35 Reasons Not to Sin

A list of sobering truths by Jim Elliff

1. Because a little sin leads to more sin
2. Because my sin invites the discipline of God.
3. Because the time spent in sin is forever wasted.
4. Because my sin never pleases but always grieves God who loves me.
5. Because my sin places a greater burden on my spiritual leaders.
6. Because in time my sin always brings heaviness to my heart.
7. Because I am doing what I do not have to do.
8. Because my sin always makes me less than what I could be.
9. Because others, including my family, suffer consequences due to my sin.
10. Because my sin saddens the godly.
11. Because my sin makes the enemies of God rejoice.
12. Because sin deceives me into believing I have gained when in reality I have lost.
13. Because sin may keep me from qualifying for spiritual leadership.
14. Because the supposed benefits of my sin will never outweigh the consequences of disobedience.
15. Because repenting of my sin is such a painful process, yet I must repent.
16. Because sin is a very brief pleasure for an eternal loss.
17. Because my sin may influence others to sin.
18. Because my sin may keep others from knowing Christ.
19. Because sin makes light of the cross, upon which Christ died for the very purpose of taking away my sin.
20. Because it is impossible to sin and follow the Spirit at the same time.
21. Because God chooses not to respect the prayers of those who cherish their sin.
22. Because sin steals my reputation and robs me of my testimony.
23. Because others once more earnest than I have been destroyed by just such sins.
24. Because the inhabitants of heaven and hell would all testify to the foolishness of this sin.
25. Because sin and guilt may harm both mind and body.
26. Because sins mixed with service make the things of God tasteless.
27. Because suffering for sin has no joy or reward, though suffering for righteousness has both.
28. Because my sin is adultery with the world.
29. Because I will review this very sin at the Judgment Seat where loss and gain of eternal rewards are applied.
30. Because I can never really know ahead of time just how severe the discipline for my sin might be.
31. Because my sin may be an indication of a lost condition.
32. Because to sin is not to love Christ.
33. Because my unwillingness to reject this sin now grants it an authority over me greater than I wish to  believe.
34. Because sin glorifies God only in His judgment of it, never because it is worth anything on its own.
35. Because I promised God He would be Lord of my life.

Too Little, Too Late - The Danger of Unbelief

God will always forgive the repentant sinner. But there are consequences to sin that we sometimes cannot wheedle ourselves out of, or make up for. Similarly, at times our disobedience and lack of faith will cause us to miss a God-thing and no amount of crying, pleading, begging God will move Him to give us a 'second chance'. We've essentially missed the time of our visitation, or missed an appointed time. A Bible example of this is evident in the account of the Israelite nation after they were led out of Egypt and being prepared to enter their Promised Land.

In Numbers 13 we are told how a representative group of twelve chief men were sent to spy out the land they were to enter and possess, and were charged with bringing back a report of the territory, including details of the agricultural produce and the people occupying the land. Ten of the men returned and because they lacked faith in God, shared a discouraging report with the thousands of Israelites - from their skewed perspective. Their unbelieving report struck terror into their hearts of the people who then denounced Moses and the God who had led them out of Egypt with unprecedented signs and wonders. They refused to enter Canaan and to do battle with the people living there although God promised to give it to them. They set their hearts to choose another leader and make their way back to Egypt where they had been slaves. But God interrupted their uprising.

After Moses interceded for them, God quickly decided to pardon them. Nevertheless, there would be severe consequences. Pronouncing judgment upon them based on the words of their own mouth, God informed Moses that none of those people twenty years and older, who had rebelled against God would ever see the Promised Land. They would wander for forty years, each year representative of each day that the unbelieving Israelite spies had been viewing Canaan. The whole group would occupy the wilderness till the time of the death of the rebels, and finally, those who were then children would be allowed to enter the Land promised.

After Moses shared the judgment determined for Israel the group was terrified and remorseful. They finally decided they would believe and obey God. By that time, it was too little and too late.

Then Moses told these words to all the children of Israel, and the people mourned greatly. And they rose early in the morning and went up to the top of the mountain, saying, Here we are, and we will go up to the place which the Lord has promised, for we have sinned! And Moses said, Now why do you transgress the command of the Lord? For this will not succeed. Do not go up, lest you be defeated by your enemies, for the Lord is not among you. For the Amalekites and the Canaanites are there before you, and you shall fall by the sword; because you have turned away from the Lord, the Lord will not be with you. But they presumed to go up to the mountaintop. Nevertheless, neither the ark of the covenant of the Lord nor Moses departed from the camp.Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who dwelt in that mountain came down and attacked them, and drove them back as far as Hormah (Numbers 14:39-45).

Notice the line that says 'they presumed...' - even after being warned by Moses that they would not be successful. In the same way, we can't presume to continually, deliberately, do our own thing and then just pick up where we left off in obeying God when we feel like it, or when we see the avalanche of consequences coming our way. There may be a high price to our waywardness. Sometimes, we are forgiven and able to continue without life-altering repercussions; sometimes (though forgiven) we are not. And we can really never tell which it is going to be.

The sin of the rebellious Israelites was clearly diagnosed in Hebrews 3:12 as an "evil heart of unbelief" that led to their departure from God. God is merciful, but let's be reminded from this account that both disbelief, and subsequently disobedience, are sins against God. Mercy keeps us standing in grace, but mercy does not necessarily trump the negative consequences, delays, and detours caused by unbelief along the narrow path we are traveling. Instead, let's make use of the grace of God which will enable us to lead obedient lives, and conduct us safely into His promises to us.

