36 Week 3, Day 1 of Lent

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On March 8, 2023

In Easter/Lent

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“Be still, and know that I am God.”
Psalm 46:10

This week we are focusing on listening to God and answering when He calls.  (Yes, I know it’s Wednesday.  The season of Lent begins on a Wednesday so that’s when the new “week” for this Lent series begins.)  We will not be discussing talking to God because we can’t talk and listen well at the same time and this week is about listening to God.

Being still is hard for those of us who are always on the go.  My grandmother wasn’t still for one minute until she died at 94.  She always had to be doing something.  I’m the same way.  When I sit to watch a movie, I prefer to be doing something with my hands.  When waiting at a doctor’s office, I read.  It’s good to make use of down time from our normal activities, but it doesn’t allow God to be easily acknowledged and heard.

When I had a screened-in porch at my previous home, I enjoyed sitting on my porch swing and watch the clouds go by.  It was often at those times that I felt the Lord speaking to me because other than the motion of swinging, I was still…and listening.

Here are some other verses that encourage us to be still before the Lord:

  • “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”  Exodus 14:14 (NIV)
  • “The Levites calmed all the people, saying, “Be still, for this is a holy day. Do not grieve.”  Nehemiah 8:11 (NIV)
  • “Be angry, and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still.”  Psalm 4:4 (NKJV)
  • “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him.”  Psalm 37:7 (NIV)
  • “Then she said, “Sit still, my daughter, until you know how the matter will turn out…”  Ruth 3:18 (NKJV)
  • “He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.”  Mark 4:39 (NIV)

What does “be still” mean?  First, it does not mean “relax, God’s got this”.  Sometimes being still can be done while on the move.  Sounds like an oxymoron, right?  Not at all when you understand what be still means.  In Hebrew if you put those two words together, it translates to surrender in order to know.  That doesn’t mean you stop everything you’re doing and stand or sit still, although sometimes that helps us focus.

Be:  Surrender.  In order to surrender, you need to make a conscious decision to focus on something other than what you were.  Often I need to get up, walk around, and then come back to what I was doing with a fresh set of eyes, especially if I’m doing difficult word searches or writing…things that take concentration.  Why do I get up?  I need to refocus so I can surrender my mind back to the task at hand.

Still:  In order to know.  Look at the few verses I listed above.  What are the reasons for being still?  Here are my thoughts on the reasons in those verses respectively:

  • So you will know that the Lord will fight for you.
  • It’s a holy day and being still has a calming effect.
  • Meditate and resolve anger.
  • Learn to wait patiently for the Lord to lead.
  • Wait until you see what the Lord does before you move on.
  • So you can experience nature and God’s commanding authority over it.

There are many more verses that talk about being still…and know that He is God.  In these few reasons I suggested from those verses for being still, they all point to knowing God.  For example, when we know that the Lord will fight for us, we will learn to trust Him more.  Try being still for a few minutes and see if your mind and body slows down and gets calm.  If you meditate on God’s Word and do what He says, things will go better for you.  Ah, patience!  You have to wait in line at the bank or the store, so wait on the Lord as well.  He will move in His time.  God has authority over nature and there’s a lot we can learn from nature when we take time to be still.

Knowing God can only truly come when we are still long enough to hear His voice and look for how He is already working in our lives.  If we keep striving and being busy with all kinds of things that occupy our minds, it will be difficult to hear from God.  Be still and really listen for God just as you would if you were straining to hear the conversation with a friend in a really noisy place.  Be as anxious to hear from God as you are to get that text, email, or letter from a friend whom you haven’t heard from for a while. 

Next we’ll talk about the example of sheep and see what their listening skills are like.

PRAYER POINT FOR TODAY:
Lord, help me to make time to be still and wait on You so I can hear Your voice.

  • Week 1 – temptation
  • Week 2 – confession, forgiveness, and fasting
  • Week 3 – listening to God and answering when He calls
  • Week 4 – God’s love for us
  • Week 5 – waiting, anxiety, and trust
  • Week 6 – suffering, pain, and struggles
  • Easter – resurrection and salvation

35 Week 2, Day 7 of Lent

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On March 7, 2023

In Easter/Lent, Fasting

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Fasting!  I’m going to be upfront with you right now.  Fasting is not my favorite topic to discuss and I do not personally participate in fasts—of food anyway—for various reasons.  However, that does not mean it’s right or wrong for you to participate or to not participate as the Lord leads.  It is Biblical but is not a direct command or demand.  But the Bible does say that fasting is something good, profitable, and beneficial.

