True to His Word Audio Blog • Brian Larson

As I’ve been doing these podcasts, on occasion I’ve talked a lot about the Rapture and what’s going on in the world today that is pointing to the imminency of the Rapture like never before in world history. Not long ago, I received a rapture-related question from a lady named Peggy, and her question was this: “What about the revival for a billion souls that D.L. Moody talked about before the Rapture?”

Well, I was not particularly aware of that, but apparently Dwight L. Moody—a great evangelist of the faith in the latter 19th century—had predicted a great revival, a salvation of a billion souls, before the Rapture would occur. Does that mean what I’ve been saying about how soon the Rapture could be conflicts with what Moody said? If Dwight L. Moody’s prediction is correct, does that mean the Rapture isn’t as imminent as we’ve been hearing it very well could be?

As I answer that, I want to make three simple points:

1. Preachers’ Opinions Are Not Scripture

We pastors can often feel very strongly about an opinion we have, and it may be something that we feel very convinced about in our own heart, but that is not scripture. As interesting as it might be, you can’t bank on our feelings and what we think may happen. We can only bank on what Scripture says. I have nothing but respect for D.L. Moody and his statement about that billion souls; once again, that was something in his heart that he shared way back then with his people. But that’s not Scripture. That’s not God’s Word; that’s his sense.

2. Scripture Foretells a Falling Away

When you look at Scripture and look at the last days around the time of the Rapture, 2 Thessalonians 2:3 talks about a great apostasy taking place—a falling away:

Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,

That is in the Christian church in general: a falling away from the basics of Biblical teaching, the Biblical Gospel, standing on the Word of God, and growing in the Word of God. Instead, there’s a shift toward more “feel-good” sermons. I’m afraid that’s exactly what’s going on in our society today. Much of Christian preaching today is feeding cotton candy to the body of Christ rather than solid food from God’s Word, and I see a great apostasy taking place all around us.

3. A Billion Souls May Have Already Been Saved

Dwight L. Moody ministered in the latter part of the 1800s, and in the 150-ish years that have gone by since then, it’s possible that a billion souls truly have come to faith in Jesus Christ in these last days.

I like what Peggy said at the end of her email: “But I’m ready.” That’s the most important thing—being ready.

Be on the Alert! Be Ready!

When Jesus talked about His Second Coming and our preparedness for it in Matthew 24:42, He said:

“Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.”

In verse 44 of that chapter, He added:

“For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.”

Whenever He comes—and we seem to be on the cusp of it—when it actually happens, it will be a surprise. Even as I sit here telling you it’s getting near, deep down in my heart I don’t think it’s today. We’re going to be feeling that way, and then there it is. So it will be a surprise.

Jesus gave two instructions: “be on the alert” and “be ready.”

* Being on the alert means being aware of what’s going on around you in this world. The Lord in His Word has given us many indicators and signs that the end is getting very near. Being on alert is being aware of that—not putting your head in the sand thinking, I don’t look at stuff like that, or avoiding Revelation, the one book in the Bible that promises a blessing to those who read and listen to it. Take your head out of the sand and stay alert.

* Being ready comes down to three simple things:

* Be absolutely sure of your own salvation. Our salvation is not a hope-so—it’s an absolute know-so. John 1:11–12 notes about Jesus that:

He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name

Romans 10:9–10 says:

that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

First John 5:13 says:

These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, …

* Put your trust and hope 100% in Jesus Christ alone. Not in the circumstances or issues of this life, not in earthly treasures that come and go, and not in your personal hopes for this life—100% in Jesus alone. Whatever comes, keep your trust in Him.

* See yourself as His servant. Whatever station in life you find yourself in, wherever the Lord has planted you, realize you are there to point to Him as Lord with your life, faith, and words. Ask Him: “Lord, let me be an instrument that glorifies You today, however You want to use me.”

When you are sure of your salvation, have your trust 100% in Jesus alone, and realize you are here as His servant, whenever He comes, you are ready.

You have a wonderful hope—not only for this life with His guidance, help, support, and love, but with the wonderful hope of instantly being in His presence. Have a great day in the Lord!

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About Pastor Brian

Pastor Brian Larson ministered in Truckee, California, for more than 40 years, having moved there with his young family from Southern California in the summer of 1975 to pastor a denominational church in the area. He stepped out in faith in 1978 to begin a nondenominational fellowship in North Tahoe. By June of 1981, the small fellowship had moved to the high school auditorium in Truckee, and it was then that they became known as Calvary Chapel of Truckee. For more than 38 years, the emphasis of Pastor Brian’s ministry at Calvary Chapel of Truckee was simply on the building up of the body of Christ through the clear, objective teaching of the Word of God, the praise and worship of His Name, and diligent prayer. He firmly believed that as the body was fed and nourished in His Word, we would grow in His grace and love. In October of 2019, Pastor Brian stepped down as senior pastor of Calvary Chapel of Truckee and soon after moved to Connecticut where he has continued ministering to the body of Christ through teaching engagements and through his non-profit ministry True To His Word.

Introduction: Seeking Specific Direction

We now come to the third and final part of our series on Discerning God’s Direction for Your Life.

These promises from God’s Word come directly through Jesus Christ to those who are born-again believers in Him. In our first study, we saw that God has a personal, tailored, and good plan for your life. In our second study, we looked at how to be tuned in to Him—placing our trust in Him, delighting in Him, committing our way to Him, and resting patiently while He works.

As Proverbs 3:5–6 reminds us:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths.”

Now, there are times when we reach a crossroads in life and feel a pressing need for God to reveal His specific direction: “Lord, which way do I turn?”

Looking through Scripture, I see six signposts God uses to reveal His specific direction for our lives.

1. His Written Word

The first signpost is the written Word of God. Psalm 119:105 tells us:

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

A lamp to your feet keeps you from stumbling in the immediate step, while a light to your path illuminates the way ahead through the darkness. God uses His Word to provide specific, daily guidance.

Now, this does not mean using the Bible like a magic lottery wheel—throwing it open in a panic, sticking your finger on a random page, and saying, “Lord, give me direction!”

Finger-Dip Guidance

There’s an old story about a man who needed urgent direction, threw open his Bible, and stuck his finger down on a verse that read: “And Judas went away and hanged himself.” Flustered, he said, “Lord, let me try that again!” He flipped to another page, put his finger down, and read: “Go and do likewise.”

That isn’t how Scripture works! It reminds me of an accident we had on our church prayer calendar a while back. Each day listed a specific person or ministry to pray for alongside a verse. One day, the calendar said: “Pray for our youth pastor and his wife, Jason and Jen Lopez.” The intended verse was likely Ephesians 3:19 where it says:

“… that you may be filled up with all the fullness of God.”

However, our secretary inadvertently typed in Philippians 3:19:

“Whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things!”

The Bible is not a magic book. 2 Timothy 2:15 instructs us:

“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.”

Be a student of God’s Word. 2 Timothy 3:16–17 adds that all Scripture is profitable for:

* Teaching (Doctrine): Understanding God’s ways.

* Reproof: Pointing out when you start wandering off course.

* Correction: Getting you back onto the right path.

* Training in Righteousness: Moment-by-moment direction so that you are thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Examples of Leading Through the Word

* Alan Redpath: The great 20th-century English preacher was a successful Christian businessman who felt a subtle call to pastoral ministry. To discern if it was God, he made a pro/con list. Then, through daily, steady Bible reading, he kept a listening ear. Over time, as he studied Scripture, the “cons” were gradually crossed off one by one, and the “pros” became overwhelming until God’s call was unmistakably clear.

* A Call to Missions?: A young man felt so strongly called to the mission field that he quit his job and moved his struggling young family to Bible college in Southern California. The move brought severe financial hardship and deprivation to his household. As he cried out to God in prayer, 1 Timothy 5:8 jumped off the page:

“If anyone does not provide for his own, and especially those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”

He realized his immediate duty, withdrew from school, and returned to providing for his family.

God’s direction will always be in harmony with the principles and standards of God’s written Word—not only in discovering God’s direction, but also affirming it.

2. Prayer

The second signpost comes directly through prayer. James 1:5 promises:

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”

And Jesus instructs us in Matthew 7:7–8:

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.”

Notice the word “seek”—it describes someone who doesn’t yet see the answer directly in front of their face, so they go to God to search for it. Jesus assures us that if we ask, our heavenly Father won’t give us a stone when we ask for bread, or a snake when we ask for a fish (Matthew 7:9–11). He will give what is good.

The Still, Small Voice

When the prophet Elijah was at a low point in his life, hiding in a cave on Mount Horeb, God spoke to him in an unexpected way in 1 Kings 19:11–12:

Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.

We often want God to guide us through something massive and loud—like putting direction on a giant billboard. But guidance usually comes in quiet, still communion with Him.

I remember getting up early one morning to have breakfast with a man who needed counsel for some difficult personal issues. I was so troubled because I had no idea what advice to give him. As I sat in my bedroom putting on my socks, I paused, set my sock on the desk, bowed my head, and prayed: “Lord, I need Your help and wisdom right now.” I sat still for a moment and waited. Very quickly, the Lord placed a clear, helpful thought into my mind that I was able to share over breakfast—and it was clearly from Him.

Are you taking time to be still and pray, or are you just fretting, worrying, and striving?

3. The Witness of the Spirit

The third signpost is the internal witness of the Holy Spirit. In John 14:16–17, 26, Jesus promised the Holy Spirit as our Parakletos—one called alongside to help, teach, and abide inside believers forever. In John 16:13, Jesus added:

“When He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth.”

In Acts 13:1–2, as the leaders of the church in Antioch were worshipping and fasting, the text notes:

“The Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’”

The Holy Spirit communicated directly to the inner spirit of those believers.

A Burning Flame

I didn’t grow up wanting to be a pastor; I never even entertained the thought until I was 24 years old. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, a call to ministry hit me like lightning. My initial reaction was, “Lord, You have the wrong number!” But over time, that inner voice didn’t go away. It felt like a flame burning brighter and hotter in my heart every day until, like Paul, I felt: Woe is me if I preach not the Gospel. It was the quiet, inner witness of the Holy Spirit directing my path.

To test an inner witness:

* Does it line up with Scripture? (If someone claims the Spirit told them to do something contrary to God’s Word, like moving in with a girlfriend, that is not the Spirit).

* Have you committed it to prayer and waited with a listening heart?

Seek counsel from mature Christians who genuinely love Jesus and ground their advice in Scripture. When I was discerning my call to ministry, my non-Christian friends responded with confusion or laughter. But when I shared it with believers who loved Jesus, their eyes lit up, and they embraced me with joy and prayer.

4. Counsel of Brothers and Sisters in the Lord

God frequently provides direction and confirmation through fellow believers. 1 Corinthians 12:7–8 notes that spiritual gifts—like a word of wisdom or a word of knowledge—are given to individuals across the body for the common good.

We call this “body life”—the mutual ministry of believers to one another. Proverbs 15:22 states:

“Without consultation, plans are frustrated, but with many counselors they succeed.”

Seek counsel from mature Christians who genuinely love Jesus and ground their advice in Scripture. When I was discerning my call to ministry, my non-Christian friends responded with confusion or laughter. But when I shared it with believers who loved Jesus, their eyes lit up, and they embraced me with joy and prayer.

How to Handle Unsolicited Counsel

Occasionally, well-meaning Christians might tell you, “God told me you should do X,” or “I really think you should do Y.” If advice like that is truly from God, it will do one of two things:

* Confirm what God has already been placing on your heart.

* Be confirmed directly to your heart by the Lord over time as you pray.

Never move blindly on someone else’s “word” if it doesn’t resonate or get confirmed in your own heart by the Lord.

