Attacking Others Isn’t the Path to Success

At least, it’s not the pathway to real success. Yet it’s a common technique, so much so that we have the phrase, “dog eat dog world.” We know how this works. I’m not looking good or doing what I should, so instead I’ll make the other person look bad. Unfortunately, this technique is brutally effective. Look at our politics or our advertising. Look at the reality TV programs we have where folks try to cast others in a bad light in order to win favor and win it all. But while it may succeed in the short term, for this world, it ultimately won’t succeed with God. That’s where it matters most.

Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” And the LORD said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground. And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.”  – Genesis 4:8-12, ESV

We know Cain’s offering didn’t measure up to that of his brother’s. God confronted Cain and made it clear that if Cain did what was right, God would accept that. Cain was offered a second chance. Cain had every opportunity to measure up. But that’s not the road he took. Instead, Cain chose to get his brother alone, kill him, then hide the body. When confronted about it by God, he tried to act like he didn’t know what happened to Abel. Of course God knew and He called Cain on it. Because Cain didn’t do what was right and because he compounded that sin with even more sin, God turned to punishment and discipline.

The right course of action would have been for Cain to simply correct his offering. Very often we’re in the same boat. We know what we need to do but for whatever reason we aren’t able to do it. Maybe circumstances prevent us. Or it could be skill and capability. It could even be time. None of us like to fail. None of us like to not succeed. It isn’t a good feeling for most. We also don’t want people thinking of us in those terms, as less becomes of a mistake or failure that we’ve had. Therefore, it’s easy to feel like we can “level the field” by attacking whoever is doing well, whoever is succeeding. We probably won’t to go as far as killing the person, but we’ve seen that, too, like when a mom killed a teenager so her daughter could be on the cheerleading squad. By attacking the person in the lead, we may change the opinions of those around us, we may be able to persuade them that we aren’t the ones who messed up or we may get them to overlook that fact as they focus on some flaw or issue with the other guy. And like I said, while this may work for the people around us, it never works with God. He sees right through it, just like He saw right through Cain’s deception.

The key to breaking away from this behavior is rooted in humility. Humility is most clear when we take an accurate look at ourselves compared with Jesus Christ. His holiness, His righteousness, His perfection, and everything about Him should cause us to realize that we’re nothing special. It helps us realize that when we compare ourselves with others around us, the differences between us and those people are effectively nothing when compared with the difference between us and Jesus Christ. If you’re familiar with the idea of orders of magnitude, you can probably start to understand what I mean. If you’re not, compare this. If I’m a 5 and you’re a 9 and the scale is 1 to 10, that 4 point difference is big. But if I’m a 5 and you’re a 9 and Jesus is 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,

000,000,000,000 (and even this is selling Jesus well short, but it works for example purposes), then what’s 4 between the two of us? Absolutely nothing when brought in the light that Christ is so much greater. That then raises the question of, “Why spend so much effort to bring a 9 down to a 3 or 4 when the real number for comparison is 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000?” It just doesn’t make sense. It’s a waste of time and effort.

Therefore, let us strive instead to do the best we can. Let us strive to bring the offering God would desire of us. That’s where the real issue is: with us. That’s what God is looking at, not where our fingers are pointing at another. If we focus on what we can do, on what our priorities are, and what kind of people we should be, then we avoid the mistake Cain made and we take advantage of the many chances God gives us to be better. After all, that’s what He’s after when He calls us to Himself: to remake us to be like His Son. That’s sanctification and that’s an on-going process while we live this life. Let us put aside revenge and attacks against other because they are fruitless tricks that don’t stand up to the scrutiny of God. Instead, let us focus on what does, and that’s simply to give maximum effort to the right priorities at the right time.

Face to Face with God

In Deuteronomy there is the following verse:

And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, – Deuteronomy 34:10, ESV

It is tucked in there at the end of the book and if you aren’t reading carefully, you might miss “whom the LORD knew face to face.” Once you see it, though, it should cause you to pause. What does it mean that the Lord knew Moses face to face? After all, Moses wasn’t allowed to see God’s face, for God put His hand on His servant and held Moses in the cleft of the rock as He passed by. So it doesn’t mean physically face to face. So what then?

