A HEALTHY THIRST

As the deer pants for the
water brooks,
so my soul pants for You,
O God.
My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God...
Psalm 42:1,2a

There are so many wonderful places in our national park we can go to for refreshment and renewal whether traveling by car or even by foot. Brian and I have been all over the place, but a favorite place we have hiked to is the Walker sister's cabin. Anyone who has been there knows it is a hike almost straight up. There are a few flat places along the way where one can catch a breath, but those places are few and far between.

Our last trip up to the cabin was pretty uneventful, but much more tiring on me than I thought it would be. I could have curled up in that cabin for a nice long nap. After having time for a sufficient rest, we began the trip back down to the parking lot. One would have thought this wouldn't be much of a problem as the return trip to the parking lot would be primarily a downward trek. About a third of the way down, I was feeling faint, found a rock to lean against, but knew immediately that I had to have some water. We had failed to take any with us. There was a tiny, pretty, clear- running stream just off the trail. It was too far down for just leaning into the water so what were we to do? I was desperate. Soooooo

It dawned on me that I had a fairly new pair of moccasins on my feet. I pulled one off, handed it to Brian and asked him to dip it into the water and bring me a moccasin full of water. Anymore, Brian knows no matter how crazy something is coming from me, I'm generally quite serious about my request. With his long arm, he managed to get me a moccasin full of water. I have never had a more delightful, refreshing glass (shoe) of water as that water was from my moccasin.

I have seen our mountain deer, drinking from one of many cool, refreshing streams. I don't see them hanging out around the streams. They seem to drink when thirsty and when the thirst is quenched, they go on their way chewing on grass or just doing whatever deer do. When their bodies are thirsty, they seem to respond quickly to drinking all they want in that moment. Any body, whether animal or human, has a physical need for water (or maybe a Diet Coke?) and the natural reaction to that thirst, is get something to drink right away. It's just born into any living being.

Psalm 42 is a very emotional one. We don't know it's author, but whoever he was, he knew something about animals. He had observed somewhere along the way, the cravings or needs of such animals as deer. He quickly switched his thinking to spiritual craving in the heart of believers. I don't know about you, but there are times when my spiritual thirst reaches a real high and I can't figure out why. It's not that I haven't read my Bible, prayed or been in God's house for worship. Then there are those times when I haven't been as faithful in my spiritual walk when those water brooks call louder to me than times past.

There's no great lesson here. We know when our soul is panting (longing, thirsting) for our living God. When one is a believer, the Holy Spirit has a way of pulling and tugging at us to draw nearer to God and be refreshed. Notice our Scripture tells us we are being drawn to THE living God. So how do we do it?

First let me say that there are no spiritual shortcuts. There's no spiritual pill to take or Bible vitamin we can swallow. When we are spiritually thirsty there is only one way to God and that's to get into His Word. I'm not talking about being in church or a class of some kind even though those things can help. A spiritual thirst problem is a personal thirst problem. It means having a one on One relationship with Jesus in His Word and prayer...getting back to spiritual basics.

For me, I spend time in Psalms where I find joy, Proverbs where I find wisdom and a Gospel like John for closeness with Jesus. These things can vary, but I like to spend time in each of those areas. When my heart is panting of thirst for the water brooks of God, going to the source of that precious water (of the Word) is my only satisfaction. I don't have to drink from a moccasin. God makes it so much easier to just drink from the spiritual water He provides anytime I want a good drink of water whether I'm real thirsty or just seeking moments of refreshment.

Dear Father, thank You for providing Your living water through Your Son and Your Spirit. Thank You for always being available to me when my spirit cries for relief of my thirst and that I need never run dry. I love and appreciate You in so many ways. I pray through Jesus....Amen

PUT IT ON

Finally, my brethren, be strong

in the Lord, and in the power
of His might.
Put on the whole armor of God,
that ye may be able to stand
against the wiles of the devil.
Ephesians 6:10,11

For years, the book of Ephesians has been a favorite of mine. At various times, I have found comfort, assurance of salvation, instruction, and strength from that book. By now, I know just where to go in Ephesians where I know the Holy Spirit will speak to me in a very personal way to meet my immediate need. The book is often known primarily for the information we receive regarding the Spiritual Armor of God.

This subject is one of many passages of Scripture that are misunderstood, misused and very often even ignored. We may have seen a picture posted in a Sunday school room of a Roman soldier all decked out in full battle attire. It's impressive and as we read in Ephesians chapter six that each part of that soldiers attire represents a spiritual quality We learn the expectation is that those represented spiritual attributes are available to us to be a part of our own spiritual beings. These attributes are meant to strengthen us against the attacks of the Devil whose intent is for our spiritual detriment or even destruction.

My concern is that in viewing the the picture of that Roman soldier, I may lose sight of Paul's teaching regarding the armor's meaning. Very often as I read about it, the main things that stick in my mind is the picture I have of each piece of the armor instead of what they represent spiritually. I would venture to say that many if not most of us could recite the pieces of armor spoken of in this section of Scripture...helmet, belt, breastplate, shoes or sandals, shield, and sword. I listed those with very little thought or referring to my very worn memory.

