Blog

Faith is hard for us to define in practical terms. Therefore, there is a great assortment of definitions assigned to faith. Some have faith in themselves, their wisdom, wealth, position, or in a set of creeds, a worldview, an organization, or their hero. I’ve been pondering exactly what is the purpose of faith? Why did God have to give us faith? (Ephesians 2:8) Is faith for getting what we want from God? That certainly could be interpreted from what Jesus said about healing. But could it be we are misinterpreting what Jesus was really was saying about faith in that context? After all, John 2:23-25 clearly points out that “… many believed in his name when they saw the miracles He was doing.” John 2:23 (ESV) However the very next verse reads, But Jesus … did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people… John 2:24 (ESV) That is saying that while people had that kind of faith/belief in Him, yet that belief was not the right type of faith that would get Him to give Himself to them. That means not just any definition of faith is acceptable to Him. That is profound and extremely significant. Elsewhere, the Bible places such a profound emphasis on it, especially where it reads, “…without faith it is impossible to please him…” (Hebrews 11:6a, ESV). If we expect to be approved when we stand before Him, wouldn’t it be in our best interest to have His definition of faith and why He must give it to us?

A more literal and complete translation of Hebrews 11:6 reads, “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. Hebrews 11:6 (NASB) Many translators replace the word ‘is’ with the word exists, which can be misleading. Demons believe He exists, but that belief is certainly not redemptive! (James 2:19) What is consistent throughout the Bible is that God insists on us believing all of who it says He is in character, sovereignty, all-knowing, all powerful, eternal, and all His other attributes. The “rewarder” piece is a further reference to His character.

The centurion, when requesting Jesus to heal his son, said to Jesus, “I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.” Matthew 8:9 (NLT2) Jesus’ response to him was, “… he was amazed. Turning to those who were following him, he said, ’I tell you the truth, I haven’t seen faith like this in all Israel!’” Matthew 8:10 (NLT2) His answer revealed He saw Jesus to be God in the flesh who had total authority over all creation, not just trivial authority over other humans. That was what Jesus perceived in this man and caused Jesus to marvel! The man had experienced the faith of God, not just the faith in Him. It is that definition of faith, when exercised, that releases Him to be fully God and be “a rewarder”. When given God’s faith, (Eph. 2:8), He “rewards” us with salvation, healing, miraculous interventions, and His ability to continue to change our life into His image.

Connie’s (my wife) prayer journals consistently repeated that she hoped for her healing and became discouraged, since that request was not being answered. However, she consistently followed that sentiment by writing her much stronger desire was to leave that decision up to the all-knowing God, who she passionately loved and fully trusted. When a person genuinely surrenders their natural desires to their sovereign, loving God, that is a divine faith that allows Him to do what is best, not just what we prefer.

I now see faith as the crucial resource for connecting with God, not just to satisfy our desires.

I find great encouragement as I look back and reflect on how the Holy Spirit has guided, protected, and empowered me. I’m awestruck by the miracles (occurrences that are completely beyond my capacity to achieve) He worked through me. To be candid, I’m also in awe at how so much happened when I was not even aware it was happening!! This is the joyful, healthy aspect of reminiscing.

However, remembering these fruits reminds me of other choices that have been not so good. I also see what now brings me shame. What brings me the most shame has been my persistent resistance to God. Each higher-level assignment He called me to do, those I felt were outside my natural talents or outside Connie and my preferences. I pushed back hard. I obeyed, yet was passively resistant for a year or more in one case. I’m also amazed that God’s anointing kept working miracles through me, even though I resisted Him so much! What might that say about God’s grace and ways with us?

A less than healthy response has been my subtle impulse to be more Martha-like, focused on action and organization, than Mary-like, whose focus was on intimate time with Jesus. (Luke 10:38-42) Martha became upset that Mary sat before Jesus while she did all the meal preparation work. Martha’s love language was ‘doing’ ministry for Jesus rather than ‘being’ a worshiper of Him. Those in the medical or social serving jobs often find greater joy in serving others rather than their families or even their own needs. The clergy are not immune to falling into this same trap. Speaking from experience, clergy can become codependent on their jobs instead of focusing on their relationship with Christ. You see it mostly when they’re no longer in their position. They then struggle to find a job that makes them feel valued. Sadly, they can end up becoming dissenters. Why? Unknowingly, they need to keep that codependency going. They don’t realize what a stronger relationship with God they could have if they just studied His Word.

