But They Said ...

"Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, "Ananias."  And he said, "Here I am, Lord."
So the Lord said to him, "Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying.
And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight."
Then Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem."
Acts 9:10-13 (NKJV)

Have you ever had a disagreement with someone about what to do?  Sometimes when you talk to a person about what needs to be done, they reply, "But they said ...", referring to what someone else who has a different idea or opinion about the thing has said.  In this kind of a situation, nothing is going to get done until what you said is acted on by the other person, instead of them just listening to what "they" said about it.

When Paul, formerly known as Saul of Tarsus, met Jesus on the road to Damascus, it brought a dramatic change in Paul's life.  Paul was instructed to go into Damascus and that then he would be told what to do.  Meanwhile, in Damascus, God spoke in a vision to a disciple named Ananias to go and pray for Paul.  What is fascinating to me is that even though Ananias was hearing from God, Ananias first response to God was about what other people had said about Paul.

Have you ever seen something in God's Word, or the Holy Spirit led you to do something, but rather than just obey, you did what Ananias did and you first think and talk to God about something that someone else has said about it?  Like Ananias, we may hesitate in following God's direction for some reason, but we need to keep God's Word as a higher authority than what anyone else has said.  God's Word and the Holy Spirit give us the direction we need in life and we need to follow that, no matter what anyone else might say.

What Will You Write?

"My heart is overflowing with a good theme; I recite my composition concerning the King; My tongue is the pen of a ready writer."
Psalm 45:1 (NKJV)

Today we do most things electronically, but in the past, most things were written out with pen and paper.  If you did sit down to write something, would it be normal to expect the pen to start writing on its own?  Would you stare at your pen and tell it to get busy writing, or would you start doing the writing yourself, using the pen?  You are of course doing the writing, the pen is just the instrument, the method, that you are using to write with; the pen itself is not doing anything, you are doing the writing.

David wrote many of the Psalms and it is easy to see that he was simply expressing what he had in his heart.  What David wrote was something that David was thinking about, experiencing, or feeling; David was writing from what was in his heart and mind, not what was in someone else's heart or mind.  David could not write about things he did not know, just like a pen cannot write things on its own; David's words came from David, just as our words are coming from us and not someone else.

The things we say are the things we have in our own heart and mind; our tongue is just the instrument we use to express those things.  You would not say something and then get upset with your tongue for saying it, you said it based on what you were thinking about, experiencing, or feeling.  A pen will not write things on its own, and our tongue is not just going to say things we don't allow it to say.  We all need to be determined that we will use our tongue and our words to "write" good and godly things for ourselves and others.  What will you write with your tongue today?  It is up to you.

The Start Is Just The Beginning

"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,"
Hebrews 12:1 (NKJV)

When I was in High School, I was involved in various running sports and we would compete against other schools.  Sometimes we would have to travel to another school for the competition; sometimes the trip was short, and sometimes the trip was long and took more time.  Then, after we arrived, we got ourselves ready for the race, but we still had to run the race, which had not yet even started.  The traveling and the preparations we did were just the beginning and the race still had to be run.

In the Bible, the Christian life is compared to several things, including a race, as we see in Hebrews 12.  The point is to run our race, which is to fulfill God's plan for our life.  But there are a lot of people who come to know Jesus and then somehow think that is the end.  Salvation and being born again is not the goal, it is just the beginning, it is just the start of the race that God has called us to run.  Our race has only begun and there is so much more that God wants us to do.

There are some things we have done to get to the point we are at now, but that does not mean we now just sit on the sidelines as though the race is over.  We should never get to the place of spiritual contentment, thinking we have arrived and now we are just living our life waiting to go to heaven.  We need to keep on running our race, laying aside anything that would hinder us, doing what God has instructed us to do in His Word and by the direction of the Holy Spirit.

Going Through The Wilderness

"Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,
being tempted for forty days by the devil.  And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry.
Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time.
Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region."
Luke 4:1-2, 13-14 (NKJV)

Over the years, I have driven through a lot of places.  There were times I traveled through some very nice places with some great scenery.  Other times, I went through places I would have avoided altogether if it was possible to do so.  But, since I did not build the roads or create the routes themselves, all I could do was go from one place to another, no matter what things looked like.  And besides, the views I had were not as important as getting to where I needed to go was.

Luke 4 shows us the story of Jesus going through the wilderness and His being tempted by the devil.  When Jesus started His journey into and through the wilderness, He was led by the Spirit as to where He went, He spoke God's Word to the devil in every temptation, and Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit.  Jesus successfully went through the wilderness.  It even says that Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit, not that His life was ruined or He needed therapy after what He went through.

Everyone likes great experiences with God, but there are times we will go through a wilderness type situation as we move forward in God's plan for our life.  We need to learn from Jesus and have the same kind of wilderness experience that He had, a successful one.  No matter what is going on in your life today, be determined to continue following the leading of the Holy Spirit and continue to focus on and speak God's Word.  That is how we successfully go through the wilderness and come out even stronger on the other side of the journey.

Second Hand Information?

"And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all that I ever did."
So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.
And many more believed because of His own word.
Then they said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world."
John 4:39-42 (NKJV)

There are many people who simply believe what others tell them.  This is not information that a person received directly; it could be called second hand information.  This can be good, or bad, depending on who is sharing the information, but it is always better if we can have a direct source for what we learn, and not just base what we know on what we heard from someone else, relying on the things they say.  We need to go from second hand information to personal information.

In John 4, there is the story of Jesus meeting the woman at the well.  The woman comes to see that Jesus is the Messiah and she goes to tell others, who then believe her testimony.  But what happens next is something that we all need to take note of.  The people who believed the testimony of the woman then came to Jesus for themselves.  And, because of what they heard for themselves, they came to a personal belief that Jesus is the Messiah.  Not just because of what the woman said, but because of what they had learned for themselves.

There are many people who base what they believe about God and His Word, and many other things, just on what they know from other people.  It is not enough for us to believe something and accept it as truth because we heard it from someone else, even if that person could be considered a reliable source.  We need to go from second hand information to personal knowledge and understanding of God, our relationship with Jesus, and all that God's Word tells us.

The Family Tree

"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God to those who believe in His name:"
John 1:12 (NKJV)

Some people like to study their genealogy, their family tree.  There are many resources available today that can help people trace their family background.  Some people do not have much interest in tracing their family history and finding out who is in their family tree, because their family was not so good.  Other people are very proud to talk about their family history and who they are related to.  But in either case, you don't pick your family, you are simply born into it.

Even in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament, you can see how people's family background and history was recorded and how it played an important part in what those people were sometimes able to do.  When the people of Israel returned from captivity, those who could not show their family history had some difficulties, because who you were related to was so important, and we even see this in Matthew and Luke where some of the family history of Jesus is listed.

But no matter who we have in our natural family background, or how many good or bad people might be a part of our family tree, as Christians we are children of God.  Naturally, you may come from a good or a bad family, but the best family to be a part of is God's Family!  Thank God for good families, but today it is easy for us to trace our family history, God is our Father and we are His children.  We did not do anything to earn it, but because of Jesus, we have been born again into the best of all families!

How To Succeed

"Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner."
John 5:19 (NKJV)

Have you ever made a mistake and done something wrong?  You might say that is a foolish question, because everyone makes mistakes and does things wrong.   It is just a fact of life, no one is perfect, everyone makes mistakes, and no one has 100% success.  Success is something we all want, but 100% success is not really attainable and not something that will be achieved in any long-term way.  But no one wants to fail; everyone wants to succeed and to know how to succeed.

The Bible gives us many great examples with the lives of the people we see in the Bible.  Sometimes we see positive examples and sometimes it is a negative example, but we can learn why some people succeeded and some did not.  The best example in the Bible of how to succeed comes to us from Jesus: He was successful in His life and ministry.  The reason Jesus did so well is because He only did what His Father directed Him to do.  Jesus was successful because He followed God's plan.

Too often, the reason we do not succeed is because we are not fully following God's plan but we are following our own plans and ideas.  The key to success in the life of Jesus was His obedience to doing the Father's will and not His own.  Jesus knew the Scriptures and He spent time with God in prayer, which is how He learned the Father's will.  How can we have a successful life and ministry today?  We need to follow the example of Jesus and learn from our Heavenly Father what His will is and then do it; that is how we succeed.

Choosing Sides

"Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, "This is a hard saying; who can understand it?".
When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, "Does this offend you?"
From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.
Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?"
But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life."
John 6:60-61, 66-68 (NKJV)

Whether it be a political issue, views on how to live a healthy lifestyle, what is the best type of music, or biblical issues, people are always choosing sides.  What usually happen is that people have some ideas of their own, and then they hear someone else express similar views.  The first person then identifies with the second person who has the same view. The first person has chosen to be on the side of the second person because they have similar views on things.

In John 6, we see some people who chose to stop following Jesus because they did not like what He said.  We see others, including Peter, who chose to stay with Jesus because they recognized that Jesus had the words of eternal life.  Both groups chose a side based on what Jesus said.  The real problem was that some were choosing sides based on whether or not they liked what Jesus had said, while people like Peter made a wise decision based on what was right and true.

Unfortunately, some people choose sides for or against Jesus because they like or dislike something.  Some people follow God because they see benefits in their own life, but when a problem comes, they struggle in their relationship with God, because so much of their choice was based on positive things in their life and not a foundation of truth.  We need to be like Peter and choose to follow Jesus because it is the right thing to do and Jesus does have the words of life.  We have a decision of whose side we will choose, choosing to be on God's side is always the right choice.

Leading To Edification

"We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification."
Romans 15:1-2 (NKJV)

Truth is absolute, but people's perception of the truth is not.  It is true that if you add two of one thing to two more of those things you will have a total of four, that is the truth.  But what if someone was very bad at math and they thought that two plus two is three, or five?  That person may be convinced that two plus two is three or five, even though that is not accurate or true.  The solution in this situation is not to start an argument or debate, but to find a way to show the person that the correct answer really is four.

Christians, and people in general, can have different ideas and perceptions of what is true and false. Unfortunately, what often happens is that people will argue about something, trying to prove that what they are saying is true.  Very often the issue is not resolved and people only end up offended and upset, which is not the same as helping people and leading them to edification.  Humility and kindness can go a long way in helping people see and understand the truth, without creating a problem in the process.

Some people believe that the main point is to show people what is right and wrong, and if they don't like it, then that is the other person's problem.  But in Romans 15, Paul said that the "strong" people should not just try to please themselves, but work towards pleasing others and edifying them.  There may come a point where we need to take a very strong stand for the truth, but that is not the first step in dealing with other people.  We need to bring the truth to people in a way that will help them clearly see right and wrong, and that will lead them to being edified by knowing the truth.

Our Refuge

"I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust."
Psalm 91:2 (NKJV)

When you fly on an airplane, they show you where the exits are located.  In buildings, you can find the emergency exits, which are not the normal way to leave the building, but they are the exits you will have to use in an emergency situation.  Some buildings are listed as being shelters in a storm, or as the place to go if there is a tornado.  All of these things are good and beneficial, but if you don't know where the exits and shelters are located, and how to get there, you can have a problem.

In Psalm 91 it talks about God's protection.  God is talked about as our refuge and our fortress.  A refuge is good, and a fortress is good, but if you don't know they exist, or how to get to the place of refuge, or the fortress, then you can have a problem.  In Hosea 4:6, God said that "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge".  Some Christians do not even know about Psalm 91 and what God has said, and some believers think that it is up to God to protect us, if He wants to, otherwise we just suffer with our problems.

As Christians, we need to know and understand that God loves us so much, that He sent Jesus to die in our place and pay the price for our sin, so that we could live in a relationship with God.  We need to know and understand all that God will do for us, and how He wants to help us in every situation.  God has given us His Word and the Holy Spirit to show us what to do, and how to do it, in the time of trouble, so that when we face adversity that God can guide us into a place of refuge and be our fortress to protect and deliver us from whatever may come.

Unpredictable

"Forever, O Lord, your Word is settled in heaven."
Psalm 119:89 (NKJV)

Something that is unpredictable is something that unreliable, it is something you are uncertain of.  For example, the weather can be unpredictable and it can be hard to say with any accuracy what the weather will really be like a day or two from today.  If something is unpredictable, you cannot know exactly how it will act.  On the other hand, if something is predictable, such as the sun rising in the East and setting in the West, then it is something that is a certainty and can be depended upon.

We all want things that are important for us to be dependable and reliable, but if they are unpredictable, they can be a problem.  People themselves and what they do and say are often unpredictable.  But one thing is certain, God and His Word are predictable.  What God has said in His Word is something we can depend on and it is reliable.  We don't have to be concerned that what God said in His Word will change from year to year or work differently in our life today than it did before.

We can accurately predict that 1 John 5:14-15 will work today just as it always has and that by praying according to God's Word, He will hear us and answer our prayer.  We can predict and depend on the fact that those who call on the Name of the Lord will be saved (Romans 10:13) and that God is ready to perform His Word as He watches over it (Jeremiah 1:12).  There are many things we can say about God's Word, but it is not unpredictable; God will always do what He has said in His Word!

Keep On Going

"When Jesus heard it, He departed from there by boat to a deserted place by Himself.  But when the multitudes heard it, they followed Him on foot from the cities.
And when Jesus went out He saw a great multitude; and He was moved with compassion for them, and healed their sick."
Matthew 14:13-14 (NKJV)

Taking a trip somewhere can be fun, unless you run into a problem.  If you are traveling by car and you have a flat tire or some car problem, it has the potential to ruin your trip.  Normally, if you have a problem with your car, you just fix the problem and go on.  If you don't keep going, no matter what the problem is, then you will never reach your destination.  No matter how minor or severe the problem is, the best thing to do is to keep on going and do what you need to do to reach your destination.

In Matthew 14, we see Jesus going to be by Himself.  This happened right after John the Baptist, who was a relative of Jesus, was killed by Herod.  This was obviously a terrible thing and not something Jesus or any of His family would have been happy about.  But it is interesting to see how that after Jesus goes away to be by Himself, that a multitude of people came to Jesus and that Jesus had compassion on them and healed them.  Even though He had experienced a problem, Jesus kept on going and doing the will of God.

In spite of the difficult situation He was dealing with, Jesus kept on going and helped those who came to Him.  No doubt Jesus was saddened by what happened to John the Baptist, but Jesus knew what His mission in life was and He knew the best thing to do, no matter what happened, was to keep on going.  We all can experience difficulties, and even tragedy in our lives, but rather than stop and allow these things to hinder or define us, we need to keep on going in our walk with God and in the plan He has for our life.

Clean It Up

"How can a young man cleanse his way?  By taking heed according to your Word."
Psalm 119:9 (NKJV)

When I was a child, I did not always keep my room as clean as I should have.  Although my parents told me to clean my room, that meant something different to me than it did to them.  Today, people have different ideas about what it means to keep things clean, what a standard for cleanliness is, and even what is right and wrong.  What might be right in the eyes of one person for how they live their life, may be seen as completely wrong by another person.

People's ideas about things can be completely different, unless they have a similar standard.  This is the real problem in a lot of areas today, people's standards vary and for most people there is no real objective standard.  This can create problems because with no objective standard, people can do things all kinds of different ways, and right and wrong can mean different things to different people.  However, for Christians, our standard is God's Word, the Bible.  It shows us right and wrong and what is true and false. 

There are people today who ask the same kind of question that David asked in Psalm 119, how can I clean up my way of life and do things right?  David realized that in order to live the right kind of life he had to live his life according to God's Word, that is the only real objective standard we can use.  If we don't have a standard for what is right or wrong; our life will end up in a mess.  Our standard for life has to be God's Word.  By putting God's Word in first place in our life we will know how to live the right way and how to have a blessed life.

A Way In The Will Of God

"For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the Gospel of His Son, that without ceasing I make mention of you always in my prayers,
making request if, by some means, now at last I may find a way in the will of God to come to you."
Romans 1:9-10 (NKJV)

In the past, explorers would go out to find a way to get to a certain place.  People like Lewis and Clark had an idea of where they wanted to go, but they were not exactly sure how to get there.  These different explorers were determined to reach their goal, and while they may have had some general idea of how to get there, usually it was through a process of searching that they finally found the route they were looking for to get to where they wanted to go.

The Apostle Paul traveled to many different places and preached the Gospel to many different people.  Paul knew that it was God's will for him to preach the Gospel, that was God's general will for Paul and all of us as well.  Rome was one of the places that Paul wanted to go to, and he shared that desire when he wrote his letter to the people of Rome.  The phrase Paul used when he talked about this is very important, he wanted to "find a way in the will of God" to go to those people. 

Paul knew the general will of God, but Paul still needed to know how and when to do it.  This can happen for us too, how do we do what we know to do?  We need to find a way in the will of God.  First, we have to know God's will.  Then we can start to explore ways and methods of carrying out God's will by talking to God in prayer and considering the options we have in our life to do what we know we need to do.  As we take steps in the general will of God, we will find a way in the will of God to do what God has called us to do.

The Good Fight

"Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses."
1 Timothy 6:12 (NKJV)

There are many kinds of fights that can take place. People might fight over ideas, material possessions, or a location.  There are also different ways that people fight, either in some type of physical confrontation or with words.  But one thing is certain, the only kind of a fight that is a good fight is the one you are on the winning side of.  While it is true that not all fights need to be fought, if you are in a fight, and you want it to be a good fight, you would have to know how to win the fight.

In 1 Timothy 6:12, Paul encouraged Timothy to fight the good fight of faith.  In 2 Timothy 4:7, Paul said that he had fought the good fight, which means that he must have fought by faith.  Paul knew that the Christian life is a fight, and that the only way to win the fight was to fight in faith, because we are fighting a spiritual enemy, not a physical foe.  Paul understood that the only way for a Christian to fight is by faith, and Paul was successful because he knew how to fight the good fight of faith. 

Whether we like it or not, the devil is real and he will try to stop us from fulfilling the will of God in any and every area of our life.  So, what are we going to do?  We are going to have to fight the faith fight.  How do we do that?  We fight the fight of faith by keeping our focus on God and His Word and by speaking God's Word in any and every situation in our life.  No matter what we face, the way we deal with it, the way we fight the good faith fight, is to find out what God's Word has to say and then act on that in any way that we can and say what God's Word has to say.