In a documentary mini series called “Against All Odds” a remarkable story is told about an Israeli platoon who found themselves in the midst of a minefield along the Syrian border during the Yom Kippur War. When the platoon realized they were in a minefield they pulled out their bayonets and started to dig out mines and to disarm them. Suddenly, a fierce wind began to blow, removing the sand from the minefield. Each and every mine was exposed and the soldiers ventured through the minefield unscathed.

If you found yourself in the midst of a minefield, but had someone with you that knew where every mine was and could guide you through, then you’d be sure to stay as close to him as possible! My friend, life is a minefield; and the enemy has planted mines all across your path — the mines of temptation! You have Someone with you who knows where they are and how to guide you around them. But how closely are you walking with Him?

God’s word and His Spirit equip us thoroughly for life and godliness. Obedience to His word and abiding in His Spirit we can avoid every deadly trap of the enemy and even if He calls us to martyrdom, we can go joyfully in His power.

But in the meantime, let’s not ignore the presence and counsel of our Heavenly Guide. It’s too easy to become distracted by fears, entertainments, and even real responsibilities. But all these can pull us away from Him….so that we suddenly find our foot on a mine about to explode under us. The discipline of practicing His presence was never more important than it is now in these last of the last days. The Bible warns that “because iniquity abounds, the love of many shall wax cold!” Let us stay awake, fully conscious of our Helper’s presence. Led of His Spirit we will dodge every one of our enemy’s mines, and navigate both ourselves and others to safety, bearing fruit all along the way!

Failure is never a pleasant feeling. It isn’t enjoyable to lose a job, see a relationship falter, or fail a test. But the disappointment we feel when we face defeat can be turned to joy if we look at it the right way!

Thomas Edison was busy working in his laboratory at 2 o’clock one morning when an assistant came into the room and noticed that the inventor was smiling broadly.

“Have you solved the problem?” he asked. “No,” replied Edison, “that experiment didn’t work at all. Now I can start over again.” Edison could have such a confident attitude because he knew that the road to success is often paved with disappointments that serve to extend the road — not to block it. Each failure brought him a little closer to success.

Living a life of victory is not about being perfect — because we are human — and will always make mistakes. The key is learning how to get up after we have fallen. It’s natural to make mistakes — but it’s supernatural to learn from those mistakes and move forward!

During the building of the Golden Gate Bridge over San Francisco Bay, construction fell badly behind schedule because several workers had accidentally fallen from the scaffolding to their deaths. Engineers and administrators could find no solution to the costly delays. Finally, someone suggested a gigantic net be hung under the bridge to catch any who fell. Finally in spite of the enormous cost, the engineers opted for the net. After it was installed, progress was hardly interrupted. A worker or two fell into the net but were saved. Ultimately, all the time lost to fear was regained by replacing fear with faith in the net.

Do you have a fear of falling or failing? The Lord is always right there to be our net — to catch us when we fall. He is our salvation in time of trouble and provides the perfect safety net in Messiah!

Rest in Him and His finished work 2000 years ago. Press on full steam ahead!

The captain of a submarine was once asked, “How did the terrible storm last night affect you?” The officer looked at him in surprise and exclaimed, “Storm? We didn’t even know there was one!”

There is an area beneath the surface of the ocean known to sailors as the “cushion of the sea”. In this place, although the ocean may be raging terribly above, the waters here are never stirred.

I think you know where I’m going with this. There is a place, a wonderful place, we can go to find refuge during the frightening storms raging above us — a place where we don’t feel a thing — no fear, no worry for tomorrow.

Let’s get down there today. Let’s find that perfect peace the Lord intends for every one who trusts in Him. There’s so much work to be done!

Richard Wurmbrand, a Romanian Jewish Believer and an amazing man of God, spent 14 years in communist prisons where he was tortured brutally for his faith and then lived to tell about it. In his book, The Oracles of God, he writes about acquiring inner peace and tells the following powerful story.

During a tempest at sea when a ship was being tossed to and fro by the angry waves, the wife of a naval officer asked her husband, “How can you be so calm in such a storm?”

The officer drew his sword, pointed it at his wife’s breast, and asked, “Why are you calm and unafraid?” Surprised, she protested, “Why should I be afraid? The sword is in the hand of my husband who loves me too much to harm me.”

Her husband smiled and said, “This is the source of my calm, too. The wind and the waves are in the hands of my loving Father. Why should I be afraid?”

You may be going through a storm right now. But let’s remember that we’re in the hands of our loving Father. He’s right here with us and He’s going to get us through. There’s so much work to be done!

We’ve got so much going on right now. As we continue to battle against the enemy to work for the Lord here in the Land, we reeeeeeeeeeeeally covet your prayers! And please know that we pray for you too!

A farmer and his friend went duck hunting. Eventually, they got to talking about the things of God, as they always would. “You’re always talking about these battles you have with the devil,” the farmer’s friend said to him. “It’s so silly – I mean, I’m not even a Christian and I’ve never experienced anything like that.”

“Yes my friend,” the wise farmer answered, “but if you shot two ducks — one was wounded and one was dead — which would you go after first?”

“Well,” he said, “I guess I’d go after the wounded duck – I can always get the dead one later.”

“Mmm-hmm,” said the farmer, “The devil knows you’re a dead duck.”

For those of us who are walking with the Lord today, be encouraged! Our enemy knows that we have potential to do great things for God, and out of fear, he’ll try anything to take us out. This is so very evident by the constant battle we all face.

Let’s stand strong against the devil today! And rise up to the Lord’s calling upon our lives! We will fight and we will WIN! Because if God is for us, who can be against us?! And you know it — there’s still SO much work to be done!!

Historian Shelby Foote tells of a soldier who was wounded at the battle of Shiloh during the American Civil War and was ordered to go to the rear. The fighting was fierce and within minutes he returned to his commanding officer. “Captain, give me a gun!” he shouted. “This fight ain’t got any rear!”

In Ephesians, Paul describes the armor that we should put on daily. Have you ever noticed that every part of the body is covered except for one? The back! The Lord didn’t want us to run away and turn our back toward our enemy — it would leave us vulnerable, with no armor to protect us against his attack! And just as a dog would when he senses fear, if we run from the enemy, he will relentlessly chase us until we are broken. But if we take courage and stand strong in the power of God’s might, then the battle will be the Lord’s… and He has already won the victory!

The battle is raging! It’s time to take up our armor and face the enemy head-on! There’s no turning back! We’re in this together! There’s so much work to be done!

As some of you may know, a bomb exploded in a bus within blocks of our Jerusalem apartment about three years or so ago. That morning, my wife and I, along with our newborn baby, were heading to the city center to run a few errands when suddenly, we heard the explosion. Within minutes, the sirens were screaming from every part of the city as officials quickly made their way to the scene. Later that month, I was just seconds from getting on a bus which exploded before my very eyes.

People ask us all the time– “Aren’t you afraid to be living in Israel these days?” We’re really not. Truth be told, there aren’t too many safe places in this world anymore, are there? However, there is one very safe place we have found; It’s the very safest place there is. You may have heard of it — the place is called “God’s perfect will”! We all need to strive to make our home and reside there the rest of our earthly days!

You may be afraid to go to those places or do those things that God may be calling you to today. It could be to use your God-given gifts in some far away place or it could just be to walk across the street to share with a neighbor. Whatever the case may be, it’s easy to get wrapped up in other people’s fear, anxiety and criticism — but we have a choice. We can either give in to those fears or stand for the Lord and choose what has called us to do.

Let’s submit all our fears to the Lord today and choose the latter. He will not leave our side when we step forward to do great things for God!

Some experts believe that acute stress can provoke changes in the heart that may lead to death. In one study, fifteen cases were identified in which people died after a physical assault, even though the injuries alone were not enough to kill them. Eleven of the fifteen showed a type of heart-cell death, similar to a reaction in experimental animals that feel helpless to anticipate or avoid danger.

We live in a day that godlessness is on the rise — a day in which the world (and even some of the church) is motivated by money, power and the desire for worldly pleasures — a day in which the fruit of this behavior is apparent even to the worst of us. It’s a scary time.

Even amidst these frightful times, though, isn’t it wonderful to know that we don’t have to pretend we’re not afraid? God knew we would be afraid from time to time. But He encourages us to redirect our attention to put our trust again in Him. He, who is all powerful and watches over us intently. What a gracious and compassionate Father we have!

Let’s ask the Lord to help us keep our focus on trusting Him for all things. When we are focused on this, there’s no stopping us from doing the great things He has called us to do! And there’s SO much work to be done!!

Carl Armerding wrote a funny story in Moody Monthly, about his experience at the zoo. “As I stood there,” he said, “an attendant entered the cage through a door on the opposite side. He had nothing in his hands but a broom. Carefully closing the door, he proceeded to sweep the floor of the cage.” He observed that the worker had no weapon to ward off an attack by the beast. In fact, when he got to the corner of the cage where the wildcat was lying, he poked the animal with the broom. The wildcat hissed at him and then lay down in another corner of the enclosure. Armerding remarked to the attendant, “You certainly are a brave man.” “No, I ain’t brave,” he replied as he continued to sweep. “Well, then, that cat must be tame.” “No,” came the reply, “he ain’t tame.” “If you aren’t brave and the wildcat isn’t tame, then I can’t understand why he doesn’t attack you.” Armerding said the man chuckled, then replied with an air of confidence, “Mister, he’s old — and he ain’t got no teeth.”

