Author Archives: drsteve73

Practical Atheism

Leave a reply

“Let me ask you, how many atheists are now in this house? Perhaps not a single one of you would accept the title, and yet, if you live from Monday morning to Saturday night in the same way as you would live if there were no God, you are practical atheists.” ― Charles H. Spurgeon

What a horrible thing to consider! Practical atheism – living life as if God does not exist. As Spurgeon puts it, “[Living] from Monday morning to Saturday night in the same way as you would live if there were no God.” Professing faith in Christ while at the same time living life without any thought of God or godliness.

Please understand that this does not mean that the individual lives a life of absolute evil. It does not mean that the individual commits horrific acts of sin. It does not mean that the individual is a murderer, a rapist, a thief, a terrorist, a wife-abuser or child-abuser, etc. It simply means that he/she lives life with no thought of God.

This type of individual may be well-respected in the community. They may do good things. They may give to worthwhile causes, live successful lives, have envious careers, live in the best of neighborhoods, drive the most luxurious automobile, have the most well-behaved children. They even attend church regularly and see to it that their families are there with them. But Monday through Saturday they live with no thought of God.

Something happens at the moment of salvation that changes a person instantly and permanently. He/she is instantaneously born again! The individual is taken out of spiritual death and ushered into spiritual life. By the amazing grace of God the individual puts off the old and replaces it with the new. He/she is a new creation who now has the Spirit of God living in them, imputing to them the righteousness of Christ, while at the same time imparting to them that same righteousness.

The imputation of righteousness, in its simplest terms, means that when God looks at the individual who has been saved by the precious blood of Jesus Christ, He now sees the righteousness of His Son. The individual is pronounced righteous because he IS righteous.

The impartation of righteousness means that in the realm of day-to-day life the individual now has the desire to live righteously before God and man. His mind-set changes, his attitude changes, his view on life changes – everything changes. He now lives life in the awareness of God’s presence, and with the desire to live his life for God’s glory. He no longer lives as if God does not exist, but he lives in the constant awareness of God’s presence and with the desire to please God in everything he does.

The individual who has truly been born again into the family of God begins to see things differently. He may not change careers, but his career now becomes a source of ministry through which he can share the goodness and grace of God with his coworkers. He now works for Christ, not for self. His desires become God-centered rather than self-centered. His vocation is now seen as a vehicle through which he is afforded the opportunity to be on mission for God. He no longer lives life with only self-serving interests, but now with God-centered interests.

What role does God play in your Monday through Saturday activities? Parents, do your children see you as a Christ-centered person, whose first priority in life is to show them and share with them the love of Christ, or do they see you as a self-serving person who does everything out of selfish ambition? Are you teaching them to strive for a life of Godliness, or are you pushing them to live for the moment, to put their own personal ambitions and desires ahead of any thought of seeking God’s will for their lives?

What role does He have in your life? Right now – this very moment – could you honestly say that others see Christ in you, and witness His presence in your attitudes and actions? Or would they be shocked to learn that you are a professing believer because they see no evidence of a commitment to Christ in your day-to-day life?

We are admonished by the teachings of Scripture to walk in the Spirit of God so that our lives would display His righteousness and would reveal to others His glory. Let’s not fall prey to the tendency to live lives of practical atheism, but to live lives of sincere and total commitment to God.

Until next time:

Blessings!

Our Remarkable Memory

Leave a reply

I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. Psalm 139:14, NKJV

Have you stopped lately to praise God for the amazing assertion the psalmist makes in Psalm 139 about how intimately involved God is in the procreation process? You are the personal craftmanship of God. You! There is no one quite like you. You are indeed one of a kind.

There are over eight billion people in the world, and all of them, each of them, are different. You are unique, created by God and given, at the moment of conception, the DNA roadmap that will determine every facet of your being. Your eye color, hair color, body build, sex, etc. are there, mapping out the life you will live in great detail. As you grow, you will make decisions and choices that are in alignment with who you are. Why do some choose vanilla over chocolate, tea over coffee, pizza over a hamburger, milk over soda? It is because of the DNA map that motivates you to do certain things and not others, to be attracted to one person and not another. You, yes YOU, are an amazing, personal creation of God.

I would like to focus on one aspect of our being that we all have in common: memory. Granted, some persons have a truly astounding memory. It is as if they are incapable of forgetting anything. This is not the kind of memory I am referring to. Rather I am speaking of the fact that we are all capable of remembering.

Our memory plays a large role in our ability to form habits. We do not have to be told to do those things that we do every day. We do them out of habit, which is based on our memory. We remember to brush our teeth, to take a bath, to eat our meals at certain times of the day, to go to work without having to be told the way, to do our job without having to be retrained time after time. Memory is truly a cherished gift given to us by our Creator.

We remember people. There are those with whom we have crossed paths, and every time we remember them, we are flooded with memories that bring certain emotions. Perhaps some bring a sense of tremendous joy, while others are a source of heartache. Some bring about a feeling of thanksgiving and gratitude, while others bring a sense of pain and remorse.

We also remember those who have made an indelible impact on our lives. These should cause us to pause for a time of prayer and praise to our Father for allowing us to be touched in such powerful ways by these people from our past.

Memory – a prized possession for those who still have it. But sadly, one of the most devastating things that can happen to a person – in my estimation – is the loss of their ability to remember. Debilitating diseases such as Alzheimer’s or dementia are a terrible thing to witness. My Mother began to show signs of Alzheimer’s toward the end of her life. As I would visit her, I began to notice signs of the disease taking its horrible toll on her mind. My sister started making notes and taping them on the walls of my Mother’s room, reminding her of some of the simple, everyday things we need to remember. But with all of these tactics to exercise her memory, the disease continued to take its toll.

I knew the day would probably come when I would walk into her room, and she would now know me. I prayed that day would never come, but it did. The memory of this day is etched forever in my mind. When I walked into her room, I noticed a blank stare looking at me. I walked over, sat on the edge of her bed, and wept. I knew she had no idea who I was. I began to ask her questions: Do you know what day it is? Do you remember what you had for breakfast? She could not remember even the simplest of things. And finally, after several more questions of this nature, I asked, Do you have any children? If anything should jog her memory, this should be it. My sister visited her every day – often more than once in a day. Surely, I thought, she would at least remember Ada. But, no, she didn’t remember any of her three children.

I thought I was prepared for that day, as I realized with certainty it would eventually happen. But how wrong I was. Nothing could have prepared me for that blank stare. Nothing could have prepared me for the stabbing pain I experienced in that moment when time stood horribly still.

Thankfully, this was not a permanent loss of memory. She had days in which she carried on conversations with full recollection, but there were others when she struggled to remember hardly anything.

Have you stopped to thank God for this amazing gift? Can I encourage you today to never take it for granted, because we never know when it might possibly, quickly, and permanently be gone. Could I also encourage you to pray for those who are struggling with this awful disease? And finally, could I encourage you to pray for the caregivers of those who lovingly stand by the side of those who are struggling under the weight of this horrific erosion of their memory.

Until next time:

Blessings!

Have We Got It Backwards?

Leave a reply

How is the church supposed to relate to culture? Is the church supposed to accommodate cultural change? Are we to embrace the shifting sands of cultural evolution, or are we to stand fast on what many believe to be an old, outdated book written thousands of years ago to a people in a faraway land?

For the sake of this discussion, let’s think of the Old Testament example of the nation of Israel, and the New Testament example of the church. First, we’ll focus on Israel, the chosen people of God. A brief, cursory review of the history of Israel would be helpful at this point.

Let’s remember that God did not choose a nation already in existence, but rather He chose a man, Abram (later God changed his name to Abraham), and out of this one man God developed the nation over time. It was this small, fledgling, almost unnoticeable beginning that eventually became the nation.

God gave specific commands, guidelines, instructions, and cultural parameters by which the people of this nation were to live. They were forbidden to embrace the practices of other nations. Political practices, religious practices and ritual, cultural practices, etc. were all to be viewed as abominable and never to be synchronized into the practices of the nation of Israel.

According to the promises of God given to Abram in Genesis 12, the nation was to be a beacon of God’s grace and guidance, with the desire to show the world, and share with the world, the message of hope they could receive from God. Abram was promised that all the nations of the world would be blessed through him, and the nation which developed through his descendants.

