Tag: discipline

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Stop believing Frophets.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let your prophets and fortune-tellers who are with you in the land of Babylon trick you. Do not listen to their dreams, because they are telling you lies in my name. I have not sent them,” says the Lord.” ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭29‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

God speaks to Jeremiah and tells him nothing but truth. God will not lie – EVER. God tells Jeremiah what will happen. This is in contrast to all the other frophets telling the nation what they want to hear! Jeremiah hears God AND hears his frophet peers; maybe struggling with who to believe.

The frophets were hearing voices and seeing dreams about Israel dodging God’s discipline and coming out prosperous and stronger than ever. God tells Jeremiah they are FAKES and are telling lies in God’s name. Notice God says, “your” prophets and “I have not sent them!”

They are Fake Prophets…Frophets!

God declares the truth, “You will be in Babylon for seventy years…” He also brings hope… “BUT THEN I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again” (Jeremiah‬ ‭29‬:‭10‬).

This leads to one of the most famous, misapplied promises of God in the book of Jeremiah. “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah‬ ‭29‬:‭11‬). Why is it misapplied? Because the verses before and after do not say, “Do whatever you want and I will fix you.” The promise of God has context! The whole truth is that God put Israel in timeout to be lovingly disciplined for disobedience! And the powerfully quoted verse of comfort and hope is hinged on what God tells them in the following verses.

“In those days when you pray, I will listen.
If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me” ‭‭(Jeremiah‬ ‭29‬:‭12‬-‭13‬).

WHEN you pray. IF you look for me wholeheartedly. Humility and repentance is key to experiencing God’s mercy, forgiveness and blessings. Why would God want Israel or any of us to continue to whore after other lovers and still expect some kind of entitled promise?

These words IN context are absolutely true and are for us today. Quit listening to the lies of Frophets. We must yield to God’s discipline and turn our hearts towards Him! THEN, God will 💯% show us good plans with a hopefilled future. Because God does have good plans waiting for us, but it means we continually turn from our disordered desires to obey Him.

One of the worst things that can happen to us is discovering we’ve been LIED to. And what’s so humiliating is that we still fall for the lie! We want to believe the lie over the truth because it feels good, giving us a false sense of control; like we have “discovered” some kind of mystical lifehack that no one else knew about. It’s all the deceiver’s scam-sham-shakedown and we take the bait. God does not lie. The father of lies and our own sin makes the lie look so good, so real, that we rationalize it and make the trade – swapping out truth to believe the lie. Let Jesus’ words ring loud and clear to lead and guide our head and heart, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”

Prayer

​Dad,
Where would I be without your grace and mercy? What lies would I have continued to believe if you had not rescued me and began transforming my heart? Help me Oh Lord, to believe and trust you above all others. Guard my heart and mind, helping me apply your Word as a shield and weapon to resist the deceiver’s lies and my own desires.

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God disciplines those he loves.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“Others heard my groans, but no one turned to comfort me. When my enemies heard about my troubles, they were happy to see what you had done. Oh, bring the day you promised, when they will suffer as I have suffered. “Look at all their evil deeds, Lord. Punish them, as you have punished me for all my sins. My groans are many, and I am sick at heart.” ‭‭Lamentations‬ ‭1‬:‭21‬-‭22‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Lamentations, written by Jeremiah, was reflecting his profound grief over the destruction of Jerusalem and the consequences of the people’s sins. In this first chapter, you see the depth of grief and subsequent loneliness in suffering the results of years of disobedience to God. These weren’t “one-off” sins. These were ongoing pursuits of other gods, other loves, other thrills that pull the human soul away from God, away from light to choose to walk in darkness.

When we read about the sins of self-seeking and affairs of the heart with other lovers, we also see the powerful justice and mercy of God in a whole new perspective. We see what we’ve done, where we have failed, and we stare into misery’s mirror wondering who we have become! That’s the lamenting Jeremiah writes about. It’s not just a history lesson for and of the Jewish people, it’s very much relevant for us today.

I have always held this theory that everything we’ve done to reach for the undisciplined desires, the shortcuts and sins, ALWAYS catches up to us. Whether it’s when our head hits the pillow seeking peace or that eventual end-of-life reckoning – the truth of what we’ve done and who we are mercilessly confronts our soul. We do not choose to be born, nor who we are born to, but everyone chooses how to live their own life, be it well or poorly.

