Dig Deeper

“And so, King Agrippa, I obeyed that vision from heaven. I preached first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that all must repent of their sins and turn to God—and prove they have changed by the good things they do. [Acts 26.19-20] 

If what Paul states above is accurate and true, then I cannot prove I am a Christian until after I have intentionally turned to God. But, I cannot intentionally turn to God until after I have genuinely repented.

We need to dig deeper...

Although "repent" sounds like a harsh word, Paul himself indicated otherwise. "Repent" means to "turn away."

Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin? [Romans 2.4]

Repentance is about turning to, and submitting to God in all His kindness. Repentance is freedom.

For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. [2 Corinthians 3.17]

In contrast, unrepentance is staying turned to the world and its idols submitting to their manipulation and exploitation. Unrepentance is bondage.

If the Spirit of the Lord brings freedom, then what is the proof that one is no longer in bondage? It is the same proof Christ demonstrated by the Spirit!

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.” [Luke 4.18-19]

This is the same proof Paul claimed as validation:

They were convinced by the power of miraculous signs and wonders and by the power of God’s Spirit. In this way, I have fully presented the Good News of Christ from Jerusalem all the way to Illyricum. [Romans 15.19]

And my message and my preaching were very plain. Rather than using clever and persuasive speeches, I relied only on the power of the Holy Spirit. [1 Corinthians 2.4] 

For when we brought you the Good News, it was not only with words but also with power, for the Holy Spirit gave you full assurance that what we said was true. And you know of our concern for you from the way we lived when we were with you. [1 Thessalonians 1.5] 

No doubt, if we are to operate in the demonstrable power (the good things) of the Holy Spirit, it will require a change. That change is not the result of religious will power, but the result of genuinely repenting and intentionally turning to God. 

If the demonstrable power of the Holy Spirit is not at work in our lives, then the obvious problem lies in the failure to genuinely repent and intentionally turn to God.

It is possible to genuinely repent and not intentionally turn to God. This is the obvious condition of the powerless church today, but more importantly, it was documented early on in the book of Acts:

And it happened, while Apollos was at Corinth, that Paul, having passed through the upper regions, came to Ephesus. And finding some disciples he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” So they said to him, “We have not so much as heard whether there is a Holy Spirit.” And he said to them, “Into what then were you baptized?” So they said, “Into John’s baptism.” Then Paul said, “John indeed baptized with a baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on Him who would come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.” When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. [Acts 19.1-6]

Following genuine repentance, intentionally turning to God is to seek the power of the Holy Spirit in stark contrast to relying on the ways and idols of the world. The danger of not intentionally turning to God - not seeking the demonstrable power of the Holy Spirit - is that it gradually but successfully has a negative retroactive effect on genuine repentance, ultimately becoming lifeless, and therefore, damning religion (see Revelation 3.14-19).

To be certain, "claiming" the power of the Holy Spirit has nothing in common with "proving" the power of the Holy Spirit. But, to be more certain, proving the good things of the Holy Spirit - turning to God - is not possible without genuine repentance.

The deeper dig found here is the simple message Paul declared to King Agrippa, "...all must repent of their sins and turn to God—and prove they have changed by the good things they do."

The question begs to be asked then, "Does my life prove I have been changed - is the demonstrable power of the Holy Spirit proving I have genuinely repented and intentionally turned to God in Jesus Christ?"

Father, as I contemplate this question for myself today, I find Your kindness, written in Your Word, calling me to repentance. May the power of Your Holy Spirit prove Your kindness to others through me. So be it.

Knowing God's Will - What Guides You?

That night the Lord appeared to Paul and said, “Be encouraged, Paul. Just as you have been a witness to me here in Jerusalem, you must preach the Good News in Rome as well.” [Acts 23.11] 

In my 19 years of reading the One Year Bible and the One Year Chronological Bible, today will mark at least the ninth time I have remarked on the subject passage above.

In order to fully understand the significance of what will be presented here now, it will be most helpful to understand how I arrived here. To do so, I very much encourage you to read previous articles regarding this subject passage from Acts 23.11 (they are all relatively short, but very much worth taking the time to read).

2011: Should Paul Have Gone Or Not?

2012: What Could Have Been Accomplished Otherwise? (Pt II) 

2016: Go To Rome

2017: Are You Living With General Ort Specific Direction?

