pathoflifedevotions Devotions, July

July 16, 2017 “Alliances”

Alliances

Sometimes we consciously join hands with several others to form an alliance.
At many other times alliances are formed unconsciously as otherwise unrelated people unite in a common cause or toward a common goal. Either way, when alliances work they create solidarity within the members, a unity of purpose if not motivation. When they do not work, alliances produce anarchy as those empowered by the solidarity turn on the powerless producing victors and victims.

In daily living, we move in and out of alliances without much thought, pragmatically taking the road most traveled because the consensus is, it works. For the important things, the very few things, alliances are more deliberate and thought out:

  • Marriage, as two families become an alliance,
  • Work and workplace,
  • Church family, and
  • Friends with shared interests.

But for most things we join and resign, recommit and quit unseen, unofficial alliances without a second thought. Only intentional, significant alliances are celebrated in the inception and grieved in the dissolution.

The Dark Side
All of this alignment and realignment takes place in the material world. There are other, unseen but powerful alliances in the spirit world. As in most arenas of life there is a dark side and a bright side.

Of course, smart, educated people say they don’t believe such nonsense, but the forces of darkness in this world form a network of alliances. It is difficult to tell where demonic activity leaves off and human evil begins, and it hardly matters. Wicked people work wicked systems to promote evil in thought and in deed: political powers, commanders of communications, exponents of educational deception, violent villains and ruthless rulers seem to be in absolute control over life on earth. The Dark Side is described by Isaiah: “See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples…” (Isaiah 60:2)

The Bright Side
The alliance of which we are a part is one of light not darkness. It, too, is a vast organization in both the material and the spirit worlds. The Lord we serve is called Jehovah Saboath, The Lord of Hosts. Satan’s soldiers are the dropouts, the failures who missed their chance at the Light. We are aligned with the Hosts of Heaven! Thousands speed throughout the earth on missions of mercy and rescue, revelation and comfort, tending to the needs of the saints of God.

We are the earthly regiment of the Army of the Lord resisting darkness in full and shining armor. Holding us together is an alliance of faith and fellowship, ties that bind and bind well, each of us a soldier of Light, a brother or a sister of the Blood of Christ, a servant of the Most High God.

Now we see the rest of Isaiah’s words:

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Isa 60:1-2 NIV

Rise and Shine!
As soldiers of the Light we must be sure that we do not unconsciously form any alliances with the Darkness. We can do this so easily by walking too close the dark as if enthralled by its mystery. For a soldier of Light to be useful to the forces of Darkness is a shameful thing.

It will not be so if we will do as we are commanded—Rise and Shine! Shake off the allure of the world and be guided by the Light of Jesus’ face, the music of His voice, and the passion of His heart.

Scriptures:
Psalm 83
O God, do not be silent; do not keep still nor hold your peace, O God; For your enemies are in tumult, and those who hate you have lifted up their heads. They take secret counsel against your people and plot against those whom you protect. They have said, “Come, let us wipe them out from among the nations; let the name of Israel be remembered no more. “They have conspired together; they have made an alliance against you…O my God, make them like whirling dust and like chaff before the wind; Like fire that burns down a forest, like the flame that sets mountains ablaze. Drive them with your tempest and terrify them with your storm; Cover their faces with shame, O Lord, that they may seek your Name. Let them be disgraced and terrified for ever; let them be put to confusion and perish. Let them know that you, whose Name is Yahweh, you alone are the Most High over all the earth.
2 Timothy 2:3-5 NIV
Endure hardship with us like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs — he wants to please his commanding officer.
Psalm 91:11-12 NIV
For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
Psalm 46:7 NKJV
The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge.
Psalm 24:7-10 NKJV
Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O you gates! Lift up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory.
Malachi 3:16-17 KJV
Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, And the Lord listened and heard them;
So a book of remembrance was written before Him For those who fear the Lord And who meditate on His name. “They shall be Mine,” says the Lord of hosts, “On the day that I make them My jewels. And I will spare them As a man spares his own son who serves him.”

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, You are my ally and I am Yours! This amazing truth frames my life in grace. You do not need me at all and I need You absolutely. This unequal alliance makes no sense to the world. People would think I am insane if I claimed I conversed with You and yet we are inconstant communication. You enlist me in Your cause and enable me to wage an effective warfare against evil and injustice. Our alliance is sealed in the Blood of Christ—the New Covenant—and maintained in prayer. Lord Jesus, thank You for the life I lead! Amen and Amen.

Song:
Blest Be the Tie that Bind
Words: John Fawcett: Music: Lowell Mason

1. Blest be the tie that binds
Our hearts in Christian love;
The fellowship of kindred minds
Is like to that above.

2. Before our Father’s throne
We pour our ardent prayers;
Our fears, our hopes, our alms, are one,
Our comforts and our cares.

3. We share our mutual woes,
Our mutual burdens bear,
And often for each other flows
The sympathizing tear.

4. When here our pathways part,
We suffer bitter pain;
Yet, one in Christ and one in heart,
We hope to meet again.

5. This glorious hope revives
Our courage by the way,
While each in expectation lives
And longs to see the day.

6. From sorrow, toil, and pain,
And sin we shall be free
And perfect love and friendship reign
Through all eternity.

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, July

July 9, 2017 “Anointed”

Anointed

The words of the Poet are, beyond all doubt, true.

“Now I know that the Lord gives victory to his anointed…”

But what about…? You may ask and rightfully so. What about the times when the wicked win, the ungodly are unconquered, the devious defeat the righteous? How can these facts exist on the record of history and the proposition of victory to the Lord’s anointed also be true?

It is simple. The game isn’t over.
The battle is still raging. The truth will eventually come out. For the Christ-follower, to obey the Lord is victory, regardless of the immediate outcome of that obedience. We are his anointed—His chosen ones—His empowered ones.

  • We win because He is the Champion.
  • We are unconquered because He is the Victor.
  • We are true because He is the Truth.

To follow Jesus is to be on the path of victory,

  • in spite of deep valleys of the shadow
  •  or treacherous mountain steeps,
  • or searing heat,
  • or pounding waves,
  • or shifting winds.

