"Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed [in Hebrew it is the word Meshiach], saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us."Psalms 2:1-3 ; "Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ. For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done."Acts 4:25-28

When Peter and John had gone up to the Temple for prayer [Acts 3], they saw a man who was lame from birth, and were moved to heal him in the name of Jesus. Immediately the religious leaders laid hands on them [Acts 4:3] and kept them imprisoned for a day. The following day, with boldness, they declared this miracle was done in the name of Jesus. I love what the "religious" leaders said next --- "they perceived that they were unlearned men and they marveled at their boldness!" Why were they bold? They had been with Jesus, and the leaders took note of that! It is no surprise that the world rages against the Messiah. Psalm 2 declares it clearly. Every year there are tens of thousands of believers suffering and dying for their faith, in large part because the kings and the rulers of the earth RAGE against the Lord and His Anointed. As followers of the King, we should expect this and be prepared for it when it comes. Brothers & Sisters, but, the examples of Peter and John, and every other true martyr are there to inspire and encourage us that if and when the time of persecution comes for us, we too can be bold as a lion. And this boldness is no merely human bravery, but an unction from the Holy Spirit Himself. So, though the kings of the earth will rage, our simple faith and Holy Spirit boldness will testify that we too have been with Jesus! REACT WITH BOLDNESS!

"And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"Acts 16:26-30

At first glance, it would seem that God allowed this earthquake to take place in order that Paul and Silas would be set free. The earthquake came and their bands were loosed. There was nothing holding them back. They could have fled immediately -- wouldn't have you? But no -- Paul and Silas waited...and as a result, the jailer and his entire family were saved! Many times we assume God's reasoning for doing the things He does. The Lord may have released us to walk through a door that He has clearly opened -- but He may also have other purposes in mind. Let's not be so quick to assume. There's no hurry. God won't shut a door if it is His divine will for it to be open!! Brothers & Sisters, let's be patient and be sure to be led by the Spirit of God. These are amazing times we're living in. We don't want to miss out on God's perfect will! GOD'S PURPOSES ARE NOT ALWAYS AS THEY SEEM!

"Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel: for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make them swords or spears: But all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his share, and his coulter, and his axe, and his mattock. Yet they had a file for the mattocks, and for the coulters, and for the forks, and for the axes, and to sharpen the goads. So it came to pass in the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people that were with Saul and Jonathan: but with Saul and with Jonathan his son was there found."1 Sam. 13:19-22

This interesting passage speaks of a time when Israel had no blacksmiths to make weapons and was without any armament to defend themselves. The enemy had succeeded to disarm Israel by removing their weapons, and those who forged them! He's attempting the same tactic today. A blacksmith is someone who works with raw material and fire, and who knows how to form and shape liquid metal into powerful weapons. Anyone who works skillfully and accurately with the word of God is a spiritual "blacksmith". The enemy, who is constantly attacking the word of God, the sword of the Spirit, also seeks to silence or remove the spiritual blacksmiths of this world. If he can get rid of them – the battle is over. We need to pray for God’s blacksmiths because the enemy is after them. Together with the fire of the Holy Spirit they forge the raw material of His word into powerful weapons which shape and mold God's people into His image and equip them for spiritual warfare and fruitfulness. But we are all called to be strong in the word, and to take it up as our primary weapon. Every spiritual blacksmith, himself started out as raw material which was shaped and formed by the fire of God to fight in this battle with Satan. Brothers & Sisters, so, as the battle rages, pray for the protection of God's "blacksmiths", even as you submit to His process of shaping you into one, yourself. SPIRITUAL BLACKSMITHS ARISE!

"And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither: so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house, while it was in building"I Kings 6:7.

