Fighting the Four Evils

Many in the modern Church in the west talk about how to deal with disappointment, and pain, as if dealing with their disappointments and pain are the key things of their Christianity.  Articles on Christian websites constantly speak about how one simply needs to "wait on God", "be patient" and "keep praying" to God to get what one wants, so as to simply comfort people that God will given the what they want. The subtle lie is that God will simply give what one wants if one wants it enough, and that God is obliged to give what one wants.  The issue is not about whether Jesus gives you want you want. The issue, and only issue, is whether you truly love Jesus and obey Him.  The focus on whether one gets what one wants reveals the tragic state of modern Christianity in the west. The truth is that many professing followers of Christ come running to Jesus asking Him to give them whatever earthly temporal want they have, be it a house, spouse, car, money, ho...

The modern Church has made marriage and family an idol. People of conservative Christian circles keep trying to scare young people, especially young women into getting married young, in their early 20s, most of whom are hardly mature enough to look after themselves, let alone look after another person. They love to spread the narrative that a woman who is unmarried and pursued a vocation will be in a nursing home, all lonely and sad in her sixties.  Do not fall for their lies and scare tactics of these marriage-idolators. If you are serving God and seeking His Kingdom, be it by serving Him in ministry or in a secular profession, He will provide all you need all the days of your life.  “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?   Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather in...

Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart (Psalm 37:4). God created you for a unique purpose that only you can fulfil successfully.   No one else can fulfil it. He will give you all that you need to fulfil your calling that He has called you to.  You may be at a season in your life where everything seems dry, or that nothing which excites you is happening in your life. If that is what you are experiencing in your life, God is preparing you for something greater. He wants you to wait on Him expectantly, patiently, but not desperately.  If you are waiting on God for something desperately, it means that your desire for what you are waiting on God for is your own desire, and not a desire God has placed in your heart. The desires in your heart, and the only desires that God will give you, are those which He has placed in your heart. Psalm 37:4 says “Delight thyself also in the LORD; and He shall give thee the desires o...

Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding (Proverbs 3:13). The conventional view of a blessed life is one that is full of earthly temporal gifts, such as a well-respected profession, marriage and family. While such things may be gifts, they are merely temporal. What good are they if they do not make one to be rich in Christ, by making one serve Christ more faithfully, adding to one's heavenly riches? True riches, the only true riches, are heavenly riches which come only by serving Christ and loving Christ. The Bible says that the blessed life is one that is wise. Only by wisdom does one knows what direction one should live to please God to live a righteous life. To be blessed to be favoured by God because of living righteously before Him. Righteousness gives true joy and peace. The wise life is the blessed life. It is one characterised by constant learning, and understanding, leading to greater understanding and wisdom day by day. Having all the thing...

A false convert, if nothing else, seeks Jesus for what he can get from Jesus. He does not seek Jesus because He is Lord of Lords, King of all Kings and therefore be a worshiped and obeyed in all things. A false convert prays for all kinds of earthly "blessings" to be bestowed upon him, and "obeys" Jesus only when it is easy, convenient or gives him a benefit.  A true convert seeks Jesus because He is Jesus. He truly loves Jesus and is intimate with Jesus.  He submits all things to Jesus, obey Him as the Head of the Church, who is His body. He entrusts all things to Jesus, and lets Him make the choice in all things, and initiate all things in his life. He waits on God for all things in humility and obedience, not simply because it is logical or because he wants something. The false convert is like the Rich Young Ruler described in Mark 10:17-22. He comes to Jesus looking for the rewards, but does not truly want to give his whole life to Jesus, where all things ar...

And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth (Luke 12:15). Many people in the modern professing Church think that having an abundant life means to work hard for one's job or career, get married and have children, buy a house, buy a car, earn as much income as one can, take as many holidays as one can, and be an influential well-respected member of society and one's circles.   They think that this all shows how "blessed" they are, that it is a sign of God's favour to them because of their righteousness and holiness. They are smug behind all their material comfort and think that those who have less than them, or who lack something they have, or are suffering are less holy and righteous than them, all without realising it. They think they are more worthy in God's eyes than those who have less than them, or who lack something they have, out of their prid...