Pushing Through

Posted on May 5, 2021 by suemariericker

I’ve got a headache—not one of my favorite experiences. There are various reasons I get them, and I am sure there are all kinds of spiritual forces (and a lot of physical reasons) behind them. I think most people have physical or emotional battles that they face, sometimes daily, which slow them down a bit. Sometimes the struggle expands to roping in my faith to wondering, “how does a person of faith deal with pain in their body or their heart?”

No one is exempt from the struggles of life; however, our responses to the things we face each day are as unique as we are. The problem, though, is expecting our faith reactions to look similar to the way other people respond to trying situations. I’ve noticed that, in some instances, there is kind of a perception of spiritual “pushing through” the pain being the right faith response; yet how that looks for one person is often quite different than how it looks for someone else. In fact, as we are filled and led by the Holy Spirit, our responses often vary.

Sometimes I’m vocal in declaring Bible verses out loud that speak to the situation I’m facing, such as:

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1) I am in Christ Jesus, filled with and walking according to the Spirit, so the enemy’s whispers of condemnation cannot touch me.

“…we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” (Romans 8:37) I am more than a conqueror through Jesus!

“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39) Nothing in heaven or on earth can keep God’s presence and His love away from me!

“I will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust” … “Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place—the Most High, who is my refuge—no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent.” (Psalm 91:2, 9-10) God is my refuge and my fortress; I trust in Him. He is the Most High God, and He will not allow evil to befall me or any plague come near my home!

Sometimes, I make this declaration concerning the evil being perpetrated in this nation and around the world: “Restrainer, restrain the acts of lawlessness! In Jesus’ Name.” “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only He who now restrains it will do so until He is out of the way.” (2 Thessalonians 2:7)

Mostly, though, my responses to difficult or painful situations may look and sound different than others’ because of who I am and how I relate to Jesus. Isaiah describes it well for me:

“For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, ‘In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.’”  (Isaiah 30:15) Often I will go to my room and lie down, no phone, no iPad, no distractions, and just be quiet—what a sense of peace I gain! Not everyone can do that, though. Everyone of us communes with God in ways that fit who we are in His presence.

So, this is what comes to mind as I write this:

Tomorrow is the National Day of Prayer (May 6, 2021), and as I think about it, I have mixed emotions. Of course, I want to pray. And my prayers are much like my approach to encountering trials—unique and personal, not like anyone else I know.

I have prayer warrior friends who are powerful in binding and loosing and praying against strongholds and assignments of the enemy.

I have friends who are deeply knowledgeable and skilled in praying for politicians and policies—and sometimes I think that I don’t know enough to pray adequately.

Some people are so well versed in praying scripture over people and situations, that my simple mumblings seem inadequate.

There are many ways the enemy has for intimidating us and keeping us from praying—from busyness and distractions, or hesitation brought on by a sense of legalistic, “have to do it because I’m a Christian”, to feelings of inadequacy or condemnation. But I think one of the biggest deterrents to turning my heart to heaven on the National Day of Prayer is thinking that it is something more or different than my everyday intimacy with my Friend and Savior. …because praying is talking to God about what is on our hearts and listening to hear Him tell us what is on His heart. It is not more complicated than that.

I read something yesterday that hit my heart’s “Yes!” button: “We need all praying Christians to ask God to intervene in our nation. May the Lord’s Name be exalted across our nation.” (Dave Butts)

Simple. To the point—I like that! I can do that! I also am praying that all Christians will be praying Christians. Perhaps if our hearts and our prayers join together and ascend to heaven as a sweet-smelling fragrance, we will see mountains move!

This is my prayer, in Jesus’ Name…

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Mind-Set

Posted on April 22, 2021 by suemariericker

I went for a walk this morning in a park that I haven’t been to for a long time. It’s not far away and it’s not a large park, but it has a pretty nice walking/jogging path through it. There are trees and lots of ground squirrels—and a full chorus of cheerful birds. I like being there and listening to the birds. For a moment, I focused my listening on their cheerful songs, and I loved it. Then I re-tuned my listening to hear the ever-present background hum of streets and highways—and jets, because when you live near a Naval Air Station, that’s what you get.

It was an interesting exercise, directing my listening to different sounds. When I listened to one, the other seemed to fade away. Then when I changed my focus, the other sound became predominant.

Kind of went along with my Bible study this morning. A group of friends and I are studying and praying our way through Psalm 119—a good way to approach this exceptionally long chapter! My thoughts settled on verse 114:

“You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your Word.”

