Salt & Light Blog

2 Kings 1 God Saves the Humble, but the Haughty are Brought Low

1/14/2016

For you save a humble people, but the haughty eyes you bring down. Psalm 18:27

2 Kings 1
After the death of Ahab, his son Ahaziah ruled. He ruled two years and did evil in the sight of the Lord (1 Kings 22:51-53). Verses 1-2 begin his story.
“After the death of Ahab, Moab rebelled against Israel.
2 Now Ahaziah fell through the lattice in his upper chamber in Samaria, and lay sick; so he sent messengers, telling them, “Go, inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this sickness.”
Accidents happen. Bad things happen. When they do, we have choices of how to respond. We can respond by leaning on ourselves, the world, our idols, or on God. We can answer by fear or faith, pity or compassion, love or anger. Our response is our choice. Proverbs 3:5-8 says,
“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 straight your paths.
7 Be not wise in your own eyes;
    fear the Lord, and turn away from evil.
8 It will be healing to your flesh
    and refreshment to your bones.”
Ahaziah was hurt really badly. He responded by leaning on the world, on the idols he served. He served Baal like mother Jezebel and that is what he turned to for answers and hope. How many times have we turned to money to solve our problems instead of The Lord? How many times is prayer our last resort after we have exhausted every other resource? But we forget that God is the source of every resource. He is The LORD. He is able.
So Ahaziah’s messenger left to inquire of Baal-zebub. Baal-zebub means lord of flies and Ahaziah thought that this god could heal his injuries or at least tell him how long it would be before he recovered, since he credited it with sending his injuries as well. But even though Ahaziah completely disregarded God, God still knew what was happening with the King of Israel. Verses 3-8 read,
“But the angel of the Lordsaid to Elijah the Tishbite, “Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say to them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? 4 Now therefore thus says the Lord, You shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’” So Elijah went.
5 The messengers returned to the king, and he said to them, “Why have you returned?” 6 And they said to him, “There came a man to meet us, and said to us, ‘Go back to the king who sent you, and say to him, Thus says the Lord, Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’” 7 He said to them, “What kind of man was he who came to meet you and told you these things?” 8 They answered him, “He wore a garment of hair, with a belt of leather about his waist.” And he said, “It is Elijah the Tishbite.”
God confronted Ahaziah with his blatant disbelief when He asked the king, “Is it because there is not God in Israel…?” He asked him why he had not just asked Him instead of turning to an idol. But Ahaziah was so proud that he completely ignored the God who had given him his throne. Had he called on God things would have ended differently. God could have saved him. God does not help those who help themselves. He helps those who need Him. Ahaziah refused to need God. Psalm 72:12-13 says,
“For he delivers the needy when he calls,
    the poor and him who has no helper.
13 He has pity on the weak and the needy,
    and saves the lives of the needy.”
Even at this point Ahaziah could have listened to the words delivered by Elijah and humbled himself. He chose instead to react in anger and haughtiness. Verses 9-10 record his reaction.
“Then the king sent to him a captain of fifty men with his fifty. He went up to Elijah, who was sitting on the top of a hill, and said to him, “O man of God, the king says, ‘Come down.’” 10 But Elijah answered the captain of fifty, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.” Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.”
The king was so angry at Elijah’s message he sent fifty men and their captain to apprehend him. When we overreact to such an extent, it is usually because we are trying to protect a lie. Ahaziah was trying to protect the lie that God was not The One True Living God, The LORD.
Fifty one men sent to apprehend one man is a bit much, but it could have been 501 men. They would have been no more successful. They depended on the king. Elijah depended on the King of kings who created the universe. How did Ahaziah respond? Did he humble himself and admit that The LORD is the Almighty? Nope. Verses 11-12 read,
“Again the king sent to him another captain of fifty men with his fifty. And he answered and said to him, “O man of God, this is the king's order, ‘Come down quickly!’” 12 But Elijah answered them, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty.” Then the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.”
Ahaziah did exactly the same thing and it had exactly the same results. What did he do next? Well, if the definition of insanity is ‘doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results’, then Ahaziah was insane because he sent a third captain and his men to bring Elijah in. But the captain was not crazy. Verses 13-15 read,
“Again the king sent the captain of a third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up and came and fell on his knees before Elijah and entreated him, “O man of God, please let my life, and the life of these fifty servants of yours, be precious in your sight. 14 Behold, fire came down from heaven and consumed the two former captains of fifty men with their fifties, but now let my life be precious in your sight.” 15 Then the angel of the Lord said to Elijah, “Go down with him; do not be afraid of him.” So he arose and went down with him to the king. “
Even though the king refused to submit himself to The LORD, his representative was smart enough to recognize God’s power in Elijah and humble himself. And he got a different result, The Lord told Elijah to go with the captain and his troops. The captain’s humility saved his life and gave him what he asked for. Verses 16-18 continue the story.
“and said to him, “Thus says the Lord, ‘Because you have sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron—is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of his word?—therefore you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’”
17 So he died according to the word of the Lord that Elijah had spoken. Jehoram became king in his place in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, because Ahaziah had no son. 18 Now the rest of the acts of Ahaziah that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel?”
God’s message had not changed. Ahaziah had not changed and he refused to acknowledge the LORD or be contrite for his idolatry. So he died. He was king for a mere two years and his brother became king in his stead because he didn’t have a son. His line ended with him because he was too proud to ask the Lord for help. He died because he was too haughty to think soundly and recognize the greatness of the Lord and the love, healing, and salvation He offered.
What about you? Have you turned to your idols, money, power, business, intelligence, charm, recreation, or something else to help you instead of turning to the Lord? Have you sought answers from these things instead of asking the Lord? Do you believe He is who He says He is? The way to strengthen your faith is to exercise it. In Matthew 7:7-11 Jesus said,
“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”

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1 Kings 14:21-31 There is no Substitute for The LORD

10/1/2015

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God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. John 4:24

