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“Therefore rid yourselves of all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all slander.” 1 Peter 2:1 CSB

Today is a very special day.  Today is the birthday of this groups founder, Heather Seidnitzer.  I would like to take a moment to honor her with words, then explain why I chose this scripture for today.  

I met Heather through church.  She was one of my group leaders when I was a group coordinator. That is how our friendship started.  Eventually she helped me out by being a group coach, which I desperately needed. We found through those experiences, we work well together.  One of my favorite things about Heather is how she challenges me. I love her questions. They always make me stop and think. They always draw me closer to Jesus as I wrestle through them.  Neither of us had a clue what this group would look like in January. But God has been leading us together on this journey. Growing our relationship with Him, with each other, and with all of you.  From the bottom of our hearts, we all wish you a very special birthday Heather! May it be the beginning of an exceptionally blessed year for you!

Heather’s birthday happens to fall into the part of the month where we are attacking deception.  As I thought about Heather, I thought about how I know she deals with deception. She doesn’t have time for it.  She likes everything out in the open and up front. A very admirable quality to have. Sometimes though, when you’re ridding yourself of deception it can be painful.  It can be challenging to recognize the truth about a situation, about a person, even about yourself.

How do you rid yourself of deception?

By illuminating your life with Jesus.  By letting His light be the one to shine into the darkness.  One way to practically do it is with God’s word. Psalm 119:105, a well known verse, tells us His word is a lamp unto our feet.  For instance, His word is what has been and is leading Heather and I in this group. Heather’s obedience to growing her faith started this group.  We’ve been praying through the topics each month. We talk about ways we can love and care for everyone in the group. We pray for ways to connect you to each other.  His word has been a lamp to our feet as we’ve journeyed through the first part of this year. We’re trying to shine His light so brightly, there is no darkness. It is a journey of faith, one in which each day is a growing experience.  A new opportunity to seek His truth and dispel any deception we might be believing, whether it is about ourselves, someone else or a situation.

Let’s do it again today with this prayer:

“Lord, your word is a light unto our feet (Psalm 119:105 CSB).  We pray today it rids us of all deceit, all malice, all hypocrisy, envy and slander (1 Peter 2:1 CSB).  Let us live our lives in the brightness of You. Let us live it in truth, starting with the greatest truth of all:  Your love for us is unconditional and never ending. Bless Heather in a very special way today. In Jesus name we pray.  Amen

“Lord, rescue me from lying lips and a deceitful tongue.” Psalm 120:2 CSB

Lying is something we all do, whether we admit it or not.  From big lies to little lies, Psychology Today studies show the average person lies several times a day.  We’re born liars. Think of the two year old, sitting in a mess of cheerios, having spilled their bowl on the floor.  If you ask them if they spilled the bowl, the typical answer is “No.” All done with a cute look on their precious face that indicates they are lying.  No one taught them to lie, it’s a natural defense mechanism. Lies spill easily off of our lips, from telling someone you like their outfit when you don’t, to lying about your schedule so you don’t have to do something you don’t want to do.  Lying comes natural to us. Even George Washington, known for telling his Daddy the truth about chopping down the cherry tree, is actually a lie. It never happened.

According to an article from National Geographic titled, “Why We Lie: The Science Behind Our Deceptive Ways,” the top four reasons we lie, are to cover up a mistake or misdeed, to gain financial benefits, for personal advantage (other than money) and avoidance (to escape or evade other people). No one understands our lying nature better than God.  He understands it is a battle we all struggle with inside of ourselves. After all, He is our Creator, there is nothing about us He doesn’t know. Psalm 139:1 says God has searched us and He knows us. That means He knows our lies too, the ones we tell ourselves and the one we tell others.

So what are we to do?  If we are all liars, how do we combat that?  The answer is God. We turn to Him for truth.  Paul, in his letter to the Romans puts it this way: “Even if everyone else is a liar, God is true. As the Scriptures say about Him, “You will be proved right in what you say, and you will win your case in court.”  We submit ourselves to God and let Him do the work in us that needs to be done.  He’ll help us find the truth, in our own lives and in the lives of others.  Jesus, as He stood before Pilate being questioned gives us this truth: “In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.” John 18:37 NIV

If we seek after Jesus, He’ll reveal the truth to us.  He’ll rescue us from our lying lips and our deceitful tongue.  Let’s use this Scripture today to invite Jesus’ truth into our lives.

