March 1
““But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”” (Revelation 21:8, NLT)
A 1984 IRS survey found that 50 percent of Americans lie on their tax forms. A 1987 survey of 1006 adults found that 71 percent of those questioned expressed that there were dishonest occurrences in their everyday dealings with others and that honesty is rare. “A New York firm that annually investigates thousands of resumes finds outright lies in 20 percent of them. The American Insurance Association says that 20 percent of insurance claims contain an element of fraud.” (pp. 140,141, Speaker’s Sourcebook of New Illustrations)
Lies and liars are not uncommon.
Why is that? Some people lie to cover up their sin or shame or regret. Some lie to get ahead or to manipulate others. The great Pascal once wrote that there are some people who lie just for the sake of lying. They enjoy deception. Even though Satan is called the “Father of lies”, people often do not associate lying with evil. In fact, the term “white lie” is used to explain how some lies are a better choice when the truth is hard to swallow. Lying in business is often rewarded. Some psychotherapists urge people to lie as a good method to cope with difficult aspects of life. Any way you look at it, lies and lying are downplayed by the worldly as part of everyday life and even natural.
God does not see it that way.
In our scripture for today from the book of Revelation, there is a list of those who will not be allowed a place in Heaven. In point of reference, their future will be “in the fiery lake of burning sulfur”, also known as Hell (Revelation 21:8). “Cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, immoral people, witches, and idol worshippers” are all destined for hell. Surprisingly, the last ones added to this list are “all liars”. According to this scripture, lying is as bad as murder and witchcraft, yet most people do not deem them even comparable. However, in God’s eyes lying is not only evil but also an abomination as noted in Proverbs 12:22; “Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord…”.
Worldly attitudes have so infiltrated the church that lying is often passed off as a tool to be used in dealing with other Christians. A pastor in Missouri lied to his church about past sins. When they sought to hire him, he said he was leaving is church in Detroit in order to move to warmer weather. What he failed to tell them was that he was fleeing a church in Detroit where he had three affairs with different women in his own church! Recently a woman named Linda Morrow was videotaped in her church in Clarksville Tennessee, praying with two women. While one woman held her hand and prayed, her friend (seated in the pew behind) quietly took Linda’s purse and stole her money. It was all caught on the security system. The prayer time was all a scam, all a lie! You would think that Christians, who read the Bible, would know that lying is a serious crime from God’s point of view. Sadly, this is not the case. Liars are not only common in our world, they have infiltrated God’s church!
With liars and lying so prevalent in our world, you might be tempted to lie as well. When you are caught doing something wrong, you might think lying will get you out of the jam. Maybe. However, you will put your faith with God in jeopardy in order to get yourself out of that situation. Lying is a serious matter. You should not employ it for any reason.
Many years ago, a woman from my congregation named Carla came to me for help. She could not pay her bills and was in desperate need. Her husband had died two years previous, and the household income had fallen off. Since that time, she slowly used up her savings. Now, every month, she was using her credit cards to get by. She had accumulated thousands of dollars in debt. Her son moved back home to help her around the house and help with her grieving. He contributed to her income by paying some of her bills. She was very thankful for her son’s help.
As we began to look at ways for Carla to cope with her situation, the church paid for several of Carla’s past-due bills to give her some breathing room. Then, Carla and I met together to form a budget and work through her grief. Carla felt like a failure because of her money situation. I tried to bring her comfort and healing as she dealt with all the debts.
In the months following, I discovered that Carla’s son had been siphoning money from Carla’s savings. I also suspected that he had been stealing from her wallet while she slept. He had a drug problem that he kept under wraps. However, the costs of the drugs and his addiction kept him constantly in need of a fix. When I approached Carla with the facts and my fears for what her son had done, she became extremely angry. She told me that I was not only a liar but a terrible pastor. In the next months, she not only smeared my name, but she also quit the church. Several of her friends blamed me for the situation.
Over the next year, two of Carla’s friends came to me privately. They confessed that they, too, believed Carla’s son was stealing from her. They had broached the subject with Carla and were also banished as friends. A few years later, Carla’s house was put up for sale. She lost everything and had to move in with a sister.
Carla was lying to herself and others. She could not believe her son was an addict. She never believed he stole from her. She constantly berated herself for her lack of funds, when in fact she was very frugal with her money. Carla just could not live with the facts of her situation. She refused to listen to me or to friends. Lies destroyed Carla’s life over time. By failing to see the truth, believe her friends, listen to God, and deal with her son, she was destined to poverty and regret. She became an angry and vengeful person. She stopped going to church altogether, telling people that the church was full of hypocrites and liars!
Beware the lies you tell yourself. Watch out for the lies you are tempted to use to cover your own insecurities. Be wise enough to look for lies and liars in your dealings with others. Lies and coverups not only surround politicians. They are often present in the average citizen! They are even found among Christians. Peter lied about his relationship with Jesus. Judas lied about his dealings with the Jewish leaders. The Jewish authorities lied to the people of Jerusalem about Jesus’ miracles and ministry. Lies led to Jesus’ death on a cross.
Don’t underestimate the danger of lies. Repent of all your own lies, even white lies. You won’t see Heaven if lies permeate your life. God can’t protect you if you refuse to listen to the truth. God won’t reward you when you live a lie.
Lies and liars are not uncommon.
Why is that? Some people lie to cover up their sin or shame or regret. Some lie to get ahead or to manipulate others. The great Pascal once wrote that there are some people who lie just for the sake of lying. They enjoy deception. Even though Satan is called the “Father of lies”, people often do not associate lying with evil. In fact, the term “white lie” is used to explain how some lies are a better choice when the truth is hard to swallow. Lying in business is often rewarded. Some psychotherapists urge people to lie as a good method to cope with difficult aspects of life. Any way you look at it, lies and lying are downplayed by the worldly as part of everyday life and even natural.
God does not see it that way.
In our scripture for today from the book of Revelation, there is a list of those who will not be allowed a place in Heaven. In point of reference, their future will be “in the fiery lake of burning sulfur”, also known as Hell (Revelation 21:8). “Cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, immoral people, witches, and idol worshippers” are all destined for hell. Surprisingly, the last ones added to this list are “all liars”. According to this scripture, lying is as bad as murder and witchcraft, yet most people do not deem them even comparable. However, in God’s eyes lying is not only evil but also an abomination as noted in Proverbs 12:22; “Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord…”.
Worldly attitudes have so infiltrated the church that lying is often passed off as a tool to be used in dealing with other Christians. A pastor in Missouri lied to his church about past sins. When they sought to hire him, he said he was leaving is church in Detroit in order to move to warmer weather. What he failed to tell them was that he was fleeing a church in Detroit where he had three affairs with different women in his own church! Recently a woman named Linda Morrow was videotaped in her church in Clarksville Tennessee, praying with two women. While one woman held her hand and prayed, her friend (seated in the pew behind) quietly took Linda’s purse and stole her money. It was all caught on the security system. The prayer time was all a scam, all a lie! You would think that Christians, who read the Bible, would know that lying is a serious crime from God’s point of view. Sadly, this is not the case. Liars are not only common in our world, they have infiltrated God’s church!
With liars and lying so prevalent in our world, you might be tempted to lie as well. When you are caught doing something wrong, you might think lying will get you out of the jam. Maybe. However, you will put your faith with God in jeopardy in order to get yourself out of that situation. Lying is a serious matter. You should not employ it for any reason.
Many years ago, a woman from my congregation named Carla came to me for help. She could not pay her bills and was in desperate need. Her husband had died two years previous, and the household income had fallen off. Since that time, she slowly used up her savings. Now, every month, she was using her credit cards to get by. She had accumulated thousands of dollars in debt. Her son moved back home to help her around the house and help with her grieving. He contributed to her income by paying some of her bills. She was very thankful for her son’s help.
As we began to look at ways for Carla to cope with her situation, the church paid for several of Carla’s past-due bills to give her some breathing room. Then, Carla and I met together to form a budget and work through her grief. Carla felt like a failure because of her money situation. I tried to bring her comfort and healing as she dealt with all the debts.
In the months following, I discovered that Carla’s son had been siphoning money from Carla’s savings. I also suspected that he had been stealing from her wallet while she slept. He had a drug problem that he kept under wraps. However, the costs of the drugs and his addiction kept him constantly in need of a fix. When I approached Carla with the facts and my fears for what her son had done, she became extremely angry. She told me that I was not only a liar but a terrible pastor. In the next months, she not only smeared my name, but she also quit the church. Several of her friends blamed me for the situation.
Over the next year, two of Carla’s friends came to me privately. They confessed that they, too, believed Carla’s son was stealing from her. They had broached the subject with Carla and were also banished as friends. A few years later, Carla’s house was put up for sale. She lost everything and had to move in with a sister.
Carla was lying to herself and others. She could not believe her son was an addict. She never believed he stole from her. She constantly berated herself for her lack of funds, when in fact she was very frugal with her money. Carla just could not live with the facts of her situation. She refused to listen to me or to friends. Lies destroyed Carla’s life over time. By failing to see the truth, believe her friends, listen to God, and deal with her son, she was destined to poverty and regret. She became an angry and vengeful person. She stopped going to church altogether, telling people that the church was full of hypocrites and liars!
Beware the lies you tell yourself. Watch out for the lies you are tempted to use to cover your own insecurities. Be wise enough to look for lies and liars in your dealings with others. Lies and coverups not only surround politicians. They are often present in the average citizen! They are even found among Christians. Peter lied about his relationship with Jesus. Judas lied about his dealings with the Jewish leaders. The Jewish authorities lied to the people of Jerusalem about Jesus’ miracles and ministry. Lies led to Jesus’ death on a cross.
Don’t underestimate the danger of lies. Repent of all your own lies, even white lies. You won’t see Heaven if lies permeate your life. God can’t protect you if you refuse to listen to the truth. God won’t reward you when you live a lie.
March 3
“A man’s heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.” (Proverbs 16:9, NKJV)
You make plans all the time. Sometimes, you are aware of those plans. In some moments, your plans may be vague or spur of the moment. In your mind or heart, you make plans for a vacation, make plans for retirement, plan out your work day, make plans for a get-together, or just plain plan ahead. No matter how you make your plans, life has a way of getting in the way of even the best laid plans. Accidents occur, problems crop up, obstacles stand in your way, and so much more. You can make all kinds of arrangements for the future, but that doesn’t mean that everything will go according to plan.
The scripture for today, written above, makes note that your heart may “plan your way” (Proverbs 16:9). You may make all kinds of plans for the future. But, not only may plans change; God may alter those plans. God will direct your steps. While you make plans for the future, God is directing each step along the path of your life. You might think you have everything under control. But let’s be honest… you are not in control of your future. Plans can change. Issues will arise. Disease and accidents and unforeseen circumstances will change your direction. God will also change your direction at crucial moments. God will “direct your steps” (Proverbs 16:9). God will alter your best laid plans.
A couple married for 15 years began having more than usual disagreements. They wanted to make their marriage work and agreed on an idea the wife had. For one month they each planned to drop a written note into a “Fault” box. The wife had her “Fault Box” wherein her husband would place in slips of paper with daily irritations or faults he found with his wife. The husband had his own “Fault Box”. His wife was to put slips of paper listing issues she had with her husband. At the end of the month, they would each open their “Fault Box” in order to deal with the issues plaguing their marriage.
The wife was diligent in her efforts and approach. The husband also was seen doing his part, adding little slips of paper to his wife’s “Fault Box”. At the end of the month, they sat across from each other after dinner. At the insistence of his wife, the husband went first. He opened his “Fault Box” and began reading the notes. On one slip of paper, his wife had written that “he left the jelly top off the jar”. On another slip, she wrote, “He left wet towels on the shower floor”. On a third was commented, “I had to pick up his socks again today”. There were more than two dozen slips of paper listing the husband’s faults for the month. Then the wife opened her own “Fault Box” and began reading. On every single one of the thirty slips of paper was written, “I love you!” With tears covering her face, the wife was changed by her husband’s show of love. Her husband wasn’t trying to wreck his wife’s idea of the “Fault Boxes”. He was expressing what he really thought was the biggest issue in their marriage…. he needed to shower her with love!
What the wife in this true story had “planned” for the “Fault Boxes” did not come to pass. She had planned that they would talk about each other’s “faults”. Instead, she came to realize that keeping track of faults got in the way of showing love to each other!
You can make all the plans you like. God will often alter those plans by directing your steps along a different path.
Counselor Stormie Omartian wrote in her book, Just Enough Light for the Step I’m On, the following bit of wisdom that she learned in her walk with God.
“Life is a walk. Each day we take steps. Our tomorrow is determined by the steps we take today. But its up to us to take that first step (toward God). Once you take that first step, God will show you other steps to take. He will teach you how to walk in the light of His truth, revelation, and love. You’ll learn how to walk away from fear, depression, condemnation, loneliness, loss, forgiveness, and disappointment. You’ll understand what it means to walk through the dark times of your life with the comfort of His presence as your only light.”
Stormie Omartian had her life all planned. She was a successful business woman. She had it all, including money, power, looks, and grace. However, by following very selfish goals in her twenties, she became too attached to drugs and alcohol. She was living in an abusive relationship. She was depressed. She even planned her own suicide! When all seemed lost, in a last ditch effort to seek help, she met with Pastor Jack Hayford. Then, with much trepidation, she prayed to Jesus to forgive her ways. She submitted to following in Jesus’ footsteps. Today, she is an internationally known Christian motivational speaker who has written dozens of books on the power of prayer, about God’s ability to change a life through prayer, and about the amazing things that happen when God transforms a soul through prayer.
Stormie Omartian planned a successful career in business. God directed her steps toward a ministry of prayer!
Go ahead, make your plans! Just realize that, like it or not, God will be directing your steps. If you wander away too far from the truth, God will block your way in order to bring you back. If a sin begins to take hold in your heart, God will direct your steps toward repentance and healing. Day by day, God will direct your steps. However, you must decide to take those steps with God. It is all too easy to walk away from God.
Look back at your life. Can you see where God directed your steps? Did you realize when God altered your plans? Did you notice when God put that person in your life to bring you healing? Do you remember when God spoke to your heart? Do you realize how many times God had to step in and alter your day?
Even now, God will be directing your steps. You still have to take your steps. You will still make your plans. The best laid plans can come to naught. Some of your steps in life may lead to danger. God’s direction will always bring life and wholeness and healing and peace. It may not feel like it at the time, but when you are following in Jesus’ footsteps, things have a way of working out in the end.
I wonder how God will direct your steps today?
The scripture for today, written above, makes note that your heart may “plan your way” (Proverbs 16:9). You may make all kinds of plans for the future. But, not only may plans change; God may alter those plans. God will direct your steps. While you make plans for the future, God is directing each step along the path of your life. You might think you have everything under control. But let’s be honest… you are not in control of your future. Plans can change. Issues will arise. Disease and accidents and unforeseen circumstances will change your direction. God will also change your direction at crucial moments. God will “direct your steps” (Proverbs 16:9). God will alter your best laid plans.
A couple married for 15 years began having more than usual disagreements. They wanted to make their marriage work and agreed on an idea the wife had. For one month they each planned to drop a written note into a “Fault” box. The wife had her “Fault Box” wherein her husband would place in slips of paper with daily irritations or faults he found with his wife. The husband had his own “Fault Box”. His wife was to put slips of paper listing issues she had with her husband. At the end of the month, they would each open their “Fault Box” in order to deal with the issues plaguing their marriage.
The wife was diligent in her efforts and approach. The husband also was seen doing his part, adding little slips of paper to his wife’s “Fault Box”. At the end of the month, they sat across from each other after dinner. At the insistence of his wife, the husband went first. He opened his “Fault Box” and began reading the notes. On one slip of paper, his wife had written that “he left the jelly top off the jar”. On another slip, she wrote, “He left wet towels on the shower floor”. On a third was commented, “I had to pick up his socks again today”. There were more than two dozen slips of paper listing the husband’s faults for the month. Then the wife opened her own “Fault Box” and began reading. On every single one of the thirty slips of paper was written, “I love you!” With tears covering her face, the wife was changed by her husband’s show of love. Her husband wasn’t trying to wreck his wife’s idea of the “Fault Boxes”. He was expressing what he really thought was the biggest issue in their marriage…. he needed to shower her with love!
What the wife in this true story had “planned” for the “Fault Boxes” did not come to pass. She had planned that they would talk about each other’s “faults”. Instead, she came to realize that keeping track of faults got in the way of showing love to each other!
You can make all the plans you like. God will often alter those plans by directing your steps along a different path.
Counselor Stormie Omartian wrote in her book, Just Enough Light for the Step I’m On, the following bit of wisdom that she learned in her walk with God.
“Life is a walk. Each day we take steps. Our tomorrow is determined by the steps we take today. But its up to us to take that first step (toward God). Once you take that first step, God will show you other steps to take. He will teach you how to walk in the light of His truth, revelation, and love. You’ll learn how to walk away from fear, depression, condemnation, loneliness, loss, forgiveness, and disappointment. You’ll understand what it means to walk through the dark times of your life with the comfort of His presence as your only light.”
