The Great Deception

Of all of the schemes and plots used by Satan to deceive God’s children, there is one that is so pleasing to the eyes and ears of most Christians that it practically goes unnoticed. What is it?

It is the deception that we are in control of our own destiny.

That’s right. It is one of, if not the biggest, lies being perpetrated against God’s children because it is designed to elevate man above God. Satan knows that if he can convince you and I that we control our own destiny, it reduces our dependence on our Maker, thus relegating the Lord to a lesser position in our hearts.

So great is this deception among Christians that it has become ‘normal’ for the masses to believe that they have been elevated to being a superior class of Christian, thus dispensing with the need to call upon the Lord.

A modern day example of this is in the many Word of Faith, or Prosperity churches where they are taught that by professing or decreeing a thing, it will come into being. Being taught such heresy that they are in fact “Little Gods” in possession of creative power, they can thus bypass the normal channel that the rest of us must travel, that being praying to God the Father.

Certainly, were we talking about those outside the body of Christ we would think nothing of such extremist thinking. Fallen man, in his lost condition, has never had use for God. However, when such deception envelops the church it must be called out, especially in times like these when Christians most certainly need a deeper walk with their Lord.

The enemy of our soul understands completely what excites us, motivates us, and how best to draw our attention away from God and focus entirely upon ourselves. How does he do this? He can do this because he knows that there is nothing that appeals to us greater than our own pride.

The enemy knows that by approaching us in a manner that speaks directly to our pride, he has captured the essence of who we are. Like me, I’m sure you know many people who profess to be self-made men and women. Unfortunately, success often breeds arrogance, and arrogance is the essence of pride.

That was the very same deception used against Adam and Eve when the devil told Eve that eating of the forbidden tree would not bring about death as God had said. Appealing to the pride of the flesh, Satan told her that if she ate of the tree that her eyes would be opened to who she really was and that she would become like God. [1]

Eve would be in control of Eve, not God. It would be Eve who would be the decision maker, not God. It would be Eve who would decide what was good, not God. By rejecting God’s authority, Eve elevated herself to a position she had no right to claim.

To illustrate how pervasive this mindset is in the church, I was recently browsing through a selection of used Christian books and was somewhat surprised at the sheer number of titles that support what I’m saying. See if you don’t agree that these book titles place man in control of his destiny: Your Best Life Now, The Power of I Am, Rule Your Day, It’s Your Time, Think Better Live Better, Become a Better You, 15 Ways To Live Longer.

Some of these books have become best sellers, with sales in the millions. Ironically, one would think if they really were powerful enough to help a person control their own destiny, they wouldn’t have ended up at the Goodwill!

The truth is that now, more than ever, we need to get out of the way and allow God to have His way in our lives. We need to follow the advice of scripture and humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God. That is the proven, Biblical way for us to become elevated in the sight of God. Any other method is deception! [2]

Finally, the truth is that we need God. Plain and simple, we need God in every facet of our lives. We need less of US controlling our lives and more of Him in control. If we will allow Him to, He will lead and guide us safely through the stormy seas of deception. That is my prayer for all of us.

Have a blessed Wednesday,

Ron

[1] Genesis 3:1-5

[2] 1st Peter 5:6

Listen to His Voice

Have you ever noticed how quickly people dismiss God’s word today? Whether it’s an encounter with a stranger in the grocery store, or a long-time member of the church, people today seem to have settled it in their minds that they already know all they need to know and therefore don’t need to hear it any longer, or they don’t care to know anything at all about it and just want to be left alone.

As many of you that spend a lot of time in the Bible are aware, this is not exactly a new phenomenon. It’s been like this since the beginning. Remember that couple in the garden that decided that they knew better than God what was best for them?  

I was reminded of this as I was studying in the book of Jeremiah this week, and it came as no great surprise to find yet another example of it. The prophet had just delivered a thundering rebuke to the kings of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem because they had rejected the Lord and polluted His house.

As you read the words that Jeremiah delivered to the people, it should be obvious to them that they have brought upon themselves a level of punishment they were not expecting.

“Hear the word of the Lord, O kings of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Behold, I will bring such a catastrophe on this place, that whoever hears of it, his ears will tingle”. [1]

Now, I would like to think that had I been there and heard this proclamation, I would have immediately repented and turned my heart towards the Lord. At the very least, one would think such a prophecy would strike terror in the hearts of all that heard it. You would think, right?

