The Road to Distinction

The Holy one calls me this morning.  I am deep in thoughts about the times and concerns over what to expect as evil unleashes its final volley of torment into the world.  I hear the Holy One enter into my thoughts and establish our conversation.  He reminds me, "The enemy's  goal is well understood: to destroy the creation that God loves the most I.E. Man."

With all the wisdom of the wise at evil's disposal and now the Internet in full swing with no filters to slow the deception from being dispersed around the world into every generation alive,  people are being separated from truth and into the grip of evil deception in exceedingly great numbers.

For every opportunity to research truth, there are countless open doors leading to deception.  The Holy One quotes the Savior, "Narrow is the way that leads to life", "Broad is the highway that leads to destruction". Matt 7:13.  This generation is more tempted by the broad highway than any other generation to ever live.  In this "end of days" scenario, it is mind boggling as to how many alternatives to the One True God are being offered and how many counterfeit saviors are being followed.

God promised His people persecution for their faith.  But He also gave a promise to make a distinction between those who serve Him and those who do not. 

The Spirit takes me to His Word.  In the book of Malachi, the last book in the Old Testament and from the last Divine words spoken before the first coming of Christ, God said to His people:  Mal 3:14,  "You have said it is futile to serve God.  What did we gain by carrying out His requirements, by going about like mourners before the Lord Almighty.  But now we call the arrogant blessed and certainly evil doers prosper and even those who challenge God escape".

As a follower of Christ, I can relate to that perspective and there are many moments when self-pity follows that line of thinking.  But the Holy One provokes me to read on to vs 16, "Then those who feared the Lord talked with each other and the Lord listened and heard".  "A scroll of remembrance was written in His Presence concerning those who feared the Lord and honored His Name."

As the trials intensify and the world becomes a blast furnace of refinement for the Believer, what am I sharing with others?  Does self-pity saturate my conversations?  Do  my words drip with the toxic poison of "poor me"? If so I will most likely miss the promise that follows, "They will be mine when I take up my treasured possession, I will spare them just as in compassion, a man spares the son who serves hm and you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not."

Is this the day and does the Lord want to make a distinction but our testimony of faith speaks of betrayal?  Heb 11:1, says, "Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."  The road to distinction is not the easy road.  it is narrow and not just in the belief that Jesus is the only way to Heaven, but also in the boundaries that the Holy Life places us within.

While the world can enjoy all the perks that the compromise of God's commands provides the lost, we have limits on what we can have, or do or think.  Our ultimate reward is being deferred and we are called to be separate.  But we are not called to be morose or joyless or unhappy in our loyalty to the Supreme and Sovereign God of all Creation. We are to rejoice in the Lord, always.

This passage exhorts us and reminds us that there is a day on the calendar for the Lord to set His hand of blessing upon our lives in ways that we and all will see the distinction between those who serve God and those who do not.  God will be glorified as we serve Him whether though our joy filled sacrifice of those things that are not ours to hold, or through the lavish blessings and evidence of his Presence in those provisions while the world does without.  Either way, It is our responsibility to serve Him and rejoice in the process.

The Blessed Presence of the Holy Spirit in my life totally makes up for anything the world has to offer.  As I seek first the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness, all the rest that I need will be added unto me....Now that's a distinction......Matt 6:33

The Spirit is calling.  Can you hear Him?

Paradise Found

The Holy Spirit calls to me this morning.  I realize the clock is ticking and the days are passing too quickly.  I wonder why all the deadlines?  Why do we live in such bondage to the calendar and clock?

Well, that's the way it's always been, except when I was very little and didn't understand the school year or worry about bed time cutting my day of adventure short.  What if I could return to that kind of life?  What a wonderful rich thought to ponder.

Then the Holy One speaks, "That's the way it was in the garden before the fall."  There is so much that is distressing to me about the fall.  All that sinful man and the arch enemy of God the Creator could plot together, in  unrestrained flesh, creative evil, arrows to the heart and poison to the mind.

Don't most of us look around and long for days gone by?  That one Christmas when life, for a sweet moment was just right.  Or that vacation in the mountains, when the silence of the of the world pressing in, permitted the symphony of the forest to be heard.

The Holy One calls to me, "Come away with Me this morning, let's go back to the garden."  What a delightful invitation. I feel huge smile come across my face as I think about all that could mean:

Walking with my God in the cool of the morning,
Surveying the handiwork of the Creator on display.
Feeling the smallness of my being on one hand and the bigness of my value to my Beloved on the other.
Sensing His Presence all around me and the magnitude of His love that I cannot begin to understand.

