Notes of Faith September 18, 2023

Notes of Faith September 18, 2023

How Does Your Garden Grow

You crown the year with a bountiful harvest; even the hard pathways overflow with abundance. — Psalm 65:11 NLT

Tabitha Brown is one of my favorite influencers. She’s a comedian, an actress, and the patron saint of vegan living. I am not a vegan, and I think that’s true of many of the millions of people who follow her on social media. We just can’t get enough of Tabitha’s oh-so-infectious energy. She always brings inspiration no matter what she’s communicating. At the same time, she has been open about the pain in her own life. It’s the authenticity for me. The bright colors she wears, her Southern charm, and her unapologetic love for Jesus make her downright irresistible. An encounter with Tabitha’s content feels like an encounter with pure joy. So when she launched her children’s show, Tab Time, I watched that too (despite my age falling well outside the target demographic). The first episode became an instant favorite for me because Tab (and her buddy Avi the Avocado) taught us about how things grow.1

The episode begins in Ms. Tab’s real-life garden. Then she and Avi whisk us off to a brightly animated fruit orchard where we meet an orange-tree seed named Marmalade. Marmalade tells us that all she needs to start growing is good ground and some water. Ms. Tab tucks Marmalade into the soil and waters her well. Then we all pretend our arms are the arms of a clock; together, we speed up time by making big arm circles. A few seconds later Marmalade reappears, but now she is no longer a seed but a full-grown orange tree bearing her first fruit. Less than seven minutes into the episode, the preschool children for whom the show was created have already learned all they need to know to understand how gardens grow.

The garden within may be a completely different way of thinking about how we were created and what it means to flourish, but when it comes to what you need to know to live this powerful life, you probably learned it in kindergarten or — at the latest — by the end of a middle school science class.

The Creator made things very simple for us. No wonder Scripture encourages us to come to Jesus with the heart of a child (Mark 10:15). Things are so much easier when we do.

And when it comes to letting the Creator change what we believe about how we feel, the timing couldn’t be better.

Your emotional well-being influences every other dimension of your life, including your spirit.

It’s Okay Not to Be Okay

When we catch a glimpse of Tabitha’s real-life garden, it is too lush for words! It’s full of bright colors and fruits and vegetables; this garden is useful. I don’t know Tabitha personally, but I wouldn’t be surprised if her garden looks exactly the way she wants her life to feel — a reflection of her goals for her garden within.

If you could design a garden that looked the way you want your life to feel, what would it look like? What would be growing there? Now ask yourself,

How is my inner garden looking?

Don’t feel bad if the soil needs attention. Don’t be surprised or upset if you notice that some areas are bare, some are growing well, and others are dying. You’re not alone. In fact, a lot of people are not okay right now.

As I write these words, multiple global crises are affecting us all. It started in 2020 and it hasn’t slowed down. I’m not just talking about the coronavirus. I’m talking about the mental health pandemic that it triggered. Covid-19 claimed a staggering number of lives in a very short period of time, leaving a trail of emotional devastation in its wake. With every death, an average of five loved ones are left grieving long-term.2 That means that as of late 2022, more than thirty-three million people were grappling with the trauma attached to grieving someone who died not only unexpectedly but unimaginably, from a disease that seemed to come out of nowhere.3

There were other life-altering losses to grieve as well. So many of us missed attending not only funerals but weddings, baby showers, graduations, and milestone birthdays and anniversaries. These are the ceremonial moments that chart the timeline of our lives, shared memories that entwine us in relationship and in community.

On top of that, the way we understood and organized our lives fundamentally changed. People lost jobs. People lost homes. People lost businesses and dreams. People lost sobriety. People lost their sense of safety, and whether they have admitted it or not, some people lost their faith.

All that to say, a lot of people are not okay right now, and that likely includes you or someone you love very much. During 2020, global cases of major depressive disorder increased by 27.6 percent. That’s an estimated 53.2 million more people than the year prior. Anxiety disorders increased by 25 percent. There was more anxiety to start with, so that increase amounted to around 76.2 million more people.4 Of course, that’s just counting the people we know about. So many others haven’t sought help, so we don’t have reliable confirmation. But like diabetes or heart disease, the diagnosis doesn’t create reality; it just points it out. Maybe you haven’t been formally diagnosed with depression, anxiety, or another mental health problem, but that doesn’t mean what you are struggling with isn’t real.

For the first time during my career, a significant number of mental health professionals have waiting lists. We can barely keep up with the demand. And from college kids to clergy, Christians are by no means exempt. At Christian colleges and universities, the number of students contacting campus counseling centers for issues like stress, depression, addictions, and suicidal thoughts also rose sharply.5 The pastors striving to lead these young people as part of their congregations found themselves struggling too. In an October 2021 Barna study, pastors were asked to rate their well-being across six dimensions. Nearly a quarter of pastors surveyed identified as unhealthy overall, with emotional well-being the dimension most often rated as below average or poor.6

Hear ye, hear ye! Knowing Jesus guarantees your salvation; it does not guarantee your emotional health.

Reflecting on the lack of emotional awareness in the body of Christ, author Peter Scazzero writes this in his incredibly important book Emotionally Healthy Spirituality:

Christian spirituality, without an integration of emotional health, can be deadly — to yourself, your relationship with God, and the people around you... Sad to say, that is the fruit of much of our discipleship in our churches.7

He goes on to say that “a failure to appreciate the biblical place of feelings within our larger Christian lives has done extensive damage, keeping free people in Christ in slavery.”8 As a therapist and as a minister, I see this over and over and over. Christians haven’t had a scriptural model for understanding the critical role of the heart, so our response efforts have been unbalanced. But now you know that

your emotional well-being influences every other dimension of your life, including your spirit.

Remember, the words of the Kingdom are constantly being sown in the ground of your heart, so nourishing the fertility of that sacred seedbed is Kingdom work. Living a powerful life requires you to embrace how your spirit, mind, and behavior work together seamlessly. That means approaching your own heart as a garden rather than a war zone where you’re constantly battling your emotions. Eden is our model for flourishing. The seeds of the garden of Eden were sown on good ground. That ground is our hearts.

Your heart is the soil of your life.

Tab Time, season 1, episode 1, “How Things Grow,” produced by Tabitha Brown, published December 1, 2021, YouTube video, 22:34, https://youtu.be /zUTZEk32tc8.

Erika Krull, “Grief by the Numbers: Facts and Statistics,” The Recovery Village Drug and Alcohol Rehab, May 26, 2022, https://www.therecoveryvillage.com /mental-health/grief/grief-statistics/.

“WHO COVID-19 Dashboard,” World Health Organization, accessed April 19, 2023, https://covid19.who.int.

Damian F. Santomauro et al., “Global Prevalence and Burden of Depressive and Anxiety Disorders in 204 Countries and Territories in 2020 Due to the COVID- 19 Pandemic,” The Lancet 398, no. 10312 (November 2021): 1700–12, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140–6736(21)02143–7.

Helen Huiskes, “It Takes a Campus: Pandemic Expands Mental Health Resources at Christian Colleges,” Christianity Today, December 17, 2021, https:// www.christianitytoday.com/news/2021/december/christian-college-mental -health-counseling-pandemic-demand.html.

“38% of U.S. Pastors Have Thought About Quitting Full-Time Ministry in the Past Year,” Barna, November 16, 2021, https://www.barna.com/research/pastors -well-being/.

