Proverbs 10:9 – “He who walks in integrity walks securely, but he who perverts his ways will be found out.” NASB
The old saying, “Everything that goes around comes around,” is applicable here. The writer of Proverbs is reassuring that if we maintain Integrity, we will find God’s defense, protection, and leading. However, if we Do Not, we will be exposed for the entire world to see. Which do you choose?
I know that often we are perplexed as to how and why those who walk in wickedness and deception escape without any visible evidence that they are being penalized for their ways and often those who seek to walk uprightly suffer. That is not ours to be concerned with as it will only lead to doubt, question, and anger. Instead, we should walk knowing that there will be “Pay Day Someday” and that whatever is done in secret will be exposed to the light. It may not be in this world, but it will happen. I’ve observed that frequently those who walk a perverted path are exposed in time. Sooner or later their deviousness is brought to light and they are exposed to the light of critical examination.
We should all desire to walk in the ‘Security that God affords’ and to do so we must always maintain Integrity and in all things. There cannot be lapses or exceptions to that rule. Tragically, I know people who believe that they have a business life, a social life, a personal life, a religious life, etc. They compartmentalize their lives into segments as though they were totally separate and unconnected. We do not have lives we have A LIFE!
You cannot be lacking in integrity in business and be a person of integrity in Church. It doesn’t work that way. You either have integrity or you do not and if you do not in one place you do not in any place. I can hear someone saying, “Wait, Roy, what about lapses or stumbling.” I have no problem with the idea that a person might have a momentary lapse and fall short of walking in integrity but what they do after that lapse is what determines if they maintain Integrity or not.
In those times of lapses the question is, do they excuse it, hide it, or do they immediately take it to the Cross confessing their sin and receiving the forgiveness of God? If others were wounded do, they go to them and ask forgiveness? Integrity is not whimsical or fleeting. It is a rock-solid anchor of life and we either have it, demonstrate it or we do not. If we do, then the Promise of God is that our way will be Secure. If we do not God’s promise is, we will be exposed.
So, as you face situations today that give you the opportunity to either manifest Integrity or not carefully weigh what is happening and choose the way of Security in Integrity.
Luke 13:6-9 – “And He began telling this parable: “A man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and did not find any. 7 “And he said to the vineyard-keeper, ‘Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?’ 8 “And he answered and said to him, ‘Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; 9 and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down.'” NASB
This is somewhat of a difficult passage for most people to fully wrap their minds around and accept. The reason I say that is if you fully examine the message it suggests that there can and will come a time when God through the Holy Spirit will deem that a person has become nothing more than an ornamental shrub rather than a fruit tree in the Kingdom.
Two possibilities can be gleaned from that realization. One is that if you fail to produce fruit in your life through relationship and obedience to God, He may choose to remove you from the earthly orchard and take you home. The Second is that failure to produce fruit separates you from God and that is seen in ‘cut it down.’
No matter which interpretation you choose the fact is clear that God is not desirous of ornamental shrubs in his garden He wants trees that ‘bear fruit.’ The kingdom is not enhanced by fruitlessness. Lives are not touched by fruitlessness. If we are nothing more than an ornamental shrub in the garden of God, we have little functional value. The reward of fruit bearing is pruning so that you can bear more fruit!
I do not mean to suggest that you must be a pulpit preacher or doing great exploits for the Kingdom simply that you are doing what the Holy Spirit has assigned you to do and being faithful in that. If you do that you will bear fruit, the fruit God chooses not the fruit man deems valuable. Our lives should be trees that the lost can come to and be introduced to the life-changing fruit of salvation. Our lives should be trees that the saved can come to and receive the life-enhancing fruit of wisdom, knowledge, encouragement, and brotherhood.
We are to be Trees of Righteousness and those trees bear fruit. If you want to know how Jesus feels about fruitlessness reexamine his reaction to the Fig Tree that had leaves indicating fruit but no figs. That will move you to serious thought and hopefully such self-examination that you will turn to Him and call out for His mercy and pray like David, “Renew in me a right spirit, create in me a clean heart, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.”
