Strong-Arming Strongholds: 2 Corinthians 10:1-6

History will reveal many opinions about the presidency of Donald Trump. Some good. Some bad. Some true. Some untrue. One of President Trump’s strengths or weaknesses that will stand out is his ability to strong-arm his way to results. 

The people who see his strong-arm tactics as a virtue believe it is the only way to get things done in Washington. Others see it as a weakness and a character flaw that characterizes all bullies and dictators.   

When using strong-arm tactics, you are forcing someone to do something. This can be a magnificent thing when negotiating a trade deal or alliance. Unfortunately, perception is reality, making these types of tactics look evil. Nobody likes a bully or a dictator. 

With the battle of the mind, it requires strong-arm tactics. If you don’t have a strong-arm mentality in the mind's battle you will experience defeat.  

Growing up, I played football. I was a fairly large kid, so I often played on the line of scrimmage on both the offense and defense. My fondest memory playing was my one and only career interception. I can’t tell you how excited I was to make that interception. All my teammates were high-fiving me as I went to the sideline. I couldn’t wait to see what my coach thought of my spectacular play. 

I was a little taken back when he didn’t share in my excitement. In fact, he looked at me and said, “What were you doing that far back from the line of scrimmage?” The opposite team’s offensive line dominated our defensive line that game.  I was so far from the line because the linemen strong-armed me to the ground. When I got off the ground, the quarterback threw the football into my arms. I am convinced when he passed the ball he didn’t see me because I was getting up. We lost that game because the other team controlled the line of scrimmage. They often say, “The team that controls the line wins games.”  

Winning the mind’s battle comes when one can control the mind. I’m convinced that 100% of spiritual battles begin in the mind and won in the mind.  As a result, it’s paramount that we learn to strong-arm strongholds in the mind.  

One of the most, if not the most, prominent passages dealing with the battle of the mind is 2 Corinthians 10:1-6: “I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!—I beg of you that when I am present, I may not have to show boldness with such confidence as I count on showing against some who suspect us of walking according to the flesh. For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.”

To rightly understand and apply this passage, we must put ourselves in the right group. Let me explain. In the last four chapters of this letter, Paul is defending his ministry against the attacks that were coming from false teachers within the church.  In chapter 11, Paul identifies these individuals as “false apostles,” “deceitful workmen,” and “servants of Satan.” Not flattering titles. 

Now, notice specifically verses 4-5: “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to obey Christ.” We often misread these verses, we don’t understand them in context. Paul is not referring to the strongholds in his mind in these verses, nor is he referring directly to the strongholds in our minds as believers. Otherwise, he would have put these in the form of imperative verbs. He doesn’t.  The strongholds of the mind that he is referring to are the ones that have caused the individuals in the Corinthian church to become “false apostles,” deceitful workmen,” and “servants of Satan.”  Paul will demolish those strongholds with weapons of divine power with the hopes of these individuals living a life of obedience and devotion to Christ.  

Therefore, we can only properly apply these verses to our own strongholds when we put ourselves in the group deceived by the enemy. When strongholds of the mind take us captive, we must use strong-armed tactics to break them.  This happens when we first recognize the strongholds.  

Recognize strongholds

In the last part of verse 2, Paul reveals criticism from the false teachers, “who suspect us of walking according to the flesh.” The term “flesh” can take on different meanings, depending on the context. In this context, it refers to Paul doing ministry by the standard of the world, doing things from a purely human way.  

Paul rejects the criticism of doing ministry by the standards of the world in verse 3, “For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh.” He then goes on in verse 4 to reveal his spiritual warfare: “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but have divine power to destroy strongholds.” 

The Greek word for “stronghold” means “fortified place.” It is a military term. Paul is using this term as a metaphor to teach us an important truth about the spiritual battle of the mind.  What exactly is a stronghold?

Dr. David Dykes defines it well: “Strongholds are patterns of faulty thinking that become entrenched in the mind.”  When faulty thinking takes hold of the mind, it becomes a stronghold that shapes the mind and then works out in life as behavior.  Once we recognize what a stronghold is, then we must begin identifying strongholds.

Identify strongholds

Strongholds can be on two levels: social and personal. Paul is dealing with social or community strongholds within a congregation. I want to focus on personal strongholds. 

A stronghold is a pattern of faulty thinking. This means that the list can be long and exhaustive. Here are a few common strongholds that entrench the minds of God’s people:  Unforgiveness, bitterness, self-condemnation, insecurities, gossip, envy, greed, self-pity, fear, lust, anger, failure, success, despair, and discouragement. 

In my thirty-plus years of walking with the Lord, I have experienced seasons of struggling with strongholds. When I was in my mid-twenties, I struggled with the stronghold of failure. I was so afraid of failure that I would not attempt to do anything. I knew God had called me to ministry, and I needed to go to school to prepare, and I planned on it. However, on account of my fear of failure, I kept putting it off. 

Most men can relate to the stronghold of lust. This one particular stronghold is one I continue to battle daily. This stronghold, if not strong-armed, destroys individuals and families. 