Stormie Omartian had her life all planned. She was a successful business woman. She had it all, including money, power, looks, and grace. However, by following very selfish goals in her twenties, she became too attached to drugs and alcohol. She was living in an abusive relationship. She was depressed. She even planned her own suicide! When all seemed lost, in a last ditch effort to seek help, she met with Pastor Jack Hayford. Then, with much trepidation, she prayed to Jesus to forgive her ways. She submitted to following in Jesus’ footsteps. Today, she is an internationally known Christian motivational speaker who has written dozens of books on the power of prayer, about God’s ability to change a life through prayer, and about the amazing things that happen when God transforms a soul through prayer.
Stormie Omartian planned a successful career in business. God directed her steps toward a ministry of prayer!
Go ahead, make your plans! Just realize that, like it or not, God will be directing your steps. If you wander away too far from the truth, God will block your way in order to bring you back. If a sin begins to take hold in your heart, God will direct your steps toward repentance and healing. Day by day, God will direct your steps. However, you must decide to take those steps with God. It is all too easy to walk away from God.
Look back at your life. Can you see where God directed your steps? Did you realize when God altered your plans? Did you notice when God put that person in your life to bring you healing? Do you remember when God spoke to your heart? Do you realize how many times God had to step in and alter your day?
Even now, God will be directing your steps. You still have to take your steps. You will still make your plans. The best laid plans can come to naught. Some of your steps in life may lead to danger. God’s direction will always bring life and wholeness and healing and peace. It may not feel like it at the time, but when you are following in Jesus’ footsteps, things have a way of working out in the end.
I wonder how God will direct your steps today?
March 6
“For you shall not go out in haste, and you shall not go in flight, for the LORD will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard.” (Isaiah 52:12, ESV)
My son donned his bicycle helmet. The training wheels had just come off. He was very nervous. This would be his first bicycle ride without the comfort and safety of the training wheels. As we stood together in the parking lot, I saw his trepidation. I knew he doubted what would happen. All kinds of scenarios were running through his head of crashing, falling, scraping his knee, or breaking his arm. To comfort him, I said, “I’ll get you going at the speed where you will be able to ride. I’ll run beside you. I’ve got your back!” A few seconds later, we were on our way, me holding on to his seat, then running beside him. With a big smile, and excitement written all over his face, he took his first real ride on his bicycle!
It's easier to do new things, challenging things, dangerous things, when you know a great supporter has your back! Soldiers going to war know that having a competent and trustworthy friend in the trench brings much comfort. A firefighter entering a burning house has greater confidence because of the trained men and women ready to jump in to help or pull him out of a burning building should something go wrong. Test pilots can focus on their experimental flights because of the engineers and rescue personnel who are in place. A mother is put at ease by the words of a trusted doctor. He is the best around. Her son will be in good hands in that operating room. Competent and trusted people who have your back bring great comfort and support and encouragement and so much more.
Today’s scripture mentions that for the faithful fulfilling God’s plan in life, God also is a great source of strength. If you are willing to follow God’s leading, God will have your back! Isaiah 52:12 is a statement by the prophet Isaiah to the people of Israel who were trying to recover from war and exile. His words were meant to bring comfort and hope to their arduous work. Jerusalem was in shambles. The temple was in ruin. The Babylonian armies had destroyed even the walls of the city. But less than fifty years after that war, God was bringing the people back home to rebuild. The people had suffered enough for their sins. Now was the time to rebuild. Despite all the obstacles before them, the prophet’s words brought hope. God had their back. In the words of Isaiah 52:12, “the God of Israel will be your rear guard.”
Isn’t it nice to know that when you follow God’s plan, God will watch your back? God will protect you in those times when you strike out on a new course. God will watch over you as you take on a new challenge. When you do God’s will, learn to trust in God’s protection. You are never alone when you do what God wants you to do! God doesn’t just set you off to fight your spiritual battles without support! When Satan decides to take you on, God will have your back! You can count on it!
In an interview after 9/11 bombing of the Pentagon in 2001, a man who lived through the destruction of his portion of the Pentagon building spoke to a reporter. The reporter was interested in what happened. Little did the reporter know that the man would share some amazing details of that day.
The reporter asked, “What happened to you just after the plane exploded upon impact at the Pentagon?"
The man responded, “The lights went out. Darkness enveloped me. Then, in that moment, I heard a whimper, like that of a dog. I knew it was the sound of someone in distress. I followed that sound, until I was blocked. The rubble was too deep. I could go no further. My mind was telling me to get away from the building, out of the burning wreckage. But, in that moment, I felt something so amazing, so real, like nothing I’ve ever felt before. I felt this hand upon my shoulder. I felt like God was behind me, leading me, guiding me through the wreckage. But I wasn’t going toward the light of freedom and escape. I was heading toward that whimper. I just knew God was sending me in to save that soul. I found her a few minutes later. She was buried alive, under office equipment and concrete rubble. She was bruised and bloody. Soot covered her face. Had she not whimpered, I wouldn’t have known she was there. Had God not led me her way, I never would have had the courage to get to her. I pulled her from the rubble. I carried her out of the building. I don’t know how I did that in all the smoke, hardly able to breathe, covered in blood, but I did.”
Some people are very surprised when God shows up to lead and guide and protect. You shouldn’t be surprised. You know God’s capabilities. You know God’s power. You know God has the back of the faithful, right?
Because you are a child of God, because you have made promises to Jesus, you never walk alone. You are a protected one. Proverbs 30:5 describes God as a “shield” of protection for “those who take refuge in HIM”. Hundreds of scriptures describe the many ways God provides for the needs of the faithful by guarding their way, directing their steps to safety, and providing for their needs. Your God is a natural protector. It is part of God’s character to watch the back of the faithful. God is your “rear guard” (Isaiah 52:12).
When Jesus’ life was in danger from King Herod, what did the angel say to Joseph? “Fear not!” Why did the angel begin with those words? God was not going to allow Herod to kill Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus! God protected the holy family by securing a way to Egypt. Along the way, angels protected their journey, offering them safe passage. God had their back. God’s angels secured their way.
When you find yourself in hot water, dangers and obstacles surrounding you, don’t fret. God will provide what you need in that hour. God will direct your steps to where you need to be. I Corinthians 10:13 is a reminder that God will find “a way out” of your predicament. All you need to do is follow HIS leading. Trust HIS voice. Heed HIS words.
God has your back!
It's easier to do new things, challenging things, dangerous things, when you know a great supporter has your back! Soldiers going to war know that having a competent and trustworthy friend in the trench brings much comfort. A firefighter entering a burning house has greater confidence because of the trained men and women ready to jump in to help or pull him out of a burning building should something go wrong. Test pilots can focus on their experimental flights because of the engineers and rescue personnel who are in place. A mother is put at ease by the words of a trusted doctor. He is the best around. Her son will be in good hands in that operating room. Competent and trusted people who have your back bring great comfort and support and encouragement and so much more.
Today’s scripture mentions that for the faithful fulfilling God’s plan in life, God also is a great source of strength. If you are willing to follow God’s leading, God will have your back! Isaiah 52:12 is a statement by the prophet Isaiah to the people of Israel who were trying to recover from war and exile. His words were meant to bring comfort and hope to their arduous work. Jerusalem was in shambles. The temple was in ruin. The Babylonian armies had destroyed even the walls of the city. But less than fifty years after that war, God was bringing the people back home to rebuild. The people had suffered enough for their sins. Now was the time to rebuild. Despite all the obstacles before them, the prophet’s words brought hope. God had their back. In the words of Isaiah 52:12, “the God of Israel will be your rear guard.”
Isn’t it nice to know that when you follow God’s plan, God will watch your back? God will protect you in those times when you strike out on a new course. God will watch over you as you take on a new challenge. When you do God’s will, learn to trust in God’s protection. You are never alone when you do what God wants you to do! God doesn’t just set you off to fight your spiritual battles without support! When Satan decides to take you on, God will have your back! You can count on it!
In an interview after 9/11 bombing of the Pentagon in 2001, a man who lived through the destruction of his portion of the Pentagon building spoke to a reporter. The reporter was interested in what happened. Little did the reporter know that the man would share some amazing details of that day.
The reporter asked, “What happened to you just after the plane exploded upon impact at the Pentagon?"
The man responded, “The lights went out. Darkness enveloped me. Then, in that moment, I heard a whimper, like that of a dog. I knew it was the sound of someone in distress. I followed that sound, until I was blocked. The rubble was too deep. I could go no further. My mind was telling me to get away from the building, out of the burning wreckage. But, in that moment, I felt something so amazing, so real, like nothing I’ve ever felt before. I felt this hand upon my shoulder. I felt like God was behind me, leading me, guiding me through the wreckage. But I wasn’t going toward the light of freedom and escape. I was heading toward that whimper. I just knew God was sending me in to save that soul. I found her a few minutes later. She was buried alive, under office equipment and concrete rubble. She was bruised and bloody. Soot covered her face. Had she not whimpered, I wouldn’t have known she was there. Had God not led me her way, I never would have had the courage to get to her. I pulled her from the rubble. I carried her out of the building. I don’t know how I did that in all the smoke, hardly able to breathe, covered in blood, but I did.”
Some people are very surprised when God shows up to lead and guide and protect. You shouldn’t be surprised. You know God’s capabilities. You know God’s power. You know God has the back of the faithful, right?
Because you are a child of God, because you have made promises to Jesus, you never walk alone. You are a protected one. Proverbs 30:5 describes God as a “shield” of protection for “those who take refuge in HIM”. Hundreds of scriptures describe the many ways God provides for the needs of the faithful by guarding their way, directing their steps to safety, and providing for their needs. Your God is a natural protector. It is part of God’s character to watch the back of the faithful. God is your “rear guard” (Isaiah 52:12).
When Jesus’ life was in danger from King Herod, what did the angel say to Joseph? “Fear not!” Why did the angel begin with those words? God was not going to allow Herod to kill Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus! God protected the holy family by securing a way to Egypt. Along the way, angels protected their journey, offering them safe passage. God had their back. God’s angels secured their way.
When you find yourself in hot water, dangers and obstacles surrounding you, don’t fret. God will provide what you need in that hour. God will direct your steps to where you need to be. I Corinthians 10:13 is a reminder that God will find “a way out” of your predicament. All you need to do is follow HIS leading. Trust HIS voice. Heed HIS words.
God has your back!
March 9
“Who are those who fear the LORD? He will show them the path they should choose.” (Psalm 25:12, NLT)
Though it is common to hear in American History classes stories about Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the thirty-second president of the United States, his wife Eleanor is not as well known. But, let me tell you, she was an amazing woman in her own right. Eleanor Roosevelt was known for her intelligence, her great ability to speak publicly, and her love of people. On one occasion, Eleanor Roosevelt gave the following piece of wisdom:
“One’s philosophy is not best expressed in words. It is expressed in the choices one makes. In the long run, we shape our lives and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility.” (Tim, Kimmel, Little House on the Freeway, p.143)
The choices you make reflect your core beliefs. They express your values, your ethics, your goals, and your attitude. Your choices will expose your righteousness or your sinfulness. They will even declare whether you are faithful to God. Poor choices often cause problems. Choices made without reflection can doom entire families or nations. Wise choices will bring healing in the long run. Choices made from a pure faith will declare one’s love of God. If you look at peoples' lives from beginning to end, their choices will usually determine their fate.
In the scripture for today from Psalm 25, David speaks about choices. He begins verse 12 with a question, “Who are those who fear the Lord?” (Psalm 25:12). Essentially, David is asking for a way to prove a person is faithful. In the second half of the verse, David explains a way: by looking at the choices a person makes. According to the second half of the verse, the Lord shows the faithful the path they should choose, and they choose it. The faithful person is the one who chooses to follow God’s path, to follow God’s direction, to be obedient to the guidance of the Heavenly Father. That is how you know who truthfully “fears the Lord”, i.e. respects the Lord. The faithful soul chooses to ignore all the competing voices of life and instead follows God’s direction.
This is Amy’s story.
“My name is Amy and I am 40 years old. My life before I met Jesus was, at the very least, as mess. A mess that only Jesus could clean up. I grew up in a broken home without any knowledge of who Jesus was, but a knowing there was a God and with a dream of being a cosmetologist and one day owning my own salon and one day my own beauty products. I became a teen mom, a teen wife and then a teen stripper.
After having two more children by two different men, I found myself divorced, a prostitute, using drugs, giving my money to pimps, and had to give up custody of my three kids to my abusive ex-husband who was also on drugs. I was suicidal. I lost everything. I lost my kids, my house, my vehicle, the dog, and most of all I lost myself.”
Though torn apart by a lifetime of poor choices and hating herself, one day a man named Eric told Amy, “But Jesus loves you!” That day, Amy and Eric threw away her “work clothes”, and Amy began to make different choices; faithful ones. She ended up at a place called Destiny House in Prescott, Arizona. There, she met other women who got out of the sex trade, other women who had found forgiveness and grace in Jesus.
Recently, Amy wrote this: “I have identified and acknowledged behaviors that I developed due to my past. I am able to concentrate on me and my healing. I am receiving counseling and most important I am growing in Christ and gaining knowledge and wisdom of God’s Word. I have support and understanding from other women that have been through similar circumstances.”
Amy’s choice to follow Jesus has shaped her new reality. As she works through her past mistakes and sins, as she grows in Christ, her life and choices will tell her new reality: she is now a child of God. She loves Jesus. She is no longer living in sin. Her healing has begun.
Your past choices inform who you are. They are defining you, even in this moment. However, from now on, your future choices will confirm the direction you have taken. Your choices always reveal your heart. When Amy chose to follow Jesus, she broke from her past sinful ways. This shows in her life today.
Your past choices will at times haunt you. Your mistakes may follow you. Your present choices will partly determine where you will be in a few years or maybe forever. Today’s scripture reading is a reminder that God wants you to succeed in life. God wants to be closer to you. The Lord will “show you the path you should choose”. Choose it. There are other paths in life that will take you where you do not want to go. God’s path always ends with wholeness, healing, and hope. You, however, need to choose that path… today… and tomorrow.
When you come to a fork in the road, ask God which way to go. Seek God’s direction. Then follow God’s word. Choose to follow Jesus. Choose to be faithful. Choose to be loving. Choose a holy life. Choose the right path.
“One’s philosophy is not best expressed in words. It is expressed in the choices one makes. In the long run, we shape our lives and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility.” (Tim, Kimmel, Little House on the Freeway, p.143)
The choices you make reflect your core beliefs. They express your values, your ethics, your goals, and your attitude. Your choices will expose your righteousness or your sinfulness. They will even declare whether you are faithful to God. Poor choices often cause problems. Choices made without reflection can doom entire families or nations. Wise choices will bring healing in the long run. Choices made from a pure faith will declare one’s love of God. If you look at peoples' lives from beginning to end, their choices will usually determine their fate.
In the scripture for today from Psalm 25, David speaks about choices. He begins verse 12 with a question, “Who are those who fear the Lord?” (Psalm 25:12). Essentially, David is asking for a way to prove a person is faithful. In the second half of the verse, David explains a way: by looking at the choices a person makes. According to the second half of the verse, the Lord shows the faithful the path they should choose, and they choose it. The faithful person is the one who chooses to follow God’s path, to follow God’s direction, to be obedient to the guidance of the Heavenly Father. That is how you know who truthfully “fears the Lord”, i.e. respects the Lord. The faithful soul chooses to ignore all the competing voices of life and instead follows God’s direction.
This is Amy’s story.
“My name is Amy and I am 40 years old. My life before I met Jesus was, at the very least, as mess. A mess that only Jesus could clean up. I grew up in a broken home without any knowledge of who Jesus was, but a knowing there was a God and with a dream of being a cosmetologist and one day owning my own salon and one day my own beauty products. I became a teen mom, a teen wife and then a teen stripper.
After having two more children by two different men, I found myself divorced, a prostitute, using drugs, giving my money to pimps, and had to give up custody of my three kids to my abusive ex-husband who was also on drugs. I was suicidal. I lost everything. I lost my kids, my house, my vehicle, the dog, and most of all I lost myself.”
Though torn apart by a lifetime of poor choices and hating herself, one day a man named Eric told Amy, “But Jesus loves you!” That day, Amy and Eric threw away her “work clothes”, and Amy began to make different choices; faithful ones. She ended up at a place called Destiny House in Prescott, Arizona. There, she met other women who got out of the sex trade, other women who had found forgiveness and grace in Jesus.
Recently, Amy wrote this: “I have identified and acknowledged behaviors that I developed due to my past. I am able to concentrate on me and my healing. I am receiving counseling and most important I am growing in Christ and gaining knowledge and wisdom of God’s Word. I have support and understanding from other women that have been through similar circumstances.”
