Note this!

We leave today for a week in the mountains. Our accommodations say I can connect to the Internet through a wireless hookup. This procedure is new for me and new for my laptop, so if I am not back until May 12 or 13, you will understand!

Holiness - the prerequisite to winning

“And Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, ‘Put away the foreign gods that are among you, purify yourselves, and change your garments. Then let us arise and go . . . .’ And they journeyed, and the terror of God was upon the cities that were all around them, and they did no pursue the sons of Jacob.” (Genesis 35:2-5 NKJV)

No army can go into battle and win unless the soldiers are well prepared. While our tactics involve prayer not guns, spiritual warfare is the same. Anyone fighting the enemy must make sure they are ready to fight.

God says if I intend to win the spiritual battle that I’m in, then my life must be spiritual. That is, no worship or dependence upon anything or anyone other than the true God. No foreign gods. I must also confess known sin and change. Purify myself. No sinful behavior. Live in purity and goodness. Change my garments. The Bible makes clear that His requirement for spiritual war is holiness.

Jacob and his retinue removed all traces of spiritual idolatry, washed and changed their clothes to signify cleansed hearts and their consecration to God. When they did, even the sight of them put terror into the hearts of their enemies. Holiness is a powerful thing.

What is there to say to this? God challenges me and encourages me. Winning the battle against the enemy of my soul, against the one who is sucking the life out of those I pray for, is possible, but it makes demands of me. I cannot enter this battle lightly nor think that winning it will be a walk in the park.

At the same time, because holiness is such a threat, no wonder my spiritual enemy is trying to trip me up wherever I walk. Oh God, as I go in prayer into the places that the powers of darkness are trying to claim, may Your light expose the dangers to me and totally banish evil. May Your hand overcome the enemy and keep me from falling as I pray for victory.

He is my shield and great reward

“After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” (Genesis 15:1 NKJV)

I can’t put the details in a blog, but right now I’m feeling the wounds of spiritual warfare. Someone I love appears to be suffering from ‘multiple personality disorder’ which, in Christian theology, could be (and likely is) demonic problems. She manifests two or three personas and often cannot remember what she says or does as she switches from one to the other. More frequently she takes on her ‘authoritative’ mode. She becomes tough, filled with anger, makes threats, and is totally unlike the person we once knew. How absolutely frightening.

As I pray for her, I’m getting attacked too. I know that happens, but still feel defenseless. Who am I to battle the forces of evil? Yet I know I am not alone. This verse says God is our shield. I get an image of Him throwing Himself in front of me, taking the flaming arrows of the evil one. At the same time, part of the battle is willing myself to hide behind that shield, to let Him protect me as I pray that He will protect her.

The verse also says He is our reward. Winning any battle means that I will be closer to Him. Whatever else the spoils of victory, this should hold my focus. I want my loved one to be gloriously saved from her problems. I want to be able to praise God for a mighty victory over evil. I want to point to what He does in her life, even to gloat over the evil one, and yet God says my reward in spiritual warfare is not those things — it is Him.

These are difficult concepts. Can the reality of being close to God match or surpass the reality of seeing someone set free from mental illness and spiritual bondage? Could I grab hold of the idea that if nothing else happened, the reward of simply God is enough? This is not only spiritual war but a huge test of faith.

Get a grip!

“Let them (believers who are rich) do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.” (1 Timothy 6:18-19 NKJV)

Wealth is relative. Compared to Bill Gates who is a multi-billionaire, I’m poor. Compared to the average citizen of East Timor, whose income is around $1 per day, I am very wealthy. However, if this verse were written in today’s economy, I don’t think God would adjust for relativity.

His point is that we lay hold or “get a grip” on the reality of eternity. This life is just a blip, a very short preparation for a very long future (if eternity could be described in those terms). We are here for a little while. Being a have or a have-not is pointless. Instead, what treasures am I storing up? What investments am I making with what I have? How long will they last?

I’m thinking about the man who defied “you can’t take it with you” by being buried in his Cadillac. How silly is that! Or those who are so concerned that their wealth is left to people they hate that they leave it all to their pets. Get a grip, indeed.

My stuff has no eternal value. I’ve been given eternal life, but material things will not survive. That has some implications. I’m not to be obsessed with stuff, either to collect it, hoard it, preserve it, or worry about it. At the same time, God is concerned that I be a good manager or steward of all that He entrusts to me. I’m to take care of this stuff, use it wisely, give it away if He prompts me to do so, but even that is secondary. The main focus of my life is to do good things and be generous with all resources.

I note from the way these verses are worded that the process of doing good helps me to get a grip on eternal matters. It is not the other way around. Here, action produces attitude; obedience restores right thinking. Having an eternal perspective will develop as I do what God says. Share, do good, and I will be able to get a grip.

Unflappable

“Now godliness with contentment is great gain . . . but those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare. . . .” (1 Timothy 6:6-8, NKJV)

One of my disciplines this year is to be frugal. In a world with such extremes of income levels, I’m realizing that term is not easy to pin down. When I shop for groceries, does frugal mean buying only what is on my list and none of those items on special that I might need next week? Does it mean picking one magazine instead of two? Or going without a new blouse? Or is this disciple more about what I give up so I can give to others? Do I give the money I save (by not buying what I don’t need) to someone who does need it?

