Gal. 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

Gal. 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Welcome To The Light-Washed Path,

(quoted from yesterday’s devotional)

Jesus didn’t just leave us the example of Kindness, He left us the Spirit of Kindness. That’s why it’s called a Fruit of the Spirit. And it’s the cruelty of religion, under which people toil to attain moral perfection from human corruption. Like making a silk purse from a sow’s ear. But what joyous freedom when the truth sets you free to realize that the Spirit is at work in you to induce Jesus’ moral forces in your heart, to bolster your own weak virtues. You’ll always be a better steward of the Fruit than a grower of the Fruit.

Christians must get a hold of this concept: Trials do not develop the Fruit of the Spirit within us. The Fruit of the Spirit is already matured in Christ. Trials merely bring us to our knees where we both realize and remember. We realize that from within ourselves there is no moral excellence that can perform God’s righteousness. You have to start there. And then we remember in the moment of the trial, that God loves us, and our sufficiency is from Him. In short, the love, joy, peace, longsuffering (patience), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, which sustained Him through His earthly trial, are resident in us. These are all the moral attributes of His Love towards us.

As we let him love us by humbling ourselves in truth and worshipping Him in prayer, His character arises with our weakness upon His shoulders. It’s His love, His joy, His peace, His patience, His kindness, goodness and faithfulness, His gentleness and self-control that go to work in us. Nowhere in scripture are we told that God expects us to grow these fruits or develop these qualities. Does He expect us to manifest them? Yes! But by yielding to them as good stewards of our relationship with Him; not by cultivating them. He has furnished us with all the moral excellence of Christ in the Spirit He has given us.

2 Cor. 3:5 Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God,

2 Cor. 3:6 who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

Look again at 2 Co 3:6. Our adequacy does not come as a result of doing our best to follow the letter of the Word (commendable as that motive may be). But we don’t begin to achieve adequacy until we allow the Holy Spirit to flow in us with the Life of Christ. Moral perfection and excellence are already realities in the Holy Spirit. God is simply looking for yielded sons and daughters through which He might display them to the glory of His Son.

The Fruit of the Spirit doesn’t even arise as a result of denying self in the fires of trial. It’s not death but Life from which the Fruit springs. It’s the Life of the Spirit that we yield to, which carries the Fruit into manifestation. The only thing our trials do is bring us to a point where we finally break from insisting on doing it all ourselves.

Trials simply serve as an opportunity to peel our white-knuckled grip from the controls so we can take God’s Hand.

We give into the Lord through repentance over self-works and accept His grace by allowing the Spirit to work. What utter joy and relief to finally come to the point of this realization. This is the insiders’ secret to Christianity!

2 Cor. 12:9 And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.

More to come tomorrow, so until then…

Stay On The Path!

Tags: A list of devotionals by chronological order, Our Identification In Christ by Nick Champlin
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Gal. 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

Gal. 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Welcome To The Light-Washed Path,

Look at that list of enviable qualities and understand correctly what you are considering. These are manifestations of the Jesus’ character, not human virtues. The Bible clearly states that…

Is. 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

The Fruit of the Spirit are not manners to develop but forces of grace to use. And in using these divinely imparted graces we may conform under their influence, but we’ll never achieve them apart. For these fruits are not achievements but stewardships. They flow from the Presence of God as the very forces of Christ’s life. They are ridden, not developed. From the very heart of the scripture comes the principle of God’s Spirit, issuing forth the forces of Life, as divine currents, flowing through the lives of faithful worshippers:

John 7:38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

John 7:39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive…

John 4:14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springingup into everlasting life.

Prov. 4:23 Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.

Wise and happy is the Christian who learns that Love is not a level of performance but a gift from the Father - one that is given to be used. Love will fill the heart of a recipient, empowering him to act under it’s influence. Joy is not human happiness - dependent as it is on happenings. But it’s the indelible and irrepressible state of God’s confidence. When you learn to receive it from God you can have it even when you’re unhappy.

Is. 51:11 Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.

It doesn’t sound like they cheered themselves up, but Joy was upon them.

Many believers think that the Fruit of the Spirit is developed under the pressure of trials. You hear many Christians saying that God has them in the vice of trials, or the furnace of affliction, or breaking them in the valley in order to develop the Fruit of the Spirit in them, or the character of Christ. But if all this impressive death-to-self produces the Fruit of the Spirit then maybe these pure and noble qualities do exist in the filthy righteousness of man after all. And maybe all we need is a sufficient crushing until we’re ready to give into our “good side”. Maybe the arduous religion of death and legalism is what we really needed all along. For those who think this way, here’s Paul’s comment:

Gal. 2:21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

Paul taught that we are able to successfully endure the violent cycles of life, yet remain consistently governed by the Fruit of the Spirit, THROUGH the power of Christ, not for the approval of Christ.

Phil. 4:12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

Phil. 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Jesus didn’t just leave us the example of Kindness, He left us the Spirit of Kindness. That’s why it’s called a Fruit of the Spirit. And it’s the cruelty of religion under which people toil to attain moral perfection from human corruption. Like making a silk purse from a sow’s ear. But what joyous freedom when the truth sets you free to realize that the Spirit is at work in you to induce Jesus’ moral forces in your heart, to bolster your own weak virtues. You’ll always be a better steward of the Fruit than a grower of the Fruit.

Tomorrow we’ll learn a little more, so until then…

Stay On The Path!

Tags: A list of devotionals by chronological order, Our Identification In Christ by Nick Champlin
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Gal. 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

Gal. 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Welcome To The Light-Washed Path,

The fruit of the Spirit is the characteristic of Christ manifest in us as we yield to the Spirit’s influence. The fruit of the Spirit is NOT our human virtues, sufficiently honed, until they resemble the character of Christ. The fruit of the Spirit isn’t so much the development of human character as it is the stewardship of God’s character. You don’t become more patient as much as you yield to patience. James writes (Amplified Bible translation):

James 1:3 Be assured and understand that the trial and proving of your faith bring out endurance and steadfastness and patience.

James 1:4 But let endurance and steadfastness and patience have full play anddo a thorough work, so that you may be [people] perfectly and fully developed [with no defects], lacking in nothing.

The idea here is that Patience is a virtue of Christ that is ready to operate in the life of the sincere Christian. It is there as a fruit of the Spirit - a manifestation of divine character, on tap in the believer’s life. The reference is not so much to any virtue of patience native to the believer, but rather to the indwelling quality of the Holy Spirit. The admonition isn’t to be patient as much as it is to allow the Spirit’s patience to rise in you during a time of trial. This principle is true of all the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, longsuffering (patience), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. They are all forces of the life of Christ, residing in you, and not just goals for your own virtues to attain.

It is so easy to misunderstand the scriptures that talk to us about being Christ-like. So many Christians have the misguided impression that the way godly character develops in a follower of Christ is by struggling under the pressure of trials to develop our own character until it resembles the images of Christ’s character, which the Holy Spirit illuminates for us. But not only is that wrong, it leads to religious futility and bondage. Hear what Paul cries in Romans:

Rom. 7:18 For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot perform it. [I have the intention and urge to do what is right, but no power to carry it out.]

Paul then goes on into Romans 8 and explains that his freedom came as he allowed Christ in Him to provide the goodness of character, as he walked after the power of the Holy Spirit. The idea being that the Holy Spirit enters the life of a believer, bringing with Him the full influence of Jesus’ character, and ready to provide us with the fruit of His character as we yield to Him.

Paul struggled through great trials trying to be Christ-like and develop the fruit of the Spirit. But he couldn’t do it, and was driven to frustration trying. Unfortunately, at this point many Christians give up, feeling they are failures, or worse yet, that God has failed them. But Paul went on to realize that the Holy Spirit had already brought the qualities of Christ into his life, and all he needed to do was learn to yield to them. What a great concept. We get to display Christ’s character, as our own, without having to make our own virtues - rotten as they are - produce perfection.

Years ago as a Pastor, I was moved when a woman in our congregation stood up in church and exclaimed that she was weary of being so unhappy in her walk, and realized that she had been trying too hard to please God. She went on to say that surely the Lord had a resting-place in Himself where she could be what He wanted from her. My wife herself also experienced those struggles, being frustrated between the expectation of godly character and the failure of human virtue. Until she realized that trials were not designed to force our flawed character to become Christ-like, but rather to bring us to dependency upon the Holy Spirit. For He is ready to release the power of His character in us when we yield to Him.

She was so right. The fruit of the Spirit isn’t what we become so much as it is what we possess. Tomorrow we’ll look at the how-to portion of this simple, but great truth. Until then…

Stay On The Path!

Nick Champlin

Tags: A list of devotionals by chronological order, Our Identification In Christ by Nick Champlin
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Deut. 8:18 “But you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

Eph. 5:3 But immorality (sexual vice) and all impurity [of lustful, rich, wasteful living] or greediness must not even be named among you, as is fitting andproper among saints (God’s consecrated people).

1 Tim. 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all evils; it is through this cravingthat some have been led astray and have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves through with many acute [mental] pangs.

Materialism – A tendency to consider material possessions and physical comfort as more important that spiritual values. – Oxford American Dictionary

Prosperity - 1: an economic state of growth with rising profits and full employment 2: the condition of prospering; having good fortune [syn: successfulness]

Welcome To The Light-Washed Path,

At the center of distinguishing Materialism from Biblical Prosperity lies this simple divine formula:

Matt. 6:19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

Matt. 6:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

Matt. 6:21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Your treasure is the thing you value most. You can tell what your treasure is because it’s the thing that will ultimately determine your decisions. You will always choose in favor of your treasure because it’s the thing that holds your heart. When you stand at a crossroads you’ll decide in favor of your treasure and give up something else instead. When other things are your treasure you’ll disobey and disregard the Lord, no matter how much you love Him, because your heart rests in those other things. But when the Lord is your treasure you’ll let go of anything else, if necessary, no matter how much you love it, if it interferes with your heart’s pursuit of Him.

Matt. 13:44 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.

We always declare that Jesus is Lord, but that isn’t the issue, is it? The real issue is whether He is your Treasure. Because the Kingdom of God upon Earth depends upon whether He is treasured in our hearts. No Treasure, –no Kingdom. Know Treasure, know Kingdom. Once Jesus became the true Treasure of the man’’s heart he gladly unloaded other things in order to possess it. At that point the man becomes an actual piece of living real estate in the Kingdom of God –- one of Heaven’’s mobile Embassies in the world. Jesus doesn’t really possess our heart until we make him our Treasure. Then we become biblically prosperous – we flourish, rooted in our newly purchased field, bought with the proceeds of our surrendered former treasures.

Psa. 92:12 The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

Psa. 92:13 Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.

The Lord never said you couldn’t have both, Him and “other things” at the same time. He said you couldn’t handle 2 treasures at the same time. If you make the world, and its monetary system, your treasure it’s all you’’ll have, because the world can’t buy you salvation. But if you make the Lord your Treasure He’’ll add other things to you, for your enjoyment, because He knows you are truly devoted to His Kingdom above all else. And you’’ll serve your First Love with the prosperity He adds to you.

Matt. 6:24 No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stand by and be devoted to the one and despise and be against the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (deceitful riches, money, possessions, or whatever is trusted in).

Materialism is trying to feed the big hole in your empty heart with the things of the world. You’’ll die hungry. But prosperity is enjoying your relationship with Jesus and sharing its proceeds with the world.

Jesus said that God should have your heart. He should be your chief treasure, above all things, for then Heaven will have another presence upon the earth. It’’ll be in you because you are uncorrupted by the love of materialism. And when you’’re free of materialism then you are qualified to feed the Lord’’s lambs.

John 21:15 So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.

Stay On The Path!

Tags: A list of devotionals by chronological order, Challenge, Conviction & Encouragement by Nick Champlin
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Deut. 8:18 “But you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

Eph. 5:3 But immorality (sexual vice) and all impurity [of lustful, rich, wasteful living] or greediness must not even be named among you, as is fitting andproper among saints (God’s consecrated people).

1 Tim. 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all evils; it is through this cravingthat some have been led astray and have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves through with many acute [mental] pangs.

Materialism – A tendency to consider material possessions and physical comfort as more important that spiritual values. – Oxford American Dictionary

Prosperity - 1: an economic state of growth with rising profits and full employment 2: the condition of prospering; having good fortune [syn: successfulness]

Welcome To The Light-Washed Path,

Both Lust and Desire spring from Want. Both words describe a passion, whether passive or aggressive. If there is a distinction between the two it is a moral or spiritual one. And their source, as well as the object of their passion distinguishes them. In other words what you desire and why you desire it can determine if you are lusting or simply desiring.

It’’s in a Biblical context the distinctions between Lust and Desire become clearer.

Biblically, Lust is associated with passionate desires for what is considered evil:

1 Cor. 10:6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lustafter evil things…

Lust is associated with desire for things banned by the Word of God:

Rom. 7:7 …Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust,except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet.

Lust is associated with desires that emanate from physical cravings which have no concern for moral limitations, and will most certainly place the person under sin, who gives into their demands:

Gal. 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

James 1:14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

James 1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

The power of Lust is the power of the world that exists in a state of rebellion against God:

2 Pet. 1:4 …having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

1 John 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

1 John 2:17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

So to summarize, Lust is the craving for things without regard for relationship with God or His Laws. In this sense one may lust for certain things that are natural appetites, even essential human needs. But in their desire for these things they bypass any obligation to God or consideration that He may have a prohibition, provision or purpose that addresses this desire.

Simple Desire on the other hand is very much a critical element in our relationship with God. He built desire into us. Desire is often the voice of our purpose crying for guidance and fulfillment. Here are some verses that show the function and necessity of Desire in the life of a Believer:

Desire motivates people to seek the things of God. Without Desire God’s people would stagnate and fail to take their ordained place in God’s purpose for us:

1 Pet. 2:2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:

Prov. 18:1 Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh andintermeddleth with all wisdom.

Through Desire God leads His people to reach forward and endeavor to attain purposes He would have them fulfill. The significant purposes of God are reserved for those who would, through their desire, be willing to endure any process to enter into them. God wants us to cultivate our Desire for His purposes to point that they are our passions. Thus God meets us at the point of our Desire. This is a VERY important point because it dispels the false notion that God simply bestows His will upon us solely based upon slavish attachment to a mechanical timetable.

Heb. 11:16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

1 Cor. 14:1 Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy.

1 Tim. 3:1 This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work.

Even prayer is regulated by Desire. Effective praying is far more dependent upon Desire than it is upon scriptural correctness.

Mark 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

Desire that is focused upon God does not corrupt our character in pursuit of its fulfillment. People who come to God with their desires are willing to conform to His dealings. But Lust draws people off the path of righteousness in its pursuit. In other words, people who ignore God in pursuit of their desires, and simply turn to the world for gratification, open themselves to having their character polluted. Many believers have allowed themselves to become corrupted because they became tired of having to filter their desires through the “will of God”. The primary distinction between Lust and Desire is the God-factor – looking to Him for approval and provision. The Christian with godly desires wants the will of God above all. The Christian who is yielding to Lust doesn’t want God to have the opportunity to interfere with their desires. The truth is that Lust always leads to sorrow and emptiness and (godly) Desire results in fulfillment. The Lord is not cheap nor is He afraid that His love and goodness are so weak that they are incapable of holding a believer who is being blessed by Him. In short, the Lord knows the hearts of true believers will not be corrupted if He grants then the desires of their hearts, because He Himself is their chief love.

Prov. 10:22 It is the blessing of the LORD that makes rich, and He adds no sorrow to it.

Stay On The Path!

Tags: A list of devotionals by chronological order, Challenge, Conviction & Encouragement by Nick Champlin
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Deut. 8:18 “But you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

Eph. 5:3 But immorality (sexual vice) and all impurity [of lustful, rich, wasteful living] or greediness must not even be named among you, as is fitting andproper among saints (God’s consecrated people).

1 Tim. 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all evils; it is through this cravingthat some have been led astray and have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves through with many acute [mental] pangs.

Materialism – A tendency to consider material possessions and physical comfort as more important that spiritual values. – Oxford American Dictionary

Prosperity - 1: an economic state of growth with rising profits and full employment 2: the condition of prospering; having good fortune [syn: successfulness]

Welcome To The Light-Washed Path,

True Biblical Prosperity is quite different from the world’s view, which is measured by accumulation of wealth. But Biblical Prosperity is an effect of our relationship with God. That doesn’t mean that if you have a good relationship with the Lord you’ll accumulate wealth, as though God is simply a means to riches.

1 Tim. 6:5 Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.

1 Tim. 6:6 But godliness with contentment is great gain.

So godliness is not measured by money, but good relationship with God is itself, the source of Prosperity. And contentment doesn’t mean being happy with lack, but being happy with Jesus, because Jesus will take care of those who depend upon Him with their faith.

Consider that Peter was exercising prosperity when he went to Jesus for the tax money that was due. And Jesus told him to go fishing for the fish that would have a gold coin in its mouth and that would cover the tax bill for both of them. Likewise when the disciple presented Jesus with a young boy’s lunch, from which Jesus fed thousands and ended up with a greater abundance left over. These are examples of true prosperity, which focuses on dependency upon Jesus and His care for us. He is so willing to help us when we ask in faith, without fear of rejection, and let Him provide for us. The key is not to think that you are in lack just because you don’t have immediate resources. If you have Jesus and know your covenant you’re never poor. But the worldly concept of prosperity is rooted in fear of lack and dependence upon money in hand. This is the essence of materialism.

Materialism places its value, not upon relationship with Christ but in possession of money and the things it can acquire. When Christians confuse Prosperity with Materialism they get caught up in status symbols. If faith (confidence that God is willing to bless when asked) is the evidence of Biblical Prosperity, then status symbols are the evidence of Materialism. Those trapped in materialism experience anxiety until they can possess the symbols of wealth. The evidence of materialism can be seen when Christians feel pressure to dress, drive or dwell as “prosperous” as others. There’’s a difference between a Christian who can wear a nice outfit with humble appreciation, but feel no less prosperous without it; and the Christian who is insecure and unhappy without the clothing. Some young people would rather die than show up in something less than the latest style. That might be chalked up to immaturity, but many adults have never grown out of it. That’’s Materialism and can be manifest in any dependence upon “things” for one’’s sense of wellbeing. It’’s idolatry in its essence, because those who suffer with it can’t achieve satisfaction through their relationship with Christ. It’’s surprising that there’s not a greater outcry against Materialism from our pulpits today. Could it be that today’’s church has largely become corrupted by the tyranny of fashion and status symbols?

1 Pet. 3:3 Your adornment must not be merely external—braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses;

1 Pet. 3:4 but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.

True Biblical prosperity can wear fashionable clothes, drive new cars, and live in a nice house,… or NOT.  It’s heart isn’t in those things; but in the Gospel of Christ, for which it longs to invest the benefits of its prosperity. Materialism, on the other hand, is preoccupied with physical things, as comforting symbols of its wellbeing; and is often frightened of the claims of discipleship, dreading the thought of “living by faith”. The truly prosperous Christian loves living by faith, even though they have to pray for everything, they love the faithfulness of God, and long to share it with others.

Psa. 37:4 Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

Who knows the Lord so intimately that he or she considers their wealth to be the fellowship and faith they share with Jesus; and it can’t be corrupted with the blessings He bestows upon them? It should be you.

Stay On The Path!

Tags: A list of devotionals by chronological order by Nick Champlin
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Deut. 8:18 ”But you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth, that He may confirm His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.

Eph. 5:3 But immorality (sexual vice) and all impurity [of lustful, rich, wasteful living] or greediness must not even be named among you, as is fitting andproper among saints (God’s consecrated people).

1 Tim. 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all evils; it is through this cravingthat some have been led astray and have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves through with many acute [mental] pangs.

Welcome To The Light-Washed Path,

The ability to maintain a godly balance between efforts to prosper and avoiding the carnal lust-for-money, that drives many TV Prosperity Preachers; requires a proper understanding of the difference between Biblical Prosperity and Materialism.Unfortunately this topic has been burned out, like a lightening rod that’s been hit once too often. Most conscientious people are fed up TV Preachers’ preoccupation with getting wealth. It’s nauseating to combine the precious message of the Gospel with tactics for accumulating riches. Clear-thinking Christians see the immediate contradiction in goals. But what may not be so apparent is the difference between Prosperity and Materialism. Let’s begin by defining the two.

Materialism – A tendency to consider material possessions and physical comfort as more important that spiritual values. – Oxford American Dictionary

Prosperity - 1: an economic state of growth with rising profits and full employment 2: the condition of prospering; having good fortune [syn: successfulness]

It is immediately obvious that Materialism is anti-Christian. But Prosperity is simply the state of doing well. And “doing well” certainly falls within the parameters of God’s stated blessings:

3 John 1:2 Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.

If Prosperity is “doing well” then Soul Prosperity is really the key here. John is simply restating the simple formula of Jesus:

Matt. 6:33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

So the key is understanding that Prosperity is not to be what we “seek first (foremost)” but what is “added to” us. True Biblical Prosperity begins with understanding that God is the Author of life and all it’s blessings: we are prosperous if we know that and have a relationship with Him. Our faith and trust in Jesus make us rich because they let us know that God wishes to provide bountifully for us. We are rich in faith if we know that He loving wishes to care for us, that we can rest in that trust, and truly dispel all fears that He will abandon us in poverty.

Seeking first the Kingdom has another connotation as well. It refers to making the business of His Kingdom, our highest chief interest. So not only do those who seek first the Kingdom of God, truly trust Jesus for their blessings, but the business of His Kingdom and its Gospel, is their greatest interest. They are people who’s greatest passions are to see the Kingdom of God spread upon the Earth. This is what makes a “prosperous soul” – “…I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.” The foundation of true Biblical Prosperity is the very opposite of Materialism. It’s knowing the worth of Jesus Christ and living for the purposes of His Gospel. And thus, to the life of that prosperous soul, the Lord contributes the “Added” prosperity.

Remember, Prosperity is basically, “doing well”. The secular definition was, “an economic state of growth with rising profits and full employment”. It could be argued that Mother Theresa was prosperous. She did experience rising profits and full employment. But what she chose to do with her fruits causes many people to fail to see her prosperity. This is where Prosperity is confused with Materialism.Mother Theresa folded her prosperity into the place of her treasure rather than into the status symbols of materialism.

Tomorrow we’ll look at the deception of materialism. Until then…

Stay On The Path!

Tags: A list of devotionals by chronological order, Challenge, Conviction & Encouragement by Nick Champlin
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Psa. 137:1 By the rivers of Babylon, There we sat down and wept when we remembered Zion.

Psa. 137:2 Upon the willows in the midst of it We hung our harps.

Psa. 137:3 For there our captors demanded of us songs, And our tormentors mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion.”

Psa. 137:4 How can we sing the LORD’s song In a foreign land?

Welcome To The Light-Washed Path,

Introduction…

We regularly need tune-ups.  Just like our cars, we have consumable parts and fluids that need realigning, replacing, refilling and topping off.  When we push on too far beyond our regular service intervals, we show it and feel it.  And because we run rough when we’re rundown, it’’s easy to mistake needing a tune-up for being broken down and backslidden. 

In our text, from Psalm 137, God’s people in the Old Testament, the Israelites, had been taken captive and carried away hundreds of miles from their homeland, into Babylon.  In that place their captors expected them to praise God and joyfully perform their faith, just as they had when they were happily living free at home.  But they couldn’t seem to come up with the ‘spirit’ to carry on normally as they had when they were full of joy.  They felt deeply separated from the joy and Presence of God, depressed and incapable when the Babylonians wanted to hear some of their worship.  This is exactly how it feels for Christians when they go too long without a spiritual tune-up.  They feel removed from God’’s Presence, joyless, depressed and incapable of worship. 

So in the next few installments of The Light Washed Path I will be sharing the basic steps in performing a spiritual tune-up:

A.    Reading The Gauges

B.    Running A Diagnostic Scan

C.    Performing The Tune-Up

Now part six

Performing The Tune-Up

First we read our gauges and found the symptoms that determined it was time for a spiritual tune-up.  Then we ran an 11-point Diagnostic Scan of the vital activities of your spiritual life and found out exactly where our deficiencies were.  So now that we know where the problems are manifesting it’s time to perform the Tune-Up. 

There are 4 basic points at which any Christian can improve the quality of his or her own spiritual life.  These 4 areas lay within our power to control.  God will not simply bless us with spiritual effectiveness and edification if we ignore these 4 points of personal maintenance.  Here they are:

Paying attention To The Word…

It’s not enough to pay attention to sermons or read a few Bible verses.  The Word of God doesn’t really empower our spiritual life until we really pay attention to it on a day-to-day basis, and apply it to our circumstances. 

Prov. 4:20-22 My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your sight; Keep them in the midst of your heart. For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their whole body.

If we will not treat God’’s Word as though it were on the same level as the words of men; if we will set aside our own will and views in order to allow God’’s Word to frame our views of life and govern our behavior; then His Words will fill us with divine energy to experience the very blessings they promise.

1 Th. 2:13 And for this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received from us the word of God’s message, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.

Prayer & Intercession…

Like the human body, prayer is the oxygen that mixes with the elements of our blood to keep life in it.

Lev. 17:11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood:

If a car isn’t getting the right amount of air injected into its fuel, combustion won’t take place and the car won’’t run. In the same way, if we are prayer starved our life becomes weak and powerless.  You can have all the knowledge of God’’s Word but without the continuous flow of prayer your life has no breath.  Prayer brings the power of God’’s Presence to life in His Words that lie within our hearts and minds.

James 5:16 The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working]. (Amplified Bible)

Praise God Continuously…

The world always loves to trot out a church choir for the Grammy’s or similar music award shows.  They like getting that little “touch of Gospel”.  But that doesn’t mean they have any interest in praising God.  Likewise, some Christians say, “Praise God”, but never DO IT.  Cars don’t have a perpetual energy cell – they need to be regularly filled with fuel.  Our bodies can’t live off of one meal.  And no Christian can experience a spiritual life simply by getting saved.  We are designed to fill ourselves, and not to just passively wait around till God fills us.  Praising God is the way we fill ourselves with the Spirit He has poured out.

Eph. 5:18-19 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but (you) be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord;

How are you filled?  By praising from your heart to the Lord!  Knowing that we can fill ourselves with the presence of God, why would you ever stop praising Him? Living a life of praise is how we carry the fire of God in our lives, so that others can behold Him in us.  There can be no tune-up without restoring the praise of God to our heart and lips.

Psa. 34:1-2 I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.

Be A Witness…

If you never left your house there would be no reason to keep your car tuned up. And Jesus sent the power of the Holy Spirit to those who are witnesses of His life and grace. 

Acts 1:8 but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.”

The power TO BE a witness comes from the Holy Spirit.  And the decision to be a witness, and receive that power, comes from you.  Being a witness is more than just talking about Jesus occasionally.  It’’s really living the tuned-up life.  It’’s  when you maintain yourself in Christ to the extent that others see Him in you.  When you determine to display Jesus’ life God adds the power of His Spirit to you to accomplish the task.  One of the best ways to stay well tuned and avoid breaking down, is to determine to be of witness for Jesus Christ. 

There are at least a dozen ways your life can begin to deteriorate once you let yourself go down hill spiritually.  But with diligence on your part, in relatively few areas,  you will live a spiritually powerful and effective life for Christ.

Stay On The Path!

Tags: A list of devotionals by chronological order by Nick Champlin
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Psa. 137:1 By the rivers of Babylon, There we sat down and wept, When we remembered Zion.

Psa. 137:2 Upon the willows in the midst of it We hung our harps.

Psa. 137:3 For there our captors demanded of us songs, And our tormentors mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion.”

Psa. 137:4 How can we sing the LORD’s song In a foreign land?

Welcome To The Light-Washed Path,

Introduction…

We regularly need tune-ups.  Just like our cars, we have consumable parts and fluids that need realigning, replacing, refilling and topping off.  When we push on too far beyond our regular service intervals, we show it and feel it.  And because we run rough when we’re rundown, it’’s easy to mistake needing a tune-up for being broken down and backslidden. 

In our text, from Psalm 137, God’s people in the Old Testament, the Israelites, had been taken captive and carried away hundreds of miles from their homeland, into Babylon.  In that place their captors expected them to praise God and joyfully perform their faith, just as they had when they were happily living free at home.  But they couldn’t seem to come up with the ‘spirit’ to carry on normally as they had when they were full of joy.  They felt deeply separated from the joy and Presence of God, depressed and incapable when the Babylonians wanted to hear some of their worship.  This is exactly how it feels for Christians when they go too long without a spiritual tune-up.  They feel removed from God’’s Presence, joyless, depressed and incapable of worship. 

So in the next few installments of The Light Washed Path I will be sharing the basic steps in performing a spiritual tune-up:

A.    Reading The Gauges

B.    Running A Diagnostic Scan

C.    Performing The Tune-Up

Now part five…

Running A Diagnostic Scan

Once we’ve read our gauges and found the symptoms that determine it’s time for a spiritual tune-up, we need to run a scan of our system find out exactly where our deficiencies lie.  These are the vital activities of your spiritual life.  Often these activities run undetected in the background of our life, but they maintain very essential functions. And we don’t realize they have run down until we notice that the function they serve is seizing up. 

We are going through the list and we left off with number 9 yesterday.

10.  Get God’s Business Done First

If your car didn’t run reliably and constantly broke down, you wouldn’t avoid getting a tune-up just because it had a great stereo and speakers.  Nor would you be satisfied to just let it park in front of your house, and go out to sit in it occasionally and listen to music.  You’d get that thing tuned-up because a nice stereo in a good running car is an additional bonus.  But in a poor running car it’’s a waste.  In the same way, when our lives aren’t ‘running well for God’ - when we’re not putting the things of His Kingdom first – then all the other ‘cool things’ in our life are almost meaningless.  God doesn’t mind adding things to our lives when we live for His Kingdom and purposes.

Matt. 6:33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.

But you know it’s time for a spiritual tune-up when you keep putting off the things that God wants done in your life, and busy yourself instead with pursuing all the other things.  It’’s the same as fixing up a car that doesn’t run, with all kinds of interior renovations, fancy wheels and custom paint jobs.  What’’s the use? 

James 4:13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow, we shall go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.”

James 4:14 Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.

James 4:15 Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and also do this or that.”

The Lord knows the needs and desires of the heart of he who lives for God’s Kingdom, and He will add those things to his fruitful life.

11.  Don’t Let A Spirit Of Heaviness To Stop You

The final diagnostic scan deals with discerning a general condition of sluggishness.  When you step on the accelerator of your car you can tell when it’s not responding like it should.  The problem might be in the electrical system or the fuel system, but whatever it is, its affect upon the performance of the car is dangerous.  A sluggish, non-responsive car, unable to quickly get out of the way of danger, is a hazard to its passengers and those with whom it shares the road. 

Is. 61:1-3 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed me To…grant those who mourn in Zion, Giving them a garland instead of ashes, The oil of gladness instead of mourning, The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.

In the same way, Christians who allow a spirit of heaviness and depression to remain on them, become non-responsive to God.  Absorbed in their own feelings, they become sluggish and dangerously prone to wrecks.  Too many Christians simply ignore their need for a spiritual tune-up, after becoming sluggish under a spirit of heaviness.  They often lapse into apathy, park themselves along the roadside somewhere and just become spiritually inactive, withdrawing from church, Bible study, prayer and fellowship.  They usually become convinced that they are seriously damaged and permanently broken; when in fact, they simply need a thorough tune-up. And like a master mechanic, the Lord Jesus is zealously eager to tune-up the depressed Christian and deliver him from heaviness.  In fact, the Christian who is well tuned and functions with joy, is a testament and a glory to God.  This kind of healthy, well-running condition isn’t the result of being a high-end Christian or a special model.  All Christians are born-again in Christ – He’s the only model there is.  It’s simply the result of staying finely tuned-up in Him.

Tomorrow we’ll learn how to perform the Tune-Up.  Until then……

Stay On The Path!

Tags: A list of devotionals by chronological order, Challenge, Conviction & Encouragement by Nick Champlin
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Psa. 137:1 By the rivers of Babylon, There we sat down and wept, When we remembered Zion.

Psa. 137:2 Upon the willows in the midst of it We hung our harps.

Psa. 137:3 For there our captors demanded of us songs, And our tormentors mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion.”

Psa. 137:4 How can we sing the LORD’s song In a foreign land?

Welcome To The Light-Washed Path,

Introduction…

We regularly need tune-ups.  Just like our cars, we have consumable parts and fluids that need realigning, replacing, refilling and topping off.  When we push on too far beyond our regular service intervals, we show it and feel it.  And because we run rough when we’re rundown, it’’s easy to mistake needing a tune-up for being broken down and backslidden.

In our text, from Psalm 137, God’’s people in the Old Testament, the Israelites, had been taken captive and carried away hundreds of miles from their homeland, into Babylon.  In that place their captors expected them to praise God and joyfully perform their faith, just as they had when they were happily living free at home.  But they couldn’t seem to come up with the ‘spirit’ to carry on normally as they had when they were full of joy.  They felt deeply separated from the joy and Presence of God, depressed and incapable when the Babylonians wanted to hear some of their worship.  This is exactly how it feels for Christians when they go too long without a spiritual tune-up.  They feel removed from God’’s Presence, joyless, depressed and incapable of worship. 

So in the next few installments of The Light-Washed Path I will be sharing the basic steps in performing a spiritual tune-up:

A.    Reading The Gauges

B.    Running A Diagnostic Scan

C.    Performing The Tune-Up

Now part four…

Running A Diagnostic Scan…

Once we’ve read our gauges and found the symptoms that determine it’’s time for a spiritual tune-up, we need to run a scan of our system find out exactly where our deficiencies lie.  These are the vital activities of your spiritual life.  Often these activities run undetected in the background of our life, but they maintain very essential functions. And we don’t realize they have run down until we notice that the function they serve is seizing up. 

We are going through the list and we left off with number 7 yesterday.

8. Don’t Promise Your Flesh Anything

When we begin to make deals with our “flesh” – that part of our physical anatomy that houses carnal desires – it’’s a sure indication that we are degrading spiritually and need to pull in for a tune-up.  It works like this: You are probably in the middle of an episode in your life that has involved spiritual sacrifice and victory.  You have a certain amount of spiritual edification built up and confidence in your walk with the Lord.  In short there is a sense that you can “afford” a little detour into carnal indulgence.  But the idea that there exists enough spiritual fortitude or moral clout to afford and endure a little carnality is a terrible deception.  There is a very good reason why the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write:

Rom. 13:14 But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.

The expenditure you make on the lust of your flesh is never spiritually affordable.  Because it pollutes your spirit and introduces a cycle of “bad seed” that just keeps demanding and increasing. 

Gal. 6:7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.

Gal. 6:8 For the one who sows to his own flesh shall from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit shall from the Spirit reap eternal life.

9. Cancel All Plans To Sin

Another indicator that we need a spiritual tune-up is when we begin to actually make plans to sin and can’t seem to find the spiritual determination to back down. Planning to sin creates momentum and sets our flesh in motion.  Before we even sin our flesh rises in power and becomes hard to resist.  At this point the fear of the Lord is necessary to get yourself to pull over for a pit stop tune-up.  Recognizing what sin will cost you should provide the incentive to guard your fellowship with God against its collapsing affect.

Psa. 66:18 If I regard wickedness in my heart, The Lord will not hear;

The key is to never plan to take your flesh on any field trips to Lust World.  What you feed grows.  What you starve dies.

Tomorrow we’ll finish the last 2 points in our Diagnostic Scan.  And then we can perform the Tune-Up.  Until then……

Stay On The Path!

Tags: A list of devotionals by chronological order, Challenge, Conviction & Encouragement by Nick Champlin
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Psa. 137:1 By the rivers of Babylon, There we sat down and wept, When we remembered Zion.

Psa. 137:2 Upon the willows in the midst of it We hung our harps.

Psa. 137:3 For there our captors demanded of us songs, And our tormentors mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion.”

Psa. 137:4 How can we sing the LORD’s song In a foreign land?

Welcome To The Light-Washed Path,

Introduction…

We regularly need tune-ups.  Just like our cars, we have consumable parts and fluids that need realigning, replacing, refilling and topping off.  When we push on too far beyond our regular service intervals, we show it and feel it.  And because we run rough when we’re rundown, it’s easy to mistake needing a tune-up for being broken down and backslidden. 

In our text, from Psalm 137, God’s people in the Old Testament, the Israelites, had been taken captive and carried away hundreds of miles from their homeland, into Babylon.  In that place their captors expected them to praise God and joyfully perform their faith, just as they had when they were happily living free at home.  But they couldn’t seem to come up with the ‘spirit’ to carry on normally as they had when they were full of joy.  They felt deeply separated from the joy and Presence of God, depressed and incapable when the Babylonians wanted to hear some of their worship.  This is exactly how it feels for Christians when they go too long without a spiritual tune-up.  They feel removed from God’’s Presence, joyless, depressed and incapable of worship. 

So in the next few installments of The Light Washed Path I will be sharing the basic steps in performing a spiritual tune-up:

A.    Reading The Gauges

B.    Running A Diagnostic Scan

C.    Performing The Tune-Up

Now part three…

Running A Diagnostic Scan…

Once we’ve read our gauges and found the symptoms that determine it’s time for a spiritual tune-up, we need to run a scan of our system find out exactly where our deficiencies lie.  These are the vital activities of your spiritual life.  Often these activities run undetected in the background of our life, but they maintain very essential functions. And we don’t realize they have run down until we notice that the function they serve is seizing up. 

We are going through the list of Diagnostic Scans and we left off with number 4 yesterday.

5.    Keep God As Your Primary Desire

When we set our desire on anything, the force to pursue it and the power to enjoy it comes from within us.  But when we set our affection upon God, and pursue Him, there is another force that couples with our efforts, and joins with our own passion.  That force is the Spirit of God.  He is not like the inanimate objects we usually pursue, with which we must furnish the pleasure we derive from them.  But He infuses us with His Presence and joy.  He is enthusiastically drawing our desire with His own; adding strength to our resolve, when we bypass other contenders to have His attention alone.

Heb. 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.

Heb. 11:14 For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country.

Heb. 11:15 And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned.

Heb. 11:16 But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

6.    Avoid Lusts Of The Flesh

There’’s an old nasty trick for destroying someone’’s automobile engine.  You simply pour sugar into the gas tank.  That’’ll just about ruin an engine.  In the same way, when we allow ourselves to participate in sinfully feeding the lusts of our flesh, we quickly bring the progress of our spiritual life to a breakdown.  Then you need a complete overhaul to recover.  Peter plainly warns that involvement with flesh-oriented lusts will introduce spiritual conflict to your soul. These carnal worldly influences of sin are alien to the heavenly nature of your spirit.  So inner conflict will immediately breakout when they are brought together. And you can’t move forward when you’’re fighting for your spiritual survival.

1 Pet. 2:11 Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts, which wage war against the soul.

7.    Make Your Flesh Serve Your Goal

You know it’s time for a tune-up and service when getting from point A to point B usually results in some kind of repair bill on your car.  A car that won’’t provide reliable transportation without demanding special attention is more of a headache than it’s worth.  It’’s the same with our bodies, along with their fleshy cravings and desires.  They can get out of hand and in the way of your spiritual progress in life.  Your body is supposed to provide reliable transportation for your soul. Getting your soul to its goals in life is it’s primary function, along with housing the Holy Spirit. But your flesh will try to dictate its own agenda for your mind, if you let it.  So you must enforce a strict policy of authority over your body to maintain order.  You must make your body serve the goals that God has laid within you.  If you don’t, then it will impose its own lazy, time wasting, self-indulgent influences upon your soul and corrupt you.  But Paul said that he kept his body under control so that he wouldn’t get off track in life.  How many times have we seen Christian leaders have to hang their heads in shame because after preaching to others, and often making significant sacrifices to be qualified to do so, they were defeated from within by allowing their flesh to indulge its lusts.  Then all their credibility and hard work is lost, often on a few fleeting worthless pleasures.  So make your flesh serve it’s usefulness and don’t let it lead you or it will ruin your life.

1 Cor. 9:27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

Tomorrow we’ll finish the last 3 points in our Diagnostic Scan.  Then we can perform the Tune-Up.  Until then……

Stay On The Path!

Tags: A list of devotionals by chronological order, Challenge, Conviction & Encouragement by Nick Champlin
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Psa. 137:1 By the rivers of Babylon, There we sat down and wept when we remembered Zion.

Psa. 137:2 Upon the willows in the midst of it We hung our harps.

Psa. 137:3 For there our captors demanded of us songs, And our tormentors mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion.”

Psa. 137:4 How can we sing the LORD’s song In a foreign land?

Welcome To The Light-Washed Path,

Introduction…

We regularly need tune-ups. Just like our cars, we have consumable parts and fluids that need realigning, replacing, refilling and topping off. When we push on too far beyond our regular service intervals, we show it and feel it. And because we run rough when we’re rundown, it’s easy to mistake needing a tune-up for being broken down and backslidden.

In our text, from Psalm 137, God’’s people in the Old Testament, the Israelites, had been taken captive and carried away hundreds of miles from their homeland, into Babylon. In that place their captors expected them to praise God and joyfully perform their faith, just as they had when they were happily living free at home. But they couldn’t seem to come up with the ‘spirit’ to carry on normally as they had when they were full of joy. They felt deeply separated from the joy and Presence of God, depressed and incapable when the Babylonians wanted to hear some of their worship. This is exactly how it feels for Christians when they go too long without a spiritual tune-up. They feel removed from God’’s Presence, joyless, depressed and incapable of worship.