Recently, I have been battling the stronghold of self-pity, which finds its source in fear. One characteristic of self-pity is self-condemnation. Satan loves to find this weakness and attack it. When I was not condemning myself because of the circumstances I was in I turned blame onto God. This stronghold causes depression and hopelessness. I have to constantly strong-arm this stronghold. 

These are just a few of my personal strongholds. Satan will devise as many as he can to destroy lives. 

If we are honest with ourselves, there are areas in our lives which we seem to fall and fail again and again. Like Paul, we desire to do good, but can’t. When we have a weakness or recurring sin in our lives, it’s highly possible a pattern of faulty thinking is to blame. Realizing and identifying strongholds is good, but to win the battle of the mind we must attack strongholds.  

Attack strongholds 

In verses 4-5, Paul reveals the strategy and weapons for attacking strongholds: “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to obey Christ.” The goal when attacking strongholds is to destroy them. How? Verse 5, “We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to obey Christ.” The first powerful weapon we need is the word of God. 

The Word of God

A stronghold is a pattern of faulty thinning that comes against the knowledge of God. It is an argument or opinion or belief contrary to the word of God.  Therefore, we must put ourselves under the authority of the word of God, listen to it, and submit to it.  

The Apostle James describes this process well: “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore, put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only deceiving yourselves.” What does this look like daily?

We do it by refocusing, refilling, and renewing our minds with the truth. We do this through daily meditation and worship. The next weapon is the Spirit of God.  

The Spirit of God

In verse 4, Paul says that the weapons we use have “divine power.” The word of God is powerful, living, and active. Just filling our minds with God’s truth is not enough. We need the power of the Holy Spirit to deliver our thoughts taken captive by the enemy. We need the power of the Holy Spirit to bring deliverance and healing.  

The Holy Spirit’s power takes captive those thoughts against the knowledge of God and gives us the mind of Christ. 

We must expose ourselves to the soul searching power of the Spirit of God and the word of God. But there is one more “divine weapon” implied in this text, and that is the people of God. 

The People of God

In verse 6, Paul says: “being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.” If Paul’s letter does not destroy the strongholds of his critics, he will need to confront them from the position of strength. The church as a whole would need to be behind him for him to have this position. When Paul says: “when your obedience is complete,” he is speaking about their support. When dealing with strongholds we need the support of the people of God.  

As individuals dealing with strongholds, this is very difficult. Asking the people of God to support you makes you vulnerable and transparent. This is very difficult when you have a hard time trusting people. God designed us to do life together, to demolish strongholds together, keeping each other accountable.  

I’m reminded of the three pastors who helped each other with their personal strongholds. In their first meeting together, each pastor shared his struggle. The first pastor said that he struggled with lustful thoughts. The second pastor said that he struggled with greed. The third pastor said that he struggled with gossip, and couldn’t wait for the meeting to end. 

On a more serious note, let me share the story of a couple. Their names are Mark and Martha. After twenty-five years of marriage and four children, Mark and Martha would embark on a very painful journey. 

Mark had just turned forty-eight years old. He was having this twitch in one of his muscles, so he visited his doctor. Within a month of this doctor’s visit, they diagnosed Mark with Lou Gehrig’s disease. Now Mark sits in a wheelchair, unable to move anything but his eyes. 

Early on, Martha and Mark both struggled with despair. The stronghold of fear had taken hold of both of them, and they were not doing well at all. They realized that they needed to start strong-arming the stronghold, so both started memorizing every verse they could think of that dealt with God’s care. They tried to find creative ways to beat into their hearts and minds the love and faithfulness of God. They planted themselves in the truth of God’s word, even though everything in their lives seemed otherwise, and relied on the Spirit of God to give them the strength to take these thoughts captive for Christ.  Then, the people of God from their church moved into their lives in tangible ways, helping, supporting, and strengthening them to strong-arm the strongholds even ten years into the disease.  

Destroying the stronghold of despair in their lives has enabled them to find meaning, purpose, growth, and even joy amid their loss.  It’s difficult, but we need the people of God along with the word of God and the Spirit of God to strong-arm strongholds.  

When You're Unwilling to Wait: Isaiah 30:1-33

Nobody likes to wait. We don’t like to wait for a table, or service, or food when we patron restaurants. Red lights and traffic jams are constantly testing our patience. As a result, they organize many retail business models based on what they call “wait time.”  Studies have revealed that the average wait time for a customer is 5-10 minutes.   Most people are unwilling to wait.  

Have you ever been behind a car at a red light when it turns green, but the driver doesn’t know it is green? See how long you will wait before you honk the horn.  Or next time you go to a restaurant and they tell you how long the wait will be, take a note on how long you will wait. It will not surprise you when you realize how unwilling to wait we are in life.   

Ironically, God designs his business based on the wait time. We spend much of our walk with God, waiting on God. Unfortunately, God doesn’t design wait time to be short. Instead, he wants to see if we are willing, or unwilling, to wait on him.   

As the great rock-and-roll theologian, Tom Petty, once sang, “The waiting is the hardest part.”  Waiting on God is hard, especially when we find ourselves in dire need of an answer immediately, or when we are facing trouble that seems to overwhelm us. In my experience, when trouble comes, many times I am unwilling to wait for God to act.  I’m not proud of it, but it is a reality to my experience.  Fortunately, the Bible is full of examples of God’s people struggling to wait and unwilling to wait for God to act.  

