God’s Armor for Resisting Temptation

Posted on March 14, 2021 by Writing & Photography by David K. Carpenter

Last week I blogged about fighting the temptation to the sin of worrying, which is to say, failing to trust God. One comment I got said something to the effect of, “That’s good and makes sense when I read it–but how do I do it?”

It’s a great question, and of course, more broadly it applies to all sin. How are we to resist temptation? Easier said than done, as we all know. I should note that by writing this blog, I by no means claim to be perfect or anything close to it–God knows all too well that I screw up as much as the next person.

Nevertheless, I feel called to provide God’s guidance for resisting temptation, which in my better moments has helped me fight against Satan and resist the temptations and justifications he so freely offers me.

Let’s start by pointing out a couple key promises from God.

Borrowed from YouVersion: https://my.bible.com/verse-of-the-day/1CO.10.13/6035?version=111

Since sin separates us from God, but God wants us to be closer to Him than a best friend, logic would dictate (and Paul states in his first letter to the Corinthians) that God does not want us to sin (and by the way, this is the reason He doesn’t want us to sin, not because He’s an angry, vengeful judge following us around, waiting for us to screw up; otherwise, He would not have sacrificed His only begotten Son to reconcile us back to Him by paying the price of our sin, thereby wiping our slates clean!). As Paul points out here, God will always show us a way out of the temptation.

Note that there are multiple ways out, methods for resisting temptation, some of which we’ll talk about here. There are many more, with volumes of books and articles written about them. If there’s a specific temptation you grapple with and wish you could change, I suggest you find literature directly related to that temptation, or even seek help from a behavioral health professional or your pastor.

Moving on, if we are inclined to think of God as an angry referee who has no idea what it’s like to face overwhelming temptation, we should remember that Jesus was fully human. This means He was saddled with the same human nature that courses through all of our lives. And even though the world has changed significantly in the last two-thousand years, human nature has not. This in turn means that Jesus knows exactly how we feel and what it’s like to face temptation.

Borrowed from YouVersion: https://my.bible.com/verse-of-the-day/HEB.4.15/917?version=111

OK, so how did He do it? Can we use the same methods Jesus did to fight against the evil one? YES! That’s the point of emphasizing the fact that Jesus was fully human. He had no special magic that exempted Him from temptation. The good news about this is that we have available to us the same tools that Jesus used. Granted, He used them better than we generally do, but this is what living a sanctified life means–that we allow God to transform us more and more into His image.

For one thing, Jesus modeled for us a life of a constant and ongoing conversation with God, which is to say, prayer. When tempting thoughts toward sin creep into our minds, we can (and should, as it is a sign of maturity) practice recognizing that. When we take hold of such a thought, a prayer as simple as, “Help me, Jesus, I can’t fight this without you,” may be all you need to resist the devil. Maybe not, but it’s at least a good start.

Borrowed from YouVersion: https://my.bible.com/verse-of-the-day/1TH.5.17/711?version=111

We also see Jesus use prayer to resist temptation in Gethsemane garden on the Mount of Olives right before He was arrested, beginning that horrible journey, which He knew was coming, toward torture and death on the cross. He clearly was tempted not to go through with His sacrifice–and who could blame Him? Luke recounts that He was so conflicted and distraught over this that an angel came to strengthen Him:

Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.

Luke 22:39-44 (NIV, emphasis added)

“Not my will, but yours be done.” How many inappropriate actions could we avoid if we included that in our quick prayer to help us resist temptation?

Lastly, I’ll point out that the other tool which Jesus used frequently to fight the devil was God’s word. This, of course, is also freely available to us in many forms. One of the many reasons why God wants us to be immersed in His word is so we can use it as armor when (not if) we find ourselves in battle against Satan and his temptations. Whatever your struggle is, there’s a Scripture that will be useful for you in defending against those attacks. If you pray about it, God will help you find it.

The most well-known model of Jesus doing this was when He was tempted by Satan after 40 days of fasting in the wilderness, as His earthly ministry was getting started. The story is captured in Matthew chapter 4, verses 1 through 11. The evil one tempts Jesus three times, even quoting the word of God in the process (inappropriately, of course). Each time, Jesus refutes Satan with Scripture.

Borrowed from YouVersion: https://my.bible.com/verse-of-the-day/MAT.4.4/25570?version=111

In closing, let me ask, Why did Jesus show us these tools for fighting the devil, for resisting temptation? So we can use them too!

I pray that I, and we all, will use these effective tools–every time–to resist the devil and overcome, thanks to this armor that God has given us.

Borrowed from YouVersion: https://my.bible.com/verse-of-the-day/JAS.4.7/49502?version=111
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Trading Our Sins of Worry and Fear in Exchange for God’s Shalom

Posted on March 7, 2021 by Writing & Photography by David K. Carpenter

Last week I wrote about the holy exchanges God offers us, which are always great deals for us. Now I want to unpack one of the trade-offs that I glossed over last week just a bit more.

