The Assault and the Struggle

"Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves."

Matthew 7:15 (NASB)

One of my friends keeps "backyard chickens".  She has done so for some time.  The other day she got some new hens; she drove a long way to pick them up.  Two nights later they were dead.

I doubt it was a ravenous wolf that killed her chickens; more likely it was a coyote.  Still, seeing the results of such a massacre is hard on the eyes.

The same holds true of apostasy and apostate preachers/prophets.  Hard to witness.  Hard to watch.

In our local area, one of the notable pastors has taken a deep dive off into apostasy, declaring that the Old Testament is no longer relevant to our lives today, as Christians....that the 1st century church fathers divorced themselves from the Old Testament teachings.1  This false teaching is very similar to 2nd century Marcionism.2

A similar apostasy, revealed in the New Testament was the opposite belief - - that all Christians, Jews and Gentiles, had to conform entirely to Mosaic Law and the rabbinical traditions which grew up around it.  This position was taught by the apostate Judaizers, which I have blogged about in this recent post:

http://resplendentdaughter.blogspot.com/2018/04/judaizers-again.html

Today, Judaizers can be seen in certain Messianic Jewish communities, such as the wrong-headed Hebrew Roots movement.3

A third form of apostasy is that belief in a particular church or denomination brings salvation...that saving faith in Jesus Christ is not sufficient, that obedience to a bunch of ecclesiastical practices and regulations is required.  This essentially becomes "works-based salvation" or earning your way into Heaven by following a set of rules/practices not mentioned in Scripture.  Adherents become enslaved to their particular church, trusting in that church for salvation, instead of relying on Jesus Christ alone.

All three of these heresies are just that - - heresies, apostasies.
Behind all three are an insatiable drive for power and prestige - - to gain or increase a religious "following".  At the foundation are selfishness and pride.

In the case of what can be observed happening with the Atlanta pastor referenced in source #1 below, the driving force seems to be a general appeasement of American culture.  There is no doubt that the American culture war seems to be swinging in favor of those who view aberrant sexual behavior to be acceptable, both socially and religiously, despite prohibitions of such in both the Old and New Testaments.  In order to appease these increasingly clamorous voices for both social and ecclesiastical legitimacy, some pastors are veering off into a theological ditch, taking their usually sizable congregations along with them.

The Assault and the Struggle:
On a larger scale, all throughout the days since Jesus was here among us, the assault on grace along with the resulting struggle to define appropriate outworking of grace in the life works of believers have raged hot.

I imagine it will continue to be so, until Jesus returns.

So, where is the balance?
I am not much of a theologian and, frankly, there are times writing this blog scares me to death, for fear that I might fall into the trap of teaching heresy.  Still, by the grace of God and for His glory, I'll take a crack at it.

1.  Salvation begins in the life of a person when he or she realizes that there no way to "earn" salvation by "being good" - - that is, conforming to any set of moral rules, from the Old Testament or otherwise.  (Romans 3:10-12; Romans 3:23) . Since God's standard is total perfection, none of us can achieve it on our own.
2.  Salvation is conferred by the Holy Spirit when the person then puts his or her faith and trust in the finished work of Jesus Christ, as Savior and Master/Lord.  Period.  Done.  (Ephesians 2:8-9)
3.  Walking by faith means living one's life as an outflowing of that saving grace, living it according to the words of the New Covenant given to us by Jesus Himself in Luke 22:19-20.  We need to recognize, however, that Jesus' New Covenant is directly derived from (flows from) the rules for moral living typified in the 10 Commandments.4  5
4.  The Old Testament should be honored as co-equal with the New, because it is an indispensable part of God's complete written revelation of Himself to His people, Israel, and the Church of Jesus Christ.  It should be studied, in light of the New, to learn how God fulfilled so much of the Old Testament through Jesus' life and work, revealed in the New.  Remember that when Paul wrote 2 Timothy 3:16-17, he was referring to the Scriptures which we today call the Old Testament!
5.  If redeemed people of faith want to (out of love and gratitude) practice such things as keeping the Jewish feasts with a Messianic view, or using Hebrew in their worship services and so forth, they should follow their own convictions to do so, recognizing that eternal salvation is found in Jesus Christ, and in Him alone.

Dear Lord Jesus, please give us clear eyes and pure, humble hearts, to follow You in grace and truth.  May we fare better than my friend Diana's chickens.  Please protect your flock from ravenous wolves.  In Jesus' name, amen.

Sources:

1   http://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/moralistic-therapeutic-marcionism/

2   https://www.gotquestions.org/marcionism.html

3   https://answersingenesis.org/presuppositions/dangers-hebrew-roots-movement/

4   https://www.gotquestions.org/new-covenant.html

5   https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/spiritual-life/10-things-you-should-know-about-the-new-covenant.html

Not a Simple Move

Photo courtesy of CNN.com

As I begin writing this post, the US embassy is about to open in Jerusalem, having been located in Tel Aviv since 1966.  Today is also historic in that this move takes place on the 70th anniversary of the signing of Israel's Declaration of Independence.

In 1995 the United States Congress passed, on a bipartisan vote, a declaration to move our embassy to Jerusalem; yet, none of our presidents since then have had the desire to take that on, believing a rather "agnostic" stance would further the peace process.  It has not proven to be a helpful or productive strategy.  In late 2017, therefore, our current president made the decision to make the move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.  While the Israeli government has given this change a warm welcome, the Palestinian people in Gaza, which borders Israel, are extremely upset at this action.  There has been a lot of unrest at the border between Gaza and Israeli military forces in the past few days, spurred on by this move.  Many Gazans are attacking the border fence, although they were extensively warned doing so would be deadly.  It is a scene which provokes in my heart great sadness.  As much as I love Israel and Jerusalem, it pains me to see such unrest at the country's Gazan border and, also recently, at the Golan Heights borders. 

Tel Aviv is a beautiful city, particularly the Old Jaffa area, on the Mediterranean.  Tel Aviv has, for years, housed many international embassies because it was viewed as "neutral ground" between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Israelies.  Since the nation of Israel reclaimed all of Jerusalem in the Six-Day War of 1967, the Israeli government has named Jerusalem as Israel's capital.  The ruling body, the Knesset, meets in Jerusalem (I have seen it).  Israeli government buildings are located in Jerusalem.  Really, it only makes sense for international embassies to be located in the capital city of each foreign country. 

However, those who argue for the establishment of a Palestinian state within the borders of Israel are inflamed by the move.  The reality is that Israel, since 1948, has not attacked its surrounding neighbors unless Israel was first attacked.  In the 1967 Six-Day War, Israel defeated (supernaturally) its attackers.  The international rules of "spoils of war" decree that when a nation wins a war, it lays claim to the territory formerly controlled by the aggressors in order to stave off future attacks.  That is  common sense and exactly what happened just after the 1967 Six Day War.  (When I was visiting Israel, I lodged in an area which was held by Jordan until the Six-Day War.)  For some reason, (anti-Semitism?) the international community has refused to recognize Israel's hard-won victories over their political enemies and has, instead, sided with the conquered Palestinian factions.  This international refusal has actually contributed to the political unrest in and surrounding the sovereign nation of Israel.

What IS Gaza?  Gaza is a narrow strip of land, bordered by the Mediterranean on one side, by Egypt on the south, and surrounded by Israel otherwise.  As the easternmost section of the West Bank of Israel, Gaza is not a large area.  Technically a part of the nation of Israel (as is the West Bank), Gaza's currency is the shekel (Israeli currency). The Israeli government still controls who enters and leaves, collects taxes, controls the fishing industry, etc.  Gaza used to be under Israeli occupation, (in other words, Jews lived there); but, under the leadership of Ariel Sharon in 2005, Israel gave it up to greater Palestinian control and settlement, in an attempt to establish more peace in the region.  Many Jewish citizens were forced to be displaced, re-located to other sections of the country of Israel.  Despite giving up a sizable piece of land, Sharon's capitulation has done virtually nothing to produce peace.  Gaza is now controlled by Hamas and almost exclusively populated by Palestinians.  IF a Palestinian state were to be established in the future, Gaza would most certainly be part of it.

The Israelis have long argued that the establishment of a Palestinian state would merely fuel more hatred and attacks on Israel, a belief proven to have a good deal of merit since there have been many rockets launched into Israel from Gaza, over recent years.  Although many Palestinians live peacefully in Israel, the very violent minority refuse to recognize Israel's right to be a sovereign nation.  It is difficult to have a peace agreement with parties who refuse to recognize Israel's right to exist, at all.

When the United States became a nation, enterprising Jewish people from across the Atlantic began coming to this country to make a better life and avoid religious persecution.  (This included some of my ancestors, on my mother's side.)  Today, the nation of Israel and the United States are home to over 85% of the world's approximately 14.5 million Jews.  With its deep Christian roots, the United States has, since Israel's rebirth in 1948, been a strong ally of the re-born nation.

What does all this political verbiage have to do with the Bible or the Christian faith?

According to Genesis 15:18 and reinforced in Joshua 1:4, God gave to Israel/the Jews/His chosen people all the land within the following boundaries:
measuring north to south, everything from Lebanon to the Nile River in Egypt;
measuring east to west, everything from the Mediterranean to the Euphrates River.
This includes all of Jordan, all of Gaza, all of the West Bank, some of Egypt, some of Saudi Arabia and even a bit of Iraq.  Therefore, it is clear the modern-day nation of Israel does not claim within its borders all of the land bequeathed to the Jews by God, way back in Genesis. 

Despite the opposition to the US embassy move (and more broadly speaking, Israel's right to exist at all), Jerusalem was established by King David as the capital of the ancient nation of Israel about 3000 years ago.  He had to conquer the Jebusites who were living there to make that happen.  Jerusalem remained the capital of Jerusalem for about 400 years, until the Israelites were judged by God via the Babylonians, who under King Nebuchadnezzar, conquered the Israelites, destroyed Jerusalem (and King Solomon's Temple), carting all the able-bodied Jews off to Babylonian captivity for 70 years.

After the Babylonian captivity, most Israelites returned to Jerusalem, rebuilding the city and the Temple.  For the next several (400 or so) years, Jerusalem remained capital of Israel.  It was so when Jesus was born, lived, died, was resurrected and ascended.   In 70 A.D., the Romans destroyed Jerusalem, scattering the Jewish nation/peoples, in what was called The Diaspora (The Dispersion).  God used this event to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to that entire region of the world.  The Romans then renamed the city Palestine, a derivative of the word, Philistine.  (Interesting, no?) . There followed a period of nearly 1900 years before Israel was once again re-born as a Jewish state.

The Bible has long promised that, in "the last days", the nation of Israel would be reborn.  We find this in the "dry bones" prophecy of Ezekiel 37.  That prophecy began to be fulfilled in 1948, with the country being expanded in 1967.  Some Bible scholars, though, do not mark the Ezekiel 37 and 39 prophecies to be totally fulfilled until Israel recognizes the Lord God as their God once again.  Much of modern-day Israel IS Jewish, although many are agnostic Jews.  In addition, a minority is Christian (including dear friends of mine) and a minority is Muslim, including some very good people and also some very "bad actors".

Despite all these complications, today marks the 70th anniversary of the beginning of the fulfillment of those Ezekiel prophecies.  It is a momentous, historical day, and Resplendent Daughter Ministries celebrates with the nation of Israel.  To God be the glory!

Sources:

http://www.theweek.co.uk/90229/what-is-the-capital-of-israel

https://www.quora.com/Does-Gaza-belong-to-Israel-or-Palestine

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consulate_of_the_United_States,_Tel_Aviv

http://www.israel.org/MFA/MFA-Archive/1993/Pages/JERUSALEM%203000-%20When%20did%20King%20David%20conquer%20Jerusa.aspx

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_population_by_country

https://www.prophecyproof.org/is-the-valley-of-dry-bones-prophecy-fulfilled-yet/

https://www.gotquestions.org/Israeli-settlements.html

May is Mom's Fave Month?

I have been seeing Facebook posts from frazzled moms, who are lamenting that EVERYTHING concludes in May - - school, spring sports, church events like Awanas, etc.  Some of these have a "special" emphasis (translates to Mom as "requirement) every day.  "What to get teachers for Teacher Appreciation Week?"  "You are supposed to dress as a WHAT today?"  (11 minutes before the bus arrives).  Believe me, I remember!

It is hard to "appreciate" those days when you are IN them, to remember that every day with your child is a huge blessing.  Below, I'll share my sons' Awards Days (and lunch following) celebration from 2005, so that you can have a Mother's Day weekend guffaw, and so that you will know I am always "the perfect mom".  <crickets> LOL!

Being the mom of two boys has always been quite the adventure.... To preserve the dignity of the shy, I will refer to my two sons in this memoir as Shnazzle and Shnizzle.

Today was not a typical day.  I went to school and conducted business for about an hour and a half.  Then, I left a little after nine to go to B_____, for Schnazzle’s awards day presentation.  The ceremony was well-done.  Schnazzle seemed moderately happy to see me.  I had called the house on the way to work this morning to tell him that I’d be coming.  He seemed very excited.  After the ceremony, I asked him if he wanted me to have lunch with him, and he replied that he wanted his Dad to.  But, Bill had to go get a tire fixed on the truck; so, he could not stay.  I asked Schnazzle again if he wanted me to have lunch with him and he replied, “if you want to.”  That should have been my first clue.