These discomforts blasts us while they last but we keep

  • walking,
  • climbing,
  • hydrating our bodies,
  • sailing or
  • flying and

we get through the tests.

Why? Because we are His anointed.
How? Through the power of His anointing.

The Anointing is God’s choice and it is the flow of God’s power.

  • In the Old Testament people and objects were set apart for God’s exclusive use by anointing them with oil especially prepared for that purpose. The Hebrew word means “to anoint, to consecrate.”
  • In the New Testament, the Greek word is a metaphor for the Holy Spirit.

We are the Lord’s anointed—all of us not just the preachers and singers! We have all been set apart by the Lord for His purposes. We have all been empowered by His Spirit to serve Him in His power, not in our own.

So this word is for us—“Now I know that the Lord gives victory to his anointed!”

All set backs are temporary. All acts of obedience are battles won. The story isn’t over. Though the battles still rage, the outcome of the war is not in doubt.

  • We win because He is the Champion.
  • We are unconquered because He is the Victor.
  • We are true because He is the Truth.

We are his anointed—His chosen ones—His empowered ones.

Scriptures:
Psalm 20
May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble, the Name of the God of Jacob defend you; Send you help from his holy place and strengthen you out of Zion; Remember all your offerings and accept your burnt sacrifice; Grant you your heart’s desire and prosper all your plans. We will shout for joy at your victory and triumph in the Name of our God; may the Lord grant all your requests. Now I know that the Lord gives victory to his anointed; he will answer him out of his holy heaven, with the victorious strength of his right hand. Some put their trust in chariots and some in horses, but we will call upon the Name of the Lord our God. They collapse and fall down, but we will arise and stand upright. O Lord, give victory to the king and answer us when we call.
1 John 2:20-21 NIV
But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.
Isaiah 10:27 KJV
And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.
2 Corinthians 1:21-22 NIV
Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
Psalm 105:15 NIV
“Do not touch my anointed ones; do my prophets no harm.”
Psalm 28:7-9 NKJV
The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I will praise Him. The Lord is their strength, And He is the saving refuge of His anointed. Save Your people, And bless Your inheritance; Shepherd them also, And bear them up forever.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, Share Your victory with me today. You have chosen me—anointed me—for the work I am doing. I know that I am not left to my own power and strength to do this work. The powerful Holy Spirit abides with in, this too, is my anointing. Let Your power flow through me today. May my life bud like Aaron’s Rod! May my shadow fall as a blessing on those who pass by me today, like the shadow of Peter. Anoint my words with wisdom, my hands with strength, and my mind with clarity. I am chosen and empowered today—anointed! Thank You, Lord.

Song:
Victory Ahead
Words and Music: William Grum

1. When the hosts of Israel, led by God,
Round the walls of Jericho softly trod,
Trusting in the Lord, they felt the conqu’ror’s tread,
By faith they saw the victory ahead.

Refrain:
Victory ahead! Victory ahead!
Through the blood of Jesus, victory ahead;
Trusting in the Lord, I hear the conqu’ror’s tread,
By faith I see the victory ahead!

2. David with a shepherd’s sling and five stones,
Met the giant on the field all alone,
Trusting in the Lord, he knew what God had said,
By faith he saw the victory ahead.

Refrain

3. Daniel prayed unto the Lord thrice each day,
Then unto the lion’s den led the way,
Trusting in the Lord, he did not fear or dread,
By faith he saw the victory ahead.

Refrain

4. Often with the carnal mind I was tried,
Asking for deliverance oft I cried,
Trusting in the Lord, I reckoned I was dead,
By faith I saw the victory ahead.

Refrain
5. When like those who’ve gone before to that land,
By death’s river cold and dark I shall stand;
Trusting in the Lord, I will not fear or dread,
By faith I see the victory ahead.
Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, July

July 4, 2017 “Peoples”

Peoples

“Peoples” is word Bible uses for “nations.”
We Americans are a nation and we are a people. These terms carry similar bonds but also some different bonds unique to each one.

We are a nation because we live in the same geographical location and under the same set of laws. We are a people because we live with the same ideals, or at least with enough of the same ideals to give us

  • a shared character—the American Spirit,
  • a consolidated hope—the American Dream, and
  • an agreed upon ideal—American Freedom.

Guest Teaching at Continental Seminary in Brussels, Belgium, I visited the American Cemetery in Luxembourg, pictured here. This was my first missions trip to Europe and I was full of the missionary spirit. I am also a Baby-Boomer, the son of a WWII veteran, so I have always had an interest in the war. Inside the beautiful chapel I found an inscription that brought the missionary spirit and the American Character together for me. Beneath a cross it says:

GRANT US GRACE FEARLESSLY
TO CONTEND AGAINST EVIL
AND TO MAKE NO PEACE
WITH OPPRESSION

In that beautiful chapel the extraordinary truth of the American Spirit enveloped me—Who else goes across the seas to fight for the freedom of others? My father did, and my father-in-law, my pastor, and all my friends’ dads went. They are the greatest generation of a great nation and a great people. General Patton’s grave stands a lonely guard in front of the chapel facing row upon row of crosses and Stars of David.

On the grounds of a rural Catholic church in Belgium I also visited a memorial to Rev. J. W. Tucker among the names of missionaries from all branches of the church killed in the Belgian Congo in the early 1960’s. Heroes one and all, named and nameless, they sprang from a great nation and a great people to die in behalf of others on foreign soil.

Could they speak to us today, they would blush at our faint praise, and quickly remind us that the job isn’t finished.

  • There is still evil abroad in the world that someone must oppose.
  • There is oppression behind the high civilized walls of nations and violence walks randomly among the cities of the peoples of this earth.
  • We cannot make peace with wrong by calling it right.
  • There are nations and peoples bound in chains and in darkness. They sing empty songs, tell elaborate, meaningless stories, and trudge from day to night in hopelessness.

Our heroes would remind us that the nations and the peoples of need Jesus.
If there are seas to cross, let us set sail. If there are nations in bondage let us cry out as the prophet did, “Let these people go!” If there is darkness let us go there to shine our light.

