Another day of war

Genesis 40; Job 6; Mark 10; Romans 10

This day is strange. We had to go early to the ER to get the packing out of my nose before the waiting room filled with people. I had slept soundly, partly due to a bandana that kept the air moist since mouth breathing in our part of the world is like drinking sand. I have no words to describe my state of mind when hubby woke me. My mind and body felt dislocated. I was mumbling and could not hear very well. Even after the the packing was pulled out, I still could not breathe properly.

In conversation with the doctor on call, I was told something that I recognized as a fear tactic from my spiritual enemy. I retaliated by saying that my health, life and death were in the hands of God and I will die when the Lord decides it is time. I must take care of myself (not play in traffic) but God is in charge. I don’t make decisions based on fear. The doctor was somewhat startled.

Genesis 40 describes Joseph wrongfully in prison. Two other prisoners have dreams which he interprets. He credited God for what he told them. Both interpretations came true. However, in the story, Joseph tells the prisoner who survived to relate his situation to the Pharaoh. That man forgets and Joseph stays in jail for two more years. Yet during all this he does not confuse God’s providential rule with God’s moral approval. That is, just because he was wrongfully convicted and the man who was released forgot to go to bat for him does not mean that God was upset with Joseph. And Joseph knew it.

This is helpful to my faith too. Just because my world is upside-down does not mean God is mad at me. I can trust the goodness of my sovereign, providential God, while confronting and opposing the evil that takes place in this fallen world and the discomforts happening in my life.

That is why, even as I waited for the all-clear to leave the ER, I was praying against the enemy who is throwing arrows at me and even at my family. I know that somehow this is about my sister’s Celebration of Life service tomorrow and my prayers that Christ will be lifted up and God will be glorified. The enemy does not want me to pray or glorify God or any of the things I’m praying for to happen.

Job didn’t confuse God’s providential rule with God’s moral approval either. He lost everything but he knew that God is sovereign and his redemption was not based on his own goodness or lack thereof. He also knew he’d done nothing to ‘earn’ his losses. He answered the accusations of his ‘friends’ with, “Teach me, and I will be silent; make me understand how I have gone astray. How forceful are upright words! But what does reproof from you reprove?” (Job 6:24–25)

If they could prove he was sinning, he would listen, but the force of their words was not convincing him just as Joseph’s unlawful imprisonment did not prove the wrath of God was on him.

I’m seeing the spiritual war going on with this physical challenge to my body and in the other events of this week that seem designed to turn me from faith to fear. But Jesus stands by, my Lord and my Savior. He is my refuge and my strength, today and always. I refuse to let the liar turn me away from trusting Jesus Christ.

What about liars?

It is one thing to forget what happened, say so and try to remember it, and quite another thing to pretend you remember, inventing a story and even telling yourself that version is true. Some do that and eventually believe that made-up story — and few can tell that they do not know or cannot remember what is true.

One person who does this is mentally ill, telling lies without awareness. Another has a form of dementia that either cannot acknowledge forgetfulness or is not aware of it. A third person is proud, continually justifying shortcomings with small and sometimes large lies. Some lie to win or gain and become very good at it, almost undetectable.

I have a very hard time with lies. Satan is the author of lies. His lies are terribly destructive. When someone tells a whopper and knows it, that seems a little easier to take than a lie is deliberate and designed to deceive. The worst-case scenario is when the lying person is confronted and digs himself deeper with more lies. Satan is behind much of this, intending to destroy truth and goodness.

Something happened in the church at Corinth that gives a few clues on how to deal with people who are hung up on a sin (lying is one of them) that is ruining their life and relationships with others. Paul wrote to them about it:

It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father’s wife. And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you. For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. (1 Corinthians 5:1–5)

This man was trapped by his sin, not lying but it could have been part of his problem. Paul was concerned about him, but even more concerned about the way the rest of this congregation was dealing with it. They weren’t. It appears they decided to look the other way and be proud of tolerating what he was doing. Perhaps they though that ‘Christian love’ was like that.

Instead, Paul told them to put the man out of their midst and “deliver” him to the enemy. In some way this was going to totally ruin the fleshy and sinful root of the problem and bring that man back into a right relationship with God and others so he could live a godly life. While the Bible does not tell how to do this, this is mentioned elsewhere.

And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, he (Job) is in your hand; only spare his life.” (Job 2:6)

This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme. (1 Timothy 1:18–20)

Job was a good man whose faith was tested by God who allowed Satan to take away His blessings on Job’s life to see if he still trusted God. On the other hand, the two men Paul wrote to Timothy about had rejected a life of faith and keeping their conscience clear. Paul delivered them to Satan so they would learn not to slander God and speak against all that is important to Him. The Bible does not describe how this happens.

However, this must be one of the most extreme measures of discipline in the Bible. Is it reserved only for those who have refused all other means of restoration? Had the man in Corinth been confronted by friends, his church family? Had he rejected their godly advice and admonition? Had the two men Paul spoke of been counseled and cared about? It seems so. It also seems that Paul knew Satan would take them farther into disobedience and that the consequences would teach them to honor God.

