This subject has come up recently and I had never really thought about it until now. The question is, should we continually pray for forgiveness (to God)?

There isn’t any scripture in the NT (post resurrection) that suggests that we should. In fact, if we believe in Jesus’ work on the cross, we really shouldn’t be praying for forgiveness continually.

One thing interesting to note, though the scripture does not mention us confessing our sins to God on a daily basis, it does mention that we should confess our sins one to another ( James 5:16). However, it seems we have a tendency to ask God to forgive us for what we have done and not one another when most sins are actually against (affect) our brother.

Anyway, just some food for thought as you read through your copy of God’s Word. If anyone has any scripture in the NT that teaches otherwise, please feel free to share.

AMDG

Below is an excellent passage. Not only does it touch on my previous blog entry, it also touches on the blog entry before that. It may seem a bit strange in the face of America’s (Christian) “anti-alcohol consumption stance” to see the Lord providing wine to gladden the heart of man but God’s Word reigns supreme (is the authority) over man’s.

Psalms 104:1-35 NET. Praise the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, you are magnificent. You are robed in splendor and majesty. (2) He covers himself with light as if it were a garment. He stretches out the skies like a tent curtain, (3) and lays the beams of the upper rooms of his palace on the rain clouds. He makes the clouds his chariot, and travels along on the wings of the wind. (4) He makes the winds his messengers, and the flaming fire his attendant. (5) He established the earth on its foundations; it will never be upended. (6) The watery deep covered it like a garment; the waters reached above the mountains. (7) Your shout made the waters retreat; at the sound of your thunderous voice they hurried off — (8) as the mountains rose up, and the valleys went down — to the place you appointed for them. (9) You set up a boundary for them that they could not cross, so that they would not cover the earth again. (10) He turns springs into streams; they flow between the mountains. (11) They provide water for all the animals in the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. (12) The birds of the sky live beside them; they chirp among the bushes. (13) He waters the mountains from the upper rooms of his palace; the earth is full of the fruit you cause to grow. (14) He provides grass for the cattle, and crops for people to cultivate, so they can produce food from the ground, (15) as well as wine that makes people feel so good, and so they can have oil to make their faces shine, as well as food that sustains people’s lives. (16) The trees of the Lord receive all the rain they need, the cedars of Lebanon which he planted, (17) where the birds make nests, near the evergreens in which the herons live. (18) The wild goats live in the high mountains; the rock badgers find safety in the cliffs. (19) He made the moon to mark the months, and the sun sets according to a regular schedule. (20) You make it dark and night comes, during which all the beasts of the forest prowl around. (21) The lions roar for prey, seeking their food from God. (22) When the sun rises, they withdraw and sleep in their dens. (23) Men then go out to do their work, and labor away until evening. (24) How many living things you have made, O Lord! You have exhibited great skill in making all of them; the earth is full of the living things you have made. (25) Over here is the deep, wide sea, which teems with innumerable swimming creatures, living things both small and large. (26) The ships travel there, and over here swims the whale you made to play in it. (27) All of your creatures wait for you to provide them with food on a regular basis. (28) You give food to them and they receive it; you open your hand and they are filled with food. (29) When you ignore them, they panic. When you take away their life’s breath, they die and return to dust. (30) When you send your life-giving breath, they are created, and you replenish the surface of the ground. (31) May the splendor of the Lord endure! May the Lord find pleasure in the living things he has made! (32) He looks down on the earth and it shakes; he touches the mountains and they start to smolder. (33) I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God as long as I exist! (34) May my thoughts be pleasing to him! I will rejoice in the Lord. (35) May sinners disappear from the earth, and the wicked vanish! Praise the Lord, O my soul! Praise the Lord!

AMDG

Since I have recently escaped a major hurricane hit, and something similar was brought up on a different blog entry, I wanted to post on the subject of weather and God’s involvement in it.

First off, I have to take the default position of the scripture that God is in full control of the weather. We have plenty of scripture examples of this and we all know that God is sovereign over everything. Most importantly though, we have scriptures that show His control of the weather. In addition, I have been unable to find anything in the scripture that suggests that God does not control the weather and every facet of it.

Sure we could make assumptions… i.e. The whole world is under the control of the Evil One and the thief comes to steal, kill and destroy, therefore, “evil” weather comes from Satan. However, we have scripture showing that God controls the weather so why make assumptions to the contrary at all? In addition, it really is a moot point. If God is sovereign over everything then a lack of participation in an event is participation in an event (though I don’t hold to the “lack of participation” point of view).

There is only one instance in the scripture I can think of that raises a question.

Mark 4:37-41 ISV A violent windstorm came up, and the waves began breaking into the boat, so that the boat was rapidly becoming swamped. (38) But Jesus was in the back of the boat, asleep on a cushion. So they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to die?” (39) Then he got up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Hush! Be still!” Then the wind stopped blowing, and there was a great calm. (40) He said to them, “Why are you such cowards? Don’t you have any faith yet?” (41) They were overcome with fear and kept saying to one another, “Who is this man? Even the wind and the sea obey him!”

Now let me contrast that with a few (of many) passages.

