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In the Word of God, gold was at its height, at its premium, when it was beaten into shape by the craftsmanship of Bezaleel and Aholiab. They were the makers of the Ark of the Covenant.

Beaten gold is far superior to molded gold. The reason: For gold to be molded and melted in ancient times it had to be mixed with lesser metals. The flames created by wood could not reach a high enough temperature to mold and melt the gold which led to lesser metals being introduced. A lesser metal than gold will melt at a lower temperature because of the mixture, but it drastically lowers its value.

It was beaten gold that formed an Ark but it was molten gold that formed a golden calf.

The choice is clearly mine. I can add all sorts of alloys to my calling, to my purpose in the Kingdom, to the anointing that rests on my life, but in the process I rob the power and ability of God to work with a pure vessel.

Here is your copy of firstIMPRESSIONS, Volume 8.32. Live for God, on purpose, pure and holy for Him.

Conquering Your Enemy

When I was just a young boy, there was an older, bigger boy in the neighborhood. I can still distinctly remember numerous times when walking to school and other places, that “Eddie” would stop my friends and me and just pick on us, threatening us in many different ways. Often, I would hurry back home, scared that I was going to be beat up by this neighborhood bully.

Times have changed, and I am no longer the little boy that I once was. Yet, there are still many “bullies” around that threaten me, and I suspect you as well. However, as believers in Jesus Christ, we all need to realize that our enemy is not any neighbor, or our employer, or any other individual. Our enemy is none other than the devil, and he has come seeking to steal, kill and destroy.

1 Peter 5:8-9 tells us to “be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.”

The good news is that although we have an enemy, we can be victorious over this enemy! Romans 8:37 tells us we are “we are more than conquerors through him who loved us!”

How do we conquer this enemy? There are three specific things that 1 Peter 5:8-9 tells us that we need to do. Be sure to join us this Sunday as we examine this passage and learn how to begin “Conquering Your Enemy!”

Our Authority

Chip Ingram has written a book entitled “The Invisible War.” He writes about a time when he was pastoring in Santa Cruz. He was walking down Pacific Avenue, a popular place for people to go who are just enjoying the evening. Ingram tells that there are several bars on Pacific Avenue, and as he was walking down the street, he saw a couple of pretty big, muscular guys in T-shirts being confronted by the much smaller guy who was working as the bouncer for that bar. The bouncer had called for the police to help with these guys, bigger and stronger than he was, who were drunk and getting more and more agitated by the minute.

Ingram said he didn’t want to get too close, but he was curious as to what was going to happen. Just a couple of minutes went by before a police cruiser pulled up to the curb with its lights flashing. Out stepped an officer ready to take charge of this situation before it got out of hand. The problem was that the officer was a four-foot-eleven woman, much smaller than any of the guys standing there arguing with each other. How was she going to handle this?

The petite female officer went straight up to the troublemakers and asked, “Gentlemen, do we have a problem here?” The two guys started in on her, but she immediately interrupted them. She pointed to her badge and said, “Excuse me. I’m authorized by Santa Cruz County to enforce the law. I’d like both of you over against the car right now. Do you understand?” They hesitated, and then she put her hand on her revolver. Ingram said that he had “never seen two burly drunk guys get sober so fast.” They got up against the car, legs spread, arms behind their backs.

Then Ingram asks, “Why on earth did two enormous bullies submit to a very small woman? In any other situation, that confrontation could have been disastrous. But this situation had nothing to do with size and strength. The police officer had authority, and the guys on steroids didn’t.”

Here’s what you and I need to pull from that story for our lives today. We are up against an enemy stronger and more numerous than we are, but we have all the resources and authority of heaven itself behind us.

as seen in Rocky Henriques’ “The Timothy Report,” www.timothyreport.com, of August 4, 2008

Loving Your Enemies
a Little Less

by Steve May

A couple of months ago Al Rogulski was on a boating and snorkeling trip sponsored by a distributor of his heating and air-conditioning business. Owners and employees from several heating and air firms were there; it’s the kind of trip that companies award to their best customers.

One afternoon everyone went snorkeling, but Rogulski chose to stay on the boat; the water was a little too rough for him. Within just a few minutes, several snorkelers began having trouble, including one man in particular: Rogulski could see him floating unconscious in the water, bumping against the boat.

Rogulski helped pull the man to safety, and when no one else could administer CPR, he took over. After about 15 minutes the man finally spit out a half-gallon of water and began to breathe again. Rogulski had saved his life.

It’s already a pretty good story, but here’s the twist.

The name of the unconscious man is Don Bertrand. He’s the founder of another heating and cooling company located in Rogulski’s home town. In other words they’re competitors. Enemies, you might say, in a business sense.

Normally they fight with each other for customers, but on this day Rogulski was fighting for Bertrand. And he saved his life. The fact that they’re competitors was never an issue; Rogulski later said, “I just felt like I had to do what I had to do.”

AND A LITTLE LESS...

When Jesus said, “Love your enemies,” he was talking about this kind of thing — and a little less.

Here’s what I mean: I doubt any of us would bypass a chance to save the life of someone, even someone we might consider an enemy. However, what if it wasn’t about saving their life, but, instead, just giving them a helping hand in a small matter? Could we show them this kind of love as well?

