God's Protection in War and Crisis

 1944 was a terrible time in Germany. The war was all but lost, but the Nazis were still in power. British and American air raids became increasingly fierce. Day and night, many thousands of civilians were killed.

During this traumatic time, a German preacher, Hermann Zaiss, lived in Ohligs, a suburb of Wuppertal. He had suffered much in his life.

During the First World War he was a prisoner of war for 4 years.  Then he served as an evangelist in Germany, but he was persecuted by Christians because he was a Pentecostal. Then his wife became mentally ill, and chronically psychotic.

His heart was broken. He could not bear it any more. He decided to turn away from God. He still believed in God, but he told God he wanted nothing more to do with Him.

I did just that, and I told God, "If you are alive and have an interest in me and your love for me is so great, come and call me again after 20 years!"

Schneider, Peter. Lahme tanzen unter der Kanzel: Zeichen und Wunder in den Gottesdiensten von Hermann Zaiss (German Edition) . Asaph Verlag. Kindle Edition.
(Lame men dancing under the pulpit: signs and wonders in the services of Hermann Zaiss)

He divorced his mentally ill wife, became very successful as an entrepreneur and remarried.

Then came the terrible bombing raids in Germany. Everyone was gripped by panic and despair.

Already in 1939, his wife Clara had found her way to God through prayer for their seriously ill daughter. God had healed her daughter and she pleaded with her husband again and again to take up his ministry again and help the suffering people.

On 22 July 1944, on the very day when his twenty years away from God were over, Hermann and Clara knelt down in the bombed Protestant church of Ohligs and prayed: "Lord, if you want us again, here we are." He received a clear commission from God to proclaim the gospel radically, without any compromise.

Schneider, Peter. Lahme tanzen unter der Kanzel: Zeichen und Wunder in den Gottesdiensten von Hermann Zaiss (German Edition) . Asaph Verlag. Kindle Edition.
(Lame men dancing under the pulpit: signs and wonders in the services of Hermann Zaiss)

Hermann started a home group and God blessed this small beginning. A great many desperate neighbours sought God's help.

The meetings grew larger. They prayed together and trusted God to protect them from the bombs.

In November 1944, nearby Solingen was bombed and thousands were killed. Then Hermann Zaiss heard on the radio that the bombers were on their way to his neighbourhood in Ohligs. He went into the garden and prayed for protection and peace.

Shortly afterwards he heard again on the radio that the bombers had turned away for unknown reasons.

On the British side there were also faithful Christians praying for protection.

Colonel Whittlesey was the commander of a British regiment in the Second World War. He was a Christian. He ordered his soldiers to recite Psalm 91 every day. The regiment was in fierce fighting for five years and not a single man was killed.

Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you. Psalm 91:7 NLT

Now we are again in a life-threatening crisis. Many are dying in India, in Brazil but also in North America and Europe. Many are terrified of the virus and others dread the vaccine.

If God protected many German civilians from bombing during the war and also saved British soldiers, you can be sure that he can also help you at this time and wants to save you.

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”

Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence. Ps 91:1–3 NKJV

For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. Psalm 91:3 NLT

Don't just feel bad. Do something!

Don't just feel bad. Do something.

There are people who always try to do the right thing. Their house and study are clean and everything is in order.

They pay their bills on time and always contact all their relatives on their birthday.

They are good workers and they save money.

They go to church every Sunday and read the Bible every day.

But sometimes they feel restless. They can't get rid of the question.

“Who am I actually? What am I on this earth for?”

Then there are other people who dream of something. They want to achieve something and be someone.

They develop their talents, read good books and pray for wisdom.

They play beautiful music or write a blog. Maybe they write a book, or go on mission trips.

But they may neglect their family, or their daily duties and chores.

If you are a hardworking perfectionist,  but you feel empty inside, you don't need to stay as you are.

Go for a walk. Look at the trees and clouds. Ask God to show you what He created you to be. 

If you are a dreamer, but you feel bad because you are disorganised, you can also do something different today.

You can tidy a drawer in your desk. You can throw away some papers.

Are you a workaholic husband? Go for a walk with your wife in the park.

Are you a hardworking housewife whose house must always be spotless and sparkling clean? Take some time out and play with your kids.

Maybe you are lonely and stuck by yourself. Is there someone you can pray for? Someone you can help? Someone you can talk to on the phone?

No matter what type you are, you don't have to stay that way.

From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Change your hearts and lives, because the kingdom of heaven is near.” Mt 4:17 NCV

Don't just feel bad. Do something! Jesus loves you as you are, but he wants to help you to change and grow.

He Cares for You

 You may feel wounded and torn. Sometimes you don't know clearly why you feel down, but there is someone who sees and knows, and he is for you, not against you.

One of the best loved passages in the Bible is the Shepherd Psalm of David.

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,
he restores my soul.

He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Ps 23:1–3 NIV84

How often are your feelings torn and confused, and you don’t clearly understand why. But God understands, and he wants to heal the wounds in your heart.

He wants to guide you in the way that is best for you, but if you feel confused, and you are wandering in a fog of discouragement, you can’t see clearly which way to go.

When you go through dark places, you can’t see the light. How can you know which way to go when you can’t see clearly?

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. Psalm 23:4 NIV84

The Middle Eastern shepherds had a rod, or a club, to ward off wild animals, and a staff to lift up sheep which were stuck and couldn’t get up by themselves.

When you can’t see the way forward, trust the Good Shepherd of your soul.

God sent His eternal Son to be the Good Shepherd for your soul.

Before he became a king and a prophet, David was a shepherd himself. He was a humble farmworker, but he knew God as his Shepherd.

“The LORD is my Shepherd.”

When Jesus preached to the Jews, He said boldly, that He was the Good Shepherd, the Lord and God of David.

“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me—
just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. John 10:14–15 NIV84

When you are wounded and upset, and you can’t see clearly, ask Jesus to pour out His healing Holy Spirit in your wounds.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Psalm 23:5 NIV84

When the sheep had cuts and scratches, the shepherd would rub soothing oil into the wounds. 

Rest in the presence of God and ask Him to anoint your head with the healing and calming presence of His loving Spirit. Invite Him to pour His oil into your cuts and wounds.

If you trust Jesus with your life, you can be sure His loving care and mercy will never be taken away.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever. Psalm 23:6 NKJV

Roller Coaster Ride

A few years ago I was a guest preacher in a small fellowship in Germany. I was in my guest room when this old pop song floated through my mind.

Everyday, it's a gettin' closer
Goin' faster than a roller coaster
Love like yours will surely come my way
A-hey a-hey hey … (Buddy Holly)

I felt this was a message from the Holy Spirit, and I shared this in the Sunday morning meeting. The pastor responded very positively. He said a visiting preacher five years before had shared a prophecy about a roller coaster experience which we should be expecting.

I was praying this morning at home in Perth. We are in the middle of a three-day lock down because of an unexpected Coronavirus case.

When I asked God for inspiration, this message about the roller coaster came back.

The message I believe God wanted to share is, “Hold on tight!”

As the return of Jesus Christ draws nearer, things will not stabilise or slow down.

Habakkuk chapter two presents a grim picture of a world in chaos and corruption, but in the middle of this horrible chapter, there is a verse which is often quoted out of context.

For the earth will be filled With the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, As the waters cover the sea. Habakkuk 2:14 NKJV

It is usually quoted out of context because the context is the opposite of glory.

I believe that God is telling us, that in the middle of the horror of terrorism, human trafficking, pandemics and moral chaos, precisely at this time, we should expect God to manifest His glory on this planet in a way that has never been seen before.

So the message from God is, “Hold on tight!”

We are on a wild ride, and it will not settle down. We must not expect normality, but we can hold on tightly to the loving presence of God.

Seek His presence and expect miracles every day. God is still God, and He has not stopped being good and kind.

When I read my bible I see the greatest miracles in the times of the greatest stress. We are in just such a time today.

God has not changed.

You can be a Missionary

 Maybe you are not a leader in the church, but you want to establish something for God in your school or office, or in your neighbourhood.

God raised up wonderfully gifted leaders in the Bible.

We think of Peter, Paul and John, outstanding apostles who were able to discern God's thoughts and establish new missions. They were trailblazers for Jesus.

Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Ephesians 4:11 NLT

 But not all missionaries and trailblazers were official church leaders.

Meanwhile, the believers who had been scattered during the persecution after Stephen’s death travelled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch of Syria. They preached the word of God, but only to Jews.

However, some of the believers who went to Antioch from Cyprus and Cyrene began preaching to the Gentiles about the Lord Jesus.

The power of the Lord was with them, and a large number of these Gentiles believed and turned to the Lord. Acts 11:19–21 NLT

We will know these pioneers in heaven, but in the meantime we don't know their names.

Are you don’t have a position in the church, but you want to establish something in your school or office for God, or in your neighbourhood.

Maybe you can have a barbecue in your garden. You can invite your non-Christian neighbours, but also two or three Christian friends who are strong in faith. Then you can pray for your neighbours.

Once I talked to some friends who wanted to learn about the Bible. They had talked to Jehovah’s Witnesses and were interested in doing a Jehovah’s Witness Bible study. 

I immediately invited them to come to my house instead, and my wife and I spontaneously started our own bible study group.

I heard a wonderful testimony from a Christian woman who was active in a charismatic church.

One of the pastors, who was very prophetically gifted, organised a meeting, so that Christians would learn through practical experience to perceive God's thoughts and then pass them on.

Is that biblical? It is.

Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy. 1 Cor 14:1 NIV84

“ ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Acts 2:17 NIV84

When are we to prophesy? In the last days, in the end times. When did the end times begin? 2000 years ago. Have the end times come to an end? Really?

Who is allowed to prophesy? "Your sons and daughters." So women can prophesy too? According to the Bible, yes. And in assemblies with men? In Acts chapter 2, clearly yes.

The woman in this true story had a friend over. She wanted to attend the meeting where they learned to share God's thoughts, that is, prophesy.

Her friend did not believe in God, but she was curious and wanted to come along.

The preacher told the Christians to pair off. The curious unbelieving woman wanted to join in.

Then the preacher told everyone to pray and receive a revelation or message from God for their partner and share it. A strange thought came to the unbelieving woman, and she passed it on. The Christian woman was deeply blessed because only God could know what she heard.

The unbelieving woman was amazed, and she became a believer.

Is this biblical? In the Old Testament, a donkey spoke a true prophecy.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, Ephesians 3:20 NIV84

God Hears when Women Cry

A young woman employed in the Australian parliament was raped by a male colleague, but it was treated as a political problem by the ruling party and hushed up.

A few weeks ago, this courageous woman protested publicly. This unleashed a "Me Too" movement in the Australian political world.

This week we have seen a new scandal. I was so outraged that I had great difficulty praying about it without anger and resentment.

At last I made an effort to pray for justice without anger. Then I had the clear impression that God was answering me.

"I have heard the cry of the women."

Then I said to the Lord. "But many of these protesting women are not Christians. They are not praying in Jesus' name."

Then the Lord spoke clearly in my mind.

"When the Hebrew slaves cried out in Egypt, you think they were all holy and righteous."

Then the LORD told him, “I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries of distress because of their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering. Exodus 3:7 NLT

And do you think all these angry women are unbelieving feminists? Not at all.

I know Christian women who have been victims of brutal bullying in supposedly pious churches.

One of the most prominent preachers in Germany is Gaby Wentland. She rescues women from human trafficking and prostitution. She is also a political activist against human trafficking.

I heard her say, "There is more prayer in brothels than in the churches in Germany."

"I have heard the cry of the women."

God speaks clearly in our hearts when we ask for justice with all our hearts.

God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied. Matthew 5:6 NLT

Most English translations do not speak of “Justice” but “Righteousness”.

In Hebrew, NT Greek, French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch and German, the word in Matthew 5:6 means Both Righteousness AND Justice.

Danger of Legalism

 There are Christians who sincerely strive to remove all sin from their lives.

There are other Christians who are not overly concerned about sin.

• There are Christians who consider sex before marriage normal.

• There are Christians who are hooked on pornography.

• There are Christians who are lazy in their jobs and often tell lies.

Who is right? Surely the zealous saints must be on the right track,

But it's not only the careless sinners who cause problems for God. Some who strive to live without any sin are true saints, such as the apostle Paul or John Wesley.

But there is also a great danger in perfectionism. 

Those who think they can live completely without sin do not understand God and do not understand themselves.

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:8–9 ESV

Those who truly love Jesus are on the path of holiness and love, but we have not reached our final destination. We are all on a journey.

I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me.

No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, Philippians 3:12–13 NLT

Paul sometimes had to correct careless sinners in the church, but he did not look down on anyone. He knew that he himself was on a journey.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6 ESV

• Jesus is the way. We are on a journey.

• Jesus is the truth. We are all on a learning curve

• Jesus is the life. Only his life is flawless.

Perfectionism often leads to legalism. Heavenly perfection is impossible here on earth. 

If we do not understand this, we can focus on our outward behaviour, where we can at least appear to be perfect, but God is not so easily fooled. He looks at our secret thoughts.

Jesus had no stomach for such a religious attitude.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 

You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean. Matthew 23:25–26 ESV

I know a church where the leaders controlled people with strict rules.

A young man was not allowed to sit with his girlfriend until they were married.

A young man was converted in this church, but six months after that he was expelled from membership because he was still smoking cigarettes.

In terms of discipline in the church, Paul is our role model.

A man in Corinth had to be expelled from the church because he was in a sexual relationship with his stepmother and refused to stop.

On the other hand, there were some men in the church who were seeing prostitutes. Paul criticised them sharply, but they were not to be cast out. Hopefully they would repent.

We are all on the way. The main thing is to allow Jesus to purify us inwardly and lead us in His way.

“Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends. Revelation 3:20 NLT

Holy Spirit and Sin

 Some Bible verses seem to imply that we can be completely free from sin, and should be sinless.

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? 

Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Romans 6:1–2 NKJV

Sin poisons your life. We must never complacently tolerate sin.

But the Bible also warns us that we will never completely reach the goal of sinlessness.

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:8–9 NKJV

The apostle Paul experienced a painful inner struggle against sin and guilt.

O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?

I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin. Romans 7:24–25 NKJV

As the Apostle John wrote (above), we will never be 100% without all sin, but if we focus on our faults and sins, we will live a miserable life.

An empty glass is not completely empty, just as a good life is not completely sinless. An empty glass is full of air.

How can you get rid of the air? If you pour water or coffee into the glass, the air must come out.

I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. Galatians 5:16 NKJV

So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. Galatians 5:16 NLT

You can never obey God through virtuous effort. It is impossible.

You can only fully please God by living in a close personal relationship with the Holy Spirit.

Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit,

singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. Ephesians 5:18–19 NLT

Paul says we need to be continually filled with the Holy Spirit and live in loving fellowship with God and other Christians.

In this way we will live in God's light, and God's light reveals sin and casts out darkness.

God helps His Children to Succeed

I love success. It feels good. God does not want his children to fail. God wants to help you progress in your work with your talents.

Jesus told of a rich man who entrusted three of his servants each with a considerable sum of money. They were to invest the money productively. They were to act wisely and diligently.

When the rich man returned from a long journey, the first two servants had invested with great success.

The first servant reported, ‘Master, I invested your money and made ten times the original amount!’ 

“ ‘Well done!’ the king exclaimed. ‘You are a good servant. You have been faithful with the little I entrusted to you, so you will be governor of ten cities as your reward.’ Luke 19:16–17 NLT

“The next servant reported, ‘Master, I invested your money and made five times the original amount.’ Luke 19:18 NLT

But the third was frightened and did not want to take any chances.

“But the third servant brought back only the original amount of money and said, ‘Master, I hid your money and kept it safe.

I was afraid because you are a hard man to deal with, taking what isn’t yours and harvesting crops you didn’t plant.’ Luke 19:20–21 NLT

The rich man was angry and the anxious servant was fired.

Many say that Jesus accomplished everything on the cross and there is nothing we can do to earn our salvation.

This is certainly true. But a wise preacher once said:

Jesus didn't accomplish everything so that you could accomplish nothing. (Bill Johnson)

Success is good, but not always good.

If you use your talents to build a big pornography company, like Hugh Hefner, the founder of Playboy, you will burn in hell unless you repent and receive God's forgiveness.

If you use your spiritual gifts to build a big church and get rich, but the members look to you instead of reaching out to the world as followers of Jesus, you go to heaven when you die, but not as a faith hero.

Success is good if your success is the work of God in you, through you and with you.

I love success. It feels good. God doesn't want his children to fail. God wants to help you progress in your work with your talents.

If your work is his work and your success is His success, you will be really successful.

Comfort in Loneliness

What comforts you in your loneliness?

• Do you have a friend you can call?

• Do you have a book that touches your heart? Do you have a favourite song that cheers you up?

• Do you know a Christmas carol that you can sing with a little joy?

• Do you have a happy memory that makes you smile?
  

 Are you overwhelmed by fear and bitterness? Please don't give up!

Maybe you have a neighbour who is also lonely. Can you give some food or groceries to a neighbour who has nothing?

Jesus was also lonely on this earth. He found comfort in the Psalms.

Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by.

I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfils his purpose for me.

He will send from heaven and save me; he will put to shame him who tramples on me. Selah God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness! Psalm 57:1–3 ESV

Jesus was fully satisfied in the love of the Father in heaven before creation, but he came to us here to comfort you. 

Here on earth he knew what loneliness was. He exposed himself to loneliness to comfort you in your loneliness.

When Jesus was hanging on the cross, he prayed in despair.

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? ... Psalm 22:2

But in the end he prayed to the Father:

And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.’ ” Having said this, He breathed His last. Luke 23:46 NKJV

This is good prayer if you are dying, but you can also pray it if you feel like dying. God raised Jesus from the dead. He wants to raise you up from your depression.

You can surrender your spirit into God's loving hands now. He loves you.

When God lifts you out of the pit of despair, you will know how to comfort others.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,

who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 2 Corinthians 1:3–4 ESV
 

Victims Need Healing

 The Hebrews were slaves in Egypt for 400 years. Towards the end of this time, hardship became terrible agony. Finally their male babies were slaughtered by the Egyptians. Their life was unbearable and they cried out to God.

We could think of the refugees sacrificing everything to escape the agony of tyranny in North Korea, much worse than in the old East Germany.

When I was in Australia in 1972, I studied psychology at university. I read that quite a few immigrants from Eastern Europe after the war had psychiatric disorders, especially paranoia, that is, delusions of persecution.

When you feel threatened all the time, you can internalise fear in such a way that you see threats where there is no threat.

Panic can become a habit. With this extreme fear comes despair, depression, anger and hatred.

Persecuted slaves and captives are always afraid of betrayal because that is their life experience.

Trafficked prostitutes sometimes have the opportunity to report to the police, but they do not know whether a police officer is trustworthy or in league with the pimps.

We have read recently about children who were sexually abused in churches or religious schools. Who can these children trust? Who would they believe?

There are Christian women who are cruelly controlled by their narcissistic husbands. At home the abusers are arrogant and bossy, but at church they are radiant Christians.

When the wife leaves her husband, she is judged as the guilty one.

When people are broken, they not only need a deliverer to rescue them from captivity. They also need miraculous healing for their broken hearts.

In the story of Moses in Exodus, we see how God delivered the Hebrews through dramatic miracles. God punished the Egyptians with ten terrible plagues, but the Hebrews lived in another region, Goshen, and they were spared.

Then two million Hebrews were trapped in an ambush on the shore of the Red Sea. Pharaoh with his army had chased after them. Without a miracle, they were as good as dead.

There are Christians today who claim that God only ordained miracles for Bible times, but nor for us today, as if miracles were a special offer for a limited time only.

This religious idea is simply cruel, blasphemy. God is love. He does not change.

You don't need a miracle until you need a miracle.

There are so many broken and enslaved people today.

I know Christian women who visit brothels. In one year they discovered and freed four enslaved prostitutes.

Liberation from slavery is absolutely necessary, but it is not enough.

Where will you go after you die, heaven or hell? It makes no difference whether you lived in a brothel or a palace

But there are so many Christians who only know Jesus to some extent. They believe that their sins are forgiven and they hope to go to heaven after death.

But in the Bible we see Jesus as the healer and deliverer who completely transformed broken people. 

You may have been set free from abuse, but the aftermath of trauma is still a torment.

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3 ESV

It is not enough to save people from sin. They need care and healing for the aftermath of sin, from their own sins and from the sins of others who have tormented and broken them.

 

Grace before Law

 God has given us a conscience to warn us against sin. Without a conscience we are lost in darkness.

But without the truth in the Bible, our conscience can be twisted by our culture. There are religious people who murder their daughters because they have supposedly sinned. A twisted conscience can even justify murder.

God gave us his laws because our conscience needs to be trained.

God wanted to teach us that we should not marry our close relatives. That's what we read in the Torah, the laws that Moses received from God.

But before the law came God's grace.

Abraham married his half-sister, but God blessed her.

Moses' parents were close relatives.

Amram married his father’s sister Jochebed, who bore him Aaron and Moses. Amram lived 137 years. Exodus 6:20 NIV84

Before the law, this was not a sin. Before the law, we see the grace of God.

When missionaries went around the world, they found married couples who were brother and sister. Sometimes these couples were forced to annul their marriage.

Sarah was the half-sister of Abraham. Were the missionaries right?

Of course everyone should learn to obey God's rules about marriage, but should already established marriages be broken up? That is another question.

God's commandments are a light that enables us to see God's justice.

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. Psalm 119:105 NIV84

On the other hand we can try to obey God's Word, but fail again and again. We need not only God's written word, but also an open heart to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:4 NIV84

I was once gripped by resentment.

I used to be in a church where the pastor was very authoritarian over everything and everyone. He had tried to solve problems in my family, but he had been very bossy and manipulative.

I felt helpless and angry because the pastor had disrespectfully controlled me and my family.

I played a kind of video drama in my imagination, in which I firmly contradicted the pastor.

This was repeated over and over again. Each time I repented because I knew I had to forgive.

But my repeated prayers of confession did not change anything. My wounded feelings were not healed.

Finally, I talked openly to God.

"Dear God. You see all my thoughts. What do you think about it?"

Immediately the answer from God came to my mind.

"You cannot forgive this man because you have not forgiven yourself. You should have resisted then, and you blame yourself for your weak submission."

I saw immediately that God was on my side. I forgave myself and I felt truly liberated.  

So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law. Galatians 5:1 NLT

A Hearing Heart

King Solomon was humble in the beginning and wanted to please God. He asked God for wisdom so that he could rule justly.

But we need to look at the text more closely. What is the essence of this wisdom that Solomon received from God?

So give Your servant an understanding mind and a hearing heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and bad. For who is able to judge and rule this Your great people? 1 Kings 3:9 AMP

First, we need to listen to our own hearts when we feel pangs of conscience. We all experience these conflicts. Unfortunately, Adam and Eve ignored their conscience.

But it is not enough just to obey our conscience. Our conscience can be shaped by our upbringing, our culture and our religion.

Our conscience can be too liberal or too strict.

There are Christians who consider sex before marriage normal. I cannot understand why they do not feel painful remorse.

On the other hand, there are women who have had a very strict religious upbringing. They have learned to regard sexual feelings as sinful. When they are engaged and kiss their fiancé, they feel guilty. Even after they are married, they can’t enjoy sex.
 
If you have a listening heart, your heart will be open to God's word. You will learn from the Bible that sex before marriage is forbidden.

You will also learn that sex with your mate should be a great joy.

Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth! For your love is better than wine; Song of Solomon 1:2 ESV

There are laws in the Bible that are meant to sharpen our conscience. But there are also teachings that are meant to free us from a legalistic conscience.

Only through divine wisdom will your conscience be cleansed and sanctified but also freed from legalism.

For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1 ESV

God and Mother Love

 You were created for love. How can you say that when we see so much hatred and cruelty around us?

How did love come into being between mother and child? Why do we long for love even when we do not know how to find it?

Who is the source of real love? Only God, who invented mother love.

Our human desire for love is often corrupted and twisted, but not destroyed.

Who is the source of real love? Only God, who invented mother love.

But Zion said, “The LORD has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.”

“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! Isaiah 49:14–15 NIV84

Jesus often spoke about love.

He spoke of the limited love of natural sinful people, and the unlimited love of God.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’
But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, Matthew 5:43–44 NIV84

Love is generous and kind.

“Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?
Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?

If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! Matthew 7:9–11 NIV84

Genuine love is always practical. Whoever doesn't desire to give does not really love.

God is love. God's heart is open to you. He wants to help you and bless you with many good gifts.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. James 1:17 NKJV

Perhaps you don't yet know God's personal love. You can know God today.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16 NKJV

God's Answer to Confusion

 Lana Vawser. Do not doubt.
I HEARD THE LORD SAY “DON’T DOUBT WHAT I HAVE SPOKEN TO YOU”

"Recently the Lord showed me that there are many in the body of Christ who have been assaulted by a very intense spirit of ‘confusion’ of late.

It has caused many to feel like they have been thrown into a ‘haze’ and clarity that the Lord had given was now suddenly feeling overshadowed by a strong feeling of ‘did God really say that?’"

https://lanavawser.com/2021/04/01/i-heard-the-lord-say-dont-doubt-what-i-have-spoken-to-you/

I have often experienced this confusion and insecurity as a Christian.

I was in a church for a while where disputes had been tearing the church apart for years. A new pastor was at the helm. He was a strong personality and could preach well, but I still felt no peace and freedom in the Spirit.

This congregation used to be strong in spirit, but through human strife, the very good pastor was pushed out. This rebellion was not from God. Little by little, everything went down the drain.

When human strife wrecks a church, demonic spirits are always behind it.

The devil has different strategies to ruin a church. It can be a rebellion against good leadership.

The enemy can also sometimes lead the leaders astray through sin, for example when pastors get involved in pornography addiction or greed for money, or become proud and want to control everything.

What do Christians experience in such churches? Often confusion and insecurity.

If you are in such a church, how can you find God's way for your life again?

Go back to Jesus! Jesus is your pastor, the Good Shepherd.

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. John 10:10 NKJV

Where can you find this close connection with your heavenly pastor?

• You can read your favourite passages in the Bible over and over again.

• You can seek the presence of God intensely in your private prayer time.

• You can re-read Christian books which have inspired you.

• You can spend time with good Christian friends, friends who are not in your church.

• You can attend good Christian conferences or other churches.

Maybe you are not in a church, but you feel a deep spiritual need. You need to find God, but you are disappointed with churches and many Christians.

God is still God and He is good.

What does God say in the Bible?

‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.’ Jer 33:3 NIV84

What did Jesus say?

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

“For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Mt 7:7–8 NASB95

God sees you as a Jewel

 The high priest in Israel wore a breastplate. On this breastplate were 12 precious stones. Each gem represented one of the tribes of Israel. This meant that the high priest had all the tribes of Israel on his heart.

Then they mounted four rows of precious stones on it. In the first row there was a ruby, a topaz and a beryl;

in the second row a turquoise, a sapphire and an emerald; Exodus 39:10–11 NIV84

Not all high priests were good men, but Jesus is now our faithful and loving high priest in heaven.

Jesus carries not only all Jews on his heart, but all people. Every person who trusts and loves Jesus is a jewel in God's heart.

For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathise with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Hebrews 4:15 NASB95

And the people who are lost? The atheists, Hindus and nominal Christians?

“For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 NLT

No one is excluded from God's loving heart.

You are like a precious stone in God's eyes. You can also pray for your family and your adversaries as well. God loves your enemies too.