Why Is Jesus Never Enough? Exodus 33:2-3,15

Buddy had a little surprise last night. A neighbor’s puppy visited for a few minutes. Being a good boy, he merely whined while watching the pup eat a cookie he’d snubbed and his vitamin. The little fellow didn’t waste any time discovering where Buddy’s food dish sat.

For the rest of the evening, Buddy kept a close eye on me, instead of his usual strolling off to do his own thing who knows where in our condo. He might’ve feared that he was being replaced.

Of course, I would never replace my pal, no matter how aloof, or butthead obstinate, he acts.

Which reminds me of one of my favorite stories in the Old Testament. God was fed up with the rebellious behavior of the Israelites during their trek across the desert wilderness from Egypt. He told Moses: “I will send an angel before you…for I will not go up in your midst, because you are an obstinate people, and I might destroy you on the way.”—Exodus 33:2-3

But Moses refused to have any being, although supernatural, lead the people of Israel to the Promised Land. He would only follow the Lord God, not anyone else:

“‘If Your presence does not go with us, do not lead us up from here.”—Exodus 33:15

I recently attended a Christian seminar during which a fellow believer in the audience claimed that she prayed to the Archangel Michael for protection to feel safe. The presenter was clearly taken aback for a moment, uncertain how to respond. Instead of correcting the woman, she muttered something like, “I guess that’s ok,” and moved on.

I nearly leapt out of my seat wanting to yell, “That’s not biblical!” but felt it wasn’t my place to usurp the presenter’s authority.

Although of supreme position amongst angels, Michael is a created being, which means he is not omnipresent like the Lord. He cannot be in two places at once. Although every believer is precious to the Lord, I truly believe that Michael has more important duties than to stand guard over one woman. Satan, although weakened by sin, is also an Archangel and merits the mighty angel’s attention far more.

I do believe the Lord has assigned guardian angels to protect us, otherwise the demonic spirits would have free reign to destroy our lives and the world.

But note that Moses refused to accept any substitute for the Lord’s presence. God offered to send an angel (not THE Angel of the Lord, whom most commentators believe is the preincarnate Christ), but Moses said, “No!” It was God or no one.

It baffles me that people pray to angels or saints (neither of which is advised in the Bible), rather than trusting in Jesus alone. Jesus told His disciples:

“Truly, truly I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you…Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be full.”—John 16:23-24

Jesus said He would answer our prayers. He didn’t advise asking angels or dead people to answer our requests or to meet our needs.

God is the Almighty, sovereign, omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent and benevolent Creator and Lord over all. He laughs at the nations and rulers who oppose Him (Psalm 2), because His power is far beyond comparison to puny humans.

“The Lord has established His throne in the heavens, and His sovereignty rules over all.”—King David, Psalm 103:19

Be like Moses. Accept no substitutes. Ask the Lord of Hosts to protect you, because:

“there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”—Apostle Paul, 1 Timothy 2:5

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

I believe one reason people refuse the Good News of the Gospel is because only part of the gospel is preached. People hear Christians say, “Get your sins forgiven and clean up your act.” And they’re responding, “Why do I need to get my sins forgiven? And you want me to follow more rules once I convert when I already know I cannot make the standard for being good?”

Jesus came to “destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8).” When Adam and Eve listened to the serpent in the Garden and disobeyed God, they chose to follow the Devil as their authority. At that moment their spirits died, as the Holy Spirit left and was no longer giving them spiritual life and union with the Lord.

When we ask God to forgive our sins, it’s so we can be cleansed by the blood of Jesus and become fit vessels for the Holy Spirit to inhabit. We ask Jesus to be our Lord, accepting Him as our authority to define what is right and wrong, the opposite of what Adam and Eve did. The first human couple wanted to determine their own standards for moral behavior, “knowing good and evil (Genesis 3:5).” They didn’t trust God’s love for them, nor His wisdom.

Every day every single person has a choice: continue dead in their sins, or accept Jesus as Lord and His death on the Cross as payment for the punishment of their sin. We’re like the living dead, zombies who can move and make decisions but are spiritually dead till the Holy Spirit gives us resurrection life. Jesus offers life to dead souls (John 10:10).

The blood of Jesus can cleanse any heart or turn any life back onto the right path. You just gotta ask Him to be your Lord and sincerely repent of your sins.

In other words, you gotta mean it and not just blow smoke.