Lord, we’re sorry we so easily lie.  We’re sorry we lie to ourselves and we lie to others.  Rescue us today from our lying lips and our deceitful tongues.  Help us to seek the truth Jesus came to share with us. Help us make it a part of our daily lives.  We can’t do it without you. (Psalm 120:2 CSB). In Jesus name we pray. Amen

“At Horeb they made a calf and worshiped the cast metal image.  They exchanged their glory for the image of a grass eating ox.” Psalm 106:19-20 CBS

Glory in this verse is referring to God.  This verse is a clear picture of what happens when we exchange the real thing for a substitute, in this verse a grass eating ox.  In economics, this is called the Substitution Effect: when the price of something is too high, consumers replace it with a lesser quality substitution.  This verse is referring to the Israelites impatience when Moses was on the mountaintop for 40 days with God. The price of waiting was too high for them so they decided to substitute it with a lesser God.  We can be guilty of the same thing, the price of waiting on God to move is too high so we decided to take things into our own hands.

The truth is, we’re all in God’s waiting room.  We’re all waiting for Him to do something. We could be waiting for a financial blessing, a healing blessing or a relational blessing.  The waiting room is where God teaches us some of our greatest lessons. The first one being patience. We have to learn not to substitute a lesser god for what God is doing in our lives.  Going on a shopping spree will not make God answer any faster, yelling at your spouse or loved ones will not make God move. Anything we choose to substitute for God will only make things worse, not better.

How can we wait well? First, be prepared for the wait.  When you go to the Dr’s. office, you know you’re going to have to wait before your appointment.  It’s the same mentality we need when waiting on God. We know God’s time is not our time, so prepare your mind for the wait.  Second, read His word. Just like there are magazines strewn around the Dr’s office to help you pass the time, God has given us His word we can read while we’re waiting for Him to act on our behalf.  We’ll find, if we stay focused on His word in the waiting room, He turns our waiting into opportunities to grow. Third, talk to the people who are waiting with you. Some of the best conversations can be had in a Dr’s waiting room, the same can be said in the waiting room of God.  When we talk to fellow believers who are waiting on God too, it helps pass the time faster. It helps us realize we’re not alone in the wait, everyone is waiting on something. These three tips can help you wait well. When we wait well we don’t substitute God’s glory for a grass eating calf, we wait for the steak.

Let’s wait well today with this prayer:

Lord, we’re all waiting for something.  Help us to wait well. Help us to keep our eyes focused on you by preparing our minds for the wait, staying focused on Your word, and letting the people who are waiting with us help us pass the time.  Teach us what you have for us in the waiting room, prepare us for the blessing that is coming. Unlike the Israelites, don’t let us settle for the grass eating ox , help us wait for the real thing, You. (Psalm 106:19-20).  In Jesus name we pray. Amen

“For they themselves report what kind of reception we had from you: how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.” 1 Thessalonians 1:9 CSB

Have you ever heard of Rosie Ruiz?  She won the Boston Marathon in 1980.  That is until it was discovered that she had left the race, hopped on the subway and beat her previous time by 20 minutes.  She was stripped of her win as a result. Winning had become her idol. Lance Armstrong won the Tour de France road bike race 7 times in a row, from 1999 to 2005.  Then it was discovered he had accomplished this by using drugs to enhance his performance. Now if you google his record on Wikipedia, the wins are still listed but they have a line through them because he cheated. Tonya Harding hired someone to break her competition’s knee in 1994 so she couldn’t compete in that year’s U.S. Figure Skating Championship.  All of these are examples of people who let their desire to win become their gods.  

I am sure, when Rosie bought the subway token, she justified it in her mind.  When Lance took the drugs, he felt it was the right decision. And when Tanya decided she needed a little help, she probably thought it was her only choice.  Idolatry can trick us into believing lies. One moment in time becomes a turning point that will impact the rest of our lives. I’ve used this analogy often when talking to people, “Do you think the alcoholic would take the first drink if they knew it would ruin their lives?”  No one would do that intentionally, but we don’t understand the depths idolatry can take us.

There is another turn we can take though, we can turn to God and away from our idols.  We can trust Him to get us across the finish line, understanding He is all the help we need. When these athletes made the decision to turn away from God, it cost them everything.  When we turn to God, we gain everything. Whether we come in first place or last, when we do it with God, we are always victors. Whatever place we are at in the race, it is exactly where He wants us.  Our place in the race is right where He wants our lights to shine through to the world around us. He loves the first place winner as much as He loves the last place winner and everyone in between. But if we’re so focused on the prize it becomes our idol, we miss it.  Let’s pray today that we turn to God and not away from Him with this prayer:

Lord, we’re so grateful for Your presence in our lives.  Help us turn towards You today as we move through our days.  Let no other gods come before You. Help us serve You, the true and living God  (1 Thessalonians 1:9 CSB). In Jesus name we pray. Amen

“Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless.” Ecclesiastes 5:10 NIV

There are more Scriptures in the Bible about money than there is about Salvation.  Why do you think that is? Because money is one of the easiest things to worship instead of God. Money easily influences us, Jesus warned us about it: “No one can be a slave of two masters, since either he will hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot be slaves of God and of money” (Matthew 6:24 NIV).   The truth is, we need money to live, but we wouldn’t be living if it wasn’t for God. God comes first, not money.

How can you tell if money has become an idol for you?  First off, is it constantly on your mind? If money is all you think about, it may have become an idol in your life.   Matthew 6:21 tells us where your heart is, there your treasure is as well. If all you think about is money, it’s your treasure, not God.  Another indicator is if the people around you get tired of hearing you talk about money. It’s tough when you’re struggling to pay the bills, I remember having to choose between putting gas in my car or food in my mouth.  But when we focus our thoughts on God, He will provide all we need out of His glorious riches (Phil. 4:19 NIV). The problem is, God doesn’t think we need a new pair of shoes, but He does think we need to learn self control.  We have a very skewed vision of what we think we need to live and what we actually need to live. Jesus never had a house, He didn’t have a mortgage. He didn’t eat out at restaurants, He never drove a car or shopped in a mall.  Even His offer of salvation is free to those who believe and place their trust in Him. Jesus wasn’t worried about money, He was worried about our salvation.

A third indicator of whether or not money has become your idol is if you’re constantly thinking in terms of future happiness.  If thoughts like, “I’ll be happy when I’m debt free” or “If I get a raise, then I’ll be happy” indicate you’re more focused on money than God.  If happiness only comes in the form of a shopping bag, you may be consumed by money instead of God. The momentary satisfaction in buying a new pair of shoes is nothing compared to the peace that surpasses all understanding you can only find in Jesus (Phil. 4:7 NIV).  Money isn’t evil, it only becomes evil when it becomes our god. Let’s put God first today with this prayer:

Lord, We’re sorry for the times money has taken Your place in our hearts. Help us today realize, You are in control of our finances.  All we have is from You, all we do is for You. Help us keep money in its place and You in Yours. You are our one and only God. It’s You we serve, not the dollar. (Ecclesiastes 5:10 NIV).  In Jesus name we pray. Amen

“Then Jesus told him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.”  Matthew 4:10 CSB

This verse comes at the end of Jesus’ time in the wilderness.  When Jesus is baptized and begins His ministry the first thing He does is be “led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil” (Matthew 4:1 CSB).  He fasted for 40 days and 40 nights, Matthew tells us He was hungry (Matthew 4:2 CSB). That’s when the “tempter” hits Him with his first attack: “Son of God, tell these stones to become bread” (Matthew 4:3 CSB).  Jesus response: “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4 CSB). Next Satan tried to get Jesus to throw Himself off of the temple, thinking if He’s truly the Son of God, His angels will catch Him.  Jesus’ reply, “Do not test the Lord your God” (Matthew 4:7 CSB). Lastly, the Devil tries to get Jesus to worship him by offering Him the opportunity to rule over the earth. That’s when Jesus has finally had enough of his shenanigans and tells him to get lost (Matthew 4:10 CSB).

Any of the temptations that Jesus faced could become idols in our lives. Tim Keller, author and pastor describes idolatry this way: “Sin isn’t only doing bad things, it is more fundamentally making good things into ultimate things. Sin is building your life and meaning on anything, even a very good thing, more than on God. Whatever we build our life on will drive us and enslave us. Sin is primarily idolatry.”  The Devil was trying to get anything to come before God in Jesus’ life. He uses the same ploy on us. If we worship food more than God, it’s an idol. If we worship our health and safety more than God, it’s an idol. If we worship power more than God, it’s an idol. And it is so easy to succumb too, it can be so subtle we don’t even realize we’re doing it.

How can we know what we’re worshiping?  A retired pastor I knew used this challenge to his people to help them know where their heart was: their checkbook and their calendar.  He used it often in his sermons. He would say, “Show me your checkbook and your calendar, I’ll tell you what your heart is worshiping.” Where your money goes and where your time goes is where your heart goes as well. It’s truly that simple.  God has given us a life to live, He’s given us free will to live it anyway we want. It’s up to us to put Him first, He’s not going to force the issue. But it can be challenging, the Devil has been around a long time. He knows what he’s doing and he does it well.  But have no fear, Jesus defeated him and so can we.

