A Life Lesson from Kids

I did nursery for the Graduation Preaching Conference at Heartland Baptist Bible College and got to see some cute kids!!  One of them, who we'll call Mark, found great pleasure in constantly trying to escape the "Walkers' Room" and explore bigger and better places.  We couldn't turn our backs for more than five seconds, or he would be gone!  I started thinking about how adults are the same way, but on a much larger scale.


Mark thought his greatest sense of fulfillment could be found "out there."  He disregarded the many toys and friends within the walls and focused all of his time and energy on somehow getting "out there."  He wanted to be free.  There was so much to see and do if he could only escape.  What he didn't know about the great beyond, however, was that there was uncovered outlets, hard floors, and dangerous objects laying around that could harm him if swallowed.


Does this sound familiar?  So many young people are obsessed with pushing the limits, climbing the fence, and living on the edge, but don't realize that what lies beyond will hurt them.  Looking outside his small room, Mark saw a huge playroom with lots of space to roll around.  Being a nursery worker, I saw more than that -- I looked past the fun and saw a floor he could easily trip and break a tooth on and a nail that Maintenance had accidentally dropped on the floor, which any two year old would swallow without giving it a second thought.  As an adult, I saw many dangers Mark didn't... but he didn't seem to appreciate my forethought and wisdom.


As a young person, you will discover boundaries set around you that you might not completely understand.  You might wonder why your youth pastor advises against dating in high school or why your mom won't let you drive around with friends past midnight.  Like Mark, you might be peeking through the door thinking, "But it looks like so much fun!" and fighting to be free.  You might grow aggravated when your authorities keep pulling you back into your "cage" and not telling you why you can't go out there.  You become convinced that your greatest sense of fulfillment is outside of these boundaries.


Just a word of advice: don't go out there.  There are things in the typical young person's world that your parents, pastor and youth pastor don't want you to have to experience in order to know about.  To let Mark eat a nail to teach him how much pain it would inflict upon him would have been ludicrous; instead I kept him as far away from it as possible.  That is exactly what your authorities are doing for you by putting up boundaries.  Like Mark, you might not understand why you're not allowed to do certain things, but someday you will, and you will be grateful for authorities who protected you from being hurt.


Your greatest sense of fulfillment is not found in sneaking out late at night to go to a party, stealing the keys to the car to visit a "friend," or putting junk music on a CD and labeling it "Bro. Jones' Preaching."  It looks like so much fun... until your friends pressure you into doing something dumb, your "friend" turns out to be a jerk, and you accidentally leave your CD in the player the day mom uses the car.  These are uncovered outlets and sharp objects that older folks know about through experience, and would do anything to spare you this kind of pain and regret.


Next time you venture to ask your parent another "border line" question and once again you run into a wall, pause before you show any sign of disappointment.  Think, "Enough of me assuming they're just trying to make my life miserable... What could be the REAL reason they're saying no?"  It just might be to protect you, and for that you could at least smile and say, "OK."  Your greatest sense of fulfillment is found smack dab in the middle of God's will, deep within all the boundaries that have already been set up for you.  If you accept these rules with a cheerful heart, you will be the happiest you've ever been in your whole life.  

A Word to Weary Bible College Students

It's that time of year again.  With the end of every semester comes lack of sleep, impossible exams, and unexpected hardships.  I reread and once again found encouragement in this post written by Cary Schmidt.  If you are in college, please read this... it may be exactly what you need.

A Word to Weary Bible College Students by Cary Schmidt

Don't Trust in Horses and Chariots

According to Isaiah, not only is it a good idea to trust God, but it's the only way to go!  And you can trust God's prophets, because if anything they said wasn't true, they had to be put to death.  So you can pretty much count on this one: God is the One who should be trusted.

Once you're neck deep in a mess that's beyond your control, trusting Him is easier said than done.  We tend to rely on ourselves, because we figure we can handle it.  The fact is, we can't handle it and we know very little about ourselves if we believe we can.  Sometimes we cling to parents, peers or our pastor for strength, but these people cannot be spiritual enough to face our trials for us.  Each of us must learn to lean on God for ourselves.  Finally, there are those who resort to wordly things for comfort.  Again, wrong choice!  