Amy’s choice to follow Jesus has shaped her new reality. As she works through her past mistakes and sins, as she grows in Christ, her life and choices will tell her new reality: she is now a child of God. She loves Jesus. She is no longer living in sin. Her healing has begun.
Your past choices inform who you are. They are defining you, even in this moment. However, from now on, your future choices will confirm the direction you have taken. Your choices always reveal your heart. When Amy chose to follow Jesus, she broke from her past sinful ways. This shows in her life today.
Your past choices will at times haunt you. Your mistakes may follow you. Your present choices will partly determine where you will be in a few years or maybe forever. Today’s scripture reading is a reminder that God wants you to succeed in life. God wants to be closer to you. The Lord will “show you the path you should choose”. Choose it. There are other paths in life that will take you where you do not want to go. God’s path always ends with wholeness, healing, and hope. You, however, need to choose that path… today… and tomorrow.
When you come to a fork in the road, ask God which way to go. Seek God’s direction. Then follow God’s word. Choose to follow Jesus. Choose to be faithful. Choose to be loving. Choose a holy life. Choose the right path.
March 11
“One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.” (Romans 14:5, ESV)
In New Testament times, the Jewish leaders were split on whether or not certain types of activity were allowed on holy days. Some Jewish groups fought with each other over how many steps were allowed on Sabbath Days. Jewish authorities were split on whether or not taxes were allowed to be paid to the Roman Government. Debates occurred in the Jewish courts over which sins were better or worse. All these arguments, debates, and issues led to some Jewish people being wishy-washy in their faith. All too many Jewish people at the time, not wanting to anger God, took both sides of the argument!
These debates and issues spilled over into the early Christian church. There were leaders who said you had to be circumcised on order to a Christian. Others disagreed. There were Christians who worshipped at synagogues and others who would only worship in Christian churches. Some Christians wanted people to become Jews in order to be baptized as Christians. Others believed a Christian didn’t need to be Jewish to be right with God. Just like the Jewish authorities at the time, the Christian churches seemed indecisive, split, and wishy-washy in their beliefs.
In the midst of all this indecisiveness, the Apostle Paul wrote the scripture for today to the Roman Church. In Romans 14:5, Paul noted that one group of Christians “esteemed one day better than another”, this is, one day more holy than another. For another group of Christians, they “esteemed all days alike”, thus all days were equally holy. Amidst this seeming indecisiveness among Christians, Paul then ended the discussion with this sentence from the scripture for today: “Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind”. Paul knew there would be issues that were not so easily characterized as black and white, holy and unholy, righteous and unrighteous. Despite the gray areas of life, Paul wanted Christians to be “convinced”, decisive; to stand firm in their beliefs. Paul wanted no hesitancy and wishy-washy beliefs among the faithful. He wanted you to have a rock solid faith! Is it no surprise that he wrote as many letters of explanations of the faith as he did?!!!
Imagine if Jesus had been wishy-washy about his faith. Imagine if Jesus wasn’t sure about His own teachings. What would have happened if Peter had stood up to preach saying, “I’m not sure why Jesus came to save us, but I think he did it for good reason”? When people do not take the time with God to get right their own beliefs, they become wishy-washy and indecisive. As long as Christians have a shallow relationship with God and no desire to grow in the certainty of scripture, all kinds of indecisive behaviors and decisions will ensue. Then, doubts will take hold and questions will plague those who need to have answers for life!
“Former president Ronald Reagan once had an aunt who took him to a cobbler for a pair of new shoes. The cobbler asked young Reagan, “Do you want square toes or round toes?” Unable to decide, Reagan didn’t answer, so the cobbler gave him a few days. Several days later the cobbler saw Reagan on the street and asked him again what kind of toes he wanted on his shoes. Reagan still couldn’t decide, so the shoemaker replied, “Well, come by in a couple of days. Your shoes will be ready.”
When the future president did so, he found one square-toed and one round-toed shoe! “This will teach you to never let people make decisions for you,” the cobbler said to his indecisive customer. “I learned right then and there,” Reagan said later, “if you don’t make your own decisions, someone else will.””
(“Today in the Word”, MBI, August 1991, p. 16)
When doubts cloud your thinking and indecision rules in your heart, you will have a difficult time making up your mind. It’s hard to have strong conviction or dedication or a steadfast faith when you are on shaky ground, unable to make a clear stand on where God needs you to be. When you lack information or are not sure what to do next, doubts will plague you. When you lack direction, it is time to search God’s Word for wisdom, listen to God’s voice, and feel for the direction of the Holy Spirit. BUT don’t remain indecisive. Work through things faithfully and then make a stand.
Several places in scripture show the dangers and folly of remaining indecisive when God wants you to take a stand. In Genesis 19, Lot’s wife died escaping the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. What caused her demise? As she fled the cities, she looked back, unsure of where she was going. God had told Lot and his family to flee and not look back. God was direct, insistent, commanding. Lot’s wife wasn’t sure if she was ready to leave her city behind. Maybe she was afraid to move on to where God had planned to protect them. It’s easy to become afraid when you don’t know the future, but that doesn’t mean that you must remain indecisive when God clearly shows you the path you must go!
When the Israelites questioned why Moses was gone too long on Mt. Sinai, they sinned. Their lack of steadfast trust in God was their undoing. When Elijah confronted King Ahab, he said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him! If Baal is God, follow him?” (1 Kings 18:21). The Jewish King Ahab was wishy-washy in his belief in God. Baal looked enticing! This left Ahab in doubt. His lack of faith, his lack of taking a stand with God, caused war to break out among the people. When the Apostle Paul visited Felix, and presented the gospel, Felix also refused to make a faithful decision. He told Paul he wanted a more “convenient” time to make a up his mind (Acts 24:25). Felix could not take stand with Christ. Jesus warned people that “no one can serve two masters” (Matthew 6:24). Jesus wanted his followers to take a stand of faith, not be full of doubts. You can’t share the gospel when your mind is not made up that God’s way is the right way! When your thinking is clouded with doubt and indecision, others can see your lack of commitment and weakness of heart!
James 1:6 says those who doubt are like the waves of the sea, “driven with the winds”. When your heart is full of doubts and you lack conviction, when fence-sitting is all you do, when you want to please others so much that you are willing to compromise your values, what good are you? That doubtfulness and indecisiveness will only further express to others that your faith does not matter much. Your relationship with Jesus will be shaky at best!
Social media is full of all kinds of opinions today. They will gladly spread doubt and misinformation wherever it suits the powers that be. Businesses like Facebook, Google, the New York Times, and the CDC have substituted opinion for the truth and passion for conviction. You do not need a “hard and fast opinion” on every subject. BUT, when it comes to the basic beliefs of your faith in Jesus, you do not want to be indecisive. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 teaches that scripture is not only “inspired by God” but a source of “teaching, correction, and training in righteousness”. God’s Word completes your training and gives you more than enough to stand firm in faith.
I find it very insightful that when the topic of indecisiveness came up on the Christian web site, gotquestions.org, the answer they gave was: “Indecisiveness about what God has declared to be true has no place in the life of a Christian.”
Are there some issues in your life where God wants you to take a stand? Do you come across to other Christians as wishy-washy in your faith? Are you too hard-nosed to realize when you lack biblical understanding? When hard-pressed to defend his faith, Martin Luther was questioned about where he stood on issue after issue by authorities of the Inquisition. After their questions and doubts about his beliefs, Luther simply pointed to the Bible before him and said, “HERE, I STAND, AND I CAN DO NO OTHER!” Luther stood with Jesus. His faith was based on the Bible, on God’s Word. He wanted to remain a Roman Catholic who still held the Bible as the ultimate authority next to Jesus Himself.
Do you stand firmly with Jesus? Have you replaced doubt with a true and proven faith? Do others see your beliefs as a firm rock or like drifting sand?
These debates and issues spilled over into the early Christian church. There were leaders who said you had to be circumcised on order to a Christian. Others disagreed. There were Christians who worshipped at synagogues and others who would only worship in Christian churches. Some Christians wanted people to become Jews in order to be baptized as Christians. Others believed a Christian didn’t need to be Jewish to be right with God. Just like the Jewish authorities at the time, the Christian churches seemed indecisive, split, and wishy-washy in their beliefs.
In the midst of all this indecisiveness, the Apostle Paul wrote the scripture for today to the Roman Church. In Romans 14:5, Paul noted that one group of Christians “esteemed one day better than another”, this is, one day more holy than another. For another group of Christians, they “esteemed all days alike”, thus all days were equally holy. Amidst this seeming indecisiveness among Christians, Paul then ended the discussion with this sentence from the scripture for today: “Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind”. Paul knew there would be issues that were not so easily characterized as black and white, holy and unholy, righteous and unrighteous. Despite the gray areas of life, Paul wanted Christians to be “convinced”, decisive; to stand firm in their beliefs. Paul wanted no hesitancy and wishy-washy beliefs among the faithful. He wanted you to have a rock solid faith! Is it no surprise that he wrote as many letters of explanations of the faith as he did?!!!
Imagine if Jesus had been wishy-washy about his faith. Imagine if Jesus wasn’t sure about His own teachings. What would have happened if Peter had stood up to preach saying, “I’m not sure why Jesus came to save us, but I think he did it for good reason”? When people do not take the time with God to get right their own beliefs, they become wishy-washy and indecisive. As long as Christians have a shallow relationship with God and no desire to grow in the certainty of scripture, all kinds of indecisive behaviors and decisions will ensue. Then, doubts will take hold and questions will plague those who need to have answers for life!
“Former president Ronald Reagan once had an aunt who took him to a cobbler for a pair of new shoes. The cobbler asked young Reagan, “Do you want square toes or round toes?” Unable to decide, Reagan didn’t answer, so the cobbler gave him a few days. Several days later the cobbler saw Reagan on the street and asked him again what kind of toes he wanted on his shoes. Reagan still couldn’t decide, so the shoemaker replied, “Well, come by in a couple of days. Your shoes will be ready.”
When the future president did so, he found one square-toed and one round-toed shoe! “This will teach you to never let people make decisions for you,” the cobbler said to his indecisive customer. “I learned right then and there,” Reagan said later, “if you don’t make your own decisions, someone else will.””
(“Today in the Word”, MBI, August 1991, p. 16)
When doubts cloud your thinking and indecision rules in your heart, you will have a difficult time making up your mind. It’s hard to have strong conviction or dedication or a steadfast faith when you are on shaky ground, unable to make a clear stand on where God needs you to be. When you lack information or are not sure what to do next, doubts will plague you. When you lack direction, it is time to search God’s Word for wisdom, listen to God’s voice, and feel for the direction of the Holy Spirit. BUT don’t remain indecisive. Work through things faithfully and then make a stand.
Several places in scripture show the dangers and folly of remaining indecisive when God wants you to take a stand. In Genesis 19, Lot’s wife died escaping the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. What caused her demise? As she fled the cities, she looked back, unsure of where she was going. God had told Lot and his family to flee and not look back. God was direct, insistent, commanding. Lot’s wife wasn’t sure if she was ready to leave her city behind. Maybe she was afraid to move on to where God had planned to protect them. It’s easy to become afraid when you don’t know the future, but that doesn’t mean that you must remain indecisive when God clearly shows you the path you must go!
When the Israelites questioned why Moses was gone too long on Mt. Sinai, they sinned. Their lack of steadfast trust in God was their undoing. When Elijah confronted King Ahab, he said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him! If Baal is God, follow him?” (1 Kings 18:21). The Jewish King Ahab was wishy-washy in his belief in God. Baal looked enticing! This left Ahab in doubt. His lack of faith, his lack of taking a stand with God, caused war to break out among the people. When the Apostle Paul visited Felix, and presented the gospel, Felix also refused to make a faithful decision. He told Paul he wanted a more “convenient” time to make a up his mind (Acts 24:25). Felix could not take stand with Christ. Jesus warned people that “no one can serve two masters” (Matthew 6:24). Jesus wanted his followers to take a stand of faith, not be full of doubts. You can’t share the gospel when your mind is not made up that God’s way is the right way! When your thinking is clouded with doubt and indecision, others can see your lack of commitment and weakness of heart!
James 1:6 says those who doubt are like the waves of the sea, “driven with the winds”. When your heart is full of doubts and you lack conviction, when fence-sitting is all you do, when you want to please others so much that you are willing to compromise your values, what good are you? That doubtfulness and indecisiveness will only further express to others that your faith does not matter much. Your relationship with Jesus will be shaky at best!
Social media is full of all kinds of opinions today. They will gladly spread doubt and misinformation wherever it suits the powers that be. Businesses like Facebook, Google, the New York Times, and the CDC have substituted opinion for the truth and passion for conviction. You do not need a “hard and fast opinion” on every subject. BUT, when it comes to the basic beliefs of your faith in Jesus, you do not want to be indecisive. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 teaches that scripture is not only “inspired by God” but a source of “teaching, correction, and training in righteousness”. God’s Word completes your training and gives you more than enough to stand firm in faith.
I find it very insightful that when the topic of indecisiveness came up on the Christian web site, gotquestions.org, the answer they gave was: “Indecisiveness about what God has declared to be true has no place in the life of a Christian.”
Are there some issues in your life where God wants you to take a stand? Do you come across to other Christians as wishy-washy in your faith? Are you too hard-nosed to realize when you lack biblical understanding? When hard-pressed to defend his faith, Martin Luther was questioned about where he stood on issue after issue by authorities of the Inquisition. After their questions and doubts about his beliefs, Luther simply pointed to the Bible before him and said, “HERE, I STAND, AND I CAN DO NO OTHER!” Luther stood with Jesus. His faith was based on the Bible, on God’s Word. He wanted to remain a Roman Catholic who still held the Bible as the ultimate authority next to Jesus Himself.
Do you stand firmly with Jesus? Have you replaced doubt with a true and proven faith? Do others see your beliefs as a firm rock or like drifting sand?
March 13
“Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones.” (Mark 5:5, ESV)
“Demons are evil or unclean spirits (cf. Mk 1:23 with Mk 1:32–34; Rev 16:13–16), and are fallen angels, servants of Satan (Mt 12:26–27; 25:41). There is only one devil, but myriads of demons who serve the devil and make his power practically universal. A demoniac (Mk 5:1–20) is a person whose personality has been invaded by one or more demons, who at will can speak and act through their human victim, deranging both his mind and body. “ (from 10,000 Sermon Illustrations, source unknown)
In this world, you can experience something known as demonic influence. This occurs when a demon, usually at the behest of Satan, attacks a person. The demon seeks to control the will of the person, direct their path toward evil, or mitigate whatever good they may do.
Jesus faced numbers of people swayed by demonic influences. Judas, who betrayed Jesus, is mentioned to have been swayed by the Devil to do his evil deed (John 13:2). John 17 contains Jesus’ prayer that His disciples would be protected from the “evil one”. In Luke 11:24-26, Jesus described the fate of a person who, though once healed of demons, was seduced into a lifestyle that welcomed demonic influence! That person became even more infected by multiple demons! The scripture for today from Mark 5:5 describes a man influenced by demonic possession. The Gerasene demoniac had two prominent symptoms: “he was always crying out” and “he cut himself”. Both symptoms describe a man who was not only suffering but self-destructive. Whenever you encounter demonic influences, you will find these same symptoms, because demonic influences always cause 1) suffering to those involved, and 2) self-destructive behaviors to appear with their presence.
The Amityville Horror was a book published in 1977 that described the paranormal experiences of the Lutz family. Numerous “demonic influences” are recorded in the book, such as the family feeling fearful, suffering blisters, and wanting to hurt others. However, long before the Lutz family moved into their home, demonic influences had haunted the previous owners. At that same address years before, Ronald Joseph DeFeo, Jr. murdered every single member of his family. The police had determined that there was no clear motive for the murders. During court proceedings, several interesting pieces of information came to light. DeFeo said he heard voices telling him to kill his family. He felt his family plotted to kill him. He also mentioned seeing unusual “beings” in his house often pictured then and since as black masses or unseen forces.
At his trial, DeFeo’s lawyer pleaded guilty by reason of insanity. A psychologist described DeFeo as having anti-social personality disorder. The trial revealed that DeFeo used street drugs such as LSD and Heroin. Because trials and lawyers and psychologists and court officials don’t deal in the spiritual, secular people used terms such as psychotic, neurotic, schizophrenic, drug induced mania, and anti-social behavior to describe why DeFeo committed such a heinous crime. However, a good number of spiritual people, even demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren and leaders from the Roman Catholic Church, found ample evidence of demonic influences.
If you look at DeFeo’s actions and what the Lutz family experienced, you will see some common themes. “Unseen forces” caused fear and paranoia among the people. Self-destructive behaviors were also present. Neurotic feelings were felt by all, causing those involved to feel that others were plotting against them when they were not. The Lutzes and Ronald DeFeo, Jr. all experienced unnatural occurrences. They all heard disembodied voices. The Lutzes moved out of their home within weeks, wasting their time and money. Kathy Lutz smoked nervously for years and died of emphysema. The couple were labeled as liars and opportunists, even though they passed lie detector tests by professionals with decades of experience. DeFeo served for years in prison, finally dying in 2021.
