Taste and See

WE MUST TRY GOD OUT JUST AS WE WOULD SOME GREAT TREAT OR DELICACY AND SEE THAT GOD IS GOOD!

“O taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him” (Psalm 34:8).

How does God become a part of you, a part of your thinking, of what you really are? It is by faith, and faith means believing God and acting upon that belief. This is what God is saying in this verse—He wants us to act on what we know of God and his goodness, for only then will we actually experience for ourselves how good God truly is. David found God to be very good and says, “He delivered me from all my fears and enemies, and provided for me too. I want you to experience his provision as I have.”

Have you heard the expression, “Try it you will like it?” The assumption here is that once you’ve tried the product, you’ll come back for more. King David assumed the same thing about one’s experience with the Lord when he said, “O, taste and see that Lord is good…” What does “TASTE” mean? According to the dictionary here are a few things: 1) to distinguish the flavor of something by taking it into the mouth; 2) to experience or partake, or sample especially for the first time. To appreciate; to enjoy; or 3) the sense that distinguishes the sweet, sour, salty, and the bitter qualities of dissolved substances in contact with the taste buds on the tongue.

To TASTE means to eat; discern; perceive; to evaluate. To TASTE in its verb form refers to the testing of goods by means of the sense of taste. From the primary act of tasting, it developed into the idea of evaluative sampling of a thing other than food. Tasting as a noun came to refer to “discernment,” that is to the capacity to appropriately choose and delight in good things. The great proverbial King Solomon speaks of a woman who lacks taste when it said in Proverbs 12:22, “As a jewel of gold in a swine’s snot, so is a fair woman which is without discretion.”

The Apostle Paul and David both spoke of having, “Tasted of the heavenly gift.” The sense of taste includes most of the other sense—sight, smell, and touch. And certainly this is also true in spiritual things. There are basically three different classes of Christians: 1) There are those who hear without seeing; 2) There are those who both hear and see without tasting; and 3) There are those in whom all three combine—to whom “Faith comes by hearing,” in whom faith grows by seeing, in whom faith is developed and consummated by tasting. Experience God first hand, taste and see that God is good. We are to taste before we see—there must be an appreciation for divine things before we can see and enjoy the Lord.

Enjoying God’s goodness involves trusting Him. Trusting Him will ensure us true blessedness. We must trust and follow the Lord, and forget the things in the past and things behind us and press on to the things that are before us. We must taste of God for ourselves and not lean and depend upon the testimonies of others. David tasted of the Lord and found His goodness was sweet. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord. It is good that we individually taste the goodness of the Lord. Let the Lord take your trials and show you His goodness. You can only know the sweetness of His taste through having a personal experience with Him. You will not know the trust meaning of the food at a banquet by looking only—you must taste the wine to know the sweetness of the grapes from which it was made. You cannot know the quality of a beef steak by looking at it only. You must first bite into it to taste and see if it is good.

Do you enjoy God? King David did—Psalm 34:8, “O taste and see that the Lord is good…” Not to be crass but it sounds like enjoying God is like eating one of your favorite foods—the taste is good and pleasant to you that you really enjoy it. Every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before. Sam Storms has said, “If we don’t know who God is and how He thinks and what He feels and why He does what He does, we have no grounds for joy, no reason to celebrate, no basis for finding satisfaction in Him” So we read and pray, we worship in our time of private devotion, and we become a little more attuned, a little sharper at recognizing God and how He answers our prayers.

To “TASTE” then is literally to perceive by experiencing. It involves a conscious decision to be involved. God expects us to take Him at His word. It’s a leap of faith. If “tasting” is to perceive by experience, “seeing” is knowing by that same experience. There is something that happens when you take that leap of faith—something on the inside that validates the closeness of God. There’s an old expression of doubt that goes: I’ll believe it when I see it. But with God it’s the other way around; you will actually never see until you believe! And what is it that we “see”? What we see, according to David, is that the LORD is good!

To take refuge is to trust. Happiness with the general direction and outcome see the future. But God can—and so trusting our lives and future to the One who holds that future is the only sane decision in the playbook! David knew what he was talking about—when he was tasting and seeing and trusting he was among the most blessed men. When he got away from God and trusted in his own ways, his own strength and desires he became the most miserable wretch on the planet.

Reread Psalm 34 and come to the decision that David did—“O taste and see that Lord is good…” for He surely is. God is always giving evidence of His goodness so that our faith will increase. Learn to trust God with open ears to hear and an obedient heart to respond.

I want to end with a story that will make you stop and honestly consider the goodness of God and the importance of knowing what your relationship with Jesus Christ really is:

“A couple from north Oklahoma decided to go to Florida for a long weekend to thaw out during one particularly icy winter. Because they both had jobs, they had difficulty coordinating their travel schedules. It was decided that the husband would fly to Florida on Thursday, and his wife would follow the next day. Upon arriving as planned, the husband checked into the motel. He decided to open his laptop and send his wife an email back home. However, he accidentally left off one letter in her address, and sent the email without realizing the error. In Houston, a widow had just returned from her husband’s funeral. He was a pastor of many years who had been called home to glory. The widow checked her email, expecting messages from relatives and friends. Upon reading the first message, she fainted and fell to the floor. The widow’s son rushed into the room, found his mother on the floor, and saw the computer screen which read: TO: My loving wife FROM: You departed husband – SUBJECT: I’ve arrived! – MESSAGE: I’ve just arrived and have been checked in. I see that everything has been prepared for your arrival tomorrow. I am looking forward to seeing you then! Hope your journey is as uneventful as mine was. – P.S. Sure is hot down here.”

The Splendor of the Clouds

THE CLOUDS COME AND GO. HE REMAINS CONSTANT!

“Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:30).

It there were never any clouds in our lives, we would have no faith. They are a sign that God is there. What a revelation it is to know that sorrow, bereavement, and suffering are actually the clouds that come along with God! In turbulent times, when the clouds of trouble cover the sky and you feel your life is socked-in for an endless storm, watch for a break in the clouds, a ray of sun, and the rainbow in the rain. When life dishes out what seems to be unfair or prolonged suffering, we begin to wonder, “Where is God in all of this? If He is sovereign of all, and nothing happens without His knowledge and permission, why does He allow, not only the clouds, but the vicious storms that go with them?” Where is our hope to life’s pain and suffering?—the answer is Jesus Christ!

Jesus Christ is coming back in the clouds to earth a second time to rule and to reign. The first time He came He was an infant in Bethlehem’s manger, surrounded by cattle, sheep, and donkeys. The next time He comes, He will come in the clouds of heaven, mounted on a white horse, surrounded by His holy angels, and followed by the saints of the church to rule and reign for one thousand years. Romans 14:11 says, “Every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” Comfort each other with these words.

Coming with clouds echoes the promise of Daniel: The Son of Man will come with the clouds of heaven (Daniel 7:13)—not ordinary clouds but clouds of glory. In the Old Testament, God often manifested Himself in an energized, blazing light, called the Shekinah or glory cloud. No one could see it fully and live (Exodus 33:20) so it had to be veiled. But when Christ returns, the glory will be completely visible.

Nahum (1:3) so long ago reminded us that the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet. Yes, He is everywhere present. He is everywhere active and at work in the world. Very much alive, He is aware of all that transpires upon the planet and in the lives of its people. Most of us sort of subscribe to this vague idea with mental assent. Precious few people consider the concept important enough to invest their confidence in the omnipresence of Christ. They refuse to have faith in our Father who is actually at work in every event that touches our lives. They do not sincerely believe God’s Spirit is everywhere active. Look up, child of God, Jesus is coming in the clouds—are you ready to meet the Lord in the clouds?

Have you noticed that many times dark clouds cross the horizon of our lives? Do you find yourself asking, “Can God be in all of this? Is He really here? Does He truly care?” We ask these questions in times of great stress or emotional turmoil. It is one of the tragic truths that strikes with great impact when we see men and women surrounded with excruciating sorrow or enveloped in overwhelming grief. It is as if suddenly they feel abandoned by God. In the surging storms of sadness or darkness that sweep over the soul, hope vanishes, faith flees and good will evaporates away.

Often clouds mount several thousand feet into the sky—like they do in our lives—one surmounting difficulty upon another. They overwhelm us and cause us to forget the promises of God—He will never leave us nor forsake us. God has permitted us to live in a free world in which tragedies can happen They are often simply the distressing, heartbreaking result of human actions and choices—ours, and those of others, God, too suffers with us. Have you ever had a breach in your relationship with God? The idea that we might be angry with God is scary, so we suppress it. We just don’t feel close to Him, and what seems on the surface to be merely benign neglect of our relationship with God is often a camouflage for passive resistance. And what do we do with the anger? We turn it on ourselves and try to hurt God by hurting ourselves!

God always has His way in the whirlwind and in the storm. The clouds are the dust in His feet. He, the Risen One, the Living God, is here present in our pain. We must keep it all in perspective—Jesus is on His way in the clouds! He is at work in the whirlwind of our despair, moving behind the scenes in the dark clouds of our chaos and confusion.