Unfortunately, however, when God’s people turn away from Him, their ears quickly dull of hearing His voice, which in itself is a mystery, because those same ears have no difficulty in hearing what a million other voices are saying to them. Maybe there is some truth to the whole ‘selective hearing’ thing after all?

Be that as it may, and whether we receive it or not, God’s word is never spoken in vain. There is always a purpose when the Lord speaks. Whether through the pages of His word or from a pulpit on Sunday morning, the word of God declares the very heart of God. Listen to another prophet as he likens God’s word to the snow and rain that falls in order to provide water for growth.

“So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it”.  [2]

By this we understand that God has given us His word as a great benefit for us. The tragedy, however, is when it is rejected. When we consider it as unnecessary for our lives or judge it to be of no value to us, or if we refuse to humble our hearts and accept it because it offends us, we miss out on all its benefits.

Some might ask “well, why then did the Lord say His word would not return to him void, but would accomplish what He pleased if in fact we reject it? What has been accomplished”?

What has been accomplished is that in our rejection of His word, we have considered it, and to a nation whose ears are dull of hearing this is enough. Our decision to reject the word of God stands as a testimony against us, a testimony that will be revealed in that great day when we give account for the life we’ve lived.  

Judah refused to hear the word of the Lord and suffered terribly, ultimately enslaved by Babylon. America has refused to hear the word of the Lord and is even now suffering terribly, with far more severe judgments to come shortly. The entire world has refused to hear the word of the Lord and is teetering on the brink of WWIII. I wouldn’t wonder if many of our ears don’t tingle at the thought of the catastrophe that awaits us!

My prayer for you all is to listen to what the Lord is saying to you today. Let His word work in your heart, your home, and in your family. God’s “word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path”.  [3]

May it guide you safely through the troubled waters of this life.

Have a blessed day, in Jesus name!

Ron

[1] Jeremiah 19:3

[2] Isaiah 55:11

[3] Psalm 119:105

How do you know that you know Him?

Did you know that there is a fool proof test in the Bible for proving whether or not we know God? Yes, there really is and it’s found in 1st John 2:3.

Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.

Wait, surely it can’t be that simple, can it? Just keeping His commandments means I know God? Yes, that’s exactly what it means and it really is that simple. If we know Him, we will keep his commandments. John goes on to explain this in a bit more detail in verses 5 and 6.

But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

So if we keep His word (commandments), God’s love is perfected in us and we have full assurance that we are His. Furthermore, as God’s love is perfected in us those things that are not pleasing to Him fall off of us, enabling us to walk in the Spirit just as our Lord did.

Pretty simple, wouldn’t you agree? If we love God, we will do what he said to do. Easy Peasy!

Now, if you’re following along you may have noticed that I skipped verse 4. That was because verse 4 proves something entirely different than verse 3 does. In fact, verse four is often skipped entirely by those who are responsible for proclaiming the whole counsel of God. The reasons for that are many, but suffice it to say that in the ears of many today, verse 4 is considered harsh and unloving. See if you agree.

He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

Ummm….can someone say “OUCH”!

How about we do a comparison, OK? Verse 3 tells us that if we keep His commandments, we are one of God’s children and know Him. Verse 4 says that if we say we know Him but do NOT keep his commandments, we do not know Him because we are a liar.

I’m certain that a great many people would find it offensive to be called out in such a manner. After all, isn’t the common response something along the lines of “you don’t know my heart, so how can you say such a horrible thing” when we are challenged?

But you, see, that’s just it. None of us can see inside another’s heart. None of us can judge the motives of others. Besides, that really isn’t what God has told any of us to do, despite what some may think. Yet God’s word bypasses all of the ‘what ifs’ and ‘how do you knows’ by simply breaking it down to whether or not we are keeping God’s word and living accordingly.

I don’t know how you feel about it, but it seems to me that in this day when what used to be wrong is now right and what used to be right is now wrong, something as simple as ” Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments” is pretty refreshing.

Actually, the reason I’m writing this post is because of a personal desire to reconnect with a common, simple faith. A faith void of superlatives, outlandish claims, unreasonable (and unbiblical) expectations, and a host of man-made requirements. In short, the farther down the down-grade (to quote Spurgeon) the church appears to be headed, the more inclined I am to hold fast to the basic, simple truths of scripture.