Abraham had a promise of a son from God, but he and Sarah were unwilling to wait, which resulted in Ishmael. Moses had a call to lead Israel out of Egyptian bondage, but he was unwilling to wait and had to wait 40 years before God used him to deliver his people from bondage. King Saul was unwilling to wait for the prophet Samuel to offer a sacrifice to God, so he did it himself, resulting in him losing his kingship. And this list could go on and on.   

Many, myself included, would love it if the Lord would do away with the wait time, but it won’t happen. The wait time is so crucial to our walk with the Lord. Most of our growth, if not all, comes in those seasons of waiting on God, especially when trouble comes our way.  

During the prophet Isaiah’s ministry, Israel experienced situations that tested their willingness to wait on the Lord. One particular situation happened around 701 BC. The king of Judah was Hezikiah, and the situation was the threat of attack from the Assyrians.  At first, King Hezekiah rebelled against the Assyrians, and part of that rebellion was going to Egypt for help. We see this in chapters 30 and 31 of the book of Isaiah.  

Both chapters reveal Judah turning to Egypt for help; therefore, these two chapters belong together. The reason they were turning to Egypt was an unwillingness to wait on God. The indictment of the unwillingness is in verse 15, “For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength. But you were unwilling.” Israel was unwilling to wait on the Lord, which resulted in disobedience. In verse1, the Lord refers to the unwilling to wait as “stubborn children.” In verse nine he refers to them as “rebellious people.” Being willing to wait on the Lord is paramount to our walk with the Lord.  

Studying chapter 30 of Isaiah helps us understand if we are unwilling to wait on the Lord, or not. It reveals three characteristics of the unwilling to wait. 

You are unwilling to wait when…

“Ah, stubborn children, declares the Lord, who carry out a plan, but not mine, and who make an alliance, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin; who set out to go down to Egypt, without asking for my direction, to take refuge in the protection of Pharaoh and to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt!” First, you are unwilling to wait when you devise your own plan instead of following God’s plan.  

You devise your own plans instead of following God’s plan

“Ah, stubborn children, declares the Lord, who carry out a plan, but not mine” They indictment is this: “who carry out a plan, but not mine.” It’s very possible that we have all the right beliefs but cannot live out our faith functionally. It’s possible to have plans and strategies that negotiate life from a worldly perspective, but not God’s. When we carry out our own plans, the world sees it as common sense, but God calls it rebellion.  

Going to Egypt and making an alliance with them to fight the powerful Assyrians was not God’s plan.  God prohibited these types of alliances in the books of Exodus and Deuteronomy.  From a worldly point of reference, it was common sense, but from God’s, it was disobedience and rebellion.  

Common sense does not plan to take on an army of thousands with only 300 men, but God’s plan does. Ask Gideon.  Common sense says you don’t plan to feed over 5,000 people with 2 fish and five loaves of bread, but God’s plan does. Ask Jesus’s disciples.  You are unwilling to wait on God when you follow your plan, and not God’s. Second, you are unwilling to wait when you trust human strength instead of God’s strength.  

You trust in human strength instead of God’s strength

Notice the last part of verse 1, “who make an alliance, but not of my Spirit.” The language here is covenant language. Instead of trusting the covenant-keeping God, they make a covenant with human strength, instead of divine strength.  Third, you are unwilling to wait when you listen to other voices instead of God’s voice. 

You listen to other voices instead of God’s voice

In verse 2 we read, “set out to go down to Egypt, without asking for my direction, to take refuge in the protection of Pharaoh and to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt!” They didn’t ask God for direction. They listened to other voices, but not God’s. We find further evidence of this in verses 9-11, “For they are a rebellious people, lying children, children unwilling to hear the instruction of the Lord; who say to the seers, Do not see, and to the prophets, Do not prophesy to us what is right; speak to us smooth things, prophesy illusions, leave the way, turn aside from the path, let us hear no more about the Holy One of Israel.” 

Unwilling to wait will lead to an unwillingness to listen. The Israelites didn’t want to hear from the Lord. When you take things into your own hands and start carrying out your own plan in your own strength, you have committed yourself to self-interest. You want to be who you want to be and do what you want to do. The last thing you will want to do is listen to the voice of God. Listening to God results in changing your view of God and your response to God. 

Honestly, I believe one of the most burdensome things in the Christian life is waiting on God. Our old nature is restless and relentless, tempting us to take things into our own hands. To make matters worse, the world is always in a hurry, therefore, so are we. We will struggle with a heart growing restless and unwilling to wait, which can lead to a reckless life.    

Unwilling to wait on God leads to a reckless life 

Notice the last part of verse 1, “that they may add sin to sin.” When we are unwilling to wait for God it results in sin compounding itself. When a person lies, they often have to tell another lie to keep the first lie. When David committed adultery he ended up committing murder to hide the adultery. Adding sin to sin leads to a reckless life, and things will only get worse. 

Notice verse 3, “Therefore shall the protection of Pharoah turn to shame, and the shelter in the shadow of Egypt to your humiliation.” Shame and humiliation result from the misplaced trust.  And it still gets worse. 

