Deception cannot work until the subtle beast perceives you are weak in faith. The slithering serpent saw an easy target when gullible Eve stumbled upon the forbidden fruit. The way her eyes glanced at the fruit. The way she looked confused. Should she take it? Should she leave it? Hesitant curiosity should have been quickly replaced with matter of fact truth. But she was too weak. She was vulnerable to the tempter’s words.

When you fast forward the pages ahead to the wilderness where Jesus was tempted by the same devil, you see that Jesus did not display the same gullible weakness. He was strong in spirit. He was resolute in His stand against the enemy. He was not swayed by persuasive words, sensational sights, or easy exits. He stood his ground by returned to the foundation of power. “It is written.”

When Satan approached the vulnerable female of Paradise, he asked her, “Yea, hath God said ye shall not eat of all the trees of the garden?” This phrase in the Hebrew is an interrogative expressing surprise. It was as if the serpent costumed adversary shrugged his scaly shoulders. The spirit of the question was to release confusion.

My friend, if you have questions in your life that are causing you confusion, then I encourage you to pray. Prayer to God submits every question to power of his purpose, his truth, and His ultimate decisive command. Listen now...

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Played: 79 | Download | Duration: 00:28:30

Played: 102 | Download | Duration: 00:28:31

The sun was a golden seed budded from the black soils of night. Dawn bloomed with bright orange as the diamonds of night disappeared. The Messiah shuffled briskly through the courtyard, and then curved toward the Pool of Siloam. A few hours earlier he had incensed the Pharisees with Divine declarations; now he would follow that up with Divine demonstrations. And he would do it at the reservoir.

Seven centuries earlier King Hezekiah feared that invading Assyrians would seize the exposed spring, Gihon, which lay just outside the city walls in the Kidron Valley. So he had his builders carve out a reservoir, The Pool of Siloam, just inside the city; and then, starting from both ends—the new reservoir and the existing spring—they hacked a tunnel under the city walls through 1752 feet of solid rock, which diverted Gihon’s water into the new and protected cistern.

On this day Jesus, God manifested in the flesh, The Word of hope that dwelt among men, would bring something to the Pool of Siloam from gurgling fountain of Heaven. A miracle. He would heal a blind man. He would spit on the ground, make a clay ointment, rub on the blind man’s eyes and command him to wash in the Pool. The scripture states in John 9, And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.

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The sun glared on the golden statue. The frenzied citizens dropped to their knees and enthusiastically worshipped the idol when the hypnotic orchestra began to play. That is, except for three Hebrews. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were young men dedicated to God. And when the ordered homage took place the three Hebrews refused to bow. The king who gave the order was infuriated. They had a furnace prearranged for rebels, and in his haste, intense displeasure with the foreigners he commanded them to increase the temperature, seven times hotter.

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Joh 12:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

Failure can be an intricate part of growth. Except a corn of wheat fall. Failure brings me to the ground of reality where I understand I can do nothing without Him. Failure brings me to the soil of humility where the seed of truth can replace the grain of self deceit. Notice, it doesn’t get into the ground until it falls. If falling brings one to the fertile depths of supernatural development, then that kind of falling is only the first phase of a new rising.

When you carefully observe kingdoms of history we proverbially describe each one with a “rise and fall”. The Rise and fall of the Roman Empire probably tops the list. For with earthly empires it is the seemingly positive first and then the negative ending, the grandeur of lands conquered, civilizations reared, and philanthropic contributions added to human history. But, then transpires the demise, the slow decay, the moral disruption, and usually a chaotic conclusion. But with the Kingdom of God, Jesus unveils a secret. The Gospel Kingdom starts with a fall, not a rise. It is the fall and rise of the Kingdom. For the Kingdom of Christ began with “a corn of wheat falling into the ground and dying.” It began with his death, and every horrid detail, every anguishing moment of Crucifixion that led to his final breath. But his death was not the end. It was just the beginning. For the Gospel is not founded on that which “rises” first, but on that which falls first. The Gospel is the death, burial, and then resurrection.

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Played: 187 | Download | Duration: 00:28:31

There are cave moments where we all feel the flash flood waters of life. They come rushing in before we know what has hit us. And often how we handle or respond to these moments are not helpful. WE make mistakes, like Gerald Moni reaching for only one rope when he needed to grab two. Then good plans plummet. Well thought intentions descend fast. Plunging ideas become nightmare scenarios. Are you falling fast? Did you grab the wrong rope, trust the wrong feeling, believe the wrong words? Do you feel like you are drowning in your ill timed decisions?

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” This was God’s rescue operation. He sent his son into the cave of death so that you could rise from the darkness. Jesus was God manifested in the flesh, stepping into our sin-drowning world, saving us from the frigid waters of despair. He CAN save you. His arm is not shortened that it cannot save. He can reach you no matter how far you’ve fallen. He can love you no matter how much you hate others or yourself. He can sump pump the dredge of condemnation out of your soul, bring you out of the most dire circumstances, and put your feet in a safe place.

Played: 155 | Download | Duration: 00:28:31

Played: 98 | Download | Duration: 00:28:31

Living above the stars, the heartbroken Creator put on his flesh suit, becoming a little unheralded baby; wrapped in swaddling clothes, wrapped even more in love; laid in a manger, laid before that on the crimson stained foundation of the world. O holy night.

Living beneath the stars, the heartwarming savior placed his warm hands on the cold arms of the dead, life flourished again; withered dreams burgeoned like roses out of winter; he reached for the bruised reeds of society and gave them more than hope, he gave them power and purpose. O Holy life.

Living without the stars, hurting souls of our age wander aimlessly through cloud covered days. But light extends from the manger of his first birth to the mountain of his second coming. Someday soon every eye will see Him. Someday soon his first steps as a baby, long ago, will conclude with his last stand on the Mount of Olives as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. O Holy Sight. What a day that will be!!

Played: 95 | Download | Duration: 00:28:31