Only He will or can bring beauty out of it all. Only He can bring help to our helplessness. Only He can restore joy for our sorrow. There is no other word of consolation or cheer that I can bring to those in dark places. Untold millions of individuals in their hour of sorrow have found faith and courage and calm strength coming to them from God in the midst of the storm. There is the subsequent result of all the storm and clouds and wild winds that sweep about us. At the hour they seem so tempestuous. But at a later date their benefits are clearly seen. Only through the clouds and mists and surging storms does moisture percolate through the soil to feed the mountain springs and replenish the roaring rivers and fill the lakes anew. Out of what appears to be death, new life emerges.

Clouds constantly change—sometimes moment by moment as they move across the skies. All is change. Life is ever in flux. Nothing on earth remains constant. God does not change. “Forever, O Lord, Thou art faithful.” Winds blow, storms subside. He is ever by our side. He and He alone make all things new—both in this life and in the wider life yet to come beyond the skies. For that we can bless His wondrous name forever and forever!

The clouds represent the dark times that God permits while we come to grips with what is happening to us. We cannot deny God’s blunt statement that there will be clouds and He will send them: “When I bring a cloud over the earth.” Many times the word, “cloud” is talking about waiting, and yes we are waiting for Jesus to come in the clouds. And remember, sometimes the cloudy, stormy times force us to stop in our mad race toward our self-fashioned goals. “My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him. He only is my rock and salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory; The rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God” (Psalm 62:5-7). The mystics talk about the cloud of unknowing and the dark night of the soul that can happen at high noon. It is during these cloudy, dark times that we see ourselves as we are and admit how desperately we need God. We struggle with the mind-stretching truth that God made His most painful choice when He gave us free will, knowing full well how we would misuse our freedom.

It’s when the sky of life is covered with clouds that we do our hard thinking about what we have done with our freedom: what we’ve done to ourselves and to others. It’s the time when we get in touch with our need for forgiveness. It’s also the time when we identify the hurts and wrongs that others have done to us; then we are confronted with how difficult it is to really forgive. While the clouds still hang heavy, we wrestle with the realization that life very often isn’t fair. How could it be, in a deranged world where so few play by God’s rules of righteousness and justice? But then we must question our own shallow understanding of fairness: a happy, easy, problem-free, successful life? Isn’t prosperity our divine right? Not if we consider the women and men of the Bible and Christian history! Some of the greatest of them endured inexplicable suffering and knew God more intimately because of it than those who indemnified God to produce what they wanted, when they wanted it.

The clouds will cover the sky until we can identify our own suffering. Sometimes it’s physical pain: other times, guilt or grief; still other times, emotional hurts, lurking memories, worry over others, anxiety about the future. When storm clouds bring me to a realization of how much I need God, I cry out to Him, telling Him that more than anything or anyone else I long for Him to reach across my imagined breach and tell me what He will do to give me a fresh start. The clouds of doubt, fear, and anxiety break; the sun shines through again. Sometimes God actually produces a rainbow in the sky, but most often it’s a rainbow in my heart. They I know that He has reached across the breach. It’s not all blue skies afterward—the clouds don’t vanish immediately. The storm, though, is over; the heavy black clouds that once blocked the sun slowly being to disappear, sprinkling their last little showers. Now we know that good things are coming. And remember, it’s the final raindrops after the storm that serves the sun in producing the rainbow! Stop and look up child of God, Jesus will soon be coming in the clouds! Even so, Come Lord Jesus!

It Is Written!

OUR ENEMY HAS BEEN DECEIVING MANKIND FOR THOUSANDS OF YEAR. SO, BE BOLD – IN YOUR PRAYER LIFE!

“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 though into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).

Did you know you can “whip the devil” when he shows up in your life by doing what Jesus did when tempted—every time by saying, “IT IS WRITTEN?” Then go on to say what is written in the Word of God? Bring every thought into captivity of Christ! That means we need to make the devil’s thoughts bow to the infallible Word of Almighty God. We need to drive them out with the power of His Word! We need to pull them down with “Thus says the Lord!” Jesus has conquered Satan for you…and now He has given you His authority to demonstrate the devil’s defeat. In Luke 10:19 we read these powerful words, “I have given you authority—to overcome all the power of the enemy!” And in Mark 16:17 Jesus says, “In my name YOU shall cast out demons!” We have the power—we have the authority—Hallelujah!

The thought life is the battlefield. So guard your thoughts! Watch what you read—watch what you look at—watch what you let into your mind. Be careful who you listen to. Don’t let wrong thoughts linger there – See Romans 12:1, 2. How are we transformed? Be renewing our minds! And that means to live in the Word! Walk daily in the Word! Think God’s thoughts daily! RENEW YOUR MIND! Learn to think like God thinks about salvation, forgiveness, mercy, sickness, healing, deliverance, goodness—and all the other wonderful things in the Bible.

David was a man who said he was blessed. WHY? Read Psalm 1:1-3 and notice that it says his DELIGHT is in the law of the Lord! And on His law he MEDITATES—and meditates when?—day and night. It is the one who delights and meditates on the Word of God who can pull down strongholds and cast down imaginations. Now you know that God has given you the power to pull down strongholds—and what are you going to do with it. This is warfare—and the battle is raging. But we do have weapons. And they are mighty through God! He has given you His Word—the blood of Jesus—and the name of Jesus. If you dare to do your part—all heaven will come to your aid—and you will be victorious!

We have various giants in our lives and they take us away at times by their influence on our lives. Being a Christian a true believer requires disciplined living—following the Word of God. We have intellectual giants; philosophical giants; and material giants—none of which we can trust in. A giant is anything or anyone that refuses to give God His rightful place. It is what exalts itself against the knowledge of God. This includes people who are operating in the flesh rather than in the Spirit, circumstances that make it appear that God is not in control, and attitudes that put man before God. What giants do you face in your life? Do you find other people, circumstances, or things within in your own heart and mind coming between you and obeying God with your whole heart? Hebrews 12:1-2 gives us the ultimate answer for all the giants of life—“Look to Jesus the author and finisher of your faith…”

Don’t forget Lucifer himself was once in heaven pouring out praise to God. We have all seen many who have fallen. Jesus warned that the love of many would grow cold. Don’t think it can’t happen to you. Many well-meaning Christians have approached the field of battle with flippant attitudes and have suffered greatly for it. Satan is out to deceive us—to torment us—to destroy us. He wants to keep us from the truth—the Word of God. But what is Satan’s real strategy—how does he bring about all this turmoil? The attack starts in the mind—this is his primary means of beginning his destruction. And, a few Christians realize this important fact but so many do not. With Satan at the back door every day of our lives—we fight for our very spiritual lives. It usually always begins in the mind. The area of our thoughts is the main battleground. The warfare starts in the mind—but then if allowed; it will spread to other areas of our lives as well. Verse 5 speaks of “demolishing arguments and pretenses.” The KJV says, “Casting down imaginations.” The word we find translated imaginations or arguments, in the Greek, actually means “a reasoning or decision.” And this speaks of the way we so often are able to take the plain truth of God’s word and twist it and turn it in such a way that it’s no longer absolute—that our specific situation is so special or unique that we are not bound by the same rules as everyone else. We rationalize—and excuse—and “reason” the truth into exactly what we want to hear.

In the last days, the devil will be using the method of DECEIT to bring so many of us down. The battleground is always in the mind—thoughts are what Satan wants to slip in there. The Bible is full of examples of this happening to people. We must stay close to God so we know when we are being deceived. Take, for example, the story of the man named Simon—the sorcerer in Acts 8. And Simon wrongly offers Peters and John money for the gift of laying hands on people to receive the Holy Spirit. Peter immediately rebuked him and said, “Man, you’re full of bitterness and captive to sin.” Now think of what he’s saying here. Look at what Peter says was at the heart of this man’s problem—he was full of bitterness—and that bitterness made him a captive to sin. Bitterness blinded him to the truth of God’s ways. And in Acts 8:22 he says to Simon, “Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart.” Do you see—Simon was motivated by a thought! And where did that thought come from? Satan! What Peter ways saying was this—“Satan has put a thought in your heart”—and you have accepted that thought as your own and acted on it. Now pray for God to forgive you for that THOUGHT!

Notice that he didn’t say thoughts—but thought—singular! Pray that God will forgive you for that ONE THOUGHT that leads you into wrong action. And it’s so often just one little thought—placed in our minds by old Satan himself—that will make us say and do things that are so destructive and hurtful to people and to the body of Christ. The enemy’s primary approach is to drop a THOUGHT into our minds. He wants us to accept it and then act upon it. And the danger is that once we do—that thought can become a stronghold. And let me tell you—Satan’s lying thoughts can really have a strong hold on people! Thoughts can hold you like a vise and keep you from the truth. One mighty lie from Satan can hold you in a place of sickness—suffering—of torment—of bitterness and unforgiveness. And it will last just as long as you permit it—as long as you accept it!

