In The Valley of Affliction

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Job was a man who had been truly blessed of God because he walked with God in a way that was considered to be holy.  God Himself called Job blameless, upright, God-fearing, and repentant of evil found in his life.  And then the greatest storm of his life came crashing upon him.  In a very short amount of time all of Job's servants were killed, his animals were slaughtered, his children died together in a cyclone that collapsed the house in which they were celebrating a birthday,,and if that wasn't enough, Job himself was covered with boils from the top of his head to the soles of his feet.  He had clearly been standing under the "anvil tree," and it had dumped all of its "fruit" on this holy man of God.

What followed was an attack on his emotions and spirit.  His wife told him to "curse God and die" (what a woman), and three of his friends told him over and over that his afflictions had come upon him because he had been a prideful, sinful man!  In an instant Job's life on the mountaintop of blessedness took a very sudden turn.  Now he found himself in the valley of affliction, with no end in sight.  The holy man, in his suffering, lost sight of the God he loved and served.  He argued, "tit for tat." with his friends, asserting that he was a blameless man, not being punished for some undisclosed sin.  But that became his sin.  Job never defended God to his three friends.  Instead, he only defended himself.   In doing that, Job began to speak too many words and some of them spewed forth lies about God, lies he was certainly hearing whispered into his ears from Satan's warriors.

After many days of suffering, another man by the name of Elihu spoke up.  From him came words that defended God, words that were setting Job up for his confrontation with God.  Elihu gave great counsel to Job, counsel that is good for us to hear as well.  He challenged Job to:

1. Stop allowing his affliction to cause him to scoff (speak unintelligibly--like a description of how a foreigner would talk)
2. Turn from seeking to die (or in our case, to run away from our affliction)
3. Cease turning to evil (de)vices to bring comfort in his pain
4. Praise and worship God's characteristics and creation
5. Listen for God's voice, for it would be his shelter from the storm
6. Meditate on the GOD of all the wonders on earth
7. Exalt God!
8. Fear God, giving Him his full reverence and respect

In the trials, afflictions, and suffering that will surely come in our lives, this is truth we must face..  God uses our afflictions and trials for good, not to harm us.  While it may not seem good to us, and we might even call it harmful, we would be wise to come to grips with the fact that God's definitions of "good" and "harm" are very different than ours.  After all, His thoughts, His ways, His plans and purposes are exceedingly higher than ours.  And He is God, and we are not!

 If you are going through a very dark valley of affliction, do not believe the lies of the enemy who would discourage you.  He desires for you to come to hate God for what you are experiencing.  Remember, God will is for you to be made into His Son's likeness.  He wants to perfect you.  He wants to bring you to the end of yourself.  In the end, He wants to humble you so that you can be exalted with Him in Heaven.   Is this a difficult medicine to swallow?  Absolutely!  But once you do, it will surely bring spiritual healing to your heart!

The Burning Fire of Lust

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Cravings . . . we all have them, don't we?  I was not one of those pregnant women that had the strange food cravings common in pregnancy.  But I certainly know what it feels like to crave something.  You know what I am talking about!  The inner urgency to have what you want, and right now!  Here is the simplified pattern of a craving.  You look at something or just think about it, then you desire it so strongly that you just have to have it.  It can take several days, weeks, months, or even longer, for the process to be completed, or it may take a mere matter of seconds.  Either way, one way or another, you will satisfy the craving, not matter what.  If you can relate to that because you have experienced it (and we all have!), then you know what it is to lust after something.

LUST . . . it is a topic most Christians want to avoid talking about, yet every one of us struggles with it. We usually attach a sexual connotation to the subject, yet most of our lust issues have nothing to do with sex.  They have to do with trying to remove God's rightful place on the throne of our lives with things that we consider far more self-satisfying and flesh-feeding.  Since we dethrone God in order to place a higher priority on our lusts and to enthrone them, we can also call our lusts both 'gods' and 'idols.'  Lusting after anything but God and the things of God, and chasing after them until we get what we want, is ultimately about placing ourselves on the throne of our own lives.

Your lust may not seem like an earth-shattering sin.  It might not even be sinful.  But in the beginning, lust spreads through our hearts like a wildfire.  It starts with just a little spark of fire, but has the potential to destroy thousands of acres of fertile ground, charring and blackening everything in its path.  And its path is not a simple line; it is far-reaching and in every direction.  

Lust is a fire in the soul that seeks to burn up every good thing found there.  One lust that begins as the spark of one simple action, if continually practiced over and over will, given enough time and attention, begin to destroy in your heart the good workings of God.  Your walk with Him, that once seemed so intimate and precious, soon will take on the stench of smoke.  If you take a closer look , you will likely see where the fire has already been.  You once green vine is now charred  and your fruit has burned up.

