Learning What Not To Do

According to the narrative, on Jesus' instructions, the disciples had taken a boat and were to meet Him on the other side of the lake. Sometime during the night, a storm rose up and the disciples were afraid. It continues, "And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, 'It is a spirit;' and they cried out for fear. But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, 'Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.' And Peter answered Him and said, 'Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.' And He said, 'Come.' And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, 'Lord, save me'" (Matthew 14:25-30, KJV).

For years I thought Peter had failed and some may share that same thought. However, did he really fail?  As a fisherman, he was probably used to storms on the lake but for sure he had never tried walking on water! Stepping out of that boat into the dark embrace of howling winds and raging waters, simply because he heard the voice of his friend and Lord say "Come," was quite the step of faith. When faced with the reality of what was happening around him, who could blame him for taking his eyes off his destination, the place from where he heard the voice? In some respects, isn't Peter really us?  We hear and have the Word of God and even after stepping out in faith, we are still overwhelmed by our different circumstances. Like Peter, some of us have not only started to sink but we have sunk! Yes, we heard the voice of Jesus say “Come,” but. . . but. . . but. . . .We have our buts.

Interestingly, Jesus did not rebuke Peter for looking everywhere else except upon Him; He rebuked him for his lack of faith (v.31). No matter how the storm was raging, he should have kept his faith instead of being afraid. The presence of fear signals uncertainty; a weakness in faith.  Despite our best intentions, our fear often gets the better of us. In one respect, Peter failed. However, in another aspect, he had learned what not to do. Faith in God allows us to look at our challenges without being afraid. When overwhelmed we turn to the rock that is higher than ourselves (Psalm 61:2).

The application for us?  Whenever you have a "Peter moment," whether in your relationship with the Lord or with others, use failure as a stepping stone for success. How so? At least, now you know what not to do. Learning what not to do is just as important as learning what to do, and sometimes we do so through failing. Ralph Marston writes, "Failure is not the opposite of success. Failure is an important component of success." Just ask Peter.

"Don't Worry"

Isn’t it ironic how as professing Christians we trust God with our eternal security but some of us have difficulty trusting Him with the details of everyday life? On the basis of John 3:16 they fully expect to spend eternity with Him, yet seem unable to take hold of Philippians 4:6, “Don’t worry about anything, but pray about everything” (CEV). Is it that God who created the universe, and everything in it, cannot handle the details of the here and now?

God cares about us, and the things that impact our lives, far more than we realize. Like a good and loving parent, His heart breaks as He watches His children wrestle with things that provoke doubt, fear, and rob us of peace of mind and heart as He waits for us to bring those concerns to Him. He did not intend for us to worry about how we are going to make it from one day to the next but rather that we should cast those cares upon Him (1 Peter 5:7). Not some of it, but “all”; everything, nothing – not even what seem to be the most trivial – left out. For some of us, that is an extremely difficult thing to do because worry is like a worn out pair of shoes; we need to throw it out but it is most comfortable. Yet there is no ambiguity to Father’s instructions – He says “Don’t do it!” for “Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?” (Matthew 6:30, KJV).

If God takes care of the fowls of the air, He will take care of those who are His. This is the same God who so loved the world that He gave His Son Jesus that all who believe in Him would have life and have it more abundantly (John 3:16; 10:10). Surely, having demonstrated the extent of His love for His children, how can we doubt Him when He says “Don’t worry”? Is there anything too hard for Him to handle? (Genesis 18:4).

Whatever it is that weighs heavily on your heart and mind, why not resolve to come boldly to the throne of grace and leave it there? “Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life” (Philippians 4:6-8, The Message).

Who Is to Be "Blamed"? - Part II

How much of what goes "wrong" in our lives do we hold God responsible for? The tendency to blame someone else has been with us since Eden.  You might recall that after the Edenic fall, Adam blamed Eve who blamed the serpent (Genesis 3), and if the serpent could have passed on the blame he probably would have. In Israel's stunning and totally unexpected defeat at Ai, one could see the "blame" coming - "And Joshua said, 'Alas, Sovereign Lord, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us?'" (Joshua 7:7, NIV).

Of course, God made it clear to Joshua that Israel was defeated because "Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions" (v. 11).  It is instructive that Joshua did not ask God if there was something they had done. There was no introspection, no looking within. They were sure they were in the right and it was God who had brought them across the Jordan to deliver them into the hands of the Amorites to destroy them. We probably would have felt the same way and done the same thing. Sometimes the hardest person to look at and hold accountable is our individual selves!

This tendency is not at all unusual. Proverbs 16:2 reminds us, "All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the LORD weigheth the spirits" (KJV). In other words, as Bible scholar Albert Barnes observes, "We are blind to our own faults . . . [but] there is One who tries not the 'ways' only, but the 'spirits.'" Matthew Henry picks up on the first point when he writes, "We are all apt to be partial in judging of ourselves: All the ways of a man, all his designs, all his doings, are clean in his own eyes, and he sees nothing amiss in them, nothing for which to condemn himself, or which should make his projects prove otherwise than well; and therefore he is confident of success, and that the answer of the tongue shall be according to the expectations of the heart; but there is a great deal of pollution cleaving to our ways, which we are not aware of, or do not think so ill of as we ought." Profound, isn't it?

So what is the remedy? Because all our ways are clean in our eyes, our evaluation of ourselves and what we are responsible for often lacks objectivity; it is skewed. Our actions must always be measured against the truth of God's Word, "for the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12, KJV). Before we start blaming God or someone else when something goes wrong, let us first look at ourselves (our actions, thoughts, and attitudes) in the mirror of the Word.  It is the only place in which we can see ourselves as we really are; to see that we are probably not as "innocent" as we would like to think. Are you waiting on God for answered prayers or is it God who is waiting for you to "move" from where you are to where you ought to be?

Who Is to Be Blamed? - Part I

It was a battle they should have won. Coming off the conquest of Jericho (Joshua 6), taking Ai should have been like the proverbial walk in the park. The men who had spied out the region had returned confidently and told Joshua, “Not all the army will have to go up against Ai. Send two or three thousand men to take it and do not weary the whole army, for only a few people live there” (Joshua 7:3, NIV). However, something went terribly wrong because once the battle started, Joshua’s men “were routed by the men of Ai who killed about thirty-six of them. They chased the Israelites from the city gate as far as the stone quarries and struck them down on the slopes. At this the hearts of the people melted in fear and became like water” (vv. 4-5).

Following the stunning defeat, Joshua and the elders tore their clothes and fell face down to the ground before the ark of the Lord, remaining there till evening. “And Joshua said, ‘Alas, Sovereign Lord, why did you ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us?'” (v. 7). His entire prayer is covered in verses 7-9, but it is interesting to see how he started. He basically apportioned responsibility for the loss to God. There was no reflection on whether or not the defeat was a result of something they had done. After all, if God had promised them victory and they had tasted defeat, surely the problem could not have been on God’s side for He is faithful to His Word.

After allowing Joshua to say his piece, God said His. From verses 10-15, we see a string of rebukes and instructions which started with an indictment: “Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions.” In other words, the reason Israel lost the battle was not because of negligence on God’s part, but rather because of sin on Israel’s part. It was they who had violated the covenant. Yes, God could have overlooked the violation, but that would have gone against His nature. Every disobedience had to carry its own consequence.

This brings the lesson around to you and me. How much of what goes “wrong” in our lives do we hold God responsible for? Blessings we are promised but which never materialize. Promises we stand on that seem to no avail. Could we be responsible for the delay in our blessings? These are questions worth pondering over. After we have finished “complaining” to God about the lack of answers to prayers, instead of getting up feeling all spiritual and professing to be waiting on Him, it might be worth listening carefully to what He has to say. While we profess to be waiting on God, could it be that God is waiting on us ?

"I Have Prayed for Thee"

In a 1789 letter to French scientist Jean-Baptist Le Roy, Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the United States, writes, "Our new Constitution is now established, and has an appearance that promises permanency; but in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes." Generally speaking, few would argue with Franklin on the certainty of death and taxes in this world. However, for the Christian, two other things are even more certain - the faithfulness of our God (Lamentations 3:22-24) and the ongoing mission of our adversary who roams about like a roaring lion seeking not only whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8), but also to steal, to kill, and to destroy (John 10:10). 

As we begin another year, these two spiritual truths are important to keep in mind. As we go about our daily lives, Peter admonishes us to "be sober, be vigilant" and characterizes our enemy as like a roaring lion - hungry, fierce, strong, and cruel. Of our enemy's business, Bible Scholar Matthew Henry writes, "His whole design is to devour and destroy souls. To this end he is unwearied and restless in his malicious endeavours; for he always, night and day, goes about studying and contriving whom he may ensnare to their eternal ruin." On our duty to be sober and vigilant, Henry continues, "1. To be sober, and to govern both the outward and the inward man by the rules of temperance [self-control], modesty, and mortification [self-denial; the killing of the flesh]. 2. To be vigilant; not secure or careless, but rather suspicious of constant danger from this spiritual enemy, and, under that apprehension, to be watchful and diligent to prevent his designs and save our souls." 

As the devil relentlessly pursues the children of God, where does the faithfulness of God comes in?  In the book of Luke, we see a conversation between Jesus and Simon Peter shortly after He and the disciples had finished supper. According to the narrative, "And the Lord said, 'Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat'" (Luke 22:31, KJV). In other words, just as Satan desired Job to assault and break him in order to prove him a hypocrite, so Satan desired to assault and break the disciple. As Peter listened, Jesus continued, "But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren" (v. 32). 

What comfort! Satan seeks to destroy but in the midst of his assault, we have the prayer of the Saviour that our faith does not fail. Henry observes, "It is owing to the mediation and intercession of Jesus Christ that the faith of His disciples, though sometimes sadly shaken, yet is not sunk. If they were left to themselves, they would fail; but they are kept by the power of God and the prayer of Christ. The intercession of Christ is not only general, for all that believe, but for particular believers (I have prayed for thee), which is an encouragement for us to pray for ourselves, and an engagement upon us to pray for others too."

What better way to start the new year than with the reminder that while we do our part here, in the spiritual realm Christ has our backs! That really encourages me and gives me the confidence to keep pressing through the adversary's obstacles. How about you?

Just Missed It!

I saw him as he hustled up the stairs to catch the train.  An elderly gentleman, he was moving as fast as he could.  However, as he got up the last of the stairs and only a few steps away from the door of the train, it closed.  Cursing under his breath, he could not believe he had missed it.  We made eye contact at which point I told him the next train would arrive in ten minutes.  After a bit of small talk, I asked him how far he was going.  When he told me, I chuckled and said words to the effect: “In which case you should be thankful you missed that train as it was an express train and would not have stopped at your stop. You need to take the one coming next!”  “Is that right?” he asked with a priceless look of bewilderment on his face. “Yes, sir” I replied. “Your missing the train was a blessing in disguise!” We both laughed.

On the ride home, it occurred to me that what that man thought was a disappointment was in fact to his benefit even though it did not seem that way at the time.  Then the light bulb went off in my mind.  Some of us as Christians are just like him!  How many times have we strived for something only to have the door of opportunity close in our faces?   Unaware of God’s hand in our affairs, guiding our steps as we probably asked Him to, we feel extremely hurt and even feel like God has disappointed us when we “miss our train.”  Yet like a good father, God is constantly watching over His children.  For those who put their trust in Him, He is constantly at work in our day-to-day lives orchestrating events, opening and closing doors, to accomplish His plans and purposes for our lives (see Jeremiah 29:11). 

 

Because we do not always know what is best for us, we have to trust the Lord that He will sometimes step in and disrupt our plans; often times to protect us from ourselves. From our perspective, everything may seem right and in place. Like the man hustling up the stairs, we are convinced in our minds that our courses of actions are right.  However, just as how some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers, we can include closed doors as well.  What we see as a disappointment -- that job or promotion we did not get, that failed relationship, being stuck in traffic, being late for an important appointment, the friend who was not there when we needed them, to name a few – could very well have been a part of God’s providence. If God gave us everything we wanted, some of those things would probably destroy us.  Maybe, over time, one or more of them would pull us away from an intimate relationship with our Heavenly Father.  Often times it is only in looking back that we see His hand at work and we realize He knew what He was doing all along.

Of course, not every disappointment is a result of God’s providence; sometimes they are the result of our own behaviours, disobedience, and attitudes.  However, as long as we sincerely trust our lives into the Lord’s care, like the sheep under the watch of a faithful shepherd, we can rest comfortably in the fact that He is guiding our steps while working things out on our behalf. The Psalmist reminds us, “The LORD guides us in the way we should go and protects those who please Him” (Psalm 37:23, GNB). And yes, that includes closing a few doors just as we are about to go through them.

The Woman You Gave Me

According to the Genesis narrative, when questioned by God regarding his awareness of his nakedness and whether he had eaten from the forbidden tree, Adam seemed to have had no reservations about blaming Eve. In response to God's questions, Adam replied: "The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat" (Genesis 3:12, KJV). In other words, "I ate of the tree but it is not my fault. My wife and companion, the woman you gave me, she gave me of the tree."  With these words, Adam demonstrated an instinctive response that has been characteristic of every human being since. When confronted with a deviant behaviour or a wrong for which we are responsible, blame someone else.  The sequence of events in the garden that day affirmed this tendency.  When God confronted Eve, she blamed the serpent (v.13).  And so it continues.

These thoughts came to mind as I reflected on the words of the Psalmist, "Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts" (Psalm 51:6a). David wrote those words after his transgression with Bathsheba (see 2 Samuel 11). He did not try to hide his wrong nor did he blame Bathsheba, a beautiful woman he saw naked while she was out on the roof having a bath, for their adulterous affair. When confronted by the prophet Nathan, he threw himself on God's mercy: "Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest" (Psalm 51:1-4).  Change is only possible when we first take steps to acknowledge our wrong and take personal responsibility for our behaviours. For the believer, this is an important first step.  David reminds us of God's delight: "For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise" (vv. 16-17). 

Blaming others is easy. In doing so we irrationally believe that we do not have to take responsibility for our behaviours or our part in any disagreements. Instead of asking ourselves "What did I do to contribute to this problem?" "Is there something I could and should have done differently?", like Adam we hide by blaming. Without even realizing it, we immediately start losing respect for those we deem blameworthy; we treat them with disrespect, and we come out of a stinky situation smelling like roses.  However, we fail to recognize that while it may make us feel good about ourselves, irrationally blaming others retards our personal and spiritual growth. There is no going forward until we come clean with ourselves, with others, and with God. 

We all make mistakes and engage in regrettable actions, but by failing to take personal responsibility the road to constructive change is blocked. Better to blame others than to admit culpability. From our perspective, making mistakes means being flawed and being flawed means being unworthy of respect so we preserve self at all cost. But God does not see it that way. Walking with Him requires "a clean heart" and a "right spirit"; that includes taking responsibility for the wrongs we do. No matter the transgression, as long as we bare ourselves before Him, He is still in the business of forgiving. Just ask David.

Talking About Praise

One of my favorite part of Scripture is Psalm 34, especially verses 1-3; "I will bless the LORD at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together."

My fascination with this Psalm lies in David's determination to bless (praise, salute) the Lord no matter what. So many times we allow our emotions to influence our praise, but here we see the Psalmist making the conscious decision that he would bless the Lord at all times; the two important phrases being "I will" and "at all times". We cannot always trust our emotions, and there are times when it feels like we are passing through endless valleys, and that may be the case for some, but even then, we can resolve to bless the Lord. To praise or not to praise is a decision that we make. When and how often we praise are also decisions that we make. In the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Nothing external to you have any power over you," and once we realize this, we will also realize that there is nothing, nor no one, that can stop our praise but ourselves.

We cannot afford to be "situational praisers." True worshippers see praise as an offering to God for who He is; a celebration of His attributes. Inspired by the Holy spirit, David wrote, "Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in His sanctuary: praise Him in the firmament of His power. Praise Him for His mighty acts: praise Him according to His excellent greatness. Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet: praise Him with the psaltery and harp. Praise Him with the timbrel and dance: praise Him with stringed instruments and organs. Praise Him upon the loud cymbals: praise Him upon the high sounding cymbals. Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD" (Psalm 150).

I am with David. "From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same, the LORD's name is to be praised" (Psalm 113:3), so come and "magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together". Praise ye the Lord!

"It is Well"

Her son was dead. The miracle baby born to her and her much older husband at a time when she no longer expected fruit from her womb. As a matter of fact, when Elijah had told her nine months earlier that she would embrace a son, she had replied, "O my master, O Holy Man, don't play games with me, teasing me with such fantasies!" (2 Kings 4:16, The Message). She didn't believe him. But in the very next verse we read, "The woman conceived. A year later, just as Elisha had said, she had a son." However, some years later, in what seemed like a cruel twist of fate, the child lay dead at home, in the same bed Elijah slept in when he was in that part of town.

She asked for an ass and with her servant, went hastily to Mount Carmel to meet Elijah, who, when he saw her in the distance, sent his servant to her with questions of concern - "Is something wrong? Are you all right? Your husband? Your child?" to which she answered, "Everything's fine," or as the KJV renders it, "It is well" (v.26). Didn't she hear the last question clearly? Nowhere do we read of a public mourning over the death of her only child.  Her husband did not know the child had died; she had simply told him, "Don't ask questions; I need to go right now. Trust me" (v.23b). She had not told the neighbors, no expression of anger at God, but even as she laid the boy in the room, and despite her soul being in distress (v.27), deep within her was a quiet resolve that if she could get to the man of God, all would be well.

In verses 28-37, we see how after a series of events, the boy was miraculously brought back to life. But as this story ends with a mother and son reunion, we are individually challenged by a lingering question: How would you and I respond if God, in His Sovereignty, took someone or something from us that was very near and dear to our hearts? 

When Horatio Gates Spafford received news from his wife that their four daughters were lost at sea, he made his way to his grieving wife. Later when the two met Dwight Moody, Spafford told him quietly, "It is well. The will of God be done." Spafford would later write the words: "When peace like a river, attendeth my way / When sorrows like sea billows roll / Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say / It is well, it is well with my soul."

What would you do? Could you say and believe those words?

Down But Not Out

In the 1994 movie Forrest Gump, the main character Forrest, played by actor Tom Hanks, quotes his mother as saying, "Life is like a box of chocolate . . . you never know what you gonna get" and boy, isn't that the truth! It is not without significance that life is said to be a journey; a very eventful one in which we experience highs and lows, surprises and disappointments, sadness and happiness. That journey is broken down into days and each day is given to us, wrapped like a present, and we have no idea what that package contains. Days of immense happiness can be followed by devastating tragedies, and somewhere in the mix of experiences is the realization that this life is not quite fair. 

The tragedies and disappointments we sometimes experience can often leave us feeling like we have been in a heavyweight fight with boxer Mike Tyson in his prime. We get broadsided by the unexpected at times when we least expect them, or have no reason to expect them. Our individual experiences often overwhelm us, provoking some of us to feelings of anger, betrayal, disbelief, tears, frustration, helplessness, and if we are not careful, to shake our fists in the face of God at what we consider to be His and life's unfairness. I know; I have been there.

The psalmist David realized this condition when he wrote: "When my heart is overwhelmed and weak; lead me to the rock that is higher than I [a rock that is too high to reach without Your help].  For You have been a shelter and a refuge for me, a strong tower against the enemy" (Psalm 61:2-3, AMP).  By ourselves we cannot survive life's storms and the things that threaten to destroy us. However, as long as we allow Christ to lead us to the rock that is higher than ourselves, we can find refuge and strength in the strong tower who is our Saviour.  It is refreshing to know that regardless of what we find in our "box of chocolate," we do not have to become victims of those circumstances; we do not have to be knocked out.  Like Bozo the clown, though we may stagger at what life throws at us, we will be back on our feet every time the enemy thinks he has knocked us down.   

The apostle Paul puts it this way, "We are pressured in every way [hedged in], but not crushed; perplexed [unsure of finding a way out], but not driven to despair; hunted down and persecuted, but not deserted [to stand alone]; struck down, but never destroyed" (2 Corinthians 4:8-9).  We may go down, but by God's grace we will not stay down.  Thank God!  Though we may not know what life will throw at us, we know we have a place of refuge for the times when we feel overwhelmed and need to be somewhere safe. Jesus being there makes all the difference.  I know; I have been there. 

Born to Win

The day's motivational quote was from motivational speaker Zig Ziglar and I thought it was profound: "You were born to win, but to be a winner you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win."  What stood out for me was the lack of passivity despite being born to win.  In other words, though we may be born to win, winning could not be taken for granted.  It was not going to happen without planning, preparation, and expectancy on our part.  We are active participants in the process to realized our expected end; we must do something.

 

These thoughts came to mind as I reflected on God's promise to the  Israelites as they made their way across the wilderness: "Look, I have set the land [of the Caananites] before you; go in and take possession of the land which the Lord swore (solemnly promised) to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give to them and to their descendants after them’" (Deut. 1:8, AMP).  Notice that though the land was given to them, they could not just sit by the river Euphrates holding hands and expect the promise to come to pass.  The instructions were clear, "go in and take possession."  That would involve planning, preparation, and expectations of winning because God was on their side.  As we know, there were a number of wars along the way to claiming the promise, but God kept His word.  Just because we have a promise from God doesn't mean the road to the promise will be easy, nor does it mean we do not have a part to play.

 

As Christians it is not uncommon for us to use and fall back on religious cliches - "I am a conqueror!" "I am a warrior!" "If I hold my peace, God will fight my battles!" and such the like.  Well, how does one conquer? What do warriors do?   Christian warriors know that we are engaged in a spiritual warfare, one that requires us to have our spiritual weapon in our right hand even as we go about our daily lives.  Yes, we are promised the victory but we were never promised there would  be no war.  For there to be a victor there must be a vanquished and often times that require our  planning to win, preparing to win, and expecting to win.  Believe me, the enemy of our souls is doing the same thing as it pertains to you and I.   He continually plans and prepares strategies to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10).  It is no wonder Peter exhorts believers everywhere, "Be sober [well balanced and self-disciplined], be alert and cautious at all times. That enemy of yours, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion [fiercely hungry], seeking someone to devour.  But resist him, be firm in your faith [against his attack—rooted, established, immovable] " (1 Peter 5:8-9a).      

To resist is to oppose or offer resistance through actions or words and so to "resist . . . his attack" is never a passive exercise.   Battles are not won sitting on our hands and waiting for God to move the enemy out of our way.  More times than not we must engage the enemy, not in our own strength and resources, but like David said to Goliath, "You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted.  This day the Lord will hand you over to me, and I will strike you down and cut off your head.  And I will give the corpses of the army of the Philistines this day to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth, so that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel" (1 Samuel 17:45-46).  Despite his confidence in God, David also had a slingshot and five stones!   Goliath was not killed by a lightening bolt from heaven, but by a stone from David's sling.  David planned to win, prepared to win, and expected to win.  What is your mindset as you get ready to claim what God has promised you?    

Holding On To God's Word

When Jesus got to Bethany on the occasion of Lazarus' death, as He stood at the graveside amidst grieving family and friends, He said to those nearby, "Take ye away the stone." John tells us, "Martha, the sister of him that was dead, saith unto Him, 'Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he hath been dead four days'" (11:39, KJV). Judging from that response, one would think that Jesus was oblivious to the facts as they were. In v.17 we were already told of Lazarus that "when Jesus came, He found that he had lain in the grave four days already," yet in Martha we see the human tendency to call our respective situations as we see them.  Usually, that is far removed from how God sees them.

I am intrigued by Jesus' response: "Said I not unto thee, that, 'if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?'" (v.40). The words "said I not unto thee" springs forth from the pages because they tell us that while standing there in front of her brother's grave, looking at the reality of what was, Martha forgot whatever it was that Jesus had told her previously. The facts had overwhelmed any promise He had given her, yet even as we look at her, we can see ourselves so clearly. We read the Word, the Holy Spirit quickens that Word in our hearts, yet in the face of our adversities how quickly we forget the promises of God.  When Jesus comes on the scene, the facts give way to truth. For example, fact - I am broke, truth - My God shall supply all my needs (Phil. 4:19); fact - I'm worried, truth - as long as I trust in Him, His peace will stand watch over my heart and mind (Phil. 4:6,7). In other words, for every situation that confronts us, we have a Word from God for that situation.

Our challenge as believers is to understand and hold on to the word that God has given to us, especially words that speak to our specific situations. Jesus taught, "When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart" (Matt. 13:19).  It is when we lose that Word, often through lack of understanding of it, that we find ourselves in distress, doubt, and defeat. Without the promises of God, we have no reason to see beyond the present state. But thank God, because we walk by faith and not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7), with the Word appropriated in our hearts, we can say like the Apostle Paul, "I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day" (2 Tim. 1:12). Equally important, we know that He keeps His promises.  We are reminded that "God is not a man, that He should lie; neither the son of man, that He should repent: hath He said, and shall He not do it? or hath He spoken, and shall He not make it good?" (Numbers 23:19).

What "dead" situation in your life are you looking at? What has He said to you concerning it?  What are you going to believe?

A Place Called Heaven

According to the news report, the one bedroom, one-and-a-half bathroom apartment located in New York city was on the market for a cool US$2.075 million and carried monthly maintenance fees of almost $1,500. It was only a year earlier that the seller bought the unit for $1.695 million, an appreciation of $380,000 during that time.  For a 850 square feet one-bedroom apartment.

 

As I read the story, it occurred to me that interested buyers would be individuals for whom money was not a problem. Individuals like you and I could only dream of living in a place "on a casually plummy, townhouse-lined and tree-shaded block on the the Upper West Side of New York City" that "occupies the entire top floor of a handsome, turn-of-the-century, mid-block brownstone that's just half a block west of the Museum of Natural History." Must be nice! I tried to picture the "casually plummy" block of luxury townhouses in my mind, but had no idea if the image in my mind was anywhere close to the reality.  It was then that it occurred to me that this apartment, no matter how luxurious, was nothing compared to what God has prepared for those who are His.

 

The apostle Paul echoed the words of Isaiah when he reminded the believers in Corinth: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him" (1 Corinthians 2:9, KJV).  Bible Scholar Matthew Henry puts it this way: "There are things which God hath prepared for those that love Him, and wait for Him. There are such things prepared in a future life for them, things which sense cannot discover, no present information can convey to our ears, nor can yet enter our hearts."  While most of us could never afford the home being advertised, we are all presented with a picture of a city called heaven that defies comparison with any place on earth.  In the book of Revelation we are told of a river, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb [Jesus] down the middle of the city. On each side of the river there will be a tree of life, yielding twelve kinds of fruit every month. The streets will be pure gold, like transparent glass. The walls of the city will be adorned with every kind of jewel, emerald, onyx, amethyst, topaz, etc. There will be no need for a sun or moon, and no need for a temple or church. The presence of the Lord will be its light" (Revelation 21, 22).  We cannot begin to imagine what this city and its environment look like.

 

One remarkable thing about this city is that all the money in world could not buy one of its mansions. These have been prepared by God "for those who love Him [who hold Him in affectionate reverence, who obey Him, and who gratefully recognize the benefits that He has bestowed]” (1 Cor. 2:9b, AMP).  If you are one of those persons, a mansion, paid for in full, awaits you!  If you are not, then securing your place in this city is fairly easy for "if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved" (Romans 10:9, KVJ).  It starts there and it really is that simple. What are you waiting for? We just might end up being neighbours!  

When God Says "Stop"

I stared at the phrase for a few minutes, allowing its truth to percolate in my mind. Profound in its simplicity yet deep in its theology it simply said, "Do not put a comma where God puts a period." As we saw previously, the 'period' indicates the end of a sentence while the 'comma' indicates a pause, and from our phrase we see the speaker's intent: in the sentence of life, do not put a comma, a pause, where God puts a period, a stop.

It is important that we understand that not every obstacle or negative experience we face is from the devil (Lamentations 3:8-11). Sometimes we are reaping the consequences of our actions and at other times it could very well be God at work in our lives. The Psalmist captured the truth of God's sovereignty over our lives with the words, "Our God is in the heavens; He does all that He pleases" (115:3, ESV), and that includes His willingness to stop us in our tracks if we are going in the wrong direction. In Psalm 37:23 we read, "The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD" and I agree with Bible Scholar Matthew Henry who, on this portion of text, writes, "By His grace and Holy Spirit He directs the thoughts, affections, and designs of good men. He has all hearts in His hand, but theirs by their own consent. By His providence He overrules the events that concern them, so as to make their way plain before them, both what they should do and what they may expect. Observe, God orders the steps of a good man; not only His way in general, by His written word, but His particular steps, by the whispers of conscience, saying, 'This is the way, walk in it.' He does not always show him his way at a distance, but leads him step by step, as children are led, and so keeps him in a continual dependence upon His guidance."

As believers, if we are not tuned in to God's frequency it is very easy to miss the periods, the times He says stop. Spiritual insensitivity, pride, among other things, can cause us to push past the 'periods' and pretend they're 'pauses.'  Whether in the areas of our relationships, careers, choice of friends, or a mate, when God puts up the stop sign it is foolish to persist. Our finite minds may be tempted to hold on to what may seem like a good thing, but we have to trust the wisdom of our God whose ways and thoughts far exceed anything we could ever imagine (Isaiah 55:8,9). Our good is no match for God's best.

Are doors closing on what seemed like sure opportunities? Does it seem like one disappointment after another? If we have sincerely placed ourselves in God's care and as we allow Him to direct our paths, it is important that we lean not to our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5,6). When God says "STOP!" He knows what He is doing. May He grant us the courage to see the futility of our way, the grace to yield to His, and the wisdom to know the difference. 

A Comma, Not a Period

Every now and again I receive a forwarded e-mail that contains something useful. This one, a PowerPoint slideshow titled "25 Beautiful Short Phrases," was really good. One of the phrases that 'jumped' out at me was "In the sentence of life, the devil may be a comma, but never let him be a period." That, I thought, was one powerful phrase.

As I understand it, a 'comma' is a punctuation mark primarily used as a mark of separation within a sentence, while a 'period,' also a punctuation mark, represents the end of a sentence. The 'comma' invites a pause, a short delay, and in applying this understanding to the phrase, it reinforced in my mind that in the life of the believer, the devil can cause all kind of delays, but being neither the Alpha nor the Omega, our lives do not begin and end with him. He uses the delays we experience to provoke frustration and despair. Unanswered prayers, illnesses, family/relational conflicts, and job insecurity - these are just some of the weapons in his arsenal and if we are not careful, we could become so weighed down by these things that we forget that it is not the devil who has the last word, but God. Delays  in life are inevitable, but we have the reassurance of the Psalmist, "Many hardships and perplexing circumstances confront the righteous, but the Lord rescues him from them all." (34:19, AMP). 

Just as a comma cannot end a sentence, so the delays should not end our faith in the God of our Salvation. The challenges we encounter on our journey should not sway us from our goal of reaching our final destination.  The statement in the slide puts the responsibility on us as individuals to never let the devil be a period.  How do we do that? It's all in our attitude during those delays.  When we understand that God is at work in our lives perfecting [accomplishing] those things that pertain to us (Psalm 138:8), we can say like Job, "He knoweth the way that I take: when He hath tried [tested] me, I shall come forth as gold." (Job 23:10, KJV). Our challenge is trusting Him that He knows what He is doing. To that He reminds us, "I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out--plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for" (Jeremiah 29:11, MSG). That sometimes include periods of delay as well. 

No matter the situation, nothing is over until God says it is over. He alone has the last word. He is the only one qualified to put a period on any event in our lives; everything else is just a comma.  Do you feel like given up during those times? Don't! While the devil is at work in the delays, so is God.  Guess who wins in the end?