Because of demonic influences, the Lutzes and Ronald DeFeo, Jr. all suffered. They also experienced feelings or periods of self-destruction, some lasting for years. These demonic influences caused terrible pressures and abnormal suffering in each of these people.
The Gerasene demoniac witnessed by Jesus experienced the same types of suffering. He was “always crying”. He also was highly self-destructive. He lived out among the tombs, not even finding adequate shelter. He hurt himself terribly, even cutting himself with stones. Demonic influences bring terrible suffering and pain upon those who experience them.
So many people today overlook or downplay demonic influences. Secular humanists and many psychologists even deny their existence. In the halls of places like Harvard and Yale, future pastors are taught by a majority of their professors that demonic influences are simply ancient colloquial beliefs. The seminarians are taught that psychological and behavioral issues are to blame for most of life’s suffering. The scholars maintain that chemical imbalances in the brains of people cause them to feel these self-destructive tendencies. No mention is often made of demonic influences. In speaking about Ed and Lorraine Warren as depicted in the movie series “Conjuring” , a writer in The Washington Post felt it necessary to mention the “blind faith” those who believe in demonic influences (6/02/2021 Going Out Guide). The secular world believes there is no spiritual connection whatsoever to evil deeds. They completely deny the Devil and demonic influences. Jesus did not.
In response to the suffering of the Gerasene demoniac, Jesus’ heart was moved. He healed the man and cast out his many demons (Mark 5:9-13). Jesus knew that the man was never going to be able to live his life freely once the demonic influences took hold. Only the intervention by God could have saved the man.
As you go through life, be on the lookout for demonic influences. You might be tempted to miss their effects or impact. You might mistake demonic influences as just bad luck or poor choices. You might believe that friend who is being self-destructive with drugs or alcohol just has an addiction when nefarious dark forces are at work behind the scenes. You may become depressed or feel like everyone is against you when the opposite is true. That’s one thing about demonic influences. They often sugar-coat lies and make you shun the truth.
In all my years of ministry, I have found that demonic influences account for many self-destructive behaviors. They are the hidden evil behind many poor choices. They cause much suffering. If you follow the secular world, you will ignore demonic influences to your own peril. If you aren’t aware of Satan’s influence, how will you ever fight back in an appropriate manner? If you deny demonic influences, you will never realize where their suffering is coming from or the power of God’s Holy Spirit to overcome them.
As this meditation ends, stop for a moment, and think. Are there any areas of your life where you see or feel self-destructive behavior? Is there any suffering that might be caused by demonic influence? God has not left you alone to deal with these evil entities. Jesus healed the Gerasene and cast out the demons involved. God still has the power to deal with demons. Jesus continues His ministry of fighting demonic influences. Look to God’s Spirit to reveal demonic forces nearby. Look to Jesus for your spiritual strength. May this spiritual battle be won all around you!
In this world, you can experience something known as demonic influence. This occurs when a demon, usually at the behest of Satan, attacks a person. The demon seeks to control the will of the person, direct their path toward evil, or mitigate whatever good they may do.
Jesus faced numbers of people swayed by demonic influences. Judas, who betrayed Jesus, is mentioned to have been swayed by the Devil to do his evil deed (John 13:2). John 17 contains Jesus’ prayer that His disciples would be protected from the “evil one”. In Luke 11:24-26, Jesus described the fate of a person who, though once healed of demons, was seduced into a lifestyle that welcomed demonic influence! That person became even more infected by multiple demons! The scripture for today from Mark 5:5 describes a man influenced by demonic possession. The Gerasene demoniac had two prominent symptoms: “he was always crying out” and “he cut himself”. Both symptoms describe a man who was not only suffering but self-destructive. Whenever you encounter demonic influences, you will find these same symptoms, because demonic influences always cause 1) suffering to those involved, and 2) self-destructive behaviors to appear with their presence.
The Amityville Horror was a book published in 1977 that described the paranormal experiences of the Lutz family. Numerous “demonic influences” are recorded in the book, such as the family feeling fearful, suffering blisters, and wanting to hurt others. However, long before the Lutz family moved into their home, demonic influences had haunted the previous owners. At that same address years before, Ronald Joseph DeFeo, Jr. murdered every single member of his family. The police had determined that there was no clear motive for the murders. During court proceedings, several interesting pieces of information came to light. DeFeo said he heard voices telling him to kill his family. He felt his family plotted to kill him. He also mentioned seeing unusual “beings” in his house often pictured then and since as black masses or unseen forces.
At his trial, DeFeo’s lawyer pleaded guilty by reason of insanity. A psychologist described DeFeo as having anti-social personality disorder. The trial revealed that DeFeo used street drugs such as LSD and Heroin. Because trials and lawyers and psychologists and court officials don’t deal in the spiritual, secular people used terms such as psychotic, neurotic, schizophrenic, drug induced mania, and anti-social behavior to describe why DeFeo committed such a heinous crime. However, a good number of spiritual people, even demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren and leaders from the Roman Catholic Church, found ample evidence of demonic influences.
If you look at DeFeo’s actions and what the Lutz family experienced, you will see some common themes. “Unseen forces” caused fear and paranoia among the people. Self-destructive behaviors were also present. Neurotic feelings were felt by all, causing those involved to feel that others were plotting against them when they were not. The Lutzes and Ronald DeFeo, Jr. all experienced unnatural occurrences. They all heard disembodied voices. The Lutzes moved out of their home within weeks, wasting their time and money. Kathy Lutz smoked nervously for years and died of emphysema. The couple were labeled as liars and opportunists, even though they passed lie detector tests by professionals with decades of experience. DeFeo served for years in prison, finally dying in 2021.
Because of demonic influences, the Lutzes and Ronald DeFeo, Jr. all suffered. They also experienced feelings or periods of self-destruction, some lasting for years. These demonic influences caused terrible pressures and abnormal suffering in each of these people.
The Gerasene demoniac witnessed by Jesus experienced the same types of suffering. He was “always crying”. He also was highly self-destructive. He lived out among the tombs, not even finding adequate shelter. He hurt himself terribly, even cutting himself with stones. Demonic influences bring terrible suffering and pain upon those who experience them.
So many people today overlook or downplay demonic influences. Secular humanists and many psychologists even deny their existence. In the halls of places like Harvard and Yale, future pastors are taught by a majority of their professors that demonic influences are simply ancient colloquial beliefs. The seminarians are taught that psychological and behavioral issues are to blame for most of life’s suffering. The scholars maintain that chemical imbalances in the brains of people cause them to feel these self-destructive tendencies. No mention is often made of demonic influences. In speaking about Ed and Lorraine Warren as depicted in the movie series “Conjuring” , a writer in The Washington Post felt it necessary to mention the “blind faith” those who believe in demonic influences (6/02/2021 Going Out Guide). The secular world believes there is no spiritual connection whatsoever to evil deeds. They completely deny the Devil and demonic influences. Jesus did not.
In response to the suffering of the Gerasene demoniac, Jesus’ heart was moved. He healed the man and cast out his many demons (Mark 5:9-13). Jesus knew that the man was never going to be able to live his life freely once the demonic influences took hold. Only the intervention by God could have saved the man.
As you go through life, be on the lookout for demonic influences. You might be tempted to miss their effects or impact. You might mistake demonic influences as just bad luck or poor choices. You might believe that friend who is being self-destructive with drugs or alcohol just has an addiction when nefarious dark forces are at work behind the scenes. You may become depressed or feel like everyone is against you when the opposite is true. That’s one thing about demonic influences. They often sugar-coat lies and make you shun the truth.
In all my years of ministry, I have found that demonic influences account for many self-destructive behaviors. They are the hidden evil behind many poor choices. They cause much suffering. If you follow the secular world, you will ignore demonic influences to your own peril. If you aren’t aware of Satan’s influence, how will you ever fight back in an appropriate manner? If you deny demonic influences, you will never realize where their suffering is coming from or the power of God’s Holy Spirit to overcome them.
As this meditation ends, stop for a moment, and think. Are there any areas of your life where you see or feel self-destructive behavior? Is there any suffering that might be caused by demonic influence? God has not left you alone to deal with these evil entities. Jesus healed the Gerasene and cast out the demons involved. God still has the power to deal with demons. Jesus continues His ministry of fighting demonic influences. Look to God’s Spirit to reveal demonic forces nearby. Look to Jesus for your spiritual strength. May this spiritual battle be won all around you!
March 15
“For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, “ ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’ ”” (Acts 13:47, ESV)
When Paul and Barnabas were questioned about their missionary work among the Gentiles, Paul spoke the words written above from Acts 13:47. In this verse of the Bible, Paul stated without any doubt that “the Lord commanded” the two men to “be a light for the Gentiles” and “bring salvation to the ends of the earth”. Paul and Barnabas dedicated the rest of their lives to sharing the gospel, preaching, teaching, and various forms of ministry. They collected money for the poor in Jerusalem. They started churches all over Asia Minor. Paul, with Barnabas’ help, was able to write many of the letters included in the New Testament. Until Paul and Barnabas died, they followed through on this call by God.
You, too, are called by God. God didn’t place His Holy Spirit in you so that you can just sit in a pew on Sundays or enjoy potluck dinners at your church!!! God didn’t implant His knowledge and wisdom in your heart so that you can fritter it away by keeping it all to yourself! The gospel was MEANT to be shared. Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection are examples of God’s outreach to every soul. God wanted Paul and Barnabas to shed some “gospel light” on the gentile peoples all over the world. The two faithful men endeavored to do just that. Our God has also called you to His work. To whom are you called to share the gospel light? How can you bring salvation to your corner of the world?
Too often, Christians think their spiritual purpose in life is to simply “be religious”. This involves going to Sunday School, attending worship once in a while, and giving a few dollars to the church whenever the offering plate gets passed. Some of these Christians might even go one step further and share with a poor person or help out at a soup kitchen. While all these things are wonderful ways to “be religious”, one element of true faith is often missing from too many Christians. They forget to “be a light” to those who are in the dark about God. They ignore the need to “bring salvation to the ends of the earth.” When is the last time you shared the gospel? How many people know Jesus because of you?
“D. L. Moody made a covenant with God that he would witness for Christ to at least one person each day. One night, about ten o’clock, he realized that he had not yet witnessed; so he went out in to the street and spoke to a man standing by a lamppost, asking him, “Are you a Christian?” The man flew into a violent rage and threatened to knock Moody into the gutter.
Later, that same man went to an elder in the church and complained that Moody was “doing more harm in Chicago than ten men were doing good.” The elder begged Moody to temper his zeal with knowledge. Three months later, Moody was awakened at the YMCA by a man knocking at the door. It was the man he had witnessed to. “I want to talk to you about my soul,” he said to Moody. He apologized for the way he had treated Moody and said that he had had no peace ever since that night on Lake Street when Moody witnessed to him. Moody led the man to Christ, and he became a zealous worker in the Sunday school.” (Warren Wiersbe, The Wycliffe Handbook of Preaching & Preachers, p. 205)
Like Moody, you need to look for opportunities to share your love of Jesus. Don’t you share your enjoyment and love of other things? Why not Jesus?
At a social gathering following a special worship service, Carl sat at his table alone. He was kind of a loner. Carl was the quiet guy who never spoke unless spoken to. He often sat in the back of a room and just listened. Some newer members of the church had never heard him speak in six months! As Carl was sitting at that table that day, the pastor sat next to him. Knowing that Carl didn’t talk much, the pastor tried to speak a few words so to not make it too uncomfortable for the man. Then, a bearded old man sat on the other side of Carl. After a few moments, the man said, “Aren’t you Carl? Don’t I see you fishing at the pier on the east side of the river?”
Carl’s eyes lit up! “That was me! I got my biggest fish off that pier, a Muskie!”
The two men jabbered for twenty minutes straight about fishing, totally ignoring the pastor. The pastor didn’t mind. He was happy to see Carl so talkative and animated. But, as the pastor was leaving the table, he thought to himself, “I wonder how close Carl is to God? He can talk a lot about fishing but can’t even speak up about his Savior? I hope someday I get to see Carl share the gospel. That would be such a happy day!” Then, the pastor prayed for Carl to become passionate about Jesus.
That pastor is still praying for Carl to this day. Carl has yet to share his faith, talk about God, or even open up at a meeting. Still, the pastor is hopeful and uses every opportunity to encourage Carl to share something of his love for God.
You may think that Carl is the exception among Christians. He is not. I remember talking with two lifelong church members after worship one day. Excitedly, they came up to me after worship and said, “Two visitors sat in the pew next to us! This is great, Pastor! They have a house down the block from our daughter! They are great people! Go talk to them!”
Equally joyful at the presence of visitors and beginning to formulate what I was going to say, I asked the two members, “Did you talk to them about the church or about where they are in their faith journey? How much have you shared with them already?”
Their response? “We didn’t say anything to them. We came over here right away for you to talk to them. That’s what you’re paid for!”
Inside my mind, I slapped my forehead. Thankfully, I didn’t roll my eyes!
These two were lifelong members of that church and avowed Christians (in their sixties, no less!). They had a personal connection with that visiting family already! Why couldn’t they share their faith, their excitement about God, some good news about our church, or even their love of Jesus with people they knew? Sadly, they didn’t see it as their purpose to “be a light” of faith for others. They did not believe it as their “responsibility” to share the gospel.
Just remembering that exchange with these lifelong members makes my heart heavy with sadness. The gospel is awesome! It is good news! Jesus’ love was poured out for us! God cares about every single soul! Why would we not want to share such beautiful information with others?
How about you? How might you share some of God’s light with others? When was the last time you told someone about your love of Jesus? Endeavor to bring a little of God’s light into this crazy world so filled with darkness, so hungry for the gospel. Can you promise God to share your faith with just one person this week?
You, too, are called by God. God didn’t place His Holy Spirit in you so that you can just sit in a pew on Sundays or enjoy potluck dinners at your church!!! God didn’t implant His knowledge and wisdom in your heart so that you can fritter it away by keeping it all to yourself! The gospel was MEANT to be shared. Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection are examples of God’s outreach to every soul. God wanted Paul and Barnabas to shed some “gospel light” on the gentile peoples all over the world. The two faithful men endeavored to do just that. Our God has also called you to His work. To whom are you called to share the gospel light? How can you bring salvation to your corner of the world?
Too often, Christians think their spiritual purpose in life is to simply “be religious”. This involves going to Sunday School, attending worship once in a while, and giving a few dollars to the church whenever the offering plate gets passed. Some of these Christians might even go one step further and share with a poor person or help out at a soup kitchen. While all these things are wonderful ways to “be religious”, one element of true faith is often missing from too many Christians. They forget to “be a light” to those who are in the dark about God. They ignore the need to “bring salvation to the ends of the earth.” When is the last time you shared the gospel? How many people know Jesus because of you?
“D. L. Moody made a covenant with God that he would witness for Christ to at least one person each day. One night, about ten o’clock, he realized that he had not yet witnessed; so he went out in to the street and spoke to a man standing by a lamppost, asking him, “Are you a Christian?” The man flew into a violent rage and threatened to knock Moody into the gutter.
Later, that same man went to an elder in the church and complained that Moody was “doing more harm in Chicago than ten men were doing good.” The elder begged Moody to temper his zeal with knowledge. Three months later, Moody was awakened at the YMCA by a man knocking at the door. It was the man he had witnessed to. “I want to talk to you about my soul,” he said to Moody. He apologized for the way he had treated Moody and said that he had had no peace ever since that night on Lake Street when Moody witnessed to him. Moody led the man to Christ, and he became a zealous worker in the Sunday school.” (Warren Wiersbe, The Wycliffe Handbook of Preaching & Preachers, p. 205)
Like Moody, you need to look for opportunities to share your love of Jesus. Don’t you share your enjoyment and love of other things? Why not Jesus?
At a social gathering following a special worship service, Carl sat at his table alone. He was kind of a loner. Carl was the quiet guy who never spoke unless spoken to. He often sat in the back of a room and just listened. Some newer members of the church had never heard him speak in six months! As Carl was sitting at that table that day, the pastor sat next to him. Knowing that Carl didn’t talk much, the pastor tried to speak a few words so to not make it too uncomfortable for the man. Then, a bearded old man sat on the other side of Carl. After a few moments, the man said, “Aren’t you Carl? Don’t I see you fishing at the pier on the east side of the river?”
Carl’s eyes lit up! “That was me! I got my biggest fish off that pier, a Muskie!”
The two men jabbered for twenty minutes straight about fishing, totally ignoring the pastor. The pastor didn’t mind. He was happy to see Carl so talkative and animated. But, as the pastor was leaving the table, he thought to himself, “I wonder how close Carl is to God? He can talk a lot about fishing but can’t even speak up about his Savior? I hope someday I get to see Carl share the gospel. That would be such a happy day!” Then, the pastor prayed for Carl to become passionate about Jesus.