In all of this, it is interesting that we are told to put on the whole armor of God. Notice, God won't just put this armor on us. It's actually things we must put on ourselves with the help of the Holy Spirit. This is armor we must crave and voluntarily put into our own lives. I've said before that God is a Gentleman. There are just situations where He will not force Himself upon us. This army we are a part of is made up of volunteers.

So what are the spiritual qualities we are to put on hopefully with great anticipation:

Helmet—salvation
Belt—truth
Breastplate—righteousness
Feet shod—gospel of peace
Shield—faith
Sword—Scripture

Without salvation, the rest just won't happen as God has prescribed. TRUTH is a kind of glue that holds it all together in our lives. RIGHTEOUSNESS is living rightly as God ordains. Feet on our bodies gives us the security of standing, moving appropriately...gotta have the feet. The GOSPEL does that for us giving us a spiritual stability and empowerment to go with His message. FAITH is who we are in God, trusting, finding our hope and security in Him. God is our great defender. And then there is SCRIPTURE...our marching orders for every day we live and breath. It's God's communication to us interpreted and taught to us by the Holy Spirit. By the way, it's the only offensive piece of our spiritual armor. Our shield we hold up in Satan's face as we resist his evil darts shot at us. But with the sword, the Word, that's what we use. The rest of the armor is basically protective.

I also notice that we are to put on the WHOLE armor of God. Leave any one of those pieces of spiritual protection to one side and Satan will know it. He will know exactly where our weaknesses are and will strike in those vulnerable areas. Satan doesn't want us to be righteous, truthful, or stable in our faith. He's smart using our weaknesses to his advantage.

The armor is God's provision for our strength and protection. The armor isn't just a list of items, but a list of spiritual qualities intended for our good. We live today in a dark and evil culture. The only way we survive is with God's help. Our encouragement is that in the end, we know Who WINS the ultimate battle. For the time being, let's not give the Devil an inch.

Thank You, dear Jesus, for saving us and for equipping us to not only be in fellowship with You, but also to stand against the attacks of Satan on our lives. Help us to know that Your provided armor is not a costume of some sort, but represent qualities vital to our spiritual welfare. I thank You, praise You and pray these things in Your precious name...Amen

TURN AROUND

Therefore, to him that knoweth
to do good, and doeth it not,
to him it is sin.
James 4:17

In our eight years here, we've never had flood warnings. Folks who are regular visitors to our small town, “The Peaceful Side of the Smokys,” would be quite surprised if they were to see the flooding conditions here right now, especially affecting roads near the river. The river is rip roarin' and very high right now. However, our general area is also putting out flooding alerts to the point that some schools are going to close this morning. For a few days last week, rain had subsided but today again we have flood warnings because we are to get more rain today and tomorrow.

What is causing all of this? There are some basic factors that contribute to flooding. Of course, the major cause has to do with steady, consistent and unusual amounts of rainfall in a certain area over an extended period of time. Then there can be a problem of drainage because there's just so many places rain can go before overload sets in. Poor roads often washout with minor amounts of rain, but better roads in lower areas can also have a problem of drainage. Drivers often feel a flooded road isn't all that deep so they plow on through, sometimes finding themselves in the middle of disaster.

One amazing factor I saw on my computer warnings stated that even if a road has water on it that doesn't look deep, the road could have washed out under the water and you can't see the damage under the flooded area. Thus, such can create unforeseen problems for a car and it's passengers. The caution to all of us is the usual one that sounds trite, but a wise admonition...”Turn around, don't drown.” It's one of those warnings we have heard so much, it might be ignored.

On this dark, rainy morning with all the warnings I have read, I'm thinking of the times in my life I didn't heed the warnings from people concerning decisions I was about to make to my peril that wouldn't please God. I thought I knew better, the water on the road of life didn't seem all that risky and dangerous. In my mind, I felt I knew better, in fact, I KNEW I knew what was better for my own life at the time. Scripture is full of admonitions to flee sin of any kind. Fleeing doesn't mean to crawl, stroll away or do a slow walk....the word flee means to run as fast and far away from sin as you can. Most of the time that fleeing is first done in our minds ...getting away, forsaking...however we can get away from it as soon as possible. At times though, putting feet to our fleeing may be required. I have used that method often times.

The signs are often posted in front of us telling us to “Turn around...don't drown.” Sin can be a kind of water-filled sink hole where anyone dropped into it sinks. Walking near it didn't seem risky at the moment. It's like driving through that water covered road or bridge and then finding one's car floating away from anything safe. The warning signs were posted and media bulletins of warning spoke with urgency, but surely nothing unfortunate could happen to me or you. We learn of such happenings all the time.

Satan has a way of presenting us with flood conditions across some of our roads of life. He's so subtle...the “water” doesn't look that bad or even dangerous. We somehow feel we can't be tripped up...nothing vulnerable about us. Satan must get such enjoyment watching us in our states of pride and invincibility. He so enjoys tripping up God's people and it's all so unnecessary. What do we do?

