A Moment of Hope

by Marilynn Chadwick "I'm sorry," the nurse said gently, "you are not pregnant." I sat stunned. All signs had pointed to pregnancy. It looked like our long wait was over. But once again, our hopes were dashed. Month after month of disappointment had left me raw. I couldn't have imagined that waiting for something I desperately wanted would be so hard. Nor could I realize then that I would eventually come to find treasures in the dark place I called barrenness. Maybe you've tasted a similar despair when gazing over the wreckage of broken dreams, wondering, "How can I possibly get back up and try again?" It's easy to become battle-weary. Hard not to grow cynical. Desperate. It's the word I used to describe myself on hard days. Desperate. For. A. Baby. Now. Woodrow Wilson once said that men "grow great by their dreams." I would learn that my life was shaped by the dream to have a baby and even more by the waiting. That would end up being a total of 96 combined months of waiting for our three beautiful children. Each one, something of a miracle. The struggle proved to be an expensive education in what I've come to refer to as my season of "wait training." For one thing, I learned to deal ruthlessly with worry, the most exhausting emotion of all. I was diligent to purge fear, or in Bible language, I took my thoughts captive. Guess you could also say I binged on faith. My hope soared in proportion to this lighter mental load. Learning how to wait required a fight. It took spiritual muscle to guard my hope. I resisted discouragement and fear as I would an aggressive intruder. After our cutting-edge medical treatments fell short, I was left with two choices. I could obsess about the lack of a baby—and probably go crazy. Or I could find a way to have a meaningful life while I waited. In the end, a good dose of grace and grit were forged into my character. Other rewards were won. I became more resilient. I gained greater compassion for the suffering. I learned to find hope in life's barren places. And I discovered some surprising benefits of not getting what I wanted when I wanted it. Put simply, I learned how to wait well.

by Marilynn Chadwick We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure (Hebrews 6:19 NIV). God's strength can help us keep our hope alive. Hope, in turn, makes us stronger—like an anchor for our soul. Perhaps you're fighting to hold on to your hope. The mountain of obstacles facing you looks too big to overcome. It takes spiritual muscle to keep dreaming when circumstances look bleak. We need daily, supernatural strength to resist the aggressive intruders of discouragement and fear. Years ago when I was walking through infertility, I experienced God's strength in practical ways. The lessons are with me even today. But one thing's for sure. Waiting is hard work! One day my husband David spoke words that helped me turn a corner. He looked at me and said quietly, "You know, we'll never be happy with a baby unless we're happy without one." We were on vacation at the time. So I went for a walk to do business with God. Two hours—and a very long walk on the beach later—I returned. I had surrendered my dream to God. "Buried" my dream to have a baby in the sand. But I still held onto the hope that God had a plan for us that was good. I felt strangely empty and free at the same time. There was a new fire for change. I wanted to begin again. And this time, I held my dream with a looser grip. I took stock of where I was. What I had. What I lacked. Where I could grow. In short, I began to clean house. This was part practical and part spiritual. I worked at redoing the fixer-upper we had purchased a few years earlier. Paint, wallpaper and yard work were doable. These, I could control. I also took stock of my physical "house." My health had suffered from all the infertility drugs and treatments. Plus, I had always been a junk food addict. So I found a good naturopath and began to eat organic and healthy, not easy or even embraced by most people forty years ago. I also found ways to discipline myself through exercise. I discovered that structure and order kept me mentally healthy. There was some comfort in controlling what I could control. I could not control when I would get pregnant. But I could make a conscious choice to declutter both my soul and my surroundings. Turns out our faith grows stronger when we lighten our load. The Bible encourages us to "throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us" (Hebrews 12:1). Maybe there's something in your life slowing you down. If so, I encourage you to pray this prayer: Lord, reveal any sins, habits, or circumstances I need to "throw off" so that I can grow stronger and wait well. Empower me anew to pursue the dream you have placed in my heart.

by Marilynn Chadwick "How do I hold onto my hopes and dreams when God seems silent?" The question came from a good friend and a sincere follower of Christ. Her question hit a chord. How do we handle those times when we have prayed and prayed, but the answer is so slow in coming? Perhaps we sense that a particular dream is God's plan for us. But the days, weeks, months, and even years go by. How do we keep our dream alive? I think back to what I refer to as my season of "wait training." In our early years of marriage, David and I looked forward to the day we would have children. But our hopes for a baby stretched into six months, a year, two years, and eventually four years. Forty-eight straight months of drugs, surgeries, tests, tests, and more tests. And still no baby. But the years of waiting proved to be a good time to seek God. Strength came as I rested in the Lord, studied his Word, and held fast to his promises... day after day. I learned what Jesus meant when he encouraged us to "abide" in him (John 15:5). I drew special strength from Psalm 37:4: "Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart." I began to believe that God would either fulfill my heart's desires or change my desires to reflect his will for me. I also found comfort when I stepped out of my own pain to serve others. I explored ways to serve the least and lost in my own community. Opportunities opened up to travel to Africa on my first of what would be many missions trips. I discovered that when I poured my life out for those hurting worse than I was, an unexplainable joy began to spring forth. Isaiah 58:10 became a life verse: If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday. - Isaiah 58:10 ESV Seeking God and serving others while waiting for my own dream gave birth to a larger purpose. And "not getting what I wanted when I wanted it" turned out to be one of the best tools to sharpen my hearing of God's voice. I discovered what it means to "delight in the Lord." Friends, our seasons of waiting can open the door to deeper intimacy with Jesus. What's more, those times we thought were barren can become our seasons of greatest fruitfulness and joy.

by Marilynn Chadwick If we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience (Romans 8:25 ESV). Are you waiting for something? Maybe it's the fulfillment of a dream or the resolution of a long-standing problem. You're waiting for a spouse, or a baby, or a wayward child to come home. Or you're anxiously awaiting a medical diagnosis, waiting for healing, waiting for hope. Whatever you're waiting for, I'm sure you'd agree that waiting is hard work. When we wait, our hearts hope for something we can't see. There's no earthly guarantee that what we hope for will ever come to pass. We risk disappointment. That's why hope can be scary. It requires faith and courage. Many of us decide that hope is too dangerous, so we play it safe. Better to lower our expectations. Adjust to life without dreams. Be a good sport. The problem with playing it safe is that we close ourselves off to the life-giving beauty of hope and the rewards of patience. The Bible encourages us to wait for hope "with patience" (Romans 8:25). Instead of patience, some translations use the word "endurance." What does it mean to wait with endurance? We discover an interesting secret by looking at the Greek word for endure, hypomeno. It actually comes from two words: hypo or "under" and meno or "abide." Meno is the same word Jesus uses when he encourages us to abide in him (John 15:7). So hypomeno, or endure, is to "abide under" a time of trial as we wait for hope. Bottom line? We learn to stand our ground as we abide under our circumstances and abide in Christ during our times of waiting. Abiding will help us hold onto hope as we wait with endurance. Will you be able to stand your ground as you wait for hope? It's a muscular journey and you can't endure apart from Jesus. Resolve to abide in him daily. Rely on the Holy Spirit. Stay filled up with God's Word. Wait for hope with endurance. Ponder this thought: Abiding in Jesus helps you endure as you wait for hope.

by Marilynn Chadwick Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4 ESV). "But Mommy, all I want is what I want when I want it," howled my friend's three-year-old daughter in the middle of a tantrum. Like little Molly, all I want is "what I want when I want it." Who doesn't? But life doesn't always work that way, does it? Truth is, I've had to wait for my most fervent prayers to be answered, sometimes for a very long time. I'm not a patient person by nature. But I've discovered that not getting what I want when I want it is one way God gets me ready for whatever it is I most desire. Waiting gives my character a chance to mature as God prepares me for promotion. When our character doesn't grow as fast as our calling, look out! Yet I'm sometimes tempted to walk away from my dream altogether than wait for it. Why? Because waiting is painful. Grinding. Frustrating. Boring. Out of my control. In short, waiting is hard work. I became something of an expert in waiting when we wanted children. Each of our three babies required part medical strategy and part miracle to get here. Altogether, I endured about nine years of infertility treatments, surgeries, drugs, prayers and more prayers. That's about the length of time it takes to earn a PhD. By the time we finally had our three children, I felt like I'd earned a doctorate in "wait training." Let's face it. Most of life is spent waiting for something. So, it makes sense to find ways to not just survive, but to thrive during our seasons of "wait training." Though my years of waiting were often painful, those years taught me to grow close to the Lord and depend on his strength. The Psalmist got it right: "Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act...Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him…" (Psalm 37:4,5,7). Jesus wants to be first among all our desires, not just because he is God, and he is good. But because he is enough. Even today, I continue to draw strength from lessons learned during my times of "wait training." I've discovered that the words in the Bible are not just pious platitudes. It is possible to find contentment and joy even before we get the answers we so desperately desire. Then, as a friend of mine so aptly puts it, the longing fulfilled becomes a lovely "add on." I love this quote from John Piper: "God is most glorified in us, when we are most satisfied in Him."

by David Chadwick God has written the greatest story ever told. It has both bad guys and good guys. Heroes and villains. But he uses all of them to accomplish his purposes. Nothing is too hard for him (Jeremiah 32:17). Remember, God is always able to work out everything for his good (Romans 8:28). Yes, even with bad guys! Pharaoh is today's bad guy. Found in Exodus 7-11, he was the mighty leader of Egypt. He oversaw the slavery of the Israelites. Moses heard from God to go to Pharaoh and demand that he let God's people go. Pharaoh refused. So, God brought plagues upon the Egyptians. Pharaoh kept refusing and hardened his own heart. Finally, after consistently rejecting God, God hardened Pharaoh's heart and his ability to repent was irrevocable. It was Pharaoh who initially decided to have all of the firstborn male sons killed in order to stop the proliferation of around 2 to 3 million Jews who were being born during that time (Exodus 1-2). Interestingly, God's final plague was the destruction of all firstborn Egyptian sons, including Pharoah's. It is a sense of payback, of justice, that God initiated upon the one man and nation that tried to commit a holocaust against God's people. God is a perfect blend of mercy and justice. Too often, people focus on one extreme or the other. When that happens, they miss a significant part of God's nature and character. While God is love (1 John 4:16), he also loves justice (Proverbs 21:15). God also operates from the law of reciprocity: you reap what you sow (Galatians 6:7). In the case of Pharaoh and the Egyptians, God's wrath came out against those who destroyed his people. They reaped what they sowed. Every choice that you make is important. You are the sum total of all of your life's decisions. When you choose a path that opposes God, every choice thereafter will harden your heart a little more. And then a little more. Over time, if you continue to blaspheme the Holy Spirit, eventually, God will hand you over to your desires and harden your heart completely. Dear friends, keep your hearts soft. Remain pliable and moldable. Choose today to follow Jesus. Don't wait another moment. Seek him with your whole heart.

