Time Thieves

I heard pastor Levi Lusko say in a sermon:  "If the devil can't kill you, he will settle for your potential."  This is true.  Satan is not able to overpower God, nor is he able to destroy the souls of those purchased by Christ as His prized eternal possession.  Since the devil does not own us, God has set limits on what he can do.  But if we willingly yield to satanic suggestions - allowing him footholds in our lives through sin, disobedience, or distractions - we can become mired in sin and powerless to extricate ourselves.  It is not that we are without power through Christ, but we can be clueless of our true condition.  Coddled by a belief system, we can turn a blind eye to our lack of victory, power, and holiness.  We only admit being distracted when we realise we have embraced a substitute for what we truly ought to be doing.

As I preached last Sunday at Calvary Chapel Sydney on the second half of 1 Corinthians 7, the LORD gave me fresh insight on the power distractions can have in our lives.  The analogy He showed me was the picture of how I worked to distract my kids when they were little.  Mum needed a break, so I would spend an hour or two playing games, reading books, throwing and catching, or building with blocks.  My job was to keep the boys occupied with activities so Laura could have some much needed and deserved rest after a long day.  There were some days I had things I needed to accomplish, so turning on the TV helped me happily occupy my little couch potatoes.

It occurred to me that when a man is born again, Satan seeks to occupy our minds and turn our affections towards things of the world.  If he can no longer control us, the devil will settle for distracting us.  If the devil is successful in distracting us, he can accomplish more of his work!  A distracted person always fails to operate at full potential.  Distraction causes us to lose focus on the important matter at hand.  A distracted driver is a dangerous driver.  It is impossible for us to process too many things simultaneously.  If the TV, a book, or our phones have our attention, we will not listen well when someone is speaking to us.  The devil knows this too.  Therefore he labours to encumber and inundate us with distractions to keep us from the purpose God has for each one of us.  He cannot kill us, but if he can distract us he can prevent God using us for His glory.

Now I have heard people refer to common distractions - television, mobile phones, social media, the internet, career pursuits, sports - as "thieves" which rob us of time with God and rob Him of glory.  But I am convinced this is an incorrect view.  Inanimate objects, things, and activities do not possess the ability to steal anything.  No one blames a car for stealing itself, and the TV does not magically turn on without help.  Stealing only can occur by direct actions of a living person or being.  Jesus contrasted Himself with the devil in John 10:10:  "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."  Satan, being a living spirit, is capable of stealing things.  Unlike objects or activities, he has the ability to exercise his will to commit sin and steal.  So these distractions, these "time and affection thieves," as we might call them, have been conveniently used as a cover up for the real criminals:  you and me!

We are the thieves!  The issue is one of the heart.  God has richly given us everything for our enjoyment.  Our tendency is to become self-centred and self-absorbed with the gifts rather than delighting ourselves in the Giver.  Being distracted is a choice we make, which ultimately becomes a habit.  We then become complacent, having an uncritical satisfaction with ourselves concerning our lifestyle, ways of thinking, and actions.  When we allow ourselves to be undisciplined and distracted, we choose to rob God of His time and glory.  We likely do not frame it with malicious intent, but robbing God of His time is the end result.  Some people are very protective of their "time."  Us Christians who have been bought with a price have given God ownership of our lives.  Our souls have become God's possessions, our bodies are also God's, and "our" time left on the earth has become - you guessed it - God's time!  Satan delights to distract men to waste God's time and sap our potential God has graciously given.

Once we realise it is not the phone, nor the internet, our hobbies, or the TV that are thieves but we are actually to blame, the first steps can be taken back to God through confession and repentance.  As you seek the LORD in humility and submission, examine your use of time throughout the day.  Analyse when and how you become distracted.  But I caution you not to fall into the trap of simply eliminating things from your life without intentionally replacing them with spiritual disciplines.  Throwing out the TV doesn't begin to touch the areas in your heart which caused TV to distract you from God's purposes and directives.  Deleting that app will not change the way you think or renew you in the spirit of your mind.  That is why we ultimately fit another distraction into the empty slot.  We need to take to heart and put into practice Ephesians 4:22-24:  "That you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, ²³ and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, ²⁴ and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness."

