Walking With Jesus

What Is Spiritual Rest?

“Indeed, He who watches over Israel never slumbers or sleeps. The Lord Himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.” (Psalm 121:4-5 NLT)

In Genesis chapter 2 the Bible says: “So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed. On the seventh day God had finished His work of creation, so He rested from all His work. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when He rested from all His work of creation.”

What do you envision when you read those words? Is God just chilling in His heavenly hammock, catching a few winks? Another translation for “rested” is “cease” or “desist.” The verse from Psalm 121 let’s us know that God never sleeps or slumbers, so what are the implications? If God didn’t slumber or sleep, what did He do, and why?

God was establishing for us a precedent that He knew we would need in this life. The Jewish teachers of their religious law took God’s words to extremes I don’t believe He ever intended. Obviously, Jesus healed often on the Sabbath or “shabath,” which was against the Jewish laws they’d made, but didn’t violate God’s intention.

Perhaps 2 Chronicles 32 gives us a better understanding of God’s desire. King Hezekiah was a godly king who sought to be faithful to God in his leadership of Judah. Sennacherib, king of Assyria, had a vast army against which Judah was no match. But King Hezekiah said to his people: “’Be strong and courageous! Don’t be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria or his mighty army, for there is a power far greater on our side! He may have a great army, but they are merely men. We have the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles for us!’ Hezekiah’s words greatly encouraged the people.” Another translation says: “the people rested themselves.”

For us today, the Sabbath isn’t only a time of literal rest from our week of labor, whatever that may look like for you, but a day of worship and contemplation of the power and might of our God. On many levels the opposite of love isn’t hate, it’s fear. Like the children of Israel, fear can cause us to lose hope, which limits our ability to hear from God and/or to follow Him.

Spiritual rest, to me, speaks of placing our full confidence in our Savior. It paints the picture of relaxing by a bubbling stream as it meanders down it’s chosen path. It’s not being frightened by the week to come, knowing the Lord is with us and for us.

In thinking of this it reminded me of how I envision heaven. Think of driving on crowded highways with never a thought of an accident. Or leaving your home with no locks on your doors because there’s never a thought of someone breaking in. Or letting your small child ride their bike with friends without a concern that someone will harm them in any way. Or having someone say they’ll do something for you and you don’t give it another thought, never doubting that they’ll do exactly as they said they would.

You see, that’s how we can “rest” in God, because He’s all those things and a million more. The Sabbath is a day of rest to contemplate and become more and more grounded in the beautiful Savior to whom we’ve pledged our lives. We’re never alone and we never need to be afraid – “for His rod and His staff protect and comfort me.” Why? Because they’ll never be used against me, only for me against my enemies.

I can rest in that thought! Nap anyone?

Blessings, Ed 😊

The Long, Treacherous Road to Patience

“By standing firm, you will win your souls.” (Luke 21:19 NLT)

Early in my walk with the Lord, an older saint reminded me to never pray for patience unless I was serious. When I asked why, they simply said: “Because He’ll answer you!” Patience is described in Strong’s Concordance as: “the characteristic of a man who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings.” And who comes first to mind when you read those words? Our dear brother Job!

Jesus describes in Luke 21, from which the verse above comes, a time just prior to His return to earth. In verses 10-12 He says: “Then He added, ‘Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, and there will be famines and plagues in many lands, and there will be terrifying things and great miraculous signs from heaven. But before all this occurs, there will be a time of great persecution.”

When you read these words what’s the first thing that comes to your mind? What came to my mind was: “Lord, I’m fine with you taking me home before all of that begins.” But you want to know the staggering reality? It’s already happening all over the world!

Families feuding, neighbors bickering, cities collapsing, nations warring! We live in a time of turmoil, anger, and pain. Satan is having a heyday as he deceives, lies, steals our joy, kills our desire for God, and destroys anything that hints of holiness or righteousness. And amid all that’s happening, what is God’s desire for us? Patience! Why? Because we know how this story ends!