I thought I was content after retiring—until an inviting opportunity to return to serving others presented itself. That opportunity was on my mind constantly, despite the big risks. It took 7-10 days before I remembered the warning I’d given to those I served who were bereaved. Death of a spouse is the number one most stressful life event, making them super vulnerable. I warned them against making life-altering decisions unless forced or divinely guided. When that fact emerged out of the fog, I felt totally at peace. In hindsight, I chased the Martha in me, not my relationship with Christ. This revelation made me grateful for the humbling offer, but also for the Spirit revealing my subtle, misaligned desires.

Following your mind and emotions might sound good, but it won’t always lead you to what’s truly best.  Intimacy with Christ is where the real satisfaction lies. What may be your greatest desire? When looking back, have you been chasing the century proven ‘best’ offer because it brings the most fulfillment? Or have you been allured into chasing after ‘good’ things that will soon fade into the shadows? After the initial emotional rush of an opportunity passes, it is important to look at the bigger and longer lasting opportunity. I pray for God’s best for you.

When things are not going well in significant areas of our life, like weather in light of crops, finances, health, relationships and the like, one of the common spoken or unspoken questions that pop into our mind is why isn’t God answering my prayer. I am doing everything I know how to do (fasting, praying, generous giving, etcetera). The root of such a question lies in our misguided expectations. Consciously or unconsciously, we think God responds to the bartering system by jumping through all His hoops. He then owes us an answer to our prayers. If you think about that, bartering is like putting yourself closer to God’s level, which is called pride.

God says, “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts, and my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.  For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9 (NLT2). If we continue to think the way we do, we are dealing with false expectations. Strange as it may sound, God cares far more about our deep-seated humility, unadulterated trust, and loyal love than our good deeds. The foundation of each of these is humility.

Humility is NOT the self-abasement that we think of today.  A classic word picture of biblical humility is a powerful race horse that has submitted to the control of his trainer or jockey.  Humility has nothing to do with the horse’s worth, ability, or strength.  Rather, it is all about how the horse uses its strength to respond to its rider.  It is not what a person says about himself but rather his/her relational attitude towards others, even in how the person responds to conflict or abuse their ego.  The reason we are told to humble ourselves is that “God opposes the proud but favors the humble.” (James 4:6; 1 Peter 5:5, NLT) That’s pretty sobering!  Humility is not a loss but a gain, for it puts the believer in God’s favor and saves him from pride that would destroy him and rob him of future glory. Too often we worry about our position and status, hoping to get proper recognition for what we do. Peter reminds us God’s recognition counts far more than human praise. God is able and willing to bless us according to His timing and way.  The fact is humility is as fundamentally essential to authentic spirituality as breathing is to our physical survival.  Grace is at the root of God’s economy. Paul wrote, “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” Romans 12:2 (NLT2)

Jesus modeled healthy humility for us, saying, “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what he sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does. John 5:19 (NLT2) Did you notice, Jesus—the Son of God—had totally abandoned His preferences or control of His life? Paul wrote, “Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.” Romans 12:16 (NIV).  “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” Philippians 2:3 (ESV). Have we unknowingly bought into the cultural values of our world? Have we lost the virtue of humility?

After going through what I have due to Connie’s graduation, I am more clearly seeing that I don’t have control over my life—and that requires serious humility on my part. I am learning a new level of humility and am so grateful for this that I want to share its spiritual truth with you.

Years back, Gary Chapman wrote the book The 5 Languages of Love. In practical terms, his point was you may show love how you like to receive love, but if your spouse or children have a different love language than you, they do not see or feel your love, even though you deeply love them. An example would be if a husband’s love language is acts of service, he may be confused when he does the laundry or grocery shopping and his wife does not perceive those as an act of love, viewing it as simply performing a husband’s duties. This is because the love language she understands is words of affirmation (verbal affirmation that he loves her).

Interestingly, Jesus told us how to show our love for Him in His exchange with Peter about love. He asked Peter, “Do you love me?” He followed Peter’s affirmation saying, then “Feed My sheep”. When Jesus asked him the same question again, Peter assumed from him following Jesus that Jesus knew he loved Him, but he was totally missing the point Jesus was making. Telling Peter to feed Jesus’ sheep would mean that Jesus wanted Peter to own Jesus’ passion for other people, not just Peter’s interest in other people. Jesus’ love for people is described in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, which is a selfless type of love for others shown in practical ways—especially for their spiritual welfare. God is not interested in sentimental jargon or in doing for others what we think they want or need. Loyalty to God was birthed in us when we were spiritually regenerated (Ezekiel 36:25-27, NIV). There will be such a deep desire within us that we will be careful to do what He wants done, not what we think needs to be done. This type of transformation can only be something the Holy Spirit can plant in a person. This type of love will prevail when we choose to do God’s will, even when it makes little sense to us or what is asked is contrary to what we desire. We start out with such love, however, neglecting to nurture that desire will allow it to be smothered by our self-centered sin-nature.

