Friday, December 21, 2018

How To Enjoy Christmas...EVEN IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT!

Well this will be another year alone for Christmas that makes 6 in a row! I won't give my reasons for it but heck I deserve it. I foolishly put my eggs in one basket and counted on someone else for happiness and truthfully I am not any happier-if anything it's worse. However, that is my fault! So I was looking for a way to help others not only cope with the loneliness of Christmas for many but how to thrive. I found this article by J. Rosewater and from a secular standpoint it just makes sense...so here it is and I won't say Merry Christmas-oh wait...I just did!


9

How to Enjoy Christmas Even if You Don't Like It

Updated on April 8, 2017

Here it comes again

The end of December is not a jolly ho-ho-ho time if you don't like Christmas. It can be depressing and can really bring home your lack of success in all the areas of your life. The fun and joy some people seem to have at this time of the year underlines your inability to even LIKE it a little.
It's over the top, it's expensive, it's sometimes false and artificial, it's commercial, it's visible and audible, and it's EVERYWHERE. No place to run and hide: especially if you are part of a family. This is a time that can really depress you because no matter how hard you try, you can't force yourself to be jolly and full of goodwill. You fail to see the fun part, and everyone would ask you why if you even opened your mouth to say anything to the contrary of how they celebrate.
You must have fun. You must enjoy it. You must join in. You must be crazy if you don't like this.
Are you one of the people who can't stand Christmas? Well, despite all of the above, be happy to know you are not alone. Thousands of people can't stand everything that goes on at this time of the year. They decry the fact Christmas is starting earlier each year. It's becoming more and more outrageously expensive. It doesn't mean much any more except a big spending frenzy, and they can't get any peace until it's all over. Roll on January 6!
The bad news is that Christmas is bigger than any of the people who hate it. It's not about to be canceled for lack of interest any year soon.
So you must find ways to get your peace even though it goes on. And on. You must - for sanity's sake - find at least one thing you can enjoy.
There are two ways I can see right now: controlled participation or complete avoidance.

Image from Gaywood Press
Image from Gaywood Press

Controlled participation

Let's face it: this thing is bigger than you. If you can't avoid it, you certainly can avoid the controversy that comes when people think you are a wet blanket, or that you are going to rain on their parade.
So don't. You will get much more peace and acceptance if you outline your position to yourself, and then tell it to your family and friends. Face them with a decision of what you are prepared to do. Find what you hate most and try to delegate it to someone else, and do stuff you tolerate the best. Make deals.
Say to your family: Look, I hate shopping. Bring everything home and I'll wrap and label. Or you can say: Look, I hate family Christmas dinners: let's have a picnic this year. or: Look, I can't stand all those decorations and tree. Let's go minimal and do just one room or the porch.
Show them you are not going to be a pain and try to cancel or ruin everything, but you need to limit your participation. Say: I won't cook, but I'll pour drinks and load the dishwasher. Say: I won't stay up all night, but I'll make you a lovely brunch the next day. Say: We won't give everyone a present... just one general gift per family. Say: Let's make a pact and decide about a Kris Kringle arrangement. Say: I already have bought gifts, so I won't be braving the shops right now.
Plan, control and participate to the extent you are willing to, without overstepping the mark that makes you grouchy. Compromise. Deal. Haggle. Bargain.
Show what you are willing to do, in exchange for things you simply can't face.

Complete avoidance

There's always the clean getaway. But don't do it without telling anyone. Plan an escape well before time (that's why I'm writing this in November!).
Plan to be away right at Christmas, although I cannot guarantee you won't find it where you're going. True, they don't have Christmas in some places, so plan a holiday somewhere devoid of celebration. Let everyone know. Say you'll phone once or twice, and then head for that yacht for a sail on the wide blue ocean.
Plan a long trek, a big voyage or a visit to some group that feels like you. That will be very enjoyable. But like I said - plan, announce, share.
Image from Heart Reflections
Image from Heart Reflections

Blue

Christmas is when sad people get sadder. Failure, depression, lack of real success and disasters that happened during the year all come home to roost at Christmas. When everyone else seems out of their mind with joy, you are gritting your teeth and trying to get a grip on yourself.
If you feel like this, think of the thousands like you who are just getting through.
Think of the positive things:
Although it might seem like it sometimes, Christmas does not last long.
Although everyone seems jolly and happy, many of them are not. They just fake it better than you.
Although you feel isolated, it's just a spike, and everything will simmer down when you'll feel part of the group or family again.
Although you sense you are unfeeling and a grouch, it's only temporary.
Although you watch yourself gritting your teeth, many won't notice unless you are really horrible.
Although you feel you can't take it this year, you probably can.
Although you feel you won't have any fun, you can manage something worthwhile for yourself.
If Christmas makes you blue, promise yourself a little break: an interval, a gap... get away somewhere for a little while, breathe, close your eyes, and watch yourself wait. You can wait quite happily. It'll be over soon.
Reward yourself for being able to wait happily.

Get rid of SHOULD

Don't operate on the word SHOULD. Do not let that word push your buttons. Do not say it to yourself or to others.
And if it is said to you, ignore it. A lot of people will say things to you that will irritate the heck out of you, but it's only their way of trying to figure you out and to get you to come into line. They all hate it when someone will not cooperate!
Don't react to the word should.
Cooperate to the extent that you can: and let people know how far you are willing to join in and share the jollity (which for you is forced).
Look in the mirror and say to yourself: okay... how much am I willing to do this year? And smile. Do what you plan, and pat yourself on the back for managing it so well.

