How, Why & When do we judge others?

How, Why & When do we judge others?

The Most Misused and Abused Verses in the Bible today are Matthew 7:1 —“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. * and Luke 6:37 —“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. * You hear and see them constantly, both in "real life" and on line. People use them as little defensive shields to tell others that it's perfectly ok for them to sin and no one had better say anything about it to them.

But by using those verses for that, they show their own ignorance because that's not at all what Jesus was saying.

Usually when someone quotes the verse about not judging, it's because they're being held accountable for teaching false doctrine and don't want to hear it; or sometimes because they're treating others badly and when they're told that, they don't want to hear it so they quote that verse. Or they're living in sin and don't want to be held accountable for it like the Bible tells us to, so they quote that verse. I rarely hear it quoted in context...very, very rarely. It's almost always taken completely out of context.

Matthew 7:1–6 & Luke 6:41–42 are not teaching that we shouldn't judge at all. In fact the Lord tells us that we are to judge both ourselves and others. We can't very well be discerning like we're told to be if we don't judge others, nor can we determine who needs to be saved, rebuked, corrected, taught or anything else if we don't judge others. In John, Jesus tells us to stop judging people by their appearances and make right judgments, and in many other places He tells us how to judge, which is what the verses in Matthew and Luke do. They're not saying not to judge at all, but are telling us how to judge. We are not to be hypocrites or think we're better then others and we're not to judge others about trivial matters, in other words, be nit pickers.

God says we’re to judge righteously and not to judge another person’s heart as only He can see what’s in someone’s heart. He tells He will judge everyone and everything in His time, so we’re not to do so. But, we are to judge people’s actions and words to determine if they’re behavior or words are righteous or sinful, truth or lies. Why are we to do that though? So we can put down that person? So we can gossip about them, berate them? So we can say how wonderful they are? No!

There are several reasons we’re to judge others:

1. We’re to judge things like that to determine if it’s something we should do or say and why.

2. We’re to judge it to determine if the person is already saved or not; to the best of our ability using what the Lord showed us about seeing fruit in someone’s life. We’re to do this so that we’ll know if we need to tell that person about the gospel, or if we think they’re already saved, so we’ll know they’re our brother or sister in Christ.

3. We’re to judge so that we’ll know if they’re someone we should be hanging around with, as the Lord tells us that bad character corrupts good morals.

4. We’re to judge them so we can determine what kind of response the Lord would have us make toward them or what they’ve done or said. The Lord tells us that for both unbelievers, and believers, (even enemies) we’re to pray for them, so we need to listen and judge so we know how to pray. He tells us that as far as it depends on us, we’re to live in peace with all others. If we don’t pay attention and judge, we can’t do that.

5. We’re to judge others to determine if they’re teaching heresy and are false teachers, or if they’re simply mistaken about something and are scriptural teachers. We’re to judge this not so we can put them down or call them names, but in order to talk to them and show them their error(s) so they can repent. If they choose not to, then we need to be ready to disassociate with them. We’re also told to do this so we can warn fellow believers from listening to their teachings as it’s not scriptural. Again, this doesn’t include attacking the person, but simply telling other believers they’re false teachers and need to be avoided.

This last one needs to be broken down more though because some false teachers aren’t even saved and never have been, and other believers need to be warned about wolves in sheep’s clothing. Which brings us to whether or not we can determine if another person is actually saved or not. The simple answer is, No, we can’t. Not for sure anyway, because we can’t know what’s really in another person’s heart. But at the same time, the Lord tells us that it’s important for us to make this judgment call for our own good and that of the rest of the body of Christ. So what we have to do in this case is use the discernment the Lord gives to those mature in their faith.

We have to remember that the purpose of our judgment is to protect the body of Christ from false teaching, by either bringing the false teacher to repentance and reconciling with them or separating from them in obedience to God. We should be careful to not say that another person is definitely not saved, but rather that it appears that they’re not saved, and we should be able to give definite scriptural reasons why it appears that way. It should never be left up to “feelings”.

The goal, even with this last one is always to bring the person into a close relationship with the Lord, either for the first time or to be reconciled with Him, as well as protection for the body of Christ.

That’s what the Lord tells us about all relationships. Our goal should always be reconciliation, first with the Lord and then including ourselves. Unbelievers are to be shown the love of the Lord, and told about Him. Believers are of course also to be shown the love of the Lord. We talk about “the love of the Lord” a lot and yet few of us show it. That’s because the way the Lord loves us is totally unselfish. He never put Himself before us, He always did the opposite. He put our needs and desires ahead of His own, to the point of laying down His life for us when we still hated Him and were His enemies; and that’s exactly the kind of love He expects us to show all others.

That kind of love includes forgiving the way He forgives us. That means promising not to ever bring up the incident to the person, to others, or even to ourselves ever again. Whenever we do bring it up, even to ourselves, it’s sin against the Lord. The Lord, “remembers our sins no more, when we repent and confess them, and so we’re to do for others too. The Lord doesn’t tolerate sin, but He totally and freely forgives it when we repent and that’s the pattern He tells us to follow, and even gives us specific directions as to how to do it.

Loving others includes putting them before ourselves, just as the Lord did for us. It means giving up our right to be “right”, even when we know they’re wrong, and allowing them to have the last say and think they’re right, for the sake of love, peace and unity. (I’m not speaking about doctrine here, but just life situations)

The world tells us that we’re to take care of ourselves first, but God says No. He says we’re to take care of others before ourselves, all the time, not sometimes, and trust Him to take care of us.

Loving others includes giving to others sacrificially. Giving of ourselves, our time, our attention, our material goods, money, or whatever they need. Not just that however, though that’s hard enough. It means giving those things sacrificially. Going above and beyond the call of duty. If we have three apples, giving at least two of them, or even all three away when the need arises, and trusting God to supply our needs. Or to put it in a way that gets all of our attention, if we have only $20 to our name and we hear of someone who needs it, we’re to give them our $20, knowing the Lord will take care of us. That’s the kind of love the Lord wants us to show others.

Are we to supply drugs or alcohol to addicts? Of course not! But we are to give them love, shelter, food, etc. Should we give them money? Probably not. Instead, pay their bills, buy them food, take them out to eat, things like that so that you know their needs are truly being met. Are we to harangue them for their addiction? No! God didn’t do that to us did He? Instead He loved us, cared for our needs, and told us of our greatest need which was for Him.

Are we to only help them if they meet our desire for them to get help in rehab? Again, no! That’s not how the Lord treated us. He died for us when we hated Him. He didn’t wait until we’d agreed we needed help! Should we charge them for our help? Did the Lord charge us? No, He paid it all. But then who will help us pay our bills? The Lord will provide for us.

Does that mean we should support others who are physically able to work, but refuse to do so? No, the Lord said that if we don't work, we don't eat. However, if someone is ill, or disabled, then yes, they need our support. Or if they've just been laid off, are in between jobs, as long as they're looking and trying, then we should help them. We should treat them the way we would want to be treated, and we cannot be the judge of whether or not they are “trying” hard enough.  We are to take their word for it. 

What about if we think someone is lying about something? What if someone says they've repented of a sin, but they keep doing it? What if we think someone isn't trying, but they say they are? What does the Lord tell us to do then? His Word says we're to take them at their word, regardless of our "feelings". We're to treat them as though they're telling us the truth, unless a time comes that something absolutely proves that they've been lying. That's the whole thing with not judging someone's heart again. We can't know for sure what's in another person's heart. Only the Lord can know that for sure. It's in these kind of situations that the Lord says not to judge things before their time, to leave it up to Him to judge them, and in the mean time to assume they're speaking the truth. They will get what they have coming to them if they've been lying, for the Lord will see to it. We don't have to. But what if that means that they've been taking advantage of us all that time and we've wasted all that effort? God says that nothing we've done will have been wasted. Not one little bit of it. We may not understand or see why it was necessary, but we don't have to. All we have to do is obey.

