Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Sunday, March 4, 2012
The Distracting D's: Desires of the Flesh
My next topic of study is the different attacks the enemy uses to try to bring us out of having a successful Christian life, and bring us away from having a meaningful relationship with Christ. These attacks are distractions that keep us from focusing on God and I narrowed them down to four words (maybe more as God may reveal them to me as I begin this study), and I will go through each of these for the next couple of days. For the sake of easy memory, the words all start with D’s and so I decided to entitle this particular study of mine, “The Distracting D’s.” The Distracting D’s are as follow; Desires of the Flesh (Temptation), Discord, Deception, and Despair. The first of these Distracting D’s that we are going to look at is Desires of the Flesh (Temptations)
We’ve all experienced it, especially those of us who have grown up going to church. You sit down Sunday morning after the choir and musicians have finished their songs, and as the Pastor begins to deliver his message you began to grow uncomfortable with the fact that you are currently sitting on a wooden plank. So you begin to scoot your butt around, and hold your back straighter, but you can’t seem to find a comfortable spot to sit for the next hour or so. Then you begin to feel your stomach grumble and as that happens you also began to feel hot or maybe cold. They can be easily dismissed as a normal human functions, to be uncomfortable sitting on what feels like solid stone, or hunger pains in the morning. However, these are all distraction from the enemy to keep you from learning and growing in your Christian walk. These are desires of your flesh, things your flesh wants you to do to keep it happy.
This morning when I woke up, and began to do my morning devotions, there was one thought that plagued my mind and that was sleep. In fact, I was so tired and obsessed with sleeping this morning that I literally fell asleep while in mid sentence. I’m sure you’ve experienced that yourself a couple times, as have I since it wasn’t my first time falling asleep during morning devotions. When I awoke from my sudden nap during my reading, I thought to myself, “That’s just because it is early and you’re tired. You should probably go back to sleep” But as I began to think about it, I realized that I really had no excuse for being tired. I had had a perfectly healthy 7 to 8 hour sleep, and I should have felt well rested. But I didn’t because I was being attacked. The enemy was using my flesh to make me make decisions.
When distractions arise, it is important to recognize them as just that, and rebuke them in the name of the LORD. It may seem important to you to tell your friend a joke that you thought up in the middle of Church, it may seem important to you that your rear-end is going numb because you feel like you have been sitting for so long, or it might seem important to you that you are about to “starve”. But in the end those are all distractions that will hinder you from growing in Christ, and distract you from learning in God’s word. The bible tells us that we are to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. (See 2 Corinthians 10:5) So when we have these distracting thoughts of the flesh come to us, we should take them captive, and not be subject to their biddings.
As for “starving” during church or morning devotions, you’re not going to actually starve to death just because you had to sit for an hour or two. What’s more important to you your stomach or God? Not to mention, while you complain to yourself about “starving to death” during church and/or devotions, think about all the people in the world who are actually starving, and unlike you, they don’t have the promise of food in the next hour or two. So stop getting caught up with distractions of comfort. Put God first, before your stomach, a good way to start doing this is by making sure you don’t eat before you read your bible. Say to yourself, “No read, no feed!” It helps me! Or if you are having problems getting your flesh to obey, try fasting. The best way to get your flesh to submit, and to strengthen your spirit over it, is through fasting.
Desires of the flesh hinder us from growing in Christ, and doing what God has planned for us to do. If we are constantly looking for the answer to “What can I do now to please me.” We are missing the opportunity to experience the answer to “What can God do through me?”
We’ve all experienced it, especially those of us who have grown up going to church. You sit down Sunday morning after the choir and musicians have finished their songs, and as the Pastor begins to deliver his message you began to grow uncomfortable with the fact that you are currently sitting on a wooden plank. So you begin to scoot your butt around, and hold your back straighter, but you can’t seem to find a comfortable spot to sit for the next hour or so. Then you begin to feel your stomach grumble and as that happens you also began to feel hot or maybe cold. They can be easily dismissed as a normal human functions, to be uncomfortable sitting on what feels like solid stone, or hunger pains in the morning. However, these are all distraction from the enemy to keep you from learning and growing in your Christian walk. These are desires of your flesh, things your flesh wants you to do to keep it happy.
This morning when I woke up, and began to do my morning devotions, there was one thought that plagued my mind and that was sleep. In fact, I was so tired and obsessed with sleeping this morning that I literally fell asleep while in mid sentence. I’m sure you’ve experienced that yourself a couple times, as have I since it wasn’t my first time falling asleep during morning devotions. When I awoke from my sudden nap during my reading, I thought to myself, “That’s just because it is early and you’re tired. You should probably go back to sleep” But as I began to think about it, I realized that I really had no excuse for being tired. I had had a perfectly healthy 7 to 8 hour sleep, and I should have felt well rested. But I didn’t because I was being attacked. The enemy was using my flesh to make me make decisions.
When distractions arise, it is important to recognize them as just that, and rebuke them in the name of the LORD. It may seem important to you to tell your friend a joke that you thought up in the middle of Church, it may seem important to you that your rear-end is going numb because you feel like you have been sitting for so long, or it might seem important to you that you are about to “starve”. But in the end those are all distractions that will hinder you from growing in Christ, and distract you from learning in God’s word. The bible tells us that we are to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. (See 2 Corinthians 10:5) So when we have these distracting thoughts of the flesh come to us, we should take them captive, and not be subject to their biddings.
As for “starving” during church or morning devotions, you’re not going to actually starve to death just because you had to sit for an hour or two. What’s more important to you your stomach or God? Not to mention, while you complain to yourself about “starving to death” during church and/or devotions, think about all the people in the world who are actually starving, and unlike you, they don’t have the promise of food in the next hour or two. So stop getting caught up with distractions of comfort. Put God first, before your stomach, a good way to start doing this is by making sure you don’t eat before you read your bible. Say to yourself, “No read, no feed!” It helps me! Or if you are having problems getting your flesh to obey, try fasting. The best way to get your flesh to submit, and to strengthen your spirit over it, is through fasting.
Desires of the flesh hinder us from growing in Christ, and doing what God has planned for us to do. If we are constantly looking for the answer to “What can I do now to please me.” We are missing the opportunity to experience the answer to “What can God do through me?”
“For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.” Galatians 5:17
Friday, March 2, 2012
Godly Humility vs. Self-righteous Humility and Self-pity Humility!
I’ve been thinking a lot recently about humility, and the differences between godly humility, self-righteous humility, and dangerous self criticism that comes from listening to the enemies’ lies. So let’s look at the three levels of humility and see which one we are to have, and which is the one we should identify and dispose of before the enemy uses them to destroy our Christian walk.
The first one we’ll look at is self righteous humility. It’s safe to say that this one is all tied up in appearance and what people think of us. This one is what people make fun of when they say “I am SO humble” in an exaggerated tone. They use their status of being humble to feed their prideful desires of self worth in this world. Scripture clearly warns against a life like this in Matthew 6:1-8 when it talks about how the Pharisees did things like giving their alms, praying and possibly being humble for appearance purpose only. It also says in Colossians 3:23 “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men.” This means that if we are being humble we should only care about one who sees it, and that is God, and defer whatever praise we may receive for our acts of humility. Be humble about your humility!
The next one is dangerous self criticism; self pity. This usually manifests itself as a thought which sounds similar to this one “I don’t deserve that praise because I am undeserving of anything, because I am such a lowlife sinful person.” It is important, as a Christian, to acknowledge that we are a sinner, but far too often that is the only thing people dwell on. You were a sinner before you came into a relationship with Christ, but now you have been saved from the life as a sinner and you are now a Child of God. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” All things, even the status of who you once were, have passed away. Yes, you were a sinner, but you are no longer a sinner you are a child of God, and to say that you are a helpless sinner only makes what Christ did for us on the cross sound so pathetic. So don’t wallow in your self-pity, and don’t listen to the enemies lies that take hold of your life. This type of thinking will hinder you from accomplishing the great works God has planned for your life.
The last one is godly humility. It perplexed me for a while as to what godly humility could be defined as, but it came to me as I was reading a book called The Bondage Breaker by Neil Anderson. In the book he basically talks a lot about finding about how much power we have in Christ as Christians against our enemy. There was one part where he said “Pride says, ‘I resisted the devil all by myself.’ False humility says, ‘God resisted the devil; I did nothing.’ True humility says, “I resisted the devil by the grace of God.’ Apart from Christ we can do nothing, but that doesn’t mean we’re not supposed to do something. We exercise authority humbly in His strength and in his name.” THAT’S IT! Didn’t those first two points (the prideful one and the false humility one) sound a lot like the first two levels of humility? That means my answer to what godly humility is lies in his example of true humility. Godly humility is found when we first humble our self image by realizing every good thing you do is not of your own power, and acknowledging that what you have been, and will be able to do, is from the grace and power of Jesus Christ. Only then will you find boldness in the LORD and your authority in Christ against the enemy. Remember the poor thinking from the self-pity humility? The one that always dwelled on the fact that you are a sinner? Well, there is a healthy version of that thinking. If you only remember that you were a sinner before the LORD swept in and saved you, but now you are a child of God, you then break the false reasoning of self-pity (Because you are no longer a sinner, but a child of God), destroy your prideful self-esteem (because if it wasn’t for Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, you’d be a sinner still, you had nothing to do with breaking free from that), and move on to godly humility; accepting the fact that every good thing you do is of the LORD and you now have the living power of Christ in you to defeat the enemy. Be humble in your own strength, and be prideful of Jesus Christ who lives in you!
The first one we’ll look at is self righteous humility. It’s safe to say that this one is all tied up in appearance and what people think of us. This one is what people make fun of when they say “I am SO humble” in an exaggerated tone. They use their status of being humble to feed their prideful desires of self worth in this world. Scripture clearly warns against a life like this in Matthew 6:1-8 when it talks about how the Pharisees did things like giving their alms, praying and possibly being humble for appearance purpose only. It also says in Colossians 3:23 “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men.” This means that if we are being humble we should only care about one who sees it, and that is God, and defer whatever praise we may receive for our acts of humility. Be humble about your humility!
The next one is dangerous self criticism; self pity. This usually manifests itself as a thought which sounds similar to this one “I don’t deserve that praise because I am undeserving of anything, because I am such a lowlife sinful person.” It is important, as a Christian, to acknowledge that we are a sinner, but far too often that is the only thing people dwell on. You were a sinner before you came into a relationship with Christ, but now you have been saved from the life as a sinner and you are now a Child of God. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” All things, even the status of who you once were, have passed away. Yes, you were a sinner, but you are no longer a sinner you are a child of God, and to say that you are a helpless sinner only makes what Christ did for us on the cross sound so pathetic. So don’t wallow in your self-pity, and don’t listen to the enemies lies that take hold of your life. This type of thinking will hinder you from accomplishing the great works God has planned for your life.
