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“Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.” Romans 11:3 (NLT)
Ever noticed how a campfire dies out more quickly if you spread the coals out? Once the coals are spread out the lack of heat generated drops the fire dies out much sooner than if you’d left the coals together.
The enemy knows that your spiritual, emotional and even physical well-being is much like the coals in a campfire. He knows that there is strength in numbers and that believers banded together in unity and love are disastrous to his cause. The best way for him to defeat you is for him to break down your endurance.
The lie he wants you to believe in the battle for your endurance is that you are all alone in your struggle. He wants you to believe no one else in your church struggles with pornography and if they knew about your struggle they’d surely ostracize you from the group and make you feel second rate.
He wants you to believe you are the only one that struggles with debt and he’ll remind you of the many sermons you’ve heard about tithing and not using credit cards and not borrowing from the future to acquire the toys of the present.
He’ll tell you that if you were responsible and gifted you’d be hosting the small group Bible Study at your home or at least going to one.
He’ll tell you the addictions, the thoughts and the feeling of being overwhelmed all the time is YOUR problem and if you were living by the Spirit you wouldn’t be going through this.
Once again, the problem with all of this is that in each statement he tells you there is a small element of truth. Remember, he is a master at telling you just enough to keep you down, distracted and discouraged.
His tactics aren’t new. He’s been discouraging God’s people since the beginning of time. The first murder was the result of Cain being discouraged because his offerings weren’t acceptable to God. He felt alone and left out. He became enraged and killed his brother. From that point on the story remains the same. Satan tells us we don’t measure up.
Even the great prophet Elijah experienced it and fell victim to the lie for a short time. He’d just seen God work mightily as a result of Elijah’s prayers. He’d just been empowered by God’s Spirit to kill over 400 false prophets. His prayers brought rain to a parched land. But when Jezebel threatened to kill him Satan whispered in his ear, “You are all alone. There is no one who will come by your side. You are doomed.”
Satan’s attacks seem to come at us at times when God’s been the most real to us. Pastors will tell you that the hours and days after a great outpouring of God’s Spirit, Satan will attack with a vengeance. We see it in our homes as well. When God works, Satan works overtime!
It’s what we do with his lie that makes all the difference in the world. If we believe we are all alone in our struggles we withdraw from others. We feel guilty when we can’t measure up to the standards Satan tells us we need to measure up to. We compare ourselves to others and realize we can never be like them. The more negative the thoughts become the more we withdraw and the more we begin to believe we are total losers in the game of life.
The Truth Statement God wants you to remember is that “The struggles you endure today are not a sign you are alone but God’s call on your life to trust him more.” Just as Elijah discovered that there were many who were waiting to come alongside him, there are many who will come alongside you in your struggle.
Elijah’s ability to endure came after he took some time for physical rest and then found others who would support him. Our trust in God and ability to endure comes as we build around us people we can trust. Like-minded people who will pray with us, dig into God’s word with us and understand our short-comings without judgment. Endurance grows as trust in God increases.
PRAYER: Father during the storms of life I often feel very alone. What I see as my weakness keeps me from experiencing your strength. Empower me by your Spirit to keep from listening to Satan’s lies so I can hear your voice through those you bring into my life to encourage me. Amen.
So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ. That’s why I work and struggle so hard, depending on Christ’s mighty power that works within me. Colossians 1:28-29 (NLT)
Somewhere along the line we have bought into the idea that there is a disconnect between being a Christ-follower and being intelligent. The media often portrays ‘religious’ people as being some sort of anomaly that is out of touch with society, reality and in some cases just plain dumb!
Here’s a news flash for you. It’s not true. Being a follower of Jesus Christ does not mean you are less intelligent, less in touch with reality or stupid. Don’t let the enemy tell you any differently. We don’t follow a bunch of empty, unsubstantiated rules and stories that religion dreams up. We don’t place our faith on empty tradition, fancy dishes, or ‘new revelations’ that came from some mountaintop experience.
Perhaps one of the reasons we are maligned as being out of touch with reality and disconnected from ‘true science’ is the fact that ‘wisdom’ and ‘intellect’ are often misunderstood. Someone can be very intelligent, but not very wise. I had a college professor once who was perhaps the most intelligent and interesting person I’ve ever met. But he couldn’t figure out an overhead projector! (Those of you under 30 may want to Google overhead projector to understand that last statement!)
I also know some people who, by the world’s standards, aren’t very intelligent at all but are extremely wise. People who have never finished high school but are making six figure salaries because they didn’t let the fact that they didn’t have a fancy piece of paper on their wall keep them from being successful.
In the spiritual realm it’s our wisdom, not our knowledge of spiritual things, that will enable us to help others (and ourselves) grow strong in our relationship with Jesus Christ.
The wise follower of Christ will be able to discern what those around them need in order to begin or grow in a relationship with Christ. Learn how to use the tools we have to build strong godly lives. Learn to listen more than preach; to love more and criticize less; to accept differences without demanding our own way.
The Apostle Paul was an extremely intelligent, highly trained teacher in his day. But he writes to the Colossians and reminds them that it isn’t his intellect that brings others to maturity in Christ. Others grew in their relationship because Paul’s teaching was based on God’s wisdom and Paul’s tenacity and refusal to give up.
Grace says, “I know the right way. I know you are on the wrong path. But I will love you and rely on Godly wisdom to gently show you a better, more joyful way. Show your wisdom by showing others God’s grace.
PRAYER: Father God, I get angry when I see people I love and have concern for going down the wrong path. Help me in my frustration to remember that they will not change because of my knowledge. They will not grow because of my preaching. Like plants in the garden they will only become fruitful by my tender loving care and a refusal to give up on them. Empower me with your Spirit of wisdom to help others grow in you. Amen.
Each of you is now a new person. You are becoming more and more like your Creator, and you will understand him better. Colossians 3:10 (CEV)
I’ll be honest with you. I’m not a runner. Never have been much of a runner and don’t really intend on becoming one. I love walking much better. When I’m walking I can enjoy the scenery more than when I’m gasping for breath. I’ve also noticed that when you are walking and you meet another walker, they smile and may even say hi. Runners? Not so much. Every runner I’ve met has either just passed by in a blur or were too busy grimacing to respond to my greeting.
If you are a runner and enjoy it, God bless you. I think you’re crazy, but that’s not important.
In spite of my disdain for running I have to admit that it does have it’s benefits and much of what you learn about running can aid you in life in general.
Take for instance the long distance runner. I have a friend who loves to run marathons. He’s run in several major marathons across the country and even though he’s never one a major one, he loves to compete in them and set a goal for where he will place. He considers himself a winner if he meets or exceeds his goal.
One thing I’ve learned from him as we’ve talked about his hobby is the importance of pacing yourself. When he begins a marathon he’s well aware that he can’t sprint the entire distance. He’ll burn out way to quickly. The distance runner learns how to ‘listen’ to his/her body, when to push, when to lay back, when to stop. The distance runner is aware of distractions but focused on the prize at the end.
A few years ago the story is told of a young runner who got confused on a race course. He was one step away from going to the state tournament and was favored to win at state. Tragedy struck however when he became confused and ran the wrong way. He realized his mistake and turned around. He didn’t get to go to state because of his miscue, but he finished the race well.
That’s what life is really about. Running the race, finishing well and realizing that distractions and disappointments may come but they will never keep us from the ultimate goal, the finish line.
That’s what Grace is about. Grace isn’t about winning the race, it’s about finishing. Grace isn’t about running a perfect race, it’s about running. Grace isn’t about performance on self but reliance on Jesus Christ. Religion demands perfection now. Grace knows perfection is both immediate (through Jesus’ sacrifice) and future (when our faith is made complete in his presence).
When you ask Christ into your life your eternal destiny is finished, but the race must still be won. You may not finish well, but you will finish. You may not run a perfect race, but you must run. You may be distracted, stumble or go off course. But you can always come back.
PRAYER: Father God, thank you that through the forgiveness Jesus offers my eternal destiny is settled. I realize I must still run the race. Thank you that you aren’t surprised when I stumble, go off course or don’t run to my potential. Empower me to strive for excellence in my running for your sake. Amen.
The one thing I ask of the Lord—the thing I seek most—is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in his Temple. For he will conceal me there when troubles come; he will hide me in his sanctuary. He will place me out of reach on a high rock. Psalm 27:4-5
A sad story…
When I was growing up a family near the town I lived in had a young man in his early 20’s who was mentally handicapped. One night the family’s home started on fire in the middle of the night. The family searched frantically for their child but was forced from their home by smoke and flames. The home was far out in the country and well engulfed in flames by the time the fire department arrived. Even so, a couple firefighters risked their lives by climbing into the window where the young man had slept. They too were eventually forced from the burning building.
Once the fire was out they searched the ruins for the young man. They finally found him wrapped tightly in a blanket UNDER the bed where he slept. Apparently he heard the smoke alarm and became frightened. He wrapped himself in the only security he could find (his blanket) and hid from danger under his bed.
In a sad sort of irony, the very place he sought shelter became the place where this precious young man met death.
That story reminds me of the struggle each of us has on a daily basis. We are afraid. We worry. We are met with threats on one side or another. Sometimes those threats are physical ones from abusive parents, spouses or others. Sometimes those threats are emotional ones. Voices in our heads play the song over and over again. You won’t make it. It’s too much for you. You can’t go on this way. You are a failure, you’ve always been a failure, and you will always be a failure. Stop trying.
Other times the things we fear are of a spiritual or religious nature. Constant reminders of our sin. Continual references to our past. Demands that we try harder, have more faith, trust God more. They all weigh against us to the point where we simply don’t feel we can go another step or face another sunrise.
Then the words of the Psalmist ring clear. “He will conceal me when trouble comes.” Did you see that? Read it again. It doesn’t say he’ll keep us from troubles. He doesn’t promise we will be free of worry or fear. He does promise that the things that scare us, worry us or try to attack us will not be successful if we put our complete trust in Him.
Unlike the young lad in the story, we will be hidden in a safe place while the flames and smoke of life circle around us. That’s what grace is about. That’s what the Father’s love is about. Safety and hope in the midst of trials.
PRAYER: Father, in the midst of my fear and distress I ask that you would remind me that you will keep me safe. Hide me in your arms of mercy and grace. Envelop me in your love and keep me from fear of tomorrow or reminders of the past. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen.
