Archive for June, 2023
Your Own Storms
Rising majestically over the Planes of Galilee is the monolithic Mount Arbel, the scene of many historical events. It forms the western wall of the Valley of the Doves. Running through the valley is the trail from Nazareth to Capernaum which Jesus would have walked going between these two towns.
Having stood on the summit of Arbel, I have endeavored to recreate in my mind one event that transpired there. Sudden strong winds known as Euroclydon often funnel down the valley getting stronger as they go. Rushing out of the valley they are directed toward the Sea of Galilee.
On an occasion Jesus and His apostles set out to cross the sea. Fatigued by a busy day of ministry Jesus was asleep when it happened: Euroclydon. Suddenly without warning large billows turn the sea into hazardous condition. It was a challenge to the most stalwart vessels on the sea. The apostles, like any seamen of the era, were frightened.
Look at Jesus, when most needed what is He doing …. sleeping.
With the urgency of the moment the apostles awakened Him pleading for help. Having emptied Himself of His divine power for personal use, but not for the welfare of others, Jesus calmed the sea, and with it the hearts of His beloved apostles.
Now, the application of the event. Have you ever been in your own tiny vessel when without warning your own threatening Euroclydon struck? The appearance was Jesus was asleep when you needed Him most.
A concluding line in the Lord’s model prayer is translated in most versions, “Lead us not into temptation….” The Greek word translated “temptation” can be more appropriately translated with today’s meaning as “Lead us not into trials….”
That single line is compacted with meaning. One is He does on occasion deem it wise to lead us into trials which are tests to allow us to demonstrate our faith in Him. Struggles develop strength, trials develop trust and prove Jesus still has the capacity to calm our personal storms.
This voyage was Jesus’ idea. It was He who said, “Let us go across to the other side.” This wasn’t an idol suggestion, it was a command with a purpose. He led them into the storm as a confidence building trial.
That is good to anchor in the harbor of your mind for storms are inevitably going to come. With that calm confidence established you can say, “I will fear no evil for when I am afraid I will trust in Him.
Pause and meditate on some occasions when He has calmed storms in your life. Times when the slumbering Jesus became your sufficient Savior.
May the time never come when Jesus can say of us that which He said of His apostles, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?”
You Are Never Alone
The classic comic character Charlie Brown is shown kneeling beside his bed in prayer. The room is empty except for him. The caption is: “Security is …. knowing you are never alone.” Put that on the marque of your mind and keep the lights on.
An outstanding high-school athlete sought by nearly one hundred schools to sign with them, asked me to pray with him about it. We were by ourselves as we prayed. As we parted he concluded, “Let’s the two of us pray about it and the three of us will settle it.” He knew God wanted to have a part in the decision making.
He was aware our beloved Lord promised, “Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41: 10)
The word dismayed means to develop a defeatist attitude, a hopeless outlook, a sour disposition, a joyless spirit. Bottom line, don’t give up.
This takes courage. Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes it is simply a quiet voice that says, “I will try again tomorrow.”
The text presents two “I ams.”
First, “I am with you.” We need to be able to focus on the line from Psalm 23, “Thou art with me….” Ringing in your ear more clearly that the blasphemy of the crowd should be the words of your Beloved: “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” That is the reason we should not fear.
Second, “I am your God.” The word used in the text for God is “Elah” or “Eloah.” “El” means the strong one. Elah speaks of durability. It carries the idea of faithfulness. He is faithful.
Don’t let success go to your head or failure to your heart. Sometimes you may think you are being rejected by God, when you are simply being redirected by God.
With your hand still on the doorknob of the unknown you can enter it with boldness because of the infinite resources of your faithful God.
James the half-brother of Jesus, who became a follower after the resurrection, wrote: “ When all kinds of trials and temptations crowd into your lives my brothers, don’t resent them as intruders, but welcome them as friends! Realize that they come to test your faith and to produce in you the quality of endurance. But let the process go on until that endurance is fully developed, and you will find you have become a man of mature character with the right sort of independence. And if, in the process, any of you does not know how to meet any particular problem he has only to ask God—who gives generously to all men without making them feel foolish or guilty—and he may be quite sure that the necessary wisdom will be given him. But he must ask in sincere faith without secret doubts as to whether he really wants God’s help or not.” (James 1:2-8)
You are never alone. Sing it, “never alone, no never alone, He promised never to leave me, never to leave me alone.”
One More Night With the Frogs
Who likes icky things? Icky is low on the approval chart. Of all the loathsome plagues God imposed on Pharaoh and Egypt the winner has to be the plagues of frogs. Imagine frogs everywhere, in your bed, on your table, where you sit and walk. When overwhelmed by frogs Moses visited Pharaoh and told him if he would like he, Moses, would entreat God to remove them when Pharaoh desired. Pharaoh’s response is beyond reason. He said do so “tomorrow.” (Exodus 8: 10) What? Tomorrow! Why not immediately” Why one more night with the frogs?
The tomorrow syndrome lives on. Do you have a bad habit you want to break, one you don’t like, and intend to break – – – – tomorrow?
Bad habits are hard to break. Here is the good news, good habits are hard to break. Any habit is hard to break.
In his book, “The greatest Salesman in the World,” Og Mandino, notes, “I will form good habits and become their slave. And how will I accomplish this difficult feat? Through these scrolls it will be done, for each scroll contains a principle which will drive a bad habit from my life and replace it with one which will bring me closer to success.”
In one of the ten scrolls he says, “Yet I will not fail, as the others, for in my hands I now hold the charts, which will guide me through perilous waters to shores, which only yesterday seemed but a dream.”
It is up to us as individuals to design our own charts, that means how to break old bad habits and get rid of the “frogs.”
Take these steps:
Name it and admit it is a bad habit.
Tell God about it and ask His help in getting rid of it. Note, you are asking His “help.” You made it and you must break it. With God’s help you can.
Acknowledge to God your commitment to breaking it. Be definitive in stating the steps you are going to take and ask Him to adjust and strengthen you in taking them. Take your steps one day at a time. Don’t be discouraged by the difficulty involved in shattering the old habit. Changing yourself is one of the most difficult things you will ever attempt to do. It takes time, effort, and persistence. By teaming with God to do it you can do it. Keep in mind it as a frog that’s got to go.
Keep in mind how happy you will be with this improving change.
Keep in mind the people that will be made happy with the change.
Focus on pleasing God by making the change.
Today, it is time to, “put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4: 24)
Resolve, “I will form good habits and become their slave —- so, help me God.”
Breaking Down Strongholds
“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.” (II Corinthians 10: 4 – 6)
Spiritual strongholds refer to those areas of thought that are contrary to the will of God. They are entrenched habits of conduct that result.
Descriptively the pattern for developing them over years is:
A stronghold starts with a thought;
A thought becomes an idea;
An idea becomes an attitude;
An attitude becomes an action;
An action, if repeated, becomes a habit;
A habit becomes a stronghold.
Note, it all starts with a thought. Of course, Scripture confirms it: “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he”. (Proverbs 23: 7)
As it is a thought that starts the building of a stronghold it is a thought that initiates breaking down one. An action for doing it requires setting a goal and establishing a pattern for doing it. Step one, do you think you have an unacceptable spiritual and behavioral stronghold? Is there an attitude or action unpleasing to the Lord? If so, go back and read the Scripture above that initiates this Post. Focus on “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God….”
Don’t overlook the companion to a stronghold is the defense tower of “arguments” against the logic of what God wants to enable you to do and to become. The source of every such argument is against God. If not, from where does the resistant argument come other than from the devil.
“Stronghold” means “to make firm.” It is used metaphorically in II Corinthians 10:4, of those things in which mere human confidence is imposed. An argument is a defense of that position.
To cast down a stronghold and overcome an aberrant thought insert a “God thought” on the subject before leaving it. Superimpose the God thought on the topic before going on to another. Do this every time the stronghold and an overpowering evil thought comes up. Slam it!
A contrast of thought patterns is noted in Proverbs 15: 26: “The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord, But the words of the pure are pleasant.” You chose which thought pattern is to prevail. Choose wisely because that thought will become your character, the real you.
“Be not overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12: 21)
“For whosoever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that overcomes the world, even your faith.” (I John 5: 4)
What do you think?
You Are a Miracle
I have written this Post about you. Well, truthfully it is about you, but I didn’t write it. You deserved a better biographer than I can write. It was written by your true author, the Lord. Enjoy all the nice things He has said about you.
“Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” (Genesis 1: 26, 27)
“For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb.
I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.
My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.
How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them!
If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand;
When I awake, I am still with You.” (Psalm 139: 13 – 18)
Scripture teaches that you were created in the image of God. It reveals also that God wove you together in the womb. You are, therefore, not a product of randomness or nature, but of God’s omnipotent handiwork. God crafted you in your mother’s womb to be a distinct individual. You owe your existence to Him and not to happenstance.
The fact that God knows and cares for children even in the womb means that God’s concern for life begins at conception. It means that God’s people have a responsibility to also know and care for children in the womb.
Psalm 139 teaches that God considers that is a person in the mother’s womb. In Scripture the Greek word “brephos” is used for a young child in the womb and as well as those already born. This evidences the sanctity of the lives of both.
You can confidently say, “For you have possessed my reins.” The word “reins” signifies the kidneys, which by the Hebrews were supposed to be the seat of the desires and longings; but it indicates the most hidden and vital portion of the man; it is His own reins; God is as much at home there as a landlord on his own estate, or a proprietor in his own house. Figuratively this is that God shaped place in which only God fits, though others often seek to fill it with things.
Resolve to be the very best you, you were created with the ability to be.
You are indeed “fearfully and wonderfully made.”