Call it sacrilege if you must...
I know this is supposed to be a Bible-based blog...
...but February 29th comes around only once every four years, and so I thought I'd deviate from the norm a bit.
Today I am going to show that not only did KatieLyn, the Runaway Bride, miss God, but she also blew off the wisdom of the Wizarding World! Today I am looking at some of the sage advice given by Albus Dumbledore.
"The truth is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore
be treated with great caution."
~ Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 17
KatieLyn did not guard the truth that the Lord had spoken to her. She let it slip from her grasp and she replaced it with her mother's delusional worries.
"It is our choices Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than
our abilities."
~ Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 18
Sadly, when we saw who KatieLyn truly was, she turned out to be a little girl who needed to please her mother and who was too frightened to give her love to a man.
"The consequences of our actions are always so complicated, so
diverse, that predicting the future is a very difficult business in
deed..."
~ Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 22
KatieLyn is pretty clueless on this one. There is a small chance that her mom has intercepted the gifts and cards the Joe sent, but probably she is choosing her own blindness. She is like the ostrich that tries to control its future by burying its head in the sand.
"It is my belief, however, that the truth is generally preferable to lies..."
~ Goblet of Fire, Chapter 37
Dumbledore said this at the end-of-year feast in the context of announcing the cause of death of Cedric Diggory. The wizarding authorities had decided that it would be best to control the flow of information; Dumbledore disagreed. Gwen, mother of the runaway, behaved like the ministry officials and took control of communications. In the end, the Ministry of Magic's tactic proved to be a disaster.
It was at that same end-of-year feast that Dumbledore spoke of making a
choice between what is right and what is easy. (The film script altered it a bit.) KatieLyn would have been a disappointment to Dumbledore; she chose what was easy.
And there is this one from Ron Weasley:
"You should write a book," Ron told Hermione as he cut up
his potatoes, "translating mad things girls do so boys can understand
them."
~ Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 26
That is what this blog is for—translating the mad things a runaway bride did so that we can understand them.
Monday, February 29, 2016
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
Deluded with Plausible Arguments
I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments.
Colossians 2:4 ESV
Sometimes a bible truth hits home better in a different translation because a person gets so used to hearing it one way that it unintentionally gets relegated to "the same ol' same old" status. That happened to me for Colossians 2:4.
Most of the time I use the NASB, where Colossians 2:4 is translated as, "I say this so that no one will delude you with persuasive argument." (Note the change between persuasive and plausible.) If you generally use the King James, then you have heard it this way, "And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words."
My old understanding of this verse always had a temptation & manipulation flavor to it. And while that is valid—arguments are often structured to tempt and manipulate—I had missed the 'plausible sophistry' angle (WNT), the idea that people were being deceived with logic and reasonable-sounding rhetoric.
In the preceding verses, the Apostle Paul had told how he wanted hearts to be encouraged, to be knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance, and to have understanding resulting in true knowledge. Who wouldn't want those things? And that is exactly what KatieLyn needed! That is why Paul warned against buying into "plausible arguments" that to not originate with God.
It was like "BLAM!" A light-bulb moment; that is what happened to KatieLyn! How ironic that in matters of the heart, it was an argument to deceive her mind that did her in. This is why her excuses were not making any sense! Her mind was at war with her heart. Rather than fight to win the war of her heart, she decided that she did not like war, and so she threw in the white flag and ran home in the middle of the night.
We had known from the beginning of the broken engagement that her decision meant that she was walking by sight, not by faith. We knew that to please God, one must walk by faith, cf Hebrews 11:6. We knew the admonition of 2 Corinthians 5:7, "For we walk by faith, not by sight." But knowing what was wrong and knowing how it came about are two different things.
I now understand better why Joe was so blindsided by her bolting off just a few days before the wedding. His mind was sealed in knowledge of the Spirit. When you are in this place of assurance, you are walking by faith; worldly reasoning loses most of its power to affect you. It is possible to know 100% that you are in the will of God, and Joe did. So he was not expecting KatieLyn to not know this for herself.
It is both insidious and tragic how Satan was able to use Gwen, mother of the runaway bride, to utterly destroy KatieLyn's confidence in the Lord.
Gwen was the epitome of the double minded person. And if you don't know what the Bible says about that, I have looked it up for you:
"Hate" is a pretty strong verb. Fortunately, James also gives the cure for it:
A few of the earlier posts in this blog give more details as to what was happening, including the timeline and the quotes, but in summary, Gwen was all over the place. She began by telling me she thought that KatieLyn's relationship with Joe was "a God thing." She gave Joe her blessing to propose. Then she turned, or perhaps more likely, was turned by the thoughts the devil was floating across her mind. In any event, she chose to dwell on what could go wrong instead of praising God for answering her daughter's prayers. Gwen was in open disobedience to Philippians 4:8, "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." She was picking fights with her daughter; fights that she could "win" simply by casting doubt and destroying her daughter's faith. Without faith, KatieLyn would complete the final destruction of the engagement herself. Gwen would be left looking like a benevolent prophet of the coming destruction, when in fact, she had lit the spark.
To score in this kind of fight, Gwen could appear to take the high road by claiming that her "loving concerns" were her motivation. The devil probably had her convinced of that, so she would not have needed to act the part. If the devil followed his SOP, then it is likely that Satan fed Gwen the most plausible arguments, targeting those that could destroy KatieLyn's faith. Gwen was already reading my email to her daughter, so that could easily be twisted—in hindsight I understand how practically everything that I wrote with the intent of helping KatieLyn feel at home and be excited about how the Lord was working in our lives could be "reinterpreted" by her mother and given different motives that KatieLyn was used to seeing in her own mom.
I am not Gwen, my worldview and my motivation is radically different, but KatieLyn had not made the time to find that out. Not that I had ever expected her to; I thought we would have years to discover that and build a loving relationship that was quite separate. The last thing the poor girl needed was a future mother-in-law and half-stranger telling her what to think! (And yes, I do think of her as a 'poor girl' in that regard. Mostly, KatieLyn is a woman, but under the influence of her mom she reverts to being a girl.)
The Lesson
Satan can always come up with a plausible argument to not follow God. When he delivers that plausible argument to you in the mouth of a trusted loved one, it can be extremely difficult to resist the devil and stand against his devices. The only way to completely avoid stumbling in this area is to be completely submitted to God. When KatieLyn submitted herself to her mother's words before he submitted herself to God's instructions, she made a tragic error and ran out of God's will for her in the middle of the night. She was deluded by a plausible argument. But plausible was not truth.
♦ Key to Abbreviations used in this post
ESV - English Standard Version
NASB - New American Standard Bible
WNT - Weymouth New Testament
SOP - Standard Operating Procedure
Colossians 2:4 ESV
Sometimes a bible truth hits home better in a different translation because a person gets so used to hearing it one way that it unintentionally gets relegated to "the same ol' same old" status. That happened to me for Colossians 2:4.
Most of the time I use the NASB, where Colossians 2:4 is translated as, "I say this so that no one will delude you with persuasive argument." (Note the change between persuasive and plausible.) If you generally use the King James, then you have heard it this way, "And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words."
My old understanding of this verse always had a temptation & manipulation flavor to it. And while that is valid—arguments are often structured to tempt and manipulate—I had missed the 'plausible sophistry' angle (WNT), the idea that people were being deceived with logic and reasonable-sounding rhetoric.
In the preceding verses, the Apostle Paul had told how he wanted hearts to be encouraged, to be knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance, and to have understanding resulting in true knowledge. Who wouldn't want those things? And that is exactly what KatieLyn needed! That is why Paul warned against buying into "plausible arguments" that to not originate with God.
It was like "BLAM!" A light-bulb moment; that is what happened to KatieLyn! How ironic that in matters of the heart, it was an argument to deceive her mind that did her in. This is why her excuses were not making any sense! Her mind was at war with her heart. Rather than fight to win the war of her heart, she decided that she did not like war, and so she threw in the white flag and ran home in the middle of the night.
We had known from the beginning of the broken engagement that her decision meant that she was walking by sight, not by faith. We knew that to please God, one must walk by faith, cf Hebrews 11:6. We knew the admonition of 2 Corinthians 5:7, "For we walk by faith, not by sight." But knowing what was wrong and knowing how it came about are two different things.
I now understand better why Joe was so blindsided by her bolting off just a few days before the wedding. His mind was sealed in knowledge of the Spirit. When you are in this place of assurance, you are walking by faith; worldly reasoning loses most of its power to affect you. It is possible to know 100% that you are in the will of God, and Joe did. So he was not expecting KatieLyn to not know this for herself.
It is both insidious and tragic how Satan was able to use Gwen, mother of the runaway bride, to utterly destroy KatieLyn's confidence in the Lord.
Gwen was the epitome of the double minded person. And if you don't know what the Bible says about that, I have looked it up for you:
I hate the double-minded, but I love your instruction. Psalm 119:113
A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. James 1:8
"Hate" is a pretty strong verb. Fortunately, James also gives the cure for it:
Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4:8Alas, Gwen did not do that. Instead of honestly drawing near to God she stayed stuck on the plausible arguments in her own mind.
A few of the earlier posts in this blog give more details as to what was happening, including the timeline and the quotes, but in summary, Gwen was all over the place. She began by telling me she thought that KatieLyn's relationship with Joe was "a God thing." She gave Joe her blessing to propose. Then she turned, or perhaps more likely, was turned by the thoughts the devil was floating across her mind. In any event, she chose to dwell on what could go wrong instead of praising God for answering her daughter's prayers. Gwen was in open disobedience to Philippians 4:8, "Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." She was picking fights with her daughter; fights that she could "win" simply by casting doubt and destroying her daughter's faith. Without faith, KatieLyn would complete the final destruction of the engagement herself. Gwen would be left looking like a benevolent prophet of the coming destruction, when in fact, she had lit the spark.
To score in this kind of fight, Gwen could appear to take the high road by claiming that her "loving concerns" were her motivation. The devil probably had her convinced of that, so she would not have needed to act the part. If the devil followed his SOP, then it is likely that Satan fed Gwen the most plausible arguments, targeting those that could destroy KatieLyn's faith. Gwen was already reading my email to her daughter, so that could easily be twisted—in hindsight I understand how practically everything that I wrote with the intent of helping KatieLyn feel at home and be excited about how the Lord was working in our lives could be "reinterpreted" by her mother and given different motives that KatieLyn was used to seeing in her own mom.
I am not Gwen, my worldview and my motivation is radically different, but KatieLyn had not made the time to find that out. Not that I had ever expected her to; I thought we would have years to discover that and build a loving relationship that was quite separate. The last thing the poor girl needed was a future mother-in-law and half-stranger telling her what to think! (And yes, I do think of her as a 'poor girl' in that regard. Mostly, KatieLyn is a woman, but under the influence of her mom she reverts to being a girl.)
The Lesson
Satan can always come up with a plausible argument to not follow God. When he delivers that plausible argument to you in the mouth of a trusted loved one, it can be extremely difficult to resist the devil and stand against his devices. The only way to completely avoid stumbling in this area is to be completely submitted to God. When KatieLyn submitted herself to her mother's words before he submitted herself to God's instructions, she made a tragic error and ran out of God's will for her in the middle of the night. She was deluded by a plausible argument. But plausible was not truth.
♦ Key to Abbreviations used in this post
ESV - English Standard Version
NASB - New American Standard Bible
WNT - Weymouth New Testament
SOP - Standard Operating Procedure
Saturday, February 20, 2016
They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.
Unless you are pretty familiar with the Old Testament prophets, you might be surprised where the title of this post came from...
It was part of Jonah's prayer when he was in the belly of the fish! Chapter 2. Verse 8.
Not what you expected? Then let's take a closer look—
A possible alternative translation for 'observe' would be 'regard.' The idea is observing closely, paying heed, keeping watch; it's a deeper level than simply looking. The act of observation is taking place at a level akin to the way a herdsman would observe his flock or a guardsman would keep watch from his parapet; their livelihoods are bound up in it.
Some translations switch 'lying vanities' for 'vain idols,' but the original King James version sticks to the literal meaning. It is a good translation because the intent in the Hebrew is to highlight the emptiness. When the Western mind reads the word 'idol' there is a tendency to think of little statues; but that would be misleading here. The original Hebrew uses figurative language that implies a vapor; the lie is that what is seen has no solid substance.
The verb forsake is pretty much what the runaway bride did: leave, to depart from, leave behind.
...their own mercy.
Most English translations stick with the word 'mercy' that was used by the King James translators. A check with a Hebrew lexicon reveals that in this instance mercy connotes kindness more than it does a pardon. Other translations have used terms such as hope of steadfast love, faithful love, gracious love, faithfulness, and loving-kindness.
Jonah is in dire straights at this point. He is as good as dead and destined to stay dead if not for the real, substantive kindness and mercy of God. He had run away as best he could, but has now finally been confronted with the fact that those who cling to vanity leave behind the gracious love that could have been theirs.
Here is what Matthew Henry's Commentary says about it:
If I were writing a bad Facebook meme instead of a good blog, I would say, "You won't believe what happened next!" Except that I really do want you to believe what happened next. It's sort of the whole point of this post! Jonah continues his prayer in the next verse. Chapter 2. Verse 9.
Considering the state of his worldly goods at the moment, (any luggage not thrown overboard during the storm would be miles away on a badly battered boat,) praise is one of the few things that he had left to sacrifice. Jonah is making his from-the-heart sacrifice of praise where he is, and he pledges to fulfill his vow (i.e. the legal ceremonial sacrifice, Gill) when he gets to the temple.
Jonah wasn't praising God for delivering him from the fish; that had not happened yet. Nor was Jonah praising God because he could skip his Nineveh assignment now; God did not change the call on Jonah's life despite his taking a side trip overboard. God kept the Nineveh mission on Jonah's bucket list.
Jonah isn't voicing thanks for his physical deliverance—at least not primarily. What tops his list is thankfulness that he has learned what is important, that he has realized that salvation belongs to the Lord and is obtainable from relationship with Him. Jonah was positioned and able to receive God's kindness because Jonah was no longer wrapped up in lying vanities.
KatieLyn tried to make the claim that the wedding was a "lying vanity" that she needed to give up. A wedding may well be a lying vanity for a girl who does not know who she is, what she wants, and is trying to keep peace by pleasing others. And if the girl gets stuck where she cannot please everybody, then she will choose to appease the one who would make the biggest stink about it, (in this case, she chose to appease her mother before pleasing Joe.) Such a girl is not marriageable.
But marriage is not a lying vanity for a woman who knows her own heart, for a woman who has held that dream before God since childhood, a desire which God had graciously answered for her with "Yes." This is the woman that Joe wanted. KatieLyn animated him, sent his spirits soaring, and made him feel alive. He wanted to make her a princess. This is who she could have been. This is who God wanted her to be, serving as God's handmaiden, becoming the helpmeet of a man who loves her, sharing the path the Lord laid before them.
Go figure. Why would she choose to remain under the judgmental governing of her mother? Why is being a scrub woman in her parents' house more appealing than being a queen in her own home? Why would she forsake God's kindness toward her? Why can't she graciously give Joe the peace he needs by answering these questions?
The Lesson
Jonah and KatieLyn both tried to run from God's call on their lives. The difference is that when Jonah was in the fish's belly, he realized his mistake and gave thanks. He was able to accept God's kind mercy. Even though it was not easy for him, even though Jonah still had issues to work out, (as evidenced by that worm and vine thing cf Jonah, chapter 4,) he did obey and affect the destinies of more than 120,000 persons as well as many animals. KatieLyn clung to vanity left behind the gracious love that could have been hers.
Matthew Henry's Commentary, accessed 2/20/2016 http://biblehub.com/commentaries/mhc/jonah/2.htm
Gill's Exposition, accessed 2/20/2016 http://biblehub.com/commentaries/gill/jonah/2.htm
They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy.
It was part of Jonah's prayer when he was in the belly of the fish! Chapter 2. Verse 8.
Not what you expected? Then let's take a closer look—
A possible alternative translation for 'observe' would be 'regard.' The idea is observing closely, paying heed, keeping watch; it's a deeper level than simply looking. The act of observation is taking place at a level akin to the way a herdsman would observe his flock or a guardsman would keep watch from his parapet; their livelihoods are bound up in it.
