Is telling the truth unloving?

Here I would like to take the awesome opportunity and introduce you to someone you probably don't know... Emily Satterfield. (Who recently just got married as in now, Mrs. Emily Thomes. :)) Her testimony for Christ has been a huge blessing to me personally, and I know that it will be to you as well. This is a very important and controversial subject. These words are written from the experience of a young woman that used to claim to be Christian but was also proud to be a part of the LGBT community. Please take the time to hear her story and how she found forgiveness in the loving truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Is telling the truth unloving?

"Is Christianity an easy path to walk? Is following Christ a journey that’s supposed to make us popular with the world or enemies of it? Did Jesus promise that we would be loved or hated for His name? Contrary to what so many evangelicals believe, both pastors and laypeople, Christianity is by nature divisive and does not mesh with the lost world. Initially submitting our lives to the lordship of Christ is a necessary and difficult thing that all sincere
believers must and will do, but I don’t think it’s the hardest thing we have to do. A true believer is one who doesn’t pick and choose which portions of the Bible to adhere to, and, while that seems commonsense, that principle often doesn’t carry over into our relationships with the unbelieving world around us. Yet somehow, either due to lack of discipleship or courage, frankly, we are much quicker to cherry-pick which parts of the Bible we follow when it comes to the lives of those around us. It’s scary when the truth forces us to go beyond ourselves, and as a result, many of us wrestle with obedience and
often fall painfully short. We cower back and reject the conviction He brings us, even when there are souls at stake. It is not an overstatement to say that most people are under the misconception that discussing the sins of others is unloving. “Judge not” is a phrase I’ve heard used out of context more times than I could count, and that’s just from within the church. Yet in John 7:24, Jesus tells us “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.” Perhaps we have to dig beyond the first verse in Matthew 7 to understand what Jesus meant in regards to judging.

“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.” – Matthew 7:1-5

Upon further examination of the text, we can see plainly that Jesus is referring to judging hypocritically. To go to a brother living in blatant sin while you yourself are living in blatant sin is hypocritical and isn’t going to hold any weight with your brother and could cause him to doubt the authenticity of your walk. We must first repent (remove the log out of our eye) then go to our brother that he may also repent (help him remove the speck from his eye). Here we see not a warning to keep our mouths shut, but rather a charge to repent and help your brother to do the same. Obedience to God is the most loving thing we can do for both Jesus and those who must repent. We know
that those who walk in darkness do not know God (1 John 1:6). We know that Jesus’ call to all His followers was to “repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). We also read in John 14:23 that those who love Him will obey Him. So what is it that keeps believers from faithful obedience when it involves others outside of themselves? That answer is found in Proverbs 29:25: “The fear of man lays a snare…” It’s scary to tell lost people that they’re lost. It’s frightening, particularly with loved ones, to tell them that their lifestyles are incompatible with the faith and that they must repent. It no longer looks pious and prestigious when we go from living holy lives that look different but don’t directly affect others to engaging with a culture that hates the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus promised us that believers would suffer in this world. Paul told us that “all who desire to live godly lives in Christ Jesus will be persecuted”
(2 Timothy 3:12).

As believers, we have to be honest with this dying world, despite the costs we’ll surely face. We’ve been granted salvation from hell and an abundant life in the present while the lost are condemned and headed for hell apart from Him granting them repentance and faith. Jesus said, “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God” (John 3:18). At this very moment, our neighbors and loved ones are at enmity with God because they have not repented and believed. Christians have been given a commission; a parting command from our Savior:

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” – Matthew 28:19-20a

Believers have been given an obligation and a responsibility to proclaim the truth to this world even when in an age of ‘tolerance’ that’s the most unpopular thing we can do. The modern understanding of ‘tolerance’ is directly contrary to what the Bible teaches, as it demands that we not only accept but
celebrate various forms of sin in the lives of those around us. Not only can we not condone the sins of this world, but we must go to those who are practicing it and share both the gospel and what He’s commanded them to do. As scary as that seems, I assure you that the original disciples faced far greater risks for their obedience as we do today in America. The task is made to appear harder when one considers how groups like the Westboro Baptist Church have done more than put a bad taste in the mouths of many Americans, both the lost and the saved. They picket funerals in protest of sins like homosexuality and they do so in the name of Christ but demonstrate no discernible fruit by which one might reasonably consider them to be sincerely Christian. Not everyone who says to Him “Lord, Lord” will actually inherit the Kingdom of God (Matthew 7:21-23). In light of this baggage, how should the believer go about speaking the truth to the lost about their sin? Paul gives us the answer in Ephesians 4:15 with the phrase “speaking the truth in love”. In that verse we see that there’s a message (the truth) and a manner that conveys that message (love). Though many will still lump true Christians who display this character with those of Westboro Baptist Church, the difference is known at least to God and those sheep who will hear His voice and repent by His grace. Figuring out how to communicate the content of the message of truth is perhaps the most difficult part. The believer first has to give that person a context for what sin is and what its effects are. This is where the gospel comes in. We have to tell the lost, whether they are deceived ‘cultural christians’ or adamantly atheistic, about their sin nature and enmity with God, their need for reconciliation with Him, and the atonement He made at the cross for those who will repent and believe. In Romans 7, Paul tells us “if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin.” The law shows us that we’ve fallen short. The law brings us, by the Holy Spirit, conviction for our sin. The remedy for that sin is the gospel, the power of God for salvation for all who believe (Romans 1:16). This means that people have to understand that they are sinners and are guilty before a holy God. We have to be faithful to speak the truth to them, in love, that they may repent. If we’re affirming sinners in their sin, we’re aiding them into condemnation. That is not love but hate.

I became a believer in April of 2014 at 22 years old. Up until that point, since age 15, I was dating girls in serial monogamous relationships. I esteemed myself to be a ‘good person’ and had many ‘believers’ in my life affirming me in my sin. I was kind to my family, was a loyal friend, and was bold for the LGBT cause. I enjoyed my sins of course (drunkenness, drugs, sexual immorality, etc.) but called myself a Christian and boldly proclaimed “Love is love, and God is love.” I had formed a god in my head to suit my sin and my
desires that resembled nothing of the God of the Bible. I had a few people reach out to me to show me my error and my need for a Savior but I had “already done that” (prayed a sinner’s prayer and been baptized) and was content. I was condemned where I stood and was storing up wrath by the minute. Fortunately the Lord showed me mercy and opened my eyes, through His law, to see my sin and my depravity and He granted me forgiveness and a new life no longer enslaved to sin. I did not enjoy the few times that believers came to me and pleaded with me to repent. I so much more liked those who shrugged and either said “God will save her when she’s ready” or worse, “She’s a good person. Surely God wouldn’t send her to hell for acting on those feelings.” Who loved me rightly? Who was obeying our Lord and caring for my soul? It’s easy to overlook those who are in sin either because it’s scary to talk to them about it or because we can’t fathom that they’re condemned already apart from Him. If we believe the Bible is the word of God, and all sincere believers do, we have no choice but to go to those who are in sin and plead with them that they repent and believe. If we believe that hell is what’s
awaiting them, how can we not do all in our power to stop them? How selfish could we be to withhold the keys to eternal life from others just as guilty as ourselves for fear of rolled eyes or at worst, an argument? Do we value our egos so much that we can’t be obedient to Jesus and give them the truth they must hear to be saved (Romans 10:17)?

It was Spurgeon who said “If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to hell over our dead bodies. And if they perish, let them perish with our arms wrapped about their knees, imploring them to stay. If hell must be filled, let it be filled in the teeth of our exertions, and let not one go unwarned and unprayed for.”

Because we love Jesus and because we love our neighbors, we have to be radically obedient. We have to endure what comes anytime truth is proclaimed in a sin filled world and trust the results to God. It’s easy to let culture and fear trap us and keep us quiet and ineffective. We must repent of our apathy for the
lost, and we must obey. He can save and He will save; we need only be submissive to Him and rejoice that He allows us to take part in the unfolding of His plan. If we believe the Bible, we cannot and we will not be silent.

 “For if I preach the gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” – 1 Corinthians 9 "

Garden Principles Part 3

More thoughts from guest writer, Melissa Bickish

Garden Principles Part 3

A Permissive Garden 

Watchman Nee wrote, “Whether the one in authority is right or wrong does not concern us, since that authority has to be directly responsible to God. The obedient needs only to obey; the Lord will not hold us responsible for any mistaken obedience, rather will He hold the delegated authority responsible for his erroneous act.”

Whenever I was studying this subject and thinking a lot about what I wanted to say and how, the Lord led me to two books that were both very helpful. On is called ‘A tale of three kings: a study in brokenness.” By Gene Edwards and the other is ‘Spiritual Authority” by Watchman Nee. They both were insightful. Gene Edward’s book is summed up as the story of how God will use the authorities in your life to crucify you! And Nee’s book on authority is a lot more in depth on the how’s, why’s and wherefores of God’s plan for authority in our lives. (*anyone can borrow these)

The Lord may be using your authority to crucify YOUR flesh!

Here I quote Gene Edwards as he is speaking of David’s struggles with King Saul.

… “ David had a question. What do you do when someone (in authority) throws spears at you? Does it not seem odd to you that David did not know the answer to this question? After all, everyone else in the world knows what to do when a spear is thrown at them. Why, you pick up the spear and throw it right back!... absolutely everyone else does, you can be sure. And in doing this small feat of returning thrown spears, you will prove many things: You are courageous. You stand for the right. You boldly stand against the wrong. You are tough and can’t be pushed around. You will not stand for injustice or unfair treatment. You are the defender of the faith, keeper of the flame, detector of all heresy. You will not be wronged. All of these attributes then combine to prove that you are also, obviously, a candidate for kingship. Yes, perhaps YOU are the Lord’s anointed… After the order of King Saul. There is a possibility that some 20 years after your coronation, YOU will be the most incredibly skilled spear thrower in all the realm. And, most assuredly by then… Quite mad.” He continues by ‘answering’ the question of “Is my authority truly anointed by God?” with this section.

“ My kind is mad. At least, I perceive him so. What can I do? First, recognize this immutable fact: YOU CANNOT TELL( none of us can) who is the Lord’s anointed and who is not. ….I’m in David’s situation and I’m in agony. What do I do when the kingdom (or home) I’m in is ruled by a spear-wielding king? Should I leave? If so, how? Just what does a man do in the middle of a knife-throwing contest? Well,… you won’t like the answer. The answer is, ‘You get stabbed to death.’"

Gene Edwards: “A tale of three kings: a study in brokenness”

There was something about this book and the way he wrote it that had me laughing and deeply thinking. I know that not ALL authorities are King Sauls… and ladies we have godly fathers that are not Kind Saul’s at heart. However, King Saul still lives inside of your Dad’s flesh as much as he does inside of your own. How often God uses flesh to reveal flesh! No one can irritate me more than my dad! Haha I SEE so clearly all of his faults because they are also mine!  It’s like trying to pluck the King Saul out of your father’s life, while ignoring his reign in your own kingdom.

I also wanted to point out that hot water reveals what is already inside of a tea bag. In the same way shaking a tree reveals the kind of fruit it produces. When God allows our authority to decide something wrong, or that we just do not like, it is hot water on our tea bag and a good shake to our tree. It REVEALS a lot. God TESTS us often to prove to us what He’s already seen lies beneath the surface. When your authority is clearly and biblically wrong it is an opportunity to see just what kind of person you truly are. Watchman Nee took 2 Bible stories and explained them for me in a way I’d never thought of them and made them make so much sense to me. I’d like to just read a bit of what he said on this idea of being tested by our authority’s wrong choices.

“ The Rebellion of Ham. (Read Gen. 9:20-27)

“… So far as Noah’s conduct was concerned, he certainly was wrong; he should not have been drunk. Yet Ham failed to see the dignity of authority. The father is God’s instituted authority in the home, but the flesh delights in seeing a defect in authority so as to throw off all restraint. When Ham saw his father’s improper conduct he did not have the slightest sense of shame or sorrow, no did he try to cover his father’s fault. This reveals that he had a rebellious spirit. He went out instead and told his brethren, pointing out to them his father’s ugliness and so adding to himself the sin of reviling. Observe, though, how Shem and Japheth managed the situation. They entered the ten backwards- thus avoiding seeing their father’s nakedness- and covered their father… It is seen then that the failure of Noah became a TEST to Shem, Ham and Japheth. It revealed who was obedient and who was rebellious. Noah’s fall unveiled Ham’s rebellion.”

Ham was ‘tested’ by God through Noah’s wrong actions… and was found to be full of rebellion. It was interesting to note that the sin he was most guilty of was ‘reviling’ his authority. He ‘bragged’ about his authority’s sins and made them his excuse for his own behavior. How often have you heard children blaming their parents for their own sinful choices? How many times have you failed this same test and spoken against your authority’s faults to someone else? Even a sibling?

