"Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: therefore be wise as serpents, and harmless as doves."Matthew 10:16

Nature provides us with an illustration that closely parallels the insidious tactics employed by our adversary. According to scientists, Arctic polar bears feed almost entirely on seals. To enjoy such a meal, they sometimes resort to a cunning bit of trickery. If the hole through which the seal gets his food is near the edge of the ice, the polar bear will take a deep breath and swim under water to its exact location. Remaining below the surface, he will then make a tiny scratching sound, imitating a fish. When the charmed seal hears this, he dives in for a quick supper, only to find himself suddenly entrapped in the huge, hungry embrace of his predator. God has sent us forth as sheep among the wolves. There are so many theories disguising themselves as Godly. We're hungry for that meal -- but we must be wise enough to make sure it's not a trap! Keep reading and studying the Word of God! Pray and ask Him to reveal His truth. Brothers & Sisters, the enemy loves to tempt us with a 'treat' so he can devour us! Don't take anyone's word but God's! BEWARE!

"Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the fragrance of His knowledge in every place."2 Corinthians 2:14

This scripture makes an astounding promise -- God ALWAYS leads us to triumph or victory! But can we ALWAYS count on this amazing word to be true? I often receive emails from believers who are waiting or hoping for a victory of some kind in their lives. Many seem to be wondering, "Where is this 'always victory' in my life?" Now think about it ... wouldn't it be impossible to gain victory over a thing if we already experienced victory each and every moment? It may sound obvious, but the fact is that in order to gain any victory, you must find yourself in a situation that is questionable, stressful, and may even appear hopeless for a time. The promise is not that we will walk in a constant state of "victoriousness" ... but rather that in every situation God will lead us in triumph. We can't even say we will always know what that will look like, but victory is the Lord's irrevocable promise. Brothers & Sisters, victory is a promise of God, but never forget that it requires a battle ... sometimes a very long one. True faith will stand on this promise in the face of every trial, challenge, or opposition ... remembering that the greatest purpose of every victory is for manifesting the fragrance of our knowledge of Him ... in every place! VICTORY AWAITS !

"The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God."Isaiah 40:3

Many believers have a special place, a quiet place where they go to spend time with the Lord. This is a very important thing. But how many believers have actually 'prepared a way' for the Lord? As sacred as that special quiet place is to us, it is limited. It has definite boundaries. But a way never ends--it goes on and on. The key to a life of blessing is not preparing God places to fill, but preparing a way for Him. The Hebrew word for way is 'derech'. Derech means a path, or a way of life. Brothers & Sisters, if we want to be blessed, we need to prepare a derech in our lives. We need to develop Godly ways, Godly habits, Godly consistency, and practices. We need to turn all our holy places into holy ways that carry on throughout our daily lives. The blessings of God need to flow through us to others around us-- let's give Him a derech through which to do so. PREPARE THE WAY!

"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:"John 1:12

The word for builder in Hebrew is “bo-neh”. It is also translated repairer. When our Messiah came 2000 years ago, He came to repair lives -- to do a complete restoration of all that is broken in this world. Interestingly, the Hebrew words for son, “ben” and daughter, “baht” both also come from the word bo-neh! So -- if you were wondering what God’s calling on your life is, here you have it! We, as sons and daughters, are called to repair and build up our families, the body of Messiah and the world around us. Brothers & Sisters, let's begin looking for opportunities to bless those around us! Let's seek to be the ones to repair broken hearts, lives and relationships. In this way, we will truly become sons and daughters of God! START BUILDING!

"Remember Lot's wife."Luke 17:32

When Jesus was describing the societal atmosphere of His return, he said these peculiar words … “Remember Lot’s Wife.” It was a warning … and especially to the generation of believers just before His return. In Genesis 19, we read of God’s destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and specifically of how Lot’s wife turned to look at the destruction and was turned into a pillar of salt. [Genesis 19:26] She turned around … and the warning to us is … don’t look back! While traveling in Zimbabwe, remembering this country as a bread basket of frica, “Make Zimbabwe Great Again.” This reminds many Zimbabweans of the dramatic decline of the nation since their youth, inspired them to vote in hope of witnessing a restoration of former glory. For some, this was a nostalgic longing; for others, a passion for something that seemed almost irretrievably lost. Zimbabwe's greatness, however one recalls or defines it, does seem to be irrevocably fading, and our view is that looking back and longing for its recovery...is looking in the wrong direction. While some are calling this nation modern "Babylon", or even "Sodom", what we see is a nation of paradox, full of tremendous blessings and sadly also, real wickedness. But however you view her, we believe it is unwise and even dangerous to look back to Zimbabwe's past in hope of that kind of restoration. Since the "Days of Noah" are again upon us, we're not expecting or focused on political solutions, but looking toward the Kingdom that is soon coming! When I looked at Zimbabwe, I began to realize that the real issues Zimbabwe faces could not be remedied by politics. Political realities simply reflect the internal moral and cultural climate of a nation and its people. In their drive for power, most politicians are simply responding to or manipulating the current passions of the populace. Laws can be changed, but they will reflect the mores of the people which are shaped by media, music, art, and culture in general. Those influences reveal a nation's true soul. While some leaders are morally superior to others, and may seem to offer hope, the real problems which plague society are internal and reflect the deeply rooted sin in human nature. The Gospel of the Messiah (Jesus Christ) is the only path and hope for any degree of national restoration. Anyone who has studied revivals can see this. So nostalgically looking at the past with a view toward political transformation might not turn you into a pillar of salt, but may seriously deflect us from the real hope and task of transformation: the Gospel which points to the coming Kingdom and the coming King. Any reclamation of greatness, individual or national, will depend utterly on the transforming power of Messiah and the profound inner work of His Holy Spirit. Brothers & Sisters, let’s not look back as Lot's wife did, toward whatever the "good life" was in Sodom, or zimbabwe; [Luke 9:62]. Any "greatness" that's worth regaining will come from looking UP, not back! Our calling is to make disciples, anticipating the coming Kingdom where politics will not be "as usual" but everlasting righteousness in the presence of our King Jesus. DON'T LOOK BACK!