It meant the sort of relationship that existed between Moses and God. It was a face to face relationship. They were close. They spoke often. This is the kind of relationship you expect between best friends. Maybe even closer. It is like the type of relationship between two combat vets who had fought together and after years apart come together, nod at each other, and just know what the other is thinking and feeling. Except this type of relationship isn’t between any two people. It is a relationship between a man and God.

Do you want this kind of relationship with God? It would mean dispensing with all the excuses. It would mean truly putting Him first. And it would mean spending more time with Him. A lot of time with Him, in fact. More time in the study of God’s Word. More time in prayer. And more time in God’s service. We are talking real service, where God says, “Go,” and we go – no questions asked.

The thing of it is a lot of us talk like this is what we want. But the real test is how we live our daily lives. We don’t live this way and that’s why we don’t know God face to face. The reality is Moses had it right. We are the ones who are wrong. There is nothing greater than time spent in the presence of the Almighty. We know this, but we still don’t act on it. Why not? Because we are sinful people.

God can change this. He can draw us closer to Him. But we have to want it. We have to ask God for it. And we have to trust by faith that He will expand that faith. In the meantime, we need to get rid of the roadblocks. We have to give God every part of ourselves. And if we are truly serious and faithful, we will know our Lord face to face. How bad do you want it?

Remembering the Lord’s Faithfulness

It’s a good thing God isn’t like us. So often we find ourselves being unfaithful to Him. We ignore or subvert His commands. We give in to our sinful nature and do the very things we know we ought not do. Or worse yet, we choose not to do that which we are expected to do. If God wasn’t faithful to us, if He didn’t keep the promises He has made to us, we’d be done for. He remains faithful and He keeps those promises not because we’re anything special, but because He is. Stop and think about that for a second. God’s faithfulness isn’t tied to us in any way. It is tied to His nature and His character and as a result, His faithfulness is perfect, even when ours is far from it.

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.”

The LORD is good to those who wait for him,
to the soul who seeks him.
It is good that one should wait quietly
for the salvation of the LORD.
It is good for a man that he bear
the yoke in his youth.
          – Lamentations 3:22-27, ESV

One of the things that the Enemy likes to do is bring back up our mistakes, our missteps, our sin. He loves how it makes us think less of ourselves, as we get swallowed up by the guilt, by the memory of the pain we’ve caused or the wrongs we’ve done or the opportunities we’ve missed. He knows that so long as we’re dwelling on our past faults, we’re not moving forward in the present. This isn’t to minimize or reduce sin. Sin is so horrendous we could not overcome even a single one. Without God’s intervention, our committing sin comes with the punishment of eternal damnation. Sin isn’t something to be forgotten about or laughed away. Sin must be repented of and turned away from. However, the thing we must remember is sin is trumped by grace. As bad as we are, God is infinitely more good.

That’s what Jeremiah was writing about here. Jerusalem, in fact, the whole nation of Judah, was subjugated because of its sin. It was carried off into exile. It reaped the consequences of its many sins. However, we find right in the midst of the laments for Judah’s state this set of verses. God’s love never ceases. His mercies never end. Our hope is in the Lord. God is good for those waiting on Him. How can a prophet like Jeremiah go from the destruction of Judah to such praise? It’s really easy: Judah’s fate was temporary. It would end. And Judah’s fate didn’t necessarily reflect the fate of the man who trusted in and loved God. For those who love God, Jeremiah’s words still ring true today: He is good for us. Why? Because He is faithful. His love and mercy doesn’t fail nor do they end. We can place our hope, not a wishful hope but a quiet confidence based on faith, that He will deliver. Why? Because He is faithful. But there’s a catch: we must seek Him.

That means remembering the Lord’s faithfulness over our own unfaithfulness. It means not wallowing in our sins and allowing self-pity to creep in. It means taking God at His word to forgive and forget if we repent and turn away from sin. It means remembering that God will make everything for the good of those whom He has called (Romans 8:28). His unshakeable faithfulness and love is worthy of our praise, our thanks, and our prayers. When we falter, He does not. Just as the Son has promised a place with Him in the future, God the Holy Spirit has promised to remain with us even now. He doesn’t depart. He doesn’t desert. He remains. He prays. He loves. He guides. Why? Because He is faithful. He is always faithful. Don’t we serve an awesome God?