1	Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help; and stay on horses, and trust in chariots, because they are many; and in horsemen, because they are very strong; but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the LORD!
2	Yet he also is wise, and will bring evil, and will not call back his words: but will arise against the house of the evildoers, and against the help of them that work iniquity.
3	Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit. When the LORD shall stretch out his hand, both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is holpen shall fall down, and they all shall fail together.  -Isaiah 31:1-3

The worst thing you can do is "go back to Egypt" when the going gets rough.  Many of us have lived a wordly lifestyle of some degree before salvation, so returning to its ease and comfort seems like the natural thing to do.  Before Jesus rose again, the disciples were so distraught over His death that they went back to their old profession: fishing.  It's easy to slide into the old habit of "trusting in chariots" because they're familiar and visible; who wants to put their trust in Someone you can't even see?

The truth is, all the "horses and chariots" Egypt can give you aren't really that strong.  In the end, he that helpeth (the world) and the holpen (you) will fall.  Isaiah says, Woe to them that look not unto God, neither seek the Lord!  In the words of a great hymn, "I must tell Jesus; Jesus can help me, Jesus alone" (I Must Tell Jesus).  Life is not for the faint at heart.  Don't trust in whatever you left in Egypt; they're no match for God.  Trust in the One that wiped out the entire Egyptian army at the Red Sea Crossing; He will bring you safely through!

Picture: bible-history.com

Nails in the Fence

There once was a little boy who had a bad temper.  His Father gave him a bag of nails and told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence.  The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence.  Over the next  few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the number of nails hammered 20 daily  gradually dwindled down.

 He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.  Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all.  He told his father about it and the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper. 
 
  The days passed and the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand and led him to the fence.  He said, "You have done well, my son, but look at the holes in the fence.  The fence will never be the same.  When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one.  You can put a knife in a man and draw it out.  But It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound will still be there.  A verbal wound is just as bad as, and often worse than, a physical one."


Author Unknown 

Don't Lock Yourself Back Up

Gal 4:8  Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods. 
Gal 4:9  But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?


Gal 5:1  Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. 

Remember playing cops and robbers?  I always liked being the bad guy -- maybe I'm just weird, but I thought they always had it made.  You got to run and hide, escape traps, and finally let the cops get you... on purpose, of course.  There was something exhilarating about letting someone tie your hands behind your back.    

It is one thing to play around with handcuffs, but putting yourself back under the bondage of sin is an entirely different matter.  It is so easy to fall into a besetting sin, enjoy it for a moment, regret it, and get back out again, only to slip right back into it.  So the cycle goes... you know (fill in the blank) is just as wicked as can be, yet you find yourself entangled in it time and time again.

In verse 8 Paul explains that a lost person can be expected to act in a sinful manner because they are still a slave to sin.  However, verse 9 goes on to say that it is absolutely ludicrous for a child of God to put themselves under sin's bondage.

Remember how miserable it was to be Satan's servant?  He made sin look so good, but it brought you more heartache, guilt, and pain than you ever bargained for.  Not only did you sin, but you had no choice.  Each transgression was a chain, weighing heavier and heavier as Satan piled them upon you.  But then you got saved.  Your burden was lifted and no longer did Satan have control of you.  You live and breathe in freedom, without a single obligation to your former master.  After a while, sin started looking good again.  Sure, you are saved, but that gives you a license to do whatever you want, right?  Before long, you find yourself falling into the same old stuff over and over.  You might be saved, but sin has once again locked you into its grip.

"How turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?" (verse 9)  It seems ridiculous, but it's exactly what we do!  Why would we ever desire the chains that once held us fast?   How could we look at sin and think, "I want that instead of freedom!  It looks so much better than being free!"  Why?!?! 

Through Christ you are able to have victory.  Don't lock yourself back up into the mess from which you were delivered.  You don't have to be tangled up in bondage anymore!  Accepting spiritual defeat as a way of life is just as silly as grabbing the chains in the picture above and wrapping them around you.  Instead, decide that whatever your personal vice is, you will let the Lord change your heart and help you overcome it.

Another great thing about your freedom in Christ is you don't have to lift a finger for it.  "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free" (verse 1).  He's already gained the victory; all you have to do is ask Him for it.  In fact, trying to fight your own sinfulness in your own strength will end in utter failure.  The Lord is your strength and your shield -- live in the liberty you already have in Him!

Don't Hang Yourself... Hang Around

³ Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,

⁴ Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What [is that] to us? see thou [to that].

⁵ And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.

-Matthew 27:3-5

Consider for a moment the similarity between Peter and Judas.  Peter denied Christ, Judas betrayed him, but both of them were guilty of basically the same offense.  Peter did it to avoid embarrassment and possible persecution, and Judas did it for money.  Both men did despicable wrong against their Savior.

Now consider what makes them so different from each other.  When Judas saw that he had made a horrible mistake, he committed suicide.  The End.  Peter, on the other hand, had a talk with Jesus about it and received forgiveness, restored fellowship with the Lord, and the chance to preach at Pentecost.

There comes a time in every young person's life when you feel like you've really blown it.  At some point after you mess up, you ask yourself, "What was I thinking?!"  No doubt both Peter and Judas thought the same thing.  Now you have two options.  You can go out and ruin the rest of your life (Judas) or you can hang on long enough to get it straightened out with the Lord (Peter).

If you've had a "Peter moment," hang on a second!  Jesus is there for you, ready to help you out of that sin.  Just be humble enough to repent, submit and move on with life.  Even though Peter's denial must have hurt Jesus deeply, He looked past Peter's faults and saw Pentecost.  When we screw up, He doesn't say, "Look what you did!"  He says, "Serve Me!"

Judas didn't have to hang himself.  He could have talked it out with the Lord like Peter did in John 21.  Just think, we could have a book of Judas!  He could have lived the dream that Peter did!  But no... 

When the time comes that you feel like you've made the biggest mistake of your life, do what Peter did. Repent, submit, obey, press on, and move on.  You don't have to live a defeated Christian life just because of one mess up.  God has a future planned out for you.  Get back up, get it straight and keep on serving the Lord!

Selfishness

I just found an eye-opening blog post on how self-centered our society really is, and how it infiltrates our thinking.  It is very convicting, so read if you dare!  Click here to read "We are living in a ME world."

This post is written by the Bobby Harjo Family, missionaries to the Native American Indians.  Here is a link to their blog: http://kjvindian.blogspot.com/

Where Emotions Come From

To someone who only believes in the physical world, emotions are chemical reactions in your body.  To someone who only believes in the spiritual world, emotions are the very soul of your being.  Where do emotions really come from?  Can we control them?

The truth is, you've never had an emotion that didn't start as a thought.  If you're sitting in the line at the drive-thru, you have the opportunity to choose whether you're going to be grumpy or cheerful.  What makes the difference?  Consider the following examples:

1. You look at your watch every five seconds, mentally counting how much time you could have saved by going inside to order your food.  The five cars in front of you don't seem interested in moving through in a timely manner, as do the fast food employees not appear to have any concept of the meaning of the term "FAST" food.  You begin wondering if they've already put your food in a bag; has it been sitting there getting cold this whole time?  Were the fries cold to begin with?  Did they forget the fries altogether?

2.  The line is taking longer today, but you left a little early to allow for error.  After all, those poor employees can't help it if the whole town shows up at their door step for lunch!  You pop in a CD to keep your mind occupied.  A butterfly floats around your car.  The car in front of you has a hilarious bumper sticker.  You're playing your favorite song.  Lunch sounds more and more delicious every moment!

So... in the first paragraph you're irritated and impatient, and in the second one you're happy and carefree.  The scenarios are exactly the same.  Why was #1 so different than #2?  The thoughts that flew around in your head changed everything.  If we are fully capable of choosing to be joyful, why don't we?  It is the same reason why we sin: we choose to.  It is only natural to be negative minded, which is why we need supernatural help to guide our thoughts.

Philippians 4:8 is a good place to start.  We're supposed to think upon things that are pure, honest, lovely, and of good report; else thoughts of selfishness, anger, and self-pity will flood our mind instead, creating emotions like unnecessary discouragement and bitterness.  The Word of God has the answer to the conflict within, and it begins with changing your mindset from life's unfairness to God's faithfulness.  Instead of looking earthward (horizontally), look heavenward (vertically).  You will be pleasantly surprised how much happier you will be by simply looking on the bright side.

How to Stop Complaining

Opening Days at Heartland Baptist Bible College are in session, and the first few days of the semester are devoted to preaching.  One of the most incredible messages this week was about the sin of complaining.  The children of Israel would whine and complain about everything, which kindled God's anger.  I had always known that complaining wasn't "good," but I never thought of it as "bad" until I looked a little closer and saw that God considered it a serious sin.  Complaining is so evil in God's sight that He sent fire from Heaven to burn up the whiners!

Seeing how wicked complaining is made me want more than ever to watch what comes out of my mouth.  However, it's difficult to put a finger on how exactly to stop complaining.  The preacher mentioned how people who don't complain generally have a healthy prayer life.  Although this puzzled at me at first, I thought about it for a minute and realized that he was right.

David often spoke in the Psalms of pouring out his comlpaint before the Lord.  In my own life, I think back to times I would cry out to God about how fet up I was about a situation.  After a few minutes of going on and on about it, I would start to feel kind of silly.  My whining soon turned into praying for that very situation.  Instead of huffing and puffing to your friends about the unfairness of life, tell God how you feel.  Cast all your care upon Him, and if you allow Him to speak back to you, He will begin changing your heart about the thing that used to look like such a big deal.  Complain to God and you'll get it out of your system and have a new attitude, so you won't have a need to complain to anyone else.

If you decide to adopt this principle into your prayer life, don't stop at just whining to God and saying "amen."  Read His Word and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you and change the way you think.  Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Your attitude will improve, your relationship with God will flourish, and the petty things that used to bother you won't seem that important anymore.

Change the Teabag!

My college and career director, who now pastors Southwest Baptist Church, taught me a simple lesson I've never been able to forget.  "If you don't like the flavor of the tea, change the tea bag!"

Our lives are like a teabag, and it is easy to hide what "flavor" we are while nothing is bothering us.  However, when things around us get hot, whatever is in the tea bag comes out.  This can be good or bad!  What are you like in a cup of hot water?  Do you react to circumstances in a way that pleases God?

If not, it's time to change the teabag!  God wants you to have victory over whatever sin comes seeping out when things start getting tough.  He will help you if you are willing to be changed.  Sometimes it's hard to let go of "pet" sins like lashing out or having a bad attitude, because we think it feels good to express ourselves this way.  I've been there, and trust me, it feels so much better to know you are pleasing the Lord!

A few weeks before Tim came home from traveling with GloryBound, he told me he wanted to spend a weekend with his family and take them to a game out of town.  Although my gut reaction was to be disappointed that he couldn't be with me 24 hours, I held back and said that was fine.  After a few minutes, I thought to myself, "What are you thinking, you selfish brat?  He's got to have some time with his family, too!"  I fixed my attitude and decided to be happy for him, and that was so much more fun than wallowing in self-pity.  Even better, the next time he called he invited me to come be with his family for a whole day of that weekend!

You have the ability to choose how you react to life's lemons.  Rolling your eyes and sighing doesn't have to be "just the way you are."  Pray about it and be willing let God change what's in your heart.  With time, you will build a new habit of letting out a very nice flavor.

I Have Found the Enemy

For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.   If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.
 
Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.
 
For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.
 
For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.
 
Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.  

I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.
 
For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
 
But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
 
O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
 
I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. 
Romans 7: 15-25

What you are about to read is the most anti-humanistic post you will ever read in your life!  It has been wisely said, "If God wanted to destroy you, all He would have to do is give you over to your own wicked heart."  Have you ever been bitter, jealous, selfish, or proud?  All of us have, and thinking back to those times reminds us that we are depraved sinners in need of help outside of ourselves.  If all we look to for hope is ourselves, we will find a very shallow well indeed.  In fact, the heart of man is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, according to Jeremiah 17:9.


When the Heartland staff asked Tim to consider GloryBound, I developed a very selfish attitude and a nasty bitterness.  As far as I was concerned, my summer was ruined and my precious time with Tim was cut in half.  As I mourned in self-pity, I became more and more discouraged, and soon I found myself in deep depression.  As you can see, left to myself, I had no hope.  God was not welcome in the picture and consequently I began sliding down the slippery slope of self destruction.  However, as soon as I trusted God with these circumstances that were beyond my control, my attitude changed.  Consequently, the quality of my summer has changed.

"I have found the enemy.  It is me."  It took me my whole freshman year to come to grips with this unflattering reality.  If you struggle with anger or bitterness toward a situation, let me remind you of something:  Satan doesn't have to do anything to destroy you if he sees you're already destroying yourself.  We destroy ourselves with bad attitudes, because when we develop them, we chip away at our trust in God.  Remember playing the block-stacking game, Jenga?  Every time we give into a fleeting selfish thought we are taking away from our trust in God.  Essentially, we are telling God, "I don't trust You.  I want to run my own life."  After we start removing blocks, it is only a matter of time until our spiritual lives are in ruins.

It is a solemn thought, I know.  On the other hand, nothing can compare to the joy and peace of accepting God's leading hand in our lives.  When I finally let go of all my anger and jealousy, it was like a burden had been lifted off of my back.  No, I wouldn't have chosen what I was going through, but I still had joy.  If you are on the slippery slope of misery, get off!  Life doesn't have to be that way!   He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings (Psalm 40:2).

I challenge you to find a quiet place and set aside at least an hour to get serious with God about your attitude.  Don't to the following step until you spend that time with God.  Then, change the way you think.  Next time you automatically think negatively about your less-than-perfect situation, push pause and replace it with Scripture, a catchphrase, a song, or a prayer.  It's not the power of positive thinking, it's training your mind to trust God.  If you can, day by day, gain victory over the way you think, you will have won a battle against your greatest enemy.

Ways to Correct Your Thoughts

After reading "I Have Found the Enemy," consider some of the following ways to think correctly about a situation that would normally cause a negative reaction from you.  Remember, without spending time with God first in prayer and His Word, any attempt we make at improving ourselves will not last.

Thoughts from the Bible

Isaiah 55:8  For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.

Genesis 50:20  But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.

Philippians 3:13-14  Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Ecclesiastes 3:11a  He hath made every thing beautiful in his time...

Philippians 4:11-13  Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.  I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.   I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

 Thoughts from the Wise

"Don't pity the petty.  Don't hate the great."   -Bro. Sam Davison

"You may feel lonely at times, but you're never alone."   -Bro. Dave Hardy

"Don't give up what you want the most for what you want at the moment."   -Bro. Jason Gaddis

"Watch your thoughts, they become your words.  Watch your words, they become your actions.  Watch your actions, they become your habits.  Watch your habits, they become your character."   -unknown

You vs. God: the Fight that Doesn't Last Very Long

"...for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.   Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:  Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you."
I Peter 5:5b-7

The most predictable battle ever recorded in the Bible is that of Jacob wrestling with God.  Hmm... a mere man fighting God... I wonder who's going to win!  Why would anyone dare take on the Lord Himself?  Isn't it kind of obvious that He is so much more powerful than we could ever imagine?  Actually, we have no right to point a finger at Jacob, because there are are even more fingers pointing back at us.

God absolutely abhors pride.  It's listed as the first of seven abominations in Proverbs 6:17; it was the cause of Lucifer's fall in Isaiah 14; it was the original sin of man in Genesis 3.  Strife, contention, and rebellion stem from the mother sin of pride.  Is it any wonder that God is sickened with this offense?  With this thought fresh on our mind, is it reasonable to accept that God resists the proud?  It is extremely reasonable!

When experiences come that seem like a direct attack upon us, we often automatically blame them on Satan by using the Scripture three verses ahead: "...because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" (I Peter 5:8b).  Instead of going through this routine every single time, consider this:  Have I acted, spoken, or thought in such a way that God is executing judgement upon my pride?

If there is one thing God has no desire for you to be associated with, it is pride.  He loves you too much to let it slide, because He knows that it slowly leads you into worse atrocities.  Therefore, when we allow pride to creep into our thoughts and behavior, He cannot but resist us.  Willfully rebelling against God is an open invitation for Him to withstand you, and as we discussed in the first paragraph, it's a very predictable fight.

God knows what pride does to people, which is why He goes to war against it.  It caused Lucifer's Rebellion, the Fall of Man, Saul losing the crown, the downfall of Solomon, Haaman's death, and the list goes on and on.  If you are harboring pride or any of its ugly children, please humble yourself!  There is nothing more beautiful than nothing between your soul and the Savior.  Remember, He "giveth grace to the humble" (I Peter 5:5).  Instead of wrestling with God like Jacob, walk with Him in humility.  And when adversarial times do come, you will know that God is for you and not against you.