Peter Scazzero, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality: It’s Impossible to Be Spiritually Mature, While Remaining Emotionally Immature (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2017), 9, 44.

Scazzero, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, 44.

Excerpted from The Garden Within by Dr. Anita Phillips, copyright Dr. Anita L. Phillips.

One day at a time…God grows us to be more like Christ…a promise to those who believe in Him! Be good soil. Take in spiritual nourishment. Feed on truth. God will bring growth and maturity. Be blessed in the garden of God!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith September 17, 2023

Notes of Faith September 17, 2023

First Fall Breeze

Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord. — Acts 3:19

You think it will never happen as you perspire your way through the dog days of summer. When the fans run full blast and there isn’t enough sweet tea in the world to quench your thirst. The pavement is hot, the air is thick, and the mosquitoes outnumber the people. You begin operating in survival mode, believing that, maybe, this will actually be the year when it doesn’t show up.

Then, one morning, you step outside onto your front porch, and you feel it. There’s something different in the air — a coolness that tells you fall has finally arrived. There’s a crispness to the wind that invigorates you as the burden- some heat of summer fades away. Your heart is lightened, and your spirit is revived. There isn’t anything quite as refreshing as that first fall breeze that announces the arrival of a new season.

Our lives go through seasons, just like the calendar. There are periods when we feel weary from the weight of our sins. The guilt and shame we carry are as oppressive as the heat of a Southern July day. There seems to be no end in sight, and we find ourselves just trying to survive. That is not the life our heavenly Father desires for His children. Thankfully, just as we turn a calendar page, we can turn from the heaviness of our former ways.

Just like that first fall breeze, repentance will bring a refreshing new season into our lives. When we turn from our sins and turn toward Jesus, forgiveness blows over us like a crisp autumn wind, and new energy is instilled in us. The sky is a little brighter, the colors are a little bolder, and our steps are a little lighter as the burden is lifted.

Walking in freedom with Jesus is as stimulating as that first fall breeze. Everything that once weighed us down just falls away, and a fresh beginning is ours for the taking. Everything is brimming with possibility, and the opportunities are endless.

Let’s repent, be refreshed, and embrace a new season with Christ.

Excerpted from Devotions for the Fall by Stacy Edwards, copyright Thomas Nelson.

In Southern California where I currently live, there are not large or sometimes even noticeable swings in temperatures. Yes, summer can bring what some call hot temperatures, but the swing in temperatures is less great than other parts of our country and world. But when I visit family in Kentucky there is a difference between summer and fall, and fall to winter. I had not experienced living in those temperature changes until three years ago. Being outside in the crisp fall air, the changing leaves, is truly something to behold. In tying summer to seasons of sin and fall bringing repentance and a new start is also a blessing to behold. God is a God of forgiveness and healing. When we pursue His heart and desire His will, our lives change, for His glory and our blessing. Let’s make sure we are in the season of His love and follow Jesus every day!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith September 16, 2023

Notes of Faith September 16, 2023

The Holy Who?

One day while studying for a message, I read the words Jesus used to describe the Holy Spirit: comforter and friend. I recall having this wonderful realization: “I know that Person.”

That was three decades ago. I no longer think of the Holy Spirit as the Holy Who. I now call Him our Heaven-Sent Helper. He is the ally of the saint. He is our champion, our advocate, our guide. He comforts and directs us. He indwells, transforms, sustains, and will someday deliver us into our heavenly Home.

He is the executor of God’s will on earth today, here to infuse us with strength. Supernatural strength. Was this not the promise of Jesus? He would not let His followers begin their ministries unless they knew the Holy Spirit.

Don’t begin telling others yet — stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fills you with power from Heaven. — Luke 24:49 TLB

By this point the disciples had spent three years in training. They had sat with Him around campfires, walked with Him through cities, witnessed Him banish disease and command demons. They knew His favorite food, jokes, and hangouts. But they were not ready. They’d seen the empty tomb, touched His resurrected body, and spent forty days listening to the resurrected Christ teach about the Kingdom. But they needed more.

You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. — Acts 1:8 NKJV

Mark it down.

The Holy Spirit comes with power.

Power to make good choices, keep promises, and silence the inner voices of fear and failure. Power to get out of bed, get on with life, get busy about the right things in the right way. Power to face the unexpected, unwanted passages of time. Power. This is what Jesus promised then, and this is what Jesus promises still.

How is your power level?

Perhaps you have all the power you need. Life is a downhill stroll through a pleasant meadow. You never lack energy, enthusiasm, or strength. Your step has a spring to it; your voice has a song to it. You are ever the joyful, empowered person. If that describes you, can I recommend a book on honesty?

The Holy Spirit comes with power.

If that doesn’t describe you, consider the possibility of a life-giving relationship with the Holy Spirit.

No more walking this path alone. No more carrying weight you were not intended to bear. It’s time for you to enjoy the presence of the Holy Spirit and experience the vigorous life He offers.

Your Bible makes more than a hundred references to the Holy Spirit. Jesus says more about the Spirit than He does about the Church, marriage, finances, and the future. Why the emphasis on Him? God does not want a bunch of stressed-out, worn-out, done-in, and washed-up children representing Him in the world. He wants us to be fresher day by day, hour by hour.

But let’s be careful. The topic of the Holy Spirit seems to bring out the extremists among us. On one hand there are the show-offs. These are the people who make us feel unspiritual by appearing super-spiritual. They are buddy-buddy with the Spirit, wear a backstage pass, and want everyone to see their healing gifts, hear their mystical tongue. They make a ministry out of making others feel less than godly. They like to show off.

On the opposite extreme is the Spirit Patrol. They clamp down on anything that seems out of line or out of control. They are self-deputized hall monitors of the supernatural. If an event can’t be explained, they dismiss it.

Somewhere in between is the healthy saint. He has a childlike heart. She has a high regard for Scripture. He is open to fresh strength. She is discerning and careful. Both he and she seek to follow the Spirit. They clutch with both hands this final promise of Jesus:

You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.

— Acts 1:8 NKJV

Is it your desire to know the Holy Spirit better and to nurture your relationship with Him? Then you and I are on the same page.

Let’s begin the journey…

Excerpted from Help Is Here by Max Lucado, copyright Max Lucado.

We can do nothing spiritually without the power from the Holy Spirit living within us. Do everything to yield to His authority in your life, being obedient to the will of the Father, giving thanks that you belong to Him through faith in Jesus His Son. The Holy Spirit is our resource for every heavenly thought, act of righteousness, and in His power we live to the glory of God!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith September 15, 2023

Notes of Faith September 15, 2023

It’s Just Me and Jesus

In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. — Paul the Apostle, Romans 8:37

If you don’t necessarily feel like a conquering warrior today, it’s okay! You know what I discovered?

When we are around people who feel like conquerors, it strengthens our faith because faith is contagious. So grab a comfy seat, and let’s remind ourselves of what we are called to.

Some people are called into politics. Some people are called into the home. Others are called into ministry or medicine. Me? I’m called to bring freedom. Plain and simple, I was made to set the captives free through the transforming Word of God. This isn’t a glorious calling or job that promises a lucrative future. Whether working in an anti–human trafficking organization, ministering in prisons, or preaching the gospel in churches, my calling is clear: bring freedom in Jesus’ name.

But the results sometimes make me question my calling. When no one responds to a gospel message, am I doing what I’m supposed to do? When I pray for someone and their situation remains the same, did I really hear God’s voice lead me on this path? When I preach a studied and passionate word but no one seems to receive it, did I make a mistake choosing this calling?

As children of the Most High King, our identity is clear. But sometimes our callings aren’t. Your mission might feel cloudy. Maybe your life has shifted. Maybe you are finding new passion for your calling.

No matter what confusion or lack of clarity you may be facing, don’t stop forging ahead.

Put one foot in front of the other, and repeat this daily.

There will be opposition. In this life, there will be moments when you want to quit, cower, and call it a day. You aren’t alone. When Paul knew the Romans were dealing with similar issues, he encouraged them in the same way I’m encouraging you. Whether the opposition is physical, spiritual, financial, emotional, or relational,

We are more than conquerors.

But note this:

a conqueror will never win if a conqueror never fights.

We have to be willing to get back up and fight our next fight, to wage war on the lies of the Enemy, and to step into our callings like we are stepping foot into our promised land.

No matter what confusion or lack of clarity you may be facing, don’t stop forging ahead.

More Than Conquerors

Now, if you are familiar with the Bible, you might know Romans is a no-nonsense book in which Paul lays out theology and Christology with such urgency you’d think he was late for a date. It’s deep. It’s profound. It’s applicable. And sometimes it’s hard to understand. But sandwiched in the middle of the letter is a lovely, straightforward section that reminds us of our identity as followers of Jesus.

In Romans 8, Paul told us that there is no condemnation in Christ Jesus (v. 1). We have been set free from the law. Hallelujah! Our minds have peace because of the Spirit of God. We are no longer slaves and serfs, but we are children and coheirs of the Most High God. Our present sufferings are nothing in comparison to the future that awaits us. And we know that all things work together for good for those who love Him (v. 28).

Paul — like a lawyer — laid out an airtight case to make sure we know that there is nothing that can come against us. Look at the progression Paul made in

Romans 8:

In verse 31, we see that opposition cannot separate us from God.

In verse 33, we see that accusations (from someone who comes against us) cannot separate us from God.

In verse 34, we see that condemnation (the belief that God is against us) cannot separate us from God.

In verse 35, we see that no one can cause separation.

Now that we have that context, consider verse 37 again: “In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” This verse really sounds good in an Instagram post, crocheted on a pillow, or painted on a mug. But let’s not miss out on the true power in what Paul was teaching.

Paul was writing to the Roman church, which was not only facing persecution and prosecution but was also oppressed in every way. In chapter 8, Paul reminded them — and us — of the power we possess as the people of God. We will need to be resilient; we will need grit; we will need to cultivate perseverance for this life. But we aren’t doing this in our own strength. The power of the Spirit of God will give us what we need.

Romans 8:37 isn’t a statement of probability or possibility. It’s a statement of reality. How do I know this? Because in my own struggle to push past nerves, negative self-talk, and insecurity, the power of the Spirit of God has allowed me to pour myself out like a drink offering. Even in the midst of my inadequacies and insecurities, the gospel has gone ahead of me. I’ve repeatedly quoted the words of Paul in my mind: I am more than a conqueror. I am more than a conqueror. I am more than a conqueror.

Sometimes when I’m preaching this powerful truth at a conference or in a church, I feel a wave of insecurity wash over me. Out of nowhere, the nerves are back and I’m feeling dizzy. The dewy glow on my face is definitely now just sweat. I’m not preaching for the room — I’m preaching for myself.

The literal translation of Paul’s phrase “more than conquerors” is “to go beyond a concise victory.” The Greek word for this expression is hypernikaō (pronounced hoop-er-nik-AH-o).1 By using the prefix hyper-, Paul was basically saying, “I’m trying to say victory, but victory isn’t big enough, so what I really mean is that the love of God gives us glorious hypervictory.”

There wasn’t one Greek word to describe this power and victorious mindset, so Paul took two words and brought them together to attempt to describe “more than a conqueror.” God’s love and grace has empowered us to be hyperconquerors.

Excerpted from Grit Don’t Quit by Bianca Juárez Olthoff, copyright Bianca Juárez Olthoff.

How did David win a battle with the giant, Goliath? Faith in his skill or faith in the Most High God to deliver not only himself but the people of Israel. Our faith to conquer all of life’s battles is to trust in the Most High God.

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith September 14, 2023

Notes of Faith September 14, 2023

Protect Your Peace, Then Live in It

Guard your heart above all else, for it is the source of life. — Proverbs 4:23 CSB

Anthony

The other night I was performing at an event in South Florida, and nothing was going right. Ideally I would have had plenty of rest and water, warmed up my voice, and done a sound check a few hours before the event. But life throws curveballs. Instead, flights were delayed. My driver got lost without cell reception. Logistics were crazier and more difficult due to the pandemic. Nothing was ideal.

I’ve been performing and doing ministry long enough that I have learned how to autocorrect on the fly. But I do know that if I don’t guard my peace, those problems will get in my head, destroy my focus, and wreck the night. I don’t have to hit a home run every time I’m up to bat. That’s not realistic. I only have to get up each day and know that I’m doing the very best I can with what is right in front of me.

Though I’ve learned to find that balance in my career, I am constantly and consistently trying to apply that same balance to my emotional, spiritual, and mental life as well.

Stacy

Anthony is in a unique situation in that even if he’s having a bad day, he has to get on a platform and be upbeat and inspirational. How do you get yourself back on track if you become sidetracked, especially when you feel that you have lost your peace?

Anthony

It depends on what I am facing. Usually, it starts with getting quiet and still. It’s what I need to begin figuring out exactly what might be causing the problem.

I remember when I was a kid having trouble breathing because of my asthma. Dr. Denny would put a stethoscope on my chest and say,

“Be quiet and take a deep breath, Anthony.”

That was what he needed to be able to hear my heart and lungs and to start getting to the root of the issue.

In the same way, I need to be quiet and take deep breaths to hear what is going on in my heart and to hear the Lord’s voice. Whether that’s sitting and doing nothing until my mind stops racing, going on a walk, or keeping a scripture in mind, I have to take the first step of being quiet and still. From there I can discern the source of the problem and figure out the steps that will bring me back to that center of peace.

I think I’ve also become more vulnerable as time has passed. If I am really struggling, I might confess that to family, friends, and sometimes even the audience I’m singing to. I’ve seen moments when God used that to cause a breakthrough in worship. A certain peace and comfort comes from sharing what you are going through with others instead of holding it in.

The Lord has blessed me with many things for which I’m so very grateful, but what I treasure most is the gift of peace.

Peace is priceless.

It simply cannot be purchased. But obtaining it does require work. What I had to learn the hard way is that no car, house, check, roaring applause, new outfit, or amount of Instagram likes is going to give me a true and sustained peace in my heart and mind.

The pathway to true peace opens up when you realize that it is not predicated on what is happening externally. Peace comes when you trust the anchor of your faith, even in the storm. Yes, storms can create fear, questions, and uncertainty, but when you completely and totally trust your anchor, a peace settles deep inside you.

Discovering, experiencing, and protecting our peace is one of the major steps toward internal health. Stacy taught me that peace has to be fought for and helped me develop a plan that works for me.

Peace is priceless.

