Category: Discipleship Essentials

Overcoming Abandonment

This article is related to a series entitled Wonderful Counseling.

All bondage is based on a lie.

This goes back to the garden of Eden where Satan seduced Adam and Eve to open the door to bondage and death by believing multiple lies. Satan convinced them that God did not have their best interests at heart and that disobeying him would not result in death. You know the rest of the story. Ever since then Satan, whom Jesus called the “father of lies,” has been hard at work convincing each generation to believe lies instead of God’s truth, which is found in the Bible and in the person of Jesus the Messiah.

One of the most devastating and predominant lies comes under the general category of abandonment.

Adam and Eve abandoned God when they chose to follow the interloper instead of their Creator, which resulted in God’s casting them out of the garden, sentencing them to a life of hardship, and cutting them off from the source of eternal life. However, God never truly abandoned them. In words spoken to the serpent just after the exposing of Adam’s and Eve’s sin, God gave all of us the promise that one of Eve’s descendants would defeat Satan.

And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.” Genesis 3:15 (NLT)

This is the very first Bible verse related to the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the fulfillment of that promise. The Hebrew word translated “strike” can also mean “bruise” or “crush.” Paul wrote thousands of years later that God’s people will play a part in Satan’s ultimate and utter defeat, when he penned these words: “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” (Romans 16:20 NLT) If I were translating the Genesis passage, I probably would word it thusly: “He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” Satan indeed struck Jesus at the cross, but that strike did not ultimately kill him. Instead God the Father raised him from the dead and gave him authority over all things, including Satan. Satan was defeated on the cross, but we are still in the middle of “mopping up” operations. God is using his people to finally and completely crush the devil.

The LORD said to my Lord, “Sit in the place of honor at my right hand until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet.” Psalm 110:1 (NLT)

We also learn from that Genesis verse that God has a line of people and Satan has one. God has separated out for himself people from the beginning of time.

God chose the ones who would belong to him before he created the world.

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. 4  Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 5  God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. Ephesians 1:3-5 (NLT)

This passage strikes a death blow at the lie-based stronghold named abandonment. It does not matter whether we have been abandoned by our parents, spouses, or anyone else. If we become followers of Christ, the Bible tells us that it was because God chose us, not because we chose him.

For no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up. John 6:44 (NLT)

No one has the innate spiritual ability to come to Christ without being drawn by the Father via his Holy Spirit. If you are a follower of Christ it is because God knew you and chose you to be his before he made the world. It means that he sent his Son to die for you and afterward sent his Spirit to draw you to Christ. He worked in you to open your heart to the gospel, resulting in your being able to properly respond in repentance and faith.

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9  Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10  For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:8-10 (NLT)

Once we come to Christ by faith, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee that God will complete or finish what he began on Calvary.

And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. 14  The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him. Ephesians 1:13-14 (NLT)

Sometimes parents reject their own children. Often marriage partners become disillusioned or embittered with their spouses and abandon them.

God never becomes disillusioned with us because he knew all about us before he created and redeemed us.

There is nothing we may say or do that will catch him by surprise. When Jesus died for us, he saw us completely – the good, the bad, and the ugly, and he said a resounding “yes” to our heavenly Father’s choice of us to be in his eternal family.

Jesus will never reject or abandon those for whom he died.

Never will you hear our Lord say, “Oops, my bad. I made a mistake choosing you.” Instead he boldly declared the following words.

...those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them. John 6:37 (NLT)

If you are a person who continually battles with the inner belief that you will ultimately be rejected and abandoned by those you love, that stronghold is no doubt based on past experience with disloyal people. It is likely that you participated in the lie by preemptively abandoning others before they could do it to you. You have been deeply wounded, which set the stage for believing the lie that even God will abandon you. It is not true. God will never leave you or forsake you. (Joshua 1:5 and Hebrews 13:5)

I have called you back from the ends of the earth, saying, ‘You are my servant.’ For I have chosen you and will not throw you away. 10  Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand. Isaiah 41:9-10 (NLT)
 
Prayer to Overcome Abandonment

Father God, I now realize that I have believed the lie that everyone I love and even you will eventually abandon me. Forgive me for thinking that you are like people who have rejected and left me. Thank you that you chose me to be your child before you created the world. Thank you for sending Jesus to pay the penalty for my sins so that I could be reconciled to you. Thank you for sending your Spirit to work inside me to make me open to the gospel. Thank you for sending those persons who shared the good news about Jesus with me. Thank you for those you sent to pray for me and disciple me. Thank you that you sealed me with your Holy Spirit, which guarantees that you will complete in my life what you began when you will one day raise me from the dead to dwell with you forever. I now renounce the generational lie of abandonment. I repent for believing that lie and acting in accordance with it. I believe that you set me from from these things. Help me to show love and loyalty to you and others for the rest of my life. Amen.

Share this post...

The Key to Stress Free Living

 

 

 

 

 

 

The author of the Letter to the Hebrews listed repentance from dead works as one of the six foundational doctrines of Christ. (Hebrews 6:1 NASB)

Dead works can be defined as our human efforts to make ourselves look good in God’s and people’s eyes through our words and behavior.

People are unable to put themselves in a right standing with God (justify themselves) through human effort. The prophet Isaiah warned us that the attempt to do so is repulsive to God.