I Knew What I Was Getting Into - All Men Are Broken

I feel strongly that somebody needs to hear this.
Please listen this to the end. Ponder it. Take it to prayer. Let the Holy Spirit minister to you.
Believe.
Let God love you.

10 Little Christians

10 little Christians standing in line. 1 disliked the preacher, then there were 9.

9 little Christians stayed up very late. 1 overslept Sunday, then there were 8.

8 little Christians on their way to Heaven. 1 took the low road and then there were 7.

7 little Christians chirping like chicks. 1 disliked music, then there were 6.

6 little Christians seemed very much alive, but one lost his interest then there was 5.

5 little Christians pulling for Heaven's Shore, but one stopped to rest, then there were 4.

4 little Christians each busy as a bee. 1 got his feelings hurt, then there were 3.

3 little Christians knew not what to do. 1 joined the sporty crowd, then there were 2.

2 little Christians, our rhyme is nearly done, differed with each other, then there was 1.

1 little Christian can't do much 'tis true, brought his friend to bible study, then there were 2.

2 earnest Christians, each won one more. That doubled the number, then there were 4.

4 sincere Christians worked early and late. Each won another then there were 8.

8 splendid Christians if they doubled as before. In just so many Sundays, we'd have 1,024.

In this little jingle, there is a lesson true, you belong either to the building or to the wrecking crew!

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Causing Oneself to Stumble

In my most recent posts, I have said a little about praying from a heart that is not willing to obey God whenever His answers are contrary to our own desires (here), as well as our need to move past merely praying good intentions, to taking obedient actions and making wise decisions (here). In this post, I want to share another important caveat about the condition of our hearts when we come before God with our requests.

The overthrow and destruction of the Israel and Judah, and subsequent 70 years of Babylonian captivity (526 BC - 455 BC) was God's last resort to chasten the Northern and Southern kingdoms. The chosen people of God refused to repent from their persistent unfaithfulness against Him, even after many, many prophets were sent to call them back to God. They had long strayed far from the days of Moses and Joshua, and from the various times of revival they experienced under a few godly kings. In fact they had surpassed some of the pagan nations around them in ungodly, abominable practices. During one phase of the Babylonian captivity while Ezekiel the prophet was in exile, some of the elders of Israel approached him to inquire of the Lord on their behalf. They came and sat before him and we are not told what was their specific request but read what God began to say to Jeremiah:

"Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts, and put before them that which causes them to stumble into iniquity. Should I let Myself be inquired of at all by them?"
Ezekiel 14:3

In the scripture above, the LORD revealed that the elders who had come to the prophet had set up their idols in their hearts. That is to say, they had an affectionate bent towards their idols and did not truly want to let them go. They gave their idols a place to reign, knowing that it would lead them away from God into iniquity. But then they came to the LORD as if they valued His word.

There are things that we know are wrong. There are things that are not wrong in themselves, but we know that they lead us to a slippery slope and may eventually result in compromise and sin. There are things we know our consciences are not clear about but we excuse away the pinpricks rather than seek God in His word and prayer to settle the matter with finality. All of these scenarios have to do with a heart that does not love God as it should, and hence, does not hate sin as it should. Such a heart is willing to take risks with sin, or to sin outright.

The rest of the chapter is very telling. God made it clear that when they come to Him in this condition without a true willingness to repent and obey, He would let them hear what they wanted to hear, answering them 'according to their idols'. He would allow the false prophets to mislead them. And then both the prophet and the one who inquired would be punished for their unfaithfulness to God which led them to both desire, inquire, and speak falsely.

What is the lesson for us here? We must nurture a love for the truth of God. We must be willing to obey all of the time - not only when it seems easiest or most convenient to us. When the truth of God will point out compromise or sin in our lives, we must learn to accept the humbling of correction. We cannot tolerate things that cause us to stumble into iniquity and also expect to grow in relationship with God. Furthermore, God's help and counsel come to those who are sincere in seeking Him.

Walk In Step With Your Prayer Requests

God expects us to be very practical. There is no way to be authentic in our faith if we are not also practical. We are to read God's word and do it. God's will for our lives unfolds, and answers to prayer requests (in agreement with God's will) are granted, as we remain on a course of obedience and faith. In the previous post I talked about the danger of praying from a hypocritical heart that will not obey or accept God's leading. In this instance I want to point out something that even sincere believers may need to be reminded about, particularly when asking God for help with various issues in life: Move past merely praying good intentions, to making wise decisions and being obedient. I like to think of this as walking in step with the prayer requests we bring to God. A few illustrations are below.

If you are praying for God's help, deliverance, intervention etc. because:

• you are struggling with unnecessary shopping/overspending - THEN you must resist window/online shopping, shop with a list, ditch your credit cards for a while, purposefully give more to spreading the gospel or helping others
• you need a closer walk with Him - THEN you must also set aside time for earnest prayer and reading and meditating in Scripture (there is NO other way)
• you need to overcome struggles with making an idol out of the desire for a relationship, unhealthy emotional attachments, sinful fantasy/lust etc. - THEN you cannot spend time filling yourself with the content of romance novels, watching romance movies, listening to 'love songs'; you must diligently flee sexually explicit materials, participating in improper interactions or communication with others that will wear down your defenses
• you have prayed in faith and you are waiting on God to act in some issue - THEN wait patiently and do not try to 'help' Him; become preoccupied with God Himself and not your requests by spending more time nurturing your relationship with Him

Those were just a few examples of what I mean by walking in step with your prayer requests. This is not a formula, and success will only come as you receive God's enabling grace. And yes, you will receive grace to submit, grace to resist, grace to flee, grace to wait quietly - but you must be an obedient doer of what you know to do. Commit to cooperating with the Holy Spirit because God will supply you with the grace, for obedience and walking in wisdom, with regard to the matter you are earnestly bringing before Him.