Some translations switch 'lying vanities' for 'vain idols,' but the original King James version sticks to the literal meaning. It is a good translation because the intent in the Hebrew is to highlight the emptiness. When the Western mind reads the word 'idol' there is a tendency to think of little statues; but that would be misleading here. The original Hebrew uses figurative language that implies a vapor; the lie is that what is seen has no solid substance.
The verb forsake is pretty much what the runaway bride did: leave, to depart from, leave behind.
...their own mercy.
Most English translations stick with the word 'mercy' that was used by the King James translators. A check with a Hebrew lexicon reveals that in this instance mercy connotes kindness more than it does a pardon. Other translations have used terms such as hope of steadfast love, faithful love, gracious love, faithfulness, and loving-kindness.
Jonah is in dire straights at this point. He is as good as dead and destined to stay dead if not for the real, substantive kindness and mercy of God. He had run away as best he could, but has now finally been confronted with the fact that those who cling to vanity leave behind the gracious love that could have been theirs.
Here is what Matthew Henry's Commentary says about it:
Those who forsake their own duty, forsake their own mercy; those who run away from the work of their place and day, run away from the comfort of it. As far as a believer copies those who observe lying vanities, he forsakes his own mercy, and lives below his privileges. But Jonah's experience encourages others, in all ages, to trust in God, as the God of salvation.
If I were writing a bad Facebook meme instead of a good blog, I would say, "You won't believe what happened next!" Except that I really do want you to believe what happened next. It's sort of the whole point of this post! Jonah continues his prayer in the next verse. Chapter 2. Verse 9.
But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the LORD!Get the picture. Jonah has had three days to seriously consider the fact that he ran away from God's call on his life. He, more than anyone else, can say that he has been to hell and back for making the wrong choice. He hasn't been puked out on the beach yet; it's dark there, so any future that he sees at all is seen only by the eyes of faith. And he is making a sacrifice of praise.
Considering the state of his worldly goods at the moment, (any luggage not thrown overboard during the storm would be miles away on a badly battered boat,) praise is one of the few things that he had left to sacrifice. Jonah is making his from-the-heart sacrifice of praise where he is, and he pledges to fulfill his vow (i.e. the legal ceremonial sacrifice, Gill) when he gets to the temple.
Jonah wasn't praising God for delivering him from the fish; that had not happened yet. Nor was Jonah praising God because he could skip his Nineveh assignment now; God did not change the call on Jonah's life despite his taking a side trip overboard. God kept the Nineveh mission on Jonah's bucket list.
Jonah isn't voicing thanks for his physical deliverance—at least not primarily. What tops his list is thankfulness that he has learned what is important, that he has realized that salvation belongs to the Lord and is obtainable from relationship with Him. Jonah was positioned and able to receive God's kindness because Jonah was no longer wrapped up in lying vanities.
KatieLyn tried to make the claim that the wedding was a "lying vanity" that she needed to give up. A wedding may well be a lying vanity for a girl who does not know who she is, what she wants, and is trying to keep peace by pleasing others. And if the girl gets stuck where she cannot please everybody, then she will choose to appease the one who would make the biggest stink about it, (in this case, she chose to appease her mother before pleasing Joe.) Such a girl is not marriageable.
But marriage is not a lying vanity for a woman who knows her own heart, for a woman who has held that dream before God since childhood, a desire which God had graciously answered for her with "Yes." This is the woman that Joe wanted. KatieLyn animated him, sent his spirits soaring, and made him feel alive. He wanted to make her a princess. This is who she could have been. This is who God wanted her to be, serving as God's handmaiden, becoming the helpmeet of a man who loves her, sharing the path the Lord laid before them.
Go figure. Why would she choose to remain under the judgmental governing of her mother? Why is being a scrub woman in her parents' house more appealing than being a queen in her own home? Why would she forsake God's kindness toward her? Why can't she graciously give Joe the peace he needs by answering these questions?
The Lesson
Jonah and KatieLyn both tried to run from God's call on their lives. The difference is that when Jonah was in the fish's belly, he realized his mistake and gave thanks. He was able to accept God's kind mercy. Even though it was not easy for him, even though Jonah still had issues to work out, (as evidenced by that worm and vine thing cf Jonah, chapter 4,) he did obey and affect the destinies of more than 120,000 persons as well as many animals. KatieLyn clung to vanity left behind the gracious love that could have been hers.
Matthew Henry's Commentary, accessed 2/20/2016 http://biblehub.com/commentaries/mhc/jonah/2.htm
Gill's Exposition, accessed 2/20/2016 http://biblehub.com/commentaries/gill/jonah/2.htm
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
Hope is Energizing
Hope is energizing. Although to be quite honest, I did not learn that lesson directly from the runaway bride. I saw that before she ran—in the stay-put groom. As his hope soared, he became more focused and more energized than I'd ever seen him. He was accomplishing more in less time and growing in strides. He was so filled with hope that just being around him was energizing.
The lesson demonstrated by the runaway bride is that loss of hope is demoralizing. The Lord had answered her 15-year-long prayer for a husband! She was happy. Her hope had made her giddy. But Gwen, the mother of the runaway bride, did not like giddy. She said KatieLyn wasn't being herself. So Gwen set out to temper the giddiness, and found success by utterly destroying her daughter's hope.
Fricken' Of Course! KatieLyn wasn't herself—as it should be! God was preparing her for a union with someone else. One cannot stick with her old self and make room for her new life! That is a basic and ought-to-be obvious concept.
Hope gets a bad rap. Even in pagan mythology Hope was portrayed as the worst evil to be released from Pandora's box because it keeps people striving for what they cannot have, hitting their own heads against a brick wall, or endlessly trying to move the immovable rock. (But then, Zeus also punished men by giving them women so he doesn't have the tightest hold on reality himself.)
Some "Christians" (and you will note the quotation marks surrounding that label,) will take 1 Corinthians 13:13, Faith, hope and love abide, But the greatest of these is love; and because love is declared the greatest, become dismissive of hope and faith. Yet without faith it is impossible to please God, and hope is an anchor for our reasoning and emotions.
This is why the enemy attacked KatieLyn's hope. He wanted her adrift. He wanted Joe to be adrift. He doesn't want anyone staying connected to the Lord. On the day she became engaged to Joe, the Lord gave KatieLyn a hope that reached further than any she had ever known. It was new to her. It was awesome. If she had kept it, she would have entered into the very certainty of His Presence within her marriage.
But the enemy brought stormy fights to KatieLyn so that she would let go of her anchor of hope. It worked. Eventually he convinced her that if she could not be 100% sure of her anchor, then she best never set sail at all, and by that time her hope was shattered with doubt. Apparently those storms were far more intense than she ever let on. The very thing that she needed most desperately, the sustaining energy of hope, had been stolen from her. I now see that was the devil's scheme all along. Go back and read the post from Friday, September 11, the Demon at the Trailhead. The moment that KatieLyn's mother left town, the devil began using her to destroy the line to KatieLyn's anchor of hope.
The Lesson
There is nothing courageous or wise about letting go of the anchor that God gives you. The hope that would have energized KatieLyn to "Hold on!" had been destroyed by forces of evil. The only anchorage that she had left was to return to the berth of her codependency. Hope is energizing. Letting go of hope leads to shipwrecked lives.
The lesson demonstrated by the runaway bride is that loss of hope is demoralizing. The Lord had answered her 15-year-long prayer for a husband! She was happy. Her hope had made her giddy. But Gwen, the mother of the runaway bride, did not like giddy. She said KatieLyn wasn't being herself. So Gwen set out to temper the giddiness, and found success by utterly destroying her daughter's hope.
Fricken' Of Course! KatieLyn wasn't herself—as it should be! God was preparing her for a union with someone else. One cannot stick with her old self and make room for her new life! That is a basic and ought-to-be obvious concept.
Hope gets a bad rap. Even in pagan mythology Hope was portrayed as the worst evil to be released from Pandora's box because it keeps people striving for what they cannot have, hitting their own heads against a brick wall, or endlessly trying to move the immovable rock. (But then, Zeus also punished men by giving them women so he doesn't have the tightest hold on reality himself.)
Some "Christians" (and you will note the quotation marks surrounding that label,) will take 1 Corinthians 13:13, Faith, hope and love abide, But the greatest of these is love; and because love is declared the greatest, become dismissive of hope and faith. Yet without faith it is impossible to please God, and hope is an anchor for our reasoning and emotions.
