What was it like for you when you first accepted Jesus as your Savior? For me, I spent that night reading the entire book of John. I was ravenous for His word. I was 11.

Yesterday I started reading the book of Revelation. I camped out in Revelation 2:4-5. It was spoken to the church in Ephesus. Verse 4 says, “Nevertheless I have this against you, that you left your first love.” When Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus he called them faithful. Ephesians 1:15 says, “Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints.”

Paul faithfully instructed and encouraged that group of believers. The words are timeless. I love reading that book. Yet, according to verse 5 in Revelation they had fallen away from their zeal and passion. It says, “Remember from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place–unless you repent.”

This question begs to be asked. Have I fallen from something? Have ‘crowders’ dimmed the light of my testimony? John 1:4 says, “In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” Verse 7 says that John the Baptist was a witness of that Light, “…that all through him might believe.”

What has happened in our nation? Perhaps the light of the church has been dimmed. The body of Christ, the churches in our nation, have not been penetrating the darkness. Matthew 5:16 says, “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” Picture with me a dark room. Then a match is struck and a lamp is lit. The darkness flees. Verse 15 says, “Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.”

Search your heart. I’m searching mine. How can the church, the body of Christ penetrate and illuminate the darkness that is shrouding our nation? Is it more than prayer, though prayer is our ambush against the unsuspecting enemy. It is bringing the light of the gospel to those around us. The gospel is THE hope for our nation.

As I read Colossians I was alerted to how Paul wrote about his world. It made me take note of who my world is. Colossians 1:6 was speaking about the gospel. It says, “Which has come to you, as it has also in ALL the world, and is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard it…” Romans 1:16 says, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes…”

Paul gave the Colossians their mandate which is ours also. Colossians 1:28 says, “Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.” Verse 29 told how he did it. It says, “To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.”

He further explained how in verse 11. It says, “Strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy.” It was not with human power, but with the same dynamic power that God used to raise Jesus from the dead.

Who is our world? It is folks there are just like we were. Colossians 1:21 says, “And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled.” Ephesians 2:3 says that we were by nature children of wrath. Our whole life was lived to fulfill our lustful flesh. Ephesians 4:19 says that we were past feeling. It was just natural because we were born in sin. We had no hope apart from Christ. Neither do those in our world.

Here is the end of those in our world who do not accept Jesus. Philippians 3:18-19 says, “…they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is their shame–who set their mind on earthly things.”

Paul’s admonishment to the Colossians is good for us to heed. Colossians 4:2 says, “Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving.” Verse 6 says, “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.”

There is hope for everyone until they take their last breath. Let us be diligent to pray for those who are still enemies of the cross. They continue to lash out against the gospel that will set them free when they first believe. He is Merciful and has no desire that any should perish.

Ezekiel 39:10 was speaking about the Israelites burning the enemy’s war equipment. It says, “They will not take wood from the field nor cut down any from the forests, because they will make fires with the weapons; and they will plunder those who plundered them, and pillage those who pillaged them, says the Lord God.”

Our nation is being plundered. The enemy is seeking to overthrow God and the foundations that He set. Yet Isaiah 54:17 is timeless. It says, “No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me, says the Lord.”

Formed is like the word forged. Even though the enemy has specifically forged weapons through propaganda, our breastplate of righteousness, and our helmet of salvation cannot be penetrated. Philippians 1:28 says, “And not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God.”

Take note. Watch your thoughts. God is using this time to conform our purpose, thoughts, and actions to His will and ways. We must always remember that His ways and thoughts are far higher than ours. Think back to what God instructed the Israelites to do just before He took them out of Egypt. Exodus 12:36 says, “And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they granted them what they requested. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.”

When you pray for our nation, remember Proverbs 13:22. The Amplified says, “A good man leaves an inheritance (of moral stability and goodness) to his children’s children, and the wealth of the sinner (finds its way eventually) into the hands of the righteous, for whom it was laid up.” Other translations say ‘wicked’ for sinner.

God is still on His throne. Psalm 2:4-5 says, “He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall hold them in derision. Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, and distress them in His deep displeasure.” Make NO mistake. The Lord will have the last word.

Ezekiel 37 is about the valley of dry bones. What caused their bones to dry out? No hope. Verse 11 says, “…Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!” We were once without hope. Ephesians 2:12 says, “…strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.” Our nation is full of God-less folks. They have no hope. Spirits are being crushed and bones are drying up.

Here is a verse from a new song about bones: When I thought about my circumstances I became gloomy inside. My heart was getting heavy and my peace destroyed. Then in Your Word You revealed the secret of health. My bones are affected when my heart is in despair.

Proverbs 17:22 says, “A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.” Proverbs 15:13 says, “A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.” Luke 4:18 Amplified says that Jesus came to heal those, “…who are oppressed (who are downtrodden, bruised, crushed, and broken down by calamity).”