Perhaps the Lord will use all we've done to plant seeds in that person, or in other people, or both. Perhaps He will use it to grow our faith, (hopefully He will!) or perhaps He will use it to show other believers what it looks like to be a real Christian in this type of situation. There are many different ways the Lord can and does use things, ways we can't even imagine. What we can know for sure though is that nothing we do will go to waste and that it will ultimately result in God's glory and our good. You just can't ask for anything better then that!

If we could just remember that we represent Jesus to everyone we come in contact with every day...our family members, our friends, our neighbors, co-workers, boss, people on the street, the mailman, other drivers on the road, people in the stores we go in, the restaurants we eat at, the places we go for fun. Those are the people the Lord has put in our lives for us to reach. Some of them we'll never even speak to, but they'll see us, they'll see our actions, and our actions as well as our words should give others a true picture of our Lord. They should show others His sacrificial love and forgiveness.

That doesn't mean we should never get angry, even our Lord got angry. What it means is that our anger should be righteous anger, not selfish anger. That's why we're told in our anger, not to sin. The purpose of righteous anger isn't to hurt or embarrass someone, it's to fix the problem, to once again bring about reconciliation. Righteous anger has the focus of solving the problem, not getting even or showing how wrong the other person was. Sometimes, that may even include the law being involved when a law has been broken. It's really all about what's in our hearts at the time that interests the Lord. Righteous anger becomes angry at the things that anger God, not just ourselves. How often did our Lord become “angry” when someone or even a whole group of people reviled Him, made fun of Him, called Him names, or even tried to run Him out of town? Not even once. But He did get angry when He saw what people were doing to His Father’s House, and He put a stop to it. That’s the difference between righteous anger and selfish anger.

Obviously there are many reasons we must judge others, but ultimately no matter what we determine about them, the bottom line is that we’re to love them the way the Lord loves us. That’s not easy. In fact, unless we rely on God, we simply can’t do it at all. But that’s ok, because the Lord wants us to be weak and to rely on Him, so we have nothing to worry about. Let’s be the people the Lord wants us to be and begin loving others as He told us to, so we’ll be recognized as His disciples!

“Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.”” (John 7:24)

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Cor 10:31)

“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.” (2 Cor 5:20)

“By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”” (John 13:35)

“If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command.” (John 15:10–14)

“Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!” (James 2:12–13)

““Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” (Luke 6:37)

Ezra is all about today too!

Boy, for such a short book, the Lord sure packs a whole lot into Ezra! I've learned so much studying it, and got so involved today, especially knowing I was close to the end, that I just couldn't stop. It really hits home hard though, especially considering what's going on in our day. It's like it was written just for our time. (which of course it was, but it was also written for all believers in all times lol)

Ezra brings the second group of people back to Jerusalem from Babylon, and once they arrive, he discovers that the people who came back in the first wave, have already broken the covenant with God! Worse, they broke it for one of the very same sins that they'd been sent into exile for! Of course that really shook him up, as it should have. Seeing him so shaken by the news, caused others to realize just how awful this sin was and they too became heart sick about it.

What really got to me about this though, is the sin itself, because it's something that happens all the time. The Jew's had once again intermarried with the pagans around them and had even had children with their new wives. Remember, God had specifically forbidden them from any intermarriage with anyone who didn't also worship Him and obey His law. It wasn't about race, or anything else, it was about Him. They were free to marry anyone of another race or culture as long as that person had totally and wholeheartedly committed themselves to Him first. But these folks hadn't done that. They'd married pagan women who still worshiped their pagan gods. Even some of the priests had done this and God's laws for who they could marry were even stricter, in order to keep them pure in their devotion to Him.

I can't even imagine being in Ezra's shoes at that point. He was the leader and he was going to have to confront them with their sin. It's horrible to have to tell someone you care about that they're sinning against God, because the vast majority of people haven't grown to a point where they can simply accept rebuke or correction, no matter how gently done, without getting really angry and going off in a huff, adding more sin to the one they were being rebuked about. I absolutely dread it when the Lord lets me know that it's something I need to do and tend to put it off as long as humanly possible, hoping to get out of it I suppose.

Poor Ezra had to tell the entire community though. Maybe because they saw how heartbroken and upset he was about it, or maybe the Lord sent His Spirit into their hearts to convict them, but for some reason the people actually supported what Ezra said. Well, all but 4 of them did anyway. That just goes to show us though that there's always bound to be some who won't want to hear what God thinks about something, especially if it means they have to change.

The vast majority though, confessed their sin and repented of it by divorcing their foreign wives and sending them and the children by them away. (I'm sure they provided for them financially first though)

Considering how much sin is going on freely in the Church these days though, can you imagine what would happen if a godly man were to stand up among any congregation and confront them about this sin? Because the Lord also tells us not to become yoked together with unbelievers and it's for one of the same reasons We take it as a suggestion, but it's not. It's a commandment, and it's one I broke just like so many others have. So please don't think I'm being "holier then thou" when I speak about this.

Today if that happened, the man wouldn't tell us to divorce our spouse though, because unlike the Israelites at that time, Jesus has already been born, so there's no longer any danger of the messianic line being corrupted. Plus, the Lord made it clear through Paul that if a believer was married to an unbeliever that they were to stay together unless the unbeliever wanted out of the marriage. Of course that only applied to someone who became a believer after the marriage, not before it. Now however, we don't have a covenant as a nation with God, instead we have a new covenant. The sin is just as serious, just as ugly as it was then, as God is the same, yesterday, today and always. However, we have forgiveness when we confess our sins and repent of them. (I'll get into what happens if we're married to an unbeliever later)

When I think of someone standing up in a church today and confronting the people about being married to unbelievers, I see total bedlam! Yelling and swearing, and telling the man to get out because he shouldn't be judging them....etc. and once they'd thrown him out, they'd all sit around feeling very self righteous and congratulating themselves and each other for not allowing some outsider to ruin their nice little church. Their pastor would probably even be leading them in this. There might be 3 or 4 people that would have slid to their knees in repentance and sorrow over bringing dishonor to God by their sin, and determining to obey His Word, but the vast majority today, I think would react in the way I just described. That's the total opposite of what happened in Ezra's time., but that's how sick the church has become for the most part.

On the other hand, what if that man confronting them had wound up in a church like Leigh's? (It really sounds awesome!) In that kind of church, maybe it would turn out like it did in Ezra's time, with the vast majority humbling themselves before God, repenting of their sin and determining to obey His Word from then on with the Lord's help. I get very excited just thinking of what kind of awesome things the Lord could do with a people like that! There's be no end to the possibilities! It's one of the reasons I can't wait for Heaven and even the Millennial Kingdom, because we'll finally be able to see what God can do with people who are wholly devoted to Him.

Now days though, it's rare to hear someone take responsibility for their sin, or having the understanding that all sin is against God, regardless of what person has been hurt by it. Even more rare is to hear anything about how ugly and nasty even what we might consider the smallest sin is. We've allowed the world to so completely desensitized us to sin, that we don't see it anywhere near what it really is. If we did, we'd react the way Ezra did every single day. We'd be heartbroken and sobbing over our sin. It would be totally abhorrent to us! We'd do what His Word says and ask Him to help us search our hearts daily to find any sin so we could be rid of the filth of it. We'd welcome anyone as friend who told us of a sin because then we could be rid of it's filth, so we'd be thankful to them instead of angry at them for finding us out.

