PART 2 OF BOOK (CONTINUED)
Thankfulness For All That God Has Done
Much has been learned and this series of lessons is almost at an end. Let’s take some time to review what we have learned. Romans 8:29-30 tells us, “For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He did predestinate, them He also called: and whom He called, them He also justified: and whom He justified, them He also glorified.” We know from this passage that God predetermined that all that would accept Jesus as their Savior would also be fully conformed to the image of Jesus. This God made into a guarantee, such that one may either choose to arrive there willingly or may resist and be brought there unwillingly. Certainly the better choice is to go willingly for the unwilling pathway is full of God’s chastisement, unhappiness, and defeat. It is a wonderful thing that God has done for us. He has provided a way of salvation for us. He has provided victory over sin to those who are saved. God has also guaranteed that all Christians will be made into the very image of Jesus. We are saved from the penalty of sin, we are saved from the power of sin, and one day we will be saved from the very presence of sin. The certainty of this last statement is so strong that God already sees us in heaven shouting and singing praises to the Lord Jesus. All of these are worth shouting about, but let us consider for a moment what must have occurred to bring about all of this.
Let’s first of all return to Romans 8:29-30, to which was referred above. The word translated “predestined” in Romans 8:29-30 has a primary meaning of “to see beforehand or to foresee.” God in His infinite knowledge and wisdom, in eternity past, knew the path His creation would take. God knew that mankind would reject their Creator. God also knew that the only way He could redeem His creation was for Jesus, God the Son, to pay the full penalty on the cross and rise from the dead the third day. It is very doubtful that any human being who has ever lived would have been willing to allow his only son to pay the full penalty for the sin of another. Yet God chose to go ahead with creation anyway, knowing it would cost Jesus the cross. “For God SO LOVED the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
“Oh, the love that drew salvation’s plan! Oh, the grace that bro’t it down it man! Oh, the mighty gulf that God did span at Calvary!” The song writer indeed had the story right. God because of His infinite love for us “foresaw” us into existence as conformed to the image of Jesus. The price for this choice…God the Son would have to take on human form for all eternity, suffer and die on the cross, be buried and rise again. And yes, here stands God the Father looking down on His only begotten Son, painfully turning His face away from the One that He has loved for an eternity. Oh, the awful pain and agony, just so He could redeem mankind. God gave ALL for us!!!
OH, how we owe ALL to God!!! Romans 12:1 tells us that the giving of our bodies as a living sacrifice is our REASONABLE service. God gave all for us and we must surrender ALL to Him as our REASONABLE and JOYFUL service. There is a statement in the Old Testament that illustrates for us what surrendering all is. In I Kings 20:2-4 Ben-Hadad the king of Syria besieged Samaria and demanded full surrender from the king of Israel. The king of Israel’s reply in verse 4 was, “O king, according to thy saying, I am thine, and all that I have.” Even Ahab, the wicked king of Israel, knew what total surrender meant. Ahab, the king of Syria, offers Ben-Hadad, first of all, himself. Ahab describes Ben-Hadad as his king and offers himself as Ben-Hadad’s servant. Ahab also offers Ben-Hadad all that he has.
Total surrender is what we need to offer God. We need to offer, first, ourselves.
We must give ourselves over to God totally and without any reservation. To give ourselves over totally to God means to give Him full control of each and every part of us, each and every minute of our lives, and each and every aspect of our lives. There can be no part of our lives left out; we must give Him our sleeping hours, we must give Him the morning hours, we must give Him the main part of the day or the working hours, we must give Him the evening hours, and all that remains. We must give Him control over all parts of our lives; we must give Him control over our thought life, we must give Him control over our eating life, we must give Him control over our social life, we must give Him control over our work life, we must give Him control over our dating or married life, and we must give Him control over our physical life (i.e. our actions/reactions to others, those things that control us, those things we think we have control over, etc.), our spiritual life, our private life, our public life, and all that remains. We must also give all that we possess to Jesus.
We must give Him all or our money, all of our clothes, all of our houses and lands, all of our vehicles, all of our toys, all of our tools, all of our furniture, all of our friends, all of our loved ones, all of everything. All must be given to the Lord Jesus. This is our reasonableservice. In talking about our sacrifice and surrender to God, Jesus in Mark 9:49 said, “For everyone shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice will be salted (seasoned) with salt.” Being seasoned with fire refers to being offered as a sacrifice as well as having our chaff burned up. Seasoning food with fire (i.e. barbecue) improves the flavor of the food. II Cor. 3:3 says, “clearly you are an epistle (letter)of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink, but by the Spirit of the Living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.” When we offer ourselves up as a living sacrifice we improve the quality of the letter the world is reading in us about Christ. Just as a fire improves the flavor of the food, so yielding all to Christ increases the quality of the message we offer to the world about the One who gave all for us. Also the size of the fire determines what the benefit is. A small fire means improved flavor or great rejoicing but a huge fire means burnt barbecue or great loss. The amount and type of fuel is important to consider. If our source is wood, hay, and stubble we can expect a massive flame and if the source is diamonds, gold, silver, and jewels we can expect a fine fire that will produce enriched products. “Oh, the love that drew salvation’s plan! Oh, the grace that bro’t it down it man! Oh, the mighty gulf that God did span at Calvary!”
Jesus also mentioned that the sacrifice was seasoned with salt. My, what a difference a little salt can make in a recipe. Without salt food can be very bland and lack flavor. With salt even some foul tasting foods can please, but if the salt has been fouled nothing can help. In the time of the New Testament, salt was used to purify and cleanse as well as to preserve. If we offer ourselves with salt, we offer ourselves with purity and great reward can be expected. If however the salt put on our sacrifice is dirty because our lives are full of sin, then we can expect our sacrifice to be rejected.
We can choose to serve God or to serve ourselves. The choice is ours alone, no one can make the choice for us. A life given over completely to God is a life of joy and great reward. A life lived for self is a life lost, and forever unrecoverable. “Oh, the love that drew salvation’s plan! Oh, the grace that bro’t it down it man! Oh, the mighty gulf that God did span at Calvary!” Which choice is yours; full surrender to God or live for self? Give God your all. Make Him your forever King! Remember, we can do nothing without Jesus!
