A Moment of Hope

by David Chadwick Everyone will fail at something at one point in their lives or another. In fact, Romans 3:23 says that we all have sinned and fall short of God's glory. If you are a human being, it's inevitable that you will mess up. The healthiest thing you can do is to come to grips with the fact that you will make many mistakes over the course of your life. So how do you handle failure? What do you do when you fall flat on your face? I would encourage you to follow these three simple steps: Admit it. Quit it. And forget it. Admit it. Own it! Be honest with yourself and other people. Don't deny a mistake that you have made. Instead, confess it and courageously bring your flaws into the light. If necessary, apologize to anyone who may have been hurt by your mistake. Quit it. Stop it! Did you know that the explanation for the word "repent" in the Bible means to stop it? Learn from your failure. Commit to not repeat the same mistake twice. Learn a lesson and do better the next time because of it. Once you admit your mistake and quit doing the thing that created the problem in the first place, forget it. Move on! Your mistake is now in the past, so you must leave it in the rearview mirror. Your past has passed. Move forward and do not let anything hinder God's purpose for your life. Every morning comes with a new opportunity to love and serve Jesus. He gives us new morning mercies each and every day (Lamentations 3:23). Deal with your sin. Admit when you are wrong. Stop behaving in a way that is contrary to God's Word. And then move on. Start off each day with a fresh slate. God wants us all to leave yesterday's failures behind! Admit it, quit it, and forget it. And start a new day! If you enjoyed today's Daily Moment of Hope and want to learn more, please visit our website by clicking here to request a free copy of It's How You Play the Game - The 12 Leadership Principles of Dean Smith by David Chadwick

by David Chadwick We have looked at some hidden heroes from the Bible this week. People who are probably not as known, but had a significant impact on the storyline of the Bible. But I want to wrap up this week with another couple of bad guys. These are two individuals who tried to thwart all of the good in God's story. Yet, in spite of their efforts, God was still able to work it out for his good. Zimri and Cozbi. Two bad guys who were enemies to God's heroes. Their story is found in Numbers 25. On the way to the Promised Land, the Midianites tried to entice the Israelites toward adultery and sexual infidelity. They began to worship the gods of Baal. Satan has known for all of time that if you can't destroy a nation from the outside, through invasion, then destroy them from within. Destroy their values. Morals. Principles. And that is exactly what the Midianite women did with the Israelite men. A man from Israel named Zimri and a woman from the Midianites named Cozbi openly flaunted their sin among the Israelites. They even went into Zimri's tent right next to the tabernacle, to sleep with one another. Phinehas, who had a zeal for God's holiness and righteousness, was so fed up with the open defilement against God's laws that he went in and killed them both. He was actually rewarded by God for his holy fervor with a perpetual priesthood because he practiced God's righteousness and holiness. I find it interesting that God openly named these two godless sinners. Don't let it shock you. All of our names are either written in God's book of life or not. Every name in the world is known by God. And those who sin without being forgiven by Jesus will have a public reading of their names one day in judgment. It's a sobering thought for all to consider! Is your name in the Lamb's book of life? Don't wait to surrender your life to Jesus. When he saves you, you become one of his favorites and as he writes your name in the Lamb's book of life, you are forever forgiven.

by David Chadwick Balaam's donkey is today's hidden hero. Yes, my hero today is an animal. This may make you laugh at first to think of a donkey as a hero, but you'll see why as we unfold the story. You will find the story of Balaam's donkey in Numbers 22 and 23. Balaam was a mighty and wealthy prophet who could pronounce blessings or curses. God told him not to prophesy a curse against Israel. When the king of the Midianites asked him to curse Israel, he, at first, refused to do so. But as the price of payment for the curse became higher and higher, he began to compromise his conviction. In the New Testament, Balaam is talked about in the books of Revelation and Jude. Here's the bottom line of Balaam's life: he loved money. As the Midianite king began to offer more and more money, Balaam became increasingly tempted to pronounce a curse against Israel. One time, as he was moving toward Israel to speak, his donkey kept moving off the road. The donkey saw an angel that forbade it from moving forward! Finally, Balaam hit the donkey because he couldn't understand what it was doing. The donkey spoke up to Balaam! Can you imagine? A talking donkey! It asked Balaam what in the world he was trying to do? Why was he hitting him, yes, but mostly wanted to know why he was disobeying God? The donkey's unusual actions halted Balaam…for a while. But ultimately, as the NT tells us, Balaam gave into temptation. After settling down and apparently enjoying the tidy sum of money the Midianites gave him for pronouncing the curse, the Israelites eventually killed him. What's the point? God can use anyone, yes, even a donkey to speak on his behalf! And sometimes the donkeys of this world, common lovers of Jesus, are smarter than our supposed superstar prophets! Make sure you speak God's truth about anything and everything you see in this evil, dark culture. God wants to use our voices. Human voices. To speak his warnings and truth. But remember: if you don't let him use you, God will happily use a donkey if he has to!

by David Chadwick Joshua and Caleb were a significant duo in the Bible. They are definitely more well known Biblical figures, but their daddies are two of my hidden heroes. Yesterday, we learned about Nun, who was Joshua's daddy. Today's hidden hero is Caleb's daddy: Jephunneh. Found in Numbers 32:12 and Joshua 14:6, Jephunneh is referred to as a Kenizzite. We don't know much about Jephunneh, but we do know a lot about his son, Caleb. There is a very good chance that someone who turned out as powerfully as Caleb probably had a very good dad. If you remember biblical history, Caleb and Joshua were the two spies who originally went into the Promised Land. Unlike the 10 other spies, the two of them came back with a good report. They spoke to how beautiful the land was and how God was bigger than the giants, the walled cities, and the challenges before them. Joshua and Caleb sought to instill faith in the people, challenging them to look at the size of their God, rather than the size of the giants. But the people failed to heed their exhortations. 40 years later, when the Israelites finally entered the Promised Land, Joshua led the people, but Caleb, at the age of 85 or so, chose his portion of the land. He chose the portion where the giants were the biggest and the fruit is the most luscious. Caleb's life is my favorite example in all of Scripture of someone who didn't retire, but refired. What an incredible message! God can use anyone at any age for his glory. At the age of 85, Caleb was still fighting and defeating God's giants. What faith! What courage! Where did it come from? I can't help but wonder if Jephunneh had a huge impact on the characteristics we see in Caleb's life. It is highly likely that he instilled a fortitude, a stamina, and a faith in Caleb that allowed him to remain strong in the Lord and to experience the Promised Land. A true hidden hero!

