Baptist City Blog

Surviving Tough Times

Isaiah 33:15-16

"He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil; He shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure."

Tough times come and go, but tough people who survive those times are hard to find. The reason they are hard to find is because tough times cause many to quit. The difference between those who survive the tough times and those who don't is determined by several actions. The verses above show us what actions it takes to survive tough times.

First, living right helps you to survive the tough times. Tough times are not an excuse to stop living right, but they are the times when we need to be sure that what we're doing is right. Righteous living is not just for the times when everything is going well, but is for the tough times as well. You will find that it is easier to survive tough times if you will do what is right all the time.

Second, speaking the truth will help you survive tough times. Telling lies will always make tough times tougher. This is why you need to be a person who tells the truth all the time. When you speak the truth at all times, then you don't have to wonder what you said so that you can cover your tracks. If you will speak the truth at all times, then you will lighten the load that you must carry so that your focus can be upon the tough times.

Third, earning right will help you survive tough times. Learning how to gain in life is very important. Everyone should work for what they get. We should not try to get gain through handouts, but we should strive to get gain by working hard. When you work for what you get, then you will learn to make it through tough times. Those who live by handouts will never make it through tough times.

Fourth, gaining possession in a right way will help you survive tough times. You will notice above that God talks about taking bribes. Christian, if you can't get a possession the right way, then you don't need it. Many people try to cut corners to get their possessions and it always comes back to bite them. Be sure that you don't gain possessions in an illegal manner.

Fifth, listening right will help you survive tough times. Be careful that you don't listen to conversations that would not be glorifying to the LORD. Don't allow gossip to enter your ears. Run from it! It will hurt you in the tough times. Be sure to listen to the right music. The right music can lift your spirit while you are going through tough times. If you listen to the wrong things you can destroy your spirit. Don't let what you listen to make your times tougher because it destroys your spirit. Only listen to what God would want you to listen.

Last, treating people right will help you survive tough times. I have learned in life that you need to treat people right when things are going well so that they will be there for you when you go through tough times. Be careful about being short and mean to people. Always remember that you might need their presence somewhere down the road to encourage you. If you treat people right, then you will find they will help you when going through tough times.

You will have tough times in life. These six things that God shows us in these verses will be your "defence" when you face tough times. Live by these things every day, for you never know when your tough time will come.

Glorifying God in the Fires

Isaiah 24:15

"Wherefore glorify ye the LORD in the fires, even the name of the LORD God of Israel in the isles of the sea."

God commands us in 1 Corinthians 10:31, "Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God." In other words, no matter what we face in life we are to be sure to glorify God. Does that mean we are to glorify God in the fires of life? According to the verse above, whenever we face the different fires of life we are to glorify God. What does it mean to glorify the LORD? It means that we are to magnify and honor God. In other words, to glorify the LORD in the fires would mean that we are to be sure that He is magnified because of the fire. In the Scriptures there are three fires that I find where we are to glorify the LORD.

First, we are to glorify the LORD in the fire of persecution. I am reminded of the three Hebrew children who faced Nebuchadnezzar's fiery furnace. When they were threatened to go through the fire they did not flinch in their stand, but they were willing to face the fire of persecution for the LORD's sake. When they were thrown into the fiery furnace, Nebuchadnezzar saw that there was a fourth "like the Son of God." The three Hebrew children certainly glorified the LORD in the fire of persecution.

Christian whenever you face the fires of persecution, be sure that the LORD is glorified. The best way to glorify God in these fires is to be sure not to compromise what you believe. Persecution will come to the Christian who stands for truth. When you stand for truth on the job and in society, there will be those who hate you and will try to do everything in their power to be sure to get rid of you. It is in these times that you must be sure that the LORD is magnified in your life so that He gets the glory.

Second, we are to glorify the LORD in the fire of refining. Throughout the Scriptures you find that God talks about gold coming from the refiner's fire. God often compares the refiner's fire to the Christian. God says that one of the reasons He sends us through the fire is so that we can come forth as gold. When God decides to send you through the refiner's fire, you need to be sure to glorify the LORD. No, the fire is never pleasant, but God is trying to make something better out of you.

Third, we are to glorify the LORD when we go through the fire that tries our faith. In 1 Peter 1:7, God talks about trying our faith with fire. In other words, there will be times when the LORD will test your faith in the fire so that it can grow. Your faith will never grow without being tried in the fire. You can want to be a better Christian, but you will never become one without the fire.

