He Restores My Soul

“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

It had been a tough day.

All sorts of bad attitudes, bad thoughts, works of the flesh, were swirling around in me. I was feeding the old man more than I was feeding the new man. You know, the old "white wolf -vs.- the black wolf" thing. I.e, the one that wins is the one that you feed.

It's amazing how a microscopic seed of resentment can lie dormant under layers and years of life, and some foul spirit can come along and stir up bad feelings in your mind, and you pour gas on that flame until it becomes a raging fire of bitterness.

And once you begin to feed that black wolf—the old man—you open yourself up to all sorts of sin.

Sometimes I wonder if I'm really even saved.

Gotta get out of this house and go for a bike ride!

I took off heading west along the river near my house. I have a couple of favorite routes and it was refreshing to get out in the warm spring air and sunshine and clear my head. I had initially planned to ride a longer distance, but something stopped me at a spot where I caught a big brown trout the year before. So I parked my bike and walked it down to the edge of the river, looking for any rising trout. —Nada.

Talk about typical "dumb guy behavior." Here I was, desperately in need of fellowship with the Lord, but instead I was looking for fish, taking pictures of my mountain bike next to the river, and some interesting clouds. "Cool, these will look great on my Facebook page!" I thought.

There was only one comfortable rock to sit on that I could find next to the water. As I got my fill of picture taking and looking at the clouds and water, I let it out and begin talking to God. Confessing my sins. Asking for His forgiveness. 

His Word promises:

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

Seems like I've been needing a lot of that lately... forgiveness of my sin and cleansing of all my unrighteousness.

And there it was.

Smack dab in the middle of my view.

The Cross.

And immediately, my heart was flooded with the peace and assurance that only Jesus the Savior can give. 

I AM forgiven! 

Jesus had died on this Good Friday, and then He rose again on Easter Sunday for me, and He has given me the gift of faith to believe in Him and receive Him as my Lord and Savior.

No coincidence indeed... that He led me to this particular rock, beside the still water, to restore my soul, and to point me to the Cross once again.

And it's absolutely no coincidence to me, that this happened to be on the exact same Friday, some 2,000 years after He had hung on a sinners Cross for me, on a dark and lonely hilltop, just outside the city of Jerusalem.

Just before He gave up His spirit on the Cross He proclaimed, "It is finished!" He made a way for me to come to the Father, through Him.

Here on this rock that Christ sat me on today, I could only see the cross if I looked directly in front of me. If I leaned to the right or the left, the trees obscured it from my view. Isn't it odd and amazing, that the only comfortable rock I could find to sit on, just happened to be strategically positioned for me to see the cross clearly!

I thanked God for bringing me here, for dying for me, for the gift of eternal life.

And then I rode home.

This special time of communing with Christ was life-changing. It was one of those pivotal moments in my life with Him where He drew me close, He met with me, and He spoke to my heart in a way that reminded me of His faithfulness, mercy, grace and everlasting love for me. He never changes. He is God.

And He is my Father.

Psalm 23

“The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
Forever.”

     —Thank You Lord.
—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.

The Fellowship of Christ's Sufferings

“But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.” (Acts 16:25)

Imagine you had just been brutally beaten, repeatedly. Then imagine you were thrown into the worst, darkest prison possible. Your bloody arms and legs in shackles. The stench of human excrement overpowering. The wailing of fellow prisoners chills your soul. Rats everywhere. Prison guards taunting you. And for all you know, you will most likely be executed the next morning. Death by beheading.

And yet, here you are in the middle of the night singing hymns of worship to God.

Would you, in this terrifying predicament, have the wherewithal—the faith—to be able to thank God and sing hymns of praise to Him in this moment?

Perhaps your 'prison' is a different kind of pain and suffering.

For some, their prison is emotional suffering. Betrayal by a spouse. Loss of a loved one. Rejection by one's family. The loss of a job with no new employment in sight.

For others, their imprisonment is pain. The pain from the loneliness and isolation of mental illness. The imprisonment of chronic physical pain from an injury or illness.

My current 'imprisonment' is physical nerve pain caused by a neurological condition that I thought was gone for good, but has recently come back with a vengeance. I would not wish this kind of pain on my worst enemy. 

I do not share this with you to try and make you feel sorry for me. My desire is to share my story, with the hope that other "prisoners" who are suffering will hear me singing hymns of praise at midnight.  

One thing I am learning to accept in my walk with the Lord, is that He allows human suffering. And although I don't really understand why He does so, at times, like this morning, He gives me little glimpses into His purpose for it.

First, I believe one reason He allows us to suffer is that we may better know Him.

“That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings.” (Philippians 3:10)

Personally, I can better relate to a God who left the glory of Heaven, who came to earth and "became flesh" (John 1:14), who has felt my pains and infirmities, and who sympathizes with my weaknesses (Hebrews 4:15). And I praise God who allows me to suffer for His namesake, even though my puny sufferings are nothing, compared to what He suffered for my sake. I have not been nailed to a brutal Roman cross. 

Second, I believe He allows us to suffer to establish, strengthen and settle us.

“But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.” (1 Peter 5:10)

Nothing draws me closer to God than when I am in times of pain and suffering. When there's nothing I can do to ease my pain, and all I have is Jesus to comfort me. This relationship I have with Him by faith, settles me. He strengthens me because every time He brings me through a dark night of my soul, my faith increases and I know I can make it through the next painful trial. He establishes me in my relationship with Him, having built in me a solid foundation of trust because of His unwavering faithfulness to me.

Next, we are to rejoice in our suffering for Christ. 

When we finally see Jesus face-to-face, we will be glad with exceeding joy that we were partakers of His sufferings.

“Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy.” (1 Peter 4:12-13)

Paul wrote: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18)

So, even though your pain and suffering is real. It's difficult. It may be unbearable at times. If you are suffering for Christ's namesake, rejoice, for afterwards, you shall be glad with exceeding joy! 

Finally, we suffer for the consolation and salvation of others.

“Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer.” (2 Corinthians 1:6)

Think of Paul and Silas singing hymns to God at midnight. Even though their situation looked hopeless, the other prisoners heard them singing praises of joy. And I believe that is what God is really showing me today. What are others who are imprisoned by some kind of suffering going to hear coming from me today?

Is it, "woe is me." Is it complaining?

No. 

What I am singing this morning is, "Thank You Lord for suffering for me on that Cross."  

Thank You Lord, for allowing me to suffer for Your namesake. And may my suffering help console and comfort others who are also suffering.

Lord, set free, all those imprisoned in their suffering.

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.

—Amen.

Faithful and Just to Forgive

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

Oh, Lord, what a bright, shining ray of hope this promise is from Your Word!

Friend, maybe you don't feel like you need times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord. 

Maybe you think you don't need to be cleansed of all your unrighteousness.

But I sure do.

Think about God's promise to us here. When (not if) we sin—and we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. 

Forgiven! Instantly! No waiting period. No penance to pay. No indulgences to purchase. No reciting of a thousand "hail Mary's." No pilgrimage to make to some faraway land. 

Instant and complete forgiveness.

But that's not all.

Not only are we forgiven instantly when we confess our sin. God also cleanses us from all our unrighteousness.

All.

Not some. Not most. All. In Greek, "all" means all.

Aren't you thankful for this promise! The following verse literally brings me to tears of repentance and joy:

“My transgression is sealed up in a bag and You cover my iniquity.” (Job 14:17)

And this one too:

“For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” (Hebrews 8:12) 

God doesn't keep a record of His children's sins and then break out the record book when we see Him and beat us with it. Not only are our sins completely forgiven—our slate is wiped clean. He forgets our sins, forever. He said, 

"Their lawless deeds I will remember no more."

This is great cause to rejoice! 

Follower of Christ, no longer do you have to walk with your head hung low in shame. No longer do you have to believe the lies of the Accuser of the Brethren who tries to convince you that God is disgusted and done with you. You are forgiven and free!

Jesus said:  “Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.” (John 8:36)

When Jesus sets us free, we have been set free from sin; not set free to keep on sinning. Grace is not a license to keep on doing what we did in our old life. Jesus set us free to love and serve Him. Free to love and serve others.

Once I realize that I'm free from the power and penalty of sin, I should be dancing in the streets and want to tell everyone I meet this Great News of what has happened to me! Of what Jesus Christ has done for me!

What about you?

Rejoice that your name has been written in the Lamb's Book of Life. Thank the Lord for what He has done for you. And now go share that wonderful news with someone.

     —Thank You Lord Jesus for Your love and faithfulness!

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.

Look to Jesus

“Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross.” (Hebrews 12:2)

Did you know that you are the "joy" that was set before Jesus, spoken of in Hebrews 12:2?

It's the Truth.

Jesus Christ endured the agony and shame of the Cross because of His love for you, and for me. Shouldn't that amazing truth then, compel us, in our time of greatest need, to look to Him—the Author and Finisher of our faith?

When you are suffering beyond what you think you can handle, do you look first to Jesus? Or do you reach out to other people? To other things?

Do you draw near to God in your greatest trials?

Or do you instead pull away from Him?

Today's reading from Spurgeon's "Morning and Evening" was a powerful confirmation of what I was crying out to the Lord for, early this morning, in my time of pain and suffering:

"And He went a little farther, and fell on His face, and prayed."—Matthew 26:39.  

There are several instructive features in our Savior’s prayer in His hour of trial. It was lonely prayer. He withdrew even from His three favored disciples. Believer, be much in solitary prayer, especially in times of trial. Family prayer, social prayer, prayer in the Church, will not suffice, these are very precious, but the best beaten spice will smoke in your censer in your private devotions, where no ear hears but God's.  

It was humble prayer. Luke says He knelt, but another evangelist says He "fell on His face." Where, then, must be YOUR place, you humble servant of the great Master? What dust and ashes should cover your head! Humility gives us good foot-hold in prayer. There is no hope of prevalence with God unless we abase ourselves that He may exalt us in due time.  

It was filial prayer. "Abba, Father." You will find it a stronghold in the day of trial to plead your adoption. You have no rights as a subject, you have forfeited them by your treason; but nothing can forfeit a child's right to a father's protection. Be not afraid to say, "My Father, hear my cry."  

Observe that it was persevering prayer. He prayed three times. Cease not until you prevail. Be as the importunate widow, whose continual coming earned what her first supplication could not win. Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving. 

Lastly, it was the prayer of resignation. "Nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will." Yield, and God yields. Let it be as God wills, and God will determine for the best. Be content to leave your prayer in His hands—who knows when to give, and how to give, and what to give, and what to withhold. 

So pleading, earnestly, importunately, yet with humility and resignation, you
shall surely prevail.”

One of the lines that touched my heart the most, and made me draw all the nearer to my Heavenly Father was:

"You will find it a stronghold in the day of trial to plead your adoption.You have no rights as a subject, you have forfeited them by your treason; but nothing can forfeit a child's right to a father's protection. Be not afraid to say, "My Father, hear my cry."

We who belong to Christ have God as our Father. And we have free access to Him 24/7. Many times in this current season of suffering, I have indeed pleaded my adoption as a son of the Lord Most High, crying out to Him in my time of need; "Abba, Father!"

“For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” (Romans 8:15)

Nothing can forfeit a child's right to his father's protection. What a wonderful application this is of Romans 8:15. No matter what happens to me in this life—I am safely in my Father's hand. If I am to suffer in pain for the remainder of my sojourn on this temporary planet—I know that my Father is allowing it for a purpose. And if He calls my spirit home today—all the better. 

No one knows the day of their departure.

“Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away.” (James 4:14)

I have to make the decision—that I am going to trust the Lord, loving Him and drawing near to Him; no matter how difficult, how painful, and how inexplicable my pain and suffering may be.

This morning in my quiet prayer time, I envisioned myself in a small boat, in the middle of the night, on the sea (which, technically, is a lake) of Galilee. The wind and the waves were crashing all around me, and it looked like the boat was going to sink. But then I envisioned the Lord Jesus walking calmly toward me across the stormy waves. I said to Him; "Lord, only You have the power to calm the wind and the waves. Just speak the word, and I will be healed."

My nerve pain from my Trigeminal Neuralgia still comes and goes in my face today. But when I looked to Him; the Lord calmed the wind and the waves of my heart. He said to them, "Peace; be still." 

He gave me His peace which surpasses all understanding. 

Reach out to others you know who are going through deep waters—through excruciating trials, and encourage them with these words—pointing them to Jesus.

No book, no website, no medication, no church organization, no other person—can calm the stormy seas of your heart when you are troubled and afraid.

Only Jesus is your very present help in time of need.

Look to Jesus—the author and the finisher of your faith.

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.

Which Man Are You Feeding?

“For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.” (Galatians 6:8)

Inside the soul of every Christian man or woman is a dual-nature.

An old Cherokee proverb describes this as a battle between a white wolf and a black wolf inside a man' chest:

“We all have two wolves inside us. And these wolves are constantly fighting each other. There is a white wolf and a black wolf. The black wolf is filled with fear, anger, envy, jealousy, greed, and arrogance. The white wolf is filled with peace, love, hope, courage, humility, compassion, and faith. They battle each other constantly. Which wolf wins?  The one that we feed.” 

The apostle Paul describes this dual-nature well in Romans chapter 7. He said the good things he wanted to do, he was not doing. But the bad things he loathed, were the things he practiced. (See Romans 7:15-25). The bible refers to our two natures as the "old man" and the "new man." (See Ephesians 4:17-24). Our old sinful nature is also referred to as "the flesh." Our new, regenerated, born again heart and nature is the new man.

I personally experienced this past week, and also witnessed in the lives of a few people who are close to me, that the "man" we choose to feed is the one who wins. 

The old man - vs. - the new man.  

If I feed my old man spiritual junk food, worldly garbage, and sensual processed food, he will only grow bigger, meaner and stronger.

However, if I feed my new man intimate time spent with God in prayer, in worship, in time spent reading and meditating on His Word, and through time spent in fellowship with other godly men, my new man will grow stronger, refreshed and revived in Christ.

But you have to choose.

It's one, or the other. A double-minded man is unstable in all of his ways. http://marriage-miracles.blogspot.com/2012/03/double-minded-man.html

“For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.” (Galatians 5:17) 

Which "man" are you feeding today?

Here's the evidence from Galatians chapter 5.

Feeding the old man:

“Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” (Verses 19-21)

Feeding the new man:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” (Verses 22-25)

Self control. 

Even though this is listed last, having, or lacking, self control reveals all. For if I truly love Jesus, I will walk in the Spirit and exercise self control. 

Jesus said, 

"If a man loves Me he will keep My commandments." (John 14:21)

The heart is central. 

God is faithful, and does not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can handle, and with temptation He always provides the way out. (1 Corinthians 10:13)

Jesus is the Way.

Knowing that truth and the faithfulness of God, your love for Him, my love for Him, will be evident in the fruit of our daily choices.

The old man - vs. - the new man.

Which "man" will win the battle within you today? 

      —The one that you feed.

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.

Faith In Deeper Waters

“In my distress I called to the Lord, and He answered me. From deep in the realm of the dead I called for help, and You listened to my cry.” (Jonah 2:2)

Do you know anyone who is going through really deep water? Through trials so great—so crushing—that you simply don't know how to help them in a way that will actually ease their suffering?

A dear friend of mine is going through such a trial. And it overwhelms me—breaks my heart—that I can't ease his pain.  

When you look at my friend's life, his brutal history going back to childhood, his debilitating injuries and the constant, chronic pain that he must endure daily, and then you look at my puny little trials in light of his, the word "trials" really need to be in two different dictionaries when you compare our situations.

We've prayed for him for many years since we first met. We've loved him, encouraged him, wept with him, and been there with him through the deep waters of his life.

But for His own purpose and reasons, God has chosen at this time not to heal my friend's afflictions.

And I really don't know how to pray for my friend any differently than I've already been praying for him. Don't know how to encourage him in a way that will tangibly help him. Can't find the words or scriptures that will lift my friend up that won't come across as Christian cliches'. Or as more than just 'Christian talk.'

Do you know what I mean?

Please don't get me wrong. I am not in any way trying to diminish the power or importance of prayer or the Word of God. But sometimes, people's suffering is not eased, no matter how much you pray. And it's not a matter of how much faith we have, or how much faith my friend has.  

Because the fact is, God allows suffering.

So what do you do in a situation like this?

You keep praying.  

You keep seeking, asking, and knocking until you get an answer. And if you don't hear an answer, then all we can know, is, God's grace is sufficient. Sufficient for us. And sufficient for my friend whose suffering never sleeps.

That may seem like a cop-out to some. 

But what else are you going to do?

It's not like God can't heal my friend. But for His own reasons and purpose, He has chosen not to.  

And we have to find a way to be 'okay' with that, to trust God in it; to have faith that God has our friend in His hands, and that He knows what to do.

If we're being honest, we all have had times in our lives where we've prayed, and prayed, and prayed to God for something. For healing. For relief. For help. But the healing, help, and relief does not come when you feel like you can't go on another moment.

At times, people will choose to doubt God in their pain and in their weakness. But where else can we go?

The Apostle Peter said, when Jesus asked him; "Will you also leave Me?"

“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (John 6:68)

Truly having faith means to trust in God when we can't see how we can possibly go on. 

The Psalmist wrote:

“The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:17-18)

This is just one among many, many promises from God to His people. The Lord does hear us when we cry out to Him. He does deliver us from all our troubles. But we don't know when our deliverance will come. Will it be a few months after we have suffered? Will it be years?

Or will deliverance only come in the next life?

Only God knows when He will perform His will in our lives. He alone knows the end from the beginning,

“The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.”  (Psalm 19:9)

True "faith" is trusting in God when we can't see the outcome of our trials. True faith is proclaiming Psalm 19:9. 'True and righteous are Your decisions O' Lord.'

Having faith is trusting in the Lord to manage our life—to surrender our hearts and hurts to Him. He alone is faithful and good and He will keep His promises to us.

I had a discussion this morning with my daughter about one of the great Christian authors, and about what is perhaps his most well known book. When asked what my thoughts were about the book, I replied: 

I love the opening chapters. There are some statements so profound; so timely, that I felt like God put this book on my table, at this time, for a great purpose in my life. And I'm sure He did so. But the middle section of the book left me discouraged. The profound quotes I found in the front of the book, I did not see in the middle or at the back. So much knowledge and information; but zero true life application. Facts about God and about His nature. But the true "how to" really have a personal, intimate, one-on-one relationship with God, I did not find. And I think that's the message that God wants me to learn; that I won't find an intimate, personal one-on-one relationship with Him in other men's books, but rather, by crying out to Him. By getting alone in my prayer closet, or in my car parked up in the hills, and really seeking His face.

 And that is the purpose of this blog entry and my encouragement to you today.

As Psalm 34 says,

"The righteous cry out and the Lord hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles."

God promises to hear His children when we cry out to Him. He promises to, in His own time, deliver us from all our troubles.

And that's the answer to my prayers—made in times of anguish—in times of being overwhelmed for my suffering friend.

Keep praying. Keep seeking, keep asking and keep knocking.

Call upon the name of the Lord.

God hears the cries of the afflicted. He answers their cries. He delivers the afflicted from all their troubles.

Trust Him in this.

—He loves you.

—God is Love, and Love Never Fails.