Noble Character

Tucked away in the Proverbs 31 is this verse:

A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.
- Proverbs 31:10, NIV

The King James version uses the word virtuous, the English Standard Version uses excellent, and the New Living Translation expands on the King James and uses “virtuous and capable.” While the end of Proverbs 31 describes what men should look for in a wife, it stands to reason that being of “noble character” is something we should all strive for. That got me to thinking what exactly is meant by “noble character.” Today we don’t have much in the way of nobles in everyday life here in the United States. There are figurehead members of nobility like in England and Japan. We could consider “old money” to be America’s version of nobility. But ultimately, we know and understand this isn’t what God means by “noble character” because of that word “character.” Money isn’t the determining factor of what is considered “noble character” in God’s eyes. So let’s take a brief look at what is:

• Being trustworthy (v. 11)
• Bringing enrichment to those around you (v. 11)
• Bringing good to those around you (v. 12)
• Being dutiful (v. 13-15)
• Being efficient (v. 13-15)
• Being a self-starter (v. 13-15)
• Being responsible (v. 16-18)
• Completing tasks (v. 16-18)
• Caring for the poor and needy (v. 20)
• Taking care of one’s household (v. 21)
• Having (inner) strength and dignity (v. 25)
• Not worried about the future (v. 25)
• Speaks with wisdom (v. 26)
• Instructs with gentleness (v. 26)
• Isn’t lazy (v. 27)
• Ensures others’ laziness does not occur in the household (v. 27)

This is quite a list, and it’s not an easy one, either. One of the things that struck me is not all of it is related to being truthful and trustworthy. Quite a lot of it had to do with being able to work, work well, and getting the job done. But the more I thought about it, the more I see how this is part of being trustworthy. After all, if we’re depending on someone to get something done, if they are trustworthy, then we know that barring some unforeseen circumstance, the job is going to get done. The only way to reach that point is to be effective in getting the things of life done. Yet such a person doesn’t dwell on what is to do tomorrow. This also makes sense because if I’m caught up in tomorrow, I’m no good today.

This isn’t to neglect the aspects we would consider more “character” issues like being good to those around us, caring for the poor, speaking with wisdom, having strength and dignity, and instructing with gentleness. Those are crucial, too. It takes a blend of all of these traits in order to be seen as one of noble character in God’s eyes. But this list isn’t enough. There are non-religious and non-Christian people who could have a claim to fulfilling this list. So God tacks on one more requirement:

Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last;
but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised.
Reward her for all she has done.
Let her deeds publicly declare her praise.
- Proverbs 31:30-31, NLT

In addition to the list, we must also fear God. Everything else on the list is important, but not as important as believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, following Him, and being surrendered to Him. We cannot neglect that. It is of “first importance,” to quote the Apostle Paul.

Do you want to be seen by God as having “noble character?” I know I do. This list in Proverbs 31 isn’t just for women; it is for us all. I know I can’t do it alone. However, if I allow the Holy Spirit to mold me, to teach me, to lead me, He will help me work on this list and on the greater issue of my trust and faith in my Lord. Is this painful? Yes. But it is the process every believer is supposed to go through. We usually have another name for it in the church: sanctification. Whatever choice of words you happen to prefer, the fact remains that this is supposed to be the life for all believers. May the Lord work in us who desire to be wholly His, to be seen by Him as having noble character, according to His great purpose and for His greater glory.

The Miracles of Jesus (12/35)

Today’s Church has largely forgotten or ignores the supernatural world which the Bible describes. We may pay lip service to the existence of Satan and demons in general, or we may use him as a convenient target for the cause of our sin so we don’t have to accept the responsibility for it (at least, in our own eyes), but it’s not unusual to find that a particular Christian doesn’t even consider the spiritual and supernatural side of things when it comes to daily life. This miracle hits that head on. Jesus was talking about the spiritual war that is going on between Satan’s minions and believers. Concepts such as a divided force and overall strength are military principles and they were referenced by Jesus to show how misguided those who were challenging Him were on His casting out demons.

And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute; when the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke; and the crowds were amazed. But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.” Others, to test Him, were demanding of Him a sign from heaven.

