A Divinely Planned Journey

Numbers 33:1
“These are the journeys of the children of Israel, which went forth out of the land of Egypt with their armies under the hand of Moses and Aaron.”

I was reading the journeyings of the children of Israel, when the Holy Spirit reminded me of an important truth. I was reminded of Exodus 13:21-22 which says, “And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.”

What is so important to remember about these verses in Exodus is that everywhere Israel’s journeys were recorded in Numbers, it was God Who led them there. In other words, when they went to the bitter waters of Marah, God was still there, and He led them there. When they came to the wilderness of Sin where they had no food to eat, it was God Who led them there, and He was still with them. When they came to Horeb, a place where there was no water, God led them there, and He was still with them. Every place Israel went, whether times were good or bad, God was the One Who led them there, and He never forsook them.

Christian, you are going to have to realize that God divinely plans your journeys in life. Just like God led Israel to each of these places, God has already planned your life. You are going to have to trust the providence and omniscience of an almighty God that He knows what He is doing in your life. You may not understand the place of life where He has brought you, but He has divinely planned this in the journeys of your life.

Moreover, every place God leads won’t always be pleasant. Yes, we want the “twelve fountains of water, and threescore and ten palm trees” of Elim, but He won’t always lead you to those places. There are going to be times when He leads you to the bitter waters of Marah or the dry times of Horeb, but if He leads you there, you are being led by the hand of God. My friend, God’s divinely planned journeys of your life won’t always be pleasant, but that doesn’t mean that God hasn’t planned it.

Furthermore, God is still with you when you reach those unpleasant parts of your journeys. The pillars of cloud and fire didn’t leave when they came to Marah or Horeb, which means God was still guiding them, and He was still with them. If God led you to those unpleasant times of life, let me assure you that He is still with you. God promises in Hebrews 13:5, “…I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” God’s Word has not changed, nor has His presence left you because you are in the unpleasant part of your journey. The God Who was with you when you were in Elim is still with you when you come to your Marah.

Let me encourage you not to despair when you are in the Marah or Horeb of your life. Realize that God has divinely planned your journey, and He has a purpose for those dry and bitter times of life. You may not enjoy those times, but you can always be assured that God has planned them. If God planned them and guided you to them, He will take you through them and make you a better person. Let me encourage you to keep going; Marah and Horeb will turn into a blessing if you keep trusting the LORD.

A Never-failing Leadership Style

Numbers 27:17
“Which may go out before them, and which may go in before them, and which may lead them out, and which may bring them in; that the congregation of the LORD be not as sheep which have no shepherd.”

The verse above is the first verse of Moses’ response to God telling him that he was about ready to take him to Heaven. Moses was like any leader who had invested his life in people; he wanted to be sure that there was someone who led the people after he was gone. It wasn’t that Moses doubted God’s ability to give them a leader, it was just that he loved those people and wanted to be sure they had someone to lead them down the right path.

In the verse above, you will discover the never-failing leadership style of Moses that he wanted to find in the next man who would lead Israel into the Promised Land. Moses’ leadership style will work with any leader if they are willing to be humble enough to follow this method. There are three attributes to the never-failing leadership style.

First, never-failing leadership will be among the people. Moses said, “Which may go out before them, and which may go in before them…” The CEO leadership style among Christian leaders today seems to be a style that is out-of-touch with those they lead. When you look at Jesus, He didn’t hibernate in an office and only had contact with those He led during counseling sessions; rather, He was always found among the people, and that is what allowed Him to be able to help. The never-failing leader often finds himself among those they lead. It is while you are with them that you learn their needs and give them the example of how to live for Christ. Every leader must be careful that they don’t let their office become that palace where the subservient peasants come to get their lofty advice. Instead, find yourself among those you lead so that you can meet their needs.

