Category: Truth

Deep Calls to Deep

Posted on by Dorci

Like our bodies need the sun, food and water, our souls need to worship God.

God declared in Isaiah 43:7:

“…Everyone who is called by My name, and whom I have created for My glory, whom I have formed, even whom I have made.”

Paul echoes this in his letter to the brothers and sisters in Colossae “…all things have been created through Him (the Son, who is the image of the invisible God) and for Him.” (1:15, 16b)

But like so much of what God’s created, satan has taken our God-given need to worship Him and offers us a cheap counterfeit. 

Those who refuse to acknowledge God’s existence (and even some who do) will turn that need to worship toward something else. 

“They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised.” (Rom. 1:25)

Throughout time people have worshipped everything from vegetation to animals (the living and the golden kind), to the sun, moon, and stars. 

But what people mostly worship is one another and themselves. It’s our soul on junk food. There is nothing that will destroy it faster than worshipping people, or seeking to have others worship us, and there is no shortage of ways that people seek to be worshipped, revered, idolized, bowed down to, put on a pedestal, feared. 

I don’t know how many people I’ve heard who believed fame and fortune – self worship – to be the ultimate success, and after seeking all the world says is important, or even being thrust into it, fall into a pit of despair once they’ve reached that pinnacle and confessed they said to themselves, “Is this it?”

They’re left feeling empty, broken, and despondent. Many have believed there was nothing else to live for. 

The first thing Jesus did is resist the temptation of the devil in the wilderness to worship him.

The devil first tempted Him to stop seeking God by trying to end His time of fasting. Then he tried to lead Him to test God. Ultimately, he tried leading Jesus to worship him.  

“Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ‘All this I will give you,’ he said, ‘if you will bow down and worship me.’” (Matt. 4:8-9)

The devil is methodical and predictable. If he can lead people away from God, he can get them to turn their God-given need for worship onto anything and anyone else, and he’s won. 

But Christ shows us the way by telling him, “Away from me, satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only. (Deut. 6:13).'” (Matt. 4:10)

When we, too, find ourselves in the desert of life, or the black depths of the oceans, we can be tempted to take any way out, to cut short our suffering, to take satan’s deal, but it’s only a short-cut to despair and regret. 

“Deep calls to deep…”

King David wrote these words in Psalm 42 describing a time of great turmoil in his life. It is in these great sufferings of life we hear God calling to us in the deepest recesses of our souls, and we call back to Him from there. 

Just as God knows what inhabits the loneliest of deserts and the deepest of ocean floors, God knows what’s in our hearts. Never do we need to be afraid to invite Him into whatever is going on in our hearts and lives. 

The only fear we should have is in not calling on Him, on not worshipping Him, and turning instead to something or someone else. 

So what is our remedy to keep from being caught off guard? To being tempted to turn to any other form of worship?

Abide!

Abide in the Vine-in Christ, and in His love. Hang on as dearly to Him as a branch holds fast to its vine for nourishment and life. 

That is true worship. And from our worship of Him in spirit and in truth, He, our Creator, our King, our Lord, our Sustenance, our Light, our All, will nourish our souls with Himself and give us all we need for the abundant life. 

In Him,
Dorci

What is Reformation Day?

Posted on by Dorci

Today marks the 504th anniversary, otherwise known as Reformation Day, that Martin Luther is said to have nailed his famed Ninety-five Theses to the door of the All Saints’ Church in Germany, and sent his theses with a letter to the Archbishop of Mainz, under whose authority the Roman Catholic church sent out preachers to sell “indulgences” – an act such as a prayer or good work which the Roman Catholic church claimed was “a way to the reduce the amount of punishment one has to undergo for sins.”

Just before Luther wrote his theses, which he called “Disputation of Martin Luther on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences,” a Dominican Friar had been sent to Germany to sell indulgences to raise money to rebuild St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. 

Martin Luther, a professor of moral theology and a preacher, meant his theses to open an academic debate on this and other teachings of the church that he believed were in direct conflict with God’s Word.

His theses made statements such as: that the Lord Jesus called for followers to live a life of true inner repentance rather than a system of outward sacramental confession; that the pope could not absolve sin; and that in selling indulgences, those preachers were giving false certainty of forgiveness and leading people to believe that obtaining an indulgence made repentance unnecessary.

The theses was quickly distributed throughout Germany and Europe, and leadership in the Roman Catholic church charged Martin Luther with heresy, some even calling for his punishment by burning.

A few years later he was excommunicated, but by then the church in Europe had begun its reformation.

We are privileged to live in a time and place where we can own God’s Word for ourselves and, in prayer, search it, study it, and know the truth God’s set forth in it. This should be our solemn duty as those who have been given the greatest, most life-altering, eternity-changing gift. 

We can emulate the Berean Jews, who “were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” (Acts 17:11)

Though it’s been more than 500 years since Martin Luther sought know and proclaim the truth, there are still a lot of erroneous beliefs, philosophies, and religious doctrines floating around out there, lying to people and leading them away from the truth. 

We cannot let ourselves fall into that trap. If we are to continually abide in Christ who is the truth, we must, through the Holy Spirit, discern the lies from the truth and never waiver from it. 

Time gets shorter every day, for the souls around us and for us, and people need the truth in God’s Word.

“It is finished.”

These are the last words of Christ before He “bowed His head and gave up His spirit.”

This statement in the Greek is teleō,-to end, complete, execute, conclude, discharge a debt, accomplish, make an end, expire, fill up, finish, go over, pay, perform.

The work of payment for sins is done. Anything added to Christ’s work on the cross for forgiveness of sins and salvation makes a mockery of His life, His death, and His words, and serves only to lead people away from the truth. 

The free gift of the forgiveness for all one’s sins and eternal life is one that only Christ can offer, and He offers it to anyone – ANYONE! – who will believe in Him as Lord, receiving His payment on the cross for their sins.  

***

Heavenly Father, we pray for your mercy, for a revival of hearts around the world, and for boldness to live and speak as witnesses of your truth, in love and humility and in the power of your Holy Spirit, to those you bring to us. As we walk in faith, we pray you would enlarge our territories for your glory, Lord.  In Jesus’ name we pray, amen. 

 

Knowing God’s Word and the New 2011 NIV

Posted on by Dorci

Hello Friends,

Because so many of us use the NIV, I wanted to make sure you were aware that a new NIV translation was published in 2011 and is now being used exclusively online and sold in stores and there are some noted changes between it and the previous 1973/1984 NIV translation.  

 

The version I’ve carried for 23 years is the first NIV, the New Testament having been originally published in 1973, and the Old Testament in 1978, although I do like to compare translations in various versions, and frequently look up the original Hebrew and Greek meanings to get a clearer understanding.

Not all the changes are bad, but I want to share just a few of them and how they alter the meaning of scripture. Words are important.

Psalm 51: 6 –

NKJV – “Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.”

1978 NIV – “Surely you desire truth in the inner parts, you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.”

2011 NIV – “Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place.”

The Hebrew word for “inmost parts” is ̣ṭûchâh, which means overlaying, the kidneys (as being covered), the inmost thoughts. (The word for womb is beṭen, meaning to be hollow, the belly, the womb.)

The original language tells us that God desires us to have truth, or trustworthiness, in our innermost beings, our hearts. Not just pretending, but being of truly trustworthy character. But the 2011 NIV translates it in a way that would cause us to think God desires us to be faithful in the womb, before we’re born. The meaning is completely different.

Matthew 21:7 –

NKJV – They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.

1973 NIV – “They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them.”

2011 NIV –  “They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on.”

The 2011 NIV is worded to imply Jesus is sitting on the cloaks rather on the donkey and colt.

The significance of emphasizing the fact that Jesus sat on the donkey and colt is that by doing so He is fulfilling prophecy given to them in Zechariah 9:9 “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

A humble king of peace rode donkeys; a man of war would have ridden a horse.

Rather than entering as a conqueror coming for war to overthrow the Roman government as they expected Him to, He is showing them He was entering Jerusalem as a humble King of peace, the coming Messiah, the Savior of their souls.

The 2011 NIV also changes gender references to gender neutral which is not always bad, but sometimes that nuance changes the interpretation. 

John 6:44 – 

NKJV – No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.

1973 NIV – “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

2011 NIV – “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.”

The 2011 change from singular to plural implies the Father will only draw a group of people rather than the fact that He sees, loves, and draws an individual.  

There are many other changes to this new translation as well.  They may seem small and insignificant, but as I’ve written about before, the enemy will use small, seemingly insignificant changes to confuse us, put doubt in our minds, and trip us up. He did that very thing with Eve in the garden, and it’s still a main tactic he uses today. 

This is why we all need to not just read God’s Word, but prayerfully and with discernment, study it to know it like the back of our own hand so the enemy can’t use our ignorance to keep us from understanding the truth and leading us to believe something God’s Word doesn’t mean.

“I have hidden your word in my heart 
that I might not sin
against You.”
Psalm 119:11


Heavenly Father, thank you for your enduring Word. Please give us a love for it as we read and study it daily that we might live according to your way that leads to life and joy. Please lead us by your Holy Spirit as we do to give us understanding and wisdom so we can abide in you and your truth always. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

The Saturday Song – Voice of Truth

Posted on by Dorci

Hello friends. In case you haven’t noticed, there are a lot of voices out there screaming for our attention. And there are some up close, whispering in our minds things about ourselves that are absolutely not true. They are lies from the pit of hell.

And there is another Voice, whispering even smaller and quieter, that we are we are loved, we are forgiven, we are His, and He has a plan for our lives. 

Every day we make a choice to discern those voices against the backdrop of God’s Word and the Holy Spirit, and choose to listen to and believe the Voice of Truth.  

And when we put on the clothes of righteousness Christ purchased for us, and the armor of God the Spirit provides and step out in faith, we will live in victory. 

Rooting for you!!!

 

Who is Shaping Us?

Posted on by Dorci

I took a slow day recently and sat down to watch a movie. So-so movie. Classic good guy chases bad guy. 

The bad guy, well, let me put that more accurately – the crazed, psychopathic, sadistic killer – enjoys the chase. He’s cocky and thinks he can’t lose. 

He decides to make the game even more fun by coming straight to the door of the good guy, and hits him where it hurts most: his family. 

The good guy internalizes that pain, that grief, and lets it boil inside him until the hatred turns to bitterness in his quest to hunt down and destroy his enemy. 

In one last-ditch effort to mentally manipulate and control from his place of weakness, the bad guy spews to the other, “I…made…you.”

His last words are arrogant, demented, and maybe a little bit true. 

In his quest to fight evil, the good guy gives in to the hatred the evil guy wanted him to. He lured the good guy in until he crossed that line before he even fully realized it. Or worse, he realized it but didn’t care anymore. 

As their eyes locked and he used his last breath to try to control him and reel him in the rest of the way, speaking those domineering, pompous, mind-bending words, I thought about how the enemy of God does the same thing.

There are no new tricks up his sleeve. Oh, they may take different forms, different plots, different scenarios, but it’s always the same.

Slip in undetected in the shadows, gain our attention, come to our front doors if need be and attack us personally where he knows it’ll hurt most, and if he can time it just right, in the wake of some other trial, when we’re alone, when we’re tired, when we’re sick, when we’re stressed, maybe we’ll react in the flesh. 

And if we react long enough, he’ll try to say he made us. He made who we’ve become, from being filled with anger, to unforgiveness, to bitterness, to leaving our faith and the love of Christ behind.  

None of us is immune. Christians are his target, because Christ is his target. 

Even if he can no longer take our eternal souls, he will still try to take our joy, our witness, and as much of our reward as he can.  

But I don’t want the enemy to shape who I am.

I want to be shaped by the Christ who loved us enough to die for us and fill us with His Spirit so that He’s always with us.

I want to be shaped by the One who loves us enough to write His Word, His will, on pages for us to have, to read, to study and pray over, to hear Him speak to our hearts through.

I want every fiber of my being, every molecule, every thought, every word to be formed by the Christ who lives in me.

That can only happen when day by day, minute by minute, we hold onto Christ, giving up our lives for a life of faith hidden in Him. 

“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20

This is the new life we’ve been given in Christ. It is no longer our life, but Christ’s living in and through us. To some that may feel a little restrictive, but in reality it’s just the opposite. 

We are now free of that destruction, that condemnation, that guilt and shame of sin, free from having to believe the deluded lies of the enemy. We no longer have to be lured in by the thief whose desire is to steal, kill, and destroy us.

Instead, Jesus said “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” John 10:10

That word abundant is perissos, which means “in the sense of beyond; superabundant (in quantity) or superior (in quality); by implication excessive; preeminence: – exceeding abundantly above, more abundantly, advantage, exceedingly, very highly, beyond measure, more, superfluous, vehemently.”

In sharp contrast to the life Christ redeemed us from, we’re now free to live a life of forgiveness, hope, love, joy. We’re free to live in and through Christ forever. 

But notice it says that we may have it more abundantly. It is our daily choice how much of that abundant life of Christ’s we want to live. Within those pages, Jesus gave us this to remember:

“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” Luke 9:23

Daily. 

Daily we must deny ourselves, daily we must take up our cross, and daily we must choose to follow Christ if we want to live the abundant life Jesus died to give us.

We may not have a bad guy to physically chase, but in our hearts and minds we can chase the ones who have hurt us by holding onto unforgiveness and anger and letting it turn into bitterness.

Instead, we can leave the bad guys to God and chase after Christ and His love, joy, peace, hope, and forgiveness. We can choose faith in Jesus, and let Him shape us.


Heavenly Father, we choose to forgive those who have hurt us and leave them in your wise and capable hands. Help us deny ourselves, let go of our “old man” and the world’s ways and abide in you daily so we can be transformed into the image of your beautiful Son and live the abundant life you so desire to give us. It’s in Christ we pray, amen. 

 

Think About These Things

Posted on by Dorci


It is incredibly easy to get focused on what’s going wrong, what went wrong, and what might go wrong in the future. 

Paul had plenty he could have been depressed about when he wrote his letter to the Church in Philippi.

He was writing while imprisoned unjustly and constantly guarded, and had to rely on people outside the prison to supply most of his food and anything else he needed. He lived with a chronic health issue. And he faced the real possibility of execution.

Five times he’d been punished with thirty-nine lashes, three times he was beaten with rods and once was stoned. He was shipwrecked three times, and spent a whole night adrift at sea. He faced danger from rivers, robbers, Jews and Gentiles, wolves in sheep’s clothing, in cities, deserts, and on the seas. He had sleepless nights, had gone without food and water, and had shivered from enduring cold without enough clothing to keep him warm. 

But Paul did not focus on those outward things. 

His focus was on his Savior and his calling, and both of those led him to have a heart for God’s people. Instead of thinking about all that was going wrong or could go wrong, he’s writing a letter to the body of Christ to encourage them. 

He tells them not to worry about him, but reminds them the truth that his imprisonment has only served to advance the gospel inside and outside the prison.

He finds it praiseworthy that his imprisonment has served to strengthen the faith of believers, that they “dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.”

And he speaks of the loveliness of this body of believers in sharing in his suffering by sending him aid. 

Paul’s whole heart, mind, and soul are laser-focused on the Lord, on getting out the gospel for the sake of lost souls, and encouraging his beloved brothers and sisters. 

If we’re abiding in Christ, our circumstances are in the hands of a gracious and merciful and loving Father. And the excellent thing about Him is that He loves to be our strength when we are weak, and He will use those circumstances in ways we might not know about until we see Him face to face. 

Paul never knew he was writing the majority of the New Testament, and that 2000 years later we would be benefitting  from the encouragement he took and wrote about to the churches while he was in prison. 

Yes, there’s a lot going on in our own lives and all around us we could focus on that is untrue, unjust, unrighteous, etc., etc., and etc.

But we can take our thoughts away from those things and focus them on the Lord, the gospel, and our calling. We walk in the Spirit by first thinking in the Spirit, seeing our circumstances through the eyes of Christ, remembering He has a plan, and praise Him for all the ways He’s blessed us, is blessing us, and will bless us. 

God’s given each of us spiritual gifts to use, and circumstances that allow us to use them. 

I think about my own life, and let me tell you, it’s been a doozy. Almost from day 1 to now it’s been an uphill climb. Sometimes I come to some level ground, although even that’s been rocky. And every once in a while I come to an oasis – a true word from the Lord, a lovely friend, or a praiseworthy answer to prayer. 

Yet I remember that it is in the very depths of those difficult circumstances that draw me to Christ, keep me needing Him, abiding in Him, and loving Him more and more. And without all He’s taught me through them, I wouldn’t have had much, if anything, to write about. 

Even if we can think of nothing else, we can focus on the fact that

“In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 1 Peter 1:6-7

So. What can we focus on right now, today, that is

True (truth)? 

Noble (worthy of respect)?

Right (just, in character or act)?

Pure (innocent, modest, perfect)?

Lovely (friendly towards)?

Admirable (well spoken of)?

Excellent (praise, virtue)?

Praiseworthy (commendable)?

Hint: The best place to be reminded of all that is true and praiseworthy and everything in between is in the very pages of God’s Word. (Can you imagine Paul’s joy knowing that here we are in 2021 taking courage from his encouragement?)

And one more word of truth lived out by our brother Paul – 

“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Cor. 10:5

Heavenly Father, we give you praise for our salvation through Christ and for the continual blessing of the Holy Spirit. When we begin to get our eyes onto things or perspectives that would bring us down, remind us of what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. Help us remember and live worthy of our calling to the praise and glory of Jesus Christ. And thank you for preparing for us a place in heaven, where we will live with you and everything that is good and right and holy forever and ever. In Jesus’ precious name, amen. 

 

Saturday Song – I Know

Posted on by Dorci
 
 
 
 
I Know
Big Daddy Weave
 
You don’t answer all my questions
But you hear me when I speak
You don’t keep my heart from breakin’
But when it does, you weep with me
You’re so close that I can feel you
When I’ve lost the words to pray
And though my eyes have never seen you
I’ve seen enough to say
I know that you are good
I know that you are kind
I know that you are so much more
Than what I leave behind
I know that I am loved
I know that I am safe
Cause even in the fire to live is Christ, to die is gain
I know that you are good
I don’t understand the sorrow
But you’re calm within the storm
Sometimes this weight is overwhelming
But I don’t carry it alone
You’re still close when I can’t feel you
I don’t have to be afraid
And though my eyes have never seen you
I’ve seen enough to say
I know that you…
 
Finally, brothers and sisters,

whatever is true,

whatever is noble,

whatever is right,

whatever is pure,

whatever is lovely,

whatever is admirable—

if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—

think about such things.

Philippians 4:8

Clotheslining satan

Posted on by Dorci

Ah, the enemy.  he may be stupid, but he’s relentless.

I’ve found one of the most dangerous times for a believer is right after God gives us a victory.  He brings us through a hard fought battle and we might be tempted to celebrate, sit down, and relax.  But satan knows that, and he’s not about to let us off the hook that easy. he’ll try coming at us again and again.

Maybe God’s given us the ability to forgive someone.  The next day, and the next and the next, the enemy will try dragging us back into the mess and remind us of the way that person hurt us, filling our minds with things like “shouldn’t you have the right to be angry…”

Maybe God’s filled us with a godly contentment with our circumstances…“but you could’ve been doing that…”

And so it goes.

God reminds us though, that we can choose what to think, and that in Christ we have the power to “…take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:5b

I call it clotheslining satan.

 

 

 

 

“shouldn’t you have the right to be angry…” 

I stick out my arm (figuratively, of course), and in my head (or maybe out loud if nobody’s around) I immediately yell “NOPE!”  Clotheslined.  Stopped.

“but you could’ve been doing that…”  “NOPE!”

“but what about what that person…”  “NOPE!”

“but…”  “NOPE!”

I don’t entertain the thought.  I simply say no to his lies and stop the enemy right in his tracks.

I’ve taken my thought captive and made it obedient to Christ – to His victory for me, to His love for me, to His grace and mercy toward me, to walking in the abundant life He’s given me.

I don’t have to allow myself to be pulled back into the pit, back into unforgiveness, back into anger, back into discontentment… I can keep walking in the Spirit and remember that “if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” John 8:36

 

“Heavenly Father, thank you for the victorious life you’ve given us through your Son, Jesus.  Thank you for giving us a sound mind and for equipping us with the tools to fight the enemy. And thank you for your joy, and for humor.  We praise you, and we pray it all in the name of Jesus Christ, our Victor, amen.”

 

How One Degree Equals a Million Miles

Posted on by Dorci

You get on a plane bound for Paris.  Your future spouse is waiting, along with your wedding party, your officiant, and all your guests.  You fly for what feels like forever and finally land, only to find out you’re in Belgium instead. 

Now, Belgium is nice, but it’s not Paris, and it’s not what you planned.  The pilot profusely apologizes when he realizes he’d set his course one degree off.  One degree?  How could one degree cause such a mess?

God told Adam “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”  Genesis 2:16-17

Enter the serpent. The master of “It’s only one degree…”

He says to Eve,“Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?'”  Genesis 3:1

Already he’s begun planting doubt and confusion in her mind. “Wait, did God say that…?” And she replies,“We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden(so far so good), and you must not touch it, or you will die.”

Uh oh.  One degree off.

The serpent retorts,“You will not certainly die. For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Funny how satan always makes it seem like we’re missing out on something when in reality he is enslaving us.

Of course we know the rest of the story.  Eve goes one degree off by adding something God did not say (“you must not touch it”) and she’s suddenly off course.  Then, as she’s off the path God plotted for her, her pride takes her another degree by doubting God’s motive, and then another by coveting, and she walks over to the tree, plucks the juicy fruit, and takes a bite.

She hands it to her husband, he shrugs his shoulders (conveniently forgetting what God had told him), and he takes a bite, too.

And suddenly sin enters the world.  And the story continues to this very day, and the world is a million miles off from what God desired.

Yes, we have Christ and the cross, and anyone who puts their faith in Him is forgiven of all their sin. Jesus Christ has defeated the enemy and through Him we have victory over sin and death.

Still, the battle is not over.  The war of degrees continues, and we are warned “Be alert and of sober mind.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8

Jesus may have won our souls, but satan’s looking to swallow our lives, our service to the Lord, and our witness to the world. And he does it one degree at a time.

“Did God really say…not to eat that, not to drink that, not to watch that, not to read that, not to smoke that, not to go there, not to do that? Everybody else is doing it. Your friend is doing it and see what a great person he is?  Your Christian friend posted it and it sounds inspirational. Yeah, that’s not what the Bible says, but it’s the 21st century. Your pastor is reading it. It’s a Christian book, right?  So what about the parts that aren’t exactly scriptural. It doesn’t matter.”  

One degree. And then another, and another.

Just a meme. Just a book. Just a movie. Just a piece of fruit.

Discernment gets walked out of the cabin and relegated to the backseat. We base beliefs on who is saying it, rather than on what is said. On its popularity, rather than God’s Word. On our political affiliation, rather than our position in Jesus Christ.

We adopt beliefs because they sound good, and though they may be part truth, they may also be part untruth – just one degree off – and we adopt the belief, mixing it with some truth, and then other untruths we are bombarded with from the world are built on that, decisions are made based on those unscriptural beliefs, and soon we look back and around, and we’re lost. We’re far from God, and the lion is crouching in the bushes, stealing God’s plans and replacing them with needless pain and suffering.

Maybe the question we all need to ask ourselves is – who is my pilot?  Me or God? My feelings or God? The world or God?

He will never lead us off course. Yet when we find ourselves off the path, with Him, through Christ, there is an abundance of mercy and forgiveness. We are always one prayer of repentance away from being whisked back to God’s side, walking with the Spirit again.

There may be consequences of our sin, though, which is why God lovingly warns us to always be alert and of sober mind. Let us “resist {the devil}, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.”  1 Peter 5:9

We’re all in the same boat, or plane, in keeping with my original analogy. We need each other’s prayers and encouragement and strength as we walk this walk, and we can only do that as long as we’re walking next to our Lord, and not off eating fruit that’s bad for us.

God’s given us an entire garden of life-giving fruit. Let us revel in His provision, stay on course, walk with Him and do His will, and remember that one day we will see “Paris” – the great place of the marriage of the Lamb and His Bride.

“Hallelujah!
For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and be glad
and give Him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come,
and His bride has made herself ready.
Fine linen, bright and clean,
was given her to wear.
(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.)”
Revelation 19:6-8

 

Happy Mother’s Day

Posted on by Dorci

Dear Heavenly Father,
I pray for every woman reading this, no matter what stage of motherhood they’re in today. You’ve blessed us all with your nurturing spirit, and we thank you for that blessing. May we use it, wherever we are, for your honor and glory. And may every woman know how much they’re loved. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

Happy Mother’s Day!