May, 2022 - United In Christ Jesus

You Never Know How God Will Use Your Suffering by Shane Sands

You never know how GOD will use your suffering. No pain, no gain a lesson we need to learn from Stephen.

As a young believer, who was being encouraged to go out and share my faith, I was troubled. I knew that GOD had saved me and given me eternal life in HIS SON JESUS, but I was afraid. I didn’t know enough. I thought I would be laughed at, mocked, or even worse, someone would ask me a question I could not answer. How would I handle the rejection, the scorn, or even my own inability to defend the faith? Here I was, forty years of age, and I was afraid. I would even become nervous just putting a tract on a car window. Where was all my strength, determination, discipline, and love? Then there came the first time I was going to open air preach. Oh man, I had never felt so insecure. My mind raced with all the doubts and fears the evil one could sow in my mind and heart. Something was happening. You may suppose something was happening with me and my walk with the LORD – true, it was. But, I think, actually, the real change was what was happening inside the others around me.

9 But some men from what was called the Synagogue of the Freedmen, including both Cyrenians and Alexandrians, and some from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and argued with Stephen.
10 But they were unable to cope with the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. (Acts 6:9–10)

However, it is at this juncture of the narrative where we do not want to follow down the path of Stephen. There comes a fork in the road where, on the one path, you will have common ground or perhaps, mutual respect for one another. The other path, there is sure to be adversity and pain. The pain does not always mean physical. There are two paths to choose from and you will make a choice no matter what you do. Here comes the rub – the words of the LORD JESUS come magnified in our minds:

24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”
(John 12:24)

We all know what the call of the LORD is. We all know the sacrifice HE made. We all know the love HE has for HIS FATHER and for us that put HIM on that cross. Yet, when it comes time for us to bear HIS shame, time and time again, we fall short. I know this feeling and I pray never feel it again. But, for Stephen and others, it was one word that compelled them to move down the road less traveled: love.

10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another
(1 John 4:10–11)

You see, once you have tasted the kindness of the LORD and allow your eyes to be focused on HIM and HIM alone, you will declare the praise of JESUS and be HIS witness, regardless of the circumstances or results. It is, in effect, the result of John 12:24 followed up in the next two verses:

25 “He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal.
26 “If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also; if anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.”
(John 12:25–26)

Friends you never know how GOD is using your suffering, that precious gift of HIS to you, to build HIS church. All to often, we are short sighted and fail to see through the lens of GOD’S Word. The very foremost object of your affection is the LORD and to be pleasing to HIM. Your discomfort, your bearing the shame of CHRIST is also being used to strengthen others. It is a seed which goes deep down and if/when the LORD is pleased, it is watered and grows! It grows in the hearts of unbelievers. But, it also grows in the hearts of believers, causing them to gain strength and encouragement to press on. You never know how GOD is going to use your suffering! We are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses! Perhaps, the rejoicing in heaven among those who have gone before, resonates and rings out in worship and praise in the LORD JESUS, as they see HIS grace working in and through you! For all you know, the sharing of your faith and bearing the shame of CHRIST (worth more than all riches) may be used for the next Paul to be influenced and go forth.

58 When they had driven him out of the city, they began stoning him; and the witnesses laid aside their robes at the feet of a young man named Saul.

The stoning of Stephen

(Acts 7:58)

19 “And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves understand that in one synagogue after another I used to imprison and beat those who believed in You.
20 ‘And when the blood of Your witness Stephen was being shed, I also was standing by approving, and watching out for the coats of those who were slaying him.’
(Acts 22:19–20)

You never know how GOD will use your suffering to build HIS church; how HE will exalt HIS SON JESUS in and through you. But one thing is absolutely for certain, your suffering is not in vain or overlooked. Indeed, it is precious in the FATHER’S sight – it shows you love HIS SON more than you love your life. The FATHER will, in due time, honor you and honor those who have lost their life for the sake of HIS SON JESUS.