by David Chadwick We have taken some time to search out the bad guys and good guys of the Bible. The heroes and villains who God used to write out the greatest story ever told. Have you heard of a Bible character named Shimei? There are actually 18 different characters in the Bible named Shimei. But the one I want to focus on is found in 2 Samuel 16:5-6. He is today's bad guy of the Bible. The Shimei of 2 Samuel 16 was the son of Gera and part of King Saul's clan. His loyalty to Saul and his kingship was fierce. When David was fleeing from Absalom after his son's rebellion, he ran into Shimei who began to curse David. He believed David was stealing Saul's throne. He blamed David for Saul's death in battle against the Philistines. Shimei told David that Absalom's rebellion was God's judgment on him because of the way he had treated Saul. As the accusations were hurling toward David, David's men wanted to kill Shimei on the spot, but David refused to allow it to happen. David's response showed true humility. He basically said, "Don't kill him. How do I know that God isn't speaking to me through him?" Later on, after David defeated Absalom and his army, Shimei came back and apologized to David for what he had said. Upon showing his face, David's men were ready to kill him once again, but David wouldn't allow it. In fact, David promised to never kill Shimei, and he never did. Interestingly, after David died, Solomon knew of Shimei and his despicable and chameleon-like character. Solomon wanted to keep a watchful eye on this potential traitor. After being instructed by Solomon never to leave Jerusalem, Shemei did so anyway, and Solomon had him seized and executed. What is the message here? When faced with criticism, pause and listen to it. Ask God if there is any truth in it. If the accusation is found to be unjust and out of alignment with God's voice over your life, never seek revenge. Let justice remain in God's hands and leave room for his wrath (Romans 12:19). Eventually, vengeance came to Shimei, but it came in God's way and in his timing. Who knows who God may use to correct us? It could even come through a bad guy. If you remain humble, God can use even the most villainous people to refine you and propel you into greater holiness and purity.

by David Chadwick Today's hidden hero is the last one we will look at before wrapping up with two final bad guys of the Bible. King Lemuel. Mentioned as the author of Proverbs 31, a chapter primarily focused on advice that was given to him by his mother. Under the supervision and inspiration of the Holy Spirit, this chapter is a significant part of God's Word (2 Peter 1:21). We don't know very much about King Lemuel. His name means "for God" or "devoted to God" and it certainly seems that the meaning of his name accurately describes his character. Some commentators think Lemuel was actually King Solomon, which means his mom would have been Bathsheba, and he was desiring to write down her teachings to him. Others believe he could have been the wise and good King Hezekiah, one of the best kings of Israel, thus making this chapter a reflection of his mom's instructions to him. Still others believe Lemuel could have been a fictional character made up by Solomon as a depiction of the ideal king and queen mother. Regardless of who King Lemuel really was, the truths of this chapter reflect wonderful and godly wisdom from a mother to her son. It also shows a great depiction of the power of a godly woman in a child's life. A strong and God-fearing mother leaves an eternal imprint on her child. My favorite verse is Proverbs 31:30, "Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." She was a gracious woman, who excelled in homemaking, thrived in business, was a wonderful wife, and raised her kids with purpose. When she walked into a room, her husband and kids praised her with a standing ovation. Whoever King Lemuel was, he wanted husbands and kids to make sure they modeled a deep honor for mothers. Today, during Jewish shabbat, the husband of the home reads Proverbs 31 to his wife and family. They applaud her and honor her. The sayings of King Lemuel are still being recited today. The next time you and your family are enjoying a Sabbath day off, take some time to honor the mother of the home, blessing her and encouraging her. What woman wouldn't want to be a part of this kind of home and family!

by David Chadwick Solomon wrote the majority of Proverbs, but interestingly, Proverbs 30 was not one of those chapters. Our hidden hero today is the author of one of the chapters in Proverbs that Solomon did not author. Agur, the son of Jakeh, is our hidden hero today. Who is Agur? We actually don't know. 3,000 years later, his identity is still obscure. But what we do know is that he wrote the sayings of Agur in Proverbs 30 to two people named Ithiel and Ucal, whose names only appear in this one spot in the Bible. Proverbs 30 is full of wisdom and insight. Agur did not consider himself to be particularly wise (vs. 2-4), yet he fervently believed every word of God to be true (vs. 5). In this chapter in God's Word, there are admonitions against slander and the insatiable lusts of the sinful heart. There are exhortations about honoring parents, guarding purity, and fleeing from pride and haughtiness. The simplicity of the truths found in Proverbs 30 and throughout all of Proverbs are such practical and pithy insights to lead people into a life of holiness and righteousness. I love Agur's hiddenness and discretion. I love that someone who we know so little about was still used by God! God can take the most unknown, self-admittedly unskilled person and use him mightily! 3,000 years later, we are still reading Agur's words in God's Word. His admonitions and advice are still giving people wisdom of the ages on how to live, love, and honor God. Even those who live a simple life can make a profound impact on the earth. In God's eyes, whether it's a king or a pauper, the ground is level at the foot of the cross. He is looking for obedience and holiness, regardless of stature or notoriety. Agur is one of my hidden heroes because he modeled a life of faithfulness even though he was a lesser known character in God's story. Agur knew how to fear the Lord with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength and how to love his neighbor. He lived out the greatest commandment of all and was a wonderful reflection of the heart of God in the Old Testament. And we are still talking about Agur today!

by David Chadwick This week, we are going to continue on with three more hidden heroes and then finish up with two more bad guys of the Bible. I hope that as you look at both heroes and villains, you will see the beautiful contrast of how God uses all things, both the good and the bad, to work together for our good and his glory (Romans 8:28). James is today's hero. Author of the book of James and head of the Jerusalem Church in Acts 15, James saw Jesus alive and raised from the dead (1 Corinthians 15). James was the half-brother of Jesus and probably the next oldest son of Joseph and Mary, who probably took control of the carpentry business after Joseph died. It's very likely that James was the one who led the familial charge to warn Jesus of the impending dangers of the religious authorities after Jesus stepped out at the age of 30 to begin his earthly ministry. The death of Jesus was imminent, but instead of supporting him, James and his family told Jesus to stop his ministry and come home to put an end to the foolishness (Mark 3:20-21). It was in this passage that Jesus reminded his followers that only those who are doing God's will are truly family (Mark 3:33-35). No one, including family, could stop Jesus from God's call on his life. He only did what his Father said to do. So, given the season of skepticism that James had, what changed? Why is he one of my heroes? How did he go from a skeptic to being head of the early church? How did he end up being willing to give up his life standing for the truth that his half-brother was the risen Savior of the world? It was the Resurrection! He had seen his half-brother alive! Risen! The life, death, and resurrection of his half-brother moved James from skepticism to full surrender. Seeing his brother brought back to life eradicated every part in him that questioned his earthly ministry. Study the proofs of the Resurrection. They are so profound! Undeniably true! Irrefutable! Like James, when you see the veracity of Scripture playing out through the Resurrection, your life will never be the same. And always remember: the same power that raised Jesus from the dead now lives in all people who put their faith in him (Romans 8:11). Walk in that reality!

by David Chadwick Stories are filled with heroes and villains. Every good story has to have bad guys who resist the plotline and good guys who carry out the author's intent for victory. The Philippian jailer is our hidden hero. Paul and Silas were put in prison for sharing the gospel and delivering a slave girl from a demonic spirit (Acts 16:25-40). The owners of the girl were irate that she would no longer be able to act as their fortune teller. So they grabbed Paul and Silas and brought them before the rulers with charges of disturbance. The crowd beat and bludgeoned them before being thrown into the inner prison, fastening their feet with chains. The Philippian jailer's job was to oversee Paul and Silas and make sure they didn't escape. Some believe that he may have been a retired Roman soldier. Around midnight, Paul and Silas began to pray and sing praises to God in the midst of their suffering. All of a sudden, an earthquake shook the prison cell. God intervened and set them free from their chains and opened the doors to the cell. The Phililppian jailer, knowing that the prisoners had probably escaped and that he had failed at his duty, drew his sword to take his own life. Paul spoke up and said, "Do not harm yourself, for we are all here" (Acts 16:28). The jailer then responded by asking the most important question anyone could ask, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" Paul led him to faith in Jesus. The jailer took Paul and Silas to his house, where all of his household came to faith in Jesus too. Have you asked the question, "What must I do to be saved?" Do you know that Jesus is the only answer to that question? His death on the cross is the only thing that grants forgiveness and extends the gift of eternal life. The story of the Philippian jailer is a wonderful reminder of the unending grace of Jesus that abounds to everyone who yields to him.

by David Chadwick We have been looking at many hidden heroes of the Bible. Each one has played a significant role in God's story. Whether great or small, hidden or well-known, God has created each person with a purpose. I love to find the lesser known, equally important heroes in God's story. Pilate's wife, who remains unnamed in the Biblical account, is my next hidden hero. Pilate was the only one who carried the ultimate power to crucify Jesus. As Jesus was being brought to Pilate, Pilate's wife sent a note to him that said, "Have nothing to do with that just man; for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of him" (Matthew 27:19). Can you imagine what she must have felt when she woke up after that dream? She most likely experienced the fear of the Lord, which motivated her to strongly warn her husband. While she had no control of the outcome, Pilate's wife chose to be faithful to the dream/vision that came to her from God. I see heroic qualities in her courage. Pilate's wife's story is only mentioned one time in God's Word, but there is powerful evidence of her character through her fierce and accurate warning. Deep down, Pilate knew he shouldn't have Jesus crucified. God sent a caution, but he didn't listen. He was too concerned for his position of power and influence. The Bible says that every person who appears before him one day will be "without excuse" (Romans 1:20-21). Everyone receives these kinds of messages, warnings, words about being responsible to God. It is up to each individual how he or she responds. One early church father suggested Pilate's wife went on to become a Christian. We don't know for sure, but we do know that she was faithful to the moment when God told her to tell her husband the truth. She obeyed immediately and completely. Perhaps her obedience influenced her eternal soul to one day receive Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior. May we all walk in courage and obedience to Jesus that secures eternal salvation!

by David Chadwick An unnamed widow is our next hidden hero. Someone whose name we do not even know, but who played a profound role in God's story. Her story is found in 2 Kings 4. This woman was greatly in debt. The creditor was banging down her door to reclaim the money she owed. He said he would take her two sons as slaves if she could not come up with the funds. All she had was one small flask of olive oil. So she went to the prophet Elisha for help. Elisha told her to go around to neighbors and ask for a lot of empty jars. In faith, she obeyed. The Lord multiplied her one small flask in a miraculous act and provided her with jar after jar after jar of oil. Eventually, she had enough money to pay off all of her debts. This kind of faith is hard to find. It's a radical faith that is willing to look foolish in order to fully obey the Lord. This unnamed widow had a story marked by her tremendous faith. The lessons in this story are profound. Desperate to hear from God, she went to Elisha, a trusted man of God, to ask for help. Her desperation prompted her to take whatever measures were necessary to find a solution. With no visible answer, she knew there was nowhere else to go except to God. Once she was given insight into what to do, she acted and did what God asked of her. Faith without works means nothing (James 2:17). In order to live the way God has called us to live as his followers, we must not only hear what he says, but we must also courageously do what he asks. We can easily see the connection between faith and obedience through this unnamed widow. She did not just pray, she obeyed. In her humble act of faith, God not only provided for her needs, but he did so in abundance (Ephesians 3:20). Can you think of a situation where your great faith prompted you to cry out to God? Then, you will most likely also remember how his response prompted you to act with radical obedience. Oh, that God would grant every one of us the gift of faith like this widow, to meet our every need in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).

