The Dwelling Place

And, lest all this talk of the fear of God start you thinking that, "Wait a minute! God is a God of love! Love casts out fear!" etc, Isaiah also has a lot to say about God's mercy. We can't throw out God's justice simply because we don't like it. I think Isaiah does a good job of portraying "both sides" (if there are two sides) of God's character: the justice and mercy. Throughout Isaiah, there are passages that point to the hope that is coming in Jesus: the prophecy of a virgin who will be with child (Isaiah 6:13-15); the prophecy of a light coming to shine on the people who live in darkness (9:1-2); the prophecy of a Child who will be born who will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Prince of Peace (9:6-7); and then of course the passage in Isaiah 53 that describes Jesus, who was "pierced for our transgressions" and "crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed." Besides all of these "spotlights of hope," there are numerous references to God's mercy; times when God said, "I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions, for My own sake, and remembers your sins no more."

What a God we serve! The mighty and awesome God of the universe, who is holy and perfect and cannot tolerate any sin in His presence, but who, in His mercy, makes a way for us to be right with Him through Jesus Christ!

#1: I don't know enough

#2: I'll be a religious nut

#3: I'll say the wrong thing

#4: I'll be a bad witness

#5: Don't know how to start

#6: Might be made fun of

#7: Won't make sense

#8: Might get beat up

P.S. I'm not letting these excuses stop me from sharing my faith anymore.

Maybe I have lacked motivation. Maybe I haven’t had anything compelling to write about. Maybe I have simply coasted on fumes for the past couple of months, preventing my mind and my heart from true observation. Maybe I have been acting in some production and I feel that life will get back to normal as soon as the scene is over.

I feel like all of those explanations for the persistent and present spiritual dryness that I have been experiencing are not explanations at all. They are symptoms of an underlying issue that might be too difficult if I acknowledge it. Well, too difficult if I try to tackle it alone.

Several weeks ago, I went on a trip to Portland that was dedicated to ministering to the homeless. Many categorizations and assertions of what homeless people should look like (or act like, or smell like, or talk like) were quickly denounced. My ignorance concerning the people I met was astonishing. In light of the recession our country is currently battling, it should come as no surprise that many of the people that we met were from other “categories” before they became homeless: military; sane; rich; middle class; beautiful.

These are all words that could have, at one point, described some of the people that I met that were currently living on the streets. And yet, I discovered, as different as all of their stories were, I began to understand that they were, as cliché as it sounds, very similar to me.

And I began to think about one simple truth. Jesus would have gone through his torture, death, and resurrection even if humanity had consisted of any one of these people instead of the billions that have, and will, inhabit this planet. If the entirety of humankind was narrowed down to one of these individuals, God would have been just as desperate to create a way for a relationship to occur between Him and that person.

Which brings me to my struggle. How could the Creator of everything be so desperate to commune with me? Or any one of us? My analytical mind wants to push this notion aside—categorize it as “nonsense.” It doesn’t fit the bill! And my heart wants to push it aside because I can’t relate— I certainly don’t care about people this much. I don’t love people (or myself) the way God says He does!

It’s not that my heart and head aren’t in agreement, as many Christians like to say. It’s that they are in agreement—God doesn’t make sense on any level.

So why the hell do I believe?

Because the more I observe this world, I begin to understand that power fails. All things of this world fail at some point. Truth fails. (What is truth?) Money fails. (Just check the world stock markets.) Laws fail. (Although O.J. Simpson is finally going to jail.) Love fails. (Unless…unless true, perfect love exists beyond human perception. To the infinite power. In a way that cannot be fully perceived, but can be experienced in ways that can’t be described.)

The irony is that love clearly exists—because it does what no other power on earth can do. It changes hearts for the better.

Truth does not change hearts. Just ask people who seek truth, like many philosophers. True truth-seeking only leads to more questions.

Money does not change hearts. Just ask people who have made millions (or more.) According to most studies, the rich are among the unhappiest people on earth.

Laws do not change hearts. Otherwise crime would be solved, and not perpetuated, by legislation.

