Our Unseen Enemy - Part 4: The Liar - Introduction

We have seen that Satan is a manipulator, and a schemer, but one of the characteristics that we most often associate with this unseen enemy is that of lying. We often hear of Satan referred to as the Father of Lies. Jesus called him this in the following passage.

“39 They answered him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would be doing the works Abraham did,
40 but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did.
41 You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God.”
42 Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me.
43 Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word.
44 You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
45 But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me.
46 Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?
47 Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God.””

— John 8:39-47 (ESV)

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The Bible doesn’t talk a great deal about Satan being a liar, yet there are various passages that talk about lying, our thought life, and being truthful. It makes sense that a being whose sole desire is the fall of what God created, and whose characteristics include scheming and manipulating, would also feel at ease with lying.

God has commanded us to not lie.

“11 “You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; you shall not lie to one another.
12 You shall not swear by my name falsely, and so profane the name of your God: I am the Lord.”

— Leviticus 19:11-12 (ESV)

“Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord,
but those who act faithfully are his delight.”

— Proverbs 12:22 (ESV)

“9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices
10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.”

— Colossians 3:9-10 (ESV)

“12 “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done.
13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”
14 Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life and that they may enter the city by the gates.
15 Outside are the dogs and sorcerers and the sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.”

— Revelation 22:12-15 (ESV)

It would seem that God absolutely does not approve of lying, in fact, to Him it is an abomination. Those who practice lying will not be allowed into the Celestial City of God. I am a firm believer in honesty. Have I lied? Yes, and I have always felt bad about it and tried to repent as soon as possible.

Do you know why Satan uses this tactic so frequently? He uses lying because it is easy. His ability to prod and manipulate a person might cajole them into telling a small lie, but the small lie becomes another, and soon another, and eventually, lying is a chronic condition. All Satan had to do was get the ball rolling.

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An analogy comes to my mind about the ferocious carnivore, the Tyrannosaurus Rex. It has long been touted that this beast was the king of dinosaurs, tromping about in prehistory, gobbling up his prey like a toddler would gobble up candy that was within his grasp. While it is true that he was large, toothy, and made a formidable opponent, many times he fed off the carcasses of other beasts that had previously died. It seems Mr. T-rex wasn’t always the most motivated when it came to obtaining his supper.

Satan is much the same way. He will do as little work as possible to obtain his desires. He knows the sinful nature of humanity will go a long way to achieving his goals; all he need do is arrange a meeting, whisper a lie, and let hatred, pride and lust take over.

“Listening to counsel or ways of thinking that are not according to the Truth is the first step in developing wrong beliefs that will ultimately place us in bondage. Once we have listened to the lie, the next step toward bondage is that we . . . DWELL ON THE LIE.””

— Nancy Leigh DeMoss - Lies Women Believe: And the Truth that Sets them Free

In order to do this tactic of Satan justice, I feel that I need to divide this into three more posts. It is essential that we understand what this tactic looks like and how it affects our world view. Over the next three weeks I am going to look at three areas that are affected by our unseen enemy’s lies and how these are brought about. I will divide these posts as follows:

1 - Lies that affect our view of God.

2 - Lies that affect our view of ourselves.

3 - Lies that affect our view of others.

May the Source Be With You: An Exclamation, an Explanation and an Effect

Last week we looked at John 4:7-26. This passage of scripture tells us about the encounter a Samaritan woman has with the Lord Jesus. We learned that Jews and Samaritans had long been bitter enemies and would not talk to each other, let alone would a Jewish man approach a Samaritan woman to give him a drink. Jesus did, however, and a conversation ensued that would not only change the woman’s life, but the lives of many in her village. Let’s look at the next part of the passage.

“27 At this point His disciples came, and they were amazed that He had been speaking with a woman, yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why do You speak with her?” 28 So the woman left her water pot, and went into the city and *said to the men, 29 “Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not the Christ, is it?” 30 They went out of the city, and were coming to Him.”

— John 4:27-30 (NASB)

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The Exclamation

We can see in the verses above, the disciples were “amazed that He had been speaking with a woman.” They did not question him however, and the woman, who was obviously so excited she left her water pot behind, went into the city and exclaimed, “Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not the Christ, is it?”

I find it interesting that the men of the city listened to her. Once again, I think this woman, while not the most proficient at keeping a husband, seemed to have some amount of sway in the community. She asks them to confirm what she was already on the verge of believing herself: Jesus was the Messiah. She was not afraid of being laughed at, bullied or ridiculed. Her excitement seemed to overflow and she could not resist the urge to let the truth of what had happened to her and what Jesus had taught her, bubble forth, like a spring of water.

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“31 Meanwhile the disciples were urging Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” 32 But He said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” 33 So the disciples were saying to one another, “No one brought Him anything to eat, did he?” 34 Jesus *said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work. 35 Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest. 36 Already he who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for life eternal; so that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. 37 For in this case the saying is true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 38 I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored and you have entered into their labor.””

— John 4:31-38 (NASB)

The Explanation

After the woman left, the disciples seemed overly concerned with Jesus’ physical need for food. Knowing their eyes were still not open at this point to His true identity he takes a few moments to teach them about His true purpose and mission, to do the will of His Father and to accomplish His work. He draws an analogy from the fields around them likening them to the harvest of souls for eternal life. While I am not Bible scholar, it seems to me, Jesus was not only teaching them about His purpose, He was going back to answer their initial question as to why He was talking to that woman. She was part of the harvest that He was going to reap. He was also drawing the parallel that physical food is not as important as doing the will of God.

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“39 From that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all the things that I have done.” 40 So when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they were asking Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. 41 Many more believed because of His word; 42 and they were saying to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world.””

— John 4:39-42 (NASB)

The Effect

It is with excitement and awe we read about the effect of this woman’s testimony. The Word is clear, “From that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, ‘He told me all the things I have done.’” Jesus stayed on two more days at their request and, “Many more believed because of His word.”

There are several things I want us to take away from this: As women we have value, we can and should be bold, and we have the source of living water.

What prompted me to go this direction on my Faith page was a devotion I read in Oswald Chamber’s My Utmost for His highest. If you regularly follow me, you know that is one of my favorite devotional books and I use it regularly. The title of September 7th’s devotion was, “Fountains of Blessing.” You can read the entire devotion by clicking on the link.

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Our value is directly tied to the fact that we are a creation of God, and His Son, Jesus, chose to give His life for our eternal well being. It doesn’t matter if you are a man, woman, adult, child, black, white, red or yellow; you have value because of who God is and who you are to Him.

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We can and should be bold in our witness for Him. That doesn’t mean we need to know special verses or have just the right words to say. All we need to do is be obedient. If He gives us the opportunity to share the gospel, we need to do it. If we merely share what Christ has done for us, or as the Samaritan woman did, share that Jesus knows everything about us, yet He still loves us. There is nothing in the Bible that says we have to be another Billy Graham to share God’s love. Believe me, in the world we are living in right now, we need to speak truth, His truth, even if it is uncomfortable.

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If we have the Spirit of Jesus living in us, we are a fountain of living water for everyone around us. A fountain continues to give water, at all times. It doesn’t get tired or turn itself off, because its source is coming from deep down inside. Recently, I have seen how Christ has been this source of living water in my own life. It seems everyone around me, needs something and many around me are tired, overwhelmed and negative. All of that has the tendency to suck us dry. However, when I know the source of my strength, joy and peace is coming from Him, I never do run dry. His living water keeps me from becoming a desert wasteland.

The best way to receive the living water is to know the source of that living water. If you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior you already have that source and you only need ask and He will give you refreshment over and over.

I hope you are having a great weekend and don’t forget to spend some time going to the source .

May the source be with you always!