Jesus offers to take this sin away from us: to carry all of our anxious thoughts, all of our fears, all worries we have about tomorrow or next month or next year.

Woah, hold on a minute! you might be thinking. Since when is worrying a sin? I don’t remember seeing that in the Ten Commandments.

It’s a fair question. Without going too far down a theological rabbit hole, let me assert that anything that puts you in opposition to or apart from God is sin. And although it’s not a rule from the Ten Commandments (sadly, breaking these is far from the only way we can sin), Jesus addresses it directly in his Sermon on the Mount:

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”

Jesus, in Matthew 6:25-27
Borrowed from YouVersion: https://my.bible.com/verse-of-the-day/MAT.6.25/36052?version=111

So, are you with me? If Jesus explicitly tells us not to do something, I’m thinking it’s a good idea not to do it. But even setting that aside, it’s also not a good idea because it doesn’t do any good! If we think about why Jesus tells us not to worry, his rhetorical question says just that: who of us can add even a single hour to our lives by worrying?

If I had to guess (although of course I’m not God and his ways are higher than mine just like everyone else), I would say that the problem with fear and worrying is that it conveys a lack of trust in God. It’s easy for us to say we trust God, and even easy for us to believe that we trust God completely when things are going well. But what if an outcome isn’t what we wanted? Or if the answer doesn’t come when we want it? Do we still trust him then, do we still believe that his plan is to prosper us (as one of my favorite verses seems to promise)?

Borrowed from YouVersion: https://my.bible.com/verse-of-the-day/JER.29.11/23013?version=111

This is clearly more challenging. To some degree, we tend to behave like spoiled children when it comes to God–I want what I want when I want it! So God, if you really love me, you’ll do this thing for me, right?

Wrong.

As Paul wrote on behalf of God:

Borrowed from YouVersion: https://my.bible.com/verse-of-the-day/ROM.5.4/5759?version=111

Every good parent knows you can’t give your kid everything s/he asks (begs, pleads, cries) for, knowing that doing so takes away any chance they have to build character, not to mention the fact that we know some of the things they ask for won’t be good for them. So why should we expect God to be any different with us?

So anyway, I hope we’ve established by now that worrying, living in constant fear, and not trusting God are all counterproductive things for us to allow into our lives. But what are we to do? Sometimes these thoughts appear in our minds. But what if this happens…? We can’t help that.

But why not?

Every sin, including this one, begins with a single thought. We don’t need to remain slaves to our thoughts–we can and must capture negative or sinful thoughts the moment they occur. To have had the thought is not a sin–we can’t help what pops into our minds. It is acting on the thought, or allowing it to run wild in our minds, that leads us down the path toward sin.

Once we have captured a rotten thought, instead of allowing it to drag us down that well-worn path toward hell, we need to replace it with something godly.

Lately, I’ve been experimenting with recalling a scripture to mind, which Jesus modelled for us when Satan tempted him after 40 days in the wilderness. Or if I can’t think of one, I’ll open the Bible app on my phone and read a few verses. When I do that, I actually end up feeling glad that I got tempted since it gave me the opportunity to turn to God (through his word) to overcome the temptation. What Satan meant to harm me and destroy me, God turns it into something good. What a great plot twist!

This is one version of a holy exchange–trading a temptation for a word of encouragement and strength from God. There’s another version, which I’ll wrap up with: when we are tempted by fear or worry, Jesus offers to carry those things for us. He’ll take that baggage onto his strong shoulders.

Borrowed from YouVersion: https://my.bible.com/verse-of-the-day/MAT.11.29/62597?version=111

I’ve gotten pretty good over the years at catching myself worrying and handing it over to Jesus. Of course, it’s still an ongoing struggle not to stomp over to him and yank it back out of his hands! Hey, growth is a process. I just keep reminding myself that in exchange for my troubled mind, Jesus offers his perfect peace–the shalom that King David wrote about in the 23rd Psalm:

Borrowed from YouVersion: https://my.bible.com/verse-of-the-day/PSA.23.4/56531?version=111

Who wouldn’t want to trade garbage for that kind of peace?

I know I do!

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Holy Exchange – What You Receive, Not What You Give Up

Posted on February 28, 2021 by Writing & Photography by David K. Carpenter

Even though I’m not Catholic, I took up the practice of Lent (the 40 days leading up to Easter that begins with Ash Wednesday) many years ago. This is a great invitation to reflect on and prepare our hearts for the awareness of the ultimate and tremendous sacrifice by God the Father and God the Son that crashes into our story during Holy Week. The idea is that we should fast from something during this time. This could be a particular kind of food (chocolate?) or activity (watching TV), etc. It’s up to each individual to choose what to give up.