The power of love, manifested in selflessness and service, provides the only heart-element on earth. And it had to come from somewhere, for such power must have an origin.

The God of Love, who seeks after me desperately. The God of Love, who desires relationship more than strict obedience. The God of Love, who killed a part of himself so that I would be able to commune with Him. The God of Love, who knows that changing actions has little to do with changing hearts.

My struggle, of course, is that sometimes the power of this world seems more appealing. But He hasn’t let up—He’s still seeking me as if I was the only person on earth. He is, after all, the God of Love.

Perseverance in relation to God and His work is the continuous operation of the Holy Spirit in your life as a believer. It is a work of divine grace that is begun in your heart, which is continued and brought to completion.

• As a Christian, you will never perish, and nobody or nothing can snatch them out of His hand (John 10v27-29)
• You have eternal life and you will not be condemned, passed from death to life. (John 5v24)
• God, who began a good work in you, will carry it on to completion (Philippians 1v6)
• You are shielded by God’s power. (1 Peter 1v15)
• Nothing can separate you from God/Christ’s love. (Romans 8v38-39)
• The Lord knows those who are His (2 Timothy 2v19)
• Eternal life never depends on our feeble grip on Christ, but rather on His firm grip on us.

God’s whole purpose for you is to transform you into the image of Jesus Christ. His purpose for you is to make you holy. This is where perseverance for you as a Christian comes in.

Perseverance of the Christian

You are to keep your eyes focussed on Jesus Christ, carry your cross daily and be willing to obey God. But as a Christian, you are sometimes entangled by sin (Hebrews 12v1). God who wholly loves, must discipline His children in order to teach them willing obedience to Himself. God disciplines His children and “It is painful.” (Hebrews 12v11) Therefore as a Christian, and you sin whilst remaining
unrepentant and habitually addicted to that sin, God will discipline (Hebrews 12v10). If you sin and are not disciplined, you are not His child (Hebrews 12v8).

The Practice of Sin - Habitual Sin – As a Christian, you cannot continue to sin habitually, willingly maintaining a sinful practice or attitude. That is why you are warned against falling away.

• •We share in Christ if we hold firmly to the end. (Hebrews 3v13-14)
• It is possible to experience much of what God offers and not be a Christian
  e.g. The Pharisees (Hebrews 6v4-6)

Deliberate sinning after receiving the truth reveals a rejection of truth. However, God is merciful and will forgive if repentance is asked for! As a Christian, persevere in your relationship with God. Obey Him and follow Him. Ask questions humbly of Him and expect Him to answer, particularly if you don’t understand something. Persevere in your prayers, your relationships with God and with other people. God will persevere with you, turning you gradually into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. God will not abandon you, but you are free to abandon Him. If you did abandon Him, He would still continue to call you back to Himself.

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Recently the United Nations Security Counsel voted unanimously for the creation of a Palestinian State to be carved out of the land of Israel, the land that God promised to Israel by His everlasting covenant. For the first time ever the United States voted in favor of this resolution! The United States has joined with the Arab nations, the European Union, and the United Nations in calling for a division of Israel and Jerusalem to create a Muslim Palestinian nation in the midst of the land of Israel. Just what does the Lord say to the nations who seek to remove Israel from their inheritance, divide their land, and divide Jerusalem?

Zechariah declared that the day would come when all the nations would come against Jerusalem and Judah!

"Behold, I will make Jerusalem a goblet of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples. Then they will lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. And in that day I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who try to lift it will be severely injured. All nations of the earth will gather for war because of it." [Literal translation from the original Hebrew] (Zechariah 12:2-3)

The Holy Land today is filled with violence. One peace plan after another is proposed and quickly they all fall apart. With every cease-fire comes another round of terrorists attacks on Israel. In vain, the politicians and the nations attempt to find a solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Known in the Bible as Judea and Samaria, but referred to as the West Bank, or even the nation of Palestine, (though no such country has never existed in history), the plan seems to be that by the creation of an Arab state there will at last be peace in the region. The belief must be that terrorism will cease and that the Arabs and the Islamic world will finally be able to accept Israel as a neighbor in the region. The Bible, however, presents a much different scenario for the end times.

