I enjoy reading books about pioneers and great men and women of faith.  One of my favorite men of faith is Smith Wigglesworth.  The following is an excerpt from God-Given Faith, written about Smith Wigglesworth upon a house and encountering a woman who was in extreme need of deliverance.

" 'I knew something had to be done, no matter what it was.' He said, 'then with my faith, I began to penetrate the heavens, and I was soon out of that house. I will tell you, for I never saw a man get anything from God who prayed on the earth. If you get anything from God, you will have to pray into heaven. That is where it all is. If you are living in the earth realm and expect to receive from God, you will never get anything... I saw in the presence of God the limitations of my faith. Then there came another faith, a faith that cannot be denied, a faith that takes the promise, a faith that believes God's Word. And from that presence, I came back again to earth, but not the same man. God gave a faith that could shake heaven. And in that faith there was total deliverance for that young woman.' "

May we all learn how to expand our faith off the earth, into the Heavens, and back again to help others.

My prayers go out to all the family and friends involved in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting today in Florida.  God knows every tear.  He is not indifferent to your pain and suffering.  May He comfort you in this dark hour.

When you find yourself under spiritual attack, here's what I have learned:
Focus on the Shepherd!
We need not focus on the wolves. 
As sheep our job is to focus solely on the Shepherd. 
He will take care of His sheep and protect them from the wolves. 

When Jesus was in the wilderness under spiritual attack, He did not rail against the enemy.  He did not hold long prayer sessions to break the bonds or strongholds of the enemy.  Jesus did not loose angels to surround Him to protect Him from the enemy, nor did He focus His energy and thoughts on Satan.  Instead, Jesus focused solely on the Word of God... "It is written," He said. 

Jesus focused on God's Word only, not satan. 

We should do the same.

 I just heard the news of the horrific shooting at the Sutherland Church just outside of San Antonio, Texas.  My thoughts and prayers are with my Christian brothers and sisters as they mourn the loss of their family and friends.  I was  born just outside of San Antonio and now live in a small community myself.   I can imagine the impact of the loss of so many lives and the broken hearts of this small town.

I cannot imagine preparing to gather to worship the God of Love in my home congregation and have the enemy of our souls appear to physically kill us.  For the children lost, the mothers and father, the sisters and brothers, the grandparents, and aunts and uncles, and neighbors and friends, I am so deeply sorry for your loss. 

While no words of men can comfort you, I pray you find comfort from our Savior, Jesus the Christ, who assures us that while we may be temporarily separated physically, we are all one in Him and will never truly die.  Because Jesus lives, He guarantees us life, even after this world.