ONLY BELIEVE PART 1

January 9, 2012 at 9:13 AM (Endurance, Faith, Life of Christ, Miracles)

Many of us face health and physical issues. The trials of life have assailed us and we find ourselves disheartened, fearful, and doubtful about what’s going to happen to us.

Here’s the situation. You’re praying and believing God to heal you. But things have gotten worse. You’ve gotten sicker. The symptoms and circumstances don’t look good. The prognosis is bleak. And you’re faced with the very real possibility of dying. What do you do? Do you quit praying and believing for healing, resign yourself to the disease and get ready to die? Or do you stick to your original prayer and continue believing God for healing and life?

I’d like for you to think about the answer to the question. And I’d like for you to compare your answer with the answer that God gives us in the Scriptures today.

Jesus is in Gadara. He has cast the demons out of the Gadarene demoniacs. About 2,000 pigs perished in the Sea during the exorcism. As a result of Jesus’ fearsome power, and the significant economic loss of the pigs, the Gadarenes asked Jesus to leave their country. Jesus complies with their request. He sails back across the Sea of Galilee with His disciples in tow and He lands in His adopted hometown of Capernaum. We pick the story up in MARK 5:21-24.

And when Jesus was passed over again by ship unto the other side, much people gathered unto him: and he was nigh unto the sea.  (22)  And, behold, there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw him, he fell at his feet,  (23)  And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live.  (24)  And Jesus went with him; and much people followed him, and thronged him.

Jairus was a synagogue ruler in Capernaum. He was in charge of the building and everything that went on in the building. Some of his duties included appointing a person to read the Scriptures and pray, choosing someone to preach, and making sure that the service was conducted in an orderly fashion without interruption or interference.

Jesus grew up in Nazareth, but He lived in Capernaum during His public ministry. He went to synagogue services in Capernaum. He was invited one time to preach. And it just so happened that during His sermon, He was interrupted by a demon-possessed fellow who was yelling and screaming: Let us alone. Let us alone. What have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? Art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art. Thou art the Holy One of God (Mark 1:24).

Well, Jesus promptly rebuked the demon and set the man free. Mark 1:27 tells us, And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him.

Well, it’s quite likely that Jesus was in Jairus’ synagogue and the only way He could have preached His sermon was because Jairus asked Him to preach. Jairus, I’m saying, isn’t ignorant about Jesus. He’s heard Jesus. He’s seen Him in action. He’s seen firsthand, and heard about, Jesus’ many miracles.

Now Jairus had a daughter. She was about twelve years old. Well, one day, the daughter fell sick. And over the course of the next few days the girl got worse and worse. Just like what’s happened to some of us. Before long, it became painfully obvious that she was dying. Finally, it came to a point where she was only minutes away from dying. This was her last day. In a matter of moments, she’d be dead.

But Jairus refuses to sit there and watch his daughter die! He loves his daughter a whole lot and he’s not willing, or ready, to let her die. He doesn’t give up faith or abandon hope. Suddenly, in a moment of Divine genius or inspiration, Jairus remembers Jesus. You know, the miracle worker. The one with power and authority over sickness and demons. The healer. Jesus can help! Why didn’t he think of it before? Jesus is his last hope!

Can you believe God for healing even in the face of imminent, pending death? Can you believe God to heal you even when the doctors give up on you and give you no hope? Jairus believed. WHEN YOU’VE GOT JESUS YOU’VE GOT HOPE.

Here’s the principle of faith that I go by. Unless God’s showed you that it’s your time to die, it’s still God’s will to heal you. You can believe him for life in a life-and-death situation. God wants you to believe.

Rising from his daughter’s bedside, Jairus runs quickly out of the house in search of Jesus. Jesus is not hard to find. There’s always people around Him. And it just so happened, on this particular day, Jesus was in town. In fact, He just sailed in from Gadara. Talk about Divine timing. JESUS IS THERE WHEN YOU NEED HIM! Hallelujah!

Unfortunately, it’s not always easy getting to Jesus. There are roadblocks, obstacles, and detours that Satan puts in your way to discourage you and get you to turn around, go back home, and die. The roadblocks are called fear. Doubt. Unbelief. Frightful, hopeless circumstances. The doctor’s sad report. The disease’s fearful prognosis.

In Jairus’ case, the trouble was people. Jesus was surrounded by a whole lot of people on Galilee’s shore. Jairus is running. He’s yelling and asking people to make way. People aren’t paying any attention to him. They’ve come to see Jesus. They’ve come to hear Him preach. They’ve come to get their miracle. They ain’t budging. So Jairus pushes and fights his way through the crowd.

Finally, with some difficulty, he stands before Jesus. Jairus promptly falls to the ground in an act of obeisance and worship. “Jesus, my daughter is dying. Who knows, she might even be dead by now. But come with me, lay hands on her, and I know she’ll live. You can heal her. Please come quickly and save her.”

At that very instant, Jesus dropped what He was doing and He followed Jairus. Do you think Jesus doesn’t want to help you? Think He isn’t keen on healing when death’s around the corner? Think again and, this time, let the Scriptures show you what to think.

Jesus follows Jairus. His disciples followed behind Him and, of course, the whole multitude of people tagged along. Here was a miracle in the making and the people weren’t about ready to go home without seeing Jesus perform a mighty miracle.

The only thing about it was, they weren’t all following behind Jesus. Rather, the crowd was all around Jesus. The word thronged in Mark 5:24 means they were all around Him, they were on every side. It was like a huge circle of people with Jesus, Jairus, and the disciples right smack in the middle of this humongous crowd. Naturally, when you’re stuck in the middle of a huge crowd, forward progress is going to be slow and difficult. It’s hard to get anywhere when everybody’s around you.

The trip to Jairus’ house is taking time—exactly what Jairus’ daughter doesn’t have. Jairus is probably crying and pleading with the people, if not angry, to please make way. “We’re in a hurry! My daughter’s dying! Please get out of the way! Move it! Clear out! Out of the way!”

Suddenly and unexpectedly, to Jairus’ dismay, Jesus stops. “What now? What’s happening? God, we’re in a hurry here. Please don’t stop!!!” But Jesus doesn’t listen. He stands still and looks around.

To Be Continued Next Time, Part 2 of this very exciting story. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to have your faith strengthened and encouraged!

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HUNGRY TO HEAR

January 2, 2012 at 11:53 AM (Incidents/Events, Life of Christ)

Luke 5:1 tells us of a time in Jesus’ life when He was at the seaside in Capernaum. Gobs of people were pressing upon Him. The word press means  to crowd. When people saw Jesus at the seaside a whole mess of them converged on the spot. They kept coming from all over the city. And as people kept coming, Jesus kept getting pushed to the water’s edge. Finally, Jesus got in Peter’s boat and, after paddling out a little way, Jesus taught the people from the boat. Can you imagine the scene? Get the picture. Gobs and gobs of people converging on Jesus with very little elbow room. Doubtless, the people were crammed like sardines around Jesus.

What were they there for? Why did they come? Luke tells us that they came to hear the word of God. They came because they were hungry to hear God’s Word. They didn’t come for miracles. They came for a sermon! They came to hear and learn what God had to say to them. They had a hunger for the Word. A hunger for the truth. A hunger to learn.

Spiritual hunger is something that is largely lacking or missing in the church today. It’s reflected in the attendance at our adult Sunday School classes, our Sunday evening services, our Wednesday night Bible studies, our small group meetings, or our Bible study groups. It’s like a lot of us don’t want to hear, study or learn. We don’t want to take the time to listen, think, or learn. We despise Bible study. We hate it. We don’t do it. A lot of us aren’t as scholastically-inclined as others. We’re not students. We don’t like learning. Bible study is boring. We don’t get anything out of it. It isn’t fun. But, truth be told, we really don’t have a hunger to hear. We don’t have an appetite for God or the Scriptures. How these Capernaumites in Luke 5 shame us!

I’m a minister and I love to teach the Bible. Whenever I teach, I tend to get animated. I try to bring the congregation into the historical scene so that they’re right in the middle of what went on in the Biblical text. The Scriptures come alive. And, all of a sudden, the people like the Bible lesson or study. They’re on the edge of their seats. They want more. It gets to them. And they go home remembering the lesson for a long time…because they feel as if they were there in the Biblical scene.

Bible study can be that way. It’s not just an educational routine where you sit down, open the Bible, and read mindlessly until you’ve read enough to satisfy your guilty conscience, then you close the book and give no further thought to what you read. If you view Bible study this way, then it’s no wonder you don’t enjoy it or get anything out of it.

Let’s change things a bit. Bible study is, first and foremost, a personal relationship with God. It’s an interactive type of thing. In school you have a teacher and a classroom, with lots of other students around. Let’s cut the other students out. Now it’s just you and the teacher in class. Whenever you read your Bible, that’s your classroom. The teacher is the invisible God. God is standing over you, or sitting beside you. And, as your Teacher, He’s teaching you something. He’s speaking to you through the written text. And the Holy Spirit helps you understand what you’re reading. If you see Bible study in this interactive way—just you and God together, all alone in this classroom—you’ll get a different perspective of what Bible study is all about. It’s all about giving God the time and opportunity to speak to you through His Word and teach you a few things.

Like the Capernaumites, are you pressing about Jesus in the classroom, hungry and eager to hear? If not, ask God to give you a hunger for His Word. You ought to have a hunger for God and His Word. If you aren’t hungry you don’t eat. And if you don’t eat over time, you know what will happen to you. It’s the same way with your soul. If you don’t feed your soul with the milk and meat of God’s Word, you’ll famish and die spiritually. It isn’t normal, or right, for a Christian not to have an appetite for God and the Bible! If this is you, then ask God to make you hungry. Ask Him to give you an appetite for learning. Ask Him to change your attitude about Bible study. He will.

Then every time you open the Bible to read and study it, ask God to make the Word come alive. Ask Him to show you what it means. What He wants you to know. He will. When the townspeople pressed about Jesus to hear God’s Word, what did Jesus do? He taught them. He satisfied their craving or hunger. God will do the same for you. When you ask God to help you learn, He’ll teach you and you’ll get something out of it.

There are so many different approaches or tools to learn God’s Word. Dictionaries and commentaries are one such tool. Here’s another simple tool that doesn’t cost you a dime. Place yourself in the Biblical text or scene. Step into the sandals of the Biblical characters. They were human just like you. If you put yourself in the Biblical scene you’ll get so much more out of the Bible study. Try it. And the more you try it the more you’ll learn. And the more you’ll have an even bigger appetite for God and learning. May God bless you with a hefty appetite for Him and His Word!

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LEAVE IT AND LOSE IT?

December 27, 2011 at 8:39 AM (Incidents/Events, Life of Christ)

Luke 5:27-28, And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me. {28} And he left all, rose up, and followed him.

Levi was a tax collector. Back in the day, tax collectors were not paid to do their job. In fact, many of them actually paid to get that non-paying job. Huh? I know it doesn’t make any sense at first sight, but let me explain it to you.

Tax collectors made their living by charging more tax than what Rome actually required. Let’s say that Rome charged 40% tax on produce. So if a produce merchant had a $100 worth of produce, the tax would be $40. But tax collectors always charged more because they had to make a living. Remember. Rome didn’t pay them a dime to do the job. They got their money by charging more tax than what was actually owed or due. To make matters worse, the tax collectors had to pay the higher-up tax officials, called chief publicans, a portion of the tax money because chief publicans weren’t paid either: they made their money by charging the tax collectors beneath them a certain portion of the tax. So the tax collectors would charge the produce merchant 80% and collect $80 tax money: they’d give $40 to Rome, $20 to the chief publican, and the other $20 was theirs to keep. That’s how tax collectors made their money.

The only thing about it was, there were no set rates on how much extra tax should be charged. The greedier the collector, the more tax was charged. Unfortunately, people didn’t have any choice but to pay up. It was either that or else have your goods confiscated and get hauled off to prison. So people paid whatever the tax collector demanded and that’s how the tax collectors got rich. It was quite a lucrative business. And that’s why these tax collectors paid the higher tax officials to become tax collectors.

Anyways, not all tax collectors were dirty crooks and greedy. But, the fact of the matter still remains: Matthew was in all likelihood well off. How else could he throw a big party for Jesus and his publican friends (Luke 5:29)? Matthew has a gravy job and he’s got dough.

Then Jesus comes along one day, calls him to be a disciple, and what does Matthew do? He gets up right away from his tax booth, walks away from it, and follows Jesus. At that moment, he quits his job to become a disciple.

Matthew makes it look easy. So easy that we’re thoughtless about what he really did. He makes a decision on the spot to quit his job and follow Jesus. So he’s got no job. No income. No money coming in. He’s either going to live on his savings, or else he’s going to count on Jesus to take care of his needs. In any case, he’s not getting the piles of dough that he’s accustomed to getting on a daily basis. It’s like money no longer matters to him. He wants Jesus more than wealth. Wow!

