Keep Walking

The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him;

though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.

Psalms 37:23-24

After forty years of wandering in the desert, the Israelites were preparing to cross the Jorden River. Moses was gone and Joshua was called by God to lead the people. The Israelites walked to the river and camped beside it for three days preparing themselves for the crossing. It was harvest season and the river was flooded making it very dangerous for over a million people to cross. Yet God told Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you as I was with Moses. Tell the priests who carry the ark of the covenant: ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan’s waters, go and stand in the river.’” (Joshua 3:7-8). God did not say to go to the river’s edge and wait, pray, or sing. To paraphrase it, God said to go to the river’s edge and keep walking into the flooded river where you might easily be swept away and drowned.

The priest followed God’s command. When the priest’s feet touched the water in the Jordon, the water upstream stopped flowing and piled up in a heap. All the people crossed over on dry ground while the priest stood in the middle of the river on dry ground. (Joshua 3:14-17). God did an amazing thing that day. But he only amazed the people after the first foot touched the water. God did not stop the river from flowing and wait patiently for the people to calm down and feel comfortable. No! God acted after seeing that the priest would trust and obey him.

God still wants to show us amazing things and bless us, but first we must step into the water. We must walk forward into an uncertain future to watch God shape our lives for the better. We must be willing to step into a new relationship, job, or ministry to see the new and amazing things God will do for us. God wants children who trust and obey even when the odds seem impossible. Though we cannot imagine how things could work for our good, with God all things are possible. (Mark 10:27).

From ancient days God has told people to walk in obedience to the Lord and our days will be long and prosperous. (Deuteronomy 5:33). This verse is after God gave the 10 commandments to Moses. God wants us to walk and he tells us what to do while we are walking. Through out the Bible there are numerous commands on how to behave, how to treat people, what to avoid, and how to worship. God tells us so many things to do while we are walking through this life.

He gave the Israelites hundreds of laws under the Mosaic covenant. Laws which governed every aspect of family, social, and national life. God was concerned about every detail of their lives. Nothing is missed by God. There is no detail too trivial for God to notice. He knows the number of hairs on our heads. He knows every time a sparrow falls to the ground. He holds the universe in his hands and still watches every detail of every living plant, animal, and person. There are 7.5 million people in this world. God calls each one by name and is able to hear the prayers of each one simultaneously.  God is truly amazing.

God does not call us to walk then abandon us to wander alone. He is there with us every step of the way. From the day we are conceived until after our death, God knows what is happening in our lives. He knows every thought before we think it. He sees every tear and every chuckle. He understands our heartaches, our joys, our rebellions, and our obedience. (Psalms 139). He is always only a breath away. He will never abandon us. (John 14:18)

When the Israelites did not obey the Lord, Moses intervened to spare them the wrath of the Lord. Then Moses told the Israelite that God sent him to lead them on their way. What God expected was for them to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees. (Deuteronomy 10:12-13). Even when they sinned God still told them to keep walking and what he expected of them while they were walking. If we are struggling to trust and obey God, he will still not abandon us. As long as we continue to call to him in the midst of our struggle. God will continue to guide us.

Psalms 23 tells us that even when we walk in darkness we do not need to fear for God will be with us. His rod and his staff will comfort us.  A rod and staff are the tools of a shepherd to keep the sheep from wandering off onto the wrong pasture or into the dangerous woods. The staff is a long piece of wood with a crooked end which can be used to pick a sheep up by the neck and turn it in a different direction. A rod is a type of club which is thrown in front of the sheep to stop it and make it run in a different direction. Both the rod and staff are uncomfortable and scary experiences for the sheep. But the shepherd uses them to guide the sheep and to prevent the sheep from making dangerous decisions.

Sometimes when God walks with us we fail to give him our attention and wander in the wrong direction. God, being the good shepherd will use uncomfortable and scary situations to lead us back to the good path he wants us to walk. In Psalms 138, the psalmist declares that when he walks in troubling times God will save his life and save him. God is always with us, we are never alone. He protects us and blesses us when we are obedient to him. He also redirects us when we wander the wrong way.

When Jesus called the first disciples, he was walking beside the Sea of Galilee. (Matthew 4:18) Jesus amazed people by healing the lame. He forgave sinners and commanded them to “get up and walk.”  Jesus called men to follow him as disciples, and fishers of men. He did not tell them to come sit with me, or pray with me, or sing with me. He said follow me. Over twenty times in the gospels, Jesus told people they must follow him. Jesus wants us walking through this world with him as our guide, leader, shepherd, and Lord.

Walking is an important part of life. As Christian we are called to follow Jesus, to act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8). As we go through our daily lives let us never forget that God is there with us.

Dear Lord, you are an amazing God. Your knowledge of us and our needs is overwhelming. Your ability to always be there in good times and bad times, reaches deep into my heart. Your love consumes me and leaves me weak. Thank you for being my God. Thank you for loving me so much and sharing your love with me. Let me never forget that you are as close as my breath.

Pointing Finger and Malicious Talk

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8.

It is easy to think of things which satisfy our flesh. Wanting to feel superior in our beliefs we point to other’s beliefs and explain how they are wrong, rather than examining ourselves for error. The Bible tells us all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. (Romans 2:23) If we commit one sin we have committed them all. (James 2:10) But somehow, we are slow to remember those things and quick to point our finger.

In Isaiah 58 God says he will hear our call for help if only we will put away the pointing finger and malicious talk. Even in ancient Israel people were pointing their fingers at others. It is a product of our human flesh to distract ourselves by searching for other people’s faults. Or to blame other people for what is wrong in the world around us, when we don’t know how to fix a situation. It feels better to blame someone else rather than to admit our confusion and lack of ability. This originates from our flesh which includes acts of hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions, and envy. (Galatians 5:19-21) All of these are motivations to finger pointing.

God calls us to put away things of the flesh and to walk in the freedom of the God’s love. (Galatians 5:13-15) To love one another. If we continue to fight with each other we will be destroying ourselves. If we continue to talk about how others are the real problem, in the end we hurt ourselves and our walk with God. We are called to develop the fruits of the spirit: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Controlling the tongue can be one of the most difficult fruits to develop in our lives.

Fruit growing on trees requires time to develop, sunshine and water, fertilizer and pruning.  In our lives the fruits of the spirit require time to develop, prayer and bible study, discipline and determination. When finding ourselves pointing a finger at someone or speaking from the flesh, we should stop and take a deep breath. Say a prayer to God for help. Then choose to speak differently. Chose to speak from the spirit not the flesh.

Keep your tongue from uttering malicious talk. If you want to live a life with good days you will learn to guard your tongue. (1 Peter 3:10) As Philippians 4:8 directs us, find something pure, lovely, or praiseworthy to say. Practice speaking well of others. If you can’t find anything good to say then offer a prayer for the person’s wellbeing. Praise God for the good things in your life. Ask God to guide you in the difficult areas of your life. Memorize and repeat scripture to remind yourself of God’s guidance.

Dear Lord, you are holy and worthy of all praise. From you we learn how to speak and how to love others. Teach us O lord to speak the words you want to hear. Show us how to change from malicious talk and pointing fingers to talk that is lovely, admirable, and praiseworthy. Call to our minds your words in the Bible. Lead us in all we say and do.

What is the Truth?

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6

One of the ways Jesus describes himself is “the Truth.” There is nothing false in him. He never lies or misleads people. Everything he says can be trusted. It is impossible for God to lie. (Hebrews 6:18) This should help us understand why the truth is so important. It is the very essence of what God is. When we stand in the truth we are standing with God himself. When we turn away from the truth we are turning away from God.

Our world is full of alternate truths, spins on the truth, misleading stories, and plain old lies. We need to be careful about what we see and hear. (Matthew 13:15-17) We need to commit ourselves to Godly discernment. (Psalms 119:125) When we allow ourselves to believe a lie we are walking closely with Satan. Jesus called Satan the father of lies, a murderer, and someone who does not stand in the truth. (John 8:44) Surely none of us wants Jesus to look at us and say we do not stand in the truth!

With social media, and 24-hour news how are we to know what is the truth? With so many stories, reports, and spins floating around in the cloud and into our homes, our eyes and ears, how do we discern truth from a lie? First and foremost, we turn to the source of all truth, that is God. We admit our inability to always know and humbly ask God to lead and guide us into His truth. We pray for God to help us see the world as He sees it. And we keep asking, keep praying, knowing that we are always subject to being misled by Satan and his lies. We are always dependent on God to guide us through each and every day.

Secondly, we study the Bible. Although the Bible is an ancient book with no references to our modern 24-hour, instantly available news, it still offers us a multitude of truths. When we read and study daily we begin to view situations the way God views situations. Over time we hone our ability to use Godly discernment to separate truth from falsehood.

For example, the parable of the sower tells us much about God’s view of things. (Matthew 13, Luke 8, and Mark 4) God knows that even when good seed is distributed not all seeds will produce a crop. The sower distributed the seed in four places, on the path, on a rocky place, among thorns, and on good soil. Of the four paces only one produced a good crop. The other three places produced nothing good. By considering the truth as a seed distributed by God, we quickly realize how easily that truth may not have Godly results.

A path is a place for people to walk past the field, perhaps not even noticing the field. The seed is used to feed the birds not for a crop. If your life is full of activities and busyness you may be walking the path constantly and not notice the seed or truth growing in the field. Your activities may be good and honorable things involving children, work, or church, but if you do not have time for prayer and Bible study you will become easily lead away from the truth.

A rocky place is often covered in shallow soil which prevents the roots from growing deep into the soil and nourishing the plant. The seed germinates but its roots will hit rock and have no nourishment. Some people live a shallow life. They chase after the trending news. They easily believe what satisfies their opinions and never take time to look deeper into the matter. The truth does not grow in their lives because they follow anything which provides emotional excitement. The deeper truths of God will pass by them.

Other seed fell among thorns which choked out the crop. Sometimes people have difficult lives. They can’t find a good job. There are health issues and medical bills. There could be addiction or abuse in their lives. These things can have an emotional effect on people and cause them to struggle with God and his guidance. A person abused as a child, may not be able to consider any father loving. A person with health issues may wonder, why the Bible talks about healing when God has not healed me. This can cause the truth to be choked out of a person’s life. It becomes a struggle to trust and obey when we feel God has disappointed us.

Then there is the seed which falls on good ground. This represents people who are willing to listen and willing to be taught. People willing to spend time studying a matter and comparing it to other truths. Someone who is not searching for an emotional high but rather is able to accept the truth even when it requires making changes. This is the seed that bears fruit and produces a hundredfold crop.

It may be depressing to know many people are not good ground for the truth. There are many who reject the truth as foolishness. Others are too busy or lazy to search for the truth and accept anything handed to them. Some cannot let go of what life has given then to fully take hold of the truth. But the parable tells us when God distributes his word or the truth enough seed will flourish to produce a hundredfold crop. God’s word does not come back to him empty. There is always a crop. God will always tell us the truth. God’s purpose is always accomplished. (Isaiah 55:11)

What must we do to fully search for and embrace the truth? First stay in a close relationship with Jesus. Let him guide you in all you do. Pray. Attend Bible studies. Let the truth of Jesus wash over you day after day. Jesus said that if we ask it will be given to us. If we search we will find. If we knock the door will be opened. Pray over Matthew 7:7 and ask Jesus to guide you in your search for truth.

There are also practical ways to find the truth. When studying the Bible use a commentary to help illuminate what you are reading. A wonderful resource for commentaries is this web page https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/. Which has 110 commentaries. I recommend you start with William Barclays Daily Study Bible https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/dsb.html.

Books to read include The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment by Tim Challies,  Parables: The Mystery of God's Kingdom Reveled through the Stories Jesus Told by John MacArthur.

When you hear a person speaking on non-religious matters and wonder if it is true, there are a few internet sites which debunk popular opinions floating around in our culture.

https://www.factcheck.org/ a non-partisan site trying to search for the truth on both sides of the aisle.

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/ Gives a more in-depth research of why political statements are true or false.

https://www.snopes.com/ Covers urban legends and viral stories.

I recommend being very careful when watching network news. FoxNews has a conservative bias while CNN is liberal leaning. If you watch only one channel you will hear only one side of the story. Be careful with reports that are all opinion with no facts to substantiate the story. If you truly want to know if a subject is reported truthfully rather than completely biased, then pray and ask God to help you hear the truth. Do some research at the library, bookstore, or internet sites. Pray for God to lead you to truthful material.

There is not always time to research everything we hear. But be careful of accepting anything handed to you. Do not let your emotions lead your opinions.

In Matthew 13:11-13 Jesus said, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. ¹² Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. ¹³ This is why I speak to them in parables: “Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.”

Those that have and will be given more are the ones who study and search for the truth. In their search they find more truth than they had before. Those that do not have and what they have will be taken away are the ones who refuse to study, refuse to search for truth. The little knowledge that they have will evaporate from their minds and they will accept anything which comes their way.

Diligently work to become a person who sees and hears the truth.

 “Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem, look around and consider, search through her squares. If you can find but one person who deals honestly and seeks the truth, I will forgive this city. 

Jerimiah 5:1

Dear Lord, Thank you for hearing my prayers. Thank you for answering when I ask. Give me eyes that see your truth and ears which hear your truth. Guide me through the onslaught of information around me. Help me to navigate around the lies and towards the truth. As your son is the truth, I want to learn to fully embrace your truth in my life. Let the search for truth always be one of the desires of my heart.