How To Stand As A Child Of The Promise

"Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication." - Ephesians 6:14-18

I remember Pastor Bob Barlow used to say, "Whenever you see the word 'therefore' in the Bible, you need to look back as see what it is 'there for'.  As Christians how can we stand in the withering spiritual onslaught that we face today.  Calls from our culture - even within the Church for us to make concessions and concede. In light of that I was thinking about what that therefore was there for. I want to share just a few reasons.

"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful."  Hebrews 10:23

God is faithful to His promises. What He says He will do, He WILL do!

"Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10

No matter how alone you feel in this culture, God has not and will not abandon you. He is the source of our strength. Jay Kesler wrote a book in the '70s called the Strong Weak People. That would be us! In our weakness we find spiritual strength.

"But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:31

Do you feel like falling out of the race at times? I can remember running in the Army, in formation, with boots on. I was so tired - gasping for air - but I pressed on. I think hat is the idea expressed in Isaiah. But our strength is renewed supernaturally not through self will or determination.

"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you." Isaiah 43:2

It is a matter of perspective - focus. God is in control. He's got us - no matter what we face. Really, no matter what earthly trouble comes our way. He will be with us.

"He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it." 1 Thessalonians 5:24

I remember the words in Haitian Creole - "Bondye kapab fe sa" God can do it. It does not matter where you are on the planet - truth is truth - God is God.

"God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?" Numbers 23:19

There is only One who is totally trustworthy. Jehovah God. Like the fiery furnace - you may have to go through it but there will be a fourth man walking with you - that would be Jesus. (Daniel 3:25)

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm." - Ephesians 6:10-13

God with us does not mean that we have no role to play. We must put on the full armor of God every day. We must be ready for battle having spiritual perspective and readiness. The belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the readiness given by the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation,  the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, and praying - doing spiritual battle. You are in a spiritual war.

"We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places"- Ephesians 6:12

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Dont Let Math Be The Decision Maker

 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts." - Isaiah 55:8-9

I don't suppose it comes as a surprise to you that God views the universe, all the way down to our daily lives - nano-second by nano-second differently than we do.  And yet, even in knowing that, we look at life and God using our human intellect, in the context of our experiences, on the basis of our emotions. 

Is it possible that God would ask us to do something or go somewhere that was totally inconsistent with human wisdom. When we consider it, the numbers don't add up. What it costs to do something is more than you have in your pocket. Martie and I have always made it a point to not spend what we don't have. Instead we trust God and wait on Him to provide. Some wonderful missionary friends once told us that "Where God guides, God provides." They lived by that and we do too. If we find ourselves in a place where we don't have the resources to do what God has called us to do - we wait on God. Dr. Henry Blackaby said, "You have heard it said 'Don't just stand there, do something. But often God says, 'Don't just do something, stand there.'"

"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling ......Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress." - Psalm 46:1-3, 10-11

To exercise faith in God requires trust and obedience. You may not know how it will be accomplished - but we must do whatever it is as God provides. It may not and probably won't go the way you think it would or should.  Re-read Isaiah 55! Listen, God never calls yo to do something that you can do - it takes the power of God to accomplish His purposes.  You might step our for God but choose to follow human wisdom and call that being responsible - but responsible in whose eyes? God will only be exalted when we walk by faith and not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7)

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Does Fear Have A Hold On You?

"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? When evildoers assail me, uttering slanders against me, my adversaries and foes, they shall stumble and fall. Though a host encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident." - Psalm 27:1-3

What are you most afraid of? What is it that keeps you up at night? There are so many things that we have no control over. Illness, loss of loved ones, losing your job, not having enough money to pay your bills. Or how about retiring and realizing that who a you are is summed up in what you do. You are facing a future with no purpose. Well, the source of your unrest is not what you think. The source is that you have misplaced what you put your trust and reliance in.  

There is a saying on our currency - In God We Trust - which has lost its shine as far as most of the people in our culture are concerned. That phrase is in front of people in this country every day, but it has become meaningless words on a dollar bill. They mean nothing. It wouldn't surprise me if one day there is a movement to remove them altogether. Like so many other things, they have run afoul of the beliefs of the majority of our culture.

"Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed; he will answer him from his holy heaven with the saving might of his right hand. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. They collapse and fall, but we rise and stand upright." - Psalm 20:6-8

All of those things I mentioned earlier, the are very real possibilities, but those things that are significant in the eyes of so many - mean nothing in the eternal scheme of things. Of course, you must believe in the eternal to accept that and live in that understanding. My assumption is that if you are reading this, you do. You must keep your view of your life in proper perspective. And what is that?

"And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” - Matthew 22:35-40

Putting your fears in their place starts with putting God first - others next and you last. When you are fearful it is because you have reversed the God-ordained order of things. You have put yourself first. There is a song by Mercy Me called "Even If"

"They say it only takes a little faith To move a mountain Well, good thing 

A little faith is all I have right now. But God, when You choose To leave mountains unmovable

Give me the strength to be able to sing It is well with my soul

I know You're able and I know You can Save through the fire with Your mighty hand

But even if You don't My hope is You alone"

Can you sing that song about your life. My hope is "yes you can!" Final thought.

"The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6-7

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

 

Lets Leave God Out Of It

"Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the heart." Proverbs 21:2

I heard a sermon on Genesis 11 this morning about the tower of Babel. 

"Then they said, Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.” - Genesis 11:4

God had a plan for the generations that followed Noah, but these people had a better plan - at least in their minds. They knew what God had said, but they wanted to go their own way. They knew better than God. Or worse, did not care what God thought or had said.

"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all." - Isaiah 53:6

So what does the tower of Babel have to do with you and me? Well, glad you asked!  People have not changed. That's all people including Christians. We like to define our space. Live our lives on our terms. We "cherry pick" the scripture to shape what we want our faith - our religion - to look like. We conform our faith and what is right and true to our life choices and subsequent actions. All of that in spite of what God has made plain. We habitually compromise the truth and integrity of the Word of God - God's revelation to man - How To Be Human For Dummies - if you will. We leave out or ignore or redefine the parts that don't fit our personal world view to accommodate our revised version.  Our version of the "truth" with a small "t". Something that we can be comfortable with. And sometimes, if you can get enough people to agree with you, you might even form a new denomination or at least a local church.

What is the source of this proclivity to wander from the Word? It is called the flesh or the old - sinful nature. We must all be on our guard my friend, lest we fall.

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin." - Hebrews 12:1-4

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Willing To Abandon The Things Of This World

"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life[c]—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever." —1 John 2:15-17

“Our Lord’s teaching can be summed up in this: the relationship that He demands for us is an impossible one unless He has done a supernatural work in us. No amount of enthusiasm will ever stand up to the strain that Jesus Christ will put upon His servant. Only one thing will bear the strain, and that is a personal relationship with Jesus Christ Himself— a relationship that has been examined, purified, and tested until only one purpose remains and I can truly say, “I am here for God to send me where He will.” Everything else may become blurred, but this relationship with Jesus Christ must never be. If we are to be disciples of Jesus, we must be made disciples supernaturally." Oswald Chambers, My Utmost For His Highest

Many of Chamber’s devotions were derived from his lectures at a Bible College.  He was speaking to men and women who had been called by God to service beyond what most of us are called to after our conversion.  But, the principles are the same for all of us.  Even the person with only one spiritual gift, and that they may consider to be almost non-essential (God does not agree with them by the way), faces the same challenges that every other saint faces in living their new life.  We are all called to abandon the same things, even though for most it will be an abandonment in the heart, but with a few, it will require physical - actual, abandonment.  It is one thing to say that you love God more than your family, it is quite another to leave your family and go on Mission for God.  It is one thing to say that you do not love the things of this world, it is quite another to sell your house and put your retirement at risk in order to go where God has said “Go!”.

