Helpless to help the helpless?

 

Years ago I attended a seminar on how to counsel people in trouble. The speaker asked what would be a good response to someone sharing their story. I replied something about knowing how they felt and telling them my similar experiences. The speaker said, “Oh, that would be so unloving.”

At first I was shocked because I was thinking it was empathy, but soon realized that taking the focus off the person who was in need and putting it on my experiences was very selfish, never loving.

Now I’m seeing this when I share my own story, sometimes involving a problem and often sharing an answer to prayer. Instead of the listener asking questions or showing interest, they launch into their own similar experience and I feel as if a bus door was shut in my face and left without me.

Today’s devotional suggests this response connects to legalism because those who do this do not deny Christ; they only seek to add something to Him. Legalism is usually about ‘Christ and good works’ or ‘Christ and earnest feelings’ or ‘Christ and clear doctrines’ or ‘Christ and certain religious performances.’ All these may not be overtly sinful yet adding anything to Christ, no matter how good it may be, is to deny His completeness and exalt myself. So when someone is needy, I need to be like Christ, not add anything, particularly stuff about me.

In an attempt to show empathy, I can take at least two actions. One would be like the above example — using the situation to put attention on myself. It is subtle but often comes across as ‘look how I handled a situation like yours’ and selfish rather than being loving.

The other way to show that I understand is by keeping the other person in focus, maybe asking questions like, “How did that affect your feelings?” Or statements like, “That must have messed with your confidence.” Listening. Seeking understanding of them and their situation. The conversation is not about me.

Whether overt legalism or in talking to others, at root is that no one likes to admit helplessness. Sometimes I notice that I’d rather make a huge self-sacrifice rather than feeling helpless and worthless. I don’t want to say, ‘I don’t know the answer’ yet most of the time that other person needs a hug instead of a lecture or an explanation. It is unloving to put the focus on poor me instead of giving them whatever they need. After all, the greatest empathy toward a deeply needy person is going where they are and letting them know they are not alone in their feelings of uselessness or abandonment. Isn’t that what Jesus does? He is with us, loving us, even if He does not ‘fix’ the problem.

My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad. (Psalm 34:2)

When I sing songs like, “Turn your eyes upon Jesus” He reminds me that is a far better response to someone in need and far greater advice than ‘turn your eyes upon what happened to me.’ In this walk with Jesus, I must never forget that He and He alone is the sufficient supply for our every need.

PRAY: Jesus, forgive my selfish, attention-seeking ways, not only in conversations with ordinary folks, but in talking with those who share their problems and sorrows. It may help them to know they are not alone, but it is never helpful to add my problems to theirs — they have enough to deal with already. And if I feel helpless to and cannot do much, better to cry with them and admit my helplessness. I can always turn and ask You to show us that You are enough for both of our needs.

Living this new life…

 
This morning I’m tempted to cut and paste; first from the Bible and then from my devotional book. Yesterday was filled with God’s presence and power — in our worship service, in conversations with others, and in witnessing someone enter the kingdom of God through faith in Jesus Christ. After that, we had a lovely time with family and watched our home team win another game in NHL playoffs. Lots of emotions, much to stimulate my mind and choices.

Today the topic is freedom from the slavery of sin. All this is incredible good news as we see the results in our own lives and the lives of our Christian family. “We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.” (Romans 6:6)
How did this happen? The NT tells the events in the life of Jesus Christ and how that affects our lives. Our choices are expanded. Yes, I can still sin, but first He gives me this option:

For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Romans 6:10–11)

And with a new way of thinking, I’m also given a new ‘task master’ which is a negative word to describe the One who gave me this new life:

Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness… For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:16–23)

While the choice to live in newness of life seems the winner, the Bible warns against the pull to return to life under those old options. It says, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1)

The devotional illustrates how a woman can have a job and is obligated to do what her boss asks, but they love each other and decide to marry her — the relationship changes. Her reason for doing her job is different. While that describes the difference in her motivation, it also describes how her ‘boss’ is no longer the same. Instead of the world, her old nature, and all sorts of other ideas, her life is now in the hands of the Son of God and she is united to Him and His perfect love.

Unfaithfulness to that perfection seems so unlikely, yet it happens. In Christ Jesus the choices of the old life count for nothing. He wants from me faith working through love. I might start well but become hindered from obeying the truth, and that is not His idea. I know that even a little temptation can initiate a big crash. It could come from a worldly desire, or yielding to false teaching, or the pressure of persecution, or lies from the enemy. However, Jesus called me to freedom, and not use that freedom as an opportunity to go back to the habits of my old nature. I’m to love others, even my enemies, and that means being like Jesus. He listens, wants the best for me, pays attention to the details of my life, is always there for me, never puts me to shame…

PRAY: You, Jesus, are wonderful. To be like You is not slavery at all but a joyful way to live. May the delight of being dead to sin always keep me alive to You and reflecting Your love to the world around me, especially to Your children and increasingly to those who need to experience the same freedom You alone can give.

What happens when I abandon doing it my way

 

Today’s devotional offers more on the difference between law and grace. Most of them contrast what law asks for and what God gives. For example, the law demands holiness while the gospel gives holiness. The law says do; the gospel says done. The law places the day of rest at the end of the week’s work; the gospel places it at the beginning. Under the law, salvation has wages; under the gospel, salvation is a gift.

Our big problem is waiting. Some of what we hope for is not instant. I pray, sometimes for years, yet see no answer. Will I take matters into my own hands? Not a good idea. Abraham and Sarah did that, producing a son from her handmaid whose descendants are still trying to destroy the descendants of the son that God gave later.

Waiting on God is difficult. Not only that, He produces patience by trials.

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2–4)

And those trials are a huge temptation to take matters into our own hands, even asking God to remove them rather than yielding to their purpose. Yet in yielding, we have power with God because our prayers eventually bear fruit, and almost always in surprising ways. If the flesh insists on personal comfort and God relents, I will miss the surprise and the joy of experiencing God’s sufficiency.