We have been equipped, commissioned, and commanded to Bear Fruit! Examine your heart and life and if you are fruitless it is time to run to the Throne Room of prayer and cry out for renewal and restoration in an attitude of repentance.
Colossians 3:1-4 – “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. 3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.” NASB
I love it when the Bible says ‘therefore’ because if you will continue reading or read the previous you will find out what the ‘therefore’ is there for. Here the apostle Paul is teaching about the ‘New Self’ and as he begins his discourse in this passage, he says, THEREFORE…Therefore what?
“IF” you have been RAISED up with Christ.
That is a conditional statement that renders the remainder null and void if the answer to that assertion is in the negative. This Only Applies to those who have been Raised Up with Christ in the New Birth. It only applies to those who have been grafted into the true vine, adopted into the Family of God, and have their names written in the Book of Life. It is not speaking to everyone but has a specific audience in mind – Believers!
“IF” that is your condition “THEN” keep seeking the things above.
If you are ‘born again’ by the blood of Jesus then make it a daily and continual practice in your life to ‘Seek’ the things of God, those things where Jesus resides at the Right Hand of the Father.
“IF” that is your condition SET your mind on the things above not on the things of the earth.
Your focus, loyalty, and desire are to be spiritual things not earthly things. That should be the overriding characteristic of your life.
WHY? Because you have ‘died and your life is hidden with Christ’. Because when Christ is revealed, you will be revealed with Him in glory. You are just a sojourner in this world. You are just passing through. Your ultimate citizenship is not this world but the eternal world of God. You are looking for the City whose builder and maker is God. Your desire is God above all else. You have been transferred or translated from the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of God’s Light. You are Born Again! Therefore…
The ‘therefore’ is there for you to know what you have and where you are headed as well as to give you guidance on How to Live while you make your journey from this natural world to God’s eternal spiritual world, Heaven! You have an assignment, responsibility, and opportunity but your ultimate objective and goal, Eternity!
Matthew 25:40 – “And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.” NASB
I have a certain level of trepidation in putting the thoughts of my heart on paper and presenting them to a broad spectrum of readers. I realize that, in some ways, what I am going to say may be misunderstood. I have attempted to thoughtfully examine my heart and prayerfully present these thoughts for the purpose of bringing us all to a greater place of unity and understanding. Will this do that? That remains to be seen.
I want to begin by addressing prayer. Yes, prayer! I want to discuss specific situations and calls for prayer and how we assess different levels of importance to situations and people. I have observed something in others and in myself that has been challenged by the Holy Spirit as I pray, study, and meditate on God’s Words and seek to know His heart.
In the Body of Christ, I have observed intense calls for prayer and even fasting for people we deem important, valuable, and known. That is good and biblical for us to unite in fervent prayer for the needs of people. By the same token, if someone is lesser know or deemed to have a lesser ministry or importance, we offer a token prayer or even say, “Your will be done, Lord” and move on with little thought or concern. That’s where the Holy Spirit arrested me and challenged my heart.
I see this as a condition that is revelatory as to what is happening in the world today. I will get to that later, but first, let me continue in what my question is about the different weights and values we place on people. Before you argue that you do not do that, do you feel compelled to join in united prayer for the well-known and not feel so compelled in the needs of someone lesser known? Is the celebrity or person with the ministry deemed valuable more important to God than the little-known person in need?
When it is DEFCON 1 for some and Ho-Hum or Bless them Lord for others is that the heart of God? Again, I am not questioning the massive and united prayer for those men and women we know are being used mightily of God. That is good and I want it to continue. But my heart is broken for that person who is little known, and a prayer request goes forth and elicits only token prayers. Is that the heart of God?
I’ve done it and recently I felt the Holy Spirit calling me to the witness stand and presented that reality to be and asked, “How Do You Plead?” I wept and said, “Guilty.” If God is no respecter of persons and desires that no soul be lost, how can we place more value on one than the other? I realize that shutdown prayers for every need would shut down the church, our lives, and the world, so I am not saying we do that. I am simply asking, “Are All Lives and All People Important to God?” Is the life of that little-known person less valuable to them, their family, and God than the one with a measure of celebrity? We know the answer but often seek to justify our response.
