When it Rained on Inauguration Day

Today, like many Americans, I watched as our nation acknowledged the inauguration of the 45th President of the United States of America. I felt fortunate to have this monumental day off work as I sat soaking in the gravity of the event. Thinking back on the moment I recall experiencing a grab bag of emotions including uncertainty, fear, awe, humility and hope.

I was uncertain because of how controversial this election has been and fearful that our democratic tradition of a peaceful transition of power would be interrupted. Indeed, protests and riots were a part of the inaugural day activities for some, however, hours later I am convinced that our beloved tradition carries on despite the best efforts of an angry minority. Praise be to God for His protection over all who could have easily been in harm's way today.

My sense of awe was inspired by the pomp and circumstance of the day's events. In my opinion, American culture has far strayed from the custom of demonstrating an attitude of respect and reverence in our day to day lives. While observing the self-control, restraint, and dignity demonstrated by the future first family I could not help but be impressed with how gracefully and ceremoniously they took on their new roles.

During the ceremony, I sat on my bed humbly pleading for God's protection over all Americans but especially over President Donald Trump and his family. I felt for his youngest son who at 10 years old will be forced to share his father's attention with the world. I pray that he does not grow up with resentment in his heart as a result.

Despite the potential for danger, I felt God's presence and peace during the ceremony. I noticed as the rain began during President Trump's speech and wondered if anyone else noted the significance. Without disappointment, Franklin Graham made headlines when he took the time to acknowledge the rain as a sign of God's blessing before commencing to read scripture.

For me, today was not about being affiliated with a political party, it was about being an American. Today, I have a spirit of peace and of pride when I think of the country I belong to, not because of who our President is but because our President knows who our God is. Hearing the name of Jesus Christ spoken over the National Mall gave me hope that Washing D.C. will remember that faith in God, above all, is what will make America great again.

"Little" Sins

Over the years I have learned that all truth comes from God, even if it's not from an overtly Christian perspective. I have found this to be so true having worked in the field of addiction and learning about 12 Step Recovery programs. Just about everything that is taught in the 12 Steps about how to get sober can be related back to the Christian faith. We teach individuals about the importance of accepting our helpless condition (lost and sinful beings), surrendering our lives to a "Higher Power" (God), and learning to rebuild our lives in the pursuit of letting go of self and pursuing the will of something greater than ourselves. 

One lie that Satan tries to convince us of is that some sins are worse than others. It becomes easy to judge, rationalize, and dismiss our sin when we take our eyes off of Christ and begin comparing ourselves with others but Romans 6:26 says, "For the wages of sin is death..." Tonight I had to remind myself that my "little" sins will lead to death just as easily as someone else's "big" sin. 

When Christians mature in the faith many times we make radical changes that are obvious to others on the outside but over time it is not uncommon to compromise on our values and allow the world's ways to creep into our lives. Please be aware of how Satan uses those seemingly insignificant things (such as TV, music, movies, books, social media, etc.) as a way to get you to lower your standards and become accepting of or dismissive to things that are unholy and competing for God's position as first in your life. 

Relating this back to addiction, the next time you question why someone cannot simply stop using drugs or drinking alcohol ask yourself why you choose to continue watching that television show that you know you shouldn't watch (sin of idolatry) or why you keep eating those sweets when the doctor told you to start watching your weight (sin of gluttony). Those things are killing you just like the drugs and alcohol are killing them. 

In order to overcome the sin in our lives we have to recognize and confess our sinful condition, surrender to Him, and dedicate our lives to being holy and pursuing Christ. The second half of Romans 6:23 says "...but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." As a result of choosing obedience to God and forsaking the things of this world we get to experience the gift of everlasting life.

We do not have time to waste while we are here on this earth. Time is fleeting and there is much to be done. One day we will let our guard down and rest, but until then we must remain vigilant and alert to Satan's schemes. Keep your eyes on the cross, my brothers and sisters, and I will try to do the same!

They Hated Jesus Too

Hello Brothers and Sisters! I wanted to take some time to share with you some things that I have learned during my study time as well as provide some encouragement for the sometimes very difficult life of a believer. As Christians we are called to love while also speaking truth into a world that operates very heavily on lies. This can lead to confusion, frustration, and discouragement for those who are trying to live a life pleasing to God while balancing relationships with loved ones and peers who may not have accepted Christ's gift of salvation.   

