Stuck Between Terror and Trust

I remember my dad using a pocketknife to remove a splinter from my hand when I was a kid. I trusted him, but I wasn't so sure that I should trust him when he was pressing a blade up against my hand to pick a splinter out. I remember feeling this odd mixture of terror and trust. I felt the same thing when my mom would use a safety pin to remove a splinter or when one of my parents would pull my loose tooth. In fact, I think I felt this way a lot as a small child. Anytime my parents needed to do something that would be painful to me in the short run, even though I knew it was good for me in the long run, it created this tug of war in my heart between terror and trust.

I think the disciples experienced a similar mix of terror and trust in the hours leading up to Jesus' crucifixion. Jesus had been hinting at His impending death for days or even weeks (one example can be found in John 12:27-33). Then came the night of the last supper. After He had washed their feet, Jesus told the disciples that one of their own would betray Him (John 13:21-30). Then at the same meal Jesus revealed that one of their greatest leaders, Simon Peter, would fall away and deny Him three times before the next morning (John 13:36-38). Taken together in short succession, the predictions that Jesus would be murdered, that one of them would betray Him and that even Peter would fall away must have been the most painful news the disciples would ever hear. You can imagine how filled with terror and confusion their hearts must have been. And as they reeled, struggling to make sense of it all, Jesus comforts them with these words.

Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. (John 14:1)

He tells them not to be anxious or distressed, but to simply believe in God and in Him. In essence, Jesus tells them to wait, to be still, and to trust. The same things my parents told me when they needed to do something that was ultimately for my good but might cause a little bit of pain in the short run.

I don't know what you are going through right now. I don't know what is troubling you or causing anxiety or distress in your life, but I believe God is trustworthy. So, if you find yourself stuck between terror and trust, choose to trust God. Submit yourself to Him, even when He puts you under the knife to perform surgery on your life. Wait. Be still. Trust. He has a plan. He is in control. And it will work out for your good, believer.

God Honors Humility

[God] says, "I am going to bring disaster on you. I will wipe out your descendants and cut off from Ahab every last male in Israel—slave or free...Dogs will eat those belonging to Ahab who die in the city, and the birds will feed on those who die in the country." (There was never anyone like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, urged on by Jezebel his wife. He behaved in the vilest manner by going after idols, like the Amorites the Lord drove out before Israel.)

When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and fasted. He lay in sackcloth and went around meekly.

Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite: “Have you noticed how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself, I will not bring this disaster in his day, but I will bring it on his house in the days of his son.”

1 Kings 21:21, 24-29

For anyone who has read the Bible Ahab's name is synonymous with idol worship, murder, and wickedness. Very few men in Scripture are treated with as much contempt as he is. Yet, these few verses aren't really about Ahab's wickedness but about His repentance and God's mercy. 

According to verse twenty-five Ahab had maxed out his sin before God. It says, "there was never anyone like Ahab" in regard to his sin. And yet, when Ahab finally found fear of the Lord, when he became convinced that judgment was coming; he repented from his heart. Ahab, the great king of Israel, took off his royal robes and put on sackcloth. He gave up his kingly feasts and fasted before the Lord. This wasn't done privately but publicly. Ahab publicly repented of his sin before God.

Perhaps, even more surprising than Ahab's abrupt about-face is that a holy and righteous God would relent and show a measure of mercy to him. Here's a man who had dedicated himself to wickedness for decades. Yet, when he humbles himself before the Lord, God still chooses to honor his humility and repentance. As James 4:6 says, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”

No matter how bad your sin, God honors humility and true repentance. Conversely, no matter how good you are, arrogance and a self-righteous attitude will incur God's wrath. So humble yourself. Stop and consider the sin you're ignoring in your life and repent from your heart. God will honor it.

Three Little Commitments

I will be careful to lead a blameless life...

I will not look with approval on anything that is vile...

I will have nothing to do with what is evil.

Psalm 101:2-4 (selections)

Any Believer who will make these three little commitments, will change their life to its very core. It's sad, but many believers today lack holiness. They aren't separate from the world in any way. They claim to believe in Jesus, but their lives show no change. Let's be different by making each of these commitments with the psalmist today.

"I will be careful to lead a blameless life."

Let me be blameless, Father. May I not be greedy. May no unkind words or deceit or inappropriate joking come from my lips. Help me to live blamelessly, Lord. Make me blameless in business, blameless in my finances, blameless in my marriage and with my kids. May those who seek to discredit You find no reason to do so in my life.

"I will not look with approval on anything that is vile."

Father, forgive me for how much time I have spent watching worthless things. Lord, please change what we as believers watch. Change what we view as entertainment, what we find joy in watching. Even as we seek not to be judgmental of our brothers and sisters in Christ, give us the wisdom to never approve of anything that is vile, because we know that You do not.  

"I will have nothing to do with what is evil."

Help me to flee even the appearance of evil. Keep me clean from its stain. Forgive me for the times I've allowed myself to indulge in sin. Change my heart, O God. Help me to understand that each time I'm tempted, I make a choice between sin and You. May I always choose You! I want nothing to do with evil.

James 4:4 says, "You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God." 

Watch yourself, Believer. Be careful not to become worldly. We know that this world is under the power of the Adversary, and you don't want to be counted among his friends. Rather, by God's Spirit, reject evil, vile, and sinful things just as Jesus did.

Top 5 Reasons to Read the Bible (W.o.W. Rewind)

1. His Word is Powerful!- God's words are so powerful that He created everything in existence simply by speaking. Imagine what powerful change His words can bring about in your life.

Now the earth was formless and empty... And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. (Genesis 1:2-3)

By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. (Hebrews 11:3)

By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.(Psalm 33:6)

2. God's Word is True- We are surrounded by lying voices. All day long they tickle our eyes trying to sell us their product. Aren't you tired of being lied to? Don't you want to know the truth about the world, yourself, and God? Go to the Bible! It speaks only the truth.

Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. (Proverbs 30:5)

Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. (John 17:17)

And the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times. (Psalm 12:6)

The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever. (Isaiah 40:8)

3. The Bible Brings Salvation- Talk about the power to change a life! Every person who ever went from sinner to saint did so because of God's Word. Apart from the Word we could know almost nothing about God. It's only through the Bible that we learn about His plan of salvation and are called to repentance and belief. 

He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. (James 1:18)

For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. (1 Peter 1:23)

4. Scripture Grows Us and Guides Us- We all want to improve. We all wish we had a little more self-discipline or a better understanding of God's plan for our life. If you want to grow in the Lord, if you want to become the best version of yourself, if you want guidance, then the Bible is exactly where you need to start.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple. (Psalm 119:130)

Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation... (1 Peter 2:2)

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. (Psalm 119:105)

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. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Hebrews 4:12-13)

5. God's Word Defeats the Enemy- Have you ever noticed how Jesus fought temptation when the Devil came to meet Him in the desert? He fought the Devil with the Word of God. The Bible is a powerful weapon against temptation and the lies of the enemy. In fact, Revelation tells us that in the end all the enemies of God will be defeated by His words.

“Is not my word like fire,” declares the Lord, “and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?” (Jeremiah 23:29)

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:17)

He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. (Revelation 19:13-15)

For further reading...

• Read anything in the Bible! But if you don't know where to start or if you haven't read the Bible much before, then start with here: Mark, Luke, or Genesis.

Simple Obedience

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.

Matthew 1:24

Joseph the carpenter was chosen by God to be Jesus' adoptive father. He would be the one to provide for God's Son, to protect Him and to teach Him what it meant to be a man. What a huge responsibility! What a privilege! But why was Joseph chosen? Was it simply by chance? Was it a package deal? Did God choose Mary and just accepted Joseph because he was already engaged to her? I don't think so. So why did God choose him?

Scripture doesn't record much about Joseph. In fact, Scripture doesn’t record a single word spoken by him. But when you read what is there, there is one thing that is noticeably consistent in his life: obedience. All throughout the Scripture record, Joseph consistently obeys God. 

We first see this in Matthew 1:24. God commands. Joseph obeys. Simple obedience. This is perhaps the single most impressive aspect his character. When God tells Joseph to take pregnant Mary as his wife, he does it. When he tells Joseph to name the baby Jesus. Joseph does it. When He says flee to Egypt (2:14), Joseph flees. When he says to come back from Egypt (2:21), Joseph returns. As it turns out, one of the few things we can say for sure about Joseph is that he obeyed God. While I can't be certain that this is why God chose him to be Jesus' earthly father, it seems plausible and it's certainly an attribute worth emulating.

So how can you increase your obedience in the new year? I'm not talking about impressive feats of spiritual perfection, just plain old-fashioned obeying what God's Word and His Spirit tell you to do. Resolve to do that. Stop offering God anything less than complete obedience. Listen for His direction, and then, very simply, obey.