2Corinthians 4:2
but we have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.

Proverbs 14:12
There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.

Isaiah 55:8-9
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways
And My thoughts than your thoughts.

Galatians 1:8
But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!

As Solomon said in Ecclesiastes, there is nothing new under the sun. In every time period after God revealed himself to Israel, people have looked for ways to subvert and avoid the word of God. The concepts are not new, but the terminology changes over time. In each age, there are those that would use their ideas of what is right and wrong to convince the world that they have a better idea. What happens is that as those ideas become mainstream, then the cause for change shifts to something else, usually more extreme.

Today, things that are taken as “normal”, were not – even 50 years ago. Proponents would argue that this is just the natural process of progressive enlightenment. That these things would have been normal then, if only society had known better. But I see the contradictions to what God has told us in scripture. What worries me are not only the changes that have taken place already, but what is the next thing that might need enlightenment. When Israel entered the promised land, it was common for those that they displaced to worship their gods by sacrificing their children by fire. You wonder how a society even got to that point, but it probably was with small steps over a number of generations by people that thought they had a better idea.

It occurred to me that terminology like “progressive” has replaced the gospel concept of “sanctification”. We want change because it seems right to some, rather than change that brings us closer to God. We look at these social changes as being enlightened, rather than focusing on being illumined by the Holy Spirit.

The narrow path we are called to follow has many outside forces attempting to draw us on to another road. That is why the gospel that was brought to us by the very Son of God cannot be exchanged for a cheap imitation.

Heavenly Father, I pray that my eyes would remain fixed on you. Illumine me only by the Holy Spirit. Sanctify me into the image of Jesus. Help me to keep the gospel as it has been given to us by Jesus and forsake those things that are contrary to scripture. Amen

“If truth is optional, error is justifiable.” Charles Spurgeon

Matthew 14:5-6
5 Thomas *said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?”
6 Jesus *said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

Truth has been under attack from the very beginning. If you think about it, original sin was due to questioning the truth of God’s commandment by Adam and Eve. It has continued ever since. All sin that has come from that point is, at the root, an attack on truth.

Jesus made truth clear by the absolutes in his message to the disciples. He is THE way, not one way, He is THE truth, not an optional version of truth, He is THE life, not just one of many ways to be accepted by the Father.

We see absolutes in nature, because God’s character is constant and true. The very universe cries out the truth. Scientific research has revealed a number of constants in nature (truths). At an early age, we learn about some of the mathematical truths. Physicists have discovered a number of constants that never change even by a small amount. If they did, the very fabric of the universe would be torn apart.

As I am convicted by the sin in my life, the seriousness of it is exposed when I relate it to the truths of God that I violate. When I am prideful, I rob Him of the glory that only He deserves; disrespecting the truth of His sovereignty. If I sin by allowing emotions to rule my beliefs and decisions, I discount the absolute truth that Jesus is the standard. If I accept that truth is relative, then the very foundation of my faith is shaken.

Jesus, thank you that you are THE way, truth, and life. Thank you that you are unchanging. You are the rock that I cling to. Keep your truth always before me. Amen.

Last Thursday, I gave the devotion at the shelter where our church serves dinner once a month.  Here is the essence of what I shared.

We are all faced with trials in our life, but it is how we approach the trial that is important.  The good news is that there is a formula for what to do that is recorded in the Bible. The story revolves around the second King of Israel – David. David, you probably remember was the one that faced the trial of Goliath the giant Philistine. He faced many trials in his life, just like we do. One of the biggest was when his first born son, Absalom, tried to kill him to take over the kingdom and David had to flee for his life.

In Psalm 3, David records this event and what he did when it happened. It shows us how we can face the trials of our lives. It is a short psalm and it is composed of several sections.

David’s trial
David’s prayer
David’s peace
God’s answer

See if you can pick out these sections as you read Psalm 3.

Did you see how David was caught off guard by the size of the rebellion. We are often caught off guard by the trials we face. His reaction was to go to God in prayer. But what happens next is the important part. David then trusts God. He was at peace for whatever outcome God had planned. He also realized that what he needed was rest and rejuvenation to face what was coming, so he slept and was refreshed. That is the key to David formula for facing the trial. He trusted God for the outcome and then got prepared, not by worrying about the outcome, but by being refreshed and ready. Finally God answers David. It wouldn’t have mattered what God had in mind for David or what God’s answer was, because he trusted God and was prepared for any outcome.

So, it is a simple formula for facing a trial in life.

Pray
Trust God, get some rest, get ready, and don’t worry.
Accept God’s answer, for He knows what is best for you.