by David Chadwick Most people who have been Christians for any length of time have heard of David and Goliath. You've probably heard of Adam and Eve, too. How about Daniel? But what about the less common people? Have you ever heard of Nun? He's today's hidden hero. A lesser known figure who played a significant role in God's story. There are many hidden heroes in the Bible who are either overlooked or never even noticed. I love to find the lesser known figures and extrapolate the importance of their life in the story of God. Nun was Joshua's daddy. Found in 1 Chronicles 7:26-27, he was a man from the tribe of Ephraim. We don't know much about him, but we know a great deal about his son, Joshua. Joshua became Moses's successor. He led the Israelites from the wilderness to conquer the Promised Land. Joshua had a book of the Bible named after him and is most renowned for his declaration, "But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" (Joshua 24:15). Perhaps this generational legacy began with Nun, Joshua's daddy. While everyone knows about Joshua, I believe his father was the true hero. Joshua most certainly did not become such a mighty man in a vacuum. Nun must have been a wonderful father. And then Nun's father was named Elishama, who was probably also a God-fearing, wonderful man. Joshua's entire lineage shows the power of a family line whose men pass on their faith and unwavering commitment to the Lord from generation to generation. For those of you who are fathers, remember this: when you are raising your sons, you are probably raising your sons' sons! You are raising the generations to come! Be a great, Godly, and good dad. Who knows? Your grandson may have a significant role in God's story because of your faithfulness to your son.

by David Chadwick Hidden heroes. One of my favorite things to do is to search out people in the Bible who are less likely to be seen yet incredibly significant players in God's story. Our two hidden heroes today are Eldad and Medad. Who are they? They are found in the book of Numbers. Numbers 11:24-25 says that Moses gathered 70 elders from Israel's camp around the tent. The Lord came down and the Spirit rested on them and they received the ability to prophesy around the tabernacle. Evidently, Eldad and Medad started prophesying among the people inside the camp. Joshua spoke up and asked Moses to forbid the two of them from prophesying. It seems that Joshua wanted Moses to be the sole one who told the people the words of the Lord. But Moses responded saying that he loved to see the Spirit of the Lord resting on all his people that they might prophesy to one another. Some wonder if Eldad and Medad's prophecy was futuristic in nature, maybe a reference to a future victory that Israel would have over Gog and Magog. Could this be the Ezekiel 38-39 prophecy? Maybe so. Others believe this prophecy may have been referencing the fact that Joshua would succeed Moses. Regardless of the exactness of the prophecy, one thing is clear: Moses wanted more than just 70 elders prophesying in that camp. He clearly desired all to prophesy! I can't help but wonder, from a New Testament perspective, if this Old Testament story isn't a beautiful first glimpse at what would be one of Jesus's teachings found in John 10:27, where he taught that his sheep hear his voice, know him, and follow him. Clearly Jesus had a high value for his followers to learn to hear the voice of God. Then, in 1 Corinthians 14:5, Paul urged the New Testament church to not just hear the voice of God, but to accurately relay it to other people. To accurately discern what God may want another to hear. To give words of encouragement and life to other people through the power of his Spirit. I pray the bride of Christ learns to hear the voice of God and uses it to bless and encourage other people, whatever that looks like, for his glory alone!

by Marilynn Chadwick ...Continued from yesterday: How could I get my arms around such a huge nation as the Sudan? I decided to pray for a random man and called him "Sudan Sam." The Sudan now had a face. A door eventually opened for me to travel with a humanitarian coalition to deliver survival kits to women and children forced to flee their village near the Darfur region of Sudan. The suffering we encountered was unthinkable. Pastors told of the rape and torture of Christians; some had been crucified. Yet, for over two decades, the eyes of the world had been elsewhere. During the journey, my husband and I grew fond of our Sudanese interpreter. A survivor of the brutal war, Zaki was the son of the first Christian convert in the region. I casually mentioned I had been praying specifically for the Sudan and had even nicknamed someone "Sudan Sam." Zaki look startled and blurted, "That's me. I am Sudan Sam! My name is Zaki Samwiil" (Arabic for Samuel), he cried excitedly. "My father was also Samuel. There's a book about his life called Samwiil of Sudan!" Zaki and I practically laughed and cried. Suddenly, the earth seemed very small. How could God's love be so large as to inspire specific prayer for a specific man in such a remote region? Suddenly the practice of Christology was not just about having sound doctrine about Jesus—it meant walking as one guided by his Holy Spirit. "Zaki," I said quietly, "can you believe that halfway around the world, God alerted me to pray for you by name before we ever met?" We sensed the almost tangible presence of Christ that day, certain of God's deep love for us both. Did Jesus really make a spectacle of the defeated powers of darkness, "triumphing over them by the cross" (Colossians 2:15)? If we believe this is true, our prayers should have the winning edge. Paul exhorts us to pray in the Spirit of battle (Ephesians 6:18). A vibrant Christology empowers warrior-like prayers that move us boldly into forgotten and dangerous places. If we are listening to the Spirit of Jesus, he will invite us into the realm of missional living consistent with his own mission. "My food," he said, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work" (John 4:34 NIV). "As the father has sent me, so I send you" (John 20:21 NRSV). When the doctrine of Christology is practiced rightly, our prayer and our serving become inseparable. A healthy Christology affects everything about our life of faith. We pray with the mind of Christ. The things that break his heart break ours. A robust Christology also prods us to grow in faith and gratitude. We become a living witness to others who may be searching for the Jesus they have never known. Our Christology impacts our prayer life—which then empowers our serving—which then bears fruit for eternity. Redeemed humanity. It's what Jesus told us he wanted most. It's the reason for his suffering on the Cross and for his Resurrection. Is our practice of Christology a "So what?" or a "So that!"? Could a weak Christology be partially to blame for our sometimes-anemic results in prayer? Through prayer, God draws us near as dearly loved children. We become part of the "family mission"—fearlessly treading into the darkest of places. Jesus's mission is the scandal of the cross. But earth's messiness did not stop God, nor should it stop us. A part of today's Daily Moment of Hope is adapted from Sometimes He Whispers Sometimes He Roars by Marilynn Chadwick. To request a copy of this book, please click here.

