Just because it feels good, don’t do it

The saying became famous in the 60’s and 70’s – “If it feels good, do it.”  Although we may not hear that exact phrase much anymore, the meaning behind the saying is still very much a part of our culture today.  Our happiness is priority number 1!  It’s all about us and what we want!

However, as we have looked at all week, if you want true biblical transformation in your life, there can be only one source of authority to guide your daily decisions, and that’s the word of God.  Basing our decisions on personal feelings is dangerous and can often be directly opposed to becoming more Christ-like.

Let’s take the above as an example.  Personal feelings often lead us to make decisions based on what satisfies our needs (our happiness), but God’s wants us to take the exact opposite approach.  Philippians 2:3 says “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves.”  Wow, what a contrast!  Regard others as more important than me??

That is the exact opposite of what our culture teaches us, but only God in His wisdom knows what is truly best for us.  Let me ask you a question.  What gives you a true sense of gratification – doing something for yourself or doing something for others?  I bet it is the latter.  I know when I put the needs of someone else ahead of mine, I feel very close to God’s heart.  I believe that is how He intended us to live our lives – sacrificially, just like His son Jesus did, but that is often contrary to our personal feelings.

The bible is littered with examples of people who based their decisions in life on skewed personal feelings, only to lead to tragic results.  As long as we have to drag our sinful nature around with us, which won’t end until we get to heaven, we can’t trust our personal feelings to be our guide.  God knows us much better than we know ourselves, so let’s put our trust in Him by relying on His word to be our ultimate authority when making decisions in our life.  The next time you are tempted to do something because it feels good, stop and see what God’s word says.

Feelings

“In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.”

Judges 21:25

 

“I don’t feel like it!”

If you have raised teenagers you have heard that phrase more than you care to remember.

It goes without saying that there are lots of things in life that we need to do despite how we ‘feel’ about it.

No one feels like replacing their hot water heater, putting a new roof on the house or paying for that new transmission but the consequences of not dealing with those issues forces us to take action despite how we feel about it.

When it comes to authority in our lives some people (let’s be honest – it’s all of us at one time or another) allow their feeling to rule their lives.

“If it feels good, do it!” becomes the guiding principle for how they live their lives.

Needless to say, that approach is self-centered, selfish and short-sighted.

To some, rape ‘feels good’, to others murder, child abuse, stealing and lying are all acceptable behaviors if they offer the gratification of “It feels good to me!”

Maybe you take exception to my extreme examples but the society filled with people ruled only by feelings provides ample evidence that these examples are not so extreme after all.

When we set aside God’s authority, as revealed through His Word, and replace it with culture, tradition, man’s reasoning and our own feelings we are on a slippery slope indeed.    

God’s desire for us is that we be a holy people.

We often act as though His only desire is that we be a ‘happy’ people.

It’s not always about how you feel!

How holy do you suppose you would be if it was all dependent on feelings?

Learn to let God’s Word rule your life and not the barometer of feelings!

 

 

Traditions!

“You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.”

Mark 7:8

 

The opening sentence of the classic Charles Dickens novel

“A Tale of Two Cities” begins with these famous words:

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...”

Traditions in our lives can be similar – they can create the best

of times and they can create the worst of times.

Many traditions a family celebrates are vital to connect the generations and to offer some continuity and connectedness through the rough and tumble of life.

Those are traditions at their best.

When, on the other hand, traditions become a strangle hold on an individual or a church to keep it from moving forward in Gods’ best for them – well, those are traditions at their worst.

The toxically familiar refrain of “We’ve always done it this way.” has done more to thwart the plans and purposes of God in a church than any army of demons could accomplish.

I happily embrace many of the traditions my own family has, particularly around the holidays.

You probably do as well.

Those traditions are meaningful and valuable.  

But when traditions are maintained simply as a way to resist any change and in conflict with Gods’ purposes you have created a wall, a barrier between you and God.

Jesus was so direct in His language – He said they had let go of one thing in order to hold onto something else.

They had let go of the commands of God in order to hold onto their sacred traditions.

We would do well to remember the authority of the Word of God and not to allow that authority to be supplanted by our traditions.

