Dig One Ditch, You Better Dig Two. The Trap You Set, It’s For You...

Reviewing our audio teaching, “Defender” reveals powerful forces available to those who are children of the Most High.

^1-2 So the king and Haman went to dinner with Queen Esther. At this second dinner, while they were drinking wine the king again asked, “Queen Esther, what would you like? Half of my kingdom! Just ask and it’s yours.”
 ³ Queen Esther answered, “If I have found favor in your eyes, O King, and if it please the king, give me my life, and give my people their lives.
 ⁴ “We’ve been sold, I and my people, to be destroyed—sold to be massacred, eliminated. If we had just been sold off into slavery, I wouldn’t even have brought it up; our troubles wouldn’t have been worth bothering the king over.”
 ⁵ King Xerxes exploded, “Who? Where is he? This is monstrous!”
 ⁶ “An enemy. An adversary. This evil Haman,” said Esther.
    Haman was terror-stricken before the king and queen.
 ^7-8 The king, raging, left his wine and stalked out into the palace garden.
    Haman stood there pleading with Queen Esther for his life—he could see that the king was finished with him and that he was doomed. As the king came back from the palace garden into the banquet hall, Haman was groveling at the couch on which Esther reclined. The king roared out, “Will he even molest the queen while I’m just around the corner?”
    When that word left the king’s mouth, all the blood drained from Haman’s face.
 ⁹ Harbona, one of the eunuchs attending the king, spoke up: “Look over there! There’s the gallows that Haman had built for Mordecai, who saved the king’s life. It’s right next to Haman’s house—seventy-five feet high!”
    The king said, “Hang him on it!”
 ¹⁰ So Haman was hanged on the very gallows that he had built for Mordecai. And the king’s hot anger cooled.

Esther 7 [MSG]

Esther was a Jewish young woman who became the wife of the King of Persia. No one knew her ethnic heritage or lineage. So, when Haman (who thought himself to be in tight with the king) decided he wanted to kill all of the Jews, he came face to face with the reality that he had declared war against the King’s beloved bride.  Not only that... Haman wanted to kill Esther’s cousin, Mordecai.  He even built a 75-foot tall gallows to hang Mordecai on.  But Mordecai was not only the closest living relative to the Queen, he had previously saved the King from an assassination plot.  Haman built a gallows to hang Mordecai... but wound up being hung on his own gallows.

This is another indicator that the scriptures are true that say:

He who digs a pit [for others] will fall into it, and whoever breaks through a fence or a [stone] wall, a serpent will bite him.

Ecclesiastes 10:8 [AMP]

Whoever digs a pit [for another man's feet] shall fall into it himself, and he who rolls a stone [up a height to do mischief], it will return upon him.

Proverbs 26:27 [AMP]

God has promised to protect His children. God is your Defender. Don’t worry about people who try to persecute you. Keep an attitude of gratitude. Remember that the joy of the Lord is your strength. You don’t need to fight your battles. God is your defender.  Thanks to Pastor Lon Solomon for his great teachings that inspire our work.

If you need reassurance of God as your defense, listen to our audio teaching, “Defender”.

Purpose for the Pain

I recall having a coach in high school whom I thought to be a certifiable maniac. It seemed that he inflicted pain upon us just for his personal enjoyment.

One day, while enduring a painful session, I just flat out refused to do any more.  The coach responded to my rebellion by asking a question.

“If your house was on fire and you needed to climb down from the second story window to escape, could you do it?  Would you have sufficient upper body strength?”

I knew the answer to that.  I was a fat, overweight slob whose favorite exercise was lifting a fork up to my mouth.  I then had an epiphany.  The coach was not some brain-damaged masochist.  He was, in fact, trying to save my life.  And so I came to realize that there was a purpose for the pain.

Just like a good coach looking out for his athletes, God will often direct us into situations where the pain may not make sense to our finite minds.  Pastor Lon Solomon pointed us to the pain that Esther suffered en route to becoming the most powerful woman in the then known world:

Now there was a Jew who lived in the palace complex in Susa. His name was Mordecai the son of Jair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish—a Benjaminite. His ancestors had been taken from Jerusalem with the exiles and carried off with King Jehoiachin of Judah by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon into exile. Mordecai had reared his cousin Hadassah, otherwise known as Esther, since she had no father or mother. The girl had a good figure and a beautiful face. After her parents died, Mordecai had adopted her.

Esther 2:5-7 [MSG]

Esther was a young girl whose mother and father had died as a result of some unmentioned circumstances.  To lose one’s parents is a traumatic thing.  Even more so for a young girl.  And, to add insult to injury, this young girl was sent to live with a middle-aged bachelor.  Perhaps this was the inspiration for the television series Family Affair? 

No... I didn’t think so either. 