2019: Every Step Of The Way

2021: Listening To Others

2021: God's Will Will Be Done

2023: Paul's Return To Jerusalem 

The one thing missing from all my previous articles about Acts 23.11 listed here is an extremely important fact about Paul and Rome: he had always wanted to go there. Here is proof from Paul's own words in his letter to the Church in Rome:

Let me say first that I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith in him is being talked about all over the world. God knows how often I pray for you. Day and night I bring you and your needs in prayer to God, whom I serve with all my heart by spreading the Good News about his Son. One of the things I always pray for is the opportunity, God willing, to come at last to see you. For I long to visit you so I can bring you some spiritual gift that will help you grow strong in the Lord. When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours. I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to visit you, but I was prevented until now. I want to work among you and see spiritual fruit, just as I have seen among other Gentiles. For I have a great sense of obligation to people in both the civilized world and the rest of the world, to the educated and uneducated alike. So I am eager to come to you in Rome, too, to preach the Good News. [Romans 1.8-15]

What does this tell us? While it may not necessarily tell us we will get a slice of chocolate pie just because we want one, it certainly does not dispute what was written in the Psalms long before Paul ever lived:

Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart’s desires. [Psalm 37.4] 

Not only can God use the desires of our hearts to guide us, but, as we see in the case of Paul, God told Paul he must go to Rome.

As we can see from Paul's letter to the Romans, his intention for wanting to visit them was godly in every way.

For I long to visit you so I can bring you some spiritual gift that will help you grow strong in the Lord. [Romans 1.11]

However, Paul had a personal (but still godly) intention attached to his desire to see them as well :

When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours. [Romans 1.12]

What do YOU want to do based on your delight in the LORD? Can the desire of your heart be vetted by godly intent?

Imagine Paul's arrival in Rome as a prisoner when some of the Rome Church members who had read his previous letter to them reminded him of what he wrote them in that letter:

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. [Romans 8.28]

No matter what we opine about the events leading up to Paul's incarceration in Jerusalem (ref. all my previous articles listed above), we can be sure that God's will is no mystery. The godly desire He has placed in our hearts is an excellent place to begin to understand where He is leading us. How we get there is the thrill of the journey.

Father, after all these years, You have finally gotten it through my thick skull that Paul wanted to go to Rome all along. It was a godly desire You gave him. May my journey here actually help others to recognize Your clear voice speaking through their godly desires. So be it.

What Acts 21.25 Is All About

“As for the Gentile believers, they should do what we already told them in a letter: They should abstain from eating food offered to idols, from consuming blood or the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality.” [Acts 21.25] 

The instructions above are what James and the Jerusalem church elders advised Paul concerning Gentile believers. What is that all about?

Although the three rules for Gentile believers seem random, the list is certainly short and simple enough when compared to all the law of Moses. There is however one significant common denominator among all three of these directives: idolatry.

While "eating food offered to idols" is obvious enough in its relationship to idolatry, it takes only a moment's thought to realize that consuming blood and eating the meat of strangled animals are directly involved with idol worship (see 1 Samuel 14.34 and Ezekiel 33.25). And, without question, sexual immorality is a hallmark practice and product of idolatry.

What James and the Jerusalem elders were telling Gentile believers to do was to avoid idolatry. They were telling them to obey the first three of the Ten Commandments.

Let's pause here for a contemplative moment... The passages directly below are quotes from Paul and James.

Owe nothing to anyone—except for your obligation to love one another. If you love your neighbor, you will fulfill the requirements of God’s law. For the commandments say, “You must not commit adultery. You must not murder. You must not steal. You must not covet.” These—and other such commandments—are summed up in this one commandment: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” [Romans 13.8-9]

For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” [Galatians 5.14]

Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” [James 2.8] 

Should we not be concerned that something is missing in these demands? Jesus said:

Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” [Matthew 22.37-40]

Unlike Jesus' demand to love God and love man, Paul and James are on record of demanding only "love man." Why, in their writings, did they not include the "love God" part like Jesus did? 

