It's just a little past 2:00 AM, and I'm still typing away. There is much work to be done before I leave for my trip to Romania, and no I did not forget to post something today, I just haven't had the time.
Imagine if you will, that you had never seen a rainstorm in your life; in fact imagine you had never seen even one single, solitary drop of rain. Throughout your childhood, long into adulthood, it was the dew of the morning that would give the plants and the trees their much-needed hydration and succor.
Now imagine that one sunny day, you heard the voice of God, telling you to build an ark atop a hill, that it would rain for forty days and forty nights, and every living thing on the face of the earth would perish, except you, and those in the ark with you.
Yes, you would have noticed the world growing exceedingly evil, you saw as God's creation perverted everything good and just, destroying themselves in the process. You witnessed as homosexuality was defended by the constitution, decapitations were fodder on live television, parents were raping their own children, the poor were mocked and treated with indifference, children were killed while still in their mothers' wombs, and merchants of illusion and death, whether alcohol or drugs were having trouble keeping up with demand. Yes, you saw God's reasoning behind His judgment!
Although the world around you grew worse and worse, and the lines of morality blurred to the point of unrecognizable, you maintained a right standing with God, in fact it was due to the fact that God would have found you righteous before Him in that generation that He would have spoken these words to you in the first place.
When the flood finally came, Noah was pushing six hundred years of age. The Word does not specify how long it took Noah to build the ark to God's specifications, but chances are it was more than a weekend project.
Throughout all this time, Noah was not alone, nor was he isolated from those living in the same region as him. It is plausible that after a given period of time, Noah would have become a running joke among his compatriots, once in awhile venturing up the hill, to see how the ark was coming along, rolling their eyes, and snickering into their palms.
"Coming along great Noah, you sure it's big enough? Couldn't you find a taller hill?"
Still, Noah labored ceaselessly, because he believed God had spoken to him, and his faith was as such that no mocking words, no rolling of the eyes, no men thinking him mad would dissuade him. He knew that he knew God spoke to him, and no amount of scorn and disdain would alter this truth. Noah simply did according to all the Lord had commanded him, including keeping to the exact specifications God had given him for the ark. In all things he was faithful and obedient.
There is a lesson to be learned in this, one that can be applied to many ministers and ministries today. It is important to remain faithful to God, to retain our purity after God speaks to us, because it was these qualities that caused Him to speak to us in the first place. Some men begin to consider themselves above reproach once God speaks to them, allowing pride and sin in their lives, justifying these things by believing they can do no wrong since God spoke to them.
Noah obeyed, he remained faithful, and once the rains started to pour, Noah and his family had a refuge. Because of the waters of the flood, Noah, his wife, his sons, and his sons' wives, went into the ark. Noah's blind faith was rewarded in that not only he was saved, but also his entire family. After the animals had entered two by two, male and female of all flesh, the Lord shut them in the ark. Their place of refuge had been prepared long before the first raindrop, and now due to nothing less than blind faith, their sanctuary kept them safe while the world perished beneath the roiling waters.
Often faith and obedience are rewarded only once the storm begins, and the waters start to pour down. It is then that we see the benefits of our faith in God, and discover the fact that He had made a place of refuge for His children, an shelter from the storm, and whatever may come, His children are safe from harm. Faith in God never fails; faith in God never falls short.
Nowadays very rarely do we hear of blind faith in God, for rather than trust Him fully and completely, we try and do it on our own, content in the knowledge that He is there, if we fail. What many don't realize, that on our own, it's not whether or not we will fail, but rather when we will fail.
The Bible never tells us how long the ark was finished before the rains came, it does not specify how many weeks, or months, or years, the ark simply stood empty, completed, atop a hill for all the world to see, but when the signs were evident that it was time to enter therein, there was no delay, no wondering, just faith that God knew best, and trust in Him was never misplaced.
In order to be protected of God, one must retain blind faith in his heavenly Father, and obey His commands, no matter the cost. God will protect His chosen through the waves and storms of this world, even if the price is, at least for a season, public ridicule from those who do not know Him.
Be not discouraged when the world perceives you as odd, different, strange, unusual, or abnormal. Take joy in the knowledge that the end of your journey, the victory that is coming, will justify your blind faith in God. To put a new twist on an old saying, he who laughs last is still alive to laugh.
Hebrews 11:7, "By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith."
Much can be said about this verse, deeper studies can be had, such as how exactly did Noah condemn the world by simply building an ark? What would have happened if he had not moved with godly fear? Was it only after he had proven obedience that he became an heir of righteousness? But these are all questions and topics for another day. Now, I go to sleep, and tomorrow, we begin the struggle anew.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Saturday, December 8, 2007
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Choose for Yourselves This Day
"The world promises things temporal and mean, and is served with great eagerness. God promises things most high and eternal, and the heart of mortals grow dull." Thomas A Kempis
It was the twilight of his life. Joshua was coming to the end of his journey here on earth. His life had not been easy, since early youth he had known battles and wars, but through it all he had also seen the hand of God at work. He had seen miraculous victories, and once, even the sun stand still. It had been a full life, and now he gathered the people of Israel unto himself to relay one last message, one last revelation to the nation. The message was short, to the point, and relevant to the spiritual condition in which Israel found itself.
Joshua 25:14-15, "Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River in Egypt. Serve the Lord! And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
When all is said and done, every man and woman must choose whom they serve. The son is not accountable for the sins of the father, nor is the father accountable for the sins of the son. The soul that sins will die.
Joshua knew, inspired of God that the people of Israel had not laid aside, had not put away the gods their fathers had served, and though they had crossed the river into the promised land, some still clung to dead gods, and false idols. Duplicity of heart is something most hated of God, especially in those who claim to be His children, for it births compromise, and brings about a shallow character willing to stand for absolutely nothing.
We have all crossed the river, from darkness to light, from death to life, but even so, some of us still cling to those things which can harm us, which can act as a stumbling block between ourselves, and the will and voice of God. In order for us to be complete in Him, there can be no hindrance; there can be nothing standing in the way of God perfecting His will in our lives.
Often, rather than let God empty us out, purge us with fire, then fill us with His Spirit, we have some things left over from before we crossed the river, that we keep moving from room to room, from nook to nook in our hearts, never allowing God to do away with them once and for all.
Just as we have a choice today, Israel had a choice. Because they chose to keep for themselves the idols and false gods of Egypt and the other places they conquered along the way, their history is one that is marked with great tragedies, great trials, and great tribulations.
Joshua knew whom he would serve. As far as himself and his house, they had chosen to serve the Lord, because they knew Him as the living God that watched over them, protected them, and went before them. Joshua knew what the one true God was offering, and subsequently what the strange gods were offering, and realized just how much the former was willing to pour out on His obedient servants, and how little the latter had to tempt with. God offers us eternal things, priceless in and of themselves, that cannot be purchased with silver or gold, but are freely given to those obedient hearts that learn to hear His voice, and obey His commandments. My heart aches at the thought that men today would rather hear of earthly excess, of financial breakthroughs and better self esteem techniques, than hear of the power of almighty God, the gifts that are readily at our disposal, and the glory into which His faithful can enter. The world offers so little, yet we desire it so much, and the only reason for this has to be that at least in part, we are still of the world.
