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Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8 (NLT)
A lion roars to defend his territory. We as believers must always realize that we are in Satan’s territory. Because of this we must always be on our guard against his attacks. If you’ve ever seen a cat on the prowl you know that they are quiet and agile. They waste no energy in pursuing their prey.
Peter reminds us to be alert but it’s hard to stay alert to enemy attack when we have so many things that distract us. It’s the things that distract us that allow the enemy a foothold to attack. He lurks in the shadow ready to prey on the slow, the weak, the distracted.
We get cutoff on the interstate and give the enemy opportunity to make us angry.
We find out a close friend is the root of a vicious rumor and give bitterness an opening.
The woman in the office cubicle next to ours makes a statement that could be taken in a lustful way and gives the idea of an affair a nudge.
The credit card company notifies us of a credit line increase at the same time an email announces a discount on the ‘toy’ we’ve always wanted and desire whispers in our ear.
Friends in school ridicule a fellow student for the same convictions you hold to and you hide in the shadows allowing the name of your savior to be mocked. Apathy taps you on the shoulder.
A co-worker convinces the boss to take one of your accounts away from you and give it to him and revenge squeezes your hand.
One of your children makes an irresponsible choice. You feel the urge to be reactive and sarcastic rather than understanding and forgiving.
Distractions. Those little things that cross our path every day. Distractions give the enemy opportunities for attack. We must choose to let our guard down or to stand firm in the face of the enemy.
The good news is that we have a God who offers us the power to resist distractions through his Holy Spirit. And when the distractions of life catch us unaware and we give in to the enemy we can find mercy and forgiveness through the blood of Jesus Christ.
Heed the warnings Peter offers us. Stay alert in the face of the enemies attack. Stand firm when distractions urge us to give in. It’s difficult at first, but like any discipline, the more we practice standing firm the easier it is to handle the distractions he throws at us.
PRAYER: Father I confess to you that I’m all too often distracted by the attacks of the enemy. Forgive me for the times I’ve stumbled. Empower me with your Spirit to stay focused on your love and forgiveness. Thank you for the grace and mercy you give every day. Amen
You have not seen Christ, but still you love him. You cannot see him now, but you believe in him. So you are filled with a joy that cannot be explained, a joy full of glory. 1 Peter 1:8 (NCV)
S.A.D.-Seasonal Affective Disorder-by definition it’s a type of depression that comes on people generally at a certain time of the year, usually fall. For those of us in the northern climates it’s usually caused by long nights and short days in which there may be no sunshine at all.
There’s another kind of S.A.D. that attacks us as well. Call it Spiritual Affective Disorder. If you are a Christ-follower and you’ve been walking the journey for a while you are all too familiar with this type of S.A.D. Those times when you feel emotionally and spiritually spent. You try to pray but can’t. You force yourself to read the Bible but the letters and words are just a pattern on the page with no meaning and no ‘inspiration’.
Sometimes this type of S.A.D. can be so severe it causes you to lose faith. At least for awhile. Is this all really worth it? Maybe banging your head on a wall would be more helpful! Maybe going out and getting drunk or finding a new partner or making some drastic changes in lifestyle will help.
Then you stop short. “What am I thinking?” you ask yourself. Those things won’t make the problems go away. In fact they make it worse.
So what is the answer to avoiding or curing Spiritual Affective Disorder? The cure for the physical version of S.A.D. is prolonged periods of sunshine. The cure for Spiritual Affective Disorder is walking in the SONshine.
The Apostle Peter is writing to a bunch of new believers in Christ. They were living in dangerous political times. Their lives were threatened on a daily basis and many had even lost their lives due to their faith.
Peter says “You haven’t seen Christ, but your very belief in him should bring you great joy”. In a sense Peter is saying; don’t look at the struggles around you. Don’t focus on how bad things are. Focus on Jesus. Keep him in view and the troubles of life will be less threatening.
Who but Peter would know what it was like to see Jesus? He was writing to people who hadn’t had the opportunity to see Jesus on a daily basis. He was writing to a people who hadn’t had the benefit of seeing Jesus on the mount of transfiguration. He was writing to a people who had never felt the water under their feet as they walked across a lake to meet Jesus.
Peter knew something each of us should remember. Keep your focus on Jesus. Only he will give you a joy that no one can understand. Step into the SONshine and stop being S.A.D.!
PRAYER: Dear Jesus. I remember you saying you would walk with me through the storms and gloom of life. At times it’s hard to see the SONshine due to heavy clouds of concern and worry. Empower me with your spirit to see through the fog so that I can have the joy only you can give. Amen.
May the Lord, who made heaven and earth, bless you from Jerusalem. Psalm 134:3
You may not freely admit it, of course, but the value of the gifts you give is dependent on the level of love and intimacy you have with the person you are giving the gift to. Gifts given to casual acquaintances are really more like gestures than gifts. Gifts of great value cost you something. The greater the cost, the more valued the person you are giving the gift too.
One year funds were very slim around Christmas. I wanted to give the love of my life something special but simply didn’t have the funds to purchase what I’d hoped to give her. With a somewhat heavy heart I ‘settled’ on using my ability to take pictures and made a collage of some the special times we’d had in the past year. When she opened the package you’d have thought I’d given her the Hope Diamond! She still talks about that simple gift today and it sits prominently on her nightstand.
Why was that simple gift so precious? It certainly had no dollar value. It wasn’t fantastic scenery or a hand made painting. The frame was simple and cheap. The pictures were printed on a home printer. But I was reminded that Christmas that the value of a gift isn’t in dollar amount but emotional attachment and sacrifice. My sweetheart sees in that simple frame of pictures all the memories of some great times together. Each photograph is a reminder of our love. My putting them together was the perfect way to remember our year together. She knew that this gift came from my heart.
Do you notice where your Heavenly Father gets the blessings (gifts) he bestows on us? He is creator of heavens and earth. He could have given you gifts from anywhere in the world, or the universe for that matter. But where did he go to get those blessings? He went home.Jerusalemwas where the temple was.Jerusalemwas where Jehovah God ‘dwelt on earth’.Jerusalemis where the blessings God bestows on us come from. He didn’t give us gifts he acquired. He gave us gifts that were his own personal possessions. You don’t give someone your prized possessions unless your love for that person is tremendously deep. The Apostle Paul reminds us that his love is deeper that the deepest ocean and higher than the highest heavens. His love goes as far as east is from west. His love for you is so deep that he gave his only son for you and has promised to bless you here on earth and for eternity.
The Jews sang this song, the song of Psalm 134, as they leftJerusalemafter worshiping God in his ‘home’ theTemple. I imagine the words of this song still on their lips as the walls disappeared behind them. Truly we were blessed to be in his presence.
May each of us as Christ-followers say the same. While the earthly temple still resides in Jerusalem, today Jehovah God has made a new home. A home within each of us as a result of Jesus death, resurrection and ascension to the right hand of the father. “May the Lord, who made heaven and earth, bless you from Jerusalem. Amen”
PRAYER: Father forgive me for taking for granted the many gifts you have given me. Help me to realize the great value you place on me. Empower me to live in such a way that your blessings in my life overflow to those near to me that need your touch. In Jesus name, Amen.
Do not be bitter or angry or mad. Never shout angrily or say things to hurt others. Never do anything evil. Ephesians 4:31 (CEV)
A few years back now a building was constructed on a vacant lot near where I worked. Shortly after its completion, people in the building complained about headaches, bad smells and frequent illnesses. Further investigation showed that somehow in the construction process black mold had begun to grow.
Efforts to solve the problem were fruitless and within just a couple years of its completion the health department was forced to condemn the building. It was demolished and turned into a parking lot!
Bitterness is like the black mold in that building. It can go unnoticed for a period of time. It grows in places we don’t think to look. It can start growing at the slightest infraction.
Bitterness can happen when a friend says one small thing that we take the wrong way. It can happen when some guy we don’t even know cuts us off on the interstate or a co-worker is using the copier and we are in a hurry to get something copied. It happens in churches when the pastor makes a comment or preaches a sermon that steps on a few toes.
It doesn’t matter where bitterness starts, if bitterness goes unchecked it can be a relationship breaker. Bitterness launches a two-pronged attack on our relationships. First of all, like black mold it eats away at us on the inside. It robs us of our joy, our self-esteem and our ability to be intimate with people. We sink further inward and become angry. Our lives are motivated by a judgmental and critical spirit. Bitterness not only destroys families and friendships, it can destroy your health.
If caught in time, there are ways to stop or at least lessen the results of black mold in a building before it becomes uninhabitable. If caught in time the effects of bitterness can be removed and relationships prevented or restored.
The first step to making sure bitterness isn’t a part of your life is to identify the real reason for your bitterness. Many times the things that cause bitterness in our soul can be traced to things that attack our view of ourselves. Take whatever it is to Jesus.
Remember you are God’s special creation. Nothing that comes into your life happens for without a reason. God allows things that can cause bitterness to come into our lives to help us grow stronger, not to destroy us.
Lastly, ask forgiveness for your angry and bitter spirit. Begin today to rid your life of those dark corners of anger and bitterness that can destroy relationships around you.
PRAYER: Father God, lately I find myself getting angry over the smallest things. I blame others, say things I don’t mean to say and push people I love away. Please help me see what it really is that is making me so bitter. Forgive me for my anger. Empower me with your spirit to avoid bitterness and repair damaged or broken relationships. In your name I pray, Amen.
Lord God All-Powerful, who is like you? Lord, you are powerful and completely trustworthy. Psalm 89:8 (NCV)
Have you ever thought about how many times a day we ‘trust’ without giving it a second thought? When you get out of bed in the morning you trust that your legs will support you, that the floor will be there and won’t give way as you stand. Throughout the day you ‘trust’ the chairs you sit in, the cars you drive and the computers you work on…okay, that one may be a stretch.
Trust in physical things is relatively easy. But when it comes to trusting people it’s a whole different story. Why is that? Because people let us down, pure and simple. Politicians make promises they can never keep. Children make promises they forget about. Even lovers make promises that, for whatever the reason, they fail to deliver on.
Once trust is threatened or destroyed it can be difficult, if not impossible, to restore that trust because failed trust leaves us beaten up, battered and destroyed. A love relationship in which trust has been destroyed leaves you always wondering, always doubting, always insecure in the words spoken and the actions delivered. Lack of trust can drive us to a point in our lives where we sink into a hole of paranoia because we are never sure of what is true and can be trusted, and what is false.
So what are some milestones to build trust on? First of all when building or rebuilding trust we must look at history. What was the person like in the past? Have there been changes (positively or negatively) that would lead you to believe they can be trusted? A person’s past alone doesn’t determine whether they can be trusted or not, but it serves as a benchmark to measure progress towards trustworthiness.
Secondly, do the person’s words and actions in the present indicate a desire on their part to gain your trust? In other words, does their walk match their talk? An addict will always have the potential for a slip up. A child will always be a child and therefore be subject to irresponsibility. A spouse or lover will always have a chance of making some mistake along the way. Even in the times you don’t understand their actions do their actions indicate a desire on their part to gain your trust?
Lastly, and this is a tough question, “Is this relationship worth the risk?” When your personal or emotional safety is in question you have to decide how to keep yourself safe. Even if you love the person dearly, do you love them enough to risk being beaten or even killed? Is the love you feel worth the pain you are suffering? This is a matter of choice. No one can answer this question for you.
The Psalmist says “Lord, you are all powerful and completely trustworthy.” Having a hard time trusting God? Take a look at history. Everything your heavenly Father has ever promised has come to pass, just as he said it would. Even during those times when you didn’t understand his working and the things he has allowed to come into your life, his actions have been for your good to grow you and protect you and bring you closer to him.
Then ask yourself the hard question. “Is he worth the risk?” One time in Jesus life many of his followers became disillusioned and left him. Jesus turned to his disciples and said “Are you going to leave too?” To that question Peter said “Lord, where else is there to go? Who else gives us the things you have given us?”
When we look at God’s working in the past; when we honestly evaluate his present work in our lives; I believe there is only one answer. Trusting God is worth the risk. He’s proven himself time and again and even during those times I don’t understand his actions, I have to admit there is no one else I can turn to.
One last thing. Turn the tables for a moment. Imagine God asking the ‘trust questions’ about you. Have you been consistent in your history or do you constantly fail? Have you made promises you couldn’t keep or had no intention of keeping? Do your actions match your words? If you were God would you be ‘worth the risk?’
Jesus says, “Yes. You are worth the risk. You failed. You are failing. You will fail in the future. But you are worth the risk of my love.” And he proved his love for you by dyeing on the cross to forgive your sins.
PRAYER: Father God, help me to learn to trust you. I’ve been let down by so many people. I’ve been hurt and abused to the point I don’t trust anyone. Thank you that you always do what you say you’ll do. Thank you for thinking I’m worth the risk of your love. Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 