If you’re ready for a life change, please pray the following out loud, if possible:

Dear Heavenly Father, I’m tired of rebelling against Your authority and screwing up my life by listening to what other people, or my own heart, says is right and wrong. You created me and as my God, have the authority to tell me what’s good or what’s evil behavior. Please forgive my sins. I repent and ask Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. I believe He died on the Cross for my sins and was resurrected, proving that He is God. I give my life to You. Please give me Your Holy Spirit. Guide me onto the right path and into everlasting life with You. I ask You to teach me how much You love me. In the mighty name of Jesus, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please join a Bible believing church or Bible study and get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I suggest these two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message). There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to be misled or fall into legalism till you know what the Bible teaches fairly well.

Also, just as your body needs daily nourishment to stay healthy, so does your soul. The Bible is your soul food, so please read it daily, if you’re able. I suggest starting with the Book of Matthew as it’s easy to understand.

God bless. May Buddy and I see you in heaven one day.

Are You Walking In The Darkness Without A Flashlight? Psalm 119:105

Just a few hours ago, I was walking Buddy when a man approached with his two little dogs, one of which was barking rambunctiously. I tried to pull Buddy back, in case the dog was a biter, and lost my balance and tripped, falling backward onto a gravel area. Fortunately, I wasn’t injured. If it hadn’t been evening time, I probably wouldn’t have fallen, but the uneven ground was not visible in the darkness.

Many Christians are walking around in the darkness buck naked, an easy target for Satan’s deceptions and pitfalls. They’re saved, but have forgotten a fact vital to their daily survival: We’re living in the devil’s territory.

When Adam and Eve listened to Satan and ate from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, they rejected God’s authority and gave dominion over humanity to the devil. This world came under Satan’s jurisdiction.

Fortunately, God sent His Son Jesus “to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8).”

Apostle Paul explained to King Agrippa that the purpose of the gospel of Jesus Christ was to:

“Open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in (Jesus).”—Acts 26:18

Spiritually, Christians live in the kingdom of light, but Satan is “the ruler of this world (John 12:31).” Until Jesus returns to gather His elect, we are living in a broken world of sin and darkness. And despite the efforts of many well-meaning people, I think most people sense that our planet is slipping rapidly into some sort of worldwide catastrophe.

Jesus has given His people a mighty weapon against dark forces, yet it seems to be rarely utilized or is sitting in the closet, getting rusty. Jesus demonstrated the power of this awesome weapon when He battled Satan, who tried tempting Him to sin and demanded His worship.

Jesus used only Word of God to counteract Satan’s lies and twisting of the Scripture. He didn’t argue with Satan, debate Him, or try to punch him out; Christ repeated the Scriptures that were appropriate to the temptation.

The Apostle Paul warned the Ephesians in his letter, chapter 6:10-17, that the Christian needs to daily put on “the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil (vs 11)” because we are fighting supernatural “forces of this darkness (vs 12).”*

The only piece of our spiritual armor that is an offensive weapon is “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (vs 17).” But many Christians are walking around with very short swords or have left them sitting in their scabbard, unused.

Reading your Bible doesn’t make you “more saved” or “more born again” or “more forgiven,” but it makes you more discerning about the devil’s tactics to lure you into sin or despair, and better equipped to take back territory from the enemy of our souls.

Multiple times in the Bible, the Word of God is described as a light that shines into the darkness of this confused world, helping us to navigate safely and not stumble:

“Your word is a lamp into my feet and a light to my path.”—Psalm 119:105

So, are you stumbling around spiritually naked in the dark without God’s armor of light? Do you have a stubby sword—or one that’s thick and strong, forged in the power of God’s Word and Spirit? Does God’s Scripture light your way so that you can stay on the Good Shepherd’s path? Or are you straying into bad behavior and stumbling about in confusion, or vulnerable to deception by wicked people twisting God’s Word for their own selfish purposes?

It’s up to you to spend time in God’s Word.

Or keep tripping yourself up.

God bless you.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

*It’s worth your time to read Ephesians 6:10-17, but for the sake of brevity and emphasis, I didn’t quote all the verses.

***

Western culture will tell you that the Word of God, the Bible, is no longer relevant to living in the modern world. And many religions teach you how to be a good person. But only Jesus can give you eternal life and a new spirit. When you become born again, you become united with Christ at the spiritual level. You do NOT become a god, but somehow the Holy Spirit gives you a new spiritual heart and life (Ezekiel 36:26, 37:14, John 17:23, 2 Corinthians 5:17).

I hope you understand from the above blog post, that the Word of God helps a person recognize the devil’s temptations so that you can lead a healthier spiritual lifestyle. But you also need the Holy Spirit working in your heart to reveal the meaning of the scriptures.

