Tag: Bible

Love or Knowledge-What Matters More?

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

 I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself. In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge- Colossians 2:2-3 NLT

There has been a debate raging in the Church for two thousand years. It centers around the question: which is more important to the practice of Christianity: love or knowledge? 

Love is hands-down the popular favorite.  

Team love argues (quite persuasively, I might add) it is love, rather than knowledge at the heart of what Jesus taught were the two greatest commands (Matthew 22:37-40). Furthermore, team love contends, there are like, zero Bible verses instructing Christians to attain knowledge for the sake of knowledge. However, there are a surplus of verses commanding Christians to love others for the sake of love and to love even when it’s unsound and makes no sense whatsoever. (John 13:34-35, Matthew 5:44, Luke 6:27-35, Romans 13:8-10, 1st Peter 1:22, 1st Peter 4:8, 1st Corinthians 13). 

Team knowledge has a much tougher time of things, but, bless their sweet hearts, they do try. Team knowledge believes knowledge has a protective element to it. Therefore, knowledge protects Christians from embracing ideas and beliefs that lead even devoted believers away from right thinking and living (Galatians 5:7-10, 1st Corinthians 9:24, Proverbs 18:15, Hosea 4:6, 1st Timothy 2:4, Titus 1:1, Colossians 3:9-10, Psalm 119:66). 

The Apostle Paul would have sent everyone on both sides of this argument a firmly worded letter. In a message to the Philippian congregation Paul says this: 


This is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight’ Philippians 1:9 NIV

The Apostle Paul understood some realities both teams tend to forget, namely that love and knowledge work in conjunction with one another. Love on its own often devolves into sloppy sentimentalism. Sloppy sentimentalism looks a lot like biblical love but the end of the day sloppy sentimentalism is really all about making people feel good about themselves no matter how messy, dysfunctional or in need of transformation they may be.  Love without knowledge feels good, but it lacks wisdom, it has no discernment, so it risks people missing heaven due to a lack of understanding about how to get there (Matthew 7:13-14, Matthew 7:21-24). Conversely, knowledge without love is accurate, precise and truthful but it inevitably lacks empathy and kindness. Jesus’ issues with the Pharisees revolved almost entirely around their insistence on a hard adherence to biblical truth with zero grace, compassion or love (John 8:1-11, Matthew 12:1-14). Knowledge gives people the information necessary to get them to heaven but it lacks the compassion and kindness that leads people to fall in love with Jesus and repent of their sins (Romans 2:4).  The Apostle Paul wanted Jesus’ people to have knowledge of the following four areas:

Knowledge of Jesus-

Jesus is the author, perfecter and foundation of everything Christians believe about everything (Hebrews 12:2, John 1:1-5). Nonetheless, there is all sorts of weird teachings and beliefs floating around about Jesus. As a result, a lot of folks think they know a lot about Jesus and what He had to say about all kinds of issues and good many of those people are dead wrong. The only way to know what Jesus had to say about anything is to dig deep into the Scriptures and discover the biblical Jesus for ourselves. Knowledge of the biblical Jesus keep us from being swept away by false teachers that present Jesus as something He’s not (Matthew 24:4-5, Jude 1:4, 2nd Peter 2:1-3, 2ndTimothy 3:1-8). 

Knowledge of what to avoid-

The Bible tells us what to do.  The Bible also it gives us all kinds of valuable knowledge about what not to do. When a person knows the Bible, they know it’s spiritually dangerous to get overly involved with those who have proven themselves to have bad character (1st Corinthians 15:33, 1st Corinthians 5:11). They also understand the dangers of adopting worldly philosophies (Colossians 2:4), legalism (Colossians 2:16-19, Galatians 3), willful sin (Hebrews 6:4-6) sexual immorality (1st Thessalonians 4:1-3, 1st Corinthians 6:18), racism and sexism (Galatians 3:28, Colossians 3:11), just to name a few. This kind of knowledge naturally leads to discernment and wisdom. Wisdom and discernment are the two most protective characteristics a person can have (Proverbs 4:5-6, Proverbs 19:8, Proverbs 15:14, Proverbs 17:24). 

Knowledge of what to do-

Christianity is not just about knowing doctrinal truth and being right (1st Corinthians 13:2), nor is it simply about what we shouldn’t do. Christianity is mostly about doing (Matthew 25:31-45, Romans 12:4-21).  Christians are called to preach the gospel, care for the less fortunate, mourn with those who mourn and just generally act as the hands and feet of Jesus in every situation they find themselves (Romans 7:4, 1st Corinthians 12:27). Knowing what we are to do and doing it keeps us from the pitfalls of legalism and the self-righteousness that can result from spiritual learning without an equal amount of spiritual action.  

Knowledge of the grace of God-  

The grace of God is the lynchpin of Christianity. Everything about the faith rests on this one issue. Unfortunately, teaching about grace has become one dimensional, focused entirely on forgiveness and the role it plays in salvation (Ephesians 2:8-9). There is so much more to grace than forgiveness. God’s grace allows us to do things and endure hardship and difficulty normal humans simply cannot (2nd Corinthians 2:9, James 4:6-7). Grace teaches us how live lives of self-control and godliness (Titus 2:11-13). Grace also empowers us to do the works of righteousness we were saved to do (Ephesians 2:10). Truly understanding the grace of God is gamechanger for Christians. 

When our love for Jesus and each other overflows with knowledge of God and His word we are truly unstoppable from a spiritual perspective. 

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 Spiritual Habits that Bring Transformation-

Lisa M. Price1 Comment

Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old.Behold, I will do a new thing. Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness. And rivers in the desert- Isaiah 43:18-19 NKJV

 The book of Ecclesiastes teaches God has written eternity on every human heart (Ecclesiastes 3:11). This is just a fancy-pants way of saying that all humans have a gut-level understanding that our days numbered. As a result, most individuals have an almost instinctual longing to make the most of the time they have been given.  

In order to assist us in making the most of our time God has also designed rhythms to life.  Morning and evening, springtime and harvest, birth and death are repetitious patterns that remind us of the brevity of life and teach us to order our days in such a way they make a difference in the grand scheme of life and eternity (Genesis 8:22, Psalm 90:12, James 4:14). The first month of every year is another God-ordained rhythm of life. January is a yearly opportunity to reflect on the past and consider how we can make an impact on our world in the coming year. There is no end to the advice given on how to make each day count. Most advice is focused entirely on improving one’s eating habits, losing weight, making more money and improving one’s overall level of happiness. There is nothing inherently wrong or sinful with any of those things 

However.

Christians are commanded to live for more than their personal health, financial wellbeing and even their own personal happiness and pleasure. Christians are called to be transformed into the image of Jesus, to love God and people and to bring others into relationship with Jesus (Matthew 22: 34-40, Matthew 28:16-20, Romans 12:1-2, 2nd Corinthians 3:18). The following seven attitudes and habits are a spiritual game changer that will empower you to fulfill that calling:

Commit each day to the Lord-

If you make a practice of committing each day to the Lord before you do anything else (drink coffee, get out of bed, think about or plan your day) it will be spiritual game-changer (Psalm 37:5-6). Committing each day to the Lord serves as a reminder that you gave that day to the Lord. That knowledge will help to keep you spiritually on track throughout the day.

Know who you belong to and what that means- 

If you are a follower of Jesus in a very real sense your life is not your own. You are literally the legal property of Almighty God (1st Corinthians 6:20, 1st Corinthians 7:23, 2nd Peter 2:1).  Christians are most content and make the biggest impact on others (and eternity) when understand and embrace this reality. Walking daily in the knowledge of who we belong to frees us up to fulfill our ultimate purpose of pleasing Jesus and bringing others into the kingdom (Matthew 10:6-8, Matthew 25:33-35, Luke 9:60, Ephesians 5:6). 

Surrender-

Every Christian—no matter how long they have been a Christian has a “thing” in their life. It might be a habit, a relationship, an attitude, a sexual proclivity, or maybe a love of money or some other worldly thing. Whatever, IT is, it will hold us back from our next big leap of growth and maturity.  One critical aspect of spiritual health and impacting our sphere of influence for Jesus is figuring out what our thing is and then letting go of it so God can work through us (Hebrews 12:1, Galatians 5:13-25)

Regular self-evaluation-

The key to spiritual growth is ultimately super boring. Our growth is determined by our spiritual habits and practices. The habits and practices we adopt around Bible reading, prayer, church attendance and self-examination determine our spiritual maturity and usefulness. Start with an inventory: What does your prayer life look like? Do you read the Bible routinely? Do you get anything out of your Bible reading?  How often do you attend church? If you pray less than a half hour a day, don’t read your Bible at least four days a week, attend church less than three times a month or aren’t getting anything out of your Bible reading, I guarantee you your spiritual habits and practices are holding you back (Hebrews 10:25, 1st Thessalonians 5:17, Matthew 26:14, Hebrews 4:12-13, 2nd Corinthians 13:5). If you want to make a spiritual impact you will have to change them. 

Be open to the Holy Spirit- 

Being open to the Holy Spirit is not about being weird. It’s about spiritual awareness and being open to God’s leading at all times (Galatians 5:16). In Acts three Peter and John passed a crippled beggar as they entered the Temple mount. The beggar asked for money, instead of giving him money they healed him in the name of Jesus (Acts 3:1-10). Peter and John doubtless passed dozens of beggars before they engaged with that one. Why? Because they were open to, in tune with and willing to be led by God in everything. So, when God said “that one” they knew exactly who He meant and what to do. We become open to the leading of the Holy Spirit through a combination of prayer, obedience and knowledge of the Bible. 

Pray on the armor of God- 

Life is becoming increasingly complex and scary because we are living in a world at war (Ephesians 6:10-13, Daniel 10:7-14) and the war is heating up (2nd Timothy 3:1-5, 2nd Peter 3:3-4) Ephesians 6:14-18 gives us the tools we need to protect ourselves, pray effectively and impact our world for Jesus. For an example of how to pray through Ephesians 6:10-18 click this link:  https://lisamargretprice.com/2020/02/03/ephesians-6-prayer/

And finally, 

We must make spiritual community a reality. Church is not optional for Jesus followers. Without Christian relationships and the spiritual stability godly people bring to our lives everything else on the list becomes a challenge. When we have a healthy spiritual community, we have the support and help we need to make every one of our days count for eternity.

Satan’s Diary- Christmas 2023

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

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

Dearest Diary,

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

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

It’s just so DEPRESSING. 

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

Insert retching sounds here. 

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

Okay, so here goes:

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

This is good. I feel better already.

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

SO GOOD.

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

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

Ha. As. If. 

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

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

It’s just not done!

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

I love it!  

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

Yours,

Satan

The Unintended Consequences of Refusing to Give it up and Repent Already-

Lisa M. Price1 Comment

Also keep Your servant back from presumptuous sins. Let them not rule over me;
Then I will be innocent, And I will be blameless of great wrongdoing- Psalm 19:13 NASB 

For most of us, our biggest fears besides spiders, snakes and germs are:

Fear of being judged. 

Fear of social shame or humiliation. 

Fear of the future. 

Fear we will not get our needs met. 

With all due respect to everyone’s fears, these are all the wrong things to be afraid of. The short-list of things the Bible says we ought to fear are: 

God (Ecclesiastes 5:1-2, Matthew 10:26, 2nd Corinthians 7:1, 1st Peter 2:17). 

Missing out on the grace of God (Hebrews 12:17, 1st Peter 5:5). 

Getting tangled up in some sort of sin (Hebrews 12:1). 

And:

The obstinate refusal to fully repent of a known sin (Jude 1:4, Psalm 19:13, Hebrews 10:26). 

There are all sorts of reasons why Christians choose not to repent. But, truth-be-told almost all of them go back to the list of all the wrong things to be afraid of. Folks resist repentance because admitting wrong (a crucial aspect of repentance) might lead to social shame or change how people see us. Sometimes we fear the confession that might need to go along with our repentance will affect our future or keep us from getting our needs met.  

So. 

 None of the above concerns are entirely irrational. Those are real issues. Sometimes there are consequences for coming clean and getting things right with God and people.  But we have to remember that all Christians sin.  Most Christians sin mostly on accident, a few sin on purpose but all Christians sin (1st John 1:8-9). There is grace for sin (Romans 3:24), but only when we choose to do things God’s way and repent. Choosing not to repent is effectively choosing misery. It will not result in a loss of salvation but it will create all sorts of other painful problems with unintended consequences, including:

We open ourselves up to all sorts of other sins- 

This is a real thing. Anytime we sin and refuse to acknowledge the sin, feel remorse for it and turn away from it our conscience becomes seared (1st Timothy 4:1-3). The human conscience is an oddly delicate thing. Once it is seared it becomes much less prone to feeling conviction and sinning feels like a lot less of a problem. This is why when a Christian is outed for some form of moral failure there is almost always a long list of their sins. They lied AND they cheated on their spouse AND they used drugs, AND they stole money AND they treated people like garbage. Nevertheless, the whole ugly muddle always begins with the very first sin they refused to deal with God’s way (Acts 3:19, Matthew 3:8, Romans 2:4)

We run the risk of making ourselves sick- 

Again, this is a real thing.  If someone is a genuine Christian refusing to repent always leads to feelings of guilt and even self-loathing (Psalm 32:3). Because there is a connection between our minds, hearts and bodies eventually those feelings of guilt and self-loathing create stress that damages our physical bodies. (Proverbs 13:12, Proverbs 14:30, Acts 2:26).  Symptoms of stress eventually affect every part of our bodies. 

It becomes very difficult to us to do ministry and life well–  

All Christians receive the Holy Spirit when they put their faith and trust in Jesus (John 14:16-17, Acts 2:38, Romans 15:16, Ephesians 1:13). Nonetheless, believers in Jesus are also told to be filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 9:17). A continual filling of the Holy Spirit brings joy, peace, wisdom and insight which empowers us to do ministry and life well (Acts 4:31, Acts 13:8-10, Acts 13:52).  It is possible to grieve the Holy Spirit. We grieve the Holy Spirit anytime we live in a way that runs counter to the biblical truths we have been taught (Isaiah 59:1-2, Isaiah 63:10, Ephesians 4:30). Anytime we refuse to repent we forfeit the spiritual power and sense of peace that comes with having the Holy Spirit operating in our lives at full capacity. The net effect of this foolishness is we do life and ministry in our own feeble strength and power (Philippians 4:13).  This never leads to anything good or life-giving. 

Intimacy with God is broken-

Sin has caused human beings to run and hide from God (metaphorically speaking) since the fall of mankind. This inclination is literally part of our human DNA (Genesis 3:8-10, Romans 5:12). We hide from God because we understand intuitively sin breaks intimacy with God. This dynamic creates all sorts of problems and unintended consequences in our lives. The worst being that we no longer feel we can run to God for help with the problems caused by our sinful choices. The answer is always just give it up and repent already (Acts 3:19). 

Most of the time we hang onto sinful junk because we really want to maintain complete control of any consequences we might suffer. Control always comes at a high price in this life. God graciously gives us the abundant, joyful life Jesus promised when we make a practice of confessing our sin and repenting quickly (John 10:10). Choosing repentance always leads to peace, intimacy with God, a clean conscience and the ability to operate at maximum spiritual capacity. All of those blessings are worth giving up anything we have to give up.  

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

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

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

I have observed a rather troubling trend in Church world. 

Let’s say Joe or Jane Christian does not understand a doctrine—or they don’t grasp all the motivations and/or reasons for a command given by God. Even just a few years ago Joe or Jane would have said to themselves: “Well, God is God and I’m not. I will obey God even though I don’t get it”.

Times have changed. These days Joe or Jane Christian will most likely ignore anything he or she does not completely understand. Sometimes Joe or Jane will blame God for their disobedience because He didn’t do an adequate job explaining the reasons for the command or doctrine in the Bible. Joe or Jane might even choose to deconstruct their faith because God didn’t do a good enough job explaining things to them.

This is not good Joe and Jane. 

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

This is real. 

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

What? 

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

Again, what? 

Sigh. 

In Luke 18:8 Jesus asks a question:  

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

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

So, a couple of things: 

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

Seriously. 

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

And finally, 

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

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

Lisa M. Price3 Comments

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

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

Seriously.

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

So,

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

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

All that being said:

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

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

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

I will not lie.

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

However,

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

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

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

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

There is a lot of comfort in that knowledge.

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

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

How Does a Christian Make a Difference in a “Day of Evil”?

Lisa M. Price1 Comment

 Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is- Ephesians 5:15-17 NIV

How should a Christian live? 

 It’s a critical question serious Christians have been asking themselves and each other since the dawn of the Christian age. It’s also a question I have found myself pondering more frequently and with a greater sense of urgency. Anytime I pray about the times we live in and where we are headed two words come immediately to mind. Every. Single. Time.

Short and evil. 

My gut and all indications point to the reality that the time left may be short and the days we live in are becoming progressively more evil. I don’t know if Jesus is coming back tomorrow, two decades from now, or in a century. I do know we are closer now to Jesus’ return than we have ever been (2nd Timothy 3:1-5, 2nd Peter 3:2-3, Matthew 24). It’s simply a fact that the times we live in are more evil and much stranger than they have been since Jesus left the earth (Acts 1:3-9).    

War in the Middle East, economic turmoil, increased barbarity, sexual chaos,  gender lunacy, ceaseless social skirmishes and political machinations all point to a world in rapid and possibly irretrievable decline. Every square inch of our planet is crying out for the redemption Jesus will bring when He returns and restores all things to their pre-fall condition (Romans 8:18-25). 

Until then we are in a war for the hearts, minds and souls of people (Ephesians 6:12-13). I am convinced in the coming days the church will see a great harvest of souls in the midst of growing evil and increasing social chaos. People will come to know Jesus, lives will be changed and destinies will be rewritten. How we choose to conduct ourselves now and in the coming years will greatly impact our level of usefulness to the Lord (Acts 2:16-18). Because we live in such critical times we have a real opportunity to make our lives matter in a significant way for eternity. But, in order to do that we must wake up every day and choose to:

Live as called people-

The Greek word for church is ekklesia. Ekklesia is a compound word with a prefix and a root. The prefix is ek, meaning “out of”.  The root is a form of the word kaleo meaning “to call”. The word church literally means “called out ones”. Christians are called out people. We are called by Jesus out of our old way of life into a new life in Christ where our primary function is to tell the world about the life, death and resurrection of Jesus (1st Corinthians 5:17, Romans 11:29, Ephesians 4:1, 2nd Thessalonians 1:10-12). The exact particulars of how we fulfill our calling depends on our giftings and the opportunities God gives us (Romans 12:3-8) Our success or failure in the area of calling depends primarily on how we see ourselves and the purpose of our lives. Are we here to gratify our own desires and to live for our own glory? Or are we called out for the purpose of glorifying God and proclaiming His truth? 

Be ready to give an answer- 

The world is growing darker and scarier all the time. Individuals who have never thought much about God find themselves experiencing anxiety over world events and never-ending social upheaval. Many of these individuals are seeking answers from people they never have before. Christians should be ready to use discussions about current events as a jumping off place to talk about Jesus, where all this is headed, faith in Jesus and what will happen to those who refuse to put their faith in Jesus (1st Peter 4:5, 1st Peter 3:15).  God is opening doors for spiritual conversation. It is up to us to make the most of these opportunities (Colossians 4:5-7)

Leave behind pride and selfishness-

Over the course of the last few years a spirit of competitiveness and kingdom building has taken root in the hearts of Christians and Christian leaders. A spirit of unity is missing in churches. This is simply unacceptable (Ephesians 4:1-3, Colossians 3:13-14). There is simply no place for pride, jealously or selfishness in these times (Galatians 5:13-26). There is too much at stake to waste time on such short-term thinking. 

Live filled with the Holy Spirit-

The Greek word Jesus used for the Holy Spirit in the book of John is parakletos. The word means “advocate”, “helper”, “intercessor”, “counselor” and “comforter”.  The Holy Spirit is a gift given at salvation. The Spirit’s purpose is to teach, help, comfort and guide God’s people as they do His will in this world (John 14:26, 1st Peter 1:12, 1st Thessalonians 1:5). Sadly, many Christians ignore or minimize the importance of the Holy Spirit out of fear of “being weird”. Being filled with the Holy Spirit isn’t weird, it’s biblical (Ephesians 5:8-20). All we have to do is ask and God will give us fresh inpouring of the Spirit (Acts 4:23-31, Acts 13:8-10, Ephesians 3:14-19). Being filled with the Spirit daily gives us invaluable access to God’s wisdom, power, knowledge and insight. The Holy Spirit empowers us to live holy lives and do God’s will in our sphere of influence.

And finally, 

Be available. Our availability is what God wants most from His people right now. Be ready and willing to pray for a friend, hold a hand, answer a spiritual question, fill a need and God will use you for His glory.

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 Does God use Suffering and Evil to Bring about Good?

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

We celebrate in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also celebrate in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope- Romans 5:2b-4 NASB

Suffering and evil are ubiquitous in this life (John 16:33, 1st Peter 4:12).   Every human irrespective of race, socio-economic status or religious affiliation will suffer in some way during their time on this earth. 

Sigh.

The Bible tells us humans suffer because we live in a world that was broken by sin, rebellion and evil. When Adam and Eve chose to blow off God, go their own way and do their own thing they did way more than become free moral agents. They opened the door wide for sin, evil and suffering to become a key element of the human experience (Genesis 3:1-24). Misery, pain and difficulty have been hard-baked into life ever since. For those who don’t know Jesus, suffering just sucks. Life is a whole lot of pain with no real promise of hope or gain (Ecclesiastes 2:17).  Thankfully, God’s people have hope beyond the hardness of life. God does not cause suffering and evil but He will (if we let Him) use it as a force for good in our lives (Romans 8:28, Romans 8:38-39).  

Here’s how it works:

God uses suffering to take us from one place to another- 

Oftentimes God uses suffering, persecution and trouble to take His people out of a less-than-productive but comfortable spiritual situation into a far less comfortable but much-more-productive spiritual situation.   Such was the case with the early church. The early days of Christianity were in many ways idyllic. The early Christians love for Jesus and each other enabled them to create a beautiful little faith community where everyone was loved and cared for (Acts 2:42-47). Nonetheless, early Christians did little (like no) evangelizing outside of the Jewish community (Acts 2-7).  If it hadn’t been for some really nasty persecution Christianity would likely have remained a small sect of Judaism and it would have likely died out by the end of the first century. The stoning of Stephan and the persecution that followed changed the trajectory of Christianity forever. That awful event forced Christians out of their idyllic existence (Acts 8:1) and as a direct result of their suffering the gospel spread all over the world. If you are a gentile Christian then you have directly benefitted from their hardship. God does the same thing today. Oftentimes, persecution, personal tragedy or job loss is a catalyst for change that brings about a whole new level of spiritual usefulness in our lives.

God uses sinful behavior to reveal spiritual truth to the sinner-

 God does not make people treat other people badly. However, the way people behave reveals a lot about who they really are and what they’re all about. Such was the case with Saul. Saul was rejected by God as King (1st Samuel 15), then over the course of the next ten to fifteen years Saul caused David to suffer horribly by treating him very badly. When it was all said and done everyone (including Saul) knew that he one-hundred-percent deserved to be rejected as King.  God uses bad behavior as mirror to help individuals see their sin. What they do with that knowledge is entirely up to them. The only thing we are responsible for in these situations is our own response. We can respond like David did and allow difficult situations to refine us and prepare us for the next big blessing or we can become just like the jerks who hurt us (Ephesians 4:26, Hebrews 12:15, Ephesians 4:30-31). 

Suffering produces wisdom-

Suffering and hardship cut through the noise of life and makes us aware of all the things that really matter in life.  Suffering, pain and hardship cause us to cry out to God for help and wisdom in a way we don’t in times of prosperity and ease. Anytime we ask God for wisdom two things happen: He gives it in abundance without finding fault and we grow closer to Him (Psalm 57:1-3, James 1:5, Proverbs 2:3-6)

Our suffering has the power to make us like Jesus- 

Suffering is hard. There is literally nothing fun about it. That being said, suffering is what makes us more like Jesus. In fact, suffering even made Jesus better (Hebrews 2:9-10, Hebrews 2:18, Hebrews 5:7-9) Suffering made Jesus more obedient, more able to sympathize with the pain of others, and more able to comfort the hurting (2ndCorinthians 1:5). Ultimately, it was Jesus’ suffering that gave Him glory in His resurrection (Luke 24:25-26, Romans 8:17) If we allow it to, suffering does the same things for us. Suffering has the power to make us better, kinder, and more sympathetic. It also gives us a better resurrection and makes heaven more heavenly (Hebrews 11:35-38, Philippians 3:10-11, Revelation 20:6). 

We control how we respond to suffering.

We can shake our fists at God. We can let our personal pain transform us into harsh, angry, haters. Or we can allow God to take our suffering and transform us into something beautiful and precious. Faith is the key to becoming something beautiful in the midst of hardship. Hebrews eleven tells of those who lived by faith. All suffered. All were confused by their circumstances. Some were flogged and tortured. Some were imprisoned. Some even died for their faith. 

In spite of their circumstances, all the heroes of Hebrews eleven held tenaciously to the belief God is good. God’s assessment of these people is that they were so good and pure and beautiful this world was  literally not worthy of their presence (Hebrews 11:37-38). They trusted God with their suffering and He transformed them into spiritual gold. 

God is still in the business of doing beautiful things with hard situations.