Wow! That’s an awesome question! There are actually two reasons and they kind of relate to each other. First, Eve was deceived by the serpent. That wily old snake came to Eve and confused her. He twisted God’s words (which, by the way, he does all the time with you and me) and made her question God.
Remember what he said to her? He first said, “Did God really say ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’” So, he first got her to question God. Then he said, “You will not surely die!” Again, making her question what God said!
Then, Satan added, “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Now here’s where it gets interesting. Satan first got Eve to question God, then he appealed to her pride. He told her she could be “like God.”
Did you know that pride is one of the sins God absolutely detests? In Proverbs 6:16-19, it lists seven things that are detestable to God and pride is listed first. That is because pride was the first sin ever committed, even before the creation of man. In fact, it was Lucifer (Satan) that committed the sin of pride when he wasn’t satisfied just being an angel and wanted to be “like God.” (Sound familiar?). His sin of pride also took a third of the angels with him.
So, Satan both deceived Eve and appealed to her pride, which caused her and Adam to eat the forbidden fruit. The result: sin entered mankind.
Now, if that were the end of the story, our lives would be hopeless! The Bible tells us that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). But, God, in His infinite mercy and by unending grace gave us His One and Only Son, in the person of Jesus Christ, and it is through our acceptance of Jesus as our Lord and Savior that we are spared death and assured eternal life in Heaven. The key is that you have to accept that gift of grace. The beautiful part is, you don’t have to do anything to earn it! It’s His gift to you! Have you made that commitment yet? If you have, are you living out your faith every day?
Showing posts with label Proverbs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Proverbs. Show all posts
Thursday, 1 March 2012
Thursday, 28 January 2010
How does God respond to prayers?
Wow! First, we must accept that God hears and knows all prayers. We know this because God is omniscient, which is a very big word that simply means that God sees and hears and knows everything that happens on earth. The Holy Bible also affirms this repeatedly.
So, make no mistake, when you pray to God … He hears you! So, now that we know that He hears our prayers, does He respond to them? There are many instances in both the Old Testament and New Testament in which righteous men and women had their prayers answered (e.g., Numbers 11:2; Judges 13:8-9; 1 Samuel 1; 1 Chronicles 4:10; Acts 4:24-31; James 5:17-18).
Ahhhh…but wait a minute. Did you catch that? I described those people as “righteous.” That basically means you have right standing with God. The Bible is very specific about prayers. Look at James 5:16, which states, “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”
Jeremiah 29:12-13 says, “Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
So, now we know that God responds to prayers but only if you love God and seek a relationship with him. Now, here’s the kicker … sometimes God’s answer may not be the answer you want! Sometimes, because He knows what is best for you, the answer might be “no.” You may want something so bad but God may realize that you either couldn’t handle having it or you didn’t need it and so His answer is, no. That kinda stinks, doesn’t it? We imagine God’s always going to be there for us (which He is!) and that He’s going to give us everything we ask for. But I’ve searched the Bible from front to back and He never makes that promise! He only assures that He hears our prayers and that He will answer them … even if that answer is, no.
Now, let me clear on one more thing. The Bible is also very specific about the prayers of those who are not in right standing with God or who are in habitual sin. In John 9:31 it says, “We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will.” Proverbs 15:29 says, “The Lord is far from the wicked but hears the prayers of the righteous.” Psalm 66:18 clearly states, “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.”
So, remember, if you want God to answer your prayers, you must acknowledge Him and love Him and have a relationship with Him.
So, make no mistake, when you pray to God … He hears you! So, now that we know that He hears our prayers, does He respond to them? There are many instances in both the Old Testament and New Testament in which righteous men and women had their prayers answered (e.g., Numbers 11:2; Judges 13:8-9; 1 Samuel 1; 1 Chronicles 4:10; Acts 4:24-31; James 5:17-18).
Ahhhh…but wait a minute. Did you catch that? I described those people as “righteous.” That basically means you have right standing with God. The Bible is very specific about prayers. Look at James 5:16, which states, “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”
Jeremiah 29:12-13 says, “Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
So, now we know that God responds to prayers but only if you love God and seek a relationship with him. Now, here’s the kicker … sometimes God’s answer may not be the answer you want! Sometimes, because He knows what is best for you, the answer might be “no.” You may want something so bad but God may realize that you either couldn’t handle having it or you didn’t need it and so His answer is, no. That kinda stinks, doesn’t it? We imagine God’s always going to be there for us (which He is!) and that He’s going to give us everything we ask for. But I’ve searched the Bible from front to back and He never makes that promise! He only assures that He hears our prayers and that He will answer them … even if that answer is, no.
Now, let me clear on one more thing. The Bible is also very specific about the prayers of those who are not in right standing with God or who are in habitual sin. In John 9:31 it says, “We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will.” Proverbs 15:29 says, “The Lord is far from the wicked but hears the prayers of the righteous.” Psalm 66:18 clearly states, “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.”
