Guidance Counselors

Where there is no guidance the people fall, but in abundance of counselors there is victory. (Proverbs 11:14)

A mob destroys and defeats its purpose. No matter what their cause, it is frustrated when the group is unrestrained in its purpose. A mob is not so much a group as it is a gang. And the result of gang activity is usually destructive in nature. But when counselors rise up…there can be great change. Counselors in abundance can work as a team, unified in purpose and vision. Their mission is to confront and challenge the unrestrained and unguided destruction and point to a redemptive and godly purpose. The purpose of spiritual counsel is to bring people into the presence of and surrender to superior spiritual authority. Instructive in this passage is the word victory. It can also be translated deliverance. Think of deliverance in the context of the great travail that is typical to childbirth. And without any help, such as the assistance of midwives, nurses, doctors, friends or family, many women and their children could die during the birthing process. Consider the person who is influenced by self destructive thinking that results in self destructive lifestyles. They haven't learned to live for a living.  Without guidance, without encouragement, without warnings, without boundaries, many people will die…they fall by the wayside because no one helps them. But with the abundance of counselors, those that are more than adequate, those that are more than enough, there is deliverance from bondage and victory in life. Armed with the Wisdom that is found in the Spirit of God and the Word of God, the counselors will be abundant…more than enough. The purpose of spiritual guidance counsel is to direct people toward making responsible spiritual choices and enjoy the ultimate spiritual victory of living their lives surrendered to the authority of Christ. Point someone to Jesus today. Guide them towards this Wonderful Counselor.  He is more than enough.  He has come to give life...abundant life.  It's time people learned to live for a living! 

Date For A Dance Or Lover For Life?

The Lord was with Jehoshaphat because he followed the example of his father David's earlier days and did not seek the Baals, but sought the God of his father, followed His commandments, and did not act as Israel did. So the Lord established the kingdom in his control, and all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had great riches and honor. He took great pride in the ways of the Lord and again removed the high places and the Asherim from Judah. (2 Chronicles 17:3-6)

God is a jealous lover…He will not participate with those of us who want to casually “date” Him while spending our lives in empty relationships with other people and other things.  When it comes to a relationship with the Lord, worship is the relationship. God will not share Himself. He will not be sitting on the sideline while we dance with another. He requires a commitment…to seek Him and spend time with Him. Commitment to God in a love relationship is never less than it would be in an earthly romance. When we take time to pursue Him for life, we will never settle for a date for a day...we will want more of Him…more of His Presence. As the old saying goes, “Dance with the one who brings us”.  God is the One who brings us to life...because He brings Life to us!  Jehosophat manifested a good kind of pride. He is proud of God...and the way He does things.  The way we can be proud of those we love.  We can take pride in God’s ways…as a faithful lover…rather than our ways…when we are busy playing the field and looking for love in all the wrong places! The Lord is faithful to His people.  Examine your heart.  Are you dating God for a dance for a day or pursuing Him as a Lover for life?

Peace Making Things

When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, "If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes." (Luke 19:41-42)


What are the things which make for peace? What are the necessary ingredients? Peace is the absence of conflict. Peace is the recognition of superior authority.  Peace is the willingness to submit to the one who conquers.  The crowd had been shouting, Peace in heaven. What was it that was so different that peace would be prevail in Heaven?  The King was coming into Jerusalem.  And that which had been out of order was being made right. All in Heaven must have stood silent as the cross loomed larger and the time grew shorter.  But many on earth simply did not know the time of their visitation.  Many did not know that the King of all Kings was approaching and Superior Authority was so nearby.  Historically, being so far removed from the days of these events, the question arises, Are we there yet? No. Sadly, many on earth still do not know the time of God’s visitation. They do not know...or care... that the King has come to save us.  King Jesus was crucified but lives on forever. And this King is coming again…this time it will not be hidden…there will be no mistaking it or missing it…and the conflict will be settled on earth…just as it is in Heaven. Peace on earth will come…when Christ the King…the Prince of Peace comes again. The things which make for peace is the presence of superior authority. And Superior Authority declares…Jesus is Lord.  Submission to His authority brings peace.  Our surrender to the One Who Conquers brings peace to our troubled souls.  Worship is a peace making thing when it is rightly focused on Jesus the Christ.  Now is the time to worship the King!

