Category: sound doctrine

A Prayer According to God’s Will

Thursday, May 7, 2020

“I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;” (1 Timothy 2:1-3 KJV).

On this United States’ National Day of Prayer, we pray you pray according to the Lord Jesus Christ’s will for today!

Today, religious people—the general public, clergy, and government officials—will assemble nationwide, like they do every year, and pray for spiritual and moral revival of the “Christian” (?) United States of America. We commend their noble efforts, but God’s Word says there will be no godly revival of any of the world’s Gentile nations until Jesus Christ returns to earth at His Second Coming (Isaiah 11:9; Isaiah 59:20–60:3; Zechariah 8:20-23; Revelation 11:15; et cetera).

The LORD’s words to King Solomon are often quoted on this day: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).

Friends, this is certainly God’s Word, but has nothing to do with Gentiles in the United States in the Dispensation of Grace. This verse has a context often overlooked—the nation Israel under the Mosaic Law, praying in relation to God’s Temple in Jerusalem (verses 15,16). Actually, that Temple was destroyed over 19 centuries ago! Unlike Israel, the United States was never a divinely-founded nation. The American people as a whole are not God’s people like Israel was.

Rather than praying 2 Chronicles 7:14, remember today’s Scripture (God’s Word to us Gentiles). The verse following today’s Scripture says, “[God] Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). Pray for those in authority, that they would trust Jesus Christ alone as their personal Saviour, and then grow in His Word to them so they can make wise decisions on behalf of the people they govern.

NOTE: Due to coronavirus, this year’s National Day of Prayer is a somber one, abounding with much confusion. For more information concerning how to pray in light of these difficult times, refer to our archived study, “What about the coronavirus pandemic?”

Be Ready!

Sunday, May 3, 2020

“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:2 KJV).

Let us be ready to correct false teaching!

Recently, a friend was listening to a radio program when he heard a commentator make some incorrect remarks concerning the Bible. The “expert” claimed the New Testament Scriptures never mentioned a particular controversial issue. My friend phoned this man on-air, and had him take his Bible and read some verses. The man replied, “I never saw that before.” My friend answered, “Well, maybe you better read your Bible before misinforming people!”

It is most unfortunate many people who speak about the Bible have little to no familiarity with it. They should be studying more and talking less. It is better for them to stay silent until they study. For some, they are so confused they should never speak. While they are eager to comment—and, hopefully, they are sincere—they need to prepare and straighten out their own thoughts before they misrepresent the Scriptures and further confuse people.

Today’s Scripture issues three directives. The first is “preach the Word.” We are to proclaim the Bible, rightly divided (2 Timothy 2:15)—not traditions, speculations, opinions, philosophies, et cetera. The second is “be instant in season, out of season.” Whether convenient circumstances or inconvenient, we should be ready to address error. The third is “reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.” We are to “reprove” (expose and correct wrongdoing), “rebuke” (warn, disapprove, criticize), “exhort” (urge, encourage) “with all longsuffering” (patience) and “doctrine” (information to be believed). Unless we know sound Bible doctrine—the Word of God rightly divided—we will be unable to identify false doctrine.

“I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”

The Awareness of a Temporary Earth

Wednesday, April 22, 2020

“And, Thou, O Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: they shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; and as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail” (Hebrews 1:10-12 KJV).

On this Earth Day, let us not confuse the creation with the Creator!

Today, people worldwide celebrate “environmental awareness.” According to the secular, naturalistic worldview, our planet and its sun could last many more billions of years. They claim that we have done so much damage to our planet—climate change, overpopulation, deforestation, pollution, et cetera—that we must change our attitude toward “mother earth” and change our lifestyles before we destroy her and civilization as we know it! You can sense the zeal in their message, can you not? While these people are sincere, they are wasting all of their time, energy, and resources on a temporary planet.

Let us be very clear that the Lord Jesus Christ placed man on the earth, especially the Garden of Eden, to “dress it and keep it” (Genesis 2:15). Adam was to take care of the Earth: he was God’s representative, God’s king, who had a divine commission to rule this planet for God’s glory (Genesis 1:26-28).

It was not long, however, before Satan distracted mankind from understanding God’s purpose for him. Adam began to focus on himself: like Satan, he began to “worship and serve the creature more than the Creator” (Romans 1:25). Thus began man’s continual downward spiral into spiritual ignorance. He would continually worship himself, as we well know today.

Today’s Scripture reminds us that, because of sin, this creation will pass away. The Lord Jesus Christ, however, will live forever. Why worship that which is temporary? It makes no sense! The Lord Jesus Christ gave you life, not the pagan goddess “mother earth.” Environmental awareness? Indeed, be aware that our world is temporary, as God will one day create “a new heaven and a new earth” (Revelation 21:1).

