When God Comes Near, Part III

Hi everyone. Thought I would wrap up this three-part Christmas Bible Insight before we ring in the New Year. That means today or bust; now or never! So hold on. Here we go!

As we saw previously, when God comes near, insignificant places are given meaning. Also, when God comes near, insignificant people are used for His purposes. When it was time for Christ to be born, God didn't send Gabriel to Rome or Damascus. He didn't even send him to Jerusalem. No, it was little Nazareth and lowly Bethlehem. When it was time for Christ to be born,  God didn't send Gabriel to visit kings or religious leaders. No, he went to visit a poor carpenter and a lowly peasant girl. And despised shepherds were given the "good news" to deliver to the people.

Likewise, when God comes near, insignificant events are filled with power. The big events of the day would be plastered all across the front page of the morning papers in Bethlehem and Jerusalem. You would read all about the census. It may even mention the enormous influx of people and catch everyone up on how the economy is fairing because of the people and all the money being spent in local businesses. But a baby born to a poor carpenter? At best you might find it in the “living section,” somewhere around page 5 in section D. Most people wouldn’t see it as important enough, even though it was unusual, having occurred in a stable.

But that one event, the birth of Christ, would ultimately overshadow everything else that went on there that day. The rest of the news that day is gone. The census that was taken is only known because of the role it played in bringing Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem. It was just a minor detail in the great event. What everyone remembers is the birth of Jesus, the birth of our Lord and Savior. That is the most important event of the day! Why? Because God came near and a Savior was born.

An ordinary event. Yet to the believer, an event that is anything but ordinary. God came near and prophecy was fulfilled. God came near and a virgin was "overshadowed" by the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35), conceived, and gave birth to the Savior: "So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn" (Luke 2:6-7).

God came near and lowly shepherds were visited by angels, who commissioned them to bring the good news of the birth of the Savior to the people (Luke 2:17). God came near and wise men from the east saw a star that guided them to the Savior (Matt. 2:1-2, 9-10). God came near and Joseph was warned in a dream about King Herod and fled to Egypt with Mary and the baby Jesus to keep Him safe (Matt. 2:13-15).

Think about it. God started to save the world with the birth of a baby. Another event about thirty-three years later would finish what God started that first Christmas morning. That baby grew, and though Jesus "knew no sin," He became "sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor. 5:21). The birth led to the cross, providing forgiveness of sin and salvation for you and me.

A birth and a cross, filled with power! That is what happens when God comes near. He takes events that most people would ignore, and fills them with power; His power! He moves in places we would least expect. He uses people we would ignore. He brings events to pass in order to meet our needs. That is what happens when God comes near.

Charles Spurgeon, once while testing the acoustics in Agricultural Hall in London, rang out over the empty building, "Behold, the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world!" A workman up in the ceiling heard the message, was convicted, went home, knelt before the Lord and found salvation. God took an insignificant event, filled it with power, and brought salvation to this man. That is what happens when God comes near. (Paul Lee Tan, "Spurgeon Tests the Acoustics," Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations, Assurance Publishers, Rockville, Maryland, 1979, #5869, 1318-19)

Christmas is about God coming near to us. The message is that all places, all people, and all events matter to God. You matter to God! We tend to see ourselves as insignificant. In the greater scheme of things, in this world we think we are of little importance. But you are just the person God most wants to use to accomplish His purposes.

Have a little faith. Let Jesus have all of you. And let the Lord God use you to His glory. Amen.

When God Comes Near, Part II

When God comes near, insignificant places are given meaning, like Nazareth and Bethlehem, along with the lowly stable where Christ was born. We saw how that was true in Part I of this Bible Insight. But not only does God give meaning to insignificant places, when God comes near, He also uses insignificant people for His purposes.

The important people of the world were Caesar Augustus and Quirinius (Luke 2:1-2). They were the movers and shakers. Like E.F. Hutton, when they spoke, people listened. They could call for taxes and the response was, “So let it be done.” But they weren’t called on by God. He used them in a way, but He didn’t call them to do His work. No, He called on the common folk when His work needed to be done.

First, there is the young poor couple from Nazareth, Joseph and Mary (vs. 4-5). Joseph was but a poor carpenter, albeit a good one, and Mary was just a young teenager. Yet they were chosen by God for a great work; a work that would ultimately change the entire world. They were upright, humble, and faithful, but the important thing to note is that God chose them.

God also chose the shepherds: “Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night” (v. 8). Throughout the Bible, shepherds had important roles, as we see in this story, but socially they were outcasts. They were considered unreliable, untrustworthy, and larcenous. In the eyes of the world they were insignificant, yet God chose to use them.

The shepherds were surprised at what they saw and heard that night: “So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.’ And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger” (vs. 15-16). They never expected to hear such things or see such sights, but they did!

God chose the despised shepherds to carry the announcement of the birth of the Savior to the world. And they did not disappoint. “Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child” (v. 17). “Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them” (v. 20).

Even the lowly innkeeper was chosen by God to see that Mary and Joseph were not left out in the elements that night. The innkeeper is so insignificant a person, he is not even mentioned in the text. There is only a slight reference to his role: “because there was no room for them in the inn” (v. 7b). That is why they were in the stable and why the manger came into play. Yet it was this unnamed innkeeper whom God used to protect the baby Jesus and keep Him warm.

Still today God uses common people to accomplish His purposes. 1 Corinthians 1:26-29 says, “For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.”

God uses places like Stanzel, and churches like this one, and people like you, to do His bidding. Simply respond to God as Mary did to the angel, “Let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). Respond by faith in that manner and humble yourself before the Lord God, and He will respond to you and use you to accomplish His will. He will ask you to do His bidding in some manner, and He will use you to accomplish His purposes in your life and in the lives of those around you. Amen.

When God Comes Near, Part I

The Christmas story has everything a great story needs. There is conflict and fear, as well as amazement as the story begins. There is an upright man who is engaged to be married, but he finds out his wife-to-be is with child. What should he do? How will he handle this most delicate situation? Then an angel appears in a dream and tells him of wondrous things he couldn’t even imagine. (Matthew 1:18-25)

There is concern, as well as anticipation as the story continues and a census is ordered by Caesar Augustus (Luke 2:1). Joseph and Mary make a long, treacherous journey from Galilee down to Judah, to the city of Bethlehem, the city of their ancestors (vs. 4-5). During that difficult journey they had to be looking forward to the birth of their son, God’s Son.

There is drama throughout the story, from the journey itself, to their arrival in Bethlehem where the streets are crowded with all sorts of people and there are no rooms available in any of the inns. Seeing that Mary was with child, a kind innkeeper allows them to stay in the stable out back, where soon Jesus is born (v. 7). It wasn’t exactly what they had in mind for a delivery room!

Then there is also political intrigue; a government wanting to eliminate anyone that might affect the status quo and a king seeking to find and kill this baby, a baby people refer to as a King (Matthew 2:13). Again, danger is in the mix as eventually Joseph, warned in a dream, has to take Mary and baby Jesus and flee for their lives to Egypt (v. 14).

And yet the Christmas story is really quite simple and straight forward. The whole saga begins in an insignificant village, Nazareth, when an angel of God visits Mary and Joseph separately. It ends in another insignificant little town, Bethlehem, when baby Jesus is born in a stable and laid in a manger, which is also an insignificant place.

But that is what makes everything about the Christmas story so intriguing! In insignificant places, Nazareth and Bethlehem, God finds and uses insignificant people, a carpenter and his betrothed wife, and through an insignificant event, the birth of a baby, He changes the world!

The “happening” places of the world at that time were Rome and Syria. The world rulers lived there. That was all that mattered. No one gave much thought to Palestine, tucked away in a small little pocket of the Roman Lake, also known as the Mediterranean Sea; that is, except God.

When God comes near, everything changes. When God comes near, insignificant places are given meaning. And that is what really matters. When God acts, the important places become less important and the insignificant places of the world suddenly become important and are noticed.

The Christmas story focuses on little places—towns, villages, small cities, and other places that people usually ignored. Places like Nazareth and Bethlehem. When the census was ordered (Luke 2:1-2), “Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child.” (vs. 4-5).

Nathanael once asked, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46). That is how the world viewed these small towns—as insignificant. Yet it was in Nazareth where God found Mary, a faithful woman, and Joseph, a faithful man, and put His work of salvation in motion. Yes Nathanael, something good can come out of Nazareth.

Likewise, Bethlehem is called “the city of David” because David was born there, but it really was not a city of any noticeable size and it had no great importance as far as the world was concerned. This little village was actually known for sin and rebellion against God (see Judges 17-18 for one story and 19-21 for another story). Yet a third story that takes place in Bethlehem is that of redemption (see the Book of Ruth). And it is here that the birth of Christ takes place.

