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It started with a deadly virus tearing through the elderly and immunocompromised. The way it was handled in the US has been one of the most controversial and dividing events in recent history, and yet there were more polarizing things to come. Race relations in this country came to a head in a way that it never had before. People want to point at the death of George Floyd as the beginning, but that murder was simply another spoke in the wheel of injustice that had been rolling downhill for a long time. It had been picking up speed for quite a while, but the Minneapolis incident was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

The media and this country’s politicians (on both sides of the political spectrum) have done precious little to heal the division. If anything, they have stereotyped, polarized, and racially profiled us into opposite corners that we would have never chosen on our own.  Lines from civil rights leaders were cherry-picked and scriptures taken out of context were used and abused. Clichés that were semantically and technically correct, but were spoken out of a wrong heart and used to humiliate, became the norm (especially on social media). The “We’re all one race” agenda was (is) being hammered into the ground but the fact remained; we were (are) divided. For better or worse, this country was forced to take a long hard look in the mirror and come to terms that things aren’t okay and they haven’t been for decades. Getting back to normal isn’t an acceptable solution. Normal is broken.

As I look back on the events and emotions of not just the last few months, but the last 30 years, I have come to several realizations. First, racism in the US is a much larger problem than I ever realized. Second, pride and ignorance (some of that ignorance being willful) are much more prevalent than hatred in this country. Third, while I was never “actively” part of the problem, I was also never part of the solution. There is something akin to physical pain in admitting that, but I cannot turn a blind eye and expect change to come.

Ignorance in and of itself is forgivable. Ignorance is defined as lack of knowledge. Even Jesus acknowledged that no sin is imputed where there is lack of knowledge. In John 9:40-41 it says, “Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, ‘Are we blind also?’ Jesus said to them, ‘If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains.’” Jesus was telling them that if they were truly blind to the innocence or guilt of their actions, that sin would not be imputed to them. However, since they see the truth and still err, then their sins remain. James put it well in James 4:17 which reads, “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.” Having enlightenment on something is necessary for guilt to be assessed.  Consequences on the other hand have no regard for your knowledge. If your toddler, that has just learned to walk, steps off of the kitchen table, you aren’t going to punish him, but the law of gravity doesn’t suddenly go away. He’ll probably have a bruise or two.

What is not okay however is willfully resisting knowledge. Most of the time, this resistance has no malicious nature, but is rather born out of pride. I can certainly speak to this on a personal level. This was me just a few months ago. I found myself outraged by George Floyd’s murder, but outrage fades fast when it doesn’t directly affect you. I had probably never noticed this apathy before because of the very nature of apathy. When you aren’t being reminded of something constantly, it slips by the wayside quickly. This didn’t go away. In fact, the protests around the country kept this on the top of the mind at all times. Suddenly my upbringing, my ignorance, and my apathy were hard for me to gloss over. I didn’t like that the way I was taught was being called into question. I didn’t like that people I knew and respected were suddenly flooding social media with articles that a 15 minute Internet search would prove wrong. It was also easy to see how things can get twisted so quickly. We each know our own heart. Knowing that I have never harbored hate for any person based on ethnicity or skin color was enough to absolve me in my own mind. My understanding was that my lack of prejudice was enough to put me on the right side of history. Deciding to really educate myself was both eye-opening and humbling.

I’m not going into the details because my intention of this article isn’t to give a Cliff Notes version of history and race related facts. The information is out there and you don’t have to dig too much to learn it (and I’m not talking about CNN or FOX News articles with an obvious agenda). Refusing to learn because your past conversations, posts, or mindsets might take on an embarrassing light, is not an adequate reason to reject knowledge. As I’ve said, my viewpoints have changed vastly in the last year, but that’s okay. God doesn’t condemn me for my past and neither should anyone else.

Having an unteachable spirit is another thing entirely however. Solomon writes in Proverbs 29:1, “He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck, will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.” I think we get a glimpse of why God said that rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry (I Samuel 15:23). We must remain teachable and willing to learn if we hope to mature as Christians. People insist on equating humility with humiliation and that simply isn’t the case. The Bible says Moses was the meekest man of his generation. Meekness and humility doesn’t mean being weak or having no backbone.

We, as Christians, should stand up for the things that the WORD OF GOD says, and everything else should be subject to scrutiny and perhaps change if it doesn’t line up with the Word! Two wrongs will never make a right, so please know that I am not condoning riots, violence, destruction, or race shaming (of any kind). Everything we are to do should be done while staying rooted and grounded in love. I don’t care what great past leader said in his speech, if it isn’t done in love; it doesn’t measure up to the Word. People are God’s greatest resource. Fellow Christians should not be divided and polarized over temporal things that have no Kingdom consequences. Don’t let apathy or the desire to live without rocking the boat keep you from maturing in Christ and truly loving your brother.

“And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?” – Luke 12:25

The world has been turned upside down.

At the time of this publication, we are dealing with an unprecedented worldwide crisis. The Coronavirus strain COVID-19 is sweeping across the nations of the world. Public gatherings have been halted. Theaters are closed. Every Disney Park on the planet is closed at the time of this writing. Even dine-in restaurants are closed. Churches have had to temporarily close their doors to simply lower the risks to their parishioners. People have been panic-buying. Doomsday preppers are having their time in the spotlight. Online retailers are selling toilet paper for $60 per 24 pack. The shelves at the local grocery and department stores are devoid of basic cleaning and disinfecting products.

The world has been turned upside down.

