Psalm 119:9 2/27/2018*

"How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to your word" 

Seems like a simple question with a simple answer. But if that is the case why don't we do it? 

Why do we spend so much energy skirting around the Word of God instead of using that same energy to follow it? What causes us to engage in "Theological open field running" as we weave around the clear teachings of the bible in an effort to justify our actions?

If you look at the lives of those who walk according to the Word and compare them to those who do not, the difference is clear. Sin is destructive. Yet somehow, we believe we will be different. We think we can ignore the truth and avoid the consequences. 

We cannot.

Why don't we stop scheming - and simply follow His Word? What if the answer is right in front of you? What if your bible is the map that can stop you from going down all these dead-end roads.

There are a thousand people, on a thousand web sites, all with different "answers" for your problem. But there is only one who knit you in your mother's womb, and His way is the only way to purity, righteousness, and peace.

Follow His Word. Stop trying to avoid the clear truth and just do what it says. He is the way, the truth and the life ... His Word alone is your true north and will allow you to keep your life pure. 

"If there is any verse that you would like left out of the Bible, that is the verse that bought to stick to you, like a blister, until you really attend to its teaching." 

 - Charles Spurgeon

1 Corinthians 3: 1-3 2/19/2018*

“Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual, but as worldly - as infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for solid food. In fact, you are still not ready, for you are still worldly...”

How long have you been saved...Are you growing?

Paul had founded the Corinthian church approximately three years earlier and he is a little put out with their lack of spiritual growth. He is disappointed that they are still infants in Christ needing milk and unable to break from their worldly chains.

What kind of letter would he write to us? Many of us are decades into our walk with Christ and still on a spiritual bottle. Still worldly and focused on temporal, instead of eternal things.

Did we check the box of salvation and miss that it was a beginning not a destination? Have we forgotten that the very purpose of our “re-birth” is to grow in Christ?

If so, then it’s time to change that. It is time to commit to growth.  If three years was too long for the Corinthians to remain worldly, then it is past time for us to grow up as well. 

Start this week consuming a daily serving of God’s Word so you can grow into the warrior God intended.  Dig into the meat of the Word and begin to develop spiritual strength and break free from all the worldly things that drag you down.

Be intentional. Nothing is more important than becoming who God made you to be and doing what God made you to do.

"Spiritual growth depends on two things: first a willingness to live according to the Word of God; second, a willingness to take whatever consequences emerge as a result."

- Sinclair B. Ferguson

1 John 5:3-4 2/13/2018

“In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world.”

The same Holy Spirit that teaches love, also demands and enables obedience.

Too often we see God’s commands as burdens… a list of “don’ts” designed to rob our lives of pleasure. We believe the lie that we are missing out by not pursuing what the world says is gratifying.

So, we grab our “fire insurance” religion and spend our days seeing how close to the edge we can live without getting burned.  We wear the jersey but never enter the game.

There are no verses that offer assurance for that lifestyle. 

In fact, scripture is clear. Loving God means keeping His word. What is perplexing about our attitude is that obedience is not a price tag, it is a benefit.

Seeing His word as burdensome is like a kitten being annoyed that it must walk around, and not through the Pit Bull enclosure.

God’s word is the “owner’s manual” written by the creator…following it makes life work. It keeps us safe and prevents the enemy from stealing, killing, and destroying, which is his stated purpose. (John 10:10)

You are not burdened by God’s commands, you are set free to follow them.  Evaluate your life…you will see His plan always works, and the world’s never does.

You won’t be perfect, but you have been given strength to resist and provided with grace to redeem. So, overcome the world and live in obedience and victory. You are no longer a slave to sin, so stop allowing it to pollute your life.

“You will know as much of God, and only as much of God, as you are willing to put into practice.”
― Eric Liddell

Psalm 107:14 2/6/2018*

^“He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness, and broke away their chains.”

Last year Zach Williams wrote a song called “Chain Breaker”.  It’s about something God has been doing for centuries. We often hear of God’s forgiveness … but there is more to it.  God also offers deliverance. 

God offers a way out.

Are you in utter darkness?  Are you shackled with sin that absolutely owns you?  The enemy would have you believe that is permanent.  That your sin is part of you. That it defines you … but that is a lie, and he is good at lying. 

Stop listening… God is a chain breaker.  There is nothing you’ve done that compares to the power of the blood of Christ.  God holds title to your soul, and there is no iniquity that has any claim of ownership.  

Your sin is a paper tiger and the Cross is a match. In the shadow of Calvary, this thing you have given so much power to, becomes feeble. Face it, hand it to God, and begin anew.

In faith claim your freedom and never willingly accept incarceration again. God says you are free, insist on the veracity of that statement until you can prove it.

Your chains are broken … walk out of this prison, out of the darkness, and live in the light of redemption, deliverance, and freedom.  

“If you’ve got pain, He’s a pain taker,
if you feel lost, He’s a way maker,
if you need freedom or saving, He’s a prison-shaking Savior,
If you’ve got chains, He’s a chain breaker.”
 - Zach Williams