The Power Of The Tongue -- Speak LIFE

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It is Out of the Abundance of a Person's Heart that the Mouth Speaks

Where godly integrity is absent, death is inevitable!  You may ask, “Why do you say that it's the lack of integrity that is ‘deadly’?” In reply, let me draw your attention to the old saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me!”  Believe me, no statement has been or could be further from the truth!  While sticks and stones in the hands of the wrong people can break bones, words spoken in the wrong way can cause even worse damage to a person’s heart!  Consider the following Scripture verses.  “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” (Proverb 18:21)  “My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.” (Psalm 57:4)  “There is that speaks like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health.” (Proverb 12:18)

In the Ten Commandments, God says, “Thou shalt not kill!”  Don't be deceived into thinking that this command applies only to physically stabbing or shooting somebody to death.  On the contrary, as Jesus, Himself, said, “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, (as defined in Vine’s Expository Dictionary to mean: “utter contempt, empty, intellectually rather than morally, empty-headed, vain, fool, a godless moral reprobate") shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.” (Matthew 5:21-22)

You see, you don't need a knife or a gun to commit murder! All you need to do is sow the wrong word seed into the life of a person and, if not rooted out, death will soon follow. Luke teaches us that, “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45)

There is a great example of this, during the Second World War, as our troops were fighting to gain control of the islands in the Pacific theater. The Japanese unleashed a rather unconventional and very deadly weapon. They used a number of English-speaking Japanese women, collectively dubbed “Tokyo Rose” by the Americans, to broadcast messages intended to undermine the American war effort. As the American troops were listening to their radios, “Tokyo Rose” would break in and read from a script that the Japanese military thought might inflict the greatest psychological damage. For example, she would say things like: “Boys, while you are suffering for a lost cause in these hot jungles, your wives and girlfriends are back home in the arms of other men,” or, “Your government does not care about you! That’s why they have sent you here to die in this fight that you can never win!” Like my own grandfather, anyone who was there can tell you that these “fiery darts” inflicted emotional torments that resulted in many physical casualties.

Deadly word seed, if not rooted out, will yield a death crop wherever it is sown! “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” (Galatians 6:7) Contrary to the beliefs held by many, this verse pertains not only to our sowing money seed when the plate is passed in Church, but is also equally applicable to word seed we sow.

If you sow good seed, you will reap a good harvest. Sow weed seed and what do you get? Weeds! It IS really that simple. Practicing godly integrity where our speech is concerned will always minister life to the hearer.

Check out a statistic I learned from a Pastor friend of mine some time ago. He shared with me that he read the results of a study explaining where, on average, it takes seventeen positive words of encouragement to negate just one harshly spoken word (discouragement) in the life of a person. He said that, in some cases, it will take even more than that, if the person ever recovers at all. “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” (Proverb 18:21)

We all have a wonderful opportunity to turn the tide of destruction in the lives of those around us!  We need to truly understand this:  LIVES OF PEOPLE CAN EVENTUALLY BECOME WHAT WE SAY, so ...  SPEAK LIFE!

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To show God BIG in a world that sees Him small...  

sums up the reason Keith stepped out in faith to focus on reaching the lost and strengthening believers everywhere, decades ago, through Toward The Mark, Inc.  Keith and Brenda's prayer is that you will be encouraged and edified by the Secrets from God's Word, The Gospel of Jesus Christ and The Gospel Jesus Christ preached.

We INVITE You ... check out and share more resources from TTM for helping build your trusting, resting, and waiting i-n God's Word, Will, and Ways: 

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Who will be caught up to be with Jesus when He returns?

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    Perhaps one of the most startling and painful things that I have experienced in my life took place at pre-season football camp in college. It wasn't something that occurred during conditioning in the weight room, during practice on the field, or even during a game. It was what happened at 4:00 AM each morning during "four-a-day practices".

