Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

• John 10:10

These people are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of the flesh, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for “people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.”

• 2 Peter 2:17-19

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

• 2 Peter 3:9

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

• Galatians 6:7-8

“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but not everything is constructive.

• 1 Corinthians 10:23

The heart is deceitful above all things
    and beyond cure.
    Who can understand it?

• Jeremiah 17:9

May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
    be pleasing in your sight,
    Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

• Psalm 19:14

In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

• 1 Peter 1:6-7

“She’d been whispering to herself over and over, ‘I just need to be true to myself. To follow my heart. If it feels good, it must be good. I deserve something for me for once. After all, God wants me to be happy.’ But Jeremiah 17:9 clearly says our hearts can’t be trusted: ‘The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Every single thing our emotions tell us must be held up to the Truth of God’s Word. Otherwise, we will be susceptible to the way our enemy twists our thoughts and feelings and uses them to deceive us.
“What my friend failed to realize was that she was being true to her most unhealthy self. If we are going to be true to ourselves, we’d better make sure we are being true to our most surrendered, healed, and healthy selves the ones God made us to be. A great verse to help us determine this is Psalm 19:14.
“Yes, the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart must be pleasing to the Lord. And this can only happen when I align my words, thoughts, and desires with Scripture.”

• Lysa TerKeurst, It’s Not Supposed to be this Way

Lysa TerKeurst speaks of a friend who tried to convince herself that because it felt good, it must be the right thing.  I grew up with the phrase “If it feels good, do it.”  Let me clarify.  People said it all the time, but I was leery.  A New York Times article said that with the explosion of sexually transmitted diseases, the next generation modified that to mean “If it feels good, then it must be bad, immoral, and dangerous to your health.”  That was kind of how I saw the situation.  If it feels good at the moment, it might not feel good tomorrow.  And there might be long-lasting aftereffects.

Sorry, I guess I was a safety person before someone paid me to be a safety person.

Lysa Terkeurst hits the nail on the head.  The proof in this feel-good business is found in Holy Scripture.  The prosperity gospel peddlers make it sound good, but their ideas do not stand well when compared to Scripture.  I want to rely on God each day.  If I had millions in a bank account, I might become numbed to the setbacks of life due to having the money to throw at the problem, when the problem is really a spiritual one.

My wife’s birthday was earlier this month and I received long phone calls from church members and family members.  This was the first birthday of hers after she had passed, and everyone said it would be rough, but I think the family members that called were having a worse time than I was.

To get back to the theme of this book, the biggest problem with thinking that it is not supposed to be this way is that we are comparing to our idyllic life we would love to have.  The Bible is full of stories where that does not happen.  But in each case, God is there with us, within us, and through us to glorify Him.

But here the author focuses on the source of the struggles in our life.  God allows Satan to test us, but God gives Satan limitations as you see in the first two chapters of Job.  Satan needs permission, but Satan can only go so far.

And our problem is our dream of an idyllic life deceives us into the thought that we could receive that life, but beyond that, we deserve that life.  But I see nowhere that we “deserve” the life, simply because we dreamed the idea.  While we treat others around us with the concept of “what have you done for me lately,” we turn to God with the same attitude, ignoring that He knows the number of the hairs on our head, makes sure each cell in our body is reproducing properly, paving the way so that we have what we need when we need it, and by the way, it might not be “lately” but Jesus dying on the cross and then rising from the dead nearly 2000 years ago…  That has a perpetual marker of the only thing necessary, regardless of when it happened.

When we play the woe is me card, we are forgetting everything God has already done.  So, what we do and how we think should glorify God and be backed by Scripture.  Otherwise, our feelings and Satan will deceive us into wrong actions and wrong thinking.

Lord, guide me. You have power in this world.  When we keep our eyes on You, there is nothing that can overcome us.  Your power and Your love are sufficient.  And when we suffer, You see us through it.  And with that, others can see You in our thankfulness and praise even in hard times.  In Your name I pray.  Amen.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.