Hank’s Place

Welcome to Hank’s Place – In the New Year 2021

Before there was Hank’s Place, we had Come Alive was broadcasting on high powered short wave radio. How much power? Try 30 million watts ERP – effective radiated power!

One broadcast covered an amazing instance of the GRACE of GOD. It’s found in Exodus 33.

Remember the incident of the golden calf, with worship led by Aaron while Moses was atop Mount Sinai getting the 10 Commandments? After this great sin, the people are mourning while waiting to hear what the Lord will do with them. It looks bad; really bad. Moses intercedes. Verse 13: “Now therefore, I pray You, if I have found GRACE in Your sight, let me know Your ways that I may know You, so that I may find GRACE in Your sight. Consider too, that this nation is Your people.”  What? He begins by asking for GRACE for himself, but then adds, “Oh, and in case You forgot for a moment in all Your anger, all these people – belong to You.”

Pretty clever Moses! God responds saying His presence will go with him.

But Moses replies, “If Your presence does not go with US, do not lead US up from here.” Moses is including ALL of Israel, all those wicked sinners. Moses continues, “For how then can it be known that I have found GRACE in Your sight, I, AND YOUR PEOPLE? Is it not by Your going with US, so that WE, I and YOUR PEOPLE, may be distinguished from all the other people who are upon the face of the earth?”

Moses did not deny their sinfulness. Or that they deserved punishment. Instead, Moses is focused upon the goodness of God and His GRACE. Moses, the Law-giver, is stressing God’s grace! And telling God His GRACE can best be shown by BLESSING a sinful imperfect people! 

And it worked! God indicates it is His choice too, for He says, “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will show compassion.”

In the next chapter God shows Moses His glory, passing by Moses saying, “The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and GRACIOUS, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth.” COMPASSION and GRACE are the FIRST attributes He describes Himself as having.

And in the marvel of the New Covenant, a greater grace has been given us in that Jesus lives not just with His people, but within His people! Col 1:27. Glory to Jesus, for of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. John 1:14. And that fullness is within us!

So, have you sinned, badly, or repeatedly, or tried excusing your sin before God? Have you failed Him, failed others – know you are undeserving and should be punished? 

Consider what happened in the desert my friend – consider God, Who is Lovingkindness, Grace, and Mercy. Jesus has prepared the Way for us – to come before THE THRONE (Heb 4:12) today, and find that Grace and Mercy — we need — to COME ALIVE!

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Welcome to Hank’s Place – In the New Year 2021

Before there was Hank’s Place, before the world wide web everywhere, there was something called high powered short wave radio. And Come Alive Radio was there. Our goal at Come Alive Radio was to help you know Jesus Christ and become complete in Him. Or realize you ARE complete IN HIM. Col 2:10.

From 1998 to 2004 we broadcast 15 minutes a day 5 days a week on World Harvest Radio’s 500,000 watt Angel 5 transmitter. God gave us favor and we were soon heard 3 times daily, with coverage of a chunk of Europe, all of Africa, India, and reaching to the tip of the south island of New Zealand – with literally hundreds of thousands of listeners.

It was quite an operation! We had an awesome team of volunteers who personally answered each letter that came in. We sent out countless numbers of booklets, tapes, and CD’s.

The other day I received a FaceBook Messenger note from Rev Emmanuel Dejo Oladapo of Ghana. Ghana is in West Africa. He was glad to reconnect, and indicated he still had a booklet on God’s Grace we had sent him back in 1999! 

Friend, as another year begins, take note that the good words of the Gospel you share with others are not forgotten! They bear fruit. GOD will see to that!

I want to share a point from that Come Alive Radio series. The reference is 2 Cor 1:20-22, which in The Message reads, “Whatever God has promised gets stamped with the ‘Yes’ of Jesus. In him, this is what we preach and pray, the great Amen, God’s ‘Yes’ and our ‘Yes’ together, gloriously evident. God affirms us, making us a sure thing in Christ, putting His Yes within us. By His Spirit He has stamped us with His eternal pledge—a sure beginning of what He is destined to complete.” 

Our God is very POSITIVE in His relationship with us. He IS Lovingkindness and that lovingkindness is directed toward us forever. 

