The temperature has finally started warming up a bit in Kansas after one of the coldest winters on record.  I was so excited last Friday when I was at last able to ride my motorcycle to work for a change. These last few days were even warmer and would have been perfect riding weather if not for one problem, the spring rains have returned as well.  Living in the country gives a whole new appreciation to riding in the rain, as the dirt roads become sloppy mud pits that roll on for miles. Needless to say, I’m back in my truck again today.

So often, waiting for the fulfillment of God’s purpose and plan for my life feels like waiting for nice riding weather.  The winter seems to last forever, and just when I think there might be a light at the end of the tunnel, it rains.  Paul was one of those people that seemed to run into a lot more rain than sun during his first century journey with Jesus.  First being avoided and misunderstood as an enemy of the Gospel, just about the time he develops some credibility with the believers, the Jewish religious leaders and the Romans begin their barrages and even assassination attempts. Paul finds himself constantly on the defensive and usually on the run.

He seemed to be considering many of these obstacles as he penned the words of 1 Corinthians 4:2: ‘Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.’  There is this testing of our faith, as James explains, that develops perseverance, a perseverance that eventually leads to a maturity to walk in that trust that was given us. 

It’s really the only way.  It is really only in waiting faithfully and patiently through the winter, and in not loosing heart despite the rains, that we are truly ready to appreciate the trust of a sunny day.

And I noticed something else about the rain.  It’s beautiful in its own way and as I quit dwelling on my disappointment over it, I actually began enjoying it.  The sound, the freshness in the air and even the cold wetness of it offered me, for a moment, a time of resting in the presence of my King.

The sun will shine, we will ride again; but in the meantime, those of us given a trust, a place in this great story, are being proved faithful through the rains.

To the King,

David

        

If I am being honest, most days I feel rather inadequate as I share my thoughts with you about the authority of God, the love and sacrificial nature of Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit  in our Christian life.  My thoughts are often incomplete, I don't elaborate well on key points and concepts and most of the time the stuff that I am talking about only makes sense to me and my very warped and limited understanding of God and how that plays out in the lives of the believers.  Most would say that I have made agreements with the enemy; that he has me right where he wants me and in making such agreements, I am limiting my potential to walk in the fullness of that which God has for me.  While there may be a certain amount of truth to that, what I do know for sure is that Christ has redeemed me from my sinful nature and my faith in Him has created a new life within me.  A very big part of that new life is the empathy that I feel for those whom I walk with....

In Isaiah 29, we read about the Woes that will transpire in David's city of Ariel.  Once again, history is repeating itself and mens hearts have become hardened to the glory and full authority of God as they have leaned upon their own wisdom, own strength and own understanding of life.  In short, the people have begun to see things only as they would see them and have rejected the truth and the glory of Him who created them (v 14-16).  But God, the Almighty, the Alpha and the Omega, responds as such...

"In a very short time, will not Lebanon be turned into a fertile field and the fertile field seem like a forest?  In that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll, and out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see." (Isaiah 29:17-18)

I love God's response: out of gloom and darkness the eyes of the blind will see.  What a great picture and what an incredible promise for those of us who earnestly seek the Lord but sometimes feel as if things are not as we thought that they would be.  You see, after it is all said and done, God is still God and He is the one who restores our sight in the midst of a fallen world so that our focus may not be on what is seen, but rather, on what is unseen.  During those times, even if only for a moment, we get a glimpse of "reality" and not this mirage which has been pulled over our eyes and feed to us as the truth.  During those times, God is glorified...

It is my belief that my wife Marcy is being molded by God right now as she has literally turned away from most of the things of the world which provided her comfort and peace and is learning to trust in God.  This process has not been an easy process for her and in her desperation, she is being attacked by the enemy.  But during this time, however, I have been able to witness the work that God is doing in her and where He is leading her.  It is a glorious thing to be sure, and I am honored to bear witness to this transformation, but it has also been a tough thing for me to watch.  On one hand, I see the authority, love and power of God working in the life of my wife and on the other hand, I am watching my wife struggle in and with unfamiliar territory and feel quite helpless and powerless.  I want very desperately to fight for my wife but the question that keeps coming to me is "Who am I really fighting with?"  The attacks by the enemy are easy to see and those battles, I can handle.  But the struggles, how do I battle that?  I could fix her present circumstances and ease her suffering, but in the end, what I have really accomplished?  And at what cost...

Angel, I love you and although I understand your struggles and confusion, God really is present and He is working all things out for you as you are now, and always have been, a special child of God and are important to Him.  I wish that I could help you see it right now and that I could give you a very clear picture of what "that" will look like so that you may find strength and comfort in that knowledge.  For now, however, I give you the Scripture from above with the reassurance that God is still God, He loves you and He will lead you out of the gloom and darkness into a place of understanding so that your "blind" eyes can see.  Until then, I will continue to walk with you, love you and support you to the best of my ability.

My love forever,

Jim 

        

A few weeks ago during a men’s group, we were discussing the war for our hearts and how our enemy never gives up, which led to the realization of how dangerous it is for us to lay our weapons down and try to ignore the battle. 

One of the men in our group raised a great question: ‘Does that mean that we never get a break?  I mean, even in a physical war, there are times of intense fighting and times of quietness, even on the front.’  It was a very good observation. 

I believe God does provide these moments of reprieve, of peace.  They are a gift from Him.  I experienced one of those this morning as I sat looking over our small farm pond, the sun rising in the east with the morning clouds reflecting off of the clear blue water. It was a time that Jesus simply said, ‘Rest here, and soak in my peace in the midst of the chaos.’  The writer of Hebrews explains that these moments are times of Jesus ushering us into a Sabbath rest, and unless we are seeking Him and His direction in this conflict, we will miss these times. 

No, I really don’t believe that we get to take a break, not on our terms anyway.  The battle rages every minute of every day.  But I do believe that as we walk closely with our King, he will provide those moments or even seasons of peace at just the times that we need them the most.

Shalom (Peace).

To the King,

David

        

"Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.  And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.  They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.  While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.  And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.  Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.  And the foolish said to the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.  But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you; but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.  And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.  Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord open to us.  Be he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.  Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh."  (Matthew 25:1-13)

I have heard it said that Lent is a period preparation and remembrance by either "denying oneself" or "picking something up" and while I agree with that, I also fear that there is much danger associated with the process if you enter into this season and your vision isn't focused solely on the glory and communion with God through Jesus.  The evil one would love nothing more than to blind our eyes so that our focus is on our personal acts of sacrifice or devotion rather than an opportunity to experience God.  Allow me to explain...

Many years ago, I fasted from all meat and dairy products (not as easy as it sounds) during Lent.  The first year that I did this, my focus was solely on drawing nearer to God through Christ and not on the act of fasting itself.  It was an incredible process and through the experience, I felt closer to God than I had in years.  I decided right then and there, that I would repeat this fast the following year.  Year two, however, became more about what I could eat and still "technically" maintain the fast rather than an opportunity to draw closer to God.  Year three was less spiritually motivated than year two and by the end of year four, it was brought to my attention that perhaps I was putting myself through this for the wrong reasons.  Ouch.  But the fact of the matter is that I was.  I was missing the bigger story.  When it is all said and done, much like in the parable above, if you have missed an opportunity for fellowship with our King, what have you really gained?

Please don't misunderstand my message.  I still go through periods of fasting and devotion above and beyond that which I already do - the difference, however, is that the act is focused on meeting Jesus in the middle of this life rather than the act itself.  Therefore, whatever you choose to do this Lenten season, if you choose to do anything at all, don't give the evil one any footholds into an opportunity to meet God.  When Christ, the bridegroom comes, be ready to receive Him....

Your brother in Christ,

Jim

        

Therefore God again set a certain day, calling it today, when a long time later he spoke though David, as was said before: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts.”
                                                                            Hebrews 4:7

Seems like the last year or so has been a time of me beginning to recognize some of my own physical limits.   I’m 46 now, and the broken bones just don’t heal as quickly, most of my joints stay sore all of the time, and both of my sons can pretty much kick my butt!  I’m also a grandfather now.  I love my grandson Landon; he’s cute, fun, mischievous, and a joy to be with.  It’s just that getting up off of the floor after a round of ‘chase pa-pa in the walker’ seems to be a greater ordeal than it should be.  (Can anyone say: ‘Help, I’ve fallen, and I can’t get up?)

Perhaps most significantly though is the constant reminder that all of the aches and pains are of my own mortality.  Our time on this earth really is just a fleeting breath that is here today and is gone tomorrow.  In the grand scheme of things and in the shadow of eternity, we are barely on this earth long enough to say hello.

And yet, perhaps one of the most amazing and mysterious truths of this life that we have in Christ is that He sent us here, for this short time, to make a very significant impact.  For like Esther, I believe each of us have been placed in this day and this place ‘for such a time as this.’

But sadly, most of us will miss it. Most of us will get so caught up with mortgages, work, vacations, possessions and disappointments over aches and pains that we will fail to live the life of great significance that our King has for us. 

I don’t want to be that person.  I want to wake up each morning with my back a little stiffer and my eyes a little weaker and thank God for the reminder that now is my time, now is my today.

To the King,

David

        

A friend gave me this gumball machine for Christmas; although it wasn’t filled with gumballs, instead it had some of the freshest and most flavorful mixed nuts that I have ever tasted.  It was packed full, and there were so many of them that I thought they would last forever.  They didn’t.  I ate the last almond today, my dispenser is empty.

I was struck with what a metaphor this gumball machine represented of my ministry life.  So many times I have heard this fresh word from God, a mouth-watering mix of the choicest fruit, and my heart has been to live off of that.  Out of love for my King and for His call on my life, I would begin running full speed ahead, drinking richly of the word that He had given, only to suddenly find my reservoir empty.  It had seemed so overfilled at the time that I had received it that I had doubted it would ever run dry, but that is exactly where it would end up.

Through the years -- experience, God and just good old fashioned hunger have taught me the necessity of keeping a close eye on this area of my spiritual life.  I’ve learned the importance of walking close to my Lord in the midst of the battle. This is the primary reason for what many call the disciplines:  prayer, fasting, bible study, fellowship, etc.  These are not to make us more spiritual or more holy and certainly not to impress our fellow church goers, but rather, they are our life lines, the places that we go to re-fill the dispenser.

Like you, I want my life to be a gift, sacrificially given to the service of my King.  May we always remember to keep that life full of the very thing that we are called to dispense: the Life of Christ.

To the King,

David

        

Over the course of the past couple of weeks, I have really been awestruck by the glory of God....

I have seen a couple in need that is moved to tears every time that a brother or sister in Christ comes along side them in support of their present circumstances.  I have seen the tears of disbelief and thankfulness of an incarcerated brother in Christ when discussing the ways in which the local church is not only supporting his family but praying for and encouraging him.  I have seen victory and understanding in the eyes of those close to me as they hear from God, obtain insight and wisdom through revelation or are strengthened by the swords of others who are fighting with them as they pursue what God has so passionately established within their hearts.  I have seen those so moved by the Spirit that they step out in faith and pursue God's calling in their life through ministry.  And finally, I have seen the beauty, passion and love of God all rolled into one in the eyes of my wife as she begins to see who she really is in and through Christ.

" Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.  And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.  Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.  And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." (Romans 5:1-5)

In all things over the past couple of weeks, I am moved by what God has revealed to me as I walk out this life that He has blessed me with.  Today I get it and am thankful not for the destination, but for the journey of life.

I pray that today you may have vision, vision to see not only the road ahead, but the glory of God in your life.  If you need help in seeing that vision, Knight Vision is here....

Your brother in Christ,

Jim

        

It snowed last night: a soft, deep snow.  In the morning light, the fields around our home glistened in the beauty and newness of its smooth, white covering as fresh, cold, clean air assaulted my senses.   Snow can change a landscape overnight like nothing else can.

David writes: ‘Cleanse me with hyssop and I will be clean; wash me and I will be whiter than snow’ (Psalm 51:7).  In its simplest form, that is the Gospel: that through the sacrifice of His Son, God has changed the landscape, and that we now glisten in the newness of our identity in Christ.

Yet, as I shared last week, that newness, that fresh clean covering, has been assaulted; frequently by those closest to us.  As we have sought their love and their acceptance, it is subsequently their rejections that have hurt us the most.  And so Jesus teaches us that we are to forgive just as we have been forgiven.

We tend to misinterpret His meaning here, wrongly assuming that our forgiveness by Him is conditional on our efforts.  That teaching, however, flies in the face of so much of the rest of the Gospel teaching.  So what are we to understand about forgiving others?

I believe part of the answer lies in the snow. There is this moment, when you first walk out your front door, that the beauty of a new snow just overwhelms you.  But then you start walking in it and driving in it and it becomes slick and cold and dirty.  The calmness gives way to chaos.  That, I believe, is what happens with our own unforgiveness.  It makes His forgiveness, and the life that we have in Him, very difficult to walk in.  It dirties the snow, melts it, and causes us to question what we ever loved of it in the first place. 

God doesn’t command us to forgive as a condition, he invites us into the beauty and the majesty of forgiveness as an opportunity to once again taste of the cool, clean, fresh air of a winter snow. 

To the King,

David

        

              Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.
                                                                             2 Corinthians 5:17

I know that it is true, I have known if for some time now.  I get it.  I get that Jesus took away my heart of stone and gave me a new heart, a heart of flesh.  I get that it is no longer I who live, but Christ that lives in me, that I am now an heir of God and a co-heir with Christ.  I understand all of that … and yet I still keep listening to them. I hear what they say about me and choose too often to agree with their assessment of me rather than that of my King.

I don’t think that I am alone on this one.  Everyday I talk to someone who has chosen to let the assessment of someone else become their own assessment of themselves.  Whether it is a positive assessment (‘they think I am the bomb, therefore I must be’), or more commonly a rejection in which someone of immense importance to us tells us in no uncertain terms that we are a failure, ugly, stupid, or just plain unredeemable; their words can speak so much louder than the truth that we ‘know’.

Why is that?  I am sure that there are multiple reasons, but the underlying common denominator seems to be this lie of our enemy: that they are where life is found.  And especially when they are the ones that we hoped would love us unconditionally – and they don’t – well the pain can lead us to a pit of darkness in which the light of the truth appears as nothing but a small flicker of an extinguished hope.

But you see, that is precisely the place where we are called to fight.  ‘Resist the devil, and he will flee from  you.’ James tells us (4:7).  Our battle for this life that Christ has for us begins with refusing to listen to them, and more precisely, refusing to listen to our enemies suggestions to agree with their assessment of us. 

However it goes further still, for in their rejection of us, Satan strategically inflicts life threatening wounds, wounds that will fester and continue to cover us in a shroud of darkness.  It is this battle where we are called to be strong and courageous, for this is the place where only forgiveness can allow that wound to heal. 

I’ll talk more about forgiveness in my next blog, but for now know that the rejection and the pain of them is not the measure of you.  You ARE a new creation.  They are not where life is found, and consequently, do not have the power to take that life from you.  Jesus Christ is your life.

To the King,

David

        

‘Therefore, we do not lose heart.  Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us and eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.’
                                                                                                     2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Few things make us more uneasy than the combination of religion, politics and violence, and with good reason. Be it Muslims, Christians, Jews or Hindus, all have had more than their fair share of dark moments in history, and so I understand the critics that take issue with a movie that portrays the salvation of the Christian Bible in the context of extreme and highly graphic bloodshed. I was honestly quite uncomfortable as I watch Denzel Washington fight his way through The Book of Eli.

But I was also captured by the obvious metaphors, especially as it relates to our message here at Knight Vision Ministries.  Without giving away too much of the movie, the story centers around a man on a mission; a mission that he had likely never even dreamt of and a mission that seems almost certainly doomed for failure.  Yet, he knows that this is exactly the road that God has placed him on; in his own words, he ‘walks by faith, not by sight’.   Along the path are dangers and choices that he is forced to deal with.  Some of those choices he makes are good ones, some are poor, and a few are just downright selfish; but as he listens to his God, he grows and matures into the man who can ultimately accomplish what is only for him to accomplish.  In the midst of a great, transcendent, even supernatural call on his life, it is really the journey that changes him.

Likewise, the portrayal of evil set against the very life that God calls to is vivid and unmistakable.  Its aggression, its randomness, its invitation to join with it is so evident and familiar, that you wonder how any man could succeed.

And that I believe is the key to the movie. No man could succeed.  While the movie never comes out and states this, you have to assume that Washington’s character had been changed, literally by God himself. 

It is our story.  We too have been commissioned with a with a unique path to follow, one that only we can walk, but also one that we have no hope of finishing unless the mystery of the Gospel is true, the mystery that states that it is no longer I who live, but Christ living in me, that we too have been changed. We will be opposed, fiercely, and it will take all that we have to stay in the fight, but it will also take more.  It will take walking by faith not by sight.

The Book of Eli is not the story of religious fanaticism, it is the story of of the evil that we are facing every day, and of the God who is more than able to see us through those evils.

Fight well my friends.

To the King,

David