When my son was still in diapers, my wife’s parents took us to lunch after church. As you might expect, we waited a long time to be seated, then longer to receive our food. Finally, the server began to place our orders on the table. I’m not sure if it was the smell of the food or just bad timing, but I could see my son’s little cheeks turning red as he seemed to be straining to do something. Yep, you guessed it. The smell wasn’t pleasant, and his dirty diaper was really ill-timed.

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Patience is “on-the-job training.” Strangely, we can’t learn patience in any other way, yet, once we stop fighting the Lord and begin to learn to flow with His “object lessons,” it enables us, as James implores us, to rejoice in our troubles. Why is that so vital? Rejoicing is an act of worship. It illustrates dependence and trust in the only One we ever need, but whose presence is so invited and cherished when we’re at the end of ourselves.

Jesus, as He stands before the crowd, shortly before He’s murdered, is a picture of patience. What can we learn from His example? First, patience isn’t learned by words alone, but by example. God’s Word tells us multiple times to “be patient.” “Ho, hum. Will someone pass the popcorn?” It just goes in one ear and out the other! We’re deaf to instruction we don’t know how to follow.

Unfortunately, for us, the only way to learn patience is to see it in action, practice it in our own lives, then learn to endure it. One of the most important lessons the Lord is seeking to teach me in this season of my life is to stay calm, especially in trying times.

Years ago, I had a little VW Rabbit with a diesel engine. I loved it for many reasons, but it was the most underpowered vehicle I’ve ever owned. I was slowly passing a huge semi on the Interstate, but apparently, he didn’t see me, so he started moving into my lane. I honked, to no avail, but he wasn’t changing his mind. I had to stay calm and figure out what to do in about three seconds. I could panic and yank the wheel to the left and fly off the road, or I could slowly and deliberately move to the berm and let him pass.

Patience moves slowly and waits for God to instruct. He will. How do I know? Because He loves us and is always with us. No One wants us to learn to trust Him and follow His directives more than our Father in heaven. All He wants for us is to love Him and let Him walk with us through troubled times, but if we get impatient and run ahead of Him trying to find our own solution, it becomes a treacherous road to travel.

I know this post is a little longer than usual, but please be patient with me.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Trying to Get “Self” Out of Self-Control

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! (Galatians 5:23 NLT)

On many levels I believe it’s safe to say that for many of us when we first come to Jesus, we’re out of control. Our passions and lusts drive us in directions that rule our lives and can become very hard barriers to cross as we’re seeking to grow in and serve the Lord.

The word used that’s translated “self-control” means “the virtue of one who masters his desires and passions, especially his/her sexual appetites.” (Strong’s) It can also be translated “temperance,” which means: “habitual moderation in the indulgence of the appetites or passions; especially moderation in or abstinence from the use of intoxicating drink.” (The Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

Two of the most predominant desires or passions of a human being are sex and alcohol/drugs. We have basic human needs that center on air to breathe, food, and water, that, when we’re deprived of those things, can give rise to survival instincts that can drive us to do things we wouldn’t normally do. But that’s not what “self-control” is addressing in this passage.

Desires and passions first and foremost are a battle in our heart and mind. Whether we ever act on them or to what extent, depends on our willingness to submit the authority of our heart and life to the Holy Spirit. Notice in the verse at the top of the page, the Apostle Paul says: “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit…self-control!

To say it’s humanly impossible to curb the desires and passions that torment and ravage our lives may be an exaggeration, but not by much. Jesus said in John 10:10 that the devil’s goal is to “steal, kill, and destroy,” and the primary ways that he seeks to accomplish that is by distorting our desires and passions.

Our “bent” as humans is selfishness. We want what we want when we want it. James writes in 4:1-3: “What is causing the quarrels and fights among you? Don’t they come from the evil desires at war within you? You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and wage war to take it away from them. Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it. And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong – you want only what will give you pleasure.” And these scathing words are written to “believers!”

It reminds me of Paul’s dilemma in Romans 7:24-25 when he wrote: “Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord!” He’s our only hope of deliverance and freedom to be all He died to enable us to become.