The key to glorifying the LORD in these three fires is found in the last part of the verse above when God says, "...glorify ye the LORD in the fires,..." You will notice that we cannot glorify the LORD outside of the fire, but we glorify Him in the fire. If you run from every hardship of life, then you will fail to bring glory to the LORD. Christian, though you may not enjoy the fires that God sends you through, you must endure those fires, for it is while you are in them that the LORD receives the glory. The LORD received the glory while the three Hebrew children were in the fiery furnace. If they had avoided the fire, then God would have never received the glory. Don't run or avoid the fires that God sends you through, for it is while you go through them that the LORD receives the glory He deserves. No, we don't have to enjoy the fires, but we can thank the LORD that He counts us worthy of receiving glory through our lives.

Peace is Not So Peaceful

Isaiah 11:6

"The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them."

One of the main desires of the world is world peace. One of the mantras of the politician is to bring peace. Preachers desire that there is peace among each other. Pastors desire to have peace in their church. Parents desire to have peace in the home. The desire for peace is certainly a great desire; however, peace is not an object that you just give away. Peace is the byproduct of following certain actions.

In the verse above, we see the epitome of peace. Imagine the wolf and the lamb living together in peace. Imagine the leopard and the young goat lying down with each other. Imagine a lion and a young calf playing together. To top it all off, imagine a child leading all of these animals. That is what God said will happen one day. However, you will find in verses 4-5, that peace is not obtained in a peaceful way. In order to have peace, there are some things that must be present for peace to be discovered.

First, justice must be present to have peace. God teaches that if you want peace then you must be fair in your judgment. You can't let the poor be punished more, or less, because of their condition. Everyone must be treated fairly. It does not matter what the place is, if people are not treated in a fair manner, then you will not have peace. A nation that gives to the poor and takes from the rich will not obtain peace. A home where one child is treated differently than another will not have peace. A church where one class of people are treated differently than another class will not have peace. Justice must be present to have peace.

Second, punishment must be present to have peace. This sounds strange, but God said the "rod" must be used. The "rod" is a symbol of punishment. So, to have peace people must be punished for doing wrong. If people never get punished when they do wrong, then peace will not be present. Though administering punishment is never easy, if you want peace then you must punish the wrong doer.

Third, rebuke must be present if you want peace. God says that we must "reprove" fairly to have peace. This is simply rebuking someone when they do wrong. This is actually a step before punishment. If a parent never rebukes their child, then that child will bring unrest to the home. Reproving someone is rebuking them and instructing them in the rebuke. In other words, it is telling people why they are wrong. If someone never knows why they do wrong, then they will do wrong again.

Fourth, wickedness must be removed. This is not popular, but this is why capital punishment must be administered to those who kill people. This may seem inhumane to some, but this is what brings peace. If wickedness is not removed, then it will only breed more wickedness. You cannot allow wickedness in a society and have peace.

Fifth, righteousness must be present. Right living always brings peace. Yes, you must tell people not to do things, but you must also tell people what they must do. Righteousness is doing right acts. You can say that you don't do certain things, but what do you do that is right? Righteousness is more than removing the vices of sin. It is doing acts of right to others. Peace will not be present until people get busy doing right acts.

Last, it takes God's Word to have peace. Throughout these verses you see God's Word is present. That means if God's Word is present, then He is present. A home, church, society or nation can only have peace when they make God's Word a part of their daily lives. Peace is a wonderful thing to desire, but you will never obtain peace without God's Word.

Making God Your Opponent

Isaiah 5:24

"Therefore as the fire devoureth the stubble, and the flame consumeth the chaff, so their root shall be as rottenness, and their blossom shall go up as dust: because they have cast away the law of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel."

One of the sins that caused God to judge Israel was their ill treatment of His Word. According to the verse above, Israel "cast away" God's Word. In other words, they set God's Word aside even though they knew It to be right. Most likely God's Word did not fit their lifestyle or agenda, so they set It aside as if It wasn't important. Furthermore, they also "despised" God's Word. God was saying that His Word became something that they hated being around. God's Word became something that they loathed. In other words, God's Word became like the phone call that you don't want to answer because you know who is calling. God's Word became to these people just like preparing and paying your taxes is to you. What a tragedy that these people perceived God's Word this way.

The repercussions of their attitude towards God's Word led to God becoming their opponent. Verse 25 says, "Therefore is the anger of the LORD kindled against his people, and he hath stretched forth his hand against them, and hath smitten them:..." Because they mistreated God's Word, they pitted God against them. Their treatment of God's Word brought heartache to Israel, for He considers His Word of extreme value.

Your treatment of God's Word will determine whether God becomes your opponent or ally. When we attack the validity of God's Word, we make God our opponent. When God speaks to us through the preaching of His Word and we don't respond to what He says, then we make God our opponent. When God speaks to our heart through the voice of the Holy Spirit of God and we quench that voice, we then make God our opponent. It is very important that we don't treat God's Word in an adverse manner if we want God to be on our side.

Christian, don't be guilty of making God your opponent by not making His Word important to you. Don't set God's Word aside because you don't like what It says. Don't be guilty of giving the world's education a greater value than you do God's Word. When the world's philosophies and ideas differ from God's Word, always stand on the side of God's Word.

Every preacher needs to be careful about attacking the Word of God. Preacher, if you don't want God to be against your ministry, then don't ever stand against His Word. Don't ever defend those who attack the inspiration and inerrancy of God's Word. They may be a friend, but your friend cannot defend you when God is your opponent. I have watched many good men of God stand on the wrong side of God's Word only to see God make their ministry of no importance. Whatever you do as a preacher, always stand on the side of defending God's Word. This will guarantee that God will be your ally in the ministry.

Finally, any nation that wants God's blessings upon it needs to stand in defense of His Word. The nation that kicks the Word of God out of their school rooms, court houses, government buildings and society is a nation that will find God fighting against it. Every political leader needs to do what they can to keep God's Word in society.

Your treatment of God's Word will determine whether He becomes your opponent or ally. If you want God to fight for you, then you need to fight for His Word. Life is hard enough without making God your opponent. Make big of God's Word and God will be on your side.

Makings of a Godly Child

Judges 13:8

"Then Manoah intreated the LORD, and said, O my Lord, let the man of God which thou didst send come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born."

There is a lot that goes into rearing a godly child. Most Christian parents want their children to turn out to serve God. However, what it takes to rear a godly child is often made too complex for parents to follow. The parents of Samson seemed to have the desire of rearing a godly child. Manoah, Samson's father, asked God to "...teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born." He was like most parents who desire to rear their children for God, but he didn't know how to do it. I find in this story what it takes to rear a godly child.

First, it takes spiritual parents. Manoah and his wife knew how to walk with God. It wasn't just one parent who served God, but it was both parents serving God together. You will rarely rear godly children when both parents are not spiritual. Far too often you have one parent who is serious about serving the LORD, and the other parent fights against it. This only creates confusion in the child. It is necessary for both parents to be spiritual if you want your children to be godly. Both parents need to have a daily walk with God. Both parents need to have a desire to serve God. When both parents are on the same page spiritually, then you have a better chance of rearing godly children.

Second, it takes teachable parents. You will notice that Manoah asked God how to rear the child. First, they had the right mindset of wanting to rear the child how God wanted that child to be reared. They realized that the child was not theirs, but God's. As a parent you should want to rear your child how God wants you to rear them. Secondly, you must have a heart that is willing to learn how to rear godly children. Let me ask you, have you ever read any good books on child rearing? No parent has all the answers, but there are some good books written by Christian authors who have reared godly children. You ought to read their books to learn how to be a better parent for your child. Probably the best book I have read on child rearing is Parenting Skills written by Dr. Bob Gray Sr. I think it is important that you read books that are written from authors who are independent, fundamental Baptists.

Third, it takes yielded parents. Manoah and his wife were yielded to God's plan. Likewise, you must be yielded to God's will and lifestyle for your child if you want them to be godly. If you fight God's will for their life, then you will push your child towards the world. If you follow the world's lifestyle in dress and philosophy, then you will not turn out godly children. Parents who are yielded to what God wants for their child and will live according to His lifestyle have a better chance of turning out godly children.

Fourth, it takes yielded children. Please don't miss this! Samson had godly parents who did right, but he wasn't yielded to God's plan. Parents, you can do everything right, but it ultimately comes down to your child having a yielded heart. You can't force this upon them for this is something they must do themselves. Yes, rearing godly children rests a lot upon the parents, but one of the important keys for your child to be godly is for them to have a yielded heart. Every parent should earnestly pray that their child's heart will stay tender towards God. However, every child should not fight their parents and God by thinking they know better, but they should yield their heart and life to do whatever God wants them to do.