God’s Voice Was Loud and Clear!
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 3:2, 4:17)
Scripture records two people who uttered those words: John the Baptist in Matthew 3 and Jesus in Matthew 4. But I heard someone else say it 21 years ago, and it changed my life forever.
I was deep in despair. The consequences of some very bad choices had brought me to a new low in my life. Suicide seemed like the only way out for me. So, there I leaned against the rail on a wooden deck outside my friend’s home along an old country road when I heard, “Repent, repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
“What did I just hear?” I thought. “Was I having a nervous breakdown?” That voice was not in my mind. It came from the woods just thirty or forty yards away!
Again I heard it: “Repent, repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
I was frightened because I knew I had not imagined that voice. I heard it! It was as audible and clear as if my friend next to me was speaking to me. What’s more frightening is she heard it, too!
That was on a Friday night. My friend told me after hearing that voice that she thought I was demon oppressed. I thought she was crazy. “Demon oppressed?” “What in the world did she mean by that?”
The next day, we drove by a church on our way to lunch and a church marquee read: “The Lord will deliver those who are demon oppressed.” I was startled.
I now realize that Friday night was the beginning of my journey to salvation, which we call “conviction”. But it was that Saturday, and the words on that marquee that really got my attention. “What else does the Lord have to do to get your attention?” my friend asked me.
I struggled with my decision for another day before I gave my life to the Lord. Interesting, isn’t it? Jesus gave his life on a Friday and rose three days later on Sunday. I wouldn’t give my life on a Friday, but struggled with it for three days before deciding on Sunday to trade in my old life in for a new one.
But where did that voice come from? I KNEW I heard it. It was not imagined. I later learned that two teen-aged boys went to their pastor at a small country church nearby and told him the Lord had instructed them to put a speaker in the back of a pickup truck and ride down that lone country road repeating, “Repent, repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” They told the pastor, “There is someone out there preacher who needs to hear that voice!”
Perhaps more miraculous is the fact that the pastor believed those teen agers and instructed one of his adult members to drive them around while they sat in the back of truck proclaiming what both John the Baptist and Jesus said over 2,000 years ago. Those words are as true today as they were then!
Thank God that pastor believed what those two young boys told him they heard and thank God I listened. My life has never been – and never will be – the same again!
An Affair of the Heart
In a permissive society such as ours where mainstream media and the entertainment industry often dictate what is and is not acceptable behavior, it is not uncommon for men and women to become involved in relationships that are harmful and violate God’s principles regarding marital fidelity. Many of us find ourselves faced with the question: As a married person, is it okay to have a friendship with a member of the opposite sex?
Through the years some of my best friends have been male co-workers or guys I knew during my high school and college years. Although I get along well with women, I have always been quite comfortable conversing with males. But as I have grown in my walk with the Lord and comfortable in my marriage, I have had to guard my heart very closely and at times walk away from relationships that became a little too close for comfort.
Dangerous liaisons are more common than we might think, even in our churches. An opposite-sex friendship that doesn’t involve physical intimacy can be just as harmful as an adulterous affair. How can that be? you might ask. Simply put, any relationship that becomes a stronghold in our mind – whether we obsessively justify it on the basis that we are not physically intimate or simply because we hold such admiration for the other individual that our love for our own spouse is diminished – becomes an idolatrous, adulterous affair of the heart. The mind and emotions are powerful forces which, when left untamed, can lead us to think ungodly thoughts and commit ungodly actions before we realize what has happened.
Although physical attraction was a key factor in my relationships as a single woman that has not been the case in my twenty-five year marriage. Nor have I ever given thought to being unfaithful to my husband by having an extra-marital affair. But I have had friendships where the spiritual and emotional connection was so strong that my marriage was threatened and my husband’s security was compromised. The danger of loving someone other than our spouse just a little too much is a very real threat to our marriages and a danger to which we are all susceptible. So how can we keep an opposite-sex friendship from becoming an affair of the heart? The most obvious way would be to not have opposite-sex friendships to begin with, but that is neither practical nor easy, so here are some other thoughts.
1. Keep your priorities in order when it comes to your relationships – God first, spouse second, family third, and so on. “Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God” (Titus 2:3-5).
2. Maintain accountability by making sure that your spouse is aware of the friendship. The surest sign you are headed for trouble is any secrecy on your part regarding the friendship.
