Walking With Jesus

Heart and Mind

“Put me on trial, Lord, and cross-examine me. Test my motives and my heart. For I am always aware of your unfailing love, and I have lived according to Your truth.” (Psalm 26:2-3 NLT)

The function of our heart and mind, at least as it relates to Scripture, is very similar. The same word that’s translated “heart” can also be translated “mind.” However, in the Psalmist’s mind, and I hope in yours and mine, there is a very distinct difference between the two.

Think of an old locomotive that was driven by wood or coal. Think of wood or coal as our mind providing the fuel for our heart to drive the “train.” We take no action without the prompting of our mind. Our thoughts drive our behavior, and our behavior gives visibility to our thoughts. Solomon wrote in Proverbs 23:7: “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.”

This verse strikes at the heart of motive, why we do something, especially as in the above context, for someone else. But the principle applies to what we do for ourselves as well. Our heart and mind work together to fuel the motives and intents of our life – why we do what we do. The mind conceives and the heart believes and acts upon that which the mind suggests.

That’s why it’s so vital that we feed our mind on things that are positive and good. As Paul wrote in Philippians 4:8, “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.” These thoughts fuel our behavior; thus, the reason Paul follows verse 8 with verse 9: “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.”

What we think about comes about, so be careful what you “feed” your mind, because the “food” of our mind becomes the fuel of our heart. That’s why the great man of God Charles Spurgeon wrote: “Rest assured, Christ will not live in the parlour of our hearts if we entertain the devil in the cellar of our thoughts.”

We wrongly believe as a Jesus follower we can view or listen to anything, and it won’t have any effect on our walk with the Lord, but that is naïve and just plain wrong. What the mind ponders the heart turns to longing which leads to behavior that far too often is unbecoming of a child of God. On the other hand, when we read and ponder the words of Scripture or listen to songs with Christian lyrics that uplift and inspire, it encourages us and motivates us to live in a more pleasing way for the Lord.

Spurgeon also wrote: “Nearness to God brings likeness to God. The more you see God the more of God will be seen in you.” How do we “see God?” We see Him in nature, but we also “see” Him in Scripture. When we hear a powerful message from God’s Word it shouldn’t simply inspire us to say: “What a great person of God!” Rather, how grateful I am that that person took the time and made the effort to sit before the Lord and let Him teach them from His holy Word. Our response should be: “What a great God revealed through that person!”

We cannot hide, for good or ill, what we’ve been feeding our mind, it will surface in our conversations and in our behavior. Our heart will beat for what our mind believes is most important.

What is your heart telling you? And why?

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Lingering Beauty

“The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The Skies display His craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make Him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world.” (Psalm 19:1-4 NLT)

During a mission’s trip to Guatemala, I had opportunity to share a message with a small congregation of God’s people in a little building high on a mountain. After the service I walked outside to wait for my ride. The church was between two large fields with high crops that were taller than me. A single small light bulb on the front of the building was the only light, so, as I turned on the small road it was completely dark. I literally could not see my hand in front of my face.

At that point I looked up and it was as if the sky was ablaze with stars. I’d never seen anything so magnificent and beautiful. Unhindered by the lights of the earth, the heavens declared God’s glory and majesty in ways I’d never seen before or since.

Photo by Felix Mittermeier on Pexels.com

I thought of that night when I read Ray Majoran’s moving prayer. “Lord God Almighty, we praise You for the places where Your beauty lingers in silence — where the trees are stripped but not dead, and the water freezes but still reflects. You move where we cannot trace You, and yet You leave no detail untouched. All creation declares Your faithfulness.

We confess that we often chase signs and overlook the quiet path You’ve carved beneath our feet. When we don’t see Your footprints, we doubt You were ever there. But You have shown us — again and again — that You are not absent in silence (1 Kings 19:11-12), nor are You idle in the unseen (John 5:17). You work in ways we can’t predict and lead us through waters that don’t part until we step in (Joshua 3:13).

Please strengthen us to follow even when the way is dim and our footing feels unsure. Teach us to value trust over visibility and obedience over comfort. Lead us deeper into the mystery of Your will — not because we understand it, but because we trust that You do.

For Yours is the path, even when it disappears beneath the ice.” (See Glimpse of Eternity “Through the Waters, Unseen”)

Where are you struggling to see God’s will clearly? In what area(s) of your life does it seem God has left no trace of Himself? May I remind us that the Lord always leaves clues; He never leaves us in the dark without a hand or voice to guide us, He never leaves us without hope.