Where I work I come into contact with people who drink and use drugs in an effort to escape from their problems and find some semblance of peace or joy that they cannot seem to find otherwise. Though I cannot come out and say that Jesus is the solution to their problems, I can begin sharing truth with them and through this process many of them come to know Christ on their own. While I hope this is encouraging to hear, this is not the encouraging part of my blog. 

I am sure we have all heard the saying, "The truth hurts" and this is a very true statement. The unfortunate thing about human nature is that when we get hurt, especially if we do not have an intimate relationship with Christ (and sometimes even if we do), we hurt others. So in essence, when we speak truth to others it often hurts and then they try to hurt us back. Clearly this is still not the encouraging part. 

The encouraging part is written in Luke Chapter 4 verses 22-30: 

22 All who were there, watching and listening, were surprised at how well he spoke. But they also said, "Isn't this Joseph's son, the one we've known since he was a youngster?"
23 He answered, "I suppose you're going to quote the proverb, 'Doctor, go heal yourself. Do here in your hometown what we heard you did in Capernaum.'
24 Well, let me tell you something: No prophet is ever welcomed in his hometown...
28 That set everyone in the meeting place seething with anger.
29 They threw him out, banishing him from the village, then took him to a mountain cliff at the edge of the village to throw him to his doom,
30 but he gave them the slip and was on his way.

In this passage Jesus was in His hometown of Nazareth and He was speaking truth and fulfilling prophecies in the synagogue. At first everyone was in awe of how well He was speaking but they still paid no attention to the true meaning of His words. It was then that Jesus began confronting them with the truth about their attitudes, beliefs and behaviors. Immediately their mood towards Him shifted from awe to anger and hatred. They wanted to literally kill Jesus for pointing out that they were wrong. 

Let me explain why this can be encouraging to believers. Jesus shows us the importance of speaking and living the truth regardless of how angry it makes others. Though Jesus left Nazareth with an angry mob, who knows how many people reflected on Jesus' words after the heat of the moment and began living changed lives? 

I cannot tell you how many addicts I have worked with that sang my praises one minute and then cursed me down the hallway the next after being confronted about a behavior or attitude that would lead them back to drug or alcohol use. Human nature and the Devil work hand in hand to keep us stuck in states of denial and wrong thinking when it comes to our sin. We are thus lulled into a dream land full of lies and false reality until someone jolts us awake with words of truth and reminders of our true reality. 

With a similar reaction to pouring cold water on someone passed out on a couch many people jump up kicking and screaming when confronted with the truth. However, if the house was on fire the person would most likely come around eventually and thank you for saving their life. A moment of temporary discomfort is well worth an eternity of peace and communion with God.       

At this time that I would like to clarify that truth is to be shared at the appropriate time and with the appropriate motivations. Just as it is not nice to pour cold water on a sleeping person for no reason, speaking truth in order to hurt or bring shame or guilt onto someone is an inappropriate use of God's Word. We are to remember that Christ came to save and forgive us of our sins, not to load us down with shame or mock our inability to maintain perfect righteousness. In remembering to speak the truth in love ask yourself what shows more love: to allow someone to live a comfortable life temporarily or to share with someone how to live in paradise for eternity?

I pray that as you go about your day-to-day lives that you are encouraged even if someone reacts harshly to the truth. Remember, it is not you that they are truly reacting to. It is the Holy Spirit that convicts them of their sin and it will be their choice to repent and accept Christ or turn away and deny Him. At that point you have done your job and just like Jesus all you have left to do is calmly move on to your next mission field. 

   

The Importance of a Warm Welcome

I had the opportunity to travel to Washington State for the first time last week. Let me begin by saying that I think that it is one of the single most beautiful places I have ever been to. From the snow-capped mountains to the breathtaking coastline, this destination does not disappoint. After traveling around and enjoying the landscape for a couple of days, my brother (who lives there) and I decided to visit a local church. I researched local churches of my own denomination and tried to find a great local church that my brother could enjoy on a long-term basis and that I could learn something from to apply to ministry later.

Early Sunday morning, we decided on a church and attended their second service. Upon pulling into the parking lot, I was impressed by the size of the building and parking lot. I thought to myself "well for a church to get this large in an un-churched area like Seattle, Washington, they must be doing something right!" I noted online that their first service began at 9:30 and their second began at 11:05. Wanting to be early, we walked into the building right at 10:45.

Here's where things began to go South, and I want you to follow me here, especially if you are a pastor:

1. At the door, there was a gentleman handing out bulletins. He did not speak to us, he simply handed us a bulletin. Feeling a little awkward about the situation, I spoke to him after we were already past him. "Good morning! How are you?" He stiffly said "Hi" and looked away. Not a good start.

2. When we passed Mr. Personality at the door, there were tons of people standing in the lobby. The doors were closed to the sanctuary as, apparently, the first service had run over. After my brother and I stood there awkwardly a few moments, no one came over. No one even made eye contact. My feelings were that it was "cold." The people seemed to be disconnected. It must be sort of like what homeless people feel like when we walk right past them and ignore them. I won't lie, I felt bad. For one thing, as a visitor, to be ignored like this in church just makes you feel absolutely worthless. For another, as a minister, it angers me...but I'll get into that part later.

3. After being utterly and completely underwhelmed by the people of this church in the lobby, I decided to take the liberty to find more information for myself. I thought to myself "I don't know where to go or what to do. I feel like a fish COMPLETELY out of water!"...which, incidentally, is out of character for me in a church since I have preached in more churches than I can even count at this point. I noticed a "Welcome Desk" over near the corner of the room and motioned for my brother to follow me. Upon coming to the desk, the 50 or 60-something lady sitting there was reading...something. When she didn't notice us after a moment or two, I finally said (politely, mind you) "Hi...good morning!" She looked up, seemingly annoyed that I would dare interrupt her reading session and said stiffly "yes?" (Wondering at this point if she and the bulletin guy aren't married?) I said "Well my brother and I are visiting this morning and we would just like to know what you like for your visitors to do?" To my absolute AMAZEMENT she responded "I'm not following..." In disbelief, I said "Well...for instance, I noticed online that your second service begins at 11:05 and it is about 10:55 now...what time do you begin allowing people into the sanctuary?" She looked up at me and (I swear to Buddha...not really, but seriously!) said "11:15." Now I have been a history teacher for several years and not a math person...but the last time I checked, 11:05 comes BEFORE 11:15...so I stood there kind of puzzled for a second. She began speaking VERY slowly as if I were stupid and said "BETWEEN. 11:05. AND. 11:15." At this point I was beginning to lose my temper...so I said "Oh I see now...I assumed since it said online that services BEGIN at 11:05 that you would let people in before then but evidently you start at a later time. Thank you for all of your help!" As we walked away, my brother looked at me and said "My goodness she was dumb, wasn't she???" I don't know if that was the correct descriptor, but the words "polite" or "helpful" definitely didn't work either.

4. Shortly before 11:05 (which, evidently has no significance what-so-ever now), a very nice man came over and introduced himself as the Associate Pastor. He asked me if we were visiting and I said yes. He asked if anyone had spoken to us and I said no. He apologized and made brief small-talk with us and then went into the sanctuary. I have no gripes about him. He was cool.

5. Not a single member spoke to us before the service. No one. It's like we weren't even there. We sat near the back of the sanctuary/worship center. No interaction at all with anyone.

6. The worship service was wonderful. The music was great. The music selection was great. The musicians were great.

7. The pastor's sermon was wonderful. It was biblically and Christ-centered. If it were not for this or the music any chance of my brother going back may have been squashed. Fortunately, he enjoyed those two elements enough to give it another try after I came back to Georgia.

8. There seemed to be very little fellowship between the members themselves. As an outsider looking in, I could pick out the cliques. I could practically map them in the sanctuary. There was no sense of community at all. It occurred to me: how could this church love visitors when they don't even seem to love one another?

9. As we left, again, no interaction came from the congregation. I made sure to speak to the Associate Pastor again and thank him for his kindness. When he asked where we were from and I told him Georgia, he called over a very nice couple that are also from Georgia. They, too, were very kind and I considered it a blessing from God that my brother now knew a family in the church that he could associate with and be friends.