Although I have to confess I haven’t always been great about this, the idea is that whenever you consider partaking in whatever you gave up for Lent, you are to use this as a reminder of the coming sacrifice that Jesus made for us. For whatever reason, though, this year has been different for me. I have been more mindful of that, and thinking of my small sacrifice has led me to reflect more about the huge sacrifice Jesus made for me.

And here’s the thing I have come to realize: this holy exchange, as well as every exchange I make with God, is always a better deal for me than it is for God.

We’ll ponder the ultimate exchange–my sin for the righteousness of Christ–as we get closer to Easter, so for now I want to focus on this idea: shrouded in the darkness of this age, people who are not yet followers of Christ (and even some who are) tend to think about church and Christianity in terms of what you have to give up: lying, cheating, stealing, murder. These may be easy enough to avoid, but what about swearing? Some would also add gambling, dancing, certain kinds of music, dressing in a certain way, but I’m not convinced there’s a biblical foundation for these.

Anyway, the point is, when you focus on negatives like this, you miss the big picture. The Bible isn’t a rule book, it’s a love story. God wants us to be in relationship with him. The things He asks us to avoid are not healthy for any relationship. If I lied to or cheated on my wife, those actions would not be healthy for our relationship.

Also, as for most (if not all) of the other rules found in the Bible, God gave them to His people to form them into His people. If you’re reading through the Bible in a year, you’ve probably reached the part in the story of the Israelites where they were wandering in the wilderness on their way to the promised land. He gave Moses the 10 Commandments and other rules to give to the people so He could create a culture for His people that was unlike anything man had dreamed up. He created boundaries to protect their health as they moved through the wilderness since they couldn’t just pop over to a nearby pharmacy or Emergency Room if they got ill.

If I turn my attention away from the negative of what I have to “give up” and instead focus on the positive of what it means to be in relationship with God, here’s what I get in return: I get an assurance that no matter what happens to me in this life, I know I will spend eternity in paradise with my Creator and all of my loved ones who are or become followers of Christ. I get a deep-rooted peace that surpasses all understanding–shalom–even as I navigate the often turbulent waters of this life. I get the gift of appreciating people for who they are–sons and daughters of God–instead of what they can or can’t do for me, or any other sub-optimal way of viewing people. I could go on and on, but I’m trying to keep my posts brief.

So what’s the bottom line? We all should be glad to make holy exchanges with God since we always receive more from Him than we have to give up to be in relationship with Him. Thanks be to God, from whom all blessings flow!

Borrowed from YouVersion: https://my.bible.com/verse-of-the-day/COL.3.15/10795?version=111
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Gone Too Soon

Posted on February 21, 2021 by Writing & Photography by David K. Carpenter

Since I am not God, I obviously have no way to be certain, but I would not be surprised if one of the more common prayers He hears is for healing, both for the person offering the prayer and for loved ones. Nobody likes to suffer, and even more than that, we don’t like to see our loved ones suffer, so it makes sense to me that this would be a common prayer.

What doesn’t make sense, though, is the apparent absence of an answer from God. I mean, I believe in a loving, all-powerful God with the ability to do anything He wants. So why would He ignore such prayers? How could he, instead, take loved ones from us in spite of our pleas to the contrary?

It doesn’t seem fair.

I have no argument for that. I agree, it’s not fair. To say it sucks is an understatement.

There are, of course, platitudes people will offer–well-meaning people trying desperately to find something comforting to say–but that in the end crash to the floor and shatter like a china teacup. She/He is in a better place. God must have needed another angel, so He called him/her home. Blah, blah, barf.

The only thing I can think of isn’t really very comforting, but it probably best fits with who I believe the Bible tells us that God is: I believe that upon passing through death, followers of Christ are restored into some form that is healthy and fit enough to last for all of eternity. So sometimes when we pray for healing, we or our loved ones are truly healed–just not in the way we think of healing, not in the way we want. We or they pass through death and are made whole. This doesn’t help those of us left behind since we see it as that person being taken from us. But that person’s suffering is over.

I warned you it wasn’t all that comforting.

But there is good news. God isn’t willing to have anyone face eternity without giving them an opportunity to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. There’s underlying theology here, about how and when that choice happens, and is this opportunity presented (again) after we die, that I’m glossing over for now since that’s deeper than I want to get right now. What I’ll point to instead is the story of the vineyard workers that Jesus told in Matthew chapter 20.

Jesus’ point in telling this parable is to let us know–especially those of us who have been following Him for years and may have an over-inflated and worldly view of what’s fair–that even people who accept Him into their hearts at the last possible moment will enjoy the same benefit of eternity with Him in paradise as those of us who have been toiling away as His followers for many years. To underscore this point, look at what He said to one of the thieves on the cross right next to Him, who professed his faith in Jesus only hours before he died:

Borrowed from YouVersion: https://my.bible.com/verse-of-the-day/LUK.23.43/12399?version=111

This still may not give us any comfort when a loved one is ripped from our grasp, taken away too soon. But in some small way, perhaps it can bring a measure of hope that we can one day be reunited with them in paradise.

