The Peace of God

Recently some big decisions have come to me. In a recent

prayer request I talked about the "peace" of God being my wife and I's plumb line. This came up when we were talking about how to proceed with our decision making. We talked about the things at hand and we both came to the point that we said "I have peace about this." It was then that I told her that from this point on we need to let the "peace" of God be our guide. Because we know in Isa_9:6 that Jesus is called the "Prince of Peace." We also know from 1Co_14:33 that Jesus is the author of peace. We can also look and see that peace was, and is used as a tool in the kingdom of God. Just look in Luk_10:5-6 where Jesus tells us to set our peace on a house, and if it does not return then we should stay there. How is this possible? Well we know that when Jesus told us that He was going to give us the Holy Spirit, He also said that He is leaving His peace with us Joh_14:27. Finally we also know the good old fruit of the Spirit in Gal_5:22-23 where we see that peace is among that fruit.  So if my wife and I are planning to make a big move, or decision in faith we must let “peace” have its place. This brings us to the point I want to make. let us look at this verse:

Rom 8:6 NKJV  For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

And

Col 3:15 NKJV  And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.

Php 4:7 NKJV  and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

For me and my wife we have made the decision that we are going to get out of the Air Force in faith. We do this because we are no longer are our own, but we are a new creation in Christ Jesus. If that is true then we are (or should be) spiritually minded. We see in Rom_8:6 that living this way is "life and peace." What a guide? When we begin to make a step outside of God, there will be no peace there. For outside of God there is no Christ Jesus, and He is our peace! Outside of Him there is no life! He is our plumb line.

Finally in Col_3:15 & Php_4:7 we saw that encouragement to let the "peace of God rule your hearts..." This could no doubt be talked about in depth, and could be for many things. In fact most of what I am saying today could be for many thing. But here in light of all that we have seen what better way to live? To live in the Spirit, to have His fruit in our lives, to use the peace of God as a plumb line, and to let the peace of God "rule" our heart is more than just for us. It is an internal thing that God does in our life. Though it is internal, peace is one thing that others can see. Peace has this way to making itself known from the depths of our being. There we will also have a witness to others. Though we may seem crazy at times, because this peace is not of this world it is beyond understanding Php_4:7. And for that reason others will see and know that Christ Jesus is Lord of our life!

My question to you is this: What in your life (if anything) can you use a little “peace” of God in?

Also below my signature block you will see a list of scriptures that I used here today. Please take a look at those too. If any sticks out to you and you would like to talk about them than please share with us your thoughts.

Your Brother in Christ

Grace and Peace be with you

Nate Cook, Setting Captives Free Team Member

www.SettingCaptivesFree.com

And Jesus said to me:

Eze 3:10b-11a  "...Receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears, and go, get to the captives..."

Isa 9:6 NKJV  For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Luk 10:5-6 NKJV  But whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this house.'  (6)  And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you.

Joh 14:27 NKJV  Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Joh 20:21 NKJV  So Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you."

Rom 8:6 NKJV  For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

1Co 14:33 NKJV  For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.

Gal 5:22 NKJV  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

Col 3:15 NKJV  And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.

1Co 14:33 NKJV  For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.

Php 4:7 NKJV  and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

God's Babylon-Battle-Ax

I read this verse several days ago in my daily reading plan.

Jer 51:20 MSG  God says, "You, Babylon, are my hammer, my weapon of war. I'll use you to smash godless nations, use you to knock kingdoms to bits.

Jer 51:20 NKJV  "You are My battle-ax and weapons of war: For with you I will break the nation in pieces; With you I will destroy kingdoms;

If we read on we see many more things that this "battle-ax" or "Babylon" does in breaking things. As I pondered this verse many things came to mind but what really got me was this simple statement/question.

"God sometimes uses our Babylon to break us."

I cannot count the times I have spent asking God, "why did this____ happen?" or "how could You let this go on?" God in His infinite wisdom knew that part of me needed to be broken, off. And I was not willing to let it go, freely. It is said of Jesus:

Luk 20:18 NKJV  Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."

Jesus knows how to get people’s attention! And in His sure grace Jesus did not grind me to powder, but allowed me to fall upon Him to be broken! This means that there are those times that part of us needs to be "broken" off! And He uses our “Babylon” to do it. I truly believe that He give us more than enough time to work things out and make the right choices. Though there comes that time when He disciplines His children. For we know He chastens those whom He loves Heb_12:6.

