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In a preceding article I asked “Do You Trust Yourself” (Click to read it), and showed that you must if you ever intend to be in the Kingdom of God. But I neglected to cover in that article HOW you can trust yourself. Just how DO you learn to trust yourself? The question is of absolutely vital importance because it is a cornerstone of faith; having your prayers answered depends more on this one question than any other. Do you trust yourself? ARE you doing everything you know to do? Are you SURE you can be trusted? And HOW can you be sure?

Today, we are expected to trust everyone; if you don’t trust a complete stranger they are offended. So we pretend to trust people, while keeping our hand on our wallet. Because no matter what we try to do, it is completely impossible to fully trust someone that has not earned that trust. But to earn trust, a small amount of trust must be gambled. You might have to trust someone with $5 before you trust them with $500, and with $500 before you trust them with $5,000. There must be risks involved, and it must be built from the ground up.

People are basically scum. The Bible says so on many occasions; “deceitful above all things, desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9), that sort of thing. And no matter how you lie to yourself, you know that it is true - about other people, but most importantly about yourself as well. And so you must EARN trust. Others must earn it from you, and you must earn it from yourself.

Do you remember that big long bridge in Indiana Jones? The one that stretches across the huge canyon, made out of jungle vines and rotted wooden slats? Some of those are still in existence today. And the first time you step out on one of those bridges, you are terrified. It’s a long ways down and the ropes are really small!

And so you are very careful walking across the bridge the first time. Not sure you’re going to get to the other side. You do everything you can to avoid walking across it in the first place, actually. But eventually you make it across.

This was a gamble. But with headhunters behind you, you figured it’s a calculated risk. When you walk across that bridge the next time, you’re going to be a little less timid. Why? Because it didn’t drop you last time! And so that boosts your confidence because it worked before!

As you go across that bridge a few dozen times you’re going to have less and less trepidation each time. Finally you won’t even think about it at all, just like the locals who have walked across it thousands of times in their lifetime.

There is no shortcut to trust. That is the ONLY way you can trust that bridge. Those who put on a brave front on the outside can pretend they’re not afraid of the bridge, and pretend that they trust it; but inside they are terrified. There just is no other way to learn to trust something.

But if after walking across it a few dozen times one of the boards break and you almost tumble to your doom, you will have a renewed fear of that bridge! And so that trust will have to be renewed, in the same way it was built in the first place. Each time the bridge “lets you down” (so to speak), you will be a little less likely to ever fully trust it again.

But if the bridge gets a makeover - new ropes and planks - you can start a new level of trust. For now you can say “since the bridge was upgraded it has never let me down!” It doesn’t matter if you have been let down by that bridge a hundred times in the past, it never let you down since the “new era” began!

And so you can have complete trust, as complete as if it were never violated in the first place, because from the time you began anew on that bridge, it has never failed you. Now if you were drunk and fell off the bridge, that can hardly be blamed on the bridge! That was your fault! So there is no reason not to trust the bridge because of that.

Everything you will ever trust will behave exactly as the bridge did. You will be a little nervous the first time you get in a helicopter. The first time you trust someone to take $10,000 cash to the bank for you. The first time you tell someone a secret that no one must ever know. And the first time you are put in a position where you must trust yourself not to sin… where the only thing standing between you and stealing is yourself… you will be a little nervous.

That’s to be expected and it’s a good thing. It means you should be on your guard, because when you first walk across that bridge, it’s a wise move to hang onto the rail tightly! So if it DOES fall out from under you, you’ll have a backup line of defense. But once you’ve gone through it a few times, it’s not such a big deal, and eventually you won’t even think about it.

And so what if you’ve been an untrustworthy creep all your life - when you’re revamped spiritually, when you make a commitment to change such things, you can trust yourself based on the time from that day forward! So that you have NEVER let yourself down since you got new planks on your bridge! This builds powerful trust in yourself, and it’s how you build trust in anything - man, God, or machine!

Psalms 71:1 In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion.

And if that trust is ever broken - if you sin and let yourself down, if God doesn’t answer your prayer, or if the helicopter crashes… it will be awhile before you can fully trust it again. You will be scared of trusting it again. The only way to stop that is to figure out WHY it didn’t work. Why the helicopter failed. WHY God didn’t answer your prayer. WHY you allowed yourself to be overcome by temptation. Until you know WHY, and FIX it, you will never be able to fully trust again.

But once you have replaced that rotted board in your bridge of reliability, you can again trust yourself knowing that you have never let yourself down since you fixed that fault. You may discover a good number of the boards are rotted… but you keep replacing them and ultimately you must have a completely solid bridge.