Hear the words of the Prophet in Isaiah 30:15 when he writes: “This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: ‘Only in returning to Me and resting in Me will you be saved. In quietness and confidence is your strength.’” In the harried context of our daily lives we too often miss God’s voice because He speaks softly, and we miss His footprints because we’re moving too quickly.

In the darkness seek His quietness; in your torment, seek His calm; in your uncertainty and doubt, receive His certainty as He surrounds you with His holy arms and comforts you with His still, small voice. When you doubt His presence, view His creation. As He spoke the stars into existence, allow Him to speak calm assurance to your heart that would enable you to know you are never alone.

Trust His presence to abide with you, strengthen you, comfort and reassure you that the darkness you’re perceiving will one day soon give way to His glorious light. Linger with Him in His seeming invisible beauty. He IS near. He IS with you now!

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Seeking God

“O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you.” (Psalm 63:1)

*I joyfully share these Spirit-filled words from Sylvia Gunter today. Please read them with care and attentiveness, as they are life-challenging and life-giving. Blessings, Ed

Listen with your spirit to the Word of God and be blessed with the passionate cry of the psalmist in Psalm 63:1. “O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you.” And in Psalm 42:1, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.”

Spirit, be blessed to live from that deep cry of seeking God in your innermost being, longing for more of Him, digging in to know Him more intimately. Your Father desires constant communion with you spirit to Spirit. Be blessed with directing the thirst of your soul to communion with Him. Be blessed with getting out of your head and into your spirit, meeting God personally and profoundly.

Be blessed to know that God is who He says He is, and He can and will do what He says He can and will do. He is the I Am to do it in you today. He is personal and powerful, and He alone satisfies. Jesus is standing and knocking, waiting for you to open up to Him for satisfying fellowship (Revelation 3:20). Jesus invites you to a table set for two. He wants your love, and He will be satisfied when you fulfill His heart by opening up to Him.

Spirit, be blessed with knowing your covenant-keeping God of promise as you seek Him and keep company with Him in Spirit and in truth. Be blessed with more of His Spirit, not more how-to’s to make you feel religious or guilty. Be blessed to discover Him more as His Spirit lives in you to fulfill your deepest cries. Be blessed to encounter Him in such dimensions that you feel as if you have never breathed spiritually before.

Be blessed in His name, Rewarder of those who earnestly seek Him (Heb 11:6).

Taken from You Are Blessed In The Names of God, by Sylvia Gunter

For archive of past devotionals: www.thefathersbusiness.com

No Answer or Wrong Answer?

“Every day I call to You, my God, but You do not answer. Every night You hear my voice, but I find no relief.” (Psalm 22:2 NLT)

Why is prayer so hard sometimes? David (above) cried out to God, but sensed no relief, no answer from the Lord. Silence from heaven can be crippling, yet, isn’t that the essence of that upon which our faith is built? Don’t we walk by faith and not by sight? Is God obliged to respond to our every cry for help?

It may seem I’m making an effort to let God off the proverbial “hook,” but that’s not the case. Even David acknowledged “Every night You hear my voice” but God’s seeming lack of response to his prayers frustrated and confused him. They can confuse us as well.

As a rule, the Lord answers in one of three ways: “Yes,” “No,” or “Wait.” We love “Yes!” Typically despise “No.” and wrestle with “Wait.” But here’s the deal, prayer isn’t only about God, it’s also about us. Prayer is a conversation between two intelligent persons who both have the ability to think, reason, and who have wills. When our wills collide friction often results.

We want what we want when we want it. Ask any 2-year old! Unfortunately, there’s a part of us who never grows out of our “terrible two’s!” We get stubborn and bull-headed with God when He doesn’t answer us quickly and, at least in our minds, correctly. We ask for a raise and expect it in our next pay cycle; we ask for healing and expect immediate results, and, in a sense, why shouldn’t we? Isn’t that the way He answered in the Bible?

Yes, and no! Many of His miracles saw immediate results, but some unfolded over time. For example, He promised Abraham a son that took many years to come to fruition. Similarly, many of my fellow believers, as I personally know, have prayed for decades for lost loved ones, some of whom never come to know Him. Is God to blame for that? Is God the proverbial “genie” that is obligated to answer our every prayer in a way that pleases us?

