RANDOM THOUGHTS ABOUT GOD: CONSEQUENCES

November 28, 2012 at 11:48 AM (God Thoughts, Musings)
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Back in the old days when I was a kid and when my parents themselves were kids, we believed in punishment. Corporeal punishment. We got spanked on the butt. And it wasn’t always with a belt or a switch (which we were made to fetch for ourselves). Sometimes the higher powers would use what we called the Board of Education. It was a 1×4 piece of lumber that stung your behind to high heaven and brought the toughest punks to tears.

You can call it punishment, discipline, or training. They were all the same to us back then. We got a licking when we messed up. It was part of parental duty and loving concern. They were making sure we learned the right things, cut out the wrong stuff, and grow up the right way.

Nowadays, that  kind of discipline is considered child abuse. Unfortunately, in the world in which we live today, a lot of parents and adults are abusive. And I, for one, agree that the laws against child abuse are a good thing. The children need to be protected if the parents aren’t going to do that. (Wish to God the government would protect the unborn children too!)

The thing of it is, back then, no kid ever died or ended up in a hospital after a licking. We didn’t grow up scarred or hating our parents. We loved and respected them (after the pain went away). We turned out the way we did—that is, pretty good folks, if I may say so myself—because of the discipline, training, and punishment that our parents lovingly gave us.

Today, we still believe in training and discipline. We’ve taken the corporeal aspect out of things, but we still levy a bevy of negative-type reinforcements to help teach the kids what’s considered proper and improper behavior. We ground them; withhold their benefits, rewards, or privileges; put them on a points or strikes system; and the like. This is what we do in the family or in an educational/institutional setting.

Let’s talk about law enforcement. Society has laws. It lives by laws. The laws tell us what’s good or what’s expected of us. And when we mess up, the laws have consequences. It may be a traffic ticket, arrest, trial, and imprisonment; a death sentence, a fine, community service, and the like.

As in child-training, the law’s punishments or consequences are designed to punish and discourage or deter bad behavior.

A civilized society has laws and consequences that are deemed for the overall good of society.

But even uncivilized societies—for example, the bush and forest tribes that have largely been untouched by modern civilization—have their own laws, morés, or codes of conduct that the tribes’ people are expected to live by. And when they violate the morés they suffer the consequences that are imposed upon them by the tribe.

Everywhere in human society, past and present, primitive and modern, we humans have accorded ourselves the luxury of making laws and enforcing them. We require people, including ourselves, to obey the laws. And when we don’t, we’ve set up for ourselves a bevy of punishments to punish and deter bad or criminal behavior. This we deem to be for the good of human society.

Imagine what life would be like if we didn’t have laws. I’m thinking of my younger days when I was in the Philippines. There were no road lines or traffic lanes. Manila was packed wall-to-wall with jeepneys, motorized tricycles, and buses, each forging their way. If I stuck so much as the palm of my hand out of the jeepney I would be sure to touch another jeepney—that’s how insanely close traffic was! I learned right then and there that it’s a good thing to have road lines and traffic lanes. And on a larger note, I realized the value of laws.

Laws are, for the most part, a good thing. I know there are bad laws too. But by and large, laws are designed with the public good and benefit in mind.

Now think if we didn’t have punishments. The laws wouldn’t do a bit of good if there were no consequences for violating them. The consequences play a part in deterring most people from breaking the law. Without punishments, think of the chaos we would live in if people could break in and steal or kill without being arrested, tried, and imprisoned. Crooks and criminals would roam freely throughout the community, terrorizing the neighborhood. We wouldn’t be safe or secure. We couldn’t live in peace or at ease.

So what am I saying? Laws are, for the most part, a good thing. They’re for society’s benefit. And as much as we may dislike suffering the consequences of disobedience, the punishments that society lays on the disobedient—be it in the home, school, the workplace, or society—are also for the general good of society.

Now here’s what I’m really trying to say. If we as humans accord ourselves the privilege of enacting laws and consequences—for the general good of society and all mankind; then why would we not give God this same privilege? I’m talking about God’s laws as written in the Bible and the human heart. I’m talking about Hell and God’s prerogative to be the sole and supreme Judge with the power to punish and damn the disobedient?

I think it’s laughable, no, it’s insane, how a lot of people won’t let God lay down the law and punish those who break the law; yet we do the very same thing! If we can do it—if we can make laws and punish the disobedient—then why can’t God? Why do we find it so abhorrent, so primitive and unenlightened, to believe in a God who punishes disobedience? What is naturally found in civilized and uncivilized societies—the establishment of law and consequences—is, to me, a logical and self-evident argument for a belief in God’s law and Divine punishment.

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BELIEFS THAT ARE KILLING US: I CAN HAVE WHATEVER I WANT

November 21, 2012 at 5:06 PM (Beliefs That Kill, Doctrine)
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INTRODUCTION

We all know that attitudes lead to actions. Mindsets shape manners. Convictions give rise to corresponding conduct. And beliefs determine behavior. Our life is a reflection of the thoughts and philosophies that we live by.

Some of the things we believe and live by are genuinely good and true. Others we only think are genuinely good and true, but really are not. Our own human experiences remind us in sometimes painful and humbling ways that we’re not always right. We’re capable of being wrong. We’ve been wrong about some of the things we’ve believed and thought. It’s a hard and humbling pill to swallow and some people refuse to swallow it. They will always be right even though we know they’re wrong as wrong can be.

Just because we believe what we believe doesn’t make us right. This is another hard pill for some of us to swallow. But it’s nevertheless true. Our beliefs don’t make us right and they don’t mean we’re right. Our beliefs are right only when they line up with God’s Word. His truth is the plumb line that determines what beliefs are right and what beliefs are wrong. As the prophet Isaiah tells us in Isaiah 8:20, To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. When our beliefs contradict God’s Word we’re certain to be wrong whether we admit it or not.

Some of the beliefs that we hold dear in life are not good for us. We hold them dear because they allow us to live the way we want to live without repercussion or condemnation. They allow us to live with a free conscience and allow us to continue doing the things we love to do.

But the fact of the matter is, some of the beliefs that we hold dear in life are not good for us. They’ll end up killing us. Sin kills and damns us. And the beliefs that allow us to sin with seeming impunity put us on the road that leads to hell. Let’s look at one of these beliefs.

I CAN HAVE WHATEVER I WANT

The human mind and heart are really so clever and deceitful. They are absolutely out-of-this-world geniuses when it comes to rationalizing or justifying what is, in actuality, wrong. And devilishly so. Here’s a case in point.

Ahab was a King of Israel. He lived in the Royal Palace which was at Samaria. But, like a lot of kings throughout the ages, Ahab had other palaces that were scattered throughout the kingdom. One of these palaces was in the village of Jezreel.

Now the King wanted to do some gardening. And it just so happened that there was a nice plot of land next to the palace that would be ideal for his highness’ green thumb. So the King went to his neighbor—Naboth was his name—and he made an offer on the land.

To the King’s shocked dismay, Naboth wouldn’t sell him the land! The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers, Naboth told him (1 Kings 21:3).

Now Naboth wasn’t being disrespectful or anything like that. It was just that Naboth was a man of principle. According to the law, he couldn’t sell his land to the King. You can read about the laws of the land in Leviticus 25. Anyways, as long as Naboth wasn’t destitute or in a humongous sinkhole of debt, he couldn’t sell anyone the land.

When the Israelites took possession of the land during Joshua’s time the land was carved up between the twelve tribes of Israel. By Divine Law, the tribal lands were to remain in the tribe and in each of the particular families who made up the tribe. Ahab didn’t belong to Naboth’s family and tribe. So Naboth couldn’t sell him the land. It was a matter of law and principle. And Naboth just wouldn’t budge or compromise on that.

So what did the King do? He went back to the palace and sulked. And Ahab went into his house vexed and sullen because of what Naboth the Jezreelite had said to him, for he had said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” And he lay down on his bed and turned away his face and would eat no food, 1 Kings 21:4.

Well, the King’s wife, named Jezebel, wanted to know why Ahab was just so down. So he told her what happened. Jezebel couldn’t believe it! Imagine the nerve of that Naboth to rebuff the King! The Queen was indignant! Do you now govern Israel?, she asked (1 Kings 21:7).