So what else is in it for me if I yield to God? Faith is about knowing what cannot be seen. In yielding, I will not have a clue — but I will have the promises of God. Is that not a great something? This verse seems to refer to physical battles, it also points to the abundant life that Jesus gives:

And do you seek great things for yourself? Seek them not, for behold, I am bringing disaster upon all flesh, declares the Lord. But I will give you your life as a prize of war in all places to which you may go. (Jeremiah 45:5)

Oswald Chambers says, “This is the unshakable secret of the Lord to those who trust Him” for what more does anyone want than their life? He adds, “’Thy life for a prey’ means that wherever you may go, even if it is into hell, you will come out with your life, nothing can harm it. So many of us are caught up in the show of things, not in the way of property and possessions, but of blessings. All these have to go; but there is something grander that never can go—the life that is ‘hid with Christ in God.’ ”

Chambers says the test is in how we question God with suppositions, asking ‘what about this’ which reveals that I’m not trusting Him with all things. The opposite is thinking no more about what God is going to do after I ask Him to do something.
This week, two large issues involving people with mental health issues had me praying until I reached a place of trusting the Lord to take care of them. When that happened, I was surprised to be no longer thinking about them and their problems. Not that I ceased to care, but that I ceased to worry. I can hear Him saying, “I got this” and am now waiting to see what happens.

So abandoning anything to God means no more questions or ‘what if’ thoughts. Chambers says that people get tired because their life is not seen as given to them by Jesus. He adds, “When you do get through to abandonment to God, you will be the most surprised and delighted creature on earth; God has got you absolutely and has given you your life. If you are not there, it is either because of disobedience or a refusal to be simple enough.”

PRAY: Jesus, forgive me for actually being worried that I have no concerns and thinking that means I don’t care — instead of recognizing the peace that comes with giving all my worries to You. Certainly Your yoke is easy and Your burdens are light. You are taking care of the things that I abandon to You so I don’t need to be anxious. The gospel says Your peace will guard my heart and mind, and this peace is greater than my understanding! How incredibly easy to worship You!

Discerning between flesh and Spirit

 

Several friends ask for prayer regarding discernment. They want to be certain that what they hear and say and do fits with the will of God. Most of the requests involve the doing part. As I study this topic, it is not hard to see that God is more interested in who I am rather than what I do. He wants me filled with His Spirit and walking in the Spirit. In other words, because He has made me a new creature, I’m to think, talk, and act like it.

The new person bears the fruit of the Spirit, without rules and without interference from that old nature that is more concerned with how I can make that abundant life happen and what I can get out of it. This view of the flesh is not automatic. It is learned, usually by the fact that walking in the flesh does not produce the same things as walking in the Spirit.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. (Galatians 5:22–24)

Today’s devotion offers a list of contrasts between living by rules (or trying to) and living in the power of the Spirit. From the above verses and from this list, the contrast is discernible. The flesh isn’t love for others but personal gain. Joy is replaced by being happy only if life is going my way. Patience is ‘I want it now’ and kindness is more like ‘what is in it for me. That old life does things for self, even when hidden in charitable activities, and it has no self-control. From the devotional…

The law says, this do and you will live. The gospel says, live, and then you will do.
The law says, pay me what you owe me. The gospel says, I freely forgive you everything.

The law says, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. The gospel says, herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His son to be the propitiation for our sins.

The law says, cursed is every one who doesn’t continue in all things written in the book of the law to do them. The gospel says, blessed is the man whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. The law says, the wages of sin is death. The gospel says, the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. This is good news also:

I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

PRAY: Jesus, I am aware how the old me fights for control, particularly if it is fed with false teaching, worldly ideas and ways, and a huge list of I-wants. Putting all that on the cross is not nearly as painful as Your trip to Calvary, but it seems painful at times. Being like You means looking to You as the founder and perfecter of my faith and remembering that for the joy that was set before You, You endured the cross, despised the shame, and are now seated at the right hand of the throne of God. To be like You, I must consider how You endured from sinners great hostility. This keeps me from growing weary and fainthearted. In my struggle against sin I have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood (Hebrews 12:2–4) and instead of complaining about what must be yielded, remembering what You yielded makes dying to self a delight instead of a sacrifice. I love You, Jesus.

Worry = ?

 
Recently someone said that it is normal to worry because we are human and God gave us our human nature. That surprised me. This person knows the Word of God so I responded with: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” (Philippians 4:6)

While that verse tells us not to worry, I’m thinking about the bigger picture. God did create us with our human nature, yet made in His image. However, at the evil suggestions of Satan in snake disguise, disobedience to God (sin) marred that nature. Since that first sin, all are born with a sin nature and fall short of the glory of God. The NT makes it clear that no one is able to live as God intended. Our spirits are separated from Him. The NT uses the term ‘dead in sin.’ 

God’s redemption plan began immediately with a promise to send a Redeemer. He did. The life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is God’s solution to the sin problem that ruined our human nature.

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

Jesus traded His perfect righteousness and took our sin, paying its penalty by dying for us and giving us a new nature. This is not about behavior change. We are forgiven, clean before God, and given a new nature, our spirits made alive to God.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

With a new nature, comes the ability to live a new way. Instead of listening to the world’s way of thinking, or that old nature with its desire to rule, or to the lies of Satan, God gives us the ability to listen to Him and do what He says. That means we need not worry about anything.

However, that old nature is stubborn. Even though it is dead to God, Christians who listen to it instead of the Lord, allow those ‘I wants’ to govern rather than trusting the Lord. We even ask God for things we want without asking for what He wants and then, when no answers come, we start to worry…

Worry has many synonyms. It is giving way to anxiety or unease; allowing one's mind to dwell on difficulty or troubles. It is also fretting, being concerned, agonizing, brooding, feeling panic, losing sleep, getting worked up and in a fluster, overwrought, stressed, torturing oneself, being perturbed, bothered, unsettled, harassed, feeling nerve-racked, upset, traumatized, grave, afraid, and so on. None of these are what God gives us through His Spirit.

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22–23)

The Bible does not include worry as part of a God-directed life because it is not only harmful to us, it hides an important truth. Worry opposes faith and self-effort takes the place of praying. Worry is not believing God will answer our prayers with wisdom and grace but a wasted effort concerning what we want without relying on God. Instead of resting in Him, worry produces such things as lack of sleep, ulcers or headaches.

God knows that if we are united with Him in our inner being, we will certainly do right outwardly. At the same time, He gives much instruction of what comes from flesh, and what is the result of hearing and obeying the Spirit. Worry and anxiety are activities of that old sinful nature while trusting God is enabled by His Spirit. I need to cooperate by recognizing and denying that old nature, and refusing to walk in it. This means being in the Word and obeying it. As some quip, why pray when I can worry?

The Galatian Christians lost sight of how the “new creature” was the only thing that helped them grow in grace. They began with faith but had “fallen from grace” because they chose the “oldness of the letter” to replace “newness of the spirit.”

Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace” (Galatians 5:4).

