Let Us Examine Ourselves

Everyone should have built into their day a period of time for meditation and self-examination. Self-examination on its own is not healthy or productive because it needs to be done in a proper context. They only proper context I trust is the Word of God. Self-examination on its own will create a sense of uselessness, failure and depression. We need to take time for self-examination but it must be done against a proper standard which also offers us hope, and that standard and hope is Jesus.

Too often we go through our day without much thought to what we are doing or saying. We are existing, surviving, making it through, and not realizing the consequences of our actions and words on ourselves and those around us. "Let things fall where they must" is our attitude not realizing we will be held accountable for every careless word and every callus action. The exercise of reflection, self-examination during meditation on God's Word, measures us against the standard of Jesus, revealing the things for which we need to confess, repent and repair where possible.

This is not a new notion:

Let us search out and examine our ways,
And turn back to the Lord;
Let us lift our hearts and hands
To God in heaven.
We have transgressed and rebelled;
You have not pardoned. (Lamentations 3:40-42)

Our spiritual journey is all about growth and maturity but if we refuse to acknowledge our mistakes we will never grow. Everything is already forgiven, that was the work of the cross, but there is a reason we have been told to confess our sins. Confession is an acknowledgement of wrong doing. It is when we say "I have messed up; I have sinned". It is when we repent of such behaviour and allow the Spirit to correct our ways. It is a time of saying sorry to people, of seeking forgiveness and making reparation if possible. It keeps us humble and moving in the right direction.

It is a healthy daily activity and attitude when done in the context of our relationship in Jesus. It is vital for our growth and maturity. It is conscience clearing and cleansing. It is tearing down mountains and filling in valleys so that our path is straight. I strongly suggest you start with today.





 

Don't Give Satan Power Over You

Have you ever been told to be careful of what you say? Have you been told to watch what you confess with your mouth? Often people say that you will bring life to whatever fear, worry, lust, longing that you speak. Your words give it life. The Word of God is filled with warnings to be careful of what you say. There is a reason for all of this: It is with your words that you either defeat or arm your enemy against you.

So let's understand this: Satan is not God. He is not an equal force fighting against him. He is not arm wrestling with Jesus over souls. Jesus sent Satan packing with a few simple words and, with the authority given to him by the Father, he sent the servants of the enemy scurrying away with the simple command to "Go!" God is God and there is no other. Evil cannot overcome him and there is no foe that can defeat him.

Now understand this: Only God knows your thoughts. No one knows what you are thinking, except for our Creator. He knows our motivations because he knows our mind and our heart. Don't worry; he knows and he has still chosen to love you. That's how great his grace is. The Word tells us:

You know when I am resting
    or when I am working,
    and from heaven
    you discover my thoughts. (Psalm 139:2)

 Don’t say, “I didn’t know it!
    God can read your mind.
He watches each of us
    and knows our thoughts. (Proverbs 24:12)

When king David was preparing his son, Solomon, for the great task that awaited him, he told him:

Solomon, my son, worship God and obey him with all your heart and mind, just as I have done. He knows all your thoughts and your reasons for doing things, and so if you turn to him, he will hear your prayers. (1 Chronicles 28:9)

The problem is when we turn around and credit Satan with the same attributes as God. Satan does not know your thoughts. He cannot hear what you are thinking. He does not know your words before they are on your lips but when they are on your lips he knows, and that`s the point.

Satan is a great student of human behaviour and character. He has servants who watch, take notes, and listen to your words to know your heart. He has no other way to know you then to study your words and actions. It is the reason we are warned:

Be on your guard and stay awake. Your enemy, the devil, is like a roaring lion, sneaking around to find someone to attack. (1 Peter 5:8)

How does he know who to attack? Is he going to attack those who stand strong in the authority of Jesus; who worship and praise all day long? Is he going to attack those who proclaim the promises in every situation? Is he going to attack those who have developed faith muscles by declaring the goodness of Jesus in the face of all circumstances? Or is he going to attack those who show their weakness by the confession of their mouth? Those who grumble, complain, back bite? Is he going to attack those who confess (not to God but the world) their illnesses, lusts and desires? Is he going to attack those who expose their plans and who curse the good things that God is doing through circumstances?

We have nothing to fear from Satan unless we give him the power over us; unless we leave the pasture of our Shepherd and tell the world of our fears. As long as the Lord is our strength, our sword and our shield, as long as his praise is sweet on our lips, as long as we make sure our words, the confessions of our hearts, are seasoned with his grace and love, the enemy will never be able to touch us. But the moment we start confessing our fears, anxieties, anger, bitterness, hatred, discontent, he will know exactly how to work on us until he succeeds in separating us from the Lover of our Soul. Like a knife in an open wound, he will continue to twist on the nerve of our emotions.

Finally, my friends, keep your minds on whatever is true, pure, right, holy, friendly, and proper. Don’t ever stop thinking about what is truly worthwhile and worthy of praise. (Philippians 4:8)

And let your words flow from such things. Even if you are struggling with a wrong attitude, confess it to God but be silent before your enemy. In fact, know what is best for you and despite how you may feel, let the praises of our Lord fill your mouth and the air around you simply because you know he is good. May the atmosphere of where you are change from whatever it is to the sweet awareness of God's presence and may others be blessed by you instead of cursed as a result of your close walk with Jesus.

