Ken Winter
Oneness

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Have you ever felt completely separated from God with pain, fear, and anxiety setting into your heart in a way you just couldn’t shake?

On the night before His arrest and crucifixion, Jesus knew His disciples were about to face their greatest fears, pain, and anxiety. He wanted to prepare them. While gathered in the upper room, we read the words of comfort He spoke to them, as recorded in the Gospel of John.(1)

Oneness
Ken Winter
Which is the Greater Tragedy?

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Our news feeds are constantly filled with reports of death and destruction, whether caused by accidents, natural disasters, or inhumane acts of terror committed by individuals, gangs, organizations, or governments. No city, nation, or part of the world is exempt. We can trace the existence of tragedy all the way back to the murder of Abel at the hand of his brother Cain, and follow its heinous path through history to the present day.

The time of Roman rule when Jesus walked the earth was no exception. Though Scripture does not provide details, it does tell us that Pontius Pilate, the governing prefect of the region, ordered the killing of some Galileans as they were offering sacrifices in the Temple in Jerusalem.

Which is the Greater Tragedy?
Ken Winter
Faithful to the Finish

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Despite having witnessed God repeatedly overcome countless obstacles on their behalf, the Israelites were overwhelmed and discouraged by the size of the force now standing before them. Their fear eroded their confidence in God’s faithfulness. i don’t know about you, but i fear i am often guilty of allowing my fear to do the same thing.

The kings of the northern cities had seen how the God of the Israelites defeated other kings in Canaan. They had witnessed the destruction of Jericho and Ai after those kings had foolishly tried to resist the Israelites alone. They saw the five southern kings unite, only to be defeated. But instead of seeking peace, surrendering to the Israelites, and submitting to their God, the northern kings hardened their hearts. Driven by selfish ambition and pride, they chose to fight the Israelites. As Joshua led the Israelites north, the northern kings decided that their only chance of survival was to unite all the armies of the north.

Faithful to the Finish
Ken Winter
A Lesson in Unbelief

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They were God’s people. They were the people whom He had delivered from the bondage of Egypt so that through them, He might reveal His Name and glory to the nations. These were the people with whom God had made the covenant: “If you will obey Me and keep My covenant, you will be My own special treasure from among all the nations of the earth; for all the earth belongs to Me. And you will be to Me a kingdom of priests, My holy nation.”

Yet, time and again since leaving Egypt, the people had forgotten, doubted, or outright rejected God’s promise. Now, standing on the edge of the land God had promised them, they had heard the report that it was indeed a land flowing with milk and honey—everything God had said it would be.  He had led them all the way; the end of their journey was in sight.

A Lesson in Unbelief
Ken Winter
When Strength Becomes a Stumbling Block

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During my years as an associate pastor, i was blessed to serve alongside many gifted servants of God. i witnessed how the Lord uniquely prepared each individual for their respective assignments and called them to their positions of service at just the right time. i saw the remarkable way their complementary strengths and gifts came together under God’s leadership.

However, there is a potential weakness among even the most outstanding members that must be safeguarded against. An exceptionally talented group may be tempted to rely on their own strengths and abilities, attempting to do God’s work in their own way. This group might confidently advance based on human wisdom while neglecting to seek the Lord.

When Strength Becomes a Stumbling Block

Possessing The Promise

Faithful to the Finish

Faithful to the Finish

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Despite having witnessed God repeatedly overcome countless obstacles on their behalf, the Israelites were overwhelmed and discouraged by the size of the force now standing before them. Their fear eroded their confidence in God’s faithfulness. i don’t know about you, but i fear i am often guilty of allowing my fear to do the same thing.

The kings of the northern cities had seen how the God of the Israelites defeated other kings in Canaan. They had witnessed the destruction of Jericho and Ai after those kings had foolishly tried to resist the Israelites alone. They saw the five southern kings unite, only to be defeated. But instead of seeking peace, surrendering to the Israelites, and submitting to their God, the northern kings hardened their hearts. Driven by selfish ambition and pride, they chose to fight the Israelites. As Joshua led the Israelites north, the northern kings decided that their only chance of survival was to unite all the armies of the north.

Whose Counsel Will We Seek?

Whose Counsel Will We Seek?

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Though the term “fake news” was coined in the late 1800s and the birth of the digital age has greatly multiplied its prevalence in our day-to-day world, the reality is that it dates back to the Garden of Eden. Satan was the original editor-in-chief of “fake news,” and he still is! That’s why there is only one reliable source for all that we need to know in making our decisions.

A Covenant Renewed

A Covenant Renewed

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Does it seem like God is directing you to do something at a time which you believe is most inopportune? Has that still, small voice (the Holy Spirit within you) directed you to do something now that is contrary to what your conventional wisdom is telling you to do?

For thirty-eight of the forty years the Israelites spent in the wilderness, no Israelite male was circumcised.And yet, 470 years earlier, God had entered into a covenant with Abraham and his descendants saying, “I will always be your God and the God of your descendants after you. And I will give the entire land of Canaan …  to you and your descendants. It will be their possession forever, and I will be their God…. Your responsibility is to obey the terms of the covenant. You and all your descendants have this continual responsibility. This is the covenant that you and your descendants must keep: Each male among you must be circumcised.”(1) God had given a promise to that first generation of Israelites and had entered into a covenant with them. Their part of the covenant was to obey the terms and seal it through the circumcision of every Israelite male.

