Sin Roulette

Isaiah 30: 20, 21 (NLT) Though the Lord gave you adversity for food and affliction for drink, he will still be with you to teach you. You will see your teacher with your own eyes, and you will hear a voice say, “This is the way; turn around and walk here.”

Job 42:5 (NIV) My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.

November 4, 2012 - part of one of my journal entries

“Lord, why would You give Your children adversity and suffering to eat and drink when You also say You are the God who gives good gifts? (Matthew 7:11, NLT)” This was my question to God when reflecting on past pain and sadness. In one way or another, I suppose many of you have asked this same question of God. Here was my response from God “the common thread is when you seek Me [God] and ask Me, I give good gifts without hesitation. When you strive for good things in your own strength and provision, I will allow it to turn bad so you realize every good and perfect gift can only come from Me (James 1:17).”

If you could choose your adversity or affliction would you? What would it be? Some ideas from scripture: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group, envy, drunkenness, wild parties… (Galatians 5:19-21). So, what would you choose? Any you see there that surprised you? If you and I are honest, we would choose what we could overcome. We look at others and their troubles and have the tendency to say, “I could overcome that! If they had my problems, they wouldn’t last.”

If God gave you the choice to choose your own temptations/sins and trials without needing Him would you do it? Would you roll the roulette wheel, with a loaded dice so you could choose the easiest for you to overcome? I have to admit, I would be tempted to have temporal relief but would I give up eternal gain and blessing for it (Mark 8:36)?

That’s the whole point isn’t it? Our temptations/sins and trials cause us to realize our need for someone greater than our self...it opens us up to our dependence on God. If we chose the sin we knew we could overcome easily or on our own we would miss the point of this life given to us…a life meant to Serve Christ, Love God and Work in the Holy Spirit’s power. A purpose-filled life meant to know God and make Him known to the world (Matthew 28:19).

Now, back to the beginning…our temptations/sins and trials help us walk with God, have a closer relationship with Him and move from simply “hearing” of Him to “seeing” Him. Our temptations/sins and trials, when we give them to Christ to redeem and transform us, reveal that this world has no power over us – Christ within us has ALL power to overcome what we can’t (1 John 4:4). He alone is glorified and our burdens are made light without gambling our eternity.

Verses to Consider with God: Galatians 2:18, 21 & 3:18-29

The Gifts of Fear

Psalm 111:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.

For a number of reasons, fear has been a topic in my life a lot this past year. Fear is common to us all…this, like a lot of emotions, I wonder why God would give it to us. Fear cripples, blinds and paralyzes. Yet, there are many verses in the Bible where God equates fear, fear of the Lord, with wisdom. Wisdom is something I have come to respect. Wisdom is something I feel like I always lack; there never seems to be enough.

I have talked with a few people in the past two weeks about their fears. I hear so much “lack” in their words. They all have the common theme of thinking nothing will really change, they can’t move forward and there is no hope of breaking through.

Suddenly, during a book study with our small group from church, God gave me a revelation

…”a gift of fear is that it reveals our dependence and need of help to overcome and do what we can’t.”

Fear reminds us and reveals our need for God – the only one greater than anyone on earth and the only one capable of overcoming ANYTHING…including death and sin.

It brought Psalm 111:10 to life for me! My dependence on God (fear of the things and people I can not overcome or face) is the beginning of wisdom!! It is wise to know your limits, know where your help comes from. It reminds me of when I was in college. The smartest students knew the best resources to use to complete their assignments…they didn’t know more, they just knew where to find the right information.

Proverbs 1:7 states The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. I have been very foolish in my life. Many times, I have trusted the wrong people and looked to wrong things for help. The fear of the Lord is to respect His wisdom and power and admit our dependence and need of Him sooner rather than later to overcome life’s trials.

I will pray that your fear is a quick reminder to praise God, pray and hear His wisdom to take the next step.

1 John 4:4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

Romans 12:21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Job 28:28 And he [God] said to the human race, “The fear of the Lord – that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.”