How many of us would give up our job to follow Jesus full time as a minister or missionary? I know we’d all say we’d give it up to follow Jesus. But, really, would we? Some of us can’t seem to tithe or give an offering to the Lord on a weekly basis. When we do give, our offerings are a pittance compared to the money we spend on ourselves and our luxuries. Some of us are so tight with money that we don’t support missions, don’t give to the building fund, don’t give to disaster relief. Golly, there’s always someone asking for money, there’s always a need, that we get tired of it and we just don’t give anymore. We’ve got money coming it and we give so little to the Lord. And we say we’ll quit our job, lose it all, to follow our Lord? I find that hard to believe. If we can’t give up a little more of our paycheck to give to the Lord, how in the world are we going to give up the entire paycheck, along with the income and job to boot?

What am I getting at? Definitely no criticism or put-down intended because I’m as guilty as anyone around. All I’m saying is we sometimes say things—we make glowing promises—that we really aren’t in a mindset to follow through on. Matthew made it look easy because, for him, it was easy. He’d already left his dough in his heart and that’s how he didn’t bat an eyelash when he left his job and toll booth behind. I guess if we say we’d leave our job to follow the Lord, we’d better start proving it by giving the Lord more than what we’re already giving. Just saying.

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THE JESUS I DIDN’T KNOW: THE WALL WRECKER AT THE WELL

December 19, 2011 at 9:31 AM (Life of Christ, The Jesus I Didn't Know)

How well do you know Jesus? We all like to think we know Jesus pretty well. I’ve had close to fifty years of wonderful, sweet communion with Jesus. I’ve devoted over forty years of my life to studying and teaching His Word. I’m talking about going back to the original languages and learning as much as I can about Jewish culture, institutions, and beliefs. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not a Know-It-All. And you can ask my kids: I’m not inerrant or infallible. But still, knowing what I know, I’d like to think I know Jesus pretty good. To my pleasant surprise, however, I don’t know Jesus as good as I think I do. To this day, He still shows me more about Himself. Here, let me give you some snippets of the Jesus I never knew.

THE WALL WRECKER AT THE WELL

Placing myself in the apostle Andrew’s sandals, Hi guys. My name is Andrew and I’m a follower of Jesus. I met Jesus a few short days ago and, from the time I met Him, I’ve been hooked on Him. He’s the Messiah, there’s no doubt about that. There’s something about Him that reaches out to me—to all people really—and beckons me to Himself. It’s His heart. The Guy really loves people. He has a heart for people. Not just for certain kinds of likeable folks like myself. But all people. Even those I really don’t care to hang around with.

I remember the first time I learned how really big Jesus’ heart was. Me and my brother Peter had been traipsing all over Judea and Galilee with Jesus. Our two buddies, James and John, was also with us. We was in Jerusalem to attend Passover, but now that the holiday was over, we headed back to Galilee where we’re from. As always, we let Jesus call all the shots. He decided to take the direct route thru Samaria, so we got up bright and early the next morning and we hit the dirt towards Sychar. It was a good five hour walk and, by the time we got there, we was plump wore out. We didn’t have anything to eat, so we left Jesus at Jacob’s well where we caught our breath, then we decided to head into town to buy some grub (John 4).

When we come back we was all blown away by what we seen. There was Jesus at the well, sitting, and talking to a Samaritan chick. Seemed to us like they were carrying on pretty good and we just couldn’t understand why Jesus would give the Sammy time of day. We’re Jews. We don’t talk to Sammies—not like that. We don’t carry no conversations with them. They’re half-breeds and we don’t like them. We don’t want nothing to do with them. Call me prejudiced if you will, but we’s God’s people. We’s the chosen race. And we don’t take a liking to these half-breed Jews.

Later, we found out that the woman was a no-good wench. Jesus told us so. She’d been married five times and, at the moment, she was shacking up with a stud she wasn’t even married to. What a loser! We got even madder at the Master for talking with the whore. Why would He even want to be caught alone with her? It definitely didn’t look good. And, meaning no disrespect, it had all the makings of an appearance of evil. Made no sense to us at all! They’s some folks we don’t hang out with, or talk to, just cuz they’s bad folks. They ain’t no good.

When the wench seen us, she got right up and ran back into the city. We were kinda riled up with the Lord, but we wasn’t about to say anything to Him about it. We just got out the vittles and offered Him some, but the Guy wouldn’t have any of it. Had He eaten already? Hey, did the Sammy give Him some of her grub?

Jesus must have known what we was thinking. He said, My grub is to do My Father’s will. Look at the fields, guys. It’s harvest time (John 4:34-38). None of us knew what He meant. Everything He said just went over our heads. We just sat there and ate, acting like we knew what He was saying.

When we was done, we looked yonder and, I mean to tell you, a whole mess of Sammies was coming towards us. I thought we was done for. They must have been madder dan a skunk that Jesus was friendly with one of their own. Now they was coming to get us. Well, we ain’t no fools. We beat it out of there. Jesus wasn’t coming along. He wanted to stay there. So we left Him and wondered if we’d ever see Him again.

Wouldn’t you know it, we seen the Guy about four days after that and He told us what happened. Turned out, the Sammies wasn’t coming to get us after all. They was coming to hear more about Jesus. Long story short, that whole town became believers! These Sammies actually believed what we believed—that Jesus really was the Messiah!

For a moment there at the well, I really thought that Jesus had lost it. He’d gone out of His mind. He was carrying on like none of us ever would. When it was all said and done, Jesus got results that none of us ever got. He got the whole town saved—all because He was man enough to talk to someone we would never be caught dead talking to. He hung out with folks that we thought was no good and beyond redemption. That day at the well, He tore down the wall that kept us Jews and the Sammies separated and alienated. He taught us to get past our fears, our hatred, our prejudices, and love the unlovely. Touch the untouchable. Speak to the unspeakable. Save what we always thought was the unsavable. That day at the well I seen the heart of God loving all those I thought was unlovable. The whores. The druggies. The drunkards. The homos. The convicts. The Black men. The haoles. The Muslim. And every other lost soul. These are who Jesus loves. These are who He died for. These are our mission field. And the walls that kept us from them have now crumbled because of what Jesus done at the well and the cross. This was the Jesus I’d never seen. But, thank God Almighty, now I see.

