Unappealing Appeals in Worship Songs

““The heart is more deceitful than all else And is desperately sick;”
Jeremiah 17:9 NASB1995
… so why do we constantly appeal to it?!?!

Here starts a frustrated rant against shallow excuses for worship songs that are taking over the church.

Strap in.

The songs our church sang this morning felt like one of those memes: “I made a bot listen to 37 million hours of Christian music and this is the song it wrote…” At one point a line was “I breathe you in” and “Your face, my secret space” and I’m wondering what the heck?!?

Yes, salvation, the gospel, and everything Christ has done for us, all of it can be very emotional, but when it comes to appeals pathos is really the cheapest and most shallow. It’s favored by politicians, and who wants to be like them?

Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are as scarlet, They will be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They will be like wool.”
Isaiah 1:18

Let us REASON together! Christianity doesn’t mean leaving your brain at the door!

What do I mean by “reason together”? How about how ALL CREATION POINTS TO GOD?!? Creation is designed, and more complex than anything made by human hands:

““But now ask the beasts, and let them teach you; And the birds of the heavens, and let them tell you. Or speak to the earth, and let it teach you; And let the fish of the sea declare to you. Who among all these does not know That the hand of the Lord has done this, In whose hand is the life of every living thing, And the breath of all mankind? Does not the ear test words, As the palate tastes its food? Wisdom is with aged men, With long life is understanding.”
‭‭Job‬ ‭12:7-12‬ ‭

“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭1:20‬ ‭

“For the Lord is a great God And a great King above all gods, In whose hand are the depths of the earth, The peaks of the mountains are His also. The sea is His, for it was He who made it, And His hands formed the dry land. Come, let us worship and bow down, Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭95:3-6‬ ‭

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭11:1-3‬ ‭

‬‬Great so now we can have both pathos AND logos appeals. How about appeals to authority (ethos)? Well, how about the Bible?

The Bible claims to be the inspired word of God, infallible, truth:

“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”
‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭3:16-17‬ ‭

“So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”
‭‭2 Peter‬ ‭1:19-21‬ ‭‬‬

“Anyone who goes too far and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God; the one who abides in the teaching, he has both the Father and the Son.”
‭‭2 John‬ ‭1:9‬ ‭

“The grass withers, the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭40:8‬ ‭‬‬

““Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.”
‭‭John‬ ‭5:24‬ ‭‬‬

“They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭4:5-6‬ ‭‬‬

“But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’ ”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭4:4‬ ‭

‬“For our exhortation does not come from error or impurity or by way of deceit; but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who examines our hearts. For we never came with flattering speech, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness— nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, even though as apostles of Christ we might have asserted our authority. Having so fond an affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us. For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.”
‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭2:3-6, 8, 13‬ ‭‬‬

I could talk about that 1 Thess verse all day. “We did not come to you with flattering speech or with the pretext of greed… we didn’t seek glory from men”… looking at you, Hillsong. Looking at YOU Joel Olsteen. Quite frankly if you are making bank off of God’s church, something has gone terribly, terribly wrong. But that’s a study for another day. Let’s get back to why we need to distance ourselves from emotional appeals.

The church has the ability to use all three rhetorical appeals, Ethos, Pathos, and Logos. Any rhetorical argument is strongest when it can appeal to not only emotions, but logic and authority too. Is appealing to emotions wrong? Not by itself, but when compared to, say, cults who are only using emotional appeals, that appeal becomes suspect… And we are supposed to be different!

WHY is music an emotional appeal? It’s not JUST the lyrics, music can be emotionally moving and even somewhat hypnotic. Why do you think music is present in everything from movies to advertisements?

What happens when someone curious shows up to church. They get caught up in the music. Everyone around them is swaying and emotional. The music makes them FEEL something, this must be real! They convert, and yet have no logical reason as to why and no authority to fall back on!

The first time that budding new faith is tested and all those feel good emotions are left at the church, they are totally defenseless and have no logic or authority to fall back on. Why do you think so many people resent the church? They FEEL deceived.

Y’all, we have SO much more to offer than just fleeting feel good feels in the moment. We don’t have to play on people’s feelings of guilt/loneliness/helplessness to get them through the door or to stay in the seats. That’s what charlatans do. That’s what grifters do. There is SO MUCH MORE to God, the Bible, and Christianity!

