Posts Tagged ‘Jesus’

The Story of Satan – Part 6 – Satan’s Future

Posted: August 2, 2026 in Biblical Wisdom
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Well, we have arrived at the final installment of our series on the history of our common adversary, Satan. We set out on this path together a few weeks back, aiming to truly understand the enemy who opposes us. He began as Lucifer, a magnificent fallen angel now known simply as Satan. As the Most High’s finest creation, his very existence was meant to reflect the splendor of his God. His rank in Heaven granted him entry into the Father’s throne—a privilege beyond the reach of most heavenly beings. However, as we have seen throughout this series, he became so captivated by his own brilliance that corruption began to take root in his heart.

And Lucifer made a choice that would not only impact him but all the angels that followed along with the humans that chose or still choose to follow him. The ultimate result of that selfish, sinful choice is the topic of this last episode; Satan’s Future.

Take a moment and reflect on a specific crossroads in your personal  journey where a single choice possibly redirected your entire future. Maybe it was a life-altering commitment like your marriage or the moment you embraced your faith—decisions that continue to bear good fruit. Yet, on the other hand, we must also acknowledge those poor choices, the ones that carry heavy, lingering ripple-effect consequences. 

This is why when you learn more about Satan, you see that his mindset of “thinking he could be better than God” was so short-sighted. Against all rational probability, Lucifer, created by God, waged his will against that of the Creator. This also meant that even through all of his efforts; his scheming, lying, and deception, that God would ultimately still get the glory. 

Which is exactly opposite of what Satan intended to take place.

Honestly, the really strange part about our enemy was his myopic view of what he thought would happen. Because the reality for him was the very moment he said, “But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God…. ‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” Isa 14:13-14, he was doomed to eternal damnation. 

I stil find it mind blowing to consider Satan’s relentless focus to defy God by persisting in his rebellion despite the absolute certainty of his eventual defeat.

So now I ask you to take a step back and look around; I think we can all agree that there is an accelerated intensity level of evil active upon this earth. I do not know what the plans of God are but what I do know is that when God no longer needs Satan for HIS purpose, that is when the end is coming.

Prior to the glorious return of Christ to this earth, the situation for humanity will undoubtedly deteriorate, as Satan and his legion of fallen angels intensify their wicked operations across the globe.

ALL OF THIS evil activity will be the beginning of Satan’s final ruin; This will happen in 3 separate stages:

First, Satan is cast out of Heaven-

Now, there are scholars that believe Satan does NOT still have access to Heaven but I am not one of them. I believe that Satan still has access to Heaven even now and that is evidenced by the final war in Heaven where he battles against the mighty archangel Michael and is defeated. Satan is in heaven already but that defeat meant there was no longer any place for him in Heaven and he was cast out. 

Think about this for a second…Satan, who was created by God long before the world was created, and who had only ever known in his existence in both Heaven and earth…and now he was cast out of this place, permanently. God’s judgment is always final.

Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, 8 but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. Rev 12:7-8 ESV

(By the way, if you didn’t notice, the dragon mentioned above is Satan, and “his angels” are the ones that followed him when he decided he had a better plan for his life than God did)

Second, Satan is bound for 1000 years-

At the end of the age, Satan is to be confined into the Abyss for a thousand years.

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. 2 And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3 and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him so that he might not deceive the nations any longer until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be released for a little while. Rev 20:1-3 ESV

Third, Satan is cast into the Lake of Fire–

After his release he will make a final attempt to overthrow God; this act will result in Satan’s final defeat and his being thrown into the Lake of Fire.

And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. 9 And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, 10 and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.  Rev 20:7-10 ESV 

I heard someone say once that God never learns anything new, and if you think about that, you understand that no matter what Satan thought or did…GOD already knew it would happen. The irony for this fallen angel is that he left Heaven thinking he could rule and be like God himself but instead, he continues to exist only FOR the glory of God just as he has always done. 

I also love the hypothetical situation someone described that when Satan successfully tempted Adam and Eve to eat the forbidden fruit that there were no emergency meetings in Heaven as to how to respond or combat what the next steps were. Why? Because God is never surprised.

If you’re a Christian, that is a HUGE relief because in the Bible you constantly read about how God has a plan for you and me and again, ironically, for Satan as well. Remember what Paul said in Romans 8:28,

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Here is an absolute truth that you can stand firmly upon:

Guys, regardless of the circumstances you face in your life, understand that nothing occurs by chance…whether good or bad. God knew it before it happened. Sometimes that might be a hard pill to swallow depending on your circumstances but I assure you, as the verse in Romans states; God will weave your personal circumstances ultimately for good.

Finally, guys, I want to thank you for staying with me during this long series. I also think it is important to mention I still skipped a great deal of material about Satan’s story because my intent was only to summarize who he is, what he does, and where he is going. Frankly, I hope you take the baton from here and study more just for you. 

Honestly, if this series lites a small flame of interest in you then I will call this a success. Either way I would highly recommend you read the book I have been calling out through this series because it was inspiring to learn from Erwin Lutzer and it was a great help and encouragement to me in this study. I don’t normally recommend books, but this one gave me a HUGE new perspective about this topic that I found particularly strengthening so check it out.

Until next time guys-

Iron-man Strength (IMS) Team

Lutzer, Erwin, W. God’s Devil. Chicago: Moody Press, 1996

The Story of Satan – Part 5 – Satan’s Adversary

Posted: July 26, 2026 in Biblical Wisdom
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So a quick recap from part 4 is we learned what Satan is doing right now. And trust me, he is NOT sitting on his hands. He is an active General conducting a war against you and me…Please don’t forget that. Additionally we learned what you and I should be doing to protect ourselves while we are going through this journey. 

Most importantly though, we cannot be complacent about this unseen war Satan is conducting and we certainly can’t pretend it isn’t happening. So let’s jump right back into this study again.

Let me start with this statement-

Jesus Christ came to earth to destroy the works of Satan. 

Did you catch that? Not mediate, compromise, or even legislate what Satan is doing, He came to destroy. As I previously mentioned, Satan prowls around this earth with the sole intent of devouring you and me. Jesus’ plan is exactly opposite; Instead of your destruction, He wants you to have eternal life with Him and what stands in both our ways are the plans of the enemy. 

Jesus Christ is the adversary of Satan. 

Read this;

Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 1 John 3:8 ESV 

Christ also came to this earth to establish the Kingdom of God and most importantly, deliver us, you and me, from the dominion of Satan. In case you missed this from previous blog episodes, while we are on earth, we are enslaved to Satan unless we accept the offer of Christ to be redeemed…but I am getting ahead of myself. Read these few verses:

But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.  Matthew 12:28 ESV – Christ Speaking

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed Luke 4:18 ESV – Christ speaking

And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” Luke 13:16 ESV – Christ Speaking

…to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’ Acts 26:18 ESV

In case you didn’t know, when Christ came to Earth, that was a direct invasion into the enemy’s territory that absolutely shook the kingdom of darkness. Before He officially began His ministry here, Jesus actually allowed Satan to challenge Him with various temptations. The enemy tried to bribe Him with everything you see on this planet, provided Jesus would simply fall down and worship him. (Matthew 4:1-11).

Take a look at these few verses:

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to him, “All these I will give you if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.'” Matthew 4:8-10 ESV 

(We have talked about this before so I encourage you to go back to the blog citation at the end and read, “The Temptation of Jesus” for further details on the power that Satan has here on Earth.)

When you read these verses, you will notice that Jesus systematically refused Satan’s temptations by using only scripture as responses to each question. Why would Christ do this? Because according to the Bible, the Word of God is sharper than any two-edged sword and that was sufficient to defeat the prince of this world.

Let me remind you of Martin Luther’s words from many years ago when he said,

The devil is God’s devil. We have forgotten that only when we know who God is can we know who the devil is. Blessed are those who are convinced that the prince of this world has become a slave to the Prince of Peace.

QUICK SIDE NOTE: I really want to stress how vital it is for you to grasp the weight of this quote. Even though Satan operates as the prince of this world, he remains completely subject to the authority of Christ! Don’t miss this: it means you and I can access that very same power to achieve victory over the enemy when we need it. Please make sure you read this and realize that this divine resource is available to you. You are never fighting this battle alone.

Let’s pick up this story again. When Christ hung on that cross and breathed His last breath, the entire kingdom of darkness erupted in celebration. They were convinced they had secured the final victory because Jesus was dead. 

But don’t miss this: God had a different plan. 

If you are familiar with the scriptures, you know exactly why we celebrate Easter—it’s because He rose from the grave, defeating death once and for all and dooming Satan.

Read this quote from Erwin Lutzer from his book, God’s Devil, who says;

Though he could never have predicted it, at the cross Lucifer would be defeated spiritually, for there Christ was guaranteeing that at least part of fallen humanity would be purchased out from the kingdom of darkness to share in the Kingdom of Light.

As you might expect, the legions of Satan shifted instantly from jubilant celebration to absolute terror. It was a complete reversal of fortune. Through the resurrection, Christ effectively sealed the doom of our enemy and guaranteed that God would secure the final triumph over him.

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil  Hebrews 2:14 ESV

So guys, we have reached a very important mile marker in this 6-part series about Satan.  We are at the point where the next episode we will talk about Satan’s future. I think it is critical to share with you what happens to him and I want you to know what the Bible tells us about the end of our collective enemy.

Guys, I realize this isn’t exactly a light subject to dive into, but we simply can’t examine the full account of our enemy without looking at his final defeat through a scriptural lens. My aim is to lay out these details in a way that is clear and easy to grasp so the big picture really resonates for you.

Part 6 is next and it is the last one…planned.

Until next time guys-

Iron-man Strength (IMS) Team

Lutzer, Erwin, W. God’s Devil. Chicago: Moody Press, 1996

Wright, Kent, “The Temptation of Jesus,” Ironman Strength, January, 2, 2024, iron-man-strength.com

The Story of Satan – Part 2 – Satan’s Role

Posted: July 5, 2026 in Biblical Wisdom
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Ok, let’s pick up this story from Part 1 where we were discussing who Satan is and where he came from. It never ceases to amaze to me when I think about what an incredible creation Lucifer was before he fall, and yet, how much his personal prideful choice caused him to lose…but we will get to that later.

If you didn’t know this already, Satan, who is also called the Serpent, was the one who caused the fall of the human race. Yes… the same guy…Now we will learn more about this in the coming episodes but it is very important to recognize that although Satan is the adversary of God, he does not appear to Adam and Eve in this manner. Rather, as Lutzer puts it, “He comes under a disguise and without revealing who he really is. He changes himself into something he is not to deceive others. He did not come to frighten, but to soothe, encourage, to instruct.”

Look at the brief story of the encounter between Adam, Eve and the Serpent below from the book of Genesis:

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 

2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 

3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'” 

4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 

5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 

6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.  [Gen 3:1-6 ESV] 

Lutzer tells us that, “Literally, the first time Satan opens his mouth is to put a question where God had put a period. Satan knew that if he could get Eve to focus on the one thing she did not have, it would rob her of the joy she should derive from all of the things she did have.”

Do you understand how Satan operates? He convinced Eve to question God and from that day on, lying, deception, and sin entered this world and the human race has never been the same. Can you imagine if Adam and Eve had resisted the temptation of the serpent? And what this world MIGHT have been like? That is a whole topic unto its own and one that will not be addressed by me.

What is Satan doing right now?

We know that we are the children of God and that the whole world is in control of the evil one.  1 John 5:19

Guys, we will NEVER adequately understand the New Testament unless we recognize its underlying conviction that Satan is the “god of this world” right now. Think about that for a second. Satan is the evil one and it is his power that controls this present evil age. When Adam and Eve sinned, that is when it started. 

