What's in a Name?

by David Scott Robertson

David S. Robertson. That’s the name my parents gave me. Throughout my lifetime, as far back as I can remember, people have been calling me by my name. Maybe you’ve had a similar experience!

The United States government may know us as a nine-digit number, but those who really know us call us by name.

How people address us often reveals how they feel about us.

TELLER AT THE BANK: “Hello, Mr. Robertson.”
MY FRIEND BOB: “Hi David!”
MY RACQUETBALL PARTNER, MARK: “Hey buddy!”
MY WIFE, MONICA: “Hi, Honey!”
MY MOTHER WHEN SHE’S MAD AT ME: “David Scott Robertson!”
THE GUY I CUT OFF IN TRAFFIC: “Watch it, Jerk!”

Sometimes, others know us so well they give us “nick-names.” Nicknames can be cruel or funny or kind, depending upon how the person/group feels about you.

JESUS USED NICKNAMES
The dynamic duo brother-team of James and John earned a nickname from the Lord:

“James son of Zebedee and his brother John (to them he gave the name Boanerges, which means Sons of Thunder)…”(Mark 3:17).

THE DISCIPLES USED NICKNAMES
An early Christ-follower named Joseph was such a nice guy to be around that the apostles gave him a nickname:

“Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement)…” (Acts 4:36).

MY WIFE USES NICKNAMES
My wife, Monica, often calls me “honey,” “baby,” or “sweetheart” and I love it when she uses terms of endearment like this!

What’s in a name? Plenty! It can become a “self-fulfilling prophecy” about who you are as a person. Jacob is a good example of this. Jacob was a name that was built on the Hebrew noun for “heel” meaning, “he grasps the heel” or “he cheats, supplants” (Genesis 25:26; 27:36).

God later changed his name at a place called “Peniel” because Jacob had a profound encounter with the Lord.

“Then the man said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome.” God said to him, "Your name is Jacob, but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel. " So he named him Israel” (Genesis 32:28;35:10).

Many others in the Bible got a name change:

HOSHEA, SON OF NUN(Numbers 13:16)
“These are the names of the men Moses sent to explore the land. (Moses gave
Hoshea son of Nun the name Joshua.)


SIMON(John 1:42)
“And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas" (which, when translated, is Peter).

SAUL OF TARSUS(Acts 13:9)
“Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said…”

ABRAM(Genesis 17:5)
“No longer will you be called Abram ; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations."

JOSEPH(Genesis 41:45)
“Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah and gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. And Joseph went throughout the land of Egypt.”

I have a few friends who changed their names themselves after having a radical encounter with God. One of my friends, formerly known as “T.J.” now asks to be called “Thomas” since his conversion to Christ. My friend Joe used to be known as “Joseph,” but he left that old troubled character behind after the Lord set him free from chains that bound him to his past. I think this is glorious!

What’s in a name? Plenty! The Great God Jehovah Himself has elected to be known by several different names. Like the many facets of a diamond held up to the light, each name of God reveals a different but splendid aspect of God’s character:

“Jehovah” meaning “I AM WHO I AM” or “the Self-Existent One.”

“Elohim” (a plural noun, more than two) meaning God occurring 2,570 in the Old Testament.

“El Shaddai” – God Almighty or “God All Sufficient.”

"Adonai” meaning “Lord.”

“Yahweh” is the covenant name of God.

“Jehovah-Jireh” means “The Lord will Provide.”

The Word of God reveals many other names that the Lord has chosen to describe Himself to mankind besides those few listed here.

(NOTE: For a fascinating study into the names of God, go to: http://www.ldolphin.org/Names.html)

Interestingly, names changes are not limited to just individuals as the two verses below illustrate:

THE LAND
"No longer will they call you Deserted, or name your land Desolate. But you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah ; for the LORD will take delight in you, and your land will be married" (Isa 62:4).

THE BODY OF CHRIST
"I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you" (John 15:15).

Greater minds than mine have opened this can of worms and understood it better than me. The point I want to leave with today is that if you know Jesus, the name above all names, then you have connected with the one name that can save your soul.

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12)

One day, one fine day, Jesus will give us a new name. And that, dear friend, is the name that will stick for eternity.

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it” (Rev 2:17).

DSR
10/30/05

The Code

by David Scott Robertson

* * *

1. SOG
2. MOC
3. D7
4. EX412
5. TYJ

* * *

Before I compose very important documents, I usually write (or type) "the code" or letters you see here that appear above this text.

I used it today as I composed comments I will be making at the funeral of a very dear friend. I write these letters before I write a sermon. Often I'll write them on the top left of my legal pad if I'm in an important meeting where I need to speak with extra caution or wisdom.

I have done this for years and today is the first time I've ever told anybody about it. Let me tell you what the letters above stand for and why I think they're vital to my communication.

1. SOG - Stands for Spirit of God.

First and foremost, I invite the Holy Spirit to inspire me to speak or write well. I realize also that what I don't say is nearly as important as what I do say, so I ask the Spirit of God to help me cull out what is not appropriate. Certain thoughts or ideas may be good but it may not be the right time or audience to share them with.

2. MOC - Stands for Mind of Christ.

Scripture reveals that in Christ are "…hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2:2-3). I figure since Jesus knows everything and He lives in my heart (spirit), then why not ask for the His thoughts to dominate and mine to be taken captive (2 Corinthians 10:5)? 1 Corinthians 2:16 says that we can have the mind of Christ, so by putting the letters MOC on the left margin of my document, I am saying to God that I want the mind of Christ to influence what I write and/or speak.

3. D7 - Stands for the Divine 7
These are 7 things I pray over myself and my family regularly:

(1) Divine Receptivity - the ability to hear God's voice...clearly
(2) Divine Creativity - genius from Jesus for Jesus
(3) Divine Productivity - the ability to get more done in less time
(4) Divine Enablement - trusting that I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength
(5) Divine Intervention - God working creative miracles on my behalf
(6) Divine Favor - walking daily in the FOG - the favor of God
(7) Divine Rhythm - doing God's perfect will in God's perfect timing

4. EX412 - Stands for Exodus 4:12.

This is one of my favorite verses in the whole Word of God. God is speaking directly and audibly to Moses in this passage. Moses had an inferiority complex when it came to public speaking. God counters with, "Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say."

Well, that should have ended all Moses' fears, right? Yes it should have but it didn't. Basically, Moses' response to the Lord God's extraordinary promise was: "Here am I, Lord, send Aaron."

But as for me, I'm going to take God up on that promise and claim it as my own! Since God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34), I believe that God is going to help me speak and teach me what to say. He did it for Moses, Aaron, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Jeremiah, David, Elijah, Elisha, Daniel, Joseph, and others, so why not me?

5. TYJ - Stands for Thank You Jesus!

I always try to thank Him in advance, BEFORE I write the first word, because that requires faith! And God loves it when we exercise faith and trust Him for things we have not yet apprehended.

Thank God for Jesus! Without Him, I wouldn't have a prayer! Jesus makes things happen in my life like nobody else can! He is worthy of all praise and credit before, during, and after the thought is written, the lesson is taught, the sermon is preached, the altar call given, or anything is accomplished that I have asked for His divine assistance with. God is worthy of all the glory, the honor, and the praise!

Now, here's an idea! Why not put these acronyms or your own special code on your projects that may not mean anything to anybody else, but God knows the code!

DSR
9/5/05

The Value of Being Sent Out

by David Scott Robertson

"Then Moses went back home and talked it over with Jethro, his father-in-law. 'With your permission,' Moses said, 'I would like to go back to Egypt to visit my family. I don't even know whether they are still alive'" (Exodus 4:18).

This is one of the most amazing verses I have found in the Old Testament concerning the value of being sent out by those in authority over you.

In Exodus chapter three, we read the story of how Moses had a close encounter of the God-kind. This is the famous "burning bush" passage. The Great God Jehovah called and commissioned Moses to go and be His representative before Pharaoh to deliver the nation of Israel from over four centuries of Egyptian bondage.

In Exodus chapter 4, we read about how God then empowered Moses to perform a series of miracles to convince both the Jewish and Egyptian officials that God had indeed sent him.

But even though Moses had a supernatural experience with God, please notice something both peculiar and important. Undeniably, Moses had had an incredible meeting with God:

- He witnessed the miracle of the burning bush (3:3)
- He audibly heard the voice of God (3:4)
- He had stood on holy ground (3:5)
- God had revealed Himself and His covenant name (3:6)
- He became privy to God's secret plan to rescue His people (3:7)
- He received a mandate directly from God Himself (3:10)
- He had received God's personal guarantee of His presence and assured victory (3:12)
- He received details about the plagues and plunder of the Egyptians (3:30-21)
- He personally participated in not one, but two actual miracles (the rod becoming a snake and his hand becoming leprous) (4:1-7)
- God predicted the reunion of Moses with his long-lost brother, Aaron (4:14)

Wow! When is the last time you have heard from God so clearly? When is the last time you have received authorization from God to liberate a nation?

