Day by Day

[Soldier4Christ]

Afraid of the Water

    But Jesus immediately said to them; "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."
    "Lord if it is you," Peter replied. "tell me to come to you on the water."
    "Come," he said.
    Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and beginning to sink, cried out. "Lord, save me!"
    Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him, "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?" (Mt.14:27-31).

I remember one summer when we and some of our friends had rented a pontoon boat during a weekend camping trip. At some point of our boat trip, we had stopped and the kids all wanted to go for a swim. Being that we were away from the shore, the water where we were at was well over their heads. But we had secured each in a life-vest to ensure they would bob rather than sink.
While the other children were swimming around, my daughter was content to remain next to the boat, holding tightly to the railing at the rear of the boat. We encouraged her to let go, ensuring her she would not sink. But there was no convincing her. She was placing more trust in the boat railing than the life-vest.
Finally we tried to help her move away from the boat so she could see there was nothing to be afraid of. A friend tried and then I tried, but to no avail. I kneeled at the rear of the boat, gave her my arm, and slowly tried to move her away from the boat. I wanted to let her trust in the life-vest develop like it needed to--gradually. Yet no matter how hard I tried or how much I tried to convince her that she had nothing to be afraid of, she tensed in fear anytime she even let go of the boat. And she refused to believe that she was safe; even while I was assuring her, "You don't have to worry. I love you, and I will not let you sink."

Jesus said, "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? (Matthew 7:11). What strikes me about this is that no matter how much I love my daughter, my heavenly Father loves all of us far more. And just as I would not let my child sink below the water, our heavenly Father will not let us sink--He loves us far too much.

You may be thinking, "But what about the terrible things that happen all around us. Where is God in that?" I would love to be able to answer that for you. But I cannot convince you that your life-vest is secure. And I must face the fact that no matter how much I encourage you, and tell you that God will not let you sink, only you can turn loose of whatever it is you are hanging on to that keeps you from fully putting your faith in God.

We first must keep in mind that He loves us more than we will ever know; and with greater love than a parent has for a child. And even though he may sometimes ask us, "Where is your faith?" He will reach out to us, and provide us His hand of security so that in the midst of the storm, we will not sink.

Look at the verse at the top of the page again, and read only Jesus words (which should be in red).

[Soldier4Christ]

Rescuers

    But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me (Mt.14:30).

"Grab my hand!" a man shouts into the storm, reaching his hand toward a stranger who happened to share the same misfortune as himself. The ship that had carried them through the ocean waters was now no where to be seen. The waters roared with great force, and the wind blown spray made it difficult for either to see his outstretched hand. The man desperately crawled through the rocking waves, closer and closer to one who could help. And finally drawing close enough, he threw his arm toward his hope and felt the strong grip of a stranger's hand enclose around his wrist. The rescuer then pulled the man toward him, and placed his hand securely on the protruding rock which stood above the beating waves.

There is little doubt that our lives will have storms. In the midst of which, we often feel frightened and alone. But there are many who are tossed--and some who are lost. And though our storms may gnaw at us to claim our attention, there is a stronghold that stands high above the threats of life. Jesus is the Rock of our security.
But now let's look at the third party--the rescuer. He is one who is in the storm too. He is faced with the same threats and should he panic and lose his grip, he too will suffer the terror of the rocking waves. In that event, he will not be there to reach out his hand to draw in a stranger, a friend, or even a family member. Because as soon as he loses his grip, his thoughts turn inward--thinking how to survive. But should he keep in mind that he is now safe because he is on the Rock, then his eyes turn outward to help draw others in.
The rescuer is one who has found confidence outside of himself. And because of that, he can be an instrument of God's hand to help others find the same confidence in Christ.

In life, we are faced with many trials and troubles. Yet, how we face them can be an example to the world of whom we place our confidence in. If we place it in ourselves, then we will be tossed to and fro like the rest. But if we place that confidence in Christ, then we become the lighthouse on the Rock--drawing people to their only true security.

    Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good
    works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven (Mt.5:14-16)

On this Valentine's day let's remember that we love others when their best interest is at heart--rather than our own skins.

