Tag Archives: faith

Who Are You Following? Part Two

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Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.

1 John 2:18-19, NKJV

Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.

Matthew 24:11-12, NKJV

In my last post, I wrote about the importance of having wise discernment in choosing the Bible teachers and preachers we will listen to and follow. There are many who would lead us astray through their erroneous interpretation of Scripture. The question is, why would they choose to deceive others? What is their motivation? What do they hope to see accomplished through their false handling of the Word of God?

I am not suggesting that what I am about to say is an all-inclusive, comprehensive answer to those questions. This is, indeed, a topic of enormous proportions and concern. But, for the sake of being as concise as possible, I would like to suggest two possible reasons why we see this happening at such an alarming rate.

First, consider with me the fact that some deceive because they are deceived. In my previous blog I focused my thoughts on the statement of Jesus that if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into the ditch. These are the ones that are blinded to the truth of Scripture. They are spiritually blind, so they cannot grasp the true meaning of the Bible’s teachings. The Apostle Paul tells us that the carnal mind cannot grasp the true meaning of Scripture because of the individual’s spiritual condition: they are spiritually dead.

Many, if not most, of those in Jesus’ day who were assigned the task of interpreting the Bible for the people were of this type: spiritually dead. Their interpretation of Scripture was based solely on the traditions of man, and not on the sincere truths propounded in the Bible. They may have been sincere in their desire to teach the people, but they were sincerely wrong in their teachings. They were deceiving others out of their own state of deceit.

Today, it seems that the words of Jesus quoted above (Matthew 24:11-12) are being fulfilled. Many false prophets are on the scene, deceiving many. Some of these we come across in our daily walk of life. They are common, ordinary people, just like us. We work with them, go to school with them, live next door to them. They are good people. They are the kind of people who would literally give you the shirt off their backs. But they have a faulty understanding of Scripture, and they embrace the spirit of lawlessness which is prevalent in the world today. Instead of standing on the sound doctrines as taught in the Bible they have chosen rather to base their understanding of Scripture on the shifting sands of cultural relativism. Social concerns such as abortion, human sexuality, biological necessity, basic human rights, political disparities, religious disparities, etc. etc. are interpreted by cultural beliefs and practices.

Most horrific and dangerous of all are their teachings on the basic tenets of the Bible. Take just one as an example: salvation. If we take the words of Jesus seriously, then we must understand that there is only one means of salvation: no one goes to heaven by any means other than Jesus. He is the way, the truth and the life. There is no other means of salvation, and no other way to gain entrance into heaven. So, again, it is imperative to choose with spiritual discernment who we will follow.

However, it is not only those that are deceived who deceive others, but there are those who deceive because of a desire to deceive others. Some of these may do what they do out of selfish ambition. Others may be motivated by a desire for personal recognition and respect. Still others may do it because of a sinister desire to lead others astray. But regardless of their motivation, they do what they do with their eyes wide open.

Years ago I read a description of a preacher that has haunted me my entire Christian life. This is not a direct, word-for-word quote, but the gist of the description was as follows:

When he is in the pulpit, he preaches with such eloquence, I think that he should never come down. But when he is down from the pulpit, he lives with such carelessness and sinfulness that he should never go up.

Perhaps you know of someone who fits this description. Are you willingly, knowingly, submitting yourself to their teachings? Are you, by your acceptance of their teachings, giving your consent to what they are propounding? If you should, for example, hear your preacher say that Jesus is not the only means of salvation, but that there are many roads that lead to heaven, would you still follow them? If you heard a preacher say that abortion is a viable option for birth control, would you continue to listen to them?

There are many who know what the Bible teaches, but still choose to embrace their interpretations of Scripture by the traditions of man, and the ever-changing climate of cultural relativism.

Many false prophets and teachers are in the world today. Let’s be very careful as we choose those to whom we will give our attention.

Until next time:

Blessings!

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made!

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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

Personal check-up: When you look in the mirror, are you pleased with the reflection looking back at you, or are you disappointed and dissatisfied with the reflection? How do you like your looks? How do you like your talents? How do you like your abilities? Would you like to look different? Would you like to be able to do some of the things that you see others doing? Are you pleased with the skills you have, and the things you can do? Just how well do you like yourself?

The verse quoted above asserts that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. At the moment of conception, the DNA map of my life was instantly set. My map determined my color of eyes, my color of hair, my body build, my sex, my likes and dislikes, my talents and skills, my gifts, my personality, and on and on. In essence, my entire being was mapped out at that precise moment.

And the psalmist states that it was a result of being fearfully and wonderfully made by the Maker of all – God. And God does not make mistakes, nor does He make junk. He created you to be you – a unique human being made in His image.

But if you’re like most humans, there are probably some things about yourself that you would change if you had the ability to do so. Now, granted, some things are changeable. Hair color can be changed. Eye color, with the help of colored contacts, can be changed. Appearance can be changed in other ways by gaining or losing weight, shaving your head, growing a beard, etc. There are things we can do to change our appearance.

And then, there are things we can do to learn new skills. Some skills and abilities seem to come naturally and tend to bring a great sense of satisfaction in life because we are doing the things that we were designed to do. But, we can learn skills that enable us to do things that we were not necessarily designed to do – they were not part of our original map. We can do those things, again, because we are fearfully and wonderfully made with the ability to learn and grow and develop.

So, what’s the point? If we can change some things about ourselves, and if we can change our appearance, and if we can learn new skills, then why is it significant that we understand and grasp the concept of being fearfully and wonderfully made? Simple: to grasp this important fact enables us to look in that mirror and appreciate what we see. It helps us to be more appreciative for who we are and what we can do, realizing that this is a direct result of our DNA map that was given to us at the very moment we were conceived in our mother’s womb. Fearfully and wonderfully made!

Let me close with a personal reflection. I have always battled insecurity and a lack of confidence. I have also always disliked my appearance and some features of my physical anatomy. I have often stood looking in the mirror, wishing that I could change some of those things that I dislike about myself. This has been a lifelong struggle for me. But when I take time to stop and remind myself that I am who I am, and I can do the things I do, because of the handiwork of God Himself, it heightens my appreciation for the fact that I am, truly, fearfully and wonderfully made. This should cause me to rejoice in the person I am. My life is a gift from God. Now, what I do with it is my gift to Him.

Let’s be quick to thank Him for this unbelievable gift, and show our appreciation by giving our life back to Him.

Until next time:

Blessings!

Are You Successful?

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This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

Joshua 1:8, NKJV

Success: When you take a glance back over your life, would you describe it at this point in time as successful? If so, what are the criteria you are using to make that assessment? What, exactly, is success, and what, exactly, are the determining factors which define clearly the distinction between success and failure?

Some might suggest that success is determined by how much money you have stored away. Others might say that success is determined by the house you live in, or the community in which you live, or the car you drive, or the clothes you wear, or any of a multitude of other outward factors that would cause you, or others, to view yourself as being a success.

Still others might think of success in terms of the job you have, or the status you have attained on the job. Then there are those who might think of success as being determined by the number of diplomas/degrees you have displayed prominently on the walls of your office.

The list of definitive factors one might use in determining personal success is veritably endless. What are the factors you use to determine your own level of success? Do any of the ones I have mentioned resonate with you, or would you add others to your list? How do you go about determining your own level of success or failure?

The Bible offers only one definitive, determining factor. Read again the verse quoted at the beginning of this post. For a believer in Jesus Christ who is striving to live his/her life for the Lord, the foundational principle upon which we should determine success or failure is how we live. Our lives should be lived by meditating on the Word of God day and night, and by living true to the principles, precepts, statutes, and directives we find in that Word.

All of those outward factors mentioned earlier in this post are simply man-made factors which have nothing to do with true, Biblical success. So I will pose my original question again: Do you view yourself as being successful at this point in your life? Are you meditating on the Word of God daily? Are you striving to live by the teachings of that Word? When you look at yourself in the mirror of God’s Word do you see the reflection of someone who is striving to be a true disciple of Jesus Christ? Do you apply the teachings of His Word to your daily life? Do others see the reality of a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ in your demeanor, your actions, your attitude, or do they see one who professes to be a follower of Jesus Christ, but whose life bears no testimony to that profession?

True success is based on that one factor, and that alone. We should weigh our personal level of success on the scales of commitment to the Bible’s assessment, and not any man-made factors which can change with the shifting of the winds of life. A steady diet of God’s Word, and the commitment to never deviate from the teachings of that Word, will give the only sure assessment of our success.

Our world today desperately needs to see that kind of commitment. Will you commit yourself to being a success in God’s eyes, or will you live your life seeking success as determined by others?

Until next time:

Blessings

Guest Blogger – Luke Stewart

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Luke Stewart, Mesquite, TX

The following was written by my grandson, Luke Stewart. God has truly gifted him with the ability to put his thoughts into words. He is an exceptionally committed young Christian whose writings convey a deep understanding of some of the complexities of his Christian faith. I asked his permission to print this post on my blog page so that others could be blessed and encouraged by his words of wisdom. I trust that you will enjoy reading his words as much as I do.

One evening, as I was praying, I asked God if He would heal someone that I knew of a condition that they have had for some years now. This was nothing that I had never prayed about before. But, as I was praying, my prayer started to change. I prayed that God’s will be done. God’s will—God’s plan—is better than our plan.

A woman once told me that, when she is praying for someone who is sick or injured, she doesn’t simply pray that they be healed, but she prays that God’s will be done because it is better to be sick under God’s will than to be healthy outside of His will. Man, that is so good. It reminds me of one of my favorite verses in the entire Bible:

For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. 1 Peter 3:17

God’s plan is the ultimate authority that we should be submitting to. And we have seen in God’s Word that, sometimes, poor health conditions are under the will of the Father.

Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.” John 9:1-3

Amen. The disciples are assuming that, in one way or another, the man’s blindness is a result of sin (whether the blind man’s or his parents), and sin is, obviously, something that goes against God—something that is outside His plan. But, Jesus told them that this was not the case. In fact, the man’s blindness was a part of God’s plan, “that the works of God should be revealed in him.” God did not create sickness, weakness, or blindness, but He can still use those things for His good—for the ultimate good. If you are familiar with the passage, you know that the man was healed of his blindness by the Lord Jesus Christ, so you might accidentally come to the conclusion that we only have sicknesses and infirmities for the purpose of being healed by God. But that is not what Jesus said. Look back at exactly what Jesus said was the purpose of the man’s blindness:

“. . . that the works of God should be revealed in him.”

No where in that verse does Jesus mention healing! Of course, the man being healed of his blindness was a huge revelation of God’s work, but let us not diminish God’s power to say that the only way He may be glorified in our trials and tribulations is by taking those things away from us. God can be glorified in anything. God is capable of anything.

And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Amen. I hope you realize how powerful this passage is. It is not always in God’s will for us to be relieved of those things that burden us in this world. It is in His will that we would put our faith in Him, trusting that, one day, all of those things will forever perish and we will live a new, burden-free, everlasting life with our Father. That is a promise, and that promise will be fulfilled in due time. But this life that we are in right now isn’t about that. It’s not about receiving that. It’s about acknowledging it and proclaiming it and worshipping the God who gave it to us. It’s about glorifying God. And sometimes God will be glorified in healing us and removing our infirmities. Sometimes, He has other plans. But we must remember that those plans are always good. Those plans are always better than our plans. In Jesus’ name.

Luke Stewart, December 2023

Thank you, Luke, for allowing me to share your words. And thanks to all my readers who will read and be encouraged through this message. Please take this message to heart, store it in the recesses of your mind so that the truths of Luke’s message will continue to bring encouragement in the future.

Until next time:

Blessings!

Passing a New Way

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There shall be a space between you and it [the Ark of the Covenant], about two thousand cubits by measure. Do not come near it, that you may know the way by which you must go, for you have not passed this way before.

Joshua 3:4, NKJV, emphasis added

This passage of Scripture amazes me every time I read it. The scene is the banks of the Jordan river. The characters of the story are Joshua and the masses of Israel. They have just spent 40 years wandering in the wilderness of Sinai. Moses, their leader for all those 40 years, is now dead. Joshua has been commissioned to be Moses’ successor, and his first major assignment is to lead the masses across the Jordan, which, by the way, is at flood stage.

So what does Joshua instruct the people to do? Stay back! Keep the Ark in clear sight, and don’t do anything until you see what the priests carrying the Ark do. In essence, wait for God’s guidance. Wait for God to show the way. Wait for clear direction from God. Don’t act presumptuously.

Earlier in the book of Joshua, God had given Joshua the following instructions:

This book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

Joshua 1:8, NKJV

Joshua was instructed to stay in the Word of God – to meditate in it day and night. It would result in Joshua and the people experiencing prosperity and success. Their source of instruction, which would lead to their experiencing God’s best, would be found in God’s Word.

As we move into a new year, we are passing a way that we have never been before. We are like the Israelites preparing to go across the Jordan into the promised land, having no idea what awaited them there. They would soon discover that in passing this new way they would encounter blessing and prosperity, but they would also encounter hardship and adversity. Enemies were on the other side of the river. Obstacles of varying degrees of difficulty would be their lot. They were facing uncertainty on every hand.

So how were they to know what to do? They were to keep their eyes on the Ark, which represented the very presence of God. As we pass from 2023 into 2024, in this present cultural climate of discarding the teachings of Scripture and embracing the shifting sands of cultural relativism, we need to constantly remind ourselves that we need, we MUST, keep our eyes on the Word of God. It is only then that we will have the necessary instructions in how to face the uncertainties that lie ahead, and to maneuver through the morass of the current liberal fight against the truths of Scripture.

Joshua and the Israelites were about to enter a land where the people worshiped other gods. They were not to embrace the teachings of those religious systems, nor were they to try to synchronize the worship of God with the worship of those false gods. So how are they to know the difference? They were to keep their eyes on the teachings of God. They were to meditate in His Word day and night. Then they would experience the manifold blessings of God.

And, one final word, we must remember that success and prosperity from the Biblical standpoint is not about good health and financial prosperity. It is about submitting ourselves to the will of the Father, and accepting whatever comes our way as His plan for us. He will lead us, just as He did the Israelites as they crossed the Jordan into the promised land. It would be a land flowing with milk and honey, but it would also be a land filled with obstacles that stood in the way of attaining those blessings. All of it was part of God’s plan.

As we prepare to enter 2024, as we prepare to pass a way we have never been before, let’s keep God’s word, and a desire for God’s will, ever before us. And let us embrace every eventuality in the coming year as opportunities to bear witness to His glory. Let’s let our light shine before others so that God might receive the glory. And let us seek His will above and beyond all else. It is then that we will prosper and have good success. I pray that each of us will experience His grace, His goodness, and His endurance for the adventures and the challenges that lie ahead in this new year.

Until next time:

Blessings!