The most ‘successful’ lie…

In Eden, the serpent (Satan in disguise) suggested to Eve that God didn’t actually want the best for her and Adam. Believing that lie resulted in the first sin and is still the biggest faith-destroyer in this world. By thinking that God does not want good for me, or is not using the painful events of my life for good, I am likely to take matters into my own hands instead of trusting Him. While I am free to make choices, I have no control over the consequences. 

For example, deciding to do my own thing puts a wedge in my relationship with the Lord. Jesus said: “You are my friends if you do what I command you.” (John 15:14) He also said:

Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” (John 14:21)

He describes the consequences of obedience, but what happens if I think His will is not good for me and say no? Instead of listening to God, I want whatever I can do or get? Specifics are hard to predict but one thing is certain:

You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (James 4:4)

I don’t want to be God's enemy, but Jesus made it clear that no one can serve two masters. It is either God or myself, but when fed ideas from the Liar, he appeals to my selfish desires and blurs or blasts the goodness of God.

Obedience is also important in learning God's will. Like walking a dark path with a flashlight, I cannot see more than the next step unless I step into it. The lie is exposed as I pray and focus on truth:

Put false ways far from me and graciously teach me your law. . . .  You are good and do good; teach me your statutes. (Psalm 119:29; 68)

Obedience is important because: “He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.” (Psalm 24:4)

Doing what God says produces the good fruit of the Spirit and increases my ability to obey. The fruit of the Spirit requires giving up its opposites, but it does not take long to see the choice is a no-brainer. Believing truth produces good things because God is good and wants good. Believing the lie leads to selfishness, gross sin, and pain for me and everyone around me.

Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. 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. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. (Galatians 5:19–26)

Knowing God wants good for His people changes my prayer life. If the lives of my friends (or my life) seems uncomfortable or filled with ‘bad’ stuff, I’m learning to search for the good that God promises to use in transforming lives to be like Jesus. Sometimes His pruning hurts, but the end result is always amazing. Why not pray for ‘quick cuts’ and incredible results?

Not only that, the more I know God is good, the more my prayers are answered. He does this, not so I am blessed (even though I am) but so He is glorified. The Liar says otherwise. However, as God hears and answers prayer, but to put that Liar and his lies in their place. Answered prayer is another fruit of the Spirit. It blesses those who believe and pray, and astounds those who should be doing the same. 

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. (John 15:7–8)

PRAY: Lord Jesus, the more I spend time with You and see Your goodness, the more my heart desires that You are glorified. This dark world needs to see and hear the truth. I know that some will resist and hate You, remain slaves of sin, self, and the lies, yet I also know You are able to shed light in the hearts of sinners. Be glorified in our hearts that we might be able to glorify You in our lives. Help me to submit to You always and resist the devil so he will flee from me (James 4:7). Millions need to realize that he is lying when he says You are not good. Amen.

Why Obedience?

Bowed before God is a holy place. Listening to His Word is a holy place. Doing what He says is also a holy place, even the menial daily tasks when done as He commands and in the power of the Holy Spirit.

I love Bible study, but hearing is not enough, for hearing without obedience is deception. Being made clean from sin is not enough either. The whole point of my redemption is that I obey God:

“Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” (James 1:21–22)

God says that obedience is like building a house upon a rock, like the houses in Italy that have stood for hundreds of years: “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” (Matthew 7:24)

Obedience is an expression of love and opens my heart to receive God’s love. It also opens my eyes that I can see Jesus: “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” (John 14:21)

Of course continued obedience keeps me in that loving relationship, the same as the obedience of Jesus kept Him there: “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.” (John 15:10)

Obedience declares and maintains freedom from sin: “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.” (Romans 6:17–18)

Not only is the Holy Spirit needed for obedience, He is further poured out when I obey the Lord: “And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.” (Acts 5:32)

Obedience delivers me from self-deception and I am blessed in the doing:

“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)

Obedience is the icing on the cake of faith: “You see that faith was active along with (Abraham’s) works, and faith was completed by his works.” (James 2:22)

And that icing produces assurance that I am redeemed and it gives me confidence in prayer:

“Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. By this we shall know that we are of the truth and reassure our heart before him; for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him.” (1 John 3:18–22)

Tozer says we do not lack the power to obey, but the will, making this my responsibility. Yet the Word of God says:

“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:12–13)

Even that will to obey is a work of God!

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Jesus, there is so much work to be done in Your kingdom. Some days I feel so utterly useless. Yet You are the King, totally in charge of who does what. I’m thankful that Your commands are both general and specific. I know that I’m to think and talk like You and have Your attitude. I also know that You always tell me what is on my to-do list.

This is love-month?

Today’s flyers are filled with hearts. One of them calls February the month of love. Another features jewelry that is heart-shaped. The stores are filled with chocolate and other gifts in red, heart-shaped containers.

All this is good, yet my question this morning about Valentine’s Day was why should this be only one day a year? Shouldn’t I express my love for others all the time?

This is a challenge because biblical love or the love of God is different than human affection and passion. It is action that expresses God’s desire for the best in the life of another, especially their eternal well-being. God’s love, as expressed in Christ, includes personal sacrifice. That is, if I love people as I ought, then I will be willing to act on their behalf even when it costs me something.

This kind of love comes only from God. For most people, the best love without Him is loving our children, yet all who have children know that there are limits. Our love can ebb and flow and is not eternal. Instead, I am to love others as God loves me, and respond to His love by loving Him in return. This is not emotional even though emotions are involved. Instead, as He says, obedience is the only way to express this love:

“Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” (John 14:21)

What happens to love when people resist and reject God and will not obey Him? This happens, even to Christians. For those who have that relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ, the relationship is not broken nor is His love affected by our lack of obedience, but sin messes with our fellowship. Prayer stops. Listening stops. Yet God’s love never stops.

So, what happens if I am obeying God and loving others, but someone resists or rejects God? Will they reject me too? Do I stop caring about them? Do I stop communicating with them? Surely communication will be affected, but if the source of my love for them is the love of God for me, then His love will not grind to a halt. It is still there, hoping for a response, hoping for reconciliation and restoration, hoping for an even deeper relationship than before sin messed with it.

Tozer says God loves me because of something in Himself, and so if Christ is dwelling is me, I will love because of the Christ within. He is right. If I try caring about people on my own, I can do it as long as they please me, but if they sin against me, or others, or God, that love is inadequate. It quits. Only the love of Christ never quits.

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Lord Jesus, thank You for loving me. Thank You that Your love is eternal and no matter what I do, it will never drop away or pull back. I also thank You for showing me how to love You in obedience, experiencing that open, sweet fellowship that is like no other. In the Body of Christ, that same love is a wonderful expression of You in our midst. It can be marred by sin, but Your love does not stop. My prayer is that I will keep on valuing it so much that it will never cease to flow through me either!