How have you been showing your love for God? …the way you like to be loved or the way God implanted in your heart when you were first born again? If you haven’t experienced that kind of love for God, you have an incredible experience awaiting you. It is like a positive traumatic experience that results in an inner joy and confidence that influences your desires and how you interpret life. It literally changes the trajectory of your life. If you determine to invest in becoming an apprentice of Jesus, doing so will be able you to sustain that love and joy for the rest of your life!

Why don’t you see others who once experienced that transformation but no longer show it? It is because they have fallen into the trap the Jesus described the believers in Ephesus had done. After affirming their efforts to do noteworthy deeds, He then said, “Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love.  Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.” Revelation 2:4-5 (NIV). Repentance means to turn around 180 degrees and go the other direction in how you are THINKING. The context of this passage shows they had drifted away from loving Christ from their hearts and loving Him from what they falsely assumed was what He wanted. Christ was saying to them much the same basic thing He had told Peter. If you really love me, you will have My heart and engage in expressing it to others as I express My love to others. The consequences for shifting away from having and not showing that kind of love are severe—Him removing His Spirit from one’s life. Yikes!

False expectations are one of the primary causes of conflict, whether it be at work, in business, or in relationships. Such expectations reveal anemic communication. If there is a vacuum in what is not said, our mind will fill it with biased and inaccurate expectations.

Authentic faith is packed with expectations in the face of great risk. But this hope is based upon obedience to what the Spirit has implanted in your heart. Presumption (false expectations) is based on a mix of imagination and scripture taken out of context. Those components can concoct what sounds exhilarating until it ends in heartache. Those cursed expectations can crush us.

A false assumption or misunderstanding, tragic loss, or crisis exposes the depth of trust in God’s sovereignty, love, and wisdom. Judas Iscariot is a classic example of this. It becomes clear when you compare his failure with Peter’s. Judas’s imagination of Jesus being king and how it would benefit him led him to try to do what Jesus’ mother Mary did to Jesus. In John 2:2-8, she essentially pushed Him into performing His first miracle of turning water into wine. Judas’ fantasies plus the miracles he saw Jesus do motivated him to try to force Jesus to use His power to become the earthly King of the Jews. He was so crushed after he realized his mistake; he committed suicide. In contrast, Peter’s failure led him to weep bitterly (Luke 22:62), yet he knew Jesus well enough that he repented and stayed the course and His relationship with Jesus was restored.

David wrote a verse that is very revealing of God’s ways of working with us. “You have allowed me to suffer much hardship, but you will restore me to life again and lift me up from the depths of the earth.” Psalm 71:20 (NLT2). This addresses the depth and width of God’s love and grace. As the Father did with Jesus, He will allow us to “suffer much hardship” in order to reshape us more into His likeness. But, like Peter, we must focus on His character and stay the course.

The writer of Hebrews also allows us to see God’s ways of working with us. Referring to when God shook the earth and spoke to the early Hebrews, he wrote, “At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.  This phrase, ‘Yet once more’, indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain”. Hebrews 12:26-27 (ESV) This reminds me of shaking rugs to get the dirt out. There are times when our understanding of God, our belief system, or presumptions will be shaken so violently that whatever is not deeply implanted in our inner being by His Spirit will fall out. Why? So that we can find just how strong our faith and love for God really is. What is genuine will not only remain, but it will also be taken to a new level of faith and love in Him. How do I know? Connie’s graduation has violently shaken my life to the point where I felt so lost as to where to step next. But in His amazing grace and love, He is shaping my love and faith in Him to be stronger than ever. All the dust hasn’t totally settled yet, but from what I can see through the fog, my relationship with Him and trust in Him is tighter than ever.

What kind of expectations might you have of God? Are they based on what you been told or what you have found to be true through your study of His Word and the trials He allowed you to endure? Christ is making a church, “without spot or wrinkle or any such thing” (Ephesians 5:27).

