Making a Difference in your Life, in the Parts that are for Keeps!
For a majority of questions about God and the Bible, it is helpful to find out why the person is asking and what they really need.
What is their background and what is their intended goal ?
— What’s down inside that makes them ask questions ?
— Are they trying to sidestep accountability to God ?
— Are they honestly searching for truth, The Truth ?
(This article picks up a few significant side tracks along with the main question.)
++ Can God put the screws to One of His Own, when it is necessary to turn him, and bring him back around to obedience ?
That is question one.
++ If God tightens the screws to make His Dear Child change, does that mean He overrides the person’s free will ?
That is question two.
++ Can the above reasoning of theology apply to groups, churches, nations ?
That would be question three.
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I don’t think a person can deal with questions one and two with theological reasoning, unless you’ve been to God’s woodshed, face-to-face with your own wickedness (no bland generalities as in corporate confession and absolution), and wrestled over it with your sinful nature, until you come clean before God where He wants you.
The questions address a Christian, “One of His Own”, “His Dear Child”, living with something displeasing to God.
More that once, God talks about wickedness in His People.
Each of us must pray, if we dare, if we mean business, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me (test me) and know my thoughts; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (response of my free will)
He knows our hearts, our thoughts, we don’t, until He pours it on thick sometimes, tightens the screws, and gets our attention.
Many Christians exercise free will in advance and never consider praying the verse above.
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If you want to go deeper, deep in the Word of God on this:
From Lamentations 3:22-32 (consider reading the whole chapter).
“Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“Therefore I hope in Him!”
The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,
To the soul who seeks Him.
It is good that one should hope and wait quietly
For the salvation of the Lord.
It is good for a man to bear
The yoke in his youth.
Let him sit alone and keep silent,
Because God has laid it on him;
Let him put his mouth in the dust—
There may yet be hope.
Let him give his cheek to the one who strikes him,
And be full of reproach.
For the Lord will not cast off forever.
Though He causes grief,
Yet He will show compassion
According to the multitude of His mercies.”
* * *
Paul—
Did God force Saul on the Damascus road ?
First of all, Saul was the enemy of Jesus (not One of His Own), dead set on getting rid of Jesus’ followers.
Actually, God asked Paul, “Why?” for starters.
“Saul, why do you persecute me ?”
Saul responded, “What should I do, Lord ?”
Sounds like free will intact, under pressure.
Thank God for the results, for all of us.
Nebuchadnezzar—
Despicable tyrant turned into a ‘believer’—talk about some serious screws from the Almighty.
The Bible just tells the story, and the results.
Do read it for yourself, believe it (Daniel 4).
Just remember, a caution, from the Bible about the word ‘believe’:
“The devils also believe, and tremble.”
“I know who you are, the Holy One of God !”—–A demon said that, before Jesus cast him out.
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Question three:
Can God put the screws to groups, churches, nations—and override their free will ?
Well, reading the historical accounts of God’s dealing with His Chosen People Israel, without adding any rationale, the answer is YES—as in half of the Old Testament and beyond.
Seems like sometimes God forced them to turn around—no choice, no free will ?
Wait a minute, they exercised their free will to not repent plenty of times—and paid, and then paid some more.
But where we get into dilemmas and trouble, is in perennial debate whether commands, promises, punishments with Israel apply to us.
I take personal issue with highly intelligent, learned theologians who determine which verses apply only to people at that time, and which verses we can take for comfort and promise and warning today.
That implies that you have to know what they know, and reason like they reason, to know how to read the Bible, particularly the Old Testament.
If—
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
Then—
Every Christian can read the Bible with enthusiasm and confidence in the above declaration, just like they experienced new, 500 years ago.
The Reformation was Revolutionary, for that reason (reading the Bible for themselves) more than any other. (read a lot on Reformation on this site)
Let’s not miss it today.
Or else we fall into repeating the millennial trap of history, depending more on those who “know more” to tell us what God says.
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More on question three . . .
The same Old Testament history, HisStory, clearly records how God uses any nation to accomplish His purpose, even raising up a godless nation to punish His People, then using another to crush that same evil nation.
Fact is, He’s running the big show—we’re not.
Remember that, when trying to figure it all out, with your own spin.
Be sure to read the whole story of Nebuchadnezzar, how God used him to punish His People, and then did a rare, one-of-a-kind move to give this despicable, narcissistic dictator an opportunity under pressure, to repent.
Nebuchadnezzar did have to acknowledge the God of heaven, but did he declare Him to be his God ?
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What about America today and question three ?
America runs a close second to Israel in chosen by God, trusting God, blessed by God, faithful to God, used by God to spread His Kingdom.
Only God knows how America’s story will play out, whether we will survive the natural consequences and God’s punishment for our national wickedness.
We pray for revival, for this sinking ship that already hit icebergs (sacrificing children, vile affections, forgetting God).
I’m afraid that that prayer is like Israel on the way to exile praying for a quick turnaround.
NO—seventy years for repentance and revival and restoration (prerequisites, in that order).
– – –
God works in the affairs of nations.
God only works in the hearts of individual people.
God only works His Ways in His People who have given their hearts to Him.
This article is all about a Child of God giving Him all authority in everything without question or reservation.
– – –
Free will under pressure may be forced to say God is God.
Free will under pressure may not be forced to surrender to God.
– – –
Soul searching—
Each of us is capable of resisting accountability to God, and rationalizing how we think God should deal with us.
We don’t want to give up our wicked ways, and God shouldn’t use force to make us.
We don’t want God to tell us, and show us, that we have wicked ways.
In fact, we don’t believe we have wicked ways.
The old line, “I’m a good person” is alive and well—no, alive and sick—in each of us.
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FOR NOW—
God does not overrule our free will to reject accountability to Him, for now.
BUT ONE DAY—
“One day every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord.”
Four dates—
11-9-38 Germany—organized in a day
12-7-41 Pearl Harbor—no warning
9-11-01 America—no warning
__-__-23/24 Day of Disaster—?surprise?—no excuses
Very few terrorist attacks are so clear ahead of time, almost documented in advance, as the coming Day of Disaster across the United States.
You have to use great effort to purposely ignore the signs, the opportunity, the groundwork in place NOW, for the worst day in American history.
Everything is set, except broadcasting the date.
Many are sounding general warnings over and over (like a broken record) about the open border invasion—few are speculating aloud and describing the details of the consequences, which are not a mystery.
Who is telling us how to get ready ?
Our enemies have a handful of options available simultaneously to bring this country to its knees overnight, and they have their people in place all over this land to carry it out.
What’s coming is the ultimate example of something so unthinkable we can’t afford to think about it, so we don’t.
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Israel has unified population, bomb shelters, sirens, iron dome, military readiness, decisive leadership, willingness to fight.
America has unprepared, unprotected, divided population, weakened military, dubious intelligence, absent leadership, welcome invasion, willingness to surrender.
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Disastrously, most Americans are still thinking and hoping some government leaders will rise and save us.
That is not happening, and we have no time to wait.
Our enemies also know they have no time to wait—AND THEY WON’T.
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Four dates—
++ 11-9-38 Kristallnacht—Hitler gave the order, and a day later “The Night of Broken Glass”—massive, organized terrorism on Jews, their homes, their businesses, their synagogues.
++ 12-7-41 Devastating attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese, brought America full scale into WWII.
– fool me once . . .
++ 9-11-01 One-of-a-kind terrorist attack on New York, Washington, Pentagon, plus.
– fool me twice . . .
++ 10-7-23 Hamas terrorists used old, untrackable ‘non-technology’ communication and outsmarted latest intelligence.
++ __-__-23/24 Day of Disaster—Next Time—Will it be the Last Time ?—Will it be the Worst Time ?—Likely.
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Terrorists, the devil’s terrorists, emphatically, madly call for death to Israel (death to Jews), death to America (death to Christians).
Are we going to take them seriously, before it’s too late.
SOMEBODY, PLEASE, TELL US WHAT TO DO !
“It’s so easy to get lost these days, in the shuffle and the noise.”
There have been tough times before, all through history, that called for extreme courage and extreme faith.
But, today “the shuffle and the noise” added to the crises everywhere in the world, and the stress in our own lives, leaves most of us too dizzy to deal with it all as humans.
We are not designed to keep track of this much at this speed—it finally becomes just so much noise.
Too much coming at us too fast and too loud—we can’t afford to stop and think about who we are, really.
We continuously plunge into the next priority for our attention, and skip our own health and well-being, our human-being.
“When can I do something for me ?”
“What can I do for fun ?”
Busyness covers what we don’t have time for—“Who am I ?”
We can’t escape.
We’re lost.
We choose to participate in evermore technology.
Technology gives answers about ‘everything’, and fast, but . . .
Technology does not give answers about us, where we need to be for real.
The speed and volume of stuff just ends up adding to the noise, quickly.
The “shuffle and the noise” becomes its own coverup to hide what we need to hear and know—most especially being heard and being known.
I sing this short verse often, because I need to:
“Thank You, Lord, for hearing me.
Thank You, Lord, for knowing who I am.
Thank You, Lord, for seeing me.
It’s so easy to get lost these days,
In the shuffle and the noise.”
ANGELS CAN’T . . .
Angels sent to destroy Sodom, had to drag Lot back into his house and hold back the gay mob and strike them blind.
The next morning the angels had to grab the lingering Lot and his wife and his daughters to get them out of town.
They used force to make them leave to escape destruction.
BUT, the angels could not prevent Lot’s wife’s destruction, after escaping.
Her free will prevailed—she had to look back at the good things she was leaving.
By the way, when Lot told his sons-in-law to escape with their wives, they laughed it off and perished with the city.
GOD WON’T . . .
One Christmas Eve, alone in a church parking lot (after a special greeting with a sweet three-year-old ‘angel’ in the service), I cried out to God with the ultimate “WHY?” question of my life,
“God, WHY didn’t you save my marriage, and my family ?”
God answered,
“I don’t, I won’t, override free will.”
So there you have one answer to the question of what God can’t do—or won’t do.
Please read my recent article
CONTRADICTORY – OR – COMPLEMENTARY
I refer to things in the Bible we might not understand, and things we can understand.
– – –
I will get to the title of this article later.
But first—reality check and more encouragement for the true Christian life.
God loves us, and shows His love, and we can receive His love—and yet we cannot understand Him, because God is beyond our understanding.
– – –
What is happening in the world today is also beyond understanding, and we try to get hold of something to keep our sanity and personal peace.
Some seek and offer resolution by explanations through Bible prophecy.
I’m not smart enough or anointed enough to join one, or offer my own.
There are conflicts in this world—in life—in our life.
There are loads of conflicts in the Bible, because it tells history like it is, even with His People.
His People—Israel, the Jews.
His People—Christians, Jesus Followers.
You could say we’re stuck in this world with evil, and we’re stuck in this body and soul with its power and pattern to pull us down.
If we follow Jesus, we will have conflict—from outside and from inside ourselves.
Remember, when we accept Jesus and follow Him, we have it all—forgiveness, peace with God, heaven, promised rewards—we just don’t have everything we want, here, like understanding why so much bad stuff is happening.
We have the Truth, the Bible, with loads of promises to “fear not, for I AM with you . . .”—and Jesus and the Holy Spirit are praying for us now.
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– – –
If these verses seem cliche or antithetical at the moment, so be it—they still have power in our lives:
“Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all.”
“In the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
“We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to those who are called according to His Purpose.”
“We’ll understand it all by and by.” (song)
And if you’re really serious,
“All who live Godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”
– – –
“I will serve Thee because I love Thee;
You have given life to me.
I was nothing until You found me;
You have given life to me.
Heartaches, broken pieces, ruined lives
Are why You died on Calvary.
Your touch is what I longed for;
You have given life to me.”
“Teach me Your Way, O Lord,
Teach me Your Way.
Your guiding grace afford,
Teach me Your Way.
Help me to walk aright,
More by faith, less by sight.
Lead me with heavenly light;
Teach me Your Way.”
“Thank You, Lord, for hearing me;
Thank You, Lord, for knowing who I am.
Thank You, Lord, for seeing me;
It’s so easy to get lost these days
In the shuffle and the noise.”
“God, I trust in You;
Let me not be ashamed.
Let not my enemies triumph over me.”
– – –
– – –
And now, turning to what prompted this article, and the title—
“Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman (Hagar), the other by a freewoman (Sarah). But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh (out of the will of God), and he of the freewoman through promise (God’s promise), which things are symbolic. Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise. But, as he who was born according to the flesh (Ishmael) then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit (Isaac), even so it is now.”—–from Galatians 4
Perhaps the most puzzling and disturbing reality in today’s world conflict—Israel vs Muslims (Arabs)—is how it started, and what God said about it.
3800 years ago God promised Abraham that he and Sarah would have a son and a great nation of descendants like the stars and the sand.
But they were old, and years kept passing with no child.
Sarah got Abraham to have a child with her servant girl Hagar.
That was Ishmael.
Then, years later Abraham and Sarah had the promised son.
That was Isaac.
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That one time—sex outside God’s will—and now this, today, in the headline news—all-out war between descendants of Ishmael (Arabs, plus Islam) and descendants of Isaac (Jews).
The part I can’t understand in this story spanning two-thirds of human history, is what God said to Hagar when Sarah made Abraham kick Hagar and Ishmael out (for conflict in the home).
God met Hagar in the desert when she and her son were about to die.
God told her to keep going, that He would be with them, and that He would also make a great nation out of Ishmael.
God kept His promises to her, in spite of human weakness, doubt, and sin—and in spite of my not understanding why He did so—with the results we see today.*
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– – –
Can one act of sex cause this much trouble, this much hell, for this many centuries, for this many people ?
The Bible records it as it happened, then—and the news reports it as it happens, today.
Isaac’s descendants and Ishmael’s descendants—all-out war again.
No peace.
Never say sex outside God’s will can’t hurt anybody.
Consider the Truth in our own lives—how you and I must take God and His Word seriously, literally, completely, continually, in everything.
*God repeatedly raised up evil nations to punish His people for their sin, to bring them back to Him.
It worked—sometimes it took awhile.
He will do it again, and America also meets the conditions now
America has indisputably been blessed by God because America had God’s Foundation on God’s Word, even before the Revolution, and we called upon Him throughout our history.
American Exceptionalism, on display for all human history.
IN GOD WE TRUSTED
GOD BLESSED AMERICA
As I was reading the Bible chapters for the previous article, SO YOU WISH THE WORLD WAS DIFFERENT, I was particularly caught by Ezekiel 20.
It is different from the chapter before and after chapter 20.
It is straightforward and clear to follow, as it reviews God’s perspective on leading the people of Israel.
And it struck me so black and white, thinking about America as I read how God dealt with Israel so severely, because He cared for them so deeply.
He would not let them go, even when they turned from worshipping Him.
He had to turn them back, to bring them back, for the sake of His Name, because He had broadcast to the world that Israel was His “chosen” of all people.
There may not be a Biblical record of America being similarly chosen by God of all nations, but there is abundant circumstantial evidence of His hand in the affairs of this country from day one.
For starters, our founding documents were inspired and written by people anointed by God with Bible principles for governing by the people, that go back long before the Declaration.
This had never been done before.
Others have eloquently reviewed hundreds of details in the rest of the American story, that have God’s handprint.
My question here is this:
After all God has done for this country, and through this country, I don’t know if God feels obligated to send what it takes that will turn us around and bring us back to Him in true repentance, like He always did for Israel ?
Then . . . He caused Israel to ‘disappear’ after nearly four millennia, and now . . .
He may, He can, cause America to disappear after nearly four centuries.
He is obligated to do something—judgment—serious, swift, complete, undeniable, unavoidable judgment.
Can God be influenced in any way at this late hour ?
For sure, we cannot expect another reprieve—like 2016-2020, which was an answer to many prayers—without a fundamental change in America to God.
Back to a similar time in history, God said He would have spared Sodom for a few righteous—50, 40, 30, 20, 10—3 was not enough.
In America today, I’m afraid we have a mistaken notion of what it means to be righteous, one of the remnant, those Jesus knows, His people, humble, praying, seeking His face, seeing our specific wickedness to get rid of.
We get used to Bible verses on sin and repentance and teaching on them, and we think we satisfied them.
But we expect to avoid anyone that gets personal about my sin and points a finger in my face and says, “You’re the man.”
Daddy did that, and people did not want to hear it, and preachers hated him, and wanted him gone, and one called on God to kill him.
It cost Daddy to speak against evil in the church, in Christians, repeating Jesus’ words.
It cost John the Baptist to confront the Jewish King Herod for his sexual sin, telling him it was unlawful.
It cost Dietrich Bonhoeffer to confront the church that condoned Hitler, finally getting caught plotting to kill Hitler.
When evil gets bad enough close to home, pacifists become activists.
When sin slaps us in the face, we say something (or do we?).
When Jesus’ words convict us, we stop laying up treasures on earth (or do we?).
When Jesus tells us to get rid of our stuff—because that’s where our heart is—in order to follow Him, do we ?
Living too long accustomed to the good things Sodom had to offer, Lot’s wife’s heart was there.
Even after God sent His angels for escape, she had to ‘just look’ at what she had to leave behind.
The cost was too great for her to leave it all, and it cost her EVERYTHING.
What is the cost to American Christians of what God is calling us to leave behind now ?
What greater cost when we just can’t do it ?
Do we think we can continue with all the good things we have going, in each of our lives, and still follow Jesus with our whole heart ?
Sounds like the deadly rationale of Lot and his family in Sodom.
They chose to live there, and they lived well there—too well, too comfortable.
We are living in Sodom—times ten.
– – –
Something has got to register.
WE’VE GOT TO BE DIFFERENT—DRASTICALLY DIFFERENT !
OR ELSE ?
God may not save America.
God will judge America, severely, now.
God will judge His people in America, for “anyone loving the things of this world, the love of the Father is not in him.”
Ok, list five ways you wish the world was different.
For each of the five, list something you can do that will change the world to make it different, like you wish it was.
Now, will you do those five things ?
Will that change the world ?
Will you make the world different, the way you want it ?
Honestly, the answer may be no.
Or, you may have to claim you made a small part of the world different like you wish.
Isn’t that what everyone has to settle for, basically ?
Except for dictators and militant religious fanatics that kill to meet their wishes for the world to be different.
So far even their wishes don’t change the world for long.
But they keep trying.
And that’s why the world is shaping up for one more attempt to change the whole world to meet the wishes of ‘someone’.
– – –
There are always others wishing the world was different—but different from your wishes for different.
So, does wishing, and acting on one’s wishes, make the world different ?
In 6000 years of history the world really hasn’t changed, at least not for the better overall.
– – –
Actually, most wishing the world was different is just a chance to complain.
While some may identify with your complaint, we all quickly grow weary of bemoaning, groaning, and complaining that doesn’t do a bit of good.
Even God got fed up with His Chosen People over their grumbling (after multiple miracles of deliverance and multiple miracles of provision), and He took severe action numerous times to teach them a thing or two.
Then they came around—repented—for a little bit.
Then . . .
Their problem . . .
The problem with all of us human beings is this:
Repent is followed by Repeat.
But here is hope:
If God is involved in our life, in our heart, then there is always room for
Repent followed by Repeat followed by Repent again.
This pattern (with Israel) is related in the Bible several times, and it gives us comfort when we see our own miserable human condition, and it reminds us to take God’s justice and His provision and the fear of the Lord seriously.
We serve the same God that led the Israelites—He chose them, and He chose us by His mercy* and grace.*
Please read these three chapters, that give a dramatic review of God’s care for Israel—deliverance, provision, judgment, forgiveness, blessing, and repeat.
Psalm 78
Ezekiel 20
Psalm 106
*His mercy—not getting what we deserve from God
*grace—getting what we don’t deserve from God
If the ‘Me’ in the above statement is Jesus, then:
“Without Me you can do nothing” means God called you to do something, as long as you don’t try to do it without Jesus”.
Today I heard the story of a sea rescue station that answered many distress calls from boats and ships in trouble during storms.
The rescue crew had a number of seasoned sailors, most particularly the captain, and they took on new members as needed.
There was one very bad storm when a call came, and they prepared to go for the rescue.
When one of the new recruits saw the severity of the storm, he spoke of his concern to the captain, “This storm is so bad, we might not make it back.”
The captain turned to the young man, and thought of all the rescues in his memory, and calmly said, “We don’t have to come back; we just have to go.”
That is the meaning of ‘calling’ in life.
We may have some choice in what we do in this life, but real purpose happens when a calling from beyond compels us to faithfulness, amid all odds when necessary.
Stories of heroism in all walks of life inspire us to pursue our own, individual calling.
When that calling comes from God, whatever we do for our life’s work has eternal meaning, as our goal includes bringing people to know Jesus.
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