Category: Dealing with evil

What does the Book of Exodus Teach us about Spiritual Warfare in Real Life?

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.  But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed- 1st Peter 4:11-13 ESV

I recently started reading through the book of Exodus with a friend. It’s been a minute (as the kids say) since I read Exodus and whenever I reread a book I haven’t read in a while God reveals some new insights. So far, its chapters four and five that have captured my attention. 

In chapter three God introduces Himself to Moses by means of a bush that is on fire but does not burn up (weird). God then promised Moses that the Hebrew people would be liberated after four hundred years of slavery and suffering in Egypt. The whole chapter is (for the most part) pretty upbeat and positive. God does indicate there will a few hiccups along the way (Exodus 3:19-21). Even with those caveats God’s promises to Moses are awesome. The Hebrews will leave Egypt; God will give them a land flowing with “milk and honey “and they will collect great riches as they leave Egypt (Exodus 3:21-22).   

It’s all good.

In chapter four God begins to reveal His plan to Moses.  It all starts with requesting Pharaoh allow the Hebrews to go into the desert to worship God.  God does mention something (almost in passing) about hardening Pharaoh’s heart. Turns out this was a critical bit of information.  

In chapter five everything appears to go sideways. Moses goes to Pharoh. Who was not at all inclined to dismiss his workforce even for a church service (Exodus 5:1-5). Then Pharaoh fights dirty. He accused the Hebrews of laziness and having too much time on their hands. He increased his demands, now insisting the slaves provide their own straw for the bricks, adding more labor to an already labor-intensive process. The Hebrews did not handle this initial hardship well. They grumbled and complained and even accused poor Moses of deliberately trying to ruin their lives (Exodus 5:20-21).

It’s kind of an unpleasant read.

Mostly because these two chapters are more than just biblical history, they are also an example of what spiritual warfare often “looks like” in real life (2nd Corinthians 10:3-5, Ephesians 6:10-18, James 4:7, 1st Peter 5:8, Daniel 10:12-14). There are at least two principals regarding spiritual warfare we can glean from these chapters:

When the spiritual stakes are high obedience doesn’t always mean immediate victory-  

In this narrative Moses obeys God to the letter: he goes to the people, and in the beginning, the people believed Moses and responded in a faithful fashion (Exodus 4:31). Then everything went south. Pharah was disrespectful, spiteful and just plain mean. The people’s faith fell apart in short order. Once their faith began to unravel, they turned on Moses and accused Him of intentionally causing them harm. Moses responded to this development the same way many people tend to respond to difficulty following an act of spiritual obedience. He doubted God and even accused Him of wrongdoing (Exodus 5:22-23). Moses forgot (just like we tend to) that we are playing a spiritual long game. The rewards for obedience in this life are seldom immediate and in some cases obedience to God results an even tougher time in the short run. When evil rages and the going gets tough we must cling to the promises of God and choose to live by faith rather than sight (Habakuk 2:3, Psalm 37:5-6, Ecclesiastes 3:11, Romans 8:28-39, Hebrews 11). 

When the spiritual stakes are high things get ugly fast- 

The people involved in this story (even Moses) did not really understand what was at stake in their situation. God wasn’t just keeping a promise He made to Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3, Genesis 15:13-14). God was doing more than showing compassion to a group of people who were being oppressed. He was doing more than building a new nation. God had a bigger picture in mind than any of that. God was literally laying the foundation for the redemption of the human race (Genesis 3:15, Romans 8:2, Revelation 1:5). God had promised the Messiah would come through the nation of Israel (Genesis 18:17-19, Genesis 22:17-18, Genesis 49:10). No nation of Israel means no Jesus. No Jesus means no redemption. Therefore, the spiritual stakes could not have been ANY higher.  When the spiritual stakes are high the enemy of our souls (Satan) fights hard and dirty.  It was true then and it’s still true today. This means that if you are “going through it” right now there is probably more at stake from a spiritual perspective than you are capable of understanding. When Satan fights hard and dirty it simply means God has a bigger plan for everyone involved. 

 This matters because I believe that the number one reason people give up on God and the Christian life is disillusionment. We obey God, pray like crazy and trust God for big things and everything falls apart. Life gets tougher and our trials become more intense. Then the enemy swoops in and tells us God doesn’t love us (Zephaniah 3:17, John 3:16, Romans 8:37-39). Satan whispers in our ear that God is not on our side and the Christian life is just a pointless waste of time. All lies (John 8:44). Truth-be-told, the harder things get from a spiritual perspective the more likely we are to be in the will of God. Spiritual difficulty may also indicate we are closer to Jesus’ return and our redemption than any of us can imagine (Luke 21:1-28). 

What is the Evilest Form of Evil and how do we Fight it?

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 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good- Romans 12:21 NKJV

Like it or not, evil is rooted in the hearts of all humans (Jeremiah 17:9, Genesis 6:5, Mark 7:20).

Contrary to popular belief, people are not fundamentally good, nor are they born perfect and later corrupted by questionable parenting, trauma and lack of education or poverty.  None of those things are good or desirable, but none of them cause people to become evil. The Bible teaches that human beings are sinners from the moment of their conception (Psalm 51:5).  It all started with Adam and Eve.  Adam and Eve (and every human since) chose to rebel against God and do life apart from God rather than with God. The first humans consciously chose to acquire knowledge of evil (Genesis 3). Since that ill-fated moment evil has lurked in the hearts of all people (Mark 7:20-22, Genesis 6:5, Jeremiah 17:9). 