In one of my recent devotions, I read Mark 10:14-15. The words seemed to jump out at me and continue to do so day after day. I suspect you also can relate to that happening to you. Here is how that verse reads. “When Jesus saw what was happening, he was angry with his disciples. He said to them, ‘Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children.  I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.’” Mark 10:14-15 (NLT2) The embolden words are the words that provoked deeper thought.

In the first place, the concept of the kingdom of God was Jesus’ most repeated messages. The above Bible quotation was Jesus’ words to Peter and another disciple when a crowd was waiting on Jesus to come to heal them or see healings. “Jesus replied, ‘Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come’” (Mark 1:38, NIV). He was saying He didn’t come to earth just to heal people. More importantly, He came to preach the gospel of the kingdom of God. That placed a premium on the good news of the kingdom of God. Strangely, the kingdom of God sounds like a foreign language to us these days.

What was it He was so concerned about? “The Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children.” What was it about little children that He was intending to point out? He was referring to the innocent trust a child has for their parents.

He doubled down by saying, I tell you the truth, which in the Bible it means Pay very close attention to this because it is absolute truth! He is getting very serious when He then says, “anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it”. Woe!! There is no gray matter here! That grabbed my attention. Again, “like a child” does not mean you can only receive or enter the kingdom when you are a child. It is in reference to having the faith or trust in the King of the Kingdom as a child has for their loving parents.

The first question that came to my mind was, am I living out that level of trust in God? Do the choices I make witness that kind of trust in God and whatever His word says? Being impatient with God is childish, but is not childlike trust. There is a gaping difference here. Childishness in an adult destroys the very character of God. It is poutingly saying God has not fulfilled His promise to me. It implies God’s actions must be pressed into my time schedule and done my way. It is the frustration of a baby who cannot control his/her parents, which is the very opposite of trusting the parent’s love and wisdom. That is why I cannot judge God by my finite knowledge base. I must practice trusting and obeying, even when I do not understand or like it, as was the case with my wife’s death. God says, “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts. And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine” (Isaiah 55:8, NLT2).

To enter the kingdom, one must become as a little child, not in the sense of innocence, but in the sense of simple unquestioning trust. I definitely have had faith. But as I have been seeking Him more intensely due to Connie’s passing, I can clearly tell my faith is becoming more childlike and that has been a strong encouragement to me. What might it take to motivate you to lean into knowing Him more? Is it going to require near crushing pain for you to move closer to God? Just remember how Jesus described the required type of faith that allows you into His Heaven.

Years ago, I had been watching a junked 1955 and 1956 Thunderbird that were sitting in the weeds. The owner offered to sell them for $300, which then was very reasonable, yet still a lot for me in those days. When I finally was able to save enough money to buy them and went to purchase them, they were gone. The owner told me he had just sold them the previous week. I missed my dream of buying those classic cars all because of my bad timing! So many good and not so good things happen all because of timing.

“Timely advice is lovely, like golden apples in a silver basket” (Proverbs 25:11, NLT2). I’ve been saved from making a poor purchase because someone gave me advice just at the right time. Car accidents happen, or don’t happen, all because of timing. On July 13, Former President Trump was shot in his ear instead of his head all because he slightly turned his head at the right time. It obviously wasn’t his time to die. The Bible says, “…after David had done the will of God in his own generation, he died…” (Acts 13:36, NLT2). I believe it was after Connie completed her God given assignment, she too died. “Everything has its own time, and there is a specific time for every activity under heaven” (Ecclesiastes 3:1, GW).

In 1 Kings 17, God sent Elijah to hide by the creek Cherith that flowed into the Jordan River. There, God fed him by the ravens, and he drank water from the brook. But the stream dried up—remember God had sent him there! But God’s grace for that time and place lifted because God had another plan for him. He then told Elijah to go to Zarephath, which was north in what is now Lebanon. There, a widow was gathering wood to make her last meal, so it was time for His servant Elijah leave the dried-up creek and allow God to work a miracle through him for this poor woman. In Exodus, God used a pillar of fire and a cloud to move the Hebrews at the right time. Jesus had been working miracles, but when He went to Nazareth, God lifted His healing power given to Jesus so there, He could only do a few unimpressive deeds. My point, God gives His grace and lifts it because He has a time for everything. This is true for your life and mine. He is working when we can’t see, feel, or hear it. That also goes for our politics these days.