When we do that we are essentially declaring our wisdom to be above that of Gods and our traditions become the authority in our lives.

Not a good place to be!

 Let’s flip that around – lets’ be sure to let go

of the traditions of man in order to hold onto the commands of God!!

Public Opinion or Gods’ Word?

“You shall not follow a crowd to do evil; nor shall you bear witness

at a trial so as to side with a multitude to pervert justice.”

Exodus 23:2

 

When I was first born again I remember a preacher quoting this –

“Show me with whom you walk and I will show you who you are.”

Now you won’t find that in scripture although the principal is certainly there.

I would change that just a bit to read this way –

Show me whom you admire and I will show you who you are.

We talked yesterday about authority and the fact that we all have authorities in our life, sometimes more than one.

Certainly many people make current or popular culture the authority in their lives.

They ‘admire’ and follow cultural trends as ‘gospel truth’

Many states have legalized same-sex marriage.

Certainly it is ‘culturally acceptable’ so why oppose it?

Two states have now legalized the sale and use of ‘recreational’ marijuana.

I guess it’s culturally acceptable so why oppose it?

Society seems to be moving closer to assisted suicide.

Again, if it becomes culturally acceptable should we oppose it?

  Of course, for Christ followers, the answer to each of these questions

is as we had discussed yesterday.

God’s Word is the final authority.

Cultural ‘norms’ are a poor barometer for followers of Jesus Christ.

Just because everybody’s doing it, does not make it right.

Your mother might say it this way:

If all your friends are jumping off a bridge are you going to jump too?

We try to convince ourselves that if the majority accepts something it must be true.

The problem is that God never bases/based truth on majority rule.

Truth is truth even when no one follows it!

Will you be that one who won’t bow to cultural authority?

Will you allow God’s Word to have the final say in your life?

Which will you follow – public opinion or Gods’ Word?

 

 

What Authority Rules Your Life?

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what

is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives.

It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.”

II Timothy 3:16

 

 

If I asked you to tell me who you thought was the most powerful person on earth, who would you give as your answer?

Now, I know if you are trying to sound spiritual you might list Jesus or God or the Holy Spirit.

But my question really applies to someone walking on the earth as flesh and blood.

So who would you list?

Maybe it’s the President of the United States.

Maybe it’s a celebrity or an athlete from your favorite sport.

Some might undoubtedly pick a business person while others would answer with someone less well known.

Regardless of how many names we could generate on that list, each and every one of those ‘powerful’ people still have others in authority in their lives.

Let’s use the example of the President of the United States.   

The person occupying that office is often cited as the most powerful person on the planet and yet even he is a man under authority.

The Founding Fathers established checks and balances in our system of government such that certain limits are applied to each branch of government.

In other words, in specific areas Congress has authority to do what the President cannot do.

Likewise, the Judiciary has a role unique from that of the Executive and Legislative branches along with the authority need to exercise that role.

In fact every person on the globe comes under authority in their lives one way or another.

Yes, even those who fail to recognize it!

The truth is we have many authorities over us throughout the course of our lives.

Are you a student?

Then to some degree the authority you submit to is the teacher and the principal.

A driver must submit to the police as it pertains to safe and legal driving.

Of course, a young child has parents who serve as authority in their lives.

Employee and boss, sheep and shepherd, the list could go on and on.

Many people, even followers of Christ, look to the wrong authorities to guide their lives.

The Word of God is the only completely reliable authority for life!

Many substitutes may be offered and used but none is its’ equal.  

 

When It Comes to God’s Promises, Be a Pit Bull

Today's blog was contributed by David Trotta

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1)

Many times in the past, my wife has asked me what I wanted for my birthday.  Once I revealed to her what I wanted (along with a realistic price tag, of course), I knew with a great deal of confidence that come my birthday, I would be in possession of that new tool or latest gadget (I love tools and gadgets!).

I had complete faith that I would receive what I asked for, even though I could not see it at the moment.  I knew it would be mine as soon as the words left my mouth.  Why?  Because I knew my wife loved me and wanted to grant me the desires of my heart.

Given that God is perfectly faithful and His resources and love for us is unlimited, how much more so should we be confident that when God promises us something (either through scripture or personal revelation), we can be certain He will bring it to pass.