Friday, November 30, 2018

READY FOR BATTLE

Daily Devotional November 30, 2018

Alistair Begg

. . . Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back.
Revelation 12:7
War always will rage between the two great sovereignties until one or the other is crushed. Peace between good and evil is an impossibility; to pretend otherwise would signal a victory for the powers of darkness. Michael will always fight; his holy soul is vexed with sin and will not endure it. Jesus will always be the dragon's foe, and not in any quiet sense but actively, vigorously, with full determination to exterminate evil. All His servants, whether angels in heaven or messengers on earth, will and must fight; they are born to be warriors. At the cross they enter into a covenant never to make a truce with evil; they are a warlike company, firm in defense and fierce in attack. The duty of every soldier in the army of the Lord is every day, with all his heart and soul and strength, to fight against the dragon.
The dragon and his angels will fight back; they are incessant in their onslaughts, prepared to use every kind of weaponry. We are foolish to expect to serve God without opposition: The more zealous we are, the more we can expect to be attacked by the ruffians of hell. The church may become lazy, but her great antagonist does not; his restless spirit never allows the war to pause; he hates the woman's seed and would happily devour the Church if he could. The servants of Satan share a great deal of the old dragon's energy and are usually an active crew. War rages all around, and to dream of peace is dangerous and futile.
Glory be to God, we know the end of the war. The great dragon will be cast out and forever destroyed, while Jesus and those who are with Him will receive the crown. So let us sharpen our swords tonight, and ask the Holy Spirit to make us ready for the conflict. Battle was never so important, and the crown never so glorious. Every one to their positions as warriors of the cross, and may the Lord tread Satan under your feet shortly!

Saturday, September 15, 2018

Narcissist Hell!

Before you read this I would like to admit I cried a few tears. I really didn't think I was so vulnerable to pain in others. I don't know this woman but I think I know someone like her to a degree. I hurt for this woman for reasons I won't go into but it truly hurts. There are so many others, men and women who have experienced this HELL that is described here. Please be careful with your life. Every time I hear of a man or woman being abused, used, beaten down verbally I feel anger and rage. Sometimes the plight of someone in this kind of agony is too much to bear. I won't go to prison for the wrong someone does to another unless it is legal to do so. Here is the real crux of the matter-our choices in life. Remember this: In spite of the craziness that feminists are spouting, not every man or woman is bad news. There really exists love that can last a lifetime. However, the wrong choices in the heat of the moment can have devastating effects that may last your whole lifetime...KNOW the person you are thinking of hitching your wagon to.


OK, I admit the duress I was under has been exchanged for peace most of the time.  There is a man in my life who is kind, loving and understanding. I shouldn't need to be with my narcissistic ex-husband, right? Unfortunately, that is not the case at times. Experiencing battered wife or battered husband syndrome does not go away the moment the abuser leaves, that's what I realized. What I didn't realize is that it actually takes years and I have kept this guy I love waiting for me to get better. I have my own life but the urge to go back still crops up. My daughter tells me how much he misses me and that he is a changed person. He even treats me just like he did before we married when I have to attend events with him, my son, and daughter. However, I met one of his ex-girlfriends she says he's a monster. Was it just sour grapes or was it real truth? See what I mean, I want to blame her.

For a while I got totally lost and starting wondering how can I get this person back what should I do how do I go about making this happen? What I did end up realizing was that all the sadness of periodic disapproval with rejection, heartache and emptiness that I felt was not because I needed his warm love back in my life, a normal yearning for someone is if the person being missed was a loving person. Then I remembered, the only warm love I got was SEX and the joy only came from my giving in to this person because he did not provide warmth outside of sex, in fact, I was lucky because amid all the turmoil there were some good times. So I was left confused, but I think for me, the void that I felt was everything that he had stripped from me. I had been living in an abusive relationship for many years being demeaned, yelled at , controlled, made fun of , bullying my son behind my back, stripping me of any of my emotions because if I spoke up the whole house would pay. So yes, there was a huge void, it was everything that he had taken from me, which was control of my life.

I believe I felt lost and sorrow because of what I've lived through those past years and if there was a yearning for him, after his behavior, that surely that was from a confused woman, that woman being me. I try not to dwell on that, but remind myself that even if I did miss the creep, that there is something wrong with that, it has to be from the battered woman syndrome. Do you know I never even suffered anxiety attacks until I married this man. I never new how much I craved the words, "you look beautiful or pretty." It was always about SEX! They bring you right to the edge of acceptance and then drop you off a cliff emotionally when they don't approve of something you said or did.

So what I know AS A FACT , is that I had to be very aware and in the moment with my thinking, because if I wasn't, I would be thinking that this horrible sadness is because I need to be abused again, no, I do not need to be with an abuser again. I remember his incredible sex drive that drove me crazy. He lavished upon himself while I had to struggle to acquire anything. If I stepped out of line, he would tirade against me for hours and days sometimes. There may have been a lull in the anxiety but it only got worse as I grew more independent. I tell myself over and over I have to get over these confusing feelings and remember what the truth really was!

The truth I try not to confess is that I slowly but surely became a victim of abuse and it was very calculated and evil on his part. But then when you remember his tirades how could be so calculated?Maybe he's just sick in the head! Folks, person that has lived through such abuse is left so very confused that often it takes someone else to pull the victim out because the victim is not mentally capable any longer. If he had decided to walk out on his own, you would thank your lucky stars, otherwise the person would still be in your life. It took a very wise pastor/counselor of mine to get me away from the narcissist that was controlling me, otherwise I'm afraid that it's quite possible I would still be with him. And in the next breath I miss him or something about him, what a mess!

Its been 5 years since our divorce and I have to admit that once in awhile I will get that abnormal yearning of wanting the abuser back, so I lecture myself, “it's okay, you're doing a great job, and everything can only get better, because he's not controlling your life anymore,” except I realize that I don't fit in with my son and daughter in some more intimate ways because they are under his spell. Even abused you are still part of family, and I miss being part of all that they have together, but I also remember they were abused too, they just chose not to fight their way out of the web. The real hard part is that I see a lot of my ex's narcissism in my son and I am afraid for him. I blame myself for that because I should have seen it coming.

I have told myself so many times I can't take care of me but I also realize I must. Being poor and alone is better than being abused and used. I'm in the driver's seat now and that's where I plan on staying. I've gone back into counseling because there was so much I left uncovered the first time I went. And yes, I have lost the man who was so loving to me. His patience ran out and I can't blame him. I think the worst thing in the world is for a woman to fall for a Narcissist. Dear God, will this ever end? Will I ever truly be whole again?


Ted, you can't even imagine the anxiety and turmoil that you go through after you leave. It's like you were bitten by a vampire and still need them to draw blood from you periodically and yet you know how dangerous that could be. Please tell my story.
Still Suffering in KY.


See you next blog,
Ted

Sunday, September 9, 2018

We Are All Big, Fat Liars.


According to the book The Day America Told the Truth, we are a nation of liars:
 
86% lie regularly to their parents.
75% lie to their friends.
73% lie to their siblings.
69% lie to their spouses.
43% lie about their jobs.

Yes, I am copying Pastor Ray Pritchard's blog, why? He tells the truth here. Just a few years ago I decided I would post and say what I believe even if it costs me my friends and readers. It is important to be up front with each other and I would rather people treat me the same way. Even little "white lies" are still lies and God abhors it. Even if you are angry about the title and what I wrote here at the top please read this:




Ray Pritchard
Keep Believing Ministries
Shawnee, Kansas
 
Stop Swearing!
James 5:12

We are all big, fat liars.

I ran across that statement in an article with a provocative title: 60% of People Can't Go 10 Minutes Without Lying. It begins this way:
 
“There are two things you can say for sure about human beings: our opposable thumbs make us great at using tools, and we are all big, fat liars. By age four, 90% of children have grasped the concept of lying, and it just gets worse from there.”

Are you surprised by that?
I’m not.

We are all “big, fat liars.”
I know of no evidence to the contrary.

But it gets worse. According to the book The Day America Told the Truth, we are a nation of liars:

86% lie regularly to their parents.
75% lie to their friends.
73% lie to their siblings.
69% lie to their spouses.
43% lie about their jobs.

In a world where everyone lies, God calls his people to tell the truth. Consider this brief sample of what the Bible says on this subject:

Psalm 12:2—"Everyone lies to his neighbor; their flattering lips speak with deception."

Proverbs 6:16-19—"There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him . . . a lying tongue . . . a false witness who pours out lies."

Proverbs 14:5—"A truthful witness does not deceive, but a false witness pours out lies."

Ephesians 4:25—"Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor."

Colossians 3:9—"Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices."

Revelation 21:8—"But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters, and all liars—their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur."

Because truth matters to God, it ought to matter to us too. Christians should be preeminently people who speak the truth. But that’s not always the case, which is why James 5:12 says,
 
"Above all, my brothers, do not swear - not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your ‘Yes’ be yes, and your ‘No,’ no, or you will be condemned."

On one level, this appears to be only a prohibition against swearing, but it is actually much more than that. This verse teaches us the necessity of truthful speech. Let’s see what we can learn from it.
 

Its Crucial Importance


“Above all” (v. 12a).

When James says “above all,” he wants us to stop and think. In a letter filled with exhortation (there are over 50 commands in only five chapters), James only says one thing is “above all.”

Why is this so crucial?

I spent time with someone involved in ministry to students. Occasionally he is faced with difficult disciplinary decisions when the young people break the rules of the group. “I’ve dealt with everything you can imagine. Every sort of sexual sin. Cheating. Breaking the law. You name it, I’ve seen it,” he said.

During our discussion the man commented lying has almost become a non-issue today. Everyone lies, and they lie all the time. After discussing how people routinely lie to cover up their sin, he offered this conclusion:
 
"You can’t help a liar. You can help anyone struggling with any sort of sin as long as they tell the truth. But you can’t help a liar because you can’t trust anything he says."

Perhaps that’s why James uses the phrase “above all.” Without truthful speech, you can’t trust anything someone says.
 

Its Divine Origin


“Brothers” (v. 12b).

Sometimes we see the word “brother” in the New Testament and pass over it as unimportant, almost as if it’s a throwaway word. The Greek word translated “brother” means “one born from the same womb.” I have three brothers—Andy, Alan and Ron. The four of us are brothers because we were all born from the same womb. This is true in the spiritual realm also. In God’s family, we are all born from the same spiritual womb. This relationship transcends status, achievement, race, ethnic background, money, education, talent, language, culture, age, sex, or any of the many other barriers that divide the human race into different groups.

In John 14:6 Jesus declared, “I am the truth." In John 17:17 he said, “Your word is truth.” He gave this answer to a question by Pontius Pilate:
 
“I came into the world to bear witness to the truth. Everyone on the side of the truth listens to me” (John 18:37).

Are you on the side of truth?
Do you speak the truth?

If you claim to follow Jesus (who is the truth), and
If you claim to believe the Word of God (which is the truth), then
Should you not speak the truth?

In a world filled with lies, Christians should speak the truth. That’s the moral implication of the word “brothers.”
 

Its Specific Limitation


“Do not swear - not by heaven or by earth or by anything else” (v. 12c).

Now we come to the heart of this verse. Let’s get one thing out of the way first. When James uses the word “swear,” he’s not talking about curse words or sexually suggestive language. This isn’t a prohibition against unwholesome speech. You can find that in other verses, such as Ephesians 4:29-31 and Ephesians 5:3-4. Foul speech is ugly and unbecoming for a Christian, but that’s not on James’ mind in this verse.

James is thinking about swearing in the sense of making an oath to guarantee the truth of something, e.g. “Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?” The Jews were quite proficient at making oaths for all sorts of occasions. Sometimes they used God’s name to make ridiculous promises, which is why Leviticus 19:12 offers this stark warning: “Do not bring shame on the name of your God by using it to swear falsely. I am the LORD” (NLT). Note the word “falsely.” The Jews would make promises to do this or that, and they would guarantee it by adding God’s name. But in many cases, they never intended to keep the promise. They were using God’s name as a cover for their own deceit. A lie told in God’s name is worse because you have dragged the Lord into the mud with you.

Does James intend to prohibit all oath-taking, such as taking an oath on the witness stand? Some Christians believe the answer is yes. They will not “swear on the Bible” because of this verse (and others like it). While I don’t believe that’s what James had in mind, I don’t have a problem with fellow Christians who follow their conscience in this matter.

The real issue is how careless we’ve all become with the truth. It’s almost as if we assume no one tells the truth anymore. We talk about lies, white lies, and fudging the truth. That's why we say things like, “I swear on my mother’s grave.” I have no idea what that means.  My mother is buried next to my father in a peaceful cemetery in my hometown in Alabama. It’s a beautiful spot, but I would never say an oath where she is buried. Saying “I swear on my mother’s grave” is meant to guarantee I will tell the truth. But that doesn’t follow at all. If I’m going to tell the truth, I don’t need to bring my mother’s grave into it. The same is true if I am going to lie. It’s nonsensical.

Here are a few more examples:

“I swear to God.”
“I swear by all that’s holy.”
“I swear on a stack of Bibles.”
“Cross my heart and hope to die.”
“As God is my witness.”

One bit of historical detail may help us. In its most basic form, a Jewish oath had three parts. First, you made a promise. Second, you invoked God as a witness. Third, you declared God would punish you if you failed to keep your promise. That made it very serious. To get around that problem, the Jews developed a way of swearing that didn’t involve God’s name. They would swear by heaven or by earth or by “the throne of God” or by the hair on their head (Jesus mentions these examples in Matthew 5:33-37). They wanted to make a promise they had no intention of keeping, but they didn’t want to get God involved, so they would swear by something less than God's name. It’s what we used to do as kids when we made a promise to do something, but we crossed our fingers behind our back. We lied while pretending to tell the truth. That’s what the Jews were doing. They used swearing as an approved way to lie to one another. (For a discussion of what the Bible says about oath-taking, see Do Not Swear by Geoff Thomas.)

God takes your words seriously. He listens to what you say whether you mention his name or not. Perhaps you remember the children’s chorus that goes like this:

O be careful, little tongue what you say
O be careful, little tongue what you say
For the Father up above is looking down in love
So be careful little tongue what you say.

That’s exactly the point James is making.

Don’t promise to tell the truth.
Don’t swear to tell the truth.
Tell the truth!

Lying is a slippery slope. One lie leads to another and there is no end. Remember Peter in the courtyard. He lied to the servant girl, so he had to lie to the onlookers, so he had to lie to folks who knew the fellow whose ear he cut off (Malchus). In the end, he had to reinforce his lies with an oath.

Consider the simplicity of honesty. You don’t have to remember your lies when you tell the truth.
 

Its Clear Example


“Let your ‘Yes’ be yes, and your ‘No,’ no” (v. 12d).

If you mean to say yes, then say yes.
If you mean to say no, then say no.

Don’t leave the rest of us guessing about what you really mean. We have far too much passive-aggressive hemming and hawing, fake promises, or promises with a thousand conditions, or “maybe this or maybe that,” or the kind of studied indecision that takes forever to come to a conclusion, and then hedges it by trying to say yes and no at the same time.

What’s the point of all this?
Tell the truth.
Say what you mean and mean what you say.

It’s okay to say no. Sometimes that's the smartest thing to do, but we have trouble saying no because someone will get mad at us. So we make excuses,  we shuffle our feet, we say yes without conviction, or we say no and immediately start apologizing.

No wonder people don’t trust us.

We’ve all become accustomed to people not telling the truth. We’ve bought into fake news, shaded truth, and white lies to the point where we expect other people to lie to us. That’s why we have to say, “Tell us the truth.”

I’ve already said I don’t think this verse is primarily about taking an oath in a courtroom. Most of us won’t do that very often anyway. In my lifetime I’ve had to take an oath in a courtroom exactly once. James is working at a deeper level than that. He wants us to become men and women who tell the truth.

We fudge the truth so often that we have to say things like, “I’m going to be honest with you.” But if we were honest all the time, we’d never have to say those words.

The standard is both simple and daunting: tell the truth every time. Let your lips speak truth and not falsehood. No lies, no flattery, no “white lies,” no clever excuses, no misleading explanations.
 

Its Concise Warning


“You will be condemned” (v. 12e).

These words are for church folks, not outsiders. Remember, James is writing to the “brothers,” not to the pagans. Here’s a warning for people like you and me.

