While those are important things to be thankful for, I wanted to take some time to talk about something that we don’t usually talk about when we “count our blessings.” And that is, the new covenant that we live under.

I’m thankful for the new covenant. Sure, that’s similar to the grace and mercy that we talked about, but I want to take our thoughts down a different road. I’m grateful that we’re not under the Old Law today, but I’m even more grateful for the fact that we are under the New Covenant!

The Old Law, The Old Covenant

Why was the Old Law put in place? Why was it needed?

Let’s look at Galatians. In chapter three, Paul admonishes the Christians in Galatia, and tells them that should not be keeping the Old Law. Galatians 3:19 says, “Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made…” Later, it says, “But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.” Galatians talks about the Law being a tutor, to lead people towards the law of liberty.

So, the Law did have a purpose, but it’s not in effect any more.

Just to point out: there are some great principles in the Law that are excellent, and two of those principles is faith (Romans 3:30-31). and another is obedience. 1 Samuel 15:22 says, “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.” With that in mind, let’s talk about the blessings of the New Covenant.

Thankful For A Better Covenant

Being Able To Be Close To God

The covenant that we live under is so much better, and we should be extremely grateful for it! Let’s look at Hebrews 10:1-4

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus,  by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh,  and since we have a great priest over the house of God,  let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.  Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

We should have confidence to go to our Father, if we have been cleansed by Christ’s blood. We no longer need to have a lamb or a goat to go to our Master. Isn’t that in of itself a blessing? Do we understand the trouble it would have taken to keep that lamb from bruising or hurting itself? Do we understand how messy it would have been to sacrifice it? Even from a shallow standpoint, not having to sacrifice animals is convenient. But let’s understand that Christ’s death was worth much more than the death of lamb.

Don’t forget that in this verse, it says that we should draw near “with a true heart in full assurance of faith…” God can give us this faith, as we draw closer to him. We can pray to God and ask Him to increase our faith. Hasn’t God blessed us with so much? We have a lot to be thankful for!

“Let us draw near.” The Israelites in the Old Testament communed with God by offering sacrifices. But were they really “close” to God? They couldn’t even enter the holy parts of the temple! And only the high priest could enter the Holy of Holy place, and only once a year!

Forgivness

We also have true forgiveness of sins. Hebrews 10:4 says:

Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered, since the worshipers, having once been cleansed, would no longer have any consciousness of sin?  But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sin every year.  For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

Because our high priest, Jesus Christ, offered the sacrifice once, and for everyone, we can go boldly to the throne of grace in our times of need. That’s such a wonderful thing! If we understand this, we should be demonstrating to God our appreciation.

What Can We Do To Show Our Thanks?

Be THANKFUL! Give thanks! God wants to hear us, that’s part of why we are under a new covenant! Give thanks for the people around you! Paul often thanked God for his fellow soldiers in Christ, and he told others to thank God for those workers. Your turkey, your car, your house, your cell phone, your spouse, your children, your chance of eternal life — these are all things that God blessed you with.

Paul says in Philippians 4:11, “…for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.” We should be that way, too. We can’t really be thankful if we’re always complaining about wanting stuff that we don’t have.

So, thanksgiving is nearly over. I hope you’ve praised God this holiday!

The average user has around 130 friends. You might have more or less, they might be mostly people from church, or mostly people from work, but these are people that can see your posts, your pictures, your information — and it’s easy to access all that stuff. As Christians, it’s our job to shine our light to those around us. Facebook can be a great resource, and a major help when it comes to spreading the gospel, but… do we really use it for that? And in fact, many Christians do more harm than good. Christians today are being influenced by internet culture and they’re giving in to the ways of the world — it’s happening in real life, and it’s happening on Facebook.

I’m not saying that it’s okay to sin in private, but when we show a bad example on Facebook, lots of people can see the mistakes we’re making… and they join the ranks of those who claim that “the church is full of hypocrites.”

Facebook can be used for good, though. Please don’t think that Facebook is a work of pure evil or something… but like any good thing, it can be misused. There are a lot of preachers and teachers that use Facebook as a tool to offer encouragement. We can (and should) use Facebook to uplift, offer accountability, and share things with one another.

That’s what we should be doing. However, people abuse and misuse Facebook all the time… these people become more and more like their worldly friends.
Before we go any farther, I’d like to point out that we can’t always agree on every point and on every subject. Let’s remember to go back to the Bible (not ourselves) as the source for our morals and principles. You might read through this post and think, “Are you saying that I’m being a bad Christian?” I’m not saying it — God is. I’m simply expanding and offering my thoughts about what He says in His word. This post is intended to be helpful, so please take it as such. What good would it do to yell at people and shove their mistakes in their faces? We all need something to wake us up once in a while. If you feel uncomfortable or guilty about some of the things that I talk about in this article, please listen to your conscience and ask yourself if what you’re doing is what’s right.

People offer bad examples and un-Christ-like behaviors on Facebook. Why?

On the internet, but Facebook in particular, people feel like they have something to hide behind. Facebook isn’t “IRL,” and they feel detached from the world and “real life.” “Christians” don’t want the responsibility of shining their lights to the world.

Another reason could be is that Christians have added worldly friends from school or work, and they don’t want to be considered religious prudes. Also, these Christians might act just like their worldly friends when they’re around them, so on Facebook, their attitude doesn’t change.

Finally, Christians aren’t really Christians, and they don’t care. Some people are Christians by name only. A lot of people pretend to be awesome, Jesus-loving, church-going Christians once a week on Sundays (if even that often), but on Facebook (or at work, or at school), it’s all different. Remember what Jesus said in Matthew 7:14 — “Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.” It’s interesting to see how people act when they aren’t sitting in a pew at church.

There are a lot of people that pretend — some people do a good job of it, and some don’t. They can participate in movies, play certain games, do things with their friends, but at church, everything changes. What’s sad is that so many people believe that they’re justified by going to church once a week.

Facebook Problems

There are a few “categories” of bad things that are posted on Facebook. These categories were inspired by a post from a great preacher. I’m going to examine these categories a little bit deeper.

Language and Euphemisms

Why do we find it necessary to use profanity — even just a little bit of it? Thanks to texting and chatting, acronyms like “OMG” and “WTH” are becoming more and more common — and it’s rubbing off on Christians. How does typing a letter in place of curse word make it okay? Many people justify it this way. Everyone knows what an “F” or a “H” stands for, masking it doesn’t make it any better. There’s also an attitude behind it. There’s nothing wrong with typing the letter, “h”, but when I’m typing it and meaning it to express feelings of anger or confusion, that makes it bad.

We need to watch ourselves when it comes to using God’s name. Do we forget how great God is, and that He is worthy of all respect and honor? Yet euphemisms for God’s holy name are used so flippantly! Let’s not justify ourselves by saying, “Well, when I use ‘OMG,’ I’m meaning “Oh my goodness.” That’s not what other people are thinking when you use that acronym — and they’re going to think that you don’t care how the Lord’s name is used… and again, the “Churches are full of hypocrites” army just gained another follower.

What about those “not-so-bad” words? What’s so good about being close to the line that God draws for us? If our goal is to be serving God, we need to stay as far away as possible from impurity.

Here’s an extremely important verse for us to remember, from Matthew 12:33-37:

Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit. O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

What about if a worldly, non-Christian friend posts something wrong on our statuses or walls? Well, should we have any part with cursing and profanity? Should we allow that? Would Jesus allow that? We might say, “Well, they might think that we’re having a ‘holier-than-thou’ attitude, and I might not get an opportunity to talk to them about Jesus, then.” Remember, the most important Being that we need to please is God. We shouldn’t have to worry about what other people think. If they’re so hard-hearted that they won’t listen to us because we deleted a profane comment, well, they might be a lost cause. God can open opportunities for us. But who knows — maybe deleting a friend’s comment and messaging them about it could be that opportunity we’ve been  looking for. We shouldn’t have to accept profanity, especially when we can control what’s being posted on our Facebook pages.

Posting immodest or inappropriate pictures, “liking” or accepting pictures

“Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.” – Matthew 5:27:30

Just because you might be strong enough to resist lusting after someone in a picture, doesn’t mean that another person on your friend’s list will be able to. If you’ve been tagged in some image where some woman is dressed inappropriately (and you’re aware of it — a lot of stuff goes on in the world of Facebook, you might not be able to keep track of every photo you’ve been tagged in), you should untag yourself — imagine if a friend is flipping through the “Photos of You” album and stumbles across that one. Just think if that friend is going through some tough temptation… you might cause that brother to stumble.

Also, if you’re posting pictures of yourself (especially the young ladies and women), be careful of what you are posting — the world is tempting enough as it is. Christian men don’t need to have Christian women tempting them. Would you be okay with your father or preacher looking that picture you just posted? More importantly — would you be comfortable if your Heavenly Father saw that picture you posted? And — to put in perspective — God IS aware of that picture you posted.