At that time they had what was akin to the divine right or prerogative of kings. This divine right was the recognition that the king could have whatever he wanted. He was, after all, the king. This is what Jezebel was hinting at. Are you the King or not? If you are, then act like one! You can have whatever you want!

Of course, Israelite kings are somewhat restricted or limited by the fact that they were expected to obey God’s laws. Even the King himself was duty-bound to obey God. Naboth reminded the King of God’s law and that’s why the King sulked: he couldn’t do anything about God’s law. Naboth was in the right. The King was in no position to buy, or own, the land.

Jezebel herself, however, was not an Israelite. She was as heathen as they come and she had no compunctions about disobeying God’s laws. Her husband was the King and, by golly, the King can have whatever he wants! She’ll make sure to that! While her devious mind went to work, she cheered her husband up: Arise and eat bread and let your heart be cheerful; I will give you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite (1 Kings 21:7).

What did she do? She wrote letters in Ahab’s name and sealed them with his seal, and she sent the letters to the elders and the leaders who lived with Naboth in his city.  (9)  And she wrote in the letters, Proclaim a fast, and set Naboth at the head of the people.  (10)  And set two worthless men opposite him, and let them bring a charge against him, saying, ‘You have cursed God and the king.’ Then take him out and stone him to death (1 Kings 21:8-10).

Unfortunately, Jezreel’s leaders were pretty spineless. The Queen was legendary for her wickedness and wrath and the town’s elders didn’t want to mess with her. So they did as they were told and poor Naboth got himself killed.

When Jezebel got the news that Naboth was dead, she told her husband the King to arise, take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, which he refused to give you for money, for Naboth is not alive, but dead (1 Kings 21:15).

As you’d imagine, the downcast King, on hearing the news of his good fortune, hightailed it out of the palace in sheer jubilation and went to take possession of the coveted piece of land that was now his.

When you’ve got your entire being focused on doing something wrong you don’t take the time to think things through. You don’t think about God, morals, virtue, right or wrong. You shut God out. But I love the way God butts right back in and speaks with a voice that will not be silenced.

1 Kings 21:17-19,  Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,  (18)  “Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who is in Samaria; behold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone to take possession.  (19)  And you shall say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Have you killed and also taken possession?”‘ And you shall say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: “In the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick your own blood.”‘”

Ahab was wrong and he did something wrong. Yeah, we can all say that it wasn’t his fault. It was his wife’s fault. It was her idea. But when he went to take possession of Naboth’s vineyard he was doing something he knew was wrong. In this way, he was complicit with Jezebel in the murder of a perfectly good man. 

So what’s the moral of the story? YOU CAN’T ALWAYS HAVE WHATEVER YOU WANT. It’s that plain and simple.

I think a lot of times we use our status or position in life to fool us into thinking we can have whatever we want. We may not be the King, like Ahab, but I’m the boss, I’m the pastor, I’m the man-in-charge, I’m the father, or I’m the mother, I have the final say, I’m an adult, I can think for myself, I can make my own decisions, I’m a Christian, I’m a child of God, God says I can have whatever I want (Mark 11:24), and, by golly, I can have whatever I want!

Nice try, bucko. But you’ve got it wrong! Mark 11:24 is true. But God also said you can’t have whatever’s sinful or harmful for you. Look it up for yourself in James 4:1-3. You can’t have whatever you’re lusting after—not with God’s blessings or permission. Some of the things you want aren’t good for you. You might think otherwise. But God knows better than you. He knows what’s good for you and what’s not. When something you want isn’t good for you God puts His foot down and  says, No, you’ve got it wrong. You can’t have whatever you want.

Of course, you can contravene God’s law and get whatever it is you want. But be forewarned. You will pay the consequences, like Ahab did. Yeah, he got the land that he wanted. But he paid for it with his life! Read it for yourself. In 1 Kings 21 he gets the land. And in the very next chapter, 1 Kings 22, he gets killed. What he wanted and got ended up killing him. So was it worth it?

Is it worth it to you? Are you willing to die to get whatever it is you want? If it came right down to it, are you willing to go to hell to get whatever you want?  Is it really worth that much to you?

Listen, if you can learn this one lesson now, while you’re alive and not after you’re dead, you will be so much the wiser: NOTHING AND NO ONE IS WORTH GOING TO HELL OVER. Give it up. Let it go. When it comes to what’s unlawful, illicit, or ungodly, whatever  it is you want, it’s not worth hell.

If we don’t learn from the mistakes of others we’re doomed to repeat those same mistakes. So take it from the dead if not from the Lord and His Word: you can’t always have whatever you want. And if you insist otherwise you will live to regret the day you disobeyed the Lord. You can count on it.

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SPIRITUAL REJECTION PART 6

November 13, 2012 at 10:39 AM (Christian Living, Rejection)
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GETTING CURED OF REJECTION

1. ACKNOWLEDGE THE PROBLEM. So how do you get rid of rejection? You first of all have to acknowledge the fact that you’re rejected, that is, you’re battling feelings and thoughts of rejection. You can’t deal with the problem if you don’t recognize there’s a problem. As long as you minimize the problem, or worse yet, refuse to admit you’ve got a problem, then you’re not going to be rid of the problem. Rejection will linger in your life as long as you allow it to linger. It’ll be a part of you as long as you coddle it and refuse to get rid of it. And this brings me to a second step in the cure for rejection.

2. YOU HAVE TO WANT TO BE FREE OF REJECTION. Unbelievably, some people don’t want to be free from rejection! In an absurd or insane way, they like being rejected and want to be rejected! Why is that? Because they relish the pity and attention they get from well-meaning people who try to help them get set free from rejection. People who battle rejection don’t necessarily love rejection: they don’t necessarily want to be rejected. What they want is to be accepted. They want to be the object of people’s time, care, concern, and help. When people give them that care and help they’re feeding the rejected person’s desire for acceptance and thus, unknowingly, strengthening the grip that rejection has in that person’s life. For many people who battle rejection, rejection is their ticket to acceptance. That’s why some people will not be freed from rejection. For them, rejection IS acceptance. 

As long as  you feel this way about rejection and acceptance you will not be freed from rejection no matter how long and how hard people try to help you. Rejection will be a lingering part of your life as long as you coddle it and refuse to let it go. THERE ARE OTHER WAYS TO GAIN ACCEPTANCE. WHEN YOU USE REJECTION TO GET ACCEPTED YOU’RE ONLY ASKING FOR REJECTION TO STAY PUT IN YOUR LIFE AND CONTINUE BEING THE MASTER AND TORMENTOR OF YOUR SOUL.

If you want to be free from rejection, if you want it gone and out of your life, then hallelujah you’re on the right track. It’s a good start. But don’t stop there.

Closely related to the desire to be free from rejection, you have to be willing to do whatever it takes to be free. As in many areas of life, people want things without having to work too hard or too long to get them. They want something for nothing. Or next-to-nothing.

That kind of mentality doesn’t work for rejection. Rejection is a warfare. And no warfare is ever won without blood, sweat, and tears. Freedom requires a fight. And you’ve got to be willing to fight for your freedom.

If you’re ready to fight and do what it takes to get set free from rejection, then take the next step.

3. GET READY TO FIGHT THE DEVIL OF REJECTION. As I pointed out earlier in the previous posts, rejection starts out as a feeling or thought. This is a natural part of being human and we all battle these feelings and thoughts. All of us do. Without exception. We’ve all been tempted to think we’re no good, nobody loves us, God doesn’t want us.

If we don’t deal with these feelings and thoughts, if we keep entertaining them and don’t nip them in the bud, we unwittingly open the door to demonic oppression. As I explained in the previous post, there are demonic spirits whose sole task in life is to get you to think and feel you’re rejected. To your unawares, they’re constantly talking to you, persuading you, convincing you. I can’t tell you exactly when the oppression takes place. Somewhere along the line, feelings become more than just human feelings. They become human feelings manipulated by demonic spirits and, at some definite point in time—to your unawares—you become a slave to these spirits.

It’s like a nicotine addiction. You start out with one cigarette, then it leads to another, then another. At first you have some control and you can decide when, or if, you’re going to smoke another cigarette. But, by and large, the more you smoke the more you want to smoke again. In time, you get to a point where desire becomes addiction and enslavement. Instead of being a casual smoker you are now a chain smoker.

