GREAT EXPLOITS - by Pr. Les Bowling

Text written by Pr. Les Bowling - Eagle Rock Church - Pickerington, OH

"And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days."  Dan. 11:31-32

What are great exploits? What are these great things that people who know their God do? Often we define things according to the world's definitions. We think mighty exploits are great deeds done. 

We think of people whose actions have impacted the world. We think of the glory and the fame.

 

Truly mighty exploits - ones that count for eternity - can only be done by people who know their God. It then follows that we must look for mighty exploits from God's point of view, not man's.

What does God look for in these great deeds?

A) LOVE

Jesus gave the first commandment as loving God completely. All mighty exploits flow from a love of God. Any other motive is self-seeking and renders great actions eternally impotent. Our love for God must be first. We act out of our desire to please him in all actions - great and small.

B) OBEDIENCE

God looks for men and women, boys and girls, who will obey His instructions. Too many people want to decide for themselves what is right or wrong. That was the failure of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.  It is not a choice God has given mankind. He has already declared what is right and wrong. Our choice is simply obedience or disobedience.

C) SUBMISSION

Mighty exploits can only be done by people in submission both to God and to His leadership. They know what it is like to be under authority, and so they have authority.

D) SELF-DENIAL

To do mighty exploits we must consider the cause of our King greater than our own lives. We must be willing to put it all on the line.  We cannot seek our own glory, fame, or satisfaction. We are to be consumed with the Kingdom of God.

E) PRINCIPLES

Mighty exploits can only be done by people who will stand on Godly principles no matter what the cost.  They do not violate the Covenant. They will not be moved by selfish ambition. They will not compromise.  They will treat everyone ethically and fairly no matter what the cost.

What do great deeds look like? 

Jesus did His greatest work on the cross.  To the world it looked like failure, to God it was the greatest victory possible. 

One of Job's mightiest exploits was when he praised God after he lost everything, including his health. 

I once read in Voice of the Martyrs how a Christian family helped a murderous guerrilla leader get a life-saving operation and then cared for him as he was recovering, including having him spend Christmas with them.  He later said it was the first time anyone had given him a gift.  It was a mighty exploit. 

Great exploits are done by people who are the love of God expressed in their community. 

Yes, they will oppose evil, but it is far more than that. Remember that evil is overcome by doing good. The end never justifies the means.  The ends and the means must both be righteous. We can't go around shooting abortion doctors, for example?

How many of us have had such doctors into our homes for a friendly meal?  

I know I haven't. 

The price we pay for doing what is right may be high - sword, flame, captivity.  In the long run; however, we will win and the Lord will abundantly reward us for any sacrifice on His behalf.

We need to clear our minds of the clutter that often clouds our vision. We need to begin to see things how God sees them and to express the unconditional love of God. Then we will do mighty exploits that will echo for eternity even if they are unrecognized on earth. This is not something for supersaints, but for everyone one of God's people. I am talking to a mirror, because I need to consider this so much more in my own life.

Daily Declarations:

a) You are Strong

b) You are Brave

c) You are Wise

d) You are Willing

e) You are Winning

f) You are Overcoming

You have what you need to have to do what God commands us to do.

Revelations 19:10... "the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy."

THE NARROW PATH TO RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD - DAY 38

by Rev. Robert John Cericola, Carroll, OH - EUA 

  

Day 38

Contentment  

Philippians 4:11 (AMP) 11 “Not that I am implying that I was in any personal want, for I have learned how to be content (satisfied to the point where I am not disturbed or disquieted) in whatever state I am.”

Paul was Born Again and called into the ministry in 36AD and ten years later (46AD) taken to the third heaven where he saw and heard things he was not allowed to speak about. In 60AD, twenty-four years after being converted, Paul wrote about his heavenly experience in 2 Corinthians 12. 

In 64AD, twenty-eight years after his conversion, Paul tells the Philippians he has learned to be content, to be satisfied, to not be disturbed (troubled. bothered, concerned, worried, anxious, distressed, upset) in all circumstances and every situation he faced.

Can you imagine being beaten, or stoned, or shipwrecked and floating in an ocean for a night and a day? Can you imagine being content while experiencing the dangers, the risks, the threats, the exposure to hunger, and cold and hot weather that Paul faced in his life?

In our world people get irritated, bothered, and upset, when simple things like having to wait at a long traffic light, or when a grocery line is too slow, or when a driver cuts them off in traffic. Discontentment in our, “got to have it my way” societies abound and keep us more concerned with left and right then we are with above and below.

Being content is tied to taking up our cross of obedience and dying to our selfish desires, which is the same as dying to the dictates of the flesh. The New Covenant principle of Exchanging Strengths with Christ is spoken of by Paul in Romans 8:13 (AMP), “For if you live according to [the dictates of] the flesh, you will surely die. But if through the power of the [Holy] Spirit you are [habitually] putting to death (making extinct, deadening) the [evil] deeds prompted by the body, you shall [really and genuinely] live forever.”

Paul learned to use Christ’s power through the Holy Spirit to stop discontentment. We too can be content in all situations but first must we learn to draw on the power of the Holy Spirit to stop the deeds of the flesh.

Ending Thought

Think about areas of your life in which you are discontent and ask Jesus to teach you to use the power, He has made available through Holy Spirit to overcome your selfish desires.