PRAY: Jesus, keep me walking with You. Warn me when I listen to anyone or anything false. My prayer is for others too — as even those with Your ‘new nature’ can be deceived. Grant each of us discernment quickly whenever we are tempted. Don’t allow deception ruin our walk with You and block that new nature from governing our lives. You are enough for every problem; worry adds nothing. It actually blocks You from shining through our lives.

Free to Choose?

 

In discussions about busyness, my husband often says we are busy by choice. Thinking about the many interruptions that I do not choose, he makes me realize how often I must say NO and keep my calendar the way it is, or YES and become busier than I want to be.

It is the same with freedom. In a discussion about living in truth or living in errors promoted by false teachers, the Bible says, “They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved.” (2 Peter 2:19) In other words, we pick our slave-driver. Will it be such things as false teaching from the world, selfishness in the flesh, or the lies of the devil? Or will it be the freedom of serving Jesus Christ?

I know some think that serving Christ is also bondage, but only because they have mistaken the choices. For example, the Christians in Galatia began their spiritual life with faith. However, instead of living by faith and walking in the Spirit, they tried to become what they thought God wanted them to be by being “made perfect by the flesh” and began a descent from a life of faith to living by rules and laws. They needed to hear again these truths:

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” (Romans 8:15)
For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1)

The reasons for falling back into law are simple. One is a failure to build faith. Faith grows as we hear and obey God. He tells us to be “like newborn infants, longing for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation.” (1 Peter 2:2) and to not forsake fellowship with other believers. But it isn’t that simple. The flesh or old nature is crucified with Christ yet tries to tell us how to live and that we cannot be happy unless our ego is fed, our pride rewarded, blah, blah, blah. This noise is enhanced by false teaching:

Yet because of false brothers secretly brought in—who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery— (Galatians 2:4)

There are many biblical warnings, all of them saying that such slavery happens by choice:

Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? Did you suffer so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”? (Galatians 3:3–6)
For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. (Galatians 5:13)
Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. (1 Peter 2:16)

When my old nature wants to run my life, the Bible is filled with warnings about the consequences and how that choice is sin. It says, “Whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” (Romans 14:23)

Another driving force for living by rules is that nattering voice that says “you will never be good enough” along with the fear of death and standing before God without any claim at all. To this, God says:

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. (Hebrews 2:14–15)

It boils down to choices. Some people say God give us the freedom to choose, but without Jesus in our lives, we are incapable of choosing godliness. That freedom only comes to those who have faith in Him. Then I can choose to live for Him out of love, or to live by rules thinking that will please Him, but that is not what He died to give me.

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1)

PRAY: Jesus, Your grace is utterly amazing. Living it out is a challenge only because it offers a freedom that is about obedience motivated by love. There is nothing for me in obedience for doing Your will brings glory to You. However, You have already given me everything I need. May my life honor You because You have honored and blessed me with the ability to choose freedom.

Discipline is a big stick? Or a hug?

 

Our study group talked about God's discipline. Some viewed that word as harsh rebuke. Some understood it as training, much like the discipline of a runner getting ready for a marathon.Today I looked up verses about God's discipline and found that it can be negative and seem harsh, or loving and gently corrective. The negatives are more about the results or responses than about God's attitudes when He disciplines:

I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. (2 Samuel 7:14–15)
O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath! (Psalm 38:1)
The Lord has disciplined me severely, but he has not given me over to death. (Psalm 118:18)
By mere words a servant is not disciplined, for though he understands, he will not respond. (Proverbs 29:19)
And you shall say to them, ‘This is the nation that did not obey the voice of the Lord their God, and did not accept discipline; truth has perished; it is cut off from their lips. (Jeremiah 7:28)

On the positive side, the reason God disciplines is because He loves His children and wants the best for us. Believing that makes seeking His will much easier.

“Behold, blessed is the one whom God reproves; therefore despise not the discipline of the Almighty. (Job 5:17)
Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O Lord, and whom you teach out of your law, (Psalm 94:12)
My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline or be weary of his reproof, (Proverbs 3:11)
Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid. (Proverbs 12:1)
But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. (1 Corinthians 11:32)
And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. (Hebrews 12:5–11)
Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. (Revelation 3:19)

I’ve noticed when parents discipline their children, it can be motivated because the child is annoying them. Other parents are motivated by love and use discipline to train their child to be wise and well-behaved. Most children seem to realize which motive is behind the correction.

It is wise to remember that God is not dealing with me because I am annoying Him. While I could be acting badly, His reason for correction is always for my good.

PRAY: Oh Father, thank You for Your love and grace. It shows up when I’ve behaved foolishly and You bring correction to me. You always do it with a hug rather than a big stick and an angry scowl. Help those whose earthly fathers were motivated more by annoyance than love that they will realize You are not like that. Remind us often that You love us — and that You discipline us so we will become more like You.
P.S. Monday I told You that I’d really like to have some pink tulips. Then yesterday, a neighbor came to our door with a gift for me — a vase filled with pink tulips! My eyes are still leaking.

Knowing and accepting God’s Will…

As a new Christian (more than 50 years ago) a major truth I learned was this:

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 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. (Romans 8:28–29)

The delight of that discovery stuck. God uses everything to conform me to the image of Jesus. My part? Pay attention. As today’s devotional says, so many Christians have a problem seeing God in everything. They say, “I can easily submit to things that come from God, but I cannot submit to people…” or the weather or whatever, making a life of faith only a theory. Almost everything has a human element of somebody’s failure, ignorance, carelessness, or sin. God does not author sinful things. So often, the humans involved are blamed, resented, retaliated against, and resisted. Yet I understand those verses to say that God uses whatever happens to me to change or provoke a godly, Christ-like response. They could harm but He does not intend harm.

My mother often said, “We must need it or we would not be getting it.” She accepted that all things had a purpose. If I need to be kind to others, God allows situations where that can happen. If I need to better keep confidences, people tell me their secrets. It isn’t always simple to discern what good He wants for me in every situation, but the gist is that Jesus lives in me and God uses the happenings of life to bring Him out where others can see what He is like.

The reality is that if I am trusting my life to God, then others are not being allowed to mess with me and have a prevailing influence in my thinking and actions. When I look for God's hand in what they do to me, then there is a choice: a response from my old nature — or a response from the One who lives in me and is changing my life to be like His.

Last night someone shared how she erred and God rebuked her, but it felt good. I responded with, “God is the only one who can kick our backside and hug us at the same time.” Everyone laughed because we have all had that lovely experience. His discipline is in love, in wanting the best for us, and we know it and are glad for it.

