On the job training....... 082114

On the job training………it’s part of how he grows us!

God in His use of Elijah for the teaching of Israel also found time to train the heart of the prophet himself.             Warfield, B. B. (2013-11-13). Faith & Life (Kindle Locations 47-48). GLH Publishing. Kindle Edition.

We all too often think in terms of process.  We look at a goal and the steps we believe we must take to meet it and proceed accordingly.  Such is especially the case in Christian service (or ministry if you prefer).

Now there is a real need to be trained and prepared for service and I would never endorse some, “God called me, I’m going, Yeeeehawww!” approach to ministry/service.  But neither do I believe it is good for young believers to sit and wait until they are “ready,” to serve before serving.  All too often I encounter believers who although they have a good fundamental grasp of “the Way,” (the Gospel life) sit quietly waiting until they are “ready,” lamenting their sense of uselessness in the Kingdom.

I am a firm believer in the old saying, “run what you brung.”  By that I mean that we all have to use what we have.  We can and should be serving within the boundaries of our knowledge and understanding.  That is how the gospel is spread and that is how we grow.

You can take a course, attend a seminar of even charge off to seminary but if you are “waiting” for some magic moment when some strange light of voice will inform you that you are ready you’ll spend a lot of time waiting.  This is such a waste of time, talent, knowledge and love.  It also contributed to the stagnation that often overtakes us because we just sit and do not to whatever little or much we can.

I have been blessed with people in my life who have challenged me to use what I have to serve however insignificant that might seem to me.  They have encouraged me to stretch myself within the limitations of my knowledge and experience to share what little or much I have to share.

We don’t have to wait until we have all the answers we just have to be careful and confident that the answers we have are correct and fall within the bounds of biblical orthodoxy.

Your lack of knowledge and experience will not be alleviated by sitting and waiting until you know it all ( or even most of it).  It will be alleviated as you use what you have and are challenged by what you don’t have.

I just want to encourage each of you, and challenge you as well, to use what you have to serve Him and to communicate the great and glorious good news of the gospel.  There are no “perts” when it comes to spiritual maturity so there are no “ex-perts.”  Though I encourage you to seek out tested and proven guides in both the flesh and in print DO NOT wait for some magic moment when somehow you feel you are ready.  “I don’t know, but I’ll find out,” is as good a response to a gnarly question as some deep theological answer. 

By using you what you do have you will discover what you don’t have and need to gain or acquire.  It is through the revelation of my ignorance that I have come to seek the knowledge I need for this day.  It is in confronting what I don’t know or understand that I am inspired to gain the knowledge and seek the understanding.

I short folks – don’t think that your lack of some deep theological/spiritual knowledge and insight is a reason to not serve – in Word of deed.  It does impose limitations but as you serve you will find those limitations ever shrinking.

You have the Words of Life – you may only have a few but God can do great things with those few  both in the lives you touch and your life as well.

Tetelesthai

Michael

Sinning Away Conviction

Sinning away conviction of sin.
In his book, Indwelling Sin in Believers, John Owen writes of the believer who, "sins away his conviction of sin."

I must admit that this was a source of very real conviction for me.  I reflected upon how often I catch myself engaged in something that one might consider a "little" sin with less conviction than I should have.  Maybe a book or a TV show or a movie.  Even the purchase of something that I delude myself into believing will bring some lasting satisfaction and meaning to my life.

I am confronted with the question, "How sensitive to sin and I - really?"  I have to admit that like many folks I don;t do well in my answer.  As James tells us, my desires create havoc in my soul that unfortunately is common enough to be dismissed unless directly confronted from outside.

This is due to several things not the least of which is an intentional examination of most of my life in the light of the Word and the Spirit.  What seems OK is most often not.  The law of grace loses it's power to restrain me because my mind is not fixed upon Him, His sovereignty and His calling.  I simply find it distressingly easy to let the "little" one's slip by.

Though these "sins" are (according to man;s measure) "little" they have the cumulative effect of numbing my heart to sin in general.  The old "everyone does it," or the "it's not a biggy," even "I'm redeemed and forgiven," are poor rationales for my failure in regards to these sins.

I have to make myself remember that if I had only committed the least of these "acceptable" sins Christ would have still had to suffer the horrors of their payment.  There only one acceptable payment for any and all sins but I, maybe like may of you, have a tough time keeping this in the front of my mind.

So I grow numb to conviction in an ever increasing way and find myself humiliated by greater lapses.  Lapses that would not have been so easy to make had i dealt honestly and directly with the "lesser" sins.

All this is to say that we must (ok, maybe it's just me) must do whatever is needful to become and remain sensitive to all sin in our lives.

This take intentional commitment and discipline.  It is hard and tedious work.  It looks a lot like legalism but though the law was fulfilled its use in our lives still stands.  Somehow I have to move from being a mere fan of Jesus to being a fanatic for His glory.

Sin is spelled  S-I-N not O-O-P-S!

It's a scary proposition to consider praying for a level of sensitivity to sin that truly honors God.  So much of what is our lives - my life - will have to be examined and re-evaluated.  So much will have to change - even what seems like the minutia.

But - gratitude demands it.  God expects it.  The Word and the Spirit enable it.  Who am I to refuse it?

Pray to see to what degree you may had sinned away some of your conviction of sin.

Freedom, Contentment, Presnce Part 5

Freedom, Contentment, Presence  Part 5
Fini

Hebrews 13:5-6 ESV
Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." [6] So we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?"


"I will not fear, what can man do to me?"

The fear of man is probably one of the most common sins that keeps us from breaking through from covetousness to contentment.  "What will other people think?" "What will others say?"

We covet the approval or others and we are not content to be different.  We want to fit in, to be a part of so we fear not fitting in or being a part of.  We fear what people might say to us and of us.  We fear that if we truly plant our feet for God we will be odd - peculiar - and hence be maligned and rejected.

Uhhhhhh - what part of the cost of discipleship did you not get?  Did no one tell you that being rejected and maligned was part and parcel of the Christian walk?  Did no one tell you that you have to REJECT the world to gain heaven?   Being His means you are none of the world's.  We are to be in and not of the world - but the cost is great and it can be painful.

What can man do to you if indeed you begin to grow from covetousness to contentment?  Reject you?  And why would you want to be accepted by those who wouldreject your growth in HIm, those who even reject Him?  Why do we need that new suit or that new dress?  Is it because the old are not wearable any more?  Are the old rent and torn and unmendable?  Then perhaps we do NEED those new clothes.  Do we need that new anything?  Do we even need the "thing" we have?