All of God’s promises are fulfilled through Jesus Christ. As we have received Jesus Christ, these sacred promises are YES toward us! EVERY magnificent promise is YES for us, thanks to His wonderful grace. Let your heart shout AMEN –  agree in a positive way to His positive attitude toward us!

Consider — here Paul has stated it is God who confirms us as being His. It is God who makes us steadfast in Him. It is God who establishes us in joint fellowship with one another in Christ Jesus. It is God who has set us apart from the world. It is God who has anointed us with His Holy Spirit. 

Then Paul adds that God has appropriated us, laid ahold of us — a firm grip! He has acknowledged us as being His by sealing us in the Holy Spirit — our guarantee of the fulfillment of all of His promises toward us. 

God’s got us in 2021. Faint not! God’s with us in 2021. Faint not. God’s in us in 2021. Faint not, and give Him praise and glory and honor, for He has caused us — to COME ALIVE!

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Welcome to Hank’s Place – December 27, 2020

We are probably all familiar with the story that goes something like this: A traveler comes to town looking for a certain destination. He inquires of a passerby on the street,  who advises, “go to the stop sign, turn left, go a half-mile — no wait — turn right at the stop sign, then go — no wait — go back the way you came to the highway and — no wait — you can’t get there from here.”

Well, what if that destination was Heaven? How does a person get there from here? Do the best we can? Try harder? Become a Buddhist monk in the Himalayas? The reality is — WE CAN’T get there from here! But there IS a Divine solution.

It brings me to a most unusual phrase that God uses about Himself. Found only 3 times in the entire Bible.

First is Is 43:11. “I, yes I, am God.” Or “I, only I am the Lord. I’m the only Savior there is. There is no savior besides Me.”

In repeating His name, God is emphasizing the strength of the statement, and making it very personal. Think a thunderous sound through all of Heaven and the earth. I, and only I, am God. I am The Lord – the only Savior. Your Savior. We can’t get the Heaven from here. But, The Lord God has come to earth to bring us there! Think about that, and have a happy new year!

Second is Is 43:25. “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions, lawless acts, sins, rebellion, for MY OWN SAKE, and remembers your sins no more.” When we get to heaven there will be no remembrance of our sins! No wait! We ARE new creations NOW, when we believed on Jesus! Transformed. Our nature is no longer of sin, but HIS nature: a righteous one. 

Sure, the world, neighbors, relatives, family and especially satan, may continue to accuse and remind us of who we WERE, of what we did. But God doesn’t. So let’s choose to believe God’s report about us instead of the devil’s report? Think about it, and have a happy new year!

Third is Is 51:12. “I, even I, am he who comforts you.” God, is passionately declaring He will comfort us, wipe away every tear, fill us with peace when we get to Heaven. Rev 21:4. He is intent upon doing this – for the old order as it says, will have passed away. 

But wait! 2 Cor 1:3-4 says “He is the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles” NOW. Yes, there are troubles in this life, but our God is intent on comforting us, NOW. So, let’s let Him — have our hurts and pains from 2020. From anytime. He knows how to comfort, sustain, heal and strengthen us. Let’s let Him — and have a happy new year.

After all, He is the one who causes us — to COME ALIVE!

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Welcome to Hank’s Place – Advent December 20, 2020

“Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” Matthew 2:1-2.

These wise men, magi, when made aware of Jesus’ birth — what did they do? They — sought Him out. They — went to Him. Why? To be in His presence. To worship Him. That’s wisdom then; that’s wisdom NOW.

A couple of days ago, a friend of mine, Mike, suggested that the most important presents this Advent season were — His Presence! Now – that’s a powerful truth! 

At the beginning of Scripture we find Adam and Eve being visited by the Lord God, likely daily. His Presence coming to them; in their midst. 

Then sin came around. The presence of God that Adam and Eve once knew freely — was no longer free.

Except for some visitations to a person here and there, a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night for wandering Israel, and some temple visitations, God’s Presence was not to be found.

Until Jesus the Christ. Immanuel. God with us. Isaiah 7:14. To overcome mankind’s sin and ensure His purposes, the Creator became our Redeemer. And brought His presence back to His people.

If you look in the book of Revelation, you will find in a sense, that the first place of God with man, the Garden of Eden, has expanded. We find a new heavens, and a new earth, and, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God.” Revelation 21:3.

