The Impossible

"We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face...we must do that which we think we cannot."
                                                             Eleanor Roosevelt




When David penned the 27th Psalm, he was not yet a king. He was not yet anointed. In fact, he was on the run for his life. King Saul was jealous of him and wanted him dead. King Saul was trying to hold onto his position of power and David posed a threat to that security. David was now in danger from violent men who lied about him and were doing their absolute best to apprehend and kill him. This was not a situation in which David ever would have anticipated for the mere reason of just following after God. And yet, this Psalm outlines how David was able to be strong and courageous and confident even in the midst of terrifying and dangerous circumstances. In fact, without God, they were utterly impossible.

The Bible says that David "was a man after God's own heart" (Acts 13:22) and this was said not because David was perfect, but because David would do the things that God wanted him to do. So, if God allowed David to be pursued by his enemies, then there must be great purpose in the chase. David would continually pursue God while he, himself, was being pursued. It was in this pursuit of God that David received everything he needed to be victorious.

Maybe I am the only one who does this, but it's always at this point that I think, "If God can stop this from happening in the first place, why doesn't He just do that?" If He did, however, the Bible would be a very short book. And, we would never have the insight and wisdom to live victorious lives on this earth. This Psalm, in fact, gives us the strategies to look fear in the face and determine that we will win. With God on our side, how can we possibly lose?

Since God is all about our relationships with Him, His incentive is to pull us in closer and help us to see attributes about Himself that we would never otherwise see. God pulled David in close enough to hear His own heartbeat so that then David could emulate the cacophony of His rhythmic beat. Regardless of anything this world could throw at Him, David knew that God was on his side and that God would deliver him from the wickedness that pursued.

Even as David pulled in closer to God, he still recognized and acknowledged the evil that abounded in his midst. He did not deny it, nor did he minimize it. He looked in faith to the danger around him and was confident because he had spent his private time with God and was assured that God would rescue and deliver him. He elevated God's words over his circumstances, emotions, and the enemy that taunted him. David could see beauty in the midst of so much that was ugly because he meditated on God's goodness and the ways that God had always been there for him.

While there is no special formula that we can apply to help us overcome our own fears (because then we wouldn't need God), there are things we can do to propel us forward in the right direction. In verse 3, David says "Though an army encamp around me, my heart shall not fear; though war rise against me, yet I will be confident." David could speak these words because he affirmed his faith in the One, True God. This doesn't mean that he never doubted again (verse 7); it just means that he was intentional in telling himself and others that he trusted in God. Often, reminders are necessary.

Throughout this Psalm, there were times that David did fear that he would fail. When he sought God's direction, God answered him in his heart and told him to "seek His face" (Psalm 24:6; 105:4).When we seek the face of God, we must also come face to face with anything in our lives that stands between us and God. If there is sin, repentance is required. If God is displeased with something, He is faithful to show us when we seek His face. Even a toddler knows when his parents are unhappy, and so will we if we seek the face of God in earnest.

There were also times that David was afraid of his future, but God taught him how to wait patiently for the timing of the Lord. This was a necessary lesson for David because this would not be the only time in David's life that he would be pursued by the enemy. Instead of praying for God to remove the untoward circumstances, David said, "I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord" (Psalm 27:13-14).

This means that David believed that he would once again witness God's goodness while he was still on this planet. And, that is also exactly what we must do when we are facing an impossible situation in our own lives. This perspective can be extremely challenging when we have been in a wilderness season for what seems like a long period of time. And yet, this is the place where we learn to exalt God's Word above all else. This is the place where we face the greatest fear in our hearts and we emerge victoriously. This is the place where we receive God's discipline and instruction and come through it with a greater level of humility than we had before. This is the place where we see the truth spiritually and learn the roles of all the other spiritual players in our lives. It is an unveiling of truth that cannot be experienced any other way.