Facing A Crisis Of Faith

It is a very natural process for a pastor to evaluate where he is in ministry. It is not a doubting of God, his will, his love, mercy or grace, but more a pondering and examination as to our place in that will. The past few months have been this process for me and it hasn't always been comfortable.

This past weekend was the crisis point for me, where I laid it all before the Lord and asked for a revealing of the truth. I wanted to know if I was the man for this task or if there was something else I was suppose to be doing. It is a very vulnerable moment where you hope that God doesn't leave you hanging for too long. I was facing two problems.

The first problem was that things have not been very successful. I have faced a lot of failures in the last seven years but I am a great believer in the "if you obey me I will bless the work of your hands" promise. Was I not obeying? And which of my many acts of disobedience had I not dealt with God?

The second problem was that there were no open doors. There is only one time that the Lord had me move out of one ministry without having something else prepared for me. That one time was when he brought me into a time of great rest and study. But I knew at the time that this is what he was doing and there was no discomfort in it. So, here I am evaluating, knowing that there were no open doors which meant I was to stay put, but my failures made me uncomfortable and I wanted to move away from them.

Sunday morning I spoke to my wife and told her that I was going to speak to our apostle. We prayed together before I set off to prepare for our worship gathering. My wife began to pray without ceasing for us and the ministry.

That morning I put out a few things before the Lord and was very specific in my desperation to have confirmation. I told him I really needed someone to speak into my life. I needed confirmation from someone who knew nothing of my self-examination and desperate struggle. I needed to hear from the Spirit so I could re-gain my confidence in my place in God's will.

As worship started that day I knew there was something different but specific to me. Quickly the Spirit began to work on me. As the enemy brought accusation of my failures the Spirit dealt with each as presented. There was pure honesty as the Spirit showed how and why I failed. In each case it was because I willingly gave up territory, did not press on, did not stand my ground, did not stand in faith. The Lord had not failed me but I had failed the Lord. The honesty of the Spirit was brutal as he did not pull any punches, but along with each incident remembered was the assurance of forgiveness. It was like he said, "Forgiven. Now forget it".

Then he simply stated, "Now what?" I was confused. That was my question to him and he was asking me? I understood though, in that moment of honesty: What decision was I going to make? Stand the ground that was given to me and be victorious in the Lord or quit like I had done in the past and lose more territory? But it was not only in the quitting, it was also the inches I would allow the enemy to gain on me. The little here and the little there. I had to draw a line and say to the enemy, "You shall not pass". The Lord had defined the ground he had given me and I was not to give up a single inch.

I knew in that moment that I had been faith out of one side of my mouth but confessing the wisdom of this world out of the other. My decisions could not be based on what others valued but must be based in faith in the Lord's values and promises. In that moment I knew my decision, which would be tested in the next few minutes.

The Word was preached by our Apostle

He spoke directly into my life, just as I had requested. But instead of thanking the Lord my first thought was that my loving wife, out of great concern for me, had told our apostle what I was facing. She had nullified my prayer, or so I thought. I was not pleased. Regardless, it was a powerful word that broke walls and brought encouragement with the challenge not to give up but to go the distance. It was about discipline and training from the Lord through the trials we face. It was exactly what my heart needed to receive and which confirmed what the Spirit had done for me in worship. I had to stand my ground in blind faith in every aspect of my life.

After the meeting and prayers of affirmation that had been prayed over me; after anointed moments of praying over members of the church, I told my wife she had ruined my request of the Lord. She was totally confused. I told her of my prayer and my suspicion of what she had done in love. She smiled as she assured me that she had not told anyone of my struggle or of our conversation. To my shame I had chosen to believe that my wife had interfered instead of trusting that the Lord had actually responded; and wow did he respond.

So at the end of the day my problems were resolved. My failures were my own, failures of faith, but they had been dealt with. Now I must forget them so they do not interfere with the present nor the future. The second problem was also resolved. There were no open doors because I am exactly where Jesus wants me to be, only I need to be more. Wait, that didn't sound right. I need to be empowered through faith to be more of what he has called me to be. Words of life were spoken into me by the Spirit as the Spirit called the seeds planted in me to come forward. No losing ground; in fact, an increase to my spiritual territory.

I share this with you for one reason: we all face moments of doubts and indecision. The one thing you should not do is rely on the wisdom of man's ways. We know the mind of God because we have the Spirit. Rely on the Spirit who speaks to us with God's Word. Ask. Seek. Knock. It is amazing how the Lord responds to those who honestly seek him. Nothing in my situation has changed but I have been changed in my situation. The line has been drawn and I have stated to the enemy, "You shall not pass". And he shall not, in Jesus' authority.

When Christians Sin

Let's face it, we all sin. We may all sin differently but we all sin. The only real power sin has over a Christian is the shame that causes us to try to hide it, to keep it a secret. Sin only has power over us when we keep it in the dark. Sin loves the dark. We need to do something about that.

