Train to Live on Mission – Week 36
Battle Drill #36:
Learn Discernment to Make Wise Decisions!
Proverbs 26:16 (NAS95)
Pastor Jerry Ingalls, First Baptist Church of New Castle, Indiana on November 13, 2022
Today, we are going to walk through the four action steps of a soldier’s training routine to learn the next battle drill – “Learn Discernment to Make Wise Decisions!”
It is my desire to train you to make wise decisions in a reflexive, instinctive, and habitual way, no matter the pressure of the situation or the stress you’re under. It is for this reason that I went through the rigors of the US Army Ranger School, to learn how to apply the military decision-making process (MDMP) under duress and in extreme situations. I wanted to be the very best leader I could be to accomplish the mission. While I learned MDMP in a classroom environment first, it had to be trained into me so that it was reflexive, instinctive, and habitual. That does not happen by accident! I needed to be able to lead soldiers in ways that defeated the enemy and accomplished the mission, just like we need to be trained to heed God’s wisdom and make wise decisions based upon it. I can’t put you through a spiritual ranger school, but I can open your eyes to the reality that God is using your everyday life as just that – the ranger school of life to teach you discernment. Let’s give our pain and suffering meaning for the glory of God (James 1:2-4 and Romans 5:1-5).
Discernment, according to the Bible, is the capacity for rational thought and the ability to make wise decisions, to understand what is right and true, and to act upon it. In other words, the discernment that we are to cry out for is not that God should make the decision for us, but that He would give us the capacity to know what is right, to understand truth, and to act upon that information to make good decisions that glorify Him and manifest the good fruit of His Spirit.
When people approach me to seek counsel on the will of God for their lives, I teach them that discernment is more about how you make the decision, than about what decision you end up making. While I do believe what we do matters (of course it does!), I believe discernment is the why and how of the what. If you learn how to discern God’s will, then you will more times than not choose life and blessing. This is the exact opposite mindset of the “Magic 8 Ball” understanding of God’s will that so many people use in their prayer life, which, by the way, is the complete absence of the wisdom God entrusted to you with a brain to learn how to use and apply to your everyday life. Quite the opposite, discernment is the ability to apply the wisdom of God to real life decisions, using the agency and faculties God has commanded you to steward as one who is wise – Don’t be a fool, learn discernment to make wise decisions!
Let’s turn to the Field Manual and take the first step of a soldier’s training regimen.
Action Step #1) Know the Field Manual.
Action Step #2) Train together as one unit.
For each soldier to be on the same sheet of music with their Commander, if that is even possible on this side of Heaven, we must strive towards the goal of wisdom by reading from the same field manual – the Bible – and by training ourselves for godliness according to the same training regimen (1 Timothy 4:6-8). Today, we are learning that we must prioritize the urgency of making right decisions as individuals and as a member of a spiritual community called the body of Christ.
The word translated “discreet” in today’s battle drill is more often translated discernment, as in Psalm 119:66, “Teach me good discernment and knowledge, for I believe in Your commandments.” Another time it is used serves as a beautiful illustration of today’s battle drill, from 1 Samuel 25:32-34, when David praised Abigail for being wise and admonished her husband, Nabal, for being a fool:
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me, and blessed be your discernment, and blessed be you, who have kept me this day from bloodshed and from avenging myself by my own hand. Nevertheless, as the Lord God of Israel lives, who has restrained me from harming you, unless you had come quickly to meet me, surely there would not have been left to Nabal until the morning light as much as one male. [emphasis added]
Abigail applied wisdom to her situation by assisting David and his men who had protected her husband’s flocks, even though her husband refused to help David, and, in fact, was so foolish as to offend David and throw gasoline on his burning anger. If it wasn’t for Abigail’s discernment all her husband’s household would have been destroyed that day.