Stacy

One of my key therapeutic rules is that we are all responsible for protecting our peace. That’s not a passive process. Toxic people, guilt, unrealistic expectations, overthinking, overdosing on technology — we need to be aware of what’s happening in and around us and protect ourselves, because all these things can steal away our peace. Of course, there are also times when our emotions can sneak up on us. Like weeds taking over a yard, stressful and unwanted situations can creep in until they take over every aspect of our lives.

Some people go to church and assume they will automatically find peace because of their participation in that process. But unless you are carrying peace on the inside, even the good things happening externally may not be able to reach you.

Anthony

I did that for years. Obviously, I’m a church kid, and I was there all the time. But on the inside I was still a wreck. It didn’t matter how good the worship service was or if the preacher delivered the sermon of the year. On top of that, trying to pretend like you’re fine when your heart is troubled only makes the pain worse. It’s like having a sprained ankle and trying to walk without a limp.

Now don’t get me wrong; church is very important and something we shouldn’t ignore. But you would be surprised how many people sitting in church pews are just as broken and confused and anxious and depressed as those who don’t even attend. Peace is not automatically downloaded into your soul just because you walk through the church door and sing a verse and chorus of “See a Victory.” Many a Sunday, I would sit in church and be miserable, even though I was singing and praying and doing all the things I thought would bring peace. Then I was right back in the mud of guilt and shame. What’s wrong with me? Why can’t I pray through it? Why can’t I get it to work for me?

Internal peace was not my first focus. I was looking to external experiences rather than my own heart, soul, and mind. Jesus told us that the kingdom of God is not something that can be easily observed. It’s not in a song or sermon or even a book.

The Kingdom of God is inside you (Luke 17:20–21).

In Psalm 119, King David talked about hiding God’s Word in his heart (Psalm 119:11). I believe that the Spirit of God gives you peace, and that starts on the inside. External things cannot do that.

The hard truth is that the accumulation of material things can make the lack of peace worse. I remember going on a trip, thinking that distance from my circumstances would fix things. As I sat on the beach and cried, I realized that you cannot run from yourself. The issue was inside me. In that moment I realized that until I did the work, I was going to continue to feel anxious no matter where I was or what new thing I acquired.

Stacy

Notice that many people say, “Rest in peace,” and yet we rarely hear people say, “Live in peace.”

Anthony

The only way to rest is to live in peace. We can rest in peace on this side of Heaven too.

Stacy

With a foundation of peace, you are going to be happier, more productive, and have a better life overall. This is possible even in unpeaceful times. The pandemic, civil unrest, and other external stressors that are out of our control all make it difficult to maintain peace within ourselves. This is why it becomes critically important to manage our regular, daily sense of inner peace as we monitor our emotional health and sense of harmony.

Excerpted from When Faith Meets Therapy by Anthony Evans and Stacy Kaiser, , MA LMFT, copyright Anthony Evans and Stacy Kaiser.

Prov 3:5-6

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart

And do not lean on your own understanding.

6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He will make your paths straight.

John 14:27

Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

Rom 5:1

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

We need to live daily in THIS peace.

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith September 13, 2023 Part 2

Notes of Faith September 13, Part 2

This is from Lamb and Lion Ministries which I am a connected reader/listener.

Are Christians the troublers of society?

Tim Moore: That’s the question that has echoed down through the ages, all the way back to when the prophet Elijah showed up at Mt. Carmel and King Ahab bitterly asked him, “Is this you, you troubler of Israel?” (1 Kings 18:17). Well, we’ve come full circle, as many in our society would label Christians as the new troublers of our society. Christians are being accused of holding back the “progress” Progressives believe they are making.

Nathan Jones: All throughout the history of the Church, somewhere Christians have lived under persecution. Even the New World was founded by Christian Separatists and Puritans who needed to escape religious persecution. Americans have been so blessed since the 1600s to live in a country that historically has stood on Judeo-Christian values. Therefore, Christians in this country have felt safe. But, no longer. Many Christians in the West are not feeling particularly safe anymore. Today’s society is instead defined by people calling good evil and evil good, as Isaiah 5:20 warns.

Tim Moore: Even non-Christians have understood that for many years the Christian foundations of America have provided liberty to all. Jewish commentators such as Dennis Prager have spoken about how Christianity has been a very positive influence on society, providing both moral and legal foundations that guide how we interact as a civilization. Prager also warns that as our Judeo-Christian foundations are broken down, the result will be our society pitching over into chaos. Our society is indeed breaking down, and not just in the “crazy corners” of America, but in places that are quite surprising.

Nathan Jones: Yes, for example, earlier this year, a school district by a vote of their board disassociated itself from a Christian university. The article from the New York Post reads, “Cat-ears-clad school board member says the district should not hire teachers from Christian university.” The article by Hannah Grossman of Fox News reveals that the Washington Elementary School District in Phoenix, Arizona had held a five-year contract with Arizona Christian University for student-teacher placement. One of their three LGBTQ+ board members, Tamillia Valenzuela, blasted the university over its Christian beliefs and said she was disheartened by their relationship with this Christian school.

Valenzuela, who claims she is “a bilingual, disabled, neurodivergent, Queer Black Latina who loves a good hot wing,” went on to claim that people should be able to have religious freedom and practice whatever faith they have. (Yeah, right, I don’t believe her.) She went on to express her concerns regarding the Christian university and suggested it was a good time for the board to take a moment to see “where our values lie.” So here’s where our society’s values lie, according to her, despite a teacher shortage across the nation, our society’s values should not reflect Arizona Christian Universities’ “commitment to Jesus Christ, accomplishing His will and advancing on Earth as is in Heaven.” So she has a problem with Christianity having an influence in society. She goes on to reveal her bias that Christianity is hostile to LGBTQ+ people and Judeo-Christian values are hostile towards her and the other two gay board members. She supplants what the Bible would deem pagan values over biblical morality.

Tim Moore: Christianity being kicked out of school boards is not just happening in Phoenix, Arizona, but everywhere. I read in the L.A. Times about a Los Angeles community that became outraged that a church that had for years been meeting in a school facility on the weekend. The church had been renting space from the school on the weekends when there were no students or teachers present to hold their worship services. The church had invited a speaker, a lady who had self-identified as gay but had come out of that lifestyle, to testify how she felt that she had been deceived into the gay lifestyle. She recognized that to gain a right relationship with God she had to put aside the false ideology of her LGBTQ+ identity and embrace Jesus Christ. Her testimony, of course, outraged some among the leftists in Los Angeles, and they told the school they couldn’t possibly allow this church to continue meeting on school property. Although, there is clear court precedent that if the school is going to allow anybody to meet, it cannot exclude churches and religious organizations. Despite churches meeting at schools being quite legal, the school will simply disallow anyone to meet out of fear of LGBTQ+ activists and the Gospel being preached on their campus.

This slide of our schools away from appreciating and adhering to our Judeo-Christian heritage goes all the way back to a Supreme Court case that pulled the Ten Commandments out of our schools. Back in 1980, the United States Supreme Court decision in Stone v. Graham struck down a Kentucky law requiring that a copy of the Ten Commandments be posted in every public school classroom. It was like the Supreme Court was saying, “We’re afraid that if the Ten Commandments were to be posted children might read them and adhere to the Ten Commandments, and we just can’t have that.”

Nathan Jones: What kind of craziness denies churches from meeting in schools after hours, but allows satanic groups access? Reminds me of how before the Grammys this year, the network CBS tweeted “Let’s worship!” knowing a satanic drag song was going to be performed.

And then the deputy police commissioner in Queensland, Australia linked the belief in Premillennialism with terrorism, calling it an “extremist ideology.” This stemmed from a police raid that resulted in a big shootout where two cops died, along with the whole family that was being raided. Deputy Commissioner Tracy Linford blamed the death of the police on a Christian fundamentalist belief in Premillennialism. In one fail swoop, those Christians who find hope in the promise of Jesus Christ’s soon return were lumped in with cop killers. Such an ignorant statement shows she has no idea what Premillennialism believes. We believe that Jesus Christ will return to set up His kingdom on this earth for a thousand years ushering in an age of peace, righteousness, and justice. There’s no violence in this belief whatsoever! And, the police ignored the fact that the shooter was off-balance and had a violent past.

Christianity is often tied to right-wing extremism these days. Australia banned private gun ownership, so they see anything involving gun violence must be connected to Christianity. What did we see in Australia during the Pandemic? Australian society didn’t have guns to defend itself from its own government overreach.

Source of the Hatred

Nathan Jones: A lot of this disdain for Christianity and Christians really goes back to what the Bible says in John 3:19, “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” We’re back to where man calls evil good and good evil. We’ve found ourselves in the downward phase in a society where what is good is considered evil, and therefore, Christianity must be considered evil.

Tim Moore: We certainly are there. Our public officials are turning against Christianity, and it’s happening all over the world. The entire world has become increasingly hostile to Judeo-Christian values.

This reminds me of what Jesus said in John 15:18, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.” The world loves their sin and so doesn’t want to hear the Gospel. Satan is raging right now because he knows that his time is short.

Let’s face it, if we think things are bad now, can you imagine what the world is going to be like when the restraining influence of the Church is removed by the Rapture? Imagine all of these corrupt officials and these pagan ideology advocates have free reign of the world.

Nathan Jones: It’ll be like back to the early days of the Roman Empire after the Church had been formed. The new Christians were blamed for everything. Nero blamed the Christians for the burning of Rome. Christians were sacrificed to lions and thrown into gladiator combat. Christians were blamed for the ills of society. They were cut out of commerce and business, which is what we’re just beginning to see in our society today. So, the hatred of Christ and Christians is nothing new. The pagans hate the Lord and so they are going to hate His representatives as well.

Living in a Hostile Society

Tim Moore: How do we as Christians thrive and survive in a world that is hostile to our faith? Well, first of all, we keep our focus on Jesus Christ. Trust that Jesus has overcome the world. Knowing this, we do not let our hearts be troubled. Rather, we speak out, acting as salt and light in an increasingly dark place. Until the Rapture occurs, this is our responsibility. We’re not to cower and hide, rather we’re bold about our faith and are ready to give a defense to anyone who asks why we believe what we do. Our faith is not based on opinion, rather it’s based on the Word of God, and that has power.

While we are being faithful in sharing the Good News, we know that life is going to get more difficult until the moment of the Rapture. But then, heaven help those who have not placed their faith in Jesus Christ and so will live into the time of the Tribulation. They will witness the world becoming exceedingly hostile to anybody who would seek to place their faith in Christ.

So, do not delay! Do not wait another day or hour. You’re not guaranteed that you will live through the Tribulation and have another opportunity to embrace Christ.

And, for those of us who advocate for the Christian faith, Christians need to be advocating for and perhaps even running for office. Let’s engage the political realm so it will be filled by people who follow and adhere to the word of God and who live according to Christian principles.

Nathan Jones: Christians, we are the people who have our fingers in the dam stopping it from bursting. By the Holy Spirit, we are holding back the tide of evil. But, one day soon, when the Lord takes us home, the dam is going to burst, and evil will pour out and deluge the entire world. We don’t want anybody to be left behind by the Rapture to endure those horrors, so put your trust in Jesus Christ today.

Notes of Faith September 13, 2023

Notes of Faith September 13, 2023

Gifts: What He's Given

Looking ahead to what He has promised can help us. It can center us in the good to come, no matter the bleakness that sometimes darkens our hearts or fills our days. But we don’t have to look ahead.

Good things are all around you right now!

What He’s already given is more than what He’s promised to give in the future. Consider, for instance, the gift of grace, which Paul said

is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

— Ephesians 2:8-9

This grace is already yours in Christ. You are already a new creation because of it, able to live a better life and make better choices than you’ve ever made before.

Consider the gift of hope. When Paul wrote to the Romans, he said we could “rejoice in hope” (Romans 12:12). This reason to rejoice is not yours to come. It’s yours now. It’s why you can open your eyes right now — in this day — with a smile on your face and joy in your heart.

Consider what Paul described as “the greatest” gift of all (1 Corinthians 13:13). If God’s love is already — and always — for us, what other gifts could we possibly need?

When packing your bags for a vacation, you’re likely to include a camera, or at least, you’re sure to pack a phone. This is because you anticipate seeing something worth capturing, something worth turning into a memory because of its uniqueness or beauty or both.

What if we approached every day this way?

But, instead of with a camera, what if we approached each day with a focused heart? What if we adjusted our lens so we could see the gifts God has placed all around us — little and big, invisible and visible, spiritual and physical, recurring and unique to today?

We have countless reasons to be thankful — but do start counting! Open your eyes to all He has given and give thanks.

Open your eyes to all He has given and give thanks.

Grace

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace. — Ephesians 1:7 NIV

Grace — it’s the best gift we have and maybe the hardest gift to understand because it’s so unlike anything else. It never wears out. It never quits working. It’s ours, even though we don’t deserve it. It’s ours, even when we forget we have it. It’s the ultimate reason to be grateful.

Describe “God’s rich grace.” What is it? What has it done for you? What does it continue to do?

Is God’s rich grace a gift you can share with others? How?

Hope

So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three. — 1 Corinthians 13:13

Hope is fuel. It’s what keeps us going when the days are hard. It’s what keeps us believing when valleys are long. It’s why we get back up, pushing on in faith, expecting better days to come. And they will. Because our hope is anchored in the One whom hard days and long valleys can’t touch:

In Christ we have hope. — 1 Corinthians 15:19

The book of Hebrews talks about all the “better” things Christ brings to life — both here and in heaven. How has Christ already made your life better?

What’s something in your life that you hope is made better in the future?

We don’t know how some things will turn out, but we do know about others. What do you hope for that’s “sure and steadfast,” promised to come about in Jesus (Hebrews 6:19)?

Love

So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. — 1 Corinthians 13:13

Hope is fuel to carry us to tomorrow; love is a gift to carry us through today. Whatever we’re facing, whatever we wish we had or wish we didn’t have, whatever trouble or pain comes today, love comes too. It’s higher, wider, and deeper than any other thing.

And it’s here to stay (Romans 8:38–39).

Why do you think Paul said love is “the greatest” in 1 Corinthians 13:13?

What are you facing today that’s troubling you? Write about it, and then on top of what you’ve written, around and all over it, write the words “I am loved.”

Excerpted from The Weekly Gratitude Project, copyright Zondervan.

I love all of you, but certainly God loves you more! Stand firm in the faith given you and we will be home in no time, in His loving arms!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith September 12, 2023

Notes of Faith September 12, 2023

Is Anxiety a Sin?

