Struggling

Question: how is your walk going with the Lord?  For some people they never seem to struggle, or if they do it is very seldom.  In my case I have struggled many times, sometimes for many years, but praise the Lord He has kept me, and I am still praising Him daily.  I think the problem for me and for many people is that many of us have been taught that we are here for God to serve us instead of us serving Him!!  In other words, we ask and expect Him to provide for all our wishes and wants instead of us seeking Him and asking Him what He wants from us.  Many of us seek His hands, but how many are seeking His heart?  

There are times when we need to seek His hands and I am not against that.  The Word of God says in the book of Hebrews to come to the throne boldly and make our request known, but how many times do we tell Him how much we appreciate Him and thank Him and praise Him for who He is and for what He is and for what He has done and what He is going to do.  I know I have mentioned these things in other Tidbits but I think they are important things that we need to remember.   

Now think of this with me, I wonder why there is so much emphasis on the love and mercy and grace of God, but very little about the chastisement or correction or the wrath of God!!  I think that watered-down sermons are devastating the church.  There is so much talk about God’s love and grace and mercy and hardly ever anything about the wrath or tribulation or trials of God.  And what about Paul, when he said that anyone who lives a godly life will be persecuted, he didn’t say maybe but that they will be, how often do you hear about that?  The problem with not being taught the whole gospel in balance, is that when people only hear the good things about God and not the things that some people would consider the negative things about God is this, if people mainly hear about God’s love, mercy and grace, when something happens that negatively affects them they become devastated and they don’t know how to handle these issues and some may get angry and bitter and even walk away from the faith altogether, then whose responsibility will it be?  

Have you ever heard someone say or hear this in a song, that God doesn’t care about what you’ve done, He just loves you and wants to show you His love?  That can’t be farther from the truth!  God cares about everything we do, and He never sweeps our sins under the rug, so to speak.  He is a loving, merciful and caring God, but He is also just, and in being just, He cannot tolerate sin.  Sin must be judged.  God’s Word says the wages of sin is death and we were all born into this sin situation which made us enemies of God.  God hates sin because He knows that in the end it will eventually destroy us, so He has to deal with us and the sins that we hold onto, and we should praise Him when He does because He cares and is trying to protect us from its ugly devastation in our lives.   

Now that we are on the subject of God’s love and grace and mercy, which dominates the air waves and our pulpits this fits right in, the prosperity religious congregations where we hear mainly about how God wants to bless us and how we should have money and expensive houses and have the best things to eat and the best vehicles, while these pastors are wearing diamond rings around and expensive jewelry and clothing, after all we are the children of the King, right?  This is what I see the Word of God saying, that we should be rich in spiritual things, not material things.  Yes, if God has blessed you with money and material blessings maybe it is to have you bless others and not keep all of it for yourselves but to pay it forward helping others who are in need.  

I am not trying to lay a guilt trip on anyone but read what Jesus said in Matthew 19:24, “And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.”

Jesus said this in Matthew 6:31-34, “Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 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.”

Question:  If you were honest, how many of you could say that you seek God’s kingdom first every day in prayer, Bible reading and studying and in worshiping Him while doing your best to honor Him in all things?  If we are all supposed to be wealthy, why did Jesus say that He had no place to lay His head, come on Jesus was a King wasn’t He?  He was the very image of God, He said if you’ve seen me you have seen the Father.  If He wanted to; Jesus could have had a mansion that would have put all other houses or buildings to shame, plus clothes and anything else that He wanted, and all of these things could have been the best that had ever been seen, but He said He didn’t have a place to lay His head, what’s with that!!  Wasn’t Jesus our example, the one that we should follow or are we to conform to the world and its standards?  

Don’t think I am just talking to you, I am guilty of some of these things also.  I am ashamed even to write these things, but someone has to sound the alarm.  And I have had to repent, which I have.  Praise the Lord that we can repent and change our minds and go in the opposite direction towards God and the things that would please him and ask the Lord to forgive us and He does, check out 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  

This is the second part of that verse that I quoted earlier, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord!!  Yes, God did provide eternal life through Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son.  If you are struggling today, feeling like you are going through a desert place, hang in there, keep praising the Lord and being faithful to Him and if you are harboring any sins, repent and turn from them and confess them and turn to God and if it is just life in the fast lane, as I say at times, just hang in there and he will get you through.  I have heard it said that weeping comes for the night, but joy comes in the morning.  

If you would like, read Job’s story it may also help you out at your time of devastation.  I hope this has been an encouragement and a help to you.  May the good Lord bless you and yours and may all of you have a super, super day!!   

Repentance

This word is not heard in some of our churches and in others it is very seldom heard except at the end of the service for the altar call.  Some people that come to our services don’t even know what the word really means.  It means to change one’s mind, it is not just an irrational decision but a true heartfelt decision that comes from the conviction of the Holy Spirit to turn from sin and to turn to the Lord.  

