God doesn't sleep

From the Word: Esther 6:1 “That night the king could not sleep…”

"Not when there is injustice. The King of Glory never sleeps nor does He slumber. He will bring justice swiftly for those who love Him. The devil is plotting and we are not unaware of his devices. Even more so the all knowing God. Will He not arise and carry out His good plan according to His mercies? Will He not see us in the court, dressed and ready for Him and extend his scepter to us? Will he not hang the devil on the gallows he meant to hang us on? Will He not bring us to His banqueting table and hang His banner of love over us?"

It is Easter weekend as I write this. So many thoughts and emotions come with this time of year. Beauty is all around as flowers are in bloom and for a few weeks in California we get to see green hills instead of brown ones. 

Even with all the beauty we are constantly reminded of the fallen world we live in. Just last week the headlines were "Shooting at an Elementary school." Sin and the devil are at work. They don't take a day off. We read that after Jesus overcame the temptation in the wilderness that the devil went away looking for an opportune time to trip him up. 

The good news is that God doesn't sleep either. In fact Jesus said that He and His Father were working from the beginning. God doesn't change and Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever! Jesus is alive and working on the earth. 

Jesus told a parable of a widow who went to an unjust judge to get deliverance. Eventually she did because the unjust judge didn't want to be wearied with her coming anymore. In the explanation of the parable Jesus tells us that we shouldn't give up either. God is not unjust! He hasn't forgotten you. Jesus ended his statements by saying that God would bring justice swiftly. 

Don't give up or give in. When you see the devil taking lives and sin destroying people press in to God. He isn't off taking a nap or an extended vacation. He is intimately involved in the events of the earth bringing justice, comfort, peace, healing and especially the good news of the gospel that Jesus took our sin on the cross and defeated death and the devil when he raised again to life! 

God loves you so much. Easter shows us that. The beauty of spring shouts that there is a resurrection and we can be made alive with Christ. I would encourage you to take some time to meditate on the story of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. Get into a Bible believing church and experience the wonderful presence of God. Tell God how thankful you are for His love and love on Him right back. Finally, take some time to pray for those who are bound by sin and the devil, that they would be delivered and experience the salvation and love of Jesus this Easter weekend as well. 

Avoiding Pitfalls

"I spent more than I wanted but you should never send a bored man to a hardware store."

I guess after reading my comment from last year the same could apply to window shopping with a woman during a sale. There are just things that we should know better. We also should know ourselves. 

Most of the time when I have messed up I can look back and see where I went wrong. Sure there are times where I am blindsided and didn't see the pitfall but most of the time I know I could have avoided the problem. 

It starts with knowing better. To know better we have to look to a higher way than our own. I could try to do life on my own thoughts or feelings. I could also try to get a better way from others in society or education. The problem is that all of these ways are flawed just like my own. The only way to know better is to go to God's ways. 

God is perfect. He is all knowing, ever present and all powerful. It just makes sense to look to Him for wisdom. Jesus even modeled His ways so that there would be no guessing on our part of what the will and way of God looks like in the flesh. When we look at Jesus we know better because it is made plain to us in His life. 

This is wonderful but we also have to know ourselves. We need to take inventory and look at the scene of the accident to find out where we veered off the road and what the factors were that got us off track. The signs will be evident. What time was it? Is that a factor? Were you tired or weary? Did you lack information, time or resource? Did you assume or jump to conclusions? Were others involved? Why did their involvement effect the situation? 

When we know the answers to these questions we can conclude that in the future we can look for these factors and find a way around them. Like the guy who went to the doctor and said he broke his arm in two places to which the doctor responded "Stay out of them places." We need to be aware of what factors are involved in our mess ups. This is especially true if it is a habitual sin or something that dominates our lives. It has to be addressed in the Spirit through prayer and the scriptures and then resisted through imitating Jesus and resisting temptation. Remove or reduce those factors in the natural if you can. 

You can do it. We all have things that God is working on or working out of our lives. Don't get discouraged if you fail from time to time. Repent, stay after it and maybe a year from today when you look over your journal you will find that you are operating in a higher way than you used to. That is called progress. 

Are there any other factors you can identify that would add to accidents along the road? What progress do you see in your life from knowing God's ways or knowing yourself? 

Day 289 - Playing the Silence

"I stayed silent so as to not sin with my mouth or speak rashly."

In music there is a note that you intentionally play silence. It is called a rest. I believe that there are times we need to give our tongues a rest.

Many times silence is the best answer. I have found that if I can be slow to anger and slow to speak I will not only have all the information I need but I can also calculate my answers and people will listen more because I haven't been talking. In fact, the Bible says in Proverbs that where words are in abundance sin is not absent.