Remember, discernment is the ability to cooperate with the Holy Spirit in a rational decision-making process which seeks to apply God’s wisdom to your specific everyday circumstances. As we learned from this powerful illustration from God’s Word, we learn that there is a life-or-death reality to our need to learn how to apply today’s battle drill. Solomon made this urgency clear in how he gave multiple examples to the importance of “giving a discerning answer” in Proverbs 26:17-28:
Like one who takes a dog by the ears is he who passes by and meddles with strife not belonging to him. Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows and death, so is the man who deceives his neighbor, and says, “Was I not joking?” For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, contention quiets down. Like charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire, so is a contentious man to kindle strife. The words of a whisperer are like dainty morsels, and they go down into the innermost parts of the body. Like an earthen vessel overlaid with silver dross are burning lips and a wicked heart. He who hates disguises it with his lips, but he lays up deceit in his heart. When he speaks graciously, do not believe him, For there are seven abominations in his heart. Though his hatred covers itself with guile, His wickedness will be revealed before the assembly. He who digs a pit will fall into it, and he who rolls a stone, it will come back on him. A lying tongue hates those it crushes, and a flattering mouth works ruin.
The urgency of learning how to apply God’s wisdom to our everyday lives in a reflexive, instinctive, and habitual way, no matter the pressure of the situation or the stress you’re under, brings us to the third action step of a good soldier of Jesus.
Action Step #3) Seek the Commander’s approval.
Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
We must first decide to gather around the Commander, Jesus Christ, and set our ambition on becoming like Him, gentle and humble in heart, before we can do or decide anything else – this is your spiritual service of worship, being transformed into His image through the renewal of your mind. To emphasize how this renewal of the mind process works, I want to emphasize an important teaching on discernment from Proverbs 2:1-9:
My son, if you will receive my words and treasure my commandments within you, make your ear attentive to wisdom, incline your heart to understanding; for if you cry for discernment, lift your voice for understanding; if you seek her as silver and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will discern the fear of the Lord and discover the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice, and He preserves the way of His godly ones. Then you will discern righteousness and justice and equity and every good course. [emphasis added]
When you examine Proverbs 2:1-9, you see that it is one large conditional statement, an “if-then” proposition:
IF you:
- Receive My words (1)
- Treasure My commandments in your person (1)
- Make your ear attentive (2)
- Incline your heart to understanding (2)
- Cry out for discernment (3)
- Lift your voice for understanding (3)
- Seek wisdom as silver (4)
- Search for wisdom as hidden treasure (4)
THEN you will be able to:
- Discern the fear of the LORD (5)
- Discover the knowledge of God (5)
- Discern righteousness and justice and equity and every good course (9)
Why is this important? The passage explains that this “if-then” conditional statement holds true in life BECAUSE doing the IF’s puts you in the pathway of God, who:
- Gives wisdom (6)
- Speaks knowledge and understanding (6)
- Stores up sound wisdom for the upright (7)
- Shields (“He is a buckler” in KJV) those who walk in integrity (7)
- Guards the paths of justice (8)
- Preserves the way of His godly ones (8)
This is the logic loop of God’s Word and just like in computer code, a conditional statement determines the path on which you will walk in life. But unlike computers, you have free will – the responsibility to make wise choices and deal with the consequences of your choices. If you stop at a red light, then… If you look both ways before you cross the road, then… There is a rationality to an IF-THEN statement that you can train into your life to live on mission for God.
This battle drill must become instinctive, reflexive, and habitual. You must make learning discernment to make wise decisions a daily habit of your life. Every promise of God comes with this choice – choose obedience, which leads to life, or choose disobedience, which leads to death! These were Moses’ parting words to God’s people before they entered the Promised Land in Deuteronomy 30:19-20:
I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.
Either consequence – “life and death, the blessing and the curse” – is a promise of God! That’s why the Commander calls us to learn how to “give discerning answers” as today’s battle drill. This leads us to the final action step of our soldier’s training regimen.
Action Step #4) Live on mission.
