Praying Pint

 

 

 

If you seek [wisdom] as silver and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will discern the fear of the LORD and discover the knowledge of God.

–Proverbs 2:4–5

If you want to get a grip on God’s Word, you have to listen to the preached Word of God, you have to read the Word of God, and third, you have to study the Word of God.

There is a difference between a tourist and an explorer. A tourist goes to a city, hits the high points, and then moves on. But an explorer takes time to navigate the city and ask questions in order to get the most out of their visit. In the same way, to get the riches and the benefits of reading the Bible, you need to study it.

There are four tools every Christian should have in order to understand the Bible:

1. Study Bible. A study Bible not only has the text of God’s Word, but it also has explanatory notes, articles, and charts that will help you understand what you’re reading.
2. Concordance. A concordance is an alphabetical listing of every word in the Bible, along with the instances in which each word appears. For example, if you look up love in a concordance, it will list every verse in the Bible that uses the word love. Concordances typically show you what the original Greek or Hebrew word meant as well.
3. Bible dictionary. A Bible dictionary is like an encyclopedia in one volume. Let’s say you’re reading about the temple, and you wonder, What did the temple look like in Solomon’s day? You can look up “temple of Jerusalem” in a Bible dictionary and see the different versions throughout history.
4. Commentary. As you dig deeper into God’s Word, you may want to buy a commentary on each book you study. But to start out, I recommend getting a commentary on the entire Bible. If you have difficulty with a verse, you can look it up and see what scholars have said about it.

Many years ago, I visited the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College. The center had a display case filled with interesting things, but one item that caught my attention was a Bible that had been given to Albert Einstein. On the flyleaf was an inscription: “Straws on the surface flow, but he who would search for pearls must dive below.” It doesn’t matter how smart you are–if you want to discover the riches of God’s Word, you have to dig beneath the surface.

 

 

Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.
Ephesians 4:29

The question then is, how do we build a person? First, think of how we would tear down a person. By harsh criticism, negative comments, discouraging or disparaging words. So how would we build up a person? By encouraging words, helpful actions, motivational or nurturing speech—according to the needs of the moment. The goal is to “impart grace to the hearers,” which means to benefit the person rather than corrupt the person. When constructing a building, individual parts are added according to need: lumber, bricks, wire, plumbing, paint, and more. Each part plays a role in constructing the house. And speech can do the same thing by adding a timely and beneficial word that will add to a person’s growth and development.

Look for an opportunity every day to impart grace to someone by using timely and beneficial words.

 

 

 

Therefore take up the whole armor of God…. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth.
Ephesians 6:13-14

Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians is a defense of his apostleship in the face of opposition and attacks from false apostles (2 Corinthians 11:13-15). He was in a spiritual battle, to be sure. But he made it clear that spiritual warfare is not a physical battle using the world’s weapons of war. Instead, it is a battle of thoughts, arguments, and ideas waged in the battlefield of the mind (10:3-6). That is, it is a battle for the truth.

The battle for truth began in the Garden of Eden when Satan lied to Adam and Eve, contradicting what God had told them (Genesis 3:1-5). And lies remain Satan’s chief weapon. If he can convince us to doubt God’s words, he will have weakened the foundation of our faith: the truthfulness of God and His promises. That is why when describing the Christian’s spiritual armor, Paul calls the Roman soldier’s belt the belt of truth. We are sanctified—conformed to Christ—by the truth of God’s Word (John 17:17).

Just as Jesus rebuffed Satan’s temptations with the truth of God’s Word, we must do the same (Matthew 4:1-11). Truth wins the spiritual war.

The truth of Scripture demolishes speculation.

 

 

Christ doesn’t love us because of our merits. He knows we’re sinners. He loves us just because He loves us. He gave Himself for us, unworthy as we are. In the same way, the love of Christ within us seeks to serve, not to be served.

We all need a purpose that’s bigger than our own entertainment, and yet this is the norm for those caught up in the things of this world and what it has to offer. Let us not seek the entertainment of this life as our purpose. 

Growth and maturing are offered to us through the Holy Spirit. 

We’re called to be filled with the Spirit. In doing so, we find the Spirit begins to develop character traits within us: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. 

God never promises that His people will all be rich in material things in all seasons of life.  Don’t make wealth your goal. Don’t be afraid to benefit others. Work hard, and trust God.

I have been confused by the hostility of family and friends. I look at people I have known all my life–so hate-filled that they agree with opinions they would never express as their own.

Whether we’re a professional athlete, a newsletter writer, a business person, a teacher, a plumber, or anything in between, we have an opportunity every day to honor God in our work with the gifts He’s given us, and to show the love of Christ to those around us as we do.

Those who are poor in spirit willingly ask, “Lord, is this pursuit or possession for Your glory or mine?” He delights in answering prayers like this and will uncover pride hiding in places we least expect. 

I wanted the reward and not the struggle. I wanted the result and not the process. I was in love not with the fight, but only the victory.

Do you know what made the first-century church so effective? They weren’t rusted together by traditionalism or frozen together by some doctrinal belief. No, they were melded together by their genuine love for one another.

 

Let our lives lovingly express truth in all things, speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly. Enfolded in love, let us grow up in every way and in all things into Him. (Ephesians 4:15 AMP)

Any system of religion that just puts on from the outside, and covers over the inner life by mere rite and ritual is false, it is not true. The work of God is to reconstitute human nature. And that, of course, involves two things. On the one side, it involves a breaking down. And if you know anything about God’s dealings with lives who come into His hands, there is undoubtedly a large place for that a progressive breaking down; a getting to the root of things, and undeceiving us. If we have any illusions about ourselves, they will all be gone when God has done with us. If we are governed by any kind of falsehood about ourselves, and our position, and our work, when God has done with us, that will all be gone. He is going to break us down until we see ourselves stark, as an unclean thing, with all our righteousnesses as filthy rags. So He will break us down, and He does.

But there is the other side, of course, all the time, for God is not only, and always negative; there is the constructing, bringing up to the place where anything that is false, anything that is not absolutely transparent and true, straight, clear, is hateful to us. More and more our inner man revolts against our own falsehood. Any exaggerations come back on us at once with conviction of wrong; any false statement hits us hard, and we know that we have not spoken the truth. It is a tremendous thing to get into the hands of the Holy Spirit, until, like God, the one thing that we hate is anything that is false. “I hate”, said David, “every false way.” We must come there. But we must be lovers of the truth. And this is going to pursue us everywhere; it will pursue us into our own life within ourselves, that we are not deceiving ourselves at all. Before God we know exactly what God thinks about us, and we know where we stand in the light…. And the nearer we come to the Lord, the more meticulous the Holy Spirit is over this matter of truth; the closer are His dealings with us. It is very true, you see, “perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord” perfecting. The nearer we get to the end, the more stringent will be the Lord’s dealings with anything false in our lives. It is a time matter, but God is very faithful He is very faithful; He does not let things pass. Do we want Him to be faithful? Well, it is not comfortable to say, “Yes,” but it is good that He should be faithful with every inconsistency, every contradiction, every falsehood, in the inward parts.

Source: https://devotion.knowing-jesus.com/date/10/3

 

 

John 3:20-21   Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

Its presence makes manifest and reproves his works, which he would hide even from himself. It illumines the dark and secret chambers of the heart, and reveals thoughts and deeds which conscience, seeing in this light, trembles at, and turns away to darkness that it may hide itself from its own gaze. (Ellicott)

 “Be it therefore known to you all, I faithfully warn you, that if you reject it, it is at the peril of your souls.” (Benson)

“Hates the light” – This is true of all wicked men. They choose to practice their deeds of wickedness in darkness.

His deeds should be reproved – To “reprove” here means not only to “detect” or make manifest, but also includes the idea of “condemnation” when his deeds are detected. The gospel would make his wickedness manifest, and his conscience would condemn him.   God’s Word convicts them of sin in order that it may afford consolation. The reason why the gospel, is hated is that men are sinners. “Christ is hated because sin is loved.” The sinner must be convicted or convinced of sin. If it be not in this world, it will be in the next. There is no escape for him; and the only way to avoid condemnation in the world to come is to come humbly and acknowledge sin here, and seek for pardon. (Barnes)

Every man, the series of whose life and conversation is evil, hates Christ and his Gospel, cause they make manifest his evil deeds, convict him of them, and rebuke him for them: neither cometh to the light; to hear Christ preach, or preached; to attend on the Gospel ministration and means of grace: lest his deeds should be reproved; or discovered, and made manifest, and he be brought to shame, and laid under blame, and advised to part with them, which he cares not to do (Gill)

When I read this passage it indicates that a person chooses to conduct sin in the dark. In the past, the culture of the United States would be a continual reminder of what is, for the most part, considered morally right, true, and good. There would be repeated warnings, howbeit ever so softly, of things that are wrong in the sight of God and man. This would be in a time when God was acknowledged as the true judge of right and wrong so they would choose to deny it and conduct their sinful acts in the dark and be unknown by others which would, if seen or known, would convict their conscience of their acts. Their conscience would also need to be shut down because they would know what they are doing is wrong. Great revivals took place when God’s Word was loosed afresh and proclaimed. Hearts and minds were convicted, not by society, but by the living Word of God who sees all and will judge all of what is done in the flesh. 

Let’s jump forward to the present day of the United States. Acts that would only be conducted in the dark are proudly, boastfully, and without shame conducted in the light. These acts give rise to a total disregard toward God, the Word of God, and the Light of the Gospel. There was a time not too far ago in the past when pornography was considered perverted. Abortion was considered the killing of a life. LGBTQ was considered vile and only a deviant person would think it is alright. 

See 2 Timothy 3:1-5  But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty.  For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good,  treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people.

It does not take much foresight to understand this verse in context with today’s culture. “In the last days” tells us what to expect, what will be seen, what people will be like, and what ushers in the return of Jesus Christ. 

Pornography is considered “Adult Entertainment”. 

Abortion is considered “Women’s Rights”.

LGBQT is considered an “Alternative Lifestyle”.

Lawlessness is considered “Justified”.

History is considered “Offensive”.

God is considered a “Myth”.

There are other signs too! 

 Mark 13:7-8    And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. This must take place, but the end is not yet.  For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. These are but the beginning of the birth pains.

 Ezekiel 7:24-26   I will bring the worst of the nations to take possession of their houses. I will put an end to the pride of the strong, and their holy places shall be profaned.  When anguish comes, they will seek peace, but there shall be none.  Disaster comes upon disaster; rumor follows rumor. They seek a vision from the prophet, while the law perishes from the priest and counsel from the elders.

 Jeremiah 8:15-16    We looked for peace, but no good came; for a time of healing, but behold, terror.

 Jeremiah 4:19-22     My anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain! Oh the walls of my heart! My heart is beating wildly; I cannot keep silent, for I hear the sound of the trumpet, the alarm of war.

 Ezekiel 21:27     A ruin, ruin, ruin I will make it. This also shall not be, until he comes, the one to whom judgment belongs, and I will give it to him.

 Zechariah 14:2-3   For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle, and the city shall be taken and the houses plundered and the women raped. Half of the city shall go out into exile, but the rest of the people shall not be cut off from the city.

 Isaiah 24:19-23   The earth is utterly broken, the earth is split apart, the earth is violently shaken.  The earth staggers like a drunken man; it sways like a hut; its transgression lies heavy upon it, and it falls, and will not rise again.

 Luke 21:25-26    “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves,  people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

 Jeremiah 47:6   Ah, sword of the LORD! How long till you are quiet?

 1 Peter 4:17-18  For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?  And “If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?”

 1 Thessalonians 5:3    While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

It does not take much discernment to see the signs of the times we are living in. When our eyes should be focused on Jesus Christ and anticipation of His return the busyness of life is consuming us, the next sporting event, the next movie, the next election, the next news report, the next TV series, the next internet post, the next raise, the next job, the next vacation, the next new thing or activity, the next…….. 

There is much to take our focus away from Jesus if we neglect His Word, become complacent, have an undiscerned love of this world and what it has to offer and live lukewarmly towards our purpose of honoring and glorifying Jesus Christ in all of our thoughts, words, and actions.

Look up, Jesus is coming.

 

 

1 Corinthians 2:14    The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit

We have to deal with the material world, so there is nothing inherently sinful in “natural” life. God is not displeased when you have to eat and sleep and work. But life on this level is without spiritual insight: the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God. Spiritual things seem foolishness to the natural man. Why waste time on “spiritual” things when you could be making money or having fun? The natural man doesn’t want the things of God because he regards them as foolishness. What is more, he can’t understand the things of God (even if he wanted to) because they are spiritually discerned. It would be wrong to expect the natural man to see and value spiritual things. Too many Christians still think like natural men, refusing to spiritually discern things. When our only concern is for “what works” or the “bottom line,” we are not spiritually discerning, and we are thinking like the natural man, even though we might be saved. (Guzik)

It is the great privilege of Christians, that they have the mind of Christ revealed to them by his Spirit. They experience his sanctifying power in their hearts, and bring forth good fruits in their lives. (Henry)

The things of the Spirit of God – The doctrines which are inspired by the Holy Spirit, and the things which pertain to his influence on the heart and life. The things of the Spirit of God here denote all the things which the Holy Spirit produces. They are spiritually discerned – That is, they are perceived by the aid of the Holy Spirit enlightening the mind and influencing the heart. (Barnes)

Neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned; neither can any man, no otherwise taught and instructed, so comprehend them, as to give a firm and fixed assent to them, or in heart approve them, because they are only to be seen and discerned in a spiritual light, the Holy Spirit of God, which is the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ, enlightening their understandings, that they may know the hope of his calling, and what is the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to them that believe, according to the working of his mighty power, & c., Ephesians 1:17-19. Thus the apostle gives a reason of what he had said, 1 Corinthians 2:8, that none of the princes of the world knew the wisdom of God. (Poole)

As a natural man, and whilst he is such, nor by the help and mere light of nature only; his understanding, which is shut unto them, must be opened by a divine power, and a superior spiritual light must be thrown into it; at most he can only know the literal and grammatical sense of them, or only in the theory, notionally and speculatively, not experimentally, spiritually, and savingly, because they are spiritually discerned; in a spiritual manner, by a spiritual light, and under the influence, and by the assistance of the Spirit of God. There must be a natural visive discerning faculty, suited to the object; as there must be a natural visive faculty to see and discern natural things, so there must be a spiritual one, to see, discern, judge, and approve of spiritual things; and which only a spiritual, and not a natural man has. (Gill)

Natural vs. Spiritual in the mind of every single Christian will be a lifelong process of discernment. It is so hard for me to watch the foolishness that is being proclaimed and adopted. Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity are being tied to LGBQT, women’s rights are tied to killing babies (abortion), unable to define what a woman is,  and all of the personal pronoun garbage all lacks caution, foresight, and sense. There is no spiritual discernment. 

To those who are led by the Holy Spirit and are given discernment of the natural and worldly wisdom in light of the Holiness of God revealed in His Word, it all seems like there is a blindness and total eclipse of the minds of the unsaved. This is true. The natural man (unsaved) can not and will not discern the things of God and yet it is hard to watch it play out and people buy into it.  Even some Christians buy into it. The craftiness of worldly wisdom will sway babes in Christ and those who never seem to grow spiritually. It will seem right, but it is so wrong. The ultimate example of spiritual blindness was displayed in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. God’s Son, who displayed the fullness of God and was not discerned as the Son of God even though He performed miracles, signs, and wonders that only God could do, and spoke of things only God could reveal. 

We can’t expect an unregenerate heart and mind to understand the spiritual things of God. They are unable to discern it. 

What we can do is proclaim the gospel, live a life that is Holy Spirit led as an example (light), pray for the Holy Spirit to open their minds to things of God, and display love, grace, and mercy for the honor and glory of Jesus Christ.