I made mention earlier, the area where I think GOD was using my growth was not so much with myself, but others. It has been nearly fourteen years since the LORD truly saved me. I have stayed in touch with several of my brothers from the beginning of my walking with the LORD. Several have drifted off and gone down a different road. Some have continued in the faith, but have settled into a routine life. But, ever so often, the LORD grants for me to have a glimpse of how HE has been using me in other’s lives. Even now, as I feel my body hurting and the slow degeneration, physically and mentally, which comes from age, I get a glimpse of watching the LORD work in and through me. There are some moments, when, like a ray of sunshine breaking through the trees or gray clouds, I see a small portion of the LORD’S grace, in my suffering, toward others. I don’t know how GOD will use my suffering to build HIS church or exalt HIS SON JESUS CHRIST. Perhaps, it is best I don’t know. What I do know is the LORD has placed in my heart a desire to live godly and to be pleasing to HIM – to love HIM. For me, that gift is beyond what I could have ever hoped for, given my life previous to my new birth. It is my hope to be a branch abiding in CHRIST and that HE will, in and through me, produce much good fruit to maturity. I know growth will require pruning and where there is pruning, there is pain. I think I can finish this up by the following Scripture and trusting in HIM to use it to build HIS church – just as Stephen did. Grace and peace friends. Glory to GOD! Worthy is the LAMB! May the LORD JESUS CHRIST ever be honored and exalted!

12 Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate.
13 So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach.
14 For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come.
(Hebrews 13:12–14)

Willing Sacrifices by Holly Sands

Then the Spirit of the LORD was upon Jephthah, and he passed through Gilead and Manasseh and passed on to Mizpah of Gilead, and from Mizpah of Gilead he passed on to the Ammonites. And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD and said, “If you will give the Ammonites into my hand, then whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites shall be the LORD’s, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.” So Jephthah crossed over to the Ammonites to fight against them, and the LORD gave them into his hand. And he struck them from Aroer to the neighborhood of Minnith, twenty cities, and as far as Abel-keramim, with a great blow. So the Ammonites were subdued before the people of Israel. Then Jephthah came to his home at Mizpah. And behold, his daughter came out to meet him with tambourines and with dances. She was his only child; besides her he had neither son nor daughter. And as soon as he saw her, he tore his clothes and said, “Alas, my daughter! You have brought me very low, and you have become the cause of great trouble to me. For I have opened my mouth to the LORD, and I cannot take back my vow.” And she said to him, “My father, you have opened your mouth to the LORD; do to me according to what has gone out of your mouth, now that the LORD has avenged you on your enemies, on the Ammonites.” So she said to her father, “Let this thing be done for me: leave me alone two months, that I may go up and down on the mountains and weep for my virginity, I and my companions.” So he said, “Go.” Then he sent her away for two months, and she departed, she and her companions, and wept for her virginity on the mountains. And at the end of two months, she returned to her father, who did with her according to his vow that he had made. She had never known a man, and it became a custom in Israel that the daughters of Israel went year by year to lament the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in the year. – Judges 11: 29-40

Have you ever been reading something in the Scriptures that seemed, for lack of a better term, troubling to you? This happened to me this morning while reading the above portion. I quickly read over it and at the onset, it seemed to be something that I would rather not consider – not only was it a tragic story, but horrific to my Western mindset. So, I turned to the next section of scripture that I was scheduled to read. However, as I began the next chapter, it was like a piece of black paper came over my eyes and I could not see anything before me. I sensed the Spirit of God directing me to go back and read the account of Jephthah and understand it.

When I went back and reread it, I was struck by two things: (1) His daughter was his ONLY child; and (2) She was a WILLING sacrifice. It also struck me that God knew ahead of time, before Jephthah made this tragic vow, who would be the first to come out of the house – that it would be his one and only child. Oh, what a test this must have been! How his heart must have broken when she came out the door dancing and celebrating. I can hardly stand to think of it.

Beyond the tragedy of this moment, it reminded me of the account of Abraham with Isaac. Abraham had only one son of the promise who he was willing to offer to God and Isaac was a willing sacrifice to be offered. There is no mention whatsoever of Isaac trying to run away. There is no mention of Isaac squirming to get off the alter. No, he submitted his will to that of his father’s.