Our tongues steer our lives. When we talk out of emotion or condition we run the risk of steering in the wrong direction. I would rather play the rest and focus my heart to speak the Word of God so I get going in the right direction.

It will not only help our direction but our relationships, marriages, parenting, work and witness. When we can think properly and communicate in a way that imparts grace and our speech is seasoned with salt who wouldn't want to hear what we have to say? You have to play the rest so that when your part comes in it is harmonious with the other voices.

The most important voice we want to be in agreement with is God's voice. If I fly off the handle or allow anger and bitterness to spring forth from my lips then I am in opposition to the Word of God. When I play the rest and then speak in turn with what God says then I will have the pleasure of God and the power of God on my side.

As you go throughout your day take time to listen. If you are confronted with sour attitudes or situations that make your blood boil don't be like the tea kettle that whistles out to let everyone know how hot you are. If you can submit your tongue to the power of the Holy Spirit, play the rest and stay silent, then when you speak it will be graceful loving words that build instead of break.

Is it a struggle for you to stay silent or do you wish you could speak up more? How do you know what the appropriate time and place to speak is?

Day 251 - Rebuilding Jericho

"From the Word: 1Kings 16:34 it talks about a man who during the reign of the wicked king Ahab built Jericho. He laid its foundation, or started the work, at the cost of his firstborn son, and hung its gates, or finished the work, at the cost of his youngest. He had to either be ignorant of the curse Joshua attached to rebuilding the city, unbelieving that the word would come to pass, or he cared more for the work of rebuilding Jericho than he did the lives of his family. In any of these cases he is in a bad predicament. Do we at our own cost and misfortune rebuild what God has miraculously delivered into our hands? Galatians 2:18 says “For if I build again those things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor.”"

In the New Testament we also read that a man who returns to their sin is like a dog returning to its own vomit. How disgusting to think of. And yet the illustration sticks doesn't it? The very thing that upset us and made us sick and weak that our body rejected we want to consume again. 

There is a part of an old hymn called "Come Thou Fount" that catches me every time I sing it. It says "Prone to wander, Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love. Here's my heart Lord take and seal it, seal it for Thy courts above." It identifies honestly the fight that we all go through in the flesh. Our flesh wars against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh. We have to cling to the Lord in humility and refocus our attention heavenward. 

God is able to deliver. We need to be wise enough to leave the pile of rubble alone as a memorial rather than rebuild our Jericho. 

What are some ways we can keep from rebuilding our Jericho? How do you think God feels about when we rebuild what He has delivered into our hands? 

Day 242 - Everyday Choices

"Everyone has choices and issues they deal with though and none are exempt for any reason. We all have to fight the good fight and put the flesh under."

There are people who think that because I am a pastor that I don't deal with any issues. Like my father in law taught our church we as pastors are anointed to preach and teach the Word of God, but, we are no more anointed that anyone else to live the Word of God. We have to hear it, believe it and apply it just like everyone else. 

I often am shocked, even though I should know better, when I see people who have everything going for them and they are still struggling with issues that they should know better. But the truth is that we all stumble in many things like the book of James tells us. We all need to follow diligently the Word of God. 

As long as we are living in the flesh we will be fighting with it. The flesh wars against the Spirit. That is where we choose to walk in the Spirit and put the flesh under God's control. Once we make the choice the battle ensues. Thoughts and feelings will come, the devil will attack. If we stay the coarse and follow the Word then we will come out victorious. How could we not when God is on our side? 

How do you deal with battling the flesh? How do you deal with spiritual warfare? 

Day 203 - The Devil's Grip

"From the Word: Exodus 8:28 Pharaoh tells Moses that the children of Israel can go worship but he says not to go too far away. Not too far from his reach and their bondage. He will give a little if he doesn't lose his grip. Sin and the devil alike will allow us to go to church and worship The Lord if we don't go too far into Christianity. If we don't get radical and forsake the way of the world the devil is ok with us attending church, praying and even reading the Bible as long as they don't lose their grip on us. With God it is not so. There is no compromise. He tells us to go neither to the right or to the left and the way is narrow. We are to fix our eyes, our hearts and our minds and have one focal point; Jesus."

I don't think I need to say much more than that. Anyone who has struggled with sin knows the devil doesn't give up easily. He wants to dominate our lives and keep us in bondage. The Bible lays out two things for us to do in order to send the devil packing: 1. Submit to God. 2. Resist the devil. It sounds easy but when faced with temptation it seems like it is the hardest thing to do. The good news is that God has given us the power of His Spirit to do what He asks of us.