I recall a young man in a church where someone stood up during a service and announced, “God told me you are called to be a missionary in Panama!” Everyone applauded, so the man dutifully sold his belongings and moved his family to Panama. He spent two miserable, fruitless years beating his head against a wall before realizing God had never called him there.

God has your direct number! He can use the counsel of the body, but listen for His still, small voice to confirm it personally.

5. Circumstances and Timing

God is sovereign over every detail of our circumstances (Romans 8:28). When something is God’s will, He takes care of the circumstances and the timing.

God Moves Circumstances

* The Camp Staff Offer: A teenage girl who had been dramatically delivered from drug addiction was offered a summer staff position at a Christian camp. She was thrilled, but her Christian father told her she couldn’t go because he wanted the family to take a long-overdue vacation together. Instead of arguing, she went to her room and surrendered it to the Lord in prayer. Weeks later, her father’s company launched a surprise mandatory project, canceling the vacation. He turned to her and said, “If you still want to work at the camp, you can go.” God arranged the circumstances without her throwing a tantrum.

* The High School Cafeteria: Our church met in a high school cafeteria for decades. Seeing how God miraculously provided a permanent building for another local church encouraged me that our meeting location was exactly where God wanted us by His sovereign design for that season.

God Controls Timing

Circumstances also dictate when God’s plan unfolds:

* Joseph in Prison: After Joseph correctly interpreted the butler’s dream, the butler promptly forgot about him for two full years! It was only when Pharaoh had an unsettling dream two years later that the timing was right for Joseph to be remembered and elevated (Genesis 40–41).

* The Letter from Gabon: Missionaries in Gabon received a letter from a remote backcountry village asking for someone to come tell them about Jesus. For seven long years, government red tape completely blocked the missionaries from traveling there. When the door finally opened seven years later, they hiked into the jungle and found a man left on the side of a trail to die. They nursed him back to health—only to discover he was the very man who had written the letter seven years earlier! He led them straight into his village, where many came to faith.

Never curse your circumstances; God works through them and controls the timing.

6. The Inner Peace of God

The final signpost is an inner, prevailing peace from the Lord. As Paul writes in Philippians 4:9:

“The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”

Letting Go and Finding Peace

My son Matthew spent a lot of time and money training for a career in real estate, but he kept hitting wall after wall. Despite his heavy investment, he finally realized it wasn’t God’s path, surrendered it, and let it go. Immediately, a deep peace filled his heart. Today, he is joyfully serving in full-time ministry.

The Teaching Job vs. Seminary

When I was preparing to go to seminary, I was offered a dream position as a schoolteacher. I knew my wife, Joyce, had personal misgivings about being a pastor’s wife, so I agonized over the decision all weekend. Joyce refused to tell me what to do, saying, “That’s between you and the Lord.”

On Monday morning, in a state of anxiety, I called the school and turned down the teaching job. As I drove to church afterward, I felt immediate remorse, thinking, “I just made the biggest mistake of my life!” I couldn’t wait to call them back and take the job.

When I finally called back after morning VBS, the administrator said, “I’m sorry, Brian—he already gave the job to someone else.”

The instant she said those words, an overwhelming, divine peace flooded my heart. The anxiety evaporated, and I knew I was on God’s path.

God will not leave you in permanent confusion. The God of peace will direct your path as you trust Him as we are told in Proverbs 3:5–6:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart,And lean not on your own understanding;In all your ways acknowledge Him,And He shall [direct your paths.

Conclusion & Final Challenge

These six signposts—God’s Word, Prayer, the Witness of the Spirit, the Counsel of Believers, Circumstances, and Inner Peace—all require one primary thing from us: a listening ear.

Throughout the Gospels and Revelation, Jesus repeatedly says: “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says ...”

Listen for Him, listen to Him, and trust His lead. As God declared in Jeremiah 29:11:

‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.’

His plans for you are for shalom—to give you a future and a hope. He has not given up on you, so do not give up on Him!

Closing Prayer:

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your clear guidance and direction. May Your good, glorious, and perfect will be done in our lives. Give us listening ears to hear Your still, small voice and the faith to follow where You lead. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Read Discerning God’s Direction, Pt. 1 here

The Context of First Corinthians

First Corinthians, a letter written by the apostle Paul to a young body of believers in the ancient Greek city of Corinth, is a very practical book. It deals with a lot of moral and spiritual questions that often come up in people’s minds. In fact, as you read it, you get the impression—rightly so—that 1 Corinthians is actually a response to a letter sent by the Christians in Corinth asking all kinds of practical questions about their new Christian life and walk, now that they’re believers.

You see various practical issues dealt with here, including:

* Marriage, divorce, and remarriage

* Lawsuits and going to court

* Divisions and gossip in the church

* Sin within the congregation

* The proper receiving of the Lord’s Supper

* The gifts of the Holy Spirit (and quite a bit about the gift of tongues)

* The bodily resurrection of believers

This book has been called a casebook of pastoral theology.

The “Gray Areas” of the Christian Life

Nevertheless, a multitude of practical things come up in everyday life that fall into the category we might call “gray areas.”

Should I or shouldn’t I? Is it okay or is it not okay as a Christian?

These are things the Bible doesn’t say anything specific about: Should I go to that party? Should I have that drink? Should I go to that movie or take in that show? Should I do this or say that?

I trust that most of us here, being believers in Jesus Christ, really want to do the right thing on a daily basis—what God would say is good and right. But when questions like this come up, we might also feel that groups like the Amish, for instance, have gone a little too far in those categories.

So what does the Bible say about those things? Does the Word have anything to say about it? I believe it does, specifically, right here in 1 Corinthians.

The Basic Principle: You Are Not Your Own

The first thing I want to point out is that Paul affirms a basic tenet of the Christian life: the highest purpose behind any and all human activity, as a believer. Speaking to born-again believers in 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 (NASB1995), he says:

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”

Jesus put it this way to His disciples in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:16):

“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

Live your life to the glory of God. That’s the basic, overriding principle of all human activity as a believer: that with this body, this life, and these days, I might be an instrument for the glory of God. It’s not so much that I am glorifying God, but that God is glorifying Himself and His name through the likes of somebody like me.

Paul points out four key truths in this passage:

* You are a dwelling place. Despite being an earthen vessel—an old pottery pot—you are a temple of the Holy Spirit of God. You are a living, walking, breathing temple of God. The building is not the temple; you are.

* You were purchased at Calvary. You belong to Him now.

* As such, you don’t own yourself anymore. That’s a good thing!

* Consequently, there is a tremendous, limitless potential for glorifying God with your life. It’s not about the earthen vessel; it’s about Who abides in that earthen vessel: God by the Holy Spirit.

So, the point is, just what He might want to do with you in every single and any little situation of your life. That’s the spirit of it.

The Danger of Legalism & Rules

So, with that in mind, what do we do about those gray areas?

Let me tell you what our natural tendency is. New Testament Jewish culture was really good at this: making all kinds of rules. “A good Christian doesn’t do this, doesn’t do that, and won’t do that anymore.”

Did you know that in Orthodox Judaism, there are two books considered holy? The holiest, of course, is the Torah—the Law of God. But another highly reverenced text is the Talmud, which consists of writings the ancient rabbis who were interpreting the Torah, the Law of God. In other words, they made laws based on God’s law. In the Talmud, there are 613 specific, separate laws that a good Jew was supposed to keep.

This was very in vogue in New Testament Israel, in Judea, where Jesus lived. The rabbis knew that the Talmud wasn’t God’s law, but viewed their rules as a “hedge” around God’s law to keep you from breaking it. For instance:

* The Sabbath: God’s commandment says to keep the Sabbath holy and not do any work. But what qualifies as “work”? They came up with a “Sabbath day’s journey”—the distance you could walk without it being counted as “work”. They had it mapped out as approximately 1,000 yards, calculated precisely in cubits. A good Pharisee would know how many steps he could take that day and be inside the law; he would count his steps so he didn’t accidentally take that final step that crossed into “work.”

* Food Preparation: On the Sabbath, you could eat food, but you couldn’t prepare food—that was work. If someone was injured, you could bandage the wound, but you could not dress the wound—that was work. That’s why Jesus got into trouble for healing on the Sabbath day; that’s why the disciples got into trouble for picking heads of wheat, rubbing them in their hands to remove the chaff, and pop the little grain in their mouths. By rubbing it in their hands, they were “preparing food” and that was against the rabbinical law of God, according to their interpretation.

* Kosher Laws: To this day, if you travel to Israel, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a cheeseburger. You can find hamburgers, but cheeseburgers? You may find some little joint somewhere that’s breaking the law by offering cheeseburgers. You also can’t buy a hamburger and a milkshake together in Israel. Why? Because Exodus 23:19 says, “You will not boil a young goat in the milk of its mother.” That was originally a prohibition against a specific pagan, idolatrous practice. But over time, a hedge was built around it so that meat and dairy could never be combined. At hotels in Israel today, breakfast will feature all kinds of dairy products but no meat, while dinner will feature meat products but no dairy. They keep those separate because of that law.

We might chuckle at things like that and ask, “How legalistic can a person get?” Yet Christians have a tendency to do the exact same thing.

Some churches may create lists: “If you’re a good Christian, you don’t do this and you don’t do that.” My wife, Joyce, grew up in a home and church with very strict rules like that:

* No playing cards, because cards were associated with gambling (they didn’t even play Go Fish!).

* No going to movies—even back in the day when movies were innocent and G-rated! It’s funny, Christians today feel very free about going to movies today, when they are a lot worse!

* No dancing.

* No televisions. I remember reading as a young man about a church in the Midwest that decided TV was of the devil. Everyone brought their sets to the parking lot, piled them up, and lit a bonfire. After that, you couldn’t own a TV and be a member of that church.

Now, I’ll admit—getting rid of TV isn’t necessarily a bad idea! But it’s not a sin to have a television. When you create an endless list of rules to try to live righteously, your Christian life becomes a list of don’ts, and it turns into total bondage. You go around tripping over your lower lip because you’re trying so hard to be “holy.”

What’s wrong with those “hedges”?

* They become treated as God’s law when they aren’t.

* They replace joy with fear.

* They make you judgmental. You end up judging other people’s walk based on your personal list.

* They foster legalism. You start thinking that keeping your list makes you a righteous person. Your self-righteousness becomes based on what you do or don’t allow yourself to do. But those rules have nothing to do with true righteousness!

It reminds me of the Islamic prayer towers in the Middle East. Five times a day, Muslims stop to pray toward Mecca. In ancient times, a person called out from the tower, but nowadays, it’s an automated recording with an amplifier. It goes off on a timer—loud, ear-piercing, and repetitive. But the point is: any practice that becomes a rote, legalistic rule becomes lifeless.

Christians can be so guilty of those attitudes, too: five times a day we stop and pray! How often do YOU do it? Anything that becomes this rote little rule that you keep becomes lifeless.

I remember watching a Disney movie as a kid—I think it was The Absent-Minded Professor starring Fred MacMurray. Every time the husband and wife went to kiss, they would reach toward each other, miss by an inch, and just kiss the air! They were going through the physical motions of acknowledging one another, but the real heart and life of it had gone by the wayside.

If I went up to my wife Joyce five times a day, stood rigidly, and said, “I love you, I am your husband, I am committed to you, amen, goodbye,” she’d look at me and say, “Would you stop it? Just talk with me! Let’s go take a walk and spend time together.”

Rules, regulations, legalism takes the life out of a relationship. Doing what’s right isn’t about maintaining a big list of rules and then fervently keeping the rules; that misses the point completely.

I’ll tell you what else is a danger: pretty soon your rules become so holy, and everybody who’s part of the “in group” know what the rules are, but people on the outside don’t know the rules—so they’re not as holy as you are!

