Category Archives: Journal Entry

Look Familiar?

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James 4:1-8 (NASB)
1 What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members?
2 You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. You are envious and cannot obtain; so you fight and quarrel. You do not have because you do not ask.
3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.
4 You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
5 Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: “He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us”?
6 But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
7 Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.
8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

In this passage, James gives us a view of the world during his time. But God gives us a view of the unregenerate throughout all time, as well as the sin nature that surfaces in those that are still being conformed the image of God.

I have to be constantly reminded of verse 6 above. The sin of self pride emerges without warning, disguised as a virtue in our minds. It causes us to compare ourselves to others, lifting the image of ourselves above others, erasing any humility that should be there.

When we let pride take over, we are unable to humbly defend those in need, humbly proclaim the truth of the gospel, humbly give Jesus the glory for all.

Heavenly Father, forgive me for the prideful sin in my life. It is a prayer that I need to pray each moment of every day. Holy Spirit, consume my spirit so that pride cannot emerge from my thoughts and deeds. Purge sin from my heart and replace it with a humble reliance on Jesus. I pray this in His name, my Lord and Savior. Amen.

Always praying for the glory of God,

Answered Prayers

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Mark 11:24 (NASB)
24 Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you.

The New Testament contains amazing promises we will receive when we pray with faith. But, how do we reconcile the observed facts? Do we then say that the promise is not true? Or do we, as some have suggested, regrettably understand that our faith is weak and that is why we don’t receive our petition as requested?

In either case, it might cause us to give up on petitions. Or simply use the reservation of “if it be Thy will”. As C.S. Lewis said, “Every war, every famine or plague, almost every deathbed, is the monument to a petition that was not granted.”

How is it possible to have a perfect faith in prayer and yet also prepare yourself in advance for possible refusal?

Lewis also said, “It seems to me we must conclude that such promises about prayer with faith refer to a degree or kind of faith which most believers never experience.”

So, what do we do? I believe Jesus was telling us that there is a level of faith that exists where the promise is indeed true. God is the author and perfecter of our faith. So, we should pray for faith, that our faith would be perfected through Him, that we need help with our unbelief. And we shouldn’t give up on our petitions. He is a God of miracles. He can perform them even if our faith is not perfect. What an amazing God we worship! What an amazing promise that is possible through our sanctification by the Holy Spirit.

Heavenly Father, You have given me faith to believe in You. It is a faith that is not possible without You. It is a faith that can be increased when I pray for it. God, increase my faith! Increase it as You have promised, in order that You, and only You will be glorified. I pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Always praying for the glory of God,

Systemic

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James 3:5-6 (NASB)
5 So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire!
6 And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell.

James 3:13-18 (NASB)
13 Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom.
14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth.
15 This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic.
16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.
17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.
18 And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

The word “systemic” has been used a lot lately. In the context of its use, it implies that all of a particular political stance, race, religion, or beliefs have an inbred hatred of others different than them. The word implies that this hatred goes to the core of a person, it permeates the entire person.

But as a Christian, I am led by the Holy Spirit to love all others. Do I do that perfectly? No, my heart is not pure. But as sanctification proceeds, I do better each day. And I pray for that purity each day.

As I think about the word “systemic”, I believe that it should be applied rather to sin. Not just my sin, but for the sin of all people. Sin is systemic until the love of Jesus enters our heart.

Heavenly Father, my heart is still sinful. I confess that I do not love others perfectly. I pray that You would erase that sin from my heart. I pray that You would cause my heart and the hearts of all people to perfectly love others. Thank You for Jesus, who loved me; loved me even knowing the sin in my heart. I pray this in the matchless name of Jesus. Amen.

Always praying for the glory of God.

Unnecessary Death

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Genesis 4:8b (NASB)
8b And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.

Mark 10:34 (NASB)
34 They will mock Him and spit on Him, and scourge Him and kill Him, and three days later He will rise again.”

Every day, probably every hour, possibly every minute people die unjustly at the hand of another person. We live in a world permeated with sin. Sin that causes man to hate man. When we see unjust death, it causes us to grieve. Not just for one that we witness on a tv screen, but for all who have died because of hatred, neglect, or worse.

As I thought about the recent events, I wondered where is the grief from those that feel nothing by the unjust death of Jesus? Where is the joy from those same people that also feel nothing of the miracle of Jesus who raised himself from an unjust death?

Jesus died willingly for us. It was the only way to wipe away the sin that we commit every day, every hour, every minute, and every second. Even a sin as horrible as taking the life of another person. God allowed the ultimate unnecessary death – the very death of His son. I praise God for that death and for the resurrection of the Son that makes our salvation possible.

Grieve for those that die unnecessary deaths. Pray for justice. And pray it would point us to Jesus.

Heavenly Father, I pray for healing, for reconciliation, and for justice. I pray that the sin of one would not cause others to sin. I pray that people would be drawn to Jesus and not to violence. I pray this in His name. Amen.

Put There Just For You

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Revelation 22:19 (NASB)
19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book.

We all have favorite verses from the Bible. There are those that just speak to us, give us comfort, or bring alive the Gospel in our lives. We like to read those verses over and over, pray over them, meditate on them, and recite them from memory.

But what about the verses that, if we had our wishes, God would have just left out of the Bible. You know them. We all have verses like that. We avoid them, avoid thinking about them, but often the Holy Spirit brings them up in our minds.

Those verses that we don’t like were put there by God just for us. For you and for me. Those are the verses that we need to focus on, to pray about, to meditate on earnestly, to learn what God has to say to us. And when we do, they become our favorite. Well, maybe not at first, but if we are persistent and ask the Holy Spirit to guide us, they will in time.

What verses in the Bible don’t you like? If you have one or more, respond to the blog and let me know what they are. It could be that they are verses that I have avoided and now God wants me to learn from them too.

Heavenly Father, I praise You for the entirety of the Bible. The wisdom that You have provided is perfect. I thank You for the verses that were put there just for me. I pray that You would help me to understand and to love the ones that trouble me. I pray this in the matchless name of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Always praying for the glory of God,

Never Alone

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Jeremiah 31:3 (NASB)
3 The Lord appeared to him from afar, saying,
“I have loved you with an everlasting love;
Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness.

1 John 4:16 (NASB)
16 We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.

1 John 4:18-19 (NASB)
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.
19 We love, because He first loved us.

Transcendent – (of God) existing apart from and not subject to the limitations of the material universe.

Imminent – at hand, close, near.

When troubling times are upon you, do you sometimes feel that God is absent from your life? Does it appear that prayers are not heard? That prayers are not answered?

Of the many attributes of God, we know from scripture that He is at the same time transcendent and imminent. He exists in a way that is not possible for us to understand, yet He is always near. And He loved us first.

There is no need to fear, for He is with us at all times. Even when we can’t feel His presence.

Father, forgive me when I fail to pray when your presence is not felt. Forgive me when I don’t feel your love. Forgive me when my faith feels weak. Forgive me when I replace love with fear. Forgive me when I don’t trust You and attempt to rely on my own ways. I confess these things in the name of Jesus, my Lord and Savior. Amen.

Always praying for the glory of God,

Praying for Those in Authority

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Luke 6:27-28 (NASB)
27 “But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

Romans 13:1 (NASB)
1 Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.

Jesus taught us many things that are a complete opposite of what we might think. If we aren’t careful, we will ignore some of these scriptures that don’t feel right. Why should I pray for my enemies, I’m pretty sure that they aren’t praying for me. Then, the Holy Spirit whispers to me, what if God used that criteria to love us? What if God only loved those that first loved Him? I’d be lost for eternity.

We were given the Bible and the teachings found there to keep us from determining what is right based upon what WE might think or feel. There are plenty of examples of what people only feel and think, especially from on-line sources. When we are exposed to content on-line or even thoughts expressed by our friends, family, and neighbors, we need to filter our thoughts and responses through the lens of Holy Scripture. Do the words that bombard us from these other sources cause me to love others or does it divide?

I understand that we all are passionate about the course of our country. We may agree or disagree with the current state of things, but no matter what, it is God’s providence. God has established those in authority. And we should pray for them. Pray that God’s wisdom would influence our leader’s decisions and that they would be willing vessels of the Holy Spirit. Pray earnestly that God’s will would be done, that He would accomplish His will through them.

Father, as You rule from Your throne in heaven, I praise Your holy name. I pray fervently that Your kingdom would come to earth as it is in heaven. Give to me today, just what I need for the day, trusting that You would provide my future needs. Forgive me of my sin, as I forgive others who do evil against me. Keep temptation from my thoughts and actions and keep the evil one far from me. It is Your Kingdom and You deserve all the power and glory for eternity. Amen and Amen.

Always praying for the glory of God,

Contentment

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“Grant me to walk as Christ walked,
to live in the newness of his life,
the life of love, the life of faith,
the life of holiness.”
“When thy Son, Jesus, came into my soul
instead of sin, He became more dear to me
than sin had formerly been;
his kindly rule replaced sin’s tyranny.”
From “The Valley of Vision”

1Timothy 6:6-7 (NASB)
6 But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment.
7 For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either.

I don’t recall another time in my lifetime when our world’s collective health and wealth have both been threatened at the same time. But for many now, the invisible enemy virus and our fear of financial loss holds captive our thoughts day and night.

And yet, the present trials are nothing compared to those of first century Christians. However these current tribulations seem to consume us.

As I read the thoughts of a Puritan in the Valley of Vision, I was reminded how Jesus is more dear to me than sin. As a Christian, these times will reveal the idols that I cling to, allowing me to let go of them and focus on my Redeemer. And trust. And pray that I would walk as Christ walked.

Heavenly Father, grant me to walk as Jesus walked, to always place Him first in my heart with no room for anything else. I pray He would replace all idols and that I would live in contentment a life of holiness. I pray this in the name of my dear Savior. Amen.

Always praying fo the glory of God,

Alone with God

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Psalm 139:1-3 (NASB)
1 O Lord, You have searched me and known me.
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
You understand my thought from afar.
3 You scrutinize my path and my lying down,
And are intimately acquainted with all my ways.

I sit down alone,
Only God is here:
In his presence I open,
I read his books;
And what I thus learn,
I teach.
     —John Wesley

I find that I think about God more when I am alone than when I am with others.  The only exception is during worship or Bible study or some other group activity like a prayer group.  And when I am alone, and my thoughts turn to God, I recognize just how much I am not alone.  I can be more alone in a group of people than when I am alone with God.

Even understanding this, I find it amazing that true humility seems to be difficult for me to feel.  Knowing that God is intimately acquainted with all my ways escapes my constant attention.  When we become Christians, I would think we should be the most humble people in the world.  And yet I am not.  My pride surfaces so easily.  I so easily think better of myself than others.  When I really meditate about that, it can be frightening.  How could anyone be prideful, knowing that God knows us into the deepest recesses of our soul.

I guess we try to protect ourselves by hiding how we really are and put on that mask that we show to others.  I’m afraid that I also do that with God, although hopefully less so.  Maybe it is the fear of seeing the real me.  If it wasn’t for God’s willingness to hear my confessions, I’m afraid that we would never really know anything true about us.  It would all be hidden away.  Without the Holy Spirit that helps us turn toward Jesus, we would never truly change.

Heavenly Father, You know me better than I know myself.  I pray that You would reveal to me the true me and then help me to confess those things to You that do not bring You glory.  Erase the fear of knowing myself.  Holy Spirit, whisper to me how to become more like Jesus and show me how to make that change.  Instill in me true humility.  Save me from my pride.  I pray these things in the name of Jesus.  Amen.

Always praying for the glory of God, 

 

Heaven and Hell

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Luke 12:4-5. (NASB)
4 “I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do.
5 But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!

Matthew 4:3 (NASB)
3 “ Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus spoke about both heaven and hell. I find it interesting that many today dismiss the concept of hell, saying that it doesn’t exist. Rather they focus on the idea of heaven only. I know of a pastor in a reformed church that didn’t believe in hell. He had no particular reason for believing that, but rather decided that it didn’t exist.

Our image of heaven and hell are somewhat determined by scripture, but God has only given us a small glimpse of these places from the Bible. Images of heaven and hell in our culture tend to be clouds and floating angels for heaven and fire and constant torture for hell.

While Jesus talked about hell, He didn’t tell us that we should believe by the fear of avoiding something bad. In the verse in Luke, He was simply stating the power and authority of God. More often He spoke about the blessings of the gospel and the promise of heaven when we have submitted to His authority.

Over the years, my idea of heaven and hell have changed from the images of our culture to something more basic. I think it came about when meditating on the crucifixion. Jesus was in agony when the Father turned His back on Jesus. He cried out “why have You forsaken me?” This was when my image of hell became the absence of God. Even on earth, all people are blessed with the common grace of God. But in hell, the presence of God is completely absent for eternity. I can’t think of anything more terrifying or agonizing than that.

Jesus, thank you for your words. I cannot image the pure and perfect beauty of heaven, for it will be much more than I can fathom. I look forward to living in Your presence for eternity. Thank You for calling me into Your kingdom. I pray for the salvation of the nations. I pray that all people will come to a saving faith in You. I pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Always praying for the glory of God,