Pastor Baker's Blog

Entry for September 28, 2006

Daily Reading: Isaiah chapters 13 thru 16

Key Verses: Isaiah 13:2-4

In Is. 13:2, Isaiah talks of the Lord lifting up a banner (standard, signal) and rallying His troops for war. As the intensity of the battle increases, I believe God is holding up a standard today. Unfortunately, we have a lot of enlisted people who are simply in the reserves. They only want to check in on the weekend. They do not want to engage in full-time battle. God does not deal with reserves. His Word is clear. His instructions are clear. He even tells us how to fight (Ephesians 6). Regardless if we actively engage or not, we are still in the battle. Since this is fact we need to fight from an offensive rather than a defensive position. In Is.14, it is declared that the devil is already defeated. We have to fight from a point of victory. But, you cannot fight unless you fully understand the rules of engagement and have been trained in warfare. As the IRS states, "Ignorance is not an excuse." We live in the information age. There is wealth of tools available. We just need to take the oath and commit. It's not about your abilities - it's about your avail-ability. God wants you!

2006-09-28 16:06:35 GMT

Comments (2 total)

Author:Anonymous

If the bible calls us to unity, I often wonder why it is so difficulty for people to truly come together? Why is it so hard to let our guard down? Why is it hard to let people truly know who we are? Why can we not seek prayer from others when we are going through stuff? Why do we always try to handle things alone? It's probably because we don't see that the banner has been raised. We are too busy looking down at ourselves to look up to the hills. In the past, there were times when I was wholeheartedly committed to serving man. I can remember working to the point of exhaustion to fulfill the dreams of a man. Why? Because man had lifted a standard and put up boundaries in which I was to work from. I am thankful that the Lord is patient and brought me to a point of recognition that I was not serving Him, but I was serving man. That was the moment I truly enlisted in the battle. The war has intensified ever since, but I am grateful to know how the story ends.
--Aundrea Baker
<mailto:abaker@thewaybiblefellowship.org>

2006-09-28 16:20:12 GMT

Author:Anonymous

I agree with you Sis. Baker. I am also glad to know how the story ends. So often, in the past as well as recently, I've allowed Satan to bring me to the point where I feel that I can do nothing in terms of the current state of the church and how so many Christians are not allowing the light of Christ to shine. Its like "how can little ole me do anything to change this downward spiral"? However, there is a famous quote that says, "Be the change you want to see in the world", and what that means to me is that I cannot expect to see the church change as a whole if I'm not truly making an effort to do the same. I'm realizing more and more that it is not about me and what I can do, but about what God can do through me if I allow Him to use me how He sees fit. I'm so grateful for this revelation because it alleviates the helpless feeling that comes from looking at the current state of Christianity in proximity to the world as a whole.
--Stephanie

2006-09-28 18:25:14 GMT

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		Pastor Baker's Daily Devotional

		Entry for September 28, 2006 Daily Reading: Isaiah chapters 13 thru 16 Key Verses: Isaiah 13:2-4 In Is. 13:2, Isaiah talks of the Lord lifting up a banner (standard, signal) and rallying His troops for war. As the intensity of the battle increases, I believe God is holding up a standard today. Unfortunately, we have a lot of enlisted people who are simply in the reserves. They only want to check in on the weekend. They do not want to engage in full-time battle. God does not deal with reserves. His Word is clear. His instructions are clear. He even tells us how to fight (Ephesians 6). Regardless if we actively engage or not, we are still in the battle. Since this is fact we need to fight from an offensive rather than a defensive position. In Is.14, it is declared that the devil is already defeated. We have to fight from a point of victory. But, you cannot fight unless you fully understand the rules of engagement and have been trained in warfare. As the IRS states, "Ignorance is not an excuse." We live in the information age. There is wealth of tools available. We just need to take the oath and commit. It's not about your abilities - it's about your avail-ability. God wants you! 2006-09-28 16:06:35 GMT Comments (2 total) Author:Anonymous If the bible calls us to unity, I often wonder why it is so difficulty for people to truly come together? Why is it so hard to let our guard down? Why is it hard to let people truly know who we are? Why can we not seek prayer from others when we are going through stuff? Why do we always try to handle things alone? It's probably because we don't see that the banner has been raised. We are too busy looking down at ourselves to look up to the hills. In the past, there were times when I was wholeheartedly committed to serving man. I can remember working to the point of exhaustion to fulfill the dreams of a man. Why? Because man had lifted a standard and put up boundaries in which I was to work from. I am thankful that the Lord is patient and brought me to a point of recognition that I was not serving Him, but I was serving man. That was the moment I truly enlisted in the battle. The war has intensified ever since, but I am grateful to know how the story ends. --Aundrea Baker <mailto:abaker@thewaybiblefellowship.org> 2006-09-28 16:20:12 GMT Author:Anonymous I agree with you Sis. Baker. I am also glad to know how the story ends. So often, in the past as well as recently, I've allowed Satan to bring me to the point where I feel that I can do nothing in terms of the current state of the church and how so many Christians are not allowing the light of Christ to shine. Its like "how can little ole me do anything to change this downward spiral"? However, there is a famous quote that says, "Be the change you want to see in the world", and what that means to me is that I cannot expect to see the church change as a whole if I'm not truly making an effort to do the same. I'm realizing more and more that it is not about me and what I can do, but about what God can do through me if I allow Him to use me how He sees fit. I'm so grateful for this revelation because it alleviates the helpless feeling that comes from looking at the current state of Christianity in proximity to the world as a whole. --Stephanie 2006-09-28 18:25:14 GMT Site Home