I would rather die an honest fool than walk down a wicked path paved by the pain and sufferin’ of others.”

Courage and bravery are words too often used, too little considered. It is one thing to speak them, another thing to live them. It is never easy to face hardship, suffering, pain, and torture. It is always easier to die, simply to give up, to surrender and let the pain die with you. To fight is to keep pain alive, even to intensify it.”
                         –Louis L’Amour  (Killoe)

       “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you.”

                         –1 Peter 4:12 (NKJV)
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Do you have a troubled mind ?  Are things coming at you left and right and you don’t know which way to turn?  It seems like we live in a world today that is full of woe, heartache, confusion, terror, and fear.  Some of these things may be coming at you right now.  Fear–of the virus, of the unknown.  Suffering–from sickness, disease, injury, or you know someone who is.  Confusion–the craziness of all the “alternative” lifestyles and genders.  Perhaps, just perhaps this is God working on you.
       Don’t be too quick to dismiss the trial that you are going through.  Read some of the letters of Paul and Peter and you will see that they tell us not to be distressed over the trials that come our way.  In our modern Christian culture that promotes harmony and prosperity there is little teaching and preaching on the suffering that believers may go through and the reasons for it.  I know of one church that will not sing a song that has the words, “The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away,” because the pastor says that the Lord does not take away.  He needs to read the book of Job.

               “Remove impurities from silver, and a vessel will be produced for a silversmith.  Remove the wicked from the king’s presence, and his throne will be established in righteousness.”
                              –Proverbs 25:4-5 (HCSB)

               “Take away the dross from silver, And it will go to the silversmith for jewelry.  Take away the wicked from before the king, And his throne will be established in righteousness.”
                              –Proverbs 25:4-5 (NKJV)

       Before it can be used by the silversmith, silver ore must be taken to a mill to remove the dross–the impurities, its slag or scum.  It is crushed, heated, and melted.  Impurities will then float to the surface where they need to be removed.  When you find yourself going through a trial, it may be the Lord getting rid of the scum in your life.  Then He will come along and scrape the crud away.  After that He will begin to work on other ways in your life; the Silversmith will then decide what to do.
       I included the NKJV as it shows that the silversmith can now make the silver into jewelry.  The life can now shine and adorn properly.  The inner person is now seen because the Holy Spirit is working.  However, it might not be jewelry that the Silversmith has in mind.  It may be a spoon or fork.  We have several old pieces of silverware.  Even though it has gone through the process of being crushed and put through the fiery process they will tarnish and turn dull.  Silver must be polished.  From time to time a scrubbing needs to take place so even though the impurities have been removed, the environment around it will tarnish the shine, therefore there needs to be cleaning, polishing, and buffing.
       Notice verse 5, as it references that the wicked need to be removed from the king.  There is wickedness everywhere we look.  Nature and mankind display the effects of sin.  God is the King and He sits on the throne twiddling His thumbs, yawning “Ho Hum.”  NO!  He is busy working on us, working on the world.  He is never idle.  He is, in fact, applying the heat to the world.  One day He will purify it and the wicked will be removed.  Never think for a moment that God is not involved with ridding this world of wickedness and evil.  We may not see His work, but know that He is working to bring about a kingdom that will be established in righteousness (other versions say with justice).
       So don’t despair in what you see or hear in the news–God has everything under control.  Don’t despair, whimper, and cry over your present suffering–God has everything under control.  Look up, our redemption draws nearer and nearer.  I am reminded of the words written by Andre Crouch, “Soon and very soon we are going to see the KIng.”
                    
(Thanks to Bob Beasley for some ideas that I incorporated in the above devotion.)

Don’t give up on hope. It’s the last great thing you have.”

                    –Ken Pratt  (Dragon’s Fire)

       “Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

                    –Romans 5:5 (NKJV)
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Several years ago a friend of mine was working inside a building.  He was a contractor and was so caught up in his work that he didn’t notice his location.  Taking a step backwards he fell down the elevator shaft.  He had to be rushed to the hospital.  There were several broken bones and internal injuries.  He did survive the fall, but he was never the same.  Simply by not paying attention to his surroundings his life was changed.
       Asaph is the composer of Psalm 73 and quickly we find that he was somewhat jealous of those who, he thought, had a better lot in life.  He saw the wicked prosper and he thought it was unfair.  Because of their wickedness or their wealth they didn’t seem to have the problems of others.  Perhaps he wrote this Psalm to help heal his mind, for as Matthew A. Castille said, “Envy is a sickness that only faith can heal.”

               1 — Truly God is good to Israel, to such as are pure in heart.
               2 — But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; my steps had nearly slipped.
               3 — For I was envious of the boastful, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
               4 — For there are no pangs in their death, but their strength is firm.
               5 — They are not in trouble as other men, nor are they plagued like other men.
               6 — Therefore pride serves as their necklace; violence covers them like a garment.  (NKJV)

       God is good to Israel, but to me, well, that is another matter.  It seems as though the promises of God are not meant for me.  Have you ever found yourself thinking those thoughts?  Have you ever found yourself envying the wicked or the wealthy?  Perhaps you are in a form of spiritual coma, and you are just merely going through the motions of life and your Christian experience.
       However, we cannot see into the hearts and minds of those who seem to have it made.  What problems are they facing in their lives?  I knew of a man who made between $5000-$10,000 a week.  Was he happy?  He had the best of everything…BUT he lost his family.  His wife left him for he was married to his career.  His two children were estranged from him, addicted to drugs, and had been in jail.  Was he happy?  He was wealthy, but what was the turmoil that was going on in his soul?
       Dwell on verse 2–almost…  Asaph says he “almost” stumbled, slipped and fell.  There was a saying in the old West that when a cowboy sold his saddle it was over for him.  He might not own a horse, most did not, but he had his saddle.  That term then moved on to other areas.  A man “almost” left his wife.  A man “almost” stole something.  A man “almost” committed suicide.  A man “almost” ….   But!  He did not sell his saddle, he almost slipped, but he remembered who he was.

                         “How good is the God we adore,
                         Our faithful, unchangeable Friend!
                         His love is as great as His power
                         And knows neither measure nor end!”
                                  –Joseph Hart

It doesn’t pay to get involved with the devil’s play.”

                    –D.C. Adkisson  (Mal de Ojo)

       “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.  Therefore do not be partakers with them.”

                    –Ephesians 5:6-7 (NKJV)
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How to Live in a Pagan, Apostate, and Foolish World

Key Verse:  “We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.”  –1 John 5:19 (NKJV)

This is a confused world.  This is a world living in fear.  This is a world that mocks God and His moral values.  I heard recently that there is a trend for people to stand up in a congregation to challenge the minister’s message.  The idea is to challenge the deity of Christ.  Some things never change for this has been going on since the Book of Acts. Therefore, it is vital that WE KNOW!

               “We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.”
                              –1 John 5:18 (NKJV)

       “We Know” that we are born of God and do not sin.  Whoa–not sin?  Warning:  do not take Scripture out of context to make a doctrine upon it.  Christians do sin, that is why we can go to Christ and He will forgive us of our sins (1 John 1:9).  However, the believer does not continue in the state of sin; he does not continue to practice it.  John is interested in the condition of man, not the particular action of man.

               “They [unbelievers] are in the dominion of Satan.  Their whole life is a life of sin; they dwell in it, it is their realm, and they inhabit it.  But those who are born of God are no longer in that state; they have been taken out of it.”
                              –D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

The unbeliever abides in the world; he abides in sin.  He is in need of a Savior.  The Christian abides in Christ.
       “We Know” that we are born of God.  He watches over us.  We are part of His family.  Paul gives us comfort when he writes,

               “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”
                             –1 Corinthians 10:13 (NKJV)

Paul also tells us that we (believers) were once in a sinful state–we were once His enemies.  However, through Christ we are now reconciled to God.  
       “We Know” that He keeps us.  Satan cannot take us out of His hand.  Satan does not cling to us like a bad vine of poison ivy.  Satan cannot rob God of His possession, therefore, do not fear.  God is more than able to keep you from the clutches of the devil.  John writes, “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.” (Revelation 12:11, NKJV)
       So in the midst of this confused and chaotic world the believer, you and I, have clarity.  We know clearly that God is in control and takes care of His own.  When many are living in fear, worried about life, we know that we can trust in God.  He will never leave or forsake us.  We know that He lives and that there is a day of judgment coming for those who mock Him.  Stay firm, hold fast to the word of life.  I recall the chorus of that old hymn:

               “Only trust Him, only trust Him,
               Only trust Him now;
               He will save you, He will save you,
               He will save you now.”
                          –J.H. Stockton