The Battle for the Home

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson went on a camping trip. After a good meal they crawled into their tent and went to sleep. In the middle of the night, Holmes awoke and nudged his friend. “Watson, look up and tell me what you see." Watson replied, “I see millions and millions of stars." “What does that tell you, Watson?" Asked Holmes. Watson pondered a moment and then replied, “Astronomically, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, I observe that Saturn is within the Leo constellation. Chronologically I observe it’s nighttime 3 a.m. on June 14th. Meteorologically, the air appears dry, I suspect that we will have a beautiful day. Why did you ask? What does it tell you?" Holmes says, “Watson, you idiot! Someone has stolen our tent!"

The moment you are not watching, the moment you let your guard down, the enemy is waiting to take your home!

Gideon was the 5th of 15 Judges of Israel in the Old Testament. We can learn three things from the life of Gideon about the battle for the home.

I- It takes a warrior not a wimp!
Judges 6:12- And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.
- The Angel found Gideon threshing wheat. But because of the oppression of the Midianites who would plunder the Israelites at any given moment, he was doing his job in secrecy. He was not using the oxen, and he was out by the tree threshing the wheat on the ground instead of the threshing floor to prevent the Midianites from hearing and stealing his families provision.

Gideon was providing and protecting his family. He was doing his job even under great oppression of the enemy. This is where we are at as the leader of our home men! We are in a battle for our home!If you don’t stand up as a warrior in your home no one will! Leaderless, warriorless homes leave broken, dysfunctional family legacies. Really the foundation of the church, the future of the church, the future of this nation, rests in the hands of the man of the house.

Satan hates stable, healthy and Godly homes! If you have one you are his enemy – His #1 target!

II – You must destroy things that are destructive to your home.

Judges 6:25-26 God told Gideon the altar to the idol Baal his father had built had to be destroyed and replaced with a renewed commitment to the One True God. When he destroyed the altar, then victory happened! After 7 years of defeat/famine we see Gideon march Israel into a place of victory

You have the authority and the power to change your family by destroying anything that may be spiritually destructive to your home. We have a powerful influence over not only our immediate family, but every generation to follow.

III – You cannot allow ANY room for compromise
Judges 8:22-27 Gideon had been so courageous in obeying the Lord and destroying the altar to Baal, but then he makes one mistake makes the ephod of gold and the people begin to worship it and it became a snare to Gideon and his family. We must not let compromise enter our homes! Be careful what you allow in your home it could become a snare!Satan only needs a small opening to get a foothold in you family. Eph 4:27-Do not give a place or foothold to the devil...

It's time that the man of the house steps up to be a warrior and fight in the battle for the home!

The Power of Truth

On April 14th I had the privilege of speaking at a purity conference in Bentonville, Arkansas. There was around 250 teens and adults there! It was a power packed evening with a message of salvation and sexual purity. This topic of purity is not an easy subject to tackle, but it is extremely important for this generation! There were 3 that accepted Jesus in Salvation, and many others lives were changed by a commitment to purity. It was exciting to see the Power of Truth even for those who have never heard!

Don't Miss Your Flight!

I briefly looked at my itinerary email on my phone on Saturday night. 9:40 a.m. Flight departure time. At least that is what I thought I saw...you would think that I would have learned by now to double check such important things. Nope. I stayed at Dad and Mom's on Saturday night after the Fire Conference, and was to fly back to Missouri on Sunday morning.

So I woke up early enough to get to Indianapolis airport an hour early...so I thought. I said goodbye to my Father and went in to check-in and print my boarding pass. I swipe my passport through the kiosk and it prints out a paper with these words; "This flight has already departed."
My heart sinks, but only momentarily. I think to myself, "surely there is a mistake, I looked at my itinerary last night and the flight leaves at 9:40." So in my arrogance I approach the smiling agent at the airline desk. "I need to get a boarding pass for the DFW flight at 9:40." I say with confidence whipping out my passport and handing it to her. She begins tapping on the keyboard and then a frown appears on her face...
"Um..Sir? We don't have a 9:40 flight to DFW, the only flight is the 8:20 which has already just left"
Now my heart sinks...all the way. I whip out my iPhone and pull up my itinerary email to look at the flight time again, (which I should have done the night before) Departure time flight 5050 to DFW: 8:20 a.m. Junk. Yet another HUGE oversight!
So I was able to get the next flight through Chicago and get home just half an hour later than originally. And it turned out to be a God thing anyway because I sat next to a woman from India! So I was able to share Truth with her on the flight home.

But as I was waiting for the flight to Chicago to board, I began to ponder this thought. There is a much more important flight I don't want to miss coming up one day. Many times in our stubborn arrogance we think we have been thorough in our preparations, but even one small mistake can cause you to miss your flight. At that point no amount of blaming someone else or excuses for our failure will be of any affect.

We cannot afford to miss THE flight!

Be ready, not according to your definition of being prepared, but according to HIS definition. Ephesians 5:27 "That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish."

