Christmas Message

On this Christmas Eve, it is always important and appropriate to return to the beginning of the New Covenant that holds each of us. The birth of the “second Adam” is the statement of Agape Love and a demonstration of God’s absolute determination to give His creation a way to reconnect with Him.

God yearns to be in covenant relationship with each of us. This desire is also wired into all of us – it is called worship. We are destined to worship, and we are given a way to worship God thru His Son, Jesus. The bond that Adam and Eve broke was restored in a manger.

The Birth of Jesus - Luke 2:8-15 (Amplified)

⁸ And in that vicinity there were shepherds living [out under the open sky] in the field, watching [in shifts] over their flock by night.

⁹ And behold, an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord flashed and shone all about them, and they were terribly frightened.

¹⁰ But the angel said to them, Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people.

¹¹ For to you is born this day in the town of David a Savior, Who is Christ (the Messiah) the Lord!

¹² And this will be a sign for you [by which you will recognize Him]: you will find [after searching] a Baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.

¹³ Then suddenly there appeared with the angel an army of the troops of heaven (a heavenly knighthood), praising God and saying,

¹⁴ Glory to God in the highest [heaven], and on earth peace among men with whom He is well pleased [men of goodwill, of His favor].

¹⁵ When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing (saying) that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.

In the passage, the shepherds are the first to hear the news. God shows common men the very glory of Heaven as the Heavenly Hosts shout the praises for the arrival of the Messiah. This is a part of a consistent pattern in the Bible – God requires a humble heart to communicate with man.  

The angel first reassured the shepherds that this was a time of celebration and praise, not fear (v9-10). The glory of God can be frightening, so the humble servant must first be reassured and informed. We too, must be especially humble and reverent at this time of year. We are the new shepherds for the world.

The next thing was the revelation of the news (v11-12) that His creation would receive a chance for salvation.  This is the news that all of Israel had been waiting for.  It is also the news that only a handful of people were actually able to understand.  A repressed and occupied Israel was looking for a Messiah bearing his sword and rising up to lead the armies of Israel to defeat their oppressors. A Loving and Wise God saw that ALL of his creation needed a way forward. As usual, God sees the BIG picture while we see only our own concerns.

Then the message is seared into the hearts of all who are present. God allows the Heavenly Hosts (v13-14) to be seen here on earth. The Glory of Heaven declares His Good News for all to hear!  A glorious and overwhelming experience that is, to say the least, a life changing event!

Take advantage of this season to double down on your Humility and receive an extra portion of Grace for your journey.  The birth of Jesus is the great news that you and I have a choice and a way forward. The birth of the Messiah means more than any man with a sword could EVER achieve.

Take up your Bible and choose to read and to learn. Choose to understand, not just to remember. Choose to show Love, not to condemn those who do not know Him. Choose to say Merry Christmas, since it IS the holiday of Christ’s birth. Choose to show others the Love that He shows you.   

  

Blessings,

Bryan

Praying a Warrior's Prayer - The Nehemiah Prayer

As I press forward on my own appointed path, I face the same doubts and concerns that all Warriors face in times of battle. Doubt is the principal weapon used by the enemy against each of us. Doubt takes our current circumstances and spins it forward to paint a less than desirable picture for us. It is used against all of our team members to push us off the path and to miss the mark that He has aimed us toward.

The proper response to these attacks is NOT to start swinging your sword back and forth. There are only a few weapons that are effective against doubt, and the greatest among them is, in fact, prayer.

The Prayer of Nehemiah (New Living Translation)

⁴ When I heard this, I sat down and wept. In fact, for days I mourned, fasted, and prayed to the God of heaven. ⁵ Then I said, “O Lord, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps his covenant of unfailing love with those who love him and obey his commands, ⁶ listen to my prayer! Look down and see me praying night and day for your people Israel. I confess that we have sinned against you. Yes, even my own family and I have sinned! ⁷ We have sinned terribly by not obeying the commands, decrees, and regulations that you gave us through your servant Moses. ⁸ “Please remember what you told your servant Moses: ‘If you are unfaithful to me, I will scatter you among the nations. ⁹ But if you return to me and obey my commands and live by them, then even if you are exiled to the ends of the earth, I will bring you back to the place I have chosen for my name to be honored.’  ¹⁰ “The people you rescued by your great power and strong hand are your servants. ¹¹ O Lord, please hear my prayer! Listen to the prayers of those of us who delight in honoring you. Please grant me success today by making the king favorable to me. Put it into his heart to be kind to me.”