Cultural practices of other nations were to be completely discarded, never finding place or practice among the people of Israel. Of course, we know that the nation failed miserably in this matter, having the desire to be like other nations, and as a result experienced the judgment of God.

Fast forward to the New Testament era and think of the beginning of the church. Jesus said that He would build His church, and all the power of hell could never stop it. Through the writings of the New Testament, the church was given specific instruction on how it was to relate to the world. It was never to embrace the cultural and religious practices of non-Christians but was to be the beacon light of God’s message of salvation through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. Jesus taught that the church should be distinct, not embracing the massive cultural swings of HIs day, and warning future generations of being swept up in the swelling tide of cultural evolution.

But it seems that in many respects the church has lost that distinctive edge. Instead of standing in opposition to the cultural climate, it seems that the church is welcoming cultural change in order to be more appealing to those outside the church. It is our obligation, after all, to get out there in the hedges and highways, compelling people to come in, right?

Well, yes and no. Yes, Jesus did indeed say those very words, instructing us to be out there among non-Christians, non-churchgoers, inviting them, appealing to them, to come visit the church. And too often, it seems, the church is going to the extreme of embracing culture in order to make the church seem more alluring to the lost person.

The New Testament is crystal clear on this matter. The church is the body of Christ. We are to live as He lived. We are to embrace and obey the teachings of His Word. We are to love the world, but never compromise with the world. We are to stand against cultural swings that would cause the church to disobey clear instructions from the Bible. We are never to change the message of the Gospel to accommodate the whims of the world. We are never to exchange Biblical theology with humanistic philosophy. We are to love the sinner without condoning the sin. We are to strive to point people to Jesus Christ, but being sure to tell them that a relationship with Him demands sincere repentance – a change of heart, mind, and behavior as one is brought into the likeness of Christ.

The world desperately needs Christians who will give a true witness to the world. We were dead in trespasses and sin. Christ came into the world to give His life as the ultimate sacrifice which made it possible for sinful man to be reconciled to God. To come to Him we must meet Him on His terms. We cannot love the world and the things of the world, and love Jesus Christ at the same time. Jesus said it like this: no man can serve two masters; he must make a choice.

Have you made yours?

Until next time:

Blessings!

For Such WERE Some of You

Leave a reply

Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

In my last post, I stated that many are embracing – both in the pew and the pulpit – lifestyles that are clearly denounced in Scripture as being abominations in the eyes of God. This alarming shift in the way churches, and even entire denominations, view the seriousness of sin is a clear indication that the church is moving toward a state of spiritual apostasy. It seems that the church, in general, has strayed from its spiritual moorings, anchored firmly in the word of God, and has now attached itself to the shifting winds of cultural change.

The passage quoted above is an amazing testimony to the power of grace given to the individual who experiences salvation. It is a statement verifying Paul’s assertion in Second Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” Salvation brings forth change in the life of the believer.

Make special note of the emphasized phrase in the passage quoted at the outset of this post: And such were some of you. BUT… Read again the sins and sinful behaviors Paul mentions: fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, homosexuals, sodomites, thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers, extortioners. And when Paul adds, “Such were some of you,” he states the obvious: they have now changed. They are no longer living lives characterized by these sinful lifestyles and actions. They are literally new creations in Christ.

When Paul adds, “Such were some of you,” he states the obvious: they have now changed.

When the church – individual, local congregations, or entire denominations – embraces these sinful lifestyles as being acceptable then it has lost its distinctiveness as the body of Christ. It is then not only in the world, but it is of the world. The church is to be a beacon of hope to those who are without Christ. It is to shine the light of God’s love and grace to those who are shackled to sinful lifestyles and behaviors that are contrary to the teachings of the Bible. It is to show the way out of the darkness and decadence of spiritual death, and point the way to spiritual life, which is found only in Jesus Christ.

When the church embraces these sinful lifestyles as being acceptable, then it has lost its distinctiveness as the body of Christ.

Admittedly, it seems that the church today focuses only on what it deems to be the more serious sins in Paul’s list. It often seems that the focus is on homosexuals, sodomites, adulterers, and fornicators. But the list includes thieves, drunkards, covetous, and others. Oftentimes, we tend to categorize sins. Some are viewed as more offensive to God than others. But note carefully the entire list. It clearly shows that all sin is an affront to God, and it teaches that salvation brings about a change from the old to the new. Such WERE some of you – but praise God you are no longer bound to the sins of your past!