It's troubling how knowing what God has done for us, that we would still consider the false gods of our past, that we would still entertain the idea of returning to the dead things that only brought us heartache and shame. Yet, men do so everyday, they return to the sins that once had them shackled in a prison of hopelessness, they return to the addictions that had before ruined their lives, because they never truly did away with them, they did not lay them aside, but believed, foolishly so, that the one true God, and the strange gods could somehow coexist.
Choose for yourselves this day. No one can make the choice for you, but you.
2 Peter 1:8-11, "For if these things are yours and abound, (faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love) you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness and has forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Therefore brethren, be even more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
It was the twilight of his life. Joshua was coming to the end of his journey here on earth. His life had not been easy, since early youth he had known battles and wars, but through it all he had also seen the hand of God at work. He had seen miraculous victories, and once, even the sun stand still. It had been a full life, and now he gathered the people of Israel unto himself to relay one last message, one last revelation to the nation. The message was short, to the point, and relevant to the spiritual condition in which Israel found itself.
Joshua 25:14-15, "Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River in Egypt. Serve the Lord! And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
When all is said and done, every man and woman must choose whom they serve. The son is not accountable for the sins of the father, nor is the father accountable for the sins of the son. The soul that sins will die.
Joshua knew, inspired of God that the people of Israel had not laid aside, had not put away the gods their fathers had served, and though they had crossed the river into the promised land, some still clung to dead gods, and false idols. Duplicity of heart is something most hated of God, especially in those who claim to be His children, for it births compromise, and brings about a shallow character willing to stand for absolutely nothing.
We have all crossed the river, from darkness to light, from death to life, but even so, some of us still cling to those things which can harm us, which can act as a stumbling block between ourselves, and the will and voice of God. In order for us to be complete in Him, there can be no hindrance; there can be nothing standing in the way of God perfecting His will in our lives.
Often, rather than let God empty us out, purge us with fire, then fill us with His Spirit, we have some things left over from before we crossed the river, that we keep moving from room to room, from nook to nook in our hearts, never allowing God to do away with them once and for all.
Just as we have a choice today, Israel had a choice. Because they chose to keep for themselves the idols and false gods of Egypt and the other places they conquered along the way, their history is one that is marked with great tragedies, great trials, and great tribulations.
Joshua knew whom he would serve. As far as himself and his house, they had chosen to serve the Lord, because they knew Him as the living God that watched over them, protected them, and went before them. Joshua knew what the one true God was offering, and subsequently what the strange gods were offering, and realized just how much the former was willing to pour out on His obedient servants, and how little the latter had to tempt with. God offers us eternal things, priceless in and of themselves, that cannot be purchased with silver or gold, but are freely given to those obedient hearts that learn to hear His voice, and obey His commandments. My heart aches at the thought that men today would rather hear of earthly excess, of financial breakthroughs and better self esteem techniques, than hear of the power of almighty God, the gifts that are readily at our disposal, and the glory into which His faithful can enter. The world offers so little, yet we desire it so much, and the only reason for this has to be that at least in part, we are still of the world.
It's troubling how knowing what God has done for us, that we would still consider the false gods of our past, that we would still entertain the idea of returning to the dead things that only brought us heartache and shame. Yet, men do so everyday, they return to the sins that once had them shackled in a prison of hopelessness, they return to the addictions that had before ruined their lives, because they never truly did away with them, they did not lay them aside, but believed, foolishly so, that the one true God, and the strange gods could somehow coexist.
Choose for yourselves this day. No one can make the choice for you, but you.
2 Peter 1:8-11, "For if these things are yours and abound, (faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love) you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness and has forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. Therefore brethren, be even more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; for so an entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ."
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Decrease and Increase
John 3:30 "He must increase, but I must decrease."
There is a massive movement underway in the modern church, encouraging believers to discover the strength in themselves, to discover the greatness, the warrior, the poet, to be self centered, to have self esteem, to possess a positive self image, even if the image we have of ourselves is far from the truth. It has been touted by some eloquent, and some less eloquent men, from various denominational pulpits, that we can do anything, unaided by a higher power, just as long as we focus, have positive thoughts, and practice positive affirmations.
The search for greatness, meaning or even relevance in oneself absent of any exterior forces has led many to great discouragement bordering on hopelessness, for sooner or later, all men discover that in and of themselves they are outright impotent in affecting positive change. Absent of God, man is unable to stand, to fight or to be that which God expects him to be.
The power lies not in self, the power lies in Christ, what He did on the cross, and this is where many a men have erred in their teaching and philosophy. In teaching a gospel absent of Christ, we teach a gospel absent of power, a power that is offered to us throughout the Word of God, if only we would submit to His will, and obey His voice.
Flesh and spirit cannot coexist in the same heart. They will always struggle for control or dominance, neither content to surrender, or give up. We cannot call a truce between this present flesh and the holiness to which God calls us, and any attempt to do so would suddenly translate us into the land of compromise, which God abhors in His children.
The truth is simple. We must decrease, that He may increase in us. A vessel can only hold so much. It is a universal law that you cannot fit ten ounces of water, in an eight ounce glass. The same principle must be applied to the human heart. There is only so much room, and in order for God to fill us with His Holy Spirit, room must be made, therefore there must be less of us.
The less of me there is, the less of the flesh that God finds in my heart, the more of Himself He can pour into me. The vessel will always hold the same amount; the only issue is the contents. What is your vessel holding? What is it you are filled with today?
Are we filled with self, with flesh, with mantras and quirky sayings, false hopes, inflated egos, pride and arrogance, or are we filled with the Spirit of the living God? The power of God makes the flesh wither. What was once a full grown man, becomes an atom, so that the power of the risen Christ may be glorified, that men see Him in us, His greatness, His goodness, His mercy, and His wisdom, nothing left of the flesh, nothing left of the old man.
When God makes His will known to us, and we humble ourselves, realizing our limitations, it is God that gives us the spiritual strength to obey.
When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, calling him a mighty man of valor, Gideon knew that in and of himself he could be no such thing. Perhaps the angel had gotten the wrong address, perhaps it was the next wine press over he was trying to find, another young man threshing his wheat in secret, for fear of the Midianites sweeping down and taking it all.
Gideon even tried explaining this fact to the angel by saying, "Oh my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least of my father's house." It was then that the angel of the Lord revealed why Gideon was in fact the one whom God had chosen to save Israel.
Because he had decreased in his own eyes, because he saw himself as nothing more than the least in his father's house, it was God who would be with him, and it was by His power that the Midianites would be defeated as one man.
Upon recognition that it is the power of God working in us and through us that brings about the victory, that only by His strength we are able to stand and do battle, we can journey through this world with confidence, knowing that we have already obtained the victory in Him.
If you desire to do great exploits for God, the first thing you must do is decrease in your own eyes, that He may increase in you.
I ask no one to take a leap of faith and believe my words over the talking heads on their television screens, I ask only that you read your Bible and believe it, over my words and their words as well. The Word of God will never lead us astray, it will never lead us to desert places when we seek water, nor to barren lands when we seek food. It is the Bible that says we must decrease, that He may increase in us. This fact no longer makes the subject debatable. Once it has been established in the Word, it is no longer up for debate. The only thing left to do now, is to obey.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
There is a massive movement underway in the modern church, encouraging believers to discover the strength in themselves, to discover the greatness, the warrior, the poet, to be self centered, to have self esteem, to possess a positive self image, even if the image we have of ourselves is far from the truth. It has been touted by some eloquent, and some less eloquent men, from various denominational pulpits, that we can do anything, unaided by a higher power, just as long as we focus, have positive thoughts, and practice positive affirmations.