The fire of lust can be kept outside of the Christian heart, but it only takes one tiny opening for a spark to enter and set ablaze the house of the Holy Spirit.  Our hearts are to be set on fire, but by the Holy Spirit, who calls us to walk in holiness and righteousness, crucifying our fleshly desires, and establishing Christ as our only ruler on the throne.

What does your heart look like?  Are you faithfully keeping the world's flames at bay?  Do you smell smoke?  Where there is smoke, there is fire!  Surrender your lusts.  Lay them down at the foot of the cross.  Now, let the fire of the Holy Spirit ignite your heart!

 

The Chambers of Your Heart

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What is gathering in your heart?

Israel completed the job of rebuilding Jerusalem's wall.  The enemy could now be kept at bay because of their obedience to both God and His leader, Nehemiah.  Now the city was being turned from a broken down ghost town into the powerful city God intended it to be.  By a lottery men were chosen to live in Jerusalem.  Others would establish their home there because they were the leaders.  Still others simply chose to move their families there to be a part of this new and exciting plan of God.  But it didn't take very long for sin to return to the priesthood, and its slippery slope, that had landed their city in ruin became a disaster waiting to happen.  Little by little the disobedience of one priest of God began to clutter the temple of God with junk that was displeasing to Him.

While the newly rebuilt city was in its infancy, one of the priests (named Eliashib), who was over the chambers of the new temple,  thought it would be good idea to set aside a very large room for one of his relatives--Tobiah.  This Tobiah had been one of the men who constantly discouraged the men of Israel as they rebuilt the wall around Jerusalem.  The room Eliashib reserved for this vile man had formerly been used as a storage area for the temple.  It stored the grain offerings, the frankincense and utensils used for worship at the altar of incense, the tithes of grain, wine, oil, and the contributions that were reserved for the priests use.

Nehemiah had returned to service to the King of Persia when this sin took place, but when he returned to Jerusalem to check up on the city, he found this room that the priest had set aside for Tobiah.  Not only was Nehemiah incensed over the sin, he was appalled to learn that it was a priest who had broken such a strong and severe commandment of God.  You see, Tobiah was an Ammonite, and God had strongly forbid Israel to EVER allow an Ammorite or a Moabite to enter into the house of God!  And Eliashib, being a priest, would certainly have known he was breaking God's law! 

So displeased was Nehemiah that he entered the room set aside for Tobiah, and he threw out everything in it.  Next, he gave an order for the room to be cleansed of its unholiness.  Only then did Nehemiah call for the utensils and the offerings for worship to be replaced in the room.  Nehemiah also expelled Tobiah, and he was never again allowed into the temple of God.  

Once again we must bring this story into our 21st century lives, but the correlation is clear.  Our hearts are the temple of God.  So often we enter into a relationship with God, and we quickly rebuild the protective walls around our hearts to prevent the enemy from breaking in.  But once we do, little by little, we allow sin to reside within the walls, within its chambers.  The "little bit of sin" gathers more sin with it until we have a chamber that looks like the dirty, messy bedroom of a teenager!  Our true worship of God (the daily reading and study of our daily bread--the grain, our thankfulness for the precious wine of Christ's blood sacrifice, and our walking in the oil of the Spirit) is tossed aside to make room for the sin we desire so much more.

God is calling us all to spiritually clean out the chambers of our heart, and to put them in holy order!   Today, ask yourself what sins are cluttering your heart.  What is preventing you from the worship that God desires from you?  What is He displeased with in your life?  What have you allowed to creep into your life, bit by sinful bit? 

Don't just peek in the room and take an assessment.  God is calling you boldly walk into that room, bag up the trash, put things in their proper place, and then scrub it down until it is clean and pleasing to Him.  Will you be a Nehemiah today and cleanse the chambers of your heart?  Or will you be guilty of the same sin as the Priest Eliashib? Remember, as a believer you are of the royal priesthood of Christ.  Will you be content to allow the stench of dirty, rotten sin dwell in the same place the Holy Spirit calls His home?  

Watchmen on the Wall

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Israel had completed the task of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem under the keen direction and leadership of Nehemiah.  They had overcome several discouraging moments by simply continuing on in the work God had brought to them.  Finally, after just 52 days, their wall was finished, with all the door and gates hung in their places.  It would have been tempting for Israel to let down her guard, now that the wall stood resolute between them and their enemies who still wanted to destroy them.  But Nehemiah's wisdom took them down the path of further protection when he laid out to the people how they should live within their walls.  

Nehemiah taught the people in simple practicality.  The gates were not to be opened to go in and out of until the sun was hot.  In other words, until the sun was very high in the sky.  Dawn would prove to be too risky.  The gates were to be closed while the guard were still on duty.  That simply meant that they would be closed long before the sun went down.  These two rules would, in large part, keep Israel's enemies out, and Israel safe inside except in the brightest daylight, when it would be unlikely that their enemies would attack them.  

Then Nehemiah offered on more sound piece of advice.  At all times there would be guards around the entire wall who were responsible for watching for the attacks that might come.  Though Israel had secured a sound victory in the completion of the wall, the wall could not protect itself!

In our lives, the same is often true.  Have you ever experience a great spiritual victory, say, over a particular sin?  You not only built at stone wall to keep it out of your life, but when temptation came you "stonewalled" it again.  Days passed and the temptation did not return, so you, in the pride of conquering your enemy, settle into that "safe" life.  Then one day, seemingly out of nowhere, the enemy returns and tempts you quickly to sin.  Caught "off-guard" you instantly fall prey to it again.  The problem was not that you hadn't been victorious in building a wall to keep it out of your life; the problem is that you did not train your eye to keep watch for its return.

Israel needed men to watch for an enemy attack on Jerusalem.  In the same way we need to be watchmen on the wall who are scanning the horizon for any sign of our enemy who will come again and again to try to defeat or destroy our lives and testimonies.  Our enemy will never be defeated by our spiritual walls.  Quite the opposite!  He will look for more and more ways to re-enter your life, to take you as his prisoner, to lead you back to bondage.

Building a wall against sin through prayer, Bible study, and even accountability is only one part of the solution to sin.  You must add to those a discerning eye, a humble heart that knows how easy it is to be infiltrated by evil, and a reliance on the Holy Spirit that comes from surrender to His commands.

Are you standing on the wall 24/7?

Are You Leaving a Gap?

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Israel's remnant had returned to Jerusalem, repaired its temple, and were offering the required sacrifices.  But they were a people who were living in fear of being overtaken by their enemies.  They had good reason to be so fearful.  While their temple had been rebuilt, their walls and gates had not.  Their protection lay in ruins, leaving them wide open and vulnerable for attack.  Then Nehemiah came on the scene and led the people in an organized plan to repair and strengthen their city walls and gates.  Finally Israel would be able to settle into a life without fear, anxiety and worry.  

In studying Nehemiah 3 this morning I learned from commentator David Guzik that the phrase "made repairs" was used 35 times in this 32 verse chapter about the rebuilding of Jerusalem's walls.  While it seems highly likely in a chapter dedicated to the "who" and "where" of this work that this phrase would be used often, in a very repetitive sort of way, I was surprised to learn the Hebrew meaning of "made repairs" was to strengthen, make strong, and encourage.  Guzik spoke of the correlation between this chapter and Eph. 4: 11-13 which states:

 "And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ."

In his commentary Guzik spoke of the purpose of the church as being like the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem because this "equipping and building up," which has almost the exact same definition:  to prepare, to strengthen, to make usable!

While I was relishing this great insight, the Spirit began to bring another thought to mind.  I could clearly understand the comparison to the church.  It is a place where we can be taught what we need to know to be equipped to take the gospel to the world, but also to grow up in maturity in Christ, in our faith, knowledge, and fullness until we become mature.  Church is a place where we feel protected and safe so that we can be built up from the inside out.  The walls of the church cannot be found to be in disrepair, or the enemy will have opportunity to come inside and destroy what God is building.  Now enter the voice of the Spirit in my heart.

Part of what caused the breaches in the walls (the church) are those who are not taking care of their own individual hearts.  You see, in the rebuilding of the city walls under Nehemiah's leadership, many groups were helping in various spots along the wall.  But sometimes the Word lists individuals who where repairing the wall directly in front of their own home!  Do you see where I am going?  The breaches in the walls of the church are sometimes caused by believers who are not joining in the effort of rebuilding their own part of the wall, their own hearts.  When  God's people become complacent in their walk with Him, not only is their life affected, but the entire body of believers is!  How we walk individually greatly impacts the safety and security of the entire church!

As I was considering this truth and what my part was in a broken church wall, the Spirit spoke a second thought to me.  When we choose to practice an "I'll go to church when I feel like it" mentality, forsaking the gathering together, we also are leaving a part of the wall unattended and in ruin.  If we are not present, the part we bring to the body of Christ is also absent, leaving a gaping hole for the enemy to enter through!  Hebrews 10: 22-25 are not just uplifting words!  Read them:

". . .let us draw near with a sincere heart . . . let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering . . . let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together . . . but encouraging one another . . ."

These verses are a call to personal, direct contact with and commitment to the body of Christ.  It is difficult to "stimulate others to love and good deeds" if you are "forsaking you own assembling together"!

Are you leaving a gap in your local church body?  The answer is yes if you are attending church complacently, with no real desire to grow or to change.  The answer is yes if you are attending church only when you "feel" like it.  The gap you leave is an open door to the enemy of our faith!  It's time to close all the entrances we have given to the enemy!

Only Two Choices

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Two Choices!

The more I read my Bible, the more I am reminded that in making spiritual decisions, there are really only two choices.  We tend to think that there are many, which only confuses the process.  Just as our hearts are divided between what is good and what is evil, what is Spirit and what is flesh, our daily choices only offer two real choices as well:  God's way, and the way of the world.  It seems to me that if we narrow it down to that every time, there is less opportunity to choose incorrectly.  The enemy of our faith has less chance to influence us if we are able to narrow the choice list to "God's way" and "Every other way."  By doing so we can more easily remove several possibilities that are "not the worst" choices, but bad choices none the same.

The people of Israel struggled, even as we still struggle, with being "whole-hearted" in their day to day lives.  After being exiled to Babylon by their holy God who would not allow them to walk with a divided heart any longer, Israel lived in captivity for 70 years, the consequence for the choices they had made.  After the 70 years, they were allowed to return to their country and rebuild the temple that stood in ruins.  Even after the harsh judgment of God, and living in a distant country and culture where their God was not worshiped, Israel did not learn their lesson.

Upon returning to rebuild their "spiritual center," Israel returned as well to their sinful choices.  Simply stated, they did not separate themselves from the world.  Called to live as a holy race, Israel intermingled with the people, marrying them, and in a sense, marrying their gods and idols once again.  They had been presented with two paths:  The path of obedience, righteousness, and purity (God's way) and the path of disobedience, unrighteousness, and impurity.  Israel took the wrong path.

The people of Israel are a picture of who we are.  We, too, are presented with a "fork in the road," over and over again, in our spiritual journeys.  Lest we think ourselves to have better discernment than the Israelites, wondering how they could fall into the same pattern after suffering such severe consequences, we ought to take a long look at our own choices.  How well do we pick God's way over the way of the world, our flesh and Satan?

God has called us to "raise up the house of our God" (our hearts) and to restore its "ruins." (Ezra 9: 9)  To do that we must begin to choose His path . . . and avoid the path of the world.  What worldly ways should you be leaving behind in order to walk in obedience to God?

"So That " Points to Consequences

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I have noticed as I read the Word it is often the smallest words or phrases that have the most profound statements behind them.  Take, for instance, the phrase "so that."  While learning to study my bible inductively, one of the phrases Kay Arthur teaches you to look for is the phrase "so that."  When I first began to interrogate the text, I couldn't quite grasp the importance of those two little word.  But now, every time I come across them a blinking neon light goes off in my head that prompts me to slow down and take a closer look.  Upon doing so, I inevitably discover on either side of the "so that" is two other small, but powerful, words . . . "if" and "then."

King David stood before all of Israel to address them about the temple that his son, Solomon, would build.  He had a very important message to deliver to his people and to the soon-to-be king.  After he reminds them of all that God has said regarding them as a people and the kingly lineage, David speaks the heart of God to all of them.  (I Chronicles 28: 1-10)  In his address to them, tucked between the implied "if" and "then" is a very powerful "so that."  Here is how it reads:

"So now, in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of the LORD, and in the hearing of our God, [the "if you will"] observe and seek after all the commandments of the LORD your God SO THAT you may possess the good land and bequeath it to your sons after you [ the "then you will"]."  

Do you see it?  "So that" so often means what blessings God will bestow on us in return for our obedience to Him.  In the case of the Israelites, it sounded like this:  "If you are obedient to all of My commands, then I will give all of the land to you so that you can pass it on to your children."  It can also mean what consequences might come for disobedience.  God could have just as easily stated this same verse from a negative point of view.  That would have sounded something like this:  "Refusal to obey Me will result in disaster SO THAT you may not possess the land and pass it on to your children." "So that" points to the "then," the action God will take, whether favorably or unfavorably.

 You can see it again in the following verse (vs.9) as David speaks to his son.  "If you seek Him, (then) He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, (then) He will reject you forever."  Either response from Solomon will surely have the appropriate consequence!

Just prior to the if/then of verse 9 you can clearly see the way to avoid the unfavorable consequences in your own life.  It is as true for you today as it was for Solomon hundreds of years ago.  It is simple, and yet profound and eludes the grasp of many Christians.  These 4 points are timeless and will never fail you:

1. Know God
2. Serve Him
3. Give Him your entire heart
4. Willing follow

In every choice you make God wants you to know Him so well that you choose as He would have you.  It matters not how you serve Him, but that you serve Him alone.  God does not want your leftovers, but your whole heart.  God wants you to stop leading so that He can!

"Consider now . . . be courageous and ACT!"  (2 Chronicles 28:10)  As the picture says, "If you'd just do as you are told, then it might all work out right!"  Obedience and disobedience are choices.  What will you choose?