Voting is our Sacred Duty

In Matthew 25 we find the parable of the talents. Jesus tells us of a man who goes on a long journey and entrusts his property to his servants. To one he gives five talents, to another two and to the third just one. The story recounts how he returns and finds that the one had doubled his money to ten talents, the second returned four but the third reasoned that he should do nothing and returns only the one. The servants with the five and two talents were blessed and increased while the lazy, fearful one lost his blessing, his home and way of life.

This parable is about stewardship. God gives us talents, gifts, to steward while He is gone. It is up to us what we do with them. At this time we have to evaluate within ourselves what God has given us and how much we appreciate it. This nation is a tremendous gift from God to the world. No other nation has done more for the Gospel than the United States of America. This nation, founded on Biblical principles, has touched the lives of arguably every person on this planet. It is the gift of five talents to us. 

Christians over the years have taken a lofty, religious attitude about politics in the mistaken belief that “God is in control and it’s going to come out however He wants it.”  However, that attitude is based in a spirit of laziness and pride. We convince ourselves that we are above politics and don’t need to vote and/or become otherwise involved because we are doing more important things. God requires us to work to provide for our families and likewise to work to bring about His will in this earth. Ultimately this entire world will change when the Master returns but until then we are called to be good stewards of what we’ve been given. 

We have allowed a deterioration of morality, direction and many of our rights and livelihoods because the nation has gone astray. More importantly the effectiveness of the ministry of the Gospel has been impeded through restrictions on public prayer and expression, teaching of the Bible and tightening of regulations on churches and other ministries.

It is time to correct our course and return to the founding principles of our gift and that can only be done if we take it out of the ground and get involved with it to increase its value. If we who call ourselves Christians would only inform ourselves and vote in every election there would be a great turnaround in this nation and a tremendous revival would ensue. 

If we think that we are only required to pray for our country and God will take care the rest, this is what the Master says:

2 Chronicles 7:14 NKJV

¹⁴ if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

He is calling us to account for the gifts He has given us as the master did with his servants. God is calling us to pray, seek Him for what is the right course, and turn from our wicked laziness and pride. Then, and only then will He hear our prayer, forgive and heal our land returning it to what He created it to be. A light to the world.

Matthew 5:13-16 NKJV

¹³ “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.

¹⁴ “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵ Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. ¹⁶ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.

The world will see our good works. Not just our prayers, but our works. 

James 2:17-18 NKLV

¹⁷ Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

¹⁸ But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

In the end our Master will return and require us to account for what we have done with the talents. I believe we are about to lose our home and way of life like that wicked servant if we don’t do something about it.

Don’t miss your opportunity to be the righteous servant. Dig up your gift and invest yourself in it. Be the light of the world by making your convictions known not only through religious activities but through supporting this nation, this gift of God to the world. Put away pride and laziness and show your faith through informing yourself and voting your values. By this God will bring increase and blessing to your house. 

The Fourth Dimension

For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere.  (Ephesians 6:12 AMP)

David Yungi Cho, in his book "The Fourth Dimension", made the point years ago that there is a spiritual reality that shapes the physical reality that we live in.  If you can change the spiritual, you can change the physical. Paul, in Ephesians, reminded us that the issues of our lives are basically spiritual in nature and we need to focus our efforts on that as opposed to what we see.  Every circumstance in our lives begins in the spirit realm. If we ignore that we are setting ourselves up for failure. 

Paul said in Ephesians 6:10-11 (AMP):

10 In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [be empowered through your union with Him]; draw your strength from Him [that strength which His boundless might provides].

11 Put on God’s whole armor [the armor of a heavy-armed soldier which God supplies], that you may be able successfully to stand up against [all] the strategies and the deceits of the devil.

We can do all manner of things to fight our battles here on earth, many of which are good, effective, and even noble. There are many things that wisdom dictates to make our lives better. Good stewardship with our money goes a long way toward financial success, just as eating well is good for our bodies. Paul told Timothy to take a little wine for his stomach (1Tim 5:23) and that physical exercise is good but it's more important to concentrate on spiritual growth (1Tim 4:8). We must not forget that we are primarily spiritual beings and our lives will go on long after our existence on this earth ends. 