What Does Philippians Say about Anxiety?

You’ve heard it. The most commonly cited verse about anxiety is Philippians 4:6:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Dr. Dan Allender, professor of counseling psychology at the Seattle School of Theology and Psychology, cautions the use of this verse in addressing anxiety. He says Philippians 4:6 can often be used by those who aren’t experiencing anxiety as a means of “‘clobbering’ those who are anxious.” Dr. Allender warns against “the idea of hearing Philippians 4 and assuming ‘my anxiety goes away.’”

I happen to like Philippians 4:6, but I also don’t like how it is used as a “clobber verse” to make anxious people feel like they’re doing something wrong or, even worse, that there is something wrong about them. As with most clobber verses, in this situation it is being used out of context.

The Theological Framework

To understand the verses in Philippians 4, you have to grasp the teachings of the previous chapter, which presents the theological core of the entire letter. Philippians 3 sets the overall context for Paul’s words in 4:6 about anxiety and, in fact, establishes a key framework for how Christians should understand all aspects of their life.

The framework of Philippians 3 is that Christians live as “Now and Not Yet” people. This is sadly undertaught in Christian circles, which is why anxiety is so often misunderstood and why many clobber verses are misused.

What is a “Now and Not Yet” person? This person is summarized by Philippians 3:21, which declares that…

our current lowly bodies are being transformed to the body of Christ’s glory.

The Now and Not Yet life is defined by the life goal of becoming like Jesus.

This is the amazing promise of the gospel: God is at work to transform every bit of ourselves to conform to Jesus, the one who will give us His “glory.”

Glory is the biblical term describing the amazingly good way of life when we fully reflect God’s intentions for us. Jesus obtained His glory because He fully reflected God’s intentions in His life. Philippians 3:21 promises that as we become like Jesus, we will share in that same “glory.”

However, the same verse assumes that this glorious destiny requires an understanding of spiritual growth that allows for the struggles of our current “lowly bodies.” Note that lowly in Paul’s usage here means “incomplete” (it does not mean “sinful”). He is emphasizing that the full completion of our transformation awaits the future, the Not Yet when Jesus returns (Philippians 3:10).

In the Now, we will still struggle with experiences like complex physical and neurological misfirings. My current “lowly body” will still fall quite short of “glory.” Nevertheless, the Now and Not Yet are organically connected. This is what it means that our current lowly bodies are being transformed to the body of Christ’s glory. Our Not Yet body of glory grows out of our Now body of struggle.

Paul isn’t making up this Now and Not Yet dynamic. He gets it straight from Jesus. Jesus often used agricultural metaphors to convey this dynamic of spiritual growth. His favorite metaphor was to point to how a seed of some plant is growing in the present Now and still is on its way to becoming its fully completed self in the future Not Yet (see, for example, Matthew 13:3–8, 19–23; Mark 4:3–9, 14–32; Luke 8:4–8, 11–15; and more).

Because this is such a complex and crucial truth, Paul often adds to Jesus’ agricultural metaphors for the Now and Not Yet. In Philippians 3, for example, Paul draws on the metaphor of a runner in the middle of a race, who is “straining toward what is ahead” (3:13) at the finish line. He switches to the metaphor of dual citizenship to capture the duality of the two time frames — living as citizens of the present earthly reality while awaiting the future arrival of a heavenly citizenship (3:20).

The Now and Not Yet life is defined by the life goal of becoming like Jesus.

Is Anxiety a Sin?

This overall “Now and Not Yet” framework is critical to understanding why Philippians 4:6 should not be wielded as a clobber verse that defines anxiety as a sin.

Anxiety is an intrinsic and unavoidable feature of our Now and Not Yet incompleteness and should not be conflated with moral failure. Incompleteness is not the same as sin.

We would be mistaken if we morally blamed an eight-year-old for being small or not knowing calculus... or for being racked with worry about their parents coming home.

In Paul’s letters, he is not shy about calling out actions rightly labeled as sin and disobedience. But he’s not using such moral categories in Philippians 3 and 4. For instance, the encouragement right before 4:6 is to

celebrate joyfully in the Lord, all the time. — 4:4 NTE

But no one actually stays at this elevated spiritual state “all the time.” We all regularly slip back down into more “lowly” moods.

Continual celebration is an aspirational description of the final transformation of our emotional self. While Christians are invited to taste more and more of those celebratory emotions here and now, I do not fall into sin when I stop celebrating joyfully in the Lord and, for example, lament the awful pitching of the Chicago Cubs. Paul describes periods when he is decidedly not in a celebratory mood but is instead struggling with deep despair (see 2 Corinthians 1:8, for example). He never labels those negative emotional experiences as sin.

Similarly, the encouragement right after Philippians 4:6 is to think only about holy, upright, virtuous things (4:8 NTE). Again, our minds will one day be transformed by the resurrection so we’ll be able to accomplish this constant mental focus. In the meantime, we only sometimes experience periods of such a pure mindset, though we should aspire to have more of it.

When our minds wander to, say, the latest celebrity gossip news, we have not committed wrong. Paul reveals how his own mind occasionally wanders to some fairly uncharitable (and crass) thoughts about his enemies. Galatians 5:12 includes some trash talking that would make a National Basketball Association player blush. Paul seems to accept these thoughts as part of his life in the Now.

In fact, those who wield Philippians 4:6 as a clobber verse to condemn anxiety as a sin neglect an important detail. Earlier in the letter, Paul describes his own anxiety for the Philippian church. Worry surrounded his decision to send his colleague Epaphroditus back to them.

This has made me all the more eager to send him, so that you’ll see him again and be glad, he writes, adding, and my own anxieties will be laid to rest.

— Philippians 2:28 NTE

Having freely admitted his own anxiety — without a trace of self-condemnation — it would be bizarre for Paul to intend his words “do not be anxious” in Philippians 4:6 to be taken as an expectation that Christians would — or should — never feel anxious.

Therefore, in context, “do not be anxious” in Philippians 4:6 is not meant as condemnation; it is encouragement to experience anxiety within the larger “Now and Not Yet” dynamic of spiritual growth where our current lowly bodies are being transformed to the glory of Christ’s body. Even as we aspire to more freedom from anxiety — an aspiration that will be met completely only in the Not Yet — we simultaneously should expect anxiety to always be part of our current life in the Now.

We should no more expect Christians to be free of anxiety than we should expect Christians to be free of colds, mosquito bites, flat tires, sadness, or mental distraction. Paul brings up anxiety in Philippians 4:6 precisely because he expects it to be a persistent problem for his audience.

Adapted from The Anxiety Opportunity: How Worry Is the Doorway to Your Best Self by Curtis Chang.

We will indeed be perfected and will not be anxious about anything when God glorifies us and we are with Him forever. Until then, we pursue the things of God and the perfection that He has waiting for us, in imperfect minds and bodies. Do not let Satan or your own thoughts make you feel you cannot belong to God because you are not perfect in all your ways. Believe in Him who is perfect and you will be joining Him someday soon!

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith September 11, 2023

Notes of Faith September 11, 2023

Jesus Prays for Us

I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail. — Luke 22:32

On the night before His death, Jesus made this announcement:

All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee. — Matthew 26:31-32

Translation? Your fall will be great, but My grace will be greater. You’ll find Me waiting for you in Galilee.

The promise was lost on Peter:

Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble. — Matthew 26:33

Not one of Peter’s finer moments. Arrogant. Self-sufficient. Peter’s trust was in Peter’s strength. Yet Peter’s strength would peter out. Jesus knew it.

Jesus’ prayers hamstring Satan.

Satan would attack and test Peter. But Satan would never claim Peter. Why? Because Peter was strong? No, because Jesus was.

I have prayed for you. — Luke 22:32

Jesus’ prayers hamstring Satan.

Jesus prays for you as well (John 17:11, John 17:20 NLT).

Will God hear the intercessory pleas of His Son? Of course He will. Like Peter, our faith will wane, our resolve waver, but we will not fall away. We are “kept by Jesus” (Jude 1 NIV) and “shielded by God’s power” (1 Peter 1:5 NIV). And that is no small power. It is the power of a living and ever-persistent Savior… who prays for us.

Excerpted from God Is With You Every Day by Max Lucado, copyright Max Lucado.

Jesus knows the end from the beginning. He knows everything about us, every thought and action. He prayed for Peter. He prays for you and me!

Rom 8:34-39

Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes (prays) for us. 35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 Just as it is written,

"FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG;

WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED."

37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

No matter the trial, persecution, any kind of suffering that Satan and the world bring our way, the Lord will bring us to Himself and complete His perfect plan. You are a child of God and He will bring you to your eternal home with Him! Rest assured in His promises.

Pastor Dale

Notes of Faith September 10, 2023

Notes of Faith September 10, 2023

‘Oh Slay the Wicked’

How Christians Sing Curses

Article by Greg Morse

Staff writer, desiringGod.org

Maybe you’ve had this experience while reading the Bible. You turn to Psalms for encouragement. You begin to read, say Psalm 139, and find a warm blanket for your soul.

O Lord, you have searched me and known me!

You know when I sit down and when I rise up;

you discern my thoughts from afar.

Are you standing or sitting? He knows. He sees. He cares. Amazing. Your happiness soars as you read how he surrounds you, intervenes in your life (vv. 2–12), how he knew you before there was a “you” to know, knit you together in your mother’s womb (13–16). You seem to climb Jacob’s ladder to golden gates, praising God that the sins of yesterday and last week and last year have not driven him away: You awake, and he is still with you (17–18).

Then you stumble upon verse 19:

Oh that you would slay the wicked, O God!

O men of blood, depart from me!

You pause and reread. You stop and check if you’re still in the same psalm. This verse, so abrupt, comes with violence. Slay the wicked? Hate them with a perfect hatred? What do you do with these lines? Pretend you didn’t see them? What about when you notice more?

Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer. (Psalm 10:15)

Let their way be dark and slippery, with the angel of the Lord pursuing them! (Psalm 35:6)

Let burning coals fall upon them! Let them be cast into fire, into miry pits, no more to rise! (Psalm 140:10)

Let death steal over them; let them go down to Sheol alive. (Psalm 55:15)

Let them be like the snail that dissolves into slime, like the stillborn child who never sees the sun. (Psalm 58:8)

Let their eyes be darkened, so that they cannot see, and make their loins tremble continually. (Psalm 69:23)

May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow! May his children wander about and beg, seeking food far from the ruins they inhabit! (Psalm 109:9–10)

How do you explain curses like these? How do you answer your atheist coworker? How do you pray them in family worship? How do you quiet your own discomforts? What do we do with them as Christians, on this side of the coming of Christ?

Devilish Psalms?

C.S. Lewis, perhaps the greatest Christian apologist of the twentieth century, offers us this advice:

We must not either try to explain them away or to yield for one moment to the idea that, because it comes in the Bible, all this vindictive hatred must somehow be good and pious. . . . The hatred is there — festering, gloating, undisguised — and also we should be wicked if we in any way condoned or approved it, or (worse still) used it to justify similar passions in ourselves. (Reflections on the Psalms, 26)

Devilish, terrible psalms, he goes on to call them, authored by “ferocious, self-pitying, barbaric men” (27). Is he right?

How do we interpret these “imprecatory psalms,” these psalms of curse (more generally, Psalms 55, 59, 69, 79, 109, and 137)? As a brief introduction, consider such curses in four spheres: in the Old Testament, in the New, in heaven, and curses today.

Curses in the Old Testament

First, we’ve already seen curses in the Psalms.

How do we answer the objection that these psalms — mostly written by David — are personal and vindictive? We could spend time looking at David, wondering aloud if he who cut the garment instead of stabbing the back of Saul (not to mention his patience with Doeg, Absalom, and Shimei) was really a vengeful spirit. Instead, notice three threads in the imprecatory psalms.

1. David isn’t cursing directly.

Curses are pronouncements of harm over others, often involving a ritual or sacrifice. May your fields rot, or your wife be barren. “In the ancient Near East in general, life was dominated by the need to cope with the terrifying threat of curses and omens” (New Dictionary of Biblical Theology, 397). The ancient world often saw these pronouncements as powerful in themselves.

Israel was different. They knew no curse had decisive power apart from the one true God. Balaam, borrowing an Israelite conception, says, “How can I curse whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce whom the Lord has not denounced?” (Numbers 23:8). The imprecatory psalms, then, are not direct curses upon the wicked apart from the Almighty. They are prayers offered and entrusted to the wisdom and enforcement of the psalmist’s covenant God.

2. David often prays Scripture.

David wasn’t brooding in his room, writing hate-poems in his little black book. As the king, David meditated day and night on God’s blessings and curses found in the Torah (Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 27–28). How should any Israelite feel about the curses? The Lord’s catechized people say, “Amen” (Deuteronomy 27:15–26).

Likewise, David in the Psalms often takes statements of fact about God’s judgments and simply prays them. “In almost every instance, each expression used in one of these prayers of malediction may be found in plain prose statements of what will happen to those sinners who persist in opposing God” (Hard Sayings of the Bible, 280–282). Thus, as one example of this, the statement of fact given in Psalm 1, “The wicked . . . are like chaff that the wind drives away” (Psalm 1:4), becomes for David, “Let them be like chaff before the wind” (Psalm 35:5).

3. The psalmist’s enemies are God’s enemies.

Whose enemies are they in Psalm 139:19–22? “Against you,” “your enemies,” “your name,” “those who hate you,” “who rise up against you.” These men became David’s enemies by proxy — “I count them my enemies.” Here we find another crucial element about the imprecatory Psalms: They often stem from righteous indignation about how the wicked treat God, God’s people, and God’s Anointed King.

David’s epic showdown with Goliath illustrates this. What was his personal history with the giant? Goliath hadn’t killed David’s father, like the six-fingered man in The Princess Bride. He had no ill will but this: Goliath dared to defy the armies of the living God.

Do we ever grow warm with righteous anger? Not because we are insulted, but because God is? In 1945, communist Soviet Union occupied Romania. To pay tribute to the new state order, the communists convened a congress comprised of four thousand Christian leaders and broadcasted it to the country. Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand were in attendance. One after another, Christian leaders stood and hailed the atheistic state and promised church allegiance.

Sabina leaned over to her husband, “Richard, stand up and wash away this shame from the face of Christ! They are spitting in his face!” “If I do so,” he replied, “you lose your husband.” “I don’t wish to have a coward as a husband,” came her reply. And so he did. He later wrote, “Afterward I had to pay for this, but it was worthwhile” (Tortured for Christ, 10).

Do we ever take our occasions, however much smaller, to wipe the spit from the face of Christ? Have we become insensible to hearing Christ’s name dragged through the mud? John Stott comments,

[The psalmist] has completely identified himself with the cause of God, [and] hates them because he loves God. . . . That we cannot easily aspire to this is an indication not of our spirituality but of our lack of it, not of our superior love for men but of our inferior love for God, indeed of our inability to hate the wicked with a hatred that is “perfect” [as in Psalm 139:22] and not “personal.” (The Message of the Sermon on the Mount, 116–117)

Do we ever say anything uncomfortable in the presence of evil — or worse, do we even care? The psalmists did. We accuse them of cruelty; they accuse us of a twisted sentimentality. We accuse them of not considering man; they accuse us of not considering God.

Curses in the New Testament

Do we have curses in the New Testament? Yes.

Peter exclaims, “May your silver perish with you!” (Acts 8:20). Paul hands people over to Satan and curses anyone to hell who preaches a different gospel or refuses to love Jesus Christ (Galatians 1:8–9; 1 Corinthians 16:22). Even Jesus curses a fig tree — and blasts the Pharisees with mighty woes (Matthew 23:13–36).

But more to our consideration: How did Jesus and his apostles view imprecatory psalms?

The New Testament authors, from John to Paul to Peter to Jesus himself, quote unhesitatingly from these psalms. The apostles did not have the qualms of so many modern scholars. Not one New Testament author gives the kind of preface we do when recommending a good television show: “It is really good — except that one part.” They treat such psalms as we should: with reverence as sacred Scripture.

Consider the New Testament’s usage of Psalm 69, which includes one of the longest sustained imprecations (Psalm 69:22–28) and the most severe imprecation in the Psalter: “Add to them punishment upon punishment; may they have no acquittal from you” (verse 27). Keep the blows coming. No mercy. No forgiveness. Let them be damned. Surely the New Testament would avoid such sentiments, right?

The psalm is actually one of the favorites of the New Testament, including citations from the imprecations themselves (Romans 11:9; Acts 1:20). Let’s limit the quotes here to the beloved and gentle apostle John. He takes up this psalm to explain the temple-cleansing incident with Jesus and the whip: “zeal for your house has consumed me” (Psalm 69:9; John 2:17). He records Psalm 69:4 upon Jesus’s lips in the upper room, as the Lord explains how the Jews “hated me without a cause” (John 15:25). And most stunningly, upon the cross itself: “Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), ‘I thirst’” (John 19:28) — a reference to verse 21, “They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink.”

John Piper comments,

According to the apostle John, Jesus died fulfilling Psalm 69. What more glorious tribute could be paid to a psalm? The very psalm that we tend to think is a problem because of its imprecations was the one Jesus lived in and the one that carried him to the cross and through the cross. (Shaped by God, 61)

Here we find the foundational reality. God allows curses into this world for the glory of Jesus — to paint a dark and bloody and beautiful picture of his sacrificial love. Sodom and Gomorrah, the flood, Korah’s rebellion, Canaan’s ban, the cry over Egypt’s firstborns — all shadows compared with the tremendous doom of this one who cries, “I thirst,” from the cross. He plunged into the depths of hell itself. Curses exist to explain this good news to you:

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us — for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree.” (Galatians 3:13)

Christ became a cursed one, a doomed and condemned man — why? For us. The bread, broken — for you. The wine, poured out — for you. The judgment drank to the bottom — for you. The history of all curses for every human on the planet ends here, at the cross, or in hell. Nowhere else.

This clarifies our call in evangelism:

“Sir, can I speak with you about Jesus?”

“Why would I need to hear about him? — I’m happy enough.”

“Because, sir, sin has placed you under God’s curse, whoever does not believe is condemned already, the wrath of God remains upon you, and only Christ, who became a curse for all who would repent and believe, can remove it.”

Curses in Heaven

Now, a question you may not have asked: Are there imprecatory prayers in heaven? Yes.

John records the voices of martyrs slain for God’s word, crying out in a loud voice,

“O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been. (Revelation 6:10–11)

The martyrs — perfected and with the Lord in glory — pray for their blood to be avenged on earth. Or again in Revelation 18:6, against spiritual Babylon:

Pay her back as she herself has paid back others,

and repay her double for her deeds;

mix a double portion for her in the cup she mixed.

And as God’s enemies fall, how does heaven respond? God’s vengeance on the wicked fuels their hallelujahs,

“Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for his judgments are true and just; for he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality, and has avenged on her the blood of his servants.” Once more they cried out, “Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up forever and ever.” (Revelation 19:1–3)

Don’t our own children’s stories reveal that we know this is good? They end the same: the witch is cursed, the monster slain, the evil king dethroned and punished. Do we weep when Scar is fed to hyenas? No, not even our children. Why? Because we know, even at a young age, the rightness of villains being punished. What is hard for us to bear is that, outside of Christ, we (and those we love) are the villains.

Curses Today

Psalms of curse were prayed in the Old Testament, approved in the New, and this same heart has its counterpart in heaven. But what about us today? Should we pray them?

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. . . . Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. . . . Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” (Romans 12:14, 17, 19)

Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. (Matthew 5:44)

These texts clearly teach that we leave personal grievances with God to repay. They teach that God’s wrath — exhausted at the cross or in hell — frees us to love those who have hated us and bless those who have cursed us.

But are they incompatible with praying the imprecatory psalms? Personal vengeance, after all, is outlawed in both covenants (Leviticus 19:17–18). That vengeance belongs to God was not new (Deuteronomy 32:35; Psalm 94:1). The next verse in Romans 12 is a quote from Proverbs 25:21: “To the contrary, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head’” (Romans 12:20).

Some evil is so pronounced and prolonged (especially against the global church) that we are right to pray that if the wicked are not stopped by converting mercy (the kind of mercy that stopped Saul), that God stop them by any other means. As James Hamilton exhorts Christians today,

Pray that God would either save those who destroy families and hurt little children or thwart all their efforts and keep them from doing further harm. . . . Pray that God would either redeem people who are right now identifying with the seed of the serpent, or if he is not going to redeem them, that he would crush them and all their evil designs. (Revelation: The Spirit Speaks to the Churches, 201)

Whether you conclude that mercy should silence these prayers today or not, be assured, it isn’t because judgment isn’t coming, and at any moment. The pressing question, then, in conclusion, is not why judgment and curse exist, but why aren’t we all drowned beneath it every moment?

That was the angel’s perplexity: generation after generation of mercy to sinful men — but how? The blood of goats? Until they saw it, a greater enigma still: The only blessed Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords who took on human flesh, earned every blessing by perfect obedience, now exhausting every curse for his people upon the tree. In this Christ has arrived the day of salvation for all under the curse. “Blessed are all who take refuge in him” (Psalm 2:12).

I am sure that you, like me, have struggled in praying for any good outcome for the wicked. And not only those that don’t love God, but those that don’t treat us with love, honor and respect also. Our sinful flesh is peeking out, not seeking the eternal perspective of God. We know that those who do not come to Him in saving faith will be eternally punished in hell. But we want our grievances settled NOW! I agree with the statements above about praying that God would save or destroy the wicked…but mean both sides…not just say it, really hoping for their destruction. Let us endeavor to believe and trust in all Scripture putting it within the overall commands to love God and love others!

Pastor Dale