Four Reasons Why our Prayers Aren’t Answered When and How we Want Them Answered-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

Listen to my words, Lord, Consider my sighing.Listen to the sound of my cry for help, my King and my God, For to You I pray. In the morning, Lord, You will hear my voice; In the morning I will present my prayer to You and be on the watch-Psalm 5:1-3 NASB 

Christians are instructed to pray about everything all the time, whether we feel like it or not (Luke 6:38, Ephesians 6:18, Philippians 4:6, Colossians 4:2, 1st Thessalonians 5:17, 1st Timothy 2:1, 1st Timothy 2:8, James 5:13-16). Jesus is our model for how, when and why to pray. Jesus prayed constantly. His devotion to prayer was so passionate He often wandered off to pray in seclusion for extended periods of time (Mark 1:35, Luke 5:16, Luke 11:11). 

All that being said: 

Prayer can be tough. Prayer requires self-control, self-denial and perseverance. Therefore, prayer rarely comes naturally to fallen humans, even when the fallen human is redeemed, prayer can be a struggle (Matthew 26:41).  Our desire to pray is often complicated by situations and seasons when our prayers appear to not be “working”. We pray fervently for something we know is God’s will (like spiritual awakening or salvation) and nothing happens; or worse, we pray and the reverse of what we hope will happen happens. The whole messy muddle begs an awkward question: if God is real and He wants us to pray why don’t more of our prayers get answered with a resounding “yes” and “amen”? 

I don’t pretend to know everything about everything. 

What I do know for absolute certain is woefully inadequate. However, one thing I do know for certain is prayer is powerful and it works. When it doesn’t there are reasons why. If we understand those reasons, it helps us to pray more effectively and stay faithful in prayer (Romans 12:12). Following are four reasons for unanswered or slowly answered prayer: 

Freewill-

Nothing tempts us towards spiritual frustration more than praying and fasting for someone we love and then watching them do the exact opposite of what we have been praying they would do. It’s maddening.  Our frustration is often magnified by the fact that when we pray for people, we are most often praying for their salvation, maturity or moral transformation. We KNOW God wants people to be saved and come to a knowledge of truth (Romans 10:13, 1st Timothy 2:1-4, John 3:16). We also know God wants people to live wisely. Idiocy is not God’s will for anyone (Proverbs 8:33, Proverbs 19:20). The number one reason prayers don’t always get answered is because God will not normally overrule the freewill of a human being (Deuteronomy 30:19-20, Ezekial 18: 30-32, Revelation 3:20, Galatians 5:13).  God will allow people to be stupid, refuse God and hurt themselves if that’s what they want to do (Proverbs 12:1, Ecclesiastes 10:3). Unanswered prayers related to salvation are often a clue we should change the direction of our prayers and ask God to bring situations into the person’s life that will cause them to want to seek the Lord. When someone seeks God, they find Him (Jeremiah 29:13) However, sometimes it takes a little hardship to get people there. Once we pray that hard prayer, we must choose to trust Jesus even if our loved one experiences pain or difficulty.

Demonic interference- 

One of the strangest and most enlightening passages concerning unanswered prayer and spiritual warfare is found in the book of Daniel (Daniel 10:1-15). Daniel had been given a series of visions concerning future events then all of a sudden there was radio silence, zero communication from God, so Daniel (in true Daniel fashion) prays harder and enlists some friends to pray with him. In chapter ten an angel (Gabriel) appears to Daniel. The angel tells Daniel in no uncertain terms he is “treasured” by God and that his prayer had been heard and answered immediately. He then explains that the answer was hindered by some sort of extreme demonic interference (verses 12—13). The whole passage is admittedly a bit weird but it along with Ephesians 6:10-18 does help us understand that there is unseen spiritual realm that impacts our world especially where prayer is concerned. 

It’s not time- 

A couple of years ago I had a conversation with a woman and her mother. The woman had severed ties with her parents (her dad was a pastor) as a young adult. For the next THIRTY years she lived as a lesbian, she proceeded to willfully disregard every truth she had been taught as a child. In 2020 she contracted Covid and believed she was going to die. She knew that if she died, she would go to hell. In that moment of realization, she cried out to Jesus and promised Him that if she lived, she would change. She did live and she changed everything. Within a week she divorced her “wife”, gave up some sinful habits, got back into church and reconnected with her parents. Her journey to wholeness and Jesus was a long one (admittedly due to her own stubbornness) but God was faithful in His timing to answer the prayers of her parents and their church community. Would her transformation have been as dramatic and decisive without those prayers? We will never know. But I do know that sometimes God’s immediate answer to prayer “is keep praying”. Then in due time He does things we never believed could happen (Ephesians 3:20-21). 

And finally, 

Sometimes the answer is “no”- 

God knows more than we can ever imagine knowing, as a result He sometimes says “no” to things we think He should He should say “yes”. to In those moments when it looks like the answer is “no” our job is to trust that God really does know more than we do. In those moments we must keep our hearts soft and continue to pray because we never know if the “no” is a “no” or God telling us to wait a little longer and pray a little harder (Luke 18:1-6). 

Four Things Done and Taught in Churches that Harm Christians-

Lisa M. Price2 Comments

We proclaim Him, admonishing every person and teaching every person with all wisdom, so that we may present every person complete in Christ- Colossians 1:28 NASB 

Fourteen-ish years ago when I began writing this blog, I wrote ad nauseum about problems I saw in Church world. Nearly every week I wrote about some church peeve or irritant I had with how church was being done. 

Then I did this thing I do sometimes. 

I got tired. It felt like I was expending a lot of energy yammering on endlessly about church problems. In more introspective moments, I wondered if I was perhaps overdoing some criticisms. I didn’t want to be one of those people who only complained and never really DID anything to solve problems or make the world a better place.  So, I intentionally pivoted. I began writing more posts focused on doctrine, Bible study and spiritual growth. My hope was that by focusing more on Christian living I would ultimately impact the church community and facilitate much-needed change.

Well. 