With that attitude, I can say: The Lord is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me? (Psalm 118:6) Yet it works only if I see God in everything and receive everything directly from His hands, with no intervention by second causes. This makes possible that joyful estate of entire abandonment and perfect trust.

PRAY: Lord, last night everything ached and I felt like staying home from our regular Monday Bible study/prayer group meeting. I went, almost against my will, and soon realized being there was Your will. My aches quickly vanished and joy filled my heart. This was another of the enemy’s devices, designed to stop me from obeying You and using all sorts of things to do it. Sometimes emotions, sometimes physical aches and pains, sometimes the actions and attitudes of other people, or my own, anything negative. Spiritual wars are seldom obvious and none of them are won by looking at the clashing swords or listening to the sounds of ammunition. They are only won by recognizing that You have a purpose in the events, I need to accept it and look for what You want. But if Your will is not involved, then I can ask You to remove the problem, or distraction, or whatever is turning me away from You. Thanks for the immediate sense of peace and well-being when I accept Your will, no matter what.

Watch out for worldly motives…

All I did was enter a store looking for something attractive to hang on our front door. The wreaths looked cheap and they didn’t have much else for doors, but the rest of the store had all sorts of nice things. I walked about and looked and touched and began to feel covetous. I could have bought whatever appealed to my eyes but held back and left the store. Now I realize what held me back:

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

It was not the nice stuff, but deeper. My motive for wanting what I saw was definitely a worldly ‘desire of the eyes and pride of life’ and the Lord would not let me stay in that place. Today’s devotional addresses this issue and shows me how easily I can be side-tracked. It says (and I personalize it)…

Anything cherished in my heart contrary to the will of God, whether it seems insignificant or deeply hidden, will cause me to fall (or rob me from God’s joy)… any self-seeking… any doubtful habits or surroundings… consciously indulged, will effectually cripple and paralyze my spiritual life… I may wonder and question and despair and pray. Nothing will do any good until the wrong thing is dug up from its hiding place, brought out to the light, and laid before God. The moment, therefore, that I meet with a defeat, I must at once seek for the cause, some hidden want of consecration… Just as a headache is not the disease itself but only a symptom of a disease situated in some other part of the body, so my loss of joy is only the symptom of an sin hidden in… my nature.

I’ve wanted nice things before but not lately. The Spirit shows me that this attempt to a nice door ornament was motivated by a desire to impress our neighbors (long story behind that) and God gave me a sharp rap in my emotions to tell me again that the action may be fine, but if the motivation is not godly, then the actions are not acceptable either.

Besides the loss of joy, all the concerns I’ve been praying about seemed bigger, despite good news concerning several of them. I simply could not see the Lord at work and only gloom and doom.

PRAY: Jesus, I’m thankful You have established in my heart the importance of keeping short accounts with You. This shopping attempt didn’t seem a big deal at the time, and it wasn’t, but being motivated by the desire for all the nice things I could see and satisfying my pride is not from You. I confess this, knowing You forgive and cleanse. Thank You for such amazing grace.

Grace vs. try harder…

True story. It happened before Christ came into my life. My first husband, now deceased, worked near home. We had two small children so supper was at a regular time, but occasionally he and his business partner would go for drinks without telling me. When he got home, his supper was cold and I was hot. One day a radio program said that when people do something wrong and get punished, they feel better because that is what they expected. The suggestion was ‘no punishment’ and then they must face up to their guilt.

I never thought of it as being manipulation so tried it. The next time he was late for supper, I warmed his meal and acted as if he was on time. He was puzzled, but he never was late for supper again.

Today’s devotional is about a Christian’s reaction when we fail. It says that discouragement is never a remedy. Just as a child who is learning to walk might lie down in despair when he has fallen, so a believer who is learning to walk by faith might give up in despair when he has fallen into sin. The author adds, “The only thing to do in both cases is to get right up and try again.”

God never says, “Lie down and be discouraged” yet this is often the temptation. Some might feel it is presumptuous and even impertinent to go at once to the Lord after having sinned against Him. It seems as if we ought to suffer the consequences of sin first for a little while and endure our accusing conscience. We might struggle to believe that the Lord can quickly receive us back into loving fellowship even though He says:

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:5–9)

This links to the profound truth illustrated by the advice on that old radio show. Grace that God forgives has a far greater effect on repetitive sin than punishment! When I know that He forgives me, I am less liable to do it again. However, when I try to ‘punish myself’ with feeling bad and calling myself an idiot, that has little effect. Not only that, the idea of ‘trying again’ does not work either. If I could succeed that way, I would not need Jesus.

Furthermore, I can see a parallel between those self-directed accusations and my pride. The deeper my pride, the more I tend to punish myself when I fail to be godly in some way. Sin always happens when I listen to such things as “try harder” or “you can do better” or “you are too smart to make mistakes” — blah, blah, blah. Yet when conscious of being helpless and having no power without Jesus, failure is less of a surprise and more of a motivation to rely on Him.

Not only that, the answer is never “get up and try again” but “get on your knees and confess — be forgiven and cleansed.” Regret and self-centered ‘poor dumb and foolish me’ does absolutely nothing.  Jesus is my Savior because I cannot save myself. Far more important to realize…

For I have died, and my life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is my life appears, then I also will appear with Him in glory. (Colossians 3:3–4)

PRAY: I’m thankful for the lessons in living and walking with You, Jesus. Keeping short accounts means a great boost to spiritual growth. I am not only forgiven but recognize that when I confess sin, You do amazing things to wipe clean my sinful desires. Your love and grace to keep me in fellowship with You is far more effective than my disgust with myself or any motivation to get up and try harder.

 

In a dark place?

 

In the past few days, my husband’s injury topped by a rare bout with a common cold makes him seem like a different person. He feels weak and has pain keeping him away from normal activities. I have felt numbed by it, feeling alone, almost as if abandoned. Yesterday, the Lord lifted me out of that deep hole and restored my trust in Him. Today, through seeing a grave error in thinking in another person, and through four devotional readings, He gives me a deeper understanding of human fragility and of how much all of us need Jesus.

The first reading was the folly of thinking I will never fail. Even though experience says we fail and all Christians agree that temptation sometimes wins, this week I confessed something to a small group and they would not let me call it sin. They defined it so the matter was God’s will rather than my disobedience. I wanted assurance, not that!