10. We left. My brother was pleased and I was happy that he was...but I was also supremely disappointed on many levels.

So what did I learn from the First Church of Awkward Unfriendliness?

1. TRAIN your ushers and choose them wisely: Ushers should do MORE than simply hand you your bulletin. At the VERY least they need to know how to welcome people. Ushers should be well-trained in several things:
     a. Greeting people warmly and with a smile
     b. Finding out if a person needs information and getting it to them
     c. Helping a person find a seat they are comfortable with
     d. Taking up the offering (if your greeters are the same as your ushers)
    Churches need to make sure that they choose friendly people to be greeters/ushers. My experience with Mr. Personality at the front door of the church is a primary example as to why this is important. Perhaps church leaders could have training sessions with ushers and role play. Show them WHAT exactly you want them to say. Let them come to the door and YOU take the role of the usher. Ask them if they are new. Introduce them to people. Lead them to a GOOD seat. Make them feel like VIPs. Either way...a few days of training sprinkled in could do wonders.

2. Talk with people who regularly hangout in the lobby before church about the importance of speaking to guests and getting them to where they need to be so that they do not feel awkward. Perhaps you could actually appoint a few people to actually LOOK for guests and what to do when they see them.
    Also, consider mentioning giving guests a "warm welcome" from the pulpit occasionally. Have your Sunday School teachers and small group leaders mention it and have some discussion over it. In some churches being friendly and giving a warm welcome is as natural as breathing air...but for some churches (obviously!), this is something that must be taught and instilled into the people. I mentioned before that I felt bad about being ignored as a visitors...but I felt mad as a visiting minister. I was mad because this is likely how every visitor to this church before me has felt. It is only by the grace of God that they feel compelled to come back and stay. Church: we can't be like that. These people should be treated as GUESTS, not just visitors. You claim to have Christ in you...show them that you are different! Maybe they'll want to get to know Him too!

3. If you have a welcome table, make sure the person is friendly, smiling and knows what to do. They should be trained in exactly what to say and how to make people feel welcome. See #1.

4. Cliques should not be so easily noticeable by a visitor like me. Church: If we are the Body of Christ, how in the world are we supposed to function if we are in pieces? Pastors, if you have a "cliquey" church, consider having Sunday School teachers and small group teachers mention the importance of community and intermingling withing the congregation. You could also take some more drastic measures and have your small groups and Sunday School classes mixed up once and a while in order to get people more familiar with each other. One idea I thought might be neat is a "fruit basket turnover" Sunday morning when you ask the congregation to find a person they wouldn't normally sit with and introduce yourself and sit with them. That one might not go over well with some congregations, but with others, they might actually find it fun.
   I once heard Andy Stanley make a really dumb comment about people who prefer small churches. He said "You are so stinking selfish. You care nothing about the next generation. All you care about is you and your five friends. You don’t care about your kids or anybody else’s kids." I have a few friends who attend really large churches (and a few who would like to pastor one) who tend to agree with that sentiment. Although Andy retracted those comments and apologized, I still find something interesting: many small churches seem to have what attendees refer to as a "family atmosphere." While every size church has its own problems, a warm family environment should be the norm at church no matter the size. It shouldn't be distant and disconnected like what I experienced at this church. A big church has many resources at its disposal but unless it works at it, a warm family environment isn't going to always "just happen." While a small church has a natural tendency to create relationships, a big church has to, in a sense "manufacture" them. Don't think of that word "manufacture" as a negative term...I simply mean that you must help relationships develop just like you help disciples develop. Part of the disciple-making process is about creating relationships. You have to teach people how to really care about others and how to show them the love of Christ. In a big church you often times have people in the same worship center who would not normally befriend one another. Normal barriers in life should not be present in God's house...race, socioeconomic status or what have you. Relationships should be developed across those lines in churches and the leadership should encourage that and make it a priority. It is more difficult to do this in a larger church but certainly not impossible. First Baptist Church of Atlanta is MASSIVE...but I felt right at home there. People were kind and loving. IT IS POSSIBLE...and furthermore, it should be a priority.

