Accept No Substitutes

"As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, [so] walk ye in Him: Rooted and built up in Him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily." Col. 2:6-9

There is no doubt that, in these last hours prior to the return of the King, Jesus Christ, the powers of satan are on the move. Each day brings more news of attacks against Jesus, against His people, against Christianity, against God's people, the nation of Israel. Each attack beings more pressure to bear against those of us who are here to occupy until He returns. Be it physical attacks (such as the murder of our brothers and sisters in Asia as punishment for operating underground churches), mental attacks (like the government-directed reprogramming of Christian homeschooling families in Germany), attacks against doctrine (such as those against the Church members here in America, where every flavor of falsehood is being introduced into religious teachings), attacks against our faith (like those taking place in Europe, where the Islamic movement is systematically destroying the historic fabric of the early Christian traditions) or attacks against our hope (found throughout the world in cults such as the Roman Catholic Church, the Mormons, the Jehovah's Witness movement, etc., that try to destroy the message found in the Bible in favor of their own twisted desires.)

With the battle raging, and the bullets flying, it is important to keep our eyes on the things that are key to our daily fight. As we can learn from the Scripture above, we should:

• Walk in our Lord
• Stay rooted in Him
• Be built up in Him
• Be thankful

Things that we should be on the careful watch for:

• Wisdom and ways that are based on man's ways
• Wisdom and ways that are based on what the world thinks is right
• Vain deceits (foolish lies) that are based on man's ways
• Vain deceits (foolish lies) that are based on what the world thinks is right

In all cases, if it doesn't follow after Jesus' ways, it should be rejected.

In Jesus, we find the bodily completeness of Father/Son/Spirit. There is nothing that can be added or subtracted from this. Jesus is perfection.

The war is now! Each day is going to be filled with battle after battle. No matter if it is a small skirmish or a major offensive, as long as we follow our Lord and Savior, and reject the world and the ways of sinful man, we will overcome!

Grace and Peace....