Spending a few minutes in Ezekiel this morning, I came across in chapter 11 today's key verse, verse 8:
"You have feared a sword; so I will bring a sword upon you," the Lord God declares.
Ezekiel 11:8 (NASB)
In this passage the Israelites were in one of their infamous bouts of disobedience to their God. They had strayed from His ways, substituting the ways, methods and "ordinances" (vs. 12) of the pagan people groups that surrounded them. Their rulers and leaders were evil, in this regard.
The rulers' rationalization and justification to the people for doing so was, "If we don't do this the nations around us will ravage and conquer us!" The bottom line was: they were trusting in their own power and in pagan methods to preserve their safety, instead of trusting in YHWH, their God.
There are many circumstances Satan uses to tempt us to fear. If He can, after all, scare us out of following God boldly, then he has handicapped our effectiveness for the kingdom of God.
Is there a circumstance, or several, making you fearful today? What is a Christian's antidote to fear?
And, what does it mean to be "safe" anyway? Does it mean no harm will ever come to you?
No.
While walking resplendent (according to Jesus Christ's example) yields a life of peace and joy, it is not a life free of challenges and sometimes downright pain. Why?
Let's tackle these questions.
1. The Antidote to Fear
Simply, the antidotes to fear are prayer and trust in the One who "holds all things in His hands". If we trust, committing ourselves and our circumstances to God, we can be certain, absolutely certain, that He will:
do what is right
guide us
be with us through every adverse condition
use all of our situations for His glory and the advancement of our kingdom
work things out "for our good" (especially when things seem like crap all around us). (Romans 8:28)
It may not be that He "works things out" the way we'd like, but we can have bedrock, rock-solid trust in His goodness and His sovereignty.
Where is room for fear in that? No room. He, and He alone, is our "safest place".
2. The Answer to Pain
Why must good people suffer?
First of all, there is no one truly righteous, except God. Christians know this, as it is the first step to becoming a Christian. (Romans 3:10)
But, I'm talking about Christians, those who love God (to the best of their flawed ability) with all their hearts, minds, souls...
Why do Christians, God's family suffer?
Apart from sinful choices which bring suffering down on our own heads, the answer is hinted at in #1 above - - -
All of our life conditions, phases, seasons, circumstances are allowed us so that we can:
grow in our faith
be drawn closer to His heart
become more like our Savior
bring about the advancement of the gospel message, be instrumental in "His kingdom come, His will be done" (Matthew 6:9-13)
bring Him glory
So, we must not adopt the methods of the Jewish leaders in Ezekiel 11. Their methods were to be deceived by and yield to worldly strategies and pagan philosophies to solve spiritual problems (such as dealing with fear and pain). God's solutions trump and are superior to man's (Satan's) counterfeits every.single.time.
The question is: will we, God's beloved people, be bold and fearless, moving forward in faith and courage, to follow our King in all of life's circumstances? Are we willing to follow Him and His ways obediently, according to the Word of God, no matter the personal cost? Is the battle worth it? Is HE worth it?
Yes, and so be it. I believe He is worth it all.
Heavenly King and Father God, "Give us wisdom. Give us courage, for the facing of this hour....for the facing of this hour!" In Jesus' name, amen.
Are you wondering what bread and wine have to do with wealth?
Let me ask you something else:
Are you wealthy?
I asked my husband that a few months ago and was surprised by his answer. Without hesitation, he replied, "Yes!" I was surprised because....well, it is a "loaded question".
What IS wealth, and why is it a spiritual matter? As we wind up Philippians, let's see what the apostle Paul had to say about it.
10 I have great joy in the Lord because now at last you have again expressed your concern for me. (Now I know you were concerned before but had no opportunity to do anything.) 11 I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content in any circumstance. 12 I have experienced times of need and times of abundance. In any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of contentment, whether I go satisfied or hungry, have plenty or nothing. 13 I am able to do all things through the one who strengthens me. 14 Nevertheless, you did well to share with me in my trouble.
Philippians 4:10-13 (NET)
Remember that the apostle Paul was writing this letter from "house arrest". Although he was a tent-maker by trade, he was unable to "earn a living" while on house arrest for preaching the gospel. He was, at this point, a working missionary who was unable to work and support himself. Like all missionaries, he had to either work to support himself or ask for financial support; or, as is the case with 99% of missionaries, he had to ask others to financially support him to some extent. It appears that this is one of those times when he needed to be pretty much totally financially supported by the small churches he had started across that part of the world.
