Archive for the ‘Something to think about’ Category

We don’t Wrestle against Flesh and Blood

Posted: October 20, 2025 in Something to think about
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
0

My nephew wrestled in high school and I remember him telling me how unique wrestling is from a team sport because it’s not like football or basketball… It is just sheer strength against sheer strength, cunning against cunning and may the best man win.

Wrestling is a sport where you are literally grappling with your opponent and using every ounce of strength you have to try and overcome someone who’s trying to do the same to you. Experience matters, like it does in life, but at the same time pure strength can be hard to overcome.

Why in the world am I talking about wrestling today? There is a verse in Ephesians that communicates to you and to me about a battle that we Christians find ourselves in. And this battle is unique because we can’t see our opponent. But I felt it very necessary to communicate something that you may or may not have thought of before.

I think it is pretty obvious and and frankly safer to fight a battle from a long way away. In the US military, snipers can fire at targets over a mile away and be successful. In most successful battles going back to the Civil War, soldiers would set up cannons and fire at the opponent so they could soften the front lines in order that their infantry could advance. After all of that preparation, it was the infantry who gained the physical ground and ultimately again, battled their opponent, man-to-man.

So today guys, I wanted to introduce you to the warfare that our enemy is executing on us… You and me. Depending upon which translation you read, Ephesians 6:12 tells us that “we are not wrestling against flesh and blood, but rather against the rulers, the authorities, and against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms”

What does that really mean? That means the enemy is not a mile away, he’s not next-door… He is right next to you, whispering in your ear. Telling you things that are not true in order so he can bump you off your path and get you going in a different direction… 

We are literally wrestling with the enemy as Paul says. We are not dancing. We are wrestling. It’s important that you recognize how close your enemy actually is or, how close he is to your family. It’s easy to go about our day and never really think about that battle going on. But I assure you, it is, and there is active strategy being put forth and executed to destroy you and everything you love. You, must think about it and be ready for each day.

Now that we know what we are up against, how do we fight?

This will probably surprise you but when your adversary is the devil, you don’t stand and fight, you resist. I say this again, if you try and fight, you will lose. Even Jesus, after spending 40 days in the wilderness, Satan came and met with Him with the sole reason to tempt Him (Matthew 4:1-11). You will notice that Jesus did not fight but rather He resisted and that is exactly what we are called to do, resist. Take a look at these 2 verses:

  • Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7
  • Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings. 1 Peter 5:9

Guys, if you only recognized the power you have right now that already exists within you as a believer, it would really change your mind about wrestling not against flesh and blood. Yes, you are a target, but not defenseless. The power within you comes from God’s Holy Spirit which is pure strength from Him to use when you are in a wrestling match. If you feel an evil presence of unseen forces, then call on His name. He will not abandon you. Most importantly remember the words of the Apostle John below which is always a gut check reminder for me-

Greater is He that is in you, than he who is in the world.  1 John 4:4

Until next time Guys-

God is Serious about Salvation…Are you?

Posted: October 7, 2025 in Something to think about
Tags: , , , , , , , ,
0

I wrote a blog a few months back titled, By Not making a Choice, You have made a Choice, and I wanted to expand on that further after reading some very direct, and to-the-point scripture. You see, as I have learned by reading His word, God has a serious edge to Him. What I mean is, there is a STRONG reason why Fearing Him is a real thing and that point very rarely gets mentioned…Unless you read His word like below:

God ALWAYS speaks directly and He means what He says

I can’t communicate this any clearer than that. Secondly:

If you dont fear God, please rethink that. (I will unpack the Fear of God in an upcoming blog)

But please…read this verse below:

Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.

How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace? 

For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”and again, “The Lord will judge his people.”

It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.  Hebrews 10:28-31

What in the world does this mean to you and me? It means that God takes His gift of salvation to all of humanity extremely seriously. He sacrificed His only Son, Jesus, so He could provide a free gift to everyone who would accept Him. However, if you make the conscious choice to reject His gift, the writer of Hebrews asks, How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot…? 

Here is a really important point to understand about this. You, me, everyone…is accountable, whether you believe in Him or not. And I wrote that blog about not making a choice…is actually making a choice, specifically so that you can’t or won’t plead ignorance when the time comes.