3. Do not allow yourself to be in situations where you are alone with the other individual. If your friendship is with a co-worker at the office or in ministry, include another co-worker or your spouse in your conversations or any social situations that may arise. Even something as seemingly innocent as praying together can spark an emotional reaction that eventually gets out of control.
4. Keep communication on a professional level and keep it at the office (no after-hours Facebook, emails, tweets, or text messages!). Stay away from sensitive subjects such as family issues or personal problems, which could expose you emotionally and leave you vulnerable to the sympathy and comfort you may not be receiving from your spouse. Pour out your heart to God or to a godly counselor, not to a sympathetic opposite-sex friend who might complicate matters by making you feel even more confused than you already are! God is more than able to compensate you for what your marriage may lack, and he is the only One who is trustworthy, dependable, and true!
5. Scripture tells us that “if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted” (Galatians 6:1, NIV). In other words, realize that no one is immune from the temptation of an emotional affair. If you suspect a friend is headed that direction, lovingly and gently admonish him or her, but do so knowing that you could as easily fall into temptation.
6. “If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell” (Matthew 5:30, NIV). You may wonder what a hand has to do with emotional adultery, but I like to think of this particular verse in terms of communication and contact information. If you have an unhealthy emotional attachment to someone who is not your spouse – someone who occupies much of your thought life – delete him or her from your Facebook friends, your email contacts, your mobile phone call list, and your address book. As painful as letting go may be for you, think of the pain you are sparing that special friend and the significant others in his or her life, not to mention your own loved ones!
7. Ask God to take the love you have for that individual and turn it into love for God himself. God gives us the capacity to love others deeply, but he never intended us to love any one person more than him. To do so is to make an idol of the relationship, whether it is our marriage or a deep friendship with someone else.
8. “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life” (Proverbs 4:23, NIV). The best way to guard your heart is to surrender yourself completely to the Lordship of Christ and to arm yourself with the spiritual weapons of God’s Word and prayer. Fully clothed in God’s armor, no weapon fashioned against you – whether Cupid’s arrows or Satan’s fiery darts – can stand!
If you find yourself in a relationship you know is not God’s will for you, turn and walk away from it. Only by repenting of your sin, turning from the relationship, and running as fast as you can toward God’s open arms will you find peace and true, lasting love. God proved himself more than sufficient for me and he will do the same for you!
Copyright© 2012 by Dee Dee Wike. All rights reserved. www.deedeewike.com
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The Measure of Our Love
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ” Ephesians 1:3
Have you ever heard or said the words, “don’t you love me”? I guess we all banter these words around, if not aloud, in our thoughts. We think it of those we are closest to when they seem preoccupied with everything and everyone but us. We even think it of our Lord when life has too many ups and downs. I wonder if He ever wonders that about us. Who but God can accurately measure the depth of our love?
While doing a Bible devotional, I realized that even we can measure the depth of our love by how much we are willing to sacrifice. Think about it. Loving others requires some sacrifice from us. None of us are able to love anyone as much as we love ourselves. Therefore, it stands to reason that loving others requires the greater effort.
I am reminded of a woman in the Bible called Tabitha, aka Dorcus. We don’t know too much about her for there are only six verses in the Bible to tell us who she was. They are found in Acts 9:36-42.
Dorcus’ story:
“Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcus: this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did. And it came to pass in those days, that she was sick, and died: whom when they had washed, they laid her in an upper chamber. And forasmuch as Lydda was nigh to Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent unto him two men, desiring him that he would not delay to come to them. Then Peter arose and went with them. When he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber: and all the widows stood by him weeping, and shewing the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them. But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up. And he gave her his hand, and lifted her up, and when he had called the saints and widows, presented her alive. And it was known throughout all Joppa; and many believed in the Lord.”
This dear lady was greatly loved. It is obvious from this brief account that she had quite a reputation for doing good works. Many must have been blessed by the coats and garments she had made. Their weeping tells the depth of their loss. She clearly had demonstrated her love for the widows by her acts of kindness in helping to provide much needed garments for these women who had no one to care for them.
Dorcus had surely fulfilled the command found in James 2:8, which commands us to love with these words: “If ye fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well.”
James 2:17 reminds us that “…faith if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.”
What can we learn from Dorcus?