The reading said that failure/sin ought not happen but we must deal with facts, not theories. The Bible does not say sin is impossible, only that Jesus Christ saves us from it being a necessity. The writer says faith in Christ does not make it impossible to sin; only that sin ceases to be our only choice. Therefore, continual victory is available to us. This is not about theory but our experience. As the NT says:

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. (1 John 1:8–10)

The second devotional was written many years ago by one of God’s children. It says:

I have to confess tonight with deep humility of soul before God that I am a poor miserable sinner in His sight! The question I asked myself last night revealed to me the unbelief and rebellion of my heart. I found that I could not trust Jesus unconditionally for the future; and further and worse, that I was cherishing hard thoughts of Him because He did not bless me as I desired! I have passed a day of intense wretchedness. I seemed to lose my hold of everything, and to be cut adrift upon a fearful sea of unbelief and sin.
I doubted Jesus and nothing else was of any account. None of my past experience seemed worth anything, and Satan urged me to throw the whole thing up, and to turn to the world for that satisfaction which he tried to persuade me I had not found in Christ. So dreadful a thing is the slightest unbelief! But my faithful Savior would not let the Devil carry off one of His sheep like that, and He has delivered me from his snare. —Journal, May 11, 1868

Earlier this week, those could have been my words and today, I can joyfully add the last sentence. The struggle to have faith in the unseen future when it threatens to grow bleak and darker still happens — a battle common to all who trust in Christ. It may not be expressed but the enemy often throws our hearts into a deep hole.

The third reading speaks of a boy on a bicycle pedaling up a hill against the wind. Then a trolley car came along going the same direction. The lad laid hold of the bar at the back end of the car and his efforts ceased as the trolly carried him easily.

The author of this reading had been in a time of weariness and weakness, almost worn out by the circumstances of life. This scene put in mind the available strength of Jesus Christ and how only “reaching out and grasping Him in faith was enough to make His power mine” was all that was needed to dismiss his weariness. The assurance is this:

For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you… was not Yes and No, but in him it is always Yes. For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. (2 Corinthians 1:19–22)

PRAY: God, most often the words I hear from You are, “I am here, with you.” How awful the sin of forgetting this truth and dropping into a dark place. Why do that? It is the way of the world (read the newspapers) and the way of the flesh (I can do this myself) and the lie of the devil (God does not want the best for you) and all three shout it. No excuses; Your whisper is louder, longer, true and sustaining. Praise Your name for holding on to me, no matter how foolish my thoughts and sinful reactions to the trials of life. Your faithfulness is most precious.

 

Faith overcomes trials and temptations

A friend usually has good theology, but sometimes struggles with living it out. This person easily memorizes Scripture and can quote entire passages, but has a gap between that knowledge and its application, often without realizing it.

I know this problem. The spiritual gift of teaching is about gathering information and sharing it with others. The flesh tosses in the problem of thinking just because I know it, then I have it. Sometimes the gap is explained as head knowledge rather than heart knowledge, as if the mind grasped a truth but the inner person missed the point of it, or didn’t connect it to life. A reason? The old nature of a teacher is proud of knowing things, and that pride stands between knowing and doing? Whatever the reason, this is addressed by the NT:

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 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. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 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. (James 1:22–25)

Hearers with a desire to share easily forget to act, likely to go on in search of new information. This is opposite to doers, even though those who are quick to act also have problems. They sometimes see needs and jump into doing something without first seeking God’s will.

That said, Jesus is my Savior and uses all things to change my fleshy reactions and spiritual motivations to doing what pleases Him. He wants me to be like Him rather than wanting glory for myself, or to simply ignoring what He is trying to tell me.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 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. (Romans 8:28–29)

One of the ‘all things’ is temptation. While God is not the author of it, He does use it…

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death. (James 1:12–15)

God has the uncanny ability to used temptation against itself, first as a revelation to show me any attitudes and desires that need confession and certainly any actions that give in to those attitudes and desires. That means when I have a problem that could be a temptation to sin, God uses it to motivate faith and make the trial become an asset:

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2–4)

Whether I call them trials, temptations, or tests, the negative stuff of life is about God revealing to me how much I need Him and need to trust Him. This makes faith the victory that overcomes temptation, turns trials into good things, and therefore grant me a passing mark on another test. As today’s devotional writer says: “We are nothing: Christ is all” and that means I am standing and walking by faith.

PRAY: Jesus, You are teaching me about my helplessness and that I cannot do anything for myself. I must hand all temptation over to You and trust You to conquer it for me. Sometimes it is hard to put a problem into Your hands and leave it there, yet You want me to patiently endure without yielding to a fleshy response or believing any lies. Faith cannot see the answer, but faith trusts You, even when all seems dark. I leave myself and my concerns in Your hands.

God’s Absolute Faithfulness

A pastor was asked if temptation was a sin. He replied, “You cannot stop a bird from flying over your head, but you don’t have to let it build a nest in your hair.”

He implied that the world, the flesh, and the devil will call out to me in various ways, but I must not dwell on what they say, suggest, or how they make their appeal. I  cannot stop those suggestions nor can I block any doubts that come to me any more than I can hinder someone from saying nasty words as I walk by, yet I am not doing anything wrong by hearing the temptation. I can refuse to listen.

It is the same with doubts. I can dwell on them, join in with them, consent to them and adopt them as true — or I can turn from them and to the truth that God gives me.

The world might say, ‘Faith in God is foolish. Being a Christian has too many rules and spoils your fun.’ Do I know the truth that smacks down that line?

The flesh might say, ‘God is not in charge of your life. If He was good, this … would never be happening to you. There is no reason for you to be suffering. Escape…’ Do I know the truth about God’s power and sovereignty, about His love for me and the purpose of suffering?

The devil continually bombards me with stuff like: ‘God does not really want the best for you. This isn’t really so bad; everyone does it so it must be okay.’ Can I reply to those slanders of God with truth that hits them out of my mind?

Today’s devotional puts emphasis on the value of reading and knowing the Word of God for it also tells me what God is like and reminds me of what He has already done. It gives me answers to the subtle and not so subtle suggestions that come to me as temptations to doubt Him. While I have a choice and can believe the lies, I also know that doing so robs me of joy and the goodness of knowing my God is faithful.

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

Yet there is another ‘lie’ that is often missed. It is the lie that says, ‘You can do it, You’ve got this’ and other versions that say I am able to handle anything if I just decide to do so and try harder. The Word of God says otherwise as does my own experience. I cannot be godly or battle sin without Jesus Christ. My confidence can never be in my own strength. Instead, the victory over temptation comes with a confession of weakness, never a determination to try harder. In the battle against lies and temptations, the only way to win is by yielding to God, by looking to Jesus.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 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. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. (Hebrews 12:1–4)

Jesus is the Savior. I am not. He is faithful. I am not. He will “sustain me to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom I was called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:4–9) Note also the order of actions in this verse:

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)

I cannot rid myself of the devil and his lies, nor the world and its thinking, nor the flesh as it tries to resurrect itself from being dead unless I am submitted to God first, then resisting the lies of temptation. Trusting and believing is only part of the weapon; obedience is the sharpest sword to put doubts and nest-building from happening, perhaps even from showing up.

PRAY: Jesus, I need You to keep me safe from the lies that fly about me, even the lie that ‘try harder’ will work. Enable me to practice a continuous habit of believing You and having discernment against temptation and doubt. Only You can make them vanish and replace them with the glory of Your absolute faithfulness.  

Shut the door on doubts…

Occasionally I pray this from the Bible, always expecting an answer yet dreading it:

Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting! (Psalm 139:23–24)

One way God answers is by dreams. In them, I’m doing something that shocks me and makes me feel shame when I wake up. If I question God about it, He usually replies with something like, “Would you rather find out your sinfulness in real life?”

I had a dream like that last night. It repeats in various forms and this time I woke up doubting that God would ever purify my selfishness to the point that this dream would never again happen. However, today’s devotional took a bull’s eye shot at that notion. It was about the selfishness of doubting, saying that to some people doubting God is a luxury, a ‘poor me’ attitude that is just as hard to give up as any self-centered indulgence.

The author says, “Do not your doubts come trooping to your door like a company of sympathizing friends who appreciate your hard case and have come to console you? Is it no luxury to sit down with them, entertain them, listen to their arguments, and join in with their condolences? Wouldn’t it be real self-denial to turn from them and refuse to hear a word they have to say? Try it and see.”

This author gives the example of brooding over someone’s unkindness that produces that ‘poor me, how I have suffered’ focus that turns love for God into a ‘God has forsaken me, does not love me, and I am too sinful for Him to care for and transform.’ All that self-pity is actually easier to live with than the sinfulness He exposes and the obedience He is asking for!

This brings to mind the faith of Abraham when he was commanded by God to slay his son, the one through whom God's promise depended on. How could God bless this patriarch as the father of nations if his son was dead? But not a shred of self-pity in this man. He took his boy up a mountain and laid him on an altar. Only then did God intervene and provide a substitute sacrifice.

My selfishness in this dream is about being willing to sacrifice everything I want and serve the Lord alone. No other gods, no idols, no ‘I wants’ that go against what He wants. I know the importance of obedience. The OT puts it this way:

“If you are not careful to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name, the Lord your God, then the Lord will bring on you and your offspring extraordinary afflictions, afflictions severe and lasting, and sicknesses grievous and lasting. And he will bring upon you again all the diseases of Egypt, of which you were afraid, and they shall cling to you. Every sickness also and every affliction that is not recorded in the book of this law, the Lord will bring upon you, until you are destroyed. Whereas you were as numerous as the stars of heaven, you shall be left few in number, because you did not obey the voice of the Lord your God. And as the Lord took delight in doing you good and multiplying you, so the Lord will take delight in bringing ruin upon you and destroying you… but the Lord will give you there a trembling heart and failing eyes and a languishing soul. Your life shall hang in doubt before you… (Deuteronomy 28:58–67)

In contrast, the NT considers the obedience of Christ as being the offering to God that His people have never been able to make. In other words, my sins and selfishness are covered by the sacrifice of Christ and my response is to be like His…

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. (Romans 12:1)
And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. (Ephesians 5:2)
Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. (Hebrews 13:15)

Walk in love, worshiping and praising God, obeying as He gives the will and the ability to do so. Stop that ‘poor me’ which can be an excuse to not say no to something that He shows me as a sinful attitude. Of course I cannot rid myself of it, but I can confess it rather than make excuses for it.

PRAY: Jesus, the flesh is always trying to rise from the dead. Again, I need Your saving power to not only put the old nature in its grave, but also replace it with love for others and praise to You.

Nothing is too hard for God

 
Sometimes God does things just to prove that He can. At least that is how it seems to me. For instance, surgeons remove a damaged human heart, replace it with a donor from some unfortunate soul who died in good health, and the heart starts beating all by itself. In my mind, that is a God-thing!

The latest was a story on the news this week. It involved a rescued magpie and a dog that looks like a pit bull. They are best friends, grew up together, and created quite a sensation with their playful antics. But some complained that the dog owner did not have a license to take in wildlife so these two creatures were separated by the silliness of human beings. Someone decided to let common sense reign so they are now back together. Read the story HERE.

One OT prophecy speaks of a day coming when the world will be at peace. The context refers to the return of the Messiah and the described conditions are startling:

The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. (Isaiah 11:6–9)

If I ever doubt that the animals will be no danger to children and a lion can lie down with a lamb, I just need to remember this pit bull and the magpie. Humans have explanations for this strange relationship, but I’ve no doubt this is another God-thing. It shows that He can fulfill that prophecy.

Our Bible study group talked last night about the differences between our theology on paper and our theology in life. Many times Christians speak highly of the power of God yet their lives are made wretched and their usefulness is hindered because in reality they live filled with doubts and think more like atheists. That is harsh, but if I worry instead of praying, who am I trusting?

Today’s devotional ends with a statement that our inner spiritual conflict is far more like spiritual rebellion against the God we claim to know. Then it says this: “Our fight is to be a fight of faith; and the moment we let in doubts, our fight ceases and our rebellion begins.”

I’m thankful for glimpses of God. He tells me to walk by faith, not by sight, yet now and then surprises me with a God-thing — something that makes obvious that He can do what most of us think will not ever happen.

PRAY: Lord, when I take up my prayer list for needs and requests, may I pray with faith, trusting You to do exceedingly abundantly above all I can ask or imagine… like making enemies into friends, granting life to dead hearts, and giving eternal life to those who think they do not need You when without You they will perish.

Dealing with Sin

 Sin starts in the mind, at least that is my experience. I think something selfish or untoward about others. I might start verbalizing my thoughts, depending on that inner drive to get some attention or make my complaint (or boasting or whatever) known. I also might act on it, like avoid the person that upsets me, or be snippy with other people, or tell tales that are ought not to be told.

Most of the time I’m quickly aware of what I’m doing and want to make it right. Not always, but if joy is gone, I know that I’ve a need to confess. Here is where today’s devotional offers good advice. The verses about confession are clear:

If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. (1 John 1:6–10)

Even though I have known and made much of verse 9 being vital to spiritual growth, getting to it has a couple of detours. One is being surprised that I thought or did the selfish thing and am suddenly discouraged and want to give up thinking I will never able to conquer that thing, whatever it is. Usually a repeat.

