​The Value of an honorable “Yes” or “No” (Read time ≈ 7 minutes)
Matthew 5:33–37
Jesus said, 33 “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ 34 But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 And do not take an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.
 
“I swear on my momma’s grave!”. We’ve probably all heard that once or twice, or even said it ourselves. Someone will say something like this when they REALLY want you to believe them. Jesus basically says, you’ve heard it said that if you swear you better follow through. Why? Because that’s the way the world operates. You swear on something and that’s how you convince someone to believe you. Instead, Jesus says, don’t swear at all. Not on your pinkie, not on your own head, not on your momma and DEFINITELY not the Lord! Why does this even matter?
 
To many people this seems kind of trivial but when we understand what we’re talking about here we will understand the value of our words and of our character in seemingly small things like this. Firstly, why do we feel the need to swear on anything at all? We all understand something and that is that, people have expectations of us, and we have expectations of ourselves. Your reputation precedes you. In other words, your past behavior determines the future expectations of you. Both for you and for those around you. Feeling the need to up the ante with a swear (or an oath) actually reveals two things; One, I don’t think you believe me, so I need to do this; two, I don’t really always believe myself either, so I feel the need to do this. See, it is one thing to have people not believe us. We might be saying we will do something or go somewhere or perhaps recounting a story or testimony and we have someone before us who doesn’t quite buy it. But it’s another thing to lack confidence in your own word to the point to where you have to ’pull out the stops’ in order to convince someone of your sincerity. This isn’t a great place to be. It’s not good when people feel as though you have a reputation of not being sincere and it’s not good when you have acknowledged that and instead of correcting and repenting you just know when to talk yourself up to convince someone. You lack honor in your word, and you know it and you know other people know it so it becomes seemingly necessary to be more compelling by saying something like “I swear…. On my grave… on my big toe… on my life… to God(pls don’t)… and more”!
 
Beyond that, Jesus reminds us, how can you swear on your own head, you don’t even choose what hair color comes out of your own dome! And you better not be swearing on heavenly things, that’s God’s turf and the earth below? That’s Gods too! We truly have no authority over anything to even swear over something, even with the best of intentions, we fall short at times, why fall short with such strong words preceding you?
 
We need to honor God and honor ourselves and our own word. Jesus makes it quite simple for us, answer people with “yes” or “no” and then mean it. Instead of increasing the value of what you’re saying by swearing on something, increase the value of your word simply by MEANING IT and building an honest reputation. Your reputation precedes you, so why not begin today by building an honest reputation. This starts with taking time to consider very carefully before we speak; do I mean what I am about to say? If I say “yes”, am I going to follow through? If not, I should say “no”. If you are being honest, then let your reputation defend you. Start today with an honest response, an honest story, an honest commitment, and build the foundations of a more valuable word for tomorrow. If your word is damaged in the eyes of others and yourself, it will take time to rebuild it. Begin now, “Let your ‘yes’ be yes and your ‘no’ be no” in other words, say what you mean and mean what you say. Nothing more and nothing less and then just watch the value of your word grow. As Christians we are called to be honorable and truthful. There is no need for vain swearing to puff up the value of your word. Let your actions add value to your word.

​Heaven Bound or Bound by the World? (Read time ≈ 6 minutes)
Philippians 3:20 (ESV)
20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ,
 
Commitment is greater than excitement. But we do still have a lot to be excited about. We have something that we should be excited about every single day. An excitement that should fuel us more than anything else. That is our citizenship that we have in Heaven. That is, of course, assuming we have citizenship there. A citizenship that only the Blood of Christ can purchase for us and a citizenship that only we can denounce. Really, we are either bound for heaven or we are bound by this world. Jesus says clearly that we cannot serve Him and the world. It’s one or the other (Matthew 12:30). Historically, slavery has rarely been optional. It was forced upon someone. All of us were born into slavery. Slavery to sin (Psalm 51:5 + John 8:34). We are born into a world that wants us to remain captive to and bound by its chains (2 Peter 2:19). But there is a Redeemer. Someone greater than this world (John 16:33). Someone who came to abolish the slavery of our soul (Romans 8:21). A freedom that comes with a citizenship of heaven. Ruled and built by the Most High God (Hebrews 11:10). A citizenship that is ours to keep and only ours to forfeit (Galatians 5:1).
 
No matter what we face today. No matter what country we find ourselves citizens of, or not citizens of. No matter how hard, harsh, or hellish this world becomes, we know where our real citizenship is. We know our names are written in the Book of Life (Revelation 3:5). We know where we are going and Who we are going with. We know who we are, and where we are going. We are children of the Most High God, the creator of this universe and when we breathe our last breath here on earth, we will be taken to our true home, to see our Father (John 14:1-3). We know that no matter what life brings us here on earth that to live is to live unto Lord and to die is to die unto the Lord, that regardless of what comes of our life, we are the Lords (Romans 14:8) and we will return to Him. To Live is Christ and to die is gain (Philippians 1:21).
 