The last one is godly humility. It perplexed me for a while as to what godly humility could be defined as, but it came to me as I was reading a book called The Bondage Breaker by Neil Anderson. In the book he basically talks a lot about finding about how much power we have in Christ as Christians against our enemy. There was one part where he said “Pride says, ‘I resisted the devil all by myself.’ False humility says, ‘God resisted the devil; I did nothing.’ True humility says, “I resisted the devil by the grace of God.’ Apart from Christ we can do nothing, but that doesn’t mean we’re not supposed to do something. We exercise authority humbly in His strength and in his name.” THAT’S IT! Didn’t those first two points (the prideful one and the false humility one) sound a lot like the first two levels of humility? That means my answer to what godly humility is lies in his example of true humility. Godly humility is found when we first humble our self image by realizing every good thing you do is not of your own power, and acknowledging that what you have been, and will be able to do, is from the grace and power of Jesus Christ. Only then will you find boldness in the LORD and your authority in Christ against the enemy. Remember the poor thinking from the self-pity humility? The one that always dwelled on the fact that you are a sinner? Well, there is a healthy version of that thinking. If you only remember that you were a sinner before the LORD swept in and saved you, but now you are a child of God, you then break the false reasoning of self-pity (Because you are no longer a sinner, but a child of God), destroy your prideful self-esteem (because if it wasn’t for Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, you’d be a sinner still, you had nothing to do with breaking free from that), and move on to godly humility; accepting the fact that every good thing you do is of the LORD and you now have the living power of Christ in you to defeat the enemy. Be humble in your own strength, and be prideful of Jesus Christ who lives in you!
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Psalm 139 in My Own Words: A Prayer of Praise to an All Knowing Ever-Present Savior.
As I finished up my memory of Psalm 139 I wanted to make sure that I did not lose what I had memorized, but rather I wanted to actually apply it to my daily life. So I rewrote the Psalm in my own words as a prayer to God.
“Lord, you know me. You understand everything I’m going through. When I am down and depressed, you are there. When I am at my highest point, you are there with me, surrounding every moment of it.” (See Psalm 139:1-3)
“You know every word I have spoken, and am going to speak before I even speak them. You have surrounded me in my past days and in my future days to come, like an army surrounding its enemy. Your comforting hand is always on me, guiding and protecting me. I am over whelmed with this overpowering knowledge of your caring love for me.” (See Psalm 139:4-6)
“I cannot escape your presence, for it consumes my existence. There is no place I can go that I will not find you there with me. You are always there, guiding me in the way I should go.” (See Psalm 139:7-10)
“No matter what I am going through, no matter how hard and tough life may seem. No matter how consumed I feel by the darkness of this world, your love, and your presence shines through even the darkest of hours. The darkness of this world cannot be kept from you, for your love shines through and breaks the darkness’s tight grasp. You have made me, you formed me in my mother’s womb.” (See Psalm 139:11-13)
“I was made by the almighty creator who created the sun and the moon and the stars, who spoke and the very existence of light itself was made with a single word. You made me with a plan and purpose, everything you have formed in me is perfect in your sight, and nothing the enemy can say will shake me from this belief that I am your beloved creation. I praise you for that. When I was yet nothing in the world’s mind you, the almighty Creator who keeps the very stars in the sky, cared enough to take the time to make and form me; a nothing in this world’s mind.” (See Psalm 139:14-16)
“Your thoughts unto me are precious, O God, I love every one of them. They are so vast and so great, I am un able to count them. Yet they are there, and your kind thoughtful care in my life is with me, and they continually flow in. You are with me at all times, and when I awake I praise your steadfast love for me, for you are there.” (See Psalm 139:17-18)
“This imperfect world is plagued with the evil ones who rise up against you, surely they will receive their just reward. I want nothing to do with them. There are those who have heard the lie of the enemy, and listened to his falsehoods, thus they rise up against you, and curse your name. I am saddened for those poor deceived souls; I hate their ways and the enemy who gives them their biddings.” (See Psalm 139:19-22)
“I humble myself before you, O God, search my ways. Do not let me fall into the pit of hypocrisy, and think of myself as better than those who do not know you. Do not let me lose my compassion for the lost. Destroy any evilness that has crept into my life, and lead me to be an impact in your kingdom for eternity!”(See Psalm 139:23-24)
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Psalm 139:20-24: Perfect Hatred vs. Hatred!
I was not able to write a post yesterday so I decided to combine yesterdays post with today's since this is, essentially, the wrap up post for this study.
There is always something evil going on every second of the day, as a result of the fall. If you look at the news, you’ll see that every day all of the 10 Commandments are broken, and those are just the ones that are made public. We know, being humans born into sin, that you break the big ten every day way more than once in just one week. It’s also easy, when you witness the evil that goes on now and has gone on in the past, to react in an angry manner. How could they do that? How could such and evil thing happen? What kind of low life degenerate could do such a thing? All of these, and many more, are questions that I’ve experienced myself asking whenever I hear of some evil that was—or has been—done. The average person would say, without a second thought towards it, that they hate those people and what they are doing. So what is so special when David says that he hates the wickedness of this world, and aren't we supposed to love our enemies? (See Matthew 5:44) Well I’ll tell you, David had a perfect hatred towards the enemies, as opposed to just hating them.
Like I said before, it is easy to experience hatred for wickedness, it comes naturally. Think of all the people throughout history who people naturally just hate. Hitler, Ivan the Terrible, Stalin ect. People naturally hate this people, and why? Because they are evil. What if, however, you learned that moments before Hitler’s death he had actually accepted Jesus into his heart, and was then assassinated by one of his own guards? I’m sure the thought of that, for some, is unbearable, and they’d hate for that to be the case. They’d hate to get to heaven and see Hitler there. But that’s just the difference between hatred and perfect hatred. So what is this perfect hatred and how do we have perfect hatred as opposed to just plain hatred.
In Ephesians 6:12 it says, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (See also 2 Corinthians 10:3) That is the key to having perfect hatred. If we look at every person who does wrong things—or has wronged us—in this way then we’ll find that our battle is not in fact against them, but against the evil powers that are energizing them to do so. All deeds done on earth have a spiritual connection. I was listening to a sermon done by my Pastor (Pastor Bob Coy of Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale) about living by Faith, and he was saying how even though your Boss or your husband or your wife or your neighbor are acting like the devil, they are not the devil. He then said if there is any advisory, which there is, it is attached to a “string” and that person who you seem to think is “acting like the devil” are in fact a puppet and the puppeteer is the devil himself and he is manipulating and he is infiltrating because he can oppress and he can possess.