So, let’s consider, in closing, a question and answer posed by the Apostle Paul that should give further clarification to this matter. In Romans 6:1-2 he says:

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it.

Being in Christ, having been made a new creation with all things becoming new, means that we are dead to sin and alive to righteousness. Our lives should bear testimony to that truth. And if not, then we are showing that we never truly died to sin and are thus still enslaved to it.

The church should bear the message of hope for those who are shackled to, and under the power of, sin. We should share the message of salvation to those who are still living in darkness, with the prayer that God would open their eyes to see and embrace the truth of His amazing offer of forgiveness and newness of life. But we must not allow ourselves to embrace and accept these alternative lifestyles as normative. We must, rather, embrace and propagate the message of the life-changing, behavior-altering power of the gift of God’s salvation.

Until next time:

Blessings!

Perilous Times

Leave a reply

But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come.

These words are found in Paul’s letter to Timothy, and sound an alarm for the spiritual and cultural climate of what he refers to as “the last days.” I would encourage you to turn to 2 Timothy now and read the third chapter before reading further in this blog. As you read this passage, remember that you are reading the inspired, inerrant, infallible, Word of God. Let Paul’s words resonate with you as you see the parallel between what he said two thousand years ago, and our present state of spiritual and cultural chaos.

We need to realize that we have a very real, very powerful, very persuasive enemy who is out to tear down and destroy all that is of God. He does this in a variety of ways, and oftentimes he accomplishes this by disguising himself as a minister of righteousness. The following verse speaks to this very issue:

For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, who end will be according to their works. – 2 Corinthians 11:14, NKJV

The focus of this blog will be on the spiritual deceit of Satan that is becoming more and more blatant in our present state. The church is supposed to be a beacon of hope, a light of life, shining forth the message of God’s love and grace into a world steeped in spiritual confusion. However, it seems to this writer that instead of the light of God’s love and grace shining out from the church, the darkness of the world is flooding into the church. Denominations that were once bastions of conservative Biblical and theological truth have become heralds of a watered-down version of the Gospel, espousing fallacious and even heretical teachings that are filled with worldly-minded philosophy. The God of the Bible who created us in His own image has now been recreated in our image. Some might even argue that the words of Friedrich Nietzsche ring truer today than ever before.

God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him.

Friedrich Nietzsche

Nietzsche’s comment is probably to be understood in the sense that due to man’s expanding knowledge of the universe, the necessity of the belief in a Supreme Being was no longer valid. Man could now explain the intricacies and perplexities of the universe without having God in the formula. Everything had become man-centered, with little room, and practically no need, for a belief in God.

We might think that the church – at least those that are still committed to the teachings of the Bible – is still a bastion of truth. But we are witnessing today a mass exodus from those teachings. Churches are changing their policies and practices to embrace a cultural climate that is in direct opposition to the teachings of the Bible. Many are embracing – both in the pew and the pulpit – lifestyles that are clearly denounced in Scripture as being abominations in the eyes of God. In order to reach the masses, the message has been altered to become more appealing to the human spirit, rather than being in alignment with the teachings of the Holy Spirit.

Is it easy to maintain a commitment to Scriptural instruction? Absolutely not! It is extremely costly and dangerous. Look no further that the lives of the early disciples of our Lord to see this clearly. They were persecuted, even executed, by the scores simply because of their belief in and their commitment to Jesus Christ. And remember our Lord Himself. If our Lord and Master was treated in such horrific ways why should we expect anything different?

But we do expect something different. Why? Because, sadly, that is what the prosperity gospel teaches: health, wealth, and perpetual happiness. Jesus promised the exact opposite. He taught clearly that in this world we would suffer persecution. But we don’t want persecution? We want prosperity; we want health and wealth; we want the blessings and bounty. And the watered-down gospel of this present age promises just that.

Paul identified the spiritual climate of our present day in graphic terms in 2 Timothy. And I would like to draw our attention to just one phrase out of that passage as I bring this blog to a close. Paul said they would be:

Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power! And from such people turn away! – 2 Timothy 3:4-5

For the church to be the church we need to stand up and speak out. The world desperately needs to hear the truth of God’s message: The whole truth! Let’s be part of His vast army of dedicated and committed soldiers, engaging in the spiritual war that rages. Let’s show the world that God is alive, well, and seated on the throne of the universe!