But He knew their thoughts and said to them, “Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and a house divided against itself falls. If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. And if I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? So they will be your judges. But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. “

“When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are undisturbed. But when someone stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away from him all his armor on which he had relied and distributes his plunder. He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me, scatters.
- Luke 11:14-23, NASB

First and foremost, Jesus talks about the fact that it didn’t make sense for Satan, Beelzebul, the Father of Lies, whatever you want to call him, to give power to his followers to cast out demons. Demons are his minions. His followers are his minions, too. To grant folks that follow him the ability to cast out demons means that his forces would be fighting. That doesn’t make any sense. It’s one thing if a commander allows a unit to be withdrawn as a ruse. We call that a feint. But that’s a planned and organized movement that is done in coordination with other units nearby. If you have a follower casting out a demon, that’s not coordinated. And then you have your forces struggling with each other, meaning they aren’t battling the shared enemy, which would be God, his angels, and the rest of mankind. That’s Jesus’ point. That’s how illogical their comments were. And to drive the point home, he then makes his second point by turning the question on them. If Satan does give men the ability to cast out demons, if any of them are successfully casting out demons, how do they know that they are receiving power from God? How can they be so sure?

And that’s how Jesus drives the final point home. It is not by the power of Satan He was casting our demons. He was casting out demons by the power of God (Himself). That meant they needed to recognize that and stop their plotting and their accusations. Of course, we know they didn’t listen. But we need not make a similar mistake. And because it was God doing the casting out, it’s a battle of strength. On our own, we cannot stand against a demon, a fallen angel.  So if it’s us trying to do it on our own, we will lose. However, if we’re with Christ, this isn’t a problem. He’s the strong man, fully armed, who cannot be overpowered. We are protected in His house. When Satan tries to come against us, he doesn’t fight us, but he fights God. And he loses every time.

But it goes beyond that. Notice what Jesus says with the example of the strong man. If we are not with Him, we are against Him. If we are not with God, we are against God. There is no middle ground. There is no neutrality. We cannot be Switzerland. Be with God, and we are safe. Choosing not to choose sides is the same as choosing against God. And if that’s the case, we will be scattered. But we are Christians. We are on God’s side. But are we fully? Think through all aspects of your life. Are they completely and totally aligned with God? Have you consciously said, “God has direction in His Word on this, and I will follow it.” and done so or are there significant areas of your life left unexamined? Have you allowed God to penetrate to every portion of you? If you haven’t, if He isn’t in control, then you stand alone in that area of life. You are open to the attack of the Enemy. But you also face the forthcoming discipline of God in that area of your life. Jesus was totally exposed to the Father, with every aspect of His life in line with the will of the Father. This is what we are being remade to be like. So we can either be proactive or reactive in our walk with Christ, in our transformation to be like Him in this regard. In my experience, being proactive is usually less painful and more beneficial. Something to consider.

A New Day Dawning

Getting married can be done on a whim or it can be done carefully. My wife and I were talking about our wedding preparations and we were reminiscing about how many folks came together to make our wedding day very special. We put a lot of planning into the event, not only because we knew that it was a big step in our life together, but also because we were both college students and our budget was limited. We got help from family, but we wanted the day not to be about frills and money spent, but about love and the start of a life together. I believe that our wedding day accomplished that. We saw a member of Kimberly’s family reconcile with the rest of the family after years of estrangement. We have other great memories of that day, too – memories that 15 years later are still talked about by family and friends alike. It was a wonderful day. But there’s a better day coming. And it, too, requires our preparation. But not in the way we might think.

Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave properly as in the day, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. – Romans 13:11-14, NASB

We don’t know when Jesus will return. We know He will, but the when is not for us to know until He shows up. Still, what we can say with certainty is that each second that ticks by is a second closer to that special day. And that’s what Paul is getting at here. Every day we walk in the faith is another day closer to His return. And because we don’t know exactly when He will return, we must prepare for it like it could be now. In that day our salvation will be complete. In that day we will be reunited with our Savior. But there’s something He expects of us. He expects us to act in a certain way.

Note that Paul tells us to lay aside deeds of darkness, lusts of the flesh, carousing and drunkenness, sexual promiscuity, sensuality, strife, and jealousy. These are things that do not belong among God’s people and His Word is full of reminders that these are the sorts of things God does not treat lightly. These are things that represent our old selves, the way we were before being saved. We don’t have to be this way any longer. Through the help of the Holy Spirit, we can be better. And that’s what Jesus expects of us. That’s what He wants.