If we become ill, whether it's a common cold or cancer, we need to condition our response first to addressing the spirit as opposed to the physical. If we are facing financial difficulties, or have trouble in our relationships, whatever the issue, we need to realize that what we see is simply the earthly response to a spiritual condition. 

(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) (2 Cor.10:4 KJV) 

Our battle is in the spirit! Strongholds in our lives are ripped apart!  We are transformed, changed, by the renewing of our minds to the likeness of God, thinking and acting as He does (Rom. 12:2).

So how does God act? He speaks of things that are not as though they were!

As it is written, I have made you the father of many nations. [He was appointed our father] in the sight of God in Whom he believed, Who gives life to the dead and speaks of the nonexistent things that [He has foretold and promised] as if they [already] existed. (Rom. 4:17 AMP)

The worlds were created by the word of God. 

By faith we understand that the worlds [during the successive ages] were framed (fashioned, put in order, and equipped for their intended purpose) by the word of God, so that what we see was not made out of things which are visible. (Heb.11:3 AMP)

He spoke them into existence.

And if the Spirit of Him Who raised up Jesus from the dead dwells in you, [then] He Who raised up Christ Jesus from the dead will also restore to life your mortal (short-lived, perishable) bodies through His Spirit Who dwells in you. (Rom. 8:11 KJV)

His Spirit is in us and by Him our bodies are raised up and healed as we speak His Word over ourselves.  We speak His words by His Spirit and spiritual forces go to work creating life within us!  Life is literally created out of death. Health is created out of sickness. Abundance is created out of lack.  What we see is created out of what we don't see!

Therefore put on God’s complete armor, that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day [of danger], and, having done all [the crisis demands], to stand [firmly in your place]. (Ephesians 6:13 AMP)

Go! Speak! Create!

Psalm 1

Psalms 1:1-4 (KJV)

1 Blessed is the man

that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly,

nor standeth in the way of sinners,

nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord;

and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

3 And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water,

that bringeth forth his fruit in his season;

his leaf also shall not wither;

and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.

The beginning of the Book of Psalms is a fitting start to God's direction in our lives.  It starts out "Blessed"!  I love that!  The Amplified Version says " "BLESSED (HAPPY, fortunate, prosperous, and enviable)..." is the man! I want to be that man!  The great thing is that He doesn't leave us hanging, He tells us how to be that man, woman, or child.  Here it is.  

First, don't follow after the worldly way of doing things, living and working as if you are just another cog in the worldly wheel.  Stop! Turn around and endeavor to do things God's way.  That's the true meaning of the word repent.  Turn around. Go God's way instead of the world's way.  Leave the old life behind and live according to Godly counsel.

Second, don't act like a sinner.  Don't go where sinners go, don't do the things sinners do.  Remember, God is talking to His people here and the context is expectant of a spiritual connection with Him.  We are not sinners, we are redeemed, set apart, and have been made the righteousness of God in Christ (His anointing).  He is saying "Don't act like normal people, act like you're a child of the King!

Third, don't allow yourself to get negative.   Remember from whence you came.  We all have our opportunities to become judgmental of others and situations saying, "I would've done this" or "Why would they do that?" There are times when it is appropriate to evaluate situations and performance but we must be careful not to become haughty and literally hateful.  If I allow myself to become critical  and negative in spirit I am going to miss the Blessing and I won't even recognize it.  

That's just the first verse!

Here's how you get Blessed!  Put God's Word first, make it your delight.  We have far more control over our passions than we usually recognize.  Whatever you spend your time on is going to form the essence of your life.  Whatever you meditate on, and focus on, is going to become your passion.  If we spend our time meditating on God's Word and His ways  we will begin to think and act like Him because His Word is powerful enough to transform us into the person God designed us to be!  It really is as simple as making His Word the priority and focus of our lives. Matthew 6:33 in the Amplified version says: "But first and most importantly seek (aim at, strive after) His kingdom and His righteousness [His way of doing and being right—the attitude and character of God], and all these things will be given to you also."

Romans 12:1 says that we are to make ourselves a living sacrifice to God, calling it our reasonable service.  We are to commit the whole of our bodies and faculties in service to God in order to prove, or fulfill, His perfect will in us.  As Ps 1:2 says, as we delight ourselves, focus, meditate and study, His Word, giving ourselves to it both day and night, we will be transformed, changed by the entire renewal of our minds.

