No Evil Thing

I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes. Psalm 103: 31 

 David's vow not to look at anything unholy seems almost impossible at times. There is so much that is unholy in our world. Everything in the news is about someone's transgression. Have you ever noticed that rarely (if ever) is anything positive reported in the news? It almost seems that people are  interested only in what someone has done wrong. One can not drive down the interstate or walk down the street without seeing advertisements for ungodly businesses and scantily clad persons. And this is not even discussing the evils of television! It seems no subject is so taboo that it is not blatantly portrayed on the big screen. Nor is it confined to television. With the internet on every phone and handheld device we own, there is evil at the touch of a button almost anywhere we are. We are truly surrounded by evil on every side and, if we let ourselves be, we can feel overwhelmed by it. The writer of Ecclesiastes knew this feeling when he wrote, "Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins" (Ecclesiastes 7:20). In writing this he allowed himself to be overwhelmed by his surroundings. 

 The Christian we must remind himself that this isn't true. Our world may be evil, but it has always been so. The same writer of Ecclesiastes said, "There is no new thing under the sun." In every generation God's people have had some evil to contend with. Yet we can say with the Apostle John, "Greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world" (I John 4:4).  WWII holocaust survivor Corrie ten Boom made this statement about her time in a Nazi prison camp: "The great ploy of the enemy is to display such blatant evil around me that I think my sins do not matter." The modern day Christian must not fall to this ploy of the devil. Just because our world is filled with evil does not give us the excuse to allow things into our lives that we know are wrong. We must all make a fresh commitment (in the words of King David) to "set no evil thing before our eyes." The spirit of religiosity that is in our world says that we can participate in almost anything the world does and still be used of God. We must guard against this at any cost. Just because something feels good doesn't mean it is good. We must judge everything by the word of God. 

Another ploy the enemy uses is to try to make us feel small and insignificant. He tells us that no one wants to hear that what they are doing is wrong. He tries to make us feel old fashioned for having ideas of Holiness and separation from the world. We are tempted to keep quiet in conversations where our voice would be the lone one that stands for Biblical values. We must not give in to this. If there was ever a time that our world needed the people of God to be bold it is now. To be bold does not mean to be unkind. We can speak the truth in love. Not speaking up when we know someone is voicing an opinion that is not Biblical is not being kind. It is allowing the person to be deceived. Our world needs a conscience and we as the church must be that conscience. 

We are salt and light to our world and a city that is set on a hill can not be hid. It is time for us to be the city on the hill. Surely, there is darkness around us but the light of God's word shines brightest in the darkest of the night. With so much wickedness in our world, it's time for the church to shine. I challenge you, fellow Christian. Shine as brightly as you can. Your world depends upon it. 


In Christ's Love,

Sullivan Jones 

Anointed Prayer

Often earnestness can be mistaken for anointing. Someone who is anointed will feel earnest toward prayer. But just because we feel eager to pray, doesn't mean our prayers will be anointed. Men can pray long prayers, using beautiful language, but if the Spirit of God doesn't touch their hearts and lips, the words are empty. Jesus rebuked the pharisees for doing this. We understand this in preaching. A man can stand behind a pulpit and proclaim the gospel without any anointing on his life. The words he speaks may be true but it somehow sounds empty. Why? Because his life doesn't testify that he lives what he is preaching. It is the same with our prayers. The disciples recognized this when they asked, "Lord, teach us to pray" (Matthew 6:9). No doubt they saw that Jesus prayers were answered much more quickly than their own. This was because he always prayed according to the will of his father.  The very first thing he taught his disciples to pray was : "Our father ..... thy kingdom come, THY WILL BE DONE." We can pray long prayers with beautiful words; they may even be sincere. But the prayers that really touch God are prayers that are anointed with His Spirit according to his will and word.

Prayer: Lord, when I come to you in prayer, anoint my mind, heart, spirit, and lips that I might ask of you petitions that be according to your will. Let me pray with the anointing that will destroy the bondage of sin and sickness in people's lives. In Jesus name, Amen.

Prayerfully Yours,

Sullivan Jones 

Mustard Seed Faith

Matthew 17:20 - "If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed ..."

Jesus told us that faith is like a grain of mustard seed. We plant it and it grows. It is indeed a very small seed and is not worth much on its own. But like the parable Jesus told, some varieties of mustard plant can grow to be 8 ft tall. While not a tall tree (compared to a desert palm) it is much higher than most garden plants. Indeed, birds could indeed find a place to perch in a mustard bush, especially the black mustard. Once the tree has grown, the seeds are used to make the table condiment we know as mustard. The seeds are pressed to make mustard oil and the leaves of the smaller variety are grown to be eaten as mustard greens. The parable was so accurate because most every Israeli at the time of Christ would have been familiar with a "mustard tree" as we are familiar in the south with mustard greens. 

Jesus audience understood him to be talking about the growth of faith and not necessarily the size. The difference between the seed and the bush of the mustard plant is amazing. When God speaks to us to attempt something for him we do not know how it will turn out. If we were to look at the seed (where we are now) and compare it to the tree (the finished product) we could become discouraged. Therefore, Jesus gave us this parable to remind us how good God is at doing the impossible. If you and I were to be handed some seeds, shown some photos of plants, and then asked which seed grew into which plant we would probably guess incorrectly. The natural tendency would be to match the smallest seed with the smallest plant. Yet the smallest garden seed the Jews knew, probably the black mustard, grew into the largest plant in their gardens and fields. 

So it is with our lives. Often the smallest beginnings turn into the most successful ministries, careers, etc. The people who have the most success didn't necessarily start out trying to be something "big". They just took one day at a time and trusted the process. Likewise, you and I must take one day at a time with our Christian walk and trust God's process. Jesus followers were not asked to understand how a mustard seed changes into a mustard plant. That is for God alone to understand.  Their only obligation was to put the seed in the ground and let God do his work. Likewise, we are not to try to figure out where we will end up. We are simply to obey as God speaks and let him lead. His plans are so much better than ours and he can cause the most humble beginnings in our lives to have the greatest long term effects. 

Are you facing questions about your future? If you are young you might be wondering which college to attend or career to pursue? If you are older you might be wondering if you have enough money for retirement. Wherever you are in life, remember this. God knows how to turn mustard seeds into mustard trees and he can do the same "impossible" thing in your life. Jesus compared the mustard seed/mustard bush growth both to personal faith and the Kingdom of God as a whole. Just as the teachings of Christianity grew from the voice of one man to encompass the entire Christian church so can God do the same in your life. Don't worry too much about what you see now. Plant the seed by doing your part and watch God do his. You will not be disappointed. 

Trusting Him Daily,

Sullivan Jones