Second, never-failing leadership will be in front of the people. The verse above says, “…which may lead them out, and which may bring them in…” The best leader is the leader who leads by example. Those you lead need to see that you are doing what you tell them to do. If all you do is bark orders to those you lead, you are nothing more than a lord. Never-failing leaders show their followers what to do; their leadership style is an example. They don’t just tell them to be a soul winner; they take them soul winning with them. They don’t just tell them to pray; they spend time praying with them. The never-failing leader realizes that their life is the greatest example and motivator to show their followers how to do right.

Third, never-failing leadership will be on top of the people. In other words, the never-failing leader walks with God. What will make you a never-failing leader is spending time with God getting to know His mind of how you should lead those whom He has given you to lead. You will fail as a leader if you don’t have a personal time with God. Moses wasn’t the great leader because of his own talent; he was the great leader because he walked with God and got the His mind. Never-failing leadership doesn’t try to get the people to get their mind, but they take the mind of God and give it to those they lead. You will fail as a leader if you fail to walk with God.

Do you have a never-failing leadership style? These three attributes applied by any leader will help you never to fail in directing those you lead to follow the LORD; that is what makes a never-failing leader.

The Honor of Veterans

the-honor-of-veteransby: Dr. Bruce Goddard

Leviticus 19:32 says, “Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the LORD.”

Recently, while waiting in security at an airport, I was standing behind a quiet man, well built, but with a few years on him, thick, but with a subtle strength, well under six feet in height, but there was something about him, no doubt. A curve or two of the line brought my eyes to a hulk of a youth, well over six feet, obviously military, and briefly headed home or to being deployed. At one point the lines brought the two near each other and a brief conversation of “what and where” ensued. The older, (about 40 – 45 years) asked about some special training the other had just completed; the youth replied he had passed, and he was congratulated. The youth instantly replied, “I made it, but nothing like you guys would have done.” Unknown to me, the older must have been part of some special unit and was revered by the younger, who was unafraid to give honor to whom honor was due.

I suddenly envied the camaraderie and felt I was intruding a little bit into something sacred held by only these two among the crowded security line. Though they shared a few warm friendly words, the awe of the elder was clear. The line moved, the two were parted, and I felt like I was standing on holy ground where before me stood someone very special, and I held a great respect for the young hulk behind me for his unashamed revere of the elder.

We like the grit and toughness of our military, and all of us admire the scars or the battle wounds of veteran military folks. He will not push his way up front, but will stand in the back, say little, for he has seen the frailty of man, his own, and that of others. He has seen enough that he desires no accolades, avoids the platform, and certainly quietly holds inside the wisdom of decades.

We all smile at the good looking youth in their dress uniform, but show us the old soldier, having served 20-30 years with many deployments. We feel an awe, an almost spiritual reverence, and rightly so. You know that though there are a few more pounds, there is more battle wisdom, grit, and deadly experience than the good looking fresh youth could imagine; and the wise youth knows it to be true.

Golden State Baptist CollegeAmerica knows the veteran to be rich in experience and wary in conflict. The fearless youth might in passion run in where death waits, unaware of hidden danger. So our wise leaders use the older soldier to temper and guide. The aged soldier sees things the young man has not learned to identify. There are things that cannot be seen; it is an instinct, a sixth sense that guides the seasoned vet who directs the youthful soldier to survive in dangerous situations.

To some extent, we feel the same way toward coaches. Not as athletic, yet knowing, seeing, understanding and anticipating and able to guide the best of athletes to success.

Thanks to books, the internet and video, I have the same awe towards the grizzled preacher, mostly discharged and gone on to their reward. Heart scarred in decades of battle, having buried many a fallen friend, but seeing what others cannot see, sensing and aware of the wiles of the wicked one when the passionate youth might miss it.

The lean frame is not there, the flash of the new uniform is missing. The smooth skin, the bright smile, and casual air are all so different from the battle-scarred prophet. He seems to walk with a little skepticism, guarded, wary. The veteran knows loss, having walked through deadly fires and wept over countless spiritual graves, wearing toughened leather like spiritual skin tanned in mighty conflicts. The prophet knows the need for youthful blood and new soldiers on the battlefield, but hopes the fair-skinned youth would not be too impressed by himself or those peers who boast of gifts and more current ideas.

