The greatest revelation of truth comes when you are confronted with the proverbial fork in the road.  You have the choice to go right or left, but that’s not the revelation, the revelation comes when you understand that you have no idea which way to go.  You are forced to consider that there is a higher authority than you, the one who created the road.

We have in our culture this idea that we as a human race can figure anything out, we see movie after movie demonstrating that idea.  There is an asteroid approaching the earth and unless we react quickly we will be destroyed.  We will find a way, a hero will step forward and somehow stop that asteroid.  In the end, the hero saves the day and restores hope in humanity, that where there is a will there is a way.

The truth is, that even though these types of movies give hope that we can figure things out, there are problems every day that we cannot solve.  No human hero can step in and save the day for so many across this country, and when that fact is presented to us we can’t believe it, there has to be another way.  Our truth message to counter this can be found in John 14:6

Galatians 5:1 AMP

5 It was for this freedom that Christ set us free [completely liberating us]; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery [which you once removed].

I want to begin this blog by saying this, “God does not owe us anything”.  We have come to a place in our American culture where we think that we are owed something.  We have the mentality that since we are born again that God somehow now owes it to us to “keep” us.  If He keeps us, it is not because He owes us, He keeps you and me because He loves us.  It is a fact that we expect God to do everything for us without us having to move, but this is not the case.  We are His people and as such we have been promised the victory, but that does not mean that we will never have to pick up the sword and fight.  I cannot have the victory over the enemy if I am content to be a couch potato.  If it seems good to me to sit at home and be fed by that TV, or by that phone without ever having to get up and put on the whole armor of God then I am doomed to be defeated.

Laziness has never got a man or w

omen anywhere, in the physical or spiritual.  Laziness has plagued the church, and procrastination has crippled it.  We put off for tomorrow what we needed to deal with today. This is not a diet or meal plan that we are messing with, this is your eternal life that is at stake.  We must arise in this final hour and be what His word says we should be and that is soldiers of the cross.  Do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.  “Be ye Holy, as I am Holy”, is a scripture verse that we run away from because it is too hard.  I cannot be Holy and that is a fact, but this scripture is, in fact, saying “strive to be Holy, as I am Holy.  A man or woman of God who is striving to be Holy has no time to turn around in this race and see what’s going on behind them.  They have no time to mess with   this world and its philosophy, but rather they run this race striving for Holiness because He is Holy.

There are so many things in scripture that we know, but because they seem  too difficult we overlook

them or try to explain them away as if God will be fine with it.  I can tell you from personal experience that He is not ok with you overlooking what He is trying to get you to deal with in your life.  When we deal with the hard questions that the Holy Spirit presents to us we can begin to heal, but it is only when we deal with it and answer the question honestly, can that healing begin.  A man or woman who suffers from an illness will never recover until they admit that they are sick.  Once they admit they are sick then they can begin the recovery process, or be healed.  For you to say you are not sick when you are, only stalls the healing.  And spiritually when you will not admit that sin is making you ill then you will remain ill.  There are so many people today who are in denial about their current situation.  It seems as though we are living in an age where people do not want to know if they are wrong.  It seems that we think we cannot be held accountable for something that we are not aware of.  This is a lie from hell, a lie that has paralyzed the church into a form of godliness that denies the power thereof.  We must, as the scriptures say, come out from among them and be ye separate.  It is imperative that we live from day to day as close to God as possible.  This is the only way we will see the tide turning, living close to Him is the only way we will obtain His victory.    If today, you know for a fact that the Holy Spirit is dealing with you about something, do not run from it, but deal with it.  Oh how He loves you and me, He will forgive, He will heal and you can be free today.  Keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.  Amen

It does not matter who you are or how long you have been serving the Lord. We are all capable of falling when we turn away from God. It is with in your DNA to make mistakes, to trip and fall on your face. But I know a God that can change who you are, he can change your DNA.

Asaph was a man of God without a doubt, he was a worship leader in the house of God, and he authored Psalms 50, and Psalms 73 to 83. We know that he was appointed minister of music by King David in 1 Chronicles. We know that he was of a Godly family. He probably looked the part and had all the priestly garments that was of the day. He probably spoke right and said all of the right words used by the religious of the day. I am sure that it was not a show, he was truly a man of God and lived what he preached. But as we look at Psalms 73:1 we can see into his heart and what he was thinking at this point in his life.

Psalms 73:1
Truly God is good to Israel,
to those whose hearts are pure.
2 But as for me, I almost lost my footing.
My feet were slipping, and I was almost gone.

He said that his feet were slipping, he was not referring to the way he walked physically. He wasn’t saying I tripped today and almost fell on the ground. He was referring to his walk with God. He was talking about how he lived for God. He said I know that God is good, I know he is. But as for me, I was falling, and I was almost gone.

Why was a man who lived in and near the temple all his life, falling? Why was his faith shaken? What could have happened to this man that made him question Gods plan.
Let’s continue reading and we will see why……

3 For I envied the proud
when I saw them prosper despite their wickedness.

Pride crept in and had began to destroy him from the inside out. He was probably still ministering, still singing, still playing the drums, the cymbals, the brass instruments, the bible says he played. Have you ever caught yourself in a thought that started as something small and then 15 minutes down the road you were angry and anxious about a person or an incident that otherwise you wouldn’t have been. The incident could have happened years ago but one thought brought it back and then you began to dwell on in.

Before you know it you are feeling the pain of it all over again. Maybe some one did something to you by accident and it wasn’t a big deal at first but you went home and began to think about it. Some of you have gone as far as to confront that person and more problems have come of it than if you would have just given it to God.

Then the next thing we know we are thinking what Asaph thought in verse 13

13 Did I keep my heart pure for nothing?
Did I keep myself innocent for no reason?
14 I get nothing but trouble all day long;
every morning brings me pain.

What am I doing, I have prayed and received no answer. I feel like God is not hearing me. Have I done what is right for no reason? Maybe I should just not go to church anymore if this is how it’s going to be. I have served God for 20 years and I see only the wicked prospering. Asaph had taken his eyes off of God and put them on himself. Everything was turning inward. Has this ever happened to you? Is this happening to you right know? Have you got your eyes off of Jesus and began to look at yourself and what is going on around you. When you allow the devil to speak into your life, he never gives you the full picture, he gives you his version of it.

I am sure this is what is going on in Asaph’s mind here. He goes on for several verses complaining about the wicked and the injustice of their prosperity, and then he tries to understand it but cant, then he comes to the corrects conclusion that we all need to come to. In verse 17.
17 Then I went into your sanctuary, O God,
and I finally understood the destiny of the wicked.
18 Truly, you put them on a slippery path
and send them sliding over the cliff to destruction.
19 In an instant they are destroyed,
completely swept away by terrors.
20 When you arise, O Lord,
you will laugh at their silly ideas
as a person laughs at dreams in the morning.
But wait not only did he realize the end of the wicked, he saw his own heart.
21 Then I realized that my heart was bitter,
and I was all torn up inside.
22 I was so foolish and ignorant—
I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you.
23 Yet I still belong to you;
you hold my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel,
leading me to a glorious destiny.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
I desire you more than anything on earth.
26 My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak,
but God remains the strength of my heart;
he is mine forever.
He was falling and was going away from God. He didn’t turn from knowing God was real but he was mad that the wicked were prospering and growing. He was so upset that he was saying, “What’s the use in being a good man, a man of God”?
But he was healed when he came into the sanctuary of God, into God’s presence. What was the sermon that day I don’t know? But I know God and I know that God is personal. I am willing to bet that God saw his heart, and said today’s message will be for Asaph. If Asaph had not gone into the House of God and heard whatever the message was that day, or if he had failed to pray that day he would not have been healed. He would not have understood the questions that he had; he wouldn’t have realized that his heart was bitter, and all torn up inside. He wouldn’t have realized that he was being foolish and ignorant. He was bitter and torn up inside, all of his focus had been turned from God on to his problems and the wicked of his day. Pride had crept in and it was all about him and how bad he had it. God why am I serving you if all I get in return is bad? But the wicked do there thing and they seem to be prospering. We have all probably asked these questions at one point or another. God why? We all probably have the testimony of going through hard times and then coming into the house of God and hearing a word that turned everything around. No matter where I am go through or what is happening, no matter if the wicked seem to be doing well and I am not, NO MATTER.

23 Yet I still belong to you;
you hold my right hand.
24 You guide me with your counsel,
leading me to a glorious destiny.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
I desire you more than anything on earth.
26 My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak,
but God remains the strength of my heart;
he is mine forever.
When I can’t seem to figure out the answer to WHY? The only answer that matters is YET I STILL BELONG TO YOU! What glorious hope we have as believers.

75 We give thanks to you, O God; we give thanks, for your name is near.  We^[a] recount your wondrous deeds.  ² “At the set time that I appoint I will judge with equity.  ³ When the earth totters, and all its inhabitants, it is I who keep steady its pillars. Selah
⁴ I say to the boastful, ‘Do not boast,’ and to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up your horn; ⁵ do not lift up your horn on high, or speak with haughty neck.’”  ⁶ For not from the east or from the west
and not from the wilderness comes lifting up, ⁷ but it is God who executes judgment,
putting down one and lifting up another.  ⁸ For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup
with foaming wine, well mixed, and he pours out from it,  and all the wicked of the earth shall drain it down to the dregs.  ⁹ But I will declare it forever; I will sing praises to the God of Jacob.  ¹⁰ All the horns of the wicked I will cut off, but the horns of the righteous shall be lifted up.

As humans, with the limited mind and understanding that we have been given by God we think more highly of our intellect that we should.  If we cannot understand why then we judge God of being unfair or wrong, or we are just angry that God allowed such a thing.  When something happens in our life that is tragic or hard to deal with, our fallen nature tends to need to blame something or someone.  Most often we blame God.  We just cannot comprehend that because of this fallen nature and because of sin, bad things happen to good people.  We cannot wrap our mind around this.  In actuality none of us are good people, because of sin we are filthy rags in our best condition, which is why we need Him.  We are only clean when we are in Him, yet this carnal nature still has to live in this fallen world with other fallen people who do not adhere to Christian standards and beliefs.  Living in a sinful world and means that sometimes other people’s sin affects us.

This is why bad things happen, and yes even to us Christians.  This is proven time and time again in scripture, we see Christians suffering.  They suffered through trials and just plain old life circumstances.  The questions is this:  can God get as much glory out of some one suffering through a life circumstance as He can from, let’s say a martyr?  I think the answer is yes.  We often rank the things we go through.  We also compare them with other people and the things they have gone through.  Many of the apostles suffered from the hands of people who hated them just because they were Christians.  I personally do not know what that feels like.  But I do know what it feels like to be tested by life’s circumstances to the point I was in despair and almost in a state of depression.  But I have and am overcoming, I have a testimony.  I have known people who have lost children and now have great testimonies of emotional healing.

I have known people who have suffered financially through no fault of their own and now have a testimony of God’s restoration.  We all go through so many things in a lifetime and not all of us go through the same thing, but God can get the glory out of all of it the same way He can get glory from a fallen saint that is physically persecuted.    My point is this, God is in complete control.  He will judge rightly and in His time.  We all through things while we are here because we live in a fallen world, but the righteous will be exalted.  This is His promise and He will not fail to come through.  We can trust in Him and He demonstrates his power and authority by saying in verse 3, when the earth totters, and all its inhabitants, it is I who keep steady its pillars.  What an all-powerful God we serve, He will judge in His time and with equity.

Remember, whatever you may be going through, or what you will go through in the future, do not try to apply blame, even though there may be an offender.  This may take time, but give it all to Him and know that He will judge, and His judgment will not fail, it will be perfect.  May the Holy Spirit give you grace in your trial and the knowledge 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