The solution is a simple one but it can hurt our pride and ego. It also reveals a lot about ourselves. It leaves us very exposed to God, and if we choose, to God's children. In order to rob sin of any hold it thinks it has over us we need to drag it into the light:

Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. (Ephesians 5:11)

Now I am talking to followers of Jesus here. Jesus broke our slavery to sin so that we are no longer forced to sin but too often we choose to sin. Our flesh has not yet been transformed so sin still has a way in, if we allow it. The only way to deal with any weaknesses is to bring them into the light, to confess them. It is amazing how quickly that sin loses any attractiveness when we expose it to God's light.

If you are struggling with cutting, don't keep it a secret. It is a powerful thing in the dark but when you expose it you rob it of it's power. Struggling with pornography? Expose it. Alcohol? Drugs? Sex? Lying? It doesn't matter what it is, big or small, if it has power over you, break that power by bringing it into the light.

Sin is ugly:

For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. (v. 12)

That's the place we do not want to go back to, the place of disobedience. We live in the age of grace. God covers our sins through Jesus but we are not to use his grace as an excuse to keep on sinning. If we are sexually active outside of marriage and accept Jesus we set aside our sin. It's power is broken but our mind may still wander there. That sin had been part of us and may still have a pull on us. Talk about it. Expose it. Don't try to be perfect because that will just set you up for a fall. Be honest about your feelings and thoughts and allow Jesus to destroy what that things is trying to do to you.

But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. (vv. 13-14)

When we bring it into the light we see it for what it is. Sin can look attractive when kept in the dark but when it is exposed to God's glory we are able to see just how ugly it is. Too many of us choose the appearance of perfection over the freedom of honesty before our God. The only way we can be perfected in Jesus' love is if we trust that love with our dirty little secrets. Besides, we can't hide anything from God.

I think we should not be sin conscience but righteousness conscience. However, to get there we have to change our attitude toward sin and perfection. We have to expose every dark corner of our heart and allow God's righteousness to permeate us. Stop building façades and be real in your living. When you are aware of sin or even the temptation, show it to Jesus and move on. Yes, as simple as that. Show it to our King so his light destroys it and move on in your growing maturity in Jesus. Rob sin of any power it thinks it has over you; bring it into the light.

Two scriptures to lend you strength to live honestly and powerfully before our God:

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. (James 5:16)

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

Are You A Pretender?

There is more to Christianity than just words. There is more to it than just attending Church. There is more to it than being born to parents who are Christians. There is more to it than traditions and ceremonies. Anyone can claim to be whatever they want to be. I can claim to be a doctor. I can buy a white lab coat and carry around a stethoscope. I can read all the latest medical news on the internet. I can speak the right words and sound like a doctor. I can even carry some Tylenol in my pocket. But these things do not make me a doctor any more than claiming to be a Christian, doing the right things, saying the right words and going to church makes me a Christian.

This was Paul's concern with the Ephesians and the Spirit's concern with us. To be a Christian means to die and be raised to new life in Jesus. That means the old us is gone and replaced by the transformed and transforming us. Christianity means a totally transforming re-birth. Some people may try to fake it and may even fool a lot of people but they can't fool God. Understand this clearly: You may fool parents, friends and even your spouse but you cannot and will not fool God. Perhaps you get away with it right now but when it is time to enter eternity the truth will be known.

Let me ask you, what is more important, eighty or ninety years in this dying world or eternity with the one who loves us?

This is what Paul wrote to the Christians of Ephesus, not the people of the world:

For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. (Ephesians 5:5)

We read this as if it is a message for the world but is a truth for the Church, the Body of Christ. There will be no pretenders in the Kingdom of God.

We are not talking about those who are sincere in their faith and love for Jesus but instead of those who secretly live behind closed doors with sin. Sin can be hidden from man's eyes but not from God. Those who are sincere in their love gladly confess when they fall and trust God's love to provide the grace to cover those sins. We should not fall but if we do we don't hide it, we deal with it. Consider the great king David. God loved him because of his heart for him.

David was far from perfect and wasn't even the greatest king of Israel, The Word says the king Hezekiah was greater than any king before him and after. But David was sincere in his love and when he sinned he repented. Even if God had to draw it out of him through the words of a prophet, David responded from his love for God. This is what our Father wants from us; honesty, sincerity, faith, trust and love.

Our Father has no interest in punishing people. Did he not send his Son to save the world? But just because he does not want to judge the sins of the world does not mean he won't. He is a just God who had delayed justice for the age of grace to save as many as would desire to be saved by love. But justice is coming, even for those who worship him with their lips but their hearts remain hard and closed to him.

Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. (Ephesians 5:11)

Again, not about the world but about us. He is not talking about exposing the evil in this world but the evil we have tucked away in our heart. Confess it to God, bring it into the light so you can see it clearly for what it is, and allow the holiness of our God to destroy the power that thing has over you. Be free from the secret things that dominant you and allow the love of Jesus to reign freely. It is time for some honesty with our God who knows all things. It is time for our hearts to be fully devoted to our King. It is time to stop pretending and deal with it. Deal with it today.