[Soldier4Christ]

The Never-ending Prayer

    Pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

Many a person has pondered the practicality of this puzzling verse. I've heard people ask, "How is anyone supposed to pray like that?" This would be impossible if it meant that we were to be on our knees with head bowed and eyes closed 24 hours a day. I think therefore it is safe to say that this is not what Paul was saying. He simply meant that we should maintain a prayerful attitude with the Father throughout the day.
We can do this very simply. We begin our day by waking up and telling God "good morning," and we end our day by telling God "good night." And the time in between we spend in communication with Him as we go. We do things like invite Him along with us to work or school, and to the things after work or school or wherever it is we have to go. We tell Him our thoughts and we ask Him for His. We ask Him for help and we offer to do whatever He would have us to. We talk to Him, sing to Him, and even walk hand in Hand with Him as we go through the day remembering that He is right there with us all along. It's kind of like if there is someone who goes everywhere with you in a day--you tend to communicate with that person as you go. We simply extend God the same courtesy. But we keep in mind that with Him it's a deep, meaningful part of our relationship to Him.
Jesus stayed in a constant communication with the Father. Yet, He was in the practice of getting alone with Him to have a focused, and isolated time with the Father--a time that was free of the distractions of the day. It is necessary for us to be with God throughout the day, but it is also necessary for us to get alone with Him. It's hard to talk seriously with anyone unless you are able to get away to a private place. Then you can more fully focus on whom you are with.
The Lord is with us all day, try keeping that in mind and see if it helps to keep a prayerful attitude all day long. Something else that might help is to stop saying "Amen." The word "amen" means "so be it." But for Christians these days it has become the period to the prayer sentence. It marks the end of our prayer time with God, which usually precedes us going on about business as usual. If "amen" becomes the closing statement that caps off our time with God, then perhaps we should try not saying it. It seems a bit awkward when you don't say it. But what it does do is leave our prayer with loose ends, which means that it goes lingering on throughout our day. Try it yourself. Pray to God without your usual closing remarks and see how hard it is not to. Then watch and see how it effects your day to have a conversation with God that does not end.

[Soldier4Christ]

The Mainstream

    All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:6).

Have you ever sat along side a swiftly flowing river to watch the waters move. You can fix your eyes on a stick and follow it with your eyes as it passes then eventually fades from sight. Fix your eyes on the floating object long enough and you may notice that it seems as though the object and the water move as one, and everything on the shores become a blur.
But put yourself in the stick's place. You happened to have sort of fallen into the place you are now. You're going with the flow, following the currents for the time. After a while you don't really notice the speed you are moving. In fact, it doesn't really seem that you're moving that fast at all. When you first started moving, you noticed the shoreline becoming a blur. But now, you hardly notice the shore at all. It's easier to watch as another stick seems to be catching up to you or passing you by.
I recently found myself concerned as one of my children was wowed by a musical group that has recently grown to fame. I really didn't know that much about the group and I was not too sure of their values and beliefs. But I did know that they were mainstream, and this disturbed me. Why? Because I know how entrancing the things in the mainstream can be, and I know how distracting they can become. Things in the mainstream are often wondrous, causing onlookers to wonder where they came from and where they are headed. Things in the mainstream always seem like they're going somewhere while someone on the sidelines may feel like he is not going anywhere. The mainstream is attractive and tempting, and has claimed many souls who have jumped in--who lose focus on the reality of stable shorelines.
In the day in which we live, we must be very careful that we are not taken in by the false promises of a fading existence. Jesus warned, "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if [it were] possible, they
shall deceive the very elect" (Matthew 24:24). We live in an age full of self-flattering ideologies and self indulgent philosophies. It would be real easy to be taken in by the enticing mainstream currents of our day. Yet Christ warns us so that we will not be deceived--so that we will not be taken in by the false teachings to lose our sight of reality as it blurs into the background.
In 1 John 2:15 we are instructed, "Love not the world, neither the things [that are] in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." What is it that we love of this world? What thing in our lives can we think of that might suck us into the current and lose sight on God's purpose for our lives? It could be any of a number of things: money, career, fame, love, romance, sports, material possessions. . . ("For after all these things do the Gentiles seek" (Matthew 6:32)).
The thing of significance about the mainstream is this: though we do not all get into the stream at the same place, as long as we remain in it we will end up in the same place as everyone else therein.

    Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide [is] the gate, and broad [is] the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait [is] the gate, and narrow [is] the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it (Matthew 7:13-14).

Something to think about: How much does mainstream Christianity resemble mainstream society? If you were to list the differences, how long would it take?

[Soldier4Christ]

To Tell The Truth
Read James 3:1-12

    Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ (Eph. 4:15).

I once knew a well intended Christian who went to a sister in Christ to offer instruction on the error of her way. There was little doubt that the sister in question was caught up in activities that were harmful as well as sinful. The unfortunate end, however, to the unsolicited counsel was that the sister felt judged, scorned and humiliated. While it is true she may have felt that way no matter how she was approached; it is also true that the well intended Christian may have done well to administer the truth in love, rather than in accusation.
There is a song by Michael Card called, "The Final Word." One of the lines in the song states, "You and me we use so very many clumsy words, the noise of what we often say is not worth being heard." The Bible has a lot to say about the lot we say:

    "When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise" (Prov.10:19).
    "The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of judgment" (Prov.10:21).
    "With his mouth the godless destroys his neighbor, but through knowledge the righteous escape" (Prov.11:9).
    "Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing" (Prov.12:18).
    "He who guards his lips guards his life, but he who speaks rashly will come to ruin" (Prov.13:3).
    "A man of knowledge uses words with restraint, and a man of understanding is even tempered" (Prov.17:27).
    "Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue" (Prov.17:28).

Our words are powerful. They can be used to encourage and edify, or they can be used to attack and humiliate. We often forget the power of the spoken word, and are all too often careless with what is said. Jesus tells us in Matthew 12:36, "But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment." He also said, "Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man" (Matthew 15:11).
With every spoken word comes a great responsibility in the administration of a word. This is not to make us overly anxious, or overly self conscious. But it is to make us take care in what comes out of our mouths, that our mouths become nurturing rivers of life, and not loose cannons. Pray today that God will teach you about the power of a word, and that He will help you to speak with wisdom, restraint and grace.

    Pleasant words are a honey comb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones (Prov.16:24).

[Soldier4Christ]

The Greatest Commandments

    And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments [is], Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this [is] the first commandment. And the second [is] like, [namely] this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these (Mk.12:29-31).

You know the story of the ugly duckling. How all the ducks basically thought that the baby swan was actually supposed to be a duck. And how for a duckling it was sure not to win any beauty contest. Yet, no one knew the potential beauty of the baby swan because they all looked at what they thought it to be, or what they thought it should be--overlooking what it truly was. But as the swan grew their harsh words were quieted, as they beheld  the baby that grew to be the most beautiful creature of them all.

Though this is what we would call a child's story, it is one that bears repeating. The principle is one that we find ourselves having to be reminded of often. It seems that no matter how old we get, we will in some way be affected by preferential treatment--whether giving it, receiving it or being excluded due to it (see James 2:1-9).

In James 2, James is surprisingly addressing the church when he discusses preferential treatment that was taking place. For we consider church to be the one place that anyone should be able to be loved and accepted and received. The only exception to being accepted and received are those who continue willfully disobeying God. They are to be loved, but they are supposed to be dealt with as well (see Gal.6:1; Mt.18:15-17). Could it be, however, that the people who are not accepted are the ones who are not accepted outwardly? Maybe they dress differently, talk or act differently. Maybe it's someone who's personality rubs hard against the comfort levels of others. It may be someone with a heart of gold, but they smell bad, or are ugly or. . . you fill in the blank.

I attended a church where there was one couple that did not have a car and were always calling the church to ask for someone to come and get them. What a tragedy that many of the members complained about them and made light of them behind the couple's back. The couple were very nice, but did not manage to be the kind of people others wanted to be around. They have since left that church. No matter how different people are, it seems most can figure out when they're not wanted.

Jesus said, "This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you" (John 15:12). He also said, ". . .Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done [it] unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done [it] unto me" (Mt.25:40). Our response to all people should be without preferential treatment--and we should bear in mind that Christ takes our treatment of others very personally.

