Tag Archives: bible

Walking in the Spirit: A Guide to Overcoming Fleshly Desires

Leave a reply

Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Galatians 5:16

Paul gives us some much needed, timely advice in this verse. But what exactly does he mean by this statement? It actually brings a picture to my mind from my brief stint in the marching band at Lancaster High School. I played trumpet in the band for a couple of years, and one of the highlights of playing in the band was being able to go to all the football games, where the band would perform at halftime. In order to be in the marching band, you, of course, had to learn to march in step. Every member of the band stepped in unison – where a hundred sets of footsteps sounded as one. We were all marching in step with everyone else.

The picture Paul is drawing is that of the disciple of Jesus Christ walking in step with Him by walking in the Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity. It would mean being guided by the Spirit, allowing Him to direct our thoughts, our actions, our behaviors, and our attitudes. It would entail yielding ourselves to Him, allowing Him to have control of our surrendered mind, heart, and will.

Paul says that to do so will give us power to refrain from engaging in acts that are guided by the flesh, and he then goes on to give a list of the works of the flesh. It is a rather sordid list of sinful activities that every disciple of Christ should refrain from engaging in. It is not to be thought of as an all-inclusive list, as many other sinful acts could be added. Rather, it is a sampling of behaviors that every believer should guard themselves against.

Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissentions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Galatians 5: 19-21

This is what it looks like to walk in the flesh. It does not mean that an individual would be characterized by all of these behaviors, but that their life would be recognized as being in alignment with the spirit which leads to these actions.

The person who is walking in the Spirit, on the other hand, would be characterized by a different list of behaviors. Paul says, in contradiction to the works of the flesh, that the fruit of the Spirit is:

…love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-25

This list of the nine-fold fruit of the Spirit bears testimony to character traits of those who are walking in step with the Spirit. And Paul asserts that those who walk in the Spirit will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.

In another of Paul’s letters – the letter to the Ephesians – he gives a graphic illustration of what living in the flesh looks like. He says:

And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord. Ephesians 5:18-19

Here, Paul gives a contrast and comparison between being drunk with wine and being filled with the Spirit. It is truly a picture that can’t be missed. If you have ever seen anyone under the influence of alcohol, then you can understand the imagery. We sometimes hear someone say that a person who is drunk is out of control. But that isn’t exactly true. They are actually under control – the control of the alcohol. They are being controlled by walking in the spirit of the drink.

In contrast, Paul says that the person who is filled with the Spirit – who is walking in the Spirit – will be living differently, as he/she is under the influence of the Spirit. They will be characterized by the things of the Spirit, and not by the things of the spirit of the world. It would mean that he/she is living a life that bears testimony to the reality of being in step with the Spirit.

A good question to ask ourselves periodically would be, “With whom am I walking in step? The Spirit God, or the spirit of the world?” And the answer will be found in your conduct, your behavior, your attitudes and your actions. Let’s strive to always walk in the Spirit so that we don’t fall prey to the lusts of the flesh.

Blessings!

Listening to God’s Creation: A Call to Worship

Leave a reply

The world is firmly established; it cannot be shaken. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice, and let them say among the nations, “The Lord is King!” Let the sea and everything in it resound; let the fields and all that is in them exult. Then the trees of the forest will shout for joy before the Lord, for He is coming to judge the earth. 1 Chronicles 16:30-33

It is obvious from these words that King David is overwhelmed by the presence and power of the Lord. This outburst of praise is filled with words of adoration to the Lord, and he is calling all of creation to worship and exalt Him. The occasion for this psalm of thanksgiving is the day the Ark of God is being carried to the city of Jerusalem after having been captured by the Philistines. There was great rejoicing in the city as the Ark, which represented the presence of God, was returned to its rightful place.

I find it very interesting that David calls for creation to be involved in this day of celebration. He refers to the heavens, the earth, the sea and everything in it, the fields, and the trees of the forest, saying they will shout for joy before the Lord. What a powerful way to describe how nature can lead one to worship and praise.

I remember one such occasion from many years ago. I was a student at Fruitland Bible Institute, located in Hendersonville, NC. Teresa and I were living at Chimney Rock while I attended the school. We had heard that there would be an Easter Sunrise Service on Chimney Rock and decided to attend. I remember that it was a cool, clear day as we made our way up the winding road to the parking lot far above the streets below.

I must admit that I don’t remember anything that was said during the time of worship. It wasn’t that I did not listen – I just didn’t hear. Why? Because the words of the preacher were being drowned out by the beauty of God’s creation. The glorious beauty of the panoramic view from the top of Chimney Rock was screaming so loudly that I could “hear” nothing else.

