I’m glad I held my temper ’cause when you fight fire with fire all you do is burn your fingers, too.”
–Red Steagall (“The Blue Roan and the Kid”)

“So let’s stop condemning each other. Decide instead to live in such a way that you will not cause another believer to stumble and fall.”
–Romans 14:13 (NLT)
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“Joy is the motor, the thing that keeps everything else going. Joy produces energy. Joy makes us strong.”
–Richard Foster

“When you are truly joyful, you are wound up by some mighty dynamic power; you feel strong, you are lifted up above yourself, you are ready to meet every enemy from every direction and quarter; you smile in the face of them all; you say, ‘I defy them, they can never rob me of it.’ The joy of the Lord is your strength; it is a strong power, a mighty robust think.”
–D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Now don’t get on your high-horse with me telling me that I don’t know the trouble you’ve seen. Bah, Paul writes, “Rejoice evermore” (1 Thessalonians 5:16). When are afflictions arise we are to be thankful and rejoice. The problem we have is that old cliché, “We’re only human.”. If not careful we can let our woes drag us away from the joy of the Lord. One of the things that astonished the Romans when the Christians were put to death in the arena was their joy. They went to their deaths singing.
Look for a moment at Proverbs 23:13-14:

“Eat honey, my son, for it is good; honey from the comb is sweet to your taste. Know also that wisdom is sweet to your soul; if you find
it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.”

The world is all confused and messed up. The deceit of the devil in the Garden was over this very thing. If you want wisdom, to be like God, just take a bite. Adam and Eve partook of the forbidden fruit, seeking to become “God” and then they hide from Him. Since the Fall, people have been hiding from God. They hide in their careers, they hide in their wealth. Some hide in saying that God does not exist, trying to push Him from their thoughts; they hide in philosophies which are feeble attempts to give them some kind of satisfaction. Some will hide in the fact that they do good works, and society pats them on the back and they gloat in it. And shamefully, some will hide from God in their religion. Then there is that one group, that evil, sinister group of people that hide from God in the darkness and in shameful deeds.
What is sweetness, joy/happiness to the natural person? Again back to the Garden, the natural person wants to call the shots; they want to be autonomous. He wants to create gods he can control. This is devastating, dangerous and instead of leading to a life of joy it will lead to one full of bitterness. They think that autonomy is freedom without accountability. Some of these people will hide in “victimhood” because victims are not accountable for their actions. It is because of something that happened to them as a child, it is because of race and color, it is because of the wrong gender. Victims! Therefore, we can’t help the way we act. Listen! This type of “wisdom”; this type of means for seeking joy will lead to bitterness and ultimately death.
The joy of the Lord comes from knowing Him. Therefore, it is imperative that we “get into” God’s Word; that we develop a sound, firm relationship with Him. To begin to know Him and the wisdom of the Lord we must have the “fear of the Lord.” Instead of hiding from Him, we run to Him. His words become sweetness to the soul. His grace gives us hope. Walking with the Lord may at times cause some pain, but through it all there is a joy that is truly unspeakable. “We have a hope that will not be cut off, a sure hope, a hope that is but a sweet taste of the real thing.” (Bob Beasley)
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Why do we pray? “Prayer is a constant reminder that we are not autonomous. Prayer, in its most basic form, is the surging of the human spirit in its weakness, grasping at the Spirit of God in his strength… . Prayer, then, is a reminder that God is transcendent, all-powerful, and personal…”.
–Ravi Zacharias
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From an early church father, John Chrysostom, “The potency of prayer hath subdued the strength of fire, it hath bridled the rage of lions, hushed anarchy to rest; extinguished wars, appeased the elements, expelled demons, burst the chains of death, expanded the gates of heaven, assuaged diseases, repelled frauds, rescued cities from destruction, stayed the sun in its course, and arrested the progress of the thunderbolt.”

A man went ahead doing the best he could, but it always seemed there was more trouble lurking just around the bend in the road.”
–Louis L’Amour (Hanging Woman Creek)

“In my distress I prayed to the Lord, and the Lord answered me and set me free. The Lord is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?”
–Psalm 118:5-6 (NLT)
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“If your doctrine is wrong, your life will be wrong.”
–D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

“You cannot speak about Christianity and religion without being doctrinal.”
–D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”
–2 Timothy 3:16 (KJV)