So, remember, if you want God to answer your prayers, you must acknowledge Him and love Him and have a relationship with Him.
Wednesday, 5 August 2009
What do I say when people are making fun of me?
I am proud of you for asking me a really good Apple Box question. You asked me, “What do I say when people are making fun of me?” You also said, “I need help at school” and “Some of the kids at school are being really mean by making fun of the way I dress and they are calling me a boy and stuff like that.”
It’s a big deal and so I will try to answer your Apple Box question and help you with this problem. I promise we’ll keep praying, and you can keep asking questions too. If other kids are really bullying you a lot, though, we may need to help you more, OK? Promise me that you will tell your mom or dad or me or me if these other kids are going too far and are hurting you.
Proverbs 11:5 says,
The righteousness of the blameless makes a straight way for them, but the wicked are brought down by their own wickedness.
The kids who are bothering you and making fun of you may not stop. You can’t force them to stop, but you can control the way you react. If you ignore them or aren’t bothered by them, they may just stop cuz they’re not getting you upset anymore. That isn’t easy, I know.
I will ask God to help grow you to be the kind of person who honors God no matter what circumstances you find yourself in!
Also, you have to realize that you simply can’t please everybody or be friends with everyone. Look at what Paul says in his letter to the church in Galatia about people who are bullying him about the truth of the Gospel:
Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.
I promise you that you are not the only one who was ever teased!
And I get teased, too. One of the things that I do that really helps is that I search for positive influences and good friends and godly people to be in my life. And then I hang out with them. They are such good friends and people, that the others don’t matter as much any more!
I will say one more thing, and it’s kind of tough, but it will work. Check out these verses and I’ll bet you know what I am going to say.
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. (1 John 4:7a)
But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:44-45a)
O boy! It’s not easy to love your enemies. But it’s the right thing to do, and it honors God. BTW, “love your enemies” doesn’t mean that they have to be your friends, it doesn’t mean you have to like them, and it doesn’t mean you have to be anywhere near them, and it certainly doesn’t mean you should just let them hurt you. It just means that you will respect them as created by God (just like you are) and you can pray that God will change their hearts.
I hope this helps you a little bit. Let me know how it’s going, OK?
It’s a big deal and so I will try to answer your Apple Box question and help you with this problem. I promise we’ll keep praying, and you can keep asking questions too. If other kids are really bullying you a lot, though, we may need to help you more, OK? Promise me that you will tell your mom or dad or me or me if these other kids are going too far and are hurting you.
Proverbs 11:5 says,
The righteousness of the blameless makes a straight way for them, but the wicked are brought down by their own wickedness.
The kids who are bothering you and making fun of you may not stop. You can’t force them to stop, but you can control the way you react. If you ignore them or aren’t bothered by them, they may just stop cuz they’re not getting you upset anymore. That isn’t easy, I know.
I will ask God to help grow you to be the kind of person who honors God no matter what circumstances you find yourself in!
Also, you have to realize that you simply can’t please everybody or be friends with everyone. Look at what Paul says in his letter to the church in Galatia about people who are bullying him about the truth of the Gospel:
Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.
I promise you that you are not the only one who was ever teased!
And I get teased, too. One of the things that I do that really helps is that I search for positive influences and good friends and godly people to be in my life. And then I hang out with them. They are such good friends and people, that the others don’t matter as much any more!
I will say one more thing, and it’s kind of tough, but it will work. Check out these verses and I’ll bet you know what I am going to say.
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. (1 John 4:7a)
But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. (Matthew 5:44-45a)
O boy! It’s not easy to love your enemies. But it’s the right thing to do, and it honors God. BTW, “love your enemies” doesn’t mean that they have to be your friends, it doesn’t mean you have to like them, and it doesn’t mean you have to be anywhere near them, and it certainly doesn’t mean you should just let them hurt you. It just means that you will respect them as created by God (just like you are) and you can pray that God will change their hearts.
I hope this helps you a little bit. Let me know how it’s going, OK?
Tuesday, 28 July 2009
Why did Adam and Eve get kicked out of the garden for lying? Will I get kicked out of heaven for lying?
Adam and Eve didn’t get kicked out of the garden for lying, they got kicked out because the Lord didn’t want them to eat from the tree of life and live forever. Read all about it in Genesis 3:22-24. Really, Adam and Eve blew it with God because they disobeyed Him. He told them what NOT to do, and they did it. This just made everything into a big mess, as disobedience always does……..