No excuses are accepted.

Remember the story about the wide gate and the narrow gate that Jesus talks about in Matthew? 

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it”. Matthew 7:13-14

Jesus tells us that many will enter the wide gate and few will enter the narrow one. And then, when judgment day comes and we try and remind Jesus that even though we actually entered the wide gate…because we chose NOT to make a decision for Him…His answer will be simple, “I never knew you”. No conversation. Just judgment.

THIS IS REALLY TOUGH TALK

I completely understand that but this blog serves zero purpose to you or anyone if I pull punches and not clarify what God really is asking of you. Remember that you, me, everyone are accountable for our own actions on this earth. My question is, did you make your choice and then follow through by living out that choice in front of God?

Every single person who has ever lived on Earth will face the same judgment, all having been made accountable for either accepting or rejecting the gift of salvation.

Guys, I cannot end this blog without pointing out the last couple of verses I shared earlier from Hebrews. God is absolutely serious when He tells us…

“It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”and again, “The Lord will judge his people.”

No one can live in denial after reading these verses. Yes, God is a faithful and loving God…but He is also a God of vengeance and judgment…and if you reject Him then all I can say is…

It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

Until next time Guys-

Is your Salvation Conditional?

Posted: September 1, 2025 in Something to think about
Tags: , , , , , , , ,
1

This question has been troubling me for a while because it is a tough topic. I think the reason I find it so difficult is because of the people in my own family who at one point, were a “stand up and be counted”, Christians… But now, if you looked at their lives, you would clearly see that isn’t the case.

So how does God see the relationship while they are disconnected from Him? Will He give them a grace pass while they deviate from their Christian walk? How much rope does God give them? How much slack does He give any of us if we drift?

Before I really understood, I thought that once you were saved, that was it…you had salvation for the rest of your days. But that was before I knew I had a role in the relationship. I had to participate by living a different life than I did before. I could not just say I believe and then continue to live as I did before otherwise, it wasn’t really a salvation experience. 

But if we are all honest about life, then we also know that no one is always 100% on fire, all the time. We all have an ebb and flow effect in our daily walks. And we also have some days we are not proud of. Days we completely messed up. How does God handle those days with us?

That said, I decided to go back into God‘s word and really seek some answers to these questions… Is yours and my salvation conditional? Can we get lost on our way and therefore lose our path to heaven? The smart answer is, I am going to let God‘s word speak for itself because, as I have found in research, the Bible has much to say about this topic.

So let’s get started by reviewing these verses in Hebrews below:

How shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? Hebrews 2:3a

    But Christ is faithful as the Son over God’s house. And we are his house, if indeed we hold firmly to our confidence and the hope in which we glory. Hebrews 3:6

    We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction firmly to the very end. Hebrews 3:14

    If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Hebrews 10:26-27

    All of these verses have something important in common besides the content about our salvation, they all use “if” statements.

    For you and me in our everyday lives, an “If” statement is a conditional rule that dictates a specific action or outcome based on a specific condition being met. Essentially, it is an “if, then” statement, which says that “if [condition] is true, then [action/conclusion] happens”

    Simply put, “If” we hold up our end of the relationship part of the bargain, then God will hold up his end of salvation for us. BUT…you and I have to participate in the daily walk of being connected to God. It can’t be just a Sunday thing, or a Thursday night thing…it is an everyday, every hour of every day thing.

    So how can you and I avoid these pitfalls?

    First, let me remind you that you and I are responsible for our own relationship with God. NO ONE can do this for you. AND… each of us will be held accountable for our relationship with God on judgment day. And if that shakes you up… It is meant to. 

    Second, we have to be consistent. Consistency can be the hardest thing about our Christian walk. Staying focused on what is important each and every day can be very difficult. What God has asked us to do is not hard, however, it requires some effort from you. Guys, figure out how to include God by just spending a few minutes each day with Him to keep your foundation firm. 

    Finally, you must be aware. I say this about 2 areas  – First,  you must be aware that you are a target for the enemy. That is why staying in the word consistently, and focused on God throughout your day is important. The farther you drift the more difficult it is to come back. 

    Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8

    Second, don’t live your life as if you are walking on a high wire. You cannot juggle your Christian walk with the world’s version of you. There are too many examples of men who tried, failed, and lost everything. Staying aware in each situation you find yourself is critical for your salvation success. Don’t lie to yourself and say, “I can do this just one time”…that will not work.

    So, after reading this post today, which I know is HARD truth, have you come to the same conclusions as I have, that our salvation is conditional? If you and I drift from our Lord and no longer listen to the still small voice of his Holy Spirit and decide to do our own thing, then we will find out we cannot enter into his rest. Or, in other words, into heaven.

    See to it, brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. Hebrews 3:12

    I do not want that for anyone.

    I know that all of us want Heaven to be our final destination, but, as you have read today, for all of us, there is a conditional requirement; We are required to live a Godly life.  If you have ever read any of my posts here on Iron-Man-strength.com blog … You will see how exactly to live a Godly life. 

    We do not get grace passes, indefinitely. 

    Does living a Godly life change your approach? Absolutely…100%, but I’m here to tell you living a godly life makes your life better… Not worse. I encourage you to take the next step.

    But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today”, so that none of you may be hardened by sins deceitfulness. Hebrews 3:13

    Until next time guys…

    Does Jesus know you?

    Posted: July 22, 2025 in Something to think about
    Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,
    0

    One of the very last messages preached by John MacArthur before he passed was titled “Why most Christians will miss the Rapture”. Now if that doesn’t grab your attention, I am not sure what will. We have never spoken about the Rapture on this blog before and today, I am proceeding as if you know what this is…but to summarize, The Rapture is when God will evacuate Christian’s before the beginning of the Tribulation. You can imagine there is a whole lot more to this topic but not today.

    Now…I will tell you there is a great deal of debate about the sequence of events for what I am telling you. But, I am not an expert and I don’t pretend to be one… but I can tell you, as a Christian, you don’t want to miss the Rapture.

    That said, here is the critical point you need to understand that as a Christian, you cannot love both Jesus and the world. You cannot have your feet on both sides of the fence simultaneously. God is very clear in the Bible that he is a jealous God and someone trying to live in both worlds will fail. Read this verse below:

    They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.  1 John 2:19

    The second point to understand is that this world is NOT neutral and if you think it is, you are very mistaken. I can take this statement a step further and say that if the world feels like home to you then maybe Heaven won’t. This world has no intention of helping you be a better Christian. Read this verse:

    You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.  James 4:4

    Simply put, rebellion against God are people with hearts that are married to the world. MacArthur said it this way, “Christians who have hearts that are captured by the temporary and not longing for the eternal”. 

    The third major point for you to recognize is God is coming back for a people who have separated themselves from this world.  What does that mean for you and me? As the scripture says below, making every effort to be holy. You can never be perfect, but you can live your life trying. Read this verse:

    Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. Hebrews 12:14

    MacArthur says, “Holiness is a requirement and not optional”.

    Finally, and really one of the most important points I can make today is that without repentance, there is no salvation. I understand that is a tough, hard statement to hear but that is the truth. That is a significant part of the point above about working to be holy. Read this below:

    In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.  Acts 17:30 

    It is important to recognize that God is not fooled by appearances. You can’t fake God into thinking you are someone different than you really are. God knows your heart so we are back to the statement I made before, that you can’t keep sinning and keep Christ too. That is not a suggestion.

    I will close with this statement from John MacArthur when he said, “Christ finds lukewarm christians nauseating”. If you are not pursuing God, you are running from Him. Plain and Simple. You may make an excuse, but that is a fact.

    Guys I firmly believe you can do this. It will take your attention away from other stuff in your life but frankly, that is the point. Read this verse below:

    For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age

    Titus 2:11-12

    I know this was a heavier topic but I can’t stress enough its importance and I have to ask this question one more time. 

    Does Jesus know you?

