2 Kings 12-1-3 – “In the seventh year of Jehu, Jehoash became king, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Zibiah of Beersheba. ² Jehoash did right in the sight of the Lord all his days in which Jehoiada the priest instructed him. ³ Only the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burned incense on the high places.”

As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word of God today, the phrase “Incomplete Obedience” reverberated inside my head and heart. This is totally unacceptable to God and leads to snares.

In 2 Kings 10:31 – “But Jehu did not carefully and wholeheartedly obey…He did not repudiate the sins which Jeroboam had encouraged Israel to commit.”  As a result, God reduced the size of Israel. Incomplete Obedience weakens us.

2 Kings 12:2-3, Jehoash did what God approved…BUT.  That’s the problem, but he failed to be complete and let idolatry continue in some areas.  As a result, the temple was in disarray, and King Hazael of Syria seized its sacred items.

2 Kings 13:14-19, Elisha gave the king a prophetic directive, which he obeyed half-heartedly. The result: Incomplete victory.   2 Kings 14:1-6, King Amaziah obeyed, but not totally.  He allowed temple worship to be mixed with idolatry. The result: they were defeated in battle.

God requires total obedience.   He expects explicit obedience.  He is gracious and patient, but we must remember that disobedience and Incomplete obedience open the door to the devil.  If we give him legal ground, he can and will do damage.   

If we want victory, we must close the door to him.  It is then that we can walk through the Open Door as John in Revelation 4:1. In Revelation 3, in the message to the church at Philadelphia, we have the promise of an open door unshuttable by man or the devil. Total victory for total obedience.

It is not a small thing to disobey. Small acts of disobedience become cumulative and large! Every act of disobedience should be followed by immediate repentance.

Let’s close the doors to the devil and receive the open doors of God! Total victory in total obedience.

1 John 2:3-6 – “By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. ⁴ The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him; ⁵ but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: ⁶ the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.”

As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word of God today, I was literally stunned by something so simple but (for me) revolutionary!  How many times have we heard the question or maybe wondered, “How can I know, For Certain, I Am Saved?”

It is more than a little prayer of confession.  It is more than church attendance.  It is more than membership or being baptized into a church. There are simple keys that reveal the truth.  Those keys do not leave loopholes or even wiggle room.  They exhibit God’s spotlight of revelation.

One of the key themes of 1 John is the answer to that question.   It begins with experiencing Jesus and embracing the Good News!   1 John 1:1 – What we have heard, seen, and touched produces fellowship with Jesus.   In verses 5-7, we come face to face with an absolute.  If we claim to be a Christian but keep living like we are not, we are not!

1 John 2:3-6 brings our question into focus: “By this we KNOW that we are IN Him.”   How?   We walk in truth, exhibiting righteousness and obedience to God. We live as Jesus lived (Love and Obedience).

The ability to live, 1 John 2:15-17, is an outflow of the previous verses about who we are.  Because of whom He is and who we are in Him, we can be and do this. Overcome the flesh. 

How can we know? 1 John 3:15-16 – we know because we love others. Unlove can be translated as a form of hate.  Hate = Death. Love = Life.  How can we know?   1 John 4:7-11 – those Fathered by God Love; those who don’t love have not been Fathered by God. Love acts.

1 John 4:15-18 – “By this love is perfected in us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment, because just as Jesus is, So Are We in this world.”   Love is demonstrated in the Christian.

How can we know?  1 John 5:1-3 – if we have been Fathered by God (born again), we love others who have been Fathered by God. We keep His Commandments; we obey Him.

How do we know?  1 John 5:13-15 – we believe, obey, love, and trust Him. The fruit and benefit are eternal life, and verses 14-15 become a constant companion.

A benefit and promise to the Believers is 1 John 5:18.  We become The Untouchables!  Simple but liberatingly powerful.

LORD, help us to know and show that we are Yours!

1 Kings 6:11-13 – “Now the word of the Lord came to Solomon saying, ¹² “Concerning this house which you are building, if you will walk in My statutes and execute My ordinances and keep all My commandments by walking in them, then I will carry out My word with you which I spoke to David your father. ¹³ I will dwell among the sons of Israel, and will not forsake My people Israel.”

As I read, prayed, and pondered the Word of God today, obedience and grace filled my thoughts.  In obedience, we have access to God. In obedience, we have the blessings of God.  In obedience, we realize the presence of God.

1 Kings 6:11-13: God spoke to Solomon regarding the temple.   If you obey (explicitly), I will fulfill My promises, and I will live among you. (The presence of obedience).

1 Peter 1:3-11 should become a dedicated study for every believer.  Through God’s Divine Power and Immeasurable Grace, we Have Been Given everything necessary for life and godliness.   That has come through the rich knowledge of Jesus. (Not knowing about Him but knowing Him.)

Through Power and Grace, we have the Promises which enable us to:

• Partake of the Divine Nature. (That deals with the sin problem).
• Deliverance from fleshly desires.
• Enables us to become.

Our assignment or responsibility is – “Make every effort to do several things.”  This all flows out of salvation faith.   Notice the progression: We add excellence (moral excellence or virtue).   To that, we add knowledge (intimacy with God).  To that we add self-control (discipline).   To that, we add perseverance.   To that we add godliness (shun the very appearance of evil). To that we add brotherly affection, unselfish love (agape).