    For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. . .We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not [his] brother abideth in death. . . Hereby perceive we the love [of God], because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down [our] lives for the brethren. . .My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth. . .And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.

[Soldier4Christ]

Beneath the Surface

    But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law (Gal.5:22-23).

You have heard the old saying, "A watched pot never boils." Few of us would sit still long enough to watch the water come to a boil after we have just turned on the heat. But we know that as the heat is applied that the pot will get hot. And we know that as the pot gets hot, the water will eventually boil. Few of us show any concern as to the whole process, we are just watching for the bubbles on the surface.
In Matthew 12:33, Jesus tells us that a tree is known by it's fruit. The fruit is evidence of what is happening on the inside of the tree. Bad fruit indicates a problem in the tree. But perhaps only some of the fruit is bad--perhaps only on one branch. What do you do? You prune the tree so that the bad is removed and the good is nourished.
Have you ever been around someone who's pot is boiling over. Maybe it was someone close to you who one day just blew up at you for no apparent reason. Maybe this someone seemed hateful, snotty or rude, or made some sort of hurtful remark. Whatever it was--it was some pretty rotten fruit.
Now maybe this person was a Christian brother or sister and what he/she did seemed completely out of character. What do we do about it? Our natural reaction is often to throw up the walls of defense. This person snaps at me for no reason so naturally I snap back. Now who's fruit is bad? This other person may have something deep beneath his behavior or maybe just a bad day, but what about me? I may have been having a great day, but "There's no way I'll put up with someone treating me like that--how dare he!"
It seems that just like with a pot of boiling water, we only respond to the bubbles. The fact that there is a lot of heat beneath the bubbles does not seem to interest us. And instead of doing something to reduce the heat--we often add fuel to the fire.
Good people sometimes treat you poorly. A response with spiritual fruits (love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance) rather than a hasty retaliation, can go a long way to reducing the heat a person is feeling from what's beneath the surface. We do not respond by overlooking their behavior, but by underlooking it. That is to say, we recognize the behavior as the bubbles on the surface of a deeper problem. We can then see more clearly to help them find the cause, and with the love of God, help the person to deal with it.
If someone has treated you poorly, consider what's beneath his/her actions. Maybe it's just a bad day or maybe worse, but it's not likely to be that he/she is treating you badly just for kicks. Take yourself out of the picture and find a way to pray for the person, love him/her, and minister to him/her to help them through the process.

    Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye (Luke 6:42).

[Soldier4Christ]

The Easy Way

    Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God'" (Matthew 4:4).

When tempted with the quick solution, where do we turn? We know that the solution that is the easiest is seldom the best. Jesus, though faced with great hunger, could have easily turned the rocks in the desert into bread--providing for himself more than plenty to eat. He chose however to look to God for his solution, instead of the obviously easy out.
Our choices in life have lasting effects as we well know. But what we do with what we have already done, remains to be the next choice. We often opt for the easy way only to find ourselves stuck between the proverbial rock and the hard place. This due to turning to our own solution rather than the one God would lead us to. If we would trust Him in the first place, we would not find ourselves in such a way. Yet, we jump at the quick remedy and then ask God to "bless" what we have done--whether we have bungled it or not.
Although it seems harmless enough that Christ would turn the stones to bread, He looked beyond His present circumstance to a more lasting situation. He could have said to himself, "The Father won't mind if I turn the stones to bread. After all, I am hungry and I have the ability to do it--what harm could there be in that? There's no one else here to see and besides, whether I do this or not, it's not like it's going to hurt anyone."
But Christ chose to look beyond himself and determine what God would make of the situation. He determined that taking the easy way was in effect going to put God to a test. The devil tried to get Jesus to use God's power in a selfish manner to do something outside of the will of God, this so he (Jesus) could get what he needed quickly. Had Jesus not seen through the deceit, he might have succumbed to temptation and in so doing would have destroyed his ability to become the unblemished sacrificial Lamb who would take away the sins of the world. Jesus would have been like Esau who sold his birthright for a bowl of soup.
Obeying our lusts for quick decisions and prefabricated answers will steal away our birthrights just as Esau's decision did for him. We juggle possible solutions around in our minds using intellect, reason and common sense, then zero in on the easiest, quickest solutions that will best serve our purposes with the least amount of presumed damage. What we perhaps forget is that in all of our reasoning there are significant gaps. We do not know all of the factors, but God does. That is why we are not to live by bread alone but by every word that precedes from God's mouth. For what He has to give us is bread that brings life.
Jesus learned to trust God above himself. He did not decide that just because he was all grown up, a man, the Son of God, that he knew what was best for himself. He continued to entrust that to the Father and as a result he never sinned but remained obedient, "even to death on the cross."