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SCRIPTURALLY WRONG EVEN WHEN YOU’RE RIGHT

December 13, 2011 at 9:22 AM (Incidents/Events, Life of Christ)

Jesus was preaching a fine sermon one day, crammed tight in a house full of folks, when everybody’s attention was suddenly turned upwards to a commotion on the roof. There were these four guys up on the roof, tearing it apart! Apparently, no one stopped them—not even the home owner. So for the next several minutes, they made this humongous hole in the roof, then proceeded to lower a paralyzed chap lying on a stretcher. These guys wanted Jesus to heal their buddy. When they couldn’t get in the house because of the crowd, they got creative and found a way to get to Jesus by lowering their paralyzed friend through the roof.

When Jesus saw what was happening He looked at the hapless chap on the stretcher and said, My son, your sins are forgiven (Mark 2:5). Well, it just so happened that there were scribes in the room. These were the guys who really knew the Word. It was their job to painstakingly and accurately copy the Scriptures by hand. They knew every jot and tittle of the Scriptures. And they knew it better than anyone else around. So, they’re the foremost authorities on the Word. When they heard Jesus forgiving this guy’s sins, they instantly went through the roof and said quietly to themselves, This is blasphemous! Who can forgive sins but God alone?

Do you know what? They were absolutely right! Only God can forgive sins. It’s blasphemous for a man to pretend he has the right, or the power, to forgive sins. So the scribes were right. They had Scriptures on their side.

To our shocked surprise, however, the incident is a lamentable reminder to us that we can be scripturally right and still be wrong! Now that definitely sounds like an oxymoron. How in the world can you be right on with the Scriptures and be wrong?

Well, the scribes were right as far as God being the only One who can forgive sins. But these learned men, in the passion of the moment, forgot all about Isaiah 7:14. The prophet foretold that a virgin shall conceive, and have a son, and shall call him Immanuel (which, by interpretation, is God with us). In other words, the prophet foretold of a time when God would one day come into their midst in the form of a man. He’d be born as a baby and grow up looking just like any other Jewish man. The only difference is, He’d be God in the flesh (see also Isaiah 9:6-7). This Man would be God. And, being God, this Man would have the power and right to forgive sins.

Of course, these Scripture scholars didn’t believe that Jesus was God incarnate. To them, Jesus wasn’t the fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14. Jesus wasn’t God. He’s just a man. And because He’s just a man, they felt He committed blasphemy by pretending to forgive this paralytic’s sins.

You see, these learned men were Scripturally right about God alone forgiving sins. But, they were nonetheless Scripturally wrong because Jesus was God. God said so Himself (see Matthew 3:17). The Scriptures they knew and stood on made them right. It was the Scriptures they didn’t know or believe that made them wrong. Their not believing Jesus, that is, their unbelief, made them wrong.

Brethren, you can be Scripturally right in a sense and still be wrong. The Word you know and believe makes you right. But it’s the Word you don’t know or believe that makes you wrong. IF YOU WANT TO BE FULLY, ENTIRELY RIGHT YOU’VE GOT TO STAND ON THE WHOLE OF SCRIPTURE AND NOT JUST A PART.YOU’VE GOT TO BELIEVE JESUS IN ORDER TO BE RIGHT. Disbelieving Him, like the scribes, will make you wrong.

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dummer den devils

December 8, 2011 at 12:30 PM (From The Bible)

I was reading some of James the other morning when my entire being was transfixed by the familiar verse, Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble (James 2:19).

The word tremble literally means what it means: to tremble, to shudder with fear, to be really really afraid that it shakes you up good.

I got to thinking about why the devils would tremble. They not only believe—they know for a fact—that there’s only one true God. They know that the Devil they follow is not the one true God. They know the vast extent and power of God. They know His great wrath. They know their ultimate end in the Bottomless Pit and Lake of Fire. They know where they’re going and they know they’ll be spending eternity locked away in torment without any hope of escape, redemption, or relief. They know what’s coming. They know what’s ahead. And they shudder in fear.

Sadly, a lot of people have no such faith, knowledge, or fear. They don’t fear God because they don’t believe He exists. For them, there’s no Hell. Death ends it all. There is literally nothing to be afraid of. So we’re told. Regrettably, and tragically, they’re wrong. And in this way, they show themselves to be dumber than devils. God have mercy. Help us not to be this dumb.

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THE JESUS I DIDN’T KNOW: THE MAD MAN IN THE TEMPLE

December 3, 2011 at 11:02 AM (Life of Christ, The Jesus I Didn't Know)

How well do you know Jesus? We all like to think we know Jesus pretty well. I’ve had close to fifty years of wonderful, sweet communion with Jesus. I’ve devoted over forty years of my life to studying and teaching His Word. I’m talking about going back to the original languages and learning as much as I can about Jewish culture, institutions, and beliefs. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not a Know-It-All. And you can ask my kids: I’m not inerrant or infallible. But still, knowing what I know, I’d like to think I know Jesus pretty good. To my pleasant surprise, however, I don’t know Jesus as good as I think I do. To this day, He still shows me more about Himself. Here, let me give you some snippets of the Jesus I never knew.

THE MAD MAN IN THE TEMPLE

Placing myself in the apostle John’s sandals, I’d recently met the Lord. For a long time now, my master, John the Baptizer, had been telling all of us disciples that the Messiah was coming very soon. In fact, on good authority—actually, from the Baptizer’s mom—the Messiah was already born! He’s alive and living somewhere in Israel right this very moment! Imagine how excited we were to hear that the long-prophesied Messiah was about ready to step onto the stage of world history. Life is never going to be same again!

Well, Andrew and I were standing by the river bank one day when our master directed our attention to a Man walking along. Behold the Lamb of God!, he said (John 1:35-36). Well, you bet our curiosity had been aroused. So Andrew and I started tagging along behind this Stranger and, wouldn’t you know it, the Guy turned around, looked at us, and asked, What are you looking for? Caught off guard and dumbfounded, we asked, rather sheepishly, where He was staying. “Come and see,” He said. And with that summary invitation, He took us to His hangout and, for the next several hours, we pumped Him full of questions. We wanted to know all about Him. Well, to make a long story short, by the time the Guy was done talking, we were absolutely convinced that this Jesus really was the Messiah. Just like master John had said.

