Today is July 4^th, a wonderful holiday in the United States.  Most people will celebrate it with cookouts and fireworks, watermelon and ice cream.  It’s Independence Day!!!!  As American’s, we fiercely defend our freedoms.  We fence our yards, defend our rights in the highest courts and shed blood on foreign soil to preserve the freedom given to us by God and established by our forefathers.  We have a signed and sealed document called the Constitution complete with an attachment called the Bill of Rights which the President and every member of Congress swear to “Protect and defend from enemies both foreign and domestic.”  We are serious about our RIGHTS but sometimes lax when it comes to preserving the FREEDOM that allows us to enjoy those rights.

We have been purchased and set free by the precious Blood of Jesus.  We have a signed and sealed document explaining our freedom and listing our rights as Citizens of Heaven.  Are we as willing to defend our freedom from sin as we are our civil liberties?  We have to be vigilant and on guard every minute to our foreign enemy, Satan.  1 Peter 5:8 says, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour.”  Satan is always lurking around the corner, waiting for an opportunity to snatch another God-given right until link by link we are once again enslaved by sin.

But what about the Domestic Enemies?  Domestic threats are actually more dangerous than those from foreign sources.  In the United States we have a strong military and a code of law to protect our borders from alien forces that would seek to destroy us.  It is easier to identify and resist foreign enemies.  Not so with “home-grown” terrorists.  They live with us, look like us, speak our language and share our rights.  In our Christian Walk we must deal with domestic enemies, as well.  The Bible tells us that we are not ignorant of the Devil’s devices but are we aware of the devices of those who seek to enslave us from within.  One of the first “plots” we encounter is those who try to replace Old Testament Law with New Testament Law. Galatians 3:3 says, “Are ye so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?”  We must resist the mindset that says anything we can do or not do contributes to our salvation.  A second “plot” is the philosophy that because we are free in Christ and under grace, we have been given a license to satisfy any desire our flesh lusts after.  Romans 6:1-2 “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? 2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?”  Just as American Citizens cannot yell fire in a crowded building, steal any little trinket that catches their eye, or take the life of the neighbor with the barking dog, Heavenly Citizens must adhere to the Spiritual Law that allows us to preserve our freedom in Christ.

I have read stories of men that were imprisoned when young and then released 20 or 30 years later.  They have become so accustomed to their chains that they have no idea how to handle the freedom they have been given.  They are so terrified that they will immediately commit another crime so they will be incarcerated again where there is no freedom but life is familiar.  Let us not become so comfortable with Satan’s tyranny that we retreat after being set free from sin.  Let us also be careful not to trade Satan’s Tyranny for Spiritual Tyranny because we are scared of our freedom in Christ or because it is easier to follow the Law of Man rather than the Law of the Spirit. Whether you are still bound by Satan or have once again become entangled in spiritual slavery, declare your Independence, today.

Do you know or are you one of the people who can’t wait for the next thrill?  For the most part you feel that life is boring and you would be happier if you could live in Disney World and ride the roller coaster every day.  I DO NOT understand you!!!  I am happier with the mundane and would prefer to live in the rut; I think I am a “Valley Girl.”

Our Walk with God has been expressed many times as either a “Mountaintop” or “Valley” experience.  The “Mountaintop” describes exhilarating times, conquering, the end of the battle, and victorious celebration.  The “Valley,” on the other hand speaks of constant searching, struggling, or stumbling through the darkness and discouragement.  I think the Valley gets a bad rap and as a Valley Girl, I have a different point of view.

While a mountain may offer excitement and be exhilarating, living on a mountain is hard.   Mountain climbers describe the treacherous perils awaiting those who dwell on the peaks.  There are stories of hikers finding a quiet, flat site to set up camp for the night only to have a storm blow in unexpectedly, upsetting the camp.  The climber must always be aware of missteps into a crevice or loose boulders that appear solid only to break off with the slightest weight and go tumbling into the canyon below. The thunder of an avalanche strikes terror into the hearts of even the most experienced explorers who understand that trying to escape the tidal wave of snow racing down the mountainside is futile.  Once the adventurers have reached the peak, there is a feeling of incredible achievement and the view is breathtaking, but trying living on the mountaintop.  There is nothing to be found that will sustain life.  There are no places to build a house, no rich soil to grow a garden, or beautiful streams from which to draw life giving water.  It can be cold and lonely on the mountain. What do you do when all the provisions you toted on your back have been depleted?  There is no local grocer or Wal-Mart on the top of the mountain.  Suddenly, the valley begins to sound a little more inviting.