1 Kings 14:21-31
Worldly substitutions will never be equal to The Lord. Books about the Bible cannot replace the Bible. Listening to worship cannot replace worshipping. Idols cannot replace God. Men cannot replace the Holy Spirit. And pastors, popes, and apostles cannot replace Jesus Christ.
The last couple of days we’ve been reading about Jeroboam, the man to whom The Lord gave 10 tribes of Israel and who disregarded the Lord to create a false religion in order to keep Israel from returning to Jerusalem and joining Judah. But in the meantime Rehoboam was still king over Judah. Verse 21 reads,
“Now Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city that the Lord had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. His mother's name was Naamah the Ammonite.”
Rehoboam was the son of Solomon and Naamah the Ammonite. Interestingly enough he was not the son of Solomon’s favorite wife the daughter of Pharaoh, for whom Solomon built her own palace. But Naamah may have been Solomon’s first wife. She was the only queen mother to be a foreigner and this may have played a part in Rehoboam’s choices. Rehoboam was forty-one when he began ruling after Solomon’s death. Solomon had reigned as king for forty years, placing Rehoboam’s birth in the last year of King David’s reign. (1 Kings 11:42). That means that Rehoboam had every advantage. He was raised while Solomon was still following the Lord, while his father was using his vast wisdom to prosper Israel and he understood the importance of The Temple. But his mother must have had more influence on him than Solomon. We already read how foolish Rehoboam was, even at forty one when he should have had a measure of wisdom, he made a stupid choice that resulted in losing Israel to Jeroboam. (1 Kings 12). He replaced the joy of the Lord with the pleasures of the world.
Verses 22-24 read,
“And Judah did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins that they committed, more than all that their fathers had done. 23 For they also built for themselves high places and pillars and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree, 24 and there were also male cult prostitutes in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations that the Lord drove out before the people of Israel.”
Israel had a past filled with times of evil, rebellion, and idol worship, yet Rehoboam led Judah to be worse than at any time in her sordid past. They followed the false religions of the nations who had been driven out of Canaan. They went further than Israel had ever dared to go, including sexual worship of cult idols. So the Lord had to move against Rehoboam and He did it using Egypt. Verses 25-26 read,
“In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem. 26 He took away the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king's house. He took away everything. He also took away all the shields of gold that Solomon had made,”
Shishak took away the treasures and riches that Solomon had collected. He stole Judah’s prosperity, the Temple’s opulence, and the protection of the king. Rehoboam made his own protection. He had shields made of bronze and gave them to the guards in place of the gold shields that had carried before. We can’t replace the perfection and holiness of God with brazen objects and efforts of our own making. Bronze will never be as good, pure, or valued as gold. But without the Lord, Rehoboam had no wealth. He could not prosper like Solomon because he was okay with substitutions, like bronze shields instead of gold ones and gods instead of God. Rehoboam gave those bronze shields to the guards and they were used to parade him back and forth to The Temple whenever he went there. He kept up appearances, he made a show of going to The Temple, but he didn’t worship the Lord in truth. He just made it look good. The pageantry of going to the Temple meant nothing to God. God doesn’t want ceremony and ritual, He wants us to know Him and love Him. (Hosea 6:6). He wants genuine worship with an understanding of who it is we worship. He wants us to worship Him in truth and in spirit, meaning we adore The One True Living God, not an icon we have imagined. We worship Him in the way He has prescribed. John 4:22-26 reads,
“You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”
True worship of God requires a union with Him. That peace and reconciliation can only happen through Jesus Christ. That authentic knowledge of Him can only happen through The Holy Spirit. Jesus is the way and the truth, and the life. He is the only way to The Father. (John 14:6). The Holy Spirit completes our worship and perfects us. (Acts 19:1-7, Ephesians 1:13-14).
If you have not made Jesus your Lord (Master) and Savior (The Christ who died and resurrected and forgave your sins), then you are not worshipping the One True God in spirit because Jesus is God and it is through Him you receive the Spirit. If you have not been indwelled with the Holy Spirit, you are not worshipping in truth because you cannot know God without His Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 2:9-16 says it this way,
“But, as it is written,
“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
nor the heart of man imagined,
what God has prepared for those who love him”--
10 these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11 For who knows a person's thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. 13 And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.
14 The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. 15 The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 16 “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ.”
To worship the Lord in spirit and in truth, requires the mind of Christ, The Holy Spirit who helps us to understand the Word, discern the truth, and receive instruction from God. Do you worship The LORD? Or do you worship a substitution? Have you replaced the parts of God you don’t understand with bronze surrogates? Have you accepted less than the fullness of blessings of Christ?

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1 Kings 10 & 11 Solomon Thought He Could Serve God and Lust

9/26/2015

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My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights. Proverbs 3:11-12