We often seek to celebrate our freedoms, but rarely lament our choices. Solomon, the wisest human being to live, captures this concept in Ecclesiastes 7:2, “It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of everyone; the living should take this to heart.” How can funerals be better than birthday parties? It’s not a buzz-kill, joy sucking thought. It’s a reality check of reflection! It’s pausing from time to time to evaluate one thing – who am I committed to most… me or my God?

Jeremiah suffered in advance as God began to show him, at a young age, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations (Jeremiah 1:5), the state of his own people and the human affairs of the world. Even as a spokesperson for God, Jeremiah recognized his own wanderings, his own selfishness and sin.

It is interesting that Jeremiah points out that others, “my enemies,” he calls them, celebrated God’s discipline of his own people. They were seemingly, completely unaware, of their own national and personal sins against the holiness of God. Isn’t that how it goes with our perspective? We easily see the sins of others, obviously blinded to our own. We curse others, mock God and flirt with desires, rationalizing, even justifying our choices while wishing swift judgment on everyone else. This is why Lamentations is a necessary and worthy book to slowly read through. Would we rather God discipline us in love or destroy us in our arrogance?

Prayer

​Dad,
It is kinda wild how we can be so enamored with ourselves, getting carried away with our own intelligence, creativity and an unhealthy hubris of ourselves when the reality is – it ALL comes from you! Yes, in You, I am, we are, a beautiful reflection of your attributes. But outside of you, it seems so silly to think of how great we are on our own. Thank you for your discipline and correction in my life, knowing that it is within your mercy and long-suffering patience that you endure my failures because of Jesus and the price He paid for me! Yeah God for your grace.

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Disciplinary Invasions?

Reading Time: 2 minutes

”When the Lord saw their change of heart, he gave this message to Shemaiah: “Since the people have humbled themselves, I will not completely destroy them and will soon give them some relief. I will not use Shishak to pour out my anger on Jerusalem. But they will become his subjects, so they will know the difference between serving me and serving earthly rulers.” ‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭12‬:‭7‬-‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Is it just me or do you also see God consistently using other nations, ungodly nations, to punish Israel when they step out on God. Chronicles tells us, “But when Rehoboam was firmly established and strong, he abandoned the Law of the Lord, and all Israel followed him in this sin. Because they were unfaithful to the Lord, King Shishak of Egypt came up and attacked Jerusalem in the fifth year of King Rehoboam’s reign” ‭‭(2 Chronicles‬ ‭12‬:‭1‬-‭2‬).

How often was this pattern repeated? Six times in the period of the Judges, four times in the period of the monarchy and several smaller skirmishes throughout the Old Testament.

So, do we, should we, view modern day wars, invasions or terrorist attacks in the same light? Given the fact that Jesus’ death and resurrection, was a defining redemption moment, does that change the way God uses one nation or group to discipline other nations? Sounds dark and morbid, but I am curious.

There are a few who have preached or written about this idea, but each one admits, unlike in the Old Testament, we lack clear prophetic insight today. It makes speculation very dangerous, highly controversial and often condemned as insensitive. I find many of the patterns and purposes of God, that are clearly His hand at work, are very difficult to carry into the New Testament and into today’s modern times. In fact, many of the known travesties, like Herod’s slaughter of the infants in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:16–18, tied to Jeremiah 31:15) shows how prophecy can foretell events without those events being God’s disciplinary act toward Israel as a nation.

In fact, most modern wars, even genocides, are more about human evil within God’s sovereignty! Which is even more difficult to understand. Jesus told us that end times would include suffering, but it has nothing to do with covenant judgment. In other words: Not every foretold calamity equals discipline.

So when I see unfathomable local and global chaos. When I see increasingly rampant disregard for law, order, civility and peace, I cannot just assign these signs to being disciplined or punished. I must reconcile these times as prophetic – indicating the reminder of end times as Jesus told us. It would be a part of this world’s end. One thing is for sure and is trustworthy to build our lives on. God is ALWAYS right, true and just in all things. That is why I trust in God, my savior!

Prayer

Dad,
These Old Testament stories help me take a much deeper, much broader view of how you are working to bring about the reconciliation and redemption of our world. The common link of making sense out of discipline verses self-afflicted sin, seems to be a warning. The more we try to move away from you, in both law and grace, the more we will determine to selfishly choose evil over truth. Come quickly Lord Jesus!

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Does God “gentle parent” us?