It works the same way with demonic spirits of rejection. These spirits don’t come against you and control you against your will. It’s not like they overpower you and decide they’re going to control you for the duration. You hold the key to your soul. You control what thoughts you allow to enter your mind. You decide what kind of feelings you’re going to experience in your soul. Like cigarettes, the more you “inhale” the feelings and thoughts of rejection, the more you’re becoming addicted to rejection and you wake up one morning not realizing that the addiction to rejection has become full-blown enslavement or oppression by demonic spirits.

Persistent and longstanding feelings or thoughts of rejection, I’m saying, is a demonic spirit. If you’ve been battling long and hard against rejection, then a demonic spirit is involved and you’re going to have to do battle with that spirit.

One of the biggest hindrances that keeps Christians oppressed and enslaved to rejection is the belief that Christians can’t be oppressed by demons. Since they’re a Christian, they’re not oppressed. The continual presence and mastery that rejection has in their life is explained as a weakness or struggle, but not as a demon.

It’s not my purpose in this post to prove that Christians can be oppressed by demons. I’ve seen it happen. I’ve taken Christians through deliverance. I’ve seen demons manifesting in Christians. So I know what I’m talking about. And I’m not alone. There are gobs of Spirit-filled Christians throughout the world who’ve taken Christians through deliverance or who were themselves oppressed and subsequently delivered.

Many Christians believe that the Spirit of God cannot live in the same body with a demonic spirit. They believe that people can have only one spirit—either the Holy Spirit or a demonic spirit—living inside them. But, on a wider scale, our homes, our communities, our nation, our Earth, is the habitation of both the Spirit of God and demonic spirits. God by His Spirit lives on Earth, where demons also live. So what’s the difference between living in a body and living in the Earth? Do you see what I’m saying? If the Spirit of God can inhabit the Earth even though the Earth is chock full of demons, then why can’t the same thing apply to the human body?

Christ gave us the power to cast demons out (Matthew 10:8, Mark 16:17). He set the gift of the discerning of spirits in the church (1 Corinthians 12:10), which tells me that there are demonic spirits in the church.

If you want to believe that Christians can’t be oppressed by demons, you’re entitled to believe that. I don’t suggest you do. As long as you refuse to combat a demonic spirit working against you, or inside you, you’re not going to be free from rejection and I, among many others, will not be able to help you. The war will always rage on until you confront and defeat the enemy.

If you’re ready to concede that a demonic spirit is working against you, then you’re ready for the next step.

4. GO TO GOD IN PRAYER. The unbelief that keeps you from believing and receiving God’s love and forgiveness is a sin. It’s a rejection of His love and forgiveness. That’s why you need to go to God in prayer, repent for your unbelief, and ask Him to forgive you. Ask Him to give you the grace to believe that He really loves you, wants you, and forgives you.

5. FAITH, POWER, AND AUTHORITY OVER DEMONS. As a Christian God has given you authority over demons. You have the God-given power and authority to command the demons in Jesus’ Name (Matthew 10:8, Mark 16:17, Luke 10:19-20). When you use Jesus’ Name it’s like Jesus Himself is  present and He’s commanding these demons Himself. Just as demons obeyed Christ’s command and came out of oppressed people when He was here on the earth, so these same demons must obey you and do whatever you command them to do in Jesus’ Name.

Before you get freed from rejection you must believe you’ve got the upper hand over them: you’ve got to believe you have the power, right, and authority to command them and expect them to leave you alone in Jesus’ Name. If you don’t believe you’ve got power over the spirit of rejection, then that spirit isn’t going to leave you. Demons know when you’re believing and when you’re not. They’re not going to listen to you when you’re not listening to God, that is, when you’re not believing what God said about you having power over demons.

If you don’t believe you can command demons and tell them what to do, the first thing you need to do is believe. Faith comes before freedom or deliverance. Study the Scriptures I cited earlier. Read the New Testament and focus specifically on how demons obeyed Jesus and the apostles. And by the time you’re done reading from Matthew through the Book of Acts you should believe. Christ has already given you the power. You have it right now. You just need to believe it and use it in Jesus’ Name. Once you believe that you’ve got the power to command the spirit of rejection, you’re ready to command.

6. REBUKE THE SPIRIT OF REJECTION IN JESUS’ NAME. Before I command demons I like to open up in a word of prayer to God and thank Him for giving me the power and authority over demons. I ask our Heavenly Father for protection and deliverance.

I then speak directly to the demons involved. In this case, you’ll be speaking to a spirit of rejection. Speak to the spirit by name, rebuke him, and command him to come out of you or leave you alone in Jesus’ Name. Say something like this: Spirit of rejection, I rebuke you in Jesus’ Name and I command you to come out of me and leave me alone in Jesus’ Name. I no longer want you in my life. I’m kicking you out in Jesus’ Name. Jesus Christ sets me free from you and you must go in Jesus’ Name.

It’s as simple as that. It doesn’t take a marathon of time of get delivered and set free from demons. All it takes is a simple command of faith spoken in Jesus’ Name. And within moments you’ll be set free.

If you’d rather have someone pray for you and take you through deliverance, then find another believer who’s willing to do that for you. Above all, make sure the believer is filled with faith, is righteous and not enslaved to demons, and knows how to command demons effectively in Jesus’ Name.

Sometimes demons do resist at first. They’re testing your mettle to see if you really believe and expect them to go. If this happens, if you feel like nothing’s happened and the spirit of rejection hasn’t left you; just stand your ground, remind the spirit that you’ve got the power over him, and command him to leave you right now in Jesus’ Name. If you stand up to him, the demon will leave you and you’ll know it, you’ll feel it, and you’ll be free. Hallelujah for Christ’s power and deliverance! Be sure to thank the Lord for setting you free!

7. BE PREPARED TO FIGHT TO STAY FREE. Human beings can live out in the open or out in nature. But, let’s face it, even from the most ancient of times, our descendants made homes for themselves because homes were more comfortable and secure from the elements, the beasts of the field, and the enemy.

Demons are much the same way. They like homes to live in and the homes they like to live in are people. When a demon is cast out of a person that homeless demon doesn’t like being homeless. He’s going to want to find someone else to inhabit. More often than not, the cast out demon will come back to you and try to get back inside of you. Matthew 12:43-45 tells us what goes on after a person has been set free of demons. Read it for yourself. After reading it you’ll come to the realization that freedom is a fight to stay free. You’re free right now. But the spirit of rejection is probably coming back to try and oppress you once again. This is normal. Just be aware of it and be prepared to fight the spirit back.

So how do you fight to stay free?

  • Start out with faith. Believe and receive God’s love and forgiveness. Reading my post on THINKING ‘ABOUT ME might help you receive the reality of God’s endearing, unfailing love for you.
  • Cultivate a mindset of power and freedom. The spirit of rejection took control of you because you didn’t believe God’s Word. You believed what the devil told you. This is the mindset that got you oppressed and it’s a mindset that you mustn’t return to. You’ve got to cultivate a mindset that believes you’re loved, forgiven, and accepted by God. A mindset that believes you have the power to get set free from demons and stay free from demons. How do you cultivate this mindset? Say over and over again, “God loves me, God’s forgiven me.” Meditate on the many promises and comforts of Scripture, such as those that we’ve already read in this blog. Confess these promises. And refuse to entertain any thoughts that contradict God’s Word and promises.
  • When the spirit of rejection comes and talks to you, refuse to listen to, or entertain, any of his lies. Remember, they’re lies. These are the lies that got you in trouble and bondage to oppression in the first place. Don’t go that route again! No matter how good or convincing the devil sounds, refuse to listen to him and shut him up instead with the Word of God: There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). God has made me accepted in the Beloved (Ephesians 1:6). God has forgiven all mine iniquities (Psalm 103:3). God loves me and He loves me with a great love (Ephesians 2:4). Counter the devil’s lies with Scriptures such as these and you will prevail against rejection, you will walk in victory, and the Lord’s peace and joy will return to your soul.
  • Wherever possible, don’t hang around people who don’t love or encourage you in the Lord. Negative people will drag you down. Remember, the devil works through people too and he’ll make sure there are people who cross your path who will try and make you feel like you’re so totally worthless and no good. Stay away from them. Find a good church to fellowship in and surround yourself with people who will edify and encourage you. Find good Christian friends who will take time to pray with you, pray for you, and help you walk in victory. Pray and ask the Lord to give you a friend and a church who can help you. This is one prayer that God will definitely answer!
  • Lastly, praise the Lord in song. Thank Him for what He’s done for you. Magnify His grace and love. Instead of looking at a past sin, look to Jesus’ shed blood on Calvary and bless Him for His love and forgiveness. Every time you’re tempted to think on past sins, praise God in song and prayer. Thank Him for ridding you of the demonic spirit that kept you rejected. As you praise Him the Lord will minister to you and fill you with the assurance of His love and forgiveness. May God bless you, dear saints of God, and keep you free from rejection.

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BEST DECISION EVER: TAGGING ALONG

November 13, 2012 at 9:31 AM (Best Decision Ever, Christian Living)
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INTRODUCTION

In the course of a twenty-four hour period we make gobs of decisions. Some of these we make with a serious amount of forethought and prayer. Others we make spontaneously with little or no thought as to the consequences or impact our decisions will have—not only for ourselves, but for the many others whose lives are intertwined with ours.

Have you ever thought much about how a single decision can change your life forever? For better or worse?

In these blog posts I’d like to look at the one good decision that some people in the Bible made that changed the course of their life for the better. By looking at ourselves in the mirror of God’s Word I hope we’ll all take comfort, courage, and hope in the fact that, despite the mess we’re presently faced with, we can still turn things around. A lousy past or dismal present doesn’t have to give us the same future. By God’s grace, our future and life can be changed for the better…if we only make the right decision today. May God help us do that on a daily basis!

TAGGING ALONG

The Israelites were not too long ago delivered from a lifetime of bondage in Egypt. They were now in the desert, making their way towards Mount Sinai where they were to rendezvous with God. After Sinai they would resume their journey to their ultimate destination, the Promised Land called Canaan.

Anyways, I’m really getting ahead of myself. The Israelites were probably two or three million strong. Their caravan had to have been really humongous. And their campsites had to have struck awe and wonder at the sheer number of people involved. If I was an enemy bystander I’d think twice before attacking this huge number of people!

Anyways, the Amalekites weren’t similarly inclined. They found the Israelites encamped at a place called Rephidim and figured they were easy pickings. So they attacked the Israelites and, of course, the Israelites had to respond and defend themselves. So Moses told Joshua, his lead General, what to do.

Exodus 17:9-13,  And Moses said to Joshua, “Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand.”  (10)  So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.  (11)  And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.  (12)  But Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.  (13)  So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

In a very real way, Israel won the war because of Moses’ uplifted hands. Thank the Lord for Aaron and Hur who held up his hands and enabled the Israelite victory!

How different the war would have ended if Moses hadn’t brought Aaron and Hur along! If they hadn’t held up Moses’s hands, Israel would have lost the war. Moses couldn’t hold up his hands all day by himself! He needed help. And that’s where Aaron and Hur came in. So a large part of the credit for the battle’s victory went to Aaron and Hur.

Did Moses know in advance how long the battle would last? Did he have any idea that it’d last the whole day? Did he know that it wasn’t going to be enough to hold the rod of God in his hand? That he’d have to hold the rod up until the battle’s end to accomplish the battle’s victory? Did he know he was going to need Aaron’s and Hur’s help to hold up his hands? I don’t know. But Moses’ decision to bring these two guys along was, to that point in time, his best decision ever. Israel would have been decimated and vanquished had it not been for Aaron and Hur!

Sometimes we make decisions that, at the moment, seem rather inconsequential. Moses could have gone up the hill by himself and left Aaron and Hur in the camp to take care of things for him. But, rather wisely and with foresight, he decided to let Aaron and Hur tag along. And, in hindsight, we learn that the decision we made as a matter of no consequence turned out to be a momentous, life-changing decision.

Brethren, don’t ever underestimate the importance of any decision you make! The little stuff can end up being a really really big deal!

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THE JESUS I DIDN’T KNOW: THE COMFORTER

November 6, 2012 at 12:15 PM (Life of Christ, The Jesus I Didn't Know)
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INTRODUCTION

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 COMFORTER IN LIFE’S DISAPPOINTMENTS

Hi guys. I wish I had some uppity-up things to say to you today. I’d like to cheer you up. But I’m in need of cheering up myself. I’m about to lose my head. Literally. And, as you can imagine, I’m not too thrilled about that. I guess I’m getting ahead of myself. Here. Let me start over and introduce myself.

I’m John the Baptist. And here’s my story. As many of you know, I’m the forerunner of Messiah. For those of you who don’t know what that means, for hundreds of years our prophets told us about the Messianic King who would come to Israel and rule the world. Messiah had to be preceded by His forerunner. This was the guy that went before Messiah and announced His coming. We Jews have been longing for Messiah for hundreds of years. When the forerunner appeared we knew Messiah was not far behind.

Well, before I was born, an angel appeared to my dad while he was serving as a priest in the holy place in the Temple in Jerusalem (Luke 1:5-17). He told dad that I would be Messiah’s forerunner! I was special! God Himself trained me in the desert where I took up residence. When it came time for me to make my move, I started preaching and baptizing in the Jordan River. Then I told everybody the great news. Messiah has come! I even know who He is! He’s Jesus of Nazareth! So, from an advertising and PR point of view, you can say I’m a pretty important fellow. I’m a pivotal figure in Jewish history (if I may humbly say so myself).

We all knew that Messiah would be a political, militant, conquering King. He would come to Israel, free us from Roman domination, and restore Jewish independence and sovereignty. From here He would go on, with us as His followers, to conquer and rule the world. He would establish the worldwide kingdom of God on the earth. And we, of course, would help Him rule the world. We lived for this dream and this day! And now that Jesus was in our midst we were pumped up with excitement and the realization that we were uniquely blest by God to live in such a signal moment of history as now.

I was at the crest of my popularity when Herod Antipas caught me baptizing in Galilee and had me arrested. Herod was the Governor at that time and, seeing that he was in an adulterous marriage to his sister-in-law Herodias, I spoke out against him and that’s why he busted me and threw me in the dungeon at his palace fortress in Machaerus.

If you’ve never been in solitary confinement in a cold, damp, dark dungeon you wouldn’t know or understand the doubts that began to run rampant in my mind. Jesus was the Messiah. I knew that beyond all shadow of a doubt when I saw the Spirit of God descend upon Him like a dove after I baptized Him in the Jordan River. But persecution and suffering have a way of getting you to doubt things that you never imagined you would doubt. Jesus was out there. I’m in here. Why hasn’t He come to free me from his hell hole in the ground? He wouldn’t begin the liberation of Israel without me, would He? Even if He did, He’d still come and get me, wouldn’t He? I am, after all, His PR man. He needs me! I served Him faithfully. I even put my neck on the line for Him. No way is He going to let me rot or hang in here! But if He’s the Messiah with the power to conquer the world, why hasn’t He come for me? Why am I still in here? Could it be He’s not the Messiah after all?

When I couldn’t bear it any longer, I sent some of my disciples who had come to visit me to go find Jesus and ask Him if He really was the Messiah.

When my disciples came back a few days later you should’ve seen them. They were all pumped up about Jesus! He did all sorts of miracles that you wouldn’t believe. The blind saw. The deaf heard. The dumb spake. The paralyzed moved. Demon-possessed people were set free. Jesus did all these, and more, for my disciples to see. He was doing exactly what the prophets said Messiah would do when He comes to Israel. The miracles were Jesus’ way of letting me know that, yes, He was still the Messiah! Then He told my disciples, Go and tell John what you see. And give him this message from me, Blessed is he who doesn’t stumble over Me (Luke 7:19-23).

You’d think I’d be jumping over chairs with jubilation about the miracles Jesus did. I was. I was relieved to hear it straight from Him that He was truly the Messiah. But, and this is what I asked my disciples, Did He say anything about coming to get me? Is He going to get me out of here? Is He on His way? When is He going to rescue me from Herod’s dungeon?

The jubilance of Messiah’s miracles was instantly changed into a deafening silence. Somberness instantly set in and heaviness hung in the air. It was as if death itself had come into my dungeon cell riding his pale horse.