by David Chadwick The Bible is full of good guys and bad guys. Heroes and villains. Some are well known. Others are more hidden. One of my favorite things to do is to look for some of the Bible's hidden heroes. The people who might otherwise go unnoticed, but still carry great significance in God's story. Ananias is our next hidden hero. Ananias was a follower of Jesus in Damascus. His story is found in Acts 9. After Paul's dramatic conversion, God told Ananias to go to Paul and lay hands on him in order to restore Paul's sight. After that, Ananias was to tell Paul that he carried the call of God on his life to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. At first, Ananias objected. As you can imagine, he knew of all of Paul's persecutions of Christians and probably thought he would be the next on Paul's list of accomplished murders. Nonetheless, Ananias chose to obey God. He went to Paul and prayed for his sight to be restored. Not only did it miraculously return, but Paul was then filled with the Holy Spirit and sent out in ministry. The divine appointment between Ananias and Paul launched Paul into his calling, where millions of people came to faith in Jesus! Maybe you have been running far from God. Like Paul, you may have a divine appointment awaiting you. If so, today is the day to respond to God's voice and to yield your life to Jesus. Or maybe you have someone in your life who has been walking in rebellion and God wants to use you to encounter him or her with his love. You may be the one he uses to prompt that person to salvation. Listen for God's voice and respond to his call. You might see God work a miracle. You may never receive the credit this side of eternity, but you may be the one God uses to change a life who ends up changing the world. God is looking for people who are available. Stop. Listen. Go and obey. Give sight to the blind – especially in a spiritual sense. Who knows the kingdom impact you might have!

by David Chadwick Today's hidden hero has a most unusual name, but it's because it's the Egyptian name of someone you probably know very well. Do you remember a biblical character named Zaphenath-paneah? Well, if you haven't yet made the connection, this was the Egyptian name given to Joseph, someone you probably remember very well. Why would I list his Egyptian name as the hidden hero? Mostly, because it is the name listed in the Bible in Genesis 41:45. Joseph carried so much favor in Egyptian culture and willingly carried a name that would allow him to be easily known and understood within that people group. As Joseph moved from servant to Potiphar, to a leader among prisoners, to the Prime Minister of Egypt, he learned a very important biblical principle: to be in the world, but not of the world. This was a teaching point for his followers in Jesus's high priestly prayer in John 17:15. Jesus told his followers to be the salt of the earth, the light of the world. He knew that salt and light must be IN the world to work. But in this, we must never be conformed to the world, but transformed by the renewal of our minds (Romans 12:2). Christians should be influencing, impacting, and changing the world, not vice versa. If the world is falling into a moral abyss, perhaps the salt is at fault! Perhaps there is no light in the night! Maybe the Church has forgotten just how strong we are in the Lord. Joseph always maintained a faith in the one true God, even in the hardest of circumstances. He never failed God. He resisted the advances and seduction of Potiphar's wife. He never despaired in prison. He stood firm in the face of Egyptian power that wanted to lure him into the worship of Egyptian gods. Zaphenath-paneah, also known as Joseph, was a force to be reckoned with for the kingdom of God! He was a great example to all believers in Jesus of how to be faithful to the Lord in all circumstances and to wait, watch, and pray in humility and let God be the one to lift someone up to a place of honor. The faithfulness of Zaphenath-paneah was most evident and over time, he gained more and more influence in the world! This is why he is one of my hidden heroes!

by David Chadwick Stories are full of heroes and villains. Good guys and bad guys. My favorite thing to do lately has been to dig into God's Word to pull out some of the lesser known, more hidden heroes. There are so many! Bezalel is one of my favorite hidden heroes. His story is found in Exodus 31:1-11 and Exodus 36-39. Bezalel was the chief artisan of the building of the tabernacle. Caleb was his great-grandfather. The Spirit of God filled him and he was given the skill, ability, and knowledge to do all kinds of work. He was able to design pieces made from gold, silver, and bronze. To cut jewels and put them into metal. To carve wood and do all kinds of different work for God in the construction of the tabernacle. Think about that for just a moment. The first person for the Bible to record ever be filled with the Holy Spirit was an artist! Are any of you creatively gifted? Maybe you are a painter, dancer, or sculptor? If so, you should find great joy in the fact that the God of creation saw it fit to fill Bezalel, a creative individual, with his Spirit so that beauty could be expressed throughout the tabernacle as a display of the beauty, wonder, and creativity of God himself. Bezelel was also in charge of the holy oils and incense used during worship in the tabernacle of meeting. I think this is fascinating because it's more of an indicator of how God appreciates an atmosphere of creativity even in worship! He was absolutely essential in the designing and constructing of the glory and beauty of the tabernacle. Israel's mobile worship tent where God dwelt as he was with his people in the wilderness wanderings and as they went into the Promised Land. Bezelel's name means "in the shadow or protection of God." True to his name, he rested under God's authority and allowed the gifts given to him to be used to the glory of God. What does this mean for us today? Bezalel reminds us that to be Spirit-filled from God has a very practical side. It means taking the natural gifts, talents, and abilities that God has given us and to use them for his glory. This includes carpentry, plumbing, building, design, jewelry-making, fashion design, sewing, interior design, tent-making, and so forth. It is all to be used by God and a display of him when he fills us with his Spirit to carry it out!

by David Chadwick Hidden heroes are threaded throughout the Bible. Good guys and bad guys that God uses to accomplish his purposes in the world. It's one of the things that I love most about the Lord. He is able to take even the worst of situations and use them for good (Romans 8:28). Asenath. Our hidden hero for today. She is Joseph's wife, the daughter of the Egyptian priest Potiphera. She is also the mother of Joseph's two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. She is only mentioned three times in the Bible (Genesis 41:45, Genesis 41:50, and Genesis 46:20). Though an Egyptian, who was brought up in a pagan home, she fell in love with Joseph. Surely, at some point, she became a follower of the one true God of Israel. As the mother of Ephraim and Manasseh, she became the matriarch of two of the twelve tribes of Israel! By legend, Asenath is seen as a paradigm of virtue and grace. She saw something in Joseph that made her desire his God. She and Joseph went on to name their first son, Ephraim, which means "fruitful." They believed their lineage would be fruitful for the Lord. They chose to name their second son Manasseh, which means "to forget." They fervently believed that they would be able to forget all the trials Joseph went through in Egypt, holding on by faith for all that God had in store for them to give them a brighter future through his faithfulness. This is a lesson for men, especially those who are husbands and fathers, on how to develop a strong, deep faith that will influence the women in our lives towards Jesus. Men play a significant role in God's story and carry a very strong burden to protect the parts of God that their image reflects. It is also a message for how God can take someone who doesn't know Jesus and transform them into someone who reflects his image and likeness to be used powerfully and significantly for his kingdom and glory.

by David Chadwick So many hidden heroes are found in Scripture. Big and small. Young and old. All of whom played tremendously significant roles in God's story. Enoch. He is today's hidden hero. We only know what a few verses in the Bible tell us about him. Let's take a look. Genesis 5:22-24 says of Enoch, "Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Thus all the days of Enoch were 365 years. Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him." Why was Enoch so special? Well, he was extremely faithful to God. He walked by faith and because of that, "By faith, Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God" (Hebrews 11:5). Then Hebrews 11:6 tells us, "For without faith it is impossible to please God." So, obviously Enoch was a man of deep faith. Noah's days were filled with wickedness and unrighteousness. But Enoch was lifted out of those dark days. Enoch never faced death. He had a kind of rapture-type event that almost seemed to be a reward from God to Enoch. Enoch neither had to face life's last enemy called death, nor did he have to live in the terribly unrighteous days of that time. He is most certainly one of my hidden heroes! What is the meaning for us? We, too, should passionately pursue righteousness. Walk closely in communion with God. Seek to be people of deep faith. I want to know God and abide in him. I want to walk with him closely and see him clearly. I pray that anyone under the sound of my voice develops a rich history of walking with God like that of Enoch. For those who believe in a rapture like what Enoch experienced, this story serves as a display of the hope that is coming. If the rapture is true, followers of Jesus will never have to face death and the wrath of God that will be poured out one day, and will immediately meet the Lord in the clouds (1 Thessalonians 4:18).

by David Chadwick Eliezer is today's hidden hero. If you haven't heard of him, there's a good chance you've heard of Abraham. Husband of Sarah. Father of Isaac. Remember him? Well, Eliezer was Abraham's faithful servant. Abraham wanted his only son, Isaac, to find a wife from his own country. In true Abraham fashion, he decided to take matters into his own hands. This was a common theme for Abraham. I have to believe Abraham was probably a man of action who loved to roll up his sleeves once he heard God tell him something and put his faith into action. But, in his flesh, his action-oriented nature got him in trouble. Remember when taking matters into his own hands led him to sleep with Hagar, which birthed Ishmael? There is a beautiful side and a shadow side to assertiveness. But it was the good side of Abraham's assertive nature that showed up in this story with Eliezer. His heart to find Isaac a wife led him to ask his faithful servant to search out and find the blessing God intended for his son to have. This time, Abraham's action-oriented nature led to tremendous blessing! In Genesis 24:10-22, Abraham sent an unnamed servant, who we will later see was most likely Eliezer, to find Isaac a wife. There, this servant spotted a woman named Rebekah at the community well. Rebekah's kindness to Abraham's servant was so incredible, both to him and his weary camels, that he was sure she was the one who God had chosen for Isaac. The unnamed servant sealed the deal with Rebekah's family to bring her back to Isaac. Isaac and Rebekah met, fell in love, and married. They went on to have two sons, Jacob and Esau. Though unnamed in Genesis 24, surely this servant was Eliezer, Abraham's faithful servant, first mentioned in Genesis 15:2. A true hidden hero! The head of Abraham's household. Trusted and true. He humbly accepted his position as servant. No rancor or envy. No bitterness or jealousy. A simple heart to serve Abraham well. Without Eliezer, Isaac and Rebekah would have never met. Without him, Jacob, through whom God's covenant would be fulfilled to eventually bring Jesus into the world, would have never been born. Every person who puts their trust in Jesus wants to hear, "Well done good and faithful servant" from the Father one day. Eliezer modeled this kind of servanthood and I am certain Abraham was pleased with him.