Christ came for one, to set us free - free from the penalty of sin - free from the power of sin but not from the presence of sin.  So He gave us His presence in the Holy Spirit as a counselor and comforter - one who comes alongside to help.  But are we addressing those things in our lives for which we need His help?

We choose comfort over contentment and then we wonder why our walks seen so halting and short.  We wonder why we do not have the wind for the long haul.  We limp along.

We live lives of bondage and that bondage is by choice - the choice to follow our covetous desires and the common covetousness of our culture.  We are "wanting" oursevles into shallow, weak and ineffective lives in Christ.we are making the links in the chain that binds us to this world and the ways of this word.  And so the author of Hebrews adminishes us - indeed commands us:

Hebrews 13:5-6 ESV
Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." [6] So we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?"

Only in centering and building our lives on the gospel can we ever hope to fe free of covetousness, bound in contentment and living out the presence of the Lord in our hearts.

Oh, will you not see and allow the Spirit to convict your hearts of the covetousness in which you have become content and are bound by the fear of man.  Will you not let Him drive you to yur knees crying out for the freedom He provides?  Will you not repent of and reject the covetousness and face the rejection of man for your efforts?

Oh Lord, have mercy on me, a miserable sinner.

Freedom Contentment Presence Part 3

Freedom, Contentment, Presence  Part 3
Presence

Hebrews 13:5-6 ESV
Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." [6] So we can confidently say, "The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?"

"For he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."

Luke 12:22-23 ESV
And he said to his disciples, "Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on. [23] For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.

Luke 12:28-31 ESV
But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! [29] And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. [30] For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. [31] Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.

Do we believe what our Lord has said?  Do we really?  Or do we believe this only when we are comfortable and at our ease?  Oh believer know you not that there is much great danger in comfort and ease?  Know you not that you risk much when your dependence strays from His promises, when you demand and aquire more than He would have you - and for reasons of satsfying yourself?

Is the great thing in your life the presence of Christ or is that presence obscured by the presence of possessions and covetousness?

Let me bunny trail here and plainly state that it is not just in plenty that we obscure His presence but we can do that when in need as well.  We can so focus on the need that we darken our ability to acknowledge and rejoice in His presence.

We must consider being free from the love of money-stuff, being content with what we have and the presence of Christ being inseperable and necessary to the life of the believer.  His promise to never leave us or forsake us needs to be seen in opposition to the love of money and lack of contentment.  They conflict one with another and ceate in the heart of the believe a raging torrent of grief - or at least I hope they do.

But there is one work here we must take seriously.  It is the word "FOR."

Reread the verse this way:
"Becasue he has said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you," keep your life free from the love of money and be content with what you have."

Does that change your perspective just a little?  It is His presence and His non-forsaking of us that is the justification for freedom and contentment.

But, more importantly His promise of His presence and not to forsake us should be the core of our freedom and contentment.  He should be enough.  He and His promises are for ever.

Think on this oft used passage:

 1 John 2:16-17 ESV
For all that is in the world- the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions-is not from the Father but is from the world. [17] And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

The question we must ask is, "If someone looked at my life and how I use the blessings and mercies of God (especially money-stuff) could they tell I find freedom and contentment in His presence and promises?"

Oh Lord, deliver us again and again from the bondage of our corrupt natures that we might be free of idolatry and covetousness and content with using Your provision for Your glory and honor.  Father make the presence and promises of Your Son rise in my heart and indeed in my life.  Make me a simple satisfactory steward of all You entrust to me and keep me safe from myself, the world and the devil.  Let me not yield to the conventions and covetousness of my culture and to see everything You provide as a challenge to my faith and my heart.

Getting a Grip When it all hurts Part 3 040314

Getting a Grip  When it all hurts Part 3

1 Peter 5:6-11 ESV
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, [7] casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. [8] Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. [9] Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. [10] And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. [11] To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

Ver 7 - enough said. LOL

What can I say that this passage does not say?

The hard part is doing it.  You see this is not like bouncing a ball off a wall where you cast it and it comes back.  It's not like fishing where you cast your lure and reel it back in.  This is like pasta.  You cast it and it sticks to the wall!

He wants us to cast our anxieties - those emotions, feelings, senses - whatever you want to call them, on Him.

This ties into humility because we cast our anxieties on Him (and that which produces anxiety) because we realize that we can't fix it.  That is the humility component -!  It is NOT giving up.  It is NOT sitting in the corner rocking back and forth.  It is not an, "Oh to Hxxx with it."  It is not an, "I quit."  It is a beseeching of Him to take from us those emotions (?) which we call anxiety and to give us a peace based solidly upon -- wait for it ---  the FACT that He cares for us.

It is NOT a, "Let go and let God," giving up in the circumstances.  It is a calling upon Him to join Himself more deeply to our hearts and minds so that we have a sense of peace and comfort even in the midst of anxiety producing circumstances.

Now remember - we are weak and the flesh is irritatingly strong so we sill do the fishing thing.  We'll cast our lure our there for a while (cast our anxieties on Him) and then after a period of no nibbles (the circumstances continue) we'll reel that anxiety right back in.  The we'll cast it out again and again and again.  Folks, I think He wants us to fish with a float and not do all that casting.  He wants us to cast out our line and let it sit - watching the float closely for the nibble.

Anxiety is a terrible debilitating thing.  For some of us it is deadly.  But we do have recourse to Him.  We can cast it upon Him and leave it there - let Him deal with it.

Now there is the anxiety and the circumstances that cause the anxiety and we need to cast both upon Him.  We don't let go of what we can and should be doing but we ask Him to take the stress and pain and anxiety upon Himself - to lift it from our hearts and minds, to protect us from all the imaginings that create the anxiety.

Now I need to briefly address my brothers and sisters who suffer from what is called anxiety disorders.  That simply means that your anxiety - which is probably based on something legitimate - is disorderly - out of proportion - out of control.  Many of you have medication to help you deal with it and count that a mercy and a blessing.  BUT don't count it as the cure or answer!  It is neither.  It is a blessing that should be used and appreciated and respected.  It should be used as needed and when and how you need it is something you have to take responsibility in and for.