Turned out Jesus didn’t say anything about coming to rescue me. If He was going to do it you’d think He would’ve said something to my disciples. His silence was ominous. 

Even more ominous were His words the longer I thought about them: Blessed is he who doesn’t stumble over Me. They were cryptic at first. But the longer I thought about them the realization finally hit me: Jesus wasn’t going to come to the rescue! Why in the world not? That didn’t make any sense at all to me! Jesus needs me! I did my part serving Him! He owes me! You bet I was starting to stumble over Him. He was tripping me up royally! I was a fuming and a flipping! God, I just don’t understand what you’re doing! And why!

After I settled down and dried my tears, the words of Jesus came back to me. One word in particular. Blessed. It’s as if Jesus knew I was going to flip out over Him not coming to get me. He would still bless me if I could just pull myself together and stay loyal to Him no matter what. Even in His abandonment He would bless me. I won’t be resentful or hateful. I won’t turn my back on Him. I’ll be blessed.

As you would understand, Jesus’ answer was not the one I wanted to hear. I fully expected Him to tell me He was on His way. He’d get me out of this hole in the ground. Freedom would be my reward for my faithfulness. Of course I was disappointed. Big time! I thought God let me down. He didn’t come through for me. He was a No-Show when I really needed Him the most.

But I had it all wrong! It was what I wanted, not what God wanted. Anytime we want things our way we’re setting ourselves up for disappointment because God doesn’t always do things our way. He sees the big picture. He knows what’s good for us. And He always does what’s good for us. Yeah, He may disappoint at times. But even in disappointment He speaks comfort. He’s the Comforter. And He knows how to cheer us up if only we’d listen.

Want to feel better? Take it from me. Listen to God speak and you’ll be feeling a whole lot better a whole lot sooner. Stick to your ways and you’ll be in the dumps. Trust God’s goodness, let Him have His way with you, and you’ll be victorious over life’s disappointments.

I thought I had Jesus all figured out. He was gonna come get me because He was the political, militant, conquering King. He was. He still is. But He’s also the sin-saving Savior, the spiritual Messiah as the prophets also prophesied (which all of us Jews conveniently forgot). We wanted our King! God would give Him to us. But first He would give us our Suffering Servant and Sin-Savior. He wasn’t going to rescue me because He wasn’t going to reign. The cross had to come before the crown. I didn’t understand this at first. But now I do.

I’m going to lose my head. That’s a tough way to go out. But I’m going to stay faithful and true to the end because I want to be blessed. I know you probably won’t understand me, but I value faithfulness now more than freedom. I value loyalty more than life itself.

I thought I had more to do for Messiah. I guess not. God’s done with me. I’ll die holding my head up high, privileged to have been Messiah’s forerunner. I won’t get a chance to read my obit, but I know Jesus will say something good about me. I AM blessed. So don’t feel sorry for me. The good thing about losing my head is I’ll be with God in glory. And you can’t be any more blessed than that!

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RANDOM THOUGHTS ABOUT GOD: FEELINGS

October 31, 2012 at 12:07 PM (God Thoughts, Musings)
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DOES GOD HAVE FEELINGS?

I was laying in bed a short time ago having one of my “random” moments. What if God doesn’t have any feelings at all?  Whether any one of us will admit it or not, a lot of people believe He doesn’t.  

God can look at what we’ve done to the American Indian. The Negro of a dark, shameful era in American history. More recently, what America is doing with the unborn and the unwanted. And now, what America’s doing with God Himself. The nation is literally kicking God out of the public sphere. Whether we’re talking about public prayer, Bibles, the Ten Commandments, the freedom of Christian expression and conviction, or anything else Christian; vocal, militant, mainstream America wants nothing to do with God.

The nation’s assault on God has come to the very root, foundation, and core of any civilized society—the family. We’ve begun to change the traditional, really, the Biblical, definition of marriage and family.

What does God think about all these?

Anyone with feelings can’t help but be outraged by these travesties of justice and morality. You don’t have to be a Christian. You don’t even have to believe in God. All you have to be is a person of feeling, a person with feelings, and you will be outraged at all that is grossly and inhumanly wrong. We can talk about the treatment of animals. About what goes on in the farms and slaughterhouses where the nation’s meat supply comes from. We can talk about the poisonous chemicalization of our food supply, the depletion of natural resources, the rain forests, global warming, the ozone layer, and a whole host of other hot-button issues that people are so passionate about.  

We respond because we’re creatures of feelings. We feel pain. We identify ourselves with those who are pained—be it human or nature—and we get pretty vocal, even militant, about things that really get under our skin and arouse our dander. Why is that? It’s because feelings lead to a formative response. They lead us to action.

We can talk about the rightness or wrongness of our feelings-induced actions and responses. An anti-abortionist’s killing of an abortion provider; or a PETA person assaulting a woman in furs; are examples of the rightness or wrongness of an action that are matters of discussion or debate. Actions are another matter of discussion for another day. I’m simply trying to lay the groundwork here and say what we all already know: our feelings lead us to action.

What if God, unlike us, doesn’t have feelings?  Then it would be easy to understand why He can be so aloof or uncaring about all the evils that exist in our world. God doesn’t care!  It’s like God doesn’t exist!  He isn’t going to judge us for our evils or wrongs because He plainly doesn’t care. He doesn’t feel what we feel. He isn’t insulted, angered, or passionate about the things that we feel strongly about. He can look at what America has done to the Indians and the Negroes, or look at the genocide of the unborns, the killing fields in Russia, Europe, Cambodia, and Rwanda in bygone years, and not care or bring it to judgment because He has no feelings that would make Him care. Make Him mad. Militant. Responsive.

A person’s disbelief in God and consequent disbelief in prayer is a soothing and rational explanation for the presence of pain, suffering, and death. If God exists, if He feels what we feels, He wouldn’t possibly allow any of this to happen to us! The mere fact of pain and death are, to many, proof that God doesn’t exist. Or, if He does, then He plainly doesn’t care! And we flatly don’t need a God who doesn’t care!

But herein comes the problem. If this is so, if God doesn’t have feelings, then, within the framework of all of us who believe God made us, Can a God without feelings create people with feelings?  Can a God who doesn’t know anything about love, hate, anger, and the like, make people who feel such things? Feel what He doesn’t? Would God make us with something that He Himself doesn’t have, namely feelings?

You can mull on that while I move on. I’ve answered the question for  myself because I’ve read the Book and I know the Lord. God does have feelings. And, like us, He gets vocal about what He feels (the Bible); He’s responsive to what He feels (Calvary) and, one day, He’ll become militant about what He feels (the Tribulation and Day of Judgment).

In the meantime, regardless of where you’re at in Christian growth or where you stand in the Biblical, theological spectrum, rest assured that God has feelings. That’s why He’s going to bring every thought, every action, every person, every evil and travesty, to judgment. Feelings lead to a response at some time or another. We shouldn’t be surprised if they have this same effect on God.

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ONE BAD DECISION: YOU ARE INSANE!

October 24, 2012 at 10:05 AM (Christian Living, One Bad Decision)
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INTRODUCTION

In the course of a twenty-four hour period we make gobs of decisions. Some of these we make with a serious amount of forethought and prayer. But, if you’re like me, we make many of our decisions spontaneously with little or no thought as to the consequences or impact our decisions will have—not only for ourselves, but also for the many others whose lives are intertwined with ours.

Have you ever thought much about how a single decision can change your life forever? Sometimes a single decision will change us for the better. And sometimes a single decision will change us for the worse.

In these blog posts I’d like to look at the singular decision that some people in the Bible made that changed their lives forever…for the worse. By looking at ourselves in the mirror of God’s Word it’ll give us reason to stop and think about both the long-term and short-term ramifications of the decisions we make. Lots of forethought and prayer, I’m convinced, will save us from the pain and regret of a hastily-made decision for the worse.

YOU ARE INSANE!

I have to admit that I don’t know a whole lot about jealousy. I’m not the jealous type and I seriously don’t remember when the last time was that I battled jealousy. I guess my morals kept me from going there. So I don’t know a whole lot about jealousy except what I see it do in people’s lives and how it’s affected them. In every instance, jealousy affected them for the worst. Always. And without exception.

I used to think that anger was temporary insanity. It is. But I recently learned from a Bible story that jealousy is temporary insanity too. IT MAKES YOU THINK, TALK, AND ACT IRRATIONALLY. IT MAKES YOU CRAZY! The story I’m talking about is found in Daniel 6.

Darius the Mede has captured Babylon. He now reigns as supreme ruler of the ancient Middle Eastern world. His is a vast kingdom composed of three great nations. They were not only great, but they were world empires! These three nations were Babylonia, Media, and Persia.

Naturally, every king needs help in governing the vast expanse of lands and nations that now lie under his possession and control. Babylonia itself is divided into 120 provinces and the King appoints 120 satraps, or governors, to rule over these provinces. These 120 satraps, in turn, were subordinate and answerable to 3 presidents. And, finally, the 3 presidents were answerable to the King.

Anyways, Daniel made a name for himself in Babylon, serving in the courts of the Babylonians Kings Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzer. So when Darius took the throne he conducted interviews to see who would make a good satrap or president. As you’d probably guess, Daniel stood at the forefront of the King’s candidates and he was promptly appointed as one of the 3 presidents in Babylon.

In the course of time, Daniel proved himself to be such a gifted leader and greatly advantageous to the King that Darius thought to promote him to an even higher position: he would make Daniel the Grand Vizier over the entire Kingdom! He would no longer be a presidential triumvir in Babylonia: he would be the 2nd in Command over Babylonia, Media, and Persia. Only the King would be more powerful than him!

With such a promotion pending, Daniel’s associates in Babylonia were alarmed. Daniel 6:4-5  puts it this way:  Then the presidents and the satraps sought to find a ground for complaint against Daniel with regard to the kingdom, but they could find no ground for complaint or any fault, because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him.  (5)  Then these men said, “We shall not find any ground for complaint against this Daniel unless we find it in connection with the law of his God.”

I don’t know about you and I don’t know what you see in these verses, but I see jealousy written all over these men. Why would they want to  badmouth and vilify a man when there was nothing wrong with him? Think of it. These guys couldn’t find a single thing wrong with Daniel! They didn’t care for Daniel’s God. And they certainly didn’t respect or agree with  his religious convictions. But other than this, Daniel was so good at his job that they couldn’t pin any missteps on him! So why mess with the guy?

Daniel had a solid, favorable reputation in Babylon. These satraps and presidents knew him well. They knew about his  extraordinary wisdom and his ability to interpret strange, perplexing dreams.  And writings on the wall. They got a taste of Daniel’s God when they witnessed or heard Shadrach’s, Meshach’s, and Abednego’s miraculous preservation in the midst of the fiery furnace. Did these men have no fear of God?

Worse yet, didn’t they fear the King’s edict? After the King had Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego brought out from the furnace, he proclaimed “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside the king’s command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God.  (29)  Therefore I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins, for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way” (Daniel 3:28-29).

Daniel’s jealous satraps and presidents were playing with fire by messing with Daniel’s God. They ought to have known better. Did they seriously think that a God who could keep 3 guys from getting incinerated and cremated in a humongously-hot fire  not keep a guy alive in a den of lions? Fire burns and hungry lions eat. But if fire doesn’t burn 3 God-believing Jews, then isn’t it possible for hungry lions to keep their paws and chops off a God-believing, God-blest Jew? Let’s face it. These scheming and conniving foxes were downright crazy. But then, THIS IS WHAT JEALOUSY DOES TO PEOPLE: IT RENDERS YOU TEMPORARILY INSANE AND UNABLE TO THINK CLEARLY.

What’s even more insane about these satraps and presidents is the fact that they decided to wage a war of impeachment against a man who was heavily favored by the King! To fight the King’s friend was risky business because they’d be fighting against the King himself. Did these guys honestly think they could mess with the King’s friend and not lose their heads over it?

Apparently so. In hindsight we know they were stupid. Just remember that. JEALOUSY MAKES YOU INSANE AND IT ALSO MAKES YOU STUPID. IT BRINGS THE WORST OUT OF YOU. IT MAKES YOU MURDEROUS. AND IT MAKES YOU SAY AND DO STUPID THINGS THAT YOU’LL LATER ON REGRET.

Long story short, the satraps and presidents fool the King into forbidding anyone to pray to any other god except the King. The King unwittingly signs the edict. Of course, Daniel isn’t going to obey the royal edict. He’s faithful to God, first and foremost. So Daniel continues to pray to his God three times a day, with his window open so that everyone can see that he was praying.

Naturally, when the satraps and presidents brought the matter to the King, the King had no recourse but to very reluctantly and sadly throw his beloved Daniel into a den of hungry lions. May the God who you serve keep you safe from the lions were the King’s last words of hope to Daniel before the den was sealed.

The King couldn’t sleep all night. He didn’t eat either. Darius was remorseful about the edict that he’d been conned into signing. He didn’t want Daniel dead! If he was like any of us, as I’m sure he was, the King was ginormously ticked with his satraps and presidents. Payback was on his mind. He wasn’t going to let these men get away with murder!

At the crack of dawn, the King hurried to the lions’ den. It was dark in the den, so the King cried out, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is your God, whose servant you are at all times, able to keep you safe from the lions?

And from the bottom of the den came Daniel’s reply and the King’s gladdened relief:  O King, live for ever.  (22)  My God has sent his angel to keep the lions’ mouths shut, and they have done me no damage: because I was without sin before him; and also before you, O King, I have done no wrong (Daniel 6:21-22 ).

The King was so elated! His hope that Daniel’s God would keep him safe had been realized! Truly, God was a powerful Savior and Defender of His people! And woe to the man who messes with God or His people! In fact, the King went on to declare this edict: I decree that in every part of my kingdom people should tremble with terror in front of Daniel’s God, the living God who continues forever. His kingdom will never be destroyed. His power lasts to the end of time. (27) He saves, rescues, and does miraculous signs and amazing things in heaven and on earth (Daniel 6:26-27).

As it turned out, the satraps’ and presidents’ decision to mess with Daniel was their worst decision ever. Daniel 6:24 tells their sad end, The king ordered those men who had brought charges against Daniel to be brought to him. They, their wives, and their children were thrown into the lions’ den. I can’t imagine what these men must have felt as they heard the King’s judgment and were brought to the lions’ den. I can’t imagine the horror their wives and children felt, their tortured screams and pains as they were being eaten alive. Take it from these guys, JEALOUSY WILL FILL YOUR LIFE WITH REGRETS AND SORROWS.

JEALOUSY KILLS YOU IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER. A big part of you dies on the inside when you let jealousy consume and control you. The sad thing is, JEALOUSY NOT ONLY KILLS YOU: IT ALSO KILLS THE PEOPLE YOU LOVE OR ARE JEALOUS ABOUT. Jealousy brings death. It ends in death. And when you decide you want to be jealous you’re bringing the curtains down on yourself. You’re asking to be eaten alive. Don’t do it! It’s not worth it!

GET RID OF JEALOUSY. IT’S THE ONLY WAY YOU’RE GOING TO SEE AND THINK CLEARLY AGAIN. HOLD ON TO JEALOUSY AND IT’LL DRIVE YOU NUTS! 

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JUDGE NOT PART 7

October 18, 2012 at 9:07 AM (Ethics, Judge Not)
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INTRODUCTION

Jesus admonished us in Matthew 7:1, Judge not, that ye be not judged.  This is one of the most recited verses in all of Scripture. Yet it’s one of the most misunderstood, misapplied, and abused. The verse is most-commonly evoked in cases of sin, doctrinal error, or morality. And it is thus quoted to authoritatively and unequivocally declare that Christians have no right to judge others—including other Christians—who are involved in sin or error. It is perhaps a well-intentioned plea for Christians to just shut up, leave people alone, and let God do the judging.

I am not an advocate for judgmentalism. I detest that spirit and the aura of self-righteousness that goes with it when I see it manifest in Christians.

Christ prohibits us from judging other people and I believe we all need to give heed to our Lord and quit judging people. Let God do the judging and let us do the praying. We serve the cause of Christ best by befriending people and extending a helping hand instead of cutting them down and making them feel like dirt. The Word of God that we share in kindness and love, and the Spirit of Christ that we manifest with all meekness and gentleness, will minister conviction, life, and the hope of change. Judging them will not.