All the thoughts I had of doing things today or the vexing questions that plague me, even those that focus on my "purpose", seem to melt away.  And then it occurs to me that the most incomprehensible thought in my mind comes to be:  "All is well with my soul."

"Lord, I want to live here in this moment".  He responds, "You can".  One of the greatest blessings that came as a result of the death of our Savior on the Cross of Calvary is the ability  to return to life in the garden before the fall.

Think of it.  Life lived in constant contact with the Creator of the universe.  Constant contact with the Source of all that we know.  Constant contact with the Sovereign Power and Eternal Being who knows everything past, present and future.  Constant contact with the One who gives us our value and purpose and our next breath with which to live it out. 

Jesus came to restore us to the One True God...Himself, and to the life potential that was set before Adam and  Eve to work and take care of the Garden of His Creation and everything in it. 

As a result of the fall, all was lost.  The original glory of man, the original relationship that God Himself ordained, the peace and pace and carefree life in "paradise" that we all long for in our heart of hearts.  But in the amazing plan of our merciful Creator, redemption has come. We have been redeemed, bought back, re-set to reclaim what has been lost and empowered to take back what has been stolen.

We accept that Jesus died for our Eternal Salvation and we know that somehow, on the day of our death here, we will begin our life elsewhere, but there may be many years and a lot of problems to fix between now and then, between here and there. 

The Holy One continues to speak about what the resurrection of My Savior means and brings to my earthly life today. Jesus, when speaking about Himself as the Good Shepherd in John 10:10 said, "I have come that they (His sheep) may have life and have it to the full."

But what does that mean when we have sick babies, empty bank accounts, spouses who have left for greener pastures or a "you're fired" slip on our desk?  The trials of life in a world reeling from the fall 
are a stark reality of what we must deal with.  But the promises of our God are all yes and amen for those of us who believe and trust in the life, death, and resurrection of our Savior.

The Holy One calls us to bring all our burdens to the One who can lift them, the One who can heal them, the One who can replace anything that has been lost or stolen.

The clock and calendar are antagonistic to the sweet life with our Savior and we have been programmed to march to that beat.  We are limited in our time with the Lord in the cool of the morning. We are distracted by the responsibilities we feel to the world system, without realizing we are not to be under it's rule.  We are overwhelmed by the size of our problems, forgetting the One who controls all things. And we are tormented by our lack of value in the eyes of those we share life with, while the love of the One who died for us never gets past our head into our hearts.

I find that unless I am willing to make and take the time for my Beloved, the clock and the calendar will continue to rule my life.  The Spirit is calling me, reminding me that each day I have a choice.  I can join Him in the garden where all is well with my soul, or I can run headlong into the world that beckons me, postponing one of the greatest blessings He died to give me: a life on earth engulfed in His love, with a second chance in the Garden of God.

I choose the garden.

The Spirit is calling.  Can you hear Him?

One Way to Heaven

The Holy Spirit calls to me this morning.  I have been so troubled by the news about the genocide taking place in far off lands.  I judge those people executing the genocide and rightfully so. They need to be stopped and sent to hell for all they are doing and have done.

The Holy One invade my thoughts with the truth about the unsaved and the One who will ultimately judge us all.  He speaks Truth.  Hell has no compartments that grade and penalize sin according to human values.  It is hard for the human mind to grasp that concept because we have, in our own hearts, given value to our sin actions or, opposite that, we have given value to our good deeds.

What we think is "fair" are grades of sin as assessed within the human mind.  There is a bar of good, better, best, or bad, badder, worst.  We rate our sin and the sin of others by an internal standard.  I guess if we are gods then we can rest with this standard and rating system and be assured of our entry into Heaven at the end of this earthly life.

But God........   Does the Creator God who formed us and gave us His Spirit through His Son, use the same standard and measuring rod for our life and eternity? 

The Word of God given to man and the appearance on earth of God incarnate, (I.E. God in the flesh), who is Jesus Christ, reveals the truth.

Many are caught up with their own self generated image of God.  Whether we see God as a kindly white haired ancient person who is desperately fair minded, beholding to men for their loyalty, or see Him as a tyrant, angry, wrathful, control freak, waiting for the human to cross Him, most conjure up an image and work our way out from there.

But our image of our Creator must can and must come from TRUTH.  God is who He is.  We didn't create Him, He created us.  While we were created in His image, He remains high and above the weak "flesh" image that we tend to judge Him according to.