“I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”
‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭4:1-5‬ ‭

They will want their “ears tickled”. They will want to hear from teachers who will AFFIRM them and who will accept their earthly desires.‬‬ We are not here for that. We are here for SOUND doctrine. We are here to reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.

We are told to not forsake the assembly, to come together to teach, comfort, and strengthen one another. We need to get past seeking emotional highs and start seeking deeper knowledge of God through His word, and building one another up as knowledgeable Christians.

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭10:23-25‬ ‭

I’m sorry if my rant turned into a ramble, but what gets ME excited isn’t the musical fluff. It’s God’s word! The Bible is our sword, our only offensive item in the armor of God, and it’s, well, a downright miracle when you study it for yourself. We need more focus there. We need to encourage one another in good works. We need to look forward together as our time draws closer to the marriage supper of the Lamb. We need to be in our Bible, teaching, instructing, rebuking, exhorting, and building one another up in righteousness. We need to stop filling the pockets of grifts and buying their licensed prepackaged sterilized tiny little church in a box excuse for worship! That’s not worshiping God. That’s not ministry. That’s fleecing God’s flock and lining the pockets of men who are seeking glory from humans under the poorly veiled pretext of greed.

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Give Thanks in All Circumstances

“Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing. Know that the Lord Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. For the Lord is good;His lovingkindness is everlasting And His faithfulness to all generations.” Psalm 100:1-5

I’m being predictable today, and instead of reading my generic Job study guide I looked up “thankful” in a concordance. Believe it or not, reading through the verses on thankfulness lead me right back to Job.

“’Naked I came from my mother’s womb,And naked I shall return there.The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away.Blessed be the name of the Lord.’ Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.” Job 1:21-22

We always hear about the suffering of Job and how even through all of his hardships, Job never turned from God. The verse above takes place after Job heard that not only did he lose all of his livestock, not only did his house burn and all of his servants killed, but his children had been crushed when his eldest son’s house collapsed. Job had just lost everything, and yet his response is to praise the Lord. I’m going to be honest, while I hope this would be my response, I’m not very confident.

“Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit;” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19

In everything give thanks. In the ESV translation that line reads, “give thanks in all circumstances”. David, who wrote the Psalms, knew a little about giving thanks in all circumstances. He experienced plenty, and he also experienced running for his life, being hunted by very powerful people, and living in caves. Yet that psalm of thanksgiving was written by him. I think I relate to David more than Job because David also wrote this:

“For I hope in You, O Lord; You will answer, O Lord my God. For I said, “May they not rejoice over me, Who, when my foot slips, would magnify themselves against me. For I am ready to fall, And my sorrow is continually before me. For I confess my iniquity; I am full of anxiety because of my sin. But my enemies are vigorous and strong, And many are those who hate me wrongfully. And those who repay evil for good, They oppose me, because I follow what is good. Do not forsake me, O Lord; O my God, do not be far from me! Make haste to help me, O Lord, my salvation!” Psalm 38:21

David trusted, and gave thanks, and felt anxiety and sorrow. Reading through the Psalms helps me to better understand what James was saying about considering it all joy when I encounter trials. David could feel sorrow and anxiety and joy and thanksgiving all at the same time. It’s not easy being human.

 “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful” Colossians 3:15

“Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.” Isaiah 40:31

When times are hard it is difficult to feel thankful, but when we put our hope in the Lord, with thanksgiving, He gives us peace and rest. Whenever I’m feeling ungrateful, I do a Bible study, that changes my perspective VERY quickly. I also have Isaiah 40:31 memorized because it’s SO true. Finally, just a reminder:

“The righteous cry, and the Lord hears And delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all.” Psalms 34:17-19

David should know. Maybe we can’t all be like Job, but I think a lot of us can be like David. There’s a lot going on in the world right now, but I don’t want that to make me ungrateful for all the real blessings I have in my life. There’s still a LOT to be thankful for and, as silly as it sounds, taking the time to think about what I’m grateful for helps me to change my focus so I can see more good than bad.

I hope you all have a happy and blessed Thanksgiving! I need to remember to look up “thankful” more often, to keep this going all year long.

How I Study

I’ve been asked a few times how I come up with my Bible studies and where should someone start if they wanted to do studies on their own, so I’ve decided to share the steps I take when studying my Bible. My methods are nothing new, and maybe you know a few or all of these steps already. Still, if I can help someone feel more confident opening the Word of God and taking a look for themselves I will be immensely happy.