For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. Isaiah 64:6 (NASB)

Nevertheless, we deceive ourselves into thinking that we can make a few adjustments, try harder, and turn things around spiritually, not realizing that everything originating out of self is a dead work.

Anything that does not originate with God’s Spirit and derive from faith is a dead work.

Sin is much deeper than words, acts, and attitudes. It infects us to the core and is part of what we inherited from our forefathers due to the Fall. When we are born, we come into this world as little sin factories. No matter how hard we try to overcome this inherited condition, we will fail.

For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. Romans 7:14 (NASB)

That which originates in our own human effort is called the “flesh,” as opposed to that which originates in God, which is called the Spirit.

It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. John 6:63 (NASB)

Religion is mostly man’s attempt to gain and maintain a right relationship with God through human effort, which is a dead work. Religion approaches the sin problem and its resultant separation from God in one of two ways. It might deny there is a problem, as do Eastern religions which insist that both good and evil exist in God (Yin and Yang) and should not concern us. (e.g. Star Wars “the Force,” Buddhism, modern psychiatry, and various perversions of Christianity). This approach insists that God does not condemn anyone and salvation consists in coming to that realization. Basically, I’m okay and you’re okay. We don’t need a Savior because we are not separated from God. It is all an illusion, and Jesus died needlessly.

Those who deny that sin is a problem may gain a counterfeit and illusory form of peace, but will still have to account to God for their sinful condition and acts.

The other end of the spectrum is found in the Jewish Law of Moses. Under this system, by keeping God’s laws we gain access to God’s favor and blessing. This approach recognizes that sin is real, separates us from God, and causes death, but insists that we can work hard at keeping God’s commands and earn a right standing with God.

But the Apostle Paul explained that the purpose of the Law is to reveal our hopeless condition and the impossibility of gaining a right standing with God through keeping its requirements.

Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God? May it never be! For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law. 22  But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 23  But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. 24  Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. Galatians 3:21-24 (NASB)

Those who fall for the deception that a right standing with God can be achieved through self-effort either become religious zealots and intolerant of those who fall short of their standards or demoralized when they finally come to end of their striving with the realization that it is a hopeless endeavor.

When we choose this second option, there is no possibility of rest for our souls because we can never be good enough to clear the bar of God’s perfect holiness.

That is why we need a Savior and repentance from all self-effort.

The Essence of Sin: The Self-Directed Life

At its core, sin originates in a mistrust of God. Satan induced Adam and Eve to doubt God’s goodness. The result was their attempt to become independent from him. Sin is a rebellious self-aggrandizing attempt to make our own decisions, run our own lives, and impose our own rules – to be little gods. Satan deceived Adam and Eve into thinking that they could throw off the Creator’s built in limitations on our lives and “be like God” – needing nothing.

Because of the generational aspect of sin, the allure of living a self-directed life pulls at the heart of every person and is the essence of sin.

Repentance and the God-Directed Life

The gospel calls people back into alignment with God’s original plan – living in harmony with God and his will.

Through faith in Christ, we can be forgiven of our rebellion and come back into God’s family and blessing. We can experience his life inside us through the indwelling Holy Spirit. But for this to happen, we must repent. Because of our pride, it is deeply humbling for us to admit our need for God and to obey him; nevertheless, it is the most rewarding way to live. We think that becoming servants of God will strip us of our dignity and freedom and deprive us of some of the things that bring delight to our lives. This is the lie that Satan set up with our first parents and still pulls at us today.

Jesus, the perfect God-man, lived the way God intended. In his own words:

...“I tell you the solemn truth, the Son can do nothing on his own initiative, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise. John 5:19 (NET1)

When Jesus calls people to repent and enter God’s kingdom, he challenges us to turn away from the vain attempt to direct our own lives and to embrace His rule.

Repentance requires us to stop playing God and to acknowledge the rightful ruler, Jesus the Lord.

The Gospel and Christ’s Lordship

Paul understood that Jesus is both Lord and Savior. He calls us to confess that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that he is the risen Savior – the Lamb of God.

The gospel challenges and invites us to repent (make Jesus Lord) and believe (receive salvation) – to surrender our “rights” and receive God’s blessings.

...because if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9 (NET1)

Confessing that Jesus is Lord is the most fundamental act of repentance. Doing so opens the door to receive all the benefits he died and rose to win for us. That begins a lifelong journey of daily surrender to God’s will.

The Restful Life

Attempting to direct our own lives creates stress that we were not designed to carry.

We do not have the wisdom, knowledge, or power to live self-directed lives. Repentance opens the door to life as God intended it to be. Jesus invites us to:

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke on you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and my load is not hard to carry.” Matthew 11:28-30 (NET1)

Confessing that Jesus is the Lord is the gateway into the blessings he won for us on the cross, which include a life of rest by faith.

We are able to cease from religiously striving to be right with God when we accept that he won that privilege for us through his own perfect life.

So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. 10  For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. Hebrews 4:9-10 (NLT)

The Lordship of Christ is an absolutely crucial part of the Gospel, requiring us to repent from the self-directed life, which Paul calls the “flesh,” which God refuses to bless, since it is an abomination to him.

