The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid? 2 When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. 3 Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident.” (Psalm 27:1-3 NIV).
Jesus said that in the end times men’s hearts would give way to fear. (See Luke 21:26 KJV). I think we are seeing this today. (No, I am not setting dates or times. Theologically the “end times” is that period of time from the cross until Jesus comes again {see Hebrews 1:2} I am not stating dates or times, I am merely stating facts). Ours is an age of turmoil. Terrorism warnings have us in constant alert. Daily we read of home invasions–its not even safe to answer your door anymore. Danger on the highways, danger in the home, no wonder people are afraid today!
Fear is a terrible thing. It is debilitating. The Life Application Bible observes, “Fear is a dark shadow that envelops us and ultimately imprisons us withing ourselves. Each of us has been a prisoner of fear at one time or another. . . .” I do not think one has to be an astute observer of the current scene to recognize that ours is an age of extreme anxieties.
There is a solution to the problem. It is found in the Lord. The Bible tells us “perfect love casts out fear.” (1 John 4:18 NASB). The only place where perfect love is found is in the Lord. When “The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom shall I fear?” The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom shall I be afraid?” Those of us who dwell in the secret place of the most High have nothing to dread. Our God promises to protect us in our present circumstances and to deliver us safely into His Holy Presence upon death. What do we have to fear? Nothing!
I am not here suggesting that Christians are oblivious to problems or pain. You cannot read the Bible and come away with such a foolish impression. God’s people suffer. Jesus Himself said, “In the world you will have trouble . . . .” (John 16:33). Many believers become discouraged and defeated when they face difficulties. Why? Because many, somewhere along the line came to faith under the illusion that “Jesus makes all things well,” and when troubles come, these deluded believers become quickly disillusioned, thinking that something is wrong either with them (a thought generally quickly dismissed by the deceitful human heart) or something is wrong with the promises of God (a thought quickly embraced by the deceitful human heart).
Here’s what I know. No matter how bad things get (The Message translates “though war break out against me,” as “when all hell breaks loose.”) God promises to be with us and deliver us. Here is the secret. We have got to rid ourselves of the silly notion that this deliverance will happen in this fallen world! We were created with eternity in mind, and everything God does He does from that perspective. The sooner we as believers learn to fix our eyes on things above and not things of this earth (Colossians 3:1-2), the sooner we too will discover the sweet peace and security that David talks about in these verses.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
God's Silence
To you I call, O Lord my Rock; do not turn a deaf ear to me. For if you remain silent, I will be like those who have gone down to the pit. 2 Hear my cry for mercy as I call to you for help, as I lift up my hands toward your Most Holy Place.” (Psalm 28:1-2 NIV).
There is no sound more deafening then the silence of God. Been there done that, and if you are honest, so have you. We cry to God and plead with Him for some favor or some deliverance and all we are met with is silence. C.S. Lewis described this horrible silence this way: “Meanwhile, where is God? This is one of the most disquieting symptoms. When you are happy, so happy that you have no sense of needing Him, so happy that you are tempted to feel His claims upon you as an interruption, if you remember yourself and turn to Him with gratitude and praise, you will be – or so it feels – welcomed with open arms. But go to Him when your need is desperate, when all other help is vain, and what do you find? A door slammed in your face, and a sound of bolting and double bolting on the inside. After that, silence. You may as well turn away. The longer you wait, the more emphatic the silence will become. There are no lights in the windows. It might be an empty house. Was it ever inhabited? It seemed so once. And that seeming was as strong as this. What can this mean? Why is He so present a commander in our time of prosperity and so very absent in time of trouble?” Lewis, C.S., A Grief Observed, (Bantam Books, New York, 1961, pp. 4-5).
Many times when we read our Bible, we do so through the proverbial rose colored glasses. What I mean is, we tend to put the major players on saintly pedestals, picture them moving and writing to us from Ivory Towers of ease. That is not so, and unless you realize this two things are bound to happen. First, you will miss great truths of comfort for your own heart. Second, Satan will convince you that spirituality is for a select super saints so you might as well now give up.