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Lord, I asked You this morning about the people who lie, and You gave me this surprising answer. I’m to be quiet and leave this alone. Gentle reprimand does not work. Neither does stronger admonition, or anything that normally causes a positive response. I need to give this not only to You but allow the enemy to do whatever he does to bring to the end of that behavior those who trouble me with lies. It may not be pretty, but if this is what You want and use it to that end, it will be worth it. I’m trusting You. Keep me in that place of prayer and trust!

Satan’s Favorite Lie

From the account of the first sin, I’m aware that one of Satan’s main strategies is telling me that God really does not want the best for me. This lie is easy to rebuff when all goes well, but a few events in life have pounded me suggesting that the lie is true, God does not care, and I am alone in these tragedies.

Yet the Word of God persists. In the very beginning of my Christian life, God gave me a wonderful truth . . .

“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)

For nearly fifty years, these verses have sustained me in good times and even in those horrid days when it seemed like God was gone and everyone had stopped praying. He continued to whisper that what was happening would make me more like Jesus, and that is a good thing. The next verses repeat this truth, verifying its reality . . .

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised — who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. (Romans 8:31-34)

Even if God seems gone, Jesus Christ is an historical reality. He came, He died, and He rose from the dead. God gave Him that I might live — and what then could He withhold? Not only that, even if the whole world stops praying, Jesus continues to pray for me!

This New Testament reality is also an Old Testament truth, a promise to Israel, and to all who believe:

But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give Egypt as your ransom, Cush and Seba in exchange for you. Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life. Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you. I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”

Bring out the people who are blind, yet have eyes, who are deaf, yet have ears! All the nations gather together, and the peoples assemble. Who among them can declare this, and show us the former things? Let them bring their witnesses to prove them right, and let them hear and say, It is true. “You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me. I, I am the Lord, and besides me there is no savior. I declared and saved and proclaimed, when there was no strange god among you; and you are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “and I am God. Also henceforth I am he; there is none who can deliver from my hand; I work, and who can turn it back?” (Isaiah 43:1-13)

Simply put, nothing can thwart the love of God and His gracious care for His own.

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Jesus, I’m emotional this morning. Part of it is that we are leaving Italy, a fascinating place with a gamut of memories. Part of it is that we are going home. I miss my bed and my bathtub! But an even greater reason is that You have reminded me once again that You love me, gave Yourself for me, and nothing can change that or stop it from continuing. Life here has its quirks, challenges, changes, and trials, but You remain the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Love conquers division

Differing beliefs can divide people, including Christians. We disagree on how and when the Second Coming will happen (even though Jesus said no one will know when that will happen!). We disagree on other less important issues too. One of them concerns spiritual gifts, particularly healing, miracles, and speaking in tongues. Sad but true, those on each end of the spectrum can become insistent and vocal about their stance.

It seems strange that we can be different from one another on many other issues and still be united in Christ and worship together, yet these issues have split churches. I’m not certain I have any special insight on this, but I do know one thing: such polarity is not from God.

As for the spiritual gifts argument, we do agree that these gifts are from the Holy Spirit. The Bible is clear on that in several passages, including this one:

“It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.” (Hebrews 2:3–4)

Nevertheless, the church in Corinth had problems with these gifts. They had them, but fought about who had the ‘greatest’ gifts. Right away, that reveals pride. I know from Scripture and from personal experience that pride has a way of blinding my eyes so I cannot see where I’ve gone wrong. Pride convinces me that I cannot make mistakes. This is folly. In that early church it was also folly and needed some strong admonition. Paul wrote at least two letters to them to correct their errors. In regard to the gifts, he said . . .

“Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 12:29–13:13)

Some think that “we know in part . . .  but when the perfect comes” refers to the completed Bible. Yet how did Paul even know that part of the future? And if “knowing in part” equals a body of believers without a New Testament yet living for Christ as they did, how can we who have the entire Bible claim to be “perfect” when we fight over what that Bible says and means?

Others insist that these verses mean prophetic gifts and tongues will pass away, but it does not say when, only that sometime in the future, perfect will come and partially perfect will pass away. Using this passage to argue it has already happened seems to miss the point. Paul is telling the Christians at Corinth (and us today) to drop pride and stop thinking some gifts make you a better Christian than others. Those gifts are from God, not the recipient. The bottom line: all should be excelling in love for one another!

Regardless of my understanding of these matters, I realize that arguing about them is folly. I’ve been at both ends of the spectrum and thought at the time that those at the other end were fakes and deceivers. Now I realize that this is also foolish because this is not a soapbox issue. To make it one is not God’s idea. He unifies us in Christ. It is the liar called Satan who divides.

The devil’s tool is pride. If he can get me to assume I am correct and everyone else does not know what they are talking about causes serious rifts. Pride cuts apart the Body of Christ. It separates me from trusting in the Holy Spirit to give me gifts that I seriously need, such as the most important gift: the loving patience of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus, You are not at all concerned about our differences. You are far more interested in uniting us through love, joy, peace and the other character qualities of Your Spirit. Sometimes we are right, sometimes we are wrong, but that never interferes with Your love for us. May it be true also of our love for each other.