The pastor had completed his message, and he asked everyone to bow for the closing prayer. As much as I hated to close my eyes, I did as the pastor asked. He prayed a beautiful prayer of adoration, praise, and worship of our mighty God, and our Savior, Jesus Christ, whose resurrection we were celebrating on that Easter morning.

When he said “Amen” at the conclusion of his prayer, I opened my eyes to see one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen: the sun was just rising on the horizon. I was mesmerized. Tears of joy began to flow down my cheeks as I once again was enraptured by the “sounds” of creation, speaking much more loudly than the words of the pastor, even though he was speaking through an array of speakers which had been assembled for the occasion. Oh, it wasn’t a voice that you could hear – that is, unless you were listening.

I’m sure I wasn’t the only one listening to creation’s message of praise that beautiful Easter morning atop Chimney Rock, but as far as I was concerned, I was the only one there. I was hypnotized by the message I was hearing. There have been other times when I experienced the message of creation, but none have ever topped the one that day long ago.

Is it important to realize the truth that nature gives testimony to the power and presence of God? The Apostle Paul certainly thought it was. Listen to the words he penned in his letter to the Romans:

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. Romans 1:20

Nature is a testimony to God’s invisible attributes! Paul even asserts that no one will be able to stand before God and say that he did not know God existed, because the creation itself bears testimony to His existence and power. The constant, consistent testimony of God’s creation is enough to convince anyone who will “listen” to its voice that there is a Creator, a Designer, a powerful, personal “cause” behind what exists.

Are you listening? Don’t get so caught up in the “voices” of the world that it causes you to miss out on the “voice” of God’s majestic creation. Let it, instead, bring you ever closer to God as you see His presence in the things He has made and given to us to enjoy.

Blessings!

The Power of Community in Worship: A Family of Faith

Leave a reply

Have you ever taken a few seconds to look around at the people with whom you worship? If not, the next time you are gathered for a time of congregational worship, take a moment to look around. Let your eyes take a survey of those gathered – think about what you know about them, individually. What is their background, their family make-up, their job, the number of people in the family, etc.?

Then, after a quick glance around, think about the fact that you are all together, in your place of worship, lifting your voices together in worship through song, uniting your hearts together in times of prayer, giving attention to the message being preached by your pastor. During that time together, you are as one – one body of believers, united in spirit and truth. You are seeking the same thing – the presence of the living Lord. You are desirous of the same thing – that the will of God would be done – right then, right there.

But as you take this cursory glance around, you also detect that, even though you are one in worship, in prayer, in desire, you are also very different from one another. Different backgrounds, different levels of education attainment, different career choices, living in different neighborhoods, with different preferences that drive you to make different choices.

So, as you look around, what is it that has brought you together, in that worship center, united as one in seeking the Lord? Why are you there? In that particular place? With those particular people? What is the driving force, the determining factor, that has brought you all together?

Then, think about the original twelve disciples. They were such a diverse group of individuals. At least four of them were fishermen. One was a tax collector. One, a political activist. The Bible doesn’t tell us the occupation of the others, but we can assume there were several other occupations among the remaining disciples.

Can you imagine some of the conversations they must have had? Can you picture a tax collector and a political activist being in the same room? Simon the zealot would have despised Matthew the tax collector. Simon would never have been a companion of someone who collected taxes for Rome, and yet there they were, following Jesus. For over three years they invested their lives together with a single focus: Jesus.

When you gaze around at your fellow worshipers, think of the diversity – the many, many differences you can think of. Then, think of the one common denominator: Jesus. It is Jesus who has brought you together. Chances are that you would never have any relationship with them outside of your worship of the Lord Jesus. Now, you love spending time together. You enjoy times of worship, times of fellowship, times of ministry and service. Why? Because of Jesus – He is the uniting factor.

What a powerful testimony to the reality of being changed through the new birth. We actually become part of a family – a huge, universal family made up of every person who has a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. We are now brothers and sisters in the family of faith. But then, we are also members of a local congregation of believers. It is there that we develop intimate relationships. It is there that we enjoy times of corporate worship. It is there that we enjoy ministry, fellowship, service – in short, we enjoy doing life together.

Let’s not take this family relationship for granted. It has to be nurtured, cultivated, developed through times of family gatherings. Take time to thank God for your faith family. Call members by name as you pray. Seek God’s guidance for each member, and also for the whole.