This last week it occurred to me as I was listening to some really one-sided teaching on a critical issue that the problems in church world have not gone anywhere. I felt a distinct nudge from the Holy Spirit to revisit some issues that are still impacting the church negatively. Following are four the Lord laid on my heart this week: 

Heretical teachings on grace- 

Grace is the most essential doctrine in all of Christianity. Grace is the foundation of everything we believe about Jesus, salvation, forgiveness and how we respond to those who have sinned against us (Ephesians 1:5-7, John 10:10, Matthew 18:21-35). Without grace there is no prospect of salvation, no forgiveness, no abundant life and no hope for anyone no matter how “good” they appear to be (Isaiah 64:6, Romans 3:23-25, Ephesians 2:8-9, 2nd Peter 2:18). Period. However, anytime the doctrine of grace is taught without discussing the doctrine of sin it creates very real practical and theological problems. One of those problems includes an attitude Paul warned about in Romans (Romans 6:1-23). It’s the idea that it is okay (perhaps even good) for Christians to sin on purpose because it gives God an opportunity to forgive their sins (demonstrate grace). Therefore, (the logic goes) sin your face off because grace is just a big bucket of forgiveness one can dip into anytime they sin intentionally or unintentionally. This attitude is foolish and spiritually dangerous because it ignores the clear biblical call to repent and become increasingly more holy with every passing day (John 8:11, 1st Peter 1:15-16, 1st Peter 2:5, 1st John 5:1-4). This does not mean there is no room for failure, mistakes and human frailty in Christianity (Romans 3:23, 1st John 1:8-10). It just means Christians are deeply grieved by their own sin and never treat it lightly. 

Salvation without Repentance- 

When I first started writing this blog, I was deeply troubled by the fact that most American churches no longer gave a salvation message. This is an area of growth for the American church; more and more are giving a salvation message. This is very good. However, the whole notion of sin and repentance is sometimes being left out of the call to salvation (Isaiah 1:28, Isaiah 13:9, Matthew 9:13, Luke 13:1-3). People are not always being told that they need salvation because they are sinners who need to be forgiven. Instead, the message being preached in many churches is often a bit fuzzy, i.e. “you need Jesus because He will give you comfort and make you a better version of yourself”. Jesus will do those things but that is not the primary reason we need Jesus. We need Jesus to make us right and holy before a holy God (2nd Corinthians 5:17). 

Bible-lite  

 The Bible is the most beautifully balanced book in all of creation. It is abounding with stories, psalms and theology that reveal and remind us of God’s kindness, mercy, grace and goodness. If one needs a positive reminder of God’s love and goodness they will find it (Isaiah 43:25, Ezekial 36:26, Psalm 23, John 3:16, 1st Corinthians 6:11). However, the Bible also has a lot of passages that serve (metaphorically speaking) as a kick in the backside (Romans 1:18-31, 1st Corinthians 6:9-10, Galatians 5:19-21). God designed His word this way on purpose knowing that we need both in equal measure. Without both we quickly lose sight of our on-going need for sanctification and growth (2nd Corinthians 7:1, 2nd Peter 1:3-11).  

Silence concerning the culture-  

The word toxic is overused to the point of absurdity in our world. Nonetheless, our culture is truly toxic. It is a lethal force that damages our souls without our knowledge or consent.   Unfortunately, many pastors and Bible teachers are reluctant to address cultural issues because they want to avoid “being political”. I get it. However, many “political” issues are first and foremost spiritual issues, and many Christians (especially young Christians) are ignorant of what the Bible has to say about a myriad of critical issues including (but not limited to) abortion, how a Christian should treat their parents, cancel culture, poverty and homosexuality. By avoiding “political” issues the church has short-circuited the discipleship of millions to the detriment of the church and the culture. 

Contrary to popular opinion, what a Christian believes matters. 

What we believe matters because our beliefs about doctrine, cultural issues, God’s character and truth all inform and affect our behavior and we will give an account for our behavior in this life (Matthew 12:36, Romans 14:12, Hebrews 4:13).

Strategic Keys to Preventing Spiritual Burnout, Backsliding and Deconstruction-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

Rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, and like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation,if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord- 1st Peter 2:1-3 NASB

We all have them in our lives. 

People we love and care about who started the race of faith with a lot of hullabaloo and determination. Nevertheless, something went terribly wrong and they either deconstructed loudly and proudly or burnt-out slowly and left the Christian faith quietly. 

Their condition is sad, befuddling and scary all at the same time. It’s sad because we love them want everyone to experience every good thing Jesus has to offer (John 10:10). It’s befuddling because we cannot help but wonder what on earth happened. Were they never really believers?  If they are believers, will they make into heaven by the skin of their teeth with zero rewards? It’s scary because we don’t really know what the spiritual outcome will be for them.

Sadly, all the above questions are a bit above my paygrade. 

 I honestly don’t know if those who profess Christ and then regress permanently were ever really saved or not. Nor do I know what it will be like for them on judgment day. Jesus made it clear that there are people who appear to be Christians and are not (Matthew 13:30, Matthew 25).  It’s also true we are saved by grace, not works (Romans 3:23-24, Ephesians 2:8-9). However, everyone will receive rewards in keeping with their works (Matthew 6:1-6, Matthew 25:14-29, 1st Corinthians 3:15).

I do know God is gracious and good (Luke 15:11-32, 1st John 1:9, Lamentations 3:22). Therefore, prevention is without a doubt more important than understanding the ins-and-outs of issues that are above our paygrade. The sad reality is regression (or backsliding) can happen to anyone (Hebrews 5:12-14, Romans 1:21). It doesn’t matter if the person has been a believer (or even a Christian leader) for a long time. Nor does it matter how many cool things they have done for the kingdom. Regression happens to every classification of Christian. Because Jesus had nothing good to say about quitters (Luke 9:62) today we are going to look at the most common causes of spiritual regression and how to prevent them. 

