They were already defeated!

Hundreds of soldiers lay upon the ground, nothing but dry bones to the passers-by who may have accidentally wandered through the ancient battlefield. The battle had passed, the war was over, and dry bones was all that remained. You think to yourself, "Victorious warriors have marked graves, elaborate tombs and proper burials. You do not find their remains left behind." But these were fallen men, broken and beaten. Not much left to do but shrug your shoulders at the sight, perhaps offer a sigh of regret for their demise, and continue on to other destinations. This was the field of the defeated.

And we walk through society with the same aire of regret and disconnection for the swath of humanity that lay upon the fields of failure, who are scattered like so much debris across the vast plains of the current culture and are deemed defeated. There's nothing to do but offer our feigned sympathies and move along to our other destinations. We have no time for those who are the failures, who are the thrown-away wretches. 

But God does have time for them. 

God sends His prophet to the very field of bones, the scattered remains of the vanquished who lay sprawled out across the wasteland of the forgotten and sets His purpose to do something.

"The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry." ~ Ezekiel 37:1-2

​Oh, my friends, you may think that you're defeated, that your life is nothing better than a pile of dried bones that have been left to the ever-encroaching decay of life. You may have been broken by any number of enemies that rampage our culture. Sexual temptations, drug addictions, alcohol, and a myriad of other battalions wage war against your heart and soul. You may have succumbed to their advancements and now lay upon the field of the defeated. I want to tell you - it's not over! God is here and He asks a very important question.

"And he said to me, 'Son of man, can these bones live?' And I answered, 'O Lord GOD, you know.'" ~ Ezekiel 37:3

Come back next week when we discover Victory from the Ashes of Defeat - Part Two.

Happy New Year!

This is a brand new day... a new start, a fresh encounter with a sense of possibilities that fills the heart with hope. I love "New Year's Day" because it brings a refreshing delight to the soul. At least it does for me.

Now there are some who see it as only the transferring of one day to another... yesterday to today. No big deal, no remarkable change, just one more cog in the machine of existence. A simple change of the calendar.

But if you watched the spectacles around the world, there were billions of people rejoicing in thousands of locations across twenty-four time zones, each celebrating the passage of last year to this. Fireworks soared into the heavens, resolutions resounded upon the lips from hearts that long for a greater sense of purpose, a deeper growth of character and a better way of living. Kisses were offered and taken, men upon their knees proposed to their delighted girlfriends as tears of joy welled and cascaded to the ground. Everything was wonderfully new!

But what of you?

Do you sense the newness of this time? Is there a re-lit hope, a spark of delight that will kindle a flame of passion into an fire of determination to step into this year with confident assurance that this will be the year you reach new heights? I hope so! For once you sense that renewal of life, you begin to believe that what lay before you is far greater than merely existing for another 365 days... what waits before you is the call of God.

With a sense of wonder an awe, you start to realize that Ephesians 2:10 is you: "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."

Then, in great anticipation of what God will do through you, it becomes clear that Philippians 3:14 is what it takes: "I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

Finally, you discover that Philippians 4:13 is real: "I can do all things through him who strengthens me."

Let me ask again - what about you?

How will you step into this New Year? Will you, like so many, enter it with misanthropic melancholy or will you put your feet under you, walk with courage and confidence, knowing that the Lord Jesus Christ has already gone before you to prepare opportunities that wait upon your willingness to try?

Let me encourage you to step into this New Year with steadfast determination to make it the best year ever.

In His Grace,
Michael

To start your year off right, pick up the book: "A Life Worth Living" on Kindle for only 99 cents!
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How to overcome the barriers that hinder our walk with Christ

There are many things in this life that Christians must encounter in their walk with Jesus. All of them are either handholds or hindrances to faith. That is to say, all of them will either cause us to look to Jesus for help, guidance, reassurance, strength, courage, and a host of other needs that come from living in the midst of untenable circumstances or they will cause doubt, fear, frustration, antipathy, anger, resentment and many other excuses why we can’t go forward with Christ. The choice is ours. We have the opportunity to stay faithful or to abandon faith.

There are some roadblocks to faith that are common to every person who strives to follow Christ. From Matthew 14:22-33 we read the story of Jesus and Peter walking on the water. However, in the midst of this story are clear examples of real roadblocks and the means by which we can overcome.

