Bible Ballistics: BBs #109  i Thank GOD and YOU!!!

I pray you are having a blessed fall—times to enjoy cooler temperatures, lovely foliage, great outdoor activities. We are certainly enjoying them here in Oklahoma.

This is the second year that I have participated in the ‘Month of Thanks’, posting something each day during the month of November for which I am grateful. I’d like to invite you to do the same, whether you’re on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, email or even none of the above. Take time each day during the rest of this month to thank God for something specific in your life. Gratitude is a depression buster!!

Psalm 95:1-6,

 “O come, let us sing unto the Lord:

 let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.

2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving,

 and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.

3 For the Lord is a great God,

and a great King above all gods.

4 In his hand are the deep places of the earth:

the strength of the hills is his also.

5 The sea is his, and he made it:

and his hands formed the dry land.

6 O come, let us worship and bow down:

let us kneel before the Lord our maker.”

So??? Here’s our shot for today.

 Come

 Worship

 Bow Down

Kneel

“before the Lord our maker”!!!

Take some time to cultivate an “Attitude of Gratitude”. It will change your perspective!!!

**Today I thank God for the privilege of writing Bible Ballistics, and I thank God for YOU. Each of you has touched my life and our prayer here at the Brittain household is that God has touched you through this ministry that God has given us.**

Bible Ballistics: BBs #108 When God’s People Pray!!!

Proverbs 21:1-3 says, “The king‘s heart is in the hand of the Lord, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will. 2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the Lord pondereth the hearts. 3 To do justice and judgment is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.”

While we thank God for the privilege of living in a free country, and having the privilege of voting, we also need to remember that God is in charge! For too many years our country has walked it’s own way in rejection of God’s ways, His Word and more and more lately, rejection of HIS people who speak the truth. But our confidence can rest in the total sovereignty of our GOD!!! We can rest in the fact that God is in control. As Evangelist David Ring often says, “God never says ‘oops’!!!” Gotta love it. Our God is never surprised!!!

The prophet Daniel knew his God, understood His character and because of that, he could remain dependent, faithful and true to God, even in life-threatening circumstances. When God is our source and our confidence, we can be good stewards in all things, including our citizenship. After all, Daniel was a captive in a pagan land, but didn’t loose heart or give up on God. Instead he and his friends prayed for deliverance—and God answered. Here’s Daniel’s response to God’s provision in that situation:

Daniel 2:20-23, “Daniel answered and said,

Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever:

For wisdom and might are his:

21 And he changeth the times and the seasons:

he removeth kings, and setteth up kings:

he giveth wisdom unto the wise,

and knowledge to them that know understanding: 22 He revealeth the deep and secret things:

he knoweth what is in the darkness,

and the light dwelleth with him.

23 I thank thee,

and praise thee,

O thou God of my fathers,

who hast given me wisdom and might,

and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee:

for thou hast now made known unto us the king’s matter.”

Wow!!! A prayer of gratitude that rehearses the character and faithfulness of God. What a good thing to learn–that our prayers and praises are always an opportunity to rehearse God’s character and faithfulness. We take snapshots of our children and grandchildren to remember the things they’ve done and how they have grown and blessed our hearts. What better thing to do, as we experience the provision of our God, than to take the same idea and record God’s blessings to remind ourselves of His character and His faithfulness to us personally.

So??? Here’s our shot for today. Spend some time today thanking God for what HE has done in your life, and make a ‘Happy List” of how and when He has blessed you and keep it in a place where you can read it and add to it again and again, especially on those days when discouragement creeps in. Praising God is a great cure for discouragement, and reminding ourselves of all He has done for us is a good jump-start to praise. Blessings on your efforts.

Bible Ballistics: Truth or Consequences??? Vol. 4 #26

If you’ve noticed this week, truth is up for debate! From celebrities questioning the motives and beliefs of ‘Bible believing Christians’, and telling us we are ‘sinners’ if we don’t accept immorality and perversion. After all people can love whomever they please (see the BBs for Wed. & Fri.); a religious leader declares that the ‘big bang theory’ and the ‘theory of evolution’ are fact, and we don’t need to trust that God created everything from nothing—after all that would mean God could do anything—and that’s just too much to expect from God (even though He declared Himself to be creator as Father, Son and Holy Spirit). Lastly, this week our political head declares that we “can’t have” moms or dads staying home and out of the work force to care for their own families, instead of being ‘productive’ citizens in the outside workforce! Oh really?

Well I don’t know about you, but I’ve already voted. I may not be in charge or have great power or influence, but I can be a good steward of the freedoms that we still have. Please go vote your beliefs and conscience as elections are upon us here in the U.S. Those of you outside of the U.S., be a good, productive, honorable and responsible Christian citizen in whatever ways are available to you. So what does this have to do with our title, “Truth or Consequences”? Well, a lot I think.

John 8:32, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

Governments may guard and protect freedom, but only God gives real freedom—IN JESUS!!! (Remember John 14:6—Only One Way)

John 14:17, “Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.“

God’s truth is ‘revealed’ not acquired from the world, and when we receive Jesus, we receive the Holy Spirit who imparts new birth and truth to us, as well as God’s love!!! And we are to study to ‘show yourselves approved unto God’. (See Rom. 5:1-5 & 2 Timothy 2:15)

1 Timothy 2 :1-6, “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; 2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.”

We are to pray for our government leaders, that we might live peaceable lives and share the gospel of Jesus Christ. And as Paul mentions above, God wants, “all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth….”. And Peter refers to this same principle in 2 Peter 3:9,

“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”

We are to live godly lives and be submissive to the government authorities over us, so that we may proclaim the good news of Jesus freely. (See Romans 13:1-7). But by the same token we are never, I repeat NEVER, to compromise the truth to ‘get along’. We are to pray for rulers to make godly decisions, but we are never called to approve of evil, or support it in any way. When we have the freedom to be a part of the solution we are to be diligent to ‘withstand in the evil day”. (See Ephesians 6:10-18)

The disciples/apostles of our Lord faced this dilemma in the days shortly after the coming of the Holy Spirit. They were preaching truth about Jesus, doing miracles and sharing the gospel publicly; because of that they were called into account before the ‘powers that be’. They were commanded to NOT preach in Jesus’ name, so let’s look at the recorded account and take note of their response—not with disrespect, rude or crude behavior, but simply and respectfully proclaiming their commitment to God.

Acts 4:16-21, “Saying, What shall we do to these men? for that indeed a notable miracle hath been done by them is manifest to all them that dwell in Jerusalem; and we cannot deny it. 17 But that it spread no further among the people, let us straitly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name. 18 And they called them, and commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John answered and said unto them, Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. 20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard. 21 So when they had further threatened them, they let them go, finding nothing how they might punish them, because of the people: for all men glorified God for that which was done.”

They took a stand for conscience sake! They spoke truth in power & love! And God was glorified! What about me?  You?

Lastly, I’d like to share some examples of steadfastness with which many of us are familiar, that they may help us understand what true ‘godliness’ looks like in the public arena. Here we have three men who had high government positions, yet when called to violate their conscience and true devotion to their God, they stood firm and spoke truth. They spoke it with courage and power, not in an air of disrespect or arrogance. They responded with humble confidence in their God. Who are you serving? How are you serving when conflict arises? Are others seeing Jesus in us? Are we courageous enough to speak truth when no one wants to hear it? Truth? And consequence?

Daniel 3:16-19, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. 17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. 18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. 19 Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated.” Truth brought a furnace to them!!!

Yet God honored their faithful, humble obedience. But remember they had declared to Nebuchadnezzar, that even if God didn’t deliver them in a visible manner, they would still trust and serve Him. Much like Job’s declaration.

Job 13:15, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.”

So my friends, are we willing to live with integrity before God? Before others? Are we willing to live the “truth” regardless of the consequences? Or are we letting the “consequences” determine our view of “truth”?

“That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: 16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.” Ephesians 4:14-16

You decide!!! It’s your call. Truth? And Consequences?

Galatians 6:7, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”