Could you give a ride to someone you know doesn’t like you?

Could you visit the hospital room of someone who has criticized you?

Could you offer a word of encouragement to someone who would rather discourage you?

This is the little less that loving your enemies sometimes calls for. This kind of love doesn’t make you a hero, but it does make you more like your Father.

“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:44-45 NKJV)

as seen in Steve May’s “The Monday Memo,” a weekly devotional for leaders sent out each Monday. This is a free service. For more information, please visit http://www.aboutsunday.com/omm.htm

Spirit-Walking

“I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.” — Ezekiel 36:27

Sometime this month, if you watch the Summer Olympics on television, you’ll see an athletic event unfamiliar to most people: race walking. It’s more than walking but not quite running – and it takes years to learn to comply with the two rules: the rear foot’s toes cannot leave the ground until the front foot’s heel touches; the supporting leg must remain perfectly straight until the body has passed over it.

There’s another kind of walking that takes a lifetime to learn: walking in the power of the Holy Spirit. Walking in the Spirit is like learning a new language, a new culture, new foods, new guidelines, and more – all the while fighting the urge to do things “our way” – the way that is comfortable and takes less effort because it’s so ingrained. No wonder the apostle Paul called the Christian life a race (1 Corinthians 9:24-27). It takes practice: discipline, commitment, obedience, and daily choices to learn a new way of walking.

Watch your own spiritual walk today. You may not receive a gold medal in Beijing for your commitment, but you will receive “gold, silver, [and] precious stones” in heaven (1 Corinthians 3:12).

from Dr. David Jeremiah’s “Today’s Turning Point” daily devotional. www.TurningPointOnline.org

Bulldogs and Poodles

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” — James 4:8 NKJV

The story’s told of a bulldog and a poodle who were arguing one day. The bulldog was making fun of the poodle, calling him a weak little runt who couldn’t do anything. The bulldog said, “I challenge you to a contest. Let’s see who can open the back door of their house the fastest and get inside.”

The bulldog was thinking he would turn the doorknob with his powerful jaws, while the poodle was too small to even reach the knob of his back door. But to the bulldog’s surprise the poodle said, “I can get inside my house faster than you can. I accept the challenge.”

So with the poodle watching, the bulldog ran to the back door of his house and jumped up to the doorknob. He got his teeth and paws around it and tried to turn it, but he couldn’t get enough grip on the knob to do it, so he finally quit in exhaustion. Now it was the poodle’s turn. He just did what he’d been doing every day for the last several years. He went up to the door and scratched a couple of times, then waited patiently. Within a few seconds his master not only opened the door, but picked him up in his arms, patted him on the head affectionately and carried him inside.

The difference was in the relationship. Some of us are bulldog Christians. It’s all grunting, growling and trying to please God. Give it up! All God asks us to do is, “Draw near to Me and I will draw near to you.”

from The Word for Today, August 3, 2008; www.thewordfortoday.com.au

Listen for the Bell

Just up the road is a field, with two horses in it. From a distance, each looks like every other horse. But if you stop your car, or are walking by, you will notice something quite amazing. Looking into the eyes of one horse will disclose that he is blind. His owner has chosen not to have him put down, but has made a good home for him. This alone is amazing.

If nearby and listening, you will hear the sound of a bell. Looking around for the source of the sound, you will see that it comes from the smaller horse in the field. Attached to her halter is a small bell. It lets her blind friend know where she is, so he can follow her. As you stand and watch these two friends, you’ll see how she is always checking on him, and that he will listen for her bell and then slowly walk to where she is, trusting that she will not lead him astray. When she returns to the shelter of the barn each evening, she stops occasionally and looks back, making sure her friend isn’t too far behind to hear the bell.

Like the owners of these two horses, God does not throw us away just because we are not perfect or because we have problems or challenges. He watches over us and even brings others into our lives to help us when we are in need. Sometimes we are the blind horse being guided by the little ringing bell of those who God places in our lives. Other times we are the guide horse, helping others see.

Good friends are like this. You don’t always see them, but you know they are always there. Please listen for my bell and I’ll listen for yours.

Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.

“Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
— Galatians 6:2

“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” — 1 Peter 4:10

The Last Impression

A man scolded his son for being so unruly and the child rebelled against his father. He got some of his clothes, his teddy bear and his piggy bank and proudly announced, “I’m running away from home!”

The father calmly decided to look at the matter logically. “What if you get hungry?” he said.

“Then I’ll come home and eat!” bravely declared the child.

“And what if you run out of money?”

“I will come home and get some!” readily replied the child.

The man then made a final attempt, “What if your clothes get dirty?”

“Then I’ll come home and let mommy wash them,” was the reply.

The man shook his head and exclaimed, “This kid is not running away from home; he’s going off to college.”

It’s that time of the year when some of our young men and women head off to college. As they leave home, pray that they will stay close to the Lord. A whole new world of choices and opportunities comes with the responsibilities of leaving home to go to college. Let’s pray for all our young people as they prepare for the new school year!

And, as we have a few more weeks left of this summer, let’s make the most of them in reaching out to others in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ! Invite them to come with you to church this Sunday! And, if you are in the north Delaware area, please accept my personal invitation to join us in worship here at WFA!