So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh— 13  for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body [repenting], you will live. 14  For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. Romans 8:12-14 (NASB)

The only life that can receive the fullness of God’s blessing is the life that we live in cooperation with and dependence upon the Holy Spirit. Surrender to Jesus the Lord is the narrow door through which Gospel blessings are accessed.

Application

If you have never made a conscious decision to surrender every aspect of your being to Jesus, now is the time. This will include the following: relationships, time, money, health, your future, security, provision, self-image and fulfillment – everything, even life itself. Do this and you will begin to experience true freedom and a new level of rest.

In the same way therefore not one of you can be my disciple if he does not renounce all his own possessions. Luke 14:33 (NET1)

The Greek word translated “renounce” means to “say good-bye.” Say good-bye to everything that stands between you and a full surrender to Jesus. Say hello to the Spirit-led life and the rest that comes from being in a right relationship with God.

Prayer

Jesus, I am tired of trying to direct my own life. Please forgive me for living independently from you. I surrender myself and all I have to you. Thank you for forgiving my sins and including me in your forever family and blessings. Thank you for sending your Holy Spirit to live inside me. I look forward to seeing what you will do with my life. Have your way in me from this day forward. Amen.

Share this post...

Faith in God’s Sovereignty, the Gateway to Peace

 

The longer I live, the simpler some things become, even though much of life will never completely be understood this side of heaven. By his wise design God has reserved many “secret things” for himself, which requires us to trust fully in him without always understanding the “whys.” This is the essence of faith.

When suffering enters a person’s life, it is only natural to wonder why. Why me? Why now? Did I do something wrong? Is God still in control? Does he still love me? Did he abandon me? Can I really trust him?

In the book of the Bible that bears his name, a man named Job asked these kinds of questions when God allowed his life to be wracked with physical pain and the emotional suffering of losing his family and fortune and even his good name. He and his friends believed that “bad” things did not happen to “good” people. If we keep the rules, we get blessed, right?

After chapters that recount his struggle to understand why God allowed him to suffer and his anger against what he believed was God’s injustice, eventually Job was granted what he asked for – an encounter with God. Face to face with his Creator, he became speechless. All his arguments dissipated. These were the first words he spoke.

I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; 6  therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” Job 42:5-6 (ESV)

God never answered his questions or gave any sort of explanation for the suffering Job had endured. Instead our Lord revealed to Job his absolute sovereignty and greatness, and that was enough to ignite his faith and give him peace.

Faith in God’s Sovereignty, the Gateway to Peace

Why is it that faith in God’s sovereign power and wisdom is the gateway to peace? I know a man who went through a terrible ordeal with his wife, who had an advanced stage of cancer. Eventually she was healed and delivered from the cancer, but in the middle of the crisis, his testimony is that God spoke to his heart, saying, “I know about this.” Knowing that God knew gave him peace and revitalized his faith to believe for a healing. To the logical mind, this may not make sense; but, faith’s rationale is in the heart.

We don’t have to have all the answers. We simply need to know that God knows about our situation and has things under control.

Faith in God’s sovereignty means that we believe he ultimately controls everything and is working all things out for our good (Romans 8:28) and his glory (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12). This is the foundation of our peace. This, by the way, presupposes that He loves us. Presuppositions really matter. We all have them; so, make sure yours are biblical and true.

When we choose to worship God in the midst of tribulation and suffering, we glorify the Lord by acknowledging his loving sovereignty over our lives. We follow in the footsteps of those men of faith of old, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, when they stood before King Nebuchadnezzar. He threatened them with a fiery death unless they bowed down to the idol of his own glory and sovereignty, but they refused.

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17  If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18  But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” Daniel 3:16-18 (NIV)

Those who firmly believe in God’s loving sovereignty over their lives will make seeking God’s glory their top priority,  whether it results in deliverance or death.

When this faith is coupled with the knowledge that God’s love for us is beyond comprehension, our peace is unshakeable.

For clarity’s sake, let me restate the above.

  1. If we determine to bring glory to God through our response to whatever life throws at us, then we don’t have to have any particular outcome, except that God be glorified. He can be glorified by delivering us from evil or by our going through suffering without wavering in faith. Either way, God and we “win.” (Philippians 1:20)
  2. If we add to our determination a confidence that God is sovereignly overseeing our affairs and is ultimately in control, it allows us to yield ourselves completely to his will. Nothing will happen to us that he does not allow. The devil cannot slip something in on us behind the Lord’s back. (Daniel 4:34-35)
  3. If we also know that he loves us beyond comprehension, we understand that we have nothing to fear. Perfect love casts out all fear. Paul wrote that no test or trial can separate us from God’s love. (Romans 8:37-39)
  4. None of the above should be interpreted to mean that we should passively accept attacks from the devil or do nothing to remedy our situation. Consigning ourselves to God’s will includes doing everything reasonable, as led by the Holy Spirit, to fight against evil and to work for our deliverance.

Now I will give you a bit of wisdom. When we desperately cling to the answer we want God to give us, it works against our peace. However, when we surrender ourselves to the sovereign God who loves us past comprehension and works all things for good in our lives, our peace is rock solid. As we stop demanding a certain answer from the Lord, our hearts can more easily hear what the Spirit is saying to us. When that happens, we can pray in line with God’s will in a specific way, all the while remaining at peace.

