He Has Redeemed

17  Those who built on the wall, and those who carried burdens, loaded themselves so that with one hand they worked at construction, and with the other held a weapon.  18  Every one of the builders had his sword girded at his side as he built.... - Nehemiah 4:17-18 The story behind this passage takes place after the Babylonian exile of the Israelites, when King Artaxerxes ruled the empire and a small remnant of Israelites had returned to the devastated and destroyed city of Jerusalem some time earlier. Along with the priest Ezra, Nehemiah helped to organize those who were there in the rebuilding of the city wall (defense) as well as their residences.  We know that the Jews there in Jerusalem encountered opposition from the get-go as well as had to deal with their own "issues". Some people will focus on these issues, as an illustration that when we come out of Babylon (spiritually), that we have to leave Babylon truly behind (no long conforming to the patterns of this...

I have spent my entire life as a Christian, born to a preacher in a line of preachers. Skipping church was the most grievous of sins growing up and only occurred because of sickness or youth group events. However, despite growing up in a Christian home and spending half of my life in a church building - both as a congregational member and ministry leader, my heart lived for and in the world.  In 2017, I truly gave myself in surrender to Jesus Christ. I had already been baptized (in 1995, at age 8), I had believed in Him my entire life and believed in the Gospel. I had never doubted God's Word. Yet, it wasn't until 2017, when I was 30 years old, that my true walk of faith began.  The Lord showed me, He removed the scales from my eyes, that I had been living my entire adolescent, teenage, and young adult life as a practitioner of witchcraft, a participant in things wicked as well as sexual immorality, I was serving other "gods" with idols galore - both in my house and ...

The devil will stop at nothing to deceive you into falling away. The biggest mistake most Christians make, is that they assume the devil is dumb and predictable. That he is a horned red monster with a pitchfork that dances in hellfire. That he only comes at you with obvious sinful temptation. This couldn't be farther from the truth. He is the Father of All Lies and the Master Deceiver. He appears to the Christian as an angel of light, twisting the Word of God to sound pleasant to sinful desires and filling your mind with the age old lie, "Did God really say? Did God really mean?"....Take heed O Christian that you stand, lest you fall. Keep your eyes on Christ, even when something is screaming in your face to look at this or that. Keep your ears trained upon His voice, even when there are conflicting or even pleasant, honeyed voices whispering in your ear. Keep your mind on God's Word, even when your flesh screams out that it is boring or there are things needing done...