It’s an election year, so we have candidates bickering about how they would better handle the crisis. We have conspiracy theorists spouting their suspicions about the virus being a hoax, a constructed distraction, or even a judgment from God. Yes, this isn’t different than what conspiracy theorists always say, but now people are actually listening. The media is doing precious little to calm things down. From every media source available, there is fear-mongering, misleading statistics, and click-bait type headlines. The government (at least in the United States) is moving to “flatten the curve” but many are saying that officials reacted far too late to prevent cataclysm.

The world has been turned upside down.

The virus itself has an alarming shelf-life in all climates. It can live on surfaces for far longer than most viruses. It sticks around on all types of surfaces as well. While not nearly as pervasive as influenza, the mortality rate is higher (although not nearly as high as most media outlets would have us believe). The facts remain that it has been spreading rapidly enough to be declared a pandemic.

The world has been turned upside down.

Department stores are closed so people are worried about what they will wear. Grocery stores are wiped out from people hoarding food, so people are worried about what they’re going to eat. Jobs are laying people off so people are worried about having their basic needs met. All of this should remind any Christian of a passage in the book of Matthew. Matthew 6:31-34 reads, “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”

We all know this passage and it is a wonderful promise. However, many people either overlook, or simply refuse to look at the commands in these verses. This is all red text, so we know these are the spoken words of Jesus Himself. He says “Therefore do not worry” and He repeats it two verses later. This isn’t a suggestion. Jesus is commanding us not to worry. We love talking about “all these things shall be added to us” but we want to glaze over the “do not worry” part. It is a command with a promise attached. We can’t expect to have the things added to us if we’re not willing to actively refuse to worry. So what does refusing to worry really look like?

It looks like faith personified. To worry or show great concern about things that God has already promised to take care of is to show God that we don’t trust Him. That may sound harsh, but it is absolutely true according to scripture. In Philippians 4:6-7 Paul writes, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” We see here another instance of God’s word telling us we aren’t allowed to be anxious. We are to make our requests known “with thanksgiving”. When do we normally give thanks for something? When we receive it. We are to be living in a constant state of gratitude to God for what He has promised that He will do!

Yes, the world seems it has been turned upside down, but God has not been caught off-guard. He knew this was going to happen. He has been in our tomorrow, and His word is very clear. We must choose not to worry. To do otherwise is be out of faith and in disobedience to God! Let’s not water down God’s word to match up with what we’re seeing in the world. Let’s bring ourselves up to the standard of His infallible word and live in the confidence and victory that He promises us!

“Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” Acts 3:19

Repentance.

That one word is a whole mouthful. It is a necessary step in the salvation process, and the gateway into living a life free of condemnation. Except for far too many Christians, it isn’t. The enemy of our souls certainly does his part to heap guilt and condemnation upon our heads, but is the church inadvertently doing the same thing? I think we are. I don’t believe it’s malicious, but it is definitely happening. And it is aborting new believers by the thousands. I know because I have been guilty of being part of the misinformation train, and I have been a victim of this unintentional deception.

I have been taught about repentance since I was a child in Sunday school. The idea is simple; you ask Jesus to forgive you for your sins and subsequently go in a different direction. The literal translation of the word in scripture is “to turn from evil, and to turn to the good.” The definition is absolutely correct, but the spirit with which it is presented is often not. The basic concept is sound, but it omits one very important factor: humanity. As I have said, Satan does his fair share in reminding us of our past and tempting us in the areas of our weaknesses. However, we as believers tend to make people think that it is common to repent for something and not succumb to it again. Ever.

I wrote an article a few months ago trying to clarify the concept of “deliverance”; what it is and what it isn’t. Repentance is much the same. Yes, when we repent, we are asking God to forgive us. We are also determining in our heart to change our direction. In other words, we know what we should and should not be doing, and we are going to put our efforts toward not repeating that sin. Easy peasy lemon squeezy…. Except it’s more like difficult difficult lemon difficult.

The Apostle Paul, the man who wrote more than half of the New Testament, had this to say about putting action to his convictions: “For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do.” (Romans 7:15) If the greatest missionary the world has ever known had this much trouble fighting off wrong impulses and sinful behavior, then maybe we should take a second look at how we’re portraying repentance to baby Christians. This idea that when we repent, we turn our back to that behavior is correct. However, the belief that that behavior won’t tempt us or that we won’t fall into that sin again just doesn’t hold water. And unfortunately, there are thousands of new believers leaving the church every year because they are being made to feel like failures because they are going around the same mountain over and over again. We aren’t coming right out and saying it, but we are unquestionably implying that if they were REALLY sorry for their sin, they would stop doing it. They begin to doubt their own sincerity and the devil is quick to reinforce their doubts. He will whisper in their (our) ears that they (we) are not actually repentant because they (we) keep falling. Even as seasoned Christians we are subject to this way of thinking. Just imagine what it is doing to new believers!

If we continue to push the idea that we’re not really repentant of something until we have conquered it, most of us are in a world of hurt. That is what makes the grace of God so amazing! God knew you were going to fail and has already made provision for it. He has taken not only the blame, but also the punishment for our sin. God’s mercy and His grace have covered us for the rest of our lives. Naturally this makes many people think “then why bother fighting it?” This notion of doing whatever we want and going through the motions of asking forgiveness is not biblical. I’ve heard this called greasy-grace. There is nothing okay about this.  Paul was dealing with many of the same questions from the church in Rome. In Romans 6:1-2 he writes, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” Repentance is truly a matter of the heart. If the repentance is sincere, our God is quick to forgive. But what makes it sincere?