What about those “inappropriate” or “questionable” (not necessarily sexual) pictures? Remember, being Christ-like should be our first priority.

Why should we “like” these inappropriate or immodest pictures on friends’ profiles? By “liking” these things, we are approving of them. And we shouldn’t be accepting sin.

“Liking” or accepting inappropriate fan pages

There are thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of fan pages on Facebook. There are many fan pages that a Christian shouldn’t be “liking.” Many pages include cursing or common internet acronyms in the title… and like we discussed earlier, Christians should have no part with such language. Also, why should we “like” foul music artists that sing about sex and drugs? Why should we “like” movies that are rated “R”? Why should we “like” video games with gratuitous violence and cursing?

Posting about inappropriate relationships between saints and worldly people

Many “Christians” don’t have a problem dating non-Christians. Many Christians also post about their relationships on Facebook. The Bible, does, however, make it clear that Christians should not be having romantic relationships with non-believers.

In 2 Corinthians 6:14, it says, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness?”

Whether or not the context of verse 14 is talking about marriage or dating, the next verse is much more specific: “And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?” What’s the purpose of dating? To find the right person, the person who you’re planning on spending the rest of your life with. Quoting from Got Questions.org, “How could a quality marriage be built and maintained if you disagree on the most crucial issue in the universe — the Lord Jesus Christ?” This just shows the lack of faith and dedication on the part of the “Christian” — that the most important thing in that person’s life is romance, and not Jesus Christ. Look at all the examples in the Bible of strong, God-fearing men falling away because of the women they chose to have relationships with. In the Old Testament, God’s holy people weren’t to be joined with unholy, worldly nations.

It’s clear that Christians shouldn’t be having relationships with non-Christians. So, why should we be bragging about such relationships on Facebook?

Conclusion

If you go to those movies, play those games, or listen to that type of music, you shouldn’t just hide the fact that you enjoy participating in that sin, you should stop and not have anything at all to do with it!

Don’t forget that Facebook is public. Everything that you post is viewable by virtually anyone. Most importantly, remember that once you post something on Facebook, it’s no longer private. Any sins on Facebook that you commit are public sins.

Think about what our job here on this earth is: our job is to serve God, and to teach others to serve God. Being a hypocrite isn’t going to convert anyone. Being just like your friends isn’t going to make them want to be a servant of God.

If you’ve looked at yourself — and your Facebook profile — and you’ve realized that you need to be shining your light brighter, decide right now that you’re going to do better and make a difference. As much as you might not like to do this, you should really apologize for your behavior. Your friends and co-workers are going to realize that you’re different at this point — they’ll be thinking, “Why are you apologizing for that? Everybody does that.” And that’s your opportunity to be like Christ. If you need to sort through your list of 800 fan pages to clean out the junk that you shouldn’t have added, well, so be it. If you need to delete impure comments, wall posts, or status updates… you know what you need to do. Let’s spread the word not only by sermons, blog posts, and Bible verses, but also by our actions — and what we choose to participate in and post about on Facebook.

(http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics)
(New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.)
(http://www.gotquestions.org/date-marry-unbeliever.html)

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This post is meant to be an intro to the book of Romans. If you’re wanting to study the book of Romans in depth, or if you’re wanting an overview of this book, I hope you’ll find this study useful.

In the first couple of chapters, Paul talks about Jews and Gentiles, and illustrates some key things about God’s amazing plan. To me, Romans is a good book to study with newer (not brand new) converts — there’s a lot of really good foundational stuff, but some things — especially at the beginning of the book — might be a little complicated for a new believer.

In this intro, I’ll be covering the first chapter of this book. (Note: this post was originally going to cover the first six chapters — but there’s just so much great stuff in Romans that I couldn’t fit it all in one post! :D) Again, this is an intro to the book of Romans. I encourage you study this book in depth; there’s a lot of really good content in here.

Paul’s Greeting

”Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name: Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ: To all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for you all, that your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world. For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers; Making request, if by any means now at length I might have a prosperous journey by the will of God to come unto you. For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established; That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.”

How would you feel if Paul, the great evangelist, decided to write you a letter? To the Christians in Rome, I’m sure that just receiving this letter must have been a great encouragement. Paul does more than that — he spends several verses explaining how much he cares for them [quote 8-12]. I find this to be very similar to 1 Thessalonians 1. This entire first chapter is an encouragement to the church at Thessalonica. I’ve never realized that a whole chapter was dedicated to encouragement (which is why it’s great to have friends who will study the Bible with you! :D), and it really stuck out me. Paul has had to deal with a lot of really crummy stuff in his life, but yet he still takes the time to mention that he thanks God for them and that he wants to be encouraged by them.

This leads me to think: how often do be encourage our brethren? Do we think, “encouraging people isn’t such a big deal”? Or are we too bothered by the discouraging things in the world to exhort our brothers? Paul places so much importance on exhortation that he starts his letter by saying that he thanks God for them and their faith.
(And by the way, I’ve posted similar thoughts in a previous post, “Exhort One Another.” Check it out!)

Spreading the Gospel

”Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that oftentimes I purposed to come unto you, (but was let hitherto,) that I might have some fruit among you also, even as among other Gentiles. I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to the unwise. So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.”

The next couple of verses, 13-17, show Paul’s willingness to spread the gospel. Evangelism requires a lot of work. Active evangelism, like door knocking or asking for Bible studies requires one to be willing to step out of their comfort zone. Even smaller things, like calling people on the phone to check on them requires time and effort on our part. I think we’ve all had those days where we’re tired, we feel kind of “blah,” and we just don’t feel like going to church. It’s tough, but we need to spread the Word.

So, in more or less words, we need to follow Paul’s example and share the gospel.

What can stand in our way of spreading the gospel?

Fear. I think this is the single biggest reason why there isn’t more evangelism going on today. We get scared! “What if they don’t want to study the Bible with me?” “What is they laugh at me?” “What if they bring up an argument or point that I don’t know how to answer?” That’s fear inside of us talking. We shouldn’t have to be scared of spreading the gospel.

And why? Because God is on our side! This isn’t like some kind of game, where handicaps are placed for the sake of increasing the level of difficulty. God wants people to be saved! God wants us to show people the way.

Think about this: look at the effort you’re making to share the message of salvation. What if God put as much effort into bringing leading you to repentance as you’re putting into spreading the Word? What if God was lazy in washing your sins away? We wouldn’t be in a very good situation. Why don’t we teach the message more? Are you scared of what others might think of you? You shouldn’t be. People can’t break our allegiance to God, and they can’t force us to sin. They might hate us and hurt us (even physically), but that shouldn’t stop us from serving Him. Look at what Jesus had to go through. Remember, He said that “the servant cannot be higher than the master” — so we should be willing to suffer or be killed for His sake.
That’s the worst case scenario. What’s the worst that could happen to us in our everyday lives? What, someone might laugh at us? Wow, that’s horrible. Not really, compared to what Jesus suffered. We should feel ashamed for backing down just because someone laughs at us or mocks us for our beliefs. Don’t forget who’s sending this message. Paul, the guy who’s been beaten, stoned, left for dead… and he’s willing to say this.

What does it take to spread the gospel? Spreading God’s word means we must have a firm foundation on what the Bible teaches. If we don’t understand what we are teaching, how can we get others to understand? We must be strong in the faith, able to refute those who contradict as well as having teaching experience. I think a good example for any Christian to follow is the example of the elders given in 1 Timothy and Titus. Granted, not everyone can be the husband of one wife (and certain other qualifications may not apply to some), but it’s definitely a great guide for any Christian to follow. We must think of the example that we are showing those in the world. Remember, that not everyone is cut out to be a teacher or a preacher. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t to spread the gospel. Just because we aren’t standing at a podium doesn’t mean that we aren’t “preachers.” Preaching the gospel and sharing the word is something that every Christian should be willing to do.

Gentiles are guilty

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.”

It’s important for us to remember that in the first chapters of Romans Paul is talking to the Jews. Many of the principles that Paul talks throughout Romans applies to Jews and Gentiles in relation to the old Law. It’s important that we understand this, otherwise, some statements might confuse us or be taken out of context. I’m hoping to point out some of the things Paul is talking about, while applying some of the principles to us, Christians today.

What is Paul saying in this section? He’s telling them that the Gentiles don’t have an excuse anymore. God’s attributes are clearly seen, and it’s impossible for them not to conclude that He isn’t behind it all. This reminds me of 2 Pet 3:5. What groups of people think are overcome by their own smarts that they discount God? Scientists, evolutionists, atheists, and agnostics. It also talks about them worshiping idols. Even in “cultured” civilizations, idol worship still goes on today — the idols usually don’t have a physical form. The idols are money, sex, power, and fame. These things are worshipped above anything, and these objects are given a god-like status. As Christians, we must remember that time God is God, and there is nothing else worth glorifying and worshipping.