That’s how we can distinguish perfect hatred from hatred; by realizing that our war is not with the person who is doing the evil thing, it is not with the evil thing they are doing, but the evil one who is directing them to do the evil thing. It’s this type of thinking—this perfect unbiased purely directed hatred—that would cause one to rejoice with the thought that (if it were actually the case) Hitler became a Christian just before his death. It is once we come to discover this truth that we learn the best way to defeat our true enemy is by getting to the actual important matter of converting their hearts towards Christ.
David then finishes the psalm off by asking God to search him, to find if there is any wicked way in his own life, so that he can be a true impact in the world for Christ. For it is only after one has humbled himself in the sight of the Lord that they are able to be lifted up in the Glory of Christ’s omniscient omnipresent power. (See James 4:10)
As I finish out this study through Psalm 139 I need to make sure that I can differentiate between hatred and perfect hatred, and continually ask God to search me. I hope you enjoyed this study and learned as much as I have through it. I can’t wait to see what else God has to show me as I continue to meditate through his word.
“For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain. Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies. Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:20-24
There is always something evil going on every second of the day, as a result of the fall. If you look at the news, you’ll see that every day all of the 10 Commandments are broken, and those are just the ones that are made public. We know, being humans born into sin, that you break the big ten every day way more than once in just one week. It’s also easy, when you witness the evil that goes on now and has gone on in the past, to react in an angry manner. How could they do that? How could such and evil thing happen? What kind of low life degenerate could do such a thing? All of these, and many more, are questions that I’ve experienced myself asking whenever I hear of some evil that was—or has been—done. The average person would say, without a second thought towards it, that they hate those people and what they are doing. So what is so special when David says that he hates the wickedness of this world, and aren't we supposed to love our enemies? (See Matthew 5:44) Well I’ll tell you, David had a perfect hatred towards the enemies, as opposed to just hating them.
Like I said before, it is easy to experience hatred for wickedness, it comes naturally. Think of all the people throughout history who people naturally just hate. Hitler, Ivan the Terrible, Stalin ect. People naturally hate this people, and why? Because they are evil. What if, however, you learned that moments before Hitler’s death he had actually accepted Jesus into his heart, and was then assassinated by one of his own guards? I’m sure the thought of that, for some, is unbearable, and they’d hate for that to be the case. They’d hate to get to heaven and see Hitler there. But that’s just the difference between hatred and perfect hatred. So what is this perfect hatred and how do we have perfect hatred as opposed to just plain hatred.
In Ephesians 6:12 it says, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (See also 2 Corinthians 10:3) That is the key to having perfect hatred. If we look at every person who does wrong things—or has wronged us—in this way then we’ll find that our battle is not in fact against them, but against the evil powers that are energizing them to do so. All deeds done on earth have a spiritual connection. I was listening to a sermon done by my Pastor (Pastor Bob Coy of Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale) about living by Faith, and he was saying how even though your Boss or your husband or your wife or your neighbor are acting like the devil, they are not the devil. He then said if there is any advisory, which there is, it is attached to a “string” and that person who you seem to think is “acting like the devil” are in fact a puppet and the puppeteer is the devil himself and he is manipulating and he is infiltrating because he can oppress and he can possess.
That’s how we can distinguish perfect hatred from hatred; by realizing that our war is not with the person who is doing the evil thing, it is not with the evil thing they are doing, but the evil one who is directing them to do the evil thing. It’s this type of thinking—this perfect unbiased purely directed hatred—that would cause one to rejoice with the thought that (if it were actually the case) Hitler became a Christian just before his death. It is once we come to discover this truth that we learn the best way to defeat our true enemy is by getting to the actual important matter of converting their hearts towards Christ.
David then finishes the psalm off by asking God to search him, to find if there is any wicked way in his own life, so that he can be a true impact in the world for Christ. For it is only after one has humbled himself in the sight of the Lord that they are able to be lifted up in the Glory of Christ’s omniscient omnipresent power. (See James 4:10)
As I finish out this study through Psalm 139 I need to make sure that I can differentiate between hatred and perfect hatred, and continually ask God to search me. I hope you enjoyed this study and learned as much as I have through it. I can’t wait to see what else God has to show me as I continue to meditate through his word.
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Psalm 139:17-19: God is the Only Refuge Worth Taking!
Wouch! The fact that I went from consistently writing a new post everyday to missing three days in a row merits the use of a created word like “Wouch!” I apologize and truly the only excuse I can give is this; we had a lot of guest here over the weekend, so life was quite busy. However, I am hopefully back in my schedule and maybe I won’t do the same thing next weekend.
In theses verses, David is acknowledging the care and dedication God has put into us humans every single day. God, who knows us, thinks of us and his thoughts toward us are thoughts of peace and love (See Jeremiah 29:11) and these thoughts of his are continually with us, sheilding us from the worlds problems.
For me, depression over days past and days to come usually come to me at night and stay with me to the morning. However, I’ve come to realize that when these downer feelings come, I am to rebuke them as methods of destruction from the enemy, and I should focus on the LORD through them, for he is the only refuge worth taking. (See Psalm 46:1 and Psalm 57:1) The best part about that is when you go to bed and then wake up, the troubles you were facing are still there but there is an even bigger presence that consumes you and gives you a peace that passes understanding, which is God! (“When I awake, I am still with thee.”)
