“For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart. O God, thou wilt not despise” (Psalm 51:16-17).
Does it matter to you whether or not you honor God? Too often, we put God in an isolated spot in our life and think He doesn’t see the many times we fall short of honoring Him. We know He is in our church on Sunday, but there He stays until next Sunday. Well, that’s not true. The church isn’t a building, but it’s the people who truly believe. Living for the Lord should be a 24/7 way of life.
“That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ” (Ephesians 1:12).
Christ has done so much for us, and our gratitude should shine through our way of life. Too many Christians seem to be beaten down by the world, and there is no joy in their life. A defeated Christian brings no glory to God. The Apostle Paul had many things in his life that could have discouraged him but chose to dwell on positive things.
“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” (Philippians 4:8).
You can please God by dwelling on His blessings no matter what your circumstances are.
Throughout history, Christians have been persecuted. There are horror stories of those brave and faithful people in the first century who were put in an arena with hungry lions just for believing the truth. My mother always asked, “If you’re accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” Those early martyrs must have lived such lives, so there was plenty of evidence to convict them.
The persecution didn’t stop. Sadly, many Christians who faced persecution were persecuted by the Roman Catholic Church. William Tyndale was one who believed every person should have access to Scripture. Of course, the pope was not happy about that. Mr. Tyndale spoke many languages, including Greek and Hebrew, and he set about translating both the Old and New Testaments and studied Scripture deeply. His efforts to translate Scripture so that the common person could understand was met with opposition by the pope. Eventually, he was arrested and spent a year in prison. Then he was strangled and burned at the stake.
Today, there are many, many Christians who face persecution and death just for their faith in Christ. Try openly sharing the Gospel in China and see what happens.
What can give a person such conviction to choose martyrdom rather than denouncing Christ?
When we first come to Christ in repentance and faith, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit.
“In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of the truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise. Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory“ (Ephesians 1:13-14).
The Holy Spirit lives within every Christian and will guide us and comfort us. Sadly, many Christians choose to dwell upon all the bad things in the world and live defeated lives with no joy. Good and bad things happen to every person, whether they are Christians or not. Those of us who have placed our hope in Jesus should dwell on what Christ did for us rather than the evils in human governments and the evil that people do to each other. You can’t have the joy of the Lord if you choose to dwell on the doom and gloom of the world.
King David wrote many Psalms of praise, even in times of his greatest trials. How was he able to face the anger and persecution of Saul, or how could he find reason to praise God when his son wanted to kill him? David kept the words of his mouth and the meditation of his heart acceptable to God. We can learn a lot from David. He loved God and was a man after God’s own heart. David was human and a sinner. In fact, he came very close to losing his salvation because of sin. Instead of covering up the evil he had done, he understood that his sin was against God, and that truth brought him to repent.
“Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest” (Psalm 51:4).
Oh, to have a man like David to lead our government! He went to God and asked Him to “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10).
He knew that people would always come against him, but the way he handled persecution could change those around him. “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways and sinners shall be converted unto thee” (Psalm 51:12-13).
David loved the Lord, and he yearned to desire what God desires. Do you have the desire to please God in such a way? How do we know how to please God?
We have Scripture. From Genesis through Revelation, we learn about God. We learn that God created everything and that He has rules to live by. For instance, to reject Him as creator brings consequences. Romans chapter 1 goes into great detail telling us about those consequences. We can see how much God loves the nation of Israel and know that we need to love that nation also.
Pride is a thing that doesn’t please God. Pride causes a person to be wise in their own eyes, and that’s always a problem. Humility and submission to God is the attitude that a Christian needs. It isn’t always easy, but pleasing God is always best. Satan is always going to try to stumble you. Actually, Satan is filled with pride, which is a good example of why we need to reject the pride and humble ourselves before the Lord. Satan was filled with pride and thought he could trick Jesus into abandoning His mission. Satan twisted Scripture, but Jesus couldn’t be fooled. Jesus quoted true Scripture to confound Satan’s wiles.
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).
Honor God, and Satan will have no way to stumble you. Study Scripture and write it on your heart. Whenever you are tempted to say or do something that isn’t pleasing to God, recall Scripture to your mind, and you will resist the devil.
In this day and age in which we live, it’s becoming harder and harder to keep right with God. Few pastors preach from Scripture. The ungodly people in this world seem to be winning the war. They may seem to be winning, but they aren’t. As long as there is a remnant of true believers, Christians who put their trust in Jesus and live to honor Him, there is hope. Christians have a responsibility to honor Him. We must show Christ in us by the way we conduct our lives. We must make it a habit to live for Christ. Instead of dwelling on the world and the troubles found there, take control of what you put into your thoughts.
“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 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” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5).
You cannot fight a war if you are in league with the enemy. Let every thought and every action be under the control of the Lord. Know Him better by studying His word. Write it on your heart and let it shine through your life. If others see Christ controlling your ways and the joy He brings to your life, you just might lead someone to give their life to Christ, and the remnant will grow.
“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength and my redeemer” (Psalm 19:14).
Please God in all you do. Desire what God desires, and serve Him with joy. You will please Him.
God bless you all
Nathele Graham
twotug@embarqmail.com
Recommended prophecy sites:
www.raptureready.com
www.prophecyupdate.com
www.raptureforums.com
All original scripture is “theopneustos,” God-breathed.
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“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee” (Psalm 122:6).