Tag: faith

How do we Survive the Unrelenting Ickiness of this Age?

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”And He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.”- Revelation 21:4-5a NASB

I’ve been a little down in the dumps lately and I haven’t been able to figure out for the life of me why. There have been no recent calamities in my life.  Like every human on earth, I have some personal stuff I’m dealing with but most it has been around for a while and isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. I’ve learned to manage those realities.  

I prayed about it, and I got my answer in record time. 

God showed me that it wasn’t one big, ugly thing that been responsible for my recent stay in Dumpsville. It’s a whole bunch of little things.  

I’ve spent more time than is wise scrolling on social media lately (I know, not smart).  This has caused me to become much more aware of a whole bunch of things I would love to know nothing about.  I have been assaulted by a whole lot of weird perversion that has not only been normalized but is also being celebrated with wild abandon (Romans 1:18-32). Thanks to the internet I know all about polyamorous relationships. I also know about some really sketchy uses for IVF (invitro fertilization) and what happens to all the unwanted leftover humans created in the process (Jeremiah 1:5, Ephesians 2:10). There are a lot of really mean, insanely intolerant people who are convinced behaving in a hateful manner is somehow the agreeable, kind, loving thing to do. Too many people appear to be entirely focused on themselves, their feelings, their needs and their rights (Philippians 2:3-4). Because people are so focused on their own feelings and rights petty revenge has become alarmingly common and celebrated (Luke 6:31, Romans 12:19). Apparently, forgiveness and turning the other cheek is for nincompoops and losers (Matthew 6:15). Don’t even get me started on the division and hate in the political realm. I will never shut up. 

 Thankfully, Jesus predicted all this. He also warned what the outcome could be.

Because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold- Matthew 24:12 ESV

I used to think this verse meant that in the last days there would be a lot of law breaking and good, Godfearing people would be harmed by it. This would cause their love for and trust in God to just kind of dissolve. 

 I have rethought my original interpretation. 

Now I think Jesus foresaw that the day would come when people would no longer follow long-accepted rules of human decency. Jesus knew people would become merciless, vengeful, cruel and extraordinarily petty. He also foresaw the day when wicked people will believe they are morally superior to anyone who does not act just like them (1st Timothy 3:1-5). Living in a world with all those mean/lawless/self-righteous people will cause those who love God to become cold towards God and hardhearted towards other humans. This is kind of where we are living right now.

So, what do we do about it?

Do we scream and cry? Rail against the evils of our time? Grieve what we’ve lost as a society? Yes. Those responses are all thoroughly appropriate. However, we can’t stay there. I am convinced that getting stuck in repulsion, rage and/or despair over the ugliness of life is how we eventually end up with cold hearts towards God and people. 

Instead, we must commit to a couple of things. We must commit to learning and living out the word of God. Knowing the Bible helps in a couple of ways. It keeps our expectations about what life in this world is going to be like reasonable. The Bible is clear: THINGS ARE NOT GOING TO IMPROVE.  People will get eviler, and the moral climate will devolve (Matthew 24:37, 1st Tmothy 4:1, 2nd Timothy 3:1-5). That being said, the Bible does more than focus on the bad. The Bible also gives us the hope we need to endure to the end (Daniel 12:1-13, Matthew 24:13,1st Peter 2:19, 1st Corinthians 10:13). This world with all its unrelenting ickiness is not our home, nor is it forever. Someday God will make all the wrongs right, He will dry our tears and reward those who were resolutely faithful to Him in spite of the difficulties (Matthew 25:21, Proverbs 12:22, 2nd Corinthians 4:16-18). 

It’s also critical we stay faithful in prayer. We are in a spiritual battle and prayer is the most effective weapon we have at our disposal (Ephesians 6:10-18).  Prayer keeps us faithful in affliction and steadfast in times of testing (Matthew 26:14). When we make a regular practice of taking every hurt, every concern, every fear and every point of confusion to God in prayer it becomes the solution to all the ickiness around us. God may not take away the ickiness. However, if we ask Him to, He will give us the strength we need to withstand the evil and the wisdom we need to fight the darkness with His love and grace (John 13:35, 2nd Timothy 4:7). 

It is also critical we battle against the “if you can’t beat em join them” mentality that is so quick to take root in the human heart. We fight the temptation to become like the people around us by making a steadfast commitment to love God and people (Matthew 22:34-40). We fight it by choosing to become less like us and more like Jesus.  When that happens all of heaven rejoices and all of hell shudders. 

Four Widespread Deceptions that are Literally Wrecking our World-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

See to it that there is no one who takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception in accordance with human tradition, in accordance with the elementary principles of the world, rather than in accordance with Christ- Colossians 2:8 NASB 

The Bible is full of promises. 

Most of God’s promises are awesome. God promises to be with us (Psalm 91:11, Psalm 73:23). He also promises to forgive us (Psalm 130:4), to protect us (Psalm 46:1, 2nd Thessalonians 3:3) and to love us like crazy through the good, bad and ugly stuff of our lives (Zephaniah 3:17, John 3:16, Romans 8:37-39). 

All really great things. 

However, the Bible also promises (prophesies) that some not-so-great things will take place. Deception is one of those things. Deception has always been a part of life in this fallen world. However, both Jesus and the Apostle Paul promised the closer we inch towards the “end” the more deception there will be and the stranger that deception will become (Matthew 24:11-14, 2nd Thessalonians 2:3). I don’t know how close we are to the “end”.  No one does (Matthew 24:6, Matthew 25:13). However, I do know that just because of how time works we are closer now than we have ever been. I also know that there is more deception now than at any time in my lifetime. I have also observed that the deceptions are getting more complicated.  Without question, it’s getting harder to separate truth from fiction. This is because many of the most common deceptions have a seed of truth in them. Therefore, the deceptions sound good but believing them leads to all sorts of chaos including (in some cases) death of one sort or another (Proverbs 14:12). Some common deceptions are mostly unique to church world, others impact everyone. The first deception listed is unique to the church the other three have taken root inside and outside the church. 

Sin doesn’t matter after salvation- 

 This is definitely one of the churchier deceptions. Many church people today believe that God has either (A) softened His stance on sin in general. Or (B) once we are in relationship with Jesus, sin is irrelevant because all sin (past, present and future) is forgiven. A is one-hundred-percent erroneous, God does not change (Jeremiah 4:28, Hebrews 13:8) and He is still taking a solid anti-sin stance (Matthew 5:30, Romans 6:15-18).  B is a little trickier to parse out. Mostly because it is true, all our sin is forgiven post-salvation. God doesn’t stop loving people because they mess up post-salvation (1st John 1:9). However, that does not mean it’s wise to sin intentionally simply because God is gracious and good (1st Corinthians 15:34). This kind of thinking is insanely immature, stunts our spiritual growth, and it stifles intimacy with God. It can also be a sign salvation never actually occurred. 

God’s love is for everyone- 

In one sense God’s love is for everyone because God’s love and promise of salvation is AVAILABLE to anyone. God doesn’t discriminate. Jew, gentile, male, female, rich, poor we are all equal and equally loved by God (Galatians 3:28, Colossians 3:11). In another sense God’s love is not for everyone. God’s gift of salvation (the ultimate expression of God’s love) is for those who choose to do life God’s way. It’s for people who submit themselves to Jesus and obey God’s directives. God’s love is for those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 3:22) and then choose to live like they really believe He is Lord (1st John 2:5). The widespread belief in this lie has filled our churches with heathens who think they are heaven bound. 

Constantly looking back at the negative will somehow bring us peace/happiness/wholeness in the present-

It is true that our past oftentimes holds the key to why we are behaving in a particular way in the present. For example: a woman who never felt loved by her Dad will likely grow-up and have an unhealthy desire for male attention. This unhealthy desire could easily lead to promiscuity. Promiscuity is a sin (1st Corinthians 6:18, Hebrews 13:4, 1st Thessalonians 4:3-8). Knowing where her sinful desire “came from” can give the woman the knowledge she needs to change her behavior. However, spending too much time poking around in the past leads to rumination, which can lead to an unhealthy fixation on all the wrong things. Unhealthy fixations often lead to bitterness. Bitterness destroys our ability to live healthy, productive lives that bless others in the present (Hebrews 12:15). We should explore the past enough to get free of its negative impact and then commit to living fully and joyfully in the present. 

Perception is reality- 

 This deception is wildly popular, and it’s taken the whole world straight to crazy town. People actually believe that if they think something is true then it is. No further investigation is needed. The problems with this deception are endless. This belief is at the root of most division and hate.  People who believe this deception hurt other people because they believe (erroneously) that people who are different from them are out to get them (usually with little or no evidence). The idea that our perception is reality leads some to harm their own bodies with drugs or surgeries because they believe their “brain was put in the wrong body”. But perhaps the biggest problem with this deception is that it causes people to shut their brains off and stop thinking. Folks decide that what they believe is true and they stop thinking. This causes people to make decisions based entirely on lies. 

In these last days it is critical we live our lives free deception. The only way stay free of deception is by taking every thought we have and every idea we hear and measuring those thoughts and ideas against the perfect plumbline of Scripture (1st Timothy 3:16). When we do that truth sets us free (John 8:32). 

Satan’s Best Schemes-Updated for the Next Generation

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment


So that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes- 2nd Corinthians 2:11 NASB 

A scheme can be defined as:

An underhanded plot or a plan, program or policy that is officially adopted and followed. 

 Satan has schemes (Ephesians 6:11, 2nd Corinthians 2:10-11, 1st Peter 5:8) and it certainly feels like he has a lot of them.  However, in reality, Satan really only has a short list of policies, programs, plans and plots. All his schemes are clever (in a terrible kind of a way) and cleverly designed to discourage people from getting into right relationship with God and/or keeping them from becoming all they were created to be. 

Although Satan’s schemes are relatively few in number, he has been refining and honing his strategies since the dawn of humanity (Genesis 3). As a result, he’s a pro at what he does. Satan’s best schemes are (and always have been) unforgiveness, distraction, distortion of God’s plan for sexuality, self-pity, division and idolatry.  There is nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9). Nonetheless, in recent years Satan has updated how he presents his best schemes for the latest generation. Following are the newest twists on some of Satan’s old favorites:

Unforgiveness- 

Unforgiveness is a winner for Satan because unforgiveness is a spiritual poison that slowly destroys our souls and makes us unfit to do anything good or life-giving with our lives (Matthew 6:14-15, Matthew 18:21-35). Choosing not to forgive keeps us inwardly focused and trapped in a prison of bitterness and hate that severely limits our potential and turns us into an ugly distortion of what God intended us to be (Hebrews 12:15).  In recent years Satan kicked all this up a notch by rebranding unforgiveness and hate as a weird kind of self-care. Satan (and the people he uses) want us to believe forgiveness is weakness and broken relationships are an indicator of “good boundaries” and “self-respect”.  This lie has led an entire generation into believing that refusing to forgive is somehow healthy and will bring them peace. It’s a brilliant but entirely devastating strategy. 

Distraction- 

There is nothing Satan loves more than a good distraction. Distraction is designed to take our minds off pleasing God and loving the people in our lives (Matthew 22:34-40). Distraction from those two things allows all kind of chaos and sin to take root in our own lives and the lives of the people we love most, especially our children. At one time Satan was limited to distracting us with basic things that still mattered to some degree, like work and recreation. Since the invention of the smartphone now we are frequently distracted from the things that matter most and the things that used to distract us from the things that matter most. The result is lives wasted on futility and meaninglessness.  

Distortion of God’s plan for sexuality-

God’s design for sexuality is not complicated and has not evolved over time. It’s one man with one woman for a lifetime (Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19:5, Ephesians 5:30-31). Satan has never been a fan of this plan because life-long fidelity and devotion will always produce good mental health, strong families and stable societies, and he hates those things.  However, in recent years Satan has put a new and clever spin on sexual deviancy by convincing folks that their sexual choices are not really choices at all but rather genetic and therefore unchangeable. This has led to all sorts of insanity including laws that forbid discussion about sin and how to get free of it. It’s also led to a lot of despair with people feeling trapped by behaviors they could get free of through a relationship with Jesus and some in-depth discipleship training.

Self-pity-

Satan has always adored self-pity because, if it’s allowed to fester, it embitters and ultimately turns the individual against God. When someone allows self-pity to take root, they cease taking responsibility for their own choices and blame God for every problem they have. Instead of looking to God for comfort and help they turn God into the source of all their misery and pain. This in turn makes them feel justified in turning to sin and substances (bitterness, cynicism, drugs alcohol, pornography, etc.)  to make themselves feel better. Self-pity went mainstream a few years back when the powers that be began elevating victimhood into a virtue. People have been taught that there is nobility in being a victim which makes the self-pity that goes hand-in-hand with victimhood a badge of honor rather than a spiritually dangerous indulgence (Ephesians 4:31, Acts 8:23).

Division- 

Satan has always treasured hatred and division. Division destroys friendships, churches and families (Jude 18-19, 2nd Timothy 3:1-5) Now that politics has become a religion to so many, even some Christians feel justified in dividing over the stupidest, most worldly, most temporal thing imaginable: politics. It would be funny if it weren’t so sad. 

Idolatry-  

Satan loves idolatry because whatever we worship quickly becomes our number one priority and we will do whatever that idol demands in order to please and appease it. Thanks to a clever crusade courtesy of Satan no one in the western world worships weird little statues anymore. Instead, people worship themselves. Which just happens to be the most dangerous form of idolatry of all. Mostly, because there is no end to the depravity, selfishness and evil that can dwell in the human heart. When a person is living entirely to please self, they can justify a lot of evil in the name of self-care, wellness, good mental health and self-actualization. 

We cannot stop Satan from scheming, but we can resist his schemes (James 4:7, Ephesians 6:13). We resist the schemes of the enemy with holy, righteous, God-honoring behavior and love for all people (Hebrew 12:14, Romans 12:1, John 13:34, 1st Corinthians 13, Romans 13:8).  Resisting Satan’s schemes empowers us to become all God created us to be and, in the process, we show a dying world the way to life.  

It’s a win-win. 

How to Prove Oneself a Fool-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

 Listen to advice and accept discipline, So that you may be wise the rest of your days- Proverbs 19:20 NASB

A friend and I have been reading through the book of Proverbs. Less than halfway through the book it is becoming painfully obvious that God has set a dividing line between the foolish and the wise. God calls His people to live a life of wisdom (Proverbs 4:5-7, James 1:5). He makes it clear in His word that only a fool refuses to listen to advice or receive correction (Proverbs 1:7 Proverbs 12:1, Proverbs 12:15, Proverbs 15:5).

It could be argued that there are a lot of fools in our culture.

 If I were looking for the most efficient way to get “cancelled” by the largest number of people or for the fast track to becoming a social pariah I would just offer advice and correction to everyone I met whether they asked for it or not. Even if the advice I gave was good (and it would be), no one would like me. There is simply no easier way to offend the average person in our culture than to offer unsolicited advice or correction. 

Nobody likes it. 

However, just because the average person dislikes something does not mean it’s necessarily wrong or bad. Listening to advice and hearing correction is a little bit like eating fruits and vegetables. It’s not the most enjoyable thing in the world and most folks would prefer to do something else or eat something else. It is true that an individual CAN go their whole adult life without listening to advice or eating vegetables. Nonetheless, sooner or later those choices will catch up to them (and their colon) in profoundly unpleasant ways. 

 I am not suggesting anyone should blindly FOLLOW every bit of advice they are given or agree with and then act on every word of correction they receive. Well-meaning people sometimes correct without knowing all the facts and people are wrong about all sorts of things. Moreover, some advice is just plain bad. To sort through this issue, we must understand the differences between following advice and listening to advice. Listening to advice is just a willingness to hear someone out.  It’s not a commitment to anything. It’s choosing to evaluate what we hear from others. Following advice is doing what we are told.  Listening to advice is a sign of wisdom and maturity. No one should blindly follow advice without taking some time to think and pray through what’s been said. 

God gave us brains. He expects them to be used. 

 All that being said, there are some serious consequences to living life on the wrong side of God’s divide. Some of those are:

We end up avoiding wise people-  

If we avoid advice, it will not be long before we are surrounded by fools or evil people who cheerfully tell us exactly what we want to hear. Truly wise people just kind of radiate wisdom. They can’t help it. To fools and those who are not accustomed to hearing wisdom spoken, wisdom sometimes sounds like an awful lot like advice even if the person speaking is not intending to give advice. If wise counsel annoys us, we will naturally steer clear of wise people (Proverbs 9:8-9). This is a huge problem because the Bible is very clear: we become like the people we spend time with (Proverbs 13:20, 1st Corinthians 15:33). 

We prove ourselves stupid- 

It is a rare thing for a stranger to attempt to correct a person. Correction is typically only offered by those who care most about our future happiness and success.  The consequences of refusing to at least hear out those who lovingly attempt to set us on a wiser path is that we prove ourselves to be hopelessly stupid (Proverbs 12:1, Ecclesiastes 10:3). 

We invite death into our lives-  

Refusing to hear advice or correction is just refusing an opportunity to gain wisdom (Proverbs 10:8) and snubbing wisdom is taking the fast track to death of one kind or another (Psalm 38:5, Proverbs 2, Proverbs 8:33-36, Proverbs 11:19, Proverbs 14:12). Sometimes the death that results in refusing wisdom is spiritual death, the death of opportunities or the death of relationships (Proverbs 14:1). Other times refusing wisdom results in actual death death. The easiest way to avoid the death of anything good in our lives is to love wisdom (Proverbs 12:28). One critical aspect of loving wisdom is hearing advice and evaluating any correction we are given. 

We stunt our growth-

Wisdom is the key to growth. It’s the key not just to spiritual growth but also all healthy growth in all areas of our lives. We cannot grow relationally, spiritually or in any other way without wisdom. Wisdom often comes through advice given by people (1st Corinthians 3:6-7). Anytime we willfully spurn correction or refuse to listen to wise counsel, we pretty much guarantee we will remain immature and ignorant in every area of our lives (1st Peter 2:2). 

And finally, 

We refuse Jesus-

Jesus is more than just the creator of the world or our savior and Lord. He is also the manifestation of all the wisdom in the universe (Luke 2:40, Colossians 2:1-3, 1st Corinthians 1:30, 1st Corinthians 2:6-8). Oftentimes Jesus speaks His wisdom through His people. Refusing to at least evaluate the wisdom other Christians have to offer is a form of refusing God when He speaks (Hebrews 12:25). However, making the choice to hear people out is a fast track to flourishing (Psalm 92:12-15).    

What are the Fruits of Salvation?

Lisa M. Price1 Comment

Those are the ones sown with seed on the good soil; and they hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirty, sixty, and a hundred times as much- Luke 8:15 NASB

Doctrinal controversies and theological disputes are not new to Christianity. Early Christians began hotly debating the finer points of the faith shortly after Jesus ascended into heaven (Acts 15). Early believers argued endlessly over what role (if any) the Law of Moses should play in Christianity.  They also fought over the nature of Jesus, which holy days should be celebrated and whether there was secret knowledge certain Christians possessed that others did not (Colossians 2).   

Contemporary Christians still debate issues. However, we tend to argue over an entirely different set of controversies.  Contemporary Christians will throw down over things like the role of women in the church, spiritual gifts and Bible translations. But by far, the most contentious argument in the church today is over what role Christian fruit (or works) should play in the Christian life. 

The role works play in salvation is a settled issue. 

 All people are saved the same way. We are saved by God’s grace when we turn to Jesus in faith. Salvation is a gift. No one can earn salvation. No one, no matter how good they are is good enough to earn access to heaven. We are all just too dang sinful (Romans 3:23). Once we humbly accept the reality of our own unworthiness, Jesus mercifully cleanses us from all unrighteousness, and we begin our faith journey (1st John 1:8-10). 

However. 

Bearing fruit, sometimes called “works” post salvation is another issue altogether (Matthew 5:16, James 2:14-18, 1st Timothy 6:18-19). Some Christians believe that suggesting there should be any works post-salvation is nothing short of heresy and an insult to God’s grace (Ephesians 2:8-9). These folks believe freedom in Christ (Galatians 5:1) means freedom from all rules, works and standards of behavior.  This group is well-intended, and not entirely wrong.  We cannot earn our salvation, nor do we have to “be good” to keep it.  If we had to be good to stay saved one would stay saved because we all fail daily. It’s an aspect of our human nature no one can escape. 

However. 

If expecting believers to “bear fruit” or do “works of righteousness” is heresy, then Jesus was a flaming heretic. 

Seriously. 

On numerous occasions Jesus straight-up commanded His followers to “bear fruit” (John 15:2, Mark 4:20, John 15:16) and do good works (Matthew 5:16, John 14:12). Matthew’s last recorded sermon of Jesus (Matthew 24:42-25:46) is really all about the importance of Christians bearing spiritual fruit. Matthew 24:42-25:46 also contains some rather alarming warnings concerning what happens when a follower of Jesus refuses to bear fruit.

 There are at least five kinds of fruit Christians are expected to produce. The first is: 

The fruit of repentance- 

Jesus called for repentance a lot (Matthew 4:17, Luke 5:31-32, Luke 13:1-5, Luke 15:7-10). He also chastised those who refused to repent (Matthew 7:21, Matthew 11:20, Matthew 12:41). Jesus did not forbid His forerunner (John the Baptist) from demanding repentance (Matthew 3:3-8, Luke 3:1-17). Repentance is not simply a change of behavior. Repentance is a process that begins with a change of thinking so dramatic it leads to behavioral transformation (Romans 12:1-2).  Coming to a place in our spiritual maturity where we agree with Jesus about right and wrong, is the first step in bringing our behavior into alignment with God’s will (1st Corinthians 6:9-11, Colossians 3, 1st Thessalonians 4:1-8, Ephesians 4:17-30). When we change our minds about sin we bear the fruit of repentance.

The fruit of obedience- 

Jesus is more than just our savior, He’s our Lord (Luke 14:27, John 13:13, Colossians 2:6, Psalm 86:11). Making Jesus our Lord means we put Him and His will for our lives above our own desires and even all earthly authorities (Exodus 20:3, Matthew 10:37-39, Philippians 2:9-11). When we choose devotion to Jesus above all else, we bear the fruit of obedience. 

The fruit of holiness- 

Contrary to popular doctrinal belief, holiness is not legalism. Holiness is the fruit of gratitude for our salvation. Believers in Jesus are called to be holy just as God is holy (Ephesians 1:4, 1st Peter 1:15-16). This does not mean we live a life of sinless perfection (we can’t). It does mean we choose to honor God by shunning intentional sin. When we do our best to live holy lives we bear the fruit of holiness.  

The fruit of love-

Christians are called to love all people all the time (John 13:34-35). This does not mean Christians should seek to be “nice” all the time. Biblical love is kind and compassionate, but it is also truthful about all things, even hard things. True biblical love always seeks the best for all people.  When we live and love by the standards set in 1stCorinthians 13, we bear the fruit of biblical love. 

The fruit of faith- 

Faith is the foundation of all things Christian, and bearing the fruit of faith is no easy thing. Faith is literally trusting God when it makes zero sense to do so. Faith is believing God will do what He said He would do when we aren’t seeing change. Because faith is hard, faith pleases God in ways that are almost impossible for the human mind to grasp (Hebrews 11). 

Truth-be-told seeking to bear spiritual fruit can easily drift into pride and spiritual smugness. The secret to avoiding spiritual pride is to remember that no one, no matter how good they are can do any of this in their own power. We simply do not have enough inherent goodness in us to pull it off.  The Holy Spirit is our guide and helper in every aspect of the Christian life (John 14:26, Hebrews 13:6). When we fully and completely submit our lives to God the Holy Spirit does the work in us. 

Myths Christians Believe about God Guaranteed to Produce Spiritual Chaos-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, to remain on at Ephesus so that you would instruct certain people not to teach strange doctrines, nor to pay attention to myths- 1st Timothy 1:3-4a

One definition of a myth is:

An unproved or false collective belief.

Most myths are relatively harmless, others not so much. It’s no big deal to believe in the loch ness monster. Believing that myth will likely have zero impact on your life (other than people thinking you’re a bit odd).

However. 

There are myths that do cause all sorts of problems. The most destructive myths are the myths we believe about God, ourselves and how we ought to relate to or interact with God. These myths keep us ensnared in wrong thinking, sinful patterns and relational dysfunction.  Because spiritual myths impact how we live out our faith we must take time to examine our behaviors and thinking on a regular basis. Routine self-examination prevents us from wandering from the truth (2nd Corinthians 13:5). 

Following are just a few of the most damaging spiritual myths out there:

God just wants me to be happy-

God has nothing against happiness. In fact, it could be argued by the sheer number of celebrations God mandated in the Old Testament that God loves celebrations and delights in human happiness. However, happiness is not God’s number one goal for our lives.  Mainly because God is far more concerned with our holiness (Ephesians 1:4, Ephesians 4:27, 1st Peter 1:14-16). God’s number one goal for us is to become as much like Jesus as humanly possible (Romans 8:28-29, Romans 12:2). Becoming like Jesus is no easy task for sinful people, sometimes it takes a little bit of adversity and hardship to make it happen. God allows hardship and difficulty because it reveals our selfishness and wrong thinking. When these things are revealed, we have an opportunity to let go of sinful behaviors and wrong thinking and put on new behaviors and attitudes (Colossians 3, Romans 12). If we let go of old behaviors routinely, over the course of time we will begin to look and act like Jesus. 

I should never pray for myself- 

This myth sounds super-spiritual, after all what could possibly be more spiritual than choosing to pray only for others?  It’s not spiritual. Believing this particular myth pretty much guarantees that you will never become a spiritually mature Christian. This is because there are some things you know about you that no one else could possibly know.  No one else could know if you covet, have a critical spirit or have a problem with lust, and all of those sins will trip us up and keep us from becoming mature in Christ.  Don’t get me wrong, it is critical we pray for one another (James 1:16). However, it is equally critical we ask God to help us to grow past the sins and wrong attitudes that are tripping us up and keeping us from authentic transformation.   

It’s a sin to be tempted-

I have met a surprising number of individuals who believe that being tempted to sin is the same as sinning because of what Jesus said about lusting in Matthew 5:28. The conclusion these folks draw from Jesus’ teaching is that if they have already committed adultery (or whatever) in their heart so they should just go ahead and do the deed. This is terrible theology that ignores a whole pile of Scripture that commands us to resist temptation rather than give into it (Ephesians 6:13, Hebrews 12:4, James 4:7). 

If I share about Jesus (or biblical truth) and people reject Him (or it) I’m doing something wrong- 

To be a Christian, we must accept some hard truths. We must believe we are sinners and that we have no way to save ourselves (Romans 3:23). We must also accept the fact that God expects us to repent of our sins and live life His way (Matthew 3:12, Acts 3:19, Acts 17:30). Some people find these truths to be too much and reject them. It is critical we understand people rejected Jesus when He shared hard truths (John 12:48, Luke 10:16) and servants are never above their master (John13:16). Therefore, it makes sense that sometimes people will reject truth no matter how well or compassionately it is presented. Our job is to present truth as honestly and winsomely as possible and to pray for those who reject truth. Sometimes they come back when they are ready to live those truths out.

What I do matters more than what I think- 

What we do does matter. I am in no way an advocate of cheap grace or easy believe-ism. However, all our wrong behavior starts with what and how we think (Matthew 15:18-19).  Therefore, if we change our behavior without getting our thinking in alignment with God’s word we will always go back to the wrong behavior (Proverbs 26:11). 

And finally,

What I do in church is my ministry-

 It is, but it also isn’t, our true ministry is what we do and how we behave when we aren’t in church. Ministry is how we treat people and live our lives. Our ministry is the level of kindness, generosity and integrity we show to the world.

Getting free of these spiritual myths empowers us to be free to be all Jesus wants us to be (John 8:32). 

The Big Uglies that Lead to Bigger Trouble-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new- 1st Corinthians 5:16-17 NKJV

Most Christians get what sin is.  

The most basic definition of sin is disobedience to God’s commands. We sin when go our own way and do our own thing with no thought to God and His will for His creation (us). Because we are endlessly creative in our degeneracy it is nearly impossible to give an exhaustive list of ALL the possible sins. Some classifications of popular sins would include sexual immorality, deceit, murder, and idolatry. 

Here’s the thing though: 

Sin is much more complex than a simple act. There’s always a lead-up. No one just wakes up one day and out of the clear blue sky decides “today I will commit murder”. The book of James tells us that sin has roots. James calls these roots “desires”. Some translations use the word “lusts” (James 1:15, James 4:1). 

I call them the big uglies. 

The big uglies are the attitudes and aspirations that, if left untended eventually give birth to life destroying sins like adultery, bitterness, murder, greed, deceit and slander. If we allow ourselves to entertain these attitudes sin is without question knocking at our door (Genesis 4:7). 

The top five spiritual uglies are:

Pride-  

Pride is perhaps the most pernicious of the uglies. Pride was the sin that transformed Lucifer into Satan (the deceiver) and got him thrown out of heaven (Ezekial 28:12-15, Isaiah 14:13-14).  Pride is easy to spot in others but difficult to see in ourselves. Prideful people see themselves as more important than others and therefore entitled to certain rights and privileges others are not allowed.  Prideful people are reluctant (to the point of unwillingness) to admit wrong even when it’s painfully obvious, they are wrong. Prideful people (sometimes called narcissists) refuse to humble themselves, or admit fault (Proverbs 29:23, 1st Peter 5:5-6). Prideful people believe in their heart-of-hearts they are better than others. This makes them unforgiving and unwilling to extend grace (Matthew 6:15, Ephesians 4:32, Matthew 18:4). A prideful person will do ANYTHING to save face and come out on top. Anything includes (but is not limited to) big sins such as lying, controlling others, slandering and boastfulness (Leviticus 19:16, Psalm 101:5, Romans 1:3, Revelation 21:8). God despises pride (Proverbs 6:16-19, Luke 14:11). 

Rebellion- 

Rebellion is the stubborn rejection of legitimate authority. Rebellion is the big ugly sin that led to the fall of mankind (Genesis 3). Rebellion is closely related to pride. Rebellion begins with a prideful belief that “I know what’s best” and usually ends with a determined unwillingness to take “no” for an answer. Rebellion eventually manifests itself in open defiance towards all authority including God. A rebellious person has an “it’s all about me” view of life. They have no respect for authority, rules or the needs of others.  God puts rebellion in the same category as witchcraft. Rebellion is ultimately a veneration of self and therefore a super icky form of idolatry (1stSamual 15:23). 

Selfish ambition-

Selfish ambition is the yearning to create a following for oneself.  It’s a longing to be a big deal. Selfish ambition hurts the church because the selfishly ambitious person is mainly interested in using Jesus to become well-known and well-thought of (Philippians 1:17, Galatians 5:19-20, Philippians 2:3). Selfish ambition sometimes looks like “spreading the gospel” or “growing the Kingdom”.  It’s not. Those things always lead to peace, flourishing and healthy community. Selfish ambition, on the other hand always leads to strife, envy and conflict in the church (James 3:14-16).  The whole point of Christian leadership is to point people to Jesus and help them grow into the image of Jesus (Ephesians 4:11-12). At the end of the day a selfishly ambitious leader is always more interested in elevating themselves than Jesus. 