What motivates the President to sign on to a plan to divide the land of Israel and Jerusalem? He is supposed to be a Born-again Christian, right? He should understand Biblical prophecy shouldn't he? One Israeli journalist called Bush "a born-again Methodist." He described the President as being an Evangelical Christian that believes in "Replacement Theology," the teaching that Israel has been replaced by the Church as God's people. And with this mindset he can not fully see the importance of taking Scripture literally in regard to God's prophetic future for the nation of Israel. Even some liberals and conservatives in Israel today have no regard for what their Scriptures say regarding Jerusalem,

"If I forget you, O Jerusalem, May my right hand forget her skill" (Psalms 137:5).

I personally would not like to be the one who proposes dividing Jerusalem -- it is against God's Word to do so!

Zechariah's words are clear. God will return to Jerusalem and destroy the enemies of Israel, establish His earthly Kingdom and receive worship by His people.

"And in that day I will set about to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem" (Zechariah 14:9).

"I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like a bitter weeping over a firstborn" (Zechariah 14:10).

These events of course have never yet happened in history. So, some Christians believe that this prophecy cannot refer to future, literal events. What they do here is they spiritualize the promises to say they are being fulfilled in Christ's Church today. To them, the Church is the "new Israel," and Christians have replaced the Jewish people in God's program. Replacement Theology teaches that Israel, through disobedience and unbelief, has forfeited any future in God's promises and that the Church inherits the promises in a spiritual form. However, it teaches, the Church does not inherit the judgments, that they say belongs to Israel.

Theologians can write off Israel but God has promised never to do so!

"Thus says the Lord, Who gives the sun for light by day, And the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar; The Lord of hosts is His name: "If this fixed order departs From before Me," declares the Lord, "Then the offspring of Israel also shall cease From being a nation before Me forever." Thus says the Lord, "If the heavens above can be measured, And the foundations of the earth searched out below, Then I will also cast off all the offspring of Israel For all that they have done," declares the Lord" (Jeremiah 31:35-37).

"O Jacob My servant, do not fear," declares the Lord, "For I am with you. For I shall make a full end of all the nations Where I have driven you, Yet I shall not make a full end of you; But I shall correct you properly And by no means leave you unpunished" (Jeremiah 46:28).

Rather than abandoning Israel and replacing it with the Church, as much of Christendom teaches, God makes a new covenant with Israel, the nation turns to the Lord and is converted.

"Behold, days are coming," declares the Lord, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them," declares the Lord. But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares the Lord, "I will put My law within them, and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. And they shall not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them," declares the Lord, "for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more" (Jeremiah 31:31-34).

When asked by the disciples

"Lord, will you at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel" (Acts 1:6),

Jesus never denied a future for Israel. He instead replied by saying,

"It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father has put in His own power" (Acts 1:7).

Israel's future restoration, prophesied in the Old Testament, will one day occur. And it may be sooner than we think. The passion for controlling Jerusalem will soon ignite the most horrific war of all times, called Armageddon. The prophets tell us that the only one who will be able to stop this war is Jesus the Messiah. The first thing He does when He returns is to liberate Jerusalem for His dwelling place with mankind. Are you ready for Him? Maranatha

Written by Alan Torres

This comes almost exactly halfway through seven stunning pages, chapter ten of Coal Black Horse. And more, like this:

In one wood was collected a field of the dying, a long, sad row of men who lay on the bare ground, moaning and twitching fitfully, blubbering in wave and cadence. They were left wholly to themselves. These were men who'd been severely wounded through the head, some with both eyes shot out. They were all mortally wounded and had been put aside to die without hoope as quickly and peacefully as they might.

Not far away from them was a long table where the surgeons worked from first sun to twilight and through the night, lopping off arms and legs with the quick, gnawing strokes of their bone saws. Wagons carted away the bloody limbs and came back empty, wet, and glistening in the blaze of surrounding lanterns and again were loaded and hauled away.