Our walk with Jesus is not aimless or random, but intentionally cooperating with God according to His Word and the leading of the Holy Spirit.  Satan is a thief, but he delights in others doing his dirty work:  who better than God's own children?  A distraction enjoyed becomes a temptation leading to bondage and separation from God.  If we are stealing time from God throughout the day, we will become increasingly distant from Him.  Distractions keep us from hearing the LORD or even noticing He has spoken.  We cannot blame the devil, anyone, or anything for our failings.  Let us own them, admit our guilt, and follow God's plan so we might know Christ and walk in the power of His resurrection!

Living in the Dark?

Both the houses we have rented in Australia have shared at least one thing in common:  the lighting has been ordinary.  For non-Aussies out there, "ordinary" means very poor!  There is not nearly enough lights for our liking, and the light fixtures are a hodgepodge of different styles and bases.  The renters before us in both homes used all kinds of different globes:  frosted, clear, and florescent.  Nearly half of the globes of both houses were spent when we moved in, and the others didn't last for long!  Some of the globes demanded too many watts, and others were so dim they were virtually worthless.  Over time we have achieved consistency with the lighting, though in most rooms the light is poor for reading.

Last night I noticed our bathroom was much more dim than usual.  The light fixture has three spots for globes, and one has been missing since we moved in.  The globe over the sink went out, which left the bathroom ridiculously dark.  So I went to the closet and grabbed a couple of compact florescent globes as replacements.  After installing the globes I was amazed with the difference.  It occurred to me that all along we had been living in darkness!  With two of the three lights working, it was not nearly as bright as when all three were operational.  For all that time we had been in relative darkness, and didn't even know it.

It made me think about the Bible - God's Word - that is a lamp for our feet and a light for our path (Ps. 119:105, Prov. 6:23).  After we are born again through repentance from sin and faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit takes up residence within us.  For the first time, we are able to see spiritually.  The reality is, however, even after we begin following Jesus we can remain in relative darkness.  We continue living in the same body with the same mind and in many ways is like taking over a house from a previous renter.  We are new renters, but in the same old house.  Christ is now our new owner, but the evidence of neglect and distance from God in daily living is still evident.  As we read the Word, illuminated by the Holy Spirit, light is shed upon our lives and we realise we have had light, but to a degree we have been living in the dark.  We begin to walk in the light when we confess we have erred, we agree with God concerning His correction, and take necessary steps to obey.

When the light shown brighter in my bathroom, it had an immediate effect of making me want to clean.  Increased illumination opened my eyes to neglected tasks I did not notice before.  As we walk with Jesus, embracing our own sanctification is part of our calling.  We cannot content ourselves in the old ways of thinking and living when the Light of the World has illuminated our hearts.  Ephesians 4:22-24 exhorts "...that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, ²³ and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, ²⁴ and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness."  What a difference light makes in a house, and how much more pronounced should the transformation be in a heart enlightened by Jesus!  I am convinced we must shine the light of God's Word upon our hearts, actions, and embrace obedience as led by the Spirit before we can shine extraordinarily in this world for Jesus.

God Hears and Yields

I have been blown away of late by this simple fact:  God listens to people.  The prayer of one person has changed the course of nations.  We may think because God is sovereign over all and already knows His complete, ultimate plan, everything is fairly set.  Though God does have a plan, many times we observe in scripture God in heaven listens and heeds the prayers of people who simply pray.  This really is an amazing thing, that lowly man can have an audience with God - and God listens to us when we speak to Him!

Think about the powerful and influential men and women in the world today.  No man easily gains a personal audience with them.  You might write a letter to a politician, but it may never even reach their desk.  They have layer upon layer of attendants and handlers to deal with the requests, calls, e-mails, and ideas of people.  Even if you were able have a phone conversation or a face-to-face meeting with a prime-minister or president of a company, it is utterly unlikely your suggestions would impact the plans which have already been set in motion!  The fact is, to offer suggestions to the Prime Minister on policies from the position of a "man on the street" cannot take into account all the politicking taking place behind closed doors.  We see only a fraction of the big picture.  Since this is the case, what wisdom or insights could a Prime Minister hope to gain from a United States transplant like me, who has only been in country for four years?  From his perspective, I can't see any upside for him agreeing to such a meeting!

If the divide between men can be great, how much more of a infinite chasm stretches between the Creator God and shortsighted man!  Yet God has granted all who trust in Him an audience in His throne room of grace to find mercy and help in time of need (Heb. 4:16).  He does not squeeze us into a 10 minute time slot because He is too busy or important to spare more time.  And wonder of wonders, we can directly impact His decisions.  Does this blow your mind?  Many times in scripture we see God make a statement, only to willingly adjust it according to a direct request from one of His servants.  God does not only hear prayers, but He answers them.  There are many recorded instances in scripture when God was willing to alter His "plan" because of supplications from His children.  It's true that sometimes says "No," but that does not change the fact He also says "Yes" to requests!  Here are several examples:

• God revealed to Abraham He was going to destroy Sodom and the surrounding cities due to their great wickedness.  The text says Abraham "drew near" and asked if God, being a righteous Judge, would destroy the righteous with the wicked.  Genesis 18:23-33 contains the dialogue of the interaction, and Abraham reasoned with the LORD.  Instead of a wholesale destruction, Abraham received God's promise Sodom would be spared completely if there were only 10 righteous people within the city.  God heeded the voice of Abraham.
• When the children of Israel worshiped the golden calf Aaron made during the absence of Moses as he met with God to receive the Law on Mt. Sinai, God told Moses He was going to destroy all the people of Israel and make of Moses a great nation instead.  Moses protested and pleaded with God on behalf of the people, and God listened.  Exodus 32:13-14 reads:  "Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Your own self, and said to them, 'I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven; and all this land that I have spoken of I give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.'" ¹⁴ So the LORD relented from the harm which He said He would do to His people."
• Elijah was a man like the rest of us, but God shut the heavens at his earnest request.  It says in James 5:17-18:  "Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. ¹⁸ And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit."  When Elijah prayed for rain again, God heard and caused torrential rain to fall the same day.
• Nineveh was a city God sent Jonah the prophet to warn of impending destruction:  "Yet 40 days and Nineveh shall be overthrown!"  When the people heard of their imminent overthrow, from the least to the greatest they mourned, fasted, and wore sackcloth and ashes.  Though they were Gentiles, they believed God.  God responded and repented from the evil He was planned to bring upon them (Jonah 3:5-10).

God responds to more than mere words:  He is looking for faith demonstrated by works.  God invites whosoever will to repent of sin and come and reason with Him.  Would you refuse the opportunity to converse with your Maker?  Isaiah 1:16-20 says, "Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes. Cease to do evil, ¹⁷ learn to do good; seek justice, rebuke the oppressor; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow. ¹⁸ "Come now, and let us reason together," says the LORD, "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool. ¹⁹ If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land; ²⁰ but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword"; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."  God has spoken, and His Word shall come to pass.  However, this does not mean He will not heed the voice of those who cry out to Him in faith.  David the shepherd wrote in Psalm 34:6, "This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles."

We need not be rich or influential in this world to have an audience with God.  God has invited us to reason with Him, and it is not a token "meet and greet" with a handshake and signed photo:  by God's grace we have the freedom to converse with God, to praise and thank Him, and make our requests known to God.  Who knows?  In the meekness of His wisdom, God is willing to yield at the voice of a man.  This mind-blowing fact rejoices the heart!

Time for Temple Inspection!

"What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? ²⁰ For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

When I visited the Temple Institute in Jerusalem this year, it was exciting the see the many preparations undertaken for the rebuilding of the Temple.  Our tour was led through a maze of rooms displaying artwork, models, the ephod and breastplate which will be worn by the high priest, the table of showbread, the altar of incense, and silver trumpets.  As the guide presented the articles and talked of the future temple, there was a sense of awe and excitement.  With all the expense and effort being expended in preparation for the building of the third temple, one might think the temple was always reverenced, being the dwelling place of God.  A brief examination of biblical Jewish history proves otherwise!  Though the Jews were the people God chose as His own, committed to them His Laws, and dwelt among them, the condition of the temple varied greatly.  When we realise that under the New Covenant of Christ's blood born-again Christians are now the temple of the Holy Spirit, looking back at the conditions which existed is instructive in self-examination.

So what are some of the negative conditions we find in the tabernacle or temple historically?  Here is a brief and hardly exhaustive list:

• The priests did not know the LORD, robbed God of sacrifices brought by the people, and fornicated with women in the tabernacle - 1 Samuel 2:12-24
• The light was allowed by the priests to burn out at night - 1 Samuel 3:1-4
• In the days of Joash there were leaks and gaps, the Levites were slack to organise repairs, and Athaliah's son's had broken into the temple and presented the holy things to idols - 2 Chronicles 24:2-7
• King Ahaz took the holy vessels and cut them into scrap, polluted the holy place, and sealed the doors of the temple - 2 Chronicles 28:24
• Hezekiah commanded the unsanctified Levites to sanctify themselves and cleanse the holy place.  The doors had been shut, lamps extinguished, and no incense or burnt sacrifices had been offered - 2 Chronicles 29:4-7
• The holy place was polluted with so much filth it took 8 days to cleanse it - 2 Chronicles 29:16-17
•  The book of the Law was lost in the temple, and therefore it had not been read, heard, or obeyed - 2 Chronicles 34:15-21
• The high priest Eliashib allied himself with the Ammonite Tobiah, an enemy of Israel.  He prepared a large room for Tobiah to live in which should have been reserved as a storeroom for tithes and offerings - Nehemiah 13:4-5
• On two occasions Jesus cleansed the temple of moneychangers, animals, and kept merchants from using the temple as a thoroughfare - Mark 11:15-17, John 2:13-18

The people God had tasked to build the temple as a house of prayer did not always maintain the purity and reverence of which God is worthy.  This fact should lead to a critical question for every born-again Christian to consider:  what is the current condition of my temple?  Have I robbed God of sacrifices?  Are there impurities in the holy place?  Have I misplaced and ignored the Word of God?  Since we are called priests unto God, have I been slack to be sanctified and do the work of the ministry?  Have I allied myself with enemies of God and provided them space to live and oppose God's work in my heart?  We observe when the nation of Israel was ruled by a wicked king who promoted idolatry, the temple and worship of God was polluted and neglected.  It is the same for us.  Should we allow ourselves to be ruled by sin, lusts, and pride, our temple falls into spiritual disrepair.

Praise God that in every case mentioned above, there remained sure hope and help when people returned to the LORD in humility, repentance, and obedience.  This means there is hope for those who have not kept their temple in holiness and purity.  Even if the temple has been utterly destroyed, it can be rebuilt.  Twice the temple was destroyed, but the Bible reveals it will be built again.  God is more concerned about the people created in His image than mere buildings fashioned by the hands of men.  Those who destroy the temple God will judge, as it is written in 1 Corinthians 3:16-17:  "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? ¹⁷ If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are."  We are to remain pure in a world filled with sin because our God is holy.  2 Corinthians 6:16 reads, "And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people."

Allow me to close with an excellent exhortation from 1 Peter 2:5-12:  "...You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶ Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, "Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame." ⁷ Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, "The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone," ⁸ and "A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense." They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed. ⁹ But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; ¹⁰ who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy. ¹¹ Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, ¹² having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation."