I’ve been hiking lately on two ends of a large wilderness area and wanted to find a route to connect both ends in order to make this a loop hike. The first time I tried to connect the two trails I found myself in dense fog with no landmarks visible. After spending 45 minutes searching for a connecting trail, I had to abandon my attempt and go back the way I had come.

But I was bound and determined to find a route connecting the two end trails. I decided this time to consult a map first and discovered that from the end of one trail I had to hike directly north to connect with the other trail. I packed a compass with me and looked forward to making a successful connection this time.

When I reached the end of the first trail, I took out my compass and took a reading. I was stunned and confused. The compass showed north being back toward the direction from which I thought I had just come! I tapped the compass to make sure it was working. It appeared to be working and consistently pointed back toward the general direction I had just hiked.

I now had a decision to make—should I follow the compass pointing in the direction the map told me to go, or should I follow my “gut” that was telling me to head off in a southwestly direction? I also pondered whether there might be some magnetic field in the area that was skewing my compass. I actually found myself in turmoil over this decision!

Finally, I determined that the most logical thing to do was follow my compass reading even though I didn’t understand how it could be right. To my amazement the compass bearing led me right to the other trail.

As I thought about this experience later on, it occurred to me that we sometimes react toward God with the same skepticism I had toward my compass. We set out with good intentions to follow God’s leading in our lives. But when we come to a place in which his leading seems false or at least suspect. We think, “That can’t be what he wants me to do!” Or, “I must have misunderstood him!” And we follow our “gut” instincts and go our own way—only to regret it later. Proverbs 4:18-27 reminds us:

The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter till the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble. My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man’s whole body. Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm. Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.  

©2010 Rob Fischer

1. Always read God’s Word expecting to meet with him. Approach God’s Word relationally. Listen for his voice. What is he saying to you personally? What do you see from his Word that reveals God’s character and ways? Where do you need to align your life with his character and ways?

2. Set aside a regular time to read God’s Word. I don’t know about you, but I need the discipline of a schedule. It helps knowing that I always spend this time listening to and conversing with God. Self-discipline is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. We do not cultivate self-discipline by always being spontaneous or only reading and conversing with him when we feel like it.

3. Beware of routine! This is the flipside of the previous tip. If you find yourself just going through the motions of reading, shake it up and do something different! For instance, if you’re in a reading plan, break out of it for a week and go to your favorite portion of Scripture. Be open with the Lord about your feelings and ask him to help you. Add some spontaneity to your Bible reading.

4. Read God’s Word out of desire for him. God is not impressed with how many times we’ve read through the Bible or with what we can recall from it. He wants our heart.

5. Share what you find with others. This is one of the most neglected, yet most powerful habits for launching ourselves and others into deeper relationship with God. Tell others what he’s revealing to you, how he’s changing you and what you enjoy about him.

Already, men are reporting how God is meeting with them and changing them as they spend time with him in his Word!

Let me challenge you too, to draw near to God and deepen your relationship with him as you simply read his Word. If you’re not a reader or simply prefer another alternative to reading, check out the free tools for listening to the New Testament on your iPhone, Blackberry or MP3 player: www.sccprimed.org.

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New Testament Read-thru Challenge!
Read thru the NT in 13 weeks at three chapters per day

Week
1       John 1-21

2       Acts 1-21

3       Acts 22-28; Romans 1-14

4       Romans 15-16; Matthew 1-19

5       Matthew 20-28; 1 Corinthians 1-12

6       1 Corinthians 13-16; 2 Corinthians 1-13; Luke 1-4

7       Luke 5-24; Galatians 1

8       Galatians 2-6; Eph 1-6; Phil 1-4; Col 1-4; 1 Thessalonians 1-2

9       1 Thessalonians 3-5; 2 Thessalonians 1-3; Mark 1-15

10      Mark 16; Philemon; 1 Tim 1-6; 2 Tim 1-4; Titus 1-3; Heb 1-6

11      Heb 7-13; James 1-5; 1 Peter 1-5; 2 Peter 1-3; 1 John 1

12      1 John 2-5; 2 John; 3 John; Jude; Revelation 1-14

13      Revelation 15-22

Always go to the Word expecting to meet with God!
Ask Him:
• What are You revealing to me here about Yourself?
• How does this passage apply to my relationship with You and others today?
• Lord, what do You want to change in me?