Instead though, we tend to do what comes naturally to our sin nature. We blame other people, our leaders, our parents, our kids, our bosses, the president, our pastor, and anyone we can think of for why we've sinned. (as though that somehow takes the blame off us). We make all kinds of excuses for our sin too. We'll sometimes even suggest that it really isn't all that bad, because after all, it's not like we murdered someone. We'll tell the messenger that they're being self righteous, a goody two shoes, or that they're acting "holier then thou" by telling us about our sin, instead of being thankful and repenting. We'll look for ways to prove them wrong, even if it means changing the subject and telling them about some sin of theirs that we've suddenly noticed. We'll go off in a huff, leaving behind the impression to others that the messenger was dead wrong and we're little angels. It's really amazing what we'll do to get out of admitting our sin, when you get right down to it.

I wish the churches now days would go back to preaching about how deadly sin is, how contagious it is, how ugly and nasty it is, and how filthy it is. Those days seem to be long gone though, so we're only likely to learn about that when we read and study our Bibles with the Lord.

I’ll put a divider here for those who need to take a break before finishing this.

So what are we to do today if we are or have been guilty of that sin? First, the same thing Ezra asked for...we'd need to confess our sin - agree with God that we have sinned, and repent of it. Repentance means to turn away from the sin and do what's right according to God. In this case that would mean going to the Lord and asking His help to help us stand firm in our faith and to live in a manner that honors him.

We need to recognize that by marrying an unbeliever we've basically placed ourselves smack dab in the middle of a spiritual war zone that's going to be constantly active. Therefore we will have to deal with twice as much temptation as we would have had to normally. Our enemies, the world, our flesh, and Satan, and even our spouse will make growing in our faith much more difficult for us. There will be twice as many marital problems and issues that we'll have to deal with because of our marriage as well.

Basically by disobeying God we've put ourselves in a very dangerous position no matter how much we love our spouse or how wonderful they are. We've married "the enemy". (Remember, the Lord says that all who aren't saved are His enemies, and that we were His enemies before we were saved too. Romans 5:10; Colossians 1:21; James 4:4). We will have to be on high alert constantly until the day comes when our spouse is finally saved.

Not only will we have all these extra problems, but we won't have the wonderful fellowship and the kind of love that the Lord wanted for us to have in our marriage. When we're saved, the Lord pours His love into our hearts so we can know what love really is and He tells us what real love is in His Word, in places like 1 Cor 13. But the unsaved can only love in a more superficial way, the world's way. So we miss out on the deep, personal, intimate real love and fellowship that we could have had if we'd only obeyed God.

Praise God though that His mercy is new every morning and all that we could have had, we still can when our spouse is saved! Therefore our most important and very first job will be to pray for them and keep praying for them, and to tell them about the Lord and salvation constantly until they are saved.

Of course, we know that some Christian marriages aren't all that great, either and sometimes console ourselves with that. But the Truth is that the reason they're not that great is because one or more of the partners isn't as dedicated to Christ and His Word as they should be, because if they both were, their marriage would show it.

I remember when I had to face this sin so many years ago. I praise God for His mercy in bringing me to repentance and forgiving me. I especially thank Him too for saving my husband in spite of me! So often though, we're like children and think the Lord's rules aren't important and are only ruining our fun because we think there's no good reason for them. The truth is that God's laws are for us, not against us. They're to help us have the very best life possible here, if only we would trust and obey.

You know what would have helped me back then though? What I wish for? I wish we had good godly men like God had back in the "Bible days" or even back a hundred years ago. Men who weren't afraid to stand before their congregation and tell them that God means it when He tells us not to marry an unbeliever. I know that even today there are pastors who won't marry someone to an unbeliever, but I haven't heard of many that will tell the couple "why" he won't. (other then that it's because God says so) Nor have I heard of many that will go a step further then just saying "No, I won't marry you to them", and tell them that it's a sin.

It's really amazing how good we are at deceiving ourselves. When we're told "no", we generally don't realize it's a sin. Well, it's not so much that we don't realize it as that we don't put one and one together and don't allow ourselves to think about it at all. Instead we focus on how we're going to get what we want, which is to be married, instead of why the pastor won't do it. That's why I think it would help so much if a pastor went that one step further and stated right out front that it is a sin against God and that it's even worse when we are knowingly sinning against Him. To hear that, for most of us, would have been like a slap in the face, and just might have brought us to our senses!

Feeling Frustrated?

We’ve been studying Job and wanted to share what we've learned in Job 37 today with you. If you recall, Job had had some really awful things happen to him suddenly. Quite literally, his whole life fell apart. His friends come to comfort him and do a terrible job and Job finds himself having to defend himself to them as they've decided that the only possible reason for these things to have happened is if Job had been knowingly sinning, (which he hadn't) and God was judging Him. Then a bystander named Elihu joins in. Needless to say, Job was feeling pretty frustrated by then. Here, Elihu is at the end of his speech. A mighty storm has begun and Elihu has been describing how he views God in the storm to the listeners.

One of the main points of the scriptures describing the storm is to show that God is sovereign, that nothing happens by chance, because God is in control. While Elihu is using the weather and seasons to illustrate this, it's true about everything that happens in our lives. No, that doesn't mean that God causes every bad thing that happens to us, but it does mean that He at least allows it to happen, and when He does, it's always for His glory and our good. It is never to harm us. Verse 7 especially points out that people instinctively know that the weather is God's Work. Interestingly, even the unbelieving world calls the weather, "acts of God"  showing how true this is.

The problem is that although Job was upright and blameless when the tragedies struck, as time went on, and he dwelled on what had happened to him and all he'd lost, he became more and more negative. Before long, it seemed like everything he saw was negative and bad, quite the reverse of the way he'd been before. This is an example of another thing the Lord tells us in His Word. That when we dwell on negative things, then we'll start seeing the negative in everyone and everything else around us, but if we dwell on the Truth, or on good things, then we'll see the good in everyone and everything around us. We see the Truth of this all the time in ourselves or others when we get down or depressed about something.

In verses 11-13 we are told that sometimes God does send storms (trials) into our lives as discipline, but mainly they're sent because of His love and mercy. Although Job didn't have this knowledge yet, we know that even God's discipline is due to His love and is something we should cherish, as He only disciplines His children, so if in fact that's the cause of our trial, it's a sure sign that we're saved and being made more like Jesus all the time!

Starting in verse 14, Elihu asks Job to "listen to this." He's painted a picture of a storm raging outside as they talk, and he's obviously so totally overwhelmed by the wonder and awe of seeing God's power and majesty in it, that he wants Job to see God's wonders in it too (as well as us). He then asks, can Job explain them or control the clouds or lightening? Of course the answer is no; only God can.

Then Elihu makes his other point in verse 20: if Job can't explain it or control it, then how in the world can he think that he's capable of preparing a court case to defend himself before God! If a man were to try to do so, surely they'd wind up under God's judgment for being so presumptuous! Because if we can't comprehend the things of God that we can actually see, like the weather, then how can we possibly comprehend things we can't see? (like why something is happening to us) Elihu was sure that God wasn't trying to oppress or oppose Job, even thought that's how Job had been seeing it all this time (verse 23)

So even though Elihu had gotten pretty full of pride in himself earlier and had gotten some things wrong, most of what he had to say to Job were things that Job really needed to hear and remember. They're things we all need to hear and remember.

Things like, God is just and merciful, and good. That's what Job had forgotten. The Holy Spirit kept slipping it in once in awhile to try and remind Him, but Job kept ignoring it and instead dwelling on the bad things that had happened to him. He was looking for bad, and therefore that's exactly what he found. Now Elihu comes along and finally gets him to see the good in God again; reminds him of God's love and mercy and that He's not out to get us, but instead wants to help us. Exactly the opposite of what Job's 3 friends had been saying, because they too had been focusing on the negative since they were so sure that Job was being judged as a sinner.

Elihu was quite right in how he viewed Job's problem by this point. He was saying that Job's actions may have been right, that he wasn't the sinner that his friends kept saying he was, but that his attitude was wrong. Because he got involved defending himself as not being a sinner, he wound up pretty much considering himself a "saint", as he continued to explain to his friends how good he'd been all his life. He conveniently refused to think of all the times he'd failed, even if they were small failures. So, listening and then replying to his 3 friends, Job's attitude slowly but surely became a know it all attitude; an attitude of defiant self righteousness, saying he was right and everyone else, including God, was wrong.

