The Tale of Diablo and a Territory Named Prazor

by Kevin Scott Collier
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It's time for a bedtime story. Gather the children, and let's go away to a far off place where God reigns supreme.

Once upon a time there was this territory called Prazor. Prazor was a new territory, but was so worthy of God's grace, that its evil neighbor, ruled by Diablo, was afraid it would expand, and perhaps take ground on his turf.

Diablo had a great army, and all territories feared him. Many chose to ignore him, because they did not wish to challenge anything he did, as it would mean war.

Diablo was angered by the new territory called Prazor. He was threatened. He saw his perceived power in jeopardy. So, he called upon his massive army and they stood, armed and ready, at Prazor's border. But, the people in the new territory did not fear Diablo, like the others. In fact, they mocked him, as they knew their leader, the King of kings, was far more powerful.

This angered Diablo even more. And he ordered his army to stand right upon the border of Prazor, and aim every weapon in their arsenal in its direction. When other territories heard of this, they hid in their cellars, believing they would be invaded next.

But the people in the land of Prazor did not retreat, or cower, or hide. They went about their business. Some of the children even strolled within the border of their territory looking at Diablo and his massive army, as if it were only an amusing curiosity.

Diablo stood upon the border and shouted vile threats, and warned of impending doom and destruction. The children of the King of kings then did something Diablo did not expect. They stepped over their border, into his territory. And something amazing happened. Diablo and his massive army took one step back.

For every step the children of the King of kings took in Diablo's direction, the enemy took one step back. Diablo's territory grew smaller with each step, and the territory of Prazor grew.

The moral to this story is when you are a child of the King of kings, the army of righteousness is in you. Diablo only takes territory that is willingly relinquished. Our Leader reigns supreme.

Remember not to be intimidated by Diablo, for his power comes from fear. The children of God are fearless, and we will not only take Diablo's territory, but we will serve as an example to the neighboring territories that they should fear not, when you serve the King of kings.

May God bless Rick Wiles, TruNews, and Prazor. They have a lot of territory ahead of them.

 

God wants you to know when to close doors, as well

by Kevin Scott Collier
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My father, God rest his soul for 21 years now, worked in the automotive engine pattern trade for most of his life. When the economy took a dive in the 1980s, he bounced from shop to shop just to keep provisions for my family.

One shop he worked at was owned by a Christian man. It paid less and demanded more. And Christian music played over the loud speakers in the shop during work hours. The man who owned the business, and I'll call him Ned, was so "into God" that business didn't seem to matter and practicality went out the window.

My dad was a faithful man, for the most part, but grew angry at the "background music" of the position he was in. In fact, he resented it. Ned often put things in "God's hands" when others could clearly see his Creator wanted him to run the business. Ned had sunken into an world where every was decision came from an emotion perspective.

God gave us both a heart and a brain. Reasoning comes from your head.

Anytime anyone begins a sentence with, "Well, his heart was in the right place," I question if it indeed was. The heart is a place that should never disregard others for our own feelings. It's about sacrifice. The devil offers emotional gratification on the spot, whereas God demands patience for a genuine life changing blessing.

My father eventually quit that shop. The boss shorted him on his paychecks, and did not compensate him for overtime. Ned essentially expected everything and contributed nothing. The Christian music played on, until the day when everyone walked away. His business went under. But, he never operated it like one anyway.

Ned figured it was because of the devil. You know, the enemy didn't like all that "Jesus music" playing all day long. Ned never once entertained the idea that perhaps everyone had left because God told them to get out of there.

We often are betrayed by those who wear a Christian facade. The best way to spot them is to look into their eyes and ask, "What have you sacrificed for all of this?" Have they gone out of their way for you, or have you gotten in their way. When it's all about them, it's not about your relationship with God.

The heart of an opportunist never harbors sacrifice. Think about it. Is it the devil coming against you, or is God telling you that you need to get out?

We often think of God opening doors for us. And indeed, He does. But God also wants us to close doors. When you don't belong there, God wants you to leave. Have the courage to do so.

God wants us to be thinking Christians. He will take care of your heart if you make the right decisions.  And He will deal with those who have betrayed you. That's not your mission. Your mission is to recognize a door when it has opened just for you, and when to close it if a path has led you astray.

God will help you when you are buried up to your neck

Caleb Bohn and Jarod Collier

by Kevin Scott Collier
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My son recently asked me that if he were buried up to his neck in sand, could he get out? I explained to him it depended on how deep the hole was that he was buried in.

The deeper the hole, the more of a challenge it would be to escape. But, I assured him, with head above the sand, he could get out.

Life is often like this scenario. At times, we are buried up to our necks. But, even if we are in a pit as deep as our height, our hands are only half way down. If you wiggle you arms, you can free your hands, bringing them to the surface.

You cannot walk out of a hole. You have to pull yourself up and out of it. It's all about direction, and the direction is up.

God doesn't enjoy seeing good people buried up to their necks. Buried in despair, financial troubles, worn out and feeling hopeless. That's why God put our hands at the half way point. He's already given us an advantage, and now wants to see our effort. The more trust in God, the easier it will be to rise above.

God not only can heal a past, but He can rewrite it, too

Jarod and Dad

by Kevin Scott Collier
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Last Friday my son Jarod was on the computer responding to emails from his classmates. He suddenly stopped, turned in his chair to face me, and said something touching.

"I want to thank you, Dad, for always being there for me."

I picked up, in particular, on the word "always." In fact, Jarod never had a father for the first 9 years of his life, living with his single mom. It wasn't until I married Kristen and adopted Jarod that I was, in fact, "there" for him.

"Well, I haven't always been there for you," I replied.

"Oh, yes you have dad," he said. "You were always there when I needed you."

I was humbled, and gave him a big, thankful hug. Then, came many days of thinking about what Jarod had said.

Defined, the word "always" doesn't allow interpretation. It means at all times. It means on every occasion. It means constantly, without variation or change. It means in every case.

"Always" is a pretty big word. And, the way Jarod said it, he didn't mean since 2007. He meant since 1997, the year he was born. Jarod was talking about a lifetime. His lifetime.

It serves as testimony that God almighty can reach back to heal a past, and even rewrite it in a little boy's heart.

God not only has paved a promising future for Jarod, He has rewritten his past, as well. As mere mortals, we cannot change the past, but God's supernatural power can.

God May Not Show Up Early, But He's Never Too Late

by Kevin Scott Collier
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Two summers ago, my family and I visited an evangelical church on occasion. Resurrection Life, an enthusiastic non-denominational church located just south of town, boasts a large band of singers and musicians that makes it a popular draw. Curious, we snuck on over. I heard more than a few sermons there, but I only remember one line from any of them.

“God never arrives early, but He never shows up too late," the Pastor said, passionately.

I will never forget that.

In these hard economic times, with a national unemployment rate at 8.1%, and my state of Michigan crawling toward 12%, we are challenged as a people. Michigan ranks #1 as the worst state economically of all 50. Surrounded by the magnificent Great Lakes, and internally holding a recreational paradise, appearances are deciving. We are in dire straits here.

Too often I have experienced what the Pastor said. The Lord doesn’t show up at the beginning of a disaster, He tends to appear when it seems all hope is lost.

Remember that Jesus wasn't rescued before he was nailed to the cross. No one pulled Jesus down from the cross and nursed him back to health. Jesus was only saved through sacrifice. Only when it seemed that all was lost, in the natural, did God raise his Son and bless us who trust in Him with eternal salvation.

There have been times in my life when I have felt as if I hanging off the edge of a cliff. Then, a hand broke free, and I was holding on by just one. Then, my fingers slowly lost grip. Soon, I was hanging off the edge of the cliff by just one finger. But, I held on, and held on. The pain was excruciating. Even when I thought, It would be easier to just to let go, I put all of my earthly strength into that one finger and held on.

Do you know what happened?

Just before the last drop of strength drained from my body, the Lord took hold of my hand and pulled me up. My faith in Him, and trust, sparked God’s awesome deliverance power. The difference between me falling and being saved was knowing that God would show up. He wasn't going to let me fall. He never will, as long as I hold on.

