Category: Faith

From time to time, a verse will jump out at me and have a specific, intense significance in my life. A truth is exerted into my very being that shakes my core and lifts my awareness of Biblical truth and refreshes my spirit in a multitude of ways.

On another note, I like Food Network.

One of the things they do on the competition show on Food Network is called deconstruction. This is a process by which chefs take a dish that is known by a specific recipe and use the ingredients in a different way, essentially taking the dish apart and using its elements individually.

I have done this with scripture on my blog before, so I thought I would give it a name. So, from time to time, I will “deconstruct” a verse phrase by phrase and write the truths that jump out at me. Let’s begin…

if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14

At FBC-FH, we selected this verse to be used during worship services set aside for prayer for revival. I couldn’t get this verse out of my head the other night.

if my people who are called by my name

Those who proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord are God’s people. According to Galatians 3:29, “…if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.”

humble themselves,

Pride gets in the way of blessing.

and pray and seek my face

This verse is part of God’s answer to Solomon’s prayer in 2 Chronicles 6. If we are called by God, we should desire to communicate with Him. It is a privilege to pray, and one I am guilty of being “too busy” to do at times.

and turn from their wicked ways,

If you continue reading this chapter, you will see that this passage is both a promise and a warning. Repentance is key to being a part of a movement of God and a precursor to blessings.

then I will hear from heaven

We serve a present, invested, interested, all-loving God. This phrase is not implying that God is not omniscient. He doesn’t tune out His people. It implies that only those who truly seek God truly follow God, a prerequisite to answered prayer.

and will forgive their sin

Forgiveness of sin by a perfect, sinless, matchless God is a blessing in and of itself. The very fact that our wickedness (Acts 8:22) is forgiven upon repentance is grace beyond measure.

and heal their land.

Not just their land, but their relationship with Himself.

I had a teacher in high school that was famous for fleeting urges. She would share them with us. Crazy, off the wall things that were dangerous and/or hilarious. Dangling her feet while high in the air. Somersaults from great heights. Things that no one in their right mind would try.

My wife, Jamy, had one on the way home from church recently. She saw a field of corn (on private property) and wondered out loud if it would be wrong to stop and grab a few ears.

I had one of my own last week.

I was grill pork steaks over charcoal, so I had the long lighter out on the deck with me. Just for a split second, I had this thought…

What would happen if I tossed this thing in the lit grill?

Obviously, nothing I would ever really do. But I was easily able to imagine what would happen, and actually found myself evaluating the risks involved.

How big WOULD the explosion be

Would the trees ACTUALLY catch on fire?

How far away IS the fire extinguisher?

I chose not to give in to whatever-that-was. But for a minute there, I weighed the options.

Sin, at its most basic, is a fleeting urge (if sin is not a fleeting issue, there may be bigger issues in your life). It’s a compulsion from within our Adamic, sinful nature against which we have to guard. And just like my internal pros-and-cons dialogue, we need to decide to do what is right.

Now, in my grill situation, I had a pretty good idea of the consequences of my whim: big badda boom. We as believers and followers of Christ need to be deep in the Word of God and sensitive to the Holy Spirit to be able to guard against sins that tend to pop up out of nowhere.

Also, we need to not be so prideful as to think that we won’t be caught off guard by sin. No one is impervious to the power of sin. We all have issues and the potential to have issues. Knowing this and accepting this will enable us to set up protective hedges in our lives to head these sins off at the pass.

Another reason why sin seemingly shows up out of nowhere is because the Devil is real and he is tricky! 1 Peter 5:8-9 says, Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. So, when confronted by sin, Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12

Sin is much more deadly than lighter fluid. Watch out.

I once attended a meeting where a spiritual hero of mine was scheduled to preach. And he did. Preached the roof off the place.

As I approached him after the sermon to meet him, I saw him speak to a teenager in front of me. The kid asked him if he would sign his Bible. He refused, saying that he didn’t write the Bible and was not comfortable signing a book he didn’t write, but would sign his book A) if they ever met again, and B) if he ever wrote a book.

He was called away to another engagement and could not stay any longer. But the fact remains that I ALSO was going to ask him to sign my Bible. I still call this man a spiritual hero. But while I understand his point, I disagree with his reasoning.

I have other signatures in my Bible. Men who have greatly influenced me and my walk with Christ. Men who have lived a life that exemplifies how a Christ-follower should live. Men who have done it right.

I didn’t ask them to sign my Bible due to hero worship or their fame. And I ABSOLUTELY did not ask them to sign it because I placed them on or above the level of my Lord and Savior.

When I think about these men or look at their names, I am reminded of what serving God is all about. Staying the course. Keeping the faith. Facing obstacles in the name of Jesus. And overcoming odds.

My pastor said something in his sermon yesterday that stuck with me. He said that he has grown accustomed to people acting differently when he enters a room, not out of respect for the office he holds, but because he has chosen to live his life a certain way.

Our lives are to shine a light into the darkness of this world. The men that have signed my Bible are men whose lights shine brightly for all to see. That is the kind of witness I want to have. That is the kind of witness my Lord and Savior wants me to have.

God wrote an incredible book. The names written in the front don’t steal His author credit.