Reading Time: 3 minutes

And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said, “My child, don’t make light of the Lord’s discipline, and don’t give up when he corrects you. For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child. ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭12‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Gentle parenting is a current style used by many to positively, affirmingly, understand their child’s behavior and allows them to self-correct. “A parenting style that focuses on empathy, respect, and connection to help children develop strong social skills and emotional intelligence.” And, “Gentle parenting focuses on parenting children without shame, blame, and punishment. This style of parenting centers around collaboration between parents and children.”

The author of Hebrews leans on an ancient Proverb and gives us a practical interpretation, Proverbs 3:11-12. Proverbs ends with this, ”For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.” Proverbs uses the Hebrew word for discipline, “yakach,” to decide, adjudge, even to argue! Hebrews uses the Greek word, “paideia,” the rearing of a child, training, discipline, correcting and proving. The Greek has the idea of chastening or purifying. This shows up in verse 13, where the Greek word, “mastigoó,” to scourge, appears. There is just no way around this very strong use of physical pain to be used in training. Does God send “severe pain” in the best eternal interests of the believer?

Anyone who studies the idea of the discipline, even in the context of learning skills, especially in sports, knows that pain is critical in the development of our own muscles! Pain may not be literally delivered in physical whippings or beatings, but life itself frequently delivers warnings in the learning process. When we fall, touch fire or electricity we experience pain! It’s a really good reminder, even an educator, to not repeat the behavior. The focus of the verses, here or in Proverbs, is not really the pain of discipline, it’s the idea that correction, chastening and proving is an act of love! For a parent of a young child to withhold warning, correction, even proper, age appropriate physical pain, to train a child about authority and boundaries would not be love. Proverbs speaks of the reason it is so critical, “foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child! “ It is also bound up in the human heart. The Hebrew word for foolishness, “ivveleth,” is from the word, “evil.” Look, if we came out of our mother’s womb with a moral sense of goodness, purity and wisdom, then parenting would hardly be necessary. Ah, but we are not born with an internal sense of good, are we? We use the word for babies referring them as innocent, but that’s just because they are needy and defenseless. It doesn’t take long for any parent to realize they have a self determined will and most, not all, are excited to challenge you.

However, whether you believe in gentle parenting or hard boundaries with gentle, physical consequences for clear challenges from a child, the point is God does discipline us. And, God does so with physical corrections because he loves us. What does it look like? It’s different for every person. I believe that God uses circumstances and even people to deliver His discipline. What have you learned? Have you recognized correction from God? If you wonder what will happen when we purposely continue to choose sin, challenging God with his own loving boundaries, God will step in to keep us on His path.

Prayer

​Dad,
Not only do I believe your Word when you clearly discipline those you love. I have experienced your correction, and have learned to recognize it and respond with confession and repentance. I know it’s for my own good. I know it’s because you are watching, and are actively keeping me accountable because of your faithfulness, patience and love. Thank you for your boundaries, and your discipline! Amen.

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Obedience out of love or fear?

Reading Time: 4 minutes

So Moses returned from the mountain and called together the elders of the people and told them everything the Lord had commanded him. And all the people responded together, “We will do everything the Lord has commanded.” So Moses brought the people’s answer back to the Lord. Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will come to you in a thick cloud, Moses, so the people themselves can hear me when I speak with you. Then they will always trust you.” Moses told the Lord what the people had said. Exodus‬ ‭19‬:‭7‬-‭9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

These Exodus passages are a great place to think about our human nature, especially when it comes to doing what is right or wrong – obedience to the law or rules for living or doing whatever we please.

Let’s face the facts, the nation of Israel, the chosen people of God, had faced the most intense, supernatural occurrences over several weeks, maybe months, known as the plagues. But, whether the ten plagues lasted forty days or three months, we can be guaranteed that the entire group of Egyptians and Jews went through a living nightmare of horrors. If that wasn’t enough, the mind-blowing phenomenon of a narrow escape across the Red Sea, then a pillar of fire by night and a massive cloud by day led the nation to this holy place called Mount Sinai! It could be said that it was either a glorious or traumatizing set of events. And Moses was at the center of all of it – God’s chosen stutterer, turned super leader in a very brief time.

When Moses came down from the holy mountain and told the people what God had spoken to him, it’s not surprising that they responded together, “we will do everything the Lord has commanded.” They were probably still terrified of Moses’ God. The Bible is very open about the fact that the people DID NOT obey… at least for long. Let’s set aside the fact that God told Moses, the visual, audible show of a cloud with booming noises coming out of it was for a specific reason – so the people would TRUST Moses. Ok, great. But these passages help me ask the question, did the people obey out of fear or love? And, how effective is obedience out of fear verses obedience out of love? You could argue the point that Israel loved God and loved pleasing God. But I offer this, I believe they were re-establishing a relationship with God that had been abandoned since Jacob and his son Joseph led the nation. Heaven had been silent for several hundred years! I don’t think they knew God all that well.

Is obedience out of fear effective? Of course it is! Is obedience out of fear expedient? Yeah, it works pretty quick. Just watch what happens when a Highway Patrol vehicle pulls onto the highway. The speed limit instant becomes every driver’s best friend. But does obedience through fear engage an enduring change of both behavior and heart? Is it not true that love takes longer, but is far more successful for a lifetime of obedience? Ask any Dad, “would you rather your children fear you or love you?” Ah, that’s tricky isn’t it? Fearing your Father for the right reasons, like the ultimate goals of safety, security and delayed success for your future – is a good fear! Ask a Dad if they “would rather their children respect them or love them?” Good Dads, great Dads want BOTH. Why? It’s the best outcome for the child’s sake!

I am not advocating that fear has no place in our obedience to God, it’s just that our relationship must mature to a point where love becomes the primary motivation to do what is right. That’s why God says he prefers obedience over sacrifice. Sacrifice can be faked, obedience can’t. Even, if one doesn’t obey for the right reason, it is still beneficial. Do you know how often I hear my friends express gratitude for their strict parents? Parents that held the line, set the boundaries and corrected their children when they disobeyed. They held those boundaries until the child became an adult – understanding the necessity for rules and even fear-based compliance. I don’t know if you’ve noticed that children and/or youth make some really stupid, even life-threatening mistakes. Some of these “mistakes” have horrible, life-altering consequences – that are permanent.

Shouldn’t maturity and a growth in our understanding of God, drive us to be obedient more out of love than fear? In surrendering to the discipline, the correction of the Holy Spirit, I am yielding – more out of love for God these days, and less out of fear.

Prayer

Dad,
It has certainly not been easy to be raised in more or less, a fatherless home environment. I rarely felt safe, rarely felt loved, valued or protected by a good, loving father figure. That lack of discipline made it much harder to do what is right for the right reason. You know my sense of right and wrong was based on getting caught or getting away with something! It was not helpful at all as a young man. But when I was learning to be obedient and even disciplined out of your love it was both amazing and extremely difficult. Thank you for your long, enduring patience with me. Thank you for your grace still today. You are such a good Father to me and I am eternally grateful.

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Fathers’ discipline & correct.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

”My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline, and don’t be upset when he corrects you. For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.“
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭11‬-‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

In a cultural milieu of anti-patriarchal conversations, the Bible is either out of sync OR it’s timeless truth that shapes our lives, our families and especially our children.

The wisdom book, the eternal expression of God culminating in the life of Jesus, has a lot to say about parenting! Fathers play a significant role in the lives of children- it’s a sociological fact, backed by solid statistics of their influence in the family unit.

What is truly amazing to me is that while doing a sermon series prep, I came across this theme in both the book of Judges (2:19-22), Proverbs (3:11-12), Corinthians (1 Cor. 11:32) and Hebrews (12:5-8). Israel, God’s chosen people, had an awful time cycling in and out of sin and disobedience. God would rescue them, and they would run right back to idols and fake gods, doing despicable things. God would then judge them – harshly, allowing other nations to raid and plunder their cities.

Almost no one wants to talk about discipline or correction, especially as adults! I mean it’s great to talk about it as parents raising children, but who disciplines and corrects adults? God absolutely does! All these Bible verses make it clear – God corrects those he loves and delights in. Hebrews goes further and says, “Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? If God doesn’t discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all.‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬” BOOM💥! Leaving us alone and to our own selfish ways would mean that God abandons us, proving we were “nothos,” a bastard, illegitimate child!

This is a strong word for parents who feel that they shouldn’t impose their will, their morality, even their beliefs on a child. By NOT doing so they are showing a disinterest, a disdain for the child’s welfare in their future. This nonsense that a child should choose morality or beliefs for themselves is a damnable lie, destroying a foundation that allows a child to feel safe and know they are loved! A child cannot and should not “raise” themselves!

Fathers, keep correcting your child because you love them and delight in them. Adults, know this; God isn’t mad at us when he corrects us. He purposely roadblocks our drive to get what we think we want – when it’s clearly wrong. God loves us and delights in us when he brings in someone or something to knock us off our destructive path. I try so hard to ACCEPT, not reject the Lord’s discipline, knowing that is for my own good!

Prayer

Dad,
Sometimes it is difficult to tell the difference between being harassed by the enemy of my soul OR being disciplined because of my bad choices. I depend on the Holy Spirit to pinpoint the issue. And, when I realize it’s because of some dumb, selfish decision I made – clearly SIN, I repent and yield to whatever you bring as consequences for my actions. It’s hard, but I know that you love me. I am so thankful you don’t let me wander off or storm off too far before you send a little pain and struggle my way to humble me and get me back on the right path. I am so grateful for your grace and mercy towards me. Amen.

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Daniel’s extraordinary experience in Babylon.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Let this be recorded for future generations, so that a people not yet born will praise the Lord. Tell them the Lord looked down from his heavenly sanctuary. He looked down to earth from heaven to hear the groans of the prisoners, to release those condemned to die. And so the Lord’s fame will be celebrated in Zion, his praises in Jerusalem, when multitudes gather together and kingdoms come to worship the Lord. Psalms‬ ‭102‬:‭18‬-‭22‬ ‭NLT‬‬

To read the full story about Daniel and his rise to power, serving as an advisor to King Nebuchadnezzar, as well as rising above the evil subterfuge and plans to have him killed, you need to read the book he wrote about his life in captivity. A quick search of “Daniel in the Bible,” will give you the quick summary of his life.

One commentator summarizes it well, Jack Zavada writes, “Daniel was a young man of Jewish nobility taken into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar in the third year of Jehoiakim and renamed Belteshazzar. He was trained in the king’s court and then elevated to a high rank in the Babylonian and Persian kingdoms. Daniel the prophet was only a teenager when introduced in the book of Daniel and was an old man at the close of the book, yet never once in his life did his faith in God waver.” Another writes that “Daniel was the most learned man in the Old Testament and most thoroughly trained for his important role in history and literature.” Daniel had revelatory dreams, he also interpreted dreams and was an advisor to several kings during Israel’s captivity.

This Psalm captures the deep heartache that Daniel carried for his beloved people. Even though he lived most of his life surrounded by the elite, wealthy and powerful politicians of Babylon, he was not swayed nor distracted by their success. He kept his heart pure and his mind focused on God! Daniel writes this Psalm as Israel prepares to be released after 70 years of captivity.

Now, as the nation faces going home to complete devastation of their city and their homes, they are free but have to rebuild and start over. Their temple had been rebuilt, but it was nowhere near the glory of their first one. Nehemiah oversaw the miraculous rebuilding of the city walls, so they would be safe. But there was so much to do and the entire nation had to come to the realization that they had seriously sinned and God had disciplined them severely for it.

Daniel writes a key phrase, “let this be recorded for future generations.” It was tough, but God brought them through. It was humiliating, but God rescued them once again. Daniel wanted the future children to remember. Not the struggles, not the groanings, not the heavy load of accountability for their behaviors – no. Daniel wanted them to remember God saw them, God delivered them and God would restore them! God is worthy of worship!!!

This is a lesson for us who have lived and seen the marvelous miracles and historical moves of God on our nation and in His Church. Whatever discipline, whatever chastisement we have deserved, God is faithful to see us, deliver us and restore His Church to be that spotless, wrinkle-free bride before Jesus returns! God has shown Himself worthy throughout our human history and He will continue to do so.

So for us, we can take Daniel’s advice, his admonition, to gather together as followers of Jesus, as His Church, and come to worship the Lord! I believe a spiritual revolution is coming! So I want to be REUNION READY for those who will come home, those who will turn their hearts toward God and believe!

Prayer

Dad,
I am, we are as the Church, being prepared for you to pour out Your Spirit on this beautiful blue globe, in our nation, states and cities. We are waiting for you to pour out Your Spirit of truth, lifting the blindness from our eyes that promise unfulfilled lies. We will witness the supernatural move of Your Spirit once again – maybe for the last time before Jesus returns for the final days of justice and end of all things here on this planet. May Your fame be celebrated throughout the earth! Amen.

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Spirit Time Out

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“Saul, also known as Paul, was filled with the Holy Spirit, and he looked the sorcerer in the eye. Then he said, “You son of the devil, full of every sort of deceit and fraud, and enemy of all that is good! Will you never stop perverting the true ways of the Lord?” Acts ‭13‬:‭9‬-‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

First trip out and there’s both opportunity and barriers. A few guys meet together for prayer, then BAM – the Holy Spirit speaks to them! The group had some men gifted in the prophetic and teaching. Barnabas, Simeon, Lucius, Manaen, and Saul met in Antioch. The Holy Spirit speaks to them and says that Barnabas and Saul should be sent out on special assignment – the beginnings of many missionary journeys.

Then, on this little island of Cyprus, some big stuff is about to happen. Barnabas, Paul and John Mark get invited by the governor, Sergius Paulus, to hear the Word of God. Fantastic start, right? It’s interesting that there was already a subterfuge planted in the story, “But Elymas, the sorcerer (as his name means in Greek), interfered and urged the governor to pay no attention to what Barnabas and Saul said. He was trying to keep the governor from believing.” This guy was actively PREVENTING God’s work from going forward.

Have you ever seen this while on a mission’s trip, or in the church? There are folks subversively working against the gospel! Saul/Paul was not the kind of guy to just let that nonsense go. Paul looks the man in the eye and calls him out! He names the man as the source of what could be blocking the governor from believing in Christ. He calls him a son of the devil – sound familiar? It’s similar to what Jesus called the religious leaders.

Elymas was playing for the wrong team. Paul, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, calls out the content of this guy’s heart and motives. Elymas was full of deceit and fraud and an enemy of all that is good. Elymas was perverting, distorting, corrupting the clear, straight ways of God. Paul then puts Elymas in a time out – since, the man was already working in and for darkness, it seemed only fitting that his correction be BLINDNESS for a while.

There are so many times I have seen men and women subvert and attempt to block the Word of God, to distort the gospel, but we’ve become so accustomed to kindness that we fail to correct. Elymas wasn’t being kind, he was deceiving and perverting! As Pastors and under-shepherd’s we’ve given up our call to protect the flock and simply confront the wolf. Let’s think about this. This could be some of the reason folks are so wary of going back to church, because they have found no protection from guys like Elymas. The results – people end up blaming the pastor or church leadership for the harm done to them. I’ll be the first to admit, there has been a lot of bad decisions in the inner-core of church leadership. But I have seen more bad actors, pretending to have good motive, who have been allowed to get away with deceit and fraud.

Elymas had to be put in timeout to allow Sergius Paulus, who was an intelligent man, to hear the truth of God’s Word! In all love and patience, our church folk have got to see that correction is just as godly as mercy! By the way, Paul didn’t drop Elymas like Peter had done with Ananias and Sapphira!

How did Paul know what was going on in Elymas’ heart? Luke tells us, Paul was, “filled with the Holy Spirit.” For all you non-pentecostals, you ask, “isn’t that risky?” or worse, some believe that these bold actions of being led by the Holy Spirit today are even of the devil! Which is worse, confronting and correcting a bad player or allowing them to freely cause pain and confusion in the body of Christ? Elymas, and the likes, work subtly, sneaking around with whispers, half-truths and gossip, interfering and urging people to listen to them. For the sake of the gospel and the safety of the flock – Pastors need to be bold in the Spirit and look the Elymas’ in the eye and call out truth.

Prayer

Dad,
You know me. As much as I can’t stand bullies in the church, those who take advantage of the innocent, I can’t stand slippery deceivers as well. Help us Oh Lord to do our job as shepherds, protecting the flock. Give us wisdom and boldness to hear your Holy Spirit and confront those who subvert what is right to suit their own desires. Give us grace and protect us from evil from within.

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The view on the road back home.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“When the Lord brought back his exiles to Jerusalem, it was like a dream! We were filled with laughter, and we sang for joy. And the other nations said, “What amazing things the Lord has done for them.” Yes, the Lord has done amazing things for us! What joy!” Psalms‬ ‭126‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

What’s it like coming back home or reconciling with family and friends after you’ve left, drifted or stormed off in anger. It’s tough. I have no understanding of Israel’s forced captivity in a foreign country as a disciplinary action from God. They were marched out of their land and into Babylon where they were immigrants for 70 years – that’s a long time! And while they were gone, their beloved homes, city and temple were all ransacked and destroyed.

They only small comparison I have is being given up for adoption at four years old. My world, my home, my toys, my neighborhood friends all gone. I was placed with a new family, in an unfamiliar apartment and never did returned home. All that was left for me was fragments of memories, like an assortment of puzzle pieces that do not fit together to make a picture.

For Israel, the journey back was humbling and difficult. Everything they remembered had to be rebuilt – their homes, their city wall and their temple. Ezra, the priest, convinced them to rebuild God’s house before doing anything else! And, it made sense because it was the neglect of God’s house and His commandments that put them in the generational time-out to begin with.

When things go wrong, it’s hard to figure out this concept still today. Am I being disciplined by God? Is this just life in a broken world? Or, am I being targeted and harassed by the devil? Oh, you didn’t know that God still disciplines either putting us into timeout or allowing it to happen? Sorry to break it to you. God loves us enough to come after us, even if it means putting us into situations that require us to look up and reevaluate our decisions!

This Psalm captures the hope, the joy of not just returning, but the giddiness of rebuilding. Rebuilding a life, a home, a church or a city is certainly difficult, but it beats captivity! It’s a wake up call to remember what freedom is really all about – freedom to do right, not do whatever we want. The Psalmist, Ezra, declares “YES! The Lord as done amazing things for us! What joy!” It’s honest and real after being gone for so long.

Prayer

Dad,
Oh my heart just breaks for those who knew you, loved you and then for so many different reasons, decided to walk out. Whether is was some awful experience in life or the church or just wandering off, looking for something else. It’s still painful for me to watch. So many friends, so many family members who walked away from you. I don’t plan on leaving your presence, even when I’ve been exiled in a holy timeout for my own good. Where would I go? You are the author of life. You have given me so much. I cannot deny nor turn away from that. However, I ask that I do not become the “elder brother” in the prodigal story, comparing my life to others and thinking I need a big party celebrating the fact that I never left. No, help me to always be the father in that story. The one who daily goes out waiting, watching for those who’ve decided to come home!

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Powers that pound the throne.

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“Your throne, O Lord, has stood from time immemorial. You yourself are from the everlasting past. The floods have risen up, O Lord. The floods have roared like thunder; the floods have lifted their pounding waves. But mightier than the violent raging of the seas, mightier than the breakers on the shore— the Lord above is mightier than these! Your royal laws cannot be changed. Your reign, O Lord, is holy forever and ever.” Psalms‬ ‭93‬:‭2‬-‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

When I first wrote about this Psalm, I did not know it’s author was Daniel and it was written while he and the majority of Jewish people were captives in a foreign land. One of the best, quick resources I came across was a Bible resource link to describe the probable date each Psalm was written and who wrote it. https://bit.ly/psalmsdates.

Psalms is a collection of writings. This Psalm describes the hope of God’s power and ability to stay in control while everything else feels like a destructive storm. Daniel describes how powerful these pounding waves can be. Babylon was the biggest and strongest force on the planet at the time and it looked as if the nation, that king would destroy the throne of God himself.

We have the benefit of knowing the before and after! Babylon was used as a disciplinary entity to put Israel in a 70 yr timeout. Yet, this massive kingdom would not overtake God’s throne. Think about this. There is no kingdom past, present or future that has storm-waves big enough to destroy God’s eternal throne. NOTHING can stop nor thwart the will of God! Not then, not now, not ever.

Daniel’s hope in God paints the picture of one of the most powerful forces on the earth – the seas. Untamable and unstoppable itself. As the sea, depicted as God’s enemies, roars, pounds and breaks on the steps below the throne of God, it will never overtake it. Daniel states this majestic truth, God’s royal laws cannot be changed and will never be subverted! This Psalm is a reminder of hope. No matter the size and relentlessness of the storms we face here on this planet, may they be attacks or even directed disciplines, they will never diminish God’s power or his throne! I take comfort in that. The darkness, the chaos may be great, but our God is GREATER.

Prayer

Dad,
I do not find fear in your power, I find comfort in it. I find hope in this; no matter what I see going on around me – you are on the throne that will never be overcome. No matter what I feel, my trust, my faith is steady in your power. “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness; I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name. When darkness veils his lovely face, I rest on his unchanging grace. On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand: all other ground is sinking sand; all other ground is sinking sand.”