jesus

536 An Enemy You Can Not Defeat

As we live a life of comfort and pleasure, let us consider these things:

I have often wondered why Jesus went where He went, why He did what He did, and how He chose who He would talk to …

And as I reflected upon this last week, I became very convicted on one thing:

Often, Jesus showed up looking for a fight.

The original title of this blog was going to be “Walking Into The Storm” but, today, it is called:

An Enemy You Can Not Defeat

And you would do well to listen to this. Because Jesus wasn’t looking to just fight, He was looking to fight the enemies that would eventually defeat you had He not dealt with them.

And so He takes His disciples to Caesarea Philippi … “The Gates Of Hell” … in order to tell them that Peter, the coward, would advance upon it … and defeat it.

How frustrating it must be for the enemy to realize that the weakest of human flesh would conquer him … and yet, that is what the plan is.

Matthew 16 ¹³ When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

¹⁴ They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

¹⁵ “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

¹⁶ Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

¹⁷ Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. ¹⁸ And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. ¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” ²⁰ Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

“And on this rock I will build my church”

With Jesus, we become amazing. And yet, without Him, we are bound for the pits of Hell.

This is not a new word.

It is not something that we should take lightly.

And it isn’t something that we should be hiding from the world.

It is the hope of nations.

When Chuck Colson said “I meet millions who tell me that they feel demoralized by the decay around us. Where is the hope? The hope that each of us have is not in who governs us, or what laws are passed, or what great things that we do as a nation. Our hope is in the power of God working through the hearts of people, and that’s where our hope is in this country; that’s where our hope is in life.” this is exactly what he was talking about.

And as we worship Jesus, let’s remember His life. When He was powerless, He went and tore up the temple, He went and defended the lady who was to be stoned, He went to meet the Samaritan reject, and He went to confront the devil at the Gates of Hell. And then He did it in the spiritual, which would have to be ALL THE MORE TERRIFYING. And He did it so that you could have victory over “An Enemy You Can Not Defeat”

In The Name of the Father and the

Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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Coach J

February 16, 2026 0

535 Go The Other Way?

After traveling thousands of miles, the eunuch in charge of the treasury for Queen Candace must have been devastated. All he saw were do not enter signs in Jerusalem. Some of them have been excavated.

No Women Allowed

No Gentiles

No Eunuchs

No Foreigners

And so he began his long journey home.

And in Jerusalem, as the church began to rise in incredible ways, Philip probably had the same confusion.

Acts 8 ¹² But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women … ²⁶ Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road–the desert road-that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” ²⁷ So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, ²⁸ and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the book of Isaiah the prophet. ²⁹ The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.” ³⁰ Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.

What was he reading?

Was this servant reading about Jesus?

And did he recognize that God had written a note DIRECTLY to him in Isaiah 56?

Isaiah 53 ⁴ Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. ⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

Isaiah 56 ³ Let no foreigner who has bound himself to the Lord say, “The Lord will surely exclude me from his people.” And let not any eunuch complain, “I am only a dry tree.” ⁴ For this is what the Lord says: “To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths, who choose what pleases me and hold fast to my covenant-

I am sure that he did.

And I am sure that any sign that might turn him away melted away when he realized that God did not write it.

As the eunuch found out: God is not rejecting us.

As Philip found out: God will send us on some strange missions.

But in all of these things—God is working out a perfect plan.

This life isn’t about our scars.

It is about His.

It isn’t about our rejection.

It is about His.

It isn’t about our mistakes.

It is about His Sacrifice.

We are saved, truly, by the blood of the Lamb.

And He sends messengers to Ethiopia and to Iceland and to all corners of the world to let us know that we are invited into the family.

Through the cross we have been forgiven—we are accepted as we are. And He will go out of His way to make that known.

Thank God … for God.

In The Name of the Father and the

Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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Coach J

February 6, 2026 0

534 Choose For Yourselves

Every world leader consumed with evil looks the same.

