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(Romans 7:19)
As Christians, we have a tendency to see great Men of Faith, like Paul and Peter, as somehow superior to ourselves. We look at their miraculous ministries, the suffering and obstacles they overcame, the Scripture they penned, the world they changed forever, their heroic deaths and we feel small, weak and guilty. We assume that we can't see the same power of God manifested in our lives, that was so mightily demonstrated in their's, because we are simply not good enough. We make mistakes. We sin. Guess what? So did they.
I think one thing that has contributed to our inability to see this is the tradition of putting the title "Saint" before their names. It serves to separate us from them. Surely they didn't refer to themselves in this way. They taught equality in Christ. They were humble men excited (and somewhat astonished) that God would use them at all. Certainly neither of them had a past that they were proud of. And they continued to make mistakes. One example of this caused Paul to get in Peter's face in Galations 2:11.
Don't get me wrong. These were mighty men of God. But they didn't lead sinless lives, even during their great ministries. Look at the verse above from Romans 7. You'd think Paul was talking about me or you. But he wasn't. He was admitting that there was a constant battle taking place between his old sinful nature and the new man created by Christ.
This is not to suggest that Paul lived a life of habitual, unrepentant sin. He couldn't have done the things he did if that were so. And I am certainly not implying that we have a license to do so either. God wants us to live holy lives. But I can assure you that all these men we look up to found plenty of opportunity to ask God's forgiveness. I know this because only one man, Jesus, lived a sinless life. Period.
We must remember this when we see men of God stumble. That is not the time to kick them in the ribs. If they are truly repentant God will continue to use them. He certainly used Peter after his mistakes. And we need to remember this when we make mistakes because we are definitely going to make some. God knows this and He chose to work through us anyway.
As for the "evil" Paul claims to practice against his will, we have no record of it. Why? Because as Paul goes on to state in Romans 8, There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. God forgot it. It was blotted out forever as if it never happened.
We must get hold of this. We must realize that it is our old sinful nature that commits the wrong, not the new nature created by Christ.
If you're feeling guilty and down on yourself for failing to be the "perfect" Christian, take this short trip to peace with Paul. Start at Romans 7:19 and read until you get to the end of Romans 8. Watch his (and your) confidence and faith go through the roof. By the end of Romans 8, you will feel like a new person. which, by the way, is exactly what you are.
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(Proverbs 11:24-25)
Read the above verses again. Like it or not this is God's plan for prosperity. If you tend to be naturally tight-fisted (like I used to be), this may loosen you up a bit. I could give you dozens of verses of Scripture on this subject, but today I want to tell you about one of our own experiences with the reality of "sowing and reaping" and why we choose to live by this principle. And for those of you who just felt a twinge of pain in the area of your wallet, don't worry, this is FREE advice.
One year ago today my wife Chee and I left the mainland and moved to Hawaii. For us it was a gigantic step of faith. We sold our house, quit our jobs and launched out on an incredible adventure. We had nothing waiting for us here, no jobs lined up, no friends to count on. I hadn't lived here for years. Chee had never lived here. But I knew that God was calling me back here, so I came (more on that some other time).
Before we left we sold most of our possessions. I had just sold one car and was planning to sell the other when something happened. One of my oldest and closest friends had a terrible series of disasters occur, which besides leaving him jobless and broke, also left him with no car. There was no discussion. We knew we should give him our remaining car. And we did.
Bear in mind that this was at a time when I was trying to find every dime in every seat cushion. While the car was old (and ugly), it ran, and I could have got some much needed cash for it, but we knew this was something we should do and that God would cover it. We knew we had planted a seed, but we had no idea of the harvest we would eventually reap.
We arrived in Kona and began getting situated. One of the most important things to us, besides finding a place to live, was finding a faith-filled church. God led us to Kona Faith Center in Captain Cook. We were home. We found a great house to rent and shortly our remaining possessions arrived from the mainland. But we still hadn't found a car. We looked around but couldn't find anything within our budget that was decent. It was getting frustrating (and expensive) driving a rental. So we went to our pastor and he directed us to an auto dealership in Kailua that he knew was honest and had at least one bona fide Christian in residence. Here we met a wonderful brother, Ken, who treated us like family. He just happened to have this nice car that for some reason had been sitting there for a year. It was just what we needed and he sold it to us below blue book value.