It was as many and again and again into infinity as the most people he'd ever seen in one place — in his whole life together — and they were all limbed and dead and dying and their air smelled fetid as if an ocean shore captured for days at low tide, close and unmoving, quaked by no wind. He knew this was no brittle edge of the world he'd entered. This was the world itself.

Did I deserve this somehow? Am I not worth enough to keep around? I can be better. I can prove that I’m worth something. I can do good things, things that you or He would not want to destroy. Is this a lesson? What do I need to learn that I didn’t learn the first time? I understand that I am blessed with the life I have been given. He has shown me that already.  But there must be more for me to learn, otherwise He wouldn’t visit you upon me again.

Well I can promise you, if you want to fight, if you think you’re going to conquer my body, I’ll bring my army of doctors and pills and determination, and I will defeat you. And this time I will destroy you for good. I'm waiting for you, so bring it on.

“Behold, I give unto you power

to tread on serpents and scorpions,

 and over all the power of the enemy:

and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” (Luke 10:19)

“Behold, I give you power,”

 this gift comes from the One

to whom was given all power,  (Matt. 28:18)

Our Lord Jesus Christ, God’s Son. (Matt. 3:16)

God’s enemies called serpents and scorpions,

are inhabited by shrewd demons from hell.

Their leader, the Devil, wants to rob and kill,

and their captives at first can’t tell.

By neglecting God’s Word, man leaves God behind.

Through sin, demons are free to invade the body and mind.

Evil thoughts possess victims, can’t forgive or stop lying,

become pridefully blind, lacking power, stop trying.

If one believes no need of Jesus, and screams words, I can not tell,

the evil power then takes over and brings many in their spell.

Very few now turn to Jesus to deliver them of their shame.

To defeat serpents and scorpions, if only they’d call on Jesus’ name!

Jesus is our Master, Who has ALL power in earth and Heaven above,

came to break the chains of sin to free man with His love.

                                 R.A.Riel

Reflection Time:

For those who have Jesus in them, Scripture says,

“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly

above all that we ask or think, according to the power

that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by

Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end.

 Amen” (Eph. 3:20-21)

If McCain choose her?  What was he thinking?  I think she winked at him and his blood ran south!

Many people tend to see Divine justice and mercy as opposites, but this is not the case, and understanding this can keep us from serious theological error.

My childhood Sunday School teacher said it was a great idea. She even walked us 10-year-old girls through the steps on a couple of occasions.

My contagiously joyful youth minister brought this up time and time again with myself and about 50 other energetic, hormone-driven, awkwardly behaving and acne-faced teenagers. We nodded and enthusiastically chattered about it at summer camp and during those few-and-far-between serious discussions on faith.

My pastor explained this intelligently from the pulpit. He was really good on this subject. It was something he was passionate about. Something he conveyed so convincingly that I would make once-and-for-all commitments to the Lord in my heart as he spoke. I wanted to talk to others about it like my pastor did. I wanted that kind of experience.

My Campus Crusade bible study leader emphasized this over an over again. No matter how deep our discussions went, they almost always came full-circle to this.

My wisest friends get excited about this. They share stories with me about it and include it in their "how I am doing" updates all the time. It's working for them. They can't get enough.

I have always wanted it. I just haven't always been committed enough to get it. I've reached for it and sometimes even begun to take hold of it. At times I've thought I had it and asked God, "Am I there yet? Is this it?"

Now that I'm 26 years old, I think i'm grasping it. I know I've tasted it. I REALLY like it. I understand why my parents suggested it, my Sunday School teacher taught it, my youth pastor lectured on it, my pastor was passionate about it, my bible study leader emphasized it and my wise friends can't get enough of it.

A designated, serious, concentrated, intimate, quality, personal daily time just me and God. Real, heartfelt prayer and devouring bible study. I'm finally doing it. I'm really pursuing it..... They were right. It is sweet. calming. empowering. motivating. lovely. desirable. beautiful. changing. eye-opening. unique. contagious. lasting. effective. addicting. inexplicably wonderful. It. Is. Good.

"When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things." 1Cor. 11:13

What more can I add here?

