Baptist City Blog

An Explanation Please

Micah 6:3

"O my people, what have I done unto thee? and wherein have I wearied thee? testify against me."

When you read the verse above, you can see that God simply wanted an explanation from His people for why they left Him for other gods. In fact, when you read the previous verse you will see that God had a controversy with the people. The word "controversy" means a debate or dispute over something that happened. In other words, God asked the people to give Him a chance to explain His position. It is apparent that God could not figure out why the people were upset with Him. The people should have given God the dignity He deserved by giving Him an opportunity to explain His side of the story.

It is sad that many times God is never given a chance to explain His position to us. Too often people get angry at God over something that someone else has done. Just because a preacher has done something to you does not mean that God had any part of it. Just because a fellow Christian has hurt you does not mean that you should hold it against God. Christian, if you are not careful, you will hold something against God for which He had no part. You should always give God the benefit of the doubt and allow Him to explain Himself. You may wonder how does God explain Himself? God explains Himself through time. Like a preacher once told me, "Time always tells." If you will be patient with God, you will see that God will explain Himself by how He deals with your situation.

I remember years ago a preacher who had deeply wronged me. This man made it his agenda to try and destroy my ministry. At first I did not understand what God was doing. Because it was early on in my evangelistic ministry, it would have been easy to quit evangelism and move on to something where I could make better money. Yet, because that preacher told me that time always tells, I waited on God and He explained Himself to me by revealing to everyone the faults of the offending preacher. In time, God vindicated Himself to me by blessing my ministry through that situation. If I would not have given God the chance to explain Himself, I could have easily stayed bitter towards God for many years to come.

Let me take this thought one other direction. When you feel someone has wronged you, you should be sure to give them a chance to explain themselves. Many friendships are destroyed because one person held something against a friend that they never did. If they had given that person a chance to explain themselves, that friendship could have been salvaged. Yet, because the one who was hurt never gave them a chance to explain themselves, they allowed false information to cause them to hurt, hinder and destroy a good friendship.

Be careful that you always give people an opportunity to explain themselves. Matthew 18:15 commands, "Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother." Always remember that when you don't give your brother a chance to explain himself, then you are not only opening yourself up to bitterness, but you are also disobeying God. Be a good Christian and learn to always give others a chance to explain themselves.

What's Your Excuse

2 Chronicles 34:1

"Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem one and thirty years."

One of the things you get used to hearing in the ministry are the excuses of why people can't serve the LORD. You would think of all that the LORD has done for people that they would lay their excuses aside; however, churches are filled with people who think their excuse is unique. They don't realize that the excuse they give has been used before, and it is full of holes.

Josiah had plenty of excuses he could have used not to serve the LORD. His father and grandfather were very wicked men who gave him no example of how to serve the LORD. He was young when the pressures of the kingdom came upon him, and yet he served the LORD. He was reared in a single parent home from eight years of age and on. The environment around him was one of wickedness and idolatry. Yet, Josiah threw every excuse aside so that he could do right and serve the LORD.

Let me ask you, what is your excuse as to why you won't sell yourself out to serve the LORD? Is it that you're parents are not good people? If that is your excuse, then Josiah showed it can be done. Every young person can turn out right in spite of their home environment. Your parents may be as wicked as the Devil himself, but you still have a choice to serve the LORD. If you are reading this devotional, then that means you have had some opportunity to hear what is right from someone; therefore, to use your parents as your excuse not to do right is a lame excuse.

Is your excuse that you are too young to serve the LORD? I get so tired of this excuse, especially when it comes from parents talking about their children. If a child is old enough to get saved, then they are old enough to serve the LORD. Josiah was eight years old when he had to make the choice to serve the LORD. God uses children in His work just as much as He uses adults. Parents, don't hold your children back from serving the LORD because you think they are too young. Be sure that you give your children plenty of opportunities to serve the LORD.

Is your excuse that you are a teenager? If this is your excuse then you must realize that Josiah served the LORD as a teenager also. Certainly, if anyone had an opportunity to do wrong it was Josiah. He was king of Judah. He had the power to do whatever he wanted to do and nobody could do anything about it. Yet, he still did right and served the LORD. You can use your teenage years as an excuse of why you don't serve the LORD, or you can decide as a teenager to do right and serve the LORD.