God has made His Word available and in our history, has even wrapped Himself in flesh to show us Who He is.  JESUS IS GOD.  His Presence, His Person. His Life, His Death, His Resurrection all point us to the TRUTH about our Creator.

The question for each one of us is whether we will accept God for Who He is.  If we do, we are promised to live forever in His Presence.  If we do not then we will live forever not in His Presence.  It's a simple choice, really, except for those who would choose to be their own god.

The drive to be our own god, takes us down any road that pleases self.  We justify our human mind and thinking, saying, "I just can't believe in a God who would: send a good person to hell or,  save an evil man, or__________________ you can fill in the blank, never really grasping the truth that it's all about a choice that each human can, must and does make before the final judgment is rendered by a Holy God.

The incredible kindness, mercy and generosity of our Majestic Creator is that salvation depends on a choice that every person can, must and does make.  Our Sovereign God leveled the playing field, taking off the table any condition of birth, goodness of deeds, talents we may have, or any relative comparison of our personalities, appearance or innate character.

The only thing that God uses in His assessment for salvation is the question, "What have you done with the truth that Jesus Christ was sent from Heaven to earth by Me to save you?"   We are to believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, who is the Savior of mankind and the One sent by God to paid the price for God's wrath against sin, wickedness, and evil, all of which every one of us is guilty, when using the standard of God's Holiness as opposed to the standard of our human goodness.

To those who say the way is too narrow, especially those who follow counterfeit gods, the TRUTH that Jesus gave us is clear when He said, "Small is the way and narrow is the gate that leads to life, broad is the road that leads to destruction"  Matt 7:14

It is not the rigid requirements of the law that lead to life, but rather the One, the ONLY ONE, who represents the gate.  JESUS IS THE GATE and THE ONLY WAY to access Heaven.

For those who deny the truth, reject the One and only provision God has provided for our salvation and eternal life in the Presence and company of our Creator, the end will come as a shock to all those theories about Heaven and hell.  For hell is isolation and separation from all that we know as life and light.  A miss of the only way to Heaven will translate to the same hell for all regardless of the best or worst actions we accomplish on earth.

Either we are or are not saved, and Jesus, alone, knows who are His. Do you belong to Jesus?  Have you entered into a relationship with the Son of God? Or will you get to the gate and be turned away?

The Spirit is calling.  Can you hear Him?

A Pause In The Action

The Spirit calls to me today in the silence of a pause.  I desperately desire answers to the heart petitions I have put at the Throne.  Delays and red lights are frustrating to me. I guess we are all "action" people and in our world of instant real time problems we are looking for instant real time resolutions.

So the question is , "Why, do you delay, Lord?  What purpose is being served in this pause?"

I have no doubt that each day and each delay serves an eternal purpose in my life.  Looking back, the Holy One reminds me of past places of desperation. Places where I thought I would just die if something didn't happen to change the situation.

He graciously points out that some of the greatest lessons providing the greatest spiritual growth spurts came during those mind bending days and delays of answers to prayer. This is one of those days and times.  The Holy One speaks, "take every thought into the captivity of Christ."

But what does that mean?  The fog starts to clear, as He directs me to 2 Corinth 10:5. "We demolish every argument and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

The scrutiny of the Holy Spirit begins to burn.  "Some of your petitions lately have been off".  Can our prayers be "off"?  Jesus said in John 14, 15, 16, 17 things like, "If you love Me you will obey Me",  "If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be given."  The command to love, the promise of peace, the last words and lessons emphasized before the return to  His Heavenly Throne.

"Ask in My Name".  The Name of Christ is power.  It is His position and Character that is the power.  Ending our petitions "in Jesus name" does not guarantee answers if those petitions violate His Character.

Wow!  What a revelation and humiliation all at the same time.  I am taken out of complaining about the delayed answers to a place of brokenness that  my prayers may be asking my Lord to act against His Character in the answers I seek.

Lord what am I to do with the "pause"?  The Holy Spirit takes me to Phil 4:4-8.  Rejoice in the Lord, be anxious for nothing, be thankful in presenting my prayers and petitions and finally, think about whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable. excellent or praiseworthy.

As this directive and my obedience to it begins to take affect, the Holy One opens my mind to the way and the prayer that has violated my Lord's Character and in repentance, I am permitted to retract and re-present my request.I am thankful the Holy Spirit speaks, teaches, and refines me.  His burning scrutiny takes down one more layer of flesh.