Eternal hope is the anchor that holds every believer steadfast in the midst of the storm. 1 Peter 1:3 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”

Our hope is rooted in Jesus’ resurrection. Romans 8:24 says, “For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope, for why does one still hope for what he sees?” Hope makes our heart glad. Hope in God secures us when everything around us is shaking. Proverbs 10:28 says, “The hope of the righteous will be gladness…” Psalm 62:5 says, “My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him.”

Do not let your thoughts spiral down into despair. View your present circumstances through your relationship with the Lord. We who were far off were brought near through His death on the cross. Intimate communion with the Lord is a heart that dwells secure, and where the enemy has no access. It is time to declare hope to those around us.

In Ezekiel 22:30 God expressed His desire because of Israel’s wicked leaders. It says, “So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.”

The Lord is always the Initiator. We are created to respond. God’s word is timeless. He is presently seeking those who will stand in the gap. In Israel’s time, the vineyard was surrounded with a wall. Sometimes it was stone, and sometimes it was a hedge.

Critters sought to get into the vineyard so they would make a gap. Another critter would come and make the gap bigger. Isaiah 7:6 was a conversation of the enemy. It says, “Let us go up against Judah and trouble it, and let us make a gap in its wall for ourselves, and set a king over them…” Hmm. Does this sound familiar?

Part of our holy calling is to intercede for the lost. It is God’s desire that all men would be saved. Luke 19:10 says, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Our part is to stand in the gap between the enemy and the lost. It requires concerted, committed, and continual intercession. We come boldly before His throne of grace, on behalf of those created in His image, but who have not yet responded to His initiation.

A note in my Bible says: Not only would the intercessor ‘make a wall’ by restoring the gap caused by the enemy, but would ‘stand in the gap’ or plug up the breach against that enemy through the entire building process. Let this instruct our heart and motivate us to remain faithful to intercede before God on behalf of our nation.

Ezekiel 14 is an astonishing chapter that impacts and convicts me every time I read it. Why? God addressed the hearts of some of the leaders of Israel. Leaders are to lead us into righteousness not defilement.

Verse 4 says, “…Everyone…who sets up his idols in his heart, and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity, and then comes to the prophet, I the Lord will answer him who comes, according to the multitude of his idols.” In verse 6 He called them abominations. Verse 11 says that the idols cause us to stray from the Lord, and they profane Him. Profane means to treat something sacred with irreverence or contempt.

Heart-idols are crowders. They crowd out the Lord’s rightful place of wholehearted worship. They are flesh-idols that we turn to rather than the Lord.

Earlier this morning I was meditating on Psalm 63:8 in the Amplified. It says, “My whole being follows hard after You and clings closely to You; Your right hand upholds me.”

This verse is an anchor verse for me. I have seen it through the eyes of desperation. This morning He showed me something else. It is clinging together with Him in a love embrace. It has given me new meaning to Deuteronomy 6:5. It says, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”

Heart-idols separate us from our love-embrace with the Lord. They fill our flesh needs, but leave us spiritually empty. They are deceptions in our mind. They are figments of our imagination. No heart-idol can satisfy our deepest longings. They are just a temporary fix, like a drug addict’s fix. Momentary high.

Psalm 107:9 says, “For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness.” Psalm 34:8 says, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good, blessed is the man who trusts in Him.”

Heart-idols lead us into self. When we ‘need’ if we will drink deeply of His love, He will be our Fulfiller and Satisfier. Then we will echo David’s heart-words in Psalm 18:1. It says, “I will love You, O Lord, my strength.”

Crowders are pushy and insistent. They inundate, infiltrate, occupy as squatters, they are default thoughts from the past, or they are secret negative dialogues. Crowders choke out God’s word and His ways. They cause us to be spiritually barren and unfruitful. Mark 4:19 says, “And the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desire for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.”

Saturday night I also studied Philippians 2:2-4 in four translations. These three verses hold great truths for us. However, crowders such as fleshly reactions, wanting our own way, and standing up for our rights would negate the unity Paul was writing about.

He wrote, “Fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interest, but also for the interest of others.”

I love the Strong’s definition of one accord: having mutual consent, being in agreement, having group unity, having one mind and purpose. This means not complaining about another, or keeping a record of wrongs, no gossiping, or anything that would cause division. Those are all fruits of the flesh.

Amos 3:3 says, “Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?” Paul wrote how unity is to work successfully. Ephesians 4:2-3 says, “With all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” This is God’s template for all relationships.

The only way we can practice the truths Paul wrote about is when we are following the Holy Spirit. Galatians 5:16 says, “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” Walking in the Spirit means that the fruit of His Spirit will be evident in our lives. Our oneness then will emulate Christ’s character and His love for those who are watching.

Last night the Holy Spirit led me to study Philippians 1:9. It says, “And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and discernment.”

I looked at it through four translations. Here is my paraphrase: that your love will continue to increase and expand beyond anything you have ever known; that it will lead you into a deeper, experiential knowledge of who the Lord is; that you will live in revelational insight.

Then I went on to verse 10 which says, “That you may approve the things that are excellent that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ.” Again my paraphrase from four translations: learn to sense and recognize what is vital so that your love is not contaminated.

I also looked up Hebrews 12:11 and 1 Peter 1:22 in the four translations. Then I asked the Lord to instruct my heart during the night. I had a dream. In this dream He said to guard my treasure. What was that treasure? Love.

When we are saved, Romans 5:5 says, “Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

I know from personal experience, and my years of counseling, that emotional pain, bitterness, resentment, unforgiveness, and hidden sin can harden a heart. A hard, callous heart shrinks. It does not expand. The capacity to love decreases.

Jude verse 21 says, “Keep yourselves in the love of God…” The word keep means to guard, protect, and preserve. How do we do that? In my dream He turned me to John 15.

Our love for the Lord grows, expands, and increases as we spend time with Him. Verse 4 in the Amplified says, “…no branch can bear fruit of itself without abiding in (being vitally united to) the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in Me.”

Have you allowed your first love to decrease? Has your heart capacity shrunk? That was the Lord’s indictment against the church of Ephesus. Revelation 2:4 says, “Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.”

Philippians 1:11 was the capstone of verses 9-10. My paraphrase: filled with the abounding fruit of righteousness that is birthed in a love relationship with the Lord that brings Him glory.

Partial obedience is an oxymoron. It is also the grounds of disobedience because it is not wholehearted. Do you remember when Moses sent out 12 spies? Joshua and Caleb came back with a good report, but the others didn’t. Joshua 11:15 says, “As the Lord had commanded Moses his servant, so Moses commanded Joshua, and so Joshua did. He left nothing undone of all that the Lord Lord had commanded Moses.”

Hmm. I had to ask myself: is there anything that I have left undone that the Lord has told me to do? Joshua 14:14 says, “Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb…because he wholly followed the Lord God of Israel.”

In Numbers 33:55 Moses warned the children of Israel what would happen. It says, “But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall be that those whom you let remain shall be irritants in your eyes and thorns in your sides…”

The children of Israel only partially obeyed. Their disobedience set them up for failure because they failed to drive out all the inhabitants. You can read these verses for yourself. Joshua 13:13, 15:63, 16:10, 17:12. What haven’t we driven out of our country that are now irritants and thorns?

In Joshua’s last address to the ones he had lead to the promised land was recorded in Joshua 23. Verse 11 says, “Therefore take careful heed to yourselves, that you love the Lord your God.” Verse 12 was the warning that if they clung to the remnant of the nations that remained among them. Verse 13 says, “…they shall be snares and traps to you, and scourges on your sides and thorns ini your eyes, until you perish from this good land which the Lord your God has given you.”

Joshua’s words are timeless. They speak to us today. Let us take them to heart on our knees. The Lord’s spoken words are His oath. His word will not return to Him void. His purposes will not be thwarted. May the words in Joshua 21:45 hold true for us today as well. It says, “Not a word failed of any good thing which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass.”

There is another point in Joshua 9 that had far reaching consequences. The two ambassadors from Gibeon spelled out their deceit. They declared how fresh all their provisions were when they left. Verse 14 says, “Then the men of Israel took some of their provisions; but they did not ask counsel of the Lord.” Had they asked the Lord, He would have told them of the deception. Nothing is hidden from Him.

The covenant they made was binding in the eyes of God. Saul made a fatal mistake when he broke that covenant. 2 Samuel 21 was the account of David avenging the Gibeonites. There was a famine in the land for three years. David inquired of the Lord for the reason. Verse 1 says, “…The Lord answered, It is because of Saul and his bloodthirsty house, because he killed the Gibeonites.”

I really appreciate the account recorded about David in 2 Samuel 5:18-24. He was faced with two exact scenes. Yet, as each one was presented before him, he inquired of the Lord. The Lord interacts in our lives as He did in those before us. He doesn’t change. He remains faithful because He cannot deny Himself.

Therefore, when a new situation arises in our lives, we need to ask Him what to do. We are called to live by faith. It is an unshakeable heart-conviction of belief in what God has said. We don’t copy what the Lord told us to do previously. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith…” I like to stop right there and consider the word ‘now’ as present, current, active, steadfast, and fresh. 

Isaiah 30:1 says, “Woe to the rebellious children, says the Lord, Who take counsel, but not of My Spirit, that they may add sin to sin.” Verse 15 says, “…In returning and rest you will be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength. But you would not.” Tragic words.

Hebrews 6:17 says, “Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it with an oath.” What God has spoken is an oath and it will come to pass. Ephesians 1:11 says that He works everything in our lives according to the counsel of His will. We can trust Him explicitly.