Knowing Spiritual Growth is Occurring
One thing yet remains that needs to be looked at to make this study complete and that is how do we measure our spirituality? Surely, the more we are like Jesus, the more spiritual we are. Certainly, this is the only true measure, but it’s a measure that is very difficult to evaluate as every time we take measure we will come to the same conclusion, the conclusion of having a long way to go. To be like Jesus is so infinitely greater than anything we can achieve, even after a lifetime of consistent growth. So how do we measure our level of spirituality? It seems that we are constantly attempting to do just that. It is recommended that we take stock in ourselves and see where we are in the faith. Have we grown any in our Christian walk this week, month, or year? It is true that if we are not currently growing in our relationship with the Savior, then we are moving backward. Let’s look first at what is not a measure of our spirituality that we might better understand what is.
Some might propose that we examine our Christian standards and the activities we have done for the Lord. However, can outward measures provide a reasonable assessment of what has gone on inside? In Matt. 23:23-28 we read, “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess (self-indulgence). Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you are like unto whited (whitewashed)sepulchres (tombs) which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.” This passage clearly shows that outward appearances or standards are not a valid measure of our spirituality and that the works that are done for Jesus are also invalid measures as they fail to measure our inward relationship with the Lord Jesus. Anyone with a strong will can discipline themselves to achieve these outward appearances, but yet lack a real and vital relationship with the Lord Jesus and NOTHING for Jesus can be done without Jesus. How then do we measure our spirituality?
Jesus gave us the answer to this in Matt. 7:20 where He says, “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” So then our fruits are the proper measure of our spirituality. Some preachers have told us that fruits are “souls.” It is true that souls are fruit, and that fruit cannot be attained without the help of Jesus. However, someone who has won over a thousand souls to Christ may not be any more spiritual than someone who has only won a few. I Cor. 3:7 tells us, “So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.” Souls are God’s fruit, not ours, though they show a willingness to let Jesus do the work. Counting souls won is NOT a way to measure our spiritual progress. However, if you have never led a soul to the Savior it’s time to ask God for forgiveness and yield to God’s control of your life.
There are fruits, however, that can be used to measure our spirituality. We become more like Jesus the more we yield to the Holy Spirit on a moment by moment basis. We have learned that it is the Holy Spirit that takes the Word of God and executes change in our lives to make us more like Jesus. What then are the fruits that relate to a life of yieldedness to the Holy Spirit? The answer is found in Galatians 5:22-23 which reads, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness (kindness), goodness, faith, meekness, temperance (self-control): against such there is no law.” We can score ourselves on each of these and see how we are doing.
The first mentioned and the most important one in the list is love. To satisfactorily score high in this area our love needs to be so great that we would be willing to die to save the life of the worst criminal in history. We need to love our neighbor as our self, love our family as our self, love the telemarketers as our self, love the terrorist as our self, love all races as our self, love the handicapped as our self, love the auditor from IRS as our self, and simply prefer everyone over ourselves. As our love for God and our relationship with Him grow, so also our love for others grows.
A very marking characteristic of someone whose spiritual life is on fire is their joy. We find strength in our joy. A chorus that we often sing says, “The joy of the Lord is my strength.” Paul says in I Thess. 5:16, “Rejoice evermore.” Peter also in I Peter 1:8 says, “…ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.” A clear mark of spiritual growth is joy all day long, everyday, and no matter what the circumstances are.
Ah, peace, the very quintessence of an open and loving relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Psalm 119:165 puts it this way, “Great peace have they which love Thy law: and nothing shall offend them.” To have great peace is to have such glowing faith in the Lord Jesus that absolutely nothing can cause you to err in your walk with Him. Phil. 4:6-7 says, “Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Wow, to have great peace is to have our hearts and minds guarded, protected from evil.
Longsuffering is the same as patience, endurance, steadfastness, and perseverance. To score well here we need to be patient when it seems to take forever for God to answer and meet our needs. It means to endure all hardships as well as successes. We must also be “steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” I Cor. 15:58 It also means to persevere or stick to the stuff so that we like Paul might say, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” II Tim. 4:7 The labor must be “in the Lord” or simply put Jesus must be in control for we can do NOTHING without Him. That’s how Paul did it and how we must also do it.
The Greek word translated gentleness or kindness also means moral goodness and integrity. Eph. 4:32 tells us, “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” The true essence of kindness comes in being tenderhearted towards those who are hurting or are weaker in the faith and to forgive those who wrong you. To have integrity means to keep your word regardless of how much it costs you, to pay your bills when they are due, and to be fair in all your dealings not taking huge profits or cheating someone out of the true value of what you’re buying off of them. Romans 13:8 puts it this way, “Owe no man any thing.”
The Greek word translated goodness means uprightness of heart and life. Kindness covers the outward expressions of our moral uprightness in relation to others. Goodness refers to the inward measure of our moral correctness in relationship with others. Perhaps we have done a great job upholding our testimony in the community, expressing kindness to others, and telling others we forgive them, but what does our heart really wish to express? Are our expressions of kindness the result of the love of God in our hearts or an outward show to seem spiritual to others? In I Sam. 16:7 God says, “For man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.”
Faith means just what it seems to mean. How much do we believe God and His Word? Do we believe Him enough to be immediately obedient to his commands? If God asks you to give $100 to the missionary, do we give $50 thinking it was just an errant thought on our part? We have faith when we respond to God in full obedience knowing that He is the One who cares for us. Faith is a very powerful thing. It is not a light belief that something is right but I’m not sure I can trust it. Faith means I believe God enough to lean back in His arms and let Him have full control of the driver’s seat. How much faith we have can be measured by what it takes for us to disobey God. If we believe there is a hell waiting for sinners, we would be out begging them to accept Christ. One might say, “You believe in hell, prove it.” If we believe that we will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ then we will earnestly contend for the faith yielding completely to the will of God for our daily lives. Hebrews 11:1 tells us, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” In other words, if we believe God wants to conform us to the image of His Son we will let go of our earthly life and allow the Holy Spirit complete control.
