"And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death." Revelation 12:11 (esv) Rev.12:11 Web Site

A More Defined Reason

As a Christian artist I have believed that my ability, my talent, and my understanding of the instrument I use is a gift from God and ought to be used for His glory. It is not a spiritual gift but a gift of a learned talent. It ought to be used to honor and praise Him from a heart of gratitude for salvation and the privilege of the simple enjoyment of the art. Yet my irritation is that these artistic abilities are indeed a prideful business that tends to draw more attention to us than to God almighty and Jesus our Lord. 

Many artists would disagree with that statement but they may not have realized or just flat deny the “look at what I can do” factor that is within the heart. That is the attraction that inspired us in the first place when we saw someone else performing some art. Most of us said in our hearts, “Wow, I want to do that and do it better.” The question we did not answer is, “why?” For most of us the answer is probably that we want people to accept us, love us, and praise us for something great. 

Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from a man’s envy of his neighbor. This also is vanity and a striving after wind. (Ecc 4:4) 

You see, the truth is that we do what we do because we saw someone else do it and we liked it! 

So how does a Christian artist perform his/ her art without putting themselves in the limelight to be praised? We chance inspiring another to follow the prideful path of artistic pursuit and causing them to stumble if we do not keep our words and actions in check. Whether we like it or not we are teachers to more people than we realize and teachers of the Word are held to a more strict judgment. That alone puts us under the microscope of an anti-Christ society. Artists are in a continual unending battle against our own pride. Then there is the lure of wealth and prestige! 

How do we live under these conditions with a heart of peace? How do we deny all the enticements and just enjoy the art that God has enabled us to do? We are in a position of denying ourselves while at the same time using ourselves like a sort of billboard advertisement. The sad truth of it all is that all commercial music, Christian or otherwise is a sales gimmick to entice people to buy a product. Every radio station is selling something and it is the music and artists that are the attraction. I have to force myself to take the attitude of the Apostle Paul and believe the Gospel is being preached and let The Holy Spirit convict the individual according to His will. 

The verse Revelation 12:11 stuck in my mind when I was just doing a casual reading.  I began turning it over and over. It gave me some answers, and a more defined reason for even attempting to write a song. It gave me hope that in praising God for the grace he has shown to me might be the testimony another person needs to hear. That the information might help them overcome the sorrow and self-condemnation that giving into pride brings. 

You might loosely say we have a thorn in our flesh that buffets us and reminds us that God’s grace is sufficient for us. It is the pain of this need to be accepted or liked. It is pride. Every time we begin to think we are doing a good service for the Lord and his people, we are attacked with memories and accusations that discourage us. 

We know somewhere deep inside that that no one should like us because we know how wicked we can be, or have been. We are afraid to be seen for what we are, so being seen and heard by the public is frightening. Because of that frightful possibility we are constantly reminded that our sins are forgiven, that Christ Jesus is our hope and our assurance. We are always clinging to the fact that God’s grace in Christ IS sufficient for us. 

But this is how I learned to define that faith and courage: “When you have done all to stand, STAND THEN….” We must continue to praise God even when we are under such derision, even if we have sinned and are seeking forgiveness. True faith is constant like our Lord is constant, which is why we are so convicted when we have strayed away after our lusts. Yes there have been those times when we walked away and everything began to fall apart but it is that falling apart that always brings us back and God’s grace in Christ makes us more faithful and stronger.  

This is why fellowship is of utmost importance. Through fellowship we know we are not alone in faith or failure and have the opportunity to minister to one another much deeper and more honestly. We can be obedient by holding one another up, bearing one another’s burdens, and confessing to one another. This is what makes us able to do what we do with joy and praise for the glory and honor of God and our Lord Jesus Christ. 

We overcome the evil one by the Blood of the Lamb. That means we are secure, we can’t die because we have been born again into the Spirit and eternal life through Christ. We overcome the evil one and the accusations by the word of our testimony. Our primary number one testimony is THE GOSPEL! 

We are also witnesses of God’s incredible loving kindness, discipline, and restoration to peace and joy in Him. The Lord Jesus is the beginning and the end, and everything in between is for Him. That includes you and me and all of our trials and tribulations that build our faith and trust in Him. 

Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. The saying is trustworthy, for: 

If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful– for he cannot deny himself. Remind them of these things, and charge them before God not to quarrel about words, which does no good, but only ruins the hearers. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:8-15)

 Think about it.

Confess to One Another

Jas 5:15-20 “And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit. My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”

I cannot begin to express the power and freedom there is in confessing to one another, and then praying for one another. We do not always have to reveal our deepest darkest secrets; those should be reserved for husbands and wives or special counseling if it is needed. Then again if true Godly love is in the heart of two Christian men the fear of being exposed by a brother should not even exist, because love covers a multitude of sins and in that we are doing what out Lord Jesus does and are in obedience to the command to “Love one another.”

I know men who are often concerned and at times consumed with the thought that some secret sin from their past may be revealed. They have deep regrets over their mistake and pour it out to the Lord more times than they can count always asking the Lord to protect them. Because of the blood of Christ, God does not hold those against us once we confess and repent, even thought he may require us to suffer the consequences.

But men will always try to hold something over us to try to control us. So the danger is real and causes fear. There is a blessing though if you really think about it. The blessing is that we are forced to trust in the faithfulness of God and the blood of Christ. We are turned to our knees with our heads bowed and our eyes on the Word of God that says,

(Psa 139:3-5) “You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.”

I have gone through this very thing and this is the scripture the Lord gave me. He made me understand and gave me the hope that I was protected from the past mistakes, and possible future ones. He gave me the comfort of believing that his hand is on me to protect me and guide me. The sealing stamp of that scroll was bringing me to confess out loud what I had done that I was so afraid of.

Because it was a dark and terrible mistake, I could not confess to anyone with absolute trust but the Lord had given me a gift. My wife whom I love is a blessing of blessings and I trust only God more than her. Knowing the blessing of God to me that is my wife Teresa and my love for her meant I had to give her the opportunity to act in Godliness for my sake. I had to trust God first that he had truly filled her with His Spirit and His Word, and I had to trust my wife and just believe her love for me was true. I was not disappointed!

It’s an incredible paradox, this confession principle. If we act in obedience and confess to one another, it causes us to have to place our trust in God alone and it gives our fellows the opportunity to be responsible to God alone and act in a Christ-like manner toward us. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Yes we are, we are to bear one another’s burdens. It is a fantastic thing to see how the principles of the Gospel truly work together for our good and exalt the Lord, and how He is the very center of it all. “Where two or more are gathered in my name…”

I made some terrible mistakes in my life but the one that caused me the most grief and fear lingered like a specter waiting to drag me to a torture chamber. My paranoia about things coming to light was getting unbearable and causing me to grow angry and despondent toward God and my family. Once I confessed to my wife and having her forgiveness, as well as the Lord’s faithful grace set me free and gave me strength and courage.

Another principle that Jesus taught is in perfect harmony, “The truth will set you free and you shall be free indeed.” To tell those ugly things about me to my wife took incredible faith, trust, and courage. It strengthened our relationship and increased our knowledge of one another’s weaknesses so we would know how to bear one another up. It gave my wife an incredible sense of responsibility toward me as my “Helper” and made me love her more and give God the praise for such a gift as this woman. I had to trust her and God and when I did I had to really humble myself. My wife now has more respect and honor toward me and more confidence in God and our marriage.

That is an example from my life of an extreme need to confess such things but there are less severe moments that do just as much good and free us because of the truth. The other day my brother and I were talking about some plans we had made. He asked me what I needed to finish a particular project but I had to tell him I had not been out to the area where I was working in more than a month. He asked me why. I had to tell him how I had completely lost my temper and walked away from my project and how I was ashamed and it hurt to go out and look at the mess.

Having told him all that and explaining my anxieties, he was very understanding and told me I should get over it, let it go and do what I needed to do to finish. I appreciated his candor and straightforward talk. Our dependence on each other became more evident and necessary. Displaying my humanness and talking about my guilt over such foolishness was a witness to him about true faith and the grace of God. It showed him humility and my trust in him and made him look at his own frustrations.

The Holy Spirit urged him to take the higher ground of encourager and minister to me, an opportunity for him to give me the same grace he has know in Christ and from me! We are bund in honesty and truth with a sense of responsibility for each other’s godly character.

We all must walk in this kind of honesty. There is no one who keeps himself perfect all the time. We need one another, and we need to learn how the principles of the Gospel really work throughout the brotherhood. The things the Apostles wrote are for our good and when we live and act in the manner of Our Lord and the Apostles, the greatness and glory of God is visible and amazing. When we do these things we will be seen as a peculiar people and the Gospel will spread exponentially!

Take time to read Psalm 139 and really think about how God has been involved with keeping you and how he knows your deepest innermost parts. Pray for the courage to confess to one another, and TRUST GOD above all. He not only knows you and me, He also knows the people we are speaking to. When you do pray for one another and praise God for the grace we have in Christ Jesus.

It might just be that what you have to confess is exactly the opportunity someone needs in order to obey the Gospel and know God’s grace all the more. Now that is something to think about.

Men like me.

Luke 18:9-14 (esv) He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

For years I have struggled with sin and habits that just seem so difficult to put away once and for all. I know I am not alone in that struggle, and I am sure there are a few out there who have overcome incredible obstacles that few of us would be able to endure. There are also those who would say something like, “If you are holding on to those habits I would question whether your were really saved.” That has been said to me and I have heard it preached from the pulpit and many other places. As if we don’t have enough accusations from our own hearts and from demons!

I don’t think people realize how many Christians question the validity of their confession and live in the fear of hell fire and brimstone because ot it. Everyone makes mistakes; everyone gives into some lust some time. The command to love one another and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves demands our understanding in these matters. I have often questioned if I was truly saved, especially when my heart is afflicted. And there are many passages in scripture that out of context could lead me to think I just don’t measure up to the task of good merit for God’s favor. Believe me, I have done things that deserve nothing better than painful death and eternal suffering and I have to live with those memories and I suffer now from the results of foolish choices. Thank God we are not saved by our own merit but by grace through faith in Christ Jesus alone!

The memories of my sins after my confession of Christ is ever before my eyes, so I have no choice but to trust God that the blood of Christ and His resurrection is sufficient for the likes of me. I have found that at least in a man like me repentance is an ongoing task and obedience is an ongoing practice. The more we bow ourselves in obedience to the Word of God in faith the more peace we have in the inner parts, and the more conflicts of the flesh we fight and are able to endure. We become more aware of the weaknesses of the flesh because of The Holy Spirit in us and this is ONLY because of true faith in the blood and resurrection of Christ Jesus, The Gospel.

God desires a broken and contrite spirit and “the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” That is because he fears God and that fear is the evidence of truly believing God is, and He is able to change a man. That is Faith. Our failure is in our faithfulness. That is, “when we are faithless He remains faithful.” Without Christ we have no hope of ever attaining to the righteousness of God, this is what the commandments show us, we just don’t measure up. That is why Christ Jesus had to die on our behalf, The Only Begotten Son of God, The Holy One who obeyed God even to death upon a cross. There is no other way to be reconciled and forgiven forever. This is what grace is and we exist for His glory not ours; that is where mankind’s thinking gets backward which leads to disobedience and sin. We tend to think God and His Son exist for us, but He is the Creator, we are the creation.

Psa 25:8-15 (esv) “Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in the way. He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way. All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies. For your name’s sake, O LORD, pardon my guilt, for it is great. Who is the man who fears the LORD? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose. His soul shall abide in well-being, and his offspring shall inherit the land. The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant. My eyes are ever toward the LORD, for he will pluck my feet out of the net.”

When I begin to question salvation in my life I am always reminded of the great and awesome things the Lord has done for me. Who am I that the lord would think of me? I have cried out to God and watched as He provided incredible undeserved grace in less than a day. I have slowly grown to understand what it means to love people and how forgiving and non-accusing that kind of attitude is. I am not perfect in every deed or choice I make but God is perfect, and in the deepest part of me I have committed my life to him in faith that He is able to complete a good work in me.

A large part of bringing me to perfection is proving His faithfulness and my faith through trials, and through temptations. The blood of Christ and more importantly His resurrection is proven sufficient and reassures us of the hope of eternal life with Him. The hope that this sinful flesh will be changed to be like He is. The more of this incredible grace we know the more submissive we become to The Word, and to His will growing in the understanding of God’s Almighty power and majesty. He is above all and able to change us according to who we are because he knows us better than we know ourselves.

Jas 1:2-4 (kjv) “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”

I only know myself because I know God who created me, and teaches me according to the needs of my heart. I do not have to know the enemy, I know the Almighty God because of faith in Christ who knows the enemy better than anyone. What I have to have to do is submit in obedience to Him and His Word, but I would not know the peace of that obedience without knowing the sorrows of discipline for disobedience. This is the evidence of the love of God toward us and makes us able to give the same grace to others.

Heb 11:6 (kjv) But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Here is somthing to think about; If we do good in the sight of others and they are blessed, then in order to keep that good reputation we are constrained to continue doing good to others. Other wise we are percieved as liars and make the Gospel seem questionable. We can only do that by the Holy Spirit in us who teaches us obedience to the Word of God.

Mat 18:21-35 (esv) Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven. “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began to settle, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. And since he could not pay, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for him, the master of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. But when that same servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ He refused and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their master all that had taken place. Then his master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me. And should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?’ And in anger his master delivered him to the jailers, until he should pay all his debt. So also my heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.”