Remember, Peter is outlining the road to living a holy life, more specifically, he says we must “supplement…knowledge with self-control.” What’s the point? Biblical knowledge without self-control is valueless. Unless and until we can allow the Holy Spirit to enable us to harness our desires and passions, our lives will simply mock our efforts to live a holy life.

It doesn’t matter “what” we know or what we seek to teach others. It only matters “Who” we know. Only through the priceless blood of Jesus can we be cleansed and purified and enabled to live a holy life. It’s always and only by faith – in Jesus!

Blessings, Ed 😊

What We Don’t Know Can Hurt us … and others!

“What sorrow awaits you experts in religious law! For you remove the key to knowledge from the people. You don’t enter the Kingdom yourselves, and you prevent others from entering.” (Luke 11:52 NLT)

The last few days we’ve been looking at what it means to live a holy life. We’re using 2 Peter 1:5-8 as our guide and today we’ll look at the role of knowledge in God’s plan to enable us to live a separated life. In 2 Timothy 2:15 Paul wrote: “Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive His approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.”

The role of knowledge is critical in walking in a way that honors and glorifies our Father. Paul instructs Timothy to “work hard,” but how? The context suggests that he must study carefully so that his understanding of the truth will guide him as he shares his faith with others, especially in what and how he teaches.

Whether you like it or not, as a Jesus follower, virtually every conversation we have with someone reflects our knowledge of God’s Word or lack thereof. To the extent that what we share aligns with the truth of Scripture, to that extent we’ll guide others to Jesus. But how will we know that unless we know what God’s Word says?

In Scripture “knowledge” refers to our general intelligence or understanding as it relates to the Christian Faith in general, but it also signifies our “moral wisdom” that is evidenced in right living. What is the implication? Right knowledge is reflected in right living. That’s why it’s so critical we read and study God’s Word for ourselves.

Yes, of course, it’s helpful to listen to godly men and women who have studied the Scriptures for years. Read their books and listen to their sermons, but understand that they have drawn their own conclusions, which is what they’re sharing with you. But God doesn’t hold us accountable for understanding what someone else believes. He’s more interested in what WE believe, because ultimately, that’s what will guide our steps and spill out of our mouths to others.

Knowledge involves much more than learning facts about a subject. It entails applying what we learn to the way we live, which becomes a reflection of who we are, and Whom we are following, or not. And it’s important that we understand that we don’t have to “make” that happen, it’s a biproduct of being a human being.

Whether we realize it or not, what we learn either gets discarded or applied to what we think about, which becomes what we talk about, which becomes what we base our lives upon, which ultimately becomes the lifestyle we adopt and follow. That’s the “view” of ourselves others see and hear when we speak with them.

As a Christ follower, our knowledge must align with what is true as defined by the Bible, thus leading us to live a life that honors and magnifies Jesus in everything we think, say, and do. The teachers of religious law to whom Jesus spoke in the verse at the top of the page, were very intelligent and were well versed in religious law. But their brilliance blinded them to the Truth, which was and is Jesus. When that happens, we not only miss heaven, but we also lead others away from Jesus, instead of to Him, as is God’s will.

That’s why we must supplement our knowledge with self-control, which is our topic for tomorrow’s post.

Blessings, Ed 😊

What Does Holy Living Look Like?

“By His divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life.” (2 Peter 1:3 NLT)

In yesterday’s post we began looking at the evidence of the Holy Spirit’s life in us. It matters little what we believe in our mind in comparison to what becomes “believable” in and through the way we live. John Piper wrote: “You can embrace a system of theology and not even be born again.“ What does that mean?

It essentially means you can have full confidence that you believe all the right things, and still not have a relationship with Jesus. Until what you believe translates into “shoe leather,” and you begin to walk your talk, all you have is knowledge about Jesus. How can you know the difference? Who’s leading your steps?

When you’re walking in submission to the Spirit’s authority, the “fruit” of that submission will be evidenced, as Peter wrote in 2 Peter 1:5-8, by your “moral excellence,” “knowledge,” ”self-control,” “patient endurance,” “godliness,” “brotherly affection,” and “love for everyone.” Let’s look at each of these more closely.

