There is a lot of talk today about the war in Iraq and how the presidential candidates are going to deal with it.  There are important questions that need to be answered.  As important as these war debates are, there is a more important war going on…the one for the human soul.

Eric shares from the January 11 “Trail Thoughts” the importance of this “soul war”…and the sad results for those who don’t train for it: Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.” —Job 2:3

ARMED FOR BATTLE

The conflict in heaven over the integrity of Job may seem to be a battle over the soul of one man, but as we will see later, this represents the struggle faced by all men and women. For the struggle of Job foreshadows the epic battle that will be engaged with the advent of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. When Satan tempts Jesus in the wilderness, he attacks his integrity. Satan offers Jesus the easy way out with promises of kingdoms, sustenance and earthly salvation.

Every man engages in an epic struggle within the heart over what that heart will believe and how the individual will act upon it. “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of darkness in the heavenly realms.” (Ephesians 6:12) When Job says, “…till I die, I will not deny my integrity. I will maintain my righteousness and never let it go,” (Job 27:5-6) he is laying down the marker for each one of us. For the external battle has an internal antecedent within the heart of every man and woman.

We live on a battlefield. Have we armed ourselves for the inevitable conflict?

by…Rev. Charlie Albertell, Associate Pastor – Grace Church NYC

I desperately want to see people who don’t know God connect with Him and people that do know God, re-connect with Him. 

Have you ever tried to build something from IKEA without instructions?  Sometimes the directions in Swedish make just as much sense!  God has given us a manual for life.  A blueprint, if you will.

Connecting with God starts with a sincere desire to know God….a longing for internal freedom and peace for your soul. 

Let me ask you a few personal questions…

• Do you have a longing for intimacy with the One who created you and is familiar with every cell in your body and with every need you have in your soul and spirit?
• Do you have a deep desire to fulfill the purposes of God for our generation?
• Do you have a desire to know the enemy and how he works so as to counteract his manipulations?

As a pastor and a father and a husband, it grieves me that I can’t give this passion away.  It’s hard to transfer passion from one person to another.  Passion is more caught than taught. 

Passion comes from deep within the soul and spirit of our humanity.  My hope and prayer is that this passion for God’s Word will be stirred in your soul as you read this.

The question I pose is, “Do you really want to know God?”  Not just know about Him, really know Him…His passions, His desires, His attributes, His love, His very essence…His being…

In order to connect with God…two components must work together with passion: discipline and obedience.

Joshua 1:8 “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”

Discipline is needed to connect.  As in any relationship, in order to connect, certain things have to be done. Sacrifices have to be made and priorities have to be shifted.  There needs to be two-way communication… one on one, emails, letters, phone calls, text messages, faxes, etc. 

Hey I understand that we all face the pressures of time.  We are all under a lot of stress and have very busy schedules.  Unfortunately one of the first things we often squeeze out is our spending time with God.  We say we have the desire to be with God, but do we really? If we are too busy to spend time with God then we are busier than God intends for us to be.  Spending time alone with God is a privilege.  Our attitude should not be “I have to…” as if we were having root canal; but rather, “I get to….” as if we are excited about the possibility of meeting a star athlete or actor.

It is only as we seek God with our whole being that we can enjoy a connection with Him that will truly feed our souls.  Jesus said in Matthew 4:4 that ‘People need more than bread for their life; they must feed on every word of God.‘

Do we hunger for Him? (He said He was the Bread of Life) If we really hunger for truth…we will find God.  Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life….” Do we really want to be nourished? (He said come to him and drink.)

The discipline I speak of is the discipline of daily spending time apart for Bible study and prayer.

Here are some excuses I’ve heard from people over the years as to why don’t we spend time alone with God:  we really don’t have the desire; we’re too busy; we’re too scared; I’m doing OK, nothing earth-shattering in my life; I can’t can’t get alone… roommates, etc; or feeling overwhelmed by the Bible…

Without the discipline to communicate and connect, we start to lose sight of the enemy.  We become complacent.  And that is when we are most vulnerable to weaken and give in to our own design. 

If we are not nourishing our inner beings on a regular basis we become spiritually dry, empty, impotent…Our souls must be nourished on the word of God.

There is nothing more fulfilling, beautiful, and challenging than communicating with Jesus.  As we study and meditate, our hearts could be comforted, counseled, encouraged, warned, reproved, and instructed.  As we go through dark times, we see Him as the Light to our path.  When we go through the good times, He is there encouraging us to continue to press on!

This is what is so good about reading Trail Thoughts…It’s a bite-size portion that will challenge and entice you for more…a sort of spiritual appetizer that really doesn’t take much of a time commitment…all it takes is a commitment of the heart.

From Trail Thoughts by Eric Kampmann…Sept. 7

No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save. But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.  —Psalm 33:16–19

It is difficult not to be impressed by the stature of a prince or king or president. He is surrounded by his armies and protected by his guards. When he speaks, the nation listens; when he is angered, people tremble.

And yet the strongest leader in the greatest nation is nothing compared to the strength of God: “For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.” (1 Corinthians 1:25) David says, “It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect.” (2 Samuel 22:33)

We easily confuse the strength God confers on men with a man’s strength. Stalin, at the height of his power in the Soviet Union, reportedly asked with great sarcasm, “Where are the Pope’s armies?” We might ask the same question today, but only in reverse: “Where is Stalin? Where is the Soviet Union and where are his armies?”

David gives us another perspective. “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.” (Psalm 118:8-9) David, even at the height of his power, attributed his worldly strength to God: “I was pushed back and about to fall, but the Lord helped me. The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.” (Psalm 118:13-14)