Enemy on a mission

Satan’s mission and strategy
A little while back my friend Matthijs wrote something on his weblog that I found very interesting and helpful. It was about Satan's mission and the strategies he uses to accomplish his goal. The enemy doesn't get a whole lot of attention on my blog, but knowing and recognizing his cunning ways is essential if we want to grow in our Christian walk and even more so if working on a dream or assignment! I roughly translated his post:

Mission: take possession of God’s creation
Strategy 1: through distraction prevent people from coming to Christ. If, however, they manage to do so, strategy 2 follows.
Strategy 2: Through distraction prevent the Christians from discovering their personal destiny, their identity and their talents. If, however, they manage to do so, strategy 3 follows.
Strategy 3: through discouragement prevent Christians from reaching their personal destiny. If, however, they manage to do so, strategy 4 follows.
Strategy 4: through separation, division and conflict prevent them from becoming a unity. If, however, they manage to do so, strategy 5 follows.
Strategy 5: Mix their talents and their worship with pride, egoism, fear and jealousy. If, for whatever reason, this has no effect, leave them alone.

Always know where you are and never, ever give up. God’s Kingdom is breaking through with force. Stay connected with Him and you will come through every obstacle.

Land of 'no effort'

Who wants the prize without a fight?

While working out at my gym I heard an ad on the radio. It talked about a program that would have your 3-year old read like a 3rd grader in no time, no effort… really! It struck me as odd that the promise to accomplish a goal without effort would be attractive to anyone. Who wants the prize without the fight, the glory without the blood, sweat and tears? And yet, we seem to live in a land of ‘no effort’. Loose weight without a diet! Now, you can have a great body without exercise! Learn another language in no time! Well, you know what I mean…

I wonder, even if it would be possible to reach a goal without working for it, what would be the fun? Why would we even be tempted by promises that clearly go against Kingdom principles? Jesus said, make every effort to enter through the narrow door. Every effort, right?! There is not even such a thing as little or half effort, let alone NO effort! The Bible goes on to say in Romans 14:19,

- Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification

- Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace (Eph. 4:3)

- Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy (Hebr. 12:14)

Based on these scriptures I feel free to say that an effortless life is an ungodly life.
We can do nothing to earn our salvation, but we can do everything to make it a lifestyle!

The secret of being content

The art of enjoying any journey

The motivational calendar on my desk has beautiful pictures of nature and people on mountain bikes flying in mid air against a clear blue sky. Early this morning I tore off yesterday’s page and crumbled it slowly in my hand thinking how odd it was that I was about to throw away a day that would never return. At the same time I scanned the words for today, “The really happy man is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour”.

With or without bicycle, I want to be that (wo)man! I want to be able to say
I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation
(Philippians 4:12)
I am trying to picture ‘any and every’ situation. It’s like being forced to take a detour on the bike of life and ending up in the rain and the mud or on a dead-end road. It is realizing you forgot to bring your rain gear and after the longest struggle uphill arriving too late for the party and not getting the sympathy you’d hoped for. It is like feeling all alone on that steep hill and knowing there is no way back, no side tracking and no changing your mind until you reach the viewpoint, where you can finally look back and say: it was all worth it! Hey, and if you'd been singing all the way, then you have truly mastered the art of enjoying even the hardest journey.
The good thing is; you will have a story to tell!

Promise about our climate

The Lord brought order in His creation... and a promise

It rained, again, in Southern California… A winter storm in this part of the world brings more than snow in the mountains and welcome water in the wells and reservoirs; it causes havoc on the burned hillsides. A steady flow of debris and dangerous mudslides make their way to the Pacific and leave a trail of destruction behind.

In view of all the discussions about the warming of our global climate, the extreme weather in the USA seems to be out of place, sort of like a practical joke from the Creator. Ha ha folks, you can discuss and debate all you want, but I am still in charge here!

Worldwide meetings and conferences, scientific research, millions of dollars in campaigns and media coverage… and we’re still missing the point; it is pathetic, really...
After the biggest climatic disaster in human history, the Flood, the Lord brought again order in His creation and added a promise. He said:

As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, will never cease.
(Genesis 8:22)
Storms, floods, extreme cold or heat and changing numbers and statistics, it doesn't frighten me. God has the first word and the last. That settles it for me!

Working on a vision?

We all have something we want to accomplish

An author spends months writing a book, and maybe puts his heart's blood into it, and then it lies about unread till the reader has nothing else in the world to do.

W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965)

Writing books is part of a bigger vision I have, it is part of the fulfilling of a dream that is slowly developing and growing in my heart. Writing might not be your thing, but I am sure you’ll have something you want to accomplish; a dream, a vision, a project you’re working on. No matter what your assignment is, no matter how big or small the goal you’re aiming for… it will help you to understand a few things. Stick this at a place where you can see it every day!

Regarding the fulfilling of my vision I must understand:
1. That I pay the price for completion
2. That discouragement and disappointment will come, I must be strong
3. That I must live by the principles of God’s Word
4. The power of prayer, my prayer life must be committed
5. That I will need patience