Jealousy- 

These days most folks see jealousy as more of a character defect or a moral shortcoming rather than an actual sin. However, God sees human jealously as one of the foulest and most dangerous of sins. Jealousy or envy is deeply rooted in the sin of covetousness (Exodus 20:17). Jealousy is never content with what it has (1st Timothy 6:6, Hebrews 13:5). It wants what others have and will stop at nothing to get it. The pharisees were so profoundly jealous of Jesus authority and influence they murdered Him (Matthew 27:18). A truly jealous person cannot stand to share the stage with anyone. 

 Self-reliance-

Self-reliance is when we choose to do any part of life without consulting God through prayer and Bible study for direction.  Self-reliance is choosing to lean on our own flawed understanding of the world rather than seeking God’s wisdom and moral insight (Proverbs 3:6). A self-reliant person often sees God’s commands as cumbersome and difficult rather than God’s way of protecting His people from harm. This stupidity harms the self-reliant person and creates chaos in the lives of those they lead and influence. 

Here’s the thing about the big uglies: 

Literally, ANYONE can get entangled in a big ugly (Hebrews 12:1). Seriously. Some of God’s best and brightest drifted toward pride, rebellion, selfish ambition, jealousy and self-reliance (David, Solomon, Hezekiah, Peter). The key to avoiding the attitudes that lead to us (and those we love and serve) to hell is a gut-level commitment to sticking as close to Jesus as we can possibly get. No one can escape the appeal of sin without God’s help. Therefore, it is imperative we make God, prayer, God’s word and intimacy with God our number one priority. 

Some Practical Do’s and Don’ts for Making a Spiritual Impact in a Messy World-

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity.  Your speech must always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person- Colossians 4:5-6 NASB

In a very real sense, the world has been a chaotic muddle since the day Adam and Eve chose to go their own way and do their own thing (Genesis 3). In that instant the world (and the people in it) fell under the dominion of Satan (Ephesians 2:1-3, Ephesians 6:10-12). Consequently, no one should be surprised by the debauchery and folly of humans. 

That said. 

Things are getting worse.  Don’t get me wrong, there’s still good in the world (more on this later). Nonetheless, we are still solidly located in the heart of Satan’s territory and righteousness has lost a lot of ground in recent years. This means good is thought to be evil, and evil is thought to be good by the majority (Isaiah 5:20). It also means leaders lack wisdom and many folks have gone entirely feral. Leaders are moving towards greater control, less personal freedom and a more self-serving view of leadership. Many are okay with domineering leaders simply because they don’t see another way to manage the lawlessness (Matthew 24:12). 

These facts make it more critical than ever for Christians to live like we were called to live and to be wise in how we behave towards others (Matthew 5:14-16, John 8:12, Philippians 2:14-16, 1st John 2:9-10).  Today I want to share a couple of dos and don’ts that will help make that happen.

First and foremost: 

Pray like crazy-

Things are looking up in the spiritual realm. There’s been an uptick in folks repenting and committing their lives to Jesus. There is movement towards a more common-sense view of gender even amongst some non-Christians. Church folks seem to be taking God a lot more seriously. The word sin is making a comeback (at long last). Every single one of those things is an answer to some frantic prayers prayed between 2020 and 2024. That said, this is NOT the time to be complacent where prayer is concerned. Complacency is what got us into this mess in the first place. The enemy despises a spiritual victory and he’s certainly not going to let up because people are getting saved and/or embracing common sense (1st Peter 5:8). The enemy will double down on his agenda. These means we must double down on our prayers (Matthew 26:41, Ephesians 6:10-19, Philippians 4:6). Spiritual wins are never a result of what people do. Spiritual wins are always a direct result of prayer and seeking God’s empowerment. 

Don’t deify politics-

There is a drift in both conservative and liberal spheres towards a form of politics that looks and feels a lot more like religion than old-fashioned politics. Christians simply cannot go there.  I am not suggesting politics are irrelevant. At some point every Christians politics should begin to align with the Bible, if they don’t something is terribly wrong. However.  Politics never once saved anyone from their sin and depravity. Only Jesus can do that. Politics are a social construct corrupted by wrong thinking, self-interest, greed and a desire to control others. This means that if we cling to our politics with the same or greater passion than we cling to our God (Joshua 22:5, Matthew 22:23) there is zero chance we will ever really learn to think biblically about anything. We will also be guilty of idolatry.  God will not bless idolatry. If you live in a country where you can vote, do so. Stay informed on political issues, it’s good stewardship. That said, Christians must be a hundred times more passionate about spreading the gospel than about spreading political ideology. 

Don’t squabble about politics publicly-

Seriously. Just don’t. I have nothing against a lively political debate, I’m even okay with a wee bit of occasional squabbling. It’s how humans work tough stuff out.  However, when Christians bicker amongst themselves about politics online it sends the message that Christians cannot agree on anything, even dumb worldly things (John 17:20-21). If you wish to disagree with a fellow Christian over politics, do it the old-fashioned way. Take the argument offline and debate the issues over a nice meal or a cup of coffee. This keeps things much more civil. It also keeps family business in the family. This policy will assure Christians don’t just look unified. It will actually make us unified.