Drift- 

The book of Hebrews has a lot to say about the spiritual dangers of drift (Hebrews 2:1-4, Hebrews 5:12-14, Hebrews 10:25). Drift usually begins with a tough season that leads to a low-level spiritual burnout.  Everything in life is hard and deep in our hearts we know God could make things easier on us if He was willing and obviously, He is not willing or the season would be less hard. So, we intentionally or subconsciously slow communication with the Almighty to a trickle. As a result, our Bibles get a bit dusty, church attendance becomes spotty and our prayers are more fleeting and compulsory than passionate and honest.  Before we know it, it’s like “God who?”. The key to preventing drift is accountability to other people and a rock-solid commitment to appropriately dealing with our anger at God (see point four) and trusting Him to do what’s best for us even when the circumstances of our lives are not all we hoped they would be. 

 Ditching church- 

Attending Church doesn’t make a person a Christian, nor does church attendance automatically make an attender spiritually healthy. However, church attendance is a gage of our spiritual temperature.  A desire to ditch church is a clear indicator of a problem. However, attending a healthy, gospel proclaiming church puts us in proximity to things and people that encourage and promote growth like other Christians, solid Bible teaching and prayer (James 5:16). 

Lack of intentional growth- 

Spiritual growth does not happen without effort (2nd Peter 1:3-11).  Choosing to grow means making a daily commitment to pray, learn the Bible and practice holiness (Isaiah 35:8, 2nd Corinthians 7:1). Choosing to grow also means deciding every single day to get up and persevere in our faith even when life gets hard and God feels distant.  It means never giving up or giving into spiritual laziness (Hebrews 6:11). 

Hurt that gets the better of us-

The Bible does not shy away from the reality that this life is full of pain and heartache (Romans 8:18, 2ndCorinthians 1:5). If we are not careful the trouble and tribulation that’s a normal consequence of living in a fallen world can cause us to become bitter towards God. Bitterness can lead to spiritual defection (Matthew 13:21, Matthew 24:9-10, Hebrews 12:15). On the other hand, pain and hurt can cause us to grow and become even more rooted in our faith (1st Peter 1:6-9). Prayer and close Christian friends are the keys to keeping the tough stuff from getting the best of us (Matthew 26:14, 1st Peter 4:7, Ecclesiastes 4:9-12, Hebrews 10:24-25, 1st Thessalonians 5:11). However, waiting until there’s a crisis to build community or cultivate a prayer life will not do a whole lot for us. Prayer and community should be a priority for every Christian. The tough times will come (John 16:33) it’s on us to be spiritually prepared for those times (Matthew 7:24-27).  

And finally,  

Getting hung up on the stuff we don’t understand- 

No human being is capable of fully understanding why God does what He does (Isaiah 55:8-9). This means that when we come up against seasons of life or circumstances that make no sense. In those moments the only spiritually logical response is to trust and believe God is good and He is diligently working things out for our good (Romans 8:28). 

How we Become Empty and Ready to be Filled with all the Wrong things-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment


See to it that there is no one who takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception in accordance with human tradition, in accordance with the elementary principles of the world, rather than in accordance with Christ- Colossians 2:8 NASB

I truly believe God still speaks to His people (Isaiah 55:11, John 16:13, Hebrews 3:7, Hebrews 12:15). 

By far, the most common way God speaks is through the Bible (Psalm 119:105, 2nd Timothy 3:16-17, Hebrews 4:12). Although, on occasion He does use other methods (Psalm 19:1, 1st Kings 19:12, Acts 2;17). Every once in a while God speaks VERY clearly to me in prayer (John 10:27). Typically, this is simply a strong feeling God wants me to do or stop doing something. Other times it’s a niggling awareness I should pay closer attention to something. Sometimes, God will literally download a Bible verse into my brain that speaks perfectly to the situation I am praying about. Sometimes, the verse is so obscure I have to look it up to confirm it really is a Bible verse I’m hearing and not the outcome of too many tacos the night before. Such was the case this last week, when the following came clearly to mind as I was praying: 

They have walked after emptiness and become empty- Jeremiah 2:5b

Contextually, Jeremiah 2:5 is God speaking to the Israelite people concerning their idolatry problem. The Israelite’s loved idols (the ultimate in emptiness) going after idols left the people empty.  Their emptiness created a spiritual and moral vacuum that caused them to lose interest in and desire for all things godly and good. Satan then stepped into the empty spaces in their souls with a deeper desire for more emptiness. Giving into temptation led to more deception (James 4:7). It all eventually ended with Babylonian captivity. 

Not good. 

This sort of thing was/is not unique to ancient Isreal. It happens all the time, it happens to non-Christians, and to Christians. People of every spiritual classification go after empty, vain, futile activities that leave them empty. The emptiness that results makes their life (and soul) a playground for the enemy (Matthew 12:43-45, 1st Peter 5:8).  It is not my place to judge the choices of non-believers (1st Corinthians 5:12-13. Therefore, I will refrain from yammering on about the choices of the unsaved. It’s pointless. 

However.

That verse gave me a lot to ponder. It occurred to me that a lot of the choices Christians make (me included sometimes) are likely contributing to spiritual emptiness with very real spiritual consequences that include (but are not limited to) a lack of desire for the things of God. It’s also true that spiritual emptiness leaves us just like the ancient Israelites: sitting ducks for even more spiritual deception. This leaves us open to more deception and more temptations, which inevitably leads to spiritual captivity of some sort.  This kind of living also leaves us unable do what God has called us to do (evangelize the lost, train the saved). It leaves us powerless to lead our culture towards health and wholeness (Matthew 5:13-16). It kind of goes without saying (but I’m saying it anyway) that this is the last thing we ought to do in this challenging and difficult period of human history. Following are a couple pursuits and activities that will unwittingly drain us and leave us open to deception and satanic influence, please pray before writing off the following as wild-eyed legalism or crazy talk. Trust me it’s neither…

Witchcraft and the glorification of witchcraft- 

In recent years there has been an explosion of movies, books and television shows with principal characters who are witches or sorcerers.  These all portray witchcraft and sorcery as something benign, helpful to mankind and even kind of beautiful. Many professing Christians love this entertainment and make impassioned arguments for why this stuff noble and even God honoring.  Here’s the thing: witchcraft is clearly forbidden in Scripture (Deuteronomy 18:14, Galatians 5:19-21, Revelation 9:19-20). Scripture does not make space for the notion of “good witches”, “white magic” or “benevolent witchcraft”. The ability to perform witchcraft is an ability given by demons who create spiritual strongholds in exchange for spiritual power. This is not a fun form of entertainment. It is a form of idolatry. God will not share space with demonic forces. Any witchcraft at all in our lives can  leave us spiritually impotent (Nahum 3:4).

Books, movies and television shows that laugh at things Jesus died for- 

Christians are called to be a set apart people (holy). It’s hard to make an argument that we are holy and set apart when we are allowing ourselves to be amused by the very things Jesus died on the cross to save us from (1st Peter 2:9-11). If we would not feel comfortable watching something with Jesus in the room, it should be avoided. 

Too much of anything that causes us to lose interest in God- 

Admittedly, this point is one-hundred-percent subjective and dependent on each individual person. One person might be able to do something that causes someone else to lose interest in God. However, this why the Bible calls us to self-examination and self-knowledge (Lamentations 3:40, Psalm 26:2, 2nd Corinthians 13:5). It is critical we keep close tabs on our spiritual state and do a little detective work any time we sense ourselves drifting away from the faith (Hebrews 2:1). Choosing not to leads to a dangerous form of living that leaves us empty and ready to be filled with all the wrong things.  

Growing the Heart of a Spiritual Hero-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield- Psalm 5:12 NKJV

The book of Matthew is getting a lot of read time in my life right now. It is the gospel I chose to read in preparation for Resurrection Sunday (Lent). It is also the book my small group is studying together. 

That’s a lot of Matthew. 

 Reading through Matthew repeatedly and studying it with friends has allowed me to see some things I had never paid much attention to before, like the incredibly diverse list of men and women in the genealogy (Matthew 1:1-17). There are Jews and gentiles, some good guys (and gals), bad guys (and gals), some people no one has ever heard of and some people everyone has heard of.  Matthew’s genealogy proves Jesus came for everyone and everyone needs Jesus (Romans 3:23-24, John 3:16). 

This most recent trip through Matthew has also caused me to think deeply about some parts of the story I have never really thought much about, like Joseph. He’s kind of the unsung hero of the New Testament. Joseph was everything we should all hope to be. He did some truly hard things without complaining and sacrificed more than almost anyone for the cause of Christ. He was also willing to obey God even when it made little (no) sense to do so. Even so, there is not a single song written about Joseph, nor are there (to my knowledge) any books written about him. He was an ordinary guy, with little social standing or formal theological training but he’s the primary reason Jesus survived infancy. Joseph was just an ordinary guy who did a bunch of extraordinary things with little recognition or hoop-la. His story teaches us that any of us can do extraordinary things if we cultivate the right heart. His right heart included the following:   

Joseph showed love and care for someone who (appeared to have) wronged him badly-

In a world where virtually all unbelievers and even many Christians feel it’s justified to retaliate against someone who has done them wrong (Matthew 18:21-35, Romans 12:19), Joseph stands out for choosing the high road when he (mistakenly) thought Mary had cheated on him. No one in his world would have thought less of him for publicly disgracing Mary for sleeping with another man. In fact, many people would have cheered him on and thought more of him for calling out her “sin” in a public manner.  However, the God of the universe deemed Joseph “a righteous man” for wishing to protect a woman he had every reason to believe had wronged him.  It says a lot about God’s heart towards those those who choose discretion and kindness over truth practiced with a hard edge.  

Joseph knew God enough to know when He was speaking- 

One of the most extraordinary things about Joseph is he knew when God was speaking (Hebrews 12:25, John 10:27). He never got confused.  He never wondered if a dream was really from God or the result of too much food the night before. He just knew. That kind of understanding only comes from proximity. Joseph spent enough time with God to know when God was communicating a message. Anyone can do the same. 

Joseph obeyed-  

Obedience is probably Joseph’s number one claim to fame and the source of his greatness. When God told Joseph to take Mary as his wife, he did it. When God told Joseph to take Jesus and Mary to Egypt, he did it. When God told Joseph to go back to Isreal, he did it. He obeyed every time, no questions asked, no arguments and no foot dragging. God is clear: He loves obedience more than He loves sacrifice and great works done in His name (Acts 5:22, 1st Samuel 15:22, 1st John 5:1-3). Cultivating a heart of obedience is relatively simple but far from easy. The key is to obey all the time. If we obey when it’s easy (small things) when the hard stuff (big things) comes up, obedience will feel more like muscle memory than a big painful production.  (Romans 2:13). A life obedience is not easy this side of heaven, but it does bring all sorts of blessing in the next life (James 1:12, Matthew 16:27, Deuteronomy 28:1-2).

Joseph was willing to take on shame that was not his to protect another- 

Joseph was a righteous man not just by God’s standards but also by the standards of man in his time (Micah 6:8, Matthew 1:19). Mary was not. As a young woman pregnant before her marriage become official, she was an object of shame and likely even ridicule in her community.  By choosing to take Mary as his wife Joseph took on her shame as his own. He chose to stand with someone who did nothing but dimmish his reputation and standing in the community. It’s a reminder that God’s people are called to stand with the weak, poor, unpopular and unlovely even when there is no obvious benefit in doing so (Proverbs 14:31, Luke 14:13, James 2:1-6).  

Joseph shows us how to be a spiritual hero. 

His life teaches us God sees the things that no one else sees and rewards righteousness done in secret. In this life Joseph was the furthest thing from a big deal a person can get, although I have a feeling that he will be the biggest of deals in the next (Matthew 19:29-30). May we all be so forward thinking in our actions and attitudes. 