I could go on, but my real point that I've been building up to is my opening text:

"Then Moses went back home and talked it over with Jethro, his father-in-law. 'With your permission..." (Exodus 4:18, New Living Translation).

It amazes me that even though Moses had experienced God like no other before him, He didn't immediately go and begin to fulfill God's mission. No, first he went and talked it over with his father-in-law, Jethro! Next (now get this!) he actually asked permission to go! The King James Version of the Bible translates this request as "Let me go, I pray thee…." The New International Version reads, "Let me go back to my people…." The words may differ slightly but the point remains the same - Moses asked his father-in-law to let him go do what God had called him to do!

What's up with that? Does that not fly in the face of much of our cultural Christianity that says "God told me…" and so off they go just like that to begin the task! Many workers in the local church "drop everything they're doing" (or rather everything they've committed to do) without so much as asking their pastor for his blessing. As a result, many are "abandoning their posts" prematurely. Often zealous but immature Christians bring reproach upon the very name that is calling them to greatness by doing things in the wrong order. They inadvertently tarnish genuine "words from the Lord" by believing that if God told them something then who cares what anybody else thinks?

You see, I believe God uses leaders to help younger believers get the timing right. The right thing at the wrong time is the wrong thing. If Jethro had told Moses, "Now Moses, I agree that you have heard God, but as your employer, before you go, I need you to bring my flocks and herds that you have been watching these past four decades to market to sell next month like we agreed." You will never convince me otherwise that God would not honor that!

Indeed you may be called to do an exploit for God but rarely (if ever) will God require you to break your word or fail to fulfill to do something you have committed (covenanted) to do. You may be in week 3 of a 12-week class that you volunteered to teach and the thing that honors God is for you to complete the assignment.

Listen, sometimes God gives you the "heads up" on something coming down the road as a courtesy so you can prepare yourself for His next assignment. He may tell you things in advance so you can bring closure to your current commitments, spend time getting prayed up, get counsel and advice from those more seasoned than you, obtain the blessing of those in authority over you, and get sent out properly with much celebration!

Notice that God didn't rebuke Moses for going to Jethro to talk things over. God didn't threaten to kill Moses for asking permission to quit his job and secure a blessing from the man under whose authority Moses had prospered for nearly forty years. Conversely, God rewards those who honor those in authority over them and seek to be sent out with a blessing on their new adventure!

Notice the very next verse how God validated Moses after he consulted with Jethro:

"Before Moses left Midian, the Lord said to him, 'Do not be afraid to return to Egypt, for all those who wanted to kill you are dead" (4:19).

God speaks again! Moses lived nearly his whole life up to that point without seeing miracles and hearing God's voice, now it's getting to be a habit!

Why is this concept of obtaining permission, securing a blessing, and being sent out by those in authority over you important? Watch what happens in Moses' life later regarding Jethro.

Since Moses left on good terms with Jethro and no bridges were burned on the way out the door, God was able to use this former authority in Moses' life to be a great blessing to him in the future.

In later years, when Moses was responsible to sit as judge over millions of people, Jethro came for a visit and watched Moses literally wear himself (and the people) out from morning till evening (Exodus 18:13) trying to solve the community's problems.

Jethro pointed out: "…What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people's representative before God and bring their disputes to him" (Exodus 18:17-19).

Jethro went on to suggest to Moses an efficient and effective judicial system that would be so successful in providing speedier justice that much of the infrastructure of his concept remains intact to this day!

This one suggestion transformed Moses' life and lifted a burden too great for any one man to bear! And note that the idea didn't come directly from God rather God sent this breakthrough idea through the mouth of Jethro!

However you must recall that it all started when Moses was "sent out with a blessing" by Jethro. This one act set the stage so that years later God could use a man with whom Moses had a healthy relationship to be a continual fountain of blessing to him.

The point? Truly, God may be speaking to you and calling you to another place, another ministry, another church, another assignment. But if you will follow his example of taking your revelation to your pastor if you are in a church or your employer if you are in a business or your coach if you are on a team (or to whomever God has placed you in authority under) and talk things over, and either fulfill your commitments or get permission and blessing to be released from them, God will honor you for it! You will never be penalized for keeping your word and honoring authority.

In the years ahead, you can happily do God's will with no regrets, no burned bridges, and no relationships to repair. Consider, for your own good and for the good of those who will follow you, the value of being sent out.

DSR
8/28/05

The Little Things

by David Scott Robertson

A while back my family and I decided we needed to get away and spend a few days in the Smoky Mountains.

Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, are two neighboring townships that are home to multiple dinner theaters, getaway cabins, helicopter rides, bungee jumping, miniature golf, go-carts, museums, malls, water parks, antique outlets, fine dining and a hundred other activities designed to satiate even the most adventuresome tourist.

Sevier County Tennessee is one of the hottest spots in the mid-South to connect with thousands of ways to spend your money and do something or see something out of the ordinary.

It didn't take long in the Smokies before I made an interesting discovery about myself. I discovered that it was the "little things" that really made the trip worthwhile for me.

My wife, daughter, and I went to the "Country Bear Jamboree" and enjoyed a marvelous dinner and show for $34.95 (+ tax) apiece. But you know what? We also enjoyed eating turkey sandwiches and potato salad and cookies from Kroger in the motel room watching Animal Planet.

My wife, daughter, and I went to Dolly Parton's "Dixie Stampede" wild-west dinner show for $35.99 (+ tax) apiece. But you know what? We also enjoyed going to the movie theater in Pigeon Forge to catch the world premier of Episode III of Star Wars for a fraction of the cost.

My wife, daughter, and I went to the "Comedy Barn" and enjoyed a hilarious evening of good, clean jokes, skits, and music that they presented for $19.95 (+ tax) apiece. But you know what? We also had a blast popping some microwave popcorn and eating snacks out of the vending machines at the motel and piling up in bed together watching re-runs of M*A*S*H and "Full House."

My wife, daughter, and I went to Dollywood and had an awesome day of music and rides and shows for $43.50 (+ tax) apiece. But you know what? We also had a memory-making time in the pool together playing "Marco Polo."

From the experience, I've come to a not too surprising conclusion. For me, it doesn't take much to have a good time. It doesn't take a lot of money, a lot of glitz and glamorous costumes and animatronics to make a super-duper memory.

Nope. For me, it's not necessarily where I'm at or what I'm doing or how much it costs that counts...it's who I'm with.

I love being with family and close friends doing whatever. At the end of the day, at the end of vacation, yes, even at the end of life, we'll probably discover that it was the "little things" that brought us the most enjoyment and lasting satisfaction.

Thank you, Lord Jesus, for the little things that enhance our quality of life.

Thank you for taste buds.
Thank you for ripe bananas.
Thank you for ice cream.
Thank you for the thrill of throwing rocks in the pond with our kids.
Thanks for bedtime stories.
Thanks for the family piling up in the bed to watch a funny movie with all the dogs and cats curled up asleep around us.
Thank you that every day, every single day, you arrange lots of little things to cross paths with us that add value to who we are.

And thank you, Lord, for the good sense you give us to discern the simple pleasures of life.


DSR
8/22/05

To Obey is Better

by David Scott Robertson

"But Samuel replied: 'Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams'" (1 Sam 15:22).

* * *

Obedience is a good thing. It works well for kids who obey their parents, employees who obey their employers and citizens who obey their government's laws. In fact all who humbly submit to those God has placed in authority over them will benefit from their obedient attitude.

Obedience brings reward. Obedience can save your life. Obedience, over time, will result in promotion in nearly every instance.

Nowhere is obedience more vital than in the Christian life.

God has a thing about obedience. Time and again we see examples in the Scriptures where obedience brings the miraculous. More often than not, irrational and ridiculous commands from God designed to build or test faith in order to bring about miracles hinged on an individual's simple obedience:

- Jesus told ten lepers to go and show themselves to the priests. They were healed when they obeyed (Luke 17:14).
.
- Jesus told a blind man to go wash mud off his eyes in a pool of water. He was healed when he obeyed (John 9:7).

The prophet Elijah told a widow woman to take her last meal and give it to the prophet. She obeyed and God sustained her through a famine with oil and flour that didn't cease until the famine did (1 Kings 17:13).

- The prophet Elisha told a widow to borrow empty pots from her neighbors and God would fill them with oil to sell to rescue her sons from slavery. She obeyed and she struck oil (so to speak), enough to sell and pay a huge debt (2 Kings 3-5).

- God told Joshua to have his men walk around the city of Jericho seven times and shout. They did and the walls came tumbling down (Hebrews 11:30).

- God told Noah to build an ark to save his family from certain death. He did and they survived the flood (Genesis 6).

These are but a few of billions of examples of how God has honored obedience and converted submission and compliance into miracles.

Many times people adopt an attitude that says, "I won't obey a leader unless I first agree with him or her." This is where we can get into trouble. God always honors obedience and never rewards disobedience. The only exception is when a leader asks you to do something that violates God's rules.

One of the reasons that I firmly believe that King David was referred to in Scripture as "a man after [God's] own heart"(1 Samuel 13:14) was not just that he loved to worship God. Perhaps more important was David's profound understanding of the concept of obedience to authority. David refused to "touch the Lord's anointed" (1 Samuel 24: 12-13) and disrespect authority, namely King Saul.

Obedience is powerful! Partial obedience is disobedience! Delayed obedience is disobedience! If we want to experience the fullness of all that God has for our lives we must become obedient sons and daughters of God.

It seems Mary, the mother of Jesus, was really on to something when she said to the servants at the wedding of Cana in Galilee: "do whatever he [Jesus] tells you" (John 2:5).

Sounds good to me.

"If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the LORD your God…" (Deuteronomy 28:1-2).

DSR
8/14/05

God's Musician

by David Scott Robertson

Quietly, without any fanfare, God's musician makes her way to her instrument of worship.

Sliding onto the creaking wooden bench, her hands, having made the trip innumerable times, quickly retrace the familiar path to the beginning chord of another expression of praise unto God.

With perfect timing, God's musician begins to perform her ceremonial duty with fervor and zeal, accuracy and skill, heart and soul.

Ten fingers, two hands, one heart, united in synchronized harmony worshipping with every keystroke; offering up an undefiled melody as fragrant incense before God.

Playing to no audience, God's musician focuses intently on the Master Conductor who orchestrates the sacrifice of praise resonating from an inanimate object through a yielded human vessel.

As the musical sacrifice goes forth, discerning members of the congregation signify their agreement with God's musician with uplifted hands and tightly closed eyes…lost in the spirit of worship of the object of their worship…Jesus Christ.

The music stops, but the worship echoes on in sweet refrains. God's musician, quietly, without any fanfare, slips back to her seat; moved, satisfied, humbled.

DSR
8/8/05

The Balanced Life

by David Scott Robertson

Is it possible to enjoy life even though your body doesn't work properly? What if somebody doesn't like you? Is there joy available despite the fact that you don't have everything you want?

What if things in your own life, things in the lives of your loved ones, things in politics, things in the economy, things in the environment, things in the church, things all around just don't line up and aren't in the balance you think they ought to be? What then?

If this is the situation, is it possible to rejoice, to be filled with joy, and to be content? The biblical answer is yes.

The sad reality is, though, as Christians, we don't always embrace the biblical answer. We don't always rely on God's resources. We don't always manifest the "fruit of the Spirit." We don't always "walk in the Spirit." We don't always deny the lusts of the flesh. We don't always hide His exceedingly great and precious promises in our hearts. Sometimes, quite frankly, we forget some of His benefits. Often, we permit our emotions to overshadow and override our prayer life. Intentional or not, to our own hurt, we live far below our privileges as children of God. When we allow one or all of these things to happen, we become imbalanced.

Until Almighty God sets all things right at the consummation of the age and ushers in a new heaven and a new earth where righteousness rules, there will always be imbalance throughout the world and in our relationships. It can be no other way.

But the good news is that our attitude is a different story. It's an inside job. Our faith is just that - OUR faith. Nobody can take it away from us unless we allow it. No one can make us dislike or hate anybody. These are all personal choices that we make.

You and I are responsible for maintaining our own "inner balance." We must submit to the Holy Spirit inside us and allow Him to lead and guide us into all truth in all our thoughts, words, and actions.

Being born again by the Spirit of God and having Him actually take up residence inside our hearts and lives makes all the difference in the world! You may want to say the following three phrases out loud:

Living in me is the key to being FREE! Living in me is the key to walk in VICTORY! Living in me is the key to my DESTINY!

The Holy Spirit is the key to a balanced life! Tap into the genius of Jesus to live in freedom and victory and fulfill God's destiny for your life. Thousands of years ago, a man named Paul discovered the truth of the balanced life and penned these words:

Philip. 4:11-13 (NLT)
Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to get along happily whether I have much or little. [12] I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. [13] For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need.

-- The Apostle Paul, written from a prison cell

DSR
7/31/05

The RIGHT TIME

by David Scott Robertson

"You see, at just the RIGHT TIME, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly" (Romans 5:6).

* * *
Yesterday I dropped my wife off at the Nashville International Airport to catch a flight to Orlando, Florida to attend a job-related conference. The flight converts a 12-hour drive into a 2-hour flight. We had to time it just right to leave home, make the drive from Murfreesboro to Nashville, and drop her off in time to meet all the security check requirements.

Sometimes, life is a lot like catching a flight at an airport. We do our best to manage and balance the "hurry up" versus "wait patiently" aspects of our busy lives. Jesus had to contend with the same 24-hour periods of time that we do every day of our lives. Unlike us, however, Jesus was able to pull off being on time, all the time, every time.


ARRIVALS - ON TIME - At the RIGHT TIME in human history, Jesus arrived. Not a day early, not a day late, but at just the RIGHT TIME.

"Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners…" (1 Timothy 1:15).

POSSIBLE DELAYS AHEAD - Many had tried to get Jesus off Father God's timetable. His birth would not wait until a sterile hospital birthing room was invented and Mary could have an epidural to relieve the pain.

"…and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn" (Luke 2:7).

BOARDING CALL - Later on, Jesus' own mother tried to jump-start His public ministry by asking Him to perform a miracle.

"Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied. "My time has not yet come" (John 2:4).

LET'S GET THIS THING OFF THE GROUND - His brothers tried get Him to prematurely become a celebrity.

"Jesus' brothers said to him, 'You ought to leave here and go to Judea, so that your disciples may see the miracles you do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.' For even his own brothers did not believe in him. Therefore Jesus told them, 'The RIGHT TIME for me has not yet come; for you any time is right. The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that what it does is evil. You go to the Feast. I am not yet going up to this Feast, because for me the RIGHT TIME has not yet come'" (John 7:3-8).

THIS FLIGHT MAY BE CANCELLED - Jealous religious leaders of the day incited zealous but misguided laymen to try to terminate the Messiah's mission.

"All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff. But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way" (Luke 4:28-30).

And this they tried on more than one occasion.

"At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds" (John 8:59).

RIGHT ON TIME - In spite of all the human (and demonic) attempts to get Jesus off track, it never happened. Jesus was never in a hurry and never late.

- He sat at a well to get a drink at just the RIGHT TIME so He could meet a woman and reach a city (John 4:6-29).

- He approached a town gate at just the RIGHT TIME and gave back a dead son to his mother (Luke 7:12-15).

- He walked past a blind fellow named Bartimaeus at just the RIGHT TIME and the man went home seeing (Mark 10:46-52).

- He told Peter to cast a line into a fishing hole at just the RIGHT TIME so he could hook the exact fish swimming by with a coin in its mouth (Matthew 17:27).

- And on and on it goes, story after story, of Jesus showing up and all of heaven breaking loose.

UNEXPECTED DELAYS - Even when He was accused of being late, He was on time.

- "Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died" (John 11:21).

- "While Jesus was still speaking, some men came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue ruler. "Your daughter is dead," they said. "Why bother the teacher any more?" ((Mark 5:35).

Turns out even His delays had meaning and purpose and glorified His Father in heaven.

ALL FLIGHTS ON TIME - We stand on solid ground when we say that Jesus Christ was at the right place at the RIGHT TIME all the time.

Knowing what we know now, we can readily see that wherever Jesus happened to be and whatever Jesus happened to be doing, He was doing the right thing at the right time. He was always on schedule, on track, and on target with the will of His Father in heaven.

Storms didn't stop Him, demons didn't delay Him, detours didn't hinder Him, working one-on-one with people didn't set Him back; even times of rest didn't prevent Him, not even once, from being in the right place at the right time. Nothing at any time impeded, obstructed, interrupted, or even postponed God's plan for His life. Jesus truly lived in the center of God's will and timing. And to beat all, even His death was on time.

DEPARTURE - ON TIME - At the RIGHT TIME in human history, Jesus departed. Not a day early, not a day late, but at just the RIGHT TIME.

"I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do" (John 17:4).

"When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit" (John 19:30).

Amazing! Even though Jesus died a young man, he did not die prematurely. He actually "finished the work" that God had called Him to do. He is the ultimate example of a purpose-driven life.

Fast-forward to our society today, most particularly the American culture. We are driven by time. It's not just catching a plane that brings time management to the forefront of our thinking either , it filters down to mundane, routine things like catching a meal. Fast food restaurants, microwave ovens, pizza delivery, "heat it up and eat it up" is where many of us really live.

This cycle of fighting to be on time invades many other areas of our lives. Overnight package delivery, day planners and hand-held computers all have their part to play in a culture that wants what it wants when it wants it.

Ironically, most people procrastinate on life's most vital issues. The urgent intercepts the important. Soccer practice is urgent; getting your child saved is important. Fighting rush hour traffic to meet friends after work at the restaurant is urgent; introducing friends to Christ is important. Getting to your aerobics class three times a week by 6am to work on your body temple is urgent; getting to church Sunday by 10am to get your spiritual house in order is important.