“ Strange fire offered by Nadab and Abihu ( Read Lev.10:1-2)

In all matters of service Aaron was the chief; his sons were mere helpers, serving beside the altar in obedience to Arron… They thought they could offer sacrifices by themselves and so they offered without Aaron’s order. The meaning of strange fire is to serve without an order, to serve without obedience to authority.”
Watchman Nee: “Spiritual Authority”

This thought truly intrigued me. I have wondered so many times if my authorities were ‘keeping’ me from serving God as I should. I have speculated if they truly can know God’s will for ME in service. I have pondered the possibility of them no ALLOWING me to do what GOD has called me to do. Are we playing with fire? Strange fire is to serve OUTSIDE of authority. God DOESN’T ask you to do something He won’t allow you to do! God doesn’t work outside of your authority. You can be sure, if your father has ‘restrained’ you from some form of service you thought your duty, God has clearly ‘restrained’ you from offering Him strange fire.

God gave you….

4. Your Parameters.

“As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so is a man that wandereth from his place.” Proverbs 27:8

Do you ever feel like a ‘caged’ bird? Do you ever feel that your wings have been clipped so much that they may be no good when once you can fly? Do you feel ‘hindered’ much more than others? Are you kept from doing a lot of things you want to do? Do you feel ‘socially’ stifled? Are you always seeming to be told ‘No’ anytime an opportunity arises to have fun? You are not alone!

Parents spell love “protection”. One of your parents responsibilities before God is to protect their children. That means you… yes, you need protecting. We often feel we could manage just fine on our own (and perhaps we could) but for now, while you are in your parent’s home you will be given parameters. You may feel smothered, over-protected, withheld or even controlled. Don’t compare your cages, little birds! Your walls may be a LOT higher and a LOT narrower than the next garden’s. Christ is the one who ultimately determined your boundaries…. Through your loving, protective parents.

Read (Acts 17:26) “And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;”

The Lord designed your walls, your cage and your bounds. Your habitation is hand picked. When you buck against the walls of your boundaries you are bucking against God’s protection in your life.

Rom 13: 1,2,4,5,7,9. Rom 16:16,19,26. Not only are we meant to be subject to someone, but we also are said to be able to be an influence in obedience. Your willing surrender to your confinements could help someone else in their struggle. Freedom is possible INSIDE a cage.

Every young person and young adult desires freedom. Everyone wants to spread their wings and see if they can fly. One of the most desirable things that I coveted at a wedding I attended was their apparent freedom and ability to choose. As they drove away I kept imaging how fun it would be to choose for yourself how to live your life, and what to do with it, where to go, where to live, etc. Your entire life is not dictated by you. Even if you drove off into the sunset a ‘free’ woman, you’d have to submit to your husband and God. As women we are NEVER truly free to choose for ourselves. Instead we are commanded to live under obedience. Does that bother you?

1Co 14:34 ¶ Let your women keep silence in the churches: for it is not permitted unto them to speak; but they are commanded to be under obedience, as also saith the law.

1Pe 1:2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

God’s entire plan for your life as His child is that you remain, rest and rejoice in obedience. As God’s own we are to be a ‘show case’ for His glory and He cannot receive Glory out of a disobedient vessel.

“Because thou still lovest thyself inordinately, thou art afraid to resign theyself wholly to the will of others!” Thomas a’Kempis

God gave you…

5. Your Power.

God has given you, Yes YOU, the power to submit. It may not feel like it, but it also doesn’t depend upon you. God has the power to obey through you even the most difficult of authorities. Christ learned obedience and so can we.

“ To be filled with Christ is to be filled with obedience… Christ learned obedience through His suffering (Heb 5:8)… He did not bring obedience to this earth; He learned it- and He did so through suffering. Our usefulness is not determined by whether or not we have suffered, but by how much obedience we have learned through that suffering. The obedient ones alone are useful to God.”

Watchman Nee

If you are not able to accept your authority’s decisions as ultimately FROM the Lord you will struggle to submit. God does not ask you to obey a fallen authority as much as He has asked you to obey Him through that authority. If you separate the two, you will continue to struggle. “Struggling is a sign of life, but it is not abundant life.” (Pastor Coulson) If you struggle with an unsubmissive attitude and a hoarish heart than that is a sign you have not completely yielded to your rebellious nature, but also a sign that you have also not completely yielded to Christ’s Spirit of Submission either. You’re struggling, but not abiding. In Christ we have all the POWER of a Triune God head available to us for the asking. (Mt 28:18 “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.”) In Christ you have the power of the One who learned so well His lesson of obedience as to become obedient to taste death for every man.( Rom. 5:19 “For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous”. In Christ we have all the power of the One who said He did nothing apart from submitting to the Father’s will. (John 8:28 “Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.”) He IS submission. He IS the personification of everything that is obedience. The Lord never commands us to do something that we are truly unable to do in Him. Struggling shows that there is a spark of life…. But it may not be HIS life. We HAVE the Spirit of Obedience living within our beings. It is not hard for Christ to obey your parents through you. Are you willing to be submissive? Are you willing to learn obedience even if your instructor is pain or sorrow or chains?

It is humbling to submit. It is hard to ‘debase’ yourself in the eyes of the world and appear to them as weak. We are taught from a young age that the strong are the ones who will not be bent and will not bow their will to anyone. It can feel strange and even humbling to place yourself in the vulnerable position under an authority. “He that refuseth instruction despiseth his own soul: but he that heareth reproof getteth understanding. The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility.”Proverbs 15:32-33

DISOBEDIENCE IS PUNISHED, BUT OBEDIENCE IS BLESSED. You’ll find this principle scattered all through out the Word of God. I don’t know about all of you, but I like the sound of blessings a lot more than chastenings. The Lord said of Israel in Ezekiel 20:37-38 “I will cause you to pass under the rod,… and I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against ME….” Israel in rebelling against Ezekiel’s sayings, truly rebelled against God.

We have no power in and of ourselves.

2Ch 14:11 “And Asa cried unto the LORD his God, and said, LORD, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O LORD our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O LORD, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee.”

2Co 12:10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.

God has ALL power:

Mt 22:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.

Ps 21:13 Be thou exalted, LORD, in thine own strength: so will we sing and praise thy power.

Ps 62:11 God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God.

Ps 71:18 Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to every one that is to come.

Ps 147:5 Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite

Job 36:22 Behold, God exalteth by his power: who teacheth like him?

God gives us His power when we ask:

Mt 9:8 But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.

Job 26:2 How hast thou helped him that is without power? how savest thou the arm that hath no strength?

Isa 40:29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth

strength.

Mic 3:8 But truly I am full of power by the spirit of the LORD, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin.

You are not an exception. God wants to give you the power and humility and grace that you need in order to obey a less than perfect authority. Christ is willing and waiting to give you all that you need to truly obey Him. Will you be a permissive garden?