Results of Ungodliness

”Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”

Even today, the results of people’s ungodliness can cause physical and mental problems. People living sex-filled lives end up with STDs, unwanted babies (who are usually aborted), and alimony or child support payments.People who do drugs end up with deadly conditions like cancer, or they’re killed by others who want money or drugs. See what happens when people live their lives without God? This kind of stuff happens when people don’t follow God’s wise and amazing plan. In God’s plan for marriage (and intimacy), one man and woman, learn about each other and begin to love each other, giving up their wants for their partner, and sacrifice things they want because they want their spouse to be happy. They keep themselves pure for one another. These are two people who will live their lives for one another, and for God.

Now let’s look at what happens when foolish people try making up their own rules: people pretend that sex is intimacy, and many people unwisely think that this is the most important part of a relationship. People don’t care about staying monogamous, and develop diseases which are passed on by other foolish people. None of these people are happy, because they’re worried about their partner finding someone who has a better physical appearance, or they’re afraid of dying from an STD. These are people who will never find happiness or joy in a relationship.
Hmm, which situation looks better? Which would situation would you like to be in? Good choice. We need to look at things “in the long run,” and not what seems pleasurable for the moment.

It’s interesting to see that God “gave them up to uncleanness” — it’s not as if God was perverting them to do this things, they were lead “through the lusts of their own hearts.”

That’s part one of this study on Romans. Like I said, I was going to have more… but it’s long as it is already. ;D I’ll work on polishing the rest of it later, but I do have some other ideas for other posts!

If you’ve found this chapter to be confusing, I hope this has helped. If you’ve got any question, or if you think I’ve left something out — comment below. :D

I find it somewhat humorous that even sinful, worldly people can quote Matthew 7:1 – Judge not, that ye be not judged.” Also, many people know that “God is love” and Christians should being loving, too. And they confuse hate for sin with hate for people.

First off, let’s not forgot one of the most important rules in Bible study — context, context, context! I mean, looking at Matthew 7:1 by itself makes it look like we will skip The Judgement by not judging. Obviously, that doesn’t make sense. The argument of “don’t judge me!” doesn’t make sense either when we look at the context.

Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.”
Matthew 7:1-6

“Judge not, that ye be not judged.” Look how the next sentence starts. In the King James Version, the word “for” is used. This is why context is important: we see that this is a continuous statement. Jesus isn’t saying, “Judge not, that ye be not judged” then moving to His next point, He’s finishing His statement. To sum these verses up: “Don’t judge in a manner that you can’t afford to be judged in, but fix your problems so you can help your friends and brothers.” See this is why we can’t take this verse or any verse out of context. I like to use the example of Al Gore (yes, Al Gore) and his famous “quote” about how he “invented the internet.” He wasn’t meaning, “I invented routers and networks, and the technologies that rope computers together,” but because we’ve taken this statement out of context, his meaning is unclear.

Let’s look at the rest of this verse. What’s the purpose of “judging?” Are we trying to hurt brothers and sisters? Or are we trying to help them fix their problems? We should be answering with the latter statement. See, we can’t help other people fix their problems if we’re having trouble with the same problems ourselves. If Brother Bob was a drunkard, and I go out with him every Friday and get drunk, what kind of statement am I making to him? On Sunday morning I decide to eat lunch with him and have a Bible study, for the purpose of talking to him about his sin of drunkenness, is he going to listen to me? No, because I was standing at the bar next to him drinking glass after glass of beer. We’ll bring up Al Gore again — if he makes a speech about environmentalism, then goes to his house (which uses up a lot more energy than the average American), does his example make you want to change the way you use up energy? Anybody can see hypocrisy.

There’s something important to look at in Matthew 7, about the part of the plank in the eye. It says, “First cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.” Interesting. Not only are we supposed to take the beam out of our eyes, we are to help our brothers take the motes out of their eyes!

So… we’re supposed to help them with their problems. Jesus isn’t telling us to just to be satisfied with having a beamless eye. Part of his command involves helping others to get the beams out of their eyes.

Hmm, that means that, according to the symbolism, they have sin in their lives, or a problem of some sort. And it’s our job is to recognize that problem… and help them overcome it. Isn’t that… sorta… a little like judging?

Does that make sense? From this passage we can prove to others that “judging” doesn’t mean for us to be “tolerant” (by their definition). We are supposed to be out there, helping people fix their problems (with God’s help, of course).

Let’s look at a similar verse in John 7:24:

[quote]
Do not judge by appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.
[/quote]

From this verse, we have a direct command to judge — with righteous judgment!

Let’s go back to Matthew, because I want us to look back at the context. Who was Jesus talking to? The crowds. And during His sermon, He mentioned a group of people whose title is practically synonymous with “hypocrites” — and that group is the Pharisees. Jesus is pretty blunt about them, especially in Matthew 5:20 when he says, “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees, you will by no means enter the Kingdom of Heaven.”

Now, let’s look at some examples of judging.

Paul the apostle received reports from other Christians in a place called Corinth. Apparently, there was a man who was “living with” his father’s wife! 1 Corinthians 5:1-5 says, “It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and such sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles—that a man has his father’s wife! And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you. For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (as though I were present) him who has so done this deed. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.”

Notice some key things in this passage — Paul, who is not even present, says that he’s willing to judge this man! He tells the Christians there to do the same, as well. This is one of the best examples to use. It’s interesting that some people think you need a direct command (for example: “Thou shalt judge”) for somethings to be okay. Which is why this verse combined with John 7 works as a pretty good combination.

Let’s look at some more examples! In Titus 1, we see instructions given to elders. Among other things, like being told to be stewards, hospitable, not violent or greedy, an elder must “[hold] fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.” (Titus 1:9)

Here’s an example of elders being told to convict. There’s another word used here, and that’s exhort. This word is similar to “encourage.” We seem to forget that judgment “is for our own good.” Sometimes, we might lack the wisdom to see how judgment is actually a positive influence in our lives. Look back at the 1 Corinthians passage — it says to “deliver one to Satan…” and why? To get back at them? To say, “ha, ha, in your faces, you sinners”? No, so that they might see their errors and turn and be saved.

This adds another factor: motives. You might do something that’s correct, but with the wrong motives. Don’t forget Matthew 7 — “take the beam out of your eye!” Also, don’t get on some kind of a power trip because you can “judge” people. Remember, there is only one Judge who can judge men’s hearts and minds. Do not forget this!!

There are many examples in the Bible of people stepping up and convicting, disproving evil-speakers, and even judging people. Jude 1:3 says, “I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.” “Contending earnestly” – that seems like pretty strong language.

Here’s a pretty powerful example, one given by Jesus in Matthew 18:15-19 — “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.
“Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
“Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” For a brother to understand that another brother has sinned against him, he must acknowledge that sin has taken place. So what has this brother done? He has judged. What do the two or three witnesses do if the problem isn’t fixed? They judge, too. What does the church do when the case is brought before them? They also judge.

Ephesians 5:11 says, “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.” Exposing and having no fellowship involves judging. To make the point again, it’s impossible to reprove sin without judging it and knowing that it’s wrong.

Let’s sum up these verses with 2 Timothy 3:16 — it says, “All scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” To reprove and correct someone (as this verse and all the other ones command), we have to come to the conclusion that to correct someone, they’re making a mistake. In which case, we are in fact, judging them.

And, after looking at these verses (especially in light of Matthew 7), if we aren’t judging — and correcting, reproving, and convicting — we are actually breaking these commands!

Hope that all makes sense. The main problem comes when we get caught up in semantics — “this word doesn’t mean this!” “this word can only mean that!” “this word can only be used in this context because that’s how it was used in the New Testament!” All these arguments can be avoided by looking at the context — seeing how the word “judge” is used.

Hopefully this makes some more sense. On a list of misquoted passages, this passage would probably be at the top of the list. Hopefully, this post will be helpful to you in refuting those who contradict. :D

image courtesy of sxc.hu

But exhort one another daily, while it is called Today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
Hebrews 3:13

Though we aren’t being troubled by Judizers in today’s world, there are many other reasons to keep this verse in our minds. Let’s look at some lessons on helping one another – and what happens when we don’t.

What does it mean to exhort?

The first part says, “But exhort one another.” How often do we find that word used in everyday language? There are many words like “exhort” Answers.com says exhortation means to “urge by strong, often stirring argument, admonition, advice, or appeal.” We’re commanded to urge, admonish, advise, and appeal to our brothers and sisters. Exhortation can come in many forms, from singing, to simply spending time with someone.

Paul urges the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 1 to “be of the same mind.” He’s pleading with them to stop their foolish divisions and factions. This is an enthusiastic, zealous urging – he’s not just saying, “Well, it’s not really a good idea to be choosing one preacher over another, but whatever.” He’s letting them know where they stand. He’s not giving a neutral argument, he’s saying – rather bluntly – that they’re wrong and they need to stop. Many times, we don’t want to hurt or offend others, so when asked about sin, we might not be as bold as we ought to be. We’ll deal with this issue a little later.

