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  It’s an interesting exchange that Paul had with the Lord...and then kindly shares with us to hopefully learn from; and it had to do with that ‘thorn in his flesh’ (2 Cor. 12:7-10). That’s also another one of those topics that self-proclaimed ‘theologians’ like to speculate on as they offer up their theories as to what that ‘thorn’ actually was; and I’ve heard everything from it being a physical ailment Paul suffered with ...to a mother-in-law. Here’s a novel idea – why not just look at what we are told about it and see what the Spirit might have to teach us. Paul clearly states that this ‘thorn’ was ‘given to him’ for one particular reason- and that was to keep him humble. Since he had been given an ‘abundance of revelations’ by God which he then wrote down and now compiles about 2/3 of the New Testament, God didn’t want him getting a big head (2 Cor. 12:7; Gal. 1:11-12). This would be a good place to pause, and be reminded that anything we learn from scripture that produces ...
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  There were some invaluable lessons to be learned in those early days after the Israelites prepared to take on their first challenge in overthrowing Jericho. We discussed some of those recently, being reminded how there needed to be a ‘wholehearted’ commitment to walking in covenant with God, which involved all the males being circumcised (Josh. 5). Yeah... that’s being ‘all in’, if you ask any male, I would think. Then, there was the method in which Jericho’s walls were brought down in the fashion they were that led to the overthrow of the city. Zechariah sums it up nicely: “It’s not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit’...says the Lord of hosts.” (Zech.4:6). And so it will be as you and I go in and conquer all those ‘sins of the flesh’ and ‘spiritual strongholds’ that have ruled us all these years (1 John 5:19; John 8:34; Acts 10:38; 26:18; Eph. 2:1-3). “Trying harder to do better” has gotten us nowhere, and the sooner one comes to terms with this, the sooner one can find ...
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  “Remember Lot’s wife!” - Jesus (Luke 17:32) What an interesting comment for Jesus to bring to our attention, citing what happened back in that OT story when Lot and his family were delivered from impending judgment. They were instructed as they fled Sodom to ‘not look back’. Lot’s wife did, and she turned into a pillar of salt.(Gen. 19:26) Paul makes mention of ‘forgetting those things which are behind...and pressing forward towards those things which are ahead in Christ Jesus...’ (Phil. 3:13-14). And have you ever heard the phrase how God throws our sins into the ‘sea of forgetfulness’ after we confess them to Him and then repent, as we turn from them? That phrase itself is not found in scripture, but is derived from a few passages that suggest that- Micah 7:19, Jer. 31:34 and Isa. 43:25. The point being...If God is willing to forgive and forget our past... once ‘under the blood’, why would we be about the business of bringing them back up, including those sins others comm...
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  Wash, Rinse, and Repeat...Wash, Rinse, and Repeat... It’s what we should do whenever we suffer a flesh wound to our body in order to prevent unwanted bacteria and germs finding its way in to cause infection. In fact, if you have ever been treated for an open wound, or even after having surgery, how often are we told to ‘clean’ that area multiple times a day until completely healed? We ‘get that’. I’m telling you...it should be no different when we suffer a ‘spiritual wound’, one that usually comes at the hands of our spiritual enemy - Satan (1 Pet. 5:8; Eph. 6:12; 2 Cor. 2:11). Care to guess what we use to ‘wash’ that affected area? How about God’s word? (Eph. 5:26; John 15:3) And truth be told, having immersed one’s self in God’s word prior to...the wounding... may have prevented a lot of problems to begin with. Do you remember how Jesus ‘resisted’ the devil who spent 40 days in the wilderness trying to tempt Him, hoping to gain access into His life (Mark 1:13)? He simply use...
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  When you think about it, and then study history to confirm it...wars between nations always boil down to taking control of a piece of land. The weaponry and strategies used in warfare has changed over the centuries, but it’s still about seizing control of land. The modern day conflict between Russia and the Ukraine is a fine example to my point. I would submit to you that this ‘spiritual war’ or conflict we find ourselves in...is no different. And trust me, it is ‘spiritual’ in nature; this you can be sure of, whether you believe it or not (Eph. 6:10-13; 2 Cor. 10:3-5). But the ‘land’ involved with this war is centered around your ‘heart’, and in the end, the only ones who will overcome this conflict and be victorious are the ones whose hearts fully belong to Jesus. We are either going to follow the leading of His Spirit to take control of the land, by removing everything that defiles it, or it will be seized and possessed by the devil. I should also remind us that if you have ...
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  Most of us, I hope...at this stage of our lives...know what the ‘drill’ is when we cut ourselves and break the surface of our skin which draws blood; especially when we do it in an unsterile setting. You flush the wound with hot soapy water, or hydrogen peroxide. I’ve seen some old war movies where they are slapping iodine on gunshot wounds like it’s a bottle of ketchup from Costco. And why do we do this? You don’t want infection to set in, so cleaning the wound as well as you can is a must. So why don’t we do this when we suffer a ‘spiritual wound’... like when we are offended or hurt by someone’s words or actions. You realize why these scenarios occur so often, don’t you? What did Peter warn us about in 1 Pet. 5:8? To whom did Paul admonish us to ‘give no place to’ in Eph. 4:27? And why did Jesus say to stay ‘watchful’ in Matt. 24:42-44? Seems I read something about a ‘thief’ breaking in to one’s ‘house’? And what do we know the ‘thief’ comes to do according to John 10:10?...
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  Have you ever struggled with an area in your life that you knew was not ‘healthy’ for you, that displeased God and discouraged you to no end; but for the oddest reason, the more you fell into it, the deeper the pit of darkness grew when it came to frustration and self-loathing so that you found yourself going back to that same ‘sin’ over and over in order to offset the despair you felt because this ‘sin’ actually brought you ‘comfort’ and made you ‘feel good’, if even for the slightest amount of time. (I know, that was a really long sentence) I’m pretty sure people who struggle with their eating and weight can identify with this. Many of us have fought that battle to some degree where you try to get your eating under control, you lose a few pounds and then ‘stumble again’, which frustrates you, so you go back to the one thing that makes you ‘feel good’ and consume a whole plate of cookies which satisfies for the moment...and there you are again - One step forward...three steps ba...
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