At the very end of this hard word to my heart, He reminds me that in our relationship, we are still a team. The Lord has co missioned me to serve him and the word co-mission implies that I still have a part to play.  The Lord's way is to commission His servant to do His will, but in the process we have much to learn and on earth we will never arrive at a place where we have it all in a bag without a desperate need to depend on His indwelling Spirit.

This pause in the action has allowed me to go deeper and see more of what the Lord's Character is all about.  Prayerfully it has allowed the Holy Spirit to bring this servant more into conformity to His Character as well.

The Spirit is calling.  Can you hear Him?

Wisdom From Above

The Spirit calls me today.  I am so thankful to hear His voice amid and above all the clamor of "what-ifs" that start from the moment my conscious mind wakes up.  Much is being taught in the struggles of my life, day by day and situation by situation.  I know there are two ways to handle all of life's problems....my way and His way.

The "grooming", the "sanctification process", as the Bible calls it, is life long.  Allowing the Holy Spirit more and more authority and control over my thinking and doing, is the real battle at it's base.  The battlefield is in the mind and I need wisdom. 

What lie have I believed about my God?  What corrupt perspective has been grasped by the mind still polluted by the fruit of that tree, our ancestors ate from?  The tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Thinking it of great advantage to be "like" God, knowing good and evil,  Adam and Eve got tricked, bamboozled, out slicked.  The truth is that in our humanity,  our minds were not wired with a reject button when evil presents itself.  The reality is that evil somehow tickles our senses, comforts our flesh and fuels a rebellion in our hearts against the good, against the One who designed us for fellowship with Holiness.

But God.......In  the design of His Beloved, our Creator, provided each and every one of us with free will.  The freedom to choose requires a choice and so it is.  We all have a choice to make. We all must choose who we will serve; God or self.  For all the "whoopee" about serving the devil, when we rebel against the Holy One, the one we are really serving is self.  The enemy doesn't care if we serve him or not, so long as we do not serve God. 

Somehow the prospect of self-serving doesn't seem so evil.  It seems natural and justifiable.  But that is the biggest, baddest hook the enemy uses to keep us in bondage.

Today the Holy One takes me back to where it all started.   Gen 3:5, the serpent said to Eve, "For God knows that when you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God knowing good and evil".  Then, "When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food, pleasing to the eye and desirable for gaining wisdom", she ate.

The impact of that original sin has traveled throughout the ages and generations of men, still touching our lives today.  Through the Word of God and the testimony of the life, death and resurrection of our Savior Jesus Christ, we have been given the privilege and opportunity to re-set our computer and live out a life as before the fall in  fellowship and relationship with  our Creator God, and,  with all the blessings that fellowship with Him brings.

We can live a life where all the wisdom we could ever want or need comes from the Throne of our God through the indwelling Presence of the Holy Spirit of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

James 1:3 says, "If any  of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God".  Wisdom holds great appeal to us humans.  Wisdom was one of the appeals the devil used to tempt Eve. With the increase of knowledge, we can see the minds of men bending further and further away from our Creator.  Empires are being built, "Ziggurates" are in every corner of the world, as monuments to the plans of men living a God-less, self-serving life.

The Holy Spirit stands ready to impart to us the wisdom of a Holy God, but the self serving mind will not hear of it.  Wisdom from above puts us in submission not control. Wisdom from above emphasizes the provider not the receiver of such a gift.  Wisdom from above brings Glory to God not glory to men.

The Holy Spirit's counsel brings the warning:  look to Me and my Word for your wisdom.

In the quiet of the morning, I do look to my Counselor.  All the decisions I need to make boil down to the one: to serve the Lord my God or to serve myself; to seek and secure His wisdom and live under His ruling authority or launch out to build my own Ziggurates in rebellion of the One who died for me.

I know full well that my God has an opinion about everything that touches my life.  In every situation it is my responsibility in our love relationship to find out what that might be and adjust my thinking accordingly.

The Spirit is calling.  Can you hear Him?

The Encounter

The Holy Spirit calls to me this morning.  The trials of late always seem to be a battle royal and the battle always has sides; opposing sides, lines drawn, choices made that oppose things central to my core.

The Holy One calls me this morning to speak into the situation and give me His perspective.  In the distance Jericho sits impenetrable from the human point of view, the troops are antsy, ready to engage the enemy and Joshua is looking at the huge fortress of a city, contemplating.  The Spirit takes me to His word and Joshua 5:13. 

