Category Archives: Faith

Finding REST in a Frightening, Chaotic World

The Perfect Storm: ISIS Moves On a Weak Church

It’s raining outside, in my little corner of our great big world. The wind is howling. The leaves are everywhere. It’s that time of year. As I sit in my window, I can’t help but notice one tall tree in the corner of our yard that refuses to yield to the wind and the rain. All the other trees are bare now, but this one, this one stands defiant in the face of what is bound to be a losing fight with nature.

Most of the yellow leaves on the giant maple are hanging on for dear life now, trying to delay the inevitable. One day soon, they won’t be able to hang on anymore and they’ll give up, falling to the earth in an endless cycle that will repeat itself again this time next year.

As the rain continues to fall, my eyes are drawn upward to the enormous, rhythmic sway of the tallest trees. It’s unsettling. Many of the big trees on our three acres fell last year as the rain soaked ground loosened their fragile root systems. The forest can be unforgiving. They didn’t have a choice but to fall under relentless downpours. Years of erosion took their toll as the mighty trees buckled and fell, taking smaller trees with them.

Trees with shallow root systems don’t survive very many winters. They can’t. Even big trees, no—especially the big ones—need strong, deep roots. Without them, it’s only a matter of time.

We’re not so unlike those trees. If we’re going to survive the storms of this life, we need strong, deep roots, too. But as I listen to the news and see the barrage of cyber-bullets flying back and forth between people who should know better, I can’t help but sense that the trees in my back yard are not the only things with fragile, shallow root systems in the late autumn of 2015.

The church’s roots are shallow, and the storms around us have unearthed a problem that, if left untreated, threatens to undo us from the inside-out. Years of relentless spiritual downpours have left us weak and vulnerable. Rather than shore up our root systems with the truth of God’s Word, we have given ground away to the erosion of culture, tossing aside ages of time-honored truths that we have stood on as a people for generations. Many of our tallest “trees” have fallen victim to the downpour of secular progressivism that has laid waste to our churches in recent years. Like you, I have watched as many pastors and other Christian leaders have exchanged the truth of the Gospel for a “more convenient” truth.

It is the perfect storm. Weak church… weak nation. We are a nation in spiritual crisis, and our weakness is providing the perfect storm for evil to spread.

“So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. ¹⁶Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. ¹⁷Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.” Ephesians 5:16-17

We must be careful, because as the Apostle Paul warned, the days are evil. ISIS has found a soft target in Christians today. We are a biblically illiterate generation, profoundly weak in our knowledge of the almighty and His Word. We’ve forgotten who God says we are supposed to be: holy, set apart. And so, instead of falling to our knees in anguish over our sin and admitting our need for divine answers, we’re doubling-down on made-up theology that portrays Jesus and His great love for mankind in two extremes: passive and foolish or selfish and uncaring about human suffering.

In the wake of last week’s awful terrorist attacks, instead of turning to God, we’re turning on each other. If ISIS ever had a golden opportunity to strike at the heart of God’s people, now would be that time.

Today, on social media, for all the world to see, God’s people are fighting over which kind of compassion is more “right” … the kind that says “protect the innocent here” or the kind that says “protect the innocent there.” Every Christian with an opinion and a Bible seems set on hurling verses at other Christians. Social media is on fire. Mocking images flood our screens and numb our senses and what are we doing? We are reacting in our flesh. Me included.

We are being driven by anger and fear, and it’s exactly what the enemy wants. Yes. The enemy. Satan. He knows exactly what he’s doing and we better wake up and pay attention. The war we are in is a spiritual one. ISIS is not our enemy. ISIS is a tool of our enemy. Nothing more, nothing less.

Now is not the time to lob Bible verses at each other over a virtual fence! Now is the time to hit the floor on our knees. Collectively. This is war—and every person who claims the name of Jesus is enlisted in it. We need to come to the table together, first in prayer and then with resolve to act how God wants us to act. How will we know what that is if we do not pray for wisdom? Oh, how we need wisdom for these times we are living in. Human wisdom simply will not do. The wisdom we need can come from no place other than from God Himself.

