Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Mar 9th What Do They See?

Today’s Passage – Deuteronomy 27 – 28; Proverbs 9

Second Milers also read – Galatians 1 – 6; memorize John 1:1

“And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee.” – (Deuteronomy 28:10)

I was captivated by the verse above. Notice that it says that people will see that the Israelites were called by the name of the Lord. It does not say that the people will hear mere words. The people were not to just talk about their relationship with God, they were to live it; and live it so powerfully that the surrounding nations would fear them.

It is rare today that the world looks into the life of a Christian and sees the hand of God working so evidently and powerfully in them that they are actually feared. For the most part Christians today are mocked and made fun of, but not feared. Why are we the laughingstock of the world today? There are many reasons, but I believe the main one is that our lives do not demonstrate the power and abundance of the life of faith. We dabble in God, but we don’t let Him get all of us, and unless He has all of us He cannot demonstrate His power in our lives.

Christians should be walking billboards illustrating the power and blessing of an omnipotent God. People should be able to take one look at us and tell that there is something radically different about us; something almost intimidating. The story is told of the great preacher, Charles Finney, who visited a factory one day in New York, and after merely making eye contact with a woman in the factory, she began to weep uncontrollably. That is pretty powerful. Our lives should declare loudly and boldly that we are the children of an awesome and all powerful God. People may not agree with us, but if our lives are fully surrendered to the Lord, they should respect us. Do the people around you fear you because of the presence of God in your life, or do they mock you? Sobering thought.

Mar 8th Have You Forgotten?

Today’s Passage – Deuteronomy 23-26; Proverbs 8

(Second Milers also read – 2 Corinthians 9 – 13; memorize John 1:1)

“And thou shalt speak and say before the LORD thy God, A Syrian ready to perish was my father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous: … Then thou shalt say before the LORD thy God, I have brought away the hallowed things out of mine house, and also have given them unto the Levite, and unto the stranger, to the fatherless, and to the widow, according to all thy commandments which thou hast commanded me: I have not transgressed thy commandments, neither have I forgotten them:” – (Deuteronomy 26:5, 13)

My thought this morning comes from Deuteronomy chapter 26. In this chapter God reminds the people of Israel that when they get into the land that He had promised them, and they begin to receive of the goodness of the land, they were not to forget to bring back to God the tithe of their increase. People do not like to hear much about tithing nowadays; but the real purpose of tithing is not for God (or the church) to get their money, but rather for people to express in a tangible way the fact that they remember that God has blessed them. The people of Israel were encouraged to bring their tithe basket to the priest, and then they were to publicly state their appreciation to the Lord by rehearsing the fact that God had brought them out of cruel bondage, and delivered them into a land of incredible bounty. The tithe was just a small expression of appreciation for what God had done for them.

Today, we are just as quick to forget about the goodness of God. We can see that fact demonstrated in the way people give today. Most Christians don’t tithe; and many don’t give anything at all. We sometimes try to justify this lack of faith by blaming it on rough economic circumstances, etc., which I am sure certainly plays a partial factor; but the real issue is a matter of the heart. When people do not give back to God, they are not remembering and appreciating what He has done for them. However, I don’t want the focus of this morning’s devotion to be on tithing principles. Our giving habits are but one indicator of our remembering. My challenge this morning is get you to think about the ways you express your appreciation to the Lord for what He has done in your life. Don’t forget to remember God. And don’t forget to remember the good things that  people have done for you either. We tend to forget very easily,especially when a difficult circumstance arises in our life. Because our focus is on the new problem, we forget about (and lose appreciation for) all of the previous solutions and blessings that have been given us. We are no different from the little child who screams for a new toy, forgetting about all of the other toys he already has.

Do you remember the goodness of God in your life? Do you express your appreciation in words, and in other more tangible ways? We must be careful not to forget God. If we do, then we will gradually slip further and further away from the center of His will for our lives, and eventually He will be forced to correct us, which is never pleasant.

By the way, the picture on the top is of the Twin Towers. We vowed on 9/11 that we would never forget what happened that day. We said that we would not forget what was done to us, nor would we forget those who died. Yet, it seems like our nation is quickly breaking that vow, just as she has forgotten Pearl Harbor. We need to be careful to remember, and reflect on all of these things. Let’s not get so busy in the present, or so worried about the future, that we forget the lessons and the blessings of the past.

Mar 7th Put Your Game Face On

Today’s Passsage – Deuteronomy 19-22; Proverbs 7

(Second Milers also read 2 Corinthians 5 – 8; memorize John 1:1)

“And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall say, What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? let him go and return unto his house, lest his brethren’s heart faint as well as his heart.” – (Deuteronomy 20:8)

In Deuteronomy chapter twenty, God gives instructions to the people of Israel regarding going into battle. Before going into the fight, God weeded out anybody whose hearts and minds would not be in the fight(vv 5 – 8). If these soldiers were not not fully committed and focussed on the battle ahead, they may be a danger to the other men. If they were consumed with fear, God knew that their fear may spread to the others and discourage them as well. God wants those who fight for him to be “in the fight”.

These verses bring several thoughts to mind, but the one I will share with you is one that I have given quite a bit of consideration to lately. In Christianity today, there is an awful lot of “half-hearted” effort in the battle to fulfill the Great Commission. So many are distracted, and so many more just do not seem to care at all. We need men and woman who are willing to give their all to and for the Lord. Consider these verses:

“So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.” – (Revelation 3:16)

“And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” – (Luke 9:62)

“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” – (1 Corinthians 10:31)

“Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.” – (Ecclesiastes 9:10)

We are in a battle today: against the devil; against the evil of this world. We are fighting for the souls of men, and God needs us to be focussed and determined as we fight. We need to decide whether or not we want to be in the battle or not, because turning back is not an option. We need to get in all the way or get out of the way. By the way, I understand that there will be times when we need to break from the battle temporarily for rest and restoration, but that does not mean we give up altogether. Sometimes we will have to fight on even when we are weary, but we must keep fighting. The time of eternal rest will come soon enough, but right now we have something to fight for. Christian, put your game face on!

Mar 4th Paving the Way

Today’s Passage – Deuteronomy 9 – 11; Proverbs 4

(Second Milers also read – 1 Corinthians 9 – 12; memorize 22:17)

“Understand therefore this day, that the LORD thy God is he which goeth over before thee; as a consuming fire he shall destroy them, and he shall bring them down before thy face: so shalt thou drive them out, and destroy them quickly, as the LORD hath said unto thee.” – (Deuteronomy 9:3)

I get a lot of comfort from verses of Scripture like this one. You see, I hate to admit it, but I am basically a very fearful person by nature. I am afraid to try new things; I am afraid to to meet new people; and I am very afraid of rejection and failure. In Deuteronomy chapter 9, God is encouraging another group of fearful people. The people of Israel were about to enter into the land of promise, and though the land was a wonderful place, it was also inhabited by some pretty big and mean dudes who were not too pleased about this new nation moving in. But God reminded them here that they need not be afraid, because he was going to go before them and pave the way for them. He was going to clear the land first, so that the Israelites would basically be able to move right in.

The reason why verses like this one comfort me is because I am also often afraid to do the Lord’s will in my life. God sometimes asks me to do things that I am not naturally comfortable with. I remember the first time that I was asked to do a devotion. Even though the group that I was addressing was only a small group of junior aged boys, I was scared to death; but I knew it was something that God wanted me to do, so I did it. It turned out well, too. God went before me, and He went with me. Soul winning is another activity that causes me great consternation. I am scared to death of rejection. The thought of somebody slamming the door in my face is almost enough to keep me from going. But, again, I know God wants me to “preach the gospel to every creature”; and He always goes before me and provides me with wonderful opportunities to share Christ with the lost, or to encourage the saved.

