All posts by John (HFJ Director)

Depression / Discouragement, Heaven and Hell, Share the Good News, Suffering / Adversity

Absent of the Body Is Home With The Lord

All who live face suffering and trials.  All who live at some point die. These are truths no one can credibly argue against. However there is so much more! For the righteous who submit to and follow Jehovah through Jesus Christ, there is much comfort for the sorrows and difficulties we face in this world. As disciples of Christ, we seek to please Jehovah and know that when we die we will leave our earthly bodies and go to be at home with our Father.  We understand that everyone will face judgment and be welcomed to heaven or condemned to hell based on their own choices made during their life to truly accept or reject Jesus Christ. We are ambassadors from Him to come and share the truth of the gospel with others who do not know Him. We are to bring the joy and hope we find in knowing our Father to others and try to lead them to the grace that is offered in forgiveness of sin.

2 Corinthians 5:1-10

      1For we know that if the earthly tent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2For indeed in this house we groan, longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven, 3inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked. 4For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life. 5Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge.

      6Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— 7for we walk by faith, not by sight— 8we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. 9Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. 10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

We, as followers of Christ, have hope in our Father in heaven. We trust in His promises and in the salvation He offers. What greater joy than to be able to share such good news with others? Let us seek to please Him while in this earth!

If someone was giving out $100 bills for free, you would tell everyone you know so they too could be blessed. So if Jehovah offers us forgiveness of sin by grace… eternal life in heaven with Him… should we not also be excited and joyful to tell others?

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Doubt / Lacking Faith, Grace / Forgiveness, Obeying God, Provider, Speaking, Through Prophets

The Grace and Provision of Jehovah

Have you ever gone out of your way to really help someone else who was in need. Not just a little help, but fundamentally transforming their lives in a certain area. Perhaps bringing them out of addiction or adopting them to bring them into a loving home or bringing them to know the joy of Jehovah through Jesus Christ. Imagine if all they did was complain and whine about it and say they wish they were back where they started? How would that make you feel?

It is easy to imagine us losing interest in wanting to continue helping this person when they respond that way… ungrateful. How gracious is Jehovah in His love and provision for His people. Even after He has performed many miracles, over and over in the sight of the people, leading them out of slavery in Egypt and into freedom… many whine and complain. Yes, really.

While we may easily be able to understand if Jehovah responded by sending them back to slavery, we see that is not His way. He tests and teaches His people to follow and obey His instruction. He is preparing them to be ready to take the promised land. They are not ready yet.

Exodus 16:1-21

The LORD Provides Manna

      1Then they set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the sons of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departure from the land of Egypt. 2The whole congregation of the sons of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3The sons of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the LORD’S hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat, when we ate bread to the full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”

      4Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether or not they will walk in My instruction. 5“On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily.” 6So Moses and Aaron said to all the sons of Israel, “At evening you will know that the LORD has brought you out of the land of Egypt; 7and in the morning you will see the glory of the LORD, for He hears your grumblings against the LORD; and what are we, that you grumble against us?”

The LORD Provides Meat

      8Moses said, “This will happen when the LORD gives you meat to eat in the evening, and bread to the full in the morning; for the LORD hears your grumblings which you grumble against Him. And what are we? Your grumblings are not against us but against the LORD.”

      9Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to all the congregation of the sons of Israel, ‘Come near before the LORD, for He has heard your grumblings.’” 10It came about as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the sons of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud. 11And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 12“I have heard the grumblings of the sons of Israel; speak to them, saying, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread; and you shall know that I am the LORD your God.’”

      13So it came about at evening that the quails came up and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. 14When the layer of dew evaporated, behold, on the surface of the wilderness there was a fine flake-like thing, fine as the frost on the ground. 15When the sons of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat. 16“This is what the LORD has commanded, ‘Gather of it every man as much as he should eat; you shall take an omer apiece according to the number of persons each of you has in his tent.’” 17The sons of Israel did so, and some gathered much and some little. 18When they measured it with an omer, he who had gathered much had no excess, and he who had gathered little had no lack; every man gathered as much as he should eat. 19Moses said to them, “Let no man leave any of it until morning.” 20But they did not listen to Moses, and some left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and became foul; and Moses was angry with them. 21They gathered it morning by morning, every man as much as he should eat; but when the sun grew hot, it would melt.

