The Buck Stops Here! Kay Keith Peebles 04/27/2018 18.13
I was born in San Antonio, Texas and continued to live in Texas until I was 38 years old. History was one of my preferred subjects and Texas history was especially fascinating. We had many heroes but my favorite story happened in San Antonio where I was born. It is the story of how Texas won its independence from Mexico because of the battle of the Alamo in 1836. Mexico possessed much of the southwestern territories of our current United States. Texas borders Mexico and was also a border to the southern states of the U.S. In order to prevent the U.S. taking over Texas (Tejas in Spanish), Mexico offered cheap land, simple rules and citizenship to anyone who would settle in Texas. Mexico hoped the new settlers would defend their land and fight off the Indians in order to keep their settlements.
A new leader took over the Mexican government and declared himself a dictator. He threw out the Mexican constitution and changed the rule of law to profit himself and his regime. He was tyrannical and diabolical in his rule and the Texans were not inclined to be the brunt of his cruelty. Some of them were descendants of those who fought in the Revolutionary war against the king of England’s tyranny in 1776.
The Texas settlers had grown in population over the years and therefore began to organize a rebellion by amassing an army of courageous marksmen to fight the formidable Mexican army. General Sam Houston led the Texas forces and strategized the best way to defeat General Santa Anna as he came up from Mexico to squelch the Texas rebellion.
San Antonio had been a small town with a Catholic mission called the Alamo. Other missions nearby made it a strategic location. General Santa Anna amassed a 4,000 man army to eradicate the small rag-tag group of rebels at San Antonio. Men from all over the U.S. and 7 countries came to San Antonio to help defend it but their small army only numbered 189 men. General Sam Houston desperately needed Colonel William B. Travis to occupy Santa Anna at the Alamo long enough for him to gather a large army of men to later defeat Santa Anna at San Jacinto and win independence for Texas.
The 189 men, including a few women and children, moved into the small Alamo compound making it their stronghold during the siege. Colonel Travis received word from General Houston that no more help was coming. They needed to hold back Santa Anna’s army as long as possible at all cost. Col. Travis took his sword and drew a line in the sand. He told the 189 men there was no way they could defeat the 4,000 strong army of Santa Anna but they needed to delay him for General Houston’s army to finish preparing a surprise attack. He basically told them, “The buck stops here”. They were the ones who had to defend the Alamo although there was no hope for survival. One by one the 189 men stepped over the line. They were willing to give up their lives for Texas to become an independent republic.
Among the brave, there are some names most people would recognize. Colonel William B. Travis, David (Davey) Crocket, James Bowie and James Bonham. The battle began February 23, 1836 and ended 13 days later. The 189 men died, but Santa Anna allowed the women and children to go free because of the courage of the people. General Sam Houston later defeated Santa Anna winning Texas independence. Their battle cry became, “Remember the Alamo!” Had it not been for those men who crossed the line in the sand and the providence of God, Texas might still be a part of Mexico.
I believe every one of us has to draw a line in the sand at least once in our lifetime. Some people have a sign on their desk that says, “The buck stops here!” It basically means, I will take responsibility for this situation, business, household, etc. They are among the brave, courageous, and strong. They are the ones willing to make the hard and costly decisions while taking the full responsibility for their results.
Joshua and Caleb are among the long line of heroes who drew a line in the sand. When Moses was leading the Israelites out of the bondage of slavery in Egypt, the Israelites came to a crossroad. They wandered in the wilderness at the Lord’s direction, in an attempt to get the Egyptian culture and idolatry out of their hearts and minds. Many refused Moses’ authority given him by God and died in the wilderness. Others went along until they too, refused the Lord’s leadership and were tested by God.
The crossroad came when the Lord brought them to the edge of the Promised Land and allowed 12 spies to cross over and see the bounty the land would provide for them. Ten returned with a negative report of defeat. Joshua and Caleb were encouraged by seeing the blessings the land contained and trusted that the Lord would give them victory over the giants in the land. The Lord sent the Israelites back into the wilderness until the unbelieving and disobedient generation died.