by Marilynn Chadwick When we have a strong Christology, we pray as Jesus prayed and we serve as Jesus served. Prayer opens the door for our earthly assignments to the least and the lost. If we are praying as Jesus prayed and seeing the world through his eyes, we will naturally ask God to "break our heart for the very things that break his." This means we pray with a readiness for action. A well-developed Christology compels us to walk where Jesus walked and serve as Jesus served, all the while becoming conformed to his image (Rom 8:39). Jesus becomes our example for what "Spirit filled, and Spirit empowered ministry" ought to look like. Indwelled with his Holy Spirit, we follow in Jesus's footsteps. If we are praying as Jesus prayed, then "How do I pray?" becomes "What can I give?" and ultimately, "Where do I go?" We sense Christ's burdens; we search for ways to take up his cross. We trust the Holy Spirit to guide us in specific prayer. Strategic action often follows when we listen to the voice of Christ. The doctrine of the Incarnation, God in human flesh, reminds us of God's desire for intimacy with us. We are changed as we meditate on the identity of Christ—Jesus as a real person. We see his Jewishness, his location in first-century Palestine. Sometimes referred to as the "scandal of particularity," Jesus's identity reminds us that God's love is big enough to love humanity in very specific ways. God is with us and for us, and because he "reaches into our specificity," our prayers will move us into concrete actions. We are challenged to follow Jesus in loving the vulnerable, the humble, the "least of these" (Mat 25:40). After the events of 9/11, I was struck by my own lack of awareness of believers in vulnerable areas—more specifically, in the global persecuted church. One day, I was prompted to pray for the nation of Sudan after reading an article in our city's paper. I learned that Sudanese Christians had been targeted for extermination by their own government—for decades. The genocide had slaughtered over two-million citizens and displaced more than twice that many. An excerpt from my journal dated October 11, 2001, reads: Lord, I confess I have not travailed for your persecuted people worldwide. My view has been so narrow. The great suffering in the Sudan is staggering. Show me how to pray. How could I get my arms around such a huge nation as the Sudan? I decided to pray for a random man and called him "Sudan Sam." The Sudan now had a face. A door eventually opened for me to travel with a humanitarian coalition to deliver survival kits to women and children forced to flee their village near the Darfur region of Sudan. The suffering we encountered was unthinkable. Pastors told of the rape and torture of Christians; some had been crucified. Yet, for over two decades, the eyes of the world had been elsewhere. ...to be continued

by Marilynn Chadwick The doctrine of Christology is connected to how we pray, live, and serve. Prayer is a major means of nourishing and strengthening our relationship with God. We pray like Jesus prayed. A strong Christology also invites us to share Jesus's vision for the world. We see a lost and broken humanity as Jesus sees it. The focus of our prayers then becomes restoring people to the image of God. This means we pray through the eyes of love. Jesus's vision of love becomes our vision—for all Creation. Empowered by the indwelling Holy Spirit, we are prompted to pray for people as Jesus prayed for them. Following the example of Jesus, we fix our gaze on what is hidden deep within each person. As Christ's body, we're to speak prophetically, restore, redeem, and bring justice. When we pray, we consider others in the light of eternity. For this, we need supernatural wisdom, power, and love. Like John Wesley and others, we see salvation as "the restoration of the defaced image of God." The imago dei, or image of God, is present in men and women, Jew and Greek, black and white, saint and sinner. This image is "a gift," says Augustine; something we receive from Christ. Every human being from conception to death is created in the image of God, even when marred by sin. As we devote ourselves to a proper Christology, we will look at humanity as Jesus sees it. Might we also challenge our own assumptions about who can be transformed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ? With Jesus's vision, we pray with expectancy, certain that "God the Holy Spirit" is working to bring comfort, hope, healing, and deliverance, even in seemingly impossible situations. Our practice of Christology challenges us to trust in God's enormous power, always on the lookout for opportunities to celebrate his manifestations. We also begin to see ourselves as Jesus sees us—as dearly loved children of God. Julia of Norwich, an influential theologian and mystic from the 14th century, is said to have challenged others to imagine the enormous love of God. Norwich grasped a vision of our redemption through "the mercy and grace of our sweet, kind, and ever-loving...Jesus, feeding us not with milk but with himself, opening his side to us and claiming all our love" (Revelations of Divine Love). Julia's portrayal of Jesus was both kind and fierce—much like a "mama-bear" caring for her cubs. Just as the mother of Moses saw that he was a "beautiful child," risking her life to save her baby by defying the king's edict (Hebrews 11:23 ESV), Jesus "sees our beauty" even before we can see it for ourselves. He gave his own life that we may live. Such a tender image should encourage us to pray with even greater faith.

