IT'S A BATTLE GROUND NOT A PLAYGROUND!

Elijah came to all the people, and said, "How long will you falter (limp) between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him---if Satan, then follow him!"

— 1 Kings 18:21

I'm sure the greatest day in your life was the day you asked Jesus Christ to come into your heart and forgive you of your sin.

It was the day that your eternal destiny changed, the day that you passed from darkness to light, the day that you found new purpose and meaning for your life.

But that day was also the day that a very real spiritual war began. Some Christians are shocked to find the Christian life is not a playground but a battleground.

Like it or not, you are in a battle between good and evil, between right and wrong, between God and Satan. It's not optional, and you must choose which side you want to fight on.

As Elijah asked the people up on Mt. Carmel, "How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him."

I will be honest with you; I never understood the appeal of a half-hearted commitment to Jesus Christ. Neither did Elijah, he followed the Lord with all his heart. Jesus said to one of the churches in Revelations 3: "I want you to be hot or cold but since you are only lukewarm, I will spit you out of my mouth!"   On the battlefield, either you advance and let God use you, or you retreat.

It's time to get out of those stained glass foxholes. It's time to dust off your clothes, shine up your armor, and sharpen your sword. Because, like it or not, you have been drafted into God's service.

As a child of God you are going to be a soldier. Your choice is whether you will be a good soldier or a bad one.

Elijah had already chosen to be a spiritual soldier, and he was ready for battle. Are you?

“Never Underestimate the Power of Tears”

Have you ever wondered what it takes to earn a starting position on a National Championship college football team? Strength? Endurance? Speed?

How about...the ability to cry? Sounds crazy, but it happened.
In Lou Holtz’ second season as head coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, his team experienced a humiliating loss against Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl. Holtz said he was absolutely dejected when he walked into the locker room after the game, and he couldn’t help but notice that most of the Notre Dame players didn’t seem to be bothered at all by the loss.
With one exception. A second-string sub named Chris Zorich sat in front of his locker crying deep, gut-heaving sobs. He was thoroughly crushed by the defeat. Holtz decided at that moment the next year’s team would be composed of players who loved football as much as Chris.
The next season this young man went from sub to starter to team captain, and helped lead the Irish to a National Championship. Chris Zorich won a starting position at Notre Dame because he was the only player on the team who cared enough to cry.
Some things are worth caring about. Certain areas of your life—maybe your job, your ministry, your family, a person you’re trying to disciple or lead to Christ—will require more emotional involvement than an “ordinary” person would be willing to give. It may be tempting to tell yourself—and to tell others—that it’s not worth crying over. But remember, sometimes crying is the key to making a difference.
It is interesting to notice that before Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, he wept for his friend (John 11:35-36). As He approached Jerusalem toward the end of his ministry, Jesus wept over the city, saying, “If you had only known what would bring you peace...” (Luke 19:41) He cared enough to cry.
In Paul’s ministry, he experienced anguish when he learned Christians in Galatia were falling away. He wrote to them, “My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, how I wish I could be with you...” (Galatians 4:19) Paul continued to care, even when it hurt.
Caring comes with a price, but it also comes with a reward. The Psalmist wrote, “Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.” (Psalm 126:5)
Never underestimate the power of tears, or what those tears represent. It isn’t until you are willing to become emotionally involved—until you care enough to cry—that you are able to change people’s lives. Or your or own.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

"For as he thinks in his heart, so is he."

— Proverbs 23:7

When Jesus walked this earth, He blew the cover off the religious elite of the day: the Pharisees who smugly thought that if they did not commit certain sins, they were okay. But somehow, they had rationalized that they could do these things in their minds and it was not sinful. Jesus said, "You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matthew 5:27-28). They didn't like that a whole lot.

What was Jesus pointing out to these men, and to us as well? He was emphasizing again and again the importance of our minds, our hearts, and our attitudes. That's because sin is not merely a matter of actions and deeds. It is something within the heart and the mind that leads to the action.

Sin deceives you into thinking that because you have not committed the act, you're okay. In reality, if you keep thinking about it, it may be only a matter of time until that thought becomes an action. Even if it doesn't, that thought is still spiritually destructive. So you need to go out of your way as a Christian to protect your mind and your thoughts. Satan recognizes the value of first getting a foothold in the realm of your thoughts and imaginations, because he knows this will prepare the way for that thought to eventually become an action.

As it has been said, "Sow a thought, reap an act. Sow an act, reap a habit. Sow a habit, reap a character. Sow a character, reap a destiny." It all starts with a thought. And lastly , let’s examine Philippians 4:8 ^“ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”

THERE'S THIS MATTER OF TODAY

One day while Jesus was passing through Jericho, a man named Zacchaeus came to see him. If you grew up in Sunday School, you know that Zacchaeus was a wee little man and a wee little man was he. You also know that he wasn't a particularly good man; he was a tax-collector and a dishonest business man. Since he couldn't see in the crowd, he climbed a sycamore tree to get a better view of Jesus. The Bible says...

