Good Guys and Bad Guys

Psalms  31:11-16 ESV

 

“Because of all my adversaries I have become a reproach,

    especially to my neighbors,

and an object of dread to my acquaintances;

    those who see me in the street flee from me.

I have been forgotten like one who is dead;

    I have become like a broken vessel.

For I hear the whispering of many—

    terror on every side!—

as they scheme together against me,

    as they plot to take my life.

 

“But I trust in you, O Lord;

    I say, ‘You are my God.’

My times are in your hand;

    rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors!

Make your face shine on your servant;

    save me in your steadfast love!”

 

Life is Confusing Sometimes

 

Life can be confusing, can’t it? It isn’t always clear who the good guys are and who are the bad guys. For bad guys can appear as good, and the good guys can be treated as though they are the bad guys. Liars and deceivers abound, so even those who are telling some of the truth may not be telling all of the truth, and they may just be telling enough truth so that you will think they are the good guys when they may be undercover spies.

 

And, no, I have not been watching too many spy movies. This is a reality we are being faced with today, which is that so many people cannot be trusted, even if on the surface they appear to be trustworthy. And, no, I am not a conspiracy theorist, either. I am a woman of God who believes the Scriptures, and who believes what was prophesied about these last days, and who is witnessing many of those things taking place in real time right before my eyes.

 

I am also a thinker, and a person who exercises logic and reason, and who does the math, so to speak, and who sees patterns, and who is observant, and who is sensitized to the voice of the Holy Spirit, and who is listening to the Lord, and so I am not trusting everyone to be who they say they are at face value. I know too much to be that naïve anymore. I believe I have a good understanding of where we are in the world, thanks to the Lord, but I certainly am not aware of all of the details.

 

Adversaries not Always Obvious

 

So, an adversary isn’t always an obvious one. The reality is that you could be following someone who is really the enemy while you may be rejecting those who are really not, but who are on the Lord’s side. And we were warned in the Scriptures that this time was coming, and so we need to take that to heart and not presume that everyone is who he says he is or that he is telling us the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

 

For there are political leaders in our nations, and there are people who tell us the news, as they see it, and there are religious leaders, such as many pastors who, on the surface, appear to be on the good side, but who are really not. And if you are not careful and diligent in seeking the Scriptures, and seeking the Lord for discernment, you may be led astray by them without even realizing it. For many of them are enemies of the cross of Christ, and so they are also enemies of the Lord’s true servants.

 

Thus, if you are one who is truly serving the Lord Jesus, and your life is committed to him and to obeying his commands and to following him wherever he leads you, and to saying what he wants you to say that is biblical truth, in our culture today, even within many of the gatherings of what is called “church”, you will be hated and persecuted and scorned and mocked and falsely accused and forsaken and rejected, and you will have few friends, if any, because they just won’t like you.

 

But if that is where you are, please know that God is still in control, and he is still sovereign over his creation, and so our times are in his hands. Nothing can touch us who are his servants unless God permits it to happen, and if he allows it, he will carry us through it, and he will use it for good in our lives, and perhaps for good in other people’s lives, too, especially if we endure the unjust suffering with patience and we remain faithful to God.

 

Psalms  31:23-24 ESV

 

“Love the Lord, all you his saints!

    The Lord preserves the faithful

    but abundantly repays the one who acts in pride.

Be strong, and let your heart take courage,

    all you who wait for the Lord!”

 

So, the encouragement here is to be wise and discerning. Don’t believe everything you hear or read or think you see, no matter who it is coming from, unless it is from God. But even there, Bible verses can be mistranslated and they can be misinterpreted, especially if they are taught out of context. So make sure you know the context and so you don’t erroneously assume the Scriptures are teaching one thing while they may be teaching something else. So test everything against the Scriptures, but do it in context, and compare Scripture with Scripture, for they should all agree.

 

And love God with your whole being and follow him in obedience to his commands (New Covenant). Be faithful to the Lord in your character and in your actions and in your service to him. And if you are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, be strong in the Lord and in his strength and take courage and wait on the Lord to act. For the Lord preserves the faithful, but he repays those who act in pride and who do not obey the Lord.

 

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

 

For Our Nation  

 

An Original Work / September 11, 2012

 

Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

Trust Him with your life today.

Make Him your Lord and your Savior.

Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.

He will forgive you of your sin;

Cleanse your heart, made new within.

 

Men betraying: Our trust fraying.

On our knees to God we’re praying,

Seeking God to give us answers

That are only found in Him.

God is sovereign over all things.

Nothing from His mind escaping.

He has all things under His command,

And will work all for good.

 

Jesus Christ is gently calling

You to follow Him in all ways.

 

Men deceiving: We’re believing

In our Lord, and interceding

For our nation and its people

To obey their God today.

He is our hope for our future.

For our wounds He offers suture.

He is all we need for this life.

Trust Him with your life today.

 

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