We are given some figurative language as to how to behave. We are told to put on the armor of light. We are told to behave properly. We are told to put on the Lord Jesus Christ. Think about those things. Still kind of abstract, right? Let me use a modern analogy. When we see a US Marine Corps drill instructor, we have certain expectations about how that person should look and act. The uniform is supposed to be crisp and perfect. The D.I. should carry himself or herself with bearing and poise. We would not expect crude or immature behavior out of one wearing such a uniform. So when a D.I. puts on that hat that marks out a drill instructor, we expect a certain level of behavior from that person. The same is true for us as Christians.

We are told to put on Christ. When we do, there is an expectation of acting as He would act. Now, we won’t be perfect. But we must try our best. We are to represent Him to the world around us. We are to show love, kindness, gentleness, integrity, honor, faith, and righteousness to those around us. Why? Because we don’t know when He’ll be back. Think of it this way… when I was in school, it was not unusual for me and my friends to wait until the last minute to prepare for an announced test. So if we knew a test was on Wednesday, there was a good bet it wasn’t going to be until Tuesday night that we studied for it. Teachers know how the game is played. And they have a weapon in their arsenal: the pop quiz. For teachers who make effective use of this weapon, we knew we had to keep up with the course. That meant doing our homework and our studying regularly rather than cramming at the last minute. Ultimately, when we approached a course this way, we learned the material better and we got more out of the course. Paul is looking at our lives the same way. If we knew when Christ would return, we might be tempted to live however we want until right before He came back. We’d treat that day like an announced test. But better for us (and for those around us) if we understood that Christ’s return was like the biggest pop quiz ever. We don’t know when, we just know it’s coming. So we prepare for it each and every day. Our earthly lives are better, they reflect our Savior better, and they serve as an example for others to see why we’re different and why Christ matters. That’s what Paul is getting at here.

So we have a choice to make. We can choose to try and guess when he’s coming back (or when we’re departing this life) and cram like for a major test, or we can steadily prepare each day. The latter is the smarter option, because we can’t predict the future. However, it’s our call. Christ wants us to prepare each day. He wants us to remember that every day that passes is another day closer to the completion of our salvation. It is another day closer to redemption, to perfection, to His victorious reign. And as we prepare, as we put on Christ each day, that preparation reminds us that we are drawing closer, that the promise given through Christ is closer. We are nearer than when we first believed. And that should give us great joy and comfort, for our Savior will deliver on His promise. So let us prepare for it.

A Focus on Riches and Pleasure

When I look out at the world today, I see an increased focus on wealth. Now I’m not going to be naive here. I’m sure that focus has always been there. I think I’m just seeing it more clearly as I’ve grown older and hopefully, wiser. After all, for 30 pieces of silver, Christ was betrayed. For a simple bribe, the Great Wall of China was breached through an opened gate. Most folks would love to have enough money where they wouldn’t have to worry about money any more. But it seems like as folks get money, they want more money. That’s because as they get money, their tastes grow more expensive. I’ve caught myself doing this. I remember when spending $80 on two computer books I really, really needed for my job was considered a sacrifice. Just recently I purchased $80 in books for two books and didn’t even blink an eye. My earnings have increased as the first example was when I was still a lieutenant in the USAF and now is when I’ve risen pretty high up in my profession. And with that increase in earnings, my expectations have changed. The catch is to make sure that I don’t get consumed by them. If God were to decide to put me in a position where I was back making what I did in the military (or even less), where would my heart be? That’s a vexing question. I know what I want to answer. I want to answer that it wouldn’t matter, because only Christ matters. And that’s what my prayer is. Lord, let you be the passion and the true treasure of my life. Because I know gold is just pavement.

Woe to those who add house to house and join field to field,
Until there is no more room,
So that you have to live alone in the midst of the land!
In my ears the LORD of hosts has sworn, “Surely, many houses shall become desolate,
Even great and fine ones, without occupants.
“For ten acres of vineyard will yield only one bath of wine,
And a homer of seed will yield but an ephah of grain.”
Woe to those who rise early in the morning that they may pursue strong drink,
Who stay up late in the evening that wine may inflame them!
Their banquets are accompanied by lyre and harp, by tambourine and flute, and by wine;
But they do not pay attention to the deeds of the LORD,
Nor do they consider the work of His hands.
– Isaiah 5:8-12, NASB