Isn't it remarkable that every stone was beautifully constructed at a place far away from the Temple sight -- and then put together perfectly on location? And these weren't small stones either -- these were great BIG stones, made far away and then and placed in perfect precision. (1 Kings 5:17) The Holy Spirit is erecting a magnificent temple today! And each stone -- that is, each of us -- has been carefully cut from this world's dark quarry, perfectly chiseled and smoothed to fit into a specific special spot within a growing structure -- upon which our Messiah is the chief cornerstone! Brothers & Sisters, you are a chosen and precious stone! Let's allow the Spirit of God to chisel us today! God desires to smooth out our rough edges so that we will be built into a glorious Temple unto the Lord. CAUTION ---- UNDER CONSTRUCTION!

"Then the scribes and Pharisees brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. And when they had set her in the midst, they said to Him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?" 10 When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?" She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more."John 8:3-5, 10-11

Jesus knew the heart of every man and woman. As a totally pure and righteous human being, His experience of every other sin-filled person is really impossible for us to imagine. He knew that every repulsive thought, attitude and action of every person in the world would soon fall on Him and that He would carry them...away. And so Jesus did not come with a spirit of condemnation -- but with a spirit of grace and truth. Caught in the very act of adultery, and brought into His presence, the woman's sin was immediately exposed and her conviction was absolute. The sin was condemned.... but not the sinner. Her accusers wanted to stone her, to sacrifice her life, and use the law of Moses to condemn Jesus, out of their jealous hatred of Him. But the Lord, in His beautiful, understated way, quietly wrote in the sand, and then turned their hatred into deep conviction. The whole world is convicted in Jesus's presence. But only the ones who really appreciate His grace are filled with amazement and gratitude. Can you imagine how this woman must have felt? Her mind had been filled with voices of accusation, rejection, and condemnation. Jesus didn't feed the frenzy, but calmly observed, "He that is without sin, let him cast the first stone." When no one did, the Lord freed the convicted sinner and restored her life, saying, "Go and sin no more." Brothers & Sisters, voices of accusation, rejection, and condemnation will rise against you in the presence of your sins -- but Jesus will write in the sand and expose the hearts of your accusers. Confess your sin, and stand amazed and grateful, for His grace. WHERE ARE YOUR ACCUSERS?

"And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you power to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you."Luke 10:18-19

This is a powerful passage which believers must claim! The Greek for the word "heaven", "oo-ran-os", implies not only heaven, but also eternity. The enemy was removed from the eternal places, and his power is only temporary in this world. Our power does not come from this temporary world, but from eternity, from the eternal throne of God. If our focus is on eternal things, and we claim our authority from heaven, we can exercise power over the enemy. His attacks are temporary and refer to our short life on earth, because his place in God's eternal realm was abolished and he was cast down. Drawing on the authority and eternal power of God, through Jesus we can really tread on serpents and scorpions, overcoming the enemy's power. Whatever Satan sends our way is temporary and must submit to the authority we walk in when filled with the Holy Spirit. Brothers & Sisters, Satan's removal from heaven is good news for us. He has lost his place in the eternal realm. This makes the trials and tribulations of our life on earth much less significant. They are "light and momentary" compared with the eternal glory which awaits us...a fleeting moment, for the enemy, has been cast out of eternity and his destiny is the lake of fire! WALK WITH AN ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE!

"Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God."Acts 14:22

Recently, I've been impressed by the Lord to address the anxieties many are feeling about the future-- how to be strong in the face of the intense opposition we’ll be facing as believers. One of the founders of the modern state of Israel, David Ben-Gurion once said, “Courage is a special kind of knowledge, the knowledge of how to fear what ought to be feared and how not to fear what ought not to be feared. From this knowledge comes an inner strength that inspires us to push on in the face of great difficulty. What can seem impossible is often possible with courage.” While Ben Gurion's words carry a certain worldly wisdom to inspire courage, we also can have courage which comes from a special kind of knowledge...the knowledge that we have a God who loves and supports and protects us and carries us through, even the most trying times and circumstances. So let’s not become fearful in these days – but instead become bold as a lion, to accomplish the good works He prepared for us from the foundation of the world. Brothers & Sisters, let's walk with courage in these days in the knowledge that our God is with us, and with Him, we will accomplish great things that seem impossible because we know that He turns impossibilities into realities! FIND COURAGE IN THE FACE OF OPPOSITION!