And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:35-40 ESV

Have a blessed day everyone!

Ron

My personal goal for 2020: Consistency

While I’m not a fan of New Year’s resolutions, I am a person that is quite used to goal setting. In my working career I had to develop 5-6 goals every year and come up with action plans and schedules to meet all of those goals. Accordingly, I would be evaluated on how well (or not) I did.

Now that I’m retired, I can honestly say I miss absolutely nothing about that process, especially the evaluation part of it. Talk about stressful! That being said, the Princess might argue that I could use a new goal or two just to keep the wheels from getting too rusty. 😉

With that in mind, I did want to mention something that I plan to work on in the coming year, and hopefully shed some light on why I believe this is so important. That something is called “Consistency”.

The Bible is literally filled with examples of how we are to live our lives in a consistent, Christ-honoring manner. Did you know that this a hallmark of the mature believer? By the same token, living our lives in a manner that is opposed to clear biblical teaching is indicative of a ‘less than mature’ believer.

Paul referred to this in many of his writings, but the one that really speaks to me today is this one found in the book of Ephesians.

“So that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes“.  [1]

Doesn’t that sound like us sometimes? Immature in our relationship with Christ. Tossed back and forth and in a near constant state of confusion about what to believe. Caught up in a web of lies and traps designed to trip us up in our walk with the Lord.

I must admit, this describes me more than I like. Perhaps you as well? If so, what it says about us is that we lack consistency. Paul understood the importance of this as he encouraged the Corinthian believers to “be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord”. [2]

Consistent people are steady people. They aren’t easily distracted from the task, or mission at hand. As we progress in our walk with him, we find that we become like a rock, immovable in our faith and resolution to serve God.

Many of you are like this I’m sure. You’ve endured too much to ever turn back. God has kept you when you saw no way, and He’s brought you through situations that you could have never come through on your own.

You’ve joined the ranks of the consistent, steadfast, and immovable Church that has a deep understanding of who you are, and most importantly, who He is. You exemplify a faithful, ‘tried in the fire’ life of one who loves the Lord.

I love how David said “Love the LORD, all you his saints! The LORD preserves the faithful but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride”. [3] God preserves His faithful, or consistent children. How could we not love Him accordingly!

As we begin both a new year and a new decade, I hope you will join me in seeking consistency in all we do for the Lord. By staying in the Word and spending time in prayer, I believe our lives will reflect that steadfast, immovable, and abounding life He wants us to have.

Be blessed on this New Year’s Day!

Ron

[1] Eph. 4:14 ESV

[2] 1 Cor. 15:58 NKJV

[3] Psalms 31:23 ESV

 

 

Too stubborn for God

If you had to name the one attribute of YOU that you wish you could change, it’s likely that stubbornness would be at or near the top of your list. Seriously, read the definition below, and for a real eye-opener read the synonyms as well. Do you see yourself in any of these words?

Having or showing dogged determination not to change one’s attitude or position on something, especially in spite of good arguments or reasons to do so.
synonyms: obstinate, headstrong, willful, strong-willed, pigheaded, obdurate, difficult, contrary, perverse, recalcitrant, inflexible, iron-willed, uncompromising, unbending.

See what I mean? Not a very flattering picture, is it? Yet I must confess that my name should be written right alongside the definition of ‘stubborn’. Might I find yours there as well?

There was a man in the Bible that also wore the moniker of stubborn. His name was Saul, the very 1st king of Israel.

King Saul was given a very specific assignment to attack the armies of the Amalekites, a people who had dealt treacherously with Israel by ambushing them when Israel came out of Egypt. Per the word of the Lord, it was now payback time.

The problem was that king Saul only partially obeyed God. Instructed to utterly destroy every trace of the Amalekites, Saul and his men instead kept for themselves the best of the spoil.

But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed. 1st Samuel 15:9

There is a key word here that you don’t want to miss: unwilling. Saul and his men were unwilling to fully obey the command of God. Do you know that when someone is unwilling to do something, that the decision not to do it is a choice?

Think about it this way; if you are willing to do a thing, you don’t think twice about it. You just do it. Being unwilling however means you had to make a conscious choice not to do it. See the difference?

That’s what Saul did on that fateful day. He knew what he was told to do, what he was supposed to do. He was simply unwilling to obey once he saw all of the good things that were his for the taking. Only they weren’t his for the taking!

All of this incurred the wrath of God. So angry was the Lord over this, that he sent the prophet Samuel to go and confront king Saul and tell him that because of his disobedience, God would take the throne from him and give it to someone better than he.

Here are the words that Samuel spoke to Saul.

Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
As in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
And to heed than the fat of rams.

For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft,
And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,
He also has rejected you from being king.”  1st Samuel 15:22,23

What Samuel was telling Saul here was that God placed a much higher value on obedience to His word than any burnt offering or sacrifice. He then calls out two traits of Saul that God hates: rebellion and stubbornness, equating the sins of witchcraft and idolatry to them. In case you’re wondering, those two sins were about as bad is it could get. In fact, either of them could cause you to be put to death.

Saul was too stubborn to be used of God. All the Lord wanted him to do was simply complete the assignment he had been given. Saul, however, thought he had a better plan. Isn’t that the hallmark of stubborn people? They (we) always have a better way of doing things, or so it would seem.

How many of us can look in the rear-view mirror and say ‘if only I had listened to the word of God’….? This should cause all of us to take a look inward and see if stubbornness has taken root in us.

Stubbornness is actually an outward expression of an inward rebellion that is at work in our hearts, and it must be defeated if we are going to move forward in our walk with God. Prayer, the study of God’s word, and the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit are the weapons God has given us to defeat this enemy called stubbornness.

Let’s use them, in Jesus name!

Be blessed,

Ron

 

 

 

 

 

 

Becoming deaf to Satan

Voices…

Noise…

As a lover of solitude, I find this world to be a very noisy, intrusive place. Being raised as I was, meaning as a full-fledged country boy, I learned to love the quiet and peace of near silence.

I can still remember hours and hours where the only sounds I heard were that of the wind blowing, or the birds chirping. Imagine not seeing a single car go past your house for several hours! That was my world as a child.

Things certainly change as you grow into adulthood though, don’t they? Somewhere along the way, you realize that it’s time to leave behind the only life you’ve known and join the masses who are making a living and doing all the other things that adults are expected to do.

That’s when you start to hear them. Voices, coming at you from every conceivable direction, all clamoring for your attention, all wanting to be heard. Happy voices. Angry voices.

Your Boss.

Your spouse

Your kids

Your friends

Then there are two other, very distinctive voices, voices that sound like none of the others. Voices that seem to almost be in competition with one another as they vie for your undivided attention.

Gods voice.

Satan’s voice.

As a child of God, we hear His voice in many ways. We hear it in the Word of God. We hear it when we spend time with Him in prayer. We hear it in the laughter of little children. And yes, we hear it in that “still, small voice”. [1]

The voice of God is unmistakable to His children that have inclined their ears towards Him, as Jesus told us in John 10:27 that “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me”.

Satan’s voice, however, is a deceptive voice. That is because Satan is a liar and never tells the truth. To mask his lies and gain our trust so that we will let down our guard, he must appeal to our fleshly desires.

One of the ways in which he accomplishes this is to mix a little bit of biblical truth in with the lie. For example, a common false teaching that has crept into the church today is that all of us are “little gods”.

On the surface, I would hope that none of us would consider ourselves to be a “god”, yet that is exactly what some teach today. They quote John 10:34 as their proof text:

“Jesus answered them, ‘Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are ‘gods””

This is classic Word of Faith teaching, and it is nothing short of blasphemy. Yes, Jesus did in fact quote that particular verse from Psalm 82, but He was stating that HE was above judges as the Son of God. In no way, shape, or form was Jesus telling any man that they were a “god”.

This type of false teaching appeals to the flesh, and the desire for power that the flesh lusts after. It is deceptive in that the devil takes scripture and twists it to appeal to the flesh. He mixes a truth with a lie to deceive us.

There are a lot of false teachers out there today that espouse this particular brand of false “theology”. The late Paul Crouch of TBN fame was one of it’s biggest proponents, and it has been passed down to the likes of Benny Hinn, Joyce Meyer, Crefflo Dollar, Fred Price, Marylin Hickey, and Jesse Duplantis, to name a few.

This is but one example of how the enemy will take something that God has said and twist it into something entirely different. From the moment in the Garden when Satan twisted God’s commands, thus enslaving man to sin, to this present day, he has never stopped in his attempts to undermine God’s plan for your life, all while lying to you.

