by Don Finto | Oct 2, 2019 | The Good Report
1 Peter 5:8
According to 1 John 2:15, there are three basic temptations
in life: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life.
These were the temptations to which Adam and Eve fell in the
Garden. The fruit was “pleasant to the eye” (lust of eyes), would taste good
(lust of the flesh), and was supposed to make them “like God” (pride of life).
Jesus Himself conquered all these when He was tempted by the devil after those
40 days of fasting and prayer in the Judean wilderness. “Turn these stones into
bread in order to still your hunger” (lust of the flesh), “Jump from the Temple
to you’re your power since Scripture says that the angels will catch you”
(pride of life). “I will give you all the kingdoms of the world if you will
fall down and worship me. You won’t have to go to the cross (lust of the
eyes).
I have found both through personal experience and through
observing others, that we are most susceptible to these temptations when 1) we
are very tired, 2) when we are “very high,” 3) very stressed and self-medicate,
and 4) when we are in a strange environment.
When we are very tired, we may let down our guard and defenses,
and begin to think, even subconsciously, that we deserve a break. That “break” can
lead us to indulge ourselves in things we would not do if we were alert.
When we are “very high,” not necessarily on some substance,
but just high on life, things are going well for us, maybe we’ve received a
promotion, or received some honor, or maybe we’re even “high” in the Lord,
feeling so close to Him that we feel almost invincible and are not expecting
temptation to be lurking.
When we are very stressed, we do not go to the source of our
comfort (2 Corinthians 1:3) but self-medicate to avoid the Lord’s presence. Even
as we are stressed, are we standing on God’s Word?
When we are in a strange environment, we do not have around
us the people who often help to keep us focused.
In those moments, we can be the most susceptible to areas of
failure, expressing itself in some form of lust, self-focus, self-elevation,
maybe an outburst of anger, perhaps an offense because we are not appreciative,
or some other unexpected enticement.
In such cases, Peter’s word is the word for the moment: “Be
alert!”
Yes, Lord, may we accept this God-given-Peter-phrased advice,
always relying on Your help so that, even in those times, we walk forward in
strength.
by Don Finto | Sep 18, 2019 | The Good Report
Authority, biblically, is from the ground up, not the top down – not someone up on top handing down commands and expecting to be served. Biblical authority is rather an inverted pyramid, with the leader on the bottom serving those whom God has given him. Think Jesus!
Listen to the way Jesus admonished the leaders and rulers of
His day: “The rulers of the Gentiles lord
it over them, and their high officials exercise
authority over them. Not so with
you! Instead, whoever wants to
become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must
be your slave” (Matthew 20:25). Pretty strong words, wouldn’t you say?
“Lording it over” others is ungodly. “Exercising authority over
others ” is against the will of God.
Yes, we are to walk in the authority God has given us, and
we are to exercise that authority, but we are not to “lord it over” or
“exercise authority over.” In other words, we make no demands. We love and we
serve.
Yes, Paul tells wives to submit to their husbands as unto
the Lord, but he precedes that admonition with advice to both husband and wife:
“Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” When both husband and wife
submit to one another out of a desire to love and serve, there exists a healthy
loving marriage. When a Godly woman has a husband who loves and serves her, she
will willingly submit to that authority, knowing that he has her best interests
in all that he does. The day a husband says to his wife, perhaps in the middle
of a heated argument, “You are supposed to submit to me,” he has already walked
away from the spirit and nature of Jesus.
May we walk in our God-given authority – yes! But let us do
it as chief servants to those around us, not as chief usurpers of that
authority.
Have a blessed life!
by Don Finto | Sep 4, 2019 | The Good Report
What if you had a fiancé or a husband who was away on a long trip, and he wrote letters to you daily only to find the letters unopened when he returned three weeks later? Would you think you would have a hard time convincing him that you really do love him?
And yet! We have a “Lover” who is on a long trip and He has left us all kinds of letters and communication that often lie unopened on our coffee tables or on the bookshelves. Not only that, sometimes some of us say, “But He would not think that way,” when we have rarely picked up His “letters” to find out what He likes and does not like.
Even among believers, sometimes even pastors, there is a dearth of Bible reading. As a result, we have whole denominations who are calling righteous what God calls sinful.
I love the way Isaiah talks about the word of God. “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth, and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth. It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire, and achieve the purpose for which I sent it”(55:10-11).
Rain and snow! That describes my Bible reading. Sometimes His Word is like rain, and makes me “green and flourish” immediately. But sometimes it’s like snow. I don’t get any immediate result. His Word just piles up on top of my head! But when the sunlight of His Presence hits that pile of snow, it melts and runs down inside of me and empowers me!
Do you have a plan for reading the entire Bible? Even if it takes you five years? Read the whole thing! Sometimes you may feel you are getting nothing immediately (like snow on top of your roof); other times you will feel totally refreshed and restored (like the refreshing rain).
The world’s bestseller! Really a remarkable book! Life-changing!
Read the book!
by Don Finto | Aug 7, 2019 | The Good Report
When you’ve heard from God, but it’s an answer that you really did not want to receive, don’t ask twice.
Read Number 22 about the prophet Balaam, and you’ll understand.
The king of Moab wanted to hire Balaam to curse his enemy Israel. Balaam may not at the time have known much about Israel, but he was a servant of the LORD, so he inquired. The LORD said, “Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed.”
The Moab princes went home and told their king, but the king did not want to take “no” for an answer, so he sent more princes and offered greater rewards if Balaam would come to curse his enemy Israel.
Balaam’s response was outstanding, but his heart was not with his words. “If Balak were to give me his palace full of silver and gold, I would not go beyond what the Lord tells me.”
That should have been the end of the matter, but those rewards were so enticing that Balaam told the princes, “Wait here and let me ask God again.” The LORD had already told Balaam he was not to curse Israel, and Balaam had no need to ask again.
So what happened? The LORD told Balaam to go ahead, but “God was very angry” (22:22) with Balaam for even asking. You’ll have to open your own Bible if you want to know the rest of the story, but it wasn’t pretty, and Balaam ended up in dangerous territory in Moab before he’s learned his lesson.
The moral of the story? When you hear from God, and you’re sure you’ve heard, but you’d like to have a different answer, don’t ask twice.
Has God been talking to you with an answer you did not want? Don’t ask again. You may not like what happens.
by Don Finto | Jul 17, 2019 | The Good Report
“Your Kingdom, come!”
Matthew 6:10
Isaiah
told of a Son that would be born who would be called “Mighty God, Everlasting
Father, Prince of Peace” – that the government would be upon His shoulders, a
government, a kingdom, that would never end (Isaiah 9:7). Jesus is that Son.
Our intended destiny is to be a part of His
advancing kingdom.
Daniel
had a vision of the “time of the end” when the righteous would “shine like the
brightness of the heavens” and would “lead many to righteousness (Daniel 12:4).
Our intended destiny is to be so full of the
Spirit of Jesus that we radiate the glory of God – our very countenances proclaim
His greatness.
Jesus
spoke of a time when world righteousness would ripen (See Matthew 13:30). Wickedness also ripens, but light always
defeats darkness.
Our intended destiny is to become the most
righteous generation in history.
May
we embrace our destiny to the fullest – you and I. May we be so saturated with
the Word of God and so full of His Spirit that we continually spread His joy.
May
nothing distract us, nothing discourage us. Let us go forward in strength and
with passion.
Lord
Jesus, help us to share the good news and take millions with us into the
eternal Kingdom.
by Don Finto | Jul 3, 2019 | The Good Report
Keeping the Kingdom view!
Paul says, “God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:6)
Seated with Jesus in the heavenly realms! Take your seat and look down upon our world. You will see all sorts of God things going on, and you will love and appreciate them. You will give thanks for them. You will be encouraged.
Failing to keep that Kingdom vision can make us very self-focused, sometimes even discouraged. We judge what God is doing from our limited point of view. If “our” ministry is thriving, growing, and prosperous, then we could begin to lean toward pride.
Seeing the Kingdom from below tends to divide us. We become too absorbed in our own lives and ministries, and often care too little about what others are doing.
Seeing the Kingdom from above unites us. We see and appreciate others and how God is using them. We see that they are needed part of us.
Keeping the Kingdom vision from the heavenly realm humbles us. We appreciate the role to which others are called and are grateful for them. They augment us. We are on the same team. We want to know these other partners and encourage them.
Remember to stay seated in that heavenly realm so that you will appreciate others more, knowing that you are only one part of God’s Kingdom equation.
Keep the Kingdom view!
