Fearnot wrote:
That was an excellent reminder!!! I am soooo glad you explained that to me awhile back. I think Christians sometimes get to thinking God doesn't love them when they are suffering in one way or another ( physical, financial, mental, etc.).
But I know now that is not true. I may not always understand why God allows this or that pain in my life, but no matter what, it is not proof He doesn't love me.
I heard somewhere that sometimes God allow things to be taken away , so that He can get our attention, to spend time with us.
The fact that the war is a battle for our minds seems so critical. I guess it started right in the beginning of Genesis with satan getting Eve to doubt God's words in her mind.
Bless you! Yes, that's when it started for sure. I feel so sad when I hear people asking God to take away their worry or fear or anxiety etc or to give them peace, and then when it doesn't happen they think God hasn't answered them, but His answer's been in His Word all along, they just don't realize it. It's really made me realize just how badly we humans have messed things up and how very badly corrupted our minds and hearts are.
If you don't mind, I'd like to go off subject just for a bit today to share something that's been on my mind from my studies today. I've studied the OT recently and am now on Solomon's life. As I was studying this morning, it came to my mind that Saul, started out very well, but then wound up going his own way, and got further and further from God until the Lord finally took the Kingdom away from him. Solomon also started out well, loving the Lord and following Him, but like Saul, he began to put himself and what he wanted, above the Lord and fell further and further from Him. Intestingly, David, who had such a hard life, stayed close to the Lord in his heart and mind. Although he sinned, just as we all do, he always repented sincerely and tried to do his best to make up for his sins.
Like most parents, David, because he'd had such a hard life, wanted the opposite for his sons. Maybe that's why he was such a bad parent. But regardless, his life had been filled with war, battles, poverty and want, so he wanted the opposite for his sons. Instead of spending the money he accumulated, he saved it for Solomon's use so he could build the Lord's temple without any problems. He made sure that everything was in order in the Kingdom before he died so that his son could inherit a peaceful kingdom instead of one at war. Sounds good right? Isn't that what most parents say? We want better things for our children then what we had? After what I've studied lately though, I'm not sure that's such a good thing after all. Especially when I compare what I've studied with what I've seen in life now.
Anyway, Solomon had great amounts of money and accumulated more then anyone ever had. But what did he do with it? Yes, he built the Lord's temple...spent 7 years doing it. But then he built a palace for his Egyptian wife which took 13 years to complete because it was so extravagant! And he continued to build. He had close to 1000 women in his harem (which was of course against God's law) and eventually they pulled him away from the Lord. Oh, he still sacrificed to God and went through all the right motions, but his heart wasn't in it, so it did him no good. He wound up losing the Kingdom for his disobedience just as Saul had. What a shame...
So here's a man who most would say had the whole world in his hands. He had everything anyone could ask for. But because he disobeyed the Lord and continued to do so without repenting, he lost it all. But the man who had had to fight, both literally and figuratively for everything, David, he on the other hand, had and maintained a close relationship with the Lord all through that time.
It makes me think of what Jesus told us: that we cannot serve both God and money, that we can't serve two masters. Funny thing is, I bet if anyone had asked Solomon, he would have have told them they were nuts if they'd suggested he was serving money or anything else besides God. We tend to make up lots of excuses and lies for our actions, and repeat them until we believe them ourselves.
That's why God tells us to examine ourselves regularly, with the help of His Word and His Spirit. Without His Word and Spirit, we can't learn the truth about ourselves. That's why going to a secular counselor makes no sense. If we lie to ourselves, (and we do!) and if we cannot know our own hearts because they're so corrupted, then how in the world is another human being who is also lying to themselves and corrupted going to help us??? They can't! All they can do is fill us up with yet more of the world's "wisdom". What we need, what Solomon needed, is God's Word and His Spirit to reveal to ourselves our failings so we can repent and walk in His ways. This is another reason we're told to ask God for wisdom concerning this. It makes me wonder how different things would have turned out for Solomon if he'd only done this. Or, if he'd gone to another godly man and asked for his help in this. For that's another way the Lord says we can find the Truth, and that's to go to someone who's spiritually mature and ask their help. The Lord knows that sometimes we simply cannot see the forest for the all the trees and need someone else to help us. But He never, ever, tells us to go to someone who isn't saved, and who doesn't know and believe His Word and obey it.
We need to be so very careful about what we allow in our minds and hearts, and need to reflect on our lives and our relationship with the Lord regularly to be sure nothing has gotten by our guard when we weren't looking, so to speak. Solomon, in all his wisdom however, didn't do this.
I've often wondered how he could be so wise and yet fail in the most important thing in his life - his relationship with the Lord. I realize now that although the Lord granted his request for wisdom, He gave him that wisdom the same way He give us His peace, and Joy, and the way He takes away our fears and worries. Solomon had the capacity for great spiritual wisdom, but in order to gain that for himself, he would have had to study and reflect on God's Word and applied it to His own life, and continued to do that. That's where he failed, as many of us do. In fact, that was even one of God's laws that Israel's kings were supposed to do, and still he didn't do it! Pretty good warning for us, wouldn't you say?