What I am against, however, is the thoughtless or flagrant use of Matthew 7:1 that produces a silence about sin where there ought to be none; and the use of our Lord’s prohibition to foster the accommodation, tolerance, and acceptance of sin among God’s people. Sin’s killing us. And our silence has resulted in a tragic and lamentable lowering of the righteous morality that Christ wants His followers to have.

What I’d like to do in these blog posts is provide balance to the prohibition by bringing out the whole counsel of Scripture.

Let’s look at a fifth and final instance when judging is inappropriate and is an act of disobedience to God.

IT’S WRONG FOR US TO JUDGE CONDEMNINGLY

Jesus’ prohibition against judging means DO NOT JUDGE CONDEMNINGLY. A critical, judgmental person is a condemning person. He finds what’s wrong with people. He judges them. Then he condemns them. If it’s within his power, he punishes them. A CRITIC ISN’T INTERESTED IN LIFE, PARDON, FORGIVENESS, OR SECOND CHANCES. HE’S INTERESTED ONLY IN SEEING A PERSON PAY AND SUFFER FOR HIS WRONGS. He seeks to damn and exclude people from Heaven. He alienates people from God and the hope of Heaven and life by consigning them to a life and a future of punishment and damnation.

Look again at Luke 6:37, Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned. Brethren, it’s not our liberty, right, or prerogative to condemn. Look at James 4:12, There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another? It’s not our place to condemn anyone. Or to damn them.

Romans 14:4 asks us an interesting question, Who art thou that judgest another man’s servant? to his own master he standeth or falleth. Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand. When we judge one another we’re judging another man’s servant. That man’s name is God. Our brothers and sisters belong to God. God is their Master. And WE’VE GOT NO GOD-GIVEN RIGHT TO CONDEMN OUR BRETHREN BECAUSE THEY DON’T BELONG TO US. They belong to God and they answer to God, not us. God will deal with them. But, in the mean time, He’s dealing with us. And He’s saying, How dare you presume to act like Me and be the Judge when you’re no judge! Since when did I make you the judge?

When you read Romans 14 you’ll see that there was a conflict in the Roman church. There were two groups of Christians in the church. One group ate meat; the other was vegan. One group celebrated the holidays; the other didn’t. So you had two different groups with two very different, opposing, contradictory beliefs and lifestyles. And the one group would naturally think that the other group was wrong and going to Hell. That’s what the judging was all about. Each group was saying to the other, you’re wrong and you’re damned. You’re going to Hell because you don’t believe and practice what I believe and practice.

But look closely at the last part of Romans 14:4, Yea, he shall be holden up: for God is able to make him stand. The person who’s wrong, the person who doesn’t believe and practice what we believe and practice, the person who a critic condemns and damns; look at what God does with this person. God holds him up and makes him stand! GOD, BRETHREN, KNOWS HOW TO DEAL WITH HIS PEOPLE AND MAKE THEM STAND!

The interesting thing about this is a critic’s solution to a problem is to get rid of the person who has the problem. You get rid of him by damning him, making him feel like dirt, making him think God doesn’t love him, forgive him, or want him. You get rid of him by alienating and ostracizing him.

But God doesn’t do this! INSTEAD OF GETTING RID OF THE PERSON WITH THE PROBLEM, GOD WORKS WITH THE PERSON AND GETS RID OF THE PROBLEM INSTEAD! How cool is that?

Look at verse 13, Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way. We can spend our time judging, criticizing, and condemning one another. But God doesn’t want us to do this. He doesn’t want us spending our time knocking people down and trashing them. He doesn’t want us to make our brethren stumble or fall.

Yes, people are wrong. Every one of us are wrong at some time or another. We’ve all got our problems. But God isn’t damning or condemning us. He’ll do it as a last resort if we don’t get it right. But all the time that we’re wrong and missing it and messing up, God’s trying to bring us to repentance and help us get over our problems. He’s working with us because He wants to give us life and spend eternity with us.

And that’s what we got to do with one another. We can’t knock each other and throw one another down. We can’t condemn and damn each other. We’ve got to have the heart of God and reach out to one another and do what we can to help and lift each other up. We need to each one another the hope of change.

God, brethren, hasn’t given us the office and duty of judging as far as damning and condemning people is concerned. The ministry He’s given us is the exact opposite. Instead of knocking people down and driving them away from God, mercy, forgiveness, Heaven, and life; God wants us to bring them closer to God, mercy, forgiveness, Heaven, and life.

Look at 2 Corinthians 5:17-20, Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.  (18)  And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;  (19)  To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.  (20)  Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.

The world was guilty and wrong. The world deserved to be damned. But Jesus came to give all of us the hope of forgiveness and life. He came to save, not to damn. THIS MUST BE OUR MISSION AND MINDSET.

AS LONG AS WE’RE CRITICS WE CAN’T BE SERVANTS AND MINISTERS TO PEOPLE. WE CAN’T HELP THEM. We can’t draw them to Christ. The exact opposite is true: critics drive people farther away from Christ. Condemnation crushes their spirit and gives them no hope of being loved, forgiven, and wanted by Christ.

Brethren, let’s leave judgment to the only Person who’s the Judge; the only Person who’s qualified to be the Judge. Get rid of the judgmental, critical mindset and tongue. Ask God to give you a heart of love for people. Ask Him to give you a different set of eyes so that you can look at people through eyes of love. He so much wants to do this for you! He’s waiting in the operating room. Won’t you come and let Him heal you and change you? You’ll be an entirely different person when love is in your heart! God bless you!

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BELIEFS THAT ARE KILLING US: I WON’T GET CAUGHT!

October 12, 2012 at 1:03 PM (Beliefs That Kill, Doctrine)
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INTRODUCTION

We all know that attitudes lead to actions. Mindsets shape manners. Convictions give rise to corresponding conduct. And beliefs determine behavior. Our life is a reflection of the thoughts and philosophies that we live by.

Some of the things we believe and live by are genuinely good and true. Others we only think are genuinely good and true, but really are not. Our own human experiences remind us in sometimes painful and humbling ways that we’re not always right. We’re capable of being wrong. We’ve been wrong about some of the things we’ve believed and thought. It’s a hard and humbling pill to swallow and some people refuse to swallow it. They will always be right even though we know they’re wrong as wrong can be.

Just because we believe what we believe doesn’t make us right. This is another hard pill for some of us to swallow. But it’s nevertheless true. Our beliefs don’t make us right and they don’t mean we’re right. Our beliefs are right only when they line up with God’s Word. His truth is the plumb line that determines what beliefs are right and what beliefs are wrong. As the prophet Isaiah tells us in Isaiah 8:20, To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. When our beliefs contradict God’s Word we’re certain to be wrong whether we admit it or not.

Some of the beliefs that we hold dear in life are not good for us. We hold them dear because they allow us to live the way we want to live without repercussion or condemnation. They allow us to live with a free conscience and allow us to continue doing the things we love to do.

But the fact of the matter is, some of the beliefs that we hold dear in life are not good for us. They’ll end up killing us. Sin kills and damns us. And the beliefs that allow us to sin with seeming impunity put us on the road that leads to hell. Let’s look at one of these beliefs.

I WON’T GET CAUGHT!

I can’t believe how dumb—how really, really dumb—some crooks are. It’s like they’re really, really stupid. Seems like if they’re going to make a living on crookery they’d better learn the basics of the craft first.

But, of course, we’re a lot smarter than dumb crooks. We thinks to ourselves we’re smarter than that. We can succeed in sin, get away with it, and not get caught. We’ve got the bases covered. We’ve thought everything through. Ours is an air-tight, fool-proof plan. We’ll never get caught!

How dumb we are to think we’re so smart that we’ll never get caught! But let’s learn this at the start and let’s not ever forget it. IF YOU BELONG TO GOD YOU’RE GOING TO GET CAUGHT!  Here’s a case in point.

King David was out on his veranda late one afternoon or early evening when he happened to look out beyond the palace walls and, wouldn’t you know it, he saw a woman taking a bath in the river below. The sight of her naked bod got his hormones going. Sex was on his mind. The poor guy couldn’t think about anything else. Bathsheba was so absolutely beautiful and indescribably gorgeous, so dazzling and resplendent in that birthday suit of hers, that he absolutely had to have her!