It’s critical to note that not every human acts out in horribly evil ways, nor are we doomed to live lives of unrestrained wickedness (Luke 11:13). The is good news is that the God of the universe loved us so much that He chose to become a sacrifice for our sins (John 3:16, Romans 5:8 Isaiah 53, 1st Peter 2:24, 1st John 4:9-10). Anytime a sinful human puts their faith and trust in Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection (Matthew 27-28) their sins are forgiven (Acts 10:34, Colossians 1:4). Furthermore, once we are “in Christ” (Romans 3:23-26, Romans 6:23, 1stCorinthians 15:21-22, 2nd Corinthians 5:17) the Holy Spirit dwells in us (John 14:16-17, John 14:26, Acts 1:8). The Holy Spirit gives Christians the power necessary to fight the evil in us and in the world (more on that later).

All that good news aside.

We are still a corrupted race even after we come into relationship with Jesus.  Evil still lurks the hearts of all humans. It is and will be a part of our operating system until we are fully redeemed and dwell in heaven (Revelation 21:1-4, Revelation 21:22-27).   

Evil comes in all sorts of different forms. There’s overt evil. Overt evil is out in the open. Overt evil is loud and proud; it openly seeks to harm others. Think serial killer or fascist kinds of evil. Covert evil is a little more subtle. It refuses to do good or withholds help from those that need it (Proverbs 3:27). The most dangerous kind of evil is evil that is unaware of its own evilness. It actually thinks it is doing good while it’s promoting evil and committing acts of evil (Isaiah 5:20). Those who think they are doing good when they are really doing evil are the most dangerous kinds of people

Evil that believes it’s doing good will gleefully corrupt and sexualize very young children in the name of “suicide prevention” “gender diversity” and “love”. Evil that thinks it’s good will deliberately incite hate and will even excuse murder in the name of “saving democracy” and “ending fascism”. Evil that thinks it’s good insists we must end the lives of unborn children in the name of “gender fairness” “bodily rights” and the need to ensure “all children are wanted and loved”. Evil that thinks it’s good will willingly euthanize an old or sick person in the name “quality of life”. Evil that thinks it’s good squashes free speech to further “tolerance” and protect the “well being” of others. Evil that thinks it’s good supports governments and religious belief systems that oppress women and minorities in the interests of “ending oppression”.

Evil that thinks it’s good is evilest kind of evil this fallen world has ever seen. Evil that believes it is good can and will justify every kind of unjustifiable behavior for the “greater good” and in the name of defending “human rights”. 

 As believers in Jesus, we must do everything in our power to fight this growing evil. We must stand against it and fight it with everything we have in us. We must fight for authentic good. We must actively look for opportunities to expose the corrupt and deceitful evil the world is touting as truth and virtuousness. Authentic good protects, defends and lays down its life for the weak and vulnerable. Authentic good values innocence and knows that humans are at their best when they choose to do life God’s way. Authentic good fights for the weak and chooses to love the unlovable. Authentic good prays for all people. Authentic good looks for occasions to usher in Kingdom values and Kingdom righteousness (Matthew 5:1-16, Matthew 6:10, Mark 1:14-15).

Evil that thinks it’s good cannot be defeated with the weapons of this world (2nd Corinthians 10:3-5). The weapons of this world are hatred, division, lies and violence. Christians cannot allow themselves to stoop to worldly methods or behaviors to fight evil.  When we behave like the world, we are allowing our own evil to run wild. God does not condone, bless or look away from evil especially in His own people (Romans 6:1-2).

Christians must fight the evil that believes it is good by making every effort to be firmly anchored to the immutable truth of God and His word. It is critical we take the time to know the unchanging principals of the Bible and learn to discern good from evil (Hebrews 5:14). Knowing the difference between good and evil keeps us from falling prey to the philosophies of this world that embrace death and call good evil. We fight evil with the love of Jesus and good works that glorify His name. 

How do we Survive the Unrelenting Ickiness of this Age?

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.”- Revelation 21:4-5a NASB

I’ve been a little down in the dumps lately and I haven’t been able to figure out for the life of me why. There have been no recent calamities in my life.  Like every human on earth, I have some personal stuff I’m dealing with but most it has been around for a while and isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. I’ve learned to manage those realities.  

I prayed about it, and I got my answer in record time. 

God showed me that it wasn’t one big, ugly thing that been responsible for my recent stay in Dumpsville. It’s a whole bunch of little things.  

I’ve spent more time than is wise scrolling on social media lately (I know, not smart).  This has caused me to become much more aware of a whole bunch of things I would love to know nothing about.  I have been assaulted by a whole lot of weird perversion that has not only been normalized but is also being celebrated with wild abandon (Romans 1:18-32). Thanks to the internet I know all about polyamorous relationships. I also know about some really sketchy uses for IVF (invitro fertilization) and what happens to all the unwanted leftover humans created in the process (Jeremiah 1:5, Ephesians 2:10). There are a lot of really mean, insanely intolerant people who are convinced behaving in a hateful manner is somehow the agreeable, kind, loving thing to do. Too many people appear to be entirely focused on themselves, their feelings, their needs and their rights (Philippians 2:3-4). Because people are so focused on their own feelings and rights petty revenge has become alarmingly common and celebrated (Luke 6:31, Romans 12:19). Apparently, forgiveness and turning the other cheek is for nincompoops and losers (Matthew 6:15). Don’t even get me started on the division and hate in the political realm. I will never shut up. 

 Thankfully, Jesus predicted all this. He also warned what the outcome could be.

Because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold- Matthew 24:12 ESV

I used to think this verse meant that in the last days there would be a lot of law breaking and good, Godfearing people would be harmed by it. This would cause their love for and trust in God to just kind of dissolve. 

 I have rethought my original interpretation. 

Now I think Jesus foresaw that the day would come when people would no longer follow long-accepted rules of human decency. Jesus knew people would become merciless, vengeful, cruel and extraordinarily petty. He also foresaw the day when wicked people will believe they are morally superior to anyone who does not act just like them (1st Timothy 3:1-5). Living in a world with all those mean/lawless/self-righteous people will cause those who love God to become cold towards God and hardhearted towards other humans. This is kind of where we are living right now.