Heard About Hope

They told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. (Luke 18:37)

Hope is made for hearing. When the blind man heard about Jesus…he hoped. When Jesus asks him about his desire, he desires that his hope is realized. The man wants to see…again. And he wants Jesus to help him because this is something he cannot do for himself. No other hand holds out hope for healing.  No home remedies can be applied to restore his sight. There is only Jesus…and His word.  This is the blind man's hopeful remedy.  And according to the faith of the blind man…and the object of his faith...this hope is activated. The reality is that hope is made for hearing because faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. For those who have lost their hope…let your ears hear about Jesus.  Let your mouth cry out to Jesus…Son of David…have mercy on me! Believe and trust that the Word of God has portrayed the Lord of Glory faithfully. When we believe that Jesus is passing by our hopeless place, it is not only the good news of the gospel…it’s the best news of our day.  It's the greatest revelation in our lives!  Listen up.  Have you heard about Jesus lately?  Got hope?

All In The Family

He also removed Maacah, the mother of King Asa, from the position of queen mother, because she had made a horrid image as an Asherah, and Asa cut down her horrid image, crushed it and burned it at the brook Kidron. (2 Chronicles 15:16)

The powerful influence of a family idolater is revealed when that person holds great power over the all in the family. King Asa fired his mother…or grandmother…from being Queen Mother because of her idolatry. That's something you don't see everyday.  When we discipline our families, much less our elders, it is a rare reformation when it comes to spiritual things.  But here is where idolatry is the most firmly rooted.  Here we find the entrenched generational strongholds…where false worship is passed down to succeeding generations. Often in families, it is most difficult for a family member to see or hear the truth when exposing or being exposed to the error of traditional family worship. Tradition seems prone to trump the truth at the family altar.  For Asa, he must have found that it is harder to do something about it once truth is embraced. The easy thing is to overlook it...especially in the family.  To break away from a wicked family influence takes a lot of courage. It must be God at work. God exercises His authority in worship. Therefore, He used the king to restore true worship. Yet some things didn’t get done. Some things still wait to be completed. Kings come and kings go. So we wait on the Lord Himself to completely purge the land from idolatrous worship. And He will. Take courage and remove the wicked influence and the wicked influencers from their place of influence. Perhaps it is most prominent in your own family.  Take heart, a restoration of right worship sets all things right. Is the Lord all in all in your family? Begin with your own heart.  Are you true in the worship of God in your life?  Is there truly no other God but God? Before we can take action against the idolatry we see in others, especially family, we must have a heart to worship the Most High God.  We must be faithful in our worship to God.  It is here that godly worship has its most powerful influence to overcome wicked worship.  The key to generational godly influence throughout the generations is found all in the family when God alone is truly worshipped.

The Power of Presence

But we had to celebrate and rejoice, for this brother of yours was dead and has begun to live, and was lost and has been found. (Luke 15:32)

God rejoices and heaven rejoices when lost things are found and sinners repent. In the preceding stories in Luke's narrative…the lost sheep is found by the shepherd…the lost coin is found by the woman. But what about the son…who, or what, found him? Did he come to realize his desperate condition on his own? Do we really find ourself when we are lost? Perhaps it is more proper to say that we realize and wake up to the fact that we are lost and out of place and determine to return. This is the essence of repentance. This wayward, or prodigal, son came to the end of himself and found himself in a desperate condition. The influence of living with his father, and the memory of being in his presence, made a radical, life-changing impression upon the young son. And he acted upon this desire to return home…to return to his father’s dominion. So what was it that found him? The love of the father…never forgotten…often squandered and rejected… the absence of his nearness. There is power in a father's influential presence. The elder son never learned how lost he was. He ignored the powerful influence of his father. He took his presence for granted and lost the greatest part of being close to home…the love of the father and the culture of joy…inexpressible and unforgettable joy. Come close to God the Father if you truly know Him...you will never regret it. Come home to God the Father if you have been far, far away...you'll find Him waiting and watching for your return...a reason for all to celebrate and rejoice.

War Horse

The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but victory belongs to the Lord. (Prov 21:31) As I go into the fray this day I reflect on what part a horse has in the day of battle. It is to deliver the warrior to the battleground. What preparation must the horse undergo? What is necessary for the horse to fulfill his part? The horse must be rested, groomed, fed, and watered. Another necessary part in the horse’s success is to be encouraged. It is to be spurred on…to hear the voice of his rider…the warrior…urging the horse to advance or to slow down or to hold up. The horse is to know that it must not go out onto the chaotic battlefield and run as though the warrior does not have control…the horse is trained to fly into the fight with fear under control. This word is our word today…there is a battle before us…we are the horses…the Lord is the Warrior. I feed on His word…I drink in His spirit…I rest in the LORD. How far and how fast we advance is under the authority of the LORD…We are to be prepared…groomed for the skirmish…for the LORD’s victory. I celebrate You today, O Lord. You are victorious…we serve at Your command…the victory cannot fail. You are God Most High…the LORD of Glory. And I am... a warhorse!