The Stickman's Understanding...

  Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father: -Galatians 1:4 Good morning and TGIF!    In one of my favorite songs, there’s a phrase that says “He took the fall and thought of me above all”. This, of course, references our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, as he did go to the cross and suffered anguish and death that rightfully belonged to us.  What a joy it is there that even if we died for our sins, it would not have resulted in atonement, but because of His sacrifice our invite was sent to sup at the Lord’s table.  Beloved He literally became our scape goat taking our sin and shame blood guiltiness to the cross even as a proxy He descended to and defeated hell. All because He consider us a valued treasure!   Go fellowship this weekend, we all need it.  #prayforthepeaceofIsrael God bless you and command your day!!! Your comments and questions are welcome. Contact ...

  On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." -John 20:19 Good morning and terrific Thursday to you!  The three stages of making it into the Kingdom. Justification, sanctification, and glorification. The Bible depicts a state where our bodies remain ageless, unaffected by illness or death – referred to as the glorified body.  In Revelations, it is mentioned that the sun becomes unnecessary as the glory of the SON illuminates the earth. Examining the scripture, we witness Christ in His glorified form, free from natural constraints. Notably, closed and even locked doors are no longer obstacles. Beloved now consider how we will see Him and be like Him!  #prayforthepeaceofIsrael God bless you and command your day!!! Your comments and questions are welcome. Contact me at drschaefferinterceding@yahoo.com You can give to Int...

  And the very God of peace SANCTIFY you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. -1 Thessalonians 5:23 Good morning and happy hump day to you!  I once read an explanation on the three stages of making it into the Kingdom. Justification, sanctification, and glorification. Justification is called a one time event, sanctification is a process over time, and glorification is a future event.  Today let’s consider sanctification. The process of sanctification is a participatory functional process. Along the route you have successes, failures, learning curves, and the more.  The one thing that we must give the process is time, dedication, and those (time, dedication) spent in study, praise, prayer, and worship.  What is more than gracious is that we are never in this alone. The Lord has built the infrastructure and supplements its function to help us grow.   #prayforthepeaceof...

  Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: -Romans 5:1 Good morning and tremendous Tuesday to you! On the journey to heaven there are three basic steps. Justification, Sanctification, and glorification.  It starts with recognition of our need for a savior and the acceptance of that grace. Acceptance of the gift of grace requires repentance but to even repent we must be allowed and allowance requires being justified.  We are only justified in our faith. The same justification that allows us to accept the gift of grace, is the same that allows us to boldly go before the throne to make our petition known.  That same justification allows us to be enthralled in the peace of God! Beloved embrace your justification and bask in that peace of the first step to heaven.  #prayforthepeaceofIsrael God bless you and command your day!!! Your comments and questions are welcome. Contact me at drschaefferinterceding@yahoo.com You c...

  He said unto them, But whom say ye that I am? Peter answering said, The Christ of God. -Luke 9:20 Good morning and happy MLK day to you!  The passage mentioned, often referred to by theologians as the "Great Confession," highlights Simon's profound revelation about the identity of Jesus.  Through recognizing Christ, Simon undergoes a transformation in both name and identity. Our identification with Christ serves as a crucial tool, guiding us to discover and ignite our purpose.  Continuously, Jesus reveals His true self, urging us to acknowledge and declare to the world that He is the Christ. #prayforthepeaceofIsrael God bless you and command your day!!! Your comments and questions are welcome. Contact me at drschaefferinterceding@yahoo.com You can give to Interceding Christian Center (ICC) using our cash app $intercedingcc 

  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.              -Philippians 4:7 Good morning and TGIF! What is the peace of God? Most count His peace ever so slightly in reference to facing challenges in relationships, but it is so much more.  God’s peace is provided in our faith. His peace doesn’t allow us to walk in fear and removes our tendency to question our standing in Him.  His peace allows you to face anything and fully embrace a Romans 8:28 mantra (All things work together…).  Abraham had peace when asked to sacrifice Isaac by saying God will provides and afterward saying God does provide.  Peace never comes unless you have faith because it is a by product of a long term relationship and a life lived under the shadow of God.  On this day increase in faith so that your peace defies your understanding and that of everybody you encounter. Go fellowship thi...