           Each morning the members of the coaching staff would position themselves up and down each hall of the athletic dorm. Just as their synchronized watches hit 4:00 AM, each of them began blowing those obnoxiously loud and ear-piercing boat horns or, as I call them, "heart attack" horns. And, at the same time, they would scream at the top of their lungs, "Wake up! Wake up!"

           Aside from my time working on the water front at a marina during high school, I had never heard so much violent profanity coming out of the mouths of so many guys at one time, as when in response to those horns being blown! To this day, I can't find words that can even remotely begin to relay how excruciating the pain, and how agonizingly disorienting it was! You see, enduring four hard practices during each day of training camp was so fatiguing that our being woken up that way was literally a shock to our system. Each morning, those who fought their way out of bed and into the locker room were provided with another opportunity to make it onto the team roster. Those guys who didn't fight their way out of bed, and, instead, ignored the wake-up call and went back to sleep, were disqualified and sent off to clean out their lockers and leave camp - no if's, ands, or buts about it!

           The crucial importance of answering the wake-up call, and staying awake, had everything to do with either making the team or being disqualified from pursuing a spot on the team. On a side note, the guys who took the initiative to bring their own alarm clock to use in getting up on their own, they were the guys who beat everyone else to the locker room for practice, and always grabbed the coaches attention first. Interestingly, this same principal applies to our Christian walk of faith as well.

           In 1979, through a series of events orchestrated by God, I came in off the road from doing music outreach concerts. That's when I focused my life on reaching out to people and preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There was no question in my mind that God was calling me to use my gifts, talents, and everything else I had to give, to share the Gospel that Jesus Christ preached, so that those who needed and wanted Him would have an opportunity to know Him and to receive Him into their hearts and lives. I can remember, just like it was yesterday, I asked Jesus if He would anoint my life, and raise me up to be used in His work, to watch out for, pray over, and awaken those who have been lulled to sleep by the venomous cares of this world.

           From the moment I knew in my heart that God was calling me to start this work, I began praying two foundational prayers. The first was asking God if He would prepare, equip and strategically position me for the privilege of working with Him, to lead His beloved children into His loving and waiting arms. My second prayer was asking for God to clear the way for me, and now Brenda and I together, to play a substantial role in His final harvest of souls. This was my passion then, in 1979, and it has grown even greater every year since then. My closing in prayer had always been, and even is today, "Father, I ask for Your wisdom to obtain Your strategy so that we can reap an abundant harvest of souls, working with You, so that You will be glorified in the eyes of everyone we reach!"

           As a result of my prayers, Jesus helped me understand and share with others the crucial life-or-death importance of making sure we are not lulled to sleep, blinded by the cares of this world, or distracted from Christ's unfathomable love for us. The first passage that comes to mind is where Jesus gives us an emphatic warning to watch and pray, saying, "Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch."  (Mark 13:33-37)

           What I have always loved about this passage of Scripture is just how plainly Jesus lays out what is expected of us. If we maintain our focus on what Jesus has entrusted to us -- occupy our place as He provided it for us; maintain the work He has equipped and created for us to do; and walk by faith in His authority -- our watching and praying for His return becomes a natural part of the process. Walking in the authority of Christ also ensures that we line up to fulfill the call of God on our life, both, as a member of His Family, and as a warrior in His Army.

           Isn't it as though we often complicate what God makes simple?! It would be a mistake to focus so much on *when* Jesus will return, that we miss out on the very joy and privilege He came to provide for us, to begin with. We must enjoy becoming “one” with our Heavenly Father - us in Him, Him in us, every moment of every hour of every day. So... those who are gonna be caught up to be with Jesus when He returns, will be those who are caught up with Him right now!

           On the other hand, if we let down our defenses (studying The Word of God and putting on the Full Armor of God), we can be sure that wicked spirits will come around. Beware, at the time of our vulnerability, it gets easier to fall prey to the media (a central and growing source of deception), and the many distractions that come to consume our life in this world. We won't have long to wait before our focus turns more toward the world's cares, leading us away from our Father, ever so gradually, unless we catch the alert and "wake up" before it's too late.