The search for greatness, meaning or even relevance in oneself absent of any exterior forces has led many to great discouragement bordering on hopelessness, for sooner or later, all men discover that in and of themselves they are outright impotent in affecting positive change. Absent of God, man is unable to stand, to fight or to be that which God expects him to be.
The power lies not in self, the power lies in Christ, what He did on the cross, and this is where many a men have erred in their teaching and philosophy. In teaching a gospel absent of Christ, we teach a gospel absent of power, a power that is offered to us throughout the Word of God, if only we would submit to His will, and obey His voice.
Flesh and spirit cannot coexist in the same heart. They will always struggle for control or dominance, neither content to surrender, or give up. We cannot call a truce between this present flesh and the holiness to which God calls us, and any attempt to do so would suddenly translate us into the land of compromise, which God abhors in His children.
The truth is simple. We must decrease, that He may increase in us. A vessel can only hold so much. It is a universal law that you cannot fit ten ounces of water, in an eight ounce glass. The same principle must be applied to the human heart. There is only so much room, and in order for God to fill us with His Holy Spirit, room must be made, therefore there must be less of us.
The less of me there is, the less of the flesh that God finds in my heart, the more of Himself He can pour into me. The vessel will always hold the same amount; the only issue is the contents. What is your vessel holding? What is it you are filled with today?
Are we filled with self, with flesh, with mantras and quirky sayings, false hopes, inflated egos, pride and arrogance, or are we filled with the Spirit of the living God? The power of God makes the flesh wither. What was once a full grown man, becomes an atom, so that the power of the risen Christ may be glorified, that men see Him in us, His greatness, His goodness, His mercy, and His wisdom, nothing left of the flesh, nothing left of the old man.
When God makes His will known to us, and we humble ourselves, realizing our limitations, it is God that gives us the spiritual strength to obey.
When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, calling him a mighty man of valor, Gideon knew that in and of himself he could be no such thing. Perhaps the angel had gotten the wrong address, perhaps it was the next wine press over he was trying to find, another young man threshing his wheat in secret, for fear of the Midianites sweeping down and taking it all.
Gideon even tried explaining this fact to the angel by saying, "Oh my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least of my father's house." It was then that the angel of the Lord revealed why Gideon was in fact the one whom God had chosen to save Israel.
Because he had decreased in his own eyes, because he saw himself as nothing more than the least in his father's house, it was God who would be with him, and it was by His power that the Midianites would be defeated as one man.
Upon recognition that it is the power of God working in us and through us that brings about the victory, that only by His strength we are able to stand and do battle, we can journey through this world with confidence, knowing that we have already obtained the victory in Him.
If you desire to do great exploits for God, the first thing you must do is decrease in your own eyes, that He may increase in you.
I ask no one to take a leap of faith and believe my words over the talking heads on their television screens, I ask only that you read your Bible and believe it, over my words and their words as well. The Word of God will never lead us astray, it will never lead us to desert places when we seek water, nor to barren lands when we seek food. It is the Bible that says we must decrease, that He may increase in us. This fact no longer makes the subject debatable. Once it has been established in the Word, it is no longer up for debate. The only thing left to do now, is to obey.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
The Knowing and The Doing
I know exercise is good for me, I've known it most of my adult life. I hear it praised every day, I know its benefits, I hear the testimonials of people whose lives have been forever changed by exercise, yet when it comes to the doing of exercise, it is a different story entirely.
Somehow, something always seems to come up at the last minute, even when I have every intention of getting some exercise. Whatever that something might be, I tell myself it is far more important than going for a jog, or throwing some weights around, and so the doing of exercise gets put off yet another day.
The knowing is easy. The doing is hard. Sunday after Sunday, or for the keepers of the Sabbath, Saturday after Saturday, we go to the same houses of worship, between the same hours, dressed differently than the other six days, Bible under one arm or in a purse whichever the case may be, with a light air of superiority, animated by the feeling of duty fulfilled. Although we don't come out and say it outright, just being in Church seems to elevate our self-image, making us feel better about ourselves. We sit through the songs, some off key, then the sermon, and often think to ourselves, 'well that was simplistic, I know that already. Why does he keep repeating stuff I already know?'
If per chance our conscience is awake and aware, at this moment in time, it may rebuke us by saying, 'you know, but do you do?' and blushing we justify our absence of doing that which we know, with an always timely, 'all have fallen short.'
The hour is upon us, when we must wake up, and acknowledge with all due sincerity of heart, that there is an ever widening chasm between what the church believes, and what it lives on a daily basis. The chasm has become so great, so pronounced, and visible that it will not be tolerated by He who is holy much longer.
The day of reckoning is coming it is almost upon us, when simply knowing and not doing will be seen for what it is, criminal and negligent, and punished accordingly. God is not mocked, a fact that many have conveniently forgotten in today's fast paced church world.
I have seen many a believer, far, far too many who use religious cosmetics to mask a character scarred and tired by so much duplicity. They say all the right things, quote all the right scriptures, yet something is amiss and it is clearly visible in their countenance. One who has divided loyalties, one who attempts to please both the world and God at the same time will please neither.
Our faith, our obedience, our devotion our worship, is an all or nothing proposition. Either we devote ourselves fully to the things of God, or we don't.
It is time to bridge the gap between the knowing and the doing, and no one can do this for you, or on your behalf. It is time to live what we believe, to do what we know, to know what we believe, and believe what we live.
The world readily spots the hypocrisy and duplicity of the modern church, and thus rather than being drawn to the light of the gospel, to the life of Christ, they are turned off to God because of His ambassadors.
It is a horrible thing indeed to be found guilty of causing a little one to be repulsed by the gospel, due to the inconsistency between our words and our life, rather than drawn to it. When God looks upon those who call themselves His children, He must find them pleasing in His sight. When we fail to do what we know, we are but mere Pharisees, with an uglier wardrobe than their priestly robes. The heart of every man is an open book to God, and in it He must find active obedience of His will.
In our hearts we know that we don't need new sermons, new ways of bringing across the simple message of the cross, or new means by which these messages can be transmitted to us, we need to do what we already know, we need to apply the word of God to our lives; to do what it tells us to do, and abstain from those things it tells us to abstain from.
The will of God is not a complicated matter, nor is the message of the gospel. We would however, rather hear a complicated and vertiginous message lasting hours, yet going nowhere, than submit to the simple message of God's Word.
The true message of the gospel, always brings our flesh face to face with the cross, and compels us to choose between repentance and restoration, or disobedience and death. Though men throughout the ages have attempted putting off the choice, one cannot delay it forever. Eventually all men must choose, all men must either do what they know, or admit, if only to themselves that they are living a lie, pretending to be something they are not.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Somehow, something always seems to come up at the last minute, even when I have every intention of getting some exercise. Whatever that something might be, I tell myself it is far more important than going for a jog, or throwing some weights around, and so the doing of exercise gets put off yet another day.
The knowing is easy. The doing is hard. Sunday after Sunday, or for the keepers of the Sabbath, Saturday after Saturday, we go to the same houses of worship, between the same hours, dressed differently than the other six days, Bible under one arm or in a purse whichever the case may be, with a light air of superiority, animated by the feeling of duty fulfilled. Although we don't come out and say it outright, just being in Church seems to elevate our self-image, making us feel better about ourselves. We sit through the songs, some off key, then the sermon, and often think to ourselves, 'well that was simplistic, I know that already. Why does he keep repeating stuff I already know?'
If per chance our conscience is awake and aware, at this moment in time, it may rebuke us by saying, 'you know, but do you do?' and blushing we justify our absence of doing that which we know, with an always timely, 'all have fallen short.'
The hour is upon us, when we must wake up, and acknowledge with all due sincerity of heart, that there is an ever widening chasm between what the church believes, and what it lives on a daily basis. The chasm has become so great, so pronounced, and visible that it will not be tolerated by He who is holy much longer.
The day of reckoning is coming it is almost upon us, when simply knowing and not doing will be seen for what it is, criminal and negligent, and punished accordingly. God is not mocked, a fact that many have conveniently forgotten in today's fast paced church world.
I have seen many a believer, far, far too many who use religious cosmetics to mask a character scarred and tired by so much duplicity. They say all the right things, quote all the right scriptures, yet something is amiss and it is clearly visible in their countenance. One who has divided loyalties, one who attempts to please both the world and God at the same time will please neither.
Our faith, our obedience, our devotion our worship, is an all or nothing proposition. Either we devote ourselves fully to the things of God, or we don't.
It is time to bridge the gap between the knowing and the doing, and no one can do this for you, or on your behalf. It is time to live what we believe, to do what we know, to know what we believe, and believe what we live.
The world readily spots the hypocrisy and duplicity of the modern church, and thus rather than being drawn to the light of the gospel, to the life of Christ, they are turned off to God because of His ambassadors.
It is a horrible thing indeed to be found guilty of causing a little one to be repulsed by the gospel, due to the inconsistency between our words and our life, rather than drawn to it. When God looks upon those who call themselves His children, He must find them pleasing in His sight. When we fail to do what we know, we are but mere Pharisees, with an uglier wardrobe than their priestly robes. The heart of every man is an open book to God, and in it He must find active obedience of His will.
In our hearts we know that we don't need new sermons, new ways of bringing across the simple message of the cross, or new means by which these messages can be transmitted to us, we need to do what we already know, we need to apply the word of God to our lives; to do what it tells us to do, and abstain from those things it tells us to abstain from.
The will of God is not a complicated matter, nor is the message of the gospel. We would however, rather hear a complicated and vertiginous message lasting hours, yet going nowhere, than submit to the simple message of God's Word.
The true message of the gospel, always brings our flesh face to face with the cross, and compels us to choose between repentance and restoration, or disobedience and death. Though men throughout the ages have attempted putting off the choice, one cannot delay it forever. Eventually all men must choose, all men must either do what they know, or admit, if only to themselves that they are living a lie, pretending to be something they are not.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Of Victory and Defeat Part 4
It always strikes me as interesting, when I write something meant for the collective, yet every individual perceives a certain line in an article, or a certain observation is speaking directly to them. I find it interesting, because not all are drawn to the same passage, or the same sentence, each one gleaning what is necessary for their spiritual growth. Although I write for the collective, for the body of Christ, God speaks to the individual, and I am humbled when i get e-mails and comments, which state that a certain passage spoke to them individually.
I realize this has been a somewhat longer study, in hindsight I probably should have posted it on the Hand of Help website, but since you can't 'unring' a bell, I will post the final installment of this teaching today.
If we analyze the Word in regards to this scripture, we come to realize that Joshua had merely repeated what he had done in regards to Jericho, sending in spies to survey the land, and to get an idea of the strength of the enemy. While his first scouts were sent by the will of God, this same act has now become a purely human action, a reaction of the flesh.
Why would I say such a thing? Because when the first spies returned from Jericho, they said to Joshua, 'Truly the Lord has delivered all the land into our hands, for indeed all the inhabitants of the country are fainthearted because of us.'
If the Lord had already delivered all the land into their hands, why send scouts out again, why send spies to Ai, for it was part of the same nation as Jericho?
In some measure, whether great or small we cannot know, it seems Joshua had forgotten dependence on God, and began to trust in the strength of his army and his mighty men. Joshua found an excuse to trust in the flesh rather than God.
Since the old adage, 'as the head goes so does the body' held true even then, Joshua's warriors began to trust in themselves and in their own strength as well. Surely if such a famed city as Jericho had been so easy to overtake, the few men of Ai would be no problem at all. Why bring all the people, when a fraction of us will suffice? Two or three thousand men, they thought to themselves, and it will be quick work, another city conquered, vanquished and overtaken.
There was one other thing working against the people of Israel, not merely their self reliance, or self dependence. In a nondescript tent, a man by the name of Achan was busy burying a Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold, some of those accursed things, which God had warned they should not touch, believing that no one would know, no one would see, and no one would be the wiser. The garment had been so beautiful, the silver so tempting, the gold so shiny, surely it won't harm anyone, and surely God is reasonable, and loving, and understanding. 'Yes, yes, I remember something about slow to anger too, no worries, but just in case, I'll bury them for a season, just to make sure', Achan thought.
God had cursed the city of Jericho, and by association everything within its walls. All but Achan were afraid to touch the forbidden things, the accursed things, for fear of bringing the wrath of God upon Israel, but Achan saw, and he desired, he coveted the possessions of the accursed city, though he knew in his hear the was not supposed to. The temptation was too great, perhaps if it was just the garment, or just the silver, but all three, in one place, Achan couldn't resist, he saw, he coveted, and he couldn't turn away, giving in to his desires. He did not consider the ramifications of his disobedience, all he saw before him were the garments that he would wear so haughtily, the silver and the gold that would fulfill his desire, the man he would become once all these were his, not realizing he was nothing more than a slave of his flesh.
The sin of one man has now influenced the outcome of an entire nation, as well as the attack on the city of Ai. The disobedience of one, compounded by the pride of the many, has now caused the mighty warriors of Israel to flee in fear from the handful of men protecting Ai.
Sometimes it takes a crushing defeat to remind us of humility, of righteousness, of sanctification, and of Christ. Sometimes it takes a seemingly inconsequential event, which snowballs into an ever-growing monster, to bring us to our knees, to cause us to seek the face of God.
Joshua had finally seen, even though it had taken a defeat at Ai, he had finally seen the error of his way, and tearing his clothes, fell to the earth on his face, before the ark of the Lord until evening, both he and the elders of Israel, putting dust on their heads.
Where was the ark of the Lord during their battle with the citizens of Ai, this ark before which the cities of Jericho had fallen? Too often we live with the expectation of victory, even though we left God behind, somewhere along the way. If God does not go before us, our defeat is guaranteed, even if the obstacle before us seems more like a nuisance than a real obstacle.
Joshua finally acknowledges the ark's worth, but even so, his reaction at Israel's defeat is questionable and shows weakness.
Joshua 7:7, "And Joshua said, 'Alas Lord God, why have you brought this people over the Jordan at all - to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to destroy us? Oh, that we had been content and dwelt on the other side of the Jordan!"
This blessed place, this promised land, is the only place that Joshua desired to flee from, lamenting that Israel should have been content and dwelt on the other side of the Jordan. What preoccupies Joshua now, is not the will of God, or why Israel was allowed to be defeated, but rather the name of Israel, what he would do when Israel turns its back before its enemies, the Canaanites, and at long last God's great name.
