I received a bunch of responses concerning my bout with discouragement yesterday. I want you to know that today I am back on track, in a good mood, and ready to pursue my passions in life with reckless abandon…
I spent considerable amount of time in prayer yesterday beginning with my morning walk around awesome Honey Lake where I soaked up plenty of God’s glory. In-between meetings and phone calls I also studied Scripture throughout the day. I read many passages in the Bible pertaining to my situation and came away convinced that I am under satanic attack. It just goes to show that one is never free from it, and in fact it seems to intensify when we reach out to others in an effort to spread the good news of Jesus Christ. I have one word for satan:
“BLAH!”
I very much appreciate the majority of your comments. Most were sympathetic and offered valuable advice, but not all. I had one person actually send me an invoice for $150 for having to listen to me whine about my foul mood yesterday. (I would ask that he kindly hold his breath until the check arrives on that one.) Another told me that he had serious problems of his own and didn’t need to hear me snivel.
Hmmm… I can really feel the love just flowing through the Internet. He does have a point though. We all face problems in this fallen world and sometimes Christians face situations far worse than others. We’ve all heard about the guy complaining to someone that his feet hurt, and then happened to glance down and see that the guy he was talking to didn’t have any feet.
Just yesterday I had a lady in my office that lost not one, but two of her children. I cannot imagine burying one, much less two of my kids, or for that matter my grandkids. My brother lost his five year old son to a brain tumor and once told me that you can never get over the loss of a child. I loved my only brother Jim with all of my heart and when he committed suicide I wondered if I could ever get over his death. Suicide has to be right up there as one of the worst things a family can endure.
So far, I have not been able to say that I am over Jim’s death and I don’t think I ever will be. Sometimes I look at a photo of him and start thinking about it and I just break down sobbing. Even though I will always grieve for him, through the years God has indeed given me peace about it. And that is one of the distinguishing things about being one of His followers He will allow us peace in spite of the chaotic dreadful situations that are sure to plague us through this life. To be one of His followers is like being in the peaceful eye of a black devastating hurricane.
Learning to live with grief reminds me of when I quit drinking alcohol. At first all I could think about was how badly I wanted a drink. As time passed me by, I only thought about taking a drink most of the time; then just some of the time; and then only on rare occasion. Even today once in a blue moon when out with friends and everyone is having wine with dinner but me, I still want a glass of wine. It smells so good that I can almost taste it and something tells me, “Oh go ahead, what will one glass hurt? Get a little loose; life is short, have some fun for a change”.
God gently reminds me that I like it, but it doesn’t like me and I better pass and I do. And to satan I say:
“BLAH!”
Satan doesn’t want me or you to have peace, and nothing would delight him more than tormenting us into insanity over any “hot button” that he can find.
The Bible tells us: “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you; cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double minded.” James 4:8 – Have you ever wondered what that actually means? I thought God was omnipresent, or always there and around us similar to a television signal or microwave signal. How can we literally draw nearer than we already are?
I think this verse refers to drawing close to God in a spiritual sense. God is holy which means in part that He is consecrated, (separated or set apart from us). If we want God’s mercy and His favor, we must approach Him and ask Him for it. Contrary to the false dogma that some religions espouse that insist that we must go through a priest or some super holy man to access God in prayer, the Bible tells us we may go directly to Jesus in prayer and meditation as I did yesterday. We can never hope for His favor while we remain a distance from Him and do not ask for His assistance. The Bible teaches that God encourages us to come to Him in prayer and I do.
The second part of the verse of drawing near to God is: “Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double minded.” The idea here is that in order to obtain the mercy and/or favor of God, it is necessary to approach him with a desire to be pure and holy which means we should be willing to put away our sins, (like drinking to excess).
“Yikes! I didn’t know I would have to give something up in order to obtain God’s mercy and favor.”
I think that is what “double minded” refers to. We cannot have our cake and eat it too. If we want the wonderful blessings of God we must consecrate or separate ourselves as best we know how from this world and the lust of it.
So-o-o-o-o-o when we draw near to God we should do so with a desire to be holy and as best we know how try to emulate the example of Jesus Christ and turn away from our sin. Although that is a lofty ambition, the Bible teaches that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. So we have come full circle and have indeed landed right back on Christ who is the real key to peace and joy and happiness in this old world.
Make sense?
I hope so. Go to church this Sunday – You will not be sorry that you did. Start reading the Bible today. Read Romans first, and then Matthew thru Revelations, and then the Old Testament all of the way through to Revelations again. Skip the parts that you don’t understand for now, but dwell as long as it takes in the parts that leap out at you.
Malachi 3:7
Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the LORD Almighty.