Seek unceasing and deep transformation-  

When we make a commitment to Jesus our focus should become making Him known. Making Jesus known to the world is the mission of Christianity (Mark 16:15). However, if our desire to make Jesus known is not coupled with an equal (or greater) desire to be transformed into the image of Jesus we will spread an understanding of Jesus that will be more of a hinderance to the gospel than a help (Romans 12:2). Therefore, it is imperative we seek God daily for His help in this area and ruthlessly obey the commands given in Colossians 3, Romans 12 and 2nd Peter 1:5-11. 

And finally, don’t be content with how things are. We must make a daily practice of asking God for more in our lives, our churches and our families.  We cannot let ourselves be content with a little bit of revival, a smattering of Bible knowledge or a dash of righteousness. This is not the time for half-hearted attempts at seeking God or doing His will. This is the time to go after God’s presence, His righteousness and His will for our lives with everything we have in is. 

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. 

What do we do with 1st Timothy 4:1 People?

Lisa M. PriceLeave a comment

Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God- Hebrews 3:12

As a general rule my regular Bible reading includes a chapter out of a book I’m reading as well as a Psalm or two. Additionally, I have this thing I call an “openness” policy when it comes to Bible reading. This “policy” isn’t anything super special, weird or spiritual.  It just means that if my Bible falls open to a particular verse as I’m flipping between my regular Bible reading and the Psalms, I give it a read. This ensures I have a regular Bible reading routine AND I give God space to speak to me through something I didn’t intend to read that day.  

Sometimes He does. Sometimes He doesn’t. This morning He did.  As I was flipping between 1st Peter chapter two and Psalms three my Bible fell open to this:

Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons- 1st Timothy 4:1 NASB

This verse led me down a thought-provoking little rabbit hole. I began looking up words in the Greek and quickly discovered the word translated “depart” sometimes translated “fall away” in English is a far more robust word in the Greek. It doesn’t just mean “to leave” or to “quit something”. It means to “defect from loudly” and/or to “revolt against” the thing you’re leaving. 

This is kind of where we’re living right now. 

Most of those who have left the church in recent years haven’t just departed quietly from church world and gone on with their lives. Most have left with guns blazing (metaphorically speaking) and have staged a revolt against all things Christian. Many are filled with fury and vitriolic criticism aimed at churches and church leaders. They hate all things traditionally Christian and are determined to see the Church “reformed” and transformed it into something entirely different than what is found on the pages of the New Testament. 

This begs a question: 

What do we do with “former Christians” who are critical of the church or who want to see the church radically transformed to better suit the values they currently hold dear? There are at least three things we should be careful to do when dealing with former Christians. The first is:

Listen- 

Please understand I am not saying we should automatically do everything the angry unbeliever thinks ought to be done. That’s crazy talk. That said, there is always value in listening with a discerning ear (Proverbs 18:5). Thoughtful, discerning listening often uncovers a world of hurt and pain lying just beneath the vitriol and hate of those who have left the church. When this happens, we have an opportunity to discuss what led to the departure and perhaps even do a little repair work in the process. Loving people enough to listen is pretty much always a good idea.  (1st Peter 4:8). However, it is critical we exercise wisdom and discernment as we listen. We must carefully separate any anger they have towards God’s decrees concerning right and wrong and people who may have done them wrong. If a person hates God because He limits their personal freedom in some way that is not our problem (Psalm 68:1).  We should pray for those people and leave them to God. However, if someone hates the way they were treated by God’s people we ought to at least try and repair the damage. 

Be humble when humility is appropriate-

Christians screw up. All the time. In the last couple of decades there has been a lot of mess in Church world. There has been a plethora of corrupt and/or inept leadership. The church has also been inundated with some well-intended but poorly thought-out programs/bandwagons such as the purity movement. On top of all that there’s been hordes of legalism and very little grace for those who would have benefitted from some. If you’re dealing with a defector who was a victim of bad leadership, mean Christians or crummy doctrine it is totally appropriate to admit wrong where wrong was clearly done and apologize on behalf of the church for the pain they experienced. 

And finally:

Do not negotiate with terrorists when it comes to issues that really matter- 

Christians should do their best to show love and respect to those who oppose God. No one in the history of Christianity has ever been won to Jesus (or won back) with ugliness, contempt or meanness (Romans 13:7, 1stPeter 2:17). 

That being said. 

Those who have departed the faith are (unbeknownst to them) under the influence of deceiving spirits. They are (again, unknowingly) devotees of “doctrines of demons”. Therefore, they tend to loathe God, God’s standards of right and wrong and anyone who upholds those standards. Most defectors wish to transform Christianity into something trendy, woke and very twenty-first century. Practically speaking, this means opposing traditional marriage, toppling gender norms and celebrating abortion as a “gift”. It always means encouraging and celebrating all forms of sexual expression, no matter how weird and deviant they may be. Period. 

We simply cannot negotiate with spiritual terrorists. It’s that simple and nothing personal. We must obey God above all else (Acts 5:29). This means God’s word cannot be modified or tossed out by those who lack spiritual understanding. It is our responsibility as Christians to “contend earnestly for the faith” and to “make a defense” for what we believe (Jude 1:3, 1st Peter 3:15). This must be done kindly and firmly, and always without apology.