Let this resolve be our pledge to our children and to their children and our prayer to God:

Grant us grace fearlessly to contend against evil
And to make no peace with oppression!
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Scriptures:
Psalm 2
Why are the nations in an uproar? Why do the peoples mutter empty threats? Why do the kings of the earth rise up in revolt, and the princes plot together, against the Lord and against his Anointed? “Let us break their yoke,” they say; “let us cast off their bonds from us.” He whose throne is in heaven is laughing; the Lord has them in derision. Then he speaks to them in his wrath, and his rage fills them with terror. “I myself have set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.” Let me announce the decree of the Lord: he said to me, “You are my Son; this day have I begotten you. Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance and the ends of the earth for your possession. You shall crush them with an iron rod and shatter them like a piece of pottery.” And now, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Submit to the Lord with fear, and with trembling bow before him; Lest he be angry and you perish; for his wrath is quickly kindled. Happy are they all who take refuge in him!
Isaiah 60:1-3; 62:10 NIV
“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. …Pass through, pass through the gates! Prepare the way for the people. Build up, build up the highway! Remove the stones. Raise a banner for the nations.
Psalm 117 NIV
Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord.
Psalm 102:18-22 NIV
Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the Lord: “The Lord looked down from his sanctuary on high, from heaven he viewed the earth, to hear the groans of the prisoners and release those condemned to death.” So the name of the Lord will be declared in Zion and his praise in Jerusalem when the peoples and the kingdoms assemble to worship the Lord.
Mark 11:17; 13:10-11 NIV
And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: “‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.'”
And the gospel must first be preached to all nations.
Luke 24:45-49 NIV
Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I will judge my life and work today, not by standards of success or wealth or influence but by the benefit of my being here on this earth. I do not serve you to the point of my comfort for you meet all my needs. I do not accumulate the acclaim of people for Your pleasure in me is my goal. Save me from a diffused life that accomplishing little. I temper my passions to focus them on Your plan for me, the steps You have laid out for me since before the foundation of the world. Help my solitary life to somehow bless the nations. Just as You multiplied the little boy’s lunch there in the wilderness, multiply my words and my songs and my deeds to bless the peoples of the earth. In Your holy name. Amen.

Song:
America the Beautiful
Words: Katherine Lee Bates; Music: Samuel A. Ward

1. O beautiful for spacious skies, For amber waves of grain,
For purple mountain majesties Above the fruited plain!
America! America! God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood From sea to shining sea!

2. O beautiful for pilgrim feet Whose stern impassioned stress
A thoroughfare of freedom beat Across the wilderness!
America! America! God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control, Thy liberty in law!

3. O beautiful for heroes proved In liberating strife.
Who more than self their country loved And mercy more than life!
America! America! May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness And every gain divine!

4. O beautiful for patriot dream That sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam Undimmed by human tears!
America! America! God shed his grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood  From sea to shining sea!

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, June

June 28, 2017 “Heard”

Heard

Americans have a constitutional right to free speech.
Implicit in this right is the hope to be heard. Why would one speak if there is no hope of being heard?

A High School Revelation
In my junior year of high school, I was not a good student. I only studied what interested me—band and English. The rest of my classes were a waist of my 16 year-old time. So, I had to see the counselor. She was a nice lady and I enjoyed talking to her; I could really string her along and she probably knew what I was doing all the time.

The summer before I turned 16 I started seriously seeking God’s will for my life. I felt it had something to do with music and writing (band and English!) but I was sure the rest of it—chemistry, Algebra II, American History—had nothing to do with it. When I was blowing smoke about how I didn’t enjoy those classes, etc., the nice lady interrupted me and asked, “Well, Steve, what do you want to do with your life?”

In one of those moments one lives in for the rest of one’s life, I knew with exceptional clarity why I was on the earth. At the same moment I thought it and said it:

“I want to tell somebody something!”

We both sat back and there was a moment of silence. I remember nothing else about that conference but I have never forgotten that revelation.

A Course of Action
Now I had a course of action. It was simple. If I was going to tell somebody something:

  1. I was going to have to find something out!
  2. I was going to have to learn how to speak and to write.

That was my plan: learn important things that people needed to know and develop the skills to tell them what I had learned.

Though absolutely unspoken in this crucial scene, there was an expectation that I would be heard. If not what was the point?

All of Us
This isn’t just for me. All of us are called to tell somebody something—and we should expect to be heard! I see three “somebodies” for each of us:

  1. We need to speak to ourselves. Internal dialogue is a fact of life for each of us. We tell ourselves things all the time. We must be so careful to speak to ourselves with the voice of faith and not of fear, of righteous things and not rotten things. Why? Because we are heard—down deep where only our voice and the voice of the Spirit are heard.
  2. We need to speak to others. “We’ve a story to tell to the nations,” we sometimes sing and it is true. It may seem that we are not heard, but of this we can be certain—the Holy Spirit is anointing the ears of those we speak to as well as the lips with which we speak.
  3. We need to speak to God in praise, prayer and worship. The Lord loves the sound of our voice! Another song says, “He’s as close as the mention of His name.” He is our most devoted listener!

Think of the wonder of it:

  • The silent cry of the believer’s breaking heart echoes through heaven.
  • The tears we shed capture His attention.
  • Our prayers are collected for His keeping.

When we pray, we are telling someone something—The Lord Himself!–and we can be sure that we are heard!

Scriptures:
Psalm 6
Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger; do not punish me in your wrath. Have pity on me, Lord, for I am weak; heal me, Lord, for my bones are racked. My spirit shakes with terror; how long, O Lord, how long? Turn, O Lord, and deliver me; save me for your mercy’s sake. For in death no one remembers you; and who will give you thanks in the grave? I grow weary because of my groaning; every night I drench my bed and flood my couch with tears. My eyes are wasted with grief and worn away because of all my enemies. Depart from me, all evildoers, for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping. The Lord has heard my supplication; the Lord accepts my prayer. All my enemies shall be confounded and quake with fear; they shall turn back and suddenly be put to shame.
Psalm 10:16-18 NIV
The Lord is King for ever and ever; the nations will perish from his land. You hear, O Lord, the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed, in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.
Psalm 102:18-22 NIV
Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the Lord; “The Lord looked down from his sanctuary on high, from heaven he viewed the earth, to hear the groans of the prisoners and release those condemned to death.” So the name of the Lord will be declared in Zion and his praise in Jerusalem when the peoples and the kingdoms assemble to worship the Lord .
Isaiah 6:8-9 NIV
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” He said, “Go and tell this people:
Acts 5:17-21
Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people the full message of this new life.” At daybreak they entered the temple courts, as they had been told, and began to teach the people.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, You are such a communicator Your friend John called You the Word! Through the power of the Holy Spirit You are heard throughout the world and it has been so since You walked this earth. When I speak Your Word, I will be heard! Like You said in your parable of the seeds and the soil that not everyone will hear but there will be some who will welcome my message to the changing of their lives. If I speak, I will be heard! May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in Your sight! Amen.