When we trust in God’s loving sovereignty and hold on to the Bible’s precious promises, while letting go of the fear that he will not work things out as we want, we will have peace beyond comprehension.

Application

So, how do we get started on our journey to peace? Here are some steps you and I can take.

  1. Surrender to the Lord Jesus. This means we let go of all “rights” to direct our own lives and make demands from God. Whoever heard of a slave making demands? We learn to give God the reins and relax as he drives.
  2. Worship God in all situations. We thank God even for the most difficult, confusing, and challenging things in our lives. We thank him not because those things are good in themselves, but because we believe that he will work them for good in his loving sovereignty. (Romans 8:28)
  3. Listen to the Spirit as we worship. This is anti-passivity, even though it does not seem like it. The Holy Spirit will give us insight as we worship. When this happens, we are to pray and act according to those specific instructions. Proclaim aloud what God tells you in your heart. Prophetic proclamation is a big part of the prayer of faith. It goes without saying that what the Spirit tells us will always agree with God’s written word in the Bible. We must put into practice what he tells us to do.
  4. Hang on to God as we wait for the answer. Faith immediately receives God’s promises and is willing to wait as long as it takes for the fulfillment. Biblical hope is the confident expectation that God will keep his promises, no matter how long we have to wait.
  5. Enjoy God’s Peace!
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! 5  Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. 6  Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7  And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7 (NASB)

 

If you want to read more about how to survive and thrive in the midst of life’s difficulties, you can purchase my book on the subject: Seeing God’s Smile When Life Is Difficult. It’s available on Amazon.

Share this post...

God: “I’ve Got This!”

 

 

 

 

 

In the weeks and months leading up to the 2020 presidential election, when it became increasingly apparent that the “fix” was in, I distinctly heard the Spirit of God speak to me one morning: “I’ve got this.” It brought rest to my heart, as you might imagine. However, I immediately I layered on top of that simple statement my expectations of what that meant, which is what we usually do when God speaks to us. We all tend to hear what we want to hear and project our hopes on to his words. Notwithstanding, I have hung on to those words for over a year now, confident that God indeed “has this,” but now that so much time has passed,

I realize that God’s version of being in control is quite different from mine.

Since his control is absolute, he is willing to let things play out far longer than I would. But then, he is God. This is a tremendous life lesson that all of us have to learn seemingly over and over again.

Since that morning, the Lord has spoken several other things to me that add layers to his first promise. Let me share those other messages with you, in the hope that it might encourage your heart, as it did mine.

The second thing I heard him tell me was this: “Let go and watch what I do.” This reminded me of a relevant Bible verse.

"Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." Psalm 46:10 (NASB)

This, of course, is an extension of the first word, “I’ve got this,” with the added promise that God is going to glorify himself in the midst of what is taking place on the earth. It reminds us that he has much more at stake than the survival of our Republic. His plan for the entire earth is playing out. His glory shall indeed fill the earth. We can be sure of that.

Rather than worry or be anxious about things, we should “let go” and engage in faith-filled praise and worship because God has everything in hand and with the expectation that he is working all things for our good and his glory. (Romans 8:28)

The third thing I heard the Lord speak to my heart came one morning as I was praying for our nation with a sense of angst. “Lighten up. I have already done this.” It was a gentle rebuke for my forgetting that he has indeed “got this.” God has taught me over the years that one of the most powerful spiritual weapons at our disposal is praise.

Let the godly ones exult in glory; Let them sing for joy on their beds. 6  Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, And a two-edged sword in their hand, 7  To execute vengeance on the nations And punishment on the peoples, 8  To bind their kings with chains And their nobles with fetters of iron, 9  To execute on them the judgment written; This is an honor for all His godly ones. Praise the LORD! Psalm 149:5-9 (NASB)

I realize that many believers are very uncomfortable with the idea that we are to execute judgment in God’s behalf. Certainly, we must forgive our enemies, but we also have a call to stand with God in righteous judgment. That is one of the functions of the church – judgment tempered with mercy. The way we do this in the here and now is by offering our praise and worship to the God of judgment. The two-edged sword is the Word of God. (Hebrews 4:12) As we worship the Sovereign Lord and declare his lordship over all things, we in essence bind evil plans and people over to the will of God. As Jesus taught us to pray: “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,”

We are not to pray desperate prayers. Instead of pleading with God to do something, we are to stand in faith and declare that the victory is already won.

For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. 1 John 5:4 (ESV) 

And he said, “Listen, all Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem and King Jehoshaphat: Thus says the LORD to you, ‘Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed at this great horde, for the battle is not yours but God’s. 2 Chronicles 20:15 (ESV)

The fourth thing I heard him speak is elementary, but it bears repeating: “You have nothing to fear.” Fear is a natural response to the unknown, but it must be resisted. We are in the midst of a worldwide psy-op fear campaign designed to push people into abandoning sound judgment and doing irrational things. Fear impairs our decision making ability. The children of Israel made some pretty terrible choices in the desert because they were afraid of their enemies instead of trusting God. We are no different from them, except that we who believe have the Spirit of faith (2 Corinthians 4:13) living inside us. (A huge difference!) We have no excuse for fearing, except that we still live in these fleshly bodies and are subject to temptation. (You may with to read my previous article to get help in this area.)

