Sozo Today

“Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.” Ephesians 6:17  “Get your helmet on,” the sergeant barked out, and I could tell his patience was wearing thin. I just wasn’t used to wearing it and it felt heavy and uncomfortable. As a brig guard, it was one of only two or three nights I had spent in the field while in the Marine Corps. However, “Every Marine a rifleman” was more than just a slogan and[…]

 “Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.”  Ephesians 4:15  You’ve heard the phrase, “running around like a chicken with your head cut off.” Well, it should have scarred me for life the day I saw that happen for real! As a ten-year-old boy I’ll never forget seeing my granddaddy grab one of the chickens in his back yard and chop its head off. That chicken, which we would later eat for dinner, continued to run around the back yard for what[…]

“And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.”  Ephesians 3:18  I was recently winding down for the day and watching some videos on my iPad. I couldn’t see the charging symbol because I was in full screen mode and was surprised when I finally noticed my battery indicator showed that my iPad was almost dead, even though I had my lightning cable plugged in the whole time. When I looked down at my power cord, it was plugged into the extension cord too.[…]

“For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.”  Ephesians 2:6 After Jesus read from Isaiah 61 in His hometown synagogue, He did something astonishing. Luke 4:20 says, “Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him.” Notice, after He closed the book and handed it back to the priest, He sat down. Now sitting down may not sound significant at first, but[…]

God has now revealed to us his mysterious will regarding Christ—which is to fulfill his own good plan.”  Ephesians 1:9 June 20, 2019 was the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing. What began as a presidential challenge from JFK, became a reality just seven years later. Buzz Aldrin had a plan to celebrate the landing that many may not know. Aldrin, a deacon in his church, had asked his pastor for a chalice, wine and bread to take with him to the moon. Once they landed on the moon’s surface the command center had the three-man crew take[…]

“So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up”. Galatians 6:9 I have a lot of admiration and respect for the American farmer. They are entrepreneurs who have very few paydays throughout the year, and that’s usually only once a year when they take their harvested crops to market. When they start their planting in the spring, they don’t even know what the market prices will be in the fall, but they plant their crops with the hopes and anticipation that the[…]

“So, dear brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman; we are children of the free woman.”  Galatians 4:31 There’s a catchy, popular phrase I hear from time to time, and it’s usually shared among guys who are close friends. The phrase, “Hey, this is my brother from another mother,” is said by one or the other in a fun, slang way, again as a gesture of close friends. One day a friend told me that we were “brothers from the same mother,” to which I responded with a half smiling, sort of confused look. So I[…]

 “Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), 14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” Galatians 3:13-14 Have you ever considered how there has never been a people group more prized and accomplished that the Jewish people? In spite of horrific persecution, the Jewish people have garnered more success in science, engineering, discovery, medicine, business, the arts and more. Also, more millionaires, billionaires and wealth creation have come from[…]

“The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God.” Galatians 3:7 Within less than 24 hours, Tucker knew exactly what feet were the “go-to feet.” Just after one night of being with us, Tucker, our new yellow lab pup, knew what feet to follow. It’s hard to imagine what it must feel like for a pup when it’s taken away from the familiar surroundings of its mom and siblings. We felt sad for him that first night, watching him roam aimlessly around the living room, searching for anything that looked familiar. It was cute, but[…]

“I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.”  Galatians 2:21 Although I’ve played cards before, in particular Spades back in my Marine Corps days, I’ve never played Poker. I have no real concept of the game, but I’ve always thought it was cool when in a movie, particularly a western, one player slides all of his chips to the center of the table and says, “All in!” I’ve always waited with anticipation to see just what would happen[…]