When we really see things from God's perspective and begin to speak the things that God is saying, we begin to see more light. When we believe that God has purpose in every detail of our lives, we begin to relax more than we did before. When we start to trust God's processes in addition to believing His promises, we sleep more soundly. Finally, when we see the manifestation of God's power in the midst of our impossibilities, we rejoice and praise the One who called us into this difficult place. This is how we know that healing is already happening within our hearts.

And then we are called to share our stories and God's goodness and mercy and all the ways that He fed us with manna while we were traversing the wild terrain. God is glorified and we are renewed. Our personal story begins to make more sense and God then gives revelation and breathes life into it. Gratitude floods every fiber of our being because we know that we would not have survived our impossibility if it were not for the saving hand of our Almighty God.

Our God is so good and so are His plans for us. Too often, we are far too limited in our understanding because His ways are so much higher than our ways. If today you find yourself facing an impossible situation, draw in close and seek the face of God. Hear the rhythm of His heartbeat and know that each beat beats for you. Affirm your faith in Him alone and breathe in deeply. Wait while your muscles relax and then rejoice and sing praises because He is the One who specializes in making possibilities out of the impossible!


"Ah, Sovereign Lord! It is You who have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for You!"
                                                               Jeremiah 32:17

The Highest Place

   "As God is exalted to the right place in our lives, a thousand problems are solved all at once."
                                                       A.W. Tozer



The highest place on this earth today is Mount Everest. It is named as the highest mountain because it has the "highest elevation above sea level". It can also be said that it has the highest altitude. At its' majestic peak, it stands at 29,035 feet above the level of the sea. It stands on the border of Nepal and China and countless people across the globe have made it their lives ambition to climb it. It’s beauty inspires awe, and the globe is captivated by it.

The Bible also talks to us about high places. The simple definition of a high place is a place of worship on an elevated piece of land. In the Old Testament, high places were used both for idol worship and for the worship of God. The first place of worship, that is later called a high place, is found in the book of Genesis. It says, Abram passed through the land to the locality of Shechem, to the oak or terebinth tree of Moreh. And the canaanites were there in the land. Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, 'I will give this land to your posterity.' So Abram built an altar there to the Lord, Who had appeared to him. From there he pulled up his tent pegs and departed to the mountain on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord" (Genesis 12:6-8).

Even though high places may seem archaic to us in our culture, I would propose to you that they still exist today. This past year (September 26-30), a reproduction of the Arch of Palmyra was on display in Washington D.C. The significance of this arch cannot be overstated. Until 2015, when it was destroyed by ISIS, this ancient arch stood in the entrance of the temple of Baal in Syria. Now a reproduction exists and is being transported to significant locations around the globe, touted as a "symbol of resilience and peace". Hardly. I believe that God allowed this arch into our nation as a sign for those of us who are paying attention. The biblical symbolism for this would be the acceleration of even more overt idol worship in our land.

Before you cast this out as being irrelevant in your own life, think about the unholy trinity that currently exists in America today. They are: perverted worship (worship of idols), perverted morality, and infant sacrifice (abortion). This is the same combination of problems that existed for Israel when Ahab and Jezebel were in power. Because the Israelites persisted in their sins, God allowed the Assyrians to destroy the northern kingdom and the Babylonians to destroy Jerusalem and the southern kingdom.

While our culture doesn't typically have little statues that we pray to, there are nevertheless a plethora of idols that run rampant through our land. An idol is defined as anything in our life that commands more attention or loyalty or dedication than the One, True God. Whether or not we acknowledge this, much of the church in America is as polytheistic (many gods) as an Hindu in India would be. Some of our untouchable idols are as follows: self, sports, Netflix, social media, pride,wealth, comfort, phone, security, fame, celebrities, appearances, children, accolades, food, alcohol, drugs, pornography, and the list goes on and on...

If we are polytheistic in our lives, we will be double-minded in our thinking. Our faith will gradually wane, little by little. This is why we are witnessing a "falling away" in our churches today. People run to and fro searching for the new "latest and greatest" and we forget the Giver of all good things. Even within our churches, we can find skewed priorities. Pride can run rampant and self-glorification can supersede the glory of God.

So, this begs the question, What is the highest place in your life? What occupies your thoughts, your time, your energy, your resources, your talent, and your heart? This question is applicable to everyone whether we are in full-time ministry or a lay person that claims to be a Christ follower. All of us must determine our answer both in spirit and in truth.

In the Old Testament, God commanded that every high place that was not dedicated to Him must be destroyed. The same is true today. In the New Testament, Paul told the church in Colossae  to "put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, and greed, which is idolatry" (Colossians 3:5). The true worship of God commands that we have no other gods besides Him (Exodus 20:3).

One of the titles of Jesus is the Word of God. John tells us that "in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1). If our God dwells within His Word, which is the Bible, then it is The Word of God that should be elevated to the highest place. As our culture around us slips more and more down the slippery slope of moral relativism, our role as the standard bearers of His image and His Word becomes all the more important.

As we pray for our nation and its future, we must ask God to search our hearts and lives to see where polytheism may exist for us and for our loved ones. When the church is repentant, we will see revival. But, as long as other gods exist in the lives of God's children, our nation will continue its slide into utter moral depravity.

It is time for the real church of Jesus Christ to arise and shine in the glory for which God has apportioned for us. It is time for God to be honored and elevated to His rightful position in our hearts and in our homes. It is time to shatter every idol and lie from the enemy that these idols will bring fulfillment to our lives. It is time to realize the seriousness of the hour in which we live. We must stand and we must speak out in love.

Pandora's box has been opened in our nation and the only way to overcome the evil and perversion that exists is for God's children to be passionate and serious about their relationship with Him. We can only overcome evil with good, and good can only come from God, Himself.

God must be exalted in our land again. His Word must be exalted above our feelings and circumstances and everything else. We must let go of the opinions of others and do what God has placed us on this earth to do. We must be the people that God has created us to be. We are here, at this time, with so much purpose. And, all those purposes will unify and be strong when God truly becomes the highest places in our hearts collectively.


"And Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him on the mountain and said, 'Say to this house of Jacob and tell the Israelites:...therefore, if you will obey My voice in truth and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own peculiar possession and treasure from among and above all peoples; for all the earth is Mine" (Exodus 19:3,5).

Are You Convinced?

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
                                                                    Romans 8:38-39




Living in the south provides an interesting perspective of faith and eternity. Most people would state that they are believers and many people follow this up by regular church attendance and prayers before meals. The interesting aspect of this, though, is that most have been inoculated. That is, we have been given a small enough dose of Jesus that we think we are fine spiritually and that precludes us from having a full on relationship with Christ and becoming a true follower of Him alone.

Most are pretty sure that they have been saved and that, at the end of this life, they will be going to heaven. We mentally assent to accepting Christ as our Savior and try to live a good or decent life, believing all the while that we are okay spiritually. Some even think that by their good works or deeds that we will somehow gain access to heaven. The problem with this theory is that it does not line up scripturally with what God has told us about salvation. The truth is that salvation all begins and ends with God and His ability to keep us, and not about what we can do to somehow obtain or manage our own.

It is when we come to really know that Jesus is our Lord and Savior and we are brought into relationship with Him that begins the guarantee of our eternal security. Jude 24 states, "To Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault and with great joy." This means that true believers are "kept" by God and can be assured that they are going to heaven when we are yielded to Him and "keep ourselves in the love of God" (Jude 21).

Jesus says, I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of My Hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all and no one can snatch them out of My Father's hands" (John 10:28-29). God has us in His hands. Jesus has us in His hands. Who in this world could ever remove us from them both?

Then, the Holy Spirit seals us. Ephesians tells us that believers are "sealed for the day of redemption" (Ephesians 4:30). John tells us that whoever believes in Jesus will have "eternal life" (John 3:15-16). If we are sealed and have eternal life then we do actually have eternal security, otherwise it could never be called eternal.

