Category: Spiritual Growth

The Blessings of Obedience-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

 If you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation- Exodus 19:5-6a NIV 

Obedience is generally associated with things normal people despise. Icky, gross things like restrictions, correction and disapproval. Because people tend to view the whole concept of obedience negatively, there is also a tendency to view God (who requires obedience) as a giant cosmic meanie. It is not uncommon for people to believe God sits up in heaven looking for those who step out of line so He can send calamity and punishment on anyone who refuses to do what He says. 

However.

Obedience comes with blessings. Lots of them. Contrary to popular belief God is not a meanie and He’s not all about the negative.  God is good, gracious, compassionate and forgiving (Exodus 34:5-7, Jonah 4:2, Isaiah 43:25, John 3:16, Titus 3:3-5, 1st John 1:9). Because God is good and because He knows goodness is hard for us, He has built blessing into obedience and every act of personal sacrifice. This does not mean we will be blessed with an endless stream of money and stuff simply because we choose to obey God rather than live in rebellion to Him.  Money and material possessions are not the best things in life. Following are just a few of the benefits and blessings we receive when we choose to obey God. 

More of our prayers are answered in the affirmative-

When we walk in obedience we are more in tune with God. As a result, we are much more likely to pray in accordance with God’s will. Anytime we pray God’s will for ourselves and others it always leads to more answered prayer (1st John 5:14). Obedience also gives us favor with God. God’s favor causes Him to be more attentive to our prayers (Psalm 17:1-3, 1st Peter 3:12, Nehemiah 1:11, Leviticus 26:1-13, Psalm 5:12, Proverbs 3:3-4). 

The Holy Spirit functions as He was intended to function in our lives-

The Holy Spirit has many functions in the life of a Christian. He comforts in times of trouble. He advocates on our behalf and He convicts us of sin and teaches us truth (1st John 2:1, John 14:15-16). But perhaps the most critical function of Holy Spirit is to act as a guide (John 16:13, Galatians 6:15). When we are walking in the Spirit the Holy Spirit shows us what to do and how do it (John 14:26). He protects us from getting into situations that could cause us harm and He guides into deeper wisdom and discernment (1st Corinthians 2:13). Habitual obedience creates an environment where the Holy Spirit can function in our lives at full capacity. This empowers us to know more and do more than we ever could on our own. 

We see around corners- 

Well, not literally. Obeying God will not give you superpowers or dramatically improve your eyesight. However, obedience leads to the blessing of wisdom (Proverbs 2:6-8). Wisdom is awesome. Wisdom empowers us to predict outcomes with astonishing accuracy, which is almost as good as seeing around a corner. Wisdom also helps us to live longer, keeps us out of harmful situations. Wisdom protects us from evil, allows us understand the times we live in and helps us to discern truth from error (Proverbs 2:12, Proverbs 3:13-17, Proverbs 9:11, Proverbs 8:12, Proverbs 24:14). All told, wisdom is almost as good as super powers. 

Our relationships are healthier-

When we walk in obedience to God we treat people with grace, dignity and kindness. Loving people well and treating them with consideration is a critical aspect of obedience (Matthew 7:12, Hebrews 13:16, Ephesians 4:32), because we reap what we sow this (usually) causes others to treat us better too. All this reciprocal goodness automatically leads to greater health in our closest relationships and greater personal satisfaction in those relationships.

God looks out for us- 

In one of my favorite books/movies of all time, The Count of Monte Cristo, there is a scene where the count finds himself in a situation that could easily have been the end of him. However, disaster is miraculously diverted at the last second. His servant says to him: “once again God has seen you out of the corner of His eye”. This perfectly describes what happens when we are walking in God’s favor. He sees us and most of the time He makes our path just a little bit smoother than it would have been (Proverbs 3:6). 

We want the right things- 

The human appetite leans towards all the wrong things in the natural as well as the spiritual. We want nutrition-less junk food to eat and horrible entertainment to feast our minds on. This natural inclination towards the unhealthy also makes us more prone to sin and shady choices. Sin and shady choices have never led to blessing of any kind.  However, when we walk in obedience our appetite for sin is decreased and our desire for God’s word is increased. This leads to more obedience and more obedience always leads to more blessing (Deuteronomy 28:1-14). 

Obedience is hard for humans, even redeemed humans, because at its core obedience is letting go of pride and self-will and submitting the will of another.  Fallen, sinful people universally want to be free agents and do their own thing. Because God is good and He gets us, God has graciously seen to it that consistent obedience has big rewards. Those rewards far outweigh the pain that comes with submitting our will to God.

The Hard Consequences of Refusing to Obey-

Lisa M. Price4 Comments

Thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were entrusted, and after being freed from sin, you became slaves to righteousness- Romans 6:17-18 NASB

I have observed there are a whole slew of words that irritate the decency out of most people. Just having one of those words aimed our way is like the sound of nails on a chalkboard. It generates immediate discomfort and sometimes even provokes a visceral response.  

Those words are:

Submit   

Surrender

Concede

Capitulate

Acquiesce 

Comply 

Conform 

Oddly enough, all the icky words are simply synonyms for the ickiest word of them all: obey.  No one likes to obey other people.  Most don’t even want to obey God (Isaiah 24:20). I am convinced most people don’t reject God because they cannot find evidence for His existence. Most reject God (and use lack of evidence as their excuse) because deep down they simply don’t want to obey God (1st Samuel 15:23, Isaiah 59:12-14) Even most Christians have an aversion to the whole idea of NOT being in complete control of every situation. Choosing to obey anyone— including God means giving up a measure of control because obedience is ultimately acquiescing to the will and authority of another. I get why nobody likes it. I am not a fan of any of those words either. 

However, 

I have learned (mostly the hard way) that when Christians refuse to obey God in any area of their life there are always some super unpleasant unintended consequences (1st Peter 2:8, Hebrews 3:12-19). I have also learned (mostly the hard way) that all (yes all) of God’s commands are for our protection. When we refuse to obey God, we are willfully refusing God’s protection. The unintended consequences of disobedience include but are not limited to:

We feel the full weight of every mistake and misstep-  

Human beings are by nature, prone to all sorts of weird errors. Those mistakes can and often do lead to all sorts of individual, relational, professional and church-related disasters. One of the greatest benefits of obeying God is the extra measure of grace we are given when it comes to the missteps and blunders of life (Hebrews 4:16). God will not bless sin. As a result, when we walk in sin or refuse to repent of a known sin we miss out on the blessing of the Lord. Practically speaking, this means we get to feel the full impact of our own foolishness. Every. Single. Time. Conversely, obedience protects us from the full effects of what could have been a painful, life-altering blunder. 

The voice of the Lord becomes muffled- 

No one is born into this world wise, discerning, prudent or able to make good decisions and avoid the pitfalls of life. In order for use to do or become any of those things we must hear the voice of God speaking to us (John 10:27). God speaks to His people through a still small voice, the Bible, the circumstances of life and wise people (Proverbs 1:7, Proverbs 2:1-8, 1st Kings 19:11-13, Psalm 119:105, Proverbs 13:20). Every time we willfully disobey the Lord we move a little further away from God and as a result it then becomes harder to hear Him speak (Hebrews 5:13). When that happens we automatically become less wise, less discerning, less prudent and less able to make good decisions and avoid the pitfalls of life. 

Our desires/appetites gradually change over time- 

When a Christian chooses to walk in step with the Holy Spirit they automatically develop a healthy appetite for spiritually wholesome people, activities and entertainment. Any desire they once had for activities, entertainment and the company of people that may have a negative impact on their moral decision making are naturally diminished. Conversely, the more disobedient a Christian becomes the less interested they are in wholesome people, activities and entertainment. Any Christian who routinely disobeys God in any area or refuses to repent of known sin will begin to crave things and the company of people that will dull their spiritual senses. Sadly, an increased appetite for sketchy people, activities and entertainment set the stage for more spiritual and moral disaster and all the consequences that go along with it (1st Corinthians 15:33). 

We run the risk of hardening our hearts-

Anytime a person deliberately disobeys God or ignores the Holy Spirit their heart becomes a bit harder. If the disobedience goes on long enough their heart becomes fully hardened (Jeremiah 17:9). The net result is the person no longer cares about God or what He has to say about anything. Some of the Bible’s fiercest warnings revolve around the dangers hardening one’s heart (Proverbs 28:15, Ephesians 4:18, Hebrews 3:7-12). It is critical we heed these warnings because Christians are not exempt from the consequences of ignoring them. Furthermore, depending on your theology a hardened heart means: a) you were never really a Christian to begin with (Matthew 7:21-23), b) you were saved and will receive zero rewards in heaven (1st Corinthians 3:12-15) or c) you lost your salvation (Hebrews 6:4-8).  Yikes, yikes and more yikes.

Here’s the thing:

For decades now, Christian teachers have pushed grace-heavy theology.  I for one, love the doctrine of grace (Ephesians 2:8-9, John 10:28, Romans 8:1-39, Titus 3:3-7). Grace is the best, most beautiful reality in all of creation. God’s grace forgives our sin and empowers us to live a godly life (Titus 2:11-12). However, much of the grace-heavy theology taught today simply ignores or glosses over some hard warnings sprinkled throughout the New Testament (Hebrews 6, Matthew 7:21-23, Colossians 1:23, Galatians 6:7-8, Romans 11:21-23, 2nd Peter 3:17). It is the height of foolishness to ignore that many warnings all with the same theme. 

All that being said.

The way to avoid heartache and spiritual trouble is to simply obey God and with that one little choice comes blessings, personal with God and others and a joy filled life.

How to get Free from a Spiritual Stronghold-

Lisa M. Price2 Comments

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness- Ephesians 4:22-24 NIV

One definition of a stronghold is: fortress. A fortress is defined as a place of safety, shelter and protection. A spiritual stronghold is a place of safety (a fortress) in our lives where sin has the shelter it needs to grow and flourish. If left unchecked a spiritual stronghold will eventually control much of our lives, destroy our spiritual effectiveness and steal the joy of our salvation (Psalm 51:1-12).  Just about any sin can become a spiritual stronghold. Some of the more common strongholds are unforgiveness, lust, jealously, dishonesty, pride, greed, covetousness, insecurity, control and sexual immorality. 

 Christians are susceptible to spiritual strongholds because Christians live life in a place of tension. Christians are saved from their sin (redeemed by Jesus) but also at the same time still very much in the process of being saved from their sin. Jesus is our Lord, heaven is our home and the Holy Spirit lives in us. Nonetheless, all Christians still possess a sin nature and are therefore capable of becoming entangled in all sorts of sin and foolishness (Hebrews 12:1). 

Prior to salvation people are literally powerless over their impulses to sin (Romans 7:21-24). The Bible calls our sinful compulsions “being a slave to sin”. Once a person puts their faith in Jesus they are no longer slaves to sin and do not have to sin (Romans 6:6, Romans 7:25, Romans 8:1-2). Nonetheless, because our sin nature is still very much a part of our operating system, Satan is able to set up shop in particular areas of our life and run the show. The Bible calls this giving the devil a “foothold” or an “opportunity” (Ephesians 4:27). 

Sometimes a person is very cognizant of the spiritual strongholds in their lives. Other times they are almost entirely clueless to their existence.  For example: a Christian who is addicted to pornography is likely very aware they have a stronghold of lust impacting their life in a significant way. However, a person who has a problem with control, fear, pride or insecurity might not even see these spiritual strongholds as problems. We can be so deceived by sin we actually begin to believe our sinful stronghold is somehow a healthy and beneficial part of our personality. Many a control freak has convinced themselves their efforts to control others are “helpful” rather than sinful and harmful to themselves and others. Those who have sinful strongholds of insecurity, covetousness or fear can easily deceive themselves into believing they are watchful, cautious or wise rather than fearful, greedy or jealous. 

Sigh. 

The roots of the strongholds can run deep, often going back to our childhood or early adult years.  Sometimes strongholds take root because we were sinned against in some way. Abusive or neglectful parents can sow the seeds in a child’s life for strongholds of insecurity, mistrust, control and fear. Exposure to pornography and sexually abuse are often the starting point for a stronghold of lust. Being sexually abused, neglected or exposed to pornography is not a sin—we are not responsible before God for the evil or stupid choices other people make (Matthew 18:6). However, few turn to God to deal with hurt or trauma. Instead we turn to sin in an effort to numb our pain and help us cope with life without God.

We are very much responsible for those choices (1st John 1:10, Romans 3:23, Psalm 51, Psalm 106:6-7, Romans 5:12).

Strongholds can also be a consequence of sinful choices we make all on our own. A person can have an idyllic childhood and still have a myriad of sinful strongholds in their life. Anytime we willfully chose to do wrong instead of right we harden our hearts, give the devil a foothold and make space for Satan to construct a stronghold in our lives. 

Any stronghold can be broken. 

Christians are never condemned to live a life of sin. John 8:36 is clear: those who the son sets free are free indeed. This verse means no one who knows Jesus as Lord has to be a slave to sin. 

That being said.

 It is critical we understand Satan’s number one goal for all people is to keep them from entering a relationship with Jesus Christ. If he cannot meet that goal, he will do his best to keep Christians bound up in sinful behaviors that limit their effectiveness and steal their joy. Once Satan has been given space to build a stronghold he does not give up that ground easily. All that to say: it is never easy to break a stronghold, but it is one-hundred-percent possible (Matthew 19:36). 

In order to get free from a stronghold we must first acknowledge strongholds for what they are. We cannot make excuses for our sinful behaviors or attitudes by saying or thinking things like:

 “I was born this way” 

“This is just a part of my personality” 

“All abuse victims do this”

 “Everyone in my family acts like this”

Instead we must confess our sin as sin. It does not matter how our stronghold got its start. All that matters is what we do now. Once a sin is confessed to God we must invite God into our struggles through prayer.  We should pray first thing and throughout the day the Holy Spirit gives us the power needed to overcome our strongholds.  Inviting the God of the universe into our battle against sin deepens our relationship with Him and gives us the super natural power to overcome our struggles with sin. 

And finally, if we really want to break a stronghold, we must make no provision for the flesh (Romans 13:12-14). Instead we must do whatever needs to be done to obey God in everything (John 3:36, Romans 6:16), then freedom will be ours. 

How to Abuse, Misuse and/or Cheapen Grace-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

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

Grace is a big stinking deal. Grace is central to the Christian faith and vital to all Christian theology. Without the doctrine of grace there is literally no Christianity.

Seriously.

Grace is the word we use to describe God’s love for human beings and His mercy towards their sin (Ephesians 1:3-8, Ephesians 2:1-5). Grace is sometimes defined as “God’s unmerited favor”. There is nothing wrong with defining grace as favor. However, grace is much more than simple favor, kindness or approval. God’s grace is best understood by what it has done for us. God manifested His grace in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus died in the place of all humans so no human would be forced to pay the penalty (eternal separation from God) for their own sin.  Jesus got death so humans can, if they so choose, have grace (forgiveness, leniency, mercy) for their sins. God gifts grace to human beings who put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ and repent or turn away from their sins (Matthew 3:8, Acts 3:19, Acts 17:24-31). No one can earn grace through good works (Galatians 5:4). People just aren’t good enough for that (Romans 3:23). Grace is a gift God gives those who choose faith in Jesus (Ephesians 2:8-9, Galatians 2:21, Hebrews 11:6).  

It has become a common feature of our Christian vernacular to say we ought to “give grace” or be “given grace”. This simply means we think someone should give or be given a break (leniency) for a sin or not be judged too harshly for something.  There is nothing wrong with looking at grace from this perspective. Grace is not just something we get. Grace is something we give to others. Once a sinful human has experienced the joy and peace that comes from being forgiven by God that sinful human is expected to turn around and extend the same favor to others and forgive like God forgives (Matthew 6:12-15).

All the wonders of grace aside, like all good things in life, the whole concept of grace can and sometimes is abused. We can misuse grace. We can cheapen grace. When grace is abused, cheapened or misunderstood Christianity becomes confusing to non-Christians and the Holy Spirit is grieved (Ephesians 4:30). Following are four common ways grace and be abused, exploited or misapplied: 

We abuse grace when we do not understand or care about the price paid for grace- 

Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote an entire book condemning the whole notion of “cheap grace”. We cheapen grace when we choose to live as if God puts no boundaries around Christian behavior (Ephesians 5:1-7, Hebrews 12:14, 2ndCorinthians 7:1).  Cheap grace is the belief people should be able to sin all they want as willfully as they please and then just assume grace will cover their premeditated, willful sin. This kind of thinking (whether conscience or subconscious) is a form of spiritual entitlement that clearly shows the person does not understand the high price that was paid for their sin and as a result, they do not value or understand grace (Luke 22-23).   

We abuse grace when we demand it from others as if it is owed to us-

Everyone wants to be extended grace (leniency for wrong behavior). However, any time a person demands grace from another there is a pretty good chance they are demanding it precisely because they have in some way violated the command to “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” (Luke 6:31) or as James puts it: they have violated the “royal law of love” (Mark 12:31, James 2:8). It is categorically not okay for a Christian to have an affair, abuse their kids, slander someone or break any of the ten commandments and then loudly and proudly play the “you owe me grace” card. That is a clear violation of the law of love and an abuse of grace. 

We abuse grace when we stop being shocked by it-

The whole concept of grace should amaze us. Seriously. It should knock our socks off and blow our minds. The whole notion God (or anyone else) would simply let something as serious as sin go without some sort of punishment or at the very least a sternly worded lecture is stunning and beautiful and mind blowing. When we stop being shocked God (or anyone else) would forgive our sins there’s a decent chance we are taking advantage of the kindness of God and others. 

We abuse grace when we refuse to extend it- 

No one should ever sin intentionally and then demand grace. However, when we are forgiven we become fully capable of extending grace (forgiveness, kindness, favor) to others. Refusing to give someone else the gift of grace we have been given freely is in many ways the ultimate abuse of the gift of grace (Matthew 18:21-35). 

God’s grace is an amazing gift. Grace is amazing partly because it is about more than simple forgiveness. Grace does save us from the penalty of sin and death, but once we are saved grace becomes an empowering force in our lives that enables us to do more and endure more than we could ever imagine (2nd Corinthians 12:9, Acts 4:33, Acts 6:8). Grace gives us the power to live a holy life and fully obey God (Titus 2:11-12). Grace empowers us to forgive the unforgivable. Grace allows us to love the unlovable and live as Jesus lived. We show our gratitude for this gift by managing it well and extending it often. 

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.  

What was Jesus’ Spiritual Weapon of Choice?

Lisa M. Price4 Comments

 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life-John 3:16 NIV

Love is more than a sweet sentiment. 

It is a formidable spiritual weapon. 

It is not an accident (in my opinion) that the “warfare passage” we find in Ephesians 6:10-20 is preceded by two and a half chapters that spell out in detail what love “looks like” and how our faith and love for others ought to work itself out in our churches, marriages, parent-child relationships and workplaces (Ephesians 4:1-6:9). 

Nor is it an accident the “love passage” found in 1st Corinthians 13:1-13 is sandwiched between passages that cover the ins-and-outs of how Christians should do church, worship and use their spiritual gifts. Paul understood probably better than anyone that love only works as a weapon when it impacts every part of our life. If we don’t get the “love” thing right our spiritual gifts become pointless parlor tricks, our worship never goes further than the ceiling and our churches are powerless to transform the lives of hurting people. 

Love was Jesus’ weapon of choice. 

 Jesus knew everything there was to know about every person He encountered and He still loved each and every one of them deeply and fully (John 3:16). He loved everyone He met in a way they had never been loved before. He did not turn away from the woman caught in adultery (John 8), the demoniac (Mark 5:1-14) or Mary Magdalene (Luke 8:12) or anyone else and for that matter. 

Instead. 

The almighty, all-holy, perfectly clean, absolutely sinless God of the Universe looked the worst humanity had to offer square in the face (literally) and because He was God He saw clearly the ugliness and sin in every person who crossed His path.  He knew exactly how their choices had affected them

And yet:

 He loved them anyway. He loved them by looking beyond their sinful ugliness and the effects of their choices. He met them where they were at and in the process loved them into a state of wholeness and health.  Then He went ahead and did the same thing for the whole human race by dying on the cross to pay the penalty of our sin (Romans 5:8)

Love is critical. It literally has the power to change the trajectory of a person’s life. 