Here's the blessing!  Verse 3 says we will be as a tree planted by the river.  Never in need of nourishment.  Healthy and flourishing in every area of our lives.  Bearing fruit, growing, and prospering in every way.  We will, as verse 1 says be BLESSED (HAPPY, fortunate, prosperous, and enviable).  That's God's promise.

New Year's Resolutions

I've been hearing a lot about New Year's Resolutions lately, no surprise.  I gave that up years ago, I don't have the discipline to get past the first week.  Maybe that'd be a good one...

Anyway, it seems to me that resolutions of any kind are about improving your life, making the next year better.  The only sure way to do that is to get more connected with the plan God has for you and trust Him more with the outcome.  None of us has control over the future and if we think we do all we have to do is refer to Luke 12:16-21. 

The problem is that deciding to do something differently doesn't give us the power to do it.  The only way to truly change our lives and the way we live is to change our thinking.  Rom. 12:2 says that we are transformed by the renewing of our minds so that we are, first, not conformed to this world's thinking, and second, able to prove, or demonstrate, what is the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God. The transformation, or changing, of our lives for the better, comes through the renewing, or upgrading of our thinking from the natural, worldly patterns to the Godly, spiritual patterns.  The renewing comes through the Word of God.  In Mark 4 Jesus demonstrates to us that the Word of God bears fruit in our lives dependent on the attention and position we give it. The book of Proverbs is all about understanding God's way of thinking and improving our lives through it. 

The Word will change the way you think, but as demonstrated in Mark 4, it is a seed.  If we make a decision to make it first place, read, study, meditate on it continually, our thinking will be transformed, and by it our lives will be transformed.

Here's a thought.  Give the Word of God a new place in your heart and mind this year.  Even if it's a little.  A scripture a day to meditate on.  A chapter or concept.  Don't be discouraged or feel condemned if you forget or slip up.  Do better tomorrow, and the next day.  Remember, it's seed.  When it bears fruit, it changes your thinking, priorities, and focus.  Give God an open door.  Rev. 3:20 says He's knocking at your door Christian!  That verse is for us not the unredeemed.  Open the door. Let Him in to spend time with you. 

I think that's my New Year's Resolution.  Plant more of the Word in my heart, and have dinner with God more often.

Happy New Year!

Perspective

I once heard of a college president who, at the beginning of every year, would issue a memo to the entire staff concerning the new students entering school as freshmen.  He would outline historical events taking place within the typical 18 year-old’s lifetime, and those predating them.  The purpose of the note was to bring awareness to the teachers and staff of how the new student’s perspective on life may be different than expected.

“Do you remember where you were when…?” is a phrase that always brings back vivid memories of significant events of our lifetimes.  The thing we tend to forget is that our lifetimes will include events not experienced by younger acquaintances, and therefore, may not impact them as they do us. 

An 18 year old today will certainly remember the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 against the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, but will not remember the first attack Bin Laden orchestrated against the north tower on February 26, 1993.  The Space Shuttle Columbia exploded in mid-air on February 1, 2003.  Our 18 year old would have been 9 at the time and would remember it pretty well.  There was another explosion of a Space Shuttle, the Challenger, occurring on January 28, 1986, before they were born.  I remember the deaths of three astronauts in a launching pad fire on January 27, 1967 and the subsequent near-disaster of Apollo 13, launched in April 1970 which made famous the phrase "Houston, we've got a problem". 

The fact that I vividly remember the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, the Watts Riots in the 60’s, and two of my brothers serving in the Vietnam War has an effect on the way I view the world around me today.  It’s the same for all of us.  Our world-view is shaped by the experiences we have had more profoundly than anything we have studied or read about.  I think this is partly what accounts for the so-called “generation gap” in our society.

Those of us who have been around awhile need to realize that our kids and grandchildren can only see the world through their own eyes unless we help them to understand the significance of our history.  To a young person Ronald Reagan is no different than George Washington.  The first Gulf War, the Vietnam War, the Korean Conflict, World Wars I and II are all history.  The Iraqi War and Afghanistan are experiential and real.  Understanding the significance of the first attack on the World Trade Center brings perspective to the second attack, and understanding the position of Israel historically brings new depth to today’s conflict.

