firstIMPRESSIONS
from Senior Pastor Timothy Satryan

Paul exhorted the Christians at Ephesus to “put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.” (Ephesians 6:11)

Satan usually uses one or more of these three strategies.

Discourage you from worshipping God!
Discouragement was Satan’s primary strategy against God’s servant Job. But when Satan had hit Job as hard as he possibly could, this servant of the most High God cried out, “Though He slay me, I will hope in Him.” (Job 13:15) I imagine at that moment the heavenly audience gasped in amazement of not only a creature who could endure such pain, but of a God who could command such devotion.

Distract you from serving God!
If Satan cannot persuade you to reject God, the next best thing is to distract you so that you ignore God. The adversary’s goal is to create as much distance as possible between you and your Creator. While overt disobedience is one way to create a wedge between God and us, Satan does not always have to resort to such obvious strategies. Many times he can achieve the same result simply by distracting us from our relationship with God through what a previous generation of Christians called “worldliness,” – a preoccupation with the delights and details of living in this world.

Deceive you into disobeying God!
“Disobey God and your deepest desires will be fulfilled” Satan promised the first woman, just as he promises us today. What the tempter fails to disclose with his offer is that instead of satisfying our cravings, sin only increases those cravings until we are consumed and destroyed by our own desires.

The spiritual battle in which you are engaged is real. This invisible war is the reality behind most of the conflicts you confront every day.

But there is no need to panic. God has provided you with every resource you need to overcome your already-defeated adversary.

It’s time to wake up! Put on the full armor of God. Stand firm against the schemes of the devil!

Here is your copy of firstIMPRESSIONS, Volume 7.13. Live for God, on purpose, walking in the victory you have received through Jesus Christ!

This Sunday is unique in that it marks not one but two specific days observed by the general public as well as in the church. This is Palm Sunday, the day on which we celebrate Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem, as the crowds greet Him as he rides into the city, and proclaim in unison “Hosanna! Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord.” (John 12:13)

Interestingly, this Sunday is also April 1, which has been commonly called “April Fool’s Day.” People have been known to do many foolish things on this day, as well as to attempt to do things to make others appear to be foolish.

So, what do Palm Sunday and April Fool’s Day have in common with each other, other than falling on the same day this year? Well, my friend, they have a lot in common!

On that first Palm Sunday, the people all proclaimed Jesus as Lord, and worshipped Him as he entered Jerusalem. Yet, within less than one week, nearly every one of them had completely turned their backs on Jesus, and denied they even knew Him. How foolish. And, how typical of what so many people do to this very day.

This Sunday, we will look at one specific believer – Peter – and see how his actions during the final week of Jesus’ earthly ministry depict the very foolish things that so many believers in Christ do today. You won’t want to miss this message on “Foolish Followers.”

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Practice seclusion. Withdraw from everyday noise and demands on a daily basis to spend some time with God, to connect with him and recharge your emotional and spiritual batteries.

Practice prayer. Choose to pray regularly; don’t wait until you feel like doing so. During prayer: praise God, thank God, confess your sins to God, ask God for something on behalf of other people, and present your personal requests to God.

Practice worship. Focus on encountering God to: praise Him for who He is; thank Him for what He has done; confess your sin; surrender your mind, will, and emotions; offer him your total life; obey what He tells you to do; ask Him to work in your life; tell others of your love for Him; and experience new love for Him and a new commitment to Him.

Practice building relationships. Take the initiative to get to know people well for the purpose of making an impact for Christ as well as meeting your own need for relating to others.

Practice touch. Affirm people in appropriate ways by touching them, such as through a hug, handshake, or pat on the back. Every day, ask God for the opportunity to touch someone who needs it. Determine to be the hands of Christ wherever you go.

Practice confrontation. Be willing to deal with another person about an issue head-on, in a spirit of love and truth, with your sole motive being to help that person.

Practice challenging the status quo. In a spirit of love, choose to challenge that which continues on as a tradition but no longer serves a good purpose.

Practice listening. Focus on what another person is saying with your ears, mind, eyes, and body so that person feels valued by you.

Practice love. Consistently choose to do something that is beneficial, kind, and encouraging for another person before considering your own needs. Be willing to be inconvenienced and to sacrifice for the sake of others.