5. What about meet-and-greet time? This one is tricky. This church didn't have one and honestly, given the demeanor of the people, it probably would have felt forced and even more awkward. See, visitors can detect a disingenuous greeting. Many non-church-goers already accuse church people of being fake and hypocritical. While we really are hypocrites on some levels, we can at LEAST try to go beyond being fake. I personally feel that there should be enough fellowship before and after the service that the pastor shouldn't have to ask everyone to greet one another during it. FBC Atlanta asked the people to shake four people's hands and tell them that Jesus loves them. That is a good one, I think. In a very practical sense, a long 15-20 minute session of hand shaking is negative (trust me...I've been there!). In the first place, it is taking away time from the service. People are looking at their watches wanting the pastor to wrap it up by 12 and he is struggle through his 3rd major point at 12:10. You have PLENTY of time to hug people and socialize before and after church. I feel like this time should be shrunk down to the time it takes for your pianist or musicians to play one verse of one song then everyone goes back to singing. At one church I pastored, I posted an article one time that said that a survey of first time visitors to a church said that the number one most uncomfortable thing for them that morning was meet and greet time. They said it "felt fake" and people were swarming them unnaturally. Well DUH! It IS unnatural! Boy when I posted that article on facebook for my church people and friends to just consider you would have thought I proposed taking the cross down from the wall! I think this is an easy one to change if people don't make idols out of tradition...and I'll just leave that right there because its a whole-nother subject for a whole-nother day!

Conclusion: Welcome people to your church. Pastors, prepare your people for visitors. You only get one chance at a first impression. Don't blow it by letting your people blow it!

Introducing The 5 P's - A Bible Study Tool That Has Changed My Life

A couple of weekends ago (has it been that long already?!) my sweet mother-in-law gave me a gift that cost her $10 + some gas money. Considering the lasting impact that gift has made on my life she got a deal because the true worth simply cannot be measured. I will forever be grateful that she followed God's prompting(s) to invite me to a Priscilla Shirer simulcast as well as to let me spend the night at her house the night before knowing how much I struggle with early mornings. Had that not been part of the package the trip probably would have been a no-go. Fortunately, God, in His infinite wisdom, made the stars align and we made it to the church on time that morning to enjoy what would be a life changing experience.  

I am not going to go into detail here about everything that God revealed to me that weekend because we would both be here a while. What I am going to share with you is a tool for studying the Bible that Priscilla shared with us. This tool has changed the way I read and study my Bible. It has freed me from being completely dependent on a written Bible study and has enabled me to read through God's Word for myself so that the Holy Spirit can speak to me where I am at in my own journey. I am not saying that Beth Moore Bible studies will become obsolete if you choose to use this method of study, however, they will become mere compliments to God's word instead of substitutes for it.

Instead of doing double work and paraphrasing what Priscilla has already written, I am going to simply insert an excerpt of her explaining it to you herself. This is from the leaders guide in her "Can We Talk?" study:

"AS YOU BEGIN YOUR TIME WITH THE LORD EACH DAY" 

1. Position yourself to hear from God. 
Encourage your group members to find a place where hearing God can be made more simple each day. Engaging in the spiritual disciplines of silence and solitude always assists in hearing God through the Scriptures. 

"AS YOU LOOK INTO THE PASSAGE YOU ARE STUDYING" 

2. Pore over the passage and Paraphrase the major points. 
Take time to fully engage in each verse you read. Don’t just skim over it; meditate on it. Then paraphrase what you’ve read from each verse either in your workbook or a separate journal. 

3. Pull out the spiritual principles. 
Close your Bible and look at the paraphrases you’ve written down. For each one, record the spiritual principle that it is designed to convey. Is there a command to follow? Is there a promise to heed? Is there an attribute of God revealed? 

4. Pose the question. 
For each of the spiritual principles you’ve pulled out, form a personally directed question. In your daily living, are you following the command, heeding the promise, depending on that attribute of God? As you ask yourself questions from the text, you will find a divine dialogue begin to develop as the Holy Spirit brings answers, conviction, and challenge. 

5. Plan obedience and Pin down a date. 
Consider what God would have you do as a result of the conversation you’ve had with Him and then plan to obey Him. If possible, pin down a date so that you can remain accountable.


I hope that you find this tool as helpful as I have in my own study. It has given me direction and structure as I read through full books of the Bible and begin pulling out meaning that I never saw through a simple reading of the passage. I am currently reading through the book of Haggai and hope to post what I've learned through this method when I complete the book. I would love to see what you guys are learning as well. Use the comments section and let me know how your Bible study has been changed using the 5 P's!

My Holy Land Experience

As I type I am sitting in the Lobby of the La Quinta Inn at the Orlando Airport with sore, red eyes. Just prior to perching here I spent about an hour sitting outside journaling, reading my Bible, and breaking intermittently to watch airplanes fly overhead. When Vic and I made the decision to visit the Holy Land Experience today I had no idea that it would take all afternoon and evening to process what happened while we were there.

I must admit that my first impression of the "Holy Land" was that it was a bit cheesy and over-the-top flashy. In one word, gaudy. We walked around and I couldn't help to be somewhat turned off by the "fake-ness" of everything. I knew going into the experience that it was not going to be just like being in the real Holy Land but I guess I was expecting something that felt a little more authentic. Probably one of the best features of the park itself were the bricks that have been hewn and brought in from Israel. However, despite how much I appreciated the bricks they only aided in exaggerating the contrast of genuine vs artificial in the world that surrounded me. I wanted it to feel more real. God must have been eavesdropping on my internal conversation with myself because before we left He gave me what I yearned for and more.  

Now would be a good time to make a confession about something. Prior to our trip to the Holy Land I had been very quiet in my personal prayer life with God. Sure, the purpose of our trip to Orlando was for me to participate in a class facilitated by a Christian University. We did a lot of praying and praising God during the week as a class but when I got back to the hotel I failed to interact with my Savior. When I think about it, I almost feel like I left God back in Georgia. In my heart I know He has been with us the whole time but practically I failed to make him a priority.

As we walked into the theater at the Church of All Nations where the Passion of Jesus production would take place I had no idea what to expect. We were seated by the cast member who would later portray Simon of Cyrene, the man who helped Jesus carry the cross to Golgotha. Les Cheveldayoff, the man who plays the role of Jesus, started the show off by singing "I Bowed on My Knees" by the Gaithers. Finally, something I could relate to. During his performance I couldn't help but think of how mightily God blessed Les. Not only does he look like Jesus but he could also be Guy Penrod's twin in appearance and vocal ability. Now that's favor.     

I don't want to give away the entire performance for those who hope to one day experience it for yourself, but I would like to share just one of the scenes that really moved me. It was just after Christ commended His soul to the Father when the Centurion admitted, "Surely this was the Son of God." This was a part of Christ's story that I had never given much attention to but I really appreciated how they played this part out. Seeing the Centurion truly repentant for what he did and how his heart changed when he realized Jesus forgive him while He still hung on the cross was overwhelming.
I bawled from that point on until we were halfway back to the hotel.

Though the Centurion triggered the tears, the scenes that came after that depicted Christ's resurrection and His reign in Heaven were even more moving. Again the costumes and props were over-the-top but so was Christ's love for us. With this in mind I was able to overlook the sparkle and just embrace the depiction of His reign in Heaven as He called out familiar names from The Book of Life. One by one Mary of Bethany, Simon the Cyrene, the Centurion and many others were brought up and given crowns which they in turn humbly laid at Jesus' feet in worship. I found myself wanting one just so I could lay it at His feet too. Indeed, what a glorious day that will be.

At the very end Les lead us in a time of worship where the audience was invited to come up front and kneel at the steps of the stage as an alter. Despite being in an unfamiliar place surrounded by strangers I felt so comfortable and safe. At that time I literally found myself thinking, "I'm surrounded by a bunch of strangers, completely vulnerable, and I don't even care because Jesus loves me." I drenched the floor in my tears and snot and praised God for His goodness and faithfulness in my life. I thanked Him for many things including beauty, peace, joy, family, and love.

People began filing out of the auditorium while Vic and I just sat in the seats and watched Les wrap his arms around visitors and pray with them. I wanted so bad to hug him but I didn't for fear that I would collapse in tears on the floor. He did such an incredible job depicting Jesus and demonstrating His love and concern for others. That was genuine. As we left the theater we were checked on by multiple cast members and asked if we needed prayer. All I could get out was, "It was beautiful."