They wandered for 40 years until the Lord sifted out those who would trust in Him for their every need. In the process, God gave the people a list of blessings and curses that would directly impact their lives, depending on their choices. See Deuteronomy Chapter 28. Those who sought the Lord and obeyed His word would receive the blessing and favor of the Lord. Those who rebelled against the Lord and His word would receive the curses of disobedience and death.
When Jesus came to save us through His death and resurrection, He basically said, “The buck stops here!” He became the sacrifice for us all. He willingly gave His life so that we could go free. He paid the penalty (death) for our sins in order that we could live through Him. There was absolutely no other way by which mankind could be saved. The wages of our sin was death and He took our punishment so that we could live.
The problem arises however, when we receive our free gift but do not allow Him to remove all those sinful tendencies which keep our generations corrupted. They are called “generational curses”. They are the inheritance of sinful lives through our forefathers. The Bible says that the sins of the fathers are passed down through the generations. “Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear [the guilty]; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, unto the third and to the fourth [generation].” Exodus 34:7 KJV.
The only way to break these generational curses is for someone to say, “The buck stops here!” God is more than willing to deliver us from the strongholds of generational sin (the tyranny and slavery of Satan). Those who want freedom must be willing to surrender completely to the Lord’s will and wage the spiritual warfare necessary for freedom.
The Bible says, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7. Many try to resist the devil before they have submitted themselves to God. The Lord alone has the authority to break us and our families free from demonic strongholds. Our authority comes as we submit to God. He is not a way, He is THE WAY. Jesus is not a door, He is THE DOOR. He does not offer us a way of life, He is THE LIFE. The word of God is not simply a truth, it is THE TRUTH. There are no other options for life and freedom.
All roads and religions do not lead to God and heaven. There is only one road and it is the narrow road. The broad road leads to destruction! See Matthew 7:13. The Christian walk is one of obedience to the prompting of the Holy Spirit and true devotion and trust in God demonstrated by complete surrender of our own will and ways to God’s authority. When we consecrate our lives to the Lord we give Him permission to sanctify (or cleanse) our heart by exposing our wrong thinking and doing in order to help us to resist the temptations of the devil. The act of consecrating ourselves is simply dedicating our heart, mind, will and emotions to God. Sanctification is the process of purification where God imparts to us the ability to resist sin in order to walk in obedience. He teaches us what is righteous and enables us to walk out that righteousness by the choices we make.
We become transformed when we choose to allow God to work out His will in us instead of our continuing to sin. When we become made new, if it is a real born again experience, we will gradually stop our old sinful ways and begin practicing His righteous ones. The Bible is clear that those who remain sinning (as the world sins) will not enter the kingdom of heaven. “Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.” 1 Corinthians 6:9-10.
The Lord encourages us through the Apostle Paul to be pure, both morally and spiritually. “Finally, believers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable and worthy of respect, whatever is right and confirmed by God’s word, whatever is pure and wholesome, whatever is lovely and brings peace, whatever is admirable and of good repute; if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think continually on these things [center your mind on them, and implant them in your heart]. The things which you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things [in daily life], and the God [who is the source] of peace and well-being will be with you.” Philippians 4:8-9.
The courageous lovers of God who want to walk in purity and holiness draw a line in the sand saying, “The buck stops here!” Those who have experienced the pain of our past generation’s sin but refuse to pass in on down to their children and grandchildren draw a line in the sand and say, “The buck stops here!” Those who are tired of being heartbroken and bound draw a line in the sand and say, “The buck stops here!”
We are not alone. We have the help of heaven and all of the authority of God empowering us to walk in freedom and victory. “For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth so that He may support those whose heart is completely His.” 2 Chronicles 16:9. He moves mightily on behalf of those who draw a line in the sand and say, “The buck stops here!”