by David Chadwick I love the Word of God with all of my heart. I believe it is breathed by God (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Through the Holy Spirit, God led different people to record his heart for the world in the Bible. It is the greatest story ever written. I want to highlight some more hidden heroes from the Bible. So many people are biblically illiterate, with no clear understanding of his Word or the stories he has written to give his people hope and assurance of salvation. Every good story has both good guys and bad guys. These are some of the good guys, the heroes, who played significant roles in God's story. The sons of Issachar are today's heroes. They were descendants of the ninth son of Jacob, whose name was Issachar. After entering into the Promised Land, the sons of Issachar, which the Bible says were numbered at 64,300, eventually inhabited a more rural, agricultural region of the Promised Land. The sons of Issachar are most commonly known from 1 Chronicles 12:32 as being "men who understood the times, with knowledge of what Israel should do." I have to believe this description of them was two-fold. First, they probably had an innate ability as farmers to read the weather. Secondly, they most likely developed a keen political eye for what was going on around them, correctly discerning that King David was the rightful king of Israel who deserved their allegiance. Because the sons of Issachar were astute and in tune with God, they rightly aligned their perspectives with his heart. As we live our lives, we should learn from the sons of Issachar. Jesus asked his followers to discern the signs of the times (Matthew 16:3). To look around. To know what's happening in the world. And to use all that is seen to pray! The Church must look at Biblical prophecy and correctly apply it to today. One third of the Bible is prophecy! In fact, so much of what is happening in Israel, in Jerusalem, and with Temple Mount are strong indicators of the times in which we are living. The nations around the world hate Israel and are garnering weaponry and warfare against it. But this was all predicted in the Bible! Be like the sons of Issachar! Understand the times! It will allow you to stand through even the toughest of times with the confident assurance of what God is doing on the earth.

by David Chadwick We are wrapping up our journey of learning how to pray. Each day, you have been given a different key to open a new door that you may have never opened before in your prayer life. This week, we have focused on the Lord's Prayer. Jesus taught his disciples how to pray in Matthew 6:9-13. We are going line by line, using what he taught his disciples to teach us. Here is your last key: "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you away from all temptations. To guard your steps. To govern your decision-making. The enemy knows the places that can so easily ensnare you. He wants to ensnare you in his temptations. But Daddy in heaven knows your weakness as well and wants to help you avoid the traps in the first place, before you step near them. "Evil" here could actually be a direct object: "the evil one." Meaning Satan. The master manipulator and father of lies, who studies you regularly to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). He does lay traps for you to catch you. Pray for the Holy Spirit to lead you away from the enemy's traps. But, should you ever become ensnared, go to the cross. Experience anew the power of the blood of Jesus. Share your freedom in Christ with others. Revelation 12:11 says that through the blood of Jesus and the word of our testimony, we conquer the enemy. By speaking and praying in the power of the NAME of Jesus, we regain the power and forgiveness of Daddy. And are set free anew to talk in his love. How the enemy hates it when we do this. Galatians 5:1 reminds us that Jesus wants us to be free in Christ. And when you pray for his forgiveness and love and grace over your life, every chain is broken! As you practice each one of these lines from the Lord's Prayer each day for a week, or perhaps focus on just one each day of the week, you'll find that you have more than enough to pray for and that you can spend an hour in prayer without even thinking twice! I pray you walk away from these two weeks more confident in how to pray and with keys to open up spiritual doors into the presence of God.

by David Chadwick We are learning how to pray. The Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 is Jesus's recipe for prayer. Each line is another key I want to give you to unlock another spiritual door of understanding. Today's key is this: "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors." In order for prayer to be powerful, we must forgive. It is not optional. Chances are, if you have lived any amount of life, you see why Jesus included this as a regular part of your time in prayer. Unforgiveness can easily make our hearts bitter and not loving. This bitterness affects our prayers from being answered, according to Jesus. We live in a broken world. We will be hurt and tempted to become offended and bitter. Jesus knows what bitterness will do to the human heart so he instructs his followers to repent and release offenses daily. Forgiveness begins with going back to the Cross. The Cross represents God's forgiveness of our $1 billion debt to God. A deep and profound understanding of just how much he forgave us is the necessary beginning point for us to freely forgive the comparatively $10 debt someone else may owe us. If we don't forgive, it blocks God's power to answer our prayers. This is a clear teaching from Jesus. The stagnate place of our unforgiveness allows bitterness to fester and take root, leaving us vulnerable to the enemy's tactics. A lack of forgiveness is like a dam built up to hold back a flowing body of water. It stops movement. It stops progress. It stops the flow of God in and through us. Spend some time today thinking about who has hurt you. If you need to write down their names one by one, do so. Tell the Father how they hurt you and then forgive each one of them. Give them to God. Both for their sake and for your sake. Forgiveness sets you free! And it allows God's power to move through you freely, without limitation. If you have never practiced forgiveness before, try it. God wants you to be without offense in order to be free to serve others. Without any burdens and with a joyful heart. And then see if your prayers aren't more quickly and ably answered by Daddy in heaven.

by David Chadwick Jesus used the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 to guide his disciples in how to pray. I want to take you through this prayer line by line. You can think of each line as another key for your prayer life. We must first enter into the presence of God with deep awareness and appreciation for both his Fatherly love and his divine holiness. After that, we can ask with boldness and confidence for heaven to come to earth. We want to partner with God's heart and his will for this broken world. The next key is this: "Give us this day our daily bread." What are your needs today? What is troubling your heart? Where are you lacking? In Jesus's day, people did not have refrigerators or freezers. This term "daily bread" was basically a shopping list for the day. What needed to be picked up at the local market. If you were to take a moment and write out a "shopping list" of things you needed to pick up, both literally or figuratively, just for today, what would you need? Hope? Food? Energy? Perspective? Money? Take a moment and make a list of your "daily bread" needs for today. The Bible says that tomorrow has enough worries of its own and we should not be anxious about those things (Matthew 6:34). In fact, no one is even guaranteed tomorrow. We must live for today. Ask Daddy in heaven to supply your every need TODAY. He promises that he will. He gave manna daily to the Israelites as they wandered through the wilderness for 40 years (Exodus 16:35)! He has daily provision for your needs as well. God is faithful! Ask him to show his faithfulness to you today. Chances are, he will do exceedingly more than that. Ephesians 3:20 says God "is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think." As you ask him for your "daily bread," know his heart is to give you that and more.

David and Marilynn Chadwick join Jenn Houston in a discussion about today's blog.

by David Chadwick We are continuing to learn how to pray. The Lord's Prayer is the guide that Jesus gave his disciples when they asked him how to pray (Matthew 6:9-13). It will help guide us, too. Each line is another key for how to unlock spiritual doors and enter into the presence of our Daddy in heaven through prayer. "Your kingdom come, your will be done. On earth as it is in heaven." Here is your key for today. Ask the Holy Spirit to bring to your mind anything and everything that exists here on earth that doesn't exist in heaven and then start praying heaven down to earth. Joy for chaos. Hope for hopelessness. Peace for anxiety. And so on. The grammatical tense used in The Lord's Prayer is the imperative tense, which is used to require or demand an action take place. It is a passionate command. One rooted in the truths we find in God's Word. We are to pray with passion! "Let your kingdom come! Let your will be done!" Hunger? "Father, feed the hungry!" Sickness? "Father, heal the sick!" Abortion? "Father, save all lives!" Polluted water? "Father, provide clean water!" Injustice? "Father, rule with justice!" Abuse? "Father, bind their wounds." What a great way to practice three word prayers! There are so many needs around us. Including our own needs. Our family's needs. Our friends' needs. Pray simply. With power. Asking the Father in heaven to bring heaven to earth soon! We should never have a problem finding people or things to pray for that are needing to see a glimpse of heaven invading earth! Until Jesus returns, these pockets of his eternal glory will give hope for what is to come! Pray with passion. Pray for God's kingdom in heaven to come to earth.

by David Chadwick We will wrap up this week with another key to powerful prayer. A key you can use to gain access and entrance into the presence of God. A key to open the locked places of your own heart and find healing. A key to unlock a deeper understanding of who God is and how much he loves you. Here is today's key: don't be anxious about anything. This is a hard one. Especially when it seems as though there are opportunities for anxiety everywhere. But Philippians 4:6-7 says, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Paul was in prison when he wrote these words. He did not know if he would be killed the next day or released. He faced uncertainty. Trial. Persecution. Despair. Pain. Loneliness. Yet this was his message to the Philippian church…and it is the same message for us today. Pursue peace. Paul tells all of us the pathway to God's peace. Don't worry about anything. Pray and release it all. Pray and surrender it all to your Daddy in heaven. And don't forget to pray with thanksgiving. Express gratitude. Be thankful. Why? Because as you remember what he has done for you in the past, you will begin to believe he can do it again. This will increase your faith and expectation as you present your requests to him. Then you will receive God's peace. His peace will be like a citadel that guards your heart. It will protect your mind from fear, worry, and harm. It's a peace that surpasses all human understanding. God's supernatural peace is from heaven. It's not of this world. It's shalom. It's wholeness. It's the opposite of division and chaos. His peace transcends our understanding, allowing us to face all situations in this crazy, broken world. Prayer is God's pathway to his peace. And victory over all anxiety. I pray that you will walk in it all the days of your life.

by David Chadwick Isaiah 22:22 foreshadows the power that would be accessed through Jesus's life, death, and resurrection. Jesus was given keys to open doors that no one can shut and shut doors that no one can open. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead now lives in his followers (Romans 8:11). Because of that, we have been given keys to use for the glory of God alone. I am sharing some of the keys that I have found to powerful prayer. Today's key: NEVER give up when you need justice. When you've been wrongly accused or misused and abused. Luke 18:1-8 is the Parable of the Persistent Widow. A widow was treated unjustly. She approached an unjust judge who neither feared God nor man. Looking with mere human lenses, there was not much to hope for here for her! But the widow started to pound on his door. She pounded. And pounded. And pounded. Until finally, he became so weary of her incessant knocking that he gave into her request for justice. In verse 1, Jesus tells us the purpose of this parable: that we always continue to pray and never give up—especially when asking for justice. If something unjust has happened to you, go boldly before the eternal Judge of the universe and ask for justice. If the unjust judge in this parable responded in favor of the widow's plea for justice, how much more will our loving, just God respond to our similar cries for justice? Jesus teaches us an eternal truth about prayer by making an opposite comparison. Keep asking in faith, for when Jesus returns, more than anything else, he wants to find faith residing in us as we live on earth (Luke 18:8). Believe God will answer. Know that he is just and righteous in all he is and does (Deuteronomy 32:4, Psalm 11:7).