In memorium: for Kathy. We all miss you more than we had the chance to tell you before you were gone too soon.

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Another Moses Lesson: Slow & Ugly Success Is Still Success

Posted on February 14, 2021 by Writing & Photography by David K. Carpenter

Have you ever run into a dead end, an end of the road that you hadn’t expected? Did you wonder when–or even if–God was going to show up to make things right?

You’re not alone. Anyone who has developed an honest relationship with God has asked a question something like, “Where are you, God? How can you let this happen to me?”

This is the way the Israelites felt in Exodus 14. They had finally escaped from Egypt, only to look over their shoulders to see that Pharaoh had changed his mind and was chasing them after all. With the full might of the Egyptian army. When the Israelites reached the Red Sea, there was nowhere to go. They were trapped. Gulp.

Of course, everyone blamed Moses, telling him it would have been better to remain slaves in Egypt than to die in the desert. Moses responded with a great statement of faith and trust in God:

“Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

Moses, in Exodus 14:13-14 (NIV)

And of course, anyone who knows the story of how God parted the Red Sea to save the day, allowing the Israelites to pass through (but brought it back together to drown the entire Egyptian army) is aware that Moses was right. But here’s the thing:

  1. The solution to their problems didn’t come when the Israelites wanted it–they would rather have been rescued when things first started getting bad. Who wouldn’t? But this answer came years later.
  2. This solution undoubtedly doesn’t look anything like what the Israelites would have been hoping for. But it was still a solution.

The Bible is full of stories about God coming through for His people. Life is full of stories about God coming through for you and people you know. His answers to our prayers may not come when we want or in a form we want, but they will come. We have to trust Him that where there is no way, He will make a way. It’s what He does. His ways are higher than our ways, so we probably won’t understand how He is working on our behalf until sometime later, when we reflect back on our challenges and count the ways He parted the Red Sea for each of us.

Borrowed from YouVersion: https://my.bible.com/verse-of-the-day/NAM.1.7/28517?version=111
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More Lessons from Moses – Being Set Apart

Posted on February 7, 2021 by Writing & Photography by David K. Carpenter

Last week we looked at some important lessons from when Moses burst onto the scene as a screaming baby in Exodus 2. This broader story, which really recounts God’s efforts to form His people into a unique monotheistic culture, has some more gems to offer. Picking up where we left off, turning to chapter 5, we see Moses and Aaron getting into hot water. To recap where we were in the story, Moses had finally given into God’s calling for him, to return to Egypt and lead His people out of slavery and into the Promised Land. Anticipating that the people wouldn’t readily follow Moses, God gave him a number of signs to perform for the Israelites to convince them that he had truly been sent by God. They finally agreed, worshipping God for recognizing their plight and sending a deliverer to them.

Sounds easy, right? They should be on their way by next Tuesday.

Well, not so fast. In chapter 5, we see that things don’t go as they had pictured in their minds. In fact, it’s a disaster. Moses and Aaron appear before Pharaoh, telling him that the Lord told them to tell him to let His people go. Pharaoh, of course, does not recognize the Lord (Pharaoh thinks of himself as divine, and obviously more powerful than the God of the Israelites since he has subjugated them). Even worse, he tells them that if they’re going to pull this kind of nonsense, he’s going to significantly increase their workload and even more brutally oppress them.

This does not win Moses or Aaron any points with their fellow Hebrews, who blame them for making the Israelites obnoxious to the Egyptians. God assures Moses that He has control of the situation and that He will deliver His people from Egypt and into the Promised Land. Moses and Aaron pass this message of assurance and encouragement along to the Israelites, but they don’t believe it.

This brings me to the first lesson in this segment of Moses’ epic story. Our world today abounds with negativity, hatred, and “doom and gloom” news. Yet there are pastors and other messengers of God who are reminding us that God is in control, that He has a plan to redeem even the most dire of circumstances. So the question is, which voices are we going to listen to? Will we listen to God’s voice, even in spite of all of the “evidence” the culture points to in order to support their assertions that there is no God or that He just doesn’t care?

Getting back into the story, we come to the famous ten plagues. The pattern repeats itself ten times where God tells Moses to warn Pharaoh that he will bring a certain plague on the Egyptians if he doesn’t let the Hebrews go, but at the same time, He also warns that He will harden Pharaoh’s heart so that he won’t let them go. (Note that this odd bit of theology–God hardening Pharaoh’s heart–is worth exploring, but it is beside the point for today, so I’ll set it aside for now). The final plague, recounted in Exodus 11, 12, and 13, is that of the firstborn sons (and livestock) of Egypt being killed. This leads to the story of the Passover, a foundational part of the history for the people of Israel, and also for followers of Christ, since Jesus draws a stark parallel between His own crucifixion and the sacrifice of the Passover lamb since both sacrifices atone (or take away) the sins of another.