Isn’t that fantastic? Genesis begins with God’s Presence with man, and Revelation ends the same way, but better!

In His grace, God in Christ entered human history, became a man, walked among humanity, and died for us to reconcile us back to Himself. Do you get it dear friend? God wants to be with you EVEN MORE than you want to be with Him!

When we were born again, Christ came to dwell with us. His presence actually IN us! Colossians 1:27. But we want more, don’t we? I mean, to be more aware of Him. To EXPERIENCE Him with every aspect of our being, right? How can we?

Why not ask Him for that? Start talking with Him as if He were right there, because HE IS! Meditate on Him, there WITH YOU! He’s not far away! Ask Him to speak with you and then LISTEN! Listen as you worship. Listen as you give Him praise for who He is, what He has done. EXPECT to experience His presence.

You will! You’ll COME ALIVE! What a Merry Christmas!

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Welcome to Hank’s Place – Advent December 13, 2020

At Hank’s Place, JESUS is the reason. He’s the reason for EVERY SEASON, for ALL things that are good and pure and wholesome, and true, honorable, just, lovely, commendable, worthy of praise. Right? (Phil 4:8)

December can be a depressing time for many Christians as we  are assaulted by the marketing, the merchandizing — the santas, the elves, the penguins (even though there are no penguins at the North Pole). Here in Texas we even have inflatable snow covered cowboy boots and cactus for your front yard – at $100 a pop!

The greed on parade, coupled with a torrent of Christmas movies that have nothing to do with Jesus – can be a real downer. One year, filled with irritation, I even spray painted a Christmas tree BLACK, and placed it in my front yard – decorating it with white lights. It’s how distressed I was, seeing a dark dark world with only us Christians as lights glowing here and there. Thankfully I’ve looked up and seen Jesus a bit more clearly since then!

Here’s a pinch of history. December 25th was first designated Christmas in 320 AD by Pope Julius I – to counteract the excesses of the Saturnalia celebrations in Europe dating from pre-Jesus times.  But people went right ahead with their revelry and celebrations – choosing to repent afterward!

The drunkenness, debauchery – evil – had reach such levels that by Pilgrim times Christians loathed Christmas, considering it an instrument of the devil for sin. When the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth in 1620, they outlawed Christmas. Anyone caught celebrating was subject to arrest and fines. Congress continued to meet on Christmas Day up to 1856. 

Christmas in America was celebrated pretty much only in the church, and there as a subdued acknowledgement of our Savior’s birth. 

THEN – in 1822 “T’was the Night Before Christmas” was penned by Clement Clark Moore portraying Christmas as a joyous family affair, especially for children. Christmas began taking on family life! And getting a life in public.

A few decades later Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” brought the wonder of the birth and life of our Savior to the world.

Gift giving was at first simple, but merchants soon took advantage – greed does leap at opportunities, doesn’t it? Soon santa and spending was everywhere. Soon Christmas was going downhill.

Well, just because the world twists and distorts good things doesn’t mean WE have to be depressed my friend! Jesus IS the reason for living, for joy, for family, for celebrating!

So, this Advent season, I suggest – you decorate! Why not decorate – yourself – with Christ! It’s based on Gal 3:26 “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”

Because we are sons of God, we can, and should, really, clothe ourselves with Jesus. He is our appropriate dress every day. 

May people see that we belong to Him simply by looking at us. Our behavior. Our loving. Our compassion. Let them see us — adorned with Jesus. It’s Good News to the world!

Throw off that mantle of depression NOW; clothe yourself with Christ — and COME ALIVE!

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Welcome to Hank’s Place – Advent December 6, 2020

Where we are, lit up for Jesus! It’s the 2nd Sunday of Advent, 2020. And what a year it has been. But friend, have HOPE as we look toward celebrating the birth of Jesus. Remember Mat 1:21, “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 

Gal 4:4 adds, “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.”

Jesus came “when the time was right.” When the world was perfectly prepared for God’s work. I tell you, this year, with its COVID, isolations, election treacheries, evil media, is perfectly prepared for God’s work. I urge you therefore, to let Faith and Hope arise in your hearts. Did you know that theologians say that the world had sunk in a moral abyss so low that even the pagans cried out against it and that spiritual hunger was everywhere evident; it was a perfect time for the coming of Christ. Just like today. So let Faith and Hope arise in your hearts. When sin abounds, grace does much more abound. Ro 5:20.

Some of you may be battling depression, feeling suicidal even, for the devil has you convinced that even as the world is going down the toilet, your life even more so, that YOUR case is hopeless. Hey! Ro 5:8  says Christ died for us while we were sinners – while we were genuinely hopeless. Apart from a Savior. Yes, Jesus died for the hopeless. He is the hope of the hopeless. Eternally. Jesus.

I’ve known people who have lost hope, convinced they will burn in Hell, because their church’s doctrines required full obedience to the Law after becoming a Christian – or they would burn. There was a divorce in one man’s past; his church shunned him; excommunicated him. Told him he would go to hell; that Jesus had rejected him. Would never accept him. He became an alcoholic. Depressed and hopeless. Religious lies brought on an early death, and pain and suffering to the family.

Listen, the work of Jesus on the cross for us is God’s ultimate proof of His love for us. Unconditional love. It is not based on our performance prior to, or after our believing in Him. Jesus died for undeserving sinners and rebels. Us! His love, His blood, is greater than our greatest sin. 

This Advent, look upon the evergreen trees – see Jesus’ eternal love for you. Look upon the lights – see Jesus, Light of the world, giving life to you. Look upon the gift giving – see Jesus, God’s greatest gift, given us out of His great great love for you.

Look and see. Let hope arise, and COME ALIVE!

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Welcome to Hank’s Place – Thanksgiving Edition

Here at Hank’s Place we thank God for His faithfulness. His Lovingkindness! His grace & mercies toward us! And more!

God makes promises. Awesome promises. And God KEEPS HIS PROMISES! And we are thankful, for with our God NOTHING is impossible.

Like many Christians, Right to Lifers, Righteousness seekers, I believed Trump would be reelected in a landslide. So these days, from Nov 4th to now, have been difficult ones for me, and maybe you, too. Our eyes and our ears are seeing and hearing some very different reports than what we had believed would happen.

For months on my morning walks I would pray, “Lord, raise up the righteous, cast down the wicked.” And I felt the Lord had told me not to worry, that this nation was in His capable hands. And that Trump was a kind of Cyrus of old, being used by God for restoration. Is 45:1.

So like David did, 1 Sam 30:6, I went into God’s word to gather strength. Here’s what I found.

Exodus 4-15. Moses appears to the children of Israel and declares “God has sent me to drain the swampy Nile!” He has sent me to “make Israel great again!” At first it was pretty cool – duels between Moses and Pharaoh. It got bad for Israel, but worse for Egypt. And then Israel was set free – no, wait, there’s Pharaoh’s army, best in the world, pursuing them and the Red Sea in front of them. They are doomed! God has failed them. Moses is wrong.

No, wait! All this happened so that God would be glorified. A deliverance in which man could not take credit – God parting the Red Sea, and destroying Egypt.

And then I read of King Jehoshaphat of Judah in 2 Chronicles 19 and 20. He instituted marvelous reforms, like Trump. He appointed righteous judges in the land. Like Trump. He instructed them to fear God, not man and not to take a bribe. So what happened? Moabites, Ammonites, and some Meunites came in vast numbers to destroy Judah. Jehoshaphat seeks the Lord, Who advises him not to be afraid, for the battle is not Jehoshaphat’s, but the Lords. Stand firm, and see the salvation of God! (and the enemy fell upon one another and was destroyed!)

And then I read of King Hezekiah in Isaiah 36 and 37. The Assyrians have come up to destroy Judah. The commander issues many discouraging words. Lies, but very discouraging to little Judah. Hope is evaporating. It appears all is lost. Hezekiah instructs the people not to answer the Assyrians. Perhaps you have been silent also while the Bidenites, Baalites and others have ridiculed and mocked and threatened you!

Then Hezekiah goes to God via the prophet Isaiah. God response: it will not turn out the way it appears. When the dust clears we find Judah standing and the enemy will not be found. Oh, and 185,000 Assyrians annihilated.