Meekness is a measure of how we treat others. If we are meek or gentle we won’t slap our children in the face with our hands, or yell at our wife, or throw the wrench across the room. To be gentle is to not slam the door and squeal the tires on the way out of the driveway. If we are gentle we won’t get rough with the cashier because the price didn’t come up in the register to the value we thought was posted over the product. Gentleness doesn’t imply weakness either. It doesn’t mean we melt away and hide when God wants us to witness to someone. Being gentle or meek is very difficult. It is not a human characteristic. Jesus was meek and gentle and He didn’t run from spiritual battles. Gentleness requires us to put self on the shelf and allow the Holy Spirit to express Jesus in our lives.
Finally, temperance or self-control is perhaps the crux of all the above. Self is our worst enemy. Remember Paul said of self in Romans 7:18, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing.” Self or your flesh contains nothing good. It is pure evil. To maintain self-control is to keep the flesh out of the way all the time. Self-control, sometimes referred to as discipline, requires great diligence to make sure that every time self wants to rear its ugly head we treat it as dead and yield instead to the Holy Spirit. To be like Jesus is to be totally rid of self and that requires having Jesus run everything for us. Self-control, though sounding like fleshly discipline, is the essence of ignoring its existence, and is the act of letting the Holy Spirit have the control. This also necessitates that enough of the Word of God is in us for the Holy Spirit to be able to take control. All fleshly effort will fail. A good measure of Holy Spirit managed self-control is how we react when the circumstances of life get out of control. When the tire goes flat on the way to work and we are a few minutes late already and the tire iron slips off the nut bashing the knuckles what do we say? How mad do we get? Is this anything like Jesus? If the Holy Spirit is controlling your life, when the tire iron slips and you bust your knuckles you'll smile and praise God you didn't break your hand.
All of these are good measures of our spirituality. Together they give us a very good picture of what kind of life we are living for Jesus. Eph. 5:9refers to these fruits of the Spirit saying, “For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth.” The fruits mentioned in this lesson dwell in goodness, righteousness, and truth. They are not a part of the flesh; neither can they ever result from efforts generated by the flesh. We must depend totally and completely on the Lord Jesus each and every moment of our life to constantly bear the fruits of the Sprit. Only what Jesus does through us is worth anything. Everything we do of our selves is totally worthless. This is the only way to properly measure our spiritual progress. We must examine ourselves in each of these areas and see how we measure up. Don’t get discouraged when failure shows up. Simply ask for forgiveness from God and turn all back over to Him. Hopefully, we will measure up better each week, month, and year that we serve Jesus. Remember, we can do nothing without Jesus and through Him we can achieve anything He wants us to do. Amen!
Following Hard after Jesus
All that is in this book serves merely to open the heart of the Christian to its true longing, to know God. Jesus prayed to God the Father in John 17:3 saying, “And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent.” As the Christian spends time in the Word of God, attends church faithfully, prays for others, and gets involved in the ministry of their church they begin to grow in their love of the Savior. It is a natural thing to want to be near and spend time with those that are loved.
David said in Psa. 63:8, “My soul followeth hard after Thee: Thy right hand upholdeth me.” David was declared by God to be a man after His own heart. David here expresses his desire to know God very intimately. Moses also expressed his desire to know God in Exodus 33:13,18 declaring, “Now, therefore, I pray Thee, if I have found grace in Thy sight, show me now Thy way, that I may know Thee, that I may find grace in Thy sight.” “I beseech Thee, show me Thy glory.”
Did God ignore this request by Moses? Of course not! God allowed Moses to see His glory from His back side. God hid His face from Moses as God told Moses that no man may look at His face and live. These two instances in the Old Testament are joined by the testimony of Paul in the New Testament.
In Phil. 3:10Paul says, “That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings.” And again in Phil. 3:8 he says, “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.” For Paul, the main thing that mattered to him was to get to know his Savior, for which he was willing to exchange everything he possessed, counting them as he says “but loss.” His attitude declared that to him nothing was more important than to get to know Jesus intimately.
Mankind was created by God to have close fellowship with Him. It is natural then for the heart of the Christian to long deeply to look in the face of our Savior and become just like Him. In Psa. 42:1 we read, “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after Thee, O God.” Yes, all mankind greatly longs for this knowledge, yet very few realize what their great longing is. Yes, in this area also, God must draw us and help us. The Christian is totally dependent upon God, not only to gain victory over the sin in their life, but also to get to know God intimately.
Some Christians will declare that they love God, when in reality they love things much more than God. God refers to things and money as mammon. Luke 16:13 says, “No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” In this day and age, the number one master of Christians is not God it is materialism. They care greatly about things like: getting a new car, buying a new gaming system, getting new furniture for the living room, or some other item that they believe they need. Then when their pastor speaks around New Years about giving, they listen but don’t change their ways. The master of materialism has choked off their ability to serve God.
Things are a great enemy of trying to get to know God in an intimate way. Why do Christians get heavily in debt for “things” when if they had a real need for the item that they didn’t have the cash for, God would supply it for them some other way. They end up missing out on a blessing from God, who loves them more than they know. Don’t let things get in the way of your relationship with God, or interfere in your push to get to know God more.
In pursuit of the knowledge of God, it is important to be obedient to every small thing God asks of us as well as those things that seem to be so enormous as to be way beyond our ability to achieve them. If God is the requesting the enormous task then God can and will supply the ability to complete that task as we remain surrendered to the leading of the Holy Spirit. A.W. Tozer has said, “With the goodness of God to desire our highest welfare, the wisdom of God to plan it, and the power of God to achieve it, what do we lack?”
God does indeed desire our very highest welfare. Zech. 9:17 says of God, “how great is His goodness.” In Psa. 31:19 the David declares, “Oh how great is Thy goodness, which Thou hast laid up for them that fear Thee.” Paul speaking about those who choose to judge others as though they were self-righteous in Rom. 2:4, “Or despiseth thou the riches of His goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?” Over and over the Word of God reminds us of God’s great goodness. God, who sent His only begotten Son to pay the awful price of the sin of the entire world from all ages not only wants you to be saved but to enjoy the very closest possible fellowship with Him for all eternity. No higher welfare can be had than that!