That pastor is still praying for Carl to this day. Carl has yet to share his faith, talk about God, or even open up at a meeting. Still, the pastor is hopeful and uses every opportunity to encourage Carl to share something of his love for God.
You may think that Carl is the exception among Christians. He is not. I remember talking with two lifelong church members after worship one day. Excitedly, they came up to me after worship and said, “Two visitors sat in the pew next to us! This is great, Pastor! They have a house down the block from our daughter! They are great people! Go talk to them!”
Equally joyful at the presence of visitors and beginning to formulate what I was going to say, I asked the two members, “Did you talk to them about the church or about where they are in their faith journey? How much have you shared with them already?”
Their response? “We didn’t say anything to them. We came over here right away for you to talk to them. That’s what you’re paid for!”
Inside my mind, I slapped my forehead. Thankfully, I didn’t roll my eyes!
These two were lifelong members of that church and avowed Christians (in their sixties, no less!). They had a personal connection with that visiting family already! Why couldn’t they share their faith, their excitement about God, some good news about our church, or even their love of Jesus with people they knew? Sadly, they didn’t see it as their purpose to “be a light” of faith for others. They did not believe it as their “responsibility” to share the gospel.
Just remembering that exchange with these lifelong members makes my heart heavy with sadness. The gospel is awesome! It is good news! Jesus’ love was poured out for us! God cares about every single soul! Why would we not want to share such beautiful information with others?
How about you? How might you share some of God’s light with others? When was the last time you told someone about your love of Jesus? Endeavor to bring a little of God’s light into this crazy world so filled with darkness, so hungry for the gospel. Can you promise God to share your faith with just one person this week?
March 17
“For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it.” (Romans 7:18, NRSV)
Throughout your life, your spiritual side will often do battle with your human weaknesses. Your spiritual compulsions will be to be pure, to be virtuous and holy before God, to be righteous in your actions, and to be faithful to God. Your human weaknesses, your human will, your flesh, will rebel against your spiritual side. Your human, fleshly, compulsions will be to be lazy, get rich quick, be selfish, be pampered, be noticed, follow your lusts, and find human fulfillment. These competing parts of your life will often clash. Then, your mind and heart have to decide which motivation to follow: will you do what is right by God or will you follow your baser, fleshly, human instincts?
It doesn’t matter how faithful or religious you are, or how many years you have been a Christian; this battle between your spiritual and fleshly sides will force your mind and heart to take make some decisions. Will you follow your soul and do things you know are right? Will you be loving? Will you be faithful? Or will you follow your baser instincts, and succumb to your self-centered human ways? You can tell yourself right now that you will always choose to be faithful. Sadly, there will be times your selfish weaknesses will have their way. Usually, your soul will then feel sad, down, broken, betrayed, or burdened.
Every human being deals with this spiritual vs. flesh competition. You are not alone. Even the Apostle Paul, a man dedicated to Christ with all his will, dealt with this issue. He wrote in Romans 7:18 that “nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh”. Paul knew that his human compulsions and desires were at odds with being holy. No matter how faithful he was to Christ, his fleshly human desires sometimes got the best of him. As Paul explained, “I can will what is right, but I cannot do it.”. There were times when Paul knew what he SHOULD do. Still, he succumbed to his fleshly desires in those fateful moments, failing to do what was right. He knew what God wanted but just couldn’t bring his actions in line with his soul. Instead, he did what was wrong, what went against God, or what was not loving.
“Roger Simms, hitchhiking his way home, would never forget the date—May 7. His heavy suitcase made Roger tired. He was anxious to take off his army uniform once and for all. Flashing the hitchhiking sigh to the oncoming car, he lost hope when he saw it was a black, sleek, new Cadillac. To his surprise the car stopped. The passenger door opened. He ran toward the car, tossed his suitcase in the back, and thanked the handsome, well-dressed man as he slid into the front seat. “Going home for keeps?” “Sure am,” Roger responded. “Well, you’re in luck if you’re going to Chicago.” “Not quite that far. Do you live in Chicago?” “I have a business there. My name is Hanover.”
After talking about many things, Roger, a Christian, felt a compulsion to witness to this fiftyish, apparently successful businessman about Christ. But he kept putting it off, till he realized he was just thirty minutes from his home. It was now or never. So, Roger cleared his throat, “Mr. Hanover, I would like to talk to you about something very important.” He then proceeded to explain the way of salvation, ultimately asking Mr. Hanover if he would like to receive Christ as his Savior. To Roger’s astonishment the Cadillac pulled over to the side of the road. Roger thought he was going to be ejected from the car. But the businessman bowed his head and received Christ, then thanked Roger. “This is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me.”
Five years went by, Roger married, had a two-year-old boy, and a business of his own. Packing his suitcase for a business trip to Chicago, he found the small, white business card Hanover had given him five years before. In Chicago he looked up Hanover Enterprises. A receptionist told him it was impossible to see Mr. Hanover, but he could see Mrs. Hanover. A little confused as to what was going on, he was ushered into a lovely office and found himself facing a keen-eyed woman in her fifties. She extended her hand. “You knew my husband?” Roger told how her husband had given him a ride when hitchhiking home after the war. “Can you tell me when that was?” “It was May 7, five years ago, the day I was discharged from the army.” “Anything special about that day?” Roger hesitated. Should he mention giving his witness? Since he had come so far, he might as well take the plunge. “Mrs. Hanover, I explained the gospel. He pulled over to the side of the road and wept against the steering wheel. He gave his life to Christ that day.” Explosive sobs shook her body. Getting a grip on herself, she sobbed, “I had prayed for my husband’s salvation for years. I believed God would save him.” “And,” said Roger, “Where is your husband, Mrs. Hanover?” “He’s dead,” she wept, struggling with words. “He was in a car crash after he let you out of the car. He never got home. You see—I thought God had not kept His promise.” Sobbing uncontrollably, she added, “I stopped living for God five years ago because I thought He had not kept His word!”” (J. Kirk Johnston, Why Christians Sin, pp. 39-41).
Mrs. Hanover did not know her husband had been saved. She was convinced God did not keep His promise to bring the gospel message to her husband. Without that knowledge, she became resentful toward God. She rejected her faith. For five years, she needlessly went on her selfish way, ignoring her spiritual side. Instead of trusting that God would bring the gospel some way to her husband, she succumbed to doubt and grief. Only when Roger Simms enlightened her did Mrs. Hanover see the truth. In a thoroughly human way, she had assumed her worst fears. She rejected the possibility that God would come through. For five years, she was in darkness.
Thankfully, when you follow your fleshly side and reject doing what is right, God has a way for you to work it out. First, you need to repent. You need to make things right. You need to find your way back to God. It helps to admit to yourself and others that you failed to do what was holy. Then, you need to atone for your sin, accept the forgiveness Christ bought for you on the cross, and fall in step with God’s direction. Doing so will not only clean the mess in your soul caused by poor choices, but it will also bring you into a much deeper relationship with God in Christ.
When the fleshly side wins over your decisions, its all too easy to become disheartened and filled with regret. When your eyes are open to the fact that you let God down, you might feel sad and depressed. You might even wonder if God still loves you. At points like this, its all too easy to believe Satan’s lies such as “You will never go to Heaven”, or “You are unredeemable” or “You don’t deserve to be forgiven”. If you listen to these lies, you will fail again. Don’t do it! Trust that Jesus died for you on that cross. Trust that God wants to forgive and restore you. Find your way back to God.
You will fail. You will sin. You will mess things up, even though you know Jesus. You can desire to do what is right but fail to do it. That’s why you need Jesus! Submit yourself to Jesus today! Acknowledge the ways you have let your baser instincts lead you to sin. Openly admit to God how you falter. Then, get ready for forgiveness and grace! If you honestly return to God with a whole heart, God will cleanse you from your sin and restore you. God knows your weakness. God knows you will fail. Still, God wants you to be obedient, to repent when needed, and to trust in HIS grace.
Will you?
It doesn’t matter how faithful or religious you are, or how many years you have been a Christian; this battle between your spiritual and fleshly sides will force your mind and heart to take make some decisions. Will you follow your soul and do things you know are right? Will you be loving? Will you be faithful? Or will you follow your baser instincts, and succumb to your self-centered human ways? You can tell yourself right now that you will always choose to be faithful. Sadly, there will be times your selfish weaknesses will have their way. Usually, your soul will then feel sad, down, broken, betrayed, or burdened.
Every human being deals with this spiritual vs. flesh competition. You are not alone. Even the Apostle Paul, a man dedicated to Christ with all his will, dealt with this issue. He wrote in Romans 7:18 that “nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh”. Paul knew that his human compulsions and desires were at odds with being holy. No matter how faithful he was to Christ, his fleshly human desires sometimes got the best of him. As Paul explained, “I can will what is right, but I cannot do it.”. There were times when Paul knew what he SHOULD do. Still, he succumbed to his fleshly desires in those fateful moments, failing to do what was right. He knew what God wanted but just couldn’t bring his actions in line with his soul. Instead, he did what was wrong, what went against God, or what was not loving.
“Roger Simms, hitchhiking his way home, would never forget the date—May 7. His heavy suitcase made Roger tired. He was anxious to take off his army uniform once and for all. Flashing the hitchhiking sigh to the oncoming car, he lost hope when he saw it was a black, sleek, new Cadillac. To his surprise the car stopped. The passenger door opened. He ran toward the car, tossed his suitcase in the back, and thanked the handsome, well-dressed man as he slid into the front seat. “Going home for keeps?” “Sure am,” Roger responded. “Well, you’re in luck if you’re going to Chicago.” “Not quite that far. Do you live in Chicago?” “I have a business there. My name is Hanover.”
After talking about many things, Roger, a Christian, felt a compulsion to witness to this fiftyish, apparently successful businessman about Christ. But he kept putting it off, till he realized he was just thirty minutes from his home. It was now or never. So, Roger cleared his throat, “Mr. Hanover, I would like to talk to you about something very important.” He then proceeded to explain the way of salvation, ultimately asking Mr. Hanover if he would like to receive Christ as his Savior. To Roger’s astonishment the Cadillac pulled over to the side of the road. Roger thought he was going to be ejected from the car. But the businessman bowed his head and received Christ, then thanked Roger. “This is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me.”
Five years went by, Roger married, had a two-year-old boy, and a business of his own. Packing his suitcase for a business trip to Chicago, he found the small, white business card Hanover had given him five years before. In Chicago he looked up Hanover Enterprises. A receptionist told him it was impossible to see Mr. Hanover, but he could see Mrs. Hanover. A little confused as to what was going on, he was ushered into a lovely office and found himself facing a keen-eyed woman in her fifties. She extended her hand. “You knew my husband?” Roger told how her husband had given him a ride when hitchhiking home after the war. “Can you tell me when that was?” “It was May 7, five years ago, the day I was discharged from the army.” “Anything special about that day?” Roger hesitated. Should he mention giving his witness? Since he had come so far, he might as well take the plunge. “Mrs. Hanover, I explained the gospel. He pulled over to the side of the road and wept against the steering wheel. He gave his life to Christ that day.” Explosive sobs shook her body. Getting a grip on herself, she sobbed, “I had prayed for my husband’s salvation for years. I believed God would save him.” “And,” said Roger, “Where is your husband, Mrs. Hanover?” “He’s dead,” she wept, struggling with words. “He was in a car crash after he let you out of the car. He never got home. You see—I thought God had not kept His promise.” Sobbing uncontrollably, she added, “I stopped living for God five years ago because I thought He had not kept His word!”” (J. Kirk Johnston, Why Christians Sin, pp. 39-41).
Mrs. Hanover did not know her husband had been saved. She was convinced God did not keep His promise to bring the gospel message to her husband. Without that knowledge, she became resentful toward God. She rejected her faith. For five years, she needlessly went on her selfish way, ignoring her spiritual side. Instead of trusting that God would bring the gospel some way to her husband, she succumbed to doubt and grief. Only when Roger Simms enlightened her did Mrs. Hanover see the truth. In a thoroughly human way, she had assumed her worst fears. She rejected the possibility that God would come through. For five years, she was in darkness.
Thankfully, when you follow your fleshly side and reject doing what is right, God has a way for you to work it out. First, you need to repent. You need to make things right. You need to find your way back to God. It helps to admit to yourself and others that you failed to do what was holy. Then, you need to atone for your sin, accept the forgiveness Christ bought for you on the cross, and fall in step with God’s direction. Doing so will not only clean the mess in your soul caused by poor choices, but it will also bring you into a much deeper relationship with God in Christ.
When the fleshly side wins over your decisions, its all too easy to become disheartened and filled with regret. When your eyes are open to the fact that you let God down, you might feel sad and depressed. You might even wonder if God still loves you. At points like this, its all too easy to believe Satan’s lies such as “You will never go to Heaven”, or “You are unredeemable” or “You don’t deserve to be forgiven”. If you listen to these lies, you will fail again. Don’t do it! Trust that Jesus died for you on that cross. Trust that God wants to forgive and restore you. Find your way back to God.
You will fail. You will sin. You will mess things up, even though you know Jesus. You can desire to do what is right but fail to do it. That’s why you need Jesus! Submit yourself to Jesus today! Acknowledge the ways you have let your baser instincts lead you to sin. Openly admit to God how you falter. Then, get ready for forgiveness and grace! If you honestly return to God with a whole heart, God will cleanse you from your sin and restore you. God knows your weakness. God knows you will fail. Still, God wants you to be obedient, to repent when needed, and to trust in HIS grace.
Will you?
March 21
“He (David) said to his men, “The LORD forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the LORD’s anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the LORD’s anointed.” So David persuaded his men with these words and did not permit them to attack Saul. And Saul rose up and left the cave and went on his way.” (1 Samuel 24:6–7, ESV)
The above scripture contains an exchange between David and his best warriors. The exchange of words occurred in a cave in the wilderness of Engedi. David was being pursued by King Saul. Saul wanted to murder David. Saul saw David as a political threat. While Saul was hunting David, Saul retreated to a cave for protection and to sleep. What he did not realize was that David and his best warriors were hiding in that very cave. One of David’s men saw this turn of fortune and insinuated that the Lord wanted David to kill Saul in that very cave, ending Saul’s evil pursuit. Immediately David knew this was wrong. God did not want David to kill Saul. David said to his soldiers, “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing…” (1 Samuel 24:6). Then David “persuaded his men with these words and did not permit them to attack Saul.” (1 Samuel 24:7). When Saul found out that David was in the cave and did not kill him when he had the chance, Saul ended his murderous quest to end David’s life. Saul realized God was with David. The whole exchange changed David and Saul’s relationship thereafter. Not much later, David was anointed King over Israel and Judah.
As I pondered this story of David and Saul, I read a comment from Richard D. Phillips in the Reformed Expository Commentary series concerning this very scripture. It got me thinking further. Phillips wrote: “In 1 Samuel 24, we see David not only resisting his own temptation to kill Saul and seize the kingdom but also resisting pressure from his friends to kill Saul. How could this serve as a challenge to you to stand strong when friends or coworkers pressure you in a sinful direction?” So many faithful people do not stand firm in their faith when pressured to do the wrong thing. They clam up. They fold. They relent. They back off. Rather than stand up for what they know God is telling them, they retreat from any possible confrontation. In doing so, they fail God. Despite a clear direction from God, they are swayed by peer pressure to reject the will of God.
At crucial moments, God will give you a clear message or direction. With that in mind, you are supposed to stand firm in your faith, holding fast to God’s plan. To remain faithful, you will need to persist in faith. You will need to stand by your convictions. Yet all too often, those who receive clear direction from God cower in the face of opposition. They retreat when they are supposed to remain faithful to God.
Chuck Swindoll wrote of a group called the “Doormats”. The group is made up of people who cower when faced with peer pressure. They never stand up for themselves or for God. Swindoll wrote: “Have you ever heard of the “Dependent Order of Really Meek and Timid Souls”? When you make an acrostic of its first letters, you have “Doormats.” The Doormats have an official insignia—a yellow caution light. Their official motto is: “The meek shall inherit the earth, if that’s OK with everybody!” The society was founded by Upton Dickson who wrote a pamphlet called Cower Power.” (The Quest For Character, p. 44). There are a good number of “Doormat” people in the world, even in the church. They cower when faced with opposition. When God wants them to stand up for Jesus, they back off to save face.
When her daughter cried out for the fifth night in a row, Mary knew something was wrong. Her youngest never cried at night before. Comforting young Alissa, Mary sought to find answers. What was causing her to sob so uncontrollably in her sleep?
For days, Mary considered the possibilities. Then, young Alissa opened up one morning saying, “I keep hearing Uncle Ray say to me in my dreams not to talk but to keep quiet.” For a few moments, Mary could hardly breathe. Could it be possible that her brother-in-law Ray was at fault? He babysat Alissa only a couple of weeks before. Did something happen? Instead of pursuing the matter, Mary urged her daughter to just let it go. She asked young Alissa to sleep with her for a few nights. Over and over, Mary told Alissa that the dreams would just fade away. Over the next few weeks, the nightmares became less and less frequent. Finally, they did fade away.