My study Bible says that the Greek word for contentment means “self-sufficiency” and was used by Stoic philosophers to describe a person who was unflappable, unmoved by external circumstances. Unflappable. In our ladies Bible class throughout the past several weeks, I’ve stressed that God’s goal for us is to make us unflappable. While ‘stoic’ implies no emotions at all, I’m more concerned that I trust God no matter what happens. If I do, I should be less anxious, stressed or apt to take matters into my own hands. I will not worry that God has forgotten me and have that inner peace that knows He is in control, even when the world around me is chaotic.

From that it is easy to see that frugality begins with contentment, with trusting God. Does stress makes me want to go out and buy something? If so, instead of gritting my teeth and saying no to spending, I’m to deal with the stress. Have I forgotten who runs the universe?

The desire to be rich can motivate needless spending too. For some, wanting to have money equals wanting to have stuff. Credit cards make it too easy to be blind to a person’s income limits. Maybe the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, as verse 10 says, but I’m thinking failure to trust God, rich or poor, is at the root of discontentment and overspending. I already know that buying something new might make me feel happier for a little while, but that “new-purchase” delight never lasts, and more stuff just winds up taking up more space and adding another housekeeping responsibility! My life is already too crowded.

The next time I take out my wallet, I’m going to ask myself if I’m trusting God concerning this purchase. Would I be content with or without it? Is this just to make me feel good because it indicates I “have” instead of I “have not” — and what is wrong with not having it? Frugal living should free up a lot more than my closet and storage space.

Honor your leaders

“Do not receive an accusation against an elder except from two or three witnesses. Those who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all, that the rest also may fear.” 1 Timothy 5:18-19.

Only one time have I ever listened to and collected a list of grievances against an elders board and the pastor. The issue is too complicated to describe here, but something in me decided they needed to know how people were thinking.

Of course I was sure — but not sure — that I did the right thing. My heart seemed to be right with God over this, but my head was back and forth. Another odd thing — normally people do not complain to me about anything. I won’t listen. Single complaints strike me as either selfish whining, or a sinful lack of submission, or some other problem with the complainers. This time it didn’t.

This verse verifies what I did. I heard accusations against the elders from more than two or three. Whoever sinned I’m not sure, but something was not right. So I received what I heard and gave the elders the list, and then held my breath.

Not to fear. I was later told that they discussed all the complaints, sin was admitted, an attitude of contriteness prevailed, and they worked through what they had done wrong and how to make it right. They had been rebuked and they accepted and took responsibility for the errors they had made. I was impressed!

Out of all of this, I learn once again that when God’s Word is obeyed, it works. I didn’t really remember this verse when I submitted that list, but God reminded me today. If I still had doubts about it, they are put to rest. In this one case it was okay to “receive accusations” and pass them on as rebukes, even though my normal response would be far different.

Normally I tell complainers to take their complaints to the source. Don’t talk to me. I will defend the one being accused (if I think the accusation is unfair) or try to counsel the problems I perceive in the complainer, always refusing to talk about any third party behind their back. I don’t want to be a griping person’s mediator or their garbage can. The Bible forbids gossip and slander and clearly says if you have a grievance against someone, take it to that person. If you don’t want to because the issue is trivial, then tell God how you feel and get over it.

So with fear and trepidation I handed over that list, only to become thankful and amazed at how God worked in this situation, even that He would verify to me that I did the right thing.

Why do I get sick?

And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. NKJV

I asked the women in my Bible class about the relationship between sickness and sin. What does the word “save” mean in this context? Does sin cause sickness? What purpose does God have in allowing sickness?

One suggested that sometimes people become sick because of some sin they are committing, but she felt that most of the time we get sick simply because we live in a world where sickness is part of life, a random thing.

Another did not agree. She said our lives are never random — God cares for every detail. If we get sick, He has a reason. While the secular world puts God out of life, Christians should see Him in everything.

I agreed with the second view and added that not every illness is caused by personal sin, but sin can make you sick. I also recalled a sermon about illness. The pastor told how their child had a brain tumor, a type that was 100% fatal. Of course they prayed that God would heal the little boy — and He did! The child is documented in medical journals as the only person to ever survive this type of tumor.

The pastor showed how Scripture gives several reasons why God allows sickness. One of them is in 1 Corinthians 11 where believers who refuse to deal with sin in their lives get sick and even die. He said sickness is a chastening for sin, or it can give a person opportunity to take stock of their life, recall forgotten sin and deal with it.

He also said that sickness can be the means by which God takes a person home to Himself. The only case of a sick person dying in the New Testament is Lazarus (whom Jesus raised from the dead) but it is true. Our entrance into eternity can be through illness.

Another reason God allows sickness is that He intends to use it to glorify Himself. He might heal the sick person, as He did with the pastor’s son and the blind man in John 9. Jesus said, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.”

Or He may not heal but give increased strength. The apostle Paul prayed about a “thorn in the flesh” but God said no; “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” A contemporary example is Joni Erickson Tada.

Job from the Old Testament illustrates another reason for sickness. Satan told God the only reason this man trusted Him was because his life was so well-protected. God then allowed an attack on Job’s life and to his body. Job still trusted Him, proving that even under a severe test, the faith He gives stands strong.

My husband says God uses sickness in his life to slow him down, make him listen. I’ve had that happen too. We might live in a secular world, but if we know and love God we can see that He is involved in our lives and has purpose for everything that happens to us.