Part 13 (2/2)
Instead of using the word guard, I like to think of it this way: We need to post a sentinel around our hearts or, as it says above, ”garrison and mount guard.” Think of what a guard or sentinel does-he's on duty. He watches for the enemy to attack. He's not just ready; he's actively watchful and prepared to resist all attacks from the enemy.
That's how we need to live-with a trustworthy sentinel. It doesn't mean we live in fear or constantly have to check to see if the devil is sneaking around. Think of it more as posting a sentinel to do that for us.
What kind of sentinel do we need? I think of the two most obvious ones: prayer and the Word of G.o.d. If we pray for G.o.d's Holy Spirit to guard our hearts, He will honor that request. When the enemy creeps up, the sentinel calls out, ”Thus saith the Lord,” and the enemy flees. (The devil really is a coward and won't openly fight us.) Read Paul's words again. If we push away our anxieties (which we do by prayer and supplication) and fill our heart with thanksgiving, G.o.d's peace stands guard over us. G.o.d helps us resist any charge of the enemy.
We also must not minimize thanksgiving. That's such a simple way to keep ourselves alert to Satan's devices. As we give thanks to G.o.d through our words and our songs, we are guarding our hearts. As the old hymn says: ”Count your blessings-name them one by one; count your many blessings-see what G.o.d has done.”3 It's more than just singing a few words, however-it is actually pausing on purpose to remember all the good things that G.o.d has done in our lives. As we rejoice over past blessings, we open ourselves to more blessings in the future.
Another ally we sometimes overlook is other believers. When we're aware of our weaknesses, we can agree in prayer with other believers. We can ask them to pray specifically that we won't be misled or attacked by the enemy when we're not as alert as we should be. Other believers can intercede for us-just as we can for them. What better guards can we post than those who cry out to G.o.d on behalf of others? The devil doesn't like hearing such prayers.
Holy Spirit, I ask You to help me be alert against any attack of the enemy by posting the sentinels of prayer and Your Word at the door of my heart. I praise You for showing me how to guard my heart, and pray that I will have a continuously thankful heart. Amen.
79.
Suspicious of Suspicion Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious . . . it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (G.o.d's love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self-seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it . . . does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail. Love bears up under anything and everything that comes, is ever ready to believe the best of every person, its hopes are fadeless under all circ.u.mstances, and it endures everything. . . . Love never fails [never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to an end].
-1 CORINTHIANS 13:4-8 (A) These words about love are familiar to most of us, but I can honestly say that living them has not always been easy for me. As a child, I was not exposed to this kind of love-in fact, I was taught to be suspicious of everyone. I was told that the motives of other people were not to be trusted.
As I got older, I encountered people whose actions confirmed in my mind that my suspicions were justified. Even as a young Christian, I experienced disappointment because of the obvious motives of some people in the church. While it is wise to be aware of people's motives, we must be careful that we don't allow our suspicious nature to negatively affect our feelings about everyone.
An overly suspicious nature can poison your mind and affect your ability to love and accept other people. Consider this example.
Suppose a friend approaches you after a church service, and says, ”Do you know what Doris thinks about you?” Then this friend tells you every detail of the things Doris said. The first problem is that a true friend wouldn't share such information. And the second problem is that with an already suspicious mind, you now believe secondhand information.
Once your mind has been poisoned against someone, suspicion grows. That's when Satan gains a stronghold in your mind. Every time Doris says something to you, you are automatically suspicious, thinking, What does she really mean? Or if she's nice to you, you think, I wonder what she wants from me.
That's how Satan works. If he can make you suspicious of others, it isn't long before you don't trust anything they say. And if you've been hurt like this several times, the devil can poison your thinking to the point that you start wondering who else may be talking about you behind your back.
Let's continue the example. Suppose that one day in church, Doris is sitting just a few rows in front of you, clapping her hands and praising the Lord. Immediately you think, She's such a hypocrite.
Then the Holy Spirit directs your thoughts to your own condition, and the fact that you were clapping and praising the Lord while harboring bad feelings toward Doris. Didn't Jesus tell us to make peace with others before we present our gifts to Him? (see Matthew 5:24).
Convicted by these words of Jesus, suppose you step forward and apologize to Doris for the bad feelings you have toward her . . . and she stares at you in absolute shock. Then you realize your mistake. You misinterpreted the information your friend had shared with you about Doris, allowing the devil to turn you against a wonderful, G.o.dly woman.
This is a good example of how suspicion can cripple relations.h.i.+ps and destroy our joy while it leads us astray. This is why learning to develop a 1 Corinthians 13 kind of love is so important.
It took me a while to overcome a lifetime of suspicions, but I finally learned that when we love G.o.d's way, we have no place for suspicion of others.
Lord, I thank You for showing me how to overcome my suspicious nature by teaching me how to love others with Your kind of love. Thank You, Jesus, for being patient with me and for being my great example. Amen.
80.
Trust G.o.d Completely But when He was in Jerusalem during the Pa.s.sover Feast, many believed in His name [identified themselves with His party] after seeing His signs (wonders, miracles) which He was doing. But Jesus [for His part] did not trust Himself to them, because He knew all [men]; and He did not need anyone to bear witness concerning man [needed no evidence from anyone about men], for He Himself knew what was in human nature. [He could read men's hearts].
-JOHN 2:23-25 How deeply can we trust others? How much of ourselves do we give to others, and how vulnerable are we to them? I suppose the answers to these questions are as varied as the different situations. But considering the questions is definitely food for thought.
Those of us who have been hurt by trusting too much tend to pull back when we get into certain situations. I was once involved with a group of women whom I dearly loved, but eventually I realized our relations.h.i.+p wasn't healthy for them or for me. I had become too dependent on them, even placing a trust in them that belongs only to G.o.d.
All of us know we're supposed to place our ultimate trust only in the Lord. But sometimes we encounter individuals or groups who mean so much to us that we give too much of ourselves, or we allow them authority in our lives that belongs only to the Lord. When this happens, our lives are out of balance. And when we get out of balance, we open a door for the devil.
The words from John's gospel serve as an appropriate warning to us. He was speaking of the relations.h.i.+p Jesus had with His own beloved disciples. Jesus knew how much-and how little-He could trust even those who were closest to Him. He understood human nature-something all of us have.
Jesus knew that we, too, would need discernment about trusting others, so He sent His Holy Spirit to guide us and to let us know who we could trust. In 1 Corinthians 12:10, the apostle Paul referred to the spiritual gift called the discerning of spirits, and in verse 31, he urged us to ”earnestly desire and zealously cultivate the greatest and best gifts . . .” One of these ”great gifts” is discernment, and it helps us distinguish between good and bad, not just bad.
True spiritual discernment motivates us to pray when a problem is identified. A genuine problem being discerned by a genuine gift will follow the scriptural plan for dealing with it, not fleshly ways that only exaggerate the problem. As we walk closely with G.o.d and ask for His guidance, the Spirit will provide it.
As I mentioned earlier, some seem to have the ”gift” of suspicion, and it comes out of an unrenewed mind. Discernment, on the other hand, is the fruit of a renewed spirit.
The book of Acts provides a good example of the discernment and trust issue. The Scriptures describe a couple named Ananias and Sapphira, who were members of the first church in Jerusalem. In those days, believers sold their possessions and shared them with others. This couple sold some land, kept part of the money, and brought the remainder to Peter. That was all right, because it was their money. But only giving part of the money and then leading Peter to believe it was all they had earned from the sale of their property, was not all right.
”But Peter said, Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart that you should lie to and attempt to deceive the Holy Spirit, and should [in violation of your promise] withdraw secretly and appropriate to your own use part of the price from the sale of the land?” (Acts 5:3). Peter pointed out that it was their land and their money. Their sin was in giving only part of the money and claiming it was everything. ”You have not [simply] lied to men [playing false and showing yourself utterly deceitful] but to G.o.d” (v. 4b).
Both the husband and wife died for that deception. As terrible as that story is, it shows us clearly that the Holy Spirit knows our hearts. And it also shows us that the Spirit can show the intent of our hearts to faithful, committed servants such as Peter through discernment.
G.o.d wants us to love and trust others, but we need discernment to guide us. There is a line where our trust and commitment must be reserved only for the Lord. When we give that trust to others, not only will we be disappointed-for no human can live up to our expectations-but we disappoint G.o.d.
So don't make that mistake. It is wise to use discernment in loving and trusting others, but you will never go wrong by loving and trusting G.o.d completely.
Lord, I trust You, but I want to trust You even more. When I'm tempted to give the trust to others that only You deserve, please help me to be true to You. Help me, through Jesus Christ, to be sensitive to the leading of Your Holy Spirit. Amen.
81.
Pleasant Words, Healing Words The mind of the wise instructs his mouth, and adds learning and persuasiveness to his lips. Pleasant words are as a honeycomb, sweet to the mind and healing to the body.
-PROVERBS 16:23-24 Our thoughts can either get us into trouble or elevate us above our problems. Too often, however, we allow our minds to linger over and ponder the wrong kind of thoughts. In the verse above, it says the mind (or the heart) of the wise teaches his mouth. This proverb means that the thoughts on which we dwell will eventually come out in our words. If our words are good and uplifting, they encourage others and us.
Those thoughts aren't just about others-they are also about how we reflect on ourselves, as well. One of the smartest friends I had in school confessed one day that she felt intellectually inferior. Her words shocked me, and I told her so. I learned that her father used to call her stupid when she didn't grasp something the first time he explained it to her. Eventually, her own thoughts said to her, You aren't intelligent enough to understand this.
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