The Proverbs 31 Woman – Chapter 28 – Open Arms

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The poor and needy are all around us. We don’t have to look far to find a family, region or entire country poverty stricken for whatever reason, or just plain hopeless with all the terror and chaos around the world today. Jesus said that we will always have plenty of opportunities to meet the needs of others. (John 12:8)

 

There are neglected and undernourished people everywhere and children without a home or a hope. There are needy women who are abandoned by their husbands. We live in a world where ungodly governments make their own people suffer while they live in luxury. There are regions of people who suffer cruelty beyond their control. It is overwhelming for sure, but God expects His people to do something, even if it’s little. The Lord has instructed every one of us to spread His Gospel and then follow it up with love in action.

 

As a mother, the poor and needy are right at your feet each morning. Your children are constantly yanking on you and requiring your full attention because of the inner poverty and spiritual need they have (which we all had or maybe still have as adults). A warm home, a closet full of clothes and toys, along with three well-balanced meals a day won’t satisfy what your child needs emotionally and spiritually.

 

Poor: Lacking proper nourishment; lacking material possessions; lacking the means to support oneself; lacking productivity, lacking fruitfulness; barren, sterile; lacking comfort and satisfaction; lacking good and moral qualities; lacking excellence; worthy of pity.

 

The Virtuous Woman sees that her own children’s emotional, spiritual and physical needs are met first before she opens her arms to others. Wisdom is proved right by her children. You can’t serve or be a benefit anywhere else unless you have first and fully benefitted the ones God gave you at home.

 

God gives any barren wife children otherwise; she simply needs to open her eyes elsewhere. A childless couple can have as many as they like; it’s just a matter of love and faith in God.

 

Note: Go to God, not to doctors to attain a right perspective as to why the two of you are not producing children out of your own bodies.

 

Children raised with ‘material things’ replacing ‘mother’s time’ and ‘father’s time’ are children who will more than likely grow up to be smug and cold toward the poor and needy. Smug: narrow contentment about one’s own accomplishments, beliefs, morality; self-satisfied; complacent.

 

Jesus stated that in the last days the hearts of people (even His own people) would grow cold because of the “rapid” increase of wickedness. (Matthew 24:12) They will get angry over what has been denied them by their governments, fear that they won’t have enough, and begin hoarding for themselves instead of trusting God and reaching out to help others. In fear people will stand watching someone being attacked instead of taking the risk of helping. We see many countries where governments are corrupt and unjust, oppressing people instead of helping people. Acts of kindness will be rarely seen except by true servants of the Lord that will obey God’s instructions.

 

One way God keeps our heart from growing cold is to put us into needy situations ourselves; maybe even into poverty and homelessness. I know a Christian man who saw a homeless ministry as he himself was homeless. Sometimes God will burden us for a place in the world where the people are in great need; to put us among them for a time to feel what they feel and respond as God’s open arms. God loves people through His people. God can end suffering through those who walk with Jesus.

 

We might need to suffer ourselves so that we can truly understand, and not just pity people who live a life of suffering; what they go through each and every day. God always has a good purpose when He assigns us a time to suffer. (1 Peter 3:13-17)

 

Jesus told us that unless we suffer for the Gospel’s sake we will not share in His inheritance later. (Romans 8:17, Revelation 2:10) Why does our Father treat us this way? Why is “suffering” part of how He qualifies us for His Kingdom? Shouldn’t it be how well we did our work on earth, how committed we were to the Church, how cooperative we were serving our leaders, how well we managed and prayed for our families, how faithful we were in tithing and teaching others the truth?

 

Suffering works as a high heat that purges the dross from gold. Suffering reveals deep things in us that we didn’t know existed. Our hearts are deceitfully wicked and we don’t know just how deep that wickedness is until the Lord exposes it and sometimes He does this through suffering. And, if we have been humbled in the process, He is quick to comfort those who suffer.

 

God uses suffering to test our commitment to His Kingdom; how far we will go for the Lord. God’s uses suffering to draw people to Himself so He can pour out His love on them. His love poured out on us leads us to repent and turn our life over to Him; to offer ourselves to Him in gratitude.