Moving right along...

Esther probably didn’t know at the time that the death of her parents... followed by the paradigm shift of moving in with cousin Mordecai and turning his world upside down... would lead to her occupying the powerful position that ultimately would lead to her singlehandedly saving all of the Jewish people who resided in ancient Persia.

Nobody knows where their circumstances, which may be difficult if not downright painful, will lead them.  There was a young boy whose mother dragged him to a foreign country where he would be ridiculed and mistreated.  Later, his mother dumped the young boy on his grandparents’ doorstep and then went off thousands of miles away to live with her new husband and new baby daughter.  That had to be a painful experience.  Yet... it was part of what made Barack Obama the man he would become.  And who knew during those early years where he would wind up.

Many of you have heard Joyce Meyer’s story. Years of abuse by her father is difficult to imagine.  Yet, Joyce acknowledges that it was all a part of God’s plan to make her the internationally known evangelist that she is today.

The bottom line...

[But what of that?] For I consider that the sufferings of this present time (this present life) are not worth being compared with the glory that is about to be revealed to us and in us and for us and conferred on us!

Romans 8:18 [AMP]

The Apostle Paul reminds us that whatever we suffer in this life is nothing compared with the joys of eternity in God’s kingdom. However, there is another perspective to consider.  God has good plans for us.  Consider Joseph in the Old Testament.  His brothers wanted to murder him... but as a compromise they sold him into slavery.  Joseph spent time as an innocent man in prison.  He was subjected to great indignities.  Yet, Joseph rose to become the second in command to the mightiest nation at that time, Egypt.  Joseph’s take on his path from the pit to the prison to the palace:

Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid. Do I act for God? Don’t you see, you planned evil against me but God used those same plans for my good, as you see all around you right now—life for many people. Easy now, you have nothing to fear; I’ll take care of you and your children.” He reassured them, speaking with them heart-to-heart.

Genesis 50:19-21 [MSG]

God is Soverign. God is also good. Although the plans He has for you may seem difficult to understand, they do have a good purpose. Many people shake their fists toward heaven and curse God.  They just don’t understand the promise that the prophet Jeremiah relayed from our Creator:

For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.

Jeremiah 29:11 [AMP]

Although the path may seem difficult, there is a purpose. And it is a good purpose. But it requires us to trust in God... to cooperate with God... to allow our faith in Him to be a constant.  Jesus is the ultimate example of this principle.

At once, this same Spirit pushed Jesus out into the wild. For forty wilderness days and nights he was tested by Satan. Wild animals were his companions, and angels took care of him.

Mark 1:12-13 [MSG]

Jesus left the comforts of friends of family.  He left the comforts of the city.  He went out into the wilderness where satan pounded Him relentlessly.  Yet, we all know that His pain was for our gain.
My good friend and mentor Pastor Mike Macintosh wrote the following, regarding the above scripture:

The Holy Spirit sent Jesus out into the wilderness where He would be tempted in all areas of His life. The Book of Matthew gives us a fuller account of Jesus' temptation, and there we see that the devil was pounding Jesus. Do you ever feel that way? That the enemy is just pounding you? The pain hurts. But the good thing is this: the pain points us to Jesus Christ.

Stop and think about that; you don't really grow up until you've felt pain in your life. Our society tells us to hide the pain, to mask it. They tell us that using drugs or alcohol or having affairs will dull the pain, making us feel good. But all it does is drive us to an even greater, excruciating and senseless agony in our lives and in our marriages.

Maybe you have been thrust or driven into a situation. The natural human reaction in the flesh is to run away. But to be mature, many times we have to face the music and stay where we are. One of the great sins of our nation is the divorce rate. You can get a divorce for any reason you want these days; sort of like trading in an older car for a newer one. Well, a marriage isn't like a car! And we forget the vows we take are serious things. The devil wants to ruin your marriage. He will tempt you in every way to break up your family. There are times when God puts you into situations that don't always make you feel comfortable. Maybe it's with people who rub you the wrong way, or maybe it's a job that causes you stress. But God wants you to be in these situations to strengthen your faith and to rely on Him more.

The pain of obedience and patience will be rewarded to you. Pain reminds us that we are alive; people that are in the grave feel no pain. When things get hard and painful for you, just realize that God is using that to remind you that you are alive and that you are dependent on Him to get you through. Look to Jesus for your answers to life's pains, not the bottle or the pills. Look to the Holy Spirit's guidance in your life to keep you from the enemy's lies. Go to the Father in prayer, asking Him for the supernatural strength to endure. Only then in your pain will you find true happiness and joy.

Judy Ann provides us with the following prayer based upon Psalm 42 & 43 and Psalm 4.  This may be a prayer you may wish to offer up to the Lord when you find yourself going through those painful periods of life.

As the deer pants for water, so I long for you, O God. I thirst for you, the living God. In the name of Jesus, I resist discouragement because I expect you to act! For I know that I shall again have plenty of reason to praise you for all that you will do. You are my help! You are my God! I place my trust in you, and I shall again praise you for your wondrous help; you make me smile again, for you are my God. Amen and Amen.

When I call, give me answers. God, take my side! Once, in a tight place, You gave me room; now I'm in trouble again: grace me! Hear me! In my anger I will not sin; when I’m on my bed, I will search my heart and be silent. My trust is in You, Jehovah, my LORD. Let the light of Your face shine upon me. Thank You for filling my heart with great joy. I will lie down and sleep in peace, for You alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. In Jesus name. Amen.

The Sower Sows The Word

I find it interesting how many activities preoccupy churches in America. People focus on musical extravaganzas... fund raising efforts... even insane activities like burning copies of the Quran. But is that really what followers of Jesus are supposed to be doing? We were privileged to hear Lon Solomon explain that the prime directive of the Body of Christ is the Great Commission:

¹⁸Jesus approached and, breaking the silence, said to them, All authority (all power of rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.
¹⁹Go then and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
²⁰Teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you all the days (perpetually, uniformly, and on every occasion), to the [very] close and consummation of the age. Amen (so let it be).

Matthew 28:18-20 [AMP]

How often do we go days... weeks... months... years without sharing the good news that God loves us? As the late Keith Green famously said, “This generation of believers - you and me - are responsible for this generation of souls!”

This week’s blog features wisdom from Judypie about... well, isn’t it obvious?

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Freedom to Choose
by Judy Ann

God sets before you life or death – the choice is yours. How do you choose life? By choosing to be spiritually minded, which is life and peace; to be carnally minded is death (Romans 8:6). You can choose to think like the world (carnally minded), or you can become God-inside-minded. Read and meditate on God's Word, memorize and personalize Scripture, pray Scriptural prayers. Put God's Word first. Choose life!

Father, You have set before me life and death, blessing and cursing. I come before You choosing life that I—and my children might live. I choose to love You, Lord my God, to obey You and to cling to You, for You are my life and the length of my days. Thank You for blessing me with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. I turn away from everything wrong, whether of body or spirit, and purify myself, living in the wholesome fear of God, and give myself to You alone. In the name of Jesus, I give Your Word first place in my daily life. Amen.

¹⁹I call heaven and earth to witness this day against you that I have set before you life and death, the blessings and the curses; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live
²⁰And may love the Lord your God, obey His voice, and cling to Him. For He is your life and the length of your days, that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to give to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Deuteronomy 30:19-20 [AMP]

May blessing (praise, laudation, and eulogy) be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) Who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual (given by the Holy Spirit) blessing in the heavenly realm!

Ephesians 1:3 [AMP]

With promises like this to pull us on, dear friends, let's make a clean break with everything that defiles or distracts us, both within and without. Let's make our entire lives fit and holy temples for the worship of God.

2 Corinthians 7:1 [MESSAGE]

My desire Lord is for people to see You in me..may I reflect your love and grace and mercy..may I be more like You Lord everyday with a heart of compassion ..You are the reason I live and breathe..

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I Will Do Good
by Judy Ann

Father, you have called me and separated me unto the Gospel. I utterly abandon my dreams and plans to Your Will. In the name of Jesus, I bind my will, plans and purposes to Your will, plans and purposes for my life as I wait for your Guidance, I listen for your Voice. When I lose my life, then I shall find it. Amen.

I, Paul, am a devoted slave of Jesus Christ on assignment, authorized as an apostle to proclaim God's words and acts. I write this letter to all the believers in Rome, God's friends.

Romans 1:1 [MESSAGE]

Whoever finds his [lower] life will lose it [the higher life], and whoever loses his [lower] life on My account will find it [the higher life].

Matthew 10:39 [AMP]

My desire Lord is for people to see You in me..may I reflect your love and grace and mercy..may I be more like You Lord everyday with a heart of compassion ..You are the reason I live and breathe.

Jesus is our example of living a life that is pleasing to the Father. He went about doing good, healing all those who were oppressed by the devil. When Jesus walked the shores of Galilee He was the light of the world. Today you are that light shining forth in a crooked and perverse generation. Never repay anyone with evil for evil, but always aim to show kindness and seek to do good to one another and to everybody.

See that none of you repays another with evil for evil, but always aim to show kindness and seek to do good to one another and to everybody.

1 Thessalonians 5:15 [AMP]

Father, I will look for occasions to bring healing, to strengthen and bless others. I purpose to do good every time it is possible. I will not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in the power of my hand to do so. If my enemy is hungry, I will feed him; if he is thirsty, I will give him a drink. In the name of Jesus, I will overcome evil with good. Amen.