Some in America see the portly old man with the “Vietnam Vet” or ” WWII” hat and feel no respect, no awe, but the wise young soldier sees something rich and deep hidden beneath the wrinkles and gray hair.

Even in the difficult situation of Job and his friends, the younger Elihu understood that the prudent thing was to hold your peace and let the elder men speak.

Job 32:4 says, “Now Elihu had waited till Job had spoken, because they were elder than he.”

Job 32:6 says, “And Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered and said, I am young, and ye are very old; wherefore I was afraid, and durst not shew you mine opinion.”

Wise young men are a little hesitant to divulge their thoughts, knowing they sit among wiser and more experienced men. With unimpressed air, we use the colloquialism, “Been there, Done that,” but these seasoned soldiers of the cross “have and did,” and impressed we would wisely be. With the Elijah’s and Micaiah’s of our world, who’ve faithfully wielded the Sword, they walked differently, they looked different, they stood almost alone, among men yet distant; there was simply something different. They are the warrior, prophet, and man of God. No one has ever worshiped them, and the idiots who blast their “man worship” rhetoric are only revealing their immaturity and jealousy for the richness of the prophets life and reverence wise younger men feel for them.

You’ll find no battle scars on the guy who fits into the world. There are no grizzled old veterans of the contemporary church, for they have comfortably retired in their nice homes and casually speak in their occasional conference or cruise. Or, they have found more fertile fields in secular business, writing or motivational speaking. Serving the church and weeping with the hurting does not fit their successful lifestyle.

The prophets warned of the day when the ancient was not revered. Isaiah 3:5 says, “And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honourable.”

The day when the elder is not honored is like the writing on the wall; trouble is on the way. Lamentations 5:12 says, “Princes are hanged up by their hand: the faces of elders were not honoured.”

For me, I will honor the Jack Hyles, (you knew it was coming, I didn’t want to disappoint you) John R. Rice and the Lee Roberson’s, Oliver B. Green’s and the Lester Roloff’s, Bob Jones, as well as their friends who fought the fight and stood true to the end. I will with humility and pride “rise up before the hoary head” and “honor” their name.

Dr. Bruce Goddard
Pastor
Faith Baptist Church
Wildomar CA

The Defeatist Mentality

Numbers 13:29
“The Amalekites dwell in the land of the south: and the Hittites, and the Jebusites, and the Amorites, dwell in the mountains: and the Canaanites dwell by the sea, and by the coast of Jordan.”

The mentality seen in the verse above is nothing that we don’t see today. When the twelve spies came back to report to Moses and the people, ten of the spies had a defeatist mentality. Their summation was to go back to Egypt and accept the status quo of hardship and slavery. However, two men who believed that God could take them above the status quo and bring them into the Promised Land. Sadly, the defeatist mentality influenced the people not to go forward into the Promised Land.

One of the biggest hindrances to the work of the LORD are those who embrace the defeatist mentality. Those who have a defeatist mentality always see the negative and never have the faith to believe that God can do the exceptional. The story above shows us four traits of the defeatist mentality.

First, the defeatist mentality doesn’t believe in exceptionalism. If you truly believe in the power of God, you must believe that God is an exceptional God capable of taking you higher than where you are. Christian, the defeatist mentality will keep you from enjoying the victories God has in store for you. God is omnipotent, and He is very capable of helping you live the exceptional life if you don’t embrace the defeatist mentality.

Second, the defeatist mentality accepts the status quo. These people were happy to wander in the wilderness, which was the status quo for their lives. My friend, don’t believe the status quo that preaches average. Step over to the victory side and accept the promises of God that guarantee great victory if you go forward.

Third, the defeatist mentality sees everyone else as better than itself. It is interesting that these men who had the defeatist mentality could only see the walls, giants and great armies and not the omnipotent God Who had delivered them thus far. I’m not saying that you are better than everyone else, but you don’t have to accept that the world is better and stronger than you. You have a God Who lives on the inside Who wants to help you to live on the victory side.

