Daniel 4:1-3, “Nebuchadnezzar the king to all the peoples, nations, and men of every language that live in all the earth: ‘May your peace abound! It has seemed good to me to declare the signs and wonders which the Most High God has done for me. How great are His signs and how mighty are His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom and His dominion is from generation to generation.’”

There is something called buyer’s remorse after purchasing something, like an automobile, and then wondering the next day if the right thing were done. If the doubt lingers long enough, it will turn into fear. Sometimes this is a valid experience. Many find that they have been pressured into making a purchase they later regret; they actually did make a bad decision. However, the problem is that an emotion like buyer’s remorse can have at its source fear or a lack of peace, and both will feel the same way. When I purchased my house (the best investment I ever made), I was filled with fear. “How will I make the payments? What if I lose the house?” I had the peace of God when I bought the house, but the enemy and my humanity (wanting to be a success at playing God) attempted to prompt me to surrender my peace to the situation. Fear began directing me rather than the peace of God. I can have fear and the peace of God at the same time; I just need to recognize the difference. I must ask myself, “Was God leading you? Did you not lift the situation up to Him? Is it not impossible to lead sheep that are not moving? Isn’t it His job to take me to the right place?” Then I can see that my decision was made in peace, and I cannot let fear drive me, even if the situation does not work out as I thought that it should. For example, what if I lose my job and cannot make the house payments? That does not mean that I was not listening on the day that He led me to buy it. Some will say that this is a cop-out. Well, amen. We Christians are the only ones allowed a cop-out, because our God causes all things to work together for the good.

Christians have made mistakes and at times been bad witnesses of the Truth, but they are the only positive in a negative world. Again, the world takes someone that is a .5% success, puts him under a magnifying glass, and tries to make it look as if he were a 100% success without Christ. I have been accused of tearing down the accomplishments of non-Christians. Well, amen. I do not do it by way of judgment, but to prove the point that these people were not the successes without Christ that we were led to believe they were. Also, those who accuse me of this do the very same thing with anyone and everything Christian. I do not buy it. Without Christ’s life in man, we would be in the dark ages. It is also interesting that Christians are the only ones whose belief system allows for them to take criticism. Try to criticize a Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, or a communist, and see how far it goes. It will not be heard or accepted. Since Christians are the ones who listen, they get the majority of complaints directed toward them. Watch a group like Amnesty International make more noise about a single instance of discrimination within a Christian country than it does a wholesale slaughter in a non-Christian country. Why? The Christian has a higher standard, that being the behavior of Christ. The Christian is sensitive toward others because he is cognizant of having received mercy, and he will show it in return. The problem is that the world is constantly making an appeal to the wrong people. Christ and His family simply are not messing up the world.

I Corinthians 4:5, “Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God.”

Peter’s statement that “a woman will be saved in childbirth” is confusing until the word saved is properly defined. The term saved, as used in the Bible, refers a majority of the time to deliverance in the present. Nothing hinders daily victory and joy as much as selfishness. Experiencing childbirth, a woman’s self-life is given a severe blow as she devotes her own wellbeing to the good of another, her newborn child. This very loss of self-centeredness allows her to be more susceptible to daily victory in Christ.

Peter’s statement is not meant to be a dig to women who have not borne children any more so than to men, who also have never borne children. He is pointing to a greater truth, and that truth is that selfishness needs a deathblow in order for mankind to find life. Childbirth seems to validate a woman’s existence (not all women, but many) in the sense that once a woman is a mother, the course of her life is believed to be set, and she therefore has validation and purpose. Men do not have such an experience, and I find that many are looking for purpose and validation. However, we seek for the things that can only be found in Him.

I have collected several suicide notes from men over the years (more men successfully commit suicide than women). The notes are predictable and often carry the same theme: “I am sorry that I did not amount to more”; “I should have done more with my life”; “I am a disappointment.” In short, they never found validation–or, rather, a fulfilled purpose–in living. Within the context of discipleship I often play a suicide game. I pretend that I am the person sitting before me wanting to commit suicide, and the person must take the name of Suicide. I say, “Suicide, why do you want to kill me?” The answer comes in various forms, but always with the same general thrust: “Because you are worthless, you have not accomplished anything with your life, and you have not lived up to your potential.” I then respond, “Exactly what is my potential? How will I know if I have accomplished enough or lived well enough to fulfill my potential? Will it be when I have made a medical discovery, become popular, obtained my own television show, gained the praise of my family, or memorized the whole Bible? The problem is that I know of men who fall into the previous categories of accomplishment that have all committed suicide, therefore proving that your definition of validation is faulty.”

Something very depressing to many is that they have “made it” in the world’s sense and wake up in the morning being their same old selves. Validation from yourself, the world, or others is like taking a dry dishrag and wringing it for a full, thirst-satisfying, glass of water. When man cannot find validation, he will live to the world, others, and self in an attempt to justify his existence on the earth. I have not mentioned the things that we do that actually, in our minds, do the opposite of validating us. There are the outbursts, the deeds of the flesh, the old habits that return, the failed marriages, and more. Men more than women need to stop looking for validation in any place other than the Lord. Naked you entered the world and naked you will leave. Frank Sinatra died and Las Vegas dimmed its lights for a short time. Wow! What a tribute. They then turned them back on full blaze and went on gambling.

If the Lord validates you, you no longer must live to the world, yourself, or others. You will be free, free indeed. He validates every man with a simple statement, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” That is enough. With that statement echoing in my heart, I am as happy sitting on a tractor turning up the grubs and watching the seagulls eat them as I am preaching before five thousand. I am as expectant in defeat as in victory. I am not watching myself obsessively, nor does the affirmation or rejection of the world or others change my day.

God works slowly.

John 14:27“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”

Of course, bipolar manic-depressive is a label that is misdiagnosed more than it is correctly diagnosed. The problem with labels is that they receive the treatment, not the individual. Well, amen. At any rate, as the world sees it, a bipolar person is one whose emotions swing abnormally from a depressive low to a giddy high in a matter of moments. Normal emotions are to roll slowly according to events within and without a person. For example, in the presence of the death of a loved one, the emotions of loss, loneliness, and even anger can take many months to level out at a place called normal. Here is my point: I wouldn’t look at a woman who had just lost her husband of 50 years and ask, “Why don’t you laugh?” It would be abnormal; if she did laugh, she would be bipolar. However, many Christians are praying that God would, in essence, make them bipolar. They have experienced a negative event, a failure in their lives, a disappointment with another, or an offense; then they forgive and want their emotions immediately to go from the bottom to the top. That, to me, is completely unrealistic. I can forgive in a moment, but the emotions must take their time in coming back to a place of normalcy. I can acknowledge God in a death, move in faith, put my eyes on Him, and rejoice for the departed loved one, but the deep feeling of loss will take time to subside and give way to the feeling of hope. God works slowly. We are not to be praying to be bipolar. In forgiveness, we must let our emotions calm down after the fact, not try to be a bipolar up and down in an instant. Our spirit will soar, but emotions will take awhile.

The lesser gives way to the greater.

Philippians 3:8, More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, 9and may be found in Him. Wow, what a statement: “I count them but rubbish.” I wonder if we believe that. What has brought you to Christ? What has been the event that took you deeper? Was it a rebellious child, an unbelieving mate, a handicap, financial difficulties, a failed marriage, or an unfulfilled dream? What was it? Did it take you to Jesus or are you stuck on self? Have you been able to count it as rubbish? Sometimes when someone is telling me his problem, I just look at him and say very sternly, “Rubbish, it is all rubbish!” It really is. The event that brought us to a deeper walk with Him is not as important as the walk. The lesser gives way to the greater. Some are just stuck at their disappointment because they have not admitted that the whole thing is rubbish. Yes, divorce is a tragedy. It is a failure on someone’s part, but we do not let a failure define us. The Lord defines us, and if He is for us then who can be against us? Simply let Him define you. Paul’s comment comes out of deep losses, and yet when he could see Jesus, those were rubbish.

In the grace of God, we see him rise from the ashes with a new message, THE message of Christ.

To me this question actually has two answers. First, our responsibility is to judge the message, for it always takes precedence over the messenger. Paul makes this point repeatedly, such as in Galatians 1:8, saying no matter how beautiful the messenger is, the message is what counts. “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!” Again, Paul sees the message as being much more important than himself, “What then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity to each one.” Even when it came to having a messenger who had wrong motives, Paul remained interested primarily in the message. Philippians 1:17, 18, “the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment. 18What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice.” Therefore, if the message was correct when the writer or performer was walking with Jesus, the message is still valid today, and I won’t throw it out. David had a moral failure; I will not throw out what God had clearly given him before his failure. It would be my loss. When one takes the position to discredit everything that has been said by a fallen believer, he is walking on thin ice, for God may define for him anew what fallen means. In, Galatians 5:19-21, Paul gives a description of the flesh. Who can boast that at some time in their life they have not fallen into some of these things? Who can rightly judge the messenger? Now to the second answer:
some have not promoted the message, but rather they promote themselves. It is their plan that whenever we hear their music or read a particular paragraph, their picture, not Christ’s, flashes into our minds. Paul talks about such people. II Cor. 4:5, “For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake. 6For God, who said, ‘Light shall shine out of darkness,’ is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” There are those in the business of riding on the back of Christ to create an image for themselves. They don’t make a distinction between the message and themselves. They are the proof of their message. They, in fact, believe they are propping up Jesus. The focus is constantly on them and their faith, their talent, and their cleverness. Their formula, writing, or music and how it makes them stand out is one with their image. “17For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void.” When such a believer falls, it is impossible to separate him from his message, for in reality he was the true message, with such a high standard set for himself and others that he will have trouble finding grace. Such a one is left having to clean up the mess on his own. In interview after interview he will try to separate himself from the message, so that the message can retain its integrity, but it is too late to separate himself from it. It becomes impossible to defend his message when it is revealed that it wasn’t THE message of Christ. People quickly abandon him. The books and the music will find their way to the trash bin, but though his reputation is also in the trash bin, the person is not! The blessing in all this is that God will use it to move him into clinging to the proper message. In the grace of God, we see him rise from the ashes with a new message, THE message of Christ. Well, amen!

“So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, ‘If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.’” John 8:31-32 NASB

Isn’t image interesting? If we could be free from image, we would be free indeed. But to be free from image, we must see God, not ourselves. In some Third World countries I am given great respect only because of skin color, dress, and money. People give way on the street, and few would argue with me.

However, if I were, say, a “common” tea picker, people would chase me away with a switch if I crossed their path. I would be dressed differently, my skin would be a little darker, and I’d have no money.

Image dictates a lot when we consider that all of us came out of the womb naked, and naked we will leave in the end. There is no difference in men; there are only images. Image makes us treat the poor man with contempt or compassion, and the rich man with respect or hatred mixed with the desire to be like him. The fear of the loss of image can keep us from taking a risk, making a phone call, looking for a new job, going to a restaurant considered out of our league, or disagreeing with the pastor. Some image groups can’t stand it that other image groups consider themselves better, so they use slander or riches to try to bring the others down and build themselves up.

Do you see why Jesus dealt so little with the world’s system? It is a circle; it is the same, and it goes nowhere. “All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing. What has been, will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which one can say, ‘Look? This is something new’? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time.”

Once we are free from image, we will free everyone else from image. We will neither pander to the rich nor show compassion to the poor. We will minister to the individual! We will see beyond image to the exact need that Jesus saw in man. Our teaching will change; our emphasis will change. How to be free? We must admit where we are, to leave where we are. Admit that you are a slave to image, and ask that He free you. He will do it in a way you had not imagined. Many believe the way to the loss of image is to be humiliated through a sinful defeat. This doesn’t destroy image; it just draws attention to it and gives a person a different image. God’s way is different. You will see. Just ask

“Through our God we will do valiantly, it is He who will tread down our enemy.” Psalm 108:13,
“Let God arise and His enemies be scattered.” “I will call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised, so shall I be saved from mine enemies.” Psalm 18:3

Are you finding that life is against you? Do you find that the system is causing you frustration? Do you believe that if the devil wasn’t against you, life would be easier and victory would be possible?

How many times as I travel from place to place, country to country, and church to church I find believers who are always fighting with the devil and confessing that he is against them?

It is really interesting that when Paul addressed the church at Colossae he was enforcing the life, teaching, the resurrection of Jesus. To them it seemed that Jesus was important, but not central; His prestige was considerable, but not preeminent; and so Paul writes to them in an attempt to restore Jesus, the Messiah, to the center of their lives. In this book, he emphasizes the work that Christ has done and places everything secondary to the person and work of Jesus, the Messiah, including the defeat on the cross of the devil and all that was contrary to us.

How vital is our focus, our believing, our understanding of what Jesus has done. It is really important to know that God and the devil are not at war. There is not an on-going struggle between God and the devil. Jesus put the devil out of business at Calvary, and yet it seems that the Christian wants to keep putting him back into business. There is no doubt that we live in an anti-God society that is truly unbelieving and that things are seemingly so much against us. Like Asaph in Psalm 73 we ask, “Does God really care? Does He know what is going on?” Someone has said that God is never late, but that He misses some glorious opportunities to be early.

Let me make it quite clear that this system and the devil are definitely against the believer, make no mistake about that. We hear people say in a real defeated voice, “Oh, Brother, the devil is giving me a hard time,” or “The devil has been against me so much lately.” At this I ask, “Did you think that he would ever be for you?” Be assured that he is not, and never will be, for you, and that in his nature he will always be against you. His mission is to steal, kill, and destroy. He does not have a nature to be for anyone, not even those who serve and fulfill his evil intentions. We see people who serve the devil and whose lives are being destroyed; his evil deception has brought them into bondage and even suicide. The devil is a liar.

However, there is a higher revelation for the Christian, because the devil is secondary and being used by God for His purposes. As my English friend has said, “The devil is God’s sheepdog to bring us to Christ.” In the same way, the world squeezes us into Christ, and then squeezes us to reveal the Christ in us. All these things are against us! How often we have said that, not knowing that there is a greater revelation in the truth that God is in all and to all, and because of Him all things exist.

In Psalm 56:9-11, David talks about all the enemies that surrounded and came against him, and then he said, “When my enemies surround me this I know! This I know! God is for me.” What a belief system that is, what a revelation that is, that when our enemies, modern-day type, come against us, this we know: God is for us!

Let me take you to Romans, Chapter 8, where in verses 35-39 Paul speaks of all the things that are arrayed against us: tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, swords, nakedness, principalities, powers, and the list goes on. But he had already made clear the profound truth at which we are looking in verse 31. “What shall we say to these things? If God be for us then who can be against us?” No matter the opposition, who can really be against us? Paul had already reminded us how mighty God is and how He is working in our lives to the extent that (verse 28) “we know that all things work together to them that love God . . .”

Let me emphasize that we have a God, and He is for us, and He is taking all those things that are against us, and they are actually in His hand working together for good as He correctly interprets it.

We know our problems and negatives of life are working for us even though they started out against us from the perspective that we had through the natural senses. In the midst of your enemies, declare like David, “This I know! This I know! God is for me.” Believing this truth will change your lifestyle