Category: 2024

Winning the Battle with Discouragement-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment


The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged- Deuteronomy 31:28 NIV

Discouragement. 

It’s just kind of an ugly word. 

It’s an even uglier reality.

The Cambridge dictionary defines discouragement as:

The state of having lost your confidence or enthusiasm. 

With all due respect to the word wizards at Cambridge, a protracted case of discouragement is much more serious than merely losing one’s confidence or enthusiasm for a situation. If discouragement goes on for long enough it’s a fast-track to depression, despondency and hopelessness. 

Because discouragement can be so demoralizing, it one of the most powerful tools in Satan’s toolbox. The enemy understands that if he can bring enough trouble, pain and pressure into our lives in a short enough of period of time it is possible we will become so discouraged that our faith in the goodness of God will collapse like a house of cards in a hurricane (1st Peter 5:8). A lingering case of discouragement can leave us angry and bitter towards God (Hebrews 12:15, Ephesians 4:26). It’s just too easy to conclude God doesn’t care about our pain or that He has completely forgotten about whatever situation feels so unending and bleak. 

God is big enough to handle our feelings, even the really ugly ones. However, this does not mean we should allow anger with God to go unchecked indefinitely. Anger towards God becomes problematic when in our anger we quit seeking and serving God (Galatians 6:9, Matthew 6:13-16). Anytime our desire to do good and glorify God is lessened in any way we are well on our way either a life of spiritual rebellion and sin or lukewarm Christianity. Both lead to spiritual ineffectiveness and eventually even deeper despair. 

It’s simply a fact that we are most likely to hit our limits, encounter a season of discouragement and experience spiritual warfare when we are busy seeking God and doing exactly what He wants us to do.  Self-focused, unruly or wayward Christians create no problems or issues for the enemy (Proverbs 1:32). As a result, he tends to just leave them alone. 

Sigh. 

Discouragement occurs anytime a limited being hits a limit. Human beings are by nature limited beings. The limits that stretch our ability to cope can be physical, emotional, mental or spiritual in nature. Anytime we go through a season where we hit all our limits all at the same time there’s a pretty good chance the discouragement we are experiencing is a spiritual weapon Satan is attempting to form against us (Isaiah 54:17). Prayer is without question the most powerful weapon we have in our spiritual tool box. We will never come out of a season of discouragement stronger and healthier without it. (Matthew 26:41, Ephesians 6:18-20, Romans 8:26). No season of life (good or bad) goes on indefinitely. This (whatever “this” is) will pass. In the meantime, there are four things God wants us to ask Him for in a season of discouragement.

The first is:

 Spiritual effectiveness- 

Few Christians have faced the kind of trouble, discouragement and hardship the Apostle Paul experienced (2ndCorinthians 11:24-28, 2nd Corinthians 4:7-16). Anytime the going got tough Paul would ask his friends to pray for increased spiritual effectiveness (Romans 15:30, Colossians 4:3, Ephesians 6:19, Philippians1:19). Paul wisely understood that struggle and difficulty brings with it great opportunity for spiritual effectiveness, personal growth and fruit. We should follow his lead and pray for spiritual effectiveness in our personal struggle or hardship.  

Spiritual insight- 

 God does not bring hardship in to our lives to punish us. That said, God does use the difficulties of living in a fallen world to refine us, grow us, and make us more like Jesus. If a season of discouragement is handled with wisdom and integrity it will result in greater spiritual insight and a deeper commitment to Jesus. The key to growth in a season of discouragement is to seek God with a greater intensity in spite of any discouragement we feel. When we seek God in the face of pain and/or spiritual confusion God blesses our faith with greater wisdom, understanding and insight. 

Grace-

Grace is so much more than simply the kindness and forgiveness God shows to unworthy sinners (Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 3:23-24). Grace is the empowering presence of God that allows us to do more and endure more than we ever could in our own strength (2nd Corinthians 12:8-10). In seasons of hardship God’s grace is critical not just to our spiritual growth but also to our emotional survival. Everyday should begin with a prayer for an extra measure of grace. 

To get the work done-

Christians are called to be continually on mission for Jesus (Matthew 28:19, Matthew 5:13-16, Philippians 2:12-16). This means doing whatever work we have been called to do in spite of our circumstances (1st Chronicles 28:20). The details of our “work” in the Lord is different for everyone. For all of us it means living righteously and doing our best to bring the hope of Jesus into whatever situation God has called us into.

Seasons of discouragement are almost always a test of our faith and spiritual resiliency.  If we persevere through a discouraging season it always leads to a refining of our faith and a deeper understanding of who we are in Christ (1st Peter 1:3-9). Being refined is always difficult and painful, but the results are beautiful. 

Where do you Fall in Matthew Chapter Eight?

Lisa M. Price5 Comments

So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple- Luke 14:33 NKJV

There are two kinds of Christians. 

There are Christians who mark up their Bibles and Christians who don’t. I am unashamedly the first kind of Christian. I can tell at a glance how impactful a chapter of the Bible has been to me by the sheer number of highlights, underlines and notes written in the margins.

I am currently working my way through the book of Matthew. The Bible I’m using is new enough that it’s more-or-less a blank slate at this point.  As I finished up chapter eight, I noticed an astonishing scarceness of notes, underlining and highlighting compared to the previous seven chapters. 

It was a little drab and dull in comparison.  

 I decided to go back and take a second look. Matthew eight tells the seemingly random stories of people or groups of people who all had encounters with Jesus. The first encounter is with a leper who is healed by Jesus. That encounter is followed by a story about a Roman centurion whose servant is healed by Jesus long distance (verses 9-13). Next up is the healing of Peter’s Mother-in-law (verses 14-15). 