God takes the common things of the world and gives them meaning. When God comes near, common things are no longer common. When God comes near, insignificant places are remembered throughout history. When God comes near, ordinary things are looked upon with favor and even remind us of the great things God has done. Everything is given meaning when God comes near.

When God comes near, He changes everything, and most importantly, He changes you. He makes you into a new creation: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). That is what Christmas is really all about. It is about your life being changed by Christ and for Christ. Monday I will pick up on that theme and expand it further. Amen.

In the Eyes of a Shepherd

All was quiet. The night was silent. And suddenly, without warning, out of nowhere, “an angel of the Lord” (Luke 2:9a) appeared! But that is not all. God’s glory (v. 9b) lit up the sky! What a sight it was! The shepherds rose to their feet, startled by the sight. Fear began to overwhelm them (v. 9c). They did not understand what this was all about. And then the angel spoke.

“Then the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger’” (Luke 2:10-12).

Now they understood. God had fulfilled His promise. The Savior had come. They hurried off into the night to meet the Lord, and it was not long before they found Him (vs. 15-16).

It was just as the angel had said. There He was before their very eyes, the Savior, Christ the Lord. They knelt before Him for a time in wonder and awe; and in worship. After all, He was their Lord and Savior.

When they returned to the hillside and to the sheep, they praised God all along the way (v. 20). They gave Him the glory, and they let everyone they met know about Jesus (vs. 17-18).

The gospel was made known that night. It was as the angel had told them: this night in Bethlehem a baby was born, “a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (v. 11). The Christ, the Messiah, the Savior had come! It was as God had promised long ago.

They knew the Scriptures. They were all sinners in need of a Savior. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”  (Rom. 3:23). “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23). “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). He was born in order to die for you.

“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (Rom. 8:1). “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom. 10:9).

Do you believe God raised Jesus from the dead? Have you confessed Jesus as Lord and Savior? If not, you can pray right now and receive the Lord Jesus as your Lord and Savior. When you finish praying to receive Jesus into your heart, let me know. I would love to hear from you and to have a chance to pray for you. Praise God for your salvation this Christmas. Walk with Jesus every day in the new year. Amen.

A Future and a Hope

We are home. Barb is doing great. She is walking everywhere again. Doctor Taner said she is doing better than expected. Her numbers are near perfect and she remains ahead of schedule. Doc called hers, "a miraculous recovery." She is still tired and full recovery is slower than she would like, but overall she is so much better. Her color is normal again and she looks great. No more constant sickness. She has been given a new lease on life! God is so good! As my title suggests, Barb certainly has a future and a hope! PTL!

Jeremiah 29:11-14a is usually associated with and primarily preached at graduations time. However, this passage has to do with much more than just graduation. It has to do with life in general and it applies equally to each one of us. In Christ, we all have a future and a hope that is certain. In Christ, we all have our identity. In Christ, we all live, and breathe, and move. In Christ, we all find our purpose.

Jeremiah knew that life would not always go so well, so he told us to look up. Always trust God and rejoice in all things because He has special plans in mind just for you. “‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord” (Jeremiah 29:11a). To discover those plans, we must follow three truths that Jeremiah lays out for us in verses 11-14a.

First, we must recognize that it is in God that we have a future and a hope. Verse 11 says, “Plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.” God has your back! Yes He does. Believe it or not, the Lord God has your best interest in mind. He has planned for your welfare. He has planned for you to succeed. He wants “to give you a future and a hope.” Your future lies in Him. So do not leave God out of the picture. To do so opens you up to certain calamity. But God does not want that for you. He looks forward to your success and He looks forward to helping you make a difference in this world.

Paul said, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13). And in verse 19 he adds, “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Now if God is the one who gives us strength, and if He supplies all our needs in Christ Jesus, then we can certainly accomplish great things through Him. Again, that means always looking up; always “fixing our eyes on Jesus.” (Heb. 12:2)

Live by faith in Christ, keeping your eyes fixed on Him, and you will do well. You will find all that God has for you. And remember, nothing is beyond hope when you trust in Christ and nowhere is beyond reach for God. Rely on Him and you will have a secure future.

Next, we must call upon God. The Lord continues in Jeremiah 29:12, “Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.” How do you find the plans God has for you and how do you gain that future? By calling upon God. “Come and pray to Me,” says the Lord. And what? “And I will listen to you.” What a promise! Just ask, and He will listen and obviously, He will give you that future and hope—everything He has in store for you.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” God wants you to lean on Him. To trust in yourself brings failure. Success in all you do requires trust in the Lord. So trust Him “with all your heart.” “In all your ways,” every day, in everything you do, “acknowledge Him.” Then, in trust, call upon Him, pray, and He will hear from heaven and He will answer your prayers, giving you all He has in store for you. He has promised and His promises are true. He will deliver.

Finally, seek God and you will find Him. Again, the Lord God continues in verses 13-14a, “‘You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord.” If you desire the plans God has for you, and I pray you do, you will seek after God. You must! There is no other way to find God’s perfect plans, those special plans He has just for you. If you want your life to make a difference in this world, then seek after God. And if you do, God says you will find Him!

But you must seek after Him “with all your heart” (v. 13b). The “heart” is the center of your emotions. You must want God with your whole being. With all you are, seek God. If you do, again, as God promised, you will find Him. “‘I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord” (v. 14a).

Seek after the Lord and you will find Him, along with the future and the hope He has for you. Trust God and make a difference. Amen.

A Psalm of Thanksgiving

Psalm 100 is entitled “A Psalm of Praise,” or literally “A Psalm of Thanksgiving.” This is the only psalm bearing this precise inscription. The psalm itself shows us how to give thanks to God. The words are all ablaze with grateful adoration, and for this reason this psalm has been a great favorite with the people of God ever since it was written. It also tells why we should be so thankful. It exhorts the entire world to receive the Lord as its sovereign God and to give Him praise continually. It does this through a series of commands we are to follow in our worship.

The first command is straightforward: “Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!” (v. 1). It is a highly charged command for public praise. It speaks of God as the song and His people as the singers. The command goes out to the whole earth. Joyful abandon best describes the mood of this worship. The Hebrew word translated “joyful shout” signifies a glad shout, such as loyal subjects give when their king appears among them.

Two more commands follow: “Serve the LORD with gladness; come before His presence with singing” (v. 2). He is our Lord and therefore He is to be served; He is our gracious Lord and therefore He is to be served with joy and gladness, that shows itself in our joyous singing.

A fourth command speaks of God as our creator and points out especially that we are His creation. “Know that the LORD, He is God; it is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people and the sheep of His pasture” (v. 3). The Lord alone is God. He is the one who made us. Therefore as His unique creation we owe Him our all. The ESV says, “It is He who made us, and we are His.” We belong to God in Christ. He is the owner, His heart clings to man, His unique creation, and man owes himself entirely to Him. We owe our whole being to God. So He is described as the shepherd, while we are His sheep. We are to follow Him.

Two more closely related commands follow: “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name” (v. 4). Here God is seen as the blessed one and we are His blessed ones. We may actually come into the Lord’s presence and bring Him worship that pleases Him. Let the praise be in your heart, as well as on your tongue, and let it all be for Him to whom it all belongs. He has blessed you, especially with the free gift of salvation; bless Him in return. Bless His name, His character, His person. Be thankful for all God has done for you.

The reason for obeying these commands of praise and thanksgiving is given in verse 5: “For the LORD is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.” God is love and we are His loved ones. Praise the Lord because He is good, gracious, kind, bountiful, and loving. God is love, therefore praise Him with joy and gladness. The mercy of God is both everlasting and unchangeable. It is the reason we turn to Him in faith and it is the reason we continue steadfast in His love. That truth is also the reason for unceasing praise, both now and throughout eternity. Amen.

Pray! Pray! Pray!

So much has been happening, I am late on my post again. My many apologies. Barb is doing real good, but she still gets exhausted easily. Her numbers, when they test her new liver, are excellent. The doctors are very pleased. Pray for her strength and stamina to improve.  As for her health? She was very sick and fading fast. She likely would not have made it more than a few more months. We were told her liver was in complete shutdown mode. That's why she received a liver when she did. And praise God, she is no loner sick; tired, but not sick. If all goes according to plan, we will be home on December 2. So in keeping with today's theme: Pray! Pray! Pray!

How often do you pray? When do you pray? For what do you pray? All good questions. Our problem is that we do not pray as we should. We pray only when we run into trouble, when times are hard and things are going against us. Then, with our backs to the wall, we remember the Word, “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you” (Psalm 50:15). But we would be spared many troubles if we were “praying always,” in all things and at all times. We would be spared many troubles if we would pray faithfully when everything was going well, just as we do when things are against us. Pray “always with all prayer” (Eph. 6:18).

