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 ...

  For if the roots of the tree are holy, the branches will be, too. (Romans 11:16) When we give our lives to Christ, asking his Spirit to indwell us, we can count on change occurring. Does that mean it will become evident all at once? If we consider the tree as our example, we might just have that answer to our question. The tree might have 'new roots' and 'new soil' into which it has been planted, but the branches that are already there don't change overnight, do they? There is some pruning that must occur to remove the dead growth. A little pruning must occur that 'reshapes' the tree once it is rooted - to give it enough shape so that the winds go through those branches well enough not to uproot it or break its 'hold' in that new soil. There will be barren branches that don't seem to have any leaves yet, but they must be preserved and allowed to come into full bud or bloom. As all of this occurs, space is made for new growth - the potential for...