What great excitement and encouragement this should provide every true believer! That we can face the world, knowing it has been conquered by Christ, on our behalf (Revelation 17:14). That every day we can look to Heaven for help but also look to Heaven knowing that it is our true home, our true destination. The place where our souls will finally, fully rest in Him in ways unimaginable to us (1 Corinthians 2:9). That no matter what the world brings to us while we dwell in this temporary body in this temporary land, we have a glorious dwelling place awaiting us (2 Corinthians 5:1) and a loving Fathers presence waiting for us to dwell with Him eternally (Revelation 21:3-4).

Commitment > Excitement (Read time ≈ 7 minutes)
​1 Kings 8:61
Let your heart therefore be wholly true to the Lord our God, walking in his statutes and keeping his commandments, as at this day.”
 
        Since we were children, we all craved excitement. As adults, things are no different. Sports, movies, adventures, social drama, politics and more. We have many different tastes for excitement and nearly endless sources. The issue we face as adults, especially in the generation we live in today, is that people have the tendency to want little to no involvement in anything that isn’t exciting. This is becoming an issue even to the point to where people will quit their jobs because they’re “just not feelin’ it”. We know that an income is essential to paying bills and surviving. Making decisions like this based off emotion or, lack of emotion, can be detrimental to our well-being today as well as our future. Don’t misunderstand the point. I love some good excitement! Who doesn’t?! I love a thrilling finish to an intense Yankees game, or a fun outdoor adventure. There is nothing wrong with excitement (assuming it’s morally acceptable); but the level of excitement we feel should not be the barometer in which we determine if something is worth our time.
 
        What about excitement in the things of God? Anyone who has been around the things of God long enough will know that exciting things are bound to happen! Miracles of many kinds, special times of worship, an experience of God’s Spirit speaking straight to yours and so on. These are beautiful things, but if we base our spiritual experience off excitement, we will have one of two things happen.
One: You will get carried away by false theologies that are built on excitement rather than the Word of God. There is an entire industry today disguised as religion in today’s world that is built around triggering your emotions and feeding in to our desire to feel excited. The worship is more of a concert than worship, the preaching is more of a motivational, feel-good speech delivered with clever phrases and high energy rather than preaching the Word of God as it is (yes, even the less thrilling stuff), events are more of a social club gathering rather than something meant for the edification of the spirit or the growth and advancement of Gods kingdom. There are many who go as far as making up flat out heresy in false theology and staging fake miracles, just to keep the excitement high. These are not moves of God, they are organized entertainment. Paul deals with the dangers of succumbing to emotions and the desire for excitement in our faith, telling us “not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us” (2 Thessalonians 2:2) and “let no one deceive you in any way” (2 Thessalonians 2:3). Here Paul is speaking of false prophecy concerning the second coming of Christ, but the principal is the same, do not simply go with some new theology because it is exciting and makes your heart race! Rather, stay true to the Word of God.
Two: The excitement wears off and we abandon our faith, just like we have abandoned many things in the past that got boring, and we move on to the next thing.
 
        Excitement within the will of God is good! It is part of a healthy walk with God. Alone, however, is not enough. Excitement for the things of God is good, but underneath our excitement there needs to be true commitment. Excitement can fade; it can come and go; it can increase and decrease. Commitment lasts; it lasts through all emotional phases, through all seasons, through all highs and through all lows. Excitement is good, but commitment is necessary for the longevity of our faith. Commitment is hard, it’s not always thrilling. Even the disciples, who lives day to day life with Jesus Himself, dozed off in the garden when Jesus asked them to pray with Him (Matthew 26:36–46 & Mark 14:32–42). There is even record of someone falling asleep during a sermon by Paul the apostle (Acts 20:7-12)! It does give me comfort that even Paul preached a snoozer every now and then. The reality is, not ALL things in the will of God are exciting, nail biting, what will happen next, experiences. Afterall, the book of Leviticus and the heroic stories you read in the book of Joshua are both books in the Bible, but they are both deemed, the necessary, infallible Word of God and necessary to our well being and health of our walk with God. Profitable for teaching, reproof and correction for us each and every day so that we are ready for this life that God gave us (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Times of our walk with God will feel tedious and even downright boring. This is why commitment is necessary. Commitment weathers through the trying times of boredom, when it feels like not much is going on. What we find though, through these times where so often many move on and give up, is that these times create an appreciation and adoration for God, who He is, the value of His Word and through this, the times of great excitement come even more exciting. We understand them deeper than before, we learn from them more than before, they become more than just an exciting experience but also a point of growth. Excitement is great, commitment is necessary, if we want to press on to the end and receive the prize (Philippians 3:13-14).
 

