The “R” Word-Day 7

Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Luke 13:1-3(NIV)

Well, that’s harsh. Here’s the thing—Pontius Pilate was the government in Galilee and, within limits, could kill just about anyone he wanted. He was the symbol of the most powerful man in the world at the time—Caesar, and as long as he made it look good to everyone no one would question it. You, me, and others have people powerful enough in our lives now who can make decisions like this whether we know it or not! And fair has nothing to do with it.

The world’s politics are enough to make one think of the world in ancient terms sometimes. Evil, and violence are seen as good things, and way too often. Religion and politics are conflated with Christianity, which was never meant to be, and is decried in God’s Word.

We’ve seen T.V. shows or heard people say they’re innocent of some crime or wrongdoing. The news is filled with stories like these. Here’s the bottom line (especially if you keep company with people that could be a problem for you): Jesus wants us, now that we believe, to clean it all up.

What does this mean? When Jesus asked if these Galileans were worse sinners than all the others because they suffered at the hands of Pilate the tyrant, many thought that it was because their sins were so bad that death was what they had coming to them. Maybe you think this is what you have coming to you. Maybe someone told you this is what you have coming to you.

Before I retired from corrections, I used to hear from the victims of crimes all the time who thought the people who harmed them should die, no matter what the crime was.

Luke 13:1-3 is the truth of what you, me, all of us will be facing when Jesus comes again as He promised. Everyone has got a judgment to face.

Some will face an eternity of punishment and suffering in hell. Others will go to a beautiful reward because of their belief in Jesus Christ. Sometimes suffering and punishment is earned, and sometimes it isn’t—no promises.

People may want you to pay forever, but that’s not God’s Way. He wants you to repent, and enjoy your life with Him to counsel you and give you all that you need. Trust Him to do this. You’re saved. This is an important next step to show everyone the change that He has made in you.

Prayer: Father God. Thanks for the power of the Holy Spirit that you gave me when I accepted Jesus Christ, Your Perfect Son, as my only Lord and Savior. I repent of wicked thoughts, words, and deeds and the harm they have brought to others. Help me, by the same Holy Spirit, never to go back to that old way of thinking, talking, and behaving so that I might be on the best path—one that honors you and loves you, and loves people until I see you face to face. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Coming To Our Senses-Day 6

Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants. 2 Timothy 2:26 (NLT)

Remember what was said about luck before—no such. Coming to our senses means development of a relationship and building wisdom. Paul spent a lot of time in prison and was able to develop his relationships from there. Whether your prison is one made of walls and steel, with razor-wire or one made by your own mind as many of ours are, including my own, at times, the relationship with Jesus is the one that will free you from the snares of the Devil.

You may have seen a movie back in the 90s called The Usual Suspects. A bunch of criminals get together for a massive heist of drug money and all but one of the criminals gets killed in the process. When he is interviewed by the police, he makes this statement: “The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist”. It turned out he was the mastermind of the whole plot, and he got away with all the loot by pretending he wasn’t the mastermind!

And that, friend, is the truth. The Devil, or Satan, or Lucifer, is the master deceiver. He would like you to believe you are the victim, and that he doesn’t exist. That you were not responsible for your choices, or that someone forced you into the situation you now find yourself.

The Apostle Paul was no fool. People feared him for his position and intellect. He was known as a lawyer, philosopher, and writer who could outwit almost anyone which is why he had to be locked up so often. People couldn’t handle him. He was twice as dangerous after the wisdom of The Holy Spirit was given to him. That’s why he wrote what he did above to his young friend Timothy.

God’s Word is there for us to escape the snares of The Enemy, repent (meaning to go the other way) and flee from those things that will cause us to be tempted over and over again.

You may be in a place where many might set traps for you, but they are merely tools of the Enemy. As strange as this seems—PRAY FOR THEM—that they will come to their senses and repent of their sins like you.

David, King of Israel did a lot of things wrong—adultery, murder, you name it, and he was pretty much into it. His first wife and some of his family rebelled, even trying to kill him and take away his kingdom at different times. He had to go on the run several times in his life, but still stayed faithful to God.

Here’s what he asked of God: But my eyes are fixed on you, Sovereign Lord; in you I take refuge—do not give me over to death. Keep me safe from the traps set by evildoers, from the snares they have laid for me. Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by in safety. Psalm 141:8-10 (NIV)

The world has its eyes fixed on everything, and anything but where God wants them to be, which is on Him, and His Son Jesus. You don’t need to be fixated on the news, or the headlines to know this. God’s truth in Scripture remains true always, and is indisputable.

Prayer: Lord, You know my heart and all my movements. Please keep me safe from the Enemy and those he might use. My soul is safe with You to use as You see fit. Bless You for my life. In Jesus Name. Amen

 

 

Enemy Ground - Day 5

We know that God’s children do not make a practice of sinning, for God’s Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them. We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one. 1 John 5:18-19 (NLT)

Sisters and brothers make no mistake about one thing: None of us should be comfortable with the world the way it is. It is a dangerous place for Jesus-followers, and unbelievers, alike. If you are comfortable with it, let me persuade you to be of a different mind. For believers, the wisdom of the Holy Spirit can take the reins of out-of-control lives and get them on a good path, where they will prosper and grow.

I’m not here to beat anyone up with a Bible. There are those who think the best way to reach people is by assaulting them with “Hellfire and Brimstone” speeches that are soon forgotten after the beating has been handed out. Jesus didn’t do that and neither did his disciples. After He saved His disciples, He gave them the gift of the Holy Spirit which did their speaking for them—that speaking was the true language of love.

Once Jesus’s church was established, the disciple’s job was to get His Word around to everyone and start changing things—behaviors, not so much words, was Jesus’s Way of doing that. In the beginning, that’s why they called it “The Way”. Jesus said of Himself, “I am the Way, the Truth, and The Life. No one comes to The Father except through me”, in John 14:6 (NIV).

You may be in a foreign, even scary, place. God doesn’t want you to live in fear every day that you’re there. He does want you to live wisely. He wants that from all of us. The Bible isn’t written by perfect people. There are some really good ones. He will show you the way out. That is His promise in exchange for your faithfulness.

But be advised that God is not a lottery ticket, a rabbit’s foot, or a St. Christopher’s medal. The relationship is everything. We’ll talk more about that later.

Wisdom will help you to see through the traps set by The Enemy who uses people to make you stumble, and trap you into wrong-doing. If you reflect on your past, you’ll see those who misled you from childhood to adulthood. You may not have thought it was a big deal at the time, but small mistakes become sins, and then catastrophes as they get out of control.

Prayer: Thank you, Lord Jesus for keeping me from a terrible existence that many find themselves in today. Thank you for the prayers and guidance of Godly people throughout my life, who kept me from the consequences of poor choices, and helped me back on paths of righteousness that made me wiser, more prosperous, and more grateful. Please help me day to day become more grateful, and to build our relationship by the Power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

 

Pressing On - Day 4

You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart. 1 Peter 1:22 (NLT)

So, let’s say you have been saved—you haven’t resisted—and you have the beginning of Godly wisdom and you are beginning to see the real meaning of love, the way God means it to be understood. Not sex, not the kinds of things you may have been raised to believe were “love,” but Jesus’s love—the way He walked it out all of his life here on Earth. Now what?

Scripture exists to help us seek out who to trust, with the knowledge that God and His Son Jesus are ALWAYS trustworthy and present in our hearts.

Back in the day, I used to work with families of people that were preparing to get out of prison after various amounts of time and for different offenses. The most common thing I would get asked was, “what can I/we do to show them love and support right out of the gate?”. Always, my answer would be, “no matter where they are, or how far you have to go to get them—pick them up in person at the gate.”

Many times, the last person the arrested one saw (besides the police) when they got arrested is the first person they see when you get off the bus when they get out (if they go back to the same neighborhood). “Love never fails” means family takes up for one another no matter how hard the going gets.

Not just blood family, but our family in Jesus Christ. They have to find those believers in Him while they’re inside. Get with a Chaplain. Get to Church. Then be the Church—put the words to work—it will change them. And it will change you. Time for a loved one inside prison walls can mean a different kind of prison for those left to deal with life on the outside.

It doesn’t matter what the family crisis is. Incarceration, addiction, recovery, divorce, child-rearing issues, whatever it is, God’s people are here to be THE CHURCH. Church is not merely a building in which to gather for worship on specified days! We were created for that reason, 24/7/365!

Godly people around us in any kind of difficulty, make matters easier to deal with. The Word of God was intended for this reason: For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints, and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Hebrews 4:12 (NIV)

Prayer: Lord, help me walk with you in peace, and stay in Your Word, which is True like You. Help me to avoid the traps of those whom the Enemy uses to harm me, and to pray for them as You defend me. Help me to be Your church. In Your Most Powerful Name, Jesus. Amen.

 

Wisdom vs. Luck - Day 3

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. Proverbs 3:5-8 (NIV)

By now, you can tell I am a huge fan of good old King Solomon, whom God used to communicate these Proverbs to us about 3,000 years ago.

Solomon was so wise and so wealthy that he was sought out by leaders from all over the world of his day because he had a lot of both. To this day, Proverbs is widely considered one of the greatest books of collected wisdom sayings ever.

Here’s the really great part: If you have access to a Bible, you can read one Proverb a day and finish them all in about a month!

Here’s one thing about Bibles, though—there are many versions out there and not all of them are easy to read. Get one that is easy for you to relate to. I use the New International Version (NIV), the New Living Translation (NLT), the New King James Version (NKJV) and the English Standard Versions (ESV). You’ll see the version at the end of each Bible verse I use. If you have a different Bible don’t worry about it, just get into it.

No one walks the same path. No one should compare their walk to anyone else’s, either. That is a trick the Enemy loves to fool us with. The Word is here to keep us away from that.

Wherever you end up, your last breath here is not the finish line. We’ll all have things to answer for when Jesus returns as the Righteous Judge of us all. There are two critical questions God will ask us all when we see Him at our appointed time. We should remind ourselves of these, so we can tell others: First, what did you do with My Son Jesus? Did you come to love, trust, and accept Him as Lord? This determines where you’ll spend the rest of eternity, friends. Second, what did you do with what I gave you? All of the gifts, talents, opportunities, and resources you have been blessed with? This will determine what you do in the eternity in His presence.

Prayer: Jesus, I know that you have placed Your Holy Spirit in me for Your use. Please control me with your presence all the rest of my days. Give me the wisdom I need to make sound choices for me and Your Kingdom and never falter in devotion to You. In Your Name. Amen.