Whenever we start thinking we're right and everyone else is wrong, it should be a red flag warning us to look a little deeper into our hearts with the Lord's help. For those are often times we're deceiving ourselves and refusing to look at things honestly.

This is why Elihu's last remark was that Job should fear God (or revere Him, depending on the translation). In order to fear or revere God, we must first do away with our own self righteousness and conceit or pride; or thinking of our self as wise in heart, because to fear God we have to first recognize that we're very much inferior to Him. Remember, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom! Once we or Job realize that, then we also can realize that God's ways are beyond our understanding, because He is God. If we could understand Him and His ways, then He'd be no wiser then we are and wouldn't be God.

However, Elihu went further then that. He insisted that even though God's ways were beyond our understanding, that we shouldn't question or challenge Him or His ways. First, because we already know that God is good, loving, and full of mercy and compassion, therefore although we may not understand what's happening or why, we can be sure it's because of those things and not worry about it. Secondly, the very act of challenging or questioning them was the same thing as saying that we don't believe that God is good, loving, righteous, merciful and full of compassion. We're calling Him a liar! And that's not a good place to be! Besides all of that, Elihu insisted that tragedies and trials served to remove pride and protect people from even worse problems. So he reminds Job to worship God, instead of challenging Him. That's very, very good advice for us as well!

We need to remember that complaining is a sin and it's one that God hates. Actually, I think most of us do remember that part. The part we tend to forget is that when we complain about the weather, or about how someone is treating us, our physical illness or pain, or anything else at all, that we're actually complaining about how God is treating us. We're saying we don't like or appreciate what He's allowing to go on in our lives, that we think his judgment is a bit off and that he's made a mistake somewhere down the line, because surely we don't deserve this! At times like this, we generally start to feel angry and hateful toward whatever it is that's happening. We fight it, because we don't think it should be happening; we think it's wrong. We think God is wrong to allow it. That's exactly what Job did too and we're seeing where it's gotten him and just how wrong he was to do this. So what is our attitude to be? We're told it's to be the same as our Lord's was, which is to say to entrust ourselves to God who judges justly, knowing that good will come from whatever we're going through. He didn't retaliate or try to stop his torture or impending death, he allowed it all to happen, leaving it in God's hands. This is what Job forgot as he dwelled on the bad things that had happened to him. And that was the start of his downhill slide, allowing those kind of thoughts to stay in his mind instead of taking them captive (stopping them) and replacing them with the Truth. If he'd done that at the start, he never would have gotten to this point or gone through the emotional pain he put himself through because of it. This too is one of our biggest downfalls today. We don't take God's Word seriously and do what it says, even though we know it's for our own good!

Some relevant scriptures:
Philippians 2:3-5; 1 Peter 2:23; Ephesians 4:31–5:2; John 3:27; Exodus 16:8; 2 Corinthians 10:5 & Philippians 4:8

When you don't know what to pray

I’ve had a number of people ask me what to do when they don’t know what to pray.  First, many people don’t seem to understand what prayer is.  It’s really just talking to the Lord. I usually tell people to talk to Him the same way they’d talk to anyone else they love. You don’t need to use “thee’s and thou’s” when you pray, in fact, I’m sure the Lord would prefer you didn’t – unless of course that’s how you normally talk.  What He wants is to hear what’s in our hearts.

Some people are also in the habit of just reading prayers others have written.  While there’s nothing wrong with that at times, it’s not what the Lord really wants to hear.  Think, how would you feel if your loved one always read something they’d written out beforehand or that someone else had written to you, every time they came to talk to you?  It would sure hurt my feelings if my kids did something like that, because it would show me that they were either afraid to talk to me, or didn’t care enough about me to want to talk to me and tell me what was going on in their lives and in their hearts. So forget about formulas and everything else and just talk to the Lord.  Tell Him what’s going on with you; how you feel, what you think about things.  Ask Him questions (and be sure to pay attention when you read the bible, because He will answer your questions LOL)

There is one thing that many people do like to do when they pray, especially as they come to know God’s Word better and better, and that’s to pray His Word back to Him. You can pray just about any scripture. Just change the “you's” to "me" and so forth. It often happens automatically, as the person is studying His Word with Him… they’ll simply find themselves turning the verse into a prayer.  Or they may read the verse and find that the reading of it starts a prayer.  Like this verse:

Psalm 27:8 —My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, LORD, I will seek. *

often when I read that I find myself continuing and telling the Lord, “O Lord, I love to seek You and I long for You every day” and so forth.  For those unsure of where to begin as far as praying scriptures go, here’s a few of my favorites:

Psalm 84:1–2 —How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD Almighty! *My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. *

Psalm 63:1–8 —O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. *I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. *Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. *I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. *My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. *On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. *Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. *My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me. *

Psalm 42:1–8 —As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. *My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? *My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” *These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng. *Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and *my God. My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan, the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar. *Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls; all your waves and breakers have swept over me. *By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me— a prayer to the God of my life. *

Isaiah 26:8–9 —Yes, LORD, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts. *My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you. When your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness. *

Psalm 18:35 —You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great. *

Psalm 51:1–17 —Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. *Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. *For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me. *Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge. *Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. *Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place. *Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. *Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. *Hide your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity. *Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. *Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. *Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. *Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will turn back to you. *Save me from bloodguilt, O God, the God who saves me, and my tongue will sing of your righteousness. *O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise. *You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. *The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. *

Psalm 19:12–14 —Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults. *Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless, innocent of great transgression. *May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. *

Psalm 25:4–5 —Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; *guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. *

Psalm 103:1–13 —Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. *Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits— *who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, *who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, *who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. *The LORD works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed. *He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel: *The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. *He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; *he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. *For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; *as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. *As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him; *

Psalm 86:11–12 —Teach me your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. *I will praise you, O Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever. *

Make Paul's prayers your own:

Philippians 1:9–11 —And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, *so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, *filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God. *

Ephesians 1:17–21 —I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. *I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, *and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, *which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, *far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. *

Colossians 1:9–14 —For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding. *And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, *being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and joyfully *giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. *For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, *in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. *

1 Thessalonians 5:23–24 —May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. *The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it. *

2 Thessalonians 3:16 —Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you. *

2 Thessalonians 3:5 —May the Lord direct your hearts into God’s love and Christ’s perseverance. *

Let's say you come to a verse like this one:
Psalm 147:11 —the LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love. *

You could pray it as it is and then add, "Lord teach me to fear You and to put my hope in Your unfailing love." Or: Ephesians 4:1–2 —As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. *Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. * You can change it to a prayer by praying, "Lord, help me (or "I want to") to be completely humble, gentle, and patient and to bear with others in love. Help me to live a life worthy of your calling."

Come, let us praise the Lord and glorify Him together!

The psalm I read this morning was Psalm 34 and I wanted to share it with you guys:

Psalm 34:1–3 — I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the Lord; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together.

To "extol" means to "praise highly" and this psalm says they will do that all the time and that they'll boast in the Lord too. Boasting in the Lord is what we do when we share a praise report and tell all that the Lord has done for us lately or what He's done at an earlier time.

He says that the afflicted will hear him and rejoice though. Why would they rejoice? First, someone who is afflicted, is a person who is suffering for some reason. It might be due to circumstances or due to physical pain or whatever. So why would they rejoice when they hear him praising the Lord and boasting about Him?

