In His Grip

Are you a church hopper? How do you decide what church to attend? Are you committed to your church family or do you easily jump to the “next show in town?” How do you demonstrate your commitment to a local church? How does God view the local church? How does God demonstrate His love for the church. This Old Testament story about the Danites and Michal and Laish and the Sidonians gives us an opportunity to consider our own view of the church and Dr. Betters challenges us to determine if it is high or low. What is your view of the church? And how do your decisions reflect that view?

Knowing God is life’s major pursuit. Why is it so important to a covenant family to learn of God’s attributes. Learning about God gives us a desire to be like Him, I begin to imitate Him. For example, when I learn of His love, I become more loving, learn of His patience, I become more patient, learn of His humility, I become more humble. You might be asking, “Really? Not sure that’s true.” Ask God to open your heart to His truth as you listen to Dr. Betters’ message from Judges 18.

In this continuing series, we discover the subtleness of idols, that often they are very good things that we treat as a priority that supersedes worship of our God. We learn the need to worship God as Creator, Sovereign Lord, Redeemer. One life transforming reason for worshiping God and learning more about His attributes is that such knowledge begins to shape our worldview and the way we respond in everyday life. Such worship helps us find balance in handling all those “good things” that often distract us from intimacy with Him.

Judges 17 is a warning to us who are covenant people and is relevant for today’s culture. Many of us wonder at the moral decline in our culture, and often we blame superficial causes. But unless we dig deep and unearth the systemic disease that slowly but surely corrupts the foundations in our own hearts, we will continue to shake our heads in disapproval but continue to walk our own pathways of corruption. In this message, Dr. Betters describes how we can make good things statues on our own mantels and become deaf and sightless to the damage these deeply rooted statues are causing. But this is not a gloom and doom message. Because of Jesus, there is always hope when we identify root sin in our own lives, because there is forgiveness and grace.

What gets inside the head of a young girl who almost starves herself to death because when she looks into a mirror she sees a fat, ugly, lonely girl? In this special interview, Rose (not her real name) takes us inside the heart of a girl who “cannot remember a time when I wasn’t overweight and looked different from my thin and pretty friends. I could never wear the same style of clothes as them….I couldn’t borrow PJ’s for an impromptu sleepover or a bathing suit for a spontaneous swim. I was hyper-aware of the space I took up in a car, and I was always too heavy for a piggyback ride. The small inconveniences turned into huge insecurities and I became consumed with how my weight made me different.”

This story will offer help and hope to those whose battle with food has taken up prime residence in their everyday world. Rose does not sugar coat her battle and admits that even now, she must practice strong disciplines in order to fight old habits.

Say, “Samson” and most people will follow with the words, “and Delilah.” This is a chapter of tragedy. There are so many life lessons that are articulated elsewhere in the scriptures: Pride goeth before destruction and a haughty spirit before the fall (Proverbs 16:18) and Let him that thinks he stands take heed lest he fall (1 Corinthians 10:12). Samson toys with temptation and Delilah uses all of her feminine powers to bring him down. We watch in horror as Samson implodes. Is there any hope for redemption?

What is a common denominator between Elijah, David, Lot, Paul, Moses, Peter AND Samson? Each one experienced spiritual depression. Have you ever been depressed? Perhaps you are experiencing depression because of the consequences of personal sin, or the sin of others or perhaps you are depressed and you just experienced a great victory. God’s Word does not leave us wondering when we face depression. Many men and women considered great Kingdom builders, struggled with deep depression. Dr. Betters paints a picture of help and hope for those of us who battle depression.

In this sad chapter of Samson’s life, we watch as “spiritual influenza” creeps into this man God appointed as a judge for Israel. Samson has already violated two-thirds of the Nazaritic vow that he would not drink alcohol or have contact with dead bodies. For nearly twenty years he has floated around living on the perimeter of his spiritual calling rather than on the cutting edge of spiritual discipline. He is complacent and careless. He rests on his laurels. He fails to keep up to date with the tactics of Israel’s enemies. In spite of his complacency and carelessness, God continues to give him victories over the Philistines. But by the time he meets up with Delilah, his integrity and moral strength are infected by spiritual corruption and in her hands he is like a frog in a kettle.

In this sad chapter of Samson’s life, we watch as “spiritual influenza” creeps into this man God appointed as a judge for Israel. Samson has already violated one-third of the Nazaritic vow that he would not drink alcohol or have contact with dead bodies. For nearly twenty years he has floated around living on the perimeter of his spiritual calling rather than on the cutting edge of spiritual discipline. He is complacent and careless. He rests on his laurels. He fails to keep up to date with the tactics of Israel’s enemies. In spite of his complacency and carelessness, God continues to give him victories over the Philistines. But by the time he meets up with Delilah, his integrity and moral strength are infected by spiritual corruption and in her hands he is like a frog in a kettle.

Verse by verse, Dr. Betters shows us that Samson was in complete control in a dangerous situation that to others looked like his despairing demise. And yet throughout this passage we see parallels to the life of Jesus and especially the days leading up to the Crucifixion. Once more, intrigue, violence, torture and what appears to be the loss of control are the context of this story of a man who had feet of clay but would one day demonstrate a soul of steel.