So, what do we do about it?

Do we scream and cry? Rail against the evils of our time? Grieve what we’ve lost as a society? Yes. Those responses are all thoroughly appropriate. However, we can’t stay there. I am convinced that getting stuck in repulsion, rage and/or despair over the ugliness of life is how we eventually end up with cold hearts towards God and people. 

Instead, we must commit to a couple of things. We must commit to learning and living out the word of God. Knowing the Bible helps in a couple of ways. It keeps our expectations about what life in this world is going to be like reasonable. The Bible is clear: THINGS ARE NOT GOING TO IMPROVE.  People will get eviler, and the moral climate will devolve (Matthew 24:37, 1st Tmothy 4:1, 2nd Timothy 3:1-5). That being said, the Bible does more than focus on the bad. The Bible also gives us the hope we need to endure to the end (Daniel 12:1-13, Matthew 24:13,1st Peter 2:19, 1st Corinthians 10:13). This world with all its unrelenting ickiness is not our home, nor is it forever. Someday God will make all the wrongs right, He will dry our tears and reward those who were resolutely faithful to Him in spite of the difficulties (Matthew 25:21, Proverbs 12:22, 2nd Corinthians 4:16-18). 

It’s also critical we stay faithful in prayer. We are in a spiritual battle and prayer is the most effective weapon we have at our disposal (Ephesians 6:10-18).  Prayer keeps us faithful in affliction and steadfast in times of testing (Matthew 26:14). When we make a regular practice of taking every hurt, every concern, every fear and every point of confusion to God in prayer it becomes the solution to all the ickiness around us. God may not take away the ickiness. However, if we ask Him to, He will give us the strength we need to withstand the evil and the wisdom we need to fight the darkness with His love and grace (John 13:35, 2nd Timothy 4:7). 

It is also critical we battle against the “if you can’t beat em join them” mentality that is so quick to take root in the human heart. We fight the temptation to become like the people around us by making a steadfast commitment to love God and people (Matthew 22:34-40). We fight it by choosing to become less like us and more like Jesus.  When that happens all of heaven rejoices and all of hell shudders. 

The Things (and People) that Cause Bitterness-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment


A foolish son brings grief to his father and bitterness to the mother who bore him- Proverbs 17:25 NASB 

In my last post I wrote about bitterness and the trouble it causes. Choosing to entertain a bitter spirit is the fast track to a life of misery, distance from God, loss of spiritual purpose and broken relationships.  

Bitterness is bad.  

Really bad. 

This is why God straight-up commands Christians to avoid bitterness at all costs (Hebrews 12:15, Ephesians 4:30-31). 

As I reflected on the turmoil bitterness inevitably produces, I found myself making a mental list of the multitude of things that cause folks to become bitter. It occurred to me (kind of out of nowhere) that I have written a lot on what bitterness does, but precious little about what causes bitterness. Then it occurred to me (kind of out of nowhere) that if someone understood the causes of bitterness it could go a long way in preventing bitterness in the lives of a lot of people. 

I would call that a major spiritual win and there is nothing I love more than a major spiritual win.

Contrary to popular belief, the things that make people bitter do not always fly out of nowhere and smack us around. Sometimes they do (more on that later). However, there are also situations where bitterness is caused by our own choices and/or events that might have been avoided with a bit of foresight and a smidge of wisdom. The four things most likely to make a person bitter are:

Sin- 

Sin makes folks bitter. It just does. It does not matter if we are the ones sinning or we are the ones being sinned against. It doesn’t even matter if it the whole messy muddle was a mutual agreement to sin. Sin is the number one cause of human bitterness (Ecclesiastes 7:26). Sometimes, we are sinned against and there is little we can do to prevent feelings of bitterness. When this happens, we must ask God for the strength and power to forgive so fully that our bitterness dissolves. Forgiveness is hard, but it’s also essential because it is the only way to get free from the bondage of bitterness (Ephesians 4:31-32, Matthew 6:15). That being said, anytime we knowingly place ourselves in a sinful situation, we run a high risk of making ourselves bitter.  Bitterness is just the natural consequence of sin.  All sin has the potential to produce bitterness. However, the sins most likely to create bitterness are sexual in nature. This is because these sins have far-reaching, sometimes even generational consequences (Ecclesiastes 7:26, Proverbs 5:3-5, Isaiah 5:20). The best way to avoid bitterness is to make a commitment to stay away from all forms of sexual immorality, including adultery, homosexuality, promiscuity and pornography. Nothing good will come from any of it. 

Totally foreseeable circumstances- 

 The best-known biblical admonition against bitterness begins with a “see to it” (Hebrews 12:15).  Anytime the New Testament begins some bit of instruction with a “see to it”, we are being told we have at least some agency in the situation (Luke 21:8, Colossians 2:8, Hebrews 12:25). Hebrews 12:15 is teaching that at least to some degree, some of the time, bitterness is avoidable. One critical aspect of preventing a bitter root is to avoid situations where we can look into the future and see there is a decent chance that we will become bitter towards the person or people involved if we don’t put an end to their antics quickly.  An example of this might be a woman offers to babysit her best friend’s child on Tuesday morning so her friend can run errands and get some “me time”.  In turn, the friend just assumes it’s okay to bring the child by EVERY Tuesday morning so she can run errands and get some “me time”. The woman who is taking advantage of the situation is obviously a source of bitterness. However, the kind-hearted woman who offered to babysit has an obligation to end the madness so that she does not become bitter towards her friend. Modern people call this “putting up boundaries”. It’s also bitterness prevention 101. 

Lack of wisdom and foresight- 

Wisdom is an undervalued commodity. Few people care about acquiring wisdom,  although everyone ought to. Wisdom is a protective force (Ecclesiastes 7:12, Proverbs 2:11-12, Proverbs 3:13-18). Wisdom provides safety, protection and it increases our odds of success in every arena. Wisdom also prevents bitterness. When a person is wise, they have foresight or prudence (Proverbs 1:3-5, Proverbs 8:12). Foresight gives people the ability to see around the corners of life (metaphorically speaking). This allows them to predict which situations or people will cause us them to become bitter. Anyone can get wisdom, all we have to do is ask for it (Proverbs 4:7, Proverbs 19:8, James 1:5-6).

And finally:

Evil people cause bitterness- 

Ultimately, evil people are also selfish people. Selfish people simply do not care about the hurt or turmoil they create. Consequently, evil people spread bitterness everywhere they go. Sadly, we live in a fallen world (Genesis 3, Romans 5:12), therefore avoiding evil people is not always a viable option (Matthew 18:7). However, we can choose to put evil people in the hands of God and trust Him to deal with them in His own way and time (Proverbs 3:5-6, 1st Peter 2:6). Choosing to trust God and believing in His goodness is the number one way to prevent bitterness.

What to do when Life Literally Makes no Sense-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

Guard my soul and save me; Do not let me be ashamed, for I take refuge in You.
Let integrity and uprightness protect me, For I wait for You- Psalm 25:20b-21 NASB

Anyone who lives in this sin-sick world for long enough will experience a season where literally nothing makes any sense at all (John 16:33, Ephesians 6:10-11).

 This is a universal reality. No one gets a pass.   

Sooner or later, it all goes south, sometimes all at once. Your health fails, a cherished spouse dies too soon. Someone you presumed was a friend or an ally turns on you. Your spouse is unfaithful. The kids you did your best to raise right, go terribly wrong. The job or business you believed would always provide is gone and your finances fall apart. 

Sigh.

These experiences are just the predictable outcome of life in a fallen world, even for Christians. It could even be argued that Christians experience these seasons with greater frequency than non-Christians. No one really understands the why of this reality. However, the book of Job seems to indicate that Satan delights in creating misery in the lives of those who love God and are called according to His purposes (Job 1:1-22, Romans 8:28-29). The book of First Peter tells us that although God is not the author of our misery, He does use trials, tribulations and heartbreak to “refine” us and make us more like Jesus (1st Peter 1:3-9, James 1:2-4, 2nd Corinthians 4:7-11). Because we live in a fallen world, surrounded by fallen people, we will all at some point, face the challenge of not just surviving a tough season with our faith intact but also coming out of it more like Jesus in every way. 

David is our go-to guy for surviving and even thriving through a confusing season. He experienced all sorts of spiritually perplexing situations. It appears that he was the least favored of his brothers for no obvious reason. He was anointed King over Israel and immediately began experiencing the exact opposite of a royal treatment. For at least a solid decade David was mistreated, persecuted and hunted down like an animal, all due to a lesser man’s jealousy. Later in life, his beloved son (Absolom) turned on him and attempted to take his kingdom.

In one sense, David wasn’t special, all Christians experience difficult and perplexing seasons.  Whether or not we survive will depend on our choices. Following are three things we can do when nothing makes sense. None are guaranteed to make your problems go away, however they will ensure your spiritual survival. It all starts with;

Doing what God puts in front of you to do-

For whatever reason, seasons that make no sense often coincide with a season of seeking God for wisdom and direction. In these times we want God to give us some clear and obvious “do this” or “don’t do this” kind of instruction. Sadly, God almost never gives anyone a clear to-do list. Instead, God gives us tasks and the ability to get them done (Ecclesiastes 9:10). Prior to taking the throne, God gave David men to lead, a family to raise and theology to work out in song. All these tasks served the purpose of equipping David for the larger task of leading a nation. God hasn’t changed. In tough times He gives us coworkers to influence, spouses to love, kids to raise for His glory, families to lead, and churches to run. Faithfully doing the task in front of us pleases God and prepares us for whatever’s next.  

Pray prayers of gratitude- 

Seasons where nothing makes sense are spiritually baffling, and if our confusion is not dealt with correctly it can lead to resentment, fear, bitterness and even unbelief (Hebrews 12:15). There is an anecdote to spiritual confusion. It’s prayer, specifically, prayers of gratitude that express faith in God’s goodness. David often vented his frustration to God in his Psalms (Psalm 35:11-26, Psalm 36:1-4, Psalm 54:1-3). However, even in his darkest moments David ALSO took time to express his gratitude to and faith in God (Psalm 35:27-28, Psalm 36:5-12, Psalm 37, Psalm 54:4-7).   It is not easy to express faith and gratitude when we are deep in the weeds of personal suffering. However, choosing to do so will guarantee that our soul prospers even in the darkest of times

Wait on the Lord with a Hebrews eleven perspective- 

 Even under the best of circumstances there are elements of life that are hard. Under the worst of circumstances life can challenge our belief in a good God (Hebrews 11:32-40). God understands this reality (Hebrews 14:15). Therefore, nothing pleases God more than when we choose to see Him as good even when life is hard. Seeing God as good amid horrendous circumstances is the essence of faith (Hebrews 11:1-2) and the fast track to flourishing through tough times.

Our goal should not be to just endure sorrow and suffering. Our spiritual goal should be to see our souls prosper even under persecution, pain and difficulties. David understood that suffering, especially for those who love God cannot be wrapped up neatly in a bow and explained easily. There is a mystery to it.  It is possible to “walk through the valley of the shadow of death” and still know deep in our soul that God is the good shepherd loving and protecting us through it all (Psalm 23:1-6).  

How do Christians Keep the Dumpster-Fire From Raging out of Control?

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Be careful how you walk, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is- Ephesians 5:15-16 NASB

The world we live in is a flaming-hot-dumpster-fire. 

I say that a lot. 

Probably too much. In my defense, lots of people say it a lot. It’s an axiom that’s becoming more and more of a thing all the time. It’s also true. Sane people (our numbers are dwindling) clearly see the lines between what is okay and not-okay are blurring (Jeremiah 4:22). This has happened because there is an ever-growing number of outwardly normal people who cannot tell the difference between good and evil anymore (Isaiah 5:20).  

Take a current news event as one small example:

There’s this guy (Luigi Mangione) who killed a guy (Brian Thompson) because he hates the health insurance industry. Luigi Mangione didn’t have a beef with Brian Thompson. He didn’t even know Brian Thompson. For the record, I don’t believe there are “good” reasons to break the sixth commandment (Exodus 20:13, Mark 10:18-20). Nonetheless, there are exceptional situations, like when someone kills your child or your mom or your wife or your brother, when murder FEELS slightly less dastardly. 

This was not an exceptional situation. 

Further muddying the waters are the folks (scads of them) who sincerely believe murder was justified in this case because the man who was assassinated was a well-paid health insurance executive.  Then there are the weirdos who immediately started crafting amoral little social media posts where they daydream out loud about having sex with the guy who killed a guy for no reason. 

Like I said, it’s a dumpster-fire.

 Jesus’ people are to be the “salt of the earth” and “the light of the world” (Matthew 5:13-16). Salt has all sorts of uses, but a primary purpose of salt is to stop decay. Light illuminates what is true. This sums up our job description neatly. We are to keep society from going off the rails and tell the spiritual truth. That’s it. However, it is getting more and more difficult all the time to do what we’ve been told to do, mostly because the flaming-hot-dumpster-fire is getting hotter all the time.

Sigh. 

 This week I spent a lot of time thinking about/praying about all this. Amid my musings the Lord impressed on me a couple things we can all do. All these things are simple but none of them are necessarily easy. None will change the world overnight, but they will over time. Doing them ensures we meet the requirements of our job description. 

It all begins with:

Living like we actually believe in God- 

Seriously. This all we have to do to be salt and light in a sin-sick world. When a person lives like they believe God is real they DO what He tells them to do. They know what sin is and avoid it like the plague. They are quick repent when they do sin (1st John 1:8-10). They love people and because they love people, they are very careful to ride the line between treating others with respect and kindness and telling them truth about where their actions will take them (1st Corinthians 13, Romans 6:23). All of this, if done consistently will make a difference in how the average Joe and Jane view Christianity. This will inevitably lead to more conversions. More conversions mean a smaller dumpster fire. Always a big win. 

Just saying “no” to conditional obedience-

Conditional obedience is attaching qualifiers to our compliance to God’s commands. Our obedience is conditional when we say (out loud or in our hearts): “okay God, I will do life your way if you provide me with a good job, great friends, a good spouse, devoted adult children and a nice place to live”. Conditional obedience is choosing either consciencely or subconsciously to quit obeying God the second God ceases to act as our blessing machine (John 3:36, 1st Peter 4:17) and at some point, He will because we are His servants He is not ours. Conditional obedience completely lacks faith (Hebrews 11:6). It is proof positive that we either don’t really believe in God at all or we don’t really trust Him to run the show. If we don’t trust and believe in God, we can’t expect the world to either.  

Keep the main thing the main thing-

Jesus is the main thing. He is ultimately what the Christian life is all about. Christianity is not about building a following. Nor is about having the world think well of us. Our business as Christians is to know Jesus, obey Jesus’ commands, glorify Jesus every chance we get and lead other people into relationship with Jesus. Period. When we choose to do these things all the time, we become a blessing to God and a protective force that illuminates spiritual truth for the world (Matthew 25:21). 

And finally:

We must be willing to bring up the main thing even when the dumpster fire world flies into a rage because we dared to bring up Jesus. It is not enough for Christians to live good lives, nor is it enough to be compassionate, big-hearted and peaceful. All of these things are good, all of them are critical to our practice of Christianity. However, the main thing is still the main thing and bringing up the main thing is the only way to slow down the raging dumpster-fire. 

Jesus’ Two Rules for Surviving Crazy Times-

Lisa M. Price1 Comment

Those who have insight will shine like the glow of the expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever- Daniel 12:3 NASB 

We live in weird, scary and truly unprecedented times. 

Seriously. 

Believers and even some unbelievers are stupefied at the rate culture is changing and the direction the world appears to be headed in. Governments are becoming more authoritarian. Robots are taking over. People are more calloused and attitudes and behaviors that were once thought to be totally out of bounds are not only accepted, but defended and even celebrated with wild abandon.  

Sigh.

Some believe all this craziness this means are living in what the Bible calls “the end” (Daniel 8:17-18, Daniel 12:9, Daniel 12:13, Matthew 24:3, 1st Peter 4:7). 

I don’t know if we are or we aren’t. 

Seriously. I don’t. 

No one does. It will be tough to tell for absolute certain if we’re living in the end times until Jesus shows up or doesn’t (Matthew 25:31, Matthew 24:36-42). 

That being said.

 In Matthew twenty-four Jesus gives two commands or rules for those living in the end times. Both are excellent advice for anyone living in weird, scary and or unprecedented times. This is because the temptations will be the same whether one is living in the end times or in just really weird times. These “rules” precede everything else Jesus says about what will happen just prior to His return. This means if we don’t take these two rules seriously at all times we will be done for when the really crazy-town stuff starts to go down (Matthew 24:4-27, Daniel 12, Revelation 13-18)

Jesus’ two rules for surviving scary times are:

See to it that no one deceives you- Matthew 24:4 NASB

See to it that you are not afraid- Matthew 24:6 NASB

That’s it. 

Jesus’ instruction tells me God totally has the inside scoop as to what our go-to’s are as human beings. God knows we need routine reminders not to turn our brains off and let fear run the show.  There are at least three different ways people can be deceived about Jesus and at least one really good reason to not give into fear (Isaiah 41:10, Romans 8:15).   

It’s critical we remember anyone can be deceived about Jesus’ true identity (2nd Corinthians 11:4, Galatians 1:6). There are all sorts of folks who have a relationship with a really nice, really cool Jesus who is ultimately nothing more than a figment of their imagination. All humans tend to create gods in their own image, it’s kind of our thing (Romans 1:18-23). The closer we get to the end the more prone people will be to proclaim and worship a Jesus who bears no actual resemblance to the Jesus of the Bible. The real Jesus is offensive to those who don’t want to submit themselves and their desires to God, so instead, they construct a new (and in their minds) improved Jesus who is totally affirming of all sorts of attitudes and behaviors the Bible calls evil. It is incumbent on anyone who calls themselves a Christian to make sure the Jesus they worship looks and acts like the Jesus found in the gospels. The real Jesus would never be okay with or bless anything the Bible calls sinful (Galatians 5:19-21, 1st Corinthians 6:9-11, Colossians 3:5-11). 

People can also become deceived about what Jesus is all about, meaning there will be those who claim Jesus’ main purpose in coming will be political in nature. Some will actually claim they are the savior of the world. They will get people to follow them rather than God.  Others will circumvent religion altogether and attempt to construct secular governments (kingdoms) they promise will create a heaven here on earth. In exchange for access to these kingdoms, people will be forced to swear their allegiance to the leaders of these governments. Christians are told to pray for earthly leaders and to obey any laws that do not contradict God’s commands but Christians are never to worship or swear absolute allegiance to a human leader (1st Timothy 2:1-3, Matthew 22:21. 

 Another common deception revolves around the coming of Jesus, or the lack thereof. The Bible makes it clear that even some of His followers will claim Jesus’ return is a myth or a fairy tale that will never happen. Others will say they are really Jesus and should be worshiped. Still others will say the return of Jesus has already taken place and therefore its nothing to worry about (Matthew 24:4-5, 2nd Thessalonians 2:1-3, 2nd Peter 3:1-10).  The problem with denying the second coming is that it causes us to become like the servants Jesus warns about at the end of Matthew twenty-four. Writing off the return of Jesus as a myth causes us to doubt God altogether and become focused on money, pleasures and self. This inevitably leads to sin and the exploitation of others (Matthew 24:42-51).  

Yikes. 

The biggest issue with fear is it turns off the logic center of our brains. When we embrace fear, we forfeit our ability to think clearly. This causes us to doubt everything we know about God and the Bible. When we are afraid and walking in doubt rather than faith, we will do anything to make the fear go away (Hebrews 11:6). Anything includes sin, worshiping humans and swearing our allegiance to people and ideas that are in direct contradiction to everything the Bible calls good and life-giving. 

No wonder Jesus was so opposed to fear. 

Takeaways from the Book of Job-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

Despite all this, Job did not sin, nor did he blame God- Job 1:22 NASB

NO ONE actually LOVES the book of Job. 

There are those who wax eloquent about the literary merits of the book. However, when pressed, even those folks admit there is little to love about the actual story. It’s just kind of sad. 

It goes like this: 

There’s this really awesome guy named Job. Job does all the right things. He loves God and his family. Job shuns evil and is honest. Job worries about the spiritual condition of his kids and does his level best to be an all-around stand-up guy in every area of his life (Job 1:1-5, Job 1:8). 

God digs him.

Then one day, out of the blue, Satan rolls up uninvited to what appears to be some sort of an angelic roll call (Job 1:6).  Satan informs God he’s been roaming the earth looking for decent people he can accuse of evil (Revelation 12:10). God proudly points to Job as an outstanding example of humanity. Satan immediately accuses Job of only loving God because God has blessed Job with all sorts of good things (wealth, property, good health, a great family). God tells Satan Job’s love for Him is genuine. 

God and Satan make a deal.

God tells Satan he can take everything from Job except his life (Job 1:12). Satan gets the job done in short order. Job loses his wealth, his health, his home, and even his kids all in the course of a few hours. The only thing Satan doesn’t take is Job’s wife, which is kind of a bummer because she’s not exactly supportive. The most encouraging thing she does in the whole book is to tell Job to “curse God and die” (Job 2:9). Then Job’s friends, (the worst friends ever) show up to “comfort” Job.  They accuse Job of all sorts of secret sins and give him oodles of misguided advice. Then, just when you begin to think they are never going to stop harassing poor Job, God shows up and sets everyone straight.  (Job 38-41, Job 42:7-9). 

The story does have a happy-ish ending

God restores Job’s fortune; his family shows up to comfort him and in time, Job is blessed with seven sons and three (really pretty) daughters. Job lives a long life and he continues to be an upstanding guy who pleases God (Job 42:10-17).  

It’s good stuff. 

Nonetheless, (in my opinion) the happy ending is obfuscated by the utter gloominess of the account.  All that being said, Job’s story is in the Bible because there is much we can learn from it (2nd Timothy 3:16). The book has value whether we are going through something terrible or helping someone who is. Following are six take-aways from the book of Job:

There’s more to our trials than just pain- 

Job teaches that all trials serve some sort of a purpose. Normally, the purpose goes beyond proving the devil wrong about something. God uses trials to teach us and mold us into the image of Jesus. We get the most out of a trial when we choose to keep our hearts soft towards God and continue to seek Him in the middle of our pain and confusion (Job 1:22, 1st Peter 1:3-7, James 1:2-4). We need to understand, like Job did, that the point of this life is to prepare us to spend eternity with God and sometimes trials bring about that end (Job 19:25-26). 

Not all truth applies to every person or situation-  

Job’s friends were jerks (Job 42:7-9). Nonetheless, they were not wrong about every single thing they said, they were actually right about a lot of things. However, none of what they were right about applied directly to Job (Proverbs 18:13, Proverbs 18:17) They were convinced God must be punishing Job for SOMETHING. Nonetheless, Job was one-hundred-percent blameless. The book of Job teaches the importance of truly understanding all the particulars of a situation before we make judgments about the people involved (Proverbs 18:21).  

Sometimes it’s better to listen rather than speak-

Job’s friends made a mistake most people make at some point: they were quick to share their “wisdom” without hearing what was being said or understanding the particulars of the situation. When someone is hurting sometimes all they need is to feel understood (James 1:19, Proverbs 13:3, Proverbs 20:12). Once a person feels heard and cared for they will be more willing to hear and apply any advice that should be given.

God doesn’t always give answers but He’s still good-  

Job had a lot of (really good) questions for God and God never answered a single one of them.  Zilch. Zero. Nada. This does not mean God didn’t love Job or care about what he was going through. The book clearly teaches that God loved Job and blessed him for his faith and obedience in spite of some pretty gnarly circumstances. He does the same for us. 

Praying for the jerks who hurt us pleases God-

It just does. Job 42:10 proves it. The second Job got done praying for his awful friends God blessed Job with twice what he had before. God hasn’t changed. He still loves it when we pray for awful people who don’t deserve our prayers.  

And finally:

We should assume that our faith-filled response to pain is all God really wants from us when the very foundations of our lives are shaken (Psalm 16:8, Psalm 112:6, Hebrews 12:28). Job teaches that God richly rewards those who praise Him in the midst of the storms of life (Job1:21). God loves faith (Hebrews 11:6, Matthew 9:20-22, Luke 17:6) and there is no greater expression of faith than choosing to praise, honor and glorify God when there appears to be zero reason to do so.

What do the Imprecatory Passages Teach us about Hurt and Pain?

Lisa M. Price3 Comments

Let me not be put to shame, Lord, for I call upon You; Let the wicked be put to shame, let them be silent in Sheol. Let the lying lips be speechless. Which speak arrogantly against the righteous with pride and contempt- Psalm 31:17-18 NASB

About eighteen months ago I went through a situation that was ugly and unjust by any human standard.

Seriously.

 I will not be spilling the tea on all the details, suffice it to say it was a terrible deal that created a lot of unpleasant ripples in my life.  In the immediate aftermath I found myself completely shell-shocked and heartbroken by a situation I had zero control over.  

So,

I did something I have only done twice in my Christian life and only under the direst of emotional and spiritual circumstances: I cried out to the Lord and asked Him to give me comfort from His word. Then I opened my Bible fully expecting it to open to exactly what I needed in that moment. 

For the record, this is not a method I recommend.  It is certainly not the greatest way to discern God’s will, obtain answers to life’s greatest questions or even get comfort from Gods word. There’s a lot that could go wrong with this technique. The devil could certainly produce all kinds of mayhem with this sort of spiritual practice. Discernment is critical; therefore, this is NOT a spiritual practice I support as standard part of one’s devotional routine. 

All that being said:

 God is good and He deals graciously with His people where they are at in the moment. In that moment I felt overwhelmed, crushed in spirit and in desperate need of comfort. I needed to know God saw me and understood my situation. I wanted more than anything in the world to believe He was on my side. The Bible fell open to Psalm 35. Psalm 35 is a part of a collection of psalms known as the imprecatory or cursing psalms.  Following are the first eight verses: 

Contend, Lord, with those who contend with me;
Fight against those who fight against me.
Take hold of buckler and shield
And rise up as my help.Draw also the spear and the battle-axe to meet those who pursue me;
Say to my soul, “I am your salvation.”Let those be ashamed and dishonored who seek my life;
Let those be turned back and humiliated who devise evil against me.
Let them be like chaff before the wind,
With the angel of the Lord driving them on.Let their way be dark and slippery,
With the angel of the Lord pursuing them.
For they hid their net for me without cause;
Without cause they dug a pit for my soul.

Let destruction come upon him when he is unaware,
And let the net which he hid catch him;
Let him fall into that very destruction.

I will not lie.

That psalm was a salve to my weary, confused and broken soul. I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt I was seen, understood and loved by the God of the universe. At that moment I felt like God got me and He truly cared about the details of my situation. 

However,

It also raised a few questions in my mind. I had read the imprecatory psalms before but never really thought much about what those psalms mean for Christians. Like most Christians I have been taught to forgive, forget, let go of hurt and pain and trust God to deal with things in His way and timing (Romans 12:10, Matthew 6:12, Matthew 18:21-22, Luke 6:37). The whole notion God would be okay with me asking Him to fight for me and bring humiliation on my enemies was a bit appalling even in the state I was in. 

There are a total of twenty imprecatory psalms. The primary purpose of these psalms is to make a an appeal to God for judgment or to call down curses on one’s enemies. The New Testament assumes Christians will have have enemies (Matthew 5:43-44, Luke 19:43). Therefore, imprecatory passages are not unique to the book of Psalms or even the Old Testament. Jesus even quoted two precatory psalms (John 2:17, John 15:25).  Matthew 11:2-24, Matthew 23:33, Matthew 26:24, 1st Corinthians 16:22, Galatians 1:8-9, James 5:1-6 and Revelation 6:10 are all New Testament examples of imprecatory New Testament passages. 

So. Why would the Bible call down curses on people?

These passages have a greater purpose that just calling down curses on the jerks who hurt us. These passages are gift to us. They prove beyond a shadow of a doubt God sees our suffering and pain. There are times when it can feel as if God is AWOL in the most critical of situations. When we are cheated, slandered or hurt by someone and nothing awful happens to the people who harmed us it FEELS as if God is ignoring our situation. The imprecatory passages remind us God SEES everything. There is no act of injustice, unfairness or inequality that is overlooked or ignored by God. The existence of these psalms serve as a much-needed reminder cares about our pain. God cares so much about our pain that He records the tears of the righteous on a scroll and stores their tears in bottles (Psalm 56:8, Isaiah 25:8, Psalm 116:7-9). 

There is a lot of comfort in that knowledge.

Each imprecatory passage reminds us God is not sitting idly by, twiddling His thumbs while terrible people do terrible things. Justice delayed does not mean justice denied. God is the author of justice. When the timing is perfect God will right every wrong and avenge every misdeed (Revelation 20:11-15, Jude 5-7, 2nd Peter 2:4-10). David authored many of imprecatory psalms as he was running from Saul and living as an outlaw. Each one stands as a reminder that God has a way of turning hopeless, painful, awful situations around in His timing. 

Ultimately, I believe the imprecatory passages to give Christians a healthy place to vent our pain to the one who understands it most and is most horrified by it. It’s critical to note, each one of the imprecatory psalms reaches a turning point in the lament where the author moves from cursing his enemies to expressing peace with the situation and faith God will deal with evil-doers appropriately. When read with faith the imprecatory psalms take us to the same place. 

How do Christians Live in Unprecedented Times?

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms– Ephesians 6:12 NIV

Unprecedented. 

It’s a big word that gets bandied about quite a lot these days. 

Sadly, it’s a word that works for this point in history. 

Over the course of the last two years or so the world has collectively faced all sorts of unprecedented events including wars, rumors of wars, weird diseases, inflation, social upheaval, tyrannical shutdowns, food shortages and political chaos.

Meanwhile in America.   

Our own unique brand of unprecedented lunacy has included (but is not limited to) militant transgender activists. Increasing tension between races. A president in rapid decline. Increased political division. Appallingly graphic sex-education.  Disintegrating families. A weaponized IRS. Vicious Crime.  A weaponized DOJ. Aggressive abortion enthusiasts and conservative parents labeled “domestic terrorists” for showing concern about the state of public education. The social fabric that holds our culture together and our system of government is disintegrating before our very eyes. 

Okay so, what is a Christian to do? 

Well. 

I can tell you what Christians should not do. We should not stick our heads in the sand and tell ourselves what goes on in the world is irrelevant. We cannot pretend the church is a safe space the lunacy will never touch. We can’t sit back and convince ourselves politics will never affect how Christians do church or raise our kids. 

Satan clearly has the advantage right now. Anti-God, anti-anything wholesome, anti-Christian sentiment is growing at an off-the-charts pace right now (2nd Timothy 3:1-3). Government, entertainment, public education and the news media are all strongholds of the enemy.  It’s time to wake up and be realistic about the situation at hand. 

Here’s what we can do:

We can accept the reality we are in an unprecedented spiritual war.  The disturbing things we see every day (war, violence, social turmoil, hate, anti-God sentiment) give us a glimpse into an even bigger, nastier war taking place in the spiritual realm (Ephesians 6:12). We must protect ourselves and our children from becoming casualties of this war (1st Peter 5:18). 

Here’s the thing about Satan:

Satan cares a whole lot less about getting the whole world to openly worship him than he does about corrupting people in subtle ways that do not appear on the surface to be obviously evil. His strategy is to distract people, including Christian people, from God. He wants to muddle our thinking with junk philosophies so biblical truth feels wrongheaded, potentially harmful, and hopelessly outdated (Isaiah 5:20).  He uses garbage entertainment (secular books, movies, television, games), the news media and the public-schools to take minds captive to worldly philosophies that inevitably lead to godless thinking and evil behavior. (Colossians 2:8).

 It’s a seriously brilliant strategy. 

Once a person’s thinking is aligned with the world their hearts are inescapably far from God. In order to be even marginally successful in this epic battle we must be willing to cut educational systems and entertainment out of our lives and our kids’ lives that does not promote discernment and aid in wise thinking. 

Period. 

No one will be safe in this battle if they are not making prayer a priority, hiding God’s word in their heart and living the way God calls Christians to live (Romans 12, Titus 3:14, 1st Peter 1:14, 1st Peter 2:16, 1st John 1:6, Colossians 3:1-21, Ephesians 4:17-28). 

Living the way God calls us to live means actively choosing to do good things with the time we have been given. Christians are literally saved from their sin for the sole purpose of doing good things with their lives and helping people find God (Ephesians 2:10). Doing good works is a form of spiritual warfare. Good works remind us who we belong to and they give us credibility with unsaved people (Titus 3:8). Credibility leads to opportunities to share the gospel (Matthew 5:16) That being said, all the good works in the world are a pointless waste of time if we don’t let go of behaviors, attitudes and pursuits that do not lead to more holiness and righteousness in our lives. In other words, we have align our lives with God.

No more playing around on the moral edges.

 We are the light of the world and the salt of the earth. We have to live like it. Christians everywhere must become a present and active force for good in their local communities (Matthew 5:13-16). We must do the work necessary to learn to think biblically about political and social issues and then work to get decent people elected to all levels of political office, from school boards to the presidency. In a fallen world there is no such thing as a truly righteous politician, but it is our job to find the best people we can and support them with our time, money and votes.  

Finally. 

We cannot give in to despair. No matter how bad it gets. We cannot give up or give in. We cannot stop believing and praying and worshiping and fighting for the good in this world. Faith is the key to survival in these unprecedented times.