One of the greatest acts of courage in the Bible (and of course there are many) was displayed by Jonathan, King Saul's son in 1 Samuel, chapters 13-14. In 1 Samuel 13:5-7 we read, "And the Philistines gathered themselves together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horseman, and the people as the sand which is on the sea shore in multitude... When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait, (for the people were distressed,) then the people did hide themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in high places, and in pits."
But in chapter 14 we read of how with great courage, Jonathan and his armor bearer discovered themselves to one of the Philistine garrisons. Jonathan spoke words of faith and courage when he said to his armor bearer: "Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that the Lord will work for us: for there is no restrain to the Lord to save by many or by few."
In that first encounter, Jonathan, with his armor bearer, slew about 20 men, then God took over. Remember that the only people in all Israel with sword and spear were Saul and Jonathan. Through the spiritual weapons God has given us, we can be like Jonathan. Through prayer, we can expose ourselves, slay about 20 devils, and just see what God can do with the rest!
~ Colin Campbell
Joshua 7:11-12 says, "Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it even among their own stuff. Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed thing
The nation needs men who will not compromise their moral values, even under extreme pressure. It needs men who will not compromise truth, even if it financially advantages them to do so. Some men will say anything to get what they want, whether in marriage, promotion, election to public office, or government hand-outs.
Job said: "Till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me" (Job 27:5).
Who can tolerate a spineless man? 
"Marriage is a knot; not a noose!
"Marriage ordained by God is with one man and one woman. No exceptions."
"Marriage is much more than a ceremony and a certificate. It is a daily building assignment."
Revelation 5:12: "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing." The Lamb of God shall reign, and all those who have become lambs, by the virtue of His blood, shall reign with him.
Men of meekness are gentle with their loved ones. They do not desire to hurt or crush their feelings. They are also gentle when dealing with the souls of their fellow men whom they seek to influence for Christ at all times. However, when it is appropriate, they will not hesitate to make a bold stand for righteousness against the enemies of the world, the flesh, and the devil.
"Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth" (Matthew 5:5).
"Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted" (Matthew 5:4).
The second Beautiful Attitude is: "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted" (Matthew 5:4).
We find the first beautiful attitude in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:3: "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." The kingdom of heaven is given to the poor in spirit.
I mentioned yesterday that we would discuss the "principle spices" mentioned in Exodus 30:22-33. God commanded Moses to make the anointing oil with certain spices--pure myrrh, SWEET cinnamon, SWEET calamus, cassia, and olive oil. The composition and measurements had to be precise and the anointing oil was never to be used in any secular way.
The word "blessed," meaning happy, is used nine times in the first eleven verses of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:3-11). Every married couple wants to have a blessed and happy marriage.
Men, the best place to live out the Sermon on the Mount is in our marriage (Matthew, chapters 5 - 7). This is where the rubber meets the road. Our marriages comes first, followed closely by parenting our children. Together, this makes the nucleus of the Christian family.
We praise God today that all but one of the Supreme Court judges in Alabama upheld the traditional view that marriage is only between one man and one woman. We must continue to pray that the federal government will not intervene and over-rule the leadership of the states as they did over the issue of the Ten Commandments being displayed in the courts of Alabama.
Men, I mentioned in my last post that whatever it takes for a man to woo a woman and bring her to the altar to say, "I do," is what it takes to hold the marriage together. Because of the storms that currently attack the very existence and idea of marriage, we need to MORE THAN DOUBLE OUR EFFORTS to maintain and grow our marriages.
Today, 2nd March, my wife and I celebrate our 52nd wedding anniversary. All these years have been unbelievably, amazingly beautiful. I would love to have at least 52 years more with the woman of my life.