H. B. Charles Jr. makes an interesting observation when he writes: “It may seem God did not answer prayer when the real issue may be that we did not like the answer.” Shouldn’t God save everyone for whom someone is praying? A couple of things I know about that. First, God DESIRES to save everyone, whether someone is praying for them or not (check out John 3:16), but He won’t force anyone to be saved. Salvation is a gift offered that must be received. The door of our heart is only opened from the inside. Though the Lord knocks, He is a Gentleman and will not force His entry into a place He isn’t invited.

With all my heart I begged God to save my marriage, but my wife still left. Is that God’s fault? Did God fail me? Absolutely not! Why not? Because He will not force the will of another person to be bent or broken in order to please us. He will not force our spouse, our boss, our neighbor, friend or loved one to do what we want.

And here’s another very frightening element of this whole process of prayer and God’s will: He will not always prevent someone from hurting or even killing us or a loved one. I think of the millions of believers who are being tormented, menaced, and murdered every day in our world. It’s frightening and angers me that human beings can be so inhumane to one another, but our day is coming. And when it does if I have the choice of being maimed, constantly hassled and tormented, or going to be with Jesus, take my head, you’ll be doing me a favor!

Of course, I’m willing, as I pray you are, to leave that decision to our Master.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

The Limitless Love of God

“Then Peter came to Him and asked, ‘Lord, how often should I forgive someone who sins against me? Seven times?’ ‘No, not seven times,’ Jesus replied, ‘but seventy times seven!’” (Matthew 18:21-22 NLT)

Without love there can be no forgiveness. To say we forgive and to forgive can be two very different things. It takes no courage, patience, or love to say words, but to embody those words and live them out can be impossible except we depend on the Holy Spirit’s infilling and enabling presence.

We cannot walk with Jesus in the power of our own might, that’s why He gave us His Spirit. If walking with Jesus was easy everyone would do it, but it’s costly and can be very hard at times. On some levels it gets no harder than when someone violates us in some way. Perhaps that’s why Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13:4: “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged.”

What if God kept a record of our wrongs? What if He held us accountable for our every wrong thought, wrong action, thoughtless comment, or unkind word? We cannot comprehend the limitless love of God made available to us through the Savior’s death on the Cross.

How can we not forgive someone when Jesus forgave the ones who nailed Him to the Cross? Who are we to believe we can somehow bypass the clear instruction of our Savior to forgive others as we have been forgiven (Matthew 6:12). But just in case we do forget, He reminds of the consequences of our unwillingness to forgive in Mark 11:26.

Augustine gives us wise counsel when he writes: “If you are suffering from a bad man’s injustice, forgive him lest there be two bad men.” When we get unhappy because of the number of times we must forgive another, “Lord, help us remember the numbers of times You’ve forgiven us.” The Lord never asks of us anything He hasn’t modeled for us in His own life.

Our posture as a believer should always be one of meekness, which is not weakness, but power under the control or our Master. Being kind to someone who has hurt us isn’t weakness, it’s strength; it doesn’t show cowardice, but valor. The love of the New Testament, the love Jesus put on display when He humbled Himself, became a man, and laid down His life for us is the love that means: “to feel and exhibit esteem and goodwill to a person, to prize and delight in a thing.”

Love isn’t about emotion, it’s about action. It’s about doing the right thing, at the right time, in the right way, for the right reason. It’s not about getting our own way or winning but humbly positioning ourselves to allow the light of Jesus’ life and love to radiate in and through us. To not set aside our desire for revenge or to hurt someone because we’ve been hurt is from Satan, not Jesus.

The first time I saw the man who had replaced me as my wife’s husband, interacting with my kids playfully and they enjoying his presence, it hurt me, but there was a side of me that realized that on many levels it was my own fault. Of what value would it be to be angry with him at the risk of further alienating my kids?

Revenge is drinking poison and expecting another person to die. It’s self-defeating and self-destructive. God’s way is best, the way of His limitless love and forgiveness.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Useful or Glorious?

“Who is like You among the gods, O Lord – glorious in holiness, awesome in splendor, performing great wonders?” (Exodus 15:11 NLT)

How do you view God? Do you love Him? Need Him? Don’t understand Him? Couldn’t care less about Him? Have no opinion about Him? Question Him? Doubt Him? Fear Him?

The range of views as to who God is or if He even exists is broad, but none of that matters in the end. The only person’s opinion that matters when we stand before Him at the end of time is yours. Why? Because who we are, what we do, how we conduct the affairs of our lives is ultimately based on what we conclude about who God is for ourselves.