Age, environment and circumstances are never good reasons for you not to serve the LORD. You can find people of all ages, in every environment and circumstance serving the LORD. It all comes down to this, your heart. The excuse you use not to serve the LORD is simply a camouflage of a backslidden heart. Josiah had a heart for God and that is why he served Him. Likewise, you must decide with your heart that you are going to serve the LORD. Throw out all of your excuses and decide right now that you will serve the LORD in spite of your age, environment or circumstance.

Helping the Ungodly

2 Chronicles 19:2

"And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the LORD? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the LORD."

One of the great weaknesses of Jehoshaphat was that he never learned to stop helping the wicked. Over and over again he yoked up with the wicked to help them in their ungodly ways. It is sad to see a man with so much potential ruin it by helping the ungodly. In the verse above, Jehu the seer went to King Jehoshaphat and told him that God was angry with him because he helped the ungodly. Jehoshaphat could have experience the blessings of God in a greater way if he would have learned not to help the ungodly.

I find that many Christians make the same mistake that Jehoshaphat made. There are many Christians whose actions help the ungodly. Christian, we don't need you to help the ungodly. Fighting the world's system is hard enough without God's people helping the world move their agenda forward. You may wonder how we can help the ungodly. Let me show you several ways in which God's people help the ungodly.

First, don't help the ungodly with what you look at and watch. Every time you watch an ungodly movie you are helping the ungodly with their agenda. Though this devotional is not about whether the television is right or wrong, it is about you watching things on that television that you should not be watching. Don't help the ungodly by looking at websites that promote people dressed indecently. Don't look at magazines that are published by wicked people whose whole purpose is to defile your mind. They know what they are doing with these magazines. They know they are creating an addiction that will cause you to come back and purchase more, thus furthering their agenda.

Second, don't help the ungodly by where you go. Christian, don't be guilty of going to places that help the ungodly with their wicked agenda. You're not to go to the bars and dance halls where wickedness abounds. You have no business going to these places for you represent Christ. Are there places that you go that Christ would not enter? If there is, then you're helping the ungodly by attending these ungodly places.

Third, don't help the ungodly by the things you say. Don't be guilty of allowing curse words to come from your mouth. Don't be guilty of saying jokes that are off-color or are downright dirty. Don't be guilty of talking like the world. What you say should push Christ's agenda and not the worlds. Be careful that you don't help the ungodly with the things that you say.

Last, don't help the ungodly by backsliding. There are too many Christians who are helping the ungodly with their backsliding ways. These Christians are ones who do right for awhile, and then backslide. This has become their pattern. Don't let your pattern be one of backsliding. Always remember that when you backslide, you're helping the ungodly.

Christian, if you're going to be guilty of helping anyone, then be guilty of helping Christ's agenda. Be sure that everything you say, watch and do are things that will help further the cause of Christ. It is only the cause of Christ that will bring the greatest blessings in your life. It is only the cause of Christ that will bring your nation back to what it ought to be. Don't be like Jehoshaphat who was part of the problem, but we like the Prophet Jehu who was part of the solution. Ask God every day to help you be the Christian who helps Him further His cause.

Confidence, a Necessary Component to Success

2 Chronicles 9:1

"And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to prove Solomon with hard questions at Jerusalem, with a very great company, and camels that bare spices, and gold in abundance, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart."

A very important part of Solomon's success was the level of his confidence. One thing that you will notice about Solomon was that he did not lack confidence. After taking over the throne of David, you immediately see that Solomon was very confident with every decision he made. When the Queen of Sheba heard of Solomon's fame, she came to question him to find out if everything she heard was true. To her amazement, she found a very confident individual to the degree that she said, "...the one half of the greatness of thy wisdom was not told me:..." When you look at Solomon's life, you find there were four things that gave him confidence. These four things that gave Solomon confidence are necessary components to your level of confidence. Because these are necessary components to confidence, then they are necessary components to success, because you will never experience great success without confidence.

