Tag: followers of christ

Posted in Devotions, Fathers Love, Holiness, Marraige, spiritual warfare, wisdom, worship

The Journey Begins!–Genesis 27 Part 2

Posted on by Michael Smith
Isaac had no intention of yielding to God’s will–He attempted to subvert God’s plan by blessing Esau–not simply a “God Bless You” after a sneeze–this was dictating to God who would serve whom.  But, even though Rebekah saw and corrected Isaac’s intentional disregard for God’s will–Jacob was still in danger. So, It was time to leave for Jacob.  He was not much of an adventurer, but God was about to transform this scoundrel into the leader of his nation of priests. 
 
As with any transformation, this journey would start with one step–the most difficult one.  Jacob would have to leave the comfort of his home and protection of his family to start on his own.  In his case, Jacob’s journey was aided by his circumstances–he really felt like he had no other options, and at that moment, he felt all alone. 
 
In our lives, so much of God’s plan us seems dictated by circumstance.  Marriage, jobs, family and health often send us in directions we would have never have dictated.  Still, as we continue to trust and follow him, he will lead, guide and direct us through his plan for our lives.  Then as we look back–while we have no idea how he did it–we see we have become more like him, in our thought and deeds.  We see his hand in our steps, and we finally realize–like Jeremiah, in Jerimiah 29:11; that the father meant it when he said, “I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord.  Plans to prosper you–not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future!”
 
We will never understand his plan–until it is in his right time.  In the meantime–we simply need to trust and follow him humbly, gratefully and closely!
 
God Bless You

Isaac trembled violently and said, “Who was it, then, that hunted game and brought it to me? I ate it just before you came and I blessed him—and indeed he will be blessed!”34 When Esau heard his father’s words, he burst out with a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, “Bless me—me too, my father!”

35 But he said, “Your brother came deceitfully and took your blessing.”

36 Esau said, “Isn’t he rightly named Jacob[a]? This is the second time he has taken advantage of me: He took my birthright, and now he’s taken my blessing!” Then he asked, “Haven’t you reserved any blessing for me?”

37 Isaac answered Esau, “I have made him lord over you and have made all his relatives his servants, and I have sustained him with grain and new wine. So what can I possibly do for you, my son?”… 42 When Rebekah was told what her older son Esau had said, she sent for her younger son Jacob and said to him, “Your brother Esau is planning to avenge himself by killing you. 43 Now then, my son, do what I say: Flee at once to my brother Laban in Harran. 44 Stay with him for a while until your brother’s fury subsides. 45 When your brother is no longer angry with you and forgets what you did to him, I’ll send word for you to come back from there. Why should I lose both of you in one day?”

Posted in A Father's Love, Creation, Devotions, Holiness, spiritual warfare, wisdom, worship

Their God is Their Stomach–Genesis 25 Part 3

Posted on by Michael Smith

There is no accounting for what drives people.  Isaac waited a quarter century to have sons. When his sons arrived, there was a clear distinction; Esau was a burley–“Man’s man” and Jacob was an inside guy.  God told Isaac and Sarah–Jacob would continue the lineage–but, Isaac loved Esau.  He loved his talent, his rugged style and the yummy food he made.  So much so, that Esau clearly felt confident he had his future made.  He became cocky–self absorbed–his God was his stomach.

Esau felt like the rules were not made for him; so, when Jacob offered him a nice dinner for the family birthright–well, there was no question that he would take the soup.  Esau was all about now.  He worried about his next meal, his next hunt and his next desire–long term thought was simply not a part of his routine.  When Jacob traded him the soup for birthright–it spoke volumes of the hearts of the men.  Esau never desired the responsibility of continuing the family line–he only wanted to hunt and fill his stomach.

In our world, not much has changed.  Most folks are like Esau–self-absorbed and self-reliant.  Their concern is for today, for themselves and not for God. People admire their rugged style, their false bravado and the way they take care of themselves.  The truth is–it takes an eternal perspective to see past the here and now.  When people live for eternity–the world feels they are foolish, weird and out of touch with the times.  Truth is, however, it is that perspective–that will change the world.  We have to look beyond our personal needs and trust God for who we are and what we have. That is the only life that will leave a legacy.  Those who live for now will only leave stuff and emptiness. Paul spoke of those people as the enemies of God in Philippians 3–“Their God is their stomach and they glory in their shame.” In short–Esau was not an enemy of his birthright, He was an enemy of God.