by Marilynn Chadwick A solid Christology is fundamental to our relationship with the triune God. A healthy Christology influences our prayer life in several ways. First, we pray as Jesus prayed, opening the door to an intimate friendship with our heavenly father. "Jesus as God" is affirmed by his unique relationship with the Father. Next, we pray to our Father. Only through Jesus can we call God "Father" (Matthew 6:9). When Jesus referred to God as "Father," he was speaking as "God the Son." Using an even more startling term, Jesus calls God "Abba," an Aramaic expression akin to "Daddy" (Mark 14:36). Because of Jesus, we are dearly loved children and may pray to God as our Father. "But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God" (John 1:12 NRSV). As we grow in our understanding of the work of Christ on the Cross, our prayers will grow in power. "The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective" (James 5:16 NIV). Christ's righteousness becomes our righteousness—the only solid ground for confidence in prayer. As we walk in a close and intimate friendship with Jesus, he challenges us to broaden the scope and specificity of our prayers. "If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you" (John 15:7). When Jesus prayed, things happened. Blind eyes were opened, the dead were raised, sinners were given new life. The disciples must have seen the connection because they asked Jesus to teach them how to pray (Luke 11:1). Jesus taught them to pray this way, "Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" (Mat 6:10). Solid Christology should give birth to world-changing prayers. Praying like Jesus means we will pray with others. Jesus encouraged communal prayer. He taught and modeled prayer as part of the worshiping community. With a robust Christology, we'll certainly pray to God in private. But we're also compelled to pray with others in God's family—to our Father (Mat 6:7). Jesus reminds us "where two or three are gathered," he is with us (Matthew 18:19). The gathering of believers saw the power of Pentecost break through while they prayed in the Upper Room together in one accord (Acts 1:8,14). John and Charles Wesley explored the spiritual connection between God's people on earth and those in heaven, the "surrounding cloud of witnesses" in Hebrews 12:1. They imagined our communal prayer might extend to heavenly realms in prayers of agreement with the Church triumphant. Thus, Charles Wesley penned these words to "Come Let Us Join our Friends Above" (1759): Come let us join our friends above That have obtained the prize, And on the eagle-wings of love To joy celestial rise; Let all the saints terrestrial sing With those to glory gone, For all the servants of our King In earth and heaven are one.

by Marilynn Chadwick Christology is one of three studies of the persons of the Trinity, the other two being Paterology, the study of God the Father, and Pneumatology, the study of the Holy Spirit. The Apostles Creed, with its affirmation of both the doctrine of the Trinity and strong Christology, was written in the second century to combat the rise of false teaching in the early church. The Doctrine of Christology can be defined as the study of the person, nature, and work of Jesus Christ. This week, we'll explore how our Christology, what we believe about Jesus, influences how we live out our Christian faith. But first, what is "proper" Christology? Creators of creeds and heretics alike have debated Christology for centuries. Sound Christology must be anchored in Scripture. Biblical Christology is consistent with the creeds of the church. Christology also informs our view of the Trinity and, more specifically, how we experience the person and character of Jesus. We look at the person and work of Jesus Christ from his pre-Incarnation existence to his Second Coming. When it comes to Christology, prayer is referred to by some as "primary theology." What we believe about Jesus Christ informs prayer, and prayer, in turn, influences how we walk in the world. Prayer is not simply a practice born out of a saving relationship with Jesus, but rather a means of getting to know him. Some theologians believe our current age's fuzzy image of Jesus is due to a lack of strong Christology. This, in turn, impedes our developing an intimate friendship with Jesus and weakens our witness. That's why it's important to have proper Christology which grounds us solidly in the identity of Christ. This gives us more reason to study God's Word and abide in Christ daily. A healthy Christology builds balanced, mature, and fruitful believers. The Incarnation, God in human flesh in Jesus Christ, is the centerpiece of our Christology and the defining event of Christian theology. Yet, the skepticism of modern historical biblical criticism has subjected the Incarnation to denial or even disbelief. The Apostle John recognized healthy Christology as the means of discerning false teachers in the first century: "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already" (1 John 4:1-3 ESV). Theologians in the early centuries of the church labored to formulate sound doctrinal statements on the person of Jesus Christ. This resulted in the creeds which affirmed Jesus as "fully God and fully man". We have these theologians and early church fathers to thank. Their work gave us the high Christology which became the foundation for orthodox theology through the centuries.

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

by Marilynn Chadwick We've seen how the "Doctrine of the Trinity" is a weapon against false teaching. Sound doctrine prepares believers to defend their faith. The doctrine of the Trinity is powerful and necessary because the teaching—and whatever we know of the Trinity—springs straight from God's Word. Its origins are revealed in Scripture, lived out in the Incarnate Christ, perpetuated, and poured out by the Holy Spirit into his bride, the church—you and me. We cultivate a "Trinitarian wisdom" through worship and the study of God's Word. Training believers in healthy doctrine has multiplication as its ultimate purpose. We grow stronger as we pour out to others that which we've received. A disciple is simply a "learner." The purpose of all discipleship is "to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ" (Ephesians 4:12-13 NRSV). Effective discipleship is based on biblical teaching. Theology, done rightly, is a study of Scripture. Christian Theology seeks to understand the God revealed in the Bible. It's the study of God's revelation of himself. Sound doctrine creates balanced believers (Titus 2:1; Eph. 4:14). Healthy teaching helps us stand strong against the lies of the enemy and the forces of culture which are contrary to Scripture. Mature disciples are not "tossed to and fro...by every wind of doctrine" (Ephesians 4:14 ESV). Sound doctrine, or "healthy teaching," equips believers to keep a sound mind even when the world around us seems to be losing theirs. We've seen how the major creeds of our faith were based on Scripture. Each one was written to combat a particular heresy. Since that fateful day in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve chose to be their own gods, there seems to be no end to the way humans get off track. When we seek our own wisdom instead of relying on God's truth, we are vulnerable to the enemy's lies. No wonder Scripture points us to the fear of the Lord as "the beginning of wisdom" (Proverbs 9:10 ESV). The doctrine of the Trinity increases our wisdom as we grow in our awe of God. Spiritual insight comes when we grapple with the mystery of the triune God. The Trinity is beyond our ability to comprehend. We must contemplate with humility—the only posture with which to approach the doctrine of the Trinity. Let's face it. False teaching can distort our thinking and make us sick, fearful, or anxious. Heresies such as Antinomianism or Gnosticism, both addressed in 2 Peter and Jude, often led to extreme license on one hand or harsh legalism on the other. Heresy does not create healthy saints. Simply put, the Trinity helps us know God better. In it we see the unity of the triune God—One God in Three Persons. The doctrine of the Trinity is found at the very center of the Gospel and is the greatest of all mysteries, one which theologians throughout the centuries have called the "fountain and origin of them all."