We were so excited about Jesus that, for a moment, we acted like it was Black Friday. We dashed off in search of our brothers to let them know that we’d found the Messiah. Next day, Jesus invited us to go with Him to Galilee. You didn’t have to ask us twice. Along the way, we picked up Peter, James, Philip, and Nathanael.  I’ll never forget that trip. We were like silly women gossiping at the well: we gabbed and gabbed all the way to Galilee.

We went to a little town called Cana. There was a wedding there and, being invited, we jumped at the chance for free food. There was so much people there that, wouldn’t you know it, they ran out of wine. Jesus’ mama came and got Him and, of course, us disciples tagged along. Jesus told the servants to fill up the water jars with water. I mean to tell you, I kid you not, when the servants poured out the water that they’d put into the water jars, it was pure wine! It was the best tasting stuff ever! It was a miracle! The Guy we were following was, on top of being the Messiah, a Miracle Worker too! We were so excited, we couldn’t hardly sleep that night.

Well, Passover was coming up. So all of us made our way back down to Jerusalem. It was wall-to-wall people, just like usual. But we managed to all stay together. Jesus made a bee line to the Temple. Then He did something inexplicable. He just stood there to Himself and started making Himself a whip. What in the world for?, you ask. Believe me, that’s what we all wanted to know. It took some time. Then when He was all done, we stood there aghast as the Guy started tearing the place up. It’s like He just went berserk. He upended the vendors’ tables. Coins went everywhere and people started lunging to get ahold of some free money. Bird cages were knocked over. Birds went flying everywhere. Jesus used the whip and drove the oxen and sheep out of the Temple. We’re not talking about a dozen animals here. During Passover there were over 250,000 animals slaughtered and sacrificed. So we’re talking about an insane number of livestock penned up and tied right here in the Temple. Jesus let them go. Then He told all the animal merchants to scram. Of course, they beat it out of there. They ran off to get their animals. I mean to tell you it was sheer pandemonium! Absolutely insane! Everyone was shocked! And speechless! We’d never seen anything like it!

Between all the people shouting and scurrying, and all the animals stampeding out of there, I wanted to crawl in a hole and die. We’d been following the Messiah and Miracle Worker for the last few days. We were all pumped up because we were following the Messiah. We were the first ones to follow Him! Our names were going down in the record books. For the rest of time and history, we’d be known as Jesus’ first followers. Do you know how incredibly good that makes me feel? Now, here He was, in the House of God, violent and angry, making a huge scene. I thought He’d gone mad! He definitely wasn’t the Man I thought He was. He seemed like a perfectly good Fellow at first. Easy to talk to and get along. Definitely nice. Peace loving. And gentle. You’ve never met a kinder, gentler Soul. I expected Him to be reverent in the House of God. You’re supposed to be reverent in God’s House! Man, when I saw Him tearing up the place, my eyes and mouth popped wide open. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing!

After it was all done and Jesus settled back down, we realized what had just happened. The zeal of God’s House had eaten Him up. Jesus loved God’s House and wanted to keep it holy: He couldn’t just stand there and watch His Father’s House be turned into a marketplace. So He cleaned House.

In hindsight, I understand now why He did it. But for a few moments there, I was really scared. I thought I was following a mad man. A psycho. Definitely bipolar, if not schizo. Turned out I was wrong. I just seen a side of Jesus that I never seen before. This was the Jesus I didn’t know. But now I know.

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GETTING UP WHEN YOU’RE DOWN: DEALING WITH DISCOURAGEMENT PART 8

November 23, 2011 at 11:22 AM (Discouragement)

A MINDSET OF GRATITUDE AND A MOUTH OF REJOICING

BE THANKFUL!  Rising above discouragement, in the final place, requires you to keep on the positive side of life. Get your eyes and mind off of the bad things that are happening to you. Learn to be thankful. Look for things to be thankful about. Write them down. I guarantee you’ll be amazed at how many things you’ve got to be thankful for. It’ll revolutionize your perspective on life.

SING! Once you’re thankful, open your mouth and praise God for all His blessings on your life. Sing out loud. Let the Lord and the Devil hear your song. The Devil hates to hear you singing and praising God. He hates it so much that he can’t stand it. It drives him nuts. And best of all, it drive him away. The Devil just can’t stand to be in the presence of singing, rejoicing saints. That’s one reason why he won’t be in Heaven. He can’t stand to hear God’s people praising God. So if you want the Devil to leave you alone, just open your mouth and sing.

USE THE SWORD! Do you remember how Jesus beat the Devil in His wilderness temptations? Jesus quoted him the Word and the Word shut him up. When the Devil talks to you and tries to get you depressed, discouraged, or grumbling; just quote him the Word. It’s the sword of the Spirit that wounds him (Ephesians 6:17). You’ll be hurting him so bad that he won’t be talking back to you a whole lot. He’ll have to leave you so that he can tend to his wounds. Get your Bible out. Read and write down, or memorize, the verses that really mean a lot to you, especially the ones that speak to your situation. Then when the Devil comes around, get out the sword of the Spirit and let him have it.

To help you get started, here are some promises that you can recite or confess.

  • I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me (Phil. 4:13).
  • God is working in me, both to will and to do of His good pleasure (Phil. 2:13).
  • He who hath begun a good work in me will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ (Phil. 1:6).
  • The Lord will perfect  (complete) that which concerneth me (Psa. 138:8).
  • His grace is sufficient for me (2 Cor. 12:9).
  • The power of Christ resteth upon me (2 Cor. 12:9).
  •  He will not allow me to be tested beyond my ability to endure (1 Cor. 10:13).
  • He will make a way of escape, whereby I am able to endure it (1 Cor. 10:13).
  • Nothing and no one is able to pluck me out of my Father’s hands John 10:29).
  • Greater is He that is in me, than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4).
  • Thanks be to God who always causeth me to triumph in Christ (1 Cor. 2:14).
  • I will call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised, so shall I be saved from mine enemies (Psa. 18:3).
  • Let God arise and let His enemies be scattered (Psa. 68:1).
  • In due season I shall reap, if I faint not (Gal. 6:9).
  • Whatsoever I desire, when I pray and believe, I shall have it (Mark 11:24).
  •  As I have believed, let it be done unto me (Matt. 8:13).

What more shall I say and where do the promises and comforts of Scripture end? By confessing promises like these, I hope you’re beginning to see that the promises are an immense source of comfort to you. As you get in the Word and meditate on the Word, you’ll find yourself getting your faith, your courage, your joy, and your song, back. These things can’t help but happen when you’re in God’s presence and you listen to what God has to say to you.

KEEP FOCUSED ON GOD INSTEAD OF YOUR TRIALS! Instead of keeping your eyes focused on what’s happening, go back to Calvary. Look at what Christ has done for you. Look at all He’s promised to do for you. Brethren, keep your eyes focused on the promise and let the promise ever draw you onward.

GOD KEEPS HIS WORD! While the way was indeed tough and trying for the Israelites, nevertheless, in the end, God kept His promise to them.  He brought them into the promised land. The Israelites made it. The journey was not in vain! Though it came with much trials and anguish, the Israelites eventually had what God said they could and would have. Canaan became their home and inheritance.

In much the same way, brethren, remember that God has made you a promise. He not only promised to give you something or do something for you: He also said you would have it, you would receive it, you would experience and enjoy it. In other words, you’ll live to see the day when your prayer is answered. My friends, though the journey has been forty years and has involved a lot of trials and anguish of soul, continue to believe and walk on because Ye shall have it. Let the promise of possession keep you moving forward. You’ll not only get the answer, but more importantly, you’ll make it in this walk to journey’s end. My friend, with God by your side and Christ’s power resting on you, you shall make it! May God bless you and walk with you every step of the journey.

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GETTING UP WHEN YOU’RE DOWN: DEALING WITH DISCOURAGEMENT PART 7

November 16, 2011 at 11:26 AM (Discouragement)

GETTING UP AND FIGHTING BACK

When the way gets tough and discouraging you’ve got to fight back and endure. Instead of resigning yourself to what’s going on and wallowing deeper and deeper into self-pity, murmuring and discouragement; you’ve got to do something good for yourself and that is fight back and endure.

(A)  A True Perspective Of Discouragement.  Most people tend to see discouragement in terms of what’s going on around them and what’s happening to them: they look at the way life is going and because life isn’t going very well at the moment, they get discouraged.  While these things that are happening to you cannot be denied, you must nevertheless get a fresh or a true perspective of discouragement and see discouragement not so much in terms of people, situations, or the Lord’s demands; but rather, in terms of Satan coming against you, attacking you, discouraging you, and trying to get you to quit.

Satan is using what’s happening to you–he’s working through it all–to get you to quit the journey and give up on the Lord: “The Lord’s way is just too hard! The Lord is just too unreasonable!”  And if the devil can’t get you to quit, he’ll at least try to get you to have lousy attitudes and start criticizing and complaining. Why? Because Satan knows that a bad attitude and a bad mouth will get you into trouble with God (i.e. the fiery serpents of God’s chastisement). And when you get into trouble with God, the potential is there for you to get even more discouraged, thus increasing the likelihood of you giving up on the Lord. Discouragement, I am saying, is a spiritual warfare. Satan is out to get your soul!

(B)  A Time To Fight Back.  Viewed in this light, discouragement is not a time for self-pity, but rather, a time to fight back and fight for your life. I’m talking about fighting the devil back and resisting those spirits of self-pity, discouragement, despair, criticism, complaining, and any others that might be coming against you. Quit feeling sorry for yourself! Take authority over these demons and command them to cease their activity against you and go in the Name of Jesus. Instead of listening to them tell you how rotten God, Christianity and the Church are; refuse to listen to them, control your mind and what you think on, and keep your mind under the blood of Jesus. Friend, you’ve got to quit listening to the devil!  Quit listening to his lies! Instead of letting the devil hang around to talk to you some more, command him to go away in the Name of Jesus.

You’ve not only got to take authority over the devil and your mind: you’ve also got to take authority over your emotions. Discouragement is an emotion common to all human beings. You’ve got to fight back and refuse to get discouraged over what’s happening to you: tell yourself you’re not going to feel that way and stop yourself when you begin to feel discouraged. It’s a real discipline and it takes a lot of work, I know. But then, working to stay alive has always involved a lot of work.

Ask a climber trapped high atop a mountain, or a camper lost in a vast wilderness; ask a survivor trapped underneath the rubble of a building, or a soldier in the midst of war. It’s a fight to stay alive when you’re being threatened with death. Overcoming discouragement is a fight: it takes work. And no one can do it for you but you yourself.

Whenever my mind and emotions begin to get the best of me, I always come back to Philippians 4:6,7. First, I pray and commit my need to the Lord (verse 6), then I claim and confess the promise of verse 7: And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (my) heart and mind through Christ Jesus. Brethren, take your discouragements to the Lord and claim His peace.

(C)  A Time To Go To The Lord For Refreshing. When the way becomes too hard and tiresome, my friends, go into the presence of the Lord and seek His refreshing and renewing strength. Instead of getting bitter and angry at God for allowing all these things to come upon you, go to God and ask God for grace and mercy and strength.

God’s way may be hard and demanding, but He’s promised to give you strength for the way: He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. (30) Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: (31) But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint (Isaiah 40:29-31).

In other words, if you’re faint and weary, you can go to God for the strength to go on. And when God’s done with you, you’ll have the strength, you’ll have the courage, you’ll have the umph to go on: you shall run, you shall walk–without getting weary or faint. You say you’re discouraged and can’t go on? You don’t want to go on? Dear friend, go to God and you’ll get the want-go back!

When bad things are happening to you, you can go to God not only for strength, but also for wisdom as to how to handle a particular situation that’s troubling or discouraging you.

  • When the Israelites were ready to stone Moses because there was no water to drink, what did Moses do? He went to the Lord and asked for wisdom. And God, in turn, showed Moses what to do (Exodus 17:3-6).
  • When the Israelites were defeated at the battle of Ai, Joshua went to the Lord with his “Why, Lord?”  And God, in turn, showed Joshua what the problem was (Joshua 7:5-13).
  • When the Amalekites invaded Ziklag and took the women and children of Israel captive, David’s men talked about stoning him; they blamed him for what happened. And what did David do? He went before God’s presence and encouraged himself in the Lord. And God, in turn, showed David what to do (1 Samuel 30:3-8).
  • When Hezekiah received troubling news about his pending death, he cried out to God for mercy. And God, in turn, answered his cry and gave him an additional fifteen years to live (2 Kings 20:1-6).

In these and many instances, the great men of God went into God’s presence to seek His wisdom, counsel, and courage concerning the troubling things that happened to them. Brethren, it works the same way for you. When trouble strikes or threatens, go to God and let God direct and encourage you.

And while you’re in God’s presence, don’t forget to pray in tongues. You build up, edify, and strengthen yourself as you pray in the Holy Ghost. You may not understand how it works–the important thing is, it works!  As you do it more and more, I think you’ll find that praying in tongues is a really good way to get your mind off of the troubles: it helps you put things in proper perspective.

