Three Responses to the Gospel...

There are three common responses to the Gospel: repentance and conversion, rebellion and resistance, and apathy. The first response, repentance and conversion, comes to those who are honest with themselves. They examine the evidence, and are touched by God’s power. Their attitude toward truth is one of acceptance, for they know there’s nothing higher, and resistance just brings trouble for those that resist. The next response, rebellion and resistance, comes from those who either blame God for their position in life, or just flat out refuse to believe Him. The protocol behavior for these responders is typically violence, name-calling, and flat out hatred towards those that faithfully follow Jesus. Lastly, for those that are apathetic to the Gospel, they’re attitude stems from not caring. The reason they don’t care typically stems from their lack of care for themselves. Their low self-esteem contributes from either an absent father or parent, and the way to cope is to not get too high or too low in life. This apathy is their defense mechanism for allowing them to not get too close to another person, thus reducing their chances of being hurt. We see two of these responses here in Acts chapter 6. Some of the Jewish religious leaders were converted, because they knew the truth and were honest enough with themselves that God’s calling didn’t fall on deaf ears. We also see some of the rebellious ones become violent and make up lies to discredit an honest, wise, and Holy-Spirit filled man. Their arguments couldn’t stand up against the truth. Have you witnessed these three types of responses to the Gospel? Maybe you responded in one of these ways? Whatever the case, when you’re confronted now, how do you respond?

7 So God’s message continued to spread. The number of believers greatly increased in Jerusalem, and many of the Jewish priests were converted, too. Acts 6:7

But one day some men from the Synagogue of Freed Slaves, as it was called, started to debate with him. They were Jews from Cyrene, Alexandria, Cilicia, and the province of Asia. 10 None of them could stand against the wisdom and the Spirit with which Stephen spoke.11 So they persuaded some men to lie about Stephen, saying, “We heard him blaspheme Moses, and even God.” 12 This roused the people, the elders, and the teachers of religious law. So they arrested Stephen and brought him before the high council. Acts 6:9-12

One Way to Deal with Depression...

One way to deal with depression (the non-clinical diagnosed type) is to focus on what God has done for you. Focusing on His goodness will help you take the emphasis off yourself (the cause of it) and help hope arise and open the door to rescue. When we focus on God’s goodness, it gives us a clearer picture of what He’s about, and it shifts our thinking from despair to trust. Faith is simply trusting God to do what He does. This reduces anxiety and puts fear on the back burner. Knowing God, seeing His goodness, and trusting Him to do good, is the surest way I know how to pull myself out of the doldrums of modern day life. Train yourself to seek God daily. Make pursuing Him a life-long duty. When the desire to focus on yourself comes (and it will come), depression won’t have a welcome sign waiting for it. And for some reason it does, focus on the One Who never changes, and always does what He says He’ll do. He’s got the condition of your heart at the center of His agenda. And He will do whatever it takes to make it close to His.

And I said, “This is my fate;the Most High has turned His hand against me.”11 But then I recall all You have done, O Lord;I remember Your wonderful deeds of long ago.12 They are constantly in my thoughts.I cannot stop thinking about Your mighty works. 13 O God, Your ways are holy.Is there any god as mighty as You?14 You are the God of great wonders!You demonstrate Your awesome power among the nations.15 By Your strong arm, You redeemed Your people,the descendants of Jacob and Joseph. Psalms 77:10-15

You Can’t Fool God At All...

I can’t stress enough how important it is to be honest with yourself. You can lie to others and sometimes get away with it, but you have to live with the guilt of knowing what you did. As the saying goes, “you can fool some people all the time, and you can fool all people some of the time, but you can’t fool all people all of the time”. And you definitely can’t fool God at all. Pretending to be someone you’re not, or making people think you are better than who you really are doesn’t float with God. Ananias and Sapphira learned it the hard way. Fear gripped those all around because they knew God expects us to be honest with ourselves and with Him. We all struggle with this concept; social media tends to bring out the full tug of this “glorify self” grandisement. “Fakebook”, as I call it, promotes this more than any other platform that I know of. What you see posted on it, rarely matches up with what you see in person. The world would be a much better place if we all decided to pursue God and let honesty reign in our hearts. Humility begins with knowing you’re a broken vessel. Once there, you know where to go for help. It’s exactly the attitude God wants us to have. Never forget Ananias’ and Sapphira’s example of not being honest with yourself. Allow it to be a reminder of the ultimate consequence of lying to God (trying to be someone you’re not). God wants our sincerity, not our perfection or large egos. There’s only room for One God, step aside, humble yourself, and let Him Run His show.

1 But there was a certain man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property. 2 He brought part of the money to the apostles, claiming it was the full amount. With his wife’s consent, he kept the rest.3 Then Peter said, “Ananias, why have you let Satan fill your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself. 4 The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was also yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren’t lying to us but to God!”5 As soon as Ananias heard these words, he fell to the floor and died. Everyone who heard about it was terrified. 6 Then some young men got up, wrapped him in a sheet, and took him out and buried him.7 About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 Peter asked her, “Was this the price you and your husband received for your land?”“Yes,” she replied, “that was the price.”9 And Peter said, “How could the two of you even think of conspiring to test the Spirit of the Lord like this? The young men who buried your husband are just outside the door, and they will carry you out, too.”10 Instantly, she fell to the floor and died. When the young men came in and saw that she was dead, they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 Great fear gripped the entire church and everyone else who heard what had happened. Acts 5:1-11

It Might Just Cost You Your Life....

When you fight against God long enough, it just might cost you your life.

Many of the Hagrites were killed in the battle because God was fighting against them. 1 Chronicles 5:22a

One Way to Earn Respect....

Here’s a for sure way to earn respect. It may take time, but it will make a statement to those honestly watching. Control your temper, and gracefully overlook certain wrongs done by others (I’m not talking about egregious sins). This will make a place in the respect hall of fame of others. Remember, you are forgiven, pass it on.

11 Sensible people control their temper; they earn respect by overlooking wrongs. Proverbs 19:11

Everything We Need....

God has given us everything we need for life; it’s just a matter of redistributing it. One person may need and not have, while another person may have and not need. Imagine when their paths cross, divine intervention. It’s not a coincidence. Give that some deep thought today. If by the end of the day, you’re not thanking Him, you probably haven’t gone deep enough.

32 All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. 33 The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all. 34 There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them 35 and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need.36 For instance, there was Joseph, the one the apostles nicknamed Barnabas (which means “Son of Encouragement”). He was from the tribe of Levi and came from the island of Cyprus. 37 He sold a field he owned and brought the money to the apostles. Acts 4:32-37

Smarter Than God....

For those who think they are smarter than God, think again. God uses all things for His glory. Even if it rebels against Him. He will use you with or without your consent to help further His kingdom.

Human defiance only enhances Your glory, for You use it as a weapon. Psalms 76:10