In the passage, Nehemiah has shown us the structure and power of an effective prayer. I have broken this down into its four component parts, so that we can be a bit more effective in our prayer lives. A Nehemiah prayer has these 5 components

1 – Prepare.  Nehemiah fasted and prayed in preparation for his specially structured prayer to God. Since we are in this with God, He we need to prepare our hearts and our selves to go before Him. Preparation allows us to cleanse and to focus. Getting yourself ready is the cheapest insurance of success that is available to you, so don’t skip this step.

2 – Confess.  In Verse 6 & 7, Nehemiah acknowledges not only the sins of his people, but also of himself. I believe that it is important that we do this in this order as well. If you come to God and lift up the sin of others but not your own, you run the risk of believing that you are faultless and are doing this only to help others – Each of us NEEDS all the help we can get!

3 – Remind.  Remind God, and yourself, of His promises to you (v 8-9). If you cannot remind Him of His promises, then you are not into the Word at the level needed to release your Blessings. This type of prayer is deliberate, so knowledge is required of you. Reminding Him also demonstrates to Him that you do know His Word as well.

4 – Realign.  You must repent and align yourself with God’s Will (v10) and with His Plan for you.  Take this opportunity to put yourself back on track and be sure that you are moving in the right direction.

5 – Request.  Only after insuring that all is set up and ready do you bring your request(s) forward (v11).  This also insures that your request will come from the right place and be from your heart, not your ego. Prayers from your heart are born from God’s Plan for you. These are, by nature, correct and effective. When your prayer requests come from His Plan, you feel unburdened after speaking the words – as though they HAD to get out of you.        

Try following these steps and not only see how He answers you. See how you feel when you pray a Nehemiah prayer. The relief and unburdening will clear your vision and renew your strength.

Blessings,

Bryan

The Warrior MUST get back into the Battle

After a time of mourning, it is the expectation that the Warrior MUST rise up and move forward.  When our mentor is gone, we owe it to all that they have poured into us to get up and carry the fight forward.  Each of us must rise up and take up the task at hand. Now the battle is ours to join, and the victory is now a part of our charge. Accept that your to-do list has some new items on it and that you MUST address them.

I have not been adding to the blog with the regularity that was the norm. It was my time of mourning and reflection, and I heard no clear messages from Him. I was too pre-occupied to hear the still, soft voice of the Holy Spirit within me. This morning, however, I heard from Him as clearly as ever. This is the verse and the lesson that He gave to me this morning.  

The Lord’s Charge to Joshua (New Living Translation)

1 After the death of Moses the Lord’s servant, the Lord spoke to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ assistant. He said, ² “Moses my servant is dead. Therefore, the time has come for you to lead these people, the Israelites, across the Jordan River into the land I am giving them. ³ I promise you what I promised Moses: ‘Wherever you set foot, you will be on land I have given you— ⁴ from the Negev wilderness in the south to the Lebanon mountains in the north, from the Euphrates River in the east to the Mediterranean Sea in the west, including all the land of the Hittites.’ ⁵ No one will be able to stand against you as long as you live. For I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will not fail you or abandon you.

The tears that we shed as a part of the mourning process can all too easy to become a resting place for our emotional selves. The comforting embraces of friends and family can accidentally become a place of comfort for us and we don’t leave – sometimes for years.

However, since we are in this with God, He has other plans. After a time (v1-2), God calls us to stand up and move on. Since we have inherited the fight, we are called to carry the battle forward according to His Plan (V3-5). Remember that His Plan will not be denied. If we choose to stay in mourning, the Battle (and the Victory) will be assigned to someone else. God is explicit in verse 2 – Moses is dead, and NOW is your time Joshua. See that these instructions are clear and plain. Get up on your feet, pick up your sword, know that God is with you, and GET TO IT!     

The act of trusting God also includes trusting Him to push you out into the battle. God is with you – now take hold of your sword, reset your attitude to look forward, and push yourself out into the game with renewed energy and purpose. Pray to God, just as you always do. Remember your mentor when you pray, but do NOT dwell on them. God now has need of YOU in this fight. Trust Him, trust what you have learned, and trust God to deliver victory to you (v5).

Blessings,

Bryan