Who should be exhorting? It’s everybody’s job! If Brother Steve is the only one exhorting, from where does Steve his get exhortation? We’ll tie this in when we look at Galatians 6:1-2. The words, “one another” makes it clear that there isn’t just one person getting and not giving. If you’re having a bad day, and someone else makes it brighter, you should reciprocate! Spread some encouragement to others, too! The more you help others, you’ll find that you’ll be happier, too.

There’s a word in here that I think gets left out quite frequently when we quote this verse – the word “daily.” Exhortation doesn’t happen exclusively on Sundays and Wednesdays. Well, it shouldn’t at least. In our wonderful age of Facebook, Twitter, cell phones, e-mail, and texting, it’s impossible to have an excuse for not uplifting another Christian! This reminds me of Acts 2:42-47. Verse 46 says, “Every day they continued to meet together.” Even though they didn’t have Facebook events or cell phones, they were able to find time and be organized to meet together. Are we that dedicated? Now, these verses in Acts display good examples in the early Church, but we have a command (from this verse in Hebrews) to exhort each other.
Before we look at the rest of this verse, let’s go to a similar one found in Galatians.

Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Galatians 6:1

Let’s draw some application from both these verses. Who is supposed to be restoring the brother? Anyone who is spiritual. There are two ways to look at this. Paul (in case you’ve forgotten, he wrote Galatians) is saying that if you’re a Christian (that is, if you’re spiritual), it’s your job. This means, of course, that if you’re a Christian, you should be helping your brothers and sisters! You can also look at this verse as if its a challenge: if you are spiritual. It seems like Paul could be saying, “Go ahead – prove that you’re a good Christian, and help your brother out!” Don’t forget the last part of this verse, though – it says, “In the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest though also be tempted.” This is how we should be at all times – not puffed up, and not wanting to “be seen of men.” The next verse says, “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Christ loved us so much that He allowed himself to be tortured and abused. If Christ was able to do that for us, we should be able to help and exhort! It’s the least we can do.

How

Let’s talk about exhortation itself. How do you exhort people?

Bible Study

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

2 Tim 3:16-17

God’s word is good. Without the Bible, where would we be? We wouldn’t know about God’s commands. We wouldn’t know His wisdom. Let’s not forget the importance of God in our lives. King Solomon focuses Ecclesiastes on what it’s like without a purpose – without God.

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

Ecclesiastes 12:13

There’s nothing more perfect than service to God. When exhorting one another, we should go to the Bible for teaching and admonishing. Sundays are great for hearing lectures, but when you want to have to give some focused, personal exhortation, study from the Bible!
Organized group Bible studies are great, too. I’ve learned a lot from hearing lectures, but I’ve also learned a lot from great group discussion. If you’re ever able to lead a group discussion, try to make stuff apply to people! Don’t let it be a dry, pointless study. Show people what they need to know, and uplift them.

Teaching and Talking

Christians must be teaching and talking with each other. Why doesn’t this happen as often as it should? I think the biggest reason is because people are selfish with their time. Christians need to have relationships with each other… and the only way friendships grow is by taking time to just “hang out.” Throughout the book of Proverbs, Solomon exhorts “his son” with much wisdom. Parents should teach their children, and elders should teach the church, and Christians should be helping other Christians.

Prayer

Talking to God really helps. Praying shouldn’t be boring. Remember who you’re talking to, and remember to pray for the brethren! Remember that Jesus prayed for us. Don’t forget the power of prayer.

Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.

James 5:13-17

“Have the elders pray.” “Prayer of faith.” “Pray for one another.” All these things talk about prayer. We must communicate with God, and we must pray with brethren and for brethren.
If you’re discouraged, or if you’re praying with someone who need encouragement, pray specifically for encouragement. With faith, you’ll find simply praying for exhortation exhorting!

Singing

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

Colossians 3:16

Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ…”

Ephesians 5:18-20

These verses talk about singing as a group. There’s nothing better than hearing Christians lift their voices in praise to God. Not only are we supposed to be praising God with our voices, we should be admonishing one another in song. Some songs that we can sing to each other include, “Yield Not to Temptation,” “All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name,” “What Will Your Answer Be,” “How Shall the Young Secure Their Hearts,” “Hold to God’s Unchanging Hand,” as well as many others. Focus on God, and remember your brethren in Christ.

What happens when we don’t exhort?

This is where the focus of the post will be: what happens when we don’t exhort our brethren.

But exhort one another daily, while it is called Today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
Hebrews 3:13

Take a look at this verse again. Read the last part. What happens when there isn’t any exhortation going on? People can and will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Does this happen? Yes. This is why this verse shows us such an important command, because without exhortation, people will fall away.

We can mess up by not offering enough exhortation, or by giving too much exhortation (where we’re invading people’s lives and not giving them any space to improve themselves).

Not enough exhortation

There are some churches that are dead. There might be some Christians in the church who are attempted to worship, but the rest of the folks are just thinking about things like, “I wonder what’s for lunch” or “When will this boring sermon be over.” Now, if you’re in a group like this, and you’re a new convert, what will likely happen to you? Do you think the few Christians in the group will be a greater influence than the majority of lukewarm people? Let’s be realistic here. Yes, I know there are cases where people overcome the the odds. Yes, of course there are times when people change. When people say things like, “Don’t jump to a conclusion so quickly, God can work in peoples lives,” it’s usually just a cop-out for them to be exhorting brethren. So don’t use that excuse in the comments. :) Of course God can work in people’s lives.

See, this is what happens when God’s word doesn’t teach, reprove, or admonish us. This happens when others aren’t using God’s word to teach or reprove us, as well. Again, it’s up to us to make the right decisions, but others should be doing their job as well. And you must be doing your job by exhorting others, too.

You know those people who sit at the back of the auditorium, who always show up late, and leave right away? To the readers who are spiritual: those people need to be your targets. Don’t let them walk away. Give them exhortation! Get their phone number, and give them a call. Get their address, and send them letters. Invite them over for dinner and a Bible study. Don’t let them slip away! And don’t you dare think that it’s just their fault, and “doing a Matthew 18” lets you wash your hands of them. Don’t think this for one second. Why? Where were you when they needed encouragement and exhortation?

This is just a worse case scenario. Don’t forget the part in the verse that says, “while it is still called Today.” If you know someone who is struggling, or just having a bad day, exhort, exhort, exhort, and exhort some more!

Another way we fail to offer exhortation is when we aren’t using Paul’s example of exhortation. Exhortation isn’t always happy and cheery. Remember what 2 Timothy about the word of God – its “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” Sometimes, reproof and correction can mean initiating the principle of the sinful brother in Matthew 18.

Often, we can fall into the trap of letting things slide – being neutral. We do this to avoid offending people, or causing them to think less of us. Look at Ezekiel 33:2-6:

“Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman: If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul. But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand.”

We sometimes call this the Watchman principle. To sum it up: if you’re a watchman, and you see the enemy invading, it’s your job to sound the alarm. If you blow the trumpet, and no one listens or cares, it’s their own fault. Now here’s where we apply it to ourselves: if the watchman sees the enemy coming, and doesn’t blow the trumpet, it’s the watchman’s fault. If we know something is wrong, we must step up and tell it like it is. If not, then we’re sinning. If your brother or sister was about to jump in front of a tractor trailer, wouldn’t you do anything in your power to stop them from getting killed? And there’s more at stake then just a physical life, don’t ever forget that.
Have you ever been in a situation where someone has wanted your opinion of something? Have you ever changed your opinion, or gave them an answer that they wanted to hear, just because you know your own true opinion might offend them?
Maybe some friends from church are going to see a rated-R movie. Might you say something along the lines of, “Hmm… I’m kind of tired. I think I’ll skip this time”? Should that be your reaction? What did Paul say to the Galatians when they were falling away towards the teachings of the Judaizers? He called them fools! Think about this: what if someone said, “Hey, I think I’m going to drink some poison. What do you think about that?” If you love your brother, you would stop them from doing such a foolish thing. Again, there’s something even greater at stake, though. Use something like that as an opportunity to correct, teach, and reprove! Pull the Bible into it, don’t just give your opinions, and show them God’s commands.
What does the verse mean when it says, “lest any of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin”? What happens when we fail to exhort fellow workers in the church? Sin replaces that exhortation and causes people to turn away. Many people decide that Christianity is fake and pointless. They are deceived by sin. This is why we must continue to exhort.