by Marilynn Chadwick God's work of salvation requires the interplay of all three Persons of the Trinity. The doctrine of the Trinity calls to mind the staggering wonders of our Creator. Through the lenses of the Trinity, we learn of God as Father. He is the Providential Creator and Savior in the Old Testament, as well as the Father of Jesus in the New Testament. Creation itself bears witness to the majesty of God as "Father and Origin" of our world and all worlds. The Trinity invites us to contemplate the magnitude of God's handiwork in the universe. For an example into the majesty of God as Creator, click here to view a stunning glimpse into space from NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day. "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse" (Romans 1:20 NIV). The Trinity also compels us to reflect upon the second Person, Jesus Christ. When Jesus referred to God as his "Father," he was speaking as "God the Son." In the Cross, we see God's enormous love—God on a cross—astounding! We must humbly contemplate the cost of God emptying himself. Jesus, "God the Son," assumed humanity's garb to suffer and die for our sins, making himself "nothing" and taking on the "nature of a servant, being made in human likeness...and obedient to death on a cross!" (Philippians 2:5-8). By calling him "Father," we see Jesus's relationship with God. He uses a startling term, calling God "Abba," an Aramaic expression akin to "Daddy" (Mark 14:36). It is only through Jesus that we can call God our Father. The Trinity refutes the argument that Jesus was simply the firstborn of equals. Jesus was the first of all who are raised from the dead, never to die again. But the Sonship of Jesus is superior to those who come after him because he is their Source. "But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God" (John 1:12 NRSV). Finally, the doctrine of the Trinity turns our attention to God the Holy Spirit—God at work in us, among us, around us, and through us. Walking in the Spirit means walking in the Trinity. The work the Holy Spirit accomplishes—the work of God—defines him as God. The principal work of the Holy Spirit is the confession of Jesus and to provide the way for a saving relationship with God. Our newly born relationship with God as our Father is made possible only because he gave his Son (John 3:16) and sent the Holy Spirit into our hearts (Galatians 4:6). Paul referred to this relationship as the "Spirit of adoption" (Romans 8:15). Perhaps this explains John Wesley's Aldersgate experience, after which he is said to have gone from "the faith of a slave to faith of a son." Those who accept Jesus as Savior are immediately brought into this same wondrous intimacy with the triune Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

by Marilynn Chadwick Many religious groups, including Jehovah's witnesses, Jews, Mormons, Unitarians, and others deny the existence of the Trinity. A dear friend used to be a devout Muslim. She tells the story of how she finally gave her life to Christ after wrestling with the reality of the Trinity. She knew in her heart it had to be true. Another friend, now a Messianic Jew, was astounded to realize when she accepted Jesus that he lived "in her" in the form of the Holy Spirit, something she had never experienced as a Jew. The term "trinity" does not appear in Scripture, but the three persons of the Godhead are woven throughout the Bible. When he gave the Great Commission, Jesus made reference to the triune nature of God when he said to his disciples, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit..." (Matthew 28:18-20 ESV). A heresy can be defined as a departure from the teachings of Jesus and the core Christian doctrines as revealed in Scripture. We've seen how Paul warned about false teachers who crept into the early church (Acts 20:28-31). Peter and Jude also sound the alarm on false teachers who "secretly slipped in" and introduced "destructive heresies" (2 Peter 2:1-3; Jude 1:4). The historic creeds were written in response to heresies. A creed generally emphasized the beliefs which refuted the most dangerous errors at the time. For example, the Nicene Creed in the fourth century is emphatic in affirming the Deity of Christ, since it was directed against the Arians who denied that Christ was fully God. The Apostles' Creed, drawn up in the second century, emphasized the true humanity, including the material body, of Jesus, since that is the point the heretics of the time (Gnostics, Marcionites and others) denied. Gnostics thought orthodox Christians were wrong in their belief that God had taken human nature or a human body in the form of Jesus Christ. Like the Nicene Creed, the Apostles' Creed strongly affirms the doctrine of the Trinity. Thus, the Apostles' Creed is as follows: I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit; Born of the Virgin Mary; Suffered under Pontius Pilate; Was crucified, dead and buried; He descended into Hell; The third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven; And sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; From there He shall come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit; The Holy Christian Church, the Communion of Saints; The Forgiveness of sins; The Resurrection of the body; And the life everlasting. Amen. Some say "there are no new heresies under the sun." Early Christians wrestled with false teaching and the rise of heresies. The same creeds which have equipped believers throughout the centuries with sound doctrine can help us stand strong against the lies of the enemy today.

by Marilynn Chadwick We live in an age where false teaching is rampant. Cults, counterfeit religions, and even Satanism are on the rise. You might be surprised to learn that the early church also battled false teachers and heresies. Then, as now, sound doctrine is a powerful weapon against the lies of the enemy. Throughout Scripture, spiritual leaders are exhorted to "teach what accords with sound doctrine" (Titus 2:1 ESV). More than ever, believers need to know how to defend their faith. I used to think the term "sound doctrine" sounded rather uninteresting. That is, until I explored the original Greek words for the term. Sound is hygiene, or "healthy." Doctrine is didaskia, or "teaching." Healthy teaching leads to a healthy mind. And who doesn't want a healthy mind? Moreover, sound doctrine equips believers for ministry and brings us to maturity. Sound doctrine, or "healthy teaching," also gives us the essential guardrails "so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes" (Ephesians 4:14). Our age is dark and getting darker. Many call this the "age of anxiety." It's marked by confusion about everything from truth to identity. No longer is our culture defined by a commonly accepted moral framework. Rebellion is rampant, giving rise to tremendous spiritual warfare. This provides fertile ground for heresy, or denial of the core doctrines of biblical Christianity. Paul issued this sober warning about false teachers to spiritual leaders in the New Testament church at Ephesus: "Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears" (Acts 20:28-31 NIV). Throughout Scripture, sound doctrine prepares believers for spiritual warfare. As my WWII submarine veteran daddy likes to say, "The best way to avoid a war is to prepare for it." One important weapon of combat to prepare us for war is the "Doctrine of the Trinity." Simply put, the Trinity helps us know God better. In it we see the unity of the triune God—One God in Three Persons. The Trinity also helps us understand realities behind the name of God—"God the Father," "God the Son," and "God the Holy Spirit." Famous 13th century theologian, Thomas Aquinas, believed the name "God" referred to the whole of the Trinity. So, when we pray, we are praying to the Trinity. When we worship, we are worshiping the Trinity. When we witness, we are animated by the Trinity. Our major creeds were written to refute heresy. All affirm the Trinity. Tomorrow, we'll learn about a second century creed written to combat false teaching in the early church.

by David Chadwick Jesus's return is imminent. Therefore, we must "be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might" (Ephesians 6:10). As we learn to wait well for our soon and coming King, we must pray and praise, love our neighbors, be self-controlled and sober-minded, live excitedly and expectantly. And finally, today's tip, we must share Jesus! We must never be ashamed of sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ (Romans 1:16). It is the power of God for complete and total life transformation. The hope of the world is not found in a political party or candidate, but only in a relationship with Jesus. The message we carry as followers of Jesus is the hope of the world! Yes, the gospel is about knowing our utter depravity and sinfulness (Romans 3:23). And our eternal destination is eternal separation from God if we don't receive forgiveness. But it is also about knowing Jesus's enormous grace and forgiveness that gives us the gift of eternal life (Romans 6:23). We share this gospel with others knowing that we are in sales and God is in management. It's not optional but a command from the one who died for us (Matthew 28:19). As we respond in obedience to make disciples of Jesus, he promises we will receive power through the Holy Spirit to be his witnesses to the end of the earth (Acts 1:8). Sharing Jesus is not as complicated as some people have made it out to be. It's really about sharing your story. How Jesus changed you. People can try to argue the gospel, but they can't argue your life change. Read the story of the blind man in John 9. He could easily conclude that Jesus was the Messiah because of his own story. He was blind, but now could see! And that's what he shared with others. When Jesus returns, let him find you sharing the gospel with someone who doesn't know him. It's a command, not optional. Then watch his smile increase as he says to you, "Well done!"

by David Chadwick How to wait well. It's something we all must learn when Jesus becomes the Lord of our lives. I believe as we cultivate strength in our ability to wait well, we are developing eternal qualities as we await our soon and coming Savior. Today, I want to urge you to learn to wait excitedly and expectantly! These are two adverbs that should describe our attitudes toward Jesus's Second Coming. Jesus is coming back! We must all turn our gaze toward heaven and prioritize the skill of learning how to wait well for our soon and coming King. Be excited! Why? Because when Jesus returns, he will usher in a brand new kingdom. His kingdom is unshakeable (Hebrews 12:28). It will be a place where all things will be made new. All means all! Every part of this broken, selfish, polluted world will be made new. We will live in a sinless world! And live forever. "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore…" (Revelation 21:4). No more enemies! No more death! No more pain! No more heartbreak! No more betrayal! Doesn't that excite you? Be excited. But also be expectant. Jesus's return could happen any day now. Any moment. The early church theologians called it the doctrine of immanence. It will happen in the twinkling of an eye (1 Corinthians 15:52). We should say every day, "Yes, Lord, I'm ready. If you come today, I'm ready." And I believe with all my heart that Jesus will be excited and expectant to meet you as well! His bride. The one he loves with all of his heart. The object of his affection. The reason he endured death on a cross (Philippians 2:8). As he greets you, I'm sure he will say to those who have placed their trust in him, "Well done!"

by David Chadwick In order to wait well, we must practice. We must strengthen the muscles that our flesh would tend to let atrophy—especially our minds. As we crucify our flesh and feed our spirits, we will become stronger and stronger. Here is today's tip for how to wait well: Be self-controlled and sober-minded. This is a clear command from God's Word, found in 1 Peter 4:7. It starts off by saying, "The end of all things is at hand…" Then comes this command, "Therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers." I would say that's a pretty strong warning for the end of the age. The definition of these two terms, self-controlled and sober-minded, are obvious, but let us look a bit deeper beyond what is seen at first glance. Self-controlled. Self! Controlled. You control yourself. Your decisions. Your choices. You are not under the authority of anyone or anything other than the Holy Spirit. You are able to guard your tongue, guard your eyes, discern correctly, and live righteously. Sober-minded. A sober mind. You aren't under the influence of any drug or alcohol. You guard your mind. You are free from addiction altogether. No pornography. No substance. No power can cause your mind to become intoxicated toward Satan's wiles. In the name of Jesus, I am here to remind you today that any addiction that has bound you and placed you in prison has no power over you. YOU ARE FREE! The enemy doesn't control you. Nor do the lusts of your flesh. If you are in Christ you are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17) and it is now the Spirit who guides you to make right decisions under his power. But we must choose to live this way. After all, we are the sum of all our life choices. Did you notice, too, how whatever is chosen is directly connected with our prayer life? May Jesus find you under his control and power when he returns. "Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh" (Galatians 5:16). Then you will surely hear him say, "Well done!"