To bring this back around to Jer_51:20 Sometimes in our rebelliousness God will allow our Babylon or worldliness to bring us to our knees. He allows this so that, that which needs to be broken from our life will be, and we will return to Him in true repentance!

Question 1. What "Babylon" did God use or is using to bring about a work in your life?

Your Brother in Christ

Grace and Peace be with you

Nate Cook, Setting Captives Free Team Member

www.SettingCaptivesFree.com

And Jesus said to me:

Eze 3:10b-11a  "...Receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears, and go, get to the captives..."

Words Like Our Lord's

Again I have written a few words for my fellow mentors, and would like to share then here. As we are all called to the kingdom and to minister in some sort of way. With that:

I have been reading a great Christian fiction book. The setting is in old Rome when they were overtaking many countries, and many people. They had overtaken Jews in all their cities, and homes. Where the story follows a little Jewish girl. Who in the end turns out to be a Christian. This was during the time when they would burn Christians as human torches in the arena for light. To keep this short what I really love about this book are the many little biblical references. The most recent was when an old lady was walking and talking with a fellow, when she told him the story of when she had heard her Lord speak. That she was in the crowd when He broke bread, gave thanks and fed the five thousand. I mean how amazing would that have been to be there on that day! Well this got me thinking about the life of the early Christian, and how it had to have been to be literally one of the only few that believed that Jesus is the Christ. To take it a step farther, to be one of those who heard Him preach!

Thinking about Jesus and Him preaching reminded me, He didn’t stay in one spot for long. We read over and over that He moved across a large bit of water, and back. That He went into this town and that... you get the idea. these people who heard Him and believed He was the Christ may or may not have ever really gotten the chance to hear Him personally again. Though I am sure that they talked among themselves, but all in all they probably only really heart Him preach once or twice. After such a message they chose to change their live, and believe He was the Christ. After such a message they lived their life based on what He said! WOW!!! One sermon and a life was changed!

How does this fit in with us today? Well let’s look at a few things. How did Jesus speak and do things that would change people’s life when only having one moment, or day with them? He tells us:

Joh 8:26 NKJV  I have many things to say and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I heard from Him."

Joh 8:28 NKJV  Then Jesus said to them, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.

Joh 8:38 NKJV  I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have seen with your father."

Joh 14:10 NKJV  Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.

We see it here, Jesus only Spoke what He heard the Father speak! How did He know these things? We know He often went away to pray by Himself. Jesus in all His ministry never failed to get away and spend time with His Father! He never failed to pray! He knew the Father, and the Father knew Him! So there lies point number one: Pray! Pray without ceasing 1Th_5:17

Jesus also said something else that we need to look at quickly:

Joh 14:26 NKJV  But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

The Holy Spirit! The Father has sent Him to you and me! So that we will have a "Helper" in the ministry. Where He will teach us all things we need to know, and do! And where He will "bring to remembrance all things" which Jesus said! Now that leads me to believe that we must know something of what Jesus said, right? How do we know what Jesus said? We read/study the bible. That is the written word of God! Here is the promise we have: That whatever bible/word we put into our hearts the Holy Spirit will bring to remembrance those things that you need to minister at the right time! So here lies point number two: Feast on His word! Feast on it daily!!!

Finally, we know that we are called to minister. For Jesus has given us the great commission Mar_16:15, Luk_24:47 So if we are to minister to others we have at least two things we need to be doing to prepare us, and assist us in that. Prayer, and feasting daily! Though if you are anything like me I at times am fearful of ministering to others. Most often it is not knowing what to say. I see the hurting and the needy but I do not know what to minster to their hearts. Well again Jesus has given us the promise of the Holy Spirit and His teachings!

Luk 12:12 NKJV  For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say."

See the Holy Spirit is always with us, and need not worry about how or what we will minister. For the Holy Spirit will teach us that very hour! This brings us to point number three: Listen, and obey! If we are seeking to pray without ceasing, feasting daily, then when the time comes to minister the Holy Spirit will teach us, and give us the very words we need! All we have to do is listen and learn!