Enjoy one another, learn from one another, be encouraged by one another, love one another, carry one another’s burdens, laugh with one another, cry with one another. In short, be family. We all need each other to become all that God desires for us as individual family members, as well as a family unit.

Battling Emotional Turmoil: Insights from Charles Spurgeon

Leave a reply

Do you ever experience seasons of emotional distress, mental confusion, spiritual darkness? Have you gone through times and experiences that put you into a state of perplexity, causing you to wonder why God had seemingly abandoned you? (Please note the word “seemingly”, because the Bible testifies to the fact that God never abandons His children.)

You are not alone! Really – you are not alone. There are multitudes of people who have experienced the same thing. It is commonplace among humans to go through times that test us, and cause us to question ourselves: Does God really care about me; does He hear my prayers; is He not our ever-present help in times of difficulty; has He left me to deal with this alone?

Charles Spurgeon, known as “the prince of preachers”, by his own admission confessed that he battled seasons of depression. One of his most well-known quotes on the subject is, “There are dungeons underneath the Castle of Despair as dreary as the abodes of the lost, and some of us have been in them.”

There are dungeons underneath the Castle of Despair.

What a graphic, horrible image that creates in our minds. It is bad enough to be in the Castle of Despair, to be in in the throes of mental and emotional upheaval, to experience the fingers of darkness invading our thoughts and minds, filling us with a sense of foreboding, helplessness, and despair. But to have it engulf us to the point of being enslaved to it, to actually be taken from the Castle to the dungeon below.

The dungeon is where you go from the freedom of moving about in the castle above, to the place where you are chained, detained, unable to move, locked in that state of mental anguish and emotional turmoil. You begin to believe that there is simply no way out, that this will be the lot of your life forever. Spurgeon, again, gives more painful insight to this matter: “I think it would have been less painful to have been burned alive at the stake than to have passed through those horrors and depressions of spirit.”

I think it would have been less painful to have been burned at the stake.

Perhaps you see a bit of yourself in these quotes from Spurgeon. Perhaps you have spent some time in the Castle of Despair. And maybe, just maybe, you have at times felt yourself imprisoned in that deep, dark, dungeon, far beneath the surface, in the cold, dark clutches of despair and hopelessness. And maybe, someone reading these words, is actually there right now, this very moment. You are thinking to yourself, “How did he know? Has he been looking into my life? Has someone told him what I’m going through?”

No! I only know this because it is the common need of humanity. We are all prone to bouts of depression. One final quote from Spurgeon: “Fits of depression come over the most of us. Usually cheerful as we may be, we must at intervals be cast down.”

Usually cheerful as we may be, we must at intervals be cast down.

If anyone has been peering into our windows, it was the spirit of Spurgeon. He made these statements over 125 years ago, and they still ring true today. We are all prone to periods of depression – sometimes quite mild, sometimes extremely intense. So the question is how do we handle it? What are we to do in such times?

Spurgeon lived with it, as do many today. However, Spurgeon learned how to deal with it on those occasions in which he felt the fingers of depression wrapping around his mind. First, and foremost, Spurgeon looked at all of life through the lens of Scripture. Doing that, he believed fully in the fact that nothing happens in life outside of the will of God. Therefore, God brings into our personal experiences of life things that are uniquely designed specifically for us that will result in our good. His desire is that His children become more and more like Jesus as we go through life. He either personally ordains, or providentially guides, those things that will facilitate that desire.

Second, Spurgeon learned that a basic human need is rest, a time of getting away from it all in nature. A person cannot just go full speed through life without taking time to rest and refresh. Some of my most memorable moments of spiritual growth were in seasons of just getting away from the rigorous routine of life, taking a quiet walk, or going to one of my favorite places of solitude, and spending time allowing nature to remind me once again of the greatness and goodness of God. The psalmist often spoke of how the creation itself is testimony to God’s goodness and grace.

Finally, Spurgeon learned to look at everything through the lens of Scripture. In the pages of the Bible we learn the truth of God’s love for us. His desire is to see His children experience Him in His fullness. It is not to experience Him in what we can get from Him, but to experience Him, personally. To get to know Him intimately. To be so close to Him that we do as Jesus did, call Him “Abba.” The name is only found three times in the Bible (see Mark 14:36, Romans 8:15, Galatians 4:6). In each, Jesus and Paul are referring to God in the most intimate way. To try to describe the difference between Father and Abba is difficult, but to think of it in the most simple of terms, Abba is like calling the Father “daddy”. It is an extremely intimate term, showing the close relationship between the one using it and the person being spoken of or to.

So, let’s try to learn lessons from someone who had truly been there – in the deep, dark recesses of the dungeon beneath the Castle of Despair. And lets remember – God, our Father, our Abba, is with us always and in all things. To Him be the glory for His goodness and grace.

Blessings!

The Power of Personal Testimonies

Leave a reply

What is your story? Each one has a story to tell. We all have life stories to share. I remember as a young boy, visiting my grandparents on my mother’s side of the family, I would sit and listen to Grandpa Gardner tell stories. I’m really not sure which ones were true and which ones were fabrications, but they were all entertaining and interesting. Somehow the storytelling would always end up with a tale about H. Peter Deese. I’m really not sure if he was a real person, or an invention of Grandpa’s creative imagination. But if he was a real person, and he did everything Grandpa said he did, then he was an interesting man who lived an adventurous life.

The Apostle Paul had a story to tell. You can read his story three times in the book of Acts (see his testimony in Acts 9, 22, 26). His story revolved around his confrontation with the living Lord Jesus Christ as he traveled along the road to Damascus. This is Paul’s personal story. It was a reliving of his personal experience. It happened to him, and he was always ready to share his story with others.

You and I are just like Paul: We have a story to tell. Truth be told, we have many different stories to tell. But there is one story of special importance that we have to share, and it truly needs to be told. That is our own personal testimony of our own confrontation with the Lord Jesus.

My story begins on September 13, 1977. Actually, it begins long before that, but that particular Tuesday evening is the night my life changed forever. However, to bring us to that evening, allow me to back up five days to Thursday, September 8. That day started off just like any other day. I had gotten up, prepared myself for another day of work at Seco Electronics, got in my car and headed out on my ten-mile drive. Shortly after leaving my driveway, I heard a voice – clearly, distinctly, and unmistakenly. Now, just so you know, had you been with me you would not have heard it (or at least I don’t think you would have) but I could not NOT hear it. The voice simply said, “Steve, it’s time for you to give Me your life.” I didn’t have to ask, as Paul did, “Who are you, Lord?” No, I knew full well who it was.

The rest of that day I could not get my mind off that voice, and that message. That evening I went home and told Teresa that I wanted to go to church Sunday morning. She laughed, thinking I was joking. We had, after all, just hosted a wild party of drinking and drugs at our house the night before!

I’ll spare you the details of the next two days, except to say that I continued to ask Teresa to attend church with me, and she continued to refuse to go. So, Sunday morning came, and I went – alone. The pastor of the church had visited us on several occasions at the request of my parents. I entered the worship center and sat at the very back. After the service, I asked him if he could spare a few minutes to speak with me. After several minutes we made arrangements for him to visit with us on Tuesday evening. It was then, September 13, 1977, at 10:45 PM, that Teresa and I both were gloriously saved and forever changed by God’s amazing grace.

Our life journey has now taken us through many different experiences, each of which resulted in life lessons which were intended by God to grow us toward spiritual maturity. We’ve come a long way, and still have a good way to go. But He has been with us every step of the way.

That’s my story. Many other details could easily be added, but hopefully you get the gist a life that was changed. No, not by my own strength, but His. You have your own story to tell. Are you quick to share it when the opportunity avails itself to you? We should all be ready to tell others the tale of our lives.

American Christian vs Christian American: A Critical Analysis

Leave a reply

I feel quite sure that what I am about to say is going to ruffle some feathers, make some waves, rub some the wrong way, upset the apple cart – well, you get the picture, right? What I’m trying to say is that there are going to be those who adamantly disagree with the gist of this blog. It is an alarm of sorts, warning of the dangerous path our present cultural state in the United States is leading. And please be clear: this alarm is for each of us, and all of us, but particularly for those who identify themselves as disciples of Jesus Christ.

So, having said that, let me ask what might seem at first reading to be somewhat of a non-sensical question: Are you an American Christian, or are you a Christian American? Some might say that this is nothing more than a play on words, but I suggest that it is not. I suggest that there is a stark difference between the two. Let me explain.

The emphasis of these two terms is seen when you consider which word is the noun, and which is the adjective. Remember from your study of English, a noun is a person, place or thing, while an adjective is a descriptive word giving further explanation to the noun. So, when you look at the phrase, “American Christian,” the noun is Christian, and the descriptive adjective is American. However, when consideration is given to the other phrase, “Christian American”, the noun is American and the descriptive adjective is Christian.

Now, let’s look a little more closely at the difference. First, let’s focus on the phrase, “Christian American.” The noun is “American.” Usually, the word “American” would be used as an adjective, as in the sentence, “Steve is an American.” Steve is the noun, the subject of the sentence, and American is an adjective, describing Steve. So, when giving consideration to the phrase, “Christian American,” American is the noun, and Christian is the descriptive adjective.

Let’s think about the phrase, “American Christian.” In this phrase, Christian is the noun, and American is the descriptive adjective. So the emphasis of this phrase is on the adjective – American.

Some of you are thinking that this is just an absurd example of me being a word smith. However, please read on and hopefully I will be able to give a clear distinction between the two. First, what does it mean to be a Christian American? It would mean, in its simplest form, that the person is characterized, first and foremost, as a Christian, a disciple of Jesus Christ. It would mean that his/her life bears testimony to the reality of their relationship with the Lord Jesus.

Their commitment to Jesus would be clearly evidenced by their behavior, their conduct, their actions, their words, etc. They would be living testaments of Christian character. Their outlook on life would be determined by the teachings of Scripture rather than on cultural and societal beliefs and standards that seem to change every time the wind blows. They would be committed followers of the teachings of Jesus, and would live lives that would focus on bringing Him glory.

Conversely, those who might be described as American Christians could easily be swayed by those ever-changing winds of culture. They would very easily be persuaded to embrace a different belief system and behavior pattern that would go along with whatever is now being accepted by the culture in which they live. Thus, they are living a sub-standard Christian life because they are focused on the world and the things the world and embracing worldly standards in opposition to the clear teachings of Scripture. Therefore, their behavior, conduct, actions, words, etc. would be living testaments to American character, rather than Biblical character. Their outlook on life would be determined by the whims of society and culture rather than on the teachings of Scripture.

Is this really important? Does it really matter if my life is characterized as being an American Christian? If the answer to that is yes, then you are in danger of embracing beliefs and behaviors that are in alignment with the world, and your Christian testimony will be tarnished by a worldly system that gives little regard to the teachings of the Bible.

However, if your life is characterized as being a Christian American, then you will be known as one whose life bears testimony to an intimate, and growing, relationship with the Lord because you live your life based on the teachings of Scripture. And when the world and the Bible collide, you side with the Bible, regardless of the cost you have to pay to do that.

I encourage each one to take a serious assessment of their lifestyle, their conduct, their behavior, their attitudes and actions, and pray that the Holy Spirit would try us and prove us, so that we might see any area of compromise which needs to be addressed through confession and repentance. Let’s all strive to be Christian Americans, letting the light of His glory to shine through us.

Blessings!

Jesus’ Model Prayer: An Intimate Approach

Leave a reply

Now it came to pass, as He [Jesus] was praying in a certain place, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”

I have always found this episode in the interactions of Jesus with His disciples to be rather intriguing. It simply tells us that Jesus was engaged in conversation with His Father, and the implication is that the disciples were close by, because upon Jesus’ completion of this time of prayer, one of them came to Jesus with this request: “Lord, teach us to pray.” Isn’t it interesting that he did not ask Jesus to teach them how to pray? That, to me, would have been a more reasonable and realistic request.

The request was not for Jesus to teach them how to pray.

But that was not the request. Rather, they were asking Jesus to teach them to do it – to pray! Imagine the scene: Jesus has withdrawn Himself a short distance from His disciples. Far enough to have some privacy for His conversation with His Father, but close enough for them to observe Him as He prayed. It was a time of sincere communication, but it was also one of those “teachable moments” in the lives of His followers. And Jesus took full advantage of this opportunity to invest in assisting spiritual growth in the disciples.

But what do you think prompted this disciple to make his request? I realize that we can only speculate what the motivation may have been, but there are some observations that can be made that will apply to us just as much as they did to the disciples.

First, and probably most obvious, is that Jesus’ prayers were distinctly different from theirs. As people who had been reared under the teachings of the rabbis, they would have been taught prayers that would be repeated at certain times of the day, day after day. That type of praying serves its purpose, but only if the one reciting the prayer is sincerely in intimate communication with God. It is something that could easily become nothing more than the repeating of words. Like anything else, repetition can prove to be meaningless if it is done simply as the recital, and not the sincerity of engaging in conversation with God. Jesus’ prayers were not simple recitations, but sincere times of conversing with His Father. So should ours.

Second, Jesus taught us to address God as Father as we commune with Him. This would have been a radical departure from what they had been taught.

Jesus taught His followers to address God as Father.

In the Old Testament, references to God as Father are extremely rare. God was not viewed in this personal, intimate way. God was the God of Israel, but not necessarily the God of every Israelite. So, for them to hear Jesus address God as Father, and to teach them to use the same terminology, was indeed extremely radical. How thankful we should be that Jesus taught us to pray in this way, and to realize that prayer is to be understood in terms of this very personal, intimate portrait of a child engaging with his/her father.

Third, the model prayer Jesus gave in response to their request is an example to follow, and not necessarily one to be used in simple recitation. Take a moment to read this prayer slowly, deliberately, and personally.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed by Your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. (Luke 11:2-4, NKJV)

Is it wrong to repeat/recite the words of this model prayer daily? Of course not. But I don’t think that was Jesus’ intent in teaching it. I think He was simply showing them how personal and intimate our prayer time should be. The simple repetition/recitation of the prayer can become rather mechanical/robotical if we aren’t careful. We should guard ourselves against falling into this trap. Our minds, hearts, souls and spirits should be engaged each time we call upon our Father in heaven.

In this model prayer, Jesus was not teaching how to pray – but to pray. I need to be reminded of this Biblical truth quite often. I oftentimes find myself falling into the rut of mindless praying. I catch myself using the same phraseology much too often. It is then that I am quickly reminded by the Holy Spirit that I am not really praying, I am only saying words that have no meaning – vain repetitions.

I believe that this is what prompted the disciples to make this request of Jesus. They saw something different, something personal, something intimate, in the way Jesus engaged with His Father. They wanted to have that same level of intimacy. The next time you go to the Father in prayer, make sure that you talk to Him as one sitting across the room. Look at Him, speak with Him, listen to Him. I assure your prayer life will go to a whole new level as you speak with your Father.

Blessings!

The Consequences of Turning Away from God

Leave a reply

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the nation He has chosen for His own inheritance. Psalm 33:12

The nation the psalmist is referring to in this verse is the nation of Israel. God chose one man, Abram (to whom God later gave the name Abraham), and promised him that He would make of him a great nation through which all nations of the earth would be blessed or cursed, depending upon their relationship with His chosen nation. So, first and foremost let’s remember that what the psalmist says in this psalm is directed at them.

However, there are certainly applications that can be made to other nations based upon the sentiment stated in this verse. Nations that accept God’s teachings and strive to honor Him in their decision-making process will be blessed, while others will suffer the consequences of His judgment. Based upon that premise I would like to make a few observations about the United States of America, a country that has been richly blessed by the Lord in countless ways, but one which is now suffering from mass divisiveness, unrest, hatred, violence, and unprecedented rejection of the very vision that drove our founding fathers to establish this nation on God’s Word with the desire that it be, not simply a religious nation, but a decisively Christian nation.

Our generation is seeing the destructive erosion of the foundation our founders laid, and upon which they envisioned a nation whose God is the Lord would be established. A quick review of decisions that have dramatically altered that initial vision will show clearly that we are not what our founders gave sacrificially to accomplish, and to pass off to future generations.

The beginning of this downward spiral began with what some viewed as a necessary change that was demanded by our nation’s changing constituency. In 1962-63, the decision was made by our Supreme Court that prayer and state sanctioned Bible reading and prayer would be removed from our public schools. I remember vividly as a ten year old student witnessing the change that took place. Instead of opening the school day with a student led devotion and prayer, we only heard the call to repeat the pledge of allegiance to our flag, and then a litany of announcements. No Bible, no prayer.

A nation that once had no problem identifying as a Christian nation (although there has never been a time in which all citizens of this country identified personally as Christian), the population began to change. Adherents of other religions began flocking to our nation. But things began to change. No longer did they come to assimilate into the life of our nation to seek a better life than that which they were leaving behind, but they began demanding that the citizens of our nation accommodate their religious beliefs and practices.

The next major step away from life based on Christian principles was in 1973, when abortion was legalized in our nation. Now, 53 years removed from that alarming and destructive decision, over 65,000,000 babies have been aborted in the United States. That is a mind-staggering figure, would you not agree? For a nation that had now turned its back on the principles of God’s Word, it was not a big jump to embrace a culture of death. If you don’t believe that life begins at conception, and that every life is one created in the very image of God, then the taking of a life loses its significance.