Prayer From A Hypocrite's Heart

It's possible for people to make requests of God for direction, to even ask others to pray for them, and yet have no intention of obeying the Lord when His answers come. This is a frightening reality with one such example recorded in Jeremiah chapters 42-43. You really should read it! One would think that the dire straits that these captains and leaders found themselves in, as well the solemnity with which they approached the prophet to request he interceded for them, would indicate sincerity. In fact, read their great proclamation:

So they said to Jeremiah, “Let the LORD be a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not do according to everything which the LORD your God sends us by you. Whether it is pleasing or displeasing, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God to whom we send you, that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the LORD our God.”
Jeremiah 42:5-6

Jeremiah interceded and God (who had known what Jeremiah did not know) answered their petition after ten days. You see, these men had just made an impressive show with no willingness to obey in their heart. In fact, if you have read the chapters indicated, you would have seen that they merely hoped that they would get God to approve their own plan. When Jeremiah responded with a contrary answer from the Lord they quickly became violent and accused him of plotting their downfall. God revealed their hearts to Jeremiah, and when he spoke of the disobedience of these leaders, notice that he used the past tense knowing full well that they would not accept the guidance of the Lord - despite the earnestness with which their request had been presented:

"For you were hypocrites in your hearts when you sent me to the LORD your God, saying, ‘Pray for us to the LORD our God, and according to all that the LORD your God says, so declare to us and we will do it.’ And I have this day declared it to you, but you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD your God, or anything which He has sent you by me.
Jeremiah 42:20-21

What is the lesson here for us? When seeking God for direction on any matter, we must be sure that we are willing to obey His leading. In this way, God will never have reason to say to us, "You were hypocrites in your hearts." It is best that we first ask Him to work in our hearts, so that our own will or natural reasoning loses it's strength over us. Ask the Lord to give us greater sight of how trustworthy He is, and a desire, and heart committed to doing His will. When we understand that God is a Good Shepherd who loves to lead us in the right way, with the wisdom and power to also keep us while we travel His path, we will more easily submit to His plan, and even long for it.

This is what the LORD says:

“Stand at the crossroads and look; 

ask for the ancient paths, 

ask where the good way is, and walk in it, 

and you will find rest for your souls..."

Jeremiah 6:16

All An Intercessor Can Do...

An intercessor stands before God to make requests, petitions, and to speak good for another (Jer. 18:20). The intercessor's ministry is a powerful and fruitful one because of the mercy and compassion of the Lord, but the intercessor soon learns that in themselves they are powerless and unable to 'save' another person.

Before I continue with my little thought for today, I cannot help but share some eye-opening Hebrew word study that will make the importance and intensity of intercession stand out to you in a profound way. Please note that the study below includes some key picture images of the ancient Hebrew letters which I am not able to paste here. If you would like to receive the orginal Word doc. file please email me and request it at caribbean[dot]shulamite[at]yahoo[dot]com.

By: Kathy Nichols
Ancient Hebrew Research Center
Biblical Hebrew E-Magazine
December, 2005, Issue #022

The second word usually translated intercession is the child root “paga”. You will recognise the (peh) which is the picture of a mouth from last months article. The first new picture form in this word is the picture of a foot which means to walk, gather, carry etc. It has the “g” sound. Paga means a chance meeting or encounter, or to place as a meeting. This could be an impingement, which figuratively means to attack with persistent requests. It can be persistently, even to the point of annoyance! When we read this, we are immediately drawn to the parables and sayings of Jesus concerning asking, seeking and knocking. No doubt God loves us to impinge on His wonderful grace to enable those we pray for to fulfill the role they were intended for. An unripe fig becoming ripe! In actual fact the parent root of “paga” the word pag means “Unable to fulfill the role intended for. An unripe fig!” The third picture added to this parent root is the picture of an eye which means experience, to see, to know and understand. In prayer we desire to ask for those who are living unfulfilled lives without the Lord, or lives with affliction and inability, because we have experienced and know what God can do for them. Having received this experience from such a benevolent and kind creator should challenge us to walk as close to Him as we can. This will enable God to touch our hearts in prayer to experience at times how other people feel and also how He Himself feels. This is an immense honour.

Is 53:12 “ while actually bearing the sin of many and interceding for the offenders.”

Is 59:15b,16a “..Adonai saw it, and it displeased Him that there was no justice; He saw there was no one, and was amazed that that no one interceded. Therefore His own arm brought him salvation…”

Here the words for intercession are “paga”.

So what Isaiah is pointing out is that God desired to bring about justice, but there was no intercessor – no-one willing to impinge on Him and because of the terrible state of the land, and no-one praying, God was appalled and disappointed.

A fascinating use of “paga” is found in Isaiah 53:6 ..the Lord laid (paga) on him the iniquity of us all.” The word is meaning our sins “fell” on Jesus, (so we could become what He intended). If one reads through all the verses using “paga” a good number of them are about “falling on” someone and the person dying, so there is great intensity in this word.