           There is a wartime alert and command for military personnel that perfectly illustrates this important point. When military personnel are away from base, or "on leave", and an enemy force is approaching the camp, the watchman on duty sounds the alarm, commanding the troops that, "ALL LEAVES ARE CANCELLED; EVERYBODY BACK TO BASE!" It is time now for the WATCHMEN - those who have eyes that see and ears that hear - to sound the alarm for the benefit of those who need AWAKENED. Sound the alarm to the wicked spirits that come to steal, kill, and destroy our offensives - robbing us of the unspeakable joy awaiting ALL who WANT, and diligently seek, our Loving Father!

           On a sobering note, it is vitally important that we, as Christ's watchmen, heed the warning Jesus gave when He spoke to Ezekiel, "But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand." (Ezekiel 33:4-6)

           Some who teach this message will wrongly emphasize that we must primarily secure our escape from eternal damnation. We must realize that the real benefit of giving our heart and life to Christ, is getting to enjoy oneness with The Lord and Savior, and leading other individuals into Truth. Our focus must be for awakening folks to the reality that they must also turn their eyes and hearts, wholly, to our unfathomably Loving God and Father, and experience Life (and have it abundantly). We cannot allow ourselves to make the terrible mistake of being focused only on preparing ourselves to see the return of Jesus. We mustn't cheat ourselves from sharing with others the privilege of lifting up Christ Jesus every minute, and working with our Heavenly Father every single day.

           There are growing numbers of folks who lack the knowledge of God's Word. Simply put, we don't have to be so caught up with preparing for Jesus Christ's return if we are already caught up in working with Him right now. For all who will heed the "wake-up" call, they will stand to gain an eternity of joy, at its fullness. The greatest joy, and unspeakable pleasure of all, will be the privilege of looking on God for all of eternity! "Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore." (Psalm 16:11)

           God is our Loving Father. Unfathomable fulfillment awaits each one of us when we come to offer back to Him our gifts and talents that He so graciously has given to us. To do our part to fulfill His plan and passion for all of His Wonder-Full Creation, we serve The Consummate Family Man and Father, God. Just as we refer to Jesus Christ as, "The King of kings and Lord of lords," God is "The Loving Father above and beyond all dads!"

      "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me." (John 12:32)

           This message is provided to help fan the flame in your heart for Christ Jesus, His wonder-full ways, and His plan and purpose for us in life. To ask questions, make a special donation, place a special order for books or CDs, or to share a testimony or prayer request with us, please click for e-mail, or write a letter and mail it to us at Toward The Mark, Inc., P.O. Box 1152, Yorktown, VA 23692-1152 also on our website.


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                      We look forward to meeting you here again for the next Pressin'IN blogpost! Please make sure to invite your friends who are lost, or those who just need encouragement. We pray that God bless and keep you!

           Your friends and servants in Christ,

          

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To Show GOD BIG in a World that Sees Him small… 
sums up the reason Keith stepped out in faith to focus on reaching the lost and strengthening believers everywhere, through Toward The Mark, Inc.  Keith and Brenda's prayer is that you will be encouraged and edified by the Secrets from God's Word that we recount in our written, printed, and recorded products.

We INVITE You ... to follow and share these resources that are available as well, for helping build your faith in God, His Will, and His Ways:

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~  "TTM Singing Sergeant" on Twitter 

      

~  "Sharing with You the Messages God Whispers to Us" on the website 

      

~  "Keith Shealy's Between The Lines Podcast" on Toward The Mark's channel 

             

This blog message, along with the rest of Keith Shealy's Toward The Mark inventory of full-Scripture resources, is made possible by the support of our wonder-full family of faithful prayer and financial partners. Would you consider helping us expand our outreach capabilities by becoming a monthly financial sponsor? Your support will go toward fulfilling our God-given calling to provide effective, contemporary, outreach tools available to everyone, the churched and un-churched alike, for getting to know the love, truth, and salvation of The Gospel of Jesus Christ and The Gospel He preached. We invite you to partner with us as we "press Toward The Mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:14)."

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The Counterfeit Boldness of Presumption and Pride

Feature message from Keith's book "OVERCOMING INTIMIDATION"

  There is a crucial factor we must be sure to realize about David and his pursuit of Goliath. David did not suddenly go against the giant. Though David was certainly accused by his older brother of being presumptuous or prideful by declaring that he would defeat the Philistine, he was not. God had fully prepared David for this encounter, and David knew it! That is why he could be so confident in going forth against Goliath. It is also why he was able to overcome the grave doubts of Saul, the king.

"And David said to Saul, Let no man's heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine. And Saul said to David, Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth." (1 Samuel 17:32-33)

In this passage, David indicates his willingness to fight the Philistine, and Saul responds with a very rational sounding answer. For truly, in the natural, David's offer was preposterous! He was but a youth, a shepherd boy, while Goliath had been trained to be "a man of war from his youth." Yet, David knew that God had prepared him for such a time and explained how this had occurred.

"And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father's sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock: And I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God. David said moreover, The LORD that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine. And Saul said unto David, Go, and the LORD be with thee." (1 Samuel 17:34-37)

David knew how to fight! He had faced the lion and the bear, but not alone: the LORD had delivered David from both. Consequently, he could confidently and reasonably expect that God would deliver him from the Philistine, and that is what he told the king. After hearing David's words, the king accepted David's offer, and then did a curious thing.

"And Saul armed David with his armour, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail. And David girded his sword upon his armour, and he assayed (tried it) to go; for he had not proved it. And David said unto Saul, I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them. And David put them off him." (1 Samuel 17:38-39)

Saul tried to get David to wear Saul's own armor into the battle, but David refused, saying that he had no experience with them. Furthermore, David knew that God had given him skill with the sling, and he had had many hours of solitude as a shepherd to hone that skill. Finally, David had already seen Goliath arrayed in his armor and knew that he could be brought down with the sling, David's weapon of choice. It would have been presumptuous of David to go forth wearing Saul's armor. In fact, it would have been a fatal mistake! For then the battle would have been fought on Goliath's terms in the flesh, and the giant would have won that fight.

To demonstrate the error of presumption through a counterexample to David's triumph, consider the occurrence from the time of Moses after God had miraculously delivered the children of Israel from slavery in Egypt and from starvation in the wilderness. At this point in their journey the children of Israel were preparing to invade the Promised Land, and so Moses sent twelve spies into the land of Canaan to bring back information that would help in the invasion. Ten of the spies brought back an evil report of giants in the land.

"And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight." (Numbers 13:32-33)

After hearing this report, the children of Israel refused to believe that God would be with them in the battle against the giants of Canaan, and consequently the people rejected the following words of the two faithful spies, Joshua and Caleb: "Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defense is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not. But all the congregation bade [threatened] stone them with stones." (Numbers 14:9-10)

Having fear of the giants and lacking faith in God, the Israelites wished that they had died in the wilderness, and they even began preparing to return to the bondage of Egypt (see Numbers 14:2-4). As a result, God promised them that they would die in the wilderness even as they had wished! "Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the LORD, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you: Your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness;" (Numbers 14:28-29)

After the Israelites heard that, however, they had second thoughts! The scripture records that "the people mourned greatly." (Numbers 14:39) Moreover, they began preparing to invade the land, but they were warned to not go forth into battle presumptuously. "Ye shall fall by the sword: because ye are turned away from the LORD, therefore the LORD will not be with you." (Numbers 14:43) Despite the warning and the fact that "those men that did bring up the evil report upon the land, died by the plague before the LORD"" (Numbers 14:37), the Israelites went presumptuously into battle with the Canaanites. The Lord was not with them, and they were badly beaten.

