Category: Getting Free

The Case for Christian Rebellion-

Lisa M. Price2 Comments

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body- 2nd Corinthians 4:8-11 NIV

Okay, so.

According to the CDC in the year 2020 almost fifty-thousand people committed suicide in the United States. That’s a lot of people. The number is roughly equivalent to a city the size of Cheyenne Wyoming.  

Yikes.  

We are living in a culture of despair. 

Sigh. 

The reasons for the rampant despair are too many and too complex to effectively explore in a blogpost but I will hit on a few of the reasons:  most folks are more isolated and lonely than ever before, Few feel a sense of community. Fatherlessness has exploded and single parenting has become the new normal. Many children who grow up with one parent experience neglect or abuse. Children who experience abuse or neglect almost always grow up feeling a lack of hope for the future. That said, I suspect abuse and neglect of children is simply a symptom of a greater problem rather than the root of our overwhelming sense of hopelessness. 

I suspect our pain is caused by our own willful foolishness.

These days most non-Christians and even many Christians live outside the set pattern and design God created for human beings. We lean on our own understanding of how to do life instead of seeking God’s wisdom (Proverbs 3:5-6, Genesis 1:28). Then we wonder like a bunch of idiots why life is hard and we feel bad all time. 

Think about it.

For one thing. 

Sex lost its sacredness decades ago. 

Now we have hookups, starter marriages, pornography and prostitutes instead of one partner we bond with for life. Few adults marry before thirty and the stated goal for many is to have as much sex as possible with as many people as possible before “settling down” and “starting a family”. Fewer than half of all women wait until marriage to have children, pretty much guaranteeing their children will grow up in a home without a biological father. All this taken together simply means that the ties that bind people together are weaker than they have ever been. 

For another. 

The economic system our culture has trapped itself in ensures most families live far from their extended family and both parents work just to make ends meet. This leaves young parents feeling overwhelmed and kids (especially teenagers) are left to figure life out without the input of their parents and the wisdom of their grandparents. Most people work non-stop and as a result community and the close relationships we were all made for fall to the wayside in our lives.  

Christians must show the world a different way of doing life. 

Fast. 

And we have to find a way to do it without being strange, judgmental, creepy or weirdly patriarchal (Galatians 3:28, Ephesians 5:21-33). Getting this right is the only way people will know there’s something better out there.

We get it right by bucking the system and refusing to get caught up in the lies our society tells about sex, gender and relationships. The world needs to see that it is possible to be happy and fulfilled while not having sex with a gazillion people or having multiple spouses or changing genders in an attempt to find fulfillment. 

Christianity needs some rebels. 

Christians rebel against this world’s satanic system by getting married young, having lots of sex, making babies with only one person, buying a house and building a life (Genesis 2:24). We buck the system by building community and remaining loyal to the churches we attend. We rebel when we give up other things to spend quality time with friends and family. We become the best kind of revolutionists when we are willing to humbly admit we got it wrong and change direction (James 4:10, 1st Peter 5:5-6).  Christians could literally change the trajectory of people’s lives simply by choosing to love Jesus and obey God even when our obedience makes us look weird and causes us to be out of step with the rest of the world.  Righteousness has become rebellion in our weird world and rebellion gets people’s attention. In this case it will make people want what we have.

Here’s the thing though:

Rebelling against the world system without giving some really good reasons for doing so will do no one any good. We need to loudly and proudly proclaim why we are doing what we’re doing (1st Peter 3:15). We must be willing to look weird in the eyes of the world in order to shine the light of Jesus in an increasingly dark world. 

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.   

How We Went Wrong with COVID-19-

Lisa M. Price4 Comments

If calamity comes upon us, whether the sword of judgment, or plague or famine, we will stand in your presence before this temple that bears your Name and will cry out to you in our distress, and you will hear us and save us- 2nd Chronicles 20:9 NIV

 I am by no means a flat-earther when it comes to COVID-19.

 I was one of “those people” warning friends and family about a “weird virus” coming from China way back in early December. I told anyone who would listen about the “weird virus” that would cause terrible problems everywhere. No one listened. Not even my long-suffering husband who is (and I remind him of this often) contractually obligated by our marriage vows to listen to me talk. Any and all talk of “the weird virus” was met with odd looks and fishy-eyed stares. 

  Turned out I was right.

 However, I was wrong about the types of problems COVID-19 was going to cause. I assumed Corona virus would cause a lot of deaths and some fear.  Instead Corona virus has caused some deaths and more fear than I could have ever imagined.  I have never seen a stranger response to anything in all my life.

 Educated journalists have hypothesized Coronavirus can “jump” twenty-three or more feet and is spread through farting though there’s little science to support such theories. There is a popular store where EVERYONE wears gloves but employees will not touch a customer’s card or receipt, however, they will touch the groceries the customer touched.  Zealous politicians have banned activities with little risk of spreading disease such as fishing, hiking and gardening but do encourage people to mingle freely in marijuana shops and liquor stores. A municipality in California prohibited church worship teams from singing on camera because expelling air “could” spread the virus. Church services where people sit alone in their cars listening to sermons on the radio have been declared “unsafe” and shutdown. I have seen with my own eyes people screaming at strangers for politely sneezing into their arms even though sneezing is not a symptom of Coronavirus.