The other problem is calling it an infirmity that is simply part of life and refusing to be candid and above-board about it. This is a reflection of Satan’s words: “Oh, it really isn’t so bad.”

Either of these two excuses is fatal to any real growth and progress in the life of holiness. The only way is to face the sad fact at once, call the thing by its right name, and discover, if possible, the reason and the remedy.

Rarely is the reason an infirmity. God promises to supply all my needs. I’m not physically infirm (blind, deaf, crippled, etc.) nor are we suffering poverty, difficulties with family or neighbors or in our church. I’m not lonely, afraid, depressed, nor struggling with anything more than a lot of ambition and less energy and time to take care of the necessities of being a wife, mom, gran, homemaker, etc. I am also thankful for God’s goodness and yet I still can be overcome with selfishness.

This says much about the latent power of that old dead nature. It does keep trying to rise again, yet Jesus declares it dead to Him and me alive to God. Such a war, yet that Word of God promises victory, if not now, certainly eventually.

Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. (1 John 3:2–3)

Again, life with Christ requires total honesty with Him and with myself. Sin is only a momentarily disturbance as long as I deal with it honestly. Today’s devotional reminds me that any failure, sudden or otherwise, is no reason for being discouraged and giving up all as lost. The integrity of what I believe is not touched by my failures. Because of Christ, this is my walk, not my state before God. The highway of holiness is not a place but a way. Sanctification is not a thing to be picked up at a certain stage of our experience and forever after possessed; it is a life to be lived day by day and hour by hour. I may for a moment turn aside from a path, but the path is not obliterated by my wandering and can be instantly regained. Such is the grace of God.

PRAY: Salvation is complete and assured. Not because of my performance but because of Your shed blood, Your grace and forgiveness. Jesus, You are the reason I live and my hope. Even when I stumble, You pick me up, dust me off, hear my prayers, and give me deep joy. For this, I love You and eagerly look to You, even when flat on my face. Thank You so much for all that You are and do.

Faith Affirmed

God affirms me in amazing ways. Today’s devotional says what the Holy Spirit has been revealing to me all week. With delight, I reproduce it here, making the pronouns personal.

Sometimes, in spite of all my efforts to discover the truth, the divine sense of “oughtness” does not seem to come and my doubts and perplexities continue unenlightened. In addition, my friends differ from me and may oppose my course. In such a case there is nothing to do but to wait until the light comes. I must wait in faith and in an attitude of entire surrender, saying a continual yes to the will of the Lord. If the suggestion is from Him, it will continue and strengthen; if it is not from Him, it will disappear. If it continues, if it troubles me in moments of prayer and disturbs my peace, and if it conforms to the test of the divine harmony of which I have written (see recent devotions), I may feel sure it is from God. Then I must yield to it or suffer an unspeakable loss.

The apostle Paul says that “Whatsoever is not of faith is sin” (Romans 14:23). In all doubtful things, then, I must stand still and refrain from action until God gives me light to know more clearly His mind concerning them. Very often I will find that the doubt has been His voice calling me to come into more perfect conformity to His will; but sometimes these doubtful things are only temptations or morbid feelings, to which it would be most unwise for me to yield. The only safe way is to wait until I can act in faith.

I read these words with delight because of the harmony between the Christian who wrote them and my mind about such matters. This devotional book is more than 100 years old and not only affirms my thoughts about knowing God’s will, it affirms that:

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (Hebrews 13:8)

He is timeless and His Word is timeless, as relevant today as when first written — incidentally by many human authors who listened and wrote as the Spirit told them, over a period of many years. Truth is truth and because Jesus is “the way, the truth, the life” then I can rely on Him and His Word no matter what the world says about relevance, or the devil suggests about truth being doubtful, or the resistance my flesh has to anything that God says.

As God says, as He reveals it to me, and as this Christian affirmed, when in doubt, wait in yielded faith — He will make it clear.

PRAY: Jesus, we had an event at our church yesterday that was prayed for with hope, not too certain it would draw many people. It was a Heritage Festival to celebrate the many cultures represented in our congregation and that will eventually gather before the throne of God. Faith became sight — the main auditorium was so filled that we could hardly walk. What a wonderful celebration and display of faith becoming sight. As You continue to affirm faith, may all of us continue to grow in it and celebrate Your awesome goodness.

Transparent about my weaknesses?

 
The Christians my husband and I spend time with have been talking about how to know the will of God, particularly to know which motivations come from Him and which are from our selfish old nature. All realize that just because that flesh nature is dead (separated from God) does not mean it shuts up and leaves us to hear God only.

Even Jesus, who is God in human flesh, was pressured by the world who wanted to make Him king and later to kill Him. The devil also tempted Him. He did not have a sin nature yet He was able “to sympathize with our weaknesses” because “He was tempted as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15) How did Jesus know the will of God? He gave a big clue when He said:

If anyone’s will is to do God’s will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. (John 7:17)

Being willing to do whatever God tells me is important to knowing what He wants. Why would He reveal anything about His plans to a person that is not willing to do whatever He says! So yielded to obedience is a major part of knowing the difference. Not my will but Thine be done.

My level of concern for others is also a measurement. If all I think about and pray about is me and mine, then I’m out of His will. Today’s devotional puts it this way…
We never care about the little details of people’s lives unless we love them. It is a matter of indifference to us what the majority of people do, or how they spend their time. But as soon as we begin to love someone, we begin to care.

This goes both ways. I become more certain of God's love for me as I experience it in the details of life. As I realize He is caring for me in every way and at all times the more I am interested in what He is doing for others. This happens in relationships and is evidence that when God’s love is “spread abroad in my heart” I am less focused on me but them. His love becomes a daily, even a minute-by-minute guidance and motivator. Knowing how much I am loved translates into knowing what God is saying, knowing how He speaks and what He asks of me. This involves listening but it also involves shunning the devil’s lie that says the Lord does not want the best for me. When I am convinced He does, I can ignore all threats that say otherwise. I also become a better listener and have more freedom to focus on those around me.

Another way to know His will is to believe His promises. He says:

God works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life… (Philippians 2:13–16)

I can trust Him to work in me as well as guide me. If flesh and other sources lead me astray, the Lord works in my will so I will do His will. I can know it by lack of complaining and arguing on my part, and by holding to what His Word tells me. No deviations or excuses, but joyful contentment.

