Salt & Light Blog

The Battlefield of the Mind: Fighting the War

10/23/2017

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4:8

I’m taking a small detour from our current study of Romans to study where God has been leading me lately and to explore what He is saying to me. I know if He has something important to say to me, it could be significant for you as well, my cherished family. I believe, at least it is true for me that much of the battle I fight is in the mind. It is in my mind that I fight to stay on this path following Jesus and not my own flesh. It is in my mind that I fight to maintain my identity in Christ and not fall victim to the lies about who I’ve believed myself to be, was told I am, and who I used to be. So, let’s begin by reading Philippians 4:8-9
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
What are the thoughts you are meditating on? What is the mantra you repeat as you walk? What are the ideas vacillating in your head? Are you concerned with how to feed your family, how to pay the electricity bill, where the rent will come from? Are those thoughts consistent with what God says we ought to think about? Are they true? They may feel that way, but Cherished, they are not true. Jesus said, “Why do you worry about these things? Look at the birds and the flowers. They don’t lift a finger to meet their needs and God takes care of them. How much more does He love you and how much more will He take care of you? People who don’t know God worry about all that. Your Father knows what you need. You can trust Him to take care of you. All you need to do is seek His Kingdom and Righteousness first, all those other things will be given to you.” (Paraphrased Matthew 6:25-34).
What is it you are spending your time thinking about and focusing on? Give it the litmus test. Is it true? Is it honorable? Is it just? Is it pure, lovely, or commendable? Is there excellence in it? Is it worthy of praise? If yes, then think about it. If yes meditate on it but of not, then toss that thought out and choose something that is. What can your “go to” thought be about then? What or who answers a yes to every single question in the verse? The Lord. Jesus is true, in fact He is The Truth and the Way (John 14:6). Jesus is honorable as Revelation 4:11 says
Worthy are you, our Lord and God,
    to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
    and by your will they existed and were created.
He is just! Deuteronomy 32:4 says,
The Rock, his work is perfect,
    for all his ways are justice.
A God of faithfulness and without iniquity,
    just and upright is he.
He is pure (1 John 3:3). And oh, Jesus is lovely! He is love (1 John 4:8), and that love is an attractive attribute calling people to recognize Him and come to Him 1 John 4:7-12 in The Message reads,
My beloved friends, let us continue to love each other since love comes from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and experiences a relationship with God. The person who refuses to love doesn’t know the first thing about God, because God is love—so you can’t know him if you don’t love. This is how God showed his love for us: God sent his only Son into the world so we might live through him. This is the kind of love we are talking about—not that we once upon a time loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to clear away our sins and the damage they’ve done to our relationship with God.
11-12 My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other. No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us—perfect love!
That is excellence! He is superior to all, anything, and everyone. Psalm 145:1-3 says it this way,
I will extol you, my God and King,
    and bless your name forever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless you
    and praise your name forever and ever.
3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
    and his greatness is unsearchable.
So, God, our Father, the Son, and His Holy Spirit is worthy of your thoughts and meditation. Think on these things. Also, what we know, we can, and should think about, what we are encouraged to think about that answers yes to our questions is the Word of God. The Word of God is Jesus and also God’s proclamations, scripture which like Jesus is God’s will manifested and demonstrated for us. He put His will on paper for us and it is alive and purposeful (Hebrews 4:12). Look back at Philippians 4:9. “What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” We learn and receive and hear by the word of Christ (Romans 10:17). That word often comes through one another as we walk this path together. Colossians 3:16-17 reads,
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Yes, the battle often takes place in the mind and we are told to guard it, to not allow the fight to take place there. Proverbs 4:20-27 has this to say,
My son, be attentive to my words;
    incline your ear to my sayings.
21 Let them not escape from your sight;
    keep them within your heart.
22 For they are life to those who find them,
    and healing to all thei] flesh.
23 Keep your heart with all vigilance,
    for from it flow the springs of life.
24 Put away from you crooked speech,
    and put devious talk far from you.
25 Let your eyes look directly forward,
    and your gaze be straight before you.
26 Ponder the path of your feet;
    then all your ways will be sure.
27 Do not swerve to the right or to the left;
    turn your foot away from evil.
And going back to Philippians 4 the verses just prior to the where we began remind us, it is not we but He who does the guarding as we meditate or rejoice on the things of God, turning our worries to prayer, praise, and thanksgiving. Philippians 4:4-7 read,
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, 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 understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Be aware of your thought life, it can and will affect your actions, walk, and growth. In Luke 6:45, Jesus said,
The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.
Are your thoughts not in alignment with Philippians 4:8? Pray. Praise God. Thank Him. Turn your mind to Him. Do not let your thoughts run away and put turmoil into your heart; take your thoughts captive to obey Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5).
Much of the battle takes place in the mind, and it is very real. But that is nothing for you to be afraid of, Cherished. Ephesians 6:17 give you a defensive and offensive weapon for the fight, “the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Jesus does not leave you alone for the fight. Isaiah 59:16-17 describe Jesus living, interceding and fighting for you.
He saw that there was no man,
    and wondered that there was no one to intercede;
then his own arm brought him salvation,
    and his righteousness upheld him.
17 He put on righteousness as a breastplate,
    and a helmet of salvation on his head;
he put on garments of vengeance for clothing,
    and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak.
What does it look like for you to fight this battle? Meditating on God’s Word, pursuing God’s kingdom and Righteousness is not a busy thing. God said, “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). He said that He would fight for us and we only have to be still. (Exodus 14:14). That doesn’t mean do nothing, it means remember He is God and He has us. It means meditate on Him, know Him, and hear and obey the Word and so be conformed to the image of Christ. James 1:22-25 reads,
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

Being a doer of the Word does not mean running around doing works to earn God’s favor, it is obedience to His Word, submitting to who He says He is and you are. You already have His favor. He loves you. His gifts, blessings, and salvation are freely given. He does the fighting, the calling, the saving, and the sanctifying. Romans 8:29-39 says it this way,
For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30 And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be[i]against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written,
“For your sake we are being killed all the day long;
    we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
My Cherished Brothers and Sisters, do not let your thought life go unchecked. Maybe for now, no one can see the devastating effects of your dark mind, but the results will spill out of your mouth and into your life. Take control of those thoughts and obey your Lord. “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” Let the God of peace be with you. Let Him exude from you. Let Him transform you. Let Him renew your mind (Romans 12:2).
I will close with this, The greatest commandment and what all the law and prophets depend on is this, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27, Matthew 22:36-40). Therefore, to take control of your thought life and meditate on God, His Word, and the good things in Creation is to love God.

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Deuteronomy 25 Humiliation is not Godly

3/29/2016

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For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death. 2 Corinthians 7:10

Deuteronomy 25
God is not into humiliating anyone. Punishments were not given to strip someone’s dignity, laws were not formed to shame a person. Punishments and laws are for teaching, building up, and discipline. Verses 1-3 read,
If there is a dispute between men and they come into court and the judges decide between them, acquitting the innocent and condemning the guilty, 2 then if the guilty man deserves to be beaten, the judge shall cause him to lie down and be beaten in his presence with a number of stripes in proportion to his offense. 3 Forty stripes may be given him, but not more, lest, if one should go on to beat him with more stripes than these, your brother be degraded in your sight.
Very often today people feel punishment ought to include degradation, especially with social media being so widespread. I’ve seen photos of people having to wear the signs of their wrongdoing, so they wouldn’t repeat the sin, not because they were taught the reason but because humiliation would supposedly cause them to not to repeat the crime. Tearing them down that way causes bitterness and resentment, not love and discipline. God clearly does not want us to humiliate one another. The worst beating a man should receive was forty strikes of the whip. Later, to ensure that this law was not broken, people were whipped forty less one. But also lost was that each case was different, not every case deserved forty lashes. What was also lost was that the lashes were meant to be the entire punishment. The fact that dignity should not be stripped from the man was lost.
When Jesus was punished during and after His trial, they beat Him, derided Him, and put him to death (John 19). The law was broken in every step of His trial and crucifixion. He endured shame at every step of the crucifixion for us. Hebrews 12:2 reads,
looking to Jesus, the founder 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.
Love does not humiliate, it is not arrogant or rude, it does not rejoice at wrong-doing. Yet even through all that hate, Jesus bore all our sins, He endured. In living out love, in walking in the Spirit, in becoming the image of Christ, we must exemplify love. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a reads,
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 8 Love never ends.

If we love one another we don’t humiliate each other. There is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). We exemplify Christ, so others can see Him. Degrading people doesn’t let them see Jesus, it causes hate, and it kills the spirit. We do not break their hearts. The sinner (saved or not) must break his own heart.
Humiliation can come in many ways. Depriving someone of a need or a livelihood causes humiliation. Verse 4 reads,
You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out the grain.
Even a legacy should not be stolen from someone, dignity must be upheld even after death. Verses 5-10 read,
If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the wife of the dead man shall not be married outside the family to a stranger. Her husband's brother shall go in to her and take her as his wife and perform the duty of a husband's brother to her. 6 And the first son whom she bears shall succeed to the name of his dead brother, that his name may not be blotted out of Israel. 7 And if the man does not wish to take his brother's wife, then his brother's wife shall go up to the gate to the elders and say, ‘My husband's brother refuses to perpetuate his brother's name in Israel; he will not perform the duty of a husband's brother to me.’ 8 Then the elders of his city shall call him and speak to him, and if he persists, saying, ‘I do not wish to take her,’ 9 then his brother's wife shall go up to him in the presence of the elders and pull his sandal off his foot and spit in his face. And she shall answer and say, ‘So shall it be done to the man who does not build up his brother's house.’ 10 And the name of his house shall be called in Israel, ‘The house of him who had his sandal pulled off.’
Pulling off a sandal was a symbol of shame which eventually became a symbol for passing property to another person. In the case. Making sure a brother had a legacy was important so his name should continue on. The brother who chose not to give his brother an heir was shaming his brother. To take the shame away from the dead brother, the wife would have to shame the brother in public and make it equal. This ceremonial degradation allowed the brother not to marry the woman without bringing and dishonor to her or to the brother. When a person is forced to marry against his will, the future may hold abuse, hate, and other indignity.
Even in a fight, there are lines we just do not cross. Verses 11-12 read,
When men fight with one another and the wife of the one draws near to rescue her husband from the hand of him who is beating him and puts out her hand and seizes him by the private parts, 12 then you shall cut off her hand. Your eye shall have no pity.
To do something like that, to hurt a man in such a horrible way was not only unfair, but the injury humiliates the man immediately and can cause permanent damage that will continue to humiliate him in the future.
In order not to disgrace others, we have to not disgrace ourselves; we have to be fair. Verses 13-16 read,
You shall not have in your bag two kinds of weights, a large and a small. 14 You shall not have in your house two kinds of measures, a large and a small. 15 A full and fair weight you shall have, a full and fair measure you shall have, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. 16 For all who do such things, all who act dishonestly, are an abomination to the Lord your God.

Having two different weights meant that you carried with you the ability to cheat others. You had a weight that looked heavier or lighter than it really was and so stole. Being a cheat beings dishonor to the people you deal with. Acting in fairness and honesty shows respect and brings honor.
It is up to God to get vengeance, it is up to Him to decide who is punished and who is not. If someone treats us unfairly, we do not have to worry about getting back, humiliating them, or anything else. God takes care of it. Our ability to refrain from shaming one another shows our faith in The Lord. Verses 17-19 read,
Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you came out of Egypt, 18 how he attacked you on the way when you were faint and weary, and cut off your tail, those who were lagging behind you, and he did not fear God. 19 Therefore when the Lord your God has given you rest from all your enemies around you, in the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance to possess, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven; you shall not forget.

It is natural to want to heap shame on people who hurt us. It is supernatural to love our enemies, to pray for them, and bless them. It will never be the humiliation and condemnation of another that brings them to Jesus. It will be His love manifested in us that reveals the truth. Conviction and shame are very different. Conviction leads to repentance and life. Shame turns the focus onto the self and leads to death.

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1 Thessalonians 2 How to Share the Gospel even if You're not an Evangelist

8/26/2015

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1 Thessalonians 2

I know that many believers are afraid to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with people. Or at least many are very anxious about it. I understand that trepidation. But whether not we are gifted with evangelism, it is still a command of Jesus to us, and it is a core purpose and manifestation of love and our response to our own salvation. Matthew 28:18-20 reads,

“And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

But many of us, leave evangelism to the two people in our church who are gifted. We say we don’t know how. Many of us associate evangelism with knocking on doors and asking, “If you were to die tonight, where would you go?” Many of us associate sharing the Gospel with men on street corners carrying signs that read, “Repent Today!” But evangelism, truly witnessing to the lost is not like that at all. And as believers we not only have the compulsion to share the love of Jesus with the world, we have the ability and the authority to do so. When Jesus ascended to Heaven, He didn’t leave us. He said He would be with us until the end of the age. His Holy Spirit came to us, indwelt us and fills us. (John 14:15-17). He makes it possible for us to testify to the awesome love of The Father. Verses 1-4 read,

“For you yourselves know, brothers, that our coming to you was not in vain. 2 But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict. 3 For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, 4 but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts.”

The Lord entrusted us, He commended us with the wonderful Truth. This is a secret and a mystery to the lost, but it is not supposed to remain an enigmatic secret. Ephesians 3:4-13 says,

“When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. 6 This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

7 Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace, which was given me by the working of his power. 8 To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, 10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11 This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. 13 So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.”

We don’t share the gospel because we want to impress the church. We don’t testify to the Lordship of Jesus Christ to please men. We do it because The Lord loves us so deeply and we want to please Him by giving Him what He wants, which is for everyone to come to know Him. (1 Timothy 2:4, 2 Peter 3:9). And sharing the Gospel does not always mean walking up to people at the bus stop and having a pre-scripted conversation ending in leading them in the ‘sinner’s prayer.’ Sharing the Gospel is done when people see how we respond to suffering. Witnessing is done in our relationships and conversations when we deliberately bring the conversation to Jesus. Evangelism is done through our acts of love and faith to people. Verses 5-8 say,

“For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness. 6 Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. 7 But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. 8 So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.”

When we share the gospel we are not selling something. We don’t have to cajole people to like us. We don’t need to persuade anyone with sweet-talk. We are genuinely loving, kind, and giving as The Holy Spirit has made us to be. (Galatians 5:22-24). If we love The Lord then like Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, we desire people to come to Jesus just like God does. (1 John 4:7-21). We love Him and our desires align with The Spirit of God and not with our selfish flesh. (Philippians 2:12-13).

We witness by our attitude and love toward one another. (John 13:34-35). We mentor believers and make them disciples by our love toward one another. Verses 9-12 read,

“For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. 10 You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers. 11 For you know how, like a father with his children, 12 we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.”

When we witness, we don’t have to be fearful. We do not have to worry about not knowing how or what to say. The Holy Spirit will do the work. He saves, not us. The Holy Spirit emboldens us and even gives us the words to say. (Acts 4:23-31, Matthew 10:19-20). Verse 13 says,

“And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.”

There is persecution for believers today and it will only get worse as time gets closer to The Day of Judgement. But that is all the more reason to spread the Gospel, people need Jesus or they will burn in Hell. We will face opposition because Satan hates people, he is our enemy and he schemes and plans to keep people from the fullness of God. (1 Peter 5:8). As, the body of Christ in a world of people who do not know Jesus we need one another and we need to remain faithful witnesses and keepers of The Gospel. The enemy and his followers will experience the wrath of God. We can snatch the lost out of his hands and lead them to Jesus. Verses 14-16 read,

“For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Christ Jesus that are in Judea. For you suffered the same things from your own countrymen as they did from the Jews15 who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out, and displease God and oppose all mankind16 by hindering us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved—so as always to fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them at last!”

Do we love one another as Jesus loves us? Do we love people as Jesus loves them? If we do, we can’t let them walk to Hell without giving them a chance to know Jesus. If we do we can’t leave the newly born again as orphans without a way to know their Father more. We are responsible for dispensing the Gospel. Verses 17-20 read,

“But since we were torn away from you, brothers, for a short time, in person not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face, 18 because we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, again and again—but Satan hindered us. 19 For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? 20 For you are our glory and joy.”

First of all, love people with the Love of God. Be bold and courageous, not fearful. Trust and obey the Lord. This is not a job for 1% of the church. This is a job for 100% of the church. We were given our gifts for a reason, which is the building up of the church. (Ephesians 4:11-16). How will people know Jesus of they never hear about Him. Romans 10:13-17 reads,

“For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”

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Psalm 70 Our Prayers Bless the Lord, Us, and All Who Hear.

7/30/2015

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Psalm 70:4-5 on Photo of Ponce Inlet Lighthouse by Donna Campbell

May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you! May those who love your salvation say evermore, “God is great!” But I am poor and needy; hasten to me, O God! You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay! Psalm 70:4-5

Psalm 70

In this Psalm David used words he had previously used in Psalm 40:13-17. He didn’t keep the words exactly the same there are changes. We do sometimes use words and prayers we have heard and prayed before, especially when we pray scripture.

This Psalm by David was written to be prayed with the memorial offering described in Leviticus 2:9-10 as a part of the grain offering described in Leviticus 16:14-23. The offering was a voluntary one of worship that normally accompanied the burnt offering which was another voluntary offering made to atone for unintentional sins. The memorial offering was the portion of the grain offering not given to the priests but burned up to be a pleasing aroma to The Lord. It was meant for Israel to remember who God is and what He has done. It was meant to be complete worship to bless The Lord.

Verses1-3 read,

“Make haste, O God, to deliver me!
    O Lord, make haste to help me!
2 Let them be put to shame and confusion
    who seek my life!
Let them be turned back and brought to dishonor
    who delight in my hurt!
3 Let them turn back because of their shame
    who say, “Aha, Aha!”

So why would a Psalm of worship and thanksgiving begin with a plea to be delivered from one’s enemies? Because our prayers while blessing All-Knowing and Almighty God are also meant to edify us and those who hear them. 1 Corinthians 14:13-19 says,

“Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret. 14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. 15 What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also. 16 Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsider say “Amen” to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying? 17 For you may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up. 18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. 19 Nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue.”

When we pray thanks to the Lord for His great deeds and when we ask Him to do great things for us, we remember who God is, what He has done, and what He is capable of. He already knows. We are the ones who need to be reminded and therefore our faith is strengthened and the people who listen are encouraged. God knows our needs, we do not always realize them. Our prayer reminds us.

And for those of us who are saved, we are already delivered from the enemy but praying for our enemies, the enemies of Christ, and those people who need deliverance reminds us of who we used to be. We don’t recall our old selves in order to be the way we were but to grasp the awesome miracle God has done in us through salvation. He made us new. He didn’t just make us better but He made us completely new. It is up to us to remember that each day and to choose to be the new creation instead of our old dead selves. (Colossians 3:5-11).

2 Corinthians 5:16-21 puts it like this,

“From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

We are new. We are delivered. We are saved. This is such an astonishing miracle. We have reason to praise, sing, and worship. Verse 4 reads,

“May all who seek you
    rejoice and be glad in you!
May those who love your salvation
    say evermore, “God is great!”

Our praise glorifies God. God’s glory is like a beacon to the lost, calling them to salvation. And that salvation brings eternal life, not one day in the far off, not after we physically die, not after our resurrection but now. The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Life gives us that life through Jesus and by the Father. (John 6:60-71).

John 3:33-36 describes eternal life,

“Whoever receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true.34 For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure. 35 The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”

We live in the Kingdom of God now and forever. Look at the tense of John 3:36 it does not say, ‘Whoever believes in the Son will have eternal life.’ It says, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life” It also says, “whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”

What does that mean? The first, the most crucial thing a person does in obedience to The Lord is to repent and be baptized. Acts 2:36-39 says it like this,

“Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”

We have to admit we need God by admitting we are sinners. We have to acknowledge and confess that we have done wrongs in our lives. But we don’t leave it like that. What good is conceding a fault without reparation? Would it do any good to say, ‘I need to lose weight’ yet not eat healthy and exercise? No! And so confessing our sins does not forgive them or give us eternal life. It is the obedience to repent, to ask Jesus for His salvation, and believe that He is the Lord that gives us eternal life. So David cried out to God often remembering his sin and God’s grace. Verse 5 reads,

“But I am poor and needy;
    hasten to me, O God!
You are my help and my deliverer;
    O Lord, do not delay!”

I encourage you today to worship The Lord by remembering who He is and what He has done. Of all the awesome, wonderful, loving, and miraculous deeds He has done, salvation is the most awesome, wonderful, loving, and miraculous.

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Psalm 69 Suffering for Jesus is not Fun but it is Good

7/29/2015

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Psalm 69

Although Jesus promised us we would be hated for His sake, (Matthew 10:21-25) He didn’t say we wouldn’t feel the sting of that animosity. Suffering for Jesus is not called suffering because it’s enjoyable. David felt overwhelmed with the enmity and hostility of his enemies. Verses 1-5 read,

“Save me, O God!
    For the waters have come up to my neck.
2 I sink in deep mire,
    where there is no foothold;
I have come into deep waters,
    and the flood sweeps over me.
3 I am weary with my crying out;
    my throat is parched.
My eyes grow dim
    with waiting for my God.

4 More in number than the hairs of my head
    are those who hate me without cause;
mighty are those who would destroy me,
    those who attack me with lies.
What I did not steal
    must I now restore?
5 O God, you know my folly;
    the wrongs I have done are not hidden from you.”

We know God is with us, yet sometimes at the height of suffering we can wonder if we will ever reach the end of it. We can wonder if The Lord will ever deliver and avenge us. If faith we easy or automatic everyone would have faith. The enemy lies to us and about us. The world of haters finds false reasons and flawed assumptions to hate us. But we know we do not need to hide our wrongs from The Lord and we couldn’t if we wanted to. It is futile to hide our shortcomings from the world. If they think we haven’t ever fallen as they do, then they wouldn’t see how God has saved us and how He can save them too.

That doesn’t give license to sin. We are citizens of Heaven, representatives of God, and ambassadors of the church. We live and walk in obedience to Christ. We don’t hide our sin, but we also live in a manner that honors our Father’s name and doesn’t shame our Brothers and Sisters. Verses 6-12 say,

“Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me,
    O Lord God of hosts;
let not those who seek you be brought to dishonor through me,
    O God of Israel.
7 For it is for your sake that I have borne reproach,
    that dishonor has covered my face.
8 I have become a stranger to my brothers,
    an alien to my mother's sons.

9 For zeal for your house has consumed me,
    and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me.
10 When I wept and humbled my soul with fasting,
    it became my reproach.
11 When I made sackcloth my clothing,
    I became a byword to them.
12 I am the talk of those who sit in the gate,
    and the drunkards make songs about me.”

The deeper our passion for Jesus, our fervor for The Father, and our zest for The Spirit the more the world will despise us and be repulsed by us. They will call us fools, the will shake their heads and think we are ridiculous. Even our blood families will talk about us with derision. They see our behavior and it is peculiar. It makes no sense to them that we would submit to God, one another, or them. It makes no sense that instead of fighting back we would offer ourselves for more beatings. But we are meant to stand out from the world.

We are meant to look, act, and sound like Jesus. It isn’t always easy to be the butt of the joke but we know the Truth. We just can’t be like the world imprisoned to lies and ignorant of the chains and oppression they are under. For us, suffering is temporary. It is knowing that which allows us to make it through. For the believer, suffering for righteousness’ sake has purpose and that purpose is great. We can rejoice and continue to live as Jesus lived with love and virtue. We do not earn salvation through our uprightness, we are saved because we have faith in Jesus. Romans 5:1-6 says,

“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.”

We know that suffering is necessary and good. We know that The Holy Spirit uses it to conform us to Christ’s image. And in Him we can tell the world about how wonderful He is, how He saved us and can save them too. Those awesome purposes mean that there are times when we may suffer longer than we would like. But faith reminds us that misery and affliction will end at the perfect time. Verses 13-18 read,

“But as for me, my prayer is to you, O Lord.
    At an acceptable time, O God,
    in the abundance of your steadfast love answer me in your saving faithfulness.
14 Deliver me
    from sinking in the mire;
let me be delivered from my enemies
    and from the deep waters.
15 Let not the flood sweep over me,
    or the deep swallow me up,
    or the pit close its mouth over me.

16 Answer me, O Lord, for your steadfast love is good;
    according to your abundant mercy, turn to me.
17 Hide not your face from your servant;
    for I am in distress; make haste to answer me.
18 Draw near to my soul, redeem me;
    ransom me because of my enemies!”

The lost are headed toward the eternal pit. They are not aware of why they might suffer. But The Lord uses their suffering to bring them to a place where they realize they can only call out to Jesus to be saved. He uses us, our entire lives including our suffering and our response to suffering to demonstrate His saving power to the world.

When we suffer, we call out to The Lord, we don’t try to numb or relieve the pain by our own strength. We do not seek the answers or provisions of the world. We seek the Kingdom of God, His will, provision, strength, healing, and joy. When we seek God first, everything else falls into place and worry about our distress becomes foreign to us, the children of Almighty God. (Matthew 6:25-34).

We can’t look to the world for compassion, provision, or anything we should be receiving from The Lord. They hate us because they hate Jesus. They hated Him so completely and utterly that they wanted to murder Him in the most horrific and tortuous way a person could be killed. But they didn’t take Jesus’ life, He gave it. We like Jesus must be ready to do the same. We must be willing to suffer for Jesus’ sake which is the sake of the whole world. Verses 19-21 read,

“You know my reproach,
    and my shame and my dishonor;
    my foes are all known to you.
20 Reproaches have broken my heart,
    so that I am in despair.
I looked for pity, but there was none,
    and for comforters, but I found none.
21 They gave me poison for food,
    and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink.”

Verse 21 presages Jesus’ agony on the cross. He endured that torture for us. When He cried out that He was thirsty they gave him sour wine, vinegar instead of wine. First mixed with gall and myrrh to decrease his pain, but Jesus refused it. (Matthew 27:34). Then later he accepted sour wine without the gall to prolong his suffering. (Matthew 27:48). Neither was to slake his thirst. The world may offer us money, power, and revelry, but none of it is for our true benefit. Let them seek their profit from the world, eventually all their wealth, all their rich foods, and all their false power will be a stumbling block. They will either fall on their knees before Jesus or be thrown into the pits of Hell. We cannot be like them and therefore send them to Hell ourselves. Verses 22-28 describe it.

“Let their own table before them become a snare;
    and when they are at peace, let it become a trap.
23 Let their eyes be darkened, so that they cannot see,
    and make their loins tremble continually.
24 Pour out your indignation upon them,
    and let your burning anger overtake them.
25 May their camp be a desolation;
    let no one dwell in their tents.
26 For they persecute him whom you have struck down,
    and they recount the pain of those you have wounded.
27 Add to them punishment upon punishment;
    may they have no acquittal from you.
28 Let them be blotted out of the book of the living;
    let them not be enrolled among the righteous.”

The sinner will never be counted with the righteous. Only those made good and holy by Jesus’ blood will be in the Book of Life. Everyone starts out with the opportunity to be saved. God, our Father has chosen that all can be saved by Jesus. But many will not listen to the urgings of The Holy Spirit. Many will close their ears and harden their hearts against Him and so they will be blotted out of the Book of Life and instead die eternally.

For us who humble ourselves before The Lord, admit our sin, and let God be our God, He saves us. He keeps us and carries us through the suffering. He won’t save someone who won’t admit they need saving. He helps those who ask for His help and rescue. Verses 29-33 read,

“But I am afflicted and in pain;
    let your salvation, O God, set me on high!

30 I will praise the name of God with a song;
    I will magnify him with thanksgiving.
31 This will please the Lord more than an ox
    or a bull with horns and hoofs.
32 When the humble see it they will be glad;
    you who seek God, let your hearts revive.
33 For the Lord hears the needy
    and does not despise his own people who are prisoners.”

So Believer, do not be afraid to suffer. Do not be afraid to call out to The Lord for deliverance. Call out to Him and praise Him for His Salvation. Let the world know how great our Lord is. Let the church know how good The Lord is. Verses 34-36 read,

“Let heaven and earth praise him,
    the seas and everything that moves in them.
35 For God will save Zion
    and build up the cities of Judah,
and people shall dwell there and possess it;
36     the offspring of his servants shall inherit it,
    and those who love his name shall dwell in it.”

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Psalm 66 Why Do We Praise The Lord?

7/26/2015

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Psalm 66

There is always a reason to praise God. We praise Him for what He has done. We extol Him for Who He is. We magnify Him for what He is doing and for what He has told us He will do. God is great, He is awesome, mighty, tremendous, faithful, splendid, merciful, and loving. Verses 1-4 incite the entire earth to praise Almighty God.

“Shout for joy to God, all the earth;
2     sing the glory of his name;
    give to him glorious praise!
3 Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!
    So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you.
4 All the earth worships you
    and sings praises to you;
    they sing praises to your name.” Selah”

Praise to The Lord is glorious. God becomes known to the world, He is made famous to all those who hear the praise of the saints. His name is exalted, His works are celebrated, and He is lauded by our praise and worship. There will be a day when every person will come before The Lord for judgement. On that day the every person will bow to Jesus, and that includes His enemies. The people whose hearts are hard and filled with rage at the idea of The King of kings, who are to prideful to acknowledge Him will bend their knees to Him and proclaim that Jesus is the Lord of lords, King of kings, and God of the Universe. (Isaiah 45:22-25, Philippians 2:1-11). They will wince and shudder, because they will see the Truth, and it will be too late, too late to choose Him and too late to know Him.

What has God done? How has The Almighty God shown His love to His children? Verses 5-12 read,

“Come and see what God has done:
    he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man.
6 He turned the sea into dry land;
    they passed through the river on foot.
There did we rejoice in him,
7     who rules by his might forever,
whose eyes keep watch on the nations--
    let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah

8 Bless our God, O peoples;
    let the sound of his praise be heard,
9 who has kept our soul among the living
    and has not let our feet slip.
10 For you, O God, have tested us;
    you have tried us as silver is tried.
11 You brought us into the net;
    you laid a crushing burden on our backs;
12 you let men ride over our heads;
    we went through fire and through water;
yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance.”

God brought Israel into Egypt where their numbers grew from 70 people to a strong and mighty numerous, and were eventually made slaves. (Genesis 46:26-27, Exodus 1:7-8). But the Lord brought them out of Egypt, divided the Red Sea so Israel walked safely through it, brought them through the wilderness, brought them into The Promised Land, and made them a nation.

The Lord has done the same for us today. We were slaves to sin, we were in the chains of the enemy. God loved us so much He sent His Son Jesus to us. He stepped out of Heaven, He lived, died and rose from the dead for us. Holy Perfect Jesus who never sinned was made sin so that we who were the slaves of sin were made to be righteous and holy. (2 Corinthians 5:16-21). Now we are a nation. 1 Peter 2:9-10 reads,

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

Our response is to rightly worship, praise, and glorify Him to magnify His Holy Name to every nation and person. Our response is to obey Him, to love Him above all with everything we have and are, and to love the people He made as He loves them. Verses 13-15 say,

“I will come into your house with burnt offerings;
    I will perform my vows to you,
14 that which my lips uttered
    and my mouth promised when I was in trouble.
15 I will offer to you burnt offerings of fattened animals,
    with the smoke of the sacrifice of rams;
I will make an offering of bulls and goats. Selah”

Our response in that love and in love others as He loves is to tell the world what God has done and who He is, the Savior Jesus, our Lord. Verses 16-20 read,

“Come and hear, all you who fear God,
    and I will tell what he has done for my soul.
17 I cried to him with my mouth,
    and high praise was on my tongue.
18 If I had cherished iniquity in my heart,
    the Lord would not have listened.
19 But truly God has listened;
    he has attended to the voice of my prayer.

20 Blessed be God,
    because he has not rejected my prayer
    or removed his steadfast love from me!”

The Gospel is so simple that it is too simple for some. They just cannot accept that all we have to do is repent from our sins by asking the Lord God to forgive us and that He does. We do not have to earn His favor, he already chose us. We do not have to work for His reward, He gives us eternal life just by our faith.

There is no magic in the words of the sinner’s prayer. If we simply repeated the words yet treasured sin and never planned to obey the Lord then the prayer meant nothing, just as if it had never been said. God hears and knows our sincerity. He knows our hearts. When we pray with remorse for our wrongs and with faith that Jesus is the Christ, He hears, He listens, He attends, and He saves.

We have so much reason to praise the Lord! He has done great things. He created the world. He chose to love us and save us. He brought us from slavery to freedom. He wants to save every person in every nation. They can know the awesome Love of God by that praise.

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Psalm 62 Who is Your Rock?

7/22/2015

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Psalm 62

Where does you hope sit? In whom does your faith rest? Do you put your confidence in money? Do you put your expectation on family? Do you look to the government to fulfill promises? Do you look for help in people or possessions? None of that can ever meet all your needs, hopes, and yearnings wholly. Only God can perfectly give you what you need, satisfy every promise He made, and give you the desires of your heart. He answers every request perfectly and in your best interest. There is only one God and He is enough.

David knew this. He had money, power, an army at his disposal, trusted friends, and women. But He didn’t depend on any of that to conquer his enemies, to satisfy his longings, or rule a nation. He looked to the One True and Living God. Verses 1-2 read,

“For God alone my soul waits in silence;
    from him comes my salvation.
2 He alone is my rock and my salvation,
    my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken.”

Our prayers, our fellowship with the Lord shouldn’t be a one sided conversation. It should have sufficient time of silence, waiting for The Lord, listening to The Spirit’s counsel, and wordlessly giving The God of Justice our hearts. David had many enemies who viciously tried to remove him from his position, who fought against Israel, and who would want nothing more than see him dead.

We have one enemy and he prowls like a roaring lion hunting his prey. (1 Peter 5:6-11). The people he uses are not our enemy they are his prisoners in a war they are oblivious to. The devil makes them think we are their enemies. But it is only him and his minions, who are our true enemies. He is scheming. Verses 3-4 read,

“How long will all of you attack a man
    to batter him,
    like a leaning wall, a tottering fence?
4 They only plan to thrust him down from his high position.
    They take pleasure in falsehood.
They bless with their mouths,
    but inwardly they curse. Selah

Satan, our adversary attacks the children of The Lord ferociously. The stronger we are in Christ the more afraid he becomes and the harder he will attack. He wants us to be ineffectual. He wants us to forget who we are. We are royal priests, distinctive, and holy. We belong to Awesome God. (1 Peter 2:9-10). We are the children of Holy Mighty God. (John 1:12-13). We are citizens of Heaven. We are the bride of Christ. (2 Corinthians 11:2-3, Revelation 19:6-9).

The devil tries hard to knock us of the foundation of Christ. He lies to us about our identity. He accuses us of wrongs. He twists words and uses partial scripture out of context to try and hurt us. The devil is called the accuser (Revelation 12:9-12) and he is a liar! (John 8:42-45).

We don’t believe the devil. We do not listen to his lies and accusations. We don’t give in to the temptations he dangles to lead us astray. We depend on The Lord God. We know He is Our Victorious Lord of Angel Armies. He is awesome! So we can rest in Him as conquerors. Verses 5-8 read,

“For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence,
    for my hope is from him.
6 He only is my rock and my salvation,
    my fortress; I shall not be shaken.
7 On God rests my salvation and my glory;
    my mighty rock, my refuge is God.

8 Trust in him at all times, O people;
    pour out your heart before him;
    God is a refuge for us. Selah”

What is it that God of Truth has told us? Who are we in Christ? We know we are a royal priesthood, distinctive citizens of Heaven, children of God, and the bride of Christ. But we are also victorious. We are conquerors with Jesus. United completely with Him and nothing can separate us from Him. He loves us deeply. He is our refuge and our firm foundation. Even the most turbulent earthquake cannot shake us off of the Rock on which we stand. (Romans 8:31-39).

The devil lies, he accuses us of horrible wrongs. But God doesn’t. He brings convicts the lost but then sets us free, He never again considers our sins. If someone is condemning us, accusing us, and filling us with guilt it is not The Lord. The Lord condemned sin and doomed the devil to eternal hell. He rescued believers and set us free. Romans 8:1-4 reads,

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit”

Our wealth or poverty means nothing in the Kingdom of God. Our power and position in the world have no bearing in the Kingdom of God. The world is temporary. Our physical lives are merely a breath compared to eternity. It is Eternal Holy God, our Savior, and our Wonderful Advocate who matters. Our brief life is an opportunity to glorify Him and effect the Kingdom of God by demonstrating the Love of God to everyone, rich or poor, prince or pauper, believer or prisoner. Verses 9-10 say,

“Those of low estate are but a breath;
    those of high estate are a delusion;
in the balances they go up;
    they are together lighter than a breath.
10 Put no trust in extortion;
    set no vain hopes on robbery;
    if riches increase, set not your heart on them.”

We will all be judged on the same criterion. It will not be how good or bad we were. It will not be how many people we led to Christ or how many people we killed. It will be only whether or not we covered by Jesus’ righteousness. Did we accept or reject Christ? That is the only measure that matters.

We can put our hope in money, but money cannot save us. We can put our faith in power but the power of the world is nothing compared to God. Seeking more worldly money, power, and influence gains us nothing. We set our hearts on God. We put our hope in Jesus. We set our feet firmly on the Rock. We let God be God. We are still and we know that He is God and we know who we are in Christ.

Verses 11-12 read,

“Once God has spoken;
    twice have I heard this:
that power belongs to God,
12     and that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love.
For you will render to a man
    according to his work.”

Power is God’s. And the only thing that will matter when we face Him is did we make Jesus our Lord and did we put our faith in His resurrection. That is the choice that gives us eternal life or eternal hell. When we accept Christ, we enter God’s rest. We don’t worry. The enemy is defeated. He can’t hurt us unless we allow him to do so.

But there is another judgement. This judgement doesn’t affect salvation but it will show us how much we allowed the devil to keep us from God. This judgement tells us where we chose to store our treasures. Was it on Earth or in Heaven? 1 Corinthians 3-10-15 reads,

“According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. 11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw— 13 each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done.14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.”

Trusting The Lord leads us to glorify Him and brings people to Him. It is by our dependence on Him and our unity with Him that we pour out His love on the desperate prisoners of war and on the suffering brothers who try to fight the enemy alone. Our works which depend on God lead to eternal treasures. Our dependence on self, money, and earthly power leads to unproductive and futile accomplishments that will burn away on The Day of Fire.

Where is your hope? Where are your treasures? Is your life glorifying God or pleasing Satan?

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Psalm 58 Only The Lord is Elohim our Judge

7/18/2015

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Psalm 58

This Psalm, a miktam of David is entitled God Who Judges the Earth. It is supposed to be God who is the judge, not man. Yet so many people put themselves in His place and condemn, punish, and kill as if they have the right, as if they have never sinned. Leaders make sweeping decisions for people and someone is always hurt by their choices. If they swear to uphold group a, group b is forgotten and vice versa. But they are never trampled by their own rulings. They always reap the gain from the people’s loss.

Verses 1-2 read,

“Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods?
    Do you judge the children of man uprightly?
2 No, in your hearts you devise wrongs;
    your hands deal out violence on earth.”

The people who make themselves judge by doling out slanted justice elevate themselves to a false position of god. They think they have a right to magistrate. But they can’t hand out justice properly, they can’t judge uprightly, because their hearts are flawed. They like all of us are born sinners. We all plan evil. We all scheme selfishly. And those who elevate themselves to be judge, dispense a skewed justice. They become murderers. They take vengeance on themselves and somehow think it is their right to spew their false piety, anger, hate, and viciousness over everyone.

We are all born sinners. None of us has the right to allocate justice while we ourselves are unjust. None of us has the right to judge because we deserve judgment. Verses 3-5 read,

“The wicked are estranged from the womb;
    they go astray from birth, speaking lies.
4 They have venom like the venom of a serpent,
    like the deaf adder that stops its ear,
5 so that it does not hear the voice of charmers
    or of the cunning enchanter.”

We are all born imperfect and capable of evil. But we don’t have to stay that way. The Father calls us to Him. Jesus can give us His righteousness. The Holy Spirit can conform us to Christ’s image. But some people can’t make The Lord their God, because they have raised themselves up to be their own gods. They think they are in charge of their own lives, but these gods are slaves to Satan, the prince of this world. They spread their poison like deadly snakes who kill with one bite. And like the adder those lethal serpents keep spreading their poisonous lies. Their own agenda is fragile and can’t stand up to arguments. Their pride makes them deaf. They refuse to hear anyone for fear that their image will be destroyed.

But they like everyone on this earth will be judged by the One God Elohim. He is our Creator and Judge. Only He has the authority to avenge, judge, condemn, or absolve. Verses 6-7 describe the punishment the wicked judges will receive.

“O God, break the teeth in their mouths;
    tear out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord!
7 Let them vanish like water that runs away;
    when he aims his arrows, let them be blunted.”

God breaks their teeth making them harmless. They can’t rip apart their prey or even wound without their teeth. And though in the worldly sense they may cause the believer pain and suffering, they have no real power to wound us. They are like their haughty prince, the devil, whom Peter described as a prowling lion. He encouraged believers not to freak out and fear him, but to remain calm and act. 1 Peter 5:6-11 says,

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. 10 And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

The devil is like a roaring lion, but he has no teeth when it comes to followers of Jesus Christ. Whatever pains he might cause are temporary. We can resist him because of our faith in Our Awesome God, The Lion of Judah who is worthy and conquered the devil. Revelation 5:1-5 reads,

“Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, 4 and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. 5 And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

It is God, Elohim, who judges. Only He is worthy. Vengeance is His. (Deuteronomy 32:35-36). His Judgment will bring eternal punishment and death to the wicked. It will be as if they never existed. Verses 8-9 read,

“Let them be like the snail that dissolves into slime,
    like the stillborn child who never sees the sun.
9 Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of thorns,
    whether green or ablaze, may he sweep them away!”

But for us who make Jesus our Lord and are credited with His righteousness judgement brings eternal life and the Kingdom of Heaven. He gives it to us now before Judgement Day so that we can glorify Him and so that the lost can be found and declare Jesus is Lord. Verses 10-11 read,

“The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance;
    he will bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked.
11 Mankind will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous;
    surely there is a God who judges on earth.”

Who is your God? Is He Elohim? Is Jesus your righteousness? Are you indwelled with God’s Awesome Holy Spirit? Or are you your own god judging the world with an unworthy and sinful heart. With Jesus as our Lord and The Holy Spirit within us we are given the authority to forgive, and to bless. (John 20:21-23). But we leave judgement up to Jesus. We may discern sin and error in a fellow believer and help him back, but this is not the judgement of God who judges finally and completely with all authority. (John 5:25-29, James 4:10-12).

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Psalm 55 In Whom Do You Trust?

7/15/2015

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Psalm 55

Who or what do you put your faith in? Do you put your faith into yourself, trusting your instincts ad emotions to lead you? Our feelings do not always guide us with wisdom. David had been betrayed by a friend. He was greatly wounded and in his distress he wrote this poem, a prayer to The Lord. Verses 1-8 read,

“Give ear to my prayer, O God,
    and hide not yourself from my plea for mercy!
2 Attend to me, and answer me;
    I am restless in my complaint and I moan,
3 because of the noise of the enemy,
    because of the oppression of the wicked.
For they drop trouble upon me,
    and in anger they bear a grudge against me.

4 My heart is in anguish within me;
    the terrors of death have fallen upon me.
5 Fear and trembling come upon me,
    and horror overwhelms me.
6 And I say, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
    I would fly away and be at rest;
7 yes, I would wander far away;
    I would lodge in the wilderness; Selah
8 I would hurry to find a shelter
    from the raging wind and tempest.”

David’s emotions lied to him. He felt like God wasn’t hearing his prayers. He was suffering and afraid. Those feelings made him want to fly away from it all and seek refuge in a tent in the wilderness. He wanted to escape his suffering rather than go through it.

But we know that God will never leave us nor forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5). Although our emotions, our flesh leads us to cower and escape torment, troubles, and trials, God calls us to let him be our refuge. Romans 8:5-8 puts it this way,

“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. 6 For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. 7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. 8 Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.”

Our emotions (our flesh) do not always lead us properly, but the Spirit always does. The Spirit carries us through the difficulties we experience and conforms us to Jesus’ beautiful likeness through them. Romans 8:26-29 reads,

“Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.”

David was hurting over the betrayal of a friend. He put his trust in this friend and the friend helped those who sought to kill David. Putting our faith in people isn’t a great idea. People are fallible. We are not all-powerful, perfect, and holy like our Lord God. We fail. We fall short of the mark. Only God almighty is worthy of our faith. Jesus lived the only perfect life ever. We trust Him and when people let us down, as they undoubtedly will or when we let others down as we undoubtedly will, God is still with us strengthening, leading, and perfecting us.

David was deeply hurt by the person he had once called friend. He cried out to God to punish him. Verses 9-15 record his passionate plea.

“Destroy, O Lord, divide their tongues;
    for I see violence and strife in the city.
10 Day and night they go around it
    on its walls,
and iniquity and trouble are within it;
11     ruin is in its midst;
oppression and fraud
    do not depart from its marketplace.

12 For it is not an enemy who taunts me--
    then I could bear it;
it is not an adversary who deals insolently with me--
    then I could hide from him.
13 But it is you, a man, my equal,
    my companion, my familiar friend.
14 We used to take sweet counsel together;
    within God's house we walked in the throng.
15 Let death steal over them;
    let them go down to Sheol alive;
    for evil is in their dwelling place and in their heart.”

Have you ever felt so hurt that you like David asked God to kill someone? The deep emotions David felt prompted his injured soul to hate the betrayer. I know that I have experienced that sort of hate when someone hurt me. Those feelings are tantamount to murder. Seriously, we are not perfect. We all sin grievously. In Matthew 5:21-22 Jesus spoke about our anger and thought life this way,

“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.”

David’s personal Judas deserved punishment, but so did David. Our enemies deserve punishment, but so do we. God is graceful and merciful. He loves us enough to give us Jesus. He loves us enough to count Jesus perfect love and life as our own just for the asking. He loves us enough to reform us as new creatures whose nature align with His own. When we depend on God, His love, mercy and grace become ours too and we can extend it to even the vilest of persons. We realize we were that despicable too. If God forgave us, shouldn’t we also forgive others? Verses 16-21 read,

“But I call to God,
    and the Lord will save me.
17 Evening and morning and at noon
    I utter my complaint and moan,
    and he hears my voice.
18 He redeems my soul in safety
    from the battle that I wage,
    for many are arrayed against me.
19 God will give ear and humble them,
    he who is enthroned from of old, Selah
because they do not change
    and do not fear God.

20 My companion stretched out his hand against his friends;
    he violated his covenant.
21 His speech was smooth as butter,
    yet war was in his heart;
his words were softer than oil,
    yet they were drawn swords.”

People will hurt us. People can lie, they can feign sincerity. We want to believe them. David wanted to believe his one-time friend. Hoping the best of someone is not a sin. Wanting people to be sincere is not wrong. But putting out faith in them instead of God is a sin. If we trust God, then when we are hurt by people we can extend His grace, mercy, and love to them too. It won’t mean we aren’t hurt, but it lessens that wound and brings healing to us and maybe even to the one who hurt us.

When you are hurt don’t lash out at the person who wronged you, call out to The Lord, give Him your pain and sorrow and let Him make it beautiful. Trust that those who wronged you will be dealt with by your Lord, your Father, your Savior, and your Peace. Verses 22-23 read,

“Cast your burden on the Lord,
    and he will sustain you;
he will never permit
    the righteous to be moved.

23 But you, O God, will cast them down
    into the pit of destruction;
men of blood and treachery
    shall not live out half their days.
But I will trust in you.”

Do you put your trust in your feelings? Do you allow circumstances to rule you? Do you put your faith in people including yourself? Put your faith and trust in God. He is able. He is worthy. He is God The LORD.

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Psalm 53 The Fool Says There is No God.

7/13/2015

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Psalm 53

There is more than one kind of fool. It There is the fool who is too selfish to open his eyes and learn the truth. There is the fool who has opened his eyes but refuses to acknowledge the truth. And there is the fool who just ignorantly believes other fools instead of asking for wisdom to see the truth.

The most foolish and selfish pronouncement any man can make is that there is no God. The Lord God put His signature all over Creation. He put His imprint on men’s souls. Studies reveal about 2% of Americans state they are atheists and studies guess that 2%-8% of the world population is atheist. Even people who do not believe in The God of Abraham believe in some supreme being, god, or gods. Paul described the foolishness and futility of ignoring the evidence of God. Romans 1:18-23 read,

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.”

People, especially the most outspoken who refuse to acknowledge the soul’s assertion of God do so in order to be their own god. They do not want to be moral. They want freedom to sin. They don’t want to answer to right and wrong. They don’t know that in their pursuit of freedom they have made themselves slaves to sin. They don’t want to be told they are bad. They say we’re all good and good and evil are what each individual claims it to be. Verses 1-2 say,

“The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
    They are corrupt, doing abominable iniquity;
    there is none who does good.

2 God looks down from heaven
    on the children of man
to see if there are any who understand,
    who seek after God.”

As believers we know there is good and there is evil. We know that no one has the power to be good on his own power. There is no ranking of sins, a lie is just as wrong as murder. All sin keeps us separated from God. The Lord desires a relationship with each of us. He searches for the person who is searching for Him, who in answer to his soul’s cry seeks the truth. He will gladly answer the questioning heart. But we are flesh, we are sons of Adam and so we seek sin and few seek the Lord. David put it this way in verses 3-4,

“They have all fallen away;
    together they have become corrupt;
there is none who does good,
    not even one.

4 Have those who work evil no knowledge,
    who eat up my people as they eat bread,
    and do not call upon God?”

It is instinctive for us to recognize God and seek Him. But that instinct fights with the desires of the flesh. The devil gladly amplifies the desires of the flesh to drown out the need for The Lord. The enemy twists that drive to one of where people choose to be their own god and authority. They’re blinded to the truth that their ruler is Satan. They fear no repercussions, but one day they will come face to face with the Truth. There is judgement and for those who don’t submit to Jesus’ authority there is condemnation to Hell. Verses 5-6 read,

“There they are, in great terror,
    where there is no terror!
For God scatters the bones of him who encamps against you;
    you put them to shame, for God has rejected them.

6 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
    When God restores the fortunes of his people,
    let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.”

Not one single person has to be lost to the pits of Hell. Jesus died for everyone. All a person has to do is acknowledge they can’t be good on their own and submit to Him as God. The enemy, the devil can no longer touch a believer. He is beaten. But all those who reject God will go down with him.

Jesus is our Salvation and He wants to be theirs too. Jesus gives us reason to rejoice and praise. So many foolishly seek to be their own god. But God loves them and wants them to know Him. He wants them to experience the indescribably joy, security, peace, and love of the only I Am.

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The Battlefield of the Mind: Fighting the War

Deuteronomy 25 Humiliation is not Godly

1 Thessalonians 2 How to Share the Gospel even if You're not an Evangelist

Psalm 70 Our Prayers Bless the Lord, Us, and All Who Hear.

Psalm 69 Suffering for Jesus is not Fun but it is Good

Psalm 66 Why Do We Praise The Lord?

Psalm 62 Who is Your Rock?

Psalm 58 Only The Lord is Elohim our Judge

Psalm 55 In Whom Do You Trust?

Psalm 53 The Fool Says There is No God.

Donna Campbell

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