When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately, I must stay at your house today." (Luke 19:5)

I love the urgency in Jesus' words: "Come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." Jesus was saying, "Zacchaeus, don't wait. Don't put this off. Something important is about to happen."

How, then, did Zacchaeus respond?

So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. (Luke 19:6)

He invited Jesus into his house. He didn't say, "I'm not ready. My house isn't prepared. I don't have enough food. I don't have any party favors on hand. The place is a mess...Can we do this a week from Friday when I've had time to get things in order?"

Instead, he seized the opportunity to have Jesus come to his home. What happened next? This spur-of-the-moment meeting led to a life-change for Zacchaeus. He said, "Jesus, I want to start doing things right. I'll give half of my money to the poor, and I'll pay four times the amount to anyone I've cheated." And Jesus said...

"Today salvation has come to this house." (Luke 19:9)

Salvation came today, because Zacchaeus responded to the invitation today. He might not have felt completely prepared to have the King of Kings enter his home, but he didn't put it off. And his life changed as a result.

What life-changing invitation have you put off? Maybe something important is ready to happen. Is there something you can do about it today?

LIFE PRESENTS INTERESTING SIT-UATIONS

"And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus' feet and heard His word. But Martha was distracted with much serving”. . . .

— Luke 10:39-40

When the Lord walked this earth, He had no place to call home (see Matthew 8:20). But there was something He liked about a home in Bethany where a man named Lazarus lived with his two sisters, Mary and Martha. Maybe Martha was a great cook. Perhaps they were wonderful hosts.

Mary and Martha were quite different from each other. Mary was the quiet, contemplative type. Martha was the grab-the-bull-by-the-horns, assertive type.

One day, Jesus came to their home. Martha thought it would be a good idea to make Him a meal. She went into the kitchen and started working. Meanwhile, Mary thought it would be a great opportunity to sit at Jesus' feet and hear what He had to say. As Mary was sitting there, taking it all in, Martha was working frantically in the kitchen, growing more frustrated because Mary was not helping her.

Finally, she could not contain herself any longer. She came out of the kitchen, and looking down at Mary and Jesus, said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me" (Luke 10:40).

Jesus responded, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her" (vv. 41–42).

Sometimes we can do the same thing. We can get so worked up. Like Martha, we sometimes offer activity instead of adoration, work instead of worship, and perspiration instead of inspiration. There is a time to sit and there is a time to move.

THE EMPTY NET SYNDROME

Simon Peter said, 'I'm going fishing.'

" 'We'll come, too,' they all said. So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night."

— John 21:3

It was déjà vu time for the disciples. They had been fishing all night on the Sea of Galilee and hadn't caught anything. The Lord had risen. He already had appeared to some of the disciples. There were no clear marching orders, so they thought they would go back to what they knew how to do: fish.

Now it was early in the morning, probably still dark. They saw a figure standing on the shore. He called out, "Friends, have you caught any fish?"

Throughout the Bible, God often asked probing questions when He wanted a confession. In the same way, Jesus was asking His disciples, "Did you catch anything? Have you been successful? Have things gone the way you had hoped they would go? Are you satisfied?"

Why did Jesus want them to admit their failure? So He could bring them to the place where they needed to be.

When they cast the net on the right side of the boat, as Jesus told them to, their net became so heavy with fish that they couldn't pull it in. The Lord was teaching the disciples an important lesson: Failure often can be the doorway to real success.

We need to come to that point in our lives as well. We need to come and say, "Lord, I am not satisfied with the way my life is going. I am tired of doing it my way. I want to do it your way." If you will come to God like that, He will extend His forgiveness to you. Then He will take your life and transform it in ways you couldn't imagine.

IT'S BAD TO BE BITTER!!

Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

— Ephesians 4:31-32

Augustine reportedly had a sign on his wall that read, "He who speaks evil of an absent man or woman is not welcome at this table." That would have ended a lot of conversations, wouldn't it?

The Bible tells us to "get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior" (Ephesians 4:31). Slander speaks of saying evil things about others behind their backs.

Bitterness, which is an embittered and resentful spirit that refuses to be reconciled, makes the Holy Spirit sad and sorrowful. Yet some people like to be mad. They live for conflict. They live for arguments. They live for fighting. They seem to actually like it.

Then there are the people who avoid conflicts, and I will admit that I am one of them. I don't like conflict. I dread it in fact. But some people are just looking for something to fight about, and they seem to go from conflict to conflict. You probably know people like this. They are always mad at someone. They always have their nemesis, the one person who is the source of all their misery, and they are always talking about him or her. And they often are very critical, constantly nitpicking and trying to uncover things in other people's lives.

Yet I have made an interesting discovery: the person who has been covering up sin in his or her life typically is always trying to uncover sin in the lives of others. It never surprises me when I find that the most critical people are guilty of something far worse themselves.

So don't live that way. It grieves the Holy Spirit. If you let bitterness go unchecked, it could lead you to take the next step—and to something even worse. Yikes!!!