Furthermore, rules encourage hypocrisy and manipulation. Jesus heavily criticized the religious leaders in Matthew 23 because they created rules with loopholes. For example, if a man swore by the temple in Jerusalem, the rabbis said it wasn’t binding. But if he swore by the gold on the temple, it was binding! If he swore by the altar, it wasn’t binding, but if he swore by the gift on the altar, it was binding. Businessmen would exploit these technicalities to deceive Gentiles, and Jesus ripped on that. It was in that context that Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 5:37a, But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’.

Grace and Intent Over Rules

This whole issue reminds me of an incident when my son Tim was about six or seven years old. My older daughters were babysitting in the neighborhood a few blocks away. This was during the day, so some of the younger kids had gone over there to hang out, and Tim had ridden his bike over.

I was standing in the living room looking out toward Martis Valley Road when I saw Tim pedaling home as fast as his legs could carry him. Even from a distance, I could tell he was crying hysterically. He pulled up, threw his bike on the lawn, ran inside, sobbing. I asked, “Tim! What’s wrong?”

He said, “Dad, spank me!”

I said, “Spank you? Why?”

He cried, “Don’t ask—just spank me!”

Of course, I wasn’t going to spank him; he was clearly brokenhearted and repentant. When the older kids came home, I asked what happened. It turned out Tim had unknowingly said a “bad word”—he didn’t even know what it meant, but when he said it, his older siblings gasps in shock: “Oooh, Tiiiim!” He was so horrified that he pedaled straight home to take his punishment.

In many cases, the person breaking the so-called “rules” is probably more innocent than the people judging them.

I remember a young lady who got saved and started coming to our church years ago simply seeking to learn more about Jesus. She looked like she came from another planet—her hair was sticking out in three or four different colors, her makeup and her clothing were both just weird! But she was coming out of her background and genuinely wanted to know Jesus.

When she walked in, I saw some people in the congregation freeze up, not knowing what to do. But knowing where she was coming from, I walked right up, gave her a hug, welcomed her, and introduced her around. As people realized she had just accepted the Lord, those barriers broke down, and she became a wonderful part of our church family. Over time, her appearance softened a little bit, naturally, but she was there for the right reasons all along.

When rules dominate, you lose the life God intended. You can keep every outward rule and still completely miss the intent of God’s law. Jesus said the entire law is summarized in two commandments: Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself.

Jesus confronted the Pharisees on this very point in Matthew 23:27–28:

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. Even so you too outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”

True Christian Freedom

Making a big list of rules doesn’t cut it. That is never what your walk and your Christianity is ever to be about! So—what do you do? Look at what Paul writes in Galatians 5:1:

“It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.”

Christ set you free that you might really be free. That’s the point. Don’t be subject to legalistic rules. Paul says in Galatians 5:13:

“For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”

The takeaways are simple:

* Do not be bound “dos” and “don’ts”, laws and rules. Realize that you are absolutely free in Christ. Let that settle in.

* Do not use your liberty as an excuse for selfishness or lust. Instead, use that incredible liberty that you have in Christ to love, serve, and build up others. In other words, use that freedom to be a help to others in knowing Jesus and walking with Him. That’s the principle! That glorifies God.

Four Questions for the “Gray Areas”

So how do we handle the gray areas of life? Rather than relying on rigid rules, here are four questions you can ask yourselves—not rules—derived from 1 Corinthians chapters 6, 8, and 10:

Question 1: Is it helpful?

“All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable [helpful].” (1 Corinthians 6:12a)

Ask yourself: Is this helpful spiritually, physically, and mentally?

* Spiritually: Does this strengthen my walk with Christ?

* Physically: My body is the temple of the Holy Spirit—is this good for God’s temple? By doing this, am I honoring God with my body?

* Mentally: Romans 12:2 says, “Do not be conformed to this world [don’t just do it because everybody else is doing it], but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Philippians 4:8 instructs us to Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. Is this helpful in honoring God with my mind?

I remember years ago when my kids were young, I was watching a movie in the basement. I heard the kids coming down the stairs, and realizing the movie wasn’t appropriate for them, I said, “Kids, this isn’t for you—head back upstairs.” They dutifully went back up. But as I sat there, the Lord spoke to my heart: So why are you watching it, Brian? If they shouldn’t watch it, why do you need to watch it?”

I felt convicted, turned off the TV, and went upstairs to hang out with my kids until bedtime. How many times have you watched something on TV into the late night and asked yourself, Why in the world did I watch THAT? And you go to bed almost churning on the inside. How much better just to flip that thing off and get a good book—you know, I can recommend a really good book, I think you should read it daily—it’s called the Bible! It’s the bestselling book in the history of the world.

Reading good literature at night makes me really tired really fast, so I end up going to bed earlier—and that’s a good thing. I used to tell my kids when they were teenagers. “Be home by midnight.” “MIDNIGHT?” they would complain. I would tell them that nothing good happens after midnight.

We live in a movie-saturated society—we stream them, buy them, and watch them on tiny screens everywhere. I wonder how many movies we would turn off, or walk out of, if we simply asked: Is this helpful mentally for my walk with my Lord? Is it helpful spiritually?

Asking that question: Is it helpful? can keep us from doing things we perhaps should not, but can also encourage us do those things that we actually should, but just don’t feel like today. I wonder how many people won’t be in church next Sunday because they just don’t feel like it? I have to go, so I can’t point the finger at anybody.

So the question is not just: Is this OK? It’s also: Will this contribute to making me the person God wants me to be?

Now, does this mean you can never enjoy an ice cream cone, eat cotton candy at the fair, or go to Disneyland? No, not necessarily! Leisure activities provide wonderful opportunities for fellowship, encouragement, and building relationships outside of formal Bible study. When my kids were growing up, I did all kinds of kid activities with them—not necessarily for the activity itself, but to be with them and share that joy. Joyce and I used to love getting a banana split together after the kids went to bed; it wasn’t just the ice cream, but the quality time we shared over it.

Paul addresses this balance in Romans 14:22–23: “The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith; and whatever is not from faith is sin.” He’s talking about those gray areas, in particular; those things that we wonder about. If your conscience pricks you about something, listen to the Spirit … to do or not to do.

Question 2: Can it get me in its power?

“All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.” (1 Corinthians 6:12b)

That’s an important question to ask: Can it get me in its power?

Paul’s attitude is that anything that can get me in its grip, that has the potential of becoming a habit that I will have difficulty breaking, I will have nothing to do with that. I’m going to leave that alone. The reason was Galatians 5:1 again:

It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.

Watch out for that one!

I remember a man in our ministry who was absolutely clearly delivered from severe alcoholism. He got set free. He was a free man! For several months, if not a year, he walked in freedom with the joy of the Lord. After months of that, he told me, “Brian, I’m so set free now that I could have a drink now and then and it would be OK.” Red flags went up big time. I warned him: “Don’t do that! Don’t take the chance of being subject again to a yoke of slavery. Stay free!” But he was convinced he was fine. In a matter of weeks, I watched a dear brother of mine go right down the tubes. He spiraled right back into that bondage, into the slavery of full-blown addiction. It just broke my heart. Paul said, if something has the power to get its grip on me, I’m leaving it alone!

Pastor Chuck Smith, in his annotated Bible, wrote on this verse: “I am so free in Jesus Christ I can do whatever I want, but I don’t want to do things that enslave me. It would be foolish if, after being set free, you were to sell yourself into slavery again.”

Does this have power to get me in it’s grip? We’re not talking about just BAD stuff. The most innocent things can have that power in a person’s life! There can be nothing wrong with things, generally speaking, but for that person, the attitude should be, I can’t do that!

I remember speaking at a youth camp years ago. Many kids rededicated their lives to the Lord after the week-long camp, including this one high school football star who told me he felt convicted to step away from football. He said he realized if he was going to walk with Jesus he couldn’t play football anymore. “I know what football does to me and the way it gets control of my life, it dominates me and brings out things in me I don’t like, and I just need to release it.” I like football and I didn’t want him to throw it away unnecessarily. But after talking with him a bit more, I realized he was doing exactly the right thing for him. Stepping back was the right choice to stay free.

Sometime later I read a book called Twelfth Man in the Huddle, featuring testimonies from NFL players who played specifically as a platform to glorify God and be a witness for their faith, and that is why they are there. For one person, an activity is fine; for another, don’t do it! It will suddenly be controlling your life.

In my first youth pastorate, a group of leaders had a regular Friday night golf gathering. Over time, I noticed the entire church calendar started revolving around Friday night golf—it became an untouchable “holy cow.”

When anything controls you, you can no longer, in that context, be controlled by the Holy Spirit. My usefulness to the Holy Spirit is too valuable to ever let anything gain control in an area of my life. So, what do you do? If there’s something in your life exercising that kind of control, repent, surrender it, and release it to the Lord. Let the Lord, in that area of your life, give you what He wants to give you—leave it in His court. There may be an area in your life that you KNOW you have to forsake it and walk away from it. If that’s the case for you, I encourage you: DO IT! Do it now. Be free in Jesus.

Question 3: Will this cause others to stumble?

But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if someone sees you, who have knowledge, dining in an idol’s temple, will not his conscience, if he is weak, be strengthened to eat things sacrificed to idols?For if someone sees you, who have knowledge, dining in an idol’s temple, will not his conscience, if he is weak, be strengthened to eat things sacrificed to idols? For through your knowledge he who is weak is ruined, the brother for whose sake Christ died. And so, by sinning against the brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause my brother to stumble. 1 Corinthians 8:9-13

Paul uses the example of meat sacrificed to idols. Some of the best steaks in Corinth were served at idol temple restaurants. As a mature believer, Paul knew an idol was nothing and that the meat was perfectly fine to eat. But if a newer believer—who had recently left pagan idol worship—saw Paul eating that meat in a temple, it might confuse them, wound their conscience, and cause them to fall back into sin.

Paul’s conclusion: I am so free that I am free to never eat meat again if it keeps my brother from stumbling.

We want to be an encouragement to others in their walk with the Lord, and NOT a hindrance!

I remember a pastor friend’s wife once attended a mandatory company holiday party where alcohol was flowing heavily. People kept offering her drinks, and she politely declined each time. A few days later, a new believer in their church—who was a recovering alcoholic—called her and said, Thank you for saving me at that party. I was tempted to grab a drink, and I decided that if I saw you take one drink, I’d take it as my cue to drink. Every time you said ‘No thank you,’ it gave me the strength to say no.

While drinking in moderation is not explicitly forbidden in Scripture, our pastoral staff has chosen to abstain completely so that we never open a door that causes someone else to stumble. Our goal is always to encourage others in their walk with Jesus.

Question 4: Is it glorifying to God?

“Whether then you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)

It’s not just what you do or don’t do—it’s why you are doing it.

When Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners, the Pharisees criticized Him. Jesus responded that it is the sick who need a physician. He was in that setting for one primary reason: the glory of God.

Conclusion

When you encounter those daily gray areas, seek God’s wisdom, ask for His guidance, and run things through these four questions:

* Is it helpful spiritually?

* Does it have the power to control me?

* Would it cause someone else to stumble?

* Can I do this for the glory of God?

As you do this, the Holy Spirit will establish healthy, personal hedges for your life that bring glory to Him. Remember: those hedges are between you and the Lord—they aren’t meant to be forced on everyone else. Walk in the freedom Christ has given you!

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About Pastor Brian

Pastor Brian Larson ministered in Truckee, California, for more than 40 years, having moved there with his young family from Southern California in the summer of 1975 to pastor a denominational church in the area. He stepped out in faith in 1978 to begin a nondenominational fellowship in North Tahoe. By June of 1981, the small fellowship had moved to the high school auditorium in Truckee, and it was then that they became known as Calvary Chapel of Truckee. For more than 38 years, the emphasis of Pastor Brian’s ministry at Calvary Chapel of Truckee was simply on the building up of the body of Christ through the clear, objective teaching of the Word of God, the praise and worship of His Name, and diligent prayer. He firmly believed that as the body was fed and nourished in His Word, we would grow in His grace and love. In October of 2019, Pastor Brian stepped down as senior pastor of Calvary Chapel of Truckee and soon after moved to Connecticut where he has continued ministering to the body of Christ through teaching engagements and through his non-profit ministry True To His Word.

I am absolutely convinced that the Bible is the inspired, inerrant Word of God. 2 Timothy 3:16a states:

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God.”

That settles it right there.

Yet, throughout history, the credibility of the Bible as being truly God’s Word has been endlessly attacked by critics in this unbelieving world throughout history. It has been mercilessly attacked in by skeptics who inspect every tiny detail in an effort to disprove its authority, preferring to reduce it to the writings of men filled with myth. So they do everything they can to prove the Bible to be false. But, time after time, historical and archaeological discoveries have vindicated the text.

The Pattern of Archaeological Discovery

Critics have repeatedly claimed the Bible was inaccurate whenever external records were absent—only for archaeology to prove the biblical text correct.

* The Hittite Empire: For many years, critics claimed the Hittites were a mythical group because no independent record of them existed. In the 19th century, archaeologists uncovered the remnants of the Hittite civilization—located exactly where the Bible said they would be.

* The Ancient City of Nineveh: History recorded the existence of the mighty Assyrian Empire, but because no physical evidence of its capital, Nineveh, had been found, skeptics labeled it biblical folklore. That was until archaeologists discovered the site of ancient Nineveh, and it was as the Bible described it and right where the Bible said it had been, perfectly matching the scriptural descriptions.

* Pontius Pilate: Because no Roman record of Pontius Pilate had been found, critics asserted that early writers invented the Roman governor who ordered Jesus’s crucifixion. Following the modern establishment of the nation of Israel in the late 1940s, archaeologists digging in the ancient Roman regional capital of Caesarea uncovered a stone artifact explicitly engraved with Pontius Pilate’s name.

* King David: More recently than the Pontius Pilate case, critics even attempted to deny the existence of King David, the most famous, storied, powerful king Israel ever had. In fact, Jesus would be of the family of David. But they tried to disprove his very existence because there was no record, historically, of David until relatively recent times, right there in the Old City of Jerusalem, they have uncovered his palace.

The Bible stands unscathed until this very day.

Resolving Apparent Contradictions: The Healing at Jericho

Beyond historical sites, critics often target “apparent contradictions” between Gospel accounts to claim the Bible cannot be divine. But the truth is that, in anything that appears to be a contradiction, there is always a very legitimate answer to that apparent contradiction.

I want to give you one example of that. In the Gospel of Matthew, it talks about Jesus on His way to Jerusalem. It says in Matthew 20:29–30:

“Now as they went out of Jericho, a great multitude followed Him. And behold, two blind men sitting by the road, when they heard that Jesus was passing by, cried out, saying, ‘Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!’”

Now Luke, in his Gospel, recounting the very same incident, puts it this way in Luke 18:35–38:

“Then it happened, as He was coming near Jericho, that a certain blind man sat by the road begging. And hearing a multitude passing by, he asked what it meant. So they told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by. And he cried out, saying, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!’”

Critics point to two differences, two apparent contradictions:

* How many men were healed? Matthew mentions two blind men, while Luke (and Mark) mentions only one (Bartimaeus).

* Which direction was Jesus traveling? Matthew state that Jesus was leaving Jericho, while Luke states he was entering Jericho.

Critics love that one! This can’t be inspired by God because, look, there are obvious differences there. But the truth is, there are NO contradictions there.

The Solutions

* The Number of Men: Matthew notes that two men were present, whereas Luke and Mark focus specifically on the primary spokesman, Bartimaeus. Focusing on one key individual in a narrative does not deny the presence of a second.

* The Location: Archaeology provides the answer to the geography. It has been discovered that in the time of Christ, there were actually two Jerichos: the original Old Testament city (where the poor resided) and, just down the road, there was a newer, affluent city built nearby by King Herod, featuring his winter palace and gymnasium.

Bartimaeus was obviously positioned along the road between the two cities. Jesus was exiting the old city of Jericho (as recorded from Matthew’s perspective) and entering the new city of Jericho (as recorded from Luke’s perspective).

This context aligns seamlessly with what follows in Luke’s Gospel: upon entering the new city, Jesus meets Zacchaeus, a wealthy tax collector living in that upscale city. Zacchaeus came to faith in Jesus Christ when Jesus came and dined at his house that afternoon. So, that fits perfectly; Zacchaeus was a wealthy man living in the new city. So the critics’ argument falls flat, yet again. Once again, the Bible stands on its own merit, perfectly.

Trusting the Scripture

My point is this: don’t judge the Bible by what the so-called experts are saying. Instead, brethren, you can judge what the “experts” are saying by what the Bible says, because IT is the truth.

It has been proven, over thousands of years of history, to stand its ground. You can put your trust in what this Book says from Genesis to Revelation, and you won’t go wrong. It may be challenged by what modern theories are saying, but it won’t stand against any proven facts. Proven facts stand with the Bible. So, I’m telling you, if you will just receive it and believe it all, you will inherit eternal life through Jesus Christ, God’s Son and our Savior. From Genesis to Revelation, the entire Book is about Him—and it doesn’t get any better than that.

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About Pastor Brian

Pastor Brian Larson ministered in Truckee, California, for more than 40 years, having moved there with his young family from Southern California in the summer of 1975 to pastor a denominational church in the area. He stepped out in faith in 1978 to begin a nondenominational fellowship in North Tahoe. By June of 1981, the small fellowship had moved to the high school auditorium in Truckee, and it was then that they became known as Calvary Chapel of Truckee. For more than 38 years, the emphasis of Pastor Brian’s ministry at Calvary Chapel of Truckee was simply on the building up of the body of Christ through the clear, objective teaching of the Word of God, the praise and worship of His Name, and diligent prayer. He firmly believed that as the body was fed and nourished in His Word, we would grow in His grace and love. In October of 2019, Pastor Brian stepped down as senior pastor of Calvary Chapel of Truckee and soon after moved to Connecticut where he has continued ministering to the body of Christ through teaching engagements and through his non-profit ministry True To His Word.

Right at the end of First Thessalonians, there is a series of brief admonitions to believers. Verse 18 says:

“In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

Christians are called to always be thankful. Thankfulness ought to be a central aspect of our life and our walk as believers. In Philippians 4:6, we are told:

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”

Notice it does not say with fear, trembling, griping, or complaining—it says with thanksgiving. First Thessalonians sums up that spirit: In everything give thanks.

Someone once described it as developing an “attitude of gratitude.” That attitude does not always come automatically; it is something the Lord calls us to actively cultivate and put into practice. The circumstances of life have nothing to do with our ability to be thankful. God has made a multitude of promises in His Word, and when we look through them, we cannot help but overflow with confidence. What is there to fear?

Glasses and Attitudes

We all deal with human nature. When things are going well, it is easy to put on “rose-colored glasses” and see how lovely everything is. But on other days, when we get up on the wrong side of the bed, it is easy to reach for “manure-colored glasses” where everything suddenly looks and stinks like trouble.

It brings to mind the story of a couple with twin boys—one a total pessimist and the other a complete optimist. To test their attitudes, the parents filled the pessimist’s room with incredible toys: a big red fire truck with working lights and sirens, an electric train set, and a brand-new bicycle. In the optimist’s room, they put only a large pile of horse manure.

When the boys came home and went up to their rooms, the parents checked on them after a few minutes. They found the pessimist sitting glumly amidst his gifts. They asked, “What’s wrong? Look at these amazing toys!” He replied, “The fire truck will probably break, the electric train might electrocute me, and I could fall off the bike and break my leg.”

Then they opened the door to the optimist’s room. He was shoveling manure everywhere with a huge grin. They asked, “What are you doing?” He cheered, “With all this manure, there’s got to be a Shetland pony in here somewhere!”

It is all about attitude. Giving thanks has a profound effect on our perspective. The Lord says in everything give thanks—there is never a time where thanksgiving is inappropriate.

Grateful for … FLEAS? Yes!

In The Hiding Place, Corrie ten Boom recalls her time with her sister Betsie in the Ravensbrück concentration camp during World War II. When they were assigned to their barracks, they discovered their wooden sleeping platform was swarming with fleas.

Corrie cried out in distress, but Betsie suggested they ask God what to do. They opened their smuggled Bible, and it landed right on 1 Thessalonians 5:18: In everything give thanks.

Betsie began thanking God for every detail of their situation—including the fleas. Corrie thought that was taking things too far. But later, they discovered why the fleas were a blessing: the guards refused to enter the barracks because of them. Because of those fleas, the women were able to pray, hold Bible studies, and worship freely in the middle of a Nazi concentration camp.

Scripture does not just call us to feel thankful; it calls us to give thanks—to consciously render thanksgiving to the Lord whether we feel like it or not.

The Importance of Giving Thanks

Consider Daniel and his friends Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. When King Nebuchadnezzar ordered the execution of all the wise men in Babylon because no one could recount his dream, Daniel requested time to seek God. That night, God revealed the mystery to Daniel in a vision (Daniel 2:19).

Notice what Daniel did immediately after receiving the answer: before running to the king to save his own life, he stopped to bless and praise the God of heaven. He prioritized thanksgiving.

We see the same principle when Jesus healed the ten lepers. Only one—a Samaritan—returned to give thanks. Jesus asked:

“Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?” (Luke 17:17).

God values our gratitude. Giving thanks actually blesses Him. As Psalm 63:3–4 says:

“Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise You. Thus I will bless You while I live.”

When we bring our requests to God with thanksgiving, Philippians 4:7 promises that:

“the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

4 Things We Can Always Be Thankful For

Even when life brings difficult circumstances, here are four truths we can always give thanks for:

* Thank God that He is with you.

Psalm 23:4 tells us:

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me.”

The “valley of the shadow of death” refers to life’s deepest, darkest trials. Jesus promises in Hebrews 13:5:

“I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

* Thank God that He will get you through it.

Psalm 23 notes that we walk through the valley—not into it to be destroyed. When Jesus told His disciples, “Let us go over to the other side” (Mark 4:35), He did not say let us go to the middle of the lake and drown. Even when storms raged and the disciples panicked, His Word stood fast. His rod (representing His ownership of us) and His staff (representing His protection) comfort us. As the saying goes, “It came to pass”—it didn’t come to stay.

* Thank God for what He is going to do through it.

Romans 8:28 promises that “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” God will either use the trial for ultimate good or He would not allow it in your life.

* Thank God for all the other blessings you still have.

As the classic hymn instructs: “Count your many blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.”

For many years, Jim Mensie served as a worship leader at Calvary Truckee. He developed Guillain-Barré syndrome, a horrendous autoimmune condition that left him completely paralyzed. He lay in the hospital for weeks, unable to move a single muscle.

Yet, on a whiteboard mounted beside his bed, Jim kept a running list of prayer requests for everyone in the church body. Whenever visitors came, he would smile and remind them, “I’m praying for you. I know I’m saved, and I know where I’m going to end up.”

Jim eventually experienced complete healing. Today, he continues to serve Jesus as a missionary in Belize (pastor of Calvary Chapel of the Placencia Peninsula in Seine Bight). Even in the midst of total physical helplessness, his joy was anchored in what Christ had already done for him.

3 Pillars to Anchor Your Heart

To truly give thanks in every situation, three core truths must be firmly established in your heart:

* God loves you unconditionally.

Romans 5:8 reminds us that “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” His love is not based on your performance; it is who He is.

A woman in our church once brought her father, Ronnie, to a midweek service. Ronnie was an elderly, slight man from New York City who had spent 30 or 40 years as a barber—and a illegal bookie with ties to the mob. He was completely unfamiliar with church. When introduced to him, I simply looked at him and said, “Ronnie, Jesus loves you.”

