Tested by God

            “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”                            Psalm 139:23-24

            That was a v-e-r-y dangerous request that David made. What was he thinking? Did he really want God to look so closely at his life (not like God knew everything about him intimately already)? Did he really want his offenses (sins) pointed out to him? The answers to all of these are, “Yes” he did. His faith was strong enough for him to realize (1) that God was going to be merciful and kind, not condescending and demeaning, (2) that sin is truly evil and toxic to true happiness and contentment, and (3) that he would never be free spiritually as long his sins remained unrecognized and unanswered for. Check out David’s Psalms of repentance (32, 51) and note how stressed and ashamed he was before dealing with his sin, and how relieved and tranquil he was after facing and dealing with them.

            This request to be tested by God is really only dangerous when our faith is weak or when we really don’t want to deal with our sin and be rid of it. Or even if we refuse to come to grips with how damaging and destructive our misdeeds are to our longevity and happiness. The person that is striving to walk by faith and fulfill the divine purpose God created him/her for knows that success is only possible when all obstacles and hindrances are overcome and avoided. Until that happens, we will constantly be dogged and defeated by our shame and guilt, and life will just seem to be filled with challenges, annoyances, problems, difficulties, and worries.

            So then, David’s sentiment in this Psalm is the very medicine our sick soul needs to be healed. Just like a doctor must help us find and eradicate the tumors or viruses that are making us ill, God’s Spirit within us is helping us to discover, define, and remove the sins, harmful attitudes, greedy thoughts, misguided goals, and all other ungodly behaviors so that we can begin to heal spiritually. Because, you see, until we are aware of all sin, especially “secret” sin, we won’t be able to be rid of any of it and it will continue to spring up and haunt and defeat us (and usually at the most inopportune times).

            It is mandatory therefore that we are open and available at all times to be tested by God. Allow Him to search your heart diligently and carefully and to know your anxious thoughts so He can make you aware of them and help you to disable them. Mature your faith to the point where you are comfortable with The Holy Spirit pointing out your offenses so you can avoid them in the future and continue on the way that leads to everlasting life.

            God wants you to understand that you will never be really free and truly alive until ALL sin is done away with – completely.

Doug

Perseverance in Bad Times

            “We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”                               Romans 5:3-5

            Take note of a very important biblical truth: God is not pleased with our suffering.  He takes no pleasure in our heartaches, sorrows and disappointments.  He has claimed to use these at times to cause us to refocus our priorities (Amos 4:6-11).  But not all bad things that happen are God’s attempt to wake us up spiritually or to punish us for unrepentant sin.  Job’s friends thought this way and received divine retribution for being faulty representatives of YHWH (Job 42:7-8). 

            Bad things happen to all people (godly & ungodly) just because.  Too many times, there just isn’t an explanation for them.  Once sin entered the world, life became difficult and filled with many unpleasant experiences. Yet it doesn’t mean that God has departed from us, nor is He angry with us, nor has He forgotten us.  Instead, He may be using these hardships to exemplify the superiority of faith over our constant desire of needing everything proven to us (2 Cor. 5:7).

            Abraham’s faith motivated him to go through the trouble of leaving his home so he could be a more useful servant for YHWH.  Jacob’s faith helped him overcome the hardships caused by Uncle Laban so he could help establish a new nation for YHWH.  It was faith that helped Joseph put up with his brothers’ hatred and mistreatment so that many years later he would be in the right place at the right time to save the known world from starvation.  Moses’ faith allowed him to be able to tolerate the immature and reckless Israelites for 40 years.  Yes, God could have taken these bad times away, but consider how much better off the world has been with their example of faith, perseverance, integrity and desire to be with God.  They saw their sufferings as opportunities to grow their faith, survive Satan’s onslaughts and take hold of God’s promise of eternal life (as Paul says in the passage above).

            So, instead of getting frustrated and questioning, consider the following possibilities for why God allows bad times in your life:

                        It may take some time for your prayer(s) to be answered.

                                    Things are being put into place, so keep on keeping on until then.

                        You may not yet be ready for what you will be facing next.

                                    Extra training may be needed so you can handle what’s ahead.

                        He may be preparing you to help others later on.

                                    Those who have overcome a crisis are the best at helping others succeed.

                        Others have free-will too; God doesn’t force them to be good, loving or helpful.   

                                    Your perseverance may be what’s needed to encourage them to change.

            In all of this keep in mind that the answer(s) will not be easy, exciting or even wanted.  Building faith through perseverance will take every ounce of energy you can muster.  Growing to be like Jesus isn’t for the faint of heart.  But take courage in this: “With God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).  And since He only wants you to succeed (Jeremiah 29:11), have the fortitude and courage to face the challenges that come your way and determine to make the most of every opportunity (good or bad) to be more like Him.