It is in the valley we find peace, rest, safety and provision.  The valley provides a quiet place where we can take the time to feel God’s love surrounding us and earnestly seek His guidance. Our bodies have been created to endure hardship, expend incredible amounts of energy and achieve amazing feats of strength but even the strongest and most energetic person will eventually hit the wall because we are also created to require rest.  It is in the valley that we can take the time to be revived, refreshed, and reinvigorated.  It is true, sometimes life in the valley becomes boring or as I prefer to call it, peaceful.  For all you “thrill-seekers,” be assured, Life is never static, the valley will come to an end and soon you will have another mountain to climb. 

All of you Mountain Climbers please be patient with us Valley Girls as we journey through life together.  I will climb up the mountain side with you and rejoice when we reach the peak.  I promise to be a shoulder to lean on as we descend on the other side.  I only ask that you allow me just a little extra time to linger in the valley.  Let me drink from clear stream of refreshing water, eat the fruit from the Tree of Life and smell the sweet aroma of the Lily of the Valley.  As a Valley Girl, I need a few extra moments to prepare for the next adventure.  We will reach the mountain soon but for now there are green pastures and still waters awaiting this Valley Girl.

Some time ago, I watched a funeral of an elderly lady over the internet.  This is the fourth funeral I have watched in the last few years.  These were people I have seen and heard all my life, yet I have never shaken their hand, spoken to them, or even been introduced.  She was not just any old lady; he was not just another sickly old man.  They were men and women of God who stood strong in the face of opposition, persevered and overcame.

My family is concerned about my fascination with these funerals.   It doesn’t make sense why I would devote an afternoon to hear people eulogize someone I have never met.  I asked myself. Why?  It came to me that it isn’t a fascination with death or a nostalgic desire to reacquaint myself with people from my younger days.  It is the legacy they leave behind.  Now that I am over 50 years old, I am more concerned with my own legacy.  Have I passed on to my children the heritage that was passed down to me?  Will my grandchildren know about the blessings our family has experienced?  Have I been a testimony to them?  Do they have the confidence and faith in God to stand strong no matter the opposition?

In Washington DC, large cities and small towns, there are statues, walls and monuments erected in honor of great leaders, fallen soldiers and other heroes.  These are not set up just to attract tourists or decorate a town square but they are Memorial Stones.  The hope is that a legacy will be preserved and the future generations will stand before the memorial to hear the stories of incredible bravery and endurance. The goal is that those who pause will not only stand with a sense of pride in their country but be motivated to continue the legacy.

Joshua 4:20-24 And those twelve stones, which they took out of Jordan, did Joshua pitch in Gilgal. 21 And he spoke unto the children of Israel, saying, when your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, what meaneth these stones? 22 Then ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel came over this Jordan on dry land. 23 For the LORD your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you, until ye were passed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red sea, which he dried up from before us, until we were gone over: 24 That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the LORD, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the LORD your God forever.

Joshua understood the importance of setting up memorials and passing the details of God’s miraculous deeds to the next generation and the next and the next.   Although Joshua was one of the great leaders named in Israel’s history, he was not concerned with his own legacy or making sure his name was preserved in the annals of history.  Joshua understood that he was but a vessel used by God to fulfill His great plan.  Joshua had a memorial set up comprised of the stones taken out of the middle of the Jordan River.  His plan was that the memorial would be visited, the story would be repeated and each generation would “know the hand of the Lord and fear the Lord forever.”

As I watch the funerals of a generation of Godly men and women that is rapidly fading, I am concerned that the legacy of the stones will fade with them.  Has my generation preserved and passed down the testimony to our children?  Will the new generation, our grandchildren even notice the stones and ask to hear the stories of God’s greatness?  As God works in your life, praise Him to your children, write it down for your grandchildren.  Have a “Praise The Lord” night at your house as you answer the question “What meaneth these stones.”

We might all see the same thing but when we tell what we have seen there will be very few times that two stories are the same. We each view an incident from a different perspective. So is it with the storms of life! We each have a different perspective on each storm. It is all in how we view them.

I read a story a while back that really struck a chord in my spirit. I came across it again today and felt to share it with you. Hopefully it might put some things into proper perspective in your life.