We have been instructed to “put on” (Eph. 6:11) and “take up” (v. 13) “the whole armor of God.” We have been told to “put on the breastplate of righteousness” (v. 14) and “shod (our) feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace” (v. 15). In other words, live a life of righteousness according to the gospel. Having also “girded (our) waist with truth” (v. 14) and “taking the shield of faith” (v. 16a) we are “able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one” (v. 16b). With “the helmet of salvation” (v. 17a) we can go into battle with boldness because we have the assurance of our own salvation through the finished work of Christ. Then with confidence, we take in our hand “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (v. 17b) and know that victory is ours because the battle belongs to the Lord.

Get to know the Word. Quote it often. It is an armory of truth upon which to stand against the enemy. But always keep in touch with the Lord. Always keep the line of communication with God open. Prayer is the power behind God’s armor. When you practice prayer faithfully, you begin to experience that power. And that power comes from God through the indwelling Spirit. God provides the armor for the Christian and He also provides the power to make it work.

But just because you have all these resources at your disposal, do not assume that you can now live the Christian life without any further help from God. God's armor is not mechanical. It cannot be made to work on your own power. Nor is it magical. You cannot just put it on and watch it work. Our gifts from God are great but they are empty without the Giver. The power of our armor is in the power of God.

Prayer is not listed as armor but is still an important part of the Christian’s arsenal. Verse 18 suggests that the believer be in constant prayer, “praying always.” He is to pray in preparing for battle, as well as when engaging the enemy. “Praying always” means to be God conscious at all times. It means to live in a deep awareness of God. It means to make prayer a habit. It means to always maintain an attitude of complete surrender to the Lord.

When tempted, ask the Lord for help. When something good happens, thank Him. When you see evil around you, pray God makes it right and be willing to be used by Him. Should you meet someone who needs the Lord, ask God to draw them to Himself and be a faithful witness. When you encounter trouble, turn to God for help. Pray at all times, wherever you are, at every opportunity. Constantly set your mind “on things above, not on things on the earth” (Col. 3:2).

“Praying always with all prayer and supplication” (Eph. 6:18) means to take everything to the throne of God. “Prayer” refers to approaching God in general, while “supplication” refers to a special form of prayer, namely specific “requests” (NIV) or “petitions” (NASB). The use of both words together is a clear indicator that we are not only to pray in general terms, but also to bring specific requests before the Lord.

Prayer is powerful and accomplishes much because God is in it. Praying “in the Spirit” means to line up our mind and our desires with His. Then we find ourselves praying in the will of the Father and the Son, and we find our prayers empowered by the Spirit to accomplish God’s will. Be constant. Persevere in your prayers “for all the saints,” and your prayers will be effective and will accomplish much. Amen.

Battle Ready

Hi everyone! I missed my entry yesterday because my routine changed. Friday morning Mayo Clinic called at 3:00 am to tell us to head to the clinic because they had a liver available for Barb. We were in shock, but we headed to Rochester, Minnesota and she was in surgery by 9:30 am. Barb is doing good and is ahead of schedule as far as normal recovery is concerned. Pray that all continues to go good and that her body does not reject the liver. It came from a young man and was declared by the doctor to be a very healthy liver. In his words, it was "a beautiful liver." Now on to today's Bible Insight!

Spiritual warfare is an everyday reality for the Christian. You may not realize it, but a battle is brewing over you. Satan and his demons, the "principalities" and "powers," "the rulers of the darkness of this age," the "spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Eph. 6:12), however you refer to them, are after your soul. This enemy comes against you in any way possible to prevent you from following and remaining faithful to God.

But you have an advocate, one who battles for you in the spiritual fight. Jesus Christ is your advocate with the Father. He intercedes on your behalf and He leads the battle as His angels bring the fight against Satan in the heavenly places. If you could roll back the screen between heaven and earth, as you go through hard times and face a spiritual battle on earth, you just might see a parallel battle in the heavenly places where the angels of God are battling Satan and his demons on your behalf. And as the battle is won in the heavenly places, so too you begin to see victory in your battle on earth.

That is where Ephesians 6:16-17 comes in. Verses 14-15 introduced the first three pieces of God’s armor that He has provided for every believer to equip them for this spiritual warfare. With the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, and the boots of the gospel of peace you can take your stand against the enemy forces and hold the fort of faith, so to speak. Standing on the truth, living in righteousness, and resting in the saving gospel of Jesus Christ, you can stand firm in the faith.

Now, when the battle heats up in life, there are three more pieces of God’s armor that He has provided for us to help us in the fight. Note verses 16-17: "Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." "Above all," in addition to the first three attributes of truth, righteousness, and the gospel, take up three more attributes: faith, salvation, and the Word of God.

Through thick and thin, no matter what, take up faith. Live by faith. In this context, faith refers to more than simply belief in basic Christian doctrine. It refers to a basic trust in God. It is faith in action. It is taking the doctrines we say we believe and living them out in your life. It is faith that trusts in Christ for daily provision and help. It is faith that lives in obedience to God and His Word. It is faith that trusts God completely in all things and at all times. It is faith that seeks to become more like Jesus. It is life lived in righteousness by faith. It is the protective shield of faith. And this faith is reliable because Christ is reliable.

This is the only piece of armor for which its effect is given. With the shield of faith you are "able to quench all the fiery darts" the enemy might throw at you. Every temptation Satan fires at us, his "fiery darts," is an attempt to get us to distrust God. He seeks to drive a wedge between us and Christ at every turn. He even tempted Jesus to distrust God in the wilderness (Matt. 4:3-10). In every instance, Jesus fought back in faith by quoting Scripture. Faith is the shield that extinguishes all the "fiery darts.”

 "Take the helmet of salvation" (v. 17a). "The helmet" is related to salvation, indicating that Satan directs his attacks at our eternal security, our assurance of salvation in Christ. Like the soldier’s sword, Satan’s broadsword has two sharp edges: discouragement and doubt. He points out every negative thing in our life in order to make us lose heart, to become discouraged, and to take our eyes off of Jesus, putting our focus only on our troubles. He swings at the head trying to decapitate our faith. His blows are deflected as we stand secure in our salvation in Christ.

Finally, "the sword of the Spirit" is identified as "the word of God" (v. 17b). The context reveals that it is a spiritual weapon to be used in our struggle against spiritual enemies. Literally, it is "the words that come from God" (NEB). It is the God-breathed Word that is our guide and our best weapon. Learn the Word, know the Word, quote the Word, and win the victory. Amen.

Stand Firm and Be Ready

Ephesians 6:11-12 describes the spiritual warfare that is raging throughout the universe and begins to prepare us to stand firm in the midst of this battle: "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." As you can see from this passage, it is a tremendous battle that every Christian faces.

Ever since Lucifer (Satan) rebelled against God and was cast out of heaven (Isa. 14:12-15; Rev. 12:7-9), along with a host of angels who rebelled and fell with him (his host of demons; Rev. 12:4), Satan has continued to fight against God. The battle he wages against God and His angels in the spiritual realm is often carried out through attacks on God’s people in the natural realm, here on earth. As Christians, we are drawn into this spiritual conflict as we are attacked by the various "schemes of the devil."

It is a spiritual conflict because our enemy is a spiritual enemy: Satan and his host of demons. This enemy is very strong, but Jesus is far, far stronger. We cannot fight this war in the power of our own flesh. As 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 points out: "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ." It is God’s battle. It can only be fought in God's power and in God's armor.

Satan opposes the believer in many ways. Sometimes he makes a very direct and obvious attack by causing trouble that makes life difficult for us. Oftentimes, however, his attack is indirect and subtle. He tries to tear down God’s character and call into question His integrity. He tries to get us to distrust God. Our greatest strength is to trust God. So if Satan can break down that trust and get us to distrust God, he has won the battle.

In countless ways, Satan seeks to tempt us to doubt God, as he did with Adam and Eve: "Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made" (Gen. 3:1). Satan possessed the serpent and said to Eve, "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?'" (v. 1). "Has God indeed said?" He misquotes God’s Word, trying to cast doubt. When Eve mentioned death (vs. 2-3), the serpent said, "You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil" (vs. 4-5). It was all an attempt to fulfill Satan’s greatest desire—to convince us that God cannot be trusted. He wants us to distrust God and deny His Word.

When things go wrong, when bad things happen, Satan seeks to cause us to doubt God and place the blame on Him. "Why me? Why did you do this to me, Lord?" is the question we tend to ask. Wrong question! God did not cause the trouble. God is the answer. In times of trouble, He wants you to trust Him and believe. He wants you to draw closer to Him. He will bring you through the time of trouble a stronger, more faithful Christian. He may even do so in miraculous fashion. But whatever He does, it will be in your best interest, designed to build you up and make you more like Christ.