by David Chadwick Such a simple concept that requires tremendous patience. Loving your neighbor is a skill that, if developed, will strengthen your ability to wait well. It helps you to become long-suffering. Many don't realize that this is an Old Testament command from Leviticus 19:18. God instructed his people to live as a different kind of people in his Promised Land. He urged his people toward loving one another. Jesus seized further upon this idea in Mark 12:30-31, where he urged his followers to love God first and then to love our neighbor. Did you know that one of the greatest ways we can show love for our God is to love those whom he loves the most? He created mankind in his image and in spite of the flaws of humanity, God still loves us (John 3:16). My dad was once asked by a friend how he could best thank my dad for doing all that he had done to help this man know Jesus. My dad simply responded, "Express love to one of my kids." This man did---to me! He gifted me with a new suit that I was able to take to college! How grateful I was for the kind gift he bestowed upon me. He showed love to my dad by showing love to his son. Who is your neighbor? When asked this question, Jesus essentially said, "Yes!" The entire world is desperately in need of encountering the true love of the Father. So, as you love the person next door by making a visit or fixing a meal, when you send a financial gift to help alleviate suffering worldwide, as you display an act of love to someone, guess what? You are loving your neighbor! When Jesus returns, let him find you fully surrendered to him and wholeheartedly loving someone. Your neighbor. Your spouse. Your child. Your friend. Find someone to love and you will surely hear his, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

by David Chadwick In order to develop muscles in the gym, people have to weight train. The same holds true for our spiritual walks. We must spend time in the "wait" room in order to learn to wait well. Waiting is a discipline that every follower of Jesus must learn to cultivate, especially as it pertains to us waiting for Jesus's return. I want to give you some tips as to how you can "wait train" and become stronger in the Lord as you develop eternal attributes. Until the day when we will see Jesus's glorious return, we are to wait with great faith, hope, joy, and peace. Pray and praise. That is today's focus. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says that we should pray without ceasing. Because the Holy Spirit lives in us, allowing us to be connected to God, we can pray all the time. As we drive. While we work. At the park with our kids. On a walk in the neighborhood. Because of Jesus, if you choose to follow him, you can constantly lift up your needs and other people's needs. It's a continual conversation, day by day, minute by minute. Jesus taught his disciples to pray because he knew it would forge muscles in their inner selves that would allow them to stand in the hardest of situations. We, too, must learn to pray in the same way that he taught his disciples to pray. Philippians 4:4 says to praise, "Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS!" In fact, Paul wanted to make sure that we really understood the power of praise so much that he said it a second time in the same verse, "Again I will say, rejoice." We thank God in and for all circumstances for he is working in them for our good and for his glory (1 Thessalonians 4:18). It's God's providence. He oversees all in this world. Combine prayer and praise throughout your day. If Jesus were to return right now, let him find you in prayer, praising him for all he has done and is doing. Jesus delights in having his kids partake in union life with him.

by Marilynn Chadwick Look Up! The personalized license plate on the car in front of me caught my eye. Look up! Two simple words, right out of Luke's Gospel. Jesus was reminding his followers to pay close attention to the signs of the times. "So when all these things begin to happen," he explained, "stand and look up, for your salvation is near!" (Luke 21:28 NLT). Believers all over the world celebrate a risen Savior. But there's more to the story. He is coming back. As Christians, we are encouraged to continually watch for signs of God through his Word and his work all around us. To be alert to his imprint on world events—God's big picture. But Jesus also wants us to be watching for his return. It's vitally important that we be alert. But we should never become so fascinated with the "end times" that we simply cling to our sanity while waiting for Jesus to rescue us from this messy world. Surely, we were made for more. What does it look like to be ready for Jesus's return? Let's consider the instructions to the church in 1 Peter. These believers were fiercely persecuted. They were always in danger of getting killed so they had plenty to worry about. These early Christians lived in what theologians refer to as "imminence." They lived in a continual readiness for Jesus's soon return. Peter reminds them to live with the end in mind. But he doesn't tell them to become obsessed with predictions, retreat to a survivalist community, stockpile their goods, or take up arms. He simply tells them to be ready for Jesus's return by living as faithful believers: "The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms" (1 Peter 4:7-10 NIV). Dear friends, while we wait for the return of our soon coming king, we are instructed to remain alert and watchful so we can pray. Prayer helps us stay connected to God. We're to love each other, forgiving one another and inviting others into our homes. We're to serve others and administer God's grace using the spiritual gifts and resources he's given to us. We're to share his Good News with the least and the lost at home and around the world. How should we keep watch for Jesus's return? By being faithful. We remain ready and stay steady by doing the same things we should be doing every day. We keep watch by doing God's will. Then when Jesus comes, he'll find us ready for his return. Come soon, Lord Jesus. Strengthen us so we may remain alert and watchful. And while we wait, may we be faithful to answer your call to a hurting and broken world.

by Marilynn Chadwick I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day (2 Timothy 1:12 NKJV). When our children were small, I taught them a practical lesson in prayer using what I called the "Secret Mailbox Club." I made a mailbox out of construction paper and encouraged the children to write out their secret prayers on a piece of paper. We sealed them in an envelope, put the prayer requests in the mailbox, and raised the flag. "Now let's go about our day, trusting God to answer our prayers in his time." The children would be surprised to discover later that some of their prayers had been answered while they weren't looking. I explained that our little mailbox game was similar to mailing a real letter. "When I put a letter in our mailbox, I've done my part, right?" "I have to trust the United States Postal Service to deliver my mail to the right place. So I raise the flag and walk away." I added, "Wouldn't it be silly for me to camp beside the mailbox anxiously waiting for the response to my letter?" When we pray to God, we've done our part by giving him our request. The Bible says it this way: "Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this" (Psalm 37:5 NIV). "Genuine faith hands its circumstances over to God, allowing him to work. He will never work until we commit" (from Streams in the Desert). There are times when genuine faith means we pray and walk away. I have learned that sometimes, when I am gripped by a really big problem, the best way I can show God I trust him is to pray and walk away from the problem. I'm talking about those painful and stubborn problems which, short of a miracle, are not going away. I battled with infertility for many years before God answered our prayers for children. Perhaps you're wrestling with a debilitating disease, a rocky marriage, an unpleasant job situation, financial hardship, or a wayward child. We may have confidence that God is working in these troublesome situations. But if we watch too closely, we can get discouraged by the sheer magnitude of the problem and the slowness of the answer. That's when it helps to put that prayer in the "Secret Mailbox" and walk away. I discovered there are lots of ways to find joy while our prayers are in the "Secret Mailbox" awaiting God's perfect timing: Learn something new or start a hobby. Grow in your knowledge of God's Word. Experience a mission trip. Further your education. Work on your eating or exercise habits. Clean out the clutter in your home and give things away. Explore your life's calling. Take time for fun and laughter. Serve those who are hurting worse than you are. Over the years, I've found that some of the largest prayers, my "big asks," have been answered in the most surprising ways while I was not watching!