There are many ways of dealing with anxiety besides medication and I'll tell you, if you're not using them along with your meds - you're being silly and not smart.  There are relaxations techniques, long walks, talking to yourself, prayer, reading scripture --- all these and more are great aids to dealing with anxiety.  Use them as you use your medications - silly.  The pill is NOT magic.  We all KNOW that it simply calms the anxiety for a while.  Making use of ALL stress and axiety relievers is critical.  They are all asnwers to the problem!  Use as many as you can and see if you can't slowly and gently reduce the frequency and number of meds you need to use.  BUT DO NOT just quit them for some strange and convoluted pseudo-biblical reason - they - their use - is not sin.  PS:  I KNOW what I'm talking about.

Ok - so much for that.

Jesus wants us to bring to Him all that we need and all that distresses us and He wants us to trust Him with it.  Sure, our flesh will want to play tug-or-war with our anxieties and that's OK - we just need to push them back on Him.  Prayer-The World and the Body of Christ are the keys to helping us accomplish this.  

Making the Most 05 The "rest" of the Lord's Day 032913

Making the Most
of the means of grace
05
5.  The "rest" of the Lord's Day

Sunday, the Lord's Day, the one day of the week we are to gather together and come before the Lord to worship and praise His name as a Body.  The Puritains were very strict about the Lord's Day and perhaps they had a valid point.  For them is was to be treated much like the Jewish Sabbath and to be a day of prayer and reflection.

But today it's a day mostly used to get stuff done around the house, to be entertained, to do for ourselves.  No, it is not to be some legalistic, cold and dry time nor is it to be considered a part of any works righteousness but isn't it to be more than just a day for our own interest and pleasures?

Don't we really need one day in seven when we can fight off all the distractions and diversions and focus on the Lord, to really "rest" in Him?  Can we be disciplined enough to set aside all the concerns and interests that keep our minds off of Him and simply relax in His goodness and grace?  Does it not seem right that we sacrifice one day of "me" to have a day for "Him?"

I mentioned the way the Jewish people would have counted days, from sunset to sunset, in the last blog.  Could we not begin to train ourselves to do the same.  Could we not begin to focus on His worship and His rest at sunset Saturday and set aside the mundane and common things of life until sunset Sunday?  Do we think we would really be losing anything by such an effort and practice?

Bible reading, prayer, spiritual discussions, faith related DVD's and programs are all means to keep our focus on Him and His grace for a mere 24 hours.  Would this not revolutionize our lives?  Of course it would and the blessings of doing so would be great.

The Lord's Day is meant for us to rest in Him.  And we all have to admit we need that rest - that rest in Him.  We need to have a time when we intentionally let go of our little worlds and cling to the hem of His garment.  Coming to Him on such a regular and disciplined basis will relieve us of much of the running to Him we have to do in a crisis.

This is not an easy thing to do.  It takes commitment and discipline and the mercies of the Holy Spirit but when done it will produce a greater sense of His peace and presence.  It's not some drab and monkish practice but rather a joyous giving on one day to Him and the things of His Kingdom.  One day, just one day.

The means of grace are great gifts He has provided so that we may consistently be growing in Him.  They are, well, essential practices He has given us so that we may facilitate, to whatever degree our efforts can, our being conformed to His likeness.  They are indeed means of grace -- and growth -- and hope -- and love.

Let me encourage you to begin making use of these means.  Seek the power of the Holy Spirit in making them an integral part of your life.  Accept the gifts and learn to enjoy them.

Finally, if you decide to indeed take up the means of grace I encourage you to follow the advise of one of the Puritain fathers.

"Do it as you can in order that yoou might do it better."

God bless you and keep you.

Making the Most - 01 Scripture 032614

Making the Most
of the means of grace
01
The Puritains write quite a bit about the "means of grace."  This is a strange phrase for us today which is unfortunate.

The "means of grace" are,
"....means which God has graciously appointed, in order to convey grace to man's hear by the Holy Ghost, or to keep up the spiritual life after is has begun."  JC Ryle, Practical Religion (Kindle loc. 264)

To keep it simple we will look at five "means of grace in this series.  We don't intend to write an in-depth treatise on each but rather too write devotionally - commonly - concerning these means.

The five means of grace are:
The reading of Scripture
Private prayer
Public worship
The Lord's Supper
The "rest" of the Lord's Day

1.  The reading of Scripture

God has promised that His Word will never be void of some effect.  It will accomplish His will in the llives of the reader.  For the believer the Word is the fundamental component of their spiritual nutritional system.  In the Word we hear from God and about God.  In the Word not only is the character and will of God revealed but His relationship to man (believer and unbeliever) is revealed.

We can all sit and "read" the Word but we must consider the "manner and spirit" in which we do so. (We must do the same with all the means of grace.)  Ryle writes about the difference in using the means of grace, in this case the Word, in a regular and formal manner without any sense of enjoyment but rather simply as a duty.  He holds that to make use of the means of grace in this manner is "utterly worthless and unprofitable."  And we must agree.

Time in the Word should be a time of expectant joy and even a holy curiosity.  The Word is not an "instruction manual" but rather a love letter in which God reveals all of Himself we need to know and all or our selves as well.  One must never go to the Word to just check it off as a duty but rather one should go hungry and expecting to be fed.

Psalm 119 is replete with requests that God teach the writer His statutes, commandment and most importantly His "ways."  His ways are the revelation of not only how He relates to us but how He calls us to relate to Him.  His ways are the boundaries and expectations inherent in a relationship with Him.  Nowhere else can we get the full and unadulterated direction we need to walk in His "ways' except in the Word of God.

Indeed the Word, reading the Word, is a means by which God communicates His grace and He also gives us example after example of that grace operating in the lives of real men and women like you and I.  But do we go to the Word to find that - or, do we go to find what feeds our flesh, scartches our itch or tickles our fancy?

Grace can grow cold when the fire is not stoked and in reading the Word we feed that fire - or in some cases that one little ember.  To forsake the reading of the Word and/or to approach this means of grace as a work is to cut oneself off from the promise of and in the Word - vanity makes all things void, self-love steals grace from our hearts and we live shallow and cold lives.  

PS
Are these posts of any benefit to you?  If they are or are not I would like to hear from you. Your input and/or encouragement would be a blessing and mercy.  You can comment on the blog page or, if you want, you can email me at sheepdog.ms@gmail.com.