A.W.Tozer goes on to say that we have the unlimited wisdom of God planning our highest welfare. God, the source of wisdom, so loves each Christian so as to carefully, accurately, and thoroughly to set forth the plan for each one of us to achieve this incredible welfare. James admonishes in James 1:5, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” This wisdom of God is ours if we will but ask for it. That incredibly huge task God has given you to do He has already laid out the plans for achieving it. We simply need to ask for it. What a great God!
God not only desires our highest welfare, will implant in us His wisdom for achieving what He has asked of us, but also provides the power to get it done. God is all powerful. There is nothing too hard for God. God speaking to Abraham in Gen. 18:14 said, “Is any thing too hard for the Lord?” Sarah had laughed thinking how impossible it was for her to have a child in old age, well past child bearing age, and with Abraham also being very old. Yet she indeed did bear a son, just as God had said. When God tells us to do something, He provides all the power needed to complete it. Following hard after God to get to know God intimately, to look into the very face of God Almighty, and to feel the surge of His heart beating with infinite love is a very doable pursuit. Paul said in Phil. 4:13, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” With God’s Holy Spirit working through us, there is no task that He won’t supply all the strength we need to accomplish it.
We have the goodness of God to earnestly desire close unlimited fellowship with us, the wisdom of God to provide the complete plan for getting us there, and the power of God’s absolute holiness presented in the Lord Jesus Christ to be able to commune with God in His very presence. There is therefore absolutely no reason to not pursue it with all the goodness of God, the wisdom of God, and the power of God afforded to us to get there.
Jesus as Guide for Service.
When most Christians think of serving the Savior, they think of being a pastor, missionary, music minister, or teacher at a Christian school or university. Serving the Savior, though, is not limited to these positions. Anytime the believer uses the spiritual gifts that they received at salvation they are indeed serving Jesus.
Jesus is a guide to the believer in how to best serve. John in John1:1 tells us that Jesus is the Word. The Word of God is the guide that Jesus provides so that the surrendered believer can receive instruction on how to do the job God has given them. It also provides a tool for the Holy Spirit to guide the believer as to what God wants the believer to do. As the believer reads the Word of God the Holy Spirit will use a passage that they are reading to emphasize a thought contained in the Word to help direct the believer to something God would have them do or an area that God would like the believer to fix or how to go about the task given them. Perhaps the first thing a believer should do in becoming a servant of the Savior is to discover their spiritual gifts. The spiritual gifts God gives to each of us is given to us so that we can best do the tasks He has for us.
Knowing what spiritual gifts you possess is a big help in discovering what God has for you to do. Rom. 12:6-8 provides us with some of those gifts, “Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophecy according to the proportion of faith; or ministry, let us wait on our ministering; or he that teacheth, on teaching; or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.” The first gift listed is prophecy which can be aslo stated as proclaiming divine revelation. Today this is probably preaching. Next is ministry or serving, aiding, and supporting. There is teaching then also exhortation which is encouraging or comforting. This list of gifts is by no means all of the gifts but just an example. In I Cor. 12 there are more gifts listed, some of which are no longer prevalent. These gifts are some examples as there are many different gifts. To help determine what your gifts are, the first thing necessary is to make sure that you are completely surrendered to God in all aspects of your life. Then when performing an area that is a gift if you find that doing that gift makes you happy, brings you joy or peace, then you probably have that gift. To be sure you should discuss it with your pastor.
There are other things that need to be addressed to make sure that the believer is in the best possible relation with the Savior to ensure they can serve effectively such as: the believer's outward appearance, some areas of common failure, some examples that Jesus provided in His life that need to be followed, and the purpose of trials in the believer's life. Plus, remember that the flesh usually does not like the wisdom found in the Word of God, but this wisdom provides the believer with a greater avenue to close fellowship with Jesus which is essential to be used in service to God.
The Believer's Outward Appearance
The believer's outward appearance is often an area of contention, but obedience is the path to a greater understanding of God and His holiness. Consider first an Old Testament statement in this area. Deut. 22:5, “The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth to a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are an abomination unto the Lord thy God.” This passage is heavily overlooked in today's society. However, it is important to note that God considers this an abomination. An abomination is an area that is most strongly hated by God and certainly something that every believer needs to obedient in. Angering God by doing that which He considers an abomination is a sure way to kill a close relationship with God.
The New Testament has similar statements. 1 Cor. 11:4-7,14-15 says, “Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head. But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven. For if the woman be not covered, let her also be shorn: but if it be a shame for a woman to be shorn or shaven, let her be covered. For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man. .... Doth not even nature itself teach you, that if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him? But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.” This is a very clear statement that a man should not have long hair like a woman, nor a woman have short hair like a man. Today many women want to look like a man and assume the posture of a man and many men find it ok to look like a woman with long hair down to and past their shoulders. A believer must be obedient to the Word of God if there is any desire at all to have close fellowship with Jesus, God the Son. Men should look like men, and women should look like women. To be otherwise is to offend God, which is not wise.
Further instruction for women is explained in 1 Tim 2:9-10 which states, “In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety, not with braided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; but (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.” This is also needed. When women dress in a manner which provokes men to sexual thoughts by the way they dress, they do not do the church any good. In this manner they damage the spiritual attentiveness of men and thus harm the declaration of the Gospel. The world thinks it is ok to draw a man's attention to the physical nature of the woman but this is not acceptable to God. Please understand, that when a woman's attire is suggestive it does not benefit the edification of the church. Consider also 1 Peter 3:1-6 which says, “Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; while they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of platting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; but let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands: even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement.”
The church needs to be a place where all believers can keep their attention on spiritual things so that the Holy Spirit may further the edification of the members and bring to salvation those unsaved that may be attending. Likewise men aught to be sure to dress appropriately and not suductively. Consider and be kind to those of the other sex when you dress that your testimony would be pleasing to God and representative of the Savior to the world.
Common failures.
