To Binge, or Not to Binge?

By D’Ann Davis

“In the time of his distress he became yet more faithless to the Lord—this same King Ahaz. For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus that had defeated him and said, ‘Because the gods of the kings of Syria helped them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me.’ But they were the ruin of him and of all Israel.” 

2 Chronicles 28:22-23

Times were stressful in the life of King Ahaz. He was designated as a king who did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord earlier in verse one. As a result, the Lord gave the nation of Judah into the hands of the Syrians and the Israelites, and He had allowed the Philistines and Edomites to invade and win victories throughout Judah. Continuing in his sin, Ahaz did not humble himself and seek help from the Lord, but instead sought help from the Assyrians, a nation that would ultimately be a tool of the Lord to bring down Israel.

Verses 22-23 give some insight into the mindset of Ahaz as he responded to the extreme stressors in his life. He figured since the gods of Damascus had defeated him before and seemed to help his enemies, then he might as well bow down to those gods as well. This refusal to repent and seek the Lord led to his downfall.

A shallow reading of the text might tempt one to judge Ahaz as more foolish than one’s self, but it would be negligent not to realize that anyone can fall prey to this mindset. A fall to a habitual sin does not lead to getting up and walking in repentance, but a further indulgence in the sin. A minor defeat leads to a major acquiescence on the sinner’s part. It is not a minor fall to fantasy, lust, or pornography. It’s a three-day binge. It is not a failure to ignore an ex’s text, it’s a weekend-long or years-long return to sin and death.

As believers we have got to remember that losing a battle to the enemy does not excuse turning to worship that enemy and looking for our salvation from the one who got the best of us in that particular battle. A loss calls for a return to our Deliverer. It calls for repentance to the one true God and King. Let’s stop returning to sin because we took a few steps backward. Let’s get up, move forward, and seek the Lord with all of our hearts and souls, knowing that we have a Great High Priest who can sympathize with our weaknesses. Let’s stop binging and start repenting. Let’s find life in Christ and avoid ruin. Let’s learn from King Ahaz’s mistakes.

Dear Lord, thank You for Your mercy and grace that You freely offer us in our times of need. Thank You that it was for freedom that You set us free and thus we need not seek salvation in the slavery we fell prey to in our sin. Help us to only worship You and to love You with all of our hearts, souls, minds and strength. Help us not turn away from You to serve other gods but please keep our eyes on You, the Author and Perfecter of our faith. Thank You for Your forgiveness and grace dear Lord. We love You. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.

Vision

By Darrel Auvenshine

“…the Lord had put in my heart to do…”

Nehemiah 2:12 

Remain true to the vision God has placed in your heart. Is there a certain path God seems to have placed you on; a direction, passion or ministry you feel especially called to? One place we see vision being imparted from God to man is in Nehemiah 2:12. Nehemiah uses the words, “The Lord had put in my heart to do…”.

Vision can be the deposit of dreams or vision for life purpose, direction or a specific task at hand. Certainly God did give Nehemiah the vision of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. The report of the condition of Jerusalem came to Nehemiah and with the report came a vision from God. The vision was founded on the point of God’s word, “If you return to me and obey my commands and live by them, then even if you are exiled to the ends of the earth, I will bring you back to the place I have chosen for my name to be honored.”

Nehemiah’s vision was much more than the rebuilding of walls architecturally; the vision was in regard to the return of God’s people to the place where His name is honored.

If possible, complete this statement from your own experience:  “The Lord had put it in my heart to __________.”

What is the foundation or beginning point for the vision? What promise of God are you leaning on in regard to the vision?

Revelation Leads to Intimacy

By Darrel Auvenshine

“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son, and they will call Him Immanuel which means God with us.”

Matthew 1:23 

God reveals Himself and our response is worship. The more we see God the deeper our intimacy with Him grows.

Consider human relationships. One of the most meaningful gifts I have from my Dad who passed away in 2005 is a book of questions he took time to answer about himself. Memories from childhood; fears; achievements: favorite foods, sports, hobbies. Etc. The book provided an avenue for Dad to share more completely, who he was with his children.

Or consider the relationship between husband and wife. There is an exposing of oneself to his or her spouse that is unlike any other relationship. Intimacy requires revelation. Of course this applies in the sexual relationship, but goes far beyond that into other areas of marriage. Kim (my wife) knows things about me that no one else knows. The longer we are married the more intimate we become. 

God gave a beautiful example of this reality by sending His only son, Jesus, to be born a man. They called His name Immanuel—God with us. How intimate that God chose to reveal Himself in the form of a man. Not just a man, but a baby. He was so small and tender. 

When you think of your relationship with God, would you say it is intimate? 

Has your intimacy grown as God has revealed Himself to you?