And what about Mordecai, Esther and Haman in the book of Esther? Haman was incensed when Mordecai would not bow down to him and plotted to kill not only Mordecai but all Jews – and do it deceitfully by the hand of the king. Intrigue. Scheming in high places.

But Esther was born for such a time as this – Esther 4:14, and the ultimate outcome, was not the slaughter of Jews – or Christians and those who believe in the rights of the unborn today, was just the opposite. The plans of the wicked fell upon the wicked, AFTER time was allowed for all the wicked to be found out. It was then that God acted. Could today be such a time as this?

And what about JESUS? Who went about doing good, healing all those bound by the devil? Acts 10:38. He did only good. Yet Religious/political leaders wanted Him dead, taken out, because He did not submit to them – He did not play their game. He was draining their swamp.

The conspiracy worked and Jesus was put to death, and along with His death went the hopes and dreams of His followers. Or so it seemed.

Do you remember Jesus’ words to those disciples on the Emmaus Road? “O foolish ones and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets has spoken. Was not all this necessary for God’s mighty, awesome, miracle to take place?” Luke 24:24-25.

So, could all that we are experiencing – be necessary for God’s mighty deliverance and will to become manifest? Are we simply slow of heart to believe? Don’t you see? We are being given the opportunity to BELIEVE God, just as the men and women of faith did in Scripture – these are truly amazing days!!!!

I like the response of the 3 Hebrew children facing the fiery furnace of king Nebuchadnezzar, found in Daniel 3:16-18: “Biden, media, corrupt politicians, tech moguls; we don’t need to give you an answer to this question. If the God we serve exists, then He can rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and He can rescue us from the power of you, whatever you call yourself. But even if He does not rescue us, we want you to know that we will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue of corruption that you set up.”

My friend, take heart in our Faithful God — give thanks — and COME ALIVE!

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Welcome to Hank’s Place

Paul begins the epistle to the Ephesians with, “Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies.” Then he names a few, “For He chose us in Him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined us to be adopted through Jesus Christ for Himself, according to His favor and will, to the praise of His glorious grace that He favored us with in the Beloved.”

There is a TON of GRACE presented in these few verses. God favors us, His children, because He is GOD and it’s what HE has chosen to do. Consider — the “ with every spiritual blessing.

Those spiritual blessings are higher, better, and more secure than earthly blessings. We should receive them; why let them go unused?

Consider spiritual vs material blessings a moment. A new heart is better than a new car. To feed on Christ is better than the best earthly food. To be an heir of God is better than being the heir of an earthly king. To have God for our portion is infinitely more blessed, than say, owning the King ranch. Spurgeon said, “These are the rarest, the richest, the most enduring of all blessings; they are priceless in value.”

Consider Paul’s opening ‘for instance’ of spiritual blessings. He says, “Just as He chose us in Him.” Our possession of every spiritual blessing is as certain as our being chosen by Him, and chosen before the foundation of the world. As a believer you ARE blessed; receive the blessings!

Believers are chosen by God; we are chosen before we have done anything or have been anything for God. Don’t try to reconcile human responsibility with divine sovereignty based on this one verse. Rather take assurance of the permanence of His plan and His love towards us.

“Chosen in Him.” It means our heavenly Father has engrafted us, through the blessing of adoption, into the Body of Christ.

“Chosen in” Him that we should be holy and without blame before Him. See? There is both God’s sovereign choosing, yet still a responsibility for personal holiness and sanctification.

Predestined to adoption as sons. God’s plan for us not only includes salvation and personal transformation, but also a warm, confident relationship with the Father.

Barclay points out that in the Roman law of Paul’s day, “When the adoption was complete, it was complete indeed. The person who had been adopted had all the rights of a legitimate son in his new family and completely lost all rights in his old family. In the eyes of the law he was a new person. Even all the debts and obligations connected with his previous family were abolished as if they had never existed.” Through Jesus we’ve been BORN into God’s family. And our sin debts and obligations — severed! Gone! Forever!

Our status in the Kingdom: “accepted in the Beloved.” If you dig into this phrase you’ll find it means “highly favored” or “full of grace” as in Luke 1:28. God’s plan of salvation gives glory to His grace – it doesn’t leave any space for self-effort.

My friend, rejoice today as you consider the grace of God toward you, the grace that has caused you — to COME ALIVE!

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At Hank’s Place we love 1 John! Just 5 chapters, but what a challenge — for there’s rarely a clear line of thought for more than a few verses. And it wanders from subject to subject.

Outline for the book? Forget it! Circular reasoning is a good description. It touches on this, then that, then revisits those themes with variations, again and again. Think of 1 John as a symphony, strings sounding here, then woodwinds or brass and so forth – all building toward a marvelous revelation!

1 John is rich in doctrine, ethical challenge, and devotional fervor. But John doesn’t merely state these things, what he writes he is also asking of us, calling us to grow in faith, obedience, and love. 

How do we do that? One could easily conclude that this book would be full of instructions and lists of do’s and don’t’s. But it’s NOT! 1 John is a message of grace. Of “DONE.” It is finished, remember?

John is highlighting what the Father has done in sending His Son, offering Jesus up as a sacrifice for our sins, and sending forth the “Word of Life.” 1 John 1:1. This Word of Life is causing the world’s darkness to pass away and the true light of the coming age to shine. Amazingly, John declares that while no one has seen God in His glory, knowing Jesus is to know the true God and eternal life. 1 John 5:20.

There are a great many “if’s” in 1 John. And things that a person “does,” like walking, loving, hating – many more. It’s so easy to begin checking ourselves out. Do I love my brother? Do I hold onto the world’s goods? And so on.

But wait! It’s just the opposite, because John understands the GRACE of God. It’s not us asking: ‘what would Jesus do?’ In each situation. It’s as we come to KNOW God, then we begin to behave more and more, like JESUS! Without thinking about it, we just act and respond – like JESUS. 

And that’s the point of today’s Hank’s Place: as we come to know God and receive His love, there is a growing desire for obedience within our hearts. It’s a desire born of God, by His grace. 

My friend, lift up your hands in joyful praise, because of Jesus, who loved us and causes us — to COME ALIVE!

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Hank’s Place is a place of grace. At Hank’s Place we never give up – although sometimes we quickly give up!

How’s that? When should we give up? When sinning! When holding on to what is earthly within – all the immorality, anger, malice and such of Col 3:5-8. Give up quickly when engaging in the works of the flesh, like envy and idolatry as noted in Gal 5:19-21. Give that life up! To God! Renounce – repent – reject. Children of the KING don’t belong in a cesspool of sin!

Now, in this world, ‘with devils filled’ as Martin Luther noted in A Mighty Fortress Is Our God, we should never never – never give up! Isaiah 36 and 37 is very revealing. The devil wants us, tries to convince us, to give up.

Check it out in Isaiah 36:8-9. Now why is that? 

First, there’s the strong chance if we fight we will win for greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world! 

Second, win or lose, the battle will draw us closer to God and we will grow in Him! 

Third, what God does for us in the battle can be a great blessing not only for ourselves but for other people!

No, Satan would rather talk to us, reason with us using lies to convince us into giving up! In Is 36:10 the enemy commander tells Hezekiah that God is on the enemy’s side! And there was a kernel of truth in this. In verses 19 and 20 the enemy compared Israel’s God to the gods of other defeated nations, weak like them. Well — the enemy went too far with that one! When the enemy reproached the living God of Israel, God took action.

Friend, we cannot be defeated — if we don’t give up. But anyone will be defeated if they give up. In verses 16-17 the enemy commander says, “Make peace with me and surrender to me. Then every one of you may eat from his own vine and his own fig tree and drink water from his own cistern until I come and take you away to a land like your own land—a land of grain and new wine, a land of bread and vineyards.” 

This was a total lie! Those Assyrians didn’t transplant people into nice little cities and villages to make a new life. They were made slaves, they were separated from each other, they suffered terribly!

And this would have happened – if Hezekiah had given up. But he did not. Isaiah went to God in chapter 37, and an angel of the Lord responded by killing 185,000 Assyrians!

And don’t forget Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness – Lu 4 and Mt 4. The devil tried to talk Jesus into giving up. If He just worshiped the devil one time, the devil would make Jesus ruler of the world. Jesus didn’t fall for that lie. Jesus never give up, ever, except to willingly give His life for us. Neither should we ever yield to the devil.

Never give up – and you’ll win – and inspire many — to COME ALIVE!

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