Two decades later, in 1992, abortion was reaffirmed. This time it elevated personal autonomy over moral tradition. “My body, my choice” became the mantra. I could give hearty assent to that statement if it was based on fact. However, it is not the body of the expectant mother that is being killed, it is the body of an innocent baby, being formed in that mother’s womb. Her choice had already been made. It was the choice to engage in sexual activity that resulted in her pregnancy. Now, having made that choice, the body growing inside her body is not her body, but the body of a human being who deserves to live.

Move with me to the year 2003, the year that sexual morality was redefined. In the landmark Supreme Court case, Lawrence v. Texas, the court’s decision invalidated nation-wide state laws which criminalized sodomy between consenting adults. This decision set a precedent for future legal challenges to same-sex marriage.

That decision in 2003 played a huge role in leading to another major shift in American life. In 2015 same-sex marriage was legalized which ultimately redefined marriage. Traditionally, marriage had been viewed as one man married to one woman. With the legalization of same-sex marriage, the institution of marriage itself was completely redefined. As a matter of fact, many would say that the institution of marriage became totally unnecessary. Once again, we see a major shift from life lived under the direction of God’s Word to life lived by personal choice and preference.

The final major cultural shift I will mention took place in 2020. It was then that personal preference of self-identification was elevated over biology. God created man and woman – male and female. There are no other possibilities. It matters not how loudly and adamantly one might demand to be identified as something than what they are, his/her anatomy tells the tale. A male is a male, and a female is a female.

Teresa and I had an in-home health assessment the other day, and one of the questions was: “Do you identify yourself as male, female, or other.” To me, that is an absolutely ludicrous question. I was born “baby boy Stewart,” and nothing has changed to make me anything else. You are who you are by the design of Almighty God. Period!

It is not difficult to see how quickly things can deteriorate when a nation changes its allegiance. Our nation’s allegiance was for 200 years settled on the truths of Scripture. It has only taken one generation to move us far away from our founder’s dreams and intents.

So, what can we do? First and foremost, pray. Pray for a return to Scripture. Pray for a return to Biblical guidance to be the norm for our political leaders. Pray for spiritual renewal and revival to sweep our land. Pray for preachers to preach the truth in love. Pray for strength and courage to let our voices be heard in the public arena, by whatever means possible as good representatives of our Lord. And be involved. Those who oppose Christian values and principles are shouting their demands loudly and clearly. Christians must do the same.

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. Let’s do all within our power to turn our nation back to Him.

Blessings!

The Fear of Being Lost: A Spiritual Perspective

Leave a reply

Have you ever been lost? I mean, really lost? I’m not speaking about getting separated from your family or friends in Walmart, or the mall. I realize that those instances can cause a great deal of anxiety, but they are not the kind of lostness I am talking about. I am talking about terrifying, heart-pounding, panic-attack inducing, life-threatening, lostness.

Lost – a real, excruciating time in which you feel hopeless and helpless. A lostness during which you are separated from your party. A lostness in which every turn looks the same. A lostness with no signs of anything familiar. A lostness during which you feel as if you are going around in circles, making no progress toward any point of reference that looks like it might provide a way of escape.

You call out as you walk, listening for a response, but silence is the only response you get. You are all alone. Darkness begins to set in. The light of day is quickly ebbing away. The shadows grow longer as the sun sets over the horizon. You become more anxious with each passing minute. You begin to strain to see through the deepening darkness.

You begin to question yourself, especially your sense of direction. The darkness is becoming so “thick” you can almost feel it. You begin to call out with more intensity, your voice becoming raspy due to your screaming so loud and so long. But the only response you hear is, again, silence.

Total darkness has now set in. Clouds cover any light from the moon and stars that might have otherwise given some assistance to your night vision. The only sounds you hear as those of an owl in a nearby tree, and what you think might be the howling of a coyote in the distance.

You finally resolve yourself to the fact that you are totally, completely, hopelessly and helplessly, lost. You find a fallen tree where you sit down to rest, and think. Think. Think. Think. As you think you remember a steep hill you had descended just a short distance away. You think that maybe, just maybe, if you could climb to a higher point you might be able to see any source of light farther down in the valley. So, you begin to walk again, this time going back in what you think is the direction from which you descended. You climb for a while and finally come into a clearing where you can see over the tops of the trees. As you turn your gaze slowly in a circular motion, your eyes catch the sight of a light in the far-off distance. It’s not much light, but enough to give you a sensation of hope.

But that hope quickly abates as you think about the fact that as soon as you begin your descent in the direction of the light, your line of sight will soon be blocked by the towering trees. But after more thought, you realize that that one, solitary source of light is the only hope you have. So, as best you can, you start off in the direction of the light.

As you walk through the darkness, there are moments in which you are eerily engulfed in the thick fingers of night. There are moments when you can’t see the light, and you fear that you might get turned around and lose your way. But then, thankfully, you come into a clearing just large enough for you to once again see the light and get your bearings. Each time you lose sight of the light, and then find it again it is just a little larger and brighter.

Hope begins to well up in your heart as you think that you might be on the verge of finding your way out of your dilemma. Once again you move into an area in which your view of the light is cut off. Darkness once again engulfs you. Once again, a feeling of momentary hopelessness begins to take control of your mind.

But this time it is short-lived, because you come to another clearing, and you find yourself standing just feet away from the light. You almost scream with delight as you realize that you are just a few steps away from what you hope will be a source of help. As you walk to the door and begin to knock, you are met by an aged couple who welcome you in, take you immediately to the wood-burning stove, give you a cup of soothing hot chocolate, and listen caringly as you share the details of your harrowing experience.

That would certainly be a harrowing experience to go through, for sure. But, needless to say, that story comes nowhere near the reality of the horror of being spiritually lost, separated from God, with no hope beyond the grave. This was a story about being lost for a few hours. Being lost forever, for eternity, in the horrors of hell is so much worse. Words cannot begin to describe the torment one will experience if they were to die without Christ.

They would be ushered immediately in a Christless, Godless, existence. Jesus described it as a place where the worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched. It is a place of eternal torment for those who choose to reject God’s offer of salvation which is provided through the death, burial, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ.

Have you accepted this most amazing offer? Have you confessed to God that you are a sinner in need of salvation, and acknowledged that you believe Jesus is the only means of supplying the saving grace you desperately need? If not, please, please, don’t wait until it is eternally too late. Accept His gift now, while there is still time. Don’t let the darkness of sin keep you out of God’s provision of eternity with Him.

Blessings!

Are You Ready for His Coming? Key Questions for Believers

Leave a reply

If you have children, no matter their age now, you probably remember a time when you were bombarded with the question, “Are we there yet?” It may have been on a family vacation, a trip that would require several hours of driving, or it may have been a short drive across town. The distance really didn’t seem to matter to that child sitting impatiently in the back seat, with no concept of the relation between time and distance. To them, it seemed as if you had begun a journey that had no end. This resulted in the infamous question, “Are we there yet?” over, and over, and over, ad nauseam.

However, it is not just children who become impatient when they are expecting the reaching of their destination. As adults, we, too, can become very impatient when we are looking forward to something that seems to be coming so very slowly. This could be an event we have been looking forward to, a vacation we have long anticipated, a new move to a new location, the beginning of a new job, or a multitude of other things. We know it is coming – we even know when it is coming – and yet we grow very impatient in the interim period.

“Is He here yet?”

For believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we stand the danger of falling prey to the possibility of growing very impatient when we think about His coming for His bride, the church. Instead of asking, “Are we there yet?” we might begin asking, “Is He here yet?” He has promised that He is coming and has told us to always be on the lookout for that momentous event. Then, to underscore the importance of this coming event He told stories to warn us of growing impatient to the point that we let our guard down and become lax in our looking for His arrival.

“Where is the promise of His coming?”

The apostle Peter had something of vital importance to say concerning this matter. He said, “Scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, ‘Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” Jesus warned that there would be those who would grow weary in awaiting the Master’s return and would become extremely negligent in their commitments to Him. They would not be prepared for His coming.

“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise.”

For anyone who takes Biblical prophecy seriously, it seems obvious beyond any doubt that the time of His coming is drawing close at hand. Peter went on to remind us of an essential truth for believers to remember. He said, “But beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord on day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”

The fact of the matter is that the Lord could come at any moment. There is no Biblical prophecy that must be fulfilled before He comes. The next prophecy that will be fulfilled is His coming for His bride. This is the next big event on God’s Biblical timetable.

So, the question is: Are you ready?” It is a Biblical fact that He is coming. So it is vitally, even eternally, important that we ask ourselves this question: “Am I ready for His coming?” Are you prepared to meet Him? Have you been born again? Do you know that you have a home awaiting you in heaven because you have trusted Him as your personal Lord and Savior?

And then, if you can answer “Yes” to that question, then can you honestly say that you are ready for His coming? Are you serving Him, living for Him, walking in fellowship with Him? If not, why not today prepare yourself for His arrival by committing to live for Him and for His glory. Then, you can rest assured that He will not catch you off guard when He arrives.

Blessings!