Always praying for the glory of God,

Psalm 146:1-10 (NASB)
1 Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul!
2 I will praise the LORD while I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
3 Do not trust in princes, In mortal man, in whom there is no salvation.
4 His spirit departs, he returns to the earth; In that very day his thoughts perish.
5 How blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, Whose hope is in the LORD his God,
6 Who made heaven and earth, The sea and all that is in them; Who keeps faith forever;
7 Who executes justice for the oppressed; Who gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free.
8 The LORD opens the eyes of the blind; The LORD raises up those who are bowed down; The LORD loves the righteous;
9 The LORD protects the strangers; He supports the fatherless and the widow, But He thwarts the way of the wicked.
10 The LORD will reign forever, Your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the LORD!

Francois Fenelon, in his collection of letters called “The Royal Way of the Cross” provides some suggestions on how to approach God in prayer. He tells us that to properly come before an Omnipotent, Righteous, and Holy God, we must picture ourselves properly in relation to Him. Even though, as Christians, we are covered by the blood of Jesus, we must come to God understanding our true spiritual state. He suggests two pictures to keep in mind. The first is as a poor, naked, miserable wretch, perishing of hunger. The other is a sick person, covered with sores and ready to die. Neither of these are particularly appealing to me, but if I am honest with myself, they do represent my spiritual state without the grace that God has given to me.

Only when we can come to God in this state of mind, can we truly bring prayers to Him that are earnest, expressing our real needs. Only then can we appropriately express our praise to Him for the blessings that we enjoy. Only then can we be truly thankful for the sacrifice He made on our behalf and the “daily bread” that He provides. Only then can we submit to His will and rest on the promises that He has given to us and have the hope that he will conform us to His image.

As I re-read Psalm 146 with my spiritual state of mind corrected, it brings new beauty to the words as I pray them.

Always praying for the glory of God,

Psalm 80:3 (NASB)
3 O God, restore us And cause Your face to shine upon us, and we will be saved.

Psalm 80:7 (NASB)
7 O God of hosts, restore us And cause Your face to shine upon us, and we will be saved.

Psalm 80:19 (NASB)
19 O LORD God of hosts, restore us; Cause Your face to shine upon us, and we will be saved.

In this psalm of Asaph, God is implored to rescue Israel from their calamities. In it he uses the words of God given to Moses for Aaron as a benediction in Numbers 6:25.

He implores to God for restoration in this psalm three different times, each time more urgently than the last. In some translations, God of hosts is translated to God of the angel armies. It gives a much more descriptive image of God, His power and where we stand in relation to Him.

This pleading to God establishes that only God can restore us, only God can save us, only God’s grace is sufficient for our needs. The very words of God in Numbers are used to plead for salvation. In that prayer, God is telling us that He wants His face to shine on us, that He wants us to be saved. Can there be a better prayer – to use God’s words back to Him?

Heavenly Father, God of the angel armies, thank you for the salvation that only comes from You. I pray that Your face would shine upon me today and every day. I pray for the restoration that comes from the sanctification of Your Holy Spirit; all only possible by the atoning work of your Son, Jesus Christ. I pray this in His name. Amen.

Always praying for the glory of God,

Do you know anyone that you only hear from when they want or need something from you? Do they get upset with you when you don’t meet their needs, even if you know what they are asking for is not good for them?

Do you know anyone that when you talk to them, all they want to talk about is themselves? They don’t seem interested in getting to know you at all. And they also don’t seem interested in getting together with you privately or in a group with others?

Have you ever had someone mistreat you, but have never honestly said that they are sorry for what they did? Even if they have apologized, their behavior really doesn’t change and they continue to mistreat you.

How does that make you feel? Do you expect to be treated better than that from those that you know?

It occurred to me that this is often how we treat God. We expect Him to always be there for us, yet we really don’t treat Him well at all.

I wonder how we would change if we:

• Talk to Him even when we aren’t in trouble or need something.
• Spend time in private prayer and prayer with others.
• Get to know Him by reading, studying, meditating and praying over His scriptures.
• Repent when we sin and honestly work to turn away from the sinful behavior.
• Accept His answers, trusting that He knows best for us.
• Worship Him at all times, not just for one hour on Sunday.

I think we all know the difference it would make in our lives.

Can you think of a scripture that would help you?  Share it in a reply on the blog.

Always praying for the glory of God,

Ezekiel 18:32 (NASB)
For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies,” declares the Lord God. “Therefore, repent and live.”

Luke 15:7 (NASB)
I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.

Luke 15:10 (NASB)
In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

For God so loves the world that He desires no one to die. Can you imagine what the joy in heaven is like when someone repents and believes? Can you imagine the joy in heaven when we pray in repentance for our sins?

We know from scripture that our prayers are hindered when we have not repented of our sins. Knowing that and the joy that it brings to heaven itself, why do I spend so little time in repentance in prayer. Maybe my prayers would be more effective if I spent 90% of my time in repentance and only 10% in supplication.

Father, I repent of my sins. They surround me like a cloud that prevents a closer relationship with You. Holy Spirit, bring the specific sins to mind, so that I may repent each of them. Help me to clear the air, so that Jesus is my only thought. Amen.

Always praying for the glory of God,