For years I have been troubled by a statement of Jesus in Matthew 10:37 and in this time of challenge, I came to a different understanding of it. The KJV renders it “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.” Wow! Could Jesus be telling us to hate our family in order to love Him? NO! Ten thousand times no!
I ask that you consider Matthew 25:40, “And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” When I couple that with Matthew 7:21-23 something resonates in my spirit, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.”
We are the Body of Christ and individual members of that body. We are individual parts like the hand, feet, eyes, ears, noses, mouths, lungs, hearts, etc. Each part is important although some parts are far more visible. I will even acknowledge that some parts are more vital for the life and function of that body than others, but all are part of the body and needed to make the body whole.
I believe that Jesus was saying, “If you love me, truly love me, then you are to resist placing more value on certain people and deem them all part of the family of God and as you minister to and value them, you minister to and value Me.” You may disagree.
I have sensed the LORD instructing me that the prayer requests that come my way were designed by Him with purpose. I did not hear them by accident, and I am to value each need, especially when it is a prayer for life or death as equally valuable regardless of the status or celebrity of the individual. As I value each person and allow each need to grip my heart I am valuing Him and therefore, I have determined to write down every prayer need that I become aware of and as I go through the day, take time to earnestly and urgently pray for that need. They are part of the Body of Christ and I am part of the Body of Christ, therefore, in a sense, I am praying for Jesus’ Body and myself because I am part of the Body.
I believe that valuing anyone or anything more than another is to improperly discern the Body of the Lord and devalue Him. That is true in the situations in our world today where we are told that this life or that life matters. They do! Every person who is a member of the human family matters and every soul is important to God.
I have asked God to forgive me for unintentionally placing more value on some than others. I do not know God’s ultimate purpose of those lives, but I do know His love for all of us. Therefore, I am asking God to forgive me for being more moved for some whom I deem valuable than others that are lesser-known.
I will urgently pray for the known and the unknown. I will join in the DEFCON 1 calls for prayer for men and women who have been used of God powerfully and will make it DEFCON 1 in my heart for those needs God makes me aware of. That will produce a lifestyle in which I truly begin to “Pray without ceasing.” I will continue to do what I need to do and should do but will allow those needs to break my heart and in my broken heart cry out to God for their need.
If this resonates with you, great. If it does not and you deem me mistaken, then pray for me, I welcome the prayer!
2 Corinthians 10:1-6 – “Now I, Paul, myself am pleading with you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ — who in presence am lowly among you, but being absent am bold toward you. 2 But I beg you that when I am present I may not be bold with that confidence by which I intend to be bold against some, who think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.” NKJV
It has been my experience in life both in practice and observation that too many people do not know how to fight. They fight but as one ‘beating the air’ and ‘shadow boxing’ without really accomplishing anything except utter exhaustion and disappointment. I’ve observed people try to fight spiritual battles with natural weapons and end up dividing and alienating other people rather than accomplishing the objective of God and the Spirit of God which is always ‘reconciliation and liberty.’
Paul makes it clear that we cannot divest ourselves of ‘the flesh’ because we live in an earthly tabernacle of clay called Flesh. We will battle ‘fleshly tendencies’ as long as we remain on this planet or in this life. However, he made it equally clear that our ‘battles’ are not to be fought in the natural but the spiritual. The weapons of our warfare are given or supplied to us by God Himself. Those weapons are ‘mighty’ able to pull down ‘strongholds’ and bring every thought into obedience to Christ. That is powerful!
This leads to the thought that at least part of the battle is waged in the mind. If we get our thinking right we will get our acting right, our living right, and our relationships right. We are not what we think we are but we are what we think. We are the product of what we allow to be planted, grow, and develop in our minds. Our ‘thought life’ is incredibly important and a key part of our ‘spiritual weaponry’ and‘spiritual warfare.’Too many fail on this front and do not comprehend or seek the assistance of the Holy Spirit to control the Thoughts. They let them run around unsupervised and unbridled. That is not only dangerous it is destructive.