What is it?  Got Questions.org is a great resource for answers to questions about the Bible and Christian living.  In a post on Fasting, they state that fasting can be considered “Anything given up temporarily in order to focus all our attention on God”.  It does not have to be fasting from food.  It could be giving up social media (no rotten tomatoes, please!), candy, newspaper, YouTube videos, those time-consuming games on your phone or other device, romance novels, or sports (had to include men here!).  Whatever it is you want to give up, choose it wisely.  Is it feasible?  Is it doable?  Then decide how you will spend the time that you would have spent on the social media or whatever you’ve chosen.  I’m going to call the thing you want to replace an impedimentbecause that’s what it really is.  It’s impeding you from making strides in other areas because it’s taking your time, energy, and focus away from more important things.

Timing.  Fasting does not have to be a long-term extended amount of time like when Jesus fasted in the wilderness for 40 days.  It could be as simple as skipping lunch and going for a prayer walk or turning off the television and picking up your Bible for the length of time you would have watched your favorite show(s). 

Replacing.  Fasting is not just about giving up or the time saved, but about replacing it with something good or better.  This verse is not specifically talking about fasting but is applicable to both fasting and temptation.  When you give something up and don’t replace it with a better option, you could be tempted to regress or digress from the intention of the fast.

“Do not deprive each other except perhaps by
mutual consent and for a time,
so that you may devote yourselves to prayer.
Then come together again so that
Satan will not tempt you
because of your lack of self-control.”
I Corinthians 7:5, NIV

Prayer, Bible study, memorization, meditation, worship and maybe even fellowship (if it’s for the right reasons and God-centered) are all good replacements for the time you would have spent on your “impediment”.  You must realize that Satan is NOT going to like that you’ve given up something he can use to distract you and spend your time getting closer to God.  So brace yourself and be ready with those “It is written…” statements from Scripture when Satan tries to deter you from the good things God has for you when you draw close to Him.

Beware!  These good things of God are not easy to implement nor maintain.  You will start to pray and Satan will give you distracting thoughts.  You sit down and open your Bible and the phone rings.  You’re meditating on what you just read and you someone rings your doorbell.  You put on some praise music and start worshipping the Lord with it but the electric goes out or the battery depletes itself.  Even in fellowship with other Christians, there’s always the unfortunate possibility that the conversation goes off track and instead of being encouraged and built up, you find yourself in the middle of a gossip mill or a pet peeve rant.  These distractions are from Satan.  He wants you to give it up and go back to your “impediment”.  Don’t do it!  Pray.  God is stronger than Satan and will give you the victory if you submit to God rather than Satan.

Warning.  Take precautions if you are fasting from food so you don’t get dehydrated or pass out.  Don’t isolate yourself completely in case of an emergency.  Tell someone what you’re doing and where you will be if you plan to go on a hike or be somewhere other than the place you would normally be on that given day.  Turn your cell phone off but take it with you and check for messages intermittently without interrupting your time with the Lord.  Be safe.

Why?  There are good reasons to fast.  Last week we talked about temptation, specifically the three temptations of Jesus in the wilderness.  If you haven’t taken time to reflect on them, do that now.  Jesus was preparing to begin His ministry to the lost and needed to spent time in prayer and meditation before doing so.  That is the best reason I know to fast—to prepare my heart for something up ahead, or just to draw closer to the Lord.

Other reasons to fast might be when seeking guidance for a decision, discernment for how to handle a situation, to be quiet and allow the Lord to search your heart, or just to be alone with God and worship Him.  Whatever the reason and whatever “impediment” you choose to lay aside for a time, be committed to guarding that time to devote to the good/better choice you’ve made.

Blessings.  Receive the blessings God gives you as a result of your time with Him.  Then go out and share them with others.

Next we’ll head into a new topic of communicating with God which may seem redundant, but bear with me and glean what you can.

PRAYER POINT FOR TODAY:
Lord, guide me through a fast that will be meaningful and bring glory to You.

  • Week 1 – temptation
  • Week 2 – confession, forgiveness, and fasting
  • Week 3 – listening to God and answering when He calls
  • Week 4 – God’s love for us
  • Week 5 – waiting, anxiety, and trust
  • Week 6 – suffering, pain, and struggles
  • Easter – resurrection and salvation

34 Week 2, Day 6 of Lent

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On March 6, 2023

In Easter/Lent, Forgiveness

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Are you feeling better since you confessed your sins to God and to others???  It may not be immediate, but it will come.  Even if the other person has not forgiven you, you did your part.  Leave it in God’s hands to work in their heart. 

Surgery.  The examination we talked about a few days ago is the beginning of the process.  Part of the healing process sometimes involves surgery.  When you have surgery, you don’t always instantly feel better when you wake up in recovery.  It takes time for the pain of the surgery itself to go away before you realize that the cause of the pain having been removed is now bringing healing.  So it is in your heart.  Once you’ve examined your heart, confessed your sins to God and others, now the true healing can begin.

Recovery.  You may have carried guilt and sin with you for a long time and it’s left its mark.  Now that’s behind you and you can allow the healing process to begin.