God wants us to make the choice to fear not, because He has got things under control!

The fifth thing God spoke to me was the following: “You have no idea how powerful I am.” There are three basic reasons why we trust God. He is good. He keeps his Word, and he is powerful. In other words, he always does what he says. What he promises is always good, and nothing is able to thwart his plans. Plenty of well-meaning people make promises they cannot possibly keep, but never God. He always does what he says. Nothing is too difficult for him. Truly, we have no idea how powerful he is, this One who created the universe out of nothing.

As we praise and worship the Sovereign One, who loves us beyond comprehension and always does what he says because no one and nothing can possibly stop him, let’s encourage our hearts that God is truly in control!

All the people of the earth are nothing compared to him. He does as he pleases among the angels of heaven and among the people of the earth. No one can stop him or say to him, ‘What do you mean by doing these things?’ Daniel 4:35 (NLT)

 

Share this post...

You Are Not Alone

 

 

 

 

 

 

We have been living through a confusing and stress-filled period of time, which has taken a toll on many of us. Sometimes we may feel quite alone. After all, this is the end game of those who are pushing for social isolation. God did not create us to be alone. He created us primarily for himself and also for one another. After creating Adam, he said that it was not good for him to be alone. This truth still stands, even for hermits.

Sin isolates us from God and each other. So does fear. Christmas is the annual celebration of the coming of Emmanuel – God with Us. There is no greater truth in the Bible than the amazing good news that, because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we need no longer be alone. Emmanuel has made it possible for us to not only know God and his forgiveness, but to experience what it is like to have him actually live inside us! (John 14:17)

Jesus promised his disciples that he would not leave us as orphans (John 14:18), or, as Paul described it – “without God in the world.” (Ephesians 2:12).

Without Christ people are hopelessly alone, but with him we are never left on our own.

God’s answer to Moses’ fear was that he would be with him. (Exodus 3:12) King David knew this glorious truth, too (Psalm 23:4), as did the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 41:10). When the disciples were afraid in the midst of the storm on the Sea of Galilee, Jesus comforted them with these words:

...“It is I; do not be afraid.” John 6:20 (ESV)

I prefer the translator’s note in the New Living Translation: “Do not be afraid. The I AM is here.” Jesus, the perfect representation of the Great I AM, the Creator-Sustainer-Redeemer-Righteous Judge and King, transcends all that seeks to attack and intimidate us.

Every fear must bow the knee to Jesus.

King David put it wonderfully.

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. 4  In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me? Psalm 56:3-4 (ESV)

We all feel fear from time to time. When this happens, we must choose to put our trust and confidence in God. When we do this, fear must go. It is often a battle, but it is one we can and must win.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. John 14:27 (ESV)

We let our hearts be afraid when we forget that the Great I Am is with us. With him at our side and inside of us, we truly have nothing to fear.

Share this post...

Does the Government Own Us?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Presuppositions must always be considered when engaging in debate. The things we consider “self-evident” may or may not actually be true. Our founding fathers considered that it is self-evident that our freedoms originate in God, but increasingly modern people do not believe this fundamental truth, largely because they do not believe in God. Instead, perhaps without thinking it through, many accept that freedoms issue from the state.

The state, by nature, always tries to assume that everything derives from it, belongs to it, and must serve it. In other words, it tries to be God.

Take, for example, private property. If you “own” any, you might assume that it belongs to you, but actually it does not. If you want to find out who actually owns it, try not paying your property taxes. Regarding children, you might think that they belong to the parents, but in reality the state maintains the “right” to take children away from their parents whenever it believes it is in a child’s (the state’s) best interest. In many cases, it is right to do this, but sometimes the system becomes corrupt and serves political interests instead of insuring the welfare of children. The state’s overreach also has played out on many fronts when it comes to Covid.

Our forefathers did not trust government. That is why they built numerous safeguards into our Constitution. Sadly, however, every system eventually gets “played” by conniving people, and that has happened to us as a nation. Our freedoms have been used against us, and currently we are in a situation where our constitutional and God-given freedoms are being routinely stripped by people in government who dare us to do anything about it.

Here is a passage that addresses the fundamental issue of ownership.

Then the Pharisees went and plotted together how they might trap Him in what He said. 16  And they *sent their disciples to Him, along with the Herodians, saying, "Teacher, we know that You are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and defer to no one; for You are not partial to any. 17  "Tell us then, what do You think? Is it lawful to give a poll-tax to Caesar, or not?" 18  But Jesus perceived their malice, and said, "Why are you testing Me, you hypocrites? 19  "Show Me the coin used for the poll-tax." And they brought Him a denarius. 20  And He *said to them, "Whose likeness and inscription is this?" 21  They *said to Him, "Caesar's." Then He *said to them, "Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's; and to God the things that are God's." 22  And hearing this, they were amazed, and leaving Him, they went away. Matthew 22:15-22 (NASB)

The presupposition behind taxation is that the government has authority over us. No one “under” us will ever be able to tax us. In Jesus’ day, the Romans imposed heavy taxes upon subjugated people groups, which were often exacerbated by greedy middle men who acted as tax collectors. These taxes were punitive in nature and served to drive home the second class nature of the citizenry under Roman rule. The Jewish leaders attempted to catch Jesus in a trap. Either he would acknowledge the Romans’ right to impose such taxes, incurring the resentment of the common people, or he would get himself in trouble with the Roman authorities. Jesus, however, managed to answer their question in a way that surprised everyone. Instead of focusing on the issue of taxation, Jesus addressed the underlying presuppositions: whose identity do we bear and who owns us?

Caesar’s likeness had been stamped on Roman coinage, which made it clear that he basically owned the money, giving Rome the authority to collect taxes. People, however, bear the stamp of God’s image, meaning that they belong to him, not to the state. Whenever the state acts as if it owns people, it transgresses the limitations put upon it by God.

Today we have a clear cut example of such tyranny. Mandates requiring people to be injected with an experimental gene therapy against their will, which may permanently alter our God-given immune systems, assume that we belong to the state rather than to God. The “good” of the many is said to nullify our basic freedom of choice under God. For people such as I, refusing the jab is an issue of conscience as well as good sense. In this case, we cannot submit to a tyrannical state without violating our conscience by tampering with what God has committed into our care. (I acknowledge that many god-fearing people consider receiving the jab a good thing. I am not addressing such people in this article.)

When the state tries to overrule our conscience, it has overstepped its authority and should not be obeyed in that area.

In every other area, where it operates within its God-given boundaries, it should be obeyed, however. (Romans 13:1 and Acts 5:29) Jesus died to set us free to serve God. To voluntarily surrender to an overstepping government is to come into bondage.

It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1 (NASB)

Jesus gave up his life to deliver us from satanic tyranny. It is sadly and dangerously irresponsible to willingly submit to it again.

Never doubt for a moment that the state ultimately wants to own and control you. It is the beast rising out of the waters in the Book of Revelation (Revelation 13:1), whose antagonism against God will not be stopped until Christ ultimately destroys it at his Second Coming.

And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war...  14  And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. 15  From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. 16  And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS...."  19  And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. 20  And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. Revelation 19:11-20 (NASB)

Stand firm.

Share this post...

Feeling Hopeless? Try This.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hopelessness shrivels the soul and saps our vitality and joy in living. If things get dark enough, we may be tempted to give up entirely. Suicide is the last decision made by some who conclude that death is preferable to continuing on without hope. There are many ways to commit suicide that don’t involve actively ending our physical lives. We can self-medicate and “check out” with drugs, alcohol, sex, sports, entertainment, etc. We can withdraw into a hollow shell of our true identity, alienating ourselves from those who love and can help us. Some people become angry and lash out. People who have no hope can be very dangerous. What do they have to lose?

Have you ever been in what seemed to be a hopeless situation? Is that where you are right now, or maybe you know someone who is despairing? If so, this article can help.

The Origin of Hopelessness

When Adam and Eve sinned, they alienated the human race from the life of God and gave the keys of authority and dominion on the earth to Satan. Since then, the devil, who is the father of lies, has stolen, killed, and destroyed, keeping untold millions in a dark prison of hopelessness.

But even though Adam and Eve rejected God’s rule in their lives, the Lord did not abandon them or us their descendants. In that time of seeming hopelessness, God injected hope into the human story by promising that someone in Eve’s line would rise up to defeat Satan.

The LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.  15  I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” Genesis 3:14-15 (ESV)

When Jesus was born to Mary and Joseph, the Son of God infiltrated a hopeless and dying planet full of spiritually dead people infected with a terminal disease called sin. He came as the fulfillment of the promise God made to Eve in the Garden of Eden. The light of hope was finally dawning on humanity!

the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned. Matthew 4:16 (ESV)

Jesus understood that his mission was to liberate the prisoners of hopelessness.

And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,  18    “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me  to  proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,  19    to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”  20  And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.  21  And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Luke 4:17-21 (ESV)

Jesus came to lay down his life for those who had no hope. He surrendered to the hopelessness of death, but, when he rose again, he lit a torch of hope that burns brightly to this day.

All who put their faith in him, will always have hope, no matter how bleak things may get because Emmanuel, God with Us, is alive eternally.

The Gospel is a beacon of hope to those in darkness. We who follow Christ, are messengers of hope to those around us, who live in darkness still.

For those of you readers who may not yet know Jesus, the Restorer of Hope, today is your day to finally surrender your heart and hopelessness to the only one who can help you. What is stopping you? Don’t be like the Jews who could not and would not acknowledge his right to rule.

Once we surrender to the God of Hope, hopelessness will be finally and forever extinguished!

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13 (ESV)

Or perhaps you are already a follower of Christ, but you have slipped in your faith. All you need to do is repent and once again declare your resolve to fully trust Jesus in every situation.

Prayer

Dear Lord Jesus, I repent for living a self-directed life all these years. I now surrender to you as best as I am able. Holy Spirit help me to do this! I acknowledge your right to rule my life, and I receive all the blessings you died to give me – hope, forgiveness, eternal life, the Holy Spirit, and the privilege of being your child! I exchange my hopelessness for the joy of trusting you. Thank you that you rule over all things and are working all things in my life for good. I now know that you are the God of good endings. Hopelessness has no place in my life. Amen!