Now, I hope this isn’t the first time you are hearing this but if it is, and you are skeptical, please read these verses I have stacked up below because the Bible is very clear about what is going on.

2 Co 4:4 – In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Gal 1:3-4 – Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,

Eph 6:12 – For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Heb 2:14 – ​​Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil…

1Pe 5:8 –  Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

Even though I say Satan is in charge, that does not mean that God isn’t in direct control of this ungodly world. 

The ungodly world I am speaking of are sinful people, evil, cruelty, and injustice…all the things we see around us every day. More importantly, it is critical that I stress the fact that in no way does God desire or cause all of the sufferings in this world, nor is everything that happens His perfect will.  I can tell you that God uses everything; even evil, to accomplish His purposes.

The Bible does tell us that at this present time, the world is NOT under God’s dominion, but is currently in rebellion against God’s rule and is enslaved to Satan. God, for the time being, has limited His own supreme power over this world…but I assure you, this is only temporary. That is what we see happening right now.

I know this is not the best news you have received today and I get that, but know this, because of this worldly condition I spoke about above…that is why Christ came to die for you and me.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 ESV

…and why His plan was to reconcile the world to God 

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 

that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 2Co 5:17-19 ESV

So the two main points from Part 2 that I want you to understand today are: 

  1. Satan is the god of this earth right now.
  2. Satan is the one responsible for bringing sin to the human race when Adam and Eve gave into temptation. 

There is more detail coming on what Satan is also doing presently so stay tuned because Part 3 will be next – 

Until next time guys-

Iron-man Strength (IMS) Team

Lutzer, Erwin, W. God’s Devil. Chicago: Moody Press, 1996

How do I know Christ lives in me?

Posted: May 25, 2026 in Kingdom Living
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A friend of mine recently posed a question to me that I found very interesting. He asked me “how do you know if you are truly saved? How do you know if you are REALLY a Christian? This guy was genuinely struggling with whether or not he had actually been saved, or was this completely in his head.

For those of you not familiar when I refer to “saved”. This is what happens when we accept Christ into our hearts and He comes to inhabit or live in us. Being saved means we gain eternal life with Him.

But, back to the question at hand; Is it possible to be saved only in your head, and not in your heart?

The easy answer is no, you cant be saved just in your head and how do I know this? Because a truly saved person is changed from the inside out. They are renewed inside, they are different because of that renewal.

J. A. Motyer said it this way, “No one can walk with God without giving himself to a determined pursuit of good.” 

If you just think you are saved and yet you are still on the same path as before, then I would question the validity of your experience. I am not trying to be harsh, but at the same time, God does not inhabit a heart that doesn’t want Him to be there. 

A better way to say this is you can’t profess Christianity and still have a solid foothold in this world. The two do not, can not, and will not EVER coexist. God wants all of you or none of you and He will not share…especially with the enemy.

When your heart has been changed by Him, you will have a desire to pursue good things…and there will be a battle inside of you when you come into conflict with your old way of thinking. That conflict is God inside you reminding you that you are not the same person anymore.

I can also tell you this on solid authority; when you give your life to God, and He comes to live in your heart; because of that personal choice you made, the enemy will triple and quadruple the attacks on you to ensure your experience does not last. When you have lived your life away from God, and then in humility, give your life over to Him…that is when things can get interesting.

Again, this is not a scare tactic, I simply want to present you with the truth. It is critical you are aware that the enemy will not give you up easily. Be prepared for the battle that is coming. But recognize the more you lean into God, there will be challenges in your life. But please…read this scripture today guys:

…Greater is He who is in you than he that is in the world. 1 John 4:4

We were not promised an easy life by signing on with Christ. What He did promise was on life’s journey, that He will never lead us or forget about us. David said it this way in Psalm 23, “…Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I am not afraid, because you are right there with me.”

Guys, our God inhabits those of us who truly seek Him and that is the foundation of your salvation. Those of us who pursue the narrow path and are intentional about doing good in this life; I applaud you for your fortitude and I believe in my heart there are a bunch of you out there, just everyday, doing your version of life and serving Him.

Until next time Guys,

Iron-man Strength (IMS) Team

Motyer, J. A., The Message of Amos, Intervarsity Press, 1974

God does not do Vanilla

Posted: May 3, 2026 in Strength for Today
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I am not sure where all of you fall in with the longstanding Creation debate. Whether you prefer the “Big Bang” theory, which says that the universe began with a single massive explosion that set all life and everything we know today in motion. 

Or whether you fall on the side that looks at Creation and says that everything we see was designed by a higher purpose or a higher being. Because, simply put, there is too much complex evidence that identifies the incredible perfection and minute detail this entire universe actively runs on each day which, that fact alone leads many to the ideal that there is an Intelligent Designer.

I had the recent pleasure of seeing a new movie that was just released called, The Story of Everything. In this movie, Dr. Stephen Meyer, PHD. carefully reviews all the various arguments against Creationism and then systematically, through recent advanced scientific discoveries at the molecular level, refutes each one. It is fascinating.

But today I wanted to zero in on something I learned from this movie that absolutely fascinated me and I thought you might be too. The commentator was speaking about Creation and all of its beauty and how at every level; From the furthest galaxy down to the very molecular level…every single individual thing; Planet to a single cell…everything was created with exceptional detail and beauty.

As we move forward, keep in mind the words of Paul when he said in Romans 1:20,

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – His eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. 

Let me try and break this down even further by using the example of a hummingbird. We have all seen hummingbirds before fluttering around with their high intensity wings flapping at incredible velocity that allows them to hover. These little birds are at max, maybe 3 inches tall? But yet when you look at them, you don’t just see a little bird, you see alluring beauty with absolute perfection and grace. 

My point is this: Hummingbirds don’t need to be beautiful. Their beauty is not necessary for their existence. Rather it is an added bonus from the Creator for those who get to witness one of them in person. 

God did not need to create Creation as beautiful as He did. Think about this; If all of Creation was just average, and you and I grew up around just average, would we have known any different? Absolutely not. Average would be normal to us. But our God does NOT do Vanilla…He only created majestic creatures with exceptional detail so that you and I can be surrounded by it.

My final point is what does His Creation say about Him?

God is a perfectionist. As mentioned, average or vanilla, will not work for Him. If it did, then He could’ve called in sick during Creation and took 2 weeks instead of 6 days…but He didn’t. He worked and created absolute perfection down to the most minute detail. 

God did not have to create Creation in this way, with absolute perfection, but He did because that is who He is.

Secondly, it also tells me that part of the reason He did this was for pure enjoyment on His part. God liked what He created. Remember what He said back in Genesis 1:31a? “God saw all that He had made, and it was very good…” God enjoys what He made and you and I get to live surrounded by pure unsurpassed beauty every day.

Guys, I encourage you to try and see this movie if possible. I know it is a limited release and isn’t showing in all cities but it will pump up your faith like it did mine. I have placed the trailer at the end for you to review.

Until next time Guys-

Iron-man Strength (IMS) Team

The Story of Everything | Official Trailer

Flawless

Posted: April 17, 2026 in Strength for Today
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Have you ever been inspired by something before? Maybe it was a great speech your heard or a seminar you attended. It could have even been a song that really hit you in your core. Whatever it happened to be, it got you thinking that something in your life might change for the better. Because let’s face it, all of us need hope am I right?

A few years back, I found myself unexpectedly inspired by a song that I wanted to reshare with you because I think the words in this song will resonate as we navigate this life. You see if you are anything like me, you may find yourself constantly going back and forth; trying to be a good person and then when it matters, falling flat on my face. 

Inevitably, we try and claw our way back into God’s good graces, and yet we feel like we are on the edge of a cliff and we can’t get back. Or we have gone too far and we’re going to fall over. And that is why I want you to hear the words from this song.

Because…No matter what path you have been on or may still be on…

Because…No matter what has happened in your past that you are ashamed of…

Because…No matter if you have ever experienced failure, or disappointment, or unhappiness, or you just can’t overcome something that is keeping you down…

Just in case you may have forgotten this important detail along the way.

God has an amazing grace just for you, and, because of what Christ did…

THE CROSS HAS MADE YOU FLAWLESS…

This is an important to consider; when God looks at us, what He sees isn’t pretty because we live in a world reeking of sin and frankly, I can’t imagine what that looks like from His perspective.

But, because of what Christ did on that cross, God looks at you and me through the filter of Jesus and instead of seeing sin, He sees someone who is pure and blameless before Him.

AND, I don’t care what you have done…that is between you and God but I do know that because of His grace towards all of us…and His righteousness wrapped around us…

You, YES YOU, and Me are Flawless…

Guys, this is a simple message but I also know it is easy to lose your way and forget even the simple things God has given to us. I believe there is no such thing as hopelessness for someone who recognizes what has been done for him by Jesus Christ on the cross…why? 

Because being right with God and being flawless before Him; there is truly no greater place that anyone can be…and that my friend is the greatest hope any of us will ever experience.

I want you to be encouraged –

Until next time guys…

Iron-man Strength (IMS) Team

Enjoy, Flawless, by MercyMe

Did Jesus Come to Save Everyone?

Posted: January 1, 2026 in God Perspective
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I happened to be reading recently in one of my favorite John MacArthur books and came across a very interesting point he made that I thought you would find interesting. And it starts with the very hard question, “Did Jesus come to save everyone?”

Now my first reaction to his question was obviously yes, of course he came to save everyone. Gods plan had to be that Christ would save everyone. How could the answer to that question NOT be yes? But then I read a little further and learned a very important detail I had not thought about before. But lets start with a very direct quote from MacArthur before we begin:

Is God unfair in not choosing to save everyone? Fair would be to send everyone to hell. You don’t want fair, you want mercy. 

Again, very direct but straight and to the point. The truth of the matter is this, God did NOT come to save everyone, ONLY the ones who want to be saved. Let me unpack that for you.

You see, there are and always will be, those in this world who will make the choice; their own personal choice, to do what they want to do. You may even know someone who thinks this way. Someone not interested in Christ’s call to them. This choice they make puts them on a path to what Christ called the wide gate:

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. Matthew 7:13

In His own words, we see Christ’s warning to those who take the wide road that it leads to emminent destruction. And, as He says, the MANY people that choose that direction Christ did NOT come to save. Here is another verse from John with Christ speaking in a prayer to His Father:

I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. John 17:9

Some people will read this verse and think God is harsh or even unfair but one thing I have learned about God is that everyone was created with FREEWILL. Which means we get to choose what we want to do with our own lives. And one of those life options we get to choose to accept or turn down is God’s free gift of salvation. That is 100% up to you.

So as the alternative, or the ones of us who make the choice to enter the narrow gate, we are called Christ’s elect. As Peter tells us below:

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, Gods special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness and into his wonderful light. 1 Peter 2:9

So guys, let me challenge you on this first day of 2026. I know firsthand that it is hard to pursue holiness and live in this world. It requires major effort for you to separate yourself for Him every single day. But it is NOT impossible. But it does require a conscious effort each day to seek Him…but that is the real key.

Seeking God…with all of your heart.

Let me end this post with words from Jeremiah the prophet.

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13

I wish you the best 2026 possible-

Until next time Guys-

Iron-man Strength (IMS) Team

He is our Heavenly Father

Posted: December 7, 2025 in Fatherhood
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“…when the Lord binds up the bruises of his people and heals the wounds He inflicted.” Isaiah 30:26b 

I wanted to talk today just a little bit about the side of God that a lot of Pastors avoid because it isn’t easy to discuss. I am speaking about accountability, or the side of God that uses discipline to ensure compliance. God has used discipline on His own people throughout history when they chose their own path…and to be clear…many, many, times they chose their own path. Read through Isaiah 30: 1–26 and see what I mean.