Look again at our passage. It doesn’t appear that David is crying for God’s help from a place of safety. Frankly, had this “man after God’s own heart” been in a safe place many of the Psalms would never have been written. But this is what I want you to notice: apparently even David had bouts of struggling with the silence of God!
If you are going through one of those silent times, take heart. God has not moved nor has He turned a deaf ear to His child. Lewis discovered this. Later, he writes, “You can’t see anything properly while your eyes are blurred with tears . . . And so perhaps with God. I have gradually been coming to feel that the door is no longer shut and bolted. Was it my own need that slammed it in my face? The time when there is nothing at all in your soul except a cry for help may be just the time when God can’t give it: you are like a drowning man who can’t be helped because he clutches and grabs. Perhaps you own reiterated cries deafen you to the voice you hoped to hear.” (Grief pp. 53-54). By the way, as you work through this Psalm, you will discover that this is David’s experience as well. His pleas will turn to praise when God’s silence obviously breaks.
One final thought. I don’t know when this Psalm was written, what circumstances it may have arisen from. While the Psalm itself was probably written in a brief time, you can be sure that the experience from which this Psalm is written comes from a life-time of experience. Life experience is another thing we tend to forget when we study the Bible. Let’s speculate for illustration purposes. Let’s suppose this Psalm comes out of David’s cumulative experience with Saul. Let’s suppose for a minute that verses 1 & 2 were written the day he ran and verses 6-7 were added to the Psalm the day he got to stop running. Do you realize that we would be looking at a 13 year period? Incredible! But even in the “silent” years you can be sure of this, God was working (at least behind the scenes) and God did still care about what was happening with David. Why was God silent? He was preparing the shepherd boy to be the shepherd of Israel.
If God is silent to you right now. Don’t give up. Don’t give in. Charles Spurgeon said, “When you can’t trace His hand, trust His heart.”
There is no sound more deafening then the silence of God. Been there done that, and if you are honest, so have you. We cry to God and plead with Him for some favor or some deliverance and all we are met with is silence. C.S. Lewis described this horrible silence this way: “Meanwhile, where is God? This is one of the most disquieting symptoms. When you are happy, so happy that you have no sense of needing Him, so happy that you are tempted to feel His claims upon you as an interruption, if you remember yourself and turn to Him with gratitude and praise, you will be – or so it feels – welcomed with open arms. But go to Him when your need is desperate, when all other help is vain, and what do you find? A door slammed in your face, and a sound of bolting and double bolting on the inside. After that, silence. You may as well turn away. The longer you wait, the more emphatic the silence will become. There are no lights in the windows. It might be an empty house. Was it ever inhabited? It seemed so once. And that seeming was as strong as this. What can this mean? Why is He so present a commander in our time of prosperity and so very absent in time of trouble?” Lewis, C.S., A Grief Observed, (Bantam Books, New York, 1961, pp. 4-5).
Many times when we read our Bible, we do so through the proverbial rose colored glasses. What I mean is, we tend to put the major players on saintly pedestals, picture them moving and writing to us from Ivory Towers of ease. That is not so, and unless you realize this two things are bound to happen. First, you will miss great truths of comfort for your own heart. Second, Satan will convince you that spirituality is for a select super saints so you might as well now give up.
Look again at our passage. It doesn’t appear that David is crying for God’s help from a place of safety. Frankly, had this “man after God’s own heart” been in a safe place many of the Psalms would never have been written. But this is what I want you to notice: apparently even David had bouts of struggling with the silence of God!
If you are going through one of those silent times, take heart. God has not moved nor has He turned a deaf ear to His child. Lewis discovered this. Later, he writes, “You can’t see anything properly while your eyes are blurred with tears . . . And so perhaps with God. I have gradually been coming to feel that the door is no longer shut and bolted. Was it my own need that slammed it in my face? The time when there is nothing at all in your soul except a cry for help may be just the time when God can’t give it: you are like a drowning man who can’t be helped because he clutches and grabs. Perhaps you own reiterated cries deafen you to the voice you hoped to hear.” (Grief pp. 53-54). By the way, as you work through this Psalm, you will discover that this is David’s experience as well. His pleas will turn to praise when God’s silence obviously breaks.
One final thought. I don’t know when this Psalm was written, what circumstances it may have arisen from. While the Psalm itself was probably written in a brief time, you can be sure that the experience from which this Psalm is written comes from a life-time of experience. Life experience is another thing we tend to forget when we study the Bible. Let’s speculate for illustration purposes. Let’s suppose this Psalm comes out of David’s cumulative experience with Saul. Let’s suppose for a minute that verses 1 & 2 were written the day he ran and verses 6-7 were added to the Psalm the day he got to stop running. Do you realize that we would be looking at a 13 year period? Incredible! But even in the “silent” years you can be sure of this, God was working (at least behind the scenes) and God did still care about what was happening with David. Why was God silent? He was preparing the shepherd boy to be the shepherd of Israel.
If God is silent to you right now. Don’t give up. Don’t give in. Charles Spurgeon said, “When you can’t trace His hand, trust His heart.”
Sunday, February 7, 2010
“Lord, I love the house where You dwell, the place where Your glory resides.” (Psalm 26:8 HCSB).
“I was glad when they said to me ‘Let us go into the house of the Lord’” (Psalm 122:1 NKJV).
Very few feel this way today. Church attendance has become for many a chore not a choice; an obligation rather than a delight. We do it because we have to, not because we want to. In fact, more and more professed believers are opting to get in their worship time on the golf course or by tuning in to a television preacher. Many believers are even quick to point out that the church is the believer not the building.
While it is true that the church is the saints and not the structures, still we must remember that the Bible describes the gathering of believers as “the church.” The writer of Hebrews warned, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:25 NIV).
A member of a certain church, who previously had been attending services regularly, suddenly stopped coming to church. After a few weeks, the Pastor decided to visit.
The Pastor found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire.
Guessing the reason for his Pastor's visit, the man welcomed him, led him to a comfortable chair near the fireplace and waited.
The pastor made himself at home but said nothing. In the grave silence, he contemplated the dance of the flames around the burning logs.
After some minutes, the Pastor took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth, all alone. Then he sat back in his chair, still silent.
The host watched all this in quiet contemplation. As the one, lone ember's flame flickered and diminished, there was a momentary glow and then its fire was no more. Soon it was cold and lifeless.
The Pastor glanced at his watch and realized it was time to leave, he slowly stood up, picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire. Immediately it began to glow, once more with the light and warmth of the burning coals around it.
As the Pastor reached the door to leave, his host said with a tear running down his cheek, "Thank you so much for your visit and especially for the fiery sermon. I shall be back in church next Sunday."
“I was glad when they said to me ‘Let us go into the house of the Lord’” (Psalm 122:1 NKJV).
Very few feel this way today. Church attendance has become for many a chore not a choice; an obligation rather than a delight. We do it because we have to, not because we want to. In fact, more and more professed believers are opting to get in their worship time on the golf course or by tuning in to a television preacher. Many believers are even quick to point out that the church is the believer not the building.
While it is true that the church is the saints and not the structures, still we must remember that the Bible describes the gathering of believers as “the church.” The writer of Hebrews warned, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:25 NIV).
A member of a certain church, who previously had been attending services regularly, suddenly stopped coming to church. After a few weeks, the Pastor decided to visit.
The Pastor found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire.
Guessing the reason for his Pastor's visit, the man welcomed him, led him to a comfortable chair near the fireplace and waited.
The pastor made himself at home but said nothing. In the grave silence, he contemplated the dance of the flames around the burning logs.
After some minutes, the Pastor took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth, all alone. Then he sat back in his chair, still silent.
The host watched all this in quiet contemplation. As the one, lone ember's flame flickered and diminished, there was a momentary glow and then its fire was no more. Soon it was cold and lifeless.
The Pastor glanced at his watch and realized it was time to leave, he slowly stood up, picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire. Immediately it began to glow, once more with the light and warmth of the burning coals around it.
As the Pastor reached the door to leave, his host said with a tear running down his cheek, "Thank you so much for your visit and especially for the fiery sermon. I shall be back in church next Sunday."
Saturday, February 6, 2010
How should we interact with the world?
“I do not sit with deceitful men, nor do I consort with hypocrites; I abhor the assembly of evildoers and refuse to sit with the wicked.” (Psalm 26:4-5 NIV).
One of the greatest dilemmas of the Christian life is how we interact with the world. One the one hand we have the command “‘Come out from among them and be separate, touch no unclean thing and I will receive you’ . . .says the Lord Almighty” (2 Corintians 6:17-18 NIV). On the other hand we know that Jesus ate with sinners [that is the common excuse I receive whenever I challenge professed believers who frequent places believers have no place being (more on that in a minute)] and we read commands such as, “9 I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world.” (1 Corinthians 5:9-10 NIV).
So, should the Christian stay away from unbelievers? Should we pull away and isolate ourselves? I don’t think so. Neither David in this Psalm nor God throughout the rest of His book calls us to the monastic life. Having said that, however, let me also make it clear that both in our text and throughout Scripture it is obvious that there are certain places and associations that believers should avoid. Jesus ate with sinners, but He didn’t become one of them. Sadly, many who use this argument from the example of Jesus are not following His example. I can point to six women who sat in my office and used this argument to justify their frequent visits to a local bar known for its line dancing and singles scene. All six of these women were married. Their arguments were exactly the same, “I don’t go for the drinks, I like to line dance and my husband doesn’t. I go for the atmosphere.” By the way, today all six are divorced and at least two are living with men they met who, when I initially challenged them about that relationship assured me “Oh, we’re just friends.” (I didn’t fall off the turnip truck yesterday!)
When we Christians try to become popular with the world, we will always end up harming our witness. The Life Application Bible has a wonderful comment on this passage. It says “Ask about the people you enjoy, ‘If I am with them often, will I become less obedient to God in outlook or action?’ If the answer is yes, carefully monitor how you spend time with these people and what affect it has on you.” The Bible reminds us, “33 Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’” (1 Corinthians 15:33 NIV). It has been my experience (both personally and through years of observing people) that what the Bible says on this subject is true. When the believer is in wrong contact with the wrong crowd, no matter how good the motives, no matter how well intentioned they may have been, it is not the believer who pulls the unbeliever up, it is the unbeliever who pulls the believer down!
It is this process David has in mind when he writes this Psalm. The Living Bible puts it, “I do not have fellowship with tricky, two-faced men; they are false and hypocritical. 5I hate the sinners’ hangouts and refuse to enter them.” To have fellowship means that we have something in common with someone. The obedient believer has nothing in common with the fallen world, that is what David is referring to in verse 4. And I like The Living Bible’s take on verse 5: “5I hate the sinners’ hangouts and refuse to enter them.” More believers, under the guise of witnessing opportunities go into situations where the opportunity to witness is non-existent. The result is instead of being an effective witness for Christ, before long the believer has compromised his or her commitment to Christ and, while they may attempt to witness, those to whom they are witnessing are snickering thinking, “Who does he think he is? He’s no different than any of us here!”
By the way, the word “sit” in verse 4 & 5 carries the idea of being comfortable with something; of settling in. “Consort” of course means to “fit in.” It is appropriate that David should choose this particular word when talking about hypocrites. The world accuses the church of being full of hypocrites. Unfortunately, because of the behavior of a lot of professed believers, the charge sticks. Many believers fit right in with the hypocrites of the world.
One of the greatest dilemmas of the Christian life is how we interact with the world. One the one hand we have the command “‘Come out from among them and be separate, touch no unclean thing and I will receive you’ . . .says the Lord Almighty” (2 Corintians 6:17-18 NIV). On the other hand we know that Jesus ate with sinners [that is the common excuse I receive whenever I challenge professed believers who frequent places believers have no place being (more on that in a minute)] and we read commands such as, “9 I have written you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world.” (1 Corinthians 5:9-10 NIV).
So, should the Christian stay away from unbelievers? Should we pull away and isolate ourselves? I don’t think so. Neither David in this Psalm nor God throughout the rest of His book calls us to the monastic life. Having said that, however, let me also make it clear that both in our text and throughout Scripture it is obvious that there are certain places and associations that believers should avoid. Jesus ate with sinners, but He didn’t become one of them. Sadly, many who use this argument from the example of Jesus are not following His example. I can point to six women who sat in my office and used this argument to justify their frequent visits to a local bar known for its line dancing and singles scene. All six of these women were married. Their arguments were exactly the same, “I don’t go for the drinks, I like to line dance and my husband doesn’t. I go for the atmosphere.” By the way, today all six are divorced and at least two are living with men they met who, when I initially challenged them about that relationship assured me “Oh, we’re just friends.” (I didn’t fall off the turnip truck yesterday!)
When we Christians try to become popular with the world, we will always end up harming our witness. The Life Application Bible has a wonderful comment on this passage. It says “Ask about the people you enjoy, ‘If I am with them often, will I become less obedient to God in outlook or action?’ If the answer is yes, carefully monitor how you spend time with these people and what affect it has on you.” The Bible reminds us, “33 Do not be misled: ‘Bad company corrupts good character.’” (1 Corinthians 15:33 NIV). It has been my experience (both personally and through years of observing people) that what the Bible says on this subject is true. When the believer is in wrong contact with the wrong crowd, no matter how good the motives, no matter how well intentioned they may have been, it is not the believer who pulls the unbeliever up, it is the unbeliever who pulls the believer down!
It is this process David has in mind when he writes this Psalm. The Living Bible puts it, “I do not have fellowship with tricky, two-faced men; they are false and hypocritical. 5I hate the sinners’ hangouts and refuse to enter them.” To have fellowship means that we have something in common with someone. The obedient believer has nothing in common with the fallen world, that is what David is referring to in verse 4. And I like The Living Bible’s take on verse 5: “5I hate the sinners’ hangouts and refuse to enter them.” More believers, under the guise of witnessing opportunities go into situations where the opportunity to witness is non-existent. The result is instead of being an effective witness for Christ, before long the believer has compromised his or her commitment to Christ and, while they may attempt to witness, those to whom they are witnessing are snickering thinking, “Who does he think he is? He’s no different than any of us here!”
By the way, the word “sit” in verse 4 & 5 carries the idea of being comfortable with something; of settling in. “Consort” of course means to “fit in.” It is appropriate that David should choose this particular word when talking about hypocrites. The world accuses the church of being full of hypocrites. Unfortunately, because of the behavior of a lot of professed believers, the charge sticks. Many believers fit right in with the hypocrites of the world.
Friday, February 5, 2010
The Confidence of a Faithful Walk
“Declare me innocent, O Lord, for I have acted with integrity; I have trusted in the Lord without wavering. 2 Put me on trial, Lord, and cross-examine me. Test my motives and affections. 3 For I am constantly aware of your unfailing love, and I have lived according to your truth. (Psalm 26:1-3 NLT).
Now compare 1 Corinthians 4:2-4, “Now, a person who is put in charge as a manager must be faithful. 3 What about me? Have I been faithful? Well, it matters very little what you or anyone else thinks. I don’t even trust my own judgment on this point. 4 My conscience is clear, but that isn’t what matters. It is the Lord himself who will examine me and decide.” (1 Corinthians 4:2-4 NLT).
Not one of us stands innocent before the Holy God. The Bible says, “For all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” (Romans 3:23 NLT). However, those who put their faith in Jesus Christ are afforded by their faith in His sacrifice a drastic change in our standing. At salvation a marvelous transaction takes place. All of my sins are placed upon Christ (see Isaiah 53:6) and all of Christ’s righteousness is then placed upon me! (See 2 Corinthians 5:21). Positionally those who have placed their faith in Christ are “complete in Him.” (Colossians 2:10). However, let us never forget that there is a practical side of this righteousness–it is a living out of this imputed righteousness. That is what David has in view as he pens our text.
With this in mind, I wonder how many of us would be willing to make the plea of our text before the God who sees everything (Hebrews 4:13)? “Put me on trial, Lord, and cross-examine me. Test my motives and affections.” Such a plea could only be made by a person who has walked with integrity–no falsehood here.
Now this confident spiritual standing that both David and Paul allude to in the texts above is not limited to a select few, but is available for all who will keep their focus on the fact that what we have we have because of Him and who will order their lives after the Word of Truth. “For I am constantly aware of your unfailing love, and I have lived according to your truth.”
Now compare 1 Corinthians 4:2-4, “Now, a person who is put in charge as a manager must be faithful. 3 What about me? Have I been faithful? Well, it matters very little what you or anyone else thinks. I don’t even trust my own judgment on this point. 4 My conscience is clear, but that isn’t what matters. It is the Lord himself who will examine me and decide.” (1 Corinthians 4:2-4 NLT).
Not one of us stands innocent before the Holy God. The Bible says, “For all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious standard.” (Romans 3:23 NLT). However, those who put their faith in Jesus Christ are afforded by their faith in His sacrifice a drastic change in our standing. At salvation a marvelous transaction takes place. All of my sins are placed upon Christ (see Isaiah 53:6) and all of Christ’s righteousness is then placed upon me! (See 2 Corinthians 5:21). Positionally those who have placed their faith in Christ are “complete in Him.” (Colossians 2:10). However, let us never forget that there is a practical side of this righteousness–it is a living out of this imputed righteousness. That is what David has in view as he pens our text.
With this in mind, I wonder how many of us would be willing to make the plea of our text before the God who sees everything (Hebrews 4:13)? “Put me on trial, Lord, and cross-examine me. Test my motives and affections.” Such a plea could only be made by a person who has walked with integrity–no falsehood here.
Now this confident spiritual standing that both David and Paul allude to in the texts above is not limited to a select few, but is available for all who will keep their focus on the fact that what we have we have because of Him and who will order their lives after the Word of Truth. “For I am constantly aware of your unfailing love, and I have lived according to your truth.”
Thursday, February 4, 2010
No Secrets (or Shortcuts) to Spirituality
“The Lord is the friend of those who obey him and he affirms his covenant with them.” (Psalm 25:14 TEV).
“Friendship with God is reserved for those who reverence him. With them alone he shares the secrets of his promises.” (TLB).
I am convinced that we have inadvertently made Christianity much more difficult than it really is. One of the major threats to the early church was a heresy known as gnosticism. The Gnostics (the word means “to know”), taught that they possessed the secret knowledge of God and if you would commit yourself to their path you would be let in on these secrets. While the early church recognized and rejected the teachings of the Gnostics (John stated clearly that their teachings were not of Christ but of the anti-Christ in 1 John 4:1 and verses following), still the “deeper meaning” and “hidden secrets” movements have plagued Christianity down through the centuries, moving from Gnosticism to mysticism to the inner light movement of the Puritans and the “second blessing” of modern Pentecostalism.
We always seem to be on the lookout from some secret or some experience that will suddenly catapult us to a higher level of belief. So, with that realization in mind, let me tell you what that secret is. The secret to the deeper Christian life, to the hidden promises is that there is no secret. God has told us who He shares His “secrets” with, it is those who simply walk with Him in daily obedience. There are no chair-lifts up the mountain of spirituality, just a long walk up the pathway of obedience.
“Friendship with God is reserved for those who reverence him. With them alone he shares the secrets of his promises.” (TLB).
I am convinced that we have inadvertently made Christianity much more difficult than it really is. One of the major threats to the early church was a heresy known as gnosticism. The Gnostics (the word means “to know”), taught that they possessed the secret knowledge of God and if you would commit yourself to their path you would be let in on these secrets. While the early church recognized and rejected the teachings of the Gnostics (John stated clearly that their teachings were not of Christ but of the anti-Christ in 1 John 4:1 and verses following), still the “deeper meaning” and “hidden secrets” movements have plagued Christianity down through the centuries, moving from Gnosticism to mysticism to the inner light movement of the Puritans and the “second blessing” of modern Pentecostalism.
We always seem to be on the lookout from some secret or some experience that will suddenly catapult us to a higher level of belief. So, with that realization in mind, let me tell you what that secret is. The secret to the deeper Christian life, to the hidden promises is that there is no secret. God has told us who He shares His “secrets” with, it is those who simply walk with Him in daily obedience. There are no chair-lifts up the mountain of spirituality, just a long walk up the pathway of obedience.
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