Tag Archives: Jesus

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Pay No Attention

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I Timothy 4:1 (Holman Christian Standard Bible), “ Now the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will depart from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons,”

I have always marveled at this scripture. How could anyone who truly knows God, felt His love and His presence depart for the faith? The answer to my dilemma was right there all along, “paying attention” to deceiving spirits. One version says “seducing” spirits. That makes sense. After all Jesus told us that whatever we have set our affections, that thing will have rule on our hearts.

Luke 12:34 (NIV), “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

How can we protect ourselves from being seduced? Let’s use some natural things to help us understand the spiritual. A married person can guard their hearts by first being honest and intimate with their spouse. They can also protect their marriage by not giving in to any other person who is trying to draw their attention away from their spouse. So, spiritually, we need to know who God is, really, not in our head but in our heart. Secondly, when Satan tries to distract us, by illness, lies, financial issues, relational issues, etc., we need to NOT give those circumstances or the enemy our attention. Yes, we may have to address the issues, pray about it, thank God for the answer, but don’t dwell on it. Don’t set your heart on it. A distraction is “just another meaningless message to keep you from paying attention to all the issues that really matter.” Don’t give Satan your attention. Give your attention to God. He is the one able to get you out of your mess. Don’t get me wrong, we aren’t ostriches and we can’t make our problems go away by burying our heads in the sand. However, we need to keep our focus on God, keep our thoughts pure and yes, sometimes just ignore the seducer.

When we pursue God, pursue True Love, the false lover, the seducer will not be able to get your attention. Make love your quest. Arm yourself with the truth. Read I Corinthians 13 and you will get a picture of what real love is and isn’t like.

I Corinthians 14:1a (AMP), “Eagerly pursue and seek to acquire [this] love [make it your aim, your great quest];”
We keep ourselves and others from falling away, or turning their backs on God when we build each other up, when we help one another keep our eyes on Jesus, “the author and finisher of our faith.”

Colossians 3:2 (Weymouth Translation), “Give your minds to the things that are above, not to the things that are on the earth.”

Here are some practical examples:
You get a negative report from the doctor; you have two options, go with that report, think about, tell everyone, throw a pity party, and get in bed with the seducer. Or, you can rebuke the seducer and the diagnosis, thank God for your healing and stand firm on His promise that “by His stripes you have been healed.” Then when the symptoms come back, don’t give them your attention, (except to rebuke them!)

Philippians 4:8 (NIV), “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.”

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Watch and Pray

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Right after the last Passover meal with his disciples where he tells them to eat his body and to drink his blood, they go to the Mount of Olives. Jesus is about to spend His “hour in the flesh” and he asks a few of His disciples to watch and pray.

Mark 14:37-38 (NIV), “And He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? “Keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

When we remember his blood, shed for us in love, when we remember his broken body that purchased our healing, it helps us to watch and pray. It keeps us from temptation. We aren’t so ready to believe the lies of the enemy. When he tries to tell us that God doesn’t really love us, or that we aren’t worthy, we can remember the love that compelled the Father to give His son, or the great love that held Jesus on that cross. We don’t want what He did to have been in vain. He did so much for us so that we could live a transformed life. Shouldn’t we be diligent then to watch and pray? Yes, our flesh is week, but our spirits are willing.

Those words, “keep watching and praying” are just as important for us today as they were for the disciples that went with Jesus to the garden. Our flesh is still week. Satan’s desire is still to “sift us like wheat.” When we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, when we “set our faces like flint,” we can withstand every temptation.

I Corinthians 10:13 (NIV), “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

Today let’s purpose to remember His blood, the atoning blood that took away all of our sins, those from our past, those for our present, and those in our future. They are all gone. And let us remember His stripes, the lesions from the thorns, the holes in his hands and feet, and that cut from the spear. Those wounds that He “received in the house of his friends” and let us accept all the redemptive gifts that they purchased for us.

Father, we thank you for your perfect plan of redemption. We choose to remember and accept the finished work of Your Son, Jesus Christ and to cherish His great act of love in our hearts.

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Lacking Faith?

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Judges 6:11-16 (NIV), “The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.” “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.” The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?” “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” The Lord answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”

Gideon had a faith problem. He had no faith in himself, or in the fact that God could use him. Even though an Angel came to him, he still wanted some proof. Notice through the whole group of scriptures about Gideon God continues to call him a “Warrior.” God knew who Gideon was; the problem was that Gideon just couldn’t see it. He lists his lowly ancestry as one of the reasons he doubted, and the fact that the Lord had seemingly abandoned them. Gideon was looking in the natural at the natural. God sent an angel to show him the supernatural. Humbly, this mighty “warrior” asks for a sign. Patiently, God provided more than one. Isn’t God good? Bear in mind that this was before Jesus came to redeem us, we now have the Holy Spirit to lead us, so asking for a fleece instead of asking the Holy Spirit for conformation was reasonable for Gideon.

How do we fix a faith issue?

God tells us that we have all been given the “measure of faith,” and that faith comes by hearing His word. If you know me at all, you know that I encourage everyone to read their Bible. It is not a coffee table decoration or one for the back windshield of your car either. It won’t do you a bit of good under your bed, or in your closet. If you are in the habit of leaving it at Church so that you don’t forget it on Sunday, buy another one! Then, when you read it, read it out loud as much as possible. I learned a few things in school that I applied as a teacher. If we hear something we remember 25% of the information. If we hear something and read it also, we retain 50% of that information. If we hear it, read it, and write it, we remember 75% of that information. Now I know that is very general, and that we all have different learning styles, but this has proven true for me and many of my students. So read your bible at home, then listen to sound teaching and preaching that backs itself up with scripture, while at Church, take notes. Even if they are sloppy and you will never read them again! It will help you retain what you are learning, and sometimes God speaks to your heart and you need to jot something down (while still paying attention to the message).

Gideon had an identity issue that led to a faith issue. If we are confident in who God is and how He sees us, our faith grows by leaps and bounds!

Another way our faith is strengthened is by going through some tough stuff. I know, it’s the school of hard knocks and every one of us wants to “play hooky” that day and skip class. The key is to go through. Don’t set up camp, don’t stop to have a pity party, and don’t pause to whine and complain. Allow God’s Holy Spirit to lead you out. There is always light at the end of the tunnel when you serve God. Always. We grow from faith to faith this way, if we allow our hearts to be humble and teachable. The next time we are faced with a similar situation, our knees wont knock as much, and our hearts will not do that Irish jig. We will be able to calmly say, “this too shall pass.”

Gideon did find some courage; he obeyed God and against all odds, including being vastly outnumbered by the enemy, won the victory.

He will do the same for you.

I Peter 2:9 (KJB), “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:”

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Prayer for the Body of Christ

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Father God,
Today I lift up to You my brothers and sisters in Christ. I pray that You cause them to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all people, just as they love You. That You may establish our hearts blameless and in holiness before You. I thank You, Lord, that our faith is growing. May You give us all eternal encouragement and good hope, that our hearts are encouraged and strengthened in You in every good deed and word. I thank You for giving us peace at all times and in every way. I especially thank You that you are with us, always.

(I Thessalonians 3:12-13, II Thessalonians 1:3, 11-12, 2:16-17, 3:16)

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Book Review for “When Godly People Do Unglodly Things: Arming Yourself in the Age of Seduction”- Christian Non-fiction

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I think this book has been one of the most important books I have read to date. I strongly encourage every Christian to read “When Godly People Do Ungodly Things: Arming Yourself in the Age of Seduction”. Not only would this be so helpful for someone who has fallen into sin, more importantly it will help prevent a fall to begin with. Beth Moore is a great teacher, she is kind and simple in her writing style. I am going to recommend this book to all of the ladies at our bible study and to all of my followers. I give it five stars only because I can’t give it more. Appropriate for teens and up.

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Don’t Toot Your Own Horn

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Proverbs 16:18 (Holman Christian Standard Bible), “Pride comes before destruction, and an arrogant spirit before a fall.”

We all love accolades. It’s part of our society. It is nice to receive honor, and the Bible clearly tells us to give honor where honor is due. However, we are never the best person to judge whether we should be honored. We are biased to say the least. We will either think we deserve nothing, or worse yet we think we deserve the most. Growing up there was a pretty common saying, “Don’t toot your own horn.” It was a reminder to not brag on yourself.

Most of us ignore a braggart. We shy away from those arrogant, know-it-all types. We don’t want them on our team. They simply aren’t good team players. How about at Church, those shooting stars that give glowing reports of all their good deeds? The common denominator in all of their “testimonies” isn’t the goodness of God, it’s their so-called spirituality. They begin their sentences with “I”, not “God”. In trying to honor themselves they end up looking fake-y and flaky. Those types of people have very little true impact on the Body of Christ, unless it is in a negative way. Any motivation other than love doesn’t accomplish anything for the Kingdom. Self aggrandizement isn’t a fruit of the Spirit, and Proverbs 16 clearly tells us that pride comes before a fall. That doesn’t sound like honor.

Luke 14:11 (NASB), “For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Even Jesus said that if He bore witness of Himself that His witness wouldn’t be true. He let His works speak for themselves.

John 5:31, 36 (NIV), “If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true… I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish–the very works that I am doing–testify that the Father has sent me.”

We don’t have to tell everyone all the “good things” we do. Just do it! If you have a true testimony of what God did share it, but those testimonies never include “God used me to bless so and so.” I am sorry if this steps on some toes, but that isn’t a true testimony. Why not just testify, “so and so had a need and God met that need.” No need to bring ourselves into the picture at all. This glorifies the One who deserves it. We can’t love the praise of men. It keeps us from serving God rightly.

John 12:43 (NLT), “For they loved human praise more than the praise of God.”

Myself, I want to hear Him say, “well done,” not another person who is just like me.

John 7:18 (NET Bible), “The person who speaks on his own authority desires to receive honor for himself; the one who desires the honor of the one who sent him is a man of integrity, and there is no unrighteousness in him.”

Been “tooting your own horn”? Check your heart.

Let love motivate you, and give all praise to God.

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Be Thankful

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Philippians 4:6-14, (NIV), “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you. How I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned for me, but you didn’t have the chance to help me. Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. Even so, you have done well to share with me in my present difficulty.”

In the United States the spirit of ungratefulness is running rampant. Look at our Media! They preach to us constantly how we don’t have enough, or that we need this one thing, or that someone else knows what we need best. We aren’t the first people to allow this bad attitude to take over, and probably won’t be the last. The Israelites grumbled. Sometimes reading Exodus is like reading the “Who’s who” list of world renowned whiners and complainers. I get frustrated for God or sorrowful for Him when I read it. I get angry at their ungrateful, stiff necked, hearts…until I start complaining about some trivial thing. Isn’t the Holy Spirit faithful to do His job? There must have been some New Testament grumblers too; otherwise Paul wouldn’t have had to warn the Church at Corinth using those professional complainers from Exodus as bad examples.

I Corinthians 10:10-11 (ESV), “nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.”

In one of his recent messages, our Senior Pastor, Dr. William Hohman explained the danger of allowing this spirit of ungratefulness in our lives, “Complaining looses the destroyer in our lives. Thanksgiving shuts the door to the bottomless pit and opens the door into the presence of God.”
Revelations 9:11 (NIV), “They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon and in Greek is Apollyon (that is, Destroyer).”

Did you get that? The “king” over the bottomless pit is THE Destroyer. When we complain and grumble we are opening the door to the bottomless pit. We are letting him loose. The very worst thing of all is that we are giving him (the destroyer, Satan, the devil, and his minions) a personal invitation to mess with us! When we have an attitude of gratitude, when we live with a heart of thanksgiving towards God and others, we shut that door. That’s why the bible tells us that “praise stills the enemy and the avenger.”

Psalms 8:2 (NIV), “Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.” (Emphasis mine)

Psalms 8:2 (NET Bible), “From the mouths of children and nursing babies you have ordained praise on account of your adversaries, so that you might put an end to the vindictive enemy.” (Emphasis mine)

Every person still living on this earth has something to be thankful, if only the fact that you are alive. Ok, I know there will be some that say, “If you knew what my life was like, you’d wish you were dead.” I know, I’ve been there. However, if the alternative is hell, than thank God you’re alive. If your final destination in Heaven be thankful that God isn’t done with you yet, because if your work here was done, God would have taken you home. Be honest, most of us have a myriad of things to be thankful for. If you are a born again Christian, just think for a minute where your life was like before you were saved, and then thank God for where you are now!

If we really know who God is we will not have to hunt for something to be thankful for. When we fall so in love with God our hearts will be so full of gratitude that we can’t help but sing and shout His praises! We won’t even care if we can carry a tune or not, it won’t matter what anyone else thinks. We won’t be able to help ourselves. Have you ever been around someone who is in love for the first time? Do they talk of much else besides their new love interest? How excited do they get when they have a date scheduled, or a wedding? Yep, that kind of crazy love, only even greater.

I love God, I have since I found out He loved me at the age of six. Growing up, I walked away from Him and didn’t live right. After years of living in the world, I forgot how much He loved me. Even after years of walking with Him, even though I thought I loved Him, it didn’t compare to how much I love Him now…or how much I will love Him tomorrow. What changed? Me! I allowed Him to show me how much He loved me, I read His word and searched out every ounce of His goodness and kindness. I rehearsed and meditated on all the good things He had done for me, and I practiced an attitude of thankfulness. Am I thankful all the time? No, I still have my “would you like some cheese with that whine” moments. But, I am pleased to say they are fewer and farther between.

Do you know what else I discovered? An attitude of thankfulness touches others. When we are thankful for what we have and are willing to share. Think about that little boy with five loaves and two fishes. He had to have been thankful for that little lunch that someone had packed for him; otherwise the disciples wouldn’t have even known that he had the basket of goodies. I can hear the question, “does anyone have some food?” and our little hero says, “I do, my mom packed me two nice fish and five of her best little loaves”. Can you hear the thankfulness in his voice? I am sure the disciples wouldn’t steel a little boys lunch, so it is safe to say he offers to share. When you appreciate what God has given you, you don’t get greedy and selfish, you know He will provide again. So, they bring that lunch, big enough for one little boy, and what does Jesus do- yep, He gives thanks! Now, I know it is hard to wrap our heads around this, but force it if you need to, that little lunch fed five thousand men, along with untold numbers of women and children.

When we are thankful for the people in our lives, we treat them with respect, we honor them, and we aren’t constantly looking at their faults and failures. When we are thankful for our jobs, we work harder, behave better, and show up for work on time. When we are thankful for our Church family, we show up for service, we offer to help out, and we don’t gossip and finger point as much. Are you starting to get the picture? It is something that has to be actively worked out, worked on. God doesn’t just implant thankfulness in us. We become thankful on purpose. Now I am not one to encourage “faking it” but sometimes we have to do things that we don’t feel like doing. You may not feel thankful, but you better start saying “Thank You”. Tell the lady who checks out your groceries, the man who held the door, the mailman who delivers your package, your husband for taking out the trash, thank you! Yes, I know that some of that is part of their job descriptions, but so what! Thank them.

Get a pen and paper when you have finished reading this and write down everything that you are thankful for today. Nothing is too little or too big. Then every night before you go to sleep, look back over your day and thank God for what He has done for you, given you, or just for Who He is. Do this for fourteen days and a new wonderful habit of thanksgiving will be birthed in your heart. If you have allowed your heart to dry up, or your neck to become “stiff” like those wondering Israelites, it may take a while before you feel it. Dive into the word and search out scripture that talk about the goodness of God. Read His promises and if they haven’t manifested yet, thank Him for them anyway. They are coming.

Colossians 2:6-7 (AMP), “As you have therefore received Christ, [even] Jesus the Lord, [so] walk (regulate your lives and conduct yourselves) in union with and conformity to Him. Have the roots [of your being] firmly and deeply planted [in Him, fixed and founded in Him], being continually built up in Him, becoming increasingly more confirmed and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and abounding and overflowing in it with thanksgiving.”

Allow those roots to be firmly and deeply planted in Him, the outcome will be abounding thanksgiving. You won’t be able to keep it in. It will overflow.