Roadblock #1 – A Faulty View of Jesus

While the disciples fought through the night against the buffeting winds as they tried to cross the sea, they looked and noticed a figure upon the water. “During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. ‘It’s a ghost,’ they said, and cried out in fear” (Matthew 14:25-26).

Understandably, they were in the midst of a storm and no one, ever, had walked upon water up to this point! What else were they to think? But to use this as the first example, I want to point out that there are many people in the midst of storms who only see Jesus as some apparition – a ghost like companion who has no power to do much more than walk past and observe. With a faulty view of Jesus we descend into a failed faith.

I wonder what would have happened in the boat if there was one person who, before Jesus mentioned anything, would have said, “Oh, wait! That’s Jesus! We’re going to be just fine.” Jesus, Himself, asks the question: “Who do you say that I am?” (from Matthew 16:15). This is critical—and the most important reality—to have a correct view of Jesus, a view built from His own revelation of Himself.

Solution to Roadblock #1 – A Correct View of Jesus

What did Jesus do? He cried out: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid” (v. 27). It’s not a ghost; it’s not an apparition; it is the Lord Jesus Christ who walks upon the water. It is impossible to have a view of Jesus that lends itself to accurate faith if that view is only built upon the foolish and failed understanding of human reason.

There is only one place to gain a correct view of Jesus Christ and that is the Word of God. Yet, how many Christians place their faith in their own understanding? Do not trust anyone’s thoughts of Jesus Christ who does not draw their understanding from the Word of God—including your own.

Roadblock #2 – A Fearful View of Circumstances

After they understood it was Jesus on the water, and Peter stepped out of the boat at the Lord’s command, Peter looked around at where he was. “Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’” (Matthew 14:29-30).

Again, it’s understandable that Peter would be disquieted by the fact that he was walking upon the water. Who wouldn’t be! But, as the nature of all endeavors that require faith in Jesus Christ, the moment he took his eyes off of the Savior and placed them upon the environment around him, he became afraid and began to sink.

Isn’t that the way most of us go? The life that God has called us to live is not measured by our own skills and expertise, but by the requirements of faith—a faith that rests upon the power and person of Christ Jesus. He does not call us because we are already built for such-and-such a task. Peter was a fisherman, aware of the water and knew how to swim. He did not have the means of his own to walk upon the water! What God is looking for are those who are willing to step out of the boat of personal comfort and security and trust Him by faith in obedience to His commands.

Solution to Roadblock #2 – A Confident Reliance on Jesus

As Peter began sinking into the depths of the sea, his only recourse was to cry out to the one who was still walking on the water. It might seem a bit obvious, but there were other options. He could have tried to rely on his own strength and swim back to the boat. He could have begged for help from the others in the boat. He could have just let himself drown in despair, perhaps even blaming Jesus for calling him onto the water in the first place. He didn’t do any of those things – he simply cried out to the only One who could save him.

Even in the midst of the most difficult circumstances, when God calls you to the impossible, you can have absolute confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ. All of us have found ourselves called by God to the impossible, and many of us have tried to do what God has given us in our own strength and wisdom. Then, when the way is rough, the storms are strong and the winds are against us, we tend to turn to human ingenuity to stay above the circumstances. For example, God has called us to evangelize the world through the preaching of the gospel and discipling believers. When the way gets rough and people don’t respond – even becoming hostile – we change tactics. We turn to clever schemes and worldly strategies to do God’s work. Instead, we must simply cry out to Jesus and walk with Him as He holds us up above water.

These two roadblocks are common to everyone. You’re not alone. But the solutions are simple if you’re willing to take them to heart. Walking in faith with Christ Jesus means you must know Him as He has revealed Himself and you will have to trust Him and His word, even when the circumstances around you demand that you abandon all hope.

©2015 Michael Duncan

For further reading on learning to walk by faith in Jesus Christ, pick up the workbook: Starting Out: A Study Guide for New Believers available here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1482694328

I want to welcome all of those who have recently joined this blog from the Iron Sharpens Iron Conference! Your comments are always welcome and I hope that you will be encouraged in your faith and strengthened in your walk with Christ. I thoroughly enjoyed our time together and appreciated the stories that you shared in our break-out session, "Running on Empty."

For all the followers of this blog, in early November I will be posting a link for leadership training. It will be four audio messages along with downloadable guides. Feel free to share this with your friends and contacts and watch for the link. Anyone who signs up for my blog will have access to the training.

God bless! And always remember to make sure you anchor your life to the Word of God.

Michael Duncan