God Our Refuge - Closet Reflections

Thursday, August 15, 2024

The Hamster Wheel of Shallow Confessions

Ezra 10:1-4 [1] While Ezra prayed and confessed, weeping and falling facedown before the house of God, an extremely large assembly of Israelite men, women, and children gathered around him. The people also wept bitterly. [2] Then Shecaniah son of Jehiel, an Elamite, responded to Ezra: “We have been unfaithful to our God by marrying foreign women from the surrounding peoples, but there is still hope for Israel in spite of this. [3] Let us therefore make a covenant before our God to send away all the foreign wives and their children, according to the counsel of my lord and of those who tremble at the command of our God. Let it be done according to the law. [4] Get up, for this matter is your responsibility, and we support you. Be strong and take action! ”

These verses give us a great picture of confession and repentance. Far too often, we confess our sins, not because we are truly broken over the fact that we sinned against God, but that we got caught. At other times we confess in hopes of escaping the consequences of being caught. Even if God is gracious and allows us to be forgiven without any life altering consequences; the fact that, shortly thereafter, we repeat our sinful behavior, is evidence that our confession was shallow and our repentance was nonexistent. True confession is viewing our sin as God sees it, with no excuses or attempts at justifying our actions. It is acknowledging that the main Person we sinned against is God Himself. Repentance comes from a heart that determines not to repeat the sinful behavior. It is a turning away from whatever it is that has motivated us to sin against God. It is about submitting under the authority of God and His Word, and walking in obedience. Does this mean that we will never stumble? Of course not. However, it does mean that our pet sin is no longer a pet, and that what was once a lifestyle is now the exception, and not the rule. When we sin, we must acknowledge it, confess it, and prayerfully set boundaries for ourselves. We must do our best to keep those boundaries in place, in the power of the Holy Spirit. We are not strong enough, in our flesh, to live a victorious Christian life. Nonetheless, God knows our heart when we truly desire to turn from sin, and completely turn to Him. Only when we surrender our will, in repentance, will we find the strength to release those pet sins that keep dragging us down and keep us on the hamster wheel of shallow confessions.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Romans 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on the Name of Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation (Romans 10:13).

Saturday, August 10, 2024

Seeing With Eyes of Faith

Romans 4:20-22 [20] He did not waver in unbelief at God’s promise but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, [21] because he was fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. [22] Therefore, it was credited to him for righteousness.

Abraham had much in the physical realm that could have easily caused him to doubt God's promises about what He was going to do, in the future, for him and Sarah. Yet, he viewed God's promises through eyes of faith. Like Abraham, we too have many things happening in the world around us that can cause us to doubt God's promises regarding the rapture, His Second Coming, the establishment of His Millennial Kingdom here on earth, and the role we will play in ruling and reigning with Him. However, like Abraham, we can also view all of God's promises through eyes of faith. Regardless of what the world reports, and regardless of what this world's agenda wants us to believe, the fact of the matter is that none of God's promises have failed thus far; and the ones that are left to be fulfilled will also not fail. Why? Because our God is faithful to His Word and He will fulfill what He has said, right to the letter. Peter told us that in these last days people will scoff and mock the promise of the Lord's return. Today, many within the church scoff at the truth that one day soon, at any moment, the Lord Jesus will fulfill His Words in John 14, when He promised that He was going to prepare a place for us, and return to take us to where He is. The Apostle Paul told us to comfort one another with the fact that at an unexpected moment the Lord will take us out of here to be reunited with loved ones who have gone before us, and together be reunited with Him. My question to us is this, "Will we believe the lies and agendas of this world, which is ruled by Satan, or will we use our eyes of faith to believe the promises of our God, who is always faithful and cannot lie?"

Wednesday, August 7, 2024

A Lack of Humility

2 Chronicles 33:10-13 [10] The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they didn’t listen. [11] So He brought against them the military commanders of the king of Assyria. They captured Manasseh with hooks, bound him with bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon. [12] When he was in distress, he sought the favor of Yahweh his God and earnestly humbled himself before the God of his ancestors. [13] He prayed to Him, so He heard his petition and granted his request, and brought him back to Jerusalem, to his kingdom. So Manasseh came to know that Yahweh is God.

2 Chronicles 34:26-28 HCSB

[26] Say this to the king of Judah who sent you to ask Yahweh, ‘This is what Yahweh, the God of Israel says: As for the words that you heard, [27] because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before God when you heard His words against this place and against its inhabitants, and because you humbled yourself before Me, and you tore your clothes and wept before Me, I Myself have heard’ — this is the Lord’s declaration. [28] ‘I will indeed gather you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace. Your eyes will not see all the disaster that I am bringing on this place and on its inhabitants.’ ” Then they reported to the king.

As I read the stories of both King Manasseh and King Josiah, I was reminded of what both James and Peter wrote, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." (James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5) The interesting thing about these two kings is that one, King Manasseh, did what was evil in the sight of the Lord; while the other did what was right before the Lord. Yet, God responded to both with grace, when they humbled themselves before Him. Jesus was the ultimate example of humility. Our God came to us, as a Man, and humbled Himself under the authority of His human parents. He then humbled Himself under human authority to the point of allowing men to falsely accuse Him and put Him to death in one of the cruelest ways imaginable. In the end, the Father exalted His Name above all names. If we are to truly draw near to God, and if He is to be found by us, it will take more than desire. It will also take humility. Satan was one of God's most powerful created beings. Yet, this cherub's pride caused his downfall. The Bible is clear that pride comes before a fall. However, humility before God brings salvation, fellowships, anf a true walk with Him. When we come before Him, acknowledging that all our works of righteousness are like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6), and call upon Jesus, in faith, relying only on His finished work on the cross, and His resurrection, God will save us, by His grace alone. As followers of Jesus, if we will truly seek Him, in humility, submitting ourselves under His mighty hand and authority, only then will we find Him. So today, let us stop and ask ourselves (both unsaved and saved), "Is my lack of humility, and my unbelief, keeping me from finding salvation in Christ?" "Is my lack of humility, as a follower of Jesus, hindering my walk and fellowship with Him?"

Sunday, August 4, 2024

Let Us Be Wholehearted Followers

2 Chronicles 25:1-2, 14, 20, 27 [1] Amaziah became king when he was 25 years old and reigned 29 years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan; she was from Jerusalem. [2] He did what was right in the Lord’s sight but not wholeheartedly.

[14] After Amaziah came from the attack on the Edomites, he brought the gods of the Seirites and set them up as his gods. He worshiped before them and burned incense to them.

[20] But Amaziah would not listen, for this turn of events was from God in order to hand them over to their enemies because they went after the gods of Edom.

[27] From the time Amaziah turned from following the Lord, a conspiracy was formed against him in Jerusalem, and he fled to Lachish. However, men were sent after him to Lachish, and they put him to death there.

Over and over again, in the Old Testament, we read about kings that either did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, or did what was right in the sight of the Lord. However, even when many of them started out doing right, they ended up going sideways, and ultimately ended their walk with God badly. In Amaziah's case, he did what was right, but God tells us that there was something that Amaziah lacked that led to his downfall. Amaziah's mind was bent on doing what was right, but his heart never caught up to his mind. Sadly, there are many of us who are no different. We have received Jesus as Savior, and we proclaim that we are His followers; but somehow, that doesn't seem to penetrate our hearts. What results is a life of compromise, where we try to walk with one foot in Christianity, and one foot in the world. We build a facade that looks good on the outside, and makes people think we are walking with God, but in our hearts we are far from Him. We indulge in our secret sins, and eventually the corruption that is in our hearts slowly begins to erode the facade we worked to build up and display before the world. We must not be fooled. Our God sees right through what we try to portray outwardly. Like Amaziah, God will allow circumstances to develop that will eventually expose, to our shame, who we really are. I praise God that He is a forgiving God who is willing to restore us, when we repent and confess our sins. Amaziah's choice to not be wholeheartedly committed to God ultimately led to his death. Let us not let our lukewarm commitment to God lead to the death of our testimony for Him; for when we bring shame to ourselves, when He exposes us, we also bring shame to His Name. Let us do right in the sight of the Lord, not just for outward show, but let us do it wholeheartedly for the glory of God, in true appreciation for what Jesus did for us.

Friday, July 26, 2024

It ALL Comes From Him

I Chronicles 29:12-17 NKJV

[12] Both riches and honor come from You, And You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; In Your hand it is to make great And to give strength to all. [13] “Now therefore, our God, We thank You And praise Your glorious name. [14] But who am I, and who are my people, That we should be able to offer so willingly as this? For all things come from You, And of Your own we have given You. [15] For we are aliens and pilgrims before You, As were all our fathers; Our days on earth are as a shadow, And without hope. [16] “O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have prepared to build You a house for Your holy name is from Your hand, and is all Your own. [17] I know also, my God, that You test the heart and have pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of my heart I have willingly offered all these things; and now with joy I have seen Your people, who are present here to offer willingly to You.

What a wonderful reminder for all of us that all that we have comes from the Lord. Time, talents, abilities, wealth (great or small), all come from the Lord. So why do we hold on to these things as if we had not received them, but acquired them with our own strength? Even the ability and talents we have to go out and earn a living comes from Him. The health and strength we enjoy comes from Him. Yet, we often selfishly hold on to all He has given us, when He only asks for a little in return, in order to use us to bless Him and others. What are we holding onto tightly today that we need to let go of? All that we hold dear, in this world, will one day perish, and can disappear in the blink of an eye. Is it not best to place it in the hands of the One who can do more with a little than we could ever do with a lot? Lest we forget, I simply want us to be reminded that it ALL belongs to Him and comes from Him.

Tuesday, July 23, 2024

Is It Truly Our Desire?

I Chronicles 28:9 [9] “As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever."

If we seek Him, He will be found. In Jeremiah 29:13, he wrote to those exiled in Babylon telling them that if they sought the Lord with all their heart, they would find Him. In the New Testament, James 4:8 tells us that if we draw near to God, He will draw near to us. Stop and think about the undeserved privilege we have in Christ, that each of us can truly have an intimate relationship with God, if we so desire. The Apostle John was "the disciple Jesus loved". When we consider that any one of the disciples could have been that disciple, we only see John leaning on Jesus, and the only one at the foot of the cross, when Jesus was crucified. Today, those of us who seek the Lord with all our heart, will have the opportunity to experience a close and intimate relationship with Jesus. Sadly, what is mostly seen today is a Chistianity that treats God like a "genie in a bottle" who we summons whenever life goes sideways, or we are looking to gain a worldly blessing. We say that we love God, but we never seem to have time for Him. The real reason being that we don't make time for Him, because we don't truly want to seek Him. So what will it take to have an intimate relationship with the God of the universe? It will take our willingness to commit and submit. It begins with having a true relationship with Jesus; receiving Him as Savior and Lord. It means that He becomes a real priority in our lives. What does that look like, you ask? It means that we seek Him early in the morning, even if it means that we go to bed earlier, so that we can rise earlier; and if that's not possible, it may mean that in the afternoon or evening, we set time apart to be in His Word and in prayer. Yes, that may mean putting down our phones and not playing a video game. It might mean not watching a sporting event or a TV series. It means that we will actually have to make every effort to be doers of the Word, and not just hearers. It means that we actually stop and consider our words and attitudes when dealing with others, and making a real effort to allow Him to increase in our lives, and we decrease; so that others see more of Him and less of us. Much of this will not be easy, at first, but because we have God's Spirit, it's not impossible. Do we really want true intimacy with our God and Savior? Then it's time to stop making excuses and start making a true effort. The level of intimacy we have with our God will depend on the level of desire and effort we put forth, in Christ, and by His Spirit.

Saturday, July 20, 2024

It’s Not Always About the Action

I Chronicles 21:1-7 [1] Now Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel. [2] So David said to Joab and to the leaders of the people, “Go, number Israel from Beersheba to Dan, and bring the number of them to me that I may know it.” [3] And Joab answered, “May the Lord make His people a hundred times more than they are. But, my lord the king, are they not all my lord’s servants? Why then does my lord require this thing? Why should he be a cause of guilt in Israel?” [4] Nevertheless the king’s word prevailed against Joab. Therefore Joab departed and went throughout all Israel and came to Jerusalem. [5] Then Joab gave the sum of the number of the people to David. All Israel had one million one hundred thousand men who drew the sword, and Judah had four hundred and seventy thousand men who drew the sword. [6] But he did not count Levi and Benjamin among them, for the king’s word was abominable to Joab. [7] And God was displeased with this thing; therefore He struck Israel.

Oh how easy it is to fall for Satan's deceptions. The devils cannot force us to sin against God, but they can tempt us and cause our flesh to rise up against God's commands. 1 Corinthians 10:13 it is very clear that with every temptation God gives us a way of escape. However, it is up to us to take it. In this instance, God gave David a way to avoid sinning against Him, through Joab's counsel. Nonetheless, David chose to follow his own arrogance and pride. Instead of choosing to remember that it was God who gave him the many victories he experienced, he chose to count the size of his armies and find assurance in the strength of those numbers. There is a valuable lesson in what God recorded for us here, because David's sin was not in what he did. The census itself was not sinful, for God called for a census to be taken in Numbers 1 and 2. David's sin was in the motivation of his heart. The census he commanded did not originate with God, but came from the pride that was deep within his heart. We must always be careful to examine the motives of our hearts when we do the things we do. In the Gospels, Judas rebuked Mary for what she did for Jesus, in washing His feet with expensive perfume. He used the excuse that it could have been sold and the money used to help the poor. Yet, we are told that his true motivation came from the fact that he held the money bag, and was a thief. We may be able to mask our intentions and motivations from others, but God sees straight to the motivation of our hearts, and He always knows why we do what we do; even when we do not initially see it ourselves. The next time we choose to do something for someone else, or "for the Lord", let us stop and and ask the Lord to show us the true motivation of our hearts. We may find that the action itself may not be sinful, but the heart with which we do it may be what crosses the line and causes us to sin against God.