1Pe 5:5-6 “ Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God,..”

“ He that endeavoreth to withdraw himself from OBEDIENCE,

withdraweth himself from GRACE.” -Thomas a’Kempis-

Related Posts:

When He says No

God Ordained Authority 

Courtship Defended 

Fractured People

Spiritual Lessons

Guest writer, Jana-Lee Patton, shares with us some amazing thoughts.  This was a blessing to me, I know it will be for you!

Fractured People

Two fractions do not necessarily make a whole number. In a world full of fractured people it’s no wonder that the divorce rate is so high. You take two fractions and hope that they are the “right” fractions who fit together just so in order to make a perfect whole. From a mathematical perspective the odds are unfavourable at best.

For some reason, which I have yet to discover, there seems to be a preoccupation in our day and age with finding that one partner who will complete one’s seemingly allotted fraction. If you are in the world and playing the dating game, it’s a matter of getting out there and making yourself available to numerous partners of the opposite sex (or not) in hopes that you’ll get lucky and find the one who will fulfill that empty space in your heart and life. If you’re in more fundamentalist circles and have been brought up to believe in the merits of courtship and waiting for God to send the “right one” then you find yourself checking over every eligible male of female who darkens the door of the church or whom you meet at any church gathering and wondering if they’re “the one”.

I have found myself in the latter category most of my youth, beginning at the age when such things become of interest to a teenage girl and lasting into my early twenties. When Mr. Right failed to appear I was forced to examine a few things. I’ve found myself questioning why it is that we human beings play this game of chance with such temerity.

I have noticed that there seems to be an automatic question uppermost in the minds of those whom I meet for the first, or second, or third (or more) time. Casual acquaintances who are themselves either already married or in that state of “looking”. I can almost feel the question simmering. I can usually see it spelled out in their eyes and in the thread of small talk usually engaged in on such meetings before it ever comes out their mouth. They look at me, a twenty-something, attractive young woman, well-spoken and engaging and they just have to ask, “So, are you married?” or “Is there anyone special in your life?” In the past I’ve always shook my head ruefully and made some banal comment about how I’m still waiting on God. Or, they might see me with a young child or baby in my arms and make the, oh so redundant comment, “Looks good on you.” I myself have said it to other singles thinking I was being complimentary when, really, inside a single person’s heart these comments are often depressing because it seems painfully obvious, at least to me, that there does not appear to be enough Godly Christian men to go around. However, that does not negate the fact that God can do anything and He can bring a husband to whomever He chooses, but He may choose not to and it is my job as a single Christian woman to accept His will, whatever that might be.

After several years of this repetitious pattern I found myself getting annoyed by it and wondering why it is that everyone seems to be so preoccupied with the topic of marriage, as though being single was some kind of curse to be endured until the Lord saw fit to reward me with that “perfect someone” who was going to come out of the blue and sweep me off my feet and I’ll be so glad I waited. To paraphrase Jane Austen’s famous first line in “Pride & Prejudice”: “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single girl in possession of attractiveness and domestic talents must be in want of a husband.” I’ve had young married women relate to me how glad they were that they waited for the right one and how happy they are now and how they just know that they were made for each other and it’s because they were willing to wait so long that this happened, thinking they’re being encouraging to me. When I’d ask how old they were when they got married and they say they were 21, or some similarly young age, I’m anything but encouraged! I’m over the quarter century mark and well on my way to my third decade along with many of my peers and the options appear to be just as limited now as they did five years ago – in some ways more limited perhaps because time has cast my once naive and youthful ideals into serious question.

The Bible says in Psalm 37:4 Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give you the desires of thine heart. I recall my Pastor telling me many times that if I am delighting myself in the Lord then I must believe and trust that the desires of my heart are from Him because it says that He’ll “give” me the desires of my heart – in other words, He puts them there. This prompted me to go to the Lord and ask Him to make His will for me clear by changing the desires of my heart from marriage to singlehood if that’s what He wanted for me. “I want to be in thy will, oh Lord,” I’d pray, “So please bring my desires in line with yours.” All the while I prayed this I knew that it would take a miracle for this to actually happen. I’ve wanted to be a wife and mother since I was a little girl. My own mother is, in my eyes, the perfect domestic goddess and I’ve been said to take after her. I couldn’t imagine that even God – powerful as He is – could change my heart regarding this matter. Oh, me of little faith!

A couple of months ago I got around to searching my heart again and found, to my surprise, that where I once yearned for a lifelong companion I now yearned for a solitary life. Where had this new longing come from and where had the old gone? Had God really answered my prayer? I was amazed and chagrined at my own doubting heart. Thus, I began to search for information on the single life. As a librarian I have access to a wide variety of materials, which I quickly availed myself of as I was suddenly overcome by a passionate craving to read about other people who have chosen to remain single and the wisdom and experiences they may have to share. I also began studying I Corinthians 7 and Matthew 19:12 and anywhere else in the Bible where it talks about people choosing not to marry. I felt like I was engaging in some clandestine and forbidden activity because it feels like such an anathema in church circles these days to not desire filial bliss. I was astounded to discover that there is an entire strata of society, both past and present, who have lived their lives uncoupled and made notable achievements in ways they might not have had they been tied down to a home and family.

Just to clarify: some of the greatest women I know are wives and mothers and grandmothers and I would never belittle that calling. However, I have always seemed so well equipped and been intentionally prepared for the married state that I didn’t stop to consider that perhaps God has another plan for me. By placing domestic bliss so high up on my own personal scale of noble achievement I neglected to consider that there are other options in life as well.  

I cannot count how many times in the past decade I’ve heard from well-meaning people, “You’re so sweet and pretty it won’t be long before some nice young man scoops you up.” There was a time when I was flattered and encouraged by these words as my girlish heart soared with the romantic promise of such a statement. And I’m not saying it’s necessarily a bad thing to say so long as there is sensitivity to where the single person is at in their life. Now I find that the Lord has changed my thinking so dramatically that statements such as these cause me to wonder what I would be fit for if I were ugly and had a tart disposition. Would I be passed over as undesirable wife material? I began to realize that my worth involves a whole lot more than just my demeanour and looks. I say this only because I can see, much to my sorrow and dismay, that many a young girl falls into the trap of thinking that she must find a guy (who will preferably marry her) in order to prove her value. I’ve concluded that there is much more involved in any kind of relationship and the evidence is that if the only criteria were looks and disposition then there would be many more of us married, and some who are married, wouldn’t be. I don’t mean to sound vain, I’m merely attempting to point out that true relationship goes so much deeper than mere looks and personality, though these things may provide an initial attraction. However, if it goes no deeper and effort is not made to know and understand the person inside then when beauty fades (and it always does) or personality reveals its many varied facets, the relationship suddenly freezes because there is no depth to it. The depth must begin in the individual and his or her relationship with Christ.