Until next time:

Blessings!

Why Do You Love God?

Leave a reply

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment.

Matthew 22:37-38, NKJV

Jesus made this statement in response to a lawyer’s question about the greatest commandment. In His response Jesus actually condensed all of the ten commandments into two: love the Lord and love your neighbor. If we obey these two commandments then we obey all ten. The first four commandments speak of our relationship with God, and the last six of our relationship with others.

The question I would like to address is seen in the title of this blog: why do you love God? Jesus said we are to love him with our whole being: heart, soul, and mind. And I feel quite sure that any Christian, in response to the question, “Do you love God?”, would respond with an immediate “Yes”. But if this question was followed by another, “Why do you love Him? “, we might get different responses.

Let’s think of our response in correlation with our relationship with our children. Most Christian parents would probably admit that, for some period of time, they taught their children to love and obey them by using fear as a motivation. We would develop certain rules, both spoken and unspoken, to instill in our children a sense of obedience. We might even use conditional phrases to convey this concept to them. They may come in the form of “If…but” phrases. “If you obey then… But if you disobey…”

We actually see God using this tactic in His relations with Israel in the Old Testament. He made certain unconditional promises to individuals such as Abraham and David, but He also made conditional promises to the nation as a whole. This was to serve as a deterrent for the nation, as they realized that their actions of obedience and disobedience had consequences – serious consequences.

We as parents use this same tactic with the hope that it will serve as a deterrent with our children. We actually teach them to obey us out of a certain level of fear of the consequences if they disobey.

But we don’t want them to continue in this state of fear. We want them to grow in their relationship with us to the point where they obey us out of love. This could actually be thought of as fear in reverse. Parents desire that their children grow to the point that they obey not out of the fear of punishment, but out of the fear that to disobey would hurt the parent.

This is an amazing transition to witness. Children make it as they realize that their actions have consequences for their parents. Parents want the best for their children and invest so much time, energy, and resources into this endeavor. They desire that their efforts will eventually result in their children truly responding to them in love – even in the fear that to do otherwise would hurt the parent(s).

Have you made that transition? First, in your relationship with family relationships. Do you, as a parent, invest in the lives of your children out of your love for them? And do you, as a child, display a sincere love for your parents in striving to show your love by your life of obedience?

And then think about your relationship with God. Do you obey Him out of a sense of fear, or of love? Certainly, we are to maintain a reverential fear of God simply because of who He is, but we should obey Him out of our deep, abiding love for Him and what He has done for us. Have you grown in your relationship with Him to the level of love, or are you still languishing in a groveling fear because you have not yet grown to love Him with all your heart, soul, and mind? He certainly deserves our love, worship, adoration, and obedience.

Until next time:

Blessings!

In Memory

Leave a reply

This weekend we celebrate Memorial Day – a federal holiday in the United States that has the intent of honoring and mourning US military personnel who have died while serving our country. The holiday was first called Decoration Day and originated during the Civil War when citizens placed flowers on the graves of those who had died in battle.

Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. John 15:13, Jesus Speaking

It is certainly right to observe this day with honor and respect for those who gave their all for our nation. They bravely fought for the freedoms and liberties we enjoy today. In the midst of all the family get togethers, the backyard barbeques, the gathering around the TV to watch Nascar, and the multitude of other things we find to do during this holiday weekend, let’s remember those who gave it all to secure our freedom to do so.

Might I suggest that we also take time to remember another Who gave His life for our freedom from bondage? Those of us who identify ourselves as Christians should not have to be reminded of His sacrificial death, but sadly we oftentimes get so caught up in the hectic rat-race of life that we fail to remember. I suppose this is one of the reasons Jesus instituted Communion, to give us a reminder of His body and blood which were given for us. It is only through His death, burial, and resurrection that we have forgiveness of sin, redemption secured through the shedding of His blood.