Preachers being trained for the ministry are told to be especially careful of three areas that are the most frequent areas that cause preachers to leave the ministry. These same areas are ones that all believers should be especially careful in. They are sex, money, and pride. The devil loves to get believers tied up in these areas as these areas are extremely devastating and can end up destroying a believers life permanently unless repented of. Even if they are repented of later on, they still will cause much difficulty.
The first area that is very prevalent in todays culture is sex. Both men and women are constantly bombarded in the media with temptations in this area. Even in Paul's day this was a concern. In Acts 15:29 the apostles and elders at Jerusalem sent a letter to the Gentile Christians at Antioch saying, “That ye obstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.” Fornication is here mentioned as one of the primary concerns that they should keep themselves from. Also Paul in writing to the Corinthians in 1 Cor. 5:1-2 addresses them with, “It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as not as much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife. And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you.” Sin had so thoroughly invaded this church that a sin of fornication which was not even mentioned among the Gentiles was being committed. With all of today's advertisement emphasis on sex and the massive availability of pornographic materials, this area of a believer's life needs to be guarded with much care. Once started in this foul sin it will cause the believer to become consumed with it. The more it is practiced the more difficult it becomes to gain victory over it. Be sure God can and will provide the victory if it is repented of, but the damage it can do to a believer's life is massive. Here, as in many areas that a believer may have difficulty in, it is imperative that the believer memorize several passages of Scripture that can be used by the Holy Spirit to strengthen the believer and defeat the attack. Some useful passages are: Exodus 20:14, Matt. 5:27, Rom. 13:9, James 2:11, and 1 Cor. 6:13.
The second area to be careful in is money. A life dedicated to acquiring money is a life dedicated to an idol instead of God. In Matt. 6:24 Jesus said, “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” Mammon is wealth or money and material possessions. Jesus states clearly here that being dedicated to the acquisition of money is something that all believers should avoid. After all, God has guaranteed to meet all of your true needs, and He most certainly will. Jesus also says in Matt. 6:21, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” If your heart is set upon the getting of wealth, then your heart will not be attuned to the things of God. The one excludes the other. For instance, if the believer works two jobs in order to put money away for retirement or to aquire something nice for their family, they will not spend the time they need to spend with their family to insure that their family is raised in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Also, this pursuit will also potentially cause serious marital problems and the devil would like nothing more than to destroy a believer's marriage.
The final area and the one that God hates the most is pride. In Prov. 16:18 God says, “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.” Also in Prov. 16:5, “Everyone that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.” God clearly hates a proud heart calling it an abomination. He also states that pride will result in destruction. It is understandable that God would see pride this way as it was pride that caused the downfall of Lucifer. In Isa.14:12-14 it says, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.” Lucifer, also called Satan and the devil, was the most powerful angel created by God and fell due to the sin of pride. Pride caused the downfall of the most powerful angel God had created and it will certainly destroy any believer that allows themselves to be taken by it. Extreme care with the help of the Holy Spirit is necessary here.
Anytime a believer thinks that they will do this or that without considering God they are guilty of pride. Consider James 4:13-16which says, “Go to now, ye that say, Today or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow, For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.” For the believer to assume they can do anything on their own is pride and sin. Anytime one tells someone that they can do this or that because they have this talent or ability they need no help is an example of pride and very distasteful to God. There is nothing that anyone can do apart from what God provides. No spiritual accomplishment can be had apart from the presence and direct action of the Holy Spirit. To attempt to be independently capable in anything is to assure absolute failure, for to do so apart from allowing God to do it through the believer will assure it's demise. There is absolutely nothing that the believer can accomplish for God apart from the help of Jesus through the Holy Spirit. The believer should be most careful here.
Jesus became poor
Consider 2 Cor. 8:9, “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich.” Jesus became poor that the believer might become rich in spiritual things. This richness is not a richness of material things. In Prov. 11:28 God tells us, “He that trusteth in his riches shall fall: but the righteous shall flourish as a branch.” Also in Prov. 23:4 it says, “Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.” Riches do not help spiritual growth. Riches, in fact, greatly hinder spiritual growth. 1 Tim. 6:6-11 says, “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.” Paul makes clear to Timothy here that pursuing riches will be his downfall. The pursuit of riches is the root, or foundation, of all kinds of evil.
The Lord Jesus further emphasizes this truth in the parable of the seed in Mark 4:18-19 with, “And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, and the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.” The pursuit of riches or the desire for things will stifle the growth of the believer and the believer will be consumed by such desires and become unfruitful, living a worldly life. Consider that if a believer aquires many “nice” things, the care of those “nice” things will consume their time and attention. For instance, if the believer buys a new car, that new car will require maintenance and cleaning as well as expensive insurance, tying up the time and funds of the believer. The believer will guard this new vehicle from scratches and any potential harm. Also, if the believer has borrowed money to make the purchase, the believer will be tied down financially with payments, interest, and the cost of insurance making it more difficult to give to missions and God's work in general. Nice things; like new furniture, a new computer, a new phone, new clothes, new cars, and a bigger and better house, greatly hinder the spread of the gospel by preventing the believer from giving to the work of God as they should. Building this type of treasure also causes the believer to love those things instead of God, making them idols. Matt. 6:21 enforces this, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
There is another side to money that needs to also be considered. When a believer ties themselves down with debt in order to obtain the things they desire, they not only make it more difficult to give to God's work but they also tie themselves down making it more difficult to follow God's leading in their life. If God would call them to be a missionary or becme a pastor they would need to rid themselves of the debt in order to be free to serve God as He desires them to. This is not a good place to be. When God calls a person to service, in whatever field, a strong desire to do as God wishes bears down on them. Not being able to respond immediately due to debt will cause much anxiety and sorrow until the debt has been removed. The acquisition of debt is in reality poor management of money, as that which is purchased will now cost more to possess due to interest.
In addition, the poor management of money by acquiring debt also limits the hope of being called of God to do things for Him or to be elevated to a higher level of task for Him. Luke 16:11 tells us, “If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?” Jesus makes it clear here that God considers how the believer handles the money that He gives them as a measurement of whether the believer is trustworthy enough to handle spiritual tasks like being a missionary, evangelist, or pastor. First the believer needs to show God that they can handle money properly if they wish to be used of God at a higher post in His army. Something definitely worth considering if the believer loves God and wants to serve Him.
