Category Archives: God’s counsel

Prayer Is Not Counseling God

Posted on by
Reply

We Don’t Know What’s Best

I’m afraid that many people treat prayer as their opportunity to counsel God on certain matters. We ought never to pray like we’re trying to convince God that we know what’s best—as if the eternal, all-wise God, who knows the end from the beginning and everything in between, needs our advice for anything! His eternal plans for creation were already laid out before the world began. The writer of Acts reminds us: “The God who made the world and everything in it—He is Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in shrines made by hands. Neither is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives everyone life and breath and all things.” —Acts 17:24–27

God Doesn’t Need Our Counsel

When it comes to prayer, let’s get one thing straight: GOD DOESN’T NEED ANYTHING… INCLUDING OUR COUNSEL! He didn’t create us because of some deficiency, hoping that we could fix Him. There’s a clear, underlying message in Jesus’ response to His disciples’ question: “Lord, teach us to pray.” God doesn’t need us—we need Him! According to Jesus’ response in Matthew 6, prayer is to be GOD-CENTERED. “Pray like this,” He says, and He begins with the “Father,” not with us. By the way, He didn’t tell them to memorize it and repeat it mindlessly—“Our Father, who art in heaven…blah, blah, blah.” He said, “…pray like this.” This is how we’re supposed to pray—it’s Jesus’ model prayer.

Don’t Try Twisting God’s Arm

Rather than making prayer our attempt to twist God’s arm over something we want Him to do, prayer should begin with a focus on God the Father. Start your conversation with the Creator of the universe by honoring Him for His character. Praise Him for who He is! Don’t rush into His presence like your schedule is what matters—“Here’s my grocery list of needs, God! Will You go shopping for me?” Show Him reverence when you pray. You’re entering the throne room of Heaven! God transcends far above anything on your agenda. There’s an order here: Your kingdom first, Father! Our greatest desire should be that God’s name is hallowed, admired, and cherished. And He’s “our” Father too, Jesus says. Never get over that great doctrine of adoption—that God has birthed us into His family!

We Become His Children

Though we were born children of wrath because of our sin, He adopts us into His family in Christ. We’re FAMILY! Depend on Him like He’s family—because He is! We’re brothers, sisters, and joint-heirs with Jesus Himself. Then Jesus models prayer by moving from the Father’s character to His KINGDOM: “Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” —Matthew 6:10 So, pray like this, Jesus says—pray for the Father’s KINGDOM and for His WILL. If we’re praying like Jesus taught us to pray, our primary concern will be for the Father’s glory and the advancement of His kingdom. Our prayers will be GOD-CENTERED. Take note of the things you pray for. Are your prayers motivated by your dreams and goals, or by God’s eternal kingdom, His will, and His plans? Mature believers pray for God’s will above their own.

When Good Sex Goes Bad

Posted on by
Reply

When It Happens Outside Of Marriage

According to God—who, by the way, created sex—healthy sex only happens within a marriage between a man and a woman. The Word of God warns us about the consequences of sexual conduct outside the safety of marriage. All other sexual activities are spiritually unhealthy because they involve disobedience to God and His Word. Additionally, they can also lead to physical and emotional harm. The effects often create a ripple effect, negatively impacting families and future generations.

Messing Up People’s Lives

When your sex life doesn’t align with Scripture, it can impact not just you but many others as well. Here’s something to consider, especially if you feel like you’ve already made too many mistakes—that you’re beyond hope. Maybe you grew up in a worldly environment and were never taught these biblical truths. Or perhaps you heard them but believed you were clever enough to outsmart ‘the system,’ so you experimented with sex and are now facing the consequences. The good news is that, thanks to Jesus’ work on the cross, you are not beyond redemption! 

Good News For Those Who Messed Up

The Gospel is good news for every sinner, regardless of the sin! We serve a God who brings beauty from ashes. Through the cross, there is forgiveness and restoration. So, don’t hide behind your sin any longer—confess it so you may be healed (James 5:16). From this day forward, stand firmly on the foundation of God’s Word when it comes to your sexual purity. God’s Word alone provides the flawless counsel needed to build healthy marriages. In 1 Corinthians, the Apostle Paul shares several truths about sexuality as directed by God: “It is good for a man not to have relations with a woman. But because sexual immorality is so common, each man should have his own wife, and each woman should have her own husband… I say the following as a concession, not as a command. I wish that all people were just like me. But each has his own gift from God—one person in this way and another in that way. I say to the unmarried and to widows: It is good for them if they remain as I am.” (1 Corinthians 7:1, 6-8)

Is Celibacy A Gift?

What Paul is advocating here is celibacy. He appears to suggest that celibacy is a gift from God given to certain individuals. So, if the idea of living a celibate life seems impossible for you, it likely means that you do not have that particular gift. I intentionally use the word celibacy instead of singleness because celibacy more accurately describes what Paul is referring to—complete abstinence from all sexual relations. In contrast, our modern culture tends to favor the term singleness, often associating it with a lack of relational or sexual boundaries. It’s seen as a lifestyle of ‘Sex and the City’ or ‘friends with benefits,’ making it a poor reflection of what Paul is actually addressing. When Paul says, ‘It is good for a man not to have relations with a woman‘ (v.1), he is using it as a euphemism for sexual intercourse—which is confirmed by the context of verse 2. Therefore, celibacy is not only a legitimate option but a good and honorable gift from God.
 

The Mysteries of God

Posted on by
Reply

Why Doesn’t God Fix The World?

In my lifetime, I’ve had several conversations with individuals who set themselves up as “judges” of God. “If God is all-powerful and knows everything,” they ask, “then why doesn’t He do something about all the bad things in the world?” Job’s story could be placed next to that question—he serves as the epitome of unanswerable questions like that! How does God determine His will? Why does He seem to step into certain situations but not others? Why does He permit wicked people, like ISIS, to continue ripping open pregnant women, beheading little children, and killing people just for loving Jesus?

Can You Fathom God?

The Book of Job is an appropriate book for addressing the mysteries of God: “Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty? They are higher than the heavens—what can you do? They are deeper than the depths of the grave—what can you know? Their measure is longer than the earth and wider than the sea” (Job 11:7-9). Scripture tells us that God’s paths are beyond our ability to trace! So, what is an appropriate response on our part to His wisdom and knowledge? To His unsearchable and untraceable ways? The answer: humility! That is the only appropriate response—to humble ourselves before Him and admit we haven’t got a clue! He alone knows it all, and He is under no obligation to share more answers with us than what He has revealed in His Word.

Who Can Know The Mind of God?

We need to give God glory for His counsel: “For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor? Or who has ever first given to Him and has to be repaid?” (Romans 11:34-35). Who has ever known the mind of God? Who can truly understand what He’s thinking? So, who could possibly offer God any useful counsel? Yet still, we try telling God what He should do with His universe, don’t we? If you were God, would you do things differently? If your answer is “Yes,” then that’s exactly why the rest of us are glad you’re not God! And you ought to be just as glad that I’m not God, either! Now, ponder this thought—because God knows everything that is knowable, that means He has already considered your ideas and dismissed them as an unacceptable response to the situation. Right?

The End from the Beginning

Because you and I don’t know the end from the beginning like He does, we really can’t offer Him any thoughts that He hasn’t already considered! “The secret things belong to the Lord our God…” (Deuteronomy 29:29) and “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts,” says the Lord (Isaiah 55:9). So, let us give God the glory He is due for His wisdom, knowledge, and counsel! And by faith, trust Him with all the things you don’t have answers for. I love how Tony Evans says it:  “Everything is either caused by God or allowed by God, and there is no third category.” Paul concludes, “To Him be the glory forever.” (Romans 11:36) Let’s glory in God, His Son, and the cross!

Is Your God Too Small?

Posted on by
Reply

Are You Too Big?

40 years ago, J.B. Phillips wrote what became a Christian classic, Your God Is Too Small. It’s a great book— I highly recommend it! Phillips does a fantastic job of capturing the struggle that we humans have in seeing how big God really is. We tend to see God as much smaller and less awesome than He truly is, while seeing ourselves as much bigger and more significant than we really are.

Superman Don’t Need No Airplane

I love the story about former heavyweight boxing champ Muhammad Ali, who loved to boast—mostly in jest—about being the greatest! It was part of his shtick and showmanship. Once, while flying on a commercial flight, the stewardess told him to fasten his seatbelt just before takeoff. “Superman don’t need no seatbelt,” Ali replied. The stewardess shot back, “Superman don’t need no airplane, either.” That exchange perfectly epitomizes the attitude spawned by the health, wealth, and prosperity FALSE gospel in the Western church! The image of God has been distorted.

He’s No “Genie In A Bottle”

Much of the Church has reduced God to a wimpy “genie in a bottle”—a God who grants our wishes and somehow needs us in order to feel significant. But God is not like that at all! He is the self-sufficient, self-sustaining Sovereign God who needs nothing. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords! I love how Paul addresses this subject in his letter to the Roman believers: “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments and untraceable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor? Or who has ever first given to Him, and has to be repaid? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.” — Romans 11:33-36

Glory In God’s Wisdom

This is another one of those rich passages of Scripture that magnifies and lifts up our awesome God! Paul seems caught up in the wonder and mystery of who God is. He emphasizes that—good or bad, big or small, whatever comes our way—we should give God glory in all things! Notice that Paul specifically calls believers to glorify God for His wisdom and knowledge: “Whatever comes, give God glory because of His wisdom and knowledge. He knows what He’s doing!”

Is God Foolish?

There’s another powerful verse that Paul includes in his letter to the church in Corinth: “God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.” — 1 Corinthians 1:25. Don’t you just love that? Mind you, Paul is NOT saying that God has a foolish side. On the contrary, he is pointing out how foolish we are when we think we’re wise and smart. IF God had a foolish side— and He doesn’t— He would still be wiser than you and me! He is omniscient, meaning He knows everything. Anything that is knowable, He already knows it, and He has known it for all eternity. He knows everything you and I have forgotten—yet He still remembers it! And He knows everything that you and I will never know. Only God understands why He allows wickedness in the world to experience temporary victories. Trust His wisdom!

What Fruit Is Your Life Producing?

Posted on by
Reply

How Happy Is The Man

Many Christians don’t realize it, but their happiness is contingent on the kind of “fruit” that their life produces! That’s what the writer of Psalm 1 tells us. In vs. 1-2, he says, “How happy is the man who does not follow the advice of the wicked or take the path of sinners or join a group of mockers! Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction, and he meditates on it day and night.” Don’t be surprised that God wants you to be HAPPY! But, He qualifies what it means to be “HAPPY”!

The True Meaning Of Happiness

He defines the true meaning of genuine “happiness” for us in that Scripture. It’s not the so-called “happiness” of this world, that’s generally tangled up in sinful conduct; and, while it may provide momentary pleasure, leaves you empty and facing lingering painful consequences! The happiness that results from delighting “…in the Lord’s instruction…” leaves no “bad aftertaste”; and, culminates in a fruitful life that is eternal in duration! In v.3, the writer says that the person who rejects the advice of the world & delights in God’s Word & meditates on it day and night, “…is like a tree planted beside streams of water that bears its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.”

2 Totally Different Types Of Life Fruit

Every life bears fruit! Your life bears fruit! My life bears fruit! The Psalmist points to 2 different kinds of people who live their lives in 2 different ways; and, who bear 2 totally different types of fruit. The Apostle Paul uses similar language in his letter to the Church of Galatia, when he says that the life lived in Christ produces the “fruit of the Spirit” like “…love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness & self-control”; but, the fruit produced by “the flesh” is “… sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies and things like these.” (Galatians 5) So, choose wisely who you listen to!

Contrasting World Views

The writer, of this Psalm, concludes, in v.5-6, with the FINAL END of the contrasting world views— “… the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.” In this life, the way of the righteous & the way of the wicked may appear to run parallel. In fact, the way of the wicked often looks pleasant & fun! But, a Day of Judgment is coming, the writer says!

A Day Of Reckoning

There is coming a day of reckoning; when those who took their advice & counsel from God’s Word; and, delighted in it; and meditated on it, will be gathered into a glorious congregation around the throne of God in eternal HAPPINESS! While the wicked will face the Great Judge of all the earth, who will give them exactly what they always wanted— an eternity without God! The Lord promises to watch over you if the advice you follow & the things you take delight in & the content of your meditation bear the fruit of God’s Holy Spirit! Are these the things you delight in? If not, you need help! You need to pray for the Holy Spirit’s help, and you need to make yourself accountable to someone; or, a group who will encourage you! Only in the truth, of God’s Word, will you find real, genuine, eternal HAPPINESS; and, a relationship with God!

When Will God’s Glory Return?

Posted on by
Reply

The Ark Of The Covenant

If all you know about the “Ark Of The Covenant” is what you learned from an Indiana Jones movie, then you need to be brought up to speed! One of the most depressing O.T. Bible stories revolves around Israel’s “Ark Of The Covenant”; and, it’s found in 1 Samuel 4. Israel finds herself at war with the Philistines & they’re defeated! This disturbed them greatly; and, in their debriefing, someone came up with a great idea— “Let’s bring the Ark of the Lord’s covenant into battle with us next time! The Ark will save us!”

The Shekinah Glory’s Presence

Now, the Ark was a rectangular box made of acacia wood; and, overlaid with gold.  The top of the Ark contained the mercy seat where the “Shekinah Glory”; or, the manifest presence of God, rested.  For its illustrative value, it’s worth noting at this point that when our children were growing up, we’d remind them that “the way of the transgressor is hard” whenever their sin got them into trouble. Well, it was because of Israel’s sin that God, in His Sovereignty, had allowed Israel to suffer defeat at the hands of the Philistines; and, when they responded by putting their faith in the Ark, rather than God, they would suffer another embarrassing defeat.

The Glory Is Departed

This time, the Ark was also taken by the Philistines; and, Israel left to mourn its loss:  “The Glory is departed! The Glory is departed!” The Ark; and, God’s “Shekinah Glory” had been taken! The Ark couldn’t deliver! God had never intended for the Ark to be used as a “weapon”; or to be propped up as something to be depended on like some kind of rabbit’s foot! Only God, in all His Glory, can deliver & save! It’s a reminder of how subtle the enemy, of our souls, can be—  “Worship the God of the Ark”; or, “Worship the Ark of God”? It’s just moving around two nouns; but, the results were devastating!

The Idols Of Human Strategy

I find the parallels, to the Church, to be haunting! Are we not guilty of worshipping the idols of human strategy & technique for doing church? Like Israel, have we not become focused on the “horizontal”—adopting human wisdom & logic—rather than the “vertical”—seeking the power & glory of God! The Church has become weak and anemic because we’ve “settled”—we’ve “settled” for the glory of what we can do instead of the glory of what an awesome, limitless God can do.  And, what He can do is above & beyond anything we could ask or think! It’s impossible for us to even imagine the power & wisdom of God! What He does is always perfect & right because He listens only to His own perfect counsel! He works all things according to the counsel of His own will (Ephesians 1:11).

The Rest Of The Story

As I read the rest of the story, my attention was arrested by what happened “after” the Ark was taken— what happened was a national “revival.” Israel repents & returns to the Lord; and, the Ark is recovered; and, the place of God’s glory comes home! And, that’s where I find hope—in GOD! There is hope for the Church in America— NOT at the polls: NOT by electing certain individuals to public office; NOT by passing laws in an attempt to legislate righteousness! Our hope must begin at the altars of our churches! Let judgment begin at the House of God! Nothing is happening in America that a “glory to God” revival couldn’t fix! Let us repent of our idolatrous fascination that politicians can save us!  And let us fall on our knees and ask God to bring revival to our churches! Our only hope is in the Lord! Can I get an “Amen”?