We are unified by our commitment to be transformed in Christ’s presence through the work of the Holy Spirit so we can discern and do the will of God as we are guided by the Spirit. We participate in Jesus’ prayer “Thy kingdom come; thy will be done” in our own small corner of the world.[1]
If we are going to be a people who live on mission for God, then we must be a people who “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” as our greatest priority (Matthew 6:33). As we just learned from Proverbs 2:1-9, only by God’s grace can we receive wisdom (6), speak knowledge and understanding (6), store up sound wisdom for the upright (7), shield those who walk in integrity (7), guard the paths of justice (8), or preserve the way of His godly ones (8).
To make any one of these things the purpose in and of itself, is to risk losing focus on God’s mission. That is why we must prioritize our spiritual formation and seek the transformation through the renewal of the mind that only comes by walking closely with God in the easy yoke of Jesus Christ (Matthew 11:28-30; Romans 12:2a). We must be the ones who receive God’s words (1), treasure His commandments in our person (1), make our ear attentive (2), incline our heart to understanding (2), cry out for discernment (3), lift our voice for understanding (3), seek God’s wisdom as silver (4), and search for His wisdom as hidden treasure (4).
When we do this, then we will be able to discern the fear of the Lord (5), discover the knowledge of God (5), and discern righteousness and justice and equity and every good course (9). Just as Psalm 119:9 simply teaches, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word.” We train discernment by abiding in God, hiding His Word in our hearts, and prioritizing our lives around His mission! The more we invest daily time into the meditation upon and memorization of God’s Word, the more instinctive, reflexive, and habitual it will be to remain on the path of God’s “good and acceptable and perfect” will (Romans 12:2b).
Therefore, today’s battle drill of learning discernment to make wise decisions is you deciding to apply what you have learned from Jesus, doing what He would do in each of your circumstances and difficult situations. You learn to make wise decisions by walking with the One who is the author and finisher of your faith (Hebrews 12:2). This was Jesus’ promise for your life when He first invited you to walk with Him, “Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men” (Mark 1:17).
It is the Holy Spirit at work in you to bring about God’s will in and through your life as you walk with Jesus, so keep on walking with Him (Philippians 2:12-13). John said in 1 John 2:5-6, “Whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.”
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Seize the Moment – Day 970
Today’s hymn focus will be
Is He Worthy
Psalm 145:3 (NLT)
“Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! No one can measure his greatness.”
Written and recorded in the spring of 2018 by Andrew Peterson and Ben Shive and later recorded by Chris Tomlin on his album “Holy Roar”, this song came out of a season in their lives after attending a liturgical church. The word ‘liturgy’ literally means “the work of people”, implying a community service, not just listening to the pastor, but calling the people to edify one another by reaffirming what we believe.
Chris Tomlin said “When I heard this song it floored me, immediately tears just started coming over my face. I have not heard a song like that that makes me want to get on my face and worship Jesus.”
Is He worthy? Is He worthy?
Of all blessing and honor and glory
Is He worthy of this? He is
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Ken reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.
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Is He Worthy
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Seize the Moment – Day 969
Focus on the Heart of the Matter!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, November 11. Happy Veteran’s Day!
Have you ever lost sight of the heart of the matter because you got caught up in the details? It is easy to get so focused on doing something that you forget why it is you started doing it in the first place.
Upon reopening the temple in Jerusalem and consecrating the priests and Levites, King Hezekiah called for a celebration of the Passover. He sent messengers throughout the lands of Israel and Judah, to bring together the remnant of God’s people. He called everyone home for a family reunion at Yahweh’s house. God favored Hezekiah’s efforts because of the purity of his heart to unify His people in right worship. Therefore, as we see in 2 Chronicles 30:18-20, God was willing to forgive and heal His people:
For a multitude of the people, even many from Ephraim and Manasseh, Issachar and Zebulun, had not purified themselves, yet they ate the Passover otherwise than prescribed. For Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May the good Lord pardon everyone who prepares his heart to seek God, the Lord God of his fathers, though not according to the purification rules of the sanctuary.” So the Lord heard Hezekiah and healed the people.