As for lying, our God does “desire truth in the innermost being (Psalm 51:6A).” In Proverbs 6:17 we’re told that God hates a lying tongue. So this tells us how God feels about lying. We’re then told in James that, “to one who knows the right thing to do, and does not do it, to him it is sin (4:17).” And God tells us to “confess our sins to one another” in James 5:16. So, we know that God doesn’t like lying so we shouldn’t do it. We know that if we do what we shouldn’t, we are sinning. We know that if we are sinning, we should tell someone. AND, we know that “If we confess our sins, [God] is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).” Knowing all that, will God kick us out of heaven if we tell a lie and don’t ask for forgiveness?
If Jesus is truly our Lord and Savior, habitual sin is impossible to do without feeling extremely tormented. So a person who lies all the time and doesn’t give it a thought probably doesn’t have a relationship with Jesus. If that is the case, we’re told in Revelation 21:8 & 27 that there isn’t a place in heaven for such a person. But if we DO have a relationship with Jesus, nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8:39). We won’t, however, be able to sin without being bothered by it. And if we’re bothered by it enough, we’ll probably HAVE to confess it to SOMEONE, even if it IS only to the Lord (although it’s most helpful to tell another person as well).
So, a true child of God, one who has been adopted into His family through Jesus, will not be kicked out of heaven. I don’t believe, however, that we’ll get into heaven without unconfessed sin being laid bare to our Savior. He says in Matthew 12:36 that on the day of judgement, we’ll be held accountable for “every careless word [we] shall speak.” He says nothing unclean will be allowed into heaven. SO…..I personally don’t want to be standing before my Lord on judgement day in need of a shower. I’d rather confess my sins and get washed clean while I’m still here—how about you?
As for lying, our God does “desire truth in the innermost being (Psalm 51:6A).” In Proverbs 6:17 we’re told that God hates a lying tongue. So this tells us how God feels about lying. We’re then told in James that, “to one who knows the right thing to do, and does not do it, to him it is sin (4:17).” And God tells us to “confess our sins to one another” in James 5:16. So, we know that God doesn’t like lying so we shouldn’t do it. We know that if we do what we shouldn’t, we are sinning. We know that if we are sinning, we should tell someone. AND, we know that “If we confess our sins, [God] is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).” Knowing all that, will God kick us out of heaven if we tell a lie and don’t ask for forgiveness?
If Jesus is truly our Lord and Savior, habitual sin is impossible to do without feeling extremely tormented. So a person who lies all the time and doesn’t give it a thought probably doesn’t have a relationship with Jesus. If that is the case, we’re told in Revelation 21:8 & 27 that there isn’t a place in heaven for such a person. But if we DO have a relationship with Jesus, nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8:39). We won’t, however, be able to sin without being bothered by it. And if we’re bothered by it enough, we’ll probably HAVE to confess it to SOMEONE, even if it IS only to the Lord (although it’s most helpful to tell another person as well).
So, a true child of God, one who has been adopted into His family through Jesus, will not be kicked out of heaven. I don’t believe, however, that we’ll get into heaven without unconfessed sin being laid bare to our Savior. He says in Matthew 12:36 that on the day of judgement, we’ll be held accountable for “every careless word [we] shall speak.” He says nothing unclean will be allowed into heaven. SO…..I personally don’t want to be standing before my Lord on judgement day in need of a shower. I’d rather confess my sins and get washed clean while I’m still here—how about you?
Wednesday, 24 June 2009
Do I have to read the Bible every day?
I’m going to answer that question by asking a question of my own…do you have to talk to your parents every day? I’ll bet you’re thinking, well, of course I have to talk to my parents everyday. Maybe you’re saying, well, no I don’t have to talk to them everyday but I like talking to them everyday.
Well, guess what? The Holy Bible is God’s Word. And, it’s God’s way of talking to you. It’s His way of letting you get to know Him and He really, really wants you to know Him.
There are some incredible stories in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament. The story of Adam and Eve, the story of Moses, the story of David and Goliath or Samson and Delilah, the story of King Solomon…I could go on and on.
Do you like love stories? The Holy Bible is the greatest love story ever written! The stories of God’s love for us are endless. My favorite is how He gave His one and only Son to die for us so that we could have eternal life with Him in Heaven!
I remember when I first became a Christian and I picked up a Bible. It was so thick! I thought to myself, seriously??? I’m supposed to read this whole thing? Ummm, are there any DVD’s I can watch or maybe a thinner version? I didn’t even know where to start! Do I read it like a book from one cover to the other? Or, do I start with the Old Testament then read the New Testament? It seemed so overwhelming.
But, then, my small group leader said, “Start with the book of John in the New Testament.” He said it was all about God’s love for us. So, I flipped to John and saw that it was only twenty-one chapters. I said, “I can handle this!” And, before I knew it, I had read an entire book of the Bible. It was awesome!!! It made me want to read more. So, I started reading books of the New Testament. Then, my wife said, “Try reading a Psalm and a Proverb a day.” And she meant just one psalm and one proverb, not the whole book of Psalms and Proverbs. How easy is that???