“He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases.”
Psalm 103:3 NLT

Researchers have found that forgiveness and right relationships contribute to healing of the body.  Of course it does because God is the ultimate healer.  We probably have no idea how some of the things we do or say affect our bodies but occasionally get a glimpse when they are resolved and we are feeling better.  God wants to see us whole in spirit, mind, and body.  Take a moment to listen and worship with the song  “I Am The God That Healeth Thee”. 

Rest.  What does rest have to do with healing?  I think we all know that when we’re sick, we need to rest our body.  Sometimes a nap replenishes our strength and allows our body to heal.  If you break a bone and keep using that part of the body, it isn’t going to heal as quickly or properly as it would if you give it rest.  When we’ve come through a time of examination, confession, and forgiveness, we need to rest in the Lord for strength to continue on the right path.  Read the Bible and meditate on the words you read.  Let them seep into every pore of your body.

Pray.  During this period, spend extra time in prayer.  Keep praying for the person(s) you’ve wronged, that God will bring healing into their lives.  Keep praying for yourself, that you will not fall into temptation again and that if you do, the Holy Spirit will nudge you right away before you succumb to it.  Years ago I was on a prayer team and I made the patch in the picture above for us to wear so that people in that particular camp setting would know who the prayer team members were.  We made ourselves available to pray with and for everyone in that camp, and many did come and ask us to pray with them.  That is something you may want to do—find someone who is willing to pray with you.

In the beginning of this series for the season of Lent, I wrote more extensively about preparing ourselves with prayer.  So I want to remind us here that prayer is not a once-and-done thing, not a once-a-day task, nor an as-needed action.  It is CONTINUAL!  We need to be in the habit of praying without ceasing.

Suppose you decided you would only talk to your child once a day in the morning.  Then he or she goes to school or to a friend’s.  When they come home, isn’t it natural to talk about their day?  If you didn’t talk to them, you’d miss out on a lot.  God wants to hear from us throughout our days.  Yes, He already knows what’s going on in our lives, but He wants to hear about it from us.  As a parent, I might see something on social media about my kids and grandkids, but nothing beats hearing it straight from them via a phone call or text!  I’m sure God feels the same way.

Tomorrow we’ll talk about fasting, and then head into a new topic of communicating with God.

PRAYER POINT FOR TODAY:
Lord, thank You for bringing resolution and healing to me. I pray for those I’ve wronged, that they, too, may experience Your healing.

  • Week 1 – temptation
  • Week 2 – confession, forgiveness, and fasting
  • Week 3 – listening to God and answering when He calls
  • Week 4 – God’s love for us
  • Week 5 – waiting, anxiety, and trust
  • Week 6 – suffering, pain, and struggles
  • Easter – resurrection and salvation

33 Week 2, Day 5 of Lent

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On March 5, 2023

In Easter/Lent, Forgiveness

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Forgiving ourselves.  Before we can forgive others, we need to have God’s forgiveness, and forgive ourselves.  You know what I mean???  Something happened that shouldn’t have and you are so upset that you let it happen that you can’t forget and forgive yourself.  That’s especially difficult if there is a death or injury involved.  It is definitely hard to forget such things, but it is possible to forgive ourselves which will enable us to eventually forget.

Holding yourself responsible for something that happened to you or someone else is not good.  You are not in charge of what happens in your life and to those around you.  God is the one who arranges the moves of life as you would the figures on a chess board.  You are the one in charge of the moves on the chess board, but God is in charge of what happens in life.  So if you lose a game of chess, you can blame yourself because you were the ones making the moves.

In life, you are not totally responsible for the outcome of a situation.  You may have unknowingly or even purposefully contributed to a wrong and need to own up to your part, but God’s got it.  He can make a wrong right, but don’t blame Him when a right goes wrong when it’s your fault.  He wants to teach you through those hard times.  So when you confess your part in the wrong and ask forgiveness, it becomes God’s responsibility.  Now you and God can work to make it right.

Asking others to forgive us.  This is the next step after talking with God about a sin that is against someone else.  This is probably the harder of the steps and many people want to skip this one because they think that if they tell God, they don’t have to make it right with anyone else.  Not true!

If the other person whom you’ve offended or wronged is not aware of what happened, it might be best to not only pray about it but talk it over with a pastor or counselor.  (See the link on my home page for a good counselor who does Zoom.)  There are times when confession to another person may not be the best thing to do, but as a rule of thumb, we should always confess to the other person.

When we go to the other person and ask forgiveness, we not only help ourselves but them to deal with the situation and move on.  Explanations can be helpful.  You and the other person might have a totally different perspective as to what went wrong and one or both perspectives may not be the truth in the matter.  Being honest and talking it out is the point where healing begins.

Why should I forgive you?  If in the past you’ve had a bad experience with confessing and not receiving an acknowledgement of forgiveness or they threw it right back at you, you may wonder if you want to do this again.  That is natural.  I had that experience with someone and it’s disconcerting.  But not every situation is going to be the same. 

“Forgive others, and you will be forgiven.” (Luke 6:37b, NLT)  Everyone needs forgiveness whether they are the offender or the offended.  “Even if that person wrongs you seven times a day and each time turns again and asks forgiveness, you must forgive.” (Luke 17:4, NLT)  Repeated offenses are exasperating and we tend to not want to forgive, but Jesus tells us not to keep tabs…just forgive!

“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you,
your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
But if you do not forgive others their sins,
your Father will not forgive your sins.”
Matthew 6:14-15

Forgiving others.  I’ve also had opportunities to attempt reconciliation that though it was a rough start came around to reconciliation.  We need to forgive others if we want to be forgiven by God and others. 

When I was little, my dog was left too close to my toys overnight and he chewed up one of my dolls’ dresses.  As a child, I was so mad.  As I look back now as an adult, that was the least significant loss of my life.  I had to forgive my dog because he was just a puppy and didn’t know his toys from mine.  If I hadn’t forgiven him, we would not have enjoyed our times together.

Results.  Knowing that we have done our best no matter what the outcome should ease our conscience.  Letting it in God’s hands is the best place for it to be.  This is where healing and prayer come in which we’ll talk about tomorrow, and the next day fasting.

PRAYER POINT FOR TODAY:
Lord, it is so hard to go to another person and tell them the wrong I’ve done/said, but please give me Your strength to take that necessary step, and prepare the way.

  • Week 1 – temptation
  • Week 2 – confession, forgiveness, and fasting
  • Week 3 – listening to God and answering when He calls
  • Week 4 – God’s love for us
  • Week 5 – waiting, anxiety, and trust
  • Week 6 – suffering, pain, and struggles
  • Easter – resurrection and salvation

32 Week 2, Day 4 of Lent

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On March 4, 2023

In Easter/Lent, Forgiveness

Post Views: 27

This week we covered examination and confession so far.  Now we move on to forgiveness.

God’s Forgiveness. God’s forgiveness could be likened to a prisoner’s pardon.  When a prisoner receives a pardon, he is given a release from prison, cancelation of his sentence, and freedom to go home.  God’s forgiveness extends a pardon or acquittal of guilt and sin, a clear record, and a promise of eternal life.

God is way more merciful and kind than we are. When someone does something wrong, man is ready to throw the book at them, lock them up, and throw away the key…not that it shouldn’t be done in some cases…but my point is that God is merciful and kind to the repentant sinner.  He knows man’s heart and sees whether or not a person’s repentance is genuine and will deal with that accordingly.  In the above Psalm, it shows us that God was not pleased with His people but held back the anger and fury He felt, and instead forgave them and gave them many second chances to get it right.  He wants to forgive but we must do our part and confess, repent, and ask for His forgiveness.

Second Chances.  Have you asked God to forgive you for something?  Then what happened?  Did you stay on the straight and narrow way or did you find yourself repeating the same thing again?  God forgives and forgets—until we do it again.  Then we have to ask forgiveness and start over.  He gives second chances numerous times, but just like a line at the store, there is an end to it.  Don’t take advantage of God’s second chances because it may be the last second chance.

During the Covid pandemic I learned of a place that was giving away free potatoes at a specific time and place.  Even though I left very early, traffic near that location was bumper to bumper.  I spent almost three hours weaving in and out of an extremely long line in a parking lot, only to get to the end where the potatoes were one car too late.  The car in front of me was the last one to get free potatoes before they ran out.  God’s mercy is like that supply of potatoes.  It lasts for a long time, but there is an end when God says enough!  So don’t zigzag in and out, hoping God will forgive you when you get to the end of the line (life).  Seek forgiveness now while you can.  Tomorrow may be too late.

Generously.  God forgives generously (Isaiah 55:7).  I love generous people.  I’ve had those in my life who gave whatever and whenever they could to others in need.  They would gladly give the shirt off their back if that was what was needed.  I’ve also known those who were stingy and could have afforded to help but for some unknown reason refused.

“And do not neglect doing good and sharing,
for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”
Hebrews 13:16, NASB

God is generous with us and I believe He wants us to be generous with others.  Too often, though, our financial needs are met by God, but then we put the excess in the bank for a rainy day instead of helping someone else who could use help.  It’s called paying it forward.  Years ago that would have been me.  I was a bit of a miser at times because our budget was tight.  I was not completely trusting God at that time because if I was, I would have shared with others in their need.  Now sometimes I leap a little too quickly to help others and then realize I have a bill to pay and should have waited to share.  God wants us to take care of our own commitments and then as He provides and we are able, give to the needs of family, friends, missionaries, and others.

Results.  Confession and repentance needs to take place before God can forgive us.  He waits for us to come to Him with confession on our lips and repentance in our heart.  Do it STAT:  Stop sinning, Tell Him that we’re sorry for what we’ve done, Ask His forgiveness, and Turn from our sin.  When we do, He will forgive because that’s Who He is.

Tomorrow we’ll continue to talk more about forgiveness in terms of forgiving others, and then healing, prayer and fasting.

PRAYER POINT FOR TODAY:
Lord, I know that You know everything—everything I’ve done and said and more. Thank You for second chances to get it right. Please forgive me for _ and give me Your strength to turn away from it and stay on the right path.

  • Week 1 – temptation
  • Week 2 – confession, forgiveness, and fasting
  • Week 3 – listening to God and answering when He calls
  • Week 4 – God’s love for us
  • Week 5 – waiting, anxiety, and trust
  • Week 6 – suffering, pain, and struggles
  • Easter – resurrection and salvation

31 Week 2, Day 3 of Lent

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On March 3, 2023

In Confession, Easter/Lent

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This week we are focusing on confession, forgiveness, and fasting and all that entails.  We completed our examination prep and the first step of confession to God.  Today I want to talk about confessing to others.

Confession—what is it?  When you need to confess a sin to someone else, take time for preparation and prayer before plunging ahead.  Just like a kid who apologizes because a parent or teacher says they have to, you don’t want it to sound insincere or forced.  Confession to another person might look different depending on the situation, the person, and the timing between when it happened and when you’re confessing.

Confession—to whom?  The Bible is very clear about that.  Confess your sins to one another.  Now that does not mean you confess to Jane what you did to Mary.  It means you confess to Mary what you did to Mary.  The sin is between the two of you and no one else unless someone saw or heard what happened.  Then an added confession may be needed to clear the air for everyone involved.  That’s something else to pray about.

Why?  There’s nothing worse than trying to avoid someone because you know there’s something between you, especially if they don’t know your part in it.  Coming clean about your sin allows a relationship with that person to be restored as well as your relationship with God to be restored.  Just confessing to God is only the first step.  Taking the second step towards the person you’ve sinned against is harder, but if you pray about it beforehand, God will take care of the results.  You may be afraid of what their response will be, but don’t be…just leave the results in God’s hands.

Confessing breaks the power of sin and Satan over our lives.  Covering up sin doesn’t profit anything, but confessing brings release of sin’s power, forgiveness, and restoration.  If we don’t confess our sin, it isolates us from others and God.  Having a clear conscience is also very important in an unspotted witness to the world.  Don’t give anyone a chance to defame you or the Lord nor criticize you due to unconfessed sin.  Confessing is not just for ourselves, but also so that others will not be able to find fault in us.

“Keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak
Maliciously against your good behavior in Christ
may be ashamed of their slander.”
1 Peter 3:16, NIV

When?  I don’t think there’s any specific guidelines as to when to confess to other people, but the sooner, the better.  If you let it go, sin is still present in your heart until you take that second step of confessing to the other person.  If it is something that just happened, it’s best to take care of it right away.  I’ve read too many books and watched too many movies where someone was wronged and it almost destroyed a relationship.  But when the person who sinned finally went and confessed, the relationship was restored.  If it’s something that took place a long, long time ago, it’s not exempt, but you will most likely need to bathe it in extended prayer before digging up the past which in itself is usually painful.

However, one time frame that the Bible does mention about confession is in the following verse:

“So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple
and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you,
leave your sacrifice there at the altar.
Go and be reconciled to that person.
Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.”
Matthew 5:23–24, NLT

So before you present yourself for worship, service, or participating in the Lord’s Supper is definitely a time when confession should be a priority.

Results.  A clear conscience and a restored relationship with the other person and God are the best results I can think of.  Any other reason is merely complimentary or an added bonus. 

For the next two days we’ll look at forgiveness and then prayer and fasting.

PRAYER POINT FOR TODAY:
Lord, it is so hard to go to another person and tell them the wrong I’ve done/said, but please give me Your strength to take that necessary step, and prepare the way.

  • Week 1 – temptation
  • Week 2 – confession, forgiveness, and fasting
  • Week 3 – listening to God and answering when He calls
  • Week 4 – God’s love for us
  • Week 5 – waiting, anxiety, and trust
  • Week 6 – suffering, pain, and struggles
  • Easter – resurrection and salvation

30 Week 2, Day 2 of Lent

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On March 2, 2023

In Confession, Easter/Lent

Post Views: 27

This week we are focusing on confession, forgiveness, and fasting and all that entails.  Yesterday was our examination prep, so we should be ready for the test.  Today I want to talk about confessing to God and tomorrow I’ll talk about confessing to others.

Confession—what is it?  Ask a child and they might say Sorry!  Well, that’s definitely part of confession, but not all of it.  There needs to be more than just Sorry.  Be specific.  What are you sorry about?  What did you do or say?  What did you not do or say that you should have?  The sin of omission is just as wrong as the sin of commission.  The Israelites had been grumbling against the Lord and giving their leader Samuel a hard time.  He told them in part (I Samuel 7:3), “If you really want to turn back to the Lord, then prove it…”  Then they confessed their sin.

Confession—to whom?  Our sins can affect many people, a few, or only one person.  But before we confess to anyone else, we need to talk with God about it.  All sin is against God first of all, so He is the One we need to start our confession with.  You may need someone to talk it over with who can help you realize what you did and the extent of its effect on others, but ultimately our primary confession of sin is to God—not a clergy, counselor, or anyone else.  God is the One who forgives sin and clears our record in the Book of Life.

So now confess your sin to the LORD,
the God of your ancestors,
and do what he demands.
Ezra 10:11, NLT

Why?  Why not?  He already knows anyway!  Why wouldn’t you want to confess your sins to God?  Would you rather carry them around like a heavy backpack, weighing you down?  It hinders our relationship with God when there’s sin between us.  By confessing our sins, we are telling God that we’ve done something wrong.  When your child does something he’s not supposed to do, do you drag it out of them or let them come to you first?  Depending on the person, it could work either way.  The end result is confession, but it’s always better if it comes out willingly.  God will not force us into confession and submission, but He will make it very uncomfortable in our conscience until we’ve ‘fessed up.  I’d rather have a clear conscience than that niggling inside.

When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away
Through my groaning all day long.
Psalm 32:3, NASB

When?  God has His ways of working on and in us.  When He knows there is something wrong between us, He sends us messages through our conscience, friends, a message we hear, something we read, or any variety of means.  If we really want to be honest, even the lost person on the street hears a bell go off in their brain like an alarm when they do something they shouldn’t.  That should be the time for us to stop and confess our sins, but often we shove it aside, say we’ll deal with it later and later never comes.  We should come to God and confess our sins as soon as we realize what we’ve done or said, whether it’s as soon as it happens or if it’s hours, days, weeks, months, or even years later.  Just make sure you confess your sins so that you’re ready free and clear when Jesus calls you home or returns.  Daniel’s answer came while he was still praying and confessing his sin.

“While I was speaking and praying,
confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel
and making my request to the LORD my God…”
Daniel 9:20, NIV

Results.  The best result is that your relationship with God is immediately restored.  There’s no acts of penance required, though sometimes restitution is needed with others, but we’ll get to that tomorrow.  All God requires is that we are truly repentant and confess our sins to Him.  He will take it from there.  He clears your record and begins to orchestrate the confession needed to others—the time, the place, the conversation, and any restitution needed.  If we pray and confess our sins to Him, He forgives immediately and gives us a clean heart to move forward.

If we confess our sins,
he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins,
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
I John 1:9, KJV

Tomorrow we’ll look at confession to each other and why it’s necessary.

PRAYER POINT FOR TODAY:
Lord, You already know what I’ve done and said that is displeasing to You, but I hereby confess it and ask Your forgiveness. (Be specific!)

  • Week 1– temptation
  • Week 2 – confession, forgiveness, and fasting
  • Week 3 – listening to God and answering when He calls
  • Week 4 – God’s love for us
  • Week 5 – waiting, anxiety, and trust
  • Week 6 – suffering, pain, and struggles
  • Easter – resurrection and salvation

29 Week 2, Day 1 of Lent

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On March 1, 2023

In Confession, Easter/Lent

Post Views: 23

This week we are focusing on confession, forgiveness, and fasting and all that entails.  But before we get to confession, we need to back up a step to examination.  Is there anything we need to confess, and if so, what is it?

Examination.  Ask any student of any age if they like exams, tests, or quizzes, and you’ll probably get a resounding no!  After all, who wants to be tested on their knowledge or their motives?!  Physical examinations are even more distasteful the older we get.  But in the Old Testament David prays over and over that God will examine his heart because he wants to be right before the Lord.

I know, my God, that you examine our hearts and
rejoice when you find integrity there.
You know I have done all this with good motives, and
I have watched your people offer their gifts willingly and joyously.
I Chronicles 29:17, NLT

No one is exempt.  In Psalm 11:4-5, David knows that the Lord watches everyone and I believe he is comforted by the fact that God examines both the righteous and the wicked.  God does not single out anyone, but watches everyone.  In Psalm 17:3 David acknowledges that God even examined him in the night, and takes comfort that his heart was found pure.  God sees the path we are on be it good or bad (Proverbs 5:21).

Nothing is hidden.  Jeremiah went to the Lord when he was being plotted against (Jeremiah 11:20, 17:10) and acknowledged that He examines the deepest thoughts, motives, and secrets of the heart.  Even in the midst of the destruction of Jerusalem (Lamentations 3:40), Jeremiah prayed that the people would examine themselves and turn back to the Lord.  When you find sin lurking inside, is that your desire?

The examiner.  I love Paul’s admission in I Corinthians 4:4, “My conscience is clear, but that doesn’t prove I’m right.  It is the Lord Himself who will examine me and decide.”  The examination can start with us, but we need the searchlight of the Holy Spirit to go deeper to get to the root of any sin that needs confessing.  It’s too easy for us to tell ourselves that a particular sin isn’t that bad or won’t hurt anybody.  We need total and complete honesty which only comes when the Holy Spirit reaches behind closed doors, in nooks and crannies, and hidden places.  He sees things others don’t see and that we don’t want to acknowledge.

Self-examination.  I Corinthians 11:17-34 is the passage often read on Communion Sundays as we prepare to take part in the Lord’s Supper.  “That is why you should examine yourself…”  As we go through the season leading up to the celebration of Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, we need to once again take stock of what’s going on in our lives before coming to share in the Lord’s Supper.  Why?  If we eat and drink with sin in our lives, we are incurring God’s judgment on us, but if we examine ourselves and confess our sins, we won’t be condemned like those who are in the world and do not care what they do and say.

Final analysis.  “Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine.”  (II Corinthians 13:5)  The grade you get on a written test shows how well you did committing the study materials to memory and your understanding of it.  So it is with examining your heart.  It shows how well you are doing spiritually and if your faith is coherent and vibrant.

Grading time.  I have no idea what God’s grading system might look like for examination and confession of sins, but here’s my guess.  You might have a different idea.  This is just to get you thinking about where you might be on the grading scale.  This grading may have a bearing on where you will be in eternity.

  • A – All known sins confessed to date
  • B – Confessed but no resolution or restitution
  • C – Confessed some but not all sins
  • D – Examined self but struggling to confess
  • E – Confessed general sins but didn’t examine self
  • F – Unwilling to examine and confess sins

Examination conclusion.  Who doesn’t want to get an A on a test?  The grade depends on how much time and effort you’ve put into preparing for the test, studying, memorizing, and doing homework.  Where we spend eternity and our rewards when we arrive are dependent first of all on whether or not we’ve accepted the Lord as our Savior, and then how we’ve lived our lives based on that relationship.

PRAYER POINT FOR TODAY:
Lord, help me to live fully for You, keep short first of all accounts of sin and failures, and keep moving forward and upward until I at last get my final grade for this life.

  • Week 1 – temptation
  • Week 2 – confession, forgiveness, and fasting
  • Week 3 – listening to God and answering when He calls
  • Week 4 – God’s love for us
  • Week 5 – waiting, anxiety, and trust
  • Week 6 – suffering, pain, and struggles
  • Easter – resurrection and salvation

28 Week 1, Day 7 of Lent

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On February 28, 2023

In Easter/Lent, Temptation

Post Views: 23

n Luke 4:1-13 there are three specific temptations that Satan threw at Jesus along with His response.  Today we’ll look at the third one.

The tempter.  Always the devil!  He has assistants because he’s not omnipresent like God, but it’s always the devil who does the tempting.  God tests us, but Satan tempts us.  This seems like Satan’s last ditch attempt to get rid of Jesus by having Him jump off a cliff.

The doubt.  “If you are the Son of God…”  After two failed attempts at tempting Jesus, the devil didn’t take the hint.  He still tried a third time to tempt Jesus from a different angle.  He still questioned Jesus’s authority and His deity.  He knew who Jesus was and who God was, but that’s as far as it went.  Did Satan want to truly see if Jesus was God’s Son?  If He did and survived, would Satan then believe and stop tempting Him?  Probably not. Satan never wants to acknowledge God.  Then he’d have to give up his doubts.  Are we like that sometimes?  We know something in our heart and mind, but we think if we don’t verbalize it aloud, it doesn’t count or it’s not true.  Sometimes that’s a coverup for things we don’t want to admit, and sometimes it’s our way of not acknowledging the truth.

The temptation.“…Jump off!”  I have no idea how high I was while hiking on the top of this mountain, but it was way too high for anyone to jump from and live to tell about it.  The internet states that the Temple in Jerusalem was about 740 miles high!  Miles, not feet!  Just think about the height of that alone as a deterrent for anyone to even consider a temptation such as Satan’s to jump off.  I am a child of God and I know God protects me because it’s happened over and over, but I still would not even consider jumping from a high place such as that.  Jesus knew He had the Father’s hand on Him and angels watching over Him, but that didn’t mean He would put them to the test

Misuse of Scripture.  Satan continued, “For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect and guard you.  And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’”  Satan was quoting Psalm 91:11-12, but that entire chapter was speaking to “Those who live in the shelter of the Most High” and it was referring to God’s care for His people.  It does not, however, mean that we should step out into harm’s way just to see if God will protect us.  We need to apply Scripture appropriately.

The response.   Jesus gave a counter reply, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’”  What would have happened if Jesus had not known what the Scriptures say?  Would He have accepted the challenge to show what God could do???  Testing God is insisting that He prove that He is trustworthy.  Those who are His (as Jesus was) already know God is trustworthy, so there was no need to test or prove Him.  “Do not put the Lord your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah.” in Deuteronomy 6:16 is referring to the Israelites testing God when they were wandering in the wilderness. 

Short and firm.  ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’  Jesus did not go into examples, mention the temptation just presented to Him, nor explain what Scripture He was referring to and why.  He just stated the truth of Scripture that applied to the situation at hand.  That’s a good example for us to follow when we need to respond to someone about a specific situation.  There’s a saying, less is more.  The definition of that is this:  “Simplicity is better than elaborate embellishment; Sometimes something simple is better than something advanced or complicated.”  I believe this applies to conversations at times, but does not apply to other things or situations.

Takeaway.  “When the devil had finished tempting Jesus, he left Him until the next opportunity came.”  Satan doesn’t give up!  He might leave you alone for a time, but don’t be too hasty to celebrate victory.  Be assured, he will return when you least expect it and with a different tactic so you won’t recognize him from previous temptations.

Tomorrow and throughout this next week we will focus on confession, forgiveness, and fasting and all that entails, with a preface on examination.

PRAYER POINT FOR TODAY:
Lord, please give me just the right answer and response when temptations arise. Give me Scripture recall from what I’ve learned and memorized over the years Help me to be victorious in You.

  • Week 1 – temptation
  • Week 2 – confession, forgiveness, and fasting
  • Week 3 – listening to God and answering when He calls
  • Week 4 – God’s love for us
  • Week 5 – waiting, anxiety, and trust
  • Week 6 – suffering, pain, and struggles
  • Easter – resurrection and salvation

27 Week 1, Day 6 of Lent

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On February 27, 2023

In Easter/Lent, Temptation

Post Views: 33

In Luke 4:1-13 there are three specific temptations that Satan threw at Jesus along with His response.  Today we’ll look at the second one.

The tempter.  Who else?  The Devil!  He thought he was pretty smart, powerful, strong, and authoritative.  In his statement to Jesus, he said “I will give you…I can give it…”  But it was not in Satan’s power or authority to give.  The kingdoms of the world, the beauty, the high places, and everything in creation do not belong to Satan.  So he could not give something that wasn’t his in the first place.  It sounded good to him, but he wasn’t using his brain properly or he would have realized his limitations.

Secondly, the world and everything in it was already God’s and thus belonged to Jesus as well.  It was an error on Satan’s part to offer something that wasn’t his.  Jesus knew who He was and Whose He was, so the “generous” offer from Satan didn’t hold any desire or promise for Jesus who already had everything that belongs to God.

The doubt.  Satan was either fishing or doubting.  After showing his pride and ignorance in offering the world to Jesus, he tacked on the IF clause:  “IF you will worship me”.  Satan must have still had doubts that he could really sidetrack Jesus from His mission in life, but he was trying.  Satan’s own temptation was that he was puffed up with pride and was hoping to add a feather in his hat, so to speak, if Jesus would just succumb to this temptation.

The temptation.  The offer of glory and authority over the kingdoms of the world might have been a viable option for anyone else who was looking for self-glory.  But for Jesus to whom they already belonged, this did not even cause Him to give it a thought.

“If you will worship me.”  Everything comes with a price.  Sure you can have the latest and greatest car, house, or appliance, but is the price tag worth it when the bill comes?!  The temptation Satan placed in front of Jesus may have sounded pliable to anyone else until you get to the IF.  Worship is meant for God alone.  Just think…  If Jesus had given in to this temptation to worship Satan, He not only would have lost the glory and authority over the kingdoms of the world that were already His, but it would have changed the whole course of the world and eternity!  When temptation taps you on the shoulder, pause and think about the ramifications if you would give in.

The response.  Jesus once again responded to Satan with Scripture!  “It is written…  ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only Him.’”  Jesus had a relationship with His Heavenly Father and knew Him in a personal way.  He wouldn’t have given that up for anything.  Are we that dedicated to our Savior?  Or are we tempted to turn to other things and turn our back on the One who died for us?

Short and firm.  Again, Jesus was short and firm.  He told Satan what Scripture says.  End of subject for Him.  Jesus had nothing more to say to Satan.  That’s the way we need to be when Satan tempts us.  Just speak God’s Word and then walk away.  The longer we tarry, the stronger the temptation will become.

Takeaway.  Only God is to be worshipped.  Never allow other things or people to have your worship nor to get in the way of your worship of God.

PRAYER POINT FOR TODAY:
Lord, I worship You, Almighty God, there is none like You. Keep me focused on You and You alone.

  • Week 1– temptation
  • Week 2 – confession, forgiveness, and fasting
  • Week 3 – listening to God and answering when He calls
  • Week 4 – God’s love for us
  • Week 5 – waiting, anxiety, and trust
  • Week 6 – suffering, pain, and struggles
  • Easter – resurrection and salvation

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