Category: Christian Living

When God’s Soldiers Avoid Fighting

During the time of the judges, God gave a great victory over the enemies of Israel by the hand of Deborah and Barak. Many of the tribes gathered to fight the common enemy and fought valiantly. With God’s help, they were able to defeat the enemy soundly. Yet among the tribes of Israel, some were not present to fight. They were not hindered, they just chose not to fight. They missed being listed among the brave who defended their homeland. Judges 5:1-18 records the cowardice and apathy of some of the people of God shown at a time when their brethren needed them. This song would preserve their foolish decisions for generations to come.

The tribe of Reuben stayed with the sheep instead of rising to battle. They were content to stay home and listen to the piping for the flocks instead of defending against the wolves of Hazor. They lived across the Jordan from the rest of Israel and were in a sense isolated from the rest of the nation. They chose to stay on their side of the Jordan and not get involved. Their cowardice would cause them to search their hearts. They would not be named among the brave.

Dan and Asher stayed in the comfort of their inlets and on their ships; they would not go to battle. They would have to leave the comfort of home and perhaps their sea trades to come to battle. They are sharply contrasted with Zebulun and Naphtali who distinguished themselves in battle and won a name of honor among the people of God.

Today the kingdom of darkness is waging a battle against the kingdom of light. All of God’s children are called to fight the battle daily to glorify the name of God and to give the enemy no ground, As with Deborah, He will fight for the church, but demands that we fight as well. In every city and country the battle rages yet there is not full participation in the fight. As in Israel, there are those in the church who will stand by while others work.

There are those in the spiritual tribe of Reuben who are content separate themselves from the rest of God’s people and not get involved in the battle. They come to some of the services and wear the name Christian but do not seek close ties with their brethren. They prefer the company of the world to those of “like precious faith.” They are not necessarily wicked, but worse, are apathetic. They sit among the sheep and let others fight the cause. In the Day of Judgment, when the battle is over, they will have great searching of heart. They will know that they were not a part of the Lord’s victory.

Some might say, “The battle is being fought just fine, I’m not needed.” Ten thousand men gathered to fight Jabin, but more could have shared in the glory. We are not to fight because we are needed but because it is the right thing to do. We are to “contend earnestly for the faith.” Every person is necessary. The church will grow and the cause of Christ will grow if every person is doing his part and standing in his place. “The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.”

Some follow the pattern of Dan and Asher. Note this quote from Franklin Camp, whose article inspired this one:

“Are there no Dan and Ashers in the church today? The pews at eleven o’clock are full of them. Like Asher, they have their havens on Sunday night —the haven of television. The Dans have their business through the week and you need not call them for duty. Neither can they make it to mid-week Bible study, as they need the rest to have a fresh mind and a rested body to take care of their business on Thursday. But what about the faithful few that are always ready to hearken to the call? Do they have neither business nor havens of rest? Yes, but their chief business is the Lord’s and they find their rest in Him.”

The battle is raging today. Where are you? Are you sitting among the sheepfolds, aloof from your brethren and the fight? Are you resting on the comfort of your boat or so busy with your own things that you cannot come fight with your brethren for the cause of the Lord? Or are you in the thick of the battle, risking all and trusting I the strong arm of the Lord as did Zebulun? Do those who seek you find you, like Naphtali, on the heights of the battle field facing the enemy bravely?
You must answer honestly. It is better to have the searching of heart now, when you can repent and come to the fight than in the despair of hell, where you will search your heart for an eternity.

The Underestimated Believer

Underestimated David

When Saul disobeyed God, Samuel was sent to the house of Jesse to anoint a new king. Samuel saw the older sons of Jesse and thought that God would choose one of these handsome strong men to lead his people. But God did not choose them and told Samuel “…the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” Finally David was brought before Samuel and anointed though he was the youngest of the sons of Jesse. Though Samuel expected one of the older brothers to be anointed, David proved to be braver and more faithful than them.

Later, when David, still a young boy, offered to fight Goliath, his brothers rebuked him and told him to return to shepherding. Undeterred, he went to King Saul who tried to discourage him saying that he was a youth and Goliath had been fighting since he was a youth. King Saul underestimated the faith of David and the ability of God to deliver Israel by the hands of a young person. Finally, Goliath despised David and felt insulted that King Saul would send a kid to fight a man.

The only ones who did not underestimate David were God and David. David didn’t trust in his own strength but knew that God had delivered him from perils in the past and that God would glorify His name through David. God knew that David would trust Him. Many Psalms expound on David’s trust in God for deliverance.

The Underestimated Christian

Like David, we may find that people whose opinions we value may have little faith in us. Maybe we haven’t proved ourselves yet. Worse, maybe we have failed in opportunities when we could have proven ourselves. If we have proved ourselves untrustworthy because we haven’t kept promises or have been irresponsible, we will have to keep promises and act responsibly to restore faith in others that they can depend on us.

However, sometimes we have not had an opportunity to prove ourselves. We must trust in God and, despite what others say, trust in ourselves. I know a fine young lady who was told by her parents that she was not “college material” and would likely not even finish high school. Instead of giving up, she trusted God, listened to people who had faith in her, and ultimately trusted in herself. She did get her high school diploma. Not only is she attending college but she has received honors for her high grades and has proved that she is very much “college material.” Eventually she will be a teacher inspiring others to achieve great things. Some people underestimated her but she had faith in God and herself and has accomplished great things.

Don’t let anyone discourage you from any good thing! Some people want to hold you back because they’ve been hurt or their dreams were shattered and they want to save you from the pain they felt. Some people are just negative and will criticize any plan. Some people are jealous and don’t want you to achieve something great for fear of how it will make them feel. Some people just don’t realize that they are being a discouragement.

How can you overcome the heaviness of someone underestimating you?

  • Pray to God for strength and trust in Him.
  • Find people who will believe in you. They are there, I promise, but you may have to seek long for them.
  • Trust in yourself and discipline yourself to pursue your dream with endurance and zeal (Ecclesiastes 9:10).

Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before unknown men. Proverbs 22:29

God Sees Strength In Us Where We See Weakness

Story of Gideon

For seven years the Midianites terrorized the Israelites. Israel would plant their crops and at harvest, Midan would sweep in from the East like locusts and consume the harvest and livestock all the way to the Mediterranean Sea. The once brave Israelites hid like animals in caves and dens in the mountains until the threat passed. Humbled, Israel cried to God for deliverance.

In Ophrah, a frightened farmer named Gideon was hiding in a winepress threshing grain in hopes that his efforts would be undetected. An angel of God greeted him as “a mighty man of valor”, a heroic warrior, and tells him God is with him. Even Gideon is perplexed by the greeting and wonders why he sees no evidence of God’s care, His great works of the past, to punish the Midianites. Instead of recounting the rebellion of Israel that brought oppression, the angel announces the resumption of these great works–under the leadership of Gideon. After countering that he is the least in his father’s house in the weakest clan of Manasseh, the angel answers:

And the Lord said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.” Judges 6:16

Though Gideon ask for assurance of God’s care through signs, he answers God’s call and breaks the Midianite domination over Israel. If you read about the fight in Judges 6 and 7, Gideon assembled and army but it is obvious that Israel won through God’s power.

The Strength in You

Sometimes we are discouraged and even frightened when we see enemies, spiritual and physical, around us. We are quick to discount our place in the world as Gideon did. And, like Gideon, we may even wonder if God has neglected us. When this happens, we are having a focus problem: we are focusing too much on ourselves and too little on God.

God Uses Weakness To Demonstrate His Strength I picked Gideon but there are many Bible characters who were mighty in God’s service despite weaknesses. When Paul asked that a “thorn in the flesh” that afflicted him to be removed, God gave this answer:

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians 12:9

What a powerful answer! Paul’s weakness would demonstrate  God’s power! Even when we do have weakness, our Creator has the ability to recreate us in His image and demonstrate His power in us. The most important lesson we have to learn is it is not about us, it’s all about God.

God Gives Power To Those Who Serve Him Think of the nameless multitudes who have followed God and transformed the world. They took the gospel throughout the known world in the first century, and “turned the world upside down” with the message of Christ’s salvation. When we are tempted to think too much of our selves or to be discouraged because we do not feel we have much to contribute, we must remember that we are to be used in God’s service and He will accomplish His purposes with our without us. Even Paul realized that despite his great work, he was just a worker in God’s field and the increase, success, belonged to God, 1 Corinthians 3:5-7. How much better if we can be part of the plan and be useful in God’s service!

When Paul describes the Christian armor in Ephesians 6, he stresses that the power is not in the weaponry or armor but strength in the Lord and “the power of His might.” The Christian emboldened by God’s power can face any opposition with confidence.  It is not arrogance or conceit but a realization that God can use us, like He used Gideon, despite our weakness because He empowers us with His strength. God never commands us to do anything that He doesn’t also give us the power to complete. Don’t worry about what you have to offer, take comfort in what God can do through you!

Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Controlling Flesh with the Spirit

There is a war within each of us. The warring parties want victory and complete subjection of the enemy. The combatants are the flesh and the spirit. Paul wrote: “For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish,” (Galatians 5:17).

Paul details this struggle in Romans 7. Our flesh desires to satisfy its lusts, 1 John 2:16. Although our desires are strong, the spirit can bring the flesh under control. When our spirit is weak, flesh can fulfill its lust resulting in sin, James 1:13-15. This is the source of the struggle, the desire of the flesh to fulfill lusts and the necessity of the spirit’s control of fleshly desires.

Although I desire to serve God in my mind (spirit), the flesh cannot understand the gospel so it is forever under the law of carnality—the passions aroused by base physical lusts. The flesh has no conscience to guide or an intellect to which one can appeal. So my mind, accepting the gospel of Christ, must restrain the flesh from pursuing inordinate desires, 1 Corinthians 9:27.

A comparison might be helpful. A man training an animal must impose will on the animal’s fleshly desire. The dog may wish to eat the uneaten dinner in the garbage can (fleshly desire) but the owner must train the dog to leave the food alone. This is unnatural for the animal but his will must subject to the master. As listed in the table below, the animal only has fleshly desires (impulses and response to stimuli). The master imposes his will (spirit) on the dog so that the animal learns not to pursue the fleshly desire, lest he suffer pain or discomfort for disobedience.

FLESH DESIRES SPIRIT CONTROL
Eat/Drink, Sleep, Reproduce, Preservation, Pain/Pleasure Serve God, Serve Man
The higher nature that acts by code and authority.  The “inward man.” The Base is guided only instinct and biological drive

Consider the sin of covetousness. When an object of desire is presented, the flesh will take the object of desire if the sacrifice or pain required to gain the object is not greater than the perceived value of the object. The spirit perceives the desire of the flesh for the object of desire. The spirit then must choose to either satisfy the lust of the flesh or, if guided by God’s law, resist the covetous desire. The spirit can obey God; it can make a decision and, in fact, is the only part that can make the decision for the body.

The flesh cannot obey God, Romans 8:7-8. Those who live according to the flesh (living carnally) cannot please God. So the spirit must be brought under Christ’s will and then bring the flesh under control. This struggle will be present until Christ frees us from our bodies of flesh, Romans 7:24-25; 8:20-23. We must live according to the Spirit of God and put to death the deeds of the flesh, and God will give us strength to mortify our fleshy lusts Romans 8:10-13.

Flying Through The Finish Line

After listing the characteristics that must characterize every Christian, Peter described why this process is so important. If we diligently add these characteristics and make them grow, we will not be lacking in the knowledge of Christ. Through this life, we come to know Jesus. As we sacrifice, we can appreciate His greater sacrifice. When we are persecuted or despised, we can understand the one who was the “Man of Sorrows.” When we truly develop brotherly love, we can see how God loves men even when they are unlovable.

By integrating these characteristics in our lives, we will also be useful in God’s service. Imagine the power of a church where each member is diligently building moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love and is abounding in its development. When we integrate these qualities in our lives, we are truly ready for every good work.

Peter contrasts the man who actively seeks to develop these qualities with one who lacks them. The one who lacks these characteristics has lost perspective. Peter says that he is shortsighted, or near sighted. I am near sighted; without glasses or contacts, I can see things up close, but cannot see far away. The spiritually near sighted person has lost his vision of what is of ultimate importance, he cannot see heaven in the distance nor the direction in which his earthly life should lead. He is too concerned with what is in his immediate vision.

Peter further describes the one who lacks these qualities as one who has forgotten that Christ has purged, or cleansed, his old sins. As a Christian, he should be growing, not becoming useless. This person reminds me of the man in Hebrews 10:26 who has turned his back on God and has treated the precious blood of Jesus like something common. He is like the man of Hebrews 6:6 who has turned back on Jesus and has crucified Christ afresh; His sacrifice means nothing. When we remember the price of our salvation, it will encourage us to be diligent to add the qualities of 2 Peter 1.

Peter further encourages his readers to make their calling and election sure. Some consider salvation a sure thing; once saved, always saved. However, this passage, the two from Hebrews cited earlier, and other passages teach that the child of God can be lost. How can we make our calling and election sure if it is, by nature, a sure thing? Why does Peter urge us to add these qualities so we will not stumble if it is impossible to fall? Our calling and election is not sure and we can stumble, therefore we must add these characteristics. It is neither the work itself nor the perfected man that brings salvation, for we are saved by grace. However, we are commanded to grow in Christ and if we draw back we will be lost, Hebrews 10:38-39.

For the diligent Christian this is not a problem for by drawing close to God he assures his home in heaven, v.11. An entrance is abundantly supplied, which conveys the idea of one who is heading to heaven under full power. He is not making it to the finish line in a slow trot but is busting through the tape at full speed. If we are diligent to add these qualities and to make them abound, we will be what God created us to be and travel our set course at maximum speed.