Soles For Souls & Walking The Cross in Oildale

Slipped on my walking shoes this morning, took a few steps...and flop. The sole of my left shoe almost fell off. Another pair of quality walking shoes has given way to the sidewalks and streets. Oh well, "soles for souls"! Put on my newer shoes and headed for north Bakersfield. These aren't tried and tested shoes, so hope I don't get any blisters. This will be almost a 12-mile perimeter walk with a 60-pound cross.

The cross walk throughout Oildale (north Bakersfield) is always one of my favorites. Storefront churches line North Chester Avenue. Men without shirts and women toting little ones dot this area, so I get to speak with many people about God's endless love for them. They listen!

The community most certainly has a major drug problem. And poverty looms tall. But the people of Oildale are friendly to the cross man...and they are not ashamed to ask for prayer. They come out of their homes, out of their worksites, out of their small churches...and ask for prayer--either for themselves or for a loved one or close friend.

As I approach the huge Sheriff's Facility on Norris Road, I can't help but wonder how many of these lawmen need prayer, not only on the job but in their homes and private lives as well. How many of these men and women need Jesus! Hoisting the large cross upright at the main entrance, I pray for the salvation of each and every one of them, asking God to send His Spirit of revival into their hearts and bring them all to Jesus.

Methamphetamine looms large in north Bakersfield, so I also pray against this and other drugs, asking God to destroy the drug's power and influence in the lives of drug addicts and drug users. Horns honk and cars pass by swiftly, the drivers' way of saying "Amen" to my prayers.

God's Plus Sign, the cross, wins again! Tears of repentance fall, wounded and broken hearts are healed, people's faces light up, and once again, the devil slithers away in defeat...only to return later, when weakness returns, when depression comes back, when frustration makes its rounds again, and when night falls. But the Word of God is true:

For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth, and making the ground bear seed and sprout...so shall My Word be which goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it. --Isaiah 55:10-11

Soles for souls! Sweat for souls. Blood and blisters for souls. Amen, and amen.

Soul Wars, Hyperfaith And Shield Generators

In George Lucas' Star Wars episodes, deflector shields, particle shields and shield generators either wrap space vessels in a protective screen of energy that blocks or repels incoming attacks or absorbs the kinetic energy from direct and indirect hits. Han Solo's modified Millennium Falcon lightspeed freighter is equipped with a hyperdrive transport nearly twice as fast as any Imperial warship, and sports a military-grade deflector-shield system.

In the real world, the ability to travel many times faster than the speed of light and shroud battleships and fighter planes in protective particle shields doesn't exist. For the Christian, however, God has provided a very real and genuine spiritual shield generator which wraps our shield of faith in a protective screen of "dunamis" energy, and which is capable of blocking or repelling Satan's most destructive fiery darts and projectiles. Dunamis (English, dynamite) is one of the Greek words in the Bible used to describe God's creative and awesome power.

This divine and unique shield generator is described in Galatians 5:6:

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.

The Greek word used for "working" is energeo, of which our English word energy is derived from. "Love" is agape, God's unique word used to denote His love for humanity. In the above verse, agape-love is revealed as the divine generator that energizes and empowers our faith. In a true sense, agape-love wraps our shield of faith in a protective shroud of dunamis, or dynamic, power, which is more than capable of blocking or repelling the fiery darts of the devil.

According to the above verse and its adjoining text, agape-love is the only "force" which can produce a faith capable of pleasing God. This powerful shield generator--agape-love--will also produce a powerful faith in our lives. A  powerful faith is capable of effectively resisting Satan and winning souls to the Lord. May this genuine Force be with you each and every day.

The 3:16s Of The Bible

John 3:16.
We are all familiar with John 3:16. Martin Luther called this verse "The Miniature Gospel," which it is. This beloved verse speaks of God's agape-love in Christ for all the people of the world. But there are many other 3:16 verses scattered throughout both the Old and New Testaments that wonderfully and vividly display God's concern for His creations.

Matthew 3:16, Mark 3:16, and Luke 3:16.
In Matthew 3:16 Jesus is baptized in water and with the Holy Spirit, and receives witness from God the Father as to who He really is. In Mark 3:16 Simon receives a new name, Peter (little stone), from the Savior, signifying a new beginning in  his life. In Luke 3:16 Jesus Christ is declared to be the Baptizer with the Holy Spirit and with fire by John the Baptist.

Acts 3:16, 1 Corinthians 3:16, 2 Corinthians 3:16 and Galatians 3:16.
In Acts 3:16, a declaration that Jesus' name through faith in His name provides physical, mental and spiritual healing, health and help. 1 Corinthians 3:6 informs believers that our body is the temple of the living God.  2 Corinthians 3:16 reveals that when an individual turns to the Lord  Jesus, the mental veil that kept him or her from understanding the spiritual things of God is taken away.

Many More Great 3:16 Scriptures in the Bible.
Check out Ephesians 3:16, Colossians 3:16, 2 Thessalonians 3:16, 1 Timothy 3:16 (great), 2 Timothy 3:16 (great, too), 1 John 3:16 (similar to John 3:16), and Revelation 3:16. See what you discover. And don't forget to thumb through the Old Testament and let those 3:16s encourage you as well.

The Victory of God's 3:16s.
I have found that no matter the struggle, race or conflict, when I enter God's Word into that struggle, that race or that conflict, It will always win when given the opportunity to compete. I have also found out that when I encourage other believers to read the 3:16s of the Bible, when I return and talk with them, they share that a particular  3:16 Scripture really ministered to them in their time of need. Glory to the King.

The Fruit Of The Spirit Versus The Forbidden Fruit Of Genesis 2 and Galatians 5

Fruit Of The Spirit.
Galatians 5 lists the nine fruit of the Spirit--love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. This is not the forbidden fruit mentioned by God in Genesis 2. The fruit of the Spirit is the spiritual food God wants His children to eat on a continuing basis. This is the Christian's essential spiritual food supply.

Forbidden Fruit Of The World.
Though not listed by God in Genesis 2, Galatians 5 does list 15 forbidden fruit that God wants His people  to forgo--immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery (Greek word means drug use and drug poisoning), and so forth. Alas, we often partake of this fruit, don't we? But God's will is that His followers steer clear of this forbidden fruit (aka, works of the flesh).

Four Degrees Of Fruit Bearing.
It is ironic that God calls upon His people to produce the fruit of the Spirit in their lives. In John 15, Jesus Christ shares that there are four degrees of fruit-bearing: (1) no fruit; (2) some fruit. (3) more fruit; and (4) much fruit. Concerning this fruit of the Spirit, Jesus declared: "By this [fruit-bearing] is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and thus prove to be My disciples" (John 15:11, emphasis added).

How To Produce Much Fruit.
There's only one way to produce spiritual fruit in our lives. Jesus said that we must abide (remain, stay, continue, and grow) in Him. This is also in the 15th chapter of John. Today, read John 15 and Galatians 5 with new hunger and desire to grow in Christ.

SET FREE BY A GREATER LAW

Why Birds Can Fly.
A bird can fly because it has a greater law working on its behalf to overcome the persistent nonstop, downward tug of the law of gravity. The force that can overcome the law of gravity is the law of aerodynamics. But if that bird  is wounded or weakened, the law of gravity will be stronger than the law of aerodynamics--and the miracle of flight will be temporarily or permanently ceased.

Why Believers Can Fly.
The Christian can both deny and defy sin because he or she has a greater law working on his or her behalf to overcome the tenacious, perpetual downward tug of what the Bible calls "the law of sin and death." The force that can overcome this law of sin and death is "the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus." But if that believer is wounded or weakened in his or her faith, the law of sin and death will be stronger than the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus--and the miracle of new life can be temporarily or chronically disabled.

There is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set me free from the law of sin and death. --Romans 8:1-2

Pump It Up For Jesus!

Believers are encouraged to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might by taking up and putting on the armor and the armaments of God (Ephesians 6:10-18). As a cross walker, I find that each day I must put on and take up this supernatural panoply of God each and every time I walk the 10-foot, 60-pound cross  throughout a neighborhood, a community or a city.

I also find that I must eat the fruit of the Spirit as well!

This fruit is listed in the fifth chapter of Galatians. Both the armor of God and the fruit of the Spirit are essential battle and combat gear for this cross walker. The armor protects me from the constant onslaught of the enemy as I walk the cross throughout residential, commercial and/or business streets. The fruit makes sure I have the right attitude in Christ as I walk up to and speak with men, women and children.

Psalm 18:39 declares: "You have armed me with strength for the battle." Fully armed with the panoply of God and the fruit of the Spirit, I am able to present the cross of Jesus as God's Plus Sign to every men, women and child. Glory to the king.