Here’s the thing, though. 

 Love alone— or at least the way our culture defines love is actually dangerous (and icky) because it tends to devolve into a grody form of sloppy sentimentalism.   Twenty-first century love is like the drunk girl at the party who gushes sappy sentiment all over everybody but can’t remember any of what she said the next morning. Contemporary love is all about being okay with the worst in people instead of accepting people where they’re at AND helping them to reach new levels of growth, transformation and health. Sloppy sentimentalism feels delightful and appears to be noble but it isn’t really love because it lacks the power to save anyone from anything. 

Sigh.

 Authentic love: the kind of love that defeats the powers of darkness and changes the trajectory of people’s lives is firmly anchored in biblical truth (Colossians 1:13-14). True Christian love is always characterized by a willingness to resist current cultural beliefs that lead people away from God and into bondage to sin. 

It’s the kind of love Jesus had for people. 

When Jesus freed Mary Magdalene and the demoniac from their demon possession he did not encourage either one of them to go back to the choices that got them demon-possessed in the first place—although those choices may have still felt comfortable to them, even after meeting Jesus. Instead He showed them how they could live free from the sinful choices that led them to a life of bondage and despair.  Jesus did not forgive the woman caught in adultery (John 8) and send her back to her latest partner— instead He told her she should “go and sin no more” because that’s what warfare kind of love does. 

Warfare kind of love sets the captives free with equal measures of truth and grace (Isaiah 42:6-9). 

 Jesus would never have been okay with our culture’s contemporary definition of love. He would be disgusted with drug programs that help people to do drugs “safely” rather than free them from the oppression of their drug use. Jesus is undoubtedly appalled at the notion of encouraging someone confused about their gender to transition because transitioning doesn’t deal with the root hurt, pain or sin that led to their confused state in the first place (Jude 23)  

Jesus grieves deeply when Christians choose to love like the world loves because He knows that real love fights for the best heaven and earth have to offer; instead of simply settling for something easy but vastly inferior to what God wants for all people (2nd Timothy 2:3-5).  

Everyone who has been truly touched by the love of Jesus wants to love like He loved: with a warfare kind of love. We love like Jesus loved by living out the Bible’s standard of righteousness, fearlessly telling people the truth in the most loving way possible and sticking with them through the sometimes-long process of finding authentic freedom and growing into the image of Jesus (2nd Corinthians 3:18, Colossians 3:1-25). 

Understanding Satan’s most Effective Schemes-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes- Ephesians 6:10-11 NIV

At some point in their spiritual journey Christians have to face the fact that for followers of Jesus this life will never be all sunshine, daisy chains and good vibes (John 16:33).

This is because we live in a world at war (John 10:10, Job 1:1-22, Luke 22:31, Ephesians 6:10-13, 1st Timothy 1:18-19).  

We have a very real enemy who wants to destroy us spiritually, morally and psychologically (1st Peter 5:8), doing so takes him a long way towards his ultimate goal of rendering as many Christians as possible ineffective at glorifying God and leading others to Jesus.   

 Thankfully, followers of Jesus sit squarely on the winning side of this war (Revelation 20:10). Nonetheless, ultimate victory does not exempt us from battle in the here and now (Philippians 2:25, 2nd Timothy 2:3-4, Philemon 1:2). The good news is that God has given us every weapon we need to be victorious. Our success is guaranteed if we learn how to use those weapons properly (Ephesians 6:13-18, 2nd Corinthians 10:3). 

One of the most powerful weapons we have in our arsenal is the Holy Spirit (John 14:26, Ephesians 6:18). Jesus calls the Holy Spirit our guide (John 15:26). A healthy connection to the Holy Spirit will give us spiritual eyes to see through the schemes and tactics of the enemy (2nd Corinthians 2:11, Ephesians 6:11). When we understand our enemy, we are far less likely to become collateral damage in the battle (Hebrews 12:1). 

We underestimate Satan’s craftiness at our own peril. That being said, he is not a particularly inventive creature. As a result, he tends to use the same strategies over and over again. If we learn to recognize those strategies the Bible calls his “schemes” that knowledge will empower us to live every area of our lives victoriously and lead others to faith in Jesus (2nd Corinthians 2:11).  

It quickly becomes a win win for team Jesus. 

Satan’s favorite schemes are as follows: 

The twisting of God’s words- 

This is was the very first scheme Satan used against humanity (Genesis 3:1-5). It was so off-the-charts-effective he has stuck with it over the years. Satan twists God’s word around in our minds in such a way that we end up doing the exact opposite of what God wants us to do. For example, I know a person who as a teenager was told (correctly) Jesus said lusting in your heart is a sin (Matthew 5:28). This person concluded that since that temptation was a sin every temptation must be a sin. It seemed logical to them that if every temptation is a sin then they might as well just do the thing they were tempted to do because they were already guilty of sin.  Sadly, the enemy created a lot of heartache for this person before a good pastor straightened out their doctrinal errors. This scheme is dealt with most effectively through consistent church attendance and spiritual community. Messy theology is far more likely to be corrected when we habitually fellowship and study with other Christians. 

Discouragement or difficulty anytime we choose a higher level of obedience- 

It would make total sense for obedience to always equal obvious blessings and a trouble-free existence. Alas, that would be a fast track to one-hundred-percent obedience on our part all the time. Satan is categorically not a fan of spiritual growth or obedience. So, one of his favorite (and most effective) schemes is to go out of his way to make our lives difficult and complicated anytime we choose obey God fully or pursue Him on a higher level. 

A smooth path when we choose disobedience-

Interestingly enough, periods of rebellion can be some of the easiest, most stress-free times of our Christian life. When we are rebelling against God in any area Satan has nothing to worry about from a spiritual perspective, so he leaves us alone.  Our sinful choices have already rendered us ineffective, so he has nothing to do.  Consequently, Satan will go the extra mile and find ways to make our path smooth in times of rebellion because a smooth path makes us unlikely to self-reflect and reverse course. Constant self-reflection is the key to overcoming this scheme. We should examine ourselves regularly and ask God to reveal any areas of sin  

Our thing- whatever that thing is- 

We all have an underlying or besetting sin that trips us up in life— usually without us even realizing what it is. Satan knows what our thing is even if we don’t and he uses our desire for that thing to trip us up every chance he gets. Our thing might be greed, lust, power, a fear of man or a desire to be in control or whatever. If you have a recurring theme in your life—and most of us do. Ask God to show you the sin at the root of the recurring theme.  There is one. If you figure out what IT is Satan will lose his power over you in that area.  

At least half the battle in spiritual warfare is understanding the tactics of our enemy. The other half is of the battle is trusting God with our lives and making the choice every day to walk closely enough with the Holy Spirit that we SEE those tactics at work so we can do something about them. 

Pergamum-the Almost Faithful Church

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Pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil people, for not everyone has faith. But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one- 2nd Thessalonians 3:2-3 NIV

When I was a little girl my grandparents lived down the road from an old abandoned house. The house sat by itself a good distance from the main road. The paint was faded and a couple of windows had been broken out. The power had been turned off years before so it was always kind of dark and gloomy. The entire property was covered with overgrown blackberry bushes and all sorts of weird creepy bramble. My brother, cousin and I would torment each other with disturbing stories we made up about “the house”. We were convinced someone had been murdered there (we had zero proof of this hypothesis). Therefore, it must have been haunted by ghosts and crawling with demons. We were so terrified of “the house” we would literally walk a half-mile out of our way to avoid setting foot anywhere near that property. 

It was just too dang scary. 

Our silly fears were nothing compared to the anxiety ordinary Christians in Pergamum experienced every day of their lives. It’s not an exaggeration to say Pergamum was likely the least safe place in all of the Roman Empire to be a Christian. The city was so sinister and creepy Jesus called it “the place where Satan has his throne.”

Jesus was not overstating the dangers of the city. 

 Pergamum was a dark spiritual stronghold where Satan exerted an extraordinary level of power and authority. Idol worship undoubtedly contributed to the grip Satan had over Pergamum.

Pergamum was a city of idols. 

 On a hilltop overlooking the city sat two massive pagan temples. One was dedicated to Athena the goddess of war, the other to Zeus. The temple of Zeus was an enormous open-air altar that smoked night and day with animal sacrifices. The shape of the altar was such that it looked very much like a huge smoking throne. The “throne” was clearly visible from every vantage point in and around the city. Pergamum was also home to a famous hospital/shrine/temple to the god Asclepios. The symbol of Asclepios was a serpent (snake). Sick people from all over Asia Minor travelled to Pergamum to spend a night in a room full of snakes in order to get healed. There were also smaller shrines to different gods and goddesses dotting the entire city. Many of the shrines were dedicated to whatever Roman Emperor happened to be in power at the time. 

Pergamum was perhaps best known for its zealous dedication to Caesar worship. 

In most cities Caesar worship was a yearly event. A person went to an altar in their city and declared Caesar to be god. Then they were given a certificate of compliance and that was that. The deed was done for a whole year. 

However. 

 In Pergamum, Caesar worship was such a huge part of the culture of the city a person could be compelled to pay homage to Caesar daily. Anytime someone walked past a shrine to Caesar they were expected to declare “Caesar is Lord” in a loud voice. If a Roman official did not hear the standard pronouncement they could (and often would) confront the person for not saying it. If the individual continued to refuse they would be sent to the arena in Pergamum where they would be crucified, torn limb from limb, fed to wild beasts or beheaded ASAP. 

The Christians in Pergamum refused to give an inch on the issue of Emperor worship.  As a consequence, there were a lot of Christians martyred there. Jesus praised the Church for not renouncing their faith in Him even when it cost them their lives (Revelation 2:13). 

However.

There is more than one way to cave to social pressure and the Christians there definitely caved. As a result, Jesus’ letter to them was not all sunshine and roses. The Christians in Pergamum had no problem dying for Jesus but many struggled to live for Him. 

Their struggle centered around practical issues of life. 

In order to obtain employment in the ancient world one was expected to join a trade union and all trade unions were associated with some sort of pagan deity. This created a living nightmare for Christians. It was impossible to belong to a union without making regular sacrifices to pagan gods and/or having sexual relations with temple prostitutes. 

Further complicating an already thorny situation were some prominent Christian teachers/pastors in the Pergamum church who taught pagan worship was perfectly okay as long as one ALSO worshiped Jesus.  Apparently, Christians in Pergamum were all too eager to embrace teaching that both made their lives easier and room for sexual immorality (1st Corinthians 5:1-11). 

In Revelation 2:14-16 Jesus makes it abundantly clear He is not okay with Christians who compartmentalize parts of their lives in order to compromise with worldly values and ideas. 

Jesus wanted all of the Christians in Pergamon not just a small part or piece. 

Jesus’ warned the Christians in Pergamum there would be serious consequences (Revelation 2:16) if they continued to compromise. His criticism not born out of an egotistical desire Jesus had to have their devotion at the expense of their personal safety.  

Jesus wanted the total devotion of the Christians in Pergamum because He loves each and every person on earth as if they were the only person on earth.  Jesus knows all eternal rewards for Christians are directly linked to our level of obedience here on earth. Jesus did not want His people to foolishly trade eternal joy, intimate fellowship with God and reward (Revelation 2:17) in order to gain the approval and acceptance of those who do not know or love God. Jesus wanted the Christians in Pergamum to make Him their everything. Because He knew in doing so they would find joy and peace here on earth and greater reward in heaven. 

The Spiritual Causes of Depression-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Psalm 42:11a NIV

Depression is a real thing.  

Seriously.

Anyone who has battled depression or knows someone who has battled depression knows this is one-hundred-percent true.

It is estimated two-hundred-sixty-three-million people worldwide suffer from depression. Many psalms record David’s struggle with what we would call clinical depression today (Psalm 42, Psalm 113:1-6, Psalm 22:1-2, Psalm 6).  Until very recently scientists believed depression was caused entirely by a chemical imbalance in the brain brought on by a shortage of the neurotransmitter, serotonin.  Recent studies have disproved that long-held theory and left doctors scrambling to figure out the cause or causes of depression.   

It is now thought depression is brought on by a host of factors. Including but not limited to a genetic predisposition, chronic stress, prior trauma, and a tendency to brood over past mistakes (perfectionism).

I do not doubt all those factors contribute to depression. 

Genetics are real. Stress is real. Trauma is real.  Focusing deeply on an issue that cannot be controlled or solved will make anyone feel depressed. All that being said, I also know there is a strong spiritual component to depression. That does not mean a person is an especially bad sinner if they get depressed. Nor does it mean I think every case of depression has a purely spiritual cause. That being said, sometimes people behave or think in ways that create spiritual problems in their lives. Those spiritual problems create fertile soil for depression to take root. Some of the spiritual causes of depression are:

Moral Passivity-

Passivity is the sin of letting sin go unchecked. Anytime a Christian chooses to ignore a moral wrong or sidesteps dealing with sin in their life or the life of someone they love rather than dealing with the sin appropriately (Acts 3:19, Ephesians 4:15, Matthew 18:15-16), one of two things inevitably happens. The believer either becomes hardened to sin (and more likely to become entrenched in sin) or they become depressed. Willfully ignoring a wrong makes the passive observer of the sin complicit in the sin (Psalm 1:1, Psalm 32:5) and sin separates us from God (Micah 3:4, Isaiah 59:2). Human beings were made to be in relationship with God. When we live outside the design we were created for depression is the natural result. The key to digging out of depression caused by moral passivity is to reverse course and begin proactively repenting of our own sin and confronting any sin we have been willfully overlooking in those we love (Galatians 6:1, 1st Timothy 5:20, James 5:19-20, Luke 17:3).

Deferred Hope–  

Wanting something that never materializes is demoralizing (Proverbs 13:12). For Christians who obey the Bible it’s even more demoralizing. This is because serious Christians pray and commit their plans to the Lord and then they expect God to establish those plans, because that’s what the Bible says He will do (Proverbs 16:3). When we don’t get something pray for the disappointment can lead to spiritual doubt. Spiritual doubt is a fast track to depression and anxiety. Here’s the thing we have to remember: God is not liar. This means that if a hope we have has been deferred (delayed) there’s a reason for it. It might be we are hoping for something God knows is not best for us. It might mean God is still working on it. It might mean there’s some growth and maturity that needs to take place in us so we steward the blessing well when we do get it.  In order to deal with this type of depression we must pray, trust and do our part. We should pray God will work in us so that our desires will be in alignment with His will for our lives (Proverbs 3:6). Then we have to trust God to accomplish His will in His timing. We also need to do our part. Our part, is actively seeking to grow, learn, and break any bad habits we have in preparation for “the next thing” God has for us.

Loss of Connection with the Head (Jesus) or the Rest of the Body (the Church)-

Humans were designed to live life in relationship. It’s part of what it means to “be made in the image of God” (Genesis 1:26). God is relational and we were made to be like Him. Anytime we lose healthy connection with other Christians or with Jesus (Colossians 2:18-19) depression is a likely outcome. Getting back into healthy relationship with God and/or other Christians will goes long way in healing the depression caused by a broken relationship with Jesus or His body.

An Absence of Self-reflection-

Humans are capable of a of an absurd level of self-deception (Jeremiah 17:9). It is possible to be knee-deep in sinful attitudes and not even be the teeniest bit aware of it. In fact, we are so prone to self-deception we can even convince ourselves our sinful attitudes are somehow good and healthy. Sigh. Anytime we feel plagued by depression that has no apparent cause we need to examine our lives and ask God to show us if there is anything we don’t want to see in ourselves.

And finally, because Christians are a new creation in Christ (2nd Corinthians 5:17) holding on to the sin of our old life is a fast-track to a life of sadness, frustration and defeat. Letting go of the old stuff Jesus saved us from is the first step and most important step in living a life of emotional and spiritual flourishing.  

The Sin of Passivity-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay everyone according to what they have done? Proverbs 24:12-14 NIV


Back in the day. 

I would get together with a small group of friends and we would have these weird theological debates about all sorts of random subjects. We would spend literal hours beating to death biblical topics that really had no clear consensus, even among the “experts”.  One of our favorite debate topics was the “sin that leads to death” (1st John 5:16-17) or the “unpardonable sin”. We would make all kinds of wild speculations about what this sin might possibly be. Then we would take turns passionately arguing our half-baked theories concerning a subject we knew nothing about.  

I sure do miss those days. 

I still have no idea what the sin that leads to death is (no one does). That said,  I do know of one sin that rarely gets the credit it deserves for the trouble it causes. 

Passivity. 

It could be said that passivity is the mother of all sins because passivity really is the seldom recognized sin lurking behind the original sin. A careful reading of the creation account indicates Eve was not present when God forbade humanity from eating the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:15-17).  Nonetheless, Adam said nothing as the serpent tempted Eve. He then chose to passively observe as his wife committed the sin that literally wrecked the entire world.

Sigh.

Adam’s passivity was every bit as sinful as Eve’s rebellion (Romans 5:12 and 14). 

Biblical passivity was not limited to Adam and Eve. 

David’s passivity as a parent created a breeding ground for the evil that would destroy the lives of three of his children (2nd Samuel 13) and nearly cost him his kingdom (2nd Samuel 15-18). The passivity of the priests concerning the idolatry of the people was the root cause of the Babylonian captivity. At the core of every one of the doctrinal problems Jesus calls out in Revelation 2:1-3:22 was a group of leaders and everyday Christians who were unwilling to actively deal with obvious sin. 

Sigh. 

  The dictionary defines passivity as:

Acceptance of what happens, without an active response or resistance.

Passivity will quietly accept the intolerable without so much as a raised eyebrow. However, passivity is never driven by hatred or spite. It is typically born out of moral laziness, fear of causing offense, or fear being disliked or made fun of (Proverbs 29:25, Proverbs 26:13). 

There was a shocking display of passivity on the news this past week. A drag queen (a man dressed as a woman) danced around at an event in a diner where both adults and children were in attendance. He spun around the room in a very provocative fashion, repeatedly lifting his skirt in the faces of the audience as he sang a very crude song about a female body part. The whole incident was quite frankly, super shocking and really gross.

Here’s the thing though,

It was clear from the body language of the audience there were quite a few adults’ present who were clearly uncomfortable with the whole thing. Nonetheless, not one person walked out. No one attempted to remove the children. Not a single soul present did anything at all to protest an event that would have been viewed as an obvious act of child abuse just a couple of years ago. 

Sigh.

The sin of passivity is causing all sorts of systemic evil to take root every sphere of modern life (Proverbs 29:25). Passive elders and docile church members who look the other way when they see sin in the lives of their pastors, priests and church leaders are a key reason Christianity is held in such low regard in our society. Fear of confrontation (an especially dangerous form of passivity) creates a breeding ground for abusive and unjust situations to flourish. Spouses who choose to ignore their partner’s sin rather than lovingly confront it create the perfect environment for sin to flourish in the life of their spouse. This causes generational curses to take root in their children and grandchildren.

Passive parents who refuse to correct or discipline their disobedient children are at least partly responsible for the social chaos our culture is experiencing. Passive voters are the primary reason we are cursed with so many terrible leaders. 

Passivity can be defined as the sin of allowing sin to continue unchecked. 

Here’s the thing:

The passive person in a situation always bears at least some of the responsibility for the sin that results or grows as a result of their choosing to be passive because passive people are classic enablers. Regardless of our personality type we are all inclined towards passivity on some level. Thanks to Adam passivity is literally a part of our spiritual DNA. It is an inclination we must fight. 

The key to fighting passivity is to identify it.  Anytime we feel uncomfortable with a situation we see or are involved in, it is essential we lean into that discomfort and ask ourselves what exactly is making us uncomfortable. 

Are we uncomfortable because we are witnessing sin? 

If that’s the case, then the only reasonable course of action is to say something and then act (Jude 23) because speaking the truth in love and refusing to be a continued part of the problem is the only way to stop evil in its tracks (Ephesians 4:15).