For starters, if I don’t have a question in mind, I’ll use a generic box study guide. What do I mean by this? I’ll look up “Inductive Bible Study” on Amazon and grab one that looks interesting. I love inductive studies because they are much less about personalities and much more focused on the Bible. I hate getting a study only to find that most of it has been taken up with personal anecdotes or worse, personal interpretation of the Word without context and copious amounts of cross references.

“For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not mere men? What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth.” 1 Cor 3:4-6

That’s how I feel about personalities. I don’t want them interrupting my studies and getting in the way of the lesson God has planned for ME that day. Inductive studies, trust me, they are a great start.

After I have what I want to use for my study, I make sure I open all of my daily studies with prayer. I ask for wisdom and an open heart, because sometimes my studies can be VERY pointed at an issue I just don’t want to work on, but God has other plans.

“But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” James 1:5

As I go through my study, if I suddenly have a question, about a verse or a word or why something happened, I pursue it. My study isn’t about finishing a generic study on James, my study is about the lesson God has for me that day. Maybe it’s James chapter one, or maybe it’s chasing down the definition of the word “steadfast” in the Greek and seeing how that word is used elsewhere in the Bible and getting more context for what that word actually means and how I can apply that to my life.

There are some great online concordances, some can be found at Biblehub: https://biblehub.com/strongs.htm

Or Bible Study Tools: https://www.biblestudytools.com/concordances/strongs-exhaustive-concordance/

I personally have the Zodhiates Complete Word Study Old and New Testament. Two books, totally worth the investment, you can find the Strong’s concordance number above every single word in the Bible AND find the correlating definition in the back including Zodhiates own extended translations and all the verses where that word is used. If you REALLY want to dig into God’s Word, these help a lot.

Also, be willing to be wrong.

“We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,” 2 Cor 10:5

There is a LOT of speculation out there. There are teachers who write whole study guides based off of one Biblical translation of ONE verse and they just take that single verse and RUN with. Because we are bombarded with speculation, and because we are human, you’d be surprised how much speculation and not solid scripture you may have internalized. When I open my Bible, especially when I’m pursuing a question I have, I try my best to be willing to accept what I find and to let go of false speculations I may have be holding in my mind. The Bible, and the Bible alone, is the authority I trust.

“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” 2 Tim 3:16-17

Remember, the Bible interprets itself. Read that verse in context, context is important. Look up verses that speak on the same topic or maybe they even reference that verse, what do those other verses say. Copious amounts of cross referencing. Trust me. Don’t let someone lead you down the path of speculation with a single verse and a catchy idea.

“Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You.” Psalm 119:11

Finally, ask yourself how does this apply to me, to my life. Keep a notebook and write down your thoughts. What do you think this blog is for me? I process what I learn SO much better when I put my fingers to work and write out what I’ve learned. I always sum up with personal application because I’m the one doing the study so I better believe that what I found applies to me. Many times I’ll end in prayer, usually both thankful and contrite, asking for the ability to put what I’ve learned into action.

That’s it! That’s how I study. Anyone can do it, I’m nothing special. Remember:

“As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.” 1 John 2:27

But, DID Mary Know?

Okay, so maybe I jumped the gun a little since I’m listening to Christmas music before celebrating Thanksgiving, but I have a limited window and a lot of music to get through so I started early. It’s that time of year when every popular artist starts asking, “Mary Did You Know?” Maybe it’s just me, but I usually whisper the answer, no. Now, theologically this could be up to debate, so why don’t we take this question to the ultimate authority, God’s word. Let’s start at the beginning:

“Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God. And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.” Luke 1:26-38

Mary knew what she agreed to, which was to bear the son of God. However, the details of what this entails were rather broad. “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end” that was what Mary knew. A lot was left out there, which is probably why we see Mary doing a LOT of thinking.

For example, when the shepherds showed up at Christ’s birth, Mary had to think about things.

“But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart.” Luke 2:19

When Jesus was presented at the temple and Simeon took Jesus in his arms:

“Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace,According to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation, Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, A Light of revelation to the Gentiles,And the glory of Your people Israel.” And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him.” Luke 2:29-33

Mary and Joseph were amazed at what was being said about Jesus.