“Used by permission, © Ray Majoran, GlimpseOfInfinity.com” “A Beautiful Inheritance”

For many, if not most of the people of the world, He’s a profane expression or we cry out His Holy Name in desperation or anger. He’s only an ever-present reality in the hearts and minds of the few who take the time and make the effort to recognize His grandeur, greatness, splendor, excellence, and beauty for themselves. Is that you?

Unfortunately, even for many professing believers He’s little more than “useful” in times of need. God our Father is little more than the proverbial “Genie in the bottle” that we summon when it’s necessary or convenient for us. We blurt out, “Oh, God!” when bad news comes, or we face a crisis that is beyond our own ability to cope.

Why is it that as followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we don’t consistently and as a matter of reflex, habitually turn to the Lord every second of every day? Do we so quickly forget that “apart from Him we are nothing?” That “apart from Him we can do nothing?” We have our being in Him; apart from Him we wouldn’t exist, yet, we have the audacity to ignore Him as though He were a napkin we could use as an adornment or to clean up our messes.

David Platt challenges us when he writes: “Do we find God useful for our circumstances or do we find Him glorious regardless of circumstances?” For me, I’m not sure it’s either/or, but both/and. When He’s our Lord and King, He guides us in EVERY circumstance of our lives. He’s useful in the sense that He’s always with us, guiding, instructing, teaching, helping, sustaining, strengthening, informing us in every detail of our existence.

But He’s also glorious in every circumstance! Always worthy of honor, worship, adoration, praise, glory, and absolute devotion. I’m in awe of the fact that regardless of how many years we follow Him there is always something new He teaches us about Himself. His patience, kindness, forgiveness, forbearance, gentleness, as well as His incomprehensible love.

What a gift He gives us in the security of His care. To feel safe in His comforting arms wherever we are or under whatever circumstance. In a similar way as we ran to our loving parent with the smallest little nick or scratch, we can take whatever care we have, small or large, and He assures us with His gentle touch and soothing voice of care.

If we profess faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and do not hold His (our) Heavenly Father as Glorious in every circumstance, we don’t know Jesus as well as we need to.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Man or Machine?

“So God created human beings in His own image. In the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.” (Genesis 1:27 (NLT)

You and I are created by God to “fill the earth and govern it.” (Genesis 1:28), yet, there are those today who believe humanity is basically idiotic and should be governed by machines, or, at least, by those who control the machines.

John Stonestreet gives us insight into this idea when he wrote: “C.S. Lewis saw this impulse decades ago and recognized how it would grant growing power to certain people over and above others. In his masterpiece The Abolition of Man, Lewis warned of those he called ‘conditioners,’ who considered themselves above such common human frailties. Of course, as Lewis pointed out, the conditioners are also human, but in denial that they too are vulnerable to the same frailties as everyone else.

Their danger lies in the fact that they are oblivious about their frailties, especially their moral frailties. It is good that humans have bodies that limit us to one location and the need for food, sleep, and friendship. These limits are part of our design. Because we are designed, we must be guided by values and not merely algorithms. It is good that we take time to learn, to appreciate beauty, to feel wonder, and to have burning questions about what is behind all that we see.

God made us this way, so that, eventually, our seeking would lead back to Him. Though He intends to redeem us from the ravages of sin, He never intends to optimize us into efficient machines. Apparently, He considers being human as something ‘good,’ even ‘very good.’ So much so, in fact, He took on flesh Himself. (Pixar’s) Wall-E got it (mostly) right. Technology is good but needs a telos—a purpose for existing. That purpose cannot be to replace, transcend, or circumvent God’s good design for human beings. In short, technology and public policy should be human-shaped, not the other way around. (See BreakPoint Humanity Isn’t a Problem to Solve // Myanmar Junta Persecutes Christians – 09-21-23)

It’s ironic on some levels that as a world society, the less like God we strive to be, the more inhumane we are to one another, and this obviously isn’t getting better. The longer we deny, not only God’s existence, but our need of Him, the more prone we become to be destructive, not only to ourselves, but in the way(s) we treat one another.

The mutilation of children, the annihilation of people groups, the intolerance of anything that even hints of God and the disdain of anyone naïve enough to believe He exists, is not only frightening, but the confirmation that God’s tolerance of our sin-bent nature is growing short.

If ever there was a time when God’s people should shine in the darkness and depravity of the world in which we live, it is now. Treat others, every other person, whether you deem them “worthy” or not, like you’d like to be treated. Speak to people with whom you have contact each day with respect and courtesy.

