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WITH DOUG JOHNSON

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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:

  1.  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.
  2.  Jesus thinks that the night hours are important … after all, they were important to Him.
  3.  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:

  1.  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.

  1.  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.” 

  1.  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.

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

Coach J

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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

or 

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.

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

Coach J

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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.

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

Coach J

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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.

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

Coach J

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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

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472 What’s Next?

When the Japanese bombs began striking our Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, I am certain the confidence of our fine service members was shaken.

Many of them went from “on top of the world” to wondering “What’s Next?”

I think Ralph Waldo Emerson had it right when he said: 

“What Lies Behind Us and What Lies Before Us are Tiny Matters Compared to What Lies Within Us”

A more prophetic word I can not think of.

Many many many American Soldiers reached deep to find faith and go into situations where they felt broken and lost … and they found a way to free the world from an incredible evil.  They showed us what God can do with broken … what He can do with a “cracked pot”.

And so I ask today, what lies within you?

You get to decide.  You get to decide to tell God to “come and know me … find every offensive way in me” like David did, or you get to say what I often say:  “I’ll do it on my own.”

I can ably testify:  Doing It On My Own DOES NOT WORK.

I am “unable”.

And the reality is … you are also “unable”.

Like a pilot flying over an endless expanse of ocean searching for a fight … we are “lost over the Pacific” just like those pilots were as they looked for the Japanese fleet in the battle of Midway prior to finding the Japanese invasion force.

So What’s Next?

 

2 Corinthians 4 7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. 

What’s next is what you decide.

On your own … or inviting Him in.

As Jesus told us:  “Seek First The Kingdom” and all these things will be given to you.

Without alignment with God, without His “all-surpassing power”, we are sitting ducks for Hell and all the devices of an enemy that is operating so openly in today’s society.

I urge you… Don’t partner with it, Don’t compromise with it, and Don’t join it.

Reject it.

Stand up to it.

Fight it.

And ask God to fill you so that you have the strength to do so.

Your family and friends and all around you are depending on it.

And remember—if you feel weak for the task at hand—it is because you are.

Meditate on 2 Corinthians 4:7-11 and go forward in weakness of yourself and the power of God.

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

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471 The Mountain In Front Of Us

If you are like me, you have some decisions in front of you that are INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT.

This is not a heavy word.  It is an encouragement.

To remind you … “What You Have To Gain Is FAR GREATER Than What You Have To Lose”

So as you walk into the mountain in front of you … I have 4 pieces of advise.

1.  Decide To Be Great … (Not Your Position, Your Posture)

As the disciples jostled for position in a very unbalanced time, Jesus reminded them what being great truly was.

Mark 10 42 Jesus called them together and said, “You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

2.  Pick A Team (Loyalty Means Everything)

Our God is not a neutral decision.  I know which side I am declaring … and Joshua showed us how to do it.

Joshua 24 14 “Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord . 15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord .” 16 Then the people answered, “Fa

3.  Love Your Enemies (YOU Are The Lion!)

As I reminded one of my athletes this past spring — YOU are the lion.  Often we see lions showing themselves in the middle of the plain … and the animals scatter.  As we approach the mountain, we must remember that WE are the lion — not the scattering zebras.  And as a member of the winning team, it should never burden us to pray for, and love, our enemies.

Matthew 5 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you …

4.  Remember Who You Belong To (My Father Loves Me!)

Probably our most important verse in the entire Bible … our belonging to God and His love of us.  This is exemplified in in Zephaniah and we would do well to plant this verse on our hearts.

Zephaniah 3 17 The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”

So go forward to the mountain.

And climb with Faith, Hope, and Alacrity.

To Him Be The Glory And The Kingdom And The Power … For Ever And Ever.

Amen.

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

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470 God Does Not Manipulate Or Shame

As I was talking to Angie this morning, she said something that convicted me so much.  I thought that I would share it.

In reference to something that we were conversing about, she said:

“God Does Not Manipulate Or Shame”

That’s a good word.

Sometimes we don’t know what God is leading us to.

Sometimes the decisions in front of us can stall us out and we are not sure of the direction where we should go.

And sometimes we need to start by eliminating.  And her phrase to me was a GREAT place to start:

“God Does Not Manipulate Or Shame”

As you go through your day and make decisions, you can count on those words.

Romans 8 1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 

And Paul tells us this in Romans 8 because he is being true to the gospel of Jesus, and says so in Romans 8.  “God Does Not Manipulate Or Shame”

Although I hear those words, I am always in need of a reminder.

And chances are … so do you.

God is so good.

And so patient.

And so ready to forgive.

Let’s celebrate Him and the fact that nothing can undo or distort what Jesus did.

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

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469 Build Your House On Solid Rock

The sandstone at Lake Powell is an amazing and beautiful picture of the absolutely awe-inspiring creation of God.

But it is an incredible testimony to what Jesus said in Matthew 7.

Matthew 7 24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 

25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.

In the time that we have docked our boat this week, rocks have been covered and they quickly erode into the water and fall away.  Even some of the ground that is walked on goes from stone to sand in the snap of a finger.

Why does no one have a house on the edge of this incredible body of water?  Simple answer.  The sandstone.  The foundation could be gone as quickly as the rising and falling water.  What looks to be stable and solid is simply able to fall and sink into the water so quickly that it is absolutely humbling.

And so it is with each of us … AND … with all of us.  

For each of us is it true as we, as individuals, must stay in alignment with the rocks of where we go and what we do and what we think and who we are … without these rocks we can lose our footing so quickly.

For all of us it is much the same.  In our groups both great and small it is easy to divide the group if we are not following the principles that will unite us.

Jesus modeled this in every way.

He modeled our individual situations as well as our group ones.

He modeled our lives in celebration and in absolute sorrow.

He modeled how to react and how to stay silent.

This is no easy word.

The storms of life can so easily sway us and knock us off course.

And finding the truth in the daily life can be difficult.

The truth, however, in the big things, is in your Bible, and your spirit connected to God, and in the counsel of a friend who will tell you the truth and not “support you just to steer free of the conflict”.

Build your house on solid ground.

Jesus is solid.  He is the rock.  He is the Living Water.  He is the Ladder that connects heaven to earth.  And He is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.

You can’t pick a better foundation.

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

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