As we needed insurance, he sent us to a friend of his, Jim, that has an insurance agency. I let Chee handle this, since she's so good at dealing with these things. When she got to Jim's office, she learned that they were having a really awful time with their computer system. Chee just happens to be a PC computer consultant by trade. She got the insurance. She also got paid to get their system up and running.
Over the next few months, we became good friends with Jim and his family. Chee and his wife are like sisters. We were still, however, struggling to make ends meet. Our money was going fast and we weren't bringing much in. Suddenly, Jim (like most people eventually do) decided that he needed Chee to be an integral part of his business. Our income went up dramatically, to say the least.
About this time, our wonderful little car stopped running. We took it back to our friend, Ken, and found out that the electronic brain had died. The repair would run eighteen hundred dollars and was no longer covered by the warranty. We were carless again. It just happened, however, that another friend we had just met was going to the mainland for a couple weeks and insisted we drive his car while he was gone. No problem. Oh yeah, the dealership decided to fix our car at no charge and it runs great to this day.
I was doing some freelance design work, making a few bucks here and there. We started 3 Friends in Kona, hoping to have a thriving Internet business. About this time, I met a guy named Pete who has an architectural design business. Although I've worked as a graphics artist for years, I just happen to have a drafting background. He suggested I come to work for him. He has a beautiful home up in Puukala, with his office downstairs. The only problem was transportation. With Chee using the one car I'd have no way of getting there, as he is about 40 minutes from my home. I said he better find someone else, even though we needed the money.
A couple months passed and our friend Jim decided to sell his son's car, as he had gone to school on the mainland. Chee expressed an interest in it but told him we didn't have the means to buy it right now. So Jim gave it to us with no money down and said she could just work it off instead of making payments. Now we both had wheels for the first time in almost a year. Then two weeks ago my friend Pete, who I hadn't talked to for months, just happened to call me up and asked if I might still be interested in working with him. As our 3 Friends business is still getting up to speed, I took the job happily and again our income has increased substantially.
Look at this. We gave one old car to a friend in need. When we got here, God had a (better) car literally waiting for us. But He didn't stop there. Through that one car we now have two cars, both of us have good paying jobs with wonderful people (in a place famous for unemployment), and a dozen or so new friends who care about us. And I'm sure it will not stop there.That one seed is still producing. But what would have happened if we had sold that old car instead of giving it to my friend? I don't know. But I can tell you this: he's still driving it and has a great new career with one of the top companies in the world, which just happens to be the one he always wanted to work for. And though that car is old, faded and not what he is accustomed to driving, he kinda likes it. .
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(Psalm 5:3)
Every year people spend millions of dollars on time management seminars. Dozens of books have been written on how to squeeze 25 hours into a 24 hour day so that (eventually) you can relax and enjoy the stuff you've almost killed yourself to get. Let me save you some time and money. Start your day with God.
Sounds simple, right? Yet how many of us do it? We try to fit God into our busy schedules when we have a little down time. We read our Bibles as we fall asleep at night. We pray when the day is over. David had the right idea: start the day with God and look up, expecting results.
To me, the principle involved here is very much the same as that of the tithe. When we tithe, we bring God a percentage of our increase (10% off the top), our "firstfruits", which He then multiplies back to us. God doesn't need my money. The purpose is to show obedience, to honor Him with my best and to demonstrate faith in His Word. It shows the world that He is my source. He even goes so far as to dare us to put Him to the test in this matter (Malachi 3:10-11) and see if He doesn't keep His part of the agreement. Why should tithing our time to God be regarded any differently?
This is what I believe David hit on here in this verse of Psalm 5 and why I see something very special about morning prayer and study. When I designate time to God first in the morning, I am showing Him how important He is to me. I am saying He is more important than my job. He is more necessary to my life than Good Morning America. I am giving Him the first, the best part of my day. I am offering Him something precious to me, my time.
This is not a religious exercise. There are definite benefits to doing this.
The first thing you can expect is more time. Remember that whatever you give is multiplied back to you. That goes for time, too. Hey, God knows this isn't easy for some of us! The morning can be a frantic time. We may have to get up earlier to spend time with Him. We may have to rearrange our lives a little bit to accommodate Him. It may require some (gasp) sacrifice on our part. But He will honor your commitment and you will get more done than ever before because He will make time work for you.
Secondly, you will be armed to the teeth to take on anything you encounter during the day. You will have already read faith filled words and set the angels of God in motion. Your spiritual muscles will already be warmed up before you encounter traffic, the boss or your banker. Think about it. Which would have done you more good this morning: reading all of Psalm 5 or watching CNN?
The best thing though is "looking up." David spent the rest of his day expecting to see the prayers he had "directed" that morning to the Father to be answered. We should do the same. Because you put God first, expect to succeed in whatever you do (Psalm 1:1-3). Expect Him to lead the way, to open doors and show you where to go (Proverbs 3:6). Expect the verses you read that morning to take on special significance throughout the day (write down the ones that jump out at you and it can get really exciting). Expect Him to be there because you sought Him first.
Even though this may be difficult to do, try it for a week, especially if you are already fighting the clock. God always multiplies what we give Him. Remember that Jesus multiplied a few loaves and fishes that a little boy gave Him into lunch for thousands. They even had leftovers.
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(Romans 4:3)
What is righteousness? How do we become righteous? And in a strictly practical sense, what good will it do me here and now?
Basically, righteousness is being right. In the Bible, it more specifically means being in right standing with God, free of guilt and conforming to the revealed will of God in all respects. It is not inherited from parents, the result of belonging to a particular denomination, achieved by dressing a certain way or by doing good works. Righteousness is imparted to us when we believe (Rom.4:24). The result of righteousness is a limitless relationship with the Father and all that entails (peace, freedom, health, prosperity, power, knowledge, love, etc.).
Look at the above statement about Abraham closely. God imparted righteousness to Abraham because he believed Him. But what did he believe? Remember he wasn't trotting around the desert with a Bible tucked under his arm. It wasn't written yet. He only had a promise. A ridiculous (by natural standards) promise. God was going to give a man one hundred years old and his ninety year old wife a son. They would have countless descendants. But, He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. and therefore "it was accounted to him for righteousness." (Rom. 4:20-22). God set up a heavenly First Virtual account for Abraham. He had a credit of righteousness with God. From this point on God prospered Abraham in every way. This is what righteousness will do for us here and now. The blessing of Abraham.
If you get anything out of this message, get this: Abraham was made righteous by believing what God said, not by believing in God. To see this dramatically demonstrated, read Numbers 13 and 14. God had just taken the Israelites out of Egypt after an incredible series of miracles. They left with the wealth of the entire country on their backs. God split the Red Sea and destroyed the Egyptians that were trying to recapture them. Certainly they believed in God. How could they not believe in Him? But when He said, "Here's the land I'm giving you! Enjoy!", they refused to believe they could have it, except for Joshua and Caleb. These two said, "Hey, it's ours! Let's go get it! God's with us!" This positive confession, however, went over like a ton of bricks, which was exactly what the entire congregation wanted to throw at these two "faith preachers". Needless to say, the Israelites' account of righteousness was depleted. They were overdrawn and the Promised Land was in foreclosure for 40 years.
But back to Abraham. He was so completely persuaded that what God told him would come to pass, that he could see in his mind the fulfillment of God's promise. He would raise the tent flap at night, look at the stars, and say, "More descendants than that!", and nod back off to sleep convinced he really was the Father of Many Nations. For ten long years he held on to this vision. And when it came time to offer up this cherished son, Isaac, he didn't wring his hands and cry, even though Hollywood and our religious traditions have told us he did. No, he knew that the line had to continue through Isaac and saw that God was able to raise him from the dead to fulfill that promise (Hebrews 11:17-19). For that matter, Isaac must have strongly believed the same promise to willingly lie down on a sacrificial alter in front of a man holding a knife, even if it was his dad.
We must see God's promises as real, too, if we want the results Abraham got, if we want righteousness in our account. Actually, we have it much easier than he did. We have the written Word. We have the Holy Spirit. We have Jesus mediating and praying for us. We have the testimonies of others to encourage us. We just have to believe God. If He has made a specific promise to you, believe it. If you are standing on any of the 7,000 promises He made in Scripture, believe and look for results. But be patient, like Abraham, and give glory to God while you wait. Remember all the promises of God in Him (Jesus) are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us (2 Cor. 1:20). Did God keep His promise to Abraham? You and I are living proof.
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(Psalm 23:4)
You may be wondering, if you have been with me the past few weeks, when I'm going to get off this topic of fear and worry. Good question. I have no idea. Each week I sit down to write something else and a new verse on this subject becomes all I can think about. That means either I need to hear this or someone out there needs to hear it. Maybe both. I know this, however, if we plant these Scriptures deep inside us, meditate on them daily and speak them out our mouths it will be impossible for fear and worry to dominate us.
David's 23 Psalm contains possibly the strongest denial of fear in the Bible. Reason after reason and promise after promise are outlined for our use in conquering worry and fear (check out Back Issues 6/23/96, 7/7/96 and 7/14/96 for previous studies on other aspects of this psalm). Realize that David had plenty to be afraid of, not the least of which was having King Saul and his army hot on his heels for years, constantly trying to kill him. David was afraid many times, as is evident in other psalms he wrote, but he had a way out. Whenever fear attacked him, he remembered the way God had saved him before. He reran those past victories in his mind and concluded that if God had delivered him from his enemies before He could and would do it again.
Let's look at verse 4. He's walking through the valley of the shadow of death. This implies a temporary situation that David knows will be resolved. He's not building his condo there. After all, God led him in there, He'll lead him out the other side. Sometimes God shepherds us through some really rough terrain but it's only to get us to the good land. Of course He could take us around the valley of the shadow of death or fly us over it, but He rarely does that. Seems He likes to develop a little character in us along the way. Oh, well.
Notice, too, that this is the valley of the shadow of death, not death itself. God doesn't lead those who have put their trust in Him into deadly peril. It just looks dangerous to us. Somebody said, "The shadow of a dog never bit anyone." Neither has the shadow of death.
Knowing this, David makes a bold statement of his faith. He vows to fear no evil. He's not waiting until he's confronted with it, he's planning ahead. For You are with me. That's why. Not because he killed a giant. Not because he killed a lion and a bear, but because he is totally persuaded that God is right there and has the situation under control.
At this point in Psalm 23 an amazing thing takes place. There's no more talk of fear or trouble or difficulty. The "valley" is in the rearview mirror. Suddenly God is spreading a lavish banquet before David while his enemies stand there drooling on their shoes. God pours sweet perfumed oil over him to show His favor. He fills David's cup so full it overflows. (Maybe David didn't say "when"). Overcome by all this hospitality, David confesses that no matter what, he just can't get goodness and mercy off his back. Day after day they track him down. And this is going to continue for the rest of his life. The rest of his life which will be lived in God's presence, never ending into eternity.
Think about what might have happened had David given up hope in that valley. What if he had run the other way? What if he had given in to fear? We might not have had Psalm 24.
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(1 John 5:14)
For the past month I have focused on two of the worst acts of unbelief a Christian can accede to: fear and worry. To be honest, I have been guilty of this sin myself more times than I care to remember, so I am not setting myself up as some kind of faith giant or super-saint. But in recent years I have become more and more aware of how dangerous these seemingly normal reactions are to our opportunity to be victorious in this life. We cannot allow fear and worry to be a part of our day.
Simply put, fear (or worry) is believing Satan, while faith is believing God. Of course if you don't believe that what the Word of God says is true and applicable to you personally, none of this makes much difference and you may as well fear and worry. However, if you do believe that the Bible is given for our instruction and can be trusted completely, you've got thousands of reasons not to allow fear and worry to control you.
The way to do this is to get so full of the Word of God that it rises up in you at the slightest provocation. Search out the thousands of promises in Scripture and feed yourself on them daily, especially the one's that apply to your most pressing need. Make reading (and understanding) your Bible a matter of survival. It is. Continually converse with God as you would anyone else you really love. That means listening, too. He actually has a desire to talk with us, not just listen, which He will do if we give Him the chance. But He does listen really well.
This is demostrated spectacularly in the verse that opened this week's message. This is one of the promises I really like. But it doesn't end there. Verse 15 states: And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.
When I read that, and say it out loud, I just can't worry. "Yes", some would say, "but how do you know His will?" Look in the Book, for one. His will is right there. If you can't find it in Scripture, ask Him (James 1:5). Notice that this is not praying if it be Your will but coming into agreement with the will of God. That is true prayer. This is prayer that has authority and confidence. We know (this word is used twice in verse 15) that what has been asked has been given. And if you know you already have an answer to your need, you aren't going to worry, are you? When you know, for instance, that you have a refund coming from the IRS, do you consider that money already yours? I know people who spend it before they get it! Do you trust the IRS more than God? Are you nuts?
Another thing that really jumps out at me are the words anything and whatever. One finds these words over and over in the promises of God. They demonstrate, to me anyway, the limitlessness of the Father. I just can't come to Him with a request that's going to stretch His limits. I heard someone say the other day that it's just as easy for God to buy you a house as pay your rent. True. It's also just as easy for Him to heal cancer as it is a sore throat. But you have to know His will and believe that it extends to you. His will is revealed in His promises. God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man that He should repent (change His mind). He has said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? (Numbers 23:19).
Let's not complicate this thing. God means what He says. Take Him at His word. If you pray according to His will, expect to hear from Him. And stop worrying!
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(Philippians 4:6)
Yes, I'm still on the topic of worry. But in a larger sense, we're really talking about faith in God. To be blunt, worry, or in this case "anxiety," shows that either you don't know what the Word says or you don't believe it. Personally, I believe that a majority of Christians don't know any better. They have been taught that God works in a sort of random way, helping some people and forsaking others. Sometimes healing, sometimes killing. They look at the people who teach the Faith message as extremists and wackos. They see Christians who literally stake their lives on the Word of God as people not in touch with the "real" world. They are in fact correct in this. We are in touch with the supernatural world. We don't deny reality, we just believe in a higher one. That is the whole point of being a Christian. We aren't supposed to react to situations the same way the rest of the world does. Any need that arises, great or small, should instantly put our faith into action, just like the crew of a battleship going to their battle stations. Every piece of Scripture, every promise of God that you have put in your heart, adds another crewman ready for battle. And these are battle-tested soldiers with enough firepower behind them to annihilate anything the Enemy sends against you.
That' why settling the the issue of worry once and for all is so important. We are bombarded with it all day long. We must make a conscious effort to resist it and Philippians 4:6 shows us how: prayer and supplication. Notice that Paul makes a distinction between prayer and supplication. I believe that prayer in this case is very simply talking with our Father God, whereas supplication is something more. "Supplication is more than petitioning, but suggests an intensity of earnestness in extended prayer --- not to gain merit by many words, but to fully transfer the burden of one's soul into God's hands" (Spirit Filled Life Bible).
Notice also the words nothing and everything in this verse. I'm not a Greek scholar, but I can assure you that the word nothing means nothing and the word everything means everything. When we are told to be anxious for nothing that does not mean except those things you want to be anxious about. That includes changes that you want to see in your life, freedom from bad habits, financial security, health, safety of your children or whatever else keeps you up at night. Everything tells us that there is not one need, care, worry or anxiety that we cannot give to God.
Furthermore, we are instructed to pray with thanksgiving. I believe there is a tri-fold message here. First of all, we should always approach our Father with a thankful attitude (Psalm 95:2). Secondly, we should give thanks in everything (1 Thessalonians 5:18). That's in everything, not for everything. For example, when I have pain or sickness attack me, I don't thank God for the illness, I thank Him that His Word says I'm healed. I thank Him for the opportunity to see Him move on my behalf. Finally, I believe that thanksgiving in this context also implies that we know we have been heard and answered. Jesus said, "And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive" (Matthew 21:22). Notice that the Lord didn't follow this with, "Just kidding!" This is not some "weird" Charismatic doctrine. Kenneth Hagin didn't have it added to the Bible. It's printed in red ink and is the basis for prayer that works. In fact, the Lord could have said, "Whatever you ask for, if you don't believe you've got it, you won't get it."
It's important to realize that when we refuse to be anxious we are not just ignoring reality or going into some zombie-like trance in which nothing matters. We have real challenges and real concerns. But we are believing whole-heartedly that God is working on the situation, even if it's not immediately apparent. And what is the result of transferring these burdens to the extremely large and capable hands of the Father? Verse 7 of Philippians 4 tells us: and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Complete peace, welling up from deep inside, peace that the world can't begin to comprehend, with Jesus Christ Himself taking up the position of sentry to protect your heart and mind from enemy attack. And nothing gets by Jesus.
So whatever worries, fears or burdens of any kind are weighing you down today, give them to your Father. It won't inconvenience Him. In return for your problems, He'll give you solutions. In return for your worries, He'll give you peace. Good deal, huh?
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(Matthew 6:25-34)
For the past couple of weeks we have examined fear. We have seen that it is the exact opposite of faith, and as such should be considered sin. We also have seen that we have a reason not to fear and that is that God is there for us in every situation and has promised His protection. Worry is like the annoying, obnoxious little brother of fear, but he's every bit as destructive and dangerous as his big brother. Let's look at what Jesus said:
"Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."(Matthew 6:25-34 NKJV)
I transcribed this entire passage to illustrate a vital point. Three times in this short lesson the Lord Jesus says, "Do not worry." Now we know that He unquestionably upheld the Ten Commandments, yet does He say three times in a row anywhere in Scripture not to commit adultery? Or not to lie or steal? He must have considered worry a very important issue to stress it so strongly. And since we know that Jesus only said what He heard His Father say, it becomes a virtual commandment: DO NOT WORRY! See, we all know that aldultery, lying, stealing, killing, etc., are wrong, but we have elevated worry to a mature and responsible thing to do. It's part of being an adult. We don't regard it as faithlessness, unbelief and sin as it really is.
The Greek word for "worry" in this text is merimnao from merizo, which means "to divide into parts." That describes pretty well what worry does. It takes us from being single-minded in our relationship with Christ to being unfocused, distracted and anxious. Jesus makes three essential points on the absolute stupidity of this. He also makes two promises.
First of all, He makes it very clear that worry is unnecessary. God takes care of the birds and the flowers. He cares a lot more about us than them. He's our heavenly Father, another phrase Jesus uses more than once here. He is the Creator of the birds and flowers. They are not His children, we are. For example, when I was a kid we had a cat that was very much a part of our family, in fact she lived to be almost 20 years old. My parents loved her and took good care of her. But there was never any doubt in my mind who was more important to them. And while they provided for her, they made many sacrifices for me and met my every need. To believe that God would do less is to call Him a liar and that is why we must realize that worry is sin and not submit to its incessant badgering.
Secondly, Jesus simply tells us that worry is a complete waste of energy. It accomplishes nothing good. You can't worry yourself taller, although I have seen people shrunken and diminished by it. My Bible's notes call worry unfruitful, but I must disagree somewhat. You can produce through worry a tree full of neuroses. You can produce ulcers, strokes and many other fun things. You can worry your children into full-blown rebellion. You can worry your marriage into divorce. But you can't worry yourself into a better job. You can't worry money into your checking account. You can't worry your loved ones into Christ.
The third point is that worry is something the Gentiles (people who don't know God and don't have a covenant with Him) do. We want to demonstrate our faith to the world, not act as freaked out as they do. We have an opportunity to show them that we actually believe this big black Book, and what's more, it really works.
As for the first promise, Jesus says that if we would keep our eyes on God and seek His kingdom, He would take care of all the things we need. He knows we need all these things (hey, He is omniscient, after all). And that's not just food, drink and clothing. Those are examples Jesus used of day to day needs. He didn't say, "I'll make sure you have bread, water and a pair of pants." You may need a job. You may need a place to get out of the rain. The same applies: don't worry, focus on God and trust Him to meet your every need. He swore in blood to do it.
I'm not that thrilled about the second promise. It's trouble. The Lord Jesus never said we were just going to skate through this place, you know. It will come in one form or another, for the the believer and unbeliever alike. The difference is that the believer will pass through that trouble without fear, without worry and come out the other side victorious, with increased faith, ready to face the next challenge. The unbeliever will just worry about what's going to happen next.
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(Proverbs 29:25)
Last week I wrote about the various tragedies that have taken place in the last few weeks and how we must rise above the temptation to fear. I quoted from Psalm 91 and suggested that not only was fear unnecessary to a Christian but should be regarded as sin. While admitting that the world is an increasingly dangerous place, I expressed my belief that God is able (and desirous) to protect me from whatever or whoever would harm me.
As I sat down to write this week's message, I felt that there was much more to say on this subject. The Bible is full of hundreds of references to fear. But this verse from Proverbs 29 sort of jumped out at me. The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe (NKJV). The more I studied this verse, the more I saw in it. I also saw how much I had missed.
I began to think about the word snare. A snare isn't an obvious danger. It's something you aren't aware of until you put your foot in it. Then it's too late. But what does that have to do with the fear of man? Looking in my Spirit Filled Life Bible's cross-reference I saw some interesting verses: Genesis 12:12 and 20:2.
Genesis 12 tells of Abraham's trip to Egypt to avoid the severe famine that was in the land. The only problem was his beautiful wife, Sarah. As Abraham put it, "Therefore it will happen when the Egyptians see you, that thay will say,'This is his wife'; and they will kill me, but they will let you live" (Gen.12:12). So he convinces Sarah to pose as his sister.Sure enough, Pharaoh takes a real liking to Sarah and brings her to his house. Abraham doesn't do too bad either since Pharaoh is showering him with all sorts of great gifts because of his "sister". God's not thrilled with this, however, and promptly sends a series of plagues on Pharaoh and his house. Apparently the Lord lets Pharaoh in on what is happening because he goes to Abraham and says (basically), "Are you crazy?! Why didn't you tell me she was your wife! I almost married her! Take her and get out of here!"
Not to pick on Abraham, the father of our faith, but you would think this would have made an impact on him. Now Abraham said of Sarah his wife,"She is my sister." And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah (Gen.20:2). Yes, he did it again. Fortunately, everything works out once more for Abraham. God warns Abimelech to keep his hands off Sarah and Abimelech sends Abraham on his way with a few more goodies. But it might not have worked out this way. Abraham's fear of man had caused him to put his foot in the same snare twice. Neither Pharaoh nor Abimelech were the kind of men you would want to fool with. However, Abraham had been trusting in God, except for these lapses, so he was saved. Also Isaac was about to be conceived and God needed Abraham alive. It's good to know that God's soveriegn plan is more powerful than our ability to mess it up.
Most of us don't find ourselves in the kind of situation Abraham faced very often, but we are nonetheless susceptible to the fear of man. We face it when we are afraid to stand up for what we believe. We fear rejection if we speak out. We are afraid we'll lose friends if we don't go along with everything the world endorses. I even went through some fear when I began to write this weekly magazine. What if people wrote me nasty email? What if my pastor didn't think I was doing a good job? What if I couldn't come up with a message every week? And who was I to think I could write a minisrty page anyway? Etc.
There's much more to the fear of man than just fear of bodily harm. When we give in to fear we are likely to put our foot in the snare just like Abraham did. But whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe. That "whoever" means me and you and anyone else who puts their trust in God. It's kinda nice to know that even Abraham messed up a few times and God didn't renege on His promise. We all have an Isaac to produce. God will fulfill His plan for our lives and we can help by replacing fear with faith and knowing we are safe.
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