[Soldier4Christ]

Faithful Friends

    Faithful [are] the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy [are] deceitful (Proverbs 27:6).

Have you ever found yourself caught between a need for an honest evaluation and a fear of hearing the truth? We all know that we sometimes need that outside opinion regarding some part of our lives so that we can make necessary adjustments where needed. Whether those adjustments are to a project we have been working on, or to the particular way we do something, or perhaps even to a part of our personality. We realize we are not perfect and that we need to hear and to weigh the viewpoints of another--and yet we wince at what we know we may hear that we really do not want to hear.
In the quest to be Christ-like, we cannot become serious without realizing at some point that it is necessary to have someone who will be a good enough friend to let us know when we mess up. Perhaps I have made an off-colored remark or used a harsh tone that caused someone to feel hurt. Perhaps I acted in a way that made someone else feel put down, unimportant or unappreciated. There are many ways that our actions and attitudes can easily reflect more of a selfish heart than a Christ like character.
Realizing that we do and say things without thinking, and often without noticing, it is necessary for some sort of accountability. We need someone to help us keep ourselves honest. It could be a close friend or a number of friends in whom we place the sacred trust of being our help to walk as a child of God, and not as a child of the world. It is so important that our actions are not hurtful, and that our words are not cutting. Our wrong deeds can hurt our relationship with God, with others and with self. Those wrong doings can also hinder someone coming to know Jesus.
Our love for God will lead us to love humanity, and our love for humanity will lead us to observe how we affect those around us. If we love others, then we will seek to do what is needed to prevent their harm. And because of our love for our friends, we will help them by telling them the truth they need to hear--no matter how painful it is to them or to us.

    A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity (Proverbs 17:17).

    A man [that hath] friends must show himself friendly: and there is a friend [that] sticketh closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24).

[Soldier4Christ]

The Prayer Warrior

    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).

Picture in your mind a warrior. The warrior is one who has been trained to fight. It is one who is brave and prepared. It is one who is unafraid to give his or her life for a noble cause, or for the life of another. A warrior often returns from battle wounded in some fashion, and yet when the next battle arises the warrior is ready to do whatever is necessary to ensure a victory over the enemy.
Consider the Prayer Warrior. The unsung hero. The man or woman who battles on his or her knees to ensure the victory over the enemy. They are adorned with mercy and their weapons are grace and love. When lifting up another, they lose themselves in sight of the concerns of another. And placing themselves in the shoes of another, they weep, cry and ache with a fallen heart so that the one for whom they pray might be restored.

Intercession
 
Rain, the tapestry of night.
Darkened clouds conceal
the Light which would break through
if not for thunder's quaking bite.
And I would kneel beside the bed
of one surrounded by the storm.
To say a word of warm embrace
to shelter with a smile.
And lifting up my eyes to God,
entrust Him with the very soul
of one who knows a greater pain
than I have ever dared endured.
My deepest parts would ache
to rid this one from Satan's grip.
In time, the bloodlet tears of pain
the moans, and cries
would find refrain
as Light breaks through
to rest upon
a weary, troubled heart,
And I within my weary rest
would soon rejoice for answered prayer
to see the end of sorrows borne
by one who suffers endless rain.