When we lie, we face the judgment of the Lord. We must someday give an account for every idle word we have spoken. By our words we will be justified, and by our words we will be condemned.

In a world wholly given over to lies, deceit, and dishonesty, the honest man or woman stands out in the crowd. God bless those people  . . .

Whose word is their bond,
Whose promises mean something,
Whose “yes” means yes, and
Whose “no” means no.

This matters because we serve a God who cannot lie (Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:18). Lying is not part of his personality. Our God does not lie because he cannot lie. If we claim to be his children, should we not live up to that high standard?

In recent days we have read much about the cover-up of sexual crimes by religious leaders. Under the guise of church authority, those leaders broke their vows and abused young people and sometimes abused children. This scandal is made much worse through the elaborate cover-up that is only now coming to light. I do not say those words to heap condemnation on anyone. Justice is coming and is already arriving. The faith of millions has been shaken because we ought to be able to trust those who claim to serve in the name of Christ.

I had someone say to me recently, “I don’t know who I can trust anymore.” He didn’t say it lightly but rather in a tone of despair.

Now is the time for every Christian to say, “By God’s grace, I will be a person of truth. With God’s help, I will live with integrity so that others can trust what I say.”

Having said that, even if we mean it, we must agree with James when he says, “We all stumble in many ways” (James 3:2). We have all fallen short in this area. We have all made promises we didn’t keep. We have all lied under pressure. We have said things we knew weren’t true, we have fudged the truth, we have told white lies, we have played fast and loose with the facts, and we have done it again and again.

What hope is there for any of us?

The Psalmist considered the whole human race and then threw his hands up in despair, saying, “All men are liars” (Psalm 116:11).  He was right about that. We are condemned by our own deceit. If God requires honesty, who will ever stand in the presence of the Lord? Only one man qualifies: the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the only honest man who ever lived. He never lied, never stretched the truth, and never deceived.

Twenty years ago the Promise Keepers movement swept America. I remember sitting with 80,000 men at Soldier Field one weekend as we promised to be men of integrity. It was a noble movement that helped many men (myself included). But there is only one true Promise Keeper, the Lord Jesus Christ. The rest of us are liars.

That’s why we need Jesus.
He spoke the truth because he was the truth.

He never cursed, yet he was cursed by God the Father.
He became a curse for our cursed race.
He who never sinned became sin for us.
He who never blasphemed was treated as a blasphemer.
He died for the murderers who murdered him.

Recalling his career as a slave trader, John Newton (author of the hymn “Amazing Grace”) called himself “the African blasphemer.” The blasphemer was saved by the death of the One who died in his place. Do you believe this? Your only hope in life and in death is the cross of Jesus Christ. Run to the cross! Do not delay or hesitate or say to yourself, “I don’t deserve this.” No, you don’t. That is why you should come now, come quickly, come while the door of heaven is still open to you.

John 1:14 says Jesus came to the earth “full of grace and truth.”

—To know Jesus is to know the truth.
—To follow Jesus is to follow the truth.
—To believe in Jesus is to believe the truth.
—To love Jesus is to love the truth.

That’s why truth-telling is so crucial for us. We know the truth, we have believed the truth, we have committed ourselves to following the truth. Therefore, we must become People of the Truth.

When will the lying end?
When God’s people decide to tell the truth!

Lord Jesus, come with your grace, come with your wisdom, and fill us with your power until your truth drives out all falsehood. Amen.

Sunday, August 12, 2018

What's In A Name-Does It Really Matter?

NATIVE American Indians were very specific about names. Sometimes a name may be derived from an event that happened at the time of birth, something they saw, or an event in one of the parents. Other cultures do something very similar. God's name is not only based on His power, His Authority, and His Omniscience but who He really is to all who call upon His name...



The Names of God and Why They Matter

BY DAVID JEREMIAH

Knowing God by His personal names is one of the greatest privileges for followers of Christ. The word God is found throughout the Bible, but the Lord reveals Himself more personally through the names with which He introduces Himself in Scripture. These names help us when we address Him in prayer. Just as we want to call people by the right term or name, so we want to address God with appropriate wisdom and reverence whenever we pray.
I’ve put together a survey of some of the amazing names that tell us in personal terms who our God is and what He is like.
These special names of God are an incredible blessing when you see them in the context of the Scripture. The ones I want to look at follow the same holy formula. They have Jehovah (or Yahweh) as the first part of the name, and then you’ll see a dash or hyphen, followed by the second part to the name. He is Jehovah-__________, and each of these remarkable Old Testament names tells us something wonderful about Him that enhances our worship.

Jehovah-Rohi: The Lord My Shepherd

Let’s start in Psalm 23, one of the most familiar passages in the Bible. The first words say, “The Lord [Jehovah] is my shepherd [Rohi].” In the Hebrew language, it reads Jehovah-Rohi—The Lord Is My Shepherd.
King David is the author of this poem, and if you know his story it isn’t hard to figure out why he coined this name for God. When we first meet David in 1 Samuel 16, he’s out in the fields watching the sheep. The prophet Samuel came, searching for the Lord’s choice for a future king. Jesse and his sons gathered to welcome Samuel, but none of the sons fit the bill. “Are all the young men here?” asked Samuel.
Jesse said, “There remains yet the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep” (verse 11).
Jesse summoned his youngest son; David returned home from the sheep fields to be anointed king of Israel, but he didn’t become king immediately. Fifteen years passed between his anointing and his coronation, and through those years, David spent his time with the sheep. On occasion, he saved his flock from predators like lions and bears (1 Samuel 17:34-36).
Later when David composed a poem to celebrate God, he thought to himself, “Just as I have been a shepherd to these sheep and have cared for them and watched out for them and protected them from danger, Jehovah has done all that for me! He is Jehovah-Rohi. The Lord is my Shepherd.” It’s wonderful to know the Twenty-Third Psalm, but how much better to know the Shepherd Himself! If He is your Shepherd, you will have everything you need, including goodness and mercy all—not some, but all—the days of your life.

Jehovah-Jireh: The Lord Shall Provide

The patriarch Abraham also created a hyphenated name for God, and it, too, means a lot to us. In Genesis 22 we have the dramatic account of God calling Abraham and instructing him to sacrifice his promised son as a burnt offering on Mount Moriah. None of us can imagine the trauma of hearing such a command, but for Abraham the burden was two-fold. Not only did he risk losing his son; he risked the integrity of the promise God had given him to make of his descendants a great nation.
Abraham’s obedience required an enormous extension of his faith. Hebrews 11:17-19 says, “By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, ‘In Isaac your seed shall be called,’ concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.”
At this time, Isaac wasn’t a little boy. He was a young man, perhaps in his twenties. Yet he, too, must have exercised a remarkable amount of faith and obedience to trust both his earthly father and his Heavenly Father. He allowed himself to be bound and placed on the altar. Perhaps he closed his eyes as Abraham’s knife rose in the air above his throat. But at that moment God intervened, saying, “Abraham, Abraham.… Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me” (Genesis 22:11-12).
The Bible says, “Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. And Abraham called the name of the place, The-Lord-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, ‘In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided’” (Genesis 22:13-14).
The Bible says, “Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. And Abraham called the name of the place, The-Lord-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, ‘In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided’” (Genesis 22:13-14).
In Hebrew, “The-Lord-Will-Provide” is Jehovah-Jireh. There’s a deep lesson in this name, for Isaac was a symbol of Christ, the only begotten Son whom the Father offered as a sacrifice for our sins on the mountains of Jerusalem, which is also known as Mount Moriah. But there’s also a lesson for us in our everyday needs. We are deeply needy people, and sometimes we need emotional support, or financial help, or physical aid, or provisions related to an emergency or crisis. In such times we can approach Jehovah-Jireh on the Throne of Grace. We can call Him that, for He is the God who provides.

Jehovah-Rapha: The Lord Who Heals

He is also Jehovah-Rapha, The Lord Who Heals. This title for God occurs in Exodus 15, which tells the story of the early days of the Israelites’ travels in the wilderness. In the previous chapter, the newly liberated nation had just escaped Pharaoh’s slavery, and they had marched wide-eyed through the walls of water towering above them in the Red Sea. In Exodus 15, they praised God for their supernatural deliverance. But they lost enthusiasm very quickly when they found themselves without drinkable water in the desert. They wandered around for three days without water, which is about as long as a person can survive without hydration. Then they found a pond, but the water was brackish and undrinkable. The first person to the pool took one drink and spewed it out of his mouth because the water was bitter.
The people of Israel began crying out to God and to Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” The Bible says, “So [Moses] cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. There He made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there He tested them, and said, ‘If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you’” (Exodus 15:25-26).
In the Hebrew text, the title “The Lord Who Heals You” is Jehovah-Rapha.
I believe God can grant physical healing to us when it is His will to do so. He can heal us supernaturally if He chooses, and He can use doctors and nurses and medicines in the process. But our ultimate healing is bound up with our glorified and resurrected bodies in heaven. The Bible says of Christ, “And by His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). Sooner or later, all of us will age and grow sick and feeble and pass away from the earth, barring our Lord’s swift return. But He is Jehovah-Rapha, and He has promised us age-less, sick-less, tear-less bodies that we’ll enjoy throughout eternity. Outwardly we are wasting away, but we fix our eyes on what is unseen and we trust the God who heals us.

Jehovah-Nissi: The Lord Is My Banner

Two chapters later in Exodus 17, we come across another name for God. As Moses led the children of Israel through the desert, they soon encountered another problem—fierce enemies. The Amalekites, the descendants of Esau, were none too happy when this group of freed slaves began tramping through their region. The Amalekites were warlike. They were gifted in fighting, and the Israelites had been imprisoned in Egypt for centuries and had no experience in warfare, nor did they have weapons. Suddenly they were at war with the Amalekites, and it was a national existential crisis. Moses, too old to fight, relied on his general, Joshua, and climbed a nearby mountain for a bird’s eye view of the battle.
The Bible says, “And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. But Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side” (Exodus 17:11-12).
Joshua won the battle, and as Moses interceded on the mountain, the Amalekites were defeated. Verse 15 says, “And Moses built an altar and called its name, The-Lord-Is-My-Banner.” In Hebrew, that is Jehovah-Nissi.
In ancient times, banners weren’t like the huge signs hanging in gymnasiums to commemorate championship seasons. The Hebrew term came from a word meaning “to glisten,” and it referred to the insignias suspended at the tops of poles, which were lifted up to identify the tribes and the people. On the mountaintop, Moses had lifted up the rod of God in victory. He looked down on the banners waving in the wind marking the twelve tribes of Israel. He thought to himself, “The Lord is my identity; the Lord is my victory; the Lord is my banner.”
Today we’re in a conflict with the world around us, the devil before us, and the flesh within us. But we belong to the Lord, and He is our victory. Whenever you’re facing your own battle with the Amalekites, as it were, you can visualize God’s banner above you—and that banner is God Himself, Jehovah-Nissi—“The-Lord-Is-My-Banner.”

Jehovah-M'Kaddesh: The Lord Who Sanctifies

Turning to the next book in the Old Testament, Leviticus, we find the next great name of God. Many people bypass the book of Leviticus, because it’s full of archaic rules and regulations related to the nation and the priesthood of Israel. It describes the ancient sacrifices and the Israeli religious festivals. But Leviticus is full of rich truth, and, as someone said, we don’t always get a lot out of reading the book, but we reap an enormous blessing by studying it.
The key to Leviticus is holiness, and as the chapters unfold it becomes clear God wants His people to do what is right and to do it in the right way. All of the sacrifices, regulations, and ceremonies in Leviticus are about serving a holy and righteous God. The key verse is Leviticus 11:44: “Be holy; for I am holy.” When we come to the twentieth chapter, it’s not surprising to see a new name for God that conveys this truth. Leviticus 20:7-8 says, “Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am the Lord your God. And you shall keep My statutes, and perform them: I am the Lord who sanctifies you.” The phrase is: Jehovah-M’Kaddesh. That means “the God who sanctifies,” the God who makes holy, the God who sets us apart for Himself and perfects that which concerns us.
Herbert Lockyer, in his book on the names of God, wrote, “Living as we do, in a world ruled by a satanic god and which is therefore characterized by dens of infamy, haunts of vice, shameless profligates, dishonest traders, callous murderers, senseless wars, appalling crime, and moral filth, it is hard to think of a nation having holiness as its dominant characteristic, yet this was God’s ideal.”
We cannot control whether society yields to the authority of Jehovah-M’Kaddesh or turns aside to its own lusts. But as for us, we can serve the Lord who makes us holy. Consider the power of coming to Him in your own prayer time and saying, “Dear Jehovah-M’Kaddesh, I need more holiness in my life. I need greater victory over temptation. I need strength over sin. I want to represent You more purely to a corrupt world. Please help me grow in my sanctification. You are my Jehovah-M’Kaddesh.”
Have you ever addressed God like that? You can. It’s one of His names.

Jehovah-Shalom: The Lord Who Is Peace

We find another name for God in an unexpected place, the book of Judges. Parts of Judges are sad to read, for they speak of tragic times. The nation of Israel cycled through spiritual revival and reversal, and during the reversals people acted in barbaric ways. But there are some encouraging pages in this book, and one of my favorite stories involves a man named Gideon.
By this time in Israel’s history, Joshua was dead, and the monarchy had not yet been established, so there was no king. The times were chaotic, and everyone did what was right in their own eyes (Judges 17:6). Whenever the people sunk in despair, they would call on God, and He would raise up regional military leaders known as judges.
In Judges 6, the people of Israel were being terrorized by a tribe of nomadic warring people called the Midianites. All of Israel trembled in fear, for the Midianites would raid and rape and pillage and kill, almost at will. The whole nation of Israel—really a bunch of tribes without national unity—was constantly on edge.
One young Hebrew, Gideon, was hiding in a winepress trying to thresh out some grain for his family. The Lord appeared to him with remarkable words: “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!” (verse 12)
I suppose Gideon wanted to say, “Who? Me?” But God saw who Gideon could become under the influence of the Holy Spirit. The Lord always knows who we can become when we’re under His authority.
When Gideon realized God was speaking to him, he was terrified. “Alas, O Lord God! For I have seen the Angel of the Lord face to face.” But the Lord said to him, “Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die” (verses 22-23).
Judges 6:24 says, “So Gideon built an altar there to the Lord, and called it The-Lord-Is-Peace.” The Hebrew phrase is Jehovah-Shalom.
Do you know the wonderful Hebrew word, shalom? It means peace. We can use that name in prayer whenever we’re afraid—Jehovah-Shalom. He is our peace, and the Bible tells us to “be anxious for nothing,” but in every situation by prayer and petitions with thanksgiving to present our requests to God. And, we’re promised, “The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

Jehovah-Tsidkenu: The Lord Who Is Righteous

We also come across one of God’s special names in the book of Jeremiah. This man, Jeremiah, endured much scorn and rejection. He preached in Jerusalem during the latter days of the Jewish monarchy, when each king was worse than the one who preceded him. The nation of Israel was in a death spiral. Jeremiah preached and prayed and wept and warned his people of their sin, but few listened to him.
Jeremiah would have collapsed under the discouragement without God, but the Lord was with him, reassuring him, helping him, saving him, and strengthening him. In Jeremiah 23, the Lord gave him this prophecy about the coming of the Messiah: “Behold, the days are coming… that I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; a King shall reign and prosper, and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell safely; now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS” (verses 5-6).
That’s Jehovah-Tsidkenu.
What a powerful title, and what a timely word! Do you feel like giving up? We can often identify with Jeremiah, when it seems every year is worse than the one that preceded it, in terms of the moral decay of our land. You look at television, you read the paper, you hear the reports, and you wonder, “Is there anything good that hasn’t been corrupted?”
But God said, in effect, “Jeremiah, let me tell you something. There is coming a day when I will raise up a King to reign in total righteousness. His name will be Jehovah-Tsidkenu, The Lord Who Is Righteous.” I have to believe, though it is not recorded, that Jeremiah built an altar to God and said, “Thank you, God! Today things seem discouraging, but there is coming a day when the Messiah will reign. Today I’m celebrating Your promise of Jehovah-Tsidkenu—The Lord Our Righteousness.”
This Lord came, and He is coming again. In times like these, we must keep our eyes on Him and use His Name in prayer. His influence is greater than all the evil of all the ages, and we can rest in His righteous power.

Jehovah-Shammah: The Lord Who Is There

The Bible is packed with other names and titles for God, but for our purposes in this chapter, let’s look at just one more—Jehovah-Shammah, The Lord Who Is There. You’ll find it in very last verse of the book of Ezekiel.
And that city—the future Millennial capital of Jerusalem—would have a nickname. It would be known as Jehovah-Shammah—“The Lord Who Is There.”
When you pray, you can address your Heavenly Father as Jehovah-Shammah. Try it the next time you bow your head. He is there, near you, with you, ever present. Remember what we said earlier about God’s omnipresence. When you pray, your words don’t have to travel millions of miles into space to reach God. He is right there in the same room with you, as close as your own spirit, closer than a brother. He is your Jehovah-Shammah.
As we continue to read through Scripture, we are introduced to many more names of God. Here is a list of a few of them and where you can find them in the Bible, starting with a review of the names we just covered:
Jehovah (Isaiah 40:3)
Jehovah-Rohi: The Lord My Shepherd (Psalm 23:1)
Jehovah-Jireh: The Lord Shall Provide (Genesis 22:13-14)
Jehovah-Rapha: The Lord Who Heals (Exodus 15:22-26)
Jehovah-Nissi: The Lord Is My Banner (Exodus 17:15)
Jehovah-M’Kaddesh: The Lord Who Sanctifies (Leviticus 20:7-8)
Jehovah-Shalom: The Lord Who Is Peace (Judges 6:24)
Jehovah-Tsidkenu: The Lord Who Is Righteous (Jeremiah 23:5-6)
Jehovah-Shammah: The Lord Who Is There (Ezekiel 48:35)
Author of Salvation (Hebrews 2:10)
The God of Abraham, Jacob, and Isaac (Exodus 3:2, 6)
The Lord of Glory (1 Corinthians 2:8)
I AM (John 8:58)
The Almighty (Revelation 1:8)
The Everlasting Father (Isaiah 9:6)
The First and the Last (Revelation 1:17)
The Faithful Witness (Psalm 89:36-37)
The Image of the Invisible God (Colossians 1:15)
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God (Isaiah 9:6)
A Sacrifice (Ephesians 5:2)
A Ransom (Mark 10:45)
The Lord Who Heals You (Exodus 15:26)
Heir of All Things (Hebrews 1:1-4)
The Temple (Revelation 21:22)
A Sanctuary (Isaiah 8:14)
Intercessor (Hebrews 7:25)
Author and Finisher of Our Faith (Hebrews 12:2)
Advocate (1 John 2:1)
Surety of a Better Covenant (Hebrews 7:22)
Teacher (John 13:13)
The Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25)v
The Wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:24)
Yahweh (Isaiah 26:4)
God (1 Timothy 2:5)
Son of God (John 1:34)
Beloved Son (Matthew 17:5)
Lord (John 20:28)
The Word (John 1:1)
Messiah (Daniel 9:25)
Alpha and Omega (Revelation 22:13)
Savior (Luke 2:11)
Redeemer (Job 19:25)
Light of the World (John 8:12)
Lamb of God (John 1:29)
Creator of All Things (Colossians 1:16)
Master (Luke 8:24)
Mediator (1 Timothy 2:5)
Bread of Life (John 6:48)
High Priest (Hebrews 3:1)
The Lamb (Revelation 7:9)
A Lamb Without Blemish and Without Spot (1 Peter 1:19)
Lamb Slain From the Foundation of the World (Revelation 13:8)
The Shepherd of The Sheep (Hebrews 13:20)
The Way (John 14:6)
The Good Shepherd (John 10:11)
The Chief Shepherd (1 Peter 5:4)
The Rock (Psalm 18:2)
My Rock and My Fortress (Psalm 31:3)
The Rock of My Refuge (Psalm 94:22)
The Rock That Is Higher Than I (Psalm 61:2)
The Rock of My Salvation (2 Samuel 22:47)
My Rock and My Redeemer (Psalm 19:14, NIV)
The Builder (Hebrews 3:3)
The Foundation (1 Corinthians 3:11)
A Sure Foundation (Isaiah 28:16)
A Stone (Isaiah 28:16)
A Living Stone (1 Peter 2:4)
A Chief Cornerstone (1 Peter 2:6)
A Precious Stone (1 Peter 2:6)
A Stone Cut Without Hands (Daniel 2:34-35)
The Last Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45)
God’s Firstborn (Psalm 89:27)
The Firstborn Among Many Brethren (Romans 8:29)
The Firstfruits of Them That Slept (1 Corinthians 15:20, KJV)
A Witness to The People (Isaiah 55:4)
The Amen (Revelation 3:14)
The Light (John 12:35)
The True Light (John 1:9)
The Light of Men (John 1:4)
He Is the Lamb Who Was Slain (Revelation 5:12)
He Is Faithful (Hebrews 3:2)
He Is Our Strong Tower (Proverbs 18:10)
He Is Our Foundation (1 Corinthians 3:11)
He Is Preeminent (Colossians 1:18)
He Is the Tree of Life (Revelation 2:7)
The Bright and Morning Star (Revelation 22:16)
The Sun of Righteousness (Malachi 4:2)
He Is Our Gift (2 Corinthians 9:15)
The Head Ephesians 4:15
The Head of the Body, the Church (Colossians 1:18)
A Life-Giving Spirit (1 Corinthians 15:45)
The Head of All Principality and Power (Colossians 2:10)

  1. 1 Herbert Lockyer, All the Divine Names and Titles in the Bible (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1975), 32.

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