Standing Firm

Finaly...a post! (well, sort of)

2006-08-26T18:56:00.000-07:00

Hello everybody. I would like to say that Phillip and I thank you being faithful to this site. I would also like to apologize for not posting in almost a month! Well, that will change in the coming days now that I am finally (somewhat) settled in here at Vision Forum and as soon as Phillip returns from his travels abroad.

To read more about my intern experiences so far here in San Antonio feel free to check out my blog at : numberedsteps.blogsot.com .

Also, you may want to sign up to Blogarithm. Once you enter your email address you will get an email whenever we update (no spam, promise).

Again, thanks for stopping by. Stay tuned.

-Daniel

C. H. Spurgeon on Sin- posted by Phillip

2006-07-28T08:42:00.000-07:00

Sin is a domineering force. No one can sin up to a fixed point and
then say to sin, "This is as far as you go." Sin is an imperious power,
and where it dwells it is hungry for the mastery. Just as our Lord, when
He enters the soul, will never be content with a divided dominion, so is it with
sin. Sin labors to bring our entire personality under subjection.
Hence, we are compelled to strive daily against this ambitious principle.
According to the working of the Spirit of God in us, we wrestle against sin that
it may not have dominion over us. Sin has unquestionsed dominion over
multitudes of human hearts, and in some it has set up its horrid throne and
keeps its seat with force of arms so that its empire is undistrubed. In
others, the throne is disputed, for the conscience muntinies, but yet the tyrant
is not dethroned. Over the whole world, sin exercises a dreadful
tyranny. It would hold us in the same bondage were it not for One who is
stronger that sin who has undertaken to deliver us out of its hand. Here
is the charter of our liberty, and security of our safety: "Sin shall not have
dominion over you."

By Charles Spurgeon, exerpt fromhis sermon Believers Free from the Power of Sin,

Give Heed, My Son - posted by Phillip

2006-07-17T07:40:00.000-07:00

This is a poem that my father wrote to encourage young men in their battle against temptation. I hope that you enjoy it and are blessed by its message.

Give Heed, My Son

Where is the man who would saddle his steed
And fight for the maiden with brave, valiant deed?
Where is the man who with dragon would fight,
And vanquish the foe with all of his might?

O, where is the man who for honor and pride,
Would battle the foe that he meets from inside;
Who will deal with that dragon that rages and reels
To comsume the chaste valor true manliness yields?

Who can say to his bride as he bends to his knee,
"Precious gift from the Lord, I've kept my self for thee:
I have fought and defeated the dragon within;
Through Christ I have kept my vile heart pure from sin?"

Our heart is deceitful and given to lust;
Our perception and strength we never can trust.
Cry to Jesus for help as you sink, soon to die,
Like Peter when tall waves had tempted his eye.

Like horses unbridled to mischief do run,
So will our hearts, if not conquered, my son.
Call to Jesus for strength to battle that foe,
For your heart is your enemy if you let it go.

To Jesus, to Jesus our hearts must be wed,
Or defile forever the sweet marriage bed.
Set your face toward The City, and from Pilgrim learn
That faith is the key: For Christ, let your heart burn!

By Michael Bradrick

Temptation's Source - by Daniel

2006-07-12T13:36:00.000-07:00

Now that temptation has been defined, the next task is to determine exactly where temptation originates. I believe that Scripture does a very good job at pinpointing the root of the problem in the first chapter of James.

¹³Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: ¹⁴But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. ¹⁵Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

Every single person is tempted in a unique way because we are all, in one way or another, different from each other. What may tempt you may not tempt me, and vice versa. We must also remember that the secret desires of our hearts are known by Satan and that he will use all of his resources to exploit our weakness. He also knows that there is no “on lure catches all” type of tool for gaining the focus and desires of young men and women. Thus it all boils down to what our desires are and whether they glorify God or not. If they glorify God then we will continue to walk in harmony with Christ, if the desires are not of God then we are only offering parts of our heart to these desires, and thus placing ourselves under the enemy’s control.

Another fact to consider is that, though most of our aspirations, dreams and desires are harmless and even a great motivation for achieving greater things, the fact remains that if these desires are in any way outside of God’s will for my life then it is an ungodly desire, and thus a point of weakness in my character. The reason it is classified as an ungodly desire is because it becomes an object of affection that outshines my love for God. This is very important when you take into account that jealousy is one of God's most predominate characteristics. God wants us to desire him; to hunger and thirst after righteousness. But when we start focusing on our own wants and desires, it is only a matter of time before they become the object of our affection, and thus our new god.

God wants us to focus on Him and Him alone. All of what we do, from taking out the garbage, running a business, or pursuing a college degree, should all be motivated by the desire to fulfill Christ’s purpose in us. My point is that the source of our temptation is not the outer forces of evil that are trying to wreak our live, but rather the problem is within. The only reason you and I fall to temptation is because we have not been diligently fighting the battle of the heart. I encourage you to fight the thoughts and desires that are deep within your being, to take every thought captive under the obedience of Christ as soon as a stray thought crosses your mind. Here’s one example: If you have a desire to make pita (or some other such flat bread), is it good enough to punch down the dough when it has risen due to some added yeast? Well, I’m not the main baker at my home but in my experience it has proven to be much more effective to prevent the yeast from ever getting near my scrumptious pita dough in the first place! If you are able to keep up the good fight in protecting your mind, will, and emotions from anything that might shift your focus from Christ, then you will greatly diminish how, when, where, and even if, you are tempted.

What do you think? Do agree or disagree? Please share your comments below.

The Meaning of Temptation - by Phillip

2006-07-10T11:41:00.000-07:00

Before we delve into the topic of temptation we first must have a solid grasp on the meaning of temptation. Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines temptation as,

The act of tempting; enticement to evil by arguments, by flattery, or by the
offer of some real or apparent good. Solicitation of the passions;
enticements to evil proceeding from the prospect of pleasure or
advantage.

Temptations prey on the desires of our fallen nature. They come in all forms and from all sides. To accept a temptation always causes us to in some way violate the Word of God. When we face the pull of a temptation it is not always that our inner desire is wrong, but rather that the temptation offered us is a sinful means to satisfy that desire. In other words, the desire for food is natural to all men and is God given. By showing self control, we can satisfy this desire and not fall into sin. But if we do not practice self control, this same desire can be the driving force that causes us to fall into the sin of gluttony.

We must realize that each passion and desire that God has put within us is both a wonderful and yet dangerous thing. Because of our fallen natures, we will accept means to satisfy our desire immediately even if though those means cause us to violate God’s law and fall into sin. If our desires are not checked by the power of God and held in the bounds of His Word, we will never be able to resist temptations.

In Ephesians 6:10-17, Paul tells us to put on the full armor of God. As soldiers of the Cross, if we are to stand firm against attacks from the enemy (i.e. temptations), we must first know how to recognize them. This takes great care and constant vigilance because temptations come in so many forms. Sometimes a temptation will be 99% good and right just to get us to fall in the 1% where it is sinful.

There are two ways that we can greatly sharpen our skills in identifying temptations. First, we must be faithful in our study of the Word so that we know exactly what things are good and righteous. Second, we must be in prayer that God would give us tender consciences and His wisdom and grace to quickly identify temptations when they arise.

Temptation

2006-07-07T14:44:00.000-07:00

During the month of June we looked at the topic of God’s mercy and forgiveness. We have looked deeper into the character of God and seen how we must reflect His character. We have seen that apart from His mercy and forgiveness there would be no hope for us. As we begin a new month, it is our desire to turn our attention from the great topic of God’s mercy and look at one of the responsibilities we, as Christians, have— that is, to resist temptation.

“No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.” I Corinthians 10:13

As we begin to delve into this deep topic, we also want to reiterate our purpose for this blog. Our purpose is to uplift, strengthen, and encourage Christian young men. So as we look at the topic of temptation, we will be specifically applying it to temptation in the lives of young men. We hope that you will stay tuned to the blog posts over the next month and give us your thoughts and feed back on anything that may have encouraged, convicted, or even puzzled you. May God bless you as you strive to stand firm.

Don't be a stranger...

2006-06-22T18:22:00.000-07:00

...Sign the "guest book" please. You only have to do it just this once. To do so, click the comment button below and tell us who you are and where you live. Also, don’t forget to put your email address in the Blogarithm box under our profile so that you can be notified whenever the blog is updated.

So Also Ought We Forgive- by Phillip

2006-06-21T10:43:00.000-07:00

The Scriptures are replete with references to God’s enduring lovingkindness, mercy, and forgiveness. “Give thanks to the Lord, for His is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting.” Psalm 136:1 “The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth” Exodus 34:7 But we cannot expect God to show us His enduring lovingkindness, mercy, and forgiveness unless we also show these to the people around us.

Christ says, “But if you do not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.” Matthew 6:15 Again, Christ makes this striking parallel in the parable of the debtor and the king. Matthew 18:23-34 And again, He makes the application crystal clear. “So shall My heavenly Father also do to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart.

In 1 John 2:9 we read, “The one who says he is in the light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now.” So let us tie all these thoughts together. First, to have forgiveness for our sins, we must be a redeemed child of God. Second, if we are a redeemed child of God and walk in the “light” then we will love our brothers. Third, in order to have a right relationship with God we must forgive our brothers.

If we reflect on the greatness of God’s mercy in forgiving us of our sins, we should be more than willing to forgive others even though they do us seemingly great wrong. As followers of Christ, we must show enduring lovingkindness, mercy, and forgiveness. We must forgive as we have been forgiven.

Who Alone Can Forgive Men’s Sins?- by Phillip

2006-06-20T14:56:00.000-07:00

And the scribes and Pharisees began to reason, saying… “Who can forgive sins, but God alone?” But Jesus, aware of their reasonings, answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in you hearts? Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins have been forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk?’ But in order that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,”—He said to the paralytic— “I say to you, rise, and take up your stretcher and go home.” Luke 5:21-24

The Pharisees did not believe that Jesus had the authority to forgive sins because they did not believe was sent from God and was God. In response to the Pharisees’ question of disbelief, Jesus gives striking proof that He has the power to forgive sins. Right before their eyes, Jesus shows them that He can perform awesome miracles of healing which they could see to prove to them that He could also perform awesome miracles of redemption which they could not see.

Although the Pharisees had evil motives they did have the right answer to their question, but were woefully wrong on who Jesus was. Jesus Christ, as the second Person of the Trinity had full authority and power to forgive men’s sins. Forgiving men’s sins is a much greater feat than healing the lame or walking on water and it is an act that only God and God alone can perform.

How long does God’s mercy last? - by Daniel

2006-06-17T10:22:00.000-07:00

Does God ever get tired of offering us second chances? Is there a point when he just gives up on our wicked nature and commends our souls to the sin we find pleasure in? If I were God, these choices would look very appealing to me. There would be certain point at which I would say, “This guy has fallen too many times. My mercy is getting stretched thin here. That’s it, no more mercy.” But does God ever take on this point of view? Well, a man after God’s own heart, who also erred many times and brought shame upon Israel, journals a very precise answer to these questions concerning of the nature of God.

Psalm 136

¹O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.

²O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever.

³O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever.

⁴To him who alone doeth great wonders: for his mercy endureth for ever.

⁵To him that by wisdom made the heavens: for his mercy endureth for ever.

⁶To him that stretched out the earth above the waters: for his mercy endureth for ever.

⁷To him that made great lights: for his mercy endureth for ever:

⁸The sun to rule by day: for his mercy endureth for ever:

⁹The moon and stars to rule by night: for his mercy endureth for ever.

¹⁰To him that smote Egypt in their firstborn: for his mercy endureth for ever:

¹¹And brought out Israel from among them: for his mercy endureth for ever:

¹²With a strong hand, and with a stretched out arm: for his mercy endureth for ever.

¹³To him which divided the Red sea into parts: for his mercy endureth for ever:

¹⁴And made Israel to pass through the midst of it: for his mercy endureth for ever:

¹⁵But overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red sea: for his mercy endureth for ever.

¹⁶To him which led his people through the wilderness: for his mercy endureth for ever.

¹⁷To him which smote great kings: for his mercy endureth for ever:

¹⁸And slew famous kings: for his mercy endureth for ever:

¹⁹Sihon king of the Amorites: for his mercy endureth for ever:

²⁰And Og the king of Bashan: for his mercy endureth for ever:

²¹And gave their land for a heritage: for his mercy endureth for ever:

²²Even an heritage unto Israel his servant: for his mercy endureth for ever.

²³Who remembered us in our low estate: for his mercy endureth for ever:

²⁴And hath redeemed us from our enemies: for his mercy endureth for ever.

²⁵Who giveth food to all flesh: for his mercy endureth for ever.

²⁶O give thanks unto the God of heaven: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Do you see a pattern here? After reading such a passage I don’t think that there should be any doubt as to the longevity of Gods mercy, especially when you take into account the rebellious nature of the Nation of Israel. But in identifying this wonderful attribute of God, we should also consider the command we are given in response. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. (Luke 6:35). For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. (Matt 6:14, 15).

Do you agree, disagree, or want to add something? Please do so via the comment box below.

Our God Is Not Only A God Of Mercy - by Phillip

2006-06-15T08:09:00.000-07:00

“And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgressions and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.” Exodus 34:7

To understand God we must understand His character. We must understand His attributes so that we can understand the Scriptures and how He deals with us on a day-to-day basis. There is a great danger in not fully understanding the character of God. Many professing Christians across our land today do not understand or believe in the character of God as seen in the Scriptures. Because of this wrong view of God, they break the first and second commandments.

Let me explain. God is spirit, and the only way that we can truly know Him is through His Word. If we take one or two of His attributes and divorce them from the rest, we no longer know or understand the God of the Bible. For example, when confronted by their sin, God’s justice, and their need for a Savior, many people will respond, “But I serve a God of love not a God of wrath and judgment.” We see by this response that because of their wrong view of God’s character, they are living a life of rebellion to Him. Ultimately they have made for themselves a false god and have chosen to live according to his will and dictates. By this they have broken the first and second commandments and have embraced a lie that if not repented of will damn them.

So why are we focusing our attention on this somewhat uncomfortable reality when looking at God’s mercy? We are looking at this reality, so that we do not gamble our eternal destiny on a wrong conception of the mercy of God. When we look at God’s mercy with a correct understanding of His whole character, it is greatly magnified. The unfathomable greatness of God is that although His character demands holiness and justice, He has made a way that we can be forgiven of our iniquities and transgressions and extends to us His daily mercy, grace, and love. In this we can glory; in this we can rejoice.

How Should God's Mercy Affect Us? - by Phillip

2006-06-14T07:07:00.000-07:00

“The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Thy faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23

I think that all of us know that God is “Love” and that He is a merciful God. We know that he has saved us from our sins and has given us life. But there is more that we need to understand. Let me illustrate for you the full picture. If a parent gives his child a toy we would call that a gift. A gift is something that is given to bless or encourage the recipient. But we would not call this act an act of mercy. Mercy is much different. Mercy is the withholding of some punishment or consequence. For instance, if a child were to break his mothers china teapot and she kindly forgave him, not requiring payment or punishment, she would be showing him mercy.

There is a great difference between the mercy of man to man and the mercy of God to man because of the difference in their relationship. God is the holy creator of the universe and can do with man what He pleases. Man is the sinful fallen creation who deserves death and the wrath of God. So the great difference is that God would be perfectly right and just if He did not display His mercy towards us.

The question we have asked is, “how should God’s mercy affect us?” With the understanding that we not only do not deserve God’s mercy, but rather His wrath we should be a thankful people, much more thankful than we are. We should be thankful for God’s person and character. God is “Love” and that is why He shows us His unmerited mercies and favor. We should be thankful for our salvation, because apart from that there would be no hope. We should be much, much more thankful for the daily blessings that He showers down on us.

The only reason a person is unthankful is because he does not feel like he has been given as much or has been treated as well as he deserves. If we as Christians truly understand that all we deserve is God’s wrath then every tiny blessing that comes into our lives should be a source of rejoicing and giving thanks to God. If we as Christians truly understand what we deserve we should be the most thankful people on earth.

Christianity without forgiveness and mercy? -by Daniel

2006-06-13T08:32:00.000-07:00

Do you take God's mercy for granted? I’ve asked myself this question and have come to the conclusion that, indeed I do. But what exactly would the Christian life be like without this gift? Well, I'd venture to say that it would be a religion that would not interest me. Why? Because Christianity would never function correctly if the focus of our devotion, God, did not understand my wicked nature and thus provide me with the opportunity to repent. That is not to say that this is a grand loop-hole for sinning. In fact, Paul deals with the issue head on by asking, “Shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.” (Rom. 6:15) Pretty specific don't you think?

While reading on this topic I came across a beautiful prayer by Daniel (there was no bias here folks). In this section he acknowledges the error of Israel’s sin, and thus his son, and petitions the Lord for forgiveness. When personalized, this portion of Scripture has deep meaning and is a great model on going to God in repentance.

Selections from Daniel Chapter 9

⁹To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness’s, though we have rebelled against him;

¹⁰Neither have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.

¹¹Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of

¹⁴Therefore hath the LORD watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the LORD our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice.

¹⁷Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake.

¹⁸O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies.

¹⁹O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy name.

What's going on here?

2006-06-08T20:16:00.000-07:00

To the individual traveler that probably got lost in order to find this section of the web, we welcome you. To the other few which, by word of mouth, has specifically sought out this site, we welcome you also.
When reading the posts that will start being loaded on this page you might be confused as to what exactly is going on. Our goal here is to discuss various parts of the Bible, theology, politics and whatever other issues which are important to Christian life.
If the form works out we’d like to start debating different issues and discussing insights which we find relevant today.
This site will be written by Christian authors; however any and all questions or comments are more than welcome. In fact, we have dropped the membership only comment blocker so that anyone browsing the site can speak their minds. Please click on the comment button below just to say you were here (it will make all of us feel better inside). In the mean time, we’ll work on getting this site up and running. – Dj and Phil

Window Browsers

2006-05-29T11:54:00.000-07:00

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