And as I read this passage this week … it was no different with Nebuchadnezzar:

Ezekiel 26 ⁷ “For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: From the north I am going to bring against Tyre Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, king of kings, with horses and chariots, with horsemen and a great army. ⁸ He will ravage your settlements … he will set up siege works against you … raise his shields against you. ⁹ He will direct the blows of his battering rams against your walls and demolish your towers … ¹⁰ His horses will be so many that they will cover you with dust. Your walls will tremble … ¹¹ The hooves of his horses will trample all your streets; he will kill your people with the sword … ¹³ I will put an end to your noisy songs …

He was insatiable and he destroyed a city and a people with a harshness that could not be fathomed.

And as I read this, I couldn’t help but think about Hitler, or Nero, or …

And yet, we have choices.

And those choices can not be emphasized enough.

You see, I would remind you that kings and rulers and armies and principalities … all of the powerful nations … and weapons … and all of the greed … and lust … and fear … None of these will win in the long term.

It is always interesting to me that the broken would blame the very thing that will save us.

Joshua said it pretty well:

Joshua 24 ¹⁵ But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.”

When God gives us an option, we would do well to accept it. It is the best option we are going to get.

In The Name of the Father and the

Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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Coach J

January 30, 2026 1

533 Find Your Freedom

As we celebrate Martin Luther King Day, we need to get back to “having a dream”, and run away from “being a victim”. MLK’s dad knew this when he changed from calling him Michael Junior and began calling him Martin Luther. And Martin did not disappoint the legacy that his father bestowed upon him.

And so today, in the spirit of this idea, I tell you:

Find Your Freedom

God tells us:

Ephesians 2 ¹⁰ For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

God’s workmanship!

What a privilege it is to be God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus. And for 2026, He is challenging us to find our good works—the works that God has prepared us to do!

I pray that we would all, simply, do that.

Nehemiah did that. Broken, and enslaved, Nehemiah found a way to the top of the servant pool—cupbearer to the King. And from the way these verses read, he must have truly poured God’s love out on a King who was over him.

How did this happen?

I have a theory on how this happened and I am convicted to share that this morning:

#1. Nehemiah Repented. He didn’t play the victim. He didn’t blame someone else. He didn’t think of all the people who wronged him. He repented.

Nehemiah 1 ⁵ Then I said: “O Lord , God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands, ⁶ let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s house, have committed against you.

#1. Nehemiah Prayed. He cried out to the living God and begged for help.

Nehemiah 1 ¹¹ O Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.” I was cupbearer to the king.

#3. Nehemiah Acted In Faith. He did not cower down. He did not view the situation through man’s lenses. He acted in Faith and did what God lead him to do.

Nehemiah 2 ² so the king asked me, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.” I was very much afraid, ³ but I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my fathers are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?” ⁴ The king said to me, “What is it you want?” Then I prayed to the God of heaven, ⁵ and I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it.” … ⁷ I also said to him, “If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah? ⁸ And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the king’s forest, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?” And because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests.

When Nehemiah went to Jerusalem and began his project, it took him 52 days to do the impossible. And this, too, is worth exploring and reading about and asking God about. But, today, we will focus on the simple idea that God has a plan for all of us to walk out. It is a plan that we would do well to follow and a plan that revolves around us KNOWING that we are the creation of Jesus—that we are God’s Workmanship and that He wants us to do His good works.

The old testament gives us incredible pictures of Nehemiah, Esther, Moses, and Joseph— all believers going before people who have all the power and asking them to do what God is leading them to do … all risk their lives. All face punishment or even death for what they are doing. And all have to take a leap of faith.

What is this for you?

Ephesians 2 ¹⁰ For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Much like Nehemiah, it probably isn’t something that will make your life “better” in the carnal sense, but rather something that requires a “leap of faith” to do the works that God has prepared in advance for you to do.

Find Your Freedom.

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

January 19, 2026 0

532 Planting And Uprooting Part 2

As I prayed on Christmas Day, I asked God to do a new thing in me that was ABOLUTELY SPECIFIC to my daily life.

This is rooted in a scripture that my daughter gave me on Christmas day:

Jeremiah 1 ⁹ Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “Now, I have put my words in your mouth. ¹⁰ See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.”

Continuing in the theme that I began on Christmas Day, I would like to make reference to Romans 12.

Romans 12 ¹ Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship. ² Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will. ³ For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.

In this verse, Paul gives a powerful word. And as I listened to an incredible speaker yesterday I wrote and listened to these verbs:

Present Yourself

DO NOT Conform

Be Transformed

Think In Humility

She encouraged us to:

Be Transformed That We Might Hear The Word Of God
Continually Surrender
Be Renewed Daily

As I read and pray this morning, I can’t help but think of a very important story about eggs, carrots, and coffee.

The world is a powerful place. And our daily walk demands that we are in constant pursuit of Jesus if we want to be effective and truly make a difference. Much like boiling water on eggs, the word can harden us on the inside. Much like boiling water on carrots, the world can soften us on the outside. But the believer who is transformed by surrendering daily? The believer who is transformed by surrendering daily changes the world much like coffee—the boiling water changes the entire atmosphere around that person, enhancing the aroma, transforming the coffee itself, and creating a situation where others are drawn to the very item in the boiling water.

As we Plant and Uproot, I am convicted that God wants to do this by acting in accordance with Romans 12.

He wants us to begin a new crop while removing weeds.

Only God can do these things in us while still loving us for who we are.

The heart of the Father NEVER changes our personality.

He NEVER makes us into something different than what we are.

He NEVER looks on us and says—we must get rid of this trait.

He takes what we are, who we are, and how we are and He radically transforms us into a miracle.

And He can do it each and every day … so Surrender, Be Transformed, and Present.

And if you don’t succeed? Repent and try it all again. Thank You Jesus.

In The Name of the Father and the

Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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Coach J

January 6, 2026 1

531 Planting And Uprooting Part 1

As I prayed on Christmas Day, I asked God to do a new thing in me that was ABOLUTELY SPECIFIC to my daily life and struggles. And today, I find myself asking for even more.

This is rooted in a scripture that my daughter gave me on Christmas day:

I am asking God to Plant, and to Uproot, SPECIFIC things in my life, and I would encourage you to do the same. I have no idea if this verse was meant to specifically call out what we are talking about today … but today I am convicted to talk about these two ideas specific to our individual walks … and I am convicted that those who will allow God to do this in their lives will be blessed by God’s hand—so here goes.

We are not perfect. We are perfect in Christ but not perfect on our own accord—even after we receive Him, and to think that we are is to sin greatly.

God is calling us to be better.

He is calling us to mature.

He is calling us to change.

And He is calling us to reinvent ourselves.

He is calling us to Hebrews 10:14.

Hebrews 10 ¹⁴ because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

Jeremiah spends 24 chapters in his book warning Israel about the enemy from the North. He warns them about the injustice that is living in the community. He warns about a judgment that is coming. And also gives a message of hope.

These warnings should be heeded today:

Our enemy to the north is no longer Babylon—it is Satan.

Our warning is to be humble and listen—and recognize that we can be deceived.

Our hope is Jesus.

As you cry out to God today, and as you enter into the new year, be aware of this.

God wants us to be aware of our enemy.

God wants us to be humble and to listen.

And God wants us to put our hope in Jesus.

For me, there are specific things that He has called me to Plant and to Uproot.

For you? I would bet He has much the same.

Go to your knees and find out.

In The Name of the Father and the

Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

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Coach J

December 28, 2025 0

530 Salt And Light Part 3

When Jesus spoke to the world, He made the most incredible offer … “that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life”.

He offered us eternity.

And when He offered us eternity—He offered ALL of us eternity.

And then He said this:

Matthew 16 ¹³ “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. ¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. ¹⁶ In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

As I sit in awe of God this lovely morning, I can’t help but think of how much I have reflected on this verse and the following verse in Isaiah chapter 61. And I am amazed at the God of all creation. Not at the idea of the sunset or the movement of the oceans. Not at the beautiful skies that greet us as we wake up or the incredible mountains to the west. Not the singing of the birds or the unmatched loyalty of a mother’s love. I am amazed at the decision … the decision to be “God with us”. Our God is many things, but today He is Immanuel. He is the God who walked these dusty roads, interacted with these people, and worked these long days in the heat.