What is “moral excellence?” It means virtue, which means “conformity to a standard of right: morality.” (The Merriam-Webster Dictionary) It means: “a virtuous course of thought, feeling, and action,” evidenced in “modesty and purity.” (Strong’s) Where do we learn these things? From the Bible. That’s why daily reading and study of God’s Word is foundational for any child of God.

Bryan Loritt,s, who is one of our teaching Pastors, wrote: “God is after so much more than our happiness. He’s after His glory.” God is glorified by our moral excellence. By choosing God’s Word as our “moral standard,” we begin to understand how vitally important it is to live righteously, in a manner that glorifies and honors the Lord. How do we do that?

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In how we present ourselves. People make decisions about us before we ever say a word. How so? How are we dressed? Do we draw undue attention to ourselves by the clothes we’re wearing? Are we dressed appropriately? Are things showing that should be covered? Are our clothes too tight? Do our clothes exude purity of heart and mind, or do they cause others to think inappropriate thoughts about us?

From the moment I met my wife, she’s always dressed modestly and appropriately. She’s beautiful and she wears current fashions that allow her to feel and be attractive, but not in a lustful or inappropriate way. Most of the women at our church, young and old, dress modestly. What’s appropriate? In my mind if what we’re wearing, whether a man or a woman, draws people’s attention to us and away from Jesus, it’s inappropriate.

Purity means much more than virginity. A person can be a virgin and not be living a life defined by purity. And someone who has lost their virginity can be pure in the sight of God when their sins are forgiven, and their hearts and minds are pure. Purity, as a measure of moral excellence, has reference to how we view life.

Paul wrote in Philippians 4:8-9: “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me – everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.”

Holy living begins in our mind, our thought life, then must translate into how we live and treat others. We’ll look at this more closely in tomorrow’s post.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Holy Spirit = Holy Living!

“Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.” (Hebrews 12:14 NLT)

The Holy Spirit’s presence in a person’s life WILL be evidenced in the way a person lives. If there’s no evidence of the Spirit’s presence living in and through them, there’s no Holy Spirit residing in that person. Isn’t that a bit harsh? You decide.

In 2 Peter 1:5-8 Peter wrote: “In view of all this (God’s divine power in us through His Holy Spirit) make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

As with many other words in the Bible, the word “Work” in the verse from Hebrews above, carries the clear implication of “YOU work.” And just for clarification, “Holy” doesn’t mean sinless, it means to be set apart for sacred use. It means “consecration,” which means “to devote solemnly to a purpose.”

Our devotion to Jesus is impossible to live out apart from the presence of His Spirit living in us. That’s the only way anyone can be “sanctified.” Sanctification, like salvation, is an ongoing process. There are past, present, and future uses of both of these important words. We point to the time of our initial commitment to Jesus by referring to it as the day we were saved. But the truth is, as long as we live in this mortal body we are still being saved. Then one day, at the moment of our death or at Jesus’ coming, we will be eternally saved.

When we are saved, the Holy Spirit takes up residence in our heart and becomes our “Pilot” in maneuvering us through the storms of life as we grow in Jesus’ likeness or, in other words, are sanctified or become holy. God does His part, the part only He can do, but He has expectations of us, the parts only we can do.

Just because we’re dependent on the Spirit’s leadership doesn’t negate the demands He places on us to do our part. For example, in the verses from Peter above, we are the ones who must “make every effort to respond to God’s promises.” God will not force us to do anything against our own will. We must supplement our faith with moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, etc. But how?

A.W. Tozer wrote: “Go to church once a week and nobody pays attention. Worship God seven days a week and you become strange!” When the Holy Spirit not only lives IN you, but THROUGH you, people are going to take notice. Why? Because you won’t be living the same life you used to live. There’s no question about it – we WILL change as we yield our lives and allegiance to Jesus, or we’re living a lie.

The “proof” is in the proverbial “pudding.” Just as you can talk all day about how good your “pudding” is, no one will know for sure until they “taste” it. J.C. Ryle wrote: “Where there is no holy living, there’s no Holy Spirit.” So, the question becomes, how will people know that I’m a believer, that I’m being “set apart” by God for sacred use? I’m so glad you asked.