So in the next few installments of The Light-Washed Path I will be sharing the basic steps in performing a spiritual tune-up:

A. Reading The Gauges

B. Running A Diagnostic Scan

C. Performing The Tune-Up

Now part two……

Running A Diagnostic Scan…

Once we’ve read our gauges and found the symptoms that determine it’’s time for a spiritual tune-up, we need to run a scan of our system find out exactly where our deficiencies lie. These are the vital activities of your spiritual life. Often these activities run undetected in the background of our life, but they maintain very essential functions. And we don’t realize they have run down until we notice that the function they serve is seizing up. Let’’s scan through the list:

1. Run Your Life To Gain Souls

It’’s so easy to get off track in life and become bogged down in things that won’t matter in the end. Jesus said that living to be a light for God to others is the prime focus of every Christian. There certainly are other activities and interests that we pursue, but to stay spiritually healthy we must keep to our primary focus, because that is where the refreshing of the Holy Spirit meets us.

1 Cor. 9:19 For though I am free from all men, I have made myself a slave to all, that I might win the more.

2. Don’t Run Without Desire

Running your life without the motivation of desire and passion is like running your car without oil. Eventually you’ll burn up your engine. The oil of desire keeps all moving parts lubricated and prevents friction from causing them to overheat. When we let our desire for God run low our walk with Christ goes from the wonderful flow of joy to the grind of religion. Desire is what fuels faith and helps it keep its focus.

Psa. 27:4 One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, And to meditate in His temple.

Desire is what allows us to press toward our “mark”.

Phil. 3:14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Phil. 3:15 Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you;

3. Put Down The Weights

Just like our car engines accumulate ‘junk’ and need to be flushed, so does our life. Satan isn’t the great hindrance to spiritual progress; our own distractions are. So just like the runner who must eliminate all excessive weight, so also a healthy Christian will regularly make the adjustments to lay aside the ‘junk’.

Heb. 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,

4. You Set The Limits

Desire will set your goals but you determine your limits. Each Christian must set the parameters of his or her disciplines. The more we lose sight of our goals in Christ the more we will allow ‘permissible’ activities to claim our time and attention.

1 Cor. 6:12 All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

1 Cor. 6:13 Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body.

Tomorrow we’ll continue to run our Diagnostic Scan. Remember, before we can perform the Tune-Up we have to locate the problems. Until then……

Stay On The Path!

Tags: A list of devotionals by chronological order, Challenge, Conviction & Encouragement by Nick Champlin
No Comments »

Psa. 137:1 By the rivers of Babylon, There we sat down and wept when we remembered Zion.

Psa. 137:2 Upon the willows in the midst of it We hung our harps.

Psa. 137:3 For there our captors demanded of us songs, And our tormentors mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion.”

Psa. 137:4 How can we sing the LORD’s song In a foreign land?

Welcome To The Light-Washed Path,

We regularly need tune-ups. Just like our cars, we have consumable parts and fluids that need realigning, replacing, refilling and topping off. When we push on too far beyond our regular service intervals, we show it and feel it. And because we run rough when we’re rundown, it’’s easy to mistake needing a tune-up for being broken down and backslidden.

In our text, from Psalm 137, God’’s people in the Old Testament, the Israelites, had been taken captive and carried away hundreds of miles from their homeland, into Babylon. In that place their captors expected them to praise God and joyfully perform their faith, just as they had when they were happily living free at home. But they couldn’t seem to come up with the ‘spirit’ to carry on normally as they had when they were full of joy. They felt deeply separated from the joy and Presence of God, depressed and incapable when the Babylonians wanted to hear some of their worship. This is exactly how it feels for Christians when they go too long without a spiritual tune-up. They feel removed from God’’s Presence, joyless, depressed and incapable of worship.

So in the next few installments of The Light Washed Path I will be sharing the basic steps in performing a spiritual tune-up:

A. Reading The Gauges

B. Running A Diagnostic Scan

C. Performing The Tune-Up

Reading The Gauges…

We must begin by properly reading our gauges. Too often we simply ignore the signs and indicators and keep pushing while our spiritual energy degrades. There are 3 main indications of spiritual emptiness that the children of Israel experienced in Babylon:

1. Grief Over Emptiness

It says, “We sat down and wept when they remembered Zion”. This was a clear indication that they felt removed from the place where they had experienced freedom and fullness. It’’s always a mistake to ignore the sense of spiritual emptiness and press on through in our own strength. This is why Isaiah wrote:

Is. 40:29 He gives strength to the weary, And to him who lacks might He increases power.

Is. 40:30 Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men stumble badly,

Is. 40:31 Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.

We often become grieved when we can’’t seem to make things work out the way we want them to. But the wise Christian will learn to become grieved instead, over his lack of spiritual presence, and realize he needs to make a pit stop in the service area of prayer.

2. Lack Of Praise

The Israelites then said, “Upon the willows in the midst of it we hung our harps.” They quit praising God. That is a huge indication that one is running on empty. Sometimes people are so use to not praising God that it doesn’t seem out of place to them until they get around people who are praising God. The key is to properly read your ‘praise gauge’. It shouldn’t be the presence of others praising God that makes you feel awkward, but the lack of your own praising God that feels foreign to you. So put a gauge on your praise because it’’s an indicator of how you’’re running.

Psa. 34:1 I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.

Psa. 34:2 My soul shall make its boast in the LORD; The humble shall hear it and rejoice.

Psa. 34:3 O magnify the LORD with me, And let us exalt His name together.

3. Bondage

The Israelites then recognized that their captivity was interfering with their ability to worship.They were no longer free, but in bondage. They said, “How can we sing the Lord’’s song in a foreign land?” There is a strong relationship between living in the place of bondage and having the freedom to worship. Basically, the two won’t mix. When you have allowed yourself to run so low that Satan traps you in some bondage, your natural freedom to worship God is lost. At that point some Christians ignore the strangeness that their bondage produces in them, and simply press through church services, quenching their convicting pains. But the Israelites couldn’t ignore the gauges, and singled out their captivity as the source of their spiritual inability. We Christians must learn to do the same, and not simply tolerate the paralyzing conditions of bondage when we fall into them. Painful as they are, they indicate that we are desperately overdue for a spiritual tune-up.

Tomorrow we’ll talk about how to Run A Diagnostic Scan. Until then……

Stay On The Path!

Tags: A list of devotionals by chronological order, Challenge, Conviction & Encouragement by Nick Champlin
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Heb. 11:24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter;

Heb. 11:25 choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God, than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin;

Heb. 11:26 considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward.

Heb. 11:27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for heendured, as seeing Him who is unseen.

Welcome To The Light-Washed Path,

We are guided by what we see. The inner vision of a person’’s life determines their self-control. That vision can come from something they see with their physical eyes, or it can come from seeing a principle, an ideal or a dream. A person with no self-control either has no vision or has stoped looking to the one they had. But the person with a vision will possess self-control to the extent that they keep their eye on their vision. Your vision will discipline you. With a great focus upon your vision you will practice great discipline in your journey. And every worthwhile vision involves a great journey and demands strong self-discipline. If you lack self-control then you’re not following your vision.

For Moses, it took immense self-control to shed all the familiar comforts and privileges of life in Pharaoh’’s Court, in order to launch himself into God’’s path.Though he had no idea of what the future would hold for him, he was so convinced that God was leading him that he burned all the bridges to Egypt behind him before obtaining any assurances of his future. Moses saw something out on the horizon.His eyes were locked onto something that gave his feet the power to step from Pharaoh’s Court.

Heb. 11:25 choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God, than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin;

Heb. 11:26 considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward.

Most of us are paralyzed where we are. There might be things that we believe should be different, but we can’t muster the personal discipline to change them. Dissatisfaction with the status quo has never produced enough power to change it. That’’s why whining, complaining and hand wringing is obnoxious. Those who whine never demonstrate the self-control necessary to arise and produce a breakthrough.They’re nonproductive. Just seeing the problem is never enough to bring improvement. Moses’ vision had to take him all the way to God – to the answer, before he saw something powerful enough to motivate him to produce a change.

When Moses left Egypt the first time his eye of faith had seen a distant vision, and it was enough to move him to forsake his old life. But the vision wasn’t clear enough for him to deliver the Hebrews. Moses ran away from Egypt, leaving the Hebrews behind. But after many years his eyes encountered another vision in the burning bush, clear and explicit: “Go, and deliver my people. I am with you!” On the strength of that vision, filling his eyes, not looking back at Pharaoh’s chariots, Moses left Egypt the second time with millions of Hebrew slaves in tow. He kept his cool, didn’t freak out when everyone around him did, because he knew God was before him.

Heb. 11:27 By faith he left Egypt (this time w/ the slaves), not fearing the wrath of the king (who was chasing him); for he endured, as seeing Him who is unseen.

Is there something stirring in your heart, something God is showing you that needs to be done? Is the Holy Spirit setting Christ before your eyes (as He did with Moses), drawing your heart towards a purpose? Then go to Him! Take strength from His vision – strength to endure whatever the path may require. This is the origin of self-control. The only time that controlling self results in any eternal benefit is when it’’s controlled for the will of God. Whether it’’s serving your family, your community or delivering a people, it takes the power of self-control, derived from a vision to maker a difference.

Heb. 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Heb. 12:3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

Stay On The Path!

Tags: A list of devotionals by chronological order, Challenge, Conviction & Encouragement by Nick Champlin
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Heb. 11:24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter;

Heb. 11:25 choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God, than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin;

Heb. 11:26 considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward.

Heb. 11:27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for heendured, as seeing Him who is unseen.

Welcome To The Light-Washed Path,

Moses “chose rather” than enjoying the benefits of Pharaoh’’s court, to endure the hardships of the Hebrews, in order to seek out his path in God.

In order to choose you must refuse.

Now there’’s a universal law, which people could use to eliminate a lot of misery from their life.

Here’’s another universal law that cannot be circumvented:

Everything in life is on some path. Nothing stands alone.

Life is not Ala Carte. There is simply no way that you can go skipping through life, selecting things that attract you, without taking the paths that they are on. Everything is on some path, with things that lead up to it and things that follow it. And the world is full of little maxims that alert us to this law. Like, “If you lay down with dogs, you get up with fleas.” Nobody wants fleas. But if you select the dog you have to deal with the fleas too.  Jesus put it like this:

Matt. 6:24 No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will stand by and be devoted to the one and despise and be against the other. You cannot serve God and mammon (deceitful riches, money, possessions, or whatever is trusted in).

You cannot walk two paths. Foolishly, every new generation thinks they can beat that principle. Girls think they can take that ‘bad boy’ in High School with the smoldering good looks and infamous popularity, and not end up with misery, disease, poverty or abused, a few years down the road. That boy came with a path and when she picked him she took the whole path thinking she could change it.

