“You took the gods I made, and my priest, and went away. What else do I have?
How can you say, What’s the matter with you?”
Judges 18:24 NIV
Micah’s mistake—crafting idols and designing his private religion—sadly echoes in your life if you congratulate yourself on being self-made and worship your creator! Without his idols and priest, Micah had nothing. Self-exaltation forms a spiritual vacuum.
I am the Creator and Manager of heaven and earth. I made you—not the other way around! I warn you of idolatry’s idiocy so that you will not get sick with Micah’s madness. Fools manufacture their own worthless gods. Blockheads worship blocks of wood. Deluded fools feed on ashes and trust inanimate objects that are no help. Thinking happiness comes through tangible possessions, people make things into gods.
Idol makers are destined for disgrace—true worshipers are destined for glory. Praying to gods who cannot save, idolaters waste time and injure eternity. Seeking My face, believers find significance in time and invest in eternity. Trusting My Son, you anticipate a delightful destiny beyond the threshold separating pain and paradise.
If all your idols—money, prestige, success, possessions, career—were taken away, what would remain? An empty shell? Depend on Me, and you can be sure I would still be there, even if all things were removed. Even without everything else, I would be more than enough. Without Me, you would always be in want. In Me alone do you have everything you need. Christ is your Defining Center of Gravity.
Rely on so-called gods, and their disappearance will make you irritable. Dethrone your dearest idol from the throne of your heart. Irritability will change to serenity if you stay as close to Me as a branch to a vine.
Let Me be your High Preeminence—the Heartbeat of your life. Stay away from all false gods of the heart, all rivals for My affection, all clever and cheap counterfeits. Avoid idolatry!
Let Me be your Holy Purpose—use all you own to honor Me. Give freely to communicate your faith to a watching world. Avoid insanity!
Let Me be your Helpful Priest—merciful in your transgressions, and mighty in your struggles with temptation. Avoid insecurity!
Let Me be your Happy Peace—enjoy the sweet blessing of genuine contentment, wanting nothing more. Avoid irritability!
Then Samson prayed to the Lord, “Sovereign Lord, remember me again. O God, please strengthen me one more time...”Judges 16:28 NLT
You frequently pay Me lip service, but your heart is not always in the words. Your religious motions are sometimes steel-cold and robotic. Compulsively ritualistic, you are sometimes careless in relationships. Attempting holiness, you neglect honesty. Philosophizing about faith, you practice faithlessness. It may hurt you to admit it, but in some ways you forget Me. But I never forget you. I have been unfailingly faithful to you day after day. My covenant love never cools. Even now—if you earnestly pray and seek My face, I will be attentive to you and give you a fresh start.
The secret of Samson’s legendary power was his vow of strict separation from evil and dedication of all the forces of his nature to Me. When he abrogated his vow, he became a helpless weakling. Though foolish because of his demoralizing love affairs, he demonstrated faith in Me, and so I hung his portrait in My hall of heroes. When he returned to Me, I reenergized him to perform superhuman feats. Desperate humility brought the house down!
I am the Secret of moral strength. Godless, you are weak. Connected by faith to Me, you are strong. Help does not come from the mountains, but from the Mountain-Maker—the Architect and Builder of heaven and earth. I direct traffic patterns of galaxies, orchestrate life, and assist you. Invisible hands keep Earth in proper orbit in its annual trip around the sun—I hold you together through every year of your life.
You can resist temptation and survive any situation by an infusion of My power. My might at work in your inner being accomplishes infinitely more than you dare pray or dream. Reinforced by My strength, you are ready for anything that life brings! Day by day, hour by hour, heartbeat by heartbeat—I keep you strong. Never forget you need Me. Lean on My everlasting arms, and I will give you response-ability for responsibility. Do not wish for easier circumstances; pray for stronger character.
The route back to vitality is profoundly simple—pray and believe. Link to the Ultimate Power Source and regain strength to soar like a majestic eagle above earth’s worries on wings of trust and obedience. Make the international athletic motto—“Swifter, Higher, Stronger”—yours. Run swifter than the tempter. Fly higher than the temporal. Walk stronger than the timid. Exercise Olympic faith!
Johnny R. Almond
Pastor, Hull’s Memorial Baptist Church - Friends on a Journey of Faith
Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity—book available on Amazon
At that moment the Spirit of the LORD powerfully took control of him,
and he ripped the lion’s jaws apart with his bare hands.