Share this post...

Don’t Let Disappointment Ruin Your Life

 

Everyone experiences disappointment. When we set our hearts on something, and it fails to materialize, it does something to our hearts, where faith lives.

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But desire fulfilled is a tree of life. Proverbs 13:12 (NASB)

The reason we are disappointed is because our expectations are not fulfilled. The higher our expectations, the greater the possibility of disappointment. Some try to avoid disappointment by lowering expectations. This is not a good idea because our God is the God of hope. (Romans 15:13)

Hope is the ability to continue to maintain the high expectation that God will fulfill his promises, no matter how long it may take.

Many people claim to have faith because they have pushed the fulfillment of God’s promise into the indefinite future. It is a kind of reverse version of evolutionary thinking. Evolution claims that the complexity of life randomly developed from chaos over eons of time. If enough time is allowed, all things are possible, even the impossible. “Future” faith believes that “one day” God will keep his promises, but not right now. This is the kind of faith Martha had when her brother Lazarus died. Jesus was going to raise her brother from the dead “now,” but her faith was limited to the distant unforeseeable future. (John 11:23-27)

Restricting the fulfillment of God’s promises to the distant future allows us to avoid exercising our faith in the here and now, which can lull us into thinking we have faith when we do not.

Faith receives “right now” the promises of God, even if the fulfillment is yet to come.

Hope depends on “now” faith. It cannot exist by itself. Hope is stretched out faith. “Now” faith knows that God has already answered our prayer, but it is willing to wait for the manifestation of that answer, no matter now long it takes. It maintains an attitude of expectancy during the waiting period. This is very important.

If we have no sense of expectancy, we probably lack faith.

Rather than lower of expectations, which is another way of saying we do not believe, a better way to ward off the debilitating effect of disappointment is to submit our expectations to God.

My soul, wait in silence for God only, For my hope is from Him. 6  He only is my rock and my salvation, My stronghold; I shall not be shaken. 7  On God my salvation and my glory rest; The rock of my strength, my refuge is in God. Psalm 62:5-7 (NASB)

King David wrote this when he patiently waited for God to keep the promise to make him king. Saul was trying to kill him. Things looked bleak, but David refused to cave in to unbelief and hopelessness or grow hard and bitter. If those things are allowed to happen, disappointment becomes toxic and will likely ruin our lives. If we place our hopes and dreams in God’s hands, waiting patiently for him to fulfill his promises, we will be able to guard our hearts.

The life of Joseph provides us with one of the best biblical examples of properly handling disappointment. He began life with many advantages. His father loved and God favored him. He received a couple of amazing dreams that fueled an expectation of coming greatness. But his brothers’ jealous hatred caused his life to take a sharp turn into disappointment. He was betrayed, sold as a slave, falsely accused, imprisoned, and forgotten for years. In the midst of those disappointments, he kept his faith in God and refused to succumb to unbelief, hopelessness, self-pity, or bitterness. Eventually, after much waiting and suffering, God fulfilled everything and he was elevated to a very high position in Egypt’s government and was restored to his family.

The Psalms provide an interesting insight into his experience.

Until the time came to fulfill his dreams, the LORD tested Joseph’s character. Psalm 105:19 (NLT)

God allows us to encounter disappointments in life to test and develop our character.

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. 4  And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5  And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. Romans 5:3-5 (NLT)

If we rely on God during difficulties, the Bible says we will not be disappointed. That is good news.

Our disappointments can become appointments with God. If we turn to God, we will discover that his grace is enough.

God will help us refashion our expectations without sacrificing our faith. Then our expectations will match his plan for our lives. He will use our disappointments to develop Christ-like character in us. We can learn to glorify God in the midst of difficulties rather than slide into unbelief, self-pity, or bitterness. The choice is ours.

Prayer

And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love. Romans 5:5 (NLT)

Lord God, please forgive me for becoming disheartened and disappointed when my expectations are unmet. Help me instead to keep my eyes upon you. You promise that if we trust in you we will never be disappointed. Help me, Holy Spirit, to live by faith in your faithfulness, no matter how things turn out in the short run. Amen.

Share this post...

When Life Gets Crazy, Go Here

 

He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the sons of Israel. Psalm 103:7 (NASB)

There is a big difference between observing a person’s activity and understanding his or her reasoning and motivation.

When we merely observe what God does, we may never mature in faith; whereas, if we know God’s heart and ways, we more easily come to trust him and get in step with his purposes in our lives.

When we do not know God’s heart, we will likely misread what he allows to happen to us and those we love. We may find ourselves at cross purposes with God and harboring resentment against him, neither of which is good. What can we hang on to when life gets confusing and crazy?

King David was a man who endured a lot of serious adversity in his life. At times, his life was severely threatened. He learned to retreat into a secret place of faith. Being a big time worshiper and song writer, he penned this prayer:

Make me know Your ways, O LORD; Teach me Your paths. Psalm 25:4 (NASB)

If we love God, we will naturally desire to know him better, which means we will grow in our understanding of his ways and purposes. Thankfully, our Lord is more than willing to share his heart with us, as is revealed in these inspired words written by David.