Psalms 119:67 Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word.

When you are done with that, you’ll be thoroughly familiar with every plank in your psyche; you’ll know exactly how far you can be trusted and with what. You’ll know how far God can be trusted, and with what - and just when He will and when He won’t answer you, and why. You’ll know these things in a way that it is impossible to ever just “believe”. No fool can ever just blindly roll the dice on these things with the confidence that you can do them. Because you KNOW how sound the bridge is, and KNOW that it will support you. Why? Because it’s never failed you.

If it were just given to you, somehow magically one day you HAD trust in yourself, trust in God, trust in everything, it would be meaningless. It would be like a child who had no idea that the rope bridge could be dangerous. He could walk and dance across that bridge without the slightest fear. But when the first plank broke, He would be totally unprepared for it; and not knowing why it broke, or how to fix it, he could never feel safe on that bridge again. It might take years to overcome the trauma and get back on that bridge. The Apostles went through this exact problem.

See, today, we don’t see God. He works in the shadows and answers prayers and such in, while sometimes dramatic, nonetheless “explainable” ways. For example you’re healed, but you might have gotten better anyway. You found a job, but you might have found it anyway. That sort of thing. So as we build faith, the slow way I have been describing, we do it one step at a time.

Romans 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

One step at a time, one bit of faith, one gamble that pays off that leads to another slightly larger gamble that pays off that leads us to faith in God. And so that faith is hard for anyone to take away from us. It’s ours, we built it, we KNOW why and how we got it. And often we envy the Apostles, walking with Jesus, watching thousands of miracles a day, letting the power of God become as accepted in our minds as the sun rising. But that actually hurt the apostles.

Acts 5:15 Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them.

This power of God was incredible at the first. The apostles were so overcome by the certainty of the power of God that Peter’s mere shadow healed people. But as time went by, this certainty waned. The excitement wore off, and we find Peter being accused of bigotry by Paul in Galatians 2:11-14. We don’t find reports of these dramatic healings in Peter’s later life, or the life of any of the other Apostles.

Paul worked mighty miracles at first as well; having just been in the third heaven and trained by God for three years in Arabia (Galatians 1:17). He blinded the sorcerer, and just sending out pieces of his clothing healed people (Acts 19:11-12). But later in life we find that he left Trophimus sick, unhealed. (2 Timothy 4:20). We find Paul himself was refused a healing in 2 Corinthians 12:7-9. In short, we can see that these men started out with great power and faith, great belief in themselves, but this power waned as it was tested. The childlike faith that they had in God and in themselves was eroded by time, because it had been handed to them as a gift.

Romans 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

We all have this measure. And the more God gives up front, the harder it is to hold on to it. On the other hand, the harder those early choices are for us to make - the scarier that rope bridge is in the beginning - the more powerful will be our faith when we see that it actually did support us.

Whereas the apostles, for whom the bridge was shiny and easy, and for whom the bridge had supported Jesus in thousands of miracles, and had no doubts that it would support them - when they made mistakes later in life, mistakes that compromised their faith and prevented God from answering them, they did not know why. They hadn’t built their trust - their faith - the hard way, they had received it without working for it. And so holding on to it became a full time job.

Most of us have to do the hardest things first. And once we make the hard choices, the tough sacrifices, take the scary walks out into thin air on faith… it’s all downhill from there. And, at least in principle, we can build our faith much stronger than anyone who had it easier. Because we KNOW the rock on which our foundation sets. We KNOW how we got here, and if we should fall off the bridge like Peter did, we know exactly what we must do to get back on it again. We know how to trust ourselves. And no one can ever take that away from us.

Many times have I heard that question. After all, God hasn’t spoken to anyone I know of personally, like He did with Jeremiah and Isaiah. All we have is some ancient writings and instructions designed for thousands of years ago. So how can I, or you, or anyone, know that God wants them to do something to spread the Gospel around the world? Of course, we all know the scriptures that say things like “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15)

And we all agree that someone should do that. But should *I*? Should *YOU*? I’m sure God meant for the Apostles to do that then, but that was a long time ago. It’s far from being a specific command for ME to preach the Gospel to every creature, isn’t it? After all, we can all come up with good excuses - we’re either too young, too old, too inexperienced, too tired, too poor, too busy, too far in debt, or any of a number of other excuses I’ve heard. So how can we KNOW that WE, PERSONALLY, are obligated to obey this command? Read the rest of this entry »

This is an issue that isn’t very important in the western hemisphere. Nonetheless, for the globetrotters amongst us and those who value knowledge in any form, it becomes an interesting question. Few people in westernized nations eat mare’s milk, or the milk of camels. But a large portion of world does - from Morocco to Mongolia is a nearly unbroken stretch of land where one or both of those milks provide a staple of the diet. So is the milk of unclean animals unclean?It is natural to assume that since the animal is unclean, the milk is unclean also. But is it? Conclusions like that - ones which lead to you avoiding certain foods or actions - are “safe”. You’re less likely to go wrong if you simply don’t do something that might be a sin. But we are here to understand the law of God. Simply avoiding something because it might be wrong, when you have a way to prove one way or the other, is cowardly. So let’s find out - if an Arab offers you some camel cheese, do you decline, or chow down?

THE COMMAND

To begin with, we have to ask the most important question; if eating camel’s milk is a sin… where is the command? Read the rest of this entry »

Most of the commandments are pretty clear; don’t steal. Don’t lie. Don’t worship idols. Don’t worship other gods. Some seem more important than others and some are easier to follow than others - but there is one that no one even understands. No one even has a clue what God MEANT when He gave it, so how can they possibly obey it?? And of course I’m talking about number 3;Exodus 20:7 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

Now what does that mean? If you don’t know, then how can you be sure you’re not breaking it as we speak? Most people assume that it means saying things like “God ___ it” or “for Christ’s sake!” or “holy ___”. But that’s not it at all. While that is not something you should be doing, that’s not what God was most concerned about when He penned this command in that tablet of stone. The words “in vain” come from the Hebrew word “shav” which basically means emptiness, or making devoid of value. For just two examples:

Jeremiah 2:30 In vain [shav] have I smitten your children; they received no correction: …

Jeremiah 46:11 … in vain [shav] shalt thou use many medicines; for thou shalt not be cured.

Here you can see that the word means that it was pointless, a waste of time, for Him to do those things, because nothing happened; for they weren’t corrected and they weren’t cured. So how can you take the name of God and make IT pointless, and “a waste of time”?

Before we can explain that, we have to briefly explain what “God’s name” means. When God says “my name” He doesn’t mean “God”. Or, for that matter, Jehovah, Yahweh, or Elohim. He’s talking about a CONCEPT, not a title. To come in someone’s name means to come with that person’s AUTHORITY. For example, when God sends someone a prophet, that prophet comes in God’s name - so when he speaks, he’s speaking in God’s place, as if God were there speaking…. Read the rest of this entry »

There has always been a problem in the true church of God. How do you know who is a part of the church and who isn’t? Something that can draw a line between someone who believes everything God says but doesn’t keep Saturday? Or keeps all of the ten commandments but doesn’t keep the holy days? Or who keeps all of that, but eats unclean meats? Or who keeps the calendar on a different day than you do? Where is the line? What is that doctrine that sets the true Christian apart from everyone else?

I do not believe a clear answer to that question has been preached in recent centuries. Oh, I’ve heard many answers to the question - but none that all scripture would back up. But there is such an answer. There is a way to build a “holy spirit detector” that can unerringly tell you if someone has the holy spirit or not. Here is how… Read the rest of this entry »

Few people realize it, but Jesus made two sacrifices; and it’s hard to say which is greater. Sadly, no one even knows about the first sacrifice. So let’s correct that shameful oversight.

John 1:1-2 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.

We can infer from this and a few other scriptures that, in the immemorial recesses of antiquity there were two Gods; equally perfect and equally God. Distinct of course, but of the same rank - since rank is merely a measure of perfection. But they wanted to build a family, billions of people with whom to share the joys of a perfect universe.

Unfortunately, there was a snag. See, in creating beings who can sin, it is inevitable that some of them will sin. In fact, given time, it is inevitable that ALL will sin. Since it is a given that every being WILL sin at some point in the future, however perfectly they are created (Satan, for instance), it is equally a given that all beings must die at the moment of that sin.

But this would ruin everything, for what’s the point of creating a family, just to destroy them as punishment for their sin? Read the rest of this entry »

Have you ever asked yourself how the Devil feels about the plan of God? I mean, he is brilliant, clever, and has been around for a long time and has the Bible memorized. In fact, he was there when the Bible was written. So why does he hate it? What does he think of God’s plan to save mankind? What is he afraid of?And for that matter, what does he think of God, personally? If you were to ask Satan what God was like, what would he tell you? Granted, he might lie to you if it suited him, but if you could get him to tell you what he REALLY thinks, what would he say? From Satan’s point of view, what is God like?

If you’ve never considered it, take time to do so on your own before you continue reading. It’s worth it. What DOES Satan think of God? And how could you go about finding out?

The Bible is relatively quiet on the subject - but Satan isn’t. This is his world, you know. And if you read books, watch movies, and listen to tales and legends of ancient mythologies, you will see one common thread. A story as old as time. Well, almost.

Floating around our world, right under our very noses, are valuable nuggets of understanding. Understanding that explains both the far past and the distant future. As you probably know, anyone watching a given event or hearing a certain story will retell it a little differently. Ask any three people who witnessed a car crash, for example, and you’ll get three distinct stories - despite each of them being completely honest, they viewed and interpreted the facts differently, based on their frame of reference.

But how each of these three people interpreted this accident will, with some study, show insights into the character of each of them. And this process, if your goal was to get to know these three people, would be very worthwhile to you. And so now I want to show you something I learned from George Orwell’s book, “1984″. Maybe you’ve already read this book - but I doubt you noticed what I am about to show you, because I’m about to show you it’s application to the plan of God. Read the rest of this entry »

What does the Bible say about locks? Should you use them? Should you rely on God, but use “Common sense”?

Had you ever asked these questions? Or had you just accepted that “The Lord helps those who help themselves”? That saying is not scripture for a very good reason - it isn’t true! In fact, the Bible condemns the use of locks, and condemns YOU for locking your house!

Shocking? Definitely. It is almost 180 degrees from what most people believe today. Do you know why that is? Because they don’t have FAITH to trust God!

To begin with, let’s ask the question “Is God ABLE to protect you if you don’t lock your house?” I think most people would agree that God is ABLE, if He wanted to. So if He is able, is He willing? If He WANTED to protect you, HOW would He do it?

Exodus 34:23 Thrice in the year shall all your men children appear before the Lord GOD, the God of Israel. For I will cast out the nations before thee, and enlarge thy borders: neither shall any man DESIRE thy land, when thou shalt go up to appear before the LORD thy God thrice in the year.

When you journeyed up to Jerusalem, God promised that no man would EVEN WANT your land. He promised that it simply wouldn’t occur to anyone to steal from you! Does that mean a lock was necessary too? Hardly. Look at the case of Job…

Job 1:8-10 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land.

Job was a good man. A man that God was pleased to bless. Now this man had a hedge about him, to protect him - a hedge that God had built. Did he also need a high fence to protect his possessions? Certainly not! He already had one! Read the rest of this entry »

The book of Romans has probably been responsible for more misunderstandings than any other book ever written; not excepting revelation. The book of Romans IS confusing. Let’s take this passage for example;

Romans 7:9-13 For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good. Was then that which is good made death unto me? God forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful

Ok, let’s face it. That’s just confusing. It’s confused people for thousands of years. It used to confuse me. And it will always confuse people until they understand the KEY, the KEY to the book of Romans

It’s actually very simple; but until you understand that foundational key it makes no sense at all. But once you DO understand it, it is perhaps the most meaningful passage in the entire Bible! Read the rest of this entry »

“Why are unclean meats unclean?”

“God said so.”

“Well why did He say so?”

“Because He knows something we don’t.”

“DUH! Is that the best you can do?”

“Well … maybe it’s because they’re unhealthy…”

*****

You know, that’s the best answer I’ve ever heard on this subject. And yet this is one of the major things that sets a true Christian apart from the rest of the world. Didn’t you ever want a better answer? I did. So… why are unclean meats unclean?

Genesis 1:29-30 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.

Back in the garden of Eden, just after creating man God laid down dietary laws for him. God instructed him that he could eat all plants and all fruits freely. God told Man, in effect, that these were “clean” for him. (Of course, the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was excepted from that. It by inference was unclean).

At this time God also set down dietary laws for animals as well; just how He enforced them is at the moment beyond me, but He clearly said that EVERY beast of the earth, and EVERY bird was to eat every green herb. We can back this up in a rather unusual way because we know that in the future God will restore the Earth to the paradise-like state it was in then, and in that time…

Isaiah 65:25 The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent’s meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD.

When this day comes the wolf will be eating the same thing as the lamb - grass and herbs - and the lion will be eating the same thing as the ox - grass and herbs. So however God makes this possible, it seems that the entire Earth both was and will be again, vegetarians. So God told man that every green herb was clean, and we can infer from that that every animal was unclean, and not to be eaten! Read the rest of this entry »