In this imperfect world, there is always something to bring you down, something evil going on somewhere. It is important to acknowledge, however, that the in the end the evil will get their reward, the wicked will be slain, and there will be no more sorrow and no more pain. (See Revelations 21:4) We also need not be shaken by the enemies attack. My pastor always likes to say that whenever the enemy tries to bring you down with this worlds troubles and reminds you of your past, you don’t need to worry just remind him of his future. You know the end, the good guys win and the bad guys lose. The wicked will have their day of judgment, he shall judge the poor and the meek with fairness, and the bloody men--our enemies--shall depart from us. (“Surely though wilt slay the wicked, O God, depart from me therefore ye bloody men.” Psalm 139:19)
There will always be something to worry about in this life. I need to learn to not obsess over them, but rather wait on the LORD and focus on his loving power, and he will give me the strength I need to move on. Strength will rise as we wait upon the LORD. (See Isaiah 40:31)
“How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee. Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men.” Psalm 139:17-19
In theses verses, David is acknowledging the care and dedication God has put into us humans every single day. God, who knows us, thinks of us and his thoughts toward us are thoughts of peace and love (See Jeremiah 29:11) and these thoughts of his are continually with us, sheilding us from the worlds problems.
For me, depression over days past and days to come usually come to me at night and stay with me to the morning. However, I’ve come to realize that when these downer feelings come, I am to rebuke them as methods of destruction from the enemy, and I should focus on the LORD through them, for he is the only refuge worth taking. (See Psalm 46:1 and Psalm 57:1) The best part about that is when you go to bed and then wake up, the troubles you were facing are still there but there is an even bigger presence that consumes you and gives you a peace that passes understanding, which is God! (“When I awake, I am still with thee.”)
In this imperfect world, there is always something to bring you down, something evil going on somewhere. It is important to acknowledge, however, that the in the end the evil will get their reward, the wicked will be slain, and there will be no more sorrow and no more pain. (See Revelations 21:4) We also need not be shaken by the enemies attack. My pastor always likes to say that whenever the enemy tries to bring you down with this worlds troubles and reminds you of your past, you don’t need to worry just remind him of his future. You know the end, the good guys win and the bad guys lose. The wicked will have their day of judgment, he shall judge the poor and the meek with fairness, and the bloody men--our enemies--shall depart from us. (“Surely though wilt slay the wicked, O God, depart from me therefore ye bloody men.” Psalm 139:19)
“But with righteousness and justice shall He judge the poor and decide with fairness for the meek, the poor, and the downtrodden of the earth; and He shall smite the earth and the oppressor with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked.” Isaiah 11:4
There will always be something to worry about in this life. I need to learn to not obsess over them, but rather wait on the LORD and focus on his loving power, and he will give me the strength I need to move on. Strength will rise as we wait upon the LORD. (See Isaiah 40:31)
"Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD." Paslm 27:14
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Psalm 139:14-16: Focusing on How Much God has Already Put into Us
“I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.” Psalm 139:14-16
In these verses, David is praising God for demonstrating his magnificent power by creating us. It truly is amazing to think about God creating us out of nothing. He is so powerful to the point that he has created our very existence, yet he still wants to have a relationship with us!
Some of the most common lies used by the Devil are “You’re ugly, you’re a failure, you can never measure up, you were a mistake, you are not good enough ect.” They are extremely damaging to any Christians walk with Christ, yet the key to overcoming them can be found in these verses.
It’s no little thing when a baby is created. The step by step process of each baby’s birth starts with a miracle. Man could never replicate on their own what God does every day when a baby is conceived. Every single person in the past, present, and the future were individually formed by God himself, and as we learned in the verses before, he also has a plan for each and every one of them before they were even conceived. How could something with that much thought put into it by an almighty creator be ugly, a failure, not good enough, and worst of all, a mistake? The answer is clearly as follows. IT CAN’T! It’s this same type of thinking that has lead to depression, peer-pressure, and abortion. People need to wake up to the fact that it does not matter if you feel ugly or inadequate, the very frame of your existence was formed by an almighty loving God who has a plan for your life! Every storm and trial that the enemy tries to pull you down with is just another key factor to God’s plan for your life!
If you were told you were about to go to a fancy dinner party with the most famous most influential guest in the world, and then you were told that moments prior your wardrobe had been designed by the most sought after clothing/fashion designers in all the land, would you stop by the mirror before entering the dining room to make sure you looked presentable? No! It’s not only pointless; it would also be an offense to the fashion designers! The same goes for your appearance. So many people are worried about their appearance, and how they look, but if they just grasp the fact that they were created by God himself, then why need to worry so much? Are you that concerned with what other people think about you that you’re willing to offend God by questioning his handiwork? And as for what others think about you, my Pastor loves to quote this whenever he speaks on this subject. “You wouldn’t be so interested in what people thought of you if you realized how little they did.”
My hope and prayer for myself, and anyone who reads this, is as I meditate on these verses that I’ll stop thinking about how much thought people put into me, and start focusing on how much God has already put into creating me.
Wednesday, February 22, 2012
The Wordless Gospel!
While I was tutoring last week my two students showed me what they called their "Chinese Bible" I told them that I would bring my bible in next week. I brought my bible with me tonight, and when I showed it to them they began to ask lots of questions. I explained to them different aspects of the bible (Like the Old and New testament, the books of the bible ect.) and since my Bible is the Evidence Bible distributed by Living Waters it had a short little comic called "The Wordless Gospel" designed for witnessing to people who don't speak English. I was able to go through it with them, and when we got to the end I was surprised by something I hadn't seen before. At the end of the comic it has a page with a whole bunch of different translations of John 3:16, one of which being Chinese! While they did not accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior tonight, I know that at least a seed was planted. I'm so glad I was able to be used by God today! I ask that you would pray for my students, Owen and Brandon, pray that the seed which was planted tonight would grow and that they would some day come to know Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior! I now know what Charles Spurgeon was talking about when he said "Even if I were utterly selfish and had no care for anything but my own happiness, I would choose, if God allowed, to be a soul winner, for never did I know perfect overflowing, unutterable happiness of the purest and most ennobling order 'till I first heard of one who had sought and found a Savior through my means." It truly is an exciting thing to share the Gospel with the lost!