Subsequently, after forty years of wandering in the wilderness, the nation was again at the brink of invading the Promised Land. It was at this juncture that Moses made a point to relate the account of this incident from the failed first invasion to the children of the people whose carcasses had fallen in the wilderness according to the Word of the Lord. In his conclusion of the account, Moses said these words, "Then ye answered and said unto me, We have sinned against the LORD, we will go up and fight, according to all that the LORD our God commanded us. And when ye had girded on every man his weapons of war, ye were ready to go up into the hill. And the LORD said unto me, Say unto them, Go not up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest ye be smitten before your enemies. So I spake unto you; and ye would not hear, but rebelled against the commandment of the LORD, and went presumptuously up into the hill. And the Amorites, which dwelt in that mountain, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do, and destroyed you in Seir, even unto Hormah." (Deuteronomy 1:41-44)

Thus, we see that instead of overcoming their fear, they were really guilty of rebellion and presumption. Their "boldness" was counterfeit, because God was not in it. So, even as David could not have overcome Goliath on his own and the Israelites could not overcome the Canaanites on their own, neither can we overcome intimidation by our own efforts, pride, or false hopes. We need the genuine boldness of righteousness that can only come from the Lord. How do we get this? By dying to the old nature and being the new nature.

We pray that this testimony and brief exhortation fans into flames your passion for loving, trusting, believing, and following God whole-heartedly.  If you allow those flames to burn and increase in your life with Christ, your life will be ever better... guaranteed!

Keep PRESSIN' IN!

"Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counselors there is safety." (Proverbs 11:14)

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THANK YOU for downloading this message today! We pray God will use it to bear tremendous blessing in your life! 

Find more messages like this one in another most-requested book of Keith's, "XII Smooth Stones" available on our website TowardTheMark.com.

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Your friends & servants in Christ,

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To Show GOD BIG in a World that Sees Him small… 
sums up the reason Keith stepped out in faith to focus on reaching the lost and strengthening believers everywhere, through Toward The Mark, Inc.  Keith and Brenda's prayer is that you will be encouraged and edified by the Secrets from God's Word that Keith recounts in our written and recorded products. The complete collection of original podcasts, music, blogs, books, CDs, and other resources of Toward The Mark, Inc. has been made possible by the faithful prayer and financial support of the TTM Sponsorship Family. We'd like to invite you to come on-board, to become a part of the TTM Family as well! Join TODAY!

We INVITE You ... to follow and share these resources that are available as well, for helping build your faith in God, His Will, and His Ways: 

~  "Keith Shealy & Wisdom Wednesday" on Facebook 

      

~   "TTM Singing Sergeant" on Twitter

~  "Sharing Messages God Whispers" on the website 

      

~  "Between The Lines THANKS-GIVING Podcast" online 

        

This blog message, along with the rest of our inventory of Bible-based resources, is made possible by the support of our faithful monthly partners. Would you consider helping us expand our outreach capabilities by becoming a monthly financial partner? Your support will go toward fulfilling our God-given calling to help provide effective, contemporary outreach tools, available to everyone, the churched and un-churched alike, for getting to know the love, truth, and salvation of Jesus Christ. We invite you to partner with us as we "press Toward The Mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:14)

CLICK HERE to make a tax-deductible contribution securely by PayPal.

Every gift is tax-deductible and helps, and we thank you for it!

Mail tax-deductible contributions by check to the order of:
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Thank you in advance for sowing your financial seed into the fertile soil of this ministry! We pray God bless you with a 100-fold return for your generosity!

Wake Up, and Lift Up Your Head...

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"And when these things begin to come to pass,
                    then look up, and lift up your heads;
                                          for your redemption draws nigh."
                                                                                                          (Luke 21:28)

  Perhaps one of the most startling and painful things that I have experienced in my life took place at pre-season football camp in college. It wasn't something that occurred during conditioning in the weight room, during practice on the field, or even during a game. It was what happened at 4:00 AM each morning during "four-a-day practices".