1. Good works are a demonstration of God’s work in our heart and mind.
As sinful humans, it is unnatural for us to even consider doing something for someone we don’t know. It just isn’t in our nature to put ourselves out for someone we don’t care about. Only when our hearts are changed through the sanctification process, do we develop a desire to reach out to others without thought of a return.
2. Good works are a demonstration of our faith in Jesus.
Since we have received the forgiveness of sin and the promise of eternal life with Him in Heaven, we have a desire to please Him. We look for ways to show our gratitude and love for what He has done for us. Our good works serve as indicators of our love and faith, as He uses us to accomplish His will in the lives of others.
3. Good works area demonstration of our love for others
Jesus gives us the desire to serve Him by serving others. When we perform a good work on behalf of another, it is because the love of Jesus is in our hearts. The Holy Spirit prompts us to love and teaches us effective ways to demonstrate our love. Good works demonstrate the measure of our love.
The story of Dorcus ends with the happy news that Peter has come and after prayer, she is raised from the dead to live again. Many believed in the Lord as a result of this great miracle. She is remembered today for the measure of her love as demonstrated by her good works.
Copyright © 2012 Linda Hull, Words of Encouragement
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New Found Faith Often Brings Wave Of Shame
“So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!” (Matthew 27:54)
When you stop and think about it, there is a wonderful salvation story revealed in this verse because that Roman Centurion was the first man to believe that Jesus died on the Cross to save him. I am sure he felt the shame that many of us felt when our eyes were first opened to the sin that had so dominated our lives. I think that’s what John Newton, who penned the song, Amazing Grace, meant when he wrote:
Amazing grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.
I believe the Apostle Paul experienced a sense of shame after he came to a saving knowledge of Jesus on the Damascus Road. In fact, the Bible records that shortly after Paul was saved, he spent three years in the desert. There’s no doubt in mind that he, too, experienced the wave of shame that Christians who are saved later in life often feel. I think that’s why he once said, “Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12-14)
What we’re really talking about here is the tremendous guilt that can come from experiencing God’s grace. We realize that we don’t deserve the salvation that came so freely. The Bible says that God’s forgiveness is complete. Our sins are totally forgotten. Yet, many of us still seem to be unable to let go of the guilt and shame that come from the realization of what we have done.
Forgiveness isn’t complete until we forgive ourselves. I made that statement in my Sunday School class recently when a recently saved brother asked, “How do you do that?”
It was a great question and I realized as I looked into his eyes that they were now open to sin. His past was beginning to haunt him as it had once haunted me, and so many of us who came to know Jesus later in life.
I believe the answer lies in another spiritual truth, which is that there’s another force at work in our lives, too. Satan often masquerades as light, but the truth is all that confusion that comes with salvation is an attack from the devil himself. He didn’t have to work so hard before we came to know the Lord. But now he’s working overtime to win us back to sin. It’s Satan that is hanging all that guilt and shame around our necks.
The very heart of the gospel is the supreme truth that God accepts us with no conditions when we put our trust in the atoning sacrifice of His incarnate Son. Although we are helplessly sinful, God in grace forgives us completely. It’s by his infinite grace that we are saved; not by moral character, works of righteousness, commandment-keeping, or church-going. When we do nothing else but accept God’s total pardon, we receive the guarantee of eternal life.
The Apostle Paul’s advice is so simple, yet so difficult to follow. The road ahead will not be easy. Indeed, we will strain, but must press on. However, the journey will be much easier if we would just trust in God’s forgiveness and forget what we have left behind. At the end of the day, that’s what faith is all about – trusting what we cannot see.
The Hiding Game
Do you need a helping hand to stop hiding from God? Come talk to a mentor.
“O Lord, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do. You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord. You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too great for me to understand!” (Psalm 139:1-6, NLT)
When my boys were young we played a game called “hiding” at the end of bath time. They would climb out of the tub and I would throw a towel over them as they lay on the floor tucked in and head down.
The fun would begin when, I would start by saying, “Where’s Logan? Where did he go? Is he in the bathtub? No, he’s not there! I wonder where he could be?” I would put my hands on his back as I leaned into the bathtub to see if he was there. Inevitably there would be a giggle from under the towel. I would go on to look under the sink, behind the toilet, in back of the shower curtain, all the while my precious little one would lay on the rug “hiding”. Finally, he would get tired and say, “Mommy, I’m right here!” And he’d jump up from under the towel. They all loved that game and we played it endlessly.