Jesus spoke to all those around Him, and their life was changed. He spoke words that He had heard from the Father, and those words cut to the heart of the listeners. I want to follow my Lord in all things, and therefore I want to minister as He did. This comes from continual prayer, reading/studying His word, and listening with obedient action. Let this look into His word today be an encouragement to you, as you minister for our Lord too. You have been called, or you would not be here. So let me encourage you in your ministry. Do not worry about what you should say or do with your students, just trust! Trust that the Holy Spirit will lead you in all ways of ministry, and your words will be effective  Let this also flow out beyond our ministry here. Let this permeate all areas of your life. That you would be the one to bring the light into the world you live!

Your Brother in Christ

Grace and Peace be with you

Nate Cook, Setting Captives Free Team Member

www.SettingCaptivesFree.com

And Jesus said to me:

Eze 3:10b-11a  "...Receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears, and go, get to the captives..."

Be "Storytellers"

Today I want to look at something that caught my eye as I was reading to my son. Again it is from the Message version.

Mat 13:10-16 MSG  The disciples came up and asked, "Why do you tell stories?"  (11)  He replied, "You've been given insight into God's kingdom. You know how it works. Not everybody has this gift, this insight; it hasn't been given to them.  (12)  Whenever someone has a ready heart for this, the insights and understandings flow freely. But if there is no readiness, any trace of receptivity soon disappears.  (13)  That's why I tell stories: to create readiness, to nudge the people toward receptive insight. In their present state they can stare till doomsday and not see it, listen till they're blue in the face and not get it.  (14)  I don't want Isaiah's forecast repeated all over again: Your ears are open but you don't hear a thing. Your eyes are awake but you don't see a thing.  (15)  The people are blockheads! They stick their fingers in their ears so they won't have to listen; They screw their eyes shut so they won't have to look, so they won't have to deal with me face-to-face and let me heal them.  (16)  "But you have God-blessed eyes--eyes that see! And God-blessed ears--ears that hear!

This peaked my interest because yet again our Master, Jesus has shown us how to minister and witness to those around us. Many times I have found myself in a place that I am not sure how I should witness to a person. Take work for example. There are many guys who have "heard" or have been exposed to the "church" but yet they don’t believe. I always think to myself how I am going to share with them the great news of Christ. Several times I have just dove off and laid it on them. Though I am sure that if you have done that, you have seen similar result... a total flop... Well praise the Lord, Jesus has also given us yet another way to share the good news! It is right here in these passages (Mat 13:10-16). Jesus said He spoke to the multitudes in stories because they were not yet ready to receive the good news. So He spoke to them in stories so that He could "create readiness" in them. That in these stories He could nudge them ever so gently towards insight. WOW!!! To tell stories of the kingdom of God to prepare a person’s heart for the message of Jesus, that is simply amazing!

Now this even goes beyond witnessing to people who yet do not believe. This concept also goes into ministering to those within the Body. Take David, and Nathan (the prophet) for example. In the story of when David slept with Bathsheba (another man's wife), then had her husband killed by sending him to the front lines of battle, God got his attention through a "story." In 2 Sam 12:1-7 we see where God sends Nathan the prophet to speak to David. where Nathan begins to tell him a "story" that at the end of the story David says "As the LORD lives, the man who has done this shall surely die! " Through the story David's eyes were opened and he was given insight and understanding. One that would have a grave consequence. He was ready to execute judgment. That is when the Lord (through Nathan) said "(David) You are the man!" WOW! God through a story brought about the knowledge of sin in David. Through this, it lead to David's repentance and kept him in the graces of God.

I pray that God will create in me a "story-teller”. So that I may be an effect minister in His service. There are many ways to witness to people, and I have tried most of them. I am simply blessed that the Lord opened my eyes up through a "story" and added to my tool box of ministry. And in that He has sharpened my sword for the times that I must minister to a fellow believer.

I pray that we all will walk as "story-tellers!"

If you have any examples of you being a “story-teller” please feel free to share.

Your Brother in Christ

Grace and Peace be with you

Nate Cook, Setting Captives Free Team Member

www.SettingCaptivesFree.com

And Jesus said to me:

Eze 3:10b-11a  "...Receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears, and go, get to the captives..."

The Blood of Gethsemane

The other day I was in my own prayer time, and was lifting up a dear brother of mine. To keep things short there is much anxiety, and depression. It was while I was praying for him that this verse came to my mind:

Luk 22:44 NKJV  And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

Why was Jesus so distressed?... Lets maybe take a look at it from the side of being a man. He looked at what laid before Him and probably saw no hope. I mean the thought of being captured, mocked, spit upon, beaten, beaten again without mercy, made to drag his own cross, where He was then hung in full shame of all to see, even to the point where even God (the Father) had to turn away from looking at Him and at the sin Jesus had taken upon Himself (and had become) for Jesus even said “God why have you forsaken me?” (Mat_27:46), where the Father had to begin unleashing His full wrath and justice for our sins upon Him over and over again. until as Jesus said "it is finished" (Joh_19:30) where He then went into death.... oh how my measly words do not even capture what He did!!!

But looking at this it is clear that the future He saw while praying was grim. looking at verse 43 we see that even angels were sent to strengthen Him. If you were to take the average person and lay this "grim" future before them and say "walk it out, the entire world is counting on you" I am sure that they would feel many things. I for one would feel a sense of fear, anxiety, hopelessness, worry, defeat, maybe even depression. though I do not know all of what Jesus felt, I just know that whatever He felt, it put Him into enough distress, and agony that He began to "sweat great drops of blood."

Now with this in mind I want you to think about what blood mean in the Old Testament. In all the sacrifices, and offerings there was some type of bloods shed. Be it a dove, goat, lamb there was always bloodshed. That blood was the payment for what they were sacrificing for. We see the greatest payment of blood with Jesus and His work on the cross. And in that payment He atoned for our sins. (praise the Lord). So if blood is the payment for thing (biblically) then what did Jesus then pay for in the garden of Gethsemane?

Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane in that state of agony, distress, worry, abandonment, etc... bled and paid for the victory over it all! See Just as the payment on the cross pays for our sins, so Jesus also paid for all of our "worry" type emotions! He paid for fear, anxiety, hopelessness, worry, defeat, depression!!! How wonderful Jesus is that He did leave us to work out and grit our way through life and all the "downs" that come with it. NO!!! Jesus paid for the victory over our emotions when life gets tough. That is why we see this verse later on:

1Jn 4:18 NKJV  There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.

You see, Jesus always showed love, and in the garden of Gethsemane He started the journey of showing perfect love. For we know:

Joh 15:13 NKJV  Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.

So when Jesus started in Gethsemane the work of the cross He first had to deal with the "negative" emotions of man. He shed His blood there for the payment, and victory over these emotions. He dealt with them on His way to the cross. He dealt with them in His act of perfect love!

Even though He saw a "grim" future ahead of Him He did not give up! He pressed into the Father! He sought fellowship with believers, He prayed, and He remained obedient!!! He is our example of where to begin when the "negative" emotions of this world/flesh come. We must press into Him, for He is the payment and victory over them!

Any additional thoughts from you are welcome.

Your Brother in Christ

Grace and Peace be with you

Nate Cook, Setting Captives Free Team Member

www.SettingCaptivesFree.com

And Jesus said to me:

Eze 3:10b-11a  "...Receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears, and go, get to the captives..."

The Word to Stand...

To continue the thought on being tempted I would like to look again at just how Jesus defeated the devil and his temptations. So begin with me by looking at this verse:

Mat 4:4 NKJV  But He answered and said, "It is written, 'MAN SHALL NOT LIVE BY BREAD ALONE, BUT BY EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS FROM THE MOUTH OF GOD.' "

Jesus said that we cannot live by bread, but by every "word" that comes from the mouth of God. That "word" which Jesus used here is in Greek is "Rhema." Which literally means the "spoken word." So Jesus is saying here that we cannot live and bread alone by the "spoken words" of God.

Now what I find interesting is that here in the midst’s of an attack from the devil Jesus begins with the foundation of what He used to defeat the devil and his attacks. Jesus began with speaking the "Logos" or "written word" of God. Jesus is showing the pattern for defense, faith, and victory in this use of His words!

First let us look at how we stand strong in Jesus during an attack of temptations from the enemy. This would lead us to Ephesians Chapter 6. where we see our fight is not with flesh and blood, but is with our spiritual enemy. In this chapter (which I encourage you to read for yourself) we are shown the armor of God, and then we are shown our weapon to use in offence. Let us look at that here:

Eph 6:17 NKJV  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;

Our weapon in defense and offence is the "word" of God! Now interestingly enough this "word" again is the Greek word "Rhema." For our offence/defensive to be effective we must SPEAK the word of God!!! In Heb_4:12 we see that the "logos" written word of God is in fact our weapon and is able to be used in all situations . Let's take a look:

Heb 4:12 NKJV  For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

This is the example Jesus gave us! He spoke the Logos word of God making it again the Rhema word in the time of temptation! That is what we too must do! In the times of temptations we must speak the written word of God out loud (at least in an audible voice)!!! What does this do? When we speak out loud the Logos word of God we are in fact proclaiming His truths! In these proclamations we are squelching the lies of the enemy and standing firm in the truth of Jesus Christ! The truth is He has already obtained the victory over temptations, sin, and death! He has already secured us in salvation through His finished work on the cross!!!

So when Jesus said in Mat_4:4 that we cannot "live by bread alone" it was more than just eating. He was literally in a life or death fight. His life, and our lives were on the line. Just as this was the beginning and launching of His ministry it was also a turning point. If He had fallen then we too would be without "life" for we would die in our sins... So when we are tempted we too are in a life or death situation. For we know that sin leads to death, and temptations are the door way to sin... That is why Jesus said we "live by the 'word' of God." If we walked in defeat at every temptation, we would be walking in a life of active sin. That is a life of bondage Rom_6:16-23 and not a life in Christ! For we are truly set free from all sin and death when we live in Jesus! Therefore, for us to walk in life, and live through temptations we must rely on the Rhema word of God!!! For us to know the word (Logos) God we must study the word (Logos) of God. For us to "speak" the word (Rhema) of God we must know the word (Logos) of God!

This is why it is so important that we feast on God's word daily! Pop shots of reading here and there just doesn’t cut it. Let me encourage you here and now to set a deep resolve to read/study God's written word (the Bible) daily. Walking with Jesus (being a Christian) is more than a casual approach to life. NO! It is a new life!!! let us put aside the old ways, our old man, and put on Jesus! He is our new life! And if this is true then we must devote all of our ways unto Him! And if that is also true then taking the time to feast on His word will not be a burden to us but a joy. For Jesus said Mat 11:30 NKJV  For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."! We must give our all to Him and in return He gives His all to us!

Look at what Jesus says here in Matthew:

Mat 7:14 NKJV  Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

The message version says it even better:

Mat 7:14 MSG  The way to life--to God!--is vigorous and requires total attention.

So let us begin to walk our life in total devotion to Jesus! For His way truly requires our total attention!!! And when attacks or temptations come we can stand firm (Isa_40:3-4 Isa_42:16Isa_45:2) in faith knowing we are victorious in Jesus!!

Your Brother in Christ
Grace and Peace be with you
Nate Cook, Setting Captives Free Team Member
www.SettingCaptivesFree.com

And Jesus said to me:
Eze 3:10b-11a  "...Receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears, and go, get to the captives..."

The Devil's Test

The other day while I was reading to my son we began the book of Matthew. And again to keep things "spicy" I have been reading to him from the Message version. Well we made our way to Matthew Chapter 4. where Jesus is led by the Holy Spirit to begin His ministry. Where Jesus begins to walk out the creation of the New Covenant. Up until this point Jesus had done no acts as King and Savior of the world. Yes he as a young boy ministered to people. For He knew the scriptures from birth. But He had not yet begun walking in the fullness of His calling.

As I began the chapter it hit me. Just what the devil was trying to do.... Before I go on let’s take a look together at verse one.

Mat 4:1 MSG  Next Jesus was taken into the wild by the Spirit for the Test. The Devil was ready to give it.

Before Jesus could begin to carry out the creation of the New Covenant He had to pass the "Test." It was imperative that He pass this “Test” from the beginning. That is why the Holy Spirit sent Him! When I read this I was reminded of the last time God was in His creative mood. I was reminded of Adam and Eve. So let’s talk about them for a minute.

By all means take the time to go back and read the full story of God and how He made the world and man. But for now we will focus on what Adam and Eve had with God.

Gen 2:8-9 NKJV  The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed.  (9)  And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Gen 3:8a NKJV  And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day...

WOW!!! They were given the best of the best! They were the created image of the Godhead. And in that had unhindered access to God. For we see that God would walk and talk with them throughout the day. We also see that God often spoke with Adam. And in Gen 3:8a we see how it was a common thing to have God "walk" in the garden with them.... WOW!!!

Now in the garden they also had the "Tree of life." Though when the devil came to tempt them he used the "Tree of Knowledge" to trip them up. It is often said that if they would have eaten of that tree life they would have lived forever.

In this beginning the devil was also ready to "Test" what God had created. He was ready to bring a deception that would last into this age. The seeds of temptations are ever present from day to day. Each of our "forbidden fruit" may look different from each other, but the temptation nevertheless is still the same. We all know what temptation looks like. Though when I was in bondage to sexual sins I begin to say that I was "addicted" to porn. That’s about the same as saying "I am addicted to eating snow." Both are completely ridiculous. The truth of the matter is that when the devil came with his temptations I willingly bowed to them. why? because what Jeremiah said is true:

Jer 17:9 NKJV  "The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?

The depravity of my heart, my flesh was feasting in its own filth!!! There is no "addiction" in "temptation"!!!

So where does this leave us? How in the world are we to turn from temptations?... Yes, the answer is as simple as Jesus.

When the devil came to Jesus ready to give the "Test" again he came with a boldness as never before. For he had won in the beginning of the world, and with ever man since the first. He came with a fighting record of "mankind 100% knockouts with 0 losses." That is why Jesus had to begin His ministry there. That is why Jesus had to begin the creation of the New Covenant there. Jesus had to be the one to defeat the devil and his temptations!!!

Mat 4:11 MSG  The Test was over. The Devil left. And in his place, angels! Angels came and took care of Jesus' needs.

This is the first hope, and the first promise in Jesus! That in Him we can stand pure and holy and leave temptations when they come!!! Now notice how verse 11 says " the Test was over. The devil left." It is for this reason James says this:

Jas 4:7 NKJV  Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

We are told to "submit" to God for a reason. Because victory is found in Him! That victory is found in Jesus! For He from the beginning (of the New Covenant) defeated the devil! Turning to Jesus in the midst of temptation is how we "resist" the devil! This is same kind of "turning" that we learn at the beginning of our walk with Christ. For we must "repent" of our sins. That is a turning from them and turning to Jesus. So when we apply this "turning" from temptations of the devil will not only leave you he will "flee" from you!!! Why? Because when you turn away from him and his temptations and turn to Jesus the devil sees Jesus too and the victory He secured from the beginning!!!

It is why in Hebrews we are told this:

Heb 2:16-18 NKJV  For indeed He does not give aid to angels, but He does give aid to the seed of Abraham.  (17)  Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.  (18)  For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.

Jesus is able to "aid" us because He truly knows what it is like to be tempted! But more than that He truly knows how to defeat temptations! Though He comes to "aid" us, and not deliver us from temptations. We must do our part in the mix. We cannot sit back on the couch watching a scandalous show and say "God I am tempted right now, please take this temptation away." No, we have many biblical examples that teach us otherwise. We have looked at one already. In that we must turn from temptation and turn to Jesus. We also have another example from Genesis 39. When Joseph was tempted by the Pharos wife. He finally turned tail and ran! Again the biblical example to "turn" from temptations and run to Jesus! There are many biblical examples that show us our need to be active in the fight. But our core victory is Jesus!!!

Praise God that Jesus didn’t just stop with defeating temptations! No, He went on to the cross and set us free from sin and death! Where in Him we find new life! See just as Adam and Eve where thrown out of Eden for their sins, we are treated right the opposite! Jesus is the door in which we must pass to Eden! When we pass through His blood we are cleansed from our sins and made eligible to walk in a new life in Him. Where we are given the fruit of the “tree of life.” We through Jesus are given everlasting life!!!! WOW! What redemption we have in Him!

Just as I said it is as simple as saying that Jesus is the answer. For in the beginning of the world the devil did come and through temptations did win a victory that has lasted to the beginning of the new creation. Jesus came to give us life, to set us free, and give us freedom. And He did it from the beginning! We are a new creation in Christ, and therefore the old man has passed away and the new man is alive in Christ!!!