Many of you are held captive by a thought. And that thought brings fear. Some of those thoughts are: “you’re no good”—“You’ll never make it to heaven”—“Your children will die and go to hell”—“You’re going to have a wreck”—“You have cancer or a tumor”—“You’ll never get well”—“You’re of no use to God’s kingdom of His work at this church”—“You’ve messed up so much what’s the use of even trying.” The thoughts go on and on—the devil brings thousands of thoughts to our minds. These thoughts bring fear, and when they take root in our mind we begin to speak them—and what was once an accusing voice now becomes your voice saying—“I’m no good—I’ll never make it to heaven—I have cancer—I’ll never recover—I’m no good to the kingdom of God—“I’ll never make it”—and so on. And this is nothing more than a trick—a subtle but deadly trick of the enemy. So don’t fall into his trap. Just as Paul says in verses 4 and 5, we need to bring every thought into the captivity of Christ. We need to replace that lie with the truth of God’s Word! Paul was speaking this as he was undergoing a difficult trial personally. Paul’s credibility was called into question and he responds that he may seem weak, but he fights his battles using God’s mighty weapons—not man’s. He says, “I’m doing it Jesus’ way!—because these weapons are the only ones that will tear down the strongholds of the enemy. These are the only weapons that will ensure spiritual victory.”

You can change your destiny by remembering who you belong to, and the power of the Word of God; “IT IS WRITTEN! IT IS WRITTEN! IT IS WRITTEN!” It’s the devil who wants you to suffer. Faith is an action—when the enemy comes in with these thoughts, and tries to torment us or cause us to live and act contrary to the Word of God—we need to begin to fight with the same weapons Jesus used to defeat Satan. And that is to quote the Word of God, with faith and assurance. We can boldly stand up and say, “I rebuke you, you lying demon! In the name of Jesus Christ I cast you and your thoughts out of my mind! Go, in Jesus name!”

The Tongue of the Righteous is Choice Silver

DO YOU PANT FOR GOD? DO YOU WANT A CHANGE OF HEART?

“…Take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry…if anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless” (James 1:19, 26).

We are instructed in the book of James to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry—this all boils down to controlling the tongue. Our words have a direct correlation with our own spirituality—if we don’t exhibit control over our tongues, we can render our religion of no value. We must ask the question—am I a teachable person? Do my words build up or do they tear others down?

James continues his treatment of the words that come out of our mouths by devoting almost all of chapter 3 to the topic. In verse 1, James warns people to be careful about their eagerness to be teachers because teachers are held to a stricter judgment. Perhaps they were impressed with the authority and prestige of the office and forgot about the tremendous responsibility a teacher has to guard his or her words. The church that James is writing to was full of small-minded people who gossiped about each other and tore one another apart with their tongues. Do you think we are a bit like that church today?

Taming the tongue involves high stakes. Your words can either bring life, or they can bring death to your spouse, your kids, your parents, your siblings, your relatives, your friends, your co-workers, and your neighbors. James connects sins of the tongue with sins of the body. He does this because our words usually lead to our deeds. The hardest sins to control are the sins of the tongue. A mature person is able to hold the most uncontrollable part of his human anatomy in check. See Proverbs 21:23 which says, “He who guards his mouth and his tongue keeps himself from calamity.” The tongue remains hidden for the most part, but when it does make its presence known it has devastating power. The tongue can express or repress; release or restrain; enlighten or obscure; adore or abhor; offend or befriend; affirm or alienate; build or belittle’ comfort or criticize; delight or destroy; be sincere or sinister. The tongue can Xerox the good or x-ray the bad.

Just like a small spark can ignite an entire forest, so too, words that flow out of tongues can corrupt lives and shipwreck families. Words that are unleashed without thought can significantly affect and alter lives. Like a careless match thrown into dry grass, so our words can demolish people. We really need to watch our words, don’t we? Words can break our hearts. Broken bones can heal with time, but a broken spirit caused by words of death is not quickly repaired. Is your tongue quick to criticize? James is calling us to be consistent. What comes out of our mouths is a reflection of what is in our hearts. Your chances of blowing it with your words are directly proportional to the amount of time you spend with your mouth open. Abe Lincoln said, “It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.” It is important in our Christian life to build one another up and encourage one another. The Bible continuously reminds us to encourage one another with our words. Our words to others can energize them. Proverbs 12:25 says, “An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.”

Instead of blaming God under our trials, let us open our ears and hearts to learn what he teaches by them. And if men would govern their tongues, they must govern their passions. The worst thing we can bring to any dispute is anger. Here is an exhortation to lie apart, and to cast off as a filthy garment, all sinful practices. This must reach to sins of thought and affection, as well as of speech and practice; to everything corrupt and sinful. We must yield ourselves to the word of God, with humble and teachable minds being willing to hear of our faults, taking it not only patiently, but thankfully. It is the design of the word of God to make us wise to salvation; and those who propose any mean or low ends in attending upon it, dishonor the gospel, and disappoint their own souls.

When we talk too much and listen too little, we communicate to others that we think our ideas are much more important than theirs. James wisely advises us to reverse this process. Put a mental stopwatch on your conversations and keep track of how much you talk and how much you listen, when people talk with you, do they feel that their viewpoints and ideas have value?

These verses also speak of anger that erupts when our egos are bruised—“I am hurt;” “My opinions are not being heard.” When injustice and sin occur, we should become angry because others are being hurt. But we should not become angry when we fail to win an argument or when we feel offended or neglected. Selfish anger never helps anybody.

Proverbs 4:23 says, “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.” Have you done a heart check lately? If your heart is apathetic to God’s word, James says, “Be quick to hear.” If you’re prone to sprout off arrogantly with how much you know, James says, “Be slow to speak.” If you’re fighting some aspect of the word that you don’t like, James says, “Be slow to anger.” If you’re tolerating the horribleness of sin, James says, “Put aside all filthiness.” If you’re resisting God’s commands that are designed to rescue you from sin, James says, “In humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.”

Escape to Victory!

TESTING LEADS TO FAITH AND OBEDIENCE; TEMPTING LEADS TO DOUBTING GOD AND DISOBEYING HIS COMMANDMENTS.

“No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).

If you have ever flown on a commercial airplane, you are probably familiar with the routine that takes place before takeoff. After everyone is seated the flight attendants go through the safety demonstration. They demonstrate how to latch and unlatch your seatbelt (in case you hadn’t figured that out), and then they explain what to do in the event of some sort of crisis. They point out where the exits on the plane are they tell you that you can follow the lights on the aisle, and they tell you that you can use your seat cushion to float if you need to. They may even show you the proper way to slide out of the plane.

Airlines don’t do this to scare you, they do it because they know that in a crisis situation you need to know that there is a way of escape—and not only that, but you need to know how you can make that escape. They know that you need to know how to get out before the crisis hits because once it’s upon you it’s too late. This morning, as we look at 1 Corinthians 10:13, we find that Paul takes a similar tactic. He tells us that for Christians, there is a way of escape when we are faced with the crises of life. When we are tempted to sin, there is always a way out.

Paul has just finished talking about the importance of learning from the mistakes that others have made before us, and cautions the Corinthians not to get overconfident, lest they fall. After that caution, he immediately proceeds into the verse we are considering. Paul intends to encourage believers by telling us that no matter what the temptation, we are able to stand up under it.

“No temptation has seized you except what is common to man,” (1 Cor. 10:13a) is how Paul begins this verse. Our temptations are not unique—we all face them every day. The victory comes when we realize there is always a way of escape. Where do you go to smooth out the ripples of the day—you go to the word of God—He will always provide an answer and a way of escape for whatever you are facing. Temptations will come to all of us and are common to man, but God is always ready to give us a way out and keep us close to Him. The fact is, no matter how highly we like to think of ourselves or how great we like to imagine our crosses to be, our situation isn’t much different from that of everyone else.

Paul explains that our temptations are common among men because he wants to encourage us. He wants us to know that our temptations are not unbearable. We can look around at others and see that they have succeeded in overcoming these temptations as well. This is the reason that support groups are often so effective. Everyone in the group is facing the same basic temptation. By looking at others and seeing that they have had success, and sharing with one another the ways they have resisted these temptations, each member of the group is stronger than if he were alone.

Think about a person who is grieving. Someone who has lost a loved one often feels self-conscious about the fact that they continue to struggle with grief for months or years after the fact. Grieving people are encouraged to know that others are not coping as easily as they first thought. They are encouraged that other people are sharing their struggle. Paul wants us to understand that because our temptations are common, we can find strength in resisting them together.

God never tempts men to sin (1 Corinthians 10:13; James 1:13). James says it as clearly as it can be said: “… God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt any one” (1:13b). Paul very carefully words verse 13 to say that temptation may overtake men, but there is no indication that this temptation comes from God. The same Greek word (peiradzo) is translated “tempt” and “test” in the New Testament. In one sense, temptation is very different. Temptation never comes from God, but from our own flesh, or from Satan. (James 1:12-14; Matthew 4:1-11; 1 Corinthians 7:5). God does “test” us, to prove and to enhance our faith. Temptation has as its goal sin and death (James 1:13-15). Testing has as its goal our purification and sanctification, and eternal life (James 1:12; 1 Peter 1:6-9). There are some similarities between “testing” and “tempting.” Both temptation and testing are prompted by trials and adversity. Both tempting and testing expose what is in our hearts (Deuteronomy 8:1-2; James 1:12-15). The same circumstances which result in unbelief and disobedience for one person produce a deeper faith and greater obedience in another.