“If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you.” James 1:5

We need every Christian writer, pastor, teacher, parent, journalist and thought leader to come together in solidarity against the evil that is waging war at this moment against us. Our conversations must extend far beyond the fear that drives us.

We must seek the Spirit.

Now is the time to sink our root systems deep into the rich soil of the Word of God. Now is the time for unity—and the kind of unity we need is supernatural. We must not give in to fear and anger. We must beg God for His wisdom. A generation hangs in the balance.

¹⁰A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. ¹²For we^[d] are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

¹³Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. ¹⁴Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. ¹⁵For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.¹⁶In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.¹⁷Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

¹⁸Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

¹⁹And pray for me, too. Ask God to give me the right words so I can boldly explain God’s mysterious plan that the Good News is for Jews and Gentiles alike. ²⁰I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God’s ambassador. So pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for him, as I should.”

Ephesians 6:10-20

Grace for the Broken Places

Pride is a Terrible Houseguest: A Duggar PostScript

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–This post was originally published on November 4, 2013. Not much is new under the sun. Read my postscript at the end regarding the Duggar family.

November 4, 2013
Well, it happened again. Over the last week, another “leader” has fallen in the Christian community. Of course it’s all over the Internet, people trying to reason it away, some in prayerful quiet, others openly criticizing—others praising the public apology.

But I wonder, as I have seen this play out in very personal ways in my own life (and many times in over the nearly 20 years my husband and I have spent in ministry) … I wonder if we’re really addressing the true culprit behind most of the destructive sin we see around us.

It’s not confined to church or ministry leaders. It’s just that they’re the best targets. They’re the easiest to see, after all. Take out a leader, and you’ve got a headline. Another black eye for the gospel. The church, and sadly, the message of Christ, takes another hit.

I figure it this way: Satan’s a lot of things, but he’s not stupid. His aim is sure, his tactics as old as sin itself. You see, Satan knows that when a leader falls, many of his admirers will fall too. Casualties of an ongoing spiritual battle.

Disillusionment. Questions about the goodness of God, about the truth of God’s Word.

“Christian Leader Admits to Affair.” Home run. Another one bites the dust.

There is a sneaky culprit that I have observed quietly ruin men and women and churches and ministries… and families. It’s not what you may be thinking, either. The “culprit” has a name. His name is Pride. I’ve come to see Pride with a face. See if you can see that face, too: It starts out oh-so-quietly … a good message (or, sadly, an ideology) is spoken eloquently and people follow. Pretty soon, the messenger is being worshiped rather than the giver of the Message. The speaker believes the accolades are warranted. After all, it is a pretty good message. “Look how good it’s working for me.” Said leader puts himself (or herself) out there as the example to follow.

Pretty soon, we’re reading books and buying CD’s from a person rather than seeking the Lord for ourselves. This is not only bad news for the follower, it’s bad for the leader. If the messenger basks in the praise of men for more than a moment, the door is opened and the invitation is sent. Shortly, Pride arrives on his heart’s doorstep. Left unguarded, Pride moves in, taking first a small, quiet room in the back of the heart—almost unnoticed—but before long Pride, takes root and displaces other tenants of the heart: Humility, Grace … Gentleness.

These are not the qualities of a “real” leader, after all. A man with a message is more than a man. He’s a “HERO.”

…right?

No. The only real “hero” is Jesus Himself. The only one truly worthy of praise is the One who died alone on a cross, rejected and despised by those He came to save.

God has a lot to say about pride. First and foremost, He hates it. Pride gets us in trouble.

When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. Proverbs 11:2

If you’re looking for someone to model your life after look no further than the Lord Jesus, who described Himself when teaching weary followers about finding true rest:

^“Take My yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart…” Mt. 11:29

Humble. Gentle—like Jesus. Jesus, who had the authority of God Himself was humble. Are we looking for humility in our leaders? These are the qualities we should be looking for in our leaders: gentleness and humility. There is no room for pride in the life of a Believer. There simply is too much at stake, too much to lose.

I recorded this podcast a month ago or so—it was scheduled to air on November 4th and it is about our need to keep short accounts with the Lord.

Last week, I was reminded again how much in need of prayer and humility I am. I want to be as genuine a follower of Christ as I can be because of my love for my Savior, of course, but there is more: Of all the people that might read my blog or hear me speak, the ones that I am accountable to first reside at my house.

Parents, our children are watching. Others are watching. Be real. Be humble. Stay teachable. That means keeping short accounts and asking God’s help to fight against the temptation of pride in my own life.

Pride is a terrible houseguest— but with God’s help and the accountability of others, we can make our hearts a very unpleasant place for him to stay.

Lord, we need You. Help us to humbly walk before you and serve You—for the sake of the gospel alone.

Post Script: August 26, 2015

I feel I could have written this post a week ago. So rather than re-write it, I decided to publish it again.

It’s no secret that the “Duggar disaster” has had a profoundly negative impact on name of Christ in recent days. I have never been a fan of the legalistic brand of Christianity that the Duggars espouse. But like many of you, I was appalled at the treatment of Josh Duggar initially. I believed then, and still believe that the sinful actions of a 14 yr old boy should not dictate public opinion of that boy when he is a 27 year old man.

However. True repentance means turning away from sin. It means we grieve over our sin—and we stop that sin. When we don’t repent, the Bible says we will experience spiritual death. These past two weeks have shown us what that looks like, up close.

“For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.”
2 Corinthians 7:10

Pride comes before a downfall. Pride causes us to hide sin rather than repent from it. Pride says, “You are above your own convictions.” Pride lies to us and makes us believe that our sins will not “surely find us out.” Pride causes us to put ourselves first—to live a double life.

Like many of you, I assumed Josh had truly repented. Clearly, he did not.

Once again, we see that pride has proven to be a terrible houseguest. While we cannot speculate as to the motivation behind the TV show “19 Kids and Counting,” it is a now cautionary tale for the rest of us. For the Duggars, pride will take no prisoners. It it’s wake is a family devastated and humiliated. Like all unwelcome heart-guests, when pride comes to stay, that’s what he leaves behind— a mess.

While I have never believed in the ideology of the Duggar family, I believe we serve the same Lord. There are million lessons to be learned here, but my takeaway is a simple reminder:

Nothing saves us except for Jesus.
Not homeschooling.
Not courtship.
Not wearing skirts over pants.
Not policies or self-policing.

Just Jesus. Apart from Him, we can do nothing.

We should weep when those around us are suffering because of the sin of another person. To those who have rejoiced over this family’s fall from grace, I would remind you that pride takes many forms. To gloat over another man’s downfall is to fall victim to the same sin that brought Josh Duggar down in the first place. Remember, Pride would say, “See? You’d never do that.”

My prayers are with the Duggar family—especially his wife and children. I hope Anna learns to find her identity in Christ, and not in a family name or ideology.

A Quiet Exile—and An American Genocide

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ex·ile

ˈeɡˌzīl,ˈekˌsīl/

noun

The state of being barred from one’s native country, typically for political or punitive reasons.

Have you noticed that Christians have been relegated to the “little kids” table where most issues today are concerned? It’s like it’s Thanksgiving and we’re sitting at card tables in the spare bedroom while the grown-up, more “enlightened” people sit around the big table—casually deciding the future of our nation. Yes, Christians see what is happening, but many are afraid to say who we are and what we believe.

After all, who wants to end up at the little kids table?

The church is struggling with the fear of being exiled. Many pastors avoid “divisive” topics like abortion when they preach. For goodness sake, we definitely don’t want to talk about gay marriage. (That’s so yesterday.) Moving on.