  14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.                  -Phil 3 Good morning and terrific Thursday to you!  The Apostle Paul sums up his passion for Christ in the scripture above. He calls it a pressing! A pressing indicates pressure, and pressure is not limited to a pulling, but also a drawing, even a pushing.  As Christ draws and continues to draw us, our aspiration should be to be drawn, to be pulled, and exhibit the same desperation to attain Jesus as His passion was to sacrifice His life for us. You can only press towards Him or away from Him…As you can only serve one Master.  Beloved, are you persistently seeking? Is your fervor for Him comparable to the four men who literally tore the roof off a house to bring their friend to Jesus? Are you pressing? #prayforthepeaceofIsrael God bless you and command your day!!! Your comments and questions are welcome. Contact me ...

  Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ -Philippians 3:8 (ESV) Good morning and happy hump day to you!  In this scripture the Apostle Paul having summarizes    his life     He reflected on his accomplishments, heritage, and lineage, contrasting them with the profound significance of knowing Christ. He expressed that the value of his relationship with Christ surpassed everything in his past. He put Christ in first place.  In what regard do you hold Christ in your life? Do you gaze back yearning for past sins, savoring, or even commemorating them? Alternatively, do you, like some, lament what you might have missed while serving Him? Paul in contrast and as we should placated his past to a status not to be compared to Christ.  #prayforthepeaceofIsrael God bless you and comman...

  Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. -Philippians 3:12 In this chapter of Philippians, Paul cautions about the presence of tare among the wheat in the body. He emphasizes that flesh should not be glorified, as it is not holy and naturally returns to the grave, often leading us through life's struggles against the spirit. The Apostle Paul understood what it meant to have a past. It wasn’t until his road rage experience when he had been knocked down and those eyes that saw hate now began to see the glory. But even in this it took several years for the 12 to trust him. They kept bringing up his past.  The more that they brought up his past the more he preached, the more he prophesied, the more they mentioned he was a murderer, a doubter, a denier, the more he held onto the hand of the Lord and preached the word! #prayforthepeaceofIsrael God bless you a...

  Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. -Colossians 2:8 The young inner-tube, enamored with air's buoyancy and fullness, remained connected to the compressor despite reaching psi capacity. The older inner-tube, having witnessed the consequences before, warned against prolonged connection. Despite the advice, the younger tube continued, oblivious to the potential harm and the compressor felt it was not in his best as the more air it pumped the higher the money it would make.  Over time, the inevitable happened. The lessons here extend beyond the need for air, highlighting the dangers of excessive reliance on something like social media, drawing parallels between the compressor and the online platform, emphasizing personal responsibility. #prayforthepeaceofIsrael God bless you and command your day!!! Your comments and questions are welcome. Contact me at drschaefferint...

  And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them. -Mark 9:14 Good morning and TGIF!    A heated debate unfolded between the skeptical scribes and the nine disciples excluded from the invitation to ascend the mount of transfiguration. The father of the afflicted boy likely informed others about seeking Jesus, causing a stir and drawing a crowd, including scribes. When the demon persisted, the crowd shifted blame onto the disciples, indirectly targeting Jesus.  Be aware that adversaries of faith are ever-ready to sow doubt, gathering to assail and undermine your beliefs. Beloved stand on your faith, you do not have to defend God, He is capable of fighting not only your battles but His own.  Go fellowship this weekend, we all need it.  #prayforthepeaceofIsrael God bless you and command your day!!! Your comments and questions are welcome. Contact me at drschaefferinterceding@yahoo.com You can give t...

  And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him. -Matthew 17:16 Good morning and terrific Thursday to you! The scripture above finds Jesus coming off the mount of transfiguration and encountering a man whose son was afflicted with a demonic spirit.  The man recounted his visit to the disciples, who were unable to assist. In accordance with Mark 9, a gathering, including scribes, questioned them. The Lord intervened, questioning the scribes and the father about the disturbance and the issue, respectively. The distressed father detailed his desperation, expressing how the disciples couldn't cast out the demon.  There is so much in this story and I am going to begin to unpack some of it today.  Reflect today on the father's faith; despite the disciples' inability, his trust in Jesus enabled him to patiently await His arrival. Knowing that they were connected to Jesus, he knew Jesus would eventually show up. That said, when your church is connected to J...

And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only. -Matthew 17:8 Good morning and happy hump day to you!  The scripture above comes from the story of the Lord’s transfiguration and there with Him were his three most trusted disciples Peter, James, and John.  In verse four Peter in his zeal could have instituted false worship suggesting that three tabernacles be built. One for Moses, one for Elijah and one for the Lord.  Now imagine how that would be received as over the centuries the symbolism would be taken as adoration and given the worship due the Lord.  While he yet spake,  behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. -Matthew 17:5 Take note and see how Holy Spirit interrupted Peter’s error in verse Five. We should seek to be so blessed that Holy Spirit heads us off and prevents us from going down the wrong path… Beloved as thi...