"The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise." Proverbs 11:30
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Psalm 139:11-13: We are Not Alone in the Darkness!
“If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee. For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb.” Psalm 139:11-13
It’s amazing how applicable God’s word is in our daily lives. I started out today with a very lousy and defeated feeling. I felt alone and trapped in the darkness of this world. I felt as though my problems at the moment were incurable. I continued to think this way for the whole morning, but then when I had a break I chose to use that time to memorize my scripture verses for the day. As I read through these three verses, I was amazed at how it debunked my current depressing mindset. I had said to myself “Surley my depression (darkness) has smothered/covered me.” And though I hadn’t concluded it, I was frighteningly close to thinking that my problems were too great for God and that if it were possible for him to save me from my problems (which He was and is) I was alone in going through them. However, none of that is true, they are all lies put into my head by Satan, and I must take those thoughts captive before they sink in too deep. (See 2 Corinthians 10:5)
Every single one of those thoughts were false, and so easily debunked by today’s scripture verses. My problems were not too great for God (The Darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day) and I was not alone in my problems (even the night shall be light about me) In Daniel 2:22 it says, “He reveals the deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells with Him!” (AMP) This basically confirms what I’ve been meditating on in Psalm 139:11-13. While we may feel consumed in our problems of this world, we are not alone in the darkness for God--who is light--is with us and guiding us. He understands what we are going through, and he has a plan and a purpose for every trial we face because he made us! ("For You did form my inward parts; You did knit me together in my mother's womb." Psalm 139:13 AMP)
When faced with problems or trials all we need to do is turn to God’s word and dwell on his light. That’s what I did this morning and now I am experiencing the joy and peace that passes all understanding.
“And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7
Monday, February 20, 2012
Psalm 139:7-10: You Cannot Escape God's Presence!
Even though I was going through this chapter three verses at a time, I decided to do four this time because 9 and 10 work together. Besides, I’m not doing this to memorize words in a certain pattern; I’m doing this so that I can meditate on the message within the words.
David is continuing his discussion on the omnipresence of God, and confirms even more what I said in my last post, “God’s presence consumes our existence.” God is always with you no matter where you are (Wither shall I go from thy spirit? Or wither shall I flee from thy presence?). Wherever you are in life though you may feel depressed and alone (If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there), God is with you, he has a plan for your life, and he is there willing to lead you if you only follow him. (If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall they hand lead me, and they right hand shall hold me.)
It is important to remember, in this dark world that we live in, that no darkness can hide us from God’s presence, and his love for us. He is always there with us, though at times we may be foolish and think we can run away from him like Jonah did, God is always there. Jonah thought he could flee from God by taking a boat the exact opposite direction of where God wanted him to go. What happened? Out in the middle of the ocean God caused a storm, then when Jonah was thrown into the ocean Jonah was eaten by a giant fish. (See Jonah 1) Then do you know what Jonah did in the belly of the fish? Well, I’ll let Jonah 2:1-2 explain that for me: “Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish's belly, and said, ‘I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.” It was there, in the belly of the fish that Jonah learned an important lesson; You cannot escape God’s presence!
Jonah learned it the hard way, he had to be swallowed by a fish and spend three days and three nights in its belly in order to learn what David explains in Psalm 139:7-10. I need to remember that there is no escaping God’s presence, and remember that everywhere I go God will be with me, leading me.
“Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.” Psalm 139:7-10
David is continuing his discussion on the omnipresence of God, and confirms even more what I said in my last post, “God’s presence consumes our existence.” God is always with you no matter where you are (Wither shall I go from thy spirit? Or wither shall I flee from thy presence?). Wherever you are in life though you may feel depressed and alone (If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there), God is with you, he has a plan for your life, and he is there willing to lead you if you only follow him. (If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall they hand lead me, and they right hand shall hold me.)
It is important to remember, in this dark world that we live in, that no darkness can hide us from God’s presence, and his love for us. He is always there with us, though at times we may be foolish and think we can run away from him like Jonah did, God is always there. Jonah thought he could flee from God by taking a boat the exact opposite direction of where God wanted him to go. What happened? Out in the middle of the ocean God caused a storm, then when Jonah was thrown into the ocean Jonah was eaten by a giant fish. (See Jonah 1) Then do you know what Jonah did in the belly of the fish? Well, I’ll let Jonah 2:1-2 explain that for me: “Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish's belly, and said, ‘I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice.” It was there, in the belly of the fish that Jonah learned an important lesson; You cannot escape God’s presence!
Jonah learned it the hard way, he had to be swallowed by a fish and spend three days and three nights in its belly in order to learn what David explains in Psalm 139:7-10. I need to remember that there is no escaping God’s presence, and remember that everywhere I go God will be with me, leading me.
Teaching update: Winter Camps!
I was noticing how long it has been since I've posted on my teaching here in Taiwan, and as I was attempting to form my words for this post, I found the reason I can't think of anything to write, is the same reason I've neglected to write a "teaching" post. The reason is nothing much has changed. Not to make my job sound completely boring, cause it's not, it's just I do the same thing I've done this week as I've the last 6 months I've been in Taiwan. However, I do have something to write about and that is Camp teaching.
The last week of January, we did two winter camps. Winter camps are essentially camps that they do here in Taiwan during the Winter break which is during Chinese New Year. The first camp was just a day camp. The children came in the morning, we taught them, and then they left towards dinner time. The second camp was a living camp. This time the Kids came from different major cities in Taiwan and stayed with us the whole time. (I think I liked the Living camp better)
We did the camp with the Taiwanese organization that has been helping us out here as we stay in Taiwan. The organization's name is King Car and they do a bunch of different things. We also had TA's (Teaching Assistance)helping us who were Taiwanese, and it was so fun building friendships with them!