It is in times of adversity that we may persevere through the time of testing and grow stronger in our faith, or we may surrender to temptation and sin. Suffering and adversity is the context for both testing and growth and for temptation and sin. The difference is who we are, and what is within us. Somebody once said that suffering is like boiling hot water; it makes a potato soft and an egg hard. Because the Israelites had hard hearts and stiff necks, their adversity seemed almost always to lead them to doubt God and to disobey Him. For Paul, suffering and adversity was a context for service, and a means of knowing Christ more intimately (see 1 Corinthians 4:9-13; 9:1-23; Philippians 3:10).

Obedience does stem from trust, just as disobedience flows from a lack of trust. The faithfulness of God is the foundation for trusting and obeying Him. And God is faithful! God is faithful to keep us from any situation in which we would have no choice but to fall. God never puts us in situations in which we must fall. He will not allow us to be tested or tempted beyond our capacity to stand. When our Lord was tested, He was tested to the ultimate extreme. When we are tested, it is a measured testing. Some, like Job, faced greater tests than others. But whatever tests and trials come our way, we can be sure that God has allowed them, knowing that we are not being tested beyond our ability to stand. That ability does not come from within us, but from Him.

Let us be very careful to note here that God never promises us that we cannot fall, but rather He encourages us that we need not fall. The Book of Jude contains a great deal of warning, for there are many false teachers who are denying the gospel. Jude writes the words above to assure us that God is the source of our strength, so that we need not fall into sin. But the book is also an encouragement to guard the purity of the faith, and to make use of the resources which God has provided. We will not fall when we trust and obey, when we appropriate the resources which God Himself has provided.

The “way of escape” is mentioned as an encouragement; so that we are assured that we do not have to fail. It is not pointed out as an incentive to live carelessly, but as an encouragement to those who fear that enduring the trials and temptations of life is impossible. God has not promised to get us out of trouble, if we carelessly wander into it. Too many times, I have heard people misuse this promise as an excuse to toy with temptation. We continue to pursue a course of action we know to be wrong, falsely confident that God will bail us out of trouble at the last moment. To live in this way is to “put God to the test.”

We must remind ourselves that our strength, our ability to resist does not lie within us—but rather with God. He is the one who is in control of the situation, and He is the one who provides us with what we need to endure it, so we need to look to him to help us. To do this we must deliberately stop and turn to Him. Instead of fretting, running, or churning we must stop and seek His strength. How do we do that? We need to pray; to recall God’s promises; and to recall God’s track record. God has been faithful in the past so we can trust that he will deliver once again. Obviously our greatest resource is the Lord. We need to trust God. However, we can also enlist the help of others. Remember, there are other people dealing with the same temptations you are. Go ask a friend to help you. Ask them to help you remember God’s promises. Tell them about the struggles you have in trusting God, and ask them to help you. Ask them to pray for you and perhaps with you. If we want to overcome temptation, we need to remember that we can’t do it alone.

I’m not to the point where I can consider it pure joy when I am faced with temptations or trials, but I’ve found that if I can take a step back, look at the situation, and see that God is ultimately working for my good, to make me mature and complete, not lacking anything, I’m a little more willing to endure the hard times. And not only am I willing to endure them, I’m more eager to resist them. As you go into this week I can make you a promise: you will be tempted. When the temptation comes you must remind yourself that you are not the first person to face this temptation. Remind yourself that you do not have to face the temptation in your own strength. Turn to the Lord, confess your struggle, recall His promises, and rely on His strength. I can’t tell you that your life will be easier or more comfortable if you resist temptation. In truth, it is much easier to simply give in. However I can tell you that with God’s help you can have victory (a way of escape), and you can become mature and complete, not lacking anything. That sounds like a battle worth fighting.

My Sheep - Are You Listening?

DID YOU KNOW THAT WE EXIST TO GET READY TO MEET GOD?

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one” (John 10:27-30).

How’s your Christian behavior these days? I am convinced that we are too easily distracted in the rush of this modern world we live in. There are so many choices and so many distractions all demanding our time and our attention. Sadly though it seems that we hear only what we want to hear and we often tune out Jesus. We do not take time to hear his voice. Maybe part of our problem is we do not have as trusting a relationship with Christ as we may think we have. How much one on one time do you set aside for him? How often do you spend time with the one you call Lord?

The following story may help explain what I am trying to say: “Two men were walking along a crowded city sidewalk. Suddenly, one of the men returned, ‘Listen to the lovely sound of that cricket,’ but the other man could not hear the sound. He asked his friend how he could hear the sound of a cricket amid the roar of the traffic and the sound of the people. The first man, who was a zoologist, had trained himself to hear the sounds of nature. He didn’t explain to his friend in words how he could hear the sound of the cricket, but instead, he reached into his pocket, pulled out a half-dollar coin, dropped it onto the sidewalk, and watched intently as a dozen people began to look for the coin as they heard it clanking around amid the sounds of the traffic and the sounds of the city. He turned to his friend and said, ‘We hear what we listen for.’”

Maybe that is our problem with the voice of Jesus, we hear everything else but him because we aren’t willing to listen, and maybe we don’t even want to hear his voice. This scripture is a promise and this Scripture is truth. My sheep hear my voice. It does not say we could hear his voice or should hear his voice or might hear his voice. The scriptures clearly tell us: My sheep will, present and future, “…hear My voice.” I know this will sound strong but it needs to be said: If you are not hearing his voice then you are probably not walking in his will. We are saying, we want to discern, we want to understand His plan for our lives. We want His guidance in specific decisions so we can make wise choices. We want to be obedient in how we live for Christ. We must get SELF out of the way and off the throne of our lives. The scriptures are extremely important in our lives and we are called to read and inwardly digest the scriptures.

If you are not meditating on God’s Word, if you never have time to wait upon the Lord, then how can the Lord come and quicken His Word to your heart? Remember the Holy Spirit will never contradict God’s written word. So, the words you hear, and all of your desires should be carefully screened against the Scriptures. So how do you hear his voice? This is truly a busy age. Many, far too many of those that call themselves followers of Christ are not taking time to listen to Him. And sadly we often do not take time to listen to each other. We need to slow down, calm ourselves and listen to our Lord and to others around us.

Why do some people not hear the voice of God? The Gospel is crystal clear: “You do not believe because you do not belong to my sheep.” “My sheep hear my voice,” “I give my sheep, eternal life and they will never perish.” We must be one of His sheep. We must accept the gift of eternal life that is found only in Christ Jesus. Confess with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believes in your heart that God raised him from the dead. And you will receive salvation. Then we must give time to our Lord, to put our lives in neutral gear not forward not backward but completely calm in your heart.

Wait upon the Lord. Sit silently and let Him know you want to hear His voice. Yearn to know His will. Learn to wait peacefully and listen for his words to you. Fasting is another tool that God gives us to be drawn into his presence. Whether in a Fast or in a prayer, you need to set aside a time, a quiet time, when you can be calm and truly listen to the one we call Lord.

There is a story about a man who was having difficulty communicating with his wife and concluded that she was becoming hard of hearing. So he decided to conduct a test without her knowing about it. One evening he sat in a chair on the far side of the room. Her back was to him and she could not see him. Very quietly he whispered, “Can you hear me?” There was no response. Moving a little closer, he asked again, “Can you hear me now?” Still no reply; quietly he edged closer and whispered the same words, but still no answer. Finally, he moved right in behind her chair and said, “Can you hear me now?” To his surprise and chagrin, she responded with irritation in her voice, “For the fourth time, yes!”

The hearing problem is not with God. It is with us! It is time to be mature in the Faith—to know his will and to hear his voice. It is time for those that are mature in Christ to submit out busy lives to our Lord and seek his will. Our Lord loves each one of us very much. He is calling to you. Do you hear his voice? It is time to mature in our faith. His sheep hear his voice. May you know his will and grow in the faith. For it is only in his will that you are free.

The Choice Is Mine

THE CREATED OBJECT HAS NO RIGHT TO DEMAND ANTHING FROM ITS CREATOR—ITS VERY EXISTENCE DEPENDS ON HIM.

“But indeed, O man, who are you to reply against God? Will the thing formed say to him who formed it, ‘Why have you made me like this’?” (Romans 9:20).

Nobody is born a Christian! They can’t be! It isn’t natural birth that fits us for the kingdom of God; it is divine birth alone. We all deserve hell, but God in His lovingkindness sent Jesus to us. Jesus chose to go to the cross in obedience, shed His blood, rise from the dead and now lives again. He did all this to take on the sin of the world. Our responsibility is to find Him and accept Him as Lord and Savior—see John 14:6. Our only way to reach heaven is to come through Christ. He offers that new birth to everyone. The choice is yours. We are not puppets we have free will so the choice is always ours.

We should not question the Creator—“I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” A God who is not sovereign is no God at all! When we talk about God, we are talking about a sovereign being, and sovereignty means, “the right to do what you will without giving an answer or reason to anybody.” And God must be that kind of a being or he is no God at all!

Paul goes on to show that, within the limits of man’s finiteness, he exercises the same kind of sovereignty that he tries to deny to God. This is illustrated in the matter of the Potter and the clay. Doesn’t the Potter have the right to take a lump of clay, divide it in half, take half of the lump and make a beautiful vessel that is designed for display in a living room, and take the other half, and make a slop jar or something for the kitchen? Doesn’t he have this right? Yes, he does. The Potter has the right to do with the clay as he wishes—this is Paul’s argument.

We are living in a day when people have made salvation so much of man they have forgotten the fact that salvation is all of God. Israel did the same thing. We have done the same thing. We have been privileged. We think we have done something. We think we deserve something. But we are clay and the clay never, ever has a right to say anything back to the Potter. The Potter is the one who has all the rights over the clay, the humanity He has made. He may not exercise them, but He certainly has the right and He certainly has the might.

Do you realize that God could kill you in the next minute and be absolutely righteous in doing it? Do you believe that? The next time you sin and you quickly say, "Well, I will ask God to forgive me when I enjoy this a little bit longer," just remember something. God has a right to take you out of here. But we don’t believe that. We think, "God is a loving God and just wouldn’t do that!" Most of the time you are right. Thank God He is long-suffering. But when you understand that one sin condemned the whole human race, one sin, one sin brought sin into the human race, then you understand how serious that is with God. He has the right. He may not exercise it, but He has the right at any time to take you out of here.

How far do you think you can push Him? God has the right over what He has made. Don’t ever think for a second that He has to answer for what He does. We are the creation, the clay. He is the potter. That is the first thing Paul is trying to get across. What does God have a right to do? Paul goes on to say, "To make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use, and another for common use." The word translated "honorable" in the New American Standard is the word time. It means respect and honor. We are those vessels which can be used to bring respect and honor. The second word "for common use" is really written in. It is the word atimia. It takes the same word for honor and respect and puts the "a" in front of it, which causes it to mean without any respect, without any honor whatsoever. So out of the same lump, in humanity, you look around the world today and you are going to see vessels that bring dishonor to God but you are going to see vessels that will bring honor to God.

The word "makes" means makes them obvious and makes them evident to everyone who is around—Vessels for honorable use and vessels for common use or dishonorable use. I would imagine in churches it is the same way. You can join the church and miss Jesus. You can be a vessel that never brings honor, never brings respect to Him, but you can be on a church roll. There are others who live their lives a different way. In the same lump, there are two kinds of individuals, those who are honorable and those who bring disgrace and dishonor. God has absolute rights over humanity to do whatever He does to make from the lump of humanity vessels of honor and vessels for dishonor.

Look at Jeremiah 18:1: "The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord saying, ‘Arise and go down to the potter’s house, and there I shall announce My words to you.’ Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something on the wheel. But the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled." The Hebrew has the idea that something inherent in the vessel caused it to become spoiled, which means ruined or rotten. The potter didn’t make it that way. Something was amiss in the clay, and the clay, because of that, became spoiled.

It goes on to say, "So he remade it into another vessel [That is the power of God], as it pleased the potter to make. Then the word of the Lord came to me saying, ‘Can I not, O house of Israel, deal with you as this potter does?’ declares the Lord. ‘Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel.’ [In other words, you have become spoiled and ruined in My hand.’ At one moment I might speak concerning a nation, or concerning a kingdom to uproot, to pull down, or to destroy it; if that nation against which I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent concerning the calamity I planned to bring on it. Or at another moment I might speak concerning a nation or concerning a kingdom to build up or to plant it; if it does evil in My sight by not obeying My voice, then I will think better of the good with which I had promised to bless it."

To me, there is your balance. God is looking for that repentant spirit. God shows mercy on whom He will show mercy. He shows pity on whom He will show pity. Man hardens himself. How many times do you have to hear the message about a long-suffering God before God finally decides he does not care and then drops pity instead of mercy on your life? God acts out of His attributes at all times. So we see then that He only destroys those who had fitted themselves for destruction, like Pharaoh who hardened his own heart before God actually completed the sequence. He said, "I hardened Pharaoh’s heart."

What did Jeremiah see in this lesson? First there was the clay. And Jeremiah knew, as he watched the potter shaping and molding the clay, which he was looking at a picture of himself, and of every man, and of every nation. We are the clay. Both Isaiah and Zechariah, in the Old Testament, join with Jeremiah in presenting this picture of the potter and the clay. And in the New Testament we have the voice of Paul in that great passage in Romans 9, reminding us that God is the Potter and we are the clay. So Jeremiah saw the clay being shaped and molded into a vessel. Then some imperfection in the clay spoiled it in the potter's hand, and the potter crumbled it up, and began anew the process of shaping it into a vessel that pleased him.

Jeremiah saw the wheel turning constantly, bringing the clay against the potter's hand. That wheel stands for the turning circumstances of our life, under the control of the Potter, for it is the potter's foot that guides the wheel. The lesson is clear. As our life is being shaped and molded by the Great Potter, it is the circumstances of our life, the wheels of circumstance, what Browning called "this dance of plastic circumstance", which bring us again and again under the potter's hand, under the pressure of the molding fingers of the Potter, so that he shapes the vessel according to his will. Then, Jeremiah saw the potter. God, he knew, was the Great Potter, with absolute right over the clay to make it what he wanted it to be. Paul argues this with keen and clear logic in Romans 9: "Will what is molded say to its molder, 'Why have you made me thus?' Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for beauty and another for menial use?" Of course he has. The vessel is shaped according to the image in the potter's mind.

So Jeremiah, watching, learned that an individual or a nation is clay in the Great Potter's hands. He has a sovereign right to make it what he wants it to be. He has the skill and design to work with the clay and to bring it to pass. And if there be some imperfection in the clay, something which mars the design, spoils the work, the potter simply crushes the clay down to a lump and begins again to make it yet a vessel according to his own mind.

In other, more direct terms, this is the same lesson Jeremiah learned at the potter's house, applied to the nation. When the pressure the potter applies is successful in turning the clay in the right direction, the potter seems to repent, the pressure is relieved, and the clay is allowed then to remain in the form it has taken. But when something in the clay resists, the potter then seems to repent of making a vessel at all, and he crushes it into a lump, and begins again to make it yet into the vessel he desires.

And this is true of our individual lives. If some hard circumstance comes into your life -- and it may be there right now, or it may be just around the corner, or you may just have passed through it -- that circumstance is the wheel of God, to bring you against the pressure of the Potter's hand. If you do not resist, if your will does not spoil the work by murmuring, grumbling, or complaining, or feeling resentful and bitter, but you accept the working of the Potter, then the pressure is relieved, and the vessel takes shape. But if there is resistance, if the human will, like some imperfection in the clay, chooses something other than the Potter has in mind, then the Potter can do nothing else but crush it down to a lump once again and, beginning with the same lump, make it over into a vessel which suits his heart and mind. The great lesson Jeremiah learned at the potter's house was that of the sovereign control of God. He is the potter, and we are the clay.

There is a beautiful lesson here in the word "repent" as it is used in reference to God. When you and I talk about repenting, we speak in terms of changing our mind. We started out to do something. Circumstances occurred which caused us to change our mind. So we then did something else. But that is not the way the word is used concerning God. Many Scriptures tell us that God never changes his mind. And though we employ the term "repent" because it looks as if he has changed his mind, it does not express the thought adequately. The Hebrew used here is very interesting. It is really the word "sigh," "heave a sigh." It can be used either as a sigh of sorrow, or a sigh or relief. The word is used both ways here in this passage. God says, "If I say to a nation, 'I'm going to destroy you,' or to an individual, 'I'm going to uproot you, crush you,' and I bring pressure upon you to that end, if you yield to it, if you conform to what the pressure is driving you to, then I will heave a sigh of relief."

When we are in the Potter's hands, feeling his pressures, feeling the molding of his fingers, we can relax and trust him, for we know that this Potter has suffered with us and knows how we feel, but is determined to make us into a vessel "fit for the master's use" (2 Timothy 2:21 KJV). What a tremendous lesson, what a beautiful lesson Jeremiah learned at the potter's house -- one which I hope will guide us and guard us under the pressures which are coming into our lives these days. Remember that the Potter has a purpose in mind, and the skill and ability to fulfill it, no matter how many times he may have to make the vessel over again.

Naaman: The Big Dipper!

WE LOOK AT NAAMAN AND WE HAVE A PICTURE OF THE SINNER BEFORE HE COMES TO GOD.

“So he went down and dipped seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean” (2 Kings 5:14).

Naaman was a captain and conqueror of the people of Syria. He was also a castaway because he was a leper and separated from the people. No one wanted to trade places with him—not even the slaves. As sinners, men are castaway’s from the presence of God – see John 3:36. You may feel fine today, but if you are lost in your sins, you are a “spiritual leper” regardless of your greatness, you are headed for Hell! Naaman had a very real wrong perception as to where he found himself. Naaman thought his way was superior to God’s. He found fault with God’s plan—an important person like him dipping seven times in a dirty river—how absurd! Millions every day make the same mistakes that Naaman made. They think they can work it out, do it better, get there on their own, and can formulate a better plan than what God has for them. Of course, this way of thinking is the entire devil’s lie.

