker talk with an attitude of, “I know”. Or worse, “You’re not right, the word says bla, bla, bla. I read this scripture when the Holy Spirit rocked my world.

“Contend, oh Lord, with those that contend with me. . .
May those who seek my life be disgraced and put to shame;
May those who plot my ruin be turned back in dismay.”

I finished reading Psalm 35 with a similar feeling as David calling on God to deal with my enemies, my problems, the world around me.
As I started to think about all of these items, I turned my mind to the things that are ACTUALLY bringing me the anxiety, pain, and frustration I feel.

Prayer: Jesus, the only enemy I need you to “contend with” is me - my thoughts, my actions, my issues. Please let my mind be yours. The battle is for my mind. Renew my mind to you only. All the enemies will go away as I seek and trust you.

I often think I know the word so well with the huge mistake of no application. It is the old analogy of knowing everything there is to know about a car but never putting gas into the car to make it run. If Jesus isn’t my gas, I am a pile of metal missing my whole reason to even exist.

If only I had the ability to memorize scripture. Romans chapter 6 would be one I would memorize. I take a deep breath when I hear a person say to me, “But I am giving up so much” or, “I keep doing the same sin over and over”. God, thank you for the book of Romans - one of the most important books of the Bible but one of the most misunderstood at the same time.
If one could grasp the concept of their old self dieing and a new person being made. “Count yourself dead to sin” (6:11) means that we should regard our old sinful nature as dead and unresponsive to sin. I am no longer obligated to respond to my sin and can live completely free in the Grace of Jesus. I don’t HAVE TO go to church. I don’t HAVE TO give money. I don’t HAVE TO pray. I do these things out of love, thanksgiving, respect, honor and worship to the one that first loved me. Instead of “giving up anything” or “continuing in sin” I live in response to the Holy Spirit’s work in my heart and mind. Praise Jesus I AM FREE!!!

It seems war is the only thing that we hear about anymore. War is everywhere. Second Kings Chapter 3 reminds me of three things: (1) War has always been and always will be as long as men do not know Jesus. (2) Governments do not seem to use “a prophet of the Lord” in decision making as they did in this story. (3) When the Lord is on your side, you cannot lose.
Brett spoke last Sunday on two ships; a battle ship and a Cruz line. It is funny how it roles into this section of scripture. His message was a good reminder to me that just as our military takes care of people; they are also in a constant state of alertness against the enemy. I am no different. Just as these men needed water to help in winning their battle, I need the constant still small voice of God quenching my thirst for truth and crushing the evil that I fight against everyday. If I do not “drink”, I do not win. Simple formula if you ask me. BATTLE STATIONS!!!

WISDOM. . .Probably one of those words that when used makes everybody stop. . .analyze. . .think. . .analyze some more. . .and then try to prove the “wise-guy” wrong. It isn’t, “He is really smart” or “Boy, that lady really has it together”. It is wisdom, WISDOM!!
When I read in John 14:26 that I will not be able to know the things of Christ unless I have the Holy Spirit, it makes the worlds use of the word ‘wisdom’ seem comic. “He is able to out-think common man, to understand the workings of the world, he can even bring together the emotions of a husband and wife. It’s a bird, no, it’s a plane, no, it’s WISDOM MAN!!”
I know the Bible is true because the Holy Spirit gave the disciples the words to write. I know when I read these words that the Holy Spirit will plant truth in my mind, show me God’s simple and perfect will and (the wisdom part) reminds me when I stray from it.
It’s funny. The Bible gives us wisdom and wisdom says to read the Bible. It sounds like a big snow-ball effect right through the gates of Heaven. What a ride!!

What if I responded to everything the Holy Spirit ever told me. I would be “Super Christian Man”, able to defeat sin in a single wave of my really thick Bible and a blast of my look-at-how-faithful-I-am stretch suit shooter thingy.
I read Psalm 97:10 and think of a math problem – let X=12. “Let those that love the Lord, hate evil”. I so often hear from Christian people about all the stuff that we want God to do for us and then we will do something for him. “God we need good weather for this function to be successful.” “God make me well and I will serve you”. What if I had a sincere desire to please God that will result in his work living through us. “I will glorify you despite the weather”. “As long as this body can move, I will glorify you.” Maybe then God’s desires will align perfect with mine. . .or is it the other way around?

Pray: Lord, your will be done because I am not smart enough.

I will look back when I am 90 years old and laugh about this over and over.
I was in my fifth year of full-time ministry. I took a strong group of kids hiking around the Tetons. On our way home, ridding in two non-air conditioned short busses in 115 degree heat, we decided to stop at a Wendy’s for some cold frosties. I sat at a table with a bunch of South Eugene High kids engaging them in a conversation about truth. I finally got from them that they believed that there was no truth. “Everything in the world can be proven false” they said. This was an easy one for me – been through this a hundred times. . .I thought. I took a frosty cup and slid it across the table. “Did I just slide that cup across the table?” I asked. One girl, excited to show off her “intellect” said, “We assume so, although the table could have moved under the cup”. . . huh??
These types of crazy stories go on forever. Proverbs 12:19 says, “Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment”. I explained to the kids that I understood their argument despite how ridiculous it was but for something to be true, it had to be timeless, tested and approved. I know something is true when it applied 1000 years ago and will apply 1000 years from now. I know something is true when it is measured against something (the Bible) that has never been shown to have error. Most of all, I know it is truth because it will resemble the truth maker, God. There really is no such thing as false. False is really just lack of truth or lack of God. Darkness is just lack of light. Cold is lack of heat. Something is only false when you choose to take truth away.
Thank you Jesus for giving us your truth. Thank you God for making it easy for us.

Moving into my tenth year as a missionary, I can relate to the twelve disciples in the beginning of Luke chapter nine. “. . .if people do not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave their town as a testimony against them.”
I started work with this idea that I, with the power of Jesus, was going to get every kid on South Eugene’s campus saved. What high school kid could resist this powerful message that I was so eloquently delivering to them? . .boy, was I wrong about the whole thing, especially the “eloquently delivered” part.
In this great book, Jesus reminds us over and over about his love for every person that walks this Earth. He reminds us that you can’t force someone to love you. You can’t persuade someone to love you. You can’t eloquently deliver a message to someone and expect them to respond. People have to hear truth and love and more importantly SEE truth and love before they can fall in love with truth and love. Thank you Jesus for this reminder. There are hundreds of kids that by just knowing who I am hate me. It sure is fun to show them love but I have freedom in being a disciple of God to not throw my pearls to swine. There are people that just don’t want to know the truth but there are thousands that crave it. Hard to understand, but true. I am a long way from being a great evangelist. All I know is that I want to love on the person that is right in front of me so they can see Christ in and through me. Right now that is my wife . . YES HONEY, I WILL CHANGE THE BABY!!