Today's podcast is going to help clarify some things for some people and bring relief. For some this is going to mess with you a little bit. All too often we hear that doubt is the opposite of faith. That just is not true. Doubt is the opposite of certainty unbelief is the opposite of faith. Now doubt can get us to unbelief, but doubt is something that is common to everyone. Even Christians. Doubt is part of the journey. It is what gets us asking questions. Satan loves to try and exploit our doubts to turn us against Jesus and all that we believe. Jesus takes our doubts and questions and allows them to reveal His character. When Jesus takes our doubts and questions and turns them into certainty we wind up with a faith and trust in God that becomes unshakable. We soon realize that Jesus doesn't just make a way where there seems to be no way, HE is the Way, the Truth and the Life. If you are one of those people that are super religious that cause people to turn themselves in knots shaming them for struggling with doubt, telling them that if they "confess" their struggles they are not doing things correctly, then this podcast will make you made. I hope it does. If you are dealing with a confusing situation and need relief this podcast will make you glad. I am counting on the fact it will.

Better. That's a powerful word. Better is a healing word. It is an encouraging word. BETTER! I have kissed my children and grandchildren when they were younger and hurt themselves and said... "there, all better". What they needed was love, tenderness and assurance. It is amazing how quickly some hurts heal with just a little compassion. As we get older, we realize that some things don't get better in the way we would like. Things heal but they take time and leave lasting scars that we have to contend with. Some marriages don't succeed. Sometimes cancer wins the day. Sometimes betrayal happens and the wounds cut deep. Sometimes we have financial setbacks that we never really recover from. There are times that the emotional toll of life leaves us spent and exhausted. Better. I love that the Bible never dodges the reality of these things. Many Christians try to come up with easy answers that leave us feeling like the problem. There are times that there are no simple solutions there is only simple, Childlike faith. Jeremy Camp wrote a song called better - here are the Lyrics to the Chorus.

There is something diabolical going on in the Church and society as a whole. It is a movement to separate the old and the young. There is a desire among some that is becoming fashionable. The desire to move the older generations out of the way and to replace them with younger people. When King Solomon died that was the prevailing desire. Instead of heading the wisdom of the older men. Solomons son did just the opposite. We know how well that worked out. God identifies Himself as the God of "Abraham, Isaac and Jacob." He is a generational God. The Generations are to work together. We are not in competition with one another. Each brings something to the table that the other needs. We hear discussion about the selfishness of the Boomers who don't know when to retire, The Millennials that not only desire a seat at the table but want people to get out of the way. In-between, are the Gen Xer's who feel caught in the middle, holding things together feeling passed over and thinking everybody is crazy because they were the latch key kids who have been getting things done on their own most of their lives. It is the devil who does the work of division. And we see this fleshly work of ageism at work in the body of Christ. I have witnessed this wrestling in families and in denominational meetings. It should have no place among those who are a part of the family of God. Grandparents, Parents, Children and Grandchildren are all vital parts of every family including the church. Each generation has something to offer all of the others. Each must be humble, teachable and able to listen. The older should be confident in their wisdom and gained experience and willing to invest that in the generations behind them. The younger have energy, strength and talents that are being refined and they would be wise to observe and receive what the older have to offer with respect. For the older please hear me the words - "Because I said so" will not suffice for a younger generation that longs for connection. For the Young people - demanding your own way will cause the older to shut down and tell you to go figure it out for yourself. Let's honor one another, care for one another, include each other and open doors so that people can thrive, learn and grow.

Vulnerability. For some the word holds a valuable place in their life. For others this word is difficult to read and even more difficult to put into practice. Thank God for the examples that we are able to glean from the people in the word of God. People like Elijah. We read His story and we see this mighty man of God who does incredible things for the Kingdom. Yet in the Book of James, we are told that he was a person just like we are. Great in faith but deeply human. Powerful in works but wrestled with exhaustion and depression. This was a man of God who walked in victory but was deeply vulnerable. Victory and Vulnerability are not incompatible as a matter of fact; they often go hand in hand. While we often think of the people in the Bible like superhero's we discover that they are actually super- normal. Like them, we need God's super to supersede our natural. I think this is an encouraging thing. It is important to know that many times our victories actually come from our willingness to be vulnerable to God and others. In the Spiritual, vulnerable does not mean unprotected. It is humbly submitting our everything to God and putting everything on the line. Knowing that as we trust Him, we will see God's mighty hand working through our lives.

While the opposite of peace is fear, the opposite of calm is chaos. Chaos is the lack of orderliness and calm. In the midst of chaos, it is hard to think correctly, respond intelligently and make thoughtful decisions. Chaos is destabilizing and many times traumatizing. The Bible says that God is not the author of confusion. What we see happening in our society and many times in our own lives is a deliberate attempt by the enemy to bring a chaos that keeps us unsettled and ineffective. God's desire is for us to live in peace, calm and without fear. Chaos rarely is the result of a sudden shift but a slow build up that clutters life. A slow creep that if we pay attention, we can stop.

There are stories in the Bible that are inspiring, challenging and jaw dropping. The Story of Phinehas and his response to compromise and the damage that it was doing to people is one of those stories.It doesn't take long to look at our churches and people who are a part of the family of God and see that compromise is very prevalent. God is not only dealing very clearly with the sin in our nation, but He is also rooting out the compromise that is in the church. You can't deny it. It is plainly there for all to see. I believe that God is raising up people who are carrying the spiritual mantle that was on Phinehas in our generation. People who will openly deal with the compromise that is compromising the people of God. I am not implying that the same radical methods are to be used. I am saying that God is raising up faithful priests with the heart of a warrior. Willing to confront open sin in order to stop the judgement of God and the wicked counsel of the enemies of God.

We all love the victory of the walls coming down in Jericho. What preceded the victory was obedience. Simple, quiet obedience. Nothing fancy. Nothing spectacular. Just simply walking out what God said to do. That's it. quiet, faithful plodding. Day in and day out faithfulness. God brought about a miracle through ordinary obedience. The same is true for us. Great victories come on the heels of faithfully walking out God's word in our lives. No covert strategies, just overt obedience in the seen and unseen. Some days don't look or sound like much. They sure were not for Israel. It took maybe two to three hours on each of the six days to walk silently around Jericho. On the seventh day between seven to nine hours depending on rest stops. Israel chose to do exactly what God said and when they did. God brought their enemies to their knees.