Category: Christian living

The Steps to Breaking Free From Almost any Sin-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds- 2nd Corinthians 10:4 NIV

 Addiction, divorce, sexual sin, lying, rage, hate and offendedness have all become increasingly more common in our unhappy and unhealthy culture. Government leaders are failing to meet the needs of those they were elected to serve. Corporations are filling the leadership gap and are quickly becoming weirdly authoritarian taskmasters with zero checks on their worst impulses.   Social unrest is at an all-time high and no one really seems to know what to do about any of it. 

Why? 

Seriously.

Why does the world seem to be teetering on the edge of madness all the stinking time? Why has evil taken root in the hearts of so many? Why are so many leaders becoming despotic?  Why are people so easily offended?  Why are people so incredibly vindictive and cruel when they are offended?  

Well. 

The short answer to all those questions is of course sin. People are sinners (always have been) and fewer and fewer people care about putting any kind of restraints on their own corrupt inclinations these days. As a result, the world and the people in it are becoming more immoral and more sinful. Anytime humans embrace sin they become more wretchedly unhappy. 

Sigh. 

The longer answer is much more complicated, as longer answers always are. Due to a shocking proliferation of sin in the church Christianity has lost much of its moral authority and spiritual influence in the world. This has left people without a roadmap to figure out life.  People rarely make good choices on their own. Anytime people stop making good choices en masse a moral vacuum is created. Evil inevitably finds a way to a fill moral vacuum. 

The normalization of bad behavior has led to a proliferation of spiritual strongholds in the lives of people. A stronghold is a place where Satan has gained a foothold in the life of a person and sin has taken root. A stronghold is a place in a person’s life that has become a fortress for the enemy. When someone has a spiritual stronghold in their life they become controlled by sinful behavior or thoughts. 

The Church and the people in it cannot do anything about what the world chooses to do or not do. We cannot force non-Christian people to make healthy or wise choices about how they live life.  However, Christians can make healthy choices that empower them to get and stay free of addictions, life-controlling behaviors and thoughts. In the process, we can lead other people to a better place. But, first we have to be free of our own spiritual strongholds. The most common strongholds include unforgiveness, offendedness, shame, perfectionism, anxiety, rage, addiction, productivity, insecurity, unbelief, deception, critical spirit and control.

The only way anyone can be the influence God intended us to be in this world is to get free of the strongholds in our lives. We get free through the following four practices:  

Ruthless self-examination- 

No one can get free of anything they refuse to see or acknowledge. Because the human heart is both naturally wicked and self-deceptive it is sometimes difficult to see our own sin (Jeremiah 17:9, Proverbs 21:4). For that reason, is critical we examine our hearts and lives frequently for sinful behaviors and attitudes that have taken root (2nd Corinthians 13:5) or sin that we have never really dealt with (Acts 8:23). 

Once we become aware of a sin or sinful stronghold, we must:

Make prayer a priority-  

Sin that it is not confessed and prayed through can never completely be eliminated from our lives (Mark 9:29). The longer a behavior has been a part of our lives the more entrenched it will become and the longer it will take to effectively deal with it. There is a temptation for Christians to turn to worldly means to deal with spiritual issues. Christian counseling and coaching can be useful in helping us to understand why we do the sinful stuff we do and in keeping sinful habits broken. However, prayer must be our first line of defense when it comes to dealing with a sinful stronghold. 

Always choose obedience- 

In Luke 11:24-26 Jesus makes it clear that new habits and behaviors are the key to staying free of spiritual oppression and strongholds. Too often Christians who have been set free from life-controlling behaviors stupidly believe they can live any way they choose without spiritual consequences. Nothing could be further from the truth. Anytime we make the choice to willfully sin we invite demonic oppression into our lives (1st Peter 5:8, Ephesians 4:26-28). Making the choice to become increasingly more faithful and obedient to Jesus is absolutely necessary if we wish to stay free of demonic strongholds. Period

Immerse ourselves in a community of believers-

The Christian life is all about working out our brokenness after we receive salvation (Philippians 2:12). However, we were never meant to do that solo (Ecclesiastics 4:9-12). We all need a core group of people in our lives who will spur us on to better choices (Hebrews 10:23-25). 

Authentic Christians are blessed with a natural desire to make the world a better place.  However, for too long too many Christians have tried to skip over the necessary step of working through their own junk before they tried to assist the world with theirs.  This has been a miserable failure. Those of us who live and move in the Christian world must face the hard reality that we can only help others with their sin after we have broken the strongholds in our own life. 

Five Things Christians can Celebrate no Matter what’s Going on in the World-

Lisa M. Price2 Comments

Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, Lord. They rejoice in your name all day long; they celebrate your righteousness. For you are their glory and strength, and by your favor you exalt our horn- Psalm 89:15-17 NIV

There is not a whole to celebrate right now.  

Everything feels kind of dark and hard right now.  Destructive philosophies have taken root and many western countries seem intent on committing cultural suicide. The thin veneer of civilization is getting thinner every day and governments all over the globe are struggling to get a grip on the growing chaos.  Even people who don’t worry all that much are anxious, depressed and fearful on some level.  

Furthermore.

There is lot of spiritual fruit for Christians to grieve right now.  The western church has sinned by majoring on spiritual minors for far too long. Church leaders have focused on the number of butts in the seats and bucks in the offering plate rather than on making disciples and the state of people’s souls.  We have sought the applause of the unbelieving world, watered-down truth and exhibited contempt rather than love to sinners.   As a result, legions of people are so morally confused they literally believe right is wrong and wrong is right (Isaiah 5:20). Christians should grieve all sin because God looks on those who mourn sin with favor. (1st Kings 8:46-48, 2nd Chronicles 32:26, Ezekiel 6:9, Proverbs 1:23).

All that being said.

God’s people are called to celebrate God and His greatness no matter their circumstances (Leviticus, 23:40-42, Psalm 100, 2nd Samuel 6:21, 1st Corinthians 5:8). Hezekiah became King of Judah during some of the darkest days of Israel’s history. The nation was deeply divided. Both the North and the South were in a state of profound moral, spiritual and economic decline. The nation was weak militarily and threatened by powerful enemies on all sides. However, in the middle of all that gloom and doom Hezekiah issued a decree that the whole nation should come together and celebrate the Passover with a passion, joy and fervency they had never exhibited before. The result of their choice to celebrate God’s goodness in the midst of their pain and grief was their prayers were heard and revival resulted (2nd Chronicles chapters 30-31). Despite all the ugliness in the world there are five things Christians can and should celebrate right now: 

Our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed- 

Every day we draw breath brings us that much closer to the day when our earthly problems and struggles will be nothing more than a distant memory (Revelation 21:3-5). That’s something to celebrate. 

Jesus is not missing in action- 

True story. It might appear that this sin-weary world is completely out of control and teetering on the edge of madness. However, the chaos we are experiencing is not without purpose. I do not know where all of this will end but I do know God sees our hearts and will ultimately lead those who remain joyful in affliction (Romans 12:12) into a reward that is infinitely better than anything our feeble minds can imagine (Revelation 21:1-27). 

Everyone will eventually answer to God for their choices- 

Okay, so, I get that this feels like a weirdly dark thing to celebrate. However, sometimes life is hard.  The Bible teaches there will come a time when all Christians everywhere will suffer at the hands of evil people who will refuse to repent of their sin (Daniel 7:21, Matthew 24:9-12, Revelation 6:9-11). It will appear for a season that those people are getting away with their evil treatment God’s people.  Nothing will be further from the truth. God wants His people to be comforted by the truth He will reward the righteous for their good deeds and punish the wicked for their refusal to repent (2nd Thessalonians 1:5-10).  We must not allow the sinful choices of others to erode our belief that God is good. Rather, we should pray for the salvation of our enemies and trust God to bring justice in His timing.  

God is still in the business of transforming people- 

The good thing about bad times is that God frequently uses personal pain to draw people closer to Himself and into His Kingdom. This taking place right now. I have observed that God has used this very painful season to reveal the idols and worldly desires that have taken root in the lives of God’s people. As result, many Christians are experiencing a renewed obedience and a desire to serve God with their whole being. In the past this has always been a clear sign revival (unsaved people coming to faith in Jesus) is always just around the corner. 

And finally, 

Christians can celebrate God even in the darkest places because for Christians life really is good even when it’s bad. Christians experience things no one else can. Christians experience joy even in the darkest valleys and community in the midst of personal and shared crisis. We experience peace in chaos and get to see God bring hope and transformation to those who trust in Him. 

Those are all worth celebrating. 

How Christians can Survive and Thrive in the Dumpster Fire that is 2021-

Lisa M. Price2 Comments

A couple of things: first of all, dear reader, I really do appreciate you. The fact that anyone would read what I write every week is honor and privilege God has allowed in my life that never ceases to blows my mind. Second, many Christians are, for obvious reasons, leaving social media sites. If you are considering making an exit from the social media site where you found A Wise Life, please considering subscribing. All you have to do is scroll down to the bottom of the page and type in your email address. A Wise Life will be delivered to your in-box on a weekly basis for as long as the Lord allows me to continue this ministry or until you unsubscribe. I promise to never sell or give your email address to any other business, blog or ministry. 

Lisa 

Now, this week’s post:

And when He had come into the house, His disciples asked Him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” So He said to them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.”- Mark 9:28-29 NKJV

So far 2021 has been a massive dumpster-fire.  

 Wednesday afternoon, protesters entered the capitol building in Washington D.C. They were tear-gassed by police and forcibly removed from the building. Five were killed. 

The progressives on my social media feed were beyond elated by this turn of events. To them it was proof-positive conservatives and conservative Christians (who they tend to lump together) are no better than anyone else.  Any moral authority conservatives may have had pointing to the riots this summer evaporated into thin air. I have had a heavy heart all week.  It is agonizing to watch a perfectly good civilization crumble before your very eyes. 

Thankfully, none of this has taken our God by surprise. He knew it was coming and it is a part of His overall plan for this world. I do not know where all of this is heading or what the future holds. That said, there are a couple of things I do know for absolute certain, first, this is not a time for “what about ism” where we point our fingers at all the moral failings of the other side, rather than looking at our own sin and stupidity.  I also know beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is a time for Christians everywhere to commit to becoming a Jesus presence in a sin-weary world (Matthew 5:9, Ephesians 4:3, Ephesians 6:15). Jesus and Jesus alone can transform the hearts of men and women and there are a lot of hearts that need transforming. In order to do that we must commit to a lifestyle of growth and maturity with the following five practices. 

First:

Become “strong in the Lord”- 

In Ephesians 6:10 Christians are told “to be strong in the Lord and His mighty power”. It is a prerequisite for effectively putting on the armor of God and strength in the Lord seems to ensure we will remain steadfast in our commitment to Jesus.  We are strong in the Lord when we are seeking the Lord and His wisdom, rather than worldly sources for direction and wisdom in living life. No one has ever become strong in anything on accident. Becoming strong in the Lord happens through a regular rhythm of self-examination, personal repentance, church attendance, Bible reading, fasting and prayer. 

Building Christian community- 

It probably will not get any easier to be a Christian anytime soon.  God wants all of us to have people in our lives who we can build up in the faith and who will build us up in the faith (Hebrews 3:13, Hebrews 10:24-25, 1st Thessalonians 5:11).  Building healthy community is hard work. It means making a commitment to emotional transparency, kindness, generosity, selflessness and forgiveness.  Community means we don’t get to be fake or exclusive or hold a grudge when we feel like holding a grudge.  It means we love people where they’re at and fight like crazy for them to become a better version of themselves.  

Commit to a regular routine of prayer and fasting for our world- 

In Mark nine the disciples wanted to know why they couldn’t extract a demon from a boy. They had done everything they had done before and none of those things had gotten the job done. Jesus’ heart for humanity bleeds through the pages of scripture when He says: “this kind only comes out with prayer and fasting”. Here’s the thing: we live in a world riddled with demonic strongholds because people have turned their back on God and embraced every kind of evil and moral absurdity. As Christians we cannot continue to do what we have done in the past and expect those spiritual strongholds to be broken. Instead we must commit to a regular pattern of prayer and fasting for the people we love and the situations in our world that appear to be immovable. Nothing else is going to get the job done. 

Engage wisely- 

Engaging people wisely begins with understanding that nowhere in Scripture are Christians called to convert people to a particular political ideology. Instead, we are called to make disciples of Jesus (Matthew 28:19) and trust the Lord to work on everything else in their lives AFTER they come to know Jesus. Engaging wisely means we choose our battles with unbelievers carefully especially on social media.

Resist the urge to view those who think differently with contempt-

Jon Tyson points out in his book Beautiful Resistance, The Joy of Conviction in a Culture of Compromise that it has become normal for people, even Christians to show open contempt for anyone who thinks differently from them. Contempt is an ugly and divisive form of hate. We will never reach anyone with the love of Jesus if our hearts are filled with any kind of hate. We must pray that our contempt will be replaced with compassion for the lost and morally confused.

The best thing about the time we live in is that it easy for God’s love and goodness to shine in a dark place. It is up to us to adopt daily practices that allow His light shine through us (Matthew 5:16) 

Should Christians Rebel?

Lisa M. Price1 Comment

The earth reels like a drunkard, it sways like a hut in the wind; so heavy upon it is the guilt of its rebellion that it falls—never to rise again. In that day the Lord will punish the powers in the heavens above and the kings on the earth below- Isaiah 20-21 NIV

In recent weeks, I have had some pretty intense internal debates regarding the topic of rebellion. Normally, I would dismiss those debates as nothing more than the strange musings of a woman who is inclined toward bouts of overthinking almost everything. However, conditions over the course of the last nine months or so have been anything but normal. Life has been radically altered, mostly not for the better. Many feel their elected leaders are not working for the good of those who elected them. As a result, discussion of rebellion has become increasingly more common even among serious Christians who would normally be more predisposed to pray for an authority figure than rebel against them (Romans 13, Titus 3:1, 1st Timothy 3;1-3, 1st Peter 2:13). All that has gotten me thinking about when, if ever, rebellion is defensible in the life of a believer.  

So.

God is categorically not a fan of rebellion. Nowhere in the Bible is rebellion presented in a positive light or as a good thing (Deuteronomy 13:5, Joshua 24:19, 2nd Thessalonians 2:3).   In 1st Samuel 15:23 God equates rebellion with witchcraft. Witchcraft was and still is a serious sin.  (Leviticus 19:26, Deuteronomy 18:10). Witchcraft was such an egregious sin that witches, witchcraft, sorcery and divination were not to be tolerated in any part of Hebrew society (2nd Chronicles 33:6, Micah 5:11-13). The apostle Paul restates the Old Testament prohibition against witchcraft calling it an “act of the flesh” and placing it in the same category of sins as hatred, idolatry, debauchery and orgies (Galatians 5:20). All that to say, when God equates any sin with the sin of witchcraft it is a big theological deal that deserves our full attention. 

That being said.

God is also a God of justice. Nothing angers God more than when powerful people use their power to oppress, persecute or bully the powerless, poor or defenseless (Exodus 23:6, Isaiah 10:1-3, Malachi 3:5, Matthew 23:1-36).  Injustice occurs when those in power intentionally behave in a way that causes harm to the less powerful. God’s people are called to bring about justice in every and all situations (Isaiah 1:17). One aspect of “doing justice” (Malachi 6:8) involves calling out, and even working to remove leaders who use their power for selfish ends or to hurt those who lack the power to protect themselves from the edicts of leaders who have become evil, self-serving and callous towards their fellow humans. 


On the surface at least, rebellion and witchcraft appear to have little in common. Witchcraft is the act of soliciting, petitioning or manipulating evil spirits (servants of Satan) to achieve an end that benefits the person preforming the witchcraft. Rebellion, on the other hand, is an attitude of the heart, that may or may not end in an evil deed. 

However. 

The story of king Saul indicates witchcraft and rebellion both involve and invite demonic activity into the life of both the witch and the rebellious person. Saul started well as a leader but he had a heart that was bent towards rebellion (1st Samuel 15). He eventually became demon possessed (1st Samuel 16:14-15, 1stSamuel 18:10). By the end of his life he was consulting a medium (witch) rather than God for wisdom (1stSamuel 28:3-19). He died by suicide. Someone who practices witchcraft is likely much more aware of the forces they are employing, while a rebellious person is likely ignorant of the demonic activity they have invited into their lives through the sinful attitudes of their heart. Witchcraft and rebellion are alike because both sins inevitably lead to spiritual strongholds that are very difficult to break (Mark 9:14-29) 

So.

We can assume it is categorically not acceptable or wise to for a Christian to embrace or even dabble around with the sin of rebellion.  Rebellion invites demonic strongholds into one’s life and heart. No smart Christian wants any part of a demonic stronghold Those things are brutal. Trust me, I know. 

However.

Sometimes bringing about justice necessitates actively working against established power structures. Working to bring about justice can look a lot like rebellion when it goes against the prevailing power structures and sometimes a heart of rebellion can be wrapped up in cloak of righteousness. Humanity has a long history of using justice as a pretext for rebellion. It is not unusual for those who say they are liberating others from injustice to turn out to be far more corrupt than the leaders they worked to overthrow.  

Sigh. 

So, how does a Christian know if they are being rebellious or wanting to bring justice to an unjust situation?

It all comes down to the state your heart and the only one who can determine whether or not your heart is righteous or rebellious is you and it is absolutely critical to do that before they attack or undermine a prevailing power structure. 

Our spiritual well-being literally depends on it. 

Satan’s Last Diary Entry of 2020

Lisa M. Price3 Comments


The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” Job 1:7 ESV

Dearest Diary, 

I just received year-end reports from all regions. What a year! 

2020 for the win! I literally do not know if I have ever been more pleased with the state of the human race. 

Life is beautiful. 

Seriously.

That whole stupid planet is one great big beautiful ball of chaos.  I adore chaos. Chaos makes it possible for me to slip in, create confusion and bring about changes that further my agenda to turn people away from God and enslave them to their own idiotic passions. Truth-be-told I owe much of the success of this past year to COVID-19.  I simply adore that nasty little microbe.  Seriously, Between the fear, the conflict and the government’s response to COVID-19 I could not have orchestrated a better outcome to the pandemic if I had planned the whole thing out myself. 

Half the humans are terrified out of their minds. I adore fear. It’s is such a wonderfully productive emotion for me. It’s odd, but for creatures with such ridiculously limited lifespans most humans do very little thinking about death or what will happen to them after they die. Instead this generation chooses to stick their heads in the sand and pretend they will live forever. Coronavirus has forced those idiots to at least acknowledge that life is uncertain and sometimes shorter than expected which, honestly, could have had some truly terrible consequences for me. However, as luck would have it very few people are dealing with their fear by turning to God and asking him for wisdom and help. Instead most of those idiots have given themselves over to fear. I love fear almost as much as I love chaos. Fear keeps people from thinking clearly about the things that really matter. When people are fearful they become stupid. As is the case today. People have turned to distractions like Netflix, political activism, drugs and alcohol and porn to help them forget everything that is wrong with the world.  These distractions have led many even deeper into spiritual bondage. I haven’t seen this many people enslaved to idolatry and fear since the age of paganism. (those were the days J)  No one wants to ask God for help because that would mean repenting of their sins. So, their fear has turned them into fools and most are actually trusting government officials to make all the decisions and save them from the scary germ.

Ha Ha! As if! 

In the beginning government officials were just as fearful as everyone else. They locked things down without a thought as to how they would open things back up again.  Once government officials got past their own personal fear of the virus they began taking full advantage and using it as an excuse to do what they’ve been dying to do for years. Countries all over the world have suspended the civil rights of ordinary people in the name of keeping everyone “safe”. Seriously, what kind of an idiot would argue with safety? “Safety” is the perfect excuse to strip people of civil rights. I simply despise civil rights. They keep dictators at bay and I adore dictators.  Dictators forbid religious expression and demand that the state become their God. 

That stupid world is much closer to being ruled by dictators than most of those fools realize. It’s because human freedom is entirely dependent on human goodness to make a democracy work. Few people want to practice the self-restraint and virtue necessary to make self-government work. They use their freedom for evil and then wonder why the government feels the need to step in and control every aspect of their lives. 

Idiots! They’re all idiots! 

Because people have turned from God and insisted on the normalization of every kind of evil, suicide is on the upswing, as is addiction, spousal abuse, divorce and child molestation. This suits my purposes perfectly. Addiction, abuse and sin hardens the human heart toward God and keeps stupid humans looking to human wisdom for help and healing. As if human wisdom was actually a thing. 

Ha!

Thankfully, most Christians don’t seem to know what to do. Very few pray, they say they have faith but truth-be-told most of them don’t live like they believe God is real. They spend more time demanding their rights be respected than they do praying for God’s will to be done. Some young, healthy people at little risk of dying from Coronavirus have stopped attending church. Those fools have voluntarily separated themselves from other Christians! Seriously. It won’t be long before they quit reading their Bibles and praying. Before you know it they will stop thinking about God altogether. When that happens, I will see to it that they don’t do anything that will lead anyone else to Jesus!

2020 was a banner year and as long as those idiotic Christians stay apathetic and don’t start praying 2021 looks like it will be even better! 

Still Winning!

Satan 

Clear Evidence we Have Entered a Season of Judgment-

Lisa M. Price2 Comments

There is an evil I have seen under the sun, as an error proceeding from the ruler: Folly is set in great dignity– Ecclesiastes 10:5-6a NKJV

 The city of Seattle is currently debating and is expected to pass a “poverty defense” law.  If the proposal is passed, offenses such as harassment, sexual exploitation, trespassing and unlawful use of weapons will no longer be crimes if the defendant has symptoms of mental illness, is poor and/or homeless. This proposal would effectively legalize stealing as long as the stolen property is sold to pay for rent, food or other “basic needs”. 

 Seriously. This is a real thing. Google it. 

Seattle, Washington is not the only city or state that has enacted or is considering enacting a law that shows zero insight concerning human behavior or compassion for victims of crime. San Francisco, California and Baltimore, Maryland have defunded their police departments despite rising crime. The state of Oregon has legalized the use and sale of all drugs including highly addictive drugs such as cocaine and heroin. In Berkley, California a person can be heavily fined simply for calling someone by a “non-preferred pronoun” (Job 34:17, Amos 5:15).  

Here’s the thing:

In every one of the above-mentioned cities, a group of leaders (who we can assume are at least marginally intelligent) got together in an official capacity and discussed the issues at hand in length. It is likely they debated the pros and cons, looked at data and consulted experts in the field.  After all that these “smart people” then decided these particular laws were the most prudent and just course of action. Sadly, the fact that some of these laws were even given consideration is irrefutable proof we are being ruled over by fools (Proverbs 1:22, Proverbs 3:35, Proverbs 12:23). 

Being ruled over by a fool is a sign a people is under judgment. 

Judgment is not a popular topic. The whole issue is kind of icky and makes everyone feel very awkward. Most people prefer to focus their attention on the love, grace and mercy of God (2nd Timothy 4:2-4). It’s just nicer. However, God makes it clear in His word that He does judge men and women immediately following their death (Hebrews 9:27). It’s also clear there will come a day when God is done with showing mercy and grace to an unrepentant world and bring judgment to all people for their willful sin and the deliberate testing of God (1st Peter 4:7, 2nd Peter 3:7, Revelation 14:7, Revelation 19:1-2). 

 I do not know everything about everything and I certainly don’t have any inside information on God’s eschatological (end times) timetable (Matthew 24:36). That being said, I do believe the whole world has entered a period of judgment. 

Here’s why:

Throughout history human beings have had access to knowledge about right and wrong. God writes truth about right and wrong on the hearts of all people (Romans 2:14-16). This alone leaves men and women without a valid excuse for their sinful behavior. However, we live in a truly unique and blessed time where the vast majority of people alive have access to the Bible and Christian teaching. Most have heard the good news of the gospel and know that trusting in Jesus and repenting of their sin is the only way to be saved (Acts 17:24-31, Romans 10:9-12, Hebrews 4:3). Nevertheless, most have flat refused to repent of their sins even in light of exposure to biblical truth. Instead somewhere in the neighborhood of seventy percent of the population take great pleasure in doing the exact opposite of what God says is right and true (Exodus 20:1-10, 1st Corinthians 6:8-10, 1st Timothy 1:9-11). Many are not content simply to sin themselves instead they intentionally seek to lead others (including children) into what they themselves KNOW to be sin, showing zero fear of God in their behavior. 

Christians are not much better. 

Some do not know the Bible well enough to live their lives based on biblical principles. Many Christians choose churches based on their readiness to soften what the Bible says about issues pertaining to righteousness, the sanctity of life, marriage and gender (Micah 6:8, Malachi 2:13-16, Matthew 19:1-9, 1stCorinthians 6:8-10, Hebrews 13:4).  Other Christians choose churches for their entertainment platforms rather than their willingness to share the gospel message clearly. Too many Christians have chosen to vote for political leaders based on their ability to deliver economic security rather than their willingness to fight for the good of all people (Isaiah 10:1, Ezekiel 22:12). 

Those are the basic reasons why the world is the way it is right now. We are being judged. It’s not nice but it is true. The world is being judged for spiritual complacency, sexual deviancy, murder, and witchcraft (among other things).   The only way out of any kind of biblical judgment is through repentance. Repentance begins with the people of God examining their own hearts and lives and searching for areas that need transformation. Then we must ask God to give us the wisdom we need to reach our friends and neighbors with the gospel. 

The Real Evil Behind COVID-19-

Lisa M. Price1 Comment

For man also does not know his time: Like fish taken in a cruel net, Like birds caught in a snare, So the sons of men are snared in an evil time, When it falls suddenly upon them– Ecclesiastes 9:12 NKJV 

Words are powerful. 

Because words are powerful there are words I don’t use lightly or often. 

Evil is one of those words. 

Human beings are absolutely capable of great evil (Genesis 6:5, Matthew 12:34-35, John 3:19), but most are not intentionally evil. Most of the time, most people are just misguided, deceived or acting out of their fallenness. All of that inevitably results in folly. Foolishness often leads to evil but it is rarely the intended result.  Conversely, things are neither good nor bad, they just are. 

That being said. 

Humans sometimes do stupid stuff with things and evil results. Such is the case with coronavirus. COVID-19 is neither good or evil. It just is. Viruses are incapable of being evil. They are just germs. Mindless, soulless, microorganism’s completely incapable of any kind of evil machinations or wicked deeds.  However, our foolish, fear-filled human response to this virus has resulted in all kinds of weirdness and evil. 

Beginning with: 

Coronavirus is causing us to voluntarily destroy a crucial aspect of our humanness –

Human beings were literally made to live in community with each other. People were made in the image of a God who exists in a perpetual state of community and we were made to be like Him (Genesis 1:26, Matthew 28:19, John 10:30). Because community is an essential piece of what makes us human, without community people either become peculiar or despairing or both. Coronavirus has become evil because we have allowed it to isolate the people who need people the most.  Drug and alcohol abuse is on the rise. Suicides have skyrocketed. This is all due to a lack of community. It is critical Churches lead the way in forming safe community for those who are lacking it. This might mean making regular phone calls to people who live alone and work in isolation. It might mean encouraging small groups to get together on a regular basis for prayer and fellowship. If the group is kept small and is made up of people who see each other regularly it is safer than people being left alone without any kind of healthy interaction in their lives.

COVID is making too many Christians spiritually slothful-  

Church attendance really is one of the most basic manifestations of Christian obedience. Church attendance is clearly commanded in Scripture (Hebrews 10:24-25). If a follower of Jesus does not take the time to attend some sort of church service it is highly doubtful they will spend significant time in prayer or Bible study. Period.  Both online and in person church attendance is down in recent months. This indicates that all healthy spiritual activity is on a decline at least among some Christians. 

COVID is breeding distrust and division-

It is no longer socially acceptable to say two things can be true about COVID at the same time. For example: it’s not okay to say the social and spiritual isolation created by COVID is dangerous and unhealthy. Neither is it okay to say the virus is dangerous (especially for some groups). Try it. I dare you. Get on a social media website and say those two things. You will be attacked on every side and called out as a numbskull and a heretic. Unless we can get to a place where we can talk about this issue rationally, with both sides conceding that the virus and the way our society is handling the virus (lockdowns, school closures, forced unemployment) are both dangerous we will never move forward in a healthy, life-affirming way.  We will continue to view people with alternative views as the enemy and if we continue down that path we are finished as a civilization. We will devolve into a dystopic dark age.  

Coronavirus has become a driver of corruption- 

In many places around the globe politicians have made rules without placing an end date on them or without putting in place a fixed set of measurable standards for lifting the restrictions. Because absolute power corrupts absolutely anytime politicians are allowed to make all-powerful decisions there is a pretty good chance they will never willingly retract the decisions that have given them absolute power. This creates a problem that must be solved by savvy voters who are willing to work at the grassroots level to get unreasonable or unnecessary rules changed or lifted. 

We are not learning what we are supposed to learn-  

Typically, a benefit of a disaster like a pandemic is that silly humans learn that no one—no matter how significant or influential gets off this planet alive.  Being reminded of this crucial truth helps us remember that the principal task of every person born is to prepare wisely for their inevitable demise. At least a million people have died from COVID and rather than having conversations about death and how to prepare for death (Acts 3:19) our culture has neatly avoided the subject of death by turning to lockdowns as a way to attempt to cheat death. In the process our culture has robbed itself of the one positive thing that might come out of this whole ugly muddle. Sigh. 

Most of the problems created by coronavirus are a direct result of living in a post-Christian culture. Because our culture has lost touch with Christian truth many in our culture have become isolated. Others have become corrupt fools who think they can cheat death. God made the Church for times exactly like the ones we live in. Being the people, our world needs us to be means being diligent, brave, faithful and willing to have hard conversations with a confused and hurting world (Deuteronomy 31:6, Colossians 3:23, Ephesians 4:15-25). 

Three Prayers that will Change you and our World-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you. Give ear, O Lord, to my prayer; listen to my plea for grace. In the day of my trouble I call upon you, for you answer me– Psalm 86:5-7 ESV

Humans were made to shape their world (Genesis 1:28).

Consequently,

All humans have an inborn desire to make a difference.  This fundamental longing gets magnified when a person embraces Jesus as Lord (Acts 4:12, Ephesians 1:13, James 1:21). God literally saves people from their sins for the purpose of doing good in the world (Ephesians 2:10). Therefore, most Christians spend a good portion of their lives trying to figure out exactly what God wants them to do. There’s nothing wrong with a Christian searching for their God ordained purpose in this life. 

However.

Sometimes Christians miss the forest for the trees when it comes to the subject of purpose. We can get so caught-up in trying to discover what God wants us to do as individuals we forget there are things God wants all Christians to do all the time, regardless of who they are or what their individual calling is. There are some non-negotiables in the Christian life. All Christians are called to behave in a holy manner (Hebrews 12:14), serve in some capacity (Romans 12:5-8), forgive others (Matthew 6:15), practice thankfulness (Colossians 3:15), be generous with their resources (Luke 6:38, Romans 12:13) love others sacrificially (1st Corinthians 13, 1st Peter 1:22, 1st John 3:11) and pray Matthew 5:44, 1st Thessalonians 5:17, Colossians 4:2. 

Okay, so.

I would be a gigantic liar if I were to I tell you I understand everything there is to understand about prayer. I don’t. Truth-be-told, after thirty years of following Jesus, the in-and-outs of how and why prayer works is still a bit of a mystery to me.   That said, my experience with prayer has taught me prayer is a powerful thing frequently underestimated by most believers. Prayer can literally transform people and situations in a way nothing else can. 

We live in a world that is in desperate need of all sorts of transformation in all sorts different areas. Every day we are confronted with new and completely crazy-town ideas the world has decided are totally true and one-hundred-percent reasonable.

That’s where we come in.

There are three prayers Christians can pray everyday that will bring real and lasting transformation to this messed-up planet.  Christians should be praying for:

A moral awakening- 

The whole notion of morality and goodness has been turned on its head (Isaiah 5:20). Nowhere is this better illustrated than in the rainbow movement. This movement has even infiltrated some churches. The rainbow people teach behaviors and activities God says are sinful are actually a good, helpful, wholesome and normal way to live life (Deuteronomy 18:9-11, Galatians 5:19-21, 1st Corinthians 6:9 1st Timothy 1:10). This new sexual ethic has become so rooted in our thinking that no one will change their minds about the new sexuality unless God touches hearts and shows people truth. Christians should urgently pray for a moral awakening and the repentance that always comes with a moral awakening. Without it there is little hope for transformation and zero hope for revival. 

For truth to be revealed and received-

We live in an age of lies. Seriously. There are lies are being told about everything from sexuality and gender to what makes people happy to what exactly is safe and unsafe. Some lies are being told out of evil motives by people who want power. Other lies are told by deceived people who sincerely believe the lies are truth.   When men and women reject God they automatically reject what He says is true about everything (Romans 1:18-32). This causes them to believe lies about every part of life. We are currently at a tipping point where more people believe lies than truth. This means Christians must make a daily practice of praying that truth about life, God and current events will be revealed and received by those who have been deceived (Ephesians 6:14, John 8:32). 

The church will be ready for God to answer our prayers-

Most Christians I know are praying for revival right now. This is an essential thing to pray for. However, revival will not come to the world unless the church is ready for it. One of the responsibilities of the church is to make converts into mature disciples of Jesus (Matthew 28:18-20). An irrefutable law of life is that all creatures produce after their own kind. This is every bit as true in the spiritual realm as it is in the physical (Genesis 1, Matthew 23:15). Weak, unhealthy, self-focused Christians inevitably produce weak, unhealthy, self-focused disciples.   Christians prepare for revival by becoming the people God has called us to. This means casting off sin and seeking to live lives that are one-hundred percent God honoring (Hebrews 12:1). 

These prayers are critical because our world is caught in a spiritual battle the likes of which the world has not seen in centuries (Ephesians 6:10-12). Without focused prayer nothing will change and without change our world is headed for all kinds of disaster. 

How do we Best Handle Fear?

Lisa M. Price3 Comments

The people, the men of Israel, showed themselves courageous and lined up for battle again in the place where they had lined themselves up on the first day– Judges 20:22 NASB

We live in scary times. 

Seriously.

Over the course of the last couple of years the world has collectively experienced a bizarre pandemic, unending social upheaval, cancel culture craziness, lockdowns, widespread unemployment, political chaos, riots, censorship, authoritarian governments, wars and rumors of wars (Matthew 24:6). 

Sigh. 

It’s a weird time to be alive. There is, legitimately a lot to worry about in our world and understandingly fear is running rampant. 

There are two things I have learned about fear over the course of the last couple of years:

First of all, no one in the history of the human race has ever made a really fantastic decision out of fear. Think about it: it’s just true. Every decision we make in a state of panic is a bad one. Always. It’s a fact. Second, fear is a profoundly spiritual thing. Anytime fear starts running the show we immediately stop trusting God. When we stop trusting God we hand power to the enemy and effectively give him authority over us (1st Peter 5:6-8).

Yikes.

When Satan is running the show we lose our ability to think clearly and logically about issues. We believe any lie the devil wants to tell us (John 8:44). No matter what is actually true we become convinced we are unsafe and inevitably do one of two equally stupid things: we either act swiftly without thinking through all the possible consequences. That causes us to damage ourselves and/or others with stupid and impulsive actions.

Or,

We become paralyzed in a mental maze of what-ifs that leads to complete inertia. The lack of decisiveness creates a chain of events we have no control over. Fear is especially dangerous for Christians because it affects our ability to communicate effectively with God in prayer (Philippians 4:6, 1st Peter 4:7). This causes Christians to be spiritually ineffective on nearly every level and therefore useless to those who desperately need help, hope and something tangible to hold on to.

 Covid-19 is a perfect example of what can happen when fear is given free rein. The most disastrous consequences of the pandemic were not from the virus itself.  But rather from impulsive choices leaders made out of fear. Those same leaders have universally refused to admit their folly and instead pridefully double-downed on their choices. Fear causes leaders to panic in the face of circumstances outside of human control.  This can lead average people to foolishly hand control of their lives over to human leaders who promise them safety and security in uncertain times.   

Sigh.

Our world needs brave, clear-minded Christians. Therefore, any fear we feel must be dealt with quickly, wisely and aggressively. Following are some do’s and don’ts for when we feel fear taking over.  

Don’t 

 Ask God to make it go away- 

Begging God to take fear away never makes the fear go away. It just doesn’t. Asking God to make fear go away, without also asking Him to help us understand our fear actually makes us more fearful.  

Simply accept it as normal-

To some degree fear is normal in a fallen world where real danger exists.  That said, there are plenty of normal things that are not even kind of okay (sin, hatred, injustice, disease). Fear is normal but it is never healthy to allow it to control our existence.  We are told eighty-eight times in the Bible to not be afraid or fearful. Why would God bother being so repetitive on the subject if He wanted us to accept fear as a routine part of our existence? Seriously. Think about it.

Lean into it-

Oddly enough, fear has a strangely addictive quality to it. If a person leans into feelings of fear too often or for too long they get to the place where fear feels normal and almost like an old friend. When this happens, they become weirdly superstitious about their fear. They sometimes become afraid to not be an afraid, secretly believing something bad will happen if we stop being fearful. It’s weird, but true. Fear breeds fear, therefore we should never just lean into fear.

Instead of ignoring fear, accepting it or leaning into it God wants us to examine our fears when we feel them and: 

Ask God to help us understand what is driving the fear- 

 Some fears are rational. If a crazy guy is holding a gun to your head fear is a legitimate and even wise response.  However, most of the time the motivation driving our fear (even legitimate fears that make sense) is a lack of trust in God. When we understand that we understand why God hates fear and why fear is a curse when it’s allowed to run wild in our lives (Deuteronomy 28:58-66).  

Ask God to help us know Him better- 

The key to dealing effectively with feelings of fear is knowing God and walking closely with Him. The people who love God the most tend to fear death and disaster the least. The only way to really know God is to ask Him daily to reveal Himself to us. The better we get to know God the less power fear has over us and the more hope we have to offer the rest of the world.   

Some Words to A Worried Church-

Lisa M. Price1 Comment

Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him. He held fast to the Lord and did not stop following him- 2nd Kings 18:5-6a NIV

Most church people would probably agree the outcome of the latest election was not exactly a win. At best, it was a colossal disappointment, at worst it could indicate some tough times ahead.

In the meantime. 

Believers should do a little soul searching and self-examination. Self-examination empowers the Church to move forward from disappointments and setbacks in a way that better equips us for whatever happens to be next on God’s agenda. Christians have historically believed God is ultimately sovereign over the affairs of men and women (Ecclesiastes 3:11, Isaiah 46:10, Revelation 22:13). We believe nothing on earth happens without God’s foreknowledge and the only thing that takes place without His explicit consent is sin. 

Therefore.

The results of this election are no accident. We cannot blame the outcome entirely on cheating and other shenanigans. Cheating is not outside of God’s purview. Therefore, if there was cheating involved then God allowed the cheating to take place. If we believe in the sovereignty of God then we also have to believe the outcome of the election is in the will of God.

Like it or not  Sigh. 

 This turn of events does beg some questions, like: what now? What are we supposed to conclude from this outcome? Does it mean God is on the side of abortion, censorship and a castration of the U.S constitution? Did this occur because God loves socialism or because He thinks court-packing is a good idea or because He wants churches shut down? 

Nothing I have learned about God from Scripture or personal experience would indicate any of those things are true. 

However, sometimes God wants His people to get hold of truth so badly He will bring difficulty into our lives to get us to turn to Him for wisdom and help rather than looking to the world for insight, wisdom or help. There are at least three takeaways God wants His people to glean from the current political situation. If we don’t come to understand these truths quickly we could be stuck in this uncomfortable place longer than any of us would like.  

The first is: 

We cannot depend on government to be our source of security-

 I do not think of myself as a person who places an inordinate amount of hope or faith in the authorities, documents or institutions of this world. If someone had asked me a month ago how much faith I put in the constitution or the president to make me feel safe and secure, I would have smugly replied that my faith is in God alone. Thank you very much. However, after some serious post-election prayer I realized that I felt significantly safer and more secure as a Christian last month than I do this month. There is nothing wrong with wanting a leader who protects our values and way of life. However, it is categorially un-wise to expect real security of any kind in a world broken by sin. It is even more foolish to trust anyone or anything more than we trust God. If you felt safer last month than you do this month it means you’ve put your trust in something or someone besides God. God wants us to ask ourselves what would happen to our faith in God if America ceased to exist. If that would cause your faith to disappear your faith is not really in God it’s in America and the security America provides. 

Even if everything is not okay it will still be okay- 

We all want everything to be okay and for good reason. No one in their right mind actually LIKES difficulties, pain and suffering. That said, knowing Jesus as our Lord and savior means that even if the worst happens we will be okay because to be absent from the body means we will be present with Jesus (2nd Corinthians 5:7-9). It is critical we remember this truth the next time our anxiety about the current situation starts to get the better of us (Isaiah 35:4) Matthew 6:25-34, Philippians 4:6).  

This world is not all there is- 

 This generation is overrun with modern conveniences that provide regular people with luxury and comfort previous generations never could have imagined.   The problem with all this ease and comfort is it’s made life on earth a little too agreeable and most Christians are a lot fonder of this world than our spiritual ancestors were (1st John 2:15, John 12:25). As a result, many Christians love the world more than is spiritually healthy or wise.  I suspect God is using the discomfort and fear many of us feel over our current political situation to remind Christians we are to long for heaven rather than look for a political leader who will create a utopia here on earth.

Barring some sort of a miracle life will not be getting any easier for the body of Christ anytime soon. That does not mean life won’t be good. Life will be good because our God is good. If our faith is in Him, and only Him there is no way we will be shaken.