           Each morning the members of the coaching staff would position themselves up and down each hall of the athletic dorm. Just as their synchronized watches hit 4:00 AM, each of them began blowing those obnoxiously loud and ear-piercing boat horns or, as I call them, "heart attack" horns. And, at the same time, they would scream at the top of their lungs, "Wake up! Wake up!"

           Aside from my time working on the water front at a marina during high school, I had never heard so much violent profanity coming out of the mouths of so many guys at one time, as when in response to those horns being blown! To this day, I can't find words that can even remotely begin to relay how excruciating the pain, and how agonizingly disorienting it was! You see, enduring four hard practices during each day of training camp was so fatiguing that our being woken up that way was literally a shock to our system. Each morning, those who fought their way out of bed and into the locker room were provided with another opportunity to make it onto the team roster. Those guys who didn't fight their way out of bed, and, instead, ignored the wake-up call and went back to sleep, were disqualified and sent off to clean out their lockers and leave camp - no ifs, ands, or buts about it!

           The crucial importance of answering the wake-up call, and staying awake, had everything to do with either making the team or being disqualified from pursuing a spot on the team. On a side note, the guys who took the initiative to bring their own alarm clock to use in getting up on their own, they were the guys who beat everyone else to the locker room for practice, and always grabbed the coaches attention first. Interestingly, this same principal applies to our Christian walk of faith as well.

           In 1979, through a series of events orchestrated by God, I came in off the road from doing music outreach concerts. That's when I focused my life on reaching out to people and preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There was no question in my mind that God was calling me to use my gifts, talents, and everything else I had to give, to share the Gospel that Jesus Christ preached, so that those who needed and wanted Him would have an opportunity to know Him and to receive Him into their hearts and lives. I can remember, just like it was yesterday, I asked Jesus if He would anoint my life, and raise me up to be used in His work, to watch out for, pray over, and awaken those who have been lulled to sleep by the venomous cares of this world.

           From the moment I knew in my heart that God was calling me to start this work, I began praying two foundational prayers. The first was asking God if He would prepare, equip and strategically position me for the privilege of working with Him, to lead His beloved children into His loving and waiting arms. My second prayer was asking for God to clear the way for me, and now Brenda and I together, to play a substantial role in His final harvest of souls. This was my passion then, in 1979, and it has grown even greater every year since then. My closing in prayer had always been, and even is today, "Father, I ask for Your wisdom to obtain Your strategy so that we can reap an abundant harvest of souls, working with You, so that You will be glorified in the eyes of everyone we reach!"

           As a result of my prayers, Jesus helped me understand and share with others the crucial life-or-death importance of making sure we are not lulled to sleep, blinded by the cares of this world, or distracted from Christ's unfathomable love for us. The first passage that comes to mind is where Jesus gives us an emphatic warning to watch and pray, saying, "Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch  (Mark 13:33-37).”

           What I have always loved about this passage of Scripture is just how plainly Jesus lays out what is expected of us. If we maintain our focus on what Jesus has entrusted to us -- occupy our place as He provided it for us; maintain the work He has equipped and created for us to do; and walk by faith in His authority -- our watching and praying for His return becomes a natural part of the process. Walking in the authority of Christ also ensures that we line up to fulfill the call of God on our life, both, as a member of His Family, and as a warrior in His Army.

           Isn't it as though we often complicate what God makes simple?! It would be a mistake to focus so much on *when* Jesus will return, that we miss out on the very joy and privilege He came to provide for us, to begin with. We must enjoy becoming “one” with our Heavenly Father - us in Him, Him in us, every moment of every hour of every day. So... those who are gonna be caught up to be with Jesus when He returns, will be those who are caught up with Him right now!

