Insecurity

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The Lion Who Believed He Was a Sheep – (A children’s story or is it?)

One day a farmer was walking back from the forest. He came across a little lion cub.He brought the lion cub back home, gave it milk, water, and some food. He didn’t know what to do with it, so he put it in a sheep pen with all the sheep that he had. Every day this kept happening. The farmer would give him food, play with him a little bit and then when the time came, he would put the little cub back in the sheep pen. As time passed the little cub grew bigger and bigger and started going out in the fields, playing with the sheep, and playing with the lambs.One day, a big lion came out of the jungle. And when the sheep heard the roar, they all scrambled, hiding wherever they could. They were terribly afraid. The lion that had grown up with the sheep also did the same. The big lion stepped out of the forest seeing this little lion trying to hide. He came over to him and said, “Why are you hiding?” The little lion said “You will eat me.” The big lion said, “I am not going to eat you. Do you know who you are? Do you know that you are not a sheep, you are a lion.” “Whatever”, said the little lion. “Whatever you say is fine with me, but please don’t eat me.” Having seen that this lion was not going to be convinced, the big lion took the little lion to a lake. Then he said, “Look at yourself, look at this reflection and see what you see.” The little lion stared at the water confused. Slowly, he began to see the resemblance. He touched his mane, his strong paws, and felt a stirring deep within him. Timidly, he let out a roar. At first, it was weak and shaky, but when he tried again, it grew stronger. Then the little lion looked at his reflection and said, “I am like you. Not like them.” The big lion said, “Right, you are a lion. That is your true voice. That is who you are. Remember it!” The little lion eagerly responded, “Oh thank you, thank you, thank you so much.” And the big lion said, “Why are you thanking me? I didn’t do anything. All I did, is show you who you already are. I didn’t create something new here. I didn’t take a sheep and turn it into a lion. I merely showed you that you are a lion, not a sheep.”

Recently, I came across this children’s story and let’s face it, we are all like the little lion who thought he was a sheep until someone showed us differently. Discovering who you truly are can turn fear into courage and silence into a roar. At times the enemy challenges us to forget who we are and who God is. A touch of spiritual amnesia sets in, our identity is shaken, and for a time we might lose sight of our true self.Our identity is who we understand ourselves to be at the core. It’s our essential self. Or it’s what we want to believe, and want others to believe, is our essential self, even if it’s not who we really are. So where does our sense of identity come from? This is the crucial question. Our identity determines whether or not we will ever be free from being insecure. When people are insecure, they express it in very different ways, depending on their temperament, values, and habits, which are often shaped by past experiences. In some, insecurity looks like meekness, compliance, and always assuming blame. In others, insecurity looks like bravado, defiance, and never admitting wrong. In one person, insecurity causes them to avoid attention. In another, it moves them to demand as much attention as possible. We’re all familiar with insecurity, but what’s making us feel this way, and how do we get free from it?

We know that we can “know” the right answer, but at times lose sight of the “right” answer. We typically respond from our heart, because our identity is tied into what we really love, what we really want, and what we really believe offers us hope. We may say our God is the Lord, but for some that may not really be true. “The Lord says: ‘These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.’” (Isaiah 29:13). Our God is the person or thing we believe has the greatest power to determine who we are, why we’re here, what we should do, and what we’re worth. So, when we feel insecure because something threatens our sense of identity, it is telling us something about our God. Who do you believe has the greatest power to determine who you are and what you are worth? That is your God. Is it the true God, the living God, or is your god an idol. Can varying circumstances momentarily shift your view of who your God or “god” is? Can certain circumstances make us insecure in who God is to us? I can believe Him for this but not for that. Our response to insecurity may often be avoidance. We try to reduce our exposure to people, or we try to appease our insecurity by seeking affirmation from others, or we try to escape into other things, perhaps addictive things, that dull or distract our identity-fear, at least temporarily. These behaviors are almost always pain-killers, not cures. They do nothing to address our identity-related fear. God designed insecurity to be examined in order that we might escape danger. That’s why insecurity can be a mercy, although it almost never feels like a mercy. Rather, it feels like inadequacy or failure or condemnation. It weighs us down and makes us feel vulnerable and uncertain. One might call this kind of insecurity a “God-gauge”. Insecurity is a form of fear. It’s reporting to us that something is wrong with what we think or believe about God or that there is some other god telling us about who we are. Either a true belief is being challenged or refined, or a false belief is being exposed. At times, God does mean for certain things to make us feel insecure. Example: In a hurricane, if the house walls begin to shake and tiles are flying off the roof, we should feel insecure and move from our location. God designed this kind of insecurity as a warning that we are vulnerable to danger. It instructs us to take protective action. But what we typically mean by insecure is not just a circumstantial fear, but a fear so recurrent that it becomes our state of being. There is a lack of self-confidence, or a fear of others’ disapproval or rejection, or a sense of inferiority. Our identity is uncertain or threatened. Often we tend to avoid, block it out, rather than examine our insecurity. We fear taking a good look at our identity because the gauge might confirm our worst fears about ourselves, that we are inadequate, insignificant, a failure, or condemned. Insecurity almost never feels like a mercy from God, but it is often saying something we desperately need to hear, to examine and lay before God. Avoiding insecurity will not free us from it. God wants us to examine it, even though we fear doing so. We must not listen to our fears, for they don’t tell us the truth. If we come to Jesus with our insecurity, laying it before Him, desiring to repent, he says to us:* I will not condemn you (John 8:10)* Come to me, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28).* My love for you is steadfast (Psalm 103:17).* I will fill you with peace that surpasses understanding (Philippians 4:6–7).* You shelter me and lift me up (Psalm 27:5).There is an end to insecurity and the strife it produces. Insecurity ends in Jesus. Let us bring our little lion insecurities to the water of His Spirit, take a good look at our reflection, stand strong, and roar forth His promises for…“We are as He is in The World!” (1John 4:17)

Blessings,

Karen

Paul and Cross-Cultural Mission

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During this last week Bruce and I were traveling across Alabama, from Albertville to Tuscaloosa to Birmingham and then home again. Many of you know we work with Perspectives on the World Christian Movement, a mission training course and I am an instructor. Perspectives isn’t a course solely about world missions. It’s a study program rooted in scripture, clarifying each believer’s opportunity to join God in His global purpose. Last week, I was teaching a Perspective class, lesson 10, the cultural lesson, “How Shall They Hear?” in four different classes in Alabama. This particular class refers to the sensitivity that is required to convey the message of the gospel across cultural barriers. The gospel spreads powerfully within a culture, but does not jump easily across cultural boundaries. In this lesson students explore what culture is, and how they can better jump across cultural barriers that have long obstructed the advancement of the gospel. They also explore how to communicate the culture at the deep level, the heart level, and why it’s important to look for keys or unique ways to bridge and communicate God’s truth.