I have heard many sermons over the years that had nothing to do with repentance, but during the altar call you may hear something like this, is there anyone here that would like to receive the Lord, come up and pray this prayer.  The prayer may sound like a nice prayer and the word repentance may be added in, but the person praying may not have a clue what the word even means.  The preachers may think just because they know what the word means, that the non-believer knows also.  The word repentance wasn’t to be taken lightly but it was to be taken very seriously. When John the Immerser was baptizing in the wilderness for repentance he was very serious about what he was doing.

Read what he said to some of the people that came for his baptism in Matthew 3:1-11, “In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:”

When John called the Pharisees and Sadducees a brood of vipers it was, in those days, a very serious offense to these men.  From my understanding to be called a viper was like saying they were mother killers because they believed that when a baby viper was hatched they would chew through the mother’s stomach which would result in the mother’s death.  So, this statement would have been very offensive to those that John was talking to, it also showed the sincerity of the meaning of the word repentance.  When John said show forth fruits of repentance, he was saying it was an action word that went far beyond just speech; but the way we use it today many people don’t have any idea what it means just like in John’s day.

When Jesus started His ministry, this is what He said in Matthew 4:17, “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  

Even Jesus emphasized how important repentance was.  Jesus’ purpose was to come and raise the dead because people were dead in their trespasses and sins, we were all spiritually dead and, in order for us to be forgiven we had to repent, turn from our sins and turn to God and accept His free gift of grace.  

These things didn’t happen because we decide one day that we will try our best to be good.  These things take place when the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sins and the Lord draws us to Jesus and we repent and receive the Lord as our personal Savior.  This is not worldly sorrow that leads to death, this is godly sorrow that leads you to repentance unto salvation through Jesus Christ, the One that laid down His life for all who would believe and receive.  It cost Him a great price to buy our pardon, but He was willing, not only to be crucified and to have a crown of thorns smashed down upon His head, but to be spit upon and beaten and humiliated even at the hands of His enemies.  But think of this, Jesus said this before He died, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do,” because He even loves His enemies!!  

Please read John 14:6, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

Jesus claimed to be the only way to get to God, His Father.  Jesus said it and I believe it!!  There are a lot of people that believe there is more than one way to get to God but like I said Jesus said that He was the only way.

If you want to have a relationship with God and the conviction of the Holy Spirt over your sins being applied to you, then repent and ask the Lord to forgive you of your sins and be the Lord of your life.  If you are sincere, your life will never be the same.  Enough said, may you and yours be blessed and may you all have a super day!!  To God be all the glory, amen and don’t forget to thank and praise Him for He is worthy!!

Where Does True Wisdom Come From

True wisdom and discernment is something we all need?  Everyone should be seeking true wisdom and discernment.  Having both attributes helps us to make the right choices and decisions for the best outcome for us and for everyone else.   

Read what the Word of God says in Proverbs 9:9-10, “Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.”

A person that lacks wisdom is not teachable, but a wise man accepts correction and rebuke and becomes even wiser. Question: Which person are you, do you have a reverent fear of the Lord or are you a person that doesn’t even believe that there is a God?  

Read what it says in Proverbs 9:1-8, “Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars: She hath killed her beasts; she hath mingled her wine; she hath also furnished her table. She hath sent forth her maidens: she crieth upon the highest places of the city, Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither: as for him that wanteth understanding, she saith to him, Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled. Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding. He that reproveth a scorner getteth to himself shame: and he that rebuketh a wicked man getteth himself a blot. Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.”

I don’t want you to misunderstand me, I am not saying that nonbelievers aren’t smart, there are multitudes of people that don’t choose to acknowledge that there is a God that are very smart, but in the spiritual realm they lack spiritual wisdom and understanding.  The reason why I believe this is true is because the Word of God is spiritually discerned and without the Spirit’s help the Word is foolishness to them.  There are people that just don’t want to bow down to anyone or be accountable to anyone they just don’t want to be tied down to a moral lifestyle because they love the things of the world and love to practice the things that the world practices.   

Now please read 1 Corinthians 2:14-16, “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? but we have the mind of Christ.”

Read 1 Corinthians 1:18-25, “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”

It is an established fact that true wisdom comes from the Lord so if you lack real wisdom, seek the Lord.  

Please read James 1:5, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”

Now read Proverbs 3:13, “Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.”

The moral of the story is to have a healthy, reverent fear of the Lord and to seek Him and ask Him and He will give you wisdom and discernment and possibly the desires of your heart.  And, if you don’t know the Lord personally and if you would like to and you feel He is drawing You to Himself, then turn from your sins and turn to God and ask Him to forgive you of your sins and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness.  Then by faith trust Him to be your Lord and Savior.  

May the good Lord bless you and yours and may you all have a super day!! PS don’t forget to thank and praise the Lord!!