Though young Alissa is back to her old self, Mary can’t let go of her fear. She is haunted that maybe Ray did something to hurt Alissa. Not wanting to cause a ruckus, Mary says nothing. To keep the peace in her family, she is willing to sweep everything under the rug. That attitude, however, doesn’t stop the feeling she has deep in her heart that Ray may have abused her daughter. To this day, Mary has a hard time even being in the same room with her brother-in-law. She hates herself for asking Alissa to let it go. She greatly regrets not asking questions at the time. A year later, she feels it would be too awkward to bring up the matter. Still, she can hardly stand the thought that by covering everything up and keeping peace in the family, she may have allowed her precious Alissa to live with a terrible secret.
When you fail to stand up for God or for what is right, it can haunt you for a long time. If you allow a wrong to stand just to “keep the peace”, that failure can weaken or destroy your relationship with God. You may even have a hard time living with your regrets.
There is a time to keep the peace. However, when God wants you to stand up for what is right, you need to follow His will. You need to stand firm in faith no matter the consequences. King David’s soldiers wanted him to kill Saul. David would not do it. He knew it was wrong before God. David would not cave to the pressure of his men. His highest goal was to follow God’s will. David would not cower in that moment. He continued firm in his convictions. He remained faithful to God. He stood up to his men.
There will be moments in your life that will define you. Some of those moments will require you to stand up for what you believe. When that time comes, do not cower. Don’t be a doormat, letting others walk all over you. When God wants you to do something, don’t let worldly pressures or fears of how you might look push you in the wrong direction. You have to live with your choices and decisions. Draw on the strength of God when you feel weak or afraid or intimidated. Seek God’s direction on how to handle delicate issues. Let the Holy Spirit guide your steps. Just don’t back down when God wants you to stand firm in your faith. There is always a reason why God causes you to be in certain situations at the right times.
As I pondered this story of David and Saul, I read a comment from Richard D. Phillips in the Reformed Expository Commentary series concerning this very scripture. It got me thinking further. Phillips wrote: “In 1 Samuel 24, we see David not only resisting his own temptation to kill Saul and seize the kingdom but also resisting pressure from his friends to kill Saul. How could this serve as a challenge to you to stand strong when friends or coworkers pressure you in a sinful direction?” So many faithful people do not stand firm in their faith when pressured to do the wrong thing. They clam up. They fold. They relent. They back off. Rather than stand up for what they know God is telling them, they retreat from any possible confrontation. In doing so, they fail God. Despite a clear direction from God, they are swayed by peer pressure to reject the will of God.
At crucial moments, God will give you a clear message or direction. With that in mind, you are supposed to stand firm in your faith, holding fast to God’s plan. To remain faithful, you will need to persist in faith. You will need to stand by your convictions. Yet all too often, those who receive clear direction from God cower in the face of opposition. They retreat when they are supposed to remain faithful to God.
Chuck Swindoll wrote of a group called the “Doormats”. The group is made up of people who cower when faced with peer pressure. They never stand up for themselves or for God. Swindoll wrote: “Have you ever heard of the “Dependent Order of Really Meek and Timid Souls”? When you make an acrostic of its first letters, you have “Doormats.” The Doormats have an official insignia—a yellow caution light. Their official motto is: “The meek shall inherit the earth, if that’s OK with everybody!” The society was founded by Upton Dickson who wrote a pamphlet called Cower Power.” (The Quest For Character, p. 44). There are a good number of “Doormat” people in the world, even in the church. They cower when faced with opposition. When God wants them to stand up for Jesus, they back off to save face.
When her daughter cried out for the fifth night in a row, Mary knew something was wrong. Her youngest never cried at night before. Comforting young Alissa, Mary sought to find answers. What was causing her to sob so uncontrollably in her sleep?
For days, Mary considered the possibilities. Then, young Alissa opened up one morning saying, “I keep hearing Uncle Ray say to me in my dreams not to talk but to keep quiet.” For a few moments, Mary could hardly breathe. Could it be possible that her brother-in-law Ray was at fault? He babysat Alissa only a couple of weeks before. Did something happen? Instead of pursuing the matter, Mary urged her daughter to just let it go. She asked young Alissa to sleep with her for a few nights. Over and over, Mary told Alissa that the dreams would just fade away. Over the next few weeks, the nightmares became less and less frequent. Finally, they did fade away.
Though young Alissa is back to her old self, Mary can’t let go of her fear. She is haunted that maybe Ray did something to hurt Alissa. Not wanting to cause a ruckus, Mary says nothing. To keep the peace in her family, she is willing to sweep everything under the rug. That attitude, however, doesn’t stop the feeling she has deep in her heart that Ray may have abused her daughter. To this day, Mary has a hard time even being in the same room with her brother-in-law. She hates herself for asking Alissa to let it go. She greatly regrets not asking questions at the time. A year later, she feels it would be too awkward to bring up the matter. Still, she can hardly stand the thought that by covering everything up and keeping peace in the family, she may have allowed her precious Alissa to live with a terrible secret.
When you fail to stand up for God or for what is right, it can haunt you for a long time. If you allow a wrong to stand just to “keep the peace”, that failure can weaken or destroy your relationship with God. You may even have a hard time living with your regrets.
There is a time to keep the peace. However, when God wants you to stand up for what is right, you need to follow His will. You need to stand firm in faith no matter the consequences. King David’s soldiers wanted him to kill Saul. David would not do it. He knew it was wrong before God. David would not cave to the pressure of his men. His highest goal was to follow God’s will. David would not cower in that moment. He continued firm in his convictions. He remained faithful to God. He stood up to his men.
There will be moments in your life that will define you. Some of those moments will require you to stand up for what you believe. When that time comes, do not cower. Don’t be a doormat, letting others walk all over you. When God wants you to do something, don’t let worldly pressures or fears of how you might look push you in the wrong direction. You have to live with your choices and decisions. Draw on the strength of God when you feel weak or afraid or intimidated. Seek God’s direction on how to handle delicate issues. Let the Holy Spirit guide your steps. Just don’t back down when God wants you to stand firm in your faith. There is always a reason why God causes you to be in certain situations at the right times.
March 23
“I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.” (Philippians 1:12–14, ESV)
Life isn’t fair! But God is good!
Most Christians tend to “quick-read” the scripture. They open a Bible and hurriedly read or scan over a reading. Often, they don’t meditate on that scripture, parse it, plumb its depths, or search for personal meaning. They see the scriptures as “stories from long ago” instead of inspiration for the day. If you look at the scripture above from Philippians 1:12-14 in a cursory manner, you will miss a lot of its power. You may overlook some important key elements that are not obvious upon initial reading.
The scripture for today was written by the Apostle Paul when he was imprisoned for preaching the gospel. Let’s stop and think about this for a moment. Paul was imprisoned for telling people about Jesus, sharing the good news of salvation. However, this preaching and teaching went against Roman religion and Jewish authority of the day. The political and religious leadership sought to stamp out the gospel, quelling the growing movement around Jesus. Actions against Christians like Paul resulted in imprisonments, stonings, beheadings, and all manner of beatings and suffering and death for faithful Christians who just wanted to share the good news of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.
You might look at this as being totally unfair, unreasonable, and manipulative. It was! It was all unfair. While murderers and thieves of the day went free (remember Barabbas?), righteous and good Christians were being hounded, tortured, and murdered. So, what is unspoken by Paul in this scripture should be obvious to you now. Not only was Paul imprisoned for spreading the gospel, ordinary Christians in those perilous times suffered constantly just to share their faith!
Within this backdrop of imprisonment and suffering, did Paul become depressed and upset at the unfairness? Did he lash out at those who imprisoned him? Did he notify social media to bring a firestorm over the internet? ;) Nope. Paul got excited! Yes, excited! Even though he was treated unfairly and imprisoned for being a righteous and holy man, Paul focused not on his circumstances but on God’s overwhelming potential. Despite his being imprisoned, Paul was able to “advance the gospel” (Philippians 1:12). He found time to share the gospel with guards and others in the prison! He didn’t become despondent and clam up! He didn’t fuss and kick and scream all day long! He shared the gospel even more! Not only that, but as other Christians noticed Paul’s attitude; they “became confident in the Lord”, “speaking [of Jesus] without fear” (Philippians 1:14). Despite the gloomy environment of prison, Paul was red-hot fired up at the opportunities he had been given to share the gospel!
Do you let your circumstances control your mood and faith, or do you let God open up your eyes to all the blessings around you? Paul didn’t let his imprisonment bring despair or depression, even in the worst of circumstances! With a heart for Jesus, he used that time in prison to bring the gospel to the people around him. He saw God’s blessing in spite of the imprisonment. Paul was filled with joy for all that happened during his time of incarceration.
In the 1960’s David joined the Navy and went through basic training. Later, he went through further training to become part of an elite Special Forces group. A short time after his graduation, he was sent to Vietnam. There, his Special Forces group was decorated many times for bravery and success under fire.
On one mission deep into enemy-held territory, David suffered a terrible turn of events. When ambushed, David unpinned a phosphorus grenade, intending to throw it upon the enemy. In that instant, he was shot in the very arm that held the grenade. The grenade exploded close by and threw fiery phosphorus all over David’s head. In a surreal moment, David looked into the water next to him and saw part of his face melt off. David was disfigured terribly when sent back by helicopter for emergency surgery.
David not only had emergency surgery that day but multiple surgeries in the coming weeks. He was horribly burned. His face was marred from the damage. Scars from surgical implants and debreeding pockmarked his forehead, cheek, and neck. The pain was excruciating. The emotional and psychological pain was crippling.
Several years later, David was interviewed on by a reporter about his service. On national television, David made this incredible statement: “I am twice the person I was before I went to Vietnam. For one thing, God has used my suffering to help other people’s pain and to have an incredible burden to reach people for Him. The Lord has let me have a worldwide, positive effect on people’s lives because of what I went through.” For years, David was well known for reaching out to those who had suffered tragedies. He helped them work through their problems, suffering, and sorrow. He was given many chances to share his love of Jesus.
Don’t let your circumstances control your mood or your faith. Don’t let problems or difficulties or obstacles sour your view of God’s blessings that surround you even now. Paul would not let prison deter his preaching of the gospel. David wouldn’t allow his misfortune in war cloud his appreciation for God’s blessings. God always puts hope and blessings around you. Are you open enough to see them?
Life isn’t fair. People can be cruel. The world can be unbearable at times. Despite all the negatives, God is always good. God’s love is always ready to light up your world. God’s forgiveness can heal the deepest of your burdens. Don’t let the unfairness of the world get you down. Look up to Heaven for your saving grace!
Most Christians tend to “quick-read” the scripture. They open a Bible and hurriedly read or scan over a reading. Often, they don’t meditate on that scripture, parse it, plumb its depths, or search for personal meaning. They see the scriptures as “stories from long ago” instead of inspiration for the day. If you look at the scripture above from Philippians 1:12-14 in a cursory manner, you will miss a lot of its power. You may overlook some important key elements that are not obvious upon initial reading.
The scripture for today was written by the Apostle Paul when he was imprisoned for preaching the gospel. Let’s stop and think about this for a moment. Paul was imprisoned for telling people about Jesus, sharing the good news of salvation. However, this preaching and teaching went against Roman religion and Jewish authority of the day. The political and religious leadership sought to stamp out the gospel, quelling the growing movement around Jesus. Actions against Christians like Paul resulted in imprisonments, stonings, beheadings, and all manner of beatings and suffering and death for faithful Christians who just wanted to share the good news of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.
You might look at this as being totally unfair, unreasonable, and manipulative. It was! It was all unfair. While murderers and thieves of the day went free (remember Barabbas?), righteous and good Christians were being hounded, tortured, and murdered. So, what is unspoken by Paul in this scripture should be obvious to you now. Not only was Paul imprisoned for spreading the gospel, ordinary Christians in those perilous times suffered constantly just to share their faith!
Within this backdrop of imprisonment and suffering, did Paul become depressed and upset at the unfairness? Did he lash out at those who imprisoned him? Did he notify social media to bring a firestorm over the internet? ;) Nope. Paul got excited! Yes, excited! Even though he was treated unfairly and imprisoned for being a righteous and holy man, Paul focused not on his circumstances but on God’s overwhelming potential. Despite his being imprisoned, Paul was able to “advance the gospel” (Philippians 1:12). He found time to share the gospel with guards and others in the prison! He didn’t become despondent and clam up! He didn’t fuss and kick and scream all day long! He shared the gospel even more! Not only that, but as other Christians noticed Paul’s attitude; they “became confident in the Lord”, “speaking [of Jesus] without fear” (Philippians 1:14). Despite the gloomy environment of prison, Paul was red-hot fired up at the opportunities he had been given to share the gospel!
Do you let your circumstances control your mood and faith, or do you let God open up your eyes to all the blessings around you? Paul didn’t let his imprisonment bring despair or depression, even in the worst of circumstances! With a heart for Jesus, he used that time in prison to bring the gospel to the people around him. He saw God’s blessing in spite of the imprisonment. Paul was filled with joy for all that happened during his time of incarceration.
In the 1960’s David joined the Navy and went through basic training. Later, he went through further training to become part of an elite Special Forces group. A short time after his graduation, he was sent to Vietnam. There, his Special Forces group was decorated many times for bravery and success under fire.
On one mission deep into enemy-held territory, David suffered a terrible turn of events. When ambushed, David unpinned a phosphorus grenade, intending to throw it upon the enemy. In that instant, he was shot in the very arm that held the grenade. The grenade exploded close by and threw fiery phosphorus all over David’s head. In a surreal moment, David looked into the water next to him and saw part of his face melt off. David was disfigured terribly when sent back by helicopter for emergency surgery.
David not only had emergency surgery that day but multiple surgeries in the coming weeks. He was horribly burned. His face was marred from the damage. Scars from surgical implants and debreeding pockmarked his forehead, cheek, and neck. The pain was excruciating. The emotional and psychological pain was crippling.
Several years later, David was interviewed on by a reporter about his service. On national television, David made this incredible statement: “I am twice the person I was before I went to Vietnam. For one thing, God has used my suffering to help other people’s pain and to have an incredible burden to reach people for Him. The Lord has let me have a worldwide, positive effect on people’s lives because of what I went through.” For years, David was well known for reaching out to those who had suffered tragedies. He helped them work through their problems, suffering, and sorrow. He was given many chances to share his love of Jesus.
Don’t let your circumstances control your mood or your faith. Don’t let problems or difficulties or obstacles sour your view of God’s blessings that surround you even now. Paul would not let prison deter his preaching of the gospel. David wouldn’t allow his misfortune in war cloud his appreciation for God’s blessings. God always puts hope and blessings around you. Are you open enough to see them?
Life isn’t fair. People can be cruel. The world can be unbearable at times. Despite all the negatives, God is always good. God’s love is always ready to light up your world. God’s forgiveness can heal the deepest of your burdens. Don’t let the unfairness of the world get you down. Look up to Heaven for your saving grace!
March 25
“And the LORD God arranged for a leafy plant to grow there, and soon it spread its broad leaves over Jonah’s head, shading him from the sun. This eased his discomfort, and Jonah was very grateful for the plant. But God also arranged for a worm! The next morning at dawn the worm ate through the stem of the plant so that it withered away. And as the sun grew hot, God arranged for a scorching east wind to blow on Jonah. The sun beat down on his head until he grew faint and wished to die. “Death is certainly better than living like this!” he exclaimed.” (Jonah 4:6–8, NLT)
Throughout the book of Jonah, there was a constant struggle between the prophet Jonah and God Almighty. God wanted the people of Nineveh to repent. When they did, God appointed the prophet Jonah to offer them forgiveness and grace. However, Jonah refused to let the people of Nineveh feel or experience forgiveness and grace. Jonah hated Nineveh for its involvement in the war upon Israel.
Jonah was biased against those “foreigners”. He wanted them to suffer, not be forgiven! Rather than see them given grace, Jonah fled away in the opposite direction. Jonah boarded a ship bound for a land far from Nineveh. However, God would not let his plan succeed. Jonah was thrown overboard. Subsequently, he was swallowed by a large fish and kept alive only to be thrown up on shore closer to Nineveh. It was God’s way of teaching Jonah that he was not going to shirk his responsibility as a prophet. Jonah was required to pronounce God’s grace upon the people of Nineveh.
In the scripture for today, God taught Jonah a lesson. When Jonah isolated himself outside the city of Tarshish, he suffered from the weather. It was hot! The sun beat down upon him. God caused a large leafy plant to grow and bring shade upon Jonah, to protect him from the heat. Jonah “was grateful for the plant” sent by God (Jonah 4:6). However, just when Jonah was thankful for the plant bringing shade, God sent a worm to eat at the plant and cause it to “wither away”. Then, as the “sun grew hot”, God sent a “scorching east wind to blow upon Jonah” (Jonah 4:7). This caused Jonah to be miserable, grow faint, and just give up! When this happened, God spoke to Jonah. God explained to Jonah how he had used the plant to bring comfort to Jonah. In the same manner, God had wanted to comfort Nineveh as well. Jonah (so like the worm!) tried to spoil God’s plan to bring comfort to Nineveh. All in all, God used the plant and the worm and the hot wind to teach Jonah a big lesson!