Jesus Never Wasted Time.
Jesus never wasted time. In fact, even as a child, He was busy doing what the Father wanted. In Luke 2:41-13, 46-49 it says, “Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover. And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast. And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and His mother knew not of it......And it came to pass, that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. And all that heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. And when they saw Him, they were amazed: and His mother said unto Him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? Behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. And He said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?” So even as a child, Jesus was busy doing the Father's will, not playing games as most children would be doing. Jesus never wasted time or one might say He did not pursue vain things.
There are many vain things that Christians get themselves involved in. Consider these few: anxiety, possessions and riches, pleasures, foolish questions, idolatry, vain thoughts and speech, and worldy wisdom. These are but the tip of the iceberg.
The first of these is anxiety. How many things does the believer become anxious over? Psa. 127:2 reads, “It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so He giveth His beloved sleep.” What is it that causes the Christian to worry so that they can't sleep. Is it financial things, sickness, what to cook for today's meals, or whether or not they'll get layed off from work and need to find a new job? Many, many things seem to be able to occupy the believer's mind causing anxiety. God does not want us anxious about anything, but to simply trust Him. His love for us is boundless and He has more than enough grace to see the believer through any difficulty. Even more, times of difficulty are there to test the Christian's faith and cause growth in their spiritual lives.
Material possessions and riches can quickly become a weight that greatly hinders Christian growth and service for God. Eccl. 2:26 reads, “For God.....to the sinner He giveth travail, to gather and to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before God. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.” Also Eccl. 4:8 reads, “There is one alone, and there is not a second, yea, he hath neither child nor brother: yet is there no end of all his labour; neither is his eye satisfied with riches; neither saith he, For whom do I labour, and bereave my soul of good? This is also vanity, yea, it is a sore travail.” Solomon, whom God gave more wisdom than any other man, makes it clear that to gather up riches and material things is a vain and worthless pursuit. These riches and material things become everything to the one who possesses them. Once again the heart of the believer is turned away from God and spiritual things to worthless worldy possessions and riches. Instead of building up riches in heaven where they cannot evaporate, rust, rot, or otherwise decay, they build up junk that cannot be taken to heaven at the end of their stay here on earth. Consider carefully if you need a new piece of furniture or whether perhaps a less expensive path would be better. What about a new car? Hmmm, the believer with a new car will spend time taking extra care of that car. If they did not have sufficient funds to purchase the car outright, they take out a loan which will tie them down for three (3) to five (5) years: which will prevent them from answering God's call to service until the vehicle is paid for. It will also cause addtional restraints on their finances which will limit their ability to give to God's work.
If material things and riches aren't enough to hamper a believer consider personal pleasures. Much care needs to be taken here. There is no doubt that God loves the believer and wants very much for the believer to be happy and joyful. God however does not want that believer to spend their time getting worldy pleasures but rather getting the joy and pleasure of service to God, the joy and pleasure of fellowship with other believers, and the joy and pleasure of spending time alone with God in His Word, in Prayer, and in careful listening to the Holy Spirit. There is no greater joy and pleasure than that obtained through Spirit filled service to and fellowship with God.
So the believer has the thought that this is so restricting. Look at Eccl. 2:3, 10-11, “I sought in mine heart to give myself unto wine, yet acquainting mine heart with wisdom; and to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was that good for the sons of men, which they should do under the heaven all the days of their life....And whatsoever mine eyes desired I kept not from them, I withheld not my heart from any joy; for my heart rejoiced in all my labour: and this was my portion of all my labour. Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought, and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit under the sun.” So Solomon pursued all the joy and pleasure available to him, and with all his riches there was nothing that he had to overlook, and in the end he discovered that it all was worthless. For the believer, only what is done for Christ has any value. Perhaps a tough lesson, but one that needs to be observed. Only those activities that are done for the cause of Christ and the Gospel have any true worth and any true joy and pleasure. The joy and pleasure of Holy Spirit filled labor for the Savior will last for eternity. Jesus will see to it that the believer is blessed for this pursuit both on this earth and for eternity in heaven.
Sometimes the believer can get involved in the pursuit of topics not clearly established in the Scriptures. What does the Word of God have to say about this. 1 Tim. 1:4-7 reads, “Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do. Now the end of the commandment is charity (love) out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: from which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling; desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.” Also in 1 Tim. 6:20 Paul directs, “O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain bablings, and oppositions of science falsely so called:” Paul instructs Timothy to avoid questions and subjects that the Word of God does not clearly teach. He calls all such pursuit vain or worthless nonsense. All that God wants a believer to learn is clearly laid out in the Word of God. Also, by the way, evolution is a good example of science falsely so called. Paul addresses this again in 2 Tim. 2:14-16 which reads, “Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers. Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and vain bablings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.” Being a subject that Paul emphasizes twice says this is an important issue. Wasting time deliberating over topics that the Word of God does not clearly state is a total waste of the believer's time, vain. If that isn't clear yet, consider what Paul says to Titus in Titus 3:9, “But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.” There is a wealth of information for Christian living in the Word of God. There is no need to divert the attention away from good topics to worthless ideas that are not spelled out in the Bible. If God wanted you to learn about those topics, He would have clearly explained them in the Word.
Idolatry is another waste of time and a clear affront to God. Yeah, the common thought here is that the believer doesn't worship idols of wood, silver, or gold. However, idols are many more things than old heathen worship objects. Idols are any lying vanities that surplant time spent with God. The psalmist in Psa. 31:6 says, “I have hated them that regard lying vanities: but I trust in the Lord.” Lying vanities are any item, practice, or recreation that takes away time that should be spent with God or any funds that should have been given to God's work. When the believer's attention is on something other than God, God's people, or God's work they are placing that item in the stead of God. That's an idol. Idols in a believer's life can be something simple like video games, sports, a collection of some sort (coins for example, or stamps), or even food. If the believer wastes time with them or spends money on them that should have been given to God's work, they are worshiping that idol. Little or great idols of any sort greatly interfere with doing something for God. This can easily quench the Holy Spirit. Oh, there is one very obvious idol that needs to be avoided. It is “self.” Be careful that self doesn't take the throne away from God.