Song:
We’ve a Story to Tell to the Nations
Words and Music: H. Ernest Nichol

1. We’ve a story to tell to the nations
that shall turn their hearts to the right,
A story of truth and mercy,
A story of peace and light, a story of peace of light.

Refrain:
For the darkness shall turn to dawning,
And the dawning to noonday bright,
And Christ’s great Kingdom shall come to earth,
The Kingdom of love and light.

2. We’ve a song to be sung to the nations
That shall lift their hearts to the Lord,
A song that shall conquer evil
And shatter the spear and sword,
And shatter the spear and sword.

Refrain

3. We’ve a message to give the nations
That the Lord who reigneth above
Hath sent us His Son to save us,
And show us that God is love,
And show us that God is love.

Refrain

4. We’ve a Savior to show to the nations
Who the path of sorrow hath trod,
That all of the world’s great peoples
Might come to the truth of God,
And show us that God is love.

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, June

June 26, 2017 “Fanfare”

Fanfare

As a band and orchestra conductor and arranger, I have to admit I love fanfares.
As a clarinet player I must confess I envy the role my brass-playing friends get to play in these short and to-the-point compositions. Usually all the rest of us get to do is play trills and chord tones.

A fanfare is a short, loud, brassy piece of music designed to get the attention of people who are not listening. Fanfares are used to call people to attention to something about to happen or to someone who is about to make an entrance.

Most people know there is song that must be played when the President of the United States enters a room, “Hail to the Chief.” How many also know the introduction to this piece is a fanfare called “Ruffles and Flourishes?” The fanfare announces the approach so that people can stand for the song.

The fanfare is not a modern invention.
It is an ancient practice for brass instruments and their ancient forerunners, ram’s horns, to be used to call people together for important information. It is easy to see how the development of instruments and the use of instrumental music progresses through the Old Testament. Famously, Psalm 150, which might be called the last word on worship from the Old Covenant, commands that the entire orchestra be employed in the praise of God. By the time of Jesus brass instruments which were capable of a more controlled sound were in common use in worship.

Listen for the fanfares!
I realize this may be of little interest to non-musicians so let me get to the spiritual point. As we rush through life randomly selecting what to listen to and what to ignore, we need to listen for the fanfares God sends our way.

It may be a sunset or a sunrise, or a cloud formation, or a rainbow. It may be the fragment of a song from long ago or a phrase someone uses that sounds like someone we love and miss. It may be the thunder that announces the approaching storm. It may be the sound of the surf before we get to the beach. It could be our loved one’s car turning into the driveway.

On the Lord’s Day it is the Call to Worship.

There are so many beautiful, promising fanfares in life announcing so many important events and the entrance of so many important people.

Soon a certain trumpet will sound and the dead in Christ will rise first and we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them and so shall we ever be with the Lord!

That is a fanfare and an entrance I don’t want to miss!

Scriptures:
Psalm 33:1-3
Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous; it is good for the just to sing praises. Praise the Lord with the harp; play to him upon the psaltery and lyre. Sing for him a new song; sound a fanfare with all your skill upon the trumpet.
Exodus 19:18-20 NIV
Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the LORD descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, the whole mountain trembled violently, and the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder. Then Moses spoke and the voice of God answered him.
2 Chronicles 5:12-14 NIV
All the Levites who were musicians …stood on the east side of the altar, dressed in fine linen and playing cymbals, harps and lyres. They were accompanied by 120 priests sounding trumpets. The trumpeters and singers joined in unison, as with one voice, to give praise and thanks to the LORD. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, they raised their voices in praise to the LORD and sang: “He is good; his love endures forever.” Then the temple of the LORD was filled with a cloud, and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the temple of God.
Psalm 150 NIV
Praise the LORD .Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD.
1 Corinthians 15:50-58 NIV
I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I will listen closely today to the sounds around me. I know I will hear some kind of fanfare—a signal from You to pay close attention to something You want to say. I look forward to these surprises for they will lead me deeper into Your heart. And, Lord Jesus, today might just be the day when the heavens will vibrate with the sound of the Great Trumpet call! I will see You and join You in the air, forever changed! I’m listening, Lord! Even so, Come Lord Jesus! Amen.

Song:
In the Twinkling of an Eye
Words: Fanny J. Crosby; Music: William J. Kirkpatrick

1. When the trump of the great arch angel
its mighty tones shall sound,
And the end of the age proclaiming,
Shall pierce the depths profound;
When the Son of Man shall come in His glory,
to take His saints on high,
What a shouting in the skies from the multitudes shall rise,
Changed in the twinkling of an eye.

Refrain:
Changed in the twinkling of an eye.
Changed in the twinkling of an eye.
The trumpet shall sound, the dead shall be raised.
Changed in the twinkling of an eye.

2. When He comes in the clouds descending,
and those who loved Him here,
From their graves shall awake and praise Him
with joy and not with fear;
When the body and the soul are united,
and clothed no more to die,
What a shouting there will be when each other’s face we see,
Changed in the twinkling of an eye.

Refrain

3. O the seed that was sown in weakness
shall then be raised in power,
And the songs of the blood-bought millions
shall hail that blissful hour;
When we gather safely home in the morning
and night’s dark shadows fly,
What a shouting on that shore when we meet to part no more,
Changed in the twinkling of an eye.

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, June

June 19, 2017 “Warrior”

Warrior

Two Wonderful Songs
There once was a medley of two songs that spoke of the Lord Jesus in a unique but totally accurate way: “Lift High the Lord Our Banner” and “Mighty Warrior.” I was a worship leader in those days who liked to use a full choir and orchestra as a worship team. I was also trained as a band director and I loved marches. These two songs were presented in a Grand March style. One might say “My heart was stirred by a noble theme!” I was in heaven as two parts of my heart (marches and praise) came together in my ministry.

It was more than the wonderful music—it was the truth—a rare truth that I had never celebrated before. Jesus is the “Lord Our Banner” and He is the “Mighty Warrior!”

We often sang about Jesus as Friend, Shepherd, Savior, Soon-Coming King, Lover of My soul, King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We declared Him to be Holy, Worthy, Wonderful, and Sweet. I could not remember many songs who declared the Lord to be the Mighty Warrior—we had songs about His victory but very few about His combat.

Despite our lack of songs to the point, Jesus is the Mighty Warrior—He Is the Lord Our Banner!
In the early church, when the leaders we now call the “Church Fathers” were organizing the Christ-centered theology we enjoy today, the general understanding of the Atonement was Christ as the Victor over evil in all its forms. The term for this atonement theology is “Christus Victor.” When the late Bob Webber first told me about Christus Victor, it sounded like good preaching to me—it sounded like “Church!”

I have never forgotten an article I read in Billy Graham’s “Decision” magazine called “The Day Christ Rule from a Tree.” That was Christus Victor—

  • Jesus, while dying on the cross, reached through the streets of Jerusalem and tore the veil in Temple in two from the top to the bottom.
  • In death He was reigning.
  • While He was atoning for our sins, He was waging war or all sin.
  • While His holy blood was flowing down the cross to the thirsty earth, healing power was spreading to the world.
  • When somehow He was mysteriously separated from the Father and feeling forsaken, He was forging a bond of fellowship that would supersede race and wealth and language for all people who would turn to Him in faith and repentance.

We came pretty close to this when we sang the simple song of the Jesus Movement, (late 1960s and early 1970s) “He Is Lord.” His Lordship is a current, after-the-battle reality. He is Victor!

He is Victor because He is the Mighty Warrior!
Hell has no way to defeat Him; counter charge after counter charge is beaten back without a dent in the defense. We walk in His shadow and do battle in His might.

  • When we wield the Sword of the Spirit—He is the double blade!
  • When we shelter behind the Shield of Faith—His Promises prove true!
  • When we wear the Helmet of Salvation—He guides our thoughts!
  • When we buckle up the Belt of Truth—His veracity is on the line!
  • When our feet are shod with the preparation of the Gospel—it is His story we tell!

He did not lie to us—there will be trouble of all kinds, temptations of every description, and an unending parade of enemies—we live in a world that opposes us. However, He also said that we should be of good cheer for He has overcome the world! He is the Mighty Warrior, the Lord Our banner!”

Scriptures:
Psalm 45:1-6 NIV/NLT
My Heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the King, for my tongue is like the pen of a skillful poet. You are the most handsome of all. Gracious words stream from your lips. God himself has blessed you forever. Put on your sword, O mighty warrior! You are so glorious, so majestic! In your majesty, ride out to victory, defending truth, humility, and justice. Go forth to perform awe-inspiring deeds! Your arrows are sharp, piercing your enemies’ hearts. The nations fall beneath your feet. Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever. You rule with a scepter of justice.
Joshua 5:13-15 NKJV
And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, “Are You for us or for our adversaries?” So He said, “No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, “What does my Lord say to His servant?” Then the Commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, “Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.” And Joshua did so.
Ephesians 6:10-18 NIV
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
John 16:33 NIV
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, You are the Captain of the Hosts of the Lord! Your weapons are polished and ready; spiritual are they and not the weapons of the flesh. Mighty are these weapons to the pulling down of strongholds and anything that exalts itself against the knowledge of Christ. Like David shunning the armor of King Saul, I will not wage warfare today with the weapons of men: chaos, deceit, destruction, and violence. In Your name I will face my foes, just as did David. I will march in perfect order; I will assault lies with Truth; I will rebuild and restore and I will wage peace. My sword will stay in its sheath while Your Sword—the proclamation of the Word of God—does its work. “Mighty Warrior, dressed for battle! Bring me to attention!” Amen.

Songs of the Mighty Warrior:
Lift High the Lord Our Banner
Words and Music: Macon Delavan

Lift high the Lord, our banner. Lift high the Lord, Jesus King
Lift high the Lord, our banner. Lift high your praise to Him sing

For He is wonderful, For He reigns on high.
For He is marvelous, The Lord draweth nigh.

Mighty Warrior
Lyrics and Music: Debbye Graafsma

Mighty warrior, Dressed for battle, Holy Lord of all is He
Commander in chief, Bring us to attention, Lead us into battle
To crush the enemy

Satan has no authority Here in this place. He has no authority here
For this habitation Was fashioned for The Lord’s presence,
No authority here

Mighty warrior, Dressed for battle, Holy Lord of all is He
Commander in chief, Bring us to attention, Lead us into battle
To crush the enemy

Jesus has all authority Here in this place. He has all authority here
For this habitation Was fashioned for The Lord’s presence,
All authority here

Mighty warrior, Dressed for battle, Holy Lord of all is He
Commander in chief, Bring us to attention, Lead us into battle
To crush the enemy

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer
For more on Pride: “The Invisible Mountain”

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

Worship Songs should teach us “More about Jesus!”

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, June

June 10, 2017 “Zeal”

Zeal

A conflagration contained; a fire focused; a torch in transit, a fervent flame—Zeal is all these things.
When Jesus, whip in hand, disturbed the peace of an ordinary morning in the Temple, His disciples were reminded of the psalm that said, “The zeal of Your house will consume me.”

Zeal. Jesus demonstrated it that day. He was a conflagration barely contained, a fire totally focused on the profanity before Him in the sacred space dedicated to praise. He was a burning torch of righteous indignation moving through the crowd, a fervent flame of wrath spreading justice with every step and every crack of the whip.

The zeal of His Father’s house was burning, but it was not consuming Him.
The fires of the Spirit of God do not consume the good, only the bad and there was nothing bad in Jesus, no rotting fuel of iniquities hidden or strange substance of sin. The fire of the Spirit burned with a pure, white heat from the depths of His pure heart out to the end of the whip in His hand. And the work of the Spirit was done—reform of His Father’s House, at least for that morning. He was the Refiner’s Fire incarnate, purifying the House of God, consuming the bad and refining the good.

The last prophet in the Old Testament predicted this. “Suddenly the Lord you seek will come to His temple! He will be a Refiner’s Fire to purify the sons of Levi.” The merchants of cheap grace were not suited up for His zeal and they got burned. Instead of profit, they found a prophet, the Messenger of a New Covenant of a holy fire that cleanses the soul.

There is no need to fear the Zeal of the Lord.
We all have a natural fear of fire and well we should. Fire out of control is a devastating force. The Zeal of the Father’s House is a cleansing force, a purifying process of revolutionized thinking and corrected behavior. It is like the fire Moses saw in the burning bush—bright enough to light an already sunlit day, hot enough to bend the air in a desert wasteland at noonday—but still a fire that left the bush intact.

This is a powerful picture of the work of the Spirit in our lives. The Lord wants to strike fire in our hearts, the way He did Cleopas and his friend on the road from Emmaus to Jerusalem. The fire is in The Book. Sparks jump when we read it in faith. A focused flame leaps from the page to our heart as the Holy Spirit inscribes the Word of God into our hearts just as the finger of God did on the stone tablets Moses carried down the slopes of Zion.

Then we can be a conflagration contained; a fire focused; a torch in transit, and a fervent flame in this world.

Scriptures:
Psalm 69
Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in the miry depths, where there is no foothold. I have come into the deep waters; the floods engulf me. I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God. … For I endure scorn for your sake, and shame covers my face. I am a stranger to my brothers, an alien to my own mother’s sons; for zeal for your house consumes me, and the insults of those who insult you fall on me. When I weep and fast, I must endure scorn; when I put on sackcloth, people make sport of me. … O God, protect me. I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving. This will please the Lord more than an ox, more than a bull with its horns and hoofs. The poor will see and be glad — you who seek God, may your hearts live! The Lord hears the needy and does not despise his captive people. Let heaven and earth praise him, the seas and all that move in them, for God will save Zion and rebuild the cities of Judah. Then people will settle there and possess it; the children of his servants will inherit it, and those who love his name will dwell there.
Malachi 3:1-4 NIV
“See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty. But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord , as in days gone by, as in former years.
John 2:13-17 NIV
When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!” His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.”
Romans 12:9-13 NIV
Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, set my soul on fire! Ignite my mind with Your burning truth. Make my spirit a torch blazing in this dark hour. Like those two of my forebears on the road to Emmaus, flame my heart and fuel my steps with the fires of Your grace. I will not fear the “zeal of Your house” for I know it to be a fire that burns but does not destroy me. Let me hear Your words from the burning tree of Your Book as it lights my path. I will not fear the darkness of the hour for Your illuminating fire burns eternal. Amen.

Song:
Send the Fire
Composer: William Booth

1. Thou Christ of burning, cleansing flame,
Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!
Thy blood-bought gift today we claim,
Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!
Look down and see this waiting host,
Give us the promised Holy Ghost;
We want another Pentecost,
Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!

2. God of Elijah, hear our cry:
Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!
To make us fit to live or die,
Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!
To burn up every trace of sin,
To bring the light and glory in,
The revolution now begin,
Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!

3. ’Tis fire we want, for fire we plead,
Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!
The fire will meet our every need,
Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!
For strength to ever do the right,
For grace to conquer in the fight,
For pow’r to walk the world in white,
Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!

4. To make our weak hearts strong and brave,
Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!
To live a dying world to save,
Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!
Oh, see us on Thy altar lay
Our lives, our all, this very day;
To crown the off’ring now we pray,
Send the fire, send the fire, send the fire!

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

What can you do when the fire within seems to be dying?  Read “Dim and Flaring Lamps” at: http://stevephifer.com/dim-and-flaring-lamps/

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, June

June 3, 2017: “Congregation”

Congregation

The congregation is not an audience.
To confuse the two requires a cultural understanding of public worship instead of a biblical one. The two words are based on different words:

  • “Audience” is based on “audio” which refers to hearing.
  • “Congregation” is based on the verb, “to congregate.”

An audience is there to hear. A congregation is an intentional gathering of people.
To put it plainly:

  • An audience is a gathering of people to intent on hearing something.
  • A congregation is a group of people who have come together for more than just to hear.

Why does a congregation congregate?

A biblical name for the church is “the called out ones.” We congregate because the Lord has called us together. The Bible is clear: “Do not stop congregating!”

Important Differences
By observation we can see important differences between an audience and a congregation:

  • People in an audience have no inherent relationship to each other. They are just in the same room at the same time for the same event—to “hear” the same thing.
  • Members of a congregation are in relationship with each other. They are brothers and sisters in Jesus, parents and children in the faith, and grandparents and grandchildren in the Family of God.
  • Audience members are observers; they have come to watch the goings on. They expect to receive something from the presenters.
  • Congregation members are participants; they have come with work to do. They intend to give something to the Lord—worship!
  • Audience members have few responsibilities toward each other, just common decency.
  • Congregants have great responsibilities toward each other. These can be summed up in the biblical phrase “decently and in order.” We must worship with all our heart, soul, mind and strength while not taking the spotlight off the Lord Jesus.

A Powerful Prepositional Phrase
One of the most important phrases in the Bible is easy to overlook: “In the midst of the congregation…” Another version of is: “In the Assembly…” To me these words mean that I must always consider the “common good” of the whole congregation. I must not treat them as if they were an audience—that would be a terrible demotion.

They are the people of God!

Scriptures:
Psalm 40
I waited patiently upon the Lord; he stooped to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the desolate pit, out of the mire and clay; he set my feet upon a high cliff and made my footing sure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; many shall see, and stand in awe, and put their trust in the Lord. Happy are they who trust in the Lord! they do not resort to evil spirits or turn to false gods. Great things are they that you have done, O Lord my God! how great your wonders and your plans for us! there is none who can be compared with you…. Burnt-offering and sin-offering you have not required, and so I said, “Behold, I come. In the roll of the book it is written concerning me: ‘I love to do your will, O my God; your law is deep in my heart.'” I proclaimed righteousness in the great congregation; behold, I did not restrain my lips; and that, O Lord, you know. Your righteousness have I not hidden in my heart; I have spoken of your faithfulness and your deliverance; I have not concealed your love and faithfulness from the great congregation. …. Let all who seek you rejoice in you and be glad; let those who love your salvation continually say, “Great is the Lord!” Though I am poor and afflicted, the Lord will have regard for me. You are my helper and my deliverer; do not tarry, O my God.
Hebrews 2:10-12 NIV
In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers. He says, “I will declare your name to my brothers; in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises.”
From the Psalms NIV
22:22; 25
I will declare your name to my brothers; in the congregation I will praise you. From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly; before those who fear you will I fulfill my vows.
26:12
My feet stand on level ground; in the great assembly I will praise the Lord.
35:18
I will give you thanks in the great assembly; among throngs of people I will praise you.
68:26
Praise God in the great congregation; praise the Lord in the assembly of Israel.
79:13
Then we your people, the sheep of your pasture, will praise you forever; from generation to generation we will recount your praise.
107:31-32
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men. Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people and praise him in the council of the elders.
111:1
Praise the Lord. I will extol the Lord ]with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly.
145:4-5
One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts. They will speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works
149:1
Praise the Lord .Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of the saints.
1 Peter 2:4-6; 9-10 NIV
As you come to him, the living Stone — rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ…But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Song:
Come Now, O Royal Priesthood
Words and Music: Stephen Phifer

1. Come now, O Royal Priesthood, bring the Sacrifice of Praise,
The fruit of lips that sing His Name, the song of ancient days.
Made holy by His Righteousness, made regal by His Grace,
Come now, O Roy-al Priesthood, bring the of Praise.

Refrain:
O sing! Sing unto the Lord Your King
And Praise! Lift your voice with thanksgiving.
Let the measure of your praises be “the glory due His Name.”
Come now, O Royal Priesthood, bring the Sacrifice of Praise!

2. Come now, O Holy Priesthood, bring the Sacrifice of Love;
The first commandment now obey, affections fixed above,
Where Jesus reigns in majesty on a Throne of Truth and Trust.
Come now, O Holy Priesthood bring the Sacrifice of Love.

Refrain

3. Come now, O Holy Nation, for the King is calling you
To stand for Him and live for Him, a people brave and true;
Ambassadors of Heaven with Heaven’s work to do.
Come now, O Holy Nation for the King is calling you!

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

See also: “A Prayer for the Sanctuary” 

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, May

May 31, 2017

Citadels

A citadel is a fortified fortress.
It is a strong and high tower at a strategic point on a fortress or city wall. These watchtowers provided a higher vantage point for those charged with sighting potential dangers and warning the city. Every night someone had to leave the comforts of the streets and dwellings the city provided to help keep the precious peace of all involved. The height and strength of the citadel provided cover and safety for men with a dangerous job.

Walk about Zion
The Psalmist is like an ancient tour guide, inviting us to journey across the centuries to tour the Holy City, the City David, Jerusalem. The Temple is magnificent, built to King David’s specifications by his son. King Solomon. The city walls, with regularly spaced citadels, were impressive and effective, keeping enemies out and citizens in. When the gates closed at night, the safety of the whole city was in the hands of the soldiers in the citadels. Their eyes were the radar of the day; their ears the antennae to detect the sounds of danger.

That desert debate (“turn stones into bread”) wasn’t the only temptation of Jesus—He was tempted in every way we are tempted but never did He disobey. It is this record of purity that enabled Him to take our impurity upon Himself on the cross.

Citadels of Truth
The days of walled cities and castles on mountains are long gone, but the danger and the diligence remain. There are strong towers today that guard the peace of the church. These citadels are truths that guide us and define us. These citadels are the things that we agree on.

  • The Bible is the Word of God.
  • God Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—three in One and One in three.
  • Jesus is the only Savior and we are saved through faith in Him.
  • The Holy Spirit is our helper and guide.
  • God is our Heavenly Father.
  • The church is the Body of Christ on this earth.
  • The church should strive to be one, as Jesus prayed.
  • Jesus will come again.
  • We are commanded to Love God.
  • We are commissioned to tell our world the Jesus Story.

I counted ten Citadels of the faith. From these exalted vantage points we can see a great distance.

  • We can detect the dust of an approaching enemy who tells of a different God.
  • We can hear the music of hell wafting on the wind, even at great distance, so that distance can be kept. We must not dance to the devils tune.
  • From these fortified fortifications we can keep our families safe and secure through the long night until the Great Dawn when our King shall return with everlasting light.

Keeping Watch
We must see the signs of war before the attack. We need to hear the noise of their gathering armies. We cannot see and hear these things from ground level, if we think and act like the world. We need elevation. We must live on a higher level of morality and truth. We need a tower, a tower of strength—Jesus is our Citadel, our tower of Hope. He will not be surprised. He will not be defeated.

We can sleep tonight safe within the walls of His grace and under the watchful eye of His Spirit.

