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All of them.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“I don’t want you to forget, dear brothers and sisters, about our ancestors in the wilderness long ago. All of them were guided by a cloud that moved ahead of them, and all of them walked through the sea on dry ground. In the cloud and in the sea, all of them were baptized as followers of Moses. All of them ate the same spiritual food, and all of them drank the same spiritual water. For they drank from the spiritual rock that traveled with them, and that rock was Christ. Yet God was not pleased with most of them, and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.” ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭10‬:‭1‬-‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I actually get giddy with delight when I read about anyone interpreting and giving cultural and historical context to an Old Testament passage. Jesus did this a lot. And, the Apostle Paul is also an expert on this. These lessons are golden for not just a perspective on multiple, multicultural experiences thousands of years earlier. They are platinum for application today! Paul brings the O.T. stories into a conversation with a mixed bag of Jewish, Greek and Roman readers and whiteboards the moral, spiritual point that is critical to understand even today.

Paul reminds the churches, “remember…” and repeats the phrase, “all of them.” In Greek, καὶ πάντες, “and all” experienced something. Guided by a cloud, walked through the sea on dry ground, baptized into Moses, the cloud and the sea! All ate and drank the same same spiritual food and drink. All of them, exactly the same experiences, circumstances, fears, victories. And likely the same sorrows and joys. ALL OF THEM. Yet… something terrible happened.

Yet, most… Paul uses the word, pleión, the “comparative” numerical majority did not make God happy. Paul says, God did not have a “good opinion” of the majority. And because of that, God scattered (strewn about) them in the desert. ALMOST all of them did not end up making it to the promised land and inheritance God intended.

I would guess that most people think it’s hard to make God happy, especially when it comes to themselves. How can I make God happy? Is it perfection? Is is a strong and consistent moral aptitude or behavior? These are critical questions in the life of a believer. Paul delivers the truth to the churches – quit satisfying yourself, quit choosing shortcuts to get what you want in a way that is deadly, poisonous and not of God! Paul writes, “These things happened as a warning to us, so that we would not crave evil things as they did, or worship idols as some of them did. As the Scriptures say, “The people celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry.””

We have the stories, and now we get the application as to why the stories were captured and written down. The stories are for us. They (the Israelites) CRAVED evil, lusted after evil and worshipped Satan masked as fake forms and cheap substitutes of God. They is ME! I have to ask myself, am I “ALL OF THEM.”

When I have seen the miracles of God and experienced His majesty, His glory, His presence and I am still not satisfied? Am I all of them? When I’ve seen supernatural provision and blessings beyond normal and I still crave, still lust for evil and my own way, am I all of them?

How do I make God happy? It is simple, yet profoundly difficult at the same time. It is faith. Even while seeing provision, miracles and God’s presence and still in my moments of humanness and weakness, I must CHOOSE to believe that God will give me my true heart’s desires and fulfill longings that are deep within my soul? I must have faith and choose to crave God MORE than I lust after momentary and fast-fleeting experiences that fulfill my own flesh and disordered desires.

Choose your lover well, for that love determines the fulfillment of a promise or a desolate destination of eternal wanderings!

Prayer

Dad,
You have brought me to this dance, this amazing experience of new life and hope for eternal life. So my intention is to not only dance with you, it is to stay with you and not change dance partners only to end up going home with someone else! Thank you for Your Word. Thank you keeping the most challenging and difficult stories in the Bible to remind me of what is true. Thank you for your spokespersons and gifted writers who have left me with these powerful applications of how to live and how to choose faith. Thank you for your mercy and grace as I determine to please you through faith.

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Sinful hotspots

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭6‬:‭12‬-‭14‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The Apostle Paul’s whole discussion about sin, mastery and slavery is fairly creepy. It’s all true, but there is a kind of a horror genre running through the theme. I’ve been reading/listening to John Mark Comer’s “Live No Lies,” and this idea of a wicked battle of good and evil in and over every human soul is so heady and deep.

Paul uses two concepts that help me understand how sin works against me. One word is control. Don’t let sin control me, he writes. Being a believer and feeling the conviction of the Spirit of God, I shiver to think how often I DO let sin control me. Of course I don’t WANT it to, but anger, lust, fear and envy have a way of hijacking my emotions and taking over. Paul continues to remind me that the power of Christ has given me a supernatural capability to say no!

This whole idea of fighting or the second concept of “giving in,” is starkly wild to what culture says I should be doing. Basically, our current modus operandi is to participate in a lot of sin to whatever capacity I feel like experiencing. There are no suggested restraints anymore. So living and giving into my sins would be celebrated today, that is of course, unless is offensive to a canceled woke culture – the gods of morality now.

I love Paul’s specificity about our body having instruments of sin. This is a funny comparison to mouth, eyes, ears, hand and possibly even feet in a very proverbs kind of way (running to sin). As I have aged, I’ve also realized that I will spend my entire life figuring this all out. I guess I’m a slow learner.

Prayer

Dad,
I will fight on. I will work hard not to let my sin control me and not to give in. Sometimes it feels like a circular battle. There are a ton of good days and quite a few bad ones on this. Yet, I am forever grateful for your grace and abundant patience and mercy. Just to know I am loved as your son and that noting can separate me from that is enough. Thank You.

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I’ll give you something to complain about!

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“Then the people of Israel set out from Mount Hor, taking the road to the Red Sea to go around the land of Edom. But the people grew impatient with the long journey, and they began to speak against God and Moses. “Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die here in the wilderness?” they complained. “There is nothing to eat here and nothing to drink. And we hate this horrible manna!”” ‭‭Numbers‬ ‭21‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I’m not sure my mother said this to me directly, or I heard her tell my little sister. Either way, my mom was famous for asking THE parental, rhetorical question. “What are you crying about?” Before I could answer, because honestly I didn’t know why myself or my sister was crying – we just had the feels! My mother would then say what she really wanted to say. “I’ll give you something to cry about.” Which totally confused me as a child. There were already tears. Why would anyone want more of whatever caused the tears to begin with. Not me!

At first glance, one might read the Old Testament stories, especially this freedom trek from slavery to independence and say, “boy those Israelites were sure negative. They’re a bunch of complainers and whiners.” Is negativity genetic? Can whining be passed down through our DNA? Come on. You know you have family or friends that are negative about most things. The constant grind of questions and an Eeyore approach to life can get any parent, any leader irritated. Especially when one is trying to get them from point A to point B and, for goodness sake, does not need the extra headache necessary to drag people into faith and freedom the entire way.

I have learned that it’s not just an Jewish exile issue. It’s a human trait, a bent character flaw in all of us. The whiners took it way too far. This wasn’t just honest prayers of angst like we find in Psalms. This was BLAME. This was toxic negativity that would eventually infect every person, every family. They spoke AGAINST God and Moses. Moses own sister had played this game once, and caught an awful case of skin disease because of it! I mean yeah, her name, Miriam, means bitter, but really? She started trash talking Moses wife because she was a Cushite. God turned her skin ashen and sent her off for a seven day timeout.

Here, the the complainers cried, “you brought us out here to die!” When freedom starts looking like slavery you know you’re messed up! God brought in a snake infestation and it killed a bunch of them. Come on Pastor out there, you know you’ve at least thought about this story when you got served complaining and misery while trying to lead the flock.

When the whiners started watching their friends die, they wised up pretty quick. To stop them from dying, to stop them from complaining, God had Moses make a bronze snake and hang it on a pole. Was it an idol, I don’t think so. They weren’t told to worship it. They were required to stare at it hoping the odd remedy would work. And it did. God even used the whole object lesson to help us understand that the one hanged on a tree (or pole) was cursed but would bring healing through faith as one gazed on him. We gaze at Jesus who became sin and was hung up on the pole for our own cure. Not just for whining but for living a life of sin.

Two points to be made from this story. One, the complainers and doubters ended up dying in the desert after all. They never made it to the promised land. Two, I should be very careful not to accuse God of leading me to freedom and live a whiner’s life believing that He’s going to just let me die in the desert.

Prayer

Dad,
It used to be so easy to read the Old Testament and get so judgey about your Israelites. Then after growing up a little and looking into the pure mirror of your word, I realized that I struggle with an Eeyore attitude and dip into negativity far too often. I want to live a life of faith, not fear. And, certainly not go down as a whiner and complainer. Thank you for your grace as a self awareness of my faults. Help me in my faith and please, no snakes for me!

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God hates?

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“There are six things the Lord hates— no, seven things he detests: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent, a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong, a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭6‬:‭16‬-‭19‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I think everyone hates these qualities and behaviors in humans. In a world that celebrates what is wrong and aggressively, verbally shames what is right, there are still a few things we all agree are bad: Arrogance, lies, murder, scheming, serial crimes, betrayal, and chaos. These things, Proverbs says, God hates.

In an odd fascination, many are entertained by these behaviors making the twisted plots of podcasts the most popular genre. The Idaho murders, the Murdock trial are just examples of America’s lust for gruesome reality. But we all still think it’s wrong.

I know God thinks they are wrong, but why would our progressive, “enlightened” culture think they are wrong? Aren’t these people just expressing their true self, living their best life? Shouldn’t the proud be paid handsomely and worshipped for their confidence? Shouldn’t liars, murderers and betrayers just be given the freedom to do their thing, even if it’s authentically evil? Seems kind of progressively judgey and hypocritical doesn’t it? If it’s a right to murder infants, why isn’t it a right to murder adults? (oh, but it is under certain circumstances. And I don’t mean the death penalty).

First of all, I believe God sets the rules because he created us. But also, this list of things God hates and thankfully, culture still frowns upon, is absolutely catastrophic in our relationships! Every one of these behaviors destroys the binds of trust necessary to have a thriving relationship. The arrogant cares only about themselves – not you. The liar, the swindler/schemer only wants your money, love or alibi. That disruptive family member is living off the emotional rush of negative environments like anger, friction and discord. These behaviors are hated because you can’t build a life, relationship or community on them!

You think you feel lonely now. Wait until this list of wrongs aren’t just seen as entertainment, they are expected to be the new rules for living! Can’t you see where this is all heading? Can’t you see that we can’t be trusted to determine our own destiny, setting our own rules? The New Testament writers warned of this kind of environment towards the end, when this world winds down and God brings it to an end. The end of this world means that we will be begging God for justice and the creation of a new heaven and new earth.

Prayer

Dad,
I do not like the intensity of living in an upside down world, where wrong it right and right is wrong. It’s not just confusing and frustrating, it’s divisive and dangerous. I long for both your mercy and your justice, even judgement, to make all things right. I also hate the things you hate. I also hate seeing any those qualities bouncing around in my mind even if I never plan on acting on them. I agree with you when you tell us the heart is desperately wicked, who can know it? Only you know and judge perfectly, rightfully. For that I am thankful.

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Tasty light.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

““You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless. “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭13‬-‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I love these two examples that Jesus uses as the crowd came and he gathered his disciples.

There has been much discussion about what being “salt of the earth” means over the years. Was it a preservative or a seasoning? In years past it just became an phrase describing a hard working person or family.

Either way, it’s still crystal clear – it’s for the benefit of others. A disciple, a follower of Jesus should be “experienced” as a benefit to the world in which they live. Should the follower lose that effectiveness, their mission, their influence, then that characteristic of Jesus in them becomes worthless. They don’t personally become worthless. Nor does Jesus’ mission become worthless. Their witness of God’s work in them and their ability to let God use them in the world of tasters, eyeballs and ears becomes just unnoticed.

Similar with light. Light is a pure and mysterious element. Right after heaven and earth were created, God spoke light into existence. Science calls light, “electromagnetic radiation,” or “electromagnetic waves”. We see it, but it also carries energy. And it’s fast – super fast. Without going down the deep hole of scientific wonder, we know this and experience this. We know the difference between light and darkness. When there’s light, we see. When light is absent, we can’t see because removing light makes it dark.

Followers of Jesus bring light into darkness and freely gives it out so that everyone benefits. This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine! The transformation of Christ, through his followers, can and should be seen and experienced by those around them.

As a believer, a follower of the ways of Jesus, am I a tasty light? Do I, just as a quiet presence or influence in the room of humanity, change the environment and atmosphere of that space? Do I bring the flavor and warmth of God into every interaction I have with those who are seeking, hurting or broken? Maybe Jesus was just bringing an object lesson to that beautiful verse out of Psalm 34:8, “Taste and see that the Lord is good!”

Prayer

Dad,
Oh I have tasted and I’ve seen that you are GOOD! I guess the question is, can I bring it! Can I be the Costco sample to those who are weary, weak and worried? Can I be tasty and bright in a dull and dim world around me? I can if I am filled with your presence! If I am so grateful that I leak graciousness! If I am filled with joy even when I am overwhelmed or suffering. Only you can be that in my life. That kind of flavor, that kind of bright, warm illumination can’t be faked, it must be authentic. Fill me so that I can be a tasty light.

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The lost art of confession.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat. Interlude Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone. Interlude” Psalms‬ ‭32‬:‭3‬-‭5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

We, as believers, as the Church, are a reactionary bunch. The Church practically ruined the process of confession by tying it to a sacrament involving a booth of secret exchanges between the sinner and a priest behind a veil. Confession was meant to be given to God and each other, not some mysterious sin eater. Then we bounced to the extreme of never having confession as a normal part of our fellowship and following Jesus in community.

Confession and repentance are not only threaded through the entire fabric of the Bible, they are clearly necessary starting from the beginning of our human existence. If Adam and Even had not blame-shifted responsibility off themselves, and just confessed who knows maybe the consequences or corrections wouldn’t have been as severe. Oh, sin would still be the death sentence that it is. But maybe the burden of labor and provision would be different for men and labor and delivery would be less painful for women?

Obviously David, after committing his heinous crimes, should have come clean before Nathan called him out. Was this refusal to confess before or after the confrontation? I’ve always had the theory that anyone who takes a life or commits violence against another human has to deal with a raging fire of guilt and the fear of getting caught. I imagined that the guilt eats the soul within and turns one into a beast, searing conscience and sucking out all emotion like love or compassion.

This Psalm carries a truth no matter the severity of sin or shame. We are not designed to carry guilt. And, it makes it paradoxically ridiculous when we have such a clear solution and simple option beckoning before us – confess and quit trying to hide it! To whom should we confess? First to God, then to one another.

It’s interesting that David, upon realization, confesses rebellion. Here we thought it was all about lust, objectification of a woman, lying, plotting and executing a murder, then trying to cover it all up. But rebellion? This is what the Bible has been trying to tell us all along. All sin is rebellion against God. It’s us, wanting our own way, not his. It’s yielding to cravings and what Augustine calls our “disordered desires” of what WE want, when we want it and won’t listen to anyone trying to dissuade us. The seven deadly fruits of sin are born from the roots of rebellion.

Whether it was before getting caught or after, David faces his sin, his guilt and the cancer lodged in his soul and vacates it to God. And in that, David finds forgiveness, freedom and a renewed spirit within. It’s not at all formulaic, but it is a process that yields both humility and a fresh start. Of course today, believers are supposed to assume that they are forgiven by Christ’s own permanent payment for sin – and we are. Have we come to believe the humiliation of confession is not necessary. That is not what the New Testament teaches is it? So we just skip the penitence, the humbling of ourselves, the constant admission that we are STILL sinners, saved by grace? Oh, that’s right, we want to heap upon ourselves a whole new layer of religion. The religion of perfection. You may want the perception of sinlessness and the right to judge the world because you are better than others. Not me brother, I know my own heart and it is quite ugly still. Psalm 32 is the perfect psalm for me. I will confess my rebellion to the Lord. And God will forgive me.

Prayer

Dad,
How dare I even for one moment think that Your righteous, Your mercy, Your forgiveness extends to me any privileges of pretense that I would be qualified to judge another, especially deciding who goes to heaven and who goes to hell. I am far too busy dealing with my own sin! I am thankful for confession, repentance and forgiveness as a regular process of keeping my heart and soul clean and clear before you.

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Suffering is a great teacher, I just don’t like her.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” Hebrews‬ ‭4‬:‭15‬-‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Jesus faced down the same crummy situations that we do. The idea that Jesus had temptations is hard to process. The best glimpse is Satan tempting him in the desert. Jesus was tempted to make his own will happen over God’s will. Test the limits of who he is and what his mission would be. Get and gain everything a human would want by taking shortcuts and believing a con-angel. I forget about the deep pain and suffering that occurred in many of his interactions with religious people as well as those who were suffering physically or broken emotionally – oftentimes both.

Jesus was deemed a fake, a liar, a rebel and a power hungry conspirator from his own religious leaders. He IS God, but the guys who supposedly worked for God couldn’t recognize one characteristic of God in Jesus! It is extremely painful to be misunderstood, or worse, categorized as a contrarian. Then there is the pain of empathizing with those who had been marginalized and beat up by the religious culture of perfection all while they profited and maintained power. The strong got stronger at the expense of the weak getting weaker. This environment decimated faith and distorted people’s view of God – both religious and sinner.

It is painful to watch others suffer and then be told they deserve it. The author of Hebrews delivers the truth in the conversation of Jesus being the final High Priest – it wasn’t an easy calling. Hebrews writes, “Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered.” Vs 5‬:‭8‬. My idea of learning obedience was simply doing what God says to do. Haven’t we learned that being obedient, doing what’s right and following God PREVENTS suffering? It’s not just that God disciplines us when we are disobedient, but now there’s the problem of suffering when doing RIGHT.

In my thinking, I should NOT suffer when doing right! Making right decisions and following God in obedience should get me a pass on suffering, right? That’s the whole carrot/stick scenario. Do right, get the carrot. Do wrong get the stick. Which is more motivating? Carrot please. Jesus did right and got the stick! He continued to do right and got the cross. Where’s the motivation? Where’s the reward? Hebrews has the audacity to tell us that suffering for righteousness sake yields obedience. Suffering can help us learn to obey God no matter the circumstances. If, for one moment I may think, “well, that’s for Jesus, and I am not him.” We both know that’s dodging the truth.

Obey God. Trust God. Suffer if we must, but do not confuse resistance, grief, mockery, gossip or mistreatment as an indication that we are doing something wrong. If we are being obedient to God, then suffering will come along with it.

Prayer

Dad,
Of course I confuse suffering with doing wrong and sinning! I am full of sin and just figured that suffering is what I deserve. I never thought of suffering for righteousness or suffering as a means to learn obedience. I want to avoid suffering! It is just not a good feeling. Help me to see the lesson, the value of suffering as Your Word shows me to be humble and to learn. I can’t tell you I like it, but I do know how much I love you and want to do what is right. Pour out your mercy and peace so that I can handle suffering appropriately.

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The haunting darkness of depression.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“When Ahab got home, he told Jezebel everything Elijah had done, including the way he had killed all the prophets of Baal. So Jezebel sent this message to Elijah: “May the gods strike me and even kill me if by this time tomorrow I have not killed you just as you killed them.” Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there. Then he went on alone into the wilderness, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died.”” ‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭19‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The big showdown between God’s representative and Baal’s representatives had taken place, the odds 850 to 1. The living God verses dead stone and stick carvings. God consumed the entire contest altar with fire. It turns out Ahab wasn’t the power broker for behind the scenes, it was actually his wife, Jezebel. She had risen to power controlling the nation and all the false prophets who were committed to worshipping fake gods. Ahab arrives home telling her that all her puppet prophets were dead. Commentators say that Elijah killed 850 (400 prophets of Asherah and 450 prophets of Baal ) wiping out Jezebel’s entire elite religious guard. She sends out the “hit” order, the threat – Elijah will be dead in 24 hours. Even after this major showdown win with incredible odds against him, this one threat from the most wicked woman in history, rattles him and Elijah runs. He disappears into the wilderness and finds himself exhausted, depressed and suicidal. Elijah experiences the lowest of lows and the very dark, crushing moment where he believes it is all over, he’s done and his life will end like all others who oppose the wickedness of the queen. Have you been there, in darkness and depression?

The verses following this story capture a slow but sweet process of restoration, administered by angels. This is a very modern prescription for depression today – “get up and eat.” Elijah ate, drank and then slept some more. Then the angel of the Lord (a phrase attributed to Jesus Himself, showing up in the Old Testament) touched him and encouraged him to eat again. In depression’s dark shadows, one often loses a desire to eat, drink and physically move around. Elijah takes a very long trip, ending up in a cave, still running from the threat of Jezebel. We see the echos of king David running from Saul, fearing for his life. These two stories in these two chapters, one of victory, the other of crippling fear are all to common experiences to anyone who is obediently following God and working to accomplish His will and plans. The fight, the war against evil and against the agents of evil used by the satan, is very real, very dangerous and very exhausting. Many have won a battle only to lose in the aftermath of threats and fears that follow. Jezebel was not able to keep her threat. In fact Jezebel was pushed out of her own castle window by her own protective guards. She splattered on the courtyard below and left for wild dogs to eat her, just as it was foretold. 2 Kings 9:30-32. In a stunning reversal of the Jezebel threat, Elijah never did die! God took him, alive and riding a fiery chariot into the sky.

Prayer

Dad,
Before my own brief experience with deep depression, I used to read this story and was confused about how things could turn so quickly from victory to defeat with just a word from this wicked woman. After going through several days of the worst experience of my life and feeling the numbness and despair, no will, no desire to do anything, I now understand. Those moments still haunt me. I am so thankful for your supernatural mercy and grace to not only wrap your peace around my soul, but gently lead me out of the darkness and back into the light. May you ever be close to those who are suffering similar.

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Proverbs promotes purity

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“For the Lord sees clearly what a man does, examining every path he takes. An evil man is held captive by his own sins; they are ropes that catch and hold him. He will die for lack of self-control; he will be lost because of his great foolishness.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭5‬:‭21‬-‭23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The entire chapter is a contrast/comparison to giving into immoral decisions or staying true to one person and remaining pure. The cast of characters is the young man, referred to as son. The immoral woman, seen as a thirst trap, luring and devouring innocence. And, the wife of one’s youth, depicted as a spring, a fountain filled with blessing and satisfaction.

The wisdom writers get gritty in detail when they ask, “Why spill the water of your springs in the streets, having sex with just anyone?” Directly referring to not just love but a man’s semen seed for procreation. This is clearly a chapter on purposeful restraint, shutting down the entire fallacy that sex should be abundantly and freely engaged with anyone you like.

Again, since Proverbs is mostly a young man’s wisdom curriculum, I’ll let you figure out how to reverse the roles and applications for young women seeking moral men instead of being seduced by fantasy and false promises of “players.”

Proverbs chapter five gives a summary that captures a strong word of advice for the wise and the fool. God sees all. God knows the motive of EVERY human heart. In the end, the hell or heaven that one finds is determination of decisions. Hell is the cage constructed by our own desires. The ropes of slavery and captivity are woven by our sins. And death awaits because we will lack the will to be made pure and whole. The warning to the young and old – be very careful about giving into the lust and cravings of our body, mind and soul.

The promiscuous lies that promise peace and fulfillment are not just dangerous, they are deadly. Words like chastity and purity are for temporal and eternal safety as well as real satisfaction.

Prayer

Dad,
How absolutely ludicrous that the cultural lies pitched today are all word-swapped, redefining truth. Phrases and words like sexual freedom, exploration, experimentation all masked by this lie. It’s a very clever trap leading to the opposite of everything we really need. It quickly becomes exploitation leaving perpetrators and victims with hollowed out souls, finding no peace. We are left with a vicious cycle of unquenchable desires that become our master of a slaved life. Oh, how we need your Spirit to pour over us. Breathe life in us once again for we have descended back into the dust of our dirty lives.

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Living the #blessed life.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

“God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.” Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭11‬-‭12‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Jesus’ most famous sermon, the one he not only lived but spoke about everywhere he went, describes a very different life for us to try to live out today. It is super antithetical to our culture in the U.S. He gives us a loss list, one that we are to not only look for but emulate and celebrate.

God blesses those who: are poor and realize their need for him, humble, hunger and thirst for justice, merciful, whose hearts are pure, who work for peace, who are persecuted for doing right.

These character and attitude traits yield favor from God and each come with their own unique benefit: the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs, comfort, inherit the earth, satisfied, be shown mercy, they will see God, they will be called the children of God.

In this world, in this culture, these attributes are almost completely shunned and let’s be honest, people would see this kind of lifestyle as reserved for losers – not winners! Yet Christ continuously warns us that the Kingdom of God is not anything like the kingdom of this earth. The kingdom of this earth is run by sin-fractured souls in cooperation with the prince of darkness, the Slanderer himself.

Jesus drops a sober reminder, the ancient prophets (spokespersons) were persecuted in the same way. It is very anti-social to live the loss list that Jesus recommends for the BLESSED life. I just don’t see that hashtag on TikTok or Reels reflecting Jesus #1 sermon.

Prayer

Dad,
Whew. I struggle with feeling successful or even righteous living your loss list. To be poor, humble, working for peace and persecuted for doing right? These are ideals I try to stay away from because of the deep heartache and turmoil they seem to bring. Living this loss list would force me to long for the Kingdom of heaven to arrive and accomplish your will far faster that I do now. I’d be overwhelmed trying to live out even one of these qualities, let alone all seven of them. Oh God, I need you to help me see what you see and live towards your ways and not my own. This changes how I view the “blessed” life for sure.