How about when they left Jerusalem, thinking Jesus was with them, only to have to go back and look for Him:

“When they saw Him, they were astonished; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You.” And He said to them, “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?” But they did not understand the statement which He had made to them. And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and He continued in subjection to them; and His mother treasured all these things in her heart.” Luke 2:48-51

Mary didn’t understand the statement, that Jesus was in His Father’s house when He was in the temple. Once again Mary had to treasure all this in her heart. She had to think about it. That word “treasured” in the Greek is diatēreō – to keep, to watch thoroughly, observe carefully. Mary was watching Jesus very closely, because she knew what the angel told her but she didn’t really know the future held. Jesus kept surprising her and doing things she didn’t understand.

Mary didn’t know what was going to happen in Jesus’ life. She was discovering everything as it happened, just like everyone who was around Jesus at the time. Even after His death and resurrection, His disciple John was still ministering to Mary. Remember this:

“When Jesus then saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He *said to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then He *said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” From that hour the disciple took her into his own household.” John 19:26-27

The eldest son was the one who was responsible for taking care of his parents in their old age. Jesus was passing on that responsibly to John, and we see in 2 John that he took the responsibility seriously.

“The elder to the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in truth; and not only I, but also all who know the truth, for the sake of the truth which abides in us and will be with us forever: Grace, mercy and peace will be with us, from God the Father and from Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.” 2 John 1:1-3

John writes this to Mary:

“Now I ask you, lady, not as though I were writing to you a new commandment, but the one which we have had from the beginning, that we love one another. And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it. For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist. Watch yourselves, that you do not lose what we have accomplished, but that you may receive a full reward.” 2 John 1:5-8

Mary was still subject to Christ’s commandments AND she was being warned not to be deceived or to fall away. Mary was blessed, but she was also just another faulty human like the rest of us. She didn’t know what was in her future when she had Jesus. She didn’t fully understand everything she was witnessing when it happened. Mary was a careful thinker. She watched Jesus closely. She kept everything that happened in her memory, in her heart, to be mulled over and thought about deeply.

The answer to the song “Mary Did You Know” is no, no she didn’t.

None of us know what God has planned for us. I’m sure there are plenty of things that have happened in your life that you find yourself pondering. Mary, however, was a good servant. She didn’t NEED to know to submit herself to God’s plan. She just submitted. “Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” Sometimes we have to accept that we don’t know, and still say, “I am your bondservant, Lord, Your will be done.”

Happiness or Joy

If you follow me on Twitter this one will look familiar. I wanted to collect some of my Bible study threads in one place where I can find them again. This particular study is important to me because I think we can all get caught up in the fact we are currently unhappy and forget that happiness isn’t joy. I know I’ll need a reminder of what I’ve learned.

“All that my eyes desired I did not refuse them. I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure, for my heart was pleased because of all my labor and this was my reward for all my labor. Thus I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labor which I had exerted, and behold all was vanity and striving after wind and there was no profit under the sun.” Ecclesiastes 2:10-11

I’ve been thinking about happiness vs joy a lot lately. The world is so fixed on happiness. They preach, “Do what makes you happy” and “If it doesn’t make you happy toss it.” The thing is, happiness is circumstantial, thus fleeting. It is an impermanent state and subject to change at any moment. Like the Bible says, it’s like chasing the wind.

Joy isn’t the same. Joy is something the Bible tells us we can hold onto even in the midst of trials. We won’t feel happy, but we can consider the bad things going on with joy because we know this isn’t all there is.

“Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.”
1 Peter 4:12-13

“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” James 1:2-4

“For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.” Romans 8:24-25

Hope, like joy, isn’t dependent on what’s going on in our lives. You don’t hope for what you have, you hope for what you know is to come. Lately someone tried to convince me I’m depressed. This is because, unlike my public persona, I am not happy ALL of the time. I’m human.

The thing is, I’m not depressed. I WAS depressed. Before I had my son I was definitely chasing the wind. I had fallen on some hard times and had some fellow Christians make harsh judgements. Instead of chalking it up to their humanity, I ran from the church and directly into the arms of chasing happiness. Chasing happiness apart from God will make anyone depressed. More so when you know in your gut that this isn’t the answer.

After having C, everything clicked in my head and I realized how utterly foolish I had been. I got back into my studies and found the JOY that I had misplaced. These days I may be stressed. There is a lot going on in my life at the moment that weighs on my heart, but I’m not depressed. I have hope, and I have joy. Those have never left me, nor will they ever leave, because neither are based in worldly things.

“Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.” Phil 4:4

“Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” Romans 5:2

I need to spend more time being anxious for nothing. That’s something I’m working on. I’m working on it through study and prayer. My choice is to trust in the Lord, to consider my struggles with joy because I know they are helping me learn how to hand my worries over to God.

“But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.” 1 Peter 4:13

Don’t let the world get you caught up chasing happiness. They don’t understand what joy and real hope is, or the wonder both can add to your life, even when you aren’t currently happy.

“In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ;”
1 Peter 1:6-7

Real joy is in God.

“You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.” Psalms 16:11

Maybe You Should Calm Down

“for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.” – James 1:20

There is a lot of anger out there these days. You can’t turn on the TV, listen to the radio, or open anything online, without seeing that someone is rioting, or picketing, or boycotting, or screaming at the sky over something. Anger is spreading like a wild fire and there doesn’t seem to be anyone willing to do anything about it. If you listen to the people raging online you would see that they are under the impression this is is a righteous anger. This anger is for justice. While Christ did give us an example of righteous anger, do we as fallen humans have that capability? Are we called to righteous anger, or is James right here, that the anger of humans does not achieve the righteousness of God? Let’s take it to the Bible to find out.

“Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity.” Ephesians 4:26-27

Here we are given the impression that it IS possible to be angry without sinning, but what does that look like? Well, lets look at this verse in context, since context is key:

“Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity. He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need. Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:26-32

In context we can now see that being angry but without sin actually takes a lot of work on the part of the angered party. We aren’t to sin in return “he who steals must steal no longer”, and that we are to let no unwholesome word proceed from our mouths. The words we speak are supposed to edify, according to what is needed, and give GRACE to those who hear. This, doesn’t sound like the anger I’m seeing in the news. Furthermore, we are to let go of bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and slander. If we did that, Twitter would suddenly go silent.

Righteous anger, anger without sinning, takes a lot of self control. What else does the Bible say about anger?

“Cease from anger and forsake wrath;Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing.” Psalms 37:8

Well, that’s fairly self explanatory.

“He who is slow to anger has great understanding, But he who is quick-tempered exalts folly. A tranquil heart is life to the body, But passion is rottenness to the bones.” Proverbs 14:29-30

“A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Proverbs 15:1

“Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;” James 1:19

“Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the bosom of fools.” Ecclesiastes 7:9

“Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.” Proverbs 19:11

I don’t know about you, but I’m seeing a theme developing here. The Bible is pretty specific that we need to be slow to anger, quick to listen, and to meet confrontation with grace and patience.

“A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.” Proverbs 29:11

It would seem that what we are seeing is an awful lot of fools giving vent to their anger. I am certainly among them! I’m not casting stones here, as this study is for ME. Writing it out merely helps me put thoughts into action. It seems like everyone wants “justice” but by “justice” they really mean “vengeance”.

“Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”” Romans 12:19

Okay, so if we are not supposed to avenge ourselves, if we are not supposed to get angry, what SHOULD we do?

“Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:8-9

Ever try that exercise where you mention you never see any blue cars to a friend and the next thing you know you and your friend are seeing blue cars everywhere? That’s because we only tend to see what we are looking for. If you are looking for negativity (cough cough racism, microaggressions cough) then all you are ever going to see is negativity. If you want to make a change in the world the first person you should start with is yourself. You have to take control of your own mind and your own perspective in order to start seeing the good that is there.

“We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ” 2 Corinthians 10:5

Anger isn’t good for your health. It isn’t good for your soul. Anger is a raging fire that will consume everything and everyone in your life and accomplish nothing.

We need to let go.

We need to calm down. All of us.

What is Love?

If you were to get your definition of love from the movies, or TV, or even novels, you might believe that love is only what makes you feel good about yourself and your place in the world. Love is a warm hug, or according to Disney an open door. Love only affirms, it never questions, and it certainly never makes you feel doubt in yourself. The only thing we need is love. But, is this the Biblical definition of love? Is this the love that God intends for us? Is this how God shows love?

“For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. You have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood in your striving against sin; and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons,“My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, Nor faint when you are reproved by Him; For those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, And He scourges every son whom He receives.” It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness. Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak and the knees that are feeble, and make straight paths for your feet, so that the limb which is lame may not be put out of joint, but rather be healed.” – Hebrews 12:3-13

Does this sound like the definition of love that the world offers us? A disciplinarian? A Father who reproves His children? What about this:

“If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven. – Matthew 18:15-18

Does that sound like love? Confronting someone over and over again when you see them sinning? To the point of bringing that person’s sin out publicly if they refuse to stop?

The thing is, this is love. Discipline, admonishment, reproof, these are things you do for the people you love BECAUSE you love them. I discipline my son so that he will learn how to be a good person, kindhearted, caring, and selfless. These are not attributes we are born with, we have to be taught. Part of teaching is admonishing someone when they have done something wrong.

“For whom the LORD loves He reproves, Even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.” – Proverbs 3:12

“He who withholds his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him diligently.” – Proverbs 13:24

“A wise son accepts his father’s discipline, But a scoffer does not listen to rebuke.” – Proverbs 13:1

“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” – 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Love isn’t watching someone run headlong into destruction. Love isn’t just trying to get along when someone is behaving badly and ruining their witness. Love is coming along side that person and letting them know that what they are doing is wrong. Love is sometimes making someone uncomfortable because a little discomfort now is better than some consequences they could be facing later. Love IS discipline.

“But actually, I wrote to you not to associate with any so-called brother if he is an immoral person, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or a swindler—not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? But those who are outside, God judges. Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.” 1 Corinthians 6:11-13

It seems like everyone, even nonbelievers, know the verses about “do not judge lest ye be judged” but very few know this verse in 1 Corinthians about judging those within the church. Remember, all scripture is good for reproof. Who are we reproving if not other christians?

“If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; for it is better for you to lose one of the parts of your body, than for your whole body to go into hell.” – Matthew 5:30

It is better to lose parts of your body then your whole body in hell. It is better to confront one another in love, and be uncomfortable for a time, than to placate a brother or sister in Christ who is falling away from sound teaching. Remember that parable about the sheep who strays? My pastor brought this up last Sunday:

““What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying? If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray. So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish.” – Matthew 18:12-14

That sheep wasn’t an unbeliever, that was a believer who had gone astray. You can’t go astray if you aren’t part of the flock. Love isn’t just accepting that person’s life choices. Love is confronting that person and trying to bring them back to the fold. Yes, after you try privately, then with witnesses, then with the whole church, you have to let that person go. Still, you don’t let them go without that fight. That fight, that confrontation, that is LOVE.

What is love? It’s not just someone who affirms all of my choices no matter what. It’s not someone who will ignore all my bad qualities, or someone who accepts me as I am. Love is someone who is willing to confront me when I have gone astray. Love is a Heavenly Father who lets me experience trials so that I may learn endurance. Love is discipline, admonishment, and reproof. Love is a verb, not a feeling, and to be a verb it has to involve action. Don’t let the world tell you what love is, because it really doesn’t know pure love, God’s love. Next time someone tells you that Christians aren’t practicing love, ask them to define what love is, because I bet you they don’t know that love sometimes includes loving someone enough to tell them they are wrong.

What Does The Bible Say About Ghosts?

What does God’s word have to say about ghosts? Could they be the souls of the dead walking around? Shadows or echos of the past? Is there any Biblical evidence that ghosts are real? Well, these are tough questions, but I’ll try my best to show what the Bible tells us about what happens to us after we die and about the spiritual entities walking the earth.

Let’s start with a quick concordance search on the word ghost, just to see if the term even shows up.

Jesus was mistaken for a ghost when he walked across the water:

“When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭14:26‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

The Holy Spirit is sometimes referred to as the Holy Ghost in some translations.

And finally a medium at Endor brought back Samuel’s spirit from the dead (although from the text it sounds like she was just as surprised by it herself so maybe she was a charlatan and not expecting it to work):

“Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” And he said, “Bring up Samuel for me.” When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice; and the woman spoke to Saul, saying, “Why have you deceived me? For you are Saul.” The king said to her, “Do not be afraid; but what do you see?” And the woman said to Saul, “I see a divine being coming up out of the earth.” He said to her, “What is his form?” And she said, “An old man is coming up, and he is wrapped with a robe.” And Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground and did homage.”
‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭28:11-15‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

The Bible doesn’t really talk about ghosts much. The situation with Samuel is rather unique, and even back then practicing what was considered witchcraft was against the law. The medium at Endor actually accuses Saul of entrapment at first. Saul was also in serious trouble for dabbling in witchcraft.

Where does that leave us? Well, let’s turn our investigation into what the Bible says about what happens to us when we die.

“And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭9:27‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

The Bible says that directly after we die we are judged. Jesus tells a parable about a rich man and a poor man who both die:

““Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day. And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores. Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and *saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭16:19-25‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

In Jesus’ parable both the rich man and the poor man die and are immediately placed in their separate “holding cells” after death. I can get into what these locations are in a different study, since it is rather complicated and will lead us into a tangent and away from our goal at hand.

Back to what happens when we die:

“then the dust will return to the earth as it was, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.”
‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭12:7‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

“Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.”
‭‭Daniel‬ ‭12:2‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭5:10‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

“Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine. The soul who sins will die.”
‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭18:4‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

“For the living know they will die; but the dead do not know anything, nor have they any longer a reward, for their memory is forgotten. Indeed their love, their hate and their zeal have already perished, and they will no longer have a share in all that is done under the sun.”
‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭9:5-6‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

I could go on and on, verses about death are rather endless, the last two verses I think really drive home the idea that souls are not left on earth after they die. God takes back the soul of the person who passed and that person then faces judgement.

But so many people have witnessed ghosts and supernatural activities, what could that be?

Well, there are many theories, only one of which I believe. First, I’ll explain why they are not angels as someone I know suggested.

What do we know about angels?

For starters, there are many instances in the Bible were angels looked like regular humans and people were surprised to learn the strangers they helped were actually angels. In fact we are told:

“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭13:2‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

God sends guardian angels to protect His people:

“For He will give His angels charge concerning you, To guard you in all your ways.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭91:11‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

“The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, And rescues them.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭34:7‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

“Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭1:14‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

We know angels not disguised as humans are actually frightening, but in every case shown in the Bible they say “do not be afraid”.

“The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭1:30‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

“But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭2:10‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

“For this very night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood before me, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar; and behold, God has granted you all those who are sailing with you.’”
‭‭Acts‬ ‭27:23-24‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

We are also told that we aren’t suppose to trust any supernatural being that claims to be from God because even Satan is an angel of light:

“No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.”
‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭11:14-15‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭4:1‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

If ghosts aren’t dead souls, or angels, what are they? Well, what other malevolent beings happen to walk the earth? Ghosts scare and disturb. The belief that ghosts exist suggest an alternative afterlife to what is preached in the Bible. What supernatural beings would want to scare you and lead you away from God?

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6:12‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

“Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭5:8‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

“You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭10:21‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

“You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.”
‭‭James‬ ‭2:19‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

“And He healed many who were ill with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He was not permitting the demons to speak, because they knew who He was.”
‭‭Mark‬ ‭1:34‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

“Those who had seen it reported to them how the man who was demon-possessed had been made well.”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭8:36‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

“And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.”
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2:1-2‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

We are warned constantly that Satan and HIS angels are roaming around here on earth. The Bible calls Satan the prince and the power of the air. When Christ was tempted in the desert Satan offered Him the kingdoms of the world. Such an offer couldn’t be made if they didn’t belong to Satan.

The Bible says our fight is not against flesh and blood, and I think a part of that includes the manifestation of ghosts. Ghosts are not from God. If they are not from God there is only one other supernatural force they could be from.

Praise be to God who has already one the war against evil, and because of Whom we have nothing to fear.

“But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. AND DO NOT FEAR THEIR INTIMIDATION, AND DO NOT BE TROUBLED, but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;”
‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭3:14-15‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

Why Christian’s Can’t be Pro-Choice

“Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭127:3‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

As a Christian, there is no biblical ground to stand on to support abortion. Absolutely none. In fact the Bible makes it fairly clear, as you will see, that abortion is murder.

I don’t want to mince words here. I know some of you reading this will find the term “murder” harsh, but no euphemism I put in place of murder will change the fact that abortion is ending a life. It won’t change the fact the Bible is very clear as to when life begins.

However, don’t take my word for it. Let’s take this to the Bible.

“If men struggle with each other and strike a woman with child so that she gives birth prematurely, yet there is no injury, he shall surely be fined as the woman’s husband may demand of him, and he shall pay as the judges decide. But if there is any further injury, then you shall appoint as a penalty life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.”
‭‭Exodus‬ ‭21:22-25‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

Let’s start in Exodus, where the Lord was setting up the laws. This where God established the death penalty. If you take a life, you are to be put to death. God was clear, that if you cause a woman to lose her baby it is “life for life”. God acknowledges that a baby in the womb is alive. In fact, the Bible goes into more detail about that.

“For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭139:13-16‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

““Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.””
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭1:5‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

God knows every baby in the womb. A fetus isn’t just a clump of cells. God knows and cares for that human life long before birth. More than that, the Bible gives many examples that it is God who opens and shuts the womb.

“Shall I bring to the point of birth and not give delivery?” says the LORD. “Or shall I who gives delivery shut the womb? ” says your God.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭66:9‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

“but to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved Hannah, but the LORD had closed her womb.”
‭‭1 Samuel‬ ‭1:5‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

“Behold, children are a gift of the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭127:3‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

Children are a gift, given by God. He cares about them in womb. He set laws about killing an unborn child. God also doesn’t tempt you to do wrong.

“Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.”
‭‭James‬ ‭1:13‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

Taking a life is murder. Abortion is taking a life that God has formed. God also hates the murder of children.

“Moreover, you took your sons and daughters whom you had borne to Me and sacrificed them to idols to be devoured. Were your harlotries so small a matter? You slaughtered My children and offered them up to idols by causing them to pass through the fire. Besides all your abominations and harlotries you did not remember the days of your youth, when you were naked and bare and squirming in your blood.”
‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭16:20-22‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

You may say, “Well I would never get an abortion, but I have no right to force my Christian beliefs on someone who doesn’t believe in God.” You can’t force salvation on anyone, that has to be a personal choice. But, standing up against murdering children isn’t about forcing someone to believe in God, it’s about standing up for those who can’t speak for themselves.

“Open your mouth for the mute, For the rights of all the unfortunate. Open your mouth, judge righteously, And defend the rights of the afflicted and needy.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭31:8-9‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

“Deliver those who are being taken away to death, And those who are staggering to slaughter, Oh hold them back. If you say, “See, we did not know this,” Does He not consider it who weighs the hearts? And does He not know it who keeps your soul? And will He not render to man according to his work?”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭24:11-12‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

Knowing what the Bible says about when life begins, in the womb, you can no longer say “I didn’t know it was murder.” We were called to hold back those who are putting others to death. We are called to defend the innocent. Who is more innocent than a child in the womb?

If you are a Christian, there is absolutely no way you can defend murdering a baby. A Christian can’t be pro-choice, and we can’t be silent either.

“The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭14:22‬ ‭NASB1995‬‬

Peaceful Tracks

“and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE;”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6:15‬ ‭NASB‬‬

Do you leave peace in your tracks? When you leave a place, is there strife in your wake or did your presence leave peaceful prints behind?

My study is still looking more closely into the Lord’s Prayer and today was digging deeper into “deliver us from evil”.

“Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6:11-13‬ ‭NASB‬‬

The armor of God protects us from “the schemes of the devil” but the study pointed out that if we aren’t diligent to put on the armor of God, if we dwell in unrepentant sin, we leave ourselves wide open.

Think about it:

“Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS,”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6:14‬ ‭NASB‬‬

If you entertain lies, revel in gossip and rumors, there goes your breastplate.

“and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE;”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6:15‬ ‭NASB‬‬

If you stir up strife, add coals to an already heated argument, there goes your footwear.

“in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6:16‬ ‭NASB‬‬

This is my particular struggle. I struggle with worry and anxiety. I don’t doubt God’s existence, but worrying all the time is also a lack of faith in His omniscience and His promises to take care of my needs. There goes my shield.

“And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭6:17‬ ‭NASB‬‬

I believe you can’t lose your salvation (which is a study for another time) so praise God for securing my helmet in spite of myself. However, if I’m not in God’s word I am completely without a sword.

This struck home this morning, especially the idea of protecting my feet with the gospel of peace.

I am mildly addicted to Twitter. Anyone who knows anything about Twitter knows that interactions there are definitely not peaceful. Does my presence there reflect how I’m called to behave?

““Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5:9‬ ‭NASB‬‬

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.”

‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3:15‬ ‭NASB‬‬

“And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”

‭‭James‬ ‭3:18‬ ‭NASB‬‬

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,”

‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5:22‬ ‭NASB‬‬

And let’s not forget that if I obey and bring my anxiety before the Lord:

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

‭‭Philippians‬ ‭4:6-7‬ ‭NASB‬‬

I’ve got to remember that I’m called to be a reflection of God’s love and His message of salvation to the world. How I behave will reflect on my faith and people will judge what I believe based on my actions. How can I talk about salvation and the need for God’s mercy and grace if I don’t behave merciful and don’t offer a little grace to others? My witness isn’t my words, it’s how I live my life. It’s important to always remember this.