Blind Spots

"He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse" (Prov 28:27).

In his book entitled "Radical" (Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream) David Platt writes, "We all have blind spots--areas of our lives that need to be uncovered so we can see correctly and adjust our lives accordingly. But they are hard to identify. I can think of at least one glaring blind spot in American Christian history. Slavery. We look back on slave-owning churchgoers of 150 years ago and ask, How could they have treated their fellow human beings that way?" What's the answer to that question? How could professing Christians justify treating men, women and children like animals? They were blinded by wealth and materialism.

Is your desire for comfort and stuff blinding you from the spiritual and physical needs of others? God blesses us not so we can fall in love with the blessings, but in order that we might be a blessing for Christ in our world.

Is your religion real or worthless?

"She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness" (Prov 31:26).

In Proverbs chapter 31 we are given a description of a virtuous woman. Among the many qualities that she possesses it is written that, "She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness." She doesn't just speak her mind. Before she opens her mouth she thinks and prays about what she's going to say. She ask, "How would Jesus want me to respond?" When she opens her mouth wisdom comes out because wisdom is already in her heart. Also, it is said that "in her tongue is the law of kindness." In others words kindness characterizes her speech. James writes, "If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain" (James 1:26).

One of the best ways to measure the purity of your christianity is by what comes out of your mouth. What's been coming out of your mouth lately?

Welcome the wounds of the wise

"Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful"(Proverbs 27:6).

A sign of wisdom and spiritual maturity is being open to receive correction from a friend even when it stings. Proverbs 9:9 says, "Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning."

How have you handled the loving rebuke and constructive criticisms of a friend? Do you love him or hate him for it? Proverbs 9:8 says, "Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee." Do you even have a friend that feels that you have the capacity and maturity to receive correction or a rebuke? A wise man might feel the pain of a rebuke, but he will view it as the faithfulness, loyalty and love of a friend. Will you rather that your friend tell you the truth in love even if it hurts, or lie to you so you can feel good? Welcome the wounds of the wise. Thank God for faithful friends.

Increasing in wisdom

"Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning" (Proverbs 9:9).

One of the great characteristics of a wise person is that they are eager to continue to learn. You will cease to be wise when you no longer have a willingness to learn the ways of God and apply them to your life.

Some claim that they don't read the bible because they can't understand it. Apart from the Spirit of God we will not understand the things of the God. The Apostle Paul wrote, "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Cor. 2:14). If you have been born again the Spirit of God resides in you to teach you and enable you to live a godly life. When the spirit teaches you something he's also expecting you to apply it. If we don't apply what we are learning we won't increase in wisdom. "The way to understand the parts of the bible you don't understand, is to obey the parts you do understand. Understand?" (Adrian Rogers).

God is more concern with your holiness than your happiness

"Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon u. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord." (Proverbs 1:24-28).

I read a story about a woman who mocked the Faith of her neighbor, who occasionally invited her to her church. One day when the woman was going through some difficulties, she said, "I'm going to pray to this God my neighbor keeps talking to me about." When it appeared that God did not answer her, she became angry. When she saw her neighbor she said, "If your God is real, why didn't he answer my prayer like you claim he does?" Her neighbor responded, "Perhaps He was busy taking care of His regular customers."

When you pray keep in mind that God is more concern with your holiness than He is your happiness. Are you walking in the fear of the Lord?

Wisdom says, "Look not thou upon the wine..."

"Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things"(Proverbs 23:29-33)

In the Proverbs you will find instructions, wise sayings and principles that will help you to make godly decisions. Our lives will be summed up by the decisions and choices that we make. Therefore its incumbent upon us to make wise choices. The wisdom of the proverbs is the wisdom from above, which will help us and teach us how to make right decisions. Wisdom is the skill that enables one to make godly decisions to live life successfully.

When it comes to alcohol, what is the wise choice? In Proverbs chapter 23 we are given instructions on the destructive, mind altering, sinful and addictive effects of alcohol. Because of these effects wisdom says, "Look not upon the wine when it is red..." In other words, don't be fooled by its deceptive appeal. Wisdom doesn't encourage us to drink in moderation. Wisdom says, "It's poison--don't even go there."

"Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice" (Ps 55:17).

Many of us would admit that although we recognize our need for prayer (or at least we say we do) we struggle to spend adequate time praying to God. Martin Luther, the great reformer once said, "If I fail to spend two hours in prayer each morning, the Devil gets the victory through the day...I have so much business, I can not get on without spending three hours daily in prayer."

Luther sensed his need for God and it showed in his prayer life. But if you're struggling in your prayer life I don't suggest that you raise the bar as high as he did. One of the keys to an effective prayer life is to be persistent and consistent. If spending two of three hours on your knees in prayer every morning works for you, go for it. But if you don't do well praying for an extended period of time, I suggest that you spend a few minutes at a time in focused prayer as the Psalmist did in the morning, at noon and in the evening.

In the morning spend a few minutes praising the Lord. At noon time take a few minutes to petition the Lord for personal needs in your life. And in the evening spend a few minutes in intercessory prayer for the needs of others.

Think great thoughts, give high praise and pray big prayers unto God

"Hear this, all ye people; give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world: Both low and high, rich and poor, together. My mouth shall speak of wisdom; and the meditation of my heart shall be of understanding. I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying upon the harp" (Psalm 49:1-4).

The Psalms were not written to entertain a crowd but to worship a holy God. Although there are many Psalms of lament they were not written to just simply sing the blues. The Psalms express deep contemplations and meditations of the heart about life and about God. These contemplations and meditations were written down and put to music with the ultimate intent of worshipping God. David wrote many of these Psalms. And one of the reasons why he did great things for God was because he thought deeply and worshipfully on God and as a result had great faith in God. I've heard it said, and I agree, that we live in the information age. We can get on the Internet and search and find information on just about anything we want to find information on. But although many people know a lot about many things, very few people know anything very deeply. If we desire to grow in our faith and knowledge of God we must think and meditate deeply on God through His word. And the book of Psalms is a great place to begin.

Read the Psalm not simply to gain information about God, but to grow in intimacy with God. The Psalms call us to draw near to God and seek his face with all our hearts. Therefore when you read the Psalm you must do so in the context of a relationship with God. This means that you must first of all ponder what they have to say about God. The Psalmist wrote, "Be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:16). If we get still enough, if we pause enough to think and ponder the beauty and greatness of the God of the Psalms, we will like David grow in our faith and confidence in Him.

We must us personalize and pray the Psalms. When you come across a passage or verse in the Psalms that speaks to your heart, personalize and pray it back to God. Keep in mind that the Psalms are not simply songs that are sung, which tell us something about God. Many of the Psalms are prayers that are prayed to God. For example, in Psalm 63 David wrote, “O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; 2 To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. 3 Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. 4 Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name. 5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips: 6 When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches. 7 Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice” (Psalm 63:1-7).

Do you desire a closer and more intimate knowledge of God? Ponder, personalize and pray the Psalms from your heart. Let the Psalms help you, by God's Spirit to think great thoughts, give high praise, and pray big prayers unto an infinitely worthy God.

God my exceeding joy

"Judge me, O God, and plead my cause...O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man. For thou art the God of my strength: why dost thou cast me off? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles. Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God. Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God" (Psalm 43:1-5).

Psalm's 43 teaches us that no matter how we're feeling or what we're going through we can pour out our souls to God and he will hear us. The Psalms also teach us that when we are down, oppressed or in turmoil, we need to not only petition the Lord, but we need to be reminded of who He is. We need to Plead before God for help, but we need also to praise his name. We need to pour out our souls to God but we need also to see God.

The Psalmist proclaimed, "O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles. Then will I go unto the altar of God, unto God my exceeding joy: yea, upon the harp will I praise thee..." (Psalm 43).
In his deep mourning and oppression the Psalmist knew that what he needed was not just deliverance from his problem but he needed to be brought into God's presence. God was his exceeding joy. When you're down, worried or fearful tell God about it and pray also for God to bring you into the joy of His presence. Depression will turn into delight and fear will turn to faith when worry turns to worship.