 We’ve lost our minds.

 Four weeks ago, it felt as if there were some valid reasons to lose our minds. People were getting sick. Older people were dying. Italy was a disaster. Computer models were predicting 2.2 million people would die from Coronavirus in the United States. There was a shortage of medical equipment. Doctors were terrified the healthcare system would be overwhelmed and millions would die unnecessarily.

 Well.

 It turns out COVID-19 has a relatively low fatality rate (between 0.2-0.7 percent) in most countries. The vast majority of healthy people recover with few problems. The healthcare system was strained in places like New York but thanks to the valiant efforts of medical personal and the quick action of federal and state governments we came through just fine.

 COVID-19 is a real issue and a real threat to some groups. That being said, the whole world has gone mad where this thing is concerned. Churches are shutdown, millions are reduced to receiving welfare, once wealthy nations teeter on the verge of bankruptcy, children aren’t being educated and the rights to freely assemble and speak are being ripped out from under us.

 We are where we are because we dutifully obeyed a media class who have a vested interest in scaring people. In the beginning they assured us Coronavirus was no problem at all. Anyone who thought it a problem was branded a racist.  Then the press collectively switched gears and screamed in our faces 24/7 this was a level ten problem that required a level ten solution. It turns out COVID-19 more like a level four problem. Now we are left with a level ten mess to clean up.  

 Collectively we must humble ourselves and acknowledge we responded to COVID-19 out of fear and with little wisdom (James 4:10). We saw a spider and burned our house down.  At least now we know why God commands His people to be courageous and clear minded in the face of scary circumstances (Joshua 1:9, 1stChronicles 28:20)

 Perhaps, the saddest aspect of all this is we have allowed Coronavirus to change the way we see people. Somehow, we have managed to dehumanize one another in six short weeks. We no longer see others as prospective friends or individuals made in the image of God. Instead every human is treated as if they are a potential source of infection and a disgusting bag of germs.  Satan is rejoicing at our stupidity (Psalm 37:8, Isaiah 8:12, 1st Peter 5:8).  

 This cannot continue.  

 Christians must take the lead in fixing this mess before we completely lose what’s left of our humanity and culture. We have to educate ourselves on the real threats of COVID-19 and push past any fear we feel. The virus is a real problem but it’s a level four problem not a boogeyman with super powers. It’s critical we do what needs to be done to protect the older population, but the rest of the world has got to get back to work and to living life in a safe and sensible way before we implode. Everyone must make a concerted effort to stop looking at their fellow humans like bags of infections and go back to loving them like the image bearers they are. Most importantly we must get on our knees and beg God to give us the wisdom to make this mess right before it’s too late.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Weird Link Between Anxiety and Control-

Lisa M. Price1 Comment

My days have passed, my plans are shattered. Yet the desires of my heart turn night into day; in the face of the darkness light is near- Job 17:9-10

I am a recovering control freak.

 Some of my issues with control are likely due to the personality I was born with. According to my Mother my first word was “no” and my first complete sentence was: “I will do it myself”. I am no expert in the field of child psychology, but I’m pretty sure my first attempts at verbal communication indicate I was born with a strong desire to be in complete control of just about everything from day one (Psalm 51:5).

Sigh.

 Age and experience eventually made me philosophical when it comes to the issue of control. In my late thirties (I’m a slow learner) I realized control is an illusion.  One can have all the resources in the world, make the very best choices in every area of life and get all their ducks in a nice neat little row. Then a single storm can come along, wipe away all the good choices and demolish all those poor little ducks in the course of a single hour (Job 1:1-22).

However.

 This past week was such a dumpster-fire that I was tempted to throw all the spiritual and philosophical lessons I have learned about life, control and trusting God out the window. I seriously considered crossing out the recovering in the first sentence of this blog and boldly owning my desire to control the whole stupid world.

 Just a few things outside my power to control that I would dearly love to control include politics,  economics and the downward spiral of our society. Those “global” issues aside I am also wrestling with some serious family problems that will probably never be completely resolved in this life.

 Sigh.   

 Just as I was preparing to jump into control-freak mode the Holy Spirit gently reminded me there are wiser and more productive ways to deal with life. Wisdom concerning this issue begins with recognizing and owning the following four truths:

 There are things in life that cannot be fixed or even managed-

 Because life is better and easier now than at any other time in human history, many people believe there should be a solution to every problem, or an easy button that will magically empower us to manage all of life’s problems without any stress or struggle. There’s not.  Unfortunately, Christians and non-Christians alike encounter all sorts of things in life that cannot be managed or fixed, like stupidity and evil. When we encounter those things, we must walk by faith and trust God to use stupid and evil things for His purposes and our growth (Hebrews 11:1-2, Romans 8:28)

 Just because we can control something doesn’t mean we should-

 Anytime I have attempted to control another human being or the outcome of a situation without clear direction from God I have made a flaming-hot mess out of that situation. Seriously. Every. Single. Time.  It’s important to remember that when we attempt to control things we have no business controlling we are essentially declaring with our actions that we do NOT really believe God is good or that He should be sovereign over people or the outcome of situations. I am not advocating  Christians take on a “what will be will be” attitude towards life. I do believe there plenty of situations in life where we should proactively deal with issues but never without some serious prayer and God’s clear direction (Psalm 27:14, Acts 1).  