My apologies, as I could not format the text as I normally do. I have done my best to go back and put in hyperlinks and format, but it is not formatting properly.
1 Kings 10 & 11
Solomon had it really good. He was a king, wiser than any one before or after him. He was so rich and had made Jerusalem so rich that the city considered silver as worthless as rocks. (10:22 & 27). His wisdom and prosperity had made him famous. So famous that the queen of Sheba made a 6 month 1400 mile journey with her entourage so that she could see for herself what she had heard about Solomon’s wealth, wisdom, and houses. And this wealthy queen was impressed. Verse 5 describes her has “having no breath in her” when she saw everything. Chapter 10 verses 6-10 read,
“And she said to the king, “The report was true that I heard in my own land of your words and of your wisdom, 7 but I did not believe the reports until I came and my own eyes had seen it. And behold, the half was not told me. Your wisdom and prosperity surpass the report that I heard. 8 Happy are your men! Happy are your servants, who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom! 9 Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delighted in you and set you on the throne of Israel! Because the Lord loved Israel forever, he has made you king, that you may execute justice and righteousness.” 10 Then she gave the king 120 talents of gold, and a very great quantity of spices and precious stones. Never again came such an abundance of spices as these that the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.”
Most of chapter 10 is devoted to describing how rich Solomon was. God had been very good to him. He was so rich that every cup, plate and utensil in his kitchen was pure gold. Verses 18-20 describe his throne.
“The king also made a great ivory throne and overlaid it with the finest gold. 19 The throne had six steps, and the throne had a round top, and on each side of the seat were armrests and two lions standing beside the armrests, 20 while twelve lions stood there, one on each end of a step on the six steps. The like of it was never made in any kingdom”
Verses 23-25 describe his wealth and wisdom.
“Thus King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in riches and in wisdom. 24 And the whole earth sought the presence of Solomon to hear his wisdom, which God had put into his mind. 25 Every one of them brought his present, articles of silver and gold, garments, myrrh, spices, horses, and mules, so much year by year.”
But as Jesus said in Matthew 6:24
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money”
Solomon had been a servant of God, but he came to love some things more than he loved The Lord. He enjoyed his wealth and he enjoyed the women that his fame brought him. Chapter 11 verses 1-3 read,
“Now King Solomon loved many foreign women, along with the daughter of Pharaoh: Moabite, Ammonite, Edomite, Sidonian, and Hittite women, 2 from the nations concerning which the Lord had said to the people of Israel, “You shall not enter into marriage with them, neither shall they with you, for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods.” Solomon clung to these in love. 3 He had 700 wives, who were princesses, and 300 concubines. And his wives turned away his heart.”
Solomon had been a good servant to The Lord, but he started with one little compromise, he married an Egyptian, the Pharaoh’s daughter. He assumed he was strong enough to keep following the Lord. But Solomon didn’t love the Lord with all his heart, soul, and strength. He enjoyed his opulent lifestyle and he loved women. He couldn’t possibly do more than have occasional sex with each of the 1,000 women, 300 who didn’t have the title do make them wives and had to live as sex slaves to the licentious king. The women turned his heart from the Lord to various gods of their countries. Solomon was wise, but not wise enough to overcome his lust and obey the commandment not to intermarry with worshippers of false gods. Even today we have that commandment to keep us seeking God first. 2 Corinthians 6:14-16 reads,
“Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? 16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,
“I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them,
and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people.”
Verses 4-8 describe what Solomon did for his wives.
“For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.6 So Solomon did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and did not wholly follow the Lord, as David his father had done. 7 Then Solomon built a high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab, and for Molech the abomination of the Ammonites, on the mountain east of Jerusalem. 8 And so he did for all his foreign wives, who made offerings and sacrificed to their gods.”
But the Lord was not going to let Solomon get away with such evil. He had been extraordinarily good to Solomon and even all his amazing experiences knowing God were not enough to keep him from pleasing his wives and chasing idols.
Do you imagine your past closeness to the Lord, your great deeds, or the good things He has given you are good enough to keep you when you take your eyes off Jesus and put them on money, stature, romance, or fleshly desires? Do you tell yourself the lie that you are a strong enough Christian that you can handle the sinful lifestyle being dangled in front of you and still love the Lord with all your heart, strength, soul, and mind? If you do that, remember that God will do something about it, because He disciplines those He loves. (Proverbs 3:11-12). Perhaps Solomon should have reread some of his writings. Verses 9-13 read,
“And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice 10 and had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods. But he did not keep what the Lord commanded. 11 Therefore the Lord said to Solomon, “Since this has been your practice and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes that I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom from you and will give it to your servant. 12 Yet for the sake of David your father I will not do it in your days, but I will tear it out of the hand of your son. 13 However, I will not tear away all the kingdom, but I will give one tribe to your son, for the sake of David my servant and for the sake of Jerusalem that I have chosen.”
So the Lord raised up some adversaries for Solomon. Hadad the one Edomite male that had escaped being killed when David had conquered Edom had grown up and decided that now that David was dead it was the perfect time to get revenge. Rezon, an escaped servant of Hadadezer king of Zobah who was once the leader of a group of bandits and then became king of Syria hated Israel. The final person on this list of rivals was Jeroboam, who was actually a trusted person in Solomon’s administration in charge of the workforce from the tribe of Joseph until one day he ran into Ahijah a prophet, who had a message from the Lord for him. Verses 31-33 in The Message read,
“Then he said to Jeroboam, “Take ten of these pieces for yourself; this is by order of the God of Israel: See what I’m doing—I’m ripping the kingdom out of Solomon’s hands and giving you ten of the tribes. In honor of my servant David and out of respect for Jerusalem, the city I especially chose, he will get one tribe. And here’s the reason: He faithlessly abandoned me and went off worshiping Ashtoreth goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh god of the Moabites, and Molech god of the Ammonites. He hasn’t lived the way I have shown him, hasn’t done what I have wanted, and hasn’t followed directions or obeyed orders as his father David did.”
The Lord said He wouldn’t do it while Solomon lived but when he died and his son Rehoboam ruled then God would take it away from him leaving him only with the tribe of Judah. Solomon heard about Jeroboam’s plan to take the kingdom and tried to have him killed, but Jeroboam escaped to Egypt until Solomon died. When Solomon died Rehoboam ruled.
This is where the narrative pauses for a “to be continued.” But we know of course that the kingdom split into the Northern and Southern kingdoms, and that David’s descendants ruled Judah.
Sometimes we can have it too good. Sometimes we can let God’s blessings become more important to us than God. Or we can be so confident in our “goodness” or position with God that we let the little sins come in and before we know it we’re serving money or sex or fame or power.

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Ezekiel 21 If You Hate The Father's Discipline, You are Hating the Father

3/7/2015

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Ezekiel Chapter 21

This chapter prophesies the King of Babylon and the Ammonites making wars on Jerusalem. This was something Israel didn’t think would happen because they had made deals with Babylon and were already captives. They thought Babylon would stick by their word and leave Jerusalem alone and even protect the city. But the Lord would allow Babylon’s false divinations to lead them to destroy Jerusalem and He would remind the King of Jerusalem’s sins against him. (Verses 18-32).