Kenya Trip Feb-2010

Following the man in red I stooped low and squeezed through a small half circle entry into a small dark room of a typical Maasai hut, made from mud, cow dung, and sticks, and built by the women of the house. As my eyes adjusted to the dimly lit room, I began to notice my surroundings. After entering I had to continue to stoop low because of the height of the hut that must have been around five and a half foot tall at the max. As we made our way across the hut to sit on the edge of what my eyes were now registering was a crude bed that took up around one-third of the room along the back wall. Next to the bed on one side was a small 3x8 room that served as guest accommodations, and also for the livestock to sleep at night away from any prowling wild animals. I had been graciously invited to visit this home of a Maasai family out in the bush.
The smoke from the small fire in the center of the room began to bring a slight sting to my eyes as we sat and talked. It served as a dual purpose: to cook and boil water, and to ward off any mosquitoes. The fire evidently had no affect on the other insects that I could see crawling along the thatch roof, and in the corners of the dirt floor. Because of the natural insulation of the thick mud walls, the heat was retained efficiently inside the hut. Although it was probably in the mid 70’s outside, they felt it to be cool, so it must have been close to a hundred degrees inside the hut.
Along one side of the hut was a small table that held two or three steel pots, and several cups. This was the extent of the kitchen furnishings. In the far corner across the center and to the left was another small room where the females of the house sleep. The man of the house and the male children sleep in the bed, the women sleep on the floor. The only light aside from the fire came streaming in from pie shaped holes in two of the walls about the size of your hand.
As I began to talk with this family clothed in red, which is the typical Maasai colors, a thought came into my mind fitting for the scene; “Taking Jesus to every Hut and Heart.”As I looked into the eyes of the women I could see, almost feel the emptiness, smiling but without any life. The children were grinning of the excitement of a foreign visitor, but riddled with sickness. My mind wandered of what it must be like for these women. They do not have the singular affection from their husband, because many of the men take more than one wife. They bear the load of taking care of the children, and much of any physical labor involved with building a house, taking care of livestock, and cooking for their family, and a variety of other duties. Many of the women deal also deal with the bloody practice of genital mutilation, or female circumcision, which surely contributes to their dull emotionless expressions. This practice has been passed down for centuries and carries with it certain damaging consequences emotionally, spiritually, and physically. This is reality. This is evil. This is Kenya.
As we talk, the family seems overjoyed and honored at having this Mazungo (Swahili term for a white person) as a guest. The women smile shyly as the man tells of their way of life, and proudly makes reference to his accomplishments: Many cows, and many wives, and killing a lion with a spear. This is the extent of his understanding of happiness and position in life.
But below the gracious hospitality there is a war taking place. A war a person cannot see with the naked eye. Only through spiritual eyes can you see the battle. It’s a battle between heaven and earth, between the Kingdom of God and the god of this world. The devil has a stronghold here, you can sense it, you can feel it, and you can certainly see the results.
What is it that can break this stronghold? Why am I sitting here in this Mud hut hours from civilization? Because I know the answer and the answer is Truth. Truth! Truth is what can break centuries old customs and traditions that devalue women, and enslave them. Truth is what turns a man from pride and position and evil practices from the pit of Hell, to a man who can love and treat his family right!
So the challenge is simply this. How can we get Truth to those who are in desperate need? We must do our part, we cannot fail or…they many never know the answer.

Tragedy = Awareness

January 12th 2010 brought a terrible catastrophe for millions of people in Port Au Prince, Haiti. The wake of the 7.0 earthquake is ever widening as time goes by. As reports stream in people are shocked at the harshness of this event. Millions lost their homes, tens of thousands died, and several hundred thousand children were left orphaned by this horrible disaster.

We have all seen countless pictures and videos of the devastated buildings, crushed vehicles, parents in heart-rending emotion with tears streaming down their face because of their loved ones who were killed or injured.

In the days and hours after the rescues began we have seen scores of heroic stories of rescues of those who were trapped in the rubble of the quake. Having friends who are missionaries in Port Au Prince, the impact of this tragedy is felt immensely. Though we cannot begin to sympathize with what they are going through, it has still placed an indelible memory upon our hearts, however heartbreaking they might be I suppose would depend upon each individuals level of compassion they possess.

One thing that I have noticed is the overwhelming response by those who want to help. Everywhere you turn there are commercials and ads to send money to relief efforts. Turn on the Tv, radio, Internet, drive down the road these advertisements are there. I know that every effort is greatly needed, and by all means we who have been blessed beyond measure should help. But one question plagues my thinking recently as a result of all these happenings.

Why do people wait until tragedy to be aware of the needs? Why is it that we are so complacent until chaos shakes us out of our lethargy? There are billions of people who are desperately needing something to help them out of the situation that they are in.
Sin.
They are needing something to sustain them and help them with a problem that is impossible for any human effort to provide. You and I who have been redeemed by the work of Calvary have an obligation to reach out to those who are in a Sin situation.

Don't wait until tragedy strikes to do something! The tragedy of souls streaming into Hell on a daily basis should be enough motivation to do everything we can to make a difference.

So yes be Aware of the tragedies that happen. Help, give, pray, go, by all means get involved. But don't forget that it shouldn't take tragedy to be aware of the spiritual condition of the masses of humanity that are without God.