 The only person you can really control is yourself-

 Okay, so this is fairly basic but it’s worth repeating: there is very little in life we can control. That said, everyone can control themselves, no matter what else is going on. Having self-control when everything and everyone around us is out of control is the key to learning, growing and being a light for Jesus in out of control situations  (Proverbs 16:32, Galatians 5:22-24, Titus 1:7-9, Titus 2:11-12). 

Taking control breeds anxiety-

 Admittedly, this point is full of paradoxes, it’s also totally true. It makes sense that taking control of situations that feel out of control would automatically give us peace and squash any pangs of anxiety we may be experiencing. However, control freaks, especially Christian control freaks are ALWAYS, without fail, the most angsty, nervous, unhappy people on the planet.  This is because Jesus followers are commanded to trust God (Psalm 37:4-6, Psalm 32:10, Psalm 139:23-24, Proverbs 3:5-6) and taking control of people and situations is the antithesis of trust.  God is a respecter of our free will. When we choose to take control of anything other than ourselves God takes His hand off the wheel (metaphorically speaking) and lets us have our way. The anxiety we feel when we are the one “in complete control” is a direct result of spiritual disobedience and our foolhardy attempts to do something we are literally incapable of doing. Letting go of the illusion we have control and really and truly trusting in God’s wisdom and sovereignty is the key to getting and staying free from anxiety.

 Prayer is the answer to the conundrum of control.

It just is. 

Every single time we pray about an issue we do two things. First, we loudly declare that we NEED wisdom (James 1:5).  Prayer is admitting to ourselves and God that we don’t know everything there is to know and that we cannot make life work with our own idiotic efforts to control events and people. Secondly, we go directly to the source of wisdom, knowledge and power to get the help we need to manage life (Proverbs 1:7, Proverbs 2:6, Proverbs 3:19).

 This makes way more sense than the other alternatives.

How Should a Christian Respond to the Gender Spectrum?

Lisa M. Price4 Comments

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them- Genesis 1:26a-27 NIV

Like every human over the age of forty, I have witnessed a great deal of change over my lifetime. Some of these changes have been wonderful, others meh and some others have been simply awful. It’s fair to say that no area of human society has seen more change in the last two decades than the areas of gender and sexual expression.

Back in the day, there were men and woman.

Those two options pretty much covered the scope and scale of the gender spectrum. A man might have wished he was a woman or dressed like a woman but all of society would have agreed that if a human was born with a penis that was all the evidence needed to declare the person a man.  There were women who impersonated men but it never occurred to anyone that a woman behaving like a man might actually be a man. How one chose to express their sexuality (gay, straight, bi-sexual) had no bearing on whether or not a person was male or female. Gender was determined by this thing called biology. 

Biology is so 1955.

There is now a whole gender spectrum to choose from. Among the plethora of options, one can now be male, female, androgynous, transgender, gender queer, non-binary, gay, straight, bi-sexual, pansexual, asexual, gay trans, bi-sexual-trans, binary trans, gender questioning and gender fluid. 

Sigh. 

For all sorts of really rational reasons average Christians have struggled to address this issue in a logical, respectful and kind way. It’s a difficult issue to wrap our minds around. Further complicating the whole messy muddle any objection to or questioning of the gender spectrum is perceived by most non-Christians and some Christians as transphobic, homophobic, regressive and mean. Consequently, Christians have either ignored the problem altogether, avoided discussing it outside of Christian circles or ridiculed the whole situation openly. Regrettably, none of the aforementioned strategies actually do anything to help Christians act as salt and light in our increasingly confused and broken world (Matthew 5:13-16). 

Ephesians 6:14 commands Christians to stand against evil ideas. In order to do that we have to understand from a biblical perspective what’s wrong with a particular philosophy and where it will likely lead us. 

The gender spectrum is clearly one of the Satanic schemes the Bible warns us about (Ephesians 6:11, 1st Peter 5:8). The notion that there is a gender smorgasbord out there with dozens of different options from which to choose from is an assault on God’s design. It is also a direct contradiction to God’s assertion that He created human beings as male and female only (Genesis 1:27). Among other things, this particular assault is intended to generate doubt concerning the goodness and truthfulness of God in the minds of people who are struggling with questions regarding sex, sexuality and gender. It’s critical we remember Satan has been planting doubt concerning the goodness and truthfulness of God since the dawn of the human race (Genesis 3:1) 

Human beings were made for connection with God (Genesis 3:8). It’s inherent in our design. Because most in our culture have rejected the Creator gender identity and sexuality have become a strange form of religious expression for those who have spurned belief in God (Romans 1:24-32). This explains the peculiar post-modern practice of folks introducing themselves by stating their name, sexual orientation and gender identity. Sexuality and gender give their life meaning and is where they find their identity. 

This turn of events ought to break our hearts because it breaks God’s heart, It should not drive us to despair or hateful rhetoric. Rather, we should be overwhelmed with grief for a generation that has lost its way morally, spiritually and sexually. There are six practical things Christians can do to help lead our culture come back to a healthier understanding of sexuality and gender and back into right relationship with God. 