Fear makes us unwilling to wait on God. Unfortunately, when we don’t wait for God to act, the very thing we fear will happen. In verses 12-17 the fear of the Assyrians attacking happens because they trusted in Egypt, not Yahweh.   The tragic story of Israel’s unwillingness to listen and wait for God doesn’t end in tragedy. God loves to turn ashes into beauty, graves into gardens. When the disastrous consequences abound in your life, God is waiting for you when you are ready to wait for him.   

God is waiting for you when you are ready to wait for him.

Isaiah sums up the message of the entire book up in verse 18, “Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you, and therefore he exalts himself to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are all those who wait for him.” This verse is transitional, looking back to the previous verses, and looking forward to the subsequent verses.  

God is waiting to show grace and mercy to his people, who are unwilling to wait. What is God waiting on? He’s waiting for his people to be in a position to receive it. It states the position God waits for in verse 15, “For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel, In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.” When we get to our wits' end and cry out, “How Long, Lord?” He responds, “I’m waiting on you!”  When we return to God and wait on him in quietness and trust, he is ready to bless us with grace and mercy, which he states at the end of verse 18, “Blessed are all those who wait for him.”  What is God waiting to do when we are ready to wait on him? First, he’s waiting to restore intimacy. 

To restore intimacy

In verses 19-22 it reads, “For a people shall dwell in Zion, in Jerusalem; you shall weep no more. He will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry. As soon as he hears it, he answers you. And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher. And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. Then you will defile your carved idols overlaid with silver and your gold-plated metal images. You will scatter them as unclean things. You will say to them, “Be gone!” The key to this passage is God revealing himself as Israel’s teacher, and the willingness of Israel to listen to their teacher.  God will restore their intimacy with him. And as a result, they will turn from their idols.  

An idol is anything we put before God. To put it another way, an idol is a counterfeit god that controls your life.  When intimacy returns, it’s because God’s people return wholeheartedly to the Lord. Restored intimacy leaves no room for divided loyalties.  

Recently, the Lord revealed to me that one of my idols that put before him are my plans. I have made plans with the assumption that God would and should support those plans. I have learned that my plans become idols when they are how I think situations and circumstances should go, resulting in an idea and expectation of how God should act concerning these plans. If the plans are my own creations, they become counterfeit gods. 

I have spent too much of my time striving for comfort and stability, when God is teaching me intimacy, and about coming to him, resting in him with quiet trust no matter what is happening in my life.  Second, God waits to heal completely. 

 

To heal completely

In the last part of verse 26, it reads, “in the day when the Lord binds up the brokenness of his people, and heals the wounds inflicted by his blow.” God wants to reverse their circumstances and situation. He is waiting to heal them economically, spiritually, emotionally, and physically. He wants to bless them abundantly with his grace and mercy.  

Hadden Robinson describes the extravagance of God’s blessing well with this thought: 

“With Him, the calf is always the fatted calf; the robe is always the best robe; the joy is unspeakable; and the peace passes understanding. There is no grudging in God's goodness. He does not measure His goodness by drops like a druggist filling a prescription. It comes to us in floods.”

Last, God is waiting to deliver victoriously. 

To deliver victoriously 

In verses 27-33, God reveals himself as warrior coming to deliver his people from the enemy, “Behold, the name of the Lord comes from afar, burning with his anger, and in thick rising smoke; his lips are full of fury, and his tongue is like a devouring fire; his breath is like an overflowing stream that reaches up to the neck; to sift the nations with the sieve of destruction, and to place on the jaws of the peoples a bridle that leads astray. You shall have a song as in the night when a holy feast is kept, and gladness of heart, as when one sets out to the sound of the flute to go to the mountain of the Lord, to the Rock of Israel. And the Lord will cause his majestic voice to be heard and the descending blow of his arm to be seen, in furious anger and a flame of devouring fire, with a cloudburst and storm and hailstones. The Assyrians will be terror-stricken at the voice of the Lord when he strikes with his rod. And every stroke of the appointed staff that the Lord lays on them will be to the sound of tambourines and lyres. Battling with brandished arm, he will fight with them. For a burning place has long been prepared; indeed, for the king, it is made ready, its pyre made deep and wide, with fire and wood in abundance; the breath of the Lord, like a stream of sulfur, kindles it.”

The first time God revealed himself as a warrior to his people was during the Exodus out of Egypt. God delivered Israel from the oppression of the Egyptians. Ironically, Israel turned to the oppressor for deliverance instead of waiting on the Lord.  

God is waiting to deliver us from our enemies, and when he does, verse 29 says he will give us a song to sing and gladness in our heart, “You shall have a song as in the night when a holy feast is kept, and gladness of heart.” 

If we are not careful, we will forget how God has helped us in the past, resulting in an unwillingness to wait on the Lord. We must always reflect upon God’s faithfulness in the past so that when trouble comes our way, we come to the Lord and rest in him in quietness and trust for he is our salvation and our strength.  