I do not have the gifts that drive me to be such an intercessor for another. I do the best I can with the Love of God helping me to pray for someone else. Few times have I ached for another's ache, and fewer times are there still that I have cried for another's tears. But I am well aware that there are many brothers and sisters in the Lord who are the unseen Prayer Warriors behind much of what God does in the lives of others.
A prayer warrior would not presume to get up and preach a Sunday Sermon if they were not gifted in proclaiming the Word of God. In the same way, the rest of us must not presume that we can easily jump into the role of the prayer warrior. We need to see that there are prayer matters that need to be taken outside of our efforts alone, and placed in the hands of the gifted intercessor. We are to continue to pray, but we need also to filter the concerns through the Church so that the Prayer Warrior can do the part God has given them to do.
I once heard that Billy Graham had said that without the prayers of so many, he would never have been used to the extent that God has used him. The work that God has given us each to do is not our work but His, and it is too important to think that we can go it alone. We must be willing, therefore, to humble ourselves and ask for the prayers of support that each of us needs for God to fully accomplish His work in us.

[Soldier4Christ]

Counter Measures

    Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly (Matthew 6:16-18).

I once heard of a man who felt as though God led him to go into topless bars and strip clubs to witness to the people there. From what I hear, people were saved as a result. While I think that is great, I must say that there are many men who would not exactly be cut out for such a job. Most men I know struggle from time to time with lust, and know that if they think they need to go into a topless club and remain sinless throughout, they might as well gouge out their eyes at the entrance.
The point is that many of us would not be called to work around an area of which we are highly susceptible to sin. In fact, we would more than likely be led to take preventative measures against the possibility of placing ourselves in such a situation. In Romans 13:14 Paul writes, "But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to [fulfil] the lusts [thereof]."
Jesus knew humanity all too well when he addressed His followers in His sermon on the mount. He knew that the closer we get to our weaknesses the more likely we are to give in to them. Matthew 5-7 deals with many temptations that threaten to make us stumble in our spiritual walk. But Jesus not only addresses the temptations and what happens if we give in to them, He also provides us with countermeasures to further distance ourselves from those temptations.
In the passage above, Jesus tells His followers that they are not to fast in a manner as to draw attention to their righteous acts, so to be seen by men and somehow considered better by their deeds. Jesus tells them to fast in secret, keeping the righteous act between the person and God. But He doesn't stop there. He instructs them to go one step further. "But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; That thou appear not unto men to fast," Jesus explains, and in so doing provides His followers with counter measures.
The pride from the praise of men is powerfully destructive to the work of the Spirit in our lives. Jesus not only wants us to avoid calling attention to our acts, He also wants us to go out of our way to ensure that nothing draws attention to our acts. So doing would ensure that what is done is done with pure motives, with absolutely no chance of us using righteous acts as a means for self-glorification.
If you have ever stood at the edge of a high cliff and looked down, (for most of us) it is not a safe feeling. One wrong move could cause you to slip and fall over. Or have you noticed that high voltage areas have fences several yards away from the danger, so that someone does not get too close and get electrocuted. God loves us and does not want us standing to close to what is dangerous for us. He wants us to remove any chance of harm. How we do it is to put up the fence several yards away from the danger. That way if you are harmed it is because you willfully jumped the fence and not because you slipped into a danger you were not aware of.
What is the sin that besets you? What is the weakness that trips you up over and over again? You know what it is, and chances are you have already been given instruction by God as to how to place a fence between you and it. If not, then pray and find out. And once you know--build the fence.

    There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God [is] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear [it].1 Corinthians 10:13

[Soldier4Christ]

The God of Christian Present

    But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt (Genesis 19:26).