Fourth, the defeatist mentality lacks vision and faith in God. These men couldn’t see that God’s power could destroy every excuse they used. If you accept the defeatist mentality, you will never experience the great victories God has for you in your Promised Land. God has already charted victories for you in your life, but you must not allow the defeatist mentality to hinder you from enjoying them. You must take off the blinders of the defeatist mentality and put on the spectacles of faith which gives you the vision to do things much greater than yourself. It is truly your choice of what you choose to look through.

Christian, don’t let the defeatist mentality rob you of God’s blessings and victories He has planned for you. Be like Joshua and Caleb Who had the faith to believe that God is an exceptional God capable of bringing you further than anyone could imagine. There are great victories for you to enjoy if you will look through the binoculars of faith and see the great victories God has for you.

Hearing the Voice of God

Numbers 7:89
“And when Moses was gone into the tabernacle of the congregation to speak with him, then he heard the voice of one speaking unto him from off the mercy seat that was upon the ark of testimony, from between the two cherubims: and he spake unto him.”

One of the characters in the Scriptures whom I admire the most and truly want to emulate is Moses. Nobody in the Scriptures knew God face to face like Moses. The verse above is one of those instances where he conversed with God. It was after the dedication of the altar that he went into the tabernacle when he heard the audible voice of the LORD. What a time that must have been to not only be in the place where the LORD’s presence was, but also to hear the audible voice of God.

We may not hear the audible voice of the LORD, but He still speaks today if the Christian will stop and listen. Christian, you should desire to not only be in the place where the LORD’s presence is, but you should also desire to hear the voice of the LORD. If you are going to hear the voice of the LORD, several things must be present in your life.

First, there must be a dedicated altar. Verse 88 says, “…This was the dedication of the altar…” You will never hear the voice of the LORD if you don’t have a place where you go to speak to Him. Let me ask you, where is the place where you spend time with God? In Matthew 6:6, the Scriptures talks about entering into “your closet” to pray. God still speaks to the Christian today, but He cannot speak if you don’t have a time when you go to speak to Him.

Second, there must be sacrifice. Before Moses entered into the tabernacle, the people had sacrificed their money, time and energy on the altar. What do you sacrifice to speak to God? The Christian who hears the voice of the LORD is the Christian who has sacrificed their desires, time and self to spend time with Him at the altar of prayer. It will take a time of sacrifice at the altar of prayer to hear the voice of the LORD in your life.

Third, there must be a desire to communicate. Moses went into the tabernacle to “speak with him.” Do you have a sincere desire to speak to the LORD? God won’t force Himself upon you. James 4:8 makes it clear that we must take the first step towards God with a desire to communicate with Him before He reciprocates by stepping towards us. If there is no desire, there will be no communication.

Fourth, there must be an ear to hear. Moses “heard the voice of one speaking unto him from off the mercy seat.” Are you listening for God to speak? You will never hear His voice until you silence the voices around you. Turn off the phones, computers and everything that has a voice and get alone with the LORD and just listen. My friend, God often speaks to His children, but they don’t hear because they have too many other voices speaking at the same time. You need a time of quietness if you want the LORD to speak.

Fifth, there must be a heart to obey. Every time the LORD spake to Moses he obeyed. The LORD knew that He wasn’t wasting His time speaking to Moses because he always obeyed. The best way to hear the LORD’s voice in your life is to obey when He speaks. If you have an obedient spirit, you will find that the LORD will gladly speak to you because He delights in the spirit of obedience.

So You’ve Had a Bad Day

Leviticus 22:7
“And when the sun is down, he shall be clean, and shall afterward eat of the holy things; because it is his food.”

God gave the priests specific instructions as to how to conduct themselves so that they would not be unclean. If they touched something unclean, they were specifically instructed by God that they were not to eat of the holy things or conduct their duties in the temple. However, this uncleanness didn’t last forever. God said in the verse above, “And when the sun is down, he shall be clean…” In other words, after a bad day they could look forward to the sun setting because, once it set, they were considered clean and able to partake of the holy things again.

Though these instructions were talking about the holy things in the tabernacle, the principle God set for the priests still applies to you. Everybody is going to have a bad day. Your status, money or name will not stop you from having a bad day. When you have a bad day, there are three things you must do to keep it from destroying your future.

First, realize that your bad day won’t last forever. When the priest had a bad day, all they had to do was wait for the sun to set to start a new day. You may be having a bad day, but let me remind you that the sun will set; the bad day won’t last forever. Don’t let your bad day emotionally destroy you. Many people have let their bad day devastate them when in reality they could have made it had they realized the sun was going to set and it wouldn’t last forever. Yes, you are going to have a bad day at some point, but it will end. The sun is going to set and you are going to be able to face and enjoy a new day.

Second, understand that there is always a tomorrow. The significance of the sun setting was that it was when their next day started. Unlike our modern calendar, they started a new day at sunset. When you have a bad day, remember that there is the opportunity for you to have a good day tomorrow. A bad day today doesn’t mean tomorrow has to be bad. Let each day live on its own. Tomorrow will bring its own challenges, so look forward to tomorrow’s challenges when you are having a bad day today.

Third, don’t let today’s bad day hinder the blessings of tomorrow. The only way tomorrow is going to be better is if you don’t carry today’s luggage into it. The priest never had to worry about being unclean for more than one day. When the sun set, their uncleanness was over. They could have lived as if they were still unclean the next day, but that would have been needless and kept them from doing their duties to help others. If you carry yesterday’s baggage into today’s opportunities, you will needlessly keep God from using you to help others. My friend, you are going to have to have a short memory when it comes to having a bad day. Don’t ruin the rest of your life by carrying around the baggage you picked up yesterday. Lay that baggage aside and live for your new day.

Everyone is going to have those days that are going to be long days that you wish never happened. When you are having one of those days, let this devotional be a reminder that the sun will set and there will be a tomorrow. Life is too short to let one day ruin the rest of your life. You can rejoice in the fact that God has already formed your tomorrow, and if you will live one day at a time, you can enjoy today’s opportunities if you don’t carry yesterday’s luggage into it.

Inheriting a Difference

Leviticus 20:24
“But I have said unto you, Ye shall inherit their land, and I will give it unto you to possess it, a land that floweth with milk and honey: I am the LORD your God, which have separated you from other people.”

When God gave the children of Israel the land of Canaan, He never intended for them to take the land to live like the people from whom they inherited the land. God intended for His people to be different. He says in the verse above, “…I am the LORD your God, which have separated you from other people.” The children of Israel certainly inherited a land, but they also inherited a difference when God wanted them to be separated “from other people.”

Many Christians have never learned this principle that God expects His children to be separate from “other people.” Who is this “other people?” They are the people from whom they came out; they are the world. God wants His children to be different from the world, and He is the One Who has separated us. It is not the preacher who sets the standards of holiness, but God does through His Word. God set those standards so that His people would be separated “from other people.” Three principles can be learned about the Christian’s inheritance to be different.

First, God never intended for His people to be accepted by the world. To be separated “from other people” means that God didn’t want His children to be like them. I remember growing up and telling my parents that all the other children were doing something that I wanted to do. My parents always responded by telling me, “Allen, you are not all the other children; you are Allen Domelle.” What they were teaching me was that I was to be different. Christian, you are not to be like all the other people because you are a Christian. God never intended for you to be accepted by the world, He intended for you to live to be accepted by Him.

Second, God never intended for His people to be liked by the world. When God commanded Israel to be separated “from other people,” He was not concerned with them being liked by the rest of the world. Likewise, God is not concerned with you being liked by the world. Christian, you are going to have to understand that you won’t be liked by the world because the world has a different father. Our fathers are enemies of each other, and the Devil’s children will never like us. For instance, the reason the world does not like the nation of Israel is because they are God’s chosen people. It doesn’t matter what they do; they will never be liked because the world doesn’t like God. Likewise, it won’t matter how much you change; the world will never like you as a Christian because they don’t like your Father. The sooner you understand this, the easier it will be to accept God’s standards of holiness.

Third, God’s purpose for separating you was so that you can wholly belong to Him. Verse 26 says, “And ye shall be holy unto me: for I the LORD am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine.” God doesn’t want part of you; He wants all of you. Let me encourage you to realize that when you separate from the world, you are yielding yourself to be wholly the LORD’s. Don’t allow the voices who desire the world to pull you away from allowing the LORD to have all of you. When you embrace Who owns you, you will have no issue with separation.

Keeping a Calm Soul

Psalm 131:1
“LORD, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me.”

It is disturbing to see people live with a troubled spirit. Many with a troubled spirit run to doctors who prescribe drugs to help calm their soul. The problem with trying to control the troubled spirit with drugs is that it still won’t solve what caused it. God’s Word is always the answer to every problem. God goes to the source of the problem, and if every person would follow His prescription, they could live in peace with a calm soul. The Psalmist gives five things you must do to keep a calm soul.

First, keep a humble heart. The verse above says, “…my heart is not haughty…” Part of the problem we face is that we feel we deserve something in our heart, which is nothing more than a proud heart. The best way to keep life from becoming troubled is to control your heart. Don’t allow yourself to feel that you deserve more than what you have. Always remember that a humble heart is a content heart. If you keep yourself from getting the attitude that you are better than others, you will keep yourself from thinking that you deserve more than what you have.

Second, have a modest appetite. The verse above continues by saying, “…nor mine eyes lofty…” You will always be unhappy if you allow yourself to look at things you know you cannot afford. It is like a child whose eyes are bigger than their appetite; they put more on their plate than they can eat. Don’t let your eyes of pleasure get bigger than the appetite of your financial budget. Live within your means and don’t let your eyes become so lofty that they compel you to purchase that which you cannot afford.

Third, keep a temperate behavior. The psalmist says, “…neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me.” In other words, don’t meddle with things that are not in your area. Many people get their spirit so uptight because they are dealing in areas where they have no control. The best way to keep your spirit from becoming uptight is only to deal with the areas of life that you do control. Don’t try to control another’s life; just stay focused on your life and what you have been given to control.

Fourth, live a moral life. Nothing disquiets your spirit more than living an immoral life. The psalmist says in verse 2, “Surely I have behaved and quieted myself…” Don’t allow sin to stir the waves of your heart. If you stay away from sin, you will stay away from its tumultuous and troubling ways. Living a moral life keeps the spirit calm because you have no regrets or worries about what others may discover.

Fifth, keep a simple lifestyle. The psalmist talks about his soul is “as a weaned child.” Don’t trouble your life with having to get things. You will find that those who live a simple life have less stress than those who acquire things. Don’t always have to have the newest and the best. Be satisfied with what you have.

These five things will keep your spirit and soul calm through life if followed. Don’t listen to the voices of this world that try to lure you away from these five things. If you follow these five things, you will discover a tranquil life and a satisfied soul.

The Level is No Excuse

Leviticus 4:13
“And if the whole congregation of Israel sin through ignorance, and the thing be hid from the eyes of the assembly, and they have done somewhat against any of the commandments of the LORD concerning things which should not be done, and are guilty;”

In the Book of Leviticus, you will find that there are three levels as to why people sin. The first level as to why people commit sin is because of ignorance. There are times when people do wrong but they don’t know what they are doing is wrong. It is not an intentional wrong, but it is still wrong. The second level is that people commit sin “somewhat against” the commandments of the LORD. This level of committing sin is when people have a feeling that what they are doing or about to do could be wrong, but it is still sin. The third level as to why people commit sin is that they do wrong because they want to do wrong. The verse above reveals several things about these three levels of sin.

First, sin is sin no matter why you do it. Whenever a sin is committed, you are going to have to deal with it as sin no matter why do it. The consequences of sin don’t change because you didn’t know better. Sin has consequences whether or not you knew what you were doing was wrong. Let me illustrate if I may. Just because a person doesn’t know anything about electricity doesn’t change the fact that they will get electrocuted if they touch a live electrical wire. Just because you don’t know anything about electricity doesn’t change what it will do to you if you touch it. Likewise, just because you don’t know if something is sin doesn’t change the ramifications of what it will do to you if you do it.

Second, ignorance is not an excuse to do wrong. Just because you didn’t know something is wrong doesn’t give you an excuse to do it. Too many people want to use ignorance as their crutch for wrong, but the verse above teaches that God still holds you accountable for your actions. Ignorance is a poor excuse to continue in sin.

Third, your attitude towards sin is important. It should bother you when you do wrong, and to use ignorance of sin as a crutch to continue doing it only shows that the attitude of your heart is rebellious. A person who sincerely wants to do right will immediately deal with their sin when they realize they have done wrong. Your attitude towards sin will ultimately determine whether or not sin destroys you.

Fourth, immediate action is God’s expected response towards sin. Verse 14 says, “When the sin, which they have sinned against it, is known, then the congregation shall offer a young bullock for the sin, and bring him before the tabernacle of the congregation.” You will notice that God expects a person to immediately deal with their wrong when they know what they did was wrong. Any delayed response towards sin is rebellion. You cannot continue to play the ignorance card and think that God doesn’t know your heart and mind.

Christian, everyone will at some point do wrong without knowing that they have done wrong, but to continue to do it without dealing with it is wrong. Let me encourage you to study the Scriptures so that ignorance is not your downfall. If you learn what God wants you to do, you have a better chance of avoiding what He doesn’t want you to do. Let your discovery of ignorance be the catalyst to learn God’s Word better so that you can please Him by avoiding sin.

The Spoiled Liberal

the-spoiled-liberalby: Dr. Allen Domelle

The elections are over, and the liberals are already revealing who they are. From a group who preaches the importance of reaching across the aisle, they are sure revealing how spoiled and exclusive they are. From the spoiled brats rioting, their actions are for another article, to liberals like Juan Williams spewing hateful venom, to tweets calling for President-elect Donald Trump’s assassination, the real agenda of liberals is being exposed.

It reminds me so much of three stories from the Scriptures. The first story is of Ahab, who went to Naboth to ask him for his vineyard. The vineyard was Naboth’s inheritance. It was what his fathers had passed down throughout the generations. Ahab wanted the vineyard because he wanted to sacrifice to Baal on the land, but Naboth would have nothing to do with it. Naboth told Ahab in 1 Kings 21:3, “…The LORD forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers unto thee.” He knew what Ahab would do with the vineyard, and he knew what the inheritance meant to God and his family. When Naboth wouldn’t give his vineyard, Ahab went “into his house heavy and displeased” because he didn’t get his way. It resulted in an evil plan to have Naboth assassinated because he wouldn’t bow to the spoiled liberals way.

Another story is found when Sennacherib, king of Assyria, demanded that Hezekiah surrender to him. Sennacherib said that if Hezekiah surrendered, that he would give him a “land like your own land, a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards.” The liberal always says that what they have is better than what you have; however, Hezekiah wouldn’t cower to the threats of the liberal king. This resulted in threats that Hezekiah would be destroyed because his basis upon which he based his decision was antiquated. Although history proves that Sennacherib was wrong, he tried to threaten God’s people into compromise with empty threats like every spoiled liberal does.

The last story that comes to mind is when Balak offered Balaam riches, power and prestige if he would cross the aisle and compromise his beliefs to curse God’s people. When you read the story, you see that Balaam initially rejected the offer, but after more offers and pressure from Balak, he accepted the offer to curse God’s people. Had it not been for divine intervention through a talking donkey, Balaam would have found himself on the wrong side of history. Instead, he went and blessed the people of God, in spite of Balak offering compromise after compromise. When Balak didn’t get his way, he responded like every spoiled liberal responds. His response is found in Numbers 24:10-11 where it says, “And Balak’s anger was kindled against Balaam, and he smote his hands together: and Balak said unto Balaam, I called thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast altogether blessed them these three times. Therefore now flee thou to thy place: I thought to promote thee unto great honour; but, lo, the LORD hath kept thee back from honour.” Balak’s final response was a threat in hopes to get Balaam to offer a reconciliatory spirit, which he did not.

The results of this past election have revealed who liberals are and what they want. The rioting, threats and the “concerned” counsel by liberals to President-elect Donald Trump to offer an olive branch to the Democrats is simply another tool out of their playbook to get their way. I’m always amazed how liberals demand that those who stand for right should have a conciliatory spirit and not stand firmly on what they believe; yet, they won’t budge when they are in power. When liberals don’t get their way, they cry, riot, and demand that we should change who we are because they lost.

I believe this past victory gives us great insight into what those who are old paths, independent Baptist should do in response to the liberal cry to be more conciliatory in our stance. There are those in the “Christian” world, and I use this term lightly, who think that the old paths, independent Baptist are running people off with our stance on the Scriptures. Wow; it seems like I’ve just heard this from all the liberals who say you can’t win an election with conservative policies. I have several answers to those spoiled liberal “Christians” who say the old paths don’t work and that we should tone down our beliefs from the Scriptures.

1. I don’t do what I do because it is popular or because it attracts crowds. I do what I do because the Scriptures command me to do it.

Faith-Baptist-Church_Margate-ADWe are commanded in Jude 1:3, “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.” God didn’t tell us to contend for crowds, but He said to “contend for the faith.” My friend, when you get to the point that crowds are more important than embracing truth, you are on changing ground. You will always find that those who do right have never been popular. John the Baptist certainly wasn’t popular, and he lost his head for doing right. Jesus wasn’t popular with the religious crowd, and they crucified Him for not falling into lock-step with their agenda. You will find that you will never be in the popular crowd when you stand firmly for truth. What we need today are Christians who fall in love with truth and embrace it, instead of trying to be appealing to the world to attract big crowds. You should never measure what you do by whether it builds crowds or is accepted by the populace, but you should measure what you do by whether it is right or wrong.

2. If liberal “Christians” are so concerned with meeting in the middle, why don’t they make the first move?

Isn’t it always amazing how liberals demand that we make the first step. This has been the Devil’s ploy since the beginning of time. He knows that whoever makes the first move has lost. That is why he tried to get Moses to compromise, but he quickly found out that Moses understood that truth was more important than the opinion of the Egyptians. You can never worry about how the world perceives you; instead, you must be concerned with God’s perception of you. Matthew 10:28 says, “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” The Christian’s response to the liberals cry to move should be patterned after Nehemiah’s response. He said in Nehemiah 6:3, “…I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down: why should the work cease, whilst I leave it, and come down to you?” My friend, don’t move when the liberal demands you make the first conciliatory move because you are doing a “great work,” and why should the work of God cease to make a treaty with a spoiled liberal. Always remember that any move is compromise, and God never commands us to move, but He does command us to stand.

3. I’m on the winning side, and history and prophecy prove it.

History has always proven that the old paths work. Hebrews 11 gives us a list of Christians who chose not to listen to the offers of compromise by liberals. No, they were not popular in their day, but history has proven them to be right. The Book of Revelation proves the old paths are right when God sets up His kingdom, not after the world’s system, but after His Word. Christian, why would you want to move away from the winning side? We know that holy living leads to joy and happiness. We know that men and women dressing decently leads to pure minds. We know that young people not touching each other before marriage leads to them walking down the aisle as virgins. We know that soul winning leads to lives being changed. We know that it is through the “foolishness of preaching” that lives are changed. Yes, we know that the old paths work! My friend, the old paths are winning paths that have been tried and tested by God’s Word. Don’t let the antics and attacks by liberal Christian elites cause you to leave what you know to be true from God’s Word.

As you watch the liberals respond to losing the presidency, remember that liberal “Christians” respond the same way. Remember that their antics are a way to shame you into cowering into compromise. The Christian must never fall for their foolery. Stand strong and always remember that the old paths are winning paths because the old paths are where lives are changed, marriages are salvaged, and the youth are challenged to live for God.