The Prisoner in the Third Cell

What do you do when life doesn't go the way you think it should?
What do you do when things don't end up the way you had planned?
What do you do when God doesn't meet your expectations?

If you're any normal human being, you've been disappointed with some things in life. A lost job, a betrayal, loss of a child, an illness - these things and more can bring more than just disappointment. They can bring shear despair. How will you react when things don't go the way you thought they would? What will you do when God doesn't move in the way you expected Him to?

If you are struggling with situations such as these, I hope you will take the time to read the following book written by Gene Edwards. It's called Prisoner in the Third Cell. It is a story featured around John the Baptist, one of the most devoted followers of Christ to ever live. John the Baptist faced a life of hardship and a death far worse. This book depicts his possible questions, feelings, and reactions to a God that didn't come through the way he thought he would. I hope as you read this book, it blesses you, encourages you, and puts a deeper devotion to God inside your heart. It did mine! At some point or another, life will take a turn. Will you stay true to God, or will you crumble and retreat under the pressure? How will you react when God doesn't meet your expectations?

An Epic Destiny

"Epic": -adj of heroic or impressive proportions, -n an episode in the lives of men in which heroic deeds are performed or attempted

Why are we here? What is our purpose? What does tomorrow hold? Is this all there is to life? Does my voice really matter? These questions and more I believe have raced through the mind of every human being at some point or another. Let's face it, life's not always easy. For some, to survive the day is considered a victory. Others find success in life, but struggle to understand their purpose. Others question their very existence. In this whole scheme we call life...is it possible to make a difference?

Even believers in Christ who know they were created to worship him, can allow questions like the above to linger. This dangerous ground has caused many Christians to fall away and be consumed by life itself. I think to some it seems that we come out of one battle only to turn and face another. We get into a rut of just existing. If I can just make it to the weekend...If I can just make it to the next church service...If I can just make it until God moves in my situation. If I can just make it...

This whirlwind of mediocracy in our lives is not, beyond a shadow of a doubt, how our Creator meant for us to live. We were fashioned, designed, planned, purposed to be EPIC. Being epic means being heroic in impressive proportions. It's facing "life" and all the fiery darts of our enemy head on. It's going toe-to-toe with hardships and overcoming through the power of our great God.

In one of the definitions of the word "epic," the Old World Dictionary states that it is "an episode in the lives of men in which heroic deeds are performed or attempted." In our lives, we will face enemies, battles, hardships. We will fight tooth and nail against the devil on a regular basis. We will have to kill our flesh and succumb to the leading of the Spirit everyday. Sounds impossible? It might be to something that was created to be ordinary or mundane. It might be too much for something whose existence was not meant for more than just that...existing. Not you, not me. We were meant and destined for heroic acts. We were meant to be epic.

There will be times, everyday in fact, that you will be called upon to be heroic. Does this mean that you will be called upon daily to sell all your possessions and go be a missionary in the Congo? No, not necessarily, but there might be a co-worker considering suicide, a neighbor facing divorce, a prostitute who doesn't understand her worth, a child who's being abused, a fellow Christian who faces severe discouragement, or your own flesh warring against your spirit. In times like this, our most heroic and epic acts can take place. Don't get me wrong, it has nothing to do with us in and of ourselves, but it's when we allow Christ to use us to minister to these individuals that we see our epic purpose unveiled.

These battles, although huge in the scheme of life, are easy to overlook. We walk around everyday, almost blindly, to the fact that individuals need us to be selflessly heroic. This world is dying. It's decaying and rotting in the filth of bondage and sin. There are people, who may not even know they need rescuing, that need us to face danger (persecution, humiliation, rejection) to save their eternities. Don't overlook your moments to be epic. They happen every day. God has set us up for epic destinies, because he has a divine plan and purpose for his glory. He is an epic Father, therefore he can make us epic children. Keep your eyes open. Don't miss your "episode in life in which heroic deeds are to be performed." Don't worry, don't fret. If GOD be for you, does it really matter what's against you? Be EPIC.

The Wedding Dress

Revelation 19:7-9 "Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”

This past Sunday night, our administrative pastor, Pastor Josh Adkins, preached a sermon entitled "Dress for the Wedding." In his sermon, he expressed the importance of "dressing" for where your ultimate destination is and not simply for your stops along the way. He used the illustration of someone traveling to a wedding that makes a pit stop at a gas station to fill up or buy a snack. Your outfit would be one that would fit at a wedding - suit or fancy dress. On your pit stop at the gas station, your outfit would clearly be out of place, because you would be overly dressed for the place you were currently in. However, you would be perfectly dressed for your ultimate destination - the wedding. 

This illustration depicts our spiritual lives, ministries, and callings. Although we may be just beginning a new ministry or calling for the Lord, we should "dress"/conduct ourselves for the place we ultimately want to end up. If I'm opening up a bakery, I wouldn't serve mediocre cupcakes to my customers, using the excuse that I'm just opening. You wouldn't be in business for long behaving that way. You would want to put your very best foot forward and provide the best product possible, because your ultimate destination is a successful, fully-functioning bakery. Even beyond this, when God lays a calling on our hearts, we ought to "dress" for the outcome we want in that ministry and not make excuses that we are only beginning and can't give it all we have. 

Another aspect of dressing for the wedding is making sure that not only our ministries that involve other people are where they should be, but we also need to make sure that our own personal relationship with the Lord is where it should be. The Bible equates the church/God's TRUE followers to a bride adorned for her wedding day. A bride will spend countless hours, days, weeks, and even months preparing for her special day. She chooses only the most perfect dress for the occasion - one that will knock her groom right off his feet in love and adoration for her. On the day of her wedding, she will take the utmost care of that dress, making sure that it doesn't get tarnished, stained, or ripped in any way. In like manner, we must keep our lives untarnished, unstained, and whole so that on that awesome day when we join with the Bridegroom, He will be pleased and full of overwhelming love with the way we have prepared ourselves for Him. He deserves our best, because He gave His best for us.

We, God's people, are the bride and His Son Jesus is our bridegroom. Our Bridegroom is preparing a place for those that love Him and follow His commandments as you are reading this blog. To be a part of this wonderful celebration, you must know Jesus as Lord and Savior. We must recognize that we have sinned and are in need of God's grace. We then must make Him Lord of our lives and keep Him at the center of each day. One day, on that awesome wedding day, He will receive us, His bride, to Himself. We will feast in a celebration to end all celebrations! Let's keep our "dress" as pure and untarnished as possible. Let's not lay off our wedding clothes for any reason. Dress for your ultimate destination - not for your current location.