(D)  A Time To Concentrate On Enduring.  When discouraging things are happening to you, that’s not the time for criticism or complaining. Rather, it’s the time to die out, overcome, obey the Lord, and endure the trial or hardship. While it’s certain that tough things are happening to you or around you, I can’t help but feel that there’s bad things going on inside of you–bad things like,

  • you’re not wanting to go through the trial–that’s why you’re discouraged!
  • you’re not wanting to do what God is telling you to do–that’s why you’re discouraged!
  • you’re not dying out to people who are mistreating you or causing you some grief and hardship–that’s why you’re discouraged!
  • you’re not crucifying, putting away, and repenting of some lousy attitudes–that’s why you’re discouraged!

Brethren, when the way gets tough and discouraging, that’s the time to concentrate your efforts on enduring. What all is involved in enduring?

  • Instead of resisting the trial, submit to it. Concentrate on letting the trial do the work the Lord wants it to do in you.
  • Instead of resisting the persecution, face it and submit to it. Concentrate on letting the likeness and life of Christ shine through you. Determine to be Christ like in the way you respond to your persecutors.
  • Instead of running from what God wants you to do, die out to Self and obey the Lord. Get rid of the lusts, fears, or attitudes that are hindering and preventing you from obeying the Lord.
  • Instead of resenting and despising the Word of the Lord, admit the unscripturalness of your present opinions or beliefs and give them up. Concentrate on taking God at His Word and accepting what He has said in His Word as the ultimate standard of everything you believe.
  • Get rid of lousy attitudes. God, through the hardships of life, is exposing these   attitudes that have got to go. Concentrate on getting your attitudes right.
  • Take control of your tongue and keep it from complaining. Concentrate on learning to face life’s trials and hardships without complaining.

I’d like to say a final word on enduring by saying that enduring the trials and hardships of life means you endure them non-resistantly, without retaliating against those who are causing you so much grief. Human nature being what it is, it’s so easy to start thinking of ways to get even with the people who did you wrong; you start devising ways to repay them, you wish and pray that bad things would happen to them. This, brethren, is not the spirit of Christ (Luke 9:51-56). If there’s any retaliating or judging to be done, let God do it–that’s His business, not yours.

When Moses asked the king of Edom if the Israelites could pass through his land, the king’s refusal was most unkind and unjustified–especially considering the fact that the Israelites were his brethren and relatives. In many respects, the king’s refusal and insistence in this matter was the cause of the Israelites’ complaints and discouragement. But the Lord would not allow them to take revenge against the Edomites: Meddle not with them (Deuteronomy 2:5). This word ‘meddle’ means ‘to stir up strife or to engage oneself in strife against another’. In other words, the Lord forbade His people from antagonizing or going to war with the Edomites.

Brethren, what other people have done to you is, without question, unkind, unjustified, and unchristian; what they have done has truly caused you much anguish and trouble. But the unjustifiableness of their conduct does not justify vengeance on your part; you are still under Christ’s command to recompense to no man evil for evil…Avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath (Rom. 12:17,19).  Learn, my brethren, to love, do good, forgive, and forget. You can’t be Christ-like without that.

Coming Up On My Next Blog Post, The 8th And Final Installment. Here is the key that will keep you above ground. With it, you can lock the door to the pit of discouragement and depression forever. You definitely want to be here.

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GETTING UP WHEN YOU’RE DOWN: DEALING WITH DISCOURAGEMENT PART 6

November 9, 2011 at 9:59 AM (Discouragement)

When the way becomes nothing but one big trial, one big problem, and you find no refreshing oasis or manna from Heaven; this, beloved, is not the way to the promised land. When you know nothing but unanswered prayers, this, beloved, is not the promise God made us. When you walk on without the blessings and provisions of God, this, beloved, is not the way of God. The way of God is the thirst and the oasis, the hunger and the manna, the lack and the provision, the judgments and the deliverance, the weariness and the rest, the warfare and the victory.

  • Matthew 21:22  And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
  • Mark 11:24  Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
  • 1 Corinthians 10:13  There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
  • 2 Corinthians 1:3-5  Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; (4) Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. (5) For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.
  • 2 Corinthians 12:9-10  And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities (literally, weaknesses), that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (10) Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities (literally, weaknesses), in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
  • Galatians 6:9  And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
  • Hebrews 10:36  For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. (Not ‘might receive’ as if to express uncertainty or doubt about receiving the promise; but rather, ‘may receive’, expressing the assurance  and certainty of receiving–conditioned upon enduring.)

God not only makes promises: He keeps them. He gives answers to prayer. God not only promises trials: He gives grace, comfort and encouragement to endure them. He makes a way of escape. He provides deliverance. When the way you tread becomes nothing but one big trial without provision, deliverance, help, or answers–this is not the Lord’s way, nor is it the Lord’s doing. And it behooves you to stop and ask yourself why things are going the way they’re going.

You say you’re discouraged because the way is so hard and nothing’s going right. Brethren, could it be nothing’s going right because you’re on the wrong way? Could it be you’re to blame, you’re doing something wrong? When things are constantly going wrong for you and nothing seems to be working, here are some probable reasons you should consider.

1. DIVINE CHASTISEMENT. When you do something wrong (i.e. sin), God deals with you through the convicting work of the Spirit speaking a word of rebuke to you. At other times, He deals with you through chastisement.

Chastisement takes on many forms and the one we normally think of is physical, or bodily, sickness. One of the purposes of chastisement is God calling your attention to the fact that you sinned, you need to repent and deal with the problem. Sometimes, if you’re hardheaded enough, you’ll refuse to admit you’ve sinned; you won’t take care of the problem. Consequently, the chastisement drags on. Hence, the discouragement.

Brethren, could it be that the healing hasn’t come yet because you’ve not repented? Instead of finding fault with God, you need to be honest with yourself, face up to the sin, and repent. As with the children of Israel, no confession or repentance, no brazen serpent or healing.

2. SPIRITUAL OPPRESSION.  Some problems are a matter of oppression. One telltale indicator of oppression is, the problem is incessant and recurring; it’s a continual thing with no lasting relief.  For example, if you’re plagued with constant ear aches, you may be dealing with an hereditary sort of oppression working in your ancestors and family. At the very least, you might want to seek the Lord about coming against a spirit of infirmity relating to the ears.