Recently, Cory Asbury wrote a song called “Egypt.” It a song remembering how God has delivered us from our enemies, and how we should never forget. I love the words to this song, especially these words: 

You stepped into my Egypt

You took me by the hand

You marched me out in freedom

Into the promised land

Now I will not forget You

I'll sing of all You've done

Death is swallowed up forever

By the fury of Your love

You're the God who fights for me

Lord of every victory

Hallelujah, Hallelujah

You have torn apart the sea

You have led me through the deep

Hallelujah, hallelujah

Lord, may I always be willing to wait so I don’t keep you waiting to be gracious and merciful to me. Amen.  

In Pursuit of Happiness: Psalm 128

This moment in time is historic.  We will remember the year 2020 as one of the most difficult for many.  A pandemic has impacted the entire world, almost bringing it to its knees.  The United States has experienced injustice, protests, riots, and looting, crippling several major cities around the country.  When you read the news or turn it on and watch it, you find suffering is everywhere.  

What astonishes me about the suffering is that it is so traumatic for Americans. When I talk to people on the streets, at my job, or in other places, they always say they could do better, if the circumstances were more agreeable. Why do Americans take suffering more traumatic than other cultures? Is it because we live in a secular society? Yes, in part.  But I find the genuine reason is the greatest purpose of being American: the pursuit of happiness and freedom.  This pursuit does not allow suffering to fit within it well.  

Since the highest purpose of being an American is the pursuit of freedom and happiness, and we live in a secular society, no longer reliant upon God, the burden of experiencing this chief purpose is the individual. Therefore, we vote for politicians that will make us happy and keep us free, and politicians make it their job to make us happy and comfortable.  

Maybe all the chaos and commotion we are witnessing around the country results from unhappy people trying to find happiness. The pursuit of happiness can be disastrous, or helpful.  Another way to put it is the pursuit of happiness can make you unhappy, or happy.  To avoid becoming unhappy in pursuit of happiness, we need to make sure we are pursuing true happiness.  True happiness is not dependent upon outward circumstances, but an inward disposition.  True happiness, when found, will impact the surrounding people, and, if possible, the surrounding circumstances.  

We can find the prescription for genuine happiness in Psalm 128, “Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways! You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you. Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord. The Lord bless you from Zion! May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life! May you see your children’s children! Peace be upon Israel!” 

Every verse uses the words “blessed” or “bless” except for verses 3 and 6. What I find interesting is that it uses two different Hebrew words, instead of one. Verses 1-2 use the word “asher,” and verses 4-5 use the word “barak.” They use the latter word when God blesses a person or a people; the former word translates most often as “happy” and describes the good fortune that comes when people do what pleases God.  When things are going well, we often feel happy. However, the happiness of verse one does not depend upon the circumstances of life, but the priority of life.  The priority of life reveals that the pursuit of true happiness begins with the individual.  

The Pursuit of Happiness Begins with the Individual

Verse one, “Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways!” A better translation is “very happy is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways.” If you want to be “very happy,” in life, then you will need to be in a right relationship with the Lord.  

Relationship 

The Hebrew name for God in verse one is Yahweh. It is always used in a relationship between God and man, specifically a covenant relationship.  Israel was in a covenant relationship with God.  In the same manner, under the New Covenant, we must be in a covenant with the Lord, and this is only possible through faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ for salvation. This is the starting point for a life of happiness. When we are in a right relationship with the Lord, our lives will reveal it with a proper reverence for the Lord.  

Reverence

The very happy man or women will fear the Lord. We don’t always associate happiness with fear, but not the case with true happiness. When you fear the Lord, you will take the Lord seriously. You understand that he is the sovereign Lord, holy and set apart, in control of all things. When you fear the Lord, you have an extreme reverence, deep respect, and awe for him.  What does that look like?

The Lord becomes the top priority of your life.  Every endeavor you embark on will have him at the center.  He becomes everything we are, or think, or aspire to do. The apostle Paul put it well when he said, “to live is Christ.” We put him first. If we have this reverence, then we will want to please and honor him in everything. The right relationship leads to the right reverence, which leads to the right responsibility. 

Responsibility

If we want to please and honor the Lord in everything, then we will walk in his ways.  Simply put, we will strive to obey him.  We find real freedom and happiness in God’s word. Many people look at the Bible as a book of rules that keep you from freedom and happiness. However, when we live our lives in God’s word and God’s will, we experience freedom and happiness.  Outside of God’s word and will you find guilt, shame, fear, sorrow, and death. 

Before Christ found me, I was wild. I loved to party and used all kinds of stimulates that I thought made me happy. I remember sitting with a friend, drinking beer and smoking marijuana, and the subject of Christianity came up. Not sure how, but it did. I shared with my friend that my brother had become a Christian and his life changed.  I then said to him, I could never become a Christian because I didn’t want to give up the drugs and alcohol that I thought made me happy.  

Not too long after that conversation, the Lord started working in my life.  The things I thought would make me happy, left me empty and unhappy.  I was miserable. Where I once believed becoming a Christian would make me unhappy, the Holy Spirit started impressing upon me the words, “You will never be happy until you become a Christian.” Eventually, I started reading the Bible. One night, while reading Matthew chapter five, I surrendered my life to Jesus with this simple prayer, “Lord, I want to be a Christian, but I can’t do it. I need your help.” The surrender of that night changed my life forever.  It was at the cross of Jesus that I received my sight, and now I’m happy all my days, not because my circumstances are good, but my relationship with the Lord is good.  When we experience true happiness with the Lord, as this first verse describes, it will have an immediate impact on our lives, and the lives of those around us.  

