When the people of God finally heard the scriptures read out loud to them, they wept and were grieved. It had been seventy years of exile in Babylon and then Persia before they had been allowed to return to the devastated land of Judea to start all over again from scratch. The word of God hadn’t been read to them for decades, and so much of His word had been ignored and disrespected for years leading up to their captivity. To hear God speak to them once again was so overwhelming that they could only respond with tears of remorse and shame.
It was understandable, but that was not what God wanted from them. It wasn’t time to mourn over the past, it was the time to grab ahold of the present and have faith for all the blessings and battles that were yet to come. Ezra, Nehemiah and the Levite priests told the people to stop crying, because that day was supposed to be holy. Lamenting their mistakes didn’t honor God, and pity kept their focus on themselves and not on God. Emotionalism is not the correct response to a time of holiness - joyful determination in faith is.
The word “holy” usually creates a very negative reaction in most people. It gives off a sense of stuffiness and proud superiority. We get mental images of dull people in drab clothing and sour faces talking in preachy monotone voices, and the last thing we want is to be like them. I’m sure the devil has had a lot to do with that false impression of holiness, because it’s nothing like what we see in the Bible. Holiness was recognizing the power, love and protection of a mighty God – a God you can’t impress and a God you dare not mess around with. For those who were humble, holiness was terrifying and exhilaratingly joyful all at once. For those who were proud, holiness was just plain terrifying because it revealed all the depravity of their soul.
There was a man in King David’s time who casually touched the ark of the covenant with his hands to steady it, and his prideful disrespect coming in contact with God’s holiness killed him on the spot. To treat holy things as common is playing with fire. Self-pity and self-centeredness on a day of holiness is disrespectful to God too. The only correct response to a day of holiness was to celebrate with both joy and respect, with awe, humility and amazement that our Creator and Savior would grant us such abundant love and mercy, and then to embrace it with all we’ve got.
Human nature is happy with parties or shopping sprees, and most people get more excited about those shallow experiences than time spent with the God who gave them life. Honoring His holiness means determining that God’s love and power is flooding over us in the middle of problems. It’s a supernatural power that’s not dependent on physical circumstances. Joy is chosen by faith. It triggers miracles to happen. It’s a crazy joy that celebrates victory before any victory is in sight. It pulls the power of heaven down to earth. Holiness means joy, and that joy is your strength.
Then he said to them, “Go, eat of the fat, drink of the sweet, and send portions to him who has nothing prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10 NASB)
Mitch was tired of battling with paranoid schizophrenia for more than fifteen years. He was on a heavy cocktail of medications that dulled his senses. Suspicions that he was being stalked or that people were plotting to harm him occupied his mind so much that he would barely be able to function. He came to church off and on. He’d ask for prayer, often arguing that God wasn’t doing anything for him, but if I argued back hard enough with the logic of the Word of God, he’d back down and accept it. He was stubborn and often difficult to speak to, but he wanted God. Challenging him to act his faith didn’t always work. He’d battle his negative thoughts for a while and then just let them blow up in his mind and do something foolish that he’d later regret.
One day, Mitch was so fed up with his life that he made his most heartfelt prayer ever. “God, I believe in you, but your Word isn’t happening in my life. You promised that you would take our burdens and give us rest. Well my burden is getting heavier. What You promise isn’t happening, it doesn’t make sense to even have a Bible if its promises are not meant for me.” In a fit of anguish, he took his favorite Bible out onto the sidewalk, burned it to ashes, and went back into the house to take an overdose of meds and die.
What looked like the most demonic act ever – burning a Bible and then attempting suicide – was Mitch’s attempt at crying out to God. In the confusion of his mind, he wanted that Word to become true for him more than anything. He wasn’t burning it out of hatred or rebellion, but out of a sense of injustice that evil had robbed him of a real life. Mitch technically did all the wrong things, but God saw the intentions of his heart and intervened immediately. That was the week Mitch was healed. The overdose that should have killed him had no effect other than giving him a good sleep. Fifteen years of medications came to a screeching halt. There’s been much learning, growing and catching up on a decade and a half of lost time since that day in 2013, and still more to go. But Mitch is now happily married, and works at a stable job he never imagined he’d be able to handle before. God obviously saw his faith in the midst of his confusion and honored it.
If the intentions of your heart are not tainted by wanting to impress others or God, acting in real faith usually makes you look crazy. You can appear proud, or aloof, too excited, too aggressive, too quiet – whatever it is, real faith rubs others the wrong way. Others may not know your motives, but God does. Even when we stumble and try, get turned around and keep trying, He judges our motives more than the outward details of all we do or say. Thankfully He is merciful and not as narrow-minded as we are, but neither is He fooled by false appearances. So act your faith today – though I recommend something that doesn’t include burning a bible.
As for you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a whole heart and a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands the intention of every thought. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever. (1 Chronicles 28:9 HCSB)
What was it like to live 4000 years ago? Of course no modern amenities, no large cities, and no busy lifestyles to consume our thoughts. There was no argument about whether the spiritual world existed – who in their right mind would be an atheist? There was awe and respect for a Creator who sustained all life, all of nature with it’s storms and famines, fertile lands and deserts, tides, seasons and guiding stars. Everyone understood that they were totally and completely dependent on unseen forces. Religions sprang up that worshipped the forces of nature, and the natural response was to sacrifice to them. Interesting how no organized religious tradition had to teach people that sacrifice was crucial. It was just self-evident.
Most religions concluded that their gods were demanding and vengeful. Archeologists discovered that human sacrifice was practiced from Africa through Mesopotamia, through Europe and Asia, the Pacific Islands and among Native Americans. It was everywhere. Newborn babies and virgin girls were burned alive, and many horrific acts were done as offerings to these gods. For the Greeks, gods were fickle, jealous, spiteful, and entertained themselves by toying with helpless human mortals. You can imagine the confusion, oppression and fear this created in all of these cultures. How much perversion was done to appease these gods?
But the true God was always there, yet only a few wanted to know Him. He took His stubborn and unfaithful people to Mt. Sinai to make a covenant of love and protection. He'd keep His promises and never change His mind. All His people had to do was obey and be faithful. But that covenant on Mt. Sinai was only useful for a time, because evil had already corrupted humanity. Simply obeying laws is too hard for our weak minds. God had to do something radical. There had to be a human sacrifice - a heavenly sacrifice, to break the back of the evil that had contaminated His creation.
Jesus’ death was unthinkable – how could God let Himself be killed by evil worthless people just to save those same evil worthless people? And instead of a list of rules, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to live in us to know His will, and have the supernatural power to obey Him instead of having to obey in our own strength. The arrogance of religions can never give what Jesus gave. We can be seated with Him on His throne – what god would be crazy enough to offer that?
You may have heard Bible stories since you were a child, but you may never have been humbled by God’s immense love for you. You may not grasp how ridiculously unfair it was to humble Himself so low to be a punishment for us. The gods of this world don't do that. The pride of men can't conceive of that. If sacrifice and humility is the invincible weapon that God used to destroy Satan, who are we to refuse humbling ourselves in response?
There is no one holy like the Lord. There is no one besides You! And there is no rock like our God. Do not boast so proudly, or let arrogant words come out of your mouth for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and actions are weighed by Him. (1 Samuel 2:2-3 HCSB)
One of our boys (I won’t say who) had a variety of teething rings while going through that messy stage. His favorite chewing item was the TV remote. No matter how colorful or perfectly designed his other teething toys were, there was something wonderful about chomping his little gums down on those buttons. How can you convince a 7 month old that remote controls are not made for chewing? Hiding it would frustrate him because he knew it had to be somewhere, and he wanted it! It’s cute when little ones try to create their own rules, like our other son insisting on wearing his pajamas to church with a clip-on tie, or both of them sure that their backwards shoes were just fine the way they were. Eventually, we learn to treat things based on their specific purposes if we want to be productive adults.
You probably agree that you were created by God. But have you ever thought about the fact that you weren’t only made BY Him, you were made FOR Him? He is the specific purpose for which you were made, and if that isn’t fulfilled, just like a misused object, you will be damaged and ultimately destroyed.
You’ve probably heard that common line: “I respect your choice to believe in God, but it’s just not for me.” That’s as ridiculous as our TV remote saying that it respects our choice to believe it can change channels, but it’s chosen another path in life. That’s how absurd we must look to God when we try to assert our ways over His. Serving our Creator is not an option, it’s our purpose. We’re given the freedom to choose what jobs to pursue or homes to live in, our educations and friends to enjoy, but even in all of that freedom, we were created for Him, for His use and for His will to be done through us.
1 Corinthians 6:19 says that we are not our own, that we were bought at a price. If we had that awareness, we’d live in constant humility and gratitude, attentively listening to hear and obey Him every day. We’d stop waking up in the mornings consumed with what we plan and what we want and all that we have to do, tossing scraps of prayers or Bible readings to God as if He were a pet. How often have we been that disrespectful of God and then complained when things didn’t turn out the way we wanted?
We are made to live out His commandments as fully and as wholeheartedly as possible, every day, no matter what our job or station in life. When we fulfill our purpose, we become so close to Him. We fall in love with Him and everything in our lives works, grows and thrives.
For everything was created by Him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. (Colossians 1:16 HCSB)
When she came to us for counsel, I knew to keep a box of tissues ready because the tears were going to flow. Her psychiatrist told her that even though the years of emotional and violent abuse were over, her lack of self-worth would never be restored until she received all the love and affection that she had missed as a child. She was in desperate search of that affection, but no one could give her all she wanted or needed. “But doesn't Jesus say that perfect love casts out all fear?” she'd ask, believing she had to find that perfect someone with “perfect love,” to make her depression magically disappear.
It’s true that perfect love casts out all fear, but what is perfect love? Is it being coddled, pampered and agreed with all the time, having every whim fulfilled?
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends, is what John 15:13 describes as perfect love. God laying down His life for us entailed spending time teaching, healing and exemplifying how we are now to live, and then giving His life in a brutal sacrifice for us all so that we could be free, healed and saved for eternity. But millions, if not billions of people around the world still live in fear and depression–does that mean His love isn't good enough?
The answer is that we need to start living out that love ourselves. Freedom from fear comes when we sacrifice our wills, our whims, our defense mechanisms and our controlling attitudes just because we love Him and are so thankful for what He’s done for us. Many people see church as a swap meet—they'll exchange some prayers and good behavior for a couple of blessings and a clean conscience. They degrade the God of perfect love to the level of a voodoo spirit that demands a few sacrificial items, a few incantations and a nice sum of money to grant the wish of the seeker. The God who laid down His life for us isn't looking to barter His blessings, He wants a relationship based on our own sacrificial love and devotion to Him.
When nothing on this earth holds our affections more than God, when we really are willing to do anything and go anywhere because He asks, even when it doesn't seem to make sense, then His perfect love starts to flow through our veins. We're not just passive recipients of His love, we're immersed in it. That’s when fear has no more hold on us, and neither does death, sin, curses or any evil.
Living in God’s perfect love means being vulnerable and tearing down our walls of comfort and protection, daring to believe that He is our protection now. Do you want to destroy your fears? Go against them and bare yourself before God. When it’s all said and done, those walls never protected you anyway, why not surrender control to God and live in His perfect love that drives out all fear.
There is no fear in love; instead, perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment. So the one who fears has not reached perfection in love. We love because He first loved us. (1 John 4:18 HCSB)
“People who shield their kids from reality are overprotective and make them weak.” Some parents allow their children to see, hear and feel everything the world has to offer and convince themselves that they are giving them an education, preparing them for life. I have met many kids who grew up in homes like this who are now adults and suffer a wide range of emotional and social problems. Exposure to evil didn’t make them wiser, it chewed them up and spat them out.
We can’t keep our kids in a bubble. But making them wise about God and the things of God equips them to handle evil when they do see it. They need to remain as innocent as possible to evil and as wise as possible to God and His Kingdom. This way they are immune to the effects of evil and learn how to reject it, while benefitting from the peace and life of God’s presence.
We adults are no different. We need that innocence too, even if we already messed up years of our lives. We can't entertain ourselves with activities that go against the Spirit of God and then pretend that we're pleasing Him. Music, websites and movies that subtly or directly denigrate God and His principles may have funny jokes and cool special effects, but it contaminates our communion with Him. It’s foolish to be impressed with filth while a wealth of real joy is waiting for us — a joy that begins with obedience.
Being wise about what is good opens our eyes to see the world, our problems and ourselves. It gives us a vantage point that no one else has. God appears more desirable than anything, while the evil of this world is seen for what it is – pathetic, rotten and dead. Even evil dressed up in its finest looks ridiculous to those who are wise about what is good. The goodness of God is unmistakable to the wise, and goes unnoticed by the rest of the world. Good church people can blindly walk right by God’s Spirit working inside of someone. They'll judge them by their outward appearance without even recognizing the power of God at work in them. They try hard to pretend they're wise, but it’s all appearance.
Wise people love to crush evil under their feet, and they love peace. It seems like a contradiction, how can peace coexist with violence? That’s a question for those who don't have spiritual eyes. God is a God of war, and a God of peace. Being wise toward God and innocent toward evil makes us strong and undefiled.
The report of your obedience has reached everyone. Therefore I rejoice over you. But I want you to be wise about what is good, yet innocent about what is evil. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. (Romans 16:19-20 HCSB)
Households are not just residences where groups of people live who happen to be related to each other. They're spiritual units where parents and children are bound together with ties of both love and responsibility. In this day and age where kids are often treated like friends or even acquaintances of their parents instead of children, these bonds have been ignored and weakened. Kids are encouraged to argue and challenge the authority of their elders, and adults often back off, thinking that they have to respect the right of their kids to disagree. That’s not how God created the family to function and that’s not how children can grow and flourish into healthy adults. In fact, if we don’t take control of our households in a godly way, God is not able to fulfill His promises to us.
Just as God blessed you with parents and children, they have also been blessed with you as a member of their household. As a marriage mirrors the relationship between Jesus and His people, a family mirrors our relationship with both God and our fellow believers. How you treat the members of your family directly relates to how you treat God. If you are a lax and undisciplined parent, you're teaching your children to be lax and undisciplined towards God, potentially blocking them from a real relationship with Him. You're being casual and lazy with the precious treasure of souls that God has entrusted you with. And of course, if you are harsh, controlling and manipulative, you exasperate your kids so that they end up hardened and resentful.
It’s worth all the effort to learn how to bless your home. If you have no children, bless those you are related to, even if it’s just through small acts of kindness, phone calls and prayers. But for those who are parents and children living under the same roof, remember that God is carefully watching that you keep the atmosphere of your household one of righteousness and justice. Certain words and attitudes should be strictly banned, while others encouraged and praised every day. You may have grown up being taught to be a “good person” and think that’s enough for your kids. But be aware that spiritual powers are at work when you keep your home pure, and other powers are at work when it’s defiled by fleshly things. Abraham had such a respect for keeping his household pure that he even sent away his servant and the mother of his son Ishmael when she created strife and jealousy. He valued the blessings of God so much, that he was ready to show that degree of tough love.
Do you want what God has spoken to you through His promises to come true? Look carefully to the spiritual state of your household so that there will be no obstacle for His blessings to flow.
For I have chosen him, so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken about him. (Genesis 18:19 NASB)