Eventually, Naaman decided to do what the prophet Elisha had told him to do in order to be healed. He went to the Jordan River and did 7 dips and on the 7th dip he changed (see 2 Cor. 5:17). It actually wasn’t the dipping, nor was it the Jordan River—it was the power of Almighty God that changed this leper into a clean, whole man. When Naaman did it God’s way, he got more than his health. He got a spiritual dip also!

You know, all that separates the sinner from eternal life in Jesus Christ is a willingness to do things God’s way! When we become willing to come the way God has laid out for us, then we will receive eternal life through Jesus Christ. Naaman was changed because he did it the Lord’s way. If you will come, that is the way it will work for you also—see Proverbs 9:12.

God is the best one to heal the broken and He can put all broken pieces back together. The name Naaman means “pleasantness.” He was well liked by the King of Syria who he worked for. However, he had leprosy and was an outcast—nobody wanted to catch the disease by spending time with Naaman. God had a plan to bring Naaman to Himself and having leprosy would lead him to God. What a parable of spiritual truth.

Naaman’s pride got in the way of him being healed. He went looking for priests ridden and filled with hocus pocus. He sought out major workers and the miracle doers and the sorcerer’s and the incantator’s standing in their robes and professing to do all kinds of miraculous things. God does things in a simple way. Elisha stayed in the background like he should have so the attention was what God was going to do. Naaman was accustomed to the fawning on his subjects. Was he not a great man? The great commander of God was an insult to the pride of Naaman. Elisha wanted to show that God is not respecter of persons or stations or rags or wealth. We are all alike in His sight.

Elisha told Naaman to go down to the river and wash in the muddy Jordan and you will be cured. The message of Elisha fell upon the ears of Naaman at an angle of an incident that started him and amazed him. And he turned red hot—an insult to his nobility and to his dignity and to his station as a commander in chief. And he wheeled and turned and went away in rage. I would rather keep my pride with my leprosy than to bow and to heel and be healed that way. Naaman thought he could save himself. He wanted to be healed but God had a different plan for him. Beyond anything a man could do for himself, or learn forever, is that highest holiest wisdom of giving himself in the simple, humble yielded submissive appeal of the Lord God. This is the gospel of salvation: Look and live, believe and be saved, wash and be clean.

Naaman’s healing is a reminder to us of how all mean must be saved. Men cannot come to God in their pride and position and demand. They must see themselves to be spiritually as unclean and wretched as Naaman was physically (and spiritually). They cannot demand a, “have it your way” kind of salvation; instead, they must humbly submit to that salvation which God has provided. The gospel does not seek to flutter our egos, but to humble us with the knowledge of our sin and condemnation. The gospel does not allow us to delude ourselves about how good and great we are, but it does declare to us that there is only one man who was ever truly good—Jesus Christ. He was good because He was both God and man. He gave His life on the cross of Calvary, to bear the penalty for our sins. It is by trusting in Him that lost sinners like ourselves can be cleansed from our sins and be assured of eternal life. I urge you to follow Naaman’s example and to accept God’s only means of cleansing and salvation—faith in Jesus Christ.

In Scripture, leprosy is a portrait of sin and man’s true spiritual condition without the saving grace of God’s salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. Regardless of how men may see us or how we may see ourselves, in God’s Holy eyes, we are leprous without the righteousness of Christ imputed to us through faith in the person and work of the Savior. This one word gives us God’s perspective of the true condition of this man regardless of how he was seen and thought of by man. Here we see a holy God’s perspective of man without Jesus Christ and the ravages of sin.

The principle we need to see is that many today are perishing from the loathsome leprosy of sin. One may be great, successful, wealthy, honorable and mighty, but spiritually lost. To realize one’s lost condition before God and to desire to escape from it are the first steps toward salvation. Naaman discovered this.

Naaman held a high position, but had a very great problem. We need to understand that God often uses the personal failures, sicknesses, and problems of men as a means to bring them to the end of themselves and to knowledge of the Lord and His salvation. God uses problems in life to force us to face our deeper problem, the problem of sin, and the need of God’s forgiveness and salvation in Jesus Christ.

David Comes to His Census

"KNOW WHAT YOU SOW; SO YOU WON’T WEEP WHEN YOU REAP!”

“Now David’s heart troubled him after he had numbered the people. So David said to the Lord, ‘I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O Lord, please take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have acted very foolishly’” (2 Samuel 24:10).

Sin is always a tragedy! We see here in this chapter that God is angry with Israel (v.1) A few things we know He was angry about—the fact that they followed Absalom when he rebelled against David. Also, that the majority of Israel went after Sheba (2 Sam. 20:1-2). It may have been that their hearts were lifted up in pride over all their victories (2 Sam. 23). God used Satan to move David to do what was already in David’s heart. God is not and cannot be the author of sin! Whatever the reason, God was angry with them and allowed Satan to tempt David and David, in his anger, sinned by numbering the people. The lesson for us to remember here is that you had better be careful when you are angry! You will make mistakes you will want to take back later.

What is wrong with a census? This is a good question and we are not offered a complete answer. Maybe David wanted to see how many people he had under his command so that he could strut around in his pride a little. The fact is, David is acting in pride! Pride is always the root of our sins! Beware of your pride it will never lead to the Lord, only father away! Our pride separates us from our God and from others! Joab tries to warn David about what he is going to do, but David sinned in the face of that good advice. A lot of the time we get into trouble because we will not stop to listen to the good advice of others. People who love us will warn us that we are headed down the wrong road, but we plow ahead anyway. The Word of God warns us, but we carry on in the face of what God has to say about the matter. Actions like that can only end in disaster! (Prov. 16:25).

No one sins in a vacuum. David’s sin affected him, but it also touched his people. David’s sin unleashed a traumatic time in the nation of Israel. David confesses his failure and asks for forgiveness. Conviction tore his heart apart. It was too late—David would pay for that sin and so would so many others. Conviction is one of the most amazing things about being saved. When we sin, it does not take all day for us to know about it. As soon as the thought is finished, or the deed is done, we feel His conviction on our heart. How tender is your heart? Do you desire to quickly seek forgiveness? Conviction hurts, but we should praise the Lord for it. It is one of the greatest assurances of salvation we possess—see Hebrews 12:8.

David was given a choice of punishment for his disobedience in doing a census of Israel when God told him not to. The prophet Gad comes to him and presents a strange message from the Lord. God allows David to choose his punishment. He is offered three choices: 1) The nation can experience seven years of famine; 2) Israel’s enemies can have victory over them for three months; or 3) Israel can face three days of pestilence. David does not know what to do. Regardless of the choice David made, the people of Israel were going to suffer terribly. He chooses to place the fate of Israel into God’s hands. David had rather fall into the hands of a just, holy, good, gracious God than into the hands of sinful men. God does not offer us such choices. I thank God that He does not. But, He has already warned us that our sins have consequences—Gal. 6:7, 8. The Lord constantly reminds us to “consider our ways.”

So God sends some sort of plague upon the people and seventy thousand die in three days. Imagine the grief and that shock as seventy thousand people die; seventy thousand families are plunged into grief. Why? Because one man committed a sin in his pride. I believe this should be a warning to all of us. You never know what the outcome of your sin is going to be. You might affect a few and you might affect many. Affecting just one is too many! How close to God do we really desire to be? How right with God do we want to be? Sin always has consequences. Learn to deal with your sin quickly—confess and seek forgiveness. David became “a man after God’s own heart” because he quickly confessed and his deepest desire was to walk with God. He immediately wanted to repent and get right with the Lord. That is a lesson that we all need to get a hold of. Yes, we will sin, and yes, sometimes, we will sin big. When we do, our natural tendency is to try and hide that sin away and pretend that it did not take place. God’s way is different! He is always watching the heart. God expects us to confess and forsake our sins—Proverbs 28:13; 1 John 1:9.

Take the blame when you are wrong.—this is where the Lord wants to bring us when we fail. He wants us to reach the place where we get honest about what we have done and how if affects those around us. When we get honest about sin, we will stop making excuses; we will stop playing games; we will stop pointing fingers; we will stop hiding in the shadows. It’s not someone else’s fault! We are guilty and we need to deal with it! When we get honest, we will come out and deal with our sins by forsaking it, and by dealing with the consequences it has brought into our lives. When we get to this point, God can bless us, forgive us and restore us again. God will receive and bless the person who comes with a right heart!

In verses 18-25 of this chapter, David seeks out Araunah and purchases a threshing floor and the equipment needed to make a sacrifice. David refuses to allow the owner to just give him the property and what he needs. David knows that real worship is costly. He knows that getting things fixed up with the Lord carries a high price. He buys the threshing floor and the oxen, he builds an altar and he offers a sacrifice. God is pleased and all is well again. What is the lesson here? Faith is like a threshing floor. It winnows out everything from our lives that is not pleasing to the Lord. It cleans us up, if it is followed and obeyed. But, faith that costs you nothing is not faith at all! Worship that costs you nothing is not worship at all. Repentance that cost you nothing is not repentance at all. Your commitment to God is going to be costly to maintain. It may cost you relationships, habits, etc. There is always a price to pay when sin has been committed, if you want to be right with the Lord again. Never forget that! You see, serving God and enjoying His blessings comes at a price. Serving God is a costly business. We cannot cut corners on Him and expect Him to bless us!

Did you notice that David’s sin was not completely dealt with until there was blood shed? That is the clear teaching of the Bible, see Hebrews 9:22. Listen, it was on this same hill that Abraham had offered Isaac all those years ago. It was here that the Temple would be built in just a few years. It was here that one thousand years later Jesus Christ would hang on an old rugged cross to pay for sin forever. Your sin and my sin are going to cost us big. But, it has already cost God more than we could ever imagine. He gave His Son on the cross to save us and with that salvation comes forgiveness and cleansing. Thank God we do not have to offer a sacrifice that has been done once for all. But, we have to get honest about our sin and pay the price of confession and repentance so that our sins can be forgiven.

The challenge for all true believers is to get right with the Lord. Are you saved and enjoying close, intimate fellowship with Jesus? Are you dealing with a sin problem? Do you need to come before the Lord and deal with some sin or problem in your walk with Jesus? Are you ready to pay the price so that God might continue to move in your life and bless you? The altar is open and Jesus is ready to receive all who will come to Him. All we need to do is get on the altar and allow Him to start the fire. Remember in just three days, 70,000 people died due to David’s sin. The results of the things we do to each other do not just evaporate because we ask for forgiveness. The pain that we have inflicted on someone does not disappear, however diligent our prayer. The anguish that we caused when we lashed someone with our tongue, the heartache that we created when we lied about a friend—these things remain. And these things have to be dealt with. Seventy thousand deaths for which David was responsible! Sin has consequence, but most of us thrash about, looking for cheap and easy answers.

Forgiveness always comes with a price—Jesus paid it all. Never approach the throne of God in a careless fashion–always mean business and remember who you are talking to. God moved David to do what was already in his heart. The sin is there already and God is not the author of sin—God does not cause sin to happen. Sin was not apparent to David until the count was finished after 9 months and 20 days and the results were reported—800K in Israel and 500K in Judah – total of 1.3 million able-bodied fighting men. David then knew his pride. Despite David’s repentance—God still punished David and the people for their sin as well. God is a Just God and a Loving God! Even when we are truly sorry for our sins there are still consequences.

Psalm 51:17, the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise. Someone has said God can do much with broken pieces—but he has to have all the pieces. David was a man after God’s own heart because he was willing to give all of his brokenness back to God and allow him to restore him. The example of the census reminds us that God is not in the business of punishment—but in restoration.

Giants Vs Grasshoppers!

GOD SENDS US PROBLEMS NOT TO DISCOURAGE US, BUT TO DEVELOP US.

“There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight” (Numbers 13:33).

Did you know there are more than 9,000 promises in the Bible for the Christian? Do you claim them daily? Do you know where to find them in the Word of God?

Ever thought that something was impossible? Ever thought that things could be different but were afraid to do something about it? Ever thought that you were too demeaned to be able to change that reality? Some of the spies felt the pressure of not being able to face up to their anxieties and fears. We can identify with the spies on that score, for time and again, in our life we fail to face up to our fears and anxieties. We would rather live with the status quo, than do something about our situation and circumstance.

God is able to help you defeat the giants that you have in your life today. Your giant may be some obstacle, some stumbling block, some setback, some personal problem, some health issue, some financial issue, or some bad habit. Your giant could be some man, some woman, boy, or girl. But you don’t have to let the giant in your life keep you fearful and afraid because God is bigger and stronger than any giant, and He will give you the power to be victorious over the giants that you are facing in your life.

I don’t mind a good spy story, do you? There is something about the mystery that intrigues you to gather around the story and that tends to get you involved quickly. It is the story we are looking at in Numbers 13 that is packed with the technical sophistication and graphic action of modern espionage, but there is nonetheless a mystery and intrigue attached to the story of Moses sending out the twelve spies to check out the land of Canaan.

One man from each of the twelve tribes was chosen to be a spy, and each was a leader in his own right (v.3), and given the task of surveillance. They were twelve men who without a doubt were chosen because of their personal suitability for the task, men of intelligence and courage. Twelve men sent out for forty days (v.25) sufficient time for them to make their reconnaissance and report. Twelve men sent out as a company, drawing from each other mutual support and protection.

The twelve were sent to check out the inhabitants of the land—were they strong or weak, few or many. The twelve were sent to check out the countryside whether the land was good or bad. The twelve were sent to see whether the inhabitants of the land lived in tents or walled cities. The twelve had to assess whether the land was productive or unproductive.

We have to commend Joshua and Caleb in telling Moses that taking the land of milk and honey (Canaan) was possible. Caleb said it’s just as if God said, let’s go in! Some of us see giants and feel like grasshoppers that must hop away quickly, but a few of us see possibilities—thank God for that. When God is on our side absolutely nothing is impossible! We often stand at the edge of the Promised Land and God does not expect us to be afraid of the “giants” we may face along the way. Remember, two of the spies said, “Let us go up at once and possess it; for we are well able to overcome it” (Numbers 13:30). They saw the same spectacles in their survey of the land; but the result in the one case was panic, in the other confidence and peace. What made the difference? It was that the ten spies compared themselves with the giants, while the two spies compared the giants with God. “The Lord is with us, fear them not” (Numbers 14:9). Faith looks away from the greatness of her difficulty to the greatness of her God.

Yes, the ten spies saw giants, but Caleb and Joshua saw God! Those who doubt say, “We are not able to go up.” Those who believe say, “Let us go up at once and possess it, for we are well able.” Giants stand for great difficulties; and giants are stalking everywhere. They are in our families, in our churches, in our social life, in our own hearts; and we must overcome them or they will eat us up, as these men of old said of the giants of Canaan. The two men said, “They are bread for us; we will eat them up.” In other words, “We will be stronger by overcoming them than if there had been no giants to overcome.”

Now the fact is, unless we have the overcoming faith we shall be eaten up, consumed by the giants in our path. Let us have the spirit of faith that these men of faith had, and see God, and He will take care of the difficulties. It is when we are in the way of duty that we find giants. It was when Israel was going forward that the giants appeared. When they turned back into the wilderness they found none. There is a prevalent idea that the power of God in a human life should lift us above all trials and conflicts. The fact is the power of God always brings a conflict and a struggle. One would have thought that on his great missionary journey to Rome, Paul would have been carried by some mighty providence above the power of storms and tempests and enemies. But, on the contrary, it was one long, hard fight with persecuting Jews, with wild tempests, with venomous vipers and all the powers of earth and hell, and at last he was saved, as it seemed, by the narrowest margin, and had to swim ashore at Malta on a piece of wreckage and barely escape a watery grave. Was that like a God of infinite power? Yes, just like Him. And so Paul tells us that when he took the Lord Jesus Christ as the life of his body, a severe conflict immediately came; indeed, a conflict that never ended, a pressure that was persistent, but out of which he always emerged victorious through the strength of Jesus Christ.

How many come right up to the edge of salvation, get a glimpse of the joys others express, feel the conviction of the Spirit in their hearts but pull away because the giant of the world beckons to the? Felix in the Book of Acts, after hearing Paul relay the gospel message of salvation through Jesus Christ says, “You may leave now; I’ll send for you later when I find it convenient to hear about this again.” How many come up to the edge of walking in total obedience to God, seeing the blessings of a consecrated life and the rewards of servanthood, desiring to be committed to that life, but decide that the price is too costly and the time too demanding? It wasn’t the giants in the land that made them complain and grumble against God, nor is it the obstacles in our own Christian life that keep us from a fulfilling walk with Christ, it is the giants in the heart—the giants of unbelief, of fear and of complacency that really keep us from enjoying God’s peace and presence.

Every Promised Land has its giants; every blessing has its challenges. When the rich man asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life, Jesus answered, “Keep God’s commandments and sell all you have and come follow me.” The blessing of eternal life was met by the challenge of getting his priorities in order. Giants will always be in our lives—they are there to test our trust and belief as well as bring us to maturity. When things are difficult but gets done anyway, our faith grows and God gets the glory. Have you ever noticed when God is going to do something wonderful, He begins with a difficulty? When God is going to do something really stupendous, He begins with impossibility. The Israelites saw themselves as grasshoppers in the eyes of the giants, where instead they should have seen the giants as grasshoppers in the eyes of God. Remember when fear keeps you away from God’s leading—He is your refuge and you can do all things in Him who gives you strength.

A few giants show up and all of a sudden everything is just fine where we are, it’s not so bad here—just wandering around, no nation, no homeland, and no place to settle. The Israelites began to remember and long for the days when they were slaves in Egypt, “Oh, the garlic and the leaks.” Have you ever noticed that in your Christian walk? What fear and unbelief don’t do, comfort and complacency makes up for—suddenly mediocrity and the status quo seem just fine. If there is no risk, there will be no growth. The aim of comfort and complacency is to avoid taking risks. Now I am not talking about being reckless and irresponsible, but if we seek the Lord and feel the Spirit’s leading, we can risk the criticism and judgment of others and even the ridicule because God has blessed what we’re doing. Complacency avoids that at all cost and holds us back in our comfort zones.