The answer can be discovered in Jesus' most profound address of the Ten Commandments' role in the life of any would-be follower:  

Someone came to Jesus with this question: “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” “Why ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. But to answer your question—if you want to receive eternal life, keep the commandments.” “Which ones?” the man asked. And Jesus replied: “‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. Honor your father and mother. Love your neighbor as yourself.’” “I’ve obeyed all these commandments,” the young man replied. “What else must I do?” Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he had many possessions. Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is very hard for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. I’ll say it again—it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of God!” [Matthew 19.16-24]

Notice here that Jesus (like Paul and James did) at first only mentioned the "love man" part of the Ten Commandments! It was only after the wealthy young man recognized something was missing and questioned Jesus, “What else must I do?” that Jesus summed up the ("love God") first three commandments: 'no other god, no idols, no misuse of God's name in any association whatsoever with idols' when He said, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

The reason Paul and James left out the "love God" part when writing to believers was because that part was the very essential basis of the audience's being a "believer" in the first place: they had given up their own ways, taken up their cross, and followed Jesus!

So, what does this have to do with Acts 21.25? James and the Christian elders in Jerusalem were declaring the "love God" first three commandments as non-negotiable: no idolatry or association with idolatry whatsoever JUST LIKE JESUS DID WITH THE YOUNG WEALTHY MAN!

Idolatry is non-negotiable with God. Idolatry is non-negotiable with Jesus. Jesus' work on the Cross is of no benefit to the person in violation of the first three commandments. A person cannot hold on to idols and hold on to Jesus at the same time. Jesus forbade it:

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24 (also, Mark 8.34 & Luke 9.23)]

And that is what Acts 21.25 is all about. 

Father, I am amazed how idolatry has persisted to distract Your people even up to this day. In fact, it seems idolatry is worse now than at any time in history. No wonder Jesus said, "only a few ever find it" referring to Your Kingdom. May Your people, in this day, turn away from idols so that they might effectively turn to You.  May they give up their own ways, take up their cross, and follow Jesus. May I be found in their company as they do! So be it.

Human Reasoning Fueled By Human Pride (Makes God Jealous)

I hope you will put up with a little more of my foolishness. Please bear with me. For I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God himself. I promised you as a pure bride to one husband—Christ. But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent. You happily put up with whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different kind of Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed. [2 Corinthians 11.1-4] 

The implications of what Paul wrote above are spiritually deep. While the words read easily, it is important to consider the references found therein to understand the full depth of what is said.

First, Paul mentions jealousy. He qualifies his own jealousy by comparing it to God's jealousy. If we search the Bible for God's statements about His own jealousy, we find ourselves in the Ten Commandments. Here is that 2nd Commandment with all its supporting descriptions:

“You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. [Exodus 20.4-6]

Jealousy is God's response to idolatry. Idolatry is trust and devotion to anything other than God. God's jealousy is what Eve (and Adam) provoked in the Garden of Eden. Think about it: all Satan did was convince Eve to make a character judgment about God based on human reasoning fueled by human pride. Eve simply placed  her "self" above God's Word. In so doing, Eve made an idol of herself. This leads into Paul's next point.

The next reference Paul makes in the conversation about jealousy is pure and undivided devotion to Christ. In this reference, Paul is making the clear inference that Jesus Christ is God, thus noting God's jealousy over a different Jesus..., a different kind of Spirit..., or a different kind of gospel.

In light of all we know about Paul's relationship with the Church at Corinth, it has been established that idolatry was prevalent and, an underlying issue. The key to this idolatry in today's subject passage is Paul's threefold reference to a different Jesus, a different Spirit, and a different gospel. And, this is where Paul's mention of Eve becomes so important to the conversation!

Satan presented Eve a different way of thinking about God other than what God said. Unwittingly, fueled by pride in "self," Eve took the bait. Once established in Eve, it was simply a "me too" situation for Adam (literally, everybody's doing it).

Why is this so very important? Because Satan is still lying to God's people today by appealing to their human reasoning fueled by human pride. When it comes to Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the gospel, people today all too quickly allow human reasoning fueled by human pride to transport them into the realm of different that Paul warned against. Instead of taking Jesus (and, therefore God) at His Word, all manner of different has entered the Church. Nowhere is this more profoundly seen than in people's loose interpretations of Jesus' strict demand:

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24 (also, Mark 8.34 & Luke 9.23)]

Likewise, human reasoning fueled by human pride has yielded different interpretations of the following demonstrative statements made by Jesus Himself:

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. [John 14.6] 

“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father. [John 14.12] 

You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. [John 15.16] 

Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” [Matthew 28.18-20] 

And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.” [Mark 16.15-18] 

It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’ [Luke 24.47] 

Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” [John 20.21-23] 

Fueled with even just a touch of human pride, any attempt to explain these passages with human reasoning effectively preaches a different Jesus..., a different Spirit..., or a different gospel. It fuels idolatry and ignites the jealousy of God. If God would not tolerate idolatry in the Old Testament covenant of the law, how much less will He tolerate it in the New Testament covenant of His Son! And, as seen in His numerous statements above, Jesus is in undeniable agreement.

Again:

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24 (also, Mark 8.34 & Luke 9.23)]

The thing is, we don't have to go about looking for idols under every rock. All we are tasked to do is, without human reasoning fueled by human pride, give up our own way (look for and get rid of the idols under our own rock), take up our cross, and follow Jesus. The idols will then reveal themselves when we genuinely start looking.

Father, forgive me for resorting to human reasoning which is so delicately but powerfully controlled by human pride when it comes to Jesus, the Holy Spirit and the gospel. May I relinquish my proud reasoning and replace it with humble obedience to the Cross. May I be so trusting and devoted to Jesus "as a pure bride to one husband"  that I avoid provoking Your jealousy at all. May my trust and devotion to Jesus instead provoke jealousy to every modern-day idol and Satan who inspires them. So be it.

What Is Spiritual Warfare Really About?

We are human, but we don’t wage war as humans do. We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ. [2 Corinthians 10.3-5] 

This is spiritual warfare - I get it. But what is this really about?

Perhaps our best answer is found earlier in today's One Year Chronological Bible reading:

Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: “I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people. Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate  yourselves from them, says the Lord. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you. And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” [2 Corinthians 6.14-18]

People have quoted this passage as long as I can remember, but no one has put a finger on exactly what is being talked about. And yet, there it is right in the middle of the discussion: And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols?

What do idols do? They systematically, by re-interpreting their meaning to lesser restriction, break the first three of God's Ten Commandments. 

“I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. “You must not have any other god but me. “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. “You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name. [Exodus 20.2-7]

Idols prevent people from knowing God by muddying the waters between God's promises and man-made solutions! And, what did Paul say about things that prevent people from knowing God?

We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ. [2 Corinthians 10.5] 

Paul is saying, "We get rid of idols - we turn only to God!" And then Paul goes on to say that God's response is that of a Father: “I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people. Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate  yourselves from them, says the Lord. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you. And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”

We should never be so foolish to believe God will  live and walk among us (the work of the Holy Spirit in power) until we separate ourselves from idols!

Destroying every proud obstacle is spiritual warfare against idols.

Most Christians today are not involved in spiritual warfare but in religion. If they were involved in spiritual warfare they would get as far away from idols as possible. Religion however, blends in with the world, humanly reasoning that God gave man the wisdom and ability to create idols like debt, insurance, medicine and technology that all allegedly remediate 'bad things' on behalf of God. However, unlike God the Father, the idols of man's making offer their help at an enslaving price (and, they don't require holiness, but instead flaunt filthy things). The 'bottom line" in these industries is not the purported 'improvement of the human condition,' but the value of their shares for their stockholders. We should ask ourselves, "What Good Father does that to his sons and daughters?"

As 2 Corinthians 10.3-5 above goes, does what is said here not ring entirely true in the last phrase: [we] teach them to obey Christ? Here is what Christ Jesus said:

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24 (also, Mark 8.34 & Luke 9.23)]

Can we not see, as humans, that giving up our own way is one and the same as using God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments?

And, is not the response, "But I might suffer or even die if I turn away from idols!" not exactly what Jesus prescribed when He said take up your cross, the very instrument of suffering and death?

Religion will never take us to that extreme! But Biblical spiritual warfare will indeed, because spiritual warfare understands that following Jesus is the one and only goal. Being a "fanatic" against idols is NOT the goal - the goal is following Jesus. The thing is, one cannot follow Jesus without giving up his or her own ways - the human reasoning false argument ways of idolatry.

Father, Your Word continues to ring crystal clear on the subject of idolatry. I realize that religion has joined forces with idols to keep Your people enslaved by their needs instead of enjoying Your Fatherhood of us as sons and daughters. There is no easy "cross" - and therein is our spiritual warfare to reject the human reasoning and false arguments of idols - but there is glorious provision and resurrection life in Christ. May we be found boldly committed to Jesus alone, whether we live or die, in constant pursuit of His resurrection life. So be it.

The Veil Is Taken Away (Is It?)

But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. [2 Corinthians 3.16-18]

Six years ago today, I wrote the article Glory. Today, I have come to realize that to discuss the glory without discussing the "veil" is woefully incomplete. We would do well to understand what the "veil" is.

The "veil" Paul mentions in 2 Corinthians 3 effectively prevents vision - it blinds what otherwise could and should be seen. The only way to remove the veil is to believe in Jesus. It should not have to be said here, but to effectively believe in Jesus is to believe in Jesus ALONE.

If we will see it, the Law God gave Moses, like the snake on a pole in Numbers 21.8-9, quickly became an idol to the people of Israel. And just as Hezekiah recognized and destroyed the snake on the pole (2 Kings 18.4), so the veil in the Temple was torn at Jesus' completion of His work on the cross (Matthew 27.51).

The point I wish to make is that any time we focus on anything other than Jesus Christ, a veil is raised preventing the transmission of God's glory. 

Paul and other believers in Jesus are repeatedly documented as demonstrating the power of the Holy Spirit. The power of the Holy Spirit accomplishes all manner of unexplainable, undeniable miracles of God. But, without singular focus on Jesus, the power of the Holy Spirit is veiled - people are blinded - they are left to whatever (if any) benefit their idols can provide, whether its a snake on a pole, the Law of God, debt, insurance, medicine or technology - all idols that never provide genuine freedom.

Make no mistake about it, the Holy Spirit IS the power of God. HOWEVER! Pursuit of the Holy Spirit is just as much a mistake as is pursuit of idols. God's people are to pursue Jesus Christ ALONE. Only when God's people have effectively trusted in Jesus alone is the Holy Spirit imparted. Any time a person even partially trusts anything other than Jesus, they effectively pull a "veil" over their own face thus limiting, if not altogether preventing, the powerful work of the Holy Spirit in and through their lives.

Notice the wording of the subject passage above: whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. To turn to the Lord is to turn away from everything else. Only then is the veil that blinds us taken away. Consider the revelation found in the Psalms about idols (everything else man trusts in):

Their idols are merely things of silver and gold, shaped by human hands. They have mouths but cannot speak, and eyes but cannot see. They have ears but cannot hear, and noses but cannot smell. They have hands but cannot feel, and feet but cannot walk, and throats but cannot make a sound. And those who make idols are just like them, as are all who trust in them. [Psalm 115.4-8]

The idols of the nations are merely things of silver and gold, shaped by human hands. They have  mouths but cannot speak, and eyes but cannot see. They have ears but cannot hear, and mouths but cannot breathe. And those who make idols are just like them, as are all who trust in them. [Psalm 135.15-18]

And those who make idols are just like them, as are all who trust in them. What does this mean? It means that those who make or trust in idols are just as lifeless as those idols. They are unable to speak, unable to see, unable to hear, and unable to breath the Holy Spirit life and power of God. It is effectively veiled by their own doing - their trusting in anything else other than Jesus alone.

Few are willing to take inventory of their faith. Few are willing to admit that the powerlessness they are experiencing in their "Christian" life is the result of trusting other things. Few are willing to even consider that they have chosen to veil themselves from the power of God by their insistence upon retaining and trusting their idols. Consequently, few are actually changed into his glorious image.

What do we do? We turn to the Lord, so that the veil is taken away. We purposefully and systematically give up our hold on (turn away from) worldly, man-made idols and the very life they purport to provide so that we might, in bold defiance to our own ways, follow Jesus:

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. [Matthew 16.24 (also, Mark 8.34 & Luke 9.23)] 

Father, Your Word could not be more clear: we must turn away from everything and turn to Jesus if we are to have our veil removed and know the freedom and power of Your Holy Spirit. May my life be a catalyst to others as I strive to give it up entirely to Jesus. So be it.

This Is Too Simple

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. [Romans 15.13] 

This is too simple. 

If we study "cause and effect" again today, we find that resultant to the cause of trusting in God, the effect will be confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

In plain language, we are given a litmus test by which to discern our spiritual condition. Paul has stated that if the power of the Holy Spirit is not manifest in our lives, the reason is that we have not trusted in God.

What's missing more than anything in the Church today? The manifest, unexplainable, undeniable, miraculous power of the Holy Spirit (like the early Church)! Why is this so? Because the Church today does not trust in God.

If God's people are not trusting in God, what are they doing? They are trusting in idols.

Father, I will refrain from further words today in hopes that the truth of Your Word will speak to us. So be it.