And because it’s God’s way of talking to you, you end up wanting to know more and more. You find yourself just immersing yourself in God’s Word! Believe it or not, every little thing you will ever face, good and bad, is mentioned in the Bible. Every question you’ll ever have, God has an answer for and it’s in the Bible.
So, to answer your question…do you have to read the Bible everyday? I guess you really don’t have to but why wouldn’t you since God really wants to talk to you every day.
Well, guess what? The Holy Bible is God’s Word. And, it’s God’s way of talking to you. It’s His way of letting you get to know Him and He really, really wants you to know Him.
There are some incredible stories in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament. The story of Adam and Eve, the story of Moses, the story of David and Goliath or Samson and Delilah, the story of King Solomon…I could go on and on.
Do you like love stories? The Holy Bible is the greatest love story ever written! The stories of God’s love for us are endless. My favorite is how He gave His one and only Son to die for us so that we could have eternal life with Him in Heaven!
I remember when I first became a Christian and I picked up a Bible. It was so thick! I thought to myself, seriously??? I’m supposed to read this whole thing? Ummm, are there any DVD’s I can watch or maybe a thinner version? I didn’t even know where to start! Do I read it like a book from one cover to the other? Or, do I start with the Old Testament then read the New Testament? It seemed so overwhelming.
But, then, my small group leader said, “Start with the book of John in the New Testament.” He said it was all about God’s love for us. So, I flipped to John and saw that it was only twenty-one chapters. I said, “I can handle this!” And, before I knew it, I had read an entire book of the Bible. It was awesome!!! It made me want to read more. So, I started reading books of the New Testament. Then, my wife said, “Try reading a Psalm and a Proverb a day.” And she meant just one psalm and one proverb, not the whole book of Psalms and Proverbs. How easy is that???
And because it’s God’s way of talking to you, you end up wanting to know more and more. You find yourself just immersing yourself in God’s Word! Believe it or not, every little thing you will ever face, good and bad, is mentioned in the Bible. Every question you’ll ever have, God has an answer for and it’s in the Bible.
So, to answer your question…do you have to read the Bible everyday? I guess you really don’t have to but why wouldn’t you since God really wants to talk to you every day.
Sunday, 24 May 2009
Why does the truth sometimes hurt?
Wow. That is such a good question. The simple answer is the truth sometimes hurts because it may not be what we want to hear. For example, I asked one of my best friends at the beginning of the year, “Hey, do I look unhealthy to you?” And he was very blunt and said, “Yes.” Ouch! I couldn’t believe it. In my heart I knew he was right but I was hoping for a different answer. But, it was also what I needed to hear. John 8:32 says, “Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” So, in my case, the truth kinda hurt.
But, you know what? A lie hurts more. A lie also does a lot more damage because it destroys trust. A lie can break up a friendship forever. The Bible says a lot about truth and lies and it is very consistent in its message. In fact, Proverbs 12:22 states it very bluntly, “The Lord detests lying lips; but He delights in men that are truthful.” Psalm 145:18 says it like this: “The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”
In fact, Jesus, Himself, started many of His sermons with these 5 words, “I tell you the truth…” Jesus spoke only truth to His followers. And, believe me, a lot of Jesus’ truth are so hard to hear! And the reason they are hard to hear is because they are somewhat hurtful. For example, when Jesus tells us that being angry with someone is just as bad as murdering them (Matthew 5:21-22), that’s hard to hear! It hurts me because I know I’ve been angry with someone to the point where I wished something bad would happen to that person. Yikes!
If you’re ever in the position where you have to make a decision as to whether to tell the truth and maybe hurt someone or tell a lie, remember what Jesus says is Matthew 5:8, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”
But, you know what? A lie hurts more. A lie also does a lot more damage because it destroys trust. A lie can break up a friendship forever. The Bible says a lot about truth and lies and it is very consistent in its message. In fact, Proverbs 12:22 states it very bluntly, “The Lord detests lying lips; but He delights in men that are truthful.” Psalm 145:18 says it like this: “The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”
In fact, Jesus, Himself, started many of His sermons with these 5 words, “I tell you the truth…” Jesus spoke only truth to His followers. And, believe me, a lot of Jesus’ truth are so hard to hear! And the reason they are hard to hear is because they are somewhat hurtful. For example, when Jesus tells us that being angry with someone is just as bad as murdering them (Matthew 5:21-22), that’s hard to hear! It hurts me because I know I’ve been angry with someone to the point where I wished something bad would happen to that person. Yikes!
If you’re ever in the position where you have to make a decision as to whether to tell the truth and maybe hurt someone or tell a lie, remember what Jesus says is Matthew 5:8, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.”
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