The first camp (Day Camp) I had the highest level of English students (when the students arrived, we did a prepared English test with them to discover their English level) and we (We meaning Jared and I cause we did co-teaching) named our group "The Captains." It was so fun! The next camp (Living Camp) was a blast. We had the highest level English again, except their English was almost perfect, it was really cool. This team was also named "The Captains". I stayed all four days with the kids. It was really fun to build relationships with the kids, especially since their English level was so high I was able to actually talk with them (something I've REALLY missed being able to do) We also went to an Aquarium with the Living camp, that was REALLY fun!
The Winter camps were really fun, and I had a lot of great experiences. I also made a lot of good friends! :D
Oh, I almost forgot, I decorated the whole bank to look like a pirate ship, it was really cool! We also did plays and skits for the kids, that was also really fun! The following pictures are from the camps. There is a picture of me playing Jonah, a picture with the Captains, a picture with the Captains, a picture with the TA's and AT's, a picture of me teaching the Captains, and a picture of the whole second group at the Aquarium.
The last week of January, we did two winter camps. Winter camps are essentially camps that they do here in Taiwan during the Winter break which is during Chinese New Year. The first camp was just a day camp. The children came in the morning, we taught them, and then they left towards dinner time. The second camp was a living camp. This time the Kids came from different major cities in Taiwan and stayed with us the whole time. (I think I liked the Living camp better)
We did the camp with the Taiwanese organization that has been helping us out here as we stay in Taiwan. The organization's name is King Car and they do a bunch of different things. We also had TA's (Teaching Assistance)helping us who were Taiwanese, and it was so fun building friendships with them!
The first camp (Day Camp) I had the highest level of English students (when the students arrived, we did a prepared English test with them to discover their English level) and we (We meaning Jared and I cause we did co-teaching) named our group "The Captains." It was so fun! The next camp (Living Camp) was a blast. We had the highest level English again, except their English was almost perfect, it was really cool. This team was also named "The Captains". I stayed all four days with the kids. It was really fun to build relationships with the kids, especially since their English level was so high I was able to actually talk with them (something I've REALLY missed being able to do) We also went to an Aquarium with the Living camp, that was REALLY fun!
The Winter camps were really fun, and I had a lot of great experiences. I also made a lot of good friends! :D
Oh, I almost forgot, I decorated the whole bank to look like a pirate ship, it was really cool! We also did plays and skits for the kids, that was also really fun! The following pictures are from the camps. There is a picture of me playing Jonah, a picture with the Captains, a picture with the Captains, a picture with the TA's and AT's, a picture of me teaching the Captains, and a picture of the whole second group at the Aquarium.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
"IF GOD BRINGS YOU TO IT HE WILL BRING YOU THROUGH IT!"
I found this to be very encouraging and true, so I decided to post it :D enjoy!
Psalm 139:4-6: God's Presence Consumes Our Existence!
Yesterday (Sunday 2/19/2012) was really busy so I was not able to put together a blog post for Psalm 139:4-6. However, the following is the post I had planned writing yesterday. Don’t worry, I’m not sinking back into my old habit of starting a blog post system and then abandoning it a few days later.
Verses 4-6 are clearly keeping with the theme of the first three verses which is the omniscient and omnipresent nature of God; a powerful truth that all Christians should familiarize themselves with.
How many people know exactly what they are going to say in the future? I know I don’t. Yeah, you may on special occasions write a speech for yourself, but I’m talking about your everyday life, whether you are sitting at the dinner table with your family, working at the office, or even ordering food at a drive-in, you never know what you are going to say. You may have planned scenarios in your head, but do you ever actually know what you are truly going to say? I know I don’t. In most normal everyday situations you don’t have a clue as to what you are truly going to say next. Yet God does. God knows every word you are going to speak before you speak them. God knew every word you have ever spoken, or ever will speak, before you even learned to talk. That’s how omniscient (all knowing) God is. But it doesn’t stop there with talking about how God is omniscient, it then goes on to say how God is omnipresent (Everywhere). The LORD besets us behind and before and he lays his hand upon us. That means he is in our past, he is in our future and he is with us right now all at the same time. His presence consumes our existence. Time does not affect him because he is present in all of time all at the same time. Isn’t that amazing? Every time I hear of the omniscient omnipresent power of God, I am wonderstruck. That is why the psalmist wrote the next verse: “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.”
These verses teach me one thing and that is God is omniscient and omnipresent. His power is vast, beyond any problem or obstacle I face on this earth, and he will always be there for me throughout every single one. I am never alone, for God is always with me.
“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8
Psalm 139:4-6 “For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether. Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.”
Verses 4-6 are clearly keeping with the theme of the first three verses which is the omniscient and omnipresent nature of God; a powerful truth that all Christians should familiarize themselves with.
How many people know exactly what they are going to say in the future? I know I don’t. Yeah, you may on special occasions write a speech for yourself, but I’m talking about your everyday life, whether you are sitting at the dinner table with your family, working at the office, or even ordering food at a drive-in, you never know what you are going to say. You may have planned scenarios in your head, but do you ever actually know what you are truly going to say? I know I don’t. In most normal everyday situations you don’t have a clue as to what you are truly going to say next. Yet God does. God knows every word you are going to speak before you speak them. God knew every word you have ever spoken, or ever will speak, before you even learned to talk. That’s how omniscient (all knowing) God is. But it doesn’t stop there with talking about how God is omniscient, it then goes on to say how God is omnipresent (Everywhere). The LORD besets us behind and before and he lays his hand upon us. That means he is in our past, he is in our future and he is with us right now all at the same time. His presence consumes our existence. Time does not affect him because he is present in all of time all at the same time. Isn’t that amazing? Every time I hear of the omniscient omnipresent power of God, I am wonderstruck. That is why the psalmist wrote the next verse: “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.”