We must:

Love our neighbors- 

We should look for ways to love everyone, even those super messy people who freak us out a little bit. We must search for ways to engage people who are different from us. The engagement must be done in a spirit of both truth and love. It helps no one when we bend our beliefs to placate the culture. That being said, people need to know there is God who loves them beyond measure who wants to free them from the spiritual and sexual bondage they’ve gotten themselves into.   

Pray for revival-

It almost goes without saying our world has problems that cannot and will not be solved using human methods. We have fallen too far down the proverbial rabbit hole. We supernatural intervention. Stat. Prayer is the only way to get the intervention we need (Ephesians 6:18, 1st Thessalonians 5:17). Prayer has the power to transform unbelievers and give believers the spiritual power needed to love the lost and hurting. Christians are commanded to make a practice of praying for everyone all the time. If your church has a regularly scheduled prayer time, go and pray. If your church does not have a scheduled prayer time consider starting one in your home. Invite your friends and begin by praying for revival. When people truly get right with God their view of gender and sexuality will align with what the Bible says about these issues.  

Model healthy families-

It has never been more critical for Christians to have healthy, functional family units. The world needs to see families where men protect and nurture their wives and children and where women respect their husbands and make mothering children a priority.

Celebrate the differences between men and women-

God made men and women and different from each other. The diversity in the created order is a beautiful thing that deserves celebration because both men and women reflect the image of God in different ways (Genesis 1:27) Little boys should be told it’s a good and special thing to be a boy and little girls should be told it’s a beautiful thing to be made female. If we don’t the world will step in and tell them something different.

Stop being weird-

There are Christians who believe it is wrong for men to cook or do housework because it’s “not manly” and an “affront to God”.  Others believe that women should never work outside the home or attend college. There are still Christians who sincerely believe a woman should remain “under the authority “of her Father until she is married. These absurdly antiquated ideas are almost impossible to backup biblically without twisting Scripture and they make Christianity look really weird to non-Christians. Weird does nothing to further our cause.

Last but not least.

Christians must speak the truth with an attitude of love and grace. Admittedly, this is tricky and difficult. But it must be done. We simply have to find ways to engage people in hard conversations where we tell them the truth in loving tones and with a spirit of humility rather that self-righteousness (Ephesians 4:15). If we can do this we might have a shot of not just changing their minds on gender but also turning their hearts towards Jesus.

The Idols Christians Worship-

Lisa M. Price7 Comments

They mingled with the nations and adopted their customs. They worshiped their idols, which became a snare to them~ Psalm 106:35-36 NIV

Whatever book of the Bible I happen to be reading tends to have a mostly unintended but very real impact on my blogposts.  Last summer I studied the book of Jeremiah. Looking back, I see the posts I wrote during those months tended to be glum, cynical screeds against the evils of the culture. While writing a devotional on Galatians, I frequently wrote about the wonders of grace and the hazards of legalism, racism, hypocrisy and self-righteousness.

So. 

Recently, I have been reading the book of Hosea. A key theme of Hosea is idolatry. This got me thinking about idolatry in general and how contemporary idolatry is very different from the standard bow-down-to-a-creepy-little-statue variety of idolatry seen in the Old Testament.

During this time, Joshua Harris (author of I Kissed Dating Goodbye)and Marty Sampson (writer for Hillsong) both “came out” as non-Christians (Marty Sampson has since back-peddled a bit). Interestingly, the book of Hosea makes a clear connection between the act of idolatry and the act of apostasy (Hosea 13:2, Zephaniah 1:3, 2nd Kings 17:11-13). In the Bible there is not a single case where apostasy occurred in a void. No person or nation just up and decided to stop believing in God.

Apostasy always follows a lifestyle of idolatry. 

Even today.

Some of the idols we worship today are unique to our generation. Others are without question more of an issue among Christian leaders, while other idols affect most Christians in some way. The idols we worship are directly related to the apostasy we see in the Church. If the church can get a handle on its idolatry problem we will see fewer people “de-constructing” their faith and leaving the church.  

 Our most beloved Christian idols are pretty varied and almost no one worships all of them but a lot of Christians worship some of them. They are:

 Ambition- 

This is definitely an idol Christian leaders have become fixated on. It’s critical to note ambition is not sinful until it becomes THE primary motivating force in our lives. The problem with ambition that is not kept in check is it swiftly mutates into covetousness.  Covetousness then becomes an all-consuming focus on whatever it is we long for.  Ambition is particularly dangerous thing to fixate on in church world because unbridled ambition often disguises itself in Christians and Christian leaders as a healthy desire to see churches grow. However, sometimes ambition for church growth is really just masking a ravenous appetite for personal recognition and fame. When a Pastor becomes overly focused on church growth they become willing to compromise on doctrine and even mistreat people to get a big church with a bunch of campuses (Philippians 2:3, 2nd Corinthians 12:20, James 3:14-16).  Yikes.

Success-

Christians have merged worldly measures of success with Christianity. Being wealthy, sought after and admired by the majority is perceived to be success in our Christian culture. This is true even though biblical standards of success are vastly different (Isaiah 66:2, Matthew 22:36-40, Hebrews 11:36-38).  A person who has made success into an idol will do anything to hang on to the attention, money and adulation that comes with success. This includes compromising what they believe or even renouncing their faith in Christ so they can increase the size of their audience and number of followers. 

Grace- 

 God is insanely complex. He is good, merciful and kind. However, God is also unapologetically judgmental. God is going to judge anyone who refuses to humbly repent and embrace Him as the sovereign Lord of everything (1st Corinthians 6:8-10, Jude 14:16-18, Revelation 20:13). When we insist on making God out to be all sunshine and good vibes we aren’t really worshipping God anymore. We are worshipping the grace God offers only to those who choose to repent (Matthew 4:17, Acts 3:19, Acts 17:29-31). We know grace has become an idol when we buy the lie that a loving God cannot or will not judge people who refuse to play by His rules.   

Judgment- 

There are Christians who really, really want God to smite the daylights out of anyone who has committed certain acts of wickedness. They also want Him to do it without so much as a smidgen of mercy. If the notion that God would withhold judgment from someone just because they have repented bothers you; you just might worship the judgment and wrath of God rather than the God of the Bible (Ezekiel 18:23). 

Marriage-

In Mark 2:23-27 the Pharisees chastised Jesus and his disciples for picking grain on the Sabbath. This act was a technical violation of Exodus 16:23. Jesus informed the Pharisees that the Sabbath was intended to be an institution that benefited and blessed people rather than an institution people became a slave to. I am not “soft” on divorce. Marriage is critically important and that most marriages could be saved if both people in the relationship would simply grow-up, focus on someone besides themselves and stop sinning. That said, I also believe many contemporary Christians make the same mistake with marriage that the Pharisees made with the Sabbath. We worship marriage when we put the institution of marriage above of the welfare of the people in the marriage. 

Freedom-

Freedom (especially sexual freedom) is an idol that has been worshipped with wild abandon in Western culture for decades.  In recent years Christians have followed suit. Those who worship freedom do not believe even God Himself has the right to tell anyone that old-fashioned ideas about gender, sexuality and marriage are true and that some behaviors are simply unacceptable. 

Youth- 

In 1st Timothy 3:6 the apostle Paul cautions Church leaders against placing new Christians in positions of leadership. He had observed that when new converts become leaders they often become prideful and unteachable. Sometimes these leaders become so swollen with pride that they begin to believe they have more wisdom and insight than other older more mature Christians. Sometimes they begin to think they know more than even God. Truth-be-told a twenty-year-old is by the nature of their age a new convert (even if he or she was raised in the church). Joshua Harris was nineteen when he wrote I Kissed Dating Goodbye and twenty-one when the greater Christian community dubbed him a leader. Marty Sampson was barely out of his teens when he began leading worship and writing music for Hillsong.  In one sense it is not surprising that these men have decided that they have moved beyond Christianity.  Until churches stop elevating every young kid with talent or a good idea into “a leader” we will continue to have problems with those leaders as they age. 

Here’s the thing.

Idols must be cast down. The only way to cast these particular idols down is a return to humble obedience that can only be born out of pure love for God rather than the blessings He gives. Getting there will require ruthless self-examination and honest prayer. 

My Prayer List for the Week-

Lisa M. Price5 Comments

For the ear tests words, as the palate tastes food. Let us choose justice for ourselves;
let us know among ourselves what is good- Job 34:2-3 NKJV

I had an unusual problem this week. I found myself totally at a loss for a decent blog topic. 

Typically, blog topics just kind of come to me. But, for some reason it just didn’t happen this week.  Typically, by Tuesday afternoon I have an idea locked down and ready to go but for some reason I literally had nothing this week. 

Zero. Zilch. Nada.

 So, I did this thing I do on the rare occasions I find myself utterly desperate for thought-provoking writing material. I spent a couple of hours one-night binge-watching some of the popular cable news channels (FOX, CNN, MSNBC). I have found in the past that there is almost always enough crazy stuff being reported on the news to generate at least a blog post or two. 

It worked. 

I learned a lot that night, most of it was more than a bit maddening. I also ended-up with a serious glut of excess material. It turns out there is quite a lot of super outrageous stuff going on in the world.  I do not believe Christians should run or hide from the ugliness and sin in our world. Christians are called to fight darkness rather than flee from it. Because I believe that I decided to share (most) of what I learned. My hope is that you will spend some time in prayer over these issues and looking for ways to engage with our sin-sick world.

The sex industry is being normalized for teens by adults who are smart enough to know better- 

A popular periodical marketed to girls between the ages of 12 and 17 published an article about the importance of destigmatizing and normalizing “sex work” (AKA prostitution). The article was entitled “Sex Work is Real Work”. For the record, no one has to convince me that sex work is real work. Sex work is without a doubt the most grueling, dreadful, dehumanizing, horrific work there is. What I don’t understand is why a magizine that presents itself as pro-girl and pro-woman would write an article that glamourizes the job and might possibly inspire young women to consider a vocation that degrades, marginalizes and damages women solely for the sexual gratification of men. Wasn’t that the sort of thing feminism was supposed to end? 

