Preserving the truth has cost the people of God greatly over the centuries, and we are called to follow the pattern and defend the truth in our generation!

Various authors have written the Bible over a period of 1600 years. It has taken centuries to compile it to its current structure. Countless number of people have faced persecution or execution in order to read the Bible, share it with someone else, or translate it to another language, so others can read it.

 “Therefore love truth and peace.’” Zechariah 8:19b

We are called to love the truth; if we love the truth, we will be compelled to defend it.

What does it mean to defend the truth? How do we protect and defend the truth we love? There are a few factors that contribute to defending the truth.

Truth cannot be altered

As protectors of truth, we cannot change the truth, sugarcoat it, or dumb it down to ensure people like us or approve of the message. In the same manner, we must not exaggerate one portion of the Bible to make our point or create a niche for our ministry!

Recently I was in a gathering with a group of writers. The group leader suggested that in our writings we should avoid stating “God commands.” because  people have a hard time with those kinds of statements. It’s better to use words such as “God urges, or God desires.”

The problem is that if God commands something, and I say, “God is urging us”, I just toned down His requirement and diminished the weight of His rule and the urgency of the subject. As a result, I become guilty of reinterpreting God’s word to fit my needs or other people’s needs.

We as writers, teachers, and pastors will be pressured to tone down our message to gain more popularity or more members for our churches. However, the priority of a man or woman of God  is to bring truth to the people. We are called to defend the truth by keeping it pure and unadulterated!

On the other hand, we cannot use God’s commandments to pressure or manipulate people in a certain direction. God’s truth is so powerful that we need to apply it with great care, skill, and sensitivity to ensure it accomplishes God’s work not our agenda.

I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.

For comments, please contact me at karlinefischer@yahoo.com.

In the last devotional, I shared about the importance of eating a balanced meal from the word of God to ensure we eat everything we need to grow healthy and strong. I also wrote about the fact that generally in the body of Christ we have two camps. We have the camp of performance-driven people and the “love” oriented individuals.

I shared in the last devotional about the performance-oriented individuals and the type of food they like to eat, and in this devotional I’ll share about the “love” camp and what they enjoy.

The “love” oriented group likes to concentrate on the grace and mercy of God, but they really don’t see His statutes as top priority for an intimate relationship with Christ. The focus is on forgiveness, grace, turning the other cheek, & the love of God. The “love” group can pick and choose the rules they deem necessary or important to follow. Love is more important than following the rules in their world because obedience is not the foundation of the faith.

The “love” camp has great expectations of God and others. There is a feeling that we are so special to God that He makes exceptions for us. We also feel the freedom to say anything we like in the name of being “real”. We are more concerned with the presence and a touch of God than developing our character and allowing God to change us through obedience!

Jesus stated that if we love Him, we will obey Him. Our love cannot be just an emotional experience towards God or others, but it has to be based on the truth of the relationship established through our covenant with Christ. That gives us stability in our faith and in our relationship with the Lord and others.

The performance oriented and the “love” group can offend each other. The “love” group will criticize the performance-oriented people by saying they are harsh, insensitive, and judgmental. The performance-oriented camp will accuse the “love” group as irresponsible, presumptuous, and non-repentant. Both groups can be demanding and critical of each other for their own specific reasons. Those criticisms and accusations keep us bound in carnality because both groups would claim they love and follow Jesus! Both groups need the balanced word of God.

The entirety of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever. Psalm 119:160

God desires to feed us with the entire word. His word is sweet to our soul and spirit. He gives us a balanced meal to grow us in a healthy way. If we concentrate on one part of the Bible at the expense of other parts of the scripture, It is inevitable that we will become unhealthy and imbalanced!

Some scriptures are going to be hard to swallow, but they are still good for us to take in and allow God to do His work in our lives. We don’t have to like everything, but we know everything in the Word of God is good for us. If we eat a healthy and balanced meal, we grow in health and vibrancy, and in the process we can feed others with a balanced meal as well.

Lord, help us to take in and receive the entirety of your word. Surround us with people who are like us and those who are opposite of us. Give us the grace not to get offended by others but to learn from them what we lack. We desire to be full of truth and grace!

For comments please contact me at Karlinefischer@yahoo.com

But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. Do not be rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.” Ezekiel 2:8

And He said to me, “Son of man, feed your belly, and fill your stomach with this scroll that I give you.” So I ate, and it was in my mouth like honey in sweetness. Ezekiel 3:3

As a good parent, the Lord gives us good food for our nourishment and growth. Everything He gives us is good for us. He knows what we need to strengthen our spirit and to protect us from spiritual germs and diseases!

In the natural, good parents provide wholesome and balanced meals for their children. A healthy meal can include protein, vegetables, carbs, and other good nutritious food sources. Loving parents may have their children take vitamins as extra supplement to fortify their defense system. From time to time, if necessary they may give the children some antibiotics to help fight an infection. Most parents know what is good for their children, and they decide what their children should eat.

I found my kids ate healthier when they were younger because I made what was good for the family. However,  the older they became, the more they developed an opinion about their likes and dislikes. Over time, I caved in to their demands and made dishes that they enjoyed but weren’t necessarily balanced in nutrition. They even stopped taking vitamins because I didn’t want to battle their resistance!

When it comes to taking in spiritual food, as children of God we have a tendency to do the same with the Word of God. We enjoy taking in what we like but neglect or ignore what we don’t like. We generally have two camps in the church. There are those who are performance-oriented in their walk with God and others who are “love” oriented. Each group has a tendency to highlight certain scriptures and minimize the other ones.

Those who are performance-oriented like to focus on the scriptures that tell us to repent, be diligent, be faithful and warn us about God’s judgment. Somehow that gives us something to do and keeps us on the treadmill of improvement! Performance-oriented people usually  have the right answer to everything but can’t understand how others struggle so much. This camp has a mindset that there is an obligation to obey God and His commandments. However, when it comes to His words of life and encouragement, there is a concern that by believing them too much we could become presumptuous and self-serving!

The truth is that the Lord doesn’t use flattery; if we don’t believe His encouraging words, we are operating in unbelief and rebellion! His words of life are the source of our hope and empowerment. We are called to rest in His presence and abide in His love. For performance-oriented individuals, God’s love is a nice intellectual idea, but they have a hard time settling down and stop striving to really be touched by God’s acceptance and mercy. Mary sat at Jesus’ feet and took in everything He said. Staying in His presence can help one gain security in Him rather than in one’s ministry or accomplishment.

I’ll continue with this subject in the next devotional and share about the “love” camp.

In the last devotional, I explained what it means to be born again. In this devotional, I’m going to share the journey after one has become a born again Christian.

A healthy baby will be hungry

Becoming born again is the beginning of an adventurous and close walk with God. We get to know him through the Bible and through the revelation of the Holy Spirit. Just as new babies need milk, a born again baby will crave food. The new believer has a desire to grow and mature in truth and in God’s ways.

A born again baby is growing

If there is a healthy birth, then there will be healthy growth in a new believer’s life. As cute as the baby stage is, a parent would not desire for their children to stay in that stage for too long. They would want their children to grow according to their age and stage. A two-year old should be much more capable than a baby. He/she can walk, talk, ask for food, and drink from a cup. Just as a parent doesn’t want their baby to stay stuck in baby stage, it is God’s desire for us to grow and mature in our walk and relationship with Him.

A born again believer gets to know their heavenly Father

One of the major changes that happens after we are born again is that we get to know God personally. Up to this point, our knowledge and understanding of God has been very shallow and limited. It is like knowing someone famous from a distance. Most of us don’t have a personal relationship with the President of the United States. In some ways, we may think we know him because of all the information that is available about him. However, we really don’t know him until we meet him and start interacting with him at a personal level. In a much profound level, we get to know the Lord and have a personal relationship with Him rather than just admire Him from a distance or depend on other people’s knowledge of Him.

A born again believer is changing

Those things that used to be hard for us to change, now God gives us the ability and the desire to alter. A new believer starts to lose taste for the things of the world and its passions and starts developing an appetite for the things of God. The Lord begins to infuse a new believer with His character qualities: joy, peace, patience, kindness, and other fruit of the Spirit.

Obedience is an integral part of growth

Jesus said: “If you love Me, keep My commandments…” John 14:15

Just as a parent teaches their children boundaries and obedience, God begins that process in a new believer’s life. Those who come from permissive environments, learn that they can’t be a spoiled child anymore! They now need to accept correction and stop looking to have their way all the time. They start learning humility and submission towards God and others.

Those who come from difficult or mean environments realize that they are not an orphan anymore. They learn to put their swords down and stop fighting. They grow in trust and receiving love from God and others. They learn gentleness and compassion. Change can be very painful but it is necessary for our spiritual growth.

Being a born again Christian starts with an event but it doesn’t end there. The day we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord is the beginning of the rest of our lives. We get to know the Lord as our Father, counselor, comforter, and friend. It is a journey of change from carnal existence to a Christ-centered life.

As we continue to read the word of God, pray, obey, and be in fellowship with other believers, we strengthen the spirit man and weaken the old nature. Over time, we are looking more and more like Jesus. We are now on our way to becoming a true strong Christian!

Christianity is not about a tradition, a religion, or a family heritage. Christianity has to do with realizing that we are a sinner in need of a savior. Through the fall of Adam & Eve, sin entered the world and it separated us from a holy God.  Jesus the perfect one paid the penalty of sin to reconcile us back to God. Jesus expects us to become born again!

Human beings are tri-part beings who have spirit, soul, and body. Our soul is made up of mind, emotions, and will. As natural people, our spirit man is doormat. As a result it does not have the ability to communicate with God. To a natural man, God is an idea or a distant person. They hope God hears their prayers, but they have no understanding of what He is speaking to them or what He desires of them.

A true Christian has a new nature

having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, 1Peter 1:23

In John 3, the Bible tells us about a religious Jewish person named Nicodemus and his encounter with Jesus. When Nicodemus came to Jesus, he was intrigued with Jesus’ ability to teach, but Jesus wasn’t impressed by that complement because there was more to Him than being a teacher. Jesus had come to save Nicodemus and other religious Jewish people from the bondage of sin and the law. Jesus told Nicodemus unless one is born again he could not see the kingdom of heaven. Then He explained it by saying that one must be born of  water and spirit.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17

When we receive Jesus as our Lord and savior and believe that He died for our sins, the seed of life enters into our hearts. Our spirit man comes alive for the first time, and we become born again. We are transformed from the corruptible seed of Adam into the incorruptible seed of Christ. We now are a new creation. The new creation is pure, holy, and righteous because we have the seed of Christ in us.

Our new nature comes alive by the power of the Holy Spirit. Since our spirit man has come alive through salvation, we  now can communicate with God through the Holy Spirit,  and we learn to hear His voice in our inner parts.

I will continue with this subject in the next devotional. In the meantime, please read Chapter 3 from the book of John. If you have never received Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord, you can pray that prayer today. At the top of this page there is an option called Salvation Prayer. You can click on that option and pray that life-changing prayer!

For comments, please email me at karlinefischer@yahoo.com.

Envy has serious consequences and devastating affects on us and those around us, and it must be confronted aggressively.

I shared in the last devotional about God’s view on envy. This devotional examines some of the Biblical characters’ choices and the serious affects that envy had in their lives.

Envy leads to evil and confusion

The scripture in James 3:16 tells us: “For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.”

Because of its subtle nature, envy can easily get hidden from people’s eyes, but that’s not the point or the goal. Those who operate in envy open the door to confusion and every evil activity. We see the perfect example of this in Adam & Eve.

Eve was tempted to take the fruit in the Garden because it would make her wise. The serpent told her that the reason God didn’t want them to eat of the fruit was because they were going to be like God. The truth was she didn’t intimidate God, neither was He afraid of having a competition! Eve was the one who was trying to be like God by taking the fruit from the tree of the Knowledge of good and evil; then Adam followed suit. That wasn’t God’s plan for their lives. Adam & Eve overstepped their boundary in desiring something that didn’t belong to them which led them to sin, evil, and separation from God!

Envy causes moral corruption

“A sound heart is life to the body, But envy is rottenness to the bones.” Proverbs 14:30

Bones are an invisible parts in the body, but they are the ones that shape one’s frame. Envy goes to the core of the person and disfigures their identity. Envy eats away at the person from the inside out. It takes away their joy and peace and replaces it with discontentment, hatred, and resentment.

Cain became jealous of the fact that Abel’s sacrifice was accepted and his wasn’t. The jealousy led him to killing his brother. The Lord told him,

“If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.” Genesis 4:7

God had a solution and a desire to accept Cain, but Cain refused to follow God’s instruction and instead he became envious of his brother who was doing it right.

David coveted Uriah’s wife, which led to adultery with Bathsheba and eventually killing Uriah. God chastised David by allowing the baby conceived in adultery to die. Nathan the prophet spoke the word of the Lord to David by saying:

I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your keeping, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more! 2 Samuel 12:8

The Lord had abundantly blessed David with much provision. David wasn’t suffering from lack. In addition, God was willing to give him more if he had asked for it. David was just being selfish!

This is an important principle to remember. The root of envy is not lack, but it is selfish desires and pride.  We can’t give ourselves permission to covet or desire someone’s blessings. God has allotted possessions  and blessings to all of us. However, it doesn’t mean that we will have everything we want. When we appreciate the blessings we already possess, they increase in value before our eyes. If we don’t value what we have already have, no amount of possession, status, or position can satisfy us because there is always more to be had!

Let’s ask God to uproot any deep-seated envy in our hearts. Every root, tentacle, branch, and fruit of envy must get annihilated.  Don’t give it any room or excuses. Repent from envy. That’s not God’s method of blessing us. It is opposed to His kingdom principles. If we want to be on God’s side, we can’t have envy and expect him to bless it.

For comments, please email me at karlinefischer@yahoo.com

Envy is an insidious condition of the heart which causes great damage to the person and those around them. The Bible speaks very strongly against envy and coveting. If we desire to live a victorious and loving life as a Christian, we cannot tolerate envy in our lives!

Envy is generally symptomatic of other issues. Lack of thankfulness and doubting God’s best for us, causes envy in one’s heart. This leads one to overstepping God’s boundary of provision and giving ourselves permission to be in someone else’s lot!

Definition of “envy” according to Webster’s Dictionary:

1. The feeling of wanting to have what someone else has : someone or something that causes envy.

2. Painful or resentful awareness of an advantage enjoyed by another joined with a desire to possess the same advantage

Dare not to compare

For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. 2 Corinthians 10:12

Paul clearly states that comparing ourselves to each other is not wise. It opens the door to envy and competition. People start entertaining ideas that are beyond their personal boundary and are inappropriate: “How come she is married and I’m not!?” “My coworker got a promotion on the job already. He’s only been here for a couple of years. I have been working for 5 years without a promotion.“ “I want those jeans she’s wearing. She looks too cute in them. I have to find a pair.” “I work harder than others that’s why I am the favorite!”  “He’s already preaching. That’s not fair. I should be preaching. I am more qualified.” Comparison shuts off our love valve and leaves us either bankrupt or too proud by the comparison we have made.

DO NOT ENTER someone else’s possession

Do not desire anything that belongs to your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that tis your neighbor’s.” Exodus 20:17

 Definition of “covet” according to Webster’s Dictionary:

1. to wish for earnestly <covet an award>

2.  to desire (what belongs to another) inordinately or culpably

The Ten Commandments address coveting very strongly. The Lord has given much detail about the things that shouldn’t be coveted. Basically, anything that is owned by someone else cannot be coveted. There is a DO NOT ENTER sign in front of their lot; we are not permitted by the Lord to enter in.

It is not up to us to determine who deserves good things. The person who has those possessions may or may not be stewarding them well. Ultimately if we are envious of someone else or covet what they have, it is more about the condition of heart and our lack of love for the person.

Do you have a tendency to compare yourself to others? Do you find it difficult to be happy for others’ successes especially those that you have been comparing yourself to?

Let’s start by thanking God for what we already have. Ask the Lord to expose any envy in your heart towards someone. Pray for that person and bless them.

For  comments, please email me at karlinefischer@yahoo.com.

For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.  I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. 1Corinthians 2:2-3

Unlike Gideon who had no successes in his life before the call of God, Paul used to be a very strong and determined man prior to knowing Christ. Paul was a successful and accomplished man as a Jewish religious leader. However, when he came to know Jesus, he found that all his natural strength and determination did not produce life. He actually found himself bankrupt in many ways, because his courage, and zeal had caused much pain for him and for the people of God.

Paul had come to an understanding of his true condition without Christ. He wasn’t proud of a boldness that made him a hypocritical Pharisee and ordered persecution of God’s people. As a transformed man, he was willing to give up his strength. He chose weakness, so God’s power can rest on him.

Paul tells us that he came in trembling before the people. That’s an important statement. There are many who think they need to be strong, confident, and bold if they are going to minister and preach to people. That was not Paul’s testimony. He had a trembling that feared God in ministering to people. In the past when he ministered to people as a Pharisee, he modeled intolerance, and encouraged persecution of true believers. He didn’t want to get this wrong again.

When we are ministering to people, are we coming in trembling? Do we model the right attitude and behavior before people? Do we fear God in the counsel we provide for individuals? Do we have a heart for reconciliation in the advise we give others for their troubled relationships? Do we restrain ourselves from being the voice of the Holy Spirit in their lives? Are we able to just share in humility what we have to offer and give them room to seek the Lord’s will?

Paul’s failures had taught him not to trust in his own strength anymore. He now was a humble and soft man. Hopefully the same is true for us. If we’ve had a failed marriage, broken relationship with a child, or a failed business, we approach things with greater humility. We don’t claim we have all the answers. We become less dogmatic in our stance. We’re more understanding of those who don’t get it right. We are more patient with God’s process in others’ lives because we remember He was patient with us.

Paul had resolved to know nothing except Jesus and him crucified.  He had determined Jesus is the answer to everything in life and unless He gave Him revelation knowledge and wisdom, he didn’t know anything. He found being in a place of weakness was truly a place of strength in Jesus! The same is true for us.  When we are willing to surrender our intelligent minds, our strong emotions, our sharp tongues, and our feisty will, we will gain Christ! Our natural strength has to continually be given over to death, so the life of Christ and His strength can be perfected in us.

For comments, please email me at Karlinefischer@yahoo.com.

Our culture thrives on being strong, courageous, and bold in order to be successful. The same mindset has infiltrated the Christian perspective. Many believe that unless they are strong and courageous they are not qualified to do God’s work.

The Bible is the story of weak and unqualified people who were empowered and enabled by God to do what they could not do on their own. Gideon is a great example of one who considered himself weak, but God chose him as His warrior.

And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!” Judges 6:12

Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?”  So he said to Him, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” Judges 6:14-15

The Israelites had been in a place of defeat due to their disobedience to the Lord. Rightly so, Gideon did not see himself as a man of courage and strength. He spoke about his clan being the weakest in the tribe, and he considered himself as the least in his family.

In the natural, Gideon did not have the qualification to be considered strong, neither did he have previous accomplishments for him to be called a man of valor. Gideon looked at himself and his family background and didn’t see himself as a strong warrior. However, God was looking at Gideon’s future and his potential through His mighty hands.

Some of us may consider ourselves unqualified. We don’t think we can accomplish much because we are focused on ourselves or our past. We may have come from a dysfunctional home, broken marriage, bad choices, fears, or addictions as a result we see ourselves as weak and incapable.

The Lord isn’t necessarily looking for naturally strong people. He is looking for people who are believing in His estimation of them. He wants us to be willing to trust him in our weakness and rely on Him to empower us to do His work. It is also important to surround ourselves with people who are willing to pull greatness out of us. Those who are not focused on the immature person we used to be, but they see the hand of God in our lives strengthening us to do what we could not do in the past.

When God speaks and we believe Him, we are stronger and more powerful than any human ability or experience can give us. Fortunately, Gideon didn’t stay stuck in his own estimation of himself or his family background.  He allowed God to confirm and affirm His hand in his life.

What are the areas that you consider yourself weak? It could be that you are an emotional person, so you try to hide behind others stronger than you. You may fear that unless I look strong and bold they are not going to approve of me. You could have an issue with anger, and you’re afraid that if you get too close to someone, people may find out about your anger issues. You could have a problem with organization, so you’ve lost hope in completing things because you can’t stay focused.

Gideon had to stop looking at his past, in order to move forward in God’s purpose. He had to have a change of mind and focus on what God said about Him. The same is true for all of us. Praise God for His strength in our weakness!

For comments, please email me at karlinefischer@yahoo.com.

The Lord is an amazing and generous provider for all of us! The scripture tells us we have everything we need for life and godliness. Every provision comes from Him. We would not be able to know Him, have a family, hold a job, get an education, or work hard if it wasn’t for his provision of life, faith, health, opportunities, and talents.

How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God!?How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; Psalm 139:17-18b

If you have ever tried counting sand in the palm of your hand, you know how futile it is doing it. The scripture tells us that God’s thoughts towards us outnumber the grains of sand. The goodness of God causes Him to think about everything we need to ensure we walk successfully on this earth.

When my son was getting ready to go college six months ago, we made sure he had everything he needed for going to a new school and staying in the dorm. Our concern didn’t end with what classes he was going to take and what textbooks he needed. We had a long list of everything he needed for school: bedding, pillow, sheets, socks, and even soap and toothpaste.  We did not leave out any detail! Our desire was to provide everything he needed, so he can feel settled in his new place.

Most of us will go to great lengths to provide for the needs’ of our children. If our thoughts and our prayers are so many for our children, how much more are God’s thoughts towards us?

If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Luke 11:11

If we ever struggle with God’s goodness towards us, the above scripture is a great reminder of how much God loves his children. For those of us who are parents, we know how excited we are to give good gifts to our children. When our children ask us for something, we cheerfully want to give them what we are capable of. There is no hesitation in our hearts. We’re not trying to give them something inferior. If they ask us for food, we will ensure we’re getting them good and nutritious food. We wouldn’t give them something that would make them sick, or it’s really bad for them.

How is it that we as imperfect people are desiring to give good gifts to our children, but we don’t believe that God desires to bring good into our lives? It’s our heavenly father who put that kind of love in our hearts in the first place. Let’s thank Him for His amazing love and goodness!!

Finally, His goodness caused him to be merciful and provide salvation for humanity. As sinners, we deserved his judgment and condemnation, but instead He opened the door for reconciliation through Jesus and His blood shed for us. Praise God for His redemptive work on our behalf. He didn’t have to do it, but He did it out of His loving kindness and His goodness towards us.

It is time to allow God to shatter the old ideas and pictures of him and let Him redefine himself to us. The Lord intends to be involved in all the details of our lives. He’s not involved, so he can be a taskmaster. He is not here to bring a sense of danger or impending doom. He desires to give us security and comfort. He has given us the Holy Spirit, so we can have continual help in our lives. Praise God! 

Lord if we have any faulty views of you, please change us. Some of us think of you as a hard taskmaster, so we live our lives to please you through performance. Others of us think that unless we are suffering, we must not be very spiritual.  Your love and your goodness are far richer and deeper than our ideas of you. Lord, today we want to embrace all of you. Thank you for taking interest in our lives and being committed to us through the end of the age. Thank you for your goodness. We love you Lord.

For comments, please contact me at karlinefischer@yahoo.com