The Sovereignty of God (Part 1)

* Since there are no free e-books of Trusting God When Life Hurts by Jerry Bridges, i had to type out chapter 3 on THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD from my own personal copy of the book i have by hand. It will be in two separate blogs. Soon to follow will be two more blogs i will write up on Chapter 4 called, GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY OVER HIS PEOPLE.

This is a very important subject that is rarely preached, talked about or even given serious study to. Prayerfully consider, meditate on, and dig deeper Scripturally on the absolute Sovereignty of God in all things seen and unseen alike. It might be quite difficult to comprehend and embrace, but it is what it is. THE TRUTH according to His Word!

Isaiah 55:8-10

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:

Linda Rose

THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD (Chapter 3 ~ by Jerry Bridges)

THE LORD FOILS THE PLANS OF NATIONS; HE THWARTS THE PURPOSES OF THE PEOPLES. BUT THE PLANS OF THE LORD STAND FIRM FOREVER, THE PURPOSES OF HIS HEART THROUGH ALL GENERATIONS (PS 33-10-11) 

In the year 1902, a young English boy came down to breakfast to find his father reading a newspaper which carried news of preparations for the first coronation in Britain in sixty-four years. The middle of breakfast the father turned to his wife and said, “Oh, I am sorry to see this work like that.”She said, “What is it?” “Why,” he replied, “here is a proclamation that on a certain date Prince Edward will be crowned king at Westminster and there is no Deo volente, God willing.” The words stuck in the young boy’s mind for the very reason that on the appointed date the future Edward VII was ill with appendicitis and the coronation had to be postponed.

At this time, at the end of Queen Victoria’s reign, the political, economic, and military power of the British Empire was at its zenith. Yet for all its great might, Great Britain could not carry out its planned coronation on the appointed date. Was the omission of “God willing” from the proclamation and the subsequent postponement of the coronation merely coincidence, two events without any relation to one another? Or did God cause Prince Edward to have appendicitis to show that He was “in control?” We don’t know why the situation occurred as it did. One thing we do know, however; whether we acknowledge it with Deo volente or not, we cannot carry out any plan apart from God’s will. The Bible leaves no doubt about that fact. James says it clearly in the following passage.

James 4:13-15

Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.

GOD’S ABSOLUTE CONTROL

God is in control; He is Sovereign. He does whatever pleases Him and determines whether we can do what we planned. This is the essence of God’s Sovereignty; His absolute independence to do as He pleases and His absolute control over the actions of all His creatures. No creature, person, or empire can either thwart His will or act outside the bounds His will.

In chapter one I stated that, for us to trust God in times of adversity, we must believe in God’s Sovereignty, His love, and His wisdom. Of these three truths, the Sovereignty of God seems to be questioned the most frequently and most stridently. It seems we will allow God to go anywhere except upon His throne ruling His universe according to His good pleasure and His Sovereign will.

Even godly Christian writers whose books are helpful to many can, in their writings, take God off his throne. One of their most common statements is that God voluntarily limited Himself to the actions of men in order to give man his freedom. For example, Andrew Murray wrote, “In creating man with a free will and making him a partner in the rule of the earth, God limited himself. He made himself dependent on what man would do. Man by his prayer would hold the measure of what God could do in blessing” (emphasis added.)

Other Christian writers fail to acknowledge the controlling hand of God – either directing or permitting – in every event of our lives. One writer, for example, speaks of suffering sometimes coming because of misfortune or accident, things “just happening.” And pain coming our way, “due to circumstances beyond our control.”

Our response to such statements is more than mere theological discussion. Confidence in the Sovereignty of God in all that affects is crucial to out trusting Him. If there is a single event in the entire universe that can occur outside of God’s Sovereign control, then we cannot trust Him. His love may be infinite, but if His power is limited and his purpose can be thwarted, we cannot trust Him. You may entrust to me your most valuable possessions.  I may love you and my aim to honor your trust may be sincere, but if I do not have the power or ability to guard your valuables, you cannot entrust them to me.

Paul, however, said we can trust our most valuable possession to the Lord. In 1 Timothy 1:12, he said, “That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet I am not ashamed because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him for that day.”  (emphasis added) “But,” someone says, “Paul is speaking there of eternal life. Without question, we can entrust our eternal destiny to God, but what about our problems in this life? They make me wonder about the Sovereignty of God.”

          

It should be evident; however, that God’s Sovereignty does not begin at death. As we will see in a later chapter, His Sovereign direction in our lives even preceded our birth. God rules as surely as He does in Heaven. He permits, for reasons known only to Himself, for people to act contrary to and in defiance of His revealed will. But He never permits them to act contrary to His Sovereign will.

In support of the statement  I have just made – God never permits people to act contrary to His Sovereign will – consider the following passages of Scripture:

Proverbs 16:9

A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.

Proverbs 19:21

There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.

Proverbs 21:30

There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD.

Ecclesiastes 7:13

Consider the work of God: for who can make that straight, which He hath made crooked?

Lamentations 3:37

Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not?

James 4:15

For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.

Revelation 3:17

 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith He that is Holy, He that is True, He that hath the Key of David, He that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;

We make plans, but those plans can succeed only when they are consistent with God’s purpose. No plan can succeed against Him. No one can straighten what He makes crooked or make crooked what He has made straight. No emperor, king, supervisor, teacher, or coach can speak and have it happen if the Lord has not first decreed to make it happen or permit it to happen. No one can say, “I will do this or that,” and have it happen if it is not part of God’s Sovereign will.

What an encouragement, what a stimulus to trusting God, this aspect of God’s Sovereignty should be to us. Is someone “out to get you?” That person absolutely cannot execute his malicious plans unless God has first decreed it. I spoke with a military chaplain who had a confrontation with a more senior chaplain over an illegal act the senior chaplain proposed to do. As a result the senior chaplain wrote a very critical letter to the chief of chaplains that has seriously jeopardized my friend’s career. Is my friend merely the victim of a cruel act of revenge? Not according to Scripture. The ungodly chaplain may write a dozen letters , but he absolutely cannot end my friend’s career unless God permits it.  And if God permits it, it is because the ungodly action is part of God’s plan for him. No one can speak or have it happen if the Lord has not decreed it (Lamentations 3:37)

My friend’s experience is not unique. Thousands of Christians have experienced similar injustices at the hands of teachers, coaches, fellow workers, supervisors at work, etc. Perhaps you have, too. When these events occur they always hurt. We cannot dismiss them with the glib expression, “God is in control.” God is in control, but in His control He allows us to experience pain. The pain is very real. We hurt, we suffer. But in the midst of our suffering we must believe that God is in control; that He is Sovereign.

As author Margaret Clarkson again so beautifully has written, “The Sovereignty of God is the one impregnable rock to which the suffering human heart must cling. The circumstances surrounding our lives are no accident: they may be the work of evil, but that evil is held firmly within the mighty hand of our Sovereign God……All evil is subject to Him, and evil cannot touch His children unless He permits it. God is the Lord of human history and of the personal history of every member of His redeemed family.”

Not only are the willful malevolent acts of other people under God’s Sovereign control, so also are the mistakes and failures of other people. Did another driver go through a red light, strike your car, and send you to the hospitals with multiple fractures? Did a physician fail to detect your cancer in its early stages, when it would have been treatable? Did you end up with an incompetent instructor in a very important course in college, or an inept supervisor that blocked your career in business? All of these circumstances are under the controlling hand of our Sovereign God, who is working all them out in our lives for our good.

Neither the willful malicious acts nor the unintended mistakes of people can thwart God’s purpose for us, “There is no wisdom, no insight, nor plan that can succeed against the Lord.” (Proverbs 21:30) The Roman governor Felix left Paul in prison for over two years. Felix committed a totally unjust act because he wanted to grant a favor to the Jews (Acts 24:27.) Joseph was left in prison for two years because Pharaoh’s cup bearer forgot him (Genesis 40:14, 23; 41:1.)  These two godly men were left to languish in prison – one because of deliberate injustice and the other because of inexcusable forgetfulness – but both of their predicaments were under the Sovereign control of an infinitely wise and loving God.

Nothing is so small or trivial as to escape the attention of God’s Sovereign control;  nothing is so great as to be beyond God’s power to control it. The insignificant sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His will; the mighty Roman empire cannot crucify Jesus Christ unless that power is given by God (Matthew 10:29, John 19:10-11.) And for what is true of the sparrow and for Jesus is true for you and me. No detail of your life is too insignificant for your heavenly Father’s attention; no circumstance is so big that He cannot control it.

Within two days I received word of calamitous events in the lives of two of my friends. The wife of one friend was killed instantly when the car apparently stalled at a railroad crossing in the path of an oncoming train. The other friend is an independent over-the-road truck driver struggling to get established in that business. On a recent trip his truck broke down, necessitating expensive repairs on the road. The repairs completely wiped out the income he would have made from the trip.

The consequences of these two events, of course, cannot be compared. The struggling truck driver would agree that no amount of lost income can be compared to a precious wife. But what do we say to either of these men, each grappling with his own unique set of circumstances, about the Sovereignty of God? Do we just speak to one of a “tragic accident" and to the other about his “bad luck?”

Are we truly left to the mercy of stalled cars, of trucks that break down, of people who are in a position to do us harm and are intent on doing it? No, a thousand times no! We are in the hands of a Sovereign God who controls every circumstance of our lives and who rejoices in doing us good (Jeremiah 32:41.)

GOD’S SOVEREIGNTY IS NOT ALWAYS APPARENT

One of our problems with the Sovereignty of God is that it frequently does not appear that God is in control of the circumstances of our lives. We see unjust or uncaring or even clearly wicked people doing things that adversely affect us. We experience the consequences of other people’s mistakes and failures. We even do foolish and sinful things ourselves and suffer the often bitter fruit of our actions. It is difficult to see God working through secondary causes and frail, sinful human beings. But it is the ability of God to so arrange diverse human actions to fulfill His purpose that makes His Sovereignty marvelous yet mysterious. No Bible believing Christian has any difficulty believing that God can and does work miracles – instances of His Sovereign but direct intervention into the affairs of people. Regardless of our theological position regarding miracles occurring today, we all accept without question the validity of the miracles recorded in Scripture. But to believe in the Sovereignty of God we do not see His direct intervention – when God is, so to speak, working entirely behind the scenes through ordinary circumstances and ordinary actions of people – is even more important, because that is the way God usually works.

A nineteenth-century writer, Alexander Carson, in his book, Confidence in God in Times of Danger, says, “For the wisdom of men cannot see how the providence of God could arrange human actions to fulfill His purpose without any miracle.” For example, one writer, commenting on an accident in which her car was struck by another that went through a red light supposed that for God to have protected her, He would have made the other driver’s car suddenly sprout wings so that it could fly over her car without impacting. What is implied in such a statement is the idea that God is suddenly confronted with a crisis in the life of one of His children and has no recourse to work a miracle or let the crisis occur.

God did allow the crisis to occur in her situation, but it was not because He could not prevent it. In His Sovereignty He could have changed the timing of either driver’s arrival at the intersection, or even diverted them along another route had He chosen to do so. None of us knows of such events in our own lives (perhaps hundreds) when we have been unknowingly spared from adversity or tragedy by the unseen Sovereign hand of God. As the psalmist said, “He will not let your foot slip – He who watched over you will not slumber; indeed, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber or sleep”(Psalm 121:3-4.)

Undoubtedly, one of the reasons the book of Esther is included in Scripture is to help us see the Sovereign hand of God at work behind the scenes caring for His people. One of the more arresting things about the book is that the name of God is never once mentioned. Yet the observant reader sees God’s hand in every circumstance, bringing about the deliverance of His people just as surely as He brought about their deliverance from Egypt through mighty miracles centuries before. God was as Sovereignly at work through ordinary circumstances in the time of Esther as He was through the miracles in the time of Moses.

The pivot point of the book of Esther is chapter 6. Prior to the events of the night recorded in that chapter, the lives of the Jews in the entire realm of the Persian King Xerxes were in danger due to the diabolical scheme of one wicked man, Haman, who had recently been elevated to a position higher than that of all the nobles in the kingdom. But in chapter 6, events begin to turn leading ultimately to the downfall and death of wicked Haman, the physical salvation of the Jews, and the elevation of Mordecai (the hero of the story) to the second highest position in the kingdom.

Because of the series of events recorded in Esther, chapter 6 reveals in a remarkable way how God Sovereignly uses the most ordinary circumstances to accomplish His purpose, we will look at those circumstances in some detail..

On the fateful night King Xerxes could not sleep, he ordered the book of Chronicles of his reign to be brought in and read to him. In the course of the reading, it came to light that Mordecai who was in danger of being hanged the next morning, had on an earlier occasion reported a plot to assassinate the king. The king had asked what recognition had been given Mordecai and found that nothing had been done. So the king decided on the spot to honor Mordecai and, as it turned out, the very man who had determined to hang Mordecai ended up carrying out the king’s edict to publicly honor him.

Consider what had to happen to save Mordecai from the gallows. Why could the king not sleep that fateful night? Why, then, did he ask for a dry register of facts to be read to him rather than soothing music to put him to sleep? And when the book of the chronicles of his reign was read, why did the reader happen to read from the particular section of the book where Mordecai’s actions were recorded? Were there not a thousand chances that the reader would have selected some other portion of the annals of the Persian empire to read?

The king heard about Mordecai’s service and asked how he was rewarded. Why had the king not rewarded Mordecai at the time he had saved the kings life? Why did he suddenly determine to do something? And why did wicked Haman appear at that moment to ask the kings permission to hang Mordecai? Why did Xerxes ask Haman what should be done to honor the man in such a way as to conceal the object of his favor, causing Haman to think he himself was the one to be honored?

The answer to all of these questions was that God Sovereignly orchestrating the events of that night to save His people. The question naturally arises, however, “Does God always orchestrate the events of my life for my good?” If we grant that the unusual outworking of events in Esther was due to the Sovereign hand of God, are we justified in concluding that God always orchestrates the events of our lives to fulfill His Purpose? According to Romans 8:28, the answer is a solid yes. That verse says, We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose” (emphasis added.) It is this assurance that God works in all events of our lives that gives sense to Paul’s exhortation elsewhere to “give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18, emphasis added.) How can we possibly give thanks to God for all the circumstances of our lives if He were not at work in them for our good? 

Is it Well with your Soul?

“They have dealt treacherously against the Lord.”

Hosea 5:7

Believer, here is a sorrowful truth! Thou art the beloved of the Lord, redeemed by blood, called by grace, preserved in Christ Jesus, accepted in the Beloved, on thy way to heaven, and yet, “thou hast dealt treacherously” with God, thy best friend; treacherously with Jesus, whose thou art; treacherously with the Holy Spirit, by whom thou hast been quickened unto life eternal! How treacherous you have been in the matter of vows and promises. 

Do you remember the love of your espousals, that happy time—the springtime of your spiritual life? Oh, how closely did you cling to your Master then! saying, “He shall never charge me with indifference; my feet shall never grow slow in the way of his service; I will not suffer my heart to wander after other loves; in him is every store of sweetness ineffable. 

I give all up for my Lord Jesus’ sake.” Has it been so? Alas! if conscience speak, it will say, “He who promised so well has performed most ill. Prayer has oftentimes been slurred—it has been short, but not sweet; brief, but not fervent. Communion with Christ has been forgotten. Instead of a heavenly mind, there have been carnal cares, worldly vanities and thoughts of evil. Instead of service, there has been disobedience; instead of fervency, lukewarmness; instead of patience, petulance; instead of faith, confidence in an arm of flesh; and as a soldier of the cross there has been cowardice, disobedience, and desertion, to a very shameful degree.” “Thou hast dealt treacherously.” Treachery to Jesus! what words shall be used in denouncing it? 

Words little avail: let our penitent thoughts execrate the sin which is so surely in us. Treacherous to thy wounds, O Jesus! Forgive us, and let us not sin again! How shameful to be treacherous to him who never forgets us, but who this day stands with our names engraven on his breastplate before the eternal throne.

C.H. Spurgeon

The Faces of God

i listened to an audio called the faces of God by Richard Wurmbrandt a few days back and found this video link. There are no words to describe how much this moved and touched me. After listening to the audio, i realized how i have throughout my walk with Christ not prayed for my brothers and sisters in Christ, who are suffering greatly for their faith throughout the world. i have committed to daily praying for those who are being tortured, persecuted, in prison and suffering all kinds of evil and cruelty at the hands of their tormentors.

My prayer is that those who view this video will also be touched and moved to do the same. As i was praying this morning, the thought,"Out of sight, out of mind" spoke loud and clear. This has been the way for me as i have forgotten and lacked diligence in praying for my suffering brothers and sisters in the faith. We, as His followers, need to be MINDFUL and keep in our sight these brethren who desperately need our prayers. When you think you have suffered much here in this country, it pales in comparison to those of His precious Body who have and continue to suffer the most heinous brutality for their faith in Christ. And yet, the love and compassion that many of these brethren show toward those who torture them is like no other testimony to grip a child of God's heart.

The Faces of God (video link) by Richard Wurmbrandt

Dangers of the Third Generation

Dangers of the Third Generation by Paris Reedhead ~ Click here


Worship of Baal / Possessions (things, prosperity) / Lust of the eyes


Worship of Ashtoroth /  sexual experience outside of marriage, unnatural desires and fleshly pleasures (sexual immorality ~ Pornography) / Lust of the Flesh


Worship of Molech / Position, knowledge, status, power and high ranking / Pride of Life


1 John 2:15-17
 
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 
 
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. 
 
And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. 
           

Divine Love and the Proving of a True Lover

* The Disciple   I BLESS You, O heavenly Father, Father of my Lord Jesus Christ, for having condescended to remember me, a poor creature. Thanks to You, O Father of mercies, God of all consolation, Who with Your comfort sometimes refresh me, who am not worthy of it. I bless You always and glorify You with Your only-begotten Son and the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, forever and ever.    Ah, Lord God, my holy Lover, when You come into my heart, all that is within me will rejoice. You are my glory and the exultation of my heart. You are my hope and refuge in the day of my tribulation. But because my love is as yet weak and my virtue imperfect, I must be strengthened and comforted by You.  Visit me often, therefore, and teach me Your holy discipline. Free me from evil passions and cleanse my heart of all disorderly affection so that, healed and purified within, I may be fit to love, strong to suffer, and firm to persevere. Love is an excellent thing, a very great blessing, indeed. It makes every difficulty easy, and bears all wrongs with equanimity. For it bears a burden without being weighted and renders sweet all that is bitter. The noble love of Jesus spurs to great deeds and excites longing for that which is more perfect. Love tends upward; it will not be held down by anything low. Love wishes to be free and estranged from all worldly affections, lest its inward sight be obstructed, lest it be entangled in any temporal interest and overcome by adversity. Nothing is sweeter than love, nothing stronger or higher or wider; nothing is more pleasant, nothing fuller, and nothing better in heaven or on earth, for love is born of God and cannot rest except in God, Who is above all created things.   One who is in love flies, runs, and rejoices; he is free, not bound. He gives all for all and possesses all in all, because he rests in the one sovereign Good, Who is above all things, and from Whom every good flows and proceeds. He does not look to the gift but turns himself above all gifts to the Giver. Love often knows no limits but overflows all bounds. Love feels no burden, thinks nothing of troubles, attempts more than it is able, and does not plead impossibility, because it believes that it may and can do all things. For this reason, it is able to do all, performing and effecting much where he who does not love fails and falls.   Love is watchful. Sleeping, it does not slumber. Wearied, it is not tired. Pressed, it is not straitened. Alarmed, it is not confused, but like a living flame, a burning torch, it forces its way upward and passes unharmed through every obstacle. If a man loves, he will know the sound of this voice. For this warm affection of soul is a loud voice crying in the ears of God, and it says: "My God, my love, You are all mine and I am all Yours. Give me an increase of love, that I may learn to taste with the inward lips of my heart how sweet it is to love, how sweet to be dissolved in love and bathe in it. Let me be rapt in love.  Let me rise above self in great fervor and wonder. Let me sing the hymn of love, and let me follow You, my Love, to the heights. Let my soul exhaust itself in praising You, rejoicing out of love. Let me love You more than myself, and let me not love myself except for Your sake. In You let me love all those who truly love You, as the law of love, which shines forth from You, commands." Love is swift, sincere, kind, pleasant, and delightful. Love is strong, patient and faithful, prudent, long-suffering, and manly. Love is never self-seeking, for in whatever a person seeks himself there he falls from love. Love is circumspect, humble, and upright. It is neither soft nor light, nor intent upon vain things. It is sober and chaste, firm and quiet, guarded in all the senses. Love is subject and obedient to superiors. It is mean and contemptible in its own eyes, devoted and thankful to God; always trusting and hoping in Him even when He is distasteful to it, for there is no living in love without sorrow.  He who is not ready to suffer all things and to stand resigned to the will of the Beloved is not worthy to be called a lover. A lover must embrace willingly all that is difficult and bitter for the sake of the Beloved, and he should not turn away from Him because of adversities. * The Voice of Christ  MY CHILD, you are not yet a brave and wise lover. * The Disciple Why, Lord? * The Voice of Christ Because, on account of a slight difficulty you give up what you have undertaken and are too eager to seek consolation. The brave lover stands firm in temptations and pays no heed to the crafty persuasions of the enemy. As I please him in prosperity, so in adversity I am not displeasing to him.  The wise lover regards not so much the gift of Him Who loves as the love of Him Who gives. He regards the affection of the Giver rather than the value of the gift, and sets his Beloved above all gifts. The noble lover does not rest in the gift but in Me Who am above every gift. All is not lost, then, if you sometimes feel less devout than you wish toward Me. That good and sweet feeling which you sometimes have is the effect of present grace and a certain foretaste of your heavenly home. You must not lean upon it too much, because it comes and goes. But to fight against evil thoughts which attack you is a sign of virtue and great merit.  Do not, therefore, let strange fantasies disturb you, no matter what they concern. Hold strongly to your resolution and keep a right intention toward God. It is not an illusion that you are sometimes rapt in ecstasy and then quickly returned to the usual follies of your heart. For these are evils which you suffer rather than commit; and so long as they displease you and you struggle against them, it is a matter of merit and not a loss. You must know that the old enemy tries by all means in his power to hinder your desire for good and to turn you from every devotional practice, from devout meditation on My passion, and from your firm purpose of advancing in virtue.  He suggests many evil thoughts that he may cause you weariness and horror, and thus draw you away from prayer and holy reading. A humble confession of a broken and contrite heart displeases him.   Do not believe him or heed him, even though he often sets traps to deceive you. When he suggests evil, unclean things, accuse him. Say to him: "Away, unclean spirit! Shame, miserable creature! You are but filth to bring such things to my ears. Begone, most wretched seducer! You shall have no part in me, for Jesus will be my strength, and you shall be confounded.   Be still! Be silent! Though you bring many troubles upon me I will have none of you. The Lord is my light, my salvation. Whom shall I fear? Though armies unite against me, my heart will not fear, for the Lord is my Helper, my Redeemer." Fight like a good soldier and if you sometimes fall through weakness, rise again with greater strength than before, trusting in My most abundant grace. But beware of vain complacency and pride. For many are led into error through these faults and sometimes fall into almost perpetual blindness. Let the fall of these, who proudly presume on self, be a warning to you and a constant incentive to humility. (Taken from the book ~ The Imitation of  Christ by Thomas A. Kempis)

HAVE YOU FORSAKEN YOUR FIRST LOVE? by Michael Brown

There is nothing more important than your relationship with the Lord. Nothing. Yet sin, in its very essence, is an assault on that relationship. That’s why sin must be uprooted from your life. That’s why sin’s hold must be broken. That’s why sin must be hated and rejected. It’s goal is to steal the one thing that you cannot live without: intimate communion with God. It’s goal is to separate you from your Savior. Don’t let it succeed!

      You can lose your friends and still be blessed. You can lose your possessions and still be rich. You can even lose your health and still be fruitful. But if you lose your relationship with Jesus, if you forfeit your communion with Him, all the friends in the world, all the possessions in the world, all the health in the world won’t buy you a moment’s joy or true satisfaction. You will wither at the root! Soon enough, the leaves on your branches will dry up and die. Soon enough, your very branches will die. Soon enough, you will die. You have forsaken the Fountain of Life! And one day – God forbid it should come to that – when the winds of temptation blow, they may expose a house without foundations or a tree without roots. The house may fall with a crash; the tree may be toppled with a thud.

      We were created to know and serve the Lord, to walk with Him, to love Him, to enjoy Him, to work for Him. But as a race, we chose instead to go our own way, trying to find satisfaction and fulfillment through money, achievements, food, sex, education, sports, music, arts, family, work, religion – the list is almost endless. But still there is that gaping hole in our spirits, that wound that cannot be healed, that heart cry that cannot be answered. Only God can fill it! Only God can mend it! Only God can answer it!

      And so, in the infinite love of our Father, He sent His Son to seek and save us, giving His own life as the bridge that stretched across the gulf of our sins, making the way for us to come home to God. And we’re almost all the way there! We have already been made His sons and daughters, we have already been grafted into the true Vine, and we can already call the Creator of everything “Abba.” Soon enough, we will leave the filth of this world and stand before our Maker, free forever, perfect for eternity, without blemish or spot throughout the coming ages. In Jesus, our destinies will be fulfilled. In Jesus, we will be complete – totally. The reality of all this feels so close that I can practically reach out and touch it. It’s nearer than we know!

      But right now, we find ourselves locked into this world, and there’s simply no way for us to fully escape it’s miserable condition. All of us have more than enough hassles, problems, distractions, temptations, battles, and difficulties. That’s just the way it is, like it or not, and the devil only leaves us alone until he can find a more opportune time to attack (see Luke 4:13; 1 Pet 5:8-9). We won’t get rid of him as long as we are in these bodies, and, even though we can resist him and make him flee, sooner or later, he’ll be back. The war shows no signs of abating.

      What then do we do? How then should we live? What should be our highest goal and number one priority in life? The answer is simple: We must pursue intimacy with the Lord. Knowing Him and walking with Him must be our highest goal, our number one priority, the focus of our energy and attention. All the ministry and all the spiritual activity and all the gifts and power cannot substitute for a solid relationship with God. In fact, ministry and “anointing” and service without intimacy is just so much performance or showmanship or religiosity or good works – if it doesn’t flow from our heart for God. As Vance Havner said, “The primary qualification for a missionary is not love for souls, as we so often hear, but love for Christ.”

      Everything we do – praying, studying, soul-winning, discipling, worshiping, preaching, teaching, parenting, serving, giving – must flow out of our love for God. He is the Source, He is the Motivation, He is the Foundation.

      Consider the Lord’s rebuke of Ephesus in Revelation 2. Here was a congregation that excelled, a church that worked hard, a group of believers that hated false doctrine, an assembly that persevered. In many ways, they were a model church, rich in good works, attentive to the warnings of Paul their spiritual father (cf. Acts 20:28-31 with Rev 2:2), and willing to endure hardship for Jesus’ sake. And they did all this without growing weary. What more could the Lord want? These Ephesian believers certainly outclassed most of us.

      “Yet,” Jesus said to them, “I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place” (Rev 2:4-5). What a solemn warning!

      Hard work was not enough. Sacrifice was not enough. Doctrinal purity was not enough. Fine pastoral oversight was not enough. Perseverance in the midst of suffering was not enough. This congregation had left its first love, and if it didn’t repent – notice that this is a corporate call – the Lord would actually remove it from its place. There would no longer be a church of Ephesus! Do you see how important it is in the eyes of the Lord that we maintain our first love?

      Just think:

It is possible for a church as a whole to backslide from intimacy and devotion to Jesus while working hard for Him and staying doctrinally and morally pure.

It is possible for individual believers to backslide from intimacy and devotion to Jesus while working hard for Him and staying doctrinally and morally pure.

The Lord speaks of our first love as a height – a glorious, wonderful height – from which we can fall. He calls us to return to that height!

We forsake – not “lose” – our first love, meaning that we leave that place of spiritual passion by the choices we make and the lifestyle we adopt. Our “first love” is not something that we accidentally misplace.

The Lord calls us to repent of the sin of forsaking our first love, meaning that we can be restored to that place of spiritual passion by the choices we make and the lifestyle we adopt.

      What then are those choices and what is that lifestyle? What must we do to be restored, to make that return, to regain our first love? Jesus gives us the answer: “Repent” – meaning make an about face – “and do the things you did at first” (Rev 2:5). There are things we can do to restore the intimacy!

      Have you ever read a Christian book on rekindling the spark of love in a failing marriage? In a book like this, you will not only be shown how to diagnose the nature of your marital problems, but you will also be given specific, practical steps that will help you to correct the problems. For example, a book written to men might remind the husband about the early days of his relationship with his fiancée/wife. In those years, he used to call her several times a day, send her flowers once a week, take her on a special date every Saturday, be sensitive to her unspoken needs and desires, always put her first, leave her little love notes, and let her know how special she was. But all that was a long time ago – to be exact, five children, three apartments, one house, four moves, six jobs, and about twenty pounds for him and forty pounds for her. Things aren’t quite the same anymore!

      What does this husband need to do? He needs to do the things he did at first. He needs to re-ignite the romance and make an effort to renew and deepen the relationship. He needs to set aside quality time with his wife and for his wife, making her happiness his number one priority. He needs to let her know how important she still is to him and break away from his routine for her sake. He needs to love her again as his bride!

      That’s exactly what we need to do with Jesus when our love turns cold. We need to renew the relationship! How? We set aside blocks of quality time to meet with Him, pouring out our hearts to Him in prayer, sharing our innermost thoughts and burdens. We lift our voices to Him in worship and adoration, singing the songs and hymns that have been so precious to us through the years, expressing our appreciation to Him with thanksgiving and praise. We saturate our minds and hearts with His Word, meditating on His truths, learning of Him, receiving from Him, growing in knowledge and grace. We think back to the awe and wonder of those early days, and we seek to recapture that sense of divine nearness. And whenever we feel prompted, we share our faith with those who don’t know the Lord.

      According to Matthew Henry, believers who have left their first love

. . . must return and do their first works. They must as it were begin again, go back step by step, till they come to the place where they took the first false step; they must endeavour to revive and recover their first zeal, tenderness, and seriousness, and must pray as earnestly, and watch as diligently, as they did when they first set out in the ways of God.

      Then, over a period of time, as we do these things – not with a “time-clock” mentality, not as a spiritual performance or out of a religious habit, not to earn brownie points or somehow merit His favor, but rather because we love Him and long for Him and want to deepen our fellowship with Him – His Spirit begins to flood our hearts, and before you know it, He becomes the most precious One in our lives. He becomes the reason for all we do, the center of our attention, the highest objection of our affection. Then, all our good works – serving Him, sharing our faith, giving sacrificially – become expressions of love, the overflow of a heart enamored with the Master.

      That’s what it means to “do the things we did at first.” That’s what it means to return to the height from which we have fallen, to repent and return to our first love. God eagerly awaits our move back towards Him! He remembers what our relationship used to be like, and He expresses it in vivid terms as a mournful husband:

The word of the Lord came to me: “Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem: ‘I remember the devotion of your youth, how as a bride you loved Me and followed Me through the desert, through a land not sown’” (Jer 2:2).

      And He expresses His longing toward us as a father, thinking back to the days of our infancy when we were totally dependent on Him. This is how God expressed His heart towards His people Israel:

When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called My son. But the more I called Israel, the further they went from Me. They sacrificed to the Baals and they burned incense to images. It was I who taught Ephraim to walk, taking them by the arms; but they did not realize it was I who healed them. I led them with cords of human kindness, with ties of love; I lifted the yoke from their neck and bent down to feed them (Hos 11:1-4) –

but now they were far from Him! Yet the Lord continued to love them:

How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I treat you like Admah? How can I make you like Zeboiim? My heart is changed within me; all my compassion is aroused. . . . “Is not Ephraim My dear son, the child in whom I delight? Though I often speak against him, I still remember him. Therefore my heart yearns for him; I have great compassion for him,” declares the Lord (Hos 11:8; Jer 31:20).

As He said through Jeremiah, “Turn back, O backturning children; I will heal your backslidings” (Jer 3:22, my translation). That is the Word of the Lord!

      On Monday, January 1, 1750, John Wesley made the following entry in his journal:

On several days this week I called upon many who had left their “first love,” but they none of them justified themselves: One and all pleaded “Guilty before God.” Therefore there is reason to hope that He will return, and will abundantly pardon.

Yes, God will abundantly pardon. The Lord will receive you again, no questions asked.

      Does anything hold you back? Does anything stop you from renewing your relationship with the Lord? He has promised to draw near to those who draw near to Him (Jam 4:8a), and, as John Bunyan quaintly put it, when we take a step towards God He takes a step towards us, but His steps are larger than ours! Now is the time to pursue the Lord with all of our being.

      It is in this pursuit that we become holy, as Oswald Chambers said, “Holiness is the characteristic of the man after God’s own heart.” We were made for Him, and in Him we thrive. In fact, the ultimate thing that will keep us from sin is the nearness of the Lord in our lives. If God is near to us – and we are conscious of the fact – sin will be far from us. In this light, M. P. Horban could say that, “True holiness is learning to enjoy friendship with God.” That is the key to all our growth in grace, knowledge, obedience, and service. Everything flows out of knowing Him. In fact, knowing God is actually the essence of eternal life: “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 17:3).

      I think of the impassioned lyrics of Keith Green’s song, “You Love the World and You’re Avoiding Me,” in which the Lord asks us, “If you end up losing Me, what will you do?” What will we do if we lose our closeness with the Lord? What is left for us in this world – or in eternity – if we leave the one we once loved?

      If we know Him, we will serve Him. But if we try to serve Him without knowing Him, we insult the very purpose for which He created us and rob our service of its meaning. He did not make to be robots or puppets but rather sons and daughters.

      Yes, it is wonderfully true that forever we will serve the Lord (Rev 22:4a) and under His rule we will reign (Rev 22:5b). But right in the middle of the two verses that say this (viz., Rev 22:4a and 5b) it is written: “They will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light” (Rev 22:4b-5a). He will be our all in all! He will be our portion. His face will be our light. As expressed so wonderfully by the saintly Robert Murray M’Cheyne:

Christ Himself shall be the greatest reward of His people. . . . Any place would be heaven if we were with Christ. No place would be heaven without Him. . . . Oh to talk with Him as Moses and Elijah did on the mount of transfiguration, to hear Him speak gracious words, to lean our head where John leaned his, to hold Him, and not to let Him go, to behold that countenance which is as Lebanon, excellent as the cedars, to have Him turning upon us His eyes of divine tenderness and holy love – that will be a reward.

      And so, everything we do in this world should ultimately be done in anticipation of that day when we see Him face to face. That’s the purpose of it all. Don’t you want Him to express approval to you when your eyes first meet? How glorious it will be to see Him smile!

      There could be no higher joy possible and no greater satisfaction imaginable. It will be the most indescribable moment of all. In a second’s time, all the pain, all the suffering, all the disappointment, all the hardship, all the labor, all the agony, all the questions will fade into oblivion – when we see the Savior’s face. And that is what we must keep in mind every day of our lives: Soon we’re going to meet the Lord in person, and we should be getting ready for that moment every hour that we breathe.

      God Himself – not so much His reward, or His blessing, or His anointing, but the Lord Himself – must be our goal. Therefore, each of us must cultivate our relationship with Him. Each of us must settle in our hearts once and for all that anything of eternal good that we can do is birthed in Him, and anything truly good within us is birthed in Him.

      So why are we spending so much of our time laboring and planning and running in our own strength and wisdom? Why aren’t we communing more with Him in prayer and spending more time at His feet in worship and taking counsel with Him more through His Word? Why? And how can we even think about being holy without first knowing the Holy One? How can we have a measure or norm for holiness when we have forsaken the very Standard of holiness? And how can we receive strength to be holy when we have abandoned the Holy Spirit who empowers us? How can we even imagine that we can attain any kind of holiness without feeding on Him and learning from Him and becoming like Him? Becoming like Him – which is the essence of holiness – requires being with Him.

      Tragically, we can have all the outward trappings of Christian zeal and service without having a vibrant relationship with the Lord. According to New Testament scholar Robert Mounce, “at Ephesus, hatred of heresy and extensive involvement in the works appropriate to faith had allowed the fresh glow of love to God and one another to fade.” In other words, “Every virtue carries within itself the seeds of its own destruction.”

      So, it could be that our very zeal for truth and purity coupled with our penchant for hard work and sacrifice could rob of us our love, both for God and man. Charles Finney commented on this, explaining that even with a backslidden heart, a believer could remain active in Christian service. For Finney, backsliding consisted in: 1) “taking back that consecration to God and His service, that constitutes true conversion”; 2) “the leaving, by a Christian, of his first love”; 3) “the Christian withdrawing himself from that state of entire and universal devotion to God, which constitutes true religion, and coming again under the control of a self-pleasing spirit.”

      Yet even in this state, Finney noted that

. . . there may be a backslidden heart, when the forms of religion and obedience to God are maintained. As we know from consciousness that men perform the same, or similar, acts from widely different, and often from opposite, motives, we are certain that men may keep up all the outward forms and appearances of religion, when in fact, they are backslidden in heart. No doubt the most intense selfishness often takes on a religious type, and there are many considerations that might lead a backslider in heart to keep up the forms, while he had lost the power of godliness in his soul.

      Backsliding can be subtle, but its origins are always the same: Something has broken down in our relationship with the Lord. Somehow, our love has grown cold. Somehow, our devotion has waned.

      “But,” a troubled believers asks, “if I can seem to be on fire for God, keeping busy for the Lord and staying true to His Word, and yet be backsliding at the same time, how can I really know the state of my heart?”

      Let me give you some symptoms of a backslidden heart, some tangible tests by which you can examine yourself. There’s no reason to be in the dark when it comes to your own spiritual life. Here are some questions to ask yourself:

      1) Is there a decrease in your personal devotion to Jesus? This will be reflected by a decreased desire for intimate and private times with the Lord (especially in prayer and worship) and decreased hunger and passion for the Word. (According to John G. Lake, everyone who backslides first backslides in their lessening hunger for the Word, while Leonard Ravenhill often said that backsliding begins with backsliding in prayer.)

      Remember: When you were hot, Jesus was everything! You couldn’t wait to spend time with Him. Praising Him – even with the simplest little choruses – was pure joy. If there was a prayer meeting, you were there. You devoured the Word. You could relate to the words of Paul: “I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ . . .” (Phil 3:8). But something happened. Something changed.

      You spend time with the one you love. You share your heart with the one you love. You are jealous for the one you love. You think about the one you love. Do you love Jesus today as you once loved Him before?

      You may enjoy the forms of worship – good music, singing, dancing, being part of the exciting corporate experience – but what about the object of worship? What about the Lord? You may have a vision. You may be caught up in a movement. You may have a message or a burden. Theology may intrigue you. Spiritual issues may interest you. The ministry may consume you. But all these things are mere idols and distractions in comparison with coming into the light of God’s presence and fellowshipping with Him. You only grow and bear fruit to the extent that you abide in the vine (John 15:1-9).

      2) Is there a decrease in your personal satisfaction in God? This will be reflected by the need for other things to gain fulfillment, an increased social orientation in place of private devotions, and an increased desire for recognition and acceptance by flesh and blood. The Word says that, “The desires for other things come in and choke the Word, making it unfruitful” (Mark 4:19), and, “If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15). What do you desire? What brings you satisfaction? Do you love God, or do you love the world? “Remember those earlier days . . . .” (Heb. 10:32-39).

      At one time promotion on your job was not your primary source of satisfaction, nor was a big paycheck, a nice home, a new car, a special boyfriend or girlfriend, an exciting sports event, or even a happy family. (Yes! Even spouses and children can take away from your delighting in the Lord above all.) Walking with God used to satisfy you. Does it still satisfy you? Fully and completely? If not, you have left your first love.

      M’Cheyne put it like this: “If ever you are so much engrossed with any enjoyment here that it takes away your love for prayer, or for your Bible, or that it would frighten you to hear the cry, Behold the bridegroom cometh – then your heart is “overcharged.” [Luke 21:34] You are abusing this world.”

      3) Is there a decrease in your passion for spiritual work? This will be reflected by a decreased burden for the lost (both home and foreign “missions”, both domesticated heathen and undomesticated heathen), a decreased burden for revival and visitation (often replaced by good works, and more subtly, by good spiritual programs), and a penchant for respectability in place of radicality. “Unrefined” preaching of the gospel now embarrasses you. Holy zeal makes you uncomfortable and you are, slowly but surely, becoming ashamed of Jesus and His reproach.

      How often do you share your testimony? You used to be a house on fire! You used to seek out opportunities to talk about Jesus. Witnessing used to come naturally. But now, you almost avoid the subject. You simply don’t care about the ones Jesus died for. You don’t fully believe that they are lost. Unbelief is always a result of backsliding somewhere, somehow. Do you find yourself spiritually numb?

      And what about revival and visitation? How would you feel if the Spirit fell in power? (In other words, not necessarily in some “cultured” – and totally “containable” – way, but with intensity and suddenness and upheaval.) Are you willing to let Him be in control – of the service, of the leadership, of you? Are you hungry anymore for a real moving of God? Or have you become satisfied with a comfortable seat in the theater while the show itself never goes on?

      Beware of a powerless spiritual sophistication. The world admires it, but it has no teeth.

      4) Are your standards of holiness becoming lower? This will be reflected by your permitting things in your life, family, or congregation that would have been unthinkable when you were on fire and your ability to engage in certain activities, watch certain movies, enjoy certain sports and forms of entertainment, attend certain functions, etc., which the Lord at one time convicted you of – but now there is no conviction!

      Beware! This type of backsliding is often done in the name of spiritual maturity. I warn you as one who once fell into this very error: It is a trap and a lie! Absence of divine conviction does not mean absence of divine displeasure. It may actually point to a withdrawing of His presence. In fact, if the Holy Spirit is dealing with you even now, cry out to Him for restoring grace right where you are. Do not harden your heart against your Lord, your King, and your Friend. It is spiritual suicide. The fact that something doesn’t “bother you” may be the loudest warning you will ever hear.

      Can you sin freely without feeling grief? Then fall on your face and cry for mercy before it’s too late. Otherwise you might disqualify yourself from receiving the prize. Do not be deceived: You are not experiencing the freedom that comes as a result of trust; you are experiencing the insensitivity that comes from hardness.

      Have you actually deceived yourself by giving yourself a license for sin in the name of “liberty”? Have you despised the precious closeness you once enjoyed with Jesus by calling it “legalism”? Run back into His presence -- with all the discipline and devotion that demands -- while His arms are still open wide. Where godly sorrow is found, abundant grace is also found.

      5) Are you backsliding in your spiritual authority and personal victory? This will be reflected by lack of victory over the flesh, falling back into old habits and lusts and inability to resist and drive out the devil from strongholds in your life or the lives of those to whom you minister.

      Remember: You can fool others, but you can’t fool the flesh – and you can’t fool the devil. As Ravenhill often asked, “Are you known in hell?”

      Are you moving from victory to victory, or do you find yourself more and more entangled every day (or, month, or year)? Peter taught that “a man is a slave to whatever has mastered him” (2 Pet. 2:19b). You must ask yourself if Jesus is your Master, or if you are mastered by sin. Are you an overcomer or are you overcome? Is Jesus your Lord, or are you ruled by your belly, or your sexual lust, or your temper, or your greed, or your bitterness? Who, or what, governs you?

      You once chased the devil; now you tremble at his shadow. You once cast off fear like a dog shakes off water; now you are paralyzed by anxiety and dread. You once forgave from the heart instantly; now you remember and hold a grudge. My friend, you are backsliding!

      You once made effective inroads into the devil’s kingdom. Now he’s making inroads into you. What has become of your victory? You are backsliding from the place of spiritual authority! How tragic that Satan has paralyzed you, be it with theological questions, or with fear of failure, or with massive self-doubt. Press back in to Jesus! He is as victorious today as He ever has been! He will restore your faith.

      I will never forget the words spoken one night by the pastor of the church in which I was saved. He said, “It may take a man twenty years to backslide” (referring to a complete apostasy from the Lord). This is a sobering thought. You grow old gradually. Your hair turns gray gradually. You can backslide just as gradually. Before you know it, you have wasted your whole life.

      In which direction are you heading? Where is the present course and pattern of your life taking you? If you continued for ever on the same path you have been on -- be it of progress or regress -- if you continued eternally down this same course, would you wind up in heaven or in hell? Are you moving towards the Lord or away from Him?

      Again I ask you: Are you backsliding in your spiritual authority and personal victory? What makes you think that things will be better tomorrow? It will be only downhill from here, unless you humble yourself and turn back.

      Let me share with you a little more from my own life experience. At one time in my walk (in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s) I began to backslide, but all the while I claimed to be growing and maturing. My prayer times decreased; my devotional reading of the Word decreased (although my linguistic reading of the Scriptures may have increased). My fasting all but stopped; my witnessing dropped off. I became more interested in social action than in spiritual action. I had less and less control over the flesh. I virtually never took authority over the devil (I really couldn’t have done much anyway!). I fell in areas that I had never fallen in before. (Don’t get me wrong. I never touched another woman or misused ministry funds or stole anything or even had a fleeting thought about going back to drugs or drinking, but still, I slipped up a few times in ways I never had before, and even though these slips were many months or more than a year apart, they scared me.) I even became addicted to video games!

      I felt the presence and joy of the Lord less frequently and less abundantly, yet all the while, I was an active leader in the church, I taught the Word with conviction, I preached with fervor (and even some anointing), I ministered actively, I sought to keep a pure testimony before the world, I was considered by many to be zealous, I was engaged in many good and even sacrificial works – yet I was backsliding!

      I will be eternally grateful to my sister-in-law who, without my knowledge – in fact, if I had known, it would have been without my approval! – helped to pray me back on fire. How I praise God for His miraculous intervention, planting the first seeds on New Year’s morning 1982, then lovingly rebuking me in March of that year, awakening me with a vision of a spiritual outpouring in May, showing me how far away I was drifting in September, calling me to lay everything on the altar in October, and then sending a visitation November 21, 1982. I have never been the same since then.

      I encourage you in the words of Psalms and Hebrews, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your heart” (Ps 95:7b-8a; Heb. 4:7).

      Respond fully to the Lord today. Pour out your heart to Him. Pray through. Allow His Spirit to move freely. Don’t be ashamed! He can – and will – fully restore. Obey whatever He speaks to you. Set a new pattern for your life beginning now. And then, every day, whenever you can, take another step closer to the Lord, one step at a time. Don’t let the devil set you up for a fall by lying to you about what God requires.

      Pray more (and with more focus and direction), read His Word more, speak His Word more, share your faith more. Listen to tapes, watch videos, and read books that will help keep the fire burning. Keep your conscience clear. If you know something is displeasing in God’s sight, don’t do it. Be sensitive. He understands your weakness, and He will give sufficient grace. But He will not put up with determined and willful hardness. Bow your knee to the Lord, and He will lift you up. Your future can be just as bright as the promises of God.

      It’s time to rekindle the flame!

By Michael L. Brown

(Excerpted from the book, Go and Sin No More)