So far today studying though, the Lord showed me that it's often those who's lives aren't all sweetness and light, that have the closest relationships with the Lord. Those of us who've gone through great trials are often the ones who because of those trials have turned to the Lord and been saved and learned how to live our lives. I know from my own life that trials can be a tremendous blessing. That saying that "it's not about what happens to you that counts, but instead it's about how you deal with what happens to you" is very, very true! How blessed are those who because of trials draw closer to the Lord no matter how hard it is to do so! I'm also now re-evaluating some of the things I pray for my own children. I'm no longer interested in their lives being "easy". All I want for them is that they have a close relationship with the Lord, and if that's going to take trials, or lack, then so be it.
If you don't mind, I'd like to go off subject just for a bit today to share something that's been on my mind from my studies today. I've studied the OT recently and am now on Solomon's life. As I was studying this morning, it came to my mind that Saul, started out very well, but then wound up going his own way, and got further and further from God until the Lord finally took the Kingdom away from him. Solomon also started out well, loving the Lord and following Him, but like Saul, he began to put himself and what he wanted, above the Lord and fell further and further from Him. Intestingly, David, who had such a hard life, stayed close to the Lord in his heart and mind. Although he sinned, just as we all do, he always repented sincerely and tried to do his best to make up for his sins.
Like most parents, David, because he'd had such a hard life, wanted the opposite for his sons. Maybe that's why he was such a bad parent. But regardless, his life had been filled with war, battles, poverty and want, so he wanted the opposite for his sons. Instead of spending the money he accumulated, he saved it for Solomon's use so he could build the Lord's temple without any problems. He made sure that everything was in order in the Kingdom before he died so that his son could inherit a peaceful kingdom instead of one at war. Sounds good right? Isn't that what most parents say? We want better things for our children then what we had? After what I've studied lately though, I'm not sure that's such a good thing after all. Especially when I compare what I've studied with what I've seen in life now.
Anyway, Solomon had great amounts of money and accumulated more then anyone ever had. But what did he do with it? Yes, he built the Lord's temple...spent 7 years doing it. But then he built a palace for his Egyptian wife which took 13 years to complete because it was so extravagant! And he continued to build. He had close to 1000 women in his harem (which was of course against God's law) and eventually they pulled him away from the Lord. Oh, he still sacrificed to God and went through all the right motions, but his heart wasn't in it, so it did him no good. He wound up losing the Kingdom for his disobedience just as Saul had. What a shame...
So here's a man who most would say had the whole world in his hands. He had everything anyone could ask for. But because he disobeyed the Lord and continued to do so without repenting, he lost it all. But the man who had had to fight, both literally and figuratively for everything, David, he on the other hand, had and maintained a close relationship with the Lord all through that time.
It makes me think of what Jesus told us: that we cannot serve both God and money, that we can't serve two masters. Funny thing is, I bet if anyone had asked Solomon, he would have have told them they were nuts if they'd suggested he was serving money or anything else besides God. We tend to make up lots of excuses and lies for our actions, and repeat them until we believe them ourselves.
That's why God tells us to examine ourselves regularly, with the help of His Word and His Spirit. Without His Word and Spirit, we can't learn the truth about ourselves. That's why going to a secular counselor makes no sense. If we lie to ourselves, (and we do!) and if we cannot know our own hearts because they're so corrupted, then how in the world is another human being who is also lying to themselves and corrupted going to help us??? They can't! All they can do is fill us up with yet more of the world's "wisdom". What we need, what Solomon needed, is God's Word and His Spirit to reveal to ourselves our failings so we can repent and walk in His ways. This is another reason we're told to ask God for wisdom concerning this. It makes me wonder how different things would have turned out for Solomon if he'd only done this. Or, if he'd gone to another godly man and asked for his help in this. For that's another way the Lord says we can find the Truth, and that's to go to someone who's spiritually mature and ask their help. The Lord knows that sometimes we simply cannot see the forest for the all the trees and need someone else to help us. But He never, ever, tells us to go to someone who isn't saved, and who doesn't know and believe His Word and obey it.
We need to be so very careful about what we allow in our minds and hearts, and need to reflect on our lives and our relationship with the Lord regularly to be sure nothing has gotten by our guard when we weren't looking, so to speak. Solomon, in all his wisdom however, didn't do this.
I've often wondered how he could be so wise and yet fail in the most important thing in his life - his relationship with the Lord. I realize now that although the Lord granted his request for wisdom, He gave him that wisdom the same way He give us His peace, and Joy, and the way He takes away our fears and worries. Solomon had the capacity for great spiritual wisdom, but in order to gain that for himself, he would have had to study and reflect on God's Word and applied it to His own life, and continued to do that. That's where he failed, as many of us do. In fact, that was even one of God's laws that Israel's kings were supposed to do, and still he didn't do it! Pretty good warning for us, wouldn't you say?
So far today studying though, the Lord showed me that it's often those who's lives aren't all sweetness and light, that have the closest relationships with the Lord. Those of us who've gone through great trials are often the ones who because of those trials have turned to the Lord and been saved and learned how to live our lives. I know from my own life that trials can be a tremendous blessing. That saying that "it's not about what happens to you that counts, but instead it's about how you deal with what happens to you" is very, very true! How blessed are those who because of trials draw closer to the Lord no matter how hard it is to do so! I'm also now re-evaluating some of the things I pray for my own children. I'm no longer interested in their lives being "easy". All I want for them is that they have a close relationship with the Lord, and if that's going to take trials, or lack, then so be it.
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