by David Chadwick Keys are used as a means of gaining entrance or access to something. We are spending some intentional time looking at keys for your prayer life. Marilynn and I have a strong value for prayer. We believe it is an under taught, underused, mighty weapon to be used by the Church. I am sharing a new key with you each day. Each key is meant to help you gain access into God's presence through prayer. Today, we are looking at this key to powerful prayer: shameless audacity. Or as Luke 11:8 says, "impudence." Read Luke 11:5-8, the parable of the friend at midnight. If you remember, Jesus gave a teaching about a man who went to visit his friend at midnight. He knocked on his door and explained how he needed some bread for another friend of his who just arrived from a journey. The friend he was visiting tells him to leave him alone; he was in his warm, comfortable bed and probably half asleep. What Jesus points out in verse 8 is so interesting. He says, "I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his impudence he will rise and give him whatever he needs." Impudence. Shameless audacity. A cocky boldness. The visitor kept knocking PERSISTENTLY even though it was midnight. Why? Because he knew that his friend was a good friend and if he would ask enough times, his good friend was bound to respond. God is a faithful, good and loving Daddy (Deuteronomy 7:9). A close and personal friend. And as I have reminded you before, we are friends of God (John 15:15). Because of this, we pray with a heart of shameless audacity. Impudence. Some have even said the word means "swagger." Being SO confident that your good and loving Daddy God will answer you. Because you know him. You know his nature. Therefore, you can ask him anything! God is a good Daddy and close friend!

by David Chadwick I am handing you a different key each day to learn how to access the powerful presence of God through prayer. When doors seem to be locked, God desires for us to learn how to open them. His Word gives us so many insights that should guide us as we pray. Another key to powerful prayer: persistence. One definition of persistence is "firm or obstinate continuance in course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition." We live in a culture that values the path of least resistance. Persistence is becoming a lost trait in people's overall character. Yet, it's something Jesus desires all of his followers to have. Yesterday we looked at Matthew 7:7-11. Jesus explains truths about God's goodness as a Father. The verb tense used in that passage is the imperfect, which means continual. The asking, seeking, and knocking here is meant to be persistent. Continual. Never giving up. Relentless. We admire persistence in people's stories that lead to success. Stories where people pursue something and finally succeed. Persistence is at the heart of a champion. If the power of persistence is true in the natural world, how much more must it be true in the spiritual world – especially through prayer! When you are persistent in prayer, it shows God both your desire and your faith. Psalm 37:4 says, "Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart." When you are delighting, or finding joy in the Lord, your desires end up being his desires. This ensures your requests are aligned with his heart and will. With what is best for you. If it's not, and you are delighting in him, trust that he will tell you. If you know God has promised you something, keep asking. Keep seeking. Keep knocking. And don't ever give up!! Your Daddy in heaven knows the desires of your heart.

by David Chadwick I want to explore some different ways for developing a powerful prayer life. There has never been a more important time for the body of Christ to learn how to contend in prayer. I want to see a display of God's glory on the earth. Do you? If so, the Church must prioritize prayer. It is a supernatural weapon. I want you to picture each one of these tips as a key that I am going to hand you. Each key is meant to show you a simple way to open a spiritual door and access the powerful presence of God through prayer. For some of you, these may be new keys you have never known. For others, you may find that these are keys that you either forgot about or lost. Either way, I pray you will use these keys regularly and purposefully to strengthen your inner self (Ephesians 3:16). The first key is this: know the character of God. Take a moment and read Matthew 7:7-11. In these verses, Jesus asks a profound question. If earthly fathers, who are consumed with original sin, still want good gifts for their kids, HOW MUCH MORE does your perfect heavenly Daddy want to give his kids GOOD GIFTS! As Jesus points out, if a child were to ask your earthly dad for a fish, would he give him a snake? What an awful dad that would be! Or if that same child were to ask for bread, a staple of life, would he give him a stone? Ridiculous! That is not a good dad! God's nature and character is good. Psalm 145:8 says, "The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love." For those of us who have put our trust in Jesus and can call ourselves children of God, we have been reconciled fully to our Father. He no longer calls us servants, but friends (John 15:15). The sin that separated us from his love was paid for by Jesus on the cross. Approach God knowing that he is a good Daddy. An intimate friend. He desires to give GOOD gifts to his children. That's you and me. Knowing this KEY will change how you pray every day!

by Marilynn Chadwick Be careful and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live (Deuteronomy 4:9a NIV). Forgetfulness may be one of the most serious hindrances to answered prayer. Scripture points to how forgetting God's power and blessings hinders the flow of answered prayer. Even more serious is how forgetfulness undermines our relationship with our heavenly Father. It's easy to get caught up in the flurry of day-to-day life. We not only miss opportunities to pray, but we can also forget to notice answers when they do come. The Lord knows our propensity to be forgetful. Scripture is brimming with reminders: "Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful" (Colossians 4:2). The word "remember" is found in the Bible over 200 times! Forgetfulness makes us spiritually dull. I sometimes catch myself stewing over a problem before I finally remember to take it to the Lord in prayer. Paul reminds us to turn those worries into prayers: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-8). It's clear. Prayer, thankfulness, and peace of mind go hand in hand! There is more about praise in the Bible than prayer. Ancient Israel repeats the vicious cycle of worshiping God, followed by falling away, whenever they forget his mighty miracles. God places blame squarely on Israel and admonishes parents to teach their children to remember him—and his miracles. "Only be careful and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them" (Deuteronomy 4:9). Forgetting to be thankful empties prayer of its power. Why not think of ways to refresh your own memory? Try giving thanks throughout the day. You might notice a lifting of your mood. Apparently, these "feel good" responses have a physiological basis. Researchers found subjects who practiced sustained gratitude for just five minutes experienced a rise in the level of disease-fighting antibodies, lasting for over five hours! Or take a lesson from young Molly, who discovered a simple way to be more thankful. She began writing in her "thank you book" each day. Finding only a few things at first, her daily list eventually numbered in the hundreds as she began noticing God at work. Her family watched her change from a somewhat depressed teen to one whose faith and positive attitude inspired those who knew her. Spend time remembering places where God has answered your prayers. Reminisce with family or friends about past victories. Better yet, start your own thank you book. In Prince Caspian, book 2 of C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia, the children are a dangerous and grueling uphill climb. They're exhausted and ready to give up when they come to a cliff. They look down on a little town where they had once won a decisive victory. "By jove," said Edmund, "we fought the Battle of Beruna just where that town is! This cheered the children more than anything." Lewis adds, "You can't help feeling stronger when you look at a place where you won a glorious victory."

by Marilynn Chadwick Why do we break faith with each other, profaning the covenant of our ancestors? (Malachi 2:10b CJB). We saw yesterday how strife among believers can hinder our prayers. Today, let's look at what the Bible calls "breaking faith," another type of strife which hits closer to home. Faith in Jesus is serious business. But God's Word also calls us to a type of "faith" in each other as members of the body of Christ. Scripture warns us that to "break faith" greatly impedes prayer. "Don't we all have the same father? Didn't one God create us all? Then why do we break faith with each other, profaning the covenant of our ancestors?" (Malachi 2:10). The Hebrew word translated "to break faith" means "to be unfaithful, betray, or act treacherously." Ancient Israel had broken faith with each other, and then cried out to God, wondering why he was displeased with them. The prophet Malachi accuses them of covering God's altar with "tears, with weeping and with sighing, because he no longer looks at the offering or receives your gift with favor" (Malachi 2:13). He rebukes them for breaking faith with one another (v. 10). Next, he addresses their marriages: "The Lord" is the witness between you and the wife of your youth that you have broken faith with her, though she is your companion, your wife by covenant" (Malachi 2:13-14). Peter seizes upon this connection between marital harmony and answered prayer, exhorting believing husbands and wives to treat each other in a godly way as "heirs together of the gracious gift of life" (1 Peter 3:7 NIV). "Husbands, in the same way, be considerate as you live with your wives so that nothing will hinder your prayers" (1 Peter 3:7). Enkopt, translated "hinder," comes from the idea of cutting or striking. It conveys a strong interruption or stoppage. Marital strife can be a literal barricade to answered prayer. Malachi gives us a practical prescription to protect our marriages and our relationships with fellow believers: "So guard yourself in your spirit and do not break faith with the wife of your youth" (Malachi 2:15b NIV 1984). "So guard yourself and do not break faith" (v.16b). The word translated "guard," means "to keep, preserve, protect; to keep watch." We avoid "breaking faith" by guarding ourselves and keeping watch over our families and communities. It's often been said the best way to avoid a war is to prepare for it. We become battle ready through prayer and God's Word. We're armed and dangerous to the devil, alert to his attempts to divide our marriages and families, and to disrupt the unity in the body of Christ. My football-mom friend reminds me the secret of winning at football is "the guard." If we want stronger prayers, we can start by guarding our words: "Set a guard over my mouth, Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips (Psalm 141:3). We can guard our eyes: "Turn my eyes away from worthless things; preserve my life according to your word (Psalm 119:37). We can guard our heart: "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it" (Proverbs 4:23). Let's get serious about guarding our homes, churches, and communities. Let's also get rid of hindrances to prayer. A power-filled prayer life is a tried-and-true way we can stay strong!

by Marilynn Chadwick For where envy and strife are, there is confusion and every evil work (James 3:16 KJ21). We've seen how unforgiveness and unbelief can thwart our prayer life. Strife is another common hindrance. If we want more power in prayer, we must be unified as believers. Jesus gives us a prayer tip that points to the importance of unity. He promises that "if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven" (Matthew 18:19 NIV). The word for "agree" is symphone, from which we get symphony. It means "together with the same voice." It can also be translated as "music." When we harbor ill will toward another believer, we miss the prayer power that comes when we're in harmony. And instead of music, perhaps our prayers sound like "noise" to our heavenly Father. Such was the case with two women in the church at Philippi. Paul calls them out by name, pleading with them to get along—to be of one mind. "I entreat Euodia and I entreat Syntyche to agree in the Lord. I ask you...to help these women, who have labored side by side with me in the gospel" (Philippians 4:2,3 ESV). Paul was deeply distressed that these two women were fighting. Their conflict must have been a public one, since Paul had heard about it even while "in chains" in a Roman prison (Philippians 1:13). He encouraged the young church to "make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind" (Philippians 2:2). Paul's challenge to his beloved Philippians can be ours today as well. He tells them how to walk in unity: "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others" (Philippians 2:3). Living in this kind of unity requires supernatural help. Let's ask the Holy Spirit to reveal areas of strife that may be hindering our prayer life. Moreover, we can take comfort in this powerful promise: "For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him" (Philippians 2:13 NLT). One of Jesus's most beautiful prayers reflects his passion for unity in the body. "I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one...so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me" (John 17:22-23). Yes, God wants us to prevail in prayer. Even more, he longs for us to be unified as members of the Body of Christ. Remember, there's a world watching us—a world which desperately needs our power-filled prayers. A world which needs Jesus.

by Marilynn Chadwick But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind (James 1:6 NIV). Another hindrance to prayer is unbelief. Put another way, if we don't believe we won't be able to experience all God has for us through prayer. "Believing" is the very currency of God's kingdom. It's only by grace through faith that we're saved in the first place (Ephesians 2:8). The one who doubts, writes James, "should not expect to receive anything from the Lord" (James 1:7). We can read God's Word, hear God's Word, even memorize God's Word, but if we don't believe the word, our prayers can't take flight. The writer of Hebrews uses ancient Israel as warning. They heard God's message, "but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it (Hebrews 4:2 NKJV). So, how do we deal with this troublesome hindrance of unbelief? How do we kick out doubt? We can start by reflecting on our view of God. Sometimes, our "faith failure" is due to lack of assurance in the character of our Lord. Do we really trust him to be good and loving, as well as all powerful? Do we truly believe he even answers prayer? The Bible continually reminds us to trust our heavenly Father. Our confidence in prayer grows as we understand he "rewards those who earnestly seek him" (Hebrews 11:6). As we earnestly seek God, we become more certain of his character. We pray, knowing he is a rewarder who answers prayer. A good Father who loves to bless his children. "If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" (Matthew 7:11). We can also grow in our faith and kick out doubt by reading God's Word. Scripture tells us faith comes by hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17). The words for hear and obey are virtually the same in both Hebrew and Greek, so our faith grows when we hear and obey God's Word. Sometimes, when I prayerfully read God's Word, a promise from Scripture seems to come "alive" for my particular need. I can almost feel my faith increasing and my problem shrinking. A friend says it this way: "We glance at our problem, but gaze on God's promise." Praying in detail is yet another way to overcome unbelief. Vague prayers are just a symptom of unbelief. We should pray with enough specificity that we recognize the answer when it comes. Then, we rejoice, give thanks, and share our stories with others (John 16:24). Let's commit today to praying the promises in God's Word, mindful to "mix them with faith." We hold tightly to God's promise until the answer comes. Kick out doubt. Dare to believe God is a rewarder of those who earnestly seek him. We'll be sure to have testimonies of answered prayers that bring us great joy and give God glory!

by Marilynn Chadwick Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors (Matthew 6:11-12 ESV). Do you ever wonder what it was like to be one of the twelve disciples? Just imagine. They walked and talked with Jesus, learned from his wisdom, and enjoyed his close friendship for three years. They saw him heal the sick, cast out demons, and raise the dead. And yet, the only thing these disciples ever asked Jesus to teach them was how to pray. "Lord, teach us to pray," they pleaded (Luke 11:1). Jesus responded with a short, power-packed tutorial known as the "Lord's Prayer" (Luke 11:2-4; Matthew 6:9-13). He shares five tips. "This, then, is how you should pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed is your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one" (Matthew 6:9-13 NIV). Most of us can recite these verses from memory. But the Lord's Prayer is intended to be a "recipe" for balanced prayer. We're strengthened by its combination of praise, thanksgiving, petition, and confession. But wait. It's as if Jesus abruptly stops his tutorial and says, "Hey, let's go over that forgiveness part again." He circles back with a reminder, this time more of a warning: "For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins" (Matthew 6:14-15). Elsewhere, Jesus makes the same connection between prayer and forgiveness: "And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins" (Mark 11:25). Forgiveness is mentioned over 60 times in the New Testament, two-thirds of those by Jesus himself. He repeatedly points to unforgiveness as a major hindrance to prayer. If our prayers seem stuck, maybe we should pause and search our hearts. Are we harboring unforgiveness? Some hurts go deep, and forgiveness seems humanly impossible. We can start by asking God to help us. We may find it helpful to reflect on the many ways the Lord has forgiven our own sins. We can ask his Holy Spirit to shine a light on unforgiveness or any other hindrances to our prayers. Forgiveness is not a one-time exercise. "Seventy times seven" is how many times Jesus told Peter he should forgive the brother or sister who sins against him (Matthew 18:21,22). Why not start at home, by forgiving those closest to us? If we truly want to pray with power, forgiveness needs to become our daily way of life.

by David Chadwick We are going to wrap up the bad guys of the Bible this week with Ishmael. You will find his story in Genesis 15 and 16. He was the firstborn son of Abraham. If you remember biblical history, because of Sarah's impatience and unbelief that God would fulfill his promise of bringing her a child, she let Abraham sleep with her servant, Hagar. From that act, Ishmael was conceived. Ishmael was not the child of promise. His conception, through Abraham and Hagar, was forced and coerced. Isaac, on the other hand, was conceived by Abraham and Sarah through faith and the miraculous power of God. In Galatians 4:28-29, Ishmael and Isaac are listed as two contrary examples of walking by faith or works. It reads, "Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise. But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now." Paul said that these two extremes are contrary to one another. You can either live by your own human strength, like Ishmael, or by faith in God, like Isaac. This Pauline admonition should remind all Christians that we must live by faith. With God's power and promises as our guide. We often cannot see or understand, but must cling to the truths of God's Word and keep moving forward. By the flesh or by the Spirit? By slavery or by freedom? These are two crucial dichotomies to understand as they lay the bedrock for the Christian faith. Ishmael was the child of the flesh, conceived by human ingenuity and effort. Isaac was the child of promise, conceived when Abraham was almost 100 years old and Sarah was 90 years old. He was the child of faith. The bad decision to force conception led to the birth of an individual from whom much strife would come against God's chosen people for years and years to come, one that is being lived out before our eyes today. Followers of Jesus walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). The Spirit and the flesh are contrary. They struggle against one another just like Ishmael did with Isaac. Without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Choose a life of faith. It produces good fruit! And God's miracles!

by David Chadwick Annas and Caiaphas. They are today's bad guys. Opponents in the storyline of the Bible. Both Annas and Caiaphas were High Priests during Jesus's time on earth, specifically when he cleansed the temple on two separate occasions. The first time, Annas was the High Priest and the second time, Caiaphas was the High Priest. After Jesus was arrested, he was brought before Annas (John 18:13-14) and then before Caiaphas (John 18:24). Interestingly, Annas was Caiaphas's father-in-law. Annas continued to have widespread authority even after he stepped down. Surely he and Caiaphas talked regularly about this supposed Messiah named Jesus. I often wonder why they both wanted to see Jesus at such early morning hours after he was arrested. It was probably between 1 am and 3 am when he appeared before both of them at separate trials. Annas had false witnesses. Those present spat upon Jesus and ridiculed him. Then, later before Caiaphas, he asked Jesus directly if he was the Messiah. Jesus unhesitatingly responded, "I am." Caiaphas tore his clothes and turned him over to a mob that beat him and then sent him to Pilate. Why did Annas and Caiaphas have such an extreme hatred for Jesus? It is because he cleansed the temple, not once but twice, during each of their reigns as High Priest. Jesus called out their system of unbelief and abuse of the Jewish ritual system. I believe he was coming up against a spirit of religion. A self-righteous mindset. A Pharisaical agenda. Being religious doesn't make you holy. Some of the meanest people I have ever met can come across as extremely religious. Some of the most deceptive people in the world may have a clergy title. They can have an appearance of godliness and be full of evil. In the case of Annas and Caiaphas, they carried religious titles and positions of authority, but turned the temple into a money-grubbing system, using God's people for their own personal gain. When you love Jesus, you don't become religious. You develop a living, dynamic, and personal relationship with the God of this universe through Jesus. I pray that is your reality today. When it is, you are never the same.

by David Chadwick Good guys and bad guys are throughout the Bible. We are combing through Scripture to examine some of the bad guys of the Bible. Men and women who were real enemies of holiness and purity. People who Satan used to wreak havoc on God's story. But God is able to use absolute mess to release the greatest message ever told. Other people's rebellion becomes the platform for a massive display of God's victory! Nimrod is our next bad guy of the Bible. He was the great-grandson of Noah and the son of Cush. We see him first mentioned in Genesis 10:8-12. Described as "a mighty one on the earth" and "a mighty hunter before the Lord," one may initially think Nimrod was a hero. But upon further examination, you will quickly find that his life reflected his name meaning: rebel. His name could suggest that he was the ultimate rebel against God. Historically, he was sometimes referred to as the hunter of men's souls. Some perspectives like that of Josephus, a Jewish historian who wrote during and after the life of Jesus, believed Nimrod was the awful, pornographic figure named Gilgamesh, the central character in the Epic of Gilgamesh. Whoever he was, he was a really bad guy. Nimrod had great skill and plenty of ambition. Some have compared him to the Nephilim in Genesis 6:4, which would suggest he was very tall and exceedingly evil. And though unsubstantiated, many think he was the builder of the ancient city of Babylon and the tower of Babel in Genesis 11. His desire in building this tower? To make a great name for himself, not God. Others believe he was the one who helped build a religious system against God, which became the seedbed for Nebuchadnezar and the Babylonian pagan religious systems of the world, which eventually will become "Babylon the Great," the godless system of thought found in Revelation 17 and 18, one that God must destroy. If true, Nimrod was an original antichrist figure and prefigures the evil antichrist who will be much like him. There is a spirit of antichrist living in people throughout the world and ages (1 John 4:3) and Nimrod seems to be one of the originals. We must always be alert to Satan's wiles (Ephesians 6:10-20) and ready to fight against his antichrist agenda. Satan is a lion, ready to devour (1 Peter 5:7). He is the ultimate bad guy and Nimrod gives us glimpses in the natural realm of just how evil Satan is. BUT he who lives in us is greater than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4). Always remember this truth. And you will never have to worry about the antichrist, nor anyone who has his spirit.

by David Chadwick God's story is the greatest story ever told. Ups and downs. Twists and turns. Good guys and bad guys. It all makes for a wonderful storyline that points directly to the grace and mercy of Jesus. Many bad guys are highlighted in God's Word and are obstacles to the victories God ultimately accomplishes. Today's bad guy is Ahithophel. Ahithophel was originally a close confidant and trusted advisor of King David. David relied on him for wise counsel and insight into difficult decisions. Later, Ahithophel betrayed David and became an advisor to David's rebellious son Absalom. If you remember, Absalom has already been mentioned as another one of my bad guys of the Bible. 2 Samuel 16:23 says, "Absalom followed Ahithophel's advice, just as David had done. For every word Ahithophel spoke seemed as wise as though it had come directly from the mouth of God." Have you ever known someone like this? A smooth talker? Someone with polished words and a wicked heart? Beware of such people! Absalom went on to take Ahithophel's advice about how to effectively war against David and it cost David everything! The same way Judas was to Jesus, Ahithophel was to David. You will see where David laments of betrayal in Psalm 41:9 when he says, "Even my close friend, someone I trusted, has turned against me." Why did Ahithophel betray David, you might ask? Many scholars think it was because Bathsheba was Ahithophel's niece. If you remember the biblical account, David committed adultery with Bathsheba and then went on to murder her husband Uriah. I wonder what would have happened if Ahithophel had confronted David like Nathan. Or what if David had spoken to Ahithophel his Psalm 51 confession? Ahithophel may not have ended up as one of the Bible's bad guys and David's future could have looked very different. Offense and inward bitterness can cause the kindest of people to become absolute scoundrels. As for David, pride truly does come before the fall (Proverbs 16:18). But when we humble ourselves before the Lord, he really does lift us up (James 4:10). Had David never humbled himself before the Lord, he very well could have been known alongside Ahithophel as another bad guy in the Bible! But King David did humble himself and God forgave him—as he will all of us as well!