One thing’s for sure. When the Lord heals, He heals. The problem is taken care of. This doesn’t mean there aren’t any more trials related to that healing. Satan in all likelihood will try to put the infirmity back on you. But as you resist him and refuse to accept the symptoms, the symptoms eventually go. What I’m saying is, when the Lord heals you of heart disease, you don’t live with constant, recurring heart disease. Being healed means you don’t have the disease; you don’t live with the disease or its symptoms. And if you continue to have the disease, then you ought to seek the Lord about an here-to-fore unknown matter of oppression.

You’re discouraged because the healing hasn’t come yet; you’re still experiencing the symptoms. Brethren, it could be a matter of deliverance from oppression. In some instances, the healing isn’t manifested until you’ve first of all gone through deliverance from oppression.

3. FAILURE TO FIGHT. When the Devil’s working you over, he’ll continue to do it as long as you let him do it. He won’t stop until you make him stop. How do you make him stop? You get out of that hole in the ground, stand up to him, and fight him. James 4:7 tells you to resist the devil, and he will flee from you. His flight requires your fight. In the Devil’s temptations of Jesus in Matthew 4, the Devil tempted Jesus three times and every time he tried to get Jesus to sin, our Lord resisted him and the Devil eventually gave up and left Him. The spiritual battles ended when Jesus fought. They ended because He fought.

The classic example of suffering continual harassment is in the story of David and Goliath (read 1 Samuel 17). For forty days Goliath kept taunting the Israelites because none of the Israelites had the guts to come out, stand up to him, and fight him. As long as they stayed in their foxholes, Goliath kept demoralizing them day after day for forty long days. What made Goliath quit his taunts? David came out to the battlefield one day and silenced Goliath’s big mouth. The fight ended when David fought.

Brethren, as long as you cower in the foxhole of fear and doubt, the Devil will keep coming at you. He’ll keep on beating you up. He’ll keep on robbing you blind. Because you’re letting him do it. He won’t stop until you set your fears aside, get out of the foxhole, come face to face with him, and fight him in Jesus’ Name. I know some battles are prolonged because the Devil doesn’t give up easily. But as long as you’re fighting him, he’ll eventually tire of the battle and leave. You’ll get your victory. But if you’re not fighting, then that’s why the battle is prolonged. And that’s why you’re discouraged.

4. SOWING & REAPING.  Some of your problems or sufferings in life may be the result of personal irresponsibility and neglect on your part. This is known as the law of sowing and reaping: Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.(8) For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting (Galatians 6:7,8).

  • For example, if the children are pretty destructive and they do a good job tearing up the house, it might be a spirit of destruction involved. But then, it could also be the fact that you aren’t training or disciplining your children well. If you don’t teach them to not jump on the furniture, they will jump on the furniture and break them. If you don’t teach them to not throw things in the house, they will throw things and get things broken. Children will do what they are allowed to do. They will do what they are not taught  to do. The lack of instruction and discipline always shows up in the children’s behavior and conduct.
  • If you battle constant tooth aches, chances are, you’re reaping the consequences of eating too much sugar.
  • If you go outdoors in the winter without your coat on, chances are, you’ll come down with the colds and cough.

Do you see what I’m saying? The troubles you’re facing in life may well be the harvest of your misconduct or irresponsibility: the fault is no one else’s but your own. You’re reaping what you’ve sown.

Now just because you’re reaping what you’ve sown doesn’t mean you can’t ask God to help you get the problem remedied. God can heal the tooth aches, He can deliver the kids from their destructive ways. Despite the failures of the past, the problems can still be resolved: they don’t have to go on, you’re not cursed or doomed to live with the consequences of past lifestyles or actions (read Joel 2).

But you’re going to have to change: be moderate or temperate in your use of sugar; diligently teach and discipline your children concerning proper conduct in the house. It takes more than just the prayer of faith to get the answers to your prayer: the answers involve you doing your part. What is your part? Obeying the Lord. In the examples we cited, obeying the Lord means bearing the fruit of the Spirit called temperance or self-control: it means driving foolishness out of the hearts of your children by using the rod on them.

Brethren, the reason why things are going wrong with you is because you might well be doing something wrong. You’re reaping the harvest of neglect or irresponsibility. Things won’t change until you do.

5. THE UNCRUCIFIED LIFE.  Some problems in life are persistent because self is not being crucified on a daily, or continual, basis. The uncrucified self spells problems.

  • For example, you’re discouraged because people let you down. But if you just die out and learn to be more understanding and patient and forgiving, discouragement would not be the problem that it is.
  • You’re discouraged because things didn’t go the way you wanted them to go. But if you just die out and trust that God is in sovereign control of the situation–He knows what He’s doing–then you wouldn’t be discouraged because you’re believing that all things do work together for good to them that love God and are called according to His purpose.
  • You’re discouraged because Satan is really giving you a hard time, tempting you, appealing to your lustful desire, making it really hard for you to go on or keep pure. But if you just die out and get rid of the lust, the temptations concerning that lust will eventually quit.

You live in an imperfect, sinful world. Life now is not a Utopia. Things go wrong, they wear out, they break down. Stores run out of things you need and want, restaurants close earlier than you want them to close, offices aren’t opened during the week end. People at times will disappoint you and hurt you, Christians aren’t angels, and even strong, spiritual Christians don’t always do a good job of overcoming and dying out.

Above all, as a child of God, you can’t have it your own way: God doesn’t ask for your opinion or permission. He doesn’t do things your way.  This isn’t a Heaven-on-earth.  As long as you live in an imperfect world, there will always be some sort of problem you’ll run across. And if you aren’t on your cross dying out, the problem tends to be magnified and it breeds more problems. The answer is to die out, overcome evil with good, and rejoice in life’s tribulations and problems.

The way, I have said, is a way that’s paved with trials and tribulations. But it’s also paved with God’s blessings and goodness and answers to prayer. There’s rest and renewing along the way: life’s sorrows are tempered with life’s joys, life’s miseries are balanced with life’s miracles. In other words, God’s way is not one big trial! If your journey is filled with troubles–with no rest or relief in sight–then you’re on the wrong road, you’re doing something wrong, and it behooves you to stop, find out what you’re doing wrong, then get things right. The answer for discouragement is to make what’s wrong, right.

Coming Up On My Next Blog Post, Part 7. Now comes the nuts-n-bolts of getting up out of that hole in the ground. I’ll be giving you some practical things you can do to get up and stay up. It’s going to be good, so don’t miss out.

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