The verse above comes from a very familiar passage of scripture. It is part of the Bible story about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and of course, what happened to Lot's wife as she looked back at the city after being warned not to.
You may wonder, as I did, why she was turned into a pillar of salt for looking back. I really don't know the answer to that one. I know God commanded Lot's family not to look back and when she did she suffered the consequences. But as to why He told them not to look back still remains a mystery which yields much speculation on the part of Bible student and theologian alike.
Although I don't know the exact "whys" and "what fors" of what happened to Lot's wife, I believe there is a very powerful lesson very well illustrated within this familiar passage. The cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were doomed. God had not found even ten righteous people within them. The cities were full of wickedness which means that spiritually they were already dead (For the wages of sin is death. . .Rom. 6:23). But God chose to save out from the city one family. He sent angels to rescue them from the death that the cities had brought upon themselves. Lot's family was to quickly leave before they were sucked into the death of these cities as well. As mentioned already, they were instructed not to look back. Looking back would take their eyes off of their salvation which lay ahead, and would place their eyes on their death which was to be left behind. Lot's wife no doubt looked back with a longing for her home in the city, for what she was leaving behind. Doing so kept her from being able to concentrate on her future. What she would in essence experience would be lifelessness.
This is not uncommon to us in our Christian walk. We are children of God, called out of lifelessness and into life (Jn.10:10). We are not to be guided by our past endearments but by our present salvation. Too many times we find ourselves in a situation that is difficult or uncomfortable (much like Lot's wife, leaving her home), and we begin to remember an easier time and wish it could be like that again. In so doing we can't see where God is wanting to take us because our hearts are stuck in the past.
A good example is when as Christians we remember the passion we had for God when we first came to know His salvation, then we find ourselves frustrated by our current state and wishing we could be like we once were. Though the intention is good, this can be very self-defeating. What we in turn end up doing is sitting around wanting things to be like they were, when God is wanting to move in our lives where we are.
God never promised that we would remain on our spiritual peaks. He never instructed that once we have come down, that we are to do everything we can to get back up on top of those same peaks. Those are the peaks of the past and as such, to dream for something that cannot be is lifelessness. Because as long as we do, we cannot move forward. There are new peaks, as well as valleys, for each of us to encounter. We need to stop being the child of Christian past, and be the child of Christian present because that is where God is at work.

[Soldier4Christ]

Up Close and Personal

    For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father (Romans 8:15).
    And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father (Galatians 4:6).

There is a myth that Christ came and died on the cross so that we could go to heaven. Why do I say a myth? If I were to tell you that the reason that I breathe is so I can see my chest go in and out you might think I am a little odd. We all know that we breathe so that our bodies can take in the oxygen it needs for us to live. The fact that my chest goes in and out is a one of the results of my breathing. Now be certain I am not making light of Heaven, for I believe it to be the place of God's throne--a very wonderful and holy place. What I am saying is that when we reduce the work of Christ down to whether or not we gain the better of two ends (heaven or hell), then we rob the gospel of much of its glory.
Christ came to reconcile us to God (2 Cor.5:18), Heaven is a part of it but not the end of it. God did not save us so that we could dwell in heaven and see Him, but that we might dwell with Him and see Heaven. We seem to have somehow distorted this fact with fiery sermons of hell with no greater intention than to scare someone into Heaven. What a shame that we resort to such tactics. Is it because we don't think that a right relationship with God is something desirable to the people of this earth? We think the only way we will get them to come to God is by scaring them away from something else--essentially chasing them into His arms.
Perhaps with some people that seems to be the only way to get them to budge, otherwise it seems they would never make a decision. I must concede to this thinking due to the fact that Jesus spoke a great deal about hell. But for us to leave it there would be quite irresponsible. People need to know that Jesus did not come just to rescue from hell, but more importantly to mend our relationship with God.
Perhaps as a result of the black and white, turn or burn philosophy, there are still a lot of Christians who live under fear of God's wrath rather than living in the joy of a close relationship to Him. Christ's purpose was to bring us out from under the fear of judgment so that we may dwell with God daily in a relationship that is up close and personal.
God did not save you so He could look down on you ready to jump when you make a wrong move. He is not sitting "up there" just waiting for you to blow it. He is a loving Father who wants to see you do well in your life. He is also a loving Father who corrects His children when they do wrong--not out of some kind of vindictive anger, but out of the love of a concerned daddy.
It is the love and purpose of Christ to reconcile us unto God.  That we might have a life on this earth that is filled with fellowship with the Father--walking closely to Him daily.  With that, heaven is not seen so much as a reward or a next life, but the continuing of something wonderful in our relationship with God--carried into forever.

[Soldier4Christ]

Even As You Are Known

    For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think [of himself] more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith (Romans 12:3).