Drug use is trendy once again-

Recreational drug use became popular in the 1960’s and use rose steadily throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s. Then drug use plummeted in the early years of the 21stcentury.  For the first time since the 1980’s drug use is rising among 8th, 10thand 12thgraders. When questioned about drug use teens admit that this is due almost entirely to decriminalization and legalization efforts on the state level. Legalization and decriminalization have removed fears of addiction and being saddled with a criminal record. As a result, for the first time in decades teens view drug use as a potential positive rather than an overwhelmingly negative experience. This means that millions more teenagers are voluntarily damaging their brains before they really even get an opportunity to use them.  

City and State leaders are refusing to be honest about homelessness- 

Homelessness is booming (especially in the West). Leaders in cities where homelessness has become an issue refuse to blame the thing those who work with the homeless say is the number one cause of homelessness: drug use. Perhaps it’s because those states are beginning to view taxing drug use as a potential money maker and they don’t want to admit that there is a cost to legalizing drugs and encouraging drug use. 

 HBO has a new program for teens- 

In its first season Euphoria has showcased hardcore drug use, full frontal nudity, masturbation, endless expressions of nihilism and transgender teenagers having sex with adults. Whoo-hoo. Thanks HBO, we didn’t have nearly enough filth on T.V. 

A small minority of parents are cashing in on their children’s gender confusion-

Apparently, there are parents who dress their kids up as the opposite gender and parading them around for money. I literally have no words and I always have words. Words are my thing. We obviously need revival if these parents aren’t in jail for this.

Powerful words are being abused- 

This is nothing new.  Hardly a week goes by when a lawmaker or newscaster doesn’t call someone a NAZI or refer to the holocaust in an inappropriate manner. But this week Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez took it to a new level when she claimed that immigrants who voluntarily turned themselves in at the border hoping to become citizens are being forced to live in “concentration camps”. Sigh.   

A tiny minority is redefining morality-

A particular senator who is hoping to become the President stated emphatically this past week that taking a pro-life position is so outside the mainstream that pro-life people shouldn’t be judges. What? Who gave this woman the “right” to redefine what the mainstream is or isn’t?  

Okay, so, now you have a prayer list for the week. Let’s get to it. 

How do Well Intended Policies Hurt the People Society most Wants to Help?

Lisa M. Price3 Comments

Do to others as you would have them do to you~ Luke 6:31 NIV

The city of Albuquerque has a problem. 

The city has become littered with hypodermic needles. Not the clean, shiny needles you get brand-spanking new from the needle factory or a doctor’s office but the kind of needles that have been used to shoot heroin. This is an issue because used hypodermic needles are dirty. Used needles tend to harbor unpleasant and sometimes even incurable blood borne diseases like HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, syphilis and Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). 

Yuck. 

Like many American cities, Albuquerque boasts a “clean needle” exchange program. Needle exchange programs allow intravenous drug users to get a free clean needle anytime they want to inject drugs. Until recently if a drug user wanted to acquire a clean needle in Albuquerque they had to turn in a dirty needle. This policy did nothing to reduce drug use but it did incentivize drug users to dispose of their dirty needles safely.  Thanks to a recent policy change, trading in dirty needles is no longer a requirement in Albuquerque. Now if a drug user wants a clean needle all they have to do is ask for one and they get it.

No questions asked.   

 The policy change has resulted in dirty needles being left wherever the drug users happened to be when they used their drugs. Ballfields and parks just happen to be popular places for drug users to inject heroin. Despite the valiant efforts of parents and coaches to keep local ballfields needle-free, a little girl playing softball was stuck with a dirty needle as she was sliding into home base. Doctors say that it will be at least three months before they know for absolute certain whether or not she is infected with anything. 

Sigh. 

A long list of random thoughts ran through my mind as I was reading this story. The mama-bear in me felt a crushing compassion for the little girl and her family (Romans 12:15). I simply cannot imagine the torment they are experiencing and will continue to experience for three agonizing months. My heart literally aches for them. The analytic, business-minded part of me wondered about liability issues for the city. That side of me suspects the city of Albuquerque may be embroiled in a nasty and potentially very costly lawsuit soon. The vacation organizer in me who is always thinking about new places to visit made a mental note not to vacay anywhere near Albuquerque, New Mexico anytime soon. The fussy, pedantic worrier in me (she’s a bit prone to hysteria) was seriously freaked out by the idea that someone could get stuck with a dirty needle at a ballfield or park. She was reminded once again that walking around barefoot is never a good idea.  

Then the God-follower in me stepped-up and asked a question that no one seems to be asking:

When exactly did our society give-up on actually helping people? 

For the record, I am not a dolt, nor am I the public-health equivalent of a flat-earther. I understand that diseases passed by dirty needles are also sexually transmitted. I get that people who are high are not likely to stop and think about practicing “safe sex”. They likely to remember or act on the warnings they heard in the abstinence-based sex education class they attended in high school. I understand that needle-exchange programs save lives and prevent diseases. I am one-hundred-percent on board with saving lives and preventing diseases, especially diseases like HIV, Hepatitis C and MRSA. 

That said. 

I can’t help but feel that needle exchange programs (as well-intended as they may be) are the ultimate in giving-up on people and writing them off as not worth of saving or helping. When we offer drug users a clean needle to shoot a substance that will eventually kill them off without also offering some sort of help or hope we are not treating drug users the way we would want to be treated (Matthew 7:12).  This breaks my heart. We have become so callous as a society that we have decided there is an entire segment of the population not worth saving or helping (Romans 15:1, 1stThessalonians 5:14). 

Seriously.  

There’s a lot of talk these days about the very real problem of homelessness. Experts on the subject universally agree that homelessness is nearly always a byproduct of drug use. If a drug problem can be dealt with in a person’s life it becomes much easier to work on the problem of homelessness. Conversely, as long as a person is using drugs their emotional growth halts and no other issues in their life can be dealt with effectively. No has ever actually been helped by mollycoddling the problem of addiction. Mollycoddling addiction is really just a sick form of codependency and our government has become the biggest enabler in history.

The grownups need to demand better.

Voters ought to be demanding local governments do more than simply hand out clean needles to drug users. At the very least local municipalities should require drug users to turn in a dirty needle in order to get a clean one This rudimentary requirement serves the purpose of reminding drug users that they are human and as members of the human family they have an obligation to do their part (no matter how small) to be helpful to the rest of society.    

As Christians the growing problem of addiction ought to break our hearts the way it surely breaks God’s. We must never forget that we are called to be the voice of Jesus in our culture and advocates for those without a voice. Drug addicts need a truly caring voice in our  culture and it is our holy obligation as God’s people to fight for those the world has written off as not worth saving. Christians should demand a return of anti-drug education in public schools and we must challenge the relaxing of drug laws and the movement towards complete legalization.

Most importantly,

We must remember we have something to offer drug users the government can never give. Freedom from addiction and hope for a better future through a transformational relationship with Jesus Christ (Luke 19:10, Acts 16:31). 

The Five Dumbest Lies our Dumpster-Fire Culture Believes

Lisa M. Price2 Comments

 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen~ Romans 1:25 NIV

The year 2018 did not go down in history as a legislative win for the old and sick in the state of Oregon. In early 2018 the Oregon State Senate passed House Bill 4135 into law. This “landmark piece of legislation” allows “health care professionals” to permanently withhold food and water from dementia patients.

Seriously.  Let the magnitude of that sink in for a minute.  

 I get that a bill that was signed into law years ago is old news. I also get that these types of laws have become so routine that only a few hardcore, pro-life nut-jobs (like me) even get wound-up about them anymore.  I mention it now because this morning I read an article reporting that the Oregon Legislature is looking to expand the law to include a broader class of people than just dementia patients (Isaiah 5:20).

Sigh.

Because my brain works in strange ways (that I don’t even understand most of the time) the article got me thinking about lies and deception. More specifically it got me thinking about the lies and deceptions our culture has come to believe and how those deceptions are directly contributing to the moral quagmire we find ourselves in. Some of the lies are subtle others are more obvious. The problem with lies is that all lies hurt people and lead both the liar and those who believe the lie away from God, biblical justice and good sense (Isaiah 59:14). 

After I read the article I made a quick mental list of some the lies we have come to believe.  There were so many I had a tough time whittling the list down to a number that would be readable in reasonable period of time. 

Here are the top five: 

#1- Expediency should be the north star that guides our decision making- 

This is the lie that inspires otherwise decent people to do away with the old, sick and those who have yet to be born.  Any time convenience becomes the end goal of any situation, a corner must be cut somewhere. This is not a huge loss if we are talking about purchasing bakery cupcakes to save ourselves a little time and effort. It is a huge loss to all the good things that make us human if we are cutting lives short in an effort to pander to our own desire for expediency and convenience (Proverbs 11:19).     

#2- Right now is all that matters- 

We have evolved into a “live in the now” kinda culture. Nowhere is this more obvious than with with children and gender transitions. In some places three-year-old children are being socially transitioned and kids as young nine are being surgically and chemically transitioned to a sex other than the one they were assigned at conception. The reasoning behind this madness is that these kids want what they want “right now”. God forbid anyone deny a child something they want right this minute (Proverbs 22:15a). Few “professionals” are thinking through the possible psychological, physical, emotional and spiritual consequences these choices might have on kids long-term. Sadly, even fewer people are asking why anyone would allow a human being who is not fully grown to consent to something that can never really be fully undone (Proverbs 20:25). 

#3- People should only do what makes them happy-

 Happiness is a feeling or mood that tends to be short-lived and extremely centered on self. Finding happiness is complicated by the fact that even under the most ideal of circumstances happiness is something that is challenging to hang onto. As a result, once we begin down the path of “making ourselves happy” the pursuit of happiness becomes a never-ending quest that is nearly impossible to achieve or maintain.  This is partly because the stuff that make us happy (or unhappy) tends to change frequently. On Tuesday donuts might make me supremely happy and on Friday the mere thought of them might make me queasy. Because happiness is such an unstable and selfish emotion when we do things solely for the sake of our personal happiness we tend to hurt a lot of people (including ourselves) in the process of “making myself happy”. 

#4- Government has all the answers- 

 For the record, I do not believe that individual people who work in government are evil, they are just people.  That being said, government is not a person. Government is a big giant soulless entity. All soulless entities lack sensitivity, ethics, logical thought, and wisdom. Therefore, government cannot logic out the needs of individuals or make sensible judgments about individual situations. Even in the best of situations government is all about one-size-fits-all solutions. We should always remember that nothing loves expediency and convenience more than a big giant soulless entity. 

#5- If I believe something is true then it is- 

This is the lying-est lie of them all. Sadly, this lie has become accepted dogma because we have taught that feelings about a given issue should be given the same legitimacy as verifiable facts regarding the same issue. As a result, any triggering of hurt feelings (no matter how silly the origin) is cause for alarm and sometimes even corrective action. It looks and feels compassionate to care excessively about a person’s feelings. However, feelings are just feelings, they aren’t always based on what’s real. It is critical we remember that feelings have never set anyone free from anything but truth sets people free all the time (John 8:32). 

It’s simply a fact: Christians cannot force the culture to be wise, future-focused or God-centered.

That said, when we, as Christ-followers consistently pray for wisdom and discernment and then choose to live out what we say believe God gives His people (us) the ability to lead our friends and neighbors in a better, more life-giving direction. If enough individual people change their thinking the culture changes.

We should all long for that day.

Dealing with the very Real Temptation to Become Bitter-

Lisa M. Price1 Comment

I loathe my very life; therefore, I will give free rein to my complaint and speak out in the bitterness of my soul~ Job 10:1 NIV

 Bitterness is not a subject discussed much in the church.

It ought to be because bitterness is something everyone struggles with at some point in their lives.

 Everyone is tempted to become bitter at some point, because bitterness is simply a byproduct of living in a fallen world. We are all sinners (Romans 3:23, Romans 5:12-14). Sinners universally have a tough time seeing their own issues and faults. Sinners also have a tough time seeing the effect their issues and faults have on others. Because most people, even most Christians, are really just sinful, clueless bumblers. People hurt others, sometimes without even realizing they are doing it. It is true, there are evil people who hurt others intentionally simply because they enjoy hurting people, but in my experience those people are fairly rare. Most folks just stumble around blindly, not realizing how much suffering, trouble and pain they are generating with their actions and choices.

Sigh.

  I have done my time in the pit of bitterness. Thanks to God’s mercy I came out of it with my faith, sanity and love for humanity firmly intact. Through the process of getting free I learned a thing or two about this rather painful subject. Including:  

 Bitterness feels awesome-

 Only a very few excessively sensitive souls become really bitter over stuff that wasn’t a big deal in the first place (Luke 17:1).  As a result, when we wallow around in bitterness it feels AWESOME, at first. Alcohol and bitterness have some weird things in common. Alcohol is a slow-acting poison. As we indulge, the poison begins to work. In the beginning we feel euphoric and awesome. However, if we drink too much for too long that choice can end in sickness, liver failure, brain damage and sometimes even death. Bitterness acts on our spirits in much the same way alcohol acts on our bodies. Because bitterness is almost always the result of a valid hurt, nursing feelings of bitterness is emotionally satisfying and feels great, at least in the beginning.  However, if we do not get a firm handle on our bitter feelings the choice to indulge them inevitably ends in the spiritual and emotional equivalent of acute alcohol poisoning or liver failure. Every analogy breaks down at some point and it is true of this one as well. The biggest difference between alcohol and bitterness is that a little bit of bitterness is never okay and there are no known benefits to bitterness. No one can indulge in a bitter spirit and walk away unscathed because bitterness is far more addictive and damaging than alcohol could ever be.   

 Prevention is the best medicine for bitterness–

 Hebrews 12:15 warns against allowing the sin of bitterness to take root in our lives. The text says:

See to it that no one falls short of the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many.

The “see to it” wording of this verse tells us that the writer believed individuals have some personal responsibility when it comes to the sin of bitterness. There are times when circumstances that produce bitter roots appear out of nowhere and we have zero control over whether or not to allow those situations into our lives. There are also times when we simply cannot walk away from people or circumstances that have the potential to make us bitter. When that happens, our spiritual and moral responsibility is to deal with our feelings before God in a healthy way so that bitterness has no opportunity to take root in our lives.  That being said, there are also times in life when we willingly place ourselves in situations, or refuse to walk away from situations that we know from day one will be fertile ground for bitter roots.  Taking responsibility for ourselves in the area of bitterness means being cautious about which situations we allow ourselves to get into and which situations we choose to stay in (Proverbs 6:1-3).   

 Bitterness is a temptation before it is a sin-

 Bitterness is a choice (Ephesians 4:31). Like all choices, bitterness is not something we fall into like helpless chumps. We are tempted long before the sin overtakes us (1stCorinthians 10:13). Wise, mature Christians are emotionally vigilant, they pay attention to their feelings so that they can avoid getting caught-up in something sinful, like bitterness (1stPeter 5:8).

 Getting free from the sin of bitterness begins with recognizing that wallowing around in bitterness is every bit as sinful as whatever situation caused us to become bitter in the first place. In other words, we must confess our own sin. Then we must forgive the person who sinned against us. A key component of forgiving others is trusting God to deal with the person who sinned against us.  Praying for the person who sinned against us can help us let go of the desire for revenge.  Forgiveness is never easy and is typically a process that takes time. To get free we must take our hurt and pain to God until we are free from the hurt, anger and bitterness.