The Experience of True Happiness has an Immediate Impact

When a man or woman fears the Lord and walks in his ways, it will impact character.  

Character 

If you walk in the ways of the Lord, then you will walk in integrity.  A godly character will characterize your life. When our time on earth is over the only things we can take with us are relationships and our character.  Therefore, it is paramount, not only that we witness for God but also walk with him. I pray that when my life is over that my family and friends will remember me as a man who walked in the ways of the Lord. I know that they won't remember my sermons because I can’t remember my own sermons. I want them to remember that I loved Jesus. Another immediate impact will be contentment.  

Contentment

Verse two, “You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.” You shall be happy and well. How many of us want to be happy and well? Well, it begins with a right relationship with the Lord, which in turn impacts our character and our contentment. When you find true happiness in the Lord, he will take care of your needs. 

When we can declare “Our Father in heaven,” he will answer, “give us this day our daily bread.”  The apostle Paul put it this way, “My God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”  True happiness is a byproduct of a true trust in the Lord.  God will supply all our needs, not necessarily all our wants, although he throws in our wants at times, and then some. 

In the last five years, my wife and I have experienced some financial hardships. Our income is half of what it was five years ago, and to say that we have struggled, would be an understatement. Nonetheless, I can declare to you today, the Lord has provided our daily needs. 

I often see people on street corners asking for money. When I see them I just thank God that my situation has not come to begging on a street corner.  Now, I haven’t begged, but over the last five years, I have had some interesting jobs. I have delivered pizzas, became an Uber driver spending many Friday and Saturday nights making sure drunks made it home from a night out on the town. I have been a car salesman, by far the worse job yet. I worked the night shift for a powerwash company and drove a school bus. Currently, I’m a trash man at a small apartment complex in Little Rock and a chaplain for Arkansas Community Corrections. Through it all, my God has supplied all my needs, and I am content that he will continue to do so.  Why? Because I fear the Lord and walk in his ways, and I’m happy about it.  Another immediate impact is commitment.  

Commitment 

Verse three, “Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table.” The psalmist moves from work to the home, specifically the family. He addresses the husband and father in this verse because he is the leader. However, it implies the wife and children of the home as well because he speaks of “everyone” in verse one.  

A happily married man or woman will be committed to the marriage. For the husband, if you want a happy life, you will need a happy wife.  That means to treat her the same way that Christ treats the church. You love her, sacrificially. You provide for her; you keep her safe; you lead her spiritually. Likewise, a happy wife will do all she can to make Christ the center of home and family.  

You might think, “I don’t have a family. How does this apply to me?” If you are walking with the Lord, then you will be committed to honoring the Lord in all your relationships.  You will strive to love your neighbor as yourself.  You will treat others how you want to be treated.  You will put the interest of others before your own.  Then you have an immediate impact upon those around you.  Genuine happiness will make an immediate impact upon you, and the surrounding people. The immediate impact must have an extended influence.  

True Happiness must have an Extended Influence 

Verse four, “Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord.” In verse four, we move from the Hebrew word “asher,” used in verses 1-2, to the word “barak,” which means “blessed by God.”  The Lord will bless the man or woman who seeks true happiness in the Lord. The blessings of God are never intended to stop with the individual or immediate family.  God’s blessings fall short if they don’t involve others.  God blesses us so that we can be a blessing to others.  

God begins with the center, the individual, and moves out from there to the home and work, and as we will see a happy home and work extends to the church.  

Church

Verse five, “The Lord bless you from Zion!” Zion represents the house of God, the mountain of God, the place where God dwells amongst his people. This is a glorious reminder that our fruitfulness is from God. One way that God blesses us is through the church, and the way the church becomes a blessing is when you have the people of God walking with God, which becomes a blessing to the home, resulting in a blessing to the church. When the church becomes a source of blessing, it will move outward to the community.  

Community

In the last part of verse five, “May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life!” As the church goes, the city goes.  Can I give you something to think about? What if all the chaos that we are experiencing locally and nationally is the result of the pitiful condition that the church is in today, which is a direct result of the pitiful condition of the home and family, which is a result of people in pursuit of happiness in all the wrong places? 

When the individual finds true happiness in the Lord, God will bless, and then God will bless the home and family.  When the home and family are blessed by God, God will bless the church.  When the church is blessed by God, God will bless the community. When the community is blessed by God, God will bless the country.  

Country 

Verse six, “May you see your children’s children! Peace be upon Israel!” The Hebrew word for peace can also translate “wholeness.”  Wholeness upon the nation.  

Our nation needs peace to be upon it! It needs wholeness! Peace and wholeness will not come from Washington. It won’t come from the voting booth. It won’t come from Hollywood.  It will only come from the Lord.  The reason our nation is falling apart is the fact that people are looking for freedom and happiness in the wrong place. It starts with the individual, with me and you. It starts with a right relationship with God through Jesus Christ, resulting in a life pursuing happiness in the Lord.  Do you want to see peace in America? You want our nation whole again? It will begin with the individual and a changed heart.  That is our only hope.  