Too much “exhortation”

Sometimes we can get overzealous when it comes to exhortation. We have to remember to give people space. If someone is really discouraged, do what you can to uplift them, and if they need space, let them have it. Examine yourself to see if you’re just tearing them down, or actually uplifting them.
The “deceitfulness of sin” can apply to us, too. When we constantly batter weak Christians with ideas about how the can improve themselves, they shut down and turn away. Don’t get carried away with exhortation.

Finding “exhortation” from the wrong sources

The reason “exhortation” is in quotes is because this kind of exhortation isn’t really exhortation. It’s just a “feel-good” idea.
Some people think it’s cool to watch every show on TV. Some want to be number one on a video game’s leaderboard. They might feel good about these things, but is this real exhortation? Of course not. Spending time with friends playing violent videos games might seem like “an opportunity for fellowship,” but is it really?
A rising problem in the church today is that many young people are starting to date people outside of the church. I truly don’t understand this at all. Are you going to find spirituality in someone who might not even believe in God? This should be the most important aspect in choosing a mate. If God is the focus in your life, why would you marry (which should be the goal of courtship) someone who is not living their life for God?
The phrase, “one bad apple spoils the whole bushel” is incredibly true. Some people spend more time with non-Christians than with those who are able to uplift and exhort. It’s great to spend time with non-Christians, but we must give preference to God’s people.

Conclusion

Remember – if Christians aren’t holding each other up, who will? The world wants to see Christians torn down. Satan tempts us daily. We shouldn’t have the world as our ally, because if we do, God can’t be on our side.

While the day is still here, go out and encourage someone! It’s our duty to lift fellow workers up! If you’re feeling like you need encouragement, call someone, and offer encouragement and exhortation to someone else. You’ll find that exhorting and helping others lifts your spirits, too.

If you’re reading this, you have the ability to encourage someone. As soon as you’re done reading this paragraph, I challenge to write someone a letter, call, e-mail, or visit, giving them exhortation and encouragement. So go ahead, grab your phone, or a pencil and some paper…

Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. Or if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.

- James 1:21-24

There are lots of people who are good at lying. Being cheap and dishonest just comes naturally for many unwise, immature people.

Lying goes on every day, obviously. There are those little white lies – the “polite” lies. Then, there are lies that go on in the government. These lies cost money, time, and energy. There are some lies that cost people’s lives.

These lies are all pretty horrible. As the citizen of a dishonest government, we see through the thinly veiled dishonesty, and we understand the foolishness and futility of it all.

But there’s one type of lie that’s even worse. This kind of lie can cause such a deep hole to be dug, that it seems (in some cases), as if there’s no hope for honesty ever again.

I’m talking a horrible kind of deceit, and it’s called self-deceit.

Just a note: some of these things may seem external, but they come from an internal “heart problem."

Externally

It’s easy to pretend to be understanding and wise than to actually be understanding and wise.

Pretending is easy because it doesn’t require soul-searching and growing on one’s own part. You just sit back, pretend, and give people false impressions about yourself. It’s pretty foolish, though.

Isn’t it sad to think that you’re not really you? And that’s just your public appearance.

What happens after you come home from church? What do you do? What do you think about? What do you watch? What do you listen to?

Are you the same person who was leading singing only a half hour ago? Are you the same person who was sitting in the pew beside other Christians, praying and praising?

Now think about this: does your life seem fake?

Well, it might be.

Internally

So let’s say you’re home by yourself now. You’ve gotten over that “spiritual high” from worship service. Are you ready to keep serving God, now that you’re alone? Can you be more relaxed, or act/talk/think a little differently now because no one else is around?

You’d better not.

Could it be perhaps every song you sang and every prayer you just prayed were all fake? Maybe even the clothes you wore were just to call attention to yourself as well. What were the Pharisees condemned for? Putting on shows, “to be seen of men.” This is one of those incidents where other’s can’t judge your actions and give you a talking-to. You must have the maturity to examine yourself.

And this is where the problem arises – if no one could tell that you being fake, who’s there to call you out? That’s when pride takes over. If no one caught you singing empty words at that worship service, why even admit it to yourself that you were just deceiving yourself? A song we sang this Sunday was “I’m not ashamed to own my Lord.” That means, we’re not scared, worried, or embarrassed to spread His word. Can you sing that song with a clean conscience now, now that you’re worried that maybe you’re singing just to have people look and say, “Wow, brother so-and-so has really got an amazing voice!”

Maybe the prayer you got up and prayed was just to show others how eloquently you speak, and how you can throw Scripture around like you’ve got it all memorized.

So that’s an external thing in a way, but only you know where your heart is at. If your there to serve God, great. If not…? Well, let’s just say that there’s a place reserved for liars.

“For he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was…”

I like the imagery involved in this verse. It’s like, “what, are you really that dense to have already forgotten what your own face looks like? We do this with sin. “I shouldn’t steal from the checkouts at Wal-Mart anymore. I really need to stop. Oh hey, a candy bar. I think I’ll just put it in my pocket.”

Silly, isn’t it? In the same way, how can we read our Bibles everyday, “amen” the preacher, and sing hymns – all out of deceit?

Do you know someone who always feels the need to put a little spin on a story, just to make it a bit more interesting? Isn’t that annoying? Well, how do you think God feels when you go around pretending to be an awesome Christian – when you’re not?

This verse says, “Put away all filthiness.” Lying is filthy. Don’t do it. Being a liar doesn’t just mean that you say untruthful things, it means you have a lying attitude.

People lie to themselves because they’re missing the point – the point isn’t to not get caught with problems, the point is to improve and fix problems. Some people are very good at pretending and hiding issues in their lives, but people like this must know that God isn’t tricked by this façade.

Another big problem is rationalizing. We’re not going to cover this too deeply, as many previous posts have gone over this problem. But don’t forget the principles of “hate=murder and lust=adultery” in Matthew. Obviously, there are greater consequences in America for stabbing someone, but guess what – hating and killing people are still sins. Remember this when the phrase “it’s not that bad” pops into your head. What happens when you do something that isn’t as bad as x or y? You become more and more comfortable with that sin until there’s almost no hope.

Fixing the Problems

So, how to you stop lying to yourself? What’s the best way to fix these deeper problems?

Acknowledge your problems

Like any problem, acknowledge it! Admit it and face up to your mistakes. We need to have friends to hold us accountable, but don’t think you can get off the hook just because a bad habit or sin isn’t public.

We know the classic verse in Jeremiah 17:9 – “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” Hopefully by reading this post, you’ve become more aware of this issue, if it applies to you.

Here’s an exercise that might help: go to 1 Corinthians 13:4-8:

Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth:

Now, replace “charity” (or “love” as your translation probably says) with your own name. My name is William (you may or may not know that :D), so these verse would look like this: “William suffers long and is kind. William does not envy. William does not puff himself up. William does not behave rudely…” and so on. I’m not perfect, and nobody is, but just try doing this and meditating on it. “Am I longsuffering? Am I kind? Do I look out for myself alone?” Work on the places where you’re falling short.

Pray and get God’s help

Now that you know what you need to be confessing to God, confess your sins! 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Pray along to Psalm 51.

We must have faith that God will help us, and we must want God to help us. If you’re determined to sin, well, there’s nothing that says that God will stop you. He hates it when you sin. But, if you want to stop sinning, know that God will help you.

Stop fueling the sin

Read what Jesus says in Matthew 12:33-35:

“Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit. O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance  of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of     the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil     treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.  For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.”

What’s the point of these verses? Think of the old computing principle: garbage in, garbage out (I know this example has been used before, but it’s not as if it’s an original quote, so to whom it may concern, don’t get mad because I’ve used this phrase ;) Everything that you poison your mind with is going to be spit right back out again, whether it’s at home after you’ve just hit your thumb with a hammer, or at church when visitors take your pew. You can’t sow evil seed and expect righteous trees to spring up. So guess what – if you’re having a problem with language, prime time television isn’t for you (well, most of that junk isn’t for anyone, but anyway…). See what I mean? If lusting is your weakness, beaches and swimming pools don’t need to be graced by your presence. (Again, this exaggeration is meant to prove a point – Christians don’t really need to present at places where its acceptable to be nearly naked, hmm?)

If we’re to love God, we need to be sowing righteous seeds in our lives. We can’t keep putting kindling and wood on a fire, and expect the fire to go out. Stop fueling the fires of sin.

Don’t just leave your heart swept clean. Replace that hour where you would usually be sitting on your couch watching Desperate Housewives or 24 with an hour of Bible study.

I think this is one of the most important parts. We’re going to have to face the world in our daily walk, so why would you willingly hurt yourself by filling your mind with more junk?

Get Help

There are two main reasons to do this: 1) getting help means you get guidance and accountability 2) “deceiving oneself” requires a lot of pride. Admitting your mistakes to another brother or sister dishes out a pretty big slice of humble pie.

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

- James 5:16

James tells us to confess our sins to each other! Not only are we commanded to confess our sins, our brothers and sisters are also supposed to be helping us:

Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.