Let us each challenge ourselves to avoid grumbling complaints about where and how Jehovah is leading us. Instead, pray He will help us to trust and obey joyfully. Then let us also help one another by focusing on the good things Jehovah provides for us even when times are tough. Finally, let us obey Him and do things His way even if they do not seem to make sense to us!

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Heaven and Hell, Hope, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Prophecy, Salvation

Find Hope In Christ Jesus

We will experience joy and suffering in this world. In the end, all of us will die. Many find this uncomfortable to think about because they do not really believe in life after death… not in the same way they believe in gravity or the wind. Even though we can not see gravity or the wind, we believe because we see evidence of it around us in daily life. It can be a bit harder to fully trust in salvation through Christ and life after death. It helps if we study the Bible, pray for God to open our eyes to His glory, and seek to apply His instructions in our lives. Then we can start to recognize the evidence of God at work in the world and our lives around us more easily.

We can trust completely in God in all things, including what He promises us about life after death for those who submit to and follow Christ… those who truly believe will reflect that belief in their actions.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-17

Those Who Died in Christ

      13But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. 14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. 18Therefore comfort one another with these words.

Put your faith in God and trust Him in our hope of resurrection after death. Of course, we must submit to and follow Jesus in more than just words. We must do so wholeheartedly. But the faithful can take heart that no matter what this world holds for us, we will go to be with God after and when Jesus returns again, we will rise again physically to be with Him.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Faith / Trusting God, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Suffering / Adversity

When Times Are Tough, Show God’s Stuff… Don’t Pout And Sit It Out

When things go wrong in your life, do you pout and sit it out, getting mad at Jehovah? or Do you let God’s light and love shine through you? Imagine if people lied about you and tried to kill you. Then you were arrested and left in prison without a trial for years. By the, way… you did nothing wrong. Then you are sent to another city for trial and the boat you are on wrecks and you are stranded on an island. And all this happens to you while you are following God’s agenda for your life faithfully. All of this happened to Paul. He could have become upset and bitter or angry at God and refused to continue walking in faith and sharing God’s word, but he did not. He remained faithful to God through it all and God continued to bless him and protect him… though not perhaps in the way most of us would expect if we asked God for a blessing.

Acts 28:1-10

Safe at Malta

      1When they had been brought safely through, then we found out that the island was called Malta. 2The natives showed us extraordinary kindness; for because of the rain that had set in and because of the cold, they kindled a fire and received us all. 3But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened itself on his hand. 4When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they began saying to one another, “Undoubtedly this man is a murderer, and though he has been saved from the sea, justice has not allowed him to live.” 5However he shook the creature off into the fire and suffered no harm. 6But they were expecting that he was about to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after they had waited a long time and had seen nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and began to say that he was a god.

      7Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the leading man of the island, named Publius, who welcomed us and entertained us courteously three days. 8And it happened that the father of Publius was lying in bed afflicted with recurrent fever and dysentery; and Paul went in to see him and after he had prayed, he laid his hands on him and healed him. 9After this had happened, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases were coming to him and getting cured. 10They also honored us with many marks of respect; and when we were setting sail, they supplied us with all we needed.

God did not release Paul from prison… He used the experience to let Paul witness before rulers and kings. God did not protect Paul from a shipwreck while Paul was traveling where God wanted him to go… He used it to let Paul witness to people he would not have otherwise met. However God did still protect Paul from the snake, to the glory of God’s kingdom. God’s ways are not our ways. We do best to trust Him anyway, even when we do not understand.

Ask yourself in what ways you may be allowing yourself to be angry or bitter or even a bit disappointed in God based on things not working out exactly like you want. Then go humbly before God in prayer to ask forgiveness for this and ask His help for you to live more joyfully even through tough times. It is when things are darkest that God’s light shines brightest through us… if we let it.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Love, Obeying God, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

What Does God Require From Me?