This is a powerful example of spiritual leadership. The Assyrian Empire had ravaged Israel and had made Judah its vassal state. After 250 years of civil war, with hatred and animosity between the northern tribes of Israel and the southern tribes of Judah, Hezekiah could have easily justified punishing disobedience to the letter of the law. But he remained focused on the heart of the matter – the healing of God’s people and their unity of worship at the temple (21-27). God was their only hope!
Seize the moment and keep a right perspective as you walk through difficult circumstances and uncertain times – Don’t lose focus on the heart of the matter!
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
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Seize the Moment – Day 968
The Top Priority of Godly Leaders!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, November 10.
When is the last time you responded to a call to worship in your life? It is usually the first thing that happens at the beginning of Christian worship gatherings. A leader stands before the congregation and invites them to participate in the proclamation of their faith through song. It may be simple, but it’s both urgent and important!
Hezekiah inherited the throne of David at the time of the Assyrian Empire’s destruction of the northern tribes of Israel. Judah’s future was being threatened by the dual dangers of foreign powers from the outside and idolatry on the inside. What would be the new king’s first order of business?
King Hezekiah’s top priority was to realign his people with their God by reopening the temple and restoring the priesthood. This strategic decision was reminiscent of King David’s priorities because God intends this to be the top priority of godly leaders – to lead the people in right worship!
Hezekiah’s willingness to act quickly upon his priorities was emphasized in 2 Chronicles 29:3, “In the first year of his reign, in the first month, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord and repaired them.” Upon gathering the priests and Levites, he shared his heart with them in verse 10, “Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the Lord God of Israel, that His burning anger may turn away from us.”
This is still the top priority of every godly leader – to invite people to right worship of God! We cannot devalue our worship gatherings as just one of many things we do as His church; in fact, our worship of God is the first order of business of His people. This is your call to worship!
Seize the moment and worship God in truth and spirit as your everyday way of life, and as our top priority as His church (John 4:23-24; Hebrews 10:23-25; Acts 2:42)!
God bless you!
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.
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Seize the Moment – Day 967
The Dangers of an Unrestrained Life!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Wednesday, November 9.
What are the restraints you to choose to put upon yourself and your family to experience God’s best for your lives?
In 2 Chronicles 28:19, the Chronicler captures a nuance that is a necessary component of faithful living, “For the Lord humbled Judah because of Ahaz king of Israel, for he had brought about a lack of restraint in Judah and was very unfaithful to the Lord.” According to a commentator, Ahaz’s “lack of restraint” meant more “to favour licence [sic] rather than true liberty.”[1] It implies negligence and has connotations of unbridling something, like a horse or your tongue – to set it free, to let it go out of control.
As we learned in yesterday’s devotion, Jotham, the father of Ahaz, had a successful kingship because he “ordered his ways before the Lord his God” (2 Chronicles 27:6). Ahaz rejected his father’s faithful life. He closed the temple for right worship and set up altars throughout Jerusalem and high places throughout Judah for the people to worship wherever they wanted (2 Chronicles 28:24-25). Ahaz’s rebellion led Judah into apostasy, which led to God’s justice (16-22).
Don’t let your life get out of control! Jesus’ followers are called to demonstrate restraint, known as self-control, the fruit of the Spirit, which is God’s work in us so we can live in true freedom from sin (Galatians 5:16-25). Self-control is an important ingredient to your health and prosperity; it is necessary for success. We set bedtimes, put boundaries around certain relationships, have work hours and job descriptions, limit our online usage and media consumption, budget our money, and set diets for our eating and drinking. Without restraints, we live in grave danger to lawlessness and licentiousness!
Seize the moment and take on the restraint of the easy yoke of Jesus for “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” – your true freedom is to live in submission to Christ (Matthew 11:28-30; Galatians 5:1).
God bless you!
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.
FOOTNOTE:
[1] Martin J. Selman, 2 Chronicles: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 11, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1994), 502.
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Seize the Moment – Day 966
The Intentionality of an Orderly Life!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Tuesday, November 8.
