Subtle Doubts

The Bible speaks much of God's people having zeal or great enthusiasm to serve Him. New Christians often show the same attitude. So do I, but not always. Yesterday we heard an enthusiastic message, yet all I wanted to do afterwards was sleep. 

Today, I could sleep all day. My health has a thumbs up. I’ve the blood pressure of a teenager, no problems with eyes, ears, teeth, bone density, etc. but my zeal for life, even ordinary things, lags at times. Is this a spiritual problem? Or too many birthdays?

A bit of research lists a host of reasons such as worldly-mindedness, spiritual complacency, neglecting spiritual disciplines, unrepentant sin, a lack of understanding of God's truth, focusing on temporary gratifications, trying to please others, and overwork. In its list of twenty-two possibles, a few poked at me. . . .  

While I’ve sometimes relied on others to build my self-worth, an excessive workload often deplete my energy and enthusiasm. Sometimes I ask for help or prayer support and others tell me how strong I seem and assume that I don’t need encouragement. I can be emotionally drained at the state of the world, pray much about the needs I see, yet feel the fatigue of spiritual battle. A big drain is prayer without seeing tangible results. I can also focus on the challenges and difficulties rather than on God's power. At that, zeal begins to fade.

Interestingly, at least one OT prophet saw this problem as God withholding His blessing: 

Look down from heaven and see, from your holy and beautiful habitation. Where are your zeal and your might? The stirring of your inner parts and your compassion are held back from me. For you are our Father, though Abraham does not know us, and Israel does not acknowledge us; you, O Lord, are our Father, our Redeemer from of old is your name. O Lord, why do you make us wander from your ways and harden our heart, so that we fear you not? Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes of your heritage. Your holy people held possession for a little while; our adversaries have trampled down your sanctuary. We have become like those over whom you have never ruled, like those who are not called by your name. (Isaiah 63:15–19)

The NT says this about blaming God for a lackluster faith:

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. Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. (James 1:13–17)

And in the letters to the churches, God also says His people are to repent from whatever was lacking and do as He was telling them to do. Am I hearing but not doing? Is being too tired to do anything a challenge? or an excuse? Discernment needed…

For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. (Ephesians 5:8–10)
 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2)

After writing this, I received a positive and edifying email and it helped restore my emotions. God heard me whining.

PRAY: Jesus, sometimes my problem is trying to do more than You ask of me. The needs are great and although I trust You to be Lord of all, I sometimes tackle Your to-do list instead of waiting for Your instruction. Yesterday You reminded me how small actions create large results. Today this lack of zeal and that email tell me to “be still” and trust You to answer my prayers and take care of all my needs. Forgive my impatient discouragement that reflects a simple lack of trust that You will do what is best for me.

Discerning the enemy’s lies…

A few years ago I was being plagued by attacks from Satan, yet often was oblivious to the source of those lies or even that they were lies. God gave me a unique idea to help me be more discerning. When I read a passage of Scripture, I considered that the opposite of what it said would be this enemy’s way of challenging my faith. Doing this helped me recognize what was going on.

This seems an odd way to battle lies, but the NT says I need to be alert to any sort of false teaching and false teachers, and includes the ability of Satan to make himself look good:

For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds. (2 Corinthians 11:13–15)

Here are some examples of God’s Word and how the enemy might twist it:

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:1–2)

Satan would say when I sin that I cannot really be saved and need to  keep every rule and law, and if I don’t, I will be condemned.

Even though God does not condemn forgiven sinners, He wants me to be like Him:

Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs. (2 Corinthians 2:10–11)

Satan does not want forgiveness. He promotes resentment, retaliation, unnecessary confrontation, and battles between people. I’m not to be oblivious to the source of conflict and be ready to forgive rather than give in to his schemes.

