Category: Lies we believe

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

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

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

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

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

Sigh. 

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

Christians were ready.

But nothing happened. 

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

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

However:

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

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

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

Spiritual knowledge is a use it or lose it proposition-

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

We become contented with spiritual mediocrity-

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

We begin to see this world as our home–

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

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

We become scoffers. 

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

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

There are good things in store for those people.  

Fake Jesus?

Lisa M. Price1 Comment

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

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

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

This is not a bad thing. 

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

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

Now we do it with Jesus. 

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

It does happen, just not very often. 

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

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

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

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

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

Because they have the wrong Jesus. 

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

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

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

Yikes. 

The Bible Story Everyone Loves to Hate-

Lisa M. Price2 Comments

“Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge?”  “Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him? Let him who accuses God answer him!”- Job 38:4 and Job 40:2 NASB

Okay, so. 

There this incident in Scripture people (both Christian and non-Christian) love to question. Frequently, the questioning leads to accusing God of some pretty horrific things, including being a moral monster and a baby killer. Some even claim they just up and quit Christianity because they were so deeply offended by the details of the story.

Yikes. 

God does not need me to defend Him (as if). However. I would like to make a couple of points concerning this passage of Scripture. Then I will give some personal opinions I have developed concerning how modern-day Christians view their relationship with God. 

First the story.  

The incident in question is found in Genesis 22:1-19. It’s the one where God tests Abraham by asking him to sacrifice His son Isaac as an offering. This was a super big deal for a couple of key reasons. First, Abraham loved Isaac a lot, like a lot, a lot. Second, Isaac was a miracle child (his Mom was 90 when he was conceived). Isaac’s existence came about as a result of a promise God made to Abraham and his wife Sarah. And finally, if Isaac had died before having children all the promises God made to Abraham concerning Isaac would be null and void. 

Nevertheless. 

 Abraham obediently packed up a donkey, rounded up Isaac and a couple of trusty servants and headed to Mount Moriah with all the equipment necessary to make a human sacrifice. Just as Abraham gets to the point where he is about plunge the knife into Isaac, an angel of the Lord appears and firmly orders Abraham to abort mission. God then says something key: 

For now, I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.

Then a goat appears in a thicket near Isaac and Abraham. They sacrifice the goat, meet up with the servants and head to Beersheba where Abraham stays. 

The end. 

Well, okay not the end of the whole story but it was the end of the episode.

It’s critical to note Abraham was a really old guy at this point in the Genesis narrative. He was at least 115 and perhaps as old as 125, nor, was Isaac a baby or a toddler or even a little boy. Most scholars believe Isaac was somewhere between 15 and 25. This means Isaac could have jumped off the altar, kicked Abraham’s geriatric butt and put an end to the whole episode if he had been so inclined. 

Apparently, he wasn’t.

Furthermore, the text is clear. This was a test, only a test. No actual humans were sacrificed in the making of this story. God did not permit Abraham to “go there”. Therefore, it is manifestly unjust to accuse God of being a baby killer and a moral monster when there were no babies involved and the monstrous act never actually occurred.  

Also.

The whole notion of fearing God and loving God are inextricably linked in Old Testament times. To love God was to fear Him. No one who claimed to love God treated Him like a bro or a buddy. Nor, did those who claimed to love God question or challenge His authority or goodness. Those who loved God, feared, revered and above all else obeyed Him (Deuteronomy 10:12, Psalm 76:11, Psalm 128:1, Proverbs 1:28-30).  

Period.

Consequently, a reasonable translation of Genesis 22:12 could be: “now I know you really love me because you have not withheld your only son”. 

This matters because it is one of the Old Testament stories intended to point people to Jesus. An Old Testament story that points people to a New Testament truth or to Jesus is called a “typology” or a “foreshadowing”. Just as God knew Abraham really loved Him because He was willing to sacrifice His son for God. We know God really loves us because He sacrificed His son Jesus for us (Hebrews 10:10). When we read the story of Abraham and Isaac we aren’t supposed to scream and yell about what a despicable moral monster God is. Nor, are we supposed to call God a baby-killer on social media or renounce our faith in Jesus (Hebrews 6:4-5). 

That’s just stupid. 

We are supposed to put the puzzle pieces together and rejoice in the fact that our God loves us enough to give His only son for our salvation (John 3:16). 

 In recent years it has become common for Christians to treat God as if He were on the same level as an average Joe. People (even Christians) question God’s wisdom, virtuousness and integrity as if God were just “some guy” rather than the God of the Universe.  

Questions are not wrong. 