Fighting Life's "What Ifs" - Psalm 124

The greatest mental battles we face in life never happen. You know, the wars we fight in our minds because of the “what ifs” of life. The invasion of the enemy of worry attacks everyone, some more than others. When worry invades it can be subtle, invisible, and a relentless foe bombing us with a variety of negative possibilities in life.  

The times we live in now are ground zero for these attacks to take place. Our thoughts race with the “what ifs” of the coronavirus, the ramifications of a lockdown, and the effect it will have on our economy.  Even the Center for Disease control sees the effect that the virus will have on mental health and has included a section on its website for stress and anxiety.  And if the invasions from the pandemic are not enough, now we have rioting and looting consuming major cities around the nation. Can I give you some advice? If you are looking for a career path, consider psychology.   

Unfortunately, God’s people are not immune to worry.  One meaning of worry is “to gnaw.”  Growing up, we had a dog that loved his bones.  He would gnaw on those bones all day, and afterward, he would take the bone and bury it.  The next day, he would dig up the bone and gnaw on it again.  Worry is like gnawing on a bone. We gnaw on the “what ifs” of life because worry is also a kind of fear. And how many times has God told us throughout the Bible not to fear? Therefore, it’s important that we learn to fight the “what ifs” of life that we often gnaw on.  

The Bible is replete with practical and penetrating truths for fighting this battle with worry. One particular passage caught my attention.  It’s Psalm 124. Before we look at the psalm, it is important to put it into context.  

Most scholars believe that Psalm 123 and 124 belong, if not historically, at least thematically. The reason historical context is in question is the fact that the inscription on Psalm 124 attributes the psalm to King David. However, some manuscripts don’t have his name on it, leading some scholars to believe that a scribe added the name in later years.  As a result, some scholars believe the events described take place during David’s reign, others during the time of Nehemiah, and others, King Hezekiah.  The psalm is general and can fit into either historical context.  

Thematically, there is a connection between Psalms, 123, and 124. In Psalm 123, the psalmist in crying out for God’s mercy on account of the contempt and ridicule from the enemy.  In Psalm 124 we see the testimony of God’s activity in answering the cry of the previous psalm.

We find the reason this psalm caught my attention in the first two verses. It reads, “If it had not been the Lord was on our side—let Israel now say—If it had not been the Lord who as on our side.” The emotion of these two verses is better brought out with the New Living Translation, “What if the Lord had not been on our side?”  The emotion is one of perplexity. It’s the gasp that comes from a person delivered from death or some terrible situation.  It’s the “what could have happened” emotion. 

Two years ago, my oldest daughter fell asleep while driving home. She was attending Arkansas State and was making her way back to the university. Going seventy miles an hour, her vehicle hit a guardrail, causing her to cross over the opposite side of the highway, hitting a ditch, and going airborne until she stopped in the middle of a field. I remember the evening well because I had been praying for her twenty-minutes before this happened.  

When my wife and daughter visited the site of the wreck, they experienced this same emotion.  What if she ran off the road fifty-feet earlier? She would have hit a bridge. What if there was traffic coming down the opposite side of the highway? She could have had a head-on collision. Fortunately, she came away from the wreck with no scratch and a totaled vehicle. 

The “what if” presented in this psalm is not an unhealthy “what if.” The reflection of what could have happened is healthy because they can reflect upon the positive outcomes of God’s activity in their lives. Yet, to get to the positive outcomes, one must first observe the negative possibilities.    

Reflection

Two times we see the phrase, “the Lord who was on our side.”  The speculative reflection is this: “what if God wasn’t in our lives?”  Or, “what if God wasn’t for us?”  What if all we could think about are the people and circumstances against us.  The what-ifs of negative possibilities would overtake us.  

The what-if of negative possibilities 

Take God out of the equation and here is what you will have, “when people rose up against us, then they would have swallowed us up alive, when their anger was kindled against us; then the flood would have swept us away, the torrent would have gone over us; then over us would have gone the raging waters.”  Without God, the negative possibilities would have become realities. 

Somehow, when we are consumed with the “what ifs” of negative possibilities, we lose sight of the fact that “the Lord is on our side.” Instead, all we can see are the people and circumstances are against us. We allow the possibilities to overtake us.  

If you are often captive to negative possibilities, you are not alone.  The Bible is abounding with examples of God’s people losing sight of God. When Joseph’s brother came back from Egypt, they had to leave their brother Simeon there and bring back their brother Benjamin. When they told Jacob the situation he cried out, “Everything is going against me!” (Gen. 42:36).  This Jacob, who saw angels descending and ascending into heaven, and wrestled with God until God blessed him, could only see the circumstances against him, not the Lord who was with him.  

Elijah, after seeing the Lord consume his sacrifice with fire from heaven, and killing the prophets of Baal, could only see Jezebel against him, which caused him to run for his life, and become despairing of life to the point of wanting to die.  He could only see the “what ifs” of negative possibilities, and not the Lord who was with him.  

When we worry about the negative possibilities, it’s because of the assumed absence of God in the details of life.  The negative possibilities happen because we exclude God from the equation. However, when we reflect upon the truth that “the Lord is with us” we experience the “what ifs” of positive outcomes.  

The what-if of positive outcomes 

The imagery that the psalmist uses is very descriptive of the negative situations and circumstances we face in life. Just like Isreal, Christians have an enemy, the devil who wants to kill, steal, and destroy our lives.  When we face the troubles of life, they don’t send out a warning so we can prepare. They hit us like a Mack truck. We know this well because of experience. As a result, the “what ifs” of negative possibilities can easily overtake us. 

In verses six and seven, we read, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not given us as prey to their teeth! We have escaped like a bird from the snare of fowlers; the snare is broken, and we have escaped!”  The implication of these two verses is that we will experience situations and circumstances that are not pleasant.  We will face trials and tribulations. However, when God is in the equation of our lives, he will get us through negative experiences with positive outcomes. Fighting life’s “what ifs” require, not only proper reflection but also a proper response. 

Response

In verse six, and in verse eight, we find the proper responses to God’s activity in our lives. First, we must respond with adoration.  

Adoration

We read, in verse six, “Blessed be the Lord.” Another way to translate this phrase is, “Yahweh be worshipped.”  Why? We worship and adore the Lord because he is on our side and he delivers us from the enemies and troubles we face.  

I mentioned already that Psalm 123 and 124 are connected? Psalm 123 is a cry for help. I believe that it is referring to the time of Nehemiah and the people of God rebuilding the wall around Jerusalem.  While building the wall the enemy of God and his people threatened them, discouraged them. All they could see were the negative possibilities.  What did Nehemiah do? He reminded them that God was on their side. 

Notice what Psalm 123:1 says, “To you I lift up my eyes, O you who are enthroned in the heavens!” They turned their eyes from the negative possibilities to the positive outcome of having the Lord on their side.  And we must do the same.  The writer of Hebrews calls us to fix our eyes upon Jesus, the author, and the perfector of our faith.  One of my favorite hymns goes like this: “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face, and the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of his glory and grace.”  We respond with adoration. We also respond with a declaration.  

Declaration

Verse eight, “Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.”  Some consider this psalm to be a thanksgiving psalm. Others, myself included, consider this psalm to be a testimony psalm about God’s activity in the life of his people.  Verse eight is a declaration of God’s activity. It is a testimony. The Lord, who is on our side, the one who delivered us from the enemy, he helped us.  Nothing can come against us that is greater than the Lord who is with us. We have to respond to the “what ifs” of negative possibilities with the declaration of this truth. Finally, we respond with consecration.  

Consecration

If a declaration is our testimony of God’s help, then consecration is our submission to his help. This is the daily activity of offering our lives as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to Jesus.  Our battle with the  “what ifs” of negative possibilities begins with a proper reflection, which should cause the proper responses of adoration, declaration, and consecration. Yet, a proper reflection and a proper response are ineffective if one does not have a proper relationship.  

Relationship

Throughout Psalm 124 the name used for God is Yahweh, the name for God that emphasizes covenant relationship. It is used to describe God and man in a relationship together.  Isreal was in a covenant relationship with the Lord. Therefore, because of this relationship, they could declare that God is on their side, that he was their help. 

In the same manner, for us to win the battles over life’s “what ifs,” we need a personal relationship with the Lord, made possible through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.  When we have trusted Christ and Lord and Savior, we enter a covenant relationship with the Lord.  

What does this relationship with Jesus involve? It signifies that “God is for us, and not against us” (Romans 8:31). The universe can be against us, but God, who more powerful than any opposition we encounter, is on our side.  It means that the Holy Spirit and Jesus Pray for us because God is with us. It shows God will take care of us and for us because, “He who did not spare his own Son, but freely and graciously gave him up for us all, how will he not freely and graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32) It means that we are more than conquers. It determines that nothing, absolutely nothing, will ever separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.  Because of the cross, God is for us, and because of the resurrection, everything will be okay in the end.

At seventeen, I experienced an automobile wreck I should have never survived. When I recall the memories of that night and consider the negative possibilities that could have occurred, I shutter. 

It was a Thursday night. I had a fake identification and an unhealthy passion for partying. Some friends and I went to a bar in Wylie, Texas called the Ranch House. During the night, the bar ran one dollar tequila shots special. I took my last ten-dollar bill and spent it on tequila. You can see where this is going.  

Dumb and inebriated, I got behind the wheel of my Toyota Truck and tried to drive home.  A mile down the road I bent over to change the radio station, but I never came back up.  The truck flipped and hit a telephone pole at the back of the truck.  I walked away from the accident without a scratch.  

I visit that night often in my mind and consider the many “what ifs” that could have happened, but didn’t. What if there was a vehicle coming from the opposite direction? What if the telephone pole broke, and the wires fell on top of my truck? But the most disturbing “what if” is this one: what if I died that night?  This “what if” makes me shutter. Why? If I died that night, I would be in hell for eternity.  I didn’t know Jesus as my Lord and Savior.  In fact, it would take five more years before I gave my life to Christ.  

What if you don’t know Jesus? What if you have never been born again? What if you were to die today? Without Christ, you would spend eternity separated from God.  The negative possibility of going to hell becomes a reality when you die without Christ.  The only positive outcome comes only by trusting Jesus and your Lord and Savior.  What will you do?