The young man, immersed in hormonal glory and fixated on the moment, thinks he can pluck that girl on a Friday night and put her back before school the next Monday. He thinks he’’s just choosing a night-of-passion. He doesn’t see the assumptions and expectations that will follow. He doesn’t think he’’s choosing a baby, a family law attorney, a family feud and grief for years to come. But he took the path thinking he could just choose the goodies.

When I was a young man I thought I could just choose to hang out with the “Hoods” on a Saturday night – no big deal. I wasn’t choosing to be a criminal. I wasn’t choosing jail or ‘Big Bubba’ for a new roommate. But that Saturday night crowd comes on a path. And when you join them you jump on their path and inherit everything down the line.

This principle is true of every other decision in life: friends, fun, money, marriage, divorce, etc, etc. And some paths are very possessive. Until you surrender to the Lord you’’ll never get off them. Heaven and Hell are destinations at the end of two paths. If you don’t want what’’s at the end of the road don’t take the path – or anything on it.

Prov. 2:11 Discretion will guard you, Understanding will watch over you,

Prov. 2:12 To deliver you from the way of evil, From the man who speaks perverse things;

Prov. 2:13 From those who leave the paths of uprightness, To walk in the ways of darkness;

Prov. 2:14 Who delight in doing evil, And rejoice in the perversity of evil;

Prov. 2:15 Whose paths are crooked, And who are devious in their ways;

Prov. 2:16 To deliver you from the strange woman, From the adulteress who flatters with her words;

Prov. 2:17 That leaves the companion of her youth, And forgets the covenant of her God;

Prov. 2:18 For her house sinks down to death, And her tracks lead to the dead;

Prov. 2:19 None who go to her return again, Nor do they reach the paths of life.

Prov. 2:20 So you will walk in the way of good men, And keep to the paths of the righteous.

Many people have asked, “What is wrong with __________?” When we isolate a thing from the environment of its path it may be hard to see why it’s sinful or dangerous to our soul. But real life isn’t an academic exercise, where everything can be viewed in abstract terms. Everything comes with a path and to understand the worth or the danger of it one must look down the road to the end. So…

Stay On The Path!

Tags: A list of devotionals by chronological order, Challenge, Conviction & Encouragement by Nick Champlin
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Heb. 11:24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter;

Heb. 11:25 choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God, than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin;

Heb. 11:26 considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward.

Heb. 11:27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for heendured, as seeing Him who is unseen.

Welcome To The Light-Washed Path,

Self-Control is to your soul what your immune system is to your body. The defensive perimeter around your heart and mind is manned by your ability to control yourself. God designed you so that you could take charge of your life and guide it successfully through life, under His leadership. He would be your God and you would be His people – not puppets. This meant that you would use all the faculties He put within you and they would work properly as you followed Him with your affection and obedience.

Is. 1:18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

Is. 1:19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:

Is. 1:20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

The idea here is that God asks for our cooperation and in turn He blesses our obedience to His leadership. In order for that to happen your ability to control yourself is in your hands and you must take hold of it. When you do He will supply the courage and strength to prevail over temptations and mercy to forgive errors. God told Cain that he would have to exercise self-control over his own anger.

Gen. 4:7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin crouches at your door; its desire is for you, but you must master it.

The scripture portrays the person who does not control himself as a city without a defensive perimeter wall:

Prov. 25:28 He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.

In our culture today we are encouraged to be as the senior Solomon who set out to expand his wisdom by sampling all that life had to offer. But Solomon sadly concluded from that folly that he had ruined his ability to protect himself from corruption, by exposing himself to life without any self-control. His ultimate sad revelation was that everything in life, except for serving God, was utter vanity and worthless. And this was not just an academic lesson. Solomon’’s life had become overrun with corruptions that he could no longer control. He was a servant of God who became an invaded and occupied man.

We are driven to God for help through our need to control ourselves. When we try to protect our souls from temptation and damage we find that in our broken sinful state, we are overwhelmed and need His help. When God sends His help He doesn’t take over your will but gives you His wisdom - the Bible and Holy Spirit to teach you – and His Presence to empower and comfort you. But ultimately He is strengthening your ability to practice self-control. In other words, He enables you to protect yourself with His help:

Psa. 119:114 Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word.

Eph. 6:16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

The Lord puts into our hands the ability to keep ourselves in His keeping!

Is. 26:3 You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is kept on you: because he trusts in you.

Stay On The Path!

Tags: A list of devotionals by chronological order, Challenge, Conviction & Encouragement by Nick Champlin
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Heb. 11:24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter;

Heb. 11:25 choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God, than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin;

Heb. 11:26 considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward.

Heb. 11:27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for heendured, as seeing Him who is unseen.

Welcome To The Light-Washed Path,

The first thing Moses did when he ‘grew up’ was he REFUSED. He refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’’s daughter. Moses was a Hebrew. It was stirring in his heart. He wanted to know God. And the Egyptians who had raised him as a Prince, were the slave masters of the Hebrews. Pharaoh’’s daughter knew that Moses was Hebrew, but she also knew that Egyptian culture had ruled him all his life, and that he was Egyptian at heart. If he were going to pursue the God of the Hebrews there could be no shared commitment. No dividing himself between one kingdom and another. No dual citizenship. So just how was he to proceed into the Kingdom of God?

Once Moses decided to Choose the Kingdom of God the first step was clear: REFUSE! Neither kingdom, nor its god, would allow Moses to straddle the fence. He couldn’t stay in the courts of Pharaoh and serve Jehovah too. And he couldn’t serve Jehovah as the Prince of Eqypt. He would have to be cut off and sent back as the Deliverer of the Hebrews. Either in or out, but you can’t serve two masters. So choosing begins with refusing. You haven’t really chosen until you’ve refused all competitors.

Self-Denial is the very first rule in acquiring Understanding. Scripture says that when Moses “grew up” he refused. You can be 50 years old, but you’re still immature if you don’t learn that, to have good things you must refuse evil things, but you can’t pursue both. The reason why our churches are swamped with morally defeated people is that they are being taught that self-control is a futile work of the flesh; and that all such struggle is useless. They say that “God will ‘take away the bad when He gets ready’.” But that’’s the thinking of an immature child. “Until someone makes me stop, I’’m going to have what I want.” Notice how a child reaches for everything he wants, regardless of how incompatible it may be with his other desires. And it’’s a sign of immaturity when they don’t understand why they can’t have it both ways.

1 Cor. 13:11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

The first step toward really growing up is learning to ‘put away’ – to refuse - certain things. Maturity doesn’t begin with choosing the right things, but rather with refusing the wrong things. Self-control is the first mark of maturity. The ability to control yourself comes from refusing sin, not from choosing good things. You’re not free to choose righteousness until you’ve refused evil. The Bible couldn’t be more clear about it:

Luke 3:8 Bear fruits that are deserving and consistent with [your] repentance [that is, conduct worthy of a heart changed, a heart abhorring sin]. And do not begin to say to yourselves, We have Abraham as our father; for I tell you that God is able from these stones to raise up descendants for Abraham. – John the Baptist

James 4:7-8 Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, yedouble minded.

The power of self-control depends upon the practice of self-denial. Not worthless self-denial, that’’s practiced for the sake of religious pride. But the self-denial that is purposeful and necessary in refusing sin and unrighteousness. The reason why there are so many Christians who go to Church but can’t control themselves, is because they don’t practice self-denial. They have been filled with teachings, books and seminars about self-fulfillment and know little about self-denial. To make matters worse, Christian parents won’’t deny their children what they want. Pastors won’t deny their congregations the comfort zone of false grace. Christian authors won’t risk publishing books that might not sell because they challenge readers to obey the scripture’s commandments. Consequently our churches are increasingly populated with morally defeated Christians, who are trying to choose the blessings of the Lord, but coming up empty because the Church won’’t tell them to first refuse sin.

The good news is that if we would refuse evil God would deliver us from it.

James 4:7-8 Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.

Stay On The Path!

Tags: A list of devotionals by chronological order, Challenge, Conviction & Encouragement by Nick Champlin
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Heb. 11:24 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter;

Heb. 11:25 choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God, than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin;

Heb. 11:26 considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward.

Heb. 11:27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for heendured, as seeing Him who is unseen.

Welcome To The Light-Washed Path,

I was recently speaking with a Christian young adult, who was describing the moral dilemma of a friend. The subject of the discussion was a young adult Christian woman, raised in Church, solid Christian family, Bible School Graduate, now living on her own, but conflicted and unhappy. She was living in a cycle between two worlds, partying in clubs, engaging regularly in sex with different partners, and going to Church on Sunday mornings. She asked her friend to pray for her, saying, ““I’’m trying.””

This young woman’’s situation represents a growing trend among Christians: living in sin and staying in Church. Many modern Evangelical churches are simply adapting their message and policies to accommodate the growing numbers of morally defeated and compromised members. Messages from the Bible with direct references to absolute moral laws or condemnation of sin are avoided. Preaching any ‘“Thou shalt nots’” is being transformed into teaching “principles and options”. All this is based upon the belief that expecting self-control from people is neither possible nor loving. Instead, the strategy is to simply, “love” people.

The reluctance to set a standard and reinforce it with teaching has resulted in more and more Christians believing that if God wants them to stop any practice He’’ll deal with them and “take it away” from them. I shudder to think of just HOW God would do that. So now the young woman above, continues to go to the clubs but thinks she’’s “trying”, because the church has reinforced the secular notion that she can’t control herself. Christianity is increasingly becoming a mental religion of people who have holy beliefs but defeated lives. So what ever happened to Self-Control?

The Bible actually teaches the very opposite of that which modern churches are embracing. Paul wrote to the early believers that Self-Control was actually a Fruit of the Spirit. We have Self-Control. But we’re talking people out of developing it by not requiring it.

Gal. 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

Gal. 5:23 gentleness, self-control…

And the early Church was admonished that controlling themselves was their responsibility and not God’’s:

1 Th. 4:4 That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honour;

The last verse of our text talks about Moses’’ enduring faith:

Heb. 11:27 By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for heendured, as seeing Him who is unseen.

Every Christian has been given a gift of the faith of Christ. The faith that was resident in Jesus and victoriously carried Him through His temptations, has been planted in us by the Holy Spirit. But for that faith to work you must resolve yourself to endure. You just can’t sit in passivity and think that God will deliver you from evil. YOU must do what it takes to endure, and thus your faith will grow. God will work through your determination, but never without it.