And as I thought about my hiding place, the phrase “hidden with Christ” came to mind, so I looked it up. The context is all about focus:

“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.” (Colossians 3:2-4)

What seems so remarkable to me, is how quickly my mind can shift away from heaven inspired thinking to becoming engrossed in the “things that are on earth!” That is not to say that we must separate ourselves from engaging in life on earth; for me, it is more about allowing distractions like social media, television, news reports, or the myriad of other things that can chip away at my faith, to plant seeds of fear, anger, or anxiety in my heart—changing my focus from what brings life and peace to those things that generate fear, depression, judgmental attitudes, and anger (to name just a few).

The Bible tells us to “pray without ceasing,” implying that we should never stop praying (1 Thessalonians 5:17); however, that is not so easy to do. Prayer is about building a relationship with God; however, we are more likely to strike up conversations with people we share more commonality with than a holy God—which makes intimacy with Him difficult with our human, broken bent towards most things that are anything but holy.

But Jesus changed things for us by exchanging His righteousness for our unrighteousness through taking our sins to the cross and suffering the punishment we deserved. “For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21) And now, by God’s grace and the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we have more in common with Him than we do with the people and the things of this world (though it is easy to forget that!).

We are in Him. And in the place where we are hidden—away from prying eyes—there is safety from the ones who seek to steal, kill, and destroy us. …and in our safe place, we are more inclined to talk to the One who is shielding us.

While we are shielded by the One in whom we hope, in all circumstances, we also “take up the shield of faith, with which [we] can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one…” (Ephesians 6:16).

So, a bit of a shift here, but trying to tie my thoughts together. If we are hidden in Christ, shielded by His power, how is it the enemy seems to get the drop on me way too many times than I can count? One time I heard a Bible teacher say in essence, when teaching about the armor of God, that satan studies his prey and knows us intimately, that he knows just what buttons to push to cause us the greatest harm. That concept doesn’t seem to be consistent with the covering, protecting presence of God in our lives, though.

What the enemy does have is the commonality of human nature in his battle play book. “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” (1 Corinthians 10:13)

Sometimes, I think we give the enemy too much credit for our difficulties, as James wrote: “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.” (James 1:14)

However, we have God’s Word and the Holy Spirit to strengthen, encourage, make us wise.

We have this promise Jesus made to His disciples, “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

In Him, we have peace.

In the world, we have tribulation.

We are in Him, the One who has overcome the world. We are in our safe place in Him, though our presence in the world brings challenges and tribulation. Doesn’t change the fact our victory over the enemy is secured “…by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of [our] testimony.” (Revelation 12:11)

I appreciate how that verse in Revelation continues: “…for they loved not their lives even unto death.” To my way of thinking, that describes people, God’s people, who have set their minds on the things above, not the things on earth.

I know that I have a long way to go when it comes to realigning my focus, but like Paul, “…one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:13,14)

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Cancel Culture

Posted on March 22, 2021 by suemariericker

“Cancel Culture” has become a prominent concept in the past year or so – but there is nothing new about it. Here is a definition and some explanations of what it is and how it works. I’m sure we’ve all heard the phrase and have seen it at work in the media and on social networking sites:

“a way of behaving in a society or group, especially on social media, in which it is common to completely reject and stop supporting someone because they have said or done something the offends you.” (Cambridge Dictionary online)

According to the same source, this is one of the characteristics of cancel culture:

“In a cancel culture, we appoint ourselves the arbiters of right and wrong and also the judge and jury, because thanks to social media, we get to dole out punishment.”

Wow! I am reminded of Isaiah’s words when I read that.

“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight!” (Isaiah 5:20-21)

Here’s what Wikipedia has to say…

“Cancel culture is a modern form of ostracism in which someone is thrust out of social or professional circles – whether it be online, on social media, or in the real world, or both. Those who are subject to this ostracism are said to be ‘cancelled’.”

With increasing frequency, this is happening to people who hold to biblical Christianity and morality—not so much people of faith, rather, people with faith in our sovereign Creator God and the inerrancy and infallibility of His Word, the Bible. In one of my last posts someone commented that faith is dangerous. It is. And it is becoming even more so as society and this nation veers farther and farther away from the righteousness of God.

Jezebel comes to mind. Some of that is because our pastor is teaching through the book of Revelation and this verse came up a few weeks ago:

“But I have this against you [writing to the church in Thyatira], that you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess and is teaching and seducing my servants to practice sexual immorality and to eat food sacrificed to idols.” (Revelation 2:20)

I don’t think it is known if there was a woman in Thyatira named Jezebel or if Jesus referred to this self-proclaimed prophetess by that name because she emulated king Ahab’s wife, that ancient queen who brought sexual immorality and idolatry to deeper levels of depravity amongst God people. She was not an Israelite, instead, she was a Sidonian princess, whose primary god was Asherah, though she promoted Baal worship in Israel.

And she propagated cancel culture with intensity.

She had the prophets of God killed (1 Kings 18:4), she threatened the life of Elijah because he defied her and challenged the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 19:2), and she falsely accused, robbed, and had an innocent man murdered (1 Kings 21:5-15).