The warning given in these passages is another haunting one given our culture today. The first image here is of the person who builds and builds wealth. That person is building wealth to isolate himself or herself from others who are not wealthy. These people are hoarding wealth. They’re building wealth so as to set themselves apart. Our culture plays to that. Pay the premium ticket and you get to sit in special seating for the concert. Pay a bit more and you get first class on the aircraft. If you’re a high roller in Las Vegas you get different accommodations and different treatment from those who don’t have as much money to burn. Want all the latest safety features? Buy the newest model luxury car. You get the idea. Now I’m not saying having wealth is bad. But the focused pursuit of it is if that quest takes you away from God or takes your eyes off of what He is doing. The first part of the passage is all about wealth for the wrong reasons. And Isaiah says, “Woe!” Woe is a curse when you see it in the Bible. It’s a proclamation of disaster. And this passage tells us exactly how that happens. What was once considered easy money won’t produce. What was depended on to maintain a lifestyle will be gone. And all the trappings and structures of wealth will be abandoned, because they cannot be maintained. We’ve seen a bit of that these last few years. But it’s not just about wealth. It’s also about the pursuit of entertainment. That could be drinking and drugs. Or it could be music, or shows, or ballgames, or whatever. That’s what the next set of verses talk about. When one lives for the entertainment, there’s a problem. Those folks are also in trouble. Isaiah also proclaims “Woe!” over them.

But wealth in and of itself isn’t bad, right? Taking in a ballgame, that’s a sin? What about imbibing a bit of beverage? Even Christ did that. Is that a sin? The answer is that as isolated events they are not. God clearly reveals through Isaiah what the real problem is. It’s the fact that the pursuit of these things are taking the people’s eyes off of God. They aren’t paying attention to what God is doing. They aren’t thinking about God implementing His will. They aren’t seeing themselves as a part of it. Rather, they are set apart, and not in a good way, to selfishly pursue wealth or entertainment or both.

That’s the warning to us. Our eyes need to be on the deeds of the Lord and on the work of His hands. Our focus needs to be on God. The world offers plenty of distractions and wealth and entertainment are among its strongest. But we aren’t to get caught up in them. They don’t matter in the eternal viewpoint of how things really are. Only Christ does. He is our salvation. He is our redemption. He is our righteousness. No amount of money or singing or pitching skill can replace that. We know that in our heads. But that concept must reach and live in our hearts. For Israel/Judah, that wasn’t the case. And thus woe befell them. God doesn’t want that to be our fate. And that’s why He has provided this warning to us. He would rather us abide by the words in this simple song:

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

Seeking to Improve

Every year I go through a self-examination process around my birthday, which was a couple of weeks ago. And in that self-examination process I look at all areas of my life and see where I’m doing okay, where I’m doing better than okay, and areas where I need to improve. One of the things that God really impressed upon my heart is my prayer life. I pray at the appropriate times… before meals, with my children before bedtime, before I lead a class and upon completion of that class, and at random other times throughout the day. The random other times throughout the day is the problem. There isn’t consistency and purpose in my prayer life other than those expected times.

“Now, my son, the LORD be with you, and may you have success and build the house of the LORD your God, as he said you would. May the LORD give you discretion and understanding when he puts you in command over Israel, so that you may keep the law of the LORD your God. Then you will have success if you are careful to observe the decrees and laws that the LORD gave Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged. – 1 Chronicles 22:11-13, NIV

These are the words spoken to Solomon by his father David. David knew what it was like to stray from God’s decrees. And he had paid a heavy price for it within his own family. The words that really hit home are “if you are careful to observe” which David stated. Careful. As in taking time, observing properly, and being disciplined to ensure it happens. Which is the exact opposite of what I was finding in my prayer life. Yes, I was praying and praying a lot. But there was no discipline to it. And that’s a big problem. Prayer shouldn’t be an after thought. It shouldn’t be something we do only as a reaction. And it must go beyond those expected times like for meals. It is appropriate to pray as a reaction. For instance, when we heard about the earthquake in Haiti, I’m sure quite a few Christians went to the Lord in prayer. But a solid prayer life should be about more than this. It should show a consistent time and effort with God.

So that’s where I am. It’s something I know I need to be better about. Purchasing a small journal to record prayer concerns, answers to prayer, and things I learn while in prayer is a useful tool. Buying a couple of books on prayer from authors with great insight are other great tools. But they are just that: tools. The real change is up to me. I must take prayer up as a serious priority in my life. Scripture is clear about its importance, about its effectiveness, and about its usefulness in the life of a Christian. None of those things can be realized if I don’t become disciplined in my prayer life. Therefore, I must.

