Friday, February 15, 2013

A Clean Severance - Part 1



In Old Testament Times suffering was seen as evil.  In the New Testament, suffering and evil are no longer identical.  Think of the shock the crowds must have felt when Jesus said that those who mourn, those who are poor and persecuted and have nothing are happy!  How could he say such things?  Only in light of another kingdom, another world, another way of seeing this world.  He came to bring life-- another kind of life altogether.  And it is in terms of that life that we must learn to look at our sufferings.  I have found it possible, when I see suffering from that perspective, wholeheartedly to accept it.  But it takes a steady fixing of my gaze on the cross.

If the cross is the place where the worst thing that could happen happened, it is also the place where the best thing that could happen happened.  Ultimate hatred and ultimate love met on those two crosspieces of wood.  Suffering and love were brought into harmony.

It was while we were still powerless to help ourselves that Jesus died for us.  It is a rare thing, as Paul points out, for anybody to die even for a good man, "but Christ died for us while we were yet sinners, and that is God's own proof of his love towards us.  And so, since we have now been justified by Christ's sacrificial death, we shall all the more certainly be saved through him from final retribution" (Romans 5:89).

To be "saved" requires a severance from the former life as clean and sharp as though made by a knife.  There must be a wall of separation between the old life and the new, a radical break.  That means death -- death to the old life, in order for the new to begin.  "We know that the man we once were has been crucified with Christ, for the destruction of the sinful self, so that we may no longer be the slaves of sin, since a dead man is no longer answerable for his sin" (Romans 6:6-7).

This wall of separation, this barrier, is the cross.

A Path Through Suffering by Elisabeth Elliot

Friday, February 8, 2013

The Discipline of Darkness, Part 2


Here's part 2 of that wonderful sermon I heard that Adrian Rogers spoke.  These are the words that spoke to me.....

Sometimes in life we come to a time of darkness when the lights go out and nothing seems to make sense. Job was so perplexed, he demanded, “God, you owe me some answers!” Although God never specifically answered Job’s questions, Job came to learn something critically important: that God alone was enough — even without the answers.

Sometimes God may put us into darkness so we’ll learn that even without the answers, He is enough. We may not be able to say that and mean it until He is all that we have.

#3: Some Things Are Seen in the Dark That Cannot Be Seen in the Light
“And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.” Isaiah 45:3

Sometimes the greatest treasures are discovered in the darkness. Darkness is not always the work of the evil one. It’s also one of God’s ways to teach.
Sometimes on the darkest night, the stars seem brightest. In the daylight, we may think the brightest thoughts, but at night we think the deepest thoughts.
#4: It Is Better to Lean on God in Darkness Than to Stand Alone in Man-Made Light
Isaiah 50:11 warns about lighting our own fire.  Man-made enlightenment can be deceptive.

 If we light our own fires and walk in that light, we’ll ultimately lie down in sorrow.
Abraham kindled his own fire after receiving God’s promise of a son. Tired of waiting, he produced Ishmael. Today the children of Abraham are still lying down in sorrow because of their conflict with Ishmael.
Moses received God’s promise but took things into his own hands. He became a murderer and set God’s work back forty years. Moses knew for forty years what it was to lie down in sorrow.
Simon Peter boasted that he would follow Jesus even to death. Then came dark Gethsemane. Peter did not understand and tried to light his own fire, cutting off the high priest’s servant’s ear. What an embarrassment to the cause of Christ! Peterwould lie down in sorrow that terrible night.
In a time of darkness, don’t create you own man-made light.

Adrian Rogers really has shown me how the most learned men of God can so easily fall.  I see that we can be so excited about what the Lord has taught us and shown us that we walk right into our own man-made light.  We must watch out for this and realize that all we have and know is from the Lord....without HIM we have nothing.

#5: If Your Sun Has Set, Be Sure Morning Will Come
Your dark night will come to an end. God will turn every hurt to a hallelujah, every tear into a pearl. Your Calvary will one day be an Easter.

It was a dark night for the disciples when Jesus was nailed to the cross and hung there, three hours of it literal darkness. It all seemed so inky black. His kingdom had shrunk to the narrow dimensions of a grave. But then came that glorious morning.


God sees through the dark.  His eyes are upon you in your darkness.

A little girl’s mother had died. Her first night apart from her mother, she felt alone in the darkness of her bedroom and left it to sleep with her daddy. They tried to sleep, but unable to see her father’s face, the little girl said, “Daddy, it is so dark. Is your face toward me?”

“Yes, darling, my face is toward you.”
“Daddy, you love me through the dark, don’t you?”
“Yes, sweetheart, Daddy loves you through the dark.” The little girl drifted off to sleep.
That strong man slipped out of bed, fell on his knees and prayed, “Heavenly Father, it is so dark. Is Your face toward me?”
The answer came from heaven, “Yes, My child, My face is toward you.” “Father, do You love me through the dark?”
“Yes, My child, I love you through the darkest night.” The father joined his precious daughter in much-needed sleep.
An unknown poet has written:
So I go on, not knowing;
I would not know if I might.
I would rather walk with Christ in the dark
Than to walk alone in the light.


Click Below to Listen!



Friday, February 1, 2013

The Discipline of Darkness, Part 1



Thank you for joining me this wonderful Sunday morning!  I listened to a wonderful sermon...  Adrian Rogers, now with His Lord, gave this awesome sermon which reminded me of the importance of suffering.  I hope you will take the time to check it out Part 1 and Part 2!


Here are some important points that really spoke to me and I hope they will speak to you during your time of need or maybe during someone else in your lives that may be of need.

#1: Those of Greatest Devotion May Know the Deepest Darkness
“Who is among you that fears the LORD, that obeys the voice of His servant, that walks in darkness, and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God.” (Isaiah 50:10)

Darkness is not unusual for God’s choicest saints. No matter how close we walk to God, it’s not always sweetness and light. Who ever came up with the distorted idea that if we give our lives to Jesus, all will be joy and rose petals?

Job was a saint who went through much suffering.  Remember what he said.....
Job, godly man, wrote, “He hath fenced up my way that I cannot pass, and He hath set darkness in my paths” (Job 19:8).

Paul, the great apostle, said, “We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9).


So if you’re in darkness, you’re in good company.
Notice that Isaiah describes the person in darkness as one who “fears Him and obeys the voice of His servant.” Darkness, therefore, does not mean we have sinned or are out the will of God.

# 2: The Faith That Is Born in the Light Often Grows in the Dark
“We should never doubt in the dark what God has shown us in the light.”

I like this...really let this sink in.  I had not stopped to think about this in this manner.  It seems that at times when we are in suffering its hard for us to really grasp what is going on because we are focused on just surviving...when if we would focus on God...there would be no need for us to do anything.  God has done it all for us!

It is in darkness that we have to trust the Lord and “stay” upon Him. Think carefully: when have you grown the most? In sunny days when everything seemed perfect? Or at midnight when you cried out to God? It was in the darkness that you grew, wasn’t it?

 God wants us to develop a faith that goes beyond our understanding and experience. How you act in the dark is the real test of your character

I like what Adrian Rogers concludes in his sermon....  It makes a lot of sense.

What should you do when the lights suddenly go out in your life?
·  First, look to the Lord. Isaiah 50:10 says “trust in Him.” Just because things don’t make sense to you doesn’t mean they don’t make sense. And just because they don’t make sense now, doesn’t mean they won’t make sense some day. If it doesn’t make sense, nonetheless trust the Lord.

·  Not only trust, but also obey. Don’t stop praying for an unsaved spouse, even if they seem to get worse. Don’t stop giving in a financial reverse. Don’t stop witnessing, even if no one seems to respond. Don’t stop praising, even if you don’t feel like praising.

·  Lean upon the Lord. “Stay” comes from the word for “staff.” Just as a shepherd leans on his staff, lean upon the Lord. David said, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thouart with me.” (Psalm 23:4) It’s better to be in a dark valley, leaning on Jesus, than on a sunlit mountain without Him.

We may not understand, but relationship is really more important than reason. It may be that we do not know Why in order that we may know Who. In the dark valley, David no longer talks about the Lord (“the Lord is my shepherd”), he now talks to the Lord (“Thou are with me”).

However dark life becomes, you will find Jesus standing somewhere in the shadows.

Awesome!  Jesus is always with us!!!

By Adrian Rogers

Click Below to Read Adrian Rogers' Article:
http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/love-worth-finding/read/articles/the-discipline-of-darkness-part-1-11898.html

Click Below to Listen!

Friday, January 20, 2012

Open Your Eyes to the Deception


Satan's promise to Eve was tantalizing:  "Your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil" (Genesis 3:5).  Who could resist such an extraordinary offer?

The forbidden fruit was "good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom" (v.6).  If it hadn't seemed so attractive, do you think Eve would have fallen for the offer?  If that fruit had been rotten and crawling with worms, would she have considered disobeying God?  Of course not.  What makes Satan's offer so alluring and so deceptive is that they look so right.

The problem is that Eve didn't stop to evaluate what was really happening.  She didn't take time to discern truth from error.  She didn't stop to consider the cost and the consequences of what she was about to do.  If Eve could have imagined the ugly, painful, deadly consequences of her choice -- in her own life, in her relationship with God, in her marriage, in her children, in her children's children, and (through the sin of her husband, who followed her) in every human being that would ever live on the planet --do you think she would have listened to Satan's lie and disobeyed God?  I doubt it.

I have discovered that very few Christians seriously consider the consequences of their choices.  We simply live our lives, responding to the people, circumstances, and influences around us.  We have fallen for a lie.

Lies Women Believe and the Truth That Sets Them Free  by Nancy Leigh DeMoss

Friday, January 13, 2012

The Strategy of Deception


Deception was -- and still is -- crucial to Satan's strategy.  According to Jesus, it is the devil's very nature to deceive:

[The devil] was a murder from the beginning, 
not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him.
When he lies, he speaks his native language,
for he is a liar and the father of lies.

John 8:44

For reasons we cannot fully understand, Satan chose to target the woman for his strategy of deception.  Twice in the New Testament the apostle Paul points out that it was the woman who was deceived:  "The serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty" (2 Corinthians 11:3); "Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived" (1 Timothy 2:14).

Remember that Satan did not first approach the man; he deliberately approached and deceived the woman.  It was the woman who led her husband into sin, and together they led the whole human race into sin (though Adam, as head, is held ultimately responsible).  This is part of his strategy.  He knows that if we as women buy into his deception, we will influence the men around us to sin, and our sinful choices will set a pattern for subsequent generations to follow.

In the fifth chapter of Ephesians, Paul warns, "Let no one deceive you with empty words" (v.6).  Repeatedly, he challenges God's people to speak Truth to one another.  When we are not honest with each other, we actually do Satan's work for him, acting as his agents, deceiving and destroying each other.

According to the Scripture, we can even be deceived by spiritual leaders --those who have been entrusted with the responsibility of shepherding God's flock and communicating Truth to His people.  Sadly, many leaders abuse their calling and their followers by failing to speak the Truth.  Through the prophet Ezekiel, God addresses those leaders who deceive people:  

With lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad... 
and strengthened the hands of the wicked, 
that he should not return from his wicked way, 
by promising him life.  

Ezekiel 13:22  KJV

In many cases, they "strengthen the hands of the wicked" by suggesting they do not need to repent.  They promise God's blessing and grace to people who do not qualify because of their willful disobedience and unrepentant hearts.   Their teachings help people justify...
  • anger ("healthy expression of your true feelings");
  • selfishness ("You've got to place boundaries between you and demanding people");
  • irresponsibility ("You are dysfunctional because you have been deeply wounded by others"); and 
  • infidelity ("You are free to divorce your mate and marry someone else; God is the God of the second chance").
At the same time, they make "the righteous" feel "sad" or guilty...
  • for taking personal responsibility ("You're codependent");
  • for demonstrating a servant's heart ("You shouldn't let others take advantage of you"); and 
  • for being faithful to their vows ("God does not expect you to stay in that marriage"). 
Lies Women Believe and the Truth That Sets Them Free  by Nancy Leigh DeMoss

Friday, January 6, 2012

You Have Been Lied To. We Have Been Deceived.


I invite you to take a walk with me back to where all our problems began:  the Garden of Eden, the first home of Adam and Eve --a perfect, ideal environment.   I want you to see how a lie was the starting place for all the trouble in the history of the universe.   Eve had listened to that , believed that lie, and acted on that lie.  Every problem, every war, every wound, every broken relationship, every heartache --it all goes back to one simple lie.

As lies have a way of doing, that first lie grew and spun off more lies.  Eve believed the lie, and we, the daughters of Eve, have followed in her steps --listening to, believing, and acting on one lie after another.

I want to rip the mask off the one who tells us those lies.  Satan poses as an "angel of light" (2 Corinthians 11:14).  He promises happiness and pretends to have our best interests at heart.  But he is a deceiver and a destroyer; he is determined to dethrone God by getting us to side with him against God.  I want you to see how Satan may have used some of the subtlest lies (or half-truths) to deceive and destroy you and those you love.

Pray to the Lord, "God what lies have I been believing?"  He will show you the lies you are believing.

Satan promises the best, but pays with the worst; he promises honor, and pays with disgrace; he promises pleasure, and pays with pain; he promises profit, and pays with loss; he promises life, and pays with death.

Satan deceived Eve by causing her to make her decision based on what she could see and on what her emotions and her reason told her to be right, even when it was contrary to what God had already told the couple.

From that moment to this, Satan has used deception to win our affections, influence our choices, and destroy our lives.

Why do we fall for his deception?  Why do we go for the lure?  One reason is that Satan doesn't usually appear in the form of a serpent --instead, he comes disguised as a New York Times best-seller, a popular magazine, or a movie, or a TV show, or a Top Ten hit song.  He may also pose as a relative or friend giving sincere counsel, a therapist, or even a Christian writer, preacher, or counselor.

Regardless of the immediate source, anytime we receive input that is not consistent with the Word of God we can be sure Satan is trying to deceive and destroy us.  What we read or hear may sound right, may feel right, may seem right -- but if it is contrary to the Word of God, it isn't right. 

 Lies Women Believe and the Truth That Sets Them Free  by Nancy Leigh DeMoss

Friday, September 2, 2011

Why Doesn't God Prevent His Children From Suffering? -Part 5

As we come now to the seventh and last reason God’s children suffer, let us read Hebrews 12:6.  For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. (Hebrews 12:6)

The word “chasten” is a bit misunderstood because it is interpreted as meaning punishment.  Actually it is not that at all. It belongs in an altogether different category. It literally means child training. Our word today for it would be discipline. In other words, God does not have undisciplined children. He disciplines His own, and there are certain lessons He gets through to us by suffering. Therefore we have this matter of discipline. The Judge punishes; the Father chastens.

Punishment is for breaking the rules of the Father, as we have seen. God deals that way with His children. But when He chastises, or child trains, He is doing that in love. It does not have the same background as does punishment. However, this does not mean it is not severe and that it does not hurt.

It’s rather like the old chestnut about the father who took his son out to the woodshed for a little discipline. But before the father whipped the boy, he sat down and wept. As he looked up at the boy, he said, “Son, this hurts me more than it does you.” And the son said, “Yes, Dad, but not in the same place.”

Our heavenly Father, I’m confident, is not severe because He takes delight in disciplining us, but He does it for our benefit. Therefore, the writers of Scripture did not show us, as God’s children, how to escape suffering but how to endure suffering. That is the most important thing.  There is a worthy purpose and a productive goal to be gained in the chastening or the discipline of the Lord. God uses that method.

Thru The Bible by Dr. J. Vernon McGee