Well, remember my posts where I shared how the Lord had helped us pay our bills and all the outright miracles He performed to save my husbands life and the other awesome things He's done for us since? Anyone who knows and loves the Lord, should read that and get excited about what the Lord had done for me, because they'd know that if the Lord did those things for me, He could and would do something just as wonderful for them. So here, David is talking about a person who has a close relationship with the Lord themselves even though they're suffering. They're not wallowing in self pity, although they may get down at times. They hear him rejoicing and praising and boasting in the Lord and it reminds them that they have no reason to be downcast, that no matter what, the Lord is in control and they have nothing to fear or worry about. So by him praising God, he also lifts up other believers who are suffering! Isn't that awesome?

Then David tells them, "Come on, glorify the Lord with me!" "Let's exalt His Name together!" There's power in praise when we praise the Lord! Did you know that? When we're down and feeling sorry for ourselves, or when we're worried or fearful or anxious, (obviously we should be taking our thoughts captive then too, but doing so doesn't always bring back the joy of the Lord for us right away) if we begin to honestly praise the Lord for all He's done for us, and begin bragging about Him and how great He is, it lifts our souls up because it changes our focus from ourselves to God and once our focus is on Him, we begin to be filled with His joy! (and as we know, the Joy of the Lord is our strength!)

Psalm 34:4–7 — I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called, and the Lord heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.

David continues to extol the Lord telling us that he sought the Lord and the Lord what? The Lord answered him. I know, you're probably thinking, "yeah, so what?" Have you heard of many people of other religions who's God hears their prayers and answers them? I haven't! We are so very privileged! God isn't under any obligation to us and He certainly doesn't have to listen to us much less answer us, but He does!

Then David says that God delivered him from all his fears. David had been fearful that Saul was going to kill him and he panicked and ran away. Then he pulled himself together and remembered the Truth about God and prayed asking for His help and God did indeed deliver him from certain death. We don't generally have to ask God to deliver us from something like that, instead we tend to ask for other types of things, and yet, the Lord always answers us. Depending on our request, His answer might be yes, no, maybe, or later, but answer He does!

David had a legitimate reason to be afraid. He knew without a doubt that Saul was trying to kill him (again) and it looked like he would succeed this time. Like I said, most of the time when we pray about a fear it's not that kind of one. Yet the Lord still answers us, because He loves us. That's why David says that when we look to the Lord for our answers, we're never put to shame because He will always answer us. Better then that though, David says that all who look to the Lord are radiant!

Have you ever been told you're radiant? Maybe not in those exact words, but those of us who love the Lord really do have a radiance about us! I remember the first couple of years after I was saved, when I'd run into people I hadn't seen in awhile, they almost always remarked that there was something different about me...and would define it saying that I "glowed" with happiness or joy. How could I not glow with joy??? I was saved!!!!! If God never did another thing ever for me, I'd glow with that joy forever!

I just love how David describes himself as "this poor man" it reminds me so much of myself and really of all of us. David would have never guessed at that point in his life that people would look up to him as one of the great saints of God. So basically he was saying, "look, I'm a nobody and God did this for me...if He did it for me, then obviously He will do it for you too" and isn't that just how we feel when we tell about something great the Lord did for us?

Lastly David affirms that the Angel of the Lord, who we know as Jesus, encamps around those who fear Him and delivers them. Wow! Encamps is a military term for making a camp around something/someone to protect them and Jesus our Savior does that for us!

Psalm 34:8–10 — Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. Fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

Now David figures that some folks aren't going to believe him that God is so good that He would do all this for us, so he basically is telling them, "give Him a try and you'll find out just how good He is." He explains that those who take refuge in the Lord are blessed. The term translated "refuge" means to flee to for protection, or have hope in, or to trust in. So all who put their hope, their trust, in the Lord instead of themselves, or the world or things and who go to Him when they're in trouble instead of trying to fix it themselves or getting some other person to do so are blessed-happy. They're happy because the Lord always takes care of His own!

David tells everyone that they should fear the Lord, meaning that they should have a reverential awe of the Lord which causes them to obey Him. Those who really do fear Him will lack nothing, just like Jesus told us, because the Lord really will supply all their needs. That doesn't mean that bad things won't happen to us...they obviously do since David is boasting about how God got him out of a very bad circumstance; it just means that the Lord will help us and deliver us from our problems IF we will trust Him and obey Him. (just like that great hymn..."Trust and Obey" and we will have all we need! Wait a minute...where did "obey" come into this? Well for confirmation just look at the next lines:

Psalm 34:11–16 — Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry; the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.

See how David explains that we need to obey the Lord, not just say we love Him and trust Him? It's like what Peter, Paul, James, and Jesus, says too, we need to really study His Word so it can dwell in us richly, which means that we look at it intently and then apply it to our lives so that we are doers of the Word and not just hearers of it. Only then can we say we have the fear of the Lord.

David assures us though that for those who do that, the Lord watches over them constantly and He is always listening to them and answering them. He assures us that one day all who are evil will be gone and thee won't even be a memory of them!

Psalm 34:17–22 — The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. A righteous man may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all; he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken. Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned. The Lord redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him.

Again David agrees that we will have many problems here, but it's ok because the Lord will deliver us. Not only that but the worse the problem is, the closer the Lord will be to us and He will always rescue us and protect us. I know...if He's protecting us, then why would we need rescuing? Well David says He protects all our bones so they won't be broken. This is also a prophecy about our Lord as you know, but here David is letting us know something that Paul repeats later, that although we may be hard pressed at times, we will never be broken or completely crushed. We may fall down, but He will always help us back up. That's one of my favorite scriptures and I like to read it in the different versions so I can get the full meaning of it:

NIV | 2 Corinthians 4:8–— We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.

ESV | ‎2 Co 4:8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; ‎9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;

KJV 1900 | ‎2 Co 4:8 We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; ‎9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;

NASB95 | ‎2 Co 4:8 we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; ‎9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;

NLT | ‎2 Co 4:8 We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. ‎9 We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.

So we will never be destroyed because God Himself is protecting us, listening to us, and He will deliver and rescue us. He always puts a limit on our trials, there's always an end to them and there's always a reason for them. Because He's a good God, a loving God, and a just and righteous God, we can trust Him and know that any trial we are going through will turn out both for His glory and our good because those two things are interconnected the moment we're saved! He assures us through David that not one of us will ever be condemned or face judgment because we have put our trust and faith in Him! What exactly does that mean? It means that those of us who are saved never have to worry about losing our salvation. There is no condemnation for those of us who are in Christ Jesus! Nothing and no one, not even ourselves, can separate us from Him!

Now if all that doesn't put a glow on your face, I don't know what will! Come, let us praise the Lord and glorify Him together!

The times we're most likely to turn to an idol

Part 2 of: What are your false gods, your idols?

The times we're most likely to turn to an idol

Psalm 106:13–14 —But they soon forgot what he had done and did not wait for his counsel. *In the desert they gave in to their craving; in the wasteland they put God to the test. *

To me, the above two verses sum up what we read over and over again in the Old Testament regarding how the behavior of the Jew's toward God. Over and over again He would rescue them and set them up to have a great life, bu as soon as a little problem came up, they'd totally forget about Him and instead turn to the false God's for help and comfort. Or, sometimes it was because of the abundant life He gave them. They'd be enjoying it, and after awhile, would forget why they had such a good life, and because of greed would decide they wanted yet more or something different, and again would turn to their false gods in order to get it.

I used to read those stories and wonder how in the world anyone could do the things they did...how anyone could forget the wonderful things God had done for them and try to get something from a false god instead. It wasn't until I realized that the stories weren't just the history of the Jew's but were also a history of my own life that I began to understand how they could do such a thing. I began to understand because I realized that I'd done exactly the same things they had! My false gods had different names then theirs did, but I went running to them for the same reasons.

These verses give us a big clue as to "why" we run to our false gods and about the state of our hearts when we're most tempted to run to idols. Notice that it often happens in the desert, wasteland, or wilderness. It's generally not when life is going smoothly, but when we're struggling to get through something and have been struggling for awhile. We're not talking about a day trip into the desert as a tourist, but rather an unwanted detour that's happened and we feel unable to find our way back out. These words describe a large desolate, uninhabited place with little or nothing available for sustenance. They're usually described as lonely places with little or no water. It's when we're in a place like this that we'll be "craving" relief.