Of course, the ultimate example of offering one’s only child is with God and His only Son – Jesus – who was a holy and willing sacrifice – who also submitted His will to that of His Father’s.

In light of these examples, I cannot but help to connect a portion of scripture from the Apostle Paul to these examples of offering and sacrifice.

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. – Romans 12:1

We are now to willingly offer ourselves to God. We are to offer ourselves as that sacrifice – our wills, our plans, our hopes, our dreams, our desires, our all – must be laid upon the alter of sacrifice, for the worship and praise of God. And not only are we to offer ourselves, but we must do so willingly, not with a sense of sorrow because it’s the only life we have – but joyfully, knowing that it is His glory we seek and not our own.

You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. – 1 Peter 2:5

Holly Sands lives in South Carolina at the foothills of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains with her loving husband, Shane, and idiot cat, Mister Bojangles. She has been blessed to travel both nationally and internationally with her husband, sharing the glorious gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Holly is co-host of the weekly podcast, “That They May All Be One“. New episodes can be heard every Tuesday on your favorite podcast app.

Guarded by God by Holly Sands

Whatever is sifted through the hedge of God’s grace;
Whatever is allowed to squeeze through His loving arms;
Whatever He allows to enter through the ramparts of His protection –
surely is His plan for our good.
For whatever comes – good or bad – meets all of God’s demands and moves us towards the goal of true maturity in Christ.

God sits sovereign and reigns supreme. Satan is not God’s equal, he is God’s servant, and as such, must request God’s permission to touch our lives. We are that well-guarded by God’s power.

So, even if a thing is, to us, the worst possible scenario, it is not outside the sovereign rule of God over our lives. He perfectly watches over us and perfectly loves us, so that every single thing that comes to us has been weighed out by Him and determined to be for our good – not necessarily for our comfort – but for our good. That “good” will conform us more into the image of His Son, which is the goal of our pilgrim journey.

Hope for the Fallen by Holly Sands

You know the all-too-familiar drill. You go about your day, minding your own business when all of a sudden the adversary of your soul – the devil – begins pounding you with memories of your past sin. If he is having a good time of it, he will even replay them in vivid detail – perhaps even connecting those sins to various unrelated events and accuse you until you feel depression looming over the guilt and shame you now feel. Oh, then he has you right where he wants you. When you are wallowing in self-disgust, he will begin accusing you with how God must view you. Ever hear this? “See!, he seethes, “You’ve made such a mess of things in your past. Look at how you fell. Look at you. You are worthless…certainly of no use to God. Why would He use you now?” Maybe he even uses it in the first person and you think it’s your own thoughts accusing you. Make no mistake – it’s your enemy.

I once received encouragement from a sermon of Alistair Begg, that I would like to share with you. May it strengthen the arm that holds your shield of faith.

There is hope for Christians who believe they have made a royal mess of their lives. King David was a believer. David was a friend of God. David was the choice of God. Yet, he made a royal curse of his life.

Therefore, despite the fact that you and I may have ignored God’s standards; we may have denied His Word; we may have rejected His commands; we may have suffered – and suffered terribly, as a result. Some who have repented and now are forgiven have now decided that God’s perspective on you is only some kind of grudging toleration; that you have been removed from the team; that now you are destined to live the balance of your Christian life in a a kind of junkyard of Christian experience.

But, that is not so. That CAN’T be so! As long as God is God.

Because He is a God, as David tells us, who does not treat us as our sins deserve; He puts them far from us as the east is from the west; He buries them in the sea of His forgetfulness. (Psalm 103:10-14)

Listen, Believer, who has listened to the devil’s lie of “I did this; I did that; I did the next thing; I made a hash of the whole business”. Just tell the evil one to go back to hell where he belongs, because you have taken your stand in the unguessable grace of God!

The God, who despite the fact that David was in that sorry predicament – it was still through him that the Christ was to be born in Bethlehem and that the nations would hear the voice of the Word of the Lord!

Oh brothers and sisters, Paul does not lightly say in Romans 8:31-39 that NOTHING can separate us from the love of Christ. Not at all to say that we can continue living in active sin, however, once that sin has been confessed and repented of (meaning, we are no longer living in it), we do not stand accused before our Great God, who has cleansed us and forgiven us. He no longer sees us stained. He sees us washed and clean and clothed with Christ’s righteousness. May I remind you of Romans 8:1-2 – there is no condemnation for you, who are in Christ Jesus; you’ve been set free.

I would encourage you to have a repertoire of scriptures, armed and ready to counter-attack when the adversary throws his fiery darts, that feel more like missiles. Answer back with who you are in Christ. Answer back with Christ’s victory won for you. Answer back with promises from your Heavenly Father who loves you. Don’t let your sword rust in the corner of the room. Pick it up. Arm yourself, Christian. You are not left without defense!

Think! by Holly Sands

We are living in what is termed, “The Age of Information”. Everything is available to us with the slightest effort. News, social media, entertainment – anything we want or need to know is just a touch away.

We are also living in what is termed, “The Last Days”. The days of wickedness before the coming of the Lord. The spirit of antichrist is constantly trying to suppress the truth of God and of Christ Jesus and if he can’t suppress it, he tries to twist it to the ultimate peril of those who listen.

I have become strangely aware how this Information Age has caused us to become dull in our thinking. We are continuously being fed information – being told what and how to think. If we are unguarded, we will find that the spirit of this age is doing all our thinking for us. That happens when we lazily accept everything that comes to us virtually, without using our renewed minds to analyze it to be right or wrong by the word of God.

I have literally had to say to myself, “Think, Holly!” because we have been so conditioned to be told what to think instead of thinking for ourselves. This becomes particularly dangerous to our souls when what is being told to us is contrary to what we know to be true in the scriptures.

Take for example, entertainment/movies; what will we not accept if it entertains us? Watching movies can really be a mindless activity where we just “veg” and allow the movie to take us in. I truly believe this is an area where we need to set up our guards vigilantly. What have we been thoughtlessly consuming? Sensuality, murder, blasphemy, the occult? Do we not understand that all of these things, we are to flee? Why then are we being entertained by them? What about comedy? Are we thinking about what is being said before we join in laughter? Do we find ourselves carelessly accepting what we laugh about? I think we are on extremely dangerous ground with this.

I am of the persuasion that media is being used – in all its various forms – to cause us to become dull to things we know, from God’s word, are wrong. I believe this is happening so that when the time comes for those who are on the earth to receive the mark of the beast, they will do so because (a) they are no longer thinking for themselves; (b) they have become dull to the wickedness of sin; and (c) they have chosen the path of least resistance.

Don’t be mindless -Think!

What Did You Just Say? by Holly Sands

James 3:2, “We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.

Isn’t that interesting? If we can control our tongues – what we say and how we say it – we will, by consequence, be able to control our entire body. A small bit in the mouth of a horse can turn the whole animal to make it obey us. A small rudder on a huge ship that is driven by strong winds, goes wherever the pilot desires.

Alternately, a great forest can be destroyed by one little matchstick. Our untamed words are like that matchstick; they can corrupt our whole body…and ultimately, the whole course of our lives.

Jesus said, “…the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile him. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what defile a person…” (Mt. 15:18-20)

James says that our tongue is a “restless evil”; “full of deadly poison”(James 3:8).

“The poison of the tongue…murders men’s reputations by the slanders it utters; their souls, by the lusts and passions it stirs up in them; and many times, their bodies, too, by the contentions and quarrels it raises against men.” – Matthew Poole

“[The tongue is] full of deadly poison, which, privately, secretly, and gradually, destroys the characters, credit, and reputation of men; and is of fatal consequence in families, neighborhoods, churches, and states.” – John Gill

After James describes how deadly our tongues can be if left untamed, he ends the chapter showing us how it looks when our tongues are controlled (James 3:17):

Pure
Peaceable
Gentle
Open to reason
Full of mercy
Good fruit
Impartial
Sincere

Be a peacemaker. Control your tongue.