It always amazed me why they enjoyed that game so much. It was so simple and in my adult eyes completely ridiculous. I often wondered how they could believe that they were really hiding from me. As I was reminiscing recently about this game I played with my kids so long ago, I felt God’s whisper, “Don’t you play this game with me?”
“Yes, Lord I do.”
Why do I think I can hide? I KNOW that He is the God of the Universe, that He sees me and knows me intimately and most of the time that brings me great joy. Until . . . I don’t want Him to know what I’ve done, what thoughts I’ve had what words I’ve spoken.
And then I play the hiding game! I curl up in the fetal position with my shame and embarrassment over my head and just like my children, pretend He doesn’t see me, He doesn’t know what I’ve done or what I’ve thought.
I’m not the only one who has tried to hide . . .
Adam and Eve hid after they disobeyed God in the Garden, David was hiding when he tried to cover up what he did with Bathsheba and Jonah jumped on a ship and went in completely the opposite direction to hide from God. (At least I’m in good company!) The Bible is filled with men and women who tried to hide from God, to cover up what they had done, to run from what He was calling them to do.
But look at what it says in 1 Chronicles 28:9 “…For the Lord sees every heart and knows every plan and thought…” Proverbs 24:12 reminds us, “…For God understands all hearts, and he sees you…”
It’s crazy to think that we can hide from God!
But what I find amazing is that even when I’m running from God He is THERE! He loves me with an Everlasting Love. His great desire is to bring me back into fellowship with Him. He stands with arms wide open ready for me to step back into His embrace!
So let go of the shame and embarrassment or that one thing that is holding you back from His embrace and RUN, RUN, RUN into His arms, He’s patiently waiting.
Dear God, When I am tempted to hide remind me that You see me and You love me. Help me to be quick to turn back to You and say, “I’m right here God.” Amen.
Questions: Are you hiding something from God? He is patiently waiting for you to have fellowship with Him. How can you turn your life fully to God?
Storm Clouds
Today, the day began with a storm; actually a thunder and lightning storm! In March! In Ontario!
The weather this winter has been very different to what we normally receive. There have been few snow storms – I can count them on one hand – and so a thunderstorm this morning really came as no surprise.
I am content with this because I don’t “do” snow sports. There are many though who depend on the snow and ice to make a living and I sympathize with their losses.
Life can be unpredictable too! We can have good days when everything is in perfect harmony, then there are days when we seem to be sitting underneath our own storm clouds. We get hit from all directions with trouble of one kind or another, and we can’t seem to catch our breath because of the intensity of life.
When times like this occur, it is a huge help to open your bible – or a bible – and search for words of comfort. There are many to be found, but you do have to open the book and turn the pages in order to find them!
Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Seeking peace through prayer to God, can fill us with a calm and solace beyond our meagre understanding. He will honor our diligent and sincere prayer, and will meet us where we have greatest need of Him.
Psalm 119:135 Make Your face shine upon Your servant, and teach me Your statutes. (NKJV)
Prayer: Abba – we come to You for some peace and quiet. There are too many storms in life and we need the reassurance of Your presence. Please take control and guide us according to what You want for our lives. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Patricia Day
Innisfil, ON
http://pattersmatters.wordpress.com
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Trust – The Center of it All
Is your life off kilter today? We would love to pray for you.
“It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in humans.” (Psalm 118:8)
I received an email from a friend, one of those “you have to read this” emails. They inundate my inbox, especially this time of year. This particular one was one I had heard before, but had shoved way back into the file cabinet of my brain. As I read it again it was a Godly whisper to me to remind me about the center of the Bible.
The center of the Bible is Psalm 118:8. There are 594 chapters before it, and 594 chapters after it (which equals 1188). Psalm 118 is wedged between the shortest and the longest of the psalms. The message is simple and direct: “It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man.”
That’s a pretty cool verse. If we follow that verse right in the middle of the Bible, won’t the center of our lives change? It will be more level like a picture hanging on a hook. It will be right and even, not tilted to the side and wobbly.
Faith is trust without reservations. There are no what ifs, no maybes. Faith is pure trust in a loving God whose utmost desire is to restore His people to Him. That is the Bible in a nutshell. Our LORD is in the restoration business. There is no broken life He cannot renew, no sin He cannot forgive, no hurt for which He cannot provide balm. He knows our lives can be knocked off center which I believe is why He gave us the center of the Bible as a reminder.
What is weighing on your soul, tilting your life to the side? Is it something you have done, or you should have done? If we need disciplining, we may have to endure some time out in the corner. But we can trust He will still be there watching over us. He has not left. He loves us enough to discipline us. He also loves us enough to forgive us. He loves us even now in the middle of our sin.
What if it is something not of your doing? The rumbles of life can tilt us off balance. When someone or something else slants our life out of whack, He is there to dust us off and set us back the right way. Use Psalm 118:8 like the bubble in a level, to make sure you are balanced in the truth, trusting He is there loving you – always, no matter what.
TRUST = Total Reliance Upon the Sovereign Trinity. May having this trust as the center of your life be an ongoing adjustment you make each day, and perhaps several times during your day, to keep it level.
Dear God, We sing about asking You to be the center, to be our hope, to be our guide and I ask for that for myself today. Help me to weigh every choice against the truth of Your word. Help me to choose wisely and to come to You quickly when things go wrong. Thank you for loving me enough to discipline me. Amen.
Question: How will you apply this verse to your life this week?
God’s Last Name Is Not Damn!
“He who would love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit.” (1 Peter 3:10)
When I was a child, my dad hired a housekeeper who would pay me to cuss her out. Can you believe it? It just tickled her to death to hear a child “cuss like a sailor”.
I continued to cuss like a sailor all the way to adulthood. The truth is it became such a natural part of my lifestyle that I actually had to think about when not to use profanity.
But that all changed when I met Jesus. In fact, one of the most visible signs of the change in me was that I didn’t try to stop using profanity. It just supernaturally happened from one moment to the next.
God not only cleansed my tongue, he also cleansed my heart. Today, I can’t stand to hear anyone use profanity, including me. That’s right, I said me. I’m not going to lie to you. I’ve been known to let a word slip out when I get angry and forget the one to whom I belong. I’m not perfect. But when I hear it, I get a check from my Spirit immediately.
That check from the Spirit is important to me because it’s a continuing reminder of God’s presence in my life. The Apostle Paul tells us at 1 Corinthians 3:16 that when we become Christians, God’s Spirit lives in us so that we can have guidance in all that we do. But he later warns us at Ephesians 4:30 that we should never “grieve” that Spirit by using offensive language. In other words, that caution light that goes off in me whenever I hear or use profanity is a supernatural experience. God is speaking to me and he isn’t pleased with what he just heard. I think that’s a signal that every Christian should sense when he or she is within earshot of profanity.
In spite of all my shortcomings, I can’t remember using the Lord’s name in vain since I came to know Jesus, but I do remember how God feels about it. “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.” (Exodus 20:7)
When you think about it, that verse makes an awful lot of sense. If we are brought in this world to show God’s glory in our lives, then we have no right to associate him with the failures that show up.
Billy Graham tells a story about traveling on a plane next to a salesman. Mr. Graham asked him, “Are you paid anything for all the swearing you do?” “No,” was the startled reply. “I do it for nothing.”
“Nothing,” cried out Graham. “You work cheap! You throw aside your character as a gentleman, inflict pain on your friends, break the Lord’s commandments, and endanger your own soul–all for nothing!
Five Labels The World Uses To Describe Christians
“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20)
The world sees Christians differently than it did twenty years ago. We need to look no farther than this year’s presidential primaries to watch this truth play itself out.
What’s going on here? We live in a world of moral relativism, a world that does not believe in absolute truths. Moral relativism believes that man can determine what is true and untrue; what is right or wrong. As Ernest Hemingway said, “What is moral is what you feel good after; what is immoral is what you feel bad after.” But absolute truths, as taught by the Bible, believe that God and not man is the lawmaker. As the Bible says, “Who commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.” (1 John 3:4)
Most Christians don’t agree with the concept of political correctness; and expressions like “live and let live” and “to each his own” are not consistent with the truths espoused in the Bible. What all this means is that confrontation is inevitable. Unfortunately, it usually resorts in some pretty ugly name-calling. Here are a few I’ve read in the newspaper over the last couple of weeks.
1. The world often refers to us as religious. But we are not religious. The Apostle Paul made that distinction when he visited Athens in Acts 17. “Men of Athens,” he said. “I perceive that in all things you are very religious; for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: To the Unknown God. Therefore, the one whom you worship without knowing, him I proclaim to you: God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.” (Acts 17:22-24)
2. Then there are some who will call us self-righteous. They have yet to understand that while we see, and call, sin for what it is, most of us know that we must view it in the context of the sin in our own lives. That’s why Jesus said to those who were about to stone the adulterous woman, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” (John 8:7)
3. Several years ago, I read a newspaper column, written by a pastor, who suggested that the Church’s reaction to Mel Gibson’s hit movie, The Passion of the Christ, was deplorable. “I love God,” he said, “but I have serious issues with an institution that promotes division, stands in support of wars, and hinders authentic spirituality by forcing everyone to look, act and believe the same thing…Religious fanatics are impervious to learning new things.”
4. How often have we heard visitors to our church comment about the hypocrisy that they see? “Your church is full of hypocrites,” I once heard a friend of mine say. “Yes, I replied. We’re very much like the rest of the world. We, too, have our share of sinners who have yet to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.” Ironically, Jesus didn’t care very much for hypocrites either. When the very mention of their name came up, he quoted the Prophet Isaiah saying, “These people draw near to me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me, and in vain they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” (Matthew 15:8-9)
5. Finally, the latest word I’ve heard associated with Christians is homophobe. In other words, because we believe that homosexuality is a sin, it is assumed that we hate homosexuals. This truth was lived out just recently in an interview between Piers Morgan and Christian actor Curt Cameron. While Cameron proclaimed his love for all people, he, 12along with the rest of us, get lumped in with the Christians who show scorn rather than love for those who sin, no matter what the sin may be. But, we have no one to blame other than ourselves. In our zeal to condemn the sinner, some of us have stepped over the line and condemned the sinner, too. Moreover, we have been more silent about what is wrong within our church than we have when it comes to what is wrong in the world.
Religious, self-righteous, fanatic, hypocrite, homophobe: Jesus said, “You will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.” (Mark 13:13) Boy was he ever right about that. Thank God he knows me as a Saint.
Victorious Warfare
If you feel surrounded today, come talk to a mentor.
“Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” (2 Kings 6:16)
You are never alone! One thing is for sure: there is a realm our physical eyes cannot see. There is a host of angels ministering to us, guarding us, and working for us and on our behalf. Whatever you may be experiencing remember first that God is for you, and there is much more taking place in the invisible realm.
Elisha lived from that realm. The things that took place in the natural world did not shake Elisha. Instead, he moved in something beyond what he could see physically. He was taken and possessed by what he could see with his spiritual eyes.
The first eight chapters of 2 Kings tell us of the marvelous power Elisha walked in because of His great faith. From parting the waters of the Jordan, to multiplying the widow’s oil, from raising the Shunammite’s son from the dead to healing Naaman’s leprosy, Elisha foreshadowed Jesus. He was a sign of and the things that we have now fully inherited under the new covenant.
When Elisha saw that the King of Syria was making war against Israel (2 Kings 6) and had surrounded the city with horses and chariots, his servant asked him, “What shall we do?” Elisha answered him, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” To the servant, I’m sure this seemed absurd, but Elisha was about to teach him a valuable lesson of what it means to live from a heavenly perspective. To believe the impossible one must know the truth of the life we live in spirit.
In 2 Corinthians the Apostle Paul says, “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is eternal.” He reminds us in Ephesians 6:10-18 that we do not fight against flesh and blood, but against powers, principalities, rulers of darkness of this age and against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.
Paul wasn’t saying this to initiate fear, but rather, to challenge us to understand the realm that we live in. He was challenging us to take hold by faith His many promises given to us, one of which is the reality that He is greater in us than the one who is in the world.
You are not alone! If it seems you are in an impossible situation, know firstly, that with God, nothing is impossible or too hard. Secondly, ask God to open your eyes to see what He has set before you and whom He has placed around you. God never allows us to be in a situation we are not already equipped to handle, or one He hasn’t already provided for! He has given us Himself so we may be victorious in every battle that comes our way. Live victoriously in His promises!
Open the eyes of my heart Lord! Let me see what is really going on around me. Help my unbelief! Help me take hold of your truth and live by faith in Your word and promises to me. I long to walk in Your ways and live out of a place where the abiding presence of Your Spirit guides every step I take. In the Mighty Name of Jesus, Lord of Hosts. Amen.
Question: How does this devotional speak to you today about not being alone through our trials?