And one of the amazing things about Jesus’s death is seen in a statement recorded in Paul’s letter to the Romans:

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

While we were still sinners, at enmity with God, Jesus gave His life for us. We were dead in our trespasses and sins, giving no regard for God or the things of God. We were going our own way, doing our own thing, seeking and serving self, with no thought of our own wanton sinfulness and our desperate need of salvation. But God! He graciously demonstrated the immensity of His love for us by giving His Son. And Jesus – He willingly gave HIs life in obedience to the Father’s will so that we might be saved. Hallelujah, what a Savior!

Today, let’s not forget those who have lost their lives on the battlefield as they fought for our nation – but more importantly let’s not forget the One who died in our place, paying the penalty for our sin, providing the means of our salvation. Let’s make this day, and every day, a day of remembering this amazing gift of God.

Until next time:

Blessings!

A Glaring, Daring Example of Intolerance

Leave a reply

This week we have witnessed one of the most graphic displays of the intolerance of the left-wing agenda in this nation. It all centers around an NFL football player – Harrison Butker of the Kansas City Chiefs – and remarks he made in a commencement speech at Benedictine College. During his speech, he made remarks concerning women, abortion, President Biden, Gay Pride Month, gender ideology, and the emasculation of men. In other words, he spoke concerning traditional Catholic values and beliefs. And for this he is being openly and publicly criticized. Calls for his dismissal from the Kansas City Chiefs have been ringing out ever since the speech was given.

Butker’s speech stands in stark contrast to so many others who publicly share their views espousing anti-Christian, anti-Biblical biases. Usually, those who stand in opposition to traditional Judeo-Christian values and beliefs are applauded in the public arena. Their views are heralded in mainstream media outlets as if they were speaking the voice of truth. But when what they say is compared to Biblical truth it becomes obvious that they are voicing error – at least in light of Biblical teachings.

For those of us who identify as followers of Jesus Christ, this should be yet another wake-up call. We are called to be witnesses to the truths of Scripture everywhere, and with everyone. We are to be ministers of righteousness, ministers of reconciliation, fishers of men, speaking forth the truth of God’s Word in sincerity, love and compassion for those who are outside the family of faith. We are to stand firm on the clear teachings of Scripture, striving to share the message of God’s grace in the midst of those who would demean that message.

Let’s remember who we are, and WHOSE we are, and to WHOM we owe absolute allegiance and commitment. We are children of God, having been born again through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. We now belong to HIM. We have been bought with a price, and because of that we are HIS possession. We are to herald the message of His grace to our part of the world – no matter how large or small our part of the world may be.

Harrison Butker used the stage he was privileged to speak from to share his beliefs. He had as much right to do that as anyone else. And now he is being vilified for speaking truth from his commitment to the teachings of the Catholic church. Whether we agree with him or not, we must accept the fact that he has every right to speak, and to encourage others to think seriously about the message he shared.

The world desperately needs to hear the truth of God’s Word. We are His heralds, propagating His message of salvation to a generation that is steeped in spiritual darkness. Let’s be the light that will lead them out of the darkness of death into the light of life – His life. And let’s use every opportunity given to us to speak forth the truth of His Word into a spiritually bankrupt generation.

Until next time:

Blessings!

How to Know God’s Will

Leave a reply

Having served as pastor for 40 years, and college professor for over 20 years, one of the questions I have been most often asked is, “How do I know God’s will for my life?” This is, indeed, a most provocative question. I have been asked this question in relation to so many different areas of life: marriage, college, career choice, ministry opportunities, and a plethora of others.

Let me say that it is always a blessing for me to hear someone ask this question, regardless of the area of life they are inquiring about. This is because it shows a desire to do what God wants the individual to do. I am always more than ready and willing to assist those who are genuinely interested in doing God’s will.

However, having said that, I must hasten to say that it is sometimes a demanding task to seek and find God’s will. And there is no one patent answer that can be given to the question, as God works differently in different individual’s lives. How one person determines God’s will does not guarantee that it will work in another person’s search.

So, having laid that groundwork, let’s dive into the question, “How can I know God’s will for my life?” I am going to look at the question in two distinct ways. First, let’s think of the question like this: “How can I know God’s will?” After giving consideration to that question, we will then ask the question as originally presented in this blog: “How can I know God’s will for my life?”

Henry Blackaby, in his phenomenal work, “Experiencing God”, says that to ask, “How can I know God’s will for my life?” is to ask the wrong question. He states emphatically that the correct question is, “How can I know God’s will?” Blackaby then says that to determine God’s will, all one has to do is to look around and see where God is working. Then, once you have determined where God is at work, recognize this as God’s invitation for you to join Him in His work.

This takes effort on the part of the individual. We must first put forth the effort to be observant. We can’t go through life wearing spiritual blinders. We must be alert and actively seeking to discern God’s activity. It may be in your child’s school, or in a neighborhood soup kitchen, or at a local chapter of crisis pregnancy center, or any number of places He may be at work. Some of these may be short-term, while others may be long-term or even permanent places of God’s activity. You then have the opportunity to join in the work as God gives opportunity to do so.

There have been times in my life in which I have felt the nudging of the Holy Spirit to join a particular work of God. The invitation was clear, and the work was obvious. It was a matter of me saying yes or no to this invitation of God. I’m sure you have had those occasions as well. This is God’s way of saying to us, “This is My will – I invite you to join Me in this work.” A positive response will result in seeing God work through us for the duration of time He chooses. This is determining God’s will.

But the question is most often worded as stated at the outset of this blog: “How do I know God’s will for my life?” And this is often coupled with a very specific question. “Is it God’s will that I marry this individual?” “Should I get married now, or should we wait a little longer?” “Is this the right career path for me to invest my life in?” “Is it time for us to make a move to a different location?” “Should I accept this invitation to change course and begin a new career?” “Is this the right time for us to start a family?” And a myriad of other questions, striving to discern God’s will for our lives.

It sure would have been nice if God had included an addendum to the Bible with a five-point plan, with action points to take which would help us come to a clear, unmistakable life choice that is dead-center in the will of God. But, alas, there is no such addendum. And, as I stated earlier, there is no plan that works for everyone. Seeking God’s will for our lives is an individual effort.

But, having stated the obvious, I will say that there are certain actions we can take as we strive to determine His will for our lives. I share these with the hope and prayer that they will prove to be of help as you seek God’s will.

Prayer is an indispensable ingredient in the search for God’s will. This one should go without saying, but for the sake of emphasis I put this at the top of the list. It is crucial that we maintain open lines of communication with the Father through the vehicle of prayer. And please remember that prayer is a dialogue, not a monologue. We have a conversation with God by hearing Him speak to us through His Word, and then by responding to Him through prayer. Then, listen to His still, small voice to speak directly to our hearts as we get quiet before Him in that private place of prayer. And please remember this admonition from the Epistle of James: “If any of you lacks wisdom let him ask of God who gives to all men liberally and without reproach” (James1:5).

Second, I would suggest that to know God’s will we must surrender our will to Him. In the model prayer, Jesus taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” I have said many times that in order for His will to come in my life, my will must be done away with. I cannot sit on the throne of my life and have the Lord sitting on that throne at the same time. We must, as Paul says in Romans, present our bodies as living sacrifices for Him.

A third suggestion I would make is that we must be consistent in our walk with God. Our walk should be dictated by our staying in step with the Spirit of God. You have heard me quote Paul’s words on several occasions in which he encourages us to walk in the Spirit so that we do not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. That is the negative side of walking in the Spirit. But the positive side is that as we walk in the Spirit we will develop an ever-deepening fellowship with Him through which we sense His will.

Then, a fourth observation is that we should strive to live in obedience to the truths of God’s Word that we are already familiar with. We cannot hear His still, small voice through the clutter of a disobedient lifestyle. We must practice the truths of His Word, and He will then reveal more truth to us. As we learn more of His truth, we are able to more quickly and readily discern His will.

As a fifth suggestion I would make the observation that we must seek Godly input from fellow believers in whom we have confidence. We should be quick to ask for advice, counsel, and prayer from those whose walk with God is consistent, and from whom we can receive Godly advice.

A sixth and final suggestion I would make is to pay attention to how God has put into our DNA preferences for certain things, and a dislike for others. This is not to be put at the top of the list of priorities as we are sometimes deceived by our own personal preferences in life. But this does play an important role in seeking God’s will. He has wired us in such a way that we are naturally drawn to certain activities and actions, while others have no appeal to us at all.