If you’re ready to become born again and learn how to wield the Sword of the Spirit, please repeat the following prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, Please forgive my sins. I’ve wronged You, so Jesus had to be born in the flesh, God incarnate, to suffer the punishment for my sins on the Cross. I ask Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. I give my life to You. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit. Reveal to me how much You love me and teach me Your word. In the mighty name of Your Son Jesus I pray, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible as it’s your soul food. Just as your body needs daily nourishment, so does your soul. I suggest starting with the Book of Matthew as it’s easy to understand.

Also, please join a Bible believing church or Bible study, and get baptized. If that’s not possible right now, I suggest these two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message).

May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.

Start forging a strong sword!

My Rebirthday, Ephesians 2:4-5

Buddy looking into our condo from the balcony.

I banished Buddy to the balcony one afternoon to keep him out of the way as I was moving furniture around. He thought he was being punished and glared at me through the glass door. He certainly wasn’t being punished, but was isolated to prevent him from being harmed.

In the past my life felt like Buddy, glaring at what was going on through a dim window. Something FELT wrong in my soul, but I didn’t know what it was.

Fortunately, in those days, your viewing options were limited unless you could afford cable television—or to have it hooked up to all the TV sets in your home. Without cable, you watched what those rabbit ears could “hear.” I flipped on a local rabbit ears station and Billy Graham was preaching. I decided to call the number on the screen and spoke to a volunteer counselor, who led me in the sinner’s prayer to give my life to Jesus Christ.

I was raised in a nonChristian religion which didn’t believe in the Trinity. Jesus was not God and the Holy Spirit seemed to be an amorphous, not a personal, spiritual force. So, when I was praying and thanking God after the phone call, it was an enormous shock when the Holy Spirit swooped into my body. At that very moment, March 7th, 1989, I became born again (John 3:5-8) by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, united with Christ (John 17:20-26).

I was frightened for a few moments till I experienced the overwhelming loving Presence of Jesus Who told me Who He was. Then told me three things:

1. The Bible is true (1 Timothy 3:16);

2. those who don’t know Jesus Christ are lost (John 3:18; and

3. although He knew every sin that I’d ever committed, He still loved me very much.

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses and sins, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),…”—Apostle Paul, Ephesians 2:4-5

Something felt wrong in my soul, because I was spiritually dead. I did not have the life of God in me. But once I became born again by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, I was made alive spiritually, all my sins were forgiven (Hebrews 8:12) and I received eternal life (John 3:16).

Has my life been easy? No, but I now follow a good Shepherd Who strengthens and leads me through the dark valleys (Psalm 23:4), comforts (1 Peter 5:7) and strengthens me (Isaiah 40:31), and gives me wisdom (James 1:5).

I’ve been composing and posting these blogs since 2017 with the goal of encouraging and exhorting my fellow Christians, but also with the hopes that someone will realize their need for Christ and surrender their life to Him, stepping out of death into everlasting life.

I’ve never regretted becoming born again—only that I didn’t do so at least 15 years sooner to escape so many bad decisions and wrong thinking during those lost years. (I would want some years apart from the Lord to understand what being one of the living dead is like.)

So, dear reader, if you’ve read this blog and have not yet committed your life to Jesus, please do so now. I’m not promising you’ll have an easier life—but you’ll get eternal life with a wonderful Lord Who loves you and will never leave nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5-6).

May God bless you richly.

Much love from Dawn and Buddy

***

If you want to become alive spiritually, please pray the below:

Dear Heavenly Father, I realize there’s something wrong with my soul and I need Your forgiveness for my sins. I want the power of sin broken in my life, so with all my heart I call on Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Please fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I give my life to You. Help me to walk daily in faith in Your son Jesus Who died for my sin on a cross and was resurrected to give me life. Please teach me Your ways and how much You love me. Thank you for hearing my prayer. In the name of Jesus, amen.

If you prayed sincerely, congratulations, you’re born again. Please start reading the Bible daily as it’s your spiritual food. Just as your body needs daily nourishment to be healthy, your soul needs soul food, the Word of God. I suggest starting with the Book of Matthew as it’s easy to understand.

Also, please join a Bible based Church or Bible study. If that’s not possible right now, I suggest these two ministries, which also have apps, if that’s your preference: http://www.LTW.org (Leading The Way) and http://www.AndrewFarley.org (The Grace Message). There are other godly ministries, but it’s easy to be misled till you know what the Bible teaches fairly well.

God bless you. May Buddy and I meet you in heaven one day.