Lord Jesus, help me to overcome any wondering tendencies that keep me from moving forward in Your good plan. In Your name, I ask You to help me reach out in faith, boldly asking for what I need. Then help me to believe it and receive it. Amen.
45.
A Confused Mind If any of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask of the giving G.o.d [Who gives] to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly, without reproaching or faultfinding, and it will be given him. Only it must be in faith that he asks with no wavering (no hesitating, no doubting). For the one who wavers (hesitates, doubts) is like the billowing surge out at sea that is blown hither and thither and tossed by the wind. For truly, let not such a person imagine that he will receive anything [he asks for] from the Lord, [for being as he is] a man of two minds (hesitating, dubious, irresolute), [he is] unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything [he thinks, feels, decides].
-JAMES 1:5-8 My friend Eva received a summons for jury duty in a robbery trial. For two days, twelve citizens listened to the prosecuting attorney as he presented evidence to indicate that the accused had broken into a home and stolen many items. Eva was ready to convict him.
On the third day, the defense attorney presented the other side of the picture. The more Eva listened, the more confused she became. What had seemed very obvious at first now seemed ambiguous and contradictory.
Although the jury did convict the man, Eva said she struggled over making the right decision. Each attorney, when he was speaking, had seemed to be the most convincing.
Many Christians live much the same way day to day. They have become what James calls double-minded. They"re sure of one thing until something else happens, and then they flip-flop to the opposite opinion.
In their double-mindedness, they flit from one opinion to the other. They"re sure they know what to do, and then they switch again. The moment they feel sure they have made the decision they plan to stick with, they begin to wonder if it was the correct one. They continually doubt and question their reasoning.
This kind of behavior is not the same as being open-minded. To be open-minded means we"re willing to hear all sides of an issue-like jurors should be at a trial. But eventually we have to sort through the evidence or the circ.u.mstances in life and say, "This is what I"m going to do."
That sounds good, but too many people have trouble being decisive. "What if I make a mistake?" they ask. "What If I choose the wrong thing?" Those are legitimate questions, but they are not meant to paralyze G.o.d"s people and prevent them from acting. Too often, these are tools that Satan uses to distract and prevent Christians from taking action.
I"m an expert on this. For many years, I was that double-minded person James wrote about. I didn"t like being that way. It took so much energy to keep rethinking the same problems. But I was so afraid of making a mistake that I didn"t know how to make good decisions. It took a long time before I realized that the devil had declared war against me, and that my mind was his personal battlefield. At that moment of awareness, I felt totally confused about everything, and I didn"t understand why.
So many of G.o.d"s people are living exactly where I was then. They"re reasonable people. That is, they have the ability to figure out causes and relationships and reasons. They sincerely try to understand all the implications of a situation and then find the most sensible or logical solution by putting their reasoning ability to work.
Too often, this is where Satan sneaks in and steals the will of G.o.d from them. G.o.d may speak to them about doing a certain thing, and it may not always seem to be the most sensible course of action. This presents an opportunity for the devil to cause them to question-to become double-minded.
For example, sometimes I sense that G.o.d wants me to bless people by giving to them-often an item of jewelry or clothing. On occasion, G.o.d wants me to give away a new and fairly expensive dress that I"ve never worn. It doesn"t make sense when I go through the natural reasoning process, but when I open myself to the Spirit of G.o.d, I have the a.s.surance that it is the right thing to do.
G.o.d"s Spirit is always available to free you from natural reasoning that leaves you confused. Ask of the One who gives wisdom liberally, and He will free you of being indecisive and double-minded.
Dear Father, in the past, I"ve been double-minded and confused, giving Satan an advantage over me. Please forgive me. I ask You now, in faith, to give me the necessary wisdom to overcome all of Satan"s confusion. In Jesus" name, I pray. Amen.
46.
Just Obey But the natural, nonspiritual man does not accept or welcome or admit into his heart the gifts and teachings and revelations of the Spirit of G.o.d, for they are folly (meaningless nonsense) to him; and he is incapable of knowing them (of progressively recognizing, understanding, and becoming better acquainted with them) because they are spiritually discerned and estimated and appreciated.
-1 CORINTHIANS 2:14 Many non-Christians don"t really understand the gospel. This isn"t a new thing that is unique to our day. When Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he pointed out that the Greeks thought it was foolish. And to the natural mind, it is. G.o.d sent Jesus, the sinless One, to earth for the express purpose of dying for wicked, sinful people. To unbelievers that is foolish. The natural man cannot understand the power of the gospel-it can only be "spiritually discerned."
This is just as true in daily living. Sometimes G.o.d speaks to us, and if we try to explain it to people who don"t know Jesus, it doesn"t make sense. For example, I remember one couple that went to Africa as missionaries. They had no denomination or large church behind them, providing support. They sold everything they owned, including their wedding rings.
"Their wedding rings?" a skeptical relative asked. "You mean G.o.d wouldn"t provide for you, so you had to do it yourself?"
The wife smiled. "No, I think we had to decide if comfort and having things like everyone else was more important than serving Jesus." The couple never doubted they were doing the right thing, but it never made sense to the skeptical relative.
It is difficult for many people to hear G.o.d speak and to obey without question. But Jesus did just that-and not only on the cross. John 4 relates the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. What most modern readers don"t get is the introduction to the story: "It was necessary for Him to go through Samaria" (John 4:4). Jesus had been in Jerusalem, and He wanted to go north to Galilee. The country of the Samaritans was in between, but Jesus didn"t have to take the route that pa.s.sed that way. He could have taken another route and avoided going through Samaria. Most Jews avoided going through Samaria because they hated the Samaritans for mixing and marrying with people from other nations.
But Jesus went to Samaria, even though it wasn"t what we would have called the normal or reasonable thing to do. He went because there was a woman-and eventually a whole village-that needed to hear the message that only He could deliver.
The natural people-those whose minds have not been enlightened by the Holy Spirit-scoff at us. What we do doesn"t always make sense to them. But then, who says our actions have to make sense? The biblical principle is that the natural or carnal mind doesn"t understand spiritual things. Too often, a thought comes to us that we push aside, saying, This doesn"t make any sense, and we actually ignore divine guidance. It"s true, of course, that the devil can flood our minds with wild thoughts, but if we pray and open ourselves to the Spirit, we soon know the difference.
Consider the story of Peter who had fished all night and caught nothing. Jesus, a carpenter, came along and told him, a professional fisherman, "Put out into the deep [water], and lower your nets for a haul" (Luke 5:4).
Peter reasoned with Jesus, reminding Him that they had worked all night and caught nothing. But to his credit, Peter, exhausted from a long and unsuccessful night"s work, heard the Lord. I"ll say it again, Peter heard the Lord and said, "But on the ground of Your word, I will lower the nets [again]" (v. 5). And Peter was not disappointed. They caught so many fish that the nets almost broke.
This is an important principle of obedience that we must grasp: obey instead of reasoning. Or as one of my friends calls it, "The Nevertheless Principle." She says that sometimes she feels G.o.d leading her to do things that don"t always make a lot of sense. When she hears herself expressing that sentiment, she quickly adds, "Nevertheless." Then she obeys.
That is really all G.o.d asks of us: to obey instead of reasoning.
Wise and wonderful G.o.d, sometimes things don"t make sense to me, but nevertheless, I want to be in Your will. Help me to develop spiritual discernment, and don"t let me miss a divine opportunity to serve You. Teach me to trust You more, and help me to obey You quickly instead of trying to reason things out. Thank You for hearing me today. Amen.
47.
Doing the Word But be doers of the Word [obey the message], and not merely listeners to it, betraying yourselves [into deception by reasoning contrary to the Truth].
-JAMES 1:22 As a Christian, for a long time I didn"t understand that believers could know what G.o.d wanted them to do and then deliberately say no. I"m not talking about those who turn their backs on Jesus and want nothing to do with His salvation. I"m talking about those who disobey in the seemingly little things and don"t seem to be troubled by doing so.
In verses 23 and 24, James went on to say that if we only listen to the Word, but don"t obey it, it"s like looking at our reflection in a mirror and then going away and forgetting what we saw. But a doer of the Word, he says, is like one "who looks carefully into the faultless law, the [law] of liberty, and is faithful to it and perseveres in looking into it, being not a heedless listener who forgets but an active doer [who obeys], he shall be blessed in his doing (his life of obedience)" (v. 25).
Whenever Christians are faced with G.o.d"s Word, and it calls them to action but they refuse to obey, their own human reasoning is often the cause. They have deceived themselves into believing something other than the truth. It"s as if they think they are smarter than G.o.d.
I"ve met people who seem to think that G.o.d always wants them to feel good, and if something happens to make them feel bad, they don"t believe it is G.o.d"s will for them. Or they dismiss what they read in the Bible by saying, "That doesn"t make sense."
One woman, referring to Paul"s instruction to "be unceasing in prayer" (1 Thessalonians 5:17), said that verse kept coming to her every time she prayed.
"What do you think that means?" I asked her.
"Oh, I think it means that day in and day out, we are to pray when we feel a need or when we want something."
Her words shocked me. "What about fellowship with the Lord?" I asked. "Isn"t that a good reason? Or maybe G.o.d just wants you to spend time reading His Word and praying about what you read."
"I have too many things to do," she said. "That"s fine for people who like to sit and read and pray for hours every day, but that"s not the way for me."
In our brief conversation, I learned that her decisions about obeying G.o.d"s Word depended on whether or not it was convenient for her lifestyle. When she read things in the Bible that didn"t fit with the way she lived, she explained it to herself in such a way that she convinced herself G.o.d didn"t expect her to do that.
By contrast, I remember a very dignified woman who had been a member of a traditional church most of her life. She often spoke of the noise and confusion in charismatic churches (although she had not been to one). Then she visited one of the services where I spoke and was transformed. "I couldn"t believe that G.o.d would ask me to do something like clap my hands or sing loudly or even shout. But when I saw the joy on the faces of those in the congregation and heard you quote the Bible verse that commands us to clap our hands and shout, what else could I do? That was G.o.d speaking to me."
She had exactly the right att.i.tude. She didn"t try to reason it out or wonder why G.o.d commanded her to take that kind of action. She believed His Word and simply obeyed.
When the Bible speaks about obeying the Lord, it is not a suggestion. His Word doesn"t ask, "Would you like to obey?" G.o.d commands us to take action by being a doer of His Word, and when we are obedient, He promises that we will be blessed.
Dear holy Father, I thank You for the instructions found in Your Word. I may not always like what I read, and sometimes it may be difficult to follow You without hesitating, but I know it is for my good. Please help me to be always obedient and to bring glory and honor to You. Amen.
48.
Trust G.o.d Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding.
-PROVERBS 3:5 The secret things belong unto the Lord our G.o.d, but the things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all of the words of this law.
-DEUTERONOMY 29:29 I have heard many people say that reading the Bible is confusing. They say, "I have tried to read the Bible, but I don"t understand what G.o.d is saying, and I end up feeling frustrated and confused."
In seeking G.o.d"s guidance regarding this situation, I sensed Him saying, People keep trying to figure out everything. Tell them to stop trying to reason and explain everything. As the above verses point out, we cannot always rely on our understanding. There are some things that we are not meant to know or understand.
Moses understood this concept, and he explained to the children of Israel that there are "secret things" known only to G.o.d. He pointed out that when G.o.d revealed His will-making things clear-those were the words they should obey.
It really is that simple. Like the psalmist, we can say, "Give me understanding, that I may keep Your law; yes, I will observe it with my whole heart (Psalm 119:34). We must ask G.o.d to show us what to do, and then we must not question it when He reveals it to us.
Too often people try to reason things out, but that can be dangerous. When we start trying to figure out why G.o.d says or does something, our first mistake is thinking we"re smart enough to understand the mind of G.o.d.
Reasoning can also move us in a particular direction that, although it may seem logical, may not be the will of G.o.d. A biblical account found in 1 Samuel is a good ill.u.s.tration of this point.
Saul, the first king of Israel, made a decision to offer sacrifices. As a part of the tribe of Benjamin, it was unlawful for him-even as the king-to offer sacrifices. The king and his army waited several days for Samuel, the high priest, to arrive. But eventually Saul grew impatient (or perhaps fearful) and offered sacrifices just before the holy man arrived. When Samuel rebuked Saul for doing such a thing, the king had what he believed to be a reasonable explanation: "I thought, The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the Lord. So I forced myself to offer a burnt offering" (1 Samuel 13:12).
Samuel rebuked the king, told him he had acted foolishly, and said the Lord was going to strip him of the kingdom.
That was Saul"s mistake. He reasoned that it would be wise to sacrifice, and he didn"t wait to hear from G.o.d.
The human mind likes logic, order, and reason. We like to deal with issues we can wrap our understanding around and come up with solutions that make sense to us. We have a tendency to think small because we are limited creatures, and we don"t have the perspective to understand from G.o.d"s point of view. We tend to put things in tiny, neat compartments in our minds, telling ourselves this must be right because it fits nicely there.
By contrast, we read the words of the apostle Paul: "I am speaking the truth in Christ. I am not lying; my conscience [enlightened and prompted] by the Holy Spirit bearing witness with me" (Romans 9:1). He was making the point that he was doing the right thing-not because he had figured it out or a.n.a.lyzed the situation, but because his actions bore witness in his spirit.
That"s the att.i.tude you need in your life. You need to depend on G.o.d to show you things in such a way that you know-with an inner certainty-that what has been revealed to your mind is correct. You must not allow yourself to reason with your mind, searching for logical solutions. Instead, you must say, "My trust is in the Lord, and whatever He tells me to do, I will obey."
Dear G.o.d, thank You for loving me more than I can even comprehend. In the name of Jesus Christ, I ask You to help me love and honor You so much that when You speak, I will have only one thought in my mind, and that is to obey. Amen.
49.
Nothing But Christ For I resolved to know nothing (to be acquainted with nothing, to make a display of the knowledge of nothing, and to be conscious of nothing) among you except Jesus Christ (the Messiah) and Him crucified. And I was in (pa.s.sed into a state of) weakness and fear (dread) and great trembling [after I had come] among you. And my language and my message were not set forth in persuasive (enticing and plausible) words of wisdom, but they were in demonstration of the [Holy] Spirit and power.
-1 CORINTHIANS 2:2-4 I"ve tried to imagine what it would have been like to go to Corinth or other Greek cities at the time of Paul and try to speak to those wise, brilliant thinkers. After studying every parchment given to me, and gaining knowledge of all their arguments, I would have prayed for G.o.d to help me overcome their objections.
We don"t know what Paul did, but his answer is astounding. Instead of going after them with great reasoning and sharp logic, he went in exactly the opposite direction. He stayed in Corinth a year and a half, and many came to Christ because of him. Later, when he wrote 1 Corinthians, he said, "For I resolved to know nothing . . . among you except Jesus Christ (the Messiah) and Him crucified" (2:2). That"s amazing. If any man had the ability to reason with those Greeks and could show them the fallacies of their logic, surely that man was Paul. But, being led by the Holy Spirit, he chose a defenseless presentation-to let G.o.d speak through him and touch the hearts of the people.
Now, centuries later, I appreciate his approach-although I didn"t always feel this way. For a long time I wanted to explain and reason out everything, but when that didn"t work, I ended up feeling miserable.
I"ve always been curious, always wanted to know, and always wanted to figure out the answer. Then G.o.d began to work in my life. He showed me that my constant drive to figure it out caused me confusion and prevented me from receiving many of the things He wanted me to have. He said, You must lay aside carnal reasoning if you expect to have discernment.
I didn"t like loose ends, so I felt more secure when I figured things out. I wanted to be in control of every detail of every situation. When I didn"t understand or was unable to figure things out, I felt out of control. And that was frightening to me. Something was wrong-I was troubled and had no peace of mind. Sometimes, frustrated and exhausted, I would just give up.
It was a long battle for me because I finally admitted something to myself (G.o.d knew it all along): I was addicted to reasoning. It was more than a tendency or desire to figure out things. It was a compulsion. I had to have answers-and had to have them right now. When G.o.d was finally able to convince me of my addiction, I was able to give it up.
It wasn"t easy. Like people who withdraw from drugs or alcohol, I had withdrawal symptoms. I felt lost. Frightened. Alone. I had always depended on my ability to figure things out. Now, like Paul, I had to depend on G.o.d.
Too many people a.s.sume that relying only on G.o.d is something we do easily and naturally. It didn"t work that way with me. But G.o.d was gracious and patient with me. It was as if He"d whisper, You"re not there yet, Joyce, but you"re making progress. It"s uncomfortable because you"re learning a new way to live.
G.o.d wants us to be victorious-and I knew that all along. Now I walk in greater victory than ever before-and I no longer try to reason out everything before I act.
Heavenly Father, thank You for being so patient with me and people like me who feel we must have all the answers before we can act or trust. In the name of Jesus, help me to simply trust in You, knowing that You will give me what is best for my life. Amen.
50.
A Doubtful Mind Elijah came near to all the people and said, How long will you halt and limp between two opinions? If the Lord is G.o.d, follow him! But if Baal, then follow him. And the people did not answer him a word.
-1 KINGS 18:21 Like many people, I a.s.sumed that doubt and unbelief were the same, because we usually put them in the same context. In recent years, however, I"ve learned that there is a difference. Obviously, doubt and unbelief do not honor G.o.d, but I want to show you how they function in different ways.
The story of the prophet Elijah is an excellent picture of doubt at work. King Ahab was the most evil leader the people had known. Elijah declared that because of Ahab"s wickedness, no rain would fall until he, the prophet, said so. For the next three-and-a-half years, drought scourged the land.
Now, that"s a pretty clear picture. There had been sufficient rain before Elijah"s declaration-but after he spoke, the skies quit yielding water. That is pretty obvious. Who would question G.o.d or His prophet? But apparently, the people"s fear of Ahab-as well as the lack of rainfall-caused their minds to be filled with questions.
Elijah finally called all the people together, along with the king and the false prophets, and asked them why they doubted. Why were they caught between two possible answers? That"s what doubt really is. Doubt isn"t simply unbelief-it"s more of an att.i.tude that says, "I believe, but . . ." or, "I want to believe, but . . ."
Doubt often comes to reside where faith once lived. Doubt is active opposition to faith, and it tries to push faith aside. The people had believed the prophet, but as time wore on-three-and-a-half years-apparently questions arose and uncertainty crept in. If Elijah really did this, he ought to stop it right now. Maybe it just happened. Or, How do we really know that was the word of G.o.d? As soon as they seriously asked themselves these questions, they opened the door for Satan to bring doubt into their minds.
Doubt never comes from G.o.d-it is always in opposition to His will. In writing to the Romans, Paul pointed out that the Lord gives each of us a measure of faith (see Romans 12:3). When we cling to that faith, we push away doubts. But when we allow questions to enter in-any kind of uncertainty that takes our minds away from G.o.d"s wonderful work in our lives-that"s doubt. It is also a subtle, sneaky entry point for our enemy. He plants doubt in our minds, hoping it will cause us to oppose G.o.d. We probably don"t think of doubt as something that strong, but it is-it"s the first step of opposition to what G.o.d declares. That"s why we need to know G.o.d"s Word. If we know the Word, we can recognize it when the devil lies to us and causes us to question.