    Until next time guys-

    Pharoahs Hard Heart

    Posted: July 6, 2025 in Knowledge
    Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
    0

    Do you remember the famous biblical story in Exodus where the children of Israel, having been enslaved  in Egypt for over 400 years, then left in search of the promised land? Moses, one of the most famous figures in biblical history, was raised up by God to lead them out of not only Egypt, but into the desert where they instead experienced 40 years of their bad choices. But, I don’t want to get ahead of myself. Before they could leave Egypt they had to get through Pharaoh…and he had his mind made up.

    What we learn as Moses and God discussed how this exodus would happen is that God specifically told them that He would harden Pharaohs heart…to start. What in the heck? Why would He do that? If God really wanted Pharaoh to release His people, then why would He harden his heart and make that process more difficult to happen? Read this below:

    Then the Lord said to Moses, See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your Prophet. You are to say everything I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his country. But I will harden pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt, he will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt with mighty acts of judgment, I will bring out my divisions, my people the Israelites. And the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it. Exodus 7:1-5

    As previously mentioned, why did God harden Pharaoh’s heart when it made more sense for it to be flexible, or at least easier for Moses to negotiate with him. This fact has always perplexed me. But as I looked further into it, I have come to realize that, as the Bible states clearly, when you or I make it clear over the course of our lives that we do not intend to serve God or repent, God will give us up to our own sinful desires. In other words, if we make the choice to choose the sin of unbelief, then He will let us/you ultimately have your way.

    So let’s take that information and apply it to Pharaoh here… 

    God hardened Pharaoh’s heart as a punishment because his heart was already hard and opposed to God. In adding to the hardness of Pharaohs heart, God was also acting on a divine principle that applies to all the unrepentant. 

    As I said before, when a person persists in rebellion against God and His word, God will ordain that (he or she) heart be hardened (yours or mine). 

    Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden. Romans 9:18 – NIV

    Simply put, this is God giving people up to their sinful desires and sending a delusion on those who refuse to love the truth of His word. As an example, you will notice that the judgments of the early plagues (in the Exodus story), softened Pharaohs heart just a little, however, when God removed each plague, his heart was hardened again. 

    In other words, Pharaoh hardened his own heart whenever God showed mercy.

    Like I said, Pharoahs mind was made up.

    Guys, this is an incredible story but an even better lesson for all of us. 

    The bottom line for you and me; God intends to show mercy to those who repent and believe In Jesus as their Lord and Savior while at the same time, hardening the hearts of those who refuse to repent and choose to continue in their sin and thereby rejecting the salvation in Christ. 

    I know, that is a lot to unpack but you can do it. For you and me, we need to make good choices, stay focused on Gods word, and most of all,  remember to repent.

    Until next time Guys-

    By NOT making a choice, you have made a choice.

    Posted: April 19, 2025 in Something to think about
    Tags: , , , , , , ,
    0

    You are either for us or against us. Have you ever heard that expression? You are either all in or all out and there is absolutely no gray area to work with. I completely understand this mentality, especially if we are speaking about a professional sports team or a military mission. You cannot have anyone sitting on the fence with indecision. And that is exactly where we as Christians find ourselves with our Lord. 

    There is no gray area with God. We either decide to submit to Him or we don’t..

    Then the next obvious step is that those who do NOT submit themselves to Christ remain under the influence of the enemy. I am going to try and unpack that statement a little bit.

    The apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians, “the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”  2 Cor. 4:4

    As I’ve said many times before in this blog, Satan, or the god of this age, currently holds a great deal of power which was given to him by our God. We also know that Satan’s rule or his earthly kingdom is temporary and is conditional. Satan is allowed to operate only due to God‘s permissive will until the end of history. (Yes, God has a Permissive Will…which is whole other blog)

    For you and me, that means a choice must be made. We can either submit to the Lord Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for everyone so that we might have salvation and eternal life… Or… We can submit to the god of this age; Who only has empty promises.

    I need to say this again because it is critical to grasp: Those who do not submit themselves to Jesus remain under the power of Satan. And as Paul says, he blinds their eyes to the truth to the glory of the gospel in order that they might not be saved. Satan is running defense to every single play in God’s offense. 

    Satan intentionally puts up obstructions to keep you from moving in the direction of Christ.

    The only solution to this guaranteed fatal situation is what a Pastor would tell you. One must tie-up the enemy’s activity through intercession or group prayer and then to preach the gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit. This is so people can hear and understand, and then choose for themselves whether to believe or not to believe. 

    I know this is a lot to take in. I also know there are a whole lot of other things you would rather be thinking about right now than my words but at the same time, EVERYTHING about you is at stake. As I’ve told you before; there are no do overs or Mulligan’s in life. You and I must choose who we are going to believe. If we wait too long, then the enemy’s  influence can be overwhelming. Think of it this way;

    By NOT making a conscious choice, you have made a choice.

    Guys, I encourage you today to take this verse I shared into your heart. I challenge you to make decisions for you and your family. Dont’ just surrender because you are too busy. Dont take the easy path.

    Until next time guys 

    Are you a Genuine Fake?

    Posted: February 8, 2025 in Something to think about
    Tags: , , , , , , , ,
    0

    Here is some truth for you today-

    In this new world of Artificial Intelligence that surrounds us, sometimes it is difficult to discern what is real and what isn’t. But if you remember, before AI we were (and still are) surrounded by “knock-offs” which are also artificial and trying to be the real thing.

    I was reading a story recently where the author referred to a trip he and his wife to overseas and while they were shopping one day in a market, he saw a sign that read, “Genuine Fake”. This store was selling genuine “knockoff” jewelry and Rolex watches for just a fraction of the real cost. These items looked like the real deal from a distance but if you got closer, you could see it was just a cheap imitation.

    I could not help but remember the parable that Jesus told in Matthew 13 about the farmer who went out to plant seeds in his garden. We learn that some of the seeds fell on different types of ground like hard soil, shallow soil, weedy soil, and of course, good soil. In the parable, the seeds represent you and me and the soil represents our walk with God.

    You may already see where I am going with this post so let me be clear. Some of you truly seek God in everything you do each day. Jeremiah 29:13 tells us, If you seek me you will find me IF…. you seek me with all of your heart. You are the guys that believe that verse and apply it daily to your lives. In my last post, “Salvation isn’t Easy” I talked about this, because it isn’t. You, me, we have to work at it every day of our lives because we are surrounded by the enemy who wants to see us fail.

    As you can understand, however, this post is not for you. Today, I am speaking to the seeds that did not fall into the good soil but rather fell somewhere else. You may be the professing Christian who attends a church service each Sunday,  but during the week you become a very different person. In fact, if someone saw you outside of the church, it might even be said you would not look like the person you profess to be. I heard this comment phrased another way:

    If you were arrested and put into jail for being a follower of Christ, would there be enough evidence to convict you?

    What I am speaking about is the depth of your conversion to Christianity. If you have no sense of humility or repentance then you are a genuine fake…and won’t inherit the Kingdom of God.

    Let me quote my favorite author, John MacArthur, on this very topic:

    The person received the seed of the gospel, but not into clean soil. The gospel germinated, but was choked out before it could come to fruition. The person with the weedy heart was never saved in the first place. We hearts may be willing to accept Jesus as savior, but not if it means letting go of the world. That is not salvation. Jesus said, “You cannot serve both God and man“ Matthew 6:24. And the apostle John wrote, “If any man loves the world, the love of the father is not in him” 1 John 2:15.

    Guys, if it sounds like I have a sense of urgency for you, it is because I do. This is NOT a subject I take lightly which is why I urge you to consider your personal commitment to God. 

    Remember, the world is temporary and not the destiny of a genuine Christian.

    So don’t be a genuine fake

    Until next time guys

    MacArthur, John. The Gospel According to Jesus. Michigan: Zondervan, 2008

    Are you making Plans?

    Posted: December 21, 2024 in Something to think about
    Tags: , , , , , , ,
    0

    Guys, first of all, Merry Christmans and Happy New Year to you and your families. I wish you nothing but the best in 2025.

    If you can, please take just a few minutes and read this story in the book of Acts. This is about the beginning of Christianity and how once Christ had ascended into heaven, the Apostles were treated very nasty by the Pharisees. 

    Acts 5: 17-41

    In the story, the Apostles angered the high priest because they kept preaching in the name of Jesus and this man was looking for a way to kill them. During this angry meeting of the Pharisees, another Pharisee leader stood up whose name was Gamaliel (the same man who the Apostle Paul studied under), and gave the council some very wise words which are summarized in the verses below:

    …So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God! Acts 5:38-39

    As Christian men, we encounter obstacles everyday. Unplanned problems rise up in front of us and seemingly work to destroy carefully made plans every time I turn around. Does this ever happen to you? The plans you spent all your time on get squashed in front of your eyes? 

    What I found was a huge encouragement when I read these verses above is what I want to share with you today…the very simple realization of: 

    If your plans are just YOUR PLANS, they will fail…

    But if they are of God, NOTHING can stand in your way.

    Guys, let that resonate for a moment here. How many times have you made great plans for a project or a vacation or for that matter, your entire life? You may be busy organizing your finances or changing directions because of information YOU have that matters or refinancing or getting a line of credit or whatever…I can go on and on.

    You are probably planning right now.

    Guys, Please hear my words today…planning is NOT a bad thing…in fact, it is a very good thing to plan and look forward to the future…what I am suggesting to you today is to make your plans WITH GOD INVOLVED. Look to Him for the guidance in those plans, because as was said above in Acts, if your plans are with God, He will be your guide and get you there in once piece.

    Now there is one caveat to this conversation which is your understanding that God has plans for you too and if you get Him involved, He will want to guide you towards His higher plan for your life which trust me, is the direction you want to go…

    My plans and God’s plans don’t always align. But, when I’m in the midst of God’s plan for my life, I always emerge stronger and in a better situation than before.

    So consider what I am telling you today because God is very clear when He tells us this from Jeremiah 29:11:

    For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

    Remember the image above says, “We plan, God Laughs” so as you make your PLANS for this coming New Year, remember these words above. God has plans for you and for me…

    Until next time guys…

    Why Solomon is the Original Superman

    Posted: September 29, 2024 in Knowledge
    Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
    0

    Most of us have read the Bible story of King Solomon whom God chose over David’s other sons to be the King of Israel. What separates Solomon from any other King, or anyone else for that matter, is the fact that when God came to Solomon before he became King and said “Ask for whatever you want Me to give you”…1 Kings 3:5…and Solomon responded very differently than most anyone would have.

    In my mind, this would be the “genie in the bottle” moment multiplied by a million because this was the Creator of the universe asking a human man this question. What separated Solomon from everyone, however, was his response. Instead of requesting long life or riches, he said, “So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” 1 Kings 3:9

    The rest of the segment of this story happened as you might imagine. God was extremely pleased with Solomon’s request and blessed him with what he didn’t ask for…long life and wealth beyond anyone’s imagination. But that is NOT what I wanted to focus on in today’s post. 

    When God blessed Solomon, He also told him something I want you to consider because God has never said this before about any man. He said, “I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart so that there will never be anyone like you, nor will there ever be”. 1 Kings 3:12

    God told Solomon there would never be anyone like him…ever in human history. To me…That makes Solomon – Superman. Now, understand me here. I am not saying Solomon had super-human strength and could fly around his palace. I am saying that there was never a question asked he could not answer. Taking it a step further, I think it is fair to say that Solomon was the smartest human being ever who lived.

    Which leads me to my final point. Solomon is the only example we are given of a human being with that intellect ever existing. Moreover, a person who possessed the human knowledge that would give him the capability to have or do anything he wanted to do. It is one thing to be an heir and have wealth given to you; it is an entirely different thing to have wealth, knowledge, and wisdom yourself. 

    Think about this: Solomon was ALWAYS the smartest person in the room.

    So if you are Solomon, and possess everything I mentioned above, what do you do with all of that information, knowledge, power, and wealth? Let me put it another way, Solomon possessed everything this world has to offer us. Or…EVERYTHING that Satan can offer us here on earth.

    To the question I asked above, Solomon gives us his answer at the end of his life and I think his response will surprise you. That is why this post is so important for us to understand. 

    Solomon wrote and contributed to several books in the Bible but the one I want to call your attention to is Ecclesiastes, which translated, means preaching. In this book, Solomon explains in great detail what he did with his life which can be summed up in just two words, self-indulgence. Or maybe we can call it, The pursuit of happiness? 