Partner with a friend or your small group to keep you accountable and to share what God is doing in your life!

Before Jesus came, God had revealed his character and plan through the prophets. These men of God are renowned for their integrity and their exploits. Men like Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Daniel come to mind. These are men we look up to, honor and emulate. They courageously and faithfully represented God before others. We still learn from them. But they were mere men.

Abraham, unwilling to trust God with his safety, lied (more than once) about the identity of his wife Sarah to save his own skin. Moses argued with God, convinced that God had made a huge mistake asking him to represent God before Pharaoh and all Israel. Elijah begged for death rather than face the wicked queen Jezebel.

These men, the prophets, needed to be personally convinced of God’s good character and intentions for mankind before they could testify to others about these things. They wrestled with the same issues we wrestle with regarding the goodness and mercy of God. They personally wrestled with these issues then they struggled again in communicating them to others who were often very hard to convince. And they struggled with their own weakness against sin. Yet God urged his people to listen to his prophets.

But now that Jesus Christ has come things are different. Jesus did not do away with the prophets, but fulfilled what God had spoken through them. Jesus had no need for God to convince him or prove to him anything. Nor did Jesus wrestle with God’s character or plans for mankind. The reason for this colossal difference between Jesus and the prophets resides in who Jesus is.

“In these last days [God] has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.” (Hebrews 1:2-3)

Jesus Christ doesn’t merely know God, he is God! You want to know what God is like in character? Look at Jesus. Jesus Christ is the supreme spokesperson for God, because he is God—in the flesh. As God’s one and only Son, Jesus represents God to us like no one else can. Not even the mighty angels of God who stand and serve in God’s presence can represent God to us like Jesus does.

Jesus clearly and articulately shows us God the Father because Jesus is the “radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature” (ESV). Therefore we must trust Jesus, believe him and follow him!

©2009 Rob Fischer

About 20 minutes later, Ed I were just cresting the top of a hill when here came that same cow up the other side of the hill toward us. In angry moose fashion, she laid her ears back, dropped her head, the hair on the back of her neck bristled and she began stomping the ground. Ed and knew she was not happy about sharing the trail with us and we were about to be chased!

Ed and I both ran for trees on either side of the trail with this irate, 1400-pound cow charging us. Fortunately for us she was apparently more interested in asserting her authority than in following through with the chase and she broke off the pursuit.

I tell that story without even the slightest hint of embarrassment over the fact that we ran away from this cow moose. Fleeing from her was the only smart thing to do in that situation! Had we tried to stand our ground—or worse yet—approach her, we both could’ve been trampled to death or at least very seriously injured.

The apostle Paul gives us similar advice when we’re confronted with what he calls “youthful lusts or passions.” In 2 Timothy 2:22 (NLT) Paul urges, “Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts.” Escape, flee, run away from anything that will feed, fuel or arouse lustful passions. These passions are dangerous! They’re deadly! What in the world are we doing thinking we can toy with them? Do we wrongly think that to resist them we must confront them? No! Run, flee!

But there is more to the strategy than merely fleeing sin. Yes, we’re to run away from sin, but in 2 Timothy 2:22 (NLT), Paul continues, “Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts.”

Paul also explains in Ephesians that by giving ourselves or yielding to sensuality and indulging in impurity, we lose our sensitivity to what displeases God and harms us. That is we can become “darkened in our understanding” (Ephesians 4:18). As a result we become slaves to our passions and continually lust for more (Ephesians 4:19).

Just like with the cow moose, there is no shame or embarrassment in fleeing from sin. It’s the smart thing to do! But were we to coddle sin and give in to it we would experience great loss—greater far than any charging moose!

©2009 Rob Fischer

We have adopted a culture in which we all find ourselves victims. We are told that we are victims of our upbringing, victims of our environment and even victims of our own emotions. We hear a husband lament, “I can’t help it if I don’t love her anymore.” Or after a serious burst of anger the angry individual excuses his behavior with, “It’s just the way I am!” Perhaps a wife threatens, “I could never forgive him for what he did.” And a child is heard to say, “I didn’t feel like studying.” Or, “I don’t feel like sharing.”

Don’t believe this victim mentality for a moment! Know this, a victim never wins! Never!

When Christ comes into a life he intends to transform that person from the inside out—including the way we think and the way we emote. If we think we are victims of our emotions, we will be! But that’s not God’s plan for us. “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” (Proverbs 4:23 NLT)

We may think at times that we fall prey to the whim of our emotions and cannot help ourselves, but that is never really true. You and I control our emotions all the time and we do it with finesse. For instance, when we want something real bad we know exactly what to do to feed our emotions. By the same token if we want to avoid something desperately, again we guide our emotions accordingly. If we don’t care what happens, we let our emotions take us where they will—and that’s a dangerous way to live!

When I was pursuing my wife, I fed my emotions of love and joy over her in every way thinkable. Later in our marriage, we both went through some rough times in which those emotions of love and joy did not flow easily. But we nurtured and fed those healthy emotions by doing loving things for each other and by voicing our desire to love each other. In this way we directed our emotions.

We must submit our will and emotions to Christ and let him lead and direct our lives. “Guard your heart above all else.” Don’t let your emotions run away with you. “And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” (Philippians 4:8 NLT)

©2009 Rob Fischer

The Knowledge of the Holy by A. W. Tozer

Chapter 1: Why We Must Think Rightly About God

Lord God Almighty! I call upon you not as a god of our own making. You are the One revealed and proclaimed by the prophets and apostles, and best of all, by your own Son Jesus Christ!

Those who don’t know you call on you as someone other than who you really are. They do not worship you but a creature of their own imagination. Therefore reveal yourself to us that we may know you as you truly are so that we will love you and praise you fittingly.

In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

What comes to our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us!

The history of mankind will no doubt reveal that no people has ever risen above its religion. And our spiritual history will definitely demonstrate that no religion has ever been greater than its idea of God. Worship is either pure or corrupt based on whether the worshiper thinks high or low thoughts about God.

For this reason the most crucial matter before the church is always God himself. The most significant issue for us as individuals is not what we may say or do in a given moment, but in our hearts what we perceive God to be like. Without fail every one of us has a mental image of God. This is true both individually and as a collection of worshipers in the church.

The most revealing characteristic of a church is its view of God. And its most significant message is what the church says about God or leaves unsaid. The church’s silence about who God is often speaks more eloquently than its message. The church always reveals its true nature based on its witness of who God is.

The answer to the question, “What comes to your mind when you think about God?” will surely predict your spiritual future. What our church leaders think of God today will determine our church’s condition tomorrow.

Without doubt, the most weighty word in any language is its word for God and the most powerful thought is thinking about God. Thought and speech are God’s gifts to us whom he created in his image. Word and thought are intimately linked with God and are impossible apart from him. How significant that the first word was the Word, “And the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1) We can speak because God spoke. In him, word and thought are inseparable.

It’s vital that our concept of God correspond as nearly as possible to the true being of God. What we truly think about God impacts us far more than platitudes we recite about him. What we really think about God may be buried under the guise of commonly accepted spiritual teaching and may require careful, rigorous inspection to expose it for what it is. Often, nothing short of a painful ordeal, trial or suffering will reveal what we actually believe about God.

Right thinking about God is not only vital to our theology but to our lifestyle as a follower of Christ as well. The true worship of God rests on right thinking about God just as a building rests on its foundation. When the foundation is crooked or poorly constructed, the whole building is in danger of collapse. Dishonorable and distorted thoughts about God always lead to errors in doctrine and Christian morality.

In my opinion the current Christian understanding of God is corrupt and altogether beneath the dignity of the Most High God. In fact, our distorted view of God has led us—professed Christians—into moral ruin.

All the problems of heaven and earth combined amount to nothing compared with the weighty issues facing us about God—his existence, what he is like, and our response to him.

In the course of our conversion, when we first begin to believe rightly about God we find relief from our many temporal burdens. For we realize that those worldly problems are puny from a divine and eternal perspective. However, in that first moment as we begin to see God and therefore ourselves rightly, we also become aware of the crushing burden of our guilt, shame and accountability before the Holy God. In his presence we recognize our immense obligation to love, obey and worship him acceptably. Then we realize that until now we have done none of those things but have been guilty all our lives of rebellion against the Almighty and Holy God. At that point our self-awareness and utter guiltiness become to great for us to bear.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ can lift this crushing burden from our life, freeing us from the guilt, shame and heaviness of our obligation. But unless we see God as he truly is—high and lifted up—we will not feel the weight of our burden before him. And unless we feel that weight, the Gospel will mean nothing to us. Low views of God render the Gospel useless for those who hold them.

Of all the sins mankind pursues, idolatry is probably the most detestable to God, because idolatry defames his character. The heart of the idolater views God other than he is (an outrageous crime in and of itself) then substitutes a cheap imitation of his own making for the one true God. The idol always conforms to the image of the one who created it, whether vulgar or wholesome, cruel or kind.

A god so formed in the shadows of a fallen heart can never be an accurate likeness of the true God. Of such a person the Lord declared, “You thought that I was one like yourself. But now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you.” (Psalm 50:21 ESV) This mutilation of the character of God is a serious charge! He is the Most High God before whom the angels cry out, “Holy, holy, holy, LORD God Almighty!” (Revelation 4:8)

We must take care not to assume falsely that idolatry always involves bowing before some object of worship and that it is therefore foreign among civilized people. The essence of idolatry is entertaining thoughts about God that are unworthy of him. Idolatry begins in the mind and may be present even where no overt act of worship occurs.

Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles. Romans 1:21-23 NLT

Note that this series of degrading acts began in the mind. Wrong ideas about God not only produce idolatry, but are themselves idolatry. The idolater simply imagines things about God and lives as though they were true.

Perverted notions about God soon rot the religion in which they appear. Israel’s record clearly bears this out and the history of the church confirms it. A true and lofty concept of God is so necessary to the church that when that concept begins to decline, the church with its worship and moral standards declines with it. A church takes its first step down when it compromises its high view of God

A church begins losing its witness in the community when its beliefs about God become corrupt. At that point this church cannot rightly respond to the question, “What is God like?” and fabricates something of its own making. Although this church may continue to profess to a sound set of doctrines, its relationship with God has become marred. This church’s members soon believe God to be different than he actually is. This kind of false teaching is most dangerous and deadly!

Our number one priority as a church today is to purify and elevate our view of God until our view is once more worthy of him (and of the church). We must give first place to this objective in all our prayers and ministry. The greatest legacy we can pass along to the next generation of Christ-followers is to provide them with a pure and noble view of God.

To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal? says the Holy One. Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing. Isaiah 40:25-26

Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you. You show love to thousands but bring the punishment for the fathers’ sins into the laps of their children after them. O great and powerful God, whose name is the LORD Almighty, great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds. Your eyes are open to all the ways of men; you reward everyone according to his conduct and as his deeds deserve. Jeremiah 32:17-19

Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen. Romans 11:33-36

 
©2009 Rob Fischer

One time Jesus was speaking to a group of zealous Jewish people of whom he acknowledged, “You diligently study the Scriptures . . .” On the surface this sounds noble and good. Yet in the same breath Jesus said to them, “You have never heard [the Father’s] voice . . .” (John 5:37 & 39) How is this possible? How can one read, let alone diligently study God’s Word without hearing his voice?

Certainly one can study the Bible without coupling that activity with faith in its Author. But I’ve also found that we can get so caught up with the grammar, context, word choice and all the other mechanics of the written Word to the extent that we forget what brought us there in the first place.

Jesus told the church in Ephesus that they held to the right doctrines (teachings from God’s Word), but they had forsaken their first love—their love for Christ and each other (Revelation 2:4).

If you are a student of the Bible, keep it up! Don’t be discouraged by the above. Instead, let me offer three simple principles to focus on as we come to the Word.

First, always come to the Bible expecting to meet with God. If we are not going to the Word to hear from him, then we’re going to it for the wrong reasons! The Bible is God’s Word. He speaks to us through his Word. The Holy Spirit will speak to us as we meet him there. So meet him there and listen.

Second, as you study the Bible allow his Word to penetrate your heart. Applying principles of Bible study and hermeneutics (the science of biblical interpretation) require diligence and hard work. We do that hard work and close the Bible satisfied that we’ve studied well. But few of us realize the work is not finished, but barely begun.

In order to take God’s Word into our hearts and let him transform us we need to meditate on it (or reflect on it, mull over it, ponder it). Sometimes this takes moments, but often it takes days, weeks, months or even years. Actually, God indicated to Joshua that meditating on his Word is a lifestyle (see Joshua 1:8). After walking with the Lord for over 50 years, I am in awe over the things he continues to reveal to me from his Word that are fresh and life changing!

Third, as you study the Word and let God speak to your heart, align your life with his Word and character. James urged us, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” (James 1:22) Simply hearing, reading or even studying the Bible will not necessarily change you.

In John 15 Jesus speaks of our relationship with him as analogous to a branch remaining in the vine. He is the vine, we are the branches. There he urges us to remain in him and to let his words remain in us (John 15:7). Recognize both your dependence on Christ and diligence in remaining or living in him and his Word. In this way we get beyond mere study of the Bible to cultivating our living, growing relationship with its Author!

©2009 Rob Fischer

1. Recognize that marriage is hard work, so stick with it and give it your best efforts! When our kids were little we were having a discussion about marriage around the dinner table. Our older two children indicated that, yes, they wanted to get married some day. When we asked our youngest son (who was about six at the time) whether he would some day marry, he pondered that question thoughtfully and stated, “I don’t know if I’ll get married. Marriage is hard work! I think I’ll get a job instead.” Linda and I pray that it wasn’t our marriage that gave him the idea that marriage is so hard! Anyways, after the laughter subsided, we had to agree with our six-year-old psychiatrist—marriage is hard work! So roll up your sleeves and put into your marriage the work required to make it great!

2. Tell your spouse you love him/her often (multiple times every day). Guys, don’t give me any baloney like, “I don’t need to tell her I love her, she already knows it.” Tell your sweetheart you love her! She needs and wants to hear you say it.

3. Go out on dates regularly. Enjoy each other’s company. Hold hands, be romantic. Make your times together special. Don’t let anything get in the way. She/he is worth it!

4. Look for concrete ways to serve each other selflessly. One of the biggest reasons marriages get stale is because we become self-absorbed. The best way out that downward spiral is to serve your spouse lovingly, joyfully and selflessly. Do it!

5. Listen to each other attentively. Listen to each other actively: maintain eye contact, eliminate distractions, employ empathy and great non-verbals. Listen to her/him attentively and caringly. A tip for you husbands, your wife will often share problems with you that you can’t fix, so don’t try to fix them. Simply love her, reassure her, hold her and tell her things will be alright.

6. Pray with each other. Guys, take the lead on this. Look for and step into opportunities to pray with each other. In this way you’ll grow in your relationship with God together. Thank God for the wonderful gift of your wife in her hearing. Make most of these prayers short and sweet!

©2009 Rob Fischer

Webster defines adventure as “an undertaking or experience that involves hazard and requires courage.” My mind went to Luke 9:22-23 where Jesus called disciples, “And he said, ‘The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.’ Then he said to them all: ‘If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.’”

Wow, based on that passage, a life of following Jesus definitely involves hazard and requires courage. I guess that qualifies as an adventure!

But aren’t we fickle and half-hearted at times? For as soon as we encounter hazards and trials we cry out for deliverance, “God, get me out of this!” And we long for normalcy, “When are things going to settle down again?” We go to great lengths to make our lives easy so we can avoid hazards and trials. We say we want adventure, but when the trials come what we really want is amusement. The amusement park offers a temporary rush of adrenalin in a controlled environment. But true adventure is unpredictable with real consequences.

The courage it takes to ride a roller coaster is not the same kind of courage required to go the distance in a true adventure. If we stop to think about it, courage is only needed when fear must be overcome.

All of us at times find our adventure with God to be scary and unnerving. Here’s where it helps to have a firm and accurate picture of God whom we’re trusting. He is infinitely loving, kind and compassionate. Yet he is all-powerful and all-knowing. He knows no surprises and needs no contingency plans. He wants to be intimately involved in our lives and loves it when we trust him without reservation. He is worthy of our trust because he is trustworthy. Those who trust in him will never be disappointed.

There’s a great passage in Hebrews 12:12-13 that God provides for our encouragement as we trust him in the adventure he has for us. “Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and weak knees. ‘Make level paths for your feet,’ so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.” The writer of Hebrews is quoting Isaiah 35:3 here. The context there finds Israel in its hour of greatest need when things truly looked hopeless. But the prophet encouraged Israel to trust in God and watch him work on their behalf—and he did! The point is, when things look most bleak on this life adventure with God, look to him and be strong in him.

© 2009 Rob Fischer