God Delivered Us from Evil, So Don’t Keep in Touch

This is one of those days when I’d like to take a pass on what the Lord has pressed on my heart to post...

Earlier this week I saw a quote that resonated so I took a screenshot:

“When God delivers you from evil, don’t keep in touch.”

I felt the same exhortation as I read 1 Peter 2 today. He writes,

“Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents & foreigners” to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls.”

He calls us to live properly among unbelievers so that if they accuse us of doing wrong, they’ll see our honorable behavior & will then honor God.

As I read the above & pondered the quote, a question surfaced:

Would my behavior silence my accusers & give cause for them to honor God?

Peter commands us to:

~Respect everyone

~Love your neighbor

~Fear God

~Respect the king

~Accept the authority of your masters with all respect 

Those are pretty strong imperatives especially when he couples the last one with a clause:

“... do what they tell you – not only if they’re kind & reasonable, but even if they are cruel. For God called you to do good even if it means suffering just as Jesus suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in his steps.”

When I read those 5 imperatives, I confess that, “Respect the king” is hard when it feels like the “king” of my country has made consistent decisions that may lead to its demise.😬

And yet, we are called to respect whomever sits in the seat of kingship, not because he deserves it, but because we are commanded to do so by The Word - The One Whom we serve & The One Who saved us-Jesus!

He delivered us from evil, so why keep in touch with it by posting disrespectful memes or leaving snarky comments? There are many informative things I read that I’d like to repost, but when I look at the account, it is rife with dishonor so I cannot.

Y’all, we who were once slaves to sin are now free-slaves to our Savior by choice! If He’s our Lord, then our lives must reflect it! Not by striving, but by surrender!

Father, let our lives become so honorable that it silences the enemy & causes those around us to seek & honor You! You delivered us from evil, so remind us to not keep in touch with it.

#OneYearBible

November 24th One Year Bible Readings

💡EZEKIEL 47:1-48:35

💡1 PETER 2:11-3:7

💡PSALM 119:49-64

💡PROVERBS 28:12-13

Nothing Tastes as Good as Healthy Feels

Thinking clearly & exercising self control can be hard this time of year when holiday sights, sounds & smells surround our everyday disciplines. Markel & I are working in a new environment & the donuts & candy & Cinnabon’s, oh my, can easily trump my desire for the spinach protein shake in my lunch bag 😂

The 1st part of that sentence is an imperative written by Peter. I can see him speaking with breathless exhortation as I read his words:

“Come on, now! Think clearly! Exercise self control! Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires! You didn’t know any better then!”

I remember when we’d purchased a new van when Tommas was little. One day we discovered a long scratch in the paint that traversed around the perimeter of the van - like someone had keyed it.😳

We asked the boys if they knew what’d happened & Tommas proudly said, “Yes! I was drawing a line!” We couldn’t be upset with him because he didn’t know any better.

The “problem” with knowledge is that it pops our ignorance bubble. Once we know something, I don’t think we can un-know it?

Making wise choices DOES require clear,  premeditated thinking AND predetermined self control!

I KNOW how awful I feel after I eat sugary sweets, but I easily slip back into my old ways when I don’t begin my day arming myself with discernment & self control.

On Sunday, our pastor said, “Nothing tastes as good as healthy feels.” Such a good word, right?

Being healthy physically, spiritually, relationally, financially & emotionally all require discernment & self control AND we cannot have either apart from the indwelling Presence of the Holy Spirit.

He IS The Counselor who whispers the wise Way & the fruit of self control is  a whole lot less about willpower & a whole lot more about allowing Jesus Lordship over the deep desires of our heart!

As we enter the holiday season, may we keep Peter’s exhortation before us!

Father, give us discernment to make wise choices, & Holy Spirit, let your fruit of self control govern the areas where our flesh wants to return to our old ways of doing things!  Keep us on Your path & remind us that there is NOTHING as good as wholeness & holiness feels!

#OneYearBible

November 23 One Year Bible Readings

💡Ezekiel 45:13-46:24

💡1 Peter 1:13-2:10

💡Psalm 119:33-48

💡Proverbs 28:11

Be Wary of the False Way

Have you ever told a lie? I think all of us have at one point or another.

When I was about six I think I told my first lie to my mom. My friend Lisa was over playing with me in our basement. My mom came to the top of the stairs & said it was time for her to go home. I was sad because we were having such a blast in our Barbie doll land.

Lisa leaned over & whispered, “You could pretend that I went home, but I’ll just stay here & wait for you to finish your lunch. That way we can play afterward.”

It sounded like a good plan, but it quickly went awry. I am a terrible liar & my mom knew within minutes that I didn’t tell the truth when she asked where Lisa was.😳

Psalm 119:29 makes a funny plea to the Lord. The writer begs, “Keep me from lying to myself.”

It’s such a funny prayer to me...how would I even know if I WAS lying to myself?🙃 I guess that’s what makes it a worthy prayer!

The root words here translate to, “remove the way of falsehood from me.”

The way of falsehood isn't just an outright lie, it can be a false idol, a false view, a false motive or it can even be a simple exaggeration. It can be easy to embellish some facts to make a story sound better!

The bottom line is that our heart is deceitful above ALL things! If there were ever propriety for prayer, it’d be this!

We are in the “information age” where many facts are not indeed facts, but opinions wielded as truth. If we cannot trust the information that’s coming AT us, how can we discern what is coming from INSIDE us unless we continually turn to the only Source of infallible Truth?

Father, We cry out like this Psalmist did & ask you to keep us from lying to ourselves. May we not practice it or be deceived by it.

We need You & Your Word to guard us from the way of falsehood. Give us the privilege of knowing Your instructions so we will not be waylaid with the enemy’s whispers of false views, false idols or even false motives. We need You, our Source of Truth, now more than any other time in history!

#OneYearBible

November 22nd One Year Bible Readings

💡EZEKIEL 44:1-45:12

💡1 PETER 1:1-12

💡PSALM 119:17-32

💡PROVERBS 28:8-10