Scriptures:
Psalm 48 NIV
Great is the Lord, and most worthy of praise, in the city of our God, his holy mountain. It is beautiful in its loftiness, the joy of the whole earth. Like the utmost heights of Zaphon is Mount Zion, the city of the Great King. God is in her citadels; he has shown himself to be her fortress. When the kings joined forces, when they advanced together, they saw [her] and were astounded; they fled in terror. Trembling seized them there, pain like that of a woman in labor. You destroyed them like ships of Tarshish shattered by an east wind. As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the Lord Almighty, in the city of our God: God makes her secure forever. Within your temple, O God, we meditate on your unfailing love. Like your name, O God, your praise reaches to the ends of the earth; your right hand is filled with righteousness. Mount Zion rejoices, the villages of Judah are glad because of your judgments. Walk about Zion, go around her, count her towers, consider well her ramparts, view her citadels, that you may tell of them to the next generation. For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end.
Psalm 61:1-4 NIV
Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe. I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.
Proverbs 18:10 NIV
The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.
Psalm 18:2-3 NIV
The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I am saved from my enemies.
Psalm 28:8 NIV
The Lord is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.
Psalm 46:4-7 NIV
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day. Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall; he lifts his voice, the earth melts. The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.
Psalm 62:5-8 NIV
Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God;
he is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.
Psalm 91:1-2 NIV
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, You are my Tower of Strength! When evening comes I will rest in the safety of this citadel. But this morning the day is before me, not the night. I will take my battle station. I will scan the horizon signs of the enemy. I will listen with depth to the sounds on the winds of culture and media that blow without ceasing. The enemy seeks entrance into city; he wants to breach the walls. I will not be blind to him or deaf to him. I will sound the alarm to my fellow citizens. Your walls will stand secure; the citadel of truth will not fall to deception. Lord Jesus, You are my Tower of Strength! Amen.

Song:
A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
Words: Martin Luther; Music: Traditional

1. A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing;
our helper he amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing.
For still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe;
his craft and power are great, and armed with cruel hate,
on earth is not his equal.

2. Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing,
were not the right man on our side, the man of God’s own choosing.
Dost ask who that may be?  Christ Jesus, it is he;
Lord Sabaoth, his name, from age to age the same,
and he must win the battle.

3. And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us,
we will not fear, for God hath willed his truth to triumph through us.
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
his rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure;
one little word shall fell him.

4. That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth;
the Spirit and the gifts are ours, thru him who with us sideth.
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
the body they may kill; God’s truth abideth still;
his kingdom is forever.

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, May

May 30, 2017

Weapons

Armies are known to be armed.
They carry weapons into battle. It would be foolish not to. From ancient times until today there have been two kinds of weapons: offensive and defensive—symbolized for all times by the images of the sword and shield.

The Scriptures carry on this imagery:

  • The Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God.
  • The Shield is the Shield of Faith.

There is no need to modernize these ancient images or to update them to the digital age for they have no metaphorical counterparts. All the weapons of modern warfare are conceived as either swords or shields.

Spiritual Warfare
Spiritual warfare is not a metaphor; it is a reality; we are in a battle! In Scripture, the church is seen as the Army of the Lord and He does not send us into battle without weapons.

Evil is not some impersonal force, like an airborne plague that sickens individuals and society itself. Evil has a face, and a mind, and a plan. If we believe the Bible record, Jesus went toe-to-toe with Satan in the wilderness and defeated him two fantastic weapons: The Truth of God and Obedience to God.

Satan was beaten in the first round. His only counter-punch for Truth is a lie and the better we know the Truth the easier it is to spot a lie. As for Obedience to God, the enemy is outnumbered because he isn’t fighting just us and our will power but the Holy Spirit and a squad of warrior angels sent to help us inside and out.

That desert debate (“turn stones into bread”) wasn’t the only temptation of Jesus—He was tempted in every way we are tempted but never did He disobey. It is this record of purity that enabled Him to take our impurity upon Himself on the cross.

Evil is in this world because it dwells in the hearts of people.
The forces of darkness latch on to a person through thoughts and behavior. Until the Blood of Christ cleanses the heart and the Holy Spirit takes up residence there the evil will only be a matter of degree.

The Blood Bought Church is the Army of the Lord.
We have weapons of warfare that are of the spirit not the flesh. Our faith in Christ is our sure and certain shield. The Word of God is our double sharp sword. One more weapon do we need, it is both a defensive and an offensive one—Obedience. Hell has no defense against our obedience!

Armies are known to be armed—they carry weapons into battle. It would be foolish not to.

Scriptures:
Psalm 44:1-8 NIV
We have heard with our ears, O God; our fathers have told us what you did in their days, in days long ago. With your hand you drove out the nations and planted our fathers; you crushed the peoples and made our fathers flourish. It was not by their sword that they won the land, nor did their arm bring them victory; it was your right hand, your arm, and the light of your face, for you loved them. You are my King and my God, who decrees victories for Jacob. Through you we push back our enemies; through your name we trample our foes. I do not trust in my bow, my sword does not bring me victory; but you give us victory over our enemies, you put our adversaries to shame. In God we make our boast all day long, and we will praise your name forever.
Psalm 76:1-3 NIV
In Judah God is known; his name is great in Israel. His tent is in Salem, his dwelling place in Zion. There he broke the flashing arrows, the shields and the swords, the weapons of war.
2 Corinthians 6:4-10 NIV
Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.
2 Corinthians 10:3-6 NKJV
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 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, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.
Ephesians 6:16-18 NIV
In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
Psalms 149:6-9 NIV
May the praise of God be in their mouths and a double-edged sword in their hands, to inflict vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples, to bind their kings with fetters, their nobles with shackles of iron, to carry out the sentence written against them. This is the glory of all his saints.
Romans 12:21 NIV
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, Captain of the Hosts of the Lord, call me to attention today. I will put on the Gospel Armor; each piece put on with faith. I will sharpen the Sword of Truth and wield the Shield of Faith. I will walk securely in the security of my preparation of the Gospel. With my head covered with salvation and my heart secured with Your righteousness, I will march forth wearing the belt of Truth. I will wage a good warfare today, with spiritual weapons not those of the flesh. And You will triumph through me! Lord Jesus, Captain of the Hosts of the Lord, call me to attention today. Amen.

Song:
For the Lord Is Marching On
Words and Music by Bonnie Low

1.For the Lord is marching on
And His army is ever strong
And His glory shall be seen upon our land
Raise the anthem, sing the victor’s song
Praise the Lord for the battle’s won
No weapon formed against us shall stand!

Refrain:
For the Captain of the host is Jesus
We’re following in His footsteps
No foe can stand against us in the fray!
No foe can stand against us in the fray!

2. We are marching in Messiah’s band
The keys of vict’ry in His mighty hand
Let us march on to take our promised land
For the Lord is marching on And His army is ever strong
And His glory shall be seen upon our land.

Refrain

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved