Category: Wisdom

What’s God Doing When Everything Goes Wrong in our Lives?

Lisa M. Price1 Comment

Do not sin; meditate in your heart upon your bed and be still. Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and trust in the Lord-  Psalm 4:4-5 NASB

In Exodus twelve God gives instructions for the Passover. His instructions are insanely specific. This feast (like all the feasts) was not intended to be a DIY kind of a deal. The main dish was a lamb. The lamb was to be one year old, in perfect condition with zero blemishes or defects. It was to be roasted, no boiled or raw meat allowed. The sides were also precisely dictated. Bitter herbs and unleavened bread were the only options. The meal was to be eaten in community. No one was allowed to eat alone. If there were not enough people in a household to eat a lamb, then they were to invite their neighbors to eat with them. The meal was to be eaten fully clothed. No lazing around shoeless or beltless. EVERYONE had to be ready to hit the road at a moment’s notice.  Then comes the crazy part:

Whatever is left of it until morning, you shall completely burn with fire- Exodus 12:10b

When I got to that verse I did a double take. The people of Israel were leaving the country. God knew they were leaving the country. God just spent elven chapters orchestrating their departure. Furthermore, it wasn’t a small group. There were six-hundred-thousand men plus women and children (Exodus 12:37). They would all be leaving Egypt for a destination known only to the Lord, and NO ONE was allowed to pack a lunch. 

What? 

The command feels insanely counter intuitive. Surely,  God would want His people to have a nice lamb sandwich to eat on the road? It just makes sense. But then it occurred to me that God actually does this sort of thing all the time. He tells His people to do something hard and then He makes it harder (Genesis 22, Joshua 1, Jonah 1-3, Matthew 10:5-10). 

It’s all about trust. 

God wants His people to trust Him. Because God has a critically important end goal in mind (more on that later) He almost never makes it easy to do so. This means that at some point in our faith journey we will come up against a situation where it will make zero sense to trust God or do it His way, but we need to do it anyway.  Our crazy situation might be a job loss, marriage troubles, kid troubles, betrayal, or some other horrible loss or trial. Only God knows what it will be, but it will happen. It’s the nature of living in a fallen world. Following are four things to watch out for when the going gets tough and God is asking us to trust Him. The first is:  

Making an Ishmael-

Unless one is a hardcore Calvinist it is hard to argue against the notion that Ishmael (Genesis 16) was anything but the sad byproduct of two people who did not trust God to do what He said He would do. Abraham and Sarah’s hasty decision nearly broke Hagar, damaged poor Ismael and caused geopolitical complications the world still feels today. Anyone can make an Ismael (metaphorically speaking). An Ismael is always the byproduct of running ahead of God in a fit of mistrust and “taking care” of situations in our own understanding and wisdom (Proverbs 3:6-7). This sort of thing happens frequently in the realm of marriage. Someone prays for a godly spouse and when the prayer isn’t answered quickly, they find someone, anyone who is willing marry them. In these situations, the marriage often becomes an Ismael: a source of pain and complication in the person’s life. The good news is God will use the messiest, most messed-up Ismael we can make to grow us and shape us into the image of Jesus (Romans 8:28). It’s just never the preferred route. 

Fear- 

Fear is more than just a feeling we experience when life gets hard or scary. Fear is an indicator. Our fears tell us what (or who) we trust to give us security, peace and a sense of belonging and purpose (job, reputation, financial security, relationships, possessions). This means that whatever we most fear losing is probably the very thing God most wants us to learn to trust Him with (Psalm 20:7, Jeremiah 17:5-9, Isaiah 49:10, Joshua 1:9).  

A bitter root-

Anytime we are called to trust God there is always a danger of a bitter root developing in our hearts (Hebrews 12:15). This is because there always comes a God time where it looks like God is either doing nothing to help us; or conversely it looks like He’s doing the exact opposite of what needs to be done to keep disaster at bay. When this happens, all we can do is believe God is good (Psalm 34:8, Psalm 100:5, Isaiah 41:10, Jeremiah 29:11, Philippians 4:19, James 1:17). Then we wait for the storm to pass and the blessings to be revealed. 

And finally, we must make sure:

We don’t miss the end goal- 

The end goal of trusting God is not trusting God, nor is it obedience simply for the sake of obedience. The end goal of our learning to trust God is for us to become people God can use for His glory and the good of others (James 1:2-3, 1st Peter 1:3-9). Learning to trust Him is how He gets us to that place.  It was true in Exodus. God wanted the Hebrews to trust Him because trusting God with hard things would mold them into a nation that would reveal His glory (and the Messiah) to the whole world.  Unfortunately, it took them forty years to become those people. Don’t be like the Israelites (James 1:6-7).

The List-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

Do not enter the path of the wicked, and do not walk in the way of evil. Avoid it, do not travel on it; Turn away from it and pass on- Proverbs 4:14-15 NKJV

One of the longest running and most quarrelsome debates in Christianity centers around what Christians should and shouldn’t do. This debate has literally been raging since the dawn of the Christian age (Acts 15). 

There are those who sincerely believe it’s wrong to attach any behavioral “shoulds” to the Christian faith. Many (not all) of these folks believe any restrictions on Christian behavior is an encroachment on God’s “grace” and “works” theology (Galatians 2:16, Romans 3:28).  These folks tend to teach (whether they intend to or not) that grace is a bottomless bucket of forgiveness we can dip into anytime the need arises. This view oftentimes results in folks seeing sin as less than ideal, but not something to get overly wound up about.

On the other side of the debate are the rule-followers. 

Rule followers hate sin and will do everything in their power to avoid it. Rule-followers sincerely believe Christian “rules” are like fences. They are protective in nature.  In their minds rules protect Christians from sin, trouble and moral destruction. Sometimes these folks are termed “legalists” because they want Christians to follow “the law” or “the rules”. The rules don’t necessarily have to be biblical; they are just meant to keep us out of trouble. 

One thing is totally true:

 There is only way to get right with God (and into heaven). We get right with God by choosing to have faith in the substitutionary work Jesus did on the cross and His subsequent resurrection (Ephesians 2:8-9, Galatians 2:16, Romans 1:17, Hebrews 11:6). 

Okay, so. 

Historically, this whole debate tends to get very cantankerous and insanely passionate. Both sides insist they are right, and that the other side is a horde of grubby heathens. With all due respect to the well-intended lovers of Jesus on both sides, I think we should allow the Apostle Peter weigh in on the subject. 

 He walked with Jesus and he knows things.

1st Peter 1:10-13 is unequivocal: salvation is by grace and grace alone. This simply means no one earns their salvation. It’s a gift (Ephesians 4:8). No one works for a gift. If they did it would no longer be a gift, it would be wages earned (Romans 4:4). 

But here’s the thing (and it’s a big thing):

Peter also gives us his readers (you and me) “a list” of behaviors and attitudes he felt all Christians should strive to do (2nd Peter 1:3-11).  The list is quite extensive. Furthermore, Peter is clear, we are to go after these things with “all diligence”. This means no half-hearted efforts, no lame attempts.  We are to be all-in on going after the following:

Living a life of purity and virtue.

Becoming knowledgeable about our faith.

Attaining self-control.

Persevering in our faith despite hardship or difficulty.

Pursuing godliness (holiness)

Treating fellow Christians with kindness.

Learning to love others (especially other Christians). 

Okay so Peter, wasn’t shy about attaching some shoulds to our Christianity. Peter is so absolutely convinced his “list” of “shoulds” are correct, he promises that if we go after the things on “the list” there will be two guaranteed results. First, we will never fail morally (1st Peter 1:10). That’s a great big encouraging promise.  The second promise is even bigger and more encouraging. He says that if we “do” the list we will receive a rich welcome into the Kingdom of God when we die (2nd Peter 1:8, 2nd Peter 1:10-11). He then states that anyone who does not do “the list” is self-blinded and may have even forgotten what it means to be a Christian (2nd Peter 1:9).

Yikes. 

It gets even yikesier. In chapters two and three of 2nd Peter, Peter warns that false teachers would (in his time and in the future) discourage true believers from worrying about their behavior or making too big a deal out of intentional sin. 

They do this by saying things like:

God loves you no matter what you do.

We are saved by grace, not works of righteousness.

God will forgive you no matter the sin. 

All the above statements are one-hundred-percent true. 

However, we are also warned about putting God to a test (Acts 5:9, 1st Corinthians 8:1-11) and we are cautioned about the spiritual dangers of refusing to grow spiritually (one aspect of growth is giving up sin) and intentional sin after salvation (Romans 6:12-14, Hebrews 6:1-8, Colossians 3).

The whole notion of God’s grace is very much emmeshed with forgiveness. We are forgiven when we receive God’s grace at the moment of our salvation. However, when we boil grace down to something as rudimentary as mere forgiveness, we miss the greater and more powerful meaning of the word. It’s like saying marriage is nothing more than a legal contract. It is that. But is so much more. Grace is the same. It is categorically not a list of man-made rules or fences. Titus 2:11 tells us God’s grace acts as a teacher. It teaches us to live godly lives. This means that if we truly understand grace, we will go after Peter’s “list” with all diligence, fully aware of the fact that we cannot do “the list” or any other good thing without God’s assistance and empowerment (Philippians 4:13, 2ndCorinthians 12:9). Prayerfully and diligently doing “the list” does so much more than just avert moral failure and guarantee eternal reward. Going after “the list” causes us (over time) to look and act a lot more like Jesus. Anytime we look and act like Jesus we impact our world powerfully and that is a total game changer for Christians. 

The Spiritual Superpower Every Christian can Have-

Lisa M. Price1 Comment

Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ- 1st Peter 1:13 NASB

The New Testament contains many thought-provoking little tidbits that are not really substantial enough to qualify as a complete verse. These are more like little phrases— many of them have a lot of gold to mine. 

Here’s one of them:

But we have the mind of Christ- 1st Corinthians 2:16

 This little phrase begs a whole bunch of critically important questions, including: 

Are all Christians just given “the mind of Christ” at the moment of salvation? 

Did the Corinthian Christians have the “mind of Christ” or was Paul just wishing they did or hoping they would figure it out? 

Does the English phrase “mind of Christ” mean something especially special in Greek? 

If we don’t automatically receive the mind of Christ at salvation, how do we get “the mind of Christ?

So. 

Context is useful in grasping the deeper meaning here. This little snippet is a tiny fragment of a greater conversation Paul was having concerning some super stupid things the Corinthian Christians were doing and thinking. Therefore, it is safe to assume Paul is not commending the Corinthians for having “the mind of Christ”. Nor is the mind of Christ is something all Christians are given as a part of the initial salvation package. Although, the mind of Christ is obviously something every Christian CAN have and should go after. I was a bit surprised to discover the phrase “mind of Christ” means pretty much the same thing in Greek as it does in English. Basically, it means “to think like God”. Consequently, if someone has the “mind of Christ”, they will see events, life and people the same way God does. 

This means the “how” of thinking like God is critical, so critical, it is probably the key to a lot of our spiritual growth and maturity. Without it we will likely flounder spiritually, just as the Corinthians were. Thankfully, there are four easy things every believer can (and should) do daily that will move them closer to the goal of having “the mind of Christ”

Go after discernment (Psalm 119:66, Philippians 1:9)-  

The word discernment and its derivatives are used thirty-two times throughout the Bible. The Greek word for discernment is anakrino. It means “to distinguish, to separate out by diligent examination, to scrutinize.” A discerning individual thinks issues and situations through prayerfully. Discerning people learn to apply biblical principles to all of life. This gives them the wisdom to understand deeper (sometimes hidden) issues in each situation. Furthermore, discerning people understand all of life is connected. Everything we do and think affects everything else, behaviors and attitudes have consequences (Hebrews 12:15).  We acquire discernment through intimacy with Jesus. Jesus is the embodiment of wisdom (Colossians 2:2-3).  Consistent Bible reading, prayer and the practice of consciously applying the Bible to life gives discernment ample space to flourish in our lives. 

Limit worldly voices in your life-

Everything we do is a direct result of what we think about (Matthew 6:22, Psalm 26:3, Psalm 110:3). What we choose to read, watch, listen to become powerful influences that consciously and/or subconsciously influence how we think and behave. Consequently, if we want to develop the mind of Christ it is wise to exercise caution and discernment about what influences we allow access to our lives. 

Get the word of God in you so it will come out of you- 

The more exposure we have to worldly entertainment and ideas the more worldly our thinking will become. Conversely, the more exposure we have to the word of God and biblical principles the more we think like God. We become what we marinate in. Getting into the word daily and surrounding ourselves with biblical principles ensures we will acquire the “mind of Christ” as we mature. 

Ruthlessly go after congruency- 

Congruency is one of the five (four?) math terms I actually understand. It means sameness. If a Christian’s life is congruent, they are the same all the time. There is no subterfuge, deception or hypocrisy in their lives.  Jesus hates hypocrisy. Jesus mentioned or taught on hypocrisy twenty-one times in the gospels. Not once did He have anything positive to say about hypocrites or hypocrisy (Luke 12:1, Matthew 6:2-16, Matthew 23, Matthew 15:6-8, Matthew 24:51). It is impossible for a person to think like Jesus while doing something Jesus despised. All humans tend towards hypocrisy. Thus, hypocrisy is something we must mercilessly root out of our lives. The only way to root out hypocrisy is with sincere and sometimes ruthless reflection. We must make a practice of scrutinizing not just our actions but also our attitudes and the motives behind our actions (1st Corinthians 11:27-29, 2nd Corinthians 13:5). 

Okay, so full disclosure:

The mind of Christ is awesome, essentially, it’s like having a spiritual superpower. It enables the average Joe or Jane Christian to think like God. This in turn empowers average people to do things and endure things they could never do in their own power and human wisdom (2nd Corinthians 12:9). However, it’s not always all sunshine and gummy bears. As our thinking becomes more like God’s there will be times when the world (and the people in it) will not always understand what we’re doing or why we’re doing it. We need to do it anyway, because when we do the world sees Jesus in us and we please the Lord. 

The Blessings of Obedience-

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 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 Heartbreaking Outcome of Choosing to do Wrong When we Know What’s Right-

Lisa M. Price2 Comments

 Therefore, repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord- Acts 3:19 NASB

I have a child who always wanted to know what the limits, rules and boundaries were in every situation she found herself. Unfortunately, this particular child did not want to know the limits, rules and boundaries because she was a passionate rule following legalist who wanted to be extra vigilant about staying within the limits of the law. To the contrary, this kid was the exact opposite of a rule following legalist. She pushed passed every limit she was given and busted down every boundary she came across. However, interestingly enough though, unlike most rule breakers, this kid also hated to get into trouble of any kind and absolutely despised getting yelled at.

Sigh.

So, one day when this child was way past old enough to know better she decided it would be fun to break every rule I had ever made. Like literally. In an hour’s time. Then she preceded to blow off every warning I gave her and did the exact opposite of what I asked her to do. My patience, which is not unlimited, even on the best of days, held up pretty well until late afternoon.  I finally broke down and yelled at her. I told her in no uncertain terms I was done.

The consequences train was coming to town.

 Before I could list off even one of the consequences I had been daydreaming about for the last hour, she began to cry and told me she hated it when I yelled. At that point, it was obvious we had both reached our limits so I sent her to her room to give us both some time to cool off and regroup.  

When I went into her room, my first question was: “okay, I totally get that you hate being yelled at. So, help me understand why you wait until I someone starts yelling to do what you’re told?”  She responded with: “Once you start yelling I know you mean it”. 

Sigh. 

Here’s the thing though:

A lot of us see God the same way my daughter saw me. We just sort of assume that when God has finally gotten fed up with our behavior, or is nearing the end of His patience with us He will let us know He’s had enough in a loud and obvious kind of a way. We expect God to “yell” or warn us in some way before He brings the hammer of judgment down in our lives. 

 As a result, we tend to think (subconsciously at least) that when we sin and nothing terrible happens God must be okay with (or at least not mad about) whatever monkey business we’ve been up to. Sometimes we even go so far as to call His lack of clear and obvious outrage at our behavior “grace”. 

However.

The book of Romans tells an entirely different story. The first chapter of Romans starts out rather pleasantly. Paul greets the recipients of the letter (whom he had never met) with genuine warmth. Then he says some really nice things he had heard about the Christians in Rome and Jesus and their faith in Jesus. Then all of a sudden in verse eighteen he steers the letter in a rather unsettling direction and begins talking about the wrath of God and judgement and how all human beings are without excuse and ought to know better. Then in verse twenty-four he says something super profound most of us tend to move past rather quickly. 

He says:

God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired- Romans 1:24a NLT

This means:

 God just let them have at it. He let them go ahead and do whatever felt good to them without so much as a single real-time consequence. God did not scream and yell about their sin. He did not crush their consciences with an overwhelming sense of guilt. He did not pile on a whole bunch of horrible consequences. He just let them do whatever shameful thing they felt like doing without so much as a single negative word. 

So, here’s the thing:

This one little verse tells us a lot about God and the freewill of human beings. Just because there is no an apparent consequence for a sin or we feel okay about what we’re doing. It doesn’t necessarily mean God is okay with whatever we’ve been up to. 

To the contrary. 

A lack of guilty feelings over sin is actually the exact opposite of getting away with something. According to Romans 1:24 it is an indicator God has stepped back from the situation. When God steps back and lets people do whatever they want to do without guilt or consequences it is actually the first step in a long and likely painful process of judgement and trouble. 

Yikes. 

So. What this means is we cannot judge right and wrong based entirely on whether or not we feel guilty or there are obvious consequences when we do certain things. Instead, of relying on what our heart tell us about sin we need to get into the habit of turning away from our sin quickly and repenting completely. Then we need to trust God with the outcome of coming clean. Whatever that may be. 

The Sin of Passivity-

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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). 

The Meaning Behind Romans 12:2-

Lisa M. Price1 Comment

Those who belong to Christ Jesus crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.If we live by the Spirit, let’s follow the Spirit as well– Galatians 5:24-25 NASB

The New Testament includes several passages thought to be “formational” passages. They are called formational because the whole point of these sections of Scripture is to form a believer into the image of Christ (Colossians 3, 1st Thessalonians 4:3-12, 2nd Peter 1:3-9, Ephesians 4:1-6:18). Each one is a super practical, easy to understand passage that gives clear instruction on how exactly one makes the Christian life work in the real world. If these passages are understood and put into practice it is pretty close to impossible to fail at being a Christian. 

Seriously.

It really is that simple. 

Romans chapter twelve is perhaps the most formational of all the formational texts of the Christian faith. In it, the apostle Paul clearly lays out what a Christian should “look like” in the day-to-day of life. The chapter is filled with so much simple and yet comprehensive instruction, I am whole-heartedly convinced that if a person were to commit their life to Jesus and then seek to live out only the instruction found in Romans twelve they would live an exemplary Christian life (Matthew 25:21). 

Paul begins by urging Christians to live a life of sacrifice and worship (Romans 12:1). Then he quickly warns that choosing to be “conformed to the pattern of this world” is the one thing that will prevent a Christian from living a life of worship and sacrifice that pleases and honors God (Romans 12:2). 

Recently, I decided to look up the word conform in my Greek dictionary. The thing about Greek words is that they tend to be much more multifaceted and complex than most English words. It is not at all unusual for it to take a hundred really big English words to explain clearly all the possible meanings of one little Greek word. Then it can take ANOTHER hundred English words to lay out all the different contexts a Greek word can be used in. For that reason, I fully expected to find a multi-paragraph description of what the word meant and all of the different ways it could be used. Instead, I found nine little words.  

Metheg: to curb or bit; a bit— or a bridle. 

The word (metheg) translated into English “conformed” means to be led, restricted by or controlled by something or someone else. The purpose of a bit or a bridle is to restrict movement, control and lead an animal. Not being “conformed” to the world we live in is not simply about avoiding worldly behaviors. Not being “conformed to the world” means we must learn to recognize and then actively work to avoid the control worldly ideas, philosophies and people have on our thinking. Worldly people include those who don’t know Jesus and those who do know Jesus but are spiritually immature or who are living in disobedience to Jesus (Colossians 2:4, Colossians 2:8). Avoiding conformity is critical because anytime we allow unsaved people, immature people or the philosophies of this world to unduly influence our thinking about life, God or what will make us happy we will begin to behave in a way that is in conflict with God’s will. 

There are all sorts of different ways we can be led by or controlled by the world.

We are led by the world when we don’t take the time to understand our faith and develop a Christian worldview (Matthew 22:37, 1st Corinthians 2:16). Without a solid framework of biblical truth helping us to sort through worldly ideas and opinions we are sure to become emmeshed with the worldly kinds of values and ideas readers are warned about throughout the New Testament (Colossians 2:8, 1st Corinthians 3:1-22, Acts 17:24-31).   

Taking our moral cues from our godless society, the news or the things we find on social media rather than the word of God will certainly put us on the fast track to being “conformed to the pattern of this world”. We are led by the world when we become enslaved to our own fear of being unpopular or disliked in social situations. In a world where cancelling people has become commonplace, it’s easy to allow our fear of social isolation to cause us to take the path of least resistance and just agree to whatever moral or spiritual nonsense is being thrust on us by the “cool people”. We can also be restricted, controlled or led by our fear of being on the “outs” with whoever happens to have the loudest voice in any given room. It’s easy to forget that the loudest voice is not always the godliest or wisest voice. 

Being led by the world is the easiest thing ever. In our fallen state it is our natural go-to because we are literally born with the “bit” of the world already in place. Therefore, it takes a great deal of spiritual awareness for a Christian to avoid conformity to the world’s system. Choosing to conform to Christ rather than the world is worth all the effort and pain it takes because it allows us to keep our Christian distinctiveness and our saltiness (Matthew 5:13).  Staying “salty” is the key to maintaining spiritual influence and success in this life. 

Stay salty my friend. 🙂

How do we Survive and Thrive in a World of Folly and Stupidity?

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

Wisdom along with an inheritance is good, and an advantage to those who see the sun. For wisdom is protection just as money is protection, but the advantage of knowledge (wisdom) is that wisdom keeps its possessors alive– Ecclesiastes 7:11-12 NASB

Wisdom and folly. Those two subjects are the heart of the Book of Proverbs.

We all get folly.

Folly is easy.

Folly is stupidity and learned lunacy. Folly is making the decision to do the wrong thing because the wrong thing feels pleasant or appears to be advantageous, easy or expedient in the moment. Folly is making the choice to ignore the obvious, and then whining about the results of ignoring the obvious. Folly is rebelling against common sense or acknowledged facts in favor of feelings.

Folly is not a difficult concept to grasp (Ecclesiastes 10:3).

However.

Wisdom is more complicated and much harder to nail down, largely because wisdom is way more nuanced (Proverbs 8:11, Proverbs 3:19).  Some of the best practical definitions of wisdom are:

Thinking God’s thoughts after Him-

The sum of all learning and knowledge-

Common sense, good judgment- 

The ability to apply knowledge appropriately to a given situation- 

But, by far, my all-time favorite practical definition of wisdom is… 

Drumroll please…

Understanding the connectedness of life-

Wisdom is understanding every single action in life produces a reaction or consequence.  It’s accepting the reality that the reaction or consequence is not always equal to or observably related to the action (Hosea 8:7).  Wisdom is understanding the seemingly unconnected things in life really are connected. Wisdom is knowing anxiety is not a freak event or strictly a biological occurrence. It’s the direct result of something else: an unfinished project, a lie we told, control issues or a conversation we’re scared to have.  Wisdom is recognizing the link between pride and abject failure in our relationships and work (Proverbs 16:18, Proverbs 11:2). Wisdom is understanding how I live today will impact tomorrow, sometimes in seemingly unconnected ways (Proverbs 20:25).  Wisdom is knowing how I choose to manage my sexuality has the power to dramatically impact not only my marriage but also my finances, friendships, parenting outcome and reputation (Proverbs 5:1-14). Wisdom is knowing sin in one area of my life will inevitably impact productivity and blessings in other areas of my life (Proverbs 5:21-23).

Wise people understand nothing happens in a vacuum and everything is LITERALLY connected to everything else. There are no choices in life that are disconnected from our other choices. Wise people grasp the sad fact that we get to choose the sin but we don’t get to choose the consequences of the sin (Proverbs 1:31).

Sigh.

 Thankfully, one need not be smart or clever to be wise (Proverbs 17:28). Even dumb people can be wise. That being said, no one, no matter their I.Q. gets wisdom, unless they go after it (James 1:5, Proverbs 1:20-23). There are five primary ways we acquire wisdom, including:

Obeying the precepts found in the Bible-

The Bible defines wisdom and foolishness very clearly in the book of Proverbs (Proverbs 1-4). However, there is more wisdom in the Bible than what’s found in Proverbs. The Bible teaches through stories, psalms and commands what will happen when a person chooses to act wisely and what happens when a person chooses to behave foolishly. Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. Therefore, a wise life begins with making a commitment to Jesus (Proverbs 14:2). Once the commitment is made a person should seek to learn the Bible and apply it their life. Obedience to God produces an abundance of wisdom. Every. Single. Time.    

Reflection about life-

Some assume simply living life and attaining an education will make them wise. This is categorically wrong. There are lots of really foolish old people and the world is abounding with educated idiots. Self-reflection is a key to wisdom. We become wise and insightful when we take the time to honestly contemplate which actions led to our successes and failures (Proverbs 4:26, 2nd Corinthians 13:5, Ecclesiastes 12:9).  When we choose to think through what we did right or wrong in situations and then take responsibility for those actions and adjust our behavior accordingly next time wisdom becomes a natural part of who we are as people. 

Prayer-

It’s critical we know God isn’t just wise and knowledgeable. God IS wisdom. God IS knowledge. God is THE source of all understanding about all things (Proverbs 3:19-20).  Praying to the source of wisdom and knowledge does two things: first, prayer allows clueless humans to ASK God for wisdom about life. A prayer for wisdom is God’s favorite kind of prayer. He is always ready to give wisdom to anyone eager to ask for it (James 1:5). However, prayer is not just about asking God for stuff.  Prayer is primarily about connecting with and communing with God. We become like those we spend the most time with. Therefore, if we make connecting with the all-wise, all-knowing, totally-holy maker of the universe a priority in our lives we will become wise just as He is wise (Hosea 14:9, Proverbs 13:20). 

From other people- 

God graciously blesses those who seek wisdom with wisdom and then places those people in our lives as a gift (Proverbs 13:20, Proverbs 13:14). It is our responsibility to identify the wise people God places in our path and learn from them. As with any gift we can refuse the wisdom others have to offer but we do so at our own peril. 

And finally.

No one can acquire wisdom without humility. Period. It literally cannot happen.  In order to acquire wisdom we must understand and accept the inherent limitedness of our own personal wisdom. Wisdom means conceding that sometimes we get it wrong and most of the time we don’t know what we don’t know. Wisdom is all about having a realistic perspective of ourselves and humbly asking God to give us the insight, wisdom and understanding we lack. 

Then we are unstoppable in every good thing God calls us to (Proverbs, 9:12 Proverbs 21:22). 

Q&A Friday- Is it okay for Christians to Use Marijuana Recreationally?

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

Is it okay for Christians to use weed recreationally?

Just a few years ago this would have been a very easy question to answer. Marijuana was illegal.  Christians should never willfully break laws that don’t contradict God’s laws so using marijuana (an illegal substance) would be wrong for Christians. Period. End. Of. Debate. 

However.

Laws have changed radically in recent years. Marijuana is now legalized or decriminalized in thirty-three states, marijuana use is entirely prohibited in only four. This makes the rightness and wrongness of marijuana use a much more complex issue for serious Christians. The real question is not whether or not Christians CAN smoke weed it’s whether or not Christians SHOULD smoke weed. 

The Apostle Paul says this about Christian freedom:

 “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. No one should seek their own good, but the good of others-1st Corinthians 

Using marijuana is lawful for Christians. Nonetheless, marijuana use not beneficial or constructive because:

  1. Christians are told to be sober minded (1st Peter 5:8, 1st Thessalonians 5:6-8). Marijuana clouds judgment. It’s tough to be sober on weed.
  • The Bible warns Christians against drinking alcohol to the point of impairment (Ephesians 4:8, 1st Corinthians 5:11, Titus 1:7, 1st Peter 4:3). It is true that weed and alcohol are different but they both lead to impairment. It is possible to drink a small amount of alcohol without becoming impaired. It is much more difficult, if not impossible, to use any amount of marijuana in a manner that does not lead to impairment. 
  • Using marijuana is not a good example for Christians to set for others. Christians are commanded not to do anything that might cause another person to sin or “stumble” (Matthew 18:7, Mark 9:42, 1st Corinthians 10:32). Marijuana is a known gateway drug. This means marijuana use makes people more comfortable with other, stronger drugs. Doctor prescribed drug use aside, drug use does not typically lead to full, abundant, law abiding life. When non-Christians, or newer Christians see mature Christians using marijuana it sends the clear message that drug use is okay and no one is lives their best life on drugs. 

And finally. 

  • We live in times that require Christians to be alert, holy and entirely present (Ephesians 5:15-17). God wants His people to be clear-minded and ready to fight the spiritual battles that come our way (Ephesians 6:10-17). Drug use of any kind does not help us to be alert, righteous and entirely present. Therefore, it should be avoided.  

Six Spiritual Choices that give the Devil a Foothold-

Lisa M. Price2 Comments


Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour– 1st Peter 5:8 NIV

For a good part of my Christian life I preferred to just sort of ignore the devil and demons.

It’s not like I didn’t believe in those things, but, like most post-enlightenment Christians I simply preferred to focus on the “less weird” aspects of the spiritual realm. Jesus, God, the Holy Spirit and angels were my jam and I would have been perfectly happy to keep it that way indefinitely.

But, then the world went to hell. 

Literally. 

Right before my very eyes.  People began believing the most crazy-town stuff imaginable. People everywhere, from every walk of life, began claiming there is no such thing as objective truth. People actually started to say out loud we all have our own unique little truth we are entitled to believe even without any evidence to back up the existence of our “truth”.

However.

If your “truth” includes saying or believing the “wrong thing” you would be “cancelled” and lose your reputation, livelihood and the right to live in “polite” society.  Full-grown adults bought into the notion that gender is “fluid” and therefore changeable. Universities began offering free tampons to “men” having their periods. Parents and teachers stopped telling kids that boys have penises and girls have vaginas. Instead, educated people began encouraging kindergarteners to discover their “true” gender.  People were willing to throw a perfectly good country out the window because the founders of that country were fallible human beings who behaved just like everyone else in their era.

Sigh.

Everything went to hell in a handcart and Ephesians 6:12 is only plausible explanation for the madness that has engulfed the world. 

It says: 

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

 The devil is real. 

He is a created being who turned against God (Luke 10:18). He hates those who love God and it’s absolutely critical we understand his tactics. Satan wants to steal our ministry opportunities, turn us against God and eradicate our influence in this world. He does this through attacks where he plants lies in our minds and tempts us to behave in ways that steal our effectiveness, kill our love for God and destroy any positive influence we have (John 10:10). Satan waits for just the right opportunity to attack us (1stPeter 5:8). We give him the opportunity to do so when we do the following:

We don’t pray, we suddenly stop praying or our prayers focus only on shallow things-

I do not understand everything there is to understand about prayer. However, one truth I do understand is that regular prayer provides a powerful form of spiritual protection (Matthew 26:41).  When we stop praying regularly or never really form a habit of prayer or we only pray perfunctory prayers we give the devil an opportunity to gain a foothold in our thinking (Ephesians 4:27). Once the enemy has traction in our minds he can plant all sorts of foul seeds that eventually grow into deception, dissatisfaction with God and curiosity about sin.   

We wander where we don’t belong-  

There are some places God’s people simply do not belong. Watching other people sin dulls our spiritual sensitivity and can awaken a desire within us to sin. Therefore, serious Christians ought to avoid any entertainment that presents sin as normal or healthy behavior. Being around Christians who are willfully and proudly sinning breaks down the natural desire all Christians have to remain holy and please God (1st Corinthians 5:11). It is spiritually strategic to avoid anyone or anything that makes sin appear attractive (Matthew 13:41, Matthew 18:6-7). 

When our primary sources of information come from the world-

In Colossians 2:8 Christians are warned they can be “taken captive” by “deceptive philosophies”. This is most likely to happen when we get most or all of our information on life, current events and how to do life from those who don’t know God or understand how Christians are to live in this world. There is nothing wrong with an occasional secular book, podcast or seminar. That said, getting all or most of our “how-to” information on living life from worldly sources (including secular counselors) gives Satan ample opportunity to take our thinking captive. Once our thinking is captive our behavior will always devolve (Colossians 4:5, Ephesians 5:15).

When we have the wrong kind of self-focus-

There are two types of self-focus. The first is when we think endlessly about making ourselves happy, being successful and getting our own needs met. The second is when we put our attention on where we need to grow and how we can become emotionally healthier, godlier, wiser versions of ourselves so we can glorify God and make the world a better place. The devil loves the first kind of self-focus but hates the second because the first inevitably leads to self-destruction and a life of sin. While the second always leads to a life of profound joy that inevitably points others to faith in Jesus (Matthew 5:19, Colossians 3).  

When we haven’t submitted our lives or some part of our lives to Jesus-

Seriously. Disobedience and rebellion and refusing to acknowledge or repent of sin are open doors the enemy will always walk through. Deal with those issues (Ephesians 4:27, James 4:7, 1st Peter 5:8). Pronto. 

We refuse to forgive- 

Refusing to forgive leads to bitterness and bitterness makes us more open to sin (Acts 8:23). Satan would be a fool not to take advantage of that kind of opportunity to plant bitterness, rage and every other kind of evil in our lives (Hebrews 12:15). Forgiveness is never easy but is is the most spiritually freeing thing we can do. It is more than worth the effort. It is essential to our spiritual survival (Matthew 6:14-15, Luke 11:4).

For too long most Christians have lived as if the devil is a joke, a fantasy or an exaggeration.

This has resulted in a feeble church, worldly Christians and a world in crisis. We must endeavor to live lives that thwart the enemies plan and take back ground for the Kingdom.  We do that through constant prayer, a commitment to forgive quickly, submission to God, becoming the best version of ourselves and looking to the Bible and other Christians, not the world for answers to life’s questions.