Let’s look at this more closely over the next few posts.

Blessings, Ed 😊

That the World Will Believe!

“I pray that they will all be one, just as You and I are one – as You are in Me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe You sent Me.” (John 17:21 NLT)

Yesterday we looked at “Life’s Greatest Tragedy,” concluding (at least I concluded 😊) that the greatest tragedy isn’t missing heaven, but missing Jesus. Why is that so tragic?

Because to lead someone to pray a prayer of repentance who has no concept of who Jesus is or what He’s done on their behalf; to seek to provide someone with a “ticket” to heaven, to have their sins forgiven, and be given a new life without any insight into the cost of those precious gifts; to allow them to be content with walking in the hope of heaven without a commitment to the One who gave His life to make it possible; to not help them understand HE’S THE TREASURE THEY SEEK, is to give them a false sense of security that will only lead to a wasted life.

John Piper writes: “The opposite of wasting your life is living life by a single God-exalting, soul-satisfying passion. The well-lived life must be God-exalting and soul-satisfying because that is why God created us (Isaiah 43:7; Psalm 90:14).” To profess faith in Christ and not have a passion to exalt Him in every area and dimension of our lives is to miss the point of knowing Him.

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Jesus said in John 17 that the way to have eternal life is to know the Father. Why? Because He’s the only true God. That’s why Jesus came to earth – to give visibility to the Father. In John 10:30 Jesus declared “The Father and I are one.” And in His prayer in John 17, He expressed His desire that we, His Body on earth, the Church, would be one as He and the Father are one. In verses 20-21 He said: “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in Me through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as You and I are one – as You are in Me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe You sent Me.”

Did you catch that: “…that the world will believe You sent Me.” Our individual and corporate passion for people to know Jesus is the glue that holds us as believers together and paints the picture of the beauty of Jesus that’s so appealing for those who need Him. But our passion for Jesus must be grounded in a strong desire to know Him.

Paul wrote in Philippians 3:10: “I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised Him from the dead. I want to suffer with Him, sharing in His death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead.”

The word Paul used that’s translated “to know” is the Greek equivalent to the Hebrew word used in Genesis 4:1: “And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain …” It’s a term of intimacy, devotion, and commitment. It’s the oneness that God desires for us in marriage, so as to give a living illustration of what our relationship with Jesus should look like. It’s the deferring of our own desires in favor of the One to whom we’ve pledged our life and allegiance.

To the extent our love for Jesus gives visibility to selflessness, compassion, love, mercy, grace, and the other fruit of the Spirit, to that extent our lives will become magnets for those who are lost to find hope and new life in Him. As will our shared passion for Jesus by those with whom we serve and worship.

A life lived without devotion to Jesus is a wasted life, and that my friend, is a tragedy.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Life’s Greatest Tragedy!

“And this is the way to have eternal life – to know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one You sent to earth.” (John 17:3 NLT)

Driving home from church I was listening to SiriusXM The Message when the announcer asked: “What is life’s greatest tragedy?” Then he said: “To me the greatest tragedy is for God to not answer a prayer that was never asked.” For a lost person to remain lost because they never asked for forgiveness is tragic, so I’ve been pondering his question.

Each morning as I walk the streets of my neighborhood, the thought that haunts me most as I’m speaking with the Lord is: “How will they know? How will those who don’t know You learn that You love them and are for them? That You, Lord Jesus, sacrificed Your sinless life to pay the penalty for their sin? How will they know?”

And the question He offers in reply is: “How did you learn? How did you come to know Me?” And the thought that immediately comes to mind is: “Someone introduced You to me!” So, I pray every morning that the Lord would send someone to each person in each household that they would listen to and allow to tell them about Jesus.

Of course, the Lord knows my heart and if He wants me to be that one for my neighbors, I’m willing. But the best avenue of sharing is built and opened through relationship. So, how do we develop friendships with our neighbors? One person at a time! That’s what I’m seeking to do and would encourage you to do as well. Why would I make that effort? Why should you?