Intercession is a critical task and God seeks for intercessors that He may show His mercy and compassion to those who are headed for destruction or being spiritually attacked. Many more lives than we know have been changed and impacted by the personal intercession of family and friends, church prayer groups and the like. Many times the intercessor may not see the changes prayed for take place but they receive the answer by faith and lay the burden of a matter down.

When praying for the souls of people we are praying for hearts and wills that may resist but this is a difficult area to understand. God has given man free will to make choices between life and death; and He can also turn the hearts of men. Most certainly He is able to orchestrate circumstances to deal with the hindering blindness or pride of a person that may be resisting His mercy.

Needless to say, intercessors soon learn that to pray is all they can really do for they are not able to bring the change they are hopeful about. Some people we pray for are deluded and deceived by their sins, believing they are in right standing with God or that He will overlook their disobedience under their 'special' circumstances. They hear God's call to repentance and believe it is for someone else (see Jer. 2:35).

Other people will not turn to God and do not want to change even when they hear God's call to repentance and His promise of forgiveness. These are usually hardened hearts who have often been rebuked and invited to turn to God. No one can know of the instance in which God will give them over to the sins that they love. Having forfeited and scoffed at the patient mercy of the Lord, these will eventually come to the place where God may say as He did to Jeremiah concerning the people of Israel and Judah, "Do not pray for them because I will not hear"[See Jeremiah 5:1-3;18:11-12; 7:16].

All an intercessor can do in those difficult cases is to:
~ obey the heart cry of the Spirit of God that compels them to pray for another
"And I sought a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none. Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord." Ezekiel 22:30-31

~ weep for the unrepentant
"If you do not listen, I will weep in secret because of your pride; my eyes will weep bitterly, overflowing with tears, because the LORD’s flock will be taken captive." Jeremiah 13:17

~ move on in God's plan
"And Samuel went no more to see Saul until the day of his death. Nevertheless Samuel mourned for Saul, and the LORD regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel. Now the LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his sons.” 1 Samuel 15:35,16:1

Only God Can Change Man

Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots?

Then may you also do good who are accustomed to do evil.

Jeremiah 13:23

Perhaps parents learn before anyone else just how impossible it is to change their children and to rid them of their rebelliousness or disobedience. Maybe wives struggling with difficult marriages because of their husband's disconnectedness or addictions know best that they cannot be good enough in their own roles to change the men they married. Or just maybe if we've gotten honest insight enough to look at ourselves, we've faced the hidden things of our heart - desires and attitudes that should have no place in ourselves - and know that we cannot make permanent change only some successful periods of white-knuckling.

You meet him who rejoices and does righteousness,

Who remembers You in Your ways.

You are indeed angry, for we have sinned—

In these ways we continue;

And we need to be saved.

Isaiah 64:5

Maybe as you read this you are thinking of sin issues that need to be annihilated, maybe you are just facing some things you'd like to change or improve. The key is settling it with yourself that you cannot change any heart (your own or someone else's) and therefore setting your face steadfastly towards the LORD. If you really believe that you have no power to change the heart of man, then you must cry out, give God no rest and wait until He acts on your behalf. What this will look like in your individual case will differ. Maybe, as I needed to do for a period of time in my earlier walk, you will need to spend extended periods of time reading the word of God, praying desperate prayers and fasting like there was no tomorrow. Or maybe you will need to spend some time in deep intercession for someone else, making supplication based on the will of God and letting that person go to Him. God can change the heart and He delights to do it to the praise of His glorious grace (Isa. 61:3; Eph. 1:6). Call upon Him, pour yourself out before Him, and put all your trust in Him.

But now, O LORD,

You are our Father;

We are the clay, and You our potter;

And all we are the work of Your hand.

Isaiah 64:8

Free Indeed

This is the video testimony of David Upton. David is a sort-of-new convert (about one and a half years in Christ) and this is his recent recording of his life journey and how Christ set him free from a destructive lifestyle that included drugs, alcohol, and homosexuality that had him deceived and bound for 27 years - all the while believing he was a Christian. I loved listening to this because of David's unpolished and candid approach - he is not several years removed from his past lifestyle and accustomed to giving a well-worn testimony. When I look at David and listen to him telling his story, I see a man so grateful that he is boldly willing to tell the world of all that Christ has done. I see a man set free by Christ, and free indeed. This is all about Christ and the power of the gospel. The Holy Spirit's work of conviction, and the necessity of repentance are major themes in his telling of what God has done for him.

The following video is a little longer than I'd usually dare to post on the blog, coming in at about 33 minutes. Please don't let that turn you off, because if you have high speed internet access it's well worth it - even if you have to do it in parts for time's sake!

Maybe you know someone who needs to hear this. Please share this video. And please pray that David Upton will grow in the knowledge of God, be strengthened in faith, and that he would continue bringing glory to God.

Preaching to others...as a lost man

This is short but important.
Do you know that there are not just unsaved people in the church pews, but also preaching and teaching from the pulpit?
Below is the short testimony of one such former pastor and preacher, Don Currin. He'll also mention a little self-examination you can do....I wish I had a transcript.
Oh well, this video is just about 6 minutes long. Please view it and share with someone else. It just might be used by God to bring life-giving conviction towards true repentance.

13 Questions to Diagnose Your Idolatries

Here are 13 questions, adapted from an old Puritan sermon, to help us identify the idols of our hearts. I found this on John Piper’s ministry website, Desiring God :

1. What do you most highly value?
2. What do you think about by default?
3. What is your highest goal?
4. To what or whom are you most committed?
5. Who or what do you love the most?
6. Who or what do you trust or depend upon the most?
7. Who or what do you fear the most?
8. Who or what do you hope in and hope for most?
9. Who or what do you desire the most? Or, what desire makes you most angry or makes you despair when it is not satisfied?
10. Who or what do you most delight in or hold as your greatest joy and treasure?
11. Who or what captures your greatest zeal?
12. To whom or for what are you most thankful?
13. For whom or what great purpose do you work?

