Early this morning, terrorists attacked the city of Brussels, Belgium. At least two bombs were detonated—one in Belgium's largest airport and another at a subway station in downtown Brussels. The death toll is still uncertain, though it appears to be at least 30. ISIS (the radical Islamic splinter government of Iraq & Syria) has claimed responsibility for the attacks. It is yet another example of radical Islamic violence and needless loss of precious human life.

When terrorist attacks happen, I think most Christians' first thought is something like, "We need to pray for Belgium." This is evidenced by the fast-trending hashtag #prayforBrussels on Twitter today. And this, I believe, is healthy. Christians should pray when parts of the world fall victim to evil & violence. We should pray for Brussels today.

But.... what should we be praying?

Here are some thoughts to give your mind a little direction amid the emotional turmoil that inevitably comes with events like these:

"Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved." (Rom. 10:1)

"But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust." (Matt. 5:44-45)

"Hear my cry, O God, listen to my prayer; from the end of the earth I call to you when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy. Let me dwell in your tent forever! Let me take refuge under the shelter of your wings!" (Psa. 61:1-4)

"Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison— that I may make it clear, which is how I ought to speak." (Col. 4:2-4 — it's worth remembering that our "normal," daily prayers are powerful and do not need to be put on hold in times of distress; in fact, many of those prayers become even more needed in times like these!)

"I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way." (1 Tim. 2:1-2)

"Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved." (Rom. 10:1)

- Dan Lankford, minister

When he came home from the war zone due to combat injuries, US naval officer LtCdr. Eric Greitens started talking to other wounded troops in the military hospital where he was recovering. He asked his fellow wounded soldiers, "What do you want to do next?"

The answer was always the same: "I want to go back to my unit." Despite some of them having suffered truly debilitating injuries that prevented them from ever serving in the armed forces again, their determination to serve their country remained undaunted. All these men had volunteered, and their love for country permeated their attitudes so deeply that they wanted to continue to serve.

In our modern American culture, it is very common and polite for us to tell a soldier or a Marine, "Thank you for your service." LtCdr. Greitens would tell the men, "Thank you for your service... and we still need you." He told them this because their countrymen DO still need them. We need these soldiers as leaders in the workforce, in our schools, in our local governments, in our neighborhoods, in our big government, and in their own families.

If you've been wounded by unbelievers in the service of the Lord's army, can I say, "Thank you for your service... and we still need you"? If you've grown older and become tired in your service of the Lord's army, can I say, "Thank you for your service... and we still need you"? If you've been wounded by friendly fire—fellow Christians' bad choices—in the service of the Lord's army, can I say, "Thank you for your service... and we still need you"?

The church needs the leadership, the example, the teaching, and the fellowship of those who are tired and yet continue to press on... of those who are wounded and yet continue to press on... of those who are discouraged and yet continue to press on. Your brothers and sisters still need you to fight against the devil alongside us. And in fact, sometimes you are the ones whom we need most because you have the most direct and long-term experience with our great enemy.

That's why we need you to teach us in our Bible classes, to mentor us in our family lives, to encourage us in our battles with temptation, to love us in our weakness and show us God's grace to overcome, to be our leaders in our churches, and to share the lessons you've learned from walking the path of the faithful. 

You can be the ones who show us that God always wins! You can be the ones who show us not to grow weary in doing good (2 Thess. 3:13)! You can be the ones to show us what it means for God to be "all in all" (1 Cor. 15:28).

Thank you for your service, beloved brothers and sisters... and we still need you.

- Dan Lankford, minister

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The Mission Continues is an organization developed by officer Greitens to help soldiers continue serving their country in powerful ways as civilians when they retire from the military. The organization's efforts have helped a great many soldiers overcome the struggles of PTSD by focusing their skills on the greater good of serving others.

This week's Family Report featured an entry from Gary Henry's excellent devotional book, "Diligently Seeking God." While I do my best to write a considerable amount of material for our church family to think about, this was simply too good not to share. I hope you are blessed by it.

- Dan Lankford, minister

“Then He said to them all, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.’”  (Luke 9:23)

In our effort to live in consistent obedience to our Heavenly Father, we sometimes try to make it easier than it can ever be in this life. We suppose that there must exist some state of holiness where right conduct has become automatic. Yet no such state exists. As G. Campbell Morgan cleverly put it, “Holiness is not the inability to sin, but ability not to sin.” Obedience is never anything less than a choice on our part, and we may as well face the fact that the choice will sometimes be very hard.

There are certainly means by which we can minimize the number of hard moments that come our way. It would be foolish not to do all we can to establish godly habits and patterns of obedience in our lives. When we do this, we gain the advantage of a “momentum” that is going in the right direction. But there will be a certain number of hard moments that still have to be faced, and it’s precisely at these moments that we find out how much commitment to God we really have. If we only obey when the momentum is favorable, what kind of commitment is that?

We should not be so foolish as to underestimate the devil’s diligence. If we ever did get to the point where we could turn our backs on the common temptations with relative ease, our adversary would simply up the ante and hit us with harder choices. Until we’re on the other side and out of his reach, the Evil One is not going to give up on us. It’s naive to look for some stage up ahead where saying “No” to him will have become so easy as to be automatic.

Modern avionics are such that today’s aircraft will, for all practical purposes, fly themselves. In the spiritual realm, however, there is no such thing as an autopilot that will take the hard work out of decision-making. Obedience will always require moment-by-moment choices. Even those who live a long time and make much spiritual progress face this reality: there is never anything more than a decision standing between us and obedience.

“Jesus did not say, ‘Come to me and get it over with.’ He said, ‘If any man would come after me, let him take up his cross daily and follow me.’ Daily is the key word.” -Louis Cassels

"Rejoice with those who rejoice..." (Rom. 12:15a)

"Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice." (Eph. 4:31)

When good things happen in our brethren's lives, it can be exceedingly easy to slip into jealousy or bitterness toward their good things. When we see fellow Christians who are blessed with a beautiful family, instead of rejoicing with them in the blessings of God, we envy them for their happiness. When we see other churches that are teaching the gospel and growing, instead of rejoicing for the lost souls being brought to God, we envy them for their growth. As a preacher, I fight the temptation to look at the good work of preachers who are far more wise and more skilled than myself and to be threatened by them, rather than rejoicing that God has given someone the ability to share his word so powerfully!

The two verses you see above are simple commands, but putting them into practice will force us to wrestle with the complexities of our emotions and our attitudes toward others. Are we harboring bitterness toward others' good blessings? Even if it isn't the primary emotion we have toward them, is it there? If so, it must be removed from our hearts. If left alone, it will poison our view of others, our view of God, and our view of self. That's why we must put "all bitterness..." out of our hearts.

How do we do that? Well, at the very least, it begins with truly rejoicing with others who are rejoicing. Simply—and only—enjoying the good things they are enjoying without any thought given to self.

- Dan Lankford, minister

Showing love is a risky endeavor. What if it is rejected? What if I do it wrong? What if it is accepted, but not returned? It is much easier to play it safe and choose not to show any love, but not to show any rejection either. If we are reserved with our efforts to love another person, then at least we risk less disappointment and pain. And so perhaps we do not speak too highly of our loved ones for fear they may think it strange. Perhaps we do not show physical affection to our spouses because we fear it is the wrong timing. Perhaps we decide not to give up our free time for other members of the church because they may not appreciate the sacrifices we’re really making.

But is this the Christian way? Is it our responsibility to watch out for ourselves and keep ourselves insulated from risk and from pain? Quite the opposite, Christian love is meant to mirror the love of Christ—a man who did not insulate himself in any way from damage that others could do to him by rejecting his passionate attempts to help. Even in his earliest teachings, he told that those who show love to the world will be persecuted (Matt. 5:11-12). There is an inherent risk in the way that we love others, and there must be a risk or it is not the kind of true, sacrificial love of which Jesus spoke. Only that kind of love—love without reserve—truly imitates him in his nature and his purpose.

Practically speaking, this means if you know the best way to love someone, do it. Say the words they most desire to hear, go to the places they need you to go, make the sacrifices they need you to make… even if you’re putting yourself at risk of rejection by all of it. This is the very definition of humility. It is not just that we think of ourselves as lowly, although there is that aspect of humility, to be sure. More than that, it is that we make the decisions necessary to risk—and even sacrifice—self in whatever situation we can for the sake of someone else! Can you love the people in your life like Christ loves us?

- Dan Lankford, minister

In just six days, God brought the universe into existence by the power of his words. On the seventh day—the very first Saturday, God himself took a day of rest. This Saturday of rest became a pattern for the people of God through the time of Moses, David, and into the time of Christ.

However, when Christ rose from the dead on the first day of the week, Sunday suddenly became an exceedingly special day to Jesus’ disciples—those who believe the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy in him. His resurrection makes every Sunday a day of crucial importance for Christians.

On Sunday, we honor Christ. Above all else. We celebrate the coming of God's light into this world. We rejoice in the power of his light that could not be overcome by the darkness of death. We worship God as the source of all creation and the source of our new creation in Jesus Christ. We listen intently for his word; wanting to know all we can about his nature and our responsibility toward him. We honor him as our Lord with adoration and song and humble obedience from the heart. On Sunday, we honor Christ.

On Sunday, we spend time with family. When Jesus was told that his mother and brothers had come, he plainly taught that his true family are those who need him, who follow him, and who obey him. The same is true of us. We are brothers and sisters with each other because of our common connection with him. Christians of all eras have understood the tremendous value of fellow Christians in their lives. Especially in view of the facts of Sunday—that Christ was raised and that we will be raised together with him. We need these connections, and we get to enjoy them on Sunday.

And on Sunday, we look forward to heaven. Because of the resurrection of Christ—because light was not overcome by darkness, we have hope firmly set in the presence of God in heaven. And it is not the kind of hope that world gives. That kind of hope can disappoint. The kind of hope we have is an anchor for our souls. It keeps us focused. It reminds us to be joyful. It gives us strength to see the light even when it seems most dim. This hope makes us long for more Sundays here, but even more than that, it makes us long for our own resurrection—when we can forever be with the Lord!

- Dan Lankford, evangelist

As a year begins, we inevitably make resolutions to make the new year better than the old one. Whether your resolutions have to do with money, health, family, or spirituality, I would like to offer a piece of advice which I believe will help you accomplish more: Just do one thing.

Choose one thing that you want to accomplish in each area of your life, and center all of your focus on that one thing. If your goal is to be more fit, then make sure all of your decisions contribute to that one thing. If your goal is to have more financial freedom to help other people, make sure all of your decisions contribute to that one thing. If your goal is to draw closer to the Lord, make sure all of your decisions contribute to that one thing.

This concept — the one thing — is modeled for us in the life of Paul. In a letter to the Philippians, he said, “…one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:13-14). Every decision had to be filtered through the lens of drawing closer to the prize of God’s upward call in Christ. His devotion to God was not one segment of his life or one division of his time, it was the entirety of how his thoughts and actions. 

A professor at a Bible college assigned his class to graph the uses of their time on a pie chart. Assign the portion of each week that you devote to being a student, a parent, a neighbor, a civic leader, etc. “But,” he said, “Don’t put ‘Christian time’ on your graph. Because ‘Christian’ is what defines the whole graph.”

I hope that whatever your goals are for this year, that you can definitively say they fit into the singular idea of being a better Christian. And I hope that we can all take Paul’s view of the transition from an old year to the new one. “…one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:13-14).

- Dan Lankford, minister

This is the bag I carry most days. It isn't much, but it’s usually by my side. Especially when I travel, it’s always by my side. So it makes for a good representation of what I carry with me as I go into my daily walk with other Christians, with my family, with the world, and with God.

In the bag, I am going to carry my Bible—the word of God. It represents God’s guidance and his presence with me every day. As I begin each new day of life, it’s one of the main things I want with me.

Secondly, I am going to carry my favorite reminder about prayer. It’s a book titled Too Busy Not To Pray, and just the title reminds me of my constant need to talk to God. As I begin each new day of life, it’s one of the main things I want with me.

Thirdly, I’ve got a picture of my wife and a picture of my son. They are exceedingly precious reminders to me that I belong to my family and they belong to me and we are all devoted to each other. As I begin a day of life, I remember that they are always with me.

Finally, I want to put a rock into the back—a reminder of Jesus’ words that “he who hears these words of mind and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock” (Matt. 7:24). The rock represents my faith—the solid foundation of any life truly anchored to Jesus Christ.

But then…

What if, on a very small piece of paper, I chose to write down… the name of a bar where I used to get drunk… a juicy bit of gossip fodder about someone that I know I shouldn’t share but I want to anyway… the date that someone in my church offended me so I can keep the bitterness in my heart toward them… the web address for a porn site I used to visit… a plan to cheat on an exam in a way that worked for me once before… an ex’s phone number… the basic outline of my plan to avenge myself and deliver evil for the evil that was done to me…?

What if I take that small piece of paper and try to tuck it away discreetly among the words of God, my love for my family, the foundation of faith in Jesus, and my prayer life? Does that make sense? Does packing that in there sound like a recipe for spiritual success?

The Holy Spirit said, “put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” (Rom. 13:14, emphasis added)

God knows that when we provide an opportunity for the flesh—no matter how small and no matter how much else we have done to make opportunities for the soul, we are setting ourselves up for spiritual failure.

In this New Year, I would plead with you to make no provision for the flesh! Do not give yourself an opportunity to sin. Pull closer to God than you ever have before, and plan to give your ENTIRE heart to Him.

- Dan Lankford, minister

- Thanks to brother Don Truex for illustrating this principle to me in such a powerful way.

The University of Alabama won the national football championship last night in a riveting matchup with Clemson University. As the game ended, commentary abounded about Coach Saban's one-word mantra for his team this year: FINISH.

That one word of motivation is posted all around Alabama's football facilities as a constant reminder for his plays of the need for perseverance. And the team did that yesterday. They finished. They stayed strong, stayed diligent, and kept pushing all the way to the end. And they won.

Paul described the ending of his life in overwhelmingly positive terms. He finished the course of this life and trusted fully in the grace of God that there would be a crown of righteousness laid up for him. Paul had done what the Lord tells us all to do in Luke 9. He had put his hand to the plow and never looked back. He had stayed faithful. He had FINISHED.

Christians everywhere would do well to make this our mantra for the new year and for all our lives. Finish. Set yourself up to finish right now, especially as we're all just getting started with a new year! Let's be determined. Let's be dependent on God. Let's be disciples of Jesus.

Let's FINISH.

- Dan Lankford, minister

Every new year presents us with an opportunity to reflect on our past selves and make plans for our future selves. Below, you’ll find a collection of thoughts from God’s word that I hope will help you do that well today, tomorrow, and in all the coming days of 2016.

"For the time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do…” (1 Pet. 4:3)
“Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” (Eph. 4:25-29)
“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Eph. 4:30-31)
“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” (Col. 3:1-2)
“Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace…” (1 Pet. 4:8-10)
“…in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation. For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do. And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.” (Heb. 6:9-12)

Meditate on these principles. Determine new ways you can implement them in your life. Remember the power that God promises to those who seek to live in his grace! Trust in that power. No commandment is more important than this one: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27).

Happy New Year! I love you, and I’m praying for all of us to grow in Christ in 2016!