These verses teach me one thing and that is God is omniscient and omnipresent. His power is vast, beyond any problem or obstacle I face on this earth, and he will always be there for me throughout every single one. I am never alone, for God is always with me.
“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” Hebrews 13:8
Saturday, February 18, 2012
Psalm 139:1-3: Focusing on the Joy We Can Have in Christ Today!
Psalm 139:1-3 “O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.”
Wow, it’s only the first three verses and its already jam packed with amazing truths! I love that about God’s word! I decided to take the chapter 3 verses at a time, a nice easy pace that won’t let me get caught up with just memorizing words, but rather help me to really meditate on the truths within those words.
♫ “Santa Claus is coming to town. He sees you when you’re sleeping, he knows when you’re awake, he knows when you’ve been bad or good so be good for goodness sake.” ♫
When the writers of this famous secular Christmas song wrote that particular verse, they had the incentive, I’m sure, to put the idea in the minds of their young listeners that Santa Claus knows everything about you; when you’re sleeping and when you’re awake too! While that is just a fairytale idea thought up by parents who want obedient children, the reality with God is quite the same. He knows when you are sleeping, he knows when you’re awake and he even knows when you’ve been bad or good! (See Proverbs 5:21) Only with God, it’s not just a scare tactic to get you to be good, but rather it is a reassuring promise.
I don’t know if you know or not (whether it be due to the fact that you don’t know me well enough or I just hide it really well) but I do a whole lot of excessive thought towards my past, present, and future. My mind is constantly on “What did I do yesterday? What do I do now? What am I going to do?” and this unhealthy thought process is discouraged in many passages in the bible. For instance in Matthew 6:34 it says “Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” This means that I should stop worrying about what I’m supposed to do tomorrow (or in my case also worrying about what I did yesterday), and start focusing on what God wishes me to do today. How can I just let go of my worrisome habit? Easily, by meditating on the promise spoken in Psalm 139:1-3 that speaks of how God is in control, and he knows my downsitting and my uprising, he understands my thoughts afar off (Before my feeble mind considers them), and he is acquainted with all my ways (Past, Present, Future)
I need to start living in “Daylight compartments” refusing to let the regrets of yesterday and the fears of tomorrow rob me of the joy I can have in Christ today.
Doberman Pinscher Vs. Yellow Lab
Recently it has come to my attention, through my quiet time that I've been more concerned with fleshly desires, and how best to please me, then on strengthening my spirit and walk with Christ. This has concerned me, especially after watching a recent bible study done by my Pastor (Pastor Bob Coy of Fort Lauderdale Florida) where he gave an analogy of a man holding two dogs. One dog is a Doberman Pinscher and the other is a Yellow Lab. He said imagine if the man only fed the Doberman and neglected the Yellow lab, which of the two dogs would have a stronger pull, or be a greater influence to the direction the man goes. The answer is obvious; the Doberman. However if you feed the lab and neglect to care for the Doberman, the lab would be the stronger influence to the man then the Doberman. The Yellow lab is obviously your spirit and the Doberman your flesh. I don't want to keep feeding the Doberman (Fleshly desires) and leave my Yellow lab (My spirit) to starve Therefore I've decided I will start putting more of an emphasis on building up my spirit, and what better way to do that then to study and meditate on God's Word?
The portion of scripture I decided to begin my study in is Psalm 139. A while back we had gone through and memorized this chapter as a family, but I hadn't really memorized it, I had only remembered the words (And in truth, I didn't even remember the words for that long) and it was that experience of my version of "memorizing", and several other experiences that discouraged me from even trying it again. Why did my version of memorizing fail? Because I was putting my emphasis on memorizing all of the words, as was previously stated, instead of actually acknowledging the meaning and meditating on that. I read somewhere recently that the people who cried out "Crucify him!" to Pilate had memorized large portions of scripture! And why was it that the amounts of scripture they memorized didn't affect their spiritual judgment? Because they knew Scripture with their minds but it never got to their hearts. Jesus challenged the Pharisees who had this same problem in John 5:39 "Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." I also read that David did not say, "Thy word have I memorized in my mind," but rather "Thy word have I hid in mine heart that I might not sin against thee."
I also decided to start blogging about my experience in this new process I’m taking. Not to in any way use this as a method of boasting, but rather a way to keep me accountable and motivated to do this, despite the fact that I don’t have anyone who actually is going to read this.
So here go my first steps to feeding my spirit and denying my flesh *gulp* I don’t expect this to be easy, but I’ve got this promise to keep my motivated.
The portion of scripture I decided to begin my study in is Psalm 139. A while back we had gone through and memorized this chapter as a family, but I hadn't really memorized it, I had only remembered the words (And in truth, I didn't even remember the words for that long) and it was that experience of my version of "memorizing", and several other experiences that discouraged me from even trying it again. Why did my version of memorizing fail? Because I was putting my emphasis on memorizing all of the words, as was previously stated, instead of actually acknowledging the meaning and meditating on that. I read somewhere recently that the people who cried out "Crucify him!" to Pilate had memorized large portions of scripture! And why was it that the amounts of scripture they memorized didn't affect their spiritual judgment? Because they knew Scripture with their minds but it never got to their hearts. Jesus challenged the Pharisees who had this same problem in John 5:39 "Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." I also read that David did not say, "Thy word have I memorized in my mind," but rather "Thy word have I hid in mine heart that I might not sin against thee."
I also decided to start blogging about my experience in this new process I’m taking. Not to in any way use this as a method of boasting, but rather a way to keep me accountable and motivated to do this, despite the fact that I don’t have anyone who actually is going to read this.
So here go my first steps to feeding my spirit and denying my flesh *gulp* I don’t expect this to be easy, but I’ve got this promise to keep my motivated.
“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” Philippians 4:13
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