Is there something going on in your walk with God that is not where it should be? Have you done a self-examination recently to note any weaknesses in your spiritual life? If not, it’s something that needs to be done fairly regularly. If there is an area of weakness (we all have them, no matter how much we improve), that’s what to attack next. Perhaps it’s Bible reading. Maybe it’s sharing the faith. Or it could be an issue with genuine worship. There are plenty of areas that God could target if we only let Him. I want to let Him, because it’s the only way I improve. It’s the only way I can be careful to observe His decrees and laws. And it’s the only way I can be more like my Savior.

Check It With Scripture

Last week I spent part of my time while suffering with migraines reading the first three books of the Inheritance cycle, more commonly known as Eragon, Eldest, and Brisingr. All three together are about 2000 pages, so it took a bit of effort. The reason I read them all is because my younger son has read all three and my oldest was already on Eldest. I like to know what my children are reading and while I knew the series came highly recommended, I still like to make sure I know what the content is in case they have questions or in case there is something in there that I find at odds with what I believe or feel is right and/or important. Overall, the books are a good read if you like fantasy books. They are substantially better than the Harry Potter series, as the main character is expected to do what’s right because it is right and when he doesn’t, he pays a heavy price (Harry seems to succeed more when he breaks the rules). It also shows that not everything works out the way you’d like it because you’d want it too, as the main character suffers some losses that are personally devastating to him. And it shows that the main character has flaws and makes his mistakes and that they aren’t always a good thing in the end, which is how much of Harry Potter’s “mistakes” work out.

Needless to say, I enjoyed reading the three and I’m looking forward to when the fourth one comes out. But the purpose of this BE isn’t to give a book review on the three books, but rather to discuss what I learned from it, how that applies to the Christian walk, and the care that must be taken when learning from something other than Scripture. So what did I learn? Basically the same thing I talked about yesterday, that there must be an intentional process to groom my boys to be godly men. The main character’s name is Eragon (hence the title of the first book) and when he embarks on a journey not of his choosing, he immediately gains some very powerful enemies. Another character, Brom, begins to teach him what he must know to survive all the while trying to keep Eragon alive. Brom isn’t what he seems and if you’ve read the books you know what I’m talking about. I won’t spoil it for those who haven’t. In the first book you see Brom being systematic about Eragon’s accelerated learning. In the second book you come to appreciate just how quickly Brom built his system for Eragon, the choices he made, and how he used every moment he could, especially considering what they were facing. This all served as a reinforcement to what I had already learned through other avenues about teaching my sons. It was as if God was reaching down and saying, “It is that important. Get to it.”

Now it’s important to recognize here that I’m finding guidance in something outside of Scripture. If you’ve taken or read the course/book Experiencing God, then you probably remember that life experience is one way we determine what God’s will is. However, and this is a big however, that life experience had better be checked against the light of Scripture. We have plenty of life experiences and the majority of them probably don’t point us towards God’s will. Therefore, if we only rely on our own experiences, it’s very easy to misinterpret something we want and call it God’s will. But it really isn’t God’s will at all. And that’s why Scripture is so crucial. What we think God is saying to us must be checked against Scripture. In this particular case, I’ve done that. And I have examples like:

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. – Proverbs 22:6, NIV

These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. – Deuteronomy 6:6-7, NIV

I have an accountability before God to ensure that my boys are raised up to know His ways and His commandments. What they do with that teaching is up to them. But I’m to provide it. And that’s how I know that this is an area God wants me to invest in. This is an area I must work on, because it is that important for the proper growth of my boys. I do not want to stand before God and hear Him say, “You had an opportunity to train your boys in My ways. You had the responsibility to ensure they knew I was to be feared and worshipped. And you failed to carry that out properly. Why?” There isn’t an answer that I could provide that would satisfy Him or excuse my lack of action. His Scriptures tell me that it what I am to do, and it really doesn’t matter what originally set me upon this accountability. So I know this is something within His will. His Word says it is. And I will heed it and do it.

So when you’re listening for God, and wanting to hear from Him, certainly keep all approaches open, so long as they are acceptable in Scripture. And once you get something you think might be God speaking to you, check what you’re hearing against the Word. If it conflicts, it’s not from God. If it lines up, it may very well be God showing you what He wants you to be doing in your life. Prayer, further research in the Scriptures, and counsel with other Christians you trust can help you determine if you are hearing correctly or not. But certainly never rely on your own experiences. If you think your experiences are showing you the way, verify them. Make sure Scripture lines up. Otherwise you could end up very far off from where you should really be.

