Blessed be the Lord (Part 2 of 2)
Do not allow people to sway your confidence.
One of the great challenges of walking the Christian walk
is overcoming discouragement. If you expect your family and friends to cheer you
on every step of the way, you are setting yourself up for failure. There will be
times when God will send people into your life who will lift you up and offer
encouragement but you will also find that when you truly decide to walk with the
Lord without compromise, people will be your biggest obstacle. The Bible
explains it well in Jeremiah 17:5-8
5 Thus says the LORD: "Cursed is the man who trusts in man And makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the LORD. 6 For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, And shall not see when good comes, But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, In a salt land which is not inhabited. 7 "Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the LORD. 8 For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.
I use this passage often because I consider this one of the foundational principles in scripture. If you put your confidence in man, you are walking under the curse and your heart will depart from the Lord. If you depend on people to encourage you, affirm you, or stand behind you, it will become a curse to you. People will fail you. If your confidence is in a person, you will fail. If your dependence is in a man or woman and they fall, you will fall. However, if your confidence, trust and hope is in the Lord alone, you will flourish even when the world around you dries up like a desert.
When Job went through trials, at the height of his misery his wife said, “Why do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die.” We all hope that our families will be there for us, but they are not our confidence. Look at Jesus’ statements in Matthew 10:34-39
34 " Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. 35 "For I have come to 'set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law'; 36 "and 'a man's enemies will be those of his own household.' 37 "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 "And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 "He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.
But wait! Didn’t the Bible promise that Jesus would bring peace on earth and good will to men? Jesus brought peace between God and man and placed those who receive Christ into God’s good will toward mankind. We will not have peace toward those who are at war with God. The Bible tells us that the righteous are an abomination to the wicked (Proverbs 29:27) and that the righteous are the aroma of death to those who are perishing (2 Corinthians 2:16). Also look at these passages we are to take note of:
2 Timothy 3:12 12 Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.
John 15:18-21 18 " If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. 19 "If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 "Remember the word that I said to you, 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. 21 "But all these things they will do to you for My name's sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me.
Matthew 10:24-26 24 "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 "It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household! 26 "Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.
Matthew 5:10-12 10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. 12 "Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Jesus instructed His followers to count the cost of discipleship. Unless you are willing to forsake all, you are not worthy of being called a disciple – in fact, Jesus said that you cannot be a disciple without forsaking all. Wisely consider the path set before you and understand that if you truly live godly you will be at odds with the world and it is likely that you will be hated by members of your own family and even by those who claim to be Christians.
Count the cost first. It is important that you understand what the Christian walk is all about. The Christian life is not about comfort and wealth in this life. God may indeed give some material wealth, but this is not the hope of the Christian walk. We are on a pilgrimage looking for a heavenly kingdom that we will one day inherit. You must choose whether you will strive for an earthly kingdom that will pass away or forsake the world and pursue the life to come. Most people simply do not have the faith to forsake this life for the Kingdom of God. When you choose to forsake all and follow Christ, you will be persecuted for it. Those within the church will be intimidated because when they see someone following Christ, it is a reminder that they are not walking by faith. Those in the world will be intimidated because a godly life is a reminder that they are in rebellion against God and are heading toward the end result – sin when it is finished, brings forth death (James 1:15).
When you are walking in Christ, God will work all things together to conform your life to the image of Christ. This includes blessings, miracles, trials, hardships, and persecutions. Look at this common passage in Romans 8:28-31
28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
What is the ultimate goal of the Christian life? To conform to the image of Christ. Remember, we were created in the image of God, but all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God; therefore, God has ordained everything in our life to shape us into that image that we were created to reveal. God has predestined us to conform to His image and since this is true, if God is for us, who can be against us? If this is true, why are so few in the church conforming to His image? This passage says it well; look at Galatians 3:1
O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified?
Many are bewitched into disobeying the truth even though it has been made plain to them. People are bewitched by bad doctrine which is self-serving and appeals to the lusts of the flesh. Some are bewitched by ‘greasy grace’ which promises men that they can have a ticket to heaven and still live according to the flesh contrary to God. These will often be the ones who challenge those who follow truth. You will be called legalistic if you desire to live godly. Legalism is seeking to be justified by your own efforts, rules or religious practices. Walking by faith is seeking to please God because we are already justified and out of a love for God we seek His will. Obedience by faith is recognizing that this life is worthless and that forsaking all is a small price to pay for knowing Christ and inheriting the promises of God. If you walk on this path of life, you will be criticized.
You will also be criticized when you suffer in this life. Job is the oldest book in the Bible. Even in Job’s day, those who claimed to know God were caught up in the erroneous doctrine that is in the church today. It was falsely believed that all suffering was the consequences of sin in your life. It was also falsely believed that God only gives blessings, health and prosperity to those who are walking by faith. If you read the book of Job you will see that God did indeed bless Job, but God also brought suffering into Job’s life. Each one of his ‘holy’ friends came to him and criticized him for some secret sin. When Job professed his faith in God, they called him arrogant and self-righteous.
Keep in mind that just because someone says that they are speaking on behalf of God, does not make it so. Just because someone claims to speak the word of God to you does not make it true. Job’s friends had good sounding doctrine and many of the things they said are true; however, they completely lacked understanding and they trusted in their own righteousness and their own understanding. The Bible strictly warns us not to lean to our own understanding but to trust completely in God (Proverbs 3:5). Our heart can deceive us and emotions and good feelings are very poor measurements of discernment. The only surety we have is the word of God. When God was trying Job, his friend Bildad said in Job 8:5-6
5 If you would earnestly seek God And make your supplication to the Almighty, 6 If you were pure and upright, Surely now He would awake for you, And prosper your rightful dwelling place.
Job’s friends boasted of their own uprightness, understanding and wisdom as they counseled Job. Elihu calls himself a man of wisdom and states that his words are from a heart that is upright, he will speak the knowledge of God clearly and that he is innocent and without transgression or iniquity. He then claimed to have a vision given to him from God to speak to Job. Each of these men claimed to have the voice of God and all of their testimonies agreed together against Job. However, God declared of Job in Job 1:8
Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?"
Under the guise of encouragement, each of these very religious men criticized Job. As God tried Job to prove him, those around Job seized the opportunity to cut him down in order to make themselves look righteous. Any man or woman who truly walks with God will be watched by all. The first time hardship enters into your life, the world will rejoice and the religious will condemn. They will say, “If you are so righteous, why is God punishing you?” In reality, God tests His people as well as chastising them when they error in their ways. Not all suffering is punishment. You will know if you are being punished because you will already know if you are pursuing God with all your heart. After the testing was complete, God revealed his anger against Job’s so-called friends. Look at Job 42:7-8
7 And so it was, after the LORD had spoken these words to Job, that the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, "My wrath is aroused against you and your two friends, for you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has. 8 "Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, go to My servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and My servant Job shall pray for you. For I will accept him, lest I deal with you according to your folly; because you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has."
All of the religious men called Job’s words folly but God called their words folly. It is not the person that approves themselves that are approved but the one God approves. Job’s friends had to sacrifice before Job and Job prayed for his friends which acted like his enemies. This is the same message Jesus taught to His disciples. The same principle concerning Job’s friends are also taught in the New Testament concerning the believer. Look at the following passage in Revelation 3:9
"Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie -- indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you.
If you follow Christ with your whole heart, you will be called evil, demon possessed, arrogant, self-righteous, a sinner and many other names. Jesus foretold that they will “say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My name’s sake” but we are to rejoice for great is our reward (Matthew 5:11-12). If you fear the Lord and walk in His ways, there will be a time when God will make your persecutors bow at your feet so that they will know that God has loved you.
If your confidence is in God and you are forsaking all and following Him, you will stand firm and confident even if you have to stand alone. If your confidence is in people or you need affirmation in order to walk with God, you will be like the parable of the seeds that were scorched.
Matthew 13:5-6 5 "Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. 6 "But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away.
Matthew 13:20-21 20 "But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 "yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles.
Those whose hope is in the Lord alone will flourish even during the times of drought. You cannot flourish in Christ without forsaking all; you cannot forsake all and live for yourself; you cannot walk in Christ without seeking with all your heart and studying the word.
Seek His counsel, not to counsel Him
In Job’s life we have the perspective of seeing the entire account in the
book of Job. We get to see that God pointed out Job to Satan in order to bait
him into seeking to overthrow Job’s faith. We get to see why the things in Job’s
life happened. We get to see the end result and get to apply the whole account
to our own understanding to help build our faith. Job did not have that luxury.
As far as we know, Job never knew why he was put through such rigorous trials.
During the trial Job stated that he would confront God and ask why these things
happened without a cause. When Job saw God, he changed his mind.
After Job’s trials, God responded to Job’s question, “Why is God doing this to me?” with, “Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge?” In other words, if Job did not know what God was doing, what right did he have to question God’s actions? Job could not see God’s plan. He could not see the hand of God protecting him, preserving him, strengthening him and insuring that he would not be tried beyond his ability to endure. God knew Job inside and out and God knew very well what Job’s limitations were. God knows our limitations as well and He is able to strengthen us to endure hardships and trials.
Like Job, we like to question God. Our sense of justice and right and wrong are based on how we feel and what makes us comfortable and encouraged. This is not the measurement of right and wrong. God has the right to bring anything into our life and we have the promise to strengthen our faith and that all things work for our good. Therefore, we know that even tragedy has benefits that carry into eternity. When we measure good based on a temporary passing life, we are missing the bigger picture. God will take good out of our life here in order to bless us with good forever.
Was God unjust for allowing the lives of Job’s children to be taken from the earth? If this life is all that matters, this would be a great injustice – humanly speaking. In truth, this was a blessing for Job’s children will be rewarded for their loss and Job was rewarded for his faithfulness and will inherit the greater reward in heaven. We misunderstand what is good because we get our eyes stuck on this world and forget to consider the life to come. Sure tragedy hurts and there is nothing wrong with grieving and acknowledging our pain before God and man. People who turn their backs on God in hardship do so because they have no roots in truth. Like a seed that is scorched by the sun, they wither because they have nothing beyond themselves to draw from. The ones who grow are those who obey Ephesians 6:10-11
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
If you are strong in the Lord, you are strong indeed. If you are strong because you are a strong person, you have a very limited source of strength. Look now at Romans 11:33-36
33 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! 34 "For who has known the mind of the LORD? Or who has become His counselor?" 35 "Or who has first given to Him And it shall be repaid to him?" 36 For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.
God knows the plans for you – you do not. Can you or I counsel God on His plan? No, we can only resist His will for our lives or submit ourselves to Him completely. God planned your life before the foundation of the world and before you ever took a breath (see Ephesians 1:4, Hebrews 4:3, Revelation 17:8). Can you change the plan of God? God’s plan will be fulfilled and you will either walk with Him or fight against Him. If you become bitter against God, you will deprive yourself of eternal blessings and God will raise up another to do His will. His plans will be accomplished.
Rather than counseling God, we should seek His counsel and walk in it. Prayer is not petitioning God to change His mind but rather seeking His will. Look at the model prayer Jesus gave us in Matthew 6:9-15
9 "In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. 13 And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. 14 "For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 "But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Where in this prayer do we see Jesus teaching us to persuade God to do our will? We pray, “Your will be done”. We seek God’s will and His kingdom as we acknowledge Him for who He is and as our provider. This prayer shapes us and conforms us to God rather than seeking God to do our bidding. We are not His counselors. His will is perfect and anything granted outside of that plan is for the hardness of our hearts and takes away from what is good. There are times when God allows people to receive what is not good but it always becomes a snare. In Mark 10 the Pharisees knew Jesus was critical of divorce so they challenged Him by asking why it was allowed. Jesus replied by saying that it was permitted because of the hardness of their hearts. In other words, they were depriving themselves of the goodness of God because they refused to conform. God could have severely judged them but instead He allowed them to deprive themselves of His plan for marriage. Any who divorced and remarried at will were still guilty of adultery and will one day be judged for their sins. The point here is that God will not force you to conform to His will but will allow you to deviate if your heart is hardened against Him. Keep in mind that there is no reward outside of His will.
Consider the prayer of Jesus as He poured out His heart before He was crucified. For a while Jesus had been telling the disciples that He was going to be delivered into the hands of the religious leaders of Israel and then to the gentiles to be mocked, scourged and crucified. Even though He knew this was the reason for coming into the world, it didn’t make it easier when the time came. The Bible tells us that Jesus was tempted in all ways like us but without sin. The temptation to flee the cross was almost overwhelming. Look at Luke 22:41-44
41 And He was withdrawn from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and prayed, 42 saying, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done." 43 Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. 44 And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly. Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. 45 When He rose up from prayer, and had come to His disciples, He found them sleeping from sorrow. 46 Then He said to them, "Why do you sleep? Rise and pray, lest you enter into temptation."
The night of Jesus’ betrayal, He withdrew with three of His disciples to pray. Several important principles are taught in this account. The first thing I want to bring attention to is the last statement, “Pray, lest you enter into temptation”. Remember the prayer Jesus gave earlier, “lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one”? Jesus did not say, “Pray that God would change the circumstances”. He taught that His disciples should pray that their hearts would be strengthened and guided so that they did not enter into temptation. It is the person who must change, not God. We are delivered from temptation by seeking the will of God and setting our heart on doing His will. God is able to deliver us from the hand of Satan and in James 4 we are promised that when we draw near to God, we will resist temptation and Satan will flee. Satan attempts to draw us out of God’s presence with temptation but he must flee when we draw near to God.
Another principle to notice is in the prayer of Jesus. Jesus provided a great example for us to follow. It is good to express our will to God but we also must acknowledge that we submit ourselves to God’s will. In error many believe that God must do whatever we ask. This is false. Look at 1 John 5:14-15
14 Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.
Ultimately, we align ourselves with God’s will. When we desire the things God desires for us, we know our prayers are in agreement with God. Jesus asked that if there were any other way, let the cup of suffering found in the cross pass from Him. There was no other way. The Bible tells us to have the same mind that was in Christ who, being in the form of God had the right to be equal with God but made Himself of no reputation and became obedient unto death on the cross (Philippians 2:5-8). We also should model this prayer where it is OK to acknowledge what we desire but even more important we acknowledge that God’s will is to be done in our life.
After Jesus submitted Himself to the will of the Father, He was strengthened to endure the suffering. Keep in mind that Jesus veiled His glory and took on the form of a bondservant. He did not shelter Himself from any human suffering. He truly felt like fleeing the cross, yet because of His understanding of the value of the will of the Father, He submitted Himself to suffer through the cross. We have the same choice each day. While we may or may not have to suffer death for the name of Christ, we still decide daily to choose our own will and harden our heart or to say, “Your will be done”.
When you choose God’s will, don’t expect the world to understand. Even within the church, people still operate in the flesh and try to ‘rescue’ us from the will of God. Look at John 18:10-12
10 Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest's servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant's name was Malchus. 11 So Jesus said to Peter, "Put your sword into the sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?" 12 Then the detachment of troops and the captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound Him.
It is a surety that God’s plan will not be in agreement with many of those around you. When Jesus asked His disciples who men said He was, there were many answers: John the Baptist raised from the dead, one of the old prophets, a great teacher, etc. When Jesus said to His disciples, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter said that He was Christ, the Son of the Living God. Jesus then praised Peter saying that flesh and blood did not reveal this truth but it was revealed to Him from the Father. Peter was just praised for his spiritual insight and seconds later he was being rebuked for being influenced by Satan and not savoring the things of God but the things of men (or the flesh). Even a Christian can lose focus of the things of God. Peter then tried to prevent the work of God by attacking the servant of the high priest.
If you submit yourself to God and follow His will, do not expect people to understand God’s work in your life. If you suffer, you will be accused of hiding secret sins or having no faith. If you forsake all, you will be called foolish or fanatical. If you die to yourself and walk in the Spirit, you will be ridiculed. All who live godly will suffer persecution (2 Timothy 3:12).
When you pray, do not counsel God with words without knowledge, but seek God’s counsel and His will. Faith is trusting God to the point where you act upon that trust. If God’s plan is perfect and was designed for your good from the foundation of the world, who are we to reject it or seek to change it.
It is for you, the individual Christian, to decide to follow God and seek His will. Each day you choose to submit to the will of God and pray according to His will as Jesus taught or to seek your own will. This is why the apostle Paul said, “I die daily”, and why Jesus said that we must take up our cross daily.
Each decision should be preceded by the question, “Am I walking in His will and walking obediently from the heart”? He that saves his life will lose it but he that lays down his life for the sake of Christ will save it.
Eddie Snipes
Exchanged Life Outreach
http://www.exchangedlife.com
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