by Brandon Cox: Most Americans have heard of The War of 1812, but don’t know much about it. It took place four decades after the American Revolution and lasted about 30 months, ending in December of 1814. But the most famous battle took place after the war had officially ended – The Battle of New Orleans (yes, the one Johnny Horton sang about), which was fought January 8, 1815.

The truce had been signed, but not completely ratified, and news traveled slowly back then. So the battle raged and the Americans, though outnumbered almost two-to-one, defended the city of New Orleans and its river ports.

We live in a similar era, spiritually. Jesus Christ has, by his death, burial, and resurrection, decisively ended Satan’s chance at any victory. The Lord overcame sin, death, and the grave. According to the writer of Hebrews:

But when this priest (Jesus Christ) had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, and since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool. For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.

~ Hebrews 10:12-14 NIV

Jesus fought, died, and won. For you and for me and anyone who will trust him as Savior and follow him as King.

And now he sits and waits. What is he waiting for? For our battles to end.

We who swear allegiance to King Jesus are on the winning side. There is no possibility of defeat for us in this long, spiritual war. But we still fight skirmishes. Temptation. Suffering. Mental and emotional struggles. Rejection. Persecution. Conflict. And eventually, death.

But after all of that, resurrection! Victory! Triumph!

Keep this in mind through every battle you fight. It’s all going to be worth it. Through the fight, God is growing you, preparing you for eternity, and guaranteeing your growth and your glory forever and ever.

by Brandon Cox: I spent well over a decade of my adult life subscribing to an approach to theology that elevated logic and reason while deemphasizing emotion and feeling. It pitted objective truth against subjective experience as though the two were enemies.

And here’s the problem with that kind of thinking. God created you with intellect, emotion, and will. You can think, feel, and decide things. That’s what makes you human.

I believe an either/or mentality about faith has been hurtful to the church. We need a both/and theology that recognizes the need for affirming objective, absolute truth regardless of one’s feelings while also embracing the emotional result of a genuine encounter with the God who engages us personally.

To make a long story short, you should think and know God’s trustworthiness regardless of your feelings. And you should also welcome and cultivate the emotions that flow naturally out of a rich relationship with God.

Or as Paul put it,

Be enthusiastic to serve the Lord, keeping your passion toward him boiling hot! Radiate with the glow of the Holy Spirit and let him fill you with excitement as you serve him.

~ Romans 12:11 TPT

Notice, first of all, that being excited about serving Jesus is a good thing. Notice, also, that it’s a product of the Holy Spirit’s filling and influence. And finally, notice that it’s my responsibility as a believer to keep my passion hot.

In other words, excitement about Jesus is, in and of itself, a spiritual discipline.

How do you get there? Think about the truth about God that you already know deep inside your mind. Then, smile. Let the confidence of his truthful Word flood and fill your heart. Look up. Raise your hands. And offer him genuine and authentic praise.

Surrender your hurt, your sin, your apathy, and ask him to fill you afresh and to awaken within you the flame of passion that roars from the innermost places inside you where you are completely loved and healed.

by Brandon Cox: Which, of all the commandments in the Bible, is the most important?

Both Jesus and Paul argue that it is love – love for God and love for neighbors.

Paul explains why that’s true, but it’s hard for some of us to embrace his reasoning:

Love makes it impossible to harm another, so love fulfills all that the law requires.

~ Romans 13:10 TPT

So Paul says that love is the beginning and end of the law. If you really, truly love people the way God does, you will fulfill everything else God commanded you to do.

Why is this hard to grasp? Because we’re used to religion being about God’s demand for worship and our response of obedience. And granted, God certainly expects and deserves to be worshipped and we should certainly respond with obedience. But that’s not God’s biggest priority for us.

While we are focused on religion’s vertical orientation (me and God), God is focused on the horizontal orientation of my faith (me and other people). And there is no better way to honor God and to share the good news about Jesus than to show genuine love for other people.

This simplifies life a lot, doesn’t it? Instead of living for achievements and accolades, we get to simply live to love.

You’ll never know what the truest and highest form of love is until you see Jesus Christ as the Redeemer who died on the cross for the sins of mankind. And when you really understand that moment of sacrifice and what it provided for all of us, you’ll never be the same.

That kind of love is contagious. It spreads. Once you’ve received it, you simply have to give it away and tell others about it. And when your life is about loving others the way God does so that you can point them toward him, you are already performing the greatest service God has asked for.

So, really, go love someone today.