 

When the people of God, who have been blessed by Him, are closed armed, tight fisted and silent about our world’s inhumanities – the world becomes filled with more and more inhumane suffering. It has only gotten worse in the world, not better, and that is not the fault of God. Jesus said that He came to destroy the works of the devil. He showed His men how to demolish Satan’s personal and national strongholds and agendas, and those men passed it on to the next generation, and so on and so forth. So what happened?

 

Those who spent time around Jesus, being fed, taught and touched by Him – felt rich, important and full of hope, even with all that was viciously against them. They went much further than we do in order to take care of each other, and because of that brotherly love – great numbers were added daily to the Kingdom of God. Their persecution forced them to spread out and cover more areas of darkness with God’s love, truth and righteousness.

 

Human sympathy is not the same as godly (God’s) compassion. Human sympathy lacks godly discernment and the wisdom that comes from God to know when to help and when not to help, and what help should be.

 

Godly compassion glorifies God. Human sympathy glorifies man. We can feel sorry for someone without extending a hand to help and still have God’s peace about it. We can be moved to help the way they want to be helped, but not in the way they really need us to help. When God’s compassion is compelling us to action that person or group of people will have exactly what they need when they need it, and they will give GOD the glory for it.

 

God sees and understands the heart of every individual, we don’t have that power. God sees a person’s whole state and the legitimate need in each one. When we act out of mere human sympathy we can miss out on the rewards of our faith that come from knowing how to listen to the Holy Spirit and follow through in obedience. But, a reward isn’t the motive we should have; love is.

 

The day comes when our parents or grandparents become the poor and needy around us. We hear a lot about nursing homes for the elderly where the elderly are treated poorly; where they are oppressed instead of honored. Turning our parent, parents or grandparents over to hired-help should only be done with God’s permission and His peace in our heart because He will hold us responsible.

 

“Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children.” Proverbs 17:6

 

I have seen a great push from God as He has been working in families to unite families so that they can start living together and helping each other along, because the days are rapidly increasing with evil.

 

We will all face hardships of various kinds; some we have caused ourselves by not trusting the Lord, or hardships that others generate on their own and that affect us. Our sin and rebellion towards God affects others, not just ourselves. The closer we get to the return of the Lord the more Christians will need to come together and return to the basic principles of love and sacrifice that the first church so beautifully embodied. The book of “Acts” is called just that because of their righteous acts (also known as the bride’s apparel – Revelation 19:8).

 

The Lord calls us a fool if we are selfish with what we have; if we are storing up for ourselves on earth and not storing up with God’s purpose in mind. (Luke 12:20-21) We are wise to be “rich toward God.” The early church was very rich toward God for they did not hold on to anything as if it was theirs alone.

 

Everything we have comes from God. The first church gave according to the needs among them without judging one another or expecting anything in return. They laid their gifts at the feet of the apostles (not at the feet of the teachers/pastors/prophets). The apostles see the needs ‘worldwide’ as well as locally. The first church sold their possessions to help one another. When God is pleased – God is generous.

 

Hospitality (open homes) is a rare thing to see today, just as rare to see as a man and wife who never separated or divorced; never were unfaithful to each other and whose children obey and honor them. What a rare sight today. We’d be wise to start seeing and making our homes as the “gathering place” for fellowship with believers – instead of a public church building.

 

The first church opened their hearts and homes to each other. The family of God grew quickly because of their open arms.

 

 

Shield of Faith

Posted by & filed under Franks Blog.

Ephesians 6:16 “Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.”

 

The words “above all” indicate that there is now a change in the armor that we are to put on. We are now coming to the fourth piece of armor wherewith we need to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. The first three pieces were fixed, but now in this different transition we are told “to take up the shield of faith.” The fixed pieces of armor we have on all the time, but in times of emergency, or battle we take up the shield of faith.

 

The Roman shield that Paul is thinking about would be about four feet tall and two and half feet wide and held in front to protect the entire body. Paul speaks about the flaming arrows or darts of the enemy. One can imagine a barrage of darts or arrows falling down upon us that would bring in confusion, chaos, injury and then allow the troops to come in and finish the job.

 

We need to keep in mind that these darts are being thrown by the enemy, a.k.a. the wicked one, or the devil. Paul told us that we do not fight “against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (vs. 12) The world no longer believes that there is a devil and demonic powers and consequently when evil acts – they have no answers.  It is not flesh and blood that we fight, but a real devil that commands and controls a variety of infernal powers, devilish agents and spiritual entities.

 

When we think of these fiery darts or arrows we must realize that they can take different forms. Probably the most common would be in our thought life. Thoughts that would bring in doubt, despair, discouragement, especially when it comes to God’s promises, God’s love, God’s faithfulness and God’s Word. We see how Satan came to Eve in the Garden of Eden and said: “Did God really say?”

 

Also, there can be blasphemous thoughts about God and the Lord Jesus Christ. When we get these thoughts, we can begin to doubt whether we are even a Christian. Or, we might find that the devil throws words or phrases, or oaths or some other form of horrible language at us.

 

Some of these darts can deal with our imagination where the enemy can conjure up scenes, or depict events and paint them very vividly and make them seem so real. This is why we “take up the shield of faith.”

 

Peter tell us in 1 Peter 4:12 that it is not “strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you.” Because Satan will use these things to try and alarm us into thinking that God does not love us, or has forgotten us, or to bring in fear that would tend to immobilize us from moving in all that God has for us – we need to keep in mind what Peter said in 1 Peter 5:8, 9: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.”

 

John tells us in 1 John 5:4: “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith.”

 

Attacks of persecution can come from many different forms and in different ways. We see what some Christians went through in Hitler’s Germany and even today in places like the Middle East, India, China, but also persecution can come from those who are near to us.

 

The only way to really counteract all of this is through the shield of faith and we know that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. He who believes shall obey, and God gives faith to the obedient heart.

 

We never work to produce faith. Faith will never point to itself. We do not have faith in faith, but faith will always point to God; to His character; to who He is. This is why we are told in Hebrews 12:2, “Look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

 

So, in times of crises, or even in everyday life – the question is: What are we looking at, or towards? What is it that draws our attention? Is it Jesus, or some ‘thing’ else, or some ‘one’ else that we look towards.

 

Remember, we take up the shield of faith.

 

 

 

When You

Posted by & filed under Mikes Blog.

When you depend on the Lord, you will know that all of His promises are backed by His Name. When you search for Him with all your heart and soul, you will find Him. When you pray, He will answer you, encourage you, and strengthen you. When you put your hope in His promises it will be a strong and trustworthy anchor for your soul. When you keep this firmly in your mind, He will give you all of these promises so that you will have confidence that He will work out His plan for your life.

The Proverbs 31 Woman – Chapter 27 – Discerning the Time

Posted by & filed under Carols Blog.

The Proverbs 31 woman listens to the Holy Spirit because He tells her the things that are to come; the why, when and how she should prepare. God gives her all that she needs, not only for the present but also for what she is to prepare for. She does not fear what is coming because she is prepared. God has told us to consider the ants and how they know what time it is and what to do in preparation.

 

“Learn from the ant, observe her ways and be wise. Ants have no chief, office or ruler, yet knows in summer to gather the harvest, for provision in winter.” Proverbs 6:6-8

 

We should always be thinking ahead and getting even little things done that can be done, so that when the time comes – we are easily prepared instead of frantically at work. We should be thinking ahead for our children and grandchildren, and not be foolish to think that we need only be concerned for the present. While in the present we have time, resources, strength and freedom – we need to think ahead as to what Jesus said was coming that will make life difficult to live.

 

The day when the anti-Christ will require everyone to receive his mark (chip/implant) means no one will be able to buy or sell without it. But Jesus has told His disciples not to be deceived in taking the “mark of the beast,” rather they will find what they need to survive on because of what was left behind for them by those who listened to the instructions of the Holy Spirit before they were removed from the earth; as they were called by Spirit of God to prepare provision for God’s saints living through the Great Tribulation that Jesus told us about.

 

“If anyone worships the beast and its image, and receives its mark on his forehead or hand, he too will drink the wine of God’s anger, poured undiluted into the cup of His wrath. And he will be tormented in fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.” Revelation 14:9-10

 

God is always preparing ahead for His people, and He uses His own disciples to do the practical things in a timely way. Jesus tells us about the time of Great Tribulation; that although it is a short time it is a time on earth like no other time.

 

“For in those days there will be tribulation unmatched from the beginning of God’s creation until now, and never to be seen again. If the Lord had not shortened those days, nobody would be saved. But for the sake of the elect, whom He has chosen, He has shortened them.” Mark 13:19-20

 

We all have loved ones to think about after we’re gone whether in death or rapture; especially loved ones who will be left behind to endure the time of God’s wrath on earth called the Great Tribulation. There is a time to come when God will no longer put up with the devil’s rebellion against God’s truth, and man’s destruction of what God once called “good.”

 

We know that the Lord prepares for the needs of His people, we can see it in the account of how God prepared way ahead of time using young Joseph (youngest of all his brothers) to prepare provision for his family during a great famine. (Genesis 38-41) God is still preparing for His people in the future. If God has told us what is coming (and He has) then we better listen to the Holy Spirit as to what we need to do with what we have been blessed with, whether we personally live through the short time of the “Great Tribulation” or not.

 

A fool does not listen to a warning nor does he prepare for what is coming. He hears but he does not heed; it goes in one ear and out the other. Those who follow the voice of God’s Spirit are not caught by surprise, unprepared and feeling hopeless.

 

God does nothing before telling those closest to Him so they will get the word out to all His people. But like in the days of the prophets, there will be the majority of God’s people who do not believe the Lord’s prophets whom God has given His message about what is about to happen that will affect them and their children.

 

Proverbs 1:32-33 “For the waywardness of the naïve will kill them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them. But he who listens to Me shall live securely and will be at ease from the dread of evil.”

 

The Lord’s people (Israel) didn’t discern the time of His first coming. (Luke 19:41-44) Will the churches discern the time of His second coming in making ready a people prepared for Him?

 

God hates the fear that men have of other men and that makes men cower down from their God-given responsibilities. God blesses and honors those who understand what He requires of them, and then faithfully get to it, no matter what comes against them.

 

There will be a generation of the godly who are told to faithfully prepare physically, in practical ways, for the worse time on the earth that Jesus and the prophets all foretold. What if you are that generation? It is very important that you know the time and what is both necessary and appropriate to do. Jesus told us that we won’t know the day and the hour of His second coming, but we can certainly know the generation – if we are paying attention to what’s going on and to what the Holy Spirit is saying. Do not be a fool and set a specific day that the Lord will return like so many false prophets have done. JUST BE READY!

 

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain, a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak, a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.” Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

 

Why would God tell us to go to such extremes and severities; that there is the time to mourn, to tear down, to throw away, to hate, to go to war and even to kill? When would God approve of hatred/war/killing? Well, read what Jesus said HE WILL DO when He returns!

 

Jesus told us what to be prepared for; things that must happen before He returns; even things that will knock down our traditional ways of ‘churchianity.’ As we embark upon each new year it has become apparent that we just might be doing things we never thought of doing. So beware of holding on to your churchy traditions and works, and end up like the “unwise virgins.” (Matthew 25)

 

When you are faced with the need to make an important decision – how do you make it? How do we know when it is the right time for anything? How do we know if it is profitable to let go of something or when it is wise to hold on to something? How do we know when we should be searching or giving up? What gives you the confidence to know when it is the time to speak up or take action, or to simply shut up and stay put? Without the revelation of the Holy Spirit how can we be timely in anything? Without the Holy Spirit who can know what to be ready and prepared for? Without the strength of the Holy Spirit who can be faithful? So, are you filled with Holy Spirit?

 

What is it the time for when your pastor keeps silent about the Lord’s coming judgments; what to expect and prepare for that Jesus talked about?  What is it the time for when your children are being taught in school that they might not be the gender they were born with? What is it the time for when you find out your husband has been unfaithful? What is it the time for when your best friend challenges your faith in Jesus Christ?

 

How do we know when it’s time to do something good for someone else, or when it’s the right time to be angry? How can we be angry without sinning with our anger, like the Bible instructs? What are we to do with our feelings before they turn wickedly active? Our actions will be held accountable by God, but our feelings won’t. God wants us to bring our thoughts and feelings before Him in surrender to His will – so we can then make right decisions about how we feel, and be right and timely in our actions.

 

All throughout the history of man God has made sure that men and women know what they need to know about His character and what He requires of them. The Word of God is not just a history book; it’s our daily food and light for our journey of faith. Jesus commands us over and over to “hear what the Holy Spirit is saying” because God’s Spirit knows when it is the time for everything that currently concerns us, and also prepares what is coming.

 

“A man (or woman) will be satisfied with good by the fruit of his (or her) words, and the deeds of a man’s (or woman’s) hands will return to him (or her).” Proverbs 12:14

 

Our Feet

Posted by & filed under Franks Blog.

Ephesians 6:15 “…and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.”

 

Have we ever thought about the important role our feet play in everyday life? Our feet touch the ground whenever we are standing, walking or running and they are an extension of your legs, which help move you. They are the foundation of your body and keeping them healthy can help keep you healthy.

 

This third piece that we are to put on in order to be “strong in the Lord and the power of His might” has reference to our feet and shows that our entire personality is involved. Nothing is more important in the Christian life than balance. If we were to think through our life we would find that many of our troubles are due to a lack of balance and the enemy capitalizes on it. We must keep in mind that our Christian life does not consist of section and portions, but our faith takes up the whole life, the whole man and we need protection at every point.

 

Paul, in Corinthians 12, shows the unity of the body in how every part is important and that we are to treat each member with respect. This is true with the Body of Christ, the true church. So just like the internal organs and their importance, so it is with the feet.

 

We know that in any physical warfare the feet are important. Soldiers in battle are always told to keep an extra pair of socks that were dry to be able to put on the feet in order that they might stand, run and fight.

 

Paul tells us here in Ephesians 6, in this spiritual battle, we are to have on our feet the preparation of the gospel of peace. But what does this preparation mean? A number of ways to interpret this word “readiness,” is to prepare, provide, equipment, etc. So, what does Paul mean here? The RSV translation brings out the idea of equipment, so could this be what Paul is meaning here? We have the right equipment on our feet to be ready with the gospel of peace. Titus 3:1 brings out the same idea: “Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good” The word “ready” is the same word in our text for preparation.

 

So, does this mean that we need to be ready to take the gospel of peace to the places where the gospel has not gone before? Does it mean that we are to be ready to preach and evangelize? Yes, we should be ready for all of this, but we must keep in mind that the footwear we put on is for battle. It brings out the idea of being firm in our standing, confident in what we believe – so we can stand.

 

1 Corinthians 16:13 says that we are to “stand fast in the faith.” Faith here could be translated ‘the truthfulness of God,’ keeping in mind that God is not a man that He should lie, or does not keep His promises.

 

The writer of the Hebrews tells us in Hebrews 2:1 that we must be careful in paying attention to what has been said lest we drift away or slip. The reason for the footwear is to make sure that we do not slip in the battle that we are in. Here in this passage we see that many of God’s people are slipping, drifting and sliding simply because they do not understand or know what to believe. Are we ready to stand on the Gospel?

 

In first Corinthians Paul spends 14 chapters telling the Corinthian Christians that they are standing and dividing over the wrong issues. Finally, in chapter 15 Paul says: “Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand.” What are we to stand on? The Gospel. The question in this battle is: Are we ready to stand on the gospel that is outlined in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4?

 

We have propaganda telling us what to stand on. For example, the modern fads for today, or what the powers to be tell us what to stand on, such as in “political correctness.” We live in a world where there is a tremendous spin, or smear machine, telling us what is real and what is not.

 

What Paul is telling us is to have our feet shod, or rather equipped with the gospel. This is what we are to stand on.

 

The Proverbs 31 Woman – Chapter 26 – Her Night Light

Posted by & filed under Carols Blog.

“….and her lamp does not go out at night.” Proverbs 31:18

 

The lamp of the Proverbs 31 Woman does not go out at night. She is ready to do what is hers to do at night as well as in the day. She keeps her light on at night, ready to meet any need whether it’s her sick or scared child, or a tired lonely traveler, or to get up in the wee early hours to pray and read the Word of God.

 

On a more personal level: There was a day when I wouldn’t give up sleep for anything or anybody. As a young person I would party till wee hours in the morning and sleep in till noon on days off from work. This was after I moved out of my mother’s home of course. In my opinion, there was nothing worth getting up for early in the morning; nothing worth rolling out of bed for in the middle of the night. Nothing I knew about then, that is.

 

After we started having children I started getting up in the night and early in the morning even before my husband – to be alone with the Lord. I still get up when it’s dark to be alone with the Lord even though there are no children at home.

 

God’s intimate early morning fellowship is our best source of strength and encouragement for all the day’s productivity and trials. I’ve learned this full well because I’ve seen the difference when I do NOT put Him first in the morning and when I do. God’s input is what we need each morning before we are bombarded by all the other voices with their demands on us.

 

Does your heart yearn for the Lord’s words and touch? When we are disciplined about meeting with the Lord first thing in the morning we find that we can get a whole lot done with very little effort because we have first honored God desiring His fellowship. Be careful not to replace TRUE fellowship with the Lord each morning – with ‘going to church’ and serving there.

 

NOTE: The organizations of what we call “church” (at least here in America) is fading away and all that will be left on earth, as we approach the Day of the Lord, is to live as the Lord’s persecuted disciples lived at the start of Christ’s church. Most Christians in this world already live this way, but it will soon be the whole world of Christ’s disciples living the way the first church live that we read about in the book of Acts. Jesus warns us that the devil will enter a man and this counterfeit Messiah will rule ‘the whole world’ from Jerusalem. God’s people need to be ready and prepared according to how the Holy Spirit is showing each of us.

 

If you find it hard to wake up in the morning then go to bed earlier, get off the computer and off your iphone; turn off whatever is keeping your mind on things of this world. Lie down and talk to the Lord and thank Him. There’s so much to thank Him for even in the worst of times. Give Him all your day’s concerns and troubles. Remember His words, and He will give you rest.

 

I ask you: What good is sleep when the heart’s awake? Do you wake up in the night unable to sleep? Then get up and get with the Lord! Don’t worry about making it through the day on little sleep. You need Him more. He’ll carry you through the day so that you get everything done that needed to get done, and what didn’t need to be done – won’t make a difference.

 

Reminder: The people that gathered to Jesus to hear Him and be near Him were filled by Him; they didn’t notice how hungry or tired they were.

 

The woman who depends on the Lord each morning for His words and touch will never run out of strength to do what is still hers to do in the night.

 

I keep night-lights on at night when I keep our grandchildren with us. You never know when a scared little child will try to find you, or when you need to hurry to another room to help one of them with something, or to check on them to make sure they are covered in the night.

 

We need to keep our lamp on with all the oil we will need as we live in the darkest of times – on our way to see our Bridegroom. (Matthew 25) We can read in the Bible (our lamp) what Jesus and the prophets said about the end times. We need Holy Spirit (the oil) to know when it’s time to prepare in practical ways for what God’s Word tells us is coming. God is practical. God prepares ahead for those living in far worse times. We need to be wise with godly wisdom because Jesus says,

 

“I still have much to tell you, but you cannot yet bear to hear it. However,  when the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak what He hears, and He will declare to you what is come. He will glorify Me by taking from what is Mine and disclosing it to you.” John 16:12-14

 

As we continue to wait on the Lord for His return to reign we will want to keep our light on at night so that we are ready to meet any need, face any threat, or pray for anybody the Lord places on our heart; to simply be ready for whatever might happen because the days are rapidly increasing with evil.

 

Righteousness

Posted by & filed under Franks Blog.

Ephesians 6:14, “Put on the breastplate of righteousness.”

 

Another important piece of our armor is the breastplate because it protects the vital organs of the body. Often the Old Testament writers would use the names of different organs to express feelings, affection, etc. This is the reason why the breastplate of righteousness is so important in this conflict that we find ourselves in; that of wrestling with the world, the flesh and the devil. We need to protect our feelings, affections and our conscience, as well as our desires and our will.

 

The conscience is very important. We see that Paul puts the conscience second only to our faith in 1 Timothy 1:19, “…having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected…” We know from the rest of the verse that those who have rejected a good conscience have become shipwrecked in their faith. The conscience is very important and the devil will attack us in this area, and many are held captive by the devil at this point.

 

We also have desires and there is nothing wrong with desires as God has given us ‘desire’ and many of our desires are good. They are part of who we are, however, what the devil tries to do is bring inordinate desires, or to inflame the desires that we have. Through all of this the will is affected and that is the reason why the breastplate of ‘righteousness’ is so important.

 

What do we mean by righteousness? Are we talking about moral rectitude, or should it be translated as integrity? Or could this be a righteousness that is provided by God Himself? I think so. For example, consider Apostle Paul. He was a man of integrity as well as self-righteousness, but like we read in Philippians 3:7-9, “But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.” So, this is the breastplate of righteousness that we need to put on.

 

Another example of this is found in Luke 18 where the Pharisee talks about his self-righteousness. Listen to what he says: “I fast twice a week, I give a tenth of all that I have.” Yet it was the sinner that said: “God, be merciful to me a sinner!” (Luke 18:13) The sinner went home ‘justified.’

 

500 years ago, Martin Luther discovered this righteousness and by starting the reformation he changed the course of history. The question that comes is: What can we do? We can do nothing and that is probably one of the first things that we need to learn. This is why God sent His Son so that we might receive His righteousness, because God is pleased with His Son.  2 Corinthians 5:21 “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

 

One of the great verses in the Bible is Romans 8:1: “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.” Now that this righteousness has been imparted to us we are to work this out in our daily lives. In doing this we will find that this righteousness protects our heart, our mind, our conscience as well as desires, emotions and will.

 

It is important to see that the breastplate protects our emotions. Human emotions and desires are real and can be good. They play a great part in our life, but unless checked can lead us into a lifestyle that is detrimental to being holy unto the Lord. We can feel so strongly about something that it can replace the rational thought.

 

Praise God for this breastplate that protects us and keeps us strong in the Lord and in the power of His might!

 

You Shall Know the Truth

Posted by & filed under Franks Blog.

John 8:32 “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

 

Ephesians 6:14 “Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth.”

 

When it comes to the armor of God the first thing that we put on is the belt of truth, because the armor that is put on after is dependent on the belt. It holds everything else in place. But what is meant by truth here? Some say that we need to have a spirit of sincerity and truthfulness in us, and this is important, but is this the belt that we are to put on – sincerity and truthfulness?

 

I know that the Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God, but could the Word of God also be the belt of truth as well? Comparing Scripture with Scripture seems to bring this out. The text above in John 8, about truth setting us free, is referring to His instructions (the Word) and continuing in His teaching.

 

In 1 Corinthians 16:13 “Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.” The word ‘faith’ brings out the idea of the truthfulness of God: His Word. We are to stand fast in His Word. This is important because truth here is dealing with the Word of God; we are to be mastered by this truth, because this is what holds us together in this battle that we are faced with and also holds all the other pieces of armor that we are to put on.

 

Again, I reiterate the importance of the Word of God and we can understand why the enemy wants it out of the way. This is why it is now becoming banned from public offices, schools, etc. This is the reason why the enemy wants to take down the Ten Commandments from the public square. The battle today is a battle over the Word of God. The enemy will try to confuse us, create uncertainty and hinder us in this battle. The devil is a liar and murderer and will do all that he can to discredit the Word of God.

 

Throughout church history we can see how the enemy is always trying to produce doubt in our minds, just like he did with Eve: “Did God really say…?” We saw how important the promises of God are, but this is where Satan comes in bringing doubt. We must always remember that “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” (Numbers 23:19)

 

When Jesus closed his Sermon on the Mount, He brought out the example of two men and two houses. One built his house on the sand (without foundation) and when the storms of life began to blow – that house did not stand. The other man built his house on the solid rock (the teaching of God’s Word) and in the storms of life – that house stood firm.

 

So, we must ask ourselves: What ‘belt’ do we have girded around our loins? Is it the belt of truth – the Word? Or is it the fads of today, being ‘our own truth,’ or whatever the ‘power to be’ might tell us what truth is? It is of utmost importance to make sure that we have the right answer to this question.

 

We live today in a postmodern world where it’s believed that there is no absolute truth. A book written by Sharyl Attkisson called “THE SMEAR” shares how shady political operatives and fake news controls what you see, what you think and how you vote. This has become a billion-dollar industry employing thousands of people to do one thing and one thing only, and that is to smear one another’s opponent, and in the process – truth be dammed.

 

So, when truth becomes what people just think it is – there are some real repercussions:

*Words have no meeting. Things made out of words – laws, vows, contracts, etc. have no meaning.

*Values have changed. Sacrifice, loyalty, self-governing, morality, accountability, has changed to independence, personal happiness, tolerance, comfort, instant gratification, and the right to make one’s own choices.

*We see that image is more important than substance.

*Character is not important.

*We make decisions by following our heart. Jeremiah 11:8

*There is no big story. Nothing makes sense. Everything is in bits and pieces.

 

In this spiritual battle, we see the importance of the BELT OF TRUTH. It holds everything else in place.

 

God’s Word of Light

Posted by & filed under Mikes Blog.

Jesus tells us that He has always existed, and He created everything. His life gives light to everyone, and darkness can never extinguish it. He came into the very world He created, and became human. He is full of unfailing love and faithfulness; and by His life He took away the sin of the world!

 

People who have rejected Him love darkness. They refuse His instruction and are not willing to obey His commands. They believe the same lies that deceived people before them, by trus…ting in their wealth which only brings trouble. These people chase fantasies, and have no sense, they think their way is right. They have no idea that riches will not help on the day of judgment!

 

Those who accept Him and what He has done for them will be rescued from trouble. They will be guided by honesty, and will be people of integrity. They do not make a show of their knowledge, and they use everything they find. Everyone celebrates when they succeed, for without their wise leadership, a nation falls.

TAKE AND KEEP YOUR STAND

Posted by & filed under Franks Blog.

Ephesians 6:11-15 “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.  Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness.”

 

When we think in terms of the warfare that we are in, the word ‘stand’ is very important in being strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. We are told that we are to resist the devil and he will flee, and when we take our stand this is exactly what we are doing.

 

We saw that one of the ways that we can be strong in the Lord is to consider the promises that God has given us. However, what sometimes happens is that rather than standing on the promise that He has given – we flee or turn away.

 

We have the flesh, the world and the devil that we contend with all the time, and God has given us three ways that we are to fight. When it comes to the flesh, Paul told the young man Timothy to flee youthful lusts. So, when it comes to the flesh instead of trying to resist we must FLEE temptation. With the devil we are to resist and he will flee. Often, we get the two mixed up, so we try to fight the devil like we fight the flesh and it does not work. We will lose every time. When it comes to the world we are told not to be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of our mind.

 

In the Greek, the word to ‘stand’ brings out the idea of pulling ourselves together to be ready for conflict. Peter said: “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you.” (1 Peter 4:12) We need to recognize that trials, tribulations and conflicts will come our way. This is life here on planet earth, until Christ comes and makes all things new. When these trials do come we need to make sure that we do not give in to thoughts of self-pity that come crowding into our minds and hearts, and cry, “WHY ME, LORD!”

 

We see this in Matthew 16 when Jesus asked His disciples who He was and Peter said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Later Jesus said that He must go to Jerusalem, suffer and die on the cross, and Peter rose up and said, “Forbid it Lord!” What Peter was really saying was “pity yourself, why should you die, what have you done wrong?” But Jesus rebukes Peter that this type of thinking was of the devil. Then Jesus said: “Pick up your cross and follow me!

 

Instead of pitying ourselves we need to deny ourselves and follow Christ in the way He overcame. I would say that one of the greatest sins is a sin self-pity, being sorry for oneself and allowing to enter into the mind – thoughts which cast down the truth about God’s love, goodness, care and His great promises that are for us.

 

So when the problems, trials, persecutions, etc. come in this spiritual warfare that we are in – we should not be surprised, but at the same time we should not be frightened. We are to stand firm on what God has said to us. Then the one who is frightened when we ‘stand strong in Christ’ is the one who will flee.

 

Peter said: “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” (1 Peter 5:8-10)

 

Paul was saying the same thing to the Christians at Philippi: “….and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God.” (Philippians 1:28)

 

In this spiritual battle or in any battle, we cannot be half-hearted: we cannot be ‘straddling the fence,’ doubtful in any way. If we are uncertain in the fight – we will lose. Being doubtful we will also fight badly and we know from James that a “double minded man is unstable in all of his ways.” (James 1:8)

 

To be honest, if we find reading the Word of God is a task that must be performed or prayer being a drudge instead of a joy in having fellowship with the Ruler of the universe – then I would say that we are already defeated because of half-heartedness towards our God and Savior.

 

We are in this battle to win and win we will if we take our stand and not give up.

 

So we are to take the position that God has given us. A good example of this is in 2 Chronicles 20 where Jehoshaphat, the king of Israel, heard that a great multitude was coming against him. He sought the Lord and said: “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you Lord.” Later he was given the instructions that they would go down to the Valley and told that they would not need to fight in this battle, but position themselves, stand still and see the salvation of God.

 

This is a battle between God and Satan and God will win, but will we?