I have copied and pasted this list into my MacJournal, and I intend to answer these questions and continue to answer them periodically, so I can examine myself honestly and make corrections where necessary.
I hope that you will do the same. 
This is not a fun exercise. But it is necessary to know where our sinful tendencies, weaknesses and vulnerabilities lie. Satan knows them and will use this knowledge against us. We will also be unfaithful to God, and unfruitful for God, unless we are diligent to make Him our First Love and Chief Joy.

Happy people need Jesus too

I love to hear the testimonies of believers. I particularly love to hear the stories of men and women who tell how God found them and rescued them from various points of need and destruction. It encourages others to trust in God. It brings praise to Him and magnifies His glorious grace. But as inspirational as these testimonies are, some people only come away thinking that Christianity is for weak people, or that Christianity is a crutch for troubled people. Several years ago I talked to a young new doctor, who was a professing Christian from a good Christian family. I knew him while his internship was coming to an end and it was after that period, when his life seemed to be working just fine with a new personal romance and the take-off of his professional career, that he arrived at this conclusion. I guess he didn't see the need for Jesus anymore. But this brings us to an important question: Was he right? Why does it seem that so many 'Jesus people' have a story of a messed up past, childhood trauma, abuse, addiction...you name it?

The short answer, I believe, is that our weakness and pain more easily strips pride from us, and enables us to accept God's way, or makes us desperate enough to seek His help. It's easier to trust God when we have nothing else that works or satisfies. But Christianity is no crutch. What God does with weak, broken people is to heal them and also make them blessings to others - wounded healers - for His glory. His work in us is to transform us into overcomers who will inherit His kingdom. The darker our night was before Christ, the more evident to others is the change He makes when He shines on us and through us. But happy people need Jesus too.

How do we evangelize the happy, or rich and satisfied, unbelievers though? Jesus taught that for the rich, self satisfied people of this world, it is virtually impossible for them to enter the kingdom of heaven. But when his disciples were alarmed by His strong statement, He assured them that although this is impossible with men, with God nothing shall be impossible (Matthew 19:23-26). Happy people may see and feel no need for Jesus, but even ignorantly, they remain under the condemnation of their sinful nature. God loves them and desires them to come to know Him too.

It can be intimidating to try to share the gospel with someone who is happy with their life as it is. We have been taught how to share Jesus with broken people who need help and are more open to having God in their life. I think in some cases, we will prefer to wait for a moment of weakness to share the gospel of Jesus Christ. This method does often work as the Spirit draws men, but we should not limit ourselves like this. Having watched the wisdom of God in using the law to show men their need for a Savior through Ray Comfort and Kirk Cameron in their revolutionary evangelistic program, Way of the Master, I am convinced that happy people can be pierced with the truth of their need for a Savior. God's own word can show them how they have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). And this is the reality to which we must appeal in these cases. We may not see fruit right away, but this is not our responsibility.

Let us all be encouraged to be obedient to share our faith even with the happy, smiling people around us. Some of them are only smiling on the outside anyway. But even for those who live the proverbial 'good life,' and even if their fortunes do not change, their soul still needs to be redeemed. "For what profit is it to a man to gain the whole world and lose his own soul. Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul" (Matthew 16:26). I love the testimonies of the wounded healers, but it is just as glorious a testimony of God's grace when a happy person comes to know Christ and proclaims Him to be better than all earthly things.

I'm learning to trust

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6

There are so many Bible verses that exhort us to trust God. And so many others which prove He can be trusted. I have read those verses, and memorized them, and hoped in them, but I don't think I began to really walk in the joy, peace and freedom of trusting God until just last year. Before then, I was constantly trying to help God, always trying to connect the dots and then work things out. In fact, at one time I actually used to ask the Lord for a "blueprint" so that I could see the bigger picture first. I was also always being disappointed, because this method does not work.

I've heard exhortations to trust God too many times to count all through the past several years but it now feels like no one ever told me how wonderful and freeing this way of living is! It's like a fresh new discovery that has taken the world of trouble and worry off my shoulders. I can take everything to God and wait for Him, do what He tells me one step at a time. If I get something wrong or fail to do what He tells me, He corrects me and I repent, turning to the next right step. This is unlike my past when I would find myself miles down the wrong road because I had been trying to make my own way, or bring His word to pass by my own reasoning and planning. Now I've found that God's next step for me is really enough.

I was reflecting on this recently. I walked myself through memories of things I'd sincerely trusted God about and there is nothing He's ever failed me in. Nothing. Despite the fact that very few things unfolded or worked out 'when' and 'how' I wanted, believed, or hoped. And despite the fact that I didn't understand His working in those things until years later (and that there are some things which I never will understand on this side of eternity). All I know is that I have His peace...and I stub my toe less on life's roads. He knows how to make the crooked places straight.

God can be trusted. No one ever trusted Him and was put to shame (Psalm 22:45, Isaiah 49:23, Isaiah 64:4). Unlike love, which does not need to reciprocated to be true love, the very nature of trust points to a relationship wherein it must stand upon the character of something or someone else. God doesn't ask us to trust Him arbitrarily. He tells us who He is and what He is like in His word. He takes us through experiences in our life where we get to see Him act. He sends us the testimony of others. He is always consistent, never-changing, always faithful. God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it (Numbers 23:19)? Our trust in Him is well founded. With people, we take our chances.