Here we see what David had to say about a storm that he experienced:
Psalms 29:1-11 NET. Acknowledge the Lord, you supernatural beings, acknowledge the Lord’s majesty and power! (2) Acknowledge the majesty of the Lord’s reputation! Worship the Lord in holy attire! (3) The Lord’s shout is heard over the water; the majestic God thunders, the Lord appears over the surging water. (4) The Lord’s shout is powerful, the Lord’s shout is majestic. (5) The Lord’s shout breaks the cedars, the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon. (6) He makes Lebanon skip like a calf and Sirion like a young ox. (7) The Lord’s shout strikes with flaming fire. (8) The Lord’s shout shakes the wilderness, the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. (9) The Lord’s shout bends the large trees and strips the leaves from the forests. Everyone in his temple says, “Majestic!” (10) The Lord sits enthroned over the engulfing waters, the Lord sits enthroned as the eternal king. (11) The Lord gives his people strength; the Lord grants his people security.

and more…

Job 37:6-13 NET. For to the snow he says, ‘Fall to earth,’ and to the torrential rains, ‘Pour down.’ (7) He causes everyone to stop working, so that all people may know his work. (8) The animals go to their lairs, and in their dens they remain. (9) A tempest blows out from its chamber, icy cold from the driving winds. (10) The breath of God produces ice, and the breadth of the waters freeze solid. (11) He loads the clouds with moisture; he scatters his lightning through the clouds. (12) The clouds go round in circles, wheeling about according to his plans, to carry out all that he commands them over the face of the whole inhabited world. (13) Whether it is for punishment for his land, or whether it is for mercy, he causes it to find its mark.

…

Job 38:22-38 NET. Have you entered the storehouse of the snow, or seen the armory of the hail, (23) which I reserve for the time of trouble, for the day of war and battle? (24) In what direction is lightning dispersed, or the east winds scattered over the earth? (25) Who carves out a channel for the heavy rains, and a path for the rumble of thunder, (26) to cause it to rain on an uninhabited land, a desert where there are no human beings, (27) to satisfy a devastated and desolate land, and to cause it to sprout with vegetation? (28) Does the rain have a father, or who has fathered the drops of the dew? (29) From whose womb does the ice emerge, and the frost from the sky, who gives birth to it, (30) when the waters become hard like stone, when the surface of the deep is frozen solid? (31) Can you tie the bands of the Pleiades, or release the cords of Orion? (32) Can you lead out the constellations in their seasons, or guide the Bear with its cubs? (33) Do you know the laws of the heavens, or can you set up their rule over the earth? (34) Can you raise your voice to the clouds so that a flood of water covers you? (35) Can you send out lightning bolts, and they go? Will they say to you, ‘Here we are’? (36) Who has put wisdom in the heart, or has imparted understanding to the mind? (37) Who by wisdom can count the clouds, and who can tip over the water jars of heaven, (38) when the dust hardens into a mass, and the clumps of earth stick together?

So what can I say? I have run across one verse that causes a question. However, I have a multitude of verses showing me that God controls the weather. Therefore, I can only humble myself in the sight of the Lord and give Him praise and honor for His great works. Perhaps we should stop trying to attribute events to some fictitious thing called “mother nature” and search the scripture for the truth in the matter (that is, ultimately, weather is controlled by someone, be it God, Satan, devils, or angels).

AMDG

Ok, I thought I would write a blog entry on this subject since it always seems to be such a big deal in America. This entry was prompted by a post on the Sharper Iron forum. I have expressed some of my thoughts on the subject in that thread as well.

I will state my position up front, loud and clear. There is absolutely nothing wrong with Christians consuming alcohol. I find it strange that in America many preachers feel that the only way to solve the problem of drunkenness is to preach that consumption is a sin. First off, it is false doctrine to preach that consuming alcohol is a sin. Secondly, if you want to get technical, many of the medicines (and even some of the foods) you consume have alcohol in them. In fact, some medicines contain 30+% alcohol…far more than any beer/wine you may drink.

Why do Christians need to preach false doctrine to shield individuals from drunkenness? The Scripture surely doesn’t do that. There is nothing wrong with abstinence, that is for sure, however, teaching that consumption of any alcoholic beverage is a sin, is false. Are such teachers so bold that they would accuse the Lord of sin?

I personally think it is a good thing that some people withstain from alcohol. In fact, according to the Scripture certain people should withstain from alcohol (or should I say too much alchohol). Obviously, anyone led astray by it is not wise ( Proverbs 20:1). Again, this does not give the green light to preach false doctrine.

Someone in the thread mentioned above brought up a very good point. Christians can accept that sex is wrong outside of marriage but inside of marriage it is ok. Christians can accept that gluttony is a sin but eating normal is ok. However, when it comes to drinking they seem to have a problem accepting that drinking wine/beer is ok, and getting drunk is not.

If you can’t drink without getting drunk, then don’t drink. If drinking causes your brother to stumble then don’t drink around him (though I would say here that you should also try to teach him the truth in the Scripture). However, do not teach/preach that drinking is a sin. It is false doctrine, period.

One other thing before I end. I bring this up a lot but I believe it is one of the major pitfalls in Christendom today. We should not look to Scripture to “prove a point”, rather we should come to the Scripture with an open heart and mind and allow God to conform our mind to His Word.

Bottom line = drinking wine/beer is not a sin, getting drunk is a sin and drunkards will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). Any other teaching is man’s invention and should be questioned Scripturally.

Mark 7:15 NET. There is nothing outside of a person that can defile him by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles him.”

AMDG

just got back in town recently but updates will be sparse…

major hurricane heading my way…

AMDG