The Plumbline

  Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself.   For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him.   We are in this struggle together. You have seen my struggle in the past, and you know that I am still in the midst of it. (Philippians 1:28-30) A strong stand is a witness to both our enemies and unbelievers. You may never know how many unbelievers change their allegiance because of your willingness to stand in the gap for them. Our enemy's number one tactic has always been to intimidate us with his lies. Lies might make him look stronger than he really is, but truth always exposes his true weakness.  We might want to cower when he exerts his intimidation, but he is nothing more than a bully trying to make us believe he has us and the circumstances under his control. Nothing could ...

Then the Egyptians—all of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and charioteers—chased them into the middle of the sea. But just before dawn the Lord looked down on the Egyptian army from the pillar of fire and cloud, and he threw their forces into total confusion. He twisted their chariot wheels, making their chariots difficult to drive. “Let’s get out of here—away from these Israelites!” the Egyptians shouted. “The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt!” (Exodus 14:23-25) We may never see the power of God on display such as the Israelites witnessed that day when they crossed over the Red Sea with waters piled high on each side, ground made dry for their passage. We might never encounter actual enemy forces hot on our trail, making way toward us in order to bring us to our demise. We may never see the actual pillar of fire or cloud of God's glory on display, clearly delineating the break from our past. Yet, we see God at work in our lives in many ways we may not fully recognize as God. On...