Israel and Jerusalem were so stubborn they refused to give up their false religions, idols, and acceptance of worldly philosophies. The Lord steadfastly told them He wouldn’t put up with it, and unfalteringly disciplined them for this grievous sin. Yet they just as persistently ignored the chastisement. Verse 5 reads,

“And all flesh shall know that I am the Lord. I have drawn my sword from its sheath; it shall not be sheathed again.”

Israel had reached the point, even though they were living in the midst of prophecies coming about they were treating God’s word like a fairy tale. They were barely reacting. The Lord wanted a response. Israel acted like hostile smug teenagers and kept up what they were doing. The Lord would keep doing what He was doing until they responded. And He knew that meant His stubborn children would be brought to their breaking point and beyond. He knows that for many of us, our pride makes it so we must break before we will acknowledge Him. Verse 7 reads,

“And when they say to you, ‘Why do you groan?’ you shall say, ‘Because of the news that it is coming. Every heart will melt, and all hands will be feeble; every spirit will faint, and all knees will be weak as water. Behold, it is coming, and it will be fulfilled,’” declares the Lord God.”

The Lord described the sword He would unsheathe and He told them why He was doing it. Verses 9-13 read,

“Son of man, prophesy and say, Thus says the Lord, say:

“A sword, a sword is sharpened
and also polished,
10 sharpened for slaughter,
polished to flash like lightning!

(Or shall we rejoice? You have despised the rod, my son, with everything of wood.) 11 So the sword is given to be polished, that it may be grasped in the hand. It is sharpened and polished to be given into the hand of the slayer. 12 Cry out and wail, son of man, for it is against my people. It is against all the princes of Israel. They are delivered over to the sword with my people. Strike therefore upon your thigh. 13 For it will not be a testing—what could it do if you despise the rod?” declares the Lord God.”

Israel despised the rod. They discounted God’s discipline. They refused to allow His corrective measures to correct them, instead they cried and whined and turned to wooden statues for help, when the Lord was right there waiting for them to respond to Him. Even though they hated the punishment they chose it over God.

Don’t we do the same thing? God allows circumstances to teach us, guide us, shape us, or otherwise discipline us and we hate them. We cry, but we don’t cry out to the Lord. We whine. We turn everywhere but to Jesus for answers. We look for money to solve the problem instead of depending on God. We read a hundred self-help books instead of the Word of God. We lean on crutches of worldly philosophy instead of God.

God loves us. He allows difficulties, pain, sorrow, and trials for reasons. Rather than hate the pain, loathe the suffering, and spurn the trials we can cling to Jesus and take joy in His deep and perfect love for us. We can be glad that He cares enough to want to transform us. We can allow the Comforter to comfort us as He uses the sword to deftly conform us to the image of Christ. That means not ignoring the trial but experiencing it. Romans 5:3-5 reads,

“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.”

Are you in the midst of terrible conditions? Are you suffering? How are you coping? Are you leaning on the Lord? Are you being upheld by the Brethren? Are you rejoicing, praying, thanking and praising? Or are you wallowing in self-pity? Are you looking for answers from self-help books and other idols? Are you seeking help from money? Are you trying to deaden the experience with alcohol, drugs, TV, or work?

I encourage you to rejoice in your suffering, embrace the pain. Cling to Jesus. Let the Holy Spirit have His way with you. Pay attention to and extract all the benefits of the sword you can. Be transformed.

Jesus doesn’t make your life idealistic. He doesn’t take away the pain and brutality of life. In fact, following Jesus can add pain to one’s life. But He does bring us through the suffering to a better end in which we, not our lives are made more ideal, like our Perfect Savior.

Matthew 10:34-39 reads,

“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 And a person's enemies will be those of his own household.37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 38 And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

We can turn to the world to solve our problems. We can love the world more than the Word. If we choose the world over Jesus, we will not be transformed, we will die to the sword along with the world. But if we truly belong to God, we will choose Him. We will choose the sword over the wooden statues and the sword will give us life.

Examine your life and your heart. Have you despised the rod with wood? Have you hated the sword and loved the world? Respond to the Father’s discipline.

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Ezekiel 20 God Will Not Allow His Holiness to be Defiled.

3/6/2015

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Ezekiel Chapter 20

This chapter begins with the elders coming to Ezekiel to inquire of the Lord. This simple act infuriated God. Why? Doesn’t God want His children to come to Him, to seek out His will, and find answers in Him? Yes, He does. But He wants us to come only to Him. Israel, including her leaders and priests were practicing various religions and mixing beliefs together to create a spirituality that suited them. They were treating the LORD God as if He were another wooden idol, His statutes as if they were disputable, and His law as if it could be rewritten. Whatever question they came asking, God did not answer. Instead He told them He would not put up with their idolatry.

The Lord told them what He had done for their forefathers. Verses 5-7 read,

“and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: On the day when I chose Israel, I swore to the offspring of the house of Jacob, making myself known to them in the land of Egypt; I swore to them, saying, I am the Lord your God. 6 On that day I swore to them that I would bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, a land flowing with milk and honey, the most glorious of all lands. 7 And I said to them, Cast away the detestable things your eyes feast on, every one of you, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt; I am the Lord your God.”

Then He described Israel’s reaction to His covenant and His choice of reaction. Verses 8-12 read,

“But they rebelled against me and were not willing to listen to me. None of them cast away the detestable things their eyes feasted on, nor did they forsake the idols of Egypt.

“Then I said I would pour out my wrath upon them and spend my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt. 9 But I acted for the sake of my name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations among whom they lived, in whose sight I made myself known to them in bringing them out of the land of Egypt. 10 So I led them out of the land of Egypt and brought them into the wilderness. 11 I gave them my statutes and made known to them my rules, by which, if a person does them, he shall live. 12 Moreover, I gave them my Sabbaths, as a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them.”