The day is coming, and may already be upon us unaware, that the Bible will be challenged in our life, therefore, we must make God’s Word the center of our lives. “If you neglect God’s Word and fail to include it in your daily life, that neglect will eventually affect every part of your life.” (Rick Renner) It is vital that the preaching of the Word in your church contain doctrine!
Yeah, yeah, I hear it now. Doctrine is boring, doctrine is old school, doctrine is religion. It grieves me the times I have seen people, especially new and young converts confuse zeal with the Word of the Lord. One of my pet peeves (up around #8) are youth pastors and evangelists that preach a message that contains false doctrine simply because they want to give their opinion. Listen! Practical theology, must always be preceded by doctrinal theology. If your doctrine is right then your practice will be right.
To neglect the doctrines (teachings) of God’s Word, as mentioned, is dangerous to your life. It will jeopardize your faith. Faith comes by hearing the Word; without faith it is impossible to please God (Romans 10:17; Hebrews 11:6). Without proper, sound doctrine, the joy of your life will be in shambles. The hard times will get you down. Doctrine keeps us balanced; without it we tend to become intolerant with God, with ourselves, and with others. Improper doctrine or the lack of sound doctrine will at the very least create putrid attitudes.
I mentioned practical theology. Let me go on to say that you are always practicing your doctrine. You practice what you believe. No wonder the church is confused as people are practicing what they believe rather than what the Word of God says. People who think that doctrine is unimportant reveal their ignorance. “Doctrine is the foundation of what we believe. It impacts what we think; it affects our worldview; it determines what we believe is right and wrong; it guides us in life, determines our convictions and standards, and affects all our actions.” (Rick Renner)
Make it a resolution to study God’s Word, pursue right doctrine, and guard the truth in this year of 2018.

He would be merciless anywhere in enforcing what he considered to be the right.”
–Elmer Kelton (Captain’s Rangers)

“For merely listening to the law doesn’t make us right with God. It is obeying the law that makes us right in his sight.”
–Romans 2:13
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I am thoroughly convinced, especially now since I’m a little older, that most Christians simply do not praise the Lord enough. Praise is not given in the good times, for He is taken for granted. Sure, sure, ask a hyper-Christian how they are doing and they will give an answer like this: “Blessed, oh I’m truly blessed. I woke up this morning and the fragrance of roses and tulips were in the air. The thrill of waking up to start my day was just a blessing.” Yuck! Truly we are blessed, but we don’t take the time to meditate on the Word and the blessings we do have.
Or then there are those other down-in-the-mouth Christians who might say: “Bah, another day, more debt. I ache all over. God why did you do this to me? The smell of skunks are in the air and it has all settled in my backyard.” Not only are these folk in need of prayer, but they might just need a kick in the pants.
I am not going into the story of Fanny Crosby, but there was a lady who understood what true praising was all about. Take time to read her story.

“To God be the glory, great things He hath done,
So loved He the world that He gave us His Son,
Who yielded His life an atonement for sin,
And opened the Life Gate that all may go in.”
–Fanny Crosby

If we are in the doldrums of life we should be praising the Lord, not because of our situation, but simply because of who He is. If life is grand, and we are going great, we should take time, not to praise for all the good times, but because of who He is. One reason we may find ourselves in the “sloughs of despair” is because we attempt to make our lives into something they were never meant to be. We are made into vessels for His glory and honor. You may think you’ll be a beautiful vessel as a centerpiece in high society, but the Lord may mean for you to be an old scrub pot that is used behind the scenes.
Real joy and life fulfillment will not come to the believer until he comes to the place where he realizes that he is exactly where God intended him to be, and start to praise Him.

“Oh, perfect redemption, the purchase of blood,
To ev’ry believer the promise of God;
The vilest offender who truly believes,
That moment from Jesus a pardon receives.”

Paul tells us to be thankful in every circumstance. One reason for that is because we are redeemed. Life may be tough and unbearable here on earth, but you are redeemed. Put the woes aside and recognize what Christ has done for you. If we repress our praise to Him for His glory and for who He is they we are repressing the very nature that God has placed within us. To do this will bring serious difficulties.
Obey Him when we are feeling down and recognize that He is God. He is the sovereign Lord and knows exactly where you are and what you are going through. He never says “oops”! “Praise is an act of obedience to a God who is in charge…. Obedience to God, especially when we don’t understand, is perhaps the highest of all possible virtues.” (Stephen Brown)
Why do we question Him is we really believe He is in charge of our lives? In fact, how dare we question the sovereignty of our Lord? Will we understand everything? No. Put that aside, trust and praise Him.

“Great things He hath taught us, great things He hath done,
And great our rejoicing thro’ Jesus the Son;
But purer, and higher, and greater will be
Our wonder, our transport when Jesus we see.

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, let the earth hear His voice;
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, let the people rejoice;
Oh, come to the Father, thro’ Jesus the Son,
And give Him the glory; great things He hath done.”

Perhaps one of the reasons that we don’t praise Him, except maybe once or twice a week or on special occasions when we think He has done something special for us, is that we don’t take the time to be taught by Him. Or maybe I should say, we do not recognize that He is constantly teaching us.  We sit, as students often do in a classroom, in a daze or day-dreaming. Wake up! Get into His Word; let the Holy Spirit teach you daily and become aware of His presence. Offer Him praise!