Such is the devil in our lives when we realize that God is for us! We should be like the attendant. He knew that cat couldn’t hurt a fly. Satan will make a big ruckus, fussing and hissing all he wants but we need to keep our eyes focused on our Lord.

Are you being hissed at today? The enemy would love nothing more than to make us feel powerless against him — but “he ain’t got no teeth” next to our Lord! Let’s turn to God and put our trust in Him. If God is for us, who can be against us?!

Last night, after being on the road for nearly four months, I finally got to sleep in my own bed. And boy, it sure was nice! It’s always great to get home, isn’t it? Well, if it’s that nice to get to our earthly homes after a long journey, can you imagine what it’s going to be like to get to our glorious eternal home? I want to share the following illustration a friend sent me. I believe it will truly bless you.

A sick man turned to his doctor one evening, as he was preparing to leave the examination room and said, “Doctor, I am afraid to die — tell me what lies on the other side, will you?”

“I’m really not sure,” said the doctor.

“You don’t know? You, a Christian man, don’t know what’s on the other side?”

Suddenly, there came a sound of scratching and whining at the door. As the doctor turned the handle, a dog sprang into the room and leapt on him with an eager show of gladness.

Lovingly bending down and holding the cute pup, the doctor turned to his patient and said “Have you met my dog? I do apologize; He usually comes and sits with me in my office when I work late.

After a short pause, he continued. “He’s actually never been in this room before. He didn’t know what was inside. He knew nothing except that his master was here, and when the door opened, he sprang in without fear… I know little of what is on the other side of death, my friend, but I do know one thing… I know my Master is there and that’s I all I need.”

We may not know exactly what we will find in that glorious home that awaits us, but those of us who know the Lord Jesus, know He’s there! Be encouraged today! Our long journey here will end in our loving master’s arms.

Two hunters came across a bear so big that they dropped their rifles and ran for cover. One man climbed a tree while the other hid in a nearby cave. The bear was in no hurry to eat, so he sat down between the tree and the cave to reflect upon his good fortune. Suddenly, and for no apparent reason, the hunter in the cave came rushing out, almost ran into the waiting bear, hesitated, and then dashed back in again. The same thing happened a second time. When he emerged for the third time, his companion in the tree frantically called out, “Woody, are you crazy? Stay in the cave till he leaves!” “Can’t,” panted Woody, “there’s another bear in there!”

Ever feel like fear is giving us the run around? Although there are a lot of scary things going on in the world these days and perhaps even in our own personal lives, God has not called us to live in fear. He’s has called us to stand strong in His confidence, knowing that He is in control! He’s called us to live lives full of power, love and a sound mind!

Dr. E. Stanley Jones said “I am inwardly fashioned for faith, not for fear. Fear is not my native land; faith is. I am so made that worry and anxiety are sand in the machinery of life; faith is the oil. I live better by faith and confidence than by fear, doubt and anxiety. In anxiety and worry, my being is gasping for breath–these are not my native air. But in faith and confidence, I breathe freely–these are my native air.”

Let’s say no to fear! Let’s determine to put our hope in the Lord once again today! There’s so much work to be done!

I was telling you about my wife’s adventures during her newly found love for desert walks. Many people think of the desert as miles and miles of sand, I know I did. But the Negev Desert is actually very rocky. The ground is hard, dry, steep in some places and full of loose rocks with creepy things lurking underneath. Rivka sometimes takes this one particular off the beaten path down a very steep hill into a beautiful valley and back up to the other side and was telling me about her first time walking this route:

“Some people are outdoorsy kind of people. I would not qualify myself as one at all. So when a good friend first introduced me to this rough terrain, I can’t say I was entirely up for the challenge. It’s more difficult walking down than it is walking back up, believe it or not. You really have to use your upper body weight and especially your knees to keep from slipping forward on the way down. The first time I did this, I held onto my poor friend for dear life. But as we were hiking down that day, I noticed something profound. When I was looking down to the bottom of the valley, I held on way tighter than when I was looking right at my feet. When I looked down right at the steps my feet were taking, I was able to go for a five or ten minutes at a time by myself without holding on. But as soon as I looked too far ahead, fear and doubt that I could make it down consumed me.”

So it is when we walk with the Lord. There’s something to be said for having plans and goals for sure. Don’t get me wrong. But I don’t think the Lord intended for us to look too far ahead to the point of being afraid and overwhelmed. If that is you today, let’s commit to just looking at our feet for a while.

God has great things in store for us ahead and sometimes the road looks long and scary. But let’s just look at the obstacles right in our way for now. The more we focus on getting through one thing at a time, the closer we’ll get to our goal. There’s so much work to be done!

When Jim Burke became the head of a new products division at Johnson & Johnson, one of his first projects was the development of a children’s chest rub. The product failed miserably, and Burke expected that he would be fired. When he was called in to see the chairman of the board, however, he met a surprising reception. “Are you the one who just cost us all that money?” asked Robert Wood Johnson. “Well I just want to congratulate you. If you are making mistakes, that means you are taking risks, and we won’t grow unless you take risks!” Apparently, Mr. Johnson wasn’t joking! Years later, Johnson & Johnson remains one of the largest multi-national manufacturers of pharmaceutical, diagnostic, therapeutic, surgical, personal hygiene, baby and biotechnology products.

Likewise, we believers are called to take some risks so that God’s Kingdom may grow! So often, we cower at the opportunities He makes available because we are too afraid things won’t go the way hope and others might be disappointed or sneer at our failure. But God wants us to go forth boldly, sometimes taking a risk or two, so that we may accomplish great things for Him! Yes, sometimes we’ll get it wrong and there may be a hard lesson to learn. But we will learn– and eventually great things will happen as result of our courage and persistence!

The time is short and there is so much work to do for the Kingdom! We cannot afford to stand in the sidelines any longer! Let’s ask the Lord to cause to us have courage and go in boldness! God’s Kingdom won’t grow unless we start taking some risks!

2 Kings 6:15-17 And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.

So often in our walks with the Lord, we become focused on what we can see, what we can hear and what we can sense in the physical realm. Like that young man, we focus on the enemy’s attacks around and about us. At times we can get so focused on our physical circumstances that we forget that the Lord has already provided for us the victory!

That servant was frightened by the size of the enemy’s army heading their way — but Elisha was focused on the Lord. He knew that God had a much bigger army prepared…and that is what won him the victory.

Do not be frightened! Let’s let our spiritual eyes be opened today so that we may see that God has prepared a plan of victory from the beginning of time! Our victory is near!

Perhaps this scripture just hit me harder when I read it, living here in Israel under the circumstances but I believe there is a word for all of us here.

God has called each of us to something specific and He wants to plant us in a way that our roots can grow deep in Him and in that particular calling. He wants us to become solely dependent on His nourishment there, that we might grow to be strong, solid leaders with the capacity to serve and guide those around us who are in need where He’s called us.

The Lord warns us about being double-minded. We’re double-minded when become too busy to seek God’s will for lives and the empowerment to fulfill it. We’re double-minded when we allow our fear and anxiety to get in the way of us getting to and staying in that place to which He’s called us.

Let’s not run from the Lord. He has so many blessings for those who seek Him and follow after Him whole-heartedly. Let’s give our all to Him today and strive to be single minded in His calling upon our lives!

My wife has taught Israeli dance workshops all over the world. And over the years, she has acquired a few interesting and rather funny stories of people, including herself, tripping and stumbling over each other during a class.

Stumbling is not one of my most favorite things in the world. It’s embarrassing and often hurts. The fact is, however, that stumbling is something we all must experience. The question is — what do we do when it happens?

Imagine this. You’re walking home and you trip and fall over a random object on the sidewalk. You scraped your knee and it hurt a little. And the kids walking home from school behind you saw you trip and and giggled amongst themselves — that was kind of embarassing. But will you go all the way back from where you came and and start again from the beginning? Or will you just sit and sulk on the curb, refusing to take another step at the thought of it happening again? No! Of course not! That would just be silly, wouldn’t it?

So is it on our walk through life with the Lord. Satan would love nothing more than for us to go sulk in a corner somewhere and dwell on our humiliation and fear that it might happen again. But the Lord wants us to rise up, dust the dirt off our clothes, maybe give a little chuckle ourselves and move forward for His Kingdom!

Yes, we may stumble on this long and sometime treacherous journey but we will not be cast down! The Lord has upheld us and He will always! Let’s get up and move on today! There is much work to be done!

As we press in closer to the Lord and His calling on our lives, the enemy becomes more and more fierce, throwing all kinds of darts of fear and doubt our way. But as beloved children of God, we can trust the Lord to defend us! God has an invisible army all around, ready to protect us in our times of need. When the battle intensifies, when the enemy seems to be attacking from every side, when it seems all too great for our eyes, know that the Lord has placed His protection all around you! We may not see it — but we must walk by faith!

Be encouraged — “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them”. We are not alone!

My wife tells a story of when she moved to Israel some years ago for ministry before we ever met.

“Times were tough in Israel at the time and I lived in an area of Jerusalem where bomb threats, bomb squads and bus bombings were commonplace. I found myself constantly looking around, imagining that this person or that person was carrying a bomb and envisioning all the terrible things that could happen to me if they were. The fear was consuming and paralyzing”.

This is a tactic that the enemy just loves to use on those who are called according to God’s purposes. For the simple reason that when we are afraid, we are distracted from the calling that God has on our lives. Though she had a heart to share the good news of Messiah with her people, Rivka was not available to be a blessing to the people around her because she was too busy worrying for her life.

She goes on to say “One day, I had a revelation about this fear. The Lord showed me that I was His child and that if I know He has called me to Israel to accomplish His purposes and I am actively seeking opportunities to accomplish them, even my death would be to His glory. I needed to fear for my physical well being no longer, I was in His hands. Instead, I needed to be concerned with the spiritual well being of the people God put in my path.”

God has called us of each to do great things for Him! Let’s not be distracted by the lies of the enemy that we are not gifted enough, not able enough, not strong enough, not financially stable enough to go forth and do bold works for the Lord.

Let’s ask God for wisdom, the grace and the freedom to be in the right places at the right times and the boldness to speak up for Him! There is no more fulfilling place we can be than this.

We’ve been living in Israel now for almost two and a half years and it’s not easy. Israel is the place that our Messiah will return to reign and rule. The Jewish people are to know Him and become a light to the nations. And we have an enemy who will go to great lengths in order to keep this from happening. Spiritually, here the warfare is great.

The tragic things that happen daily have taken a toll on everyone who lives here. Emotionally, the fear and hardness of heart hovers over every neighborhood, every city — and we feel it.

Financially, minimum wage here is about three dollars an hour and the majority are in great debt and terribly stressed. Materially, there are things we have learned to live without. Despite all the challenges we face in this hard place, God has called us to be rocks, trusting Him to meet our needs, spiritually, emotionally and in every other way. He has called us to find our strength in Him and become strong for those who are needy and hurting.

Has God called you to represent Him in a workplace where His very name is a curse word? Or perhaps you’re living in a neighborhood where people are too busy seeking material things to seek God?

Now is the time to reflect God’s truth in your life. Now is the time to be a rock, even in that hard place.

About a year and a half ago, the people of Israel experienced a thundering earthquake that measured 5.2 on the Richter scale. I was in my Hebrew class downtown, and my wife and newborn were in our Jerusalem apartment. I don’t know if any of you have ever experienced an earthquake, but it can be very scary. My wife told me about her experience.

She was sitting in our bedroom with the baby in her arms, when out of nowhere came a sudden loud roaring sound, followed by a shaking of all four walls, and all the contents within banging against them for what seemed like an eternity.

So many things go through your mind when you’re in the midst of a life-threatening experience like that. Rivka said that as everything was shaking, she began to fear what could happen next. But in the midst of it all, Riv looked down at Elianna in her arms. Would you believe, she was perfectly content — happy, smiling, even drifting off to sleep as the earth shook all around her.

Each of us can take a lesson from Elianna. Even in the midst of craziness, chaos, distress, crises beyond our control, we as believers must rest, trusting that we’re safe in the loving arms of the Father.

Is your world being shaken right now? Know that God is holding you today. No matter what you’re facing, you can trust Him fully to cover you and protect you. Relax in His sheltering arms.

This was good word for us, so we thought we’d share it with you.

A missionary in the New Hebrides Islands, described his experience with God’s divine angelic protection. Hostile natives surrounded his mission headquarters one night, desiring to kill him and his wife and burn the place down. All through that terror filled night, they prayed that God would deliver them from this evil. When daylight came they were amazed to see the natives leave, looking frustrated.

One year later, the chief of that tribe gave his life to the Lord. Remembering what had happened that terrible night, the missionary asked the chief what had kept him and his men from burning down the house that night. The chief replied in surprise, “Well, he said, all those men were there with you! “What do you mean?”, asked the missionary, “There were no men there, just my wife and I.” The chief argued that the tribe had seen many men standing guard — hundreds of big men in shining garments with drawn swords in their hands. They seemed to circle the house, so they were afraid to attack.

Fear not! You are engraved on the palm of His hand! Thousands may fall at your side but you shall not be harmed. You are loved and cherished, and no weapon formed against you shall prosper!