 There is a departure from the healings theme towards the end of the chapter. Verses eighteen through twenty-two detail interactions Jesus has with a nameless teacher of the law and an anonymous disciple. The teacher promises he will follow Jesus wherever He goes. Instead he makes a bunch of lame excuses and goes his own way.  The unknown disciple also reneges on his initial pledge to follow Jesus (Matthew 13:18-22).

Immediately following those encounters the disciples find themselves in a nasty storm. The fierceness of the storm shakes their faith in a big way.  Jesus finds the disciples and their lack of faith in Him super annoying (verses 23-27). 

The chapter ends with Jesus healing two demon possessed gentiles. The demons come out of the men and after a brief conversation with Jesus, the demons agree to go into a herd of pigs. The demon possessed pigs immediately jump off of a cliff and die. The loss of the pigs ends up costing the locals a LOT of money. They frantically beg Jesus to leave their region because He wasn’t good for their bottom line. 

The end. 

Even after the second reading it still felt like a bunch of random stories. I wasn’t really feeling it.

 Then it hit me pretty much out of nowhere that all the stories had a common theme:

Response. 

The chapter records how different people respond to Jesus. The leper went to Jesus in faith and responded in obedience. The centurion responded to Jesus with such faith and humility, Jesus praised him for it in a way that almost certainly enraged the Jews present (verses 10-12). Peter’s Mother-in-law responded to Jesus’ healing touch with a life of service. The teacher of the law and the nameless disciple are both interesting. Both apparently understood who Jesus was but once they realized following Jesus might mean discomfort and/or a loss of status they responded by going their own way (verses18-22). The disciples are just sad at this point in the narrative. Even after watching Jesus heal scores of people (including some of their own relatives) they still struggled to respond with trust in Jesus when it came to the tough stuff of life (verse 23-27). 

Sigh. 

Then there’s the townspeople. These folks are the genuine sad-sacks of the chapter. They saw Jesus’ power and were so afraid of what following Jesus might ultimately cost them, they responded by begging Jesus to leave them alone. 

It occurred to me we all fall somewhere on the chapter eight spectrum. We might even find ourselves in different places in chapter eight at different points in our life. 

Perhaps you’re one of those individuals who started your journey with Jesus full of child-like faith. You responded to Jesus with a heart of obedience and you’re still keeping on. My prayer is that you have a heart like Peter’s Mother-in-law and you’ve invested your days in serving Jesus with everything you have (Matthew 25:21). 

I hope this is you.

But maybe:

After a long season of hard knocks, you may be questioning whether or not Jesus is worth the trouble.  Perhaps, the storms of life feel unrelenting. Your faith in Jesus and His ability to care for you is being challenged at every turn.  Maybe life feels uncertain and you’re just kind of terrified. 

Or maybe, you’re like those gentile townspeople. You know Jesus is real, but you’re afraid of what following Jesus is going to cost you. You’re just not sure a life of faith is worth giving up that habit, relationship or sin. Maybe you’re so determined to do your own thing you’re willing to risk hell simply to have your own way. 

Wherever you are on the Matthew eight spectrum:

 I know Jesus is worth it (Psalm 34:8, Psalm 84:11). I know He’s faithful, even in the midst of the toughest most brutal stuff of life (Psalm 27:13).  I have also learned that even in the worst moments He is busy working out all things for our good and His glory (Romans 8:28-29). 

Trust Him today (2nd Corinthians 13:14, 1st John 3:16). He’s got you.  

The New Idol Worship-

Lisa M. Price2 Comments


Little children, guard yourselves from idols– 1st John 5:21 NASB

I will not lie. 

I find many of the opinions expressed in public forums deeply troubling.  As a general rule, people from every walk of life have become meaner, more illogical, more merciless and more pigheaded in their opinions concerning pretty much every topic under the sun (Proverbs 29:22). 

No matter the topic. 

People have always gotten worked up the over “hot-button issues” like sex, politics and religion. However, now folks get just as worked up over trifling issues as well. An article entitled, “The Ten Ugliest Colors to Paint a Bathroom” is sure to create a hullabaloo when seemingly ordinary people become completely unfettered from reason and good manners because the writer judged their color choice “ugly” or “outdated”. If a young wife wants advice on getting her husband to help with household chores, many will simply advise her dump the bum and move on. If a person believes something to be true it becomes “their reality” or “their truth” regardless of contradictory evidence. No one is permitted to drag logic, science, God or the law into any discussion regarding an individual’s “reality”. If a person believes themselves to be a cat the world is obliged to provide them with a litter box and a drinking bowl. 

No questions asked. 

Even more alarming, there is zero mercy for parents (Exodus 20:12, Ephesians 6:10). If the parents of an adult child politely choose not to affirm and/or celebrate their adult child’s choices the parents are swiftly declared toxic and given the old heave ho. Overnight society has devolved into a carnival of dysfunction and a cavalcade of vindictiveness. It certainly feels as if the Apostle Paul was on to something when he wrote these words: 

In the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly- 2nd Timothy 3:1-5

A few short years ago it would have been a stretch to say this verse applies to a more than a few grumpy weirdos. Now it feels like the apostle Paul has been scrolling our social media feeds. The current state of affairs begs a couple of questions, including:

How did we get to a place where people are so opinionated and insistent their opinions are the only correct views? 

Why is rudeness and even cruelty suddenly okay with so many people? 

Why are so many adult children no longer speaking to their parents?

Why do. people believe everyone has their own little reality?

Trigger warning: 

I suspect that what follows will be offensive to some. So here goes: we are where we are because of idolatry. The idolatry our culture has embraced with wild abandon is not the run-of-the-mill kind of idolatry one reads about in the Old Testament. Modern humans actually invented a new idol (Romans 1:30a).

It’s our feelings.

Our tendency to make feelings into a god we worship is reflected in every aspect of modern life. Everything we do is centered around how ideas, situations and people make us feel. 

If a pastor “offends”, members of the church start looking for a new church where the pastor understands them. Few churches share the gospel anymore because effective evangelism always involves telling people the hard truth that they are filthy-rotten sinners who need to be saved from their filthy-rottenness (Numbers 34:14, Romans 3:23, 1stJohn 1:10).

God forbid anyone hear that little bit of bad news.

 If someone is the least bit annoying on social media or in real life we are encouraged to “unfriend” them online and in-person (Ephesians 4:32). If a spouse disappoints in any way, the world tells us to dump them and find someone who gives us good feels and understands our needs.  If a historical fact makes a minority uncomfortable, society will cheerfully remove all evidence of said history from the public square. Parents and teachers have quit telling kids “words can never hurt them”. Instead schools have aided and abetted the madness by helping kids to hide from ideas and people that make them feel uncomfortable or bad about themselves. Parents have worked their tails off to make childhood as idyllic as possible. Then everyone wonders why the little nippers don’t feel like growing up and taking adult responsibility for anything (Proverbs 13:21, 1st Corinthians 13:11). 

Sigh.  

Fidelity to the god of our feelings comes at a high price. It has ended polite civil discourse. It has broken up families, made it impossible to effectively call out sin and left an entire generation of young people emotionally and even intellectually crippled. 

Yikes.

The only way to deal with an idol is to cast it down and reverse course before it’s too late. 

All the Why’s Behind Philippians 4:8-9

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking- 2nd Peter 3:1 NIV

It’s way above my paygrade.

Nevertheless, sometimes I wonder about the “why” of some of God’s commands. Most of the “why’s” are easy. Thou shalt not murder is self-explanatory (Exodus 20). 

But what about our thoughts? 

God takes a clear interest not just in what His people do, but also in what they think about.  The New Testament is jam-packed with instruction regarding our thought life. 1st Corinthians 13 tells us Christian love thinks the best (1st Corinthians 13:4-7). Jesus instructed His followers to be cautious about what thoughts they choose to entertain and regularly called out wrong thinking. (Matthew 5:28, Matthew 6:34, Luke 5:20-22, Luke 9:46-48). Romans 12:2 reveals the key to pleasing God and walking in His will, ultimately lies in what we think about. The apostle Paul straight-up commands followers of Jesus to think about things that are “pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy”. That command is followed by a promise of blessing for obedience (Philippians 4:8-9). Anytime God promises blessing for obedience we ought to pay special attention to that command. It’s critical we figure out why that issue matters so much to God. 

This one can be confusing because the inside of one’s head is a controlled and confined space no one has access to except the one doing the thinking.  No one is obviously harmed by a mean thought, so why do our thoughts matter so much to God? The answer essentially boils down to four issues. God cares about what we think because: 

Our thoughts are like the check engine light on a car-

Our thoughts can serve as a spiritual warning system. Optimistic, benevolent and compassionate thoughts reveal a healthy spirit and hearts that are probably mostly focused on God, God’s Kingdom and the well-being of others. Conversely, paranoid, lustful, suspicious and distrustful thoughts are often an indicator of a much bigger and more worrisome spiritual problem. At best these types of thoughts reveal a lack of connection to the Holy Spirit, at worst they reveal systemic sins that require deep repentance.

Our thoughts ultimately shape us- 

To ancient Jewish people the “heart” was much more than an organ that pumped blood. The heart embodied all that a person was. The heart was a person’s thoughts and the feelings that were produced by what they thought about. The heart was their inner-person (Proverbs 3:5, Proverbs 4:23), it was the part of the person that determined all of their actions. Jesus said that it is out of our heart that we speak and do evil. In other words, our thoughts have a shaping influence not just on our actions but on who and what we become (Matthew 12:34, Luke 6:45) 

Satan can do a lot with just a little bit of wrong thinking- 

The psalmist begins Psalm 73 by acknowledging that God shows special favor towards those who are “pure in heart” or in the modern vernacular that means: “good on the inside as well as the outside”. His acknowledgment is swiftly followed by an awkward confession: the psalmist divulges he came dangerously close to losing his spiritual direction because he spent too much time thinking on the (seeming) success of the arrogant and wicked.  His observations regarding the apparent affluence of wicked people morphed into wrong thinking about God which nearly caused his “spirit to become embittered” towards God (Psalm 73:21-22). The whole messy spiritual mess started with some thoughts that should have been reined in and prayed over before they had a chance to run wild and give birth to bitterness and hate (Hebrews 12:15, Ephesians 4:30-32). 

Assuming the worst about others creates a spiral that ends in serious sin-

Choosing to think the worst about others without rock-solid proof of wrongdoing is not discernment. It is a choice that gives the devil a foothold. A choice that often leads to fear, paranoia and even evil behavior (Ephesians 4:26-28, 1st Peter 5:8). This is because anytime anyone allows fear and/or paranoia run wild they run the very real risk of losing touch with reality. Such was the fate of King Saul. He basically projected all of the evil of his own heart onto David. This caused him to think the worst of David, his wrong thinking initiated a spiritual death spiral that led to a bunch of murder attempts and ultimately Saul’s insanity. Anytime we find ourselves assuming ill-intent of others without rock-solid proof we run the risk of becoming a Saul. No wants to be a Saul. Saul was a hot mess.

The apostle Paul understood it is impossible to have a pure heart while thinking mean, lustful, anxious, paranoid or suspicious thoughts (Psalm 24:3-5, Matthew 5:8, Matthew 6:25-34). Therefore, a critical spiritual discipline is learning how to take our thoughts captive to Christ (2nd Corinthians 10:5). We take thoughts captive through a process of analyzing what comes into our minds and asking ourselves some questions about those thoughts:

Is this thought noble, pure admirable, kind or praiseworthy?

At the end of the day will this thought produce something wholesome and life-giving?

Am I assuming good intent?

Am I the worst motives in this situation? 

If this thought is permitted to run wild will it produce some sort of death in my life? Such as the death of a relationship, my character, my purity, or my reputation? 

If the answer to question 1-3 are “no” or the answers to 3 or 4 are “yes” the thought needs to be taken directly to Jesus. ASAP. We need to ask Him to cleanse us from our unrighteousness (Psalm 51) and ask Him to help see people and situations through His eyes. Learning to pray through what we think about produces a pure heart and ensures God’s favor in our lives (Proverbs 22:11).  

How did an Age of Spiritual Excess led to an Age of Spiritual Doubt?

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts.”These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit- Jude 18-19 NASB

My bestie calls the late 1980’s to the early 2000’s the “this present weirdness” phase of contemporary Christianity. 

It’s more than just a snarky jab at a set of books that were hugely popular for decades. The late 1980’s to the early 2000’s was an age of spiritual excess on all sorts of different fronts. There were a lot of charismatic extremes in (some) churches. The lack of discernment surrounding the Holy Spirit allowed almost anything to be considered a manifestation of the Holy Spirit, no matter how weird or extra-biblical those things happened to be. There was also an emphasis on spiritual warfare that frequently veered off the rails. Besides the popular fictional books postulating about spiritual warfare there were also all sorts of “Bible studies” on spiritual warfare including one where participants were instructed to eat certain foods based on what kind of demons they happened to be battling at the time. Then there was also the well-intended but not always well-thought purity movement. It left the better part of a generation of Christian kids confused about sexuality and walking in shame for having normal sexual desires. 

Sigh. 

There was also a huge emphasis on the second coming of Jesus. Booklets like Edgar Whisenant’s 88 reasons the rapture will happen in 1988 and 90 reasons Jesus will return in 1990 were insanely popular. The fictional series Left Behind by Tim LaHaye captivated millions.  Anxiety concerning Y2K added to theories regarding Jesus’ return as did songs like I Wish we had all Been Ready and I Will See You in the Rapture.  

Christians were ready.

But nothing happened. 

There was zero action on the return of Jesus front. Life went on. It turned out to be much ado about nothing. 

Then that thing happened that always happens anytime anything goes too far: the pendulum swung back. Really HARD. Most Christians put their heads down in shame stopped talking about the return of Jesus altogether.   Today there are many followers of Jesus who disbelieve it will even happen. Some Christians openly mock those Christians who do believe Jesus is literally returning to earth. The amillennialism view of eschatology has become wildly popular. It teaches we are currently living in the millennial reign of Christ and there will be no tribulation or bodily return of Jesus. 

However:

Scoffing and mocking at the notion Jesus will return is a prophesied indication of the soon-return of Jesus. The apostle Peter says this about the subject: 

Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires- 2nd Peter 3:3

It’s hard to argue effectively against the idea that the Bible teaches there will be a bodily return of Jesus (John 21:22, Matthew 24:3, Matthew 24:37-44, Luke 21:25-27, John 14:3, 1st Thessalonians 3:13, 1st Thessalonians 5:23, 2nd Thessalonians 2:1, James 5:7). There’s just too much scripture that says there will be a return of Jesus. Admittedly, there are some very real problems with having hyper fixation on the bodily return of Jesus. However, there are also some very real problems with discounting the bodily return of Jesus (2nd John 2:7). Some of those problems include: 

Spiritual knowledge is a use it or lose it proposition-

Jesus makes it clear that the more we believe and apply God’s word the more of God’s word we will understand and be able to apply to our lives (Mark 4:24). It just makes sense the inverse is also true. This means that choosing to disbelieve one aspect of God’s word (like the return of Jesus) surely limits our ability to understand and effectively apply all spiritual truth (Hebrews 5:11-14).

We become contented with spiritual mediocrity-

There’s a reason God didn’t just gave us the exact date of Jesus’ future return. If He had most of us would remain morally and spiritually sketchy until ten minutes before Jesus showed up. Then we would get real busy really fast. Knowing (and believing) Jesus could return at any time gives us the motivation to stay busy doing God’s will and living for him until He does show up (Matthew 25:1-13, Matthew 25:31-46)

We begin to see this world as our home–

Christians were never intended to get overly cozy with the things of this world. When we do, we lose our power and even our motivation to fix the brokenness (Mark 8:36, 1st John 2:15-17, Matthew 5:13-16). Therefore, the most dangerous aspect of choosing to disbelieve there will be no bodily return of Jesus is it causes us to become really comfortable with this world and what we have in this world. This renders us spiritually useless in every sense. 

We are all products of the great age of reason.  We have been trained since infancy to only believe in things we can prove, things that are easy to understand, things we can logic out. Jesus’ return is none of those things. It’s a matter of faith.  Because it’s been a while since Jesus left the first time it’s easy to be a scoffer or a mocker concerning the return of Jesus (2nd Peter 3:8-9). The whole notion feels far out and crazy so we talk ourselves out it. We decide (on our own) Jesus was being metaphorical when He said He will return. We tell ourselves only wild-eyed irrational nutjobs believe in such things.

We become scoffers. 

We forget, scoffer’s get proven wrong by God all the time. 

Rather, we should commit to being the people Jesus talks about in Matthew 24:45-47, those who wait expectantly, in faith for His return. Those who faithfully do His will right up till the minute He gets here. 

There are good things in store for those people.  

Fake Jesus?

Lisa M. Price1 Comment

Even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!As we have said before, even now I say again: if anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed! Galatians 1:8-9 NASB 

I wasn’t raised in church but I was raised in America, so, growing-up I saw a lot of paintings of Jesus. In all of them Jesus was pretty white-bread and Anglo. He always had long blonde hair, high cheekbones, clear blue eyes and ivory skin. Because I wasn’t a Christian, I didn’t think much about whether or not those renderings were an accurate representation of Jesus. 

As a young adult Christian, I saw my first painting of a black Jesus. To be honest, I found the whole notion of a black Jesus a little disconcerting because it just wasn’t how I “saw” Jesus in my white-girl head. Later, in a class I took on missions, I learned that in every culture where the gospel has taken root, Christians have painted Jesus to look exactly like them. This is why there are black Jesus’, white Jesus’, brown Jesus’ and Asian Jesus’ even though Jesus was a Middle Eastern Jewish man. 

This is not a bad thing. 

It means humans grasp intuitively the spiritual reality Jesus was sacrificed, not just for one group of really special people but for all people (Romans 6:10, Hebrews 5:5-9, Hebrews 10:10). Our tendency to make Jesus “look like us” means all Christians (regardless of nationality or skin color) identify with Jesus in a personal way.  We understand on a gut-level Jesus was the great high priest who made the ultimate sacrifice for every tribe, language, people and nation on earth (Revelation 5:9). 

The flipside of this phenomenon is it exposes the human propensity we all have to make Jesus into whoever or whatever we want Him to be. Humans have always been inclined to make God in their own image. This is most clearly seen with the Greco/Roman pantheon of gods. The Greco/Roman “gods” reflected human passions, strengths and weaknesses. They were gods made in the image of man. 

Now we do it with Jesus. 

It is not at all unusual for people (even Christian people) to say “my Jesus” or “the God I worship”. Nine times out of ten “my Jesus” or “the God I worship” is followed by a statement of what “their” God would or would not do. It is exceptionally rare for these proclamations to line up one-hundred-percent with what the Bible actually says about the subject. 

It does happen, just not very often. 

This is not a new thing. In 2nd Corinthians Paul confronted his readers with their tendency to turn to a “new Jesus” anytime a preacher with a new teaching came along. These “other Jesus’” did not line up with the Jesus Paul had preached to them (2nd Corinthians 11:3-4). The Corinthian Christians loved God and apparently had a sincere longing to serve God. However, they were in danger of being deceived by these “other Jesus’” just as Eve was deceived by Satan’s clever arguments in the garden of Eden (Genesis 3:1-4). 

The tendency to make Jesus into what we want Him to be is getting demonstrably worse. It’s not at all unusual for professing Christians to say “Jesus was right beside me” as they were busy doing something the authentic biblical Jesus would never be a part of. Something like getting an abortion, taking drugs or marrying someone of the same gender. Nor is it unusual for a professing Christian to insist Jesus or God “showed them” something was okay that directly contradicts biblical teaching. Oftentimes these are serious sins like leaving a marriage without biblical grounds, having an affair or lying about something (Matthew 19:1-9, Exodus 20:16).

Professing Christians who make these kinds of statements are not doctrinally confused. Nor are they going through a quirky spiritual stage. It’s much more serious than that. These folks are worshiping a fake Jesus.  A really nice Jesus, but a Jesus who is nothing more than a figment of their fevered imaginations. When someone describes “their God” or “their Jesus” in a way that does not reflect the Jesus of the Bible, they have the wrong Jesus and they are headed down the wrong spiritual path (Matthew 7:13-14). 

 It’s also one of the clues that we are nearing the end. 

In 2nd Timothy 3:1-5 gives a detailed description of what many professing Christians will “look like” just prior to the return of Jesus. In verse five Paul says these folks will “have a form of godliness but deny its power”. The Greek indicates, these people will look like Christians and even act like Christians—at least to some degree. Nonetheless, when it comes down to the place where the rubber meets the road (metaphorically speaking) they will have no real understanding of what kind of God they are dealing with. 

Because they have the wrong Jesus. 

The “right” Jesus is actually really easy to identify. God ensured it’s not a big mystery. The real Jesus is for the same things He was for and against the same things He was against when the New Testament was written. The real Jesus doesn’t change with the culture. 

The real Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8).  

This whole issue of who Jesus is (and isn’t) is a serious problem that demands discernment on the part of Christians (Psalm 119:125, Proverbs 18:15, Philippians 1:9-11). It is not our job to judge others. Nonetheless, it is our job to make wise judgments about doctrinal issues and what we believe about Jesus. We will be held accountable for believing in and promoting any kind of a fake Jesus (1st Timothy 4:16, Titus 2:1, Hebrews 13:9) 

Yikes. 

“Easter Eggs” and Eschatology-

Lisa M. Price7 Comments

A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city, And contentions are like the bars of a castle- Proverbs 18:19

The term “easter egg” is an expression that refers to a clue, detail or reference hidden in a movie, video game or other media. Easter eggs are designed to enrich the viewing experience and give viewers hints concerning future projects the studio is working on.  The term was coined in 1980 by Steve Wright the-then director of software development for Atari.

With all due respect to Mr. Wright, Atari and all the gaming/movie nerds in the world, it was God who conceived the whole concept of an easter egg. The Bible does not use the term “easter egg”, however it does give us clues and insights into future events, especially end time events. Jesus was clear:  no one knows the day or hour of His return, not even Jesus (Matthew 24:36, Matthew 25:13, Mark 13:32). 

Nonetheless, the Bible does give clues as to what the season of His return will look like. These “easter eggs” are critical to pay attention to because:

  1. Jesus instructs His followers to be ready for His return (Matthew 24:32-33, Luke 12:35-40, 2nd Peter 3:3-10)
  2. Jesus warns many professing Christian will NOT be ready for His return (Matthew 25:1-13, Luke 12:42-48, Matthew 25:31-46). 
  3. There will be a lot of spiritual deception specifically surrounding the return of Jesus (Matthew 24:12, 2ndThessalonians 2:1-12, Mark 13:5-22), making every clue critical. 

Some signs of Jesus return are familiar (earthquakes, wars, famines, rumors of wars, persecution, etc.), others, not so much. Over the course of the next few weeks I will discuss some of the lesser known signs of end time events. The first is found in Matthew twenty-four, a long discourse on the end of the age. It says;  

Many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another- Matthew 24:10 NKJV

Offense or “getting offended” will be a huge issue just prior to the return of Jesus. There are those who believe this verse simply means people will be opposed to Jesus and the truth claims of Christianity. Without a doubt, opposition to Jesus and the Christian faith is growing. However, opposition to Jesus is not new. There have always been those who were offended by the truth claims and moral demands made in Scripture (John 14:6, Hebrews 12:14, 1st Thessalonians 4:3). The real easter egg in this passage is offense.  

This is kind of where we are living right now. Everybody is offended by everyone and everything these days.  Words are thought to be violence. As a result, there are all sorts of words that are no longer okay to say. Some make sense, no one sane would ever advocate for a return of racial slurs or misogynistic speech. 

That’s just gross.

However, there are a lot of folks who want to eliminate words that have been a part of our language for a long time, words like “manhole”, “ghetto”, “hooligan”, “uppity”, and “savage.” These same people want to ban phrases like “peanut gallery”, “food coma”, “long time no see”, and “grandfathered in” simply because they once (long ago) may or may not have been offensive to someone. This unparalleled attempt to control speech is either a clear indicator of widespread mental illness or a pervasive egocentric fixation on controlling other people, or both. 

Sigh.

The proclivity towards taking offense goes way beyond silly people attempting to criminalize words they don’t like. The Bible predicts narcissism will eventually take root in the hearts of the majority (2nd Timothy 3:1-5) and it has. Narcissists lack empathy, are hyper focused on personal boundaries, do not respect others and have no real fear of God, although they may be professing Christians.  Narcissists love themselves and are entirely self-focused. Anyone is entirely self-focused will inevitably be both easily offended and incredibly unforgiving. 

The epidemic of narcissism in our world has led to an rise in people cutting friends and family out of their lives. Sometimes, this means ghosting folks (ghosting is when someone simply stops taking a person’s calls and responding to their texts). Other times this means going “no contact” or “low contact” with friends or relatives. Even some professing Christians have fallen headlong into the offense trap. Ghosting and “going no contact” typically happen without following the biblical standard for resolving conflict found in Matthew 18:15-17 and with zero grace or mercy (Matthew 5:7, Matthew 7:1-2, Luke 6:37).

Picking up offenses is more than just silly, annoying and potentially harmful to personal relationships. According to Jesus it’s dangerous because it makes us susceptible to spiritual deception and can even lead to a loss of faith. Seriously. Matthew 24:11-12 tells us: 

Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold- NKJV

Picking up an offense about anything causes a person to become hyper-focused on feelings. Anytime feelings are running the show the ability to discern truth from error is diminished. If we stay in the feelings zone for long enough, discernment disappears completely and we become a sitting duck for all of Satan’s schemes (Ephesians 6:11, 2nd Corinthians 2:11, 1st Peter 5:8). 

Like, seriously. ALL OF THEM. 

The Bible says the end times will be perilous because people will be awful in ways and to a degree they have never been before (2nd Timothy 3:1-5). Christians must live counter-culturally in these times. This means doing everything in our power to stay free from offense and the sin that comes with it (Proverbs 4:14-16, Romans 16:17-18). Doing so is a powerful protection against deception and it allows Christian to shine for Jesus in a generation that’s rapidly losing its way (Philippians 2:16-17).   

Yeses that Change Everything-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ- 2nd Corinthians 1:20

There is a teeny-tiny little word that does not get nearly enough credit for all the good it can do. 

Yes. 

I still remember the expectancy and joy I felt as a little kid anytime an adult would say “yes” to an appeal I made or give the A-Okay to one of my little kid plans. Most people, even those of us who are way past the little kid stage of life still feel a sense of anticipation and excitement anytime we get a “yes” to a request. 

It’s just how God wired us. 

Yes, is a word that can awaken hope and give a much-needed dose of encouragement. Hearing a yes after a season of no’s is like a breath of fresh air to our souls. Getting a yes is good. However, it’s saying yes to the right things that brings transformation to our souls and opens the door for every good thing in our lives.  

Following are five of the best, most life-giving, soul-impacting yeses a human being can embrace. The first is: 

Jesus-

Without a doubt the most powerful and life changing yes of all, is the “yes” we say to Jesus’ offer of forgiveness and salvation. Saying yes to Jesus is the first step in a new life of hope and transformation (2nd Corinthians 5:17, Galatians 6:14-16). Jesus’ offer of salvation is really the best of deals. When we say yes to faith in Jesus we exchange shame, hopelessness and fear of death for joy, peace, a sense of purpose and an eternity spent with God (Psalm 16:11, John 3:36, John 6:40, John 10:28, Romans 2:7, Galatians 6:8, Hebrews 2:14-16). All we have to do is ask for forgiveness for our sin and agree to live our life for Jesus (Acts 16:31). Seriously. It’s that easy. 

Forgiving others- 

Forgiveness is a not a suggestion God makes. It’s a command with promises and curses attached (Matthew 6:14-15, Luke 11:4, Colossians 3:13). It is also a nonnegotiable piece of the discipleship process (Romans 12:14-21).  God demands His people forgive others because He knows unforgiveness, holding grudges and the bitterness that always results from holding grudges causes people to become entirely self-focused and to dwell endlessly on the negative. Unforgiveness inevitably leads to self-centered, warped and faulty thinking. Self-centered, faulty thinking makes it difficult to have healthy, God-honoring relationships (Genesis 2:18, 1st Corinthians 12:27). Human beings were created for relationship. As a result, the inability to have healthy relationships short-circuits our purpose in Christ.  It works like this: when we choose to hold on to unforgiveness that choice gives the devil a foothold in our thinking (1st Peter 5:8, Ephesians 4:26-27). Unfortunately, a little, tiny foothold is all Satan needs to twist our thinking in such a way that seeds of bitterness are planted deep in our hearts. Our bitterness in turn colors everything we experience in life, defiling us and those we love most (Hebrews 12:15). Sadly, unforgiveness quickly becomes a prison with the lock on the inside (Hebrews 12:14, Ephesians 4:30-31). Saying “yes” to forgiveness is the only key that opens the prison door.  

A fresh start- 

Everybody messes up. Even Christians. Even the most committed followers of Jesus do stupid stuff, make mistakes, get caught up in foolish passions, go sideways in life and find ingenious ways to ruin their perfectly good lives. Thankfully, God, in His infinite mercy is always willing to give anyone who wants it fresh start and a new beginning. All we have to do is ask (Psalm 5:1-19). In order for the fresh start to take root in our lives we have to humbly submit ourselves to God by choosing to do life God’s way rather than try to figure right and wrong out on our own (Lamentations 3:21-23, 2nd Samuel 24:14, Acts 3:19). 

A new level of obedience- 

We become a Christian the moment we accept God’s offer of forgiveness. One aspect of becoming a Christian is making the choice to become a student of Jesus (Matthew 11:28-30). Because Jesus loves us and ultimately wants us to be the best people we can be, He is always calling us to a new level of obedience (2nd Corinthians 5:17, 1stCorinthians 11:9-11, Colossians 3). Saying “yes” to obedience always brings us to a new and higher level of functioning in our lives. 

Gratitude

Saying “yes” to gratitude is a spiritual gamechanger. A heart of gratitude actually has the opposite effect on our thinking that unforgiveness does. While unforgiveness twists our thinking and causes us to focus on ourselves and the negative, gratitude towards God gives us clarity and empowers us to see the good in the world.  Saying “yes” to gratitude is a powerful form of spiritual protection that keeps the enemy from gaining a foothold in our thinking (Colossians 3:16, 1st Thessalonians 5:18, Colossians 2:6-7). 

Truth-be-told, there is very little in this world we have complete control over. However, what we say “yes” to is one thing we do have control over. When we choose to say yes to things that please and honor God, God, in turn, blesses our choices. Then we are formed into the image of Jesus and become a blessing (Romans 12:2, 2ndCorinthians 3:18)

It’s a win-win. 

The Power of Encouragement-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up, just as you also are doing-1st Thessalonians 5:11 NASB 

God loves encouraging words.  

 God considers encouragement to be so vitally important He straight-up commands Christians to encourage one another whenever and however they are able (Hebrews 3:13, 1st Thessalonians 4:18, 1st Thessalonians 5:10, 2nd Corinthians 13:11).  The simple and often undervalued act of encouragement has the power to: 

Remind us to live for Jesus and prepare spiritually for His return – 1st Thessalonians 5:1-11)

Embolden God’s people to fight battles against the worst kind of evil- Judges 2

Strengthen hearts in seasons of spiritual confusion- Acts 15

Deliver peace in the worst of storms- Acts 27

Boost spiritual endurance- Romans 15:5

Give hope in times of trouble and heartache- Romans 15:4

Promote unity in churches- 2nd Corinthians 13:11

Bring about a more complete understanding of our faith- Colossians 2:2 

Bring joy and refreshment to the weary- Philemon 1:7

Keep Christians from being trapped and hardened by sin- Hebrews 3:13 

No wonder God is a fan. 

Encouragement does far more than just cheer up those who are having a bad day.  Encouragement is actually an indispensable component of the Christian discipleship process (1st Thessalonians 5:14, Hebrews 3:13). Encouragement from the right person at the right time brings hope and clarity to the sometimes challenging and confusing life of faith.  Encouragement reminds the gloomy struggler God sees their situation. The right words of encouragement spoken at just the right moment can even lead a spiritual wanderer back to the narrow-path of faith. It is simply a fact that just right words of encouragement spoken at just the right moment have the power to literally change the trajectory of a person’s life. 

So. 

How do we encourage others in a manner that brings about all the above-mentioned benefits for the maximum number of people?

Genuine biblical encouragement is about more than simply saying nice things or even helping people. Biblical encouragers:

Do what Jesus did-

Jesus took the time to really see the people around Him (Matthew 9:36, Mark 6:34, Luke 13:11-13, John 1:47-50, John 6:26, John 9:1). He made a practice of being fully present in every situation. This one little habit allowed Him to see people’s pain, struggles, the longings of their heart and their deepest unspoken needs.  Because Jesus paid attention to people human needs did not go unnoticed or unmet when He was present. When we make a regular practice of noticing people our observations give us insight into the needs of the people around us. Encouragement comes much more naturally and is much more likely to hit the mark when we are fully present and tuned into the people God placed around us. 

Are willing to couple words of encouragement with action-

Words of encouragement are the biggest of deals. A positive uplifting word of encouragement spoken at just the moment is sometimes better than finding a sack of cash (Proverbs 25:11). Even more powerful is a word of encouragement combined with a generous or kind act. Taking a tired Mom, a meal, picking up groceries for a shut-in or handing out a baggie of treats and/or a gift card to homeless person reminds those on the receiving end of our kindness that they are seen and cared for in spite of their circumstances (Matthew 5:14-16). 

Listen carefully and prayerfully before speaking into an obviously tough situation-

It’s easy to encourage someone experiencing a tough day in the midst of an otherwise easy season of life. That said, tough situations necessitate more than glib, superficial sentimentality or simple pat answers. So, unless, you are a prophet with flawless track record, it is not encouraging or helpful to promise someone God will do a particular thing in that person’s situation. Humans have freewill and no one but God knows what God is going to do (Joshua 24:15, Isaiah 55:8-9). Therefore, it’s just good policy to avoid making promises you cannot keep. Nor is it encouraging to remind someone whose life has just blown up with unspeakable tragedy that “all things work together for the good” (Romans 8:28). It’s true, over the course of time, God does work all things out for good. However, it is better to let the hurting person reach that state of spiritual awareness on their own rather than forcing it on them before they have an opportunity to grieve their loss (Romans 12:15). The most powerful way to encourage the deeply hurting is to sit with them and just listen without judgment or even a whole lot of commentary (Job 38:2).  Encouraging those who are truly broken and disheartened demands we take the time to know exactly what kind of a situation we are speaking into before we speak. 

Back in the day.

When I was a young Christian Mom just kind of bumbling my way through life. I met a smart, gifted older woman who routinely sent me little notes encouraging me to seek the Lord and use the spiritual gifts she saw in me. To this day, anytime I need a reminder of God’s goodness I look up the Bible verse she wrote at the bottom of every single note she ever sent me: 

The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing- Zephaniah 3:17 NKJV

I don’t know if she remembers those notes, but I do. Thirty-plus years later, the echoes of her encouraging words still remind of God’s goodness and grace in every circumstance. 

That’s why God loves it when His kids encourage one another. 

What did Jesus Mean when He Called the Pharisees “White-Washed Tombs”?

Lisa M. Price2 Comments

When he became strong, his heart was so proud that he acted corruptly, and he was untrue to the Lord his God, for he entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense on the altar of incense- 2nd Chronicles 26:16 NASB

I did not grow up in the church.

As a result, there were a bunch of churchy phrases tossed around I simply did not understand. Some I figured out pretty quickly. Others have taken me the better part of a lifetime to sort through and completely understand. 

One expression I found particularly perplexing was the phrase “religious spirit”.  I found it to be cryptic, creepy and more than a little unsettling. It’s a term not used anywhere in Scripture but it was a huge problem for several Old Testament leaders (2nd Chronicles 26:16, 1st Samuel 15:13-23, 2nd Chronicles 20;12-20). It was also an issue Jesus addressed frequently and always condemned in the strongest possible terms (Matthew 23:1-39, Luke 11:39-53). 

Many define a religious spirit as legalism or using rules as a substitute for relationship with God. Legalism is often a component of a religious spirit. However, defining the problem simply as legalism is an oversimplification of a complex issue. Anytime one simplifies a complex issue they run the risk of missing it when it’s right in front of them or worse yet, right inside of them. 

Yikes. 

A “religious spirit” is better defined as an appearance or façade of righteousness and goodness Christians choose over authentic heart change.  The highest value for a person with a religious spirit is not to please the Lord, or have their insides match their outsides. They just want people to think well of them (Matthew 23:5-7, Mark 12:38-40). Therefore, there is always an element of pride, self-centeredness and self-promotion involved in a religious spirit (Philippians 2:3, Galatians 5:20, 2nd Corinthians 12:20, James 3:14, Romans 2:8)

When a person has a religious spirit the goodness and righteousness on full display in their life is not a result of ruthlessly rooting out bad attitudes and wrong thinking. Nor, is it the result of inward goodness coming out of them in a healthy and life-giving way (Luke 6:44). Rather, it is the result of careful construction of a superficial image of piety and spirituality (Matthew 7:21-23). This piety gives every appearance of being very real. Nonetheless, it’s just a lovely veneer that effectively covers-up a multitude of spiritual, emotional and relational issues and problems.

Jesus called these folks “white washed tombs” because they look good on the outside but on the inside, they are just the messiest of messes (Matthew 23:27) 

A religious spirit creates a lot of confusion for those who know the person. People with a religious spirit present as Christians, and not just as any old garden variety Christian. These folks nearly always present as super Christians and frequently find themselves in positions of authority in the church. As a result, it is fair to say this one issue has been root of nearly every sin perpetrated by the Church. It is also the cause of many cases of church hurt.  The saddest thing about a religious spirit is what can ultimately do to the person.  A religious spirit can hi-jack a real and genuine relationship with God and replace it with a counterfeit Christianity that looks and even feels so much like the real thing that it can even fool the person in question (Matthew 7:22-23). 

It all starts when the approval of people becomes more important than the approval of God. The end result is that rules, outward obedience, success and looking good on the outside become more important than putting others first, heartfelt obedience, spiritual congruency and a vibrant relationship with Jesus. If a religious spirit is not dealt with decisively it always leads to spiritual ruin and relational callousness.

Anyone in the Church can have a religious spirit. 

The seeds that produce a religious spirit are pride, self-sufficiency and a reluctance to appear less-than-perfect. A religious spirit was the downfall of men who started out well, men like Saul, Hezekiah and Uzziah. It was the sin at the root of every sin the Pharisees committed. A religious spirit can and does sometimes affect church leaders, Christian influencers, little old ladies with big fat Bibles and run-of-the-mill Christians of all ages and walks of life. Truth-be-told, most Christians (myself included) have struggled (usually unbeknownst to them at the time) with a religious spirit at some point. Phoniness is probably the besetting sin of our time. It is for sure the primary reason the word Christian is so often linked with words like: fake, phony, fraud and untrustworthy. 

There is only one way to get free of a religious spirit. 

It is through an encounter with the living God. anytime we see God in all His glory and experience His presence the end result is that we are always undone by our own sinfulness (Isaiah 6:1-5). This knowledge opens us up to transformation. Therefore, it is critical we seek the presence of the Lord every chance we get. It’s why we should never ignore the still-small-voice telling us we have an attitude or behavior that needs to be dealt with (Matthew 5:29-30, Mark 9:43-47). 

When we make a regular practice of seeking the Lord and obeying His voice self dies. When we die to self we are free to truly experience the joy and freedom of the abundant life in Jesus (Romans 6:6, Ephesians 4:20-24, John 10:10)