         Paul often ministered cross-culturally. In fact, he said that “It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ has not already been named” or known. (Rom 15:20).  I heard one theologian describe Paul as a sort of Hudson Taylor meets Jim Elliot with a dash of Indiana Jones adventurer, heading off to the Black Hole of Calcutta to be tortured regularly for preaching the gospel. However, honestly, I don’t think being beaten and ship-wrecked was part of Paul’s ministry strategy. Certainly, those were things he didn’t choose but he endured on behalf of the gospel. He was also willing to step into challenging areas of cross-cultural ministry.

         In one of the few episodes in which Paul is seen traveling alone, the apostle chooses to engage with philosophers in Athens (Acts 17:16-34). He observes the city’s many idols and distressed by them, he first joins a theological discussion at the synagogue. Afterward a group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to debate with Paul. “Others took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we would like to know what they mean” . (Acts 17:19-20). Having piqued their interest, Paul stands up to address the Athenians at the Areopagus (or Mars Hill), the center of Greek religiosity. Notably, Paul takes a positive approach. In his opening remarks Paul reminded his audience of how religious they were and how he had noticed a statue with the inscription, agnosto theo, “to the unknown God” (Acts 17:23). This opened the way for Paul to declare the true God. Wisely he did not denounce Athenian idolatry which would only have closed the minds of his hearers to his message. Strategically, he used commendation rather than condemnation. Then later, in God’s timing, he would provide the powerful story of the gospel, that it may cleanse and reform the society. Paul intentionally opts not to begin his address by pushing his own beliefs (scripture) or attacking the Athenians’ views (idolatry). Instead, he seeks common ground. Paul neither attacks the Athenians nor condescends because he knows he has knowledge to which they are not yet privy. He didn’t describe them as bad people. Rather, he states that because of their ignorance  about the “unknown god”, they simply are unaware of the good news of the true God as yet.

         Paul began his speech by identifying what was missing in their Greek religious worldview. The fact that the Athenians had built an altar to “an unknown god” (Acts 17:23) indicated that there was a sense of inadequacy. They could not give a name to this “unknown god” because they did not know who he was. This provided Paul opportunity to address “the unknown god” with the positive content of the gospel. (Acts 17:27-29). Paul showed great sensitivity in quoting, not the Old Testament, as he always did when speaking to Jews, but he used quotes from Greek poets who were familiar in the Greek culture in order to bridge with them. Notice that without compromising the gospel, Paul determined a way to bridge with non-Christian sources typical of the Greek culture to establish some common ground.

         The Athenians had taken the first step toward knowing God in that they were supernaturalists (belief in an invisible higher power) (Acts 17:22). Their unusual respect for deities is indicated by the fact that “the unknown God” was also worshipped. This worship assumes that they have at least a knowledge of a greater god, the existence of one. Paul makes use of this: “Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. “(Acts 17:23-25). Paul bridges with the Greek audience by way of “the unknown god”; but his point of contact is their ignorance. It would have been impossible for them had they denied God’s existence to ever know Him, since “he who comes to God must believe that He is” (Hebrews 11:6). No one will search for a path to a destination they believe does not exist. And they must have believed there was a god (among all their deities) whom they did not know yet.

As Paul’s strategy continues, he quotes two other key scriptures to his Greek audience., 

1) “in Him we live and move and have our being.” (Acts 17:28) Interestingly, philosophers seem to always be discussing topics like “man’s existence” and his “state of being”. Paul, with the Holy Spirit’s leading, strategically chose that particular scripture to bridge and connect with his Greek audience. Then Paul continued with….

2) “for we are indeed His offspring.” (Acts 17:28) Here Paul is stating that if we live and have our being in this “unknown God” then we cannot possibly be offspring of lesser gods for we could only be offsprings of the superior God, this “unknown God” that Paul was proclaiming to them.

         At the Areopagus the “unknown God” speech of Paul remains before us as a perfect example of witnessing the Gospel in a cross-cultural setting. Paul reminds us that the cultural sensitivity in preaching to people from different backgrounds is a must in our missionary endeavors. He takes a respectful and humble approach; he does not simply conform to their worldview and beliefs, rather he seeks to correct and transform the Athenian’s understanding of God. Sharing the gospel is not a matter of a packaged 

step 1, step 2 and so forth. Steps are merely guidelines for witnessing, but ultimately, it is the Holy Spirit’s guiding wisdom upon which we must be dependent. Paul’s approach teaches us that cross-cultural ministry and discipleship must be alert to the Holy Spirit’s guidance and ready to adapt quickly to unexpected situations.

Let’s pray:

1) “And I will ask the Father, and he will give our children another advocate to help them and be with them forever.” (John 14:16)

2) “May the God of hope fill our children with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit they may abound in hope.” (Romans 15:13)

3) “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John 14:26) May our children depend on the Holy Spirit and lean into His teachings in all that they do.

4) “Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever.” (1 Peter 4:11) May it be true for our children.

5) “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23) May our children be follow hard fast after Jesus all of their lives. 

Ordinary to Extraordinary

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Let’s face it. Life in the Spirit can feel ordinary at times. And yet, my friends, take note, this really is one of Satan’s greatest feats used to destroy us. If Satan cannot keep God from breaking in and saving our soul, he will do what he can to downplay what has happened. He’ll seed thorns that disrupt our sense of safety and rest (2 Cor.12:7). He’ll try to veil the glory of God in and around us (2 Cor. 4:4). He’ll flood us with riches and pleasures to distract us from spiritual reality (Luke 8:14). He’ll seize on any glimpse of sin: “See, you’re exactly who you were before, you haven’t changed at all.” (Rev. 12:10). Satan can convince us that a life invaded by the presence of the Holy Spirit, isn’t really all that different from any other life. He convinces us to perceive and define our lives by the past, rather than by the new creation the Holy Spirit is fashioning us to be. Yes, life in the Spirit can often feel ordinary. We eat and drink, work and sleep, and then do it all again. But none of now is the same as it was, not even our morning coffee or our afternoon snack. “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor.10:31). This glory doesn’t skip meals; it invades them. And who empowers us to eat, drink and do everything for the glory of God? The Spirit does. Now, we eat with the Spirit. Now, we drink with the Spirit. We work, play and sleep in the Spirit. Now, we walk by the Spirit. A normal day may feel ordinary, but below the surface of our perceptions, God is knitting together a new, miraculous, unfinished life in us…by His Spirit.