In conclusion, I suggest that we do our best to align our life schedules up with the timetable of Father God. Accept delays and part of His plan. Tolerate detours as unexpected opportunities. If your steps are ordered of the Lord (Psalm 37:23), then don't freak out if you fail to finish your daily to-do list. Expect the unexpected and consider that those interruptions, delays, and detours just may be divinely inspired.

Settle in your heart that God is never late but rarely early. Good things come to those who wait…on the Lord. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord as you face rugged circumstances. Resist the temptation to accuse God of being "out of the loop" of your life when it comes to a hundred practical things that didn't happen when you wanted them to happen.

I said it before but I want to say it again: we stand on solid ground when we say that Jesus Christ was at the right place at the RIGHT TIME all the time - on schedule, on track, and on target with the will of His Father in heaven. And since Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8), why not expect and receive a miracle today of being in sync with God's plan for your day/week/month/quarter/year/life?

DSR
7/17/05

It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time

by David Scott Robertson

A few weeks ago, I pulled out of my driveway early to drive to the local YMCA to workout.

As I approached the end of my street, there was a News Channel 5 truck with a TV camera set up in the front lawn of a house, a police car, and crime scene tape draped across the front yard of the house directly across the street from the television camera.

I found out later that morning that a 17-year-old boy had gotten into an argument around 2:00 a.m. with his stepfather and had taken a 30" sword and fatally stabbed the man.

When I heard the news, my heart ached. I thought about the older man's tragic death, but I also thought about what else died about 2am that morning.

There was an empty seat in English class at the local high school the next day. There will be two empty seats around the Thanksgiving table this year. There will be no presents under the tree for these two men - one has gone on and one has gone away.

The boy traded designer jeans for a prison uniform. He traded the gold chain around his neck and the cool bracelet for leg irons and handcuffs.

He will probably never marry, never vote, and never serve his country in the military. He won't make the yearbook or graduate with his class. More than likely he will never go to college.

He won't see most of his friends again. In an instant, he's off the team, out of the club, disqualified from everything and disassociated from nearly every friend and family member for a very long time.

I think the newspaper reported that he will be tried as an adult. The future of a felon, especially a murderer, is not an easy one. Some would say that his life is "over." A tragic waste; a crying shame. All because in the heat of the moment, it "seemed like a good idea at the time" to lash out in violence. Wrong.

The irony of the freedom to make choices is that many choose poorly. What seems like a good idea at the time ends up sealing our fate, altering our destiny, re-routing everything good and in an instant removing - for years or for life - the freedom to make choices.

Two major thoughts emerge as I write this: (1) think before you speak or act; and (2) it's not over until God says it's over.

When this young man becomes an old man in prison and his classmates are becoming grandparents, people may have long forgotten him but God will not have forgotten this old man. God alone can redeem a man. God alone can take what the devil meant for harm and convert it to good. God alone can take a man behind bars and set the captive free.

There are millions who have made choices that "seemed like a good idea at the time" but are now reaping the horrible, tragic, and expensive aftermath of their rash decision. These are not just murderers, felons, and cons. They are housewives, business executives, and people from all walks of life.

Many come to Christ when their choices have devastated their lives. What about you?

What's it going to take for you to let go and let God have His way with your life? When are you going to let God guide your thoughts, words, and deeds instead of taking matters into your own hands? What is it going to take before you abandon the age-old excuse, "well, it seemed like a good idea at the time" and begin to walk in the Spirit?

DSR
7/14/05

One-of-a-Kind

by David Scott Robertson

To celebrate our 18th wedding anniversary (July 4), my wife and daughter and I took a quick trip to Chattanooga, Tennessee to relax and play.

We stopped by Coolidge Park, one of the city's newest parks located next to the Tennessee River. At the park, there is a large fountain for the kids to run through, lots of greenery to stretch out on, and a pedestrian bridge crossing the river.

However, without question, the focal point of the park is the one-of-a-kind carousel, a machine that has a storied history and combines the old and new techniques of carousel carving.

In the early 1980's, a man named Bud Ellis founded "Friends of the Carousel" in Chattanooga and taught his friends and other supporters how to carve. When Coolidge Park opened, the carousel was its centerpiece. The ride utilized clear white lights, had a mirrored center column, beautiful round sweeps and fifty-two hand-carved animals that adorned it. In addition to the carvings, it featured two band organs, a Wurlitzer and a new Stinson organ.

The Coolidge Park Carousel combines 1895 carving techniques with 21st century technology to produce a one-of-a-kind ride. Painted on the bottom of the Stinson organ are the words, "Dedicated to Children of All Ages."

What impressed me about this unique carousel is that there is not another one like it in the world. These are not mass produced in an automated factory in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. There are not two of these carousels; there is one.

The story behind the labor of love, commitment, and dedication of a small army of men and women banded together for the cause of the preservation and restoration of a piece of history may never be fully told. And the best part of all this is that my wife and my daughter and I got to ride it! A priceless memory was made thanks to the efforts of people we will never know.

This carousel is a one-of-a-kind creation harvested from the imagination of man. In the same way, when God makes a human being, he or she is a one-of-a-kind creation originating from the very heart of God.

In many ways, the Coolidge Park Carousel and a human being are similar. Both are ingeniously designed. Both have been meticulously put together. Both require maintenance. Both bring joy and laughter and pleasure to those who interact with it.

To me, this unique carousel serves as an exclamation point to the fact that people are so personal, so individual, so one-of-a-kind.

We've probably heard the comparison of people to snowflakes--no two alike. It's common knowledge that everybody's finger prints, even footprints, are completely different, so much so that they are relied on as verifiable sources of identity.

The Psalmist, speaking of God, wrote, "Among the gods there is none like you, O Lord; no deeds can compare with yours" (Psalm 86:8).

Mankind, created in God's image, shares this amazing quality. Truly, there is none like you, no deeds can compare with yours.

While the Coolidge Park Carousel serves as an excellent illustration of the one-of-a-kind aspect of the nature of man, as with all the things of earth, it too falls short of the full revelation.

The carousel is an inanimate, life-less machine that one day Bible prophecy declares will melt with fervent heat and revert to the basic elements (2 Peter 3:10). Mankind, on the other hand, was designed to exist forever. The only question is where.

Christ did not die for machines or animals or buildings or political ideologies. Jesus died to redeem people back to Creator God estranged by sin.

You are so loved by God! You are so unique! You are so special! You are so valuable! You're priceless! You are God's masterpiece! You were created by a loving father who wanted a son or daughter. Earth would be a little poorer without you and heaven a little richer with you.

In a world that craves and often demands conformity, celebrate your individuality! Enjoy who you are and realize that God did not make a mistake when He made you. Scripture verifies that who you are, where you are, what ethnicity you share, and all the other details of you that are beyond your control were all part of God's master plan when He invented you.

My goal is to take all of me, just as I am, such as I am, and use everything I am to fulfill God's purposes for my life.

Let's consider today what God would have us do to make our unique, one-of-a-kind contribution to our world that no one else on earth can make in our place.

DSR
7/9/05

I'm Ready

by David Scott Robertson

I'm ready.
I'm ready to let go of control of my life.
I'm ready to abandon myself to the Lord Jesus Christ.

At long last I'm ready.
It's taken a lifetime, but I'm ready.

I'm ready to release my future and destiny to God.
I'm ready to yield and submit fully to the lordship of Christ Jesus.

I'm ready to get radical and fanatical.
I'm ready to be politically incorrect.
I'm ready to get crazy for Jesus.
I'm ready to get buck wild for the vision to win souls and make disciples (Matthew 28:19-20).
I'm ready to allow the Holy Spirit free reign in me to be His witness (Acts 1:8).

I'm ready to walk in the power of a New Testament believer.
I'm ready to lay hands on the sick and see them recover (Mark 16:17-18).
I'm ready to forsake sin, resist temptation, take my own thoughts captive for the praise of His glory (2 Corinthians 10:5).
I'm ready to be fully delivered so I can work with the Spirit to get others delivered fully.

I'm ready to pay the cost of being a disciple.
I'm ready to pray the price of being a man of prayer.
I'm ready to be a man full of God's Holy Spirit.
I'm ready to study to show myself approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth (2 Timothy 2:15).
I'm ready to take the promises of the Bible and walk them out in practical, daily life.
I'm ready to preach, teach, and prophesy--whenever, wherever, to whomever--as the Spirit leads.
I'm ready to open my heart to Jesus, open my life to sinners, and open the way of life to persons wandering aimlessly, lost and alone on life's highway.

I'm ready to pray for the anointing of the Holy Spirit and pray in the Spirit through His anointing.
I'm ready to believe God for the supernatural to work in and through my life.
I'm ready to be like Jesus (2 Corinthians 3:18).

I'm ready to walk in the authority of a deputized follower of Christ who will do even greater works than Jesus because He said so (John 14:12).
I'm ready to fulfill those good works that God has prepared in advance for me to do (Ephesians. 2:10).
I'm ready to rise up and conquer, to be an overcomer and not be overcome; to be a victor and not a victim; to walk in abundance and not lack; to be prosperous and in good health even as my soul prospers (1 John 3:2).

I'm ready to be about my Father's business and occupy until Jesus returns to earth in power and great glory (Luke 19:13).

Are you ready?

I'm ready!
Ready or not, devil, here I come!

DSR
7/4/05

A Model Christian?

by David Scott Robertson

The man appeared to be a model Christian.

He didn't smoke, didn't drink alcohol, not even an occasional glass of wine. He didn't watch dirty movies, and wouldn't even allow a PG-13 movie in his house. He didn't read trashy novels, didn't subscribe to questionable magazines, avoided scanning the sexy headlines on the tabloids at Wal-Mart, and even had a filter on his computer to safely surf the Internet.

The man appeared to be a model Christian.

He didn't gossip about his co-workers and was a faithful, dependable employee at the same company for 32 years. He was a good husband and provider, a decent father that went to all his son's ballgames, gave blood regularly, and was a volunteer fireman.

The man appeared to be a model Christian.

He attended church each Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night, and even had earned a Sunday School perfect attendance pin two years in a row. He drove the teens to youth camp in the church van, and took his turn on the rotating schedule of mowing the church grass.

The man appeared to be a model Christian.

He was clean cut, voted in every election, sent flowers to his mom on Mother's Day, was faithful to his marriage vows, and on the surface you would think that this man had it all together.

The man appeared to be a model Christian.

The only problem with this man is that if he were to die right now he would go straight to hell.

What's up with that? The sad reality is that this man, for all the good he does, is not born again.

Jesus frankly declared the startling truth of salvation to all when He said in John 3:3: "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."

This mostly good man I'm describing in this thought (who probably lives in your neighborhood and possibly attends your church) has never truly been regenerated by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Oh sure, he knows about the gospel, but he's never embraced Christ as Lord. He knows how to "do church" and he speaks fluent "Christian-ese" but he never quite bought into the whole "lordship-of-Christ" thing. To the average church-goer he looks obedient enough but, Lord knows, there's something missing.

Here's the deal: His wife doesn't see it, his pastor doesn't see it, his Sunday School teacher doesn't see it, his boss and friends don't see it, but God sees it.

Truth is, in his heart of hearts, this man questions the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The most influential people in his life are not his spiritual leaders but his fishing and golfing buddies who continually tempt him to compromise his integrity. He wonders if all of God's Word is infallible and struggles over some of the apparent contradictions. He is not pro-life and believes that every woman has a choice concerning the fate of the fetus inside her. He has given money to the church over the years but has never been a tither. He is critical of his pastor, but never publicly. He suffered a verbal wound from a co-worker years ago that has grown into a root of bitterness.

Questioning some of the fundamental tenets of the Christian faith is not, in and of itself, enough to disqualify you from heaven and consign you to hell. Who among us has perfect understanding of the Scriptures? The real question is not semantics but "what are you going to do with Jesus?"

In light of that question, this "mostly good man," appears on the outside to be a model Christian, but on the inside, he is not saved.

I'm concerned that this man is representative of multitudes in the church of Jesus Christ today. They go through the motions of religious activity to soothe their "religious conscience" but they don't have an authentic relationship with the Son of God. One preacher I heard called pretenders like these "tippin', dippin', and sippin' saints," if you know what I mean.

Religion never saved anyone. Jesus spoke out boldly against men like this and it cost Him His life.

Good works are good but not good enough to get to heaven. Noted Evangelist David Ring preached one time that "if you miss heaven it will be by eighteen inches. That's the distance between your head and your heart."

Knowing about God is not enough. Believing there is a God is not enough (demons do that). Going to church is good but it is an insufficient substitute for knowing God intimately, experiencing God ultimately, and dwelling with God eternally.

Jesus plainly indicated that He alone was the pathway to eternal life: "…I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6).

Luke wrote in Acts that "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12)

We can fool some of the people some of the time, but we can never fool God anytime.

My encouragement to you today is to pursue your love relationship with Jesus with your whole heart and seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and then everything else in your spiritual life will fall into place (Matthew 6:33).

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- not by works, so that no one can boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9).

DSR
6/26/05

The Lord is With You

by David Scott Robertson

"The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand" (Genesis 39:2-3).

* * *

The Lord was with Joseph.

Hated by his brothers, betrayed and thrown in a pit, sold to an Egyptian officer to live the life of a slave, a victim of a lustful conspiracy by his master's wife, unjustly sentenced to prison to live the cruel life of a prisoner, forgotten by those he helped…

Yet the Bible says the Lord was with Joseph.

It's hard to see that the Lord was with Joseph when he suffered wave after wave of injustice and unfair treatment. Maybe you're reading this today and you are in such a hard place that you find it difficult to believe that the Lord is with you.

For Joseph, before he was promoted to the palace as a prime minister he had to face the pit, Potiphar, and prison (in that order).

Why? How is that fair? What's the point to all the pain? How can God possibly get glory out of all Joseph's suffering? Does God really care?

Could it be that God had to prepare Joseph's character to match the enormous call on his life?

To be entrusted with spiritual gifts (interpreting dreams), godly wisdom (inspiration to save a nation from famine), and ultimately bring about God's will for the twelve tribes of Israel (relocating Jacob and his sons to Egypt) was an incredibly tall order! God knew that Joseph would have to walk in forgiveness, humility, and great wisdom in order to bring about God's will for the nation of Israel. Hence, the tests, trials, and tribulations to forge Joseph's character.

Are you in a test, trial, or tribulation today? Do you doubt whether or not the Lord is with you? All the outward evidence may suggest otherwise, but if you are a Christ-follower then the Lord is with you. God is causing all things to work together for your good simply because you love Him (Romans 8:28). Don't let a bad report and unjust accusations by well-wishing but ignorant people guide your perception of God's presence in your life.

God is up to something with you. All suffering has a purpose. Weeping may endure for the night but joy comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5). Through your pain God may be preparing you. Don't grow weary in well doing for in due season you will reap (Galatians 6:9).

The Lord is with you.

"…Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5).

DSR
6/19/05

Testimony of a Transformed Life

by David Scott Robertson

I thank you, Jesus, for initiating our relationship.

I had no rights to you - no access to you - no kinship or family tie to you that would warrant your coming to rescue me from my sin.

Nevertheless, in spite of my having no real claim to God in any way, Jesus the Christ heard from His eternal throne in heaven a distant and feeble cry for help of a fallen soul lost in a dark and lonely earth realm.

Lord, you heard my voice long, long ago…

And though there were innumerable angels worshipping you at the very moment, your attention departed from their perfect praise and focused instead on my impoverished cry. Angelic worship could not drown out a voice crying in the wilderness:

"O God, help!"
"O Lord, I need you!"
"O God, I'm lost without you."

And wonder of wonders, you came. You actually and literally left your place of perfection.
You left the throne of your glory where all properly recognized and correctly responded to your righteous and absolute power, authority, and holiness.

You voluntarily left all that behind and with an iron-will incarnated as a helpless baby in a manger at just the right time; a divine visitor to the land that you had created long before.

You knew, before you ever slipped into humanity while retaining your divinity, you knew that multitudes would despise and reject you and ultimately require your very breath and blood.

And knowing all this, you came. You not only came to earth, but you came to me.
You came to me by way of the cross. You came to me through the way of death.
You didn't travel the scenic route to get to me either; you took the way of suffering that led up a hill called Mount Calvary.

And all this because it was the only way - the only path to my heart - my sin-cursed heart.

And the amazing part is that you found me! Your single act of selfless sacrifice in your state of sinless perfection rescued me and my fellow sojourners collectively called "mankind." Once for all the sin problem had been resolved through the power of the cross of Jesus Christ.

And I lived to tell about it.

Me, who was doomed - hell-bent and hell-bound - bound and determined to squander my brief life span with low living before making the tragic but eternal journey from the light of the world to impenetrable darkness and the place of everlasting torment.

But the Light of the World shone on me and disaster was averted!

And I lived to tell about it.

I met a Man who told me all things I ever did. He knew my jaded past and came anyway.

I have met Jesus - the Savior of the world - the Lord of my life - the greatest Hero of all time.

With that in mind, Lord, I give you my heart, my life, my worship, my obedience, my labor, my token and pledge of my abiding love for you and your Word and your will and your ways.

I humbly thank you, Lord Jesus, for providing me the testimony of a transformed life.

DSR
6/13/05

Dynasty of Evil

by David Scott Robertson

(1 Ki 11:38 NIV) If you [Jeroboam] do whatever I [God, speaking to Jeroboam through the prophet Ahijah] command you and walk in my ways and do what is right in my eyes by keeping my statutes and commands, as David my servant did, I will be with you. I will build you a dynasty as enduring as the one I built for David and will give Israel to you.

* * *

David, the son of Jesse, is well documented in Old Testament scripture as one of the Bible’s brightest personalities. He set a high benchmark for doing that which was right in the sight of the great God Jehovah.. God commended him for it and not only rewarded David with an unparalleled reign of success, but even promised David an enduring dynasty, ultimately fulfilled through Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

God promoted this young psalmist from the sheepfolds of his father Jesse all the way to the king’s throne governing the twelve tribes of Israel, God’s chosen people. God loved David and David loved God, with his whole heart.

Interestingly, there’s another personality who was offered basically the same deal as David was by God--a young man by the name of Jeroboam. In the verse we opened with, God extends the invitation to Jeroboam to build him a lasting dynasty if only he would stay faithful to God’s statutes and commands like David did.

Unfortunately – tragically - Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, allowed the power of his office to so thoroughly corrupt him that he became as high a benchmark of evil as David was of good.

“When he [God] tore Israel away from the house of David, they made Jeroboam son of Nebat their king. Jeroboam enticed Israel away from following the LORD and caused them to commit a great sin. The Israelites persisted in all the sins of Jeroboam and did not turn away from them until the LORD removed them from his presence, as he had warned through all his servants the prophets. So the people of Israel were taken from their homeland into exile in Assyria, and they are still there” (2 Kings 17:21-23).

The scriptures painstakingly list the kings whom God disqualified one by one because they were thoroughly corrupted by Jeroboam’s poor example and heinous sins:

1. King Omri - (1 Ki 16:26 NIV) He walked in all the ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat and in his sin, which he had caused Israel to commit, so that they provoked the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger by their worthless idols.

2. King Ahab - (1 Ki 21:22 NIV) I will make your house like that of Jeroboam son of Nebat and that of Baasha son of Ahijah, because you have provoked me to anger and have caused Israel to sin.'

3. King Ahaziah - (1 Ki 22:52 NIV) He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, because he walked in the ways of his father and mother and in the ways of Jeroboam son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin.

(1 Ki 22:53 NIV) He served and worshiped Baal and provoked the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger, just as his father had done.

4. King Joram - (2 Ki 3:3 NIV) Nevertheless he clung to the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit; he did not turn away from them.

5. King Jehu - (2 Ki 10:29 NIV) However, he did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit--the worship of the golden calves at Bethel and Dan.

6. King Jehoash - (2 Ki 13:11 NIV) He did evil in the eyes of the LORD and did not turn away from any of the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit; he continued in them.

7. King Zechariah - (2 Ki 15:9 NIV) He did evil in the eyes of the LORD, as his fathers had done. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.

8. King Pekahiah - (2 Ki 15:24 NIV) Pekahiah did evil in the eyes of the LORD. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit.

Think of it! Eight kings corrupted by the poor example of one guy! Eight governments that were morally corrupt! Eight administrations that operated independently from godly wisdom. Eight kings who followed the trend of evil rather than using their power and position to blaze a new trail for good.

Those who followed in the footsteps of David enjoyed a generational blessing while, conversely, those who imitated the ways of Jeroboam suffered a generational curse.

What shocks me to sober thinking is how profoundly enduring our bad example can be. Our poor choices and compromise can manifest generations later in a child, grandson, or any number of other persons we influence.

A probable epitaph inscribed by the finger of God on the tombstone of Jeroboam might have read: “Turn from the sins of Jeroboam, Son of Nebat.”

Instead, if God were to inscribe a saying on our tombstone may it read: “And [fill in your name] loved God.”

DSR
6/5/05

Lamentations

by David Scott Robertson

I lament that I didn't invent the personal computer.

Traffic lights weren't my idea. I didn't create sticky notes, cell phones, or toilet paper.

I lament that I have never won an Olympic gold medal, never ran a marathon, and that I don't have six-pack abs.

I lament that I have never had a book published, never acted in a motion picture, and have never been on Larry King Live.

I lament that I can't play a single musical instrument, can't paint worth a lick, nor carry a tune in a bucket.

I lament that I will probably never hold a public office, never sing the national anthem at a major sporting event, and may never do anything most 21st century Americans associate with greatness.

I lament that I haven't come up with a cure for cancer and don't have the education to even try. I won't re-invent the wheel, won't balance America's budget, and won't eliminate racism.

So what's a faceless nobody like me to do? Am I destined to live and die in obscurity? Has my life been of no effect and have I lived in vain thus far? Will I leave a legacy that will outlive me?

Just because I am not directly or indirectly responsible for life-saving, time-saving, space-saving or money-making inventions doesn't mean that I am insignificant.

To the contrary, along with the Apostle Paul I can say, "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect" (1 Corinthians 15:10).

" I have value to God because I am His child.
" I have value to my wife because I am her husband.
" I have value to my daughter because I am her father.
" I have value to my parents because I am their son.
" I have value to my brother because I am his brother.
" I have value to my friends because I am their friend.

You and I can choose to spend our time lamenting over what we never did and what we never owned and where we never went and who we never met or…

…we can rejoice in the fact that we are what we are by the grace of God and His grace given to us is not without effect having promise in the present life and in the life to come.

DSR
5/29/05

Idol Talk

by David Scott Robertson

Psalm 115:4-8 (NLT)
Their idols are merely things of silver and gold,
shaped by human hands.
[5] They cannot talk, though they have mouths,
or see, though they have eyes!
[6] They cannot hear with their ears,
or smell with their noses,
[7] or feel with their hands,
or walk with their feet,
or utter sounds with their throats!
[8] And those who make them are just like them,
as are all who trust in them.

* * *

The idols described in Psalm 115 are images shaped by human hands that have body parts but no power to use them. They are like a flashlight without batteries; a car without gasoline; or an electric appliance not plugged in to an outlet. It's like comparing a piece of plastic fruit with the real thing. They are completely lifeless.

The idols the psalmist pictures here are senseless, useless, powerless, and fruitless. They are stone dead - blind, deaf, and dumb.

The interesting thing in this passage is that God says that "those who make them are just like them, as are all who trust in them" (verse 8).

In essence, God is saying that those who participate in any form of idol worship are senseless, useless, powerless, and fruitless. They have hard hearts and are spiritually blind, deaf, and dumb. They are, in fact, spiritually dead, completely lifeless.

In our culture today, most of us are far removed from literal idols made of wood, stone, gold, or silver shaped in the images of men or monsters or mythological creatures. But in reality, an idol is anything that stands in between you and God.

With that expanded definition, we can readily see that the American culture is steeped in idolatry, for there are many things that stand in between God and Americans.

Sports, career, relationships, hobbies, religion, entertainment--you name it--these and a thousand other distractions form the figurative "American idol." At these pagan altars, worshippers present their generous offerings of allegiance, time, and money. An easy method of measuring the idolater's level of passion is to look over their calendar and check register (or credit card statement).

The problem with substituting the One True and Living God, Jesus Christ, with an idol is that no real life, fulfillment, or lasting satisfaction fills the hearts of idol worshippers. Solomon described the futility of pursuing pleasure apart from God as "a vanity of vanities" (Ecclesiastes 1:2 KJV).

The tragic flaw with choosing to serve idols over God is that not only is this a bad decision long-term (resulting in disqualification from receiving eternal life), but it also short circuits God's plan for sharing His abundance in this present life (John 10:10).

For truth be told, unless one is "born again" (John 3:3) or "born of the Spirit" (John 3:6), he or she are ineligible to receive (and manifest) the fruit of the Spirit. Therefore, those who live life independently without God cannot experience true love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Such is the predicament of all people who are not saved.

This problem of idolatry compounds when a person who claims to be a Christian nevertheless has many objects, issues, or persons that obscure their view of God. Believers though they may be, Christians who tolerate idols in their life will always live a quality of spiritual life far below God's privileges and experience God's chastening and loving discipline required to expunge the competing false gods.

The conclusion of the matter? I can't improve upon Solomon's final comments about putting anything in between you and the Lord:

"Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man" (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

DSR
5/23/05

A Boy and His Bike

by David Scott Robertson

My mom gave me some old photos the other day. She had held on to them for over forty years!

The first one pictured a 2 ½ year-old me on my tricycle.

The next photo was taken in Springfield, Illinois when I was 5 ½, on a bike where the pedals always pedaled and it had no brake (great invention for a kid’s bike, right?)

The last snapshot (this one in color) showed me at age 6 – a handsome young lad with a very cool red bike that coasted!

Early this morning I rode my 21-speed mountain bike to the park so I could jog and later this afternoon I will probably ride my 800cc shaft-driven, liquid cooled, 1997 Honda Pacific Coast joyfully down the back roads of Tennessee.

When I was a kid I loved to ride just for the thrill of it. At some point I left training wheels behind and raced through the neighborhood at blinding speeds. As I grew, to the delight of my friends and dismay of my mom/nurse, I learned to pop wheelies, jump ramps, and skid sideways on loose gravel. Way cool.

As I entered the teen years, my bike graduated from “just for fun" to basic transportation getting me from point A to point B without adult intervention. Less cool but utilitarian.

Nowadays, I ride for altogether different reasons. I ride my mountain bike for the cardio-health benefit, but it’s my passion to ride my motorcycle that I want to briefly tell you about.

Interestingly, I find that I have no need for speed. My motto has become “arrive alive.” I even wear a fluorescent orange vest when I ride. I can just imagine what other motorists are thinking when they see me coming: “Hey, have a look at the geek with the orange vest on!” But that’s the point exactly, they actually SEE the geek with the flourescent orange vest on and I live to ride another day!

But here’s the point in telling you of my love affair with bikes since I was a kid...

Each time I put on my helmet to begin my ride - without fail - I say this Bible verse out loud:

“Now unto Him that is able to keep [me] from falling, and to present [me] faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy…(Jude 1:24)

(The operative phrase in this scripture prayer is “keep me from falling”!)

From that opening scripture on I enter into my “secret place.” I ride and I pray. I ride and I sing to the Lord. I ride and I meditate on His Word. I ride and I listen. I ride and admire God’s pleasant creation and the simple pleasure of cruising through it.

I teach a class at church at 4 p.m. on Sunday afternoons. When I take my motorcycle to make the 1 mile commute to the church from my home I usually take the scenic prayer route. It usually ends up taking me 20-40 miles to get from my house to the church to teach my class. But when I arrive, I’m prayed up!

It just goes to show you that God can
help a Christian man or woman convert a commute into communion.

That being said, the next time you pass a tattooed Harley rider on the road, you never know...they may be like me having a time of revival with Jesus Christ inside that helmet.

DSR
5/14/05

I Heard His Voice

by David Scott Robertson

I was prayer-walking this morning and God spoke to me.

Now when I say that "God spoke to me" some reading this will know what I'm talking about and some won't. I'm not going to elaborate on HOW I heard His voice in this thought; I want to ponder for a moment WHY I heard His voice.


- Maybe it was because as I walked down the street I confessed to the Lord that I wasn't really good at hearing His voice lately.
- Maybe it was because instead of taking the short prayer route (the one I take when I'm in a hurry) I made a decision to take the longer prayer route today.
- Maybe it was because I quit talking for a change and was determined to listen.
- Maybe it was because I made the connection for the first time in a long time that it was more important to hear God than to finish my "prayer list."
- Maybe it was because I had spent time listening to several worship songs before I left the house and my spirit had been primed to receptivity by praise and worship.
- Maybe it was because I approached the throne of grace with humility and an attitude of gratitude instead of viewing God as a genie or Santa Claus whom I had to somehow persuade in prayer to give me what I wanted.
- Maybe it was because I was relaxing in my Heavenly Father's presence and enjoying the delight of just being His son - no strings attached.
- Maybe it was one or a combination of these things…whatever it was, I heard His voice.

The result? Revelation. Breakthrough. Fresh perspective. New insight. Encouragement. Excitement. I felt warmth in my soul in spite of the cool temperatures touching my body.

As amazing as it was THAT I heard His voice WHAT He spoke to my heart, my spirit-man, was really the most important thing.

God pointed out something to me that He had been doing in my life in recent months. It had to do with a new direction in my life - a positive shift - an adjusted paradigm - God-inspired tweaks that had been slowly but surely adding value to my life. It seems that God had been "setting me up" for some time to bless me and only this morning, as He spoke affirming and reassuring words by His Holy Spirit did I discern it.

It is typical and almost a trademark of God to work behind-the-scenes in such a way that you could be tempted to explain things away as coincidence or good fortune if you believe in such nonsense.

I subscribe to the belief that "The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way" (Psalms 37:23).
Have you noticed that God works out His plan in our lives like that? We sort of wake up one day and ask ourselves, "Wait a minute, how'd I get here?"

It's like when I was a kid my Dad would scoop me up from the bed, still asleep, and pour me into the car at 4:00 a.m. and drive four hours to Grandma's house. I went to bed in the suburbs of Chicago and woke up in rural Southern Illinois. I loved it when Dad would say, "Son, wake up, we're there!" That's how our Heavenly Father does it sometimes.

My Heavenly Father "woke me up" this morning during my prayer walk and basically said, "Wake up, son, we're there!"

DSR
5/9/05

Never Halfwauy

by David Scott Robertson


"He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man's eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, 'Do you see anything?' He looked up and said, 'I see people; they look like trees walking around.' Once more Jesus put his hands on the man's eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly" (Mark 8:23-25).


* * *

The Gospel of Mark relates a wonderful story and a tremendous truth from the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. Here we find the account of an anonymous (to us but not to God) blind man who received a supernatural touch from the Master's hand.


In a moment of time, the man went from being totally blind to being able to see shapes and shadows of people that looked to him like trees walking around. Not bad visual improvement, wouldn't you say?


If that were to happen in our day and age, we would call that a modern miracle! We would be watching documentaries about it on cable TV.


Think about it! A man, presumably sightless from birth, suddenly being able to see form and color and light! Why, perhaps with a pair of corrective lenses or contacts, the man might even be able to see well enough to read and work and drive a car!


But at the period of history when Jesus walked the earth, astigmatism and glasses and contacts were unknown. Good thing that Jesus didn't quit before the job was done, huh?


Aren't you glad that God never does things halfway? The Lord didn't touch this poor blind fellow only to have him walk around "half-whole." No, Jesus didn't stop healing until the blind man's eyes were opened, his sight was restored and he saw everything clearly.


That's the nature of God - He never does anything halfway. He doesn't abandon the job in the middle because He gets tired or bored. He never takes a break and when He returns He forgot what He was doing. He never gives up on a task because He just can't seem to figure it out. Wrong! Nope! Never! Uh-uh!


Aren't you glad that God never does anything halfway? Aren't you glad that God completed six full days of creation and didn't stop at three? Aren't you glad that when God made you

He didn't quit at one eye, one ear, one lung, one arm, and one leg? Aren't you glad that God made the day but He also made the night? Aren't you glad that He made summer but He also made winter? Aren't you glad that God didn't stop creating when He made man but persevered and made woman (and the men said "amen"!)?


God is not like most of us who are world-class starters but poor finishers! God is not like those of us who make New Year's resolutions and abandon them before the month is out. God never had a good intention that just didn't pan out. Never halfway, that's our God!


If God has started something in your life trust Him to finish it. Bear in mind, though, that He always keeps His end of the bargain but may be waiting on you to fulfill your end of the deal.


"…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6).


DSR
5/1/05

In the Way

by David Scott Robertson

(John 14:6 NIV) Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

* * *

Jesus is the Way.

The way to life. The way to heaven. The way to peace. The way to fulfillment. The way to contentment. The way to abundance.

I want to be in the Way--that is, in Christ.

I don't want to be in the way of Christ, preventing Him from accomplishing what He desires for my life or in the lives of others. No, I want to be in the Way.

I desire for the Lord to show me the way. To show me His ways. To enable me to walk out His ways. I want to stay in the Way and make sure I stay out of His way. I want to help others find the Way.

I myself have walked the wrong way before I discovered that Jesus is the only way to God. Now I want to help others find their way off the one-way street of sin that leads away from God.

One way that I can do this is to read God's Word--to study God's ways and make them my ways. If I do that, then there's no way the devil can knock me out of the Way. With authority, I can order him to "go away"!

Since God's ways are higher than our ways, adopt His and abandon yours.

Any way you weigh it, to be in the Way is the way to go and to stay out of the way of God's movement in your life is the right way to live. Yahweh knows best.

* * *

(Psa 25:12 NIV) Who, then, is the man that fears the LORD? He will instruct him in the way chosen for him.

(Psa 32:8 NIV) I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.

(Psa 139:24 NIV) See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

(Prov 4:11 NIV) I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths.

(Prov 8:20 NIV) I walk in the way of righteousness, along the paths of justice,

(Prov 9:6 NIV) Leave your simple ways and you will live; walk in the way of understanding.

(Prov 12:28 NIV) In the way of righteousness there is life; along that path is immortality.

(Prov 22:6 NIV) Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.

(Isa 26:8 NIV) Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts.

(Isa 48:17 NIV) This is what the LORD says-- your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.

(Jer 2:17 NIV) Have you not brought this on yourselves by forsaking the LORD your God when he led you in the way?

(Acts 18:25 NIV) He [Apollos] had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John.

(Col 4:5 NIV) Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.

(Titus 2:3 NIV) Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good.


DSR
4/25/05

More Important

by David Scott Robertson

Knowing God is more important than anything.

Knowing God is more important than knowing my wife in every biblical sense of the word "knowing." Knowing Jesus is more important than knowing my daughter, Abbey, my very own offspring. Knowing God is more important than serving God, or "doing ministry" as a pastor.

It's not enough to know about God philosophically, intellectually, or theologically; it's more important that we know God experientially, personally, and intimately.

Having my name found in the Lamb's Book of Life is more important than finding my name on a paycheck.

What God thinks about me is more important than what the world thinks about me.

Doing what God wants me to do is more important than my doing what others think I ought to do.

Growing into what God desires me to become is more important than fulfilling the dreams of others for me.

Knowing and doing the will of God is more important than having my own way.

Becoming familiar with God's Word, the Bible, through disciplined study and life application is more important than earning any degree in any institution of higher learning.

Lining up with God's standard and boundaries is more important than conforming to social mores and cultural norms.

Being "approved unto God, a workman [laborer in God's harvest field] who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15) is more important than receiving the approval of fickle men.

To know God is the highest thing. There is no one and nothing greater than knowing and experiencing God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

The words that you are reading right now are alien to any culture or people group presently found on earth. Society and governments and institutions and businesses and educational systems and law enforcement agencies and the entertainment industry do not buy into what I am saying. The mission statements of such organizations may embrace noble ideals, but for most, not all but most, knowing God is not the prime directive.

One day in eternity what was more important concerning our life choices will become abundantly clear.

DSR
4/18/05

How to Get Fired

by David Scott Robertson

No, not that kind of fired! I made up the title of this thought to make readers think I was going to talk about how to lose their job. No, I think we would all do well to keep our jobs and pay our bills.

The kind of "fired" I'm talking about that I think you and I need desperately to know is how do we get "fired up for Jesus," "on fire for God," and "on the firing line for our Lord"?

How do you get fired when the "wet blanket" of life's problems, offenses, disillusionment of the church, and/or confusing situations in the world you live in have tried to snuff out your flame?

Well, let's take a quick look at the basics of how to build a fire. First, you need some raw materials to get started. Some dry kindling like broken twigs or sticks, a crumpled up piece of newspaper, or something similar that will burn. Then, or course, you need a match or lighter to provide the heat to jump start combustion, right?

Well, getting on fire for God is not much different. Maybe your spiritual life has been dry lately. It's been quite a while since you've heard God's voice. You haven't had a dream or vision or revelation that related to the things of God in a long time. Your Bible study has become boring but you'd never describe it that way. You go to church but in reality you are going through the motions as you enter yet another work week without much joy in your heart and pep in your step.

Maybe your spiritual life is like the broken twigs or sticks. At one time you were alive in Christ, green and lush, closely attached to the Vine Christ Jesus Himself (John 15:5), and bearing much fruit. Nowadays, though, you've discovered that somewhere along the line you just "snapped" and you've been separated from that close intimacy with your First Love.

Maybe your spiritual life is like the crumpled up newspaper. At one time you had something to say. Nobody ever had to wonder what the headlines of your life were. Everybody could read loud and clear that "[your name here] Surrenders Life to Jesus Christ." Witnessing was easy. Sharing the good news was thrilling, but now somehow the thrill is gone.

If you feel your spiritual condition corresponds to any of the dry imagery that I'm using here, may I suggest that conditions are perfect for you to be set aflame?

I remember visiting my grandparents in rural Illinois on summer vacations where the forest service used to post signs at the local preserve that conditions were "high" for a forest fire because of the extended dryness. Campers were encouraged to take extra care not to let their fires get out of control. You see, it only takes a spark to get a fire going. One match can literally consume thousands of acres of prime habitat.

As you read this, you may admit: "OK, so I'm dry and broken and wadded up like an old newspaper, how then do I come in contact with the spark? How do I connect with the flame? How do I get fired?" I think the answer might be found buried in the songbook of the Old Testament:

"Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him" (Psalm 2:12).

I think God has made the answer more simple than complex. I think the answer is found in the first three words of this verse: "Kiss the Son." To make the point more effectively, say it rather than read it. Close your eyes and say "kiss the Son" a few times out loud.

I know it's a play on words, but in our case, if we say "kiss the sun" then our metaphor of fire makes perfect sense. We may not be scientists but this one thing we know - anything that touches the sun burns up! As a matter of fact, there's a reason why God put the sun 92,900,000 miles (in January) away from earth. A few thousand miles closer and all life would be annihilated, a few thousand miles further away and Earth would freeze solid.

Your distance from the sun, or more appropriately the Son of God, Jesus Christ, makes all the difference in the world! How close do you have to be to a person to kiss them? Pretty close, I'd say. What kind of relationship do you have to have with a person before you kiss them? Again, a pretty close one (kiss the wrong person and you could get beat up!). There are only four women I generally kiss in my life - my wife, my daughter, my mom, and my grandma. That's because I am closely related to all of these women.

In the same way, if you want to get "fired up for Jesus," "on fire for God," and "on the firing line for your Lord," then you need to make the first move to kiss the Son.

What leads up to a kiss in the natural? Warm words, a tender gaze, a loving embrace. In spiritual terms those translate to me as worship.

As you and I take the initiative to worship God, however shy and awkward we may feel, God will respond and meet us more than halfway. He will embrace us and our fears will begin to melt away. He's just waiting for us to make the first move…

DSR
4/11/05

Who Are You?

by David Scott Robertson

"One day the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?" (Acts 19:15)

The Bible is full of endlessly fascinating truths. One such truth is embedded in the book of Acts and has to do with the communication network of the demonic underworld.

The following brief passage summarizes the situation:

"Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, 'In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.' Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. One day the evil spirit answered them, 'Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, BUT WHO ARE YOU?' Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding" (Acts 19:13-16, emphasis mine).

I'm reasonably sure that this unique passage has been the text of countless sermons by preachers throughout the ages. Perhaps ministers in their messages have touched on the fact that the devil and his demonic administrative assistants keep tabs on human kind. That is to say, the devil knows who the authorized (and deputized) servants of God are and who are the imposters.

I think the evil spirit's question through the man in the Acts passage is insightful: "Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?"

Of course the demonic realm knew who Jesus was. Once upon a time they had worshipped Him in the ageless past and had seen Him face-to-face in His preincarnate state. They knew full well that Jesus was the Creator of heaven and earth and of them. And they knew that this same Jesus, whom the Most High had sent to earth at just the right time had a mission: "…for this purpose was the Son of God manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8).

Interestingly (to me anyway) they also knew Paul, the servant of God. It was probably an embarrassing admission because there was a time when Saul worked in cooperation with this demon's workgroup. It seems they had harnessed Saul's religious zeal and twisted his understanding of the Scriptures to bring about the persecution of the church of Jesus Christ. Some were glad and some were sad (and mad) the day Saul converted to Christ and eventually morphed into the great Apostle Paul. So the demons were very correct in saying that they knew about Paul.

But to the offspring of a Jewish priest named Sceva, the demon challenged: "Who are you?" The imp could also have said: "Who are you boys to order me out?" You are unauthorized authorities and have no power at all to tell me what to do!"
It could be that this demon has some rank and position in the hierarchy of the demonic governmental structure because it seems evident that lesser demons had been cast out by these same sons of Sceva in their past "ministry of exorcism."

Now, let's turn our attention back to us. I ask you the same question: "Who are you?" Or perhaps more appropriately, "Whose are you?"

Do you have a reputation in the demonic underworld as a threat to their cause? Do you think a principality in another region of the world has heard about you through "the grapevine"? Are you committed enough to the lordship of Jesus Christ that you can confidently cast out demons in His name (Mark 16:17)? Is your life in good working order or is your spiritual life like a broken soft drink machine with an "out of order" sign hanging on it? Think about it. It makes a difference when you are confronting demonic entities.

The Bible gives us plenty of responses to say to an evil spirit that may confront us (usually through another human being) with the question of "who are you?" Some biblically verifiable replies to the deliberately belligerent question of "who are you?" might be…

WHO AM I?

- I am what I AM says I am!
- I am what the Word of God says I am!
- I can do what the Word of God says I can do!
- I can have what the Word of God says I can have! (Authority! See Luke 10:19)

WHO AM I?

- I am a child of God!
- I am fearfully and wonderfully made!
- I am not broken beyond repair but God has made me to be more than a conqueror!
- I am covered by the blood of Jesus and His blood forms a barrier between you and me!
- I am my Beloved's and He is mine and His banner over me is love!
- I am a victor, not a victim!
- I am an over-comer, not overcome!
- I am the head, and not the tail!
- I am the joy of my Heavenly Father created for His pleasure!
- I am altogether lovely in His eyes!
- I am not a mistake; I am the apple of God's eye!
- I am not damaged goods; I am the righteousness of God in Christ!
- I am forgiven of my sins and free to wreak havoc on you in Jesus' name!

WHO AM I?

- I'm the one that can do all things through Christ who gives me strength!
- I'm that one that God pours supernatural power through so that nothing shall be impossible to me because I believe!
- I'm the one that through Jesus has eternal life! I'm headed for a throne and you're destined for the lake of fire!
- I have a place in the family of God!
- I have the mind of Christ on earth and a glorified body in heaven!
- I am presently wearing the full armor of God!
- My authority over you is legal because I am in submission to my spiritual leaders!
- I have the Holy Spirit as my Comforter and Teacher to lead and guide me into all truth!
- I am one who speaks for God as His ambassador to cast you out!
- I have love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, humility, and self-control - the fruit of the Spirit - in ever-increasing measure!
- I have access into the throne of grace to obtain grace and help in time of need - like now!
- I have the promises of God that are "yes" and "amen" for all my needs!
- To sum it up - as the Bible says: I have everything I need pertaining to life and godliness!

- I am what I AM says I am!
- I am what the Word of God says I am!
- I can do what the Word of God says I can do!
- I can have what the Word of God says I can have!

That, my Christian friend, is who you are in Christ Jesus. God knows it, the angels know it, the twenty-four elders and the four living beings in heaven know it, the great cloud of witnesses know it, the devil knows it, and the demons knows it. The real question is do you?

DSR
4/4/05