Author: Greg Fee

Si vis Pacem, Para Bellum is a Latin phrase often translated as “If you want peace, prepare for war.”

There is also a quote, and though I can’t track down who said it, I’m sure it was most likely derived from Sun Tzu’s The Art of War and it goes something like –
“If you find yourself equally matched on the field of Battle, you have come unprepared.”

Ephesians 6: 11 & 12
11. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12. 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.

In the business world, it is often said that “Failing to Plan is Planning to Fail” and I frequently tell people that Luck is a poor substitute for a plan.

In Life, especially our Spiritual Life few things are truer. Traveling through life unprepared for whats next, counting on there not being an afterlife or hoping that God will just have pity on you at the judgment are both very poor plans.

Life is a battle to be won or lost by the choices we make here and Eternity is a long time to gamble on luck, hope or just deciding not to decide. Remember, not picking a side or not taking a stand is, in fact picking a side.
But, you can not fight the enemy and win on your own.  The devil has been at this a long time and knows what works, what trips you up.  We can’t stand against the wiles of the devil on our own.

Mistaken strength and over self-confidence are recipes for disaster when going into battle.  Check out the seven sons of Sceva in Acts 19: 14 – 16 for a good example.

Planning and Preparation are paramount to success in battlefield situations and in life.
In life we either:
Join the enemy.
Try to withstand on our own and lose.
Or we submit to the God of all creation and become His. Then through the power of the Holy Ghost, we can become victorious, as good soldiers of the Cross.

Because we alone don’t stand a chance against the devil, we often overestimate his power.  Because he and his imps fight against God, we often mistake him as God’s opposite.  He is not the opposite of God, he is just on the opposite side of God. God, the Creator of all things, has No Opposite or Equal. He alone is God

Psalms 86:10 For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God alone.

Colossians 1: 16 – 20
16. For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
17. And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
18. And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
19. For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;
20. And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

So when God, who has no equal, comes to your rescue, you are no longer outnumbered, neither are you outmatched or equally matched against the enemy.

Think of it this way:
You are a puny weak kid on the playground. The devil is the schoolyard bully stealing your lunch money and pushing you around.  Some days you just give your money up without a fight. Other days you stand your ground, but he beats you up and takes it anyway.
Then one day you bring the United States Marine Corp, all of them, to School to stand off against the bully.
There is literally no comparison between God and satan.
I don’t believe that bringing the  United States Marine Corp to fight a schoolyard bully is an extreme enough analogy to demonstrate the differences between God and the devil.

Isaiah 14 has this to say about the devil and how small he really is.
15. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
16. They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms;

God is Enough!
Romans 8:31 What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?

2 Timothy 2:4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.

You can not stand alone. You can not prepare enough to defeat the devil on your own.
If you want peace, prepare for war. Put on the whole armor of God.  If God be for us, who can be against us? He is all the Preparation you will ever need.

God Bless You Richly,
Greg

Psalm 68:19
Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.

Lamentations 3:23
23. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.

Likewise, my parents were always there for us, when money was tight, or something came up that we were not prepared for. Or if I just wanted some a homemade rice-crispy treats, I knew I could count on them to get us through.  There’s no place in the world like Momma and Daddy’s house.  No other place in the world that I’m expected to just walk in, open the fridge and get what I want. Nowhere else that I’m expected to just walk in without knocking.  My step-dad called me Whistler because I would announce my presence by whistling when I walked into Momma’s house.
If I asked for her help, Momma would still come to my rescue and use whatever resources she could muster to see that we are taken care of.  Not because I deserve it, but because I am hers.

God longs for sweet communion with his children. He craves our attention. His children are his heartbeat, and He longs to bless us and know us.  Our Heavenly Father’s house is filled with blessing for us. He is faithful to bless us daily, and those blessings are new and fresh every day when we go to the Fathers House to receive them.

The Lord wants to meet with us every day.  Sure, God knows all and sees all, He knows every detail of your life before you do, but he wants you to commune with Him and share your life with Him.  He wants to know you as a child that shares everything with its Father.  A child that wants to spend quality time in His presence.  He wants us to initiate those conversations.