Still, I'd argue that Paul was one of the wealthiest people who ever lived. Now, to justify that statement:
1. Paul knew Jesus Christ as Savior. In Ephesians 2:7, he referred to "the incomparable riches of His grace". In other words, the grace of Jesus Christ, which utterly transformed his life forever, was/is priceless. Nothing is more valuable. Anyone who has surrendered his/her life to Jesus Christ as Savior is already incomparably rich. Jesus is "our Daily Bread" (Matthew 6:9-13) and the Bread of Life, "broken" for us (John 6:35).
2. Paul stated in his first letter to Timothy (1 Timothy 6:6) - - -
6 Now godliness combined with contentment brings great profit.
In other words, the godliness that Jesus Christ's salvation provides, plus being content with the material gifts God gives, is the best investment anyone could ever make. These life decisions pay the greatest dividends this earthly life offers as well as guaranteeing eternal reward. When we "live out" the salvation Jesus has given, we literally "increase our wealth". Godly living almost always results in material needs being met.
But, then, why is contentment important? Why did Paul add that in here?
3. Paul realized that godly living would potentially produce material wealth. He also realized the potential for material wealth to become a trap for the Christian, just as it does for many non-Christians. What can happen is that people begin to worship material wealth. Oh, they would not say they "worship" it. But, if they put accumulation of wealth ahead of their relationship with Christ, letting wealth (and the power it brings) guide their lives instead of God, then that is a form of .... worship, a lifestyle which breed discontent, because no matter how much is gained, it is never "enough". This is why Paul later on in the 1 Timothy 6 passage declared "the love of money is the root of all evil" (1 Tim. 6:10). Our love and passion belong to Jesus Christ, if we are Christians, after all.
4. One last point - - "contentment" does not equate with laziness or envy. Neither laziness nor envy have a place in either godliness OR in contentment. God expects us to live out our salvation by exercising the spiritual gifts He gives us. Our doing so brings Him glory. We do our best to serve Him faithfully, and He is faithful to supply all our needs. We trust; He supplies. We don't look at the gifts given to our neighbors and gripe because they have "more". What a contentment-killer!
The companion verse to Philippians 4:10-13 is Philippians 4:19-20 - - -
19 And my God will supply your every need according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
20 May glory be given to God our Father forever and ever. Amen.
So, I ask you again - - - are you wealthy? And, if so, are you content with the gifts God has given you?
Father, thank you for meeting all my needs, in every way. I want to pray specifically for those who do not have a relationship with You through Your Son, Jesus, the only name given to mankind for salvation. I pray that you will reveal to those who are reading this post and who do not yet know You the great riches that can be theirs through Jesus, as Savior. Open their hearts, Lord, so that they, too, can be eternally rich! For those who know You already...teach us about contentment. Please reveal to us where we have let "the world" with its lusts for money, fame and power creep in. Remind us of the humility of Jesus who focused on serving Father God, while having no "foxhole" or "nest" of His own. He was the "picture of contentment". Mold us more and more into His image, Father! In Jesus' name, amen.
I knew a mother, a contemporary of mine, who used to tell her children as she left them in the morning, "Make good choices!" She knew that, during their day, they would be faced with many alternatives. She was reminding them to opt for the best rather than for the easy, the comfortable, the seductive. All that is shiny is not gold. This memory reminds me of 2 Corinthians 7:1, today's scripture:
Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that could defile the body and the spirit, and thus accomplish holiness out of reverence for God.
Another title for today's post could have been, "Choose Holiness". That is what Paul was asking the Corinthians to do. You see, they were faced with a big choice. As I've mentioned earlier in our study they were being seduced by false teachers whose teachings were contradictory to Paul's. The Corinthians could not live holy lives, pleasing to God, by following false doctrine. Paul was certain of this and accordingly asked them to choose well.
But, beyond that, Paul was asking them to choose well in the everyday decisions of their lives, just as my acquaintance years ago did each morning with her kids. In so doing, Paul described the process of a holy walk with God. Let's break it down.
First, holiness begins with remembering the promises of God (vs. 1). What are those promises? God's promises are many, but I believe Paul was referring in 7:1 to those he had just written about in 2 Cor. 6:16-18
that God lives in us because our bodies are His temple
that we are His people and He walks among us
that He is and will be our Father
that we are His sons and daughters
that He welcomes us when we come to Him
that He is the Supreme, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords
So, before choosing, we must remember these precious oaths God makes to us. Humans sometimes break their promises, but God's promises are more like oaths. He never breaks His.
When I read this verse, I had to think a bit about our role versus the role of the Holy Spirit in our cleansing. We go to Him for cleansing, and per the promise, He welcomes us. It is not our "good works" which achieve holiness in us. But, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit have ordained that we have a role in it, and that role is to choose holiness. Our Sovereign Father never negates our free will. He allows us to choose Jesus as Savior when our relationship begins, although He knows what we will choose, due to His omniscience, His all-knowingness. Furthermore, He allows us to choose whether or not we walk in holy living moment to moment, day to day.
That mother knew that her children had the freedom to choose, multiple times a day. She wanted them to choose well, but knew that their choices were ultimately theirs alone. God certainly wants us to choose His way, in every circumstance, and His heart is grieved when we do not. But, He does not, even in His perfect sovereignty, take our choices away from us.
When we choose His way, He perfects His holiness within us to a greater and greater degree. He molds us more and more into the image of His Son. Praise Him! Even when we choose poorly, He can and does turn those choices around to His glory and to our "good" because He loves us. That is why the Scripture says, "All work together for good to those who love Him, to those called according to His purpose."
I used to believe that it would be easier for me to walk through this life successfully if I "made good choices." To some extent I believe that this is a scriptural promise. For example, if you brush your teeth regularly (and floss!), you will usually get to keep your teeth healthy until your death. It's easier to keep your teeth, so I'm told. So, I brush and floss regularly. But, walking in holiness does not in every aspect make life easier, as I believed when a youth. Often, it makes you Satan's target.
The thing is, wanting life to be "easy" is not the proper motivation for walking in holiness, walking resplendent. The proper motivations are three-fold:
to show God our reverence, our worship (vs. 1)
the glorification of God and
the furtherance of His kingdom here on earth (Matt. 6:9-10)
all of which go hand-in-hand.
The last passage I mentioned, the one from Matthew 6, is from the Lord's Prayer. Part of that prayer Jesus taught us to pray was that the Lord God would deliver us from evil. As we are faced with tough choices, it is very important to stop and take a moment to go before God's throne and pray that prayer. Depending on our own strength in times of temptation is foolish, because we have no strength in and of ourselves. Our strength comes from the Lord, from His Holy Spirit living within us.
Father, may your Spirit, Who lives within us, flame up to consume all in our hearts that is unholy. May we confess and repent, to rid our souls of any barnacles which may have attached themselves there. And then, as we walk today, may we walk resplendent, reflecting Your glory. May we make good choices, choices which bring you honor and point others to Jesus Christ, the only One in whom grace, help and salvation are found. In His name I pray, amen.
Many people, both Christian and non-Christian, are intimidated by prayer. Let's break this down.
First of all, the unbeliever, the non-Christian:
God promises to hear only one prayer from the unbeliever and that prayer is the prayer where the person confesses his/her sin and invites Jesus in as Savior. At that point, of course, the unbeliever immediately, supernaturally, eternally becomes a believer, a child of God.
Does God hear other prayers from unbelievers? Yes, of course He does. Does he answer them by granting the petitions/requests? Yes, sometimes, He does. However, He does not promise to do so.
For the Christian, you are His very own beloved. He not only hears you but he answers you. It may not be the answer you were expecting. We'll talk more about that tomorrow.
But, what are the ACTS of prayer? These letters represent an acronymn which reminds the believer of the key components of prayer. You will find all of them in The Lord's Prayer, in Matthew 6:9-13. This was a prayer that The Lord gave to us as a model for us to use; but, there was one of the letters He never had to pray. Can you guess which letter it is? :) Let's see.
The A stands for adoration. We should spend some time in our day adoring our God, praising Him for who He is, for His various characteristics/attributes such as: holy, unchangeable, unchanging, all-knowing, ever-present, merciful, loving, just, indescribable, unfathomable! Our God is amazing! He loves to be praised! I believe that God has given us many prayer models for this in the book of Psalms. Some of the best examples are: Psalms 100, 103 and 104. Jesus modeled this in The Lord's Prayer when He prayed: "hallowed be thy Name" and "for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever!"
The C stands for confession. We should regularly be examining our heart before God and confessing our shortcomings to Him. "Why should we do this", you may ask, "when all of our sins are forgiven?" There are several reasons, which could make an entire blog post. So, I am not going to go off in that direction this morning. But, let me give you just one reason, for now. God calls us to confess our sins to Him on an ongoing basis because doing so acknowledges our dependence and constant need for more of Him. Although the believer's sins are forgiven - - - past, present and future - - - we cannot achieve our goal of becoming more like Christ on our own. We still dwell in our mortal bodies for now. The Apostle Paul was so anguished over his sin that he exclaimed, "O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from this body of death?" (Romans 7:24) Our flesh still wars continually with our redeemed spirit. We get dirty, spiritually, and need to "get clean"! Only by confessing our sins to Father and by receiving His assurance of forgiveness can we walk in true freedom, pressing on to become more and more like our Savior.
By the way, did you guess it? This is the only one that Jesus did not have to pray, because He was perfectly sinless. However, He modeled it for us when He prayed: "forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us". The ancient word "trespass" basically means "wrongs". We should ask to be forgiven of our "wrongs" as we forgive those who "wrong" us.
The T stands for thanksgiving. There are also many psalms of thanksgiving (#s 111, 113, 138...), which goes hand-in-hand with adoration. It just naturally follows. Also, the apostle Paul is always thanking God for the young churches, to whom he writes his letters. We must always be mindful to thank God for everything. Yes, you read that right. We sometimes forget to thank Him for the "good gifts", but almost never want to praise Him for the not-so-"good" gifts, right? What does the Scripture say, though? In I Thessalonians 5:18, we read that we are to "give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God concerning you." That really flies in the face of popular wisdom, doesn't it? The natural tendency of humans is to rail against God when things don't "go our way". Remember Job's wife? She unwisely recommended that he go ahead and curse God for his misfortunes and then just die. This is recorded in Job 2:9-10. Instead, he told her that she was talking like one of the godless women, and he responded by making a strong statement of his faith in God, thereby maintaining his integrity as a Jehovah-follower.
Even though it does not always seem like it, God brings all things to us for our good AND for His glory! We, at those difficult times, must trust Him as Job did, because we never know what is going on behind the spiritual scenes. Our job is not to know all or to understand all; our job is to trust and thank Him in all things. God IS good, ALL the time.
The S stands for the most "popular" aspect of prayer and that is the big, fancy word "supplication". (Well, "gimme, gimme, gimme" just did not fit in the acronym!) Most of the time, when people pray, they are praying out of desperation: "God, please deliver me from this awful situation!" They treat God like some big "genie in the sky". Even some Christians make this the cornerstone of their prayer life, and this does dishonor to our great God! It is not wrong to ask God for things; but, it is wrong to limit your prayer life to this aspect.
Now, on a more positive note, Jesus said that "it your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom". (Luke 12:32) In other words, God wants to give us good things. And, He wants us to ask Him. Again, Jesus said, "ask and it will be given you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you..." In another place, He said, "if you ask anything in my name believing, you will receive it" (Mark 11:24 and similarly Matthew 21:22.) This is why Christians often close their prayers with "In Jesus' name, Amen".
There is one important thing to remember here, in conjunction with these verses. Jesus gave us the key in the Lord's Prayer when He prayed, "thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven". The umbrella overarching and undergirding all of our prayers of supplication should be that God's will will be done in any given circumstance, that He will receive the glory and honor in every situation. This desire should supercede any other earthly desire for which we pray.
Supplication does not mean only asking God's favor for ourselves, but also for others and their needs.
Jesus modeled this in The Lord's Prayer when He prayed: "Give us this day our daily bread", "and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil".
I hope that this little ACTS tool will help you as you live out this admonition from Paul:
Rejoice always,pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." Dear Jesus, I praise You today for who You are, although my understanding of you is so grossly imperfect and incomplete. The fact that You chose to love us poor, lowly people amazes me. Thank you for your incomprehensible love, made manifest in your redemption of us, The Otherwise Irredeemable.. Thank you for redeeming me, so unworthy. Thank you for using me and my brothers and sisters to expand Your kingdom, Father! May Your will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven! O Lord, you know our needs even before we ask, but I ask that You meet our every need today, beginning with our extreme need for "more of You". Let every word we speak, every move we make today be done as a praise offering to You. May every thought we think today be brought into conformity with Your will, and may every action we take today glorify You! I lift up to You today, Lord, all those who are in need of a direct touch from You, whether that be a rescue, a healing, or whatever the need may be. In particular today, I pray for the persecuted church around the world, but particularly in the Middle East, as they find themselves in the nexus of jihad. I also pray for Israel, even at this moment being attacked by rockets, fired from Gaza and other Palestinian-controlled governments. Supernaturally protect those who are Your own, and call out of blindness and apostasy Your chosen people, Israel. Teach us to pray, Lord! Teach us to pray! In Jesus' name, Amen.