It's when we're feeling lonely, or alone. We don't have to really be alone to feel that way. We may be surrounded by friends and family and yet still feel alone. It can be because we feel no one understands us for whatever reason. Ironically, it could be because no one else in our circle knows the Lord, and so we feel "alone". There are probably as many reasons for feeling alone as there are people, but regardless of the reason, it's a time when we feel cut off from others.

We've often hear Christians talk about "the desert experience" meaning that they're going through a time when the Lord seems distant or not there at all, even though they know He really is. Because of that, again, they feel lonely, as though they've been abandoned by God. It feels like He doesn't hear our prayers much less answer them when this happens, and this can really shake us up, especially if we aren't familiar with His Word which tells us that He really is there, does hear our prayers, He does love us and that He always will.

One of the reasons Christian's call that kind of experience a desert experience is because there's a lack of water and food in the desert, and those are synonyms for God's Word. So being in a dry place, a desert, would also be a time when we feel that we're not being fed from His Word. Of course we can and often do put ourselves in a desert and simply refuse to eat what's offered.

It's when we feel that we're unable to survive on our own or when our survival is threatened. By that I don't mean that our lives are necessarily threatened, though that too would be a reason, but when we think our way of life is threatened. When something we hold dear is being threatened. It could be the loss or possible loss of our home, or our job, or an important relationship. (like a spouse, boyfriend/girlfriend, child, parent, etc) It could be having to decide between buying medication or food or between those and paying the bills. It could be the loss or threatened loss of a dream, such as a desire to send our children to college or to buy a better house, or move to a better neighborhood. It could be chronic sickness or pain that causes us to feel this way.

Looking at all of that, it's pretty easy to see that the desert is a place where we have very strong feelings of need and for relief. These are the times when we're most likely to turn to our idols for that relief, just as the Jew's did. We may turn to our own wisdom and intellect, to try and figure out how to solve the situation and get what we want, instead of praying and seeking the Lord about it. This was one of Hezekiah's mistakes when he got sick and became terminally ill. Instead of turning to the Lord, he immediately turned to doctors. Now the Lord doesn't have a problem with us going to doctors and makes that clear in His Word. But He does have a problem with us putting all our trust in them instead of in Him. Especially in our country today, most of us rarely even consider going to the Lord about it when we don't feel well. We just call the doctor, get our prescription, take it and get better. (just like Hezekiah tried to do) Or we may do the opposite and simply try and tough it out, perhaps using home or over the counter remedies, hoping we'll eventually get better on our own. I know that's what I used to do. Like I said, God doesn't mind us going to doctors or taking medicine, but He wants us to recognize that He's in control and that He's the one we should turn to first and continuously all through the experience.

Turning to the idol of self is something we do all to frequently. We also frequently make others into idols. Likely candidates are those people who are most important to us. Another person becomes an idol, a false god, when they become the ultimate thing in our lives. For example when a woman feels as though her life would be over if her boyfriend left her, or if she didn't get a boyfriend (even an idea or ideal can become an idol!) No one but God should hold that kind of power over us. I'm not saying that we shouldn't be hurt or feel badly over a loss like that, but to feel that strongly about it shows that we've given God's place to a human being. We need to remember that God isn't just "A God" or even "the God", He's "my God" to each of us and wants to be first in our lives.

When our pain, hurt, or desire is so strong it will always cause us to run somewhere - either to God or to our idol. Our idol could be illegal drugs, prescribed drugs, alcohol, work, overeating, TV, a particular person like a boyfriend/girlfriend, a spouse, our children, or even a pet. These days it could even be a counselor or doctor, or self help books, or even just any books if reading is our refuge. An idol is anything we run to and or cling to that we think will dull or take away our pain, hurt, confusion, anxiety or fear. It's whatever we run to to make us feel better, even if it's only for a an hour or two. It's where we go when we're feeling desperate. (although we certainly don't have to physically "go" anywhere to find many of our idols)

It was when I finally understood this that I really realized why these things were idols and false gods. The Lord wants to be our one and only help; our only refuge in the storm; the only one we go to when we're desperate. The first one we think of. Again Hezekiah comes to mind, this time because he did what was right. When Israel was under siege and about to fall, the commander of the enemy army sent him a letter telling him to surrender or else. Hezekiah immediately took the letter to the temple, laid it before the Lord and cried "Help!" And of course the Lord came through for them. Jesus wants us to come to Him when we're weary and burdened, because He knows that He's the only one who can really help us. He desperately wants to gather us under His wings like a hen does her chicks, and keep us safe, but we keep running off to our false gods instead. Jesus is the one who truly loves us and has nothing but good intentions toward us. He calls us His bride, which is why when we go running off to our false gods, it's spiritual adultery. Thankfully He shows us how to identify our false gods and when we're most likely to run to them, so with His help, we can stop and remember to run to Him instead.

Brownies with a Difference

Brownies with a Difference

Many parents are hard pressed to explain to their youth why some music, movies, books, and magazines are not acceptable material for them to bring into the home or to listen to or see.

One parent came up with an original idea that is hard to refute. The father listened to all the reasons his children gave for wanting to see a particular PG-13 movie. It had their favorite actors. Everyone else was seeing it. Even church members said it was great. It was only rated PG-13 because of the suggestion of sex-they never really showed it. The language was pretty good-the Lord's name was only used in vain three times in the whole movie. The teens did admit there was a scene where a building and a bunch of people were blown up, but the violence was just the normal stuff. It wasn't too bad. And, even if there were a few minor things, the special effects were fabulous and the plot was action packed.

However, even with all the justifications the teens made for the 13' rating, the father still wouldn't give in. He didn't even give his children a satisfactory explanation for saying, "No." He just said, "No!"

A little later on that evening the father asked his teens if they would like some brownies he had baked. He explained that he'd taken the family's favorite recipe and added a little something new. The children asked what it was. The father calmly replied that he had added dog poop. However, he quickly assured them, it was only a little bit. All other ingredients were gourmet quality and he had taken great care to bake the brownies at the precise temperature for the exact time. He was sure the brownies would be superb.

Even with their father's promise that the brownies were of almost perfect quality, the teens would not take any. The father acted surprised. After all, it was only one small part that was causing them to be so stubborn. He was certain they would hardly notice it. Still the teens held firm and would not try the brownies. The father then told his children how the movie they wanted to see was just like the brownies. Our minds trick us into believing that just a little bit of evil won't matter. But, the truth is even a little bit of poop makes the difference between a great treat and something disgusting and totally unacceptable.

The father went on to explain that even though the movie industry would have us believe that most of today's movies are acceptable fare for adults and youth, they are not. Now, when this father's children want to see something that is of questionable material, the father merely asks them if they would like some of his special dog poop brownies.

posted with permission
http://lordsgrace.com/humor/laugh43.shtml

  My big downfall was reading. I especially have always loved science fiction and fantasy books. Many of those have a great deal of sex in them, and it's usually quite perverted too. Of course they often have other things in them as well that aren't good for us....but to go so far as to commit myself to not reading them was more then I could do for a long time. To be honest, for a long time I had no desire or intention to stop reading them. I've always studied the bible with the Lord every day and constantly talk to Him. I even mentioned this thing about reading those books to Him early one, but then just put it out of my mind because, like I said, I really wasn't committed to it.