Components of the Mystery of the Passover (46-71)

1. The Passover (46-47a)

46. Now that you have heard the explanation of the type and of that which corresponds to it, hear also what goes into making up the mystery. What is the passover? Indeed its name is derived from that event–"to celebrate the passover" (to paschein) is derived from "to suffer" (tou pathein). Therefore, learn who the sufferer is and who he is who suffers along with the sufferer.

47. Why indeed was the Lord present upon the earth? In order that having clothed himself with the one who suffers, he might lift him up to the heights of heaven[1].

2. The Creation and Fall of Man (47b-48)

In the beginning, when God made heaven and earth, and everything in them through his word, he himself formed man from the earth and shared with that form his own breath, he himself placed him in paradise, which was eastward in Eden, and there they lived most luxuriously.

Then by way of command God gave them this law: For your food you may eat from any tree, but you are not to eat from the tree of the one who knows good and evil. For on the day you eat from it, you most certainly will die.

48. But man, who is by nature capable of receiving good and evil as soil of the earth is capable of receiving seeds from both sides, welcomed the hostile and greedy counselor, and by having touched that tree transgressed the command, and disobeyed God. As a consequence, he was cast out into this world as a condemned man is cast into prison.

3. Consequences of the Fall (49-56)

49. And when he had fathered many children, and had grown very old, and had returned to the earth through having tasted of the tree, an inheritance was left behind by him for his children. Indeed, he left his children an inheritance–not of chastity but of unchastity, not of immortality but of corruptibility, not of honor but of dishonor, not of freedom but of slavery, not of sovereignty but of tyranny, not of life but of death, not of salvation but of destruction.

50. Extraordinary and terrifying indeed was the destruction of men upon the earth. For the following things happened to them: They were carried off as slaves by sin, the tyrant, and were led away into the regions of desire where they were totally engulfed by insatiable sensual pleasures–by adultery, by unchastity, by debauchery, by inordinate desires, by avarice, by murders, by bloodshed, by the tyranny of wickedness, by the tyranny of lawlessness.

51. For even a father of his own accord lifted up a dagger against his son; and a son used his hands against his father; and the impious person smote the breasts that nourished him; and brother murdered brother; and host wronged his guest; and friend assassinated friend; and one man cut the throat of another with his tyrannous right hand.

52. Therefore all men on the earth became either murderers, or parricides, or killers of their children. And yet a thing still more dreadful and extraordinary was to be found: A mother attacked the flesh which she gave birth to, a mother attacked those whom her breasts had nourished; and she buried in her belly the fruit of her belly. Indeed, the ill-starred mother became a dreadful tomb, when she devoured the child which she bore in her womb.

53. But in addition to this there were to be found among men many things still more monstrous and terrifying and brutal: father cohabits with his child, and son and with his mother, and brother with sister, and male with male, and each man lusting after the wife of his neighbor.

54. Because of these things sin exulted, which, because it was death's collaborator, entered first into the souls of men, and prepared as food for him the bodies of the dead. In every soul sin left its mark, and those in whom it placed its mark were destined to die.

55. Therefore, all flesh fell under the power of sin, and every body under the dominion of death, for every soul was driven out from its house of flesh. Indeed, that which had been taken from the earth was dissolved again into earth, and that which had been given from God was locked up in Hades. And that beautiful ordered arrangement was dissolved, when the beautiful body was separated (from the soul).

56. Yes, man was divided up into parts by death. Yes, an extraordinary misfortune and captivity enveloped him: he was dragged away captive under the shadow of death, and the image of the Father remained there desolate. For this reason, therefore, the mystery of the passover has been completed in the body of the Lord.

This inability to ever fully understand God is what keeps us guessing, questioning, seeking.  Faith is an endless journey of knowledge--there is always more to learn, study, ask.  And the joy comes in constantly seeking the Lord. 

Oh, this is so much easier written than done.  It's easy to say seek the Lord, even to tell myself to seek the Lord, but figuring out what that looks like for each of us is the trouble.  For me, seeking the Lord looks like asking questions and loving the people who stumble into my life.  Every time I think I've "found" God, it's through my journey with others. 

My constant doubting and struggling, juxtaposed with my times of strong and relentless faith, are signs of my continual journey to figure God out.  At the root of it, I know He's there, even when it seems like a truly ridiculous idea.  Someone made us, loves us, and is cheering for us throughout our time on earth, even when it all seems so inconceivable.  I pray for my own faith and the faith of my friends more than almost anything else, and I believe that faith will keep us right where we need to be, whether we understand it or not.

i spent this past weekend at a women's retreat hosted by my church. events like this invite reflection but there is so much that has been stirred up inside me- where do i begin? this theme verse of this weekend seems like a good place to start. one of the retreat speakers shared that every morning she sits on the edge of her bed and recites psalm 118:24 out loud. what would it be like if i greeted each new day with a call to worship? the theme of this weekend was "response: women who worship." i want to be included in that collective act of rejoicing.

in some of his sermons pastor darrin has challenged us to "suffer well." when things in my life go wrong and/or are not as i had planned what is my reaction? true joy is peace and hope in spite of circumstances. this differentiates it from happiness. upon reflection i think it's safe to say that my expectations of god usually lead to disappointment; i have misunderstood his assurance that "all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." (romans 8:28) i tend to define "good" as what i want or think that i need. actually, blessings aren't always material things or even comfort and relief. if god's grace extends beyond the physical then i should expect blessings of a spiritual nature- the fruit of the spirit listed in galations 5:22-23: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

the most poignient verse of this weekend came from lamentations, which is fitting because the very name reflects suffering the consequences of living in a broken, fallen world 3:22-25 states, "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 'The Lord is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I will hope in him.' The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him." in this verse i observe two realities.  based on this passage i actually wrote out two columns- one for who god is and one for what i am to do. by applying commands such as "hope," "wait" and "seek" i realize several things:

1. the lord's love is steadfast (v22). trials and hardship are not signs of abandonment because he never ceases. he will see me through.
2. his mercies keep coming- his promises are renewed every single day (v23). though i may have to wait long-term for the fulfillment of a particular promise, the blessings of the short-term are hope and strength to wait each day.
3. he is enough (v24). looking to anything/anyone else for total comfort will provide only limited support and thus only temporary satisfaction.
4. if i don't find any blessings it's because i'm not looking (v25). too often i close my eyes in despair, which causes me to miss god's mercies that are all around me.

worship is born out of awe. it's the response of a surrendered heart, soul, strength and mind, whose values have shifted to reflect christ's. when i'm rooted in relationship- not performance- i am moved to rejoice in the redemption that's taking place each and every day. then, i experience transformation in every area of my life. i love how martin luther summarized it, "all of life is worship."

Chuck Colson attended an exclusive VIP dinner several years ago. He said “The gentleman seated next to me greeted me with a blunt warning that he was an atheist. I looked at him for a moment – graying temples, a wise expression, handsomely attired – the very image of a community leader. I told him I was glad to sit next to him because ‘I’ve never really met an atheist.’ As his eyebrows arched, I explained, ‘An atheist believes the existence of God can be disproved. So please, tell me how you’ve done that.’ He looked momentarily uncomfortable. ‘Well, perhaps I should say I’m an agnostic.’ ‘When did you give up studying about God?’ I asked. Now his neck began to redden. He admitted he’d really never tried. ‘But an agnostic is one who says he doesn’t think God can be known, and you can only be an agnostic if you’ve tried to know Him and exhausted the search (The Faith: What Christians Believe, Why They Believe It, and Why It Matters, 36).”

We are the church.  Brothers and sisters, helping each other back into health, laying our lives down for one another, fighting a spiritual war side by side, depending on one another, praising our source of life the ever-merciful God our Lord, boasting in our weaknesses and inadequacies that He has made strong and complete, and sharing in the eternal gift of true life, given freely and abundantly, and constantly renewed by the Spirit of Life that is within us.  Let us be something that demons fear and angels praise, something that Satan hates and God loves, something that demands the evil one's attacks and requires the supernatural, miraculous protection of our heavenly Father through Jesus Christ.