The glitter and gold could have turned to dust and copper and I wouldn't have noticed as long as those smiling faces remained. The love of the people make the Holy Land Experience. Not the bricks from Israel, not the scenery, and definitely not the glitz and the glamor.

The presence of Jesus in believers is what makes this world bearable and dare I say beautiful. I am so grateful that we chose to spend our rainy day at the Holy Land instead of at Disney World. I've had enough of this world, what I really needed was more of Jesus.

What's Your Price?

Matthew Chapter Four begins with the telling of how Satan, the tempter, attempted to woo Jesus into turning His back on God. Satan spun many tales of how he would make sure that Jesus’ basic needs were met, that people would recognize Him as the Son of God, and that He would be granted the world and its riches if only Jesus would bow down and worship him (Matthew 4:9). Fortunately for us, Jesus could not be fooled into trading His relationship with the true, authentic God for a counterfeit. Jesus’ affection could not be bought with worldly things. Besides, Satan failed to offer Jesus anything that he didn’t already have.

Salvation may be free but it is not cheap. The Devil takes advantage of this fact and attempts to market his counterfeit items to those who are weak and vulnerable. Let’s browse Satan’s store of lies and see what he claims to offer, but be sure to read the "fine print":

• Acceptance by all (Voided when speaking out in favor of Biblical truths.)
• Popularity (Must be willing to compromise values and morals that might offend.)
• Wealth (Only of the material kind that is unfulfilling and fleeting.)       
• Safety (Safety features only available with purchase of gang membership.)
• Family (If you don’t like them you can always divorce or abandon them.)
• Success (Only available to the wealthy, attractive, and/or manipulative.)
• Freedom (Subject to limitations.)

In some ways the battle for the soul is similar to competition for customers in a free market economy. Unlike God, however, Satan is not above false advertising or poor service and he has a no-return policy.  When you buy into what Satan has to offer you are going to find yourself feeling disappointed at the end product. Much like “As Seen On TV” items clutter the home, Satan clutters your mind and life with ideas and objects that seem to be pretty nifty at first but further inspection reveals them to be of poor quality and unable to live up to expectations.

Like I stated before, salvation is free but it is not cheap. Jesus did what only He could do when He willingly paid the price for our sins as He died on the cross. In return for this act of pure love and selflessness God asks that we follow His commandments and love no other God before Him (Exodus 20:3). If we have bought into anything that Satan has offered us then we have made the decision to turn our backs on our Father in Heaven and settle for the Devil’s cheap knock offs.

Matthew 7:21 says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” (NIV) This verse should serve as a wake up call to believers. If you have accepted Jesus as your savior you have been renewed and you are to live a life in accordance with God’s will and his commandments. If you still think, act, and live the same way that you did before you declared Jesus Christ as your savior then you must question if you have truly surrendered your life to Him.

Revelation 3:15-17 says, “15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.” (NIV)

Being faithful and uncompromising when it comes to abiding by God’s Word is detrimental to maintaining a strong relationship with God. The climate of our culture today is making it more and more difficult to straddle the fence. No longer can Christians dwell in our bubbles and cling to neutrality. Every day we hear of new laws being proposed and passed that creep and infringe on our ability to be law abiding citizens while still holding fast to our convictions.

The era of civil disobedience is very likely at our doorstep. My question is are you going to let Satan buy you out? Are you going to let him sell you his temporary and limited version of freedom that only allows you to stay out of jail as long as you turn your back to the God who grants you true and eternal freedom? Are you going to let him convince you that vain and shallow popularity is more important than speaking the truth in love? Are you going to continue pursuing material wealth at the expense of your Christian values?

I despise persecution but I cannot help but notice that Christians in other countries that experience great consequences and difficulties because of their beliefs are stronger and more bold in their faith. Christians in America balk at the thought of hurting someone’s feelings when speaking out against sin while our brothers and sisters in other countries are facing imprisonment, starvation, and even death as a result of their belief in Christ Jesus.

It is time to stop compromising. It is time to stand out. It is time to take inventory of what God has promised to His believers in the scriptures and it is time to remember what He has already fulfilled through His Son. Pray up, read the Bible, allow the Holy Spirit to empower you, and when Satan asks you your price remind him that Jesus has already paid it.