–Lou Bradshaw  (Comin’ Home)

 

       “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
                    –Ephesians 6:12(NASB)
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How to Live in a Pagan, Apostate, and Foolish World

Key Verse:  “We know that we are of God, and that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.”  –1 John 5:19 (NASB)

Over fifty years ago there was a movie that came out called, “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad World.”  It was hilarious then, but now we are truly living in a mad, mad, mad world.  And the thing about it is that it is getting madder.  I don’t mean angry, however there is much anger out there, but I mean crazy, insane, bizarre, and macabre.  That fits right into the verse for today’s lesson.
       There are many voices of various types calling out to you today.  Who do you listen to?  Which ones are true?  Which ones will lead you astray and hinder your walk with God?   For sure be careful of spiritual voices for they may not necessarily be from God, even the so-called Christian voices.  That is why we must be in God’s Word; we must adhere to sound doctrine.  I have discussed doctrine quite often in my writings.  It is imperative that we have sound doctrine or we might float with every silly teaching that comes along; anything that appeals to our fancy.
       Many want to disregard the word “doctrine” but that’s all the New Testament is–the teachings of Jesus and the Apostles.  Doctrine!  “People often tell me Doctrine divides, and I Say, Yes, it divides Truth from Error” (John MacArthur).  To not want to live by the teachings (doctrine) of the Bible is to not be a true disciple.
       Remember, we are to live a life of joy.  That is one of the things that will help us survive in this evil world.  We are to walk in fellowship with God, and that means to obey His commandments (doctrine).  We also have a family relationship with God; we are His children.  There are several things that go against fellowship and being a child.

               1)  We must keep the commandments–obedience is required.
               2)  We must love one another.
               3)  We must be absolutely clear and certain as to what we believe.

Grasp hold of and contemplate the following verse and relate it to the world in which we live.

               “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
                              –1 John 4:1 (NASB)

Know that there are different kinds of spirits.  There is the Holy Spirit who will guide and comfort us.  There are angelic spirits, some of whom we might see and others we might entertain unawares.  There are evil spirits and demonic spirits who aid the devil in the war against the Kingdom of God.  There is also one more spirit, one that often hinders us, the human spirit.  How many times has your spirit interfered with what the Holy Spirit would have you do?
       We must, if we want to grow spiritually and survive in this world, maintain a position of scriptural balance.  We must not let “experience” hinder sound doctrine.  Notice, sound doctrine–doctrine that is Biblical.  There must be a balance between fanaticism and intellectualism.  Do not let emotions control yet at the same time do not be a cynical and skeptical snob.  It is important, especially in today’s church world, that we beware of those who claim unusual authority from God–these people become impatient of sound teaching and doctrine.  
       Listen, get this down, any experience which is not based upon truth and doctrine is dangerous.  I will not question a person’s experience, however, I will question the validity and truth of the experience.  There are many who are opposed to theology or they are not interested.  How can this be?  Theology is the study of God and we are to know Him and become more like Him, therefore, we must be in His Word.  Then watch out for those out there who may be “super-spiritual” who are then in reality pseudo-spiritual.  They think because of their “status” they do not think they have to try to spirits; they have a form of godliness.

                    –Louis L’Amour  (Last Stand at Papago Wells)

 

       “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

                    –2 Timothy 4:7 (NKJV)

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Back at the homestead for a week or so, then hitting the trail again so we have to be getting down to the truth, hone in on it, and take it to heart.  Yesterday I used a quotation by Ernest Haycox, “But he knew he would never quit…”

       Have you ever had thoughts of quitting?  Just chucking it all, tossing life and your job, career, school away?  There were a few times in my/our lives that we said, “Let’s quit this mess and head for the high lonesome.”  It wasn’t that I couldn’t handle the job, but sometimes the nonsense can become almost (and the emphasis is “almost”) unbearable.  Quitting wasn’t really an option; it was just venting of some frustration.

       Perhaps you have had a notion that you’re no good–not a winner.  Hmm, what is a winner anyway?  Is it the person with the most medals?  Is it the person with the highest accolades or the most money?  I knew a man who made $50,000 a week.  Was he a winner?  Maybe in the eyes of some in the world, but he lost his family.  He went through a divorce and both his kids got hooked on drugs.  Did money make him a winner?  It may have been Vince Lombardi who said, “Quitters never win, and winners never quit.”

       I think of the speech by Winston Churchill where he uttered those quite profound words, “Never, never, never quit.”  Did I leave something out?  Maybe, perchance, there is a time to quit, to give up, to throw in the towel.  Some may say he actually said, “Never give in,” or “never give up,” but the concept is the same.  Don’t quit!  However, he did throw in an exception, “except to convictions of honor and good sense.”  Give up on things that are immoral; give up on things that are unrighteous or wicked; give up on sinful habits and wickedness.

 

               “Never give in–never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to the convictions of honour and good sense.  Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”

                              –Winston Churchill

 

 As believers we could add–never give in to the devil, never give in to the things of the world, never give in to things contrary to the Word of God.

       Possibly one of the saddest stories in the Bible was written by Paul toward the end of his life.  We know Paul’s famous words regarding the notion of quitting, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7, NKJV)  He realized that his life was over and that he was ready to meet his Lord and Savior face to face and receive his reward for not quitting.  However, at the end of the chapter he tells of someone who became derelict in his duty–Demas.  “For Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world…” (2 Timothy 4:10, NKJV)

       Demas had been a companion of Paul.  He had known the way.  Paul doesn’t tell us exactly what it was that caused Demas to go back into the world; he doesn’t have to say the particulars but to understand that Demas loved the world.  Do not give so much credence to the world that it causes you to quit.  John tells us, “Do not love the world or the things in the world.  If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” (1 John 2:15, NKJV)

       No matter what happens–don’t quit.  No matter the pestilence, the disease, the plague–don’t quit.  No matter how hard the storm rages and the tempest blows–hang on, and don’t quit.  Don’t run from life–don’t quit the call that God has place upon you. You may be weary from the fights, the trials, the testing that have come your way in life.   Don’t–don’t–don’t QUIT!

               –Acts 14:17 (NKJV)
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               “Goin’ back to my good ‘ole Texas home, home, home.
                Down by the sleepy Rio Grande
                Where the lonesome turtle dove is grievin’
                And the moon is shining on the sand.”
                            –Carson J. Robinson

For me, instead of the Rio Grande it’s more like the Piney Woods.  Right now, there are few  places I would consider living other than Texas.  That’s why there is such a political emphasis on the state.  When it goes liberal, the good Lord better help the rest of the country.
       We’ll be packing up and heading back to the homestead tomorrow, so no Echoes for a few days.  Not sure about when they’ll start up again.  Kinda like one of my cousins who used to say, “Look for me when you see the dust a flyin’.”  Well, look for an “Echo” when you see the smoke a-risin’.  One thing about being retired is that we don’t have to rush to places like we used to.  If we need to take an extra day we can.
       This “Echo” has no real topic, just a bunch of thoughts I thought I’d throw your direction.  The weather sure has been great up here in Maryland.  The fall, or autumn if your prefer, is my favorite time of year.  Come to think of it, the “fall” is my favorite time of life for I reckon that’s where I am now.  One needs to enjoy where they’re at because that is the place the Lord wants them to serve Him.  Don’t rush things along–plan for the future, but live for the day; it’s all we are assured of.
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       One of my favorite books is Wanderer of the Wasteland by Zane Grey.  It is a book one could read as they study their Bible for there are many analogies that correlate to the Scripture.  Here is a great quotation to ponder from that book.

                “The clean white sand, the mesquites bursting into green, the nodding flowers in the grassy nooks under the great iron-rusted stones, the rugged, upheaved slope of mountain, and to the east an open vista between the trees where the desert stretched away gray and speckled and monotonous, down to the dim mountains over which the sun would rise; these could not but be pleasant and helpful. Love of life could not be separated from such things.”

       I’m not able to hike through the woods like I used to.  I miss it, but I have great memories, and I can sit on my back deck or on the patio and look at the woods behind our little cottage.  We call it our cottage in the woods.  The grandeur of the mountains no longer calls me.  Home on this earth no longer has a grip on me, but there are mountains–hills that seem to beckon me now.  I think of the words of Dottie Rambo’s song:

                The holy hills of Heaven call me
                To mansions bright across the sea
                Where loved ones wait and crowns are given
                The hills of home keep calling me.
   
                I’ll take my flight like a mighty eagle
               When the hills of home start calling me
                I’ll take my flight like the mighty eagle
               When the hills of home start calling me.

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       The Lord must have been a hand around the campfire.  I wonder just how many meals He prepared for Himself over a campfire, and how many He enjoyed with His disciples.  One of the last things we have recorded of Him is He preparing a meal for the disciples on the beach waiting for the disciples to come ashore.

               “Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread.  Jesus said to them, ‘Bring some of the fish which you have caught.’…  Jesus said to them, ‘Come and eat breakfast.’  Yet none of the disciples dared ask Him, ‘Who are You?’–knowing that it was the Lord.  Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them, and likewise the fish.”
                              –John 21:9-10, 12-13 (NKJV)

Sure does make thoughts flow through my head.   Have a great weekend and until our trails cross again, be safe and trust in the Lord.

                    –Psalm 121:1-2 (HCSB)
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How many times have I woken up to look at the hills–the mountains?  Nowadays I mostly see the forests of the Piney Woods, but the feeling is similar.  There is something majestic about the mountains, or the desert, or the open country, or the woods.  Perhaps they show the quietness of God’s power; the stillness in which He works.  There is so much wonder in the wilderness; it is as if I can actually feel the awesomeness of the Creator of the universe.  There is a ruggedness, a danger, a wildness; but also a serenity, a calmness of sitting on a ridge overlooking a high country lake or a rushing stream that comes from under a snow bank.
       Wait a minute.  Isn’t the wilderness supposed to be a dreaded place, a harsh place?  Perhaps it is how you approach it and what you learn from it.  Much of what we face in the wilderness has to do with our attitude or how they are changing.  Our attitudes and actions should be changing and we should be able to adjust to our journey and face the challenges that may come our way.
       The wilderness was vital in developing our nation.  It helped develop the character of the people who pioneered and settled the country.  The wilderness is vital in developing the character of the individual as well.  Many did not survive the wilderness, but those who did usually came out better and stronger people.  It takes strength, it takes courage, it takes integrity to journey through the wilderness.  Today, few even talk about going to the wilderness, or if they do they want to take all of the modern conveniences with them.  That alone shows that they do not understand the purpose of the wilderness.  More and more people want handouts, want others to take care of them.  More and more we see a nation that reflects welfare rather than industriousness.
       Jesus, after His baptism, was immediately sent to the wilderness.  Moses spent forty years learning of the wilderness for he was to lead a stiff-necked people through it for another forty years.  He had to learn the lessons that God had for him.  Also, remember that it was on a mountain in the wilderness where he met God.  Paul, after his conversion, spent three years in the wilderness coming to know more of God and his purpose in life.  
       When times are rough, stop, look around you and you may see that God has allowed you to enter a special experience with Him.  When the pressures of life seem to be demanding more and more of you, stop, look to the hills, breathe deeply of His presence.  When the clouds have darkened and you can’t seem to find your way; stop, above the dark clouds are the mountain summits even though you cannot see them.  I love the words of Louis L’Amour, “Look to the hills.  They are quiet.  The storms sweep over them, and are gone, and most of man’s troubles pass the same way.  Whenever you feel that things are getting too much for you, go to the mountains or the desert–it smoothes out the wrinkles in your mind.”
       When upon your journey through life and there is upon the horizon a challenge or a problem or a storm look back at the times when God has been with you in a similar circumstance.  In the midst of difficulties be aware of His presence.  Be a person of God, and continue forward.