A pendulum swings both ways, and seems to be forever in coming to a stop in the middle. So the way we consider ourselves from one week to the next, or from one day to the next, seems always to be on one side or the other--seldom ever resting in the middle. Today I may feel good about myself in such a way that I become prideful, thinking of myself better that I really am. Tomorrow I may experience set-backs which break my spirit and cause me to feel worthless or worse as a person than I really am.
A popular mind-set of our culture seems to be to say or do anything to reason away feelings of inadequacies; to blame any personal misgivings on background, education or race. Believing that a person needs to feel good about himself/herself, our society adheres to philosophies that provide us with an arsenal of excuses rather than telling us how to take responsibility for our mistakes. The popular mind-set is to believe anything that builds a high level of self-esteem, regardless of how true it is.
While we are not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think, we are also not to think of ourselves more lowly. While it is true that we do not deserve what God has done for us, that does not give way to actions or words that seek to place ourselves beneath the place that God has placed us. If I proclaim to be more than I am it is a lie; and if I proclaim to be less than I am it is also a lie. As thinking more highly is pride, so thinking more lowly may be considered false humility.
We are to walk in the light of God's truth in regard to every area of our lives. That means that we are to trust God's appraisal of who we are, avoiding the appraisal of others and of self. God alone can make an accurate assessment of who we are without bias or selfish motivation.
In order for us to live lives that are content in who we are, we must know ourselves even as we are known. This helps us to keep from pride as well as from the depressing feelings of worthlessness. Seeing ourselves through God's eyes helps us to see ourselves for who we really are. It helps us to recognize our good points without becoming puffed up, and it allows us to see and recognize our flaws as well. We can then learn to find the middle ground where we are not drawn to our good and repelled by our bad. Instead we can objectively look at the whole mix of who we are and say, "God's not done with me yet."
Don't be afraid to look at your flaws, but don't let your flaws become your focus. See what's wrong, acknowledge it to God and ask Him to help you deal with it. God will help you so that you can see yourself for who you really are--in His eyes.

[Soldier4Christ]

Trial & Error

    But let patience have [her] perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all [men] liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man [is] unstable in all his ways (James 1:4-8).

Through the process of growing up and gaining experience, we have learned a lot of things through trial and error. If something we do does not produce a desired result we find ways to improve upon what we have done in hopes that we will get closer to the desired result. If what we do produces the exact result we desire, then the next time we want the same result, it is more than likely that we will attempt to get the result by doing exactly as we had done before.
But what about the supernatural process? Is the way we work through the spiritual matters of our lives supposed to be handled by the same trial and error fashion? One might think so. Although as Christians we are no longer to walk by sight but by faith (2 Cor.5:7), many of us continue to walk by sight. We lead our new lives in Christ much the same as we led our old lives outside of Christ. We look for solutions to problems based on experience and trial and error. We try this or that, and if they fail to produce what we think is best, we try something else, or perhaps we find something that works and from there on out we try to make it the magic formula for whatever it seemed to work on before.
A good example might be in the way a lot of church activities are handled. If funds are needed to send youth to camp and the car wash fund raiser worked last time, then we will no doubt try it again. Or if it did not work, we will most certainly look for a different money making venture. Another example could be the way a revival is held. We try to put together the right evangelist, the right music, the right time frame and so on, to produce the desired results--decisions for Christ. We want to see something happen as a result, and when it doesn't happen as we think it should, we begin questioning what went wrong. Or if the results are as we desire, then revival might be prolonged.
We cannot truly walk by faith and by results too. God did not intend for us to live our Christian lives hit and miss, or trial and error. Instead we are intended to fix our eyes on Christ, the author and finisher of our faith (Heb.12:2). We are intended to hear God's voice and be obedient to Him, regardless of what we think we know. We must abandon everything that our experience tells us and forget the past results when it comes to complete and total obedience to God. Otherwise, our experience and past results become our masters rather than God.
What we think the results should be may be out of line with what God is doing in a given situation. To try this or that in order to get our desired results is disobedience. We need to find out what His desire is and line up with that. Then there is no discouragement and frustration with a surprise outcome. Instead there is a confidence that God was able to do as He wanted with us because we followed Him, regardless of the results.