Ronnie’s eyes grew as big as saucers, and his mouth fell open. He gasped, “Me?”

That simple truth hit him like a lightning bolt. Ronnie was transformed on the spot, gave his life to Christ, was baptized in Donner Lake, and spent the rest of his days filled with vibrant joy, attending every service he could.

* God is sovereign and in total control.

Luke 1:37 declares, “For with God nothing will be impossible.” He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

* God has a wonderful plan for your life.

Jeremiah 29:11 says, “‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope.’” His primary goal is conforming us to the image of His Son—filling our lives with His love, peace, and joy.

When trials come, you can rest in the same assurance as the elderly pastor who, on his deathbed, was asked how he slept. He replied, “I rested my head on three pillows: the pillow of His infinite power, the pillow of His absolute control, and the pillow of His wonderful love—and I rested quite well.”

In everything, give thanks. That assurance is found in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Trust Him, walk in His truth, and let every circumstance lead you into thanksgiving.

Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts.

About Pastor Brian

Pastor Brian Larson ministered in Truckee, California, for more than 40 years, having moved there with his young family from Southern California in the summer of 1975 to pastor a denominational church in the area. He stepped out in faith in 1978 to begin a nondenominational fellowship in North Tahoe. By June of 1981, the small fellowship had moved to the high school auditorium in Truckee, and it was then that they became known as Calvary Chapel of Truckee. For more than 38 years, the emphasis of Pastor Brian’s ministry at Calvary Chapel of Truckee was simply on the building up of the body of Christ through the clear, objective teaching of the Word of God, the praise and worship of His Name, and diligent prayer. He firmly believed that as the body was fed and nourished in His Word, we would grow in His grace and love. In October of 2019, Pastor Brian stepped down as senior pastor of Calvary Chapel of Truckee and soon after moved to Connecticut where he has continued ministering to the body of Christ through teaching engagements and through his non-profit ministry True To His Word.

A Plan for Shalom

God said to His people Israel through the prophet Jeremiah something that reverberates to every single child of God throughout the ages. In Jeremiah 29:11, the Lord speaks:

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans for welfare and not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope.”

That word for “welfare” in Hebrew is shalom. It’s a favorite word of the Jewish people—used as a greeting and a blessing upon departure. It means far more than just peace; it implies a deep sense of total well-being in your life. It’s a rich, full word. The Lord says, I know the plans I have for you, My children—plans for shalom, not for calamity, to give you (that’s right, YOU) a future and a hope.

It’s interesting to note that when God said this to Israel, they were going through one of the most intense, difficult times in their history. Considering everything going on around them, it may have been very hard to believe. Really God? In the midst of these crushing circumstances, You have a plan for my life for shalom—not for calamity? To give ME a future and a hope? And God would answer, Yes.

Years ago, Campus Crusade for Christ produced a tract that became one of the most published in world history, translated into multitudes of languages called The Four Spiritual Laws. It was called that because they are spiritual truths that govern your relationship with God. The very first law states: God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life.

I want to footnote that phrase: when it says “a wonderful plan for your life,” you have to realize that it’s not according to your own preconceived ideas of what a wonderful plan should be. It is a plan that is according to God’s eternal perspective on your life—and from that eternal perspective, God assures you that His plan for your life is absolutely wonderful.

Over the years, people have asked me on numerous occasions, “How can I know God’s will for my life? How do I discover what His plan really is for my life? How do I discern that? How do I discover God’s will for my life?”

We are embarking now on a three-part study on Discerning God’s Direction for Your Life:

* Part 1: God Has a Plan for Your Life (This message)

* Part 2: Are You Tuned In to God’s Plan?

* Part 3: God’s Signposts for Specific Direction

Let’s begin by seeing what the Bible says about God’s plan for your life; the Lord says in Psalm 32:8:

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.”

1. God’s Plan is Personal

God is speaking very directly and personally here. In other words, when God has a plan and purpose, He isn’t just talking about the world in general, or “the church” in general, or even just pastors and missionaries. He is talking about individual believers. This is personal.

Notice the three active verbs God uses:

* “I will instruct you” – Enlightening our understanding; giving us a basic comprehension of His direction.

* “I will teach you” – Pointing out a definite, specific course for each of us to walk.

* “I will counsel you with My eye upon you” – Giving personal direction in the specific, everyday circumstances of life.

God commits Himself directly to His children with a double pledge: “I will... I will.”

With that assurance in mind, look at Psalm 32:9:

“Do not be as the horse or as the mule, which have no understanding, whose trappings include bit and bridle to hold them in check, otherwise they would not come near to you.”

In other words, don’t be stubborn with Him. Because of the truth of His care and His purpose and plan for your life, this is not an area to be stubborn in!

Kicking Against the Goads

Think of the Apostle Paul’s conversion (when he was still named Saul). On the road to Damascus, a bright light shone, he fell to the ground, and Jesus spoke to him in Acts 6:14, saying:

“Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”

A goad was a sharp, pointed stick used to nudge stubborn oxen or mules when they refused to move. You would stick them right in the old rump to get them to move! Now, if an animal was particularly stubborn, it would kick back against the goad—resulting in a sharper, harder prick. You know who is going to win that battle, ultimately! Jesus was telling Saul, You have been kicking against the goads. In other words, there has been the leading, the call, the prodding and the touch of God has been on your life, Saul, calling you into truth and into life—and you’ve just been resisting it. That was His point to Saul on that day.

The Shepherd and the Ram

It reminds me of a story I heard about a shepherd in the flat lands of the Midwest. He was walking his flock down an empty, two-lane rural road when he spotted an 18-wheeler semi-truck barreling toward them in the distance. The shepherd quickly shooed the sheep off to the side of the road, but one stubborn old ram refused to budge. He seemed to like walking right down the dotted white center line.

As the truck got closer, the shepherd kept nudging the ram, but the ram wouldn’t move. Finally, in consternation as the truck approached, the shepherd reached out and whacked the ram across the rump with his staff as hard as he could. The ram bolted to safety just as the semi roared past.

In its little brain, that ram probably thought, Why was my shepherd so mean to me? He never understood about the truck, even as it went by; he only thought the shepherd was being harsh—completely unaware that the shepherd had just saved his life.

That’s what we’re talking about here and that’s what God is talking about. God is saying, Whatever you do, just be sure you’re not being like a horse or a mule that has to be steered by a bit and bridle. Someone may think, I feel like I’m being jerked around by God, not taking into account the possibility that they’re being like a stubborn mule.

Brethren, it’s like James promises in James 4:8:

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.”

When God draws near to you, what does that mean? One thing is that He has a personal plan for your life!

He will instruct, He will guide and He will teach you the way you should go. He will counsel you with His eyes upon you. His plan for you fits beautifully and perfectly into God’s eternal plan of the ages–NOT your plans for the moment! It fits, and it’s a wonderful plan. It’s YOUR plan! It’s not your neighbor’s plan, it’s yours!

If you have sensing the prodding of God’s goad, you know what I would say? I would say, thank Him, because He cares that much about you. You see, that shepherd could have left that ram in the road, saying OK, if that’s what you want! I’ve got plenty of other rams. But that is not God’s heart toward you. He’s got a personal plan that’s designed for you because He cares about you.

2. God’s Personal Plan Only Applies to Believers

This intimate guidance is meant for God’s children by faith. Look at how Psalm 32 begins in verses 1–2:

“How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit!”

There is only one way the Lord does not impute iniquity to a person, and that is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ on Calvary! That’s the only way! When he says how blessed is that man, it means that man has come to the realization that he needs forgiveness for his sins before a holy and a righteous God. He’s in desperate need of the forgiveness and he has accepted and received the forgiveness that comes through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. There’s no deceit in his spirit, he’s been transparent before God and thus has received His forgiveness because it is a carte blanche and a free gift from God, just to be received. But you come to that point that it IS received. The Lord says how blessed is that man! It is within that context that God promises:

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you. (Psalm 32:8).

The Pillar of Cloud

It’s interesting to me when I consider that assurance, and I think about the cloud that led God’s people through the wilderness for 40 years, that that pillar of cloud provided clear divine guidance for them. Yet when they reached the Red Sea, that same cloud moved around behind them and blocked the Egyptian army. To Israel, the cloud was divine guidance and light; to the Egyptians, it was total confusion.

It’s the same with God’s Word: to a non-believer, the Bible can seem like foolishness or nonsense, but to a believer, it is the essential guidebook for life. The same book!

Psalm 25:12, the Lord says this:

“Who is the man who fears the Lord? He will instruct him in the way he should choose.”

When you give God His rightful place in your life, your existence shifts from aimlessness and confusion to a life that is characterized by direction from God! That is a radical change. Even during confusing seasons, a believer can say, “Lord, You have me here for a reason. May I learn what You are teaching me here! ”

Often, that reason comes down to something as simple as developing patience and faith—learning to trust Him. Do you realize that was God’s lesson to Job with all that he went through? That was it! In the Minor Prophets, the prophet Habakkuk was saying God I don’t understand what You’re doing, or why You’re doing this—what You’re doing doesn’t make any sense to me at all! And the Lord’s word to Habakkuk—His man, His prophet, His child—was simply: trust Me in this. Just trust Me.

Either God is real, and He’s living, He’s life, He’s the Creator—He’s all that He says He is and this book is the true Word of God OR—it’s a big joke. I’m here to tell you, this is no joke and, as a believer in Jesus, you can confidently stand on God’s promises and trust that He has a wonderful plan for your life.

3. God’s Plan is Minutely Detailed

That plan that God has for you is minutely detailed. Look at Psalm 37:23:

“The steps of a man are established by the Lord, and He delights in his way.”

He’s talking about one of His men, one of His people. Your steps are established by the Lord. That right there is why you don’t need to see God’s 10-year or 20-year plan for your life. Right there is why you don’t need to see God’s blueprint in order to approve it for yourself, because God assures you that your steps are under His authority, under His control and under His direction. Every one of them.

There are so many times we travel down the road of life and come to a fork in the road where we see so many different paths that we don’t know which one to take, we don’t know which way to turn. We can feel frustrated and worry, What if I make the wrong turn? What is God wants me to go left and, instead, I go right?

If that’s your worry, first I want to tell you that is OK, it’s a good thing. I’m glad you’re worried about that, although you don’t need to worry about that; it just means you want God’s will for your life. If that is your concern—no worries! God tells us in Proverbs 16:9:

“The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.”

Paul was on his second missionary journey through Asia Minor and present-day Turkey, when he and his team tried to enter the province of Asia, but the Holy Spirit stopped them. He forbade them and said Just pass through. After that Paul tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus forbade him from going there as well, because God had another plan for Paul’s life. Here’s my point: God was guiding his steps, step-by-step, according to God’s sovereignty and God’s will toward God’s plan and His purpose. That’s the way God operates with His children.

You may be thinking, Brian, do you really mean every minute detail? May I remind you what God says in Romans 8:28?

“And we know that God causes all things [ALL things] to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

To those whose faith is in Jesus Christ, God says I will cause everything to work together for good. Every single thing that God allows into a Christian’s life works out to be a part of His plan, works toward what God describes as good.

I remember once trying to visit some church members in a large hospital far away. I felt strongly that I should go see them. Well, the first thing that happened was that I got lost driving there. You know men, I wouldn’t stop and ask for directions and there was no GPS in those days. Finally, I found my way to the hospital—and wouldn’t you know it—the parking lot was jammed full. I could not find a parking spot, even though I prayed for a spot to open close to the hospital. Instead, I had to park a block away from the hospital and walk in. When I got inside the hospital, I didn’t know where I was going and I got completely lost in that massive hospital maze after following multiple colored lines on the floor—only to finally discover that they weren’t even there. I drove back to my office.

You may be wondering, What was the purpose of that one, Brian?

I can’t tell you. I have no idea.

But I will tell you this: I know that God had a purpose even in that frustrating trip—and that’s good enough for me. After all, He is the Lord and we are His servants, aren’t we? Isn’t that what we’re here for, to be servants of the Lord, ultimately? If God decides He wants me to go stand in a corner and face the wall, that’s His decision. If He wants me to meander through a large hospital all afternoon, even the wrong hospital, wrong place, wrong time—that’s OK. He’s the Lord. I know, whatever it is, He has a purpose in that. I know the day is coming, when I’ll be standing face-to-face with my Lord, that He may say to me, Brian, do you remember that day that you got lost going to the hospital, and in the hospital—and it turned out they weren’t even there? I’ll say, I’ve always wondered about that day, Lord. And He’ll say, Here was the purpose. Whatever He tells me, I’ll give Him all glory, praise and honor and I’ll cry with joy regarding what the Lord did there on that day, and how that fit into His plan of the ages.

There have been times when I’ve been late for church, especially when we had six kids at home. We’d finally all get in our vehicle—only to get behind a super-slow car that I could not get around. I hope that’s one of those scenarios that ends up buried in the deepest ocean, never to be remembered again—but when I get to glory and if, for some reason, the Lord says Brian, remember those times when you were late for church and you went through all kinds of frustration? If He chooses to tell me, I know that I’ll see how He used even those times as part of His plan for my life for good—and all the glory will go to Him.

I’m here to tell you that God has a plan for your life, it’s a personal plan, and it’s for you believer, and it’s minutely detailed.

4. God’s Plan is Continuous

Fourthly, it’s a continuous plan. Turn to Isaiah 58:11:

“And the Lord will continually guide you, and satisfy your desire in scorched places, and give strength to your bones; and you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.”

Notice that He said that He will continually guide you. Even in parched, dry places—there’s the sense that that His guiding is a comfort. When you don’t see any direction or any progress, when it seems that nothing is happening, that every door for you is a closed door—even then, He is faithfully guiding you right then.

I think of Joseph in Genesis and how he just wanted to honor God, yet his brothers hated him and sold him into Egyptian slavery. As a slave in Potiphar’s house, he resisted the blatant advances of Potiphar’s wife to go to bed with her, to remain pure before God. What was Joseph’s reward? It was a life sentence in an Egyptian prison.

Yet, two full years later, everything turned around in God’s timing. Here’s my point. God was guiding! He didn’t say, Joseph you’re on your own for a while, I’ve got some things to take care of but I’ll come back and see how you’re doing.

God hadn’t abandoned Joseph; He was continuously guiding his steps.

5. God’s Plan is Definite and Specific

God’s guiding is definite and specific. Look at what happened to Joseph, how he got thrown into prison—yet, he found favor with the jailer, so much so that he began to take oversight of the jail. It was in that context that the chief butler and the chief baker of the pharaoh were thrown into jail with Joseph. Because of Joseph’s role in that prison as the butler and the baker, he interpreted their dreams and—in God’s timing, not Joseph’s— he was released from prison and appointed second in authority over all of Egypt. God’s plan for Joseph’s life, even there in prison, was very definite and very specific.

I love that God says to His children in Isaiah 30:21:

“Your ears will hear a word behind you, ‘This is the way, walk in it,’ whenever you turn to the right or to the left.”

Now that is specific and definite direction! God promises direct, clear, and specific leading. While you may not hear an audible voice, God gives a quiet inner confidence and direction. We can have the assurance that we are being led by Him!

If you feel like you missed a turn years ago and that it’s “too late” for you—No! It is not. Even if you were making those moves in absolute rebellion against the Lord, it is not too late. May I remind you that Moses was 80 years old when he got on track with God’s plan for his life. It is never too late with God.

Having said all this, there is still room for special counsel and wisdom from God to you. Those times when there is just doubt in your mind. Which way, Lord? What do I do here? You can pray for specific direction. You can ask Him for that. I like the way the psalmist puts it in Psalm 143:8:

“Teach me the way in which I should walk, for to You I lift up my soul.”

I like what James says in James 1:5:

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”

He goes on in James 1:6-7:

But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord.”

Recognize your need for His wisdom, ask Him, and trust Him to provide it.

Do you have a part in discerning God’s direction for your life? Yes. Ask Him! Ask Him for that direction. It’s a good thing to do that.

6. God’s Plan is Profitable for You

Look at what God promised Joshua on the eve of entering the Promised Land (Joshua 1:8):

“This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.”

Psalm 1:2–3 echoes this for every believer:

“But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.”

This prosperity is primarily spiritual prosperity—the inner man, inner woman prospering! Through it all, God will accomplish His purpose in that life. In Jeremiah 17:7–8:

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LordAnd whose trust is the Lord.“For he will be like a tree planted by the water,That extends its roots by a streamAnd will not fear when the heat comes;But its leaves will be green,And it will not be anxious in a year of droughtNor cease to yield fruit.

God is saying that in your life He will see to it that His purpose and His will for your life will prosper and there will be eternal fruit designed by Him. So, His plan for your life is profitable, whatever that plan is.

Paul’s Reflection

Near the end of his life, facing execution in a Roman prison, Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 4:7–8:

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.”

Was Paul’s life profitable? Absolutely! Through all the beatings, trials, and tears, he finished his course and looked forward to an eternal reward.

When you walk in God’s plan, He promises that your life will be characterized by these three things:

* Joy. Jesus says in John 15:11:

“These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.”

* Peace in every circumstance. As Jesus says in John 14:27:

“Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.”

Jesus also says in John 16:33:

“These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

I love the way Isaiah puts it in Isaiah 26:3:

“The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace,Because he trusts in You.”

* You know what else you’ll find in God’s plan? A contentment that you’ll find nowhere else. Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-29:

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”

This is the spiritual prospering part of that wonderful plan He has for you. It’s profitable.

7. God’s Plan is Good

With that, number seven, it’s a good plan! People are sometimes hesitant to yield their will completely to God, fearing He might send them into a miserable, deprived life. Young people sometimes think, “I want to give my life to God, but I want to have some fun first!” That is a complete lie and deception. What a misunderstanding!

God says regarding His will for your life in Romans 12:1–2:

“Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”

In other words, lay it all down! Let Him have it! Give it to Him. Turn it over to Jesus Christ, your Lord, who purchased it at Calvary. When you lay your life down for Him, you don’t know exactly what His plan will look like in your life—that’s the adventure of faith in Him. But I can say this about it, whatever it is, it will be:

* Good: Truly beneficial for you.

* Acceptable: Well-pleasing to your heart.

* Perfect: Complete, right, and custom-tailored just for you.

The College Student and Africa

It reminds me of a story about a pastor who preached on surrendering your life to Jesus. After the service, a college student sat in the back sweating bullets, terrified to pray. The pastor sat beside him and asked what was wrong.

The student broke down: “I’m afraid if I surrender my life, God is going to make me be a missionary to Africa!”

The pastor opened the Bible and showed him that God’s will is good, acceptable, and perfect, and that God doesn’t give a scorpion when His child asks for a fish. Reassured, the young man yielded his life to Christ right there.

Maybe a year later, the student called the pastor, bursting with excitement: “Pastor, you won’t believe it—I am so happy!”

The pastor asked, “What happened?”

The student replied, “I’m going to Africa as a missionary!”

When your heart changes, what used to terrify you becomes your greatest joy. You can never out-give God, and you will never regret surrendering to Him.

Personal Testimony & Conclusion

I was 24 years old when I made the decision to lay my life down and let God have it for whatever He wanted to do. I have never regretted that decision for a single minute.

My life has not turned out at all like I anticipated or planned—it has been quite different! But through the ups, downs, fires, valleys, and joys, His will has been and is good, acceptable, and perfect for me. I can honestly stand back today and say, “Thank You, Jesus.”

God loves you, and He really does have a wonderful plan for your life—a plan for shalom (welfare) and not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope.

Closing Prayer:

Heavenly Father, we bow before You. We know that when we have chased our own desires, it hasn’t always been the right path for us. But You see eternity as a loving Father, and You have a plan that is nothing less than beautiful and wonderful. I pray for my brothers and sisters, that we would relish the joy of letting You be the Lord of our lives, trusting Your guiding, Your will, and Your plan. We give our lives to You afresh, excited for where You will take us for the glory of Jesus Christ our Lord. And all of God’s children said, “Amen!”

In 1 Thessalonians 5:19, Paul gives us this admonition:

“Do not quench the Spirit.” (That’s the Holy Spirit.)

And in the very next verse (1 Thessalonians 5:20), he says:

“Do not despise prophecies.”

The New Testament emphasizes the value of that gift of prophecy that has been given to the church. As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 14:1:

“Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.”

What is the Gift of Prophecy?

Prophecy is something that is led and empowered by the Holy Spirit to give forth a word that is directly from God to us, using a child of God as an instrument to speak from God through the Holy Spirit right to us. That’s that gift of prophecy. And Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 5:20:

“Do not despise prophesies.”

Prophecies can come in many forms:

* A sermon

* Bible teaching in a class

* A home Bible study or personal study in God’s Word

* Someone who has a specific word from the Lord for you

* A casual conversation with a brother or sister in Christ where you suddenly realize, THAT was the Lord, and that was for me.

God desires to speak to us and He has given the church this gift of prophecy to bring forth His truth on a personal level. Therefore, when Paul says, “Do not despise prophecies,” it is so important to keep an open and responsive heart to whatever the Lord may want to speak to us.

Exercise Caution: “Test All Things”

While Paul says we are not to despise prophecies, in the very next verse (1 Thessalonians 5:21a), he warns us to exercise caution when he says:

“Test all things...” (The NASB translates this: “but examine everything carefully.”)

John, in 1 John 4:1 puts it this way:

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”

So, it’s very important to test these things. There is a lot going on out there that may seem dynamic or impressive, but is not from the Lord—attempting to say things that are of the Lord, but are not.

Jesus Himself, talking about the last days in Matthew 24:24–25, says:

“For false christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand.”

The New Testament has an awful lot to say about false teachers and false prophets and warns us to be very careful. So, things may come along that sound so wonderful, that many people will gravitate to these things but, very possibly, at the same time, those things may not be of the Lord at all.

So, Paul says to be very careful. Examine it very carefully. Examine what? He says “all things.” Everything. Anything and everything that purports to be spoken of from the Lord, be very careful. Test it. Examine it.

Do not be quick to jump on any so-called “Christian bandwagon,” the latest big thing that may be happening, and people are rushing to it because they think it’s new and it’s exciting. Paul says be careful about those things!

The Example of the Bereans

During Paul’s second missionary journey, he went down to the city of Berea, and to the synagogue there. It says there in Acts 17:11 :

“These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.”

So they checked things out! Is this really true? They examined Paul’s words against the written Scripture before embracing them, and as a result, many came to faith—all because they tested what Paul way saying against God’s written Word.

So, Paul is saying here, anything that you come across that is purported to be of the Lord, take the time to check it out for yourself. Make sure it is.

Four Tests for Examining Prophetic Words

How do you do that? How do you test it? I just want to give you four points that will help you along that line.

1. Is it in perfect agreement with God’s written Word?

When the Holy Spirit fell on the believers in Acts 2, and they were speaking in tongues, and they were speaking in the various languages, people wanted to know What in the world is this? Peter preached a sermon and quoted the Old Testament prophet Joel, right out of Scripture, and basically said, What you see here is what was spoken of right here in Joel. He showed them in the Word: this is that. Any work of the Holy Spirit must be backed up by God’s written Word or you don’t need it.

Two Examples of False Claims:

Setting Dates for the Return of Christ

People often claim to have calculated the date of Jesus’ return: We’ve got the date! We’ve figured it out! We’ve analyzed all the signs and the Scripture and it’s going to be on … a particular day. Many people will get all excited about it—and it doesn’t happen! Setting a date is contrary to God’s written Word! In that Word, Jesus explicitly stated that no one will know the day or the hour. So, no! Whatever date they set will be wrong!

Excusing Sinful Behavior

I remember one time a lady had come to my church office for counsel and we spent some time together. Then she said she needed to make a phone call to see if her car was ready, it was at the shop. I encouraged her to use the phone in the outer office. She made the call, and something really upset her. She got SO angry that she started screaming and cussing on the telephone, and then slammed the phone down. She realized then that I was sitting in the other room, so she looked at me and said, “God told me to do that!” No. No. God didn’t tell her to do that. There are people who will say a lot of things, and do a lot of things that are contrary to the clear Word of God, saying, “Well, this is what the Lord wants me to do.” Stick with the Word.

2. Does the prophetic word come to pass?

Does it actually prove out? That’s another test. The beauty of that is that we have the privilege to step back and say, Well let’s just see if this is the Lord. Take time to test it. Don’t get caught up in the terror of the urgency of the moment when you’re told God says you need to do this and you need to do it right now or it’ll be too late! God gives us the freedom to step back and say The Lord says we’re to test these things, so I’m going to look to the Lord. I’m going to pray and see if this is really from the Lord.

In Deuteronomy 18:21–22, God puts it this way to His people:

“And if you say in your heart, ‘How shall we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?’—when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.”

Even if a prophetic word does come to pass, it must still align with God’s Word to have been from Him. God says in Deuteronomy 13:1–3:

“If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods’—which you have not known—‘and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the Lord your God is testing you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.”

Brethren, there are a lot of crazy things going on out there, and some may even appear to be true; but, ultimately, we are to base our lives and our understanding of what God has to say to us, we are to rest ultimately and finally on God’s written Word. If it’s not in perfect alignment with the Bible, you can know that it’s not of the Lord.

3. What is their testimony concerning Jesus Christ?

If someone is speaking as if from the Lord, that speaker’s life and message should be clearly pointing to and glorify Jesus Christ Himself.

In 1 John 4:2–3, we’re told this:

“By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.

The essence of that statement is that there’s a clear exalting of Jesus as Lord in that ministry. In Revelation 19:10d we’re told:

“… the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

Is this message pointing very, very clearly to, and based upon Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior?

4. Does the Holy Spirit confirm it to your own heart?

If somebody has a word from the Lord and it’s directed toward you and for you, and they’re saying The Lord told me this is what you should do, you must wait upon the Lord for the confirmation of the Holy Spirit to your own heart.

The Call to Panama

I remember hearing the story of a couple that really wanted to be servants of the Lord, and were praying about what the Lord would have them do. At one evening service at their little church, somebody got up and said, “The Lord told me that He’s calling you to Panama and you’re going to go to Panama!” Everybody got excited. They were applauding. The couple is thinking, That’s interesting. That came out of the blue!

But everybody gathered around them so convinced it was of the Lord that they laid hands on them and prayed for them. Caught up in the congregation’s excitement, they moved to Panama on faith. After two years of failure and discouragement, of giving it the best shot they could, they realized This was NOT the Lord. They came back depressed and discouraged wondering, What’s going on here? That wasn’t the Lord!

When somebody has a word for you about what they think God is telling you to do, if it’s truly from the Lord, it will either confirm what the Holy Spirit is already speaking to your heart. That’s a good confirmation. Or, if it does come out of the blue, then stand back and let the Holy Spirit clearly confirm it to your own heart. God’s got your number! Let HIM confirm it to you.

Those are some helps as to how to test things out, to see if they’re really from the Lord. But after saying that in verse 21a, to test all things, Paul goes on and encourages us about what to do with those things that have passed the test.

Hold Fast to What Is Good

1 Thessalonians 5:21b finishes with:

“...hold fast to what is good.”

When you test something and know in your heart it is truly from the Lord, actively lay hold of it and hold fast to it.

Hold Fast to the Sword of the Spirit

In 2 Samuel 23, Eleazar—one of David’s mighty men—stood his ground alone against a Philistine onslaught. He just stood his ground and massacred a bunch of Philistines. He fought so long and hard that when the victory was won, basically single-handed, his hand was literally fastened to his sword. He could not let go of his sword. It was just stuck to him.

May the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, be so part of your life that you cannot let go of it. It’s just part of you. Say, Lord, I just want to know Your Word better and better and better as I walk this pilgrim’s walk.

Conclusion

In Christendom, you will find all kinds of things that are so-called a message from the Lord. There will be those who say, This is from the Holy Spirit, and it’s totally out of left field. You’ll find those who say, I don’t want anything to do with that Holy Spirit stuff. I’m not interested in any of that.

So, what does the Lord have to say in the midst of all that going on around us, right here in the so-called church. Here’s what God says—He says in 1 Thessalonians 5:19–21:

“Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things and hold fast to what is good.”

That’s just the right space to walk in for genuine spiritual growth in this life. The Lord will be faithful. God bless you as you walk on with Jesus, knowing that He loves you and He wants to share spiritually with you.

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About Pastor Brian

Pastor Brian Larson ministered in Truckee, California, for more than 40 years, having moved there with his young family from Southern California in the summer of 1975 to pastor a denominational church in the area. He stepped out in faith in 1978 to begin a nondenominational fellowship in North Tahoe. By June of 1981, the small fellowship had moved to the high school auditorium in Truckee, and it was then that they became known as Calvary Chapel of Truckee. For more than 38 years, the emphasis of Pastor Brian’s ministry at Calvary Chapel of Truckee was simply on the building up of the body of Christ through the clear, objective teaching of the Word of God, the praise and worship of His Name, and diligent prayer. He firmly believed that as the body was fed and nourished in His Word, we would grow in His grace and love. In October of 2019, Pastor Brian stepped down as senior pastor of Calvary Chapel of Truckee and soon after moved to Connecticut where he has continued ministering to the body of Christ through teaching engagements and through his non-profit ministry True To His Word.

The Ministry of the Spirit

In the closing section of 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, the Apostle Paul—through the Holy Spirit, of course—gives us a series of brief admonitions for an overcoming walk with the Lord through this life.

For instance, in verse 16, he tells us to:

Rejoice always.

Then he adds in the next verse:

Pray without ceasing.

In verse 18, Paul writes:

In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

And then, with that, he says in verse 19:

Do not quench the Spirit.

Paul is speaking of the Holy Spirit who has been given to us—warning us not to quench His ministry in our lives. We looked at that last time.

It is with that specific ministry of the Holy Spirit in mind that he says in the very next verse, verse 20:

Do not despise prophecies.

The New American Standard Bible translates this as:

Do not despise prophetic utterances.

Rejecting these utterances is the way a person can quench what the Holy Spirit wants to minister to them.

What Does It Mean to Prophesy?

Prophecy is really the primary gift of the Holy Spirit to the body of Christ. In 1 Corinthians chapter 14, after discussing the spiritual gifts and the supreme importance of love, Paul wraps up his thoughts by saying:

“Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.” (1 Corinthians 14:1)

It is a most wonderful gift given to the body of Christ. Generally speaking, there are two distinct aspects to the gift of prophecy:

* Foretelling: Revealing what the Lord is going to do in the future.

* Forthtelling: Speaking forth the truth of God through the Holy Spirit.

If you look at the Old Testament prophets, their prophecies were heavily centered around the declaration of God’s truth and God’s way, with an admonition to follow the way of the Lord—as well as giving glimpses of what’s to come. The gift of prophecy has been given to the church, given to the Body of Christ.

This prophetic word from the Holy Spirit can come to us in a variety of ways. For instance, it can come through a sermon, a Bible teaching, a home small group study, or your own personal time in the Word when God highlights something specific to you by the Holy Spirit. It can also come through a word from the Lord through a brother or sister in Christ. It can come out of casual conversation with the brethren when all of a sudden, something is said, and you realize: That is from the Lord, and it is for me. Prophecy is a word from the Lord however it comes to you, because God wants to speak to you—you are His child.

Why We Are Tempted to Despise It

So, the admonition here is clear: do not despise prophecies. However, this can be a touchy area because sometimes these words come in a way that leave us skeptical.

Many of us have met or have known people who seem to have an ongoing conversation with the Lord—where almost every other word out of their mouth is, “The Lord said this,” or “The Lord told me that.” They’re supposedly getting all of this information from the Lord on an ongoing basis. Some might even be bold enough to say, “The Lord told me that you should…” then telling you what you should do—saying, “It’s the Lord speaking to you, that’s why you should do this.” As time goes on, in so many of those cases, you discover that it definitely was not the Lord.

“She’s” a BOY?!

I remember when my wife, Joyce, and I were having kids. At one point, we had a boy and then a girl, when Joyce became pregnant again. Back in our day, there were no sonograms to check the sex of the baby; you just had to wait and see what came out. So When Joyce got pregnant a third time, I was hoping for another boy…but the Lord blessed us with a girl. So we had two girls. We sort of felt that was going to be our last one—but it didn’t turn out that way.

Lo and behold, Joyce got pregnant again. This was going to be our fourth child, and I thought, Oh wow, four kids. I prayed for “boy bookends”—you know, boy, girl, girl, boy—since this would surely be our last one. Well, it didn’t work out that way; we had another girl. So, at this point, we had a boy and three girls. I thought, Oh, I guess that’s it.

Well, lo and behold, Joyce got pregnant again! I was hoping, and everybody in the church knew I was hoping, it would be a boy this time. On two separate occasions, two different ladies—both of whom I had a lot of respect because of their love for the Lord—came up to me privately. They both told me, “Brian, I was praying for you and I know your desire for a boy, but the Lord clearly spoke to me that it’s going to be a girl, and I wanted you to be prepared for that.”

I accepted that the Lord ministers through His children, so I prepared my heart that number five was going to be another girl. I was in the delivery room when Joyce was delivering the baby, when I saw the baby coming out and said, “She’s coming now!” As out she came, I said, “She’s a HE!” It was a boy.

Those ladies, bless their hearts, felt that they had received that word from the Lord—but it wasn’t. That was not the Lord. God blessed me with a son. He even, after that, blessed me with another son. Joyce and I ended up with three girls and three boys, and what a blessing those six kids are to us to this day. But the point is, things like that can turn you off to prophetic utterances and people giving prophecies. You might have a tendency to just write them off, or ignore them.

Unlikely Instruments and Hard Words

So the Lord is saying here, the gift of prophecy has been given to the Body of Christ, it’s real, it’s true, it’s there—so don’t despise it! Be open to it, regardless of the context or the instrument that it may come through.

Maybe it comes through a very dry preacher. It could come from a brother or sister in the Lord, even when you know their life’s not together at the moment they’re talking to you, and all of a sudden they’re coming out with these things. You may be tempted to look at them and think, Really, Lord?

He can even use a brand-new babe in Christ to speak to you and you say to yourself, Oh, what do they know?

It’s like we’re told (this is not in the Bible, but it’s so true): the Lord works in mysterious ways His wonders to perform. He can use the most oddball and unlikely instruments. Think of how God spoke to the prophet Balaam through his donkey! If He can use Balaam’s donkey, He can use anyone, anytime He wants.

I might add to that that sometimes a word that hurts or offends you at first may often turn out to be the most healing.

I think of a pretty famous pastor who was a guest preacher at a particular church. He shared the gospel and spoke, and afterward, he was meeting people in the congregation. A family came up to introduce themselves: a middle-aged couple with a young adult daughter named Christina. The pastor looked at her and said, “Ah, Christina, you have Christ in your name. Is He in your heart?”