She did what the enemy of our souls intends to do: steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10)—the same thing that the cancel culture purposes to do.

As I’ve been thinking about this, my best response is to recognize that tolerating what God calls sin, particularly in the church, is not a good approach for responding to the pressure to conform. However, what many condemn as intolerance nowadays (holding onto a God-designed, biblically based perspective of gender, marriage, and morality), runs counter to the demands of modern society. Though I’m inclined to keep my head down and go about my business without “making waves”, Jesus calls us to be salt and light in the world. Even when our words are taken out of context and we are assigned motives that are not ours at all, and when our livelihoods or our lives are threatened, still, standing for Godly righteousness is ultimately the safest path to follow.

Elijah experienced times of boldness when he confronted king Ahab and challenged the prophets of Baal, and a time when he fled in fear from the rage-filled threats of Jezebel. He did not back down from doing what God told him to do, and when his hope and courage drained away, God ministered to his physical needs and spoke to him in a gentle whisper, confirming His presence with Elijah and giving him his next assignment. God did not give up on Elijah and He did not let Elijah give up either!

Though Elijah was isolated and believed that he was alone in serving God rather than Baal, he was not.

And we are not alone in serving God and loving His Word. As we navigate the uncertain times ahead—when society turns to false gods, lying spirits, and “other” gospels—staying in fellowship with other Bible-believing Christians will encourage and build us up in our faith, especially when many have turned away from God and are attempting to cancel all who disagree with them. Is it any wonder that enemy wants to cancel church? Twisting scripture and accusing Christians of not loving their neighbors because they are choosing to love and obey God first (particularly in meeting together with other Christians) are a couple of the satan’s strategies to intimidate and manipulate believers into a place where they become even more vulnerable to the attacks of demons.

Jesus confronted the cancel culture amongst the religious leaders during His time on earth:

“Jesus replied, ‘You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.” For you ignore God’s law and substitute your own tradition.” ‘…And so, you CANCEL the Word of God in order to hand down your own tradition. And this is only one example among many others.’” (Mark 7:6-8, 13 NLT)

With increasing frequency, we are seeing many pastors and church leaders buckling under the pressure of the cancel culture, abandoning the absolute truth and authority of the Bible. We mustn’t do that! It is essential that we “take up the shield of faith, with which [we] can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one” (Ephesians 6:16); and have the Word of God, which is the Sword of the Spirit, planted deeply within our hearts.

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Jonah and Nahum

Posted on March 1, 2021 by suemariericker

I don’t think I’ve ever heard a teaching contrasting the books of Jonah and Nahum—I’m not even sure I’ve ever heard a teaching on the book of Nahum, though I’ve heard plenty of sermons on Jonah. What comes to mind as I think about Jonah is a big fish, and the prophet’s response to God’s commission to go to Nineveh and preach a message of repentance to a group of people God characterized as evil. I’m sure he had other jobs to do for God (see 2 Kings 14:25) because he was a prophet, but this is the one we know about—the big one.

From my perspective as I’ve read the book of Jonah, the response in Nineveh to the prophet’s preaching appears to come across as a secondary message. There is much to learn from this reluctant prophet; there is also something to learn from this repentant city, because about one hundred years after this, another prophet brought dire warnings to Nineveh and the kingdom of Assyria—and the people of that city eventually experienced God’s judgment.

Jonah spoke one sentence and a movement of God began in the hearts of the people, drawing them to repentance:

“And he [Jonah] called out, ‘Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!’ And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them. The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes….” The king went on to say, “…Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.” (Jonah 3:4-6, 8-9)

How can that be anything but the Holy Spirit working in the hearts of the people to draw them to repentance? And did God see something in their hearts that would soften to a point where they would humble themselves in repentance? Jonah just saw a violent, immoral city but God saw something different—how easy it is to judge by assessing a person’s appearance and actions without seeing what God sees in their souls. Lord, help us to never give up praying for someone even though it seems hopeless! Even their king humbled himself in repentance. When some of our nation’s leaders appear to have hardened their hearts against God, and in fact, seem to be enemy agents, as long as they draw breath, we must pray for their salvation.

“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (2 Timothy 2:1-4)

But the book of Nahum records a different story, a prophecy with a different outcome for Nineveh and the nation of Assyria. Nahum describes their king this way: “From you came one who plotted evil against the Lord, a worthless counselor.” (Nahum 1:11) It is interesting to note how the attitudes and the different outcomes for this ancient city reflected those of its leaders and the God (or gods) they chose. I don’t know exactly why that is, because we’ve seen anarchy and rebellion increase immeasurably in the past four plus years in this country, and an element of complete defiance and hatred towards a president who, albeit screamingly imperfect, yet sought to honor God in his decisions. And now we have a president who has no regard for Christians or Biblical Christianity—in spite of what he may say to appease the religious.

I don’t want to make this a political post, though sometimes I may sound like it. I want to spark consideration about the outcomes of personal choices as well as the tone and direction our nation may be headed because of the decisions we make and what or who we decide to support. Most of all, I hope the things I write here will encourage Christians to “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.”

Judah was terrified of Assyria and Israel was conquered by them. Jonah’s response to God’s commission to go preach in Nineveh characterized how many of the Israelites felt about this violent, pagan nation. Although we may be discouraged about the rampant evil and flagrant rebellion against the kingdom of heaven we’re seeing nowadays, we can be encouraged by hope in our faithful and righteous God.

These words were written long ago by both Jonah and Nahum, and they can instruct us as we recognize that wickedness is abounding—and we can find encouragement, even though there is increasing intimidation and persecution coming towards those who seek to love God and honor His Word:

“When my life was fainting away, I remembered the Lord, and my prayer came to you, into your holy temple. Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love. But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you; what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the Lord!” (Jonah 2:7-9)

“…for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster…. And the Lord said, ‘You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?’” (Jonah 4:2, 10-11)

“The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, and the Lord will by no means clear the guilty.”  (Nahum 1:3)

“The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; He knows those who take refuge in Him. But with an overflowing flood He will make a complete end of the adversaries and will pursue His enemies into darkness.” (Nahum 1:7-8)

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The Just Shall Live By Faith

Posted on February 11, 2021 by suemariericker

I wrote a prayer and shared it on my Facebook blog page—I’ll share it at the end here—and it was focused on my response to this verse recorded in Psalm 119:53…

“Hot indignation seizes me because of the wicked, who forsake your law.” (ESV)

Or…

“Fury seizes me because of the wicked who reject your instruction.” (CSB)

Today, in my quiet time, several other verses popped out in my reading that, to me, paralleled this verse in Psalm 119:

“Smooth lips with an evil heart are like glaze on an earthen vessel. A hateful person disguises himself with his speech and harbors deceit within. When he speaks graciously, don’t believe him, for there are seven detestable things in his heart. Though his hatred is concealed by deception, his evil will be revealed in the assembly. (Proverbs 26:23-26)

“We know that we are of God, and the whole world is under the sway of the evil one.” (1 John 5:19)

“And you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you previously lived according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit now working in the disobedient.” (Ephesians 2:1-2)

And…

“How long, Lord, must I call for help and you do not listen, or cry out to you about violence and you do not save? Why do you force me to look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrongdoing? Oppression and violence are right in front of me. Strife is ongoing, and conflict escalates. This is why the law is ineffective and justice never emerges. For the wicked restrict the righteous; therefore, justice comes out perverted.” (Habakkuk 1:2-4)

The book of Habakkuk is a timely read for the things we hear in the news and see going on in the world nowadays—the prophet wrote these words centuries ago and they so aptly express some of my concerns and frustrations about what is currently going on in this nation and around the world.

The fact is, anyone not surrendered to Christ, without the Holy Spirit living within them, is a subject of the kingdom of darkness and often without knowing it, a pawn in the enemy’s hands.

God’s response to Habakkuk is our best counsel:

“The Lord answered me: Write down this vision; clearly inscribe it on tablets so one may easily read it. For the vision is yet for the appointed time; it testifies about the end and will not lie. Though it delays, wait for it, since it will certainly come and not be late. Look, his [Babylon] ego is inflated; he is without integrity. But the righteous one will live by his faith.” (Habakkuk 2:2-4)

These words are echoed in the New Testament…

“For in it (the gospel) the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith.” (Romans 1:17)

“Now it is clear that no one is justified before God by the law, because the righteous will live by faith.” (Galatians 3:11)

“For yet in a very little while, the Coming One will come and not delay. But My righteous one will live by faith; and if he draws back, I have no pleasure in him. But we are not those who draw back and are destroyed, but those who have faith and are saved.” (Hebrews 10:37-39)

I’ve heard some modern-day prophesies about revivals and turn arounds in this country. I don’t know. I read in scripture about lawlessness and deception, corruption and immorality increasing; I read about distress and persecution, and hard times coming. So, I don’t know how things are going to play out in days to come. This is what I can say:
“I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

I recognize a contrast in these two themes: Wicked people act wickedly under the influence of the enemy, and the righteous live by faith, faith in Jesus, His faithfulness, and in His Word. Psalm 119:54-56 goes on to say, “Your statutes are the theme of my song during my earthy life. Lord, I remember your Name in the night, and I obey your instruction. This is my practice: I obey your precepts.” (CSB)

I also pray in alignment with 2 Thessalonians 2:7, “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work, but the One now restraining will do so until He is out of the way”—Holy Spirit, restrain! Restrain the powers of lawlessness and evil that are at work in this nation and the world until you take your church home. I pray this in Jesus’ Name, amen.

“Fury seizes me because of the wicked who reject your instruction.” (Psalm 119:53 CSB)

Father, I confess that I get angry at the wicked. Other translations of this text use the words, “hot indignation” and “rage”—I don’t know that those words, or even furious, express my feelings as much admitting that I am frustrated by the acts of unregenerate people. At the same time, I can’t help but wonder what was going through the Psalmist’s thoughts and in his life when he wrote those words.

The fact is, that wicked people acting wickedly often affect other people, communities, and even nations. And Lord, a lot of wickedness is happening in our nation and around the world right now; a lot of evil is being perpetrated.

So, Lord, I ask that you deal with the hearts and minds of those who execute wickedness and devise evil schemes. Contend with them in your righteousness and justice; and wherever, whenever, or with whoever there is the hope of redemption, bring them to their knees in repentance.

Holy Spirit, you are in the world to convict concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment—let the hearts of many who would otherwise be considered wicked respond to your conviction and humble themselves in repentance. Help me, O God, to be responsive to your conviction, too, because I know that frustration and rage are not evidence of your presence in my life. Forgive me, Lord, and cleanse all unrighteousness from me.

In Jesus’ Name I pray, amen.

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Bewitched

Posted on February 1, 2021 by suemariericker

I’ve thought a lot about these verses lately:

“O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?” (Galatians 3:1-3)

What strikes me so about this scripture is that it is possible for people, who have been saved by grace through faith and the working of the Holy Spirit, to become duped, to be bewitched—seemingly, into thinking that the power of God that brings a person to salvation is not enough to sanctify them, that they also need a set of rituals or an “in addition to…” program of self-help to get their lives straightened out—so that there is a slipping away from a faith powered relationship with Jesus into a performance-driven religion.

Consider this, also; that anyone without the Spirit of God dwelling within them, well, they are fair game to every bewitching deception of the enemy.

I think a lot of bewitching has taken place in our nation and around the world, especially in the past year. Of course, I would expect this to happen before Jesus appears to catch His bride up in the clouds to be with Him. The thing is, who is even able to recognize or willing to admit that they have been deceived? Sin deceives us (Romans 7:11); pride (Obadiah 1:3) or self-righteousness, whether Christian or not, will not allow us to consider the possibility that we could be deceived. We can be deceived by bad influences (1 Corinthians 15:33), relying on our own efforts, and crediting “good luck” instead of acknowledging that every good and perfect gift comes from God; and focusing our attention in any other direction than God, leads to deception (James 1:16-17). Fear and insecurity often play roles in the hearts of those who have lords other than the Lord of heaven and earth ruling over them—however, “…God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” (2 Timothy 1:7)

“O Lord, our God, other lords besides you have ruled over us, but your Name alone we bring to remembrance.” (Isaiah 26:13)

Scripture teaches there are those who use “smooth talk and flattery” to deceive Christians:

“I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naïve.” (Romans 16:17-18)

We also know that satan is a deceiver (Revelation 12:9), and the father of lies (John 8:44).

I’ve been duped by con artists and lost a lot of money. I’ve been deceived by sin— “…lured and enticed by [my] own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin….” (James 1:14, 15) I have been bewitched by religion that may (or perhaps not, I don’t know) have begun in the Spirit, but then relied on the works of the flesh (such as religious requirements) to do what only the sanctifying work of the Spirit can do—and relying on the human endeavor leads to self-righteousness, undermining Christ-righteousness (which is the only saving kind)!

I’ve been convinced that I was too broken to be a good parent or to be used by God. And there was a time when I thought that counseling and psychiatry were the only ways out of my mire. Yet God is able to complete the work He initiates in us through the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Philippians 1:6). Although we may need some encouragement and help along the way (such as a godly counselor, advisor, or the encouragement of good friends), ultimately, it is only Jesus who can save, heal and restore.

Scripture teaches us that God is able to “save to the uttermost [completely, at all times] those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25) As a Christian, to believe or act otherwise will put us in the position of trying to be “perfected by the flesh” and not living by faith.

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’” (Romans 1:16-17)

The apostle wrote these words to Timothy, and they are as important to Jesus’ church now, if not more, than they have ever been:

“Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man [and woman] of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:12-17)

Let us proceed through these bewitching times filled with the Spirit and armed with the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God!

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Where Do You Start?

Posted on December 30, 2020 by suemariericker

As a Christian mom and gramma, I constantly pray for my kids and grandkids. I pray for their health and safety and most important of all, I pray for their salvation and their continuing relationships with Jesus. It’s difficult for me when I read about well-known Christians and influencers of my children’s generation walking away from God, claiming that He is not good, not fair, and not just. It seems to me, though, many of those who say such things do not address God’s righteousness.

Many people look at the tragedies happening in the world—a pandemic, natural disasters, and the many other personal situations that cause a person to say, “how could a good God allow this?”—and they either reject God completely or say that there is a god, and he is not good. The basis for their view of God is what they see going on in the world—instead of starting with the understanding that God is good, God is love, and mankind has messed things up.

“You [God] are good and do good; teach me your statutes.” (Psalm 119:68)

We can’t understand the goodness of God until we know His statutes, His instructions, and His ways—and how we do that is to study His Word.

I was talking with some friends recently about our one-sided human perspective. It is easy to focus on what we believe is good, on what is right, or what we think is just; yet we cannot comprehend the fullness of God, His goodness, righteousness, justice, and the truth complete in Him. It is so easy to become our own gods, exalting our own understanding and opinions above God’s eternal, complete perspective!

“Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered.” (Proverbs 28:26)

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!” (Psalm 111:10)

I used to be afraid of being deceived—fear is often generated through law-based religious systems. Yet the fear inside of me couldn’t be reconciled with these words that Paul wrote to Timothy: “…for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” (2 Timothy 2:7)

I have been deceived by internet charlatans (and praying for grace that won’t happen ever again—to me or to my kids and their families!); and I have been swept up into the deception of sin as James so aptly describes: “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin…” (James 1:14, 15).

We have an enemy who understands our humanity, who sees what we are looking at and desiring, and he whispers in our ears, “Did God really say you can’t have this, or do that?” And he tries to convince us that our lives would be so much better or worthwhile without the parameters within which God has designed for us to live. So, instead of looking to our heavenly Father who loves us beyond comprehension, we begin to measure our lives and our happiness by what we desire and our opinions of what is valuable—instead of nurturing our relationship with God, the things of this world and our perceptions of right and wrong become tainted by the evil one. We open our ourselves up to deception by the direction we are looking—just like Eve.

The fact is, we have a gracious God who “…is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9) And “the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!” (Psalm 84:11-12)

This is where we must start, by looking at Jesus— “…let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:1-2).

We cannot look at the diseases, tragedies, and disasters happening throughout the world and make up our minds about God before we see all that is happening from His perspective—the only way to do that is to be born again, filled with the Holy Spirit, and a student of His Word. Or to say it more simply, to “…love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind…” (Luke 10:27)

I’ve been thinking about all that is going on in the world quite a bit lately and these verses in 2 Thessalonians (2:9-12) have been going through my mind: “The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore, God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

Delusion and deception are rampant right now, and the prophet Isaiah describes it well: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight!” (Isaiah 5:20-21)

I’ve witnessed the activity of satan, the deceptions, the delusions—I don’t know if the big one, the God-sent one is at work in the world now, though I believe the “lawless one” won’t show up until after the church is “caught up” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). I write that, not so much to present a point of contention, but to say we need to know the truth and we need to love it. A passive religious approach to Christianity will not suffice in days to come!

So, this is my prayer for my family, and myself, that we would “…straighten up and raise [our] heads, because [our] redemption is drawing near!” (Luke 21:28)

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Family

Posted on December 16, 2020 by suemariericker

I’ve wrestled with the concept of “generational sin,” especially as I understand that the curse of sin was broken on the cross. I’ve also been gripped with anguish as I recognize some of the attitudes and sins that I have wrestled with over the years, in my children. Ugh! Of all the things I could leave as a legacy to my kids, a critical, judgmental attitude is not one that would benefit them at all! Yet, it is one that I inherited from my family and one that is easily passed on in casual conversation.

Generational sin. It’s an Old Testament concept, really. Right? I’m pretty sure it comes from these scriptures (there are others that are similar):

“…The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.” (Exodus 34:6-7)

And…

“The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, forgiving iniquity and transgression, but He will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, to the third and the fourth generation.” (Numbers 14:18)

There are other passages where God declares that He will visit “the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate Me…” (Exodus 20:5, Deuteronomy 5:9) But I don’t hate God! I love Him and so do my kids. In fact, sin in my life grieves me, as I often recognize it in my words and my attitudes. My most dangerous attitudes, though, are the self-righteous ones, when I feel justified in my opinions and judgments, when I think others are “less-than” me in their actions or behaviors (and driving skills). The fact is—my attitudes are what my kids and grandkids are picking up on in my countenance and in my words.

Sin is in our human DNA, and the apostle Paul describes it well in his letter to the church in Rome:

“For we know the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.” (Romans 7:14-17)

I have the picture in my mind of a huge stone monolith slowly moving, stone grating against stone as my perspective begins to shift—instead of disappointment or frustration when I recognize in my kids or grandkids sin attitudes and behaviors that mimic some of mine, I’m beginning to understand that I am uniquely qualified to pray for them, to pray that the strongholds of the enemy in our lives will be torn down and demonic attempts to defeat or deceive us will be frustrated.

Fact is, we are all sinners.

“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)

And the path out of condemnation is the same for all of my family members as it is for me—through the cross of Jesus Christ. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.” (John 3:16-17)

“And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world; following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience…. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved….” (Ephesians 2:1-2, 4-5)

We have an amazing God who is good and does good (Psalm 119:68). Joseph summed things up well when his brothers approached him, fearing that he would retaliate against them for the evil they perpetrated against him: “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.” (Genesis 50:20) It was a family situation that involved evil plans, enemy actions, and the willingness of one man willing to break a destructive pattern through forgiveness.

And we can break the brokenness of our lives through receiving and extending forgiveness!

I think teachings about generational sin are tricky. I’ve heard them, though I don’t know how common they are. Are we under some kind of special curse because of sin patterns like abuse, rage, or alcoholism lurking within our genealogy? We are sinners and if we recognize patterns of sin in our lives that are similar to other family members, we can be assured that we are not unique—we are all members of the fallen human race.

The prophet Ezekiel wrote, “The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, not the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself. But if a wicked person turns away from all his sins that he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is just and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of the transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against him; for the righteousness that he has done he shall live. Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?” (Ezekiel 18:20-23)

Here is our hope:

“For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasure, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:3-7)

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I Have Decided…

Posted on November 24, 2020 by suemariericker

Someone posted on their social media status recently, “Will you still serve God if Christianity becomes a felony?” I’ve heard and read statements like that over the years and have given them a passing shrug, thinking, “of course I will,” never considering that becoming a felony is a very real possibility, not in years to come, but in the coming weeks or months.

I’m sure you’ve noticed the increasing hostility towards Christians who hold tenaciously to the authority of the Bible as God’s written Word, inerrant and unfailingly accurate. It’s not popular because scripture is uncompromising in what is truth, righteousness, and justice—and it does not support even a little bit the world’s “truth” and interpretation of justice, because there is no righteousness in the philosophies and beliefs of unregenerated mankind—because only God is righteous.

I know that there are Christians whose beliefs fall in line with the nationwide COVID-19 mandates forbidding churches to meet and to worship; and there are some whose health demands they take extra precautions. Others (like myself) believe that church is an essential service, and if it were not so, the Holy Spirit, through the writer of Hebrews, would not have told us, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:24-25)

And as far as worship is concerned, Psalms is a good book to seek counsel:

“Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love, for His wondrous works to the children of man! Let them extol Him in the congregation of the people and praise Him in the assembly of the elders.” (Psalm 107:31-32)

“Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song, His praise in the assembly of the godly!” (Psalm 149:1)

Often, what seems to be little things to us, like staying home just to be safe, just because not staying home would be “selfish,” just because the church is people, not a building (though people meet together in buildings)—it’s also the little things, the little compromises, that will begin to undermine and erode our relationships with one another and with the Word of God. Human reasoning and worldly logic seeps in to bully, manipulate, and intimidate believers who do not have a firm foundation, built solidly on the Rock, who is Jesus, and the Rock that is the Word of God.

Saying what scripture says about gender—God made two of them, male and female (Genesis 1:2), with very different characteristics and not to be confused one with the other—is offensive to those who want to be their own gods with their own opinions taking the place of what God says it true. And God recognized our need for companionship, so he designed marriage—one man with one woman for a lifetime (Genesis 2:22-24)—however, the enemy perverted the goodness of our Creator.

Saying what God says, what the Bible says, has become hate speech in this day and age. And it is not easy being called a hater, a racist, or xenophobic, knowing that is not who you are at all. God is Love, yet His love also embraces His righteousness, truth, and justice—Jesus told His disciples (and us), “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you….” (John 15:18-19)

The apostle goes on to write, “…I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me.” (John 16:1-3)

I’ve written about this verse before— “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Timothy 2:1-4)

Of course we want, “…that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life” to mean unthreatened and undisturbed, going about our own business, or running our businesses according to biblical principles, going to church and Bible studies, supporting leaders who defend life and exposing those whose goals align with the enemy’s mission to steal, kill, and destroy. But we know, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that hatred, intimidation, and persecution are inevitable for “all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus.” (2 Timothy 3:12)

What matters most, though, is peace with God—and sometimes that means we won’t have peace with people. It pleases God when we pray, intercede, and give thanks for all people, even those who are in positions of authority, who we don’t like and those we disagree with. The conclusion of our praying for our leaders is that to do so “is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” Sadly, I’ve heard Christians curse those they hate and condemn them to either to prison or hell. We need to confess and repent when we hate someone so much that we are not willing to obey God in praying for their salvation.

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Nineveh

Posted on November 2, 2020 by suemariericker

I’ve been reading and re-reading, listening to and re-listening to the book of Jonah recently. It has been a good experience, to see beyond the story of a man a fish, to the interactions between a man and his God. I think the expression, “wearing your heart on your sleeve,” fits quite well with this narrative—we are given a picture window view into his thoughts and his attitudes towards a group of people he did not like. And as easy as it is to judge the prophet, it is more accurate for me to identify with his negative thinking and propensity to condemn “sinners.”

I’m encouraged by the faithfulness of God in that he didn’t give up on His wandering servant! I’ve been there—not sure what God wants me to do, not sure if I actually want to do what God wants me to do. I am a reticent pray-er of “not my will, but Thine be done.” When I do pray that, I usually need to include, “give me the desire and the motivation to do what You want me to do.” Sometime though, I find myself doing things and saying things to people that seem out of character for an introvert such as I—and I recognize that it is because the Holy Spirit is in me, causing me to “both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13)

I’m not sure what it was that caused Jonah to fall fast asleep while the wind and waves pummeled their ship—was it guilt, denial, or depression? Or was it the Spirit of God causing a deep sleep to come over him in order to bring about something greater through the storm? We don’t know; however, I am struck by the “sleepiness” and indifference, and the denial of many people as spiritual forces are rocking and threatening the foundations of the United States and the world. There is so much more going on besides a pandemic or an election. If you doubt that, read about the uniting of nations over their response to COVID, read the news citing the increase of wickedness (Luke 17:26-29), increase of lawlessness (2 Thessalonians 5:3), earthquakes increasing in frequency and intensity (Matthew 24:4-8) just to list a few of the spiritual winds of darkness and destruction swirling about us.

Jonah was depressed, he figured he might as well be thrown overboard and die. He understood that his death would bring about the salvation of the sailors. Though his attitudes and responses were human and imperfect at best, his willingness to give up, to not fight for his life is a picture of the perfect One who willingly give up His life for ours. Jesus, in comparing His death to Jonah, said, For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” (Matthew 12:40) He went on to say, “The men of Nineveh will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.” (v. 41)

Jesus is all about saving people, though many people don’t feel the same way. Jonah didn’t think those oppressive Assyrians, the wicked Ninevites deserved saving. In fact, he was willing to rebel against God and run away because he hated the people of Nineveh so much. But God saw something that Jonah could not see—a people who would humble themselves and repent. God saw something in Nineveh He didn’t see in Sodom and Gomorrah. It may sound extreme but not wanting someone or a group of people to be saved or even have the opportunity to be saved is a hatred equivalent to murder. And how can we be any different than Jonah if we don’t, “…Love [our] enemies, do good to those who hate [us], bless those who curse [us] pray for those who abuse [us]. (Luke 6:27-28)

We are not like God, we see either what is visible, what we expect to see, or what we want to see. However, “the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)

God doesn’t treat people the way we often treat others—He was patient with Jonah, and He allowed him a “do-over”. “Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, ‘Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.’ So, Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord.” (Jonah 3:1-3). Happily, Jonah figured out what most of us take several “big fish” experiences to figure out—it is much better, and easier, to do what God says the first time around.

It is interesting that Jonah was willing to accept God’s grace, that he understood God is gracious and “merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster” (Jonah 4:2), but he was angry that God would show the same forgiveness towards people that he (Jonah) didn’t think God should spare from disaster.

Jonah had an attitude problem, he talked to God about it and God gave him His perspective. I like the book of Jonah because it is a story about a man who wrestled with his own humanness, and with God. A man whose thoughts and perspectives are much like mine towards all those “wicked people.” I’m grateful that the Holy Spirit dwells in us now and helps us recognize our sinful thoughts and attitudes—and I’m grateful that the Spirit of God gives us wisdom to know how to relate to anyone who is rejecting God.

We can make our lives look righteous to most people (not so easy with the people we live with), but we cannot hide the inside sins from God—and they are no less sinful! Jesus talked about that when He said, “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.” …and, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” (Matthew 5:21-22, 27)

I am so grateful for God’s assurance, that, “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)

The last verse of the book of Jonah sums up God’s heart towards those who do not have a relationship with Him: “And should not I pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?” (Jonah 4:11)

God looked down and saw people. He saw confused, floundering souls who desperately needed the answers only God could give, and He entrusted those answers to an imperfect messenger. And He saw cattle—even the animals mattered to their Creator! I pray that all people, and the creatures which matter to God would matter to each one of us, too!

“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments and untraceable His ways! ‘For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor? And who has ever given to God, that he should be repaid?’ For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen”

Romans 11:33-36

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