Be Encouraged! Remembering God.

I am really struggling with so many different things, that I am not sure what to write about. Being a faith based blogger means that many people will simply overlook my blog, because they have no interest in anything having to do with religion. I can understand that, because my husband watches a plethora of YouTube videos on survival, boxing and other “manly” types of topics. He has no interest in fashion, so why would he stop and read a fashion blog. The same is true for faith based topics. Why would a person stop to read a chapter in the Bible when they have no interest in what is written there? Why would a person read a cook book, who could care less about learning how to cook?

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As Christians, I think a lot of us are struggling with how to respond to the goings on in our world right now. I know I am. How do I instill courage when we are faced with people dying from a virus that we still know so little about? How do I know the difference between what is real news and what is made up just to get a reaction? How do I talk about race and injustice, when what I say might be taken as racist or unjust? These are all questions I have asked myself over the last few months.

I know I am just a small blog with only about 250 subscribers. I don’t do much with affiliates and retailers to promote products and make money. Sure making money would be great, but the purpose of my blog has never been about making money. The purpose was to encourage. I think we all could use a big dose of encouragement right about now. I realize I won’t reach a lot of people and that is okay, but maybe I can reach you. Maybe you need to hear something I am going to say today, or maybe this is just God’s way of enabling me to cope.

What do I do when I am upset? I write. Here are a few things I know I need to hear right now, and maybe you do too.

God is in control.

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This may seem a bit unsettling to you. You might be thinking, well, if He is in control then why is there so much bad stuff going on? However, the facts are this, God is bigger than all of us and all that is going on. He is the Creator. He formed the world from nothing and spoke with just a few words the entirety of the natural world. When he was finished with all of that, He decided the natural world needed a caretaker and He created man and woman out of dust. Yes, you heard that right, dust. After they were formed into what we now know as our human bodies, He breathed life into them. Just a simple breath gave us life. If you think an almighty being like that doesn’t have this all figured out already…well, you have a few things to learn.

“29 Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.
30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
31 So do not fear; you are more valuable than many sparrows.”

— Matthew 10:29-31 (NASB)

You are known.

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It is very easy to forget this in the bumbling chaos that we call life. When you are young, you have your whole life ahead of you, with countless opportunities. When you become an adult maybe you decide to marry and have children and you suddenly have more to worry about than just yourself. Life becomes a tangled dance of crazy schedules, conflict, and unmet expectations. The things you might have learned as a child, somehow, disappear along the way and you suddenly feel like you are handling all of this alone, and you have forgotten who you are, but God knows you. He has been there from the moment you were conceived. In fact the psalmist states,

“Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.”

— Psalm 139:16 (NASB)

God doesn’t get weary.

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I don’t know about you, but I am tired; tired of reading and hearing about the virus; tired of hearing people argue about politics and social issues; tired of having to be careful everywhere we go; tired of not being able to go see our extended family or get together with friends. I may be tired, but the one who holds my hand and hems me in behind and before, is not.

“ 28 Have you not known? Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary;
his understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the faint,
and to him who has no might he increases strength.
30 Even youths shall faint and be weary,
and young men shall fall exhausted;
31 but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.”

— Isaiah 40:28-31 (ESV)

God is always present.

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God is always with us. He doesn’t wander off to get a drink, or take a nap, or go do His laundry. He is a being that is both eternal and omnipresent. He is not confined by space or time, nor influenced by the mistakes of the past or the foreboding of the future. He is constant and His presence is with us both continually and continuously.

“9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.””

— Joshua 1:9 (ESV)

The above verse is one of my favorites. I love that God reminds Joshua ( and us), that it is a command to be strong and courageous. We are also commanded to not be frightened or dismayed. The word dismay means to lose our courage. God then gives us the reason we are not to be fearful or lack courage, but strong and courageous, because He is with us wherever we go.

“17 The Lord your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.”

— Zephaniah 3:17 (ESV)

The following quote is from My Utmost for His Highest:

“Having the reality of God’s presence is not dependent on our being in a particular circumstance or place, but is only dependent on our determination to keep the Lord before us continually. Our problems arise when we refuse to place our trust in the reality of His presence.”

— Oswald Chambers - My Utmost for His Highest - July 20

If we do not believe in the reality of His presence, we will never know that His is present.

God doesn’t change.

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I am often in need of hearing this. With life all around us rapidly shifting and changing, it is good to know that He is a constant in our lives. Our God isn’t changed by pandemics, natural disasters, social unrest, war, political elections or upheaval.

“8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

— Hebrews 13:8 (NASB)

“19 God will hear and answer them—
Even the one who sits enthroned from of old— Selah.
With whom there is no change,
And who do not fear God.”

— Psalm 55:19 (NASB)

“14 “And to Him was given dominion,
Glory and a kingdom,
That all the peoples, nations and men of every language
Might serve Him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
Which will not pass away;
And His kingdom is one
Which will not be destroyed.”

— Daniel 7:14 (NASB)

I hope that these verses have reminded you of how loved you are and that by following Christ, you are standing on a foundation that is unshakable.

Thanks for taking a few minutes to stop by the blog. Have a good day. Keep laughing and keep looking up.

His Purpose, My Benefit

Most of us go through life thinking we have some semblance of control over what is going on around us, but I am sure if we didn’t realize it before, we now realize we really don’t have control over anything other than ourselves. We may not even have much control over that, to our dismay. Let’s face it, we don’t control the weather, the traffic, the price of gas or groceries, or the reaction of the drivers in front or in back of us. As we have learned in the last few months we can’t control a virus like COVID-19, at least not yet. While it is true we have found cures, vaccines and preventatives for many diseases in the past, we do not have control over what disease will pop up in the future and wreak havoc on our world, just like COVID is doing now. Wouldn’t it be nice if life and our world came with a reset button? Just flip the switch and everything will be like new.

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“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. ”

— Romans 8:28 (NASB)

The verse we are looking at today is a more well known verse in the Christian community. Even people who make no claim to Christ as their Savior understand that even bad things have a purpose and can bring about a greater good. Look at a natural disaster like a forest fire. The fire, while devastating in its initial claim on natural life, also serves as a catalyst for rebirth and growth. Some of you may know that certain pine cones only open to release their seeds during times of great heat, like that of a fire.

Image by Henryk Niestrój from Pixabay

Let’s take a closer look at the truth found in this single verse.

And we know…

It says that we know. Our knowing had to come from somewhere. Where did it come from? The knowledge talked about in this verse is knowledge given by God, through Jesus and the Holy Spirit. We do not find this knowledge in a book, other than the Word of God and we will not find this knowledge in the most scholarly universities. We gain this knowledge as we sit in His presence.

“Cease striving and know that I am God;”

— Psalm 46:10(a) (NASB)

…that God…

I am choosing to give this two word phrase a place of its own because of the importance of this Being who is present. God is here. He is active. He is not just sitting around, He’s involved. His presence is with us through every trial, difficulty and trouble. You and I are never alone, when God is near.

“The Lord your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy, He will be quiet in His love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.”

— Zephaniah 3:17 (NASB)

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…causes…

God is the one at work here. He is a God of action. His movements are not known to us, but they are done for us. This is not to blame God for all the terrible things that happen. There is the matter of sin and free will. However, God is able to take all of it, the good and the bad and move it, creating a new thing entirely.

“for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”

— Philippians 2:13 (NASB)

…all things…

Let me clarify this for you. The word all, means everything. There is not one thing that God is not aware of or involved in. The good, the bad and the ugly are all things, things that He is able to change into something else.

“I will cry to God Most High, To God who accomplishes all things for me.”