Practice thankfulness. Decide to be grateful to God in any situation – even when facing challenges. Believe that God is greater than any circumstances you face.

Practice faith. Choose to trust God and believe what He said in His Word, the Bible – no matter what.

Practice motivation. Believe that all things are possible with God, and put all your resources (time, money, energy, etc.) to good use to fulfill your highest potential in His kingdom. Through your example, encourage other people to be and do their best.

Practice handling criticism effectively. Respond to criticism with love, truth, and humility. Demonstrate God’s love and allow Him to be your defense.

Practice making family a priority. Consistently choose to put your family and their needs ahead of your own needs, other people, work, recreation, or anything else in life except God.

Practice obedience. Decide to act on God’s will rather than your own. Strive to discover God’s will by reading the Bible and following the Holy Spirit’s leading when there is no clear word in Scripture about what to do.

Practice honoring the government. View the government as a God-ordained institution that should be supported voluntarily through good citizens obeying its laws.

Practice asking questions. Ask certain things in order to gain knowledge and understanding. Try to ask open-ended questions as often as possible.

Practice having fun. Enjoy life. Give yourself permission not to take things seriously all the time. Make laughter part of your daily routine.

Practice living by the truth. Consistently decide to say what is right, do what is right, and live within God’s will.

Practice resting. Relax your body on a regular basis through the right amount of sleep at night and periodic breaks during the day.

Practice acting like a man. If you’re male – like Jesus – strive to be physically strong, emotionally caring, mentally expanding, and spiritually growing.

Practice esteeming women. Choose to treat all women, at all times, with the utmost dignity and respect they deserve.

Practice giving. Embrace a lifestyle of offering yourself and your resources (time, money, etc.) on behalf of others in the name of Jesus.

Practice kindness. Be sensitive, understanding, gentle, and compassionate to everyone you meet.

Practice fitness. Take care of your body through a combination of a healthy diet and regular exercise.

Practice keeping your word. Do what you say you will do. Let others know they can count on you to follow through with what you promise.

Practice fellowshipping. Spend time with other Christians on a regular basis for the purpose of enjoyment.

Practice using Scripture. Study and apply the Bible to everyday life situations, whether temptations, trials, or triumphs.

Practice living for a purpose. Realize that serving God is your reason for living. Strive to fulfill your purpose of making a positive difference for Him in the world.

Practice fasting. Choose to go without food for a specific time in order to seek God and His will with more passion and intensity than you could otherwise.

Practice using money God’s way. Use your money to support God’s kingdom, meet your needs and those of your family, and save for the future. Follow biblical principles when making decisions about money.

adapted from “The Jesus Habits: Exercising the Spiritual Disciplines of Jesus,” ©2005 by Jay Dennis

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by Max Lucado

John didn’t know on that Friday what you and I now know. He didn’t know that Friday’s tragedy would be Sunday’s triumph. John would later confess that he “did not yet understand from the Scriptures that Jesus must rise from the dead” (John 20:9).

That’s why what he did on Saturday is so important.

We don’t know anything about this day; we have no passage to read, no knowledge to share. All we know is this: When Sunday came, John was still present. When Mary Magdalene came looking for him, she found him.

Jesus was dead. The Master’s body was lifeless. John’s friend and future were buried. But John had not left. Why? Was he waiting for the resurrection? No. As far as he knew, the lips were forever silent and the hands forever still. He wasn’t expecting a Sunday surprise. Then why was he here?

You’d think he would have left. Who was to say that the men who crucified Christ wouldn’t come after him? The crowds were pleased with one crucifixion; the religious leaders might have called for more. Why didn’t John get out of town?

Perhaps the answer was pragmatic; perhaps he was taking care of Jesus’ mother. Or perhaps he didn’t have anywhere else to go. Could be he didn’t have any money or energy or direction... or all of the above.

Or maybe he lingered because he loved Jesus.

To others, Jesus was a miracle worker. To others, Jesus was a master teacher. To others, Jesus was the hope of Israel. But to John, he was all of these and more. To John, Jesus was a friend.

You don’t abandon a friend – not even when that friend is dead. John stayed close to Jesus.

He had a habit of doing this. He was close to Jesus in the upper room. He was close to Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. He was at the foot of the cross at the crucifixion, and he was a quick walk from the tomb at the burial.

Did he understand Jesus? No.

Was he glad Jesus did what he did? No.

But did he leave Jesus? No.

What about you? When you’re in John’s position, what do you do? When it’s Saturday in your life, how do you react? When you are somewhere between yesterday’s tragedy and tomorrow’s triumph, what do you do? Do you leave God – or do you linger near him?

John chose to linger. And because he lingered on Saturday, he was around on Sunday to see the miracle.

from “He Chose the Nails,” © W Publishing Group, 2001, Max Lucado.

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by Jim Liebelt

But I tell you, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you in order that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.” – Matthew 5:44-45 (NIV)

The story has been told of a man who while hiking in a desert, stumbled upon a rattlesnake that had become hopelessly wedged between a boulder and some limbs from a fallen tree. The man decided to save the rattlesnake, but in the process the snake tried to bite him. The man tried to free the snake a second time. Again, the snake tried to bite the man. Finally, on the third attempt the man succeeded in freeing the snake. And still, the snake coiled and attempted to strike its liberator. The man’s companion, who had observed from a safe distance, asked the man why he continued to risk himself to free the snake. The man responded, “The snake was attempting to strike because that is its nature. My nature is to love. Should I cease to love because the snake attempts to strike?”

Jesus demonstrated this same concept – a commitment to living by his own nature regardless of another’s nature – when he gave his life to die on our behalf. Hebrews 12:3 instructs us to “Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” The call of the Christ-follower is the call to live our lives following Jesus’ example and based on our new nature as God’s children. We are called to love and serve, regardless of the opposition or persecution we face from others.

Today, will you love even when others attempt to strike?

as seen in “Today’s HomeWord,” a daily devotional with Jim Burns. Visit them online at www.homeword.com

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by Alan Smith

Two guys who were not known for being overly smart were driving a delivery truck down a road when they came to a tunnel. The sign said “Warning: Maximum Height 10 feet zero inches", so they got out and measured their truck. Unfortunately, the truck was just over 12 feet high.

They didn’t know what to do, when finally one of them looked both directions and said, “I don’t see any police, let’s go for it!”

As ridiculous as that sounds, there are many folks who take the same approach to sin. “If nobody sees us, then it’s OK to go ahead and do it. We can get away with it!” But just as surely as driving a 12-foot high truck through a 10-foot clearance will result in bad stuff happening (even if no one is watching), so will involvement in sin result in negative consequences, even if no one is watching (of course, we know that God is always watching!)

Moses warned the tribes of Israel who wanted to remain on the east side of the Jordan River:

“If you arm yourselves... and all your armed men cross over the Jordan... and the land is subdued... then afterward you may return... and this land shall be your possession before the Lord. But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your sin will find you out.” (Numbers 32:20-23)

The words of Moses serve as a needed reminder to all those who think that they can violate the law of God without consequence.

This article by Alan Smith, Senior Pastor of the Helen Street Church of Christ in Fayetteville, North Carolina. You can visit his site at http://www.TFTD-online.com

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A sick man turned to his doctor, as he was preparing to leave the examination room and said, “Doctor, I am afraid to die. Tell me what lies on the other side.”

Very quietly, the doctor said, “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know? You, a Christian man, do not know what is on the other side?”

The doctor was holding the handle of the door; on the other side of which came a sound of scratching and whining, and as he opened the door, a dog sprang into the room and leaped on him with an eager show of gladness.

Turning to the patient, the doctor said, “Did you notice my dog? He’s never been in this room before. He didn’t know what was inside. He knew nothing except that his master was here, and when the door opened, he sprang in without fear. I know little of what is on the other side of death, but I do know one thing...I know my Master is there and that is enough.”

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Nothing in the early life of James Cash Penney indicated that his name would one day become a household word in homes across the United States. Born in 1875, he grew up on a small farm in Kentucky. His father was a minister in the Primitive Baptist Church. Both parents were committed Christians who instilled a deep and abiding faith in their children.

While Penney was a teenager, his father removed from his position as minister. The ensuing financial hardship for the family meant that Penney had to leave school, taking a job to help support the family. He began to work as a clerk in a local store. Although he didn’t realize it at the time, this modest start was providential and would propel him into an illustrious career as a retailer.

After working in various stores, Penney was able to purchase a one-third interest in a dry goods store in Kemmerer, Wyoming. The date was April 14, 1902. Kemmerer was a small mining town of less than 1,000 people. Penney and his wife lived in a tiny attic apartment above the store. Their furniture consisted of a large empty dry goods box for a table and smaller boxes for chairs. When their first child was born, Penney’s young wife wrapped their infant in a blanket, allowing it to sleep under a counter while she stood beside it, working alongside her husband, serving their customers.

From that humble beginning J. C. Penney would eventually preside over 1,700 stores. He would lead the country’s largest chain of department stores, each one bearing his name. The influence of Penney’s godly parents became evident with the growth of his business, as he began to describe his chain as the Golden Rule Stores, based on the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:12: “Do unto others what you would have them do unto you”

Although his enterprise made him incredibly wealthy, Penney’s life was not devoid of setbacks and troubles. In fact, beginning in 1929, events took place that nearly cost Penney his life.

When the Great Depression struck the country, it came at a time of great financial vulnerability for Penney. While his stores continued to do well, Penney had been adding outside interests, and these were proving to be extremely costly. In order to finance these interests, Penney borrowed heavily. In addition, Penney was becoming a major philanthropist, giving generously to organizations and individuals. The Depression prompted banks to request repayment of his loans sooner than anticipated. Suddenly cash flow was tight, and Penney was finding it difficult to meet payment schedules. Constant and unrelenting worry began to take a toll. “I was so harassed with worries that I couldn’t sleep, and developed an extremely painful ailment,” he said.

Concerned about his deteriorating health, Penney checked himself into the Kellogg sanitarium at Battle Creek, Michigan, the Mayo Clinic of its era. There, Dr. Elmer Eggleston, a staff physician, examined Penney, declaring that he was extremely ill. “A rigid treatment was prescribed, but nothing helped,” Penney recalled. He was attacked by the twin demons of hopelessness and despair. His very will to live was rapidly eroding. “I got weaker day by day. I was broken nervously and physically, filled with despair, unable to see even a ray of hope. I had nothing to live for, I felt that I hadn’t a friend left in the world, that even my family had turned against me.”

Alarmed by his rapidly deteriorating condition, Dr. Eggleston gave Penney a sedative. However, the effect quickly wore off, and Penney awakened with the conviction that he was living the last night of his life. “Getting out of bed, I wrote farewell letters to my wife and to my son, saying that I did not expect to live to see the dawn.”

Penney awakened the next morning, surprised to find himself alive. Making his way down the hallway of the hospital, he could hear singing coming from the little chapel where devotional exercises were held each morning. The words of the hymn he heard being sung spoke deeply to his condition. Going into the chapel, he listened with a weary heart to the singing, the reading of the Scripture lesson, and the prayer.

“Suddenly something happened,” he recalled. “I can’t explain it. I can only call it a miracle. I felt as if I had been instantly lifted out of the darkness of a dungeon into a warm, brilliant sunlight. I felt as if I had been transported from hell to Paradise. I felt the power of God as I had never felt it before.”

In a life-transforming instant Penney knew that God, with His love, was there to help. “From that day to this, my life has been free from worry,” he declared. “The most dramatic and glorious 20 minutes of my life were those I spent in that chapel that morning.” The words from the hymn that spoke so eloquently and miraculously to J. C. Penney were “God will take care of you.”

God Will Take Care of You
Be not dismayed whate'er betide,
God will take care of you;
Beneath His wings of love abide,
God will take care of you.

God will take care of you,
Through every day, o'er all the way;
He will take care of you,

God will take care of you.

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Reverend Smith, a respected church leader, arrived in a large city to deliver a series of speeches. At a banquet the first evening, he noticed some reporters in the audience.

Because he wanted to use some of the stories he told that night in his speeches the next day, he asked the reporters to omit them from their articles.

One article that came out the next day, written by a cub reporter, concluded with this line: “Reverend Smith also told a number of stories that cannot be printed.”

I am truly expecting a phenomenal time of worship this week here at WFA, as we celebrate Palm Sunday, and the beginning of the “Passion Week.” I am certain that you will be blessed, encouraged and challenged in the Lord as we gather together to worship Him in Spirit and in truth. See you Sunday!