However, we ought to recognize our place, watch our tone and check our motives before we fly into drama mode. Are we asking because we genuinely want to increase our understanding of God? Are our questions born out of an earnest desire to learn and grow?  Or, are we simply looking to find fault with God so we can write Him off as a moral monster and move on with our lives unencumbered by His moral directives? 

God is more than capable of withstanding our honest questions. 

I believe with all my heart He has nothing but love and compassion for an honest seeker who just wants to know and understand. However, acting as if we know more than or are morally superior to God is just dumb and dangerously sinful.

How we all Live out our Theology-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

As he thinks in his heart, so is he- Proverbs 23:7a NKJV

A practical definition of theology is: 

Theology is the framework people use for understanding God and how God relates to all areas of life.

Here’s the thing:

All people, (atheist, Christian, agnostic, heathen, pagan, Buddhist, whatever) have a theology.

Literally. All people.

Theology isn’t just for monotheistic Jews, Muslims and Christians. Even when a person believes nothing about God they still believe something about God.  Unbelief in God, just like belief in God, swiftly becomes a framework for understanding the world and how it works. Christians, agnostics, atheists, pagans and humanists all believe something about God. It might be the wrong thing, theology does not have to be good to be theology. Because ideas and beliefs have consequences, we all live out our theology (good or bad) in our day-to-day lives.  

Here’s what I mean:

A Christian who believes consciously or subconsciously that God rewards good works and righteous behavior with tangible blessings like a big fat bank accounts, well behaved children, good health or the perfect marriage will (consciously or subconsciously) endeavor to use their good behavior to manipulate God into blessing them with whatever their desire happens to be. This will result in a whole lot of attention being placed on outward behavior rather than on the heart. The ultimate outcome of prosperity gospel theology is always disillusionment because it is a belief system not rooted in Scripture (John 16:33, Matthew 13:21, Acts 14:21, 2nd Corinthians 6:4-5, 1st Peter1:6). A Christian with this theology will ultimately become angry with God when they don’t get whatever earthly reward they feel they are entitled to. This often leads to licentious living because the believer figures “if God’s not going to do His part, and reward me for my goodness I might as well live it up and party on”.

Sigh.

Someone who adopts a theology that rejects belief in original sin will ultimately end up with a soft spot for lawbreakers and delinquents (Psalm 36:1-4, Psalm 51:5, Romans 1:18-32, Romans 7:18-25). Most of these social justice warriors will work their tails off to create a system that goes easy on thieves and bad guys. Rejecting original sin leads well-meaning but wrong-headed people to believe crime is always the fault of someone besides the criminal. These soft-hearted but shallow thinkers will blame poverty, bad parenting, lack of quality education and society at large rather than the law-breaker for their law-breaking ways. Our upbringing does shape us, but at the end of the day (metaphorically speaking) people have freewill and make choices (Joshua 24:15, Ephesians 4:26, 1st Peter 4:3-5).

Anyone who believes God will not allow Christians to suffer or go through difficult situations will become cynical and disillusioned when suffering, hardship or persecution becomes a reality in their lives. And it always does. Because this brand of bad theology always leads to disappointment with God it is the number one reason Christians drop out of church, deconstruct their faith and turn their backs on Jesus. 

A Christian who believes Christians don’t have to do anything to become holy will never mature in Christ because they will shun proper Christian behavior as “works theology” (Philippians 2:12, Romans 1:7, Ephesians 5:3, 1st Thessalonians 4:3-8). Sadly, this choice will leave them ineffective and unproductive as Christians (2nd Peter 1:3-11)

Conversely, right theology leads to right thinking, and right thinking always leads to right behavior. Knowing trials, difficulty and hardship are tools God uses to mold us into the image of Jesus causes us to rejoice (more-or-less) in the midst of our trials (James 1:2-4, 1st Peter 1:6). Understanding the reality of original sin and how it effects people gives us insight into the behavior of others. It doesn’t preclude anyone one from having compassion for the sinner but it does help us understand that people make choices about what they do. Understanding that holiness is more than a gift we are given at salvation empowers us to become all God created us to be.  

Understanding how our theology is impacting us is helpful because it gives us a framework to understand why we are responding to God the way we are. It helps us answer questions like:

Why do I despair and believe God hates me when the going gets tough?

Why do I struggle with so many sinful strongholds?

Why am I angry all the time? 

Why do I blame other people (parents, co-workers, spouse) for MY choices and negative feelings about life?

At the root of every one of the above problems is bad theology of some sort.

Understanding the theology motivating us also helps us to flesh out our own motivations and understand the root cause things like chronic sin, wrong thinking and the weird reactions we have to certain situations. Understanding why we do what we do is the first step in changing our thinking, reactions and behavior. When spiritual understanding is combined with a repentant heart God is glorified and the world is blessed because we cannot help but grow into the image of Jesus (1st Corinthians 3:18). 

Understanding that even unbelievers have some form of theology opens the door for intelligent conversations about how a person’s underlying belief system is motivating their thinking about all sorts of issues.  Anytime we can have an intelligent conversation with a non-Christian we have a pretty good shot at making some spiritual inroads with them. Spiritual inroads are always a win.

Theology is not just for geeky old guys.

 Theology is something we all have whether we realize it or not, so we should all put some real effort into making sure what we believe about God lines up with what God says about Himself in His word.

Satan’s Diary- Christmas 2023

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

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

Dearest Diary,

Truth-be-told it’s a bit dreary in hell these days.  

I have no words for how much I despise the entire Christmas season. None. I literally loathe it. Literally. Every single day of this dismal season is worse than the last. I feel perfectly ghastly from November 25th to January 6th.  Every miniscule aspect of this blasted holiday is just so nauseating and counterproductive for me. The carols, the joy, the community, the Christmas Eve services, the Nativity scenes, the people doing good and reevaluating their self-centeredness and narcissism. 

It’s just so DEPRESSING. 

I have done everything in my power to commercialize Christmas and marginalize the Christ child. I have fought to obscure the meaning of Christmas and keep those silly humans fixated on frivolous inconsequential idiocy such as gift exchanges, cookies, snowmen and Santa. To my credit, I have experienced a measure of success. Few people these days even think about Jesus anymore, even at Christmas. Nonetheless, I have yet to realize complete victory. DRAT! Christmas is still the one time of year when even some heathens pause to ponder God becoming flesh and dwelling among men. 

Insert retching sounds here. 

Nevertheless. All is not lost.  I must focus on the positive to get through this vile season. I know can do this. After all, I am Satan. I just need to work on my self-talk, then everything will fall into place and I will be my old self in no time. 

Okay, so here goes:

People are becoming more vicious all the time. Some are shamelessly feral.  I do like that. The moral fabric of western society is fraying. Which is super good news.  Without a foundation of Judeo-Christian values, it is becoming more and more difficult for people to keep their worst impulses in check. There are those who have convinced themselves it is heroic to become physically violent with those they disagree with. Others are simply so uncivilized they fully enjoy harming their fellow man. I do like that. The ridiculous propaganda I have pushed relentlessly has finally paid off. I have been telling people for centuries it is wholesome and healthy for everyone to be their most “authentic selves”. Thanks to my leadership and the help of pop-psychologists few realize their most authentic self is really just the darkest part of their sin nature. 

This is good. I feel better already.

There is a movement afoot to aid anti-Jewish terrorist organizations. Thanks to my stellar efforts public schools quit teaching history long ago. No one teaches current events anymore. Poorly informed morons are duped by shallow, silly, emotional appeals to support groups bent on the west’s destruction. People fall all over themselves to support groups that despise their very way of life and every value they hold dear. It’s a beautiful thing. The terrorists would cheerfully kill every single one of those protesting on their behalf and the pseudo-intellectual activists are too stupid to realize it. 

SO GOOD.

However, I’m just getting to the best part: it is the presidential political season in America again. There are some who have become so disgusted with the whole bloody mess they have dropped out of politics altogether. They don’t even vote. The majority are Christians and I really like them. Those fools haven’t figured out that refusing to vote in a fallen world is a vote for evil. I just love ignorance and moral smugness over bad choices. 

Then there are those who have (thanks to my efforts) made politics their religion. Those idiots want all of the benefits of living in a Christian world without God. I love them. They are all just so wonderfully well-intentioned and delightfully deceived.  They think freeing criminals will make crime go away, legalizing drugs will eliminate addiction and abortion will ensure no child will ever have an unhappy upbringing. But by far my favorite kind of person are those who believe that if they can just get the “right” person elected everything will snap back into place again. Morality will return, the economy will make a comeback and all the evil in the world will vanish into thin air if the “right person” gets elected.

Ha. As. If. 

These fools fail to understand that the God of the Bible CANNOT and WILL NOT bless the mess they have made with their sinful foolishness. More than half of the voters would rather have legal abortion and “gender affirming” surgeries for children than a politician who champions sound economic policies. It’s reflected in their votes. A nominee who is staunchly pro-life who espouses sound economic policies will have a tough time getting elected even in many conservative areas. This is because most Americans want unfettered access to abortion more than they want economic security. LOL. It’s not as if economic security is a deeply spiritual aspiration. It’s basic and fleshly. 

Even many Christians have yet to figure out that the God they serve will never bless a nation where more than half the people choose abortion as their highest value. 

It’s just not done!

Even if by some miracle they get the person they think they want God will not bless that person’s leadership until the majority gets their priorities in alignment with the Bible. The whole stupid country is doomed unless there is a massive movement of repentance. Ha ha! However, most Christians are not praying for a movement of repentance they are praying for a human leader to get them out the mess they made. 

I love it!  

Well diary. I do feel better. It may be Christmas but all is not lost. As long as I can keep them from repenting and praying for repentance everything will continue to devolve right on schedule. 

Yours,

Satan

Nope. The God of the Universe does not owe you a Detailed Explanation for Every Little Thing- Period

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he left, not knowing where he was going. By faith he lived as a stranger in the land of promise, as in a foreign land- Hebrews 11:8-9a NASB

I have observed a rather troubling trend in Church world. 

Let’s say Joe or Jane Christian does not understand a doctrine—or they don’t grasp all the motivations and/or reasons for an instruction given by God. Even just a few years ago Joe or Jane would have said to themselves: “Well, God is God and I’m not. I will obey God even though I don’t get it”. Times have changed. These days Joe or Jane Christian will most likely ignore anything he or she does not completely understand. Sometimes Joe or Jane will even blame God for their disobedience because He didn’t do an adequate job explaining the reasons for the command or doctrine in the Bible. 

This is not good Joe and Jane. 

Far too many Christians have determined it is perfectly okay to completely ignore God if they “don’t get it”. I belong to a couple of online apologetics groups. The members are (for the most part) Christians who routinely study God’s word and have desire to help other people understand the Bible. All-in-all I would say the vast majority of these people take their faith a bit more seriously than the average church-goer. However, even in these groups there are Christians who have decided that if they don’t understand all the ins-and-outs of a particular doctrine (the trinity, tithing, sexual ethics, etc.) they can just throw that issue out the window and do their own thing regardless of whether or not Scripture supports their decisions (Judges 21:25).

This is real. 

Creationism is a prime example. Because we live in a culture where Darwinism has been more-or-less accepted as fact by the masses, many Christians have niggling questions about creationism. Rather than accept what God says as fact or do some digging into the subject, some have simply decided because God did not do an adequate job (in their opinion) of clarifying how He created the world they are going to go ahead and accept the evolutionist viewpoint. 

What? 

Pretty much all the commands concerning sexuality are another area where Christians tend to question God’s judgement. We live in a world where the rallying cry of the masses is “love is love” and “you can’t judge me”.  Many Christians do not understand why God would take such a hard line on homosexuality, sex before marriage and adultery. Some reason because God does not explain His “no” well enough in the Bible it is perfectly okay to throw out the biblical standards because those standards do not line up with popular culture or their feelings. 

Again, what? 

Sigh. 

In Luke 18:8 Jesus asks a question:  

When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” 

I cannot help but wonder if this is at least part of what Jesus was talking about. The insistence we have to understand everything about God before we obey God is without question, a serious sin of our age. It is also an underlying indicator of unbelief. It is already impacting our power to evangelize. The results of obedience to God’s commands always bring blessing and (usually) a more successful outcome. When non-Christians see Christianity working it makes them curious about God. If Christians only obey the itty-bit they understand non-Christians see very little obedience and have zero curiosity about Jesus.

So, a couple of things: 

First of all, “faith without works is dead” (James 2:20-26) One of the “works” every single Christian is called to is to obey God in faith without completely understanding all the reasons why we are supposed to obey (1st Samuel 15:22, Deuteronomy 5:33, John 14:23-24, 2nd John 1:6) . It’s faith that pleases God—not picture-perfect understanding of every issue under the sun (Hebrews 11:6). 

Seriously. 

Second, no human, this side of heaven will ever have a complete understanding of God’s commands. We are simply not on the same level as God (Isaiah 55:8). Even being made in God’s image, humans differ from God in significant ways (Genesis 1:27). Our understanding of God, His logic and His choices is probably on about the same level as a dog’s understanding of a human’s logic and choices. It would be insane for me to be okay with my dog peeing wherever he wants to pee just because he doesn’t understand why I don’t want him to pee on my curtains. I have rules and boundaries around my dog’s pee-pee routines because I understand the chaos (and stench) it will create if I allow him to pee willy-nilly. My dog’s understanding of the issue really is irrelevant, and so is ours. Faith dictates we accept as fact the hard reality God knows more than we do about everything. Period. 

And finally, 

The more a person chooses to disobey God (whatever the reason why) the less they care about obeying Him. Every. Single. Time. When we willfully disregard God on any issue we make it harder on ourselves to hear His voice or care the things He cares about (Romans 1:18-23, Hebrews 5:11-14). Rebellion always hardens our hearts and makes us obstinate, willful and spiritually dull (Ephesians 4:17-24, Hebrews 3:7-15, Hebrews 4:7). No one who knows Jesus wants that. So, it just makes sense to remember God doesn’t owe us an explanation for every little thing and just obey already. 

Is it Selfish to have Children?

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

You have set your glory in the heavens.Through the praise of children and infants
    you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger- Psalm 8:1b-2 NIV

In recent weeks I have come across a shocking number articles all with a shared theme. Each one features women and/or men who have either: 

  1. Chosen not to have children. These folks universally feel really awesome about their decision and think everyone should do the same.

Or 

  • Chosen to have children and wish they hadn’t.

These articles are not a once-in-a-blue-moon occurrence. Hardly a day goes by when I don’t see a testimonial from someone who either wishes they had never had children or someone who is thrilled beyond words to be childless. Statistics prove this is not a figment of my fevered imagination. In 2021 the birthrate fell by five percentage points to the lowest in a century. The birthrate continued to drop in 2022. The 2023 birthrate appears to be on track for another drop.

There are a couple of things that trouble me about the “I wish I had never had children articles”.  First, our willingness as a society to allow these articles to be published reveals a disquieting approval of both callous and narcissistic behavior.  I, for one, cannot imagine the deep personal trauma I would have experienced if I had just happened to find an article written by my mother explaining to the world that giving birth to me was her supreme regret in life.

I am not extraordinarily sensitive to feel this way.

In a culture obsessed with personal trauma, one would think there would be an understanding that these feelings (as real and valid as they may be) should never be made public or spoken of within earshot of the child. Period. 

The “kids are terrible” trend is worrisome because, parenthood is an onramp to maturity that causes human beings to think deeply about issues outside themselves. When someone becomes a parent, all of a sudden they begin to think a great deal about how their beliefs, political views, relational interactions and spending habits will affect future generations. I cannot help but wonder: if a majority are no longer having children will most of society stay stuck in a state of perpetual adolescence? Will enough people be capable of thinking about future generations to keep society from spiraling out of control? Seriously. This is real stuff we should think about. 

I get that there are some practical reasons for this trend. 

The economy is terrible. Life is far more expensive than at any point in my lifetime. Many large corporations have become greedy (James 5:4, Malachi 3:5). They are cutting employees and expecting the ones they keep around to work harder and smarter for less money and fewer benefits. Inflation has made it nearly impossible for a family to survive on one income. The cost of housing in many areas makes it difficult to survive on even a “decent” salary. 

Those issues combined with higher societal expectations about what constitutes “being comfortable” and “financial stability” has made childlessness more attractive to many people. Others have delayed marriage to focus on educational and career goals, or because they have struggled to find a suitable partner. all this ignores the reality that there is without question an expiration date on female fertility. Postponing childbearing will mean childlessness for some people. Additionally, people have become much more self-focused. Taking care of the needs of others and acting selflessly are thought to be at best, a bit silly, and at worst a sign of mental illness. Self-care, me-time and cutting toxic people out of our lives are believed to be the apex of good emotional health. Unfortunately, kids (especially young kids) are naturally kind of toxic (Proverbs 24:15, Proverbs 29:15). Furthermore, me-time is in short supply in the early years of childhood. In a civilization where selfishness is thought to be a virtue a falling birthrate is almost inevitable. 

 Then there are the spiritual reasons for this trend. 

Christianity teaches every human life is sacred. Humans, regardless of age, social status or physical health are to be cherished and cared for because human beings are made in the image of God. Without the imago deo life is only sacred if we want it to be sacred.  Without the imago deo all of a sudden “being human” can be a terrible thing. After all, humans are draining, they use resources and sometimes they just kind of suck. This reality makes procreation a selfish act rather than obedience to the command to “be fruitful and increase in number” (Genesis 1:28). As a result, the earth becomes more important than the people on it. One of the weirder consequences of this belief system is the insistence humans do dehumanizing things in order to atone for their humanness. This is one reason why there is a demand for people to live in smaller, less comfortable conditions and eat bugs. Many believe humans are bad. Therefore, humans should be punished for being human.  Humans should live in cramped apartments, never experience the joy of parenthood, feast on creepy-crawlies and be happy about it.

Unfortunately, the anti-kid movement will only worsen the condition of our world. It will make people more selfish, less future focused and increase depression. Christians can help change this trend by celebrating children, making family a priority and flat refusing to jump on the “kids are bad” bandwagon. As we choose to live obediently to Scripture the world will see a quality of life in Christianity that will make them thirst for “The Living Water” (John 4:1-24) and giver of life.

What is Christian Freedom and how Should we use it?

Lisa M. Price4 Comments

  “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor- 1st Corinthians 10:23-24 RSV 

What is Christian freedom exactly? 

The average American tends to see the whole concept of freedom as the God-given right to do what we want to do when we want to do it. For modern people freedom means making our own rules and forging our own path in this world unencumbered by tyranny and oppression.

Truth-be-told that definition is relatively squishy.

As a result, we all get to decide for ourselves what is and is not tyrannical and oppressive. Most of us (myself included) tend to define anything we don’t like or want to do as tyrannical and oppressive. 

When the word freedom is preceded by the word Christian all of a sudden freedom becomes even less cut and dried. Anyone walking in step with the Holy Spirit knows deep down inside, Christianity was never intended to be an “anything goes” kind of a deal. Christians are commanded to live a life of holiness (1st Peter 1:16). God’s definition of holiness inevitably places constraints on what we do and don’t do (Colossians 3:1-14, Hebrews 12:14, James 1:21, 2nd Corinthians 7:1, Ephesians 5:3). 

However,

It’s also true, Christianity was never intended to be a straight-jacket of legalistic does and don’ts. Freedom is critical to Christianity because without it all the joy, beauty and fun of being in relationship with the living God is sucked out of the Christian experience. We are left with a cold, powerless religious shell that is unpleasant for everyone. 

BUT.

 It’s also critical we understand legalism rarely happens in a vacuum.  Oftentimes legalism is a reaction to a Romans 6:1 approach some believers take towards sin and grace. There are Christians who sincerely believe sin is no big deal because God’s grace will cover it no matter what. 

Sigh.  

How we parse this one out matters.

A lot. 

It matters because how we choose to use (or abuse) our Christian freedom will determine how we live. How we live will determine whether or not we make a positive impact or a negative impact on our little corner of the world. The footprint we leave on this world ultimately determines how much or how little we please the Lord and how many people we take to heaven with us (Matthew 25:14-30, 1st Peter 1:15-16, Jude 22-23, 2nd Timothy 4:1-3). 

Truth-be-told Christians are healthiest, happiest, wisest and most winsome when we focus more on what we can and should do rather than what we do and don’t do. Paul says it like this: 

I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive- 1st Corinthians 10:23

Christians CAN do anything. We can sin. We can lie. We can skirt the edges of morality.  We can treat people like garbage. We can look at porn. We can go against every bit of wisdom found in the Bible concerning relationships. We can behave like absolute idiots. We can run our perfectly good lives into the dirt if we want to. If stupidity and bad choices are our jam we have the freedom to pursue that course of action with our whole heart and soul. God will be disappointed but He will not put up a bunch of roadblocks. We might get a warning from a friend, hear a sermon that convicts or read a scripture that stings. We will feel guilty for a season but eventually our consciences will simmer down and we will feel perfectly fine with our choices. As much as God loves us and wants the best for us He will not stop us from doing what we want to do because He’s a gentleman and we have been gifted with freewill.  

Freewill means freedom. 

BUT.

When Christians choose willful sin there are consequences and none of them are pleasant or life-giving. We can do anything. However, every single one of the things we can do but shouldn’t do will create pain for ourselves and the people around us. Those things will create bondage and spiritual strongholds. And, truth-be-told a stronghold created by Christian’s willful, premeditated sin is ALWAYS much harder to break. A non-Christian who sins out of ignorance and later repents will have a much easier time getting free of whatever stronghold was created by their sin. Its critical New Testament believers understand there was no sacrifice in the Old Testament for intentional, premeditated sin (Leviticus 4:2-24, Leviticus 5:15-18, Numbers 15:22-28). Like the Israelites, Christians live in a conventual relationship with God (Luke 22:20, Hebrews 8:6-8, Hebrews 9:15). One key difference between the Old and the New Covenant is the New Covenant designed to remove the power sin has over us, the Old Covenant could only cover the guilt of sin. Christians are not slaves to sin (Romans 6:6-22). Purposefully sinning in a conventual relationship expressly created to remove the power sin has over us is stupid. 

Stupid has consequences. 

Paul says this about Christians and willful sin:

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery- Galatians 5:1

The truly beautiful thing about being “in Christ” is that we have the freedom NOT to sin. We can choose to say “no” and avoid the pain and misery of sin by choosing to do what we should do with our lives (2nd Peter 1:5-9, Colossians 3:1-17, Ephesians 4:1-32)

Satan’s Diary- Fall Quarter 2023

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

In the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation”- 2nd Peter 3:3-4 NIV

Dearest Diary,

As the kids like to say: “it’s been a minute” since I updated you of my progress, but to be perfectly honest, I haven’t been this busy in two millennia.

Seriously. 

Life has never been more productive for me on this silly, stupid, little planet. Most of the human race has lost their moral compass and their minds, in that order. I, for one, could not be more pleased. 

My mission is to lead people as far from God and abundant life as possible. I do this by assisting humans in creating a hell for themselves through their own stupid, sinful choices. Then I find fun and creative ways to turn them away from God so they will never be forgiven and spend eternity in actual hell.

 Business is booming! BOOMING!

Thanks to parents who refuse to correct their children or tell them “no” the whole planet is swarming with creatures’ psychologists have dubbed narcissists.  Narcissists are my kind of people. Narcissist is really just a fancy-Nancy word for a person who loves themselves with wild abandon. A narcissist will place their own ambitions and pleasures above everyone and everything. Narcissists come in all shapes and sizes but the one thing they all have in common is they worship themselves as an idol. 

It’s lovely really. 

It has become fashionable among humans to be entirely self-focused and proud of their selfishness. Psychologists are quick to assure folks that selfishness is good for one’s mental health!  One rather beautiful way this plays itself out is in an obsession with the toxicity of others. If one of those stupid little demi-gods feels someone is toxic then they are OUT. It does not matter who it is. It could be a life-long friend, a parent, an acquaintance, or even their own child. If a person is categorized as toxic, for any reason, they are gone. I have never seen anything like it. It’s beautiful. The thing I love most is “toxicity” is one-hundred-percent subjective. A person can be labeled “toxic” for literally any reason. Disagree over politics: toxic! Invite an adult child to one too many family events: toxic! Argue with me over anything, no matter how stupid or trivial: toxic! Try too hard to be helpful: toxic! Behave in a way I decide is controlling: toxic! Don’t ask my opinion about something: toxic! Tell me “no”: TOXIC! Choose a bad restaurant: toxic! Dislike my favorite stuff: toxic! Do something culturally inappropriate, even accidentally: toxic! Don’t do exactly what I tell you to do: toxic! Make a judgment about sexuality or any other moral issue: toxic! 

LOVE IT! 

This crazy emphasis on toxicity has caused people to ditch anyone who does not affirm every single choice they make or anyone who does not make them happy all the time. After all, when you are your own little idol you shouldn’t have to put up with anything or anyone you do not really love.  This obsession with cutting people out effectively prevents individuals from growing emotionally. Because they never participate in relationships that stretch them or require them to give more than they take. 

Adults remain emotional children indefinitely! 

They never have to work anything out or compromise in any way. So BEAUTIFUL! They just go “low contact” or “no contact” and that’s the end of that relationship! Even Christians do this! It’s not at all unusual for “Christians” to cut their parents or friends or pastor out of their lives simply for not doing or saying exactly what they want. It’s like these “Christians” have completely forgotten the Bible tells them to: 

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

I KNOW THE BIBLE BETTER THAN THEY DO!  

SO GOOD!

Personal-autonomy run amok has led to the most senseless public policies imaginable. Governments allow very young children to undergo barbaric medical procedures that mutilate their sex organs and destroy their fertility because the little tikes believe they may be the opposite gender. Imagine that!  Kids some no older than four or five being allowed to mutilate their perfectly healthy bodies over something as fleeting as a feeling? It’s beautiful. I suspect transgenderism will be the gift that keeps on giving for me. Those kids will either grow up entirely without hope and turn to drugs or alcohol to cope or they will grow up angry at the idiots who allowed their fertility to be stolen from them. Maybe both? Who knows! 

There’s more!

Everyone is encouraged to do what feels good and judgment has become the unpardonable sin. As a result, drugs have infested the planet.  I simply adore drug use. It’s just so dang degrading. The addicts live out their lives like miserable little zombies. They spend their time getting high, until they overdose, then someone comes along and revives them with Narcan. Then the whole wretched process starts all over again. Like the movie Groundhog Day with degradation and near-death experiences!  

 So GOOD!

The worship of self is the most spiritually dangerous thing in the world and it’s the most prevalent form of religious expression today! 

LOVE.  

Christians could help by choosing to model Christ-like selflessness (insert gagging sounds here). Though, I have observed a good many of them of them are just as caught up in self-absorption as their unsaved counterparts. Adult Christians cut their parents out of their lives almost as often as unsaved adult children. Friendships end over trivial matters all the time. Thankfully, many pastors have become more like influencers than spiritual leaders or moral guides. Many go out of their way to avoid being offense. It’s beautiful! After all, the gospel is inherently offensive. The one prerequisite of salvation is sinners must admit their sin and their own inherent goodness. It’s why those losers need Jesus.  

Any-hoo I digress. 

Time is short. I must be going.  There are some humans I simply must get focused on themselves and their feelings. Little do those fools know: anytime they worship themselves they give ME glory! 

Regards,

Satan

Are God’s Blessing Something we Should Expect just Because We’re Christians?

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god.  They will receive blessing from the Lord and vindication from God their Savior- Psalm 24:4-5 NIV 

Recently, I attended a large multi-church gathering where we sang The Blessing by Kari Jobe. The Blessing is a lovely song. Most of the lyrics are taken directly from the priestly blessing given to Moses in Numbers 6:22-26. It’s a song that tends to hit in a very emotional way, especially in a large gathering. We all want God’s blessing for ourselves and the people we love, and our Christian culture teaches us to simply expect God’s blessings. 

But should we?  

 Ever since that service I have wrestled with questions concerning God’s blessing. Some of those questions include: 

Should Christians automatically expect to be blessed by God?  

What do God’s blessings look like? 

Are there strings attached to God’s blessings?  

How do we position ourselves to receive God’s blessing? 

After some thinking and praying and digging through Scripture, I still don’t know if I’m any closer to having all the answers. However, I do have some thoughts on the subject.  

Okay, so. 

Relationship with God is the big win in the hierarchy of blessings. If a person has that they are already ahead of the game. The mere notion that the almighty, all-knowing, maker of heaven and earth would want a friendship with a mere mortal is, well, mind blowing and super cool (Acts 2:38-39, Romans 5:8, James 2:23, Psalm 25:14).  

 So. It’s reasonable to assume anyone who has a relationship with God is blessed by God simply by nature of their relationship with God. Knowing one’s eternal destiny is secure is a very big deal and huge blessing. But, what about the other stuff? Does God shower blessings on certain people for particular reasons? Are all the other blessings a given because we are Christians? 

 Before we go there I think its super helpful to define what a “blessing” is and isn’t.  

Most of us tend to define blessings purely in materialistic terms.  However, the Bible teaches blessings are about more than just stuff. After all, here are oodles of godless heathens who get lucky and or make wise choices with their life and finances. As a result, sometimes godless heathens end up with an abundance of possessions and really big bank accounts. There is zero evidence anywhere in the Bible God blesses godless heathens in a special way. So, it’s safe to assume the number of homes a person owns or the size of their personal bank account are not necessarily an indicator of God’s favor. However, those things can be a sign of smart choices.  

The greatest blessings in life have little to do with an abundance of cash or material possessions. Once our basic physical needs for food and shelter are met the most important things in life are a healthy family, a clean conscience, personal safety, inner peace, joy, rest from striving and meaningful friendships (Psalm 29:11, Psalm 127:4-5, Proverbs 17:17, Proverbs 18:24, Psalm 24;3-5, Hebrews 9:14.

 Here’s the thing though: 

 God does not dump that goody bag of blessings in a person’s lap just because they happen to be one of His own. In both the Old and New Testaments God’s blessings are almost always conditional (Matthew 3:10, Matthew 7:19, Luke 6:35-38, Romans 2:6-8, Galatians 6:7-10). Anytime the Bible gives a do this get that formula, God is placing a condition on receiving the blessing (Leviticus 26:1-46, Exodus 19:5, Philippians 4:4-9). There are a too many of those formulas in the Bible to dismiss out of hand.  

  In Hebrews chapter six the writer gives this short parable about two different kinds of land that’s really just a metaphor for people and how different kinds of people respond to God. Context matters a great deal in this passage. The parable immediately follows a long and rather chilling discourse encouraging Christians to stop sinning, mature in Christ and make the most of their salvation (Hebrews 5:11-6:6).  The writer concludes the teaching by saying there is a kind of land (person) who takes in what God provides and produces a crop. That land (person) is blessed by God with all the things that really matter (peace, a clean conscience, joy, etc.). The other type of land gets all the same stuff as the neighboring land but produces nothing but thorns, thistles and trouble. That land is destined to be burned (John 14:23, 1 Peter 4:17, 1st Corinthians 5:9-11).  

Yikes.  

Thankfully. The writer of Hebrews is supremely confident there are much better things are in store for God’s people than trouble, pain and an absence of blessing (Hebrews 6:9-11). Getting those better things depends entirely on how we choose to position ourselves. God loves His people. A lot. If we have placed our faith in Jesus we have the blessing of salvation and that’s a very good thing and a big deal. The other blessings (joy, peace, freedom from striving, a clean conscience, etc.) come as a result of obedience to Jesus.    

It’s not difficult to position ourselves for blessing (Matthew 11:30, 1st John 5:3). God is not a giant meanie who requires perfection from His followers. All it takes to get the good things in life: peace, joy, a clean conscience and healthy relationships is a heart turned toward God, a willingness to confess sin and desire to be obedient to our calling as Christians. 

If we do those things God will bless us in abundance.