Withhold not good from those to whom it is due [its rightful owners], when it is in the power of your hand to do it.

Proverbs 3:27 [AMP]

Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he's thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. Don't let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good.

Romans 12:20-21 [MESSAGE]

Father, in the name of Jesus, I shall go to all to whom You send me, and whatever You command me, I shall speak. I will not be afraid of their faces, for You are with me to deliver me. Whenever I feel afraid, I will trust in You. I will praise Your Word, in You I have put my trust; I will not fear, what can man do to me? You have spoken, and my faith is in You. I can do all things through Christ Who strengthens me. Amen.

⁶Then said I, Ah, Lord God! Behold, I cannot speak, for I am only a youth.
⁷But the Lord said to me, Say not, I am only a youth; for you shall go to all to whom I shall send you, and whatever I command you, you shall speak.
⁸Be not afraid of them [their faces], for I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord.

Jeremiah 1:6-8 [AMP]

³What time I am afraid, I will have confidence in and put my trust and reliance in You.
⁴By [the help of] God I will praise His word; on God I lean, rely, and confidently put my trust; I will not fear. What can man, who is flesh, do to me?

Psalm 56:3-4 [AMP]

I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency].

Philippians 4:13 [AMP]

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Overcoming Fear of Rejection
by Judy Ann

Father, even though others may reject me, I am totally accepted by You. Once I was alienated from You, my God, and I was an enemy in my mind because of my evil behavior. But now You have reconciled me by Christ's physical body through death to present me holy...without blemish and free from accusation. You are awesome and altogether lovely. In the name of Jesus, I resist the temptation to receive the rejection of others by remembering that You have accepted and approved of me. Amen.

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Prayer for the Nations
by Judy Ann

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear.... There is a river whose streams shall make glad the people of God. God is in our midst and we shall not be moved; God will help us. The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. We proclaim that God will be exalted among the nations; He will be exalted in the earth. In Jesus name. Amen

¹GOD IS our Refuge and Strength [mighty and impenetrable to temptation], a very present and well-proved help in trouble.
²Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains be shaken into the midst of the seas,
³Though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling and tumult. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!
⁴There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High.
⁵God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God will help her right early [at the dawn of the morning].
⁶The nations raged, the kingdoms tottered and were moved; He uttered His voice, the earth melted.
⁷The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our Refuge (our Fortress and High Tower). Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!
⁸Come, behold the works of the Lord, Who has wrought desolations and wonders in the earth.
⁹He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow into pieces and snaps the spear in two; He burns the chariots in the fire.
¹⁰Let be and be still, and know (recognize and understand) that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations! I will be exalted in the earth!
¹¹The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our Refuge (our High Tower and Stronghold). Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!

Psalm 46 [AMP]

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A Call to PRAY for Japan
by Germaine, Word Ministries Inc.

We are asking everyone to take a minute of your time and say a prayer for the Japanese people. Pray for God to give them the wisdom that they need to bring the reactor under control. Remember the words of Jesus:

No one has greater love [no one has shown stronger affection] than to lay down (give up) his own life for his friends.

John 15:13 [AMP]

Pray for a great spiritual awaking in Japan releasing the wave of the Holy Spirit to flow across this Nation. Also, pray for those who are there on the ground laying down their lives for their friends. There is power in the Scriptural prayer of agreement.

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Peace of Jerusalem
by Judy Ann

Father, we pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Thank You for bringing the people of Israel into unity with each other and for bringing Your Church into oneness – one new man. I thank You for the peace treaties with Israel’s former enemies, and ask You to give them wisdom as they work out present peace treaties. Use these pacts for good to make way for the good news of the Gospel as we prepare for the coming of our Messiah. Amen

^6-9 Pray for Jerusalem's peace!
       Prosperity to all you Jerusalem-lovers!
    Friendly insiders, get along!
       Hostile outsiders, keep your distance!
    For the sake of my family and friends,
       I say it again: live in peace!
    For the sake of the house of our God, God,
       I'll do my very best for you.

Psalm 122:6-9 [MESSAGE]

^14-15 The Messiah has made things up between us so that we're now together on this, both non-Jewish outsiders and Jewish insiders. He tore down the wall we used to keep each other at a distance. He repealed the law code that had become so clogged with fine print and footnotes that it hindered more than it helped. Then he started over. Instead of continuing with two groups of people separated by centuries of animosity and suspicion, he created a new kind of human being, a fresh start for everybody.

Ephesians 2:14-15 [MESSAGE]

My desire Lord is for people to see You in me..may I reflect your love and grace and mercy..may I be more like You Lord everyday with a heart of compassion ..You are the reason I live and breathe.