Month: January 2025

As a child, we all seek validation from those who are important to us. But if they are distant or absent, our life becomes that of constantly seeking approval, confirmation, and just wanting to please…no matter what that looks like. And this doesn’t stop when we reach adulthood…we still desire to be heard, understood, and valued. I Thessalonians 5:11 shows then the importance of positive affirmation from fellow Believers…”Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” Aptly spoken words of encouragement and comfort can not only build up someone’s faith, but it can also validate what’s happening in their life. But more importantly, it can stir them to seek their worth from God rather than people… offering them guidance on how to build a strong identity based on God’s love and truth and not man.

It was once said, “A man who is born-again doesn’t use the world’s standard of right and wrong.” And nowhere can this difference be seen more than in the progression of commercials & advertising in our history. It’s because, the world’s standards of right and wrong are constantly shifting…and what was once considered unthinkable & risqué 50 years ago, is now accepted & commonplace today. Censorship has also radically changed in regard of what is viewed as objectionable, vulgar, or obscene. So, as the world’s ethics & principles decline, we need to look to the Word of God as our golden standard of what’s right & wrong.

Charles Spurgeon once wrote, “The giant in front of you is never bigger than the God inside you.” When we’re faced with the “giants” of life, we can either shake in our boots as we confront the massive problem before us…or we can look beyond the temporal and see God working on our behalf. No where is this seen more than Numbers 13 & I Samuel 17. In Numbers 13:26-33 we see twelve spies come back from Canaan with a report for Moses. They all agree that the land indeed flowed with milk & honey, but only Caleb & Joshua looked beyond the giant size of the inhabitants…confident that God was mightier than them. And in I Samuel 17 we see the familiar story of David & Goliath. Now Goliath, was a true giant standing over nine feet tall, that taunted & challenged the Israeli army. But the young David didn’t see an imposing figure, but an uncircumcised Philistine that was defying his living God. So, no matter the giants you will face, they will never out shadow the power of God.

This saying emphasizes the dire cause-and-effect relationship between sin & punishment…and the real consequences of our rebellion against God. It’s like the difference between a light breeze and the violent & destructive wind of a tornado. One sin can have a ripple effect and cause a lifetime of grief. Its results far reaching the original misdeed…its aftermath far messier. Galatians 6:7-8 tell us that, “A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction.” Remember, no sin is without its consequences that we must bear…no trespass not punished with sorrow & disillusionment.

Why is it so hard to accept God’s love? We can read in multiple places in the Psalms of God’s unfailing, great, and eternal love. But why do we think we’re not worthy or entitled to it? It’s because of the murmurings of Satan…the prince of darkness, father of lies, and accuser of the brethren. He cunningly uses temptations and doubts to bait and switch. And when we’re caught, Satan becomes our condemner…using shame, guilt, and blame to accuse us of unworthiness. But this incrimination is so far from the Truth of God…for Hebrews 4:16 tells us, “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Satan only offers humiliation & disgrace, while God’s love is full of grace & mercy and is forever.

The well-known Puritan Clergy, Charles Spurgeon, once warned fellow preachers with this: “There are many sleepy pastors who will not tell the truth for fear of hurting your feelings.” That’s why the Apostle Paul strongly exhorted the young Timothy here to “Preach the Word.” In other words, we can’t allow the possibility of making someone “uncomfortable” with the divinely revealed Truth of God so as to not cause their displeasure or disapproval. Paul warned of these men who desired fables & myths to God’s Word so that their conscious wouldn’t be “assaulted” by the Truth. Sound doctrine goes out the door when pastors are fearful to offend, and crowds demands deception, or to paraphrase Isaiah 30:10… Don’t give us anymore visions of what is right, rather tell us only pleasant things so we can be deceived.

We need to not only be mindful of the words we speak in the Presence of God, but to others…and that especially goes for making promises we know will never be fulfilled. Ecclesiastes 5:2 warns us, “Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven, and you are on earth, so let your words be few.” So, our posture before God should be that of listener…desiring to be instructed and guided. Our passion focused on understanding, insight, and discernment…not aimless ramblings of our own. For the thoughts of the heart are expressed in the words of the mouth…and ignorant words just show how spiritually weak we are and end up harming rather than healing others.

Whether we declare this regarding our eating habits, our addictions, or our negative attitudes, we need to first look at what is called Original Sin & realize that the world is pervaded by the purposes of the devil who has captured the human race through temptation. We are born with a sinful & corrupt nature going back to Adam & Eve. The bare fact is the universality of sin…and that we come into existence in a state of sinfulness. And sadly, in & of ourselves, we can’t change the vicious cycle the devil has us trapped in. But the answer to our guilt & shame of being unable to change is the word “overcome”. The Scripture that first comes to mind is I John 4:4, “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the One Who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” How can this be so? John 16:33 tells us that through His crucifixion and resurrection Jesus has overcome the world and that everyone who has been born of God can overcome the world victoriously. (I John 5;4) So just like the man in Mark 9:24 who asked Jesus to help him overcome his unbelief, we can take our fragile bit of faith… and allow God’s compassion & grace to change what we can’t.

This is probably one of the saddest statements we can profess to ourselves. It may involve something deeply personal, out of desperation from a loved one dying, or from staring at the impossible situation in front of us. This hopelessness causes us to have tunnel vision…where we can only see despair & defeat…surrendering it all in despondency. But if we shift our eyes from hopeless to hopeful, we’ll see that our hope ultimately is in the Lord. For not only in Jeremiah 14:22 but elsewhere in II Corinthians 1:10, we read that we are to set our hope in God, for only He can deliver us. It’s then that we can lift our eyes above the anguish to Him. (Psalm 123:1)

Jesus had taught His disciples numerous times to pray, but at this crucial moment in the Garden of Gethsemane they failed miserably (Matthew 26:41) for not seeking God for strength to stand against their flesh and Satan’s power. We see this again in II Timothy3:6, when Paul warns against those who are weak-willed. So many times, when we lack resolution, we’re trying to do it under our own power. The spirit may be willing, but our body and mind are weak. We’re then powerless against addictions, incapacitated by unwarranted fears & anxieties, and open to our frail human vulnerabilities. Psalms 9:9 says, “The Lord is a stronghold in times of trouble.” In other words, by seeking God in our time of weakness, whatever it is, we can find a fortified place of refuge & safety in Him.