Does your life feel like it’s out of control? Has your calendar been hijacked? Maybe it’s time to reorganize your priorities because the life you live is either going to be intentional in fulfilling those priorities or reactionary to your circumstances.
After watching the dramatic fall of his father, Jotham served as the king of Judah for sixteen years. His kingship was summarized in 2 Chronicles 27:6, “So Jotham became mighty because he ordered his ways before the Lord his God.” [emphasis added] As one commentator explained, “Here the Hebrew is, literally, ‘He made firm his ways before Yahweh his God,’ an expression that refers to doing something without flinching or wavering.”[1] The same phrase in used in Proverbs 21:29, “A wicked man displays a bold face, but as for the upright, he makes his way sure.”
Jotham grew mighty like his father, King Uzziah, but he did not fall into the same snare as that of his father – pride in his accomplishments! How did Jotham avoid falling into the trap by which many strong leaders fall? Jotham kept God as his priority; he ordered his ways without flinching or wavering from his life’s priorities! He didn’t allow his successes or failures to take over his life and determine his next steps.
It’s like going on a journey with a destination firmly established. You set your course even though you will pull off the road to look at vistas, stop in towns to get meals and fill the gas tank, get your vehicle serviced when the check engine light comes on, but you always return to the purpose of the trip – getting to the destination!
God bless you!
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.
FOOTNOTE:
[1] Mark J. Boda, Cornerstone Biblical Commentary: 1-2 Chronicles, vol. 5 (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2010), 373.
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Seize the Moment – Day 965
Success is a Double-edged Sword!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Monday, November 7.
Did you know that your greatest strengths can also be your greatest weaknesses? We call this a double-edged sword. Often, this phenomenon is highlighted in stories that capture the rise and fall of strong leaders. The strength of their “can-do” attitudes morph into the weakness of a “I can-do-no-wrong” mentality. As you have heard it said, “Pride goes before destruction” (Proverbs 16:18a).
Unfortunately, Uzziah’s pride prevented him from humbling himself and repenting of his sin when his faithful priests rebuked him, so God’s justice brought Uzziah to his knees and cut him off from the people and the house of the Lord until his death (19-23). You see, Uzziah’s “can-do” attitude morphed into a “I can-do-no-wrong” mentality. How wrong he was!
God bless you!
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.
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Train to Live on Mission – Week 35
Battle Drill #35:
Endure the Refining Process!
Proverbs 25:4-5 (NAS95)
Isn’t that what God is doing with us in the long slow obedience of progressive sanctification? We have all picked up a lot of bad habits through our years of living “under the sun” and He is refining us by teaching us how to bring all things in submission to His Son. We were enlisted to be good soldiers of Jesus Christ and that gave us our justification before God (our positional holiness), but our ability to be good soldiers doesn’t happen just because we are saved; it’s a process of growing in our personal holiness – breaking the habits of the flesh so that we can live in the freedom of the Spirit. There’s a new language to learn, and some old language to work out of our system. There’s a new way of communicating and dealing with conflict, and some old communication patterns and ways of dealing with conflict that need to be unlearned. There’s a new way of living if you are going to represent the Commander and live on mission for God. Let’s turn to the Field Manual and take the first step of a soldier’s training regimen.
Action Step #1) Know the Field Manual.
Action Step #2) Train together as one unit.
As a disciple of Christ, I am to simultaneously trust God for the completion of my life – when I will reflect Him perfectly, while I learn to walk with Him, becoming like Him each step of the way. This gives me the hope to be courageous throughout the long slow obedience in the same direction of Christlikeness. We see this dual charge in Philippians 2:12-13, “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” There is a promise to be trusted – our perfection before God – and there is a praxis to embrace in every area of our lives – the reflection of His holiness in our relationships, marriage, parenting, etc. Remember, this is the will of God, His good pleasure, for your life – “to become conformed to the image of His Son” (Romans 8:29).
Brothers and sisters, I am here to teach you that you can’t have it one way or the other; it is a both-and that must be trained into your perspective of life circumstances, and in the mindset of your training regimen as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. If you are going to become the best version of you to the glory of God, then you need to trust God and His ways for the completion of that which He calls you to embrace wholeheartedly. Stop trying to hijack the process! For example, your marriage is more about your holiness than your happiness because He called you to represent Him in and through it. Until you get this, then you will continue to chase your tail.
Let’s pull at the thread of the biblical theme of today’s battle drill then we will understand how God intends for it to be applied to our lives as good soldiers. “Dross” is the waste material (scum or impurity) that is extracted from the silver during a repetitive process of heating and melting the silver to purify it. While dross is literally the impurity of metal removed during the smelting process, it was used to symbolize personal or national impurity, specifically the spiritual contamination of God’s people, as in Ezekiel 22:18, “Son of man, the house of Israel has become dross to Me; all of them are bronze and tin and iron and lead in the furnace; they are the dross of silver.” God wanted His people holy – set apart for His purposes and His glory!
In Proverbs 25:4-5, dross represents the wicked of the kingdom that renders the whole society impure – the wicked and unrighteous. If a king wanted his kingship to be marked by justice and righteousness, he had to remove the dross – the wicked and unrighteous who were corrupting his kingdom. We see it used this way of God’s kingdom in Psalm 119:119, “You have removed all the wicked of the earth like dross; therefore I love Your testimonies.”
This repetitive process for the spiritual refinement of God’s people through discipline and difficulties became deeply imbedded into the psyche of God’s people through Israel’s history of prophecy, as in God’s promise to His people in Isaiah 1:21-26:
How the faithful city has become a harlot, she who was full of justice! Righteousness once lodged in her, but now murderers. Your silver has become dross, your drink diluted with water. Your rulers are rebels and companions of thieves; everyone loves a bribe and chases after rewards. They do not defend the orphan, nor does the widow’s plea come before them. Therefore the Lord God of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel, declares, “Ah, I will be relieved of My adversaries and avenge Myself on My foes. I will also turn My hand against you, and will smelt away your dross as with lye and will remove all your alloy. Then I will restore your judges as at the first, and your counselors as at the beginning; after that you will be called the city of righteousness, a faithful city.”
This is how God’s people were taught to interpret their history and their current events – through a lens of God’s providential purposes of refining them for His glory. During God’s justice, in Jeremiah 6:27-30, God made Jeremiah the prophet an assayer, a tester of metals:
“I have made you an assayer and a tester among My people, that you may know and assay their way.” All of them are stubbornly rebellious, going about as a talebearer. They are bronze and iron; they, all of them, are corrupt. The bellows blow fiercely, the lead is consumed by the fire; in vain the refining goes on, but the wicked are not separated. They call them rejected silver, because the Lord has rejected them.
This prophetic tradition continued in Ezekiel 22:18-22, then it ultimately culminated with the foretelling of the coming of the Messiah in Malachi 3:1-3:
“Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the Lord of hosts. “But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears? For He is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. He will sit as a smelter and purifier of silver, and He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may present to the Lord offerings in righteousness.
What is the refiner’s fire, and why does God use this imagery of the smelting process in His people’s lives? God is described as a consuming fire, but the consuming fire did not consume the burning bush when God called Moses. The friends of Daniel were tossed into the fire but were not consumed – the Fourth was with them! God is not a wildfire – He is controlled and has our best interests in mind. God is a holy fire because His fire has a purpose – to refine us into His image! Just as we see in God’s Creation, fire is an essential ingredient to life – for our warmth, for cooking, for production of materials, for the cauterization of wounds, and even for forests to thrive. So often we only think of the destructive power of fire, rather than its life-giving intent!
In the spiritual, Psalm 12:6 explains, “The words of the Lord are pure words; as silver tried in a furnace on the earth, refined seven times.” This sevenfold refining process of the Word speaks to its perfection, and the purpose for which God sent forth His Word – to bring His people to perfection so that they can be with Him. As Isaiah 45:23 states, “I have sworn by Myself, the word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness and will not turn back, that to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance” (cf. Isaiah 55:11).
This is the purpose of the smelting process – to bring all things to completion through the fire of God’s glory, the refinement of His presence upon the earth. This is the reason for Christ coming! This is the purpose of His church! This is God’s plan to enlist you, and it is His pleasure to refine you through His Word and Holy Spirit. That brings us to the third action step of a good soldier of Jesus.
Action Step #3) Seek the Commander’s approval.
Jesus is the Living Word and His coming brought God’s refiner’s fire not only to Israel, but through Israel to all the nations. Jesus fulfilled the prophetic imagery of Israel. This is the imagery of Pentecost as the glory of God fell on the early church in “tongues as of fire” (Acts 2:3). The Holy Spirit came as a refiner’s fire to purify a new priesthood through faith in Jesus Christ, one that would offer right sacrifices in righteousness as foretold in Malachi 3:3. Peter expressed this plainly in 1 Peter 2:5 and 9:
You also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. … But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
This is who you are, and that is why Christ has enlisted you, but let’s not forget that the smelting process, which removes the dross from your life, is a repetitive one. This is not a “once upon a time” or “one and done” proposal. While your salvation is exactly that – you are justified by the blood of Jesus – your “usefulness to the Master” is dependent upon your willingness to participate in the refinement process that the fire of the Holy Spirit continuously is doing within you, with every thought, word, relationship, and deed. As Paul taught his protégé in 2 Timothy 2:21, “Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.”
Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). With God’s continuous presence in your life, what are you asking the Holy Spirit to cohabitate with? What impurities are you asking God to “tabernacle with” in your life? Are you useful to the Master?
Interestingly, each time the refiner of metal repeats the refinement process he raises the heat to skim even more dross. His goal is to increase the quality and purity of the refined metal. Should it surprise you then that God does the same in our lives – He turns up the heat to increase the quality and purity of your life. Maybe you thought the hardest (hottest) work of your Christian life was at your conversion, and in the beginning years of sanctification, but I believe, from biblical and anecdotal evidence, that the work of the Spirit gets hotter the deeper it goes into your life. Issues of external holiness, what so many churches and pastors are focused on, are superficial compared with the deeply rooted issues of rebellion that fuel them. Therefore, when you experience fiery trials in your life, you can take comfort in knowing that God’s refining fire is removing the dross for your ability to reflect His glory through your effectiveness and fruitfulness in the mission! He perseveres in this work until the last breath – so that you may learn how to, and then, ultimately, surrender all to God unto death for His glory!
It is because of this understanding of God’s intent that Tevye, the beloved father from Fiddler on the Roof, prayed during suffering and hardship, “I know. I know. We are Your chosen people. But, once in a while, can’t You choose someone else?” God loves His chosen people, and He continuously increases the heat so that we may reflect Him more to allow who watch our lives – this is our mission! This leads us to the final action step of our soldier’s training regime.
Action Step #4) Live on mission.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
In conclusion, the mission of God in and through your life is found in your faith and in how you walk through the refiner’s fire of your life with faith. Paul expressed this purpose to His followers in 2 Corinthians 4:5-10:
For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.
God is at work in your life because you are a temple of the Holy Spirit. You and your life are the very presence of the refiner’s fire in the world. May God’s unquenchable fire of holiness, His refiner’s fire, remove all that is perishable from you and purify all that is imperishable. May God’s image be reflected more and more in you and through your life as you shine His piercing light in the darkness of these last days. May you start seeing every circumstance and every challenging situation as an opportunity to become more like Jesus until your very life proclaims the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Make this battle drill a reflexive, instinctive, and habitual part of your Christian life so that you can CM – Continue the Mission! Therefore, live on mission today and train the battle drill of the week for the glory of God. Let us pray.
You can listen to the message by clicking below:
You can watch the message by clicking HERE.
Extra Materials
(not preached, but still for the edification of the brethren):
Today’s battle drill helps us make sense of the smelting process of our difficulties, as described in Romans 5:1-5:
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Every circumstance of your life – the good, the bad, and the ugly – now makes sense when you learn to endure God’s refining process. As Paul taught in Romans 8:26-30:
In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.
Even the evil of this world – the wickedness and injustices – will be used by God for His glory, and in the refinement process of His people, as taught in 1 Peter 5:6-10:
Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.
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Seize the Moment – Day 963
Today’s Modern day hymn focus will be
Make Room
Romans 6:13 (NLT)
Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.
Written in 2020 by Community Music’s husband and wife team Lucas Cortazio and Evelyn Heideriqui , along with writers Josh Farro and Bekah White, created this song as a prayer for God to take His rightful place, demonstrating that it is up to us to open up and allow Him access to our hearts and lives. This song glorifies God while pleading with both believers and non-believers to lay down their lives in total surrender. It is only of our own free will that this can happen because God is a gentleman and does not force His way, but lovingly calls us to surrender to Him, making Him Lord of our lives.
And I will make room for You to do whatever you want to,
to do whatever you want to.
And I will make room for You to do whatever you want to
To do whatever You want to.
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Ken reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.
If you would like to listen to this song, click on this link:
Make Room
Here is where I lay it down
Every burden, every crown
This is my surrender
This is my surrender
Here is where I lay it down
Every lie and every doubt
This is my surrender
And I will make room for You
To do whatever You want to
To do whatever You want to
And I will make room for You
To do whatever You want to
To do whatever You want to, oh
Have Your way, have Your way, Jesus, oh
We surrender all, we surrender all, Jesus
Have Your way, Jesus, have Your way, Jesus
Shake up the ground of all my tradition
Break down the walls of all my religion
Your way is better
Oh Your way is better
Shake up the ground of all my tradition
Break down the walls of all my religion
Your way is better, Jesus
Oh Your way is better
Shake up the ground of all my tradition
Break down the walls of all my religion
Your way is better, Jesus
Your way is better
Shake up the ground of all my tradition
Break down the walls of all my religion
Your way is better
Oh Your way is better
Here is where I lay it down
You are all I’m chasing now
This is my surrender
This is my surrender
Here is where I lay it down
You are all I’m chasing now
This is my surrender
This is my surrender
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Seize the Moment – Day 962
Where the Rubber Meets the Road!
Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Friday, November 4.
Where does the rubber meet the road in your faith? For many churches in America, and for many people in today’s world, the rubber meets the road in their finances.
King Amaziah of Judah took a census of his fighting men in preparation for war against the Edomites. He felt that his force of 300,000 fighting men was insufficient, so he hired an additional 100,000 mercenaries from Israel. God was displeased with him, as an unnamed prophet told him in 2 Chronicles 25:7-9:
But a man of God came to him saying, “O king, do not let the army of Israel go with you, for the Lord is not with Israel nor with any of the sons of Ephraim. But if you do go, do it, be strong for the battle; yet God will bring you down before the enemy, for God has power to help and to bring down.” Amaziah said to the man of God, “But what shall we do for the hundred talents which I have given to the troops of Israel?” And the man of God answered, “The Lord has much more to give you than this.”
Amaziah was concerned with losing his investment of one hundred talents of silver, which is approximately 7,500 pounds. Just to put that in perspective, by today’s value of silver at $18.65 per ounce, that is over two million dollars of silver. That’s a significant amount of money! But more important than the money was the invitation for Amaziah to put his faith in God – God would not only win the battle, but He would give him a larger return on his investment of faith.
Could you walk away from a large amount of money because you felt the conviction of the Holy Spirit? Do you trust that God can meet your needs in greater ways, beyond what you can imagine?
Seize the moment and believe God for your victories and finances – “The Lord has much more to give you than this.” Trust God wherever it is the rubber meets the road in your faith.
God bless you!
If you would like to receive a personal phone call today, all you have to do is dial the phone number below right now and one of us will call you soon.
YOUTUBE:
If you prefer a video, Pastor Jerry reads his devotion on YouTube as well. Click HERE to visit the page.
Videos are posted about a week after the devotion appears in the blog.
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