Grace Journey Church

10/19/2025

How Can I?

The Lord Himself turned to Gideon & said, “You have the strength. Deliver (them). I…sent you.”
Gideon said, “How can I? Weakest clan...youngest kid.”
The Lord said, “Ah, but I will be with you!" Jg 6:14-16

After this, Gideon never again questioned the strength or ability Father gave. He only questioned if he was hearing accurately.
Why?
Because Gideon's strength and ability were Him with him…Him in him.

Once you know the assignment rest, it's not you…it’s Him and His ability in and through you.

10/12/2025

Heaven’s Cutbacks, Layoffs. And Downsizing

We...have, Jesus, a high priest Who knows our reality. He’s been through weakness and testing, experienced it all (for us)—all but the sin (He 4:15)

How different is the Kingdom of which we are?

Consider: What normally happens when a corporation in this world gets in trouble?
•Stockholders blame the board, executives, and upper management.
•The board, executives, and upper management blame middle management, hourly workers, and laborers.
•Middle management, hourly workers, and laborers blame upper management and everyone else “up the ladder.
•All this leads to whoever gets blamed being place “on the chopping block” to be fired, laid off, or downsized. And in cases of fraud and such…conviction and prison.

But in Father’s Kingdom, He, the CEO, board chairman and president...
•First stepped into the place of the ones who were at fault… us.
•He then took the accusations (trial), firing and cutbacks (scouring, beatings, mocking) on Himself.
•Then put Himself on the chopping block (the cross) to pay the price of our failings and crimes…received the conviction and prison (death and the grave) •essentially with no defense, only “forgive them… it is finished.”

He took what we earned and deserved that by His resurrection we could receive what we could never earn or deserve.
Heaven’s cutback wasn’t a pink slip but a blood stained cross.

10/05/2025

God Of The Empty

And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was against us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Col 2:13-14

One of the ideas in the “handwriting of requirements” is a record of charges. In today’s parlance we would possibly call it an indictment but this is an indictment of charges of which we are guilty.

We’re told Jesus has “taken it out of the way.” That phrase is one word in Greek (exaleiphō, ἐξαλείψας). It carries the idea of to destroy, obliterate, cover, blot out, or erase.

Erase…I like that. Jesus, in His crucifixion, took the indictment of our guilty charges and they were nailed to the cross with Him. In doing so every single charge of guilt was erased by His blood.

The point?
Our God is the God of the empty…the empty cross, the empty tomb, and our empty indictment.
And into our emptiness He has poured His fullness (Eph. 1:23; 3:19).

09/21/2025

09/21/2025

Effective Prayers

The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Jas‬ ‭5‬:‭16‬b

Many quote this portion of Scripture to encourage others in their personal, private prayer lives. While that may be one application it misses the context by a large margin.

In verses 13-14 “among you” is plural. Had James been in the Southern US it would read “among y’all.” Further, “let him pray, let him sing, let him call, let them pray” are each an imperative command. And who is this “them” we are commanded to call to pray? The elders of the church.

The point being, these commands are clearly placed within the context of a church, not an individual’s personal devotional prayers apart from other Christians. Further, the impact of these commands…save the sick, raised up, forgiveness…occur only in the context of church relationships. In fact, obeying this Scripture and receiving its promise is simply impossible without connection to a specific local body. But…there is more here…

The first part of verse 16 reads, “Confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.” Again, “confess” and “pray” are both plural imperatives. The one verb that isn’t a command is “healed.” It is in the subjunctive…the voice of possibility.

The point? Our most effective prayers are not the prayers we pray for ourselves or others in our private, secluded prayer closet but are those prayed for others in relational community with other believers.

Want to pray those fervent effective prayers? They’re waiting to be prayed by you…in relationships…in and with church.

09/14/2025

After 40 Years…Gone Fishing
..after 40 years...the Lord said to Moses..."I have come down to deliver My people from Egypt. Come, I will send you to Egypt.” This Moses whom they rejected...is the one God sent to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the Angel who appeared to him in the bush. Moses brought them out, after...40 years. Ac ‭7:30, 34-36‬

Simon Peter told the other disciples, “I am going fishing.”
“We will go with you,” they replied. They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Jn‬ ‭21‬:‭3‬

What appears as wasted or lost time is frequently Father’s preparation time.
Preparation of us, of the place, of those to whom He is sending us. The great challenge for us during those times is to not lose faith…to not draw back…to not give up and return to fishing.

Destiny "delayed" is not destiny denied.

09/10/2025

As I sit in the sun on the cabin porch this morning I have rediscovered a Psalm prayer with personalized edits from a while back and am stirred to incorporate it into my morning prayers once more.