Most times God works out of comfort zones and challenges us to go beyond them. Joshua and Caleb risked being singled out and outnumbered by the rest, yet they stood boldly and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land for we can certainly do it.” Of the entire group, these two were the only ones that God allowed to enter into the Promised Land because they trusted God and were willing to risk the obstacles for the blessings.

Sometimes all we can see are the giants and the challenges—there are size challenges, financial challenges, resource challenges, property challenges and yes there are even motivation and desire challenges. It appears the giants of unbelief, fear and complacency are winning. I feel where challenges were once perceived as opportunities to demonstrate our faith and trust in God’s provision are now seen only as insurmountable obstacles. Will you be one of two or one of the ten? Will you reap the blessings of God’s rest or will you waste them by wandering the wilderness? The exploration is over and the reports are in—how will you cast your vote? If giants can become grasshoppers then grasshoppers can become giants! So what do you see when you look into the future? Do you see giants, or do you see God?

Grappling with God

GOD MUST BREAK US OF OUR SELF-DEPENDENCE SO THAT HE CAN BLESS US AS WE CLING TO HIM IN OUR BROKENNESS.

“And He said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks. But Jacob said, ‘I will not let You go unless You bless me!’” (Genesis 32:24).

"Is life a struggle? Is it really, really difficult? Have you been thrown to the mat more than once? Have you heard the hand coming down counting and you’ve gotten up just in time before you lost that wrestling match? Have you come away from all those struggles with a limp because you’ve been wrestled to the ground? God wrestles with men to bring them to the end of themselves until they are broken and can’t do anything more except simply to cling to Him. If you are struggling with God, struggling with life and you’ve hung on, well done. You just keep hanging on because God has a blessing for those who hang on, who struggle and don’t let go, who don’t just give up, flop over on the mat and say, “Okay, you’ve got me. It’s over.” God has a blessing for those who believe Him and hold on with all that tenacity.

Jacob struggled from the womb. He was a man who ended up limping for the rest of his life but he was used by God. His name does not disappear but stays throughout all the Scriptures because God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And God wants to be your God to bring you, in that struggle; to the fullness and blessing that He alone can give” (thoughts by K. Arthur).

Whatever the problem is you may be facing right now, you need to know that God is never more than a breath away. In Genesis 32, Jacob faced that kind of crisis. He was returning to Canaan in obedience to God, but that meant he would have to face his brother, Esau, whom he had cheated 20 years before. Jacob didn’t know how Esau would receive him. When Jacob’s messengers came back and said that Esau was coming to meet him with 400 men, Jacob froze with fear. Esau could easily wipe out everything that was of value to Jacob, including Jacob! And so he prayed, “Oh, God, deliver me from Esau!” (32:9-12).

What Jacob didn’t know, and what we often don’t realize in situations like that, is how God goes about helping us. What we have in mind is that God would somehow remove our problem or make our enemy go away. But God doesn’t do it that way. God answered Jacob’s prayer for protection from Esau by wrestling with Jacob until He left him limping as he approached his brother. His plan had been that if Esau attacked one camp, Jacob (in the 2 other camps) could escape. But now he couldn’t run from Esau if he tried! He was totally dependent on the Lord. The way God helps us is by breaking us of our inherent self dependence so that we lean totally on Him. In that context, we can properly receive His blessings. Our problem, like Jacob’s, is that all too often we want to use God and His blessings to further our own ends. All his life Jacob had been using God and people to get what he wanted for himself. But now God brings Jacob to see that you don’t use God—you submit to Him. When we submit to God, He blesses us.

Brokenness is the path to blessing. Before God can use a man greatly, He must break him, because we all have a built-in propensity to trust in ourselves. God’s wrestling match with Jacob was not a dream or vision--dreams and visions don’t leave a man with a wrenched hip. Jacob’s opponent was the angel of the Lord, Jesus Christ in a preincarnate form. It was a physical fight with physical injury inflicted on Jacob, and yet there were obvious spiritual lessons impressed on him through this unforgettable experience. It must have been terrifying for Jacob. He was already nervous about Esau’s approach. He had sent ahead his elaborate gift of hundreds of animals. Then he tried to bed down for the night. But he couldn’t sleep, so he woke up his family and moved them across the ford of the Jabbok. Then Jacob went back alone for a final check, to make sure nothing had been left behind. It’s dark and spooky on the desert at night. Suddenly, out of the dark, a hand grabbed Jacob. Jacob must have just about had a heart attack! Who was this? Maybe a bandit, trying to rob him?—an assassin, sent by Esau? Instinctively, Jacob began to wrestle with this mysterious assailant, struggling for his very life.

We need to be clear that God was the aggressor here. Jacob was defending himself. God was laying hold of Jacob to gain something from him, namely, to bring Jacob to the end of his self-dependence. God had to wrestle him into submission to reveal this to him. We’re all like Jacob. We think that the enemy, the problem, is out there. “The problem is my wife ... my husband ... my parents ... my boss ... my poor circumstances. God, please take care of the problem for me.” But the enemy or problem isn’t primarily out there. The problem is in me, my flesh, and my sinful, selfish nature that dominates my life. So God has to reveal to me the power of my flesh before I can be delivered from it.

God’s breaking process reveals to us the power of our flesh. Obviously, God could have crippled Jacob in the first minute of this contest. When He finally wanted to, He just touched Jacob’s hip and Jacob felt excruciating pain as his hip was wrenched. So why didn’t God do it sooner? Why did He allow the match to go on all night long? God wanted to show Jacob the power of his self-will. If you’ve ever wrestled, you know how exhausting it is to grapple with an opponent of equal or greater strength. A few minutes is enough. But Jacob kept at it all night! The Lord kept waiting to see if Jacob would surrender, but he kept fighting.

At what point do you suppose Jacob recognized that his opponent was not a mere man? Later (32:30) he acknowledged that it was God. The text doesn’t tell us, but I’m sure that if he didn’t know before, Jacob knew as soon as the Lord crippled him. But the Lord didn’t use that power until He saw that Jacob would not yield (32:25). The flesh dies hard! Only God can tame it. Until God crippled him, Jacob wouldn’t give in. God let him wrestle all night so that Jacob could see how strong his self-will really was. To make sure that Jacob has learned the lesson, the Lord asks him a question which, at first, doesn’t seem to fit the context. Jacob is finally subdued, and he clings to the Lord and says, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” The Lord responds, “What is your name?” (32:27). Remember, the Lord never asks questions to gain information. He knew the answer. He wanted Jacob to confess not just his name, but his character. He had to say, “My name is Jacob--the supplanter, the conniver, the schemer.” Only after Jacob acknowledged that could the Lord bless him. Part of the process of knowing God involves knowing ourselves.

Until God reveals the power of our sinful nature to us, we tend to think that we’re not so bad. Paul said, that “Nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh” (Rom. 7:18). Until the Lord reveals that to us (and He often has to do it through an all-night wrestling match!) we depend more on ourselves than on Him. God’s breaking process reveals to us the power of our flesh. Before the Lord touched Jacob and crippled him, Jacob probably thought that the fight was pretty evenly matched. But then in one light touch, the Lord wiped Jacob out. Until God breaks us, so that we walk with a limp, we have a tendency to view Him as a benign old grandfather, nice to have around, but not very strong. Until that time, we view obedience to God as an option available to us. But we’re in control, directing things as we think best. We choose our careers, our lifestyles, and our schedules, all centered on what will make us happy. Then the lion roars and in one easy swipe, He cripples us. We learn His awesome power. We learn that obedience is not an option; it’s our only reasonable course of action. The frailty of our bodies should make us aware of our weakness and of our need to submit to God. Every time we’re sick or get injured, or when we feel the aches and pains of older age, we should acknowledge, “I am not God. I am weak and frail. Only God is God and I must depend totally on Him and live in submission to Him.” If He touches your body, you had better acknowledge your weakness and depend on His strength! You can either submit to Him and be blessed or fight Him and suffer the consequences. But you will never win if you wrestle with God.

God blesses us as we cling to Him in our brokenness. Often our greatest victories come out of the ashes of our greatest defeats. As soon as Jacob was crippled, he was able to hang onto the Lord for dear life. He knew now that if God did not bless him, he had no hope. He could not trust in himself any longer, because he was crippled. He had to cling to the Lord, and in clinging to the Lord in his brokenness, Jacob received the blessing he had been scheming to get all his life. We won’t cling to the Lord until we are broken.

Take time to get alone with God. It was when Jacob was left alone that the Lord came to wrestle with Him (32:24). When you get alone with the Lord, ask Him to break you of your sinful self-dependence, and then cling to Him in your brokenness until He blesses you. When He breaks us and prevails over us, then He will allow us to prevail over our problems. Use your victories which come out of God’s breaking you, to teach others. When Jacob’s family asked him why he was limping, he could have concealed the lesson to save face: “Just a little arthritis, I guess.” But he was willing to let us in on what he learned. In verse 32, Moses explains a Hebrew custom which even continues to this day among orthodox Jews. They do not eat the sinew of the hip of animals because that is where God touched Jacob. That custom should serve as an object lesson to God’s people of the truth Jacob learned, that God breaks us of our self-dependence so that He can bless us. As the Lord teaches that to you, pass it on to others. Your greatest problems can become your greatest victories if, when God breaks you, you cling to Him.