Symphony of Praise

I’m at a loss for words. I can’t think. I don’t feel good…I close my eyes and lay down. My head is pounding too hard to sleep… probably the best place to be physically and emotionally when you want to hear the voice of God.

It’s raining pretty hard outside; I didn’t hear it before. Amazing what you hear when you are silent.

Rain always sounds like music to me. The girls and I even make a game of “guessing” which instrument God is playing during different parts of a storm.  A harp here, cymbals or a drum there…a whole symphony at once.

As I begin to relax this evening, these words come to mind:

Rain reveals that God is -
Cleansing - He washes the world and me clean from dirt/sin
Provision - He provides water for the earth and us
Greatness - I can't help but feel small when watching & listening to a rain storm
Gentleness - this particular rain was soft...like fingers tapping
Comfort - the sound of rain covers me like a warm blanket
Soothing Voice - each rain drop has a different sound and tone and reveals God's voice

The rain also made these verses come to mind:

Matthew 5:45b …he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike.

Psalm 145:9 the Lord is good to everyone. He showers compassion on all His creation.

Thankfully God knows what we need before we ask Him (Matthew 6:8)…and I needed rest while the world praised Him for me.

Bare Worship

Ephesians 5:1-2 Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

I remember, when I first started truly loving God, hearing Christians talk of their "devotion time." As they talked, it seemed like an experience that I would NEVER know how to do "right." I just kept listening to learn the "secret"...then, after years of listening, I realized, there is NO secret. Each person did something different and each person experienced the joy of God beside them and speaking to them.

God is present when we worship Him: But You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel. (Psalm 22:3, NKJV). He is there in our songs, dances, painting, drawing, writing, reading and silence when we do not know how to worship and desire Him near (Romans 8:26, NLT...and the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groaning that cannot be expressed in words).

We can speak to Him in joy, anguish, anger and peace – there is no “right” way to devote your time to worshipping and being with God. We can be like the Levites, who had the trinkets and Holy articles of worship at their disposal in the temple or we can be like Moses who simply sat with God, no props, on a mountain away from the world, talking and listening to His voice. Both ways (and everything in between) have their seasons and are needed at different times.

Anything that sincerely bares and offers your heart to God is the "right" worship and devotion.

But the time is coming – indeed it’s here now – when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth. (John 4:23-24, NLT)

Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. (Colossians 3:16-17, NIV)

God-Incidence

For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12, NLT)

Coincidence, according to the dictionary, this means a striking occurrence of two or more events at one time apparently by mere chance. Synonyms include: accident, luck, nature and fate.

Even people who DO NOT believe in God see “striking occurrences of two or more events.” They “see” supernatural phenomenon happen around them and attribute these experiences to many sources, including…accident, luck, nature, fate. I want to suggest another source, God – I’m calling these phenomenon “God-incidences.” Coincidence isn’t enough to explain the supernatural realm, the supernatural forces that interact and affect us every day…even unbelievers think this and that is why they look for reasons/theories as to why these events happen. For example, we’ve all seen movies where the main character misses a bus, walks to work and on the way meets their true “fate” that they would have missed if they had made it to the bus on time. 

For those of us who believe and follow THE infinite and sovereign God, we receive this promise: “we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purposes for them.” What does this mean? Even though believers and nonbelievers experience “striking occurrences of two or more events,” believers will ALWAYS have those events turn to good for them as they submit their lives and events to God. Whether the world defines these events “good” (true “fate”) or “bad” (missed bus) is irrelevant…they WILL be GOOD for the believer of the Great I Am – He was, is and is to come…the only God who can create something out of nothing.

So, if your life, at the start of this New Year, feels as Jesus said, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy…,” do not forget the rest of the verse IF you are a child of God…“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" (John 10:10, NIV)

He has overcome and found victory, He is overcoming your “bad” and He will overcome and redeem it all! 

Romans 8:38 (NLT) And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow – not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.