Can you take a moment and try to imagine what our trinitarian God may be doing throughout our world today? He is not just planning and setting up the props to be used at just the right time for one person. He is doing it for each person, animal, fowl, or all of nature. How absolutely awesome and mind blowing is that for you to even try to imagine? In that context, remember, Jesus said, “Dismiss all anxious care for your lives, inquiring what you are to eat, and for your bodies, what you are to put on” (Luke 12:22b, WEY). Paul wrote, “Don’t worry about anything, but in all your prayers, ask God for what you need, always asking him with a thankful heart.  And God’s peace, which is far beyond human understanding, will keep your hearts and minds safe in union with Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7, TEV)

Try to imagine your life with less worry or anxiety and freedom to enjoy all the provisions you already have. Less stress would certainly allow you more time to follow Jesus’ command to “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33, ESV). The reality is, our ‘need’ to be logical, controlling or to know everything gets in our way of living the more abundant life Jesus promised. (John 10:10) The depth of this truth has been taking on new meaning to me since Connie graduated into His Heaven.

While there is controversy about this, I believe God does speak today to those who will listen. This sounds presumptuous or risky to those who imagine our God to be too holy, distant, or busy to interact with humans today. Bible students who believe some form of this (cessationists) are convinced God stopped talking to people and doing signs and wonders when the apostles died. (1 Cor. 13:10-11) They contend the Bible is what is “perfect”, not Christ’s return.

Could it be, akin to science, the teachings of the Bible can become clearer and more substantiated through church history and present-day experiences, implying that certain interpretations of scripture were made too soon? Time has now shown that we were created to interact with God. He not only speaks to us but literally works through us, as did the Spirit through Jesus’s humanity when He walked on this earth.

Personally, I can point to hundreds of times when I intuitively knew that I knew His Spirit spoke to me. As I then collaborated with Him, things happened that only God could do. Since my wife graduated into His Heaven, I have experienced His still small voice encouraging, guiding, correcting, supporting and teaching me more about Him and His ways from the written words in the Bible. Yes, there have been times when I took my own initiative to do what I thought to be right, yet they proved to be what I only thought God might want, not God’s voice. To be candid, today, I do not trust my thinking unless it is confirmed in God’s word.

I have observed God is talking to us far more than we are hearing Him. Most everyone deeply wants to hear Him, but they don’t because they haven’t learned to recognize His voice when He does speak. It is like having several phones with multiple lines. When He is calling us, we pick up the wrong phone, one connected to audible human voices or the voice of our thoughts or emotions, instead of the still, small, intuitive voice deep within us. When we obey the wrong voice, we get confused and even blame God for giving us the wrong directions.

Interestingly, when we do happen to pick up the correct phone and hear His voice, quite often He is telling us something different from we expect, so as soon as He hangs up, we start having ‘second thoughts’. We think what He said does not make sense because it’s contrary to what we expect Him to say. Then we have third and even fourth thoughts that we think are better options.

Reality is, God has created us to for intimate fellowship with Himself. The Bible is full of times when He spoke to people. (Ex. 29:43-46, Ps. 23, John 15:11) We expect to talk with our close friends. If God wants to be close friends with us and we to Him, why would we expect Him NOT to want to speak with us? However, unlike our close friends who only want to speak warm fuzzy things with us, God wants to be a closer friend who will tell us things we need to change in our life so we can live a BETTER, more abundant life. He knows that the pursuit of glamor, wealth, power, or popularity is a dead end, so he will guide us in a more fruitful direction. Jesus said, “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things (context: food, drink, clothing) will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33, ESV). Hearing God makes sense only in the framework of the practice of living in the will of God. He has NEVER misled me in 78 years on this earth. When He asked Connie and me to go against our desires or logic, our obedience led to transformation, abundant fruitfulness, and gratification.  What has He been intuitively speaking to you?

Dominos is a favorite because it is so versatile. There are over 100 games that can be engagingly played with the identical elements and the age range can run from kindergartners to the elderly. One that I have been attracted to is when you stand them on end, maybe an inch apart, in a snake-like shape. When the first one is tipped, all the rest will fall.

It is fun when you set up your finances just right so that when one domino falls; you will reap a windfall of money. The more sobering domino type is when events in finances, health, or international conflict are set up that tipping one of them has the potential of tipping all the rest, leading us into depression or world war. I recently read in the news that a study group focused on international affairs said our world is as close to world war as have ever been. The last very tense time came when I was in high school. The Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 happened when Russian and the United States were in the Cold War. There was scary talk about nuclear bombs and building your own bomb-shelter.

