by Tim Hall

The conditions Jesus predicted to His disciples were nothing short of crisis. The movement that saw Christians "having favor with all the people" (Acts 2:47, NKJV) would take a dramatic turn. In the not-too-distant future, "... they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and rulers for My name's sake" (Luke 21:12). To these timid followers, such words were sure to instill fear.

But they would not be alone in their trials, Jesus went on to say: "Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; for I will give you a mouth and wisdom ..." (Luke 21:14,15). Their ability to testify before hostile courts would not come from quick wit and deep intellect, but from God above. This assurance they were to settle in their hearts.

That's an interesting phrase: "settle it in your hearts". The word for "settle" is often used in the New Testament, referring to a deliberate act of placing something in a certain location. It is used, for example, of the placement of Jesus' body in the tomb by Joseph of Arimathea (Luke 23:53). Jesus' body didn't just happen to be in the tomb; Joseph, acting upon his will, placed it there.

Jesus' meaning, therefore, is clear: God's promise, which would answer a strong need (how to answer charges brought by murderous enemies), could calm their fearful souls. But for the promise to be of any value, they would have to "settle it in your hearts". They would have to deliberately meditate on God's promise, reminding themselves of His offer over and over again.

Another occasion of something placed in a person's heart is recorded by John: "And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray Him ..." (John 13:2). The result in both instances was the same: Something that had not previously been in a person's heart now resided there. In Judas' case, however, Satan was the one responsible for placement. The word for "put" in this verse is "ballo", a word often translated as "cast" or "throw". It suggests a more careless act, perhaps done with impulsiveness. Nonetheless, the thing cast is now located in the heart, the very seat of emotions, desires and will.

Here's our point: Our minds are receptacles into which many things can be placed. We can allow God's word to be placed there and the result will be peace, joy, love and faith. On the other hand, those who do not diligently watch the gates of their mind may discover things that the devil has flung there. The potential for damage from such devil-inspired thoughts is seen in Judas, an apostle of Christ who fell to the depths of a traitor!

A battle rages for the hearts and minds of us all. Paul warned: "For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:4,5).

God has provided each of us with the armor we need; it's up to us to put it on. He has provided us with promises that will secure our hearts and minds; it's up to us to work to settle them in our hearts. Those who are careless in what they allow to enter their minds may discover -- too late -- a serious deficiency in strength when their time of battle comes.

by Greg Tidwell

Human nature wants to scale sin down, to make sin more palatable. We like to think that the sins we commit, or that are commonly committed by people we like, are not so very bad. But sin is not measured by our standards. God's judgment against sin is what matters. He is the one who is offended, and God is the one who must be appeased. God's hatred for sin is seen in the horrible price that had to be paid because of our sins. Jesus Christ died because of our sins. Sin is always an affront to God. Sin is never all right.

But Christians do sin. We all need a Savior. Not only someone to make us right, but someone with the continual power to keep us right with God. And we have the perfect Savior, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Through the saving work of Christ our sins are forgiven. Through His death on the cross, Christ became our sin offering, the payment which makes us right with God. Salvation is only in Christ, and is complete in Christ.

Receiving this salvation, our lives should be directed, guided, and empowered by Jesus. If we understand who Jesus is and what Jesus came into the world to accomplish, we must be opposed to sin. Sin is in direct contradiction to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The apostle Paul uses baptism as an illustration of the transformation which is to come (Romans 6:1ff). The death, burial and resurrection of Christ are mirrored in baptism. The victory which Jesus perfectly obtained over sin should likewise be reflected in the "newness of life" lived out daily by Christians. Christ died to overcome the power of sin. Baptism into Christ signifies our unity with the Savior in this victory.

This new life in Christ, being born again of water and the Spirit, is a continual affirmation of the faith spoken in the good confession. The salvation we receive in Christ must be expressed in the loving obedience that God expects of all Christians. The gospel of Jesus Christ provides the substance of our confession, it gives saving power to our baptism, and it produces continual joy in the assurance of salvation. As God's children, we are enriched and empowered by the Lord's grace. The gospel initiates salvation, and keeps us in a right relationship with God. We must continually look to Jesus, our Savior and our Lord to keep our lives going in the right direction.

by Mike Benson

Scripture describes it as attempted guerilla warfare. Ben-hadad tried to carry out a series of assaults against the citizens of Israel (2 Kings 6:8). "Tried" is the operative word, because every time the king of Syria sent out a war party in ambush, he found enemy troops inexplicably guarding the camp he had intended to capture (vv. 8-10). The inspired text says this happened "not just once or twice" (NKJV), but that Ben-hadad's plans were foiled repeatedly.

The monarch came to the conclusion that there was either (a) a spy, or at the very least, (b) an intelligence leak within his own war cabinet. Somebody was obviously "feeding" Jehoram -- his Israelite counterpart -- information, so he summoned his military counsel together in an effort to expose the traitor (vv. 11-12). Ben-hadad inquired, "Will you not show me which of us is for the king of Israel?" (v. 11b).

As it turned out, no one from Syria had disclosed the king's plans. The informant was actually Elisha -- the prophet from Israel -- in HIS Majesty's secret service. Like a character from a James Bond movie, the man of God had a divine "surveillance camera" (cf. Proverbs 5:21; 15:3; Zechariah 4:10) in the king's bedchamber and was therefore privy to his most secret conversations (v. 12). Every strategy concocted within Ben-hadad's heart was revealed to Elisha by God who, in turn, conveyed such to the Israelite king in Samaria.