There will be periods in your life in which God will do the same. God will cause things to happen in your life to teach you valuable lessons! God may not cause a worm to eat a plant that brought you comfort, but God will use other things to teach you lessons. It is extremely important that you realize when God is using things in your life to teach you about certain aspects of faith. To fail to see God’s parabolic teaching may lead to a lack of understanding or appreciation for God’s work in your own life.
“John Wesley was about 21 years of age when he went to Oxford University. He came from a Christian home, and he was gifted with a keen mind and good looks. Yet in those days he was a bit snobbish and sarcastic. One night, however, something happened that set in motion a change in Wesley’s heart. While speaking with a porter, he discovered that the poor fellow had only one coat and lived in such impoverished conditions that he didn’t even have a bed. Yet he was an unusually happy person, filled with gratitude to God. Wesley, being immature, thoughtlessly joked about the man’s misfortunes. “And what else do you thank God for?” he said with a touch of sarcasm. The porter smiled, and in the spirit of meekness replied with joy, “I thank Him that He has given me my life and being, a heart to love Him, and above all a constant desire to serve Him!”
Deeply moved, Wesley recognized that this man knew the meaning of true thankfulness. Many years later, in 1791, John Wesley lay on his deathbed at the age of 88. Those who gathered around him realized how well he had learned the lesson of praising God in every circumstance. Despite Wesley’s extreme weakness, he began singing the hymn, “I’ll Praise My Maker While I’ve Breath.”” (“Our Daily Bread”, December 12, 1990)
The closer you get to God, the more you realize that God often causes little occurrences, little conversations, or a series of events to teach you great wisdom. God will alter your history to cause you to reflect or understand deeper meanings to life.
Jesus often used these same methods when he taught. He used the example of a man planting seeds to teach the parable of the sower. Jesus pointed to a woman giving her last bit of money to God to teach the importance of what is of value to God. Don’t you think Jesus continues to use these same methods to teach you even today?
The wise Christian is one who notices when God is using a series of events to teach a valuable lesson in faith. The faithful Christian learns from God’s altering of his or her situation in order to bring a message of hope or forgiveness or repentance. Part of being faithful to God is a willingness to look for God’s little object lessons meant just for you. To fail to see God’s message results in the lack of understanding. To fail to accept God’s hand in the endeavor is tantamount to a rejection of God’s power!
Are there any situations in your life right now being altered by God in order to teach you a valuable lesson? What is God saying about you? What have you learned?
Jonah was biased against those “foreigners”. He wanted them to suffer, not be forgiven! Rather than see them given grace, Jonah fled away in the opposite direction. Jonah boarded a ship bound for a land far from Nineveh. However, God would not let his plan succeed. Jonah was thrown overboard. Subsequently, he was swallowed by a large fish and kept alive only to be thrown up on shore closer to Nineveh. It was God’s way of teaching Jonah that he was not going to shirk his responsibility as a prophet. Jonah was required to pronounce God’s grace upon the people of Nineveh.
In the scripture for today, God taught Jonah a lesson. When Jonah isolated himself outside the city of Tarshish, he suffered from the weather. It was hot! The sun beat down upon him. God caused a large leafy plant to grow and bring shade upon Jonah, to protect him from the heat. Jonah “was grateful for the plant” sent by God (Jonah 4:6). However, just when Jonah was thankful for the plant bringing shade, God sent a worm to eat at the plant and cause it to “wither away”. Then, as the “sun grew hot”, God sent a “scorching east wind to blow upon Jonah” (Jonah 4:7). This caused Jonah to be miserable, grow faint, and just give up! When this happened, God spoke to Jonah. God explained to Jonah how he had used the plant to bring comfort to Jonah. In the same manner, God had wanted to comfort Nineveh as well. Jonah (so like the worm!) tried to spoil God’s plan to bring comfort to Nineveh. All in all, God used the plant and the worm and the hot wind to teach Jonah a big lesson!
There will be periods in your life in which God will do the same. God will cause things to happen in your life to teach you valuable lessons! God may not cause a worm to eat a plant that brought you comfort, but God will use other things to teach you lessons. It is extremely important that you realize when God is using things in your life to teach you about certain aspects of faith. To fail to see God’s parabolic teaching may lead to a lack of understanding or appreciation for God’s work in your own life.
“John Wesley was about 21 years of age when he went to Oxford University. He came from a Christian home, and he was gifted with a keen mind and good looks. Yet in those days he was a bit snobbish and sarcastic. One night, however, something happened that set in motion a change in Wesley’s heart. While speaking with a porter, he discovered that the poor fellow had only one coat and lived in such impoverished conditions that he didn’t even have a bed. Yet he was an unusually happy person, filled with gratitude to God. Wesley, being immature, thoughtlessly joked about the man’s misfortunes. “And what else do you thank God for?” he said with a touch of sarcasm. The porter smiled, and in the spirit of meekness replied with joy, “I thank Him that He has given me my life and being, a heart to love Him, and above all a constant desire to serve Him!”
Deeply moved, Wesley recognized that this man knew the meaning of true thankfulness. Many years later, in 1791, John Wesley lay on his deathbed at the age of 88. Those who gathered around him realized how well he had learned the lesson of praising God in every circumstance. Despite Wesley’s extreme weakness, he began singing the hymn, “I’ll Praise My Maker While I’ve Breath.”” (“Our Daily Bread”, December 12, 1990)
The closer you get to God, the more you realize that God often causes little occurrences, little conversations, or a series of events to teach you great wisdom. God will alter your history to cause you to reflect or understand deeper meanings to life.
Jesus often used these same methods when he taught. He used the example of a man planting seeds to teach the parable of the sower. Jesus pointed to a woman giving her last bit of money to God to teach the importance of what is of value to God. Don’t you think Jesus continues to use these same methods to teach you even today?
The wise Christian is one who notices when God is using a series of events to teach a valuable lesson in faith. The faithful Christian learns from God’s altering of his or her situation in order to bring a message of hope or forgiveness or repentance. Part of being faithful to God is a willingness to look for God’s little object lessons meant just for you. To fail to see God’s message results in the lack of understanding. To fail to accept God’s hand in the endeavor is tantamount to a rejection of God’s power!
Are there any situations in your life right now being altered by God in order to teach you a valuable lesson? What is God saying about you? What have you learned?
March 27
“You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit.” (Isaiah 14:13–15, ESV)
Even non-Christians know the name Satan or Devil. In popular jargon, something that is satanic is seen as evil and destructive. In social media, you may see images of the Devil as one with horns or boasting red all over his body. You might picture Satan with a pitchfork and a pointy tail. Many religions have descriptions for hell and the demonic figure who heads it. While some of the images and descriptions of Satan, the fallen angel, are highly descriptive; many of them are not biblical. Nowhere does the Bible describe Satan as red or having a pitchfork for a scepter. Nowhere does the Bible describe Satan as having a pointy tail, unless you count the snake in the Garden of Eden, but even that is a stretch when you see the pictures which do not show a snake figure. However, there is a popular description of Satan that is correctly interpreted. Satan, the Devil, the Evil One is in direct competition with God. Satan’s goal is to depose God or place himself above or equal to God. That alone, in and of itself, is the very description of evil.
In the scripture for today from the book of Isaiah, the prophet describes King Nebuchadnezzar using scriptural language that also describes Satan. Satan wanted to take over Heaven. The book of Revelation describes the war where Satan attempts to do just that. Isaiah 14:13-14 is highly descriptive of Satan’s endgame: “I will ascend to heaven”, “I will set my throne on high”, “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High (God)” . Satan’s ultimate goal is to displace God and take control of Heaven and Earth. Isaiah used this description of Satan to also describe the quest of King Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar, “the king of Babylon” (Isaiah 14:4), wanted to rule the earth. He also placed himself up as a god in competition with God Almighty. The book of Daniel mentions Nebuchadnezzar’s lust for power over heaven and earth. There, the King of Babylon set up a golden image and demanded all his subjects worship the image (Daniel 3). Nebuchadnezzar enjoyed the title “the King who lives forever”. Nebuchadnezzar played god, an evil endeavor thoroughly reminiscent of Satan.
Though you might see clearly that Satan and Nebuchadnezzar wanted to play God, do you notice how those who have some earthly power continue to play God even today? During the Covid-19 pandemic, the governor of California decided how and when people could go to worship at churches in the state. Though Black Lives Matters followers were allowed to gather in California in large numbers, church people were forbidden to gather to worship for months. Then, they were told to gather only in small groups. Governor Newsome played God. In 2017, a British pastor was arrested for speaking out against homosexuality as a sin. He was threatened, then arrested and jailed for following a Biblical faith. Part of his bail conditions included the demand that he “not preach in public”. When a pastor said he believed some floods in Canada were God’s judgment against homosexuality wholly supported by the government, he was arrested upon re-entering the country, police surrounding him at the airport. Pastors in Myanmar, North Korea, Malaysia, Canada, and the United States and many more countries were jailed for defying covid mandates and gathering people to worship God. In all of these instances, the secular authorities “played God” by determining what pastors could say, what people were to believe, and who could preach.
Whenever people “play God”, they will always trample over true faith. They will set up their own beliefs as “righteous” and persecute those who believe in the one true God. They will make rules for others but not follow their own rules. Why? They are “in charge”. They are “supreme”. They are “an authority”. They will also use their own beliefs to denigrate God’s word. How many times during the pandemic did you hear people say that “science” was the reason they were forcing churches to close, forcing people to take vaccinations, and determining anything non-LBGTQ was forbidden language? How many times have you heard politicians and social media use the term “racism” to shame and silence anyone who believes differently? Even now, liberals want to do away with the First Amendment of the United States Constitution guaranteeing free speech. Why? To use the power of the government to silence people who believe differently, especially those who believe in God.
An Army Colonel came to visit a newly established Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Afghanistan. He wanted to review the progress of the camp’s construction projects and the quality of its defensive perimeter. Then, he met with the leaders of the camp to discuss his findings. After the review, he met with the Major in charge of the FOB. As the men were sitting there, the Colonel looked straight into the eyes of the Major and said, “Well, how does it feel to be God?”
“What?!” responded the Major. “I mean, what do you mean, Colonel?”
The colonel replied, “Major, from this base you will determine who lives and dies. You will set limits and control all movement. Your decisions will shape the life of every person within miles. You will be like God.”
I’m not going to go into the rest of the discussion between the two men. Let’s just say that the Colonel knew that when people are given power, they often see their role as that of a god. This is dangerous thinking. For most people, their power can go to their head and cause untold suffering of those who are affected by the person’s decisions. Even biblical figures like King David, King Solomon, and King Herod sinned because of their position of power.
The scripture for today ends with a mention by Isaiah that Nebuchadnezzar’s end in his lust for god-like power will be “Sheol” or Hell. That’s also where Satan will end up. All those who “play God” will end up in the same place. Their lust for power and control will be their undoing.
As we finish this meditation, do some soul searching. From now until the time you die, keep yourself humble before the Lord. Always and forever refrain from playing God. Keep your thoughts free from the lust for power. Beware your own sinfulness if you want to control what people around you think. Your purpose in life is not to control others, it is to point others to the authority of God in Christ. It is so easy to play God.
Do you ever want to force others to believe like you do? Do you enjoy your own authority or power? Do you ever use your authority or control to get what you want? Do you shame others to get your way? Do you coerce others in order to make them fall into line with your beliefs? Do you want to control the words other people use in your presence? Playing God was not just the sin of Nebuchadnezzar. It’s not just the error of Satan. It is a common failure for many with power and control. It should never define you, unless you want to end up in Hell….
In the scripture for today from the book of Isaiah, the prophet describes King Nebuchadnezzar using scriptural language that also describes Satan. Satan wanted to take over Heaven. The book of Revelation describes the war where Satan attempts to do just that. Isaiah 14:13-14 is highly descriptive of Satan’s endgame: “I will ascend to heaven”, “I will set my throne on high”, “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High (God)” . Satan’s ultimate goal is to displace God and take control of Heaven and Earth. Isaiah used this description of Satan to also describe the quest of King Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar, “the king of Babylon” (Isaiah 14:4), wanted to rule the earth. He also placed himself up as a god in competition with God Almighty. The book of Daniel mentions Nebuchadnezzar’s lust for power over heaven and earth. There, the King of Babylon set up a golden image and demanded all his subjects worship the image (Daniel 3). Nebuchadnezzar enjoyed the title “the King who lives forever”. Nebuchadnezzar played god, an evil endeavor thoroughly reminiscent of Satan.
Though you might see clearly that Satan and Nebuchadnezzar wanted to play God, do you notice how those who have some earthly power continue to play God even today? During the Covid-19 pandemic, the governor of California decided how and when people could go to worship at churches in the state. Though Black Lives Matters followers were allowed to gather in California in large numbers, church people were forbidden to gather to worship for months. Then, they were told to gather only in small groups. Governor Newsome played God. In 2017, a British pastor was arrested for speaking out against homosexuality as a sin. He was threatened, then arrested and jailed for following a Biblical faith. Part of his bail conditions included the demand that he “not preach in public”. When a pastor said he believed some floods in Canada were God’s judgment against homosexuality wholly supported by the government, he was arrested upon re-entering the country, police surrounding him at the airport. Pastors in Myanmar, North Korea, Malaysia, Canada, and the United States and many more countries were jailed for defying covid mandates and gathering people to worship God. In all of these instances, the secular authorities “played God” by determining what pastors could say, what people were to believe, and who could preach.
Whenever people “play God”, they will always trample over true faith. They will set up their own beliefs as “righteous” and persecute those who believe in the one true God. They will make rules for others but not follow their own rules. Why? They are “in charge”. They are “supreme”. They are “an authority”. They will also use their own beliefs to denigrate God’s word. How many times during the pandemic did you hear people say that “science” was the reason they were forcing churches to close, forcing people to take vaccinations, and determining anything non-LBGTQ was forbidden language? How many times have you heard politicians and social media use the term “racism” to shame and silence anyone who believes differently? Even now, liberals want to do away with the First Amendment of the United States Constitution guaranteeing free speech. Why? To use the power of the government to silence people who believe differently, especially those who believe in God.
An Army Colonel came to visit a newly established Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Afghanistan. He wanted to review the progress of the camp’s construction projects and the quality of its defensive perimeter. Then, he met with the leaders of the camp to discuss his findings. After the review, he met with the Major in charge of the FOB. As the men were sitting there, the Colonel looked straight into the eyes of the Major and said, “Well, how does it feel to be God?”
“What?!” responded the Major. “I mean, what do you mean, Colonel?”
The colonel replied, “Major, from this base you will determine who lives and dies. You will set limits and control all movement. Your decisions will shape the life of every person within miles. You will be like God.”
I’m not going to go into the rest of the discussion between the two men. Let’s just say that the Colonel knew that when people are given power, they often see their role as that of a god. This is dangerous thinking. For most people, their power can go to their head and cause untold suffering of those who are affected by the person’s decisions. Even biblical figures like King David, King Solomon, and King Herod sinned because of their position of power.
The scripture for today ends with a mention by Isaiah that Nebuchadnezzar’s end in his lust for god-like power will be “Sheol” or Hell. That’s also where Satan will end up. All those who “play God” will end up in the same place. Their lust for power and control will be their undoing.
As we finish this meditation, do some soul searching. From now until the time you die, keep yourself humble before the Lord. Always and forever refrain from playing God. Keep your thoughts free from the lust for power. Beware your own sinfulness if you want to control what people around you think. Your purpose in life is not to control others, it is to point others to the authority of God in Christ. It is so easy to play God.
Do you ever want to force others to believe like you do? Do you enjoy your own authority or power? Do you ever use your authority or control to get what you want? Do you shame others to get your way? Do you coerce others in order to make them fall into line with your beliefs? Do you want to control the words other people use in your presence? Playing God was not just the sin of Nebuchadnezzar. It’s not just the error of Satan. It is a common failure for many with power and control. It should never define you, unless you want to end up in Hell….
March 29
“It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king’s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, “Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?”” (2 Samuel 11:2–3, ESV)
The scripture above captures a turning point in the life of King David. Before this fateful moment in his life, David lived an unbelievably blessed life. He fought the giant Goliath and won! He was protected by the advice of prophets. He was made famous in battle. He escaped death on multiple occasions. He was a father of at least 21 children. He was loved by the people of Israel and Judah. He wrote many of the Psalms in our Bible and was even an ancestor of Jesus! Though his life was filled with great accomplishments, the scripture for today includes a low point in David’s life. 2 Samuel 11 includes the moment David first laid eyes upon Bathsheba. Many things went wrong because of the decisions David made on that fateful day when he spied Bathsheba. The beloved King David’s image was forever tarnished.