How many of you, like myself, hear the non-stop voice of the enemy as he tries to steal, kill, and destroy? [2]

It’s very real, is it not?

So how are we to drown out the relentless voice of Satan so we may overcome his deceptive tactics?

1. For one, we must stay in the Word. Nothing brings clarity to the believers’ mind like Gods Word. It is the standard by which all Truth must be measured. Every sermon or teaching that we expose ourselves to must be measured against this standard. And that includes your pastor or your favorite TV preacher or author. If what they are teaching differs in any way from the written Word of God, you must reject it.
2. We must continue to cultivate our relationship with Christ through prayer. It is shocking to hear how little time the average Christian spends in prayer. Prayer is a line of communication between God and man that must remain open at all costs. If you are too busy to pray, you are too busy.
3. We must be a people who worship. Worship comes in many forms, and not all of them involve singing a song! For example; purpose in your heart to be a thankful Christian. Give Him thanks for all the many blessings you have received from Him. Learn to be a sacrificial Christian. Prefer others before yourself. Become a doer of the Word, and not just a hearer.

I believe that it is possible to become deaf to the voice of Satan, but it can only be accomplished by redirecting our attention and focus on the things of God.

If we will do this, our lives will be enriched far beyond what we can imagine!

Be blessed everyone,

Ron

 

[1] 1^st Kings 19:12

[2] John 10:10

It’s time for an Attitude Adjustment!

From where I sit on the front row, it would seem that an Attitude Adjustment within the Body of Christ would be in order.

It is way past time for a respite from the incessant bickering from the various Christian factions over on Twitter and Facebook about our nation’s current political climate.

Yes, that’s right. When people who are supposed to be Spirit filled servants of the Most High God lash out at one another with stinging, hate filled words, it’s gone too far.

The Church needs to put away the vitriol surrounding the ever-widening gap between the warring political camps, a gap that must be acknowledged as being about as far as the East is from the West. (Psalm 103:12, for those of you keeping score). 

Seriously? You don’t think the enemy is using division and strife to drive a wedge between the Body of Christ just as he is doing with this nation? Has the Church forgotten that God rules in the kingdom of men?

…the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, Gives it to whomever He will, And sets over it the lowest of men.’   Daniel 4:17

It’s time to give it a rest and refocus our priorities.

Time for an Attitude Adjustment from God’s Word!

Paul the Apostle, speaking to the Philippians, urged them to become unified in love, esteeming others before themselves. 

Therefore, if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.  Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.  Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.   Philippians 2:1-4

Can you imagine what Paul might be told today if he were to preach at the National Mall in D.C. or at the largest church in America, and tell the assembled crowds that we should be of ‘one accord, of one mind‘?

Were he to admonish the populace today that it is not in our best interest to be consumed with selfish ambition, I’m certain he would be booed off the platform…or worse.

Esteem others better than ourselves? Look out for the interests of others and not just ourselves? Today the great Apostle would be labeled as insane and hurried away to the nearest psych ward.

Paul was a preacher of righteousness and were he here today, I’m pretty sure that he would not involve himself in the UN-Christlike activities of so many who claim to be Christs representatives.

No, I think Paul would instead boldly proclaim the Word of God, expecting the hearer to put aside the divisive rhetoric and submit to the authority of God’s Word.

I think it’s time for the church to have an Attitude Adjustment, and a good place to start would be to humble ourselves before God.

Be blessed,

Ron

 

So many voices, still only one Truth

 

Recently, I was thinking of something someone said about a well-known prosperity Bible teacher, and how that this teacher had helped them more than anyone else ever had.

Gospelcoalition.org

So much so that this person bought several of the teacher’s books and other materials, and had come to rely upon them as their primary source for truth and inspiration.

You probably know someone like this, don’t you?

Now, I don’t know about you, but this concerns me. It just doesn’t compute with me that someone who professes Christ as their Savior will seek truth, hope, and inspiration apart from God’s Word.

This is not to say that there aren’t many wonderful “helps” out there, because there are. God has equipped the body of Christ with many exemplary teachers who have not departed from the Word unto “another gospel”,which is exactly what the prosperity gospel is.    Scripture reference Galatians 1:6-9

There is nothing wrong with seeking input from those more knowledgeable than ourselves. That’s how we learn after all. There is something very wrong however when we place the greater emphasis upon man’s opinion and interpretation, rather than seeking understanding from our Lord.