Paul writes in Colossians 1:16: “Everything was created through Him (Jesus) and for Him.” Couple that with what Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 3:11: “Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.” What’s my point?

God’s plan and desire is that everyone have a relationship with Him. He loves us and desires for us to love Him in return. But because of sin, we’re separated from Him, giving rise to Satanic influence which draws us ever further away and builds a barrier of resistance in our heart because of our selfishness and increasing desire to satisfy ourselves.

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When we’re lost, separated from God because of our sin, we’re blinded to the Truth. We seek to content our conscience through “religion” or being “nice” or “respectable.” We want to become “good people” who can be worthy, because from somewhere deep within us our heart is forever crying for more! This – this earth, this lifestyle, this exaggerated sense of self, this house, this car, this ever-expanding desire for more – can’t be all there is!

And, as followers of Jesus, we know what that “More” is. He has a name – Jesus!

So, where am I going with all of this? For me, as I understand the message of Scripture; the wickedness and vileness of my own heart; and in contrast, the beauty, majesty, purity, and holiness of my Savior’s life – the greatest tragedy in life isn’t missing heaven, it’s missing Jesus!

There is no heaven without Jesus. There is no life, hope, contentment, wholeness, purpose, meaning, joy, happiness, there is nothing without Him!

Why is this so vital to understand? We’ll look at this more closely in tomorrow’s post.

Blessings, Ed 😊

When a View is Just a View

“So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know Him now!” (2 Corinthians 5:16 NLT)

As I age my memory just isn’t what it used to be, but I’m finding there are advantages. Now I can hide my own Easter eggs and plan my own surprise parties! There are others, but I can’t remember what they are. 😊 Seriously, there are things about my life I prefer not to remember, especially how I used to think about and act towards those who were “different” than me. How so?

When I was young and knew everything there was to know about everything, I would “pigeon hole” people. It was easier to categorize others than it was to build a friendship with them and discover we were much more alike than different. Now, I’m drawn to people who are different than me. By God’s grace, I’m able to see them through the lens of His love.

While watching an episode of a series I enjoy, I was reminded that time can sometimes distort our vision. One of the main characters reconnects with a girl with whom he’d once been engaged, but he’d broken it off a few days before their wedding because he learned she’d been unfaithful. As a result, she severs contact with, not only him, but with her family.

After many months, her brother asks his sister’s former fiancé if he’ll help him find her. He does, and takes her to a spot by the lake that had been one of their favorite places. She’s still trying to keep her distance emotionally, but he says to her: “You’re the one who said life never looked simpler than it did from right here.” To which she responded: “Sometimes a view is just a view.”

The conversation continues and she says: “And now I see you and I see my family and all I can see is what I lost.” To which he responds: “Sometimes a view is just a view.”

So, what’s my point? Sometimes, when we’re running from ourselves and/or God, we burn a lot of bridges, or at least think we did. So much so that we build this idea in our mind that we’ve run too far and now we’re out of God’s reach. We say and do things we deeply regret, damaging relationships with those we’ve loved, and now think they’re lost to us.

Like the Prodigal son in Luke 15, we build this “conversation” with our “father” based on how we now perceive things, when the truth is, it’s only a “view” we’ve created in our own mind, that most often doesn’t correlate with the facts. Satan will do all within his power to keep us from God and from loving family who have been praying for our return.

The truth is, we do that with a lot of things God tells us to do. For months I’ve procrastinated passing out a note to my neighbors. In my mind’s eye I thought of all the things they would say or do that would make me look and/or feel badly. But a few weeks ago, I prayed through and decided it didn’t matter how they respond to me, I needed to obey God. As of this writing, everything I’ve heard from my neighbors has been positive.

As real as it may seem to you, sometimes a “view” is just something Satan puts in our minds to try to cause us to back down and stay the same. It’s a distortion of the truth because Satan wants us to change for the worse, not the better. He wants to push us ever further away from God and believing family members. But the Lord is persistent in His loving pursuit of us, and will follow us to the gates of hell, if need be, to rescue us.

Whatever your “view” of how things might be; no matter how far you’ve run or how disobedient you’ve been, on the authority of God’s Word, and the compassion of my almighty Savior, His view of you is – “it’s time to for you to come home!”

His love for you is greater, His forgiveness deeper, His desire to set you on a new, satisfying, life-renewing path is stronger and better than anything you’ve ever imagined possible. Bring your sin and shame and lay them at the Savior’s feet. Let Him love you back to wholeness; to the person He’s “seen” you could be since before the foundation of this world.

Sometimes a view is just a view, not reality.

Blessings, Ed 😊

When Our Prayers Get Honest! (Part 2)

“I cried out to the Lord in my great trouble, and He answered me.” (Jonah 2:2 NLT)

The story of Jonah is interesting on many levels, not the least being his prayer from within the belly of the large fish the Lord sent to rescue him from the ocean. Just to catch you up, in case you’re not familiar with Jonah’s story, the Lord had given him instructions: “to go the great city of Nineveh. Announce My judgment against it because I have seen how wicked its people are.”

So, what did God’s faithful servant do? “But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord.” And apparently, Jonah’s conscience was perfectly good with the whole “run away from God plan,” because the Bible says that he bought a ticket on a boat leaving for Tarshish, then immediately found a quiet spot in the hold of the ship and went into a deep sleep.

The ship’s captain finally went to wake him when they’d encountered a violent storm that was threatening to sink the ship. The captain said to Jonah: “Get up and pray to your god! Maybe he will pay attention to us and spare our lives.” There’s no indication that Jonah prayed, but the sailors cast lots, and determined that he was the reason for the storm.

One thing led to another and finally, at Jonah’s request, the sailors tossed him overboard and immediately the storm stopped. What was he thinking? Even the pagan sailors recognized that Jonah’s God had sent the storm, and after the sea was calm, the Bible says: “they were awestruck by the Lord’s great power, and they offered Him a sacrifice and vowed to serve Him.”

An impressive “mission’s trip,” for Jonah, but what was he thinking to have them throw him overboard? Did he prefer death to obedience? At that point only God knew what was going to happen, but even in the belly of the “great fish,” Jonah wasn’t honest with the Lord. Listen to his prayer: “You threw me into the ocean depths, and I sank down to the heart of the sea.” Whoa! Wait a minute. Surely the Lord knew Jonah was going to have the sailors throw him overboard, but who’s idea was that? There’s no indication in the text to indicate that the Lord asked Jonah to do that.

Then in the next verse Jonah says: “The mighty waters engulfed me; I was buried beneath Your wild and stormy waves. Then I said, ‘O Lord, You have driven me from Your presence.’” Come on, Jonah, give me a break! That was all you, buddy. God told you to go to Nineveh and you hightailed it to Tarshish. Finally, that little “fish ride” through the sea brought Jonah to his senses, and he ultimately did what the Lord asked him to do, but even after the Lord brought revival to Nineveh, Jonah was mad about it.

Okay, so what’s my point? Implicit in all of Jonah’s adventures, at least two things give us insight into the heart of God. First, God has plans that He will accomplish in and through us whether we’re honest with ourselves or not. Through it all, as much of a rascal as Jonah was, he was still God’s prophet, and he, in the end, did what God called him to do.

And the second thing, that gives me great hope as I continue to learn to pray, is God’s amazing heart for lost people. We may not always know or even think about how the Lord desires to use us to reach our lost loved ones and friends, but He is always engineering circumstances in each of our lives to put us in the right place at the right time to speak words of life to those in our spheres of influence who are walking in darkness.

Here’s my takeaway as it relates to getting honest when we pray. Trust God! At least Jonah was honest about one thing: he knew the compassionate God he served would do whatever it took to get His word to the lost city of Nineveh.

That’s His heart for the lost people of my city and yours, but more specifically, the lost people in reach of your influence. If you want to “run” from that assignment, I get it, but more to the point, God gets it. And He will sometimes use you in spite or your rebellion. Just be honest enough to say: “Lord, as scared as I am, use me to Your honor and fame. Help me to be all You desire me to be, say, and do to reach those You love with whom I can share Your loving message.”

Blessings, Ed 😊