It’s no secret that I love hymns. Since I was a child, I loved singing hymns. When I was a child, I didn’t really think about the words, but they were written on my heart. As I grew, the hymns I learned at a young age took on a deeper meaning. One of my favorites was written by Frances Havergal in 1873. It’s called Take My Life and Let It Be.

Take my life and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days
Let them flow in endless praise.

Each and every person who has ever lived has been given a valuable gift from God. Life. No matter how short or long a person’s life is, it is valuable. Unfortunately, too often, we forget who the giver of life is and choose to ignore Him. Scripture is quite clear in telling us that God created everything, including humans. The first chapter in Genesis explains that God created all things, but the Apostle John makes it even clearer.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men” (John 1:1-4).

Jesus is God and the Creator of all that is. How can we withhold our life from Him? More than just intellectually knowing that there is a God, we need to wholeheartedly give our life to Him. After all, He gave His life for us. Life is made up of moments, seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, years, etc. How we use that time is very important. We can use our gift of life to live in opposition to God, or we can choose to allow Him to use each moment of our life for His glory. God has a purpose for you, and you will always feel on edge until you let Him reveal that purpose to you. The prophet Jeremiah was called by God, but he made every excuse he could in order to not allow God to use him. God’s words to him are important, and He has the same words to us.

“Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest from out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations”(Jeremiah 1:5).

Not everyone is ordained to be a prophet, or a preacher, or a songwriter, but God has a purpose for each of us. Jeremiah made excuses because he felt inadequate, but God told him why he didn’t need to fear.

“Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee saith the LORD” (Jeremiah 1:8).

Give each moment of your life to God and stop being afraid.

Take my hands and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee.

Think of the evil we see all around us. You can be sure that kidnappers, murderers, and those who riot and cause pain and loss in others are not moving at the impulse of God’s love. They are being influenced by the god of this world. Satan hates people simply because God loves us. What do you think would happen if every person who claims to be a Christian would use their hands for His glory instead of hurting others? What if we went where He led us rather than walking into sin? Instead of watching wickedness on television or the internet, what if Christians would start reading Scripture? What if, instead of listening to songs that glorify sin, Christians listened to songs that glorify God?

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray, and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways: then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).

If you call yourself a Christian, study that verse; you’re called by His name.

Take my voice and let me sing,
Always, only for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee.

One of my regrets in life is that I’m not a great singer. Fortunately, God doesn’t require us to have perfect pitch in order to praise Him.

“O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms” (Psalm 95:1-2).

What is a joyful noise that God likes to hear? Our praises of His glory. Praising Him for what He has done. We have life, and there is beauty all around if we just open our eyes to see it. The birds don’t care if they live in the wide-open spaces or in a city. They sing. They nest in trees, whether that tree is in a forest, a city park, or on a concrete sidewalk. We can sing His praises wherever we live. His praises don’t necessarily need to be in song. If we use our lips to spread the Gospel or encourage someone who is struggling, then we’ve used our voice to praise God. We’ve shown His love. Do you use your voice to share His love, or do you use His name as a cuss word? It’s difficult to praise God and spew filthy language at the same time.

“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers” (Ephesians 4:29).

The word “communications” comes from the Greek “logos,” which means speech. The Apostle Paul tells us not to let corrupt talk come from our lips but to use words to share God’s love to all who hear.

Take my silver and my gold,
Not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use
Every pow’r as Thou shalt choose.

I have to admit that I don’t have a lot of silver or gold. There are many people who have been investing in precious minerals, but I’m not one. I don’t even have much paper money or a large bank account. God wants us to use whatever we have for His glory. If you have riches, then you shouldn’t be stingy. There are many people in need. Use what you have to glorify God. The Apostles weren’t rich, but they had a treasure entrusted to them. They were to spread the Gospel. One day Peter and John were in the Temple when they were approached by a man who was lame. The man asked for money.

“Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk” (Acts 3:6).

We all have gifts from God. I must confess that I would love to have the gift of healing. Whatever your gift, use it for God’s glory. He may have entrusted you with riches; use them for His glory. Give your life to God and let Him use you as He sees fit.

Take my will and make it Thine,
It shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own
It shall be Thy royal throne.

Submission to God isn’t always easy. He may ask you to step out of your comfort zone in order to serve Him. Scripture is filled with accounts of people who submitted to Him and accomplished great things for His glory. I think of Queen Esther, of Jeremiah, of Daniel, and so many others. The greatest example of submission was given by our Lord, Jesus Christ. He stepped out of Heaven and into this fallen world in order to be our only way of salvation. He set aside the glory He had with the Father and humbly submitted to being human in order to be our Kinsman Redeemer. Did He want to be beaten, spit upon, mocked, whipped, and crucified? No, He didn’t. His body felt the pain. Still, He submitted to God the Father. On the night He was betrayed by a friend and arrested, He knew what was to come. What was His example to us? Prayer and submission.

“And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine be done” (Luke 22:41-42).

Thank You, Jesus, for Your sacrifice of love. Because Jesus submitted His will, He went to the cross. He died, was buried, but then came the resurrection. He conquered death for us. Not death of these human bodies in which we live, but faith in Him brings eternal life with God. We have the opportunity to submit our fears to Him and share the Gospel with others. Don’t let fear silence you.

“And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? But and if ye suffer for righteousness’ sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled; But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ” (1 Peter 3: 13-16).

The word “conversation” here means a way of life. If God is sitting on the throne of your heart and you are submitting to the King, then you will be living a life that others may mock, but you will not be ashamed of their accusations. You will be living in submission to Christ, and your will will be lost in His.

Take my love, my Lord, I pour
At thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee.

Love. There is no greater love than God’s pure and perfect love for us. How can we repay His love for us? As hard as I try, I fail in loving others as I should. I want God to sit on the throne of my heart. I want to allow Him to use me to show His love to others. When I come across a person who irritates me to the point that I’m thinking very unchristian thoughts, that’s when I need to take a step back and remember that person is a sinner in need of hearing the Gospel. I’m a sinner saved by grace, and for that, I’m very thankful.

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the git of God: not by works lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

There are many people all around us who haven’t found grace and forgiveness from God. That’s why I need to allow God’s love to flow through me.

Heavenly Father, I pray that I will turn my will over to You. I pray that You will help me to submit my will to Your will. Please give me boldness to share Your Gospel with others. Take my life and let it be, consecrated, Lord to Thee. In Christ’s name I pray. Amen.

God bless you all,

Nathele Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com
ron@straitandnarrowministry.com

Recommended prophecy sites:

www.raptureready.com
www.prophecyupdate.com
www.raptureforums.com

All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.

If you’d like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries, just drop me an email and let me know.

“What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31).

Can we understand God? To our puny human minds, God is beyond our imaginations. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9).

We need to understand that and let God be God instead of trying to fit Him into our own understanding. He loved us before time began. He sent His Son to be the final sacrifice for our redemption. The door to salvation is open to anyone who will accept the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. We might say, “I’m a Christian,” but do you cave in to the enemy at the first sign of trouble? It’s easy to fear people and what they think but harder to trust Jesus in all situations. We read many accounts of God’s love and power in Scripture but think that His protection was for then and not for us now. There are many, many battles described in Scripture, and I want to take a look at just a few.

Let’s look at a couple of the battles which Joshua fought. He was a man who trusted God, and his faith was strong. That’s something to keep in mind as we fight our own battles in life. If we have faith in God and trust Him, we can’t lose. Joshua was one who had no fear of entering the Promised Land because he knew that God would defeat the Nephilim giants found there. It was the fear of people with less faith that caused the Israelites to wander for 40 years. During those wanderings, there were battles, but when Israel had faith in God, He brought victory. Joshua was a great military leader because he trusted God.

Sometimes God seems to choose some very odd ways of fighting battles. When it was time for Israel to finally enter the land that God had promised to them, the first battle was at Jericho. There had been many heathen and demonic tribes building strongholds in the land, but God had given the land to Israel. It still belongs to them. The first thing Israel had to do in order to be fit to fight was to get right with God. That’s the first thing everyone should do. While they wandered, they had ignored the Law that had been given to Moses on Mt. Sinai, and they had to get back into a covenant relationship with God. We cannot expect God to defend us against enemy attack if we live life on our own terms, making our own rules.

“At that time the LORD said unto Joshua, Make thee sharp knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time” (Joshua 5:2).

Circumcision was the first covenant that God made with Abraham. They also kept the Passover. Their hearts were once again tuned to God’s truth, and He would bless their battles. When they were ready to fight, they had to cross the flooded Jordan River, but God was with them. Just as when they crossed the Red Sea, God stopped the Jordan River so that His people could safely pass through. We often liken crossing the Jordan to entering into God’s peace. The truth is, the battle was just beginning. What was the battle plan? How were these people going to win against the formidable army in Jericho?

“And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valour. And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams’ horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets. And it shall come to pass that when they make a long blast with the ram’s horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him” (Joshua 6:2-5).

God had already seen that the battle was won, but that’s an interesting plan of action. God’s ways aren’t our ways, and even if we don’t understand why or how it’s always to follow God’s plan. The Israelites followed the plan, the walls fell, and Jericho was conquered.

The battle was won, but more battles were ahead. During one battle with the Amorites, God gave Joshua assurance that he would be victorious.

“And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear them not: for I have delivered them into thine hand; there shall not a man of them stand before thee” (Joshua 10:8).

We need to pay attention to this and not fear our battles because our enemy has already been defeated. Jesus defeated him at the cross, so what do we have to fear? There is victory in Jesus. Interesting that “Joshua” means “Jehovah is salvation,” and the name “Jesus” is the Greek/English form of Joshua. Jesus is salvation. In the battle against the Amorites, Joshua needed more time in order to win the battle.

“Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou Moon, in the valley of Ajalon” (Joshua 10:12).

I love Joshua’s faith. He knew God would give him victory, so he had no doubt that God would give him the time he needed.

“And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the people had avenged themselves upon their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day. And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the LORD hearkened unto the voice of a man; for the LORD fought for Israel” (Joshua 10:13-14).

God will always protect His people. And one day, the nation of Israel will turn back to Him and ask God to fight. He will, and Christians will come with Him. Until then, God will continue to miraculously keep Israel from destruction. It must be noted that Joshua wasn’t praying for personal gain. His prayers were in line with God’s will.

On the surface, these battles seem as if the war is between two groups of people. It is, but that’s just the physical manifestation of a spiritual battle. Satan and his minions have always come against God by trying to destroy people who serve Him. All of the battles in Israel, including modern ones, have their roots in Satanic evil trying to destroy the nation of Israel.

Let’s look at another battle. This one obviously between those who served demons and a man who served God. Israel had been divided into two nations. The Northern Kingdom rejected God and began worshipping false gods… demons. Eventually, King Ahab and his evil wife Jezebel ruled over that kingdom. They are very symbolic of evil. One prophet of God stood against them. That prophet was Elijah. Of course, he was vilified, and they wanted to kill him. During a meeting between Ahab and Elijah, Ahab asked if Elijah was the one that troubled Israel (the Northern Kingdom). I really admire Elijah’s answer:

“And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father’s house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim” (1 Kings 18:18).

That’s the problem in nations today. National leaders have rejected God and worship demons instead. Laws protect a lifestyle that thrived in Sodom, and demon worship that involves human sacrifice. God will not overlook this behavior for long. In Elijah’s time, there was a showdown between Elijah and the prophets of Baal.

“And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? If the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word” (1 Kings 18:21).

That seems much like Christians today. We like dabbling in the evil of Baal, living a life of sin during the week but very piously sitting in our pew on Sunday. How long will we live this way? We need a man like Elijah who calls out the purpose-driven, New Age, seeker-friendly, politically correct worship of Baal within our congregations.

The showdown began on Mt. Carmel. Elijah was one man standing firm upon God’s truth, while there were 450 prophets on Baal’s side, and the people watching favored the prophets of Baal. Very sad. The challenge was to offer a sacrifice.

“Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, it is well spoken” (1 Kings 18:23-24).

And so the challenge began. The false prophets tried and tried to get their demon god to light a fire. Elijah mocked them, asking if their god was asleep and needed to wake up. Finally, Elijah took his turn at sacrifice. He took 12 stones, representing the 12 tribes of Israel, and built an altar. He made a trench around it. He placed the wood on the altar, cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood. Then, three times he called for four barrels of water to be poured on the burnt sacrifice. Then Elijah prayed.

“And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again” (1 Kings 18:36-37).

Elijah glorified God, not himself. That’s when the fire from God fell and consumed the offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and evaporated all the water. The people were amazed and worshipped God. The false prophets were captured and executed. Even King Ahab was brought to his knees. Christians, let us stop fearfully accepting the evil that is being thrust upon us. Let us stand up for God and glorify Him.

Let’s look at one more Old Testament account of a battle against evil. Elisha was the successor of Elijah. He continued to speak against the evil in the Northern Kingdom of Israel, and the leaders were angry with him. Elisha had managed to turn the King of Syria against him. The king learned Elisha was in the city of Dothan.

“Therefore sent he thither horses, and chariots, and a great host: and they came by night, and compassed the city about” (2 Kings 6:14).

All of that to capture one man. Political tactics haven’t changed much. As I watch the evil that is being hurled against Donald Trump, I see the same evil happening in America.

In the morning, Elisha’s servant got up early. When he went outside, he saw the army and was afraid. Elisha’s words are ones we all need to take to heart. “And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them” (2 Kings 6:16).

Then Elisha asked God to open the eyes of his servant so that he could see God’s protection “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” (2 Kings 6:17).

Elisha was protected because of his absolute faith in God. We are all in a Spiritual battle, and our faith in God protects us.

Jesus knew this spiritual battle well. Every time the Pharisees tried to come against Him, they spewed the words of spiritual warfare. They had no faith and only wanted Him out of the way. When He allowed Himself to be crucified, Satan lost the war. By faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, our sins are forgiven.

“And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: in whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; and having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it” (Colossians 2:10-15).

That means that sin is forgiven by faith in Christ, and Satan has no more rights to you. The principalities and powers He spoiled at the Cross are the demonic powers that have always been the spiritual enemy.

Paul also tells us, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12).

We battle the same enemy that Joshua, Elijah, and Elisha all fought. We need to put on the full armor of God. He will protect us in our battles.

We are in the same spiritual battles as Joshua, Elijah, Elisha, and many others from creation. Why, then, do we fear the enemy and seem to fail in our battles? Plain and simple, we lack faith, and we listen to the false prophets of today. The Gospel is watered down to the point that it’s a different Gospel than found in Scripture. We allow fear to stop us from fighting, and the enemy’s temptations seem good.

The end times are here, and Paul gives a very good description of today’s world. “For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away” (2 Timothy 3:2-5).

Brothers and sisters, first, we must get right in our walk with God, and then we must pray, put on God’s armor and fight.

The battle rages; Christians must do our part to fight against the powers and principalities that come against us and against God. We must fight with uncompromising faith in Jesus. When God fights the battle, He will not fail.

God bless you all,

Nathele Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com
ron@straitandnarrowministry.com

Recommended prophecy sites:

www.raptureready.com
www.prophecyupdate.com
www.raptureforums.com

All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.

If you’d like to be on my mailing list to receive the commentaries, just drop me an email and let me know.