All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. -2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV)

In the BBC science fiction TV series, Doctor Who, the hero known only as The Doctor travels through space and time in a ship called the TARDIS, that curiously looks like an old British police box (a blue, wooden box a little bit larger than telephone booths). The most interesting part of the TARDIS, however, is that it is dimensionally much, much larger on the inside.

The Bible is a lot like the TARDIS, because it’s far deeper and richer inside than any other book. It transports you back to times where people faced very hard decisions, and faced the consequences of those decisions. Those lessons we learn when we travel back in time echo into our lives, challenges, and decisions we face today.

The Bible is far, far more than a collection of pages and words. It’s the very truth from our Father that we meditate on, and guidance for us as we travel through present times into the future…a future where we know the ending, if only we believe in Him and His Son.

Today’s video

Check out “The Bible as Jewish Meditation Literature” by the excellent nonprofit Bible Project:

For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. -‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭4:12‬ ‭(NLT)

I have a colleague who recently took some open book exams, which reminded me of my schooldays. As students, we’d get excited when the teacher would utter the words “open book,” but that just meant we’d have to look harder for the answers!

What if we had an instruction manual for life? That would make things easier…right? Well, believers do. With God’s Word, we have His guidance for how to live our lives. Sometimes, the answers jump off the page, and at other times, they don’t come up till we read long enough to connect dots to form the answer.

Either way, God gives us the guide for living, and His one way to make it to Him once we pass through this world.

Here’s a great resource page of some of God’s answers to our life questions and concerns »

God lovingly made us and gives us a guidebook for living righteously and to His glory. Let’s continue to study it daily so we’re not unprepared when life tests us!

Today’s soundtrack

MercyMe’s “Word of God Speak” asks God to speak to us as we quiet ourselves to hear Him.

Were you moved by this song? Get it on Amazon »

Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man. -Nehemiah 1:11 (NIV)

I’ve had some colleagues ask for prayer to support them in a difficult conversation they needed to have with others, where they knew they would meet resistance or rejection, whether it was in business or personal matters. To unbelieving eyes, they were up against the impossible.

You know the feeling. One part of your heart wants to avoid a conflict or obligation or consequence. Another part knows you need to face it. The Holy Spirit will nudge your heart in the God-honoring direction…and that direction may not be comfortable for you.

As I learned with the collision of belief systems–and the resulting spiritual warfare–with my father’s Buddhist funeral, God urges our hearts to face matters and heat head on. He wants us to deal directly and dive right into the heart of an issue.

But we are called to serve, and when He calls on us, we have the privilege of being just the person(s) He needs on stage to advance His grand story. So, the next time He’s telling your heart you need to do that difficult or inconvenient thing you really don’t want to, trust that He has a larger story and outcome that will play out when you act in obedience. And, we are to pray always–and specifically–for His will to be done through His servants and to His glory. Prayer unlocks pathways inaccessible to the prayerless!

Nehemiah was the cupbearer to King Artaxerxes, and prayed specifically for God’s ear and action before he went to ask the king to let him leave his post as cupbearer and oversee the rebuilding of the Jerusalem wall. And guess what? The king easily granted his request, and even wrote letters of safe passage and permits for enough timber to help with the construction!

As of this writing, I know of two colleagues who had logically inexplicable breakthroughs and softening of hearts as God made a way where there seemed to be no way. Be courageous, for the Lord is with you…you are not alone!

The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. -John 1:5 (NASB)

The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. -Romans 13:12 (NASB)

When you’ve been traveling in darkness and doubt so thick that you could cut it with a knife, you might wonder if it will ever end. But one thing that we learn as believers is that we are not helpless victims of the darkness. We were reborn to fight it.

In the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, we learn of a mystical sword the hero wields that glows as a warning in the presence of evil enemies. In our real lives here on earth, we wield the Sword of the Spirit–God’s Word–that similarly pierces darkness and makes it hide.

The interesting thing about light is how powerfully it pierces the darkness. A single match or candle can turn a room of fear and mystery into sights you can identify and face. Light makes things that don’t like light scurry and hide.

The darker the night, the brighter light shines. As children of the light, we carry God’s light into the deepest, darkest, dankest corners of the earth. Sometimes, those corners are in our own homes and lives. And God does not give us timidity, but boldness where we didn’t have it.

Don’t be afraid of the dark. You carry God’s light. Watch how darkness scatters when you remember to wield the light of His truth!

So obey the commands of the LORD your God by walking in his ways and fearing him. -Deuteronomy 8:6 (NLT)

As my pastor likes to put it, the second we step out our doors, we’re in the mission field. Our call is the Great Commission, Jesus’ command that we tell every corner of the earth about the Good News. And we also need to be sure and equip ourselves in the Full Armor of God when we step out.

Being a true believer is a lot like being in the special forces. We train and equip ourselves with His Word, over and over again. We hide His Word in our hearts. We live and walk in His Word.

You shall walk in all the way which the LORD your God has commanded you, that you may live and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you will possess. -Deuteronomy 5:33 (NASB)

One of the most important aspects of being a warrior who fights the good fight for Christ is that we take every step and breath and word very deliberately. Just like soldiers in the field who make every planned move with forethought, we do the same in our spiritual walk. Just like soldiers, the cost of misstepping can be high–even fatal.

We train and train and learn and learn to let go of self, to not just act emotionally and be swayed by circumstances. By surrendering, we can take every single moment and let the Holy Spirit urge us to act or speak in God-honoring ways.

We are the called. Eat up His Word, suit up in His armor, and walk and talk in His Word, always led by the Holy Spirit. Join our special forces. Let’s go!

Is not my word like fire, declares the LORD, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces? -Jeremiah 23:29 (NIV)

Remember Jiffy Pop? It’s a packaged pan of unpopped popcorn under an aluminum foil top. When you slowly move this pan over the heat of a stove, you start to hear popping noises inside, and the once flat foil top grows upward and outward like a chef’s hat, eventually bursting from all the popcorn inside.

Our lives can be a lot like that pan. If we play it safe and avoid the discomfort of stepping out in faith to do what is God-honoring, we’re left with a cold pan and lots of unpopped kernels…lots of untapped potential and growth.

But when we apply the heat of God’s Word and truth to our lives, by walking in faith and trusting God as the safety net for our lives, our lives can be bursting with growth. Sometimes God will apply the heat for us, and though times may seem downright tough, we can trust that we will grow as a result.

Jesus didn’t play it safe. He lived boldly, right in the heat and the thick of the action. He is our model for living, is He not?

Unpopped popcorn kernels are seeds. And they need extreme heat–not mild warmth–to pop open. And so it is with our walk in faith. The searing heat and light of God’s Word will burst open and demolish the enemy’s strongholds of fear, trepidation, false comfort, and sloth.

If you find areas of your life cold, tepid, tasteless, or in ruts, God can help. Apply His heat to your life so it’s bursting and energetic, no matter what the circumstances, and know that you honor the Lord in doing so, and He will carry you through the heat!

Yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,” declares the Lord. -‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭29:8-9‬ ‭(NIV)

Since the days of old, there have been false teachers and prophets who purport to work to God’s glory, but are here for very different reasons.

In the book of Jeremiah, the false prophet Hananiah told a weary Israel that their suffering in exile would end in just two years. But Jeremiah, who truly spoke for the Lord, called out Hananiah, and told Israel the truth: that it would be seventy years of exile in Babylon, but His people were to prosper where they were, because God had great plans for them.

When you think about modern churches and bible teachers, listen very closely and always use God’s Word as the ultimate litmus test. Some may turn out to be teachers of prosperity theology, who assert that financial blessings are God’s will for you, if you’re positive and donate to their organizations.

Some red flags they may raise:

• You can have anything you want (name it and claim it), just declare it in Jesus’ name
• God only wants you to be happy; He doesn’t want or allow you to suffer
• Material prosperity and smooth sailing are God’s blessings…buy this video or donate to them and you’ll see how
• They talk about self-improvement to make you the best you that you can be, but leave out that God makes that possible, and it is to His glory

In God’s Word, we are instructed to believe in what we pray for (Mark 11:24), but in the context of the body of His Word, prayer and walking with God will change our wills so that for which we pray will align with what God wants for us.

We bend and surrender to God’s will, not vice-versa. That’s where you can see the you-centered talk of those false teachers, like God is a cosmic Santa Claus or vending machine.

God’s blessings are in our prosperous times and even in our hard times…not just when we’re “doing okay” or “doing well” in our estimation. God does allow for His children to persevere through trials to His glory, which we can see over and over with the Israelites…with Joseph and his ups and downs (Genesis 37 onward). The fact is, God is with His children through all of our circumstances and seasons, and He refines and strengthens us through such trials.

Jesus made it clear that believers would have trouble in this world (John 16:33), but to take heart that He has overcome it. We are specifically instructed to not worry and chase after material things, because God knows and will supply all we need (Matthew 6:25-34).

We are here, first and foremost, to glorify our Lord (Isaiah 26:8), and to make Him known to the world (Matthew 28:16-20). We glorify Him in the good and the bad times. It’s all about Jesus.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. -2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV)

You can always use the lens of truth in God’s Word to expose the charlatans. Beware those who cannot stand this test!

Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. -Psalm 34:8 (NIV)

When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, LORD God Almighty. -Jeremiah 15:16 (NIV)

How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! -Psalm 119:103 (NIV)

The other day, I got food poisoning, and that’s one of those things you wouldn’t wish on anyone. The thing about internal pain is that you can’t escape it by moving or running away, because it’s in you.

And that pain doesn’t just wrack you physically, but emotionally. It can affect your mood, your temperament, and outwardly, how you treat others when you’re feeling awful.

So, pretty much all downsides to food poisoning.

While you can’t run from it, what you can do is flush it from your system, and replace it with better, more nourishing food…and lots of water.

And so it is with God’s Word, which can rejuvenate you and replenish you after you’ve been poisoned by ingesting so much of the poisonous thinking the world has gotten into your system. Those same poisonous thoughts are the ones that cause you to act in ways that don’t reflect the fruit of a believer actively pursuing God and His ways.

God’s living water and His Word can replenish and restore you like no other. Taste and see!

You, LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light. -Psalm 18:28 (NIV)

For we walk by faith, not by sight. -2 Corinthians 5:7 (NKJV)

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. -Psalm 119:105 (NIV)

The LORD is my light and my salvation– whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life– of whom shall I be afraid? -Psalm 27:1 (NIV)

Years ago, I played a frightening video game called Silent Hill, where your character was constantly walking and running through the deserted town of the same name. It was always dark and rainy, and your little flashlight would only illuminate the ground a few feet in front of you. The atmospheric music and unholy creatures that would attack you ensured that you would walk in fear and trepidation.

Silent Hill is not so fictional, is it?

Walking in this world isn’t terribly different, if you think about it. As believers, God’s Word guides us as we walk by faith. Day by day, night by night, God makes our path clearer to us, and He is laying the steps before us toward His plans and answered prayers. To us, though, it sometimes it may feel like we’re going nowhere. No change.

Meanwhile, dark threats are so strong in this world that they even attack in the light: temptation, hate, greed, envy, wrath, lust, gluttony, condemnation, and so on. It’s a constant onslaught in our walk, no matter where we turn. The enemy is just waiting for us to trip up and help us defeat ourselves.

Fear not. Fear nothing!

But fellow traveler and agent of His light, I am here to tell you that we need fear nothing. We need fear no one. We have the Lord and His inerrant Word as our guide in this dark world. And from His Word issue forth many promises and tenets that we can hold onto to stay focused through the bleakest, discouraging, and frightening stretches of our walk.

Walk in faith and in the assurance of His promises

Remember that we walk in total faith and obedience, prayerfully surrendering all to Him, including the very dreams He places in our hearts, knowing from His Word that His Word shall not return void (Isaiah 55:11). That He fulfills surrendered dreams manyfold according to His will and timing (Genesis 22:16-18). That we can come boldly before His throne and ask in belief, and we will receive (Matthew 21:22, Matthew 7:7).

Step boldly, surely, and powerfully, friend. We train our eyes on the Lord, with His Word and promises to buoy our hearts and souls when our eyes and brains tell us the walk is fruitless. We walk by faith, not by sight. Our destination, and those things for which we pray along the way, are already assured. Let us honor the Lord in our steadfast, faithful steps, knowing and showing the world that He is in control!

Who’s afraid of the dark? Not us! We drive deep into it, blazing His light brilliantly through it!

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. -Romans 12:1-2 (NIV)

Life only becomes clearer and clearer to me each day, thanks to the Lord.

It turns out that I was living with wool over my eyes, and not unlike those who knew no better in the Allegory of the Cave. But once you accept Jesus as your savior and the Holy Spirit dwells in your heart, God has a way of clarifying areas of your life each day.

It’s a lot like a photo taken by a Polaroid “instant” camera, where the camera would spit out a photo of what you were just looking at through the camera’s viewfinder, and as you waited, the photo would get clearer and clearer before your eyes. God does the same thing with what was previously unclear before us.

He can help us discern true believer from deceiver; believers of different spiritual depths; and the illusory world that we thought was the only reality we lived in.

We only need to spend time in His Word; fellowship with other true believers and agents of light; and dedicated time in prayer. We let ourselves be renewed through continuous exposure to God’s truth and children. And when we do that, it’s amazing how God takes the murky and confusing into vivid crystal clarity.

So, look around at what is fuzzy or confusing or confounding or frustrating in your life. Snap a photo of it through God’s lens, and watch Him make yet another area of your life clearer. God is good!