Pastor Joel Laswell

Shock and awe is a military doctrine based on the use of overwhelming power, dominant battlefield maneuvers, and spectacular displays of force to paralyze the enemy's perception of the battlefield and destroy their will to fight. The decision that Christ would die for the guilty race was reached before this world was created, and confirmed at the time man fell. The Godhead made an agreement that Jesus would become a human being forever, go through the struggles of humanity that was at war against sin and Satan and they empowered Him to carry out His commission to save mankind. This act of the Godhead was the Shock and Awe victory in the battle against evil!

There is a crisis coming my friends and in understanding how to get ready for it, we have to know who and what the enemy is. I do not like to spend large amounts of time studying this subject because I like to get people's attention on Jesus and not the enemy. That's where we need to keep our attention focused. However, I want you to notice what the apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 2:11, "Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices." If we are ignorant of the devices of the devil, he will take advantage of us. The Bible tells us what we need to know about the enemy we face and we had better pay attention.

What if I told you that exercising faith in the merits of Christ righteousness was committing spiritual violence? What would you think? Meditate on that for a moment and look at Matthew 11:12, "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force." What is this spiritual violence that Jesus is talking about? In the old covenant, you were dependent on a human priest to go into the sanctuary for you. But, in the new covenant, you can go in yourself. You do not need to wait for some preacher or priest or someone else to get forgiveness for you. You can go directly to God yourself and if you exercise spiritual violence you can get the answer to your prayer right now.

When Jesus came the first time, while preaching the Sermon on the Mount, He actually explained the goal of how to be a restored citizen of the kingdom of God, as well as the incentives to righteous living (being an exemplary citizen), and the privileges and responsibilities of citizenship in the kingdom of God. Step by step we see a growing in character like that of Christ in these verses.

When Jesus came the first time, while preaching on a mountaintop at the beginning of His ministry He actually explained the goal of how to be a restored citizen of the kingdom of God. We find it in Matthew chapters 5-7. I want to concentrate specifically on the first twelve verses of chapter 5, how to become a citizen of heaven. Jesus is revealing in these verses quite a lot to us about the goal of character perfection as well, if we will listen.

Just as we see in today’s military, there is a general commission and a specific commission pertaining to individuals in the Lord’s army. We are going to take a look at the general or great commission for each member of the body of Christ... our Marching Orders!

I want to take a look at some Scriptural misconceptions concerning God's Inoculation Principles, and maybe more specifically the diet of man. The four scripture references that we shall examine are in apparent conflict with scores of other clear declarations scattered throughout the Old and New Testaments on the subject of proper diet. The Bible will explain itself if we use proper study habits and this topic is no different, so lets clear up these misconceptions.

Inoculations are a way of life in the U.S. Military. All new recruits (both officer and enlisted) are vaccinated against various diseases during enlisted basic training or during officer training. God has His own inoculation plan for all who join His army. This plan will help protect His army from the physical and spiritual attacks from the enemy and the consequences of sin. It will strengthen His army for the battle against the enemy of souls and be an incredible witness to the world that God's laws are binding and best.

People do not understand what the cross means and when you tell them its meaning, they usually do not want to hear about it as it cuts straight to the heart and then tough decisions are required. So the preaching of the cross and its meaning isn't preached much in churches today. A different cross is preached... one that tickles the ears of the listeners. But the truth of the cross is not heard much today. So much so that Ellen White said on one occasion, "The cross has been almost lost sight of." White, Our High Calling, p46. That does not mean that people are not seeing the cross on the churches or around other peoples necks or on the rear view mirror of the car. People see all those things but they do not really see what it is about or what it really means for them. And I want to tell you that if you take the cross away, it is just like taking the sun out of the heavens. Everything is lost and we have no hope! What does the cross mean for each of us? Lets find out...

A powered exoskeleton, also known as powered armor, is a mobile machine consisting primarily of an outer framework worn by a person, and powered by a system of motors or hydraulics that delivers at least part of the energy for limb movement. Think of the fictional Iron Man. The main function of a powered exoskeleton is to assist the wearer by boosting their strength and endurance. They are commonly designed for military use to help soldiers carry heavy loads both in and out of combat. Can you imagine the advantage of such armor? Did you know that God has provided powered armor for His people to aid them in their fight against the enemy of souls? I want to talk about this powered armor with you at this time.

God has His own code of communication in this great controversy and those who accept Jesus will learn to become His code talkers. Each of us must learn how to talk to God. A relationship cannot survive if there is no communication and neither can a war be won without it. There are different ways to communicate with God, prayer being just one of the ways that I want to look at with you.

Throughout history every successful army has had a corps of engineers and workers that helped them to victory. None of these victories could be successful without designing and then building what was needed for success by using the right tools for the job at hand. The same can be said concerning our work as Christians and spreading the present truth of the Three Angel’s Messages. We must have the right tools to do the job that we have been asked to do. The great thing about it though, is that God provides the tools we need for our work to be efficient, effective, enduring and profitable! God provides the weapons and the training for His people in this conflict between good and evil to have victory over our enemy.

In this world, people become afraid; they say the forces against them are too many. But if you have faith in God, that doesn’t matter. In fact, if you have faith, the less numbers you have, and the greater the number of enemies you have, the bigger the victory is going to be, because God never loses! Jesus is not only a Savior; He is a General who has never lost a battle. If you have faith in Him, you are on the winning side, and you can know that right now.

In Luke 18:2–5 Jesus tells the story about a lady whose husband had died, leaving her in debt. Her adversaries had come and taken everything she had, and she was in a position where she did not know how she was going to get it back. The judge in this parable persistently repulsed the woman. Again and again she was treated with contempt, and he continually said “No.” Jesus described the judge as being unrighteous and unjust. The woman was in trouble and needed help, but he refused to help her. In this parable Jesus describes the situation that His people will go through in the last days and we can be prepared for the time if we heed His message.

On Mother’s Day families pay special tribute to their moms in various ways—cards, flowers, breakfast in bed, lunch at a fine restaurant, long distance calls, and special gifts. These are just some of the ways families will say thanks to mom, and that is as it should be. But too often Mother’s Day is simply a time when families attempt to atone for an entire year of neglect, indifference, misuse, disrespect, and a lack of thoughtfulness and genuine appreciation. So I’d like to reflect upon motherhood from a biblical view for mothers as well as the entire family.

We are told in the book Revelation that what began as a war in heaven will soon end in the battle known as Armageddon. In this conflict between the forces of good and the powers of evil, light and truth is under constant attack from deception and darkness. And whether we like it or not, every single one of us is involved. This spiritual war is not over some planet or piece of ground; it is for control of each human heart and mind. All of the literal battles in the Bible—from Gideon's conflict with the Midianites to David's defeat of Goliath—can serve to teach us how we might experience victory in spiritual battles. Because these battles are of a spiritual nature, the weapons we use are also spiritual. The great thing about it is that our Battle Armor is provided for us to have victory in this spiritual warfare.

What really happens to a person when they start to look at the cross of Calvary and start to think through the spiritual meaning of what they are looking at? A lot of Christians know the story. They have crosses hanging from their necks, rear-view mirrors and in their homes but they do not know the spiritual meaning of the story. Redemption is a process by which a human soul is trained for eternal life. It means knowledge of Christ in the heart and not just the mind. After Paul saw his life in a new light, he said in Philippians 3, all I want is just to know Him. I want to know the power of His resurrection, the fellowship of His sufferings. I just want to know Him that is all. Everything I had before is worthless. What is our life like when compared to the life of Jesus?

When you enlist in the United States Army they send you to boot camp. This is a general training of how to conduct yourself as a member of the army. It is also called ‘basic’ training. You are trained physically and mentally to do the will of the supreme commander. And as Christians there are two specific types of training. There is a general training and there is an individual training. Both of which are ongoing processes actually, for we never really graduate from the school of Christ! Throughout all eternity we will be in the school of Christ and learning and growing in wisdom and knowledge. But the schooling and training for today, known as present truth, is preparation for the final battle. So let’s take a look at the general training or ‘boot camp’ of the Lord’s army.

In the Scriptures, our robe, or our clothing, is used as a symbol for our character. Normally what we choose to wear on the outside tells everyone who sees us something about what is in our heart… what we treasure. It says something about our true character. We see this in the experience of Adam and Eve. They had a robe of light, representing a righteous character. When they sinned and lost that covering, they made some fig-leaf garments to replace it. These artificial garments have become synonymous with righteousness by works, and such garments are not acceptable for citizens of God’s kingdom. In place of the leaves, the Lord prepared a garment for them from the skin of an animal. This garment, which cost the life of the innocent animal, was symbolic of the robe of Christ’s righteousness, which cost the life of His own Son and which all who will be citizens of heaven must wear. Which robe do you choose to wear? Who will be your king?

When you lay your head on the pillow at night and close your eyes, you sleep in faith that you will awaken again for a new day. You close your eyes with the assumption that all will be well as you sleep. You don’t expect to be awakened at 4am with a life or death call for help. There is nothing in this life that is foolproof, at least nothing mechanical. There are no supermen and no super agents. It takes but one projectile through the heart, or the bursting of one vessel in the brain, or one drunk driver swerving into our lane at the wrong time, and all is wiped out. Nothing in this life is foolproof. There is nothing sure or stable in this life without God's direct protection and care—not your marriage, your money, your children, your health, your church, your nation, and certainly not yourself. Nothing! We need to humble ourselves before God and invite Him into our lives. We need to realize our total dependence upon Him.