Matthew chapter 7 says how much more will the Lord give good gifts to His children.  God wants us to know Him, to be familier with Him and His ways.  He wants us to Come Boldly, to know where our Father stores the Blessings and help ourselves.  To be so comfortable in His presence that we expect His blessings, His healing, His Action on our behalf.  I don’t mean in an irreverant manner.  He is God and deserves, requires our reverence and Love, but when we are close to Him and in His will, we learn to expect, not beg and doubt.
It is also true that often the blessings are different than what we expected, but there’s always blessings waiting at the Father’s House.

God Bless You Richly,
Greg

I started singing this chorus Friday morning while in my devotions. I recorded it on my phone, so I’d remember how it goes (songs and rhymes come to me all the time and think I’ll write that down later…Wrong). I went ahead a wrote down the words, just to the chorus and pretty much forgot about it.  Then today I started thinking about God’s grace in my life and where I was when He found me and how I needed to write that down too. So that’s why I’m calling this My Song. It’s simple, but so am I.

Lord, You are Worthy
You’re Worthy of Praise
Lord, I will follow You
All of my Days
Lord, You are Worthy
You Are Worthy of Praise
Help me to Worship You
All of my Days

When I was Down and Out,
Rock Bottom my Home
When darkness surrounded me
And All Hope was gone
Like to Elijah, You spoke to me
And said You’re not alone
You put me back on the Rock
You made me Your own!

Your Blood washes over me
By Your Name I am New
I am Blessed beyond Measure
and Your Burdens are Few
Your Name is my Shelter now
My Strength and my Song
Your Word lights the way for me
as I Journey Home

God Bless You Richly

Please bear with me as I lay a little foundation. I’m going somewhere, I promise, so please stay with me until we get there.

When I started work, as a young man, I followed my Dad’s footsteps into construction.  We were in the insulation business, which believe it or not, has a lot of creative aspects.  I could take pride in a job well done, and at the end of the day, I could step back a see my handiwork.

Later, I transferred to my current line of work as a Safety Officer, which is more hands-off and though busy, at the end of I day I don’t have a product to show for my efforts.  I missed the “I made this” aspect of my old job, and it was hard for me to feel that I was actually accomplishing anything.
So a few years ago I started doing leather work as a hobby.   It’s therapeutic and relaxing, and you end up with something pretty cool, that with care can last a lifetime.

At first, I had no idea what I was doing, I just started trying things. Some worked, some didn’t.  I started out buying bags of remnant leather pieces from the craft store and using mostly basic tools I already had.  It was cheap and fun, and I was making some cool stuff.  I felt like I had a knack for it.

One of the techniques that I used is referred to as Wet Molding.  But I didn’t know what it was called, if I was doing it right or if anyone else did it this way.  I’d seen projects that looked the way I wanted mine to look, so I played with different techniques until I was close.  I also learned that with Leatherworking there are way more opinions than facts.  One professional leather craftsman said, “if you have four leather guys in a room you’ll get at least eight opinions on every subject.”

With wet molding, you use the actual item or a very close replica of it to mold the project to, such as a pistol if you are making a holster.
My method is to wrap my item as thinly, yet as waterproof as I can with plastic wrap or aluminum foil so that all the contours, crevices and indentions are visible, but the pistol is not damaged.
Then I thoroughly soak the leather with warm water.
I put the leather into position around my item and begin to squeeze and shape the leather around the item.  As the leather slowly dries it accepts and holds the shape.
I use a few tools, the tip of a deer horn among others, but mostly I use my fingers tips to massage the leather into the deeper creases and contours, slowly over a long period rubbing, squeezing, caressing the leather until it is shaped the way I want it and tightly fits the item that it will house.  I become very familiar with the shape of both the leather and the item within.
Finally, after I’m satisfied with the shapes and appearance, I place it somewhere to completely dry.
This is one of the earlier steps in the total process of completing a wet mold project.  There are several steps before this one and many more after before you have a finished product.  But the molding process is crucial to the outcome and appearance of the final product.