I would find it very difficult to write these things to you if I had no intention of doing them myself.  When I was on staff with Promise Keepers in the ‘90s, there was a saying that was popular among us.  “You can’t teach what you don’t know, you can’t lead where you won’t go, and you can only recreate what you are.”  The secret to going is obedience and faith.  Faith comes from God and obedience comes from a “broken and contrite heart”, wholly submitted to the will of God.  Every step you take for God requires the power of God.  It is a glorious life .. living by faith and not by sight.  The person who abandons the things of the world in their heart is no less faithful than the one who abandons their life physically in response to the call of God.  The point is being obedient to God no matter what He calls you to do or how He says to do it. So when the Spirit whispers in your ear, “This is the way walk in it.”  (Isaiah 30:21) Walk on! … to the glory of God and in testimony to a world that needs Jesus.

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

Does God Always Hear Me?

"Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? And who shall stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false, and does not swear deceitfully. He will receive blessing from the Lord, and vindication from the God of his salvation. Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob." - Palm 24:3-6

Does it matter that I have unconfessed sin in my heart when I pray to God? Will He hear my prayers? Let me ask this. Can I be in the presence of God with sin in my heart? Having clean hands and a pure heart, I think means that I have dealt with the sins that so easily beset us. You know - the sins I commit everyday. 

"For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it." - James 2:10

It is like washing your feet. Do you remember the story about Jesus washing the disciples feet. Frankly I think the point gets lost because we focus on the physical foot washing and not the spiritual point that Jesus was making.

"He [Jesus] came to Simon Peter; and Peter said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not know now, but afterward you will understand.” Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part in me.” Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” Jesus said to him, “He who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet" - John 13:6-9

Let me say that last verse in another way, "He who has been born again does not need to wash his whole body again - only his feet." The sins that he has picked up as he traveled through the world that day.

1 John 1:9 tells us to confess our sins and God is faithful to "wash our feet".  If we are to stand clean before God - and it is the only way we can stand in His presence, then we need to wash our feet before we do. That is why I do not think that God will hear our prayers if he regards sin in our hearts. If we have dirty feet, if you will.

My point is that you should be careful that you don't minimize the significance of "small" sins. God does not wink at those sins. And neither should we. Jesus has made a way for us to enter into God's presence - but don't forget that He is holy and can have no part of sin.

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone

How Many Times - I wonder - But Do I Really Want to Know

"Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven." - Matthew 18:21-22

I visited a "life group" (aka Sunday School class) at a local church this past Sunday. The ensuing discussion in the class had to do with forgiveness- John 8 - the adulteress. In Matthew, Peter asks Jesus how many times that someone must forgive another person. Seven seemed like a reasonable number - after all it is the "perfect" number Biblically speaking right? WRONG! Jesus said we must keep on forgiving - forgiving when someone repents - is truly sorry for their offense. Just like God forgives us.

He then went on to share a parable about the unforgiving servant.  Someone who had been forgiven for much but was unwilling to show the same grace and mercy to others. By the way, we should not confuse forgiveness and trust. They are two separate things. Forgiveness should be granted to a repentant person, but trust must be earned. Having a lack of trust has nothing to do with loving someone or forgiving them. It is a recognition of a person's weakness in some area of their life. It is easy for us to point to other's weaknesses and brush aside, make excuses for, our own. The fact is that there are areas in our lives where we cannot be trusted either. It is the issue of the speck and the beam.

"For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye." - Matthew 7:2-5

To be forgiven means that what you have done will not be held against you. I told the people in the meeting that I know when I have forgiven someone because when I remember their sin, I no longer am angry, bitter, or resentful toward them. 

"For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us." - Psalm 103:11-12

How can it be that we, who have been forgiven for so much would be unwilling to grant that same forgiveness to others?  Well, in short, it is our sin nature that has risen up. Unless we have the attitude of David in Psalm 51, we will not find forgiveness. Forgiving someone just like God has forgiven us is a reflection of the light that is in us as children of God - redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. Be careful about demanding retribution for the offenses of others when people come to you with a broken and contrite heart.

"Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me. Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight— That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge..... Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You." - Psalm 51: 1-4, 10-13

Did you catch that? Forgiving is teaching transgressors God's ways and sinners will be converted.

Think about it – Pray about it – Believe it – Walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the glory.

By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone