Not Fooled

Not Fooled

Revelation 20: ⁴ Then I saw thrones, and those who sat on them were given the power to judge. I also saw the souls of those who had been executed because they had proclaimed the truth that Jesus revealed and the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image, nor had they received the mark of the beast on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and ruled as kings with Christ for a thousand years. ⁵ (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were over.) This is the first raising of the dead. ⁶ Happy and greatly blessed are those who are included in this first raising of the dead. The second death has no power over them; they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and they will rule with him for a thousand years.

 

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Being gullible was a problem I faced. I took what was said as face value. I repeated some of the words without checking whether the information was right or wrong. “Do you know what you are saying?” someone challenged me.

 

• I was saying things that contained half-truths.
• I believed in what people said without checking their character.
• I was fooled quite easily, because I wanted to be part of a crowd.

 

John, the disciple JESUS loved, saw thrones of people given power to judge. They had not been fooled by the beast or the false prophet or Satan. All things that looked glamorous but took people away from CHRIST, did not penetrate their hearts and they remained followers of JESUS, even unto death.

 

My Observations:

• It takes prayer to not be fooled.
• It takes giving up “my” desire to have a kingdom to hear the truth from GOD.
• It is worth losing the world and gaining my soul.

 

Relative truth can fool me into deep problems. I mean, when something sort of makes sense, but has a slight dab of lie mixed in, I sometimes cannot tell what is the real truth. Then my desires blind me further to want to believe in lies more than the truth. BUT GOD gave me a way to know the truth.

 

JESUS is the Way, the TRUTH and the life. Following HIM means getting to know HIM. It means I love HIM more than I love “being known” for studying HIM and becoming a Pharisee. It also means that the world has nothing to offer me, BUT JESUS has everything I need. I gladly give up the world’s lies for the TRUTH.

 

Challenge

• What does the writer mention about the “first raising of the dead?”
• Has life gotten so difficult that you are willing to believe in a lie?
• Will you seek the truth yourself by reading the Bible without someone else’s interpretation so GOD can speak to you through HIS word today?

Fighting Rumors

Fighting Rumors

Acts 21: ²⁰ When they heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul: “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law. ²¹ They have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs. ²² What shall we do? They will certainly hear that you have come, ²³ so do what we tell you. There are four men with us who have made a vow. ²⁴ Take these men, join in their purification rites and pay their expenses, so that they can have their heads shaved. Then everyone will know there is no truth in these reports about you, but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law. ²⁵ As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality.”

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Someone reported a rumor about me. I was highly insulted so I reacted quickly in defense. It seemed the more I reacted the worse the rumor got. In fact, more rumors got added because I was shaken.

• There were times when worried about what people thought of me.
• There were times when I tried to please everyone.
• There were times when I thought rumors could hurt my reputation.

The crowd at Jerusalem was excited to finally see Paul. He told them about all GOD had done. After hearing what Paul had to say, they warned him about the rumors of him preaching against the Laws of Moses. They vowed to clear his name and tell everyone he lived according to the law. They also instructed the Gentiles to have self-control.

• GOD wants me to know my reputation with HIM is spotless.
• GOD wants me to understand that HE forgave me and that is all that matters.
• GOD wants me to embrace HIS protection, especially when people lie about me.

Rumors and lies are very similar. I mean the motive behind both do not come from a good place. The enemy used rumors and lies to trick humanity into sin. He wants to do the same today. GOD holds my reputation.

HE sees my prayers, service and efforts to resist sin. While I fail in everything I do, the HOLY SPIRIT fortifies my relationship with JESUS. I am grateful I cannot be removed from GOD’s hand, even by rumor.

• Is someone slandering you?
• Do you feel your reputation is in trouble because someone is lying on you?
• Will you focus on what GOD wants in your life so you can stop worrying about what people think about you today?

I Don’t Know That But I Know This

I Don’t Know That But I Know This

Acts 18: ²⁴ Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. ²⁵ He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John. ²⁶ He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.

²⁷ When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers and sisters encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. When he arrived, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. ²⁸ For he vigorously refuted his Jewish opponents in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah.

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When a question was asked that I did not know, I got nervous and tried to think of an answer. I was presenting in front of a few hundred people and felt I needed to have all the answers. The audience quickly lost interest as I gave an opinion versus fact.

• There was a time when I thought I could have all the answers.
• There was a time when I thought I could handle any problem thrown at me.
• There was a time when I presented information that I was not fully aware of.

Apollos knew the Scriptures very well, but was only taught a little about JESUS. He spoke as accurately as he could about JESUS with “fervor.” Priscilla and Aquila heard him. They had spent a lot of time with Paul and learned a lot about JESUS. They volunteered to help Apollos learn more about the Messiah.

• GOD wants me to speak what I know about HIM with fervor.
• GOD wants me to be brave enough to say “I don’t know, but this is what I believe.”
• GOD wants me to say “I believe JESUS died for my sins and HE was raised from the dead, giving me eternal life.”

Some people are gifted at arguing about JESUS, others simply say “I just believe.” GOD wants me to open my mouth and tell people about my belief in HIM. The HOLY SPIRIT will give me the right words at the right time. I may not be able to answer questions thrown at me about life, but I know JESUS is the answer to everything.

• Are you trying to be the “answer person?”
• Do you judge people based on their knowledge?
• Will you open your mouth to your belief in JESUS, even though you may not know the Scriptures to support your belief?

Giving Instructions

Giving Instructions

John 11: ¹² Then His disciples said, “Lord, if he sleeps he will get well.” ¹³ However, Jesus spoke of his death, but they thought that He was speaking about taking rest in sleep.

¹⁴ Then Jesus said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. ¹⁵ And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, that you may believe. Nevertheless let us go to him.”

¹⁶ Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.”

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Pressure was building as the week’s end was getting closer. Not seeing the results I hoped for, I gave very specific instructions to everyone to follow, step by step. Too much was on the line and we had to be successful. When I stepped back, I noticed people were moving slower, because they were waiting on my next set of instructions.

• I made the mistake of managing every little step.
• I made the mistake of thinking I could control the situation by having everyone perform just like me.
• I made the mistake of making everyone feel nervous instead of inspired.

Thoroughly misunderstanding the situation, the disciples spoke up about Lazarus. Rationalizing what was said to them, they immediately thought he may be asleep. JESUS made it plain that he was, in fact, dead. Thomas braced himself for the situation. If Lazarus is dead, then we must be going there to die too. I mean, why go to a place where killers are lurking?

• JESUS wants me to believe that HIS ways are not my ways.
• JESUS wants me to know that HE clears things up in amazing ways, not the way I think.
• JESUS wants me to understand that HE can and will do anything, especially when I cannot see how the situation could possibly be resolved.

“Pray” is what people have told me when I am facing difficulty, so I do. But I find myself nervously giving GOD instructions to handle things the way “I” would like to see them resolved. Fortunately GOD doesn’t listen to the instructions but listens to my heart.

HE clears up the situation in HIS way and I always find HIS way was better than what I was thinking. HE tells me to let go of trying to control the situation so HIS power can be seen by many, so they can believe. I am glad HE is in control.

• Are you facing a difficult situation that you feel there is no way out?
• Do you pray for specific things to happen with your limited sight into the situation?
• Will you admit that you may not know why “this” is happening but allow GOD to work out the situation HIS way, in HIS time?

Busting into Heaven

Luke 16: ¹⁶ “The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it.¹⁷ And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tittle of the law to fail.

¹⁸ “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery; and whoever marries her who is divorced from her husband commits adultery.

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“Our FATHER, who art in heaven”, through “amen” was the prayer I mouthed, but in my mind I was saying, “I hope they don’t find out I stole from a store.” Or “I hope they don’t find my Playboy magazine I hid in the hamper of my room.” “I’m sure GOD won’t mind.”

• There were times when I made up my own rules.
• Three were times when I justified my sin.
• There were times when I recklessly plowed forward with what “I” wanted to do.

JESUS spoke bluntly to the church leaders who did whatever they wanted to do. HE saw through their “holy” act and said “Not one once of the law will go away.” The pharisees had figured out ways to justify the divorce of their wives so they could still be accepted in the community. JESUS sees through justification.

• GOD wants me to understand my sin cost JESUS HIS life.
• GOD wants me to understand that HIS law does not go away just because I say it does.
• GOD wants me to understand that my add on rules for “holiness” need to be examined with HIS law.

Justifying sin is something GOD opens my eyes to daily. HE doesn’t beat me up over and over about a single sin, however the HOLY SPIRIT does remind me that I did something wrong and I need forgiveness every day. GOD doesn’t want me to develop rules to get around HIS rules. HE wants me to embrace HIS law and praise JESUS for taking my eternal consequence away.

• Are you making your own rules?
• Do you think the rules you place on others align with the loving rules GOD gave?
• Will you drop your bitter, lustful, power grabbing rules and focus on GOD’s grace and mercy today?

Control Freak

Luke 13: ¹⁴ But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, “There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day.”

¹⁵ The Lord then answered him and said,  “Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? ¹⁶ So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?” ¹⁷ And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him.

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“Look at the people singing the song wrong. Some people aren’t even singing. Why are we singing this song anyway. I wonder if I should put in a few suggestions for some “better” songs” were the flood of thoughts at the beginning of the church service.

• There are times when I think I have all the answers.
• There are times when I think I know better than those around me.
• There are times when I am distracted by “form.”

One of the church leaders barked out a rebuke towards JESUS for healing on the Sabbath. JESUS immediately calls him a hypocrite and had to show how ludicrous his thinking was. Should “form” be placed over following the SPIRIT? This was the gist of JESUS’ reply.

• GOD wants me to bring others to HIM and so they can have their own relationship with GOD.
• GOD wants me to stop trying to control people into how they serve HIM.
• GOD wants me to allow HIM to grow people so they can see HIS marvelous power.

Worshiping, learning and serving are all extremely important to GOD, but not as important as I can sometimes emphasize to others. When I get to the point where I am criticizing how much or little someone prays then I suddenly fall into the hypocrite category JESUS spoke of.

GOD is the only ONE who can see if someone is truly worshiping HIM or not. HE would rather have me praying for the population who is rejecting HIM all together than focusing on correcting a believer’s pattern of church attendance. GOD gives grace, not control. HE allows me to be as wild as a tornado without sending me straight to hell. I am grateful GOD guides others and me.

• Is someone worshiping GOD wrong?
• Do you notice what others are doing wrong when they are supposedly serving GOD?
• Can you reduce your judgment on others and allow GOD to lead you to people who really need HIS live today?

Control

Luke 9: ⁴⁹ Now John answered and said, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us.”

⁵⁰ But Jesus said to him, “Do not forbid him, for he who is not against us is on our side.”

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Having numerous things to do, I felt a bit stressed. Expecting perfection, I went over to a person who was doing me a “favor” and asked them to stop. I didn’t want to tell them they were doing it all wrong so I politely suggested they do something else. “I wonder if they are going to do that wrong too” I thought to myself.

• There have been times when I wanted control over people.
• There have been times when I desired others to follow “my” way.
• There have been times when I was proud of the way things turned out for “me” so I wanted others to do it “my” way.

John, brother of James, came to JESUS with some incredible news. “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in YOUR name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us.” He was one of the disciples who fought over who was the “greatest” disciple. Though miracles were happening, he had a complaint.

• GOD says to me “I made many people for MY purpose.”
• GOD says to me “I have given each person who belongs to ME a special talent.”
• GOD says to me “I will bless those who serve in MY SON’s name.”

My perfection had extended into being a church critic. “They are doing it all wrong” or “Look at those ignorant people” were my misguided thoughts as I left one church after another. Instead of recognizing the beauty that they were following GOD, I saw flaws in their “performance.”

GOD wants me to applaud when people mention HIS name and let HIM decide whether they are sincere or not. I cannot judge the way someone worships GOD, but I can serve HIM the way HE made me. HE wants me to drop the critique and embrace as many as I can so HE will be praised by the multitudes.

• Are you criticizing people about how they serve GOD?
• Do you think people are insincere in their methods?
• Can you stop looking at other people and praise GOD for HIS amazing diverse creation?