Judges 14:6 NLT
Eyelids getting heavy? Do not let Satan catch you napping! Your fiercest opponent is a roaring lion in search of a victim to shred. You are subject to hellacious attack, so you need My wisdom to alert you to his trickery and enable you to survive in the jungle of temptations. There is no way in human strength to cage the formidable lion. Satan will tear you limb from limb, unless you deal with him using supernatural resources. Only in My power can you take your archenemy by the scruff of the neck and be rid of him. Only by My strength can you survive his strategies. Empty-handed, grasping no earthly weapon, you can conquer the Devil—if you are brave-hearted, wielding invisible weapons retrieved from the Holy Spirit’s arsenal.
I am stronger than the tempting lion. When I control you, you enjoy spiritual victory. Hoisting the faith shield, extinguish flaming arrows of allurement he hurls through the night. If you give an inch morally, the Devil will take a mile of your character. Surrendering to temptation does not extinguish it; it only stokes the flames. Do not yield to the evil one—resist! Say no and he will go!
The lion of hell is a ravenous beast determined to ruin you. The Lion of the tribe of Judah is determined to resurrect you.
Look forward to the day of eternal ecstasy when My salvation, power, kingdom, and authority will at last be openly unveiled to the universe—and the accuser will be imprisoned in the Abyss in irremediable defeat. Throw a party celebrating inevitable victory over public enemy number one! Worship the Shepherd crucified as a Lamb, soon to be crowned King.
In the meantime, when the lion roars in accusing tones, Jesus is your Defense Counsel who pleads your case at heaven’s throne. Even if your conscience still condemns you, I know you trust Me—let My love set your heart at rest. Until you see Me face to face, depend on My Holy Spirit’s power to triumph over sin. Reverse evil and live! Vitality will be stronger than a lion. Victory will be sweeter than honey.
You are dust—I am Spirit. You are mortal—I am eternal. You are frail—I am omnipotent. You are foolish—I am omniscient. You are limited—I am omnipresent. You are vulnerable—I am invincible.
Is it not about time you donned My armor and started winning more of life’s battles?!
Johnny R. Almond
Pastor, Hull’s Memorial Baptist Church - Friends on a Journey of Faith
Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity—book available on Amazon
At that time the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah.
Judges 11:29NLT
I am the Spirit of love. When you let Me control your heart, I lead you to be caring. I am Love—I transform selfishness into sacrifice. “Who knows? Who cares? Why bother?” will never be your bumper sticker!
I am the Spirit of joy. When you let Me control your outlook, I make you cheerful. I transform pessimism into optimism. As your Commander in Chief, I grant you faith to thank Me in advance for the triumphs I will give. My cross is a plus sign nestled in a “V” for victory. Marching along in Christ’s victory parade, hold your head erect, confidently anticipating the bright future I promise.
I am the Spirit of peace. When you let Me control your mind, I produce an amazing, inexplicable calm. I transform panic into poise. Look earthly trouble squarely in the face, and in heavenly strength boldly say you are ready for anything life may throw at you.
I am the Spirit of patience. When you let Me guide your will, I keep you composed under pressure. I transform tumult into trust. No matter how stormy life’s sea gets, you can stay on an even keel with your Captain at the helm.
I am the Spirit of kindness. When you feel My emotions, you are courteous. I transform steel-heartedness into empathetic concern. Aware that everyone near you fights a hard battle, you are considerate.
I am the Spirit of goodness. When I shape your attitudes, you are compassionate. I transform grouchy stinginess into lavish service.
I am the Spirit of faithfulness. When I control your habits, I make you miraculously constant. I transform fickleness into fidelity.
I am the Spirit of gentleness. When I sculpt your personality, you become gracefully cordial. I transform rudeness into reasonableness.
I am the Spirit of self-discipline. Let Me manage your lifestyle, and you will be morally controlled. I transform thoughtless impulsiveness into true integrity.
You are My child—I guide you by My Holy Spirit. When you take charge, vices appear that are diametrically opposed to My virtues. Rise above sinful cravings and travel the high road! That’s the Spirit!
Johnny R. Almond
Pastor, Hull’s Memorial Baptist Church - Friends on a Journey of Faith
Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity—book available on Amazon
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
because God raised Jesus from the dead.
So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead.
1 Peter 1:3, 6 NLT
During WWII, an 18-year-old German named Jurgen Moltmann was drafted to serve in Hitler’s army. Assigned to an anti-aircraft battery, he saw the horror of fellow soldiers incinerated in fire bombings. After surrendering to the British, he spent three years in prison camps. There he saw how other prisoners “collapsed inwardly”, gave up all hope, sickened for lack of it, and some died.
Jurgen Moltmann had not grown up as a Christian. An American chaplain gave him an Army-issue New Testament and Psalms, signed by President Roosevelt. He read the Psalms and found something he desperately needed—hope. He became convinced that God was with him, even behind the barbed wire. Transferred to a camp run by the YMCA, he learned Christian beliefs and experienced accepting love, being treated better than by the German army.
Moltmann found new life in the Gospel of Christ, after seeing only death in WWII. And there’s more to his story—the risen Christ was leading him into an unexpected future. After the war, he became a Christian theologian and focused on two ideas coming out of the story of Jesus and his personal story—God is with us in our suffering; and God is leading us to a better future.
“Easter Sunday”, this theologian wrote, “is the beginning of the laughter of the redeemed.” Expressing the significance of Good Friday and Easter Sunday, he wrote “God weeps with us so that we may someday laugh with him. Easter is God’s protest against death. God is not satisfied with the way the world is today, and he intends to make all things new.”
While I was serving as a chaplain at Arlington National Cemetery, I read an anonymous poem on the cover of Guideposts I will forever remember—
Lift up your hearts, ye sorrowing ones; And be ye glad at heart.
For Calvary and Easter Day—Earth’s saddest day and gladdest day,
Look, your King is coming to you. He is humble, riding on a donkey.
Most of the crowd spread their coats on the road ahead of Jesus,
and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.
He was in the center of the procession, and the crowd all around him were shouting,
“Praise God for the Son of David! Bless the one who comes in the name of the LORD!
Praise God in highest heaven!” The entire city of Jerusalem was stirred as he entered.
MATTHEW 21:5, 8-10 NLT
Walk prayerfully on the parade route I have mapped out for you. I am the Way to the Truth of Life—free, real, rich, full, eternal life. The evil one steals enthusiasm, kills joy, and destroys influence—I guide you to a significant and fulfilling life. I am the Humble King who practiced downward mobility to save you. Walk in My steps—have My frame of mind and serve others. You are a beautiful work of art I envisioned long before your birth—yield to My Spirit brushstrokes on the canvas of your circumstances and be displayed for angels and saints to admire in heaven’s gallery.
Dance joyfully with praise that lasts—celebrating blessings I give. Avoid a fickle heart—calling Me king one day, deserting Me the next. Keep Me in the center of your life’s procession, bowing to nothing else. Give your Most Honored Guest a royal welcome every sunrise. Keep My joy alive in your heart every mile of the journey—let no cheap thrill compete with the ecstasy of My Presence. No matter how rough the road, be grateful—find reasons for thanks.
March in My triumphal procession leading to a bright future I promise.
I am your Personal Friend—I never let you down or run away.
I am the Pardoning Savior—I forgive your sins and set you free.
I am the Powerful God—I help you accomplish all I ask of you.
I am the Perfect Lamb—I redeem you from sin’s penalty and power.
I am the Drumbeat of hope—I fight for you until the battle’s over.
I am Alpha and Omega—I spoke the first word and I will have the last.
I am the Prophesied Messiah—I will win the last war and defeat evil.
One day you will wave palm branches along golden streets—until then, celebrate victories I give on the roads you travel today.
The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!”
Judges 6:12NLT
I am Immanuel, God with you—My Presence cheers you on. In emergencies, call Me. I bless the desperate and swing wide Kingdom gates to people who need Me. I am fighting on the front line alongside you. As you memorialize victory adding battle streamers, name your flag, “The Lord Is Peace.” Whistle in the dark and sing for joy. Live happily.
I am the Incomparable Christ, God without equal—My perfect pattern challenges you. I am your Template for life. Do more than ask “What would Jesus do?”—do it! Walk in My steps. Live helpfully.
I am the Infinite One, God without limitation—My power changes you from the inside out. On your own, you are like the Israelites—doing evil in heaven’s sight, repeatedly returning to the rut of rebellion. Fall to your knees, then get on your feet. Reverse evil, and learn to live in line with principles of the Life-Giver. Keep the change. Live holily.
I am the Invisible One, God without end—My promises buoy you. A priceless inheritance is reserved in heaven for you—unaffected by stock market downturns, inaccessible to thieves, uncorrupted by rust. An unimaginably beautiful destiny is just around the corner. Do not get preoccupied with what you can see; do not let happiness hinge on things. Tangibles are temporary; spiritual treasures are forever. Earthly toys always break; truth never does. Travel My confidence course. Live hopefully.
