Fine Line

The Fine Line Between Faith and Stupidity

Deuteronomy 11:25

"There shall no man be able to stand before you: for the LORD your God shall lay the fear of you and the dread of you upon all the land that ye shall tread upon, as he hath said unto you."

My dad would often make the statement that there is a fine line between faith and stupidity. Trying to determine that line can seem very difficult, but in reality it really is very easy to discern. When you are able to discern the line between faith and stupidity is when you will be able to do great things for God if you will learn to step out by faith.

I recently talked to a preacher friend about the subject of faith. He told me that he patterned his life after doing whatever God told him to do even if it didn't make sense. For many years he traveled as an evangelist before he became a pastor. He told me that when he stepped out in evangelism that he didn't have any meetings, but he knew he was supposed to go in evangelism. God blessed that decision and used him in many churches to be a help.

I recall when I stepped out in evangelism, I only had four meetings on my calendar. If a preacher asked me if I had any openings, honestly, I could look forward and backwards and see many openings. Stepping out in evangelism seemed foolish to many people because I wasn't traveling at the moment, and I only had four meetings on my calendar. However, I obeyed because I knew God wanted me to step out into full-time evangelism. Though that step of faith seemed foolish to many, it didn't seem that foolish to me as I knew that God wanted me to be an evangelist.

So, you wonder what is that fine line between faith and stupidity? God said in the verse above, "There shall no man be able to stand before you:..." What a promise from God! In the previous verses God showed Israel how they could have this confidence. Two things were needed to have this confidence. First, obedience to God's commandments. Second, obedience to God's leading. If they obeyed everything that God commanded them to do in His Word, and if they would step out by faith and go forward and conquer the land, then the promise in the verse above applied to them. The fine line between faith and stupidity is simply doing whatever God commands you to do.

Christian, this may not sound that simple, but it really is. Was it hard for the children of Israel to go forward in the land of Canaan and conquer these cities? Sure it was! There were renown cities that were known for their feats. When they came to the city of Jericho, it seemed foolish for them to try and conquer it, but by faith they obeyed and God came through. That fine line was not so fine when obeyed by faith.

For those who have a hard time living by faith, the line between faith and stupidity seems very fine. On the other hand, for those who know to live by faith, the fine line between faith and stupidity is very obvious for that line is simply making sure that God wants you to do it. Christian, it is as simple as knowing that God wants you to do something. If God tells you to do something, then do it. However, if you are not sure that God wants you to do something, then you better be careful because you don't want to cross the line into stupidity. Stupidity is acting on your own ideas and feelings, even if they make since. Faith is acting on God's Word to you, even though His Word may seem stupid to others. As long as you do what God tells you to do, then you have nothing to worry about. God will always be there for you when obey His commands.

People?

People Are Not the Problem

Numbers 22:6

"Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land: for I wot that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed."

The story of Balaam is certainly one of the more popular stories in the Scriptures because of his incident with his donkey. However, in this story we will miss some important truths if all we do is focus on that one incident. One of those truths is when Balak thought his problem was Israel. He saw that they were more powerful than he, and that his power was at risk because of them. In the verse above, he asked Balaam to come and curse the people. Balak's problem was that he was focused on the people, and not on the real issue at hand, his sin. Balak simply used people as a deflection from the real problem, and that is why he wanted them killed.

People will often make the same mistake the Balak made in making people the problem and not sin. You will find from the story above several reasons why people are attacked. They are attacked because we feel we may lose our power. You will notice that Balak said that Israel was "...too mighty for me:..." He was more afraid that he would lose his own power than he was with dealing with the issue.

I have found that when people attack you that many times it is because they feel they are going to lose their power. People by nature love power. If you are a threat to their power and if they are not spiritual, then they will attack you. You must not take their attacks personally, for their problem is sin.

Another reason people will attack is because they are afraid they will lose their position. Balak knew that if Israel destroyed his country that his position would be gone. With position comes benefits. Balak was more concerned with benefits than he was with doing right. Christian, when you become more concerned with the benefits that come with your position than you are with the people you are to help, then you have real issues.

When Balak displayed his desire to curse Israel, he revealed his heart. It is evil to want to destroy a person. It is never our right to try to destroy or take someone down, that only belongs to God. Romans 12:19 says, "...Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord." Whenever you are out to destroy people, then you are revealing the evil in your heart.

Let me make this clear to you, the problem is not people, the problem is sin. You must be careful in your fight against sin that you don't let people be your target. We are not fighting against people, we are fighting against sin. Sure, people commit the sin, and they will be our opponent, but they are not the enemy, the enemy is sin. When we fight the true enemy of sin, then we can salvage the person and help them. Your whole desire in fighting sin should be to help bring people to the position where they can be right with God. Be careful that you don't become so involved in the fight against sin that you start trying to destroy the individual. Stay focused on the real issue, which is sin. If you will fight sin properly, then you will be able to help those who are involved in it. That should be your heart's desire.

Commandment

At the Commandment of the LORD

Numbers 9:23

"At the commandment of the LORD they rested in the tents, and at the commandment of the LORD they journeyed: they kept the charge of the LORD, at the commandment of the LORD by the hand of Moses."

One of the things I am always amazed with is how Christians are more reliant on man's word than they are the Word of God. I recently had a pastor tell me a story about a church member who came to his office asking him to tell them that they needed him to help them make decisions about every little detail in their life. This member had recently joined his church, and they told him that they would weekly go to their previous pastor about every decision in their life. This pastor wisely told this new church member that they needed to learn to walk with God and let His Word dictate their decision making.

Twice it says in Numbers 9, that the children of Israel were to move "...at the commandment of the LORD." They were not to journey unless God commanded them, and they were not to rest unless God commanded them. You will notice they were not to move at the commandment of Moses, but at the commandment of the LORD. The reason the emphasis was made to move at the LORD's commandment is because the LORD's commandment never changes, but leadership will change. If the people were focused on the LORD, then they would never have to be concerned with what to do.

If you want to know the commandment of the LORD, then you are going to have to have a personal relationship with Him. One of the biggest reasons Christians run to man and not the LORD is because they don't have a personal relationship with Him. If you are not careful, you will become too busy to have a relationship with God. One of the biggest reasons you need to have a daily time with God is so that you will know how to move in your life. If you don't have a personal relationship with the LORD, then you won't know His commandments.

Christian, stop looking to a man for what to do in life. I'm afraid that Christians have become idolators. What I mean by this statement is that there are many Christians who will follow what man says over what God's Word commands. Though God uses human authority to guide us, the human authority should never replace God's in your life. Before you ever run to man to decide what to do, you should always run to God.

Moreover, don't allow man to move into God's place in your life. When any man tells you that you don't need to go to God, but you need to go to them, then stop following that man and follow God. No pastor or authority should ever replace God in your life. Yes, your man of God can counsel you, but he should never take God's place.

When you learn to let God's Word become the final authority in your life, then you will find that your life will become stable. Avoid those who try to micromanage your life, for that will cause you to become dependent upon man. Any true man of God will want you to learn how to become dependent upon God. He will point you to God if he is what he ought to be. Whenever you need to make decisions in your life, then run to God and ask Him what you should do. Learn to be a Christian who only moves "at the commandment of the LORD."

Feelings

Harboring Ill Feelings

Leviticus 19:17-18

"Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him. Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD."

One of my chores when I was a boy pulling the weeds in the flower bed. The easiest time for me to take care of the weeds was when they were in their infancy stage of growth and the roots were not deep in the soil. Every once in awhile I would get behind on pulling weeds, and trying to pull the weeds once their roots had grown deep into the soil was no easy task. The best time to take care of the weeds was when they first started growing.

One of the common principles of the Scriptures is caring for the root of the problem before it is fully grown. In the verse above, God dealt with harboring ill feelings towards people. You will notice that God said that we are not to hate our brother in our heart. In other words, that hatred is not visible to the outside, but it is in our heart. God knew that if someone did not deal with their hatred in their heart that it would eventually grow into bitter feelings and actions. God went further by saying, "Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people,..." You will notice again that God commands us not to hold grudges against people. A grudge is carrying resentment towards someone in our heart for something that happened in the past. God understood that harboring a grudge will eventually destroy a good relationship.

Every married person must be careful about harboring ill feelings towards their spouse. Carrying a grudge against your spouse will not help your marriage. In fact, it will only cause problems that can become irreparable if you let them go too long. The best time for married couples to deal with problems that they have with each other is in the infancy stage. When your spouse has done something to hurt you, be honest with them and deal with it so that it doesn't go any further.

Children must be careful about harboring a grudge against their parents. There are many children who hold grudges against their parents only to see the grudge turn into bitter feelings that are carried into their adult years. If you have problems with your parents, then sit down and talk to them in a reasonable matter. Don't become accusatory, but in a humble spirit talk to them.

Christians must also be careful about harboring ill feelings towards their pastor or other Christian brethren. There are many Christians who quit serving God because they never dealt with ill feelings in their infancy stage. Instead, they let those feelings fester to the point where they become bitter at God and anything that has to do with Him. If they had dealt with the problem in the infancy stage, bitterness and anger would not have set in.

God says in Ephesians 4:26, "Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:" Christian, be careful about allowing hatred in your heart. The only feeling that we should have towards others is love. If someone does something that hurts you, then be Christian enough to deal with it immediately and in a proper attitude so that hatred will have no place in your heart.

Feelings

Harboring Ill Feelings

Leviticus 19:17-18

"Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him. Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD."

One of my chores when I was a boy pulling the weeds in the flower bed. The easiest time for me to take care of the weeds was when they were in their infancy stage of growth and the roots were not deep in the soil. Every once in awhile I would get behind on pulling weeds, and trying to pull the weeds once their roots had grown deep into the soil was no easy task. The best time to take care of the weeds was when they first started growing.

One of the common principles of the Scriptures is caring for the root of the problem before it is fully grown. In the verse above, God dealt with harboring ill feelings towards people. You will notice that God said that we are not to hate our brother in our heart. In other words, that hatred is not visible to the outside, but it is in our heart. God knew that if someone did not deal with their hatred in their heart that it would eventually grow into bitter feelings and actions. God went further by saying, "Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people,..." You will notice again that God commands us not to hold grudges against people. A grudge is carrying resentment towards someone in our heart for something that happened in the past. God understood that harboring a grudge will eventually destroy a good relationship.

Every married person must be careful about harboring ill feelings towards their spouse. Carrying a grudge against your spouse will not help your marriage. In fact, it will only cause problems that can become irreparable if you let them go too long. The best time for married couples to deal with problems that they have with each other is in the infancy stage. When your spouse has done something to hurt you, be honest with them and deal with it so that it doesn't go any further.

Children must be careful about harboring a grudge against their parents. There are many children who hold grudges against their parents only to see the grudge turn into bitter feelings that are carried into their adult years. If you have problems with your parents, then sit down and talk to them in a reasonable matter. Don't become accusatory, but in a humble spirit talk to them.

Christians must also be careful about harboring ill feelings towards their pastor or other Christian brethren. There are many Christians who quit serving God because they never dealt with ill feelings in their infancy stage. Instead, they let those feelings fester to the point where they become bitter at God and anything that has to do with Him. If they had dealt with the problem in the infancy stage, bitterness and anger would not have set in.

God says in Ephesians 4:26, "Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:" Christian, be careful about allowing hatred in your heart. The only feeling that we should have towards others is love. If someone does something that hurts you, then be Christian enough to deal with it immediately and in a proper attitude so that hatred will have no place in your heart.

Forgot?

Have You Forgot?

Exodus 1:13-14

"And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour: And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in morter, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour."

The world has nothing to offer but hard times. I fear too many Christians forget what the world did to them before they got saved and go back to it only to experience the heartache that they came out of. Egypt is a type of the world. In the verses above, God tells us what Egypt did to the children of Israel. What Egypt did to Israel is the same as what the world will do to every person. We must be careful not to forget what the world did.

Let me ask you, have you forgotten the cruelty of the world? The word "rigour" means cruelty. The world's service is always cruel to those who serve it. If you don't believe me, just look at Hollywood and the rock musicians who serve the world and see for yourself how cruel the world is to people. Drugs, alcohol and family violence are the result of the world's cruelty. Don't every forget the pain the world's lifestyle caused you. It has nothing to offer but a cruel lifestyle.

Have you forgotten the bitterness of the world? It says that Egypt "made their lives bitter." There is nothing that will leave you more bitter than the world. Many people come to mind who wouldn't listen to the Word of God and lived a worldly lifestyle only to see the end of that lifestyle leave them bitter. Naomi left the land of blessings to come back a bitter woman. Samson left the will of God to end up in bitterness as he ground the corn in the prison cell. Christian, the world will bring you temporary happiness, but it will leave you with lifelong bitterness.

Have you forgotten the bondage of the world? The children of Israel were not free to do as they pleased, because they were in bondage to Egypt. Likewise, the world will bind you with the cords of sin and control you. If you are honest with yourself, every sin the world has to offer has ropes that will bind and control you. Don't forget how the vices of this world may bring temporary highs, but they always leave you bound to their command.

Have you forgotten the world's carelessness? It says in the verse above, "...they made them serve, was with rigour." The world doesn't care for you. The world only cared for the prodigal when he had something to offer, but when he had nothing they forsook him. Likewise, the world could care less about you when you are empty. Don't forget that it was God Who cared for you when you were in life's gutter. The world left you to die, but God was the One Who cared and rescued you.

Christian, why would you want to go back to the world? If you go back to the world, it will treat you the same way it treated you before you came out. Don't have a short-term memory about the world's treatment, rather remember how they left you. Stay away from the world and its offers, for they will only bring you heartache. Young person, learn from those who have experienced the pain of the world. Don't think you are better than they. Always remember that God is the only One Who can give you the joy and freedom that you desire. Don't forget!

Forgot?

Have You Forgot?

Exodus 1:13-14

"And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour: And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in morter, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour."

The world has nothing to offer but hard times. I fear too many Christians forget what the world did to them before they got saved and go back to it only to experience the heartache that they came out of. Egypt is a type of the world. In the verses above, God tells us what Egypt did to the children of Israel. What Egypt did to Israel is the same as what the world will do to every person. We must be careful not to forget what the world did.

Let me ask you, have you forgotten the cruelty of the world? The word "rigour" means cruelty. The world's service is always cruel to those who serve it. If you don't believe me, just look at Hollywood and the rock musicians who serve the world and see for yourself how cruel the world is to people. Drugs, alcohol and family violence are the result of the world's cruelty. Don't every forget the pain the world's lifestyle caused you. It has nothing to offer but a cruel lifestyle.

Have you forgotten the bitterness of the world? It says that Egypt "made their lives bitter." There is nothing that will leave you more bitter than the world. Many people come to mind who wouldn't listen to the Word of God and lived a worldly lifestyle only to see the end of that lifestyle leave them bitter. Naomi left the land of blessings to come back a bitter woman. Samson left the will of God to end up in bitterness as he ground the corn in the prison cell. Christian, the world will bring you temporary happiness, but it will leave you with lifelong bitterness.

Have you forgotten the bondage of the world? The children of Israel were not free to do as they pleased, because they were in bondage to Egypt. Likewise, the world will bind you with the cords of sin and control you. If you are honest with yourself, every sin the world has to offer has ropes that will bind and control you. Don't forget how the vices of this world may bring temporary highs, but they always leave you bound to their command.

Have you forgotten the world's carelessness? It says in the verse above, "...they made them serve, was with rigour." The world doesn't care for you. The world only cared for the prodigal when he had something to offer, but when he had nothing they forsook him. Likewise, the world could care less about you when you are empty. Don't forget that it was God Who cared for you when you were in life's gutter. The world left you to die, but God was the One Who cared and rescued you.

Christian, why would you want to go back to the world? If you go back to the world, it will treat you the same way it treated you before you came out. Don't have a short-term memory about the world's treatment, rather remember how they left you. Stay away from the world and its offers, for they will only bring you heartache. Young person, learn from those who have experienced the pain of the world. Don't think you are better than they. Always remember that God is the only One Who can give you the joy and freedom that you desire. Don't forget!