Don’t let anything deter you from standing on that belief.  Be persistent.  Don’t look at your circumstances, but on God’s promises.  Dig those heels in and refuse to believe anything else.  As thoughts of unbelief come to challenge God’s promise, immediately dismiss them.  Show them the exit door of your mind. 

Pit bulls have a pretty intimidating reputation for being a strong and powerful animal.  They are especially known for their enormous jaw strength.  They are notorious for not releasing their bite, even if they are severely wounded.  They are an extremely persistent animal.

When it comes to God’s promises, choose to be a pit bull.  Don’t let go until you have what God promised you.  Sure, the enemy will shoot those fiery darts of unbelief, but when he does, hold up that shield of faith to keep those thoughts from penetrating your mind, and then grab a hold of that promise God whispered to your heart and never let go.

A Spiritual Fire Extinguisher

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

Ephesians 6:10-17

 

The Shield of Faith is part of the Armor of God.

So what does it do?

It does two things.

First it guards and second it fortifies.

So how does it guard?

Well, faith will protect your spiritual life from the fiery darts of unbelief targeted at you by the enemy. Those fiery darts can come at us as doubt, fear, innuendo, gossip, anger, divisiveness and a host of other evil tipped arrows.

Regardless of their vile nature and destructive mission they will

miss their target when we take up the shield of faith.

And how does it fortify?

When my faith is joined with the faith of other believers it makes an impenetrable fortress.

Like the Roman soldiers who created a formidable defense when they strategically positioned their shields to protect not only themselves but their fellow soldiers, we turn back those fiery darts and make them of no effect when together we “…take up the shield of faith,”  

The army that does not protect one another is the army that leaves

itself vulnerable and easy prey.

We are to strengthen and encourage one another in the faith.  

I encouraged you yesterday to be certain your shield was up.

Do this for yourself, but do it for your brothers and sisters in Christ as well!

 

Is Your Shield Up?

---------- Four Affirmations of Faith ---------

 

 

Faith Believes for Something Before Seeing Something

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”

Hebrews 11:1

 

Faith is Obeying God When I Don’t Understand God

“By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.”

Hebrews 11:7

 

Faith is Persisting When I Don’t See It

“By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible.”

Hebrews 11:27

 

Faith is Thanking God Before I Receive It

“By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the army had marched around them for seven days.”

Hebrews 11:30

 

The Shield of Faith is used to quench all the fiery darts of the enemy.

His fiery darts often come to us as thoughts of unbelief.

As we have learned, we can entertain the thoughts of the enemy or the thoughts of God.

What we meditate on will determine our harvest.

I want to meditate on the good things of God.

I want my life transformed by anchoring my thoughts in His Word.

It is so easy to succumb to the barrage of evil thoughts from the enemy.

God gives us the shield of faith as a protection against those thoughts launched at us.

Is your shield up?

Kingdom Thoughts

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”

Philippians 4:8-9

 

 

So what is the process of how a thought (or thoughts) eventually becomes a lifestyle?

Whether it is a good or an evil thought, the process is the same.

It is sown in your mind as you receive the thought.

It is germinated in your heart as you meditate on the thought.

It is produced in your behavior as you cooperate with the thought.

It is harvested in your lifestyle as you live out the ‘DNA’ of the thought.

Yes, that’s right – our thoughts are harvested in our lifestyle as we live those thoughts out.

“For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…”

We have talked about the power of our words but we must understand our thoughts also can be transformative to us – for good or for evil.

This is probably not a surprise to anyone.

The evidence of it is all around us.

Violent video games – impact our thoughts.

Violent movies and television do the same.

But the opposite is also true.

Fill your mind with good and wholesome thoughts and the harvest is wonderful.

Don’t bury your head in the sand concerning these principles.

Ignoring what you meditate on and how you think will not change the harvest.

A farmer can sow a field of corn and, in due season, he will reap corn.

Do you want a mind transformed by Kingdom thinking?

It won’t happen unless you meditate on Kingdom thoughts!

 

 

Let Me Entertain You?

“where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.

The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”

Luke 4:2-4

 

 

How many thoughts run through your mind in the course of a day?

Hundreds?

Thousands?

I am guessing that some prestigious university somewhere in the world has studied this and can provide the number within a certain range.

Suffice it to say, for our purposes, that it is a lot.

Not all of them are good and not all of them are bad.

The believer who desires to be transformed by the renewing of their mind must learn how to deal with those thoughts that are not good or godly.

The devil will work to inundate you with evil or bad thoughts.

Like a farmer, he is out to produce a crop.

Except in his case it is a crop that will disable, divide and destroy.

Maybe you picture him as a week-end gardener tossing the occasional seed in the soil of your mind.

If that is how you picture him it is to your peril.

Instead, he is like an artillery soldier taking aim at your mind with a Gatling gun.

The thoughts he tries to get you to entertain can come at you continuously and relentlessly.

So what’s the key word?

Entertain!

The transformed mind has learned how to entertain godly thoughts and how to handle ungodly thoughts.

Like Jesus in the wilderness temptation, we are not to give any ground to the enemy.  

While the new birth is instantaneous, a renewed mind is a lifelong process.

There are no shortcuts.

The process is biblical and it is modeled for us by Jesus.

This week we will take a look at how we do it.

Will you be a Hezekiah?

Today's blog is by David Trotta:

After the death of David in the Old Testament, the bible talks at great length about the kings of Israel and Judah that followed David on the throne, but many of them did “evil in the sight of the Lord” and led God’s people astray by pursuing “other” (false) gods.

However, there were some exceptions.  One of them was King Hezekiah.  Listen to what is said about him in 2 Kings 18: 3-6 - “He [Hezekiah] did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father David had done. He removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him. He held fast to the Lord and did not stop following him; he kept the commands the Lord had given Moses.”

Wow, that’s some pretty high praise from God – no one like him, ever!

What did Hezekiah do to earn that kind of praise?  Well, first, he removed the “high places.”  He tore down those places in Judah that represented idol worship.  Second, he only trusted in the Lord, the true God of Israel.  And lastly, he held fast (clung) to the Lord and did not stop following Him and keeping His commands.

The Lord recently challenged me to be a Hezekiah.  To continually search my heart and tear down those things that would steal my worship and affections away from Him.  To trust only in Him and not the things of this world.  To cling to Him and pursue Him with all my heart, choosing to obey His word.

We aren’t kings over a nation, but we do have control over the choices that impact our lives.  Will you join me in choosing to be a Hezekiah?

Benefits

“…but not everything is beneficial”

I Corinthians 6:12b

 

 

How do you judge a thing beneficial?

Something is, or is not, beneficial to you based on the values you hold dear.

If I value the Word of God, I will make the time to read it, study it, memorize it and obey it!

If, instead, I can only offer excuses about why I don’t have time for any of those things I am exposing, through my words and my actions, my true values.   

We find the time and make the effort for the activities that really matter to us.

Do you want to mature spiritually?

Is it important to you that your fellowship with God becomes sweeter and sweeter?

Then it may be time to cull out of your life those things which are not beneficial.

Certainly sin needs to be repented of but there can also be things in our lives which we might not consider sin, we may even think of them as ‘good things’ but if they distract us from our walk with God they are not beneficial.

Maybe it’s a hobby which leaves you no time except what you have for work and sleep.

Maybe it’s a career that demands more and more and more…

Some may be infatuated with another person while others circle the globe just for the thrill of travel.

Ironically, the best way to know those things which are not beneficial and may be robbing us of precious time with the Lord is by spending precious time with the Lord.

Go into His presence, hand Him your calendar (electronic or otherwise) and ask Him to schedule your time.

It may not look too much like how you schedule your time.

Take note of what He has removed in order for you to be with Him.

Those are the things that are not beneficial.

It may not be easy but if you truly value your relationship with Him, eliminating those things He points out will be beneficial!

Are You Fresh and Green?

“The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon;

planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God.

They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming,

“The Lord is upright; he is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in him.”

Psalm 92:12-15

 

“…they will stay fresh and green…”

What would you do if you went to a restaurant and ordered a garden salad and when it was brought to your table the lettuce was wilted brown and decaying?

That would not be very appetizing and you would likely send it back.

Freshly picked fruits and vegetables are always more tasty and nutritious then anything that has been on the shelf awhile.

Some people put themselves on the shelf so to speak.

They are no longer fresh and green but have become old and stale.

How rewarding it has been for me to meet elderly saints of God who

are still ‘fresh and green’.

They have the life of God in them.

They have not allowed life’s pressures and circumstances turn them into old, grumpy curmudgeons.

Enoch lived a total of 365 years – listen to this testimony of him in scripture is this:

“Enoch walked faithfully with God; then he was no more, because God took him away”

Genesis 5:24

Enoch’s relationship with God was not old and stale, it was fresh and green.

God delighted in the fellowship of Enoch so much that He took Him home with Him!

Are you bearing fruit in old age?

Are you staying fresh and green in your relationship with God?

Do you still, after all the years you have lived, proclaim the Lord to be upright?

Is He still your Rock?

Now, maybe you are a twenty-something and as you read this you are asking yourself

“What does this have to do with me?”

In a word – everything!

Look at the words underlined in today’s verses.

The words ‘still’ and ‘stay’ speak of an on-going process.

They had a lifestyle that they carried into old age.

What you are doing now can follow you into old age.

In your youth are you bearing fruit?

Are you keeping that walk with the Lord fresh and green?

These are some good questions to ponder before you hit “old age”!

 

You’ll Never Outlive His Faithfulness!

“Even to your old age and gray hairs

    I am he, I am he who will sustain you.

I have made you and I will carry you;

    I will sustain you and I will rescue you.”

Isaiah 46:4

 

Forty years ago the verse above had less impact on me than it does today.

Today’s blog is an encouragement for all those, like me, who are approaching ‘old age’ and cannot deny the grey hairs that come with it.

Maybe you know me and are thinking “Well, he’s not old!”

Sure, I’m a ‘spring chicken’ compared to my 92 year old mother-in-law.

My point, though, is this: I have put (by the grace of God) nearly 4 decades between my commitment to Christ and today and I have only known God to be completely faithful.  

David expressed it this way in Psalm 37:5 –

“I was young and now I am old,

    yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken

    or their children begging bread.”

Whether your hair is jet black, golden blonde or ‘salt and pepper’ gray

in each stage of life – God remains faithful.

In each stage of life God sustains us.

In each and every stage of life He will carry and rescue you!

You will never outlive your need of Him and you certainly will never outlive His faithfulness.

Are you in a season of your life when you need God to carry you?

He will.

He loves you when you are young and strong.

He loves you when you are old and frail.

If you look in the mirror and see some gray, instead of complaining, thank God for all the years He has shown Himself faithful to you.

Bless Him in your youth and bless Him in your old age!

Designer Label

“So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Galatians 3:26-28

 

You might call Jesus Christ the ‘great equalizer’.

When we are ‘in Him’ the other labels we use to identify ourselves have less meaning.

There is no other identification greater than the one we make through Christ.

Rich man, poor man?

They will find that the same savior hung on the tree for them.

Their wealth, or their poverty, has no bearing on how they received atonement.

You cannot ‘buy’ your own salvation, neither will you earn ‘credit’ for being poor in material comforts.

Are you part of God’s chosen people Israel?

The Messiah came through the Jews but it does not make every Jew a child of God.  

Each and every person who is a child of God is a child of God through Jesus Christ.

No other way!

Period.

Have you been born with a silver spoon in your mouth?

That luxury is not a free ticket into heaven.

Slave or free, man or woman there simply is one gate – Christ Jesus.

Clothe yourself with Christ and people will begin to recognize the ‘designer label’ you wear.

It will be a design that is not in fashion in the world but nonetheless as you wrap Christ around your life, your activities, your words and behaviors there will be no mistaking that you are His.

So if you insist on a label, label yourself Christ’s!

In Him we are to live and move and have our being.

 

Chaff or Grain?

I always look forward to Fridays' edition of this blog and how God speaks to each of us through what David Trotta writes:

We hear it all the time.  Football teams have a strategy to defeat their opponents.  Corporations have a strategy to gain market share over their competitors.

But, did you also know that our spiritual enemy, Satan, has a strategy to defeat us?  Let’s listen to his strategy as described by Jesus in Luke 22: 31, 32 - “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

Satan has a strategy to try and undermine our faith and turn our heart away from the Lord.  Jesus refers to it as sifting of wheat.  To help us understand what Jesus meant, let’s take a closer look at how wheat was sifted back then.

There were two primary steps in the sifting of wheat.  The first was called threshing, where the wheat was beaten with a flail to loosen the chaff from the edible grain.  The next step was called winnowing, where the loosened chaff was removed from the grain by throwing the grain in the air.  The lighter chaff would be blown off by the wind and the heavier grains would fall back to the ground.

God will sometimes allow Satan to sift us by bringing pressures and difficulties into our life to try and show us to be chaff, instead of grain.  But, God has the opposite goal in mind – to remove the unnecessary chaff and leave only the valuable grain.

We all know what happened to Peter.  After denying his Lord, scripture says Peter wept bitterly.  I’m sure he was overcome with an overwhelming sense of guilt and failure.  After all, he rejected the person he loved most.  But as Jesus foretold in Luke 22, Peter turned back to Him (aided by the prayers of his Lord) and went on to become a world changer.

If you are faced with difficulties and challenges, don’t allow Satan to beat down your faith and show you as chaff.  Instead, be encouraged that Jesus is praying for you to not fail, but to come away stronger.  He will use the enemy’s sifting process to blow away the unnecessary chaff in your life and reveal the precious grain.  We just need to partner with Jesus and keep our eyes firmly fixed on the Him, the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2).

Simply No Better Tutor

“Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves.

Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?”

II Corinthians 13:5

 

 

Remember your school days and the week of final exams?

There were several weeks of reviewing the course material leading up to exam week.

‘Cramming’ and ‘all-nighters’ were terms we became very familiar with.

Why did we put such effort into it?

We wanted good results.

Maybe we wanted to attend a particular college or university and needed to perform well on the exams in order to make it in.

We should take no less a serious approach to our faith walk.

Paul tells us to examine ourselves in order to insure we are in the faith.

He emphasizes the point by repeating “…test yourselves.”

If we would put forth such effort back in our school days how much more important is it to strengthen our faith walk through examining and testing ourselves.

How do we do this?

Well, the best first step we can take is to invite the teacher – the Holy Spirit of God to show us how.  

Some resourceful parents might decide to hire a tutor for their child to further enhance their preparedness for “exam week”.

There is no better tutor we can call upon than the Holy Spirit.

He will guide us into all truth.

He will reveal areas of our life that need to be strengthened.

Yield to His instruction, come under His tutelage.

There is no other way to pass the “faith test”!

 

Pushing the Right Buttons

“Simon, Simon (Peter), listen! Satan has asked excessively that [all of] you be given up to him [out of the power and keeping of God], that he might sift [all of] you like grain,

But I have prayed especially for you [Peter], that your [own] faith may not fail; and when you yourself have turned again, strengthen and establish your brethren.

And [Simon Peter] said to Him, Lord, I am ready to go with You both to prison and to death.

But Jesus said, I tell you, Peter, before a [single] cock shall crow this day, you will three times [utterly] deny that you know Me.”

Luke 22:31-34

 

Who knows best which buttons to push in you to get you riled or upset or downright angry?

Usually, it is someone close to you or at least someone who has observed your behavior often enough to know just what to say or do to set you off.

Our words and our behavior can be very revealing to others.

Likewise, they can allow the enemy to know where our faith is weak.  

The devils’ primary strategy is to undermine your faith in God.

We can make it very easy or very hard for him to do that.

He is after that mustard seed faith in you.

Since it is impossible to please God apart from faith (Hebrews 11:6) and since the last thing the devil wants is for your life to be a delight to God and to please Him, he will do all within his power to destroy that faith in you.

He tried with Peter.

He will try with you.

Jesus is interceding for you – even as He did for Peter – that your faith does not fail.

God wants you and me to grow in our faith.

And He is far, far greater, as is His power, than satan.

Turn your mustard seed faith over to God.

Don’t surrender it to satan.

Peter’s faith faltered but he ultimately finished the race well.

While he may have lost a battle, through his faith he won the war!

Don’t surrender your faith to satan, instead let it grow.

Let that mustard seed faith in you grow, flourish and delight the Lord!

Powerless or Powerful?

“Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message,

and the message is heard through the word about Christ.”

Romans 10:17

 

Yesterday we said that faith is when you choose to believe God and by acting out that belief you establish your life upon what God has said!

There is a similar principle which we should mention but is certainly not something we want to build our lives upon.

It is this:

Unbelief is when you choose to believe satan and by acting on that belief you establish your life based on what satan has said.

I think we sometimes discount this possibility in our lives because we just can’t imagine ourselves believing satan.  

We even become offended at the mere suggestion of it but the bible is filled with examples from Genesis to Revelation; from the Garden of Eden to the Last Days.

The devil even had the arrogance to attempt to deceive the Word made flesh (Jesus)

by quoting the Word to Him when he tempted Him in the wilderness.

So don’t think it can’t/won’t happen to you!

The devil wants to steal your faith.

If he can accomplish that, he knows he has another powerless saint.

But praise God, He has given us His Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit makes the Word of God come alive in us.

As that happens our faith in God grows.

The powerless saint becomes a powerful saint!

Which one are you?

Faith Steps Out…

“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

“Come,” he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him.

“You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

Matthew 14:28-31

 

Faith is when you choose to believe God and by acting out that belief you establish your life upon what God has said!

Gosh, could I have emphasized particular words any more strongly above?

We often declare: “I believe God!” but then our declaration fails to grow hands and feet.

Yep, you knew it was coming – we talk the talk but don’t walk the walk.

Faith is more than just words.

Faith is acting on the Word of God spoken to you.

It’s allowing God to order your steps and not just your declaration.

Don’t misunderstand – what we believe and declare is important.

But if all we do is ‘believe and declare’ without any subsequent steps we are not walking by faith.  

Much has been preached and taught about Peter’s doubt and his subsequent sinking.

It’s true that he took his eyes off of Jesus and looked at the storm around him.

But you could also ask the question – How many other disciples got out of the boat?

Peter believed the invitation of Jesus and by stepping out of the boat he acted on that belief and, even if for a short time, he established his life (some in unbelief might say he risked it) on what God – through Jesus – had said.

Jesus never spoke words in error.

It was no accident on His part when He said “…little faith…”

He didn’t day – nor did He mean to say …you of no faith… when He spoke to Peter.

Peter’s faith, no matter how small, still moved him to action.  

It wasn’t a lesson lost, it was a lesson learned.

Will you put action to Gods’ word to you?

What has He spoken and what can you do to step out in that faith?

God is Worthy of our All

Todays' blog is written by David Trotta:

On multiple occasions in scripture God uses the word “all” to describe how much of our hearts He requires.  He makes no bones about it – he wants everything.  He won’t accept anything less than our very best and He has every right to ask for it.

Let’s look at a couple examples in scripture (italics mine):

·         Jeremiah 29:13 says “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”

·         Mark 12:30 reveals God’s greatest commandment to anyone desiring to follow him – “and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.”

In Matthew 7:6, Jesus instructs us to not “throw your pearls to pigs.”  In other words, don’t give what is valuable and precious to someone who won’t appreciate it, but instead, will treat it poorly.  The same can be said of God.  He will only reveal the precious depths of His heart and character to the true seeker, the Christian who understands the worth and value of intimacy with God and is willing to give up everything to obtain it.

God has every right to demand our all.  After all, He is the king of Glory, creator of the heavens and earth.  But, it also makes perfect sense for God to want to jealously protect something so priceless as greater knowledge, fellowship, and intimacy with him.  The value of such things is beyond words.  God is the perfect caretaker and He has to be true to Himself.  He won’t reveal those things that are most precious to the casual seeker, lest they be treated carelessly or with little regard.

In 2014, let’s determine to walk the road of surrender.  Let’s choose to give Him our all.  It won’t be easy and it will cost us, but the cost pales in comparison with what we will receive in return - finding the greatest treasure - Him.  He promises to walk the road with us.  If we let Him, He will help us surrender those things that aren’t important and pursue Him with all our hearts.