We’re not humanized “machines,” we’re people made in the image of God, created and designed to function as mini examples of who He is and what He’s like. Let’s allow the Holy Spirit to so rule us that those with whom we have contact will catch a glimpse of the living God and, perhaps, gain insight in why they need to yield their lives and allegiance to Him.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Take My Yoke!

“Then Jesus said, ‘Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you. Let Me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.’” (Matthew 11:28-30 NLT)

What do you envision when you close your eyes and imagine being “yoked” with Jesus? Think of a pair of oxen yoked together, pulling a plow. Think of the implications. They’re partnered, literally connected. Where one goes, the other must go. There’s no “doing there own thing,” or going their own way.

Think of the implications for you and me if we’re serious about our walk with Jesus. What if every morning when your eyes opened to the opportunity of a new day, your first thought was: “Thank You, Lord, for this new day. What do You have prepared for me? How can I most fully and appropriately conform my life to Your will and liking? I want Your will, not mine! I want to walk in Your footsteps, not mine! I want what You want for me. Nothing more, nothing less!” Might it change the trajectory of your whole day? Your whole life?

Photo by Sarau00ed Carrasco on Pexels.com

The purpose of a yoke is two-fold. First, to take away control. When I’m yoked with Jesus the only option I have is to try to stay still and be dragged along, or take the next step, in step with my Master. The moment we relinquish control of our lives to Jesus; from that moment we’ll begin to grow in His likeness. When our heart beats with desire to be like Him, our lives will conform more perfectly to His desires and will.

That relates to the second purpose of a yoke, which is to teach or train. Jesus said: “Take My yoke upon you. Let Me teach you…” There is no more effective training than “on-the-job training.” We can read the Bible day and night, but until we allow the Lord Jesus to “yoke” us to Himself and begin to walk by His side, we’ll have no frame of reference from which to govern our life.

The Bible isn’t just filled with meaningful and helpful stories and guidelines, it’s filled with life! Life that lives and breathes and has it’s being in and through each one who is bold enough and brave enough to lay down control of their lives and yoke themselves to the God of Creation. There is no greater honor or privilege than to walk in harmony with the Creator of the Universe!

The gift of God’s Holy Spirit living within us gives us 24-7 access to His leadership and training. There is not a second of my day I’m alone or expected to find my own way. I, you, don’t have a way! It’s HIS way! That’s the beauty of being yoked with Him. We don’t have to think about which way to go or how to do something He’s asked of us.

We simply comply with the Holy Spirit’s directives and walk in His power and might. “But how?” you might ask. One step at a time! Begin each day with a decision to rely on God’s strength and guidance, then moment by moment make the decision to rely on Him. He will guide and inform you. Is it a decision regarding something at work? Pause and in your mind breath a prayer of dependence upon the Lord: “Father, this is catching me by surprise, but I know nothing catches You by surprise. Please order my steps and direct my mind!” And He will! Regardless of the circumstances, if we trust Him, He will respond accordingly.

There’s no greater freedom than to be yoked with the Lord Jesus.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

The Object of Our Worship

“Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is Yours, O Lord, and this is Your kingdom. We adore You as the One who is over all things.” (1 Chronicles 29:11 NLT)

Easter was just a few weeks past and for me it was a glorious event. The Lord has given me the privilege of greeting those who who are coming to worship at one of our entrances, and as the hundreds of people flooded through the doors on Easter Sunday, my heart was rejoicing. I kept saying to the Lord, “Keep ‘em coming Lord! Keep ‘em coming!” and He did!

The music was glorious, and our Pastor was on fire for the Lord. When I left my soul was rejoicing and my heart was full. But why? Who deserves the credit for such an outpouring of God’s presence? Certainly not the musicians. As great as they are, as much as they rehearsed, they were instruments the Lord used to help tune our heart to His voice.

What about our Pastor? Should he get the credit? I’ve learned something over the years that I wish I’d known when I was pastoring. When the Pastor worships, adores God, and is seeking His holy presence with all His heart, the people in his audience experience the Lord’s presence. But to answer my question, no, the Pastor doesn’t deserve the credit.

God alone is worthy of our worship, adoration, and praise. To transfer or give credit to anyone or anything else is to miss the point of worship. Tim Challies nailed it when he wrote: “The most fitting response to a powerful sermon is not, ‘What a great preacher!’ but ‘What a great God!’” To believe the source of our spiritual “food” is a Pastor or even a church, is to misunderstand their role in God’s plan.

Micah Fries was on to something when he observed: “If you judge your church’s worship based on how well you’ve been ‘fed’ you have made yourself the object of your worship.” The purpose of worship in whatever form we experience it, isn’t to “feed” us, but to humble us, magnify Christ, and glorify His Father. We’re fed by God’s Word and His words from whoever’s lips they may flow.

There are men and women of God who share God’s truth through the written, as well as the spoken word, but they are not to be glorified, honored, and exalted. They are great only to the extent they enable their readers or hearers to see Jesus more clearly and understand their role in the Kingdom more completely, but we stunt our own growth by offering credit for the presence and power of God to the wrong sources.

But we too often do the same thing each day when we fail to see the glory and majesty of God in the sunrise, in the air we breathe, or in the food He provides for our meals. Having a loving family and friends should cause our hearts to praise our Risen Lord for His favor in allowing us such meaningful relationships.

When Jesus is the object of our worship, every detail of our life becomes alive with meaning and opportunity to praise and honor Him. He is the Author of every good and perfect gift and we must allow our lives to give Him the credit and worship that is His due. To not see His hand at work in every dimension of our lives is to miss opportunities to exalt Him as our worthy Lord.

I’m hopeful that you’re a part of a thriving, growing fellowship of God’s people, but please don’t credit that blessing to the works of man. God uses men and women in the building of His Kingdom, but all glory is His for the good results. He alone is and must always be the object of our worship.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊

Practice or Profession

“Everything is pure to those whose hearts are pure. But nothing is pure to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, because their minds and consciences are corrupted. Such people claim they know God, but they deny Him by the way they live. They are detestable and disobedient, worthless for doing anything good.” (Titus 1:15-16 NLT)

Would you believe me if I told you I’ve made 5 eagles in a single round of golf? If you’re familiar with golf you’d probably laugh and tell me it’s never been done, but I’ve done it more than once…on my Xbox 360 Tiger Woods golf game (on easy mode 😊). But to translate that proficiency from a golf game to an actual golf course would be impossible for me. I’ve never in my life had an eagle and very few birdies.

What’s my point? Profession is a lot easier than practice! Even as a believer, it’s so much easier to profess intimacy with our Savior than to practice it. The fact is, intimacy with anyone, pure, spiritual closeness with another human being is rare. Please don’t confuse physical intimacy with heart intimacy even with another human being.

Profession of our faith should only grow out of our practice of spiritual disciplines that flow from a heart being transformed and conformed to our Savior’s likeness. That transformation begins the moment we yield our life and allegiance to the Lord Jesus, confessing our sin and seeking His forgiveness and the infilling of His Holy Spirit.

But it’s a journey that continues until we draw our last breath and are translated miraculously into the Lord’s holy presence. We’ll never be perfect, in the sense of flawless and sinless, in the same sense as Jesus was, as long as we’re in these human bodies, but that shouldn’t prevent us from constantly seeking to be better and more Christlike in every avenue of our being.

Mark Driscoll was on to something when he wrote: “Christianity is about what you practice, not just what you profess.” We must be very careful we don’t “oversell” our walk with the Lord. May the Lord protect us from professing that which we have not yet learned to practice in our walk with Him. What does that mean? What might that look like?

Just because I no longer struggle with ongoing lustful thoughts doesn’t mean I never have a lustful thought. What it means is the Lord has taught me to immediately shift my thoughts to something wholesome and good. He has given me verses, choruses, or hymns to which He will immediately redirect my thoughts. Or I’ll shift my thinking to my beautiful bride and the joy she brings to my life in so many ways.

Wherever you are in your walk with the Lord, I have two directives from the Lord. First, don’t give up. Regardless of how many times you fall, keep getting up. One day, I promise you, it will get easier if you’ll continually take it to the Lord and seek His help and strength. And, secondly, seek Godly friendships with others who have overcome what you’re seeking to overcome in your life. Someone who understands how you’re struggling and can empathize with your pain and failure.

Too often we want to feel superior, like we’re some kind of “super” Christian when the Lord delivers us from our sin, but His desire is just the opposite. He wants us to contribute every victory, not to our strength, but to His; not to our efforts, but to His work in and through us.

Constant practice puts “meat” on the bones of our profession and gives us greater and greater opportunities for praise, adoration and worship of our King.

Food for thought.

Blessings, Ed 😊