Christians know what’s up. Speak the truth you’ll end up at the little kids table with someone’s leftover meatloaf. No more conversation for you, buddy. Come back to the table when you have something meaningful to contribute.

Take the case of Cecil, the beloved African Lion who was allegedly, “accidentally” illegally hunted and killed a few days ago. It’s trending big-time on social media, to the point where the hunter has had to go into hiding due to death threats. Yes, the lion was beloved and beautiful—but can I just say this out loud? “Cecil was a lion. An animal.” We’re enraged over the death of an animal while millions of our unborn are brutally killed every day in this country.

Cecil is getting a whole lot more attention on the news than the victims of abortion. Listen. I’m no fan of big game hunting like this—but it seems like a distraction from a much bigger issue: the murder of our unborn.

“#JusticeforCecil?” Really?

Where is the public outcry over the atrocious way unborn babies are torn from their mother’s wombs? I’ll admit it. It’s hard to have outcry against something you’ve casually been a part of. We legalized it. We’re part of the problem. Since 1973, abortion has destroyed the lives of more than 57,762,169 unborn children. That’s over fifty-seven million.

But we want justice for the lion.

We live here. We know what’s going on in abortion “clinics” across this nation. So yes. We’re all culpable for allowing such an atrocity to continue all these years. Our silence has allowed a genocide to happen right in our own back yard. I praise God for the brave men and women who made the videos that are exposing what all knew in our hearts was happening at Planned Parenthood.

Don’t look the other way. We’ve got a lot to atone for.

I have worked alongside many pro-life groups over the years, but I’ll be honest: it’s discouraging to feel like there’s no hope of ever seeing the tide turn our way in the fight for life. However today, as I write this from my little corner of the United States, I have a hunch we might be seeing the tide turn in favor of life. If you care about this issue, now is the time to speak. Now is the time to let your voice be heard.

“He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?” declares the LORD.” Jeremiah 22:16

This is part of what it means to know the Lord. I’ve been re-reading Bonhoeffer this summer. What stunning similarities there are between then and now! Hitler’s Third Reich “Church” rose while simultaneously silencing true Christians in Europe! The Reich told Believers that their ways were best for Germany—but deep down, Christians knew otherwise. Bonhoeffer witnessed the slow but steady silencing of church leaders in his time, and finally, the almost complete capitulation of the Church to the Reich. It was exile. Many of God’s people turned away from public discourse in an effort to escape the scrutiny of the SS and avoid being publicly ridiculed or even arrested. Slowly, evil men were able to take full control of Germany as good men kept silent.

What a price was paid for the silence purchased through intimidation and fear. What began as a quiet exile of good men and women ended in a genocide.

I know that some people will be offended at the comparison between then and now—but it is what it is. Read for yourself.

As an author, I have been privileged to speak to tens of thousands of people over the past ten years. In the past year, I’ve noticed a dramatic change in the demeanor of many Christians in the public arena. Many are afraid. Afraid of being hated because of their beliefs. Afraid of being misunderstood. Afraid of being made to look foolish because of their faith. And while it’s understandable to want to stay quiet, our silence is speaking for us. As Bonhoeffer said, “Silence in the face of evil is evil itself. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.”

We may have begun to see Christians exiled, but it should not deter nor surprise us. Jesus said in John 5:15, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.”

As a Christian woman, I am compelled to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. I am compelled by my faith to do what God says is right, no matter what other people will say. The Bible teaches us that the war we are in is an epic battle between good and evil. The temptation is for us to yield the floor to our emotions—but we cannot argue from our emotions alone. Our argument is not emotional. It is spiritual. It’s God’s argument.

This means that our reason for being pro-life is NOT because we “feel bad” about the gruesome practice of harvesting organs from new babies is commonplace for Planned Parenthood (though we certainly should). Yes, we should be outraged by these things, but outrage is not our reason for opposing PP. We oppose abortion for the same reason we oppose all things God calls sin.

We oppose abortion because God opposes it. End of story. God knows the preborn child. “You knit me in my mother’s womb . . . nor was my frame unknown to you when I was made in secret” (Psalm 139:13,15)

It’s time that we stopped using the world’s reasoning and started coming back to Scripture as our first line of defense. Any other kind of reasoning falls short of carrying with it the victory that is ultimately found in Christ alone.

Let’s not make the same mistake that many Christians made when they turned a blind eye to the evil that Hitler was committing against the Jews. We serve the living God. Let’s act like it. No matter the SCOTUS rulings, Planned Parenthood atrocities or “pro-choice” arguments, we must not be silent.

Pray. Ask the Lord how you can get involved and what He would have you do. We do not have to be exiled from the conversations that our culture is engaged in today. God’s Word is as relevant today as it was when it was written.

Your seat at the table was reserved at Calvary. Take your seat and speak on behalf of the One who gave His life for you.

Click here to sign the petition to demand a Congressional investigation into Planned Parenthood and immediate defunding of the abortion provider.

In case you have not yet heard me speak on this issue: check out the podcast. I hope you’ll visit iTunes and help me spread a word of encouragement from the Bible every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Listen on the blog: http://heidistjohn.com/blog//?p=22727

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Can There Be “Pro-Choice” Christians?

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All life is precious to God.

I wrote the following post on September 10, 2012.

Given the disturbing and heartbreaking recent videos which expose Planned Parenthood for the evil that it is committing, I urge you to contact your state representative and ask them to join the movement to defund this murderous organization. In the United States, a half a billion tax dollars go to fund this genocide each year.

We must speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. Sign the petition to remove your tax dollars from supporting Planned Parenthood here.

“Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.”
—Dietrich Bonhoeffer

___

September 2012
This may not be a very popular post, but I feel the need to write about this as I am hearing so many Christians are unwilling to stand for life. It breaks my heart, and I KNOW it breaks God’s heart.

A gal emailed me today about the abortion thread on my wall. The familiar argument of the church being passionate about the unborn but failing to care for the BORN is a poor excuse for murder.

You know, I have heard this argument before and honestly it rings very hollow to me, because for as imperfect as the church is, it does a good job of reaching out to the “already born”. There are gazillions of programs available through the church and other Christian ministries that reach everyone from the homeless to the prostitute to drug addicted … every.single.day. We DO stand up for the already born. Many Christians would take a child that is not their own… I can think of many off the top of my head and I bet you could, too.

Update: Below is the third video released that shows the horror that is happening to unborn Americans.

The only reason we kill our unborn is because we are selfish. We kill the unborn because they cannot speak for themselves. It’s easier to make the baby “go away” in the culture we live in than it is to bring it into the world and give it up for adoption. What’s REALLY sad about that is that this society does not look down on unwed mothers like it used to and we still persist in killing our unborn!

We have the most pro-abortion president in American history right now … one that would allow me to partially give birth to my child before killing it. As a Christian, I cannot stand by in silence when God has made it ABUNDANTLY clear how He feels on the issue of life.

Even in the case of rape/incest, how does KILLING one of the innocent party make anything better? Surely we would not kill a living mother in favor of her unborn child .. and why? Because we can SEE, HEAR, and FEEL the mother. It makes it harder to murder someone once they’re born. Surely we would cry out in defense of an innocent being murdered on the streets in front of our eyes! How “sterile” we have made the whole process of abortion, right down to washing our hands of the whole messy discussion. Christians! Stand for righteousness! Do not be afraid!

I’m reading Deitrich Bonhoeffer right now — the evil that he witnessed is not much unlike the evil we are allowing right now in this nation. We will be judged for turning a blind eye to the murder of innocent. Like Noah, I want to be found righteous in God’s eyes. No matter what the culture says, we know the truth. We will be held accountable.

Speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. Defund Planned Parenthood. Every life matters.

Having a Creator Changes Everything

Heidi St. John

Speaking the Truth in Love