Men of the Heart news—

I would like to take a brief moment and thank everyone who has read the Men of the Heart series, (Kindled Love, Sparks of Affection, and Flames of Endearment.) Like all things in life there are hiccups—the timing of Book 4's release is one of them—and while it sometimes seems like an incurable case of hiccups, Book 4 is close to completion. It is with my lovely editor and my goal is to have it out late summer/early fall 2019.
Thank you so much for patiently waiting.

Conformed to the image of Christ...

“For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son...” (Romans 8:29) God has a goal for you, and that goal is for you to be “...conformed to the image of his Son...”  The Bible tells us that this goal is predestinated for us… But what does that mean?

Simply put, it means God has already decided that you should be like Jesus. 

Think about it like this. If you pour plaster into a footprint, that plaster conforms to that footprint.

Will that plaster cast be as perfect as the original foot? No. It will be made out of plaster, and will have imperfections… From the mixture the plaster is made from, from irregularities in the soil the print was in... it will not be perfect, but it will be LIKE the original. One could identify the two as similar, just like police detectives investigating a crime can determine that a suspect is the one who left a footprint at the scene. 

As Christians, God has an expectation for us to be LIKE Christ... and we should strive to be LIKE Christ. The Bible tells us that people in the early church were called Christians first at Antioch… It was meant as a mocking term, because it meant ‘little Christs,’ but they wore it as a badge of honor. Why? Because even the world could see the similarity between them and Jesus. Even though they were simply earthen vessels and had numerous imperfections, they were recognizably similar to Christ.

On this side of heaven, we will never be perfect like Christ, but if the world can't see a similarity between you and Christ, you have some serious work to do. 

The Value of Prayer

Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer took the Seventh Calvary regiment to an area known as the Little Big Horn in June of 1876. He was outnumbered and cut off from reinforcements. The enemy forces surrounded Custer and the soldiers under his immediate command, and in the subsequent massacre all 211 men, including Custer, were killed.

Almost 90 years later, Lieutenant Colonel Hal Moore took 450 men of the Seventh Calvary regiment into the Ia Drang valley in the central highlands of Vietnam on November 14, 1965. He found himself outnumbered and cut off from reinforcements. The enemy forces, over 1600 in strength, surrounded Moore. However, Moore used precision air strikes and constant artillery barrages as a shield between the enemy and his men; this screen protected them, broke the enemy’s advance, and changed what could have been a massacre into a victory.

The primary difference between Moore and Custer was that Custer did not possess heavy artillery.
In the life of a Christian, there will be times that we are under attack from the World, the Flesh and the Devil; times that the battle gets so difficult that we can do nothing but stand and take it. The Bible tells us that at those times, “…and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore… (Ephesians 6:13-14) When standing in defense, having armor can help deflect some of the blows that would normally afflict us.
Ephesians Chapter 6 tells us of the Armor we are given access to as Christians, armor that will protect us in the battle; “…having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always…” (Ephesians 6:14-18)
If we are to stand for Christ, we must learn to use our armor; it will protect us in those times that we have done all we can, and we just need to take it. While many Christians understand some of the benefits of the armor God has provided, there is one piece given to us that is often overlooked...
“Praying always…” (Ephesians 6:18) Prayer is often not understood as an important part of the Christian’s armor, but it is probably the most important one there is.
Consider again the difference between Hal Moore and George Custer. There will be times that we are in the battle, and even the armor that we have may not protect us from the fiery darts that are hitting us from all sides. At those times all we can do is hunker down and take the hits.
But, there is a God in Heaven. When we pray, His protection is like artillery from Heaven that will create a barrier between the enemy and the Christian, and can turn a spiritual massacre into a victory.

In honor of Lieutenant General Hal Moore (Retired) 1922—2017

What happened to Demas?

“Ye are the light of the world.” (Matthew 5:14)

The average life-span of a soul winning Christian is dwindling. Twenty-five years ago it was said to be seven years. From the time they first get Saved and active in the Church, until the FBI can’t find them to get them in Church. Fifteen years ago it was five years… Now, some say it is three…

I want to consider a Biblical character that is indicative of this problem, and can give us some answers why we see this happening—and that is Demas. He is a character in the Bible that many Christians know little about. Many of us have heard sermons in Church about Demas, usually stemming from one single verse...

“For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica…” (II Timothy 4:10)

I want to simply look at what we know about Demas, and see WHY it was that he departed from the work.

“Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you.” (Colossians 4:14)

In this passage, written in AD 62, we see that Demas was mentioned as a Dedicated Secondary. He was someone who was apparently involved enough, and familiar to the Church at Colossi, to where Paul felt a salutation from him was warranted. He had just started his ministry, and was like a match that is just being lit.

“Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas, Lucas, my fellow-labourers.” (Philemon 1:24)

In this passage, written in AD 63, we see that Demas was recognized not only as involved with the work, but as being Diligent in Service. He was a fellow-laborer with Paul, and obviously of great value. Often we refer to someone that is actively serving as “On Fire” for God, and in his case this was like a burning match with a clear flame.

“For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica…” (II Timothy 4:10)

In this final passage, written in AD 66, we see that Demas is being lamented as having Departed from Service. We do not know the exact circumstances of his departure, but the strong wording by Paul, as he considered it a forsaking leads one to believe it wasn’t a pleasant departure. As we consider his service we could say that he was “Burnt Out” and out of fuel, like a burned out match.

The problem that we see is that Demas burnt out too quickly. Like a lit match that can only burn so long as it has fuel, which is the wood it is made from, he was burning in his own strength and had a short life.

We need to remember this:

“The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord…” (Proverbs 20:27)

We need to be like a candle, not a match. A candle has a string wick, which is no different from wood; it will burn out quickly on its own. BUT, what the candle has, in addition, is a layer of wax. That wax is the real fuel that burns slowly and keeps the wick from burning out too quickly.

The question we must ask is simply what is the wax that will keep the Christian burning longer?

Prayer- Philippians 4:6-7

Reading God’s Word- Psalm 119:11

Church/Fellowship with believers- Matthew 18:20

These are the things that will fuel a Christian’s life so they can continue to burn brightly for the Lord. Ask yourself... Are you keeping yourself covered?