by Marilynn Chadwick Don't worry about anything. Instead, pray about everything (Philippians 4:6 NLT). How many times on any given day are you tempted to lose your patience? If you're like me, the answer is plenty. Next time a petty problem causes you to unravel, I challenge you to pause. Try to wait for three minutes before you allow yourself to become anxious. Time yourself, if necessary, but stay calm. Just for three minutes. Then see what happens. I'm amazed at how many of life's little whirlwinds clear up in three minutes! My kids used to call this "Mom's three-minute rule." It's the minor irritations that quickly steal our joy. It's the "little foxes," marriage counselors will tell you, that nibble away at our marriages. And it's the trifling annoyances that rob our daily calm. What if we stood up to the enemy and said, "No! I will not surrender my peace of mind." I may not be able to keep my cool forever, but surely, I can wait for three minutes! Especially if I remember to turn the matter over to God through prayer. "Cast all your anxieties on him because he cares for you," we're reminded in 1 Peter 5:7. But casting your anxieties, I've learned, takes a bit of spiritual muscle. Daily life gives me plenty of chances to practice. That incredibly long line at the register. The traffic light that takes forever to change when I am already late for an appointment. Lost keys. Or my irresistible urge to snap at my husband or kids. Could I wait just three minutes before I react? And breathe a quick prayer for God's peace? So much the better. Those we love are watching to see how we navigate life's inevitable anxieties. I was reminded of this many years ago when driving one of our children across town to a birthday party. We were running late. Of course I hit every stop light. Then, just as things were looking up, I got stuck at a railroad crossing. I was exasperated by this ridiculously long train. My impatience showed. "Hey mom," quipped my son. "What happened to your three-minute rule?" I stopped. Took a deep breath and said, "OK, let's time this train, (Mr. Smarty Pants)." So, we did. And you know what? The train took forever, or so it seemed. But just as the caboose whooshed by, the three-minute mark passed on my dashboard clock. Exactly. Three minutes. To the second. Next time you feel your blood boil, take a deep breath. Think. Pray. Respond, don't react. And wait three minutes. Guard your heart...and your peace. And save all that energy for the really big battles in life.

by Marilynn Chadwick While waiting for answers to my prayers for a baby, I found that simple daily disciplines were somehow connected to hope. Small habits often lead to big dreams. And big dreams can have a wider reach than we can possibly imagine. Navy Admiral and former SEAL William H. McRaven challenged graduates at the University of Texas to realize how simple, daily habits can have world changing impact. "Changing the world can happen anywhere and anyone can do it," he said. "But change starts with small actions. Every morning, we were required to make our bed to perfection. It seemed a little ridiculous at the time, particularly in light of the fact that we were aspiring to be real warriors, tough battle-hardened SEALS—but the wisdom of this simple act has been proven to me many times over. If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another. By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little things in life matter." His advice to the graduates? "If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed." During my years of infertility, I grappled with the long time spent "waiting." I wonder how I would have responded if I could have fast-forwarded my life's video for a glimpse of my three wonderful now-grown children? And ten grandchildren. If I had known the outcome in advance, I might never have learned to draw meaning from the ordinary moments along the way. And I might have missed the life lessons and little habits I learned during my season of waiting. Today, I have practically forgotten the pain of wondering if I'd ever be a mom. I walk around every day like these amazing miracles are, well, ordinary. And in his kindness, I think this is just how God intended it. The miracles are awesome, wonderful, corroborated by medical science. But they seem comfortable. The daily adventure of taking my worries to God and watching for the answers has given a touch of wonder to my days. Ordinary? Yes, but with a bit of bling. I've come to believe seasons of waiting are not wasted. These and other lessons are still part of my days even now. I wait differently because I really do believe in miracles. "Wait training" has taught me that hope counts. Faith works, and with love, anything is possible. Miracles are for real. And I really do believe I can change the world. But first, I think I'll go make up my bed.

by Marilynn Chadwick During my hardest days of waiting for a baby, there were certain friends who breathed fresh faith into my soul just when I wanted to quit. It's humbling to realize how much you depend on others. I've never liked being the needy one, much preferring to be the rock that others lean on. A Marine friend is one of those strong types. He saw lots of combat duty in Iraq and shared a lesson I'll never forget. "When danger hits," he explained, "I'm trained to run toward the danger. But my second response is to look around for my men." "So that you can protect them?" I asked. "No," he said firmly. "I look around for my men because I know I cannot do this mission by myself." Suffering humbled me. And so I let myself lean on and even into the strength of friends. They listened, cried, prayed, and waited with hope, daring to believe with me that God was greater than my prognosis. I knew I couldn't do this by myself. Marriages can dry up during a long trial like ours. Somehow, ours grew stronger. David and I learned the delicate dance of knowing when to be strong for the other and when it was ok to fall apart. Sometimes, falling apart together was all we could muster. I'm sure it was in those moments we forged our strongest bonds. Months became years, and by the end of the fourth year, waiting had become a way of life. I hovered between my dream and the dailiness of living well in the moment. I wanted my life to count. While working on my master's in counseling, I spent time in vulnerable communities. My practical work and internship were mostly among the poor. Serving those hurting worse than I was turned out to be a surprising form of "self-help." I spent months working with young women caught in crisis pregnancies. An infertile woman desperate for a baby working with women who didn't want to be pregnant? An odd assignment, but it was strangely healing. I used to joke that I was like a recovering alcoholic serving drinks at a bar. I was surrounded by that which I could not have. Some say we should live to give. I discovered that I could give to live. And the mysterious alchemy of serving always worked its magic on my soul. Again and again, I would say to God, "I'm entrusting my 'business' into your hands while I put my hands to work on your business." Fighting forward turned out to be the healing, comforting "drug of choice" that brought relief, filling my empty places while I waited for my own dream.

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.