STAND STRONG FOR THE TRUTH

 STAND STRONG FOR THE TRUTH

II Chron. 18:13 But Micaiah replied, “As surely as the LORD lives, I will say only what my God tells me to say.” NLT

Micaiah was told to agree with what the other prophets were saying to King Ahab. Ahab and Jehoshaphat were about to go to war and Ahab’s prophets were predicting a great victory. They summoned Micaiah because he was known as a true prophet of God.

Micaiah would not bend; he would not compromise the truth for anyone, even if it was for someone as powerful and important as the king. I wonder how many of us have the same mindset as Micaiah. Are we committed to telling the truth regardless of who we are with, or do we compromise it when it’s in our best interest to do so?

In order to speak the truth at all times, we need to actually believe at all times what we profess to believe. God’s Word is not situational. It is true all the time, not just when it’s convenient for us. The truth sometimes is confrontational. Sometimes it is divisive. Sometimes it puts us in uncomfortable positions. Sometimes it is not received well at all. However, if we really believe the truth, we have no choice but to stand on it and speak it whenever we need to.

God’s Word stands on its own merit. We don’t have to add to it or take anything away from it. We dare not. When God gives us something to say, we must say it. We don’t accommodate our message for our audience. We let God handle how the Word is received. It is not our responsibility.

Don’t let fear of what others may think or do hinder you. God will take care of you. He will not leave you hanging. He will not leave or forsake you. He will help you deal with whatever you have to deal with. Tell others what you know God is telling you and you will be blest.

AHAB OR JEHOSHAPHAT?

 AHAB OR JEHOSHAPHAT?

II Chron. 18:4 Then Jehoshaphat added, “But first let’s find out what the LORD says.” NLT

Ahab and Jehoshaphat were joining forces to go to war. Ahab had sought the counsel of those who wanted to please him. They had a track record of always saying what Ahab wanted to hear instead of what he needed to hear. Since Ahab was not living in faith, it worked well for him. On the other hand, Jehoshaphat was a man who lived in faith. He sought to know God’s ways and do them. So, before he joined forces with Ahab in war, he wanted to first seek the mind of God.

Are we like Ahab or Jehoshaphat? Do we first seek the Lord’s guidance before we act, or do we do what it pleases us to do? It is not okay to act and then ask the Lord to bless our actions. If the Lord does not bless our actions before we do them, He cannot be expected to bless them when we do them. Things may very well work out okay for us, but it will be not because the Lord was in it. It is arrogance to think that we know the will of God without first waiting before Him and letting Him reveal it to us.

We do it a lot, don’t we? We plow ahead in our lives and assume that the Lord is pleased with us. We assume that because we are His children that we have His blessings on all we do. We often try to justify ourselves by imposing our will on God’s will. We expect the Lord to honor us with little real regard for whether or not it is okay with Him. We spend little time in prayer and meditation before God to get His direction for our lives.

We need to be careful in this. Let us first strive to find out what the Lord has to say about our plans. Let us wait before Him and not jump into things unless we have peace that it is permissible for us to act. If the Lord gives us the okay, then fine. But if He says no, let us change our plans. The Lord knows what is best for us. Following His lead will spare us from a lot of unnecessary foolishness, grief, and pain.

THE LORD IS LOOKING FOR YOU

 THE LORD IS LOOKING FOR YOU

II Chron. 16:9a The eyes of the LORD search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him. NLT

Don’t you just love this truth? The Lord is not idle; He is searching the whole earth so that He may help those who are fully committed to Him. The Lord does not want us to struggle. He does not want us to fall prey to sin because we are weak. He wants us to be strong enough to stand up to Satan and just say no to sin. He wants us to be able to stand up and overcome all the fiery darts Satan hurls our way.

Are you going through a rough time in your life right now? Is your faith strained from all that is going on? Do you wonder where the Lord’s help is at? Or, is Satan messing with your mind and you are questioning whether or not what God says is really true? If you are going through tough times and your faith is weak, let today’s verse sink deep into your heart.

The Lord is on your side. He knows your weaknesses and wants to give you renewed strength. He wants to help you through your tough times. Will you let Him? Don’t let your feelings keep you away from asking Him for help. By faith, turn away from your troubles for a moment and ask the Lord for strength to keep on trusting and believing. He wants to do it for you, but He won’t do it without your permission. So, just ask Him to draw near. He will do it, I promise. Do not let up. Keep on asking until you know that the Lord is near and has done what He has promised to do for you.

The Lord works best in us when we are fully committed to Him. He demands the total allegiance of our hearts. He demands that we love Him with the very best of our hearts, minds, and souls. Stay fully committed to the Lord and He will always be near to help you in your times of need.

GOD WILL NOT FORSAKE US

 GOD WILL NOT FORSAKE US

II Chron. 15:3-4 “For a long time, Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach them, and without God’s laws. But whenever you were in distress and turned to the LORD, the God of Israel, and sought him out, you found him.” NLT

The prophet Azariah continued his discourse with King Asa and here he simply told it like it is. Israel had gone a long time without God in her life. The people had gotten cozy with the gods of the pagan people around them. They had bought into the lies that these gods could do anything for them and were worthy of being worshiped. They had forsaken the Lord. It got to the point where the very voices of the priests were silent. No one had risen to the task of being spokesmen for God.

Yet, in spite of their rebellious and stubborn hearts, whenever tough times came upon them and they cried out to the Lord for help, they found Him. It is so sad that so many wait until they are in desperate need and have nowhere else to turn to before they turn to the Lord. Why would God even listen to such cries? Why would He care about a people who give Him only lip service until they are in trouble?

God is a god of great compassion. He longs to help those who turn to Him. He tolerates our rebellion and stubbornness in the hope that we will turn to Him. Even though we forsake Him, He does not forsake us. He knows the heart of man and understands the effect sin has on us. He knows that the darkness of the soul keeps us away from Him. Yet, He forever shines His light on the earth. He always hears the heart cry of those who call out for Him. He forgives us of our sins and softens our hardened hearts. He does not hide himself from those who seek Him.

Give thanks and praise today for God’s love, mercy, and grace. Thank Him that He is full of compassion and forgives all who seek Him out for the forgiveness of their sins. Thank Him for this great salvation we are privileged to live in, though we don’t deserve one ounce of it. Thank Him for He never lets us get away with sin but keeps calling us back to Him. Thank Him for He never leaves or forsakes those who love Him.  

STAY IN CHRIST

 STAY IN CHRIST

II Chron. 15:1-2 Then the Spirit of God came upon Azariah son of Obed, and he went out to meet King Asa as he was returning from the battle. “Listen to me, Asa!” he shouted. “Listen, all you people of Judah and Benjamin! The LORD will stay with you as long as you stay with him! Whenever you seek him, you will find him. But if you abandon him, he will you.” NLT

King Asa and his army had just come back from a great victory over the Ethiopians. God had intervened on their behalf and delivered them, even though the Ethiopian army was a million strong. Asa was a godly king and had prayed and asked the Lord for help.

God sent Azariah to Asa and his army to forewarn them. They had just seen the miraculous power of God at work right before their eyes and now they dared not forget that it was the Lord who did it. God insisted that they know that in order for Him to continue to shine His favor upon them, they had to stay in fellowship with Him. There was no mistaking the message. God would always be with those who stayed with Him. He would always be found by those who would seek Him. But, if anyone would walk away from God and abandon Him, He would no longer be with them to watch over and bless them.

We need to not forget this message. There are those who proclaim because we are under God’s grace we cannot lose God’s favor once we put our trust in Him. Yet, God has not changed. He is holy and holiness cannot co-exist with sin. Sin drives God away from us. If we choose to abandon God, how can we expect God to hang around with us? If God can overlook sin because He loves us, then He would cease to be holy. His holiness is not negated by His love. If there were no repercussions for forsaking God, then how can we declare Him just? How is it possible for us to live in sin and still think that we can be acceptable to God? We need to carefully consider these thoughts.

I do believe that those who are in Christ are eternally secure in Him. The issue is what it means to be in Christ. Is it not living a holy life? Is it not letting the Spirit of Christ change us and teach us the way of holiness? Is it not striving to please the Lord and not ourselves? Is it not choosing to resist sin and when we do sin, dealing with it before Christ?

We must be careful about our relationship with God. As His children, we must live like it. We mock God and the work of Christ at Calvary when we minimize the seriousness of sin in our lives.

LET JESUS BE LORD

 LET JESUS BE LORD

II Chron. 12:14 But he was an evil king, for he did not seek the LORD with all his heart. NLT

King Rehoboam was one of the sons of Solomon and became the king of Judah when the nation of Israel split apart when Solomon died. Rehoboam was in his early 40’s when he began his rule, so his way of life was pretty much set by this time. I am sure he picked up a lot of Solomon’s ways of living in the latter stages of his life. He was exposed to the ways of the Lord, but chose not to seek Him with all his heart.

I am impressed with the thought that perhaps we too might be thought of as evil when we fail to seek the Lord with all our hearts. I don’t think that we can make too strong of a point here, but I do think it ought to give us a cause to stop and think about it. God is holy. His standards and character are perfect. There is no flaw whatsoever in God. He commands us to rise up to His standards. He commands all of our heart. When we fail to deliver, in God’s eyes we are sinners. We fail to live up to the life He came to give us. We are evil to the core.

If it were not for Jesus, who does for us what we can’t do, none of us would have any hope of seeing God. Jesus makes that which is wrong with us right before God. We dare not ever let Jesus become an afterthought in our minds and hearts. We dare not neglect Him.

Jesus is more than our Savior, He is Lord as well. You cannot accept and live for Christ without letting Him be your Lord. God’s promises and blessings are unleashed when we let Him have all of our heart, mind, and soul. There is no joy in the salvation of those who won’t let Jesus be their Lord. In fact, I am convinced that no one can live the life of faith without Jesus being Lord. Seek the Lord with all your heart. Let go of all that keeps Him at bay in your life. If He is not Lord of all of your heart, He is not Lord at all. You cannot have it your way and His way at the same time. Surrender your heart to the Lord and let Him change your will so that His will becomes your will.  

TESTIMONY TIME

 TESTIMONY TIME

I Chron. 29:10-11 Then David praised the LORD in the presence of the whole assembly, “O LORD, the God of our ancestor Israel, may you be praised forever and ever! Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O LORD, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things.” NLT

When was the last time you praised the Lord in the presence of the church? When I grew up, it was normal for a time of testimony to be given in church. Even though I did not value things then as I do now, I believe we do the church a great disservice when we do away with public testimony time. We need to know what the Lord is doing amongst us. We need to hear the praises of people serving the Lord. We need to share our testimonies as we recall the workings of the Lord in our lives. The Lord wants to hear our praises. In fact, He makes it clear that if we don’t acknowledge Him before men, He won’t acknowledge us before our Father. If we can’t give our testimony to the church, how can we expect to give our testimony to the world?

It is good for the church to give praise and thanks to the Lord. It is a necessary part of our spiritual growth. Real faith is never self-contained. It grows and glows in us and flows from us. It blesses those who may be struggling in their faith and inspires them to remain faithful. It blesses the body as they learn that God is still on the throne and actively is involved amongst the living. If you cannot bear witness to what the Lord means to you and is doing in you, you will never be the person God created you to be and wants you to be.

Praise and thanksgiving deepens one’s love for the Lord as we recall His love for us. How can we not love Him more when we feast on the wondrous presence of God in us and in our living? The thing that set David apart from all the rest was his awareness of God’s goodness, mercies, and love. He was a man after God’s own heart and praise and thanksgiving were as natural to him as the air he breathed.

In all things and at all times, give praise and thanks to the Lord.