Armed with this new information, Ben-hadad turned his attention away from attacking a nation to capturing an individual (v. 13). Think of a deck of 52 playing cards, not with photographs of various high-ranking Iraqi officials, but with Elisha's face on every single card! The Syrian ruler sent a large force to surround the city of Dothan under the cover of darkness (a village about 12 Roman miles north of Samaria -- cf. Genesis 37:17) and apprehend Elisha (vv. 14-15).

Early the next morning, Elisha's servant awakened and discovered the Syrians entrenched about the city (v. 15). He seemed to have known that the soldiers had come for his lord and cried out in fear, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?" (cf. Exodus 14:10-14). Like American forces searching for Saddam Hussein, the army had located the great prophet and was under orders to take him prisoner (v. 14).

Elisha knew that a very great danger existed, but he also knew something of the militia arrayed in his defense. He calmly told his servant, "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them" (v. 16). That may have sounded reassuring, but at that particular moment, no allied troops could be seen in the vicinity. Elisha then prayed that his servant's eyes might be opened (v. 17). The prophet's prayer was immediately answered, and suddenly his aide beheld a massive, heavenly detachment of horses and chariots of fire (v. 17b; cf. Exodus 3:2; Numbers 22:22-31)! This was a vision of deliverance!

Consider for a moment the servant's pitiful cry, "Alas ... what shall we do?" You can almost hear the alarm in his voice, can't you? He could only see an imminent attack; he could only see the problem. Brethren, we must strenuously guard against a similar mentality in the church today. Despondency sees only the multitude amassed against us, and fails to consider the Divine host that is marshaled on our behalf. The Bible says, "... If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31b). Do we really believe that ...?

Our problem is in the perception of the physical instead of the sight of the spiritual. It's not that we lack sufficient funds, or manpower, or space, but VISION! We need to stop thinking about what we can't do and get a glimpse of what God can do through us (Philippians 4:13)! The New Testament teaches, "While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are NOT seen ..." (2 Corinthians 4:18a; emphasis mine—mb). "For we walk by faith, NOT by sight" (2 Corinthians 5:7; emphasis mine, mb).

Years ago, a grade-school class was told to go home and count the stars in the sky as part of their science lesson. Students came back with wildly dissimilar answers. One child said, "A couple of hundred," another said, "Ten thousand," while yet another offered, "One million." Finally, the teacher asked one little boy who had not yet spoken up. "How many stars did you count?" she inquired. The boy replied, "Three." "Only three?!" the teacher exclaimed. "How did you only see three?" He said, "I guess we just have a small backyard."

Beloved, let me humbly, but forcefully suggest that we need a big backyard today; we need a great vision -- one that is worthy of the "King of kings and Lord of lords"!! I'm not thinking in terms of some miraculous manifestation (cf. 1 Corinthians 13:8-10; Ephesians 4:11-13); I'm talking about faith and focus. The eye of faith sees Divine presence, whereas the eye of fear sees desperate problems. God is on our side and He's never lost a single battle! Amen?! Once we come to terms with that truth, we'll stop wringing our hands in doubt and start using them in fervent and devoted service (Hebrews 12:2).

by Stan Mitchell

It must not have been easy for the snails to make it to Noah's ark. Cheetahs and gazelles and practically every other creature, too, were faster than they, and they must have been in constant danger of being crushed by an elephant or hippo along the way. So how did they get on the ark?

"You know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything" (James 1:3,4).

One time Winston Churchill was asked, "What experience in school helped most to prepare you to lead Britain in her darkest hour?"

He thought about it for a moment, then replied: "It was the two years I spent in the same grade in high school"

"Did you fail?"

"No," Churchill replied, "I had two opportunities to get it right." What Great Britain needed in those dark days was not brilliance but persistence.

Of course Churchill was famous on another occasion for urging his listeners to "never, never, never give up." We invariably learn more by failing than by succeeding, if we are open to the lessons of failure, and if we don't give up.

Don't give up on your marriage; don't give up on your church; don't give up on God; don't give up on yourself!

So how did the snail make it on the ark? Simple. By persistence!

by Barry Newton

Perhaps you have read a book or heard a sermon about the God who gives second chances. Scripture is filled with stories about lives which had been ruined in one way or another only to be picked up out of the ashes by God. The hope of a second chance strikes a resonant chord. We recognize that our only hope is for a fresh start made possible by God.

But just how good is the news of a second chance? Is this really an accurate way to speak of God's grace? After all, if you could not lift up 1000 pounds before, do you really want another opportunity to prove you can do it? With a second chance, the burden and responsibility still lies upon you. If you could not live a sinless life before, how well do you think you would do with a second chance? We need God's grace to provide us with much more than another shot at failure.

Through Jesus, God sees His people as being blameless before Him, not because they were finally able to master perfection but because they receive what Jesus achieved, sinless perfection. Through Jesus' death as a perfect and sinless lamb, God extends to us what we could never achieve on our own - blamelessness! Through His grace, God has acted in a much greater way than merely giving us a second chance. Through His Son, God did it for us! Here is a message filled with real hope for the whole world.

Footnote - While Scripture is clear that we can not be good enough to merit salvation, Scripture is equally forceful in asserting that God's people have been charged to live in the light and to do the good which God has prepared for them to do. While salvation is made possible through Jesus, the servant who is lazy and does not fulfill His Master's will shall be cast out.

The life of the disciple is not "thanks for salvation, now I'll do my own thing." The Christian life is "thank you for saving me and taking me to be your servant. Now I will do my duty as an unworthy servant." What tremendous grace God has given us that we might be called the children of God! We do not deserve this.