Bless you for your help!
Michael

Uses of Affliction 05 031814

Uses of Affliction 05

4.  Correction and punishment for sin.

For those who do not think God punishes our sin here perhaps a re-reading of the OT would be appropriate.  We like to avoid that word punishment by using words like correct or discipline but changing the word does not change God's purpose.  Nor is it any better to talk of God allowing us to suffer the consequences of our sin as opposed to saying He punishes them.  Allowing us to face the consequences of our sin is in and of itself a form of punishment.

Sorry folks, but God not only forgives but He punishes as well.  Afflictions are His means of conveying His displeasure, correcting, applying discipline - punishing sin.  It is His mercy and grace that limits the intensity of the affliction for we all know quite clearly what we actuallly deserve for our sin.

I know few believers for who a simple note concerning some sin they are trapped in would suffice.  It seems the bigger and deeper the sin the bigger and deeper the punishment.  Wow - aren't we distressed by the idea of God punishing us for our sin?

Now many of you will have a hard time with this idea and I can sympathise.  For many of us punishment means an excessinve act of arbitrary anger on the part of someone in authority.  It does not seem so much like correction as revenge for some wrong we have committed hence we have a terrible time thinking of God's punishment.

But, at least for me, the important thing is that God's punishment has a point, a purpose and it is done in love.  God's punishment is intended for our sanctification - our being conformed to the likeness of Christ - which should be a point and purpose for us as well.

Grace is NOT a free pass, a get out of jail free card.  Grace is the turning away of the eternal punishment we deserve onto Christ so that we may never never need fear it.  But in our daiy lives, in our daily sanctification God will punish us for sins especially those sins which are deeply set in our hearts.

You love temporal tiing too much, they are little gods in your life?  That is sin and god may well see the need to punish you for your idolatry.  He may well see that only exile will bring you back from the edge.  Perhaps He may allow or impose some physical issue or impairment.  Perhaps you will suffer the loss place or position.  Perhaps, as seems more and more likely, you will suffer imprinsoment, a loss of freedom for your sin.

But punshment is a mean God uses to correct and discipline His children in love and a deep unknowlable desire that they be comformed to Christ's likeness.  Punishment always has a point - a purpose.

I struggle with this as Patti and I pass through the affliction we are facing.  I used all the soft words (correction, discipline, refining, etc) for what is taking place but as time passes and my sin was made clearer.  I ceased to be shocked by the idea that God might be punishing me - I certainly deserved it and I don't know that anything less would have made the impact this punishment did.

I struggled with the idea that God was mad at me and was rejecting me even that I had never believed in the first place.  But the more I prayed and read the Word the more I came to see that God was never closer to me than when He found it necessary to punish me to bring me out of sin.

Not all afflcition must be seen as punishment.  It may very well be simple correction or common discipline but we can not afford to refuse the idea that God does and will punish His erring children for His glory for their good.

Punishment is not the absense of grace or mercy.  Indeed I've come to think that, for the believer, God's punishment for sin is an act of mercy and a great reminder of grace.  There is a certain sweetness to the rod when we see it as an act of mercy.  He loves us that much.

When my father used to punish me he would always tell me "This hurts me more that it does you."  I neve believed him - don't believe it even today - but what I feel about that is not what I feel about God's punishment.  His love is so mighty, so intense that I do believe that when He punishes one of His, it does hurt Him more than it does us.

One of the uses of afflcition is indeed to punish - to show us in a very up close and personal way if not the wages of sin then the pocket change.

Uses of Affliction 03 031414

Uses of Afflcition 03

2.  Excitation to duty, weaning one from this world, and prompting him to look after the happiness of the other world.

There is one wonderful scipture that encourages us in this:

1 John 2:15-17 NASB
Do not love the world nor the things in the world If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. [16] For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. [17] The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.

We recently experienced some bad weather here and many people lost power.  Nothing big but a good reminder of how attached we become to the comforts of this world and to the minimization of our looking to the comforts of the next.  Afflictions, whatever their nature, are one way God not only gets our attention but moves us to action be it service, simplicity or paying more attention to the promises of the next world.

We need to be moved to duty.  It's too easy to become complacent and lazy even in our duties.  We get into a very comfortable rut and we just run along it day in and day out until we have become numb to what we ought to be about.  Even in our duties we can become comfortable to our hurt.

Prayer can become perfuntory, Bible Study can become bland and worship can become worthless in the comfortable ease of the day to day.  But God won't have that.  He will and does bring afflictions that reveal the weakness and wantonness of our service.  When God seems to withdraw we tend to draw closer.

This is a sad commentary on many of us - many many of us - so many of us that it seems to be the norm.  And so God will bring a crook to our lot so we will see our error and repent.

Affilctions also wean us from the world.  I made the comment while our power was on and our internet was off that there didn't seem much point to having power if we didn;t have the net.  This is an example of how comfortable we can get with all the geegaws and gadgets we have and how we begin to rely upon them for way too much.

The loss or thereatened loss of material blessings can really demonstrate for us our dependence upon them to a neglect of depending upon God.  And NO cheating - don;t try to tell me you depend upon God for your web connection - that's a stretch.

How many "things" do you really depend upon that get in the way of your dependence upon God.  What would hurt the worst to lose?  What can you not see yourself giving up?  If you have "bad hair" days - days that are just ruined over the trivial material things then you may look for an affliction to wean you away from it.

Can you see how use 1 ties into use 2?  Afflictions lead us to examine our faith and that examination has much to do with our attachment to this world and the "things" of it.  Not only that but the "things" of this world have much to do with, "the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life."  Which in turn has much to do with how much our hearts are set on the next world as opposed to being stuck on this one.

James writes:

James 1:2 NASB
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials,

And if we a serious about our faith we will wlecome these trials as God's gracious providence.  Even with only uses 1 and 2 we can see how afflictions are, what I call, "left-handed blessings."  They don't look like blessings, they don't feel like blessings, and they do not even small like blessings - but if they drive or move us to seriously examines, our service, our attachment to this world and our longing for the next they are indeed blessings.

Uses of Afflcition 02 031314

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1.  The trial of one's state, whether one is in the state of grace or not.

When we are under any affliction it is quite common for us to do a lot of questioning.
One of the uses God makes of affliction and a use we can use is in questioning whether or not we are indeed in a state of grace (saved) or not.  This is not a doubting of God's willingness or ability to save us but whether or not our confession is genuine.

Is this legitimate?  It would appear from scripture that indeed it is.
 In 2 Chronicles we read concerning Hezekiah:

2 Chronicles 32:31 NASB
. . . .God left him alone only to test him, that He might know all that was in his heart.

In afflictions we have a sense that God has "left" us and it is normal for us to be in distress.  But one of the uses of afflcition is certainly that we might know what is truly in our hearts.  Not to be trite but the questions in this instance might be, "is Jesus really in my heart?"  "Is my confession of faith true?"  "Am I really a child of God?"

Difficult and distressing questions - but questions that need to be asked.

We know how evil and fickled our hearts are and we know there are many whose confessions are mere ascent to a set of facts and not true faith (trust) in the saving power and Lorship of Jesus.  Afflictions provide us with a context where these quesitons are not only appropriate but vital.

Consider the following:

1 Corinthians 11:28 NASB
But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup.

2 Corinthians 13:5 NASB
Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you--unless indeed you fail the test?

Galatians 6:4 NASB
But each one must examine his own work, and then he will have reason for boasting in regard to himself alone, and not in regard to another.

2 Peter 1:10 NASB
Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble;

None of these passages are directly connected to any afflcition.  We are admonished to consistantly examine ourselves and our faith to determine its veracity, it's soundness.  If we are so admonished to do so outside of any affliction how much more so in afflcition.

By afflcition God tests us.  Not for His benefit but for our own.  We need to know two things.  That God is real and all He says He is and we need to know that our faith is genuine.

We should learn the blessing of afflcitions by embracing the opportunity for greater assurance of our faith.  Afflictions are on the one hand tests - tests for us.  They are tests that strip away all the comforts and causes of our ease so that we may determine wherther or not our faith/trust is truly in Him or whether it is mixed with our trust in other comforts and causes of ease.

I have grown to see afflcitions as a kind of second calling.  When I stray, as all sheep tend to do, I get into trouble (which God ordains/allows to happen).  I have learned to view the afflcition as God calling me either back to Him or to a unslullied trust in Him.  Afflcitons are never pleasant but they do have purpose and there can be no greater purpose than for us to grow in our assurance that we are indeed His.

This is one of the reasons James can write:

James 1:2-4 NASB
Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, [3] knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. [4] And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

Isn't is interesting that God will lead us into a place where we lose much of our comforts and there casues so that we may lack nothing - but that's for a later blog.

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Heart Keepers 06

6.  The realizing of God's presence with us and setting the Lord always before us.

God is always with us.  The Holy Spirit indwells us.  All this is true but do we intentionally set that in the forefront of our minds and the center of our hearts?

Are we desirous of being obnoxiously aware of and desperately desirous of His being always and all ways before us?

Without the practice of the disciplines of the faith, without partaking of His means of grace and His mercies this will never never be the case.  We are but babes in holiness (in many ways but especially in terms of separation from the world).  As babes we need goood food and good exercize.  Without both we will not grow or we will grow poorly.

But we have too much to do.  Too much to worry about.  Too much of too much.  So we nibble a breakfast bar of faith thinking it will provide the nutrition we need for our daily walk.  We crave spiritual fast food and just the occassional healthy meal and think we will be OK.

We set God before us when we are in need; not accepting that we are always in need.  Prosperity and comfort keep us fat, sassy and lost.

Keeping the heart takes work - focused and diligent work - but who has the time?  Who makes the time?  So we stubble along bringing ridicule to the name of God by our shallow, ignorant and intermitant faith.  We violate the first line of the model prayer since we do not "hallow" His name as it should be hallowed.

We do not keep our hearts and so our lives are warped and twisted all the time we claim to be serving the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Jesus made it very very clear that it is our hearts that are the source of evil and it is our hearts we must keep.  It's not a feeling, its facts.  It's not a disposition, it's discipline.  It's not neat, it's necessary.

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5.  A constant and holy jealousy over our own hearts.

This is a tough one.  "Jealousy," isn't that a sin?  And yet shouldn't we be jealous of anything that would woo us away from the Lord?

Think of the power (albeit evil) of sinful jealousy.  It's the Great Green Monster.  It sparks anger and bitterness, even fury and odd behaviors.  Shouldn't anything that comes between our hearts and God be seen as an interloper, a seducer, a harlot attempting to lead us into adultery?

"My heart is God's, leave it alone!"  "It is His do not intefere!"  Even, "I hate you for trying to come between God and I!"  Should not this be our stance?  Should we not pray for this holy jealousy over our hearts?

Indeed God is jealous for our hearts.  He responds mightily when anything seeks to woo or win us.  He hates - yes hates - that which would come between you and Him.  We see it over and over again in the history of Israel.  God is a jealous God and will not tolerate our having any others.

Exodus 34:14 NASB
--for you shall not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God--

Deuteronomy 4:24 NASB
"For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.

Psalm 78:58 NASB
For they provoked Him with their high places And aroused His jealousy with their graven images.

1 Corinthians 10:22 NASB
Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? We are not stronger than He, are we?

James 4:4-5 NASB
You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. [5] Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: "He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us"?

We need to be just as jealous for God as He is for us.  I know it seems odd and is quite a tough nut to crack but we need to pray that the Holy Spirit will give us insight.

These are His eyes, you may not enter.
These are His ears, you may not sound.
This is His mind, be ye gone.
This is His heart, there is no place for you here.
ms

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4.  Imposing strong engagements upon ourselves to walk more carefully with God and avoid the occasions whererby the heart may be induced to sin.

Most of us know where danger lies.  We know, or should know, what tempts us and where we are weak.  Flavel makes the point here that we have to set clear and sound boundaries for ourselves if we indeed want to keep our hearts.

Knowing what "engagements" we need to set is critical and if more subtle than we think.  I can think of no better example that TV as a place where we need to engage ourselves to greater caution.  It is so easy to become numb to the world and its philosophy than TV.

We used to watch a detective show in which there was some romatic tension between a female detective and a writer of mysteries.  All was well until we the two main characters had begun sleeping together in the same house as the writers teenage daughter.

Even though there were no graphic love scenes we became concerned that we had not been concerned about the "fornication" that was implied by the show.  Here we were watching a show where sin was not only taking place but being celebrated as a good thing and we had missed that somehow.

Well, we had to set a boundary.  Why?  Because we had been so enamoured with the show that we were allowing the blatant sin to go unaddressed.  In being fans we were, in the privacy of our own home, somehow endorsing the illicit relationship between the two characters.  Not being sensitive to this, being so slow to be convicted by this concerned us for our hearts and how they had been numbed or even hardened to what we were watching.

Can you see Flavel's point in this?  We can not affort to allow our hearts, or consciences for that matter, to become numb or hardened.  We need sensitive hearts and consciences so we may not be led into heart sins.

OK, it may seem hokey but the question is, "Would I be doing this if Jesus was with me?"  What you would n't do in His physica resence we shouldn't do period.  It may seem sillly but that's a very simple way to impose upon your heart that which will keep your heart.

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3.  Earnest supplication and instant prayers for purifying and rectifying grace when sin has defiled and disordered the heart.

Two things here are worthy of notice.  The first is "earnest supplication."  When we go to God in prayer we need to go with a full acknowledgement of the curruption that yet abides in our hearts.  Our prayers must reflect the fact that we are still battling self-love and the fear of man and that even our best prayers are susupect.

Especially when under trials or afflictions our prayers can be mercenary to say the least.  We want relief for our pain and struggle so badly that we will often find ourselves bartering with God for His provision.  We are so focused on the immediate need that we can often hinder our own prayers by not praying fully and wholly.

Fully and wholly?  There is so much to pray for, so many needs of the Kingdom and its citizens - so many brothers and sisters in distress.  There is the church to pray for, those whose needs we know to pray for and in our distress and concern for our situation it is easy - all too easy - to just pray for ourselves without regard to the broader picture.

We can also find ourselves praying, "If" prayers.  You know, "God if You will just X I will Y."  This is bartering with God, trying to strike a deal.  This hinders the effectiveness of our prayers by it's assumption that God "barters" His blessings and provision.  This sullies and minimizes our prayers making them shallow and , well, wrong.

Secondly we need to be sensitive to the needs for "instant prayers," or timely prayers.  These are prayers in and of the moment especially when it comes to heart sins.  I know I have gone to God with my needs and failing to recognize the heart sins yet needing to be dealt with I have prayed ill and been sticken because of my shallowness and self-love.

Sin defiles and disorders our hearts to a greater extent than we see, so our prayers must seek His cleansing and ordering of our hearts.  I would suggest that this needs to be the first part of our prayers.  Praying about praying may sound strange but if our hearts are not in the right frame we will pray amiss.

Praying for purifying and rectifying grace may well need to precede any if not all our prayers.  If you have ever (and I assume you have) been under affliction and in pain you know how the corruptions of the heart can twist your thinking and affect your praying.  Taking time to pray about praying is one good way to discover and root out this sins that would hinder and hamper your prayers.

When you find that your heart is not right, when it is struggling with heart sins, there are always the Psalms that you can pray.  The writers of the Psalms experienced the difficuties of life much as we do.  They felt abandonded by God as we do. They felt overwhelmed by affliction as we do.  They felt all was hopeless as we do.  And yet they always return to trusting the Lord even when the motivation is that there is no one else to turn to (which asctually there isn't).   They struggled with the same ehart sins we struggle with and their guidance in our rpayers can be a great blessing and instruction.

Heat sins will always be a struggle for God's people here.  However we can not allow their commonness to go unaddressed.  Keeping the heart is nowhere more critical than in the areqa of prayer.  Prayer is fundamental to our relationship with God and we need for that relationship to be open and whole from our side as it is from His.  Heart sins, an unkept heart, will hinder and disorder our prayers which in turn will hinder and disorder our walk and witness.

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2.  Deep humiliation for heart evils and disorders.

Paul exposes himself and us in Romans when he speaks of his own struggle with sin.  For some of us this is, well, embarassing.  Paul, the author of 2/3 of the New Testament; a man to whom Christ revealed Himself after His ascention - this pillar of the faith had a constant and pernicious battle with heart eveils and disorders?  Wow, do we even stand a chance?

Yes, we do!  We most certainly do!

But we only have a chance if we desire a chance.  What I mean is we must be motivated somehow to battle (with the aid of the Holy Spirit) each and every heart evil and disorder.

How can we be so motivated?  Flavel uses and interesting term, "Humiliation."  Not humbling but humiliation.  This is a most uncomfortable idea.  We work hard - very hard at never being humiliated and here it's presented as a necessary element in keeping the heart.

But can we be anything other than humiliated when we consider the cross?  When we reflect upon the suffering both physical and spiritual that our Master was willing to endure for our sakes?  Can we not find humiliation in our refusal to be humbled and made contrite?  Can we not find humiliation in our failure to faithfully pursuer godliness and holiness in the face of the cost?

Humiliation requires exposure.  Our deepest sins and secret desires must be exposed for us to have a sense of humiliation.  It is not a casual thing not a common thing.  We work very hard to resist and abait anything that might expose us to humiliation.  We sneak and lie to avoid it.  We critisize and complain to divert attention.  We work very hard to fool others and ourselves.

Humiliation is hard to bear.  But if the cost of not being humiliated is faithlessness, a hindered sanctification or a constant questioning of the veracity of our faith - isn't it reallly worth it?

Note though, it is not the sinful actions that Flavel calls us to humiliate - It is the sins in the heart.  The deep deep recesses of our hearts need to have the light of the Word shone into them so that we may expose - to oursevles at least - the depth of our remaining depravity and disorder.

This is not to be done causally or lightly.  It will be painful and irritating.  You will suffer and struggle.  But is we truly desire to live in the freedom Christ has bought us this must be done.  Without it we remain wounded and bound, cheating ourselves of the freedom Christ paid for.

How?  What are the "mechanics" of such a deep search and the resulting humiliation?  I wish I had an easy answer, a simple "how to."  But each of us much pray earnestly that God will first convict us of the need for such a search and will, by His Word, Spirit and perhaps the guidance of a godly mentor show us our "how."

I can only suggest some things.  The first is, of course, prayer and not a short simple prayer.  This is heart work and a great battle and demands great effort and submission.  I have thought that actually stretching out of the floor in a postion of submission might be of help.  Humbling ourselves physically can be an aid to humbling ouselves spiritually.  Focusing on the target - a deep humiliation for heart evils and disorders - would be critical.  Perhaps, should being prostrate on the floor not seem seemly to you, you could sit and write out your prayer for God to expose these twists in the heart.

Saturating yourself with the Word will be necessary.  The Psalms are replete with prayers of this nature.  Seek them out.  Meditate on them.  Ask God to make these prayers your prayers.

Foremost in all this is to beseach the Holy Spiriti to be the Holy Spirit in this.  Claim the promise of His advocacy and His comfort.  Demand - yes demand, that He work in your heart and your mind to bring the humiliation of exposure so that you may seek God's relief and release form these evils and disorders.

Paul was willng to "beat" his body daily to make it his slave and if he was willing to do that (figuratively) what are we willing to do that our hearts might know the blessed peace of Christ?

I don't believe there is any "magic means" to this goal.  There is no formula, no recipe.  But we have an arsenal of means for communicating with God and hearing from God that we may take up and use in this quest.

I have come to believe that if I take my faith seriously and truly desire to be conformed to His likeness that not only my mind but my heart must be renewed and renewed consistantly and constantly.  I encourage you to pray earnestly for the conviction to seek that deep humiliation for the evils and disorders of the heart that as they are exposed and God addresses them we may be freed so we may remain free.

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6 Heart Keepers 01

John Flavel in his work Keeping the Heart offers six things we ought to be doing in order to keep the heart.
Frequent observation of the frame of the heart.
Deep humiliation for heart evils and disorders.
Earnest supplication and instant prayers for purifying and rectifying grace when sin has defiled and disordered the heart.
Imposing strong engagement upon ourselves to walk more carefully with God and avoid the occasions whereby the heart may be induced to sin.
A constant and holy jealousy over our own hearts.
The realizing of God's presence with us and setting the Lord always before us.

In this series I hope to go through each one of these and help us understand how and why these are important.

Needless to say we should all recognize the imperative of "keeping" or "guarding" our hearts.  Jesus made is very clear that it is out of our hearts that all evil springs.  Even in our redeemed state and in the midst of God's sactifying work we still have that remnant of the corrupt nature in our hearts and we must live and act on that fact humbly submitting to God and resisting and fleeing the Devil.

1.  Frequent observation of the frame of the heart.

"PAY ATTENTION - ON PURPOSE!"
The word heart in the Bible typically is synonymous with the word "soul."  So we need to be clear that we are not talking about either the muscle or the emotions.  This isn't the seat of your feelings or affections but rather the seat of your faith that we are dealing with.

The "frame" of your heart can best be seen as like steel beams that support any massive structure.  Though they are not visible yet they are the key to the structural soundness of any building.

What are the "steel beams" of your heart?  Are they submission to, dependence on, worship towards and trust in God?  If these are not sound then your structrue is in danger.

It's not a matter of having one or two of these but having all four as the frame of your heart - and hopefully the only frame.  Anything other than these four basic "beams" and your structure is not sound.  You will have weak spots and vulnerabilities.

Trusting in things, people, position; taking comfort in prosperity or favorable circumstances; harboring self-love or the fear of man are all examples of the weak beams with which we tend to frame our hearts.

It is well written in Proverbs:
Proverbs 3:5-8 ESV
[5] Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. [6] In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. [7] Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. [8] It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.

Verse 5 = the heart
Verse 5b & 6 = the mind
Verse 7 = the choices
Verse 8 = the blessing

It all begins (and ends actually) in the heart.  Is the Lord actually the Lord of your heart?  Do you struggle in your heart with doubts and sin?  Is your heart aimed at and centered upon the Lord and what He has done for you - desires from you?

We know that the answer to the question above is, "Not so much as I would desire."  And so we must intentionally and regularly and consistantly examine our hearts - the frame of our hearts - to make sure they are framed with the right stuff.

Psalm 26:2 ESV
Prove me, O LORD, and try me; test my heart and my mind.

Psalm 51:10 ESV
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

Psalm 119:10 ESV
With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!

Psalm 119:34 ESV
Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart.

Psalm 141:4 ESV
Do not let my heart incline to any evil, to busy myself with wicked deeds in company with men who work iniquity, and let me not eat of their delicacies!

We examine our hearts through the Word of God and prayer.  Not to mention the necessary reliance upon the work of the Holy Spirit.  Being consistantly and prayer fully in the Word with an aim to the condition of our hearts is critical.  Think of the intensity nd awesomeness of open-heart surgery.  This work of keeping the heart is not less so and perhaps even more so.

I encourage you to pray for the conviction, strength and intention of keeping your heart.  This is the way of sanctification that the Lord has established so it is the way we should commit to go.

Trusting God - Trouble (b)

Matthew 6:34 ESV
"Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

In the second part of this versewe're told that each day has its own troouble and that that troublee is sufficient.

Car breakdowns, illness, traffic, bad news, sudden expenses even missed oppotunities are all the types of trouble we experience and we tend to just take them in stride.  But should we?

Is there anything in our lives that is too trivial for God?  Is there anything about our lives that the God who numbers my hairs and my days can be disconnected from?  No, I have to believe that nothing - NO thing - in and about my life is too trivial for God to be concerned with.

Traffic is bad, other drivers are rude and I am running late for an important meeting.  That has a great effect on my attitiude and temper.  Is God not interested in that as much as anything else?  Is He not concerned that I arrive at the meeting calm and composed so I may do my best and honor Him?  Does He not care about my heart and needs?  To assume - even by lack of attention- that God is not interested in the smallest thing in my life makes a mockery of Jesus' claim that He is interested.

How much attention though do we pay to the trivial?  Do we pray about these things?  A timely arrival at a meeting, a good parking place, no car breakdown,   Or deo we just figure their random things that we just have to suffer and deal with?

Brothers and sisters, our very lives are composed of a multitude of the trivial that all fit together to build our lives.  One thing goes wrong and we feel our dau is spoiled.  A bad hair day and we're cast down all day.  One "little" thing does not go according to our plans and we're mortified and depressed.  It should not be this way.

The only things I know that will assist us in livng in the "trouble" we encounter each day is attention to detail in prayer.  We do not waaste God's time or providence by praying for what we consider trivial or silly.  Indeed when we do pray for these things we are confirming in our hearts and minds that our God is the God of the details no matter how trivial they seem to us.  We do not "bother" god when we go to Him with anything.  Indeed we are dmonished to do exactly that.

Need to meed a quota?  Need Power Point to work right?  Need for traffic to no be a problem?  Why not pray about that?  What excuse could we possibly have for not praying about things of this nature.

Each day has trouble.  /each day needs to begin with pray and especially prayer about facing the trouble the day will bring.  And as we encounter these troubles we need to be praying about them asking God to help us see His use for them, His purpose in allowing them into our lives - when they happen!

Paul tells us to "pray always," and this admonition in Matthew is one very important reason why.  We can never pray too much and we can never thing anything in our lives is too trivial to pray about.

Trusting God?  Trusting God for the trivial?  Who else are you going to trust?  

Trusting God is not about trusting Him for BIG things it is trusting Him for EVERYTHING.

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Trusting God  Today

We all know Jesus' teaching about God's provision for each day.  But do we ever just sit and think that through?  I don't think many of us do.  We're so caught up in the hustle of the everyday that we just let the day go by without reflecting on how He did provide for us.

It's good to take time at the end of the day to reflect back on how the God who in in charge of everything provided for you during the day.  And don't just think about all He gave you - think as well of what you avoided - what might have happened that didn't.

I know we shouldn't engage in "vain repetitions" in prayer and I emphasize the word "vain."  But I often pray, "Just today Lord, help me focus on just today," over and over as I start my day.  So many thing press in upon my heart and mind that if I don't don't do that then I am distracted in the rest of my prayer by things in the future (both real and imagined).

God is the God of eternity - and He is the God of right now as well.  I live in the right now - I hope in eternity.  I fight to keep my focus on my "right now" needs as I go through the day - looking for His hand in events and circumstances.  I want Him to be my God "today," in each moment.

Yes, I  pray over future events and worries but I only know I have this moment and in this moment I want to be trusting Him.  It's surprising how difficult it is to do - or rather how easy it is to not do.

Perhaps that is why we are encouraged to "pray always."  Perhaps it is in keeping this attitude of prayer that we are able to live in each moment of each day more aware of His providence and care.

I hope I'm making some kind of sense.  Brothers and sisters we only have right now and we only have right now to serve Him in and be thankful in.  Should we not take advantage of it?  Should we not seek His help in focusing on today as today unfolds?  How much do we miss when we are so distracted from God in our lives right now?

Today I will trust God for today.  He has promised me eternity and not tomorrow.  So all I have is today in which to serve and honor Him.  Today certainly has enough trouble but it has blessings as well.  I know I won't miss the first and I know I do not want to miss the second.  I pray I may live today - today - and know His work in my life more intimately and consistently.

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"What are your cares, but the turmoiling of your thoughts?  Richard Baxter, A Christian Directory

Baxter offers that we may and should control our thoughts when we are in distress, even despair and he wisely and kindly adds that we should,

"Cast away the thoughts, and cares are gone.  You may do this if you will, though it be difficult."

Our thoughts begin in our hearts.  This is the source of all good and evil that we think, feel, say or do.  It is in the heart that despair begins and it begins with our lack of trust in God.  Yes, we all have a lack of trust in God.  We may only see it when we are under some affliction but it is always there.

Many, when things are going well may think or even boast that they are trusting God and I am sure that so some extent they do.  But take away those things that give them comfort and security and the flaw is exposed.  Doubt is a part of our suffereing here and we must accept that there are places where we doubt.

But we need not wait until we are under His correcting hand to begin to address this lack of trust.  We may, through a sincere and diligent examination of our hearts discover this vein of distrust and appreciate the power of it to cause us to stumble.

If you are under some affliction and struggling with your trust in God the only solution is - well - to trust God for your lack of trust.  As the man cried our to Jesus, "Help my unbelief!" we too must be bold about our trust struggle and go to the only source of strength we have.

Scripture abounds with admonitions, promises and prayers for trust in God.  It abounds with demonstrations of His faithfulness and lovingkindness.  Even your life in HIm, if you will but sit and reflect, holds testimony to His faithfulness.

But those pesky fearful thoughts persist.  Not only that, but Satan and the world will encourage and heighten them until they scream so loud they almost drown out everything else.  But we are able to control our thoughts and by the Holy Spirit we are able to strengthen and heal our weak hearts.

Isaiah 26:3 ESV
You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.

Notice something very important in this verse.  It is not "I" who keep me in peace but God who does it.  But I must fix my mind upon Him.  I must do two thing I think.  First I must really pray.  I use the word "really" becasue in matters of trust we can't be hedging or playing.  We must come honestly and openly to Him with our distrust confessing it and crying our for a greater trust in Him.  Where we do not trust Him, we sin and as with any other sin it must be confessed and repented of - wholy and truthfully.

Second - I must fill my mind and hence my heart with those Words of God that call me and encourage me to trust in Him.  I must take the plain truth of His lovingkindness to heart and hold it there tightly.  I know of no better way than to search out those sciptures that speak to the issue of trust and to read them (in not memorizing them) over and over until they permiate my mind and touch my heart.

Trust, even trust in our God does not come easy but it comes.

A Constant Battle 010914

Do you find yourself dealing with, "If You will .......  I will ......." type prayers or choices?

It is so sy to fall into bargaining with God for His blessing and provision.  And this is especaillly true when we are under any affliction or struggle.

Satan loves to bring to our minds all of our sins and even though they are forgiven in Christ he uses their awfulness to make us think we are condemned - even thoug that is not possible.

So we go to God and try to make a deal.  Or we undertake some duty thinking that if I just do this He will bless me.

This is, above all things, an isnight into the sin that yet clings to our hearts.  It's there and it will continue to affect our thinking and prayer.  But we must pray that the Spirit will expose this to us that we may pray against it.  So we may see it coming and bypass it in our prayers.

Oh if we could only grasp the fullness of His forgiveness.  If we were not so tied to ourselves and could see Him and His love through the self-ness we are plaugued with.

This need to prove that we are either really in need or that we are really worthy of His help drives so many of us to despair and confusion.

Take heart in the fact that in this you are not alone.  Most mature believers will tell you that they still struggle with this.  So you are not alone among believers in your struggle.

But you are not alone beyond that either.  God knows the habits of abiding sin.  He is not shocked when we come to Him this way.  He knows our struggle and appreciated the depth of it.  He knows all of our heart and He would heal it of this struggle.

Acknowledge and confess these "bargain" prayers.  Realize that God can not but give us what is best for us.  Yes, He desires - no, He commands our obedience but that is based on who He is and what He has done.  Gratitude does not nullify grace but embellishes and enlivens it.

OK- enough.  That was on my mind because day I caught myself at it.  Mmmmm figured you might catch yourself at it too.

M