There are indicators of our salvation that the book of 1 John clearly delineates for us.  John tells us, "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life" (1 John 5:13). Paul reiterates this point when he says, "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you-- unless, of course, you fail the test?" (2 Corinthians 13:5).

In our sermon this week, Pastor Brady Cooper outlined the test of salvation. He asked 4 simple questions. They are as follows:
                                               1. Have you made a clear confession of faith?
                                               2. Are you growing in obedience?
                                               3. Are you growing in love for others?
                                               4. Are you aware of the Holy Spirit alive within you?

He went on to explain that a clear confession of faith encompasses accepting and acknowledging Jesus as Lord (1 John 2:23), confessing Jesus before men (Mathew 10:32), declaring with your mouth that "Jesus is Lord" and "believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead" (Romans 10:9), loving God the Father and Jesus who was born of Him (1 John 5:1), recognize that we are saved by grace through faith and that it is a gift of God and then doing the good works that God prepared for us to do (Ephesians 2:8-10). A saving faith is one that trusts Christ alone for our salvation. Brady said, "Grace is God's hand reaching down from heaven and faith is our hand reaching up to heaven."

Recognize that there is a difference between doubt and unbelief. There can be times when we doubt our salvation, but we have to remind ourselves of what God's Word says. Unbelief is when we do not believe that Jesus is the Son of God or we do not believe all that He has accomplished on our behalf. Doubt is transient whereas unbelief may not be.

Growing in obedience is essential to our spiritual growth. If we sin, we must keep a very short list with God and repent. This not only includes actions, but thoughts and attitudes as well. Intentional or willful sin is not the behavior of one who is in Christ. John says, "All who have this hope in Him purify themselves, just as He is pure. Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness. But you know that He appeared so that He might take away our sins. And in Him is no sin. No one who lives in Him keeps on sinning. No one who continues to sin has either seen Him or known Him" (1 John 3:3-6).

A change of heart will lead to a changed life. None of us are perfect and we will journey through a sanctification process, but it is God that empowers us to do so. Our good works are not a condition of our salvation; they are a consequence of it.

Growing in love for others is also part of our journey. We cannot be a follower of Christ and hate others (1 John 2:9-11), we love others because God first loves us (1 John 4:19), we pass from death to life because we love each other (1 John 3:14-15), and we are all one in Christ so there should be no prejudice or divisions (Galatians 3:28). The cross not only unites us to god, but it also unites us to others, especially for the mission of God.

Being aware of the Holy Spirit that lives inside of us is also very important.The Holy Spirit works in our hearts, convicts us of sin, counsels us, helps us, teaches us, guides us, gives us spiritual gifts, enables us to walk in the fruit of the Spirit, empowers us, gives glory to Jesus, and dwells with us.His role is vital in helping us keep God's commands (1 John 3:24) and in helping us know with certainty that we are in Christ (1 John 4:13).

So, the question is, did you pass the test? Are you convinced of your eternal security? If you die today, are you positive of your destination? If you have any doubts whatsoever, would you please pray the following prayer and then tell someone of your decision? There could be no better way to start 2019 then in knowing you definitely have eternal security. Jesus died so that we could know for sure!


Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you for your goodness, kindness, and mercy. I confess to you that I am a sinner in need of a Savior and Lord. Thank you for pursuing me and allowing me to have the security and assurance of my salvation. I believe that Jesus is Your Son, the Living Christ that died and was resurrected on the third day for my sins. I receive your generous gift of salvation and am ready to trust You both as my Lord and Savior. Thank you for taking my sins away and giving me the gift of eternal salvation. I recognize that I am not worthy, but acknowledge that you paid the price in full for all my sins. Please help me to start doing things Your way and fill me to overflowing with Your Holy Spirit. Help me to trust You, and love You, and to live my life for You. Help me to understand Your grace, and mercy, and love to its fullest. Seal me until your day of redemption and help me to continually grow in You. It is by the blood of Jesus and in His precious Name that I pray. Amen!