Psalm 61:-1-3
When I was a child I marveled at the stories in the Bible. There was something in my heart that longed to see the manifestation of God’s presence working intimately among His people. I wanted to experience the Lord’s presence in the same way as did those people in the Bible. I especially remember sitting in a revival meeting in our Baptist church and feeling such frustration at how complacent and satisfied the people seemed to be. The Lord was with us; I knew that. But I felt so strongly He wanted to do more and that He would surely come if we asked Him. I decided to do something about it.
When the pastor gave the invitation at the end of his message, I walked up to him and asked if I could say something to the congregation. He stopped the music, asked the congregation to be seated, and stepped back so I could speak. I am sure he thought it would be a good thing and “safe” to let a sixteen year old boy speak to the congregation.
Everyone listened intently. I looked over the crowd and said, “I don’t think we as a people are really praying and asking God to work among us. If each of us would actually take time talk to the Lord before we come to these meetings, and ask Him to visit us, God would surely be here revealing Himself in some special way. I don’t know what He would do, but I know He would do more than what we are seeing here now. As we sing another verse of the song, I want those of you who feel the same way to join me up front, and let’s all kneel down here and ask the Lord to visit us.” The worship leader resumed the music, I knelt on the front row to pray, and about twenty-five or 30 people joined me. My heart rejoiced. People were responding. Something wonderful was happening. "Surely there will be a change now," I thought. "The Lord may visit us in a special way tomorrow night." I naievely thought the people would all go home and take some time to pray, and that the pastor would be so happy about what I had done.
I was disappointed the next evening when I saw that everything was back to routine and nothing had changed. I thought, “Obviously not many, if any, are praying at home, and no one seems really hungry to see the Lord work among us beyond this ritual and routine.” So during the invitational song I once again went up to the pastor and asked if I could say something. He very politely declined and said, “I think it is best if you don’t say anything tonight.”
My heart sank. I realized then that he was satisfied with things the way they were. He was not interested in God's “showing up” beyond the usual, and he especially did not want the congregation at the altar praying on their knees. He was afraid of what might happen, and he was not about to allow a 16 year old boy to instigate such activity.
But something happened a few months later to highlight the issue in my mind once again. During another revival meeting, a very well-dressed military man walked into the back of the auditorium during the meeting. I saw him bend over and whisper to a gentleman on the back row, who then arose and walked over to one of the families in the church and led them out to speak with this visitor. The pastor followed them out, and after a few minutes, he returned to the meeting, and stood before the congregation to share the terrible news. “The C___ family has just received news that their son’s plane has been shot down in Viet Nam, and he is now missing in action. Let’s all come up to the front and pray for God to save this young man’s life.” I watched as almost the entire congregation gathered at the altar area to pray.
I asked the Lord, “If this is the thing to do now, to break the routine, to gather in prayer to lift our voices together to cry out for God’s help in an emergency, why then do we not do it all the time? Why is it not a way of life? The world is full of emergencies and needs. People are always suffering everywhere. People are groping about and in need of God. People need the Lord. Why do we not sincerely and passionately call upon Him as part of our daily routine? Why is this not a part of our daily spiritual life as a people?” It blessed me to see the church in agressive and passionate prayer during this time of need. But my question was, "Why do we not thirst like this every day? Why do we not thirst to know Him?" To seek to walk intimately with the Lord daily, will this not strengthen our faith when we call upon Him during our times of need?
“Arise, cry out in the night, At the beginning of the watches; Pour out your heart like water before the face of the Lord. Lift your hands toward Him for the life of your young children…” Lamentations 2: 19
“Oh, that you would rend the heavens! That you would come down! That the mountains might shake at your presence…” Isaiah 64: 1
“Oh God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no waer. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory.” Psalm 63: 1-2
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Pa Pa's Miracle When He Faced the Truth
Tharon Hardee was my maternal grandfather. The grandchildren called him Pa Pa. In 1964 he was in his seventies and a member of the church, but living a life inconsistent with his Christian testimony. I was 15 years old at the time, and remember sitting in Pa Pa’s family room and listening intently as my mother, her sisters, and brother expressed to him their concerns about his eternal soul.
“Daddy,” they told him, “we are worried about you and are concerned that you are not walking with the Lord as you know you should.”
“Why, Jesus is my all in all,” he responded emphatically, and acted surprised that they would question his behavior. He was not ready to admit the truth about where he was, and it seemed that the discussion had no apparent effect. He continued his life doing the things he knew were displeasing to the Lord.
A few months later on a Saturday evening while I was at my weekend job of steaming oysters at a local seafood restaurant I received word that Pa Pa had had a stroke and was in critical condition, and that I should go immediately to Loris Hospital where the family was gathering. I entered the emergency room just as they were pushing him down the hall. As his bed was rolled past me he looked up at me with distress in his eyes and with heavily slurred speech said, “Billy, pray for me!” This cry told me that in his heart he knew the reality of what his children had been trying to tell him. Facing death, he had to also face the truth.
“Okay, Pa Pa,” I said as they rolled him past me and on to treatment.
He was in the hospital for about three weeks, but finally recovered enough to be sent home. He was alive, but the stroke had left him unable to walk. The family decided I should sleep at my grandparents home at night in order to help my grandmother care for him. I would lift him up off of his bed every morning and literally carry him to the little cot that had been placed in the family room where he would remain all day. In the evenings I would go back to his house to resume my duties helping my grandmother. How well I remember going over to that little cot each night, lifting him up and carrying him in my arms, and placing him in his bed where he would sleep for the night. This routine went on for about two weeks.
Then one Saturday his nephew Carl came by to pray for him. He read 2 Chronicles 7: 14, and the verses leaped from the pages almost like an audible word from God to my grandfather. Every word seemed to be a word directly from God. They described him perfectly, stating the problem and the solution. “If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
Carl read the scripture, said the prayer, and then left. Pa Pa, sitting alone on that cot with those words echoing in his heart, looked up to the Lord and took Him at His word. He repented and turned his life over to the Lord in that very moment.
A few minutes later, my mother received a phone call from my grandmother saying, “Jessie Lois, Tharon wants you to come here now.” When Mama and I walked in, we saw Pa Pa sitting on his cot crying. With tears streaming down his cheeks, he looked up and said, “Lois, the Lord has restored to me the joy of my salvation,” and then after a pause, he continued, “And I think He has healed me, too.”
Mama then shouted, “Well, get up, Daddy!”
He immediately arose and began to walk. He was crying and laughing at the same time, and rejoicing in the overwhelming knowledge of God’s forgiveness, joy, and healing. I still remember him walking out the back door and circling the house a couple times with arms lifted, praising and thanking the Lord for his healing. My mom and I immediately called the rest of the family to tell them of the miracle.
Pa Pa was a new man after that. I remember being with him when friends from his past who had not heard of his transformation would come up to him and make some crude comment or some reference to his past life. He would get a very serious and stern look on his face. “I don’t do that anymore,” he would say, and then explain to them that he was walking with the Lord now and that his life had changed. I watched him love the Lord and walk with the Lord until the day of his death about two years later. Whenever I would visit him during those two years he would always ask me to pray for him and with him before I left. Often at night I would sit with him and read to him from the Bible. Those are precious memories. I had witnessed his years of hypocrisy, and then had the joy and privilege of witnessing his wonderful healing and the transformation which came to him when he faced reality and was honest with himself before God. We can all learn a lesson from this.
“But...the good ground are those who, having heard the word with an honest and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patient endurance.” Luke 8: 15
“Behold, you desire truth in the inward parts…” Psalm 51: 6
“Daddy,” they told him, “we are worried about you and are concerned that you are not walking with the Lord as you know you should.”
“Why, Jesus is my all in all,” he responded emphatically, and acted surprised that they would question his behavior. He was not ready to admit the truth about where he was, and it seemed that the discussion had no apparent effect. He continued his life doing the things he knew were displeasing to the Lord.
A few months later on a Saturday evening while I was at my weekend job of steaming oysters at a local seafood restaurant I received word that Pa Pa had had a stroke and was in critical condition, and that I should go immediately to Loris Hospital where the family was gathering. I entered the emergency room just as they were pushing him down the hall. As his bed was rolled past me he looked up at me with distress in his eyes and with heavily slurred speech said, “Billy, pray for me!” This cry told me that in his heart he knew the reality of what his children had been trying to tell him. Facing death, he had to also face the truth.
“Okay, Pa Pa,” I said as they rolled him past me and on to treatment.
He was in the hospital for about three weeks, but finally recovered enough to be sent home. He was alive, but the stroke had left him unable to walk. The family decided I should sleep at my grandparents home at night in order to help my grandmother care for him. I would lift him up off of his bed every morning and literally carry him to the little cot that had been placed in the family room where he would remain all day. In the evenings I would go back to his house to resume my duties helping my grandmother. How well I remember going over to that little cot each night, lifting him up and carrying him in my arms, and placing him in his bed where he would sleep for the night. This routine went on for about two weeks.
Then one Saturday his nephew Carl came by to pray for him. He read 2 Chronicles 7: 14, and the verses leaped from the pages almost like an audible word from God to my grandfather. Every word seemed to be a word directly from God. They described him perfectly, stating the problem and the solution. “If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
Carl read the scripture, said the prayer, and then left. Pa Pa, sitting alone on that cot with those words echoing in his heart, looked up to the Lord and took Him at His word. He repented and turned his life over to the Lord in that very moment.
A few minutes later, my mother received a phone call from my grandmother saying, “Jessie Lois, Tharon wants you to come here now.” When Mama and I walked in, we saw Pa Pa sitting on his cot crying. With tears streaming down his cheeks, he looked up and said, “Lois, the Lord has restored to me the joy of my salvation,” and then after a pause, he continued, “And I think He has healed me, too.”
Mama then shouted, “Well, get up, Daddy!”
He immediately arose and began to walk. He was crying and laughing at the same time, and rejoicing in the overwhelming knowledge of God’s forgiveness, joy, and healing. I still remember him walking out the back door and circling the house a couple times with arms lifted, praising and thanking the Lord for his healing. My mom and I immediately called the rest of the family to tell them of the miracle.
Pa Pa was a new man after that. I remember being with him when friends from his past who had not heard of his transformation would come up to him and make some crude comment or some reference to his past life. He would get a very serious and stern look on his face. “I don’t do that anymore,” he would say, and then explain to them that he was walking with the Lord now and that his life had changed. I watched him love the Lord and walk with the Lord until the day of his death about two years later. Whenever I would visit him during those two years he would always ask me to pray for him and with him before I left. Often at night I would sit with him and read to him from the Bible. Those are precious memories. I had witnessed his years of hypocrisy, and then had the joy and privilege of witnessing his wonderful healing and the transformation which came to him when he faced reality and was honest with himself before God. We can all learn a lesson from this.
“But...the good ground are those who, having heard the word with an honest and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patient endurance.” Luke 8: 15
“Behold, you desire truth in the inward parts…” Psalm 51: 6
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Our Answers are in Him
Below is a paraphrased excerpt from a letter wrote I about 6 years ago. I have edited out the "juicy" parts, but nevertheless it is a candid expression of what I was dealing with at that particular season. Many of you may identify with it to some degree. I would encourage you to follow it up with Psalm 73, which encourages God’s people to find their peace and solutions in the presence of God.
A personal letter, Summer of 2003:
“My life has come to a place of overwhelming shock to me. It is like waking up from a dream and finding I am in a nightmare. To start out with a vision for great things and to end up at the bottom has been a great and shameful disappointment to me. My life has been filled with wonderful signs of God’s presence and horrible pits of darkness at the same time. I have always tried to follow what I thought was the Lord’s way and direction, yet now I realize how I have been so influenced by my fears, anxieties, laziness, and lack of discipline. Over the years I have struggled with all sorts of mental weaknesses that have stunted and dwarfed my potential. The lines between these inherited mental infirmities and undisciplined self-centeredness have been blurry, and have made it hard to tell where one leaves off and the other begins...
Yet I have learned to be content with the Lord Himself rather than needing ministry to make me happy. I have set my focus to facing my own inner monsters and destroying them. I have been making progress and am rejoicing in it…With the victory that I have moved into over this last month I have received tremendous hope for myself and the possibilities of further changes to come. I plan to climb a step daily and take advantage of whatever grace and plans the Lord still has available for me. When I say “hope for myself” I am referring to areas in me that need change, and changes in the areas that affect my family and the other important concerns of my life.
…I have faith for God to change me. I have faith for Him to continue the good work He has been doing in me in this season. And “ministry” does not matter. Changing, pleasing the Lord, and blessing my wife and family are what matters. [At this point in my letter I made reference to a specific area where I needed to see victory, and then said…] We just have to endure while the Lord defeats that enemy too." -BL, summer, 2003.
Psalm 73
Whether a person is disillusioned because he has been genuinely disappointed by some hope, or simply going through a difficult and perplexing time, his answer and deliverance are in the presence of the Lord. David saw the wicked prosper while the people of God suffered. He saw the ungodly appear to sin with impunity while he himself was chastened every morning. His first reaction was to feel his efforts at righteousness had been in vain. What he saw troubled him, and his reaction to it grieved him deeply. "It was all too painful" he said— until he went into the presence of God. He would have given up had he not sought the Lord.
It is at Jesus' feet that we gain the right perspective. It is there that we get our bearings and reference points. We present our hearts for cleansing, open the Bible and see what God's word says, as we listen to the Holy Spirit and let Him minister to us. David's conclusion was, "I have put my trust in the Lord God."
Job 42: 5-6
Job was tested to the limit in his suffering and did not understand what was happening or why. I am sure that in his extreme pain he had many questions. But in the final chapter, God Himself showed up, and Job bowed before Him in humility, flooded with the knowledge of God's greatness, love, kindness, goodness, and wisdom. In that moment of revelation he did not question God. In God's presence we need no other answer, and yet in Him we have all the answers.
The Lord is pleased to give us understanding, but we must remember that He is our wisdom. In Him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. We should seek Him. It is in His presence that we find our answers, our peace, our strength, and our joy.
A personal letter, Summer of 2003:
“My life has come to a place of overwhelming shock to me. It is like waking up from a dream and finding I am in a nightmare. To start out with a vision for great things and to end up at the bottom has been a great and shameful disappointment to me. My life has been filled with wonderful signs of God’s presence and horrible pits of darkness at the same time. I have always tried to follow what I thought was the Lord’s way and direction, yet now I realize how I have been so influenced by my fears, anxieties, laziness, and lack of discipline. Over the years I have struggled with all sorts of mental weaknesses that have stunted and dwarfed my potential. The lines between these inherited mental infirmities and undisciplined self-centeredness have been blurry, and have made it hard to tell where one leaves off and the other begins...
Yet I have learned to be content with the Lord Himself rather than needing ministry to make me happy. I have set my focus to facing my own inner monsters and destroying them. I have been making progress and am rejoicing in it…With the victory that I have moved into over this last month I have received tremendous hope for myself and the possibilities of further changes to come. I plan to climb a step daily and take advantage of whatever grace and plans the Lord still has available for me. When I say “hope for myself” I am referring to areas in me that need change, and changes in the areas that affect my family and the other important concerns of my life.
…I have faith for God to change me. I have faith for Him to continue the good work He has been doing in me in this season. And “ministry” does not matter. Changing, pleasing the Lord, and blessing my wife and family are what matters. [At this point in my letter I made reference to a specific area where I needed to see victory, and then said…] We just have to endure while the Lord defeats that enemy too." -BL, summer, 2003.
Psalm 73
Whether a person is disillusioned because he has been genuinely disappointed by some hope, or simply going through a difficult and perplexing time, his answer and deliverance are in the presence of the Lord. David saw the wicked prosper while the people of God suffered. He saw the ungodly appear to sin with impunity while he himself was chastened every morning. His first reaction was to feel his efforts at righteousness had been in vain. What he saw troubled him, and his reaction to it grieved him deeply. "It was all too painful" he said— until he went into the presence of God. He would have given up had he not sought the Lord.
It is at Jesus' feet that we gain the right perspective. It is there that we get our bearings and reference points. We present our hearts for cleansing, open the Bible and see what God's word says, as we listen to the Holy Spirit and let Him minister to us. David's conclusion was, "I have put my trust in the Lord God."
Job 42: 5-6
Job was tested to the limit in his suffering and did not understand what was happening or why. I am sure that in his extreme pain he had many questions. But in the final chapter, God Himself showed up, and Job bowed before Him in humility, flooded with the knowledge of God's greatness, love, kindness, goodness, and wisdom. In that moment of revelation he did not question God. In God's presence we need no other answer, and yet in Him we have all the answers.
The Lord is pleased to give us understanding, but we must remember that He is our wisdom. In Him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. We should seek Him. It is in His presence that we find our answers, our peace, our strength, and our joy.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Disobey and Have A Party?
“And they made a calf in those days, offered sacrifices to the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands (the idols)…” Acts 7: 41
“And…he…made a molded calf…and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.” Exodus 32: 4-6
“It is…the sound of singing I hear….He saw the calf and the dancing.” Ex 32: 18-19.
The verses above show that you can disobey the Lord and still have a party---at least for a while.
One of the problems with human nature is that it so often loses sight of both reward and consequences. When we get caught up in the temptation of the moment or in what we want right now, we forget that there is a reward for faith and obedience, and a consequence and a reaping for evil and disobedience. And so like Israel, we make our “golden calves” and have a party.
Moses had gone up the mountain to meet God face to face and to receive the commandments and the laws for Israel’s life as a nation. The people became impatient, discontent, perplexed, and maybe bored during the 40 day wait while Moses was on the mountain. They felt that God was taking too long, and maybe Moses was dead. So they decided to make their own gods. This would liven things up a bit and provide a more cheerful atmosphere. It would help them to feel better. They made an idol and rejoiced before it,” They were singing, dancing, and feeling good. It actually appeared to be one of their happiest moments since leaving Egypt. Sounds like something wonderful, but what a fleeting deception! 3,000 people died as a result of this egregious sin (the idol, not the singing and dancing).
The enemy of our souls is so very deceptive. He inhabits our idols and pretends to offer so much. And we foolishly rejoice in those idols because they indulge our flesh and allow us to do as we please. They help us to feel better by providing a quick momentary fix. They help us to temporarily drown our fears, and to forget our deeply troubling thoughts and unanswered questions. They appeal to our selfishness and our self-centeredness. They appeal to and feed our rebellious nature while also keeping us distracted from the one true God.
God calls a person to surrender now, and to pay the price of obedience up front. For now it may mean self-control, waiting, sacrifice, suffering, and doing the right thing when we would rather be doing something else. The cost is now, but the rewards will surely follow. The blessing is beyond the obedience.
The enemy, on the other hand, offers all the “good stuff” up front. He offers pleasures and “what you want” now. He makes you think it’s free or at a discount, and with no waiting. As a result, many have eaten at his table not realizing the horrible price they will inevitably pay. If you think God is asking too much of you now, just wait until the devil comes to collect later.
Israel sang, danced, and rejoiced before their idol, and shortly thereafter 3,000 lay dead. By contrast, Moses chose to suffer affliction with the people of God rather than enjoying the passing pleasures of sin he could have experienced by ignoring God's call on his life. He was able to do this because by faith he saw the rewards that would follow. (Heb 11: 25-26). Jesus said that the world will rejoice while you are sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned to joy” (John 16: 20). In His own example, Jesus in His hour of suffering was able to endure the cross because of the joy that was set before Him, because He knew that His travail of soul would redeem man back to God (Heb 12:2). Impending sorrow and regret await those who live in disobedience; but for those who take up their cross to follow Jesus, joy will come in the morning.
It is an honor and a privilege when the Lord calls upon you to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Him (Matthew 16:24). And if you really knew the gift that is being offered, you would not be blinded by what you think is too great a price to pay. If you could really see who it is that calls you, you would fall at His feet in complete surrender knowing that He and the treasures He brings are inexpressible and far beyond comprehension.
The bible says they "rejoiced in the work of their own hands" (i.e., their idols). But this joy was fleeting, tenuous, and false. "Idols" are deceptive. They lie and are like clouds without water boasting of false gifts. I have a good friend who says he has his own religion, but he lives in fear of death, and with tremendous anxiety about growing old. Our idols can only offer a temporary "high" or a temporary "sleep" to help us avoid facing life, truth, and the reality of eternity. Grind up the "golden calf" and cast it away. Look up to the living and true God, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Only in Him is true joy and real peace.
[For those theologians among us, let me say that I know that salvation is a fee gift, and can not be earned. Please understand the terms such as "price" and "cost" in context of Luke 14].
“And…he…made a molded calf…and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.” Exodus 32: 4-6
“It is…the sound of singing I hear….He saw the calf and the dancing.” Ex 32: 18-19.
The verses above show that you can disobey the Lord and still have a party---at least for a while.
One of the problems with human nature is that it so often loses sight of both reward and consequences. When we get caught up in the temptation of the moment or in what we want right now, we forget that there is a reward for faith and obedience, and a consequence and a reaping for evil and disobedience. And so like Israel, we make our “golden calves” and have a party.
Moses had gone up the mountain to meet God face to face and to receive the commandments and the laws for Israel’s life as a nation. The people became impatient, discontent, perplexed, and maybe bored during the 40 day wait while Moses was on the mountain. They felt that God was taking too long, and maybe Moses was dead. So they decided to make their own gods. This would liven things up a bit and provide a more cheerful atmosphere. It would help them to feel better. They made an idol and rejoiced before it,” They were singing, dancing, and feeling good. It actually appeared to be one of their happiest moments since leaving Egypt. Sounds like something wonderful, but what a fleeting deception! 3,000 people died as a result of this egregious sin (the idol, not the singing and dancing).
The enemy of our souls is so very deceptive. He inhabits our idols and pretends to offer so much. And we foolishly rejoice in those idols because they indulge our flesh and allow us to do as we please. They help us to feel better by providing a quick momentary fix. They help us to temporarily drown our fears, and to forget our deeply troubling thoughts and unanswered questions. They appeal to our selfishness and our self-centeredness. They appeal to and feed our rebellious nature while also keeping us distracted from the one true God.
God calls a person to surrender now, and to pay the price of obedience up front. For now it may mean self-control, waiting, sacrifice, suffering, and doing the right thing when we would rather be doing something else. The cost is now, but the rewards will surely follow. The blessing is beyond the obedience.
The enemy, on the other hand, offers all the “good stuff” up front. He offers pleasures and “what you want” now. He makes you think it’s free or at a discount, and with no waiting. As a result, many have eaten at his table not realizing the horrible price they will inevitably pay. If you think God is asking too much of you now, just wait until the devil comes to collect later.
Israel sang, danced, and rejoiced before their idol, and shortly thereafter 3,000 lay dead. By contrast, Moses chose to suffer affliction with the people of God rather than enjoying the passing pleasures of sin he could have experienced by ignoring God's call on his life. He was able to do this because by faith he saw the rewards that would follow. (Heb 11: 25-26). Jesus said that the world will rejoice while you are sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned to joy” (John 16: 20). In His own example, Jesus in His hour of suffering was able to endure the cross because of the joy that was set before Him, because He knew that His travail of soul would redeem man back to God (Heb 12:2). Impending sorrow and regret await those who live in disobedience; but for those who take up their cross to follow Jesus, joy will come in the morning.
It is an honor and a privilege when the Lord calls upon you to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Him (Matthew 16:24). And if you really knew the gift that is being offered, you would not be blinded by what you think is too great a price to pay. If you could really see who it is that calls you, you would fall at His feet in complete surrender knowing that He and the treasures He brings are inexpressible and far beyond comprehension.
The bible says they "rejoiced in the work of their own hands" (i.e., their idols). But this joy was fleeting, tenuous, and false. "Idols" are deceptive. They lie and are like clouds without water boasting of false gifts. I have a good friend who says he has his own religion, but he lives in fear of death, and with tremendous anxiety about growing old. Our idols can only offer a temporary "high" or a temporary "sleep" to help us avoid facing life, truth, and the reality of eternity. Grind up the "golden calf" and cast it away. Look up to the living and true God, Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Only in Him is true joy and real peace.
[For those theologians among us, let me say that I know that salvation is a fee gift, and can not be earned. Please understand the terms such as "price" and "cost" in context of Luke 14].
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Poems from Experience
Just for fun I decided to include some poems I wrote. The first two I think are quite witty. The first one I wrote in response to mine and Laurel's kidding about my tendency to repeat myself too much. The second one I wrote in response to my struggles to change in areas that would improve my role as a husband. The other poems are of a more serious nature and which share some spiritual insight gained from experience.
Vain Repetitions
My emails will say hello, communicate, and engage.
They may even dazzle you with eloquence and prose.
Expert tools of grammar will be utilized on each page.
But no trite phrases, and no repetitions. No. None of those.
Your heart will be warmed by thoughts so expressed
In simile, metaphor, hyperbole, and other additions.
But in the end you surely will have confessed
The thing has a glaring absence of those redundent repetitions.
His heart and mind are drawn with words
Telling revelation, his schedule, truth, and no fiction.
Impressing that pretty lady with things he’s heard,
Messages fresh and new, but no nasty repetition.
You can trust what I’ve said, you can trust what I wrote.
Repetitions are over, in the past, no longer to offend.
You can believe the truth of this note.
Repetitions are gone. As proof I’ve said it again.
A Husband’s Struggle to Change
The apostle said he had the privilege to “lead about” a wife.
I guess I’ve been trying to do that all my life.
But still I’ve had to deal with pain and strife
of only being able to be “about to lead” a wife.
I think about it and study on it which is what I usually do.
But the problem is being able to actually follow through.
And it’s not like I’m trying to learn a lot of something new.
I’m having trouble nailing down a few.
I look pitiful after failing a few tries,
She looks frustrated and rolls her eyes
Still I manage to give a little surprise
When occasionally I stand to the occasion and arise.
But It seems my progress is only brief
Enough to give hope but not relief.
Such little faith is beyond belief
What can I do to prevent such grief
But now after so much time has flown,
Through labor and grace I have finally grown.
Significant fruit from seed that was sown.
Thank God my wife did not leave me alone.
JOURNAL ENTRY: SPRING 2004 INSPIRED BY JOHN 12: 24-25.
The fires were hot and the waters were deep.
Would I drown or be consumed?
But I had forgotten how grace is reaped,
and life in Jesus resumed.
The weapons that pierce and cause us to bleed
and lay us in mourning and gloom,
No matter how fierce, still they cannot pierce
the pain and wall of the tomb.
For in that dark place, the light of His face
will show mysteries before unseen.
And all the bad will remain in the grave
while we are raised redeemed.
JOURNAL ENTRY: 6/30/99. INSPIRED BY JOB 29:1-6; ISAIAH 49.
Held in deep contempt, and stabbed by eyes of scorn,
Heart broken and rent, with dignity stripped and shorn,
The honor that was meant, to others has been borne.
But God's favor is not spent; why should I then mourn?
He has not changed His intent nor the reason I was born!
Laid aside and forgotten, no one calls for me.
Bereft of my begotten, none upon my knee.
But He shall lift His hand, and a banner shall the children see.
They shall fill the land, and they will come to me.
For God's favor is not spent; why should I then mourn?
He stands by His intent and the reason I was born!
JOURNAL ENTRY: SPRING, 2004 INSPIRED BY MAT 13:31-32; DAN 4: 10-12.
A tree stood before me thick with limbs and leaves all green.
Its branches were home, shelter, and food to birds and smaller animals unseen.
Its whole being, as if signaling to God, waved in the breeze.
And quietly shouted, "The kingdom of God is like these."
It is home, provision, and protection. It is God's rule, His love and care
to all who follow Him, love Him, and build their nests in there.
Billy Long
Vain Repetitions
My emails will say hello, communicate, and engage.
They may even dazzle you with eloquence and prose.
Expert tools of grammar will be utilized on each page.
But no trite phrases, and no repetitions. No. None of those.
Your heart will be warmed by thoughts so expressed
In simile, metaphor, hyperbole, and other additions.
But in the end you surely will have confessed
The thing has a glaring absence of those redundent repetitions.
His heart and mind are drawn with words
Telling revelation, his schedule, truth, and no fiction.
Impressing that pretty lady with things he’s heard,
Messages fresh and new, but no nasty repetition.
You can trust what I’ve said, you can trust what I wrote.
Repetitions are over, in the past, no longer to offend.
You can believe the truth of this note.
Repetitions are gone. As proof I’ve said it again.
A Husband’s Struggle to Change
The apostle said he had the privilege to “lead about” a wife.
I guess I’ve been trying to do that all my life.
But still I’ve had to deal with pain and strife
of only being able to be “about to lead” a wife.
I think about it and study on it which is what I usually do.
But the problem is being able to actually follow through.
And it’s not like I’m trying to learn a lot of something new.
I’m having trouble nailing down a few.
I look pitiful after failing a few tries,
She looks frustrated and rolls her eyes
Still I manage to give a little surprise
When occasionally I stand to the occasion and arise.
But It seems my progress is only brief
Enough to give hope but not relief.
Such little faith is beyond belief
What can I do to prevent such grief
But now after so much time has flown,
Through labor and grace I have finally grown.
Significant fruit from seed that was sown.
Thank God my wife did not leave me alone.
JOURNAL ENTRY: SPRING 2004 INSPIRED BY JOHN 12: 24-25.
The fires were hot and the waters were deep.
Would I drown or be consumed?
But I had forgotten how grace is reaped,
and life in Jesus resumed.
The weapons that pierce and cause us to bleed
and lay us in mourning and gloom,
No matter how fierce, still they cannot pierce
the pain and wall of the tomb.
For in that dark place, the light of His face
will show mysteries before unseen.
And all the bad will remain in the grave
while we are raised redeemed.
JOURNAL ENTRY: 6/30/99. INSPIRED BY JOB 29:1-6; ISAIAH 49.
Held in deep contempt, and stabbed by eyes of scorn,
Heart broken and rent, with dignity stripped and shorn,
The honor that was meant, to others has been borne.
But God's favor is not spent; why should I then mourn?
He has not changed His intent nor the reason I was born!
Laid aside and forgotten, no one calls for me.
Bereft of my begotten, none upon my knee.
But He shall lift His hand, and a banner shall the children see.
They shall fill the land, and they will come to me.
For God's favor is not spent; why should I then mourn?
He stands by His intent and the reason I was born!
JOURNAL ENTRY: SPRING, 2004 INSPIRED BY MAT 13:31-32; DAN 4: 10-12.
A tree stood before me thick with limbs and leaves all green.
Its branches were home, shelter, and food to birds and smaller animals unseen.
Its whole being, as if signaling to God, waved in the breeze.
And quietly shouted, "The kingdom of God is like these."
It is home, provision, and protection. It is God's rule, His love and care
to all who follow Him, love Him, and build their nests in there.
Billy Long
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
His Purpose Will Prevail
Seeing so many things that could discourage us and seeing the failures of God's people we are tempted to lose heart and faith and to think that there is no use trying. We have seen what we thought were the wrong people succeeding and the wrong people failing. Like John the Baptist we have seen the glory and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God!" Then we have sat in our "prison cells" and said, "Are you the one or do we look for another? Did I miss it?"
We have stood on the mountain top and cried out, "This is it!" And we have crawled on the valley floor crying, "Where did it go?" We have said, "Lord, I'll never leave you nor forsake you" and later denied Him before the rooster crowed. We have slept while others were in their Gethsemanes. We have had friends walk into our Gethsemanes and betray us with a kiss. We have seen churches fly and churches fall. We have been in the processes of God and were not sure whether we were being pruned or stripped, whether we were being purged and refined or burned and rejected. In our attempts at obedience we have at times stepped out in faith not sure whether we were stepping up or stepping off. We have been asleep in the boat during the storm and did not know whether to stand up and say, "Peace! Be still!" or whether to ask someone to throw us overboard to the whale.
In the midst of all of the situations above, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that the eternal purpose of God was accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord (Ephesians 3: 11). Instead of being in the pits of unbelief because of our failures and that of others, we should rejoice that Almighty God will complete the church and bring forth His kingdom. Not one jot or tittle shall fail of what He has said regarding the church and His kingdom plan. Jesus, while hanging on the cross, gored by the "bulls of Bashan", bitten by demonic dogs, and "pierced by the congregation of the wicked" (Psalms 22) which surrounded Him on Calvary, could still, in the face of this, know that all things were accomplished and that the Scripture concerning Himself had been fulfilled. He thus could say, "It is finished!" (John 19: 25-30). How much more from His place of glory and authority at the right hand of the Father, even in the face of a hostile world and a stubborn and stiffnecked church, will He not again come to say in the proper time, "It is finished!"?
The book of Ephesians speaks of God's purpose, God's people, God's grace, and God's power. These are high and lofty elements; they represent the wonderful work of God. The book also deals with the nitty-gritty areas of life such as unity, godly living, spiritual warfare, the family, relationships, etc. Sooner or later God's purpose, power, and grace will prevail in the nitty-gritty, and God will reveal in His people just how much He really is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we can ask or think (Ephesians 3: 20). He is able to subdue all things unto Himself (Philippians 3: 21). He will complete His work.
We have faith for the past and for the future—but we think God has trouble handling the present. We believe God controls all things. He controls the whole—but we think He has difficulty with the parts and the particulars. We believe He sets the boundaries of nations—but we think he has no control over the unreasonable and trespassing neighbor who has moved the boundary lines of our front yard. We believe, according to the scripture, that God will produce the glorious church, that He will succeed with the whole—but we think He is failing with the parts, with the individuals, that He controls the "whole" but not the "each." Obviously we must realize that to determine the boundaries of nations God must have power over the neighbor's small plot. To be God of history, He must also be God of the moment. To control past and future, He must control the present. He is God over all. He will complete His work and fulfill His counsel. Not one jot or tittle shall fail of all his good promises.
The apostle Paul experienced every type of evil from the hands of men, including attempts to destroy his life. He experienced grief from the failures of churches under his ministry. He was forsaken and rejected. He even suffered at the hands of the demonic messenger of Satan sent to buffet him. Yet in spite of all this, he spoke eloquently and with great faith concerning God's plan for the church. He trusted in God, in God's wisdom and power. Paul began the book of Ephesians with the phrase "Paul...an apostle by the will of God." Having experienced God's sovereign initiative and power, and having seen how it completely transformed him into God's faithful and passionate servant, Paul basically proceeded to say, both explicitly and implicitly in the book of Ephesians, that the church, the people of God, will also be transformed and made into the perfect man by the same will of God and by the same power of God.
God is building together a people into an habitation of God through the Spirit. That People is His heritage, His chosen possession, through which His great power and grace shall be demonstrated, through which the manifold wisdom of God shall be made manifest unto principalities and powers, and through which His life and image shall be reflected upon the earth. His kingdom shall come. He shall bring down all principalities and powers until His enemies are made a footstool for His feet. His glory shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.
Therefore, we should not be moved away from the hope (the confident expectation) of the fulfillment of all that is promised and proclaimed in the gospel. The Sovereign God is administrating times and seasons, each to its fullness, until all things are fulfilled in Christ. God's sovereignty, His power, His grace, and His wisdom are the backdrop and foundation for our faith and confidence. There is no place to sit down disillusioned with God, His purpose, His plan, or His church. God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we can ask or think. No matter how discouraging our own experiences have been, God will succeed.
"Why are you cast down, O my soul?...Hope in God." Psalm 42: 11.
"according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord." Ephesians 3: 11.
"continue in the faith steadfast ... not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard..." Colosians 1: 23.
We have stood on the mountain top and cried out, "This is it!" And we have crawled on the valley floor crying, "Where did it go?" We have said, "Lord, I'll never leave you nor forsake you" and later denied Him before the rooster crowed. We have slept while others were in their Gethsemanes. We have had friends walk into our Gethsemanes and betray us with a kiss. We have seen churches fly and churches fall. We have been in the processes of God and were not sure whether we were being pruned or stripped, whether we were being purged and refined or burned and rejected. In our attempts at obedience we have at times stepped out in faith not sure whether we were stepping up or stepping off. We have been asleep in the boat during the storm and did not know whether to stand up and say, "Peace! Be still!" or whether to ask someone to throw us overboard to the whale.
In the midst of all of the situations above, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that the eternal purpose of God was accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord (Ephesians 3: 11). Instead of being in the pits of unbelief because of our failures and that of others, we should rejoice that Almighty God will complete the church and bring forth His kingdom. Not one jot or tittle shall fail of what He has said regarding the church and His kingdom plan. Jesus, while hanging on the cross, gored by the "bulls of Bashan", bitten by demonic dogs, and "pierced by the congregation of the wicked" (Psalms 22) which surrounded Him on Calvary, could still, in the face of this, know that all things were accomplished and that the Scripture concerning Himself had been fulfilled. He thus could say, "It is finished!" (John 19: 25-30). How much more from His place of glory and authority at the right hand of the Father, even in the face of a hostile world and a stubborn and stiffnecked church, will He not again come to say in the proper time, "It is finished!"?
The book of Ephesians speaks of God's purpose, God's people, God's grace, and God's power. These are high and lofty elements; they represent the wonderful work of God. The book also deals with the nitty-gritty areas of life such as unity, godly living, spiritual warfare, the family, relationships, etc. Sooner or later God's purpose, power, and grace will prevail in the nitty-gritty, and God will reveal in His people just how much He really is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above all that we can ask or think (Ephesians 3: 20). He is able to subdue all things unto Himself (Philippians 3: 21). He will complete His work.
We have faith for the past and for the future—but we think God has trouble handling the present. We believe God controls all things. He controls the whole—but we think He has difficulty with the parts and the particulars. We believe He sets the boundaries of nations—but we think he has no control over the unreasonable and trespassing neighbor who has moved the boundary lines of our front yard. We believe, according to the scripture, that God will produce the glorious church, that He will succeed with the whole—but we think He is failing with the parts, with the individuals, that He controls the "whole" but not the "each." Obviously we must realize that to determine the boundaries of nations God must have power over the neighbor's small plot. To be God of history, He must also be God of the moment. To control past and future, He must control the present. He is God over all. He will complete His work and fulfill His counsel. Not one jot or tittle shall fail of all his good promises.
The apostle Paul experienced every type of evil from the hands of men, including attempts to destroy his life. He experienced grief from the failures of churches under his ministry. He was forsaken and rejected. He even suffered at the hands of the demonic messenger of Satan sent to buffet him. Yet in spite of all this, he spoke eloquently and with great faith concerning God's plan for the church. He trusted in God, in God's wisdom and power. Paul began the book of Ephesians with the phrase "Paul...an apostle by the will of God." Having experienced God's sovereign initiative and power, and having seen how it completely transformed him into God's faithful and passionate servant, Paul basically proceeded to say, both explicitly and implicitly in the book of Ephesians, that the church, the people of God, will also be transformed and made into the perfect man by the same will of God and by the same power of God.
God is building together a people into an habitation of God through the Spirit. That People is His heritage, His chosen possession, through which His great power and grace shall be demonstrated, through which the manifold wisdom of God shall be made manifest unto principalities and powers, and through which His life and image shall be reflected upon the earth. His kingdom shall come. He shall bring down all principalities and powers until His enemies are made a footstool for His feet. His glory shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.
Therefore, we should not be moved away from the hope (the confident expectation) of the fulfillment of all that is promised and proclaimed in the gospel. The Sovereign God is administrating times and seasons, each to its fullness, until all things are fulfilled in Christ. God's sovereignty, His power, His grace, and His wisdom are the backdrop and foundation for our faith and confidence. There is no place to sit down disillusioned with God, His purpose, His plan, or His church. God is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we can ask or think. No matter how discouraging our own experiences have been, God will succeed.
"Why are you cast down, O my soul?...Hope in God." Psalm 42: 11.
"according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord." Ephesians 3: 11.
"continue in the faith steadfast ... not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard..." Colosians 1: 23.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Wounded Veterans
"...The wall of Jerusalem is also broken down, and its gates are burned with fire."
Nehemiah 1: 3
"...Will they revive the stones from the heaps of rubbish—stones that are burned?"
Nehemiah 4: 2
The drama of the church is often reminiscent of those scenes from war movies in which excited new recruits march toward the front lines while being met by weary veterans returning from battle, limping along bandaged and bloody, carrying their wounded, and still in shock from the trauma of conflict. The new recruits move forward ready to conquor the world, while the battle-weary veterans groan in the pain of failure and disillusionment. Multitudes start out in the Christian walk, everybody expects testing, they just don't expect it to be real. They expect either victory without battle (naiveté and untested faith) or battle without victory (skepticism and unbelief). Motives and untested faith must inevitably face the refiners fire. The disillusionments of time and testing can take a heavy toll on the lightheartedness of youthful innocence, naiveté, and inexperience. As a result many Christians tend to move over time and experience from the naiveté of the inexperienced novice to the skeptical cynicism of the disillusioned veteran.
How many Christians do you know who no longer fellowship with other Christians or who just sit on the back row and hover at the fringes of the Christian life? How many do you know whose lives have fallen apart? It's the spouse who has become spiritually defeated because of marriage conflicts. It is the pastor who feels he has been through his own crucifixion at the hands of a rebellious flock. It is the Christian who has been abused or hurt by the church or its leaders. It's the person who has been disillusioned by the unexpected complications of life, and disappointed by his own failures or that of others. Hopes held high in the beginning eventually dissipated during hard times, mistreatment, distresses, and sin. The experienced "veteran" is often the most depressed.
The "burnt-stone" syndrome occurs when a person is overwhelmed by the various "fires" of temptation, mistreatment, conflict, failure, disillusionment, and disappointment. It occurs when one embraces wrong or sinful responses to difficulties and adversities.These wrong and sinful responses, left uncorrected, hinder the grace of God, choke out the fruit of the Holy Spirit, and produce spiritual desolation. When a person gets the wind knocked out of him, his primary concern becomes survival rather than service.When a person is standing amid the broken fragments of collapsed walls he loses heart and hope. How can I give of myself again after all my past investment has gone up in smoke? How can I build again? Why should I build again? Who can I trust again? These are questions asked by those who have been disabled by the fires of life.
Symptoms
There are a number of symptoms that describe these people. They no longer serve with joy, and they try to remain at a safe distance from God's people. They have lost sight of God’s purpose. They associate it with those people and things that brought them pain. They grieve because of unexpected loss. They are unwilling to trust again because they were wounded by people they trusted. Disappointment of hope destroys vision.
Loss of Confidence in God and His people
To lose confidence in God’s people can cause us to consequently lose confidence in God Himself. No matter how much Christians or people fail, we must not forget that there is a God on the throne who rules and who will ultimately bring forth the full manifestation of plan and His kingdomon this earth. It is a deception to give up on God because of the failures of His children. We are willing to risk obedience because we trust in God. True faith in God must also include the ability to trust God with other people.
Avoiding hurt
Seeing themselves as victims who have been robbed they become bitter and angry,unwilling to risk vulnerability, afraid of being exposed to potential hurt. They say, "I will not be hurt again!" This survivalist mentality produces disobedience because obedience is seen as a risk. The primary motivation becomes self-protection and self-interests. The obvious consequence is the inability to have a heart after God's interest and God’s heart. They depart from the way of the cross. (Mat.16:24-25, Neh.6:10-14).
Avoiding Relationships
Superficial faith and superficial involvement with other Christians; withdrawn, independent, detached and isolated, separated from real church life, having drifted to the fringes and avoiding relationships; Drifting along, drifting away.
-Cautious and reserved in approaching God and other Christians; withholding themselves from both God and man. The walls that protect also isloate.
Hardened Heart
-Using problems as an excuse to neglect their spiritual lives. Ungodly attitudes, when embraced and nurtured, will take their toll upon the Christian's walk with God.
-Heart hardened through anger, bitterness, hurt, and other unhealthy attitudes. As the heart hardens, the fruit of the Spirit (those good qualities which usually mark the Christian's life) will begin to wither, and the worst tendencies of his flesh will begin to grow.
-Stumbled by tribulation, they allow the heart to become unfruitful soil; the word of God and its fruit are choked by the stresses and distresses.
Spiritually Disabled
-Spiritually paralyzed, disabled, and incapacitated.
-Sitting at home angry, confused, disillusioned, with loss of purpose.
-Living far below their potential, hiding their candles under baskets.
Loss of Vision and Faith
-Failing to see and understand the sovereignty of God.
-Unbelief, lack of hope, lack of faith, lack of vision.
-Do not understand, do not have the divine perspective. When a person does not acurately interpret his experience, especially if this misinterpretation stems from his failure to be broken and obedient before God, he will have short-circuited his power of discernment and will be unable to see God's plan and hope for his future. Not having resolved the past, he will be unable to proceed.
When we are burned by the fire, we avoid those things which we perceive will get us burned again. We fall prey to isolation, self-protectionism, and a survivalist mentality. A person can not move forward in useful and fulfilling service to God while his life is controlled and directed by this perspective and disposition. One can not build the future while standing in the rubble of the past; therefore, the ground must be cleared of the rubble in order to find freedom to face the future in faith, in obedience, and without fear.
And the future must be faced, for we have within us a God-given inner need to progress and move forward. It is no wonder that the enemy does everything within his power to destroy our future by ruining our past. To lose all that we have invested in, to be hurt by those from whom we least expected it, to be dismayed in the grief of our failures will strain anyones faith to the limit. When the past is seen only in terms of hurt and regret, the present is experienced as pain and emptiness left by the void, and the future is viewed as a dark place devoid of vision and purpose. When the past is a disaster the future is faced with fear. In such a state, it is very difficult to look forward, much less to reach forward.
Our God, however, is the God of redemption. Time after time the Bible gives testimony of God's ability and willingness to turn all things to our good and to His purpose. Christianity was built to successfully sustain us in difficult times. A spiritual and godly approach to life's difficulties will cause the Christian to please God in all things and to come through it all in communion and relationship with the Lord and with feet firmly on the path of God's purpose. It is a matter of our engaging the Lord properly, understanding His Sovereignty, walking in faith and obedience, and maintaining a right spirit and relationship with Him. For the Christian there is never an excuse for spiritual disability, quitting, or settling for less. There is a place in God where every Christian can come through every fire without "smelling like smoke".
My purpose in writing in this article is to encourage and inspire Christians to face adversity in a manner consistent with God's word. The fires of trials and testings will thus refine the Christian rather than leaving him burnt and disabled.
"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." Romans 8: 28
"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
"Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather let it be healed. Heb.12: 12-13
Nehemiah 1: 3
"...Will they revive the stones from the heaps of rubbish—stones that are burned?"
Nehemiah 4: 2
The drama of the church is often reminiscent of those scenes from war movies in which excited new recruits march toward the front lines while being met by weary veterans returning from battle, limping along bandaged and bloody, carrying their wounded, and still in shock from the trauma of conflict. The new recruits move forward ready to conquor the world, while the battle-weary veterans groan in the pain of failure and disillusionment. Multitudes start out in the Christian walk, everybody expects testing, they just don't expect it to be real. They expect either victory without battle (naiveté and untested faith) or battle without victory (skepticism and unbelief). Motives and untested faith must inevitably face the refiners fire. The disillusionments of time and testing can take a heavy toll on the lightheartedness of youthful innocence, naiveté, and inexperience. As a result many Christians tend to move over time and experience from the naiveté of the inexperienced novice to the skeptical cynicism of the disillusioned veteran.
How many Christians do you know who no longer fellowship with other Christians or who just sit on the back row and hover at the fringes of the Christian life? How many do you know whose lives have fallen apart? It's the spouse who has become spiritually defeated because of marriage conflicts. It is the pastor who feels he has been through his own crucifixion at the hands of a rebellious flock. It is the Christian who has been abused or hurt by the church or its leaders. It's the person who has been disillusioned by the unexpected complications of life, and disappointed by his own failures or that of others. Hopes held high in the beginning eventually dissipated during hard times, mistreatment, distresses, and sin. The experienced "veteran" is often the most depressed.
The "burnt-stone" syndrome occurs when a person is overwhelmed by the various "fires" of temptation, mistreatment, conflict, failure, disillusionment, and disappointment. It occurs when one embraces wrong or sinful responses to difficulties and adversities.These wrong and sinful responses, left uncorrected, hinder the grace of God, choke out the fruit of the Holy Spirit, and produce spiritual desolation. When a person gets the wind knocked out of him, his primary concern becomes survival rather than service.When a person is standing amid the broken fragments of collapsed walls he loses heart and hope. How can I give of myself again after all my past investment has gone up in smoke? How can I build again? Why should I build again? Who can I trust again? These are questions asked by those who have been disabled by the fires of life.
Symptoms
There are a number of symptoms that describe these people. They no longer serve with joy, and they try to remain at a safe distance from God's people. They have lost sight of God’s purpose. They associate it with those people and things that brought them pain. They grieve because of unexpected loss. They are unwilling to trust again because they were wounded by people they trusted. Disappointment of hope destroys vision.
Loss of Confidence in God and His people
To lose confidence in God’s people can cause us to consequently lose confidence in God Himself. No matter how much Christians or people fail, we must not forget that there is a God on the throne who rules and who will ultimately bring forth the full manifestation of plan and His kingdomon this earth. It is a deception to give up on God because of the failures of His children. We are willing to risk obedience because we trust in God. True faith in God must also include the ability to trust God with other people.
Avoiding hurt
Seeing themselves as victims who have been robbed they become bitter and angry,unwilling to risk vulnerability, afraid of being exposed to potential hurt. They say, "I will not be hurt again!" This survivalist mentality produces disobedience because obedience is seen as a risk. The primary motivation becomes self-protection and self-interests. The obvious consequence is the inability to have a heart after God's interest and God’s heart. They depart from the way of the cross. (Mat.16:24-25, Neh.6:10-14).
Avoiding Relationships
Superficial faith and superficial involvement with other Christians; withdrawn, independent, detached and isolated, separated from real church life, having drifted to the fringes and avoiding relationships; Drifting along, drifting away.
-Cautious and reserved in approaching God and other Christians; withholding themselves from both God and man. The walls that protect also isloate.
Hardened Heart
-Using problems as an excuse to neglect their spiritual lives. Ungodly attitudes, when embraced and nurtured, will take their toll upon the Christian's walk with God.
-Heart hardened through anger, bitterness, hurt, and other unhealthy attitudes. As the heart hardens, the fruit of the Spirit (those good qualities which usually mark the Christian's life) will begin to wither, and the worst tendencies of his flesh will begin to grow.
-Stumbled by tribulation, they allow the heart to become unfruitful soil; the word of God and its fruit are choked by the stresses and distresses.
Spiritually Disabled
-Spiritually paralyzed, disabled, and incapacitated.
-Sitting at home angry, confused, disillusioned, with loss of purpose.
-Living far below their potential, hiding their candles under baskets.
Loss of Vision and Faith
-Failing to see and understand the sovereignty of God.
-Unbelief, lack of hope, lack of faith, lack of vision.
-Do not understand, do not have the divine perspective. When a person does not acurately interpret his experience, especially if this misinterpretation stems from his failure to be broken and obedient before God, he will have short-circuited his power of discernment and will be unable to see God's plan and hope for his future. Not having resolved the past, he will be unable to proceed.
When we are burned by the fire, we avoid those things which we perceive will get us burned again. We fall prey to isolation, self-protectionism, and a survivalist mentality. A person can not move forward in useful and fulfilling service to God while his life is controlled and directed by this perspective and disposition. One can not build the future while standing in the rubble of the past; therefore, the ground must be cleared of the rubble in order to find freedom to face the future in faith, in obedience, and without fear.
And the future must be faced, for we have within us a God-given inner need to progress and move forward. It is no wonder that the enemy does everything within his power to destroy our future by ruining our past. To lose all that we have invested in, to be hurt by those from whom we least expected it, to be dismayed in the grief of our failures will strain anyones faith to the limit. When the past is seen only in terms of hurt and regret, the present is experienced as pain and emptiness left by the void, and the future is viewed as a dark place devoid of vision and purpose. When the past is a disaster the future is faced with fear. In such a state, it is very difficult to look forward, much less to reach forward.
Our God, however, is the God of redemption. Time after time the Bible gives testimony of God's ability and willingness to turn all things to our good and to His purpose. Christianity was built to successfully sustain us in difficult times. A spiritual and godly approach to life's difficulties will cause the Christian to please God in all things and to come through it all in communion and relationship with the Lord and with feet firmly on the path of God's purpose. It is a matter of our engaging the Lord properly, understanding His Sovereignty, walking in faith and obedience, and maintaining a right spirit and relationship with Him. For the Christian there is never an excuse for spiritual disability, quitting, or settling for less. There is a place in God where every Christian can come through every fire without "smelling like smoke".
My purpose in writing in this article is to encourage and inspire Christians to face adversity in a manner consistent with God's word. The fires of trials and testings will thus refine the Christian rather than leaving him burnt and disabled.
"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." Romans 8: 28
"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
"Therefore strengthen the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be dislocated, but rather let it be healed. Heb.12: 12-13
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