With this spiritual battle in mind, Ephesians 6:14-17 introduces six pieces of armor God gives us that enable us to stand against the attack of Satan. The first three pieces of spiritual armor (vs. 14-15) enable us to stand firm and be ready. The participle "having" (v. 14), in the Greek aorist tense, indicates a completed point of action. These three attributes are permanent. We must never be without them.

Note verses 14-15: "Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace." So the first three attributes, or pieces of spiritual armor, are the belt of "truth," "the breastplate of righteousness," and the boots of the "preparation of the gospel of peace." Three attributes from God that help you stand firm and make you battle ready.

First, the soldier grids himself with a belt, tucking in his tunic so that it does not hinder him in the fight. In Bible times, the Roman soldier wore a long shirt, or tunic, that covered his entire body and hung down around his feet. In battle, which was primarily hand to hand combat, it would get in the way, possibly tripping him. To avoid this, he tucked his tunic in his belt to keep it out of the way.

We gird ourselves spiritually with the belt of "truth," always being ready for the battles of life, surrounded in God’s truth. What better way is there to face the onslaught of Satan in the various battles of this life than with all excess baggage tucked firmly away where it cannot hinder us or trip us up in any way. We need no distractions in the midst of our spiritual battles. The truth of God keeps us true to Him and keeps us walking on that narrow way.

For the Roman soldier, his breastplate was the piece of armor made to protect his vital organs from the weapons of the enemy. It protected his life against attack by the broadsword, the small dagger, and the fiery arrows the enemy would bring against him.

We have put on "the breastplate of righteousness" to stand firm against Satan’s schemes by living a holy life after that of Jesus. Galatians 2:20 says, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Living each day by faith in Christ and letting Him live His life through you protects your vital organs, spiritually speaking, from any weapon the enemy might bring against you.

The Roman soldier had special combat boots made with steel soles that could not be pierced by sharp objects they might step on as they marched over rough terrain. The boots also had nails sticking out of the soles to act as cleats and give them sure footing in the midst of hand to hand combat. The boots gave them an advantage over the enemy.

"Preparation" has to do with readiness. The boots of the "preparation of the gospel of peace" enable us to stand and not fall. When you stand firm in the gospel of Jesus Christ, the "gospel of peace" reconciling you to God, you have an advantage over your spiritual enemy, Satan. That advantage is your salvation.You belong to Jesus by faith and Satan cannot steal you away. It is Christ in you that enables you to stand firm and be ready in the midst of the battle.

Trust God. Do not doubt. Be prepared to take a stand. Having put on truth, righteousness, and the gospel of peace, Jesus will fight the fight for you and give you the victory every day. Amen.

A Call to Arms

Christians in America can easily become complacent and their faith can suffer shipwreck, all because they fail to understand the seriousness of the spiritual war they are engaged in. And yes, whether you realize it or not, you are engaged in a spiritual war, that is, if you know the Lord Jesus as your Savior.

But even those who understand and are willing soldiers of Christ, are helpless without God’s provision. And that is Paul’s point here when he tells us to “take up the whole armor of God” (Eph. 6:13a). Why? “That you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (v. 13b). God’s provision enables us to stand firm against Satan and the evil of the day.

This is important because the closer we walk with Jesus the greater the attack. Satan just ramps up his forces and keeps on coming, which is all the more reason to take this passage to heart and “take up the whole armor of God.” When you meet the spiritual challenges God sends your way, great opposition often arises. Paul told the Corinthians, “But I will tarry in Ephesus until Pentecost. For a great and effective door has opened to me, and there are many adversaries” (1 Cor. 16:8-9). “A great and effective door has opened”…But “there are many adversaries.”

This is a call to arms! The more you grow in faith and the closer you walk with Jesus, the harder Satan fights. We are in a spiritual war. That is why it is paramount that we understand five basic truths as we prepare to go into battle.

First, our strength is in the Lord. The theme of this passage is found in 1 Corinthians 16:13, which says, “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.” So Paul’s final instructions to the believers in Ephesus is, “Be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might” (Eph. 6:10). Our strength is in the Lord. Let Christ make you strong. As Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13).

Second, our armor is of God. Paul continued, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand” (Eph. 6:11a), or “stand firm” (NASB); “so that you can take your stand” (NIV). This is an absolute must for every believer. There is no survival apart from God’s provision. Satan is too strong for us, but not for Jesus. That is why it is so important that we do as Paul has directed and “put on” all of God’s “armor.” In the Greek, “put on” carries the idea of  permanence. We put on these attributes and we never take them off!

Third, our enemy is Satan. We are equipped with God’s armor so that we can stand firm “against the wiles (or “schemes,” NIV) of the devil” (v. 11b). That is something we cannot do without the Lord’s help. Just look around you. A strange thing is happening. Everywhere you go there is an ever-increasing disbelief in Satan. At the same time, demonic activity, involvement in the occult, and outright Satan worship, is also increasing. These things all play right into Satan's hands. Satan’s schemes must not be allowed to catch us unawares.

Fourth, our battle is against demons. Verse 12 contains a daunting truth for all ages: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Never underestimate the strength of the enemy. One of Satan's great schemes, an effective scheme that is a great danger for believers, is the delusion that there is no spiritual realm and therefore no seriously threatening conflict between good and evil. Do not fall for his trap. One look at verse 12 should make you shudder. The enemy is a mighty foe, but Jesus is mightier. He has already won the victory and has provided the armor needed to take your stand.

Fifth, our victory is to stand. “Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (v. 13). God’s armor enables you to stand against the enemy and stand strong for Jesus. Put on all of the armor, take advantage of all of God’s provisions, and you will win the victory. Amen.

Always Safe

Psalm 23 is very personal. David doesn’t say “we” or “us” or “they.” He only says “my” and “me'” and “I,” along with “he” and “you.” It flows from David's personal experience with God. That is why this psalm has such power.

The form of this psalm is very interesting. The use of those pronouns tells us a great deal about how we learn of God and how we approach Him. In verses 1-3 God is referred to in the third person as “He”: “He makes me lie down; He leads me; He restores my soul.” Then in verses 4-5 David refers to God in the second person as “You”: “You are with me; Your rod and staff comfort me; You prepare a table before me; You anoint my head with oil.” Then in verse 6 he switches back to the third person in reference to God: “I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”

What David does in this psalm is turn from talking about God to talking to God. Like David, we need to interweave our theology (talking about God) with prayer (talking to God). Or you might say, we should interrupt our talking about God by talking to God. When we talk about God and His goodness, we should follow by taking time to thank Him for the good things He does. When we do this, we not only describe God in our heads, but we experience Him in our hearts.

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me” (v. 4). Suddenly, danger looms and just as quickly David drops the third person “He” in favor of the second person singular “You!” He is no longer talking about the Good Shepherd; he is talking to the Good Shepherd.

Here we see how God protects us by His presence. It is a very vivid scene. The shepherd is leading the sheep back home at evening. As they go down through a narrow gorge, the long shadows lie across the trail. In the Hebrew, this is literally a "valley of deep shadows." The sheep, because they are timid and defenseless, are frightened. But they trust the shepherd, and therefore they are comforted. They “will fear no evil,” because the shepherd is with them.

Jesus said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). When we find ourselves in a “valley of deep shadows,” we often respond by thinking that the Lord has abandoned us. But Jesus said He never leaves us, He never forsakes us, He is always there. Therefore we have no reason to fear. His very presence is our protection. So the valleys draw us closer to God.

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over” (v. 5). The metaphor changes from the Good Shepherd to the gracious host. God spreads a banquet for his guest, anoints his head with oil, and keeps his cup filled. But the banquet is set “in the presence of (his) enemies.”

This figure may come from the historical setting in which David wrote. He had been driven into the wilderness by his son's rebellion and he found himself out in the desert, hungry and weary, his army in disarray. At this point, three men who were not even Israelites, provided for him. God prepared a table before him in the presence of his enemies. God provides for those who love Him.

“Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever” (v. 6). This is the conclusion David comes to after he has passed, as it were, from the green pasture, through the dark valley, into the banquet hall of God. He realizes that there is every reason to believe that God's goodness and mercy will follow him all of his days.

“Follow” can mean to trail behind and never quite catch up. That is not very comforting: “Surely goodness and mercy will never catch up to me all the days of my life.” What the Hebrew word used here actually means is “to pursue,” often used in the sense of doing harm. Because he trusts in the Lord, David says God's “goodness and mercy” will pursue him, instead of those who are out to destroy him. When you stray from God, evil pursues you. Keep your eyes on Jesus the Good Shepherd who died and rose again, and God’s “goodness and mercy” will pursue you. Amen.

On Right Paths

Psalm 23 uses the metaphor of the shepherd to show how he cares for his sheep. It is essentially prophecy that looks ahead to the Good Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ, who would show His love for His sheep by making the ultimate sacrifice. In John 10:11 Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” Here is the cross. The cross reminds us of the truth that Jesus shed His blood and died on the cross for our forgiveness.

Then Jesus further explains, “I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again” (John 10:17-18). Here is the cross and the resurrection. The Good Shepherd gave His life for the sheep He loved and He rose again to give them eternal life. In John 10:27-28 Jesus says, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.”

The shepherd of Psalm 23 is the Good Shepherd of John 10. When we confess with the Psalmist, David, “The LORD is my shepherd” (Ps. 23:1), we confess that the Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, is our Lord, our Savior, our Provider. He provides for our salvation and meets all of our spiritual needs, as well as our physical needs (vs. 2-3a). He also gives us direction in life. In verse 3b we read, “He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.”

“He leads me in the paths of righteousness " literally reads, “He leads me in right paths.” The Hebrew word translated “paths” means “a well-defined, well-worn trail.” That indicates how stupid sheep are, because even when the trail is well laid out, they still need a shepherd. They are still inclined to wander away, no matter how obvious the path may be. The shepherd knows the trails. He has been there before. The sheep trust him. The sheep follow Him.

I am reminded of Proverbs 3:5-6. “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.” When you trust Him, lean on Him, and acknowledge Him in all ways, He gives you direction. He will lead you in the “right path.” That is a promise! And He does this for His name's sake, not yours. It is not your name that is at stake, it is His name. It is His character, His reputation that is at stake. “For His name’s sake” He is faithful. He promised to lead us in the right paths, and He will.

We need a shepherd. We need someone who knows the trails, someone whom we can trust. We all need direction in life from someone who knows the way. That is where Jesus the Good Shepherd comes in. He knows the way. Trust Him! Amen.

All Things Are Satisfied

Psalm 23 is a great Psalm of comfort. That is why it is so often quoted at funerals. But it is too great to be left only for times of sorrow. That is why I want to look at Psalm 23 throughout this month.

The overall theme is stated in verse 1: “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.” With the Lord as your shepherd all things are satisfied. With the Lord as your shepherd you will not be in want because you lack nothing. When the Lord is your shepherd even the things that seem to be lacking are insignificant compared to the peace God gives you in your heart. Knowing God is there to watch over you and provide for your needs makes all things easier to bear. It gives you a peace that all things are satisfied, all needs are or will be met in God’s perfect timing.

If “the LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.” If you are in want, then the Lord is not your shepherd. If your life is empty and filled with loneliness and despair, then the Lord is not your shepherd. If anyone or anything other than Jesus is your shepherd, your life will never be fully satisfied. When something such as your vocation or education is your shepherd, you will be left frustrated, restless, and even in despair. When another person is your shepherd, you will be disappointed and left empty. But if the Lord is your shepherd, David says, you shall not want.

When the Lord is not your shepherd, if someone or something else holds that position in your life, you may feel like God is distant. Let me tell you, if God is distant, He is not the one who moved; you are. Isaiah says, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way” (Isaiah 53:6). Isaiah concludes that same verse with these words: “And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” Jesus died to take away our sin. Jesus died to become our Good Shepherd. When we admit our need of a saving Shepherd we discover the truth of what David is saying. We shall not want.

Psalm 23:2-3a tells how the Good Shepherd meets our needs. “He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul.” He meets our basic need of nourishment within. Sheep need grass and water. Here is a picture of sheep lying in a grassy meadow, their hunger satisfied, as well as their thirst by the still waters. Sheep do not like running water. They prefer a quiet pool. So the good shepherd leads them to grassy meadows with quiet waters where they can rest and feed and drink.

In much the same way, God restores the inner man through His Word. Feed upon the Word of God and you will see Jesus. Draw upon Him and you will be satisfied. Trust Him and your soul will be restored. When you come to know Him, believe what He says and act on His Word, and you will soon discover His fullness on the inside. Your needs are met. All things are satisfied. Amen.

Life's Toughest Decision

Contrary to what many people think, life's toughest decision is not accepting Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. It is whether to stay faithful to Him. Becoming born again is a relatively simple act, although the road leading up to it may be plenty rocky. Some people find it difficult to profess their decision in front of a crowd of people in a church. But once that is done, the hard part begins.

On the surface, staying faithful to Christ looks like thousands of individual decisions. The truth is that when you commit to following the Savior, you have to make the same decision over and over again: "Do I stay faithful to Jesus, or do I do this thing which I know is outside of His will for my life?" Your moment-to-moment decisions affect everything. They affect your spouse, your children, and your work.

If you work for a living, and nearly all of us do, that choice comes up far more often than you would like. On some jobs it's every day. The workplace has undergone a lot of changes over the past few decades. As foreign competition increases and many tasks are outsourced, ethics can get blurred. What once seemed a simple right-wrong decision has turned into right-wrong-gray area somewhere in between.

Our workplace decisions can be great or small, but they probably fall into the category of the corner butcher who puts his thumb on the scale to increase the price. That may seem funny, but even small acts of dishonesty are like termites eating away at your soul. When you lie or cheat or even just fudge a little on the truth, you make a huge statement as to your integrity. A person of integrity is one who makes right decisions based on his faith in Christ at every point.

Hebrews 12:1-2 says in part, "Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith." Making right decisions in life based on your faith in Christ begins with daily keeping your eyes fixed on Jesus.

Proverbs 4:25-27 speaks clearly of how to be a person of integrity: "Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil." In other words, look to Jesus and follow him!

People of true integrity, especially in positions of leadership, seem so few and far between today that we can't even name a half dozen of them. Outside of the church and ministry, can you even name five? Hard, isn't it?

So do you, as a Christian, have to sacrifice success to follow Jesus Christ? I don't think so. I think you make life's toughest decision, then you show others that you will not waver from it through your words or your actions. At some point in your career you have to make it clear what you will and will not stand for. Your spouse counts on it. Your children count on it. It’s who you are in Christ that should show itself every day. Maybe you'll have to forego a house and garage full of "toys" to do the right thing. But Jesus was not engaging in idle speculation when he asked, "What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?" (Matthew 16:26, NIV).

Titus 2:7-8 states this truth clearly: "In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us."

When you follow Christ in integrity, your family takes notice and you will become the spiritual leader in your home that you were meant to be. Be an example of Christ-like courage to the ones who love you most. Amen.

The Battle Belongs to the Lord

Life can be difficult. All of us face difficulties of some sort every day. It may be physical needs. It may be spiritual needs. It may involve decisions that have to be made. It may involve simply finding a way to trust God on a daily basis. Finding time to read God’s Word. Finding time to pray, to seek God’s face, to receive guidance in our lives. Sometimes you find yourself facing a crisis that calls for a solution that you simply cannot deliver.

In 2 Chronicles 20, Jehoshaphat, King of Judah (the southern kingdom of Israel), found himself in a similar situation. Enemy nations joined together and came against him in an attempt to defeat him and eliminate Judah from the face of the earth. Jehoshaphat knew he didn’t have the military might to stand against them and do battle. Most certainly they would be up against a stronger force. Outnumbered and out equipped, they would see nothing but defeat.

Knowing he had no way out, Jehoshaphat turned to God for help. Verse 3 gives his reaction to this very difficult situation: “And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.” He did two things in the face of this crisis situation: (1) he set himself to pray, and (2) he proclaimed a fast throughout the land.

First, Jehoshaphat exercised his faith and cried out to God to fight the battle for him, a battle he knew was impossible to win. Literally, “he set himself to seek the LORD” (v. 3a). He knew that no battle was too great for God. He knew that nothing was impossible for God. As Luke 1:37 says, “For with God nothing will be impossible.” Along with that, Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”

You will note in verse 6 how Jehoshaphat prayed, “O LORD God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You?” He recognized who God was. He realized that God was the all-powerful God who loved His people and stood ready to do battle for them. He put his trust in God and looked to God to bring him through the battle and give him victory.

When you seek after God, recognize who He is, and look to Him for guidance, He will give it to you. He will meet your needs and give you victory. Whatever situation you are in or whatever your need may be, God stands ready to help you through it and to meet your need. Just trust Him and seek after Him. That is all the Lord asks.

Then Jehoshaphat commanded the people to fast, pray, and praise their God. He “proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah” (v. 3b). And Verse 4 gives the reaction of the people: “So Judah gathered together to ask help from the LORD; and from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD.” They came together to fast and pray. They “gathered together to ask help from the LORD” (v. 4a). They gave God the praise as they “came to seek the LORD” (v. 4b).

The Lord honored Jehoshaphat’s faith in an unusual way: His enemies destroyed themselves! Jehoshaphat and the people of Judah faced this difficult situation by trusting God to handle it for them. They understood that the battle belonged to the Lord and they turned to Him to solve their problem. God said, “Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s” (v. 15b). He said, “You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem! Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the LORD is with you.” (v. 17). And so it was.

What do you do when difficult situations or hardships come into your life? What do you do when you are worried or afraid? Remember, the battle belongs to the Lord. Pray. Seek His face. He will fight your battle for you and help you through it. He will give you the victory. Amen.

Be of Good Courage

From time to time we all take inventory of our lives and realize that we fall short of who we should be as spiritual leaders in our homes as well as in our churches. That realization should lead us not only to desire to do better, but to take action in order to actually become a better, more effective leader. So we devise a plan that we can commit to and follow. We may even find a fellow believer who can hold us accountable.

To become the spiritual leader you want to be, begins with an active faith. It begins as we trust God and step out in faith to do the things we know we should be doing for Him. As we are then faithful in the little things, God steps up the ante and leads us to even greater endeavors for Him. To continue to step out in faith for the Lord takes courage as a believer. It takes courageous faith.

When Moses was 120 years old, the Lord said to him, “You shall not cross this Jordan” (Deut. 31:1). So Moses gave one last message to the people before commissioning Joshua to take over the work. The people of Israel were about to cross over the Jordan and take the land that God was giving them. Moses was reminding them that, as long as they remained faithful to God and trusted Him, they would have nothing to fear. The Lord God would take care of them, and He was the one who would deliver the pagan people of the land into their hands.

In that context he said, “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you” (Deut. 31:6). In like manner, the Lord Jesus said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Heb. 13:5). Like the people of Israel as they went in to conquer the Promised Land, you can know that the Lord is always with you as well, to take care of you and to deliver you from the enemy at every turn.

When David spoke to Solomon about the temple service he picked up that same theme. He was fully aware of what Moses said to the people of Israel in Deuteronomy 31:6 and he tells Solomon the same thing: “Be strong and of good courage, and do it; do not fear nor be dismayed, for the LORD God - my God - will be with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you, until you have finished all the work for the service of the house of the LORD” (1 Chron. 28:20). He told Solomon to do the work he was called to do.

You too are admonished to “Be strong and of good courage, and do it!” You are called to carry out your commitment today with courage and without fear. God will be with you always. He will not leave you nor forsake you. You can make this commitment and then lean on Him every day. He will strengthen you and empower you. He will help you be the spiritual leader in your home and in your church that you are called to be. Amen.

Choose This Day Whom You Will Serve

Orthodox theologian Alexander Schmemann wrote in his journals, "One can love religion like anything else in life: sports, science, stamp collecting. One can love it for its own sake without relation to God or the world or life. Religion fascinates; it is entertaining. It has everything that is sought after by a certain type of person: esthetics, mystery, the sacred, a feeling of one's importance and exclusive depth, etc. That kind of religion is not necessarily faith." (Mark Galli, "The Thirst of the 24/7 Fan," Christianity Today [3-28-05])

I believe what he is referring to is the fact that you can be religious without actually knowing Jesus as Lord and Savior. You can give a sort of intellectual assent to God and Christianity without truly knowing Christ. As a result you can say you believe in God, and yet choose to follow the ways of the world instead. However, when you trust in Christ alone for salvation, which is true faith, you cannot choose anything but to walk in the ways of the Lord.

Each and everyone of us must decide if we are going to follow the ways of God or the ways of man. When Joshua and the people of Israel had conquered the promised land, had divided it by God’s plan, and had settled in the land of Israel, Joshua encouraged the people to "fear the Lord" and to "serve Him in sincerity and truth" (Joshua 24:14). He then reminded them of all that God had done for them and of God’s faithfulness to them; the fact that He had blessed them in battle when they were faithful, and let them suffer defeat when they were not. Then Joshua challenged them, "Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve" (v. 15a). But he confessed, "But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" (v. 15b).

In John 6:48-69, Jesus’ disciples had a similar choice to make. They had to decide whether or not to follow Jesus. Jesus spoke of Himself as "the bread of life" (v. 48), and said, "As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me" (v. 57). Many of His followers found this to be "a hard saying" (v. 60). They simply couldn’t or wouldn’t understand what Jesus was saying, and they chose to forsake Him and leave Him (v. 66): "From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more." When He asked the twelve if they wanted to leave as well, Peter answered, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (v. 69).

Jesus’ inner circle of disciples made the right choice, just as Joshua had so long before. If you "believe and know" who Jesus is, I would hope that you would also make the right choice of following Him faithfully. It is an easy thing to let Christ and the church take a back row seat to other more worldly things in life. We seem to think that Christ is always there, the church is always there, so we’ll just forget them today and do something else. That is choosing to follow the ways of the world instead of following Christ. As Joshua understood, that is often when hard times come your way, and they simply do not seem to get any better.

I urge one and all to make the right choice today. Follow Christ faithfully ahead of all else. Attend church faithfully ahead of other things as well. Do this and God has shown that He will richly bless your life. He will see you through the hard times and give you His peace. Amen.

Prepare to Meet Your God

Between 792 and 753 B.C., under the reigns of Jeroboam II in Israel (the northern kingdom) and Uzziah in Judah (the southern kingdom), both kingdoms experienced a time of relative prosperity. The two kings formed an alliance and ruled together for a brief time over an area nearly as large as that of David and Solomon. The downside was that they built their wealth at the expense of the poor. This was a time when the rich got richer and the poor got poorer. In fact, the poor became more numerous and many were sold into slavery.

In addition to this social injustice, Israel continued down the slippery slope of worshiping the idols of foreign gods and even making sacrifices to them. They simply continued to remain unfaithful to the Lord their God. Like so many before them, they put themselves, their wealth, their reputations, and anything but God ahead of God in their lives. Unfortunately many of us do the same today.

Into this situation God called Amos, a poor shepherd from Tekoa, in the desert two hours south of Bethlehem. God sent Amos to call for justice in the land and to pronounce the coming judgment of God upon them, as they would soon be carried away into captivity by an ungodly nation because of their sin and lack of repentance. In fact, in Amos 4:6-11, Amos declared five judgments of God that had already come upon them for the purpose of causing them to repent.

First, a famine (v. 6). Then, a drought (vs. 7-8). This might even sound familiar as he says, "I also withheld rain from you, when there were still three months to the harvest. I made it rain on one city, I withheld rain from another city. One part was rained upon, and where it did not rain the part withered" (v. 7). He followed that with "blight and mildew" (v. 9), and "the locust devoured" their gardens and vineyards (v. 9). Then God sent upon them both plague and warfare (v. 10). The diseases reminding them of the plagues of Egypt. Defeat in warfare at the hands of the Syrians left them destitute. Finally, God destroyed entire cities within the land, yet "like a firebrand plucked from the burning," He rescued most of Israel at the last minute (v. 11).

Despite all of this, each time Amos declares the truth, "'Yet you have not returned to Me,' says the Lord" (vs. 6, 8, 9, 10, 11). Five times God brought judgment upon them to turn them back to Himself. Five times they failed to return to the Lord their God. How long will God remain patient? In verse 12 God adds, "Therefore thus will I do to you, O Israel; because I will do this to you, prepare to meet your God, O Israel!" He leaves the threat unnamed for them to use their wildest imaginations as to what it might be. He only warns them, "Prepare to meet your God."'

The message to us is the same. From the drought this land has been experiencing from time to time, to any number of other hard times God may allow to come into your life, the message is the same, prepare to meet your God! Stepping on others to make financial gain for ourselves, putting ourselves ahead of others and thinking only of our own desires, putting possessions, work, money, anything ahead of God is idolatrous. God says, "Forsake all those things and follow Me." The most important thing you can do is to put your faith in Christ first. Trust Christ for your salvation and follow Him in your life each day. Always put God first, and everything else will fall into place. Amen.

Is Today Not the Wheat Harvest?

When the Old Testament Prophet Samuel grew old, the people of Israel asked for a king to rule over them “like all the nations” (1 Sam. 8:5). The people grew tired of being set apart and different from the world. They no longer wanted God to lead them. What they wanted was to be like all the nations around, to be just like everyone else. So God gave them Saul, a man who was “taller” and “more handsome” than anyone else in all Israel, to be their king (1 Sam. 9:2).

Basically, God gave the people what they wanted. Sometimes He does that to teach us the folly of not following Him. Sometimes what we ask for is not what we need. That was the case here. In fact, the people of Israel had chosen not to follow God. So God gave them what they asked for, a king who would put himself first and not follow God.

Samuel explained to the people the type of person Saul would be as king, yet the people still chose to follow him and not God. So Samuel warned the people, “If you fear the Lord and serve Him and obey His voice, and do not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then both you and the king who reigns over you will continue following the Lord your God. However, if you do not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then the hand of the Lord will be against you, as it was against your fathers” (1 Sam. 12:14-15). Samuel said it is not too late. Follow the Lord and he will take care of you.

So Samuel asked the Lord for a miracle, a sign that would convince the people of the error of their ways and bring them back again to follow God. He said, “Is today not the wheat harvest? I will call to the Lord, and He will send thunder and rain, that you may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of the Lord, in asking for a king for yourselves” (v. 17).

Remember that asking for a king to be like everyone else was a sign that they had decided not to follow God anymore. God immediately “sent thunder and rain that day” and “all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel” (v. 18). The people saw the error of their ways and asked Samuel to pray for them (v. 19).

Samuel would later tell Saul and the people that God did not “delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices“ (1 Sam. 15:22a). Rather, “obeying the voice of the Lord” (v. 22b) is what He prefers. To that he added, “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice” (v. 23).

For us, sacrifice would refer to anything we might do in an attempt to replace obedience to God. God is not interested in any such things. What God is interested in is you. He wants you. That is Samuel’s message to you. “To obey is better that sacrifice“ (v. 23). Obey God. Follow Christ in everything you do. That is what God desires of you.  As Samuel says, do this and God will take care of all your needs. Amen.

Handfuls on Purpose

Beginning in Texas and Oklahoma and working their way on up through Kansas, Nebraska, and both South and North Dakota, custom cutters or harvest crews are wrapping up another wheat harvest. Perhaps the yield, though great at times, was not always as good as would be liked. Yet God would tell us to stop and thank Him for the harvest regardless, because He is the One who provides.

Whether the harvest be great or small, God is providing for your needs. He knows what you need before you ask. He will provide according to your need. Matthew 6:31-33 tells us, “Do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?'... For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

Having lived in that country, I remember driving through the countryside watching the harvest unfold. It always reminded me of the story of Ruth in the Bible. Ruth, from Moab, had married an Israelite. Her husband had died, and during a great famine she went to Israel with her mother-in-law, Naomi, also a widow. In going, Ruth stated clearly her faith in the one true God: “Ruth said (to Naomi)… ‘Wherever you go, I will go; and wherever you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God, my God’” (Ruth 1:16). Ruth loved the Lord God and had learned to trust Him in all circumstances.

Now, the Law of Moses allowed the poor to glean in the farmer’s fields (Lev. 23:22). Being widows, these ladies had no other way to survive in that society than to glean what they could after the harvesters had finished. So, Ruth went to glean in the fields of “him in whose sight I may find favor” (Ruth 2:2). She did not yet know Boaz, let alone the fact that he was “one of our close relatives,” as Naomi would later tell her (v. 20).

God, by His grace, or His unmerited favor, provided bountifully for the needs of Ruth and Naomi. Boaz, upon finding out who Ruth was, instructed her to glean only from his fields (2:8-9) and God would give her a full reward for caring after her mother-in-law (vs. 11-12). He proceeded to instruct his harvesters to not only let her glean unrestricted from the fields, but they were to “let grain from the bundles fall purposely for her” (v. 16).

Not only was Ruth allowed to glean from the fields of Boaz, but God led Boaz to purposely provide in abundance for Ruth and Naomi. God truly provided with handfuls of grain on purpose! He rewarded Ruth’s faith in Him by abundantly meeting her need of food.

Handfuls on purpose. That is God’s promise to all who trust in Him. He will meet your need, whatever it is. He knows what you need before you ask Him. He knows what you need better than you do. Trust Him and thank Him for His great provision, however great or small the need may be. He will take care of you. Amen.

The Importance of Fellowship

The word “fellowship” in the New Testament is an interesting word. In Acts 2:42 we are told that the early church “continued steadfastly in the apostle’s doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.” Several things occur here. Ultimately this is a picture of the early church at worship. There are the various elements seen here of the apostle’s teaching or preaching, fellowship among the believers (which we will take a closer look at), the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, and corporate prayer.

Worship primarily is focused toward God. We gather together and corporately give honor and glory to God. Even individual worship during a daily devotional time is looking primarily toward God. Fellowship moves beyond worship in the sense that, as Christians, together as one body we are partakers of all that we experience in Christ Jesus.

Fellowship involves a direct relationship, first with Christ as Savior, and then with one another as fellow partakers in all that Christ has for us. Romans 12:5 tells us that “we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.” We belong to each other and we are united in Christ. Together we make up the “body of Christ” and each one of us is needed by the other to make the church complete and to further the gospel of Christ. So, according to the Scriptures, the focus of fellowship is on the relationship between Christians, a relationship that is based in Christ.

We are all “members of one another.” There are no so-called “lone ranger” Christians. As a believer in Christ you are to be involved in the lives of your fellow believers and they are to be involved in your life as well. You cannot go it alone. It is important to be there for each other. Laugh together, weep together, work together for the Lord, learn together in the Lord, help each other as anyone has need. That is what the Christian life is all about.

Paul tells us that, because we belong to one another, we are to submit “to one another in the fear of God” (Eph. 5:21). In Colossians 3:16 he adds, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.” James says to “confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed” (James 5:16).

As you can see, we are in this together. Not only do we belong to each other, but, as believers in Christ, we are to have fellowship with each other. That means we are to teach each other what the Lord has given us. We are to admonish each other as needed to keep each of us on the right path with God. We are to pray for each other, which means we are to communicate our needs to one another. Simply put, we are to be there for each other whenever someone has need.

Be giving and generous in your helping. That is Christian fellowship. Never too busy, never distracted. Always available when needed. Making a point to gather together and fellowship with one another. Amen.

Prayer Is the Key to Life

Our Lord Jesus, long ago, as He walked on this earth, practiced the discipline of prayer on a regular basis. He viewed prayer to be a very important aspect of His life each day. Throughout the Gospel of Luke, we find it stressed that our Lord spent a great deal of time in prayer. He always prayed about everything that happened, as well as for those things which were about to take place. He spent time praying in the Garden of Gethsemane the night of His betrayal and arrest (Lk. 22:39-46). He even prayed as He hung on the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Lk. 23:34).

Yes, Jesus saw prayer as one of the most important aspects of the Christian life. As a result, His own life demonstrated this for us as He began each day with prayer. “And in the early morning, while it was still dark, He arose and went out and departed to a lonely place, and was praying there” (Mk. 1:35). As a result, His disciples wanted prayer to become a major part of their lives. So they asked Jesus to teach them to pray (Lk. 11:1-13).

Jesus and His disciples saw prayer as the key to life. Only through prayer can we commune with God and be empowered to live the Christian life according to the Scriptures. Jesus said, "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you" (John 15:7). Because of this, we should want prayer to be an important aspect of our lives as well. Do not neglect the importance of prayer. Pray every day, letting “your requests be made known to God” (Phil. 4:6).

Prayer changes things. Prayer works miracles. Prayer makes the difference in life between success and failure. In everything we do, if we want it to be a success, we should begin by praying about it. That is what Jesus did. That is what His disciples learned to do. We must learn to do the same.

Do not let this summer be a time that is too busy for prayer. Make time each day to pray. It might help to remember the little acronym: ACTS. "A" is for adoration. Give God praise and glory. "C" is for confession. Confess to God any sin or whatever needs to be forgiven. "T" is for thanksgiving. Express to God your thankfulness for His forgiveness and cleansing, as well as everything else for which you are thankful. "S" is for supplication. Be specific and make your requests known to God. But whatever you do, pray!

Always remember the words of James 5:16b, "The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much." Amen.

To Know God

A.W. Tozer once wrote, “The great need of the hour among persons spiritually hungry is twofold: first, to know the Scriptures, apart from which no saving truth will be [granted] by our Lord; the second, to be enlightened by the Spirit, apart from whom the Scriptures will not be understood.” (The Root of the Righteous, 13)

To truly know God begins with faith that turns to confession. Paul wrote in Romans 10:9-10, “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” Again, in verse 17, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

To know God involves knowing the Scriptures. That is why Jesus said in John 8:31-32, “If you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.” This means we need to spend time in the Bible daily. To memorize and know God’s word thoroughly. To meditate upon it day and night (Ps. 1:2).

Ezra stands as our example. He was one who first studied the Law of the Lord desiring to know it thoroughly. Then he practiced it. He applied it to his own life. Then he went out and taught God’s word to others. Ezra 7:10 says, "For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel." That is how we should be as well.

This is a time of year in which everyone is often busily hurrying about this way and that. We leave town for long periods of time; traveling, going on vacation. And thus, it is a time in which God’s word is often neglected in our daily lives. It is a time, perhaps more than any other, in which we need to set aside a few minutes each day so that we can meditate on God’s word to learn and know it better. To keep applying it in our lives. To be prepared to teach it to others.

Psalm 111:2 says, "The works of the Lord are great, studied by all who have pleasure in them." Take pleasure in the Word of God. "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15). Study to show yourself approved. Study to know God. Amen.

Intended for Worship

God made us (Gen. 1:27). Then, through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ, God called us back to Himself "according to the good pleasure of His will" (Eph. 1:5). We are intended for God's own pleasure. What brings pleasure to God is our surrendering of ourselves completely to Him.

Surrendering yourself completely to God is called "worship." Romans 12:1 says, "Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship" (NASB). The NIV ends this verse with the words, "this is your true and proper worship." Complete and total surrender of yourself to God is true worship.

God does not want things, He wants you! That is why God told David, "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise" (Ps. 51:17). That is also why Jesus told the woman at the well, "The hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:23-24).

If worship is our purpose, then we cannot forsake assembling together for that purpose. The writer of Hebrews exhorts us in just that way: "And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching" (Heb. 10:24-25).

God intended us to be an encouragement to each other. Paul instructs us to "let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord" (Col. 3:16). That means we must gather together as He commanded, lifting up one another, and bringing praise and honor and glory to His name.

This is our formal worship and we must never neglect it. Some have a habit of missing worship services on a regular basis, especially in the busyness of summer. Do not let that be said of you. Make a special effort this summer to attend and participate in worship every Sunday. Be a great encouragement to each other as the Lord commands.

But remember, worship is more than that. Worship is also a daily surrender to God and His will. Live each day in total submission to God. Live each day in the power of the Spirit of God. Live each day as Christ Jesus would live each day. Then you will be living a life of daily worship before God.

Never forsake walking with God. Never forsake gathering together to worship God. Then you will be totally surrendered to Him and living a life that is pleasing to Him. Amen.

Faith in the Trenches

What is faith? Many today, even in the churches, want to water down the gospel of Jesus Christ into nothing more than a feel good tonic. Christianity is made to be nothing more than a big celebration full of fun and games. Nothing challenging, nothing hard, no thorns, just roses. When everything is fun and feels good, and you live a basically “good” life, God will certainly let you into His heaven. At least that is the theory.

All too often Christianity is being sold with a consumer mentality in an attempt to make it sound more palatable and popular. But is this really faith? I would venture that it is not. In this context, faith is lessened and Scripture is misinterpreted. People are actually being led astray rather than being led to God.

What is faith? A rundown of Hebrews chapter eleven gives a long list of Old Testament saints who are described as people who lived by faith. Difficult times were faced valiantly, sometimes even the face of certain death. In each case, they faced the circumstances they did by trusting in God alone. In each case, they came through the hard times with their love for God intact. That is faith.

The best examples I can think of are found in the book of Daniel. In chapter one, when the king tried to indoctrinate them into the “good times” of Babylonian life, he and his friends stood their ground and remained faithful to God. In the second chapter, when faced with certain death, Daniel trusted God and His Word, kept his wits about him, prayed fervently, and God gave him the interpretation of the dream and he lived on.

Continuing on in chapter 3, Daniel’s three friends were thrown into a fiery furnace because of their faith in God and their refusal to worship an idol set up by the king. Note their answer: “Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up” (Dan. 3:17-18).

Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego trusted God, remained faithful even in the face of certain death, and let God meet the challenge in whatever way He would. Whether in life or in death they proved what is true faith. As we all know, the end result of their faith was life even through the fire.

Talking to His disciples, Jesus said, “If anyone comes after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it” (Mt. 16:24-25). That was true for Daniel and his friends. That is true for you and me as well.

Christianity is not always fun and games. It is not always what feels good. It is trust in a God who loves you. It is serving Him and taking a stand for Him whenever He so calls. It can be, and often is, very hard. Yet the rewards are eternal. Trust Jesus for your salvation, follow Him wherever He leads, no matter what the cost. That is true faith. That is faith in the trenches. Amen.

Declare Dependence on God

It's a little late in the day but here it is. Barbara and I just came from a thirty minute long, fabulous firework display in Rochester, Minnesota. Happy Independence Day! Today is the Fourth of July, and it has been 240 years since the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776, according to tradition. This day has been celebrated with picnics in the park, backyard barbecues, carnivals, fairs, concerts, baseball games, family reunions, political speeches, and as the day drew to an end there was the traditional fireworks displays all across this great land, much like the one we just witnessed.

"Independence" means freedom from control or influence by others in your affairs. It is the idea that we are self-directed, self-reliant, and self-sufficient. Think about that for a moment. Those are great qualifies for a nation but they are poor qualities for a Christian. The Bible says that God directs my affairs. He is the One that is all sufficient to me, and I am to rely on Him for my every need. That sounds like the very opposite of independence. In fact, it sounds very much like dependence.

As America celebrates its independence as a nation, I choose to celebrate my dependence on God as a Christian. This day I declare to you my dependence upon God. How about you? The ball is in your court. There is no better day than today to declare your dependence on God.

In Daniel 4, King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream and Daniel, the man of God, interpreted it for him. Daniel then warned the king about the need to change, but he refused to listen and the dream came to pass. The great king of Babylon was so full of pride that God took away his kingdom. He went insane for 7 years and lived like an animal during that time. At the end of the 7 years, his kingdom was restored to him. The things that Nebuchadnezzar learned from this experience are the very reasons we should all declare our dependence on God.

First, you should declare your dependence on God because of what sin can do in your life. Sin is never without its consequences. In this story we see clearly his sin—the sin of pride. The king declared, "Is this not Babylon the great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?" (v. 30). And immediately we see the consequences of his sin: his kingdom was taken away from him. "While the word was in the king’s mouth, a voice came from heaven, saying, 'King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared: sovereignty has been removed from you'" (v. 31).

King David understood what was needed not to sin. He knew well the terrible consequences that sin has upon a person's life. His family was devastated because of his sin. In Psalm 119:11 he wrote, "Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You." His dependence on God was needed so that he would not sin.

Some of us today do not have that healthy fear of sin and its consequences. Our lives are a wreck all because we have chosen not to make ourselves dependent on God. We say, "Even though I am a Christian, I’d rather be my own person than to depend on God." How tragic! Declare your dependence on God because of what sin can do in your life.

Second, you should declare your dependence on God because there is nowhere to hide from His presence. Adam and Eve could not hide in the Garden from the presence of God; Cain could not hide from God that he had killed his brother Able; Jonah could not flee from the presence of God by boarding a ship heading to Tarshish; King Nebuchadnezzar could not flee from the presence of God by hiding in the great palaces of Babylon; and you and I cannot flee from the presence of God in our lives.

As King David said, "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me. If I say, 'Surely the darkness shall fall on me,' even the night shall be light about me; indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You." (Ps. 139:7-12)

If we understand God's presence in our lives and we know in our heart that we cannot hide from His presence, the best thing for us to do is make ourselves dependent upon His presence rather than fight it. Nebuchadnezzar fought it and ended up like the beasts of the field for seven years, until he recognized God's sovereignty. "And you will be driven away from mankind, and your dwelling place will be with the beasts of the field. You will be given grass to eat like cattle, and seven periods of time will pass over you until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever He wishes" (Dan. 4:32).

Third, declare your dependence on God because His kingdom is the only one that will last forever. Truth be told, all of us are dependent on something or someone. Some people are dependent on alcohol, others on money, some on their child or spouse. If we all are to be dependent on something, I would rather it be on One whose kingdom never ends; I would rather it be on One who I know will be there when I need Him; I would rather it be on One who loves me so much that He sent His Son to die for me so that I can live in His kingdom forever.

That is what Nebuchadnezzar did. "But at the end of that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever; for His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom endures from generation to generation” (v. 34).

Fourth, declare your dependence on God because He has the strength to do what needs to be done. When problems set in, where do you turn? After declaring dependence on God, King Nebuchadnezzar said this about Him: "All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, but He does according to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of earth; and no one can ward off His hand or say to Him, 'What have You done?'" (v. 35).

If I have problems that overwhelm me and burden me down; I am going to be dependent on the One who spoke this world into existence; the One who can part the seas; the One who can feed a multitude with a few fish and a couple of loaves of bread. That is the One I am going to depend on because He has the strength to get done what needs to be done.

Finally, declare your dependence on God because He is trustworthy. I don't mind making myself dependent on someone who is trustworthy. Note verse 37: "Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are true and His ways just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride." Concerning God, Nebuchadnezzar says everything He does is right and all His ways are just. That is his way of saying that God is trustworthy.

Can you remember when you were a child and your dad would throw you up in the air and catch you. You didn't have any fear because you were confident that your dad was trustworthy and that he would catch you every time. Even more so, God is trustworthy. He will catch you every time. You can count on it. "All His works are true and (all) His ways (are) just" (v. 37).

Perhaps you have been trying to make it without God and it hasn’t worked. But today you realize that you don't have any good reason not to declare your dependence on God. If that is the condition of your heart today, I invite you to place yourself in His care, in His protection, and in His love. Declare your dependence on God today. Amen.