Past sins? Grace is the answer

One question that comes up a lot is that people fear the Lord cannot use them or work through them in the lives of others because of their past.

Maybe they were a drug addict, maybe they were a drunk or perhaps involved in criminal activity or infidelity or... Really the list goes on and on.

However, I personally know that I have never been perfect and really far from it in my younger years yet the Lord can use me. My pastor was a drug dealer and user before he came to Christ. He has now been a pastor for the better part of twenty years.

I have come across testimonies of people who were cold blooded killers who were saved and later became prison evangelist with very effective ministries.

The Apostle Paul was a killer before he had his conversion experience on the road to Damascus. Paul persecuted the church, imprisoned them, had them killed you name it.

“I persecuted this Way (believing in Jesus) to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women, as also the high priest bears me witness, and all the council of the elders, from whom I also received letters to the brethren, and went to Damascus to bring in chains even those who were there to Jerusalem to be punished.” (Acts 22:4-5)

Paul after his conversion experience went on to be the apostle that the Lord used to bring the Gospel to the Gentiles in addition to writing a large portion of the New Testament. If the Lord can use Paul, He can surely use you if you have repented and seek Him with an honest heart.

Don’t believe the lie that the Lord cannot use you because of whatever sins may be in your past. This is a lie straight from the pit of hell. Satan is the accuser and will be happy to continue shooting darts at you to keep you ineffective for the Lord.

The Lord often will convict us of our sin if there is something we currently need to repent of, but He will never put us on a guilt trip for our past sins. If we have accepted Jesus as our Savior our sins were already forgiven before we ever committed them at the cross. This is the work of the devil to keep dragging up the past.

What it really boils down to are two things. First, a person who allows past sins to “shame them” into not being productive for the Lord needs to really understand the concept of Grace and how total and complete the Lord’s forgiveness really is. Second, once they understand how total the Lord’s forgiveness is they need to stop the enemy from using this tactic against them.

Romans 3:23 tells us “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

In God’s eyes there is no such thing as a “big” sin verse a “little” sin. In His eyes sin is sin and all of it deserves punishment unless we have our sins covered by the blood of Christ. We have all sinned so you are not unique. Your forgiveness from the Lord when you accept Christ is as total and complete as anyone else’s.

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

God knew we were sinners before Jesus ever even went to the Cross. But He loved us enough that in spite of our sin He was willing to suffer and die that we might have forgiveness. We receive salvation based on Grace and Grace alone. There is nothing we could ever do to earn our salvation other than surrender our lives to Jesus as Lord. The Lord died for us while we were sinners because of His Grace. We did not merit salvation based on our works, Isaiah 64:6 even says that all our righteous acts are like filthy rags in the eyes of the Lord.

If we confess our sins and pray asking Jesus to come into our hearts, the Lord cleanses us from all unrighteousness. He cleanses us so much that the Lord does not even remember our sins any longer.

“I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins.” (Isaiah 43:25)

Please note however that the wonderful Grace of the Lord does not give us a license to sin. You can rest assured that if you travel off into willful disobedience that you will reap what you have sown sooner or later.

The reason pasts sins continue to bother people who have found the Lord is Satan shooting his darts at you. If you do not comprehend the Lord’s Grace you will buy into Satan’s lie and he will be effective in making sure you are not effective in your service to the Lord.

The cure for this is simple. If you really understand Grace and you are filled with God’s love and Grace that will help to free you up of your past baggage and allow you to move forward. Paul was once a cold blooded persecutor of the believers but after Salvation Paul grabbed hold of the effect understanding God’s Grace should have on our hearts,

“Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 3:12-14)

But there is also something I have found effective. When Satan attacks you with your past, simply tell him thank you for reminding you of God’s Grace and Mercy then tell him to be gone in the name of Jesus.

As someone once said, “When Satan reminds you of your past, remind him of his future.”

Desires of your heart?

"Trust in the LORD, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart." (Psalm 37:3-4)

I have been thinking some on these verses for the last few days.

I ran into someone the other day that was basically trying to use these verses to support the notion of a "prosperity gospel". You know the whole Gospel of “God wants you to be stinking rich, God wants you to donate now and I…oops I mean you will receive a blessing. Salvation can be yours if you donate $19.95 now”. Sorry for the sarcasm but these con artists just really make me irritated.

The Bible has a lot to say about money and most of it is not positive. The Bible more often than not suggests that riches will lead you astray and I have seen it happen in the lives of many people. They get “rich” and their “stuff” quickly becomes their idol and they stop serving God and start being filled with greed and mammon worship.

“And when Jesus saw that he became very sorrowful, He said, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” (Luke 18:24-25)

Doesn’t seem to bode so well for the so called “prophets of God” that live in huge homes and drive expensive foreign cars to eat out at the finest places in town now does it?

I started thinking about all of this and to me, people who would try to abuse the verses from Psalm 37 in this way just miss it. They are trying to twist God’s word to justify their greed and covertness.

As my pastor put it one time the truth is, "If you are walking with Jesus you might not always have everything you want but you will have everything you need."

So where do the “prosperity gospel” teachers really miss the point?

If I am really delighting myself in the Lord, really walking close with Jesus, and really seeking after Him in an earnest way...won't the desires of my heart change to be in line with His desires?

His desires are that I would seek first the Kingdom of God, not fame or fortune or stuff on this earth. The Bible tells us these things will rust away and instead we should be storing up treasures in Heaven by working to advance God’s Kingdom through sharing the true Gospel with others.

I have noticed that the more I have walked with Jesus in a real relationship the more my desires would change from wanting the new shiny sports car and the high power job to a desire to make a sacrifice or two so that my kids grow up with an actively involved parent who is diligent in teaching them about the Lord.

Or perhaps the savings account won't be as important as supporting ministries that go out and reach a lost soul. Maybe that hobby wouldn't be as important as spending time in fellowship with the Lord and seeking Him via prayer and study of the Word.

When I started thinking this way I suddenly "got it".

Some due to the lustful desires in their hearts skip right over the "delight yourself in the Lord" part and only read about Him giving us the desires of our hearts.

I can't imagine who would want to trust their carnal heart / mind to lead them regarding what they desire

"The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9)

It’s funny to me how we can lust after something and then if we aren't careful we start trying to spin things for it to be God's will for our lives even though often Scripture will say exactly the opposite isn't it?

To be content

Ever notice how some people are never content?

They are the ones that think if they just get that next promotion at work they will be happy. But in truth they won’t. They are the ones that are always hopping from one job to the next thinking the next new job will make them happy. It won’t.

These are the people that strive to get that shiny new car. As soon as they get it, they are already complaining about this or that on the car and eyeing (or coveting more accurately) the new model the Jones next door just purchased.

Maybe they think if they just had this or that woman on their arm they would be happy. Again they won’t.

In John chapter four we read of the time that Jesus met the “woman at the well”. This is a woman who had already been through five husbands and was now shacked up with another. Do you think maybe this woman was a type of person who was never happy, never had enough was always immediately unhappy with whatever or whoever it was that she couldn’t live without until she actually got it or them? I find it interesting that in the course of their discussion Jesus brought up this fact that the woman always seemed to be chasing after (or lusting or coveting after) the “next man” due to never being content with the one she had.

People like this who are never happy, never have “enough” and will never be happy because they have something missing inside them. They have a Jesus sized hole in their heart that only He can fill. But instead of turning to a relationship with the Lord through Jesus they seek for everything else trying to make themselves happy. It won’t work but sadly many try; it is a bit like trying to put a square peg in a round hole.

It is interesting something that Jesus told the woman at the well:

“Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:13-14)

I believe that Jesus saw through this woman and knew why she was never happy, jumping from one husband to another. She needed Jesus to really be content, she needed a real relationship with God to stop her constant chasing after the “next thing” or being in a constant state of coveting over something.

Paul after coming to Christ had learned how to not covet after what others had. He had learned to be content in whatever place or condition the Lord had led him into.

“Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:11-13)

It is so sad that some have never learned this. They have never learned to be happy with wherever God has placed them instead of dwelling on their problems in life.

We read in Acts chapter 16 where Paul and Silas had been beaten with a rod before they were locked in stocks in a dark and dungy prison. Did Paul and Silas whine or get bitter or have a pity party? No Scripture records that around midnight they were praying and singing hymns to God.

Paul was never one to try and keep up with the Jones or always chasing after the next new gizmo or the new job or the next woman that walked by and turned his head. Paul was chasing after one thing, to draw into a deeper relationship with the Lord. Paul realized that storing up treasure on this earth was useless because you cannot take anything with you when you die.

Do you want true peace in your life? A peace that the Bible says surpasses understanding. Then stop chasing after the things of this world always trying to “get ahead” or “one more rung up the ladder” and start chasing after a closer walk with Jesus.

“Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.” (Philippians 4:8-9)

Stop being focused on the problems of this life and start looking to Jesus. Problems in this life come and go but Jesus promised to be with those who place their faith in Him to the end of this age and beyond.

Intimate Relationship With God

People who know that I am a devout Christian often give me a strange look when I tell them something like, "I hate religion."

Granted this might sound a bit odd but please allow me to explain.

First, I think that going to Church is very important. It is a great way to find fellowship with other believers. Having Christian friends can be a great resource when you need someone to hold you accountable, for mentorship, and encouragement. Church is also a great way to get involved with serving in a ministry and to learn about the word of God.

However, I know people who go to Church on Sunday that I cannot tell any difference between them and the rest of the world during the week. It seems to me that many of these people are there on Sunday to "network" for business or for other social reasons.

In Jesus' day, the Pharisees were very religious people. They made every effort to comply with a large amount of religious law and rituals but many of them were cold and had a hardened heart.

Ever wondered what Jesus would say about today's religious people? I think we find the answer in Jesus' statement to the Pharisees in Matthew 12:34, "You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good?"

Basically, I see religion as a bunch of rules along with dead rituals and chanting of mantras with no change in one's heart.

How then do we define the idea of relationship?

More importantly how do we move from having religion to having relationship?

Relationship has nothing to do with going to a building and performing the same rituals every week. This sounds a bit like my job to me. I go there every day and do the same tasks day in and day out.

Relationship is about living every day of your life with your focus on God and His will for our lives. It is about seeking God's will for our lives and growing closer in our walk with Him.

God tells us in Proverbs 8:17 "I love those who love Me; and those who diligently seek Me will find Me." God is telling us in this verse that if we love Him and seek Him that He will not "hide" from us.

Notice however, that the verse from Proverbs also says that we must seek God in order to "find Him."

We "find Him" when we begin to understand the Lord and have an intimate relationship with Him. However, this relationship, just like any other relationship we have, does not just fall into our laps. It takes time and commitment.

One of the most effective ways that I have found to develop and maintain a relationship with God is having a daily quite time to study Scripture and pray.

Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 3:15-17, "…and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

In this verse from Timothy the term "God-breathed" means that while various men wrote the Bible they did so by the divine inspiration of God Himself.

To put it another way, Scripture is the literal word of God that He has provided for us.

Scripture is how God reveals His character and His desires about how we are supposed to live our lives. We cannot expect to grow more intimate with God when we do not understand His character or desire for our lives.

We should study the Scripture God has provided for us so that we can begin to understand Him and the relationship that He desires to have with us. It is rather silly to think that we can begin to understand God and draw closer to Him if we are ignorant of what He tells us about Himself in Scripture.

Prayer is also an important part of seeking God and drawing closer to Him. When we pray we are communicating with God.

Have you ever had a friend move away and gone numerous years without having the opportunity to speak with them? How close would you say your relationship with that person is today?

It seems unreasonable to expect that if we never communicate with God through prayer and study of Scripture that we should expect to have any intimacy in our relationship with Him at all.

Rather, God quickly becomes the person that we see every week at church that we don't know very well. We might give that person a quick "hello" when passing them in the aisle, but do we really know them?

There are a million excuses people will give you for not making a commitment to pray and study the word each day. Some people will tell you they are busy at work. Others will tell you that they are busy with their children. Perhaps some people are too busy with work, children and their tee-time on Saturday.

It really only takes about 15 minutes a day to read a chapter in the Bible and spend a few minutes in prayer. Failing to have a daily time of prayer and study really comes down to a matter of the priorities in your life.

God tells us in Exodus 20:3, "Thou shalt have no other gods before Me." In addition, Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:21, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Stop and think about this for a second. If you are putting your career, money, golf game, gym membership and so forth before spending time with God, are you not saying that these things are the gods of your life instead of the God who sits on the throne in Heaven? Sounds to me like you are "storing up your treasure" in this life and not in Heaven and serving your "stuff" instead of God.

Jesus warned us about putting other things before Him in Matthew 6:24 "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth."

If you are focused on your career and money to the point of slavery whom are you really serving?

Getting started in a daily time of study and prayer was difficult at first. However, now it has become the most important part of my day.

I cannot begin to tell you what a difference spending time daily with God has made in my life. He has revealed Himself and His will for my life in so many ways during our daily time together.

One key thing that God has taught me in our daily time together is the last piece of our puzzle.

That last piece of the puzzle for developing a relationship can be summed up with the word obedience.

What if someone is unwilling to act upon what God reveals to them through the study of His word and prayer?

The prophet Isaiah had something to say about the effect of willful disobedience with regards to our relationship with God. In Isaiah 59:3 he wrote, "Behold, the Lord's hand is not so short that it cannot save; Neither is His ear so dull That it cannot hear. But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood and your fingers with iniquity; Your lips have spoken falsehood, your tongue mutters wickedness."

While it is true that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" this does not give us a license to sin profusely without consequences in our life. One of the first consequences we suffer is a lack of intimacy with God.

Do you desire a truly intimate relationship with God and the joy it brings to life as opposed to just having your name on a membership roll at Church?

It is my prayer that you would try daily Bible study, prayer and the avoidance of willful disobedience against God.

If you are faithful in doing these things, God will be faithful in revealing Himself to you.

Sure Word of Prophecy

“Daddy! Are the doggies going to be ok and get away from the bad guys?”

That is what my five year old asked me one evening while watching the show “101 Dalmatians.”

Since I had seen the show in the past, I could confidently answer that “yes, buddy they will be fine. Just keep watching”.

But this started me thinking. If you know Jesus and know your Bible then as we watch the world seemingly go insane around us, we can have confidence that the Lord has it all under control. The Lord is outside of time and space and has already seen the beginning and the end, there is nothing that is a surprise to the Lord. He numbered your days in His book before the world was ever created.

“We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” (2 Peter 1:19-21)

You can have confidence that all is under God’s control and we have a more sure word of prophecy to back up this notion.

If you know Jesus in a personal relationship then you also have these promises you can rely on:

“In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.” (John 14:2-4)

“in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” (1 Corinthians 15:52-53)

The Bible gave large amounts of prophecy regarding Jesus’ first coming and each and every one against huge statistical odds was fulfilled exactly as foretold. The Bible also contains many other prophecies that came to pass exactly as foretold. Looking backwards to fulfilled prophecy gives us assurance that all the yet future prophecy will be fulfilled just as accurately.

For example, many today are worried about what is going on in the Middle East. Personally, I cannot honestly say I am the least bit concerned. Numerous Old Testament and New Testament scriptures predict that this would be the case.

Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39 foretell of an invasion of Israel that is coming from a confederation of Arab states and Russia. Specifically, Gog / Magog (modern day Russia and her satellite republics) and Persia (modern day Iran) are mentioned.

Isaiah 17 speaks of the burden of Damascus. At some point yet future Damascus will be utterly destroyed never to be inhabitable again. Damascus is one of the oldest known cities in existence. It has been captured or overthrown through the centuries but it has always been inhabited. Some day it will be a ruinous heap and will never be inhabitable again. The truth of the matter is that Isaiah 17 reads to me as though one day Damascus will be destroyed with a nuclear weapon of some form or fashion.

Isn’t it interesting that in this day and age, Russian scientist are working in Iranian nuclear plants that despite Iranian claims are being used to develop Iranian nuclear weapons. At the same time have you noticed lately that Syria and Iran seem to be working more and more from the same play book these days? The players that will attack Israel one day are lining up exactly as foretold. Coincidence? I wouldn’t bet the farm on it.

All of the Muslim Arab groups including Tehran have no interest in peace with Israel. It is stated in the charters of groups such as the PLO, Hamas and groups of similar persuasion that one of their goals is the annihilation of Israel.

But don’t worry about the Jews. God says expressly in His word that a remnant of the Jews will be saved. I wish I could say as much for so many that would seek to touch the apple of God’s eye…Israel (Zechariah 2:8).

In Matthew chapter 24 Jesus’ disciples came to him and asked, ““Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”

Here Jesus gave them a number of signs to watch for signaling His nearing return.

First, Jesus said there will be many false prophets and false Christ. Certainly no shortage of wacko types making the claim to be the Christ these days. There are also many false prophets around in this day and age. Just flip on TBN any time someone like Paul Crouch or Benny Hinn is on if you need some examples.

Other signs Jesus pointed to were wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes in various places, famines basically everything you will find in the headlines of any paper these days.

Of the last days, Paul wrote to Timothy:

“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,” (2 Timothy 3:1-4)

Do the verses above sound a lot like the world today?

If you know Jesus in a personal relationship where you have made Him the Lord of your life then you have nothing to fear. God is in control and all is going according to plan. You can look forward to our “blessed hope” when Jesus returns for His faithful church.

If you have never surrendered your life to Jesus then you indeed do have cause for concern. The book of Revelation speaks of a time period of seven years coming on the earth that will be truly beyond any horror you can imagine.

Should you find yourself somewhere in between where you have prayed some prayer, maybe even gotten wet in a baptismal but never lived a second like you have truly surrendered your life to Jesus. If it were me, I would start really searching your heart and seeking God in prayer to examine if you really know Jesus or are you simply religious and know about Jesus.

Make no mistake about it, time is short. Please don’t make the error of some that will say if they see the rapture happen and the Anti-Christ come on the scene then they will believe.

Let’s face it, living for Jesus today isn’t always easy but if you can’t live for Him now you certainly will not die for Him later. The other issue is that Scripture speaks of those who have rejected the truth of God being given over to “strong delusion”. This suggest to me that post rapture of the church you may have allowed yourself to become so deceived that repentance will be almost impossible at that point.

Why take the chance? If the Spirit is speaking to you accept Jesus today if you never have. If you are “religious” start seeking in and abiding in Jesus today while there is yet time. I urge you to visit the four spiritual laws that can save you today