by David Chadwick The Bible is full of people, great and small, young and old, who God used to carry out his story. And he is still using people like you and me today! Throughout his story, there were many bad guys who rose up to oppose God's plan. We are continuing to take a look at some of the bad guys of the Bible. This week, we are going to look at five more bad guys. Hymenaeus is today's bad guy. He is only talked about twice in the Bible. Mentioned alongside Alexander the Coppersmith in 1 Timothy 1:20 and again in 2 Timothy 2:17, Paul does not hold back in his strong feelings toward Hymenaeus. He makes sure to document his experiences with him for millions of people to read about for years to come. Alexander the Coppersmith and Hymenaeus were both in the early church in Ephesus. As we see in scripture, they suffered a shipwreck in regard to their faith, meaning they veered off course from what they once knew. Evidently, they were at one point faithful in their beliefs and doctrine, but later turned away to false teaching. It could also be that Hymenaeus blasphemed Paul personally by questioning his apostolic authority and teaching. Perhap he was envious of Paul's position of authority in the church. Or maybe he was spreading heretical teaching that blasphemed the gospel of Jesus. Regardless, something significant and painful happened. How did Paul handle them? He rebuked them strongly and publicly. He turned them over to Satan so they would be taught not to blaspheme. He believed Satan would deal with their deceit and that one day, all would be exposed. I believe Paul's boldness was not just to protect the veracity of the Gospel, but also for Timothy, his mentee, to whom this letter was addressed. Could it be that Paul wanted Timothy to know who Hymenaeus was while doing ministry in Ephesus? Could it be that Paul wanted to demonstrate to Timothy what it looked like to stand firmly and strongly in opposition to a demonic scheme? We don't know for sure, but can infer many things. Finally, please note that Paul wanted Alexander and Hymenaeus to repent. He didn't desire them to go to hell. He wanted Satan to deal with their flesh and their evil desires. But he wanted their souls to be saved. God doesn't want anyone to go to hell, but repent and spend eternity with him (2 Peter 3:9). How wonderful it is when a sinner who has wandered from the faith repents and turns to Jesus! It really is possible. It's good to know who the bad guys are, but even more glorious to watch a bad guy become a good guy, all because of Jesus! That's the heart of our Father in heaven.

by David Chadwick God's story is the best story! With Jesus Christ as the ultimate hero and Satan as the ultimate villain, God's story is full of excitement, love, and adventure. The story of God is the ultimate rescue mission. Many heroes, big and small, played significant roles in God's story. There were also villains. Bad guys who tried to thwart God's plans. We've been taking an in depth look at both kinds of people over the last couple weeks. Our final bad guy this week is King Manasseh. You'll find his story in 2 Kings 21:1-18. Manasseh's father, Hezekiah, was one of the good kings in the Bible. Unfortunately, Manasseh did not follow in the ways of his dad. He rebelled against everything he knew to be true about the one true God. He blazed a path toward evil and unrighteousness and invited others to join him. Every generation must make its own decisions as to whether it will follow in faithfulness or idolatry. Good or evil. Obedience or rebellion. The narrow way or the wide path (Matthew 7:13-14). Manasseh chose the latter. He lived on the evil wide path and chose to rebel from a life of faithfulness. Manasseh also introduced idol worship and godless paganism in the culture. He actually rebuilt the very pagan shrines that his dad had torn down. He was infinitely evil and even went so far as to sacrifice his own children to pagan gods. Tradition says that it was Manasseh who had the prophet Isaiah sawn in two. During his 40 year reign, godlessness ran rampant. Each and every one of us has to choose how to live. Some choose to reverse the curses of a bad dad and break generational curses. Others choose to reverse the blessings of a good dad and walk in rebellion. Every man, every woman, every nation has a decision to make. Manasseh chose poorly and established an entire kingdom against God. May we learn from the mistakes and blatant sin of Manasseh and choose to live lives of righteousness and holiness. Obedience brings blessing and disobedience brings discipline. But the choice is still ours.

by David Chadwick Queen Jezebel was one of the Bible's leading characters when it comes to female villains. Her husband, Ahab, was just as bad. Unfortunately, without the transformative work of Jesus in someone's life, a bad guy and a bad gal often create bad children. Ahab and Jezebel's daughter was another bad gal. Her story is found in 2 Kings 8:16 - 2 Kings 11:16. Queen Athaliah was wicked like her mother. She wanted power and devised a scheme to kill all the faithful royal members of the household so she could step in to reign. If you have ever read Deuteronomy 5:9, you may remember where God refers to himself as "a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on their children to the third and fourth generation." The sins of a father and mother can easily become the sins of a son and daughter. This was most certainly the case with Queen Athaliah. Athaliah was almost successful in her evil plot. She killed all the members of the royal household except for one: Joash. He was a young child at the time and he was hidden by a chambermaid from Queen Athaliah's wicked ways. This chambermaid was another true hidden hero! Though unnamed, she saved the bloodline of King David to King Jesus! For seven years, Jehoida the high priest, hid Joash until a final rebellion took place at which point Athaliah was killed and Joash was placed on the throne. We see yet again in this story how power corrupts everything. The desire to have power over people can lead to all kinds of evil. We are reminded again and again of the dangers of selfish ambition (Philippians 2:3). It destroys the soul! We must fight against it with every ounce of our being. After learning about Jezebel, Ahab, and Athaliah, you should see plenty of things not to do! Take the warnings after reading about this family full of bad guys and apply them to your life. Men, seek to lead with gentleness and power as a person of conviction. Women, use your gifts to bless and uplift those around you, fleeing from manipulation and control. If you're married and building a family, build on the foundation of God's Word and seek to establish a culture within your home that points people to the ways of God's kingdom. You will never regret seeking to live a life that prioritizes holiness!

by David Chadwick The only thing worse than a bad guy is a bad guy married to a bad gal. Yesterday, we learned about Jezebel. She was one evil woman. What made her extra dangerous was the fact that she was married to a really passive bad guy. Meet her husband Ahab. You'll find his story right alongside Jezebel's story in 1 Kings 16 to 2 Kings 9. Ahab was a man known for his weakness and godlessness. He allowed Jezebel to control the religious worship in the northern kingdom unabated. Their marriage seemed to be what led him to his downfall. Ahab eventually devoted himself to the worship of the false gods of Baal and Asherah. These gods were the sexual deities of the larger Baal pantheon. As a side note, if you're a man, you need to vigilantly guard yourself against sexual perversion. Evil, lustful desires will destroy you and everyone around you! Elijah confronted Ahab regularly for his passivity and compromise, which led to the famous Super Bowl of faith on Mount Carmel in 1 Kings 18 between Elijah and the 400 prophets of Baal. Ahab was the primary sponsor of these godless prophets. Elijah won a dramatic and decisive victory. Eventually, Ahab was killed in battle in 1 Kings 20. He was warned not to go, but his pride didn't allow him to listen. Ahab is remembered and renowned for his weakness of character and faith. What a terrible legacy he left! Ahab didn't know how to handle his problems in a clear, decisive, strong way. Instead, he pouted, which only furthered Jezebel's controlling nature. She would overcompensate for his weakness by doubling down on her control and manipulation. In one situation that I mentioned yesterday, Ahab wanted a vineyard that Naboth owned but couldn't convince him to sell it. Jezebel stepped in and killed Naboth to accommodate her weak husband's desires. Ahab never stood up against her and always gave in to Jezebel's wiles. The ultimate passivity. He followed her, not God. Do you now see why Jesus corrects the church of Thyatira for tolerating Jezebel in Revelation 2:20? This type of woman, if unwilling to repent, should be avoided at all costs, especially inside the church! May we, as Christian men, never model our lives after Ahab. He is not to be emulated, but someone to watch in order to learn what not to do. So often, life's best lessons are taught by knowing who you don't want to become! Follow Jesus, not Ahab!

by David Chadwick Today's bad guy of the Bible is actually a bad gal. She was a really evil woman. Her tentacles are still in the world today. Jezebel. A queen on a mission to manipulate and destroy. This story is found from 1 Kings 16 through 2 Kings 9. Jezebel was married to Ahab. He was the 7th king in the northern kingdom of Israel. If you know your biblical history, this was the kingdom that was ultimately taken over by the Assyrians in 722 BC. Ten tribes of Israel were dispersed all over the world. Jezebel's marriage to Ahab was largely for political purposes. It was a strategic partnership to achieve more power. She brought all of her pagan practices into the marriage and nation, including the worship of Phoenician gods and goddesses, commonly called the Baal gods. She found the worship of the one true God to be intolerable. An abomination to her practices. Therefore, she he instituted Baal worship. Jezebel was a controlling, dominant woman who ran the home over her weak-willed, passive husband Ahab. She was full of flattery with an illusion of beauty and charm. But under the surface she was calculated, malicious and full of plots and agendas to steal, kill, and destroy. In fact, one time, Jezebel framed and executed Naboth to get his vineyard when her pouting husband couldn't acquire it and get his way. She was vile to the core. A symbol of gross sexuality and paganism at every level. She introduced intermarriage between the Jews and Gentiles, which was something God expressly forbade. Everything she stood for walked in direct contradiction to God's holy worship. Known for persecuting the prophets, Jezebel had an intense disgust and special hatred for the prophet Elijah. Eventually, Jezebel was killed by Jehu, a fervent man who desired God's holiness more than anything else. He carried the anointing and the courage to put an end to her ways. The demonic spirit that drove Jezebel back then is still running rampant in the earth today. Strong men like Jehu are needed now more than ever to remain firmly planted in the truth of God's Word and the power of the Holy Spirit. The world also needs to resist the seductive, compromising, and deceptive agenda of the enemy that works through both men and women to wreak havoc just as Jezebel did. Jezebel has come to be known through the ages as a symbol of rebellion against God. She emphasized control and arrogance–everything God doesn't want a woman to be! Make someone like Esther, Ruth, Mary, or another godly woman in the Bible your example for how to live! And resist the spirit of Jezebel from ever entering your heart.

