THE CHRISTIAN and INFORMATION

Information helps us to make decisions that could make us or break us, and it comes to us from many different sources: from books, the media, politicians, individuals, and from the Bible. As Christians, the only trust-worthy source is the Bible. When we receive information, we are compelled to take action or respond in some fashion. We may choose to disregard it, because we don’t believe it or don’t find it useful or we may actually use the information in a positive way and pass it on to others.
Unfortunately, the information we choose to disregard, often turns out to be information we really need.

The information we receive benefits us, others or both; in either case we need to take some action. If we intentionally disregard information that would benefit us, we do that to our own detriment, and if we don’t pass it on to others who might benefit from it, we do them a disservice.

Having said all that, what have you done with all that you’ve read from the Bible? Is the Word of God gradually changing your life or are you the same old person? For example, has “You shall not steal” (Exodus 20:15 NIV), made any difference in your life, or are you still stealing and making excuses? Are you bringing supplies home from work or have you stopped? How about, “Continue to work out your salvation
with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12 NIV)? Are you taking your Christian walk seriously? Becoming a Christian is just the beginning. We need to stay alert, study the Word, resist the devil and press on in the power of the Holy Spirit, so that we don't fall prey to the devil and sin. When we stay alert, our lives will be transformed, as the Word of God renews our minds. If our lives are not being transformed by the Word, this is what James says, "Anyone who listens to the Word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like” (James 1:23-24 NIV).

On the other hand, if we obey what we read or hear, James goes on to say, “But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has
heard, but doing it-he will be blessed in what he does” (James 1:25 NIV).

These days, everyone is looking at the signs of the times, including unbelievers, and thinking “The Lord’s coming is close.” Of course we don’t know the exact time, but we believe it’s closer
than when we first believed. The Apostle Peter puts it this way, “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and
the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought ye to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives” 2 Peter 3:10-11 NIV).

Since His coming is so close and everything is going to be destroyed anyway, what should be our attitude towards THINGS? John says it this way, “Do not love the world or anything in the
world, if anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him . . . The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.” (1 John 2:15-17 NIV).  On the brighter side, Jesus says, “In my Father’s house are many mansions, if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you” (John 14:1-2 NIV).

What should our attitude be towards the unsaved? David says in Psalm 7:11, “God is angry with the wicked every day.” ( that's scary). Also, John says in John 3:36, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.” We need to warn folks the same way we would when the weather forecast is bad and a bad storm is expected. People are sometimes evacuated to ensure no one is hurt. The Apostle Paul puts it this way, "Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men . . .” 2 Corinthians 5:11 KJV).

So you see, we have enough information in the Bible to admonish us to live godly lives, and to compel us to warn unbelievers to turn to Christ for salvation. Information is not very helpful until it motivates us to take the right action. Please, TAKE ACTION NOW; DON'T WAIT MUCH LONGER!

OPPORTUNE TIMES

One of the accounts of Jesus’ temptation by the devil in the wilderness is recorded in the gospel of Luke(see 4: 1-13). Verse 13 (NIV) says, “When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left Him until an opportune time.” Synonyms for opportune are: fitting, appropriate, favorable, apt, right, suitable, and timely. The devil withdrew from Jesus after he had failed, but didn’t give up. He
planned to return to try again when the time would hopefully be just right for him to succeed. It was so prideful of the devil to think that he could succeed in making Jesus disobey God. He must have miscalculated the distance Jesus was willing to go to please His Father! Jesus cannot sin! Amen!

What are opportune times? Opportune times are the instances when it is the easiest to achieve one’s goals, or when one’s efforts are most successful. For the devil, the enemy of our soul, those
are the times when we Christians are at our weakest, when we let down our guard, not being watchful, when we are not praying or studying the Word or when we are not living according to the
Word, or when we fail to set boundaries. We can set boundaries by deciding what our responses would be before we are ever in certain situations. Like Daniel who resolved not to defile himself with the Babylonian king’s meat and wine before it was ever offered to him (see Daniel 1:8). Can you think of an instance when you made a bad choice or decision because you hadn’t set any boundaries before hand?

The devil’s strategy of waiting for an opportune time wouldn’t have worked with Jesus any way, but how about us? Hasn’t that strategy worked repeatedly with us? Sadly, the answer is “Yes”.
When the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (see 1 Peter 5:8), he is looking for an opportune time, and sad to say he finds it time and time again. The Word
admonishes us to “Submit yourselves, then to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7 NIV).

Although the devil flees when we resist him, he does return, with the hope of finding an opportune time. We need to be consistently submitted to God so that we can deny him those opportune times. That is why the Word warns us to “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation” (Matthew 26:41 NIV); “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers,
against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12 NIV). In the wilderness, Jesus was not faced with flesh and blood.

The key to denying the devil these opportune times is to “Put on the whole armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground” (Ephesians 6:14 NIV). Putting on the armor is only the beginning, but we have to keep it on day and night. Taking it off creates an opportune time for the devil, and before we know it, we have become victims instead of victors. The hymn writer admonishes us to gird our heavenly armor on, to wear it ever night and day, for ambush lies the evil one, so watch and pray, watch and pray.

OMISSIONS, JUST AS IMPORTANT

Christians know the importance of prayer. That is our way of
communicating with our Father. We are able to express our
adoration and love for Him; we express our shame and remorse for
our sins and ask for forgiveness. We petition Him for our needs,
and intercede on behalf of others and on behalf of our world.

When we off er petitions and intercessions, we seek a response
from the One to whom we’ve prayed. He could answer in one of
many different ways like: okay, no, wait; you got to be kidding,
are you okay? or return to the drawing board, etc. Whether we
like His answers or not they are still answers; He has clearly
communicated His intentions.

Although He loves us and desires to provide for us, the Bible
tells us there are times when our prayers don’t make it to his ears.
Some of the reasons are:

• Sins: Th e Psalmist says, “If I had cherished sin in my
heart, the Lord would not have listened; but God has
surely listened and heard my voice in prayer” (Psalm 66: 18-19 NIV).

• Lack of faith: “According to your faith will it be done to
you.” Matthew 9:29 NIV). “The prayer offered in faith will make the
sick well; the Lord will raise him up” (James 5:15 NIV).

• Wrong motives: “You do not have, because you do not
ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you
ask with wrong motives” (James 4:2-3 NIV).

• God’s Will; “Th is is the confidence we have in approaching
God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He
hears us” (1 John 5:14 NIV).

Quite often when we think about repentance, we are referring
to committed sins, and we should, but there is more--The sin of
omission! That's when we neglect to carry out God’s commands; it
affects our relationship with Him the same way our committed
sins do. Unfortunately, the sin of omission does not get quite as
much attention. God’s response to omissions is the same as to
commissions, because both are sins. Let us remind ourselves of
some of the times He has expressed concern over omissions.

• “Woe to you teachers . . . you hypocrites! You give a
tenth of your spices-mint, dill . . . But you have neglected
the more important matters of the law-justice, mercy
and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter,
without neglecting the former” (Matthew 23:23 NIV).

• “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled
houses, while this House (the temple) remains a ruin?” (Haggai 1:4).

• “I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was
thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger
and you did not invite me in, . . . I was sick and in prison
and you did not look after me” (Matthew 25:42-43 NIV).

May the Lord make us increasingly aware of the responsibilities
we are neglecting, and may we be penitent about them as we
should!

IT IS THE LORD!

The Lord reveals Himself to us in many different ways. He does that through His Word (the Bible), nature, His Ministers, friends, family, circumstances, etc. Unfortunately, we don’t always hear
Him or recognize His voice right away. It is either because we are not paying attention, we don’t believe Him, or we have not learned to recognize His voice or ways. Jesus says in John 10:4b,
“and His sheep follow Him because they know His voice.” When we fail to recognize His voice we miss out on things like: His encouragement, comfort, assurance, directions, and blessings. Jesus
revealed Himself to different individuals after His resurrection. They recognized Him through the things they knew about Him.

Mary Magdalene went to the tomb on the Day of Resurrection, only to discover that it was empty. She reported that to Peter and John, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t
know where they have put Him!” (John 20:2 NIV). Peter and John went to verify her story, and after that they left, “but Mary stood outside the tomb crying” (John 20:11 NIV). Jesus appeared to her at the tomb, but she thought He was the gardener. During the conversation, Jesus said to her, “Mary” (verse16 NIV). As soon as she heard the mention of her name, she knew who she had been talking to, she had recognized His voice. So “She turned toward Him and cried out in Aramaic, ‘Rabboni!’” (verse 16 NIV). Oh, the joy, the excitement, and the peace she must have felt to know that her Lord was alive after all, the result of voice recognition. Had she not recognized His voice, she might
have continued to sorrow over His death and disappearance from the tomb.

Likewise, when Jesus appeared to the disciples by the sea of Tiberias, they recognized Him, not by His appearance but by what He said and did. They admitted to Him their failure and disappointment for the night; they had not caught any fish. When they did what Jesus told them to do, the result was outstanding--a large catch of fish. Right away, they knew who He was. John said to Peter, “It is the Lord” (John 21:7 NIV). How comforting and how reassuring it must have been for them! Do you ever recognize Him in your circumstances, and are you able to follow His leading? When the disciples did, the result was astonishing.

On the day of resurrection, two disciples were on their way to Emmaus, a village seven miles from Jerusalem. They were discussing the events from the past few days, i.e. Jesus’ death and
resurrection. As they went along, Jesus went up and walked with them. They didn’t recognize Him, even when He rebuked them for being so slow in understanding the Scriptures. They invited Him
home to dinner, and at the table, as He took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give to them (He had a habit of doing that), their eyes were opened and they recognized Him (Luke 24:30-31 NIV).

Are you able to recognize Him through His ways of doing things? We need to look for God in all situations and circumstances and be able to declare to ourselves and others, “It is the Lord.”

FREEDOM IS COSTLY

Every year, we take time to honor our military, both fallen and
living. What a tremendous work they do. They protect our country
at all costs, both abroad and at home. They leave family and loved
ones behind to take on the task of protecting the liberties we all
enjoy; liberties like freedom of speech, freedom of religion and
the ability to be whatever one wants to be. Sadly, some of these
soldiers never return and some never get to see their children born
while they were away; they pay the price for freedom with their
very lives.

We need to express gratitude more often than once a year for
the freedom we enjoy. Due to the freedom they have secured, we
are able to gather freely whenever and wherever to worship God
without fear of intimidation or persecution from government and
unbelievers. Christians in other countries don’t have this kind of
luxury. They are persecuted constantly and tortured for their faith.
As we enjoy our freedom, let’s remember to pray for Christians
in hostile environments that they will continue to stand firm,
that they will be strengthened and encouraged and that through
their testimonies their persecutors will come to know the living
Savior.

Although we are a free nation, it cost something for us to
be free and for us to remain free. There are people who cannot
accept the fact that we are free; they are always looking for ways
and means to sabotage our freedom. That is why our military is
always on the defensive, always ready to fight to ensure that we
remain free.

Likewise, Christians have been freed from sin, not by our
own doing, but by grace to serve the living God. Our freedom
cost God something! It cost Him the blood of His only begotten
Son Jesus. To those who are freed, freedom is free, but to the One
who paid the price, it is extremely expensive. Freedom therefore
is not free at all.

So what have we been freed to do? We have been freed to live
godly lives to the glory of God and to point others in the direction
of the cross so they can be freed as well. We have been freed to
worship and serve God. We have been freed to serve one another
in love, not indulging our sinful nature (see Galatians 5:13).

Just as other nations can’t stand the freedom we enjoy, the
devil cannot stand the Christian’s freedom in Christ. He does all
he can to re-enslave us from the very things we’ve been freed from
and a whole lot more. Even though we are free we need to fight
to stay free; by resisting him through the word and prayer and
not yielding when he tempts us. We need to be vigilant because,
“Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for
someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8 NIV).

Let’s keep our armor on 24/7. “Therefore put on the full
armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be
able to stand your ground” (Ephesians 6:13 NIV).

MEMORIZE: “Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a
cover-up for evil; live as servants of God” (1 Peter 2:16 NIV).