This brings up the next lesson for today. The story of Passover is a story about God rescuing His people. In Exodus 12, it tells how the Israelites are to identify themselves as God’s people by marking their doorways with the blood of the Passover lamb. Jesus Christ, as the Passover Lamb for the New Covenant, told us how to mark ourselves as God’s people, how to set ourselves apart from those around us. The Sermon on the Mount is full of such guidance, but here are a couple challenging ways in which Jesus tells us how to “mark our doorways”–to set ourselves apart from our culture:

 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven….

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

Jesus Christ, in Matthew 5:13-16, 43-48 (NIV, emphasis added)

Wait, what?? We have to be perfect?

“You know I can’t do that, Dave, so count me out!” I’m glad you brought that up, because I’m right there with you. None of us is perfect, or even capable of being perfect. In our own strength.

This leads me to our third and final lesson from this part of the story: just as the Hebrews had to mark their doorways with someone else’s blood to set them apart, so too are we made holy with blood that is not our own, but that of Jesus, the ultimate Passover Lamb. It is out of that sacrifice that we are to, in a posture of humility and gratitude, try as best we can to live like Jesus and love others as He did. He knows our hearts, our failures, and yet this is what He calls us to do. This is God’s favorite modus operandi for working in this world: He sends regular people–us–to feed the poor and help our neighbors on His behalf.

God never promised this would be easy–only that He would be with us on the journey….

Borrowed from YouVersion: https://my.bible.com/verse-of-the-day/MAT.5.44/5764?version=111
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Choose Someone Else – God’s 10x Plan for Moses and Us

Posted on January 31, 2021 by Writing & Photography by David K. Carpenter

For those continuing to follow the blazing trail through God’s and our story, you’ve undoubtedly encountered Moses, one of the more important people in the Hebrew Testament and in the story of the people of Israel. Moses’ journey offers many encouraging and challenging messages to us, even several thousand years later. He appears in the second chapter of Exodus and dominates the story (along with God) for many years and chapters to come.

In the 430 years since Joseph had brought his father and 11 brothers to Egypt, the 12 tribes of Israel had thrived and multiplied significantly–from about 70 men (plus their families) to now about 600,000 men (plus their families, so well over 1 million people). Their rapid growth scared the heck out of the Egyptians, who had since enslaved the Israelites. One result of this is that Pharaoh (King of Egypt) had decreed that all newborn Israelite boys must be killed in order to slow down the growth of the Hebrew people. It was into this environment that Moses was born (Exodus 2). Fearing God more than Pharaoh, the midwives found ways to disobey Pharaoh (at risk to their own lives) and keep the baby boys alive. It was only because of this miracle of defiance that Moses even survived. His mother made a little basket boat for him and set him adrift in the Nile, hoping he would somehow survive the journey and end up in a good home.

Reflecting on this, that’s the first important message for you and me from Moses’ epic journey: through a series of countless miracles, God has given us life and kept us alive to bring us to where we are now, so that we may both glorify and enjoy Him.

Anyway, baby Moses is found by Pharaoh’s daughter who, like any good youngster, brings him home and asks if she can keep him (“Please, Daddy, can I? Please!?”). Like any dad, he has a hard time saying no to that, so Moses ends up getting raised like an Egyptian in Pharaoh’s palace. However, somehow along the way, he learns that he is a Hebrew. After he has grown up, one day he sees an Egyptian beating a fellow Hebrew. Moses intervenes and kills the Egyptian. Pharaoh finds out, so he tries to kill Moses. Moses runs away to nearby Midian to escape punishment. There he meets a priest of Midian, who has seven daughters. He stays with the priest, who gives Moses one of his daughters to marry. She bears him his first son, and he utters the famous phrase, that he has become a stranger in a strange land.

Meanwhile, the king of Egypt dies, but the Israelites are still oppressed. They cry out to God. Moving into chapter 3 of Exodus, God launches the plan He must have had for Moses all along. We arrive at the famous scene of the burning bush. It’s on fire but not being consumed. Moses goes to the bush to figure out what’s going on, and God speaks to him from the bush. God calls on Moses to go back to Egypt, stand up to one of the most powerful kings on the planet, and lead the Israelites out of Egypt.

Message #2: What’s special about the bush? Nothing. Any old burning bush will do–God can use any means He sees fit to get our attention.

