Have We Been Left To Our Own Devices?

There are times I get the impression most Christians feel they have been handed an assignment and have been sent out from the presence of Yahweh to complete it. We have this "go it alone" mentality where we think we have to do whatever we think is best to survive because no one else is going to help us. We struggle over decisions, direction, actions to take, words to speak, and we stress ourselves out. But we are never alone, and we have not been sent out on our own. In fact, the promise of Jesus is just the opposite.

Jesus promised that he would be with us to the end of the age. Via the Holy Spirit, Jesus is constantly present, giving us strength, hope, peace, instruction and direction. From him we receive the power and ability to do everything he has given us to do. If we ask for counsel he gives it. That is the part we miss out on all the time. Instead, we come up with our own plans and ask him to bless them. That is our approach for most of our life, to do what we want and expect Jesus' blessing on it. It gets us into trouble.

A glaring example of this is found in Joshua 9 when a local city decided to deceive Israel into making a treaty with them. The people were smart enough to see what was happening and they did not want to be removed from their land so they made it appear that their envoys had come from a great distance to make the treaty. It was a brilliantly conceived desperate plan and it worked because of one reason:

Then the men of Israel took some of their provisions; but they did not ask counsel of the Lord. (Joshua 9:14)

Israel went by what they could see instead of asking the One who sees everything. If you have never read this incident then I encourage you to do so because it is an example of how we can be tricked into disobeying Yahweh, even when it is our full desire to walk in obedience. We have not been left on our own for a reason: We can't make it on our own. We don't know everything. We can't see everything. We are vulnerable to deception. We need the wisdom, power, and direction of Jesus. Have you never considered what Jesus told his disciples and us:

Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. (Matthew 10:16)

This was delivered during a warning of the persecution we would face because the world hates the righteousness of Jesus Christ Yet, we are messing up because we fail to understand we live in a world that is naturally hostile toward us. This world is under the influence of a false prince and we are here to be the salt and light, but it is a terrible environment in which we are serving. So much tries to distract us from our mission and relationship with Jesus. There is such an incredible influence that tries to cut us off from our only source of everything we need. We must remain aware of this so we will also remember that we aren't in this by ourselves.

Independence from Jesus is the opposite to our goal. We need to let loose whatever we depend on in this world so our dependence on Jesus can grow. He is our source for all things good and he will equip us and instruct us every day of our lives. But we need to remember to ask. Don't forget today to ask.

Beware Of Your Own Logic

We have an ability to think, to reason, to draw conclusions and act on those conclusion. We were created with a great capacity for intelligence. However, relying only on our observations can and will get us into a lot of trouble. Just because we think it doesn't make it the truth. Just because our observations bring us to a certain conclusion doesn't mean we can rely on it. Jesus never told us that we would be on our own and that it was up to us to figure things out. In fact, he told us the opposite.

Yesterday we considered how Joshua got in trouble for making assumptions instead of consulting with Yahweh. Life is fluid and things can change rapidly depending on the many individuals involved in our lives. Then right on the heels of that difficult lesson came another one that dealt with the problem of our logic. The people of Gibeon saw the writing on the wall, knew they were doomed to die at the hands of Israel, so they came up with a plan to deceive Joshua:

However, when the people of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, they resorted to a ruse: They went as a delegation whose donkeys were loaded with worn-out sacks and old wineskins, cracked and mended. They put worn and patched sandals on their feet and wore old clothes. All the bread of their food supply was dry and moldy. Joshua 9:3-5)

They had somehow heard that Israel was commanded to drive out all the nations within a certain area so they made it look as if they were a people from a distance. Joshua should have consulted with Yahweh for the truth to be revealed but instead they trusted their observations:

The Israelites sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the Lord. Then Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live, and the leaders of the assembly ratified it by oath. (vs.14-15)

We are no better, living by observation instead of by the Word of Yahweh. We see and we draw conclusions and act on those conclusions, attributing it to the will of our Father. We may even fire off a prayer or two or three but we do not wait or listen for a response, we just react to what we see. Our Lord's desires is made manifest to us in the Scriptures:

So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord. (Deuteronomy 8:3)

We have to walk in his statutes, in what he says is right, not what we come up with in our own logic, our own opinions. It doesn't matter what you think according to the logic of man, all that matters is what Yahweh says on the matter. And if you do not agree then you are not a follower of Jesus Christ. You may carry the title but Jesus made it clear that if we love him we will obey him, and he is the Living Word of Yahweh, which means he is referring to all of it. We don't get to pick and choose. Simply put:

For we walk by faith, not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7)

By faith, trusting the Word of Yahweh, and not by sight, the logic of my opinions.