What has God been asking you to do that you are afraid to do? Remember, He will not ask you to do something that He will not equip you and empower you to do. God will go before you. He will pave the way, and after the road is clear, He will go in with you to help you along the way. You know, every time I overcome my fears and do the thing that the Lord has called me to do – without exception – He blesses; and I walk away with a joy and a fulfillment that is beyond description. I bet that He will do the same thing for you!

Mar 3rd Remember Who Butters Your Bread

Today’s Passage – Deuteronomy 6 – 8; Proverbs 3

(Second Milers also read – 1 Corinthians 5 – 8; memorize Revelation 22:17)

“And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.” – (Deuteronomy 8:17-18)

In the passage of Scripture referenced above, God is admonishing the children of Israel not to forget the Source of all of their wealth. He was about to give them a land with houses and vineyards and farms; none of which they would have to build or work for. The Israelites would be waliking into a great situation. It would be like you or I inheriting a beautiful home, fully furnished, with two cars in the driveway; and then we were given a profitable business to further add to our wealth. Sounds like a great deal, doesn’t it. The problem with all of this was that somewhere along the way the people would slowly begin to forget about where all of this blessing came from. At first they would appreciate it; but then they would begin to think that they deserved it and were entitled to it; and finally, they would come to a conclusion that they had earned through their own efforts. At the end of the cycle, they have bitten the hand that fed them; and they have completely forgotten Who butters their bread.

I have observed this attitude in many Christians today. People often come to Christ  when their lives are in a mess. They are often in financial distress, or their marriages are falling apart; or both. They come to Christ, and He begins to turn things around for them. At first, they greatly appreciate what God has done for them; but slowly and gradually they begn to forget Who it is that is blessing their lives. They stop attending; they stop tithing; and they stop serving. Somewhere along the line they think that they fixed their problems all by themselves. What happens next is not good. God has to stop blessing them; and they often end up right back where they started.

America is doing the same thing. We are the wealthiest and most powerful nation on planet earth. Why? Because God has blessed us. It is not because we are smarter or better than other nations. We are just blessed. But we are quickly forgetting the Source of our blessing. Unless we get it turned around, it cannot end well for America. Just a thought.

Mar 2nd Enough is Enough

Today’s Passage – Deuteronomy 3 – 5; Proverbs 2

(Second Milers also read – 1 Corinthians 1 – 4; memorize Revelation 22:17)

“But the LORD was wroth with me for your sakes, and would not hear me: and the LORD said unto me, Let it suffice thee; speak no more unto me of this matter.” – (Deuteronomy 3:26)

Mar 1st In This Thing

Today’s Passage – Deuteronomy 1 – 2; Proverbs 1

(Second Milers also read Romans 13 – 16; memorize Revelation 22:17)

“Yet in this thing ye did not believe the LORD your God,” – (Deuteronomy 1:32)

The context of the above verse involves Moses reminiscing with the nation of Israel as they were near the end of their wandering in the Wilderness for 40 years. He reminds them of the reason that they had to delay their entrance into the Promised Land, which was their inability to trust God to deliver the “giant” inhabitants of the land of Canaan into their hand. They were afraid, and they didn’t believe that God was powerful enough to give them the victory. One of the problems with this was that they had already seen first hand the power of God as He delivered them from the Egyptians; as He parted the Red Sea; and as He miraculously provided for their needs in their journey. Notice what Moses said in verse 31:

God had certainly never given them a reason not to trust Him. They had seen Him do the impossible, yet they could not trust Him to give them victory in the battle with the people of Canaan.

My thought this morning is in the phrase, “yet in this thing”. Though the people had seen God do great things in the past, and were stilling trusting Him to do many things in the present, there was one thing that they could not trust Him to do. They were “picking and choosing” the specific areas of trust. Do you find yourself doing that? I guess it is something we are all guilty of, if you think about it. There are some specific areas where we choose not to trust God. So what do we do instead? We do what seems right to us. Let’s consider some verses that should challenge that course of action: