Truths To Kling To

From the Facebook page of Lysa TerKeurst:

Right this very minute, in the midst of hard realities and devastating circumstances, there are some things you and I must cling and hold to as if our lives depended on it:

1. God loves us and He will not leave us.

2. This battle isn’t ours. The battle belongs to the Lord. Let Him fight for you. Save your emotional energy and use it to dig into His Word like never before. Our job is to be obedient to God. God’s job is winning this battle.

3. The battle might not be easy or short-lived, but victory will be there for those who trust God.

4. God is good even when the circumstances are darker than you ever imagined. God is good even when people are not. God is good even when things seem stinking hopeless. God is good and can be trusted when you feel suspicious of everyone and everything around you.

5. Lastly, God is good at being God. Don’t try to fix what He hasn’t assigned you to fix. Don’t try to manipulate or control or spend all your emotions trying to figure it out. Let Him be God. Free yourself from this impossible assignment.
Sweet friend, be still. And know. He is God.

I’m praying for you. And I treasure the fact I know you are praying for me.

Worship Out

Worshiping Our Way Out of Sin by Zac Hicks (Worship leader at Tullian Tchividjian's church, Coral Ridge Presbyterian):

For much of my Christian life, I thought sin was primarily fought on the flesh-level, where battleships fire their guns and jets launch their missiles. Recently, I’ve come to realize that the true action is where submarines do warfare. I used to think that, to defeat sin in my members, I must engage things like spiritual disciplines to in a sense “suffocate” the sin out of my flesh. Lust problem? Fast a bunch to teach yourself how to deny cravings. Mouth problem? Practice silence to bridle your tongue with some self-control. And while those things aren’t without merit, I began to realize that sin goes much deeper; that it is the “fruit” of the deeper “root” of idolatry and unbelief. Our sin problem is, primarily and essentially, a heart problem. Therefore, it makes sense that the most tactical and strategic warfare against sin shouldn’t take place on the level of the flesh but on the level of what Jonathan Edwards called “the affections.”... 

...Growth is the work of God, and it happens by our beholding Jesus’ glory. If we desire the growth of our brothers and sisters; if we long for the unshackling of our addictions and unburdening of our sin in increasing measure, the best thing we can do for the people of God is plan worship services that climax at the moment of beholding the Lord Jesus in His incarnate, crucified, resurrected, ascended, and seated splendor. We ask questions like, “How can I shape the music and liturgy to climax, theologically and emotionally, at the moment where the good news of Jesus Christ is sung, remembered, preached, and proclaimed? How do I shape contexts for beholding Jesus in worship?” These are the questions a worship pastor asks.

Three concluding tips to help the people of God worship their way out of sin by beholding Jesus:

• The gospel shines brightest when it is set against the dark backdrop of our sin, so find places in your worship services to sing, speak, or pray your confession. And give the people words to help expand their vocabulary of confession beyond the superficial (the Book of Common Prayer’s most common confession prayer is a wonderful guiding tool).

• One step before that: Our sinfulness is amplified when God’s glory and holiness is made much of. So begin your worship services, more often than not, with Calls to Worship and songs that highlight God’s glorious attributes. In this way, we open up the people of God to hear God’s important “first word”—the Law. And when the Law is heralded, it crushes, kills, and prepares the soil for the most honest confession.

• See how you can assist in making the sacraments of the Lord’s Supper and Baptism more dramatic in their proclamation and illustration of the gospel. Lend your aid to the baptism musically, either before, after, or during, in ways that guide the people of God to cherish Christ in the moment. Explore the ways that the Lord’s Supper can be practiced to enhance how the gospel is felt and apprehended.

The Cost of the Spirit

"The more the Holy Spirit works, the more Christians will be used in battle, and the more they are used, the more there will be personal cost and tiredness. 

It is quite the opposite of what we might first think.

People often cry out for the work of the Holy Spirit and yet forget that when the Holy Spirit works, there is always tremendous cost to the people of God-weariness and tears and battles."