Your Brother in Christ
Grace and Peace be with you
Nate Cook, Setting Captives Free Team Member
www.SettingCaptivesFree.com

And Jesus said to me:
Eze 3:10b-11a  "...Receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears, and go, get to the captives..."

“God in five easy lessons” That's not what He says!!!

When I put my son to bed we have our bed time routine. Part of that is to pray and read the bible. and in doing this I thought I would spice it up a bit. So I have been reading to him from the message version. Well the other night while reading these few verses ministered to me.

Heb 8:10-13 MSG  This new plan I'm making with Israel isn't going to be written on paper, isn't going to be chiseled in stone; This time I'm writing out the plan in them, carving it on the lining of their hearts. I'll be their God, they'll be my people.  (11)  They won't go to school to learn about me, or buy a book called God in Five Easy Lessons. They'll all get to know me firsthand, the little and the big, the small and the great.  (12)  They'll get to know me by being kindly forgiven, with the slate of their sins forever wiped clean.  (13)  By coming up with a new plan, a new covenant between God and his people, God put the old plan on the shelf. And there it stays, gathering dust.

This ministered to me because for the last several weeks God has been speaking to me about how simple things are in His kingdom. It seems like my Way of Purity students have this illusion that freedom is this some far off thing that they hope to one day achieve. That beating this sexual bondage is such a big deal that it “must” take a long time. that they have to learn a new way to beat sexual sins. That their sin is a one-of-a-kind deal, and therefore requires a “process.” This same kind of idea or mind set flows throughout much of the body of Christ over different things.

With this in mind when we see in Heb 8:11 that God doesn’t require us to be schooled by anyone but He will teach us Himself. It goes to show the simplicity of His kingdom. I really like this “buy a book called God in Five Easy Lessons” there is no laundry list that we can follow to walk with God. There is no magic formula that gets us there. It all comes down to Jesus and His work on the cross!!! Jesus says this:

Mat 22:37-40 NKJV  Jesus said to him, 'YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.'  (38)  This is the first and great commandment.  (39)  And the second is like it: 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.'  (40)  On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."

Then He said this:

Joh 15:13 NKJV  Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.

That is exactly what He did!!! He laid His life down for us!!! that is how He showed us He loved us. and we see that the first and greatest command is to love our God with all of our heart. that is what Jesus called us to lay down our life (following His example):

Luk 9:23 NKJV  Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.

“Follow” Him where? To death! It is said of Jesus:

Php 2:8 NKJV  And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

So when we see Jesus saying this:

Joh 14:15 NKJV  "If you love Me, keep My commandments.

We see him saying to love Him like He loved us, to the point of death!

That is the simplicity of it all. there is no magic wand we can wave to set us free. there is no laundry list of things we must do. And there is no need for the “God in five easy lessons” to be bought. There is only a need to love Jesus with all our hearts, and follow Him to death.

Your Brother in Christ

Grace and Peace be with you

Nate Cook, Setting Captives Free Team Member

www.SettingCaptivesFree.com

And Jesus said to me:

Eze 3:10b-11a  "...Receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears, and go, get to the captives..."

Be a David to Someone Else

So I thought that I would try and begin posting blogs again. it has been some time since I have had the time to sit down and write what God has been sharing with me. though by His grace I am finding the time again… praise the Lord.

Though with that today I am posting something that I have written to my fellow mentors/ministers at Setting Captives Free. I hope you will find this a fitting word for you to. Whatever God as brought you through is the foundation for ministry in someone else’s life…. With that here is what I wrote:

I love it when the Holy Spirit speaks to us when we read His words. I never thought that reading the bible like a story book would be so rewarding. But I guess that’s what I get for underestimating the word of God, and the work of the Holy Spirit J… as I continue to read through the bible I am continually struck in awe of things that I never thought of or had never seen before. So this week I would like to share with you something that came to my mind as I was reading in 1 Samuel.

We all know the story of David, and Goliath that is told in 1 Samuel 17. But even though I am sure most of you have been taught this since your days in Sunday School please take the time to read this story again in full from the word of God. There is nothing like getting the story from the original “teller” of the story J.

Though I would like to point out a few things that caught my eye.

In the story leading up to this point David was sent by his father to his brothers. Who were with Saul on the front lines ready to engage in battle with the Philistines. Though they have yet to go into this fight as Goliath kept coming out. And every time he did he struck fear into the hearts of the men…. so that’s the short version J.

With that in mind let us look at what David began saying at this point:

1Sa 17:26 NKJV  Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, "What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?"

Take note, that David is now speaking on behalf of God’s people, and His plan for them…. He is in awe that they fear something that is encroaching on God’s people. Then he says:

1Sa 17:32-37 NKJV  Then David said to Saul, "Let no man's heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine."  (33)  And Saul said to David, "You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth."  (34)  But David said to Saul, "Your servant used to keep his father's sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock,  (35)  I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it.  (36)  Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God."  (37)  Moreover David said, "The LORD, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." And Saul said to David, "Go, and the LORD be with you!"

If you keep reading just a bit you will see where Saul puts his armor on David, and tries to send him out like that. David soon takes that off and falls back on what God has taught him to do his whole life. He went to what seem like a primitive weapon system. He picked up some rocks and used his sling to kill the most feared warrior the army had yet to see. He used God’s plan to fight and not man’s.

Here is where the meat gets good… we have all (probably) see and heard that we all have giants in our life that we will either face now or later… and yes that may be true but that’s not what I want to look at now. let’s take a step back. Saul and his army are out to fight the Philistines when they find themselves in a world of trouble that they were not prepared for. their giant, that they had to face was much bigger than they thought. So what did God do? He sent them help. That’s where David comes in. now notice how God had been training David his whole life for the fight he was about the embark on. God had showed up many times in David’s past to show His great power and strength. David knew God’s delivering power!!! He had seen it and tasted it first had. And therefore his faith was strong in the Lord. Where his fellow brothers could barely stand in the sight of this fight.

Now let us look at this from a mentoring perspective. When I was still in bondage to porn and self gratification that giant was too big for me to face alone. I tried and failed many times.  Though when I began my bible study here at Setting Captives Free my eyes were open, and the Lord began to speak to me. I began to learn and walk with Him again. though as you all know the fight is still on at times. That was where my mentor my “David” came into play. See God knew my fights. He knew my heart, and how I needed someone. so He sent me my mentor…. See brothers you are someone’s “David”!!! You all have seen and tasted the delivering power of God! You know what it like to see God work in your life. A work that has set you free from the mouth of the lions!!! God has trained you and taught you how to fight! that is why He has picked you and sent you the front lines of the battle! Because there are those who come and need that person to stand in faith with them, fire those deadly shots (in prayer) to the enemy, and cover them while God (through Jesus) does the delivering work in them!

Just as God had trained you in this fight, let me encourage you to stick to what God has taught you. just as Saul tried (even in good intentions) equip David, so the world or fellow “good hearted” people will try to “equip” you. we often see this through psychology, and therapy techniques. People often say that us (ministers) are not trained to handle a real problem like sexual addiction. Then they say we need to be trained by them. we need to put on their “armor” for the fight. but that’s is not at all how God deals with things! NO! He has taught you and trained you for this mission. He has given you all you need to walk in victory with your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.  So let me encourage you to quickly throw off the “armor” of this world (even if offered in good intentions), and follow what God Himself has taught you.

Let me encourage you as you continue to be obedient to Jesus in this call to ministry. I know it can get tough at times. And life can get crazy, but know that you are all a living example of what Jesus can do in a man’s life. You are a living testament of Jesus! that is nothing to take lightly! You have the flame of the Holy Spirit and the power of Christ in you! and your knowledge of His work in you (and others), has grown a faith in you that must be shared! The amazing thing is that you all have answered the call! So be encouraged and lifted up. For you through Christ are a “David” for other men.

If you have time, and would like to share your thoughts on this, or anything else you might read as you read 1 Samuel 17 please feel free.

Be blessed, and be bold for the King!

Your Brother in Christ

Grace and Peace be with you

Nate Cook, Setting Captives Free Team Member

www.SettingCaptivesFree.com

And Jesus said to me:

Eze 3:10b-11a  "...Receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears, and go, get to the captives..."