"So also as it was in the days of Lot: they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but the day Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from the heaven and destroyed them all. Even so it shall be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed."Luke 17:28-30

Jesus gave us some signs and indications of what society would look like just before His return. One sign was the sign of Lot. In Genesis we read that Lot decided to reside in Sodom, where society had became so detestable before God that He destroyed that city and the cities of the plain with fire and brimstone. While Lot was ‘vexed daily’ [2 Peter 2:7-8] because of the evil that surrounded him, there is another aspect of this passage that I’d like to expound upon. When God revealed to Abraham his intention to destroy the cities [Genesis 18:22-33], Abraham interceded with the Lord such that if merely ten righteous souls were found there, God would relent from his terrible judgment. Just ten souls … and the cities would have been spared. Did Lot allow his community to silence him? This is the question I’d like to explore. While the Scriptures do not allude to it, I can only wonder that if Lot had preached the righteousness which burned in him, he might have preempted the wrath which Sodom's sins were piling up. Is one of the signs of this age that we who walk in the righteousness of Jesus will be silenced by a society growing in evil and iniquity day by day? Apparently, it doesn’t take much these days to be "silenced", at least not in the vast world of social networking. Nevertheless, I will not allow society to silence me. We are called to be a light on a hill … not to hide our light under a bushel. It is not a time to be silent, but rather to be ever more resolved to share the good news of the gospel, even as never before, in the spirit of grace and truth! Brothers & Sisters, don’t be discouraged with the rapid decay of society around you, but realize this is merely a sign of the times. May the Lord continue to speak through you to reach this world around us … for we are not called to be silent! DON'T BE SILENT!

"Now it came to pass after these things that God tested (Hebrew word len-a-sot, to try) Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am."Genesis 22:1 ;"Then Jesus lifted up [His] eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?" But this He said to test (Hebrew word, lenasot, to try) him, for He Himself knew what He would do."John 6:5-6 ; "My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials (nisayon (noun form of lenasot)), knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have [its] perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."James 1:2-4

The testing of Abraham's faith was repeated by God throughout the patriarch's entire life. The tests grew greater as his life advanced, and through everyone, whether Abraham passed or not, God proved Himself to be his friend over and over again. Every test or "trial" involved a serious challenge or threat in which Abraham had to trust that the LORD knew what He was doing, asking, or requiring, and that His goodness and faithfulness were unquestionably reliable. This type of testing or trying of faith is displayed throughout the Scriptures. In an entirely different setting, Jesus asked His disciple Philip a question, "Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?" The purpose of the question was simply to try Philip's faith. The Hebrew, "lenasot" "to try, or test", in the Greek is "pi-ras-mos", which carries an interesting connotation: "proving by experiment". James, the Lord's brother, speaks of the "testing of our faith", as well. Though we often think of this testing in negative terms, James exhorts us to "count it all joy", never mind that it's virtually certain there will be little pleasure in the experience of any trial. The fact is that trials function as experiments, and experiences, which serve to prove and improve our faith. In the Hebrew New Testament (Brit Chadasha) the word for "trial" is "ni-sa-yon", which also happens to be the word for "experience" and "experiment". So the trials we experience are literally, experiments upon our faith. And while it is clear that God Himself does not tempt us, we also know that He allows our faith to be proven by experience, and experimentally verified. Faith is not based on experience; it is based on revelation from God. But it's genuineness is tested by experience. And it ought to be growing through every trial, producing a deeper comprehension of God's faithfulness. Brothers & Sisters, your faith is being proved to be genuine through testing and trial; experimentally and experientially, just as was the faith of Abraham, Philip, and every true saint of the Lord. For while faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen -- it will be proven in, by, and through the very hard experiences and realities of your life. This is not accidental but very much in the plans and purposes of the Lord. EXPERIENCE IT!