God didn’t show up when I had both hands on the ledge. He wasn't going to show up when I physically still had a chance to save myself. He showed up when it seemed all was lost.

God is not an opportunistic "bailout" program. God is an investment with insured returns. When you invest in God, you will prosper, personally and provisionally. I lost over $10,000 in my 401k retirement account since last fall. But, my retirement home is a place called Heaven. You cannot buy your way into there. You can only gain entry through the blood of our precious savior, Jesus Christ. Life is smattered with liabilities, but God is our only true asset. I may not be wealthy man, but I am rich man in the Name Of Jesus.

It's not the fall from the cliff that will result in your demise. It will be from a profound fall from grace. When you let go in life, you are letting go of God. Trust in Him. He may not show up early, but when you put your faith in Him completely, he will never show up too late.

The chances of finding that one long lost person

by Kevin Scott Collier
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I received an email from Reunion.com on Sunday, December 28, 2008. They somehow concluded there was someone I had been searching for. The website boasts a database of 700 million names. With that many identities, surely they could find anyone a person was looking for. The message they sent me was "good news."

Reunion.com teases you. When they send you a familiar name from your past and you click on a link, you discover that to learn more about the person, or his or her whereabouts, you must subscribe. You can purchase an entry-level membership for $5 a month ($60 per year) or a premium membership for $12 per month (a yearly cost of $144.)

About a year ago, I registered with Reunion.com, which allows non-subscribers like me to post a free profile. Subscribers can read my full profile, but I cannot read theirs unless I subscribe.

I recieved an "alert" taunting me that they had found someone I was looking for. It featured a bold-faced headline that read: "Good news, Kevin. We may have found your one lost connection." I recognized the name right away. It was someone I never go a day without thinking of. The message went on to say, "Now with unrivaled access to 700 million profiles, your chances of finding anyone you're looking for are better than ever!"

Can you imagine that? "We may have found your one lost connection." The "one" that eluded you. The one never "found." A "lost" part of your life. A "connection" that was never really made.

How often in life are we looking for someone we have lost? Are we not lost, too, without them?

The name of the person they found was Kristen Halter, age 39. I didn't need "700 million profiles" to find her or subscribe to Reunion.com. Halter was her maiden name, it became Collier on February 26, 2007 when I married her.

You see, God's data base is larger. He doesn't think that He "may have found" that one person you have been seeking. He will find the one person you are lost without. When you trust in the Lord, there are no "chances" to finding the one you are looking for. He will send that person to you.

Takes your eyes off the big picture and discover moments at hand

by Kevin Scott Collier
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My son, Jarod, asked to go see the new film version of "Journey to the Center of the Earth." So, my wife, son and I went. It was in 3-D, and a load of fun.

On the way to the theater, I asked Jarod why he hadn't seen his best friend Connor in a few days. He wasn't sure. They had had a whirlwind stretch of togetherness, then days without as much as a single phone call. Jarod pondered this, and said, "I'll get in touch with him soon."

We entered the dark theater when the commercials were engaged. Our trio felt our way upward to seats higher up and planted ourselves anticipating action and adventure. We were not disappointed. With 3-D glasses on, we ducked as as sorts of objects and creatures flew over our heads. But the biggest surprise was when the movie was over. The lights went up, and the people in directly in front of us stood up.

It was Connor, his older brother and their parents.

We all gasped and broke out into laughter.

None of us had known the other party was directly seated in front or behind. Connor, in fact, was the head seated right in front of Jarod during the entire film. My son never knew his best friend was mere inches away. Jarod could have grabbed him during any point of the film and sent him reeling.

Before I went to sleep that night, I began thinking about how often someone or something is directly in front of us but we can't see it. Be it God, an opportunity, or even love. It's right in front of us, and we miss it.

I know why.

We expect to see only one thing, thus, we do. Our focus on "the big picture" can be a distraction to life. Sometimes, "the big picture" gets in the way of what we can put our hands on now. When you spend most of your time only looking ahead, you will miss what you can touch today.

So relax about the future. Take your eyes off the road ahead and discover a wonderful moment at hand.