There are certainly other suggestions that could be added to this short list, but if we would put these five into practice I feel it would go a long way in assisting us in discerning God’s will.

In closing, just remember that the question is two-fold: seek God’s will; and seek God’s will for your life. In so doing God will lead us into activities which we can join in as we observe His activity, and we can discern the broader scope of discovering His will for the long-term of our lives.

Hope this proves to be helpful.

Until next time:

Blessings!

Are We Reaping What We Have Sown?

Leave a reply

Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people He has chosen as His own inheritance.

Psalm 33:12, NKJV

The verse above is a clear reference to the nation of Israel. The phrase, “the people He has chosen”, is a clear reference which takes the reader back to Genesis 12, where God called Abram and promised to make of him a great nation. Israel has always, from its very inception, been the chosen people of God.

However, even the very chosen people of God can lose God’s blessings if and when they choose to rebel against Him. We see this happen to Israel time after time in the pages of the Old Testament. The nation is, and shall always be, the chosen people of God by virtue of the fact that God made an unconditional covenant with Abram, and then another unconditional covenant with David. Unconditional covenants were those which had no binding component from the person(s) with whom God made the covenant. It was God’s promise to them, regardless of what they may or may not do.

Based on the fact that the Abrahamic Covenant and the Davidic Covenant were unconditional means that nothing anyone does can alter the veracity of those covenants. God Himself guarantees that these covenants will always be secure and binding.

However, within the parameters of those unconditional covenants there is the possibility of the nation losing the conditional blessings of God. They don’t lose their status as the chosen people of God, but they experience the curses of God upon them for their national rebellion. We see this clearly in the pages of the Old Testament, the two major events displaying this reality being the Assyrian captivity of the nation of Israel in 722 BC and the Babylonian captivity of Judah in 586 BC. They were still God’s chosen people through the unconditional covenants with Abraham and David, but they were experiencing God’s judgment because of their breaking the conditional covenants of blessings and curses based on their faithfulness or unfaithfulness to God.

My question is, can this be applied to the United States?

My question is, can this be applied to the United States? We are not the chosen people of God – only Israel fits that billing. No other nation that has ever existed can claim that designation. But the first part of the verse quoted above – “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD” – could very well be understood to relate to any nation that chooses to follow the God of the Bible.

It is clear from the writings of our founding fathers that they envisioned this nation as a Christian nation. Not a religious nation, but a Christian nation. We have never been and can never be THE chosen people of God, but we are a nation that was formed with the desire to be a nation whose God is the LORD.

If that is true, then would not the same parameters and criteria that applied to the nation of Israel be applicable to our nation? Could the blessings and curses of God be based on the faithfulness or unfaithfulness of the nation toward God? Could it be that we have been blessed so greatly in the past due in large part because of our commitment to and friendship with the nation of Israel? God did promise Abraham that the nations of the world that blessed Israel would be blessed, and those that cursed Israel would be cursed.

It seems to me that the tide is turning (if it hasn’t already turned) from commitment to and friendship with Israel to growing dissension against Israel and growing agreement with Israel’s enemies. Watch the news and make note of the growing hostility toward the nation of Israel, and the growing affinity with Hamas. This is a dangerous change of attitude toward God’s chosen people that will result in losing the blessing of God and experiencing the judgment of God.

I know some would disagree with me, saying that this verse of Scripture has nothing to do with us. But when we consider the fact that we are a nation that began with the desire to adhere to Biblical principles based on the Christian worldview, then we can see how the first part of Psalm 33:12 does indeed apply to us. Our founding fathers envisioned us to be just that, a nation whose God is the LORD.

And a nation whose God is the LORD will be a friend to Israel, simply because of its desire to be faithful to God. I’m afraid that we are seeing a change in the attitudes of our nation that could result in us experiencing the judgment of God. Some would say that judgment has already begun. Why? We will reap what we sow.

Would you join me in praying for Israel? Would you lift them daily to the Lord, asking for His protection of, and His continual provision for, His beloved nation? And would you pray for our country, for our national leaders who play such a vital role in molding the mindset of the American people? And finally, would you pray for our nation to experience an outpouring of Holy Spirit power that will bring about spiritual renewal and revival across our land? God help us to be a friend to His people! And God help us to be faithful to our LORD.

Until next time:

Blessings!