Paul says in I Corinthians 7:34-35 “There is a difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband. And this I speak for your own profit; not that I may cast a snare upon you, but for that which is comely, and that ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction.”

Right in those verses I saw for the first time that singlehood is not a state to be shunned or avoided. Rather, it is a gift bestowed that one may serve the Lord without distraction, and goodness knows there are enough distractions in the world as it is!

Having crossed over that bridge from wanton and fractured singularity to blissfully complete-in-Christ autonomy I now see life in a wonderfully new way. My outlook has changed as have my relationships with people, particularly those of the opposite sex. I no longer feel the pressure of “checking out” every prospective male. It’s as if I’m peacefully asleep to everything relating to that odd dance that occurs between eligible counterparts whereas before I was keenly awake. Such a transformation can only be the Lord because I know without a doubt that I could not achieve such a change on my own.

Returning to the idea of fractions – I’ve come to see that ½ plus ½ (or any fraction) does not make a whole. If one is lucky enough to land on the right combination of fractions they might get really close to a perfect whole. When you add fractions your bottom number always remains the same regardless of how the top number may increase or decrease; essentially, it is still a fraction. Only when you reduce it to its simplest form can you find the whole numbers that may or may not be hiding within the fraction. However, if one takes a complete 1 and another complete 1 you will invariably get a complete 2 because you’re working with whole numbers and not fractions. The Word of God speaks of marriage and says “they two shall be one flesh.” What I’ve realised is that you have to have two whole individuals before you can join them together to become a whole entity. I think many have mistaken this passage to mean that we are all halves or fractions of a whole and in order to become whole we must find our other half or fraction. It becomes a game of chance to see if we can sift through all the pieces and find the one that fits just right. I’ve seen it so many times among young people where it’s as if they are playing a game and who ever is the best and most competitive player wins the jackpot. But, if you happen to be slower than the others or deficient in some way then you’re out of luck and subject to the sympathetic clucking of those who already made it to the next level.

I used to think of singlehood as merely a brief stage between childhood and marriage (and the briefer the better). Now I see it as an honourable state of being in which I can be a whole “one” because of Christ who makes me complete (Colossians 2:9-10a For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him . . .). As a single person I have the freedom to do things and go places that my married counterparts cannot do or go, simply because I am at liberty and do not bear the burden of a home and family. I’m thankful for those who do marry and do their best to raise children for the Lord and I admire their courage greatly. I wouldn’t be here if my parents hadn’t done so. However, for myself, I have come to see that the Lord can use me in ways that are different than if I were married and I’m excited to see what ways those may be. I am no longer afraid to step out and do these things for fear I might miss “Mr. Right” should he come by while I’m out. There is so much more that God has put in my life that it would be a shame not to live it fully; it would be a shame to waste it. The future has opened up for me in a new way and I feel such blissful freedom in being the bride of Christ knowing full well that He is more than enough to fulfill every need and desire that He has placed in me as my divine Creator, For he knoweth [my] frame (Psalm 103:14a).

God doesn’t create fractured people. We became fractured through the fall of man and the nature of sin dwelling in us. There is no other way back to wholeness except through the life, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ who was broken that we might be made whole. However, one has to choose life by entering into His death and thereby resurrecting in newness of life.

Because of Christ’s life in me I am not merely a fraction of a human being. I am a whole number, a perfect “1”, complete in Him. It is finished and so am I!

Why Modesty?

Guest writer Heather Greenwood shares some thoughts with us on modesty.

Why Modesty?

“And this is his name whereby he shall be called: ‘The LORD our righteousness’.” Jer. 23:6

Why modesty? Why, when one becomes a Christian, is there a new awareness of the need to dress in a way that is described as modest (without extravagance or showiness; not showing off skin or form)? 

“..In like manner also, that woman adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety...” 1 Tim. 2:9

When one takes note of all the clothing sold in stores that does not actually cover up the wearer, but rather provides ornamentation for the flesh, it seems that the way clothing is made in these days defeats its original purpose. Clothing should be synonymous with “modesty”; clothing should actually clothe.

And why clothing? “And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.” Gen 3:7 

The purpose of clothing is to cover the shame of our nakedness, ever since the fall of Adam and Eve. Clothing that reveals bare skin that ought to be hidden, or reveals the outline of the form underneath through tightness, or draws attention to sensualize the body through ornaments and tailoring,is inadequate to cover the shame of nakedness and falls short of God’s intended purpose.

The necessity for clothing to cover the shame of nakedness points to our need for Jesus to give us an adequate covering for the shame of sin. Every time we have chosen sin we have made ourselves unacceptable to God and worthy of his condemnation. 

“ I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and annoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see." Rev. 3:18  

The day of judgment, when each one will stand before God, will reveal whether we have covered ourselves adequately. When one is awakened to their sin in this life, the right response is a sense of shame and need for covering before God. Many seek to cover themselves by becoming a white-washed tomb that outwardly looks good but is full of dead men’s bones, but without the Lord Jesus Christ and the application of his blood to atone for our sin (“It is finished”), any inferior covering fails in the same way that most retail-store clothing fails to hide nakedness! God does not find our fig-leaf loin-cloths acceptable.

He must provide a suitable covering or we die in our sin. God, in Christ, has made available to us a “robe” that proves the one acceptable covering for our shame! Those who have trusted in Christ Jesus our Lord will be wearing these garments of “The LORD our righteousness” for all eternity! And those who have trusted in fig leaves and the whitewash of dead works cannot, and will not, stand before his righteous indignation for the sin they still bear, having not trusted in Jesus alone in this life.

Modest clothing, and our need for it, is merely the shadow of the substance, Christ.

Those who wear clothes that don’t cover, and those who are modest but without the Lord Jesus, have missed the point. He is the substance; his righteousness is what we have great need of, and whether or not we “put on” the Lord Jesus Christ today has eternal ramifications.

Do you have a sufficient robe for the day of judgment?

"As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving." Col 2:6-7

Another post on Modesty by guest writer Melissa Bickish

For great outfit ideas click here

What Godly young men think of modesty 

Worn Out Love

Spiritual Lessons/ Political & World Issues  

Guest writer Chris Hutto from Voices of Dissidence shares an amazing thought on "worn out love".  Hope it is as big of a blessing to you as it was to me.

Worn Out Love 

Love is a worn out word.

Everyone, sinner and saint, knows that we are supposed to love one another. Everyone desires to be loved and everyone attempts to express their love to others, no matter how warped or flawed their presentation. The world teaches an ideology of lust, tolerance and irresponsibility and masks it with words like love, understanding and freedom. God is love but lust is a corruption of love. God understands every trial and temptation we endure but He has no tolerance for sin and wickedness. 

God is a God of freewill but He must hold us accountable to the wrongs we have done.

Love and peace have been hijacked by our society and lauded as the standard of liberalism. Our culture teaches a love without God. But a love without God is no love at all. It becomes man’s own self-righteousness. This love is as filthy rags in the sight of God.

We have let the world define love for us. Their perversion of this godly attribute has become main stream by the media we allow into our homes. Hollywood films are saturated with this sugar coated lust. The book stores and libraries are overflowing with books that glorify what God detests. And the Christian mind is meditating on this perversion until he begins to interpret the Scriptures the same way. The Christian’s mind must be renewed and transformed.

Many children’s books teach that you are only accepted and loved if you are able to out perform others. Secret love affairs are presented as romantic and exciting. The main characters in films capture their audience’s admiration by their appearance. Love is only given when something else can be gotten in return. Is this the love of the Bible?

Love has become cheap and overused. 
The world has stolen and warped who our God is and we just stand by and let them. We let them every time we welcome a filthy movie into our home. Every time we apologize for the wrath and judgment of God. Every time we refuse to show our neighbor real love. Every time we become ashamed at sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with a sinner. Every time we dwell on an evil thought. Every time we refuse to tear down an idol in our heart.

When we are public witnesses for Him we are accused of being hateful. That is because they don’t understand true love. How could they? They have never accepted the one and only love, Jesus. They call us hateful because they don’t understand that hate isn’t the opposite of love. Jesus said that we are to love God and love our neighbor as our-self. When He was challenged at who that neighbor was, He responded with the parable of the Good Samaritan. Anyone we pass by with a need is our neighbor. The Samaritan that helped the Jew about to die was the perfect example of love. His love was proven by action. That is why hate isn’t the opposite of love but apathy is. Apathy is the priest and Levite that saw the need and passed by. That is our world today. A world of self-love. The priest and Levite no doubt thought that they were doing the right thing in passing by. They probably thought, “I don’t know that man. He’s no concern of mine.” Maybe they thought, “That man isn’t MY ministry.” or “I won’t be able to perform my duties if I stop and help.”

Real love actively searches for those in need. It doesn’t wait for a need to arise because it already knows that there are needs on every side. Love came into this earth in human form to SEEK and save the lost.

The world says that we are hateful for having a righteous standard and for following the moral standard set in place by the Creator of the universe. They tell us that we must be tolerant of sin and accept it as who they are. But this isn’t love at all. Love warns of coming judgment. Every sin WILL be judged one day and for us not to tell the lost of this fact is a sin; the sin of apathy. People may become defensive when faced with their sin but we must be loving and obey God anyway. He does the work of drawing and saving. All we do is present the unadulterated truth of God in love.

So what does love look like?

All we have to do is look at His Word. We don’t have to learn what love really is by the culture around us. We have the answer already. Stop borrowing the definition from the heathens.

1 Corinthians 13 tell us what love really is. I know that it is long but it is worth reading.

“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”

I have a question for you Christian. Is this the love that you have for others? Is this what you gained at the moment of salvation? If not, why not? A way to see if this is the love you have is to take a closer look at verses 4-7. But instead of reading charity, substitute your name in there instead. So for me I would read, “Chris suffereth long, and is kind; Chris envieth not, ect…”  Now you do it.

“_______ suffereth long, and is kind; _______ envieth not; _______ vaunteth not him/herself, _______ is not puffed up,

_______ doth not behave him/herself unseemly, _______ seeketh not his/her own, _______ is not easily provoked, _______ thinketh no evil;

_______ rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

_______ beareth all things, _______ believeth all things, _______ hopeth all things, _______ endureth all things.”

So is that true of you? Is that true of me? Did is sound laughable to you? Does it sound like a lie or over-exaggeration? If so, why? If God is love and if we have God dwelling in us as Believers, than why don’t we have His love flowing out of us? Why have we covered up the beauty of God’s character and smothered it with a faulty imitation. That’s what the lost do because they are separated from our Father. Why should we act and live like that world, denying the very person that gave us life?

Love has been robbed of it’s beauty.

It is about time that we show the world God’s love. This starts at home with your closest neighbor and extends to the uttermost parts of the world. Lets focus on the ones that God has already brought into our lives. If you can’t love God, who has given us love and grace and mercy beyond our comprehension, than you won’t be able to love your family. And if you can’t love your family, who you have grown up with, you won’t be able to love the stranger that reviles you because of Christ.

We need to be honest with God about the human love we try and manufacture in our lives. Ask Him to love others through you. It is possible. We can do ALL things THROUGH Christ. Claim the love that He has bestowed upon you and throw off the bands of the perverted, worn out love of the world.

Being a Jeremiah in a Jerusalem World

Spiritual Lessons

   Here is something I would like to share from one of our guest writers, Melissa Bickish. This is a little bit lengthy to read, but certainly worth the time. It was such an encouragement to me and I know it will be to you as well. Please remember to comment if you would like to.

  “Being a Jeremiah in a Jerusalem World”

  Recently, the Lord has been teaching me a lot about striving for Him. I am a person who does not naturally enjoy conflicts, or disagreements, or awkward conversations. He is beginning to show me that to stand up for Christ is to invite strife, conflict, and even hatred. When Christ spoke of how the world would hate you if you were of Him, He literally meant HATE… not dislike, not disagree with, not clash-against,… HATE YOU. To love God, to follow God, to speak out against sin, to hate sin as God does, means you will be despised by this world. Even when you don’t enjoy conflict, conflict arises when you stand against an overwhelming tide of culture. 

WE CANNOT GET ALONG WITH OUR CULTURE AND LIVE FOR GOD!  

When the Lord says we cannot serve God and love the world, He knew what He was saying was a FACT. It’s not a theory. Just get out there and tell your culture how opposed it is to God’s laws and see that you quickly are forced to choose between them. You cannot have culture (no waves, no conflict, no clashes) and obey God!

  Lately, a lot of my friends have been standing against our culture and speaking out for those who are butchered in silence, telling the gospel, and generally speaking up for God’s holiness and against the sin that has been accepted by our nation. I have seen the battle ground, the wounds, the HATRED that is poured upon them. Even if you’ll try witnessing once, you’ll discover that there are people who HATE Jesus and anything that He stands for. It is hard not to take this directed hatred personally, and to realize that they hate our Lord, who lives in us, so much more than they hate us. Satan hates vessels that are willing to work for the Lord. He’d much prefer to have an ‘army’ of Christians that all sit around the camp fire and tents and don’t charge his ranks. When you charge the front-lines and try to rescue captives in Jesus’ name, you will be attacked… you will be hated.

    I am the type of person that believes that God gives peace… that having God in your life yields a peaceful home, a peace with your fellow men that you don’t have when you aren’t saved, and peace in relationships. I have been learning through experience and reading the Lord’s word that this “peace” that I love cannot extend to the unholy. God is HOLY Lord. Our culture has so up-played His MERCY, LOVE, and GRACE attributes that we have forgotten that to have PEACE with God requires HOLINESS. Without which no man can see God. 

If our CULTURE is UNHOLY it is at enmity with God… and when the Spirit of God lives within us, we then are at ENMITY with this culture and this world. 

The Peace in our hearts cannot be taken away, but the peace in relation to an outside world cannot exist until that world (or person) repents of their sin and accepts God’s HOLINESS.

   The Lord first gave me a verse in James (3:17) when I was struggling with this idea of being unpeaceable and at enmity with my world. “First PURE, then PEACABLE”… and it is listed in this order for a very specific reason. You cannot be at peace with something until it is first PURE. HOLINESS and PURITY is the requirement for us Christians to gauge what we can allow to be at PEACE with us in our lives.

 “It is important to understand that we are to be ‘first pure, then peaceable’. Our peaceable nature is never to be a TOLERANCE for sin or evil. We must be set against everything that opposes God and His HOLINESS. Then, with our purity being a settled matter in our souls, we can go on to peaceableness. But no matter how peaceable we may be in this world, we will be misrepresented and misunderstood. This should not surprise us, for even the Prince of Peace brought fire upon the earth. Though He LOVED mankind and did no wrong, He was ‘despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.” (Is. 53:3) Therefore the peaceable in heart should not be surprised when they meet with enemies…. Strengthen our souls that our peaceableness may not lead us into cowardice and despair when, for Your sake, we are persecuted.”    

                        -Charles H. Spurgeon-

  So, what does it mean to be a Jeremiah in the midst of a Jerusalem world? It means that you stand AGAINST everything and everyone to stand with God, to speak God’s words, and be hated by the overwhelming cultural tide called normalcy.

 In my process of learning these things the Lord led me to begin reading in Jeremiah. I had just finished reading somewhere else and almost always pray about 'where' I should read next… when I was impressed with Jeremiah I felt a little bit like, “okay.” As I opened the first chapter I was overwhelmed at the Lord’s faithfulness to me, and the passages containing exactly what I needed to hear. Jeremiah chapters 1 and 2 amazingly enough are where we get to hear God’s conversation with Jeremiah and see that God called Jeremiah to be AGAINST EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING in his Jerusalem.

“Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.  Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child. But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD. Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant….  And I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands. Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces,.. For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land. And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee.”

I was amazed as I read these verses! Jeremiah also felt too young. Sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever feel ‘ready’ or truly ‘prepared’ to speak God’s counsel to others. People often use this as an EXCUSE for why they won’t hear you. If they won’t hear you as a youth, they’d have a different excuse if you were in your 50’s. It’s not the age that makes the difference. Then they’d probably excuse themselves by saying you didn’t ‘understand’ their generation. If they won’t listen to a youth, they won’t listen. Our AGE has nothing to do with it. I was encouraged that Jeremiah felt ‘too young’ to speak God’s words. He called himself a ‘child’. A child is usually young, not as knowledgeable, and not ‘ready’ to face the world. God tells him not to call himself a child. It is somewhere in his ‘teen’ years that this calling comes upon his life. 

I also was so encouraged by the 18^th and 19^th verse. God tells him that HE has asked him to be AGAINST the whole nation.

This is the list:

-          against the whole land, (everyone, everything, every tree… the WHOLE nation)

-          against the kings of Judah,  (the Government, rulers, President, authorities)

-          against the princes thereof,  (the sub-authorities, senators, ‘popular’)

-          against the priests thereof,   (the religious people… or the “Christians” of his day!!!)

-          and against the people of the land.  (all the people… everyone.. he was very alone! )

The Lord tells Jeremiah very plainly exactly what the ‘cost’ is going to be to be His prophet and speak what the Lord has commanded him to speak. This whole list of people.

“ And they shall fight against you…” Jeremiah was not only going to be unpopular, disliked, a culture outcast, lonely, and unaccepted…. EVERYONE was going to fight against him. But God doesn’t leave him there. He gives Jeremiah a much needed and precious promise. “but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee.”

 Not only are the people not going to be able to prevail against him in this fight, the Lord tells him that He is on His side… the JEHOVAH GOD is fighting his battles for him. God is with him and will deliver him. These same promises apply to us… 

When we go out and stand against our whole nation, the authorities, what’s popular, or culturally accepted, against the religions of this world and the people…we do not go alone. We Go with God. He fights for us!

   The World will tells lies about you and devise ways to try and hurt you. Jeremiah 18:18 -"Then said they, Come, and let us devise devices against Jeremiah; for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, and let us smite him with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words. Give heed to me, O LORD, and hearken to the voice of them that contend with me. Shall evil be recompensed for good? for they have digged a pit for my soul. Remember that I stood before thee to speak good for them, and to turn away thy wrath from them.”

 When you are standing before them to speak for their good, they will still dig pits for you, devise evil plans, speak evil of you and refuse to hear your words.

  The Lord has kindly given me a lot of verse about witnessing, being ‘different’, and even reproving our culture over these past few months. I hope that since they were an encouragement to me, they will also be to someone else.

 Ephesians 5:11- 18 “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them. For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret. But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light. {reproved: or, discovered}  Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.  See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is.And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;…”

 [Awake: cease sleeping, to become conscious or aware of something, to make active! Stir up, Alert, aware…]

When we AWAKE we realize that we have been unaware of something important! The idea that now that we are conscious of it we have no excuse not to act upon what we now see is what is meant by this word.  I feel like this word perfectly describes how I felt in regards to abortion and abortions in my country. I felt forced to awake to something I’d rather not have seen. But to see it demands an action. In this same way, to truly be AWAKE to the lost and dying world demands action as well.

  [Reprove: Disapprove, condemn, to administer rebuke, censure, refute, convince or convict, reprimand or reproach.]

 This description doesn’t sound ‘peaceable’ at all! People are always sensitive to ‘censure’ and what they love to call ‘judgment’…. But the Bible tells us not only not to fellowship with these works of darkness, but to take it a step further and REPROVE, or JUDGE, or CONDEMN them! This is certainly not popular with our culture. I pray God to gives me the courage to do this.