It brings to a head what Joshua said–“Choose this day whom you will serve…as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!” Joshua 24:6

God Bless You

 
 
The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was content to stay at home among the tents. 28 Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

29 Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. 30 He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom.[f])

31 Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.”

32 “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?”

33 But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.

34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left.

So Esau despised his birthright.

Posted in Devotions, Fathers Love, Holiness, Marraige, spiritual warfare, wisdom, worship

The Power of Family Values–Genesis 24 Final

Posted on by Michael Smith
It is great, when a plan works.  As God prepared  the heart of Abraham and Isaac in Canaan–he was doing the same in Haran for Abraham’s family.  When given the story, not only was the family willing to step out in faith–but, Rebekah was also willing to trust God and leave the safety of home to go meet this Isaac.  What’s more, after traveling back through the desert, they arrive back at Abraham’s home only to find Isaac in prayer.  It was clear that God was a centerpiece in the lives of the family that Abraham’s Dad, Terah, raised.  That framework, was the very driving force that pushed his son to seek his daughter-in-law from a family with the same heritage and faith.
 
One can never underestimate the power of one’s lineage and family values.  It is the power of those values and traditions, that saved humanity during the time of Noah. Those values made Abraham a nomad for 25+ years, while he waited on God to provide an heir.  It is the same values that keep his chosen today praying for like-minded families to raise spouses for their kids. 
 
We pray for the spouses for our kids daily.  from their youth, we have instilled the critical nature of marrying Godly spouses that will be aligned in faith–to journey together.  It is no small thing–as seen in the life of Abraham, to properly raise and prepare your kids to marry Godly spouses.  That is how faith travels through the lineage from Seth to Noah; from Shem to Abraham and finally from Abraham to Jesus. Since prayer is the greater work, families must pray for unity and faith to continue as a family trait and tradition.  The world will hate it, and it becomes more difficult as each generation passes–but, with God, ALL things are possible.
 
God Bless You
When Abraham’s servant heard what they said, he bowed down to the ground before the Lord. 53 Then the servant brought out gold and silver jewelry and articles of clothing and gave them to Rebekah; he also gave costly gifts to her brother and to her mother. 54 Then he and the men who were with him ate and drank and spent the night there.When they got up the next morning, he said, “Send me on my way to my master.”

55 But her brother and her mother replied, “Let the young woman remain with us ten days or so; then you[e] may go.”

56 But he said to them, “Do not detain me, now that the Lord has granted success to my journey. Send me on my way so I may go to my master.”

57 Then they said, “Let’s call the young woman and ask her about it.” 58 So they called Rebekah and asked her, “Will you go with this man?”

“I will go,” she said.

59 So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way, along with her nurse and Abraham’s servant and his men. 60 And they blessed Rebekah and said to her,

“Our sister, may you increase
    to thousands upon thousands;
may your offspring possess
    the cities of their enemies.”

61 Then Rebekah and her attendants got ready and mounted the camels and went back with the man. So the servant took Rebekah and left.

62 Now Isaac had come from Beer Lahai Roi, for he was living in the Negev. 63 He went out to the field one evening to meditate,[f] and as he looked up, he saw camels approaching. 64 Rebekah also looked up and saw Isaac. She got down from her camel 65 and asked the servant, “Who is that man in the field coming to meet us?”

“He is my master,” the servant answered. So she took her veil and covered herself.

66 Then the servant told Isaac all he had done. 67 Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he married Rebekah. So she became his wife, and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.

Posted in A Father's Love, devotion, Holiness, Marraige, spiritual warfare

In the World–BUT, Not of the World–Genesis 24 Part 1

Posted on by Michael Smith
It is very important to preserve our culture.  Abraham had lived his adult life as he was raised–trusting God and following God closely. He was raised in a home and culture where God was still honored and followed.  While that culture was neither popular or widely practiced, God knew that diluting it by mixing it liberally in the world culture would not end well.  God’s desire was to build a kingdom of priests–a nation that served God and brought his message of restoration to the world. 
 
God also knew that by mixing cultures, the world would dramatically impact Abraham’s family–far more than Abraham’s family would ever affect world.  That is why Abraham sought for and obtained the promise from his servant to find his son, Isaac a wife from the people in his land and of his family.  Abraham had already witnessed time and again the affect of the world–his nephew now was building his lineage through children he had with his own daughters–simply because God wiped out the evil that was Sodom and Gomorrah where Lot liberally mixed his family. 
 
