We live in an uncertain world, and the current times add uneasy instability to an already shaky world. When sin entered in, Adam and Eve lost their relationship with the Lord, and they also gave the legal right for evil to enter the world. This created fear and insecurity in man, which the entire creation is subject to and is groaning about.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 (NIV)

“Do not let your heart be troubled. You have put your trust in God, put your trust in Me also. John 14:1 (NLV)

Praise God for sending Jesus to remedy the deep chasm with our Holy God! We now have access to God and can exercise our faith in restoring our relationship with the Lord that was lost in the Garden. This restored relationship gives us the opportunity to trust God and rely on Him instead of being overtaken by fear!

According to Strong’s Concordance: Troubled (G5015) means:to agitate, trouble (a thing, by the movement of its parts to and fro)

1. to cause one inward commotion, take away his calmness of mind, disturb his equanimity

2. to disquiet, make restless

3. to stir up

4. to trouble

5. to strike one’s spirit with fear and dread

6. to render anxious or distressed

7. to perplex the mind of one by suggesting scruples or doubts

Jesus tells His disciples that in the world there is much trouble and that the believers are not necessarily immune from it. The Good News is that He overcame the troubled world! Since Jesus overcame the world, He has empowered us not to be troubled but to be courageous and confident!

Sometimes we have the ideal notion that one day we can fix all the issues in the world through education, understanding, acceptance, inventions, and cures, and then everything will get better. Obviously, we should all do our part to make a difference in our the world and have a positive impact. However, the ills of society will continue to go on because evil is still in operation in this world. Sin also continues to operate in every human being who intentionally or ignorantly has given permission to the enemy to use him/her as a tool of the enemy. 

If we allow the troubles in the world to get inside of us, they will leave us anxious, disturbed, and restless. We cannot control others’ decisions including our children, but we can choose our source of trust and stability. Jesus promises that He can be trusted and that we no longer have to live in bondage to fear. 

What is troubling you today? Have you allowed the cares of the world to overcome your faith? God has an answer and a plan for your troubled heart. Look to Him and meditate on His promises. Trust His love and His plan for your life today!

I will continue with this subject in the next devotional.

While imitation is a necessary part of our natural and spiritual development, not every imitation is healthy or beneficial. I shared in the last devotional that imitation should happen for a finite time otherwise it inhibits us from developing our own relationship with the Lord.

Furthermore, imitation should happen in the right context. Some believers think that quoting a respected leader would make them appear more spiritual. Others try to copy hairdo, wardrobe, or hobbies to make them look like a spiritual person. Those external factors are not the things that grow one’s spirit, and they become a distraction from the major points. While a person may successfully sound or act like an admired spiritual leader, it does not produce the Godly spiritual maturity that the Lord desires in a believer’s life.

Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Galatians 5: 19-21 (KJV)

According to Webster’s Dictionary, the meaning of  “emulation” is:: ambition or endeavor to equal or excel others

Paul states that emulation is work of the flesh and in some translations that word is translated as jealousy. While imitation in the right context is encouraged in the Bible, this scripture talks about the sin of mimicking others. If one copies others in order to compete with them or to make themselves feel more valuable, it is considered the work of the flesh. The Bible states that those who practice the above long list of sins, including emulation, will not inherit the kingdom of God. That sounds very serious! Emulation signals that we are not content with God’s design for us and that we prefer to have someone else’s life.

Embracing God’s design and learning from others in a healthy way is the right approach to imitation. It keeps us from being phony, and it makes a believer authentic and unique, which draws others to Christ. 

It is important to consider who we are emulating and why we are emulating them. Has the emulation brought about good spiritual fruit? Or does it just produce a fleshly satisfaction?

Imitation is a natural part of life and development. Children imitate their parents by watching and repeating their words or their actions. Athletes watch other successful athletes and follow their coaches’ instruction to get better in their skill set. Both, the writer of Hebrews and Paul encouraged imitating the faith of others. However, imitation is effective when it is done for a period of time and within the right context.

And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end,  that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Hebrews 6:11-12

Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ. 1Corinthians 11:1

The writer of Hebrews is exhorting the believers to imitate those who have gone before them in the faith. Emulating other believers is an important aspect of Christian walk as we learn how to be a Godly man or woman of God.

Paul encouraged the Corinthian church to follow in his footsteps. Paul’s focus was to imitate Christ and become more like Jesus. When the Corinthian believers imitated him, in reality, they were imitating Christ.

While imitation is a healthy aspect of learning process, it’s constructive when it happens for a finite time. For example, when a child is 2 or 3 years old, they imitate their parents even though they may not fully understand the meaning of their actions or words. However, if the same child is copying their parents when they are 13 years old, it would be concerning because every parent wants their child to develop their own personality, cognition, and uniqueness.

Similarly, spiritual imitation should happen for a finite time. When a new believer tries to imitate an older saint in how they pray or study the Bible, that’s a healthy imitation. However, if the new believer still tries to imitate the older saint 10 years later, the imitation would hinder their spiritual development.

We are all called to imitate Christ, but we need to be careful if we are too focused on imitating others. We should also encourage others to follow and imitate Christ and release them from the need to imitate us. 

We were all given the Holy Spirit at the point of salvation, and He will teach us all things. If we are continually imitating others or other believers are imitating us, we are not leaving room for the Holy Spirit to be the helper that God had intended.

I will continue with this subject in the next devotional. 

But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, “There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day.”

The Lord then answered him and said, “Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?” Luke 13:14-16

People have a tendency to shape spiritual terms in the form and image they desire and expect others to conform to it. The Pharisees had taken God’s Sabbath and had a made a long list of prohibitions out of it. Instead of people resting and worshipping God on the Sabbath, they had to be stressed and fearful of not breaking any of the man-made rules. The critical eyes of the Pharisees completely sabotaged what God had intended for the Sabbath.

Similarly, we have to consider the spiritual terms we use and pay attention when the definitions gradually change and not buy-in to the humanistic version of those terms. For example, the word “justice” and “compassion” are used readily nowadays. People demand justice and compassion, and they claim that those opposing immoral or illegal activities in our society are unjust. At the same time, they call others judgmental. 

The problem is that those who demand justice have no desire to know the true definition of justice based on God’s standard. Instead, they form their own morality, define their own right and wrong, and demand others to acquiesce to their assessment of a situation. 

God’s justice is based on Biblical truth that describes every man as a sinner in need of salvation. Therefore, we all deserved the justice and the wrath of God, but God allowed Jesus to become the one sacrificed for our sins. When we see justice from this angle, we realize that we should always begin with our own sin before we point fingers at others. This does not mean that we don’t fight for justice. It only means that we don’t jump into conclusion before we consider the entire situation and determine the responsibility of each side. 

For instance, if we are engaged in something that is against the law, we can’t demand compassion or expect the law to look the other way. We have a responsibility to pay the price and make it right. If our boss acts unfairly towards us, we don’t have to  jump the conclusion that he/she doesn’t like us or is prejudiced towards us. Instead, we can consider our attitude towards them and whether we have been a diligent employee. 

In the current cultural climate, many words including Justice and compassion have been diluted to fit people’s needs. We cannot be intimidated by false definitions, but we can test the spirits. Any spirit that tries to create its own right and wrong apart from God’s Word is not from God and should not be tolerated. False spirits cannot be quenched by acquiescing to them, for they will continue to demand more and more until they destroy a church or a community! This doesn’t mean we reject individuals, but we reject the false definitions and propaganda that derails people. 

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 1 John4:1

We all need to become skilled in testing the spirits and ensuring that what we are hearing and observing lines up with the word of God.  False teachers and false prophets who teach Humanism are used by the enemy to influence people inside and outside of the church. These teachings and philosophies breakdown the fabric of families and society by promoting the grace of God in the absence of His truth.

How we define a term makes all the difference in our understanding of a certain point and developing a worldview around it. Some of the things that cause people to get deceived in life are the modern ideas that redefine a certain principle thereby derailing people spiritually.

For example, marriage was defined by God in the book of Genesis following the six day of Creation. God created a helpmate for Adam to complement him as they lived together in a holy covenant before God. Marriage is a picture of the relationship of the church to Jesus as His bride. 

Over the years the definition has changed to any two individuals who are in love should have the right to marry each other. This kind of marriage is no longer about pleasing God, but it is about pleasing self.  In addition,  “no fault divorce” makes divorces easy and readily available for anyone who wants to get out of a marriage. In reality, we have changed the definition of marriage and dumbed it down to man’s desires rather than God’s plan for marriage, and as a result, we have made a mess out of it.

A Christian lady at the gym was telling me that recently she and her husband left their church after 27 years. The position of their church had changed, and now the church believes that the definition of Biblical marriage is subject to interpretation. Therefore, they will no longer take a particular stance on marriage. She was deeply hurt and was wondering if she and her husband did the right thing by leaving. Their old friends have shunned them, and now they have to rebuild a new community of believers for themselves.

It is crucial for us to test the spirits and not allow the smokescreen of so called “love” taint God’s view on major life issues. We must guard from anyone advocating an idea that does not line up with the word of God.

In the last couple of weeks, I have been pondering what it looks like to be merciful. One form of mercy that came to my heart was being generous. Generosity is something we all admire, but in practicality we find ourselves resisting it for variety of reasons.

True generosity is not about spending money on those who can repay us with their beautiful gifts or complements, but it is about giving to those who may never have the capability to return the favor. This kind of generosity comes from a merciful heart that gives out of love for God and care for those who are in need.

Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common,  and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. Acts 2:44-45

The early church was so excited about their new relationship with the Lord that they were willing to give generously of themselves. They did it to the point of selling their possessions so that others’ needs would be met.

A rich young ruler came to Jesus asking him what it took to have eternal life since he had done all his righteous duties. Jesus told him ( See Mark 10: 17-22) to sell all he had and to follow Him, but that made the rich ruler sad. However, in the book of Acts, we see that the people were willingly giving of their possession to others to ensure no one had any need. No one told them to do it, but God had changed their hearts. It wasn’t about being dutiful or putting a check mark next to another item on the “to-do-list.” Their focus and vision had changed by the love of God and by their new identity in Him. 

Many of us desire to be generous, but we end up using our generosity on our family members or close friends.  Some of us are afraid of running out of money or using our children’s funds to help others. Some are concerned about the legitimacy of the need and don’t want to be an enabler to a bad behavior. Others are just indifferent towards the plight of people whom they don’t know personally. We have a hard time giving to those we don’t know, and we’re afraid that others may use our resources inappropriately or take advantage of us.

The scriptures tell us that a righteous person leaves inheritance for their children, and it also emphasizes that we should be generous towards the widows, orphans, strangers, and those in need. We are called to have a joyful heart and a generous spirit in our giving. Therefore, as believers, we need to have the right balance between saving for our children’s future and being generous to those who cannot repay us.

There are many needs around us, and we would not be fully capable of meeting every need. However, our generosity can make a difference  in a person or a family’s life. Instead of being overwhelmed with all the needs, look for opportunities to make a difference in one family’s life. Sometimes the generosity will come in the form of writing a check or buying a grocery store gift card for a person in need. At other times, it is about giving of our precious time to show compassion or spend time with someone who just needs a listening ear. Many times a child, a teen-ager, or a young adult just needs some encouragement to keep going in this rough world.

Lord continue to stir our hearts to be merciful towards others and show mercy through our generosity towards others.

As I shared in the last devotional, in the book of Hosea, the Lord said that it was His desire for His people to be merciful and to know Him (See Hosea 6:6). In addition, David states the following in the book of Psalms:

Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalm 51:10

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,
A broken and a contrite heart—
These, O God, You will not despise. Psalm 51:17

David asked the Lord to give him a clean heart. He wrote this after his adultery with Bathsheba and ordering the killing of her husband. David did not recognize his sin right away until the prophet Nathan confronted him. However, he acted spiritual for months and brought his offerings and sacrifices to the Lord without having a contrite and pure heart.

It is easy to become religious and do the religious activities and the rituals. Those of us who have walked with the Lord for quite a few years are even in greater danger. We know the scriptures and the worship songs. We can do the right things and perform our ministries. We can become talking heads and preach to everyone else thinking that those things are evidence of being spiritual, yet our hearts could be cold towards the Lord and towards the people.

The above scripture is not about being sad all the time or walking around with guilt and shame written all over our face. It is about keeping our heart tender and pure before God. It means that we continually allow the Lord to examine our hearts and give Him room to speak about those things that crowd our hearts and minds for Him. It is also about being merciful to others especially those who are hurting. 

Recently, I had a conversation with a friend that led to talking about someone else. I made a statement that referred to this person’s motives. Later on, as I began worshipping the Lord, He convicted me that I do not know one’s motives and when I speak on others’ motives, I give room to an accusing spirit in my life. I had to quickly repent, and later I contacted the friend and asked for her forgiveness as well.

Questioning someone’s motives does not come from a heart of love, and it is not merciful to others. Right now, in our culture, accusations are flying in all directions. If we are going to be peacemakers, we have to refrain from doing it ourselves and speak words of life in those situations rather than jumping on the bandwagon and fanning people’s anger and frustration into flame. 

A contrite heart is open to God’s correction and is purposed to glorify Him. A contrite heart leaves the pen in God’s hands and allows Him to write out the plans the Lord desires for the day. A renewed spirit is humbly joyful and trusting in God. A pure heart does not require boasting to feel important, but its purpose is to have compassion on those who are hurting.  A clean heart is guarded from allowing the issues of life to pollute or embitter it. A steadfast spirit looks to the Lord for words of life and encouragement, so he/she can be an encourager to others.

Lord give us a clean heart and a steadfast spirit who desires to please you. Help us to be merciful rather than accusatory. Let the condition of our hearts be more important to us than our performance!  

For I desire mercy and not sacrifice,
And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. Hosea 6:6

Burnt offerings were instituted by the Lord, but He did not want the Israelites to make those sacrifices at the neglect of being merciful or having the knowledge of the Lord! God’s heart from the beginning of creation was to walk with us as He walked with Adam in the cool of the day. The Lord assigned tasks to Adam and Eve to work the land and subdue the earth, but that was not meant to replace His relationship with them.

Those of us who have adult children have a good understanding of this. We want to see our children to mature, accomplish their tasks well, and fulfill their God given purpose, but we do not want them at the sacrifice of our relationship with them. We love to hear from our children, but we hope that sometimes they call us because they just want to talk to us not because they need something. We also desire that they will develop and maintain a good relationship with their siblings. 

The challenge for all of us is that we can misuse motion and activity in replacement to mercy and intimacy. For some of us, we would rather make the sacrifice of getting up early and working hard rather than being patient with a difficult family member. We prefer to write the tithing check than forgiving the brother or sister at church.

The Lord does not want our activities to take the place of our heart condition. He desires for us to have a heart that is merciful and kind towards others. The burnt offering are a representation of being dutiful and feeling self-righteous but missing the heart of God!

Lord, today we pray that you would give us the capacity to be merciful and a desire to know your heart better. Help us not to allow others to annoy or frustrate us so easily. Instead, we want to easily love and be merciful to others. 

Fasting is an important part of the Christian life. It gives us heightened sensitivity to the things of the spirit, and it helps us to suspend distractions for a period of time. We live in volatile and shaky times. As God’s people, it is important to be in tune with the Lord and understand His will rather than being swept up with the drama of the culture.

While we may fast from various things such as TV, coffee, and social media, true fasting is associated with food. Fasting can be done for a day or for an extended time. Some people fast from certain foods others fast completely without eating anything. Fasting can have variations based on a person’s health, physical abilities, and God’s direction, and it can be done individually, as a family, or corporately with other believers as the Lord leads us. 

Fasting is about consecration to the Lord. Nehemiah fasted for several months before he spoke to the King about the walls of Jerusalem. Esther asked the Israelites to pray and fast with her for three days before risking her life and going to the king uninvited. Both Nehemiah and Esther were seeking God’s wisdom and strategy for the challenging task before them. 

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. Matthew 4:2

Jesus fasted for forty days, and it was after this time of fasting when the enemy came to tempt Jesus. Jesus was able to discern the temptations of the enemy and responded to the temptations with the Word of God. This is the opportune time when the enemy tries to bring doubt, distractions, or ailments to lead God’s people in a different direction. The enemy does not want us to get closer to God or have greater sensitivity to spiritual things. Like Jesus, we need to understand the schemes of the enemy and discern his temptations. 

We want to fast with the expectation that we will get closer to the Lord and that He will reveal His heart and His mind to us. This is the time that God may even use dreams to speak to us. 

If you have never fasted or if you have a medical condition, please check with your physician to determine what is appropriate for your body and health condition.

It is a blessing to go to deeper places with the Lord. I encourage you to take the step of faith and allow God to meet you. Those of you who have fasted before, you may consider doing it on a regular basis and making it a part of your lifestyle. It is a blessing to fast and the reward of getting closer to the Lord far outweighs the discomfort and the inconvenience that can be experienced. 

There is a desire deep inside of us to be free of imperfections and weaknesses. This leads us to look and strive for perfection in our lives. People spend thousands of dollars to look perfect and to dress perfectly. Some spend tens of thousands of dollars to make their house look perfect and to have the perfect furniture and landscape. We expect our children to have perfect grades and act perfectly!

The perfection we seek is unreasonable, and it creates ungodly expectations of ourselves and others. Furthermore, when our high expectation is not met, we can easily be disappointed and seek perfection somewhere where we can control things.

And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Revelation 21:3-4

Our desire for perfection is rooted in our desire to be in heaven someday where there is no sin,  shortcomings, rejection, criticism, disease, or failures. We tend to compensate for those desires by putting ungodly focus on things that their perfection don’t have eternal value.

Perfection is a trap of the enemy. If we get caught up with being perfect, it will create, at least, four major problems. First of all, when God asks us to take a stand against something, we will have a hard time losing the approval of people. Second, if the Lord asked us to let go of our perfection in a certain area because it has caused us distraction, it will be difficult to obey the Lord and make the sacrifice because it has become part of our identity. Third, maintaining the image of perfection will make us slaves to a man-made standard. Fourth, people are watching us to see if they can do the Christian life successfully. Creating an unrealistic standard can discourage others who desire to follow the Lord!

Inasmuch as an excellent spirit, knowledge, understanding, interpreting dreams, solving riddles, and explaining enigmas were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar, now let Daniel be called, and he will give the interpretation.” Daniel 5:12

The scripture tells us that Daniel had an excellent spirit. It does not tell us that he was perfect nor does it imply he was seeking perfection. His excellent spirit led him to have the right heart before God, and he desired to do what pleased God. His excellence wasn’t to impress people with his visions, interpretation of dreams, or his lifestyle. As a matter of fact, his lifestyle of prayer and excellence caused much controversy and trouble for him.

Daniel did not face the problems of perfectionism because that was never his focus. As a result, he was a powerful instrument for God to be glorified through him. Lord, help us to have an excellent spirit but not seek perfection!