Careful—But Not Careful! #15

Tuesday, April 21, 2020

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6,7 KJV).

Friend, as we live in these strange times, let us “be careful for nothing!”

Even as Christians, we are never, ever guaranteed a life without pain, suffering, hardship, sickness, grief, or loss. Still, that does not mean God does not love us or care about us. We look to Calvary’s cross—not our circumstances—to see God’s love for us. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

No matter our surroundings—good or bad—Father God has fully equipped us with His grace to handle everything. Second Corinthians chapter 12: “[9] And he [the Lord Jesus] said unto me [Paul], My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. [10] Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”

Philippians chapter 4 again: “[11] Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. [12] I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. [13] I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

Contentment is not automatic but rather something “learned.” Sound Bible doctrine must be continuously absorbed. It also takes a long time to sort through the deception, misinformation, and confusion that often distract us from God’s Word rightly divided. The more difficult the situation, the harder it is to correct the distortion associated with it. Remember, we must be prepared for Satan’s attacks. That evil work is subtle, but with Romans through Philemon, we have “the mind of Christ” and can thus overcome the Adversary (1 Corinthians 2:16)! 🙂

-FINIS-

Careful—But Not Careful! #14

Monday, April 20, 2020

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6,7 KJV).

Friend, as we live in these strange times, let us “be careful for nothing!”

We should always use common sense. Being careful, or alert, is wise. We should do our best to preserve our health and life, and protect the health and lives of those around us. However, being “careful”—as in worrisome, consumed by hypervigilance—is unwise. Anxiety is actually counterproductive, as it weakens our health and shortens our life. Living in fear or paranoia is the very last thing God wants for us, members of the Church the Body of Christ.

Instead of fretting, we should take advantage of the provision our Heavenly Father already put in place for us. Worrying is the result of not knowing the future. However, if we are already familiar with Paul’s Epistles, Romans through Philemon, we know what God is doing with us now and what He will do with us later. Whatever else happens to us really does not matter. Eternity—that which never ends—outweighs anything and everything that could possibly come our way in this temporary world.

Taking a firm stand by faith in the sound Bible doctrine we have read, we now talk to our Heavenly Father. We know that He, as we keep reading that Divine revelation, will supply what we need—strength, wisdom, and so on. Since we have that assurance, we thank Him for it in advance. As long as we prayed the “Pauline way,” we will be neither surprised nor disappointed. If we failed to read and believe His words through Paul, then we had better go back and look to see what God is doing (lest we try to force Him to do something else, and wind up spiritually ruined!). Finally, we have God’s peace, inner tranquility, something far beyond human reasoning or explanation. Protected internally from all of Satan’s attacks—doubts, questions, concerns, and so on—we have the victory over every circumstance!

Let us now conclude this devotionals arc….

Our latest Bible Q&A: “Can you explain Titus 1:12?”

Careful—But Not Careful! #13

Sunday, April 19, 2020

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6,7 KJV).

Friend, as we live in these strange times, let us “be careful for nothing!”

When we scan Christendom—the professing “Church,” the tens of thousands of denominations that all claim to serve Jesus Christ—we see no spiritual strength. Some two billion church members worldwide all appeal to the Bible… and, yet, there is practically no unity among them. It is quite easy to figure out why! For the last 20 centuries, we have not been consistent in our handling of the Holy Scriptures. What we have done is treated the Bible as a buffet.

Snatching a “plate” in a frenzy, we grabbed from Scripture a little of “this”—but not too much! We clutched a little of “that” from the Bible—but not too much! Then, we simply “retranslated” or outright ignored whatever verses we found unappealing. Next, we heaped to ourselves assorted traditions and opinions of men. Finally, with our plate full, able to receive no more, we ran to sit and eat. Gobbling up that mess like starving animals, we violently wrench with sudden stomach pains. Expectedly, there is such disorder, disability, and disease!

We have utterly failed to obey 2 Timothy 2:15: “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” Instead of “rightly dividing,” we have combined everything in the Bible and then “picked and chose” from that jumbled chaos. Had everyone simply followed the Apostle Paul as he follows Jesus Christ, there would be stability and unity. Christians could handle life’s problems—if they had only listened to and believed Pauline doctrine, Romans through Philemon!

Read Philippians 4:9: “Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.” Here is the Holy Spirit writing through the Apostle Paul. Provided we listen to this sound Bible doctrine, “the God of peace” will be with us. Let us summarize this devotionals arc….

Careful—But Not Careful! #12

Saturday, April 18, 2020

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6,7 KJV).

Friend, as we live in these strange times, let us “be careful for nothing!”

Let us read today’s Scripture with its subsequent verses: “[6] Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. [7] And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. [8] Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. [9] Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.”

Remember, our “mind” affords us the ability to know; our “heart” is what we use to exercise faith or trust. We can know information without actually believing it; however, if it is in our heart, it is communication we trust. Through Christ Jesus—knowing and believing the sound Bible doctrine that defines what He did for us at Calvary and all its resultant realities—we are protected. Provided we are concentrating on God’s Word rightly divided, Satan’s lies cannot penetrate our inner man.

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” These are descriptions of the Holy Bible—whatever is “true” (factual, trustworthy), “honest” (honorable, dignified), “just” (right, correct), “pure” (uncorrupted, wholesome), “lovely” (acceptable, pleasing), and “of good report” (well spoken of). We are to think on that which is virtuous (upright) and praiseworthy (exemplary). Again, at all times, it is crucial for us Christians to have clear thinking in order to nullify Satan’s lies that threaten us….

Careful—But Not Careful! #11

Friday, April 17, 2020

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6,7 KJV).

Friend, as we live in these strange times, let us “be careful for nothing!”

Satan cannot harm the Lord Jesus Christ. Nonetheless, he can do the next best thing—harm us, the Church that is His Body. We Christians are at war! Consider Ephesians 6:12: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Turn to 2 Corinthians chapter 10 now: “[3] For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: [4] (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; ) [5] Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;….”

The evil world system attacks us internally—mentally. Just as in a physical battle, there are injuries and casualties. Usually, Christians are not thinking as their Heavenly Father designed them. They are not renewing their minds with His Word rightly divided. Hence, their Christian lives are functioning improperly—if at all. Romans chapter 12 reminds us: “[1] I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. [2] And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

Instead of wasting our time with human wisdom, we enjoy God’s peace that exceeds human understanding. We “mind [think about] the things of the Spirit” (Romans 8:5). Consequently, our Heavenly Father “shall keep [guard, protect from Satan’s assaults] [our] hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” We have victory with God’s power, and we have God’s power when we arm ourselves with His words to us….

Our latest Bible Q&A: “Who was ‘Caesar?’”

Careful—But Not Careful! #10

Thursday, April 16, 2020

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6,7 KJV).

Friend, as we live in these strange times, let us “be careful for nothing!”

Human nature is weak. While we in our sinfulness like to think of ourselves as “gods”—independent, self-reliant, self-sustaining—we know deep down inside we are but feeble creatures. Once disaster strikes, we are jolted out of our fantasy world and have no choice but to see our many limitations. When there is no more strength and health in our physical bodies, no longer money in our bank account, and so on, then we realize we have to look beyond ourselves for stability and security. It is time to set our focus on something outside of this time-space continuum!

As Christians, we are absolutely not immune to suffering. Just like they trouble lost people, economic downturns, physical illness, natural disasters, and other traumatic experiences eventually affect us all. While our lot is the same, our response should be different. Whereas non-Christians have no personal relationship with the one true God, we do. In prayer, we may freely come to Him with our worries and give them to Him instead of carrying them around.

“What is happening? Where is God? What have I done wrong? Why me? What does the future hold? Will this ever end? How will I escape?” As opposed to such nagging questions besetting or overcoming us, we have “the peace of God” (today’s Scripture). That is because we read His Word rightly divided first, and then spoke to Him concerning our circumstances in accordance with that Word. Prayer underpins in our hearts and minds what we already know He said. We already know exactly what the future ultimately holds. We already know exactly where the Lord is. We already know precisely what He is doing. The Holy Spirit used Pauline doctrine to show us!

Instead of approaching our dire situations and circumstances with human wisdom, we encounter them having “the peace of God.” It is here that inner tranquility—that “which passeth all understanding,” an attitude beyond human description—becomes ours….

Careful—But Not Careful! #9

Wednesday, April 15, 2020

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6,7 KJV).

Friend, as we live in these strange times, let us “be careful for nothing!”

Luke chapter 10 again: “[39] And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word. [40] But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. [41] And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: [42] But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” As opposed to fretting about her circumstances, Martha should have been paying attention to Jesus Christ (like her sister Mary). Likewise, we should follow Mary’s example instead of Martha’s. We now listen to the Lord’s words spoken to us through the Apostle Paul.

Romans 5:1-5: “[1] Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: [2] By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. [3] And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; [4] And patience, experience; and experience, hope: [5] And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” Through Jesus Christ’s finished crosswork, we have “peace with God.” As we pray according to that truth, we have “the peace of God.”

Today’s Scripture again (verse 6): “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” Provided we follow this, the result is (verse 7): “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Instead of being nervous or fearful, we have “the peace of God….”

Our latest Bible Q&A: “What is the ‘potter’s field?’”