People are people, with human hearts. Because of this, trust in people will often be sprained, broken, or even totally shattered by their inconsistency, put-downs, or lies and deceit, unfaithfulness, and betrayal. I have personally found a little understanding of orthopedic medicine to be a helpful here, particularly an understanding of the types of bone fractures which may occur. God requires us to be merciful when we are wronged, and we should humbly seek forgiveness with true repentance when we wrong others. However, depending on the severity of the trial and numerous other individual factors, lost trust in a person may not ever be recovered, even when forgiveness is given. It is easy to see that trustworthiness is a priceless quality. And often, it is only after being deceived, lied to, and betrayed by others (particularly once-trusted, close friends and confidantes), will one fully come to lean upon and savor the Lord's amazing faithfulness, that quality of "no shadow of turning" with Him.

Trust is the bedrock of any relationship that achieves unity of heart, mind, and purpose and goes on to be fruitful for the kingdom of God. This is what God invites us into with Himself!  We take Him at His word and see that not one word of any of His promises to us will ever fail. We abide in Him and He in us. As we come to know Him more, increasingly unshakeable trust in His unchanging character grows. We trust in Him and we will not be moved by the circumstances of life.

As a child, my mother would often do her housework while singing little hymns. I thought her voice was beautiful so I paid attention and happened to learn many little choruses this way. One of my favorites was from an old hymn written by John H. Sammis in 1887, called Trust and Obey. The link will lead you to the instrumental version of the hymn, and to end I would also like to leave you with the full lyrics which accurately describe all the things I am personally learning right now about trusting in the Lord with all my heart...

When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,

What a glory He sheds on our way!

While we do His good will, He abides with us still,

And with all who will trust and obey.

Refrain:

Trust and obey, for there’s no other way

To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies,

But His smile quickly drives it away;

Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear,

Can abide while we trust and obey.

Refrain

Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share,

But our toil He doth richly repay;

Not a grief or a loss, not a frown or a cross,

But is blessed if we trust and obey.

Refrain

But we never can prove the delights of His love

Until all on the altar we lay;

For the favor He shows, for the joy He bestows,

Are for them who will trust and obey.

Refrain

Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet.

Or we’ll walk by His side in the way.

What He says we will do, where He sends we will go;

Never fear, only trust and obey.

Refrain

Working out our salvation: the sin factor

"And He said, "What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person."
Mark 7:20-23, ESV

How many of us, upon finding out that we had a serious disease that did have a possibility of being cured, would not let the rest of 'life' go on hold, to use all our finances, exhaust all our options, and see all the doctors we possibly could to grasp at the chance for recovery and health? Serious illness mobilizes most people to fight for life like few other things do.

Sin kills. It can be compared to a terminal disease. I sometimes worry that many Christians take sin too lightly. Grace has been used as a cover-up for sinful desires and for meddling with the world. Often we don't press into God as we should to learn to walk in the Spirit and put to death the deeds of the flesh, as Scripture commands. Yet those very things which Jesus described in Mark 7 (quoted above) are repeated in Scripture matter-of-factly as things which will prevent a person from inheriting eternal life. This is more critical than any terminal illness that could afflict the body of man. Take a look at just a few of these passages and read the highlighted parts very carefully:

Colossians 3:5-9
Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 

Ephesians 5:3-6
But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous ( that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

Galatians 5:19-21
Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Revelation 21:8
But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.

These Scriptures make me downright afraid. They remind me how holy God is and why Christ's death and the atonement of His blood which the Father provided was no dramatic plan merely for theatrical effect. He had to give that much, because sin costs that much. The wages of sin are death.

Sin is not to be meddled with if you have been saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus. Believers have power in Christ to overcome temptation, they have been made free from the dominion of sin. There is no excuse. We must work out our salvation (not work 'for') with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12)...And it is precisely because of these terrifying realities of the end of sin that the apostle Paul used the phrase "with fear and trembling." We dare not drift along with only good intentions about holiness. We must be desperate for true holiness and willing to pursue it.

I asked a question at the beginning about how much a person would do to grasp at the chance of a cure if they discovered a serious illness in their body. Will you give that much to working out your salvation? If you will, God will help. His grace teaches us to deny ungodliness (Titus 2:11-14). We must obey the things He commands. Avoid sin. Flee temptation. Take no part. Guard our heart. And we must continue in obedience day after day.

It will be worth it, for eternity.

Here are three ways you can make progress starting right now:

1. Ask God for a clean heart (Psalm 51).
2. Spend consistent and regular quality time getting to know God - pray purposefully and even with fasting, praise and worship Him continually, read and do His word intentionally
3. Guard you heart will all diligence (Proverbs 4:23; Matthew 5:29-30) - be honest, quick to forgive, quick to repent; totally cut off wrong relationships, influences, and activities; let go anything else that may not be wrong in itself, but which increasingly distracts you from pursuing God as you should - at least until you grow in the discipline to handle it wisely.

Truth will cut to the heart

For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12

The word of God is truth (John 17:17) and it is absolute - contrary to popular opinion. I like to say, 'The truth not-believed is still the truth.' There is a troubling trend now where even professing Christians are choosing their stance on the sinful social issues of the day, and excusing away or re-interpreting what the Bible already clearly states on these matters. What these people view as their 'enlightenment' on such issues is actually evidence of their departure from the truth, and perhaps from the faith. The truth of God delivered with the anointing of the Spirit of truth will always cut to the heart. Because truth doesn't change, it is the individual heart that must respond. There are only two real options. We must choose to accept it and change for better, or reject it and change for worse. Following are two biblical events which will clearly illustrate the two heart responses that the same truth can provoke:

(1) The apostle Peter has just finished preaching to a multitude. He plainly preached that they had indeed rejected and killed the Christ, whom God has now raised to life (with authority to give eternal life).

Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”
Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”
And with many other words he testified and exhorted them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation.” Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.
Acts 2:37-41

(2) Stephen had just preached one of the most amazing sermons clearly outlining the history of the Hebrew nation and told the multitude that Jesus Christ, who they had betrayed and killed, was the promised Messiah foretold by all the faithful prophets.

When they heard these things they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed at him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”
Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul.
Acts 7:54-58

Let's all be careful to choose the right response. Receive and do the commands of God's written word (James 1:21-25; 2 Tim 3:16-17); accept the chastening of the Lord which is for our good and proof of His love (Heb 12:5-11;Rev 3:19); and accept the admonition of Christian leaders and fellow believers who care for our souls (Prov 27:5; Titus 1:13; Heb 13:17). Let's also refuse to gloss over sin no matter where it is found, and refuse to ignore or quench the pinpricks of conscience within ourselves. Truth that cuts to the heart can also make your heart free.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.

John 14:6a

And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free...Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

John 8:32,36

Dead religion and worldliness

You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.

John 5:39-40

"It's about relationship, not religion." The message of this true slogan which is now so popular was described by Jesus a long time ago.

Religion:   
You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.
Relationship:   
But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.

Just like the Pharisees of Jesus' day, who made a pretense of long prayers and made a show of their fasting, mere religion will leave a person internally corrupt and unchanged in their hearts. Without a relationship with the Son of God it's unfortunate what lengths some people will go to to uphold a form of godliness, without having the power of it (2 Tim 3:1-7). There is a certain sort of intellectual satisfaction that may come from being able to carry on a conversation on Bible matters; or perhaps attending church and getting involved in church activities is a moral salve of sorts, or mere habit because of upbringing.

Some people know they do not know God, and know that outside of public observation they neither pray, pursue, nor spend time earnestly with God. They have some ulterior motive for which the facade is necessary. Others think they have eternal life. Perhaps they once said a 'sinners' prayer' but without true faith, which is evidenced by obedience from the heart. Consequently there is no heart-conversion or bearing the fruits of repentance, but no one has taught them the truth about this. These struggle to live in the way of a changed life. They banish the nagging evidences of an unconverted heart from their thoughts by associating with others who cheapen God's grace, or who are in the same predicament as they are. The truth is, religious people who do not know God are actually very worldly.

Worldliness refers to being increasingly conformed to the ways, values, and perspective of those who are still in spiritual darkness and separated from God - enemies of God (see Eph 2:1-3; Rom 12:2). A worldly person has their mind set on the things of this world - it is not occupied by God. A worldly person has desires for the things of this present world, which will turn them away from the God who calls them upward in Christ Jesus (2 Tim 4:10; Php 3:14). The worldly heart that remains despite the practice of 'religion' is a heart not filled with the Spirit of God. While such a person may appear to be a good person because of some things which they 'don't do', they make no true repentance. They cannot go on 'to do' what God commands from the heart.

"Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world"
James 1:27 (emphasis mine)

A true religion that arises out of true conversion, will produce good works motivated by love. This is most clearly found in serving the weak, needy and oppressed - those who have no ability to repay us - for God's pleasure and glory. The verse above is often quoted with emphasis on the widows and orphans. The second part of that verse is often left out or ignored, but a true religion will also produce a holy lifestyle. God requires that His people be 'unspotted from the world', and 'without blemish', 'without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing' (see Eph 5:27).These statements just do not leave room for a mixture of worldliness and dead religion in our lives. Rather than put on a show, however, Christ has told us we may come to Him and find eternal life, and find power to become sons of God (John 1:12). This is what will make all the difference.

Dead religion is a tedious chore. It gets tiring trying to be something one is not, and trying to squelch ungodly desires which proceed from an unchanged heart. It is in relationship with God that we are satisfied and transformed. This enables us to live authentic lives without the frustration of never-satisfying performance. We will be able to give our attention to the things of God, and put the strength we must against resisting the devil and temptation. Pursuing a relationship with Jesus Christ is the antidote to dead religion and worldliness.

For more information:
~  I found a great (pdf) article online called 'What is Worldliness' by Dr. Jack L. Arnold. I recommend you download it or read it via quick view (powered by Google Docs).
~  I highly recommend the book 'Wordliness: Resisting the Seduction of a Fallen World' edited by C.J. Mahaney. This is a tiny book, divided into useful sections covering lifestyle issues such as media, music, stuff, and clothes. It concludes with a chapter on how we are to love the world.

How God feels about "repentance"

In Luke 15 Jesus told three parables about the joy of finding things lost things which we consider to be valuable:

1. The parable of the lost sheep (Luke 15:1-7).
2. The parable of the lost coin (Luke 15:8-10).
3. The parable of the lost (prodigal) son (Luke 15:11-32).

You can read these three parables now by simply hovering over the chapter and verse locations provided above.