The world’s way always diverges from God’s way.  That is why we are called to be “in the world”–but not “of the world”. That is why we–as families, like Abraham, have to raise those families in the culture–but define ourselves from the culture.  What we do to entertain ourselves, how we treat others and how we prioritize God in our daily lives; will separate us from the world.  In that position, we cannot be afraid of rejection from the world, we should be glad for such rejection–Abraham was! Jesus promised–“Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will be added to you.”
 
God Bless You

Abraham was now very old, and the Lord had blessed him in every way. 2 He said to the senior servant in his household, the one in charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh. 3 I want you to swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, 4 but will go to my country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac.”5 The servant asked him, “What if the woman is unwilling to come back with me to this land? Shall I then take your son back to the country you came from?”

6 “Make sure that you do not take my son back there,” Abraham said. 7 “The Lord, the God of heaven, who brought me out of my father’s household and my native land and who spoke to me and promised me on oath, saying, ‘To your offspring[a] I will give this land’—he will send his angel before you so that you can get a wife for my son from there. 8 If the woman is unwilling to come back with you, then you will be released from this oath of mine. Only do not take my son back there.” 9 So the servant put his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and swore an oath to him concerning this matter.

10 Then the servant left, taking with him ten of his master’s camels loaded with all kinds of good things from his master. He set out for Aram Naharaim[b] and made his way to the town of Nahor. 11 He had the camels kneel down near the well outside the town; it was toward evening, the time the women go out to draw water.

Posted in A Father's Love, Devotions, Holiness, spiritual warfare, wisdom, worship

That Just Isn’t Fair–Genesis 21 Part 1

Posted on by Michael Smith
We see the world linearly, while God see’s the world from an all knowing, omnipresent way. Because our view is so limited, many things that God does and allows seem both unfair and unreasonable.  What Abraham understood was that God knew the plan–and it was not his job to question it; it was his job to trust God and follow his lead.  Make no mistake, Abraham loved his son Ishmael, but, God always intended to build Abraham’s lineage through Isaac. Trusting that, Abraham honored God’s command and sent Hagar and Ishmael on their way.  I am sure it was not easy, but, as Abraham had trusted God for 25 years–he had to again trust God to bring his plan to fruition.
 
Nothing has changed.  There is so much in the world that seems unfair.  Many of the things result from men’s choices to do evil and reject God.  Some things that happen, however, do not seem–from our linear perspective to make sense or even align with God’s nature in any way.  We, therefore, begin to blame God for life’s trials–rather than seek Him to make sense of them and follow him through the difficult times.  Many things will never have a why attached, but, most will find him walking with us and propping us up–when it seems we cannot continue to go forward.
 
God is both ready and able to meet us where we are and carry us through any and all circumstances–even those that do not seem fair. We, like Abraham, must be willing to trust him and follow him even in the times we do not understand his plan or life’s circumstance.  This is war–and, as his warriors, we must be prepared to take the steps to survive and follow his lead.
 
God Bless You

Now the Lord was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what he had promised. 2 Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him. 3 Abraham gave the name Isaac[a] to the son Sarah bore him. 4 When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God commanded him. 5 Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.6 Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” 7 And she added, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”

Hagar and Ishmael Sent Away

8 The child grew and was weaned, and on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast. 9 But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking, 10 and she said to Abraham, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.”

11 The matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son. 12 But God said to him, “Do not be so distressed about the boy and your slave woman. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring[b] will be reckoned. 13 I will make the son of the slave into a nation also, because he is your offspring.”

Posted in A Father's Love, Devotions, Holiness, spiritual warfare, wisdom, worship

Legacy or Reminder-Sadly, Mission Accomplished–Genesis 19 Final

Posted on by Michael Smith

God’s commitment to Abraham was stronger than his disgust with the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. While the angels allowed Lot and his daughters time to flee, Lot’s wife looked back at the life she had grown to love, and was changed into a pillar of salt. In a sense, she became the memorial for all who turn away from God and back towards the sin to which they are enslaved.  Meanwhile, Lot lost all he had and ended up alive–but alone with his daughters, in the mountains, in a cave. 

Sin and its remnants simply never end well. The loss of life, the destruction and disruption left in its wake–are all simply by-products of a life carried out independently and apart from God and his leadership. We need to live lives that seek and honor God. It is a daily journey.  Often the journey is treacherous and seems impossible–but, as we follow him, we will leave a legacy of faith; not a pillar of failure. We will be examples of what faith can deliver and not remnants of sin’s destruction. Much like the choice of Lot and his family–we have to be willing to move forward to be a part of a future where God is the centerpiece, or we must prepare to be stopped cold and left behind as a marker of the cost of sin and its remnants.

God Bless You. 

By the time Lot reached Zoar, the sun had risen over the land.

Then the Lord rained down burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the Lord out of the heavens.

Thus he overthrew those cities and the entire plain, destroying all those living in the cities—and also the vegetation in the land.

But Lot’s wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.

Early the next morning Abraham got up and returned to the place where he had stood before the Lord.

He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah, toward all the land of the plain, and he saw dense smoke rising from the land, like smoke from a furnace.

So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, he remembered Abraham, and he brought Lot out of the catastrophe that overthrew the cities where Lot had lived.

Posted in A Father's Love, Creation, Devotions, Holiness, spiritual warfare, wisdom, worship

How About Ten–Genesis 18 Final

Posted on by Michael Smith

Sometimes, the culture is simply not worth saving.  But, to understand the depth’s God is willing to go to bring salvation, one need only look at the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.  There is no census as to the size of the cities, but, it is safe to assume they were urban areas with significant populations.  As The visitors were leaving, God revealed he was abut to destroy them.  In the chapter, Abraham started the first intercessory prayer ministry pleading for the two cities. Abraham hated to see the cities wiped out–he begged God to save the cities for 50 people’s sake. God agreed.  As Abraham thought and reality set in; he negotiated that number down to 10–4 of which were Lot and his family.  So, God was willing to spare the cities for 6 additional people who would not be totally evil. 

When a culture becomes so evil that even 6 additional men would be enough hope to save it–times have become terrible.  Such was the case in Noah’s time and now with Sodom and Gomorrah.  Once a culture distances itself from God–it also distances itself from what is good, holy, loving and kind.   Sadly, societies do not level off in the middle–they either embrace good or they embrace evil–interestingly, as they seek to free themselves from God, they enslave themselves to all things selfish–wealth, self gratification, power, entertainment and pleasures.  Each thing is temporary and drive the culture into a spiral that always ends in the culture’s destruction. 

The good news remains that Christ came to overcome the world.  Our seeking and following him, is the hope of preserving our culture. When God’s people who are called by his name will humble themselves, turn from evil and pray; then they will find him and he will heal them and restore their land.(2 Chronicles 7:14) As we see with Abraham, God does not ask for or expect much–10 will do…

God Bless You

 

When the men got up to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. 17 Then the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? 18 Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him.[c] 19 For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just, so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him.”20 Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous 21 that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.”

22 The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord.[d] 23 Then Abraham approached him and said: “Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? 24 What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare[e] the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? 25 Far be it from you to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

26 The Lord said, “If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”

27 Then Abraham spoke up again: “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, though I am nothing but dust and ashes, 28 what if the number of the righteous is five less than fifty? Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five people?”

“If I find forty-five there,” he said, “I will not destroy it.”

29 Once again he spoke to him, “What if only forty are found there?”

He said, “For the sake of forty, I will not do it.”

30 Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak. What if only thirty can be found there?”

He answered, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.”

31 Abraham said, “Now that I have been so bold as to speak to the Lord, what if only twenty can be found there?”

He said, “For the sake of twenty, I will not destroy it.”

32 Then he said, “May the Lord not be angry, but let me speak just once more. What if only ten can be found there?”

He answered, “For the sake of ten, I will not destroy it.”

33 When the Lord had finished speaking with Abraham, he left, and Abraham returned home.

Posted in Devotions, Holiness, Marraige, spiritual warfare, wisdom, worship

Visitors Are Welcome Here!–Genesis 18 Part 1

Posted on by Michael Smith
You never know who might drop in on you…On this day, Abraham had 3 visitors–they just happened to be God!  When they appeared, Abraham knew right away they were not just anybody–So he rushed out to meet them, welcomed them and treated them as honored guests in his home.  What Abraham was about to experience would be a day that he would never forget–largely, because he welcomed them honored them and trusted them.  Sadly, then as now, that rarely happened.   As Abraham and his family feverously prepared to honor their guests, God was preparing to honor Him.
 
In our lives, we have to be open to the idea that God places people in our lives like the visitors who came to Abraham. They appear and we treat them with honor and respect–only to find later they were God’s emissaries to meet us, train and bless us.  We have to be kind and respectful–trusting God to use us in the lives of others, but also knowing we may be visited by his emissaries.  We live in a society that teaches us that we are the most important person in the room.  The selfie craze is only a manifestation of our hearts attitude that constantly cries out–“Look at me!!!” As his chosen, we have to be the people that cry out, “Welcome, how can I make your day?” It is the selflessness that sets us apart and honors God.  In addition, that selflessness allows God to come in and do great things in our lives–far greater than what we could ever do for ourselves!  Treat folks with love and respect–you never know, you may be entertaining Angels!
 
God Bless You 
The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. 2 Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.3 He said, “If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord,[a] do not pass your servant by. 4 Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree. 5 Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way—now that you have come to your servant.”

“Very well,” they answered, “do as you say.”

6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. “Quick,” he said, “get three seahs[b] of the finest flour and knead it and bake some bread.”

7 Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. 8 He then brought some curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree.

9 “Where is your wife Sarah?” they asked him.

“There, in the tent,” he said.

10 Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.”

nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”

Posted in A Father's Love, Devotions, Holiness, spiritual warfare, wisdom, worship

Skin in the Game–Genesis 17 Part 2

Posted on by Michael Smith
Unlike Abram’s first covenant with God, in the second covenant God required circumcision by all the males in Abraham’s lineage.  This was no small task for the men in the clan.  It was a daily and forever reminder that they were called to be different. They were to be set apart and as God’s chosen people they would introduce God to all the rest of the world.  In exchange, God promised Abraham would become a father to his son through Sarah at age 100.  While unheard of, God’s plan would be different than the plans of men.
 
When we feel God owes us something–we act as entitled children.  We do little to honor or respect him; but then we expect him to act as a cosmic slot machine–we ask and he delivers.  Sadly, that is no way to be in relationship.  We have to have the same covenant attitude as Abraham.  We approach him humbly, follow him closely and trust him completely.  As we do, he will do exceedingly abundantly more than we could ever hope or dream.  God wanted Abraham to live in that kind of relationship–He knew that a one sided commitment would never work–the men had to be a part of the covenant. 
 
In our lives, we do not have to live a covenant based upon a surgery–instead our covenant comes from a heart felt commitment, a choice to surrender and follow him daily and humbly.  As we do, he promises to give us a full and meaningful life on earth and eternal life with him in Heaven.  It is not a trite commitment, we have to follow–like in a marathon runner, a long term journey fraught with twists, turns, ups and downs. As we make the journey, we do so with the same intensity as did Abraham.  If we live like a covenant partner, he will complete us and bless us beyond measure. 
 
God Bless You
Then God said to Abraham, “As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come. 10 This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 You are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring. 13 Whether born in your household or bought with your money, they must be circumcised. My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. 14 Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”
 

15 God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. 16 I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”

Posted in A Father's Love, Devotions, Holiness, spiritual warfare, wisdom, worship

What Warriors Are made Of–Genesis 14 Part 2

Posted on by Michael Smith
Abram walked with confidence and distinction.  The Bible does not elucidate on the strength and prowess of his chosen son, but to put a point on it, he and his men did what 5 kings armies could not.  He routed the enemy and saved his nephew…well, he and the Lord.
 
When he met Melchizedek the King of Salem–the true leader of a nation of priests, He gladly gave the first 10th of the spoils to him, as Melchizedek represented the true warrior of the battle.  It was Abram’s faith, not his skills–that delivered Abram and would continue to deliver his lineage from then to now.  Make no mistake–Abram and his men were warriors and skilled; but, they were also faithful and trusted God!
 
In our lives, we face the same opportunity each day.  The world is seeking to carry off our families, our passion and our faith.  Only, if we humbly trust God and follow him; will we win this spiritual war.  When we do trust him–we will stand out like the true warriors he develops.  Be faithful in all things, understand he loves you completely and walk confidently into today’s battle– then you will make a difference in the lives of those on the line with you!
 
God Bless You
A man who had escaped came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew. Now Abram was living near the great trees of Mamre the Amorite, a brother[b] of Eshkol and Aner, all of whom were allied with Abram. 14 When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained men born in his household and went in pursuit as far as Dan. 15 During the night Abram divided his men to attack them and he routed them, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus. 16 He recovered all the goods and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people.17 After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley).

18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, 19 and he blessed Abram, saying,

“Blessed be Abram by God Most High,
    Creator of heaven and earth.
20 And praise be to God Most High,
    who delivered your enemies into your hand.”

Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.