He did not take the easy road or make any excuses.

He did not exalt Himself or gain power or forget what the common man would walk through.

He lived the life of a servant.

And His first sermon told us a few things:

Isaiah 61 ¹ The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me …

… to bind up the brokenhearted,

… to proclaim freedom for the captives

… from darkness for the prisoners,

… ² … to comfort all who mourn,

… ³ … to bestow on them a crown of beauty

And how would his people respond?

Isaiah 61 ⁴ They will rebuild … and restore the places long devastated;

… they will renew …

⁶ … You will feed on the wealth of nations, and in their riches you will boast.

We are Salt … and Light.

We are the hope of nations and the hope of the broken.

We are the ones who are to carry the banner of Jesus.

We are the blessed family of the risen king.

“For God so loved the world that He

gave His one and only Son”

Reflect on these things on this Christmas day.

Your life is redeemed.

Your weaknesses are forgotten … buried.

Your shame is covered.

Your honor is given.

Your life is … important.

I love these videos … because they beam with excitement, and life, and absolute passion and love of life and the God who so freely gave it to us.

Be blessed today.

And by all means let your light shine like a city on a hill so that all can see!

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

December 25, 2025 0

529 Salt And Light Part 2

When Jesus spoke to the world, He made the most incredible offer … “that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life”.

He offered us eternity.

And when He offered us eternity—He offered ALL of us eternity.

And then He said this:

At the heart of this is the simplest of messages:

Illuminate

Brighten

Give Hope

Give Opportunity

How can we truly do this? How can we truly be in the world but not of the world? This challenge is almost impossible.

And yet, the God who did the impossible is asking that of us.

Jesus went to His execution sight and carried the very tool that they would use for His demise.

He was abandoned by His troop of loyal followers.

The men who put Him to death mocked Him and gambled over His clothing.

And at His end, He uttered the phrase, “it is paid in full”.

As we approach Christmas … We are celebrating His life and His death and, most importantly, His victory over death that we might live.

In this song, I can not get over the line:

When All Was Lost He Crossed Eternity

The King Of Life Was On The Move

His death on the cross was not just a passive “I surrender” move. It was a power play to gain control of the entire universe. And He played His cards without hesitation.

As we move towards Christmas, let us remember:

He paid an unpayable debt … for us
He defeated an unbeatable enemy … for us
He has prepared us a table of food … for us
He has adopted the world as sons and daughters … for us
He has set up a Royal Priesthood … for us

These are not small miracles. They are miracles on top of miracles on top of miracles.

And our response to this is to stand on the highest hill … to proclaim:

“For God so loved the world that He

gave His one and only Son”

Because … In Him–we have life.

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

December 11, 2025 0

528 Salt And Light Part 1

When Jesus spoke to the world, He made the most incredible offer … “that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life”.

He offered us eternity.

And when He offered us eternity—He offered ALL of us eternity.

And then He said this:

At the heart of this is the simplest of messages:

Stand Up

Distinguish Yourself

Share The Treasure With Others

It is a simple message really.

And yet … in a broken world … it is almost impossible.

The Gospel, in its purest form, TRANSFORMS.

It changes the very atmosphere.

At a Broncos game on January 3, 2016, Peyton Manning jogged onto the field at Mile High Stadium. I did not see him enter the game—but I didn’t need to—the stadium literally came to life to the point where I asked “what is going on?” You could feel the entire crowd in a “dead” stadium “come to life”.

And this transformation is nothing compared to what Jesus can do.

His offer is to save us.

And then for us to make sure that everyone else hears the offer.

We are to TRANSFORM.

We are to let His light shine.

We are to make sure that the world hears this incredible message.

“For God so loved the world that He

gave His one and only Son”

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

December 9, 2025 0

2 MINUTE WARNING

WITH DOUG JOHNSON

Tag

536 An Enemy You Can Not Defeat

535 Go The Other Way?

534 Choose For Yourselves

533 Find Your Freedom

532 Planting And Uprooting Part 2

531 Planting And Uprooting Part 1

530 Salt And Light Part 3

529 Salt And Light Part 2

528 Salt And Light Part 1