The sincerity of asking for forgiveness comes down to this question: are we sorry that we’ve violated what we know is right? Are we authentically grieving because we knew better and committed the sin anyway? If so, this is true repentance. If we are sorry and ask forgiveness only when we get caught or we have to deal with tangible consequences, then we probably need to check the condition of our heart. This is not repentance. It is a knee-jerk reaction in an attempt to redeem ourselves in the view of others. This is pride and cannot be any further from real repentance. Real repentance accepts responsibility and consequences that go with the action.

Being human, we have the tendency to ascribe imperfect characteristics to God. We know how frustrating we get with someone who blows it over and over (and over and over and over) again in the same area. I’m sure that all of us have found it hard to forgive someone for committing an offense against us repeatedly. Peter asked Jesus a question regarding this very thing. Matthew 18:2121-22 reads, “Then Peter came to Him and said, ‘Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?’  Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.’” Jesus is telling us that he expects us to forgive as many times as asked. He would not ask of us what He is not already doing. As long as we are in true repentance, He is quick to absolve us of all our sins!

As followers of Christ, we need to protect those who are still learning. We cannot continue to teach a message of love but follow it up with one of condemnation and unattainable standards. God is faithful to help us triumph over every attack of the enemy, but it doesn’t happen overnight. It didn’t for us, and it won’t for most other people either. There is a place in the kingdom of God for redemption, restoration, and repentance. Whether it’s the first time or the four thousandth, God is faithful. As we strive to become more like Jesus, He will help us to achieve victory over every stronghold!

“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” – I Peter 5:8

I was never really a huge video game fanatic. I enjoyed my 8-bit Nintendo and my Nintendo 64, but I was not a gamer. However, I did enjoy role-playing games with good story line and quests to complete. I loved to guide my character from city to city looking for clues and fighting enemies. However, sometimes I would find myself in a desolate area of the game map and no matter which direction I looked, there was nothing to do. I would explore and look for treasure, but usually found nothing. After seeking help, usually through a game guide I purchased at any magazine retailer as there was no Internet available in the eighties, I normally discovered I was on the wrong side of the fictional land. My quest was in the other direction. As my character traveled to the next item in my quest, I started encountering roadblocks and obstacles. (Most of those obstacles carried fully automatic machine guns if I remember correctly.) If video games have taught me one practical life lesson it is this: if you consistently run into enemies, you are probably going the right direction.

Naturally the comparisons to video games go only so far. Life is no game. God doesn’t see it as a game. Satan doesn’t see it as a game. We don’t need to see it as a game either. So many people view their life as a competition though. “He who dies with the most toys wins.” “If you’re not first, you’re last.” There are so many clichés and creeds that support that notion. However, clichés and creeds are not scripture. They are simply clever sounding labels for greed and pride. In the era of YouTube billionaires, multi-million dollar lotto jackpots, and pyramid schemes, both ruthlessness and rapacity are at all-time highs. Of course no one wants to live in poverty or lack, so what is a Christian to do?

I have good news! God is more against poverty than is the rest of the world. Millions of Christians don’t believe it, but to deny it is to omit several dozen passages of scripture. I think one thing that all believers can agree on is this: God wants us to help people and be generous. However, if we don’t even have enough to meet our own needs, we certainly can’t be of much help to anyone else. Paul writes in Philippians 4:19, “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Now many would have us believe that this means that God will only do the bare minimum to get us by. I don’t know about you, but my experiences tell me that I don’t serve a “barely enough” God. In II Corinthians 9:8 Paul writes to the church in Corinth, “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.” Does this sound like barely enough to you? Maybe I’m crazy, but “every good work” doesn’t sound like my mortgage payment or phone bill. God wants to see us blessed so that we can be a blessing to His kids!

Now as passionate as I am about God’s blessing and His will to bless His children, that is not my focus in this article. Some of us have latched onto this truth and are experiencing God’s favor and blessing in our lives. We have also discovered something else: the spiritual, mental, and even physical attacks are more frequent than ever. And this is not exclusive to being blessed monetarily. Giving up our time in service, launching a ministry, or simply sharing our faith with people will frequently be met with resistance that seemingly came out of nowhere. Why?

The answer is pretty simple; we are now a threat. There are millions of people that coast along with little to no resistance in their lives. Believers and non-believers alike can fall into this camp. I have seen fellow Christians that seem to be almost immune to attacks on their finances, family, or health. Upon closer examination however, we see that most of those who deal with little drama tend to also have the least ambition in the kingdom. We have all seen the church people that don’t serve, don’t give, and don’t make an impact for Jesus. The majority of these believers are doing nothing to spread the Gospel, add to God’s kingdom, or serve their fellow Christians. They are there for status, out of guilt, or for family obligation. In other words, they are no threat to the devil.

The key scripture above says that the enemy is seeking whom he may devour. Devouring really is only possible if there is a harvest to devour. When we serve and see people being impacted for the kingdom of God, we are gathering a harvest. When we give to people or ministries and we see the effects of that generosity, we are gathering a harvest. When we share our faith and lead people to the Lord, we are gathering a harvest. Satan wants that harvest. Any service that we give to God’s kingdom is stealing from the enemy’s kingdom here on earth. We are now a threat. Satan is quick to deal with a threat.

So why bother? If we can coast along without being harassed by the devil and the forces of darkness, why should we even try? Well first of all, obedience. We were given the great commission in Matthew 28:19-20 which reads, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” If there was no other reason, His command should be enough to get us moving!