If those are developed and increasing, we will be enabled to be effective and productive in our pursuit of knowing Jesus intimately!   But if we do not, we reveal a destructive blindness and evidence that we do not have a memorial marker reminding us of what God has done in us.  We lose sight of the Cross and grace.

If we dedicate ourselves to these things and that level of knowing, we will never stumble. (Verse 10).  This is a portal or entrance into the eternal kingdom of God, and Jesus will make the journey with us. (Verse 11).

Keeping in mind that there is an eternal judgment and reward, 2 Peter 3:11 asks, “With that in mind, How Should We Conduct Ourselves?”   God gives us a pathway to peace and His presence.   He provides a pathway to stability. Our task is to turn our whole hearts to Him. 

Jesus, I ask You to take us by the hand and lead us out of this darkness into Your marvelous light.

2 Samuel 12:7 – “Nathan then said to David, “You are the man! Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘It is I who anointed you king over Israel and it is I who delivered you from the hand of Saul.”

As I read, prayed, and mused on the Word of God today, my heart was awed by God’s incredible grace! I saw His desire and disdain.  I saw His keys to blessing and causes for curses.  I saw His purpose for His people and our part in participation.   It would be impossible in a short text to detail it all, so let it suffice to see some highlights, hopefully inspiring each one to dig deeper into the treasure mine of God’s grace and revelation.

In 2 Samuel 11, the tragic story of David, Bathsheba, and her husband Uriah is presented.   It is a contrast of integrity (Uriah) and lust (David).   In 2 Samuel 12:7, Nathan the prophet confronts David’s sin: “You are the man.” David repented, but verse 12 reveals God’s curse: the sword will never depart from your house.  Sin has a lasting effect even after forgiveness. (Reap what we sow).

This declaration of God bears fruit in Amnon, then in Absalom. Absalom nurtured hate for two full years, then it became murder and later rebellion!

How do we combat and guard against the power of the flesh?  One key is found in 1 Peter 1:22: we purify our souls by obeying the truth.  That requires us to actively focus on Christ and definitively take steps to rid ourselves of even the appearance of evil, reject all deceit (manipulation and misrepresentation), avoid hypocrisy (be honest about everything), guard against envy (learn contentment and be who we are), and never engage in slander.   Instead, yearn for Spiritual truth like a newborn yearns for milk.

1 Peter 3:8-9 lists life objectives in interpersonal relationships that enhance our relationship with God. Harmonious, sympathetic, affectionate, compassionate, and humble, not retaliatory.

A major key is 1 Peter 4:1 – Arm ourselves with the mind of Christ.  Think and act like Jesus!  The best way to achieve that is to never allow an instant reaction out of pride or because we think we must defend ourselves.  Stop, look, and listen – What would Jesus do?   That’s more than a catchy fad or cliché; it is a safety valve opening the door to peace and victory. Overcome by submitting ourselves to God and resisting the devil.  We can because Jesus did! Christ IN us enables us to live as overcomers!

It is a choice and a process! Make the choice!   God’s Grace is Amazing!

James 1:2-8 – “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.  ⁵ But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. ⁶ But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. ⁷ For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, ⁸ being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”

As I read, prayed, and pondered the Word of God today, I encountered several misunderstandings in Bible interpretation prevalent in the church. It troubled me that I, too, have been guilty.  I will address some of them as I lay out what captivated my heart today.

If we read James 1:2-8 in a cursory reading without deeper thought, we come away with a misconception that trials automatically enable us to endure. In the whole of Scripture, we are taught that we repeat the tests until we pass them, and that produces the ability and desire to endure.  Trials have a purpose; they are not random attacks.

Endurance brings us to a new level of spiritual maturity that opens the storehouse of God’s wisdom and gives no breeding ground for doubt.  Doubt is a dam in the pipeline and springs forth from having two minds (Focus is the key).   It is impossible for faith and trust to thrive in a seedbed that is on God one moment and the flesh the next; that is being Double-minded.

The source of temptation is the self.   In verse 15, we read, “Then when desire conceives, it gives birth to sin, and when sin is full-grown, it gives birth to death.”   You can’t have conception without copulation. Keep that in mind.  James 2 speaks of faith and works. If we can receive it, faith, by its definition, demands action.   Faith (trust implemented) is an active application of the word.

There is more, but I offer this in conclusion: You have not because you ask not.   This verse is, in my view, misapplied.  We make it about general praying and answers to prayer. Consider the context.

Conflicts and quarrels, discord and disharmony are conditions that can only exist where the flesh rules and influences.  The implied question was, “How do we have peace and harmony? Why don’t we have it?”   The response was, because…

Because we are either not asking for God’s help from a surrendered heart, or our motives are impure. You want peace and harmony your way!   It is

not genuine peace but peace that gets you your way. It is selfishness!

Pride is one of our biggest obstacles in life.  To be an overcomer, we must submit to God Everything!   We must pursue God with our whole heart.  The promise is that if we make God our goal, He makes us His.  In that state of surrender, we are to and can resist the devil, and because of our authority and identity, he has to and will run like a scared jackrabbit.

The Promise and Provision are ours; receive them.   Keep looking; redemption is drawing near!