The Six “Know That’s” by Holly Sands

Sometimes when you are reading through the Word of God, certain verses seem to be emphasized in 3D. Today was one of those mornings as I was reading in 1 John 5.

“I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life. And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.
We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him.
We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one. And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.” (1 John 5:13-15, 18-20)

“We know that” stood out to me. It’s mentioned 6 times in these 5 verses .What is it that we know?

We know that…if we believe in the name of the Son of God – Jesus – we have eternal life. We know that Christ is living, working, and reigning in our hearts. We have assurance of salvation.
We know that…if we ask anything according to His will – He hears us. Do you ever think, when you are praying, “God’s eye is upon me right now”? This is the confidence that we have toward Him! What glorious access we have to the Father, through His Son!
We know that…if He hears us, then we have the requests that we asked of Him. He hears the prayers of our faith, asking that which He has promised. He will not deny us for He is faithful to His word.
We know that…everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning. A good test to see whether you are in the faith: when you sin, does it grieve your heart to know that you have grieved God’s? Do you despise the sin that required so great a sacrifice from God’s own Son? Those who have been born of God are kept by God and have been equipped with full armor to battle the deceitfulness of their own hearts, the lure of the world, and the temptations of the evil one.
We know that…we are from God. The Spirit of God testifies to our spirit that we belong to Him, as opposed to those who are in the world and addicted to it’s enticements.
We know that…the Son of God has come and given us understanding that we may know Him who is true. Jesus, the light of the world, has given us light (understanding) to know God, the Father – who is the one and only true God.

What a glorious certainty that we have been given by God! Hallelujah!

Is a Little Narcissism Healthy? by Holly Sands

Narcissus (1597–99) – the man in love with his own reflection.

“Man’s basic problem is preoccupation with self. He is innately beset with narcissism, a condition named after the Greek mythological character Narcissus, who spent his life admiring his reflection in a pool of water. In the final analysis, every sin results from preoccupation with self. We sin because we are totally selfish, totally devoted to ourselves, rather than to God & to others.” ~ quote.

How would you respond to the following statement: “I think a little bit of narcissism is healthy. If we are to esteem others better than ourselves, and if we don’t like ourselves, then we really aren’t going to do much for others, based on how we feel for ourselves. Without God, we are nothing, just a worm, but with God we are special, holy and righteous. Maybe love of self based on what we become when we are transfigured by God’s spirit is what we need more of.”

I think it’s understood what this person was attempting to say, but by embracing any form of narcissism, they will find themselves in error.

Perhaps they do not know the proper definition of narcissism. So, for the sake of argument, let’s define it. Narcissism is an inordinate fascination with oneself; excessive self-love; vanity. Based on this definition, do you think it is something the Christian should embrace? I would emphatically say NO, for these are the very things which the Scriptures speak AGAINST.

“For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.” Rom 12:3

The problem has always been that mankind loved themselves TOO much and this self-love is one of the very things that Paul points out in his letter to Timothy when he said,

“But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self…” 2 Tim. 3:1-2

In fact, Paul says just the opposite of what what this commenter said above in Phil. 2:3:

“Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.”

I think also, they have a misunderstanding of righteousness. Our righteousness, before God, is an imputed one, not one that is innately ours. That is what justification is all about. There is nothing good in us, nothing pure, nothing holy – it is all based upon Christ and our standing IN Him. Yet, even in our standing in the Beloved, we must not think of ourselves as ‘special’. Jesus said the proper attitude should be thus:

“Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.'” Luke 17:7-10

The Scriptures constantly speak of denying ourselves, loving ourselves less, and giving all love, esteem, confidence and glory to GOD ALONE – not ourselves. For it is not in the “loving of ourselves” that make us effective witnesses, it is the loving of our Lord – ABOVE ALL – that qualifies us for such a momentous task. Loving ourselves will not stir compassion in our hearts, but loving others MORE than ourselves… will.

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