I have moved to Wordpress.

Hey everyone,

I am posting this post to let you know that I have moved my blog site to wordpress.

You can now visit me at http://daronnwashington.wordpress.com/. I am updating it frequently so you can come by and check it out. Thanks, DaRonn

How do we define ourselves?

My wife recently came across a comment on a Christian website that from an atheist. The creator of the site asked an atheist that had been visiting the site for several months to come and comment on a question that they had been discussing. Before he made his comment he shared his experience in reading the website for the last several months. One of the things that he found interesting was before he started reading the website that Christians thought sex was only for the purposes of procreating and Christians were pretty much anti-sex. I thought it was interesting that the atheist from his experiences with Christians was that the Christian was against having sex. Now it is true that the Christian is against having unmarried sex but to think that a Christian would be against having pleasure though sex in the marriage relationship was standard practice for those in the church.



How do we define ourselves?

So why is there such a vast opinion about the Christian in general society as well as in the church itself? One of the reasons is because we have over the years allowed ourselves to define ourselves by what we DO NOT DO as opposed to what we do. Let me give you an example.

“I am not a Christian because I do not smoke cigarettes.” If we were to ask the majority of the Christian population I would guess that they would say that this is a true statement. But let’s take a close look at it. Does not smoking make you a better Christian? Aren’t there people who do not smoke that are not Christians? What about the person that has an addiction to smoking for years and gives their life to the Lord. They struggle with this addiction for all of their life and have occasional victory. Is this person less of a Christian? Sometimes does not a process take place to be free of this addiction? So to say that I do not smoke is not necessarily an accurate description of a Christian believer.

“I am not mean to my neighbors so I am a Christian.” Again if we ask the majority of the Christian population they would say this is an accurate statement. But let’s examine it a bit. Are you a Christian because you are not mean to others? Are not their people that are nice to their neighbors and are not Christian? Is this an accurate definition of a person’s spiritual condition?

“I do not watch movies so I am a Christian.” Would this be an accurate definition of a Christian? Because a person stays away from the movie house does that make them a Christian? If so many people that could not afford to go to the movies would qualify as well.

What I am not saying is that Christians should not have restraints. I believe that over this a person can be freed from smoking. I believe that is the desire of God. I believe that being nice to your neighbors when it is called for is a Christian thing to do. I believe that there are certain movies that we should steer away from. All of these things are good. But what I am not in agreement with is how over the years Christianity has become defined as what we do not do as opposed to what we do.



What do you think?

CNM Bolivia Church - Sunday morning June 22nd

The Spirit filled life
Basic principles for the Spirit filled Christian
Lesson #13 “Living the life of Victory”

Introduction: For the last few weeks we have been looking at the 5 basic foundational principles of the Spirit filled Christian. We have discussed that learning these 5 different principals are important because they are the different subjects that will continually be a part of the messages we will share in our church. No study like this would be complete without a look at the subject of the victorious Christian life. It is a theme that will continue to come up in our teachings when we come together for church so in this lesson I would like to spend a good amount of time exploring the concept and also explaining what is God’s desire in the area.

The promise of victory
As we read the Bible we find that it talks a great deal about victory. One of the main reasons is because the writers of the New Testament were constantly surrounded by war and fighting being a part of the Roman world. Battle was a constant reality to their world.

2nd Cor. 10:3-5
“ 3For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, 4for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. 5We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,”

In this passage Pablo is using terms of battle to explain spiritual concepts. He is using something that his readers would understand to explain new things that they had never heard before.
Ephesians 6:10-12
“ 10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against then world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

In this passage just as in the other we can see the comparison of battle and the Christian life. Paul describes different parts of the armor of a Roman soldier as the spiritual preparation we need to have as we do the will of God. Again taking something that was common in the everyday life of his readers to explain more higher spiritual realities.

Victory is a by production of the lover of God
It is important that we keep in mind that victory was meant to be a by product of the Christian life. What I mean by “by product” is that the creator meant for victory to be a something that came along with the pursuit of knowing God. As a person made the decision to seek the “God priority” the result would be that God would also bless them with victory. As they grew in the things of God they would experience more and more a life of victory (3rd John 2, Romans 8:37).

The three antagonists
The Bible is filled with scriptures that give us our legal decedent to be able to approach God and receive victory in our lives but for the purposes of this study we will us the following scripture as our key text focus on three areas of victory we have been given. These three areas of victory that Jesus has given us are also the three main antagonists of the Christian life. It is important to realize that faith in Christ has allowed us to defeat these three antagonists.

1) Faith is the victory that overcomes the world (1st John 5:4 “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world--our faith.”) The first area of victory we have been given is the area of over the world. Before we knew Christ we were slaves to the system of the world but now since we are born again have been freed from the world’s system. Where before we simple obeyed the system of ungodliness in the world now we have the choice to obey God with our lives, conduct, thoughts and actions.

What is our responsibility as believers in this area? Be transformed in our mind. Romans 12:2 “2And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” As we renew our mind to the things of God we fortify our position of victory over the influences of the world.

2) Faith is the victory that overcomes the flesh (Galt. 3:20 “"I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.”) The second enemy that we face in the area of the victory that the Bible promises is the flesh. The flesh is our natural desire to do things that disobey God and lead us back to slavery to sin. Because we were all once sinners and our body stills remembers how to sin we are at a constant conflict with the ungodly desires of the flesh. The good news is that the Bible promises us that we have overcome the flesh. The challenging news is that it is a life long process to bring the flesh under the control of the spirit.

What is our responsibility as believers in this area? Crucify the flesh. Romans 12:1 “1Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” God desires for us to be a 24 hours a day, seven days of the week living sacrifice for Jesus. It is a constant process of denying the cardinal desires that take us away from closeness with God and obedience to His Word.

3) Faith is the victory that overcomes the devil (Hebrews 2:14-15 “14Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, 15and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.”) The scriptures us that the third enemy that we faces is the enemy of the devil. Many people give him too much credit thinking that he is all powerful but the Bible teaches that after Calvary his is a defeated foe. The only power that he now has over us is the power that we give him.

What is the responsibility that we have in this are? Resist Him James 4:7 “Submit therefore to God Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” The Bible teaches us clearly the way that we defeat the devil is through resisting him. Resist him by obeying and submitting to the plan that God has for our lives. Just about every day we have opportunities to obey or go along with the devils plan for our lives. When we go along with the devils plan for our life this is called temptation. If we resist those temptations the devil has absolutely no power over us.

All three of these enemies we had not power in ourselves to defeat them. Through Christ we have been given the assurance that not only will we be victorious in battle against these foes but Jesus has already won the battle for us.

The past tense reality of the victorious Christian life Romans 8:37
A large part of living in the victory that the Bible promises is identifying who are your enemies. With that same though in mind it is also important that we understand that the victory that the Bible promises is a past tense thing.

Romans 8:37
“But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.”

In other words we are not promised victory from the stand point of something that is actively coming to pass like a plot being developed in a theatrical performance but we have been given victory already. Jesus has already defeated our foes for us. They have no power over us. So all we have to do is show up to the battle and fight and we will walk into the reality of the victory that has already been given to us. Yes we have our part to play but we should never confuse this with the part that Jesus has played. We are victorious because Jesus has defeated our foes for us.

CNM MESSAGE 6-15-2008 - The promise of continual healing

The Spirit filled life
Basic principles for the Spirit filled Christian
Lección #9 “The promise of continual healing”

Introduction: For the last few weeks we have been looking at the 5 basic foundational principles of the Spirit filled Christian. We have discussed that learning these 5 different principals are important because they are the different subjects that will continually be a part of the messages we will share in our church. In this lesson I would like to continue with the lesson and look at the next area of inheritance that the Spirit filled Christ has and that is the revelation that Christ is their healer.

The ministry of Jesus
The gospels are filled with stories of the ministry of Jesus. Particularly in the New Testaments we see that God giving us the perfect example of how the Christian is to live through the example of Jesus. We see Him displaying love to others. We are to display that same type of love. We see Him displaying mercy to others. We are to display the same type of love to others. We see Him sharing the principals of the kingdom of God with others. We are to show the same types of principals to the people in the world that do not know Him. As we study the Bible what we need to keep in mind is that God intended for the life of Jesus to be a blue print for our lives. He absolutely planned that we should live our lives observing the way that Jesus lived His. He finds the greatest joy when we try to be like Him.

A personal example
The other day I saw this principal at work in my own life. I had taken one of my sons out to go bowling with me. Bowling is my hobby and I go rather frequently throughout the week. When I had taken my son bowling with me I noticed that every time that he throw the ball he expected to bowl a strike and when he did not it would frustrate him. After a while I sat down and talked with him to explain that the purpose of the game is to have fun not to be frustrated. After talking with him I noticed that the main reason that he was so frustrated was because he was trying to be like his father. He had seen his father consistently bowl strikes so he thought that he had to bowl strikes as well. It did please me that he was frustrated but what did make me feel good is that he was trying to be like his father. He reasoned that if his father could do it then he could as well.

I think that is what our Heavenly Father thinks of us when we are try to be like him. He is pleased when we try to model the life of Jesus. In all actuality that is why we have the accounts of the life of Jesus written in such detail because God intended for us to try to live our lives in the same manner that Jesus did.

Healing: One of the most visible characteristics of the life of Jesus
As you study the scriptures you cannot help but to notice the numerous accounts of when Jesus prayed for people’s physical healing. The Bible is filled with examples of it. In fact it is one of the most visible characteristics of the public ministry of Jesus. Jesus prayed for the sick and they were healed so much so that people were drawn to Him because of it.

Matthew 4:24 “The news about Him spread throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all who were ill, those suffering with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics; and He healed them.

Matthew 8:16 “When evening came, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed; and He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were ill.”

Matthew 12:15 “But Jesus, aware of this, withdrew from there. Many followed Him, and He healed them all”

Matthew 12:22 “[ The Pharisees Rebuked ] Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to Jesus, and He healed him, so that the mute man spoke and saw.”

Matthew 14:14 “When He went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and felt compassion for them and healed their sick.”

Matthew 15:30 “And large crowds came to Him, bringing with them those who were lame, crippled, blind, mute, and many others, and they laid them down at His feet; and He healed them.”

Matthew 19:2 “and large crowds followed Him, and He healed them there.”

Matthew 21:13 “And the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them.”

Mark 1:34 “And He healed many who were ill with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He was not permitting the demons to speak, because they knew who He was.”

Mark 3:10 “for He had healed many, with the result that all those who had afflictions pressed around Him in order to touch Him.”

Luke 5:15 “But the news about Him was spreading even farther, and large crowds were gathering to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses.”

Luke 14:4 “But they kept silent. And He took hold of him and healed him, and sent him away.”

Healing as shown in the gospels is as much a part of the ministry of Jesus as was teaching and preaching. Many times he would do them both. He would teach and later pray for the people or he would pray for the people and then teach. It was so much a part of His ministry that people recognized it and brought the sick to Him so they could be healed. He was recognized as a person that could pray for the sick and God would heal them.

The Biblical view on healing
One of the things that I have noticed from teaching this subject in many different places is that many people have many misconceptions of how the Bible presents healing. It is many times because of those misconceptions that they fail to receive the promise of healing. Everything in the Christian life is a process. As we grow in the knowledge of the things of God we become more confident to receive from the Father things such as healing. Here are a few things to help guide your thinking when it comes to the subject of healing.

• Healing is a gift of God that all believers have access to. God does not have preferences when it comes to this subject. He treats all people equally. So if you will do what He says to do it will bring the reality of divine health into your life.

• God desires for us to live in constant good health and not the provision of miracles all of the time. A miracle is God’s best for you if that is the only thing that will get you out of a desperate situation but it is not God’s long-term consistent plan for you. It is better to live in constant health then having to receive a miracle all of the time.

• It is usually what you do when you are not sick that helps ensure your consistency in living in divine health. Many people do not realize that there is a difference between receiving healing and staying in divine health. Many times if a Christian is mature and has had enough teaching in the area of healing they have learned how to receive their healing when they get sick but what God desires is that they also know how to stay in divine health. He desires that His children continue to operate in a healthy life style.

• There are practical things that we can do and do not do which help us stay in good health. Jesus because we have a promise from God that He will heal us if we need it does not mean that we should not be responsible with our own bodies. Things like exercise, eating right and getting the right amount of sleep will add a natural element to the supernatural ability of God.

• If we fail to live in this level of health we should not be discouraged. Divine health, just like anything else in the kingdom of God is a process. You just do not wake up the next morning in the morning living completely in the revelation. Many times an acquired discipline of living a revelation in the Word of God comes through the process of trial and error. Sometimes we will fail. Failure hurts but it is a natural part of the process. But just because we fail does not mean we should give up on the truth. It can be a reality that we live in because Jesus lived in it. It will most likely take work but once we have achieved it in our lives it is worth the price we had to pay.

Defining the term divine health and divine healing
Up to this point we have talked a great deal about the terms “divine health” and “divine healing”. Before we go any further we should examine these terms so that we understand the reminder of the teaching. The best way to understand the subject is to realize that healing according to the Biblical mandate comes in three levels.

• Level #1 – Divine healing (1st Peter 2:24 “and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed” )- Divine healing is the ability of the believer to apply the principals in the Word of God ones the experience symptoms of sickness. It is what someone does once they have become sick and to get out of it. It is the personal application of the Word of God to get out of a sickness situation.

• Level #2 – Divine health (3rd John 2 “2Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.”) - Divine health is the ability of the believer to apply the principals in the Word of God and maintain a life of consistent health. This is when a believe very rarely battles with sickness or if they do they apply their faith and overcome it quickly. It is the daily application of the principals of God to maintain a life of constant health.

• Level #3 – The application of healing in the lives of others (Mark 16:18 – “they will lay hands on the sick”) - The last level is one a believer has moved from simply believing for themselves and has started doing the works of Jesus. They realize that one of the most visible factors of the life of Jesus was Him praying for others. As a result when they come in contact with those that are sick they follow in the footsteps of Jesus and pray for others. The take the

It is important to remember that both of these processes are necessary to receive the promises of God.

My suggestions to you when you need to receive your healing
The subject of healing is so vast that we could spend an entire series just talking about it but what I think would be of the most benefit to us is if I give you a few words of advice for when you need to receive your healing. No matter how strong we are in face there will come some time when we need to receive or healing or to pray from someone else to receive their healing. When that time comes these words of advice may be useful to you.

1) Remember that healing is a “past tense” reality. If we study 1st Peter 2:24 and Matthew 8:17 we see that healing is a reality that the Bible shows as something that has already taken place. It says that Jesus “bore” our sicknesses and diseases. That means that God has already released healing to us. When we realize that it changes the way that we pray. Instead of repeatedly asking God to heal us our pray becomes a prayer of thanks giving for what God has already done.

2) Find a scriptural precedence for your right to be healed. The Bible is many times referred to as a book of law. The way that I often like to look at it is a court case. We refer to the law book to find legal precedence of why we have a right to a certain benefit of the Christian life. So instead of believing that you can be healed because you feel it is a good thing, you come before the Father with a scripture that says He will do it. This is not to convince God but more so that we can have assurance that He will do what He said He will do.

3) Do what you can do I the natural. Do not limit God and force yourself in a position that He can only answer your prayers through a miracle. Medicine is a way that God heals and so are doctors. Unless you have a direct word from God and also several words of confirmation do not illuminate the help that medical science can bring you.

4) Ask and believe that you have received when you ask. Mark 11:22-24 says that when we ask believe that we have received when we pray. When we ask the Father for healing we should do our best to be convinced that we have received what we have asked for even though we do not see the physical manifestation yet. Symptoms sometimes take time to change but once the root of the sickness if removed healing is just a matter of days.

5) Get someone to agree with you. Our prayers are powerful but we increase the amount of power available when we prayer with others. When a person couples their faith with ours it provides a wealth of power.

6) Do not neglect the ministry of the laying on of hands. In Mark 16:18 and James 5:14-15 shows us that having people lay hands on you is a Biblical way of receiving healing. When we seek out others to lay hands on us we are applying a mandate in the area of healing.

Conclusion: Healing is a promise that every believer has access to. Jesus displayed this and if we apply the principals in the Word of God we can live I that reality as well.

Commitment to Closeness with God

Hey everyone. I just wrote a teaching for this Saturday's youth group and I thought you might appreciate it. It is about establishing closeness with God. Hope you enjoy it.

Series Ministerio de Jovenes
A Youth with the Heart of God SeriesChoice #6 – Commitment to Closeness with God

Introduction: A few years ago I heard a story about a small city in the country side. This city had a clock tower that many of the people used to make sure they had the right time. The clock had a system that had to be adjusted each day so that it could operate correctly. Each day the man in the clock tower on his way to work would walk by a clock shop, take note of the time and adjust the time of the clock tower based upon the time in the shop keeper’s window. For some time this continued to take place. He would walk by each day find out what time the clock in the window and then adjust the time accordingly. One day when the man was walking by the shop the shop keeper of the clock shop just happened to be outside washing his front windows. The man proceeded to tell the shop keeper how thankful he was for his shop because every day he adjusted the clock tower according to the time of the clocks in the shop. The shop keeper responded in shock. He proceeded to share that each day the shop keeper adjusted his clocks based upon the time on the clock tower. So the majority of the town where late for the majority of their activities because both the shop keeper and the man in the clock tower adjusted their times based upon each other.

Adjusting ourselves daily to the person of the Father
I share this story because in this lesson we will be talking about the commitment to closeness with God. The man in the clock tower had to adjust his clock each day in order to keep the right time. In many ways this can be related to the need for us as Christians to draw close to God each day or else we can be out of sync with the Father and not even know it. Listed below are a few things about closeness with God:

• It is the responsibility of the Christian to draw near to God not God. The invitation to have intimacy with God has been given to each believer. Whether they accept that invitation or not depends on the believer. God is willing to accept them but they must take the first step and make Him the priority.

• Drawing near to the Father requires that you let go of things that are distractions. The process of drawing close to God is a process that brings us face-to-face with distractions. Distractions that have to be removed become more visible the closer we draw to God.

• God longs for us to draw near to Him. It is the desire of the Father to have an intimate relationship with each of His children. It is more important to Him that we draw near to Him then it is what we do for Him.

• As we draw near to Him we become more aware of the things that must change in us. The prevailing characteristic of drawing near to holiness is an awareness or ones lack of holiness. That means that as we take steps to further relate ourselves to Him it demands that we start correcting the flaws in our own faith walk that are hindrance us from the goal of knowing God.

• When we draw near to God, he draws near to us. The first step is that we draw near to God. Then He draws near to us. It is a requirement to knowing Him.

• Closeness with God does not come by accident. Knowing God intimately is not a by accident. Those who have intimacy with God have done so through purposeful effort. They simply do what is necessary to make “the God priority”.

Drawing near to God in the scripturesAs we study the scriptures we find a number of things that are revealed about the importance of drawing near to God.

Hebrews 10:19
“19Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; 21And having an high priest over the house of God; 22Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water. 23Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)”

I like this passage because it says we draw near to God by a new way of living and with confidence that God will accept us.

Psalms 73:28
“28But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord GOD, that I may declare all thy works.”

Drawing near to God means that we out our trust in Him. Specifically the confidence that He knows what is best for us and that He will act in what is in the best interest for us whether we understand it or not.

James 4:6-7
“6But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. 7Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”

Again drawing near to God is the process of removing ones self from pride. It is exchanging ones own self-sufficiency for the assurance that the Father has everything under control.

The pocket watch

The way that I like to look the process is that our life is like a pocket watch. In this day and age people do not use pocket watches any more but years ago the main type of watches were pocket watches. Pocket watches are very different then digital watches because pocket watches require more of a commitment to maintain the right time. Twice a day, once in the morning and once in the night, a pocket watch must be wined or adjusted to ensure that it has the right time. If the process is skipped just one day then there is a greater chance that the watch will not keep the right time. The same is true with our spiritual relationship with the Father. We frequently draw near to the Father so that we can (1) know what it is that He desires of us, (2) maintain Him as the priority in our lives, (3) so that we can learn His ways and (4) so we do not make the mistake of thinking our desires are the desires of God when they actually are not.

Adjusting yourself daily to God’s Time
In the last part of this lesson I would like to help you by giving you a few bits of advice to draw near to the Father:

1. Making intimacy with God “THE PRIORITY” Psalms 1:2-3. Too many people make the mistake of making the Father one of their highest priorities. The only problem is that God does not want to be one of our highest priorities, he desires to be “THE PRIORITY”. Psalms 1:2-3 “2But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. 3And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” Everything else and every other activity gains significance through how it helps us to better become who the Father desires for us to be.

Application: The only way that this happens is through spending time with the Father. If we love Him as much as we say we love Him we will spend time with Him. Begin to set appointments with the purpose of simply being with the Father.

2. Come to the father on His terms -Hebrews 4:12. The most dangerous position for a believer to have is when they think they are doing what God wants them to do when they really are doing what they want to do in the name of the Father. A separation must take place where the individual will of the believer can be examined and indentified when it is not in agreement with the will of the Father.

Application: The only way that this takes place is when a system is in place that helps us indentify when we are doing our will and not God’s will. This system only comes with maintaining contact with the written Word of God the Bible. Hebrews 4:12 “ 12For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” The Bible helps us discern the difference between what is simply our soul’s desire and what is the desire of the Father. The more we go to the book the more we will be able to identify the difference.

3. Find yourself a holy place. I almost hesitate in using these phrase because of the over spiritualized picture that has been painted over the years in the church but there is something to be said about holiness. Holiness by definition is does not being super spiritual. It actually has several elements help us draw us near to God.

Application: First it transcends time. When you go to this place you lose track of time because God is there. You can spend hours in a holy place and it seems like minutes. Find yourself a place that is free from distractions and where time seems to stand still. The next element is a holy place brings an awareness of God. There is a literally awareness that God is there. I have noticed in my own prayer life that when I have a holy place and I know that God is there I talk less and listen more. Enter your holy place with an awareness that God is there. Lastly a holy place is a place of focus. It is a place dedicated to knowing God. When we go your holy place do your best to limit distractions.

Conclusion: An intimate relationship with the Father is available to everyone that desires it if they are willing to do what it takes to draw near to the Father. Again it is not God’s responsibility to draw near to us. He did that when Jesus came to the earth and died on the cross. Now it is up to us to respond to that invitation.

Refuse To Ever Let Go Of Your Dream!

I just read this morning a section in my "Sparkling Gems from the Greek" devotional by Rick Renner (if you do not have one I would encourage you to pick a copy up) and I was encouraged by the section. You know when you read something and it seem like it was written just for you. I thought I would pass it on to you.


DaRonn

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Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering;
(for he is faithful that promised;).
— Hebrews 10:23


What do you want God to accomplish through you in this life? What are the dreams you think about every night when your head hits the pillow, or every day when no one else is around? Do you daydream about what you’d like to become or do in the years that lie ahead? Have you considered the possibility that these daydreams may in fact be the will of God for your life — dreams He placed deep down inside your spirit that are starting to be awakened? Is it possible that this is the timing for God’s dream for your life to be ignited in your soul?

Dreams are powerful. They usually seem impossible at first, but those who dare to do the impossible are the ones who eventually see the impossible come to pass in their lives. Everything great starts as a dream. Consider the example of Thomas Edison, who worked so long and furiously to realize his dream of the light bulb. Although Edison failed literally thousands of times in the earliest pursuits of his dream, he learned from every failure and pushed forward. Finally, his dream came to pass, and it changed the course of human history.


What if this brilliant man had given up and given in to discouragement? I’m sure someone else along the way would have invented the light bulb, but Edison wouldn’t have had the great honor of being a part of it.

There are myriads of Bible examples of individuals who had a dream. For instance, let’s consider the dream God gave Abraham — called the father of our faith — regarding a new land and a new people. When God first spoke to him about the son He would give him, Abraham and his wife had long been infertile and unable to conceive a child. The thought of having a baby probably seemed like an unattainable fantasy to them. They could have asked themselves, Is this really the plan of God for our lives, or is this a hallucination?


God also promised Abraham a new land but didn’t tell him where it was located. In their efforts to find that land, Abraham and Sarah were stricken with colossal challenges, problematic circumstances, and horrible internal family problems. First, Abraham’s father died. Then they lost their nephew Lot to Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham also took Hagar as a second wife, producing a son that didn’t belong to Sarah and a great deal of jealousy and strife. In addition, Abraham and Sarah experienced a terrible famine in their promised territory that forced them to leave due to a lack of food. Traveling to Egypt in search for food, they soon found themselves evicted from that land as well.

At any moment, it would have been so easy for Abraham and Sarah to say, “Enough is enough! Pack it up — we’re going back home to the city of Ur!” But instead of giving in to defeat and discouragement, they held tightly to the dreams God had put in their hearts and kept pursuing those dreams until they had witnessed their fulfillment.


If you want to see the dream God has given you fulfilled in your life, it is imperative that you have this same attitude. As Hebrews 10:23 says, “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;).”

I want you to particularly notice the phrase “hold fast.” Abraham and Sarah “held fast” to their dream, and that is what you must do as well. The phrase “hold fast” is taken from the Greek word katecho, which is a compound of the two words kata and echo. The first word, kata, carries the idea of something that comes downward.

You could say the word kata carries the force of something that comes down so hard and so heavily, it is overpowering and dominating to the point of being subjugating. When this force arrives on the scene, it conquers, subdues, and immediately begins expressing its overwhelming, influencing power.


The second part of the word katecho is the word echo, which simply means I have and carries the notion of possession. This is the picture of someone who has sought and searched for one particular thing his entire life. After years of seeking and searching, he finally finds the object of his dreams. Joyfully he rushes forward to seize it and hold it tight. He wraps his arms around that object, making it his very own. Finally, he can say, “I have it! At long last it is mine!”

When kata and echo are compounded into the word katecho, it literally means to embrace something tightly. However, because of the word kata, we know that this is the image of someone who finds the object of his dreams and then holds it down — taking control of it, dominating it — even sitting on it so it doesn’t slip away!


The phrase “hold fast” is so strong that it can actually be translated to suppress. It is used this exact way in Romans 1:18, where Paul tells us about ungodly men “who hold [or suppress] the truth in unrighteousness.” In other words, because these ungodly men don’t like the truth, they “sit on it” or “put a lid on it” in an effort to keep others from hearing the truth and getting set free. But in Hebrews 10:23, this same idea is used positively to describe you sitting on your word from God and refusing to let it slip out and get away from you!

This is the attitude you must have if you want to see your God-given dream come to pass. You have to wrap your arms around that word from God and never stop believing and pursuing your dream until it comes to pass. If you’ll katecho your dream, it won’t be able to get away from you, nor will anyone else be able to take it away from you!


The word katecho in Hebrews 10:23
could be interpreted this way:

“And let us hold fast to our confession, tightly wrapping our arms around it and embracing it with all our might, rejecting all attempts of anyone who tries to steal it from us.”


When you finally discover God’s will for your life — when His plan finally begins to awaken in your heart and you know exactly what you are to do — hold fast to that dream. Tightly embrace what God has shown you. Seize it — wrap your arms of faith around it. Hold it down, and hold it tight!

Whenever you are tempted to get discouraged, give up, and release your dream, remember Abraham and Sarah. Although it took them awhile to receive their dream of a son, and although they had to overcome titanic hurdles along the way, they refused to let go of that dream and eventually saw it come to pass. In the end, they discovered that their dream was not a hallucination; it really was a word from God!

If you’ll hold tight and refuse to let go of YOUR dream, it will just be a matter of time until you see it come to pass! Place all your weight on top of that dream so that NOTHING can steal it away from you!




MY PRAYER FOR TODAY


Lord, I am well aware that events will occur in life that will tempt me to release the dream You put in my heart. So right now I ask You to fill me with the courage I need to refuse to let go of my dream. Even though my mind and the circumstances around me may send signals that the dream will never come to pass, I know that You are faithful to what You have promised. Help me wrap my arms of faith around Your promises and never let go until I see them come into manifestation!


I pray this in Jesus’ name!




MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY


I boldly declare that my word from God will come to pass! It may take a little while for it to happen, but I will firmly hang on to the promise God has given me. And because I refuse to let the dream slip from my heart, I stand by faith and declare that it is only a matter of time until I see the manifestation of what I’m believing God for!


I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!




QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER


1. What can you learn about faith by looking at the lives of Abraham and Sarah?

2. In what ways does your own walk of faith compare with Abraham and Sarah’s walk of faith?

3. Can you think of a time in your past when you claimed a promise, hung on to it in the face of opposition, and later saw that promise come to pass? What was the blessing you received by faith?

A man without a country

They say that when you go to the foreign mission field it is like going to another planet but that is an understatement to say the least. When Angie and I first packed up everything that we owned in plastic crates (that is everything that we did not sell in garage sales) and bought our non-refundable one-way tickets to Bolivia we had no idea what we were getting into. I can still remember going through the airport on our way to Bolivia. It was a few weeks after the incidents of September 11th. Angie, our three babies (Raimy was 3, Timothy was 1 -1/2 and Gabrielle was 3 months) and myself were all loaded up like pachyderms with all of our earthly possessions on our backs or in plastic crates. When we finally reached the third check point and they asked us to unload all of bags again I think all of us just about had a nervous breakdown but some how we made it here.

The first year was not too bad. We actually enjoyed it. We had been waiting so long to get here that it was like a breath of fresh air when we finally did arrive. Two years of “I can’t wait until we get there” had suddenly become “we made it”. The first year was a time of adjusting to a new culture. We did not speak the language. The culture was very different. We weather was different. The food was different. Here were the earthlings in the middle the planet Mars trying to learn how to be Martians. Slowly and slowly we began to be able to communicate with more than just hand signals and picked up a few words. The city became less and less complicated to get around in. We began to become more Bolivian.

I say that we began to become more Bolivian but I share that with a little hesitancy. The reason why is no matter how hard we worked at fitting in we would never completely fit in. The accent would be a little different. The selection of word usage and body language would be different. At the least people would look at us and see we were from another place. We would never completely fit into the country of Bolivia.

Another interesting thing started to take place when we started traveling back and forth to the United States that I did not realize would take place: we started to become foreigners in our own country. The first year we went back it was not so visible but the following year it was very visible. First there was the desire to answer all of the questions that people were asking us in Spanish instead of English. Next there was the being out of touch with the things that were happening in the American culture. We shared once with a person how we liked the new movie that came out and they shared how that movie had been out for a couple of months. Lastly I think we really realized that we did not fit in completely into our own culture when I ate at McDonald’s and had diarrhea for a week (I know some of you say the food is bad anyway but McDonalds is a sign of America to us).

So we do not necessarily fit in Bolivia because we are foreigners and when we go back to the United States we do not exactly fit in completely there as well because we have changed so much. So we have become a people whose country is American Airlines flight #922. A family who is between American culture and Bolivian culture not fitting in completely anywhere. People without a country.

After six years I do not have an answer if this is right or wrong. To tell you the truth I have stopped asking the question. I am okay being a man without a country. It keeps us flexible. I some how think that is how Jesus felt as he was here on the earth although he did not do it by airplane.