Yes. I am Strong

Weekly Word from the Wisdom Walk
We all love the fearless Elijah for whom even King Ahab had a healthy respect. It's powerful stuff calling down fire, being fed by ravens,  raising the dead, and at the end of the journey departing to glory in a chariot if fire!

Yep. Elijah was the man.

But who remember the not so glorious days? Elijah running from Jezebel. Elijah so lonely and discouraged he is convinced he is the only righteous person left. But wait, there's more. What about Elijah depressed, laying down and praying to die?

What? Wasn't he annointed and filled with the Spirit of the Lord?

Sure he was. Then what happened?

Being human is what happened. Sometimes we give so much, we come up empty. And physical and mental exhaustion are two of the devil's favorite places to play.

Down does not mean backslidden or spiritually dead. It's just a side effect of being human.

Keep crying out to God. Be honest with him and wait...

He'll send angels.
God bless you, Friend.

Second Wind

Weekly Word from the Wisdom Walk

Walking 6 miles is challenging no matter how you go about it. The first mile is difficult because I'm just getting warmed up. The last is a "beat downer" if I'm not careful because I  have already given all l have. First mile is altar time, laying first of all the walk, then all I mean to pray about before the Lord. Last mile I'm done praying for a while now so I go to affirmation of who God is, his promises, and who I am in Him. I have found l can do all these mental strategies but l simply cannot "create" a second wind. That comes entirely from outside myself and is not based on my works. It happens as I walk and wait in faith.

Walking with Christ has some of those same trials. We go through the warm up, we hit the trail and all seems to be going fine. But no matter what calisthenics we perform or how faithful we are to our worship and devotional routine, there comes a time when we are just "done."

We affirm, and confess but like with my walks,  we cannot generate that second wind by mere effort .  The scripture says it best, "It's not by might or by power, but by my Spirit says the Lord of Hosts."

So if you are feeling beaten down today in spite of doing the Christian walk. Keep walking. Keep waiting. The Spirit will come to strengthen and help you so you can finish strong.

Finished

Weekly Word from the Wisdom Walk
The Day of Atonement, the holiest day of the Jewish year, will be celebrated September 17th through 18th. Christians do not have to celebrate the Old Testament feasts and ordinances because they were simply types and shadows of he who was to come.  Every sacrifice, every ceremony, every feast, was a forerunner of what would be accomplished in Jesus.
All is fulfilled in him.
Atonement for us was done on the cross when Jesus sacrificed himself as a Lamb without spot or wrinkle, to be the substitute/ the propitiation for the sins of the whole world.
In the words of Paul, who has bewitched us that having begun in grace we pick and choose when to flip back to the Law?
Read Romans - a better way;  Hebrews - a better covenant,  Thessalonians- a better hope.
Remember, what the Law could not do, God sent Jesus made under the Law as the complete Redeemer of those born under the Law. That's us and as many as will accept the finished work of Calvary.
Nothing needs to be added.
By all means fast and pray but remember, all that is needed is already accomplished by Jesus Christ.
Let us walk in the simple but profound truth of Salvation by grace.

God in the Plan

Funny thing about plans. If you don't have one, things fall apart. And if you have one be prepared for it to change on a dime. Guess that's why there's the little saying, "blessed are the flexible; they shall not be bent out of shape."

Seriously though, how do we regroup when plans fall apart? Let's start at the beginning. The first thing is to commit or give our plans to the Lord. Understand He is the final word so though we may draw a rough outline, it's up to him to make things take shape. 

Everything we say is subject to his approval or disapproval. He sees our course of action when it is either not good or not right for the moment.

Second, understand there are no coincidences in the life of the believer.  All things will truly work for good. Don't wait for hindsight to become full of faith ...thats not faith at all. If God sends us on detours,  block roads, or just make us sit in traffic (so to speak), our time is not being wasted. Rather, He is synchronizing our movements with His purpose.

Last, endeavor to simply trust in God. Many are the plans in our hearts but it is God's purpose that will prevail. And thats a very good plan.

No Exceptions to the Rule

God makes no exceptions when it comes to obedience to his Word.

It's not like if we serve him long enough and after a while become sluggish or jaded in our walk, He's going to give us a free pass. The command is always the same, be holy for I am holy.

None of us "got this" to the point where there is no longer a need for checkups. The Scriptures tell us to examine ourselves to see if we are in the faith.

Notice the word, not merely look at ourselves but examine. When we go to the doctor it's not just to be looked at.  We want to be examined, we want our symptoms taken into consideration before a diagnosis is made.

It's great to look into the Law of liberty and glory in our heavenly status , not so much fun to be examined to see what wicked ways are in us. 

Today with the Lord is what makes or break our witness. Today is what our friends and family see. Today is what the world will see, and decide by our actions whether or not we have been with Jesus. 

I am by no means saying disregard how many years we have walked with the Lord. What I am saying don't let the path be too familiar. Let there be a freshness, a newness to the journey. And when we find we have taken a shortcut or a detour let us be quick to get back on the straight and narrow. Even after a hundred years of walking with God, we are still just learning to live out his nature. We will only experience perfection when we gain heaven and eternity. And there are no exceptions to the rule.