Hearing God

I’ve been suffering from migraines the past few weeks and while they hurt, and sometimes hurt a lot, I bear with them. It seems like any time I go into a period of extended migraines, I learn something more about God or more about what God is looking for from me. I know that to some that would sound crazy, but the pain helps me push a lot of things to the side that aren’t so important but that get in my way. As a result, I become more focused on the things that I should be focused on. And from that I learn a lot. It has happened every time.

When I think about how I came to Christ, it was in the midst of pain. My left shoulder was shredded. And I was just beginning to understand how badly I had re-injured it. I accepted Christ and the only thing I could do to stave off the pain was read the Bible. My girlfriend (now my wife) Kimberly bought it for me to celebrate my finally yielding to Jesus’ lordship over my life. It was a good way to start a new walk with Christ. I started at the beginning and I would read and read and read. My school work suffered, but then again, I couldn’t hold a pencil to write, I couldn’t clear my head of the pain long enough to get anything useful out of my textbooks, and I was miserable. The only time I could escape the pain was when I was reading Scripture. The pain became so unbearable that I couldn’t sleep much at night, so I began reading more and more. I learned a lot in a very short time. And I developed a thirst for seeing the Old Testament fulfilled in the New Testament. As a result, I considered that period one of the best of my life, in spite of the pain. Not only had He called me to Himself, but He had arranged circumstances where I was left with little else but to get to know Him better.

Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me–to keep me from exalting myself! Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness ” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong. – 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, NASB

Paul had some sort of painful part of his life, some thorn of his flesh. He called it a messenger of Satan and exactly what was meant by that has been debated quite a bit about theologians. I’ll just state it simply that I don’t know what he meant. It could have been a demon that plagued him or some aspect of his fleshly nature that caused him great temptation or it could have been actual pain that he could do little about. What it was specifically doesn’t matter. What does matter is Paul recognized that whatever it was, it drew his focus back to God. It opened him up so he would listen to God, so he would lean on God, and so he would trust in God’s grace and power and not his own.

My pain, especially when I have extended migraines, have served me in the same stead. My migraine ended sometime between Saturday night when I went to sleep and Sunday morning when I got up. Through that time I did a lot of reading. I came to the realization and understanding that I need to do more to intentionally walk my boys down the path to becoming godly men. Yes, I’ve taught them a lot informally in the home and formally through various children’s and youth ministries within the Church. Yes, they get a good foundation from what we do in our homeschool curriculum. But none of that specifically addresses how to raise these boys to be the men God wants them to be. My oldest is 12. He becomes a teenager in less than a year. Now my steps towards his education and his walk must be intentional, planned, and disciplined. That’s what God was showing me with that bout of migraines. Obviously there’s something else for me to learn. Why do I say that, other than it’s the obvious? That’s because my migraines started back up Sunday morning just a few hours after I woke up. But because I’m cognizant that this is what is God is after, pushing aside the distractions and focusing on Him, I’ll suffer through them. I know the reward is well worth it.

Now, if I was telling a young Christian how to better hear God, I wouldn’t say, “Well, you start by getting kicked in the head diving on a soccer ball,” which is how my migraines started. Nor would I say, “Well, find something that hurts, and try to listen to God through it.” None of that is Biblical. I would say, “You need to seek after Him. You do need to want to hear from Him. You do need to put your focus on Him, and He will reveal Himself to You. His Word will speak to you. Your prayers will receive an answer. He will get through to you. And pay attention to what He says!” It’s not important the method God uses. In my case, I have a thick skull so maybe migraines are the best way for Him to get my attention. I don’t know. But what I do know is that’s it is important to want to hear from Him. It is important to be prepared to hear from Him (and part of that means being ready to listen). And when we do hear something, we need to take it and test it against the light of Scripture. If it doesn’t match up, it wasn’t our Heavenly Father that we heard from.

Are you looking to hear from God? Are you willing to do it His way, whatever that may be? I hope so. Because if you are, He will reach out to you. He will speak to you. And it will be something you need to hear. It will be something that will likely mean you have to make adjustments in life. You must be willing to do so. That’s His reason for talking to you in the first place. He wants to change your life, and change it for the better.