We who have taken refuge (in Him) would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast and one which enters within the veil... Hebrews 6:18, 19Hope is a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul. It anchors our feelings, our passions, and even our cognitive thinking. Hope will keep us steady and tied to our mooring in the storm. The Amplified Bible expands on this verse: it cannot slip and it cannot break down under whoever steps out upon it–a hope. Our mooring is the place God reserved for us, a place where our 'boat' can be made secure.
This is why the enemy attacked KatieLyn's hope. He wanted her adrift. He wanted Joe to be adrift. He doesn't want anyone staying connected to the Lord. On the day she became engaged to Joe, the Lord gave KatieLyn a hope that reached further than any she had ever known. It was new to her. It was awesome. If she had kept it, she would have entered into the very certainty of His Presence within her marriage.
But the enemy brought stormy fights to KatieLyn so that she would let go of her anchor of hope. It worked. Eventually he convinced her that if she could not be 100% sure of her anchor, then she best never set sail at all, and by that time her hope was shattered with doubt. Apparently those storms were far more intense than she ever let on. The very thing that she needed most desperately, the sustaining energy of hope, had been stolen from her. I now see that was the devil's scheme all along. Go back and read the post from Friday, September 11, the Demon at the Trailhead. The moment that KatieLyn's mother left town, the devil began using her to destroy the line to KatieLyn's anchor of hope.
The Lesson
There is nothing courageous or wise about letting go of the anchor that God gives you. The hope that would have energized KatieLyn to "Hold on!" had been destroyed by forces of evil. The only anchorage that she had left was to return to the berth of her codependency. Hope is energizing. Letting go of hope leads to shipwrecked lives.
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
On the Vanity of Earthly Greatness
Remember this one from Lit class?
It is titled, "On the Vanity of Earthly Greatness" and was penned by American poet Arthur Guiterman. It has been, deservedly, reprinted in a host of textbooks, so unless you played hooky a lot, there is a good chance that you remember it.
Guiterman also wrote "Our New Religion," and knowing that he lived from 1871 to 1943 gives us some perspective that whist technology changes over a century, people still reject God on a regular basis.
How does all this relate to lessons from a runaway bride? Some of it does not; some was included just for fun. But it is worth exploring the idea that contemporary religion is "godless." I will give Guiterman some poetic license for this one. It is hard to cram a complex idea into a four-word line at the end of a poem. Completely "godless" would be hyperbole, but the central point is clear; God has been diminished.
I would never call KatieLyn godless. That would be both false and guileful. (Maybe I will come back and edit guileful sometime; I am looking for a word that means "crafty-cruel.")
KatieLyn is certainly not godless, however, by running off into the night she failed to trust God. She diminished her own faith and honored her own fear and doubt. She made idols out of good intentions and allowed her mother's counsel to take the place of what the Lord had told her.
I imagine that she felt like she was between a rock and a hard place. She, by her actions, showed that she did not trust God, nor did she trust Joe, nor even herself, really. Her actions show that she trusted most in her mother. She had more faith in her mom than in anyone else, including God. So while I would not call her "godless" on the whole, she did not value Him as much as she did her mother when she made the decision to runaway from His plan for her.
The Lesson
The tusks that clashed in mighty brawls
Of mastodons, are billiard balls.
The sword of Charlemagne the Just
Is ferric oxide, known as rust.
The grizzly bear whose potent hug
Was feared by all, is now a rug.
Great Caesar’s bust is on my shelf,
And I don’t feel so well myself.
It is titled, "On the Vanity of Earthly Greatness" and was penned by American poet Arthur Guiterman. It has been, deservedly, reprinted in a host of textbooks, so unless you played hooky a lot, there is a good chance that you remember it.
Guiterman also wrote "Our New Religion," and knowing that he lived from 1871 to 1943 gives us some perspective that whist technology changes over a century, people still reject God on a regular basis.
First dentistry was painless.
Then bicycles were chainless,
Carriages were horseless,
And many laws enforceless.
Next cookery was fireless,
Telegraphy was wireless,
Cigars were nicotineless,
And coffee caffeineless.
Soon oranges were seedless,
The putting green was weedless,
The college boy was hatless,
The proper diet fatless.
New motor roads are dustless,
The latest steel is rustless,
Our tennis courts are sodless,
Our new religion — godless.
How does all this relate to lessons from a runaway bride? Some of it does not; some was included just for fun. But it is worth exploring the idea that contemporary religion is "godless." I will give Guiterman some poetic license for this one. It is hard to cram a complex idea into a four-word line at the end of a poem. Completely "godless" would be hyperbole, but the central point is clear; God has been diminished.
I would never call KatieLyn godless. That would be both false and guileful. (Maybe I will come back and edit guileful sometime; I am looking for a word that means "crafty-cruel.")
KatieLyn is certainly not godless, however, by running off into the night she failed to trust God. She diminished her own faith and honored her own fear and doubt. She made idols out of good intentions and allowed her mother's counsel to take the place of what the Lord had told her.
I imagine that she felt like she was between a rock and a hard place. She, by her actions, showed that she did not trust God, nor did she trust Joe, nor even herself, really. Her actions show that she trusted most in her mother. She had more faith in her mom than in anyone else, including God. So while I would not call her "godless" on the whole, she did not value Him as much as she did her mother when she made the decision to runaway from His plan for her.
The Lesson
On the Consequences of Doubting God
A winsome miss
Discovered bliss:
The thrill of love exotic!
Until, sad day,
Her doubt took sway
And turned her so psychotic.
Then her joy fled.
Fears rose instead.
Such loss of faith proved toxic.
Friday, February 12, 2016
Not Knowing is Darkness
Not knowing what God is telling us is living in darkness. And it is your fault!
There. I said it.
I have hinted at this lesson from the runaway bride in earlier posts, but I never stated it bluntly because… well, to be quite frank, I know that the chance of reading words in print without hearing the inflection of loving concern is pretty high, and that the knee-jerk response is to go all defensive and shut down. Ignoring a truth does not change it, however.
Gwen freely confessed that she did not know God's will on the marriage, and KatieLyn went all defensive, shut herself down, and chose to be out of Joe's life anyway, so I have nothing to lose by pursuing this lesson from the runaway:
Not knowing what God is telling us is living in darkness. And it is your fault if you don't know!
Point #1
1 John 1:5 This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.
John verified that this message was from Jesus the Anointed One: God is light. In Him is no darkness at all. The Old Testament understanding, as described in Daniel 2:22, was that "light dwells with Him." Paul, having received more revelation writes 1 Timothy 6:16 that God "lives in unapproachable light." The way that both can be true—that light dwells with God and that God lives in light—is the explanation that John got from Jesus: God is light.
Point #2
1 John 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
This is straightforward. By applying very basic logic, we learn that having fellowship with God and walking in darkness cannot coexist.
Point #3
1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
The main point of the previous verse is restated, an intentional redundancy to reduce misunderstanding, and then the cleansing blood is introduced. When we walk in the Light, living each moment in conformity with the precepts of God, as He Himself is in the Light, then we have unbroken fellowship with the Lord and He has fellowship with us.
(I think the Holy Spirit prompted John to mention the cleansing blood at this point because sin is darkness, so the blood covering would be necessary for fellowship with light. However, that would take us down the "how" rabbit trail, and we need to stay on the topic. For today, just accept that "faith in the blood" and "walking in the light" are inseparably linked for humans living in a fallen world.)
Not knowing is darkness; it is a place where you are out of fellowship with God. In this condition, you cannot have strong, unwavering faith, you cannot produce good fruit, and you cannot be in clear communication with Him.
Most of the time, for most people, and certainly in the case of the runaway bride, God has told us the next step. But maybe that next step was scary so we decided to ignore it, or maybe we weren't really paying attention and let it slip, or maybe our friends were upset by it so we pushed it away to not offend them, or maybe our family did not like it and we didn't want to oppose them, or maybe the devil was shooting fiery darts at us and the thought of confronting a spiritual battle was overwhelming so we chose not to resist, or maybe one of a thousand reasons and excuses. Whatever it was, we damaged our conscience by not monitoring God's voice closely and heeding His instructions quickly; as a consequence of self-inflicted damage to our conscience, darkness descended.
There are at least two places in the Epistles that give the explanation of why it is our own fault for not hearing God. One is Romans 1:21, 22 —
In the co-dependency of KatieLyn and her mother, KatieLyn did not honor God because she doubted what He had told her, whilst her mother did not give thanks that God had answered her daughter's prayers. In the end, both were in darkness; the proverbial blind leading the blind.
A second explanation is found in Ephesians 4: 17b, 18 —
Notice the juxtaposition of "futility of their mind" and "hardness of their heart" in this passage. The writing style hints at poetry. The callousness of the heart, the spirit, the real man, is contrasted with the vanity of the mind, the natural reasoning which controls the emotions. If you are looking for an explanation of what went wrong in this engagement, that is it. KatieLyn lost sight of God first, and as a consequence she lost sight of his plan, which included Joe. Satan told her it was the other way around; he lied.
The Lesson
Those three point verses, taken together, show that there is no darkness in God at all. If we are in the dark about a situation, it is because we are out of fellowship with Him. And if we are out of fellowship, that was our choice, not God's.
There. I said it.
I have hinted at this lesson from the runaway bride in earlier posts, but I never stated it bluntly because… well, to be quite frank, I know that the chance of reading words in print without hearing the inflection of loving concern is pretty high, and that the knee-jerk response is to go all defensive and shut down. Ignoring a truth does not change it, however.
Gwen freely confessed that she did not know God's will on the marriage, and KatieLyn went all defensive, shut herself down, and chose to be out of Joe's life anyway, so I have nothing to lose by pursuing this lesson from the runaway:
Not knowing what God is telling us is living in darkness. And it is your fault if you don't know!
Point #1
1 John 1:5 This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.
John verified that this message was from Jesus the Anointed One: God is light. In Him is no darkness at all. The Old Testament understanding, as described in Daniel 2:22, was that "light dwells with Him." Paul, having received more revelation writes 1 Timothy 6:16 that God "lives in unapproachable light." The way that both can be true—that light dwells with God and that God lives in light—is the explanation that John got from Jesus: God is light.
Point #2
1 John 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.
This is straightforward. By applying very basic logic, we learn that having fellowship with God and walking in darkness cannot coexist.
Point #3
1 John 1:7 But if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
The main point of the previous verse is restated, an intentional redundancy to reduce misunderstanding, and then the cleansing blood is introduced. When we walk in the Light, living each moment in conformity with the precepts of God, as He Himself is in the Light, then we have unbroken fellowship with the Lord and He has fellowship with us.
(I think the Holy Spirit prompted John to mention the cleansing blood at this point because sin is darkness, so the blood covering would be necessary for fellowship with light. However, that would take us down the "how" rabbit trail, and we need to stay on the topic. For today, just accept that "faith in the blood" and "walking in the light" are inseparably linked for humans living in a fallen world.)
Not knowing is darkness; it is a place where you are out of fellowship with God. In this condition, you cannot have strong, unwavering faith, you cannot produce good fruit, and you cannot be in clear communication with Him.
Most of the time, for most people, and certainly in the case of the runaway bride, God has told us the next step. But maybe that next step was scary so we decided to ignore it, or maybe we weren't really paying attention and let it slip, or maybe our friends were upset by it so we pushed it away to not offend them, or maybe our family did not like it and we didn't want to oppose them, or maybe the devil was shooting fiery darts at us and the thought of confronting a spiritual battle was overwhelming so we chose not to resist, or maybe one of a thousand reasons and excuses. Whatever it was, we damaged our conscience by not monitoring God's voice closely and heeding His instructions quickly; as a consequence of self-inflicted damage to our conscience, darkness descended.
There are at least two places in the Epistles that give the explanation of why it is our own fault for not hearing God. One is Romans 1:21, 22 —
For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools...The people knew God. No question there. They knew God. But then they (a) did not honor Him as God and (b) did not give thanks. As a direct result, their speculations became increasingly futile and ultimately their conscience darkened.
In the co-dependency of KatieLyn and her mother, KatieLyn did not honor God because she doubted what He had told her, whilst her mother did not give thanks that God had answered her daughter's prayers. In the end, both were in darkness; the proverbial blind leading the blind.
A second explanation is found in Ephesians 4: 17b, 18 —
...walk in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart.In this passage of scripture, the darkening came as a result of (a) ignorance, and (b) hardness of heart. In the co-dependency of Gwen and her daughter, Gwen was ignorant of God's purpose and her daughter had hardened her heart, just enough, with fear, that it was easier to run off into the night than it was to stay and walk out the Lord's plan for her life with faith.
Notice the juxtaposition of "futility of their mind" and "hardness of their heart" in this passage. The writing style hints at poetry. The callousness of the heart, the spirit, the real man, is contrasted with the vanity of the mind, the natural reasoning which controls the emotions. If you are looking for an explanation of what went wrong in this engagement, that is it. KatieLyn lost sight of God first, and as a consequence she lost sight of his plan, which included Joe. Satan told her it was the other way around; he lied.
The Lesson
Those three point verses, taken together, show that there is no darkness in God at all. If we are in the dark about a situation, it is because we are out of fellowship with Him. And if we are out of fellowship, that was our choice, not God's.
Thursday, February 11, 2016
Trap Doors
Yesterday's post made the point that for mature believers, the most common and the most reliable way to hear God is through the inner witness of their conscience. If you have a consistent relationship with God, His voice does not have to be any more forceful than a nudge or any louder than a whisper in order for you to know it and take heed.
But what about those who seek God erratically, mainly when they have a problem, or those who have a history of being fickle and obeying only the directives that are easy or that they agree with? And what about all that stuff we heard as kids about God opening doors as a means of leading His children?
Those are valid questions. The first one requires a mix of self-discipline and a desire to know the Lord better. The second one is the topic for today's blog post.
Does God lead his children by doors? The answer is: Yes, and no. Sometimes.
Obviously there is space for confusion about this. Let's begin by looking at some of the scripture that the "Doctrine of Door-Led" is based on.
Old Testament, doors that change leadership
And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David. He shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. Isaiah 22:22¹
This verse sounds pretty impressive as a stand-alone. But when it is read in context, we realize that it is part of a judgment message for Shebna that reprimands him for his pride and the vanity of putting too much importance on earthly things. Shebna has placed his human reasoning above God's plan and is now being replaced by Eliakim.
Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped, to subdue nations before him and to loose the belts of kings, to open two-leaved doors before him that gates may not be closed. Isaiah 45:1
Again, the "doors" refer to the changing of a government regime. "Two-leaved" is a hinged or swinging door, like a bi-fold door, as opposed to an open archway.
New Testament, Paul's doors for witnessing
For a great and productive door has opened to me, and many are adversaries. 1 Corinthians 16:9
Paul has realized that there is a 'productive' opportunity, meaning that it will require work, and that there is a lot of opposition, but has decided to stay in Ephesus until Pentecost do serve God there. In this instance, Paul extended his stay because a door was open.
Now when I came to Troas for the gospel of Christ and when a door was opened for me in the Lord, I had no rest for my spirit, not finding Titus my brother; but taking my leave of them, I went on to Macedonia. 2 Corinthians 2:12, 13
This time when Paul encounters a door of opportunity, he does not stay. Instead, he follows the witness of his inner spirit. His experience in Troas is an important counterbalance to his time in Ephesus because we see Paul being led by his inner witness, not by doors of opportunity. In the natural, things would have "looked" just the other way around—a more world-minded Christian might have looked at the opposition in Ephesus and interpreted that as a "sign" to not stay!
Pray for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned. Colossians 4:3
Being chained up in prison would limit a person's audience for 'speaking the mystery of Christ,' yet we see that Paul was not praying to get out of jail or to avoid hardship. He was praying for opportunity to spread the word, which is quite different than asking God what to do next. Paul already knew what God's plan was, and in that regard he was not looking for direction but for the occasion to do God's plan.
The scriptures that say, "You should look for an open door to see what God wants you to do" simply do not exist. Nowhere are we told to rely on the phenomenon of doors opening as a sign. To the contrary, we can find a gospel example of a door that is solidly shut and we are given instructions to go knock on it! Matthew 7:7 and Luke 11:9 both record Jesus instructing the people to "knock, and it shall be opened to you." This requires an action of faith.
The Lesson
Relying on doors for guidance can be dangerous. Satan and his hordes of unclean spirits know how to open and close doors, so if you are going to rely on the position of a door as a oracle of what to do next, you had best be sure who or what was the last person or thing to use that door.
In scripture, doors are used primarily as archetypes to explain concepts and increase our understanding of how God works. They are not signs or omens of what to do next. Using a door as a spirit guide will, sooner or later, send you tumbling through a trap door.
¹ This idea of 'a key of David' is revisited by John in Revelation 3:8. There, it is Jesus "who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens." In this context, Jesus was opening the door for the believers in Philadelphia because they had only a little power to do it on their own, and because they kept His word and did not deny His name. Jesus opened this door because they had been faithful and had reached the limits of their own power.
But what about those who seek God erratically, mainly when they have a problem, or those who have a history of being fickle and obeying only the directives that are easy or that they agree with? And what about all that stuff we heard as kids about God opening doors as a means of leading His children?
Those are valid questions. The first one requires a mix of self-discipline and a desire to know the Lord better. The second one is the topic for today's blog post.
Does God lead his children by doors? The answer is: Yes, and no. Sometimes.
Obviously there is space for confusion about this. Let's begin by looking at some of the scripture that the "Doctrine of Door-Led" is based on.
Old Testament, doors that change leadership
And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David. He shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. Isaiah 22:22¹
This verse sounds pretty impressive as a stand-alone. But when it is read in context, we realize that it is part of a judgment message for Shebna that reprimands him for his pride and the vanity of putting too much importance on earthly things. Shebna has placed his human reasoning above God's plan and is now being replaced by Eliakim.
Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped, to subdue nations before him and to loose the belts of kings, to open two-leaved doors before him that gates may not be closed. Isaiah 45:1
Again, the "doors" refer to the changing of a government regime. "Two-leaved" is a hinged or swinging door, like a bi-fold door, as opposed to an open archway.
New Testament, Paul's doors for witnessing
For a great and productive door has opened to me, and many are adversaries. 1 Corinthians 16:9
Paul has realized that there is a 'productive' opportunity, meaning that it will require work, and that there is a lot of opposition, but has decided to stay in Ephesus until Pentecost do serve God there. In this instance, Paul extended his stay because a door was open.
Now when I came to Troas for the gospel of Christ and when a door was opened for me in the Lord, I had no rest for my spirit, not finding Titus my brother; but taking my leave of them, I went on to Macedonia. 2 Corinthians 2:12, 13
This time when Paul encounters a door of opportunity, he does not stay. Instead, he follows the witness of his inner spirit. His experience in Troas is an important counterbalance to his time in Ephesus because we see Paul being led by his inner witness, not by doors of opportunity. In the natural, things would have "looked" just the other way around—a more world-minded Christian might have looked at the opposition in Ephesus and interpreted that as a "sign" to not stay!
Pray for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned. Colossians 4:3
Being chained up in prison would limit a person's audience for 'speaking the mystery of Christ,' yet we see that Paul was not praying to get out of jail or to avoid hardship. He was praying for opportunity to spread the word, which is quite different than asking God what to do next. Paul already knew what God's plan was, and in that regard he was not looking for direction but for the occasion to do God's plan.
The scriptures that say, "You should look for an open door to see what God wants you to do" simply do not exist. Nowhere are we told to rely on the phenomenon of doors opening as a sign. To the contrary, we can find a gospel example of a door that is solidly shut and we are given instructions to go knock on it! Matthew 7:7 and Luke 11:9 both record Jesus instructing the people to "knock, and it shall be opened to you." This requires an action of faith.
The Lesson
Relying on doors for guidance can be dangerous. Satan and his hordes of unclean spirits know how to open and close doors, so if you are going to rely on the position of a door as a oracle of what to do next, you had best be sure who or what was the last person or thing to use that door.
In scripture, doors are used primarily as archetypes to explain concepts and increase our understanding of how God works. They are not signs or omens of what to do next. Using a door as a spirit guide will, sooner or later, send you tumbling through a trap door.
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
¹ This idea of 'a key of David' is revisited by John in Revelation 3:8. There, it is Jesus "who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens." In this context, Jesus was opening the door for the believers in Philadelphia because they had only a little power to do it on their own, and because they kept His word and did not deny His name. Jesus opened this door because they had been faithful and had reached the limits of their own power.
Wednesday, February 10, 2016
Never Ignoring the Nudge
As doleful as that sounds, the missed promise of the next verse makes it even worse! "I would soon bring their enemies to their knees and lay a heavy hand upon their persecutors." Reading between the lines, we understand that Israel's failure to listen allowed her enemies to "get away with" persecuting her. If she had listened and obeyed, then God would have quickly quashed the opposition.
This may be a bit of conjecture, but all indications were that if KatieLyn had obeyed God, then her greatest opposition, her own mother, was at the cusp of coming to understand that it was God's will after all. (We will never know now, but it surely looked as though KatieLyn was at the brink of a breakthrough when she turned and ran for home.)
It certainly makes for a startling illustration of WHY it is important to pay attention to a nudge from the Holy Spirit!
For mature Christians, the nudge or whisper to the conscience is not only the most common, but also the most reliable way to hear God. That is because mature believers have developed a relationship over time; they know His voice, and they know to test the voices of impersonators with scripture. They also know that the loud, high-pressured nagging voices almost always belong to the enemy. It is practically a paradox that one of the signs that it's God speaking is that the 'voice' will often be still and small.
But what of those who haven't consistently practiced hearing God? How does a sheep who has not cultivated a close relationship with its shepherd and lacks faith and confidence in hearing God actually hear Him?
The first step is to get one's heart in alignment. Three features in particular ought to be looked at.
1. Passiveness can cause spiritual deafness. When you are passive, non-assertive, or just going through the expected motions, it is hard to hear God. He has promised that those who seek will find. That is conditional—no seeking, no finding; no listening, no hearing. What is more common in religious circles, however, is a seek-for-show without any pursuit. This approach is about as effective as the hunter who looks out the windshield from the climate-controlled cab of his pickup and, not readily seeing any game, drives on to the local diner for breakfast because it is easier to have someone else cook for him than to find his own food. And, of course, he still gets to say that he tried. The remedy is to have an ardent love relationship with your Savior.
2. Pride, often with a topcoat of presumption, will result in spiritual deafness. The Bible is so full of examples of pride hardening hearts, stiffening necks, and stopping up ears that I hardly need to belabor it here. I should mention presumption though. it is the icing on the pride cake. If the enemy can deceive a person into believing that his/her presumption is enlightenment, foresight, astuteness, sophistication, or wisdom, then the layers of pride beneath it all won't show through. This is one of the chief ways that the devil ensnares a person; he gets them to presume they heard God when they were actually listening to devilish sophistry. The remedy is to maintain close communication with your Creator.
3. A deficit of gratitude can make God go silent. Quite often, a person will presume that he is being thankful because he thanks God for his physical possessions. And while that is certainly part of the equation, there are other factors at play as well. Certainly questioning God is disrespectful. (To be clear, I am talking about questioning God—questioning His reasoning, His love, His plan. This is the kind of questioning that goes on when what you really want is to reserved your right to make your own choice rather than immediately obey His decision. I am not talking about questioning in the sense that you accept it but need more information to carry out your part.) The lack of acknowledgement, gratefulness, and responsiveness at the heart level is a subtle accusation against God because you are not recognizing Him for who He is. The remedy is to humble yourself before Him and make corrections to your attitude.
The Lesson
It is a believer's responsibility to stay alert and respond to God's nudges and whispers. It is unlikely that He is going to scream at you, and He most certainly will not do your listening for you.
Monday, February 8, 2016
The High Priest of our Confession
Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and Chief Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus. ~Hebrews 3:1
This is one of those verses that many "casual Christians" would rather put in a box. Yes, they will agree that Christ Jesus is the high priest of our confession, but they box in and limit "confession" to mean their "confession of faith for salvation." They will grant Jesus authority as the chief priest to atone for their sins, but when it comes to other confessions, to the other things that they profess to be true, they get skittish. They want Jesus to the be the High Priest of some things that they say, but not of other things they say. This is hypocrisy.
As long as their speech is about something that glorifies God, they are happy for Jesus to be the One who continually intercedes on behalf of what they said. But what about when they say things that don't glorify God?
What about when they expressed worry when Jesus said do not fear?
What about when they voiced concern over direction after Jesus said this is the way?
What about when they indicated they had misgivings about Jesus' plan for their life?
What about when they spoke anxious thoughts after Jesus told them worrying won't add a single hour to their life?
What about when they confess doubt that they heard in the first place when Jesus pronounced that His sheep do hear His voice?
Such people can suddenly go all two-faced about wanting Jesus to be the High Priest of their entire confession! Talking worry does not glorify God, so they don't want Jesus to be High Priest over their confessions of doubt and fear.
But you don't get to pick and choose; not if you are going to live an abundant life. The concept is brought up again in Hebrews 10:23, "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering."
The word hope is ἐλπίς in the Greek, and it means expectation. It can go either way, an expectation of evil/fear, or an expectation of good/hope. The parameters have been defined in the previous verse, 22, that the "expectation" is coming from "a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water," so obviously the expectation in this case was one of hope and not of fear, but the point is that the spiritual principle works either way. A person can have 'faith' and expectation in evil words of confession in the same manner as one can have faith and expectation in God's good word.
The Lesson
One of the most difficult things to come to terms with in the wake of the runaway bride's flight has been the "great faith" in "failure" that was exhibited by Gwen, mother of the runaway. She planted her strong confessions of failure in KatieLyn and grew a bumper crop. Gwen, who had no clue, who had not gotten a clear word from the Lord on her daughter's future, had great faith in her doubts. It is hard to express how appalled I am at her insistence that her unbelief was wise. It wasn't wise. It was wicked. It has set back God's plan for Joe's life and pulled KatieLyn deeper into an unproductive and harmful codependency that keeps her entrapped in her childhood.
It is very dangerous to go around blabbing words of doubt and anxiety that contradict what God is saying. Giving birth to a word by voicing it works on both sides of the aisle. Gwen unknowingly allowed the enemy to come in and be the high priest over her confession of fear, and she wrought untold destruction. She is still deeply deceived. Any claim that this was God's will and that it will "all work together for good" is duplicitous. That is just an excuse and a twisting of scripture to appease her own conscience.
Before I end this post, we need to look at that excuse and at the verse that people corrupt to try to make their excuse fit. Romans 8:28 says:
• Secondly, we see that this applies to 'those who are called according to his purpose.' Opposing God's purpose invalidates the all-things-working part of this promise.
• Finally, the "we know" cannot be known by someone who has failed the first and second bullet points that I listed.
Breaking off the marriage was not according to God's purpose. It was not an act of love for God. And things did not work for good. No amount of denial will change that. Repentance might.
This is one of those verses that many "casual Christians" would rather put in a box. Yes, they will agree that Christ Jesus is the high priest of our confession, but they box in and limit "confession" to mean their "confession of faith for salvation." They will grant Jesus authority as the chief priest to atone for their sins, but when it comes to other confessions, to the other things that they profess to be true, they get skittish. They want Jesus to the be the High Priest of some things that they say, but not of other things they say. This is hypocrisy.
As long as their speech is about something that glorifies God, they are happy for Jesus to be the One who continually intercedes on behalf of what they said. But what about when they say things that don't glorify God?
What about when they expressed worry when Jesus said do not fear?
What about when they voiced concern over direction after Jesus said this is the way?
What about when they indicated they had misgivings about Jesus' plan for their life?
What about when they spoke anxious thoughts after Jesus told them worrying won't add a single hour to their life?
What about when they confess doubt that they heard in the first place when Jesus pronounced that His sheep do hear His voice?
Such people can suddenly go all two-faced about wanting Jesus to be the High Priest of their entire confession! Talking worry does not glorify God, so they don't want Jesus to be High Priest over their confessions of doubt and fear.
But you don't get to pick and choose; not if you are going to live an abundant life. The concept is brought up again in Hebrews 10:23, "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering."
The word hope is ἐλπίς in the Greek, and it means expectation. It can go either way, an expectation of evil/fear, or an expectation of good/hope. The parameters have been defined in the previous verse, 22, that the "expectation" is coming from "a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water," so obviously the expectation in this case was one of hope and not of fear, but the point is that the spiritual principle works either way. A person can have 'faith' and expectation in evil words of confession in the same manner as one can have faith and expectation in God's good word.
The Lesson
One of the most difficult things to come to terms with in the wake of the runaway bride's flight has been the "great faith" in "failure" that was exhibited by Gwen, mother of the runaway. She planted her strong confessions of failure in KatieLyn and grew a bumper crop. Gwen, who had no clue, who had not gotten a clear word from the Lord on her daughter's future, had great faith in her doubts. It is hard to express how appalled I am at her insistence that her unbelief was wise. It wasn't wise. It was wicked. It has set back God's plan for Joe's life and pulled KatieLyn deeper into an unproductive and harmful codependency that keeps her entrapped in her childhood.
It is very dangerous to go around blabbing words of doubt and anxiety that contradict what God is saying. Giving birth to a word by voicing it works on both sides of the aisle. Gwen unknowingly allowed the enemy to come in and be the high priest over her confession of fear, and she wrought untold destruction. She is still deeply deceived. Any claim that this was God's will and that it will "all work together for good" is duplicitous. That is just an excuse and a twisting of scripture to appease her own conscience.
Before I end this post, we need to look at that excuse and at the verse that people corrupt to try to make their excuse fit. Romans 8:28 says:
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.• First, we see that this applies only when we are loving God. Doubting Him is not a loving act; it is highly disrespectful.
• Secondly, we see that this applies to 'those who are called according to his purpose.' Opposing God's purpose invalidates the all-things-working part of this promise.
• Finally, the "we know" cannot be known by someone who has failed the first and second bullet points that I listed.
Breaking off the marriage was not according to God's purpose. It was not an act of love for God. And things did not work for good. No amount of denial will change that. Repentance might.
Saturday, February 6, 2016
Quitting is not Submitting
One of the common issues brought up in premarital counseling is submission, based on the teachings of the apostle Paul in Ephesians 5:22, "Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord." The first part about submitting "to husbands" is NOT what this particular blog post is about, although the "as you do to the Lord" ending is front and center. In the typical 21st century Western culture counseling session, the meaning of submit gets dissected in accordance with the politically correct feminist movement to assure the bride and warn the groom that "telling her to submit herself" is not the same as "giving him license to rule and control." Parse that as you will, verse 23 continues, "For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church," and we know that Jesus permits the church a whopping lot of wiggle room when it comes to free will. We usually call this 'mercy' in the end.
For the purposes of this blog post, we are going to leave it at this: That passage from Ephesians 5 is Paul's inspired teaching on how to keep one's homelife from becoming the victim of a two-headed monster; God holds the man responsible for making decisions in the best interest of his wife, and the wife doesn't give him flak when he does.
With that out of the way, we are moving on to "submission unto the Lord." One of the first things to realize is that God is not a hypocrite. He is not asking us humans for something that Jesus wasn't willing to do. As of today, the most recent Easter was ten months ago, and the Lent/Easter season is when many Read-through-the-Bible programs schedule the study of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. If you aren't familiar with that part of the gospel or if it isn't fresh in your mind, you may want to read Matthew 26:36-46, Mark 14:32-42, and Luke 22:39-46 to get the full context. This was the night before the crucifixion, and Jesus' prayer at that time was recorded in each of these three books:
Matthew: He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” (26:42)
Mark: “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” (14:36)
Luke: “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” (22:42)
Jesus was in agony, overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Luke further adds that an angel came and ministered to Him at this time, but even so, his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.
As a little kid in Sunday school, this was taught to me as Jesus "being afraid" of what was going to happen. I was (somehow) supposed to take comfort in the idea that Jesus could be afraid too.
Hogwash!
That is not what happened. Fear destroys faith, and Full-Bore Faith was necessary for Jesus to defeat Satan. Bloody sweat is what a fearless faith battle for all creation looks like. It is clear from the text of His prayer that Jesus could have made a different choice. Bloody sweat is what submission to the Father's will looks like. Jesus made the choice to submit to God and walk out His Father's plan by faith in what His Father had told Him. If KatieLyn and her family are living under the illusion that doing God's will has to be accompanied by bluebirds, budding flowers, and a Disney Princess song, then they need to get real. Jesus chose to be smack dab in the center of His Father's will and it was the worst day of his life! Considering Jesus' choice to follow His Father's plan for His life puts a whole new facet on the "Without faith, it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6) concept. The entire verse is: And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who approaches Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.
Those rewards for those who earnestly seek God's plan in life are seen on the front end only through eyes of faith. As long as one trusts in the eyes of their own reasoning, they are at high risk of missing any glimpse of reward.
If Jesus had quit, if He had given up and decided that there was no visible reward in being beaten and hanging on a cross, if He had chosen to doubt that it would work out in the long run, Satan would have claimed the victory. Or what if Jesus had been too proud to go to the cross? After all, a crucifixion is no place for the Son of God, is it? Not if you are walking by sight, it isn't! Doubt and pride are a deadly combination.
The Lesson
Quitting by running home in the middle of the night was not submitting to God's will. KatieLyn failed her Gethsemane experience test. She knew better. She had heard God. But the enemy is crafty. He knew her weakness. He orchestrated things to affect her so that she'd be overwhelmed by the magnitude of it all that she faltered on the "do it" step. One little step that the Lord asked her to take, and she did not have the faith to take it. She had no faith in God. She had more faith in her mother's doubts. Running away is not walking by faith. For KatieLyn, running many steps away from her answered prayer was easier than taking one step toward it.
Submission isn't easy.
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Hang on
Don't let go!
Many times, the key to having great faith is just that simple: Hang on. Don't let go.
A lot of church-attenders I have known get pretty pharisaic when it comes to believing what God will or won't do—or worse, what He does or doesn't think or have in mind. By that, I mean that they will say, with an air of self-satisfaction, the things that will give them an excuse when their efforts to fix things without faith don't work out. Quite often, these are the same folks described in 2 Timothy 3:5 who have a form of godliness, but deny the power thereof.
Then there is another group who are Christian beggars. By that, I mean that they will beg God to give them "more faith" without ever realizing that faith is more about a quality-value of choice than it is an amount to be possessed. Jesus spoke of faith in qualitative terms as being strong, diminished, or non-existent. He did not use quantitative adjectives like copious or teeny. If you choose to believe God, then you have faith. If you are not believing His word, then having "more" unbelief will only destroy what little you started with faster or more severely.
Neither of those groups are true worshipers of God. Their relationship with the Lord is closer to being a client or a patron than it is a family member who gives love, shares companionship, and receives a place in the heart where the relationship is truly treasured.
Faith is a choice to believe God. Strong faith is sticking with that choice when circumstances refute it, peers dispute it, and enemies belittle it.
The testing of one's faith should be expected. Ezekiel (21:13) said it plainly, "Testing will surely come." In the New Testament, James (1:3) gives a reason for it, "you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance." Jesus used a parable to convey this idea; in His seed and soils metaphor, the "hanging on" and staying connected is done with the root. "But these have no root;
they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away (Luke 18:3)." For human beings, the hanging on is done with a heart of faith.
It surely helps when the emotions line up in support, but emotions can be traitorous and they will often betray the choice of your spirit to believe God.
As we covered in a previous lesson from the runaway bride, faith without works is dead. cf James 2:17. Bible scholar Matthew Henry describes it this way, "Faith is the root, good works are the fruits; and we must see to it that we have both."
The Lesson
Coming full circle and building on past lessons, it is not hard to see that hanging on is the hard work of faith. The disciples even asked about this:
If believing in Him is doing the works of God, then doubting Him is doing the un-working of His plan.
Many times, the key to having great faith is just that simple: Hang on. Don't let go.
A lot of church-attenders I have known get pretty pharisaic when it comes to believing what God will or won't do—or worse, what He does or doesn't think or have in mind. By that, I mean that they will say, with an air of self-satisfaction, the things that will give them an excuse when their efforts to fix things without faith don't work out. Quite often, these are the same folks described in 2 Timothy 3:5 who have a form of godliness, but deny the power thereof.
Then there is another group who are Christian beggars. By that, I mean that they will beg God to give them "more faith" without ever realizing that faith is more about a quality-value of choice than it is an amount to be possessed. Jesus spoke of faith in qualitative terms as being strong, diminished, or non-existent. He did not use quantitative adjectives like copious or teeny. If you choose to believe God, then you have faith. If you are not believing His word, then having "more" unbelief will only destroy what little you started with faster or more severely.
Neither of those groups are true worshipers of God. Their relationship with the Lord is closer to being a client or a patron than it is a family member who gives love, shares companionship, and receives a place in the heart where the relationship is truly treasured.
Faith is a choice to believe God. Strong faith is sticking with that choice when circumstances refute it, peers dispute it, and enemies belittle it.
 |
| Hanging On |
It surely helps when the emotions line up in support, but emotions can be traitorous and they will often betray the choice of your spirit to believe God.
As we covered in a previous lesson from the runaway bride, faith without works is dead. cf James 2:17. Bible scholar Matthew Henry describes it this way, "Faith is the root, good works are the fruits; and we must see to it that we have both."
The Lesson
Coming full circle and building on past lessons, it is not hard to see that hanging on is the hard work of faith. The disciples even asked about this:
Therefore they said to Him, "What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?" Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent." John 6:28, 29The "work" is that you believe in Him! If you believe in Him, then you believe what He says. Once He has told you something, faith won't question it. If your faith is wavering, then there is help for that. I don't have time to expand on many "how to" points here, but two of them are (a) recalling history that shows God's faithfulness, and (b) knowing His character. (He does not lie; He does not change.)
If believing in Him is doing the works of God, then doubting Him is doing the un-working of His plan.
Monday, February 1, 2016
Happy Groundhog Day!
I have always liked this folk holiday. The groundhog reminds us that we've reached the midpoint of winter, and if not a midpoint by weather conditions, at least the midpoint as measured by Earth's orbit around the sun.
This year, I am finding a metaphorical application in regard to KatieLyn, the runaway bride. Before she can ever bloom in the way God desires, she will have to emerge from her burrow and poke her nose into the sunshine. One cannot thrive by hiding in a hole.
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another...
1 John 1:7
God is all about fellowship. Fellowship, or in twenty-first century terms relationship, is one of the chief reasons that God made mankind. His desire is for companionship, both vertically (God & man) and horizontally (among the saints). The apostle Paul lists the very narrow criteria for breaking fellowship, and Joe, the run-from groom didn't meet any of them. An entirely worldly "set of rules" was invoked to keep KatieLyn from speaking to her fellow believers and heirs of God's kingdom.
God's word is clear on this. His desire is for KatieLyn to stop being a groundhog and to return to walking in the light. In Colossians 1:12 teaches that we should be joyously "giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light." Look again at what the inheritance is about: Light! If one's desire is to please God and live as an heiress in His kingdom, then it is a requirement to walk in that light, which includes having fellowship with one another, even if it makes you feel awkward. Awkwardness is not a sin, but neither is it a valid excuse for dealing with life by treating those who have wished nothing-but-the-best for you as if they are untouchables.
So, what does cause fellowship to be broken? (a) Disagreement with God can break fellowship with Him; (b) Disobedience to God can break fellowship with Him; (c) Disloyalty to God can break fellowship with Him. If you are a regular reader of this blog, you will remember that KatieLyn had said that her relationship with Joe had caused her to feel distance from God. But unless Joe was encouraging her to disagree with, disobey, or be disloyal to God, her broken fellowship had another source.
And here is how we can know that was the case: KatieLyn was experiencing the darkness, not Joe. Joe was crystal clear. It is the state of doubts and misgivings that is darkness. KatieLyn had been clear on New Year's when she first heard the Lord. She had been clear on Valentine's Day when she said yes to the engagement. But she began to doubt herself in April and let the darkness in. By May she had greater trust in her mother's misgivings than she had in Joe's clarity. All the while, God had not changed His mind at all. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variation or shadow of turning. James 1:17
No shadow of turning! No shadow. No darkness.
The Lesson
The folklore about Groundhog Day says that if the woodchuck sees his shadow, he gets scared and returns to his burrow; there is then a long wait for spring. KatieLyn has a lot in common with the groundhog. She was scared by her own shadow—the image that she herself projected. And she ran home to her old burrow. The hopeful growth of spring has been a long time coming.
The thing that she failed to realize is that the shadow of a dog never bit anybody. She was projecting and running from something that was, in reality, the absence of light. It is time for her to walk in the light again. It is only in the light that there is redemption.
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