We also need to constantly remember that attacks of the enemy do not mean victories of the enemy. Satan will certainly attack anyone that is encroaching on land he perceives as his, but his attacks are only effective if we stand idly by and accept them. II Corinthians 2:14 read, “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ,…” The enemy can attack, but if we are living in our privileges as children of God, he doesn’t get to win. We always get the victory. Naturally we receive this victory through faith. We have full authority to tell the devil to take a hike!  In his letter, James says in chapter four verse seven, “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” Now THAT is God-given authority. To be an overcomer, we must have overcome something right? The more we get victory, the closer we get to the end of the race. In the video game example, as long as we’re still running into enemies, we are getting closer to beating the game. It is no different in life. The only difference is that we can’t lose this game. The final boss has already been defeated!

As we serve, give, witness, and love, we will certainly run into opposition. However, that just means that we are stealing souls from the enemy’s kingdom and adding them to God’s. Let’s not grow weary in well doing as the scripture says (Galatians 6:9), but let’s run our race and gather the harvest. We will be a target for Satan, but he’s already been defeated. Let’s be a threat to the enemy. Let’s draw his attention. We may have attacks thrown at us, but we always get the victor and the rewards are worth it!

“Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of Gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.” – Galatians 6:1

All Christians have a firm belief in the Great Commission. (Or at least we better!) Once we are saved, we are to go and help others find Christ. It’s the cornerstone and bedrock of what we’re on this planet to do. We know that it is God’s will for all to be saved according to II Peter 3:9, that reads, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” This doesn’t mean that all people WILL be saved, but only that God desires it. He won’t negate our free will, but He earnestly desires all of His creations to spend eternity with Him. However, once we decide to live for Jesus we should always have a mission mindset.

Now this doesn’t mean that we are all going to be called to go overseas to evangelize remote peoples. Handing out religious tracts door-to-door isn’t going to be in everyone’s future either. And unless you are specifically directed by God to do it, don’t hand out pamphlets at the airport. We’re supposed to stand apart and be separate (II Corinthians 6:17) but that doesn’t necessarily mean we have to be weirdos. And most of the people I’ve seen in airports handing out pamphlets definitely fall into the “weirdo” category.            

All kidding aside, most mature believers already know this information. We know that our duty in life after receiving our own salvation is to take as many people to heaven with us as possible. And most of us are in complete agreement about the power of the blood of Jesus and the overwhelming mercy that He extends to sinners to cleanse and deliver them. We are pretty good about accepting new converts and helping them to grow and mature. However, we aren’t nearly as good at forgiveness and restoration of believers that fall.

Not good at all.

Pitiful in fact.

How can we plead the blood of Jesus on new believers while going out of our way to shelter and disciple them, but completely cut off a seasoned Christian who falls into sin? How is this okay? Not only is it a horrible display of the restoration taught in the Bible, but it teaches those new believers we’ve tried to mentor that there is no coming back from some sins. And of course, the more visible or public the sin, the harder we cry out for justice instead of crying out for mercy.

This isn’t how it is supposed to be.

In today’s Christian climate, King David never would have made it through the Bathsheba scandal, let alone the murder of Uriah. As Twenty-first Century Christians, we would have demanded blood (or at least the abdication of his kingship). Fortunately, God doesn’t react the way we do. Were there consequences of his actions? Absolutely. Terrible consequences. However, God did not forsake David. Nor did He take away his throne. God didn’t even ask him to step down from the parking lot team. God is a God of restoration to the same degree that He is a God of salvation.

Our actions have consequences, and about that, there is no doubt. Galatians 6:7 reads, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” But we as fellow believers need to be satisfied with the consequences that God allows and not impose our own. Dispensing correction for other people’s indiscretions isn’t our job. We only see what our natural eyes will allow. God sees the heart. We have no idea about the humility and sincerity of a repentant man or woman, but God does. Sometimes the breaking heart and destroyed conscience IS the consequence.

While the above verse from Galatians is true. It is no truer than Romans 11:29 which states, “For the gifts and thee calling of God are irrevocable.” God has given talents and gifts among all of us and He isn’t going to suddenly withdraw those talents and gifts because of a fall into sin. It wasn’t a mistake on God’s part to give these talents, and He expects a return on His investment. If He took ministry away from anyone who fell into sin, it would undermine His own plan of evangelizing the world. We all have sinned and have no moral authority to proclaim someone else’s sins more “evil” or “unforgivable” than our own. Sexual sins seem to top our list of “ministry destroying” issues. Impropriety with ministry funds comes in at a close second. I’m certainly not here to excuse these sins (or any sins for that matter), but if we’re to be like Jesus, we must make room for restoration!

The Apostle Paul had a past that would have completely excluded him from any place in ministry in the eyes of most of today’s Christians. Peter denied Christ three times and was later used to preach the greatest evangelical sermon in the Bible.

God believes in restoration.

God practices restoration.

People with powerful ministries are going to be prime targets for the enemy. With greater anointing, comes greater attack. Not everyone is going to overcome every attack unscathed. People are going to fall. People will sometimes have to re-earn trust through a pattern of good works. However, no one is ever excluded from ministry. It is what we are called to do. Let’s be a church ready to restore the fallen and the broken. We are in desperate need of Christians using their gifts for the kingdom. The world needs Christians who have tasted victory and defeat. It is what makes us relatable! Yes, we must use wisdom in all things, but let’s not hold people to unattainable standards to keep them from operating in their calling. Let’s be a church full of love and compassion that is ready to restore!  

“You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. Selah.” – Psalms 32:7

Deliverance is a word that scares half of the body of Christ, and confuses most of the rest of us. Images of Dana Carvey running around the SNL stage dressed as the Church Lady trying to “EXORCISE THE DEMONS!” come to mind for many people. Others think of satanic possession or rituals performed in Latin when the word deliverance is mentioned. The enemy of our souls would like nothing more than perpetuating this stigma surrounding deliverance. It keeps far too many of us from ever going after and obtaining the real deliverance needed in our life. I think we need to dive into the Bible and find out what deliverance really means!

The Oxford dictionary defines deliverance as: the action of being rescued or set free. That definition by itself is enough to put some of the stereotypes about deliverance to rest. That isn’t even a biblical definition! There is a second definition in the Oxford dictionary as well: a formal or authoritative utterance. We’ll come back to that in a bit. There are two Greek words used in the New Testament that are translated as deliverance: rhuomai (meaning “rescue”) and exaireo (meaning “take out of”)

I think to understand what deliverance really is, we should first examine what it is NOT. First, it is not exclusively an outward supernatural event. Certainly it could be, but we need to rid ourselves of the idea that the package of “deliverance” always involves demonic possessions, spinning heads, or exorcism rites. While there are some instances found in scripture about “demon possessed” individuals, I think in our lives we are much more likely to encounter “demon influenced” people (ourselves included!). Satan works day and night to try to put chains on people; believer and non-believer alike. We don’t have to be “possessed” to be bound up in chains brought on by the enemy. These chains can range anywhere from bitterness, anxiety, depression, addiction, and pride to idolatry, adultery, theft, or murder. Being bound in chains is a condition needing deliverance!

Deliverance is also not freedom from all temptation. This is going to shake-up a lot of our theologies, but God never promised to remove temptation. God delivering us from something does not mean that we won’t ever be tempted to return to it. Many believers wholeheartedly believe that God will make the devil stop tempting you in certain areas. I’ve even heard it preached from the pulpit, that when God delivers you, the desires are permanently gone. This not only runs contrary to scripture, but is incredibly harmful to Christians who are trying to get free.  They feel like God has deserted them. They think that they must not have qualified for true deliverance because the temptation is still there. This idea that God setting us free will eliminate all temptation needs to be eradicated in the church. The Bible clearly explains that the enemy still wants us and will continue to look for opportunities to trip us up.  I Peter 5:8-9 reads, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.”  

We are told to resist the devil! There is nowhere in scripture that we are told to pray “God please make the devil stop.” We can’t try to push what God has told us to do back on Him. In his letter, James repeats this same admonishment. James 4:7 reads, “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” We are to resist the enemy and God’s word promises that he will flee from us. We have to do it! Likewise, there is no promise in the Bible saying that God will make the enemy forget what our weaknesses are. With God’s power behind us we may be more powerful than the enemy, but he is crafty. He is clever. Even after being forced to flee, he will come sneaking back around and tempt us with those things from which we have been freed. As the scripture above says, we must be sober and vigilant because he is stalking about looking for people to recapture. So what profit does the concept of deliverance really hold then?

Let’s go back to that Greek word from earlier: rhuomai. It means to rescue. If someone needs rescuing, it means that they are helpless in themselves and require assistance from the outside. This is exactly what God does to provide deliverance. If we look at the scripture from James 4 that we read earlier, we can look at the previous verse and see what God adds to our situation. James 4:6 reads, “But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.’”  When we are trying to escape out of any prison that the enemy has us locked in, we realize very quickly that we don’t have the strength. We cannot hope to do anything in our own power. It is through the medium of deliverance that God’s grace is enabled in our lives. With enough grace, we can do anything! Temptation will come. It is inevitable. But God gives us grace to overcome. Deliverance is the enabling of supernatural grace in our lives! After all, we can’t be an overcomer if we have nothing to overcome.

The second definition from the Oxford dictionary is: a formal or authoritative utterance. Is there a more authoritative utterance than the word of God? Along with the verses we’ve already read, there are numerous others that give us the assurance of deliverance. Deuteronomy 20:4 says, “For the Lord your God is He who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.”  There will be fights, but we have One who will lead us in battle. In the parable of the wise builder and the foolish builder, Jesus says that the rains will beat against both houses, but those who have a firm foundation (puts their trust in Him) will stand. Isaiah 54:17 reads, “’No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from me,’ says the Lord.” How is that for an authoritative utterance? In II Corinthians 2:14, Paul writes, “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.” This is why reading and declaring the word of God over ourselves is so important. It isn’t just our guidebook for life; it is a key element in our deliverance!

Deliverance isn’t creepy. It isn’t scary. It is the will of our good and generous Father. Our deliverance has been bought and paid for by the blood of Jesus. He didn’t just buy our salvation. He didn’t just purchase our healing. Jesus wants to see us live free! Perhaps we can’t live free from temptation or struggle; but we can certainly be free from the chains of sin that the enemy tries desperately to keep on us. Let’s use His word as our sword against the attacks of Satan. Let’s seek after and obtain God’s deliverance in our lives. He is the only One who can truly set us free!

“In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise.” – Proverbs 10:19

Conversation, disagreement, and even debate are tools of civilized human communication. It has been such since the beginning of time, and it will never change. Our ability to vocalize our opinions is a legally protected right, at least in this country. Jesus Himself not only listened to others, but also discussed and even debated with the religious leaders of His time. Having a contrary position and sticking up for that position is not evil or wrong.

Trying to verbally trap and humiliate another person is ALWAYS wrong.

We live in a generation where civil disagreement and reasoned debate has been replaced with Internet memes and “drop the mic” statements. We see it most often during election seasons, but it’s becoming more and more common in everyday discourse. Social media has become rife with this type of behavior. What started out as a platform for staying connected with friends and family has now been relegated to 90% petty arguments about politics, religion, music … and cat videos. A whole lot of cat videos. There are so many people that I know to be good Christians that become someone entirely different behind a keyboard and monitor.

Can we choose not to follow or listen to those that hold contrary beliefs? Absolutely. Can we choose to disassociate ourselves with people that we believe are amiss in their thinking? That’s our choice. Can we even verbally disagree with someone’s opinion that has been put on a public forum? Although it’s usually wiser to ignore and move on, we do nothing wrong by respectfully disagreeing. However, there is never a situation where degradation of someone’s character is biblically permissible.

If, during a discussion, we are waiting to decimate someone with our argument, we have already lost the dispute. Having to get in the last word shows zero love and puts a spotlight on us. God gets no glory when we run down another one of His kids.  In I John 4:20, John writes, “If someone says, ‘I love God,’ and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen?” When we “drop the mic” we are simultaneously dropping our robe of righteousness, our garment of praise, and our covering of integrity. No one wants to be on the battlefield naked, but we are doing just that.

I know that boiling sermons down to witty one-liners is the chic thing to do right now. Rhyming titles using alliteration or droll whimsy are fun and can stick in your head. There isn’t anything wrong with wit as long as it’s not used as a weapon against someone else.  Sarcasm is probably the second language in my home, and I’m not bragging about that, but it’s mostly in fun. However, my facetious humor can quickly turn biting if I’m not careful.  I have to bite my tongue far too often because the thoughts I have, while funny or poignant, are not kind. And there is no excuse to not be kind. In Romans 12:18 Paul writes, “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.” In other words, we can’t control the other guy, but we can certainly control what comes out of our mouth (or types from our fingertips).

Someone disagreeing with our view is not a battle cry. We don’t have to take the bait. And we certainly don’t have to take cheap shots at people who we feel are in error. Are we praying for them? The answer is usually no. Are we basing our judgments on personal experiences? Again, usually not. Normally our outrage is a few “cherry-picked” statements that someone else has pieced together to make things sound entirely more nefarious than they are. Even if our assessment of someone or their view is completely correct we are in the wrong for attacking their integrity. Ephesians 6:12 reads, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” People are not our enemies. Period.

We are not the Bible police. We are not the judge, jury, and executioner of brothers and sisters in Christ. We are not those who don’t know how to love. Let’s not look to go to war with other Christians. Let’s not seek out opportunities to argue and debate. Paul writes in II Timothy 2:14, “Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers.” Let’s do our part not to destroy the unity of the kingdom. Let’s lift each other up!

“Then the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.'” – Genesis 3:4-5

There is nothing new under the sun.

Solomon proclaims this in Ecclesiastes, and it remains true today. So much of what we see today is nothing but the re-heated, re-hashed, and regurgitated garbage that has always existed. You can gift-wrap rubbish in a different pretty bow, but it remains the same as it was the first time. However, the new presentation will always be enough to fool a great number of people. These people aren’t evil. They aren’t malicious. They are simply deceived.

Deception is our enemy’s primary weapon. But if he uses it so often, why do we still fall for it?

While it is not the only answer to this question, the main reason is subtlety. Satan is so subtle in his maneuvering and positioning that he has a foothold before we even realize he is at work. This is also not a new thing! Genesis 3:1 reads, “Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, ‘Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?’” At this point, Satan hadn’t even had thousands of years to practice his deception on mankind, and he was STILL considered the most cunning (clever, manipulating) creature that existed.

This brings us to an interesting point. Many Christians would halt this line of thinking right here and say “The Bible says I have authority over the devil.”  And they would be right. Philippians 2:10 says, “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,”. We have more power, through Jesus Christ, than Satan. He is a created fallen being. The devil isn’t the equal and opposite of God. The idea of Satan being even a fraction as powerful as God is laughable. However, don’t ever fool yourself that you can outsmart the enemy. Satan has been deceiving people, believers and non-believers alike, for generations. He’s subtle. He’s unassuming. And he’s clever.

The newest (and oldest) doctrine to circle back around is the “anything past salvation is error” gospel. And it sounds good. It sounds spiritual. It sounds biblical. This is the subtlety at which the enemy excels. This doctrine asserts that making Christ your redeemer and striving to eliminate flesh flaws is the end goal of every believer, and everything past that is not only unnecessary, but dangerous. I’ll give you some examples.

This doctrine teaches that prophets were used to foretell the coming of the messiah. True. Therefore prophecy has passed away. Most definitely NOT TRUE. In I Corinthians 12:27-31, Paul writes, “Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.”

Christ is the head of the church and he left the disciples to establish the church. In this church God has appointed apostles, prophets, teachers, etc. God doesn’t appoint unneeded positions. While I, to some extent, agree with the sentiment of eliminating titles (Jesus Himself spoke about the superfluous use of titles in Matthew 23), eliminating the offices of prophet, pastor, or teacher is in direct violation of scripture. Rightly dividing scripture is not permission to start cutting passages out of God’s word. In fact, Paul also writes in I Corinthians 14:1, “Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophecy.” The author of 2/3 of the New Testament advised to desire and go after prophecy above any other spiritual gifts. This wasn’t a letter to non-believers but to the church!

This new doctrine says we also shouldn’t seek after signs, miracles, and wonders, and that the age and dispensation of miracles and signs is gone. Again, such a subtlety. We shouldn’t be seeking miracles and signs for the sake of miracles and signs, but we should be fully expecting to see them as a result of the gospel of Christ! Paul writes in Romans 15:19, “in mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.” Jesus Himself declares much the same in Mark 16:17 saying, “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” I could easily bring up the prosperity gospel here as well. There are certainly some who are mistakenly preaching a “give to get” philosophy, but similar to the unavoidable side effect of signs and wonders, blessings (both spiritual and financial) WILL come to those who give in accordance to the voice of God and out of a motivation of gratitude.

God is not a cosmic slot machine. The “give to get” proposition is wrong, as is seeking signs and miracles for their own sake. However, downplaying or even outright despising the goodness of God (having all sufficiency in all things) or the miraculous nature of God (and greater works that these will he do, because Jesus went to His Father) will put us in a dangerous place. We seek after God first. We want to see signs and miracles because we are so close to Him. We do not want to get close to God SO we can see signs and miracles. The difference is subtle, but unfortunately the enemy loves working with subtleties and semantics.

So why are we so easily deceived?

Not only is the enemy crafty and unassuming, but he uses our lack of faith and lack of experience. We are all too often guilty of watering down the word of God to match our experiences rather than getting on our face and seeking God for the deeper things. It is much easier to rearrange our beliefs than to spend time studying and seeking after the maturity and meat of the Bible. How many times are we admonished not to remain a baby, but to go from milk to meat and grow? This same doctrine that has circled around again and again is not malevolent. It is not wicked. However, it is lazy. Even more detrimental, it creates division and resent. If we follow this doctrine to its end-game, we will be mistrustful of any minister of the word. We will doubt any axiom of reaching beyond oneself and stepping out in faith, and it will usually culminate in an outpouring of venom toward anyone who believes different from us. The very foundation of the Christian life: love God and love one another can be eroded away without our even realizing it.

Subtlety.

Let’s examine our hearts and motives. Let’s not run people down, even if we think they are wrong. Let’s take a quick peek inside and make sure we aren’t cherry-picking God’s word. Let’s renew our minds in this! Let’s let God take us from faith to faith and glory to glory. Let’s make up our minds not to dilute the scriptures to match our lives, but let God bring our lives up to match His description of what Christians are supposed to look like!

“Then the Lord said to Moses: ‘How long will these people reject Me? And how long will they not believe Me, with all the signs which I have performed among them?'” – Numbers 14:11

It’s no secret to any Christian that a life of faith can result in some extraordinary circumstances. Stepping out beyond your natural ability and relying on God to make up the difference will open up new opportunities in your life. We see countless examples of Jesus telling people that their faith was the active ingredient in their miracle. In Matthew 22:21 Jesus says, “And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.” He makes it clear that the advantages of having and using faith are immeasurable. Paul writes in II Corinthians 5:7, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” If nothing else, this verse affirms the notion that we aren’t just encouraged, but EXPECTED to live by faith.

But what is the flip side of that coin? In the eighth chapter of Matthew, Jesus and his disciples experience a great storm when out to sea. Matthew 8:25-26 reads, “Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, ‘Lord, save us! We are perishing!’ But He said to them, ‘Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?’ Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.” Jesus considered lack of faith to be worthy of a rebuke! Hebrews 11:6 reads, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” We obviously never want to put ourselves in a position to be displeasing to God.

One of the most extreme examples of this is a story in II Kings. There had been a famine in Samaria because of an enemy siege that had cut off the city from outside trade. The siege had lasted so long that they were selling dove’s dung and donkey heads for food inside the city. Some had even resorted to cannibalism.  God then spoke to His prophet. II Kings 7:1-2 reads, “Elisha replied, ‘Hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Lord says: About this time tomorrow, a seah of the finest flour will sell for a shekel and two seahs of barley for a shekel at the gate of Samaria.’ The officer on whose arm the king was leaning said to the man of God, ‘Look, even if the Lord should open the floodgates of the heavens, could this happen?’ ‘You will see it with your own eyes,’ answered Elisha, ‘but you will not eat any of it!’” That afternoon God drove off the enemy and they left their entire camp, provisions and all. Some lepers discovered this and told the king and the rest of the city. When the city found out about the abundance of food and provisions free for the taking, they rushed out of the city. Verse 17 of the same chapter reads, “Now the king had put the officer on whose arm he leaned in charge of the gate, and the people trampled him in the gateway, and he died, just as the man of God had foretold when the king came down to his house.” Why was this man struck down? It was his refusal to believe the prophet of God as he spoke God’s word.

In II Timothy, Paul writes that all scripture is given for doctrine, correction, and instruction in righteousness. This story of the doubting soldier of the king should be taken as a stern warning to all of us about the danger of unbelief. Today we primarily hear the direction of God though His word, but God does not change. Whether through a prophet or through the God-breathed word of the Bible, we can ill afford to ignore or scoff at God’s promises.  I’m certainly not saying God will strike us down, but He isn’t any more pleased with lack of faith now than He was in Bible times. We must get some mind renewal about this and stop professing things that go strictly against God’s promises!

