-1 PETER 5:6-7 It is important that we learn to humble ourselves and cast our care on the Lord. We shouldn"t struggle to believe that G.o.d wants us to lay all of our concerns at the foot of the cross, when He so clearly has told us in His Word to do exactly that.
The word casting refers to throwing, hurling, arising, sending, striking, thrusting, driving out, or expelling-all rather forceful terms. It seems to be difficult for some of us to believe that G.o.d considers worry or care a sin. So we may actually have to become spiritually violent about casting our care upon the Lord and abiding in the secret place of the Most High, under the shadow of the Almighty.
It literally took me years to be set totally free from the burden of guilt and condemnation. I knew mentally and spiritually that I had been made the righteousness of G.o.d in Christ because of what He had done for me on Calvary, but I still had a hard time accepting it and living in it emotionally. The devil kept attacking my feelings, making me feel guilty and condemned. I worried about my past-how could I ever overcome it? I fought against those thoughts for years until finally I got fed up. I told the devil, "No! I am not going to believe your lies! Jesus has made me the righteousness of G.o.d, and I have made up my mind that I am going to have what He died to give me!"
I knew from the Bible that I had been made right with G.o.d through the shed blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. I was doing my best to keep my mind set on all that Jesus had sacrificed for me. I confessed scriptures, but the enemy still attacked my mind and my feelings until there arose in me a holy anger that finally set me free.
I became angry enough to rise up against the princ.i.p.alities, powers, and wickedness in high places that tried to keep me from enjoying all the blessings G.o.d intended for me. Too often, we get mad at other people when our anger should be directed to the source of the problem-the devil and his demons.
Just as anger at Satan can be a form of righteous violence, so can casting our care on the Lord. We can resist Satan, worry and anxiety, and guilt and condemnation, until we get so fed up that we react with a holy anger. When he tries to force us to carry a burden of care, we can stop him in his tracks and say, "No! I will not carry that care. I am casting it upon the Lord!"
Every one of us has certain spiritual issues that must be settled once and for all. We need to cast on the Lord whatever issues we may have that hinder us from walking in the fullness of joy, peace, and rest the Lord intends for us.
Peter says to cast your cares on G.o.d. The Greek word translated care in 1 Peter 5:7 means "to draw in different directions; to distract." Why does the devil give us care? His whole purpose is to distract us from our fellowship with G.o.d. When the enemy tries to lay problems on us, we have the privilege of taking those problems and casting them on G.o.d. If you throw them, G.o.d catches them and takes them away. G.o.d knows how to wipe away the cares that Satan lays on you.
G.o.d has provided two wonderful weapons you can use to overcome the devil"s plan. First, you humble yourself, turning yourself totally over to G.o.d. Then when the devil tries to burden you with worry or some other heavy load, you cast it on G.o.d-who is happy to take it away because He cares for you.
As I"ve thought about worry, I"ve also figured out that it"s an act of pride on our part. Those who worry still think they can solve their own problems. Isn"t that pride? Aren"t we saying, "I can work this out by myself"? Those who are proud or full of themselves still think they are strong and can defeat their problems themselves. The truly humble are those who know their weaknesses, but in their weaknesses, they know their strength is in Jesus Christ.
Paul understood that and wrote to the Corinthians: "But He said to me, My grace (My favor and loving-kindness and mercy) is enough for you [sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully]; for My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in [your] weakness. Therefore, I will all the more gladly glory in my weaknesses and infirmities, that the strength and power of Christ (the Messiah) may rest (yes, may pitch a tent over and dwell) upon me!" (2 Corinthians 12:9).
We fail G.o.d when we insist on shouldering our burdens instead of giving them to the Lord. Only G.o.d can deliver us, and He wants us to know that. In every situation, He wants us to first humble ourselves and then throw off the cares and worries the devil tries to lay on us. It is possible-in fact, it"s an order. I want to encourage you to place yourself totally into G.o.d"s hands and allow Him to be the Manager of your life.
Dear Lord Jesus, I thank You. Even before the problems come, You have told me how to defeat the enemy of my mind. You have also given me Your own example of defeating him. In Your name, Lord Jesus, teach me to humble myself and to cast all my cares and concerns on You. Amen.
70.
Holy Fear Then Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself [determinedly, as his vital need] to seek the Lord; he proclaimed a fast in all Judah. And Judah gathered together to ask help from the Lord; even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord [yearning for Him with all their desire]. . . . Did not You, O our G.o.d, drive out the inhabitants of this land before Your people Israel and give it forever to the descendants of Abraham Your friend? . . . O our G.o.d, will You not exercise judgment upon them? For we have no might to stand against this great company that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon You.
-2 CHRONICLES 20:3-4, 7, 12 By the time Jehoshaphat became the king, Judah was a small nation, and the surrounding nations could easily defeat them. We learn that the king brought in many reforms. The Bible records that and then says, "After this, the Moabites, the Ammonites, and with them the Meunites came against Jehoshaphat to battle" (20:1).
The most "sensible" thing would have been for the king to surrender and to forge some kind of treaty. There was no human way that such a small nation could defeat such large armies. In that context, we read that the king was afraid-and why wouldn"t he be? But he didn"t stop with fear.
I want to make this point clear. To feel fear isn"t sin or failure or disobedience. In fact, we do well to think of fear as a warning to us. It"s a shout of danger.
But then we must decide what to do with the fear. We can act; we can cringe; we can ignore it. King Jehoshaphat did the right thing: He "set himself [determinedly, as his vital need] to seek the Lord" (v. 3). He didn"t have answers, and he certainly wasn"t stupid enough to think that his tiny army could defeat his enemies. And that"s an important lesson for us to learn in our battles against Satan. Our enemy is powerful, and if we think we can defeat him by ourselves, we"re foolish and badly mistaken.
The king not only prayed, but he also proclaimed a fast throughout the entire land. The Bible goes on to say that he stood in the midst of the people and prayed for deliverance: "For we have no might to stand against this great company that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon You" (v. 12).
That is exactly the prayer G.o.d wanted to hear. The people admitted they didn"t know what to do, that they couldn"t win, and that their only hope was in G.o.d"s deliverance.
Just then, the Holy Spirit came upon a man named Jahaziel. "He said, hearken, all Judah, you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you King Jehoshaphat. The Lord says this to you: Be not afraid or dismayed at this great mult.i.tude; for the battle is not yours, but G.o.d"s" (v. 15). He went on to say, "You shall not need to fight in this battle; take your positions, stand still, and see the deliverance of the Lord [Who is] with you. . . . Fear not nor be dismayed" (v. 17). The account goes on to say that the people began to sing praises to G.o.d. When they did that, G.o.d had warriors from Mount Seir sneak in and kill Judah"s enemies so that none escaped.
That"s the biggest secret of winning the battles against your enemy. You acknowledge your fear-you can even call it "holy fear" because it pushes you to seek G.o.d. If you"re not really afraid (or worried) and don"t see the problem as bigger than yourself, why would you call for G.o.d"s help? But when it becomes overwhelming, you realize that you need divine help. Isaiah says it this way: "When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him and put him to flight [for He will come like a rushing stream which the breath of the Lord drives]" (Isaiah 59:19b).
When you cry out in holy fear, G.o.d hears and races to your rescue. That"s His promise, and He never breaks His promises to His own.
G.o.d, I"ve known fear, and too often I"ve concentrated on the fear and forgotten that it"s an opportunity to call on You so I can see Your hand of deliverance in my life. Give me holy fear so that I"ll always call on You in my times of trouble. In the name of Jesus Christ, I ask this. Amen.
71.
Wasted Life [Jesus said]
Peace I leave with you; My [own] peace I now give and bequeath to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. [Stop allowing yourselves to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled].
-JOHN 14:27 I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace and confidence. In the world you have tribulation and trials and distress and frustration; but be of good cheer [take courage; be confident, certain, undaunted]! For I have overcome the world. [I have deprived it of power to harm you and have conquered it for you].
-JOHN 16:33 In my book Battlefield of the Mind, I admit: "I wasted many years of my life worrying about things I could do nothing about. I would like to have those years back and be able to approach them in a different way. However, once you have spent the time G.o.d has given you, it is impossible to get it back and do things another way."2 What I didn"t realize for so many years was that Jesus" peace is always there, ready and waiting for us. His peace is spiritual, and His rest operates in the middle of trouble, noise, and confusion. Too often, we think we"d be just fine if there weren"t so many storms in life. But that"s absolutely not true. Real peace comes from going through the storms and winning the battles of life.
I attended the funeral of an elderly gentleman several years ago. Near the casket stood the eighty-four-year-old widow, who had just lost her husband in a fire that had totally destroyed their home. She barely came out alive herself. Just a week or so earlier, her son had died of cancer, and her daughter had been killed in a freakish car accident. She had lost all of her loved ones within a period of two weeks!
"How are you handling all of this?" I heard someone ask her. "How can one person endure so much?"
The woman"s eyes were moist as she replied, but her voice was firm. She said, "It wasn"t easy. I felt as if I were walking across a river that kept getting deeper, and I was sure I would drown. I kept crying out for G.o.d"s help. And do you know what? My feet touched the riverbed, and my head was still above the water. I had made it across. G.o.d was with me. His peace enabled me to keep going when I was sure I would drown."
This is how G.o.d"s peace works. Jesus made it clear that we don"t have to worry, because He is with us. No matter how deep the water, He is always there.
I thought again of my years of worrying and living without G.o.d"s peace. I was a Christian, and I tried to follow G.o.d in every way I knew. However, money was a big problem in those days, and many times, I wondered if we would be able to pay all of our bills.
My husband, Dave, never seemed to worry about anything. I"d be ready to collapse under the stress of it all, and he"d be in the other room playing and wrestling with the children. One time I asked, in frustration, "Why don"t you help me figure this out instead of playing with the children?"
"What would you like me to do?" he asked.
I didn"t know what to say. There was nothing he could do, and I knew it, but it upset me that he could go on enjoying life as if we weren"t in a desperate financial situation. But that was also a great moment of awakening for me.
I had been at the kitchen table for at least an hour worrying, and fretting, and trying to figure out how to pay all our bills. No matter what I did, we simply didn"t have enough money that month. Dave understood the problem and didn"t like it any more than I did, but he didn"t fret. He knew there was nothing he could do to change the figures.
He didn"t say it, but I realized what he meant. "If we can"t change anything, why are you wasting your life trying to fix the things that can"t be fixed?"
As I look back, I"m ashamed of myself. I wasted so many hours of my early married life. Instead of enjoying my life, my children, and my husband, I wasted my energies on trying to fix things I couldn"t fix.
G.o.d met our financial needs-sometimes through amazing miracles-and all my worry was for nothing. I wasted a precious time in my life-part of the wonderful, abundant life Jesus offered to me. I have it now, and I"m grateful, but I could have had a more abundant life back then. It took me a while, but I have finally learned to enjoy the faithfulness of my heavenly Father.
G.o.d of all peace, help me to recognize and enjoy Your presence in my life and to be thankful for all Your blessings. Don"t let me waste my life worrying about things that only You can control. In the name of Jesus, I ask You to free me from worry. Amen.
72.
Real Problems Let your character or moral disposition be free from love of money [including greed, avarice, l.u.s.t, and craving for earthly possessions] and be satisfied with your present [circ.u.mstances and with what you have]; for He [G.o.d] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support.
-HEBREWS 13:5 I recently heard an interesting story about the difference between real and imagined problems-something that all of us have probably faced at one time or another. This story involved a man who was in his second year of Bible college. He was faced with financial challenges and couldn"t figure out how to pay his bills, support his family, and remain in school. He and his wife were expecting their second child, and because of health problems, she required total bed rest. He finally made an appointment with the financial aid office.
He nervously walked in and sat down. Then the man across the desk asked him an interesting question, "Do you need money, or do you have real problems?"
That question changed his life. Why? Because he had seen money as his biggest and most-difficult-to-solve problem. His bills and financial needs were constantly on his mind. It was as if his need for money had become the most important thing in his life.
Before this young student could say anything more, the financial counselor smiled and said, "Most of the students come in because they need money. Money becomes the center of their lives, and it steals their victory and peace."
The student felt as if this man had been reading his mail. Until that moment, he had been one of those students the man had described. In his quest to figure out how to make ends meet, victory and peace had completely eluded him.
The wise financial counselor made some very interesting observations that day. He said, "The problem isn"t money, son, the problem is trust. We have a few financial loans we can make, but that won"t solve your problem. You see, your problem is inside your head and your heart. If you can get those things in the right order, money will no longer be the focus of your life."
No one had ever spoken to him like that before. "Not only did the loan counselor force me to rethink my life and my priorities," the student said, "but he pointed me in the right direction."
The loan counselor pulled out his Bible, and asked the student to read three verses that had been underlined in red and highlighted in yellow. "The steps of a [good] man are directed and established by the Lord when He delights in his way [and He busies Himself with his every step]. Though he falls, he shall not be utterly cast down, for the Lord grasps his hand in support and upholds him. I have been young and now am old, yet have I not seen the [uncompromisingly] righteous forsaken or their seed begging bread" (Psalm 37:23-25).
"So look at yourself, son," the man said. "Are you a good man? Are you a righteous person? If you are, what does that say about you and your relationship with G.o.d?"
The student read those verses aloud twice, and recognized that those words were a picture of himself. He had fallen-he had allowed himself to become discouraged-and he had been ready to give up. But he knew he was in Bible college because that"s where G.o.d wanted him to be.
As he left the financial aid office, he had received no money and no offer for aid, but he left with a lighter heart and an a.s.surance that he would not have to leave school. He was a little slow in paying some of his bills-and a few times, he had to get an extension on paying his tuition-but he was able to stay and complete his education. Today he is in full-time pastoral ministry.
G.o.d takes great care of His own, and He will take care of you. Hebrews 13:5 offers you a.s.surance that you don"t have to set your mind on money, wondering and worrying how you can take care of yourself. G.o.d has promised to take care of you, so what more is there to say?
G.o.d of all precious promises, I"m ashamed that I"ve allowed money or other problems to become so important that I"ve lost my perspective. My problem isn"t money; my problem is my lack of trust in You. As I meditate on Your promises, help me to truly believe that You will perform Your Word in my life. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.
73.
The Critical Mind [Jesus said]
A good (healthy) tree cannot bear bad (worthless) fruit, nor can a bad (diseased) tree bear excellent fruit [worthy of admiration]. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire. Therefore, you will fully know them by their fruits.
-MATTHEW 7:18-20 Have you ever met someone who had "the gift of suspicion"? They are everywhere-even in church. Recently I heard a man commenting about such a woman in his church. He said she always seemed to think the worst of everyone. If someone did something generous, she would say, "What does he expect to get out of that? I suppose he wants us all to bow and thank him."
On one occasion, someone commented about what a friendly, happy person an usher was. "That"s his public face," the woman said. "He"s always smiling, but I"ll bet when he gets home and away from everyone else, he doesn"t smile like that."
He went on to say if someone chided her for her critical att.i.tude, the woman only responded by saying, "I just call things as I see them. You"re always trying to make things look better than they are."
The man finally realized that it wasn"t good for him to be around her, and he began to distance himself from her as much as possible.
I believe this man made a good decision. I have discovered during my years in ministry that when someone with a critical spirit comes into a group or a meeting, it doesn"t take much for others to become infected with it. It reminds me of the saying about one bad apple spoiling the whole bushel.
Over the years, I"ve met people who were very much like this lady. They"re often tormented by their judgmental att.i.tudes, critical spirits, and suspicious minds. They also destroy many relationships by their words.
Matthew 7:18 says these "bad fruits" tell us a lot about the "tree," but that doesn"t give us the right to judge. We must remember that no one is perfect-each of us is a work in progress. While it may be wise not to be too closely a.s.sociated with such people, we must be careful that we don"t judge them according to our standards and beliefs. We must pray for them and keep a G.o.dly att.i.tude. Part of being a loving, caring Christian is to realize that people may not see things in this life exactly as we do. We are not all at the same level of Christian maturity, but we can be sure that G.o.d knows everything about each one of us. We must leave any judging to the only righteous judge-Jesus Christ.
James writes: "[My] brethren, do not speak evil about or accuse one another. He that maligns a brother or judges his brother is maligning and criticizing the Law and judging the Law. But if you judge the Law, you are not a practicer of the Law but a censor and judge [of it]. One only is the Lawgiver and Judge Who is able to save and to destroy [the one Who has the absolute power of life and death]. [But you] who are you that [you presume to] pa.s.s judgment on your neighbor?" (James 4:11-12).
Paul asks, "Who are you to pa.s.s judgment on and censure another"s household servant? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he shall stand and be upheld, for the Master (the Lord) is mighty to support him and make him stand" (Romans 14:4).
Dear heavenly Father, forgive me for criticizing others. I know that You are the only one who is qualified to judge Your children. Help me remember that all of us, including me, must give account of ourselves to You-and only to You. Help me, Lord Jesus, to bear good fruit in my own life that will bring glory to You. Amen.
74.
"I" Problems Now Miriam and Aaron talked against Moses [their brother] because of his Cus.h.i.te wife, for he had married a Cus.h.i.te woman. And they said, Has the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? Has he not spoken also by us?
-NUMBERS 12:1-2 Moses" sister, Miriam, and his brother, Aaron, complained to G.o.d about the Ethiopian woman their brother had married during his forty years of exile. But that was not the real issue. The real problem was revealed when they asked, "Has the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? Has he not spoken also by us?"
That"s the big "I" problem-also known as the issue of pride. That"s one way Satan gets into our lives, divides us, confuses us, and causes us to fight among ourselves.
In the incident cited above, the issue wasn"t whether G.o.d spoke through them or only through Moses. It was their way of calling attention to themselves and yearning for recognition. But their plan backfired on them. If you read the entire account, you will find that G.o.d punished Miriam with leprosy and she had to stay outside the camp for a week.
There"s another interesting note: She held them back from moving forward. "So Miriam was shut up without the camp for seven days, and the people did not journey on until Miriam was brought in again" (v. 15).
What we need to recognize about pride-one of Satan"s most powerful tools-is that while it may actually attack only one or two of us, it affects everyone. When someone stands up and says, "I am special," the unspoken message is: "But you-you"re not special like me." That"s when jealousies and anger erupt-and the devil is the only one who is happy.
Here"s another example. A few months ago, I saw a brief review of a college football game on the evening news. The running back stood just over the goal line, jumping up and down and screaming, "I"m the best! I"m the best!"
I"m sure he was excited because he had won the game. Or had he? What he didn"t seem to grasp was that he had only carried the ball over the line, scoring the winning points. His teammates, however, had thrown him the ball and blocked other players from tackling him. His statement would have been more accurate had he said, "We"re the best!"
This ill.u.s.trates a dangerous att.i.tude. Much of the time, we are only too eager to take all the credit. Too many people act as if they are solely responsible for their gifts and abilities (see 1 Corinthians 4:7). What they-and all of us-need to realize and focus on is that G.o.d alone gives us all of the talents, abilities, and gifts that we need to succeed in life. He is the giver . . . we are just the recipients.
Whenever we excel in any area, it is because G.o.d has equipped us with the necessary abilities. G.o.d expects us to utilize our gifts and become better at the things we do, but we must never forget that He is the one who gives the talent. If we"re high-minded or think more highly of ourselves than we should, we tend to look down on others. This is the sin of pride, and no one appreciates it. We all back away from proud people because they not only elevate themselves, but they arouse negative feelings in the rest of us, especially if we have any issues of insecurity or inferiority.
To win over the big "I" problem, we must remind ourselves of this simple fact: Everything we are and everything we have comes as a gift from G.o.d. If we stay focused on that fact, pride will find no place in our hearts.
Patient and loving G.o.d, forgive me when I"ve taken credit for my talents and my abilities. Help me now and every day to thank You for the gifts and abilities that You have so generously placed in me. I ask this in the name of my Savior, Jesus. Amen.