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481 Hope AND A Future

As I turned on Chris Tomlin this morning, I was taken aback. What a song … and what a moment … a whole crowd crying out to Jesus. His mighty hand on our lives is ALL THAT WE HAVE.

Perhaps you might listen to it as you read this word?

Let me say this again: He is ALL THAT WE HAVE.

The verse on my heart yesterday and today is no cliche’. It’s not a guide … or a map … or some lucky word.

God is not lucky. He is not our rabbit’s foot. And He isn’t passively waiting for us to “get through it”. Our God, in all forms, is all about being for us.

Jeremiah 29 ¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord , “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ¹² Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

The choices He gives us have lead to our demise. They lead to Adam’s demise and EVERYONE else’s. But this is not a mistake. Without a choice, without our ability to say yes or to say no, there can be no love.

Our trials are not on Him. They are not Him trying to test us or to punish us or to paint us into a corner. Our trials are the result of choice and the sin we live in. Nothing more. Nothing less.

And for us to think that the world will somehow fill us is a lie from the pits of hell.

And to this conundrum there is no human answer: We have made a mess.

And when we fall into that mess it is, simply, what happens. And so it goes.

Thank God for the gospel.

When we wallow and sit in our hole with no hope … Here comes Jesus. And He comes in the form of the Holy Spirit or another believer who would dare tell us what we sometimes won’t hear from God.

He has a plan

He wants to bless us … and give us a future

He wants us to thrive

This is not easy … but we must FIGHT both for ourselves and for each other. When the mountain before us is too big …

We must ask God to resurrect HOPE inside of us, get up, and walk forward.

This is not easy.

It requires us to stand up and to move forward.

It might require us to change our situation.

We might have to change our mindset.

It might be an act of faith that God is simply moving us to a new season of life.

“For I know the plans I have for you,”

But whatever it is, we must grab on to this Jeremiah 29 word and get up.

If you are in this place, cry out for HOPE, because HOPE is the rocket fuel for Faith, and Faith is the rocket fuel for walking up that mountain that we see in front of us.

Because without Him, we can never ascend.

And ascending to worship Jesus is the only thing that can truly make us whole again.

In The Name of the Father and the

Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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Coach J

January 22, 2025 0

480 Honesty, Entitlement, And Responsibility

All of us have choices before us. And as we make those choices we must understand that we are being watched by God Almighty … and when God watches us, He knows not only what we did but what we were thinking when we did it.

I have read Genesis 4 many times. Today, as I read it, I am convicted by three things: Honesty, Entitlement, and Responsibility.

Genesis 4 ² … Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil. ³ In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord . ⁴ But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, ⁵ but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast. ⁶ Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? ⁷ If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.” ⁸ Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. ⁹ Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

Cain’s offering was not good enough. And it was not received. In that moment, he had a choice to make. This situation made me wonder: How often have I laid down an offering thinking that it was “all I had” when in reality, it was not. How often has my sacrifice been no sacrifice at all? If God is honest with us … we must be honest with ourselves. And if we are to be honest, we must know that what we give God does not amount to very much. He tells us in Isaiah 64 that even our good works are like “dirty rags”. The Honesty required in the Bible is something that is very difficult. We must be honest with … OURSELVES.

Genesis 4 also contains Entitlement. And God was merciful with Cain … even trying to warn him. But Cain thought that he was somehow entitled to something more. And because of that, he was taken captive by sin to the point of murder. The reality is that Cain was not Entitled to anything … and neither are we. We are sitting ducks for Hell that bring nothing before God. And He owes us nothing. He chooses to offer us a chance to have Him.

My last thought from Genesis 4 is that of Responsibility. Cain’s very question: “Am I my brother’s keeper?” is easily answered. Yes. Yes you are your brother’s keeper. This means that if your enemy hurts you, if your friend overlooks you, if your trusted colleague makes you look bad … no matter the situation … you are the keeper. Not just of the person … but of the gospel. What Jesus did, and what God did in sending Him, can not be brought down to the level of our individual grievances. Ever. And so … YES … YOU are your brother’s keeper. ALWAYS.

This gospel is the ticket to eternal life.

It is a scandalous event that allows us to know God in spite of our unpayable debt.

It is the hope of the world … and it is our only hope.

Jesus’ blood is the key. The cost He paid is beyond anything we could ever come up with. It is not to be undervalued or overlooked. And it certainly can’t be compared to anything that any man has done …

But isn’t that the reason that we needed Him to show up some 2000 years ago?

In The Name of the Father and the

Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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Coach J

January 20, 2025 1

479 The Heart Of The Gospel

In the last post, I talked about the Heart Of His Ministry, and today I would like to address the Heart Of The Gospel.

At no time in history is this message more important than today.

John 3 ¹⁶ “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

And so it is.

God loves the world.

God loves you.

And God has no condemnation for those who believe in Him.

How can this be rejected?

It is the only thing we really need to step forward.

We trade our mortality for an eternal existence to be lived out today.

I often wonder …

How will I afford that?

How can I get through this …. ?

Where am I going next?

What is in store for my kids in their future?

The reality is that all of these questions do not matter compared to the one that really does … and that is:

WHO do you believe in for your eternal existence?

And once you answer that you can build your day, and your life, around it.

In The Name of the Father and the

Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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Coach J

January 15, 2025 1

478 The Heart Of His Ministry

John opens up his book with “In the beginning … ” and I thought that the book of John was an appropriate way to “begin” 2025.

I have an admiration for defense attorneys, and lawyers in general, as they stand for the law. Our country was set up to protect the innocent and to make sure we bring accountability to those who break the law, and we are in a constant battle find that. In our legal system, we can only make this work with Jesus. The law, and the legal system, without Jesus, will never work. And when Pilate asked Jesus “What Is Truth?” he brought up the most important aspect of our system. The Truth. Without Jesus, who is The Truth, our system is broken.

Jesus opened His public ministry with two important and noteworthy events.

The Miracle at Cana
The Temple Riot at Passover

Jesus treated a poor man’s wedding feast like it was the most important event of the year

John 2 ⁷ Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. ⁸ Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” ⁹ They did so, and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside ¹⁰ and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”

And then Jesus started a “one man riot” at a formal religious festivity.

John 2 ¹⁴ In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. ¹⁵ So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area … he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. ¹⁶ To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father’s house into a market!”

To me, these two events signify some things that we should never, ever forget:

He Wants You To Have Enough.

In your finances, in your efforts, and in all the things that you strive for, you can be certain that Jesus is for you and wants you to have all that you need. I can’t help but wonder, as I write this, that this is very much a two way street. If it is true for us, it is true for others. If he wants you to have enough … He wants others to also have enough. And sometimes … it is our responsibility to make sure that this happens.

He Wants You To Be Treated Fairly.

The Passover was, and is, about God. It is about how God SAVED the Hebrew people from not just slavery, but slaughter. It is about the blood of the lamb and the future of a people who would worship Him. I have to think that Jesus was MOST UPSET at the misrepresentation of God … the ripping off of people in the name of guilt so that they could “be right” with Him. God makes us right with Him. Only God. And He wants us to be treated fairly as we pursue Him … and He wants us to take no credit for it, to take no benefit from it, and to take no praises for what God, and God alone, deserves the praises for … to Him be the glory.

Sometimes Only The Servants See The Miracle.

The servants who filled the heavy water jars surely saw the miracle. Water, the very water that they got out of the river, was wine. Bury your face in the worship of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords … and let Him show you the mighty works of His hand.

2025 is a year of changes. It is a year of exposure. It is a year of new beginnings.

But more than anything else … it is a year to proclaim that there is one, and only one, King.

And He doesn’t share His throne with anyone.

In The Name of the Father and the

Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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Coach J

January 13, 2025 0

477 The Fourth Watch

If you seek rest and can not find it, perhaps this word today is for you. The night hours are important in so many ways … and in my life it feels like it is a point of emphasis.

What does scripture say about the night hours?

Here are a few scriptures that we mentioned last week at Peaceful Valley:

Matthew 13 ²⁵ But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.

Mark 1 ³⁵ Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.

Job 33 ¹⁴ For God does speak-now one way, now another- though man may not perceive it. ¹⁵ In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men as they slumber in their beds,

I know in my life this has been a focal point. Sometimes I think it is a lack of sleep. In other moments, I have been convicted that there is much activity in the spiritual realm … both for the good … and for the bad.

As you read this today, I encourage you to “take atmospheric temperature” for what we are now facing in America and through out the world.

What might we be dealing with as we move forward?

I have contemplated this a lot in the last months.

So where is today’s blog leading?

Simply to these thoughts:

The enemy is at work in the night hours. His plots are not only to put fear in us, but sometimes they are showing what he will be doing next.
Jesus thinks that the night hours are important … after all, they were important to Him.
We can be spoken to in many ways. But certainly God speaks to us in the form of dreams.

So as you move forward, I want to encourage you in these things:

Be A Watchman:

Ezekiel 33 ⁶ But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes the life of one of them, that man will be taken away because of his sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood.’

I encourage you to read this with grace, not with accusation. It is not to stir up fear in you that you will make a mistake, it is to call you to battle. As believers, you have an alliance with the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. He plays no games and He will watch over you and yours. Call on Him when you worry. Ask Him to move on your behalf, and ask Him to disarm the enemy.

Hold on to the Lord. Jacob had many flaws. But he knew who he needed and was willing to fight with every part of his being to have God. Let that be your story.

Genesis 32 ²⁶ Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

Remember Who God is and What He does.

Job 5 ¹² He thwarts the plans of the crafty, so that their hands achieve no success. ¹³ He catches the wise in their craftiness, and the schemes of the wily are swept away.

I love this verse because it affords us the ability to stand on the word and recognize that God is working on our behalf.

Go forward in faith.

Go forward in prayer.

And, most of all, go forward knowing that God may wake you in the night, or you might dream, or you might be stirred to pray.

When He does.

Cry out for Him.

He is ready to answer.

In The Name of the Father and the

Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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Coach J

November 21, 2024 0

476 The Choice

Growing up in the Presbyterian church, I seemed to offend people with one comment. I told those who asked me that I was NOT a Presbyterian, but a follower of Jesus.

That ruffled feathers … some even in my own family.

But I have never been more convicted on this very topic.

I want to preface what I write today to say that I am absolutely not against the church, any church. I have no agenda against religion as I believe that it has benefited our communities greatly.

But my allegiance is to Jesus … and Jesus alone. If that fits in to a church—great. And if it doesn’t, so be it.

John has done a great deal to influence this — or should I say God’s influence on John has influenced this. I do not believe that John could have written his incredible literary masterpiece without the help of God alone.

And so I say today … Jesus alone.

This conviction does not belong to an individual church … or religion. After writing books in the New Testament, John was exiled to the island of Patmos for preaching about Jesus and the word of God. On Patmos, John had some incredibly hard to understand visions but continued to preach the same message. In the book Revelation, he claims he was convicted by God to write this:

Revelation 3 ²⁰ Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.

This is a strange statement to me … but it implies that God has given us the choice. And that choice is to receive Him or to not receive Him.

It doesn’t say become a Presbyterian, or a Catholic, or a Lutheran, or a Methodist, or really, ANY other religion. In fact, John tells us in John 1 that

John 1 ¹² Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God– ¹³ children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. ¹⁴ The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

To THOSE who received Him.

To read those words is to realize … we have a choice.

Because Jesus’ life was not political … as a politician, he failed miserably (thank God). He successfully drove away BOTH SIDES.

His life wasn’t a military pursuit. But He drove back soldiers at the temple and stood up for the broken—no matter what the law might have been.

He could not be put in the religious category—after all, He was driven out of the synagogue and crucified for claiming to be God. After His execution and stories of His resurrection, the church not only disliked His followers, they pursued them, imprisoned them, and killed them. Saul lead the charge. And only after an encounter on the road into Syria did he change his mind and become a follower. The greatest champion of the new testament tried to squash out the followers of Jesus. And then … he changed teams.

Jesus could not be put in the category of rich. He had nothing but the clothes on His back at His execution.

He could not be put in the category of powerful. He chose not to push anyone back NOR force anyone to follow.

So what can we say?

In one of the most difficult texts to understand, He meets a religious leader at night:

John 3 ¹ Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. ² He came to Jesus at night. ³ In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again. ”

He tells all of us:

John 3 ¹⁶ “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

After saying that He was “Jacob’s ladder”, that anyone who wanted to follow Him must “eat His flesh and drink His blood”, and after claiming that HE was the living water, He then declared:

John 10 ⁹ I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture.

These are not the words of a prophet. They aren’t the words of a nice guy. These are the words of a lunatic, or a liar, or a man telling the truth.

But that being said, they are words that are worth reading.

I don’t think Jesus was crazy.

I don’t think that He was a liar.

I don’t think that He didn’t know what He was doing.

I think that Jesus knows exactly who He is … and exactly who we are.

I think Jesus loves Muslims, and atheists, and political leaders, and army generals, and prostitutes, and corporate raiders, and homeless addicts.

And, if I am reading His gospels correctly, I think that He is giving EVERYONE the same choice.

CHOOSE HIM

REJECT HIM

But, as He said, “weigh the cost”. It’s the most financial decision that you will ever make.

In The Name of the Father and the

Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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Coach J

September 19, 2024 0

475 Start With The End In Mind

I am not sure what Nathanael was saying as he sat under a tree and cried out to God, but I have to think that it was significant. In his insignificant state, I have to think he looked to the sky and cried out … Why????? or How????? or When????? or … maybe anything else.

But I have to think he called into question everything in his life.

Not too long after that, he was introduced to the man who told him everything that he ever knew:

John 1 ⁴⁸ “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” ⁴⁹ Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.”

He is not just the King of Israel. Nathanael sold it a bit short. He was in a face to face conversation with the King Of The Universe. And Jesus told Him in not so many words: “You ain’t seen nothin yet.” And so it began.

When will your story begin?

Consider what God has offered out to you.

In Jeremiah He tells us He will give us HOPE and a FUTURE.
In John He tells us He will give us the right to be a child, that He will promote us to royalty.
In the Psalms He says He will stand with us in our lowest of times, that He will protect us and watch over us.
In Philippians He says that we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength.
In Luke He tells us that if we can be trusted with just a little, He will trust us with everything.
In Matthew He says that if we have a faith as small as a mustard seed that nothing will be impossible for us.
In Romans He says that He will work all things together for good.
In Proverbs He says that He will make your path straight.
In 2 Chronicles He says that He will forgive us.
In Revelation He says that He will wipe away every tear.

This is an opportunity you will not get from anywhere or anyone else.

It is a chance to make something significant out of your life.

It is God’s call on YOUR life.

I am going to end with this:

Stop aiming so low

Stop assuming that you are unable to hit the target

Stop wallowing in your own issues and begin to increase your vision

And, more than anything else, stop listening to the enemy. He has nothing for you.

Start … with the end in mind. And your end — it does not exist. Because God has knocked down the gate that stops you from moving on.

He has disarmed the enemy and defeated even the idea of death.

And He has made a decision … to forgive YOU. And to invite you in as royalty.

So start with the end in mind. He will be there … and it is just a beginning.

In The Name of the Father and the

Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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Coach J

September 6, 2024 0

474 Stand

David had a lot of weaknesses. And we could spend a lot of time studying his weaknesses, his mistakes, and all of the areas where he fell short.

But the reality is that David knew two things that distinguished him from everyone else. He always knew who his God was and He was never afraid of a fight.

And so as he stood and listened to a blasphemous giant he came to a point where he could take no more.

Armed with 5 stones, and an attitude, he confronted a man he had no business standing up to and killed him in front of everyone.

As men stood in disbelief, he cut off his head and let everyone know that evil has a place … in Hell.

Things today have not changed.

The voices of accusation and destruction have never been louder.

Lies have become accepted if it feels right.

And a lack of character is sometimes applauded.

But it won’t last and it won’t win. It will bleed out much like Goliath did as his head was separated from his body. And what he encountered after death can not be forgotten either. What is waiting for those who reject God? It isn’t something that we ever want to know.

I am calling on the people of God. And never has it been more important to respond.

Love the challenge.

Get in the war and fight.

Do not waiver.

Do not walk away or back down.

Stand up to the voice of criticism and reject the lies of the enemy and all he has come to influence.

And do all of this … without hesitation or fear.

Take your game plan from 1 Samuel 17.

1 Samuel 17 ⁵¹ David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine’s sword and drew it from the scabbard. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword. When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran.

The taunting of the enemy is not to be entertained or listened to. It is not to be something that should change our position or our direction. And it certainly should not be discouraging us to alter our plan.

Run to the fight that God has called you to.

Run the race that He has marked out for you.

Fix your eyes on Jesus and let Him author your story.

It’s the only option that makes sense.

In The Name of the Father and the

Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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Coach J

August 30, 2024 1

473 The Heart Of The Father

Jeremiah warned everyone he could talk to about what would happen if they continued in the same path where they were headed. He begged them to change their ways. He warned them about slavery and what the future would hold for them. But they did not see it … until it was too late.

The Babylonians laid siege to Jerusalem, destroyed the temple, and took them as slaves.

What Jeremiah warned … is what happened.

The frustration of delivering a message that would not be heard must have been considerable. Jeremiah gave all he knew the information and then watched as they suffered the consequences of not listening. It is easy for all of us to judge this, but the reality is that what we see outside of us reveals the same thing within us. We try things for ourselves, fail, and find out what happens when we “go it alone”.

And God patiently watches.

He waits as the most patient and loving Father.

And His heart is for us … full of compassion, full of forgiveness, full of love. It is the true … Heart Of The Father.

The bible shows the story of how He never gives up on them, and shows us that He will never give up on us.

As they bathed in their choices, God sent them a message:

Jeremiah 29 ⁷ But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.

What a word.

As you walk out the consequences of your actions, “bless your situation and the people around you”. That’s the heart of the Father. He uses our weakness to bring good.

And I believe that that’s His offer to all of us. To me … and to you.

If you walk in the valley, bring welfare to those around you.

If you walk in favor, bring welfare to those around you.

If you are tired, bring welfare to those around you.

If you are happy, bring welfare to those around you.

In their welfare … you will have welfare.

You will not get a better Father than that.

In The Name of the Father and the

Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Know anyone who might like these? Encourage them to jump on to 2minutewarning.blog and hit the FOLLOW button!!!

Coach J

August 28, 2024 0

2 MINUTE WARNING

WITH DOUG JOHNSON

Author