I was enjoying some dog walking time with Jack. He was loping along the edge of a field, lost in his sniffing adventures. There were other dog walkers about, a few boys kicking a soccer ball, and a group of girls talking together. As we neared the girls I heard one of them say to the other, “I don’t believe a word you say!”
I glanced at the girl being accused of lying. She looked rather hurt at the allegation. As Jack and I walked on by I thought that whether the girl was telling the truth at that moment, I couldn’t know, but it was unlikely that she could never be believed in what she said. The other girl was upset in the moment, making her unrealistic declaration in anger.
My thoughts churned over as I then thought about someone who did indeed lie all the time. He can never be trusted! We truly cannot believe a word that ever comes out of his mouth. You may have already guessed I’m referring to Satan. What is the first thing we learn about his character in Genesis? He lied. In fact, he told Eve that it was God who had lied to her! It was unthinkably irreverent! However, not surprising because lying is at the very core of Satan’s being. By stark contrast, God is truth all the time.
Jesus warned us about Satan’s character when He said of him in John 8:44 “…He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” What a statement: “there is no truth in him.” The teenage girl mentioned above no doubt has some truth in her at some time in her life. We all do. At times we have all told the truth, and at other times everyone of us has told a lie. It’s that spiritual nature fighting with the carnal nature that will not finally be slain until we see Jesus face to face. Until then, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we press on, reading the truth of God’s Word, following the truth of God’s Word, desiring to live always in the truth of God’s Word. There is no better road leading to the greatest of happiness on earth.
Beware, because the evil forces of Satan are always lurking about, seeking and taking every opportunity to lie to you and me. They despise the very thought of you and I living in the ultimate joy and peace of God. Their evil mission is revealed to us in John 10:10. It is a mission to kill our joy, steal our peace, and destroy all hope of being happy with God while living on this earth. Never forget, Satan lies, not some of the time but all of the time. Never forget also, the Word of God tells the truth, not some of the time but all of the time. Satan wants to bring you down. God wants to build you up.
Last week’s blog encouraged growing in faith by doing what you know to do — pay attention to God’s Word for there we find truth, guidance, wisdom, peace, and joy. Satan’s first recorded lie in Genesis did not end well when Eve listened and believed it. When you and I are tempted by Satan and succumb to his lies, be certain, the consequence of believing Satan will not bring an ounce of joy.
Never, ever forget — Satan lies all of the time.
Never, ever forget — God’s Word is a spring of truth all of the time.
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 and, “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32
Acting by faith, believing by faith, stepping into the unknown by faith, can be daunting. Often we may cry in our own hearts, pleading to have more faith! We berate ourselves for lack of faith, but self scolding doesn’t really help to build our faith, does it. Paul said something interesting in Ephesians 6:16, “…Hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.” We may read this and feel despondency begin to grow in our hearts as we tell ourselves, yet again, but I am so lacking in faith I can’t hold up the shield! The quest to obtain greater faith probably discourages the Christian more than anything else. Satan loves this and just keeps shooting more fiery arrows of doubt to keep weary souls in the doldrums.
Good News! We don’t have to obtain some special, yet undiscovered secret code, to walk in faith. We don’t have to amble around feeling inferior because our faith isn’t even as big as a mustard seed. All we need to do is — do what we know to do. Dr. Charles Stanley expressed this so well when he said, “When we fill our minds with Scripture and live according to its principles, Satan’s schemes lose their power over us.” So simple but so powerful. When we simply do what we already know to do, then we are acting in faith. When we obey God’s principles, then we are trusting, by faith, that He will strengthen us. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God, as Paul tells us in Romans 10:17. When we hear and respond in obedience, that is an act of faith. Every single time we obey God’s word, we are acting in faith. Therefore, when we act in faith, those “fiery arrows of the devil,” must cease.
Jesus did that very thing when He was tempted by Satan. We read the story in Matthew 4. Three times Jesus was severely tempted, and three times He stood on Scripture and lived by it. Satan was defeated and left Jesus alone.
The greatest faith building exercise you and I can do is what we already know to do. Pay attention to God’s Word. They are living words providing strength, comfort, guidance. They are powerful over Satan. They make our faith stronger. Then, when situations call, we can be confident to act by faith, believe by faith, and step into the unknown by faith. When Scripture saturates us, we become strong, living in faith, defeating Satanic attacks, and bearing good fruit; all because we are — doing what we know to do.
I couldn’t stop the frustration. Sometimes having to wait for something can be disheartening, but to wait without the tiniest hint of an end can be downright exasperating! This was the wheel of aggravating thought I was on this week; the wheel would not stop spinning round and round! That’s when I reminded myself of The Rosebud.
Many moons ago, when I was at university, I learned a poem in one of my drama classes for a program in which I was taking part. The words of the poem touched me deeply. I wrote it down in my Bible for occasional reference. In the 40 plus years since, I’ve often read the words. Its truth always brings me back to a place of inner peace, where I am refreshed in spirit to continue the waiting, and the trusting in my Father’s ways. May this poem by Darryl L. Brown be a blessing to you also.
The Rosebud
This is especially meaningful to me today — it’s my spiritual birthday! I am 50 years old in the Lord! What a day that was on May 21, 1971, a day that put a 14 year old’s life on an unforgettable path filled with the Holy Spirit’s own courage, peace, and guidance. There have been times on the mountaintop and in the valley but never a time of any regret. I look forward to my tomorrows.
“Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.” Corrie Ten Boom
Two years ago I had the joy of accompanying my mother in fulfilling something on her bucket list. We went to Holland to see the tulips. The train trip was smooth with beautiful landscapes along the way. Th city of Amsterdam was beautiful with its waterways and unique architecture. Of course, the acres of tulips, all colors and varieties, was a wonder to see. Gorgeous!
On one of our days we took a train to the town of Haarlam not far from Amsterdam. When we stepped into the town’s train station, we felt transported back in time to the WWII era. We walked over to a cafe just across the square from the train station, ordered coffee and sat at an outside table.
The day was warm, sun shining, easy to forget the atrocities and fear that had filled those same streets during World War II. Nazi’s had marched the streets, invaded homes looking for Jews and those who harbored them, forcing them to the train station where we now enjoyed coffee. Those trains would carry them to concentration camps designed to abuse and kill its inhabitants.
After coffee, we walked just a little further and there it was — the Ten Boom watchmaker’s shop. Corrie and her family made their home above the shop, a haven for fleeing Jews during the Holocaust. She and her family were devout Christians with a directive from God to be helping hands to those in need of a safe hiding place. Most of you reading will know the story of Corrie Ten Boom and her family being discovered by the Nazi regime. They were sent to the concentration camp of Ravensbruck. Her story was made famous by her book, The Hiding Place.
As my mother and I visited the shop and home, walked along the side streets around it, and back to the same train station that had once taken them all away, we were filled with a sense of awe in God. Being in that place was a visual reminder of the presence of Light in the midst of the darkest of evil. By her own testimony, Corrie affirms that God was with them in the worst of their situation. He had not left them; He drew closer to them. How could that be? Because they refused to take their own eyes off Him.
It is only in times of difficulties, when we shift our eyes from looking at Jesus, that we begin to see the dark and become afraid of what we see. When we make a choice to remain steadfast in focusing on Jesus, we see His faithful light to illuminate the way.
My thoughts were taken back to that bucket list trip when I read something a friend posted on Facebook this week. It was another quote from Corrie Ten Boom, “When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don’t throw away the ticket and jump off, you sit still and trust the engineer.”
As our world displays its hatred, may we choose to keep our eyes on the Light. Only then will we, too, know His peace no matter the chaos and evil around us.
Every country has its days of remembrance; a time to honor people and situations. Often it’s an acknowledgment of those who have given their lives for the good of the country. Sometimes educators are honored or scientists or artists, writers and orators, politicians and military leaders. The list goes on. When we reflect upon people or situations, we remember hardships they endured in order to overcome. We ponder their strength of character, how they overcame the odds. Perhaps we honor those who helped others on their journey: a parent or sibling, a spouse, a teacher, a doctor. Someone was there to assist and encourage through every obstacle.
Reading in Deuteronomy 8, we see that God Himself challenges the people to recall the struggles they endured and to remember who helped them through it all. Let’s read verses 15-16, “Do not forget that He (God) led you through the great and terrifying wilderness with its poisonous snakes and scorpions, where it was so hot and dry. He gave you water from the rock. He fed you with manna in the wilderness, a food unknown to your ancestors. He did this to humble you and test you for your own good.”
While we see it was indeed God who provided for them, every step of their hazardous journey, it was the last phrase that caught my attention: “humble and test you for your own good.” This can sound rather negative, but in fact, it is most positive. The word “test” in Hebrew means, to prove. God did not allow their difficulties as a harsh task master; rather, He provided for them along the way, keeping them safe and with full stomachs, to prove that whatever challenge they would face, He would be there to bring them through.
If Almighty God is there, and will always be there, then what have any of us to fear? We do not know what tomorrow holds — but God knows. He is already in our tomorrows, leading us through today, ready to assist in every hour to come.
Let’s never forget His watchful eyes over us. May we always remember — His goodness of yesterday is proof of His continued goodness today.
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