 We are commanded to walk circumspectly… what does that mean?

[Circumspect: Look around and be cautious, careful to consider all circumstances and possible consequences, PRUDENT, etc.]

We are to walk as one who has his eyes open to the world around him, the consequences of the deeds done and prudently.

Proverbs 14:2 and 9 say,

“ He that walketh in his uprightness feareth the LORD: but he that is perverse in his ways despiseth him… Fools make a mock at sin…”

We would should expect to be mocked if be judge someone for their sin. They ‘Mock’ at it, wink at it, try to ignore that it’s serious.. and you are making them ‘AWAKEN’ to the actual cost and reality of their sins on their life. People will hate you for this… they truly are DESPISING THE LORD NOT YOU when this happens. He says that when their ways are perverse they are despising Himself.

“We wrestle not against flesh and blood…” (Ephesians 6:12)

[Wrestle: Struggle, striving to throw down, overcome, to engage in deep thought, debate or consideration, to move by force.]

“ Let us not be weary in well doing; for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men…” (Galatians 6:7)

[Due season: appropriate, adequate or scheduled.]

[Opportunity: A favorable juncture of circumstances, a good chance.]

“Hell and destruction are before the LORD; how much more then the hearts of the children of men?” (Proverbs. 15:11)

[Before: in front of, in the Presence of, under the Jurisdiction or consideration of, at the disposal of.]

God is in control of the hearts of men. If they revile you, despise you, reject you, then He has allowed it to touch your life. He says that there is fruit for well doing in due season if we faint not… and aren’t weary in well ‘doing’.

“ The heart of the righteous STUDIETH to answer:..” (Proverbs 15:28)

[Studied: Knowledgeable, learned, carefully considered and prepared, thoughtful.]

“ Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.” (Proverbs 16:3)

If we are to give an answer for the hope that lieth within us we are to be prepared. I think a large part of any preparation is Practice… literal, actual, in the field practice. God gives us the thoughts we need and establishes our thoughts.

"A man hath joy by the answer of his mouth: and a word spoken in due season, how good is it!" (Proverbs 15:23)

The Lord intends to use us as vessels to speak His ‘good’ news into the lives of others.

“Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a twoedged sword in their hand; To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron;To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the LORD.” (Psalms 149:6-9)

 It’s to be our HONOUR to judge using the two-edged sword of the word.

“For I have heard a voice as of a woman in travail, and the anguish as of her that bringeth forth her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion, that bewaileth herself, that spreadeth her hands, saying, Woe is me now! for my soul is wearied because of murderers.” (Jeremiah 4:31)

“Also in thy skirts is found the blood of the souls of the poor innocents: I have not found it by secret search, but upon all these. Yet thou sayest, Because I am innocent, surely his anger shall turn from me. Behold, I will plead with thee, because thou sayest, I have not sinned “  (Jeremiah 2:34)

 Our Nation has the innocent blood of millions of our ‘poor innocents’ and they say, “I am innocent, I have not sinned’. This is the perfect description of our world. There are so many similarities between Jerusalem and our nation of America in these verses.

 “And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith the LORD.” (Jeremiah 9:3)

 Will we be valiant for the truth in our Jerusalem? Would we speak even if God told us that they WOULDN'T HEAR US?

Jeremiah 7:27 and 28 says, "Therefore thou shalt speak all these words unto them; but they will not hearken to thee: thou shalt also call unto them; but they will not answer thee. But thou shalt say unto them, This is a nation that obeyeth not the voice of the LORD their God, nor receiveth correction: truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth."

 Sometimes we feel like our world is more ‘evil’ and more ‘vile’ and more ‘wicked’ than other “times” in history. But it isn’t true. Human beings are by nature evil. We are not the only generation who feels like ‘Truth has perished’ completely.

 This chapter declares that God told Jeremiah to begin in the house of the Lord. Of all the places that you wouldn’t think God would say that ‘truth is perished” it would be in His house… but it’s the first place He tells Jeremiah to go!

"The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, Stand in the gate of the LORD'S house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the LORD, all ye of Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the LORD. Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings,.." (Jeremiah 7:1-3)

  I guess what the Lord has truly been showing me is that to be His vessel, to be used by Him, to minister, to witness: I have to be okay with not ‘getting along’ with people, with debating my faith, with even being hated for His words. I will NOT BE ABLE to be at peace with this world! How many people in the Bible can you think of that lived happy, peace-filled lives? The numbers are slim indeed.

  The most encouraging verses that I read were in chapter 15 of Jeremiah where God calls Jeremiah “ a man of strife.” Jeremiah did not choose a life of strife, he complains that he was even born to such a life…… but God chose Him to be His messenger. A messenger of God is by the unpopularity of God’s message called to a ‘life of strife’.

 Jeremiah 15:10- "Woe is me, my mother, that thou hast borne me a man of strife and a man of contention to the whole earth! I have neither lent on usury, nor men have lent to me on usury; yet every one of them doth curse me. The LORD said, Verily it shall be well with thy remnant; verily I will cause the enemy to entreat thee well in the time of evil and in the time of affliction. Shall iron break the northern iron and the steel?"

I so could understand Jeremiah’s heart-felt bitter cry. He hadn’t asked to be a prophet, this wasn’t his life’s ambition… to be despised. He truly didn’t want everyone to curse him. He must have hated strife to say as He did in these verses “…woe is me, my mother…,” and mourned his very existence as a man of strife and contentions. However, he decided that to follow what the Lord wanted Him to do was worth whatever the ‘cost’.

 We cannot live peaceably in a world that denies the Prince of Peace. And though, we may not be able to be at peace in our world, we can be at peace with God! There is a world of internal peace, precious, immeasurable peace from the Lord. Even if we can’t be ‘conflict’ free in this life, there is coming a day when strife will never be a part of our lives. I guess I just wanted to encourage someone else that WE DON’T FIT INTO OUR WORLD, WE SHOULDN’T FIT INTO OUR WORLD and that that’s the way it will be in order to follow the Lord’s ways. You will be hated, you won’t be at peace, you shall be called a ‘man of strife and a man of contention’, but GREATER IS HE THAT IS IN YOU and wouldn’t you rather be at peace with the Lord than with the world around you? 

 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, there is no peace to be had in thee!...

BUT I serve a God who’s name is Jehovah Shalom (the LORD is peace) Shalom is translated as “peace” or “absence from strife”! The true shelter from a strife-filled world and the one consolation from a strife-filled existence is found in the God who has titled HIMSELF the absence from strife. True PEACE is Jesus Christ.