— Psalm 57:2 (NASB)

…to work together for good…

All these things that God is aware of and involved in; these things He is causing to work together for good. Like the raging flame blows its heat consuming the tree that bears the cone, is needed by that very same cone to reseed the forest, so too God uses the heat of the flames of difficulty to work for our good.

You might be wondering at this point, what is the good that He is working out, if our loved ones are gone and our jobs are forfeit? What is the good when our marriages crumble and our children walk away from all they’ve been taught? The good is His good. He uses those flames and that heat to bring new birth to our souls, if we but let Him do it.

“28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.””

— Matthew 11:28-30 (NASB)

…to those who love God…

This then becomes the most important question. Do we love Him? As Jesus asked Peter by the sea of Galilee, “Do you love me?” If we truly love Him, our lives will be consumed with His will and His good. We will see that He alone knows what is best and what is best is walking with Him, abiding with Him and tending His sheep.

“He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?”
Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?”
And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.”
Jesus said to him, “Tend My sheep.”

— John 21:17 (NASB)

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…to those who are called according to His purpose.

What is this purpose we are called to? To be like Christ.

“15 but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior;
16 because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.””

— 1 Peter 1:15-16 (NASB)

But not only that, it is our purpose to glorify Him.

“6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials,
7 so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;
8 and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,
9 obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.”

— 1 Peter 1:6-9 (NASB)

In addition it is our purpose to be obedient.

“16 Rejoice always;
17 pray without ceasing;
18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

— 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NASB)

God’s purpose is our benefit. To make us more like Christ, to honor and glorify Him is the greatest benefit we can receive.

My Prayers, His Groanings

We are going to dive back into Romans chapter 8. This next section of the chapter is labeled “Our Victory in Christ.” I’m thinking this is something we all need to hear right now, especially in the midst of our current situation. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I know I am daily struggling with the flesh; feeling extremely tired, discouraged and unmotivated.

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I found an article that I would like to share that makes a lot of sense. The main point of the article is that we are all grieving. We often think that grief is only something felt when someone dies, but the reality is that every change we go through can proffer some sort of grief, even the good changes. The last few months have been fraught with changes. Many have lost their jobs. All of us have lost the normal routines we had of children going to school and taking ourselves to work or to college. We can’t go shopping or thrifting, to movies or sporting events. We can’t even get together with our families and friends. Every Sunday, churches stand empty. We can’t even go to the grocery store without wondering if we will too will become another statistic. All these changes have put each one of us into a place of grief. For more details read this article by Robert Weiss, PhD, MSW titled, COVID-19 and the Grief Process.

Let’s take a look at the next two verses of Romans 8.

“26 In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words;
27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”

— Romans 8:26-27 (NASB)

In the same way…

We have to pause for a moment and ask ourselves what this phrase is referring to. Looking at Matthew Henry’s Bible Commentary gives some insight. He says that this refers to the previous privileges Christians were given, that of being an heir or being adopted by God and that of being redeemed by God. What follows are several more privileges we have.

…the Spirit also helps our weaknesses…

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Obviously we have many weaknesses. As I spoke of in the preceding paragraphs, we are dealing with our flesh and this idea of grief on a regular basis. These particular verses are referring to our weaknesses in prayer. Who, as a Christ follower, doesn’t struggle with prayer? Whether it is actually doing it at all, or doing it regularly, or spending very much time doing it, we all struggle to have a regular, consistent prayer life. From these verses, it would appear that even a pillar of the faith like Paul struggled with prayer. What is this weakness we struggle with?

…for we do not know how to pray as we should…

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Do you have this problem? I sure do. I can’t tell you how often I feel like I need to pray, but then, when I actually start praying I am at a loss for words. I don’t know how to pray for certain situations, or people, not for a lack of understanding, but for a lack of vocabulary. How do I tell God I want this person I love so much to come to Him? I don’t even know where to begin or how to pray, except to acknowledge they need Him. In our current circumstances of course we want to pray for the safety of family and friends; for health care workers and other essential people like the clerks at the grocery stores, but where do we even begin.

My spouse has this prayer that we now laugh about, but in reality it makes a lot of sense. When we were going through an especially difficult time with our younger daughter we would pray together. While I would launch into several minutes of beseeching the Lord and praying scripture, my husband would just pray, “Clean up in Aisle 7, Lord!” It was his true, heart felt prayer and probably just as meaningful to God as my own wordy prayer.

The point is, we often don’t know how to pray, but this is the beautiful part; we don’t have to.

…but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings to deep for words…

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This is an amazing truth. If we are in Christ, and we have His Spirit in us, He is praying for us. I don’t know how that makes you feel, but it is an overwhelming idea to me. This almighty, all powerful being, who created us from the dust of the earth prays for us. But, that is not all. He prays for us with such depth of feeling that it turns into actual groanings, rather than words.

…and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is…

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Who is the one who searches our hearts? God, the Father. He is the one searching to see what our desires are and where are prayers are coming from. He also is the one who knows what the mind of the Spirit is. It is the Spirit who is sorting out our prayers. He is the one who filters our requests showing what is in accordance with God’s will and what is from our will. He is like the farmer on the threshing floor, winnowing the grain to separate the wheat from the chaff. The Father trusts the Spirit, knowing that His mind is in accord with His own.

…because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

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We need to face reality here. Our prayers are not always pure. We are not always operating with God’s interests in mind. I know that many of my prayers have been wrought out of my own selfish desire to not have trouble or difficulties in my life. I also know that I often pray that others, the objects of my prayers, will not suffer too much, because I also don’t want to suffer. The problem with that is, I may not be praying for God’s will in their lives. I might want them to be saved, but I don’t want it to hurt. I might want them to suffer, but not so much that I suffer as well. I believe the Holy Spirit is essential in making our prayers, God worthy.

I am not saying that we have to pray a certain way. As I shared earlier a prayer like, “Clean up in Aisle 7,” is just as pure and viable as the prayer that is filled with scripture and heart felt tears. What I think is important is that we approach prayer with the knowledge the Holy Spirit is going to be involved, so why not just be honest. God can handle our honesty.

The Holy Spirit is going to intercede for us, according to the will of God, not according to our will. While I think it is important to be “real” when we are praying, I also think we need to get to the point where we really do want God’s will more than anything. This is not an easy place to get to, but true, life changing prayer is going to revolve around the statement Jesus made in the Garden of Gethsemane.

“...Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.”

— Luke 22:42 (NASB)

Creation Groans

When we start delving into today’s portion of scripture, I think you will agree with me that it is quite apropos. Without further delay, let’s look at Romans 8:18-22.

“18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
19 For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.
20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope
21 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now”

— Romans 8:18-22 (NASB)

I’d like to start with verse 22 and then look at what comes before. The following are a few images I took from Pixabay, which is a website that offers free stock photos for anybody who needs a picture for a blog or other internet posting. Verse 22 says that creations groans and suffers the pains of childbirth. Why is this so?

Terrorist Attacks

Image by JL G from Pixabay

The first picture is a made up image, but the second is the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers in NYC in September of 2011.

Natural disasters

Image by David Mark from Pixabay

Image by WikiImages from Pixabay

The first image is the aftermath of the Oklahoma tornados in 2019. The second photo is what is left after a tsunami devastated a costal town.

Wars

Image by Welcome to all and thank you for your visit ! ツ from Pixabay

Image by Jordy Meow from Pixabay

The first is an old stock photo from the end of WWII; the second part of the devastation in Nagasaki, Japan after the nuclear bomb.

Disease

Image by Terri Sharp from Pixabay

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Obviously, these last two are fairly current. We all are feeling the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many have died. Many are ill. Most are feeling the fear that accompanies something of this nature. Our world is groaning under the burden of sin; the burden of hatred, tragedy, war and disease.

Let’s go back to verse 18 and take it apart.

…for I consider…

The idea to consider something means to think about it; mull it over; let it sit in your brain for a spell.

…that the sufferings of this present time…

This phrase is just as pertinent today as it was when Paul wrote this letter to the church at Rome. For them it was the suffering of persecution, but it really doesn’t matter what sort of suffering you are going through. Whatever it is, it is happening right now.

…are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

We can feel pretty strongly about the sufferings we go through. There are times suffering seems impossible to bear. There are people who give up, taking their own lives and often the lives of others around them, because they cannot bear the suffering. Take that feeling and multiply it tenfold. You don’t even begin to be able to compare it to the glory that is yet to be revealed to us.

“The sufferings are small and short, and concern the body only; but the glory is rich and great, and concerns the soul, and is eternal.”

— Matthew Henry's Bible commentary on Romans 8:18

You might be thinking, who cares about what is to come? The struggle is here and now, and hoping for some vague glory in the future doesn’t do any good to ease the suffering I am going through right now. That is where you are wrong. Placing our belief in a risen Savior makes all the difference in the world.

Remember what we learned over the last few weeks? We are children of God. We are His heirs. We have His Spirit communicating with our spirits. Remember, the last part of verse 17 last week said that if we suffer with Him, we will also be glorified with Him.

Let’s move on to verse 19.

For the anxious longing of creation…

What do you think creation is anxiously longing for? Why is creation anxiously longing? To understand this we must revisit the idea that God created. The first two chapters of the Bible tell the story of creation. It was at this event the partnership of the three-in-one God-head spoke and breathed the world into existence. If you are a creative type like me, you know when you invest yourself in a creative effort it takes a part of you. Creation was a part of God’s creative being. However, in chapter three of Genesis we see the creation that God intended was marred by sin. Ever since sin entered the world, creation has been longing for a return to the beauty and purity it was once intended to have.

…waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.

This event will come about when we are reunited with Jesus; when those who are living are taken up and those who are dead rise to meet him in the air. After Christ returns we will be revealed in His glory to be His children and heirs. Whatever your opinion about pre, mid or post tribulation rapture, there will come a time when we will be reunited with Christ.

The rest of today’s passage further solidifies the idea that creation was subject to futility, not because it wanted to be, but because God made it so. Why couldn’t God have spared creation and just subjected the ones who sinned, Adam and Eve (humanity) to the resulting disparity? I believe as much as He loved His creation, He loved His humanity more. He created mankind in His image, not the creation. The creation was a result of His creative breath, but humanity was His crowning jewel. To have thrown them out of the garden into a world in which they could not thrive or even survive would have been to have ended the creative effort too soon. Instead, he gave mankind a fallen creation, to work the hardened soil, that mimicked their hardened heart.

Even so, if we look around, we can see, creation groans and suffers, but it also, at least occasionally whispers, sings, shouts and claps its hands in praise of the God of glory.

Image by bertvthul from Pixabay

Image by Larisa Koshkina from Pixabay

Image by Tomasz Marciniak from Pixabay

Image by Dimitris Vetsikas from Pixabay

Image by Andreas Breitling from Pixabay

Image by Domenic Hoffmann from Pixabay

Image by skeeze from Pixabay

Have a great Wednesday, everyone. Keep looking up.

How Will You Answer These Questions?

These last several weeks, I have been looking at the 8th chapter of the book of Romans in the New Testament. The book of Romans was written by Paul the Apostle to the Christian believers in the church at Rome. The basic theme of this book is the gospel message, thus when we come to chapter 8 it makes sense that Paul would discuss the battle between the flesh and the Spirit. We cannot accept Christ as our Savior and then expect to go on living just as we were before we made that commitment. The Spirit of Christ in us changes us, if we let Him have His way with us.

Let’s take a look at the next portion of Romans 8:

“9 You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.
10 But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness.
11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.”

— Romans 8:9-11 (NIV)

I chose the New International Version of these verses because I like the picture it paints. There are three pictures I want to look at in the form of three questions.

1 - What realm are you in?

I like that the NIV uses the term realm. Since I am a fiction writer, specifically trying to focus on science fiction and fantasy, kings, kingdoms and realms are easy ideas for me to imagine. Paul says that we, if indeed, the Spirit of God lives in us, are not in the realm of the flesh, but in the realm of the Spirit. Why, then, do we spend so much time living, working, striving and worrying in the realm of the flesh?

We worry about money. We fuss over our homes, our clothes and our personal space. We worry about our families, our parents, our kids and our grandkids. We obsess over movies and books. We plan for vacations and save our pennies, just in case the economy crashes. We search for the perfect home, car, job and partner. We do all this, pulling ourselves along by our own bootstraps, willing ourselves to fight, to claw, to overcome and to win. All for what? In the end our flesh decays, just like all the stuff and we all end up in the land fill.

That is the realm of the flesh. This realm is built on a garbage heap of lies, circulated by an enemy unseen, who comes unbidden, crouching outside the door of the home we think is so secure, waiting for the opportunity to pounce and devour. Yet, because we live in the flesh, we do not see him. We do not realize the effect he has had on our lives. We do not even care, because out of sight is out of mind.

But, we are not in the realm of the flesh. We are in the realm of the Spirit. This realm is the realm of light. It is light that only those who know the Son can see, if they are brave enough to look. Often, as we walk in the flesh, in this world, we forget that there is a real spiritual world moving and operating behind the scenes. This is the world, that we, who walk in the Spirit, have access to. It is in this realm that things can be changed: hearts moved to Christ, battles won against the enemy, prayers answered, miracles performed.

There is no doubt, we need to take care of ourselves, our families and our affairs, but when we allow this world and things put out there by the enemy to consume us, then we are living, not in the realm of the Spirit and light, but in the realm of the flesh and darkness

2 - Sin or righteousness?

Image by Chetan Dhongade from Pixabay

We are faced with a choice as we walk through life. Am I going to choose to sin or choose to be righteous? What is sin exactly? Sin is anything that separates us from God. Things like hate, envy, lust, murder, adultery, lying, eating too much, spending outside our means, stealing, cheating, gossiping, etc. are all things that bring darkness into our lives. The Bible says God is light.

“This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.”

— I John 1:5 (NASB)

Living in the Spirit means we are fellowshipping with the light of Christ. Our desire should be to be like Him. He was the perfect man.

“You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin.”

— I John 3:5 (NASB)

We should strive to be perfect as well. You might say that is not possible. It isn’t possible if we are living in the realm of the flesh and choosing to sin.

“By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.”

— I John 4:17 (NASB)

This verse says that as He is, so also are we in this world. He was perfect and by His Spirit, we are able to be perfect as well. Don’t misunderstand, as Paul said,

“Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.”

— Philippians 3:12

Our complete perfection will not happen until we are with Christ, but day by day, as we make the choice for righteousness, we sin less and less.

3 - Living or dead?

Image by Foto-Rabe from Pixabay

If Christ is in us and we are walking in the Spirit, rather than the flesh, we will have life. This doesn’t just apply to the afterlife. Many Christians sit around, mistakenly thinking that life only happens after we are dead. While that is true and we who are in Christ will live for eternity with Him, look at what Jesus said in the gospel of John.

“9 I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”

— John 10:9-10 (NASB)

The life that He gave to us, starts the moment we enter through the door of belief in His sacrifice and resurrection from the dead. We don’t have to wait until we get to heaven to have the abundant life.

Does that mean we will never struggle again? Does that mean we will float along with no more storms or difficulties? No way. What we will have is a life that is full of joy amidst sorrow, healing amidst pain and peace amidst chaos. I know, I am living it.

What it really comes down to is one word…Him, Jesus, Lord, Savior, Lover, Friend, Defender….okay, so that is more than one word, but I know, many of you who follow my faith posts, know exactly what I am talking about. You have experienced His peace, love, forgiveness and joy even when your world is rocking like an earthquake of epic proportions.

I leave you with those three questions, based on three little verses in Romans. How are you going to answer them?

Until next time, keep fighting the fight.

No Condemnation

I’ve been mulling over what I should focus on in my life as a Christian. There are so many areas where I need to improve or, as I talked about last week, have some discipline. The unfortunate reality is, we can talk all we want about making changes, doing better, being better, but if we don’t actually do it, then where are we? We find ourselves like that noisy gong or clanging cymbal mentioned in I Corinthians 13.

“If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.”

— I Corinthians 13:1 (NASB)

Image by Hans Braxmeier from Pixabay

Right now, I feel as though God is impressing on me, once again, the importance of prayer. A few weeks ago I had a devastating dream about my younger daughter. In the dream she had died, yet I could see her and it was like she was talking to me. She told me she had cancer and she hadn’t wanted anyone to know. She wanted to die alone, so no one would be grieving over her as she died. It was devastating. I woke up and kept reassuring myself, it was only a dream. Unfortunately, the reality is, many young people we know are not following after Christ. They have bought into the lord of this age and the lies he spins. It was from the despair I felt over the aloneness of my girl that I realized we are losing many of our kids, because we have become overwhelmed with life. At least I have.

Image by Rob van der Meijden from Pixabay

I don’t even like to admit this, but I am a failure at prayer. I’m not talking about the daily conversations we have with God; the prayers of thanks, the whispers of panic, the lifting our hands in the air because we don’t know how to pray, prayers. The type of prayer I am talking about is the down on our knees, face in the carpet prayers. I fail at the real spiritual battle prayers. These are the kind of prayers that we need to be praying.

We live in a world where we don’t want to make waves. We talk about kindness, acceptance and love. We want to give and receive acceptance and tolerance. As Christians we have become milk toast; soggy, damp and unappealing. Think about what it is that draws men to Christ. It comes from a heart desperate for meaning and one that recognizes there is a darkness within, wanting to swallow us up, from the inside out. The call of Christ is heard by those who realize there is nothing else, and no one else, who can give life and life more abundantly.

Image by reneebigelow from Pixabay

What then, is it going to take to get me to pray for the people who need His salvation, as desperately as the one who realizes their need to finally give their lives over to Christ?

Over the next few weeks I want to take a look at Romans chapter 8. I feel this ties into, not only the idea of prayer, but the need for discipline discussed last week. I will approach this study in a similar fashion to my Mulling It Over series, as that is what we will be doing as we look more closely at the chapter.

To see the entire text just click on this link to BibleGateway. com, Romans 8 (I will be using the New American Standard version of the text for most of the discussion).

“Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

— Romans 8:1 (NASB)

Out of the entirety of the Bible, this is perhaps one of my favorite verses. There are many other verses I love, such as John 3:16 - salvation in a nut shell, Philippians 4:6-8 - promises against anxiety, Jeremiah 29:11 - His plans are for my welfare, and many, many others. However, this verse is so declarative about my relationship and place in Christ, that when the gnawing feeling of being “less than” returns, I quote this verse and am immediately reminded of my place in Him.

In order for us to getting a running start at this verse and this passage, we need to back up and take a look at some of the verses in chapter 7.

“14 For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin.
15 For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate.
16 But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good.
17 So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.
18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not.
19 For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.
20 But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.
21 I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good.
22 For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man,
23 but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members.
24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?
25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.”

— Romans 7:14-25 (NASB)

Image by Mabel Amber, still incognito... from Pixabay

It is as if the Apostle Paul was walking a mile or two in my shoes. Obviously, this is applicable to all of us as human beings. We wage war in our flesh. We want to do what is right or good or even good for us, yet our flesh is unwilling and battles against all that is good. I concur with Paul, “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.”

Those two verses really sum up how I feel. I want to pray. I want to do what is good. I want to be healthier. I want to eat better. I want to exercise more. I want to be the best wife I can. I want to be the best mom and grandma I can. I want to be the best Christian I can! BUT, I regularly, miserably fail. That leads us to Chapter 8.

I find, what really gets me derailed from successfully having self-control, and being disciplined is the condemnation I feel when I don’t succeed. I messed up, oh well, guess I’ll just eat that bag of chips. It’s too hard to pray, so I guess I won’t even try. Where does that lead? You got it, down a trail of guilt. Guilt often spirals out of control until we no longer even want to do the things that are right or good.

Image by miami car accident lawyers from Pixabay

However, that guilt is not coming from our Lord. Verse 1 of chapter 8 makes that clear. It says there is NO condemnation. Yes, we are convicted by the Holy Spirit when we sin. That voice does not condemn, it reminds and renews. The condemning voice of the enemy discourages and limits. Remember that. Jesus will remind us of what is right and He will give us hope. The enemy will never give us hope. He will always leave us feeling that we lack, and that is precisely why we fail.

We think that we are in this alone. We think that it is in our strength that we are supposed to do all those things that require discipline and self-control, but self-control is a fruit of the Spirit, not something we conjure up out of our own abilities. We fail, because we do not go to Him for the strength and ability to do the things He wants us to do.

Image by walkersalmanac from Pixabay

We will dig deeper into Romans 8 next week, but until then, memorize Romans 8:1 and use it like a sword, every time the enemy make you feel hopeless, lacking and like a failure, because if you are in Jesus you are not condemned.

Traits of a Godly Person: Knowledge

What is it about knowledge that makes us feel powerful if we have it, stupid if we don’t and causes us to pursue it like a wolf seeking its prey? Webster’s online dictionary defines the word knowledge as:

- the fact or condition of knowing something with familiarity gained through experience or association

- acquaintance with or understanding of a science, art, or technique

- the fact or condition of being aware of something

- the range of one's information or understanding

- the circumstance or condition of apprehending truth or fact through reasoning : COGNITION

- the fact or condition of having information or of being learned

- the sum of what is known : the body of truth, information, and principles acquired by humankind

There are two older meanings of the word which include a branch of learning and sexual intercourse.

Image by Nino Carè from Pixabay

Here are a few quotes from other people on what they believe knowledge to be:

“The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.”

— Socrates

“The Seven Social Sins are:
Wealth without work.
Pleasure without conscience.
Knowledge without character.
Commerce without morality.
Science without humanity.
Worship without sacrifice.
Politics without principle.”

— Frederick Lewis Donaldson, sermon at Westminster Abbey March 20, 1925

“Any fool can know. The point is to understand.”

— Albert Einstein

“No thief, however skillful, can rob one of knowledge, and that is why knowledge is the best and safest treasure to acquire.”

— L. Frank Baum, The Lost Princess of Oz

“The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.”

— Daniel Boorstin

One of the wisest men in recorded history, King Solomon, had this to say about knowledge.

“An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.”

— Proverbs 18:15 (ESV)

Image by Vinson Tan ( 楊 祖 武 ) from Pixabay

I could share with you the forms of knowledge, but rather than get bogged down in philosophical terms and definitions, let’s just say for this study there is head knowledge and heart knowledge. Obviously, our head was designed for the purpose of obtaining, storing and using knowledge, in addition to all of the things our brains do, that we actually don’t have to think about like blood circulation, breathing and blinking. The question then is, does the heart think?

The heart, as a muscle in our body that regulates blood flow, does not, itself, think. The brain is still the control center, even when it comes to the beating of our hearts. What then do we mean by heart knowledge? I often associate heart knowledge with our conscience, or for us as Christians, with His Spirit in us. Heart knowledge is that voice of right and wrong that we often hear, telling us to do or not do a certain thing. Heart knowledge also embraces the relationship we have with the Almighty.

We’ve all heard the quote from those sappy sweet Hallmark movies, “Follow your heart.” Or, “What is your heart saying?” But those are just movies. What about in real life? Often people get in trouble for following their hearts, rather than their heads. When it comes to the Christian life, what is the best way to live; by head knowledge or heart knowledge? I think King Solomon had the right idea. Let’s break down that verse in Proverbs into two parts.

1 - An intelligent heart acquires knowledge:

Solomon, himself, shows us in this verse, that our hearts can obtain knowledge. I think heart knowledge has to do with what philosopher’s call procedural or tacit knowledge. This knowledge is obtained through experience. When you first start working a job, you may have no idea how to use the new computer system. Maybe you are familiar with it, but you haven’t actually used it and had it become a regular part of your knowledge base. Once you learn the system, that head knowledge has become heart knowledge and is as easy as breathing (except for the fact that it is technology, which doesn’t always work as it should! Ha, ha.)

Image by Bob Dmyt from Pixabay

Another example of this heart knowledge or experiential knowledge would be a little child. A child knows he/she is not to touch the flame on a candle, because they were told by their parent, but that knowledge does not become heart knowledge until he touches the flame and learns that it hurts. Heart knowledge comes over time and is learned gradually.

2 - and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.

The mention of the ear makes me think that this part of the verse is referring to the head. The ears, eyes and mouth, along with our sense of touch are the ways that we obtain what philosopher’s term, propositional or explicit knowledge. This knowledge we can learn from a book, a speaker, a video and other forms of communication that express or share knowledge. Nurses learn about taking blood pressures, making diagnosis and treating patients. They can translate this knowledge onto a test and pass an exam, but this head knowledge does not become real until it is experienced on the floor during their clinical.

Image by travisdmchenry from Pixabay

Now that we understand the two different types of knowledge, we can move on to why it is important to have both and how this can help us to become more Godly Christians.

There are those who believe head knowledge is the best knowledge. It is only through reading books, studying history and understanding philosophical ideas that we truly have knowledge. This camp does not see the necessity for experience, or at least the necessity for emotional experience. Head knowledge followers actually like to read or listen to podcasts. They love to watch the news and keep on top of all that is going on in the world. Many head knowledge types are walking sources of factual information. Heart knowledge is often looked upon as weak and changing with every whim. Head knowledge without heart knowledge is sterile and lacks compassion.

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

The other camp says that heart knowledge is best. These are the people who love to experience life to the fullest. You’ll find heart knowledge adherents going to concerts, movies and for long walks in the woods. These types have relationships with their pets and are devastated when a favorite character in a book or movie is killed off. Yes, these are the ones who cry during Hallmark movies and good books. Head knowledge is looked upon as unbendable and critical. Heart knowledge without head knowledge can be lead astray and is easily manipulated.

Obviously, most people do not just fall into one knowledge category or the other. Most of us operate somewhere between head knowledge and heart knowledge, although most of us have a leaning one way or another. My spouse is a head knowledge type of guy. He has a Master’s Degree in philosophy, for crying out loud! Me, I’m a heart kind of girl. I cry at kids movies, love books with complex settings and even more complex characters. For years I lived by my emotions, but I’ve learned that I need to have both head knowledge and heart knowledge to be a well rounded adult.

What does all of this have to do with our walk as Christians? Just as we learned from Solomon, we need to have both a heart and a head that seeks knowledge. I’ve broken it down into two lists, just to keep it simple and to keep this post from getting two long.

Head Knowledge - Read the Bible regularly. Listen to good preachers. Study the Bible more in depth (there are plenty of on line helps for studying scripture more in depth - https://www.biblestudytools.com/library/ , https://www.blueletterbible.org/ , https://bible.org/ , and plenty of others.) Read other sources of Biblical knowledge, such as Andrew Murray, A.W. Tozer, D.L. Moody, Oswald Chambers, and a plethora of others. Just make sure that the things you are reading and listening too are Biblically sound (another reason to be in His word and know it).

Heart Knowledge - Worship. I don’t believe there is anything that more quickly connects our hearts to His than to worship in Spirit and in truth. Sing, pray, praise, thank, on your own and with others. Take action. Don’t just read and obtain the head knowledge, but let that head knowledge spur you on to do things. Help out at a soup kitchen, get involved in your church’s children’s ministry, take food to that elderly neighbor who just got home from the hospital, invite people over for dinner to have fellowship. Meditate. Meditation on God and His word was condoned by King David in the Old Testament. This is not some modern, New Age activity. It’s all about where you are placing your thoughts and your heart. I find the best place to meditate is when I am taking a walk, especially on a beautiful fall day or even on a snowy day out in the woods.

I hope that this post will help you and give you understanding of how we are all different and how we, as His people can grow in the Godly trait of knowledge.

Mulling It Over - Part 4

Hi again! I hope you are enjoying this study of 2 Peter 1:1-11. Here is another look at the passage in its entirety.

Pixabay

“1 Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,
To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ:
2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord;
3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.
4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.
5 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge,
6 and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness,
7 and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.
8 For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.
10 Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble;
11 for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.”

— 2 Peter 1:1-11 (NASB)

The last few weeks we have looked at verses 1 & 2 (here), 3 (here) and 4 (here). Today, I would like to ruminate on verse 5.

“Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge,”

— 2 Peter 1:5 (NASB)

As usual, I want to take the verse apart piece by piece.

Now for this very reason also…

I believe this phrase is referring back to the previous phrase in verse 4, “…having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.” The fact that we are in the world means we are exposed to the corruption in it. We are bombarded with images and messages telling us we are the center of the universe and if we aren’t happy with ourselves we can buy this, or do that and all will be well. Unfortunately, there are also darker forces at work that we cannot see, motivating people to do things that are even more corrupt. Evil is targeting our marriages, our families and our children. Because of the corruption that surrounds us due to darkened hearts and even dimmer understanding of the truth, it is for that reason that we also….

…applying all diligence…

What do you think of when you hear the word, diligence? I think of teeny critters like honey bees and ants. These tiny creatures go about their business day in and day out, working to keep their hives or their hills intact and in working order.

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How does Webster define the word diligence?

steady, earnest, and energetic effort : persevering application

I don’t know about you, but I do not always fit into the steady, earnest, and energetic effort description. I really struggle with being diligent in many areas of my life. I put diligence up there with discipline and self-control, which are also words I struggle with. But, here Peter is admonishing us to apply diligence. He’s telling us when it comes to the corruption in the world, we need to be steady, earnest and energetic in our effort to not become marred by it. We are to be like the ant or the honey bee diligently taking care of the people God has given us charge of. That may mean our coworkers, our spouses, our children or our fellow worshippers.

“You should diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and His testimonies and His statutes which He has commanded you.”

— Deuteronomy 6:17 (NASB)

“Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.”

— Proverbs 4:23 (NASB)

“I love those who love me; And those who diligently seek me will find me.”

— Proverbs 8:17 (NASB)

“He who diligently seeks good seeks favor, But he who seeks evil, evil will come to him.”

— Proverbs 11;27 (NASB)

The next few phrases refer back to the idea of applying all diligence. In other words we are to be diligent in each of the following areas:

…in your faith, supply moral excellence…

Why do you think the word faith here is paired with moral excellence? It is my belief that our faith can be easily swayed by the corruption in the world, because we do not adhere to moral excellence. Moral excellence encompasses issues having to do with morality, think Ten Commandments sorts of issues. Whether we are talking about murder, adultery, taking God’s name in vain, jealousy and others, when we begin to loosen our moral suspenders we risk being caught with our spiritual pants down. Our faith is only strengthened and grown as we continue to make morally excellent choices. In today’s world that is hard, but Jesus never said it would be easy. In fact, I am pretty sure that is why He inspired Peter to pen these words. He knew we would need the reminder.

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…and in your moral excellence, knowledge…

Once again, we need to ask, why is moral excellence paired with knowledge? Let’s face it, there is an awful lot of knowledge out there. With the onset of social media, Google and other computer applications we are able to instantly know about everything. Do you want to know what people think about a political issue? Open that can of worms on Facebook or Twitter. Do you want to know what the side affects are for that medication the doctor just put you on? Type it in to Google. Do want to keep track of your calories, your steps, your sleep or your water intake, there is an app for that. We have knowledge pouring into us in at a rate that is not only unhealthy for us mentally, but emotionally as well. If you want to see news stories and videos of people getting handcuffed or beat up, you can access it. If you want to know how to grow marijuana, you can find out. Some will say we are living in the enlightened age. I believe we are living in the burdened age. While it is true that knowledge is power, knowledge can also be a weighty thing to carry around.

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However, Peter was not talking about knowledge of the world. He is talking about knowledge of God. The more we know God, His character and His mind, the easier it is to discern what is morally excellent. in order to be diligent in our moral excellence we must learn of and know God. We do that by being in His word, praying, fellowshipping with other believers and by sitting under teachers who specifically adhere to the truth of Scripture and moral excellence.

“Know therefore that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments;”

— Deuteronomy 7:9

“Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

— Psalm 46:10 (NASB)

“Know that the Lord Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.”

— Psalm 100:3 (NASB)

Being morally excellent does not take on the guise of moral judge. What it does do is puts itself in the hands of the Perfect Judge and let’s Him take care it. Being morally excellent doesn’t mean never being tempted, nor does it mean never giving in to a temptation, but what it does mean is knowledge of the perfect forgiver of sins and the way to receive that forgiveness. Knowledge is essential for attaining and maintaining moral excellence.

There is so much more to be learned from these verses, as we could study each and every one of these words in depth. I would encourage you to continue study on your own. Do a word study of the words diligent, diligence, moral, excellence and knowledge. Feel free to share your own experiences with these words in the comments below.

Until next time, have a great Wednesday.

How to Fight Giants

A couple of weeks ago I posted a fiction piece that I wrote about giants. (See that post here.) A week after that I shared with you a few of the giants that I regularly fight in my life. (See that post here.) This week I would like to focus on a few methods for fighting the giants in your life.

We all are battling giants. Most of these we live with, without even thinking about it. Fear, anxiety, depression and selfishness are just a few of the giants that many of us regularly battle. Perhaps you have let the giants take over. Maybe they have moved into your life, unpacked their bags and decided to stay a while. Are you even aware of the giants that are claiming ownership to your space: physical, emotional and spiritual? Often, the first step to fighting against a giant is to acknowledge the “elephant in the room”.

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Name Your Giants

I think it is essential to know what you are fighting. Sometimes we might name one thing, but in reality it is something else. For instance, you might think that the giant you are battling is depression, but in reality it is fear. Scrutinizing your feelings and the circumstances behind them can help to identify what the real giant aka problem is. Here is a list of questions you can ask that might help to identify what giants are hanging out at your place.

1. When do I usually notice this feeling/giant (name the feeling - is it fear, sadness, frustration, anger, self-loathing, etc.)?

2. How often does this feeling happen? Is it only once in a while, every day, only in certain seasons, and so on. I struggle with discouragement, but it is much more prominent during the winter months when there is less sunshine. You can see a previous post I did here on Seasonal Affective Disorder.

3. Are there certain triggers that bring this feeling on or make this giant appear? For example, I struggle with fear, as I pointed out in my previous post. Things out of the norm will often produce a feeling of fear in me. It can be something mundane like going to the dentist, or it can be something fun like planning a trip where I have to fly.

I believe being able to recognize what giant you are fighting will enable you to have victory more often.

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Study Your Giants

When dealing with any enemy or problem it is best to come at it with some sort of knowledge base. If you deal with anxiety read up on anxiety disorder. Don’t just read secular works, pick a few that are written from a Christian, Biblical perspective. Know what the root causes of anxiety are. Become more self aware, not to the point of becoming self absorbed, but to the point of understanding yourself and the people and circumstances around you, so that you know why you are feeling what you are feeling.

Until I finally read up on Seasonal Affective Disorder, I had no idea why I felt so overwhelmed and discouraged during the winter months. Obviously, we all get a little tired of the long winter with the cold, illness and unpredictable weather, but my fatigue was more so than usual and my desire to crawl into a warm hole with a fuzzy blanket was very real. Once I began to look into it, just reading a few online articles I realized that was, what affected me every winter. Knowing what it was and why it happened actually made me feel better. It also gave me access to resources to actually fight against this seasonal giant.

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Fight Your Giants

Before I get to far into this portion of the post I want to clarify that not everyone is capable of fighting their giants without help. Depression can be so extreme that a person can’t even get out of bed, let alone raise a sword and fight. I am not a professional counselor or a licensed, practicing psychiatrist. These ideas are merely coming from my own experiences. I trust that if you feel your giants are too big to battle on your own that you will seek help, both medically and/or psychologically.

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1 - Pray. In our lives as Christians there is nothing more powerful or effective in fighting our giants than prayer. Prayer puts us in contact with the Almighty God and it is from Him that we receive the power, wisdom and tools for fighting our giants.

“The Lord has heard my supplication, The Lord receives my prayer.”

— Psalm 6:9 (NASB)

“May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob set you securely on high!”

— Psalm 20:1 (NASB)

“Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me; Fight against those who fight against me.”

— Psalm 35:1 (NASB)

“Deliver me from my enemies, O my God; Set me securely on high away from those who rise up against me.”

— Psalm 59:1 (NASB)

Rebecca Trumbull

2 - Use scripture. God’s word is powerful. It is compared to a double edged sword. (Hebrews 4:12) Since the Bible is compared to a weapon, it would seem to make sense that we can use it as one. That being said, what does wielding the scripture as a sword look like? That depends on what giants you are battling.

Let me use my own giant called Fear as an example. I have learned over the course of my life that in order to counteract thinking that does not line up with God’s will for us, I have to got to the Bible and find the scriptures that deal with those thoughts. In the case of fear, these are a few of the arrows, I have in my quiver.

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.”

— I John 4:18 (NASB)

“For God did not give us a Spirit of fear but of power and love and self-control.”

— 2 Timothy 1:7 (NET)

If God did not give me fear, then where is it coming from? You bet! From the same place the giants originate, Satan. We would have never known fear except that sin entered into the world. My ability to remember and recognize God’s word as truth, makes a big difference in how effective my weapons are going to be against the giants.

When I become afraid, I go back to the scripture. I quote it, I yell it, I stomp and I shout. My goal is to chase the giant out of my house. I tell him he is not welcome in my life and according to God’s word he has no hold over me. Whether your giant is fear or food, depression or discouragement, selfishness or sexual addictions, scripture is the weapon to ram through that beast’s beating heart!

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3 - Speak truth. In a world where truth has become a relative thing with no concrete foundation it may sound strange to say speak truth, when we are talking about battling giants. However, since as Christ followers we believe God’s word to be truth, then it makes sense to speak this truth and back it with scripture.

If you are being crushed by the giant called Worthless speak this truth,

“I am made in the image of God; Genesis 1.”

“I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Psalm 139.”

“I am loved with an everlasting love; Jeremiah 31.”

“I am chosen; I am royal; I am holy; I Peter 2:9.”

That is truth and that does not sound like a person who is worthless. That truth can help to chase those giants away.

I hope that reading this will give you hope. We all struggle with these giants that are constantly getting in the way of living a free life. I also hope these tips will give you some relief and some victory as you battle your giants.

Mulling It Over - Part 4

Some time has passed since I worked on this passage in 2 Timothy, but I have the time, so I wanted to get back at it. If you remember we were taking a look at 2 Timothy 2:20-26. You can see the first three parts by clicking on each of the links: Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3. Here is the passage again as a refresher. 

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“20 Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor.
21 Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.
22 Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
23 But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels.
24 The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged,
25 with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth,
26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.”

— 2 Timothy 2:20-26 (NASB)

Today's verse is quite pertinent in our society where social media dominates our time. Whether you are on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or some other form of social media there is no doubt that these communication avenues are powerful both in a positive and a negative way. 

“23 But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels.”

— 2 Timothy 2:23 (NASB)

As you know, I like to tear the verse apart. 

But refuse...

I think most of you understand the meaning of the word refuse. Words such as decline, refuse, reject, and spurn, all refer to the act of turning away by not accepting, receiving or considering what is being offered. I like the idea of not even considering. How often do we think about accepting an offer?

How many of you get sales emails in your inbox? How many of those do you read? Of those, how many do you actually click on to look at? If you are like me, you often find yourself clicking over to a site to see what new merchandise they have, and what the current sales offer is. Of course, it doesn't end there. I'll often put a few items into my shopping cart before I finally exit the site. Other times, I actually buy the items I put in my cart. I didn't refuse the offer and actually it started with just a consideration of the offer.

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Now lets move on to what it is we are to refuse, or even consider. 

...foolish and ignorant speculations...

I may get into trouble here, but I believe that a high percent of what is posted on many of these social media platforms are foolish and ignorant speculations. It is one thing to talk about what you did today, share an outfit or post a recipe you want to share, but when these platforms become soap boxes for preaching, arguing or spreading hate, I believe we have moved into the arena of foolish and ignorant speculations. 

Let me say at this point, I am not against having discussions about hard topics on social media platforms, but I believe as Christians we have to be extremely careful what we say and how we come across. Topics can quickly escalate from stating the facts to spewing hateful, emotion based opinions. When I think of what our Founding Fathers meant by Freedom of Speech, I do not know that they were thinking of photos sharing body parts or using explicatives like conjunctions to string sentences together. 

Let's take just a moment to look at the words foolish and ignorant.

     foolish - Webster's online dictionary uses phrases like - showing lack of good sense, absurd or       ridiculous, and marked by a loss of composure. 

     ignorant - Webster's defines this word in this way - destitute of knowledge or education, lacking comprehension, unaware, and uninformed.

Do we really want to look foolish and ignorant when we are putting ourselves out there on social media or any other communication platform. Whether you are having a discussion with friends at the local eatery, posting opinions on Facebook or writing a blog, use discretion when choosing your words. Remember words convey a message, both spoken and written. As Christ followers, we want our message to be one of hope, truth and love. 

Finally, 

...knowing that they produce quarrels. 

Isn't it amazing that Paul, who had no knowledge of social media, knew exactly the kinds of exchanges that could take place when we start rambling off our opinions and feelings without using forethought and caution? Obviously, the tendency towards volatile emotions and conversations has been around since Adam and Eve left the garden. We, by the sin nature into which were born, are protectors of our right to be right, even if we are wrong. 

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Why do you think Paul included these words in his letter to Timothy, who was a young man pastoring one of the early Christian churches? I believe it had to do with Paul's God given understanding of the outcome of such behaviors on the church. Dissension, arguments and quarrels will divide and destroy a church. They will divide and destroy a marriage, a family and yes, even a nation.

Let this verse be our standard when speaking or writing, for His glory and the encouragement of others.

“Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.”

— Colossians 4:6 (NASB)

From Knowledge to Knowing

What is the difference between knowledge and knowing? Webster's online dictionary defines knowledge in this way - "the fact or condition of knowing something with familiarity gained through experience or association..." It can also be defined as, "the sum of what is known, body of knowledge..." The word knowing is defined - "having or reflecting knowledge, information or intelligence."

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From these definitions it would seem to be the case, we can all have some sort of knowledge about many things. I know that two plus two equals four. I also know, water is made up of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. However, knowing two plus two equals four does not mean I know how to do math. Nor does knowing water is made up of hydrogen and oxygen make me hydrated. Knowledge that becomes knowing is a direct result of acting on that knowledge. 

To take knowledge from our heads and make it a part of our lives takes effort. We are not sponges. We do not absorb knowledge and have it make us into a super human computer. We have to do something with the knowledge. Knowing what a number is, and a few, often quoted facts, does not mean we know how to add, subtract, multiply and divide, let alone do more complex functions, like algebraic equations and geometric formulas. To take this step from knowledge to knowing we have to learn. We must sit under the tutelage of one who knows and understands mathematics in order to come to a point of knowing it ourselves. 

In a similar fashion, knowing what components make up water, does not give me the hydration so important for life. I must take the water and actually drink it. That is the only way my body will obtain the life giving qualities that water has. 

In our lives as Christians, we come to have a body of knowledge. We know the Bible is God's word. We know from various passages in scripture of God's love, justice and mercy. We also know about Jesus; His birth, life, death, and resurrection. But how to we take knowledge in our spiritual lives and making it knowing?

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Anyone can have knowledge of God. Plug the word God into Google and see what comes up. However, having knowledge of God does not mean you are a person of faith. I have knowledge of Allah, but I am not a Muslim. I have knowledge of Buddha, but I am not a Buddhist. So what takes us from knowledge to knowing, when it comes to faith?  

“Belief is not the result of an intellectual act, but the result of an act of my will whereby I deliberately commit myself.”

— Oswald Chambers - My Utmost for His Highest - December 22nd

I personally believe that when we do as Oswald says in the above quote, we go from knowledge to knowing. When we apply our will and deliberately commit ourselves to God in a relationship we no longer have knowledge, we know. How does this take place? In a supernatural way, through the Holy Spirit. 

In Biblical times, the word know was associated with sexual intercourse. It implied intimacy. A person who has sex with another in this fashion, goes from knowledge of that person to knowing that person in an intimate way. One of the issues with sex outside the parameters of a committed relationship is the inability to truly know each other. This might partially explain why so many relationships fail. The partners involved have never gone from knowledge of each other to knowing each other. 

The type of knowledge that we want to have of God and of His son Jesus is an intimate one. We want to commit ourselves to Him in a deep, vulnerable way, so that we no longer just know facts and statements made about Him, but the deep inner layers of the Almighty Himself. This is not an intellectual act, other than the thought, "I want to commit myself to God." It is an act of the will, just as much as saying "I do" is an act of the heart. 

For example, read the following verse.

“Shout for joy, you heavens;
rejoice, you earth;
burst into song, you mountains!
For the Lord comforts his people
and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.”

— Isaiah 49:13 (NIV)

In the midst of chaos, I can read that verse and with the eye roll of a junior higher think, "Yeah, right."

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Or, I can commit my will to believe and suddenly it becomes the firm, heart felt statement of, "Yeah! Right!" Now, I get it. God really does comfort and have compassion. I know, because I know (intimately), that He will comfort and have compassion. I have felt it and I have seen it. 

Do you see what happened there? I went from knowledge to knowing. I committed myself to believe the promises in His word and His response to my commitment was to draw me into the deeper knowing of Himself. 

It is God and His Spirit who take us from knowledge to knowing - knowing Him; His mercy and grace; His long suffering and goodness. Merely reading, gaining knowledge and nodding our heads that we believe does not a believer make. It is our act of the will, our choices day in and day out, moment by moment that move us from rote belief and knowledge to true, heart felt faith; to knowing God.