    Guys, he tells us in his own words when he says, “I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure.” Eccl. 2:10. 

    So here you have a man who was absolutely brilliant, God-gifted, and who indulged in whatever he wanted. On the surface, that sounds pretty good, right? ANYTHING you want…anything you set your gaze upon, you can have it for yourself and experience it however you want…However, from Solomon’s own words, let’s see how things turned out

    For a person may labor with wisdom, knowledge, and skill, and then they must leave all they own to another who has not toiled for it. This too is meaningless and a great misfortune.

    What do people get for all the toil and anxious striving with which they labor under the sun?

    All their days their work is grief and pain; even at night their minds do not rest. This too is meaningless.

    Eccl. 2:21-23

    So this is painful to read. The smartest man who ever lived at the end of his life looking back and realizing nothing he did mattered. So I have to ask, what went wrong? If you have every possible “thing” this world can offer you how can you not be happy? Isn’t that what we see advertised everywhere?

    Guys…here is my point. God already gave us the answers to the “Test of Life” by including this incredible story about Solomon in the Bible. We don’t have to waste our time pursuing every little thing this world shoves into our faces as being valuable. Because God gave us an actual real-world example of someone who pursued everything he could while he lived and ultimately found out in the end, it meant nothing…

    LITERALLY NOTHING.

    I urge you to consider Solomon’s story if you find yourself thinking there is more to life than what you have. Maybe you think the grass is greener on the other side and you don’t want to miss that. Let me remind you…God already gave you the answer, because Solomon already tried that…and in his exact words he told us, “It was meaningless”

    So before we just end this post with all of the pain that Solomon figured out, let me leave you with Solomon’s final conclusion about his life. In other words, what he found meaningful.

    A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment? Eccl. 2:24-25

    Now you know-

    Until next time guys…

    The Wisdom of the World

    Posted: June 29, 2024 in Something to think about
    Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
    0

    I thought a great deal about this title today because the idea of the “Wisdom of the World” continues to bother me. I am speaking directly about wisdom today and not knowledge…and before you ask me, here is the distinction between the two.

    The primary difference between wisdom and knowledge is that wisdom involves a healthy dose of perspective and the ability to make sound judgments about a subject while knowledge is simply knowing. 

    From my vantage point, wisdom comes from age and life experience, whereas knowledge…well, we have all encountered a REALLY smart person who has never done anything in their life. Maybe book smart versus street smart?

    Why do I make this distinction? Because worldly wisdom puts a great deal of effort into ensuring you understand that you are in charge of yourself. And YOU, are the only one that can be, “all you can be” and to just work harder so YOU can achieve all YOU were meant to. You should be a self-starter, self-sufficient, self-driven, self-disciplined, and altogether 100% self-dependent on yourself. That is the Wisdom of the World.

    Human self-sufficiency. Human self-indulgence.

    Moreover, we are told that if we follow the blue-print above, we will achieve the apex of living which includes happiness and success. The irony for me is that the richest, certainly smartest, and most self-sufficient human being who ever lived on this earth, Solomon, said this about worldly wisdom.

    I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my labor, and this was the reward for all my toil. 

    Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun. Ecclesiastes 2:10-11

    You see, when a wisdom that excludes God, and only emphasizes human self-sufficiency and makes humanity its highest authority…well, that wisdom God calls foolishness. Why? Because through the wisdom of the world, humans have failed to find the truth or come to know the Creator. 

    It truly is meaningless.

    Does any of this sound familiar? Who do you think is behind the Wisdom of the World? Who is the prince of this earth right now? Yes, Satan. That is why Worldly Wisdom makes no sense to believers and the message of the cross is difficult for unbelievers. The Apostle Paul said this:

    For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18

    Guys, if you only hear one thing I say today, hear this; Worldly wisdom leads to YOUR softness, which leads to YOUR moral collapse which leads to YOUR spiritual decline. And that is exactly where the evil one wants you.

    I encourage you to watch and listen. You will be able to discern which wisdom you are hearing.

    Until next time Guys-

    Older Entries