Taking the throne away from God starts with vain thoughts and speech. Any thought that is not centered on God, God's work, or God's Word is vain. So you think that thoughts about taking care of necessary tasks like doing the finances or going to the store to buy groceries is ok. Alright, if those thoughts are about God's assistance in those tasks or acquiring God's help with those tasks then they are not vain. However, if God is left out of those thoughts and the intent is to do those tasks yourself as though you don't need God's help then those thoughts are vain. God needs to be in everything that we think about, say, or do. When God is on the throne of the believer's life, the believer has God in the center of every thought, speech, and task. The psalmist declares in Psa. 119:113, “I hate vain thoughts: but thy law do I love.” Vain thoughts are contrasted here with God's Word. They are exclusive of one another. Any time the believer dwells on vain thoughts the Word of God is not a part of them. However, when the Word of God is the center of the believer's thoughts all vain thoughts are absent. Psa. 23:7 says, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he....” If the believer's thoughts are vain then the believer is vain.
Also, thoughts precede speech. If the thoughts are vain then so is the speech. James 3:6 reads, “And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.” Also, back in verse 2 James says, “For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.” If all the thoughts are holy then also is the entire body. The thoughts also come from the heart. Jesus said in Luke 6:45, “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.” (Emphasis is the author's.) If the heart is kept pure by constant communication with God then the thoughts, speech, and life will all be kept pure. It pays to spend a great amount of time in the Word of God and prayer and to also maintain a constant conversation with God which requires the believer to keep their heart's ear open to what God the Holy Spirit may wish to say. Vain thoughts and vain speech are the path to sin.
Finally (although many more areas could be probed), worldly wisdom is vain. Paul tells us plainly in 1 Cor. 3:19-20, “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.” No clearer statement could be made. Worldly wisdom is of no avail to the Christian. The wisdom of God is greater and the only source of true wisdom. Wisdom is indeed valuable if it comes from God. Otherwise, it is of no value. The world would have the individual work extra hard and put away much for their future and would not give funds to God's work. However, when that individual dies, all that was theirs becomes someone elses. Worldly wisdom would say it would be better to get a job that pays well than to do the job that God wants which may not pay, financially, all that well. It would, for instance, say that it would be better to take a high paying position with some well known company than to teach in a Christian university where the lives of young Christians can be affected. If wisdom is desired, then go to God's word and ask it of God. James 1:5 declares, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” God is the believer's source of wisdom, not the world.
Jesus Listened to God the Father
Jesus always did what God the Father wanted done because He was always in communication with God the Father. Jesus said in John 5:36, “But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me.” Jesus did not do the works that God the Father wanted done without first hearing them from God the Father. In John 8:28 we find, “Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am He, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.” Jesus said the things taught to Him by God the Father which requires listening to God the Father. In John 10:18 Jesus says, “No man taketh 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. This commandment have I received of my Father.” Jesus was told by God the Father that He could lay down His life and then take it again. Jesus also in John 15:15 said to His disciples, “Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.” Jesus told His disciples everything that God the Father had told Him. This requires the act of listening to God the Father. Just as Jesus listened to God the Father so the believer must listen to what the Holy Spirit tells them. It is important in service to God to learn to listen to and hear what the Holy Spirit tells the believer. The Holy Spirit speaks to the believer through the Word of God and also will give the believer that is listening a “push” to do something for God, such as witnessing to someone.
In John 16:13Jesus tells the disciples, “Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall he speak: and He will shew you things to come.” Jesus told His disciples that the Holy Spirit will talk to them teaching them. Also, Paul in Eph. 6:17instructs, “And take the .... sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God;” for the Word of God is what the Holy Spirit uses to speak to us. Having asked the Holy Spirit to teach them, the Holy Spirit will emphasize and speak through a passage of Scripture that the believer is reading. Also, the Holy Spirit will use Scripture that the believer has learned at various times as needed to speak to the believer. The believer must be very quiet of soul, listening carefully, to hear what the Holy Spirit is indicating. This is a very good reason to ask for the Holy Spirit's assistance when doing a task for God or for that matter just for help with the events of the day. Hearing what the Holy Spirit tells the believer is more than just recognizing that something has been said. It is the matter of being immediately obedient to what the believer has been told. The Holy Spirit likes to speak to those who are listening and obedient.
Jesus Uses Trials to Teach and Bless
Of a certainty, the life of everyone is full of trouble. In Job 5:7 it says, “Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.” In other words, life is full of trouble and the life of a believer is no different. There is one difference between that of someone unsaved and a believer. In Jer. 29:11 God says, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” All of the difficulties in a believer's life are allowed by God to bring about the believer's better end. Rom. 8:28 reads, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” The life of the believer is not a bed of roses where all things that happen are good things.
However, all the trouble that occurs in the believer's life “works together for good” to either help the believer grow spiritually or to correct the path the believer is on. God loves His children and all believers are His children. Heb. 12:6 says, “For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth.” All that come to know Jesus as their Savior will be chastened by God the Father to correct them for sinful living and put them on the path of righteousness, which is to the believer's great benefit. God never corrects a believer to harm but to lovenly correct for the believer's good. Isaiah says in Isa. 38:17, “Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but Thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou has cast all my sins behind Thy back.” Isaiah has expressed gratefulness for God's correction, which was unpleasant, in that it set his feet off the path of corruption and onto the path of righteousness. Also in Psa. 94:12 the psalmist says, “Blessed is the man whom Thou chasteneth, O Lord, and teachest him out of thy law.” God, indeed, blesses the believer through chastening.
Not all trouble spots in life are chastening from God. It is important when going through trouble to first seek God's face to see if the trouble the believer is going through is the result of some sin that the believer needs to ask forgiveness for and remove from their life. If it is not chastening then it is a trial designed and allowed by God to grow the believer in their faith. Peter tells the believer in 1 Pet. 1:7, “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:” Trials are more precious to the believer than any amount of the precious things of earth. These trials when completed faithfully are deserving of praise, honor, and glory from the Lord. This is so much true that as awful as some trials can be it is the love of God for the believer that allows them. There is, after all, nothing that can separate us from the love of God.
Paul covers this well in Rom. 8:35-38 which reads, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” God's bond of love for the believer is not separable by anything. God the Father loves the believer and loves Jesus Christ His Son, who also loves the believer. This is a double guarantee that the trials the believer goes through are for the believer's best interest, even though the believer may not understand all the reasons for them.
The believer needs to make sure of their victory through all trials by asking for the help of God. Psa. 50:15 declares, “And call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me.” That's right, asking God for help in the day of trouble glorifies God. Failure to ask for God's help and attempting to get through the trial on the believer's own is a sure guarantee of failure. Not asking for help from God is also a sign of sinful pride in the believer's heart that the believer would think that they could get through that trial without God's assistance. Ask God for help and guarantee victory through the trial and the glorification of God in the process. That's true worship!
God intends to grow us all the way to being just like Jesus. Paul wrote in Phil. 1:6, “Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:” God is going to grow the believer all the way which means the process will not stop until the believer passes on to glory or is raptured into glory. Trials are a part of the believer's life from the time of birth in Christ until heaven's portals are reached. Hallelujah!
Trials of Blessing
The trials, they are hard
And spankings, tough to endure.
In despair we cry out to God,
Yet no help seems near.
And just when all has bottomed
A hole appears, and we fall through.
Yet, God is in control
And has planned each hole.
Thank You, Jesus, for the trials.
They help us grow as Your child.
Jesus, thank You for the trials
That help keep us near.
And thank You for the whippings
That keep our feet from slipping.
For God is in control
And has planned our load.
It's not fun when God chastens,
Nor fun when trials 'waken,
But those trials they are blessings
And His help comes soon.
God's chast'ning keeps us walking
By God's leading and loving hand.
Like Christ we will become.
It is all just as He planned.
Thank You, Jesus for trials,
For the trials are blessings.
Thank You, Daddy, for spankings,
For they keep us from slipping.
Holy Spirit we thank You
For the proddings and lovings.
Thank You, God for the blessings of trials.
Trials of blessings!
One last thought, when the believer is weak: it is then that the believer is strong! The believer is the strongest and can do more for Christ when the believer is totally dependent upon Him for it all. Trials helps us learn this lesson. If the believer loves the Savior, then the believer wants to see many unsaved get saved and then grow into mature believers. This is the core of God's work and trials are a main part of getting this accomplished in the believer's life. May God richly bless!
Revival
Is revival needed? A look around at the condition of the world reveals small wars that could become world wide events. The threat of a nuclear war is becoming more of a reality. The United States of America has become a bed for the foulest of sins. These sins are promoted as being acceptable lifestyles. Violence is abounding in our large cities. Teens are becoming more and more lawless in their activities. Safety on the streets is at best questionable. All America is seeking for constant entertainment and material wealth with no interest at all for their spiritual welfare. Our churches are full of materialistic and entertainment seeking pew sitters. Many of our churches are closing their doors either from lack of attendance or a lack of funds. There is no interest in God or spiritual matters. Church members think they are saved and on their way to heaven and are to a large degree those that will never set foot in heaven. There is no respect among the young people for their elders. Kids are living together out of wedlock as though that was the thing to do. If we don’t have a genuine Holy Spirit empowered revival our country and the world for that matter is headed for pure anarchy. What makes matters worse is that Jesus is coming very soon. The amount of time we have left to take the Gospel to the world is vanishingly tiny. If there is no need for revival in these times then there never was or will be a time when it’s needed. So how do we get there?
II Chron.7:14 tells us, “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” God’s people must begin by humbling themselves. This requires admitting our sin and our failures. All embers of pride need to be abolished. We must not only confess and forsake our personal sins but we must confess all the sins of our people before a holy and loving God. There is a need for full commitment to the need of the hour. We must seek God’s face in prayer with tears begging for a genuine revival that will cause our nation and world to turn to God.
James 5:16 says, “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” We must confess our wrong doings to each other. There is a need to forgive those who have wronged us and beg forgiveness from those we have wronged. There is a need for us to pray for our relatives, our brothers and sisters in Christ, our neighbors, and those we do not even know. Our hearts need to be hurting for those we know that do not know the Savior. The Tribulation Period is but moments away. The world stage is completely set for the days of wrath of Almighty God. Victory can be had!
James 4:7-10 tells us, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw night to God, and He will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” There is victory available, but it does have a price.
David prayed morning, noon, and evening. “Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and He shall hear my voice.” Psa.55:17 We should pray, pray, and pray. We should beg for revival. Psa. 85:6 says, “Wilt Thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?” Ask for your own personal revival and for those of your house. Do you have relatives that don’t know the Savior? The lake of fire is not a vacation. Ezek.33:8-9 warns, “When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul.” At the Great White Throne Judgment will you be responsible for the blood of a brother or sister, aunt or uncle, niece or nephew? Time is running out. If we don’t care for the souls of our relatives, who will? We need personal revival first. Then perhaps if we are sincere and beg God perhaps more than just our relatives will find forgiveness for their sin.
I Pet. 5:6 promises, “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.” If we will humble ourselves before God almighty and beg for His help to reach our families, He will respond. God cannot lie. He tells us in Num.23:19, “God is not a man, that He should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath He said, and shall He not do it? Or hath He spoken, and shall He not make it good?” Jer. 33:3 states, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” God hears sincere prayer and He answers it, not weakly, but mightily.
As wicked and foul as this world has become, God can turn it around in a moment. In Gen. 18:14a God speaking to Abraham says, “Is any thing too hard for the Lord?” God is able. We must trust Him and do what we must to bring revival to our land. God’s hand of judgment is already falling on the world. The time of Jacob’s troubles is upon us. We must humble ourselves, repent of the sin in our lives, and pray, pray, pray for God to send a Holy Spirit powered revival to this country and to our world. What will you say? Can I ask of you this, “O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together?” Psa. 34:3 I am begging God for revival. Please join me!
Contact Us
Red Hyssop Ministries
P.O. Box 44, Doylestown, Ohio 44230, United States
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