You don't have to stay in bondage to sin. God has freed those that have been born again from the devil's control. You simply need to submit to God and resist the devil and the devil will flee.

Have you been born again? If not click here. What are your thoughts on Exodus 8:28, sin and bondage? 

Day 180 - Lazy Bones

"I did not want to get out of bed this morning. It was really comfortable. Thankfully my inner man is stronger than the flesh and I was able to get up and get ready."

Apply those words to anything. The lazy bone will show up at work, at play, any time, anywhere. It could be more than just getting out of bed. Maybe it is getting out of debt. Or maybe it is getting out of sin. The natural tendency is to want to lay there because it is so comfortable. 

What makes the difference is the inner man. If you have been renewed in your inner man then you no longer are a slave to sin. You don't have to be ruled by the flesh. You just have to get your soul and spirit working together against the flesh. When your mind links up with your flesh they will overpower your spirit. But when you get mind and spirit together they will overpower the flesh and you will get out of bed, debt, sin, or whatever else. 

We can get comfortable with the bed we are lying in. It is time to roust ourselves from sleep and get going on God's will! 

How can we strengthen the inner man? What scriptures show how to deal with the flesh? 

Day 156 - God's Desire

"God desires faith in us." 

There is no other way to enter into relationship with God than by faith. There is no other way to please God than by faith. There is no other way to get things done on the earth than by faith.

God not only desires it in us He requires it of us. Right in the middle of a talk about eating vegetables or eating meat in the book of Romans the Holy Spirit inspired the Apostle to write a small sentence with huge impact. He says "Everything that does not come from faith is sin" (Romans 14:23b)

Far be it from me to sin against God. That means that if I want to stay out of sin I must stay in faith. It may seem cruel because believing doesn't always come naturally to us so why require it? Here is why, sin comes natural to us. Doubt, fear and unbelief come naturally.

So how we start is how we will sustain and also how we will finish; in faith. God desires it.

How can we build faith? What are you believing God for right now?

Day 155 - Mess Ups

"I blew it this morning from the time I woke up."

I actually record in my journal two times I had to patch things up after an argument with my wife, one in front of our children. I also had to work with someone else on their issues and then that night preach in the pulpit. My message was called "Stop complaining". I was obviously preaching to myself. 

What is funny is that after the message it was confession time. I almost could've had a line and people taking a number. I didn't mind though because our confession is healthy for us. If we confess then God can work with us. Once we say "God I messed up, forgive me please!" His grace and mercy do the work of forgiving us and cleansing us. 

Don't try and hide or be prideful and never admit guilt. We are all mess ups and need the blood of Jesus to blot out our sin. Confess it to God, repent and make it right and then resist the temptation and the devil in the future. 

Have you ever had a day where you just seemed to be messing up all the time? What scriptures do we have to lean on for days like these? 

Day 53 - Drugs and Losses

"A man who used to be involved in our ministry met me after church. He has been on and off drugs for months. Mostly on. He was wearing a tattered shirt and he was very thin. He said hello and tried not to cuss. Eventually he did while he was talking about things he was seeing because of the drugs. I asked him if he was staying clean and he said no. He told me that God told him to smoke dope. I told him that God would never violate his Word and smoking dope was against the law and against the Word so God would not have told him to smoke dope. He kind of clammed up after that but he did ask why he was seeing things coming out of his hands and stuff written on them. I told him that the drugs had opened his eyes to the spirit realm and that he needed to get clean. He expressed his love and shook my hand. I saw him out by the burned down meth lab house by the entrance to the church sitting by the gutter drain. My heart broke for him. I recalled another drugged out guy who was standing in the lawn there staring off in to the distance. He probably had no idea I was driving by. I went into prayer and intercession for him."

I hate this post. I hate it because one of our people who had victory over drugs went back to it. I hate the devil and I hate evil. I hate the fact that this man's life and family and future have been ruined. 

This man isn't the only one. I know many who have went back to the things they left to follow Christ. We cannot afford to play with sin and evil. The old saying that he who plays near the mud hole will eventually fall in is true. If you play with fire you will get burned. 

We have to watch what we are watching, guard our hearts and make sure that we have godly relationships. Accountability, disciplines of church attendance, prayer and the Word of God are all so important. Not just going through the motions of dead religion but a personal and passionate relationship with the Living God. 

I am still praying for that man to return and the he be saved. I pray for you. I pray for myself.

How can we guard against slipping back into old ways? What has kept you strong in your relationship with the Lord?