Have you ever wondered what God (Jehovah) requires of you? There is much debate among even believers about what God requires of His people. We should look to His word for the answer. God has provided in scripture several summaries to help us get our minds around it. However, in order to properly follow it we must study and pray for God’s help and choose to change our ways and follow His. It is a journey of a lifetime and it is a joy and not a burden to those who love God.

Matthew 22:36-40

36“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37And He [Jesus] said to him, “ ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ 38“This is the great and foremost commandment. 39“The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ 40“On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”

Loving God and loving people. Simple sounding summary but it is often misunderstood because what our society today defines as love is different than what God defines as love. The world tells us that to love someone is to accept them unconditionally as they are… this is not loving God or loving people. Do I show love to my children by letting them do or believe whatever they want? or do I show love to them by instructing and guiding them in truth? I tell my children not to touch a hot stove… I rebuke them and set guidelines for them to steer them in the right way. I show my love for them by guiding and instructing them. They show their love for me by obeying, not by disregarding what I say and doing what they think is right… even when they do not fully understand why I give certain boundaries.

God clearly, and repeatedly, emphasizes obedience to His ways as the answer to “how to love God”. Our motivation is love of God and love of people, but how we demonstrate this through our actions and attitudes is by obeying God’s word.

John 14:15

  15“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.

John 14:23-24

23Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him. 24“He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.

God provides another summary of what He requires of us in Deuteronomy 10.

Deuteronomy 10:12-13

   12“Now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require from you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, 13and to keep the LORD’S commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good?

Again we see similar instruction from God. Fear (e.g. respect, revere) God. Walk in His ways and love Him. Do not walk in your own ways or the ways of the world. Serve God with all your heart and soul… not just part of it. Keep His commandments and statutes… for your own good!

Many try to avoid acknowledging the need to obey all God’s commands and statutes as how they should be showing love to God. Instead they want to just call on His name and “have positive thoughts and feelings about Him”. God is displeased by this approach. God wants us to show love by obeying what He has instructed us to do. The first step to doing that is to humbly admit we do not have it all figured out… our society around us and even our church does not have it all figured out. We must pray for His help and study scripture consistently to better understand and apply His instructions to our lives to truly show our love for Him.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Learning To Pray Effectively, Protector / Deliverer

Learning To Pray Effectively: Protection From The Wicked

David was a man after God’s own heart. He wrote many of the Psalms and we can learn a lot from David by observing his relationship with God through the Psalms. Read through Psalm 5 and we will highlight some keys to effective prayer that David demonstrates.

Psalm 5

      1Give ear to my words, O LORD,
Consider my groaning.

      2Heed the sound of my cry for help, my King and my God,
For to You I pray.

      3In the morning, O LORD, You will hear my voice;
In the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch.

      4For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness;
No evil dwells with You.

      5The boastful shall not stand before Your eyes;
You hate all who do iniquity.

      6You destroy those who speak falsehood;
The LORD abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit.

      7But as for me, by Your abundant lovingkindness I will enter Your house,
At Your holy temple I will bow in reverence for You.

      8O LORD, lead me in Your righteousness because of my foes;
Make Your way straight before me.

      9There is nothing reliable in what they say;
Their inward part is destruction itself.
Their throat is an open grave;
They flatter with their tongue.

      10Hold them guilty, O God;
By their own devices let them fall!
In the multitude of their transgressions thrust them out,
For they are rebellious against You.

      11But let all who take refuge in You be glad,
Let them ever sing for joy;
And may You shelter them,
That those who love Your name may exult in You.

      12For it is You who blesses the righteous man, O LORD,
You surround him with favor as with a shield.

Let us consider a few key elements to effective prayer that we can observe in this Psalm.

