You know something they don't!

 

If you knew that a certain kind of spring water was not pure and healthy as it was advertised to be, but was actually contaminated by a poisonous mold what would your response be to those who were contemplating drinking it?

Would you not warn them explaining the danger and the sure consequence that will follow if they continue? Would you first think of ways you can warn them without offending them? No, there’s no time for that. They are in danger of death and you know the only way they can get out of that danger – don’t drink the water!
People gulp down sin every day and live for themselves, yet consider themselves to be good people who God will forgive in the end. It is a lie. Lost people do not see the seriousness of their sin and the holiness of God. Many people agree that they are a sinner but they don’t understand what sin is.

“Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.” 1 John 3:4

As I was taking a walk this morning around a lake, I started chatting with a woman walking her dog. We first talked about the weather and the cooler temperatures coming this weekend and then I said to her, “Hey, good news! Jesus Christ is risen!!” Her smile immediately disappeared and she said, “That’s not for me. Im a good person. I don’t need your Jesus.”

Talk about a good morning greeting!

The two of us and her dog walked a ways around the lake. I explained to her what sin is using the 10 Commandments and shared with her how God must deal with sin being that He is holy and just. Sin will be punished wherever it is found. I then told her what God did for us by becoming a man, Jesus of Nazareth. He lived a perfect life and went to the cross and took our sins upon Himself. The fierce wrath of God the Father was poured out on Him. He died and three days later rose from the dead. Jesus paid the price for our sin in His own life’s blood! I told her that if she would humble herself recognizing the sinful condition of her heart and cry out to God for forgiveness, He will have mercy on her as He has had on me. She continued to take refuge in her good works, but I know she will be thinking about this for a while.

We must faithfully share the biblical Gospel. If all we tell people is that God loves them and has a wonderful plan for their lives, they will not understand they are in danger of God’s Judgement and they will not come to a place of genuine repentance.

“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” James 4:6

When you woke up this morning, you did not see the stars in the sky. Why? Because you can only see those starts against the black backdrop of the night sky. Similarly, the Good News will only make sense to a person when it is presented against the black backdrop of their sin and depravity. It is truly GOOD NEWS!
Hallelujah for the blood of the Lamb that was slain! Go share your faith while you still have time!

Make sure to 'like' us on Facebook, and become a 'Follower' here, or sign up for email notifications on the bottom right of this page. As always, thanks for stopping by, and may God bless you! -Walking In The Way

Find Christ

“When men earnestly seek the Lord and are in earnest about their salvation, they will soon find Christ. You do not need to go up to the heights to bring Him down, or down to the depths to bring Him up, or go off to some distant city to find Him. This day He is near to every one of us.” D. L. Moody

Romans 2:12 For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law

An Unseen Battle

Read | Ephesians 6:10-12

Satan does exist—our broken society testifies to his reality. Those who ignore him do so at their own peril. This is also true of Christians, because we are all at war against him. Spiritual warfare is personal; Satan crafts specific attacks for each individual. Though he cannot steal a believer’s spirit from God, he can and does harass us physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Every ambush and frontal attack is meant to defeat our witness so we can’t live a victorious Christ-centered life.

Our foe is not omniscient, but he is crafty. He observes our strong and weak points to determine the best areas for attack. As soon as his quarry becomes comfortable and least expects trouble, the Adversary springs a trap. Among his most deceptive tactics is hiding behind familiar faces in order to misguide our fury. For example, he may tempt a husband to make an unwise financial decision that angers the wife and leaves her feeling insecure. But the husband is not her enemy—he needs her love and forgiveness. The enemy is always Satan and his legion of demons.

The first rule of warfare is to know one’s enemy, and thanks to Scripture, we can. The Bible also contains an important assurance: “Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

The combined forces of hell cannot equal the supernatural power of a single believer. We have Christ living within us—the same Christ who was triumphant on the cross and whose final victory over Satan is prophesied in Revelation. Through Him, we can conquer Satan and win our unseen battles.

Yes, you failed. But God still wants to use you.

I'll never forget the day I heard that a man I've known and admired for years had suffered an emotional breakdown earlier in his life. Immediately, I felt compelled to express my profound respect. But he was embarrassed. To him, the breakdown represented the low-water mark of his past.

I've discovered that my friend isn't alone. We often think we should mask our painful pasts lest people think less of us. But the truth is, the more we peel back the veneer, the more others' respect for us grows.

I love the way the old King James Version renders the words of Isaiah: "Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the LORD; look unto the rock, whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged" (51:1). What excellent advice!

Isaiah's words come from a context where God showered grace upon an impossible situation. The prophet is writing to Jews who could easily forget their dark and dreadful beginning. He is urging them to remember how their nation got its start. It all began through the life of one man, Abraham, who lived in the idolatrous land known as Ur of the Chaldeans. What a hellhole of paganism! Out of that dark and dreadful existence, Abraham emerged at the age of 75, along with his wife, Sarah, age 65. And from those two came Isaac, the promised son.

As we read in the New Living Translation, "Abraham was only one man when I called him, but when I blessed him, he became a great nation" (51:2). From the pit of paganism, that one man became the father of the faithful. What hope that gives to us all!

None of us has a lily-white past, and before we get all enamored with ourselves, it's a good idea to take a backward glance at "the hole of the pit" from which Christ has lifted us. Admitting our pasts keeps us all on the same level—recipients of grace.

Even those we admire in the Bible have holes from which they were dug. With Moses it was murder. With Hosea it was a failed marriage. With Joseph it was a dysfunctional family. With David it was lust. With Rahab it was prostitution. Some of God's most effective and respected people have crawled out of the deepest, most scandalous holes anyone can imagine. And it was that which kept them humble, honest individuals. -Chuck Swindoll

Function of the Law

“The First Commandment, ‘Thou shalt have no other gods before Me’: My friend, are you ready to be weighed against this Commandment? Have you fulfilled, or are you willing to fulfill all the requirements of this Law? Put it into one of the scales, and step into the other. Is your heart set upon God alone? Have you no other God? Do you love Him above father or mother, the wife of your bosom, your children, home or land, wealth or pleasure? If men were true to this commandment, obedience to the remaining nine would follow naturally. It is because they are unsound in this that they break the others.” D. L. Moody

Deuteronomy 30:10 if you obey the voice of the Lord your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this Book of the Law, and if you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

A Consuming Fire

If you were to place a dried-out leaf into the presence of fire, you would notice that the fire would not hesitate to consume the leaf in a matter of seconds. The fire must consume the leaf because of its very nature. Even if the fire didn’t want to dispose of the leaf, it wouldn’t matter; it still must consume it because their natures are diametrically opposed to one other.

Our God is a consuming fire. By His very nature, God must consume anything and everything that opposes His nature. We must put on the Lord Jesus Christ, or we will be consumed by the ever-pure, burning holiness of the King of kings. In a fire, the only safe place is where it has already burned. On Judgment Day, the only place of safety is where God’s wrath has already been—Christ.

Deuteronomy 4:24 For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.

A Season of Trials

10But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold. 11My foot has held fast to his steps; I have kept his way and have not turned aside. 12I have not departed from the commandment of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food.
—Job 23:10-12


Clearly stated, trials have a season. Whether for weeks or months or years, the normal trial lasts for an appointed time. When we’re undergoing a trial, it may seem unending, but there’s a limit, a date stamp, and an end point. Psalm 30:5 reminds us, “For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.” And Hebrews 12:11 says that “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant . . .”


In my own trials, I have come to see that a lot of the struggle is about when. Sometimes we think, “If I knew now what the outcomes would be, even if they are not all exactly as I desire, I could begin to deal with it.” But if we are walking by faith and resting in the promises of God, we don’t have a lot of questions about what. We know what God has promised to do—His intention is to bring good out of any trial. So the only thing left to be burdened about is the when. When will God act? When will God plead my case? When will God heal my body? When will God restore that relationship or right that wrong or . . .? When—that’s what we are longing to know!


Job 23:10 assures us the time is coming. There’s going to be an afterward. Hold on—there’s going to be an end to this trouble. God is watching your life and at some point in this trial, He will say enough. That moment may be crystal clear to you or you may realize one day you are now looking back at a trial rather than at it. Afterward is a trial in the rearview mirror.


Job’s assurance can be yours and mine today. Get under it and don’t waste any days. The sooner you and I get what He has for us, the sooner He will bring us out. This painful season is coming to an end.


“When will He do that?” you ask. I’ll let Job answer your question: “When He has tried you.”

Learning to Wait

Read | Psalm 25:20-21

What are we to think when God withholds His answer to a prayer? Most likely, you’ve wondered this at some point. As creatures stuck within time, we can find those ticking seconds very frustrating.

We must realize that God doesn’t see us simply in the here and now; He perceives the big picture all at once—where we’ve been, where we are, and where we’re going. He knows exactly how every little decision, action, or blessing will impact our lives.

Do you think God wants to bring some- thing into your life that would absolutely destroy you? Of course not! He knows that what may be a tremendous blessing for you later could completely wreck your life now. For this reason, though the Lord hears your prayer, He often pauses to give you time to prepare for that blessing.

Learning to wait on God demands at least three things of us. First, we must be sensitive to Him. That is, we must nurture our relationship with the Father so we can hear Him when He says “Wait.” Second, we must trust His judgment. Does God know more than we do? Yes. Then we should trust Him. Third, we must be obedient to Him. If we try to make something happen on our own after God tells us to wait, then we’re heading for disaster. The Lord blesses obedience—even obedient waiting.

God doesn’t operate in a vacuum; He works within His relationship with you, on the basis of His omniscience, omnipotence, and love. Never forget He’s actively walking with you, even when He withholds an answer to prayer. It doesn’t mean He’s not there; it means He’s looking out for you even more.

How Will You Live?

And Jesus said, . . . and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
–Mark 14:62

The world in which we live is full of pessimism. No Christian has the scriptural right to go around wringing his hands wondering what we are to do in the face of the present world situation. The Scripture says that in the midst of persecution, confusion, wars, and rumors of wars, we are to comfort one another with the knowledge that our Lord Jesus Christ is coming back in triumph, glory, and majesty. Many times when I go to bed at night I think to myself that before I awaken Christ may come. Sometimes when I get up and look at the dawn I think that perhaps this is the day He will come. He has told us Christians to be watching constantly and to be ready, “for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh” (Matthew 24:44). Do you think Christ will come today? “Probably not,” you say. It is on just such a day that He may come. What a glorious time of reunion it’s going to be, when we shall be caught up with Him!

PRAYER FOR THE DAY
Thank You, Jesus, for the hope that even today I may have the joy of seeing You face to face!

Wretched: Paul Washer: How to lead someone to the Lord.

Make sure to 'like' us on Facebook, and become a 'Follower' here, or sign up for email notifications on the bottom right of this page. As always, thanks for stopping by, and may God bless you!-Walking In The Way