           On the other hand, if we let down our defenses (studying The Word of God and putting on the Full Armor of God), we can be sure that wicked spirits will come around. Beware, at the time of our vulnerability, it gets easier to fall prey to the media (a central and growing source of deception), and the many distractions that come to consume our life in this world. We won't have long to wait before our focus turns more toward the world's cares, leading us away from our Father, ever so gradually, unless we catch the alert and "wake up" before it's too late.

           There is a wartime alert and command for military personnel that perfectly illustrates this important point. When military personnel are away from base, or "on leave", and an enemy force is approaching the camp, the watchman on duty sounds the alarm, commanding the troops that, "ALL LEAVES ARE CANCELLED; EVERYBODY BACK TO BASE!" It is time now for the WATCHMEN - those who have eyes that see and ears that hear - to sound the alarm for the benefit of those who need AWAKENED. Sound the alarm to the wicked spirits that come to steal, kill, and destroy our offensives - robbing us of the unspeakable joy awaiting ALL who WANT, and diligently seek, our Loving Father!

           On a sobering note, it is vitally important that we, as Christ's watchmen, heed the warning Jesus gave when He spoke to Ezekiel, "But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman's hand (Ezekiel 33:4-6).”

           Some who teach this message will wrongly emphasize that we must primarily secure our escape from eternal damnation. We must realize that the real benefit of giving our heart and life to Christ, is getting to enjoy oneness with The LORD and Savior, and leading other individuals into Truth. Our focus must be for awakening folks to the reality that they must also turn their eyes and hearts, wholly, to our unfathomably Loving God and Father, and experience Life (and have it abundantly). We cannot allow ourselves to make the terrible mistake of being focused only on preparing ourselves to see the return of Jesus. We mustn't cheat ourselves from sharing with others the privilege of lifting up Christ Jesus every minute, and working with our Heavenly Father every single day.

           There are growing numbers of folks who lack the knowledge of God's Word. Simply put, we don't have to be so caught up with preparing for Jesus Christ's return if we are already caught up in working with Him right now. For all who will heed the "wake-up" call, they will stand to gain an eternity of joy, at its fullness. The greatest joy, and unspeakable pleasure of all, will be the privilege of looking on God for all of eternity! "Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore (Psalm 16:11).”

           God is our Loving Father. Unfathomable fulfillment awaits each one of us when we come to offer back to Him our gifts and talents that He so graciously has given to us. To do our part to fulfill His plan and passion for all of His Wonder-Full Creation, we serve The Consummate Family Man and Father, God. Just as we refer to Jesus Christ as, "The King of kings and Lord of lords," God is "The Loving Father above and beyond all others!"

      "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me (John 12:32).”

      This message is provided to help fan the flame in your heart for The LORD and His wonder-full thoughts and ways, and His plan and purpose for us in this life. To ask questions, make a special donation, place a special order for books or CDs, or to share a testimony or prayer request with us, please click for email or write a letter and mail it to the address shown on our website, also provided below.

      We look forward to meeting here for the next blogpost as we keep Pressin'IN Toward The Mark! Please make sure to invite your friends, those who are unsaved or who just need encouragement in the things of God and His Word, Will, and Ways. We pray that God bless and keep you!

      In Christ Jesus,
      

Take me back to the top of this blog post.

Take me to the Journey through Chapter ONE of Keith's book, *Keep The FAITH*.

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To Show GOD BIG in a World that Sees Him small… 
sums up the reason Keith stepped out in faith to focus on reaching the lost and strengthening believers everywhere, through Toward The Mark, Inc.  Keith and Brenda's prayer is that you will be encouraged and edified by the Secrets from God's Word that Keith recounts in our written and recorded products.  The complete collection of original podcasts, music, blogs, books, CDs, and other resources of Toward The Mark, Inc. are made possible by the prayer and financial contributions of the TTM Support Family.  We'd like to welcome you onboard TODAY!

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