The first thing you'll notice about Solomon was that he had finished projects to which he could point. It is very important for your confidence that you finish what you start. Every time you quit a project that you start, you lower your level of confidence. You need to succeed at something to have confidence. When you can have something to which you can point that you built or completed, that helps build confidence in your life. One of the greatest reasons many people have no confidence is because they have never finished or built anything. Building and finishing projects will build your confidence level.

The second thing you'll notice about Solomon was that he knew what he believed. When the Queen of Sheba asked him questions, he had the answers. Don't go through life not knowing what you believe. You need to know what you believe about the Bible. You need to know what you believe about the doctrines of the Word of God. You need to know what you believe about politics. You need to know what you believe concerning finances. These are just to name a few subjects, but you need to know what you believe in every area of life. If you don't know the answer in some area, then get the answer by taking the time to learn about that area. Don't let your lack of knowledge be a crutch that you lean on as an excuse not to have an answer.

The third thing you'll notice about Solomon was that he was organized. Organization brings confidence. When someone lacks organization, then their lack of organization brings a lack of confidence. You must make sure your life is organized, because organization brings a calmness, and calmness is an element of confidence. If any part of your life is disorganized, then take the time to organize it so your confidence level can be boosted.

The final thing you'll notice about Solomon was that he had a good attitude. He and his people were happy. Why were they happy? They were happy because they had done right, and doing right gave them confidence. Your attitude plays a big part in your confidence level. If you have a negative attitude, then you will have a hard time having the confidence that you need your life.

Confidence is an important part of anyone's life. Don't go through life with a lack of confidence, but take these four components of Solomon's life and put them into your life. These four components will help you to raise your confidence level.

Companions and Friends

1 Chronicles 27:33

"And Ahithophel was the king's counsellor: and Hushai the Archite was the king's companion:"

Two men are mentioned in this verse who both had the same job. The first man's name was Ahithophel. You will find that Ahithophel was the king's counselor, but was not his friend. In fact, you will find that he turned on David when Absalom rebelled against his father. Though he was a good counselor, his loyalty to David was suspect at best. However, there was another man in this verse whose name was Hushai. The Scriptures call Hushai the king's companion. He was a man who worked right alongside Ahithophel, but he was more than a counselor, he was a friend. In fact, 2 Samuel 15:37 shows Hushai was David's friend. This man was loyal to David to the point that he risked his own life for his friend. This was true loyalty and friendship. There are a couple of things about these men that I believe we can look at that will help us with our companions and friends.

First, whoever knows you best has the wherewithal to hurt you the most. Ahithophel knew David so well that when Absalom rebelled against his father he was able to give counsel to hurt the king. The Scriptures teach that Ahithophel's counsel was as if it came straight from the mouth of God. The reason is because he was so close to David that when he rebelled, he was able to expose his weaknesses. This is why you must be careful with whom you associate and with whom you decide to share your heart. Samson opened his heart to Delilah, and she destroyed him. Too often young people will open their heart to people who have no business knowing the intimacies of their heart. Parents need to teach their children that nobody outside of their family deserves the right to know the intimacies of their heart. Likewise, adults need to be careful to whom they open their heart. Just because they call themselves your friend does not mean you should tell them everything inside your heart. You must realize that to whomever you open your heart, they have the power to hurt you the most. Always be careful to whom you give your heart. Be stingy with opening your heart to just anyone who calls you their friend.

Second, let loyalty be the determining factor with whom you allow to be your close friend. Hushai was more than just a companion, he was a friend. He proved his friendship when David fled from Absalom. I believe at that point his companionship turned to friendship. You will have many companions in life, but you will have very few friends. Friends are discovered in tough times. Friends are discovered when others leave you and you find they are still standing with you. Friends are discovered when you are going thru the toughest time of your life, and only they are there for you to help you through that time. It is easy for people to want to be around you when everything is going well, but when you're facing the roughest time of your life and they are still with you, then they are your friend. When someone is willing to hurt their own name and being for the sake of standing with you, then they are your friend. These are the ones whom you should allow to be the closest to you. These are the ones to whom you can open your heart in times of need. No, they probably should not know the intimacies of your family, but they are the ones whom you can trust to help you through difficult times.

Always be careful about allowing companions to become your friend. Don't let people decide that they are your friend, but you choose who you want to be your friends. Just because they call you their friend does not mean that you must call them your friend. Friendship is a privilege that must be earned. Don't just give the title of friend to anyone, but only give that title to those who stand with you through thick and thin. Friendship is never discovered in a few months, but it is discovered over years of both good and bad times.

How to Follow Properly

1 Chronicles 21:3

"And Joab answered, The LORD make his people an hundred times so many more as they be: but, my lord the king, are they not all my lord's servants? why then doth my lord require this thing? why will he be a cause of trespass to Israel?"

The story about Joab following David is maybe one of the greatest stories that shows a follower how to properly follow their leader. David asked Joab to number the children of Israel; however, Joab knew that it was not right for David to do this because God commanded that they should never be numbered. Yet, when Joab was done questioning David, he laid aside his feelings and obeyed his authority. These actions of Joab were the proper way to follow authority.

It is important that you understand your role in following authority. God judges you by how you follow and not by how your leader leads. Your responsibility as a follower is not to judge how the leader leads, but your responsibility is to follow what he tells you to do. Though God may judge the leader for leading in the wrong way, God judges you by how you follow.

There is nothing wrong with a follower giving his opinion. However, when you give your opinion be sure that you give it with the right attitude. Giving your opinion with the wrong attitude is wrong. When you approach leadership with the wrong attitude, then you have already defeated the purpose of giving your opinion. Don't demand when you give an opinion. When you disagree with your leader, voice your disagreement, but do it with the right attitude. Tell them your concerns of why you disagree. Tell the authority the reason you disagree. There must be something that you base your disagreement upon. Voicing a disagreement based solely upon opinion will be discerned by most wise leaders. When you give your disagreement, lay out your case as to why you believe you're right. If you give your disagreement with the right attitude, then most likely your authority will listen to it.

Once leadership makes the decision of what they are going to do, then it is your responsibility to follow. When leadership makes the decision to do something that you disagree with, lay your feelings aside and follow. Not only should you obey what they tell you to do, but be sure to obey with the right attitude. If you can't follow what leadership tells you to do, then you need to quietly leave. Don't sow discord against your leader. This is wrong! Your responsibility as a follower is to follow the decisions that leaders make even when those decisions go against what you want to do and what you believe is the right way to do it.

When leadership ask you to do wrong, then you must do right. Always obey the highest authority. When I say they ask you to do something wrong, I am saying that they are asking you to do something that is in direct contradiction to the Word of God. They have not asked you to do something that is against your desires, but they have asked you to do something that God tells you not to do. When this happens, it is then your responsibility to obey the Word of God. Always remember that God's Word is the highest authority and must always be obeyed.

Understanding your role of following is important to the furtherance of the cause for which you are involved. If you are following in the home, then following in the right way will make your home stronger. If you're following in the church, then you will make your church stronger by properly following your pastor. If it is in the workplace, then following properly will help your place of employment to become a better place to work. Whatever you do, be sure that you follow properly so that God can bless you for doing right.

Benefits of Knowing God

Daniel 11:32

"And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits."

When you say you know someone, you are inferring that you have developed a relationship with them. It is more than just a casual acquaintance that we are talking about, but we are talking about knowing someone because you have spent time with them. By knowing them, you are familiar with their likes and dislikes, you are familiar with their character, you understand and comprehend what they are saying and doing because you have spent personal time with them.

I would say that I know my wife and daughter. I know them because I spend time with them. Other than God, I would think that I understand them the best because I live with them. So, when I say I know my wife and daughter, I am saying I have developed such a relationship with them that I understand their likes and dislikes, their character, and understand what they are about.

In the verse above God says, "...but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits." Knowing God will only be accomplished by spending time with Him. If someone were to ask me what I feel is one of the greatest things that we lack in Christianity it is that people don't really know God. If they knew God, they would know what He likes and dislikes. If they knew God, they would be familiar with His character in that He is One Who will always be there for them to do what He says He will do. If they knew God, they would understand and comprehend what He says in His Word. If they knew God, they would understand His doings much more. The sad part is that most Christians just don't know God.

The reason many Christians don't know God is because they don't spend time with Him. Most Christians go throughout their day and never spend time reading His Word. You will never know God if you don't read His Word on a daily basis. Likewise, you can't know God if you don't spend time talking with Him. If the only time you talk to God is to ask Him to bless your food before you eat, then your knowledge of God is very shallow. Furthermore, if you know God you will meditate on Him on a regular basis. I contend that most Christians don't really know God, and that is why there are not many great works being accomplished. When a person knows God, there are two results, or benefits, to knowing Him.

First, they will be strong. The word "strong" is talking about being courageous. When a Christian truly knows God, they will be courageous for Him. They will be courageous because they know that He will be there for them to Help them do His work. When you know God, you will be amazed how stepping out by faith will not seem to be that hard. When people say they know God, but have a hard time stepping out by faith, then that tells me that their knowledge of God is very shallow. When you know God, your courage will be increased.

Second, they will do "exploits." This is talking about doing heroic acts. An exploit is David killing Goliath. An exploit is Gideon defeating the Midianite army. These men did these heroic acts because they knew God. When you know God, you will find that heroic acts will follow. Why do we not see many heroic acts in Christianity today? The reason is because there are so few Christians who really know God.

I ask you, do you really know God? If you do, then you will find that courage and heroic acts will be a part of your life. If you lack courage to do things for God, then I would encourage you to get to know God. A knowledge of God will build your courage, which will result in heroic acts.

The Importance of Practice

Daniel 8:12

"And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered."

One of the things I enjoyed when I was in high school was playing sports. When I played sports, one of the most important principles that I learned was the role practice played in the performance on the field or court. We were often told that our practice will determine how we perform. Practice is no doubt one of those things in life that the majority of people despise, but it is certainly the key that divides those who prosper and those who don't.

The verse above is part of the prophecy that God gave Daniel concerning the future. In this prophecy God made a statement about one of the characters in the prophecy when He said, "...and it practised, and prospered." God said later on in verse 24, "...and shall prosper, and practise,..."You will notice that practice came first, then prosperity happened, and then it practiced again.

This is the key to every area of performance. It really doesn't matter how well you perform, but how well you practice. Practice is the key to establishing patterns. Practice is the key to correcting mistakes. Practice is the key that establishes good habits and corrects bad habits. You will temporarily succeed without practice, but practice is the key to perpetual success. Let me point out from this passage of Scripture a couple of thoughts about practice.

First, practice should always come before prosperity. In other words, nobody should ever be allowed to enjoy the benefits of success without practice. Just because someone has talent does not mean they deserve to be on the field. It is not the performance in front of everyone that is important, but it is the performance when there are no crowds to cheer you that is important. Too many people love the accolades, but they don't want to put the effort into what it takes to get those accolades. Nobody deserves a position without practice.

Second, practice displays character. I think of a basketball star who once made a mockery of practice. He skipped practice which resulted in his coach putting him on the bench for one game. This man was one of the superstars in the league, however, this basketball star was broke at the end of his career. You may wonder what practice had to do with his finances, and I will tell you that his practice habits displayed his character. A persons poor character habits concerning practice will bleed over into their finances. A person with poor character will not think that practice is important. Always remember that character is more important than talent, therefore, practice habits reveal character level.

Finally, success does not remove the importance of practice. If practice led you to success, then practice after success will keep you successful. Herein is where many people fail. They succeed, then they stop doing what made them successful. If you want continued success, then you must continue to practice in private as if you have not yet experienced success.

Christian, your private life is important. Your private life reveals your character. What you practice in your private life will eventually be revealed in your public life. Don't ever take the practice time of life lightly, but always put as much effort into the practice time as you do in your time of performance. You may not have the talent that others have, but you can outwork them in the practice time, which will lead to greater performance when others are watching.