Stay Frosty, Soldier (Read time ≈ 10 minutes)
2 Timothy 1:7 (KJV)
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
 
        “Stay frosty, soldier!” A military slang term meaning, keep cool, calm and collected but be on your guard and ready for action. These things can be hard to do simultaneously. Be ready for action when at any moment in a time when enemy fire could come blazing in faster than a blink of an eye, and you want me to remain calm?! The ability to do this is one of the many things that separates a trained soldier from a common civilian. In moments when regular every day people would be in a panic, hyperventilating and perhaps completely shutting down all together a soldier remains cool, calm and collected and ready for battle, aware of what is happening around them at all times ready to focus, and take the battle to the enemy. A soldier, “stays frosty”, ready for anything, prepared for battle, possessing the power to fight and the sound mind to efficiently win the fight.
 
        If you haven’t already guessed, I’m not here to talk about the military… At least, not that kind of military. If you call yourself a Christian, you are calling yourself a child of the Most High God (2 Corinthians 6:18)! But also, if you call yourself a Christian, you are calling yourself a soldier in the army of the Lord of Angel Armies (Psalm 89:8 NLT). We are told to put on the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18) and get ready for war! King David is one of the most renown warriors throughout the entire Bible and even throughout the history of man. His conquest and victory throughout his life were substantial. Psalm 18 is one of many Psalms written by King David about his conquest and victories that were given to him by the Lord of Angel Armies. King David stayed frosty. A good soldier is not just strong physically, but is resoundingly strong mentally. King David speaks in Psalm 18 of strength and power crushing his enemies (Psalm 18:32-50). But before he does this, he takes care of the mental battle (psalm 18:1-6, 28-31) because he knows that if he is not mentally and spiritually sound before battle, he will not use his physicality properly. To spiritually stay frosty means to keep your mind calm and focused on the truth of God so that when the battle heats up, you’re ready and focused for the battle at hand.
 
        Now, here is where we take a turn. Imagine with me, soldiers on a battlefield, I don’t know about you, but my mind immediately goes to modern American soldiers in desert military camo, in a brown desert land in the middle east, in foreign land with no such home field advantage. My mind likely goes there first because of the generation I was raised in. Now, imagine these soldiers, marching as a squad through a ghost town of a city. No enemies spotted visually but they know they are around already. The fear of the potential threat of the enemy seeing them before they see their enemy. If your enemy gets the drop on you, it is lethal. Do we realize that every day of our lives spiritually is like this? We don’t know what… or who is waiting for us around the corner, but we must be ready. Now, these men, are trained physically for battle, ready for anything. Imagine, something catches the eye of one of the soldiers off to the side, he turns his head, nothing there. He goes over to investigate as soon as he turns the corner a bullet hums past his head into the wall behind him. Immediately, he hunches down and runs for cover. He is now separated from his squad and taking enemy fire. Now what? Is he the only one taking fire? Are his fellow soldiers taking fire or is it only him? Was anyone hit? The soldier saw no enemies, 3 shots were fired at him before he found cover. Now, here is the issue, the soldier than gets on his walkie-talkie and signals distress to his fellow soldiers. “Taking heavy enemy fire! I’m surrounded! Multiple bogies, heavy artillery. CALL IN THE AIR SUPPORT IM GONNA DIIIIEEEEEEE!!!!!”. That is not very frosty, is it? Someone, responds on the walkie, “Three shots heard, target spotted and eliminated. Location of other bogies?” Yikes. Not a good look for a soldier, is it? Now, let’s return to reality. Our every day life. If we are soldiers in the army of the Lord of Angel Armies then those who you go to church with, do bible studies with, that is your squad, troop, platoon, whatever you want to call it. When the battle rages, strength and love are required, but so is a sound mind. The illustration I just gave is something that I find common today in 2024. You’ve heard the phrase, “err on the side of caution” to express a desire for extreme caution, just to be safe. I call this, erring on the side of dramatic.
 
        Obviously, we’re not taking real physical live fire on a daily basis, but we are spiritually taking firey darts from our enemy (Ephesians 6:16) on a daily. When those darts start flying, do we act like this soldier on the battlefield? Erring on the side of dramatic. What does this look like? Simply put, this looks like facing trials in life and being dishonest about the details of what is happening to us, around us, or how it is affecting us. Exaggerating details of the trial we face, over emphasizing our emotions we are feeling, making things in our life seem more dramatic than they truly are. Why do we do this? Because we want sympathy, we crave attention, we want to appear interesting, we want help, we want to one up other peoples trials… the list could go on and on. Other than this being clearly identified as lying, what are the dangers of this? Well, to draw back to the battlefield illustration, if we are all soldiers in a live battle, then there is real danger all around us, not only us, but our brothers and sisters as well. We do not always know the battles that are raging around us. In spiritual warfare, there are wars that wage on that are virtually silent and invisible, that we are never aware of. If we, as soldiers in our every day life tend to err on the side of dramatic, we are calling out to our brothers and sisters for resources that perhaps will draw from the effectiveness of their war that is waging on silently. Their battles can be lost because they get roped into yours, unnecessarily. As we report our trials, two or three firey darts on a rough day turns into a two or three dozen. See where this is going? We can be this soldier on the battlefield calling out about our battle as our brothers are silently under intense fire. This can be detrimental to the overall battle. This is not staying frosty.
 