Well, long story short, you know how the story unfolds. The King has Bathsheba brought to the palace and together they had the most wonderful, the most ecstatic, the most unforgettable, of evenings together.

The only problem with evenings such as this is morning comes soon enough. It always does. And when morning came Bathsheba had to go home.

A few days later, the King got the word.  Bathsheba was pregnant. This was a clear case of adultery. Bathsheba was married to Uriah. The King was well aware of this and both he and Bathsheba knew from the get go that what they were doing was wrong. By the requirements of the law, both the King and Bathsheba would have to be stoned to death!

What was David going to do now? What were his options? Fess up and end up getting himself and Bathsheba killed? Not on your life! The King loves this woman and he’s going to do whatever it takes to have her for himself. He’s going to marry her!

But what about her husband? No problem! The King comes up with an ingenuous plan. Her soldier husband is going to find himself in the thick of a battle, he’s going to get himself killed, and Bathsheba will be free to marry the King. Everything looked good to the King. It was a fool-proof plan. No one would ever know. He’d never get caught!

Just as David figured, everything goes according to plan. Uriah gets killed in battle. And when the days of mourning for her husband were ended, Bathsheba and the King had themselves a royal wedding and proceeded to live happily ever after.

But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord, 2 Samuel 11:27.  You see, we can think that everything’s cool. We’re alright. We’re adept at silencing our conscience and living without one. We can do whatever we want to do, we can live however we want to live, if we don’t bring God into the picture. If we conveniently forget all about Him.

But if we’re a true child of God, God isn’t going to forget all about us. He isn’t going to let us go scot free: He isn’t going to let our sin damn us. He loved us enough to die and save us. He loves us too much than to stand still and see us get ourselves damned. We may leave him out of our thoughts. We can blot Him out of our mind. But God isn’t going to stay hidden, unseen, or forgotten.  We can get rid of God. But God isn’t going to get rid of us!

God butts in. He gets involved. He confronts us and talks to us about what we’ve done. This is called reproof, rebuke, and conviction. God wants us to see, to admit, that we’ve done wrong. This is where Nathan the prophet comes in.

2 Samuel 12:1-5 reads, The LORD sent Nathan to David. When he came to him, he said, “There were two men in a certain town, one rich and the other poor.  (2)  The rich man had a very large number of sheep and cattle,  (3)  but the poor man had nothing except one little ewe lamb he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food, drank from his cup and even slept in his arms. It was like a daughter to him.  (4)  “Now a traveler came to the rich man, but the rich man refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare a meal for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the ewe lamb that belonged to the poor man and prepared it for the one who had come to him.”  (5)  David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan, “As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this must die! He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.”

There are some things about ourselves that we don’t see. Things ugly, but real and truthful things, that we don’t want to see. Sometimes, a sermon just doesn’t cut it. It doesn’t work. So God uses a story because He knows we’ll listen to a story, especially a good one. And, unbeknownst to us, a story is a good way for us to get a good look at ourselves and see things that we ordinarily would refuse to see.

That’s what Nathan’s story did for David. He very readily saw that what the rich man did to the poor man was blatantly wrong. It was so wrong that the King was livid, he was incensed, by what the rich man did! By his royal power of the sword he was going to have the guy killed because he had no pity!

Now that David’s anger was aroused and his sense of right and wrong was restored, he was unwittingly ready to hear the sermon that he’d otherwise refused to hear.

2 Samuel 12:7-12, Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man! This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul.  (8) I gave your master’s house to you, and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you all Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more.  (9) Why did you despise the word of the LORD by doing what is evil in his eyes? You struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and took his wife to be your own. You killed him with the sword of the Ammonites.  (10) Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.’  (11)  “This is what the LORD says: ‘Out of your own household I am going to bring calamity on you. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will sleep with your wives in broad daylight.  (12) You did it in secret, but I will do this thing in broad daylight before all Israel.'”

David kept the truth about his murder and adultery suppressed. The royal guards and the King’s henchmen were hushed and mute, on pain of death. No one would talk—not if they wanted to live. No one would know the truth. David wouldn’t get caught!

BUT DAVID FIGURED GOD WRONG. As long as God’s around—and He’s always around—you’re gonna get caught. And God Himself makes sure of that! YOU CAN HIDE THE TRUTH FROM MEN, BUT YOU’RE NOT HIDING ANYTHING FROM GOD. YOU CAN HUSH MEN, BUT YOU CAN’T HUSH GOD. YOU CAN FOOL MEN, BUT YOU AREN’T FOOLING GOD. God’s got a big mouth. And He has ways of letting people know what you’ve done. 

The moral of the story? IF YOU THINK YOU’RE GOING TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER, YOU’RE NOT. THE SINS YOU HIDE, MINIMIZE AND FORGET DO NOT GO UNSEEN OR FORGOTTEN BY GOD. GOD WILL BRING THE TRUTH TO LIGHT. YOU WILL GET CAUGHT! Thank the Lord for that! Because in catching you He’s trying to save you.

Hey, it’s just about story time! Grab yourself a seat. God’s got a doozy of a story He’s dying to tell you!

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RANDOM THOUGHTS ABOUT GOD: A PART TIME GOD

October 6, 2012 at 11:43 AM (God Thoughts, Musings)

A PART TIME GOD

I was driving to church the other day when a “random” thought, or rather, question, popped into my mind. What if our God was a part time God? Huh? Run that by me again. What if our God was a part time God?

What if sometimes He was astoundingly Almighty as to do the most unimaginable and impossible of miracles and feats; and sometimes so pathetically powerless and inept that even He would be no help or use to us?

What if sometimes He was in the office, ready to take our call, answer our questions, listen to our heart’s cries and prayers, meet us for our scheduled appointment; and sometimes on vacation at a distant galaxy as to leave us high and dry? What if He really wasn’t an ever present help in time of trouble?

What if sometimes He was so loving, understanding, and forgiving, as to forgive our gravest offence and love us still; and sometimes so angry, hateful, and unforgiving as to damn us and leave us in a solitary moment of His Divine anger? What if our God was bipolar and schizophrenic?

By now you should get the picture and see what I’m driving at. What earthly good is a part time God? We wouldn’t have use of such a God because we couldn’t ever depend on Him—not really. Not consistently.

No, we want a reliable, dependable, unchanging, full time God who’ll always be there, always be present, always be strong and invincible, always be loving, always be forgiving, always be attentive to our prayer, always be our help and hope in time of need.

A PART TIME CHRISTIAN

Then the Lord chimed in, How do you think I feel about a part time Christian? Ouch. No need to repeat the question, Lord. I hear You. Loud and clear.

Sometimes we’re such a model of what a Christian should be that, in a prideful moment, we think we’re an angel. Then, on a turn of a dime, we’re about as nasty and mean as nasty and mean can be.

Sometimes we’re so forgiving towards our child or close friend. But nowhere near as forgiving—in fact the exact opposite—when it comes to a stranger, coworker, or casual acquaintance.

Sometimes we’re so on fire for the Lord that all we can think and talk about is the Lord; we think, live, and breathe the Lord. Then sometimes it’s like the devil turns his fire extinguisher on us and gets us so stone cold, so callused, towards God that He’s nowhere in our thoughts or desires.

Sometimes we’re so dedicated to God that we show up in church every time the doors open and imbibe all that God’s giving us through the church. Then sometimes we’d go for weeks and months not knowing what the inside of the church looks like.

Part time Christians. That’s what a lot of us are. Thankfully, not everyone. If you’re full time, I truly thank God for that. But, at the moment, I’m not talking to you. I’m talking to the rest of us who are awesomely full time, sometimes; and pathetically part time, maybe most of the time.

Would we like it if our God was a part time God? No way! We wouldn’t put up with such a God. We’d dump Him in a heartbeat.

If God was like us—thank God He isn’t!—He’d dump us too. In a heartbeat! After all, what good is a part time Christian when God’s looking for, when He’s needing, a full time Christian?

Amazingly, God puts up with us part time Christians. Why is that? It’s because His goodness leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4). God’s giving us time, lots of time, and showering us with His goodness, His mercies, His love, because He’s longing for a time when we’ll reciprocate and give Him all our love, all of our hearts, all of our thoughts, all of our strength, all of our life.

God isn’t like us. He isn’t part time. And I, for one, am so thankful He isn’t.

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