Throughout the rest of chapter 3 and into chapter 4, we see the negotiation taking place between God and Moses. Moses doesn’t know what he will say or how he will convince the people of Israel to listen to him. He certainly has no confidence that he will be able to persuade Pharaoh to let the Hebrew people go (the Israelite slaves are foundational to the Egyptian economy). He reminds God that he is not eloquent and that he is “slow of speech” (i.e., he probably stuttered). In short, he tries to convince God to p-p-pick someone else. God refuses, although He makes one small concession, allowing Moses to engage his brother Aaron in this mission.

Message #3: Why would God choose Moses? He could have chosen a current leader of the Hebrews, someone well-spoken with a force-of-nature personality. Or He could have at least picked Aaron directly. Why pick a stuttering murderer like Moses? Because any old person will do. It’s not about how great Moses is (or is not), it’s about how great God is. If God had selected someone we would view as a logical choice, people might have been inclined to believe that the mighty deeds to be performed resulted from that person’s strength, not God’s.

What does this mean to us? That God can and wants to use us to do great things in His service as well, just like Moses. It may not be leading a mass exodus out of slavery, but that’s OK. God cares about one hurting person as much as He does about one million. If you help a neighbor who is in distress, or give a meal to a homeless person, you are helping or feeding Jesus, as He points out in the Gospel of Matthew:

“‘For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’”

Jesus the Messiah, in Matthew 25:35-40 (NIV)

At the end of it all, Moses gives up his argument with God. God tells Moses he will take care of everything. Moses feels inadequate, but God fills in all our cracks of inadequacy with His power. This is unbelievably good news! As the Apostle Paul puts it:

Borrowed from YouVersion: https://www.bible.com/verse-of-the-day/2CO.12.10/22970?version=111

Message #4: We should never worry that our strength won’t be enough to complete tasks God has assigned to us. He is enough. The strength He used to create the universe and raise Jesus from the dead will more than make up for our shortcomings! This is God’s version of the 10x plan for each of us!

Message #5: It’s OK to argue and debate with God. In fact, I believe He invites this level of interaction with Him; it’s definitely preferable to indifference, and ultimately leads to a deeper faith and deeper relationship. In the end, of course, we probably won’t win those arguments since we are called to obey our Creator, but He’s fine with it if we want to question what He is asking us to do.

For me, writing this blog is an example of obedience to something I believe God is calling me to do. I don’t really know why He wanted me to do this and I even argued with Him about it, but I still ended up feeling compelled to comply (“writers write”, among other things), so here I am. What’s more, I felt like He put specific boundaries around what He wanted me to say in this forum, as well as (and especially) what He did NOT want me to say (as I’ve shared before, as an example, I am not to use this forum to express my political views or other strong opinions that would detract from the encouragement I am to called spread with my words). I am often tired when I sit down to write these blog posts, but God always finds a way to give me the endurance I need to get them done.

What about you? Is there something you feel God calling or nudging you to do? Do you feel unworthy of the task? Is something else holding you back? Whatever it is, argue with God, then go do it!

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“You Intended to Harm Me, but God Intended it for Good” – Joseph’s Crazy Ride

Posted on January 24, 2021 by Writing & Photography by David K. Carpenter

For anyone who has undertaken to read through the Bible in a year, or listen to it (as with the #DailyAudioBible, which I recommended earlier in the year), has undoubtedly encountered the story of Joseph. For those new to the Bible, this Joseph isn’t the earthly father of Jesus (who doesn’t appear on stage until the New Testament). This Joseph is the eleventh of the 12 sons of Jacob (a.k.a. Israel). The saga of Joseph is important enough that it spans the last 14 chapters of the book of Genesis, beginning in chapter 37.

Joseph’s story doesn’t have the greatest beginning. Through a combination of Joseph’s arrogance as a youngster (telling his older brothers about his dreams that they would one day bow down to him) and less than stellar parenting by Jacob (in which he blatantly declared that Joseph was his favorite by making him a fancy coat–of the “Technicolor Dreamcoat” fame), his brothers ended up hating him. They flirted with killing him, but ended up selling him into slavery and told their father, Jacob, that he had been killed by wild animals.

Joseph gets bought by Potiphar, captain of the guard for Pharaoh, king of Egypt. God seems to bless Joseph, and the success he enjoys propels him to become the head of Potiphar’s household. But then everything seems to fall apart again. Joseph has become a good-looking young man, and he has also matured. Potiphar’s wife tries to coax him into bed. In a display of considerable maturity for an 18-year-old, he tells her no, saying it would be a sin against God and the wrong thing to do to Potiphar. But his reward for doing the right thing is getting thrown in prison when Potiphar’s wife lies about what happened.

Although he has a chance to get out, people let him down again, so he’s stuck in prison for several years. While there, he seems to be blessed again, to the point where he is in charge of the prison. He finally gets an opportunity to get out when he’s asked to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams. He says he can’t do it, but God can. Pharaoh likes Joseph’s/God’s interpretation and associated plan so much that he appoints Joseph to be second in command and in charge of all of Egypt.

Seven years later, a severe famine strikes the world, which Joseph had predicted in his interpretation of Pharaoh’s dreams, and prepared accordingly. And wouldn’t you know it? A couple years into the famine, his 10 older brothers show up and bow down before Joseph, begging to buy grain so they and their families won’t die. Joseph’s arrogant dream from so many years ago comes true! They don’t know it’s him yet because they don’t recognize him, but he knows it’s them.

After some time, Joseph finally reveals to them that he is the brother they had sold into slavery. Joseph is a powerful man and could have them tortured or killed. He may have been right to do so, after what they had done to him. But instead, he shows them grace. None of them deserves this–that’s why it’s called it grace. At the end of it all, Joseph is also reunited with his father, Jacob, and his younger brother, the only brother from his mother. They all move down to Egypt, where there is food. And because of Joseph’s high standing with Pharaoh, they are well regarded and taken care of.

What’s the point of all this?

Joseph could have been bitter. He could have been angry toward God and toward his brothers. As hard as he had tried, he couldn’t sustain any pattern of success, at least not by worldly standards. And for a long time, his life sucked. But instead of feeling sorry for himself or shaking his fist at God, he did the best he could in whatever situation he found himself. Since there is no mention in all 14 chapters of Joseph feeling abandoned by God, we can safely assume that he continued to trust God despite all the evidence, prolonged over years, that might have turned so many people into depressed, militant atheists.

Near the end of this epic saga, right after Jacob dies, Joseph’s brothers again fear that Joseph will retaliate for the way they had mistreated him in his youth. Joseph reassures them that he will do them no harm, telling them, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” (Genesis 50:20, NIV)

I wonder at what point during his decades-long odyssey Joseph arrived at that conclusion, that God had orchestrated the whole thing in order that the sons of Jacob, which would go on to become the 12 tribes of Israel (and the lineage of Jesus), would survive the 7-year famine that plagued the earth.

At what point in our own journeys should we take the long view that, no matter how crappy and challenging things get, God has a plan for each of us as He guides us along our winding paths, which always seem to be shrouded in a misty fog if we try to peer more than a day ahead? And how many other people will be impacted, or even saved, because we persevere, clinging desperately to the outstretched hand of our loving Savior and King?

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Fruit Salad of the Spirit – The Only Way to Fight Back

Posted on January 18, 2021 by Writing & Photography by David K. Carpenter

To borrow a phrase from Thomas Paine, these are times that try our souls.* And now my own words: the fabric of our nation is threadbare, made brittle by the scorching sun of discontent and discord. On this, mostly everyone agrees. The explanation for how we got here, however, will vary widely depending on whom you ask.

Regardless of how we got here, our situation is dangerously precarious. The slightest tear, it seems, could easily lead to a complete shredding of the fabric, to utter destruction. Paine wrote his revolutionary words 244 years ago to encourage the 13 colonies that started this American experiment to rebel against the greatest military force on the planet. A brave undertaking, to say the least.

I write these words tonight to encourage a New American Revolution, although probably not in the way you might think. Borrowing ideas from revolutionaries who came well before Thomas Paine, the bravest and fiercest way to fight against the destruction of our great nation is to call upon the Holy Spirit, the most powerful force the world has ever known.

What?? Pray? That’s your answer?!

Unapologetically, yes.

What is there that cannot be accomplished by the awesome power that breathed life back into a Jewish rabbi who had been beaten nearly to death and then crucified the rest of the way? If you answer with anything, I’ll tell you that you don’t know the God whom we serve, the God who made this planet from nothing. It may seem like an insurmountable challenge for you or me to resurrect this country–and it is if we try to do so from our own strength–but with God, nothing is impossible.

One thing is sure: anything we do or say that we think will make the situation better but does not come from God will probably make the situation worse. So how do we know if our thoughts, words, and actions come from God? By looking at the outcomes–the fruits of what we say and do. Let’s peek in on what the revolutionary Apostle Paul (who first tried to kill followers of Christ, then was blinded by the Light, and ended up writing 3/4 of the New Testament) had to say about how to tell if our actions are from God:

The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Apostle Paul, in Galatians 5:19-26 (NIV)

So, if the outcomes of our words and actions don’t fall into the heavenly fruit salad list that starts with love and ends with self-control, then what we’re doing or saying is not from God. We are not bringing the Holy Spirit to bear on the situation, so we’re probably making things worse. This means that, for the most part, we need to separate ourselves from our political opinions and anything else that is putting ourselves in violent opposition to someone who doesn’t believe what we believe.

To be clear, we can and absolutely should hold firm to those beliefs, and should continue to vote accordingly. But for the sake of civil discourse and bringing the power of God into the situation, we should not try to force our opinion on others just for the sake of being right. We are ONLY allowed to view others through the lens that God loves them and Jesus chose to die for them–NOT as a Democrat or Republican or any other label that might cause enmity.

Trust me, I know this isn’t easy. I have very strong and deep-rooted opinions (ask my wife and kids!), but I know I cannot indulge them right now since they do not bring life to interactions I have with others. Candidly, this is probably one of the most monumental struggles with the flesh that I’ve ever had to deal with, so I completely understand how difficult this is.

But Jesus never promised that following Him would be easy–only that He would be there with us to help us every step of the way.

And also, referring back to the passage in Galatians I mentioned earlier, Paul starts it off by quoting Jesus, who was himself quoting Leviticus:

For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.

Galatians 5:14-15 (NIV)

To sum it up, to love people not in our “tribe” can be infinitely more difficult than hating them or saying nasty things to or about them. To pray for someone you disagree with is braver than yelling at them or posting a tirade about them. But Jesus tells us to do the difficult and brave thing, and it is the only way to win, to bring life back into our country. Hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, and factions may feel more natural, but we cannot give in to any of them. But fear not, our weapons are powerful: love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. In the end, nothing can overcome them.

God bless us all this week, and may He continue to bless the USA. Please join me in praying for government leaders at all levels, including both the incoming and outgoing Presidents.

* The actual quote by Thomas Paine was:

These are the times that try men’s souls: The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.

Thomas Paine, The American Crisis, 1776
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No Resolutions – Do or Do Not / A Shield for 2021

Posted on January 4, 2021 by Writing & Photography by David K. Carpenter

There’s something about turning the calendar over to a new year that feels fresh, restores hope. While this is true, the same could be said for a new month, new week, or even a new day. A chance to start over again. Try again, do better.

So my first bit of commentary is toward our penchant for creating New Year’s Resolutions, which really makes no sense. If you disagree, ask yourself how many resolutions from this year you recycled from last year. The reason they make no sense is the way we tend to approach them, which is basically little more than wishes for the new year. I’ll borrow (and slightly alter) a phrase from Yoda of “Star Wars” fame: “Do or do not. There is no resolve.” If instead the goal is to make lasting change in your life, then read a book about habits–forming good ones and breaking bad ones. An excellent one I read and recommend is Atomic Habits, by James Clear.

One other quick note in this regard. Some people have a sense that they should read through the Bible, perhaps setting a goal to do so in a year. While this is a worthy goal–this is, after all, one way our loving Father in Heaven has chosen to communicate with us–it can also be a daunting undertaking. And I really don’t recommend reading it from cover to cover like you would a “normal” book. At the very least, I think you should read some from the Old Testament and some from the New Testament each day (I’d be happy to explain why if anyone is wondering). Better yet, My.Bible.com (aka YouVersion) has some excellent reading plans available, and they make many translations available across multiple devices, so it’s a great resource worth checking out. And finally, another personal favorite of mine is to take a guided journey through the Bible in a year with Brian Hardin and the Daily Audio Bible (DAB) family. I’ve done this many years now, and I still hear from God in different ways all throughout the year. Brian is an ordained pastor (and this is his “church”), so following each day’s reading, he spends a few minutes (yes, just a few) talking about whatever God put on his heart to discuss from that day’s reading. This is an excellent way to go through the Bible, with a trained professional to help you make sense of it all.

TWR360 | Daily Audio Bible
Daily Audio Bible Logo

OK, so back to the hope that can be associated with turning the calendar over to a new year. I’m right there with most of the world celebrating closing the book on 2020. But as much as I hate to point this out, nothing has really changed. Most (if not all) of the problems that were present in our world on December 31, 2020, were still with us on January 1, 2021. Why should the new year give us hope?

Maybe it’s not the new year that gives us hope per se, but rather the reset that it brings with it–the chance to remind ourselves that all is not lost, even if the outlook in the world remains bleak. We can recall that God is in control, even if it doesn’t look like it to us. We can and should (daily!) find comfort in God and His promises–there are gems of hope and comfort and peace woven all throughout the Bible. Here are just a few:

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Romans 5:1-5 (NIV, emphasis added)

…we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf.

Hebrews 6:18b-20a

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

1 Peter 1:3-5 (NIV, emphasis added)

Also, besides the tender message of hope woven throughout God’s love letter to us, He also assures of His protection. He wants nothing but the best for us. Here are some examples:

But you, God, shield me on all sides;
You ground my feet, you lift my head high;
With all my might I shout up to God,
His answers thunder from the holy mountain.

Real help comes from God.
Your blessing clothes your people!

King David, in Psalm 3:3-4, 7-8 (MSG)

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Jeremiah 29:11-13 (NIV, emphasis added)

So go boldly into 2021, knowing that God goes before you as a shield. Hold onto the hope that only He can bring, and give to you personally. I pray that God blesses you richly in this new year, and that you (we all) will have the eyes to see those blessings.

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