        Here is the key here, I am, by no means, suggesting that we do not discuss with one another the trials and the battles we face on a daily basis. In fact, we absolutely should. We have to be there to help and sharpen one another (Proverbs 27:17). What I am suggesting is that as we train our hands for battle (power), and we go forth in the Gospel into a lost world (love) that we remain focused, stay frosty, and not neglect the importance of a focused mind (sound mind). That as we go to war together, we report battle details to one another accurately and clearly so that when the war is waging, we are all effectively fighting side by side with a supernatural focus on the battle at hand so that the Lord can bring us the resounding victory He promises for us and our brothers and sister. We must remain cool, calmed and collected on this battlefield because there is a lot at stake. Stay Frosty, soldier.

The Pursuit of Truth (Read time ≈ 7 minutes)
1 Timothy 4:1–2 (ESV)

1Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, 2 through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared,

                It’s easy to look at a text like this and blame the liar. There is no shortage of liars today, but the greater tragedy is that there is a vast shortage of truth seekers. The issue is not that there are people out there who desire to deceive others for their own wicked gain; the issue is that people are willingly believing them without seeking out the truth for themselves. A good lie is believable, at least on the surface, but people today very rarely scratch the surface of what they are being told. We willingly follow the norms of the day without asking a question. A doctor said it, so I will do it… A teacher taught it, so I believe it… A news article wrote it, so I shared it… Don’t even get me started with the nonsense that people pass around as “truth” throughout the internet! So frequently, we hear, read, watch, etc. things and we simply accept it as the truth, and we move on carrying that lie with us.  The issue isn’t that there are so many lies in the world. The issue is that there are so many people who are willingly blind and are not seeking the truth.
                It’s not as if these lies are hard to believe. We are told we need ‘X’ in order to protect us against ‘Z’ or told if we want ‘Z’ we need to do ‘X’ and so on and so forth. We are told that there are dangers. We are told we will be rejected. We are told damage will be done if we do not conform with what we are being told. We are presented with scenarios and issues as if they are factual with inevitable outcomes and we must comply, or else. It almost sounds more like a threat than anything else. A good lie is hard to identify as just that, a lie. It’s been said that “every good lie has a shred of truth to it”. These elements can make the lies of the world today hard to identify and easy to accept, especially when many of these lies tug at our emotions, offer us what we want in our flesh and seem to be the right thing. We must pursue genuine truth and not settle for anything less, no matter how much our flesh desires it. It is not hard to find lies that are called truth, that will cater to our desires and make us feel okay (for now), rather than seeking truth. The genuine pursuit of truth will always result in finding genuine truth. The pursuit of what you wish to be true will always result in finding what you hope is true. However, they are not usually the same thing.
                In the face of these lies and in the midst of, perhaps, the most lied to generation this world has ever seen, we must do our due diligence. We must be truth seekers and truth speakers! It can be a challenge to identify these lies, so what do we do? How do we see them for what they are? Well, the answer is actually quite simple, seek God FIRST. If something is being told to you and it is going to take you or someone else farther away from God, it is a lie. A life spent in the pursuit of God, is a life spent pursuing truth. The Bible says, “You will seek me (God) and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13) this is a promise from Scripture that when we seek God whole heartedly, we will find Him! Seeking God is synonymous with seeking truth because God IS truth (John 14:6). Sometimes truth is hard to find, and when we find it, can be a hard pill to swallow but the truth promises freedom from the lies of this world (John 8:31-32) and sanctification by the truth of God (John 17:17). Church, we must allow Biblical truth and the Holy Spirit (John 16:13) to guide us through how we navigate this world of lies. We cannot afford to believe that there are things that are true for our faith and things that are true for the world, but on the contrary, if it is not true to our faith, it is a lie. We cannot isolate the worldly “truths” of our common culture to their own category of truth within itself. Rather, God is the first and only authority of what is true, regardless of what any experts in today’s world says. Time is running out, we must seek the truth today, in all things, and expose the lies of our generation so that we may all walk in the light of truth that can only be shined by the Gospel (Psalm 43:3). Pursue God and His truth only, for His truth, is the only truth.