Leaning On Our Own Understanding

Leaning On Our Own Understanding

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The situation had changed, and Joshua and the Israelites had no idea. The memory was fresh of their absolute defeat of Jericho. The imposing walls of Jericho had proven to be no problem whatsoever! The men had just returned from spying out the city of Ai. It was nowhere near as imposing as Jericho! Defeating Ai would be a piece of cake – it would not require any effort.

And though the spies didn’t say this, the confidence in their remarks communicated – “we don’t even need God to defeat Ai! We can defeat them ourselves!” “We can even leave 597,000 of our fighting force back in the camp. We only need 3,000 warriors to do this. And they won’t even break a sweat.” Obviously i am putting words in their mouths, but i believe it fairly expresses the sentiment of the spies.

Get Ready! We’re Leaving in Three Days!

Get Ready! We’re Leaving in Three Days!

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The Israelites had been camped on the plains of Moab on the east side of the Jordan River for many months. During that time Moses had written the book of Deuteronomy. God had taken him up onto Mt. Nebo to see the land that the Israelites would inhabit. Moses had died, and God had made Joshua their new leader.

The Israelites had planted crops and were augmenting their meals of manna with fresh produce from the land. They had begun to put down modest roots. As a matter of fact, the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh had petitioned Moses to make their permanent dwelling place on this side of the Jordan, and God had permitted them to do so.

So, when Joshua sent out word that they were leaving in three days, it was very short notice for a move of that magnitude….

Don’t Forget to Be Thankful

Don’t Forget to Be Thankful

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Thursday, November 23rd, is Thanksgiving Day here in the U.S. Our Canadian friends celebrated Thanksgiving on October 9th, and our friends in the U.K. celebrated Harvest Festival on October 1st. Regardless of the date on the calendar, we all typically celebrate the day with good food, good fun, and a special time with family and friends. Hopefully in the midst of all the festivities, we make time to be thankful.

Because we all have much for which to be thankful—even in the midst of challenging days. But i fear we tend to forget. We lose sight of all the reasons from days past, and we become distracted by the urgency surrounding days present. As a result, the thanksgiving which should influence our thoughts, attitudes and actions each and every day gets lost in the shuffle.

That was the message Joshua was giving to the Israelites from his deathbed….

Commissioned by God

Commissioned by God

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Be ever mindful that our God is always at work preparing us for what He is preparing for us. And His preparation is perfect, because He knows what we will need and He knows what we will encounter. He knows the plans He has for us – “plans for good and not for disaster, to give a future and a hope.”(1) He has been at work all around us every day of our lives leading up to this very moment. He has been at work long before we ever knew it – and even before we knew Him! Every circumstance, every situation and every experience we have ever encountered has been authored or permitted by the Sovereign God to prepare us for this moment and for those ahead. Every unexpected twist and turn have been designed to prepare us for those unexpected twists and turns that we will encounter in the journey ahead.

Joshua had been Moses’ understudy for forty years. He had seen his mentor lead the people through the challenges of the wilderness – many of their own making, and some the result of the challenges of the wilderness itself. And on the eve of their entry into the Promised Land, as we see recorded in Joshua chapter 1,(2) God confirmed that now was the time for the mantle of leadership to be placed upon Joshua. And in so doing, God was giving him something even greater than all those years of preparation – God was giving him His charge – His calling – His commission.

Finish Strong

Finish Strong

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In his last letter, the apostle Paul told his protégé Timothy that he had fought the good fight. He had finished the race. He had kept the faith. He had completed what God had set before him. His life is an example to us to not stop short of the goal . . . to not give up . . . but to finish strong! 

Sadly, the Israelites demonstrated to us what it looks like when we give up and don’t finish strong. The LORD had led them to conquer the individual lands that He had given them to possess. And He said, “I have given you victory over the land.” But repeatedly throughout the first chapter of Judges we read, they “failed to drive out the people living” in the land. The tribe of Judah failed to drive out the people living in the plains who had iron chariots. The tribe of Benjamin failed to drive out the Jebusites. The tribes of Manasseh, Ephraim, Zebulun, Asher, and Naphtali failed to drive out the Canaanites. The tribe of Dan failed to drive out the Amorites. Each of the tribes stopped short of the direction the LORD had given them, and the long term result was catastrophic.

Why did they stop short?

The Goodness of God

The Goodness of God

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It is all too easy for us to lose sight of the grace, mercy and goodness God extends to us each and every day of our lives. We can so easily develop a mindset of entitlement. We can begin to think we deserve every good thing we have, as well as every good thing we don’t have. We can act as if God’s role is to serve us, instead of the other way around. We can easily forget that every good and perfect gift comes from Him.

One day, seventy years after God led the Israelites out of Egypt,  their leader, Joshua, assembled them for what would be his last time. He reminded them that seventy years earlier they had been the property of their Egyptian masters. They had possessed very little, if anything, that they could call their own. They had taken their direction from the Egyptian pharaoh, his government and their masters. Egypt had been built, fed and maintained through the strain of their backs and the sweat of their brow. The only act of service they were not permitted to perform was to serve in the Egyptian army, for fear by their masters that armed Israelites would turn against them.

Steady Heart

Steady Heart

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The worship song, Steady Heart (lyrics at the end of this post), is a reminder to us to remain steady despite the dark skies or the wild winds that may lie before us. It’s about a steadiness that stays the course despite what we see – or don’t see – before us. It is a steadiness that can only come from, and remain anchored in, the might, sovereignty, and faithfulness of God. It’s a heart that keeps going, a love that keeps hoping, a grace that keeps forgiving, and a faith that keeps believing.

We repeatedly see God calling His people to remain steady despite, what could easily be described as, overwhelming odds….

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