Let’s pray:

Lord, Satan is annoying.  His ploys are annoying. Just as Jesus said, so do we, “Go away Satan!” We don’t have time for you.  Our hearts are centered on God, help us to keep them that way Lord. In You we place our hope and trust. You alone are our God, no other comes before you. (Matthew 4:10 CSB).  In Jesus name we pray. Amen

“ Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.” 1 John 5:21 NLT

We’re switching from fear to idols for the next five days. Idols are anything that comes before God.  It’s one of the 10 Commandments God gave Moses: “You must not have any other god but Me.  You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea.  You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods.” Exodus 20:3-5 NLT

God means business when it comes to anything that takes His place in your heart. It is literally the first commandment He gave to Moses to share with the Israelites.  When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was, His response backed up the commandment God gave Moses: “And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.” Mark 12:30 NLT.

When Lee, 8 years old, was asked what exactly this meant, this was his reply: “You should worship God instead of your bike, Nintendo, computer or TV. You should read the Bible more.”  In other, the 4 hours a day the average American spends watching T.V. could be considered an idol. The 2 hours and 22 minutes a day that was spent on social media in 2018 could be considered and idol. The 6 hours a week video gamers spend playing games, also could be considered an idol, but only if it comes before God in their hearts. God isn’t saying that these things are bad, He’s just saying, don’t let them come first.  But how do you know if it does or not? Can you give it up? If God asked you to give up watching T.V., scrolling social media or playing video games, could you give it up? If the answer is no, then God’s not first place in your heart.

Idols can take many shapes and forms.  We can make idols out of anything, the Israelite’s made a golden calf to worship because Moses was taking too long returning from his mountaintop meeting with God (Exodus 32:4).  The very meeting in which God gave him the 10 commandments. Exercise, food, money, work, church, shopping, people, houses, the list is endless of possible things in our lives that can become idols.  It is hard to guard our hearts from worshiping another god, we are all susceptible to it. But we can ask God to help us keep Him first. Let’s start with today’s prayer:

Lord, we’re sorry for worshiping other gods.  Help us keep our hearts pure, help us keep You first always.  Let nothing take Your place in our hearts (1 John 5:21 NLT). In Jesus name we pray.  Amen

“Do not fear, for I am with you, do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with my righteous hand.”  Isaiah 41:10 CSB

I recently had the privilege of attending a special Father’s Day service.  It was on prayer and talking to God. The pastor used the Lord’s prayer found in Matthew 6:5-10.  He was illustrating the point of who God is to us and who we are in God. To do this, he brought his young son up to help him.  He asked his son what he wanted from him? His son listed video games and candy, things a child would ask for from their father.  It was a wonderful illustration, one I had never seen before. It reminded me of how juvenile my prayers can be to my Father in heaven.  As I watched this scenario play out before me, I saw how this father would do anything for his son. I could see the love in his eyes as he looked at him.  I realized, the boy wasn’t asking the right questions. He could have anything he wanted and he asked for a candy bar. Granted, I do not think God is a vending machine in the sky.  I do think He can do anything He wants, but that doesn’t mean He should. Romans 1 says judgement is God giving people what they want. It’s God letting us have our way: “They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen” (Romans 1:25 NIV).

There was another thing I witnessed this day, I realized, the son didn’t know what to ask.  As he looked to his father before he answered, I could see the uncertainty in his face. The unspoken question was evident in his face; could he really ask for whatever he wanted?  As he began to answer with minor things, he became more confident as his father encouraged him to ask for more. The look on his face went from uncertainty to confidence that he was doing the right thing, exactly what his father wanted him to do.  We are to do the same with our heavenly Father. He wants us to ask for His help, He wants us to be bold in our prayers, He wants us to remember He is there to help us when we are facing our fears. He’s holding our hand, looking at us lovingly and saying, “How can I help?”

Let’s do that today, let’s approach Him with boldness as we face our fears.

Lord, thank You for always being with us.  Thank You that You are holding our hands as we face our fears.  Thank You for giving us Your strength and Your help. Forgive us for forgetting You are there, help us always remember, You never leave us nor forsake us. (Isaiah 41:10 CSB).  In Jesus name we pray. Amen

“Then He said to them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?” Mark 4:40 CSB

This verse comes at the end of a long day for Jesus.  He had been teaching all day, as He did during His ministry.  As evening came, He says to His disciples, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the sea” (Mark 4:35 CSB).  On their journey across the sea, a “windstorm arose and waves were breaking over the boat” (Mark 4:37 CSB). Jesus was napping when all of this occurs, they wake Him up panicking that they were all going to parish.  Jesus rebukes the wind by saying, “Silence! Be still!” Which worked, the wind stopped blowing and the seas were calmed (Mark 4:38-39 CSB). That’s when He turns to His disciples and asks them today’s verse: “Why are you afraid?  Do you still have no faith?” (Mark 4:40 CSB).

Can you imagine being in the boat with Jesus, and panicking that He was going to let you die while He slept?  Is that all we think of Him? Sometimes, I think it is. The truth is Jesus is in our boats right now. Whatever circumstance you are in today, Jesus is right there with you.  We may not think He is, He might be taking a nap, but He’s still there. He’s still accessible. We can wake Him up just like the disciples did. But isn’t that the lack of faith?  Jesus wasn’t napping because He was worried. Jesus was napping because He already knew the outcome, it’s the disciples that doubted, not Jesus. Jesus already knows the outcome of whatever situation you’re facing, but you still have to go through the storm.  Here’s where the disciples didn’t doubt: they trusted Jesus when He said, get in the boat; they trusted Jesus to get them to the other side. When their faith was being tested, they knew where to go. They knew Jesus would have the answer, and He did. It was an answer they didn’t expect.

Jesus has an answer for your situation.  You have to ask Him for it, then you have to wait.  The answer may not come immediately as it did for the disciples.  It may take days, weeks, months, even years. But He will answer, that is guaranteed.  And it probably won’t be the way you expected. I love this visual image I saw the other day on Facebook that pictured it well.  It was a line of people on one side of a deep ravine, they were walking across it on air, the path only becoming clear to them as they took the next step.  The first person was only half way across, there was no path for how he would get to the other side. The caption said, “God has a path that we can’t see.” Meaning whatever you’re facing today, God has a path through it that you can’t see right now.  All He’s asking you to do is to take one step at a time, in faith, trusting He’ll get you to the other side.

We can take that step today with this prayer:

Lord, we’re sorry for the times that we lack faith.  We’re sorry our fears keep us from taking the steps You want us to take to get us where You want us to go.  Help us overcome our fears, give us faith to take the next step. Don’t let our fears paralyze us, help us keep moving forward (Mark 4:40 CSB).  In Jesus name we pray. Amen

“Be courageous! Let us fight bravely for our people and the cities of our God.  May the Lord’s will be done!” 2 Samuel 10:12 NLT

Here’s the answer to any fear: Be Courageous!

This verse is found as Joab is about to lead his men into battle.  Here’s why: because King David sent men to offer condolences. A guy named Hanun had become king of the Ammonites when his dad died.  David sends some guys to offer condolences, Hanun doesn’t trust him. Hanun has his men shave off half of David’s mens beards, then cut their clothes at the hip so their butts were exposed.  Yes, this is what men did back then. This of course was insulting to David, thus Joab is heading into battle. All of this can be found in chapter 10 of 2 Samuel, I can’t make it up.

This story was in my daily reading today.  When I came upon this verse, it reminded me of the saying, “Pray like it depends on God, Work like it depends on you.”  These men were facing real battle, with horses and swords, they were facing death. This verse was their battle cry. I realized as I thought about it further, we do have a part to play.  In order to overcome our fears, we do have to face them. We have to pick up weapons, put on our armor and face our enemies. Our armor is founded on truth: God has given you all you need to face your fears.  It’s founded on righteousness: you have to trust God is with you in the battle. Our helmet is salvation, our shield is faith, our sword is God’s word and our feet, they carry peace (Ephesians 6:10-18 NLT). That is the armor of God we wear into our daily battles.  That is what we have to overcome our fears.

What does it mean to be courageous?  According to  Benjamin Mee, played by Matt Damon in “We Bought a Zoo” it’s 20 seconds of insanity:  “You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it.”  The most courageous thing you can do is take the first step.  Whatever fear you’re facing, take the first step in overcoming it.  Have 20 seconds of insane courage and take just one step, great things will come from it.

Let’s take the first step with this battle cry:

Lord, thank you for Your presence in our lives.  Thank You for the courage You have given us. Help us go into our battles bravely, praying for Your will to be done always. Help us fight bravely the fights You’ve laid out before us, for our family, our friends, our homes. (2 Samuel 10:12 NLT). In You we trust, knowing You are always with us.  In Jesus name we pray. Amen