2 Samuel 11:2 records how David rose up from his couch and went to look over the city of Jerusalem. It sounds like a small thing, a natural occurrence. However, what David saw changed his life. He looked out and saw Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, taking a bath. In those days, people might bathe on their rooftop, where rainwater gathered in pools. Uriah, Bathsheba’s soldier husband, was no doubt out fighting for his country (2 Samuel 11:1). When David saw “beautiful” Bathsheba (as 2 Samuel 11:2 describes her), his hormones went full tilt. He watched her bathe. He let his imagination run wild. The temptation proved too much, and David sent for Bathsheba. Then, he had sex with her. By doing so, he committed adultery. Within weeks, he found out she was pregnant. To cover up the illicit sex and pregnancy, David had Uriah killed to cover up his own sin.
David, a man known to be of great faith, failed in a moment of weakness. By letting lust get to him, David committed multiple sins in quick succession including adultery and lying and murder. This man, who was called God’s “beloved”, fell hard. His one moment of afternoon lust forever altered his reputation and relationship with God. He proved with his actions that day that no matter how close you are to God, no matter how faithful you are, sin can grab hold and destroy everything you’ve worked so hard to achieve. Even the most faithful can fail. You are never too faithful to fail miserably and need grace.
You’d think a man like David would know better than to let lust take control. Life, however, is not so easy. People, though they might know better, can make some pretty big mistakes.
“George Morar made his first parachute jump in Korea when his plane went down behind enemy lines. It saved his life. In 1983 he made his last jump from a small plane over northern California. It killed him. The plane he and three other sky divers shared flew from the field of the instruction school he owned. At 5,600 feet the divers were preparing to jump when, suddenly, Morar’s reserve chute burst open, billowed outside the craft, and tangled in the plane’s tail, instantly plunging it into a nose-dive.
He should have dived out instinctively after the chute, but instead he grabbed frantically for the chute, trying to pull it back in. Why this pioneer of parachuting panicked and ignored all his own teachings and experience we will never know. For when he finally jumped, the reserve chute ripped off, and a wind gust or contact with the plane tore away his main chute as well. After nearly 3,000 jumps, an incredible blunder cost his life.
It is a warning to us all. We never get so good, so intelligent, or so experienced that we are invulnerable to foolish, deadly mistakes. Just when we think we have grown beyond a certain temptation, we find ourselves falling to it. When we feel mature enough to capably handle any crisis, a small problem renders us helpless. David had reached the zenith of his career and seemed invincible; then, one fateful [afternoon], he walked out on his balcony …” (Virgil Hurley, Speaker’s Sourcebook of New illustrations, pp. 146-147).
Some very incredible people in the Bible made huge mistakes during vulnerable moments. Moses committed murder. Elijah contemplated suicide. Judas betrayed Jesus. Peter denied Jesus three times. Paul persecuted the faithful. Each of these God-fearing men failed. No matter how many years you have faithfully worshipped God, there will come a day when your own temptations or weaknesses will take you down a path of great suffering.
Because of the human propensity to sin, all of us need the grace of God. All of us will need God’s forgiveness and restoration. You are not above sinning. A stressful day might make you irritable and resentful, causing you to lash out at someone you love. A fear might cause you to fail to do the right thing. A psychological insecurity might result in your feelings of inadequacy, preventing you from standing up for truth. Jealousy might push you to betray a friend’s trust. A desire to look good to others might fuel your desire to spend too much money on beauty products. A prideful attitude might cause you to lie to protect your integrity. There are billions of ways to fail God. No matter which temptation gets you, repentance with the desire to make things right with God must follow.
Don’t ever get so spiritually arrogant to think you are above making some boneheaded mistakes. If King David can fail God, so can you! If King David needed grace at some point in his life, you will too. Aren’t you glad God offers grace and forgiveness to those who repent after a miserable spiritual and moral failure? Do you willingly grant forgiveness and grace to others, knowing we all are susceptible to human weakness?
2 Samuel 11:2 records how David rose up from his couch and went to look over the city of Jerusalem. It sounds like a small thing, a natural occurrence. However, what David saw changed his life. He looked out and saw Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, taking a bath. In those days, people might bathe on their rooftop, where rainwater gathered in pools. Uriah, Bathsheba’s soldier husband, was no doubt out fighting for his country (2 Samuel 11:1). When David saw “beautiful” Bathsheba (as 2 Samuel 11:2 describes her), his hormones went full tilt. He watched her bathe. He let his imagination run wild. The temptation proved too much, and David sent for Bathsheba. Then, he had sex with her. By doing so, he committed adultery. Within weeks, he found out she was pregnant. To cover up the illicit sex and pregnancy, David had Uriah killed to cover up his own sin.
David, a man known to be of great faith, failed in a moment of weakness. By letting lust get to him, David committed multiple sins in quick succession including adultery and lying and murder. This man, who was called God’s “beloved”, fell hard. His one moment of afternoon lust forever altered his reputation and relationship with God. He proved with his actions that day that no matter how close you are to God, no matter how faithful you are, sin can grab hold and destroy everything you’ve worked so hard to achieve. Even the most faithful can fail. You are never too faithful to fail miserably and need grace.
You’d think a man like David would know better than to let lust take control. Life, however, is not so easy. People, though they might know better, can make some pretty big mistakes.
“George Morar made his first parachute jump in Korea when his plane went down behind enemy lines. It saved his life. In 1983 he made his last jump from a small plane over northern California. It killed him. The plane he and three other sky divers shared flew from the field of the instruction school he owned. At 5,600 feet the divers were preparing to jump when, suddenly, Morar’s reserve chute burst open, billowed outside the craft, and tangled in the plane’s tail, instantly plunging it into a nose-dive.
He should have dived out instinctively after the chute, but instead he grabbed frantically for the chute, trying to pull it back in. Why this pioneer of parachuting panicked and ignored all his own teachings and experience we will never know. For when he finally jumped, the reserve chute ripped off, and a wind gust or contact with the plane tore away his main chute as well. After nearly 3,000 jumps, an incredible blunder cost his life.
It is a warning to us all. We never get so good, so intelligent, or so experienced that we are invulnerable to foolish, deadly mistakes. Just when we think we have grown beyond a certain temptation, we find ourselves falling to it. When we feel mature enough to capably handle any crisis, a small problem renders us helpless. David had reached the zenith of his career and seemed invincible; then, one fateful [afternoon], he walked out on his balcony …” (Virgil Hurley, Speaker’s Sourcebook of New illustrations, pp. 146-147).
Some very incredible people in the Bible made huge mistakes during vulnerable moments. Moses committed murder. Elijah contemplated suicide. Judas betrayed Jesus. Peter denied Jesus three times. Paul persecuted the faithful. Each of these God-fearing men failed. No matter how many years you have faithfully worshipped God, there will come a day when your own temptations or weaknesses will take you down a path of great suffering.
Because of the human propensity to sin, all of us need the grace of God. All of us will need God’s forgiveness and restoration. You are not above sinning. A stressful day might make you irritable and resentful, causing you to lash out at someone you love. A fear might cause you to fail to do the right thing. A psychological insecurity might result in your feelings of inadequacy, preventing you from standing up for truth. Jealousy might push you to betray a friend’s trust. A desire to look good to others might fuel your desire to spend too much money on beauty products. A prideful attitude might cause you to lie to protect your integrity. There are billions of ways to fail God. No matter which temptation gets you, repentance with the desire to make things right with God must follow.
Don’t ever get so spiritually arrogant to think you are above making some boneheaded mistakes. If King David can fail God, so can you! If King David needed grace at some point in his life, you will too. Aren’t you glad God offers grace and forgiveness to those who repent after a miserable spiritual and moral failure? Do you willingly grant forgiveness and grace to others, knowing we all are susceptible to human weakness?
March 31
“So all the people of the land rejoiced; and the city was quiet, after Athaliah had been slain with the sword.” (2 Chronicles 23:21, RSV)
In the quiet of a night, a mother woke up suddenly. Something was wrong. Then, from the next room, she heard the soft cry of her newborn infant. She knew that sound of his cry. He needed to be fed.
As Charles White walked down a path in his neighborhood park, he did not expect to hear what he heard. Among the beautiful trills of the birds, White heard the muffled sound of a moan. Following the sound, he discovered a person who had fallen on some ice and had probably broken her leg. If he would not have heard her soft moan, she would have laid there another few hours and maybe even died in the cold of that winter morning.
While settling in for needed prayer time, Darla began to read her Bible. She always read various scriptures before beginning her conversation with God. It helped her soul to ready itself for some quiet prayer time. But that morning in April, Darla could not enjoy her quiet time. Three rooms over, her phone buzzed. Then, it buzzed again. And again. Only then did Darla realize that she had forgotten to turn on the phone’s ringer. Frustrated at the interruption, Darla finally walked down the hallway and retrieved the phone. On it, she read the frightened texts sent from her best friend. Grabbing her phone, Darla said a quick prayer and rushed out. As she got in her car, she called her friend. Within minutes, Darla was at the hospital. There, Darla helped her best friend deal with the death of her child. If it weren’t for the quiet prayer time, Darla might never have realized that her cell phone ringer had been silenced. At that moment of realization, Darla said a quick prayer of thanks. God needed her, her best friend needed her, and God used the phone’s vibration to get her attention.
In each of the stories above, very important noises alerted someone to a need. Sometimes, you need the quiet in order to perceive the importance of certain sounds. In truth, much can be missed or lost when you are surrounded by the noisy distractions of modern life.
“Prolonged exposure to eighty-five decibels or more can cause damage to the inner ear and result in permanent hearing loss and extensive health problems in related areas including high blood pressure. Imagine, then, the dismay of a Lehman College psychology professor as she stood, decibel meter in hand, and registered ninety decibels at an Upper Manhattan intersection. As she crossed the street the rattling staccato of a jackhammer shot the decibel level up to one hundred.
New York is considered the nation’s noisiest city because of a population density fourteen times higher than other cities. Increased traffic, construction, ill-tempered motorists, careless pedestrians, and the constant repair needed in the metropolis promise to make it worse, not better. It is the price paid by those who live and work in the city. Among other benefits denied their city cousins, rural dwellers tend to lose less hearing capability in their lifetime.” (p. 161, The Speaker’s Sourcebook of New Illustrations).
As Virgil Hurley included the above anecdote about the noise and deafness suffered in New York City, he reflected, “Prayer offers a busy Christian the quiet time needed to withstand the noisy distractions of life. Too often our spiritual values get buried under the clamorings of family, health, and career. In prayer’s quiet time God energizes our soul with his peace. Then, when times are not quiet, when we stand at the Broadway’s of life, we can express the spiritual graces with which the quiet time equipped us.”
When quiet time with God is missing in your life, the distractions of life can dull your spiritual hearing. When surrounded by the clamor of needs, requests, problems, demanding bosses, and irritated family members, it can be difficult to perceive real needs or danger. Noisy distractions can drown out not only what is important to hear but even God’s voice.
In the scripture reading for today from the Old Testament book of Second Chronicles, we are told about Athaliah. Athaliah was a mean, vindictive woman. She caused the deaths of many faithful people in mid-ninth century BC Judah. With Athaliah wielding power from the royal court, nobody was safe. She even murdered several who were in line to the throne of Judah. She loved power and relished the thought of controlling Jerusalem. Many examples of suffering are attributed to her influence. As long as she ruled, chaos and intrigue and danger and threats were constant in the land of Judah. Even Baal idol worship resumed. 2 Chronicles 23:21 states openly that Athaliah’s death resulted in “quiet” in Jerusalem. Her death resulted in people coming back to God and peace returning to the land.
Have you ever noticed that when some people are around, chaos and problems and obstacles just seem to pop up everywhere? People like Athaliah bring troubles and tribulation and chaos and clamoring with them. As long as people like Athaliah influence your life with their chaos and interruptions and manipulations, your spiritual world will be in a constant state of dis-ease. It will be difficult to perceive God’s voice. It may even be difficult to be at peace in your soul. At some points in life, the only way to find true peace with God will be to back away from such people. To reconnect with your soul or with God, you may have to pull away from bad influences and worldly pressures.
Are there any people or situations that are stealing your valuable prayer time with God? Are there nagging worldly influences that consistently shake up your world? Quiet, holy moments in your day are incredibly important for your rejuvenation and your spiritual awareness. Work hard to keep your soul at peace. Endeavor for real quiet time with God. Your sanity might demand it! Your soul needs it desperately.
As Charles White walked down a path in his neighborhood park, he did not expect to hear what he heard. Among the beautiful trills of the birds, White heard the muffled sound of a moan. Following the sound, he discovered a person who had fallen on some ice and had probably broken her leg. If he would not have heard her soft moan, she would have laid there another few hours and maybe even died in the cold of that winter morning.
While settling in for needed prayer time, Darla began to read her Bible. She always read various scriptures before beginning her conversation with God. It helped her soul to ready itself for some quiet prayer time. But that morning in April, Darla could not enjoy her quiet time. Three rooms over, her phone buzzed. Then, it buzzed again. And again. Only then did Darla realize that she had forgotten to turn on the phone’s ringer. Frustrated at the interruption, Darla finally walked down the hallway and retrieved the phone. On it, she read the frightened texts sent from her best friend. Grabbing her phone, Darla said a quick prayer and rushed out. As she got in her car, she called her friend. Within minutes, Darla was at the hospital. There, Darla helped her best friend deal with the death of her child. If it weren’t for the quiet prayer time, Darla might never have realized that her cell phone ringer had been silenced. At that moment of realization, Darla said a quick prayer of thanks. God needed her, her best friend needed her, and God used the phone’s vibration to get her attention.
In each of the stories above, very important noises alerted someone to a need. Sometimes, you need the quiet in order to perceive the importance of certain sounds. In truth, much can be missed or lost when you are surrounded by the noisy distractions of modern life.
“Prolonged exposure to eighty-five decibels or more can cause damage to the inner ear and result in permanent hearing loss and extensive health problems in related areas including high blood pressure. Imagine, then, the dismay of a Lehman College psychology professor as she stood, decibel meter in hand, and registered ninety decibels at an Upper Manhattan intersection. As she crossed the street the rattling staccato of a jackhammer shot the decibel level up to one hundred.
New York is considered the nation’s noisiest city because of a population density fourteen times higher than other cities. Increased traffic, construction, ill-tempered motorists, careless pedestrians, and the constant repair needed in the metropolis promise to make it worse, not better. It is the price paid by those who live and work in the city. Among other benefits denied their city cousins, rural dwellers tend to lose less hearing capability in their lifetime.” (p. 161, The Speaker’s Sourcebook of New Illustrations).
As Virgil Hurley included the above anecdote about the noise and deafness suffered in New York City, he reflected, “Prayer offers a busy Christian the quiet time needed to withstand the noisy distractions of life. Too often our spiritual values get buried under the clamorings of family, health, and career. In prayer’s quiet time God energizes our soul with his peace. Then, when times are not quiet, when we stand at the Broadway’s of life, we can express the spiritual graces with which the quiet time equipped us.”
When quiet time with God is missing in your life, the distractions of life can dull your spiritual hearing. When surrounded by the clamor of needs, requests, problems, demanding bosses, and irritated family members, it can be difficult to perceive real needs or danger. Noisy distractions can drown out not only what is important to hear but even God’s voice.
In the scripture reading for today from the Old Testament book of Second Chronicles, we are told about Athaliah. Athaliah was a mean, vindictive woman. She caused the deaths of many faithful people in mid-ninth century BC Judah. With Athaliah wielding power from the royal court, nobody was safe. She even murdered several who were in line to the throne of Judah. She loved power and relished the thought of controlling Jerusalem. Many examples of suffering are attributed to her influence. As long as she ruled, chaos and intrigue and danger and threats were constant in the land of Judah. Even Baal idol worship resumed. 2 Chronicles 23:21 states openly that Athaliah’s death resulted in “quiet” in Jerusalem. Her death resulted in people coming back to God and peace returning to the land.
Have you ever noticed that when some people are around, chaos and problems and obstacles just seem to pop up everywhere? People like Athaliah bring troubles and tribulation and chaos and clamoring with them. As long as people like Athaliah influence your life with their chaos and interruptions and manipulations, your spiritual world will be in a constant state of dis-ease. It will be difficult to perceive God’s voice. It may even be difficult to be at peace in your soul. At some points in life, the only way to find true peace with God will be to back away from such people. To reconnect with your soul or with God, you may have to pull away from bad influences and worldly pressures.
Are there any people or situations that are stealing your valuable prayer time with God? Are there nagging worldly influences that consistently shake up your world? Quiet, holy moments in your day are incredibly important for your rejuvenation and your spiritual awareness. Work hard to keep your soul at peace. Endeavor for real quiet time with God. Your sanity might demand it! Your soul needs it desperately.