Some of his schemes are blatant and easy to spot. Others are more subtle, such as his lies concerning this truth:

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)

Satan wants me to think that trials mean God does not love me, and that he has the upper hand. He hides any good purpose or benefit from being tested and tells me I am a failure and that my trials are punishment for my sins. He also suggests that I do something to get me out of all discomforting situations and avoid any submission to God’s purposes. His lies are designed to get my focus off the One who works all things for my good and to think only of myself and how to escape whatever is bothering me, or to blame myself for getting into this mess. Anything to keep me from trusting God to use it to build character and from focusing on the good that is coming.

Hindsight is usually clearer than what these situations suggest. The enemy wants me in a mess. Part of that mess is being so upset with things or diverted from truth that I quit trusting God, stop praying, and stop reading the Bible, even stop wanting to be with other Christians. Of course he does not want me to praise God or tell others about His goodness and His salvation plan. He will keep me busy with other things, not necessarily sinful in themselves but whatever will sidetrack obedience.

Two nights in a row I’ve had distressing dreams. They are vivid and related to life’s fears. Since God is not the author of fear, I know who is stirring my emotions. I also know this is a spiritual attack because the discomfort those dreams cause goes away as soon as I begin to praise the Lord. I cannot praise Him and doubt Him at the same time!

PRAY: Lord, the things I’ve been praying about are obviously not something this enemy wants done. He is aiming at my weaknesses and trying to stop me from trusting You. He is not very wise because weakness is when I trust You the most! I know that the weapons of spiritual war are the truths that You declare. Keep me thinking truth. I don’t want this enemy to interfere with hearing Your voice or with You hearing my heart. Lead me not into any temptation to quit, and deliver me from the evil one. May You be glorified.

 

God is credible . . .

 

And Satan says otherwise. He presented a notion to Eve in Eden and has been using it ever since as his most effective tactic. He lies about what the Word of God says and suggests that God’s commands are a burden to us and that He is trying to make us miss out on ‘the good life’ by keeping us under His thumb. This is God’s solution:

Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. (Ephesians 6:11)

While this spiritual enemy uses other tactics, this one is the most common. Who has not heard his whisper in various ways that God really does not want the best for us? Or that we do not need Him because we can gain the good life all by ourselves?

Satan came to Eve in disguise, also indicating his devious way. The Bible says: “Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?’ ” (Genesis 3:1)

He distorted what God actually said: “The Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Genesis 2:16–17)

Satan also followed this with an outright denial of what God said by telling Eve, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.” (Genesis 3:4–6)

He implied that God was withholding good from her. This three-fold description of his appeal is very much like the NT command:

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)

Eve was duped by a sinful desire in these same three areas that tempt God’s people today. Eating, enjoying beauty, and being wise are not sinful, but believing God will not give us all we need, and pridefully wanting everything we see including fame and fortune and all that looks and feels good is sinful. This is why false teaching like the ‘prosperity gospel’ is so dangerous. It seems good, looks good, and seems wise, but it is contrary to what God says about the purpose and goals of our lives.

I can see that deception now, but Eve missed it. She believed the lies, ate the fruit and gave some to Adam who ate with her. Since then, this enemy continues to deceive and spread his lies. He is subtle, but his attempts to discredit God by disputing, distorting, and denying His Word should be obvious to discerning Christians. When referring to false teachers, the NT says:

. . .  even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds. (2 Corinthians 11:14–15)

How can anyone avoid being victimized by Satan’s attacks? God is teaching me the incredible value of being in His Word, doing systematic Bible study, but also yielding to Him instead of thinking I know what to do. This is simple: say yes to the Spirit’s control through prayer and obedience to Biblical principles. Obey this command in this order: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7)

PRAY: Jesus, You are also showing me that when I am genuinely worshiping You and not just in a mindless routine, sin and yielding to temptation is far from my mind. The Word shows me what the flesh is like, and I know that if peace and joy and love for others begins to fade, I’ve something to confess, to give attention to, to yield to You about. Even now, with my body still covered in bruises and two areas of constant pain, any self-pity must be rejected because as soon as I go there, my connection to You weakens and begins to fade. Nothing gives me greater delight, more beauty to look at, or increasing wisdom than You do. I’m learning not to listen to the one who keeps offering me any forbidden fruit — because it leads to spiritual deadness.

