Vile Honored

In America we are in the midst of experiencing a monumental shift in the nation’s moral compass. At an ever quickening pace what was once considered vile is now honored. And what was once honored is now considered vile. As this pattern continues, believers may find themselves in harms way as identifying with Christ becomes less and less popular. If we look around the world at nations where belief in Christ is opposed, we understand that our Christian brothers and sisters suffer great persecution. Will we experience that here in America? Will we see that level of persecution in our lifetimes? Will we have to hide while the wicked strut about freely? Look at these words in Psalm chapter 12, verses 7 and 8 which says:

“O Lord, you will keep us safe and protect us from such people forever. The wicked freely strut about when what is vile is honored among men.”

This verse is as true today as when it was written. When what is vile becomes that which is honored, the wicked will freely strut about. And as the tide continues to turn in our nation, I’m sure believers will feel what David felt when he wrote these words. Earlier in this chapter, in verses 1 and 2, David says:

“Help, Lord, for the godly are no more; the faithful have vanished from among men. Everyone lies to his neighbor; their flattering lips speak with deception.”

Even if you feel as if you are the only one left who honors the word of God, I encourage you to stand strong. It might be a good idea to examine your dedication to the Lord now; to decide what you might do in the event that our nation fully turns its back on God to the point where it seems that “godly men are no more”, as David puts it. If this happens, would you be willing to stand alone? I hope you would, and I hope I would too.

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David prayed that the Lord protect him from those who are vile; those who openly sin and strut about with pride as their sins are honored by men. He laments that his world has turned dark with sin; that there are no more godly men and that everyone around him are liars and deceivers. We may not live in that world now, but we should know how we will respond if, some day, we find ourselves in that world. Yes, some vile acts are honored in our country. But at least, right now, people of God can be found, and we are still free to live out our faith. As things get darker, I pray that we, as believers, become the beacon of light; the light on a hill as the Bible describes. Are you willing to be that light? I encourage you to consider how far you are willing to go for the Lord.

God Is Near

When you pray, do you envision God as being way up in heaven looking down from his throne hearing your request from afar? I used to. And when I’m not focused, I still might. But when my heart is in step with the Spirit, and when my walk is strong with the Lord, I understand that when I pray to God he isn’t far, but very near. You may have experienced the presence of the Lord yourself when you’ve prayed; the feeling that God is physically with you right then and there. But even when you don’t feel him, have faith to believe that he is close. He was close to the Israelites when they prayed, and he is close to us as well. Moses said in Deuteronomy 4 verse 7:

“What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him?”

I believe that God wants to be close to us. The Bible tells us that the Lord wanted to be close to the Israelites. That is why the tabernacle and the temple were built, so that he could be physically close to them. In Genesis, God was close to his creation, speaking directly to Adam. And even now, God wants to be close to us. Moses says that God is near us whenever we pray to him. Do you believe that? In the midst of your pain and sorrow, when you cry out to him, I encourage you to know that God is not far off, but he is very near. And even when you pray to him casually, I believe that God is still very near. So when you talk to God, don’t think of him as being on a phone listening to you from somewhere else. Think of it as if you are visiting him; that when you pray to him, he is in the same room with you. Because as Moses shares in Deuteronomy, God is near us whenever we pray to him.

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The Bible reminds us that where two or three are gathered together in his name, God is right there in the midst of them. And Moses encourages us that when we pray to God, he is near to us. He could’ve been referring to the tabernacle, where the ark of the covenant and the physical presence of the Lord resided; that when the Israelites prayed, the ark of the covenant was close by. But I think he was explaining that any of us; past, present and future; no matter where you are, or what time of day it is, that God is near you when you pray. Whether God is near or far may not matter to some. But I find it very comforting to know that God is near, and so did Moses.

Eternal Life

When you think of “eternal life”, what comes to your mind? Are you thinking of a place where there is no more pain, no more sorrow, and no more fear? Are you thinking of a place filled with angels and other majestic beings that are difficult to imagine? Does your mind show you our God in all his majesty with Jesus sitting at his right hand? What do you think of? Though these things may ring true in eternity, Jesus tells us in John chapter 17 verse 3 what we should focus on when we think of eternity in heaven. He says:

“Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”

I believe that heaven is more than just a place, it is more than what we’ll see, it’s more than what we’ll have and more than what we’ll no longer have to deal with. It is a relationship with God that we’ve never experienced this side of heaven. Jesus says that eternal life is that we may know God and that we may know Jesus. Though we may think we know God now, our understanding of him is like looking through a dark, dirty window. We have an idea of who he is, but there is only so much we can know of, and about, him while we live here on earth. I don’t know about you, but I look forward to being closer to God than I’ve ever been, knowing him in a way that I’ve never known, and worshipping him in ways that I can’t even imagine. That is the heaven I’m looking forward to, and that is the heaven I believe Jesus is describing in John 17.

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The Bible only gives us hints of what we can look forward to when we die. We have an idea of what both believers will experience and what unbelievers will experience, but as Jesus explains, for those who will have their names written in the book of life, our eternity will mean to “know” him. I don’t think we can truly understand what an amazing reward that will be. I would guess that all other things, or experiences, we will have in heaven will pale in comparison to knowing God. In fact, I’m sure that none of it will matter aside from knowing him. So I would challenge you, if your thoughts on eternal life differ from the one Jesus laid out, I hope you will realign your thinking to what truly matters both in this life and certainly in our eternal life, which is knowing him.

Flee Evil Desires

It is incredible how powerful the desires of the flesh are. Much like the things we can become addicted to, when we fall in a certain area of sin, we are more prone to fall again in that same area than someone who has never tasted that particular sin. Because once our flesh has tasted sin, it can be ever more enticing and addicting. But the more we flee those evil desires, the easier it should get over time to resist it. Paul tells Timothy in second Timothy 2:22: 

“Flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”

God wants our heart to be pure. He wants us to pursue righteousness. I’ve even heard it said that “God does not merely call us to pursue righteousness, but to prefer it.” For most of us, to prefer righteousness, faith, love and peace, like it says in this verse, requires a change of heart. It requires a change in mindset, and it requires the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives as the truth sets us free; the truth that righteousness is better than sin. Paul tells Timothy to flee evil desires and to pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace. And as an extension, I believe that God is telling us to do that as well.

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Paul alludes to the idea that those who call on the Lord with a pure heart are also the ones who pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace. These are attributes that every believer wants to reflect. Step one is to flee the evil desires of our youth, as Paul puts it. To prefer righteousness means that we want to be righteous over indulging in sin; that we enjoy being right before God over satisfying our fleshly desires. Let us heed Paul’s instruction. Let us flee the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.

Search Me

When it comes to your heart; when it comes to your walk with Christ, how honest are you about how you are doing? Are you acutely aware of your walk, or do you just assume your heart is right before him? If our relationship with Jesus is an active one, we should be confident about our answer to these questions. But whether we have a consistent walk, or whether we meet with God only occasionally, we should often open our hearts to God and ask him to search us to reveal the truth about our hearts. Psalm, chapter 139 verses 23 and 24 reveals this prayer:

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

At times we need to pause, take a step back, and ask the Holy Spirit to search our hearts and reveal what is truly there. In this Psalm, David asks God to search his heart, to see if there is any offensive or wicked way in him. I believe that he asks this because sometimes we can fool ourselves, or convince ourselves that things are fine even if they aren’t. At times we cannot adequately evaluate our walk because sins like pride and haughtiness, among other sins, are difficult to identify or admit to. That is why we need to humble ourselves before the Lord and allow him to search our heart. He will reveal the truth if we ask him. He can correct anything in our hearts that need correcting. And he can lead us in the way everlasting.

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When was the last time you asked the Holy Spirit to search your heart? When was the last time you were willing to evaluate the course you are on? On our own we can’t always get a clear picture of where we are. Though we may try, we might unintentionally deceive ourselves. For me, it’s kind of like when I write a book, or work on a video project. I can be so close to the material that it is difficult to identify any flaws or mistakes, which is why it is wise to let someone who isn’t so close to it help me see any flaws. Likewise, the Holy Spirit can search our hearts and identify any hidden flaws or sins that we can’t see ourselves. I encourage you to ask the Spirit to search your heart. Ask him to see if there is any offensive or wicked way in you so that he may lead you in the way everlasting.