Then, something happened to me. One night, after finishing reading a great Christian fiction book, I was, as usual, trying to decide what to read next. (I have a huge library of my own lol) As I considered my books, it hit me like a ton of bricks that I felt "different" when I was reading a good Christian book, and when I finished it, then I did with one of the secular ones. And it was a big difference too! It's hard to explain, because the feeling isn't normally something we notice or think about. I know that it was the Lord who caused me to notice it at that time. Anyway, when reading and finishing a good Christian fiction book, on top of feeling satisfied, I felt good; I felt "clean", and it always left me in a good mood too. However, when reading or finishing a good secular book, those feelings were all missing! At the time, I really couldn't define the "feelings" very well, and trying to explain them is next to impossible. What I did though was just kind of kept an eye on myself over the next month and paid attention to how I felt when I was reading and afterward. (I read almost every night for a couple of hours at least)

At the end of about 6 weeks of really paying close attention to myself, I realized that when I read secular books, regardless of how much I liked them or that they were my "favorites"; regardless of how I had a long time habit of always being careful to take my thoughts captive whenever I noticed anything that wasn't a godly thought; they never left me in a really good mood. While they didn't leave me in a bad mood, I noticed that both during and after reading them, it was always very easy for me to begin to feel angry if someone did or said anything that hit me the wrong way; become selfish, sarcastic, expected more of others in general, and was quick to snap at people for no particular reason. In general I was just in a kind of sour mood, although it wasn't something that really stood out -more deep inside, but it had a definite feel to it.

I was totally shocked! Really I was! Here I'd been reading these books all my life and had never noticed that before!

But, when I read a Christian Fiction book (I've always made sure that even my fiction books tell the truth about what God's Word says) that during and afterward, I was much more likely to be and act selfless, to be more loving and was always more aware and in control of my thoughts and feelings too. I found that I laughed a lot more then as well. So, in general, as I said before, I was just in a better mood all the way around, and it had a definite feel to it.

When I had this realization, I knew it was all from the Lord and that He was showing me something important. This happened a couple of years ago now, and since then, I've read very few secular books at all, and the ones I have read, I read with the idea of proving it to myself and once I'd read the book one last time, getting rid of it so I could eventually replace it with a Christian one. Now, whenever I even consider reading a secular book, just thinking about how it's going to leave me feeling is enough to give me the creeps! I saw quite clearly during that experiment how they stunted my growth in the Lord when I read them and how the Christian books actually helped me grow! Lastly, it showed me that when we want to please the Lord, that He will go out of His way to show us what we need to do to come even closer to Him.

Christian Accountability

It's sad, but I've found that most Christians want absolutely nothing to do with accountability. Instead of accepting reproof and correction as the Bible says we're too, they get angry and stomp off. (either literally if it's in person or by becoming angry and defensive and leaving the site if it's on line) Instead of realizing that the person cares about them and is trying to help them, they take it as an attack. Let me share a story of how I came to understand about this and maybe it'll help someone. I posted this in the sins forum so I'll just copy it from there:

After I was saved, the Lord gave me a wonderful woman to disciple me and I asked her to tell me every time she saw me sin. At first she wouldn't so I asked her why. She told me that she'd had many people ask her that very thing but every time she followed through and told them about it, they'd just get angry, which of course compounded the sin. I have to admit that I was totally shocked by that. I just couldn't even imagine someone getting angry because another believer had shown them that they were sinning. It just didn't make any sense at all to me!

Well I finally convinced her that I really meant it and wouldn't get angry. And so she began to tell me each time she'd see me sin. We set aside time at the end of the work day so it wouldn't interfere with work. She did a wonderful job of showing me my sins gently, just the way the Lord does. She never just dumped them on me but would point out one thing and then help me pray and work on it, looking at scripture that talked about that issue. Then we'd go onto the next thing etc. It was really wonderful and I grew SO MUCH during that time.

To me it was like having a spiritual mother. (or father I guess) As a child, I could count on my mother to always tell me the truth about myself, even if it was going to hurt, and then she'd help me do something to change it. And that's what we were doing now with her telling me about my sins. It's always much easier to see someone else's sins then to see your own. So it was a big help having her do that for me.

When I had to quit working due to an injury that made me disabled, I was no longer able to see her regularly and had to continue on my own. I really miss having someone that I can count on to tell me the Truth about me though. I've discovered for myself however that she was very right about most people not wanting to know what their sins are. I guess it goes back to pride or something. But I've seen more people get angry because they've been told they've done something wrong/they sinned, then anything else in the last 10 years. It still always takes me by surprise too.

How in the world can we conquer the sin in our lives if we don't realize it's there? Obviously the way to know about it is to know God's Word, but still, we're all experts at fooling ourselves. Well, at least I am. Since I am so good at it, I know I need help. I need to listen when others suggest I might be sinning, when others say I've done something I shouldn't have or that I have the wrong attitude about something or someone etc. So, that's what I try to do on my own now. Well, not really on my own, because the Lord always finds a way, a person, a situation or something to bring sin to my attention so I can deal with it.

Each Christian is called to help, stimulate, reprove, correct, and encourage one another within the body of Christ, and we're called to do that by using scripture, not by using worldly "wisdom" or anything else but scripture. In today's world, with it's focus on psychology and self help, and being told we're all basically good. tolerance of sin, etc, it's very hard to find Christians who honestly and truly WANT to know when they've sinned and aren't going to turn on you in anger (adding to their sin) when they're told so. Much to my dismay, I've found that my mentor was right. Most people don't want to know when they're wrong about something, when they've sinned, all they really want is a pat on the back and a "atta boy" or "you're doing great!". Thankfully there are a few, but not many at all. The reason that's so very sad to me is because it should be the other way around. Every Christian should first realize that they are a sinner, even though they're saved and they should realize that they need to be shown their sins and be grateful when someone does so.

James 5:16 tells us to confess our sins to one another. That's not talking about telling some priest so he can forgive you, because forgiveness comes from God alone. We're to talk to each other about our sins though for several reasons. One reason is that when we hide our sins from each other, it gives that sin more power over us. Sin and Satan love darkness and grow in the darkness. God loves the light and tells us to bring everything out into the light so it can't have anymore power over us.

Another reason for this is that when we don't talk to others about it, we tend to let it fester inside us so that to us, it just seems bigger and nastier all the time. When we talk about it with other Christians, it brings the sin down to a manageable size because we're able to be reminded that God is bigger then our sin.

Yet another reason is because when we don't talk about it, there's the danger or forgetting it or even minimizing it to ourselves and thinking, "oh it's not so bad". Isn't it amazing how we'll go to either extreme when we hide our sins? We'll either allow them to become huge monsters that stop us or we'll turn them into playful little mice that don't really bother us, and both are sinful ways of dealing with our sin.

As members of one body, we should all want to help each other and we should all want help ourselves.

I've just got to share something with you from a book I'm reading as it surprised me by addressing this subject too:

How are we to deal with such people? Scripture says to admonish the wayward. The Greek term employed (nouthe-teō) means “to put sense into in light of the consequences.” If you know believers who are not doing their duty—not using their gifts, not being supportive of the team effort—come alongside and put some sense into their heads. One way to do that is to speak softly and say, “I’ve been noticing you haven’t been faithful in your attendance, you’re not involved in a ministry, and you tend to criticize the church. You realize, don’t you, that if you continue in that path, there are spiritual consequences, and I don’t think you want those consequences, nor do I want you to experience them.”

It’s to be a gentle, loving warning, yet also have some passion in it. That’s how the Apostle Paul warned the elders of the Ephesian church: “with tears” (Acts 20:31). There’s a hurt in it that says, “I don’t want you to keep going in that direction because God will chasten apathy and rebellion.” When you truly love someone, you don’t hesitate to warn him or her. I don’t hesitate to do that with my wife and children and others who are close to me. It’s not because of some agenda I’ve got, but because I don’t want them to have to deal with the inevitable consequences of being spiritually aloof. I want them and everyone else in the church to know the fullness of God’s blessing.

This confrontation is necessary. The point of coming to church isn’t sitting and staring at the back of someone’s head. It’s a fellowship; it’s being involved in the lives of fellow believers—including the troublesome ones.