"Now, when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in His hand".  (This has been  interpreted to be an Old Testament appearance of Jesus Himself.)  Joshua went to Him and asked if this Warrior was "for" Israel, or their enemies.  The Man with the sword replied, "neither, but as the Commander of the army of the Lord,  I have now come."
Joshua was told to remove his sandals for he was standing on Holy Ground, yet more evidence that this was an encounter with Holiness.

Joshua fell face down in reverence and asked what message the Lord had for (Joshua) His servant. Being  of a warrior type mentality, I see life as a battle.  When the Holy One speaks to me through His Word, very often He takes me to the great battles of Biblical history. I see things from a  perspective of  good vs evil, light vs dark.  I know that our battle is not against flesh and blood, but truly against powers of darkness in the heavenly realms.

On the eve of the battle to push forward into the promised land, the Lord wanted to make one thing clear.  Joshua was commissioned to fight God's battle not the other way around.  Even on the issue of opposing sides or points of view, God has only one...His.  The nation of Israel was called to represent the One True God to the world.

The titanic battle, the epic struggle is against the devil and his hordes of fallen angels,  (demons).
The nature of this epic struggle is to win the hearts and minds of God's most beloved creation  (humanity). 

Since the very beginning of the existence of man; when Adam and Eve fell in the garden, the devil has used lies and 1/2 truths about our Creator to destroy the relationship that God desires to have with us, yet God continues to speak and to appear in our lives and circumstances to reveal Himself.  Throughout history from Old testament to New, God has always revealed Himself to those who were searching.  And so it is today.

The Holy Spirit speaks if we will but give Him audience.  Joshua fell face down in reverence and in anticipation of a "word" from the Divine Messenger.

When we are in contemplation of our life circumstances, looking at the battles we face or situations we encounter, are we open to a visit from the Holy One?  Joshua was.  As a result, he was given the most incredible and unique battle strategy to ever come out of a Commander-in-Chief.   But before the strategy was given,  Joshua needed a better perspective of the battle and his position in it.

We are called to battle, but as much and as personal as it may be or become, the truth is that we, as Christians, are servants of a Holy God.  We are to be servants of His Holiness in whatever life circumstances may become ours to face or fight because the battle belongs to the Lord, and it is His.  We are to represent Him to a lost and dying world.   

Joshua has this amazing encounter with the Lord Himself, and in his humility and awe received his commission to be at the head of God's human army to lead God's people, God's way. 

I pray we all might have such an encounter.  I pray we will always remember that the battle belongs to the Lord.  It is for His Glory, and His Honor, and His purposes that we are commissioned to fight. 

The Spirit is calling.  Can you hear Him?

The Covenant Keeper

The Holy Spirit calls to me this morning. The topic of our conversation has to do with vows.  Our covenant with Him is obviously 2 sided, and He has spoken about the importance of knowing and doing my part.  Today, He speaks to the vows I have made in my life, not just to Him but to another.

We make vows and enter into covenants with people throughout our lifetime here on earth.  When it comes to "vowing", it is the marriage vows we are most familiar with.  In our society and in our lives, one of the biggest days on our calendar of events is the day we come together to exchange vows. The wedding day.


So much preparation usually goes with it.  The people we invite to share our big day.  The food we select and prepare for the celebration.  The place we choose to exchange our vows.  But then there are the vows themselves.  The entire celebration revolves around the bride and groom making vows and promises to each other in the presence of their chosen witnesses.

The ceremony is somber yet celebrated as 2 people promise to bind their hearts together.  The ceremony takes place in the natural and the guests are present to witness this covenant between the bride and groom.

But there is also a great cloud of witnesses in the heavenlies that not much attention is given to.  And then in the ultimate seat of Witness sits the Lord God of all Creation, who has given men and women this priceless privilege: a newly formed unit within which to live, love, find pleasure, strength and protection.  The wedding initiates the ordained relationship called marriage and we make our vows to that end.

The question the Holy One brings to me this morning is the one that brings a new perspective to the vows we make. It's not about the "who to", but rather it's about the "before Whom" do we make and take our vows.  We make and take our vows before the God of all living things.  We exchange our vows and enter into a covenant before a Holy God who is the ultimate Covenant Keeper.


In these days, when vows are broken and covenants destroyed all the time, both inside and outside the Church, the Holy One speaks to the real problem.  At the core of our vow breaking, covenant trashing attitude is a total disrespect and disregard for the One before Whom our vows were made.

