WV 2018 - Part 1

There was so much good that I got out of the WV meeting this year, it's going to have to be a couple of parts. For one thing, some of the thoughts are separate from each other, and for another, I'm on a trip, so I don't have time to write out long posts.

One of the first things that I was blessed with came from a message Bro. Danny Adams preached titled "Spiders." He talked about how spiders catch their prey, then bite them, and suck the life out of them. He related it spiritually to how the devil can catch us in a vulnerable position, bite us, and suck out all the spiritual life that we have. We are weak when we have left the safety of dwelling with God. Spiders won't normally dwell in a well-kept, clean area, but they will dwell under a brush pile. Likewise, the devil doesn't usually lurk in the house of God, but he'll definitely be in places that aren't wholesome for our spiritual benefit.

These things make me cautious. I need to be careful where I allow myself to go and to what things I allow my affections go out. I don't want to give the devil more opportunity to wreak havoc in my life. I have to be watchful. There's a song in the ELS (#302) that says "My soul be on thy guard, 10,000 foes arise." There will be many foes that rise up against us, and many spiders that we'll see in life. We have to squish them before they have chance to become a problem.

That puts a challenge on me, though. If spiders lurk in places that are messy and unclean, what areas of my life are more susceptible to allowing spiders to live? I have to maintain my life and keep it clear and clean before God. I don't want to give room for spiders to make habitation, they're a danger to my soul. I want my spiritual life revitalized, not sucked out. There are several areas where I know I could use some "cleaning up." It's important to both recognize those areas but also to take action to prevent spiders from becoming a problem.

There are several different ways I can go about keeping my spiritual life intact and cleaned up, but one of the most important ways is reading and praying. There was a lot talked about reading and praying at the meeting this year, especially in young people's meeting. The Lord showed me a verse during the meeting that was a real encouragement to me. It's Joshua 1:8, and it says:

"This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success."

This verse gives much instruction. The book of law is the Bible. It should never be far from our conversation, and it should be the topic of our meditation all the time. If we are faithful to heed this instruction, and sow its seed, we'll reap the benefits and be blessed with GOOD success. Prosperity (of the soul) is appetizing. It doesn't sound like a prosperous soul would be infested with spiders and a zone dangerous to our spiritual walk. It sounds like a safe, comfortable place with an environment conducive to drawing closer to God and walking daily with Him.

I was talking to a friend at the meeting, and we both found that we were lacking in some areas of our spiritual walk. It's an encouragement to realize we are not the only ones who have struggled with a certain thing. We're not alone in needing to draw closer to God and being more faithful to consistently spend time with the Lord. We're all young people in a difficult world striving for Heaven. Sharing things with each other can be a way that we feel encouraged that we're not the only ones who have struggles, but we can also share ways that God has helped us with things. This is just a little bit of what God showed me during the meeting, and I hope to share more. Don't give up! This life is worth living.

Keep encouraged!

Daily Spiritual Food

From Lauren Edwards:

Hey there! I just wanted to share something that the Lord has put on my heart in the last week. It is so amazing to see how God works, because I have seen this same message being shared recently among the young people and in the services I have been in. I have been reading and studying in the book of Psalms lately and the first chapter really stood out to me. As I read the word the Lord showed me the importance of this passage through a series of visuals. The passage of scriptures illustrates a blessed or righteous person and one that is not. The very first verse says “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful”. A blessed person is one that does not allow themselves to be accustomed to sin and succumb to the way of sinners. With the words walketh, standeth, and sitteth it is demonstrated of the progression of how sin can become comfortable. At first, one just walks by and looks at sin but doesn’t fully step into it. Then, one actually stands in areas where sin is clearly evident. Then, soon, if you are not careful one could be sitting completely immersed in the way of sin and being comfortable with it. The way of sin is a dark and miserable trap that we can fall into if we are not careful.

In the next verse it says “But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night”. The blessed one finds their delight in the word of God and he meditates on it both day and night. It says meditating day and night. This was the challenging part for me. This is a major part of our life that the devil will try to destroy by distracting us and making us put off reading and mediating the word of God like we should. When it says meditating day and night it doesn’t mean picking up your Bible and reading one scripture just because you feel like it is a duty that you have to cross off of your daily to-do list. But, it means to really dig deep into the word and to be continually thinking about it. To read it, think about it, connect it to other situations in the Bible and apply it to your life and your walk with God. We should be meditating all hours of the day on the things of the Lord because we want to. As a result, we are able to draw closer to God.

In verse 3, it says “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper”. By meditating on the law of the Lord continually we are like a tree that is planted by the rivers of water. When I think about a tree that is planted by water, I always envision one that is large, vibrant, covered in leaves, and has a strong structure. That is how we can be in our spiritual life when we continue to draw closer to the Lord through daily prayer and study in the word. When we create a solid foundation on the ways of Christ and aiming to become more like Him, we become rooted in Him and nothing can move us. Also, when we are planted by the rivers of water, our spiritual cup is always being filled and there is no room for spiritual dryness. This verse also mentions that it “bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither”. Whether we are in a good or dark season in life, through Him we can still grow and produce spiritual fruit. The blessed one prospers in all that he does! Even though sometimes we may not think that we’ve prospered in our actions, but both our successes and failures are prosperous to the Lord, for “we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

In verse 4, it shows the opposite of a righteous person. The verse says “The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away”.  Chaff is the outer casing or covering of grains that falls to the ground when the real grain begins to grow. When I was thinking about this verse, the Lord brought a thought to mind. When we are walking through life, there is a point where we will have to make a choice. This choice is whether we will serve and live for God or live a life in sin. This makes me think of the grain and how we choose whether to be the grain or the chaff. The chaff, like stated in the verse, falls to the ground and the wind driveth it away. If we fall in our spiritual faithfulness, we are placed in a position of weakness because God is our only source of strength. When we have fallen, we are vulnerable and can easily be taken advantage of by the enemy. To prevent this from happening, we have to be firmly rooted in the Lord and stay consistent in our walk with God at all times.

This passage of scriptures really challenged me to dig deeper into the word of God and to earnestly pray to the one who created me in every part of life. I hope that this is an encouragement to you.

- Lauren Edwards

I Am a Christian

The title is pretty much self-explanatory, and it's a thought that has really resonated in my mind the past few days. I just returned on Monday evening from the Guthrie campmeeting, and I received a lot of good from the meeting, hopefully some of which I will share later on. But this particular thought came to me following the meeting and has been a great challenge to me, so I've decided to share it with all of you, too.

What is a Christian? Of course, the simple definition of a Christian is someone justified of their sins by Christ's shed blood. But, I'd like to make the comparison to a sports fan. A sports fan is someone who enjoys sports and has an invested interest in a particular team or player. They have an enthusiasm for that. They pay close attention to what the team or athlete does. They often buy apparel that is representative of "their" team or player. As a Christian, we should share some of the same characteristics of a sports fan. We should have enthusiasm for our life of serving God. We should pay close attention to the things Jesus did on earth and the things he taught us. Likewise, we should be adorned with his characteristics, and should put on the whole armor of God.

Some fans have such an attachment to their team or player that that is the focal point of their life. Christ should be the primary focus of our lives as well, and it's important that we make Him our priority. There's a verse in 2 Corinthians 3:3 that says:

"Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshly tables of the heart."

There is so much in this verse, but the part I would like to bring out is the way it indicates Christians should be identified. We are "manifestly declared" to be Christians or servants of God, but why? What causes that connection in the minds of those around us? Sure, going to church, saying "I'm a Christian," and putting a fish bumper sticker on your car are indicators. But this verse makes clear that is not what determines our faith. It isn't with ink that we are justified, but by the Spirit of the living God working in our lives. We have it written on the tables of our hearts. We are adorned by the characteristics of Christ. That is ultimately what makes us who we are. It's about the application of what we've learned making its way to the depths of our heart and finding a home there. Actively writing the truths and instruction we've received in our heart is how we can be manifestly declared epistles of Christ. In 2 Corinthians 3:1, it asks "Do we begin again to commend ourselves?" We don't celebrate ourselves, our life is a testimony in itself if our heart is filled with the things of God. It portrays Christ.

This was a great challenge to me. I've returned from a meeting fully saturated with truth, wisdom, and instruction. I want to make the best use of that to write truth on the tables of my heart. So many times I have heard messages preached, taken notes, and thought "Wow, that was good." But ultimately, it means nothing for my spiritual exercise if I don't apply the principles to my life and in my heart. That's what it really means to be a Christian. Salvation is only the first step. God has real purpose for our lives, and to humble down to His perfect will and allow Him to work in our life is the plan He has for all of us, transforming our heart from a stony, legalistic, and life governed by law to a soft, fleshy, Spirit-filled life led by faith. It's a process I want to continue in, because I know that of my own strength, I can't keep myself saved and pleasing to the Lord. I'm comforted by this verse in 1 Corinthians 15:58 that says:

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord."

We're instructed to be stable and unchanged by outside influences. We can only do that by letting the Spirit work in us. Our labor for Godly things and for His will are not without profit, reward, or importance. It's worth it. Christ has much in store for us, and if we remain "stedfast, unmovable" and "always abounding," we'll continue to write good things on the tables of our hearts. We'll continue to be a pleasing and acceptable servant to God, and He'll bless us for that. We are not in vain. I want campmeeting experiences to be a boost to my spiritual life, not just a crutch for my salvation. I want them to be a profit to my soul, and I know that sometimes takes adjusting my priorities. I desire your prayers to allow God to help me apply things I've learned to my heart so that I can be worthy of the label "Christian."

Keep encouraged!