But let’s steer this conversation back to our level because most of us grew up with a father in the house. And speaking just to the men, if your dad was anything like mine, discipline was required and used to ensure my brother and I did what he asked. Just like this entire blog is titled, using the “iron sharpens iron” method, my brother and I grew up to be contributing members of society…for the most part.

And guys, God worked the exact same way using discipline with his own chosen people, and when they rebelled against him, or specifically, when they intentionally chose to disregard His direction by not seeking Him first before making an alliance with Egypt to help them fight the Assyrians…He gave them over to their enemies and many of them were destroyed. Yes…tough love.

Yet the Bible tells us that deep in His heart, “the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice blessed are all who wait for him!” Isaiah 30:18

Guys, I have spoken about this before, but we either choose God or we don’t. But know that we will all judged for those choices. As Jerusalem found out the hard way in these verses…God will wait for a certain amount of time; If you move towards Him, you will receive salvation… If you move away from Him, He will give you over. In other words, God will give you exactly what you want…even though death is NOT what you want. But you cannot be foolish enough not to recognize that the way of sin is death?

Plain and simple… He is our Heavenly Father who loves us and cares for us, but at the same time, He will use discipline when deserved. We are all personally accountable for our own actions. It is our choice, we were all created with free will and each of us gets to do what we want to do. But the Bible is quick to remind us that all choices have an outcome. If we choose Him and the way of salvation, we get to live forever…with Him in Heaven.

At his core, I knew my father loved me because he told me but as his son, he required me to act in a certain way and follow his rules. If I didn’t, there were consequences that I did not like so I made the choice to listen and do what he asked. 

Our God requires the same from us…it’s really that simple. The only difference; the consequences. I urge you today to think about this and work to make the right choice for you and your family.

Remember, right now, you are in charge of your choices, so make the right one…

Until next time guys-

Heavenly Deposit

Posted: November 16, 2025 in Kingdom Living
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I had the opportunity to spend some time with an old work friend recently who I hadn’t seen for a long time. At one point, we had worked together every day for two years but after I left that company, I lost touch with him. But as luck would have it, I had the chance to re-connect with him over some dinner so I took advantage. 

As you can imagine, we talked about the usual work stuff and family stuff but somehow the topic bent toward him planning to win the lottery. 

To be clear, in MY mind, that topic was mentally wasting energy because the chances of winning are not worth spending the time thinking about what you would do with all that money. But as I sat there and listened to my friend talk, I realized he had taken this lottery-planning topic to a whole new level. 

Honestly, the amount of detail he had already planned out was utterly amazing. He knew what businesses and stocks he would invest in, who he planned to give money to, and how much. He knew what upgrades he would make to his home, where he would take his first vacation, how he would quit his job, and the list went on and on. 

He even worked out a plan to help his kids pay off their student loans, buy his parents, sister, and nephews new homes…and guys, I could keep going. I finally interrupted him and asked him why? Why would you invest so much of your time and brainpower on a topic that will most likely NEVER happen? 

He replied simply, “ah, but it could, and I want to be prepared”

“Prepared”, I thought. “That is an Interesting concept.”

From your perspective, what does it really take to be prepared for anything? Investing your time and brain power towards something helps one be prepared. However, from a Christian persepctive, Christ told us to prepare by storing up for ourselves, treasures in Heaven. 

In other words, preparation for eternity…not preparation for winning the lottery, or for that matter, anything else here on earth. Besides, like my Dad always used to say, “you can’t take it with you”.

But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust can consume, and where thieves can neither break through nor steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matt. 6:20-21

So what is a treasure in heaven? How can I have any connection with heaven while I am still here and living on this earth? 

Here is how I look at this; my friend was investing huge amounts of his physical time thinking about a fantasy event rather than thinking about how to make a difference now. 

For example, how about spending more time with his kids, or his wife, or both? What about focusing on or engaging with a particular subject that might make him better or even the people around him better? 