James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

James 4:8 Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

Every time we tell people that God will take the moral sins from them we are weakening them and setting them up for failure. We are misleading them into a false hope and turning them away from the very acts of faith that God WILL bless: self-denial and self-control. The girl in my illustration thinks she’’s “”trying”” because she wants God to stop her. But if she really were “trying” she wouldn’t buy club clothes and go there to attract men in the first place. She would control herself when it came to taking the first steps down that path. She doesn’t even try to resist because self-control is a struggle. It makes us unhappy, and God doesn’t want us to struggle in unhappiness –- or so her church tells her.  So until God “shows up and takes away the bad” she’’ll just wait on the Lord, …somewhere between the club and church.

Of course, this is totally absurd in light of scripture. But that’’s where we find millions of Christians today: waiting for God in confusion and defeated. But real faith must be developed through endurance. When any Christian decides to endure temptations and hardships in an effort to obtain the things of God, his faith will develop. And tomorrow we’ll begin to look at how that development takes place, as we consider the faith of Moses.

Stay On The Path!

Tags: A list of devotionals by chronological order, Challenge, Conviction & Encouragement by Nick Champlin
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2 Tim. 2:24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto allmen, apt to teach, patient,

2 Tim. 2:25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;

2 Tim. 2:26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

Welcome To The Light-Washed Path,

In the classic story, THE SONG OF THE SOUTH, Brer Fox , who is always trying to catch Brer Rabbit, devises a plan use Brer Rabbit’s own weaknesses to trap him. He develops a secret weapon, sure to defeat the rabbit. It’s called the Tar Baby. Here’s how the Tar Bay works. Knowing that Brer Rabbit’s ego won’t let him overlook “offenses”, Brer Fox fashions a little person out of tar and sets him up on the side of the road where Brer Rabbit is sure to pass, as he waits undercover nearby. Sure enough, along comes the rabbit and he gives his greeting to the Tar Baby. But the Tar Baby is so rude, he won’t return the greeting. Brer Rabbit’s ego is offended, he won’t let the matter alone. One thing leads to another and soon he puts his hands on the Tar Baby. Well, that’s all it takes; now he’s trapped and getting himself all balled up with this thing. He’s now powerless to get away from Brer Fox, who’s just laying low watching the encounter unfold, waiting for his opportunity.

I’m sure I don’t have to interpret this story for you. It’s probably played itself out too many times in your own life for you not to recognize Satan’s Trap Of Offense.

2 Tim. 2:24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive;

2 Tim. 2:26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

Here in Timothy Paul warns us to deal wisely with the person who always gets into strife, realizing that they are a Tar Baby. I shudder to consider Paul’s description of the one who is the Tar Baby, when he tells how they are “taken captive by the devil at his will.” Consider what you’re getting tangled up with when you enter strife with a Tar Baby.

The Christian who will not recognize the strategy of Tar Babies will never be effective in spiritual warfare. There is NO WAY you can walk in freedom and be an overcomer if you don’t know how to walk past Tar Babies without engaging them. I can just hear people justifying the importance of their conflicts. But in the end, the more important the strife, the better the trap. Tar Babies are by design, crafted to appeal to YOUR most vulnerable issues and idiosyncrasies. Satan’s got a Tar Baby out there aimed right at your weak spot.

The Trap Of Offense is Satan’s primary issue field rifle. Christians have sustained more casualties through the use of this very efficient weapon than any other demonic scheme. There isn’t even a close second. And the reason this weapon is so very effective against us, is that we don’t ever train to defend ourselves from it’s snare. In fact, we have adopted the secular doctrine of victimization, and we foster a culture of offense. In short, we encourage Christians to be offended rather than taking an insult, overlooking a fault, and refusing to be offended. Honestly, if we’re just as “touchy” and easily offended as the world, then “what in the world” is it that we’ve been delivered from?! If Christians are permitted to “be offended” then just what is it about Jesus that is better than the world? There isn’t a scene in the Gospels where someone wasn’t setting up a Tar Baby to trap Jesus. Ah, but Jesus was the Master Ninja of spiritual warfare. He would unleash some amazing moves against those Tar BabiesÖall evasive. Jesus avoided strife. It wasn’t easy. But He did it. His mission was too important to blow it on a personal dip in the quicksand of strife. And yours is too.

The Trap Of Offense, (code name: Tar Baby), works like this. It takes 2 elements to create an “offense”: the Offender and the Offendee. Someone has to GIVE the opportunity to be offended and then someone has to TAKE the opportunity to be offended, in order for the trap to be complete. No “Taker”Öno offenseÖno trap. Now then just who is guilty of creating an offense? The Taker always blames the Giver. But is the Taker powerless against the trap? No. The Taker of offense is GUILTY of getting himself into the trap. No one else. If that isn’t true for the Child Of God, then why are we running around claiming to be Overcomers?

Our secular culture is breeding a society of spoiled, over-sensitive traumatics, whose egos are so fat they can’t even get around a Tar Baby, much less deal wisely with one. We have crimminalized the Giver of Offense and made the Taker of Offense a victim. We have taken all the responsibility for being mature, forgiving and understanding, away from the Taker and made the Giver responsible for the offended person’s reactions. Everybody’s bad behavior is simply a victim’s response to having been offended. The fact is that today’s Offendee is tomorrow’s Offender. It’s the nature of the Tar Baby to transfer himself to the one who gets offended and grabs him. The Law of the Tar Baby is simple: he’s gonna get on you if you touch him. When you “Take Offense” think about what you’re allowing into your spirit. In what way has your Heavenly Father left you incomplete so that you even have anything to be offended about? Taking offense is an admission to possessing lack, guilt and flaws. You can not like what someone says about you or your associations without taking offense. You can dislike their hostile intentions. But unless what they say is true, just what is it you’re taking offense at? And if it is true then the best thing for you to touch is “the hem of Jesus’ garment” in prayer. Because you’re not going to accomplish anything wrestling with the Tar Baby, accept getting yourself caught. Remember who’s watching in the weeds?

Stay On The Path!

Tags: A list of devotionals by chronological order, Challenge, Conviction & Encouragement by Nick Champlin
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CAUTION: Excessive Use Of Scripture

2 Cor. 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:

2 Cor. 10:4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds)

2 Cor. 10:5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

Welcome To The Light-Washed Path,

The battleground of spiritual warfare is the mind of men. What we think and believe controls what we do.

Prov. 23:7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

It’s not what you say but what you really believe in the depth of your mind, that controls your actions. Whoever has the controlling influence over your mind, controls you. The deeply held convictions of your heart (mind) are what determine who is the dominant spiritual influence over your life: God or Satan.

Eph. 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit (inspiration) of your mind;

Eph. 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

In this verse Paul directly connects the ability to be transformed into the victorious “new man”, with focusing your thinking on what God’s Word declares. For instance, if you insist upon believing that you are defeated, then there’s no way you can avoid becoming a loser. But if you believe without wavering, that you are “more than a conqueror through Him” (Rom. 8:37); and that you can “do all things through Christ” (Phil 4:13); then you will do whatever is necessary to obey the Word of God and come into conformity to these divine declarations. In short, if you truly are convinced of God’s promises concerning yourself, follow the guidance of His Word, and refuse to believe and act contrary to it, you will become exactly what He describes the overcomer to be.

2 Cor. 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

This is not the power of positive thinking. It is opening yourself to the working of the Holy Spirit through believing what God’s Word says about you. That is Divine Wisdom. God’s Word itself is full of His transforming power to develop you into the “New Creation”. But only when you believe and act upon it without being double-minded. Divine Wisdom is your greatest weapon in spiritual warfare. Satan cannot defeat the New Creation.

When we walk in divine wisdom it acts like a great cloaking device that keeps demonic influences from being able to figure us out, and touch our lives. Jesus walked under this great shield, and so have thousands of other men and women of God. People who walk in divine wisdom can often appear to live under a special blessing. But the reality is simply that they do very few things that give demons an access to their lives.

Prov. 2:6 For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.

Prov. 2:10 When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul;

Prov. 2:11 Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:

Prov. 2:12 To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things;

Prov. 2:13 Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness;

God has spoken passionately in His Word about the necessity of basing your life in His Wisdom. He very clearly lays out the case that with Divine Wisdom comes blessing and protection from Satan. But by forsaking His Wisdom, people make themselves prey for every disaster and oppression known to man.

Below is a section from Proverbs where God gives “Divine Wisdom” as voice and lets it speak to us of it’s great worth and power to bless those who pursue and embrace it.

Prov. 8:12 I wisdom dwell with prudence, and find out knowledge of witty inventions.

Prov. 8:13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.

Prov. 8:14 Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom: I am understanding; I have strength.

Prov. 8:15 By me kings reign, and princes decree justice.

Prov. 8:16 By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth.

Prov. 8:17 I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.

Prov. 8:18 Riches and honour are with me; yea, durable riches and righteousness.

Prov. 8:19 My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver.

Prov. 8:20 I lead in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment:

Prov. 8:21 That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance; and I will fill their treasures.

Prov. 8:22 The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.

Prov. 8:23 I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.

Prov. 8:24 When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water…

Prov. 8:32 Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways.

Prov. 8:33 Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not.

Prov. 8:34 Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.

Prov. 8:35 For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD.

Prov. 8:36 But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.

What is Divine Wisdom and where is it obtained?

Prov. 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despisewisdom and instruction.

Prov. 9:10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

Clearly, wisdom begins with the reverential fear of God. It starts by acknowledging Him, and it continues to grow with seeking His Word, learning and following it. Divine Wisdom will not tolerate compromise and foolishness. When you have enrolled yourself in God’s School of Wisdom, you have made a commitment to follow it above the wisdom of the world. Divine Wisdom is understanding and following the Word of God, not just memorizing scripture and learning historic facts. The wisdom of the world is different. It’s rooted in the experiences and insights of men. Satan often uses the wisdom of the world to approach you with rationalizations, doubts and fears. If you’re not armed with Divine Wisdom, you will knuckle right under to the Devil’s logic.

Worldly wisdom may declare that you are sick - but Divine Wisdom says:

1 Pet. 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.

Worldly wisdom may declare that you are impoverished - but Divine Wisdom says:

Phil. 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Worldly wisdom may declare that you are defeated - but Divine Wisdom says:

Rom. 8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

Worldly wisdom may declare that you are abandoned - but Divine Wisdom says:

Heb. 13:5 I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.

John 14:18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

God has made a provision to deliver you from every situation that Satan uses worldly wisdom to take away your hope with. Those provisions are made available to you through the promises of God’s Word. Understanding, believing and acting upon those promises, is what is referred to as Divine Wisdom. Therefore Divine Wisdom is far more than just knowing God’s Word. It is the militant determination to respond to every need, threat and trial with God’s Wisdom. The strongholds of the enemy mentioned in 2 Co. 10:3-5 are the towers of rationalization that he speaks from. These platforms are the natural circumstances of life from which Satan takes his stand, declaring to you that nothing can deliver you from the grip of your trials. Well, he is a liar. And you have been authorized and empowered by the Lord Jesus Christ, to blunt his arguments with the promises of God’s Word.