God doesn’t promise us perfect health, but He does promise us healing. God doesn’t promise us a life free of financial worries, but He does promise us that our needs are met, and that he delights in the prosperity of his servants. He doesn’t promise us a life free of trouble, but He does promise to ALWAYS cause us to triumph. We can’t be overcomers if there is nothing to overcome. Sickness, poverty, and fear are NEVER sent from God. God gets no glory in our being sick, broke, or afraid. God gets the glory for healing, provision, and setting us free! Let’s stop taking ownership of things from which God promised to deliver us! We claim healing because God says Jesus already paid for it (I Peter 2:24). We claim abundance because God delights in our prosperity (Psalms 35:27). We claim freedom from addictions, anxiety, and fear because God has given us the spirit of power and of love and of a sound mind (II Timothy 1:7). Every curse of the law was crucified with Christ and while we may experience that curse because of the fall of man, we are not subject to stay under it. Galatians says we have been redeemed from the curse of the law. Let’s not displease God with our lack of faith. Let’s not water down the promises of God to match our experiences. Let’s bring our lives up to His standards!

“I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” – Philippians 3:12-13

It is certainly a wonderful thing when God gives me a revelation while reading His word. I also love when I get insight and wisdom when spending time with God in prayer. However sometimes, lessons learned by experience are more powerful and leave a greater impression on us than lessons learned in any other way. While I may prefer the first two types of learning environments, the experience based lessons tend to be how God speaks to me most of the time.

I am a Disney nerd. There are far worse things that I could have as an interest, so I don’t apologize for it. This fascination began about three years ago and in that time I have practically become a Walt Disney World theme park encyclopedia. My wife tolerates it as she loves Disney World as well. My kids and some of the rest of my family think it’s a little weird, but hey, everyone needs a hobby. I watch YouTube channels devoted to WDW, read blogs and websites about WDW, and more recently listen to podcasts discussing the parks and theme park touring strategies.

I was amazed when I found this constituency out there on the interwebs that was entirely devoted to the “House of Mouse”. Private Facebook groups, DisTwitter, and entire Internet forums created for the WDW loving community make up this amazing niche. One of the things I have really enjoyed has been the online communication and banter with the Disney World community. There are a few podcasters out there with which I’ve even formed some friendships.

One such group of podcasters recently celebrated their 150^th episode and invited anyone who lived locally to come out to a café in their hometown to join in the live recording of the episode. I decided to make the almost four-hour drive down to join in the celebration. They were recording early in the morning, so I knew I needed to drive down the night before the show. The town in which they were recording didn’t really have a hotel to speak of, so I stayed in a larger town about 45 minutes away at a fairly reputable chain hotel.

It was here at this hotel that God taught me a valuable lesson in a rather unorthodox way. Upon arriving, I went to my room to discover a few things amiss about the room. There was no shower curtain and the remote wouldn’t change the television channels. Admittedly, I’m not much of a TV watcher. I didn’t really think I would watch TV that evening, and it being a solo trip, the shower curtain was not a huge deal either. However, I called the front desk and let them know the issues. They offered to bring a new remote and shower curtain or I could just move to the room next door as they weren’t at capacity that evening. I chose to just move rooms.

At approximately 4:45 AM the next morning a strange sound awoke me. I rolled over and the door of my room was standing wide open and there was a man standing in the doorway. It effectively scared the stuffing out of me. I shouted something completely incomprehensible and he immediately slammed the door after yelling a hurried apology. I got up, bolted the door, and somehow went back to sleep.

The next morning, I went to the front desk and told them they needed to increase the door key card security for the rooms because I was intruded upon in the middle of the night. She asked if I was in room 206, to which I answered yes. She shamefacedly told me that it was her fault. Apparently when I switched rooms the evening prior, the front desk clerk never made the adjustment in the computer. Room 206 still appeared to be empty; therefore the night clerk rented that room to someone else. So what I thought was a case of a poor door lock was simply a consequence of a hastily made decision to move from my assigned room.

On my drive that morning, my mind was mulling over the hotel incident and I felt God speaking to my spirit. I felt like He was saying (and I’m paraphrasing), “This is what so many of my children do. They see some imperfections and some inconveniences and instead of letting Me do the work and fix the situations, they just move to a location in which I didn’t call them. When My people move without consulting Me, they get out from under the protection that I provide and open themselves up to attack.” He then started showing me places in scripture that backed up what He said.

Jonah was on a boat heading to Tarsus when he was supposed to be going to Nineveh. He stirred up trouble, not only for him, but for every sailor on that boat. Samson was a judge in Israel and was supposed to be in his home territory but was instead in the land of Sorek which was at the border of enemy territory. (How many of us want to tip-toe that line of where we need to be, and enemy territory? Okay, that’s probably a whole article on its own!) It was there he met Delilah, and we know how that turned out.

Then there was King David. II Samuel 11:1 reads, “It happened in the spring of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed the people of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.” As king, David was supposed to be with his army, but instead he stayed at home. He was walking around on his palace roof and he saw Bathsheba bathing. The simple decision to stay home, instead of being where he was supposed to be, caused an illicit affair, a cover-up, and finally a murder.

God has called each one of us to be in specific places at specific times. We can certainly request a transfer, but we need to be sensitive to the voice of God and obey what He says. Being a believer isn’t always comfortable. Whether it is a church, a job, or even a marriage; discomfort and irritation are not always signs that we need to get out of our current situation. Sometimes we need to stay put and let God work some things out in our life instead of just packing up and hitting the road. When we get out from underneath our destiny, we are also opening ourselves up to attack. Being outside of the will of God will always produce discord in our lives. As we can see in the biblical examples above, God WILL get our attention. How far we travel from His plan for us will usually determine how drastic the measures He will use to get us back in line. Let’s not so quickly throw away the protection that comes from being in our God-ordained place! We all want to do our part to see the kingdom of God move forward, but it is hard to do when we’re not at our designated location. Let’s decide to live out our short time on this earth doing things that have eternal value, and doing it from the place to which God called us!