But Israel still rebelled, still worshipped idols, and still refused to keep God’s laws. Israel profaned the Holy things God have given her by keeping their idols and practicing a convoluted version of the commandments God required. God could have destroyed them at any time. But He didn’t. He steadfastly loved them. He guided them. He disciplined them. Time and again He said, “I am the Lord your God; walk in my statutes, and be careful to obey my rules, 20 and keep my Sabbaths holy that they may be a sign between me and you, that you may know that I am the Lord your God.” (Verses 19-20). Time and again they rebelled and worshipped idols, profaned the sacred, and ignored the Lord. Yet God remained patient. He remembered His awesome power, perfect love, and great name. He remained I Am so the entire world would know that He is The LORD.

When Israel entered the Promised Land they prayed to the Lord, but they did it on the altars of false gods. God said to destroy the high places, asherah poles, and the other adulterous idolatrous places, but instead Israel re-purposed them to suit them. They sullied the Holy Name of the LORD. The Lord cannot be desecrated and He will not allow His name to be defiled. His perfect reputation calls the lost to Him. But when His perfection is degraded with false beliefs the lost remain lost, and those who think they have found God are worshipping a god of their own creation.

Verses 30-32 read,

“Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord God: Will you defile yourselves after the manner of your fathers and go whoring after their detestable things? 31 When you present your gifts and offer up your children in fire, you defile yourselves with all your idols to this day. And shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live, declares the Lord God, I will not be inquired of by you.

32 “What is in your mind shall never happen—the thought, ‘Let us be like the nations, like the tribes of the countries, and worship wood and stone.”

Don’t we too often think that we should be more attractive to the world? Or maybe some of the world philosophies sound appealing and we mix them with the word of God. What’s the detriment of some tantric mediation along with our prayer? Where is the harm of adding a touch of Taoism or nature worship to our walk? It is idolatry. It brings the Lord down from God to god.

The covenant God makes with us is that we realize we can never obtain life by being good enough. Israel couldn’t do it, even when they were face to face with God in the wilderness. We can only reach righteousness through the blood and grace of Christ Jesus. He is the way and the truth and the life. There is no other way. Jesus is the only way to the Father, full stop. (John 14:6). But we have choices. God says it is Him or gods. Pray to idols, ancestors, and a myriad of gods or pray to Him. Worship yourself or Him. You can’t have it both ways. 39 reads,

“As for you, O house of Israel, thus says the Lord God: Go serve every one of you his idols, now and hereafter, if you will not listen to me; but my holy name you shall no more profane with your gifts and your idols.”

Israel never kept her side of the covenant with the LORD. From its inception they continually broke it. But God never did. Instead He promised restoration. That restoration happens through Jesus. Verses 40-44 read,

“For on my holy mountain, the mountain height of Israel, declares the Lord God, there all the house of Israel, all of them, shall serve me in the land. There I will accept them, and there I will require your contributions and the choicest of your gifts, with all your sacred offerings. 41 As a pleasing aroma I will accept you, when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered. And I will manifest my holiness among you in the sight of the nations. 42 And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I bring you into the land of Israel, the country that I swore to give to your fathers.43 And there you shall remember your ways and all your deeds with which you have defiled yourselves, and you shall loathe yourselves for all the evils that you have committed. 44 And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I deal with you for my name's sake, not according to your evil ways, nor according to your corrupt deeds, O house of Israel, declares the Lord God.”

Not everyone will see the astounding and tremendous promise of reestablishment of New Jerusalem. No one who practices idolatry will enter into it. No one who corrupts the name of the Lord by bringing worldly philosophies into the pure relationship with Him will enter. No one who rejects the Word of God, Jesus Christ will come in. But everyone, every single person will know that Awesome God is The LORD. Every knee will bow and every tongue confess He is Lord. (Isaiah 45:23). Every person will realize the devastating truth of their iniquity. But for some, for most, it will be too late.

Do not contribute to dishonoring the name of the Lord by sullying the way. He gave you sacred things and holy knowledge. He gave you His name, His reputation, and His holiness. Don’t muck it up with fake spirituality, lies, and idolatry. Your life is a testimony. God will deal with you so that you will come to know Him and be transformed to Christ’s image and so that others can come to know Him. Do not lead people to a false god. Make sure it is the One True Holy God you worship and not a god of your own creation.

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Ezekiel 10 The LORD May Withdraw His Presence but He Will Always Be With You

2/17/2015

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Ezekiel Chapter 10

This chapter continues Ezekiel’s vision of Jerusalem’s destruction. Verses 1-2 read,

“Then I looked, and behold, on the expanse that was over the heads of the cherubim there appeared above them something like a sapphire, in appearance like a throne. 2 And he said to the man clothed in linen, “Go in among the whirling wheels underneath the cherubim. Fill your hands with burning coals from between the cherubim, and scatter them over the city.”

And he went in before my eyes.”

The Glory of God, His presence rose up out of the threshold of the temple and appeared above the cherubim in preparation to leave the temple. But before He went, He ordered that coals be taken from the between the cherubim and scattered over the city. Immediately I thought of Isaiah Chapter 6 when the burning coal is touched to Isaiah’s lips to atone his sins. The coals would burn the city, yes but they would also cleanse the idolatry, the dross, and the other impurities out of the city.

The chapter also describes the worst possible judgment for Jerusalem. Verses 18-19 read,

“Then the glory of the Lord went out from the threshold of the house, and stood over the cherubim. 19 And the cherubim lifted up their wings and mounted up from the earth before my eyes as they went out, with the wheels beside them. And they stood at the entrance of the east gate of the house of the Lord, and the glory of the God of Israel was over them.”

The Lord left the temple, His presence had resided there since it was dedicated but He left. Because of the abomination of the idolatry, the temple was no longer sanctified, no longer holy, and the Lord would not let His glory be among anything unholy.