The way I see it, all of these suggestions are treasures that are being stored in heaven for him. It truly is like making a deposit in a bank or better yet, it’s an investment in your heavenly eternal future.

Jesus said, “How will they know me? By how YOU love one another”

Pretty simple actually. If we take the time to be kind to someone, anyone…when you aren’t required to do so… it helps them, but believe it or not, that is also a treasure YOU have stored in heaven. 

What you do here on earth is preparation for your eternal future…and it is SAFE

You see…everything we store up in heaven is safe…forever. There are not any malware or viruses that can wipe out your deposits in Heaven. Christ said in that same verse above, where neither moth nor rust can consume, and where thieves can neither break through nor steal.

NOTHING can destroy what you have stored there…It is safe for all eternity

My simple advice:

Why don’t we try to get out of our own way and focus on each other for a change, and watch what happens…

What I think you will find is a far happier group of family and friends because you aren’t 100% solely focused on you…or like my friend at the beginning of this post, who simply spent too much time planning for something that would never happen

So as you begin to look and plan for this next year, 2026…my recommendation is to start making your own heavenly deposits sooner rather than later…

Honestly, your future depends on it…

Until next time Guys…

We don’t Wrestle against Flesh and Blood

Posted: October 20, 2025 in God Perspective
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My nephew wrestled in high school and I remember him telling me how unique wrestling is from a team sport because it’s not like football or basketball… It is just sheer strength against sheer strength, cunning against cunning and may the best man win.

Wrestling is a sport where you are literally grappling with your opponent and using every ounce of strength you have to try and overcome someone who’s trying to do the same to you. Experience matters, like it does in life, but at the same time pure strength can be hard to overcome.

Why in the world am I talking about wrestling today? There is a verse in Ephesians that communicates to you and to me about a battle that we Christians find ourselves in. And this battle is unique because we can’t see our opponent. But I felt it very necessary to communicate something that you may or may not have thought of before.

I think it is pretty obvious and and frankly safer to fight a battle from a long way away. In the US military, snipers can fire at targets over a mile away and be successful. In most successful battles going back to the Civil War, soldiers would set up cannons and fire at the opponent so they could soften the front lines in order that their infantry could advance. After all of that preparation, it was the infantry who gained the physical ground and ultimately again, battled their opponent, man-to-man.

So today guys, I wanted to introduce you to the warfare that our enemy is executing on us… You and me. Depending upon which translation you read, Ephesians 6:12 tells us that “we are not wrestling against flesh and blood, but rather against the rulers, the authorities, and against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms”

What does that really mean? That means the enemy is not a mile away, he’s not next-door… He is right next to you, whispering in your ear. Telling you things that are not true in order so he can bump you off your path and get you going in a different direction… 

We are literally wrestling with the enemy as Paul says. We are not dancing. We are wrestling. It’s important that you recognize how close your enemy actually is or, how close he is to your family. It’s easy to go about our day and never really think about that battle going on. But I assure you, it is, and there is active strategy being put forth and executed to destroy you and everything you love. You, must think about it and be ready for each day.

Now that we know what we are up against, how do we fight?

This will probably surprise you but when your adversary is the devil, you don’t stand and fight, you resist. I say this again, if you try and fight, you will lose. Even Jesus, after spending 40 days in the wilderness, Satan came and met with Him with the sole reason to tempt Him (Matthew 4:1-11). You will notice that Jesus did not fight but rather He resisted and that is exactly what we are called to do, resist. Take a look at these 2 verses:

  • Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7
  • Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 1 Peter 5:9

Guys, if you only recognized the power you have right now that already exists within you as a believer, it would really change your mind about wrestling not against flesh and blood. Yes, you are a target, but not defenseless. The power within you comes from God’s Holy Spirit which is pure strength from Him to use when you are in a wrestling match. If you feel an evil presence of unseen forces, then call on His name. He will not abandon you. Most importantly remember the words of the Apostle John below which is always a gut check reminder for me-

Greater is He that is in you, than he who is in the world.  1 John 4:4

Until next time Guys-

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