When I met his class at the lunch room about 15 minutes later, he was very cool towards me, chatting unceasingly to a friend in the lunch line.  This didn’t surprise me too much, because he had acted that way that last time I’d come to lunch.  After getting his tray he went to the table and moved 3 or 4 times before finally settling in a spot - - at the end of the table where there were no more seats.  He told me that I could sit “down there somewhere.”  I knelt down at the end of the table and said that obviously he did not want me to have lunch with him, since there was no place for me to sit.  He began to make excuses, but I just told him I’d go have lunch with Schnizzle later, and then left.  My feelings were so badly hurt.  I called Bill and told him about the incident, and he was as perplexed as me, concerning why Schnazzle would act in such a way.  It was as if he had absolutely no regard for my feelings or for the fact that I had taken off a half day from work just to be with him for the awards presentation and for lunch.

Lunch with Schnizzle nearly an hour later was not a lot better.  Upon arriving, I saw Schnizzle’s class playing at recess and then he spotted me watching.  It was so funny to see how surprised he was.  I called out that I’d meet him in the cafeteria for lunch.  He was upset when he appeared in the lunch line.  It was about his barely missing the National Physical Fitness Award.  He missed it in only one of the four categories - - and then only by 6 seconds.  Apparently, one of his classmates had taunted him about it right before lunch.  When we were about to get our trays, he left the line to go save us a couple of seats.  But, his classmates would not let him sit where he wanted us to sit.  So, that made him even more upset.  He was almost in tears when he returned to the lunch line.  We sat with his friends, Chase and Jake.  (Jake is the boy whose birthday party he attended last Saturday.)  Jake goes to church, and Chase attends ours.  They were very nice, but Schnizzle could not get past his upset over “missing the National.”  The boy who taunted him apparently, sat at the end of the next table and kept trying to talk to him to make him feel better.  But, Schnizzle was having none of that. He was acting jealous and very ungracious to all of them.  It was not a pleasant lunch.

On the way back to work, I called Bill again to tell him of my experiences with Schnizzle!  It was not a good day to have lunch with the boys.

I talked with both of them after they got home.  (I got home from the work before they got home from school.)  Schnazzle said that the reason he kept moving from seat to seat was that he was trying to avoid the people he had been told not to sit by at lunch.  Perhaps that was the case, but it did not feel that way to me.  I felt like I was "the people" he was trying to avoid.

Well, there you have it!  A slice of real life on the journey of motherhood.  Sometimes, it's not all pretty daisies picked from the yard.  Sometimes, you get weeds!

Still, you just pray and remain faithful to the Lord, while loving on your precious children all the more, thanking God for them as you mold them . . . because so many on this Mother's Day do not have that joy or privilege.

Let's face it - - Mother's Day, supposedly the rose among the weeds of May, ranges from joyful to bittersweet to agonizing for some.  Let's love on folks this weekend, being especially kind, because we have no idea what the occasion of Mother's Day dredges up in the spirits and souls of many.  Where we can, let's minister to one another, like a sweet sister ministered to me with a precious text a day or two ago.  (Thank you, dear Lynn!) And, let's thank God for all the wide-ranging moments of being (or having) a mom.

8Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction

and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.

9They are a garland to grace your head

and a chain to adorn your neck.

Proverbs 1:8-9 (NIV)

Flying to the Nest

Juvenile Bald Eagle

The mystery of Christ's incarnation forever intrigues me, as it is a secret not to be fully understood in this earthly life.  Christ forever was and forever is God, a manifestation, a Person, of the Three-In-One Godhead.

Because every human is born with the sin curse firmly written into our DNA, it is impossible for us to live this life as Jesus did.  Although He was born of earthly mother, His incarnation was made possible by divine act of the Holy Spirit of God, the 3rd Person of the Godhead.  So, Jesus did not live life as a "fallen" human.

The human race was not created by God to live under a sin curse, the one bestowed on all of us through the actions of Adam and Eve.  I repeat, we were not created for this.  Instead, we were created to live sinless lives, as Adam and Eve did before their disastrous choice caused The Fall.
As a result, as the redeemed by Jesus Christ, with His Holy Spirit living in us, we feel that loss of holiness, that fallenness, keenly.

This morning I was reading from Psalm 61:1-5 (NLT):

1O God, listen to my cry!

Hear my prayer!

2From the ends of the earth,

I cry to you for help

when my heart is overwhelmed.

I don't know about you, but I often feel like this....fallen, overwhelmed, defeated, unable to glorify God.  No, we were not created for this, nor does our Savior want us to live like this.  It was to rescue and redeem us from a life of defeat that He allowed the miracle of His incarnation.  It was for our victory that He put on flesh and became one of us.

Even if we don't totally understand what that means.

The Bible tells us, for instance, that Jesus was tempted in every way as we are tempted today, but even so, He did not yield to sin.  We read this in Hebrews 4:15 (NIV)

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet he did not sin.

There are two stories in the gospel accounts that may be the two most extreme instances of Jesus' temptations.  The first occurs at the end of Jesus' 40 days of seclusion in the wilderness, just prior to beginning His ministry.  The second occurs in the Garden of Gethsemane, near the end of His ministry, just before His crucifixion, death, burial and triumphant resurrection.  Both times, it is obvious He subjected Himself to true temptation, willingly shackled as He was to His humanity.  Both times, He emerged from the times of trial triumphant.  Only God could live this human life without sin.  Can I get an "amen"?

As for us, as for me, my heart is frequently "overwhelmed".... by temptation, by sin, by grief, by guilt, by longing for more of Jesus, by _______ (fill in your own blank).  In Psalm 61:1-5, we see a remedy, an antidote to the overwhelmed heart:

Lead me to the towering rock of safety,

3for you are my safe refuge,

a fortress where my enemies cannot reach me.

4Let me live forever in your sanctuary,

safe beneath the shelter of your wings!

5For you have heard my vows, O God.

You have given me an inheritance reserved for those who fear your name.

Yesterday I was watching a short video clip of the Berry College Eagles
( berry.edu/eaglecam )
This year's clutch was two eggs, but one young eaglet fell out of the nest and died.  The other has been "fledging" - - learning to fly.  Part of that process involves making short, little "hops" to branches, then progressing to short glides to other branches of the home tree.  Recently, the fledgling had flown down to a branch below the nest, where he or she (can't tell at this point) seemed "stuck", (perhaps overwhelmed with his/her situation?) . The parents were close by, watching, coaching...  Eventually, after several hours, one parent in the nest began to make bird calls down to the fledgling offspring, and he/she finally, clumsily flew back into the nest.  It was not a move achieved with finesse.  In fact, he/she nearly knocked the parent over, in the process.  Still, he/she arrived there.

The psalmist uses similar analogy to describe our "flying to the nest" of our God when we are overwhelmed, when we need "safe sanctuary".  He has both heard our vows of salvation, knows our hearts are His, and longs to gather us under His wings.  It is in His presence, between His arms, we can again find spiritual equilibrium, find spiritual safety, find rest.  It is there we hear Him say to us, "I understand how your heart hurts, because I lived where you now live.  I felt the pain you feel."  He doesn't merely sympathize with our humanity; He goes beyond that to empathize with our weaknesses.  He has "been there".

Such grace, such comfort, such love . .  are our inheritance as children of the Heavenly Father, as the beloved of Jesus Christ.   Our souls are forever safe, with Him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hj4SyA7mpJk

He Makes My Way . . .

I've sort of gotten into a routine of blogging three times a week (M,W, F/S); so, this post is going to surprise some of you.  At the moment I am in a hotel in Minneapolis, MN, and have just had my morning time with the Lord.  It was so amazing that I just had to post "off schedule".

The reason I'm here is that I've just finished attending the annual meeting (Leadership Summit 2018) of the Beautycounter company, of which I am a part.  I've never mentioned my "side hustle" here in the blog because, although the two branches of my ministry are related, it just never seemed appropriate.  This morning, however, in applying the Scriptures to my own heart, I arrived at that intersection.

When we beauty educators attend this meeting, we get all excited and pumped up about the year ahead.  We receive excellent training as well as news of new products, coming down the pike.  The whole mission of the company is to get safer personal care products into the hands of everyone, because the personal care product industry in America is grossly under-regulated.  Most Americans are piling over 100 toxins onto their bodies every single day.  The connection of my beauty biz to my faith ministry is that I donate 50% of my earnings from Beautycounter to a missions organization called, Mission India.  God has blessed me and my family financially.  I have "enough".  I figure the people of India, a tremendously under-reached country with the gospel, need Jesus more than I need a few extra bucks in my wallet.

So, I was planning to strategize on the flights home today, to process the information I received, to plan for motivating my team, and so on.  This morning's scripture verses were such a beautiful frame and reminder as I do that.  Here they are:

God is my strength and power;

And He makes my way perfect.

2 Samuel 22:33 NKJV

King David's words, recorded by the prophet Samuel on this occasion, are almost identical to Psalm 18.  It makes me wonder if these were song lyrics to a popular song of the day!  Maybe when we get to Heaven, we will hear those wonderful Old Testament psalms/hymns in their original tunes.  Wouldn't that be fun?!

Here's another verse or two that relate:

7But for those who are righteous,

the way is not steep and rough.

You are a God who does what is right,

and you smooth out the path ahead of them.

8LORD, we show our trust in you by obeying your laws;

our heart’s desire is to glorify your name.

Isaiah 26:7-8 NLT

So, as I trust in the Lord, relying on Him for my strength and power, asking Him to guide me, earnestly desiring to glorify His name, He promises to - - -

• smooth out the path ahead of me
• make my way "perfect".

How appropriate for this day in my life, yes?  Actually, these verses are appropriate for every day of every Christian's life. 

Do these verses mean that I'll never stumble over the steep or rough places on the path of life?  That everything will "go perfectly"?  No, not at all.  He uses those steep, rough places to build our spiritual muscle, to increase our dependence on Him.

Here at the conference yesterday, I stumbled.  I was leaving a session and looking up onto the stage as I walked, not watching the path I was taking.  As such, I stumbled over a monitor on the floor, barked my left shin and nearly went sprawling.  It was rather embarrassing, but a totally logical consequence of my not keeping my eyes where they should have been.
I thank God He delivered me from worse harm.

Honestly, we have no idea how he "smooths out the path ahead of us" - - the things He delivers us from that we never even know.  The Scriptures say that "He puts His angels in charge of your protection, to guard you" (Psalm 91:11).  Aren't you incredibly thankful for that?! I surely am!  We can be confident, then, that nothing ever harms us unless God allows it, for His glory.

Do you desire to glorify His name, no matter what He allows in your life?  If your business flops or if it succeeds?  If your health fails or you win a marathon?  If you lose the dearest person in the world to you or a fiery love slips through your fingers?  If you "win the lottery"?  Can we give Him the glory and make HIS name famous...always? 

Listen, if my plane goes down today, I want you to do this:  pray that God gets the glory through everything my life has been.  If I arrive home safely (my prayer, of course) still . . . pray that my life, my ministry, this blog, my beauty products business - - the whole of my life will continue to make His name famous, to glorify Him, to lift up Jesus' name, not my own.

In copying the links for today's post I realized that the devotional I read was the one intended for this evening, not the one intended for this morning.  However, obviously, this was the one He wanted me to see this morning and to massage the beautiful oil of His divine words into my soul. 
Because He is good . . . all the time.  Perfect!

Our Father, which art in Heaven,
Hallowed be Thy name . . . 
Thank you, Father, for giving us a "timely word", just when we exactly need it, for meeting ALL our needs, through our Savior, Christ Jesus!

Sources:

http://biblehub.com/devotions/Evening_May_6.htm

beautycounter.com/genahood

Living in Deception City

In the second half of Isaiah 28, God speaks through Isaiah to those Jews who mock Him with their claim that, because they are Abraham's children, they will escape judgment.  These people were deceived.

Deception is one of the evil one's most powerful tools.  I've encountered it repeatedly, in the lives of those I love the most.  At times, I've been a victim.  I'm not talking about making an error in judgment; we all make those, and then hopefully repent and are restored.  I'm talking about the bondage of deep deception.

Look at verse 15 here.  The deceived are speaking:

"For we have made a lie our refuge.

We have hidden ourselves in a deceitful word."

These folks have been seduced and led astray by a false teaching that originated, not from the word of God, but rather from the adversary of our faith, Satan.  After being led astray, they did not seek to find the counter-argument, the truth, because the lie was what they wanted to hear.  It "tickled their ears".   As a result, they embraced the lie, camped out there, and remain there still, enslaved.

Jesus, in John 8:44, calls Satan the Father of Lies, and says that "the truth is not in him".  All lies and deception are Satan's trademark.  This deceiving of mankind began early, in the Garden of Eden, when he persuaded Eve and Adam to disobey God by eating the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.  Paul, fearful that this same deception evident in the Garden would afflict believers, issued this warning in 2 Corinthians 11:3 - - 

"But, I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness,

your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ."

We must be on guard for this because, yes, Satan's deceptions continue to this day, in various forms.  Here are some of the most powerful deceptions:

1.  There is no God.  Psalm 14:1 - - - 

"The fool has said in his heart there is no God."

2.  I will not be judged for my sin.  Again, Isaiah 28:15 - - 

"When the overwhelming judgment sweeps by, it will not reach us."

Galatians 6:7

"Don't be deceived.  God will not be mocked.  Whatever a man plants, he will also harvest."

3.  God's written Word, the Bible, is just an ordinary book.  Who builds their life on a book?!

Of course, the most famous verse where the Bible testifies of itself is Hebrews 4:12-13, where we are told that the Word of God (the Bible) is alive and active and that its power is so sharp that it pierces the soul and spirit.  Here we go, from The Message - - - 

"His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon's scalpel, cutting through everything, 

whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey.

Nothing and no one is impervious to God's Word.

We can't get away from it - - - no matter what."

And neither could the Jews of Isaiah 28.

If you take the time to study the "proofs" of the Bible, you will be astounded.  I strongly recommend you do that, Christian, if you have never done so.  Here are a couple of books for your consideration:

The New Evidence that Demands a Verdict, by Josh McDowell.

Know Why You Believe, by Paul Little.

There are other good ones.  Feel free to list them in the comments for this blog.

4.  If there is a God, he certainly is not good or fair.

A quick Google search reveals over 60 Bible verses that proclaim the goodness of God.  A couple of great ones are Psalm 136:1 and Psalm 100:5.  Those deceived proclaim this lie because they do not understand the complex mind of God nor His workings as revealed in Scripture or in our world.  The truth is that God is much better to us then we deserve.  I don't want "fairness" from God.  If I received "fairness", I would deserve Hell for my many sins.  As it stands, I have received mercy and grace from God, and accordingly, have salvation, peace and eternal life.

5.  God doesn't, can't, won't love me.  I'm not good enough.

Oh non-Christian Friend....it was for that very "not good enough" that God gave His Son for us! NONE of us, I repeat, NONE of us could ever be "good enough" to please God!  That is why there is grace!  Here is the truth from Titus 3:5:

"Not by works of righteous which we have done,

but according to His mercy He saved us..."

As I mentioned earlier, the most heartbreaking instances of deep deception are experienced in our own lives and in the lives of those we love.  How do we counter that?  Sometimes we try to beat them over the head with the Truth.  That is almost never effective.  In fact, it often serves to drive them deeper into their warm, cushy lies.  Our best weapons are prayer, fasting, being a Christ-like example and showing them how much we love them.  That does not mean affirming their choices, but it does mean demonstrating to them that we love them in spite of their choices.  Then, in a way to share the truth, season your conversations with thought-provoking, Scripture-based questions.

These strategies are listed in order of importance.  Only the Holy Spirit's power can break the deep bondage of deception.  In casting around looking for additional study tools on the topic of deception, I found a book that intrigues me.  It's called, The Jezebel Yoke:  Breaking Free from Bondage and Deception, by Sandie Freed.  (Yes, I guess that really is her last name!)  I can't recommend this book because I have not read it; but, it does look compelling.  The author "calls out" deception in its many forms so that believers can recognize it and then lays out spiritual weapons of warfare, for dealing with the lies and "getting free".

I challenge you to examine your own life.  Is there some area in which Satan has deceived you? 

If so, run as fast as you can to Jesus!  Catch the next train out of "Lie Town".

I saw on Facebook the other day one of my friends who, as a fundraising motivator to her stakeholders had allowed herself to be duct-taped to a concrete wall.  There she was, feet off the ground, totally bound to the wall by many layers of strong tape.  It was a hilarious picture.  But, it paints a picture too of the bondage that people can experience from spiritual deception.  When we embrace Satan's lies, we become even more bound up and rendered ineffective in the battle as was my friend in that picture.

Christians, even though we have knowledge of the Truth, we can still be held captive by Satan's lies in our Christian walk.  If we want to walk resplendent "in the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ", we must be vigilant and guard our hearts, always being on the look-out against the lies of our enemy, the Devil.  Satan always seeks to pervert the work of Jesus, who is described as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.  The apostle Peter describes Satan as a roaring lion who roams around looking for someone to devour.  Here is the passage from The Message version:

"Keep a cool head.  Stay alert.  

The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping.

Keep your guard up.

You are not the only ones plunged into these hard times.  

It's the same with Christians all over the world.

So keep a firm grip on the faith.

The suffering won't last forever.

It won't be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ - - 

eternal and glorious plans they are! - - - 

will have you put together and on your feet for good.

He gets the last word.  Yes, He does!"

1 Peter 5:8-11

Don't let the enemy eat you up!  Stay alert today, my resplendent brothers and sisters!

Dear Father, as I write these words, my heart just breaks.  I see so many of my dear ones in bondage. Oh Lord, please give us an extra helping of Your mercy which will enable us to break free from the sin that so easily trips us up!  Speak to each one reading this today, Lord Jesus, in that special way that only You and they know, in that personal way that they need to hear.  Pour out your love on us like a mighty, rushing river!  Open our eyes!  Purify us from our sins! Wash us and we will be clean, whiter than snow.  In Jesus' name, amen.

Promise Promise

Let's play a game:
Write down your two favorite promises from the Bible, just the scripture references.  Go ahead and do it.  I'll wait, lol!

OK, now, after you finish reading this post, in the comments section for this blog, please put the scripture references for those.  I'd love to read them!
The Bible is full of God's promises.  He is not a Pinky-Swear God.  No. 
He is the ultimate Promise-Keeper.  He is immutable, unchangeable.  He will never break His word.  How wonderful, yes?  And terrible....for some.

I was reading a verse this morning, Joel 3:20-21. . .

But Judah will be inhabited forever And Jerusalem for all generations. • And I will avenge their blood which I have not avenged, For the LORD dwells in Zion.

That is a terror-invoking promise of God, revealed by the prophet Joel, isn't it?  You can be sure God will ultimately fulfill it.  Best not to be on the wrong side of history in that one.  (What a great couple of verses!  But, I will not allow myself to get distracted, haha!)

So, more to the point:  I got to thinking about what my two favorite promises of God are, and it is really hard to pin them down to two, right?  But, at the moment, here are my two favorites, and both are what I'd call "bookend promises".

The first of my favorites is the last words of Jesus before He ascended into Heaven, at the end of His forty days of interaction with men after His resurrection.  Most call this passage The Great Commission, and the precious promise is at the end.  Matthew 28:16-20 . . 

16Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.17When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

I guess the disciples wondered how that was going to be possible, that "Jesus was going to be with them always" even as He disappeared into the sky.   Yet, just a few days later, on Pentecost, the Holy Spirit arrived . . . to remain forever in the hearts of all of Jesus' own, throughout all generations to follow as well!  Hallelujah!

I want to blog more about Pentecost and the Jewish feast of Shavu'ot later this month, as Pentecost falls on May 20, 2018 and Shavu'ot falls at dusk on May 19 and ends at dusk on May 21 this year. 

The second promise is one I was thinking about yesterday morning. 

There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him;

Revelation 22:3

These are the words of the apostle John, as he was living in exile on the island of Patmos, and as he wrote about Heaven.
Consider this:
These two promises are linked.  The second takes the place, in a way, of the first.

Key point:  when is "the end of the age"?  According to Jesus' words in the gospel of Matthew, the end of the age refers to that time when Jesus has returned to Earth and conducts the final judgment of people, both the living and the dead.1
We see this described in Revelation 20:11-15.

What occurs right after this judgment?  Well, the old heaven and old earth are done away with, and the New Jerusalem, Heaven, replaces both (Revelation 21:1).  This, then, is the eternal dwelling of all who have trusted God in faith throughout the history of mankind, both those in the Old Testament who walked with God by faith, and then in this present age since Christ's first coming, true believers in Jesus Christ as their only hope of salvation, as He is the only way to reconciliation with holy God.

Now, notice in the Revelation verse that we have a totally different paradigm in that new age:
First of all, we will be free from the curse of sin.  Hallelujah!  Think about that!  We have absolutely NO idea what that is like, as every, single one of us has lived with the inborn sin curse every moment of our lives.  What will it be like to be free of that?  I can't begin to imagine, but what a precious promise! 

Accordingly, we will not need the Holy Spirit dwelling IN us in Heaven, because the presence of God will be so strong in that city.  Revelation 21:23 tells us this:

And the city has no need of the sun or of the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God has illumined it, and its lamp is the Lamb.

Paul tells us that we will SEE Him, face-to-face!!  Can you even imagine?  I honestly can't.

Ok, so those are my two favorites.  Don't forget to write your comment below in the Comments section and tell me yours!

Here's a little gem to put some "pep in your step" this day.  Enjoy a little Toby Mac!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4wNpOeakhEM

Source:

1     https://www.gotquestions.org/end-of-the-age.html