Some will argue of course that there are many “truths”, just as many say there is good in all religions. For the record, “good” isn’t good enough, just as half-truths aren’t really Truth.

Gettyimages.com

There is obviously no shortage of choices today no matter what it is you’re looking for, as all of us are inundated with voices claiming to have the answers, to know the way, to have unlocked the truth.

Sadly, the world is largely ignorant of real Truth, because they reject its Author. Just listen to Jesus defining Truth:

“Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth”.    John 17:17

Wow! No long dissertation on the various aspects of truth. No comparison tables or charts for our viewing pleasure to help us decide what is truth.

Just a simple proclamation by the Son of God: God’s Word is Truth.

This creates a potential dilemma for us all, saint and sinner alike.

For those who have rejected God and His Truth, you have no place else to turn to. Oh sure, there are a great many voices from which you can choose, but they all lead to the same conclusion: they may contain an element of truth, they are not Truth.

The Christian also faces a dilemma with what to do with this statement from Jesus. Foremost is if you are like the person I talked about at the beginning of this post, how do you reconcile in your heart the fact that you draw more inspiration from the teachings of men than the Word of God?

We are taught in 1st Thessalonians 2:13 that the Word of God is working in us who believe.

“For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe”.

If we choose as our primary source of hope, inspiration, guidance, etc..one of the countless volumes from the Christian book store, or order a book from your favorite TV preacher, what does this say about our relationship with Christ and the Word?

Is it not working in us?

Pinterest.co.uk

If not, why not?

What’s missing?

Or maybe the root of the problem lies with our churches that have abandoned the Word of God and replaced it with a feel good cultural,social gospel.

Perhaps the real reason we are seeking truth and inspiration outside of the Word of God is simply because we are so malnourished, sitting on the pew.

Something to ponder on this beautiful, sunny Tuesday.

Ron

 

 

 

Is today the day?

“Then David said to Solomon his son, “Be strong and courageous and do it. Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed, for the Lord God, even my God, is with you. He will not leave you or forsake you, until all the work for the service of the house of the Lord is finished.”  1 Chronicles 28:20   ESV

The words of King David to his son Solomon, as he was about to depart this life.

Words of…

• encouragement
• hope
• promise
• courage
• faith

You know what I think? I think that sometimes its not only the kings sons that need to hear these words. I think everyday people like you and I need to hear words like these as well.

In these troubled days we all need to encouraged and strengthened by the Word of God.

Maybe today is the day that you speak these words into the life of someone desperate to hear that there is hope after all.

Perhaps today is a strangers day to receive a word of encouragement. Perhaps God has called you to deliver them?

Who knows, today might just be the day that you discover a new faith to overcome that which has defeated you in the past.

For all of us, let this day be one in which we are encouraged and strengthened in the Lord!

Ron

A Total Eclipse of reason

Unless you’ve been living in a cave, you no doubt are aware that there is a total solar eclipse coming to most of North America next Monday, August 21st.

While these events are special and very interesting to watch, I am always amazed at the number of prophecy prognosticators who use these NORMAL events to announce that the world is coming to an end.

I mean, seriously? Are Christians so illiterate concerning the scriptures that they actually believe that these NORMAL events are a sign of the end? Or am I in the minority in thinking this way? After all, we already know when these NORMAL events are going to occur for the next ten years!

Some prophecy “experts” are claiming that the coming eclipse is a warning of God’s impending judgement. In light of that, here’s a question for those that believe this. Do we in America need to see a solar eclipse as proof of God’s impending judgement upon us? Are we saying that unless the stars and moon align perfectly we will not believe that we need to repent? Is that what we’re saying?

What a shame, if indeed that is the case. The last time I checked, the Bible included many such warnings to repent and turn back to God. That’s right, it’s written in books like Matthew, Luke, Daniel, Ezekiel, 1st and 2nd Timothy, 1st and 2nd Thessalonians…..

Maybe if instead of hyping these NORMAL events as a sign of impending doom,what should happen is the prophecy seekers get out of the sun and into the Son.

One thing’s for certain: we can stare at the sun, the moon, and the stars until we’re blinded by it all. Meanwhile, back here on earth society is crumbling before our very eyes.

Now….where did I put my solar eclipse glasses?