PONDER: 1 John 2:12–14 is a simple description of those who are strong in the Word. Think of what happens when I know forgiveness, know God, can overcome the evil one, and call God ‘Daddy’ — all because the Word of God abides in my heart; He enables me to be strong and overcome the evil liar!

 

 

Lots of words, same conclusions

Judges 1; Jeremiah 14; Matthew 28; Acts 5

These days of reading four passages and listening for God’s rhema word to me, I often struggle with hearing truth upon truth and cannot narrow it to a specific thought. I’ll write what I hear today and see if it comes together at the end.

Judges is a history book. God’s people vowed to follow Him but this book has a pattern. They didn’t keep their vow, God sends an enemy to put pressure on them, they cry out to the Lord for help and He sends a judge to deliver them.

The phrase, “Every man did what was right in his own eyes” is common throughout. However, the first chapter begins well. Two of the tribes conquered enemies in the land God gave them. I noticed that what they did to one of the kings was his pattern of dealing with those he conquered. He said, “As I have done, so God has repaid me.”

“Paradise Lost” is an imaginary description of hell. In it the author describes levels of torture that matched the major sins of those in that level. If they were adulterers, they lived in a constant state of adultery but never being satisfied. A liar would be with liars and never hear anything true.

That makes me think of Satan, the Father of lies. He dwells in darkness and cannot ever know or see the truth. In our world right now with the contradictions and media reports, people are saying “they are all liars” yet not having truth is unsettling like a ship without an anchor. Thinking about “getting what we deserve” comes to mind and I shudder.

Jeremiah speaks sharply to God’s people because they have been listening to false prophets who tell them in so many words that they are God’s so don’t worry, be happy, nothing will happen to you. This attitude is an assumption that they can do what is right in their own eyes and God will allow it, even bring them peace and comfort as they do it.

I think of two news items. One was a choir in a church that defied government guidelines about large gatherings. Instead of obeying Romans 13, they wound up with most of them getting Covid-19. The other was a video of police trying to convince church-goers that it was not safe to gather. One woman yelled at them with, “I’m covered by the blood of Christ. Nothing bad will happen to me.” Was that the same line Jesus heard in the Garden of Gethsemane, “You are the Son of God; nothing bad can happen to you?”

Matthew 28 is the climax, the time in history where God stepped in to rescue us rebels. The women who loved Jesus were at His tomb. An angel appeared and said to them:

“Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” (Matthew 28:5–7)

At that everything changed . . .  or did it? God’s people are now those who follow Jesus with new life and the aid of the Holy Spirit to obey Him. Yet our wars go on in a different venue. Our battles are not on the hills of Galilee but in the attitudes of our hearts. The desire to do my own thing resists the Spirit who loves me into wanting the will of God.

This shows up in Acts where two people lost that battle and their lives. They wanted to look good and lied to do it. The realization of their sin stopped their hearts. This is a warning to not play around with ego-protection. This same chapter show how the Lord empowered His workers; they defied those who came against them, not with lies or pretense but with the truth. Jesus was their Messiah who came to die for the sin of the world and bring forgiveness and hope to those who acknowledged their need for it and confessed their sin to Him.

Besides hearing God in these readings, I found a quote that says, “Confession no more creates forgiveness than a cheque creates money that you don’t already have in your account . . . it just releases it.” This also speaks to me. He has filled my account with Jesus and because of Him, I can choose to faithfully follow Him.

APPLY: Before salvation, my account was without any resources. But now Jesus is here. He is all that I need to stop sinning and to trust and obey Him even when life is tough and full of tests. I know my way does not work well because Jesus is full of grace, always showing me what is far better. He tells me to keep listening and knowing that He is God and I am not.