The Newest Thing in Idolatry-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

I am the Lord, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to idols. Behold, the former things have come to pass, Now I declare new things; Before they sprout I proclaim them to you.”- Isiah 42:8-9 NASB

Idolatry is about more than bowing down to a creepy little statue. 

Even back in the day when people bowed down to creepy little statues all the time idolatry was still about more than bowing down to a creepy little statue (Psalm 135:15-16, Revelation 9:20). It was about what the creepy little statue could do for you. All the creepy little statues offered something. Some (most) offered sexual freedom, others offered spiritual protection, safety or financial success. 

People still practice idolatry. 

 Although, the age of creepy little statues pretty much ended (at least in the west) with the dawn of the Christian age. Idolatry is best defined as being devoted to something more than we are devoted to God. Conversely, idolatry can be defined as depending on an object, substance or person to give us something we should only get from God like comfort, peace or a sense of significance (1st John 5:1).  Anything can become an idol. Drugs, alcohol, sex, fame, careers, money, families and children are all things we commonly put ahead of God or look to give us a sense of significance or personal peace (Ephesians 5:5, Colossians 3:5, 1st Corinthians 5:11). 

 Idolatry is more complex than it used to be.  

Idolatry is also getting more complex all the time. Instead of worshipping creepy little statues, substances or material things, modern people have put a new spin on idolatry. We have taken a whole bunch of ideas God came up, twisted those ideas into something God never intended and then we love the twisted version of the idea more than we love God’s original plan. Christian’s and non-Christians are alike are guilty of these spiritual and moral shenanigans. 

This creates all sorts of problems. 

When non-Christians do it, they simply bully people into accepting the new definition of the old word. They mock and humiliate anyone who disagrees with them. This effectively keeps truth from being told which inevitably leads to spiritual decay and moral bondage (Isaiah 59:14-15).  When Christians change God’s ideas it leads people away from sound doctrine into a wish-washy feel-good kind of faith that is incapable of saving anyone from anything. Following are ideas that have been changed to the determent of us all:

Love-

It’s hard to argue against love. After all, God is love (1st John 4:8, Zephaniah 3:17). That being said, the biblical definition of love (1st Corinthians 13) is very different from the moral free-for-all our culture defines as love. Truth-be-told and view of love that encourages something (anything) the Bible forbids is an idolatrous impostor of love that poses moral danger to anyone who buys into it. 

Kindness- 

The words “be kind” are everywhere. They are plastered all over tee-shirts, bumper stickers and throw pillows. Christians and non-Christians alike love to talk about kindness but it doesn’t mean what it used to mean. Old fashioned biblical kindness is awesome (Acts 9:36, Ephesians 4:32). It means doing the same types of things for other people we would like done for ourselves, forgiving others, loving like Jesus loved and assuming the best in others whenever possible (Luke 6:38, Galatians 5:22). Authentic biblical kindness is meant to point people to God and His offer of salvation which is the epitome of kindness. The new definition of kindness demands people be allowed to do whatever they want, whenever they want, however they want. No one is ever allowed to give correction, words of caution or punishment, even if a person’s actions cause harm to themselves or others. This type of kindness actually the exact opposite of biblical kindness because it sends people to hell rather than pointing them to God. 

Peace- 

Worldly peace is all about an absence of conflict. Which often means one party simply acquiescing to the demands of the other in an effort to avoid further conflict and/or keep themselves out of trouble.   Biblical peace is rare in our fallen world even amongst Christians.  Biblical peace comes as a natural result of both parties being in alignment with God and His values (John 16:33). Any peace that does not consider what God would want for all parties involved is not true peace. It’s false peace. 

Compassion- 

Compassion is a deep awareness of another person’s suffering accompanied by a desire to alleviate it (Matthew 9:36). There are two common types of suffering in this world. This first is suffering due to circumstances beyond a person’s control like natural disasters and trauma. The second is suffering that comes about as a result of bad, stupid or sinful choices. Everyone agrees the first kind of suffering needs immediate relief through acts of kindness and generosity. The second kind of suffering is where things gets squishy. Godly compassion in these situations always involves helping people to see their need for repentance and real lasting change. As a result, biblical compassion often leads people to Jesus. However, idolatrous compassion seeks to make people feel good about bad choices and remove any conviction a person may feel for their sin. Without conviction no one will come to repentance (1st Corinthians 7:10). 

The twisting of ideas has transformed our world. Moral responsibility is a thing of the past and things that were once unthinkable are now commonplace. However, it’s never too late to change direction but it has to begin with God’s people. 

Solving the Worry Problem-

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If I say, “My foot slips”, Your mercy, O Lord, will hold me up.In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts delight my soul- Psalm 94:18-20 NKJV

Worry. 

We all do it. 

Just about every human on earth worries about the past, the future, their careers, their finances, their kids, their marriages, their health and the health of the people they love. Christians worry about the same stuff everyone else worries about. The biggest difference between Christians and non-Christians when it comes to worry is Christians feel guilty when they worry and most non-Christians simply see it as a problem to be medicated into extinction. As a result, worry and anxiety has become big business. In 2007 America spent eighteen billion dollars to medicate anxiety disorders in the United States.  That number does not include what was spent on counseling or herbal supplements used to treat anxiety and worry. 

That’s a lot of worry and a big old pile of money. 

The two questions Christians ought to ask themselves are: 

Is worry a sin? 

And 

What do I do about worry? 

Many Christians believe it is a sin to worry. Team “worry is a sin” believes there are verses that prove Jesus explicitly forbid worry (Luke 12:22-25, 1st Peter 5:7). They also believe His apostles reiterated His teaching in their letters. Team “worry is a sin” also believes any concern expressed over anything is worry and consequently is a sin. Ironically these teachings generate a lot of worry for a lot of folks.

I do not encourage Christians to worry (more on this later). That said, I am a member of team “worry is not a sin” for a couple of reasons. First, there are zero verses that explicitly state worry is a sin.  Furthermore, worry and anxiety do not appear on any of the “sin lists” in the Bible (Romans 1:18-32, 1st Corinthians 6:9-11, Galatians 5:19-21, 1st Timothy 1:8). Most significantly, Jesus’ teachings on worry seems to show deep concern for the wellbeing of the worrier (Matthew 6:25-26). Nowhere does Jesus indicate that worriers are sinning or in spiritual danger due to their anxiety (Hebrews 4:15). It’s also true the Bible makes a distinction between worry and appropriate concern. The apostles did not worry their heads off about anything. However, many of them expressed deep concern over issues in their letters, including false teachers (Acts 20, 2nd Peter 2:1, Jude), bad doctrine (1st Timothy 1:3, Hebrews 13:9, 1st John 4:1, 2nd Timothy 4:3) and sinful people impacting the church negatively (2nd Timothy 3:1-5, 1st Corinthians 5:1-12). There is nothing wrong with showing appropriate concern if your child is running in front of a car or you are being chased by a bear. Nonetheless, it is neurotic and unhealthy to lay around and worry about such things if they aren’t happening.  

That being said.

Just because something is not a sin doesn’t mean it’s beneficial (1st Corinthians 10:23).  To the contrary, Jesus’ teaching in Luke twelve makes it clear that worry is pointless and changes nothing.  So, what do we do about worry? In a broken and fallen world there is no end of things to worry about. However, there are some things we can do that will help us deal with worry appropriately. All of these (if done consistently) will have a bonus consequence of drawing us into closer relationship with Jesus.  

Be proactive about inviting God into the problem-solving process- 

I am convinced that this life is simply a training ground for whatever God has for believers in the next life (Matthew 25:1-29). This means our problems are more than just annoyances or things to get worked up over. They are opportunities to learn and grow into better people so that we are ready for the responsibilities of the next life. This means that problem solving is not running ahead of God (as some say). Instead, problem solving is an opportunity to grow as people learn from God and develop a skillset that will benefit us in this life and the next one. But in order for that to happen we have to invite God into every issue of life through prayer and be willing to let His spirit lead us to problem solve effectively. 

Make a daily practice of remembering the goodness of God-

Sometimes, we worry simply because we have forgotten all the ways and times God has rescued us, provided for us or protected us in the past. Making a practice of remembering how God has come through for us in the past is the best way to prevent the spiritual amnesia that leads to pointless, soul-sucking worry (Psalm 77:11, Deuteronomy 4:12, Psalm 103:2). 

Be intentional about putting the rest in God’s hands-

 I do not think worry is a sin. That said I do think a yearning to be in complete control of everything is (Proverbs 19:21, Psalm 37:4-6). Conquering worry begins with accepting the reality that control is elusive (impossible) in a fallen world. We must also acknowledge that much of our anxiety is related to our fear of loss of control (Isaiah 41:10, Psalm 118:6). It is simply a fact that there will always be things in life that are worrying and even intimidating. Our job as Christians is not to pretend everything is fine when it isn’t. Instead, God wants us to take our worries and fears to Him in prayer until those fears transform into child-like trust and love (Galatians 5:25). 

Questions we can ask to “Test the Spirits”-

Lisa M. Price1 Comment

You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free- John 8:32 NASB

The book of 1st John was written by the Apostle John (Matthew 4:20-21, Matthew 17:1, Mark 5:37), from the city of Ephesus sometime around 90-95 A.D.  John was a very old man (late seventies or early eighties) when he wrote the book and the last living apostle. 

 The book of 1st John is a New Testament book I classify as “swan songs”. The term “swan song” is not a real theological term (I made it up). “Swan song” is actually a fancy-pants literary term for a farewell work or someone’s famous last words. John’s three letters as well as 2nd Peter and 2nd Timothy are swan songs because they were all written near the end of the apostle’s lives. Like all the swan songs John wrote 1st John with his impending death at the forefront of his mind. His overarching goal was to communicate critical truths that he hoped would empower followers of Jesus to survive and thrive in a world that would soon be devoid of apostolic wisdom. 

 John (and nearly every other New Testament writer) was deeply concerned about false teachers (sometimes called prophets) who had already begun to infiltrate the church and teach things that bore no resemblance to sound doctrine (Matthew 7:14, Matthew 24:11, Acts 20:28-30, 2nd Peter 2:1, 1st Timothy 1:1-3). John wanted his readers to understand the importance of practicing discernment where Christian teaching is concerned.   In John 4:1 the apostle says this:

 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

The word for spirit in this verse means “breath” or “wind”. John is (in my opinion) echoing an idea the apostle Paul talks about in Ephesians. It says: 

Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming- Ephesians 4:14

 John is warning his readers (us) that there will always be folks who appear to be legitimate spiritual leaders, but who are in reality false teachers. These folks blow a lot of weird doctrine around. It is critical Christians learn to discern genuine biblical teachings from spiritual hot air so that they would not be blown around and taken captive by false teachings. False teachings deceive God’s people into believing things that could lead to sin and/or a detachment from real faith (Colossians 2:18-19,1st Timothy 4:1). John’s concern begs a question: how do modern Christians discern between a good spiritual teacher or teaching and a bad spiritual teacher or teaching? This is important because nothing has really changed since John wrote his book. There are still a lot of false teachers blowing a lot of bad ideas around. Following are some questions to ask about all teachers, pastors and teachings we come across. Asking these questions help us discern between spirits. 

Is the teacher/prophet’s teaching or practice found in the Bible?

If not, proceed with extreme caution. God gave us the Bible for many reasons, one of those reasons is to give us some standards of practice in our churches. There is simply no substitute for actually knowing what the Bible says and understanding it’s precepts. The only way to get to know the Bible is to read it.  It is imperative believers get into the Bible and learn it for themselves. The most efficient way to get taken captive by bad teaching or mislead by a bad teachers is to have an incomplete or shallow understanding of the Bible. 

Is the practice the teacher is advocating for prescriptive or descriptive?  

There are two kinds of practices found in the Bible: prescriptive and descriptive. A prescriptive practice is something we are explicitly told to do in Scripture. There are many prescriptive practices found in Scripture. Communion (Matthew 26:26-29, Luke 22:19,1st Corinthians 11:24, baptism (Matthew 28:16-20), marriage between a man and a woman (Hebrews 13:4, Genesis 2:24) are a few such examples. Descriptive practices are things that happened but we are not explicitly told to do those things.  Jephthah sacrificing his daughter in Judges 11:34-35 and communal living (Acts 2:42-47 are examples of descriptive practices. If a teacher insists believers embrace a descriptive practice it is a flaming-red flag. Run. 

Is the leader honoring Jesus in their behavior? 

Our generation of believers has bought into the lie that any sort of moral judgment over any behavior is a grave sin, perhaps even the unpardonable sin. This view is based on Jesus’ teaching in Luke 6:37). Jesus’ teaching is important but Scripture’s teaching on judgment is more nuanced than one verse. It is true that no one can judge whether or not a person is worthy of heaven. That’s God’s job alone. Nor should believers worry about the behavior of non-believers (1st Corinthians 5:12-13). Again, that’s all on God to judge.  However, Christians are TOLD TO make moral judgments about the behavior of those who profess Christ as Lord (1stCorinthians 5:1-11). Some things are simply not okay for Christians (1st Corinthians 6:9-11, 1st Tmothy 1:8-11, Galatians 5:19-21), especially Christian leaders (Titus 1:7-9, 1st Timothy 3:1-13. It’s not our job to condemn Christians living in blatant sin, nor are we to withhold forgiveness when they repent. However, we are told to avoid spending time with those living in stubborn sin until they repent (1st Corinthians 5:12, 1st Corinthian 15:33-34) because sin tends to be contagious (Jude 22-23). A Christian leader who is living in serious sin is not someone we should be following.

And finally:

Where might this teaching lead? 

The true test of a teaching is where it leads those who follow it. Good teaching leads to holiness, righteousness, love and biblical grace (1st Corinthians 13, Titus 2:11-12, 1st John 3:6-8, Hebrews 12:14). Bad teaching leads to low view of holiness and an extreme view of grace that really becomes an excuse for sin and loose living. We are living on the cusp of a great revival, whether or not we see genuine revival in our lifetime will depend largely on how which voices we listen to.  

 Let’s contend hard for the truth faith (Jude 3-4).

Should Christians be Concerned about A.I?

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour- 1st Peter 5:8 NKJV

I believe each generation of believers is uniquely chosen by God for the time they live in (1st Peter 2:9). That means (among other things) that each generation of believers has all they need “in Christ” to navigate the unique challenges, temptations and satanic schemes of their era (Esther 4:14, 2nd Peter 1:3, Matthew 10:18-20). This is true no matter how weird, crazy or evil their era might be. 

That does not mean Christians cannot be misled by the satanic schemes of their generation or tempted towards the sin that is predominant in their time, Christians can and sometimes are (Matthew 13:14-15). Therefore, it is imperative we understand our times and make every spiritual effort to walk in the Holy Spirit so that we are properly prepared for the unique issues our generation of believers is exposed to (1st Chronicles 12:32). 

I believe we are bumping up against one of those issues in this cultural moment. The issue is artificial intelligence or A.I. According to the online britannica.com artificial intelligence is:

 The ability of a digital computer or computer-controlled robot to perform tasks commonly associated with intelligent beings. The term is frequently applied to the project of developing systems endowed with intellectual processes characteristic of humans, such as the ability to reason, discover meaning, generalize, or learn from past experience. 

A.I. is taking our world by storm. Just about everyone including many Christians are using A.I to do all sorts of things. This includes sorting through information, automating chores (like list making and report writing) and making decisions based on data A.I. provides. Many have even taken to using A.I. as a counselor, asking it for advice and seeking comfort from it. Others use it as a spiritual guide; they ask A. I. to interpret the Bible for them and ask it to create prayers for them.  

A.I is novel, convenient, intriguing, and super tempting to use but is it a good or a bad thing? 

Like most things A.I is not all bad and it does have some helpful uses. However, I believe A.I should be approached cautiously (if at all) for the following five reasons: 

A.I. is the new internet-

When the internet came into existence EVERYONE rushed to use it. We all signed up for AOL accounts and encouraged our children to play educational games on the it. We were all kind of amazed with how cool we were (Romans 1:22). When smartphones came along everyone who was anyone got one. Our importance (or lack thereof) was measured by how much time we spent on our blackberry’s. Now we know that was mostly all bad. Human beings are dumber, more depressed and more addicted because of the internet and smartphones. Almost everyone has a tough time putting their phone down and some young people find it very difficult to connect with others without the aid of technology. If A.I. turns out to be half as addictive as smartphones we will be in even bigger trouble because we don’t simply use A.I. to acquire information or entertain ourselves like we do with the internet. We use it to do our thinking for us; the implications are terrifying.  

A.I. is not neutral- 

Nor will it ever be. Every computer is programmed by a fallen and sinful human being with a set of values and bias’s (Romans 3:23, Romans 1:18, Romans 2:12), that likely do not align with the Bible.  That means that any advice or help A.I offers will be at best impersonal and detached from any moral value system. At worst it will be dark, anti-God and anti-life. Christians should be cautious about seeking secular advice from anyone, especially a soulless robot. 

A.I. will make us dumber-

Anytime we outsource our thinking we lose the ability to think for ourselves. If you use a calculator to do basic math problems, it eventually becomes challenging to do math without a calculator. This is because our brains are a little bit like a muscle. The more we use them, the stronger they get. The less we use them the weaker they become. The whole point of A.I is for the machine to think for us. This will inevitably lead to more dumb people. We do not need that. 

A.I. will increase human suffering- 

There have already been several scary episodes where A.I advised a person to self-harm or commit suicide. A.I does this because, unlike God and other humans it has no regard for human life (Luke 12:6-7, Psalm 8:4-5). If a machine has no regard for human life,  it makes sense for the machine to tell a heartbroken or despondent human their life is without meaning and they should just go ahead and die. Furthermore, A.I was designed to decrease the number of jobs human beings do. We are already seeing that most of those jobs will be replaced with lower paying manual labor types of jobs. This will lead to a lower standard of living for many people.  No one should be opposed to work (Genesis 2:15, 1st Thessalonians 4:11, 2nd Thessalonians 3:10) or in favor of more  human suffering (Proverbs 31:8-9). 

And finally,

We may lose the ability to discern right from wrong-

Discernment is the ability to tell right from wrong and good from evil (Philippians 1:9-10, Hebrews 5:14, 1st John 4:1).  We acquire discernment by consistently making smart choices concerning the influences we allow into our lives and the information we feed ourselves (Proverbs 15:14, Psalm 110:11, 2nd Timothy 3:15). Discernment can be lost due to bad influences, lack of willingness to use the discernment we do have and bad information (Luke 8:18). A.I has proven itself to be both a bad influence and a source of bad information. If we make a practice of relying on it for help and wisdom, we will lose the discernment we have. That would be a disaster in a culture where wisdom and discernment are already in short supply. 

Christians should handle A.I with caution always praying for wisdom. 

Truths Christians must Embrace to Prevent More Moral Failure in the Church-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

 Produce fruit consistent with repentance- Matthew 3:8 NASB

Last week another well-known evangelical pastor/author admitted to a major moral failure (long-term adultery). His confession was followed by the announcement he will retire from ministry. Regrettably, these sorts of disclosures have become routine among Christian leaders. The stories are basically all the same. The leader has an affair (or dozens). Eventually, his sinful antics come to light, and he quickly decides it’s a good time to come clean. A public confession and tearful apology are made. Sometimes the leader retires from ministry sometimes they double-down on what they see as their “calling”. 

Occasionally, there is a slight twist in these stories. In these cases, the well-known leader dies. Various women (sometimes men) come out of the woodwork. All tell similar stories that inevitably involve sexual immorality, creepy power dynamics and sometimes even forced sex. In these cases, the leaders’ friends/minions/elders do exactly what they did when their leader was alive. They cover up the sin and/or intimate that the accuser has a mental illness and/or an unhealthy need for attention.  Eventually, the overwhelming magnitude of evidence becomes so damning that the dead guy’s minions can no longer maintain the lie that the leader was a morally respectable individual. The truth is quietly acknowledged, and a very low-key admission of wrongdoing is released to a small number of news outlets.  

Sigh.

I have observed this phenomenon enough times to know that the average Joe and Jane Christian tend to excuse the behavior of bad Christian leaders. We say stupid stuff like: it could happen to any one of us (Genesis 4:7) and this is why we should be thankful for grace (Titus 2:10-12). Sometimes it’s: he who is without sin should just go-ahead and throw the first stone (John 8:10), and of course: everyone sins (Romans 6:6-14). Then there’s: all sin is exactly the same so no one can judge anyone else (1st Corinthians 6:9-11) and my personal favorite: but his teaching has done so much good for the church. 

(Insert face-palm here). 

Lack of biblical wisdom and super questionable applications of theology aside. The churches collective loss of horror over sin has caused the church to lose its moral authority in the culture. No one takes Christianity seriously anymore and this is the number one reason why. 

Sigh. 

It doesn’t have to be this way. The church can (and must) do better.  However, in order for that to happen the church must return to a more biblical position on sin and grace.  Sin is deathly serious (Galatians 6:7, 1stCorinthians 6:17-18, Romans 1:18-32, Romans 6:23) and grace is not a massive bucket of forgiveness we can dip into anytime we decide we want to sin (Titus 2:10-12, Psalm 84:11, Romans 6:1-7). If we want church to become healthy again, we must return to believing and teaching these four basic biblical truths:

Real accountability is a non-negotiable for serious Christians- 

It just is. However, we must also acknowledge that real accountability is a lot harder to achieve that it looks on the surface. This is because accountability requires a spirit of humility that allows other people to call us out when we sin. No one becomes accountable to another person without some sort of consent. Accountability without consent is just catching someone in the act. This means we all ought to pray for the wisdom to be humble, teachable and repentant (Proverbs 11:2, Matthew 18:4, James 4:10). It also means that humility, candor and uprightness ought to be the criteria we look for in our leaders rather than high levels of self-confidence or copious educational degrees.

No one gets a pass on willful sin-

Everyone (yes everyone) feels they ought to get a pass at some point. This is either because they have done a lot of good for the kingdom and they feel sin should be their “reward” for faithful service. Or sometimes people feel that because they have been through a lot God should give them a break and let them have a little “fun”. Sadly, it doesn’t work that way. No one gets to ignore the command to be holy (1st Peter 1:14-16) just because they have done a lot or been through a lot. Sin is the most dangerous thing on earth and God wants to protect us from it, not give us free pass to indulge in its toxicity. 

Incomplete theology has consequences-

The author/pastor who recently confessed to an eight-year-long adulterous affair wrote numerous books about grace. I read one of his books and frankly I found it quite troubling. Not because of what it said but because of what it didn’t say. The book wasn’t bad, just incomplete. He wrote page after page extolling the wonders of grace and forgiveness (which really are amazing). However, he said nothing said about the consequences of choosing to sin in a covenant relationship with God. Nor did he mention the many passages that state quite clearly that Christians who habitually practice certain sins will not inherit the kingdom of God (Matthew 7:21,1st Corinthians 6:9-11, Galatians 5:16-21, Ephesians 5:5). Any teaching that only tells half the story on either sin or grace is false teaching. Period. 

And finally, 

You are what you do- 

 The book of 1st John explores our relationship to sin. One of the primary points John makes is that we are what we do (1st John 3:7-8). If we sin habitually and willfully, we are sinners. However, if we make a habit of practicing righteousness, we are righteous. It is true, sin can happen to anyone, but it doesn’t have to. Every day we make moral and spiritual choices that determine whether or not we dive into sin. Christians must stop thinking that sin is something that overtakes us. If we are in Christ we have a choice.