  • David openly comes before God, readily admitting that he is suffering and asks for help.
  • David prays to Jehovah… and only to Jehovah.
  • David commits to meeting God in prayer each morning. He has so much faith God will answer that he says he will eagerly watch after he prays. David expects God to answer.
  • David spends time focused on the character of God… He hates wickedness, no evil within Him, hates those who do iniquity, does not like those who boast in themselves… and so on. David is focused on God rather than just being focused on His problems.
  • David again honors God by committing to bowing before Him.
  • David recognizes God’s abundant lovingkindness as the reason he will be able to come before God.
  • David asks for God to lead him in righteousness… meaning doing things God’s way. David asks God to show him God’s way rather than just answering the way David thinks it should be.
  • David now, far into the psalm, asks God for help dealing with his enemies.
  • David demonstrates his faith and trust in God by acknowledging joy, gladness and shelter that God provides for those who love Him.
  • David again acknowledges that any blessings that come to the righteous come from God, including protection.

Spend some time humbly before God in prayer asking Him to lead you to a more effective prayer life. Ask Him to reveal to you changes that you should make in your prayer life and relationship with God. Expect Him to answer. Make changes in your prayer life based on the elements we shared in this article. Make a plan to study and learn more about effective prayer. It does not have to be complicated. It may even start as simple as joining us every Friday for this extra post on effective prayer and then reviewing and practicing it throughout the week.

You can study more teachings about effective prayer. (click for more: Learning to Pray Effectively teaching or Learning to Pray Effectively category of teachings.)

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Knowing, Faith / Trusting God, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Protector / Deliverer

Taking The Long Way… On Purpose

After terrorists flew planes into the twin towers in New York years ago, many people were shaken and actually turned toward Jehovah for answers. I know a single mother who has been through a lot of trials, and her faith in God has come out stronger than before she endured them. I have read about a particular online blogger who is doing very well today, but first went through a season of unemployment that seemed to be quite scary. Now, he readily praises God in that that situation in his life prepared and seasoned him to be more faithful and trusting of God in his life. In my personal life, the worst failures I endured have brought me closer to God and strengthened my relationship with Him.

We see this same theme throughout scripture over and over. Joseph and David were seasoned and prepared by God through difficult times to be better able to be faithful to God and obey Him.

The same is true when God led the people out of Egypt and into the wilderness. The journey did not take long because God got lost. God was actively and intentionally preparing His people along the way for what He knew was to come later.

Exodus 13:17-22

God Leads the People

      17Now when Pharaoh had let the people go, God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines, even though it was near; for God said, “The people might change their minds when they see war, and return to Egypt.” 18Hence God led the people around by the way of the wilderness to the Red Sea; and the sons of Israel went up in martial array from the land of Egypt. 19Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God will surely take care of you, and you shall carry my bones from here with you.” 20Then they set out from Succoth and camped in Etham on the edge of the wilderness. 21The LORD was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. 22He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.

When things do not go the way you expect, when God shows you something He is going to do in your life, but you seem to be taking the long way to get there… prayerfully turn to God and ask Him to help you be patient and learn the lessons He has planned for you. Do not consider it a failure just because something does not happen quickly, in your desired timing.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Faith / Trusting God, Father / Yahweh, Heaven and Hell, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Suffering / Adversity

I Go To Prepare A Place For You

When I experience pain and suffering in this world I find much comfort and joy in knowing that Jesus has prepared a place for His disciples. Scripture tells us that we will have suffering in this world, but take heart, Jesus has overcome death and prepared the way for all of His disciples to follow when we leave this world.

John 16:33

33“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

John 14:1-6

Jesus Comforts His Disciples

      1“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2“In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. 3“If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. 4“And you know the way where I am going.” 5Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, how do we know the way?” 6Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

There is little comfort in this statement for those who do not submit to and follow after Jesus wholeheartedly. Those who reject Jesus will go to hell when they die. For those who are disciples after Christ, it is life giving water. We will be with Him for eternity in heaven. It is an extremely important choice… and we each have to make that choice. The offer expires for each of us when we die.

Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Learning To Pray Effectively

Learning to Pray Effectively: It’s Not About Repeating Special Words

Some time ago, there was quite a craze about “The Prayer of Jabez”. People wrote books and spent a lot of time and energy presenting the case in such a way as to imply that repeating the special words would lead to prosperity. The claim seemed to be that “all you have to do is repeat the words over and over long enough and God will bless you”. This is quite simply false. Let us take a look at Jabez in terms of what the Bible actually tells us.

1 Chronicles 4:6-10

6Naarah bore him Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni and Haahashtari. These were the sons of Naarah. 7The sons of Helah were Zereth, Izhar and Ethnan. 8Koz became the father of Anub and Zobebah, and the families of Aharhel the son of Harum. 9Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother named him Jabez saying, “Because I bore him with pain.” 10Now Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that You would bless me indeed and enlarge my border, and that Your hand might be with me, and that You would keep me from harm that it may not pain me!” And God granted him what he requested.

Jabez is mentioned in the middle of a long narrative on family lineage. We are provided with precious few details.

  • Jabez was more honorable than his brothers.
  • Jabez asked for God to bless Him and protect Him.
  • God granted Jabez’s request.

As I mentioned, some concluded that the words Jabez prayed unlocked God’s power. If we repeat them somehow we will have God’s blessing like Jabez. This is a false teaching. We must be careful to interpret scripture in a way that is consistent with what the rest of the Bible teaches. Let’s take a look at what Jesus taught about praying a specific set of words over and over again in an effort to be heard by God.

Matthew 6:7-8

    7“And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. 8“So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

Jesus teaches directly against an empty repetition of words. Thus we immediately know that the power of Jabez’s prayer is not from the words themselves or from repeating them. Just to emphasize this point, explore the broader context by reading more of Matthew 6. Jesus was teaching His disciples to pray and even as He laid out an approach to prayer He insisted that they should be careful to avoid just repeating even His words over and over. The power is not in the specific words. The power comes from God and is directed at His discretion based on our relationship with Him.

We know that God answered Jabez’s prayer, so I would conclude that his request for blessing and protection was deemed reasonable by God. This is also consistent with other examples of righteous prayer throughout the Bible. Psalms is a great example.  For now we can even compare it again to how Jesus taught His disciples to pray.

Matthew 6:11-13

      11‘Give us this day our daily bread.

      12‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

      13‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Jesus tells us to daily ask God for the provisions we need, our “daily bread”, and also tells us to ask God to “deliver us from evil”. This is incredibly consistent with Jabez’s request, though not an exact match in words.

So why did God answer Jabez’s prayer? Of course it is always at God’s discretion based on His plans and His wisdom. However, we do know that God hears the prayer of the righteous and in fact that is another detail we are provided about Jabez… he was at least “more honorable than his brothers”.

Psalm 34:15-19

      15The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous
And His ears are open to their cry.

      16The face of the LORD is against evildoers,
To cut off the memory of them from the earth.

      17The righteous cry, and the LORD hears
And delivers them out of all their troubles.

      18The LORD is near to the brokenhearted
And saves those who are crushed in spirit.

      19Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
But the LORD delivers him out of them all.

It really is that simple. Effective prayer is not about repeating special words, but rather it is about a heart that is submitted to God. God hears the cry of the righteous and delivers them from afflictions. That does not mean we will not experience difficult times, but that God will be with us and help us get through them with joy.  For effective prayer, focus on improving your relationship with God through study and application of God’s word in the Bible rather than looking for the perfect words to repeat.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Obeying God, Traditions / Holidays

Look To God Rather Than Traditions Of Men

2 Comments

There are many different holidays across many different nations around the world. Some of them are good, some are bad, and some are just not very meaningful. All of them started based on an idea to help honor or remember someone or something… ok, some were started so they could sell things to people.

Too often we as followers of Christ do not use discernment in terms of identifying which holidays are ok to celebrate, which should be avoided, and which God commands us to celebrate. We just celebrate whatever the local community celebrates. Yes, God commands us to celebrate several “feasts” during the year. No, the command was not just for the “old times” before Christ.

As we read about the Feast of Unleavened Bread, let us compare how God commands us to celebrate this feast in remembrance of His freeing His people from bondage to the traditions you grew up with from your Christian family heritage, Christian church, or local community. Not many Christians celebrate Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread, yet God commanded us to do so “throughout [our] generations” as a “permanent ordinance”.

Exodus 12:13-32

Feast of Unleavened Bread

      14‘Now this day will be a memorial to you, and you shall celebrate it as a feast to the LORD; throughout your generations you are to celebrate it as a permanent ordinance. 15‘Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, but on the first day you shall remove leaven from your houses; for whoever eats anything leavened from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel. 16‘On the first day you shall have a holy assembly, and another holy assembly on the seventh day; no work at all shall be done on them, except what must be eaten by every person, that alone may be prepared by you. 17‘You shall also observe the Feast of Unleavened Bread, for on this very day I brought your hosts out of the land of Egypt; therefore you shall observe this day throughout your generations as a permanent ordinance. 18‘In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at evening, you shall eat unleavened bread, until the twenty-first day of the month at evening. 19‘Seven days there shall be no leaven found in your houses; for whoever eats what is leavened, that person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is an alien or a native of the land. 20‘You shall not eat anything leavened; in all your dwellings you shall eat unleavened bread.’”

      21Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and take for yourselves lambs according to your families, and slay the Passover lamb. 22“You shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood which is in the basin, and apply some of the blood that is in the basin to the lintel and the two doorposts; and none of you shall go outside the door of his house until morning.

A Memorial of Redemption

      23“For the LORD will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when He sees the blood on the lintel and on the two doorposts, the LORD will pass over the door and will not allow the destroyer to come in to your houses to smite you. 24“And you shall observe this event as an ordinance for you and your children forever. 25“When you enter the land which the LORD will give you, as He has promised, you shall observe this rite. 26“And when your children say to you, ‘What does this rite mean to you?’ 27you shall say, ‘It is a Passover sacrifice to the LORD who passed over the houses of the sons of Israel in Egypt when He smote the Egyptians, but spared our homes.’” And the people bowed low and worshiped.

      28Then the sons of Israel went and did so; just as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so they did.

      29Now it came about at midnight that the LORD struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of cattle. 30Pharaoh arose in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians, and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was no home where there was not someone dead. 31Then he called for Moses and Aaron at night and said, “Rise up, get out from among my people, both you and the sons of Israel; and go, worship the LORD, as you have said. 32“Take both your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and go, and bless me also.”

Do you know that much of the traditions celebrated as part of Easter and Christmas are elements of pagan worship of false gods and offensive to Jehovah? Why is it we have so much enthusiasm to embrace lies and pagan traditions like “Easter Bunny” and “Santa Clause” but we take not the time to celebrate as our Lord God commanded us?  For those of us who genuinely want to follow Him, it is typically because we have been taught incorrectly by our church and our family traditions and it is hard to change. If this is where you are, you should study God’s word more on this subject and obey it, praying for His help. (For more information on Christmas and Easter as a next step, view the Sunburned Part 1 video teaching at 119Ministries.com.)

My family truly finds joy in celebrating according to God’s instruction rather than man’s tradition. Yes it was hard to change but it was worth it to obey God. My wife and I went through some difficult change and now our children are better grounded in truth of God’s word as a foundation for their lives and future generations.

When considering whether or not to celebrate a holiday, look to God rather than the traditions of men… even the traditions of family for generations or Christian churches are usually wrong and influenced by local culture rather than God’s word. Based on God’s instruction, celebrate the holidays He commands in the way He commands. Evaluate both the “what” and the “how” associated with other holidays and traditions based on God’s word to determine whether or not they acceptable or offensive to Him.

This is a difficult topic for many, but for those who wish to submit to and follow God, the burden is light and worthwhile. We trust Him to guide our steps. Pray for His help.

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Have you submitted your life to Jesus Christ? If you die today, do you know for sure that you would be with God in heaven? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.