The Global Peace Index (GPI), the world’s leading measure of global peacefulness, reported our world is at a crossroads. We have 56 conflicts going on, the most since World War II. But beyond that, given how nations align themselves, it means 92 countries are involved in conflicts beyond their borders. The more notarized conflicts are the Russian-Ukraine and the Israel-Arab wars. Our own nation is facing a highly divisive condition when facing a hostile presidential election. Given the dockworkers’ strike, our days ahead could get very dark.

I point those matters out only to help us acknowledge it would not take too many dominos to fall for our world to be severely shaken. Jesus warned us about these world conditions when He said, “you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately.  Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world.  But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come Matthew 24:6-8 (NLT2)”. Cf. Mark 13:7-8 He then said situations for Christ’s followers would become horrible!!

Given that warning, it begs the question; how then should we be living? The most important answer won’t come from others. It will come from what your inner being (spirit) is saying to you about you. Living in denial at this time will not be in your best interest!! As for me, the Bible has proven to be the only truth that has endured through time. But the Bible is of no use if you don’t know what it says about how to live. Jesus said multiple times, “he who has ears to hear (is open to hear), let him hear (Mark 4:9 NIV)”. Clearly, not everyone who has ears will hear. Jesus’ disciples heard and wanted to hear more clearly, so they took the initiative to ask what He was really saying. He said to those who asked; “you are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not (Matthew 13:11, NLT2)”. My point is, unless you are eager enough to discover for yourself what the Bible says, you won’t like the price you will pay.

Yes, there’s “more to come”. World conditions are warning us it’s time for you, and your loved ones, to get deadly serious about discovering for yourself what the Bible says. There are other qualifiers in the Bible and only those that endure to the end will be saved. But, Jesus said, when you find that treasure, you will gladly “sell all that you have” to own it. (Matthew 13:44-46)

Several years ago, I learned about the Johari Window. It is a self-awareness test that shows how blind we are in how we see ourselves. Think of it as an iceberg that has far more beneath the surface than what is visible. It is made up of four quadrants, each representing a different aspect of human interaction.

• • • Open area: What you know about yourself and are willing to share with others.
    • Blind area: What others know about you, but you don’t know about yourself.
    • Hidden area: What you know about yourself, but don’t want to share with others.
    • Unknown area: What is unknown to you and others.

This model was often used in corporate settings to help improve relationships and communication by understanding conscious and unconscious bias.

The Johari Window reveals everyone is blind in some areas of their life. It is easy to see in political figures who are certain what they see is right when others can see their idea leads to destruction. It is also true of our spiritual life. The Psalmist and Prophets referred to this condition as having eyes but cannot see and ears but cannot hear. Isaiah wrote for the LORD has poured out upon you a spirit of deep sleep, and has closed your eyes (the prophets), and covered your heads (the seers) (29:10 (ESV). An example of this is also seen in the Jewish leaders who refused to believe what Jesus said. At a different level, Jesus’ disciples were blind. Jesus repeatedly preached for three years about the kingdom of God. Nevertheless, they still didn’t ‘get it’ until Jesus ascended into Heaven!

People in the church today have varying levels of spiritual blindness. Our perception of God limits what He can do in our life or through us. A few examples of this are…

• • • Unbelief (shown in not being willing to take a risk with or for Him).
    • Pride (personal knowledge or experience, doctrine, way of worship).
    • Past wounds, sinful habits (gossip, prejudice, addictions, contempt, thinking like the world).
    • Need to control.
    • Too busy to spend time seeking God. You no doubt have others that came to you.

Of course, we are not able to ‘see’ the blind areas in our life, and that is a most sobering thought to me. My personal prayer is that God please protect me from myself, the foolish decisions I make due to my blind area. Recently someone fixed my collar at church, which I appreciated. Later my ‘fly’ was down, but I didn’t see it either. I NEED others to be candid with me and tell me what I don’t see about myself, but not just about my apparel.  We all NEED each other to be candid with us and call our attention to spiritual or social blind spots we have. Have you given permission to your friends to do that? How else are we going to become like Jesus?

Paul wrote some very sobering words that we often attribute to others who are spiritually blind. Romans 1:18-22 (abbreviated -NLT2) But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. They know the truth about God … Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused.

 I urge you to get alone with God and ask Him what truth you have been suppressing because it is too scary to face. God wants to bring spiritual sight into those areas so you can live an increasingly free life in His presence and His likeness.