                      - Francis Schaeffer,  No Little People, p. 73


HT: Vitamin Z

Daybreak: A Review

My review of Daybreak: A Guide to Overcoming Temptation, by Nathan Ward

Every Christian need a good little book on resisting temptation in their library. Every Christian counselor needs a good little book on wining over temptation to give to the people they are helping. This could be that little book.

I say "little," because there are only 108 pages; It can easily be read in one evening. However, you probably won't want to do that, because you will be thinking and meditating on how the material applies to your own struggles with sin. There is a lot packed into those 108 pages.

The title "Daybreak" comes from a curious "coincidence" in the story of Jacob in Genesis. As Jacob leaves Canaan on what ends up being a decades long exile, he comes to Bethel at sunset (Gen. 28:11), where he sees a vision of a stairway between heaven and earth. When he returns to Canaan, he spends a restless night and wrestles with an angel until sunrise (Gen 32:31). As Jacob surrenders to God, he sees the dawn -a daybreak. Ward says that the sunset and sunrise motif is not a coincidence, but rather a literary structure designed to frame the narrative. Sunset and sunrise are the bookends of Jacob's time of exile. Hidden in the very structure of the story is the message that times of testing and trial are periods of darkness, but once one surrenders to God (symbolized by the injured hip) daylight returns. Jacob won by losing, because his real struggle was with himself. Surrender to God brings the sunrise of victory. That little insight alone was to me worth the time I spent reading this book.

The book more than adequately covers all the basic material: (1) God's call to holiness and new life for believers, (2) the nature of our enemies (Satan and self), (3) haw to prepare before times of temptation, (4) how to resist sin in time of battle, and (5) what to do after the fight, win or lose. Every part is filled with Scripture. Every part is also very practical and applicable.

There are plenty of good books out there on temptation, holiness and spiritual victory. Most are far more exhaustive than this book. This may not be one of the best, but it is a good short work that is worth owning, reading and giving away.
_________________
Full Disclosure: I received the book free from Cross-Focused Reviews in exchange for giving an honest review. See my book review policy.

A Difference in Wants

Fighting From Acceptance

More quotes from Gospel-Centered Discipleship by Jonathan Dodson:

"God does not accept us as we are. He accepts us as we are in Christ....As recipients of God's grace, we are compelled to follow Jesus in all of life." (Page 127)

"Fight your sin means a habitual weakening of hte flesh through constant fighting and contending in the Spirit for sweet victory over sin. It should be regular and progressive, not occasional and instant. Fighting is not an end in itself or a way to make us more presentable in Christ. We fight for belief in his gospel, the truest and best news on earth..." (Page 128, italics in original)

"We don't fight for acceptance; we fight from our acceptance. We don't contend against sin to forge an identity but because we have received a new identity in Christ. Perfection is not the goal; persevering faith is." (Page 129)

Another Cult to Watch Out For

Here's an important warning from J. Lee Grady on False Prophets, Foreign Charlatans and Global Deception

When I arrived in eastern Europe·a few days ago I learned that Romanian Christians have quite a spiritual battle on their hands. Believers here struggled for years under communism. But now that they are free, they face an equally sinister struggle against cults, New Age teachings and—worst of all—charlatans who claim to be powerful Christian prophets.

One of the most controversial figures in Romania today is Chris Oyakhilome, a Nigerian broadcaster and faith healer who lives in South Africa. Although this smooth-talking preacher has never been to Romania, his influence has grown through his TV programs and books. Meanwhile, some gullible Romanian church leaders have visited his ministry base in Johannesburg and then returned to impart his miracle power to their congregations.

But Oyakhilome’s “power” is questionable—and it is spreading not only in eastern Europe but in many other parts of the world, including the United States....

Much more details at the link.

Kiss My....

"It is the supreme art of the devil that he can make the law out of the gospel. If I can hold onto the distinction between the two, I can say him each and every time that he should kiss my back side."

 ~ Martin Luther

Violent Grace

"Grace-driven effort is violent. It is aggressive. The person who understands the gospel understands that, as a new creation, his spiritual nature is in opposition to sin now, and he seeks not just to weaken sin in his life but to outright destroy it. Out of love for Jesus, he wants sin starved to death, and he will hunt and pursue the death of every sin in his heart until he has achieved success.

This is a very different pursuit than simply wanting to be good. It is the result of having transferred one’s affections to Jesus. When God’s love takes hold of us, it powerfully pushes out our own love for other gods and frees our love to flow back to him in true worship. And when we love God, we obey him. The moralist doesn’t operate that way. While true obedience is a result of love, moralistic legalism assumes it works the other way around, that love results from obedience."

         -Matt Chandler, The Explicit Gospel, pages 217–218.

Hat Tip:  Peter Cockrell

(Have I mentioned that I really want to read this book?1!!)

Back Off

Okay, this cute picture has been all over Facebook recently, but, over-exposed or not, It is still totally true.

Dangerous Places

"There is no more dangerous place to be than where the direct, straightforward teaching of the Word of God confronts dead religion. As long as dead religion is allowed to sleep the sleep of death, all continues placidly and peaceably. But when the truth of Scripture challenges empty religion, a cataclysmic collision is sure to result. This is because whenever the Word is taught in houses of worship that are devoid of gospel truth, hell is aggravated. As soon as the light of holiness and truth shines into the kingdom of darkness, sin is exposed, unclean spirits are angered, and Satan is provoked. Satan has no greater strongholds than houses of worship where the truth is suppressed. Nowhere is he more deeply entrenched in the lives of people than among those who are religious but who have no supernatural light of holiness and truth. But there is no greater threat to Satan's kingdom than the penetrating light of holiness and truth as it invades these fortresses of demons."

From Steven Lawson at Ligonier

The Complete Realist

"Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is. After all, you find out the strength of the German army by fighting against it, not by giving in. You find out the strength of a wind by trying to talk against it, not by lying down. A man who gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later. That is why bad people, in one sense, know very little about badness. They have lived a sheltered life by always giving in. We never find out the strength of the evil impulse inside us until we try to fight it: and Christ , because He was the only man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only man who knows to the full what temptation means - the only complete realist."

-C.S. Lewis (Mere Christianity Book 3 - "Christian Behaviour, Ch. 11 - Faith)


Hat Tip: The Thinklings

Telling El Diablo to "Kiss This"

"It's the supreme art of the devil that he can make the law out of the gospel. If I can hold on to the distinction between law and gospel, I can say to him any and every time that he should kiss my backside. . . . Once I debate about what I have done and left undone, I am finished. But if I reply on the basis of the gospel, 'The forgiveness of sins covers it all,' I have won."

-- Martin Luther

Hat Tip: Jared at The Thinklings

Offense Against Idolatry

"This is how we go on the offense against idolatry. We tell everything that competes for our trust, fear, and affections that Jesus is greater. When we don't feel that He is greater in our hearts, we flee from the idols and ask God to show us the surpassing beauty of His Son. And then one day, this battle with idolatry will be over and done: 'But we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is' (1 John 3:2)."

Greg Dutcher, You Are The Treasure That I Seek: But There is A Lot of Cool Stuff Out There, Lord! Page 101

St. Patrick's Breastplate

There are various versions and translations of the prayer know as St. Patrick's Breastplate, contained in the ancient Book of Armagh, from the early ninth century AD. Here's a good translation for prayer today.

I bind to myself today
The strong virtue of the Invocation of the Trinity:
I believe the Trinity in the Unity
The Creator of the Universe.

I bind to myself today
The virtue of the Incarnation of Christ with His Baptism,
The virtue of His crucifixion with His burial,
The virtue of His Resurrection with His Ascension,
The virtue of His coming on the Judgement Day.
......
I bind to myself today
God's Power to guide me,
God's Might to uphold me,
God's Wisdom to teach me,
God's Eye to watch over me,
God's Ear to hear me,
God's Word to give me speech,
God's Hand to guide me,
God's Way to lie before me,
God's Shield to shelter me,
God's Host to secure me,
Against the snares of demons,
Against the seductions of vices,
Against the lusts of nature,
Against everyone who meditates injury to me,
Whether far or near,
Whether few or with many.
.....
Christ with me, Christ before me,
Christ behind me, Christ within me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ at my right, Christ at my left,
Christ in the fort, [i.e., at home]
Christ in the chariot seat, [i.e., travelling by land]
Christ in the poop. [i.e., travelling by water]

Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks to me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.

Don't Like Spiders and Snakes

This post at TRANSFORMED DAILY! called Living above the snake line caught my attention this week.

Snake bites can be extremely painful and very often deadly. Many people are petrified of snakes. But are you aware that there is a place where snakes do not go? Snakes do not go above a certain elevation. This invisible line of elevation is often called the snake line. Many hunters and campers are keenly aware of this fact and intentionally pitch their camps above the snake line.

We know that the devil is often referred to as a serpent and a snake. Just like a snake can cause pain and death, so can the devil. He is poisoning people every day all over the world. It is true that we live in a fallen world and bad things happen to good people – even Christians. However, we can restrict the enemies access into our lives and live above the snake line by following God’s prescription for living life. God’s Word calls us to a lifestyle of repentance, forgiveness, obedience, and love. We can pitch our tents above the snake line by not allowing ourselves to be “conformed to the things of this world, but rather be transformed by the renewing of our minds” - Romans 12:1-2.

God has enabled His children to live above the snake line. “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness" - 2 Peter 1:3. We should not fear the enemy because the work of Christ has given us victory over him. “I will not fear what the devil may bring me because I am a child of God.” Live for God, follow His precepts, know the authority you have been given in Christ Jesus, and live above the snake line.

The Future Has Arrived

Optimism is not foolishness for the believer, because hope has invaded history. The future has apocalyptically erupted in the present in the death and resurrection of the Messiah. The new creation has been propelled forward, as a man has been raised from the dead. Furthermore, a community of people have been incorporated into this risen man, and share in his future-present life. The church is thus the signpost of new creation; the gathering of people whose existence points to the way things will be.

And this city, corrupt and broken, is not as it one day will be. God will make all things new, including the created order. Justice will prevail, Jesus will be king, and all will kneel to him as Lord. Reconciliation will be universal and eternal.

The future will not be an endless repetition of the present. The future has already arrived in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and in the constitution of his church. And these events remind us that all will be well, and all manner of things will be well.

I want to view the present through the grid of God's future. If I know that God's righteousness will ultimately and inevitably be demonstrated, then despair is needless and foolish.

Quoted from Christians in Context: from orthodoxy to orthopraxy.: Viewing the Present in Light of the Future

A Most Common Idol

From Steve Murrell at the reluctant leader, some words on fasting, or Dethroning the Stomach God.

Food is a powerful force. What, when and how much we eat can be a deadly and spiritual decision.

The first commandment was about food.
The first temptation was about food.
The first sin was about food.

Food and appetite – what we do with this is kinda important, sometimes.

I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.
(Phil 3:19, 20)

Could this god is their stomach comment somehow be connected to the enemy of the cross idea? I’m afraid so.....

How do I keep him off the throne? Maybe the cross is the key. Gotta kill that false stomach god, before he gets too big.

I HATE fasting. Maybe that means I have an idol that needs dethroning.

The Devil Trembles

"The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, he mocks our wisdom but he trembles when we pray.”

- Samuel Chadwick

Hat Tip: Gospel Reminders

Crossing Jordan in 2009

J. Lee Grady from Charisma Magazine recently posted A Word of Encouragement: Cross Your Jordan in 2009

If you want to see big victories in your personal life, your family and your church in the coming year, consider the path that Joshua and Israel took:

1. Swallow your fears....
2. Put on your full armor....
3. Set ambitious goals....
4. Step in the water....
5. Consecrate yourself anew....
6. Expect new provision....
7. Expect a visitation....

Something to think about.