Too often we are preoccupied with our own image, too often we are preoccupied with what people will think of us, or how we will be viewed by others, rather than search our hearts and discover what it is that God desires us to burn, or what area in our lives does not bring glory to His name.
God's command today, is the same as it was for the people of Israel during Joshua's time, to sanctify ourselves before Him, to burn every wicked thing, to turn our back on the world and the things of the world, that we might have fellowship with Him.
The sin was discovered in the camp, Achan had taken that which was accursed, and only after those tings were burned, and Achan was stoned along with his family, did God relent form His righteous anger against His people.
The message of the hour, is to be merciless with the sin we discover in the camp, as well as in our own lives, to live in a continual desire of sanctification, and an ongoing process of purification toward God.
There is so much more that can be gleaned from the book of Joshua, wisdom and knowledge, direction for every soul, but for now I leave you with the grace and peace o four loving Father.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
I realize this has been a somewhat longer study, in hindsight I probably should have posted it on the Hand of Help website, but since you can't 'unring' a bell, I will post the final installment of this teaching today.
If we analyze the Word in regards to this scripture, we come to realize that Joshua had merely repeated what he had done in regards to Jericho, sending in spies to survey the land, and to get an idea of the strength of the enemy. While his first scouts were sent by the will of God, this same act has now become a purely human action, a reaction of the flesh.
Why would I say such a thing? Because when the first spies returned from Jericho, they said to Joshua, 'Truly the Lord has delivered all the land into our hands, for indeed all the inhabitants of the country are fainthearted because of us.'
If the Lord had already delivered all the land into their hands, why send scouts out again, why send spies to Ai, for it was part of the same nation as Jericho?
In some measure, whether great or small we cannot know, it seems Joshua had forgotten dependence on God, and began to trust in the strength of his army and his mighty men. Joshua found an excuse to trust in the flesh rather than God.
Since the old adage, 'as the head goes so does the body' held true even then, Joshua's warriors began to trust in themselves and in their own strength as well. Surely if such a famed city as Jericho had been so easy to overtake, the few men of Ai would be no problem at all. Why bring all the people, when a fraction of us will suffice? Two or three thousand men, they thought to themselves, and it will be quick work, another city conquered, vanquished and overtaken.
There was one other thing working against the people of Israel, not merely their self reliance, or self dependence. In a nondescript tent, a man by the name of Achan was busy burying a Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold, some of those accursed things, which God had warned they should not touch, believing that no one would know, no one would see, and no one would be the wiser. The garment had been so beautiful, the silver so tempting, the gold so shiny, surely it won't harm anyone, and surely God is reasonable, and loving, and understanding. 'Yes, yes, I remember something about slow to anger too, no worries, but just in case, I'll bury them for a season, just to make sure', Achan thought.
God had cursed the city of Jericho, and by association everything within its walls. All but Achan were afraid to touch the forbidden things, the accursed things, for fear of bringing the wrath of God upon Israel, but Achan saw, and he desired, he coveted the possessions of the accursed city, though he knew in his hear the was not supposed to. The temptation was too great, perhaps if it was just the garment, or just the silver, but all three, in one place, Achan couldn't resist, he saw, he coveted, and he couldn't turn away, giving in to his desires. He did not consider the ramifications of his disobedience, all he saw before him were the garments that he would wear so haughtily, the silver and the gold that would fulfill his desire, the man he would become once all these were his, not realizing he was nothing more than a slave of his flesh.
The sin of one man has now influenced the outcome of an entire nation, as well as the attack on the city of Ai. The disobedience of one, compounded by the pride of the many, has now caused the mighty warriors of Israel to flee in fear from the handful of men protecting Ai.
Sometimes it takes a crushing defeat to remind us of humility, of righteousness, of sanctification, and of Christ. Sometimes it takes a seemingly inconsequential event, which snowballs into an ever-growing monster, to bring us to our knees, to cause us to seek the face of God.
Joshua had finally seen, even though it had taken a defeat at Ai, he had finally seen the error of his way, and tearing his clothes, fell to the earth on his face, before the ark of the Lord until evening, both he and the elders of Israel, putting dust on their heads.
Where was the ark of the Lord during their battle with the citizens of Ai, this ark before which the cities of Jericho had fallen? Too often we live with the expectation of victory, even though we left God behind, somewhere along the way. If God does not go before us, our defeat is guaranteed, even if the obstacle before us seems more like a nuisance than a real obstacle.
Joshua finally acknowledges the ark's worth, but even so, his reaction at Israel's defeat is questionable and shows weakness.
Joshua 7:7, "And Joshua said, 'Alas Lord God, why have you brought this people over the Jordan at all - to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to destroy us? Oh, that we had been content and dwelt on the other side of the Jordan!"
This blessed place, this promised land, is the only place that Joshua desired to flee from, lamenting that Israel should have been content and dwelt on the other side of the Jordan. What preoccupies Joshua now, is not the will of God, or why Israel was allowed to be defeated, but rather the name of Israel, what he would do when Israel turns its back before its enemies, the Canaanites, and at long last God's great name.
Too often we are preoccupied with our own image, too often we are preoccupied with what people will think of us, or how we will be viewed by others, rather than search our hearts and discover what it is that God desires us to burn, or what area in our lives does not bring glory to His name.
God's command today, is the same as it was for the people of Israel during Joshua's time, to sanctify ourselves before Him, to burn every wicked thing, to turn our back on the world and the things of the world, that we might have fellowship with Him.
The sin was discovered in the camp, Achan had taken that which was accursed, and only after those tings were burned, and Achan was stoned along with his family, did God relent form His righteous anger against His people.
The message of the hour, is to be merciless with the sin we discover in the camp, as well as in our own lives, to live in a continual desire of sanctification, and an ongoing process of purification toward God.
There is so much more that can be gleaned from the book of Joshua, wisdom and knowledge, direction for every soul, but for now I leave you with the grace and peace o four loving Father.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Of Victory and Defeat Part 3
I got stuck in a blizzard yesterday. It was bad, perhaps the second worst blizzard I've ever been in. The icy roads, and the pounding snow mixed with ice, made it impossible to travel more than twenty, twenty five miles per hour tops. I had to go to Chicago to pick up a package for my brother's mother in law, to take to Romania. By the way, I will be leaving for Romania on the 14th of December. I will still be posting articles, but it is doubtful it will be with such regularity. Well, what took me two hours getting there, took me over five coming back. When I began my journey, it was warm and sunny, but within the span of three hours, the whole of Wisconsin had turned into a winter wonderland.
I noticed something odd yesterday. Although one could barely control their vehicles going far below the speed limit, there were those brave or foolish souls, I tend to lean toward foolish, that paid no mind to the conditions, and just whizzed by the rest of us reasonable folk who were crawling along. These weren't Jeeps or Explorers, mostly two door sports cars, or four door family cars, and after a few minutes you would see one, then another of the daredevils stuck in the snow banks, or worse. The reason I share this story, is to make a point. Often we want to reach our destination in as short a time as possible, paying no mind to the conditions around us. Our goal is firmly planted in our minds, our destination is sure, and although everyone else is taking their time, coming along naturally, organically, in God's time table, we are not content to wait with the pack, and we run ahead before we are ready. Sooner or later, we see those that crawled along, those we scoffed at for being chicken, passing us, as we are stuck in the snowbanks, waiting for the tow truck to come and pull us out. Spiritual growth, spiritual maturity, spiritual gifts, are all a process, sometimes slow and agonizing, as we are constantly stripping ourselves of ourselves, so that we can make room for God. The wise man waits patiently upon the Lord, until He finds him ready, while the foolish man steps out on his own, thinking himself ready. Sometimes the path we travel gets icy, snowfall makes visibility impossible, and rather than trudge along at our own pace, hoping to make it to our destination of our own strength and volition, it is wiser by far to slow down, and let God take us by the hand, lead us and guide us. He knows where the icy patches are, and in His wisdom He slows us down so we don't careen off the path, and get stuck in a certain place longer than was intended.