The Word of God says that if you belong to Christ, the Spirit of God lives in you. But His Spirit doesn’t hover above you waiting to help. He’s not waiting at a desk in heaven for you to call.  No, when God delivered you from sin and death, he not only invited you into his presence and family, but he came to live in you. He made a home for himself in your forgiven soul.

“Do you not know that you are God’s temple,” Paul asks, “and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” (1 Cor. 3:16). Do you know? Has the ordinariness of life made you forget? God is living in the ordinary, in your ordinary. Even if many aspects of your life stayed the same after you came to Christ, your family, your job, your neighborhood…something fundamental changed. Someone fundamental. God flooded every familiar and unremarkable corner of your life with Himself, with his Spirit. Feel the force of Paul’s wonder as he repeats himself three times in just a few verses:

You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. . . If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you (Rom.8:9–11). Here Paul is captivated by a reality we often miss or take for granted. God does not just love you, protect you, provide for you, and draw near to you; he dwells in you. 

If we could see all that the Holy Spirit is working in us and through us, we would not yawn or groan over “ordinary” like we’re prone to do. One day, we’ll have eyes and ears tuned to these miracles, but for now, we have to search for them…for Him. “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”(Jer.29:13) Whenever we reach out in faith to God as our Father, we do so by the Spirit. Do you have an impulse to pray when you feel tempted, weak, confused or discouraged? That impulse is not ordinary or natural; it’s a work of God.

Anything you truly understand about God, his Word, and his will are gifts of the Holy Spirit. Anyone can read God’s words and perhaps even make sense of the vocabulary and grammar and logic, but no one grasps the realities unless the Spirit moves. “Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God” (1 Cor. 2:12). We will never fully comprehend all God has done for us in Christ, but what we do understand now, we understand because of what God has done for us in the Holy Spirit.

“If you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live” (Rom. 8:13). Humans die in a thousand different ways, but sin dies in just one: by the Spirit. We may miss the power of these deaths because we assume, somewhere deep down, that we could overcome sin on our own…but we can’t and we don’t. If sin dies by our hand, it is only because our hand has become a mighty weapon in the hands of God himself. The Holy Spirit doesn’t only weed out the remaining wickedness in us; he also plants and nurtures a garden of righteousness. The clearest evidence that he dwells in us is not the ugliness he removes, but the beauty he creates. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal. 5:22–23). In other words, he makes us more like Christ. “We all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image” (his image) “from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit” (2 Cor. 3:18). 

Everyone in whom the Spirit lives has been given abilities for the good of other believers. Paul says of the church, “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good” (1 Cor.12:4–7). To each…not just some or many.  So how has God recently met a specific need through you? And do you realize, that when he does, he’s reminding you that he lives in you, by his Spirit.

Sustained love for Jesus only happens where the Spirit lives. Paul describes the same miracle in 2 Cor. 4:6: “He (God) has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” If we still love what we see when we look at Jesus, we see something only the Spirit could do in us. Do you see any gifting from Him, any victory over sin, any Christlike love, peace or joy? Do you still love what you see of Jesus? Then your ordinary isn’t as ordinary as you might think, because the Holy Spirit is alive and at work in you.

Yes, as believers you have the Holy Spirit now, but what you experience now is only a taste of what’s to come. The Spirit, Paul says, “is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it” (Eph. 1:14). Guarantee, meaning there’s more.

Whatever good the Spirit does in each of us now is merely an appetizer of what he will do in all of us forever. The Spirit living in us in this world is a taste of what it will be like for us to live in His coming world. Life in the Spirit feels mundane when we grow dull to miracles and we are not alert to the move of the Spirit in our lives. Yes, we live and work and love among thorns and thistles for now, but we do so by the strength and wisdom of God…until the day when He makes glory our ordinary.

The Great Encourager

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In Luke 15:11–32 (please take a moment and read these verses) the parable of the prodigal son, or one might say, the parable of the prodigal sons (plural) is a famous story about a father — a blameless father — and his two sons, who are anything but blameless. Each of the sons are entrapped by their own sin in very different ways. For parents of prodigal sons and daughters, and for the lost, in general, this story resonates deeply in offering hope and encouragement. I know it does for me. This story has so many layers of encouragement in it. I don’t think anybody has ever discovered them all. The Prodigal is an amazing portrait of the gracious, encouraging heart of God. Jesus is the great Encourager! Let’s take a closer look at the parable of the Prodigal. What do we learn about our heavenly Father? 

1) God pursues sinners– The father in the parable is a picture of God acting in Christ to save prodigals and lost people. We need to think of Him that way. He’s pursuing sinners!

2) God is glad to have prodigals come home– There’s this jubilant celebration over a single sinner who repents, prodigal or not. “I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance” (Luke 15:7). Notice in The Prodigal, the father says, “Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him. . . Let us eat and celebrate (Luke 15:22–23). So, God’s heart in this parable is thrilled to have prodigals come home. He’s not begrudging; he’s glad!

3) God can use our suffering to awaken us to His revelation. The prodigal son experiences a change of heart at the lowest point of his miserable life. He’s even ready to share food with the pigs. And finally, during the most dreadful season of his life, “he came to himself” (Luke 15:17), which means he came to his senses. The encouraging thing is that just when it appeared absolutely hopeless is when he experienced his greatest awakening! 

4) God’s heart runs toward his children. Perhaps the most tender and powerful moment in the parable is the moment when the father sees the boy a long way off and runs to greet  him, not walks. He runs to greet him. “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him” (Luke 15:20). The father saw, he felt, he ran, he embraced, he kissed! Wow… I want that to be me and my heart for the lost who come home.  Let us keep that picture in our minds, not only as a picture of God’s heart, but to make our own hearts tender and eager that way.

5) God can raise the dead– The father describes the change in the boy’s life as a change from death to life. “For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found” (Luke 15:24) This is encouraging because the father did not minimize the dreadfulness of his young son’s condition. The young son was dead. From a merely human standpoint, he was hopeless. Yet, we should never look upon the hardness, the indifference, even the bitterness or the cynicism of a person and think, “That can’t change. This is never going to change.” (Ugh! I’m talking to myself right now!) But, my friends, we can’t think that way! People can change! He who was dead lives!

6) God invites both sons to come home– Remember that this father in the parable had two prodigals, not just one. When Jesus was eating with the tax collectors and sinners, there were two groups of lost people he had to deal with. One was the tax collectors and sinners, and the other was the scribes and Pharisees. The tax collectors and sinners are represented in the parable by the prodigal son, and the scribes and Pharisees are represented by the older son who was angry and legalistic. He was angry that the father was celebrating the return of the younger son. It’s as if he was angry about his brother embracing new life and salvation. Was he not glad that his younger brother was alive again? This older brother, like the Pharisees, saw his relationship with the father in terms of earning privileges rather than enjoying a relationship. And how did the father respond to this wayward thinking of the second prodigal son? “… his father went out and pleaded with him” (Luke 15:28). Surprisingly, I’ve always had a compassionate heart for the Pharisees. They wanted to be so right with God that they went overboard and created over 6000 laws to try to help the Hebrew people remain in right standing with God. They became legalistic and lost sight of their true purpose before God. Sometimes people think that Jesus never cared or pursued the Pharisees. They think that Jesus only had negative things to say about them and that he never invited them to believe. And yet, isn’t that what’s going on right here with the older son in the Prodigal parable? In verse 28, the older son was angry, and he refused to go in and be a part of his younger brother’s celebration of life and salvation. Yet, his father, just like he did with the younger son, came out and pleaded with him. He was not angry. Not only did the father come out to meet the younger son, he came out and pleaded with the legalistic older son. The word says (Rom.2:11) “For there is no partiality with God.” All are welcome at the cross who come running home, repent and believe… That includes prodigals, any lost people, and yes, even a Pharisee.” Jesus pursues them all.

         Throughout the Bible Jesus stands with us. He picks us up, wipes our noses and sends us forward. In Acts 23:1-11, we read that Jesus stands by the side of Paul in his prison cell and says, “Take courage; for as you have solemnly witnessed to My cause at Jerusalem, so you must witness at Rome also.” Wow!  Jesus was and is the great ENCOURAGER. The Lord who is always beside us encouraging says: “Take courage!”

1) To a paralytic, lying on his bed, Jesus said, “Take courage, my son, your sins are forgiven” (Matt. 9:2).

2) To the woman with the hemorrhage who touched the fringe of Jesus’ coat, He said, “Daughter, take courage; your faith has saved you” (Matt. 9:22, lit.).

3) To the disciples, who thought that Jesus walking on the water was a ghost, He said, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid” (Matt. 14:27; parallel, Mark 6:50).

4) To the disciples on the night He was betrayed, Jesus said, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).         

Truly, Jesus is the Lord who encourages those who are discouraged and without hope!  He commands us to “Take courage.”  Do you realize that this is a command? It’s a gentle and gracious command, but it is a command. We are accountable for our part as we partner with our Father. Let’s look at 1 Sam. 30:6, “David was greatly distressed; for the people spoke of stoning him, but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God. My friends let us take heart and remember Jesus’ encouragement to us and may we, in turn, spread that encouraging courage to others for His glory, in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen

Satan is Timing Out

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Dick Brogden is a long-time missionary to the Middle East and North Africa. He currently serves as the Global leader for Live Dead, a missions movement aimed at planting churches among unreached people groups. His devotional book, “Live/Dead Joy” is one of my very favorites. In one of his devotionals, Brogden describes how to defeat the Devil’s attacks by outlasting him and his demonic forces. He states that enemies have a way of self-destructing if you just give them enough time. For followers of Jesus, time is always on the side of the righteous. The good news is that we will be standing long after our common Enemy and accuser is thrown into the pit. 

“But woe to the earth and the sea,
because the devil has gone down to you!
He is filled with fury,
because he knows that his time is short.” (Revelation 12:12)

Revelation 12 reminds us that the Devil is both a deceiver and an accuser, and that because his time is short, his wrath is great. He has no patience due to the fact that he has limited time. He knows Jesus has already won. Therefore, in his frenzied despair, the Devil moves quickly trying to destroy as many people as possible, because he doesn’t have time for long engagements. Brogden goes on to say that when we hold steady against Satan’s lies and attacks, he is compelled to move on to someone more vulnerable. “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). As soon as he sees that we will not yield to his accusations and temptations, he despairs and moves on. Then later, he cycles back at a more opportune time and the battle is rejoined. As it is written, “Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time” (Luke 4:13).  

 However, one of our surest defenses against a strong foe is to remind him we are protected by God, who is our constant refuge. We do not take lightly Satan’s attacks, for they are fierce. Yet we know we can overcome and outlast them if we remain steadfast in the Lord. 

“… for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:1-4). A synonym for steadfast is “resolve.” It is much easier to be patient in the wait, when we are resolved in purpose or belief. Patience, time and continual prayer are key in our fight. With God’s grace, rather than fleeing trouble, we must stand against it: 

“In the Lord I take refuge. How then can you say to me:
 

Flee like a bird to your mountain.” (Ps. 11:1). 

Brogden states that when we flee in the face of adversity, we put others at risk for we leave vulnerable ones exposed. He encourages us to stand in the gap, slam our shepherd’s staff down on the bridge like Gandalf in J. R. R. Tolkien’s novel, The Lord of the Rings, and shout: “YOU SHALL NOT PASS!” 

I just love that analogy! What a powerful visual it is! When we resist and outlast the enemy, by God’s grace, we are saved and others as well. Brogden writes: Patience is a primary weapon, and patience is not passive.

I also found a different quote by Leo Tolstoy who states: “Patience is waiting. Not passively waiting. That is laziness. But to keep going when the going is hard and slow – that is patience. The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.”

Just think about it! It is impossible to defeat a foe who will not quit, who can endure abuse, and who absorbs punishment knowing that every blow received drains the limited supply of the attacker. Remember this verse: “He (Satan) is filled with fury,
because he knows that his time is short.” (Rev.12:12). So today, when the enemy attacks, we must be resolved to stand in an immovable stance, actively and purposefully facing whatever is hurled against us. For we understand through God’s grace that the arsenal of evil is limited and it will not be replenished. Did you hear that my friends?  Ultimately, Satan’s power is limited, like leaking batteries with no replacements! Despite his influence, Scripture clearly delineates the boundaries of his power, emphasizing that he operates under divine constraints and cannot act beyond what God permits. Satan is a created being and as a created entity, his power is inherently limited by the Creator. Satan, “The prince of this world now stands condemned” (John 16:11), and Jesus will one day destroy Satan’s power completely and purify creation. (2 Peter 3:10) Scripture is clear that the end of Satan and all his armies will come. Christ has already won that battle when He defeated sin and death by His work on the cross. It’s only a matter of time that the enemy is cast down once and for all. “And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown.” Revelation 20:10

What a satisfying and gratifying thought that is!

 …Satan is timing out! 

Battling Anxiety

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What is a looming threat in our culture today? Anxiety!  It’s been said that “Anxiety is the soundtrack humming beneath modern life.” Paul’s instructions to the church at Philippi speak clearly in response (Phil. 4:5-7): 

“The Lord is near, do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

 And yet, the truth is … many people are more familiar with anxiety than they are with peace. We are better acquainted with a subconscious drive to control the circumstances overwhelming us, than with accepting the unburdening freedom promised in prayer. God promises peace, a supernatural sort of peace that we can’t logically reason. Regardless of our spiritual maturity, stage of life, psychological awareness, we still find ourselves wrestling with anxiety over God’s perfect peace. So why is that? 

Today we are living in a post-truth era. Culturally, for many, Biblical truth is no longer defined as absolute. We find it difficult to trust people and ultimately that affects our trust in God. The result is generations of people who find safety in pretending they don’t need God or people… saying… “I can trust myself, guide myself, be enough for myself.” Today, we live in a system that believes maturity comes and grows as we embrace more independence. Yet, Jesus’ teachings are the exact opposite! Rather, He says to be more dependent…to be more dependent on Him! 

Jesus once wisely said that we will know a tree by its fruit. So what’s the fruit of self-sufficiency in the life of the modern person? That’s easy! They are overwhelmed! Many people we know today are drowning in their “things”, whatever their “things” are. And those “things” have become all-consuming. You would think that living constantly overwhelmed lives would drive us to prayer at its purest and rawest form. And yet, the tendency for many of us is to pray safe, calculated, quick, duty-filled prayers that insulate us from both disappointment and freedom. At times, we compromise the truth of the Word in our prayers, giving God a way out if things don’t seem to go the way we pray for them. We put “ifs” in our prayers. We take the absolute truth out of the Word and out of our prayers. We lace our prayers with fear and doubt because our trust wavers and doubt in God’s ability and His desire to help us suppresses our prayers. Consciously or unconsciously, we may even try to cloak our selfish, narcissistic desires in some sort of faux compassion. Mixed motives arise, stifling or altering what God has originally intended for us. But as for me, I don’t believe God is nearly as worried about our mixed motives as we may think. I believe he is more concerned with having a true, honest, raw relationship with us. And I believe David ‘s relationship with his Father was such as that. Let’s take a look at David’s writings in the Psalms and begin with these beautiful words written by him: 

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside the quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.” (Psalm 23:1-3)

This prayer sounds so serene, so balanced, so perfect. And yet, David wasn’t always that serene (Psalm 140:10):

“May burning coals fall on them;  may they be thrown into the fire,  into miry pits. never to rise.”

Yikes, sadly, I’ve been there and have even thought things like this …

And again Psalm 103:2,5:

“Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”

Yes, yes, I’ve felt like this many times, especially when things are going the way that I want them. You have to agree. It is easier to trust and believe God when things are going your way. I must admit it, sadly, it’s the way of the flesh, after all.

But what about these heartfelt words:

“I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched.  My eyes fail, looking for my God. “(Psalm 69:3).

I can certainly relate to moments like these, a bit of anger, depression…

Then again, with joy:

“Every day, I will praise you and extol your name, forever and ever” (Psalm 145:2)

Such wonderful emotion exudes in these praises. I love riding high and free in praise of God. But then, later, we find David’s joyous words have now turned to complaints:

“I pour out before him, my complaint; before him, I tell my trouble (Psalm 142:2)

The Psalms reveal a huge variety of motives and emotions. In fact, some of the words in these prayers go directly against the teachings of Jesus and the character of God. What happened to loving your enemies and a God who is rich in love and loyalty and faithfulness? You know, an outside reader might not view David as being so balanced! But didn’t God say David had a heart after Him? So why would these sorts of prayers be included in the Bible? Because they’re honest! They are ragged but real! God is looking for an authentic relationship, not well-designed prayers spoken with perfect motives. Yes, God does consider motives, but when we bring them before Him in prayer, God then has an opportunity to enter in, to realign, to reveal and to refine our thoughts and prayers. They’re not hidden any longer. They’re confessed in His presence. We lay ourselves wholeheartedly before God and He listens. God listened to David in his despair, in his rage and in his joy, and called him a man after His own heart. When it comes to prayer, it’s not performance based. God isn’t grading essays. C.S. Lewis said of prayer “we must lay before Him what is in us, not what ought to be in us.” Honesty with God through prayer reveals truth, hears complaints, reveals and refines motives. In humility, when we present ourselves wholeheartedly before Him, it is then, that He can begin to refine us, sanctify us and empower us with that perfect peace that only God can give. 

New Years 2025

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Once, when the people of God had become careless in their relationship with Him, the Lord rebuked them through the prophet Haggai: “Consider your ways!” (Haggai 1:5). He urged them to reflect on some of the things happening to them, and to evaluate their fading spirituality in light of what God had told them. The beginning of a new year is an ideal time to stop, look up, and get our bearings. A great time for us to “Consider our ways.” To that end, here are some questions to ask prayerfully in the presence of God:

1. What’s one thing you can do this year to increase your enjoyment of God? Over and over again in God’s word, our great job is joy in Him:

Rejoice in the Lord always. (Phil. 4:4)   Delight yourself in the Lord. (Psalm 37:4)

Be glad in the Lord. (Ps. 32:11)             In your presence there is fullness of joy. (Ps. 16:11)

Our enjoyment of God comes primarily through the means of grace he has given us. He has promised to bless us most directly and consistently through means such as his word, prayer, and the church. One specific suggestion I’d offer would be to include some meditation on Scripture along with your daily reading, which most of you probably do. We started as a couple memorizing a few Psalms together. We’ve enjoyed learning them and saying them aloud each morning or when traveling together.

2. What’s an impossible prayer you can pray? There are more than a dozen “but God” statements in Scripture, such as in Romans 5:8, “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Situations that were humanly impossible were transformed by “but God”. What’s an impossible prayer, a “but God” prayer you can pray for the coming year?

3. In which spiritual discipline do you most want to make progress this year? Would it be a personal spiritual discipline (that is, one you practice alone), or an interpersonal spiritual discipline (one you practice with other believers)? Once you decide, determine the next step to take and when you will take it.

4. What’s the single biggest time-waster in your life, and how can you redeem the time? Social media? TV? Video games? Sports? Hobbies? It’s easy for any of these (or something else) to take too much of our hearts and time. Is repentance required?  Actively replacing the wasters in your life with something better helps us in “making the best use of the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16).

5. What’s the most helpful new way you could strengthen your church? The New Testament actually says seven times that the church is the body of Christ (Ephesians 5:23). We mustn’t minimize the importance of our service to Jesus through his body. How can your church be stronger this year because of you? Serving? Giving? Praying?

6. For whose salvation will you pray most fervently this year? Praying frequently and fervently for someone’s salvation makes us more sensitive to opportunities to share the gospel. Will you commit to praying for at least one person’s salvation every day this new year?

7. What’s the most important way, by God’s grace, you will try to make this year different from last? Pray and ask God for his guidance in this.

8. What one thing could you do to improve your prayer life this year?

For some, it might be as simple as designating a time exclusively for prayer. For others, it might be learning the simple, biblical practice of praying the Bible. If we don’t form the habit of praying the Scriptures, our prayers will likely degenerate into vain repetitions that eventually revolve entirely around our immediate private concerns, rather than God’s larger purposes. Most of the Psalms are prayers, and of course, Jesus, Paul, the prophets and many others in the Bible have given us prayers. One pastor I know uses the acronym IOUS from the Psalms to guide in praying the Scriptures (preface your prayers with these IOU’S):

I, Incline my heart to your testimonies (Ps. 119:36).
                             

O, Open my eyes to see wonderful things (Ps. 119:18).
                                

U, Unite my heart to fear your name (Ps 86:11). 
                                  

S, Satisfy me in the morning with your steadfast love (Ps. 90:14). 

9. What single thing can you plan to do this year that will matter most in ten years? In eternity? Impacting your soul, your family, your church?

Short-term deadlines tend to dominate our attention. Busyness and fatigue often limit our vision to just getting through the day. But we mustn’t allow ourselves to be distracted and neglect those things that would have enormous long-term impact on our soul, our family, or our church.

My friends, the value of these questions or others, is in the simple fact that they bring an issue or commitment into focus. For example, just by making a goal to encourage one person this year is more likely to help you remember to encourage that person than if you hadn’t set that goal. Reviewing these questions frequently during the new year can help us keep centered and not get entangled in the growing number of distractions escalating each year. The phrase “Consider Your Ways,” keeps ringing in my ears. The Bible states “the plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance” (Prov. 21:5). That’s powerful! Plans matter! But in all that we plan and do, we must also remember our dependence on our King, who said, “Apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). 

 My friends…Consider your New Year… “Consider Your Ways.” (Haggai 1:5)

Let us Pray:

1) “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” Is. 43:18-19

Father, may our children let go of the past and perceive new things, ideas, and gifting that you lay before them. Thank you that you guide them and strengthen them as they go forth.

2) “And He who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Rev. 21:5  

Thank you, Father, that you make all things new as our children go forth in 2025.

3) “The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lam. 3:22-23 

Thank you, Father, that your love for our children never ceases and your mercies for them never end. Thank you for your great faithfulness.

4) “Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead.” Phil. 3:13 

Thank you, Father, that the past will not become a snare to our children’s future. Thank you that they will press through any obstacles that come their way and complete the work you give them to do. May they finish strong!

5) “Therefore, repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” Acts 3:19 

Father, as our children begin Year 2025 convict their hearts to repentance for any sin that might separate them from you, that they may be refreshed and renewed by your Spirit.

We thank you and praise you, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

O Little Town of Bethlehem

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“O Little Town of Bethlehem” paints the picture of a sleepy, unassuming town that serves as the setting for the unprecedented act of God entering the world as a human being. There was no doubt many people living in Bethlehem at the time of Jesus’ birth had no idea that an anointed young woman was birthing a divine child that night. Although we look back on Christ’s birth as an indescribably important moment in history, for the people living in Bethlehem at the time, most were completely unaware of what had taken place. And yet Bethlehem, “above thy deep and dreamless sleep” is very much the kind of setting where the Gospel takes place. Not with resounding ovation, but in quiet, simple, even normal actions.

In the same way that many people didn’t notice the birth of Jesus, the vast majority of our prayers and actions made in the advancement of God’s Kingdom will go unnoticed. Few will see the compassion we show to a hurting friend, or the silent prayers offered for a distressed stranger, or the encouragement given on behalf of another. God could have heralded the entrance of his Son into this world with a cadenza of horns and angelic figures. Instead, only a few shepherds were given audience to the angel’s invitation. The simplicity and humility of Christ’s birth is in and of itself an example of how God often works in our world. And yet, what makes those things extraordinary is the presence of God with us. Emmanuel, God with us, makes everything infinitely important and divinely blessed.

Bethlehem was and is just a small town — a small town steeped in ancient history. In the first century, we recall Bethlehem as the birthplace of the mighty giant killer, King David. David essentially put that town on the map 1,000 years earlier, and now, on a very special day that little village on top of a quiet hill was to pull off an amazing feat. Dusty scrolls left by ancient prophets told of such a thing (Micah 5:2).

“But you, O Bethlehem, who are too little to be among the clans of rJudah from you shall come forth one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.”

But that night in Bethlehem, as the song implies, there is only silence. All is now hushed and quiet, and the hope of a king only a prophetic memory muffled by the priorities of life: raising wheat, raising sheep, raising children, and paying taxes. This night the town finally sleeps, though crowded. The hustle and bustle of census travelers, who returned home to be counted, have now ceased their travels.

“O little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie.”

So quiet and still and peaceful is the town.  But let’s imagine for a moment a slower pace and a quieter place, no cell phones, no loud radios, no horns, and no surround sound. No jets, no traffic, no trains, and no ambulances racing down streets. In perfect stillness, we witness a silent invasion, like a storm of feathered snowflakes silently falling to the ground, carpeting the dirty world in radiant holiness.

And so, we slow our pace to His pace, and we read the holy story once again, a little more slowly now. We don’t skim. We watch the baby King of Bethlehem enter into a barn-like stable to gently rest in a worn-out feeding trough. In the quietness of night, the new King enters into the hay and manure of a broken world in desperate need of fixing. This is the Christ child, who will one day die in daylight that becomes darkness. But right now, he rests in mother Mary’s arms on a dark night that becomes starlit, as stars and angels pierce the silence. 

This same Christ enters lives like he entered this stable. He enters the mess of sin, and it catches us off guard. You’re surprised? Unaware? You’re not ready for Him? It all seems so sudden. We must be ready— not taken unaware, like the little town of Bethlehem.

When Christ arrives, we may be tempted to first warm up the stable with space heaters. But don’t! We may want to sweep out the soiled hay and mouse droppings. Don’t!  Don’t roll out a comfort mattress or fluff a pair of feather pillows. Don’t disinfect the walls and floor with an aerosol fog of Lysol. Don’t set out a crib with stuffed animals, cotton onesies and baby powder. Don’t fill the bathtub with warm water and soft suds. When the Savior comes, there’s no time to clean up the mess of sin. He comes, not to place fancy wrapped boxes around a decorated Christmas tree. No. The Holy One arrives unexpectedly in the middle of our busy and imperfect lives.

It is with this thought that we are prepared to sing the final verse (the fifth stanza) of the famous hymn, Emmanuel. 

O holy Child of Bethlehem,

Descend to us, we pray;

Cast out our sin, and enter in,

Be born in us today.

We hear the Christmas angels, 

The glad tidings tell;

O come to us, abide with us, Our Lord Emmanuel.

This is the message of Christmas. Here, this Christmas Day, we praise Jesus who broke into the stillness of a little town to descend to sinful humanity. And we implore Him,  “Lord Jesus, break into our lives and cast out the sin that we are powerless to wash away. Silence our thoughts and still our lips that we may hear you. Soften our hearts and humble us to seek your face in all that we do. Guide us by your light and strengthen us to obey you…

”O holy Child of Bethlehem, Descend to us, we pray.”

Please join me in prayer for our children and grandchildren:

“This is eternal life, that our children and grandchildren may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent”. John 17:3

“More than that, may our children count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom they have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that they may gain Christ,” Philippians 3:8

“And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given our children understanding so that they may know Him who is true; and they are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.” 1 John 5:20

“but may our children grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.” 2 Peter 3:18

Mary Did You Know?

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Imagine what was going through Mary’s mind as the angel Gabriel told her she was going to give birth to the Messiah. How she responded is a lesson for us all.

And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His father David. (Luke 1:30-32)

Have you ever received a promise or a prophecy, only to have to wait for it to come to fruition? Perhaps you had been told you would have a prosperous ministry, but still seem to be plodding along at square one. Or perhaps you were unable to find employment for a long time. It can be very difficult to wait. Imagine being Mary, who as a young teen was told she would carry the Son of God in her womb. In addition, imagine her being told that this baby would be the Savior of the world. What do you think Mary thought? How did she hold up under all this information? What was going through her mind when she changed his diapers? Taught him to eat solid foods? Helped him learn how to dress? Guided him through childhood to adulthood? Do you think she constantly had in the forefront of her mind, “This is the Son of God!” Or did that thought slowly move to the background when Jesus seemed to be a normal baby and grew up as a regular child? Jesus’ public ministry didn’t start until he was 30 years old. Think about it. For 30 years, Mary held the knowledge that Jesus was the Messiah. Could you imagine holding on to an unrealized truth for so long? Did she have any idea what kind of ministry life Jesus would have? The healings? The prophecy? The teachings? The opposition? The suffering? I, for one, don’t believe that Mary knew the details about Jesus’ life beforehand, and that on some level, she was just as surprised by Jesus’ ministry as anyone. But then, that’s just my thoughts on the subject.

In John 16:12, where Jesus says: “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear.” As most of you know, God usually only gives us a piece of the big picture at a time. He may give a promise or a prophecy, but often he doesn’t give us the details of how, or even when, it will unfold. What if the angel had told Mary, “You are to give birth to the Son of God, and after thirty years, he’ll start his public ministry. At that point, your son will be opposed by the leaders of this country for three years, then he’ll be brutally beaten, crucified, and all will abandon Him.” How could Mary or any human possibly bear that knowledge? 

I must confess I have been guilty of getting frustrated with God because something I believed didn’t seem to be happening. But Mary made the choice to trust in God. She responded to the angel by saying in Luke 1:38, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” She had the right perspective (I am a servant of the Lord) and the right heart (let it be according to your word.) We can learn a lot from Mary. If God is calling us, then He will lead and provide everything necessary. We just need to have the faith to follow Him.

The lyrics of “Mary, Did You Know?” stir our hearts with some of the deepest mysteries of Christmas. We think of Mary, a young, vulnerable woman called into the most extraordinary human work in all of history… giving birth to God Incarnate. We are reminded that the baby to whom Mary gave birth would walk on water, heal the sick, and save us. We are astounded once more by the fact that Mary’s baby boy is the “Lord of all creation” and, in fact, “the great I AM.” This is a mystery beyond our comprehension, though it stands at the center of Christian faith. As the Gospel of John puts it, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (1:14) This Word became human in Jesus, the son of Mary. So, Mary did you know? Why Yes, in part, Yes. Mary knew her child would be the Messiah, as we now know that God became man. But that sort of knowledge does not leave us without questions. As Mary rocked her baby to sleep, night after night, did she not wonder what it would all mean, how her child’s Messiahship (a made-up word ) would play out in the future?

Even when we know the Biblical answers, we still ponder the questions, and it’s a good exercise to do so. Regardless of how much Mary did or did not perfectly understand, we can be sure that she asked many questions of God, the Father, as she cradled God, the Son. As we think back to the manger scene, think about the power, authority and majesty she cradled in her arms. Those little lips were the same lips that had spoken the world into existence. Think on all contained in this young child lying quietly against his mother’s breast. Imagine a young mother lulling a fussy baby to sleep, hot tears streaming down his pink cheeks, and thinking this tiny being is God incarnate, the Savior of us all! In fact, wasn’t He the very one who had given life to his mother, Mary?  Extraordinary!

Luke 2:19 says, “Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart.” We could easily assume that Mary had plenty of questions among those ponderings. The question “Mary, did you know?” opens our thoughts for contemplation, curiosity, and wonder. It’s as though we are peering over Mary’s shoulder as she rocks baby Jesus, the Christ, to sleep. It’s allowing us to witness the humility of God and yet, the vastness of power contained in those tiny fingers grasping for the comfort of his mother’s hand. After all, who would know this wonder, this strangeness, and this beauty better than the woman in whose womb the Son of God grew?

The mystery woven into Mary’s calling as Jesus’s mother has tempted some to attribute divine status to her and worship her. It was a temptation even when Jesus was walking the earth. In Luke 11:27 a woman in a crowd shouted to Jesus, “Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts at which you nursed!”

Jesus knew the woman’s line of reasoning was dangerous. So he responded to her: 

 “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it” (Luke11:27-28) Do you see the guarding grace in Jesus’s response? In a single sentence he was protecting Mary’s true blessedness and protecting us from idolatry. Mary’s true blessing is not in bearing the Son, it’s in believing the Son. Being the mother of Jesus was a great blessing, but it was nowhere near the blessing of having her sins paid for by the fruit of her womb. So as we ponder Mary’s experience this Christmas, let us join her relative, Elizabeth, and say of her: “blessed is she who believed the fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord” (Luke 1:45) Because God’s greatest blessing is given to those who believe him and obey Him.

Idol of Dagon

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In 1 Samuel 4:1-3 we read that Israel has been defeated in an initial battle with the Philistines, suffering the cost of 4,000 lives. The Israelites were stunned at the outcome. How could God allow them such a defeat? Although defeated by the Philistines, instead of seeking and humbling themselves before God, the Israelites concluded, “Let us bring the ark of the Lord’s covenant from Shiloh, so that he may go with us and save us from the hand of our enemies.” Yes, the Israelites needed God’s help, but were wrong in the way they sought it. Like an over-sized good luck charm, they believed the presence of the ark would save them and make them win. They looked to the ark, not to the Lord. They were treating the ark like an idol. However, the ark of God is not an idol; the ark of God is not Israel’s God. The ark is a symbol of God’s presence. It plays an important role in Israel’s worship, but it is not their God. Even so, assured of their decision, ark in hand, the Israelites commenced their fight. The Philistines rose to the challenge dreading that it might mean death or defeat for them. Instead, it lead to an even greater defeat for the Israelites. Thirty thousand soldiers were killed, along with Eli’s sons. When Eli, the priest, learns of their death and the ark’s capture, he falls dead as well.1 Sam. 5:1-5 “After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they took it to Ashdod. Then they carried the ark into Dagon’s temple and set it beside Dagon. When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord! They took Dagon and put him back in his place. But the following morning when they rose, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the Lord! His head and hands had been broken off and were lying on the threshold; only his body remained.”

            No doubt, the Philistines were jubilant and confident in the superiority of their god over the God of Israel. They faced the God of Israel in battle and believed their god Dagon delivered them and defeated Israel. Dagon was represented with a half-man, half-fish figure, and was said to be the father of Baal. Now, the ark of the covenant of Israel’s God stood as a trophy in the temple of their god Dagon. Their victory seemed complete. 

            Had the glory of God departed? Not at all. God was more than able to glorify Himself among the Philistines and their pagan gods. When men disgrace the glory of God, we may think the glory has departed. But when men and women will not glorify God, God will glorify Himself. Our God is able to uphold his own name and honor without our help. The next morning, there was Dagon, who had fallen and was lying face down on the ground before the Ark of the Lord. God glorified himself when He made the Dagon statue bow down in worship before Him. The priests of Dagon then stood the statue upright again. The next day the head of Dagon and both the palms of its hands were broken off on the threshold; only Dagon’s torso was left. Imagine the horror of the Philistine priests who entered the temple of Dagon that morning. They not only saw their god bowing down before the Ark, they also saw the image broken. After two days, I imagine it would be hard to make any more excuses for their god, especially in light of the broken head and hands, and a meager stump remaining. 

            After seeing the superiority of Israel’s God, these Philistine priests had a choice. They could turn from their weak, inferior god Dagon and begin to serve the superior God of Israel. However, they did not. These Philistine priests, like men confronted with the truth today, rejected God despite the evidence. How could they believe something so ridiculous? Maybe, just as it is for many of the lost today, it’s because worshipping the Lord instead of Dagon means a huge change in thinking and behavior, a surrender, a transformation. The Philistine priests were unwilling to make any changes. They found it easier to take Dagon and set it in its place again. It is the same today, despite the evidence of a living God, men continue their idol worship because some believe it is easier to pick up the pieces and glue them back together than to submit to the living God who transforms lives. Some try to keep both Dagon in their life and God. They are afraid of surrendering all the way to Christ. Perhaps there’s a cherished sin they don’t want to give up, a love for the world and its pleasures. 

God won’t share you.  One or the other has to go! “For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” (2 Cor. 6:14-15.)

            “But the hand of the Lord was heavy on the people of Ashdod, and He ravaged them and struck them with tumors, both Ashdod and its territory. Then the men of Ashdod said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for His hand is harsh toward us and Dagon our god.” Therefore, they sent and gathered to themselves all the lords of the Philistines, and said, “What shall we do with the ark of the God of Israel?” And they answered, “Let the ark of the God of Israel be carried away to Gath.” So they carried the ark of the God of Israel away. “(1Sam. 5: 6-8)

The hand of the Lord was heavy on the people of Ashdod. Yet, they would not listen when God struck down their statue; they just set it up again. When we close our ears to God, He often finds another way to speak to us, and we may not like the second way. The Bible says, “He ravaged them and struck them with tumors.” Instead of submitting to the God of Israel, they decided to get rid of Him, send the ark away. We can do things to push God away, but even the best of our attempts are temporary. We can’t get rid of God. We must all face God and stand before Him one day. The ark of God was sent first to Gath and after that to Ekron. And the hand of the Lord came against both cities and tumors broke out on them. 

            When they sent the ark to Ekron, the people cried out, “They have brought the ark of the God of Israel to us, to kill us and our people!” So they sent and gathered together the lords of the Philistines, and said, “Send away the ark of the God of Israel, back to its own place, so that it does not kill us and our people.” Death had filled the city with panic; the hand of God is very heavy. And the men who did not die were stricken with tumors, and the cry of the city went up to heaven. (1Sam. 5:10-12) 

The people of Gath and Ekron were terrified to see the Ark, but they still wouldn’t submit to the Lord God of Israel. If the Philistines had repented and turned towards the Lord, they could have been saved. Instead, the ark became a curse and a judgment to them. The same is true of the presence of God among men today, which can bring life to some and death to others. 

            As the psalmist said: “The idols of the nations are silver and gold, the work of human hands. They have mouths, but do not speak; they have eyes, but do not see; they have ears, but do not hear, nor is there any breath in their mouths. Those who make them become like them, so do all who trust in them” (Ps. 135:15-18).Dagon became the Philistines’ shame as he was proved to be inferior to the God of the Israelites. Dagon was a god who needed his worshippers to pick him off the ground when he fell. What kind of a “god” has to be set upright by its subjects and carried off for repairs because it is broken? Yet these priests did not humble themselves and confess that the God of Israel is the only true God. Here we are reminded that no god, no weapon, and no power of darkness will stand in the light of our God. When God enters, He turns things upside down and refuses to allow sin to stand unchallenged. That is true for those who wreak havoc and blatantly sin against God in our nation today. God hears the cries of His faithful people in prayer. “Rise up O God and scatter your enemies. Let those who hate God run for their lives!” (Ps. 68:1 NLV)