Monthly Archives: July 2012

The Pleasure of an Icy Caress

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“‘Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.’ Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise.”1

The man huddled on the cabin floor was slowly freezing to death. It was high in the Rockies in southwestern Alberta, and outside a blizzard raged. John Elliott had logged miles that day through the deep snows of the mountain passes. As he checked for avalanches and as dusk and exhaustion overcame him he had decided to “hole-up for the night.”

He made it wearily to his cabin but somewhat dazed with fatigue, he did not light a fire or remove his wet clothing. As the blizzard blasted through the cracks in the old cabin walls, the sleeping forest ranger sank into oblivion, paralyzed by the pleasure of the storm’s icy caress.

Suddenly, however, his dog sprang into action, and with unrelenting whines, finally managed to rouse his near-comatose friend. The dog was John’s constant companion, a St. Bernard, one of a long line of dogs famous for their heroics in times of crisis.

“If that dog hadn’t been with me, I’d be dead today,” John Elliott says. “When you’re freezing to death you actually feel warm all over, and don’t wake up because it feels too good.”2

Life can be like that too. Millions of people, whose lives are filled with the pleasures and occupied with the pursuits of the world, are lulled to sleep spiritually, warm and cozy in their complacency, oblivious to the fact that they are heading pell-mell towards a lost eternity without God and without hope.*

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please use me to help awaken those who are spiritually asleep and unaware that they are on their way to a lost eternity without you. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Ephesians 5:14-15 (NIV).

2. “Paralyzed by the Pleasure of an Icy Caress,” The Prairie Overcomer. Cited on Aces Online www.acesonline.org.

*To discover hope click on: http://tinyurl.com/8glq9

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To Make a Life

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“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”1

Haim Potok, a Jewish rabbi, scholar and writer, was born into an orthodox Jewish family in 1929. He grew up in New York City and started writing fiction when he was only sixteen years old.2

Repeatedly his Polish immigrant parents would keep telling him, “Haim, be a brain surgeon. You will make a lot of money and you will save a lot of people from dying.”

Time and again they would give him the same advice, “Haim, be a brain surgeon. You will make a lot of money and you will save a lot of people from dying.”

However, Heim wanted to be a writer and after repeated advice from both his mother and father telling him what he should do with his life, he shouted back at his mother, “I don’t want to stop people from dying. I want to teach them how to live.”3

Speaking personally I spent many years gaining an education that taught me many things—but never how to live. I had to learn that in the “College of Hardknocks!”

True, making a living is very important but learning how to live is much more important. And that’s what God’s Word, the Bible, is all about. As God said to Joshua some 4,000 years ago if you follow all of my laws, “Then you will be prosperous and successful.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to get my priorities straight so that I will always live in harmony with your Word and become prosperous and successful as you define these qualities. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Joshua 1:7-8 (NIV).

2. SparkNotes, http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/chosen/context.html

3. From a sermon by Tod Bolsinger, San Clemente Presbyterian Church, San Clemente, California.

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A God Thing

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“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”1

According to Jim Green, Executive Director of The JESUS Film Project, “A Jesus film team was driving to a film showing site in a Muslim nation, a remote region that has hardly been touched by the Good News. It was a restricted area, with many hazards for those who would dare to openly share their faith. As the team drove along, they prayed that God would go before them and open doors of opportunity and give them safety.

“Just before they arrived at the village, a policeman flagged down their car. It seemed that an Islamic teacher needed a ride. The officer made the introductions and asked if they could help. Feeling it was an acceptable and necessary risk, they agreed and offered a ride, and continued towards town.

“You can imagine the anxiety the team must have felt when this highly respected teacher asked, ‘Tell me, are you the ones planning to tell people about God?’

“Entrusting themselves to the Lord, they responded, ‘Yes, we are.’ Apprehension turned to astonishment as they listened to what this teacher said next. Bouncing along the dusty road, the teacher told the team how he had experienced a unique dream.

“‘I was told to come to this spot in the road, at this time, and that I would encounter someone who would tell me about God. It must be you.’

“They gave him some literature that JESUS film teams carry in the local language, and invited him to come the showing of JESUS that night. He not only came but also helped distribute literature to the people!”2

It is my personal conviction that if an individual sincerely seeks God and his truth, God will reveal himself to him/her in whatever way or through whomever he chooses.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that whenever I or anyone sincerely seeks you with all their heart, they will find you. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

For more information about “Jesus Christ: Is He God or Man?” click on http://tinyurl.com/award

For help to know Jesus personally click on: http://tinyurl.com/8glq9

1. Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV).

2. Jim Green, Executive Director of The JESUS Film Project, a division of Campus Crusade for Christ International. Monthly report letter, July 8, 2005.

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Not Feeling Guilty When We Should: Guilt Part III

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“The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.”1

In a California murder case some time back, a case that dragged out for months, the man being prosecuted appeared to have a seared or dead conscience. The way he lived and used other people for his own ends, and showed no sorrow regarding this, nor any visible emotion when he was handed a death sentence seemed to indicate this.

This brings us to another aspect concerning guilt we need to understand. True, it’s important to resolve false guilt and shame so we don’t feel guilty or shameful when we shouldn’t. On the other hand there are some people who don’t feel guilty when they should—when they have done wrong.

Some, who are too prideful to admit when they have done wrong and refuse to say, “I was wrong. I am sorry. Please forgive me,” often play the blame-game and project the blame onto somebody else. These people have a very poor self-image and need to resolve that. (Actually one of our greatest strengths is to admit our weaknesses and mistakes. Only then can we ever overcome them. Denial traps us in the web of our own insecurities.)

Then there are those who have what the Bible describes as a seared conscience. What they and we all need to realize is that guilt in the Bible is a legal term. That is, if we have done wrong and sinned, we are guilty whether we feel guilty or not. The same is true with the law of the land. The court is not going to make a judgment on the basis of whether we feel guilty or not. If we broke the law, we will be judged on the basis of what we did—not on the basis of our feelings or whether we had a dead conscience.

The word “conscience” itself literally means “with knowledge” (“con” meaning “with” and “science” meaning “knowledge”). The emotional term in the Bible associated with guilt is Godly sorrow.2 In other words, when we have sinned, the mature and healthy response is to admit it, feel sorrowful for it, confess it, and repent of (turn away from) it, and be forgiven.

Denying our actions when we have done wrong and willfully continuing with these wrong or sinful actions can readily lead to a seared conscience. This is a very dangerous path to pursue.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please give me the courage to admit when I have done wrong and deliver me from the sin of denial so that I will never end up with a dead or seared conscience. And thank you that when I confess my wrongs and sins, you freely forgive me. And then please help me to forgive myself. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 1 Timothy 4:1-2 (NIV).

2. “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret” (2 Corinthians 7:10 (NIV)).

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Freedom from Guilt, Part II

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“Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide them. I said to myself, ‘I will confess my rebellion to the LORD.’ And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.”1

In continuing our three-part series on guilt, we explained yesterday that genuine confession is the way to resolve true guilt.

Most readers will be familiar with David’s sin of adultery with Bathsheba and his ordering her husband, Uriah, to be killed in a vain attempt to cover what he had done. The only person he fooled, of course, was himself. What he did wasn’t hidden either from God or his own conscience. In today’s Scripture it shows how he struggled with his guilt but then when he confessed it, he felt free from his guilt—and greatly relieved.

Resolving false guilt and shame aren’t as simple to overcome because neither one of them is guilt—regardless of how they feel.

As we said yesterday, false guilt comes from early conditioning, usually from parents, but it can be caused by legalistic religion too. To overcome this issue one needs to re-condition his thoughts and feelings. It starts with recognizing what is true and what is false. When feeling guilty, ask yourself, “Am I really guilty? Did I really do anything wrong?” If not, tell yourself, “No, I didn’t do anything wrong and I am not guilty.” The more you do this (with strong feeling), in time the more you will be able to slowly recondition your feelings and thoughts.

Also, if you are feeling guilty and are confused, share your feelings with a trusted friend or counselor to confirm whether your feelings are valid and based on reality. Don’t share with anyone whose purpose is only to make you feel good regardless of whether you did wrong or not. That will do more to hurt you rather than help you.

If you struggle with shame, you will also need to re-condition or re-program your feelings and thoughts about yourself. This takes time too. Again, you need to share (confess) what you have done and/or how you feel even if you haven’t done anything wrong to a safe, trusted friend or counselor, and as they love and accept you just as you are and don’t “shame” you, in time, little by little you will learn to accept yourself with all of your faults and be free from those wretched feelings of shame. This takes considerable time and persistence, however, because we don’t undo years of false conditioning overnight.

Confession not only to God, but also to the right person (a safe non-judgmental person), at the right time, for the right reason is foundational for healing. As James wrote in the Bible, “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”2

To be continued …

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me grow to the point where I am free from false guilt and shame, and be genuinely sorrowful for my sins. Thank you again that when I confess my sins to you, you fully forgive me. Help me to forgive myself and, with your help, overcome sinful actions. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Psalm 32:4-6 (NLT).

2. James 5:16 (NIV).

For additional help:

See See Guilt-Throwers Vs. Guilt-Catchers at: www.actsweb.org/daily.php?id=434.

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Freedom from Guilt, Part I

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“If we confess our sins, he [God] is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”1

“Dear Sir, I have been a Christian for almost a decade,” writes a Daily Encounter reader, “but I have this overwhelming sense of guilt. I cannot seem to shake it. What can I do?”

“Dear Stephen (name changed), you are not alone in your struggle. It’s a problem many experience. To overcome, it is essential to understand the difference between true guilt, false guilt, and shame. Some psychologists claim that guilt is psychologically damaging. This is not correct regarding true guilt. We ought to feel guilty when we have done wrong. If we don’t, we face the danger of developing a seared conscience. It’s false guilt and shame that are psychologically damaging.

While true guilt says you have done wrong, false guilt makes you feel guilty even when you haven’t done anything wrong. And shame says that you are a bad person not only when you have done something wrong but often when you haven’t.

With true guilt when we have admitted that we have done wrong, confessed it to God and asked for his forgiveness and, where necessary, asked the one we have hurt for his or her forgiveness—and wherever possible have put right the wrong we have done, the guilt feelings go. As today’s Scripture assures us, when we confess our sins, God forgives us … and then we need to forgive ourselves.

However, if after confessing our sins we still feel guilty, guilt is not the problem. If, for example, I am a perfectionist and have unrealistic expectations of myself and am beating myself up because of what I did wrong, the problem is my perfectionism. Or if as a child I was controlled by an overbearing parent and made to feel guilty if I didn’t conform to his or her every demand, present situations where I have done something my parents had opposed—even if there was nothing wrong with it—this can trigger those old memories and feelings of false guilt.

Or if my early life was shame-based; that is, if whenever I did something wrong an angry or critical parent repeatedly said in a harsh tone, “Shame on you … you bad person,” as an adult whenever I do wrong, or even feel I have done something wrong, I will feel that old shame regardless of how irrelevant it may be today.

So, how do we overcome?

To be continued….

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to discern the difference between true guilt, false guilt and shame and lead me to the help I need to overcome any feelings of false guilt or shame in my life. And wherever there is true guilt, give me the courage to confess what I have done, and ask for your forgiveness. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 1 John 1:9 (NIV).

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Some Fell on Stony Ground

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“A sower [farmer] went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it. But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded a crop a hundredfold.” When He had said these things He cried, “He who has ears to hear let him hear!”1

Probably most people like to have a nice lawn around their house. Joy and I certainly do. We used to have a lovely front lawn, but unfortunately ugly weedy-type grass has taken a hold and ruined it. Unfortunately, I didn’t get rid of it when it first appeared, so to make it good again, I’ll have to destroy the entire lawn and start over from scratch.

It’s amazing how easily ugly grasses and weeds grow, but to maintain a good lawn and garden takes constant care. Hopefully this summer I will make the effort to plant a new lawn. To do so, I will first have to destroy our entire lawn, carefully re-cultivate the soil, and get a new layer of top soil before planting new good lawn seed, and then take care of it so it will take root and thrive.

It’s exactly the same with the “seed and soil” as illustrated by Jesus in his parable in today’s Scripture passage. The seed represents God’s message as found in his Word the Bible—a message that includes his message of salvation—and, as Jesus explained, the four soils represent all those who hear God’s message and what they do in response to it.

The four soils are best explained in the words of Jesus: “Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.”2

Today’s question to you and me is this: “Which soil represents you?” Have you accepted God’s message of forgiveness and eternal life and allowed it to grow in “good reproductive soil”? For help to receive God’s forgiveness see “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: www.actsweb.org/christian.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please give me the desire to not only hear your Word, but also the good sense to listen to it with my heart, accept it, and follow its direction knowing that it is for both my temporal and eternal wellbeing. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus name, amen.”

1. Luke 8:5-8 (NKJV).

2. Luke 8: 11-15 (NKJV).

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Great Weddings or Great Marriages

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“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”1

“The glossy, coffee-table book was grandly titled, The Greatest Weddings of All Time. It featured media stars like Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, Prince Charles and Princess Diana, Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio, Ted Turner and Jane Fonda.”

As Mark Early of BreakPoint said, “Sadly, most relationships like those don’t last very long—which is probably why the book celebrates great weddings instead of great marriages.”2

Like far too many marriages, partners have little or no idea what qualities to look for in a spouse—and even more importantly—what qualities they need to have in order to find a suitable partner and to make a happy marriage.

I’ve taught in divorce and recovery groups for a number of years and over and over I hear the same question asked: “How can I find a good marriage partner?”

My answer is always the same, “By being a good marriage partner.”

The reality is that like attracts like. If I want to find a mature partner, I need to be a mature person. If I want to have a happy marriage, I need to be a happy person. Only happy, mature people have happy, mature marriages.

And why should I expect God to give me a great partner if I’m an immature, self-centered, control freak or whatever? Trust me, he won’t.

Before getting married, or to help save a poor marriage, or to make an even good marriage better, learn what it takes to make it happen. Read good books on marriage relationships.* Attend relationships and growth seminars. Join a recovery and/or growth group. Learn how to communicate effectively. Good relationships don’t happen by chance. They take knowledge, understanding, commitment, and hard work on the part of each partner so that they become healthy and mature (spiritually and emotionally) and are thus able to build a healthy and lasting marriage.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to grow in faith and love and every grace so that I will become a mature and whole person and thereby be able to build mature, loving and lasting relationships. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Ephesians 4:2 (NIV).

2. Mark Earley, BreakPoint, June 28, 2005.

*See http://www.actscom.com/store/ for excellent book suggestions.

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Great Hymns of the Church

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“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”1

Recently a friend sent me an audio video of the wonderful old hymn written in 1912 by evangelist George Bennard. It made me homesick—not only for heaven—but also for the hymns of the faith that so many of “we oldies” grew up with and that, for many years, we sang regularly in our churches. It was “The Old Rugged Cross.” What a soul-stirring message.

I can’t even remember the last time I heard this hymn sung in church. Nor can I remember the last time I heard another equally grand old hymn: “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” which I am playing on my computer right now. Hear the words—what a message:

“When I survey the wondrous cross/on which the Prince of Glory died/my richest gain I count but loss/and pour contempt on all my pride. Were the whole realm of nature mine/that were an offering far too small/love so amazing, so divine/demands my soul, my life, my all.”

Hear “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” at: http://tinyurl.com/42wfntt, or at this we address http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3C_GJAnPOpw&feature=related, and hear “The Old Rugged Cross” at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rylsA5_0jcM&feature=related.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you for the grand old hymns of the Christian faith that express your great love and sacrifice for mankind. What a joy it will be when we all get to heaven and sing these great messages together with you in person. In the meantime, please help me always to live the words that I sing for the glory and praise of your holy and eternal name. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus name, amen.”

1. Colossians 3:16 (NKJV).

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Ask the Blind Man—He Saw It All

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“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”1

Down the long, dusty road on their way from Jericho to Jerusalem, some two thousand years ago, trod Jesus with His motley band of twelve disciples, followed by a huge crowd.

They were probably already hot and sweaty. The dust clung to them, but, because Jesus was at the height of His popularity, the great crowd of people pressed close to Him. They were jabbering endlessly. Asking questions. Seeking favors. They could be heard a mile away.

“Hey, what’s all the noise?” blind Bartimaeus asked his friend as they sat by the roadside begging.

“I don’t know,” answered his friend with a puzzled tone in his voice.

“Let’s ask somebody else,” they agreed.

“It’s Jesus,” a passer-by informed them.

“You mean Jesus of Nazareth, the fellow they claim can heal the sick and the blind?” Bartimaeus excitedly asked.

“That’s the One,” he replied, “and I’m not going to miss seeing him for anything.”

The crowd came closer and closer. Excitement filled the air. The noise became intense. “I can’t believe it,” shouted Bartimaeus to his friend. “This just has to be my lucky day. I’ve got to get to Jesus. I know He can heal me.”

“Hey, Bart, there He is,” cried Bartimaeus’s friend, “but how will you ever get his attention?”

“This is it,” said Bartimaeus. “I may never come close to Jesus again. I want to be healed.”

With dignity dismissed, Bartimaeus, seeking to be heard above the rowdy crowd, yelled at the top of his voice, “Jesus, have mercy on me! O Lord, son of David, have mercy on me!”

“Cool it, man! Calm down! Shut up!” retorted some of the crowd to Bartimaeus. “You’re making a fool of yourself. There are so many others here you don’t stand a chance of getting to Jesus, so just relax and keep quiet!”

But Bartimaeus was all the more determined to get to Jesus. He couldn’t see with his eyes but he sure could with his heart … and he could yell. He cried out all the louder. Hear his voice rise above the din of the crowd. It rang out like a great clarion call. “Jesus, O Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! Jesus, O Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

And Jesus stood still.

And the crowds stood still.

And a great calm settled down over them all.

Imagine it. The winds and the waves couldn’t stop the Savior. Neither could angry mobs. Crowds of people couldn’t stop him either. But the call of one lone, blind beggar did.

And Jesus with his great heart of compassion called for Bartimaeus to be brought to him. “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked.

“Lord,” Bartimaeus replied, “please give me my sight.”

And Jesus did. “Go your way,” He said, “your faith has made you whole.”

Immediately Bartimaeus could see and he followed Jesus along the way.2

Most of us are not physically blind, but many of us suffer from spiritual blindness. If we are as determined as Bartimaeus was to reach the Savior, Jesus will stand still for us too-when we call upon him from a determined heart-and our spiritual eyes will be opened.3

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please give me a determination such as blind Bartimaeus had and open the eyes of my understanding so that I will know and understand your Truth and, as a result, become a genuine follower of you. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Mark 10:51 (NIV).

2. Mark 10:46-52.

3. Adapted from I Hate Witnessing by Dick Innes. Can be purchased online at www.actscom.com/store.

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