As I see it, our job as the more mature members of our families and society is to find ways to communicate to a younger generation those things, which we hold dear.  Not just what we believe but why, and how the perspective of our parents influenced our own values

So, how do we keep from losing ourselves in the constant changing of perspective and understanding?  We have to hold our history in high esteem being willing to share it and gain understanding of others. Most importantly we have to settle on core values that are unchangeable in our lives.  The one constant, unshakable, and dependable perspective we can have throughout the generations is that of God’s, shown to us through His Word.  My view on life is necessarily shaped by my upbringing in a suburban Phoenix area mostly by a single Mom.  Others will be different.  Even my brothers and sister had a different life than mine but if I gain my life-perspective and world view from the Bible, and God’s principles I can have commonality with anyone else who holds to those same principles.  I can have a stable belief system to guide me while handing those values down to the generations.  When I espouse God’s eternal perspective as my own I see myself as an eternal being, born into an eternal family.  My view of everything around me will be influenced by the fact that I know this is all temporary.  I begin to make my life decisions based on that perspective as opposed to my experiences.  I can then bring spiritual influence on my world with eternal results, and live my life unencumbered by my past.  I know that noone here has complete control and lives, events, and the future can be changed by hooking up with the God in faith who is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-loving. 

In Matthew 5:13-16 Jesus said:

            “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.

Mark 16:15-18 gives us the final earthly instructions Jesus left with us:

            ¹⁵ And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. ¹⁶ He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. ¹⁷ And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; ¹⁸ they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

He was telling us that we are responsible for influencing this world not the other way around.  We are supposed to be the salt, the light, the bearer of the perspective that God is a god of love, mercy, healing, provision, and forgiveness.  It is our responsibility to find ways to communicate these unchanging principles to those who don’t see them.  As such, when we express our own perspective, through relationships, social media, family interactions, political involvement on every level, it is most important to adhere to those things which we know transcend our own experiences and those of our ancestors.  It is most important to stand for those values that we know bring life as God has it (John 10:10) as opposed to what seems reasonable in our own minds at the time. 

I stand for the undeniable right of an unborn child to live regardless of external circumstances because I know that God is the creator of all life and He doesn’t make mistakes.  I remember a time when a mother would gladly give up her own life to save the life of her child.

I stand for freedom of speech because without it we are not given the freedom to express the eternal principles God has given us to teach and to share the history and perspective left to us.

I stand for freedom of religion, not because I agree with every religion, or lack of religion that exists but because I believe it is God’s assignment to preach the Gospel and to worship Him according to my understanding of Him.

I stand for the sanctity of marriage because Genesis 1:27 says: So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.  The fact that God created men and women in a way that makes it possible to procreate only through an interaction of the two says to me that a sexual relationship is to be only between a man and a woman.  I don’t hate anyone but I will stand for God’s principles against any kind of perversion whether it is sexual or otherwise (I Tim 1:8-11).  Also, I’ve observed over my lifetime the deterioration of the family in our society.  I’ve seen the results of the gradual de-emphasis on honor, commitment, shared responsibility and influence of a father and a mother in a nuclear family on children. 

We have a lot to be thankful for in this nation but we are forgetting to honor our core values.  I believe our recent election was a statement about how we have become short-sighted in many ways concerning our immediate needs and desires and forgotten to hold to the long-term base values that are necessary to give generations to come the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Have a happy Thanksgiving

God Is Able

It’s no secret that we are living in a challenging time.  Uncertainty is the standard of the day and there is no telling how long it’s going to go on.  The good thing is that as a born-again child of God we can be confident that our lives do not depend entirely on what’s going on around us, the political climate, or the state of the economy.  The Word tells us that we are not of this world. 

Colossians 1:12-14 tells us:

¹²Giving thanks to the Father, Who has qualified and made us fit to share the portion which is the inheritance of the saints (God's holy people) in the Light.

    ¹³[The Father] has delivered and drawn us to Himself out of the control and the dominion of darkness and has transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,

    ¹⁴In Whom we have our redemption through His blood, [which means] the forgiveness of our sins.(AMP)

We have been transferred into the kingdom of His Son.  We are no longer under the dominion of this world and it’s conditions.  We are subject to the dominion and conditions of the kingdom of Jesus.  The quality of our lives is dictated by His ability and not our own.  It is extremely important for us to realize that we live by a higher standard that allows us to succeed when all around us are failing.