As this passage says, God promises to work in me a desire to do His will. He is the Savior and works in my nature so I want the same things as He wants and will behave and do things that please Him. He produces that desire in such a way that I know the liberty of following those inner desires  rather than doing anything out of duty. The requirements might be a challenge but the desire to obey is strong and certain, not a sense of being driven. He puts His will on our hearts and minds (Hebrews 10:16) so we know what He asks.

PRAY: Jesus, I’ve a problem with a person who never speaks of weakness or doubts or any struggles with the flesh. That seems unrealistic, even foreign to me. Even You, in Your perfection, sweat blood in the garden about going to the cross. This person never seems to wrestle with anything. Am I envious? Or is this discernment from You and a signal to pray for the ability to glory in weakness like Paul did (2 Corinthians 9-10) so this person will experience a much deeper grace? Again, show me Your perfect will.

Finger-Pointing?

 An old adage says to beware of pointing a finger at others for there are three pointing back at yourself. For that, I am lately noticing, but with caution, that many Christians seem unaware of the difference between walking in the Spirit and living according to the flesh or their old nature. This is not about behavior. We can do all the right things but with the wrong motives, seemingly unaware that our new life in Christ is about a changed nature, not merely choosing ‘right’ behavior.

Perhaps my observations have become heighten by reading Stephen Charnock’s two volume set entitled The Existence and Attributes of God. It was written in 1853 but speaks loudly today. I’m not yet to page 200 and deeply aware of how subtle that old nature, dead in Christ yet acting very much alive, can ruin my Christian life with its self-centered attitudes. That said, there is a cure:

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Hebrews 4:12–13)

Some say the Bible is a ‘dead’ book, but it is living and able to do what no one but God can do for me: it discerns and exposes my heart and motivations, those from the Holy Spirit and those from the world, the flesh, and the devil.

Those last three are can be sources from which ideas and impressions come, and they are spiritual enemies, often disguising themselves as ‘angels of light’ and giving me the false notion that their ideas are from God.

These are not always overtly sinful ideas. They can appear perfectly legit, such as “start a Bible study” but the motivation involves self-glory, or impatience with an unmet need, or other reasons than “God is telling me” to do whatever the idea or plan might be.

These appeals to the flesh are often side-tracked by God who saves me from being reckless to listen to them. He protects me from failures and shame. At the same time, many children of God have been deluded into paths of extreme fanaticism by listening to the enemy’s schemes but thinking they were following the Lord.

I’m certain He sees the sincerity of our hearts. When I’ve not discerned my own selfish motives, He will show me, convict me, forgive and clarify as well, but the consequences are, at the very least, a waste of time and energy.

Today’s devotional says all our leadings and ideas need to be tested by Scripture — not just for their ‘rightness’ but that testing needs to include “Is this from the flesh?” The world and the devil may or may not be easy to spot, depending on the state of my flesh. Am I aware that it is dead to God? Or do I feed it and love it? Charnock says that too often Christians simply want to run their own lives. He calls it ‘practical atheism’ and the Bible calls it sin.

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

Sin’s answer is always confession and receiving forgiveness and cleansing from the Lord.

PRAY: Jesus, the psalmist prayed:

Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting! (Psalm 139:23–24)

This is my prayer too. You know me better than I know myself. Whenever I allow that old nature to crawl out of its grave and start running things, I may miss it, but You never do. Purify my heart and make it total Yours. Amen.

 Just a brief apology to three who made recent comments. I rarely check and the past few weeks have been so filled with unexpected events. Your comments are up and always bless me. Thank you!

When the Bible is silent…

 
The Bible is the Word of God, not a book of disjointed slogans or random sayings. The standard illustration of misuse is the person who looks for advice, flips open the Bible and randomly points to a verse that says, “Judas went out and hanged himself.” Not impressed, that person goes on and does it again only to read, “Go thou and do likewise.”

As amusing as that is, people have used isolated texts to sanction things that are totally opposed to the principles of Scripture. This can lead to fanaticism if an isolated text pressures obedience no matter what wrong thing it may lead to. How sad that God's principles are violated by using the excuse of obedience to what His Word says.

And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you. (Psalm 9:10)

However, life is filled with decisions and choices on topics the Bible does not address. What then? Yesterday’s post gave three other options. God speaks through creation, circumstances, and His children. Creation tells me He is orderly in randomness. He rarely plants trees in a straight line, yet His work has beauty and is pleasing. Will my decision reflect that?

He also uses circumstances. My sister tells of driving to another city with the intention of sharing the gospel with our uncle who was in the hospital. She prayed, “Lord, if he is not ready to hear it, turn me around.” At that moment, her car hit a patch of ice, did a one-eighty and she was in the ditch facing the other direction. She went home, but visited our uncle the next day. He was ready and professed faith in Christ. He died two weeks later to join His Savior.

God also gives advice through His people. However, this advice must harmonize. God cannot say in one voice that which He contradicts in another. Therefore, if one person gives a view that another contradicts, it is not safe to proceed.

We once were members of a church that would not move ahead with decisions unless the elders all agreed, and they had more than seventy elders at that time. They told of a plan to build a new education center, but one elder voted against it. The others waited and prayed. It eventually became obvious that for various reasons, the building should not happen. The voting changed and all sided with the one who first heard this warning from God.

When it seems God is telling me to do something, I usually see whether or not it fits Scripture. My difficulty is in my motivation. Is this particular opportunity for my benefit, or from a sense of duty, or one of my wild ideas, or does He want me to go ahead? In some instances, the answer is to wait for clarity, or don’t do this now but later. Sometimes in waiting for an answer, I forget all about it. God isn’t in it or He would keep nudging me. I wanted to call a friend this week and only got through when she was home — and I soon realized that was the right time to call. If not sure, waiting is a good idea.

But for you, O Lord, do I wait; it is you, O Lord my God, who will answer. (Psalm 38:15)

Another friend told me that she knew God told her three times not to do something, but she did it anyway and lost some money. A second person was told to speak to a certain pastor about God’s love for him and she resisted but eventually went — because that idea passed the biblical test. Afterwards she discovered that he needed to hear what she said because it changed his life and ministry.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. (Proverbs 3:5–6)

PRAY: Jesus, You are so good to verify what You want from me. I know if any of these tests fail, it is not safe to proceed. I must wait in quiet trust until You show me Your will. You do that when I am yielded, not worried or wanting You to hurry. If something is not Your will You know how to give me a red light. If not, I need to wait for clarity. Thank You for giving me a deep hunger to read Your Word and to know Your voice. You are truly my Savior and my Friend.