Category Archives: Correction

Accountability, Bible, Boasting, Calling, Correction, Fellowship, Glorify, Gospel, Scripture

NOT MY WORDS

GALATIANS 1:11

“For I would have you know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel which was preached by me is not of human invention.”

Have you ever had to deliver a message to someone from someone else that you knew had the potential to upset that person? How do you start that message? I have a message for you from ________. Now, understand that these are their words, not mine. Am I right? Of course, I am. We want to make sure they know that we are just the messenger.

In verse 11 today, Paul is telling the Galatians something similar. He is telling them that the message that he preached to them didn’t come from him or any other person. Where did it come from? It came from God! The phrase, “not of human invention,” is literally “is not according to man” in the Greek. Paul didn’t get it from Peter or James or any other person. The message, the gospel message is straight from God.

APPLICATION

This is why it is so important for us to be very careful when we handle the Word. I recall Paul’s word in 2 Timothy 2:15. “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a worker who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.” In 2 Corinthians 2:17, Paul further explains the need to handle the Word correctly. “For we are not like the many, peddling the word of God, but as from sincerity, but as from God, we speak in Christ in the sight of God.”

Handling God’s message to mankind is a weighty job. Far too many people mishandle it. They take what is the truth and make it their own truth. They add to or take away from it. This is what Paul was battling in the Galatian churches. The Judaizers would come in and require these new believers to adapt what they had learned and add certain requirements that had nothing to do with the original message of the Gospel.

Today, we risk the same thing when we require people to jump through our hoops in order to achieve the righteousness of Christ. The Gospel is simple. Christ intended it that way. Don’t complicate it.

Thank You, Lord, for keeping the message of salvation simple of all mankind.

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Battles, Bible, Conflict, Correction, End Times, Family, Fighting, God's Will, Home, Love, Relationships, Scripture

FATHERS AND CHILDREN

MALACHI 4:6

“‘He will turn the hearts of the fathers back to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and strike the land with complete destruction.’”

One of the things we teach in the ministry I am serving with, Every Man A Warrior, is father-son and father-daughter time. Most men don’t spend time with their children, thus the breakdown of relationships. When fathers do spend time with their children, they need to do a few things. They need to make it safe, ask questions, make it about them, pray with them, shut up and listen and finally, speak building blocks of truth in their lives.

Isn’t it amazing that Malachi talks about father and children in his very last sentence? He is still speaking about Elijah (whom we mentioned in yesterday’s blog). We are not told how he will turn the hearts of the fathers back to their children or the children’s hearts back to their fathers, but he does. Why? So the Lord “will not come and strike the land.” Let’s look closer at what this means.

APPLICATION

When family units breakdown, society crumbles. I am not just talking about the single households. I am talking about the extended families – Grandparents, Great-Grandparents, Parents, children, aunts, uncles, cousins. The biggest breakdown today is faith, or should I say lack of faith. When one person in the family is walking with the Lord and others are not, it can cause extreme division.

Lest we be surprised, our Lord talked about this in Matthew 10:21-22. “‘21 Now brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. 22 And you will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.”

Another passage is in Luke 5. Verses 51-53 are Jesus’ words again. “‘51 Do you think that I came to provide peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division; 52 for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three. 53 They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.’”

Now, before you decide to throw in the towel, look back at today’s verse. The Lord says through Elijah He will draw families back together in faith. I believe that. I know faith unites. May we all pray that for all of our families. May we be united in the love of Jesus and rejoice in what He has given us.

Father, thank You for this final promise in Malachi. Praise You for families and what they mean to You and eachother.

P.S. For my frequent followers, I will be taking a short break after today’s blog. I will pick back up on January 1. Pray that the Lord shows me where to go to next in our daily study. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

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Affection, Bible, Correction, Disappointment, Gifts, Giving, Guilt, Holy Spirit, Hypocrisy, Praise, Scripture, Worship

FORGET THE GIFT

MALACHI 1:10

“‘If only there were one among you who would shut the gates, so that you would not kindle fire on My altar for nothing! I am not pleased with you,’ says the LORD of armies, ‘nor will I accept an offering from your hand.’”

I have to admit something to you. I have given gifts out of guilt. Yep, I’ve done that. Don’t point your finger at me, though. I bet you have done the same thing. I have hurt people in the past, most of them unintentionally. So, what do I do? I try to find a way to make it up to them. That may involve a small gift of some sort. That is such hypocrisy, isn’t it?

The Lord speaks through Malachi in today’s verse and tells the priests, “nor will I accept an offering from your hand.” God doesn’t want gifts that are made half-heartedly. He wants us to come to Him with sincerity and purpose. God even hinted at even closing the doors of the temple to prevent them from offering sacrifices erroneously.

APPLICATION

Jeremiah 6:20 says something similar. “‘For what purpose does frankincense come to Me from Sheba, and the sweet cane from a distant land? Your burnt offerings are not acceptable and your sacrifices are not pleasing to Me.’” This thought wasn’t exclusive to Malachi. All through Scripture God abhors false worship.

Carl, what’s all this talk about worship. Can’t we just restrict that Sundays? Are you kidding me? Worship is a daily event. We should be worshipping the Lord every day through praise, through thanksgiving and through listening for His voice. By the way that is PTL – Praise, Thanks, Listen. Try that today and see if you don’t worship.

This past Sunday at the church I attend, the worship service was truly Spirit-filled. I don’t mean we got Pentecostal (nothing wrong with that if it’s genuine). After all, we are Baptists, lol. But there were tears shed. There were hands raised. There were people standing up in their pews in celebration of praises going up through music. But I know my worship isn’t just on Sundays at my church. It’s every day.

I worship, O Mighty God, there is none like You.

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Bible, Child Rearing, Children, Correction, Scripture, Teaching

PARENTAL INFLUENCE

ZECHARIAH 13:3

“‘And if anyone still prophesies, then his father and mother who gave birth to him will say to him, “You shall not live, because you have spoken falsely in the name of the LORD”; and his father and mother who gave birth to him shall pierce him through when he prophesies.’” 

As parents, we have the responsibility to teach and nurture our children. We have to hold them accountable and correct them when they stray. To do otherwise would be to condone or even encourage bad behavior. It’s never easy, but it is necessary. God has entrusted these lives to us and gives us His Word to guide us.

Today’s verse is harsh. False prophets were not to be tolerated. Even if it meant rebuking and denouncing your own child who was prophesying falsely, you were required to stand up to them. This comes from Deuteronomy 13:6-10. After addressing to whom this applies, Moses tells them in verses 10-11, “‘10 So you shall stone him to death, because he has attempted to drive you away from the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 11 Then all Israel will hear about it and be afraid, and will not do such a wicked thing among you again.’” This is why they had such hard rules.

APPLICATION

Let me be quick to say that the Lord does not expect you to kill anyone. These were Old Testament laws under the Mosaic covenant. We are under a new covenant through the blood of Jesus. He has paid the price for every man’s sins, if they will only turn to Him, repent and believe. We, however, are expected to teach and train our children in the Word of God. And if they decide to rebel against it, we hold them accountable.

Too many parents today are far too permissive in their child rearing. They let the child decide what they think is best. We don’t want to influence their decisions. Listen closely when I say that is a lie from the devil. We are most definitely supposed to influence their decisions toward Christ. How we handle this responsibility can and will directly affect your child’s trajectory in life.

Now, you may do your best and your child may still rebel. That is between them and God. But you have to do your part. Parents, be bold. Be brave. Teach your children from the Word each day. When they stray, correct them quickly. Correct them consistently. Above all, show them Christ’s love. Plant the seed deep. He will make it grow.

Father, give parents the boldness to teach their children Your truths and hold them to it.

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Asking, Belief, Bible, Correction, Devil, Direction, Questions, Scripture

I DON’T UNDERSTAND

 ZECHARIAH 4:4  “Then I said to the angel who was speaking with me, saying, ‘What are these, my lord?’” How many times have you been confused about something? Well, I have to admit that it has happened to me a lot. But one thing I have learned to do is ask questions. If I am not sure about something, I ask somebody to help me, to show me how to do it right or how to understand it. It’s humbling to ask for help. But it sure improves my own knowledge. Zechariah asked the angel what this golden lampstand meant (we discussed this in yesterday’s blog). He wasn’t clear on the vision. But he trusted the angel to show him what the purpose was. That kind of speaks to how God speaks to us. Sometimes He shows us something and we don’t understand. It’s okay to ask questions, just like Zechariah did. APPLICATION Do you have questions for God. Ask Him. It’s perfectly fine to tell Him you don’t understand. He wants you to understand. He is not trying to confuse you. That’s the devil’s job. He is the author of confusion. Paul tells us so in 1 Corinthians 14:33. “…for God is not a God of confusion, but of peace.” God, I don’t understand. Help me understand. This reminds me of the man who asked for help in his belief. Mark 9:24 says, “Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, ‘I do believe; help my unbelief!’” Is that you today? Then cry out to the One who has all the answers. Don’t you want to fully know Him? Don’t you want to know His purpose for your life? One day we will have the mind of Christ. Until then, keep asking questions. He will answer you. 

Hear my cry, O Lord. Send me what I need to know when I need to know it.

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Abiding, Belief, Bible, Correction, Direction, God's Will, Kindness, Scripture

THE MIGHTY HAND OF GOD

HAGGAI 2:21

“‘Speak to Zerubbabel governor of Judah, saying, “I am going to shake the heavens and the earth.”’”

I grew up in SW Georgia where pecans are a cash crop (by the way, it is pronounced pee-can, lol). I used to love to watch the workers harvest the nuts. Someone (I wish it had been me) invented this machine that has a huge mechanical arm that grabs the tree trunk and shakes it. When that happens, all those nuts come falling down. It literally rains pecans.

I thought about that when I read today’s verse. God said He was going to shake the heavens and the earth. He was saying He was going to literally shake things up. Things were about to change. But His people had nothing to fear. They would be gathered up, just like those pecans, for the harvest. He was going to do this to elevate His people.

APPLICATION

Is your life all shaken up? Perhaps the Lord is trying to prepare you for something great. But Carl, I don’t like this shaking. I want to live in peace. That’ll come. Trust Him. Submit to Him. Allow Him to work in your life and shake out all the stuff that needs to fall out. He may be shaking you to get you to move in the direction He has for you.

I know we all like to live without any troubles. But to experience real peace, we must submit to His mighty hand. Peter tells us this in 1 Peter 5:6-7. “6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, so that He may exalt you at the proper time, 7 having cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares about you.” Did you see that last phrase? He cares about you. Never doubt that.

Looking back at my life, I can see times when God shook me to get me where He wanted. It was never a violent shaking. It was gentle and compassionate. But I have learned to trust His hand. I don’t see it as a hand that is poised to strike me. No, it is hand to embrace me, even in the shaking. I know He wants what is best for me. Do you?

Lord, in the shaking of my life, You have directed me to follow Your will. Thank You, Lord.

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Abiding, Bible, Conviction, Correction, Corruption, Discipline, Passion, Scripture

RISING EARLY

ZEPHANIAH 3:7

“‘I said, “You will certainly revere Me, you will accept discipline.” So her dwelling will not be eliminated in accordance with everything that I have stipulated for her. Instead, they were eager to corrupt all their deeds.’”

I am typically an early riser. Sleeping to 6 a.m. is late for me. Normally I am up between 4:30 and 5:30 most days. I just can’t sleep late. The first thing I do after getting dressed is head upstairs to my office and have my Quiet Time. I love spending the first moments of my day in prayer and then in the Word. It sets me on the right course for the day.

In today’s verse the Lord is rebuking those in Jerusalem for doing just the opposite. “They were eager” is better translated “they rose early.” The got up early to corrupt all their deeds. The word “corrupt” actually means “to put to ruin.” Wow! They got up early to mess stuff up. Hmmm. Sounds like the world today, doesn’t it?

APPLICATION

I pray you have the Lord on your mind when you arise. Psalm 3:5 says, “I lie down and sleep; I awake again because the Lord sustains me.” Isn’t that awesome? Even while I am sleeping, the Lord is ready to wake me up and sustain me. Why shouldn’t we have Him on our minds first thing?

Don’t wake up and think What can I get away with today. As believers, we are to strive to be holy as He is holy. He commands that. And if God commands something of us, it is possible. He will never ask you to do something which He will not enable you to do. Do you believe that? You should. So, don’t succumb to the schemes of the evil one. He wants to lead you astray.

My practice of getting up early and having my Quiet Time is a skill I have developed. It wasn’t something I just started doing. I had to discipline myself to do it. Every Man A Warrior helped me to do that. Check it out at everymanawarrior.com. This material was written for men, but women are also taking advantage of the skills it helps develop. Welcome to the journey.

Father, I long to please You. I do not want to do those things anymore that feed my flesh. I want to feed my spirit.

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Accountability, Advice, Bible, Conviction, Correction, Forgiveness, Guilt, Judgment, Messages, Scripture

GETTING PERS0NAL

ZEPHANIAH 1:4

“‘So I will stretch out My hand against Judah and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And I will eliminate the remnant of Baal from this place, and the names of the idolatrous priests along with the other priests.’”

Have you ever been in a conversation with someone who was complaining about people? You may actually agree with them and name a few people you have issues with. But then that person begins to name things about you that bother them. Whoa, wait a minute. Now they are getting personal. They are meddling too much, right?

I am sure those who heard Zephaniah’s message agreed with the first few verses, but now he’s getting personal. Now he is naming Judah and Jerusalem. But Zephaniah isn’t pulling any punches because he is delivering God’s message to the people. He is calling a spade a spade. Those in Judah and Jerusalem who have bowed to Baal and all those priests will be eliminated.

APPLICATION

How do you handle your Pastor’s sermons? As long as he is preaching on someone else’s sins, he’s fine. But when he starts naming yours, well…that’s a different story. How dare he get personal. How did he know about that sin? Was he watching me? Who told him about that?

I have preached a lot of sermons in my ministry, but I have never preached one pointed at one person. No one has divulged a sin of someone I needed to nail from the pulpit. But there have been numerous times when people came up to me after a message and told me how I had really spoken to them that day about their life. God’s Word will penetrate the hardest heart.

If you are a Pastor or have the ear of your Pastor, tell them to just preach the Word. Don’t get fancy with all your eloquence. Just preach the Truth. Let it convict those who hear the message and draw them to point of repentance. Our job is to simply deliver the message, like Zephaniah. It isn’t to judge.

Father, thank You for entrusting me with Your Truth. Help me deliver it faithfully.

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Abiding, Accountability, Bible, Correction, Following, God's Will, Judgment, Love, Obedience, Scripture

THE ROD OF GOD 

MICAH 7:14 

“Shepherd Your people with Your scepter, the flock of Your possession which lives by itself in the woodland, in the midst of a fruitful field. Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead as in the days of old.” 

I grew up in the days of good old fashioned “whoopings.” My parents believed Proverbs 13:24. “Whoever spares the rod hates their children, but the one who loves their children will be careful to discipline them.” My spankings were never abusive. There is never any excuse for that. I knew my parents were trying to steer me in the right direction. 

This “scepter” mentioned in today’s verse could also be translated as “rod” or “correction.” It was a tool of chastisement. God used his corrective judgment to steer His children to repentance and renewed relationship. And He would direct them back to the first pastures in their land, Bashan and Gilead, the place of their beginnings as a nation. 

APPLICATION 

Has God gotten out His rod for you? Perhaps He is trying to steer you in the right direction. You know, it is much easier to live godly if we respond to that rod quickly. When we rebel and stiffen our necks, we can expect that correction to get a little tougher. God will bring you back home. 

I was a thick-headed child, at times. I knew certain things would get me in trouble and a sure whipping. Fighting with my brother was one of them. But we fought all the time. It was nothing serious, but mom didn’t allow it in the house. Sure enough, dad would come home and tear us up for not listening to our mom. 

I do not like the rod of God on me. I had much rather feel His warm embrace. Hadn’t you? So, as I live my life centered on His Word, I feel that embrace. Awww! That is much better than the rod.  

Lord, I am thankful that You love me enough to use Your rod of correction when I have strayed. 

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