Hope for God’s Kingdom in a Dark World

Our nation is mourning, struggling to deal with horrific, unprovoked attacks on human life. We’re sickened by the evil and wonder where and when the next attack will be.

How can it happen in a safe place like WalMart? How can an activity be more innocent than buying school supplies? Too many questions go unanswered. Confusion and fear linger with the grief.

The violence must be stopped. Politicians and pundits offer answers that don’t satisfy. Reasons for the increase in mass shootings that are being pushed include mental illness, guns, racial strife, hatred, violent movies and video games, social media, loss of morals, immigration, the breakdown of families, and white males.

It’s complicated. The proposed topics could possibly be part of the problem, but I don’t believe that any are the cause.

We need to stop the carnage, but I don’t believe we looking deeply enough.

The first rule of battle is to know your enemy. What/who is the enemy leading the attacks?

Ephesians 6:12 lends a clue. “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

We won’t solve the problem by dealing with earthly problems when the battle is against the principalities and powers that rule the darkness of our age. The real battle is with hosts of wickedness. It is a spiritual battle.

What is the strategy of our enemy, the devil? What does he want to do?

According to Jesus, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy” (Jn. 10:10). He’s trying to destroy us, to kill us and is attacking on many fronts. Mass shootings are “the thief” in action.

God told Abram, “I am a shield to you” (Gen 15:1). Through covenant, that shield is still available to the children of God. Our nation was founded on Christian principles and many faithful followers remain. So, why does he have freedom to bring such destruction to our land?

It’s obvious that the effort to push God out of our culture opens the door for attack. But permission to kill innocent people has a more specific beginning.

I believe Satan was given authority to to kill in January 1973 when abortion was officially approved by the Supreme Court. On that day our nation gave its official sanction to murder the most helpless people among us.

The physical consequences of that decision are obvious. Millions of babies have lost their lives. But the effects are even bigger than the loss of individual lives. The value placed on life has also diminished.

Consequently, it is easier for someone to disrespect and put down those who disagree or get in their way. It’s also easier to deny them life itself. We see it happening to flesh and blood, but the battle is a spiritual one.

If we want to win the battle for life, we need to focus our energies against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

That seems like a formidable foe. One that makes me acutely aware of my neediness. I don’t want to combat principalities and powers of darkness in the flesh. For this battle, I need someone much more powerful than I. I want to be hidden in Christ and to fight in and through Him.

Jesus called us to represent Him on the earth. Furthermore, He set the example by defeating the enemy, but He leaves it to us to take dominion here.

Jesus said, “And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven” (Matt. 16:19). We have the keys. In Jesus, we have authority to bind back the spirits of death and murder.

If we are intimidated and feel unqualified for that, we can pray like an archangel. Jude tells us, “Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, …, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you!’” (Jude 1:9). After all, He is the one with ultimate power and authority.

Furthermore, Jesus’ goal is in sharp contrast to the devil’s. He said, “I come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

I’m sick and tired of the senseless killings, and I know you are too. I want to support life, but have felt helpless to bring change, to bring life in the midst of the darkness.

Helplessness is cousin to hopelessness. If we’re feeling hopeless, it’s because the thief has stolen our hope.

We can’t just throw up our hands while the battle is raging—not if we want to win. We must put on our armor (Eph 6:11-18) and take our positions in the fight for light and life. We can begin by binding the spirits of conflict, darkness, death, destruction, and . . ., and loosing the spirits of life, love, joy, peace. . .. We can also ask the Lord to rebuke the enemy.

The kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy (Rom. 14:17), as opposed to hatred, carnage and death. Let’s work together to see, “[His] kingdom come, [and His] will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Mt. 6:10).

Combatting the Enemy’s Secret Weapon

We are at war. In last week’s post, Satan’s Secret Trap, we saw how Satan tries to destroy joy and peace in our relationships by stirring up judgment between us and important people in our lives. It is a major strategy to defeat God’s children.

Image result for image of marching combat boots When we hold onto judgment, it grows in our hearts like a dark cloud. It leads to bitterness, making us, well, bitter—to ourselves and to others. The sourness from judgment is damaging. It drags us down, destroying relationships with family, friends, and co-workers.

It also affects our relationship with the Lord, making it more difficult to worship, to hear or see Him, and to daily walk in His strength and grace. It robs us of love and life.

Consequently, Jesus told us not to judge, warning that we will be judged in return. (Matt. 7:1-2).

Paul told the believers in Roman, “In whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things” (Rom 2:1). He then asked, “Why do you judge your brother?” and added, “for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ” (Rom. 14:10).

He told the Ephesians, “Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you” (Eph. 4:31-32). As bad as this list of negatives sounds, they are all things that grow from judgment, often without our knowledge.

Nobody wants these things in his heart. We don’t wake up one day and decide to give the enemy permission to steal our joy and peace and wreck our relationships. We want to live in the righteousness, peace, and joy that is available to all who are children of God.

However, it’s not always easy to simply quit judging because you decide to. Therefore, the next step is to learn how to combat a judgmental spirit.

Steps to fight a judgmental spirit:

Take the log out of your own eye (Matt. 7:1-5). The other person may be in the wrong, but you have no right to judge, neither can you help them, as long as your vision is being blocked by sin in your life. Deal with yourself first.
1. Ask God to search your heart and to show you any unrighteousness in your heart (Ps. 139:23-24).
2. Repent of sin in your life, including taking God’s place as you judged the other person/people (Acts 8:22-23).
Forgive the other person for wrong(s) they have done.
1. Forgive them in your heart and before God, so that God will forgive you for your sins (Matt. 6:12, 14-15).
2. If it will not cause harm, ask their forgiveness for wronging them. If tensions have been strong and obvious in a close relationship, this could be important, greatly reducing the time it takes for an evil-for-evil relationship to be restored (Matt. 6:23-24).
Pray and give thanks for them daily (Matt. 5:44).
1. Bless instead of judging. Bless through praying for God to bless them, but also seek the Lord for a special way to bless the person–through serving or a gift (1 Pet.3:8-9).
2. Give thanks and guard your mind from negative thoughts. For each negative/critical thought that comes to mind about that person, think of two or three things that you are thankful for about that person. (Phil. 4:8, Eph. 6:18-20).
Be still. Wait on God. Work on your own heart (your responsibility) and trust God to do His work in you and in the other person (God’s responsibility). It will likely take time to completely surrender your heart for change. Only then will you begin to be successful in changing your thought patterns, so be patient!
Trust in the Lord. He wants the best for you and desires that you be freed from the bondage of judgment and bitterness even more than you do. You can trust in Him.

He has allowed the other person/people in your life for a reason. Could it be that they are tools to shape you into His image? Could it He is allowing you to go through this hard time so you can experience greater freedom, fuller life, and richer communion with Him than you’ve ever experienced before?

The freedom and life you will find is worth the battle. Endure. Fight to the end for kingdom life, trusting the Lord to do His work in you.

Satan has been defeated. The war has been won. You don’t have to be weighed down because of the enemy’s wiles. You can reign in life through Jesus Christ and enjoy righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

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The story of my struggle with judgment and bitterness and how I overcame it is available through the free e-book, The Judgment Trap, available for download in the side bar at the top of the page.

Does It Matter?

After the, “Amen,” the six-year-old looked at us and said, “You really love God, don’t you?”

When Robert and I took our little friend for a hamburger, we held hands and had a blessing before we ate. It seems that she was not accustomed to doing that with her family, at least not in public.

Another time, we prayed before eating while in Brazil with two of our sons. We raised our heads to see a man leaning over the corner of our table with tears in his eyes. He said, “One of these days, I will be doing this with my family.”

He confessed to having been unfaithful as a husband and father. His sinful lifestyle had destroyed his family. He’d become a Christian a year earlier, and his deepest desire was to see his family come to know the Lord and for the family to be restored.

You might think, “Why not pray silently while putting my napkin in my lap? Does it matter if I bow to pray at McDonald’s? ”

Does it matter?

What we do does matter. At both of these events, we were going about life. We were being ourselves, doing what we do.

We had no idea that we were being watched. Our little friend observed and understood that we love God. At breakfast, the stranger saw that we love God and each other. It brought him to tears as it quickened a longing deep in his heart.

These situations made Paul’s words to the Corinthians come alive for me, “You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all” (2 Cor. 3:2).

Paul didn’t need other people to write letters commending him to newcomers, because people could just look at the Corinthians to see the effect of Paul’s message in their lives.

Robert’s recent visit to see pastors his father worked with while planting churches in Brazil renewed the awareness that people read our lives and it matters what we do.

Time after time, people who knew his parents told of events or conversations that occurred through the course of their service there. Nothing big or spectacular, but lessons were learned that have never been forgotten.

One woman told of going to the country for a party for a young lady who was getting married. While preparing to go, she and her friend talked about how Robert’s mother always looked nice, so they worked to dress accordingly, adding jewelry to look their best. They copied what they learned from watching her life.

However, when she arrived to pick them up, she paused after greeting them. She asked, “Have you thought about who we’re going to see? These people don’t have much. I think they’d be more comfortable if we dress simply when we visit with them.” She very kindly and gently sent them back to dress more simply.

She was living her life of caring about others. They never forgot the lesson, and they loved her for it.

We do not live in a vacuum. We are letters whether we like it or not, and whether we realize it or not. The way we live reflects upon our family, our school or place of business, our church, and—if we call ourselves Christian—on our God.

As we go about life, people notice whether we are angry and judgmental or kind and loving. What they read in us may be their only letter of recommendation about Jesus. It could lead them turn their backs on Him.

On the other hand, many people have given their lives to the Lord because of the righteousness, peace, and joy they see in a believer.

“You yourselves are our letter of recommendation . . . to be known and read by all” (2 Cor. 3:2).

It does matter. The way we live matters every day.

May we be mirrors that reflect the goodness of God, giving glory and honor to Him.

It’s a Choice

I’m late posting this week because I went to see a dear friend who is battling cancer. Actually, it isn’t because I made the trip, it’s because I accidentally left my computer at home and didn’t realize it until I arrived at my destination seven hours later. Consequently, I was without a computer until I got home tonight.

Mrs. Alice, my elderly friend, had breast cancer three years ago and fought it like a trooper. She never complained and did all she could to not impose on anyone. And yet, in early November, it was obvious to those of us who are close to her that she could no longer manage on her own.

Her son came down just before Thanksgiving and took her home with him. In January, they discovered cancer in her brain and she is now in treatment. For her, life is now difficult and doesn’t make sense. We went to encourage her.

On the trip up, while flipping through the December Woman’s Day—yes, I’m a little late reading it—I ran across a quote that spoke to me. Instead of posting the blog I’d started, I thought I’d share the quote.

“Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day” – Henri J.M. Nouwen, a Dutch priest, professor and writer.

My heart was heavy as I traveled to see Mrs. Alice. I still ache for her, but now I’m choosing joy–to remember positive things that I’m thankful for. She knows Jesus. If treatments don’t have the desired effect, she will meet her Savior face to face–and her husband and the infant twins that she never got to hold. I’m grateful she’s with caring family instead of all alone, and so forth. There is much to be joyful about.

Mrs. Alice needs others to lift her up now. She needs us to choose joy so we can share it with her.

I’ve realized several things out of the juncture of this quote and situation.

I can choose joy. It doesn’t depend on the circumstances I’m in.
Others around us are struggling and joy alludes them. If I am joyful–if I carry joy, I can bring light and hope to them. I can make a difference.
If I want to be an instrument of joy in other people’s life, I need to be practice choosing joy myself. I never know when someone else will need encouragement, I want to be ready.
If I choose joy and keep choosing it every day, and choose it multiple times through each day, I can help others and multiply my strength and grace (and joy) too!

It’s a win-win situation for everybody.

“The joy of the Lord is your strength” (Neh. 8:10).

“Weeping may last for the night, but a shout of joy comes in the morning” (Ps. 30:5).

“Sing for joy in the Lord, O you righteous ones; praise is becoming to the upright” (Ps. 33:1).

“In [God’s] presence is fulness of joy” (Ps. 16:11).

Robert & Kay Camenisch encouraging and equipping relationships