Back to Israel we go, to see what we can learn and apply to our daily lives, and our daily walk.
Thus far we've established that it was God who brought down the walls of Jericho. Weapons would have been useless against them, and the people knew this. God had done everything, and no man could have taken credit for the walls of Jericho crashing to the ground leaving the way open for the warriors to sack the city, and destroy everything within its walls. Unless it is God's victory, unless we let Him direct, guide, and provide the means by which we will overcome our Jericho, our victory will never be complete. When we attempt to insert ourselves, or take a little credit for what God has done, it nullifies to a certain extent what He was able to accomplish.
It is often that God uses vessels that are of no particular value in the eyes of the world, and if they are of any significant value, He begins by breaking them asunder, as He did Saul of Tarsus and rebuilding them anew. It is only after God is done refining, remodeling and molding a vessel that He can say, 'this is My chosen vessel, he can be of use to Me.'
Too often the way in which we as men would approach a battle, a trial or a conflict is very different than how God would approach it. We tend to employ our own ingenuity, our own programs and our own schemes even before approaching God, and asking for His guidance or advice. Ah, we have happened upon an excellent method by which we can grow the church, we are well organized, have devised dozens of programs to keep everyone interested, we have sent missionaries to every corner of the world, to every continent, we project, we foresee, we estimate, and it becomes all about us, and what we can do, and what we can achieve. We take comfort in knowing that God is there, just in case we need Him, just in case there happens to be an obstacle that is beyond our ingenuity, but as long as we think we can do it on our own, we prefer that He be an observer and nothing more.
What if Israel would have said, 'it is well that the power belongs to the Lord, and the victory is His, but we must focus upon the means by which we can scale the walls of Jericho, by which we can bring them down, perhaps a battering ram, or some hammers and chisels', would the walls of Jericho ever have come down? What would they have witnessed on the seventh day, after the seventh march around Jericho if they had trusted in their own strength rather than the strength of God?
Israel obtained the victory the walls of Jericho came crashing down, because they had faith in the God who had brought them thus far, they obeyed His direction. Upon their entry into the city the people were given specific instruction yet again, the first, was to destroy the city and all who were in it, sparing only Rahab the harlot and all who were in her house. The second specific instruction was that they should, by all means keep themselves from the accursed things, lest they become accursed when they took of the accursed thing, and by association make the camp of Israel a curse and trouble it. All the gold, the silver, all the iron, were to be set apart consecrated to the Lord, and be brought to the treasury of the Lord.
Fresh off an astounding and decided victory against Jericho, Joshua set his sights upon Ai, a much smaller city than that of Jericho, an insignificant obstacle, located beside Beth Aven, on the east side of Bethel.
God had kept His promise, Jericho had been sacked, but unbeknownst to Joshua, one man had disobeyed God's specific instruction, one man had kept that which he had not been meant to keep. All but one obeyed, all but one committed a trespass regarding the accursed things. Due to one man's disobedience however, we will soon witness a defeat rather than a victory, even though the people of Israel faced a less powerful foe, and a weaker enemy.
A small city, and few people were able to set three thousand men to flight, striking them down, and causing their hearts to become melted, and like water.
But I get ahead of myself. In order to understand just how disastrous this defeat was in light of the victory they had just gloried in, one must understand that upon the scouts' return from spying on the city of Ai, they had told Joshua that he shouldn't march the whole of Israel up to the city, for it would just weary all the people. Ai was just a handful of souls, which would be easily vanquished with two or three thousand men.
There are secrets to defeat, just as there are secrets to victory and the first danger for the believer is found in the very victories in which he often glories. After a victory has been had, due to a true dependence and reliance upon God, the flesh, seeing the positive results begins to believe that it can now do on its own what the soul believed was only accomplished by the power of God. Once the flesh overpowers the spirit, a person is deceived into believing he can do anything, that his attributes and strengths extend beyond what he should by now know are his limits, the battle is already lost before even the first blow is struck.
Tomorrow we discuss the secret of Israel's defeat before Ai, and how God views sin within a body, rather than how we as men may view it.
If I can talk my wife into it, I'm off to have a snowball fight, then go do the radio program. God bless, and for those of you in the tundra, also known as Wisconsin and the neighboring states, stay warm.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
I noticed something odd yesterday. Although one could barely control their vehicles going far below the speed limit, there were those brave or foolish souls, I tend to lean toward foolish, that paid no mind to the conditions, and just whizzed by the rest of us reasonable folk who were crawling along. These weren't Jeeps or Explorers, mostly two door sports cars, or four door family cars, and after a few minutes you would see one, then another of the daredevils stuck in the snow banks, or worse. The reason I share this story, is to make a point. Often we want to reach our destination in as short a time as possible, paying no mind to the conditions around us. Our goal is firmly planted in our minds, our destination is sure, and although everyone else is taking their time, coming along naturally, organically, in God's time table, we are not content to wait with the pack, and we run ahead before we are ready. Sooner or later, we see those that crawled along, those we scoffed at for being chicken, passing us, as we are stuck in the snowbanks, waiting for the tow truck to come and pull us out. Spiritual growth, spiritual maturity, spiritual gifts, are all a process, sometimes slow and agonizing, as we are constantly stripping ourselves of ourselves, so that we can make room for God. The wise man waits patiently upon the Lord, until He finds him ready, while the foolish man steps out on his own, thinking himself ready. Sometimes the path we travel gets icy, snowfall makes visibility impossible, and rather than trudge along at our own pace, hoping to make it to our destination of our own strength and volition, it is wiser by far to slow down, and let God take us by the hand, lead us and guide us. He knows where the icy patches are, and in His wisdom He slows us down so we don't careen off the path, and get stuck in a certain place longer than was intended.
Back to Israel we go, to see what we can learn and apply to our daily lives, and our daily walk.
Thus far we've established that it was God who brought down the walls of Jericho. Weapons would have been useless against them, and the people knew this. God had done everything, and no man could have taken credit for the walls of Jericho crashing to the ground leaving the way open for the warriors to sack the city, and destroy everything within its walls. Unless it is God's victory, unless we let Him direct, guide, and provide the means by which we will overcome our Jericho, our victory will never be complete. When we attempt to insert ourselves, or take a little credit for what God has done, it nullifies to a certain extent what He was able to accomplish.
It is often that God uses vessels that are of no particular value in the eyes of the world, and if they are of any significant value, He begins by breaking them asunder, as He did Saul of Tarsus and rebuilding them anew. It is only after God is done refining, remodeling and molding a vessel that He can say, 'this is My chosen vessel, he can be of use to Me.'
Too often the way in which we as men would approach a battle, a trial or a conflict is very different than how God would approach it. We tend to employ our own ingenuity, our own programs and our own schemes even before approaching God, and asking for His guidance or advice. Ah, we have happened upon an excellent method by which we can grow the church, we are well organized, have devised dozens of programs to keep everyone interested, we have sent missionaries to every corner of the world, to every continent, we project, we foresee, we estimate, and it becomes all about us, and what we can do, and what we can achieve. We take comfort in knowing that God is there, just in case we need Him, just in case there happens to be an obstacle that is beyond our ingenuity, but as long as we think we can do it on our own, we prefer that He be an observer and nothing more.
What if Israel would have said, 'it is well that the power belongs to the Lord, and the victory is His, but we must focus upon the means by which we can scale the walls of Jericho, by which we can bring them down, perhaps a battering ram, or some hammers and chisels', would the walls of Jericho ever have come down? What would they have witnessed on the seventh day, after the seventh march around Jericho if they had trusted in their own strength rather than the strength of God?
Israel obtained the victory the walls of Jericho came crashing down, because they had faith in the God who had brought them thus far, they obeyed His direction. Upon their entry into the city the people were given specific instruction yet again, the first, was to destroy the city and all who were in it, sparing only Rahab the harlot and all who were in her house. The second specific instruction was that they should, by all means keep themselves from the accursed things, lest they become accursed when they took of the accursed thing, and by association make the camp of Israel a curse and trouble it. All the gold, the silver, all the iron, were to be set apart consecrated to the Lord, and be brought to the treasury of the Lord.
Fresh off an astounding and decided victory against Jericho, Joshua set his sights upon Ai, a much smaller city than that of Jericho, an insignificant obstacle, located beside Beth Aven, on the east side of Bethel.
God had kept His promise, Jericho had been sacked, but unbeknownst to Joshua, one man had disobeyed God's specific instruction, one man had kept that which he had not been meant to keep. All but one obeyed, all but one committed a trespass regarding the accursed things. Due to one man's disobedience however, we will soon witness a defeat rather than a victory, even though the people of Israel faced a less powerful foe, and a weaker enemy.
A small city, and few people were able to set three thousand men to flight, striking them down, and causing their hearts to become melted, and like water.
But I get ahead of myself. In order to understand just how disastrous this defeat was in light of the victory they had just gloried in, one must understand that upon the scouts' return from spying on the city of Ai, they had told Joshua that he shouldn't march the whole of Israel up to the city, for it would just weary all the people. Ai was just a handful of souls, which would be easily vanquished with two or three thousand men.
There are secrets to defeat, just as there are secrets to victory and the first danger for the believer is found in the very victories in which he often glories. After a victory has been had, due to a true dependence and reliance upon God, the flesh, seeing the positive results begins to believe that it can now do on its own what the soul believed was only accomplished by the power of God. Once the flesh overpowers the spirit, a person is deceived into believing he can do anything, that his attributes and strengths extend beyond what he should by now know are his limits, the battle is already lost before even the first blow is struck.
Tomorrow we discuss the secret of Israel's defeat before Ai, and how God views sin within a body, rather than how we as men may view it.
If I can talk my wife into it, I'm off to have a snowball fight, then go do the radio program. God bless, and for those of you in the tundra, also known as Wisconsin and the neighboring states, stay warm.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Saturday, December 1, 2007
Of Victory and Defeat Part 2
Hebrews 12:30, "By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were encircled for seven days."
Now we all know how the Bible defines faith, as the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen, it is one of those verses that everyone seems to have memorized, but very few truly understand. faith is confidence, and implicit trust in something other than oneself, namely God. At the same time it is the complete absence of trust and confidence in oneself, or in one's flesh. These two notions must be symbiotic, the absence of confidence in flesh, and complete confidence in God, for our faith to be effective.
Faith is enough to make the walls to come crashing down. Faith is unconcerned with how high the walls might be, or how fortified the battlements, because it trusts in the power of God.
It is when our faith is in the wisdom of men, rather than the power of God, that we seem to be tilting at windmills in our spiritual walk, rather than confronting the darkness that threatens to overwhelm. We focus on distractions, rather than on Christ, and follow the words of mere mortals than the words of the eternal Creator of all. We keep laying siege to the walls of Jericho without seeing a crack in the fortifications, then wonder why we can make no progress, why the Promised Land is always beyond our reach, why the giants in the land seem bigger and meaner with every retelling of the story.
It is because we choose not to learn the lessons of those that came before us, that we often find ourselves stuck in the repetitive loop of lukewarm, and immature Christianity, choosing to follow the well-worn paths of a great majority practicing a powerless faith, rather than venturing higher, finding the less traveled paths that lead to the fullness of God's promise toward His children.
Israel did not look upon the walls of Jericho and say, 'why waste seven days, why wear ourselves out by walking around the city when we can take it by force?', because they realized this battle would be won by entirely supernatural means, only by the power of God. Only God can remove the obstacles before us, and it is in the power of our heavenly Father that our faith must reside.
When God promises victory, he leaves nothing to chance. The orders of what Israel needed to do in order to obtain victory over Jericho were so precise, that it left no room for men to take the glory or the credit for themselves, it left no doubt as to whom had planned to the most minute of details, and executed to perfection the bringing down of Jericho's walls.
Israel did not choose the weapons, or the ram's horns, they did not choose to walk around Jericho, or how many times they were to do it, they did not need to trouble themselves with how they would obtain the victory, the simply had to obey in order to obtain it. God had preordained everything it was up to the people to simply follow directions.
Faith merely submits to the preordained order of God, and uses the measures and methods, which He established by which victory would be obtained. Faith does not invent the means for victory; faith obeys God's direction for victory.
But brother, we need committees, we need synods, we need money, we need budget meetings, we need fund raising schemes, we need empty promises, we need compromise, they will say. Man might need these things, but faith has no use, or need of them. God has His ways, God has His means, God has His provision.
Yes, we know all that, we've been in church long enough to know that God has His ways, and He makes a way, even when there seems to be no way, but why can't He make the way easier? Why can't He simplify it? Why all these complications?
Why march around the city once a day for six days, not just the priests, or a few men, but all the men of war, and why do it seven times on the seventh day? What is the significance? What does it mean? Why couldn't we just do it once and be done with it?
I realize some of you are waiting, bated breath for some hyper spiritual insight that will answer all those questions, but the simple truth, is that faith does not ask why. Faith does not start mapping out success ration charts, it doe snot have strategy outlines, faith accepts the means by which God promised He would provide the victory, obeys, and obtains victory. faith had proven itself before, whether on Passover, or during the crossing of the Red Sea, and so the people had intimate knowledge of what it meant to have faith in the promises of God, as well as how important obedience was, even in the most minute of details.
Now, brother, are you trying to say that faith has no reason? Aren't you the guy who always said, that God was a God of reason, and logic? No, I am not saying faith has no reason, I am saying that faith submits first, and understands later. If faith would attempt to understand before it submits, then it would no longer be faith, it would be reason.
Abraham did not know the outcome, he did not understand why he had to bring his son on a three day journey, only to sacrifice him to God, but he had faith, he trusted in God, and in the end he saw the reason, he understood not only the journey, but the motive for the journey, also receiving a reward for his obedience.
faith will tell you of the seven days, of the ark of the Lord, of the multitudes, of the trumpets, of the shouts of joy, but it will only tell you of these things after it has submitted.
Faith marches ever onward, dependent on the promise of God, the promise that the walls of Jericho would fall, and the city would be taken. Then, faith is tested!
I cannot say how joyful the people of Israel were, marching around the walls of Jericho on the first day, but I can say with certainty that they were even less joyful on the sixth day of their march, when nothing had as yet happened. The Word does not tell us that the people began to murmur, I guess they'd already learned their lessons about murmuring from their fathers, but it is very likely that there was some rolling of the eyes, on that sixth day, when the blisters were at their peak, and they'd had no rest, and still nothing had happened. Not a crack, not a hairline fracture in any of the walls, just the walking, and the blaring trumpets, and the carrying of the ark.
Although God had laid out the entire plan to Joshua, he shared it with the people piecemeal. All he told them was to take up the Ark of the Covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets, and walk around the city without saying a word. One of these days, he would tell them to shout, but until such a time, all were supposed to be silent.
Joshua was sharing information on a need to know basis, and although he knew that on the seventh day the wall of the city would fall flat, the people did not.
After six days of marching around the city once, and then returning to their camp, on the seventh day, Joshua rose early, with the dawn, and informed the people that they would be marching around the city not one, but seven times. Finally, on the seventh march around the city, while the priests blew their trumpets, Joshua said to the people, 'Shout, for the Lord has given you the city!'
It was only when the people were brought up to speed on the entire story, that their faith was rewarded with not only seeing the fulfillment of God's promise, but also with the understanding of why they had to do, what they had to do.
It seems this study is too long to finish in this post, and so tomorrow, we continue the journey of Joshua, Jericho, and a little place called Ai will soon be brought to the forefront.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Now we all know how the Bible defines faith, as the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen, it is one of those verses that everyone seems to have memorized, but very few truly understand. faith is confidence, and implicit trust in something other than oneself, namely God. At the same time it is the complete absence of trust and confidence in oneself, or in one's flesh. These two notions must be symbiotic, the absence of confidence in flesh, and complete confidence in God, for our faith to be effective.
Faith is enough to make the walls to come crashing down. Faith is unconcerned with how high the walls might be, or how fortified the battlements, because it trusts in the power of God.
It is when our faith is in the wisdom of men, rather than the power of God, that we seem to be tilting at windmills in our spiritual walk, rather than confronting the darkness that threatens to overwhelm. We focus on distractions, rather than on Christ, and follow the words of mere mortals than the words of the eternal Creator of all. We keep laying siege to the walls of Jericho without seeing a crack in the fortifications, then wonder why we can make no progress, why the Promised Land is always beyond our reach, why the giants in the land seem bigger and meaner with every retelling of the story.
It is because we choose not to learn the lessons of those that came before us, that we often find ourselves stuck in the repetitive loop of lukewarm, and immature Christianity, choosing to follow the well-worn paths of a great majority practicing a powerless faith, rather than venturing higher, finding the less traveled paths that lead to the fullness of God's promise toward His children.
Israel did not look upon the walls of Jericho and say, 'why waste seven days, why wear ourselves out by walking around the city when we can take it by force?', because they realized this battle would be won by entirely supernatural means, only by the power of God. Only God can remove the obstacles before us, and it is in the power of our heavenly Father that our faith must reside.
When God promises victory, he leaves nothing to chance. The orders of what Israel needed to do in order to obtain victory over Jericho were so precise, that it left no room for men to take the glory or the credit for themselves, it left no doubt as to whom had planned to the most minute of details, and executed to perfection the bringing down of Jericho's walls.
Israel did not choose the weapons, or the ram's horns, they did not choose to walk around Jericho, or how many times they were to do it, they did not need to trouble themselves with how they would obtain the victory, the simply had to obey in order to obtain it. God had preordained everything it was up to the people to simply follow directions.
Faith merely submits to the preordained order of God, and uses the measures and methods, which He established by which victory would be obtained. Faith does not invent the means for victory; faith obeys God's direction for victory.
But brother, we need committees, we need synods, we need money, we need budget meetings, we need fund raising schemes, we need empty promises, we need compromise, they will say. Man might need these things, but faith has no use, or need of them. God has His ways, God has His means, God has His provision.
Yes, we know all that, we've been in church long enough to know that God has His ways, and He makes a way, even when there seems to be no way, but why can't He make the way easier? Why can't He simplify it? Why all these complications?
Why march around the city once a day for six days, not just the priests, or a few men, but all the men of war, and why do it seven times on the seventh day? What is the significance? What does it mean? Why couldn't we just do it once and be done with it?
I realize some of you are waiting, bated breath for some hyper spiritual insight that will answer all those questions, but the simple truth, is that faith does not ask why. Faith does not start mapping out success ration charts, it doe snot have strategy outlines, faith accepts the means by which God promised He would provide the victory, obeys, and obtains victory. faith had proven itself before, whether on Passover, or during the crossing of the Red Sea, and so the people had intimate knowledge of what it meant to have faith in the promises of God, as well as how important obedience was, even in the most minute of details.
Now, brother, are you trying to say that faith has no reason? Aren't you the guy who always said, that God was a God of reason, and logic? No, I am not saying faith has no reason, I am saying that faith submits first, and understands later. If faith would attempt to understand before it submits, then it would no longer be faith, it would be reason.
Abraham did not know the outcome, he did not understand why he had to bring his son on a three day journey, only to sacrifice him to God, but he had faith, he trusted in God, and in the end he saw the reason, he understood not only the journey, but the motive for the journey, also receiving a reward for his obedience.
faith will tell you of the seven days, of the ark of the Lord, of the multitudes, of the trumpets, of the shouts of joy, but it will only tell you of these things after it has submitted.
Faith marches ever onward, dependent on the promise of God, the promise that the walls of Jericho would fall, and the city would be taken. Then, faith is tested!
I cannot say how joyful the people of Israel were, marching around the walls of Jericho on the first day, but I can say with certainty that they were even less joyful on the sixth day of their march, when nothing had as yet happened. The Word does not tell us that the people began to murmur, I guess they'd already learned their lessons about murmuring from their fathers, but it is very likely that there was some rolling of the eyes, on that sixth day, when the blisters were at their peak, and they'd had no rest, and still nothing had happened. Not a crack, not a hairline fracture in any of the walls, just the walking, and the blaring trumpets, and the carrying of the ark.
Although God had laid out the entire plan to Joshua, he shared it with the people piecemeal. All he told them was to take up the Ark of the Covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets, and walk around the city without saying a word. One of these days, he would tell them to shout, but until such a time, all were supposed to be silent.
Joshua was sharing information on a need to know basis, and although he knew that on the seventh day the wall of the city would fall flat, the people did not.
After six days of marching around the city once, and then returning to their camp, on the seventh day, Joshua rose early, with the dawn, and informed the people that they would be marching around the city not one, but seven times. Finally, on the seventh march around the city, while the priests blew their trumpets, Joshua said to the people, 'Shout, for the Lord has given you the city!'
It was only when the people were brought up to speed on the entire story, that their faith was rewarded with not only seeing the fulfillment of God's promise, but also with the understanding of why they had to do, what they had to do.
It seems this study is too long to finish in this post, and so tomorrow, we continue the journey of Joshua, Jericho, and a little place called Ai will soon be brought to the forefront.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
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