Colin S. Smith's Blog, page 45

3 Brands of Deception Satan Uses to Blind Us

You will guard us from this generation forever. (Psalm 12:8)

Psalm 12 is a generational psalm. The focus of this prayer is a concern over what the future holds for our children, our grandchildren, and our great-grandchildren. 

Notice how it begins: “Save, O Lord, for the godly one is gone; for the faithful have vanished from among the children of men” (Psalm 12:1). The godly have gone. The faithful have vanished! We want our children to be surrounded by godly examples, and models of faithfulness but, David says, “That’s hard to find today!” 

Evil was being called “good” and good was being called “evil” by the culture. Everything seemed upside down. What hope is there for our children when this is the world in which they are growing up?

This psalm speaks powerfully to our situation today. God has given us a prayer in the Bible for times when we fear for our children. What does the future hold for them? 

In response to this, I want to first offer an analysis of the assault that our children are facing. And second, a strategy for prayer and for action. 

Analysis of the Assault Our Children are Facing 

The god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ who is the image of God. (2 Corinthians 4:4)  

Notice what we are being told here: There is a particular work of Satan, referred to as “the god of this world” in the verse, to bring blindness to human minds. 

Satan is always doing this, and the reason he’s doing it is that the good news of the glory of Christ is like a bright light. Jesus says, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12) and Satan has to pull every trick in the book to keep people from seeing his glory. How does he do this? 

Jesus says, “Satan is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). All lies ultimately have their origin in him. Lies are his strategy for blinding the minds of each generation to the glory of Christ. The lies take different forms in each generation, but the overarching strategies have been essentially the same since the Garden of Eden. 

Psalm 12 points to three brands of deception, all of which Satan uses to keep people from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ. The three varieties of deception are: Vanity, flattery, and blasphemy. 

Three Brands of Deception 



1. Vanity  

Everyone utters lies to his neighbor. (Psalm 12:2) 

Several commentators point out that the word translated “lies” here literally means “emptiness.” David has a particular type of deception in view: “Everyone utters emptiness to his neighbor.” There could hardly be a more powerful description of our culture today. 

There’s great deal of conversation right now about the whole business of spying—the NSA (National Security Agency) listening to phone calls with a view to enhancing security, etc. 

I enjoyed a satirical piece from a journalist in London who said that the person she felt sorry for is the poor guy at the NSA who has to sift through endless emails, voicemails, tweets, texts and Facebook posts, the vast majority of which are of absolutely no consequence whatsoever! 

Those who are young are growing up, and we are living, in a world of trivia where “everyone utters emptiness to his neighbor.” It’s a world dominated by the next game, the most recent reality show, or the most shocking sound bite. We’re all talking about nothing. 

The effect of all this is that serious conversation feels really odd. Someone says, “What do you believe about God?” and everyone feels that this kind of talk is too heavy. 

Satan’s “vanity brand” aims to keep you from ever thinking seriously about life. It is possible to go through high school, college, career and retirement, without ever seriously asking: Who am I? Why am I here?  What is life for? And what lies beyond? 

Satan is in the business of blinding people’s minds so they “cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ.” It is possible to go to church, hang out with your friends, and never think seriously about the meaning of life. Vanity is one of Satan’s primary strategies for accomplishing this. 

2. Flattery  

With flattering lips and a double heart they speak.  Psalm 12:2 

May the Lord cut off all flattering lips… Psalm 12:3 

Flattery always becomes the spoken language in a culture where people give themselves to vanity. It’s saying only what other people want to hear and hearing only what you want other people to say.

Flattery is Satan’s second brand of deception. If you only hear what you want other people to say, then you end up not being able to see the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This desire for flattery runs deep. Isaiah describes God’s people as: 

“Children unwilling to hear the instruction of the Lord, who say to the seers, ‘Do not see,’ and to the prophets, ‘Do not prophesy to us what is right; speak to us smooth things… Let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.’” (Isaiah 30:9-11) 

We just want to be affirmed, so don’t tell us about the Holy One of Israel, because we know that we aren’t holy. That will make us uncomfortable. 

Our children are growing up in a world where even in church, many hear smooth things, and not much about the Holy One of Israel. 

Jesus said the work of the Holy Spirit begins with convincing of sin and righteousness and judgment. There won’t be much of that going on in flattering ministries that stroke your ego by saying smooth things. That kind of ministry only leads to a generation of kids who grow up in church and yet cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ!

Our Lord spoke about this in John 5:44: “How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?”

3. Blasphemy  

Those who say, “With our tongue we will prevail, our lips are with us; who is master over us?” (Psalm 12:4)

This third brand of lying shows itself in defiance. The person who has bought this clenches his or her fist and says, “It’s my life. I am the captain of this ship. No one rules this life but me! I will find my own way. I will be my own lord and savior, my own master, my own guide.” 

The word to describe that is blasphemy. I looked it up in the dictionary: 

The act of insulting or showing contempt… for God. The act of claiming the attributes of deity. 

It’s putting yourself in the place of God. And this brand of deception goes back to the Garden of Eden when Satan said to Eve, “You shall be like God.”  

Vanity, flattery, and blasphemy are Satan’s three primary strategies. That’s the world our children are growing up in. That’s the world we grew up in.  

But God is in control. And, as we’ll see in a second article, He listens, He speaks, and He saves.  

Photo Credit: Unsplash



[This article was adapted from Pastor Colin’s sermon, “How to Pray When You Fear for Your Children,” from his series With Christ in the School of Prayer.]

5 Key Connections: Bible Study, Struggles, and more

Here are 5 Key Connections from recent Christian articles around the web, including one on the most epic bible study of all time, another on the struggle against sin, and more!

Imperishable, Undefiled, and Unfading (John MacArthur, Grace to You)

Our inheritance is a glorious thing. No earthly thing compares to it. But we can lose sight of it through worldly pursuits and the quest for instant gratification. Dear friends, don’t collect this world’s trash and neglect the treasure of our unspeakable riches in Christ.

Why Does God Allow Us to Keep Struggling Against Sin? (J.D. Greear Ministries)

The love of God does what the law could not. When we were married to the law, it was a way to gain acceptance from God, but now that we have been saved by Christ, the law is a way to please the one who saved us.

Four Ways to Pray When You Feel Like Giving Up (Colin Smith, Unlocking the Bible)

We spend too much time listening to the voices of fear and frustration and complaining. We need to speak to ourselves–we sometimes call this “preaching the gospel to ourselves.” There is no better place to do that than when you come into the presence of God in prayer.

The Most Epic Bible Study of All Time (Garret Kell, TGC)

[Jesus] could have shown himself to be the greater Job who suffered, not because of his sin, but because of his righteousness. And though he was misunderstood, God raised him off the ash heap of shame to intercede for those who’d formerly opposed him 

The Gospel According to Job (Laura Baxter, Servants of Grace)

God also refuses to leave us alone. No, he has greater plans than that. Man-born-of-woman is a slave to sin and corruption. But as believers, we are destined to become sons and daughters, even heirs of all God’s world 

Jesus Illustrates, Empowers, & Anchors Mission Work

When we think of missions, we often think of some faraway place. But I define mission work as us calling all people to receive God’s grace in Jesus and fellowship in the Spirit. In other words, mission work mainly consists of proclaiming and embodying reconciliation to the Father.  

Jesus calls us into the mission field whether that field is home or abroad. The pursuit of missions begins right at home and in our local communities. In fact, international mission work naturally overflows out of faithful commitment to local missions. 

And we often imagine missionaries as charismatic, adventurous, insightful, and eloquent heroes. Whether or not you possess these character traits, Christians should boast in God’s Spirit. Because God has endowed all Christians with Christ‘s Spirit, God calls all Christians into missions. God does not call us to be heroes. God calls us to be faithful to his mission.

In this article, I first want to discuss how Jesus’s life illustrates our mission. Second, I want us to see that Jesus’s Spirit empowers this mission. And lastly, it is important to know that Jesus’s resurrection anchors our mission.  

Jesus’s Life Illustrates Our Mission 

Jesus exalted his heavenly Father’s worth and beauty by submitting himself to the Father’s good and gracious will. And what was the Father’s will? His will was for our salvation in Jesus from sin and death. 

His submission to the Father’s will earned our reconciliation with him. But this came at great cost and produces a great reward. Jesus cleansed us with his shed blood, consumed our punishment, and clothed us with his righteousness.  

And consider this: The righteousness coming from Jesus, which we are clothed in, includes his love for others and submission to the Father’s will.

So, Christians should be committed to the birth and growth of faith in Christ in their neighbor. We too submit to the Father’s will—we want others to find salvation in Jesus from sin and death.  

Contrary to what you might think, witnessing to Christ’s salvific work does not require grandiose words. We can memorize and share God’s Word with others.

And remember, the Gospel transforms the content of our speech and lives. Our lives season and build the bedrock for our words to stand upon. Speak and live out the truth in love. 

Jesus’s heart of compassion is ours through the Holy Spirit. His heart should cause us to rejoice and grieve for our neighbor. His heart should enliven our countenance and inflame our passion for our neighbor that we devote every seemingly mundane, ordinary, little act to God for their sanctification (1 Thessalonians 4:1-8, 10-12; Peter 2:12).  

Faithfulness to perform seemingly small deeds of kindness allows us to share our message of salvation. Compassion built up Jesus’ credibility among the dejected. Compassion drove Jesus’ passion to share the truth.  

In his public ministry, Jesus refuted Satan’s two lies, namely, “You are too good and far forward to need grace,” and “You are too broken and far gone to receive grace.” Jesus pointed his neighbors to his healing from their sins and infirmities. 

We should do the same!  

Jesus’s Spirit Empowers Our Mission 

The Holy Spirit made us alive together with Christ.  

We know ourselves and our sin. In our pride, we previously spurned submission to the Father and dependence upon the Holy Spirit. We cherished freedom to follow our heart’s crooked and wicked cravings.

Ultimately, we foolishly surrendered ourselves to the devil’s reign and joined the world in mocking God’s cosmic jurisdiction of judgment over wickedness.

But now we are changed due to God’s grace! Now we strive to humbly submit ourselves to the Father and depend upon the Holy Spirit. We cherish freedom to desire that which God desires. And, we cherish freedom to strive after that which pleases God and resist that which displeases God.  

We know that this heart change was not our own doing, but the work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. The heart change was only the beginning of the good work being done in us—and the joy of sharing the gospel to our neighbors is promised as well (Philippians 1:6)! 

As the Holy Spirit infused the proper spiritual life and energy into our heart necessary for a spiritual rebirth, the Spirit will provide the proper life and energy into our weaknesses. Through his will, not ours, God made us his children. Through his will, not ours, God will make our neighbor his child.  

The Spirit illumines the truth of the Gospel upon our neighbor’s souls. Moreover, the Spirit convicts our neighbor’s soul with gospel truth to live in conformity to God’s ways.

Do not boast or despair in your ability to analyze culture, captivate people’s attention, fearlessly look danger in the face, and hurdle obstacles thrown in your path. Boast in God. In Jesus, you understand and know him.  

Jesus’s Resurrection Anchors Our Mission 

Jesus expands our vision of missions not only in a geographic sense but also in a spiritual sense—how much we depend upon him. As we extend God’s grace and fellowship to others in a rebellious world, we will surely struggle.

We will fail. When we do, recalling the Gospel to ourselves realigns our gaze away from confidence in ourselves to confidence in Jesus. 

Even he faced trials. His message was rejected and persecuted. His hometown and people hated him. The intellectual and religious elite despised him. His government allowed him to be punished unfairly on the cross. He lost loved-ones and creaturely comforts such as somewhere to lay his head. He wept. 

Ultimately, Golgotha remained the trajectory of Jesus’s mission. There Jesus would exchange his righteousness for our sins. He would bear our iniquities laid upon him by the Father. Dying our death, Jesus enabled us to share in his life. Rising again, he forever put away death and establish his eternal victory.  

So we ought to march onward with confidence as expressed by Paul:

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:37-39)

What We Have to Look Forward To 

One day, we will fully experience God’s grace and fellowship which we proclaim to others. Jesus’s presence and power find their ultimate expression in his resurrection.  

One day, we will experience a glorified creation in a glorified body like Jesus. Sin, sadness, and death will be fully absent forever. Righteousness, joy, and life will be fully present forever.

For the moment, facing the present world, we model Jesus’s attitude of submission to the Father’s will. His attitude is best illustrated at the Garden of Gethsemane when he intimately surrenders himself to his heavenly Father:

“Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will” (Matthew 20:22-23). 

Praise be to our Lord Jesus. For in him, we have clarity, power, and hope to pursue such an attitude amid lethargy and grief in our Christian mission. 

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10 Bible Quotes from Ezekiel on God’s Holiness

I love to study what the Bible has to say about God’s holiness. Recently, I came across these 10 Bible quotes from the book of Ezekiel, and I learned a few remarkable things about God’s holiness. I want to share those with you! 

God Manifests His Holiness 



1. Ezekiel 20:41 

“As a pleasing aroma I will accept you, when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you have been scattered. And I will manifest my holiness among you in the sight of the nations.” 

God promises to manifest his holiness among his people. They have something extraordinary to hope for in the time after they were scattered and brought back together: God’s holiness would dwell with them. This is Jesus Christ, who “is God’s holiness in human flesh.” 

2. Ezekiel 28:22 

Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I am against you, O Sidon, and I will manifest my glory in your midst. And they shall know that I am the Lord when I execute judgments in her and manifest my holiness in her.”

The manifestation of God’s holiness can also have something to do with execution of judgment.

Here, God directly tells Sidon that he is against them. While verses like this may raise some questions, it’s clear that God will show himself to Sidon and his presence could be a terrifying thing. 

3. Ezekiel 28:25 

Thus says the Lord God: “When I gather the house of Israel from the peoples among whom they are scattered, and manifest my holiness in them in the sight of the nations, then they shall dwell in their own land that I gave to my servant Jacob.” (italics added) 

We’ve seen that the manifestation of God’s holiness brings hope in the person of Jesus Christ, that it can be associated with judgment, and here we see that it has an implication for God’s people.  

God promises to manifest his holiness in his people. Much can be said about this, and I just want to highlight a general implication: Through his power and grace, God plans to use us to bring glory to him! 

God Vindicates His Holiness 



4. Ezekiel 36:23 

And I will vindicate the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, and which you have profaned among them.  

God is not like some high-status individuals who “don’t care what people think about them.” No! He cares deeply that you know who he is. People throughout the ages have profaned his name, and he has given us his word and preachers of the word so that we may know who he really is.  

5. Ezekiel 36:23  

And the nations will know that I am the Lord, declares the Lord God, when through you I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. 

God wants the nations to know he is the Lord. Why is that a good thing for us? Because he is the God who saves his people, who is gracious to repentant sinners, who created you, and who loves you. He wants you to know that no other god exists.  

That god in your mind who is perpetually against you? Doesn’t exist. That god in your mind who is unreachable and uncaring? Fake! 

6. Ezekiel 38:16 

You will come up against my people Israel, like a cloud covering the land. In the latter days I will bring you against my land, that the nations may know me, when through you, O Gog, I vindicate my holiness before their eyes. 

God uses Gog to bring judgment to Israel. If I were Gog, I would have thought that all of this conquest was due to my own power! But no—God was in control. Gog may have thought he was bringing glory to his own name, but God was actually bringing glory to His holy name! 

7. Ezekiel 38:23 

So I will show my greatness and my holiness and make myself known in the eyes of many nations. Then they will know that I am the Lord. 

As seen throughout so many of these verses, God does not only care for those who follow him already but also for “many nations.” God “desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). 

8. Ezekiel 39:27 

when I have brought them back from the peoples and gathered them from their enemies’ lands, and through them have vindicated my holiness in the sight of many nations.

God’s plan all along was to use Gog to destroy Israel and then to redeem them. This judgment and redemption plan is all about his love for his people, bringing them back to him, but it is also about his desire to make his holiness known to humanity.  

As his creation, we can never mistake God’s love for us as a thing existing without his holiness. He is set apart, perfect, and of a different category than us. God loves us, yes, and but we cannot be united to him unless we are also holy.  

God Gives His Holiness 



9. Ezekiel 44:19 

And when they go out into the outer court to the people, they shall put off the garments in which they have been ministering and lay them in the holy chambers. And they shall put on other garments, lest they transmit holiness to the people with their garments.

What’s going on this verse? There’s a ritual taking place and the priests had been wearing specific garments allowing them to be in God’s presence in the inner rom. When they left, going to the outer court, they had to remove those specific garments because God’s holiness was there on them.  

Two notes: 1.) God graciously gave a way for the priest to be holy so that he could be in the presence of God. 2.) God does not give his holiness away to those who do not follow him. 

The Israelites had profaned God’s name and lived in rebellion for years and years. As we have seen, God cares deeply about his holiness—this is not something that comes us on whim like Oprah giving away cars.  

10. Ezekiel 46:20  

And he said to me, “This is the place where the priests shall boil the guilt offering and the sin offering, and where they shall bake the grain offering, in order not to bring them out into the outer court and so transmit holiness to the people.”

What we can see from these two verses is that God’s holiness can be transmitted, or given, to a person, but it is not happening here. What would it take to happen then? 

These people, the same as us, needed a perfect sacrifice to take the full wrath of God’s judgment. To pay the penalty for the sins of the world. Jesus did this! Jesus—God’s holiness in the flesh—came to die so that we may live.  

And to all those who believe in Jesus Christ, and live under his Lordship, God will not say “I won’t transmit my holiness to you.” To those in Christ, God promises we will “become partakers in the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4). 

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What to Do When Jealousy Strikes

Jealous. That was the only word that could describe the feeling I had when I heard a friend had gotten her book published. I was full of jealousy. 

Writing a book (and getting it published) has been a dream of mine since I was a teenager. Yet now at age 53, it still has not happened. Not for lack of trying, mind you. But it just has not happened! So, when I found out it had happened for a friend, that proverbial “green-eyed monster” consumed me.

And here’s the saddest thing of all: my friend’s book was about her journey with her young son’s cancer. It was about how God had seen, supported, and strengthened her, her son, and her family through the darkest hours of their lives.

It was a book written with such gut-wrenching honesty and humility. And, it was meant to be an encouragement and blessing to other families dealing with childhood cancer. 

How could I be jealous of
that? But I was—to my shame!  

What Jealousy Is 

Jealousy is that sneaky sin
that comes upon us unexpectedly, unannounced, and most certainly
uninvited.  

Jealousy can take the form of eagerness to obtain something that you don’t have, and this form of it is associated with covetousness and idolatry (see Colossians 3:5).

Covetousness is the worship of something (a house, a car, a job, a ministry) or someone (a husband, a child, a friend) that another has. Covetousness is so egregious to God, that he included it in the Ten Commandments. 

“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.” (Exodus 20:17) 

And
God knows that when we idolize what another has, eventually jealous feelings
will follow. What are we to do with jealousy, then? 

Be Repentant 

Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality… idolatry… jealousy… and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness… (Galatians 5:19-22)

For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? (1 Corinthians 3:3) 

Jealousy is sin. It is the flesh’s
response to covetousness, and it needs to be confessed and
repented. Repenting jealousy is to agree with God that this feeling is
wrong. It is not holy, healthy, or productive. 

Jealousy can be so destructive—both spiritually, emotionally, and relationally. In fact, it can literally lead one to murder, the apostle James says in 4:2: “You desire and do not have, so you murder. You covet and cannot obtain, so you fight and quarrel.”

The
moment jealousy rears its nasty head, confess it. Don’t let it steep in your
mind and embitter your heart. Confess, and find immediate and unfailing
forgiveness and cleansing (1 John 1:9). 

Be Counteractive 

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)

There is a reason why Paul contrasts the flesh and the Spirit in Galatians chapter 5. The two are constantly at war with one another. But that war was won when Jesus died and rose again, and we can also be victors through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit.

We can, through His help, conquer and counteract the sinful flesh with spiritual fruit. 

Love for another and for
the goodness God has shown them (whatever that may be), having patience with
ourselves and God’s timing, and exercising self-control of our emotions all
counteract jealousy. 

Be Content 

A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot. (Proverbs 14:30) 

Jealousy is not only covetousness but discontentment. Jealousy says, in effect, “God, I’m not happy or satisfied with who I am or what you’ve given me. I want to be more. I want more. I want what so-and-so is and has!”

I have had to come to the realization that God has not allowed me to publish, for whatever reason. I have had to accept that and find contentment in the writing opportunities he has given me.  

I have to work at it, though. It does not come easily. I can relate to Paul’s comment in Philippians 4:11-13, that I, too, am “learning” to be content. It is an on-going process as I wait upon God and “learn” to be satisfied, content, with what he has given me already.  

Jealousy is, in a way, saying that Jesus—who he is as our
Savior and Lord, and what he graciously did for us on the cross—is not enough.
None of us would say that outright. But jealousy is the feeling that expresses
it, and it is an affront to him. May it not be so! 

Be Joyful 

Rejoice with those who are rejoicing. (Romans 12:15) 

Another counteractive “cure” for jealousy, as I found with my friend’s publishing success, is to rejoice with that person.

Rejoicing with another person takes the focus off of ourselves and puts it on God: what he has done for that person, how he has blessed them, the gifts he’s given them, the opportunities he’s provided for them. 

Rejoicing with another is also borne out of love and kindness. Another manifestation of living out the fruits of the Spirit rather than the flesh.

Rejoicing in another’s good and godly fortune also maintains unity and harmony within the body of Christ. For where there is jealousy, there is strife, quarreling, disunity (1 Corinthians 3:3). 

So, make the choice to
rejoice. 

Be Jealous…for others and
for God! 

I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. (2 Cor. 11:2, NIV) 

If ever there is good jealousy, the Apostle Paul says it is jealousy for other believers and for God. 

This “godly jealousy”
is outward and upward focused, rather than self-focused. It is an eagerness for the
good of others, especially spiritual welfare (i.e. their
salvation and sanctification). 

It is an eagerness for God to be glorified in this darkened world. That his name and power would be seen and manifested in miraculous ways. That sinful mankind would repent and turn to him, accepting the free gift of grace he offers through Jesus Christ. That they would find forgiveness and a relationship with God, their Heavenly, Holy Father (Ephesians 2:8-9).  

Expressing holy, godly jealousy for his saving work on our behalf, and on the behalf of others, is acceptable and perfect. That jealousy does not offend him. 

May it be that this outward, upward jealousy is the only type of jealousy we manifest in our lives. 

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Four Ways to Pray When You Feel Like Giving Up

When we face situations of difficulty and danger we always have a choice: Should I stay or should I go? If someone is pointing a javelin at you, like Saul was at David, there’s a pretty good case for running to the hills! 

But we all know that there are times when change is appropriate. We face times when we know that God is calling us to persevere. What we need is the strength to do so. This psalm is for these times. It’s about how to pray when you feel like giving up.

Here are four ways to pray when you feel that nothing is coming of your effort, everyone is against you, and you need to find the strength to persevere.

1. Challenge the voice of fear and frustration.

How can you say to my soul “Flee like a bird to your mountain”? (Psalm 11:1) 

David received some well-meaning advice from his friends , which came out of fear and frustration.  But notice how David challenges these voices: “How can you say [these things] to my soul…?” 

In the Psalms, David not only challenges others’ voices but his own thoughts: “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name” (Psalm 103:1).  

David is speaking to himself. He is challenging himself. “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me?” (Psalm 42:5). He is challenging the disturbance within his own soul.

Martyn Lloyd-Jones often said, “One of our main problems in the Christian life is that we spend too much time listening to ourselves and not enough talking to ourselves.” 

We spend too much time listening to the voices of fear and frustration and complaining. We need to speak to ourselves–we sometimes call this “preaching the gospel to ourselves.” There is no better place to do that than when you come into the presence of God in prayer.

Come into the presence of the Father with Jesus Christ beside you. Tell him what you are feeling and what you are hearing. Bring your worst thoughts into the open, then take yourself in hand, and challenge the voice of fear and frustration right there in the presence of God. 

2. Recognize the hand of God in the testing. 

The LORD tests the righteous… (Psalm 11:5) 

His eyelids test the children of man… (Psalm 11:4) 

Remember, when the foundations are shaken, the hand of God is in the shaking. God says, “Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens” (Hebrews 12:26). 

What is God doing when he shakes the things that are familiar in our lives? God gives us the reason: He shakes the foundations so that “the things that cannot be shaken may remain” (Hebrews 12:27). 

This is what happened to Job. Job was a righteous man, and God had blessed him in many ways. But then in one day, the whole infrastructure of his life was hit by multiple disasters. 

Job’s wealth, represented in flocks and herds, was plundered by raiders. His home was destroyed by a mighty wind. And worst of all, his children, who were inside the house, died in the rubble. 

The foundations were shaken for Job. Suddenly all the good gifts on which we naturally depend were taken from him: Home, family, and business. It’s all gone. 

Job’s wife, the one right next to him, was giving voice to her fears and frustrations: “Curse God and die” (Job 2:9). It must have gone right into his soul. Job heard the voice of fear, frustration, and despair, but he took refuge in God:  

“God knows the way that I take. When he has tested me I will come forth as gold” (Job 23:10, NIV).

The testimony of this man’s faith reverberated in heaven and in hell, and even today it brings strength to believers across the world. 

3. Affirm the sovereignty of God at the hardest times. 

For the Lord is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; (Psalm 11:7) 

David overcomes fear, frustration, and the temptation to despair by fixing his mind and his heart on God. You can do the same! Fix your eyes on the Lord using Scripture:

For the Lord is righteous

God is still on the throne! I may be experiencing fear or frustration, but God is not in a panic. I can’t put things right when the foundations are destroyed, but God can. And, I can’t deal with the wicked, but God can, and he will. 

He loves righteous deeds

The foundations of righteousness do not lie in our culture. They never have. The foundations of righteousness lie in who God is and in what God loves. God is still on the throne! 

4. Anticipate the joy of the final outcome.  

The upright shall behold his face. (Psalm 11:7) 

It’s hard to imagine a greater incentive for pressing on in the pursuit of a righteous life than this: “The upright shall behold his face.” I’m going to see the face of God! 

“How can you say to me, ‘Flee like a bird to your mountain’?” Why do you think that when the foundations are destroyed there is nothing the righteous can do? I’m not giving up! In God I take refuge. God is on his throne. Whatever happens in this world, I’m going to behold his face. 

There’s a true story of a man by the name of William Montague Dyke. When William was ten years old, he was blinded in an accident. While he was in university, William fell in love with the daughter of a high ranking British naval officer, and they became engaged. 

Shortly before the wedding, William had eye surgery in the hope that the operation would restore his sight. It was a one-time deal. If it failed, William would remain blind for the rest of his life. 

Because it was only a short time away, William insisted on keeping the bandages that were on his face until the day of the wedding. If the surgery was successful, he wanted the first person he saw to be his new bride. 

The wedding day arrived, and the guests assembled to witness the couple taking their vows. William’s father, Sir William Hart Dyke, and the doctor who performed the surgery stood next to the groom, whose eyes were still covered with bandages. 

The organ trumpeted the wedding march, and the bride walked down the aisle to the front of the church. As soon as she arrived at the altar, the surgeon whipped out a big pair of scissors and cut the bandages from William’s eyes. 

Imagine the tension in the room! The congregation held their breath, waiting to find out if William could see the woman who stood before him. As he stood face to face with his bride to be, William’s words echoed throughout the cathedral, “You are more beautiful than I ever imagined.” 

Friend, one day you are going to behold the Lord’s face. Having walked by faith, one day the bandages that cover our eyes will be removed. The upright shall behold his face! When you see his glory, it will be greater than you ever imagined. And you will be so, so glad you persevered. 

This article was adapted from Pastor Colin’s sermon, “How to Pray When You Feel Like Giving Up,” from his series With Christ in the School of Prayer. 



Photo Credit: Unsplash  

5 Key Connections: Trinity, Teens, and more…

Here are 5 Key Connections from recent Christian articles around the web, including one on the reasons the treasure the Trinity, another on the barriers to spiritual growth teen face, and more!

Seven Encouraging Reasons to Pray (Colin Smith, Unlocking the Bible)

You can’t bring anything to Jesus that will shock him. Nothing that you face is surprising to Jesus. You don’t need to hide anything from him. Think about the humanity of Jesus: He worked in a shop. He grieved. He saw darkness unleashed like no one else ever has. 

5 Reasons to Treasure the Trinity (Jerod Gilcher, The Master’s Seminary)

The Trinity reminds believers that salvation was eternally intentional. Our salvation was not a last-minute roll of the dice or some mad-scramble for the saving of sinners—no. Despite our undeserving and rebellious hearts, we were the subjects of an eternal, salvific conversation between the Persons of the Trinity, and that conversation began long before God ever uttered light into existence.

Spiritual Fruit Grows Slowly (David Qaoud, Gospel Relevance)

Instead, ask yourself: “Am I more patient today than I was five years ago?” If you walk with and obey Christ, the answer will be yes. The Holy Spirit is the One who grows these attributes in you; growth is inevitable as you obey him.

The Massive Cost of Ezekiel’s Message (Cassie Watson)

There’s a crucial difference between Ezekiel’s message and ours. His tragedy predicted an even greater disaster to come—it was all bad news. But we have the best news imaginable in the gospel of Jesus Christ. We should be all the more willing to suffer to proclaim that message.

3 Barriers to Spiritual Growth Faced by Teens Today (Lindsey Carlson, Crossway)

So for Christian teenagers, growth in godliness sometimes tends to take a back seat if someone’s not behind them really speaking in their ear and reminding them that they need to be prioritizing it. Teenagers are already being asked to grow in all of these different ways and then they’re also growing in godliness in a season of life where the world is increasingly hostile to the Christian culture.

Following Your Pastor Should Make You More Like Jesus

Following your pastor should make you more like Jesus, not less. The unfortunate reality is that some pastors are lousy examples to follow. But what if things were different. What if things were not so worldly or secular, but they were biblical? 

Pastors are charged with many responsibilities in order to “shepherd the flock of God among us” (1 Peter 5:2). Paul gives his lists to Timothy and to Titus in the Pastoral Epistles, reminding us of the serious calling pastors enter into when called to the ministry.  

Imagine a world where pastors were required to keep the bare minimum (as outlined above) before entering into ministry. Imagine a world where church members wanted to be more pastoral because pastors so clearly follow after Christ. Such imitation could then make us more like Jesus, not less. 

According to the church body I am ordained in, pastors “should set a worthy example to the flock entrusted to their care by their zeal to evangelize the unconverted and make disciples. All those duties which private Christians are bound to discharge by the law of love are especially incumbent upon them by divine vocation, and are to be discharged as official duties” (PCA Book of Church Order, 8-3). 

What the Church Order describes here is the assumption that all pastors are to be Christians, through and through. And so just as Saint Paul once told the churches in Corinth to “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ,” he was expecting that all pastors and elders follow suit. As church leaders do this, we set the right kind of example for the people we are entrusted with, and God’s church becomes much more beautiful and far more persuasive to a secular world. 

So what might following your pastor look like, practically? Here are several aspects of the pastoral role that will benefit your spiritual life, if you become like your pastor as he follows Jesus. 

1. Follow Your Pastor in Humility 

When Peter encourages elders to shepherd the flock of God, he mentions a spirit of humility that is so unlike leadership in the world.  

He charges pastors to exercise “oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock” (1 Peter 5:1-3).  

And then he ends with a statement and a citation from Proverbs, saying “clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5). 

As your pastor walks humbly, live humbly before God and your neighbors. 

2. Follow Your Pastor in Holiness 

When Paul outlines the qualifications for office to young Timothy, we realize that the call to ministry is a call to holiness.  

The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive, for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church? (1 Timothy 3:1-5) 

How committed are you to one wife? How sober are you, not only in drink but with your speech and life? And, how well are you managing your household and teaching them the faith? How do you do with Facebook and Twitter debates? Are you the one starting controversy or are you quick to put the fires out? 

Imagine what Christianity would look like today if we were all more like the kind of pastors Paul envisioned should be serving Christ’s church. 

Paul ends this list of qualifications with the kicker: “Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into disgrace, into a snare of the devil” (1 Timothy 3:7). As Christians, our actions inside of the home and church inevitably reach the outskirts of the city. 

As Jesus said, they will know us by the love we have for one another (John 13:35). That also means they will know us when we are faking it and when we hate. Follow your pastor in holiness. 

3. Follow Your Pastor in Hope 

Writing to the Colossians, Paul says: 

And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister. (Colossians 1:21-23)

The basis for a pastor’s humility and holiness is, of course, the gospel message itself, and that message alone can carry you for the whole spiritual journey that lies ahead of you.

We are here reminded that the most pastoral thing any of us can do is to share the good news of the gospel with a dying and broken world. When our friends, neighbors, or co-workers are looking for good advice, the pastoral thing to do is to surprise them with good news.  

We heap not more law onto people, I think you should try this… but we tell them all about what Jesus has done on their behalf, in their place, and for them, pointing them (as all pastors should often do) to the only One who takes away the sins of the world. 

Photo Credit: Unsplash 

10 Insightful Quotes from OpenTheBible.org

If you have not yet visited our new site, OpenTheBible.org, I strongly encourage you to do so!

This site contains 50 sessions that give you a comprehensive tour through the whole Bible story–from Genesis to Revelation. It’s meant to help open the Bible for you and for others around you.

Here are 10 of my favorite quotes from this site, and I encourage you to find some of your own favorites as you go through the 50 sessions.

From Chapter 1: Life

God introduces Himself as your Creator and therefore your owner. You are not your own. Your life is a trust given to you from God. That means you are not worthless or aimless. God chose to bring you into being and he did it on purpose. You will discover that purpose as you get to know the One who created you.

From Chapter 2: Curse

Whenever Satan tempts you to sin, his first strategy will be to create confusion. He will try to lower your defenses by suggesting that maybe what you want to do is not really forbidden by God, or at least that the Bible is not clear about the matter.

From Chapter 3: Salvation

Knowing a coming judgment would not be of much help to us unless there was a way to be saved from it. The warning of judgment is not the angry outburst of a vindictive God; it is the gracious call of a loving God who says, “I must destroy evil, and I will. But I do not want to destroy you, and here is how you can escape.”

From Chapter 4: Judgment

At Babel, the tongues were a judgment from God leading to confusion and people being scattered. At Pentecost, the tongues were a blessing from God leading to understanding and people being gathered together.

From Chapter 5: Promise

The first book of the Bible tells us how we can be right with God and it tells us that it is by faith. Abraham was saved in the same we are, by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. He saw the day of Christ from a distance, and he believed.

From Chapter 6: Blood

Another way of avoiding God is to fashion our own gods who will support the lifestyles or values we have chosen. When people say that they don’t believe in a God who will judge, or that they can’t believe in a God who saves people only through Jesus, what they are really saying is that they do not like the God of the Bible, and they have chosen to invent another god more to their liking.

From Chapter 7: Law

God was not saying, “I’m giving you these commandments, so that by keeping them you may become My people.” He was saying, “I am giving you these commandments because you have become My people already.” The message of the law to us today is not that we must keep God’s laws in order to be saved. The law tells us how God’s people ought to live, and for this reason it speaks to us today.

From Chapter 8: Atonement

Even at this early stage in the story of the Bible, God was preparing for the coming of Jesus. The whole purpose of the sacrifices in the Old Testament was to shape our thinking so that we would understand why the Son of God had to come into the world.

The sacrifices help us to see that in His death on the cross, He accomplished what the sacrifice of animals could only anticipate. Christ made atonement for our sins. He brings back the presence and the blessing of God for all who trust in Him.

From Chapter 9: Priest

Can you visualize your sin being taken so far from you that you can no longer see it and it can never come back? God wants you to know that through the finished work of Christ your sin is forgiven and your guilt is removed.

From Chapter 10: Courage

The life of Jesus had a very different outcome. His calling involved extreme suffering and loss (Luke 9:22), but He was ready to pay the price, and the book of Hebrews tells us how He did it. Christ endured the cross “for the joy that was set before him” (Hebrews 12:2).

In other words, when God held the cross before Jesus, He looked through it to the joy that was on the other side. He focused on the outcome, and Isaiah tells us that, “Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied” (Isaiah 53:11).

James 2:1-9: Don’t Engage in Favoritism

My brothers, show no partiality [favoritism] as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory… Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? (James 2:1, 5) 

In his second chapter, James writes on a topic that is familiar and problematic to us all: favoritism. 

Favoritism in the context of this scripture is showing special treatment to a particular person or persons based on their social standing. In short, treating people with lesser financial means in a lesser way. 

Does this Matter? 

You might be wondering, why does James make such a big deal about this? Isn’t this just the way that the world is? We know that all throughout history, people in society have been treated differently based on the amount of money and status they have. 

In our modern day, we want to impress people with money because we know that they often hold a great deal of power and influence. People in business will try their hardest to get people who are wealthy and influential to invest in their efforts. Colleges will often try and befriend wealthy alumni to donate money to their operations and funds or to set up a scholarship program to help those who meet their standards. 

Now I am not writing to critique business models and approaches, but James gives us an alternative of how the church should view wealthy and poor people in the church. Here are three helpful points James points out regarding favoritism and special treatment based on wealth and status.

1. Favoritism Discourages Others  

James paints us a small picture of a person who walks in
with much gold and fine clothes and another person who comes in in rags.
The rich person is given the seat and place of honor while the poor is asked to
sit on the floor.  

Churches in those days did not have much seating, often
there were only a few benches, and the rest of the congregation sat on the
floor. Pharisees were often the people who demanded to be sat on the benches
and places of honor.  

Placing rich people in the best places created a cast
system within the worship service, as those sitting in the best places were the
religious, educated, and wealthy and those sitting on the floor were the poor
sinners, the ones that were not on the same level as those sitting in
the good seats.  

John McArthur points out in his commentary that James
feared that people in the church were beginning to treat the poor as society
treated them: as people who were to be shamed and looked down upon.1  

James makes this point that if you contribute to and
support this system in the church you are no better than society and your
thoughts and intentions are not of God but are evil and vicious. 

2. Favoritism Imitates the Wrong Thing 

James keenly points out that all the pampering to the rich
in the church was ironic since it was those same people who were exploiting the
poor and vulnerable. There are many references all throughout the Old
Testament where God commands the rich and those in a position of power not to
take advantage of the poor and to come to their aid (Ezekiel 22:29 Proverbs
21:13 Isaiah 58:10).  

James 2:7 points out that they are the ones dragging you to
court and not only taking your money but running your reputation down. James
wants them to see that this is not behavior you should be pampering or lifting up.
Rather, this should be rebuked and addressed. Not only is this something we
should be conscious of in our church but in our lives as well.  

How often do we cater to people in our lives and treat them
with special treatment simply because of their wealth? 

Christian, don’t treat your church like the rat race the world is running but focus on something of greater value and that is the eternal welfare of people.

3. Favoritism Is Antagonistic to God’s Rule 

God has blessed every Christian with a certain degree of
wealth and resources. However, the amount of wealth one possesses will not
affect their salvation. When all believers enter heaven, there will not be
people who will be more blessed then others.  

There will be no VIP room where some can enjoy Jesus more. The fact is that those who enter the kingdom of God have done so because God judged them on whether their names have been written in the book of life (Revelation 20:12). 

God judges not based on wealth, but rather whether we put our faith in Jesus Christ. When we are loving those people in our churches, their financial status should not play a role in how we treat them. 

After all, if Christ loves and embraces the poor just as He does the rich, shouldn’t we? Are we better kings than the King?  

What are ways in your life where favoritism hurts your relationships with family, fellow church members, or people with whom you work?

Photo Credit: Unsplash