Would the priests notice? Had they noticed when they themselves defiled the temple? Would the people notice?

The Lord promises us He will never leave us nor forsake us. Hebrews 13:5-6 says,

“Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” 6 So we can confidently say,

“The Lord is my helper;
    I will not fear;
what can man do to me?”

But He does withdraw at times. He doesn’t leave, He just hides Himself, His will and His manifestation from us. He doesn’t pull away to be cruel. He is God. He is never cruel. He is Love. He is perfect love. He does what He does for us with purpose for our own good to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. The Lord knows there are times when He must hide His face from us. Isaiah 646-7 reads,

“We have all become like one who is unclean,
    and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.
We all fade like a leaf,
    and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
7 There is no one who calls upon your name,
    who rouses himself to take hold of you;
for you have hidden your face from us,
    and have made us melt in the hand of our iniquities.”

It is not that He is not with us, it is that He doesn’t make His presence clearly known to us. He is always with us, always. Why? Why would the Lord do that?

Perhaps because we have been looking elsewhere for our answers. Maybe we have been meditating on something other than the Word of God to find peace. Or maybe we have been seeking provision from the 24 hour cash loan place instead of the Lord God Almighty. Maybe we’ve been looking for love through astrology instead of the King of kings. Whatever it is, we didn’t call on the Lord. So He in His infinite wisdom and unwavering persistent love hid Himself from us and let us see how idolatry would work out for us. Don’t think that anything done can be kept secret from God. We can’t put our hope in money and think that our prayers for help fool the Lord. He is not only there when we pray but always. In Jeremiah 23:23-24 the LORD says,

“Am I a God at hand, declares the Lord, and not a God far away? 24 Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him? declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? declares the Lord.”

When God steps back it is in order for us to learn and call on Him again. He is always with us. He always sees us. He always knows our needs. But we do not always know our needs. He loves us enough to teach us those things. The Lord is waiting for us to rouse ourselves to take hold of Him, to call on His name. When we do that we know He is there. James 4:8-10 reads,

“Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.”

Do you feel as if God is far away from you? He is not. Maybe it is you who is far from God. Perhaps you’ve sought your sanctuary, your provision, your peace, and your joy elsewhere and so the Lord is allowing you to do that. The good people find outside of the Lord may look wonderful but it is temporary. Psalm 73-23-28 reads,

“Nevertheless, I am continually with you;
    you hold my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel,
    and afterward you will receive me to glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
    And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
    but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

27 For behold, those who are far from you shall perish;
    you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you.
28 But for me it is good to be near God;
    I have made the Lord God my refuge,
    that I may tell of all your works.

I encourage you today to stop finding answers outside of God. Stop seeking the comfort of the world and call on Him. He is with you, waiting for you to call on Him. Let Him be your Almighty God.

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Ezekiel Chapter 8 Abominations in the Temple

2/15/2015

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Ezekiel Chapter 8 describes a vision of abominations in the Temple. For us now, we can see the importance of keeping our relationship with the Lord pure, not bringing anything else into it. But it is also a warning to remain stalwart in keeping that relationship unadulterated as the end times are on us and the Tribulation looms closer.

While Ezekiel was in his house with the Elders of Judah sitting before him, God lifted him into a vision. First God showed the prophet the gates to the courts of the Temple and there was an image of idolatry set up there. What a horrific atrocity! But it got worse. There was a hole in the wall of the court. It was a small hole that would allow someone to spy on the secret activities that took place behind the wall in the private chambers of the priests. God told Ezekiel to dig through the hole and it became a wide enough to enter.

Upon entering Ezekiel was shocked to see images of creeping things, loathsome beasts, and all idols engraved on the walls. But not only that, seventy of the elders each with a censer and incense were worshipping the various idols and images. They were in the private areas of the Temple doing these secret things. Verses 12-13 read,

“Then he said to me, “Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the dark, each in his room of pictures? For they say, ‘The Lord does not see us, the Lord has forsaken the land.’” 13 He said also to me, “You will see still greater abominations that they commit.”

Each man thought he was hiding his idolatry and evil from everyone, including the Lord. They had no faith that God had not left them and turned to carved pictures, false gods, and wooded idols. They kept it all hidden as if only what other people saw was important. When something is kept secret, it is not hidden from God. Sin flourishes in the dark. One would think that was as repugnant as their sin could get. But it got worse.

At the North Gate the women wept and prayed to a false God, Tammuz introduced by the Babylonians. Worse still, inside the courts twenty five men worshipped, not God, but the Sun. They had their backs turned away from the altar toward the east. Verses 17-18 read,

“Then he said to me, “Have you seen this, O son of man? Is it too light a thing for the house of Judah to commit the abominations that they commit here, that they should fill the land with violence and provoke me still further to anger? Behold, they put the branch to their nose. 18 Therefore I will act in wrath. My eye will not spare, nor will I have pity. And though they cry in my ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them.”

It was too obscene. God’s jealousy ignited His wrath and it couldn’t be contained. Ezekiel’s vision continues in subsequent chapters and it is very clear that the vision is of the End Times and Tribulation. But we have to take warning now. It is really easy to take a little something from a pagan god, religion or belief and because it seems harmless allow it to become part of your belief system. It is not harmless. When we add other beliefs to the Word, it is no longer the Word. We are creating a god of our own liking.

Ezekiel’s vision took him from the gates to the inner most parts of the Temple. The outside where everyone could see called people not to worship the Lord, but idols. A display like that makes people think those practices are okay. If this celebrity who is famous for his Christianity is flagrantly using symbols for a pagan religion, then how many people will follow his twisted doctrines to hell? In the women’s court they followed a ritual introduced by the Babylonians. It is too easy to take Non-Christian doctrine and meld it into our lives. Numerology, Astrology, and Illuminati have all found their ways into our systems. And many haven’t noticed or cared. In the private chambers of the priests, they clandestinely worshipped images. They kept their sin to themselves, but lied to God’s face. They even blamed God for their actions when it was their own lack of faith that led to the treachery. That would seem the ultimate adultery.

But the ultimate betrayal was bringing it to the most sacred of places, God’s altar. It would be like cheating on your spouse in your marital bed, and inviting him to watch. The Lord will not accept it. The Day of Judgment is coming. The Tribulation is coming. We have to be diligent about our relationship with the Lord. We have to keep it uncorrupted. God is holy.

We don’t need anything extra. God is omnipotent. He is awesome. We don’t have to pull from other practices and beliefs, we only have to seek Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and His righteousness. We only have to trust Him.

Examine your heart and life. Are you allowing other practices to soil your relationship with the Lord? Are you doing some things in private, because your church family wouldn’t understand or agree? Are you worshipping the One True Living God or perhaps a god of your own creation?

Repent now, while there is time.

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Ezekiel 6 Who Do You Love First? What are your Priorities?

2/13/2015

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Ezekiel Chapter 6

Israel has a long history of worshipping the gods of other nations. For as long as they sought other gods, The LORD has warned them against it, taken action to discipline them, and hated it. God is a jealous God. He hates idolatry. He detests when His children put anything in front of Him. He is the One and Only God.

Idolatry is, in its simplest definition worship of or devotion to something other than Adonai. The first commandment God handed down to Moses said,

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

3 “You shall have no other gods before me.

4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.”

This is the only one commandment of the ten that came with a promise of punishment for those who broke it and a promise of reward for those who kept it. God takes our relationship with Him seriously and He wants the same fidelity returned.

The sixth chapter of Ezekiel speaks about Israel’s idolatry and what God would do to them because of it. Even the land showed signs of Israel’s idolatry. Verses 1-4 read,

“The word of the Lord came to me: 2 “Son of man, set your face toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them, 3 and say, You mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord God! Thus says the Lord God to the mountains and the hills, to the ravines and the valleys: Behold, I, even I, will bring a sword upon you, and I will destroy your high places. 4 Your altars shall become desolate, and your incense altars shall be broken, and I will cast down your slain before your idols.”

God destroyed the altars, the high places, and every place of worship for false gods. And since those gods didn’t exist except in the minds of the worshippers, they were annihilated. The people too were killed and strewed before the altars like sacrifices. Why would God do that? Because He loves His people and wants a pure relationship with His children. Verse 7 reads,

“And the slain shall fall in your midst, and you shall know that I am the Lord.”

But not all the people would be destroyed. The Lord scattered remaining Israel among the nations. Verses 9-10 read,

“then those of you who escape will remember me among the nations where they are carried captive, how I have been broken over their whoring heart that has departed from me and over their eyes that go whoring after their idols. And they will be loathsome in their own sight for the evils that they have committed, for all their abominations. 10 And they shall know that I am the Lord. I have not said in vain that I would do this evil to them.”

God not only hates idolatry, but He wants us to hate it too. He wants us to be just as angered at the thought of something coming between Him and us as He is. He wants to be not only a priority but THE priority. We have so many excuses for letting things get in the way of our relationship with The Father, our jobs, our families, even our service. We have to make money and provide. We have to do this or that or will not get done. But God is God! He is All-Powerful, Wonderful, Awesome, and LORD. He promised us this in Matthew 6:31-34

“Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

If we seek God first, He’ll take care of the rest. God knows we need clothes and food. God knows we love our families. God knows we want security and shelter. Don’t we trust Him enough to be God?

God’s love for us is passionate. His love burns eternally and fervently. His anger is also passionate. He is slow to anger but He does get angry. One day His wrath will be shown so the whole world will know it. The Day of Judgment is coming. Do not be caught on that day with anyone or anything but Jesus Christ in the throne of your life.

Examine your heart and life. Is there something you are devoted to that takes precedence in your life? Is it your career, family, lifestyle, reputation, or ministry? Is it a sports team, celebrity, or hobby? Whatever it is, take it out of God’s throne before God decides it is time to let you know He is the LORD. Go ahead and trust Him to be God.

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James 5:1-12 Money Might Buy You Happiness, but it Can Also Buy You Hell.

2/3/2015

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James Chapter 5 Verses 1-12

Is money important to you? Chances are it is. One can’t survive in mainstream society without it. Do you think about it, make plans for it, and find ways to make more? If your pursuit of money is ahead of your pursuit of the Kingdom of God, you have a problem. If anything is in your heart and head before God, then you have a problem. It doesn’t have to be money, it could be lack of money, a career, a family, a lifestyle, music, a ministry, or any number of things. If you place them in front of God, they are your idol. Idolatry will send you and the people watching you down the path of destruction, toward hell.

Verses 1-3 read,

“Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you. 2 Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days.”

Our earthly pursuits are temporary. They will corrode and one day be gone. Worse yet they can corrode our hearts. They make us forget the love of the Father, the truth of Christ, and the awesomeness of the Spirit. If we seek earthly glory, how can we also seek Christ’s glory? In Matthew chapter 6 Jesus taught people not to seek their own recognition by bringing attention to the charity and good works they did, by praying dramatically, or fasting ostensibly. In verses 19-21 of that chapter He said,

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Where is your heart? Is it in God’s glory or yours? Is it in a comfortable happy life or in loving others with the love of Jesus? Do you think whatever it is that is taking God’s place isn’t hurting anyone else? Are you sure? What did you do to gain and keep your money, your reputation, or your career? Did you lie? Did you steal? Did you slander someone else? Verses 4-5 describe some of those sins.

“Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. 5 You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.”

Believer, has someone done those things to you? What was your reaction? Did you trust the Lord enough to let Him handle it? Did you turn the other cheek because you know you cannot be separated from the love of God? Verse 6 illustrates the reaction we should have.

“You have condemned and murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.”

The righteous person, even wrongly persecuted, condemned and murdered, doesn’t resist the evil person. We aren’t here to fight the lost person. We are commanded to resist the devil and to draw near to God. We do not have to prove we are right. We do not have to hit back. We do not have to inflict pain. We can be humble, we can continue loving because we know who God is. We trust God. We have eternal life. Earlier in James letter, chapter 4 verses 6-8 he said,

“But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

Does that mean we’ll suffer here? Yes. We will suffer for Christ’s sake. We will hurt or even agonize because rather than resist those who persecute us, we love them, pray for them, and bless them. But we aren’t alone. We have the Lord God Almighty. We have Jesus our Savior. We have the Spirit of the Living God. He has given us eternal life. We have the hope and promise of the Kingdom of God now and forever. That hope gives us patience, and steadfastness. Verses 7-11 read,

“Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. 10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.”

Our commitment, patience, and enduring are examples to others. The way we live is a witness to the power of God. Patience isn’t easy. If it were, it wouldn’t be a virtue. Grumbling and complaining against each other is not being patient or loving. It is trying to call attention to our own goodness rather than God’s. We don’t have to seek our own good reputation. We do not have to seek glory for ourselves. When we bear our suffering God gives us His reputation and we will be remembered for our faith and our steadfastness. But if we grumble and whine we will be remembered as being faithless.

We don’t have to be ostentatious about our persecution and suffering. There is no need for histrionics. At the end of the film Gone with the Wind when Scarlett says, “As God is my witness, as God is my witness they’re not going to lick me. I’m going to live through this and when it’s all over, I’ll never be hungry again. No, nor any of my folk. If I have to lie, steal, cheat or kill. As God is my witness, I’ll never be hungry again.” Her melodrama removed any sympathy for her. When we speak and act with hyperbole and theatrics in ruins our witness. It brings attention from our awesome God back to us. Verse 12 says it like this,

“But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.”

Swearing and fussing gives people more ammunition to persecute us. God doesn’t want us giving people reasons to harass us. They don’t need more. They will regardless. Don’t give them reason. God doesn’t need us to swear an oath. The fact is we can’t know we will keep the vow. We are not God.

Consider today where your treasure is? What is most important to you? Is anyone or anything is in God’s throne but God? How do you handle the persecution of the world? How do you handle it when you need money, feel alone, are sick, or are being lied about? I encourage you to give it the Lord. Be humble. Be patient. Trust the King of kings.

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1 John 5:18-21 The Devil Can't Touch You, But That isn't the Case for the World.

1/23/2015

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1 John Chapter 5 Verses 18-21

Verse 18 reads

“We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.”

John says, everyone born of God does not keep on sinning. He said this right after warning us to pray for our brothers who we saw sinning. If a Christian is made aware of the sin they are doing they will stop and repent. It is in that ability to listen to the Spirit and desist sinning that the God protects His children from the devil. We are not under Satan’s power, like the world is. He can’t even touch us. The devil can’t be your excuse.

Take heart in the fact that if you are following Jesus, in fellowship with other believers (Verses 16-17) and listening to the Spirit the devil can’t touch you. It is in the practice of sinning that you invite him in. And John says is you keep sinning after you’ve been made aware of it, then you have not been born of God.

I pity the lost. They think they are free and they even think they are good. But they are deceived. They are bound to the ruler of this world because they won’t bow to the King of kings. They don’t even know. Verse 19 says,

“We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.”

But we do know! We have power. We are protected from the evil one. That means we can make a difference. We can go to them and be Jesus to them. We can reveal the truth to them and let them choose. But if no one gives them the truth, how will they ever get to choose? The path they are on is horrible and easy. It is leading to eternal damnation.

You and I have eternal life and it is free and wonderful and difficult. We have this awesome gift from our Holy Father. Jesus Christ paid the price because He is the only one who could. The Holy Spirit fills us, teaches and transforms us. Eternal life is awesome in every sense of the word.

Verse 20 reads,

“And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.”

We have understanding, we have the truth. The world doesn’t. Their ignorance doesn’t protect them it sends them to hell. You and I have this most amazing gift. We have this beautiful relationship with Almighty God. The world doesn’t have it, they have been duped into thinking they don’t want it.

We have the power to tell them the truth. Will we be attacked when we try and tell them? Absolutely, yes! But the evil one can’t touch us! He has no power over us at all. But he’ll fight tooth and nail to keep his children, whom he hates from becoming God’s children. Don’t fall into hating them or being bitter and defensive through the enemy’s attempts to hold onto them. Love them, be compassionate towards their plight. They are slaves and do not know it.

John ends his letter with verse 21

“Little children, keep yourselves from idols.”

It seems strange, like a disjointed afterthought. But the Holy Spirit doesn’t do disconnected. This warning is important to keeping us away from a practice of sinning. Keeping God our priority is vital to walking in truth. When we go out into the world, idols are everywhere. It is so easy to become enamored of worldly things and let those things take God’s throne. The enemy can’t touch you, but he can and will try anything to get you to stop doing what Jesus did. He will try to get you to love the worldly things so that you don’t love people. He will try to make you as ineffective as possible. Idolatry is one of his favorite weapons.

Believer, you have God living inside you! You have eternal life! You have understanding. You have the truth. You are powerful and protected. You can make a difference.

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2 Kings 1 God Saves the Humble, but the Haughty are Brought Low

1 Kings 14:21-31 There is no Substitute for The LORD

1 Kings 10 & 11 Solomon Thought He Could Serve God and Lust

Ezekiel 21 If You Hate The Father's Discipline, You are Hating the Father

Ezekiel 20 God Will Not Allow His Holiness to be Defiled.

Ezekiel 10 The LORD May Withdraw His Presence but He Will Always Be With You

Ezekiel Chapter 8 Abominations in the Temple

Ezekiel 6 Who Do You Love First? What are your Priorities?

James 5:1-12 Money Might Buy You Happiness, but it Can Also Buy You Hell.

1 John 5:18-21 The Devil Can't Touch You, But That isn't the Case for the World.

Donna Campbell

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