By Francis Frangipane
Jesus' walk was neither painless nor effortless, and yours will not be either. Perhaps our minds cannot envision the Son of God facing any "real problems," such as we face. We know He calmed the sea, but we are also told He "learned obedience through the things which He suffered" (Heb. 5:8). Yes, power surged from Him causing those who came to arrest Him to fall back (John 18:6), but He also had times He was wearied (John 4:6). He indeed promised us peace, but He too had times when He was distressed (Luke 12:49-50), angered (Mark 3:5) and troubled (John 12:27). The same beautiful feet that proclaimed the glad tidings, that walked on water, walked the Via Dolorosa, the way of suffering.
When we consider the Son of God, we should not isolate Him from the extreme spiritual warfare He faced on many occasions, even to the point of sweating blood. We are assured that Christ never failed, but neither was He aloof from temptations. Rather, the Bible tells us that Jesus was "tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin" (Heb. 4:15). Remember also, Jesus faced and conquered His battles as a man; He had to pray for strength, and trust His Father for justice on the cross, even when He felt forsaken by all.
Firewalk
Army of Worshipers
By Francis Frangipane
When the Scriptures refer to the "heavenly host," we usually think of "choirs of angels." The word "host" in the Bible meant "army" (Josh. 5:13–14). It is an important truth: the hosts of Heaven are worshiping armies. Indeed, no one can do warfare who is not first a worshiper of God.
The Central Issue in Tribulation: Worship
One does not have to penetrate deeply into the Revelation of John to discover that both God and the devil are seeking worshipers (Rev. 7:11; 13:4; 14:7, 11). Time and time again the line is drawn between those who "worship the beast and his image" and those who worship God.
In the last great battle before Jesus returns, the outcome of every man's life shall be weighed upon a scale of worship: In the midst of warfare and conflict to whom will we bow, God or Satan?
A Heart Without Guile
By Francis Frangipane
The promised land for a Christian is a life lived in the fullness of Christ. Just as there was an exodus of the Jews from Egypt, so there is an exodus for our human souls, where we leave our bondage to self-deception and truly enter the reality of Christ. In our exodus, as in Israel’s, deception must be exposed so that sin can die in the wilderness. Only as we die to self and self-deception are we truly qualified to possess the promised land of Christ’s presence.
I am not saying an easy road lies before you. Indeed, during this process, we will wrestle with God. For only those whom God transforms can possess what God has promised.