Who will be the last man standing; it will be the man of prayer. The proverbial ‘last man’ standing was always the victor. In the old west and during the days of the gunslingers, the man that remained standing won the battle. Gun duels always amazed me when I thought about the ‘rules’ of the battle, especially those that started the opponents back to back. If you aren’t aware of it, let me explain just a little of what I know. The duelers were back to back and agreed upon a certain number of paces. Each man would walk that number of paces, turn around and then fire at the other. Whoever was the last man standing was the victor and the other one was dead! This seemed like the craziest way to settle an argument or defend an honor; don’t you think? There were just too many variables for me. What if you walked slower than your opponent? What if the other guy forgot a number as he was pacing, or he just couldn’t count up to twenty. I wouldn’t want to duel anyone who wasn’t honest! (Think about that statement for a minute.) No, gun slinging is just too risky in my book; I’m sure glad that they have done away with that practice!

Whether you want to admit it or not –you are in a duel every day –with the devil. He will challenge your Christianity, your faith, love, devotion or anything else that he knows makes you strong in the Lord. He is out to steal any strength you may have in order to be that ‘last man’ standing. He is a thief and a liar and he comes to steal, kill and destroy. Don’t attempt to negotiate with him. You can forget about any thread of mercy. He will never fight fair! The devil will challenge you to a duel and have one or a thousand imps shoot you while you’re still counting out your paces! I have news for every man and woman that has lived or will live –you cannot beat the devil on your own strength. You’re not good enough. You’re not fast enough and you’re certainly not smart enough. No, there is only one way to beat ‘Old Slew-foot’ and it “ain’t” with no gun! Human history has proven that the devil is the fastest gun in the West. Many men have died who have foolishly tried to duel with him; their blood still cries out from the ground. But there was one Man who beat him. There is one Man who is still standing! There is one Man who has won the battle; and His name is Jesus. Jesus was smart enough to know that He couldn’t fight the devil alone. He was wise enough not to duel with him on the devil’s terms. And He was certainly cunning enough to have the devil duel His Father! That’s right, Jesus brought the fight to God the Father and the Father took care of business! How did He do this? Through the power of prayer. He entrusted Himself to God’s care and God beat the devil. The Bible says that the weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of this world –but they are divine. They destroy strongholds, cast down imaginations and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God. When a man prays to get victory over the devil, he doesn’t fight alone –he brings God into his corner.

The man who prays will beat the devil time and again and he will walk in victory with the hope of eternal life that will leave him as the last man standing. “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, and against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes…” you will be the last man standing!

“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” Eccl.12:13,14

Just as the man who forms the idol in his mind before he sculpts it in stone, so the man has thought wrongly before he has committed the sinful action. Too many times we think only of our actions as those things that are displeasing to the Lord, yet, in actuality, it is our attitudes and feelings, prior to these actions, that God is concerned about.

Think about it; the man who forms an idol has thought wrongly about God before he set his hand to the work. The sin in the man’s heart is only seen when the idol is finally cast. A man with a hot temper is only manifesting what is already in his heart. Wasn’t it Jesus who said that it is what comes out of a man’s heart that makes him unclean?

“But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these things make a man ‘unclean.’ For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.”
Matt.15:18,19

So doesn’t it stand to reason that if a man can be accountable for his feelings and attitudes, he may fare better to live righteously? Absolutely!

In the last few decades, I have seen that men and women do not want to be accountable for their actions. It seems there is always something that justifies them. There is always a reason or an excuse for what they do. Our courts are full of litigating crybabies who have demanded that they be excused for their immoral actions. They blame others, the society they live in and their upbringing.

Just recently, a seven year old stole his grandmother’s car and took it for a joyride. When he was finally stopped, after numerous accidents, the media interviewed him. This little fellow showed no remorse but plenty of defiance. Where do we go from here? How does one punish someone when that someone thinks he did nothing wrong?

Do you want to know where this sort of thing started? It all began back in the seventies when there was a little saying that went, “If it feels good –do it!” Then there was the song that went like this: How could it be wrong if it feels so right. And another: If loving you is wrong, then I don’t want to be right. We have been duped, my friend, by evangelists from the other side. They have programmed us to just ‘go’ with our feelings rather than deal with them. Now we have a whole generation of people who think they must act on their feelings no matter what that might entail. They don’t consider if what they feel is wrong (and so change the way they feel), they just act.

These days we might find a man who is angry but with no justifiable reason. Yet because he is angry, he thinks he is justified in what he does in his anger. This is just plain ludicrous! If it is pointed out that he was wrong –he just chalks it up with: “Sorry, that’s just me; that’s just the way I am. That’s how I roll.”

I think that we are even more accountable for our feelings and attitudes than our actions. When I realize that I have done something wrong I can always trace it back to wrong thoughts and feelings. I’m like the man who lived in Chicago, who started out for San Francisco, but ended up in New York! When he left Chicago he just felt the need to walk east. He should have brought his feelings under some sort of judgment. He should have investigated to see if what he was feeling was right.

We should all do the same when feelings rise up –we should be accountable for our feelings; for you can be certain that we will be accountable for our actions!

The Lord bless you this week!
Pastor Jim

I’ve never bought a new car but I’ve bought a newer car than I previously owned. And whether or not it was a brand new vehicle that you may have purchased, I can bet ten to one, that you felt something like this: You wanted to keep your new purchase nice and clean. I think that there is something in human nature that when we purchase something new or remodel a room, or something like that, we try to keep that “thing” clean and new! It might be new carpet or a new house, the first few days of living in the “new” we are very careful not to spoil anything about the newness. In 2003 Robin and I remodeled our kitchen, which means a new floor. I bought a darker tile (because the darker doesn’t show the dirt) yet when I installed it, and for a while afterwards, I made sure that nothing would tarnish its pristine beauty! I would make sure that if I moved anything heavy through the kitchen, I made doubly sure that it wouldn’t get scratched. Now, after five years of wear, I’m thinking of replacing a few of those tiles! O well, nothing last forever. But as you know, I’m not here to just talk about new cars and remodeled rooms. I’m wondering what it would be like if we applied that same desire to keep our new “things” nice and clean to our consciences. Even before I was a Christian I knew when I was doing wrong. But there was always an excuse or justification that would silence that nagging little voice. After awhile I was not bothered by it at all. As Paul put it, my conscience was being seared. “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.” 1Tim.4:1,2 Someone once said that the conscience is to the soul like the windows are to our house. If I keep the windows clear, then, not only will I be able to see outside better, but more light will come into the house. But suppose my windows are tinted or stained a certain color. If my windows are stained red, then everything outside will be red. If they are stained blue, then everything outside will be blue. If I have shutters and they are closed tightly then I will not be able to see anything outside. In the same way, neither will any light come in. When one’s conscience is clear, not only will they be able to see clearly the things in this world, but God will also be able to shed more Light into their soul. We should desire to keep our consciences clear so that God will be able to speak to us more clearly. I am not saying that we should be led by our conscience; we should be led by the Spirit, yet, we should not think that we will be led by the Spirit if our consciences are seared to the point of silence. There is a remedy for a conscience troubled by sin. “How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death.” Heb.9:14 When one comes to Jesus Christ, not only does He forgive his sins, but now He begins to cleanse his conscience so that he can become totally renewed! What a blessed Savior. Remember Brethren, be not conformed to the ways of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind!

“He believed God –and it was credited to him as righteousness.” This is what was said of Abraham, to teach us that the righteousness that God imparts to His children comes by faith through belief in Jesus Christ. I think that every red-blooded, born-again Christian truly desires God’s will not only in this world, but also in their own personal lives. They are tired of all the evil and injustices that are seen in this life. They are blessed to see fairness and love and are touched by little stories of human compassion. Western Oregon girl’s softball team was playing Central Washington in the Northwest Athletic Conference for the title. Western Oregon’s Sara Tucholsky, hit a three run homerun; her very first! As she rounded first base she wrenched her knee, tore her ACL and collapsed. The umpires ruled that they could replace her with a pinch-runner, but she would only be credited with a single and only two runs could be scored. The first baseman and shortstop of the opposing team asked if they carried Sara around the bases, could it be scored a homerun. The umpires allowed it and Sara got her homerun. The amazing thing about this is that because of the homerun the Central Washington Wildcats lost 4-2, and were eliminated from getting the title. Those girls on the Wildcats deserve applause for their sportsmanship even at the cost of sacrificing their chances for the Division title. Yes, it is stories like this one that reminds me that I want God’s rule in my life. Now, this sort of thing doesn’t come from trying to be good and never making any mistakes. I know that when I try to be good, holy and righteous, I find myself more critical of my behavior and sadly, the behavior of others. It is a fine line and a dangerous edge that one walks when he tries to be righteous by obeying God’s law. It really can’t be done. The more someone thinks that he is in right standing with God, because he is good –is actually falling away! “What are you advocating here, Pastor Jim? Should we live any old way that we want so that we can be righteous?” Absolutely not. But if we think that we are going to get to Heaven because of how good we are, we will need to learn Christianity 101 all over again. No, what I am advocating is simply, a relationship with Jesus rather than a religion of rules. This is what God offered Abraham. God didn’t say, “Abraham, if you try to be really good, maybe I’ll let you in Heaven after you die.” No, He offered Abraham the promise of eternal life if he would walk with God. Abraham took God up on His offer and the rest is history! But there may be elements of the story that may have gone unnoticed by the masses, and that is, to walk with God causes great sacrifice. Abraham was asked to leave his family, his home, his son and to believe even against all hope. Abraham believed, and it was credited to him as righteousness. Has God given this promise to you? Are you ready to sacrifice whatever it takes to walk with God? Do you believe even against all hope? If you do, then rejoice, brother and sister, because God’s promises are sure and His word never fails. If there is something that God is asking you to sacrifice (namely your will) then don’t hesitate. Believe God and it will be credited to you as righteousness!