I am the Invincible One, God without defeat—My Providence carries you. Trying times are parentheses in life’s sentence. After short-term troubles, I will pick you up, brush you off , and get you back in your running lane in Faith Marathon. Trust Me and you will have a brave heart, calm mind, and optimistic outlook. You are never alone in the dark—I always leave the light on. I accompany your every heartbeat. Celebrate! Live heroically.
Try life on your own, and life will be grim. Practice My Presence, and life will be grand.
“Get ready! Today the Lord will give you victory over Sisera,
for the Lord is marching ahead of you.”
So Barak led his ten thousand warriors down the slopes of Mount Tabor into battle.
Judges 4:14NLT
Today you are going to engage spiritual enemies from hell—temptation, apathy, egocentricity, greed, pride, impatience, hostility. The evil one has set traps in hopes of tripping you up. Fiends of hell have improvised deadly explosive devices and hidden them along your road. However ferocious the war, you have heaven’s guarantee of victory.
I am Jehovah—the One Who Will Always Be Who I Have Always Been. I am on your side, so no force in the universe can defeat you. I enable you to triumph over sin and death—your worst enemies. March smartly in Christ’s victory procession. Live grace-fully, trusting the promise that ultimately the God of peace will pulverize public enemy number one. Stand tall.
Love is wide enough to include you, long enough to outlast earth, high enough to inspire you infinitely, deep enough to stand under you no matter how far you fall. My unfailing love makes us inseparable. Despite everything threatening you, you are invincible connected to the Almighty. Death cannot kill love. Life’s maze will not hide you from mercy. Demons are unable to breach the protecting walls encircling you. Worries cannot halt the sunrise of hope. In fact, nothing created can ever come between you and your Creator.Relax.
In all the battles you fight, I am your Commander in Chief. No one outranks Me. I issue orders, ruling and overruling life’s skirmishes. I am the Vanguard of the army of saints—combat evil boldly because I am on the front line with you. I march ahead of you in your tomorrows—listen for My orders. Stay close.
I am the Great Difference between joy and despondency, courage and cowardice, optimism and pessimism, and victory and defeat. Faith in Me transforms you from a whining victim into a whistling victor. A popular way of expressing confidence is, “Nothing will happen to me today that God and I together cannot handle.” The biblical way of expressing confidence is, “I am ready for whatever happens today because of the strength of the One living in my heart.” In Christ, you can overcome every obstacle on life’s confidence course. Believe Me.
Faith’s strenuous battle for heaven’s cause requires backbone, but you are not an army of one—ten thousand invisible warriors are descending with you into the dark and shadowy valley battleground. Today is D-Day on the bloody beaches of Satan’s territory. Attack!
Shamgar son of Anath rescued Israel. He killed six hundred Philistines with an ox goad.
Judges 3:31NLT
Ask your neighbors if they have ever heard of Shamgar, and you will probably hear that they have no idea who he was. However, this man with a strange name went down in history as a champion—an unknown who dared to get involved in a major crisis, a nobody who freed My chosen people and preserved the nation of Israel. You should be impressed by his example.
He was just one man—not an army, a team, or a rescue squad. Just one person.
He was one man alone. He bravely stood by himself against the enemies of his nation, single-handedly combating opponents maliciously intent on cutting out the apple of My eye.
He gave Me what he had. Just a stick used to prod oxen to plow. Not much. But he voluntarily surrendered it to My purpose.
I blessed him and used him to deliver My people. I reinforced him to be a mighty warrior who destroyed enemies of the race through whom the Messiah would ultimately be born.
Wonder what difference one can make? You are just one person. You cannot do everything. But what you can do, you ought to do. And what you ought to do, byMy grace, resolve you will do.
I will sometimes ask you to take on tasks your society calls “impossible.” But remember whatever I ask you to do, I also empower you to accomplish. You can do everything I want you to do with the help of Christ who makes your heart His home. Your responsibilities may be painful and difficult, but nothing is impossible when you are connected by faith to supernatural strength. Faith does not make challenges easier—it does make them possible.
Sometimes it gets lonely being My disciple. It seems you are walking alone. Take heart—I am always with you. And other Christians in the ranks are fighting the battle alongside you.
Give Me whatever you have—creative talents, natural abilities, tender heart, thoughtful mind, unique personality, enthusiastic energy.
Consecrate your life in all dimensions to your Creator. Be more than a local hero in your time—be My bright deathless star for all eternity.
Johnny R. Almond
Pastor, Hull’s Memorial Baptist Church - Friends on a Journey of Faith
Author, Gentle Whispers from Eternity—book available on Amazon