Eph. 3:20 says:

 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, (NKJV)

Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]—(AMP)

This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible because it says that we cannot even imagine what God has in store for us and what He can do through us.  We are all called to be ministers of the gospel in different ways.  What we don’t realize is how much God can do with that calling in our particular place with our particular gifting. (Eph. 4:16)  Our biggest problem is that we don’t imagine big enough!  Our dreams are too small! 

Think about Moses as he’s standing before the burning bush, in the middle of the desert, after 40 years of believing he’s messed up the call of God on his life.  Having handled his ministry in the wrong way at the beginning, he was, no doubt, discouraged, dejected, and dysfunctional in his approach to life.  He must have felt that there was no way that God would ever be able to use him again, or that he would ever be any more than a shepherd.  He must have felt tremendous guilt and responsibility for having destroyed his ministry through one act of violence.  How many of us have felt the same way, believing that something we did has disqualified us from our calling.  We feel like we are totally useless to God and destined to now live out our lives in survival mode just to do whatever good we can do until we finally get to go home. 

Then comes the bush.  God gives us His Word that tells us we’ve been transformed!  We’re not just the sum total of our actions or even our own talents and giftings.  We are the potential deliverance power of God in this earth!  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard people in ministry say that they never imagined that they would be involved in the ministry they are in today.  They never imagined it would be as far-reaching and effective as it is.  What they did was to just take a step into the footprints set before them, following the leading of God in pure obedience.  What they didn’t realize at the time was that God had a plan, and all He needed was obedient action. 

Moses had a choice to make.  Respond to God’s call on his life or turn and go about his business as usual.  What if he had been a small thinker, like so many of us are?  Would Israel have been delivered?  Would God have found someone else?  We certainly wouldn’t be talking about Moses today.  How many of us choose not to respond to God’s call as a result of our small vision and lack of imagination?  If we had any idea what He can and will do through us we would be motivated to do whatever it takes to be obedient.  You may say, “Well, Moses had a burning bush, if I saw a burning bush it would be different.”  But I would say, you have a burning bush!  It’s The Bible, the written Word of God given to you as a guide, and manual for your life.  The burning bush is the revelation we receive from the written word.  When we study His Word it transforms us from this kingdom of darkness, defeat, and destitution world into a kingdom of unimaginable, fulfilling possibility.  Moses had a choice when he saw the bush burning.  You see it’s not that unusual to see a bush burning in the desert.  It’s so dry and hot that from time to time spontaneous combustion will take place and the odd, dry bush will just go up in flames on it’s own.  But this one was not consumed! Moses had to be paying attention.  He had to have his eyes open.  He could have just passed on by but instead he turned to investigate. (Exodus 3:3)  God met him there, and God will meet us as well.  When we look into His Word, and pay attention, He will meet us where we are, and reveal His ability in us. 

He is able to carry out His purpose and do superabundantly more than we dare ask or even imagine!  What is that in you life?  What is it in my life?  Only God knows at this point.  I believe that even those of us who believe we are directly in the center of God’s will for our lives, fulfilling our purpose in Him, would be amazed if we knew how far beyond our comprehension His plans go. 

The first step though is to realize that He is able.  Regardless of your present situation or circumstance, God is able to do far more than you can imagine.  This applies to every aspect and need in you life.  Pay attention!  Look into His Word so you can see the burning bush.  Give Him a little of every day.  Be aware of His presence, and don’t just keep walking when you see something unusual.  Expect God to reveal Himself to you in an intimate way and you will begin to see the bush and hear His voice.

Doing Life God's Way

My good friend, Sam, asked me about the Biblical account of emerods and what that was all about the other day.  It deserved a little research.

In I Samuel 4, the Israelites had lost a major battle with the Philistines.  About 34,000 men were killed and the Ark of the Covenant was taken.  This was a devastating defeat for Israel and a great victory for the Philistines, until they got back home.  They soon discovered that having the Ark under these conditions was a curse.  The image of their god, Dagon, was destroyed in the presence of the Ark and their people began to get miserable sicknesses, which included itching, sores, and probably worst of all, emerods.  A look at the Hebrew tells us that these weren’t just hemorrhoids, which are bad enough, they were tumors, rectal tumors.  They began moving the Ark from town to town and every place experienced the same thing.  Wherever they moved it there was disease and mice ravaging the land.  It occurred to them that this Ark was a problem.

The Philistine leaders finally, after seven months, consulted the experts, the priests and diviners, about what they should do.  Interestingly, these guys knew their history.  They recalled what God had done to Egypt under Pharaoh (I Sam 4:8) and how Israel was delivered so they immediately advised that they send the Ark back.  They also knew that one did not approach the Most High God without a sin-offering.  They did their best to fashion an offering according to their own knowledge and custom.  They made images of the curse that had come upon them, the mice and emerods, out of gold, a most precious metal, to be specific about their deliverance, but they somehow missed the fact that God required the shedding of blood for atonement.  They also put it on a new cart, so they were trying. 

For some reason, our human nature tends to hold us back from the very deliverance we need from God.  We see this in Exodus 8:10 with the Egyptians.  When Pharaoh finally decided he has had enough frogs, he asked Moses to pray that they would be taken away TOMMORROW!  Amazing.  “Please give me one more night of misery before my deliverance.”  I think it has something to do with our tendency to hedge our bet, so to speak, against God’s power in our lives, not really wanting to admit that we are powerless.

Here’s how they hedged their bet.  Just to make sure that it wasn’t just coincidence that everywhere the Ark went, the curse went, they hitched the cart up to two milk cows which had never been hitched up, and, who had just had calves.  They then set them free to leave it up to God to get the Ark back to Israel.  The tendency of course for cows that had never been hitched up would have been chaos to begin with.  They also would naturally want to return back to their home and calves, instead of heading out across the wilderness to some place they had never been.  “Just in case the curse was a coincidence, lets make it almost impossible for these cows to go the right direction.”  They didn’t want to give up the very thing that was causing their problems, and we are the same way today.  “Let’s just hang on to this a little longer and see if things will work out anyway.  A little bit of compromise won’t hurt.  Maybe it’s just a coincidence that things are going badly.” (I Sam 6:9)

Interestingly, Israel had similar problems when the Ark came back.  Some looked inside it and died, the people panicked and sent it elsewhere.  It was some 20 years before the people finally determined that they needed to give up their idol worship and serve only the true God (I Sam 7:1-14).  Once they did that, and offered up the proper sacrifice, they were delivered from the Philistines and lived in peace.

We always want to do things our own way.  We want to deny that God is the only true power in our existence so we keep trying to prove we have control, hedging our bet against the possibility that our problems are more than just coincidence.  It was simple for the Israelites; you don’t look inside the Ark.  You know that!  You handle it correctly, according to the way God said, and you offer the proper sacrifices.  You do what God said to do and you prosper (Deut. 28:1-14).  If you don’t do what God said to do you suffer (Deut. 28:14-68).  He has set before us a choice, life or death, blessing or cursing. Choose life! (Deut. 30:19)  That choice is still ours today.

We can live our whole lives trying to prove we don’t need this Jesus, or God’s Word, or religion of any kind, but it doesn’t change the fact that the one true God, Jehovah, is the almighty one.  Even the Philistines knew that, they just rejected the truth.  Saul of Tarsus resisted God’s move also (Acts 9:1-2) and then when faced with the truth (vs.3-18), submitted to it and became Paul, the Apostle (vs.19-31).  It’s amazing what God can do in us if we submit to the truth and do what He says.  James 1:22-25 tells us to be doers of the Word and not hearers only and we will be blessed.  What if Ananias had not done what God asked him to do? (Acts 9:10-18)  What would have happened to Paul?  What if you don’t do what God asks you to do?  Who will be affected by hedging your bet that simple obedience to Gods Word will change your life as well as those around you?

Let’s stop hanging onto our comfort zones, traditions, pride, habits, laziness, and arrogance that keeps us from simply doing what God asks us to do today and becoming everything He wants us to be.  Let’s get rid of the emerods, itches, boils, and mice by doing life God’s way and then we’ll have life and life more abundantly! (John 10:10)