If we are just talking to each other expressing our emotions of that moment in time, then it is no wonder we run to the divorce courts and file our papers then walk free to pursue other relationships without a break in our stride.  But if we have it in our hearts the understanding that we made our promises before a Witness who will hold us accountable for broken vows and covenants, it is not that easy to walk away.

And then to realize that the marriage union is an earthly symbol of an eternal relationship with the Lord Himself, our accountability is even greater to remain true to our vows.

As much as we are covenant breakers, the Lord our God is a Covenant Keeper.  Psalm 105:8 tell us, "He remembers His covenant forever, the word He commanded for a thousand generations."

The test of covenant keeping on the human level reveals a lot about us.  It tests the integrity of our hearts and our word.  But it also puts to the test our respect for the One who is a witness to our covenant and the one who ordained marriage itself.

When we can find no reason on earth to remain true to our covenant, then maybe it's time we look past the earth realm and find our reason in the heavenly realm,  remembering, before Whom we made our vows.  Humans will always give us an excuse to break any covenant. 

Justification abounds to terminate our most intimate relationship.  Yet as a Christian who belongs to and follows a Covenant keeping God, we are all without excuse and must remain true to our vows, no matter what the world says.

Marriage and family are under attack like never before in history.  It is not a question of "if" our marriages will be attacked but only when.  When the trial hits our marriages will we remain true to our covenant vows spoken in the Presence of our Covenant keeping God?   The amazing truth behind our Covenant keeping God is that He will enable us to be like Him. 

The Spirit is calling.  Can you hear Him?

The Power of Worship

The Holy One calls me this morning and I find that He has placed a song in my heart. This is odd for me since  I have no great voice for singing and  since the trials of my life weigh so heavy upon me.  But there is  song...and it is worship.  A little off key and not too melodious in expression, yet a song none-the-less.


The Holy One has over and over taken me through the battles I face, to the great battle Jehoshaphat was facing in 2 Chron 20.  Spoken by the Spirit through a Levite in the great assembly, the Lord told King  Jehoshaphat and all who lived in Judah and Jerusalem, "Do not be afraid nor discouraged because of this vast army.  For the battle is not yours but God's."  He went on to describe the Lord's directive, "tomorrow march down against them."  He told them where the enemy would be.  He affirmed that they would not have to fight this battle.  He told them, "take up your positions and stand firm and see the deliverance the Lord will give you.  Don't be afraid, don't be discouraged, go out and face them and the Lord will be with you."


So convinced of the Lord's promise of victory, King Jehoshaphat declared to the people the success that their faith and God's Word would bring.  After consulting with the people, it was decided to appoint men to sing praise and worship the Lord for the "Splendor of His Holiness."  Those worshipers went out at the head of the army, singing "give thanks to the Lord for His love endures forever."

What a unique strategy for battle, sending men out at the head of the fighting men, armed with praise and worship to the Holy One.  Arms lifted up, not in defense but held high in praise.

When facing such a potential for destruction and even annihilation, how amazing that the people were, given over to praise and  given victory without a sword leaving it's sheathe.

The scripture says that while God's people began to sing and praise Him, the Lord set ambushes against the 3 (not just 1) armies coming against His people.  The Holy One has shown me a great weapon in the war, a powerful weapon with which to enter a "battle" against evil and that powerful weapon is worship

The song He has placed in my heart will grow and become a symphony of praise.  Prayerfully my voice will improve through use, but the most overwhelming point He has made to me today is that worship and praise belong to the One who calls me to battle for His Honor and His Kingdom.

As a battle strategy,  the praise of God's people was simultaneous  to the Lord setting ambushes for the enemy's armies, all of them.  Praise keeps our eyes on the Splendor of His Holiness and off the threats that the enemies of our life are trying to impose.

Praise is our labor of love while God does what we cannot.

Praise is a hard thing to remember to do when it seems that evil is compressing us from all sides.  But praise and worship is the one thing that can catapult us out of our despair and into the very Presence of the One who holds all things in his loving and capable hands.

Expending my energy in praise and worship while God fights the battle, is an amazing strategy for victory.  I am so thankful that He has taken me to this place. 

Our God is worthy of all our praise, just because of Who He is, but then to realize that our praise to Him defeats the dark forces arrayed against us makes for a double portion of delight. 

"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart."  Psalm 37:4  No wonder there is a song in my heart......

The Spirit is calling.  Can you hear Him?