- Galatians 6:1

So, let’s talk about guidance and accountability. Let’s say you have a bad habit of singing not just to glorify God, but to glorify your resonating, deep bass. Try going to someone else and telling them. They might have advice for you. They can also give you accountability. If, after service, you know they’re going to ask you, “Were you singing to please God, or men?” you might be inclined to readjust your focus. Embarrassment for having to admit sins can be used to help you stop committing sins. After you mature in this, you’ll want to sing to praise God because you know He wants you to, not because you’ll be embarrassed admitting that you were singing in a not-so-humble way.

This applies in many other situations. Remember I said before, people lie to themselves because no one is there to call them out (well, a lot of times, people are actually really bad at pretending like they’re good little Christians, but I digress). So, once you tell someone else, you know you can’t hide it. So instead of just living with it, you’re forced to improve yourself.

Pride is what will take you down. The “me me me!” attitude is so unhealthy. You’ve got to tear down your walls and make room for God, because He is worthy of our praise. You’re not worthy to be praised, and you know it.

In Closing

Don’t forget what James 4:7-10 says:

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

We’ve covered this before in previous posts. Is God okay with you if you’ve only mourned and wept? You’ve got to cleanse your hands, too. And not only do you need to wash your hands, you need to humble yourself.

Falling into the trap of lying to one’s self is dangerous. I’m going to leave you with this story:

But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession, And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles’ feet. But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God. And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things. And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried him out, and buried him. And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in. And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much. Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out. Then fell she down straightway at his feet, and yielded up the ghost: and the young men came in, and found her dead, and, carrying her forth, buried her by her husband. And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.

- Acts 5:1-11

This isn’t quite the same type of self-deceit we’ve been talking about, but it’s very similar. Someone was doing something in private to be seen of men… but it didn’t quite work out. I like it how it says that “great fear” came upon the church. We should not only have that fear of punishment, but we should feel sick when we sin against God. Committing sin should leave us feeling ashamed. Remember, what pleases you really doesn’t matter.

So, don’t just act like an awesome Christian, be an awesome Christian!

epic shoutout: New King James Version (NKJV)

Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

This world is really quite horrible – but God promises us something much better.

This post is going to focus on the good things God has done for us. God has really done a lot for us, so let’s reflect on His grace and mercy.

In my life, it’s easy to recall things that God has done a lot for me. He’s blessed me with a lot of physical things (house, friends, family, food, etc), and a lot of spiritual things (His Word, guidance, hope, etc). He’s given me life – my job is to serve him. He’s given me friends who can uplift me and help me.

I know it’s easy to feel stuck in a mood of sadness or depression (the world has a way of doing that of tearing us down), but try to focus on some of God’s blessings. :)

Salvation, Forgiveness & Peace

Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

-Acts 2:38

This is generally our “go-to” salvation Bible verse, and it’s often overused. Let’s meditate on it – if it wasn’t for Jesus’ blood and God’s mercy, where would we be? The remission of sins is a necessity. We could choose to pay for sins ourselves, but hell isn’t what God wants for anyone. Thanks to God’s kindness, we have grace on our side.

You know the phrase, “forgive and forget”? Humans are nearly incapable of doing that, and many unwise people like to hold grudges and point fingers at others — “you provoked me to do that!” or “If you were doing your part, I wouldn’t be trying to get back at you.” This attitude is petty and childish. We are supposed to be like our Master, and our Master forgives and forgets! How would you like it if God held you accountable for every dumb things you’ve done?

What’s amazing is the planning that went behind it God’s plan. God saw from the beginning what had to be done. Everything from the law and the prophets to John the Baptist pointed to Jesus Christ, who died for the salvation of all. Isn’t it amazing what God planned for you? We need to thank God every day for salvation. We’ve done nothing at all to deserve it, but God loves us and cares for us. Isn’t it amazing to think that the creator of everything loves each one of us? Many people want to be friends with celebrities or politicians… some feel important by simply obtaining an autograph. Do those famous people care about the nobody who’s trying to get their attention? Of course not. But think about this: we have something much better than an autograph, from a much more important Being – we have the Bible, authored by God. And God doesn’t want us just to have His word, He wants us to follow it so we can be pure to have a relationship with Him. So, He wants us to be with him!

God also wants us to know that we are right with Him. Do you know how many people worry about what will happen to them if they were to die right now? As Christians, we must keep ourselves pure, and have confidence that God will forgive us.

It’s pretty amazing that God not only gives us forgiveness, but he also gives us the benefit of peace. The Princeton dictionary defines peace as being “the absence of mental stress or anxiety.” What is there to stress about when we have God? We know these verses, but for the sake of a “happy things” post, I’m going to include these verses:

Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Therefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 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.

- Matthew 6:26-34

There’s nothing to worry about. :)

Heaven

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

- Revelation 21:1-4

God shall wipe away all tears, there will be no more death, sorrow, crying or pain. This is one of those happy things to focus on for two main reasons: there will be no more pain, and our home will be with God.

It’s easy to be sad or upset about things in this world – that’s just how it’ll be for now. In Heaven, there won’t be anything that makes us sad… we won’t have pain… it’s really just too much to imagine.

We can’t even begin to imagine how amazing Heaven will be. Our human minds are incapable of grasping the concept of no pain. Our minds are built with the instinct to fight or flee. You can’t imagine a place where both those ideas are non-existent!

The word “Christian” could be synonymous with “warrior.” I can’t wait for the eternal rest, because this world is pretty tiring.

That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

- Philippians 2:10-11

These verses are very powerful for me. Some day this will happen. Can you imagine being overwhelmed by God’s glory?

And when they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of great waters, as the voice of the Almighty, the voice of speech, as the noise of an host: when they stood, they let down their wings. And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads, when they stood, and had let down their wings. And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it. And I saw as the color of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about. As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.

- Ezekiel 1:24-28

This is a small glimpse of our Heavenly Father’s majesty. Heaven will be so much more amazing!

Trials

Two posts ago, I talked about temptation. We shouldn’t forget that trials and tribulation is a good thing!

As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison. Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.

- Acts 8:3-4

Lots of times, when we’re not forced to step up to the plate, we start feeling content and complacent sticking to the sidelines. We improve when we’re pushed into doing something we really don’t feel like doing.

Let’s not forget the passages from James!

My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;

Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

- James 1:2-4

God doesn’t want us to remain on the milk of the word – and that’s why we need temptations and trials. Every time we resist temptation, or overcome a trial, we grow a little bit stronger, and we gain momentum down the straight and narrow.

Many people think that 1) God doesn’t like them or is punishing them when they have trouble 2) Trials are bad things, and they hurt, not help, growing Christians.

Both this viewpoints are very immature. Because God is much wiser than any of us, we need to understand that temptations are “for our own good,” and we must do our best to keep our guard up against the fiery darts that Satan throws at us.

A Purpose

Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God; He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself. After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded. Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter. Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all. For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean. So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.

- John 13:3-16

This is an amazingly powerful passage about service. Jesus would have been facing incredible emotional turmoil, knowing He was about to die. He understood what horrible things were involved in saving the world.

Many people seem to forget that back in those days, streets weren’t clean and well-kept. Animals would have been lead through the streets, and other garbage and waste would have contaminated the streets. Also, you couldn’t go down to Wal-Mart to pick up a pair of sneakers – many people wore sandals made of leather straps, which would have done little to keep feet clean. Washing feet might seem gross now, but it was even worse then!

Jesus, who willingly came down to earth from the perfection of Heaven, was willing to wash people’s nasty, smelly, gross feet! Isn’t that amazing!

Look what He says at the end of this passage: “Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am… The servant is not greater than His Lord…” Jesus was able to get down on his hands and knees and wash people’s feet. We should be willing to do the same. While all those feet there would have been nasty, think about this:

Judas was still there.

Judas doesn’t leave until verse 27! Jesus knew (v. 2-3, 27) that Judas was going to betray Him! And He still washed His feet! If that isn’t an example of service, I don’t know what is.

Many people wander around in this life, and try to find fulfillment in one way or another. Making money, collecting girlfriends, having cars or houses – but they don’t feel fulfilled. Some of the happiest people are out helping others. This is advice many counselors give depressed people: go out and help people! Volunteer, do community service, work in your community, and the like. Don’t we have a better job than all that, though? We’ve been tasked with spreading the Good News to the world!

His Commands

Some people find it hard to picture themselves in a submissive role. It’s actually easier not having to call the shots, in my opinion. God tells us what we have to do. We simply have to step up to the plate and do what He says. God lays out His commandments in an organized, logical way, and in most cases the things we are commanded to do are laid out very clearly.  Also, it’s not as if we’re offering sacrifices to some unknown God (like in Acts), and we don’t have slaughter sheep and goats anymore. David says that God knows what’s important – the heart. Not sacrifices, not anything else. Just the heart.

Have you heard the classic story of a child who is told to sit down? The parent says, “Sit down,” and the child says, “No.” Well, the parent reprimands the child and repeats the command. The child unwisely says no again. The parent administers “the rod,” then asks, “Are you going to sit down now?” And with a tear in his eye, but with a glimmer of rebelliousness, the child says, “No!” Again, the child is punished. Eventually, the kid sits down, but in a loud, obnoxious voice he proclaims to his parent, “But I’m still standing up on the inside!”

We can’t be like that child. We can’t have a check-list, a to-do list, of things that God has commanded us to do. “Oh, I invited the Smiths for dinner this Sunday. And I read a John 1 today. I even went to church three times this week. I guess I’m good with God now.” That isn’t how it works. Well, that’s how it works if we want our religion to be useless.

Jesus says, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” We can’t turn to God (as many people do) when we feel like it, or if there’s a time of disaster and we need to ease the stress in our lives. Will God hear those lazy, insincere prayers? God wants our hearts… so we should gladly give them to Him.

Jesus says, “My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Can you see how easy and light the walk down the straight and narrow is, if your Savior is helping you carry the load?

So… what does it mean to live a full life? Does it mean to make a bunch of money, have real estate, and travel to different countries? Or is it to have a nice house, raise some kids and have grandchildren, and retire? A full, rich, exciting life to many teenagers would be to have enough money to buy the latest clothes, laptops, cell phones, iPods… stuff. Meaningless stuff. Stuff that isn’t going to help – but possibly hinder us – on our journey along the straight and narrow.

Here’s some advice from someone who’s had it all – money, power, fame. He even had servants and wives. He was also a pretty wise fellow.

Solomon, of course. He makes very wise statement in Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.

That’s what matters more than anything.

I hope this post is an encouragement to you. God is amazing. Be joyful!

“You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.”

- James 4:4, NASB

Have you ever wanted to could go with your friends to that big party? Have you ever been walking down the street, and just wished you could steal another glance at that good-looking guy or girl – even though you know you probably shouldn’t? Have you ever wanted to tag along to that movie… the one that everyone’s going to… and, you know, there’s only that one scene that isn’t really the greatest.

Before we get much farther I want to make sure one thing is clear: temptation isn’t sin. We need to be tempted, as it says in James 1, to become stronger. So don’t think you’ve sinned just because you’ve been tempted.

But back to our comparison: So maybe you didn’t go to the party. Maybe you decided not to ogle at the good looking gal or dude. Maybe you didn’t head off to the movie with your friends… but maybe – sort of – in the back of your mind, you still wished you could have done those things? You know that you wouldn’t have gotten drunk at the party, and you wouldn’t have partaken in any of the filth being portrayed in the movie! You just wanted to have some fun… even though you understood the surrounding circumstances.

I want to tell you something – there’s a heart problem involved. Not, not clogged veins, but a clogged conscience. You understand the sin, and you know that you wouldn’t actually commit the sin… but it’s kind of fun thinking about what it would be like to do it.

Your mind is telling you to stop and “put to death the old man,” but your feelings are wanting – begging – your brain to stop being so logical! Listen to your brain.

So, do you have this heart problem?

There’s a lack of understanding, and there’s a lack of faith involved. First, to have this problem, you would have to be lacking in understanding that God’s promises are much, much more fulfilling than Satan’s. Think about this: would you lend money to a person who just lost their house, has no food, and is living on the street, just because they said, “Hey, if you give me some money, I’ll promise to buy you a yacht and a sports car!”? Of course you wouldn’t do that! Really, what does Satan have to offer? Nothing! Well, he can do his best to offer, but he can’t deliver on anything.

There’s also a lack of faith – why are you choosing to embrace Satan’s lies over God’s promises? The same God who says, “Come to me and I will give you rest” is the same God who said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”

Here’s something you should recognize: Just wanting – lusting – something evil means you’ve already crossed the line. Let’s look and see what Jesus says about this:

“But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.” … “Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. “

- Matthew 5:22:27-28

According to God’s standards, simply hating is the same as killing, and all it takes is a quick glance (with lustful intent) at someone’s body to count as fornication.

“You adulterers and adulteresses!”

Doesn’t this phrase sound familiar? I’ll give you one word, it should ring a bell: “Israelites.” I like to think back to when the Israelites – then Hebrews – were captive in Egypt. They were in bondage, but God freed them. As they were leaving, they got to plunder the Egyptians, too. On another occasion, they were stuck between a wall of water and Pharaoh’s chariots, but God provided a way of escape. They were on the brink of dehydration on certain strains of their journey, but God provided water.

God did many things for them, but what did they do? They complained. They went off on their own paths when they didn’t agree with God’s commands. They threatened to stone Moses, God’s messenger, on several different instances. When I think of this passage in James, I think of some verses in the old Testament that relate to their stubbornness and unfaithfulness.

“Then I will set My face against that man and against his family; and I will cut him off from his people, and all who prostitute themselves with him to commit harlotry with Molech.”

- Leviticus 20:5

“Now Israel remained in Acacia Grove, and the people began to commit harlotry with the women of Moab. They invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods.  So Israel was joined to Baal of Peor, and the anger of the LORD was aroused against Israel.”

- Numbers 25:1-3

I also think of Hosea, who was told to marry a prostitute.

Now when she had weaned Lo-Ruhamah, she conceived and bore a son. Then God said: ‘Call his name Lo-Ammi, for you are not My people, And I will not be your God.”

- Hosea 1:8-9

Why was he told to do this? To illustrate the pain that God feels when we, by our actions (or even words), act as though God isn’t good enough for us.

“Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?”

Sure, we can quote this verse in our studies. But do we really “know” that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Because if we truly did, it seems like we wouldn’t be committing any sin at all! I don’t think we truly understand the ramifications of our declaration of war (on God). Why would you choose to make yourself the enemy of the most powerful Being of all, and the Creator of everything? Let’s go back to our example of the Israelites – God had told them that if they served Him that he would make it so “five [men] shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight; your enemies shall fall by the sword before you.” That’s power right there. Whose team would you want to be on, the team with more people, or the team that will win? See, this is why we must be on God’s side! And we see the legacy of the modern-day Israelites – if only they would have served their Master and Creator!

And here’s the point: it doesn’t take a congressional statement and an official press conference from the President to declare a personal war on God – all it takes is for us to want, to yearn, to lust after sin.

We need to be like Christ. We need to be raising in us the new man, the one who wants to serve Christ. Don’t we know that a servant can’t be higher than the Master? And our master died, not for Himself, but for us! If Christ was able to carry His cross (for us) and to allow Himself to be put to death (for us), we should at least be able to do the same.

Why do we yearn for the depraved things in this world? Let’s look a few verses back at James 3:16 – “For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.” The path we’re on isn’t for ourselves, it is for Christ.

If you’ve fallen into this trap, I hope you’re aware of the problem now.

Get out of the line of fire

So, at this point (if we’re wise), we need to throw up the white flag, and surrender our lives back to God. I don’t think any of us want to be God’s enemy. The next verses in the chapter tell us how we can train to be in God’s army.

“Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.”

- James 4:4-10

Verse eight says that God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Therefore, submit to God. Bow down. Make yourself low. Understand your position. Fight for the Lord, fight against Satan, and continue to grow closer to the Lord because the closer we are to our loving Master, the closer He is to us.

Remember what 3:16 said? The word “self-seeking” is similar to another word – “pride.” Much of what the previous verses were talking about relate in someway to pride. It comes back to the attitude of, “Me, first!” and not “God first!” This is what James is addressing here. Think about it: it’s really not about us. We’re here to serve God. We’re wasting God’s time if we’re putting ourselves first. Look at it that way.

Have you ever heard (or used) the excuse, “Well, I just don’t feel like I’m close to God anymore”? Look what it says in James 4. We need to draw closer to God. Let’s say brother Steve is having some trouble with this issue. So, maybe Steve is reading his Bible. But maybe he’s not fully humbling himself. Maybe he’s mourning for sins that he’s committed, but maybe he’s not cleansing his hands. He’s not fulfilling all of God’s requirements then, is he? If Steve goes and washes only one hand, are his hands clean? Absolutely not. He needs to be completely pure before expecting to feel close to God. As it’s been said many times before, people want Jesus to be their savior, but not their master. We want God in one hand, and sin in the other. It can’t work this way, though. Only after submitting to God, resisting the Devil, cleansing our hands, purifying our hearts, being afflicted, being in mourning, weeping, and humbling ourselves can we be closer to God. God cannot accept even 1% of impurity. Verse 10 sums it all up very well: “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he will lift you up.” We need to carve this into our hearts and our minds.

Living our lives in God’s army

Do you want to be an enemy of God? No. Are you willing to do all things mentioned in James 4:4-10, though? Well, if you’re wanting to please the Lord and be fighting the good fight, you’re going to need to be doing those things.

We mentioned Hosea earlier in the post. If you remember, Hosea was supposed to buy his wife back. The wife whom he had a right to… he was to purchase again.

In the same way, when we leave God we are the ones who are walking out the door. But, when we’ve found the error in our ways, God is still waiting at the entrance, ready to take us back in.

God loves you. The pleasure of being with the Lord forever is worth the toil, pain and embarrassment. Serve God, and to Him be the glory!

Winning the War Within by Charles Stanley is an older book, but it’s definitely a gem. I’m actually wanting to get some reviews on my blog… the purpose for this wouldn’t be just to review books, but reading such books really provokes awesome thoughts and ideas. Let’s talk about the book itself for a little bit.

I really enjoy the author’s style of writing. He is really clear, and gets right to the point. There was only one page in the book that I disagreed with, that had to with salvation and faith-only doctrines.

This book could be summarized in two words: overcoming temptation.

The book deals with all sorts of issues. He is pleading with people to read this book. He understands that people reading may have tried and tried to overcome temptation.

My Thoughts

What is temptation? Everybody is tempted by something. The temptation just comes in different packages.

Have you ever felt “stuck”? I’ve felt this way many times. I’ve tried praying, fasting, getting help from others — and still feeling like I’m getting nowhere.

One of the first verses in this book is 1 Thessalonians 5:19 — “Do not quench the Spirit.” The author applies it like this: don’t live your life in such a way that you’re ignoring anything and everything that God is leading you to do. This is kind of like destroying one’s conscience.

It’s easy to get sucked into sin, and not care at all that you’re seriously damaging yourself. You begin to care about nothing, except for the sin that “so easily ensnares us.” Our conscience weakens. Our defenses fall. And we feel trapped.

The teen group at our church has recently finished studying the book of James. I’m reminded of a lot a places throughout the book that refer to temptation.

Here are some verses:

“My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

- James 1:2-4

“Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.  Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: but every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren.

- James 1:12-16

“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”

- James 1:22

The words, “deceiving yourselves” are used throughout James. It’s so easy to to get caught up with “self” that we don’t notice anything else around us. We start rationalizing and making excuses. We’ve all done this before — “I’m doing my best” or “I’m trying.” We may very well be trying, but most of the time when we say this, it ends up being a cop-out more than anything.

Thanks to free will, we choose to do right or wrong. Remember, when we’re tempted, it’s because we are drawn away by our own wants and desires.

Being Accountable

Let’s accept that we need to acknowledge our mistakes. It’s often said that the first excuse followed the first sin. Don’t get into the habit of making excuses.

Many people are constantly tempted in a specific area of their life, whether it be sex, drinking, lying, etc.

Charles Stanley makes an excellent point in saying that sometimes, we don’t get to the root of the weeds, we just cut them off at the tops. We can’t settle for taking care of the symptoms, we must deal with the actual problems, the roots. Think about this: what happens when you say, “I want this, God, and I don’t care what you have to say about it!” You’re saying that you’re smarter than God, and that you should be the one making decisions. Think about the first sin – Satan told Eve that she could be like God. She wanted to be as wise and smart as God.  This of course, couldn’t work.

We must be disciplined, and we must rely on God to help us overcome temptation and not be tempted.

Remember what 1 Corinthians 10:13 says -

“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

There are some key things in this verse. It says, no temptation have overcome you that isn’t common to man. That means, we aren’t the only ones suffering. We might feel that way, but that certainly isn’t true. It also says that God knows how far you can go. We often think of temptation like this: “Oh no, not temptation again! I don’t want to sin!” Instead, let’s view it a bit differently: “Here’s another opportunity for me to grow! I’m pleased to know that the Lord knows I have enough strength to overcome this.”

Overcoming Guilt

In the book, Charles Stanley says, “God does not intend for you to live a life full of frustration and anxiety.” The new testament is clear about this. 1 Thessalonians 5:8 says that we must be sober, “putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.” Titus 3:7 says, we have been justified by God’s grace so “we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” Peter says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:3) God through the Holy Spirit makes it very clear that we should be joyful for “the hope that is in us.”

A while ago, I remember some really wise words come from the mouth of one of the younger participants in a Bible class. He said, “Christians shouldn’t be humdrum people who have nothing to look forward to.” Very true.

What is guilt? The Wikipedian definition is like this: “A cognitive or an emotional experience that occurs when a person realizes or believes… that they have violated a moral standard…”

We should feel guilt. If we’re feeling guilty about something, it simply means that our conscience is telling us that we did something wrong, and that we need to something to fix the problem.

I’ve felt this way before: I’ve committed sin, and I know I need to stop and do better. So I do. But I still feel guilt. Why is this? Here’s what I think: the guilt is a warning. After we put down the “old man,” and we promise to serve God once more, we shouldn’t forget what can happen when we become unfeeling towards sin. We can ask God for forgiveness, and then, the next day, we can turn around and commit the same sin again! This is where guilt comes in. The sick, nauseating feeling that we feel in our stomachs and heads is a warning – don’t commit sin. We’ll only feel guilt though, if we truly love God, and want to serve Him. After committing the same sin over and over again, we will become desensitized to it. And after awhile, we don’t feel guilty.

Here’s the good part, though. After we remove ourselves from sin, the guilt goes away. But this only happens if we don’t commit sin! Don’t think just because you’ve recognized the problem in your life, that the guilt will be gone.

Let’s look at some verses in 1 John:

“Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us.”

- 1 John 4:17-19

There is no fear in love. We know that God loves us. Here’s the key part: “perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment.” I’ve heard someone apply this verse like this: we fear the torment of hell, because we know we’ve committed sin. And because of that, we feel guilt, because we know we’re not on God’s side. But once we choose to overcome sin, the guilt leaves, because we don’t fear the torment and punishment!

We shouldn’t try to overcome sin so we don’t feel bad about ourselves. We should overcome sin to please God. We should try to please God because He loves us.

That’s my goal.

Accept Forgiveness

We shouldn’t be “overcome by much sorrow.” Satan can easily sway us from one extreme to another.

If we’re saved through the blood of Jesus Christ, and if we’re walking in His paths, God will forgive us. We must have that confidence.

Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.” Our heavenly Father has more wisdom then we do… he knows better. He knows what’s good for us. Let’s serve Him.

Some people want to be the best at what they do – athletes try to make as many shots, scores, blocks, or points that they can get. Business men want their shares to grow, their corporation to expand worldwide, and to eventually be immortalized as the next Rockefeller or Gates. Years ago, when Joe the Business Man was 16, his goal was to wear the latest styles, buy a car, have a girlfriend. Joe did everything he could to get there.

But was it all worth it? Let’s say he completed his teenage dreams. But when he grows up, do those things really mean a whole lot to him?

He doesn’t care about wearing American Eagle jeans and Converses anymore. He’s worried about the presentation he’s going to give to his investors, he’s thinking about how to make his stocks worth more, he’s… trying to find fulfillment.

Will he ever find it? Are his goals achievable?

As Christians, we need to look at what’s important. We can find many of these principles in Matthew 6.

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth and rust destroys and where thieves break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

- Matthew 6:19-21

As long as we’re affected by The Curse, we’ll have to deal with decay. Robbers are going to take stuff. This verse is saying that you shouldn’t value the things that can be stolen, but you should value things that can’t be destroyed.

What can’t be destroyed? Well, think about this verse:

“And do not fear those who kill the body but who can kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

- Matthew 10:28

The soul, and the “heavenly things.”

Some people can name every player on the Pittsburg Steelers’ lineup. Other can name every actor who played in every movie from 1994 through today.

What good is this knowledge? Guess what – 50 years from know, people may not even know who Brett Farve is. Why not? Because that knowledge isn’t important.

Now here’s where I tie this post in with the general theme of Blameless and Harmless: entertainment will not fulfill you.

You might be able to impress your friends that you can quote all the lines from a popular R-rated film, but what good does it do you? None.

Is being part of the number one gaming clan worth it? Nope.

Is it worth it to listen to rap, death metal, and other junk? No, it’s not.

Why do lust after these things? There are many reasons. We may want to “be like everybody else,” instead of being a “wacked-out, intolerant Christian.” Many young people go to movies or play videos games as social activities. No one wants to be the unsociable kid hiding in the corner, so it’s easy to find a seat in the theatre or, to pick up a game controller.

But we really have to ask – is it worth it?

Don’t just look at the lack of positives – look at the negatives.

Are we picking up bad habits, such as using profane language? Are we lusting after the actors or actresses in movies? Are we beginning to become desensitized to violence?

Is it worth it?

Absolutely not.

What can fulfill us though?

Serving God. Living our lives, not for ourselves, but for God, and for other people. Making sacrifices. Doing hard things. Growing in His kingdom. We will find fulfillment in those things.

Is it worth it to do those things?

Absolutely.