All three parables are intended to show us God's heart for finding lost people and for reconciling us to Himself. I believe it can apply to those meeting God for the first time through faith in Christ Jesus, as well as those wholeheartedly turning back to God after backsliding (inclusive of habitually giving place to sins in one's lifestyle). In both cases we may use the word *repentance.

We know that repentance is life-saving for our own souls because God alone saves, and this turning around is the only way to find ourselves heading in His direction. Repentance also plays a critical fundamental role in destroying the footholds and strongholds of satan that ensnare us. But did you ever stop to think about how God feels about our acts of repentance?

Each of the parables above ended by relating the Father's great joy in our repentance, as told by the most reliable Source - the Father's Beloved Son:

The parable of the lost sheep

"And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance."

The parable of the lost coin

"And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents."

The parable of the lost (prodigal) son

"And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him...But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate."

Granting us mercy for our repentance is not something that God does grudgingly, neither in an exasperated nor aloof manner. It is not a cold, professional transaction. When we repent from a sinful way, He gets involved with His whole heart and rejoices over our repentance. We make our way towards Him sincerely, and He sees us while we are still a long way off and comes running to meet us (Luke 15:20). At this point, He does not conduct an interrogation, nor give us the silent treatment. Instead, He loves us freely.

“I will heal their backsliding,

I will love them freely,

For My anger has turned away from him."

Hosea 14:4

[* For definitions and key insights on repentance, I stumbled upon a good sermon outline which you may read here. I am not familiar with the ministry that produced this but I believe this particular outline is biblically sound and easy to understand.]

Come back home to God

If you've left your God, forgotten Him, been unfaithful, or chosen sin again and again, today is the day to come home. Today, you can make a true and full repentance.

1 Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God,
for your sins have brought you down.

You've done things you never dreamed you would. Still you're unsatisfied, lonely, stuck. Your life may or may not be in shambles, but your heart is, and you know it.

2 Bring your confessions, and return to the Lord.
Say to Him,
“Forgive all our sins and graciously receive us,
so that we may offer You our praises.

You may have told someone along the way some of what you've done and where you've been. Most likely you were lying even then, but God knows it all and He loves you still. Pour out your true confession. Ask for His forgiveness. He said He would surely grant it. And you will praise Him for His glorious grace.

3 Assyria cannot save us,
nor can our warhorses.
Never again will we say to the idols we have made,
‘You are our gods.’
No, in You alone
do the orphans find mercy.”

Whatever person or thing or method you have tried has failed you. Its hire was costly. Its pleasure was temporary. It did not answer when you called in the day of trouble - and it never can. You have been used and you were deceived. But in God you will find mercy.

4 The Lord says,
“Then I will heal you of your faithlessness;
My love will know no bounds,
for My anger will be gone forever.

Your backsliding has been a sickness, a malignant cancer in your spirit and soul. But He will heal you and give you a clean heart if you will ask and pursue Him. He will love you freely. He will pour out favor on you, undistinguishable from that which He pours out on the most faithful of His sons.

5 I will be to Israel
like a refreshing dew from heaven.
Israel will blossom like the lily;
it will send roots deep into the soil
like the cedars in Lebanon.

He will watch over the work of restoration in your life. He will be your life source and He will work from the inside out.

6 Its branches will spread out like beautiful olive trees,
as fragrant as the cedars of Lebanon.

Yes, times of refreshing will come from the presence of the Lord.

7 My people will again live under my shade.
They will flourish like grain and blossom like grapevines.
They will be as fragrant as the wines of Lebanon.

God will keep and protect you. He will be your shepherd and your vinedresser. He will make you fruitful for His glory.

8 “O Israel, stay away from idols!
I am the one who answers your prayers and cares for you.
I am like a tree that is always green;
all your fruit comes from me.”

Cast away and destroy the idols you put before Him. Radically cut them out of your life. Don't go back there. Don't go back! He is the the One who loves you, the One who loved you even while you were in your sins and rebelling against Him. He is your glory.

9 Let those who are wise understand these things.
Let those with discernment listen carefully.
The paths of the Lord are true and right,
and righteous people live by walking in them.
But in those paths sinners stumble and fall.

God is calling you back. Calling you back, today, now - while there is still time. Do you have ears to hear what the Spirit of God is saying to you? 

He is watching and He will come running to meet you with love and compassion.

[God's word to you is from Hosea 14:1-9, NLT]

From where you have fallen

1 "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: 'The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2 "'I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. 3 I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary. 4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. 5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.
Revelation 2:1-5, ESV

If the LORD Jesus had not pointed out the flaw of the church at Ephesus, I daresay that you and I wouldn't have been able to find any thing wrong with it. We would have praised these people as members of the model church.

Their flaw was very real though. It mattered to Jesus how much desire they had for knowing Him intimately. Moreover, take heed to the fact that this cooling love, despite the works and character they exhibited in all else, could cost them their place in Him.

Today these realities have not changed. It's more serious a problem than we are usually taught and told.

• Confront yourself if necessary.
• Repent.
• Pursue Him again.

We know how to do it, for the most part.

We have great ideas of how to show, tell, and rekindle our affection to imperfect men and women who love us far less than He always will. Valentine's Day ideas, brainstorming for date-night activity, and all the good advice we give to friends for their relationships are proof that we know how to pursue the knowledge of someone, to give our time and attention to communication, to be diligent to please that other person. Consider that Christ did not merely save us from hell - He saved us for Himself, that we may know Him as we are known by Him. Are you growing in a knowledge of Him that is marked by love and manifested by diligent obedience?

And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.

Mark 12:30