The fountain of Life

"How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures. For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light" (Ps 36:7-10).

In this beautiful Psalm God is praised for His excellent love. And the Psalmist declares that those who see and know the love of God will put their trust under the shadow of His wings.

Where did God most excellently display his love for the world to see. The apostle Paul wrote, "For God commendeth his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us" (Rom 5:8). When we were separated from God because of our sin and deserving of His eternal wrath, Jesus went to the cross to die in our place that we might have eternal life (Romans 6:23).

People have imagined a fountain of youth that one must find and drink from to live forever. We don't have imagined that a fountain of youth exist. Everyone who knows and puts their trust in the love of God demonstrated by the cross of Jesus will drink of the river of His pleasures which flows from the fountain of His life. "For with thee (God) is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light" (Psalm 36:10).

Wait on the Lord

"Show me thy ways, O LORD, and teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day" (Psalm 25:4-5).

There are many blessings promised to those who learn to wait on the Lord. For example, in Ps. 27:14 the Psalmist exhorted, "Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD." What does it mean to wait on the Lord. After the Psalmist prayed for God to show him His ways, teach him His path, and lead him in His truths, he said confidently, "for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day."

To wait upon the Lord means that we do not make a move until we are sure that we have clear direction from God. And we do that first of all by knowing what God's Word says. God will never lead us to do something that contradicts his word. When we wait on the Lord we do so by also trusting that his way is best.

The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy

"Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God...who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains. He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry. He delighteth not in the strength of the horse: he taketh not pleasure in the legs of a man. The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy" (Ps 147:7-11).

The Psalms express the heart felt cries of men who feared and trusted in the mercy and grace of God. Every human emotion is seen in the Psalms, but in the context of a relationship to God. There are Psalms of lament and of thanksgiving. There are Psalms that express confidence in God and Psalms that question God.

The Palms are not only songs that give praise God but they also reveal our desperate need for God and bring us to His grace. The Psalms teach us that no matter what we are going through we can run to God and hope in His mercy. In fact, the Psalmist declares that the Lord takes pleasure in his children when they run to him and want to share everything in their lives with Him. What an amazing God we serve.

When I Consider thy heavens...

"When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that thou visitest (care for) him?" (Psalm 8: 3-4).

Voltaire, a French philosopher from 18th century wrote, "God made man in his image, and man returned the favor." Judging by Voltaire's disdain for the word of God, he obviously did not have a correct view of God himself. But there is certainly a lot of truth in his statement. There are many today that have a distorted image of God. Even Christians are loosing a sense of Holy reverence for God and do not stand in awe of who he is. The Psalmist wrote, "Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him" (Psalm 33:8).

The implications of a shallow view of God is a shallow Christianity that makes very little impact for the cause of Christ in our world. Notice what helped to give the Psalmist a high view of God and a humble view of himself. He wrote, "When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that thou visitest (care for) him?" (Psalm 8: 3-4).

In addition to reading and meditating of the scriptures, which is an absolute must, do you take time to look up--to admire--to ponder upon the glories of God's creation?" Consider His heavens and the works of God and stand in awe of him.

Set apart for God himself

"But know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the Lord will hear when I call unto him" (Psalm 4:3).

In this Psalm the godly are exhorted to know in their hearts not just in their heads one of the most profound truths that one could ever know. This realty that the Psalmist David speaks of is true of every one who has trusted Jesus as Lord and savior of their lives. The glorious truth that we are exhorted to "know" is that "the Lord has set apart him that is godly for himself." Do you know that? To know it doesn't mean to just give mental assent to it, but to be convinced of it to the point that it renews your mind and transforms your life. Paul wrote, "For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's" (1 Cor. 6:20). The saved are set apart not just to serve God, but for God himself. Do you know that this is true of you?

"One of the results of being convinced of this is found at the end of verse 3 where David writes, “the LORD will hear when I call unto him.” If I meditate on the truth that I am set apart by God… for God… then having confidence that He hears when I call unto Him seems to be a logical outworking of Scriptural truth" (LCM).

May the reality that we've been set apart for God himself lead us to shun all worthless and meaningless pursuit to enjoy and treasure fellowship with Jesus. Commune with him, walk with Him and live to glorify His name.

I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food"

"Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food" (Job 23:12).

What kind of testimony do you have before God? Job had a testimony that God could brag about and that put the devil to shame. Concerning Job, the Lord said to Satan, "Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?" Job was not sinless but he was blameless. There was not an area in his life where Satan could accuse him of dishonoring God.

What kept Job from backsliding away from God. Job said, "I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food." There is absolutely no way that we can keep from backsliding unless we recognize that as food is vital to the nourishment of our bodies, the word of God is even more vital to the nourishment of our souls.

when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold

"Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him: On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him: But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold" (Job 23:8-9).

Job was on top of the world until suddenly his life was turned upside down. While Job was in this furnace of affliction God seemed awfully silent. But God's silence does not mean His absence." Job knew that God was not unaware or unconcerned about what he was going through, but was using it to purify his life.

Whether we like it or not our faith is strengthen not so much in prosperity, but in adversity. God allows adversity in our lives for our ultimate good and His glory.

It been said that when God puts His own people into the furnace, He keeps His eye on the clock and His hand on the thermostat. He knows how long and how much." Trust him to bring you through shining forth like gold.

"For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another..." (Job 19:25-27).

When Job said the above words he was going through some heavy trials and tribulations. And what made it worse for him was that he had three friends that, rather than lifting him up and encouraging him, kicked him while he was down. Its been said that the Christian army is the only army that shoots its wounded. That statement contains much hyperbole, but there is certainly some truth to it. And it was certainly true of Job's friends. Job called them miserable comforters and God agreed with him. Its good to have good friends who will help carry our burdens but we can't always depend upon others. Thankfully Job did not totally have to rely on his friends and neither do we. Despite Job's severe trials and his unsympathetic friends, he could say with great confidence, "For I know my redeemer liveth...Whom I shall see for myself."

If you've been born again you too can say with great hope and confidence, "My redeemer lives." The author of Hebrews wrote of our redeemer and savior Jesus Christ, "Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them" (Hebrews 7:25)." Are you going through tough times right now? Your redeemer lives! He's seated on the throne of heaven making intercession for you. He will see you through and one day you will see him face to face and declare, "it was worth it all."

Pray for your sons and daughters

"And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them. And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually" (Job 1:4-5).

Job was a man that was exemplary in his integrity and righteousness before God and man. In addition, Job did not only care about his own testimony before God, he had a sincere and genuine concern for his sons and daughters standing before God. When his children were out from under his watchful care, he made intercession before God on their behalf continuously.

When our children are beyond our reach they're never beyond the reach of God. And by faith and prayer we can move heaven on their behalf. Pray for your sons and daughters.

Moving the hand that moves the world:

But there's a power, which man can wield
When mortal aid is vain'
That eye, that arm, that love to reach,
That listening ear to gain.

That power is prayer, which soars on high,
Through Jesus to the throne,
And moves the hand which moves the world,
To bring salvation down.

J. A. Wallace, quoted by Arthur Wallis, In the Day of Thy Power, p139

More than a reason for hardship we need God's revelation of Himself

"Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came every one from his own place...for they had made an appointment together to come to mourn with him and to comfort him." (Job 2:11-13).

Life is not always a bed of roses. Like Job we have and will experience loss, suffering and deep anguish in our lives. Many people often ask when they are suffering, "Why me?" There are scriptural answers to these questions, but we will not always know what those answers are this side of heaven.

Job started off praising God when he first experienced the great heartache and pain of loosing his children. But after some time his faith wavered and he began to ask the question, "Why me?" His "why me" questions caused him to lose the focus he had on the Lord, which led him to curse the day he was born. But later when God showed up he didn't give Job a reason for hardship but a revelation of Himself (Job 38-42). And it was that knowledge of God that lifted Job from his despair. When you can't understand God's hand learn to trust His heart.