MacArthur, J. Anxiety Attacked.

SPIRIT–FILLED SUBMISSION

SPIRIT–FILLED SUBMISSION

“Be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.”
EPHESIANS 5:21

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Spirit–filled believers will submit to one another.

To the world, submission implies personal weakness or the coercive dominance of one person by another stronger, more intimidating individual. Such perspectives, however, are unbiblical. The noted expositor Martyn Lloyd–Jones describes submission’s original meaning in a military context, which helps us understand its scriptural definition:

It is the picture of soldiers in a regiment, soldiers in a line under an officer … and if he [the soldier] begins to act on his own, and independently of the others, he is guilty of insubordination and will be punished accordingly. Such is the word the Apostle uses; so what he is saying amounts to this—that we who are filled with the Spirit are to behave voluntarily in that way with respect to one another. We are members of the same regiment, we are units in this same great army. We are to do that voluntarily which the soldier is “forced” to do.

In addition to Ephesians 5:21, the New Testament repeatedly expresses the importance of submitting to one another. Philippians 2:3–4 tell us how mutual submission ought to operate: “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” And Hebrews 13:17 commands us to submit to our spiritual leaders: “Obey your leaders, and submit to them; for they keep watch over your souls, as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.”

The only way we can possess any of those traits or exhibit any of that behavior is to be continuously filled with the Holy Spirit. Then we will be able to voluntarily and joyfully submit to the Lord and one another in love, just as the apostle John urges: “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and every one who loves is born of God and knows God” (1 John 4:7).

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Suggestions for Prayer: Examine your heart and see if your attitude has been a biblically submissive one. ✧ Ask God’s Spirit to reveal and correct any sinful shortcomings you’ve had in that regard.

For Further Study: Read Romans 12:10; 1 Corinthians 4:7; 1 Timothy 5:21; James 2:1. List comparisons and contrasts between these verses and what Philippians 2:3–4 says about mutual submission.

Romans 12:10 —Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. *

1 Corinthians 4:7 —For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not? *

1 Timothy 5:21 —I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism. *

James 2:1 —My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism. *

Philippians 2:3–4 —Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. *Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. *

MacArthur, J. (1997). Strength for today. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.

Sharing Our Love

As a human body has connected tissues, muscles, bones, ligaments, and organs, the body of Christ is comprised of members who are responsible to one another. No member exists detached from the rest of the body any more than lungs can lie on the floor in the next room and keep a person breathing. The health of the body, its witness, and its testimony are dependent on all members faithfully ministering to one another.

The church was never intended to be only a building—a place where lonely people walk in, listen, and walk out still alone—but a place of fellowship. In his book Dare to Live Now! Bruce Larson says:

The neighborhood bar is possibly the best counterfeit there is to the fellowship Christ wants to give His Church. It’s an imitation, dispensing liquor instead of grace, escape rather than reality. But it is a permissive, accepting, and inclusive fellowship. It is unshockable, it is democratic. You can tell people secrets and they usually don’t tell others, or want to. The bar flourishes not because most people are alcoholics, but because God has put into the human heart the desire to know and be known, to love, and be loved, and so many seek a counterfeit at the price of a few beers ([Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1965], p. 110).

This need for fellowship is not met simply by attending the Sunday services, whether they be small groups where everyone is known or large congregations where that is not the case. A desperate need for personal, intimate fellowship exists in the church today. And this fellowship, like the ministering of the gifts, is intrinsic to manifesting practical unity. Finding a good church fellowship is no small matter in our onslaught against anxiety.

In true fellowship Christians don’t judge one another; they don’t bite and devour each other; they don’t provoke, envy, lie to one another, speak evil, or grumble about one another. Since true fellowship builds up, the godly will receive one another, and be kind and tenderhearted toward one another. They will forbear and forgive one another, serve one another, practice hospitality ungrudgingly to one another, admonish, instruct, submit to one another, and comfort one another. That is the true fellowship of Christ’s body—life touching life to bring blessing and spiritual growth.

Too often Christians place themselves inside little glass bubbles and try to look like supersaints, as if they hadn’t a problem or worry in the world. They aren’t willing to share openly and expose their sins to a fellow believer. They don’t know what it is to have another believer say, “That’s the same thing I’m going through. Lets pray for each other.”

A brother in Christ confessed a sin to me and promised to tell me each time he committed it. Later he told me that promise prevented him from committing the sin again because he didn’t want to endure the shame of telling me about it. Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote powerfully of this privilege of
confessing our sins to one another:

Sin demands to have a man by himself. It withdraws him from the community. The more isolated a person is, the more destructive will be the power of sin over him, and the more deeply he becomes involved in it, the more disastrous is his isolation. Sin wants to remain unknown. It shuns the light. In the darkness of the unexpressed it poisons the whole being of a person. This can happen even in the midst of a pious community. In confession the light of the Gospel breaks into the darkness and seclusion of the heart. The sin must be brought into the light. The unexpressed must be openly spoken and acknowledged. All that is secret and hidden is made manifest. It is a hard struggle until the sin is openly admitted. But God breaks gates of brass and bars of iron (Ps. 107:16; Life Together [New York: Harper & Row, 1954], p. 112).

Confessing our sins to one another results in a purer fellowship of people who know and love one another—who understand one another’s needs, anxieties, and temptations. What strength resides in such a community!

Here is a key principle that all Christian communities should operate by: “If a Christian is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help him back onto the right path, remembering that next time it might be one of you who is in the wrong” (Gal. 6:1, TLB). Pick him or her up and say, “Let me show you from the Word of God what is going on. Let’s pray together. Let’s walk on the right track together.” That is restorative care. We as Christians haven’t done our duty if we only rebuke. We need to come alongside and restore—in love.

That verse is perhaps the clearest example from Scripture of how we as believers are to look out for one another. In attacking anxiety, be encouraged to know that angels are looking out for you, but also make a point of knowing and being known by mature believers in a context of mutual ministry. The responsibility of finding such a fellowship is yours. Never underestimate the power of godly fellowship in bearing the burden of your anxieties.

MacArthur, J. (1993). Anxiety Attacked. MacArthur Study Series (72–73). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.

Do you curse the darkness or light candles for your husband?

I was so touched by this story, that I wanted to share it with you guys. This is the kind of wife I want to be.

Proverbs 31:12 — She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. *

‎Early in his marriage, the Reverend E. V. Hill and his wife, Jane, faced financial difficulty. He had foolishly invested in a service station, and the business had failed. Money was very tight. Shortly after the fiasco with the service station, E. V. came home one night and found the house dark. When he opened the door, he saw that Jane had prepared a candlelight dinner for two.“What meaneth thou this?” he said with characteristic humor. “Well,” said Jane, “we’re going to eat by candlelight tonight.” E. V. thought that was a great idea and went into the bathroom to wash his hands. He tried unsuccessfully to turn on the light. Then he felt his way into the bedroom and flipped another switch. Darkness prevailed.

The young pastor went back to the dining room and asked Jane why the electricity was off. She began to cry. “You work so hard, and we’re trying,” said Jane, “but it’s pretty rough. I didn’t have quite enough money to pay the light bill. I didn’t want you to know about it, so I thought we would just eat by candlelight.” Dr. Hill described his wife’s words with intense emotion: “She could have said, ‘I’ve never been in this situation before. I was reared in the home of Dr. Caruthers, and we never had our lights cut off.’ She could have broken my spirit; she could have ruined me; she could have demoralized me. But instead she said, ‘Somehow or another we’ll get these lights on. But let’s eat tonight by candlelight.’

Tears come to my eyes every time I read this story. Mrs. Hill’s optimism and readiness to walk through tough times with her husband exemplify the two qualities I desire in my own life and pray for most in a wife. I’m looking for someone who will light candles, not just curse the darkness.

I kissed dating goodbye