by David Chadwick The Bible is full of good guys and bad guys. Every great story has both heroes and villains in the plot line. God's story is the greatest story ever told. Full of ups and downs, twists and turns where Jesus is the ultimate hero! The story of Cain is found in Genesis 4. He is our next bad guy. Cain was the firstborn son of Adam and Eve. Their other son's name was Abel. I like to think of Cain as the first rotten fruit of Adam and Eve's rebellion. His sin ushered in the world's first murder. Cain was a farmer and his brother Abel was a shepherd. Cain absolutely hated Abel. Why? Because his brother was making pure offerings to God that were acceptable before the Lord. Cain's were not. Jealousy took root and began to brew inside Cain's heart toward his brother. This root of jealousy and bitterness proved to be deadly. Evidently, Abel's offerings to God were done by faith. Cloaked in humility. Pure. Abel had a love for God and a knowledge that God was first in every single way. Cain's offering was done in the flesh. By his works. With a begrudging attitude and a heart of resentment. The story of Cain and Abel is a great example of how much God cares about the human heart. As I often like to say, the heart of a matter is a matter of the heart. Here's the bottom line. Cain was deeply jealous of his brother and of the favor of God in his life. So, he killed Abel. The first murder of the Bible was motivated by the evil one. Jesus referred to Satan as a murderer from the beginning (John 8:44). Clearly Cain was emulating the father of lies more than his heavenly Father! Where there is envy and jealousy, there is every evil thing (James 3:13). The antidote of envy and jealousy is contentment with what you have. God loves you for who you are, not what you have. This life is full of people who will prosper on different levels. We must celebrate other people's victories and maintain a pure heart before the Lord. If not, we, too, are vulnerable to a root of bitterness driving us to hurt others.

by David Chadwick God has written the greatest story ever told. Jesus Christ is the ultimate hero and Satan is the ultimate villain in God's story. Within the Bible, there are countless other heroes, big and small, who help advance God's mission in the earth. There are also villains. Judas is today's bad guy. With a significant role in the crucifixion of Jesus, he is a well-known villain in God's story. One of the original 12 disciples, chosen by Jesus, Judas could have been from the Judean city of Kerioth near Jerusalem. "Ish" means "son" in Hebrew. It could very well be that he was a "son" from the city of Kerioth. If so, that would mean that he was the only disciple who was not from Galilee. Perhaps he felt like an outsider from the beginning. Judas oversaw the money bag. But we know from John's witness in John 12:6 that he also had a greedy love of money. John refers to him as a thief who pilfered money from the purse. This man, who had an unhealthy love of money, ended up being the one who sold Jesus for 30 pieces of silver–the price one would pay for a slave. Before Judas's betrayal, Jesus continued to love and serve him. He washed his feet in John 13. He placed Judas on his left side, a seat of honor, in the Last Supper. Until the very last moment, Jesus was reaching out to Judas, giving him every opportunity to repent. But it appears Judas opened his heart to Satan before the meal (Luke 22:1-17) and eventually fully gave himself over to Satan during the meal, in the ultimate fulfillment of his betrayal (John 13:27). Judas probably wanted to force Jesus to declare his Messiahship when he turned him over to the authorities, but in the face of betrayal, Jesus continued to walk with self-control and patience. Judas was the ultimate instigator to the perfect plans and timing of God. And Jesus stewarded every step with precision and perfection. As we reflect on the story of this bad guy named Judas, remember that no one suddenly becomes godless overnight. It's a journey of one decision after another that leads to the final condition of rebellion against Jesus. It's a slow fade. It's a series of decisions that blaspheme the Holy Spirit. Make sure to keep your heart close to Jesus every second, every minute. For the devil is like a roaring lion, watching each and every moment for a chance to pounce on you. Judas was careless. It's why he is called a "son of perdition" by Jesus in John 17:12 (KJV). Because of this, he was vulnerable to being used by Satan.

by David Chadwick Simon Magus. Have you ever heard of him? His story is found in Acts 8:9-24 and he is today's bad guy of the Bible. Simon was a magician in the area of Samaria. He attracted large throngs of people with his magic arts. Could these have been demonic antics? Absolutely. Whatever it was, it caused him to be a man full of pride who boasted in his own greatness and motivated large crowds to follow him. When Peter and John came to Samaria, having heard that great things were happening under Phillip's teaching, they were expecting another mighty move of God. As they preached, the power of the Holy Spirit came upon people and many were healed and made well. Lives were being changed everywhere. Simon, so impressed and amazed by these miracles, began to ask Peter how he could purchase this power. Simon said, "Give me this power also, so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit" (Acts 8:19). Peter was offended and enraged. He basically told Simon that he was wicked and evil. That his heart was not right before God. He was horrified that Simon thought that he could acquire a gift from God with money and called him to repent, although there is no indication that he ever did! He did, however, ask Peter to pray for him so that nothing bad from God would happen to him. I find this troubling. A heart that wants to avoid the discipline for a bad decision is very different from a heart that is contrite and desirous of holiness. There are plenty of people who want to throw up a prayer so they can dodge the consequences of God. But few who long to live holy and righteous lives, turning from their sin and choosing the hard and narrow path of Jesus. Much like Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1-11), Simon wrongly believed that money could buy anything. How wrong was he! He wanted to use God's power for his magic tricks. A dangerous quality of another one of the bad guys in the Bible. You may not be a magician, but you may desire to adulterate the power of the Holy Spirit for your own gain. Be careful. Only the pure in heart will see God (Matthew 5:8).

by David Chadwick Alexander the Coppersmith is our next bad guy. Let's look at his story in 2 Timothy 4:14-18 and see why he's another one of my bad guys of the Bible. We don't know much about Alexander except his name and profession. But it could be that at one time he co-labored with Paul in planting churches and teaching the gospel. In the least, he and Paul knew each other on some level. Something went wrong because Paul says that he did him great harm (2 Timothy 4:14). There was clearly some evil plot that really hurt Paul. Not that Paul doesn't just say harm, but GREAT harm. Some other translations refer to it as "much evil." Not only did Alexander participate in something evil, but he also must not have accepted any correction because Paul warns other people to beware of him. Did he slander Paul? Do you think he tried to overtake his authority much like Absalom did with David? (2 Samuel 13-19) Again, we don't know, but it is very clear that Alexander was a bad guy. As followers of Jesus, we must flee from behaviors that produce bad fruit. It sounds like Alexander was a man who was full of pride with an intent to harm. He must have also had an intimidating personality that swept others into his attack because Paul says everyone around him deserted him. They must have been swayed and influenced either by Alexander's charismatic personality or by his intimidation. Either way, he was a bad guy with bad qualities. In spite of Alexander's behavior, Paul did not retaliate. He did not take vengeance into his own hands. He simply stood in faith, saying that the Lord stood by him, strengthened him, and rescued him (2 Timothy 4:17-18). He left it up to the Lord for how to deal with Alexander. Paul knew God was good and just and that one day, he would enact justice on his behalf! This is true surrender! Here's an unfortunate truth: people will hurt you. They will turn their backs on you. They will lie to you. They will seek to do great harm to you and your household. Even the great apostle Paul knew this truth all too well. He experienced betrayal and wounds from people like Demas and Alexander. But he continued to leave vengeance to the One who does the best job executing vengeance and justice. It is the only way to treat those who deeply hurt you.

by David Chadwick The story of Demas is found in 2 Timothy 4:9-10. He is someone else who I would consider to be one of the bad guys of the Bible. It takes good guys and bad guys in order to have a great story. God never shied away from highlighting just how bad things really were in Scripture. For all of time, he has been able to use bad situations and work them out for good (Romans 8:28). The first mention of Demas is by Paul in Colossians 4:14 when Paul said that Demas wanted to extend his greetings to the Christians in the church of Collosae. Next, in Philemon, he is referred to as a "fellow worker" of Paul in the gospel. Finally, in 2 Timothy 4:9-10, Paul writes to Timothy and says, "Make every effort to come to me soon for Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica." We don't know exactly what happened to Demas after he returned to Thessalonica, but Paul's description here insinuates Demas had walked away from his faith. He went from a companion and fellow worker of Paul to deserting Paul for the love of the world. Have you ever heard the phrase, "I don't want to gain the whole world and lose my soul." Well, it certainly seems that Demas quested after the world and lost his soul. What was his love for this world? Acclaim? Power? Money? Comfort? Reputation? Could he have become jealous of Paul along the way and chosen to chase after his own success? We don't really know. But what we do know is this: the world constantly tries to tempt Christians to love it more than Jesus. It has happened since the beginning of time. Friendship with the world means enmity with God (James 4:4). Check your own heart for a second. Are you a friend of God or of this world? The Bible is very clear that if you are a friend of this world, you are a bad guy in his story. We are to love God with ALL of our heart, soul, mind, and strength (Mark 12:30). There is no other love greater than Jesus. Demas reminds us of how easy it can be to fall away or to stray from the narrow road. Stay vigilant. Repent often. Choose the love of God above all else! This is the quality of a true hero of God!

by David Chadwick This next story speaks of two bad guys whose bad behavior was full of deceit. Ananias and Sapphira are our next two characters – whose story is found in Acts 5:1-11. In this part of God's story, the early church was growing. Booming even. There were miracles happening everywhere. God's Word was being proclaimed with power and might. New believers were coming to faith everywhere. A donation was given to the growing church by Barnabas. True to his name, as the consummate encourager, his gift was evidently quite large and generous. He received a great deal of thanks and acclaim from those around him. Two people in the church, Ananias and his wife Sapphira, must have been jealous of Barnabas and all the recognition he was given. So they, too, pretended to give a large gift. They lied. They postured as something they weren't in order to gain something they didn't have. I like to refer to this as rank hypocrisy. Peter called them out individually. When they were confronted with their sins, they both died. Immediately. Do you think it was a heart attack? A stroke? Could they have been overcome by the reality of their sins? We don't know what caused it. But they died on the spot. God hates duplicity. He despises hypocrisy. There is no place for these things in his church. Let your yes be yes and your no be no (Matthew 5:37). Choose to be people of conviction. Stand for what's true and honorable, excellent and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8). To put it bluntly, be real. Check your heart on a regular basis to see if there is anything grievous in you (Psalm 139:23-24). With Ananias and Sapphira, God would not have been concerned if they gave a small gift because that was all that they had. It was the lying that was the problem. The twisting, the manipulation, the discrepancy between who they were in public and private lacked the integrity God calls his people to walk in. The desire for acclaim. The Holy Spirit of truth, who was moving so powerfully in the church, would not put up with these sinful ways. It may feel harsh to say, but the God of the Bible will also not put up with our sinful ways! We must live in a continual posture of repentance so that the God of all truth can cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:8-9). Confessing our need for Jesus at the moment of salvation is just the first step in a lifetime of continual confession as we become refined more and more into the image and likeness of Jesus (2 Corinthians 3:18). Seek truth above all else! Jesus is THE way, THE truth, THE life (John 14:6). If he lives in us, then his truth should ooze from our innermost being. And hypocrisy melts away.