It’s time for God’s people to rise above the limitations of worldly wisdom, and reclaim the heritage of God’s promises. Stop subjecting your faith to Satan’s editing powers, as he reasons with you from worldly wisdom. Arm yourself with the Wisdom of God and declare the superiority of the Gospel of Jesus. Stop letting the devil determine how much of God’s Word you’re allowed to actually believe! Take off his head with the sword of the Spirit. Divine Wisdom isn’t passive believe-ism. It’s trained faith in action.

Stay On The Path!

Tags: A list of devotionals by chronological order, Challenge, Conviction & Encouragement by Nick Champlin
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Eph. 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

Eph. 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand againstthe wiles of the devil.

Eph. 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, againstspiritual wickedness in high places.

Eph. 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

2 Th. 2:7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way.

Welcome To The Light-Washed Path,

The “mystery of lawlessness” refers to the fact that there is a mysterious force that empowers lawlessness (iniquity, sin). We should never be duped into treating sin (lawlessness, iniquity) as nothing more than “poor choices”. Truth is that there is a kind of irrational, often insane, “drive” to do what is sinful.

Luke 4:2 Being forty days tempted of the devil.

Acts 5:3 But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?

It is important to know that there is a devil and that demons exist. But it is even more important to know that they can’t control us without using some behavior of ours as a handle. Some people blame the devil for every sinful thing they do, without taking responsibility for their actions. Satan can’t just walk into a Christian’s life and start driving them into behaviors unless they are compliant in some way.

For instance, if a spirit of strife has concealed itself in the emotional instability of an individual, they will fight with everyone, and everyone will fight with them. But until the access that person has given Satan into his life is removed, there can be no peaceful resolution. Such people often become social outcasts, and if counseling fails to take the spiritual component into consideration it can never bring freedom.

2 Tim. 2:24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient,

2 Tim. 2:25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;

2 Tim. 2:26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

In spiritual warfare we must understand the distinction between fighting the flesh and fighting in the spirit. On the spiritual level we exercise our authority in Christ and through prayer, to bind the efforts of the enemy. On the natural level, however, we must deprive him of his access, by avoiding bevavior that invites demonic oppression. So spiritual warfare has as much to do with keeping ourselves concealed in Christ as it does praying against the devil. Demonic involvement in our trials is similar to a hostage situation. For example, the devil manipulates someone to act as a cover behind which he approaches you. The reason is, to hide himself behind a human excuse, and to get you into strife with the person whom Satan is manipulating. People very often, unwittingly allow themselves to become human shields for Satan. He then uses them to get at someone else. Sometimes they do it out of immaturity. Sometimes out of ignorance. Sometimes out of anger. Sometimes out of selfishness. But the bottom line to remember is that the Devil knows, if we enter into strife with each other, we are damaging our fellowship with God. And then he has won a victory at our expense.

Matt. 16:21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.

Matt. 16:22 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.

Matt. 16:23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.

On the personal level, Peter was speaking from the carnal reasoning of spiritual immaturity. And even though he loved Jesus, it wasn’t enough to prevent Satan from speaking right through his ignorance, and attack Jesus with a serious temptation. This is a classic textbook example of how Satan uses the camouflage of human emotion. Someone less than Jesus would have simply attacked Peter for being stupid. However, Jesus knew that Satan wanted to get at Him, and destroy Peter in the process. But instead of fighting against Peter and harboring a smoldering resentment against him, Jesus saw the triangulation, and He prayed for Peter instead. How many times has the devil attacked you through someone you love? What is your reaction?

Luke 22:31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to haveyou, that he may sift you as wheat:

Luke 22:32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

In the church at Corinth there was a young man engaging in an incestuous relationship with his mother and refused to repent or cease. The Apostle Paul instructed the church to disfellowship the man so that he would lose the protective blessing of the church’s covering, and have to endure the spiritual consequences of his unrepentant position. This was in hopes that he’d experience the harsh consequences of sin, and come to his senses. That young man may have simply felt that his sexual life was his own business. He refused to understand that he was being a spiritual Trojan Horse. That his sin placed him in an alliance with the devil, and gave Satan access to the church.

1 Cor. 5:3 For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed,

1 Cor. 5:4 In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ,

1 Cor. 5:5 To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

But later, after a period of time, the man couldn’t endure the oppression he was now having to bear alone. Uncovered and broken, he repented, forsook the sin that bound him to Satan, and sought to be reconciled with his church family. At that point Paul warned the church leaders to forgive and take him back in. Paul knew that the devil can bind and destroy a church just as fast through unforgiveness as he can through immorality.

2 Cor. 2:10 To whom ye forgive any thing, I forgive also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it, for your sakes forgave I it in the person of Christ;

2 Cor. 2:11 Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

Our purpose isn’t to fight the devil. It’s to please God. The scriptures that speak of our warfare against Satan all point to simply living in obedience to God. They emphasize a strategy of not giving advantage to Satan, and trusting God for our protection. If we habitually brought every situation to the Lord in prayer, ceased from strife, and did what God’s Word says, then Satan would have very little opportunity to touch our lives. Let’s starve the devil of attention and opportunity, by prayerfully laying all our cares upon the Lord. Let’s cease from strife and complaining. Through obeying God’s Word, let’s conceal ourselves in the protection of Jesus. Let’s rise up in the power of the Holy Spirit, overcoming the evil one.

Stay On The Path!

Tags: A list of devotionals by chronological order, Challenge, Conviction & Encouragement by Nick Champlin
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Eph. 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

Eph. 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand againstthe wiles of the devil.

Eph. 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, againstspiritual wickedness in high places.

Eph. 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

2Th. 2:7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way.

Welcome To The Light-Washed Path,

The existence of Satan and the operation of demons is the most cruelly suppressed fact of life. The real devil encourages the promotion of wildly absurd portrayals of himself, because they lead people to discount his existence. Anonymity provides his efforts with the perfect concealment. The last thing Satan wants is legitimacy from men. The best servants of Satan aren’t the poor pathetic “Satan worshippers”, but people who think they are too enlightened to believe in him. The more that Satan can promote a culture that diffuses the concept of an Evil One, by explaining evil as a relative human condition, the more effective he becomes at his objective.

And what is Satan’s objective? To understand his objective you must see his nature. The following scripture’s will give testimony to who and what he is. And from these, an understanding of his objective will emerge.

Is. 14:13 ”But you said in your heart,

…I will ascend to heaven;

I will raise my throne above the stars of God,

And I will sit on the mount of assembly

In the recesses of the north.

Is. 14:14 …I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;

I will make myself like the Most High.

Ezek. 28:15 ”You were blameless in your ways

From the day you were created

Until unrighteousness was found in you.

Ezek. 28:16 ”By the abundance of your trade

You were internally filled with violence,

And you sinned;

Therefore I have cast you as profane

From the mountain of God.

And I have destroyed you, O covering cherub,

From the midst of the stones of fire.

Ezek. 28:17 ”Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty;

You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor.

John 8:44 Ye (Pharisees) are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

1 Pet. 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

From these verses come the twisted tale of Lucifer, the great angel who corrupted himself with pride and envy, seeking to have the praise of God for himself. By Jesus’ own account, he is very real and very evil - a murderer and father of the lie. All we need to know is that, since he cannot attack God directly, he attacks what God loves and what God does and what God says. He fights against people’s efforts to do God’s will.

1 Th. 2:18 For we wanted to come to you–I, Paul, more than once–and yet Satan hindered us.

He is always at ready to resist those who would face God.

Zech. 3:1 And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him.

His most intense efforts lie in twisting the Words of God in order to lead people into error and rebellion.

Gen. 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?“

The only relief to his pernicious craving, is a pathological satisfaction he derives from keeping God and the man God loves, apart from each other. With lies, ego stimulants, distractions, vain delusions, religious deceptions, anger, lust, fear, despair, and such; he works incessantly to drive man away from God. At his core, he is a relentless combatant against all fellowship with our Heavenly Father. For this sole purpose, he exists. If one is going to walk with God he should know that he will have an enemy, to oppose that desire.

He hides himself inside all the natural circumstances of life: economics, family relations, minor troubles, major trials, triumphant experiences, loneliness, abundance, etc. Whatever provides a natural barrier - a camouflage, which he can blame his harassment on. If you ignore the presence of his activity against you, he simply works unabated. If you become obsessed with defeating him, he simply let’s you chase him around until you’re fixated on his scheming. Pay to much attention to him. Fear him. Discount him. Give credit to others for his work. Blame him for the work of men. All these play into his scheme. He depends upon imbalance in order to work effectively. He needs to keep your life off balance in order to defeat you. And defeating you means only one thing: keep you and your Heavenly Father apart! You can win every other battle and obtain every other accomplishment in life and still be defeated. When you think life is good, after checking your financial holdings and taking stock of your family, and affirming your own sense of accomplishment, you could actually be near real defeat, though everything looks good. What’s going on between you and God?

Imbalance. It’s Satan’s chokehold. My wife had a dream many years ago, in which she floated on a cloud above the earth, in a state of wonderful peace, enjoying the fellowship of the Lord. Then a sharp, piercing screeching from the ground, broke her respite. Looking down over the side of the little cloud, she saw the devil, jumping up and down, shaking his fist and hollering at her. She rolled back over and tried tuning him out, but to no avail. His disruption was too aggravating. But every time she rolled over to rebuke him she would nearly tip the cloud over and fall off. Frustrated, she finally laid still, refused to pay him any more attention and asked the Father for help. Shortly the intrusion ceased and she floated on her merry way. She refused to get off balance over the matter.

I have always remembered the lesson God was trying to tell us in that dream. Satan thrives off of any attention that takes us away from Jesus. He really doesn’t care whether you believe in him or not. That isn’t his objective. It adds absolutely nothing to Satan, to have people believe in him. But to get them to ignore or rebel against God, now THAT is his heart’s desire. And frankly, if it’s easier for you to do that believing there’s a devil or not, it really doesn’t matter, so long as you end up doing his will, and ignoring God.

In the next several installments of “The Light-Washed Path” I will share about the strategies, weapons and victory over The Enemy. But let me leave you with some wonderful news for now:

Luke 10:18 And He (Jesus) said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.

Acts 10:38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.

Stay On The Path!

Tags: A list of devotionals by chronological order, Challenge, Conviction & Encouragement by Nick Champlin
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