I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you. 9  Do not be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding, Whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check, Otherwise they will not come near to you. Psalm 32:8-9 (NASB)

Jesus said that his sheep will hear his voice. (John 10:27) Followers of Christ can be sure that God will always guide us in life. The Good Shepherd leads us in the paths of righteousness. (Psalm 23:3) Our responsibility is to trust that God always will faithfully lead and keep us, even when we are not sure where he is taking us or why.

The ability to eventually see the deeper purposes of God in any situation depends on our trusting him implicitly.

When God withholds understanding…

Man’s steps are ordained by the LORD, How then can man understand his way? Proverbs 20:24 (NASB)

Sometimes God deliberately does not tell us what he is doing in our lives in order to develop our faith in his faithfulness; nevertheless, we can always have an understanding of his ways to keep us properly oriented.

We know from Scripture that God is working in every child of God to transform him or her into Christ’s image. If God is doing nothing else in my life, he is doing that.

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. 29  For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren... Romans 8:28-29 (NASB)

From God’s perspective, which is the only one that really counts, God uses everything in life to demonstrate his love and wisdom and move us toward the goal of our bringing him glory. In the process, he transforms us from the inside out, making us more and more like Jesus in words, thoughts, and actions.

The Humility Factor

One of the most essential character qualities that God works in his children is humility. He has fashioned things so that only the humble can thrive in his kingdom. Those who always want to be “in charge” and “in the know” will be frustrated. Those who are humble enough to trust God during confusion, fear, and adversity bring glory to God by maintaining faith and joy continually.

God asks us to cooperate with him in the process of forming humility in our character. One way for us to do this is to discipline ourselves to trust and praise God at all times.

I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. 2  My soul will make its boast in the LORD; The humble will hear it and rejoice. 3  O magnify the LORD with me, And let us exalt His name together. Psalm 34:1-3 (NASB)

Praise is a sure sign of our trust in God. Faith leads to praise. Praise also builds faith. I find that, when I give thanks to God for difficult things that he has allowed in my life, my faith rises to the occasion. Faith allows us to trust in the Lord at all times, even when it is difficult to understand why.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. 6  In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6 (NASB)

If we know nothing else, we can bank on these truths.

  1. God is sovereign and working all things to his desired ends.
  2. He loves us past comprehension and is working things for our good.
  3. If we humbly trust him during times of trials and testing, even when we don’t know exactly what he is doing, it will bring him glory and us joy.
  4. The more we learn to trust in God’s faithfulness, the greater our transformation into becoming like Jesus.
  5. If we choose to make the sacrifice of praise during difficulties, it will glorify God and strengthen our faith.

So there we have it! When things go crazy, we should retreat into the confidence that God is still in charge and is working things for our good.

If we choose to praise God during the worst of times, we bring glory to him and faith will arise in our hearts. People who have confidence in God in difficult times are what the Bible calls overcomers. Why not start becoming one of those today?

Share this post...

Why Evolutionary Materialism Is Blasphemy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Bible opens with these words…

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1 (NLT)

Before all else, from our human perspective, God is the Creator. Everything in the universe derives from him, is sustained by him, and will ultimately glorify him.

"You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being." Revelation 4:11 (NIV)

The rebellion that began in the Garden was a rejection of God’s benevolent authority over his creation.

Satan tricked Adam and Eve into doubting their Creator’s love and good intentions for them. They opted for a self-directed life in place of one of worshipful and loving dependence on the one who made and sustained them. Over time man’s rebellion progressed to an outright denial of God’s existence, which has been codified in many modern philosophies, one of which is evolutionary materialism.

Evolutionary materialism is the theory that matter got here by itself and everything in the universe, including life, can be explained completely by naturalistic processes.

Sin blinds our reasoning ability. It robs us of seeing God’s hand in everything he made. Those who arrogantly dismiss God rejoiced when Darwin developed his theory of evolution, realizing that it gave a plausibly “scientific” cover for their atheism. Those who have chosen to adopt this “faith” position, for it cannot ever be proved, haughtily dismiss those of us who adhere to the biblical creation view as being backward and unscientific. The education establishment forbids the teaching of the creationist point of view, using their dominance to poison the minds of generations of young people against God, fueling the fires of mankind’s rebellion. Unless they repent, they surely will reap the judgment they deserve. Paul wrote:

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19  because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20  For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. 21  For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Romans 1:18-21 (NASB)

Godless humanity continually replicates Adam’s sin by insisting we are self-created and self-determinate beings.

Nothing could be further from the truth. We are created, dependent beings, who live to bring glory to our Creator. If we miss that, we miss everything. Evolutionary materialism is blasphemy, pure and simple.

The suppression of the truth that God exists and is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe of the beginning of all deception and lies.

What Then Must We Do?

If you now realize that you are guilty of dismissing God as your Creator, here is what you can do.

  • Ask Him to forgive you on the basis of Christ’s death on your behalf.
  • Make the choice to surrender all of your supposed rights to self-determination by acknowledging that Jesus is your Lord. Water baptism is the way we publicly declare our allegiance to Christ.
  • The third step is to receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit and join Christ’s intrepid band of disciples who are spreading the Good News to as many people as will listen.
  • Become part of a Spirit filled local church that takes the Great Commission seriously.
Share this post...
Share this post...