If we are to learn how to fight, we must learn how to bring our thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ and thereby pull-down strongholds. We must be ready to bring rogue and destructive thoughts to the Cross and allow them to be crucified there with Jesus nailing them to the Cross and having the covered with the precious blood of Jesus.
Our thoughts are far more important to our victory in our Christian walk than most are willing to acknowledge. I say that because to acknowledge that would mean we must take responsibility for what they think. That would mean that we can no longer argue, “I can’t help thoughts coming.” That is true but you can prevent them from staying! You can prevent them from being able to take root and grow. You are responsible for What You Think! Our entire person belongs to God, not just parts!
As you go through this day go with the realization that your thoughts are important, and you are responsible for what you think on.
1 Corinthians 11:1 – “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.” NASB
Of course, you can, but my real question is “Do you dare make this appeal?” Dare you make it in light of the fact that the ‘all-knowing’ and ‘all-seeing’ God of the Universe observing? Dare you make it knowing your own heart? Dare you make it with the flaws in your own vessel? I truly hope that you say YES but realize that many would probably be wise to take the path of caution.
Paul was telling those hearing him ‘imitate me’ because or just as I ‘imitate Jesus Christ.’However, in keeping with the contextual interpretation of Scripture Paul is saying, ‘imitate me in the matter being discussed, just as I imitate Christ.’
I’m pressing this further and saying, ‘Dare we appeal to be to imitate us in life based on the truth and reality that we imitate Christ in life?’ That’s the issue for me today. That’s the question in my heart and mind today. That is the goal and objective of my life today. I want to be able to appeal to people to ‘follow’ and ‘imitate’ me because or as a result of my ‘complete dedication, following, and imitation of Jesus Christ.’ I want them to truly see Jesus when they see me.
I never want to be one that says, “Do as I say not as I do.” I do not want my life to declare that. I want to be able to appeal to people both in the church, the family of God, and the lost to ‘follow my life’ because you see a life that is following Christ without reservation or hesitation. That should be the objective of each of our lives and thus we should be carefully examining our own hearts, lives, words, deeds, and actions daily to see if anything is wanting in our lives and if there is run to the Cross.
Paul’s complete commitment to God is more than commendable it is a genuine example and a target that each of us should adopt as our life’s goal. We never want to be a stumbling block or hindrance to anyone, and it is imperative that we always remember ‘who we are’, ‘where we are’, and ‘whose we are.’ If we do that many of the conflicts in our life will become minor rather than major and we will win people to the LORD JESUS through our lives which present and demonstrate Christ in a very real tangible way in this present world.
So, as you go through your day go with the consciousness that God sees, and people see you so conduct yourself in that light.
Ruth 2:15-16 – “And when she rose up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her. 16 Also let grain from the bundles fall purposely for her; leave it that she may glean, and do not rebuke her.” NKJV
The story of Ruth, who is incorporated into the lineage of our Lord Jesus, is a most interesting one. After the death of her father-in-law, brother-in-law, and husband, her mother-in-law Naomi decided to return to Israel this Moabite committed to going with her. She told her mother-in-law “your people are my people” demonstrating amazing loyalty.
Upon arrival in Israel, she and Naomi were struggling to survive. Naomi sent her to the fields to gather grain so that they could live. When the owner of the fields Boaz saw her, God touched his heart and after talking with her instructed his laborers to ‘purposefully leave handfuls’ of grain for her. It was a custom in those days to leave the corners of the field for the hungry and needy but Boaz went far beyond that custom and his instruction while missed by Ruth was not to Naomi.
It was this act of kindness and godliness that prompted the counsel of Naomi to send Ruth to Boaz which would lead to her becoming his wife and from there the rest is history as she is listed in the genealogy of Jesus. Matthew lists Jesus as the son of David although Abraham is listed as the first in the line. It appears that Matthew wanted to introduce Jesus as the coming King. Luke takes a little different approach and seems to have been prompted to show Jesus as both King and Priest and took his genealogy back to Adam.
Matthew lists six very significant women in Jesus’ mother’s lineage. They were Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary all-powerful women that had an incredible influence on those of their generation and their children. But the thing I want to focus on is the kindness of Boaz and the provision of God for us.
If we allow ‘handfuls on purpose’ to be distributed to the needy, God will open the door for an incredible return to us in the natural and spiritual. If loyally serve those that God has placed in our lives He will open doors and bring to pass divine encounters that will position us for greatness in the kingdom. Both are important! Both require commitment, obedience, and faith.
If it is in your hand to leave ‘handfuls on purpose’ for the needy do so. If you are the recipient of ‘handfuls on purpose’ realize that it is the hand of God that has engineered your situation to provide for you. In both cases allow rejoicing to be the rule of your life and if you are the needy one, remember this when you become prosperous and do the same for others. The principle or law of reciprocity comes to mind as I write.
1 John 2:1-2 – “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; 2 and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.” NASB
It is clear from scripture that only God can forgive sin and that you and I, as sinful human beings, have no claim upon God. Our only access or hope of pardon comes through the sacrificial work of Jesus on the Cross as a sacrifice for the sin of mankind. It is by grace that we are saved through faith and not works. It is recognition of our condition, admission of our guilt, repentance and, reception of what He has done, who He is, and the forgiveness that comes to us as a result.
It is interesting to note that while most of the times the word translated ‘advocate’ or ‘prakleetos’ it is normally applied to the ministry and person of the Holy Spirit. Here it is applied to Jesus and depicts the imagery of one representing us in a court of law. However, it is quite different than what would be the normal course of a human attorney.
No human attorney would begin his defense of his client by acknowledging their guilt, but Jesus does! A human attorney would seek to find either justification for the actions of the client or put into question the guilt of that person they represent. Human attorneys would be seeking ‘reasonable doubt’ in the minds of the jurors.
Not so with Jesus, He readily and immediately acknowledges our guilt. He acknowledges that we are guilty as charged and makes no attempt to conceal or justify our sin. He then becomes surety for us and the universe. He brings to the fore His sacrifice and identifies that He has satisfied ‘divine justice’ regarding sin. Our forgiveness and justification are based on His work and our repentance and reception of His sacrifice. On that basis, He argues that we can be and should be acquitted and delivered from the punishment for our sin. He presents the case opening the door for our admission or adoption into the family of God.
Do not think that you will ever be able to argue your case before the Father and win, you won’t! If you try to stand on your own merit you will fail. If you fall on the mercy of the court and receive the Blood of Jesus as the covering and cleansing of your sin you will walk into eternity ‘white as snow’ having been washed in the blood of the lamb. The choice is yours. You can believe and receive or you can deny and try to justify yourself. I only recommend the former not the latter.
Matthew 5:21-26 –“You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER’ and Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ 22 “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘ You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. 23 “Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering. 25 ” Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison. 26 “Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last cent. ” NASB
Matthew 18:15-18 – – Instructs us on how to deal with trespasses between brethren.
As I went to bed last night this thought was on my heart and He revisited it this morning. it was about “Receiving Complete Forgiveness.“
I’ve heard people say, “Well I asked the Lord to forgive me, so I don’t need to go to them to ask forgiveness.” That’s not exactly what the Bible says, and it seems that you may be leaving out a very important part. If they sinned against you and you were totally innocent then you are to forgive them, but if you had a part in the issue you need to go to them and ask forgiveness. Most don’t do that part.
Preacher “X” had a small church and went to Pastor “Y” to ask if the two churches could merge. After time Pastor “Y” agreed with the understanding that Pastor “X” would take a background role and work to merge his flock with the new flock so both could accomplish more for the kingdom.
Both had properties and all went well for a few months then Pastor “X” began to draw people to him and turn them against Pastor “Y”. The properties were sold for large sums of monies with plans to build a new and better building. Over time, things escalated with Pastor “X” drawing enough people around him to attempt a takeover and oust Pastor “Y”.
The denominational officials were called in and allowed a minority under Pastor “X” to have control and get everything. They gave Pastor “X” and his following the money from both properties, the name of the fellowship, and dismissed Pastor “Y”. Pastor “Y” was not allowed to attend the meeting, but Pastor “X” was in attendance and able to vote in the proceedings. Both groups moved on and there was bad blood between the two. Pastor “X,” wrote some things saying that God forgave him, and he didn’t need man’s forgiveness.
Pastor “X,” wrote articles and declared in public forums lauding his victories and promoting himself as a great man of God. He never went to Pastor “Y” or any of the leaders under Pastor “Y” to ask forgiveness or receive forgiveness. He seemed to be oblivious to the hurt that might be in the hearts of Pastor “Y” and his followers over what was done. True Forgiveness requires going to the offended brother and seeking forgiveness.
If you and I have a difference and we go separate ways with ill will in our hearts to truly clear the air and receive the fullness of God’s mercy we need to go to the “offended brother or sister” and ask forgiveness (not bringing up their sins just ours). In doing so we open a door for them to do the same and walk out of the Prison of Pain they live in and are bound by and we set ourselves free. To do less, in my view would be dishonest!
I’ve gone to people in the past with whom I’ve had a bad parting and with genuine sincerity asked them to forgive me (even when they had sinned too). I did not bring up their sins because my reason for seeking them out was to release them from my judgments and be released from their judgment toward me. It has always been my desire that they would also be able to repent and be free, but I cannot control that.
My forgiveness to another is not conditional or based upon whether they forgive me or not. When I go to the Lord and go to them, I can walk free knowing that I have followed the Biblical prescription and done what is right in the eyes of God. My objective always is restoration.
If you have had bad dealings with someone, I would urge you to take it to the Lord and repent of your part before the Lord and then as He leads and opportunity affords itself, seek the forgiveness of the other person involved. It is more than a little liberating it will Set you Free! Don’t make excuses and place conditions upon your forgiveness or asking for forgiveness. Go genuinely in a repentant spirit and the Lord will raise you up out of the morass and set you on Higher Ground. I didn’t say this was easy, I just said it was right! You address your part and trust God to work on their part.
James 1:2-4 – “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.” NASB
I quoted this passage to a man going through a very difficult time hoping it would encourage him. I gave him a mini-sermon on the development of patience, persistence, endurance, and constancy and told him that he should “rejoice” in his trials. He looked at me incredulously and said, “You want me to do what?”
He was looking for sympathy and when out of empathy I gave him this counsel he was stunned. He looked me squarely in the eyes and asked, “Preacher, do you do that?” I confess, I was not expecting that response and had to stop and think about it for a moment before answering! The truth is I was not! It was one of those do as I say not as I do moments that sent me to my prayer closet and a place of repentance. I cried out to the Lord and asked, “Lord, how can I do this? How can I change my outlook and elevate my faith to the point that this is a reality in my life?”
My problem was I knew it was the truth because it was God’s Word and God’s Word is truth! I knew it was the pathway to freedom and victory in difficult times! I knew it was the way to elevate my level of trust and confidence in God and His ability and willingness to keep His promises! I knew it was a way to prevent the devil from gaining a foothold or a stronghold in my life!
I knew those things but looked at my action and reaction to trials and realized that I had spent more time focusing on the problem than the problem solver. I was focusing more on the problem than the promise. I was allowing my emotions to control me rather than bringing every thought into captivity and making them obedient to Christ. I was looking earthward rather than heavenward. I had to confess I was Guilty!
From that event, I determined to bring humor into every situation to the degree that it was tasteful. I found that laughing brought a different perspective and allowed me to rest in the confidence that “this too will pass.” It enabled me to overcome very difficult times in my life.
Recently, I became aware that I had drifted back into the mind-set of “wrong focus” and have fallen on my face before God in repentance. I cried out to the Lord the words of David in Psalm 51:10, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.” I can tell you that it has made a difference and I have made the choice to rejoice!
I frequently respond to trouble saying, “What is the worst thing that could happen?” Seriously, if the trial were to kill me, I go home early and gain the ultimate victory. If it does not kill me, I have an attitude of gratitude and can smile, sing, rejoice, joke, and enjoy life during the trial. Therefore, my declaration to the devil is, “Be gone you are not welcome in this house!” Yes, I want you to “rejoice” in the midst of your troubles! Try it you just might like the results.
Roy's Covenant Corner 