Devotion.al

Tag: testing

  • Choose Your Answer?

    Judges 6:11–24, Psalm 27:7–14, Isaiah 6:8–10 (read online ⧉)

    Gideon had a prayer. Likely many of the Israelites had the same prayer, “ us!” It was certainly a worthwhile prayer. We could say that Gideon was chosen. He was. We look to and we say, “Of course, Gideon was chosen.” Gideon certainly did not feel that way.

    In fact, his was, “It couldn’t be me!” Gideon was either confirming (testing) that this really was from God, or Gideon was testing so that God would choose someone else. With God’s direction, Gideon was the answer to his own prayer. He had to face a well-trained and numerically superior force. That is the risk in prayer; having to be the answer to it.

    The “trick”, of course, is thinking that we must do it all on our own, without God. As Gideon lived it out, it was answering his own prayer by working with and on the behalf of God that things came to fruition.

    Isaiah, too, was an answer to prayer. The prayer, ultimately, was about the descendants of Israel needing a voice to call them back to with God. In his own , God asked (not of him) who would go. Isaiah volunteers. It just popped out. Whoops! Isaiah became the prophetic voice and suffered greatly because of it.

    The psalmist talks about his struggles, and how he wants to ‘s face. He seeks God’s aid and sustenance. It is in verse 11, that we really see what each of us should be asking in our prayers, especially our audacious ones…
    “…show me your way, LORD,
    and lead me on a level path…”
    …follow the way of the Lord. Neither Gideon’s or Isaiah’s path (of the Lord that they followed) was level on the surface. Spiritually it was. Our lives of pain, failure, , and even mediocrity, will not be “level.” When one fully rests, trusts, and follows God, the spiritual path will be level.

    1) When was the last time you made an audacious prayer request? What did you think of the answer?

    2) What is your limit to what God asks you to do? [and be honest…God already knows the answer.]

    3) What are thoughts about be the answer to your own prayers (at least some of them)?

    : Ask for God’s guidance for the path you are to walk.

  • Spirit Grades

    Jeremiah 23:30-40, 1 John 4:1–6
    What is a ?

    In the , there is the Holy Spirit. That is certainly one. However, often the time spirit is used, it is not a good thing. There are evil spirits. There are deceptive spirits. It is the deceptive spirits that make an appearance all too often. What is even sadder is that many of these deceptive spirits deceive with wonderful sounding things like . In the case of Jeremiah, the deceptive spirits led people to provide false dreams, false promises, and deceptive ways. The ways, as God says, that are not good for the people. These, of course, are the most subtle, most attractive, the hardest to see, and the hardest to escape.

    This is why it is no small reason that John encourages us to test the spirits that come to us. We are to rely on the Holy Spirit, along with the fellowship of mature believers. Of course, there is also the darker side of that, where group-think is in play, and the Holy Spirit is lost in an attempt to sustain the ways of old. The spirits that say is not from God, or that Jesus really didn’t die, or that Jesus did not rise from the dead? They are all active today, just as they were in John’s time. The world, the part that wants to remain deaf to God, seeks spirits, just not the Spirit of God.

    Zeitgeist is a concept from German philosophy. It means “spirit of the age”. The basic concept is that there is a dominating understanding or a group of characteristics that accompany and define a certain time or era. This is a different spirit, but it affects the life, and the world, often as much as the deceptive spirits (as if the deceptive spirits are part of it). , the other, hatred, anxiety, loneliness, and so much else are the signs of illness. They are also the zeitgeist of our day.

    As much as we don’t want to fear or hate, we still turn to it. There is a form of deception that appears like living. The world is so full of negative emotions, that often without them people do not feel alive. Let that sink in. Without negative emotions, people feel as if they are dead. It’s strange. In the time of Jeremiah, it was the ways of peace that were a lie and people sought it. From Christ to now to tomorrow, the way of peace is the truth, and people cling to the negative.

    1) When you watch or read news stories, do you see positive or negative?

    2) When people one of your tribes (, nation, state, political party) evil or misguided, how do you respond?

    3) The practice of and need for the spirits have not stopped. One could argue that practice and need are even more important now. What are you doing to strengthen and your ability to test the spirits?

  • Ongoing Testing

    Ephesians 5:6–14, 1 Thessalonians 5:12–22, 1 John 4:1–6

    is never easy and rarely is it fun. However, it is something that needs to be done.

    It is we who often need to test ourselves and be the testers of our friends and . We never really want to test ourselves, and we usually want to avoid testing those close to us, as it often hurts.

    Yet, we are called—even directed—to test. We are especially called to test people, practices, and perspectives against God’s and in the of believers.

    There is always something that we need to test. If we aren’t testing something, are we even listing for God?

    1) What practices do you have to test?

    2) Have you ever had someone tell you that God’s Word has changed? What do you do?

    3) When have you had to test family or friends? About what? How did that go?

  • Long Roads Together

    Genesis 22:1–18, Isaiah 45:11–17, Matthew 4:1–11

    Genesis has many passages in it that Christians, Jews, and non-believers stumble over. Often it is our own pride, and sometimes it is us looking back upon those “backward and ignorant” people, with all our and obviously “better” culture. This passage in Genesis (22:1–18) is often one of the hard ones, as God calls upon Abraham to his only of his wife Sarah. This appears problematic as God later condemns such sacrifice. It is to result in the penalty. Yet, God still calls for it. The easy answer is that God was “just” Abraham. God already knew that a ram would be provided. If so, to us it is a cruel test. To Abraham and the cultures around him, it was still cruel, but it was part of god (note, not God worship). We also have to understand that Isaac was the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham regarding descendants. God requested that Abraham kill the very legacy (so it seemed) that God had promised.

    The harder answer, but perhaps more Christian answer is that Abraham was foreshadowing God the . God made a request of Abraham, the God the Father would completely fulfill generations later. God would sacrifice the Son for all of humanity. God’s only Son. The Son, part of the Trinity, would be born as man, so that mankind would become the legacy intended if sin had not come. As Isaiah speaks from God, righteousness stirred up. The holy city (a place of relationship with God) rebuilt. The exiles (those separated from God) set free, but not by or exchange of goods. Then Isaiah says that Israel will be saved by God. The only true savior is God. With God being the savior, salvation is eternal. God becomes incarnate. God is with us (Emmanuel).

    Even as God with us, Jesus walks our road. The temptations that Jesus faced in the desert are common to mankind (survival, security, pride/power). Since Jesus walked with us and Jesus is God, humanity and God became united in a way that Abraham could never have imagined, and Isaiah couldn’t fully comprehend. Even we really cannot fully comprehend it, and we (through the church) have had a long time to figure it out.

    1) During his temptations, Jesus says, “Man must not live on bread alone but on every that comes from the mouth of God,” quoted Deuteronomy 8:3. If Jesus is the word (John 1:1–3), and Jesus is the bread, how does that cause you to rethink Jesus’ answer?

    2) God called on Abraham to sacrifice his legacy. How can God call on us to sacrifice our legacy for an even greater legacy?

    3) How can we discern when God is asking us to sacrifice our legacy, versus calling on us to sacrifice our pride?

  • A Mighty Legacy

    Psalm 105, Exodus 33:1–6

    Have you ever known people that no matter how much you might respect, like, or even them, that spending a large amount of time with them would result in personal injury? It could be a parent, aunt, uncle, cousin, or sibling. In families, a lot of pain is stored and maintained, meaning that family gathers while good on many levels, can be stressful or even hurtful. If your family gatherings do not have this, give to God and all the family members who have made sure to pass on such a blessed and loving legacy. Truth be told, however, most families are not so blessed. Moses’ extended family was a trial for Moses, but not just Moses.

    God had relational limits. Think on that for a moment. There is a limit. The stubborn Israelites wouldn’t make it, for they kept God. And, perhaps, that is the point. When someone repeatedly rebels against God, there is a limit. Yet, there is something hidden in plain . God says that God will not go with them, for they would end up not making it. It was not that God did not love them, nor that they were no longer the people he called. They had put a limit on their with God. God accepted that. It could be more for Moses’ information than anything else. Moses wanted God right there. His relationship with God was good. “Let’s go together!” God knew that the Israelites just wouldn’t be able to do it.

    One of the beauties of Scripture is its honesty. God’s chosen people really did not have the best relationship with God. There wasn’t a cover-up. Let’s see: they struggled mightily with God; they rebelled directly against God; they opposed his chosen leaders; they lifted up other gods over God; they killed God’s prophets; they didn’t believe God a lot. Despite that, they faithfully passed on God’s word from generation to generation. While still struggling with God, they still believed that God was . They recognized the gap between themselves and God…and trusted God. That is a mighty legacy to pass on.

    1) Sometimes when we tell a story, it’s not flattering to ourselves. Can you think of a story someone shared that delivered a good message but put them in a bad ?

    2) Often we give people either too much, or too little leeway in our relationship with them. Can you think of a relationship you have like that? What can you do to balance that out in a God-honoring way?

    3) Pain (emotional and physical) and (material and otherwise) are often part of a story of significance. Can you think of something like that which is part of your story?

    FD) The story of our fits inside of God’s story. What does your story tell about God?

  • Changing To Embody

    Psalm 37:1-12, Jeremiah 12:1–17, 2 Peter 1:2–10

    We can look around, and wonder what’s wrong with the world. Those who are corrupt or greedy seem to be doing so much better than good people. When we look around, we can either be discouraged or we can look up.

    This really is nothing new. The psalmist reminds himself and us that envying others is short-sighted. It is also unwise. When we trust God and do good we live securely. securely, however, does not necessarily mean comfortable as the world wants it. That’s why looking side-to-side becomes a distraction. When we are looking side-to-side we are not secure in ourselves.

    Isaiah is looking side-to-side. He takes the of the “wicked” though and perceives it as a test of his . Isaiah defines it as God him to know his heart. God already knows Isaiah’s heart. This more about Isaiah understanding his own heart, his to his fellow man, and his relationship to God. There is also another relationship that is important to understand, and that is the relationship with the land. The land itself mourns at the wicked who are present in it. While Isaiah’s heart might be right, the hearts of the people around him definitely are not. The affect him, others, God, and the land. All because their hearts are not right with God. And God is the key to a good and secure .

    As Peter opens with the of God, we understand that it is by God’s grace that we are even able to approach the throne of God. It is through this grace that we begin the journey of transformation from the life of the “wicked” to the life of the . Peter then provides us with a roadmap with waypoints of increasing Christ-likeness. As we become more Christ-like, the to look side-to-side fades away. The glory of God shines more deeply in us, transforming us to more-and-more find our in God and not others.

    1) Do you see God shaping you to be more God-facing, rather than people-facing?

    2) Do you see the waypoints (2 Peter 1:5-8) in your life? Do you see any change in your life embodying each of these traits more and more?

    3) What makes these traits contrary to the world? Why is it important to understand why they are contrary?

    FD) How can we help each other develop these Godly-grace traits?

  • Seeking Voices

    Psalm 57, Galatians 4:1–11, Luke 7:20-30

    Paul words to the Galatians are a warning and yet imbued with hope and . Paul recalls for them that they were slaves to statues, sacrifices, and temples that did not give them . In fact, these things took life. When we are talking about life here, we’re not speaking of biological life, but spiritual life. The Galatians were spiritual captives to those that wanted to keep them chained up.

    This spiritual enslavement is both Jewish (to the Mosaic law and to the Rabbinic law put over it) and Gentile (to the pagan and Roman cultures and religions to which they began). Paul’s concern is that they are being called/cajoled/harassed by both insiders and outsiders to return to “their roots,” whether Jewish or Gentile, respectively.

    This is why the concept of slave and heir are important here. A way to think of it is that their souls have been enlightened by the . They are now children of God. However, in similarity to those enslaved by the “old” ways, they aren’t quite free yet. They have a choice to make. They can choose to be free, fully accepting the inheritance of God, or they can choose the comfortable old way, where they are not free. They are free to choose, but only one path leads to true freedom.

    By and large, the rituals of both the pagan and Jewish traditions were to satisfy the rules and to make things okay. On the other hand, Christianity has many traditions and rituals. All of them are (supposed to be) a response to what was already completed by Christ. However, even the Christian can sometimes forget that it is free of those requirements. How easy it is to follow the old ways!

    In the time of Jesus, we cannot forget that Jesus wasn’t the only wandering teacher. He also wasn’t the only person called a prophet. The sad truth is that there are always those who set themselves up as prophets, and many people would follow them. These followers were seeking the release of what was holding them down, though many could not put it into words. We even still see this today.

    The interplay between Jesus and John is significant, as John is and validating Jesus’ , and Jesus is affirming John’s prophetic call. This ties them as far as many of the people are concerned. Yet, the trap of having a prophetic voice to follow is that people will often find themselves always following the latest and greatest prophetic voice. The church is no different.

    Often pastor, elders, and leaders do the same. It is nature to want to be near the successful. The successful, though, are often as trapped (if not more so) than “normal” people.

    When Jesus and John validate each other’s calling, there is a sense of mutual submission. They are looking to the other for validation and confirmation. This is unusual when it comes to those who put themselves up as prophetic voices, for they then consider their voice the only one to be listened to.

    • 1) When you seek voices to speak into your life, do you test them? If so, how? If not, why not?
    • 2) Thinking of the grisly deaths of Jesus and John, why would anyone set themselves up to be a prophet?
    • 3) Where do you see voices in our modern context trying to be prophetic influencers? What seems to be the primary motivation?
    • FD) What does it mean to have someone speak into your life?