Goldilocks was hungry, there were three bowls of porridge and the story begins.  She tasted Papa Bear’s porridge, but it was too hot, Mama Bear’s turned out to be too cold but Baby Bear’s was JUST RIGHT, so she ate it all gone.  Then Goldilocks set in Baby Bear’s JUST RIGHT chair until it broke.  Finding herself exhausted from eating and sitting, Goldilocks decided to take a short nap.  Papa Bear’s bed was too hard, Mama Bear’s bed was too soft, but Baby Bear’s cozy little bed was JUST RIGHT, so Goldilocks fell asleep.  She had settled comfortably into the LAND OF JUST RIGHT.

The Bible speaks of several instances of people who settled into the LAND OF JUST RIGHT.  In every instance they failed to fulfill the great plan that God had for them and consequently missed out on all the blessings attached to their purpose.  In Genesis 11, we learn of Terah, the father of Abram.  We are told he took Abram, Sarai and Lot and left the Land of Ur of the Chaldees to go to the Land of Canaan.  They came to the Land of Haran and dwelt there and Terah died in Haran.  The Bible doesn’t say why Terah didn’t complete the journey into the Land of Canaan but something about Haran was “just right” and Terah decided this was a place where he could be comfortable and he never left.  Is it possible that Terah might have had a covenant with God as did his son Abraham, if only he hadn’t settled in the ‘Land of Just Right.” 

Just a few generations later, Moses had led the Children of Israel from Egypt, through the wilderness and to the brink of Canaan.  Moses died and Joshua led the Israelites across the Jordan River and prepared them to possess the land.  God had given them the land and promised that He would deliver it into their hands but first they had to drive the heathen inhabitants completely out of the land.  Joshua 15:63 tells us of Israel’s failure to obey the command of the Lord; “As for the Jebusites the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the children of Judah could not drive them out: but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem unto this day.”  Israel decided they were comfortable living along side the heathen Jebusites.  Although it was against God’s direct instructions, Israel settled into the “Land of Just Right.”  History reveals the consequence of Israel’s disobedience and the result of their becoming comfortable in the “Land of Just Right. To this day, the inhabitants of Jerusalem have been a snare and a trap, a scourge in their side and a thorn in the eyes of Israel, just as they were warned in Joshua 23:12.

The Church of Laodicea in the book of Revelation had become a church that had settled in the Land of Just Right.  Revelation 3:15 states in a letter to the Church of Laodicea, “I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou were cold or hot. ¹⁶So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth. ¹⁷Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:” This passage of scripture became a little clearer to me recently while visiting with my Mother.  My Mom lives in Southern Missouri where it is usually warm in the month of May.  The day we arrived it was a sunny, warm 85 degrees.  A cold front moved through overnight and the temperature fell to 50 degrees.  The cold spurred my Mom to action; on came the furnace and up went the thermostat.  Since I am 20 years younger and much warmer natured than my mother, the stifling heat of the furnace caused me to turn the thermostat way down while mom was in the other room.  Finally, we compromised on a temperature, Mom added a sweater and I donned a t-shirt.  After settling comfortably in the “Land of Just Right”, we continued eating and visiting. 

When we become “cold” in our relationship with God, we become uncomfortable.  Something is just NOT right.  God begins to deal with us and we move closer to the source of heat; the Fire of the Holy Ghost.  When we become “hot” in our relationship with God, the Fire spurs us into action to accomplish our purpose in God.  If we have settled into the Land of Just Right, however, we are in a “lukewarm” condition.  We have become comfortable in feasting on the blessings of God and fellowship without putting forth any effort.  Nothing is accomplished when everything is “Just Right,” and God says he will spew you out of His mouth.  While it may require that you get out of your comfort zone and life may not seem “quite right” most days, the further you move away from the “Land of Just Right,” the closer you will get to the Fire of the Holy Ghost and God’s purpose and plan for your life will be fulfilled.

The story of Goldilocks ends with the Three Bears returning home to find Goldilocks asleep in Baby Bear’s bed.  We tell our children a nice little ending with the bears waking her with a kiss and sending her home.  Since bears are not nice furry little creatures, instead of a kiss they probably ate her and that was the end of Goldilocks; all because she became comfortable in the Land of Just Right.

For the past forty years I have tried to preach "Hell" out of the Church. Realizing that Hell is the payment for sin and that it is a place God prepared for Satan and his followers, we should be abhorred at the thought of something from Hell being in the Church. However, today is different! I want to talk to you about some things in Hell that NEED to be in the Church.

Auturo Tscanini, the great conductor, was sitting at his podium prior to a concert one evening. As the orchestra warmed up just minutes before the performance, a bassoon player approached him in a fearful panic. "Maestro, I am very sorry, but my instrument has suffered an accident, and the E-flat will not sound. I am afraid I will not be able to play tonight."