First, we have to be aware and alert. Watch the news or any mystery program on TV and it's easy to see how a seemingly smart person can put their-self in such danger be they believer or unbeliever. Girls have been raped after meeting guys they didn't know in a club. Some folks make a habit of hitch-hiking...getting in a car with a total stranger. One can spend too much time with a married person of the opposite sex at work. When bored with ones church, trying another church more exciting, may lead to finding one trapped in a cult. The list of “bewares” could go on and on. Proverbs 4:23 tells in part to “Guard your heart...” don't allow Satan any freedom in ones life.

Secondly, read and obey the signs. We find those things in the Word of God, taught to us by the Holy Spirit. If we walk in the Spirit in close fellowship and obedience, we can be victorious in the big and little challenges of life. Galatians 5:16 assures us:

This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye
shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

What if we plow on through the dangerous places of life and fail miserably. We find ourselves floundering in sin we never intended. God is so wonderfully full of mercy, love and forgiveness for His children. John tells us in his first epistle that we need to seek God in repentance, accepting God's forgiveness:

If we confess our sins, he is faithful
and just to forgive us our sins,
and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness.
I John 1:8

The only choice we have in pleasing our Father is to simply obey the warning signs He gives so lovingly and freely. He doesn't want us living in misery and defeat. Our job is to simply TURN AROUND (flee sin)...DONT DROWN (avoid sin's consequences)

Dear Father...thank You for the rain we need even in winter months to provide moisture on our lands. I pray for safety for folks today in our area who have to be out on the roads. Thank You for Your loving care and protection. Help us to stay close to You, Holy Spirit, obeying Your promptings we see in Your Word. I pray in Jesus' precious name. Amen

THE OLD TIME RELIGION

Beloved, when I gave all diligence to
write unto you of the common salvation,
it was needful for me to write unto you,
and exhort you that ye should earnestly
contend for the faith which was once
delivered unto the saints.
Jude 3

I can recall when a young girl in our Baptist Church, sometimes singing “Give Me that Old Time Religion.” We would sing the verses “It was good for our mothers....It was good for our fathers...it was good for our grandmas”...and I guess you get the picture. I never even questioned what the old time religion was. It wasn't a “was” but then was “is.” There weren't any theological charlatans around then that I remember trying to tear up the things of Scripture. The most I ever heard discussed was the method of baptism that differed in some churches. Obedience to the Scriptures was something else. There were the same expectations of obeying the Word of God whether you heard it from the pulpit or in youth group that met Sunday evening prior to the church service.

Playing with God's Word as we are seeing it today for instance is cause for concern. Folks at the very risk of God's judgment have off and on through centuries revised, translated and changed Scripture to their own liking. Jude spoke in centuries past of such problems and it's just as real in our day as well.

Jude, Jesus' half brother, who wrote the 65^th book of the Bible, wrote completely from concern and urgency. He had heard of what was going on in a specific place learning of false teachers who were creeping into its fellowship. He said in verse 4:

For there are certain men crept in
unawares, who were before of old
ordained to this condemnation,
ungodly men, turning the grace of
God into lasciviousness, and
denying the only Lord God, and
our Lord Jesus Christ.

Notice, those false teachers, ordained men who had gone rogue regarding the Scriptures were now sneaking into fellowships to teach their twisted philosophies of the Word. Jude in the introductory verse encouraged the people to fight for the faith.

One of the problems for us when we come across false teaching is that we may often not recognize what is perverted. The problem for the average Christian is that he or she may not know enough about the Scriptures to know what is what is false teaching when it is heard. It is our responsibility to know the Scripture, not just from a pulpit or Bible study group. The Holy Spirit is more than anxious to interpret His Word to our hearts. He is the author of this wonderful Book and Who better to explain it to us than the Author.

At my age, I can't help but do some looking back. I miss the simplicity, but accuracy of preachers who weren't necessarily educated to the gills. The preachers I knew were known by Reverend, not Doctor. The music was simple and special music was with the heart even though the voice may not have been up to par. Bibles in the services were all the same translation so everyone was on the same page for the preaching. The preaching was to the point...right was right and wrong was wrong. We are are told our children can choose their own gender and then change what they are if they don't like it. Gay rights are as evil as can be and our preachers of old would have called it out. Old time preaching protected us as just about all preachers agreed on preaching the true Word of God.

The old days are gone and won't return. These days must be our “good old days” for the sake of our children and grandchildren. Our responsibility for now is to be in the Word, even singing to ourselves the familiar songs that bless us, making prayer a way of life with the comforting thought that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. His Word is truth no matter what the world tells us. Yes, the old time religion should be good enough for all of us.

Thank You Father for being our never-changing God. Thank You for the consistency you teach us. Give us the wisdom we need in today's world to navigate through all the uncomfortable areas of today's world. Keep us faithful to You and Your Word. In Jesus' name....Amen