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Truth about the Adversary

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I started reading the book of Job this morning. Admittedly, it’s a tough read. The grief and loss Job experiences in the opening chapters staggers the imagination, and I doubt any of us read it without wondering, “How would I react?” We learn some very key things about the Adversary in these chapters, however.

1. Satan is not omnipresent. Job 1:7 says he had come from walking back and forth on the earth. Regardless of how he may pass himself off, he is a finite created being. Only God is infinite.

2. Satan is the accuser and slanderer. (1:9, 2:4-5) He attacks Job’s motives, Job’s character and his integrity, yet, all his claims were false. He was flat wrong about Job. Everything that comes out of his mouth is a lie. Everything. God is truth.

2. Satan knows us by name. When God pointed Job out, Satan knew him (1:9-10), and what kind of life he had. God knows us before we are even born.

3. Satan does not know the future (1:11). He assumes how we will react based on his own preconceptions. Unfortunately, he is right many times. This gives the impression that he knows more than he does. Only God knows the future.

4. Satan can only operate within the boundaries God sets for him. (1:12, 2:6) Any time God allows Satan some latitude, it’s for a greater purpose that God has.

5. Satan cannot read our minds or our hearts. He has a lot of experience with humans, and that makes him a good guesser. God knows. In 2:3 God says that Job holds to his integrity. That means Job’s actions match his heart. Only God could know that.

Satan would love for us to believe he has more power and authority than he does. It’s all an illusion. The book of Job testifies to the uniqueness of God. He is so different, so set apart from anything else He created. That’s the conclusion Job reaches. Only God is God.

Filed Under: Devotional Tagged With: Job,

Friday Update: Remembering

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What am I writing? – I started a new book draft this week! Yay! It feel so good to be writing new stuff once again. I'll post the chapter once I get it tweaked a little. The August newsletter went out this week. If you didn't get one, you can read it here, and sign-up for future ones using that form at the right. What have I learned? Nerdy things about the site here, and my newsletter manager- Vertical Response. I won't bore you with the details. :-)

  What am I reading? Where Did I Leave My Glasses? about normal memory loss, partly because learning, memory and brain function fascinate me, partly for research purposes for Doug's book. It's a fun read, but still incorporates the latest research in cognitive neuroscience (without making it sound that heavy and boring). Next week… a month of fiction begins!

 

What has God taught me? We're doing Lifeway's Boomerang Express VBS this week, and the tagline is "It all comes back to Jesus". It does. In the end, nothing else matters. I told the kids Wednesday night, that we make dozens of decisions every day- what to eat for breakfast, which shirt to wear – and most of those decisions don't matter at all, but what we decide to do with the facts about Jesus Christ… that matters for all eternity. Sometimes we get so familiar with the gospel, it loses its wonder. It's been great to see the fresh unabashed enthusiasm the kids have for Jesus. It's definitely given me a boost.

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Connecting Physical and Spiritual Discipline

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A Nike brand athletic shoe
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We are most of the way through our week of Bible school, and I have to say, it has been the least stressful VBS I can remember since I was a kid. (Not counting the VBS my brother and I came down with the chickenpox.) If you’ve prayed for me, for us during this week, thank you. God has answered in a tremendous way.

I know I’m supposed to exercise, but I don’t like it. I don’t like being sweaty. I don’t like that gasping for my next breath and I really don’t like being sore the next day. BUT… I like those really cool high-tech, moisture wicking shirts, and I love good running shoes. So I bought three of those shirts and thus obligated myself. Sigh. Last week, I started getting up early and interval training. (I call it that because I can’t run very far yet. I run til I think I might die, then I walk until I can breathe again. Rinse Repeat.)

My husband, who is a real runner, is extremely encouraging (and wise ;-) ). My goals for running are set pretty low. I just want to make it around the park, maybe twice (around a mile and a half). For me, it’s less about the fitness and more about self-discipline- the getting up and doing it part. Sure, I’d like to drop some weight, and get all those other benefits that come with exercise, but self-discipline takes practice. If I can do it here, exercising, it will be easier the next time I try it in some other area of my life. In 1 Corinthians 9:27, Paul talks about self-discipline in relation to effective, credible ministry. Sadly, we’ve seen ministries destroyed when individuals couldn’t practice self-discipline.

The physical life often reflects the spiritual life. Jesus healed people physically as proof of His ability to heal spiritually. My ultimate goal is to translate some practiced physical self-discipline to spiritual discipline. Maybe God is honoring that desire with a less stressful VBS. Even so, I’ll be up… oh about 5:30 in the morning. I can’t quit now. Besides, I bought the shirts.

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Filed Under: Living Tagged With: 1 Corinthians, , , ,

Study tip: Pray AND Study

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Questions
Image by Oberazzi via Flickr

I’ve heard it said that prayer and Bible study are two sides of a conversation. In prayer, we pour our hearts out to God and then He speaks through His word. If we’re trying to get by with just one, communication breaks down. I know you’ve heard, and maybe even said, “I prayed, but I don’t know what God’s telling me to do.” Then there’s “I never get anything out of it when I read the Bible.” Those are sure signs that only half of a conversation is taking place.

Looking for an example in my notebooks, I ran across a ‘conversation’ I had a few years ago. I had made some strides in writing and was entering a dangerous area of success. I asked God, is it wrong to want to be successful? I want to write what He gives me, and I want that to reach as many people as possible, but when does it cross over into ego? So after asking God these questions in prayer, a few days later, He started answering them as I read:

Psalm 110 v.1 The Lord said to my Lord,   “Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”

Success depends a lot on timing. Christ has to wait for God’s timing, for the fulfillment of His purposes. So it is making me more Christ-like to learn to wait for His timing. Christ waits patiently, confidently because He is that assured of God.

v.4 The Lord has sworn  And will not relent,

God’s purposes WILL be accomplished. I need to submit to whatever those may be and to wait patiently and confidently for them to unfold.

(Joshua 1:8) This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

Granted- My definition of success may not be how God defines it.

God desires to have a divine conversation with us, a two-sided conversation.

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Filed Under: Study Tip Tuesday Tagged With: , Joshua, Psalms

The ‘Gift Zone’

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j0305743

Vacation Bible School in this week, so that’s at the front of my brain, and will likely be the subject of the posts. Several j0305743years ago, I got put in as director. While I love VBS, love leading the music, love being around the kids, I hate being in charge of things. Hate it. Leadership is not my gift. Administration, I can do. I’m a great assistant director, but our church is small and we don’t have that luxury, so here I am in my fifth year as director.

My point is God often takes us outside our comfort zone to stretch and grow our faith. However, He’s not going to take us outside our ‘gift zone’. How can you tell the difference? Ask God to show you your heart as you pray and study. Ask yourself these questions as a guide.

  • Am I passionate about what I’m doing? Does it bring me joy or dread?
  • Does it cause unhealthy stress?
  • Do I procrastinate (more than usual) with this task?
  • How do I respond to others when I am in this role? Am I irritable, or defensive?
  • If I stop doing it, do I miss it?
  • Do I have ideas for ‘next year’?
  • Does it help or hurt the cause of Christ to be miserable in His service?
  • Is this ministry for Him or for me?

Tough questions, I know, and the answers aren’t any easier. Several years ago, I stopped doing youth ministry with my husband after more than ten years. My stress level dropped, but the tip-off to me that I had made the right decision was that I didn’t miss it. I still cared deeply for the kids, but I wasn’t visualizing new program ideas or study topics or outings.

As a body, we tend to suffer from “Institutional Ministry Inertia” where we get stuck doing the same thing forever. We’re sure the roof will fall in if we stop doing it or worse, that somebody will think we’re unspiritual or unfaithful. If we’re in ministries that God didn’t call us to, and didn’t gift us for, then we are unfaithful stewards of His gifts.

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Filed Under: Living Tagged With: , , , ,
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