Now, we are called to be Holy. There are many Ideas and Opinions about what Holiness is, but we know that we are called and instructed to be Holy.
1 Peter 1 15-17
15. But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;
16. Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
17. And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man’s work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:

I fancy myself a leather guy, so I probably have at least 2 opinions of what Holiness is, but let me walk you through one of them.  A lot of people tie Holiness to a dress code and modesty is a very important byproduct of Holiness. But Holiness is much, much more than a dress code.

When you place yourself, wholly and completely into the Master’s Hands. When He fills your life inside and out until you mold to His will and His ways. When his Handprints are own everything you do and say. When you are molded into His form and His shape.  When you can tell whats on the inside by looking at the outside, and nothing of this world fits inside anymore.  Sharing His characteristics to the point that it’s hard to tell where He stops and you begin.  That, to me, is Holiness.

When you look at one of my Holsters, and you know what kind of gun it was made for, I know I know I’ve done my job.
Likewise, when the world looks at all aspects of your life, and they know, for sure and for certain Who you belong to and What you were made for, That is Holiness!

Thanks for sticking it out, hope it was worth the wait.
God Bless You Richly,
Greg

The Joy of the Lord is our strength.

James 1: 2&3
2. My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
3. Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

What do our struggles have to do with our ministry? And yes, we are all ministers, if we are in Christ Jesus and He is in us. We all have a calling, we all have a work and a testimony.  As a called “Preacher” the time behind the pulpit is only a fraction of that calling, and in most other aspects, we all pretty much have the same job. Affecting people, for the good or the bad, hopefully for good.  Winning Souls is a high calling that we all have and should diligently pray for and practice.
If you want a lesson in soul winning, go hang out with a missionary.
If you want to develop a burden for lost souls, make friends with missionaries.

The good parts, the uplifting aspects of our Christian walk are easy to explain. We want to talk about the victories and triumphs. But what about the hard days?  What of our trials, what of our suffering, what of tribulations on this earth? We don’t like talking about those.  Why do Christians or anyone suffer?

All things work together for good, to them that love Him and are called according to his purpose. The Word also declares that we are made overcomers by the Blood of the Lamb and the Word of our testimony.

We don’t suffer for God’s pleasure. He’s not a twisted, maniacal puppet master inflicting pain for His own good time.  He is a loving and caring Father. He wants us to have Joy and Peace, but we are also living testimonies. Walking, talking, living, dying examples of His Word to a world that will either be saved or judged by our lives, actions, and examples or our lack thereof.  Our actions and reactions will be witnessed by and will be a witness to our circle of influence.
We must be good stewards of all our gifts and all our trials, of all our joy and all of our pain.

One example of this is, after being beaten and told to stop preaching “Jesus” Acts 5:41 says of the apostles, “And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name.”  They rejoiced! They were not bitter; they didn’t say God has forsaken us, they didn’t shake their fists toward heaven. They understood that God had chosen the foolish things to confound and that their suffering would bring revival if they let God use it to His glory.

I’ll be the first to admit that even though I know that Jesus is the answer, I don’t always understand all the questions, all the why’s and how’s.  But I know that God’s ways are far above mine, and I have to trust in Him.  Our Trials and suffering have a purpose.  Recently, after going through a valley, trusted Brother in Christ recently told me that everything I have faced, everything I have gone through in my life was preparing me for now. I don’t know what tomorrow may hold, but I do know Who holds tomorrow, and I know that He has given me to tools to do whatever job he has placed before me.

Have you ever thought that the greatest gift ever offered to mankind was purchased with God’s great suffering?  The way Jesus lived, as well as how He died was all on purpose. Jesus suffered and died on a cross, first and foremost for our sins, that we may have this glorious salvation, but every aspect of his suffering was for a reason.
Isaiah 53:5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Every step he took, every bruise, every tear, every rejection was for a reason and for the benefit of Mankind.
Likewise, every pain, every slight, every wrong, every victory, every triumph, every mountaintop, every valley of ours is for a reason.  Trust in the Lord; He knows what He is doing.  Be a good steward of your victories and your failures. God has given them to you for a purpose, let Him use them to His Glory. Not understanding a thing does not make it of no importance. Trust in Him, and rejoice that you are His!

I recently read that you cannot lead anyone to a place you’ve never been.  Perhaps, the reverse is also true, that it’s easier to lead people out of a place that you have been to as well.  Maybe your suffering can help show someone that they can overcome as well. That Jesus really does love them and will provide for them even in the valley.  

Finally, Nehemiah 8:10 says “the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Like most people, I’ve always looked at this as the Joy “from” the Lord is my strength. When He gives me Joy, I am strengthened.  What if it’s really the Lord’s Joy is my strength. The Joy that the Lord derives from my obedience and faithfulness causes him to reward me with an outpouring of strength.  Either way, my strength comes from Him. Almost every day I tell the Lord that I want Him to smile when He thinks of me. Regardless of how I get strength, I want to be pleasing to God and a faithful witness before all mankind.

In the early 1960s prayer was removed from schools and banning Bible reading in public schools followed shortly after.  The “Whatever thou wilt” philosophy brought in the idea that with no Heaven or Hell and no eternal reward or punishment, that our own wants and desires should guide us.  The 60s ushered in the Free Love, with drugs and Hippy lifestyles becoming a new “normal.”

Skip ahead 50 years further down that path, to a weak, watered-down emasculated society of narcissistic, self-important snowflakes controlled by their inability to handle criticism and forever seeking an apology.  Needing a Safe-room to cower in, while trying to determine which bathroom to use.  Filled with contempt and hatred for anything that looks like authority or requires discipline.  Mocking God, the Church, and prayer.  Labeling Christians as any number of negative or backward sounding names.  Praising the Sinful, worshipping other men and their own fleshy desires becoming their God.  Seeking to fill the void in their lives with entertainment, food, fleshly desires or any number of wrong ideas.

It seems that mankind knows that something is wrong but are convinced that it has nothing to do with God. They seek answers in the only place they know how, science and medicine.
Since there is no spiritual, everything must be dealt with in the natural.
But it is a spiritual problem.

It is no wonder that drug abuse is at epidemic levels and suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S last year (over 42k) and is on track to surpass that in 2018.

Recently, several prominent, very wealthy, famous people have taken their own lives.  People that were idolized by others, but couldn’t cope with the pressures of their own lives. Somehow thinking that ending their lives here would end whatever demons they were fighting.

Taking God out of our day to day lives has crippled mankind. Without God, there is no hope in this life and no hope of the next. Without God, we lose our value, our worth and our reason for being. The enemy wants you to destroy yourself, he knows that if you destroy yourself that he has you and that you have likely given him the lives of many around you as well.

To be honest, life is difficult and often unfair, it is hard and sometimes sad and lonely, even with Jesus Christ.  But there is Hope in Him. Knowing that God is in control even when my world seems to be out of control helps bring things into focus. Knowing that Any of God is more powerful than All of the enemy.

It all comes down to bringing the right weapon to the fight. The old saying about bringing a knife to a gunfight doesn’t do this justice. Without the Blood of Jesus, we are attempting to bringing flesh to a supernatural fight.  The weapons that will win, that will see you through are Not flesh and bone but are mighty through God.

2 Corinthians 10
3. For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:
4. (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)

Ephesians 6:12.
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

Have you ever heard the saying “When you only have a hammer everything looks like a nail”?  I’m not sure where it came from, but we all probably know a few people that fit this description.  As I considered Fathers Day and all that my Dad meant to me, how much I miss him and some of his quirks I thought of this quote. My kids may see me the same way. In some ways, I hope they do.

First, let’s talk about using the right tool for the job in the literal sense.  I’m kind of a tool nut. If there’s a particular tool or a better tool to accomplish a job I want it.  It’s a learned response to doing things the wrong way, knocking the skin off my knuckles or breaking something important by using the wrong tool countless times.
After a few scrapes, it dawns on me that it’s very likely someone has already thought of a better way and that there is undoubtedly a tool made especially for this.  Once I have the tool, have watched a couple of youtube videos, gave it a try, and then it works I’m like, Ahh, the relief, the elation, the almost overwhelming sense of accomplishment.  And even though someone else blazed this trail, I get to revel in their genius, stand back and look at what I have done as if it were all me.
And though I may not use that tool again for years, I’ve learned a new skill, and I know that I have it in my toolbox if that situation arises again.

But if all I have is a hammer, watch out! I’m gonna drive some nails or damage something beyond repair.
Years ago I set out to build steps for our little house.  The steps were going to be a rustic style, made from timbers, and very sturdy.  I planned to use nails that were approximately 9″ long as fasteners.  I had recently acquired an Estwing 24 or 26-ounce framing hammer, and man was I ever proud of that thing.  Once I started, that hammer was making me prouder by the swing, but as the day wore on and I’d swung that hammer a few thousand times, fatigue started to set in.  As I swung horizontally at one of those nails, the hammer slipped through my tired grip and flew through the front window of our house.  I can still see the curtain bunch up suddenly as it intercepted the hammer’s path toward the back wall of our living room.  In hindsight, a drill and screws would have been a better option for this job, but I had a Hammer, the Hammer.

As I relate all this to life, I see a close correlation to parenting, fathering in particular.  When I was growing up, it seemed like most Dads had just traded in their Caveman clubs for hammers.  When you needed fatherly advice you got the old Hammer treatment, a stern “NO!”  And God forbid, you ask why.  That brought out the trusty standby “Because I Said so!”
My dad loved us very much I have no doubt, but he was not the best communicator.  On top of being a man of few words, he also had this idea that if he complimented anyone that they would end up doing something to make him regret it and he’d end up disappointed.  I don’t think, he thought this, I know he did, he told me, more than once.  So everyone had to guess what Daddy was thinking. I suppose it was easier to tell if he wasn’t pleased.  Please, don’t take any of this the wrong way, I loved him dearly, and he was a great dad to me.  That was a different time in history, and I believe he did his best, the best way he knew how.

I made some of the same mistakes with my Kids. “No” was easier than doing something I didn’t want to do.  But then a wise and Godly man told me that I should say “yes” to my children as often as I could.  He said, there will be so many times you will have to say “no” that you need to say “yes” all that you can.
I can’t say I was a perfect dad after that, but I believe it helped me to be a better dad.
Parenting is an “on the fly” kind of activity, that is often clouded by our insecurities. Also by the “I’ve got to feed these little people” and “Oh Lord don’t let me mess them up too bad” kind of thoughts.

To Young Dads I’d say:
Teach your kids about God, who He is, how much they need Him and keep them in church.
Then, don’t rush things, breathe, stop and think about every situation before you answer. Don’t sweat the small stuff and most of all, let them be Kids!
Think about the answer before you give it.
What impact could this have on their wellbeing?
What is wrong with it? What is right with it?
Can they learn from it? Good things or Bad?
Is it going to hurt anything? Is it going to hurt them?  Then if you need to say no, Say No.

Every situation doesn’t require the Hammer.  Take the time to dig around in the Ol’ Toolbox. Find the “just right” tool for this situation.  Sometimes it may be discipline, others a kind word, sometimes a hug and others a “get back out there and stand up for yourself.”  Tempering every situation with Love and Prayer, lots and lots of Prayer.
And also, realizing that if you only have a Hammer in your toolbox, your Heavenly Father has every tool possible and in Him, they are at your disposal.

And finally, your kids are yours, God gave them to you.  You may not have known about toolboxes and hammers before. You may have made some mistakes, you may have made some bad mistakes.  Make a promise to yourself and to God to fix it. I don’t recommend making that promise to your kids because they’ll be devastated if you slip up. And you may have made promises before that didn’t work out.
Just let God fix you and let them learn it from your actions.  Be as available to them as you can, Apologize for your mistakes, give them space and a reason to trust you.  Trust in the Lord, Pray, Pray, Pray, lean on good people for help, and be a Dad.

Happy Fathers day and God Bless You Richly

Greg