Doug

Blessed Be The Name Of The Lord

Job was truly a remarkable man.  God even says so (Job 1:1, 8 & 2:3).  After losing every kind of blessing (including his health), he refused to whine, complain or blame God.  Even when his wife and friends turned against him he retained his faith.

The book of Job stands out among all of the biblical writings as much for what it says as for what it doesn’t say.  Job’s reply to the tragedies he endured is still relevant for us today – if we take his attitude to heart and imitate his example of faith (see 1:21).

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,”

We are dependent upon God for every need in life.

“And naked I shall depart.”

When we leave this life, we only take our integrity and character with us.

“The LORD gave”

Everything we have in this life is a gift and blessing; not a right – God owes us nothing!

“And the LORD has taken away;”

            Since everything belongs to Him, He has the right to do with it all as He pleases.

“Blessed be the name of the LORD.”

            Our relationship with God is to be our first priority in all things.

            The questions posed in this book still cause problems for us today.  Fortunately in the New Testament age we benefit from God’s answer to this issue.  Why do the righteous suffer?  Just look at Christ on the cross and see the suffering of the only really innocent person.  Can our troubles, trials and sufferings compare with what He endured at Calvary?  In His sufferings we see a God who cares so much for us that He willingly bore the whole stinking mass of human sin and suffering.  For it is in Jesus Christ that the greatest sufferings this world can experience (betrayal, torture and death) provide us with the ultimate blessings (forgiveness of sin and the gift of God’s continual presence - Acts 2:38).

            So the next time you’re tempted to blame God and ask, “Why?” remember Job and his refusal to be separated from the God who promises to be with you through it all.  He desires to bless you beyond all belief, but that can only happen when we actively distance ourselves from the sin that is destroying our souls. Keep in mind the mansion He has prepared for you in the next life that will be free from all of the evils in this life and be in the practice of understanding all that is implicit in Job’s insight: “Blessed be the name of the LORD.”

Doug

The Power Satan Fears Most

     Man's basic desire down through history has been to try and make his "toys" and weapons bigger and better than before.  This is shown in the old cartoons and alien movies that all show an attempt to come up with a superior weapon that can defeat a bigger and/or technologically advanced enemy.  Desert Storm gave Americans a feeling of invincibility because of our bigger and better war machines.

     But in our spiritual war with Satan, we seem to have no ability or concern to try and defeat the enemy. Our most powerful weapon against him is rarely used.  What’s worse, most of us don’t even know we have it at our disposal. Some are too scared to know about it. It's sad to see so many people defeated by money problems, job stress, lack of biblical knowledge, fighting with other Christians, fear of death, or physical and emotional health problems (a short list of the devil’s best weapons).  Satan has deceived so many into turning a blind eye to a superior power source that is right within reach.

     What is this weapon that Satan dreads?  The Spirit of God . . . living right inside every Christian (Romans 8: 9-11).  So, if God's spirit dwells inside us, and Satan can't stand against Him, shouldn’t our enemy have been beaten off a long time ago?

     The answer is “Yes”, so why has he been so successful? Because God's people haven't given enough time, study and practice to get a proper understanding of the person and work of the Holy Spirit.  And since our knowledge and perception of him is weak, so is our ability to stand against the devil.  We’ve wasted too much time trying to face a powerful enemy on our own. We’re no match for Satan without God’s Spirit and we will end up dead unless changes are made.

     Romans 8 has been called the Great Spirit chapter of the Bible.  These verses provide an invaluable resource for encouraging us to take advantage of this power that Satan fears the most (who is right at our fingertips).  Sin has weakened and defeated us. To recover and mature our strength, we must follow the Spirit instead of sin (3-8). The Spirit’s power was demonstrated by His raising Jesus from the dead (9-11, 23). Our being able to use the Spirit’s power effectively depends on our acting like Jesus and in obeying God’s (12-17). When we let the Spirit lead us, He will take care of everything for us (26, 27).  The final result, says Paul, is complete and total victory (31-39).

     Now I can understand why Satan is working so hard to keep us from learning about this powerful weapon.  If we all took advantage of it, he would be out of business.  Even the Apostle John tells us about this powerful ally: “The One who is in you (Holy Spirit) is greater than the one who is in the world (Satan)” (1 John 4:4).

     So how is your war against Satan/Sin going? Are you using the weapon God has given you – His Spirit that is living right inside you? If the worries and cares of this life have you feeling weak and defeated, then start learning how to use the weapon Satan fears the most. Tap into God’s strength through His Spirit and watch Satan flee (James 4:7).

Doug