That kind of offended and hurt her, and she went away upset. But those words did not leave her. Those words forced her to take a serious look at her life and her faith. She realized that she wasn’t really trusting in Jesus Christ, and it led her to truly receive the Lord and commit her life to Him. It was a life-changing thing, that one simple statement from that pastor.

Keep an Open Heart

The Lord tells us that if we want to keep growing in Him, do not despise prophecies, because He wants to speak His truth into our hearts. Do not quench the Spirit in that way. The proper attitude of heart for your spiritual growth is to keep an open heart that is responsive toward the Lord.

However, right along with that admonition, Paul adds this cautionary statement in the very next verse:

“Test all things; hold fast what is good.” (1 Thessalonians 5:21)

Christian, that is so important that I want to focus on that next time.

But in the meantime, walk by faith with Jesus. Keep a listening ear toward Him. He wants to speak to you for your spiritual growth, your life, and your relationship with Him. God cares about you, He cares for you. He is with you, so God bless you as you carry on in the love of the Lord that comes through Jesus Christ.

About Pastor Brian

Pastor Brian Larson ministered in Truckee, California, for more than 40 years, having moved there with his young family from Southern California in the summer of 1975 to pastor a denominational church in the area. He stepped out in faith in 1978 to begin a nondenominational fellowship in North Tahoe. By June of 1981, the small fellowship had moved to the high school auditorium in Truckee, and it was then that they became known as Calvary Chapel of Truckee. For more than 38 years, the emphasis of Pastor Brian’s ministry at Calvary Chapel of Truckee was simply on the building up of the body of Christ through the clear, objective teaching of the Word of God, the praise and worship of His Name, and diligent prayer. He firmly believed that as the body was fed and nourished in His Word, we would grow in His grace and love. In October of 2019, Pastor Brian stepped down as senior pastor of Calvary Chapel of Truckee and soon after moved to Connecticut where he has continued ministering to the body of Christ through teaching engagements and through his non-profit ministry True To His Word.

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Living as Overcomers

We’ve been looking at 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, and we’ve looked at those admonitions from the Lord that just give us an overcoming spirit in our daily walk with the Lord, so we can be living as overcomers each day.

There in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, the Apostle Paul says:

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

We took a close look at each one of those in previous podcasts. But he goes on from there to describe, in the verses following, three attitudes of heart that will ensure continued spiritual growth in our life.

Do Not Quench the Spirit

In the very next verse, in 1 Thessalonians 5:19, Paul gives this admonition:

Do not quench the Spirit.

He’s talking here about a heart that just stays open and responsive to the Lord. Christianity is not a religion; it’s a relationship. It’s the beauty of a personal relationship in our life—the uniqueness of an actual, living relationship with the risen and living Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He ministers to us and through us, through the power and presence of the Holy Spirit.

In John 14:16-18, Jesus told His disciples:

“And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.”

Jesus is basically saying, I’m going to come to you through the Holy Spirit who is to be your Helper, your Guide, your Strengthener, your Teacher. All of these qualities come through the Holy Spirit. So to be open and responsive to the Lord Jesus Christ in your life, Paul says, “Do not quench the Spirit” who has been given to you.”

Quenching vs. Grieving the Spirit

Well, how do you quench the Spirit? It’s interesting that in Ephesians 4:30, Paul says this:

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

So there is a quenching of the Holy Spirit that can happen, or a grieving of the Holy Spirit. Very simply put: quenching the Holy Spirit is not doing what the Spirit is prompting you to do. Grieving the Holy Spirit is kind of the opposite—it’s doing what the Holy Spirit is prompting you not to do.

So, do not quench the Holy Spirit who abides in you.

We are told in the Word, in Ephesians 5:18b, to “… be filled with the Holy Spirit.” In other words, give the Holy Spirit that place of absolute authority in your life to be the One to lead you, guide you, and empower you. Just let Him have it. Let Him be the master of your life and absolutely lean on Him.

To decide as a believer, Nah, no, not now. No, I don’t really want to go that far at this time—boy, is that quenching the Holy Spirit? You bet it is. That’s quenching the Spirit! It’s so important that we allow the Holy Spirit to fill us on an ongoing basis. That command in Ephesians 5:18 is to be continually being filled with the Holy Spirit. Just let Him be in control.

The Manifestation of Spiritual Gifts

Through the Holy Spirit, God has gifted each one of us spiritually with spiritual gifts—gifts that are of and empowered by the Holy Spirit. It’s a work of God that goes through us; it’s not us. We’re told in 1 Corinthians 12:4-7:

There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are diversities of ministries, but the same Lord. There are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all.

He’s given each of us gifts of the Holy Spirit that He desires to manifest through us for His glory and for the good of everyone. Do not quench the Spirit. Let Him have His way in your life. That attitude that can come along and say, Oh, no, no, I don’t think I want to do that now. I can’t do that—you very possibly could be truly quenching the Holy Spirit.

Following the Prompting: A Ride to the Air Force Base

I remember speaking at a men’s breakfast years ago. Before I spoke, the different guys were sharing, and one of the fellas shared how the month before at the men’s breakfast, they may have remembered that he got up and left to go to the bathroom but he never came back. He said, “I want to explain what happened.”

As he went to the bathroom in this restaurant, there was this great big Air Force guy in uniform. He was a huge guy, a black man, and he was on the phone looking very upset. So, the man attending the men’s breakfast just sort of slid by him and went to the bathroom. When he came back out, that guy was still there, just very upset on the phone. As he was walking back to the table, he just sensed the Lord saying, Go ask that fella if you can help him, if there’s anything you can do. He thought, Are you kidding? I can’t do that. But it was so strong in his heart that he gulped, walked over to this guy who had just slammed the phone down, and said, “Hey, is there anything I can do to help?”

This big guy looked at him in amazement and said, “Any possibility you could give me a ride to the nearby Air Force base? I’m to catch a plane this morning and I might miss it if I can’t get there very soon to head back East.”

The fella said, “I would be happy to do that for you.”

Off they went in the car. The Air Force guy shared as they were driving, “You know, I’d flown all the way out here from the East Coast to see my girlfriend, and she broke up with me. I needed a ride back to the base, and she refused to give me a ride. I got so upset, and I didn’t know what I was going to do. Then you came along and asked to help me. Why in the world did you do that?”

So, he shared how he felt such a prompting of the Lord to do that for him. The guy said, “The Lord told you to do that?”

“Yes, He did.”

They got to talking about it, and he ended up sharing about Jesus Christ with this guy. Before the guy got out of the car at the base, they bowed their heads together, and he invited Jesus Christ into his heart as his Lord and Savior. It touched him so strongly. They hugged, and off he went. You never know what the Lord might want to do!

The Lord Can Use Anyone

I remember one time teaching a message on the healing power of God. At the end of the message, I just said, “I just want to pray for the body here. God knows your needs, and He’s a healing God.” I prayed a general prayer for folks. I think it was the next week we had a little sharing time during church, and one of the guys said, “You know, Pastor Brian, last week you prayed that there’s healing in the Lord. I was suffering from a very painful ingrown toenail. I just want you to know the Lord healed that toenail!”

You never know what the Lord might want to do at any time. So, be simply available to however the Lord might move or lead you, or what He may desire to do through you. When you think, Oh, I can’t do that, well, maybe the Lord wants to do something very special there.

I would add to that: also be careful of quenching the Spirit through you. How would you do that? You could do that by belittling another brother or sister in a way that makes them feel kind of worthless, useless, or out of sync. You know, just an attitude of, No, you can’t do that, or, Oh, you shouldn’t do that, or, I don’t think he’s good enough to do … whatever. You could end up quenching the Holy Spirit in someone else. I think it’s exciting to see what God might want to do anytime through anyone.

A Lesson in Humility and Sincerity

I’ll give you one example I heard some years ago. It was about a little church that on Sunday evenings would have a service where they ask for prayer requests and they would pray. There was a lady who was such a faithful member of the church, but her husband was a non-believer. She said, “I want to pray for my husband to be saved.” Everybody got on board on this particular Sunday evening, and they all decided together, Let’s make it a point for the next year to pray for that man’s salvation. Let’s agree together in prayer.

And they really began to pray for his salvation. Well, they decided that they ought to be putting feet to those prayers. So on different occasions, the pastor, or one of the elders, would go by and visit him, see how he was doing, talk to him a little bit, and see if he might be open to the Gospel.

There was one young guy in the church who was a very simple little guy and he had a harelip. He had trouble talking, but he really wanted to go and talk to that guy, too. They said, Oh, we think it’s wonderful you want to go, but you pray, and we’ll go. That went on for pretty much the course of the year.

Finally, when they had run out of candidates to drop in on this guy, and this young man still wanted to go, they said, “Why not?” and they let him go.

Of course, you know what happened. He went there and, lo and behold, that man gave his heart to Jesus Christ when that young man with the speech impediment went and shared Jesus with him. He became an active member of the church and a follower of Christ. It was the real thing, and everybody was rejoicing.

At one of the meetings, the husband shared with them: “Hey, I want you to know that as different ones of you were coming to share with me and talk with me, I appreciate that. I know where you were coming from, and I want to thank you. But you know how I was feeling at the time? I was feeling you were coming there because you just wanted another jewel in your crown, and I was not interested. But when that young guy with that speech impediment came and just shared from his heart, and he even cried as he shared about Jesus, my heart was so deeply touched. Really, all that you folks had been saying over that year was just coming into my mind and heart, and that was the moment I gave my heart to Jesus Christ.”

Let’s See What the Lord Will Do

My point here, my brothers and sisters, is you just never know what God may want to do anytime, under any circumstances, through whomsoever. So when the Lord says this is important in keeping that relationship alive and going for your spiritual growth: do not quench the Spirit. See what the Spirit might want to do.

I like to take the attitude, Hey, let’s just see what the Lord might want to do here. Let’s just check it out. You never know the wonders that He may perform. I know people who stepped out in faith that way and saw no results at the time, only to hear later that something actually happened that they had no idea about.

God’s a big God. He sees the beginning from the end; He’s got the whole picture. Each one of us is an instrument for His glory out there in our walk of life.

So the Lord tells us now, as you rejoice always, and you pray without ceasing, and give thanks in everything—do not quench the Spirit. Brethren, it’s exciting to see how God may want to use us anytime, any way, for His glory.

So just pray: “Here I am, Lord. Holy Spirit, take charge. Let’s see what You have for me and what You want to do through me today.” You might not see much, but you know what? There may be a lot more going on than you can see.

Thanks for reading! This post is public so feel free to share it.

About Pastor Brian

Pastor Brian Larson ministered in Truckee, California, for more than 40 years, having moved there with his young family from Southern California in the summer of 1975 to pastor a denominational church in the area. He stepped out in faith in 1978 to begin a nondenominational fellowship in North Tahoe. By June of 1981, the small fellowship had moved to the high school auditorium in Truckee, and it was then that they became known as Calvary Chapel of Truckee. For more than 38 years, the emphasis of Pastor Brian’s ministry at Calvary Chapel of Truckee was simply on the building up of the body of Christ through the clear, objective teaching of the Word of God, the praise and worship of His Name, and diligent prayer. He firmly believed that as the body was fed and nourished in His Word, we would grow in His grace and love. In October of 2019, Pastor Brian stepped down as senior pastor of Calvary Chapel of Truckee and soon after moved to Connecticut where he has continued ministering to the body of Christ through teaching engagements and through his non-profit ministry True To His Word.

Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts.

In EVERYTHING Give Thanks

Scripture makes it absolutely clear—and Jesus Himself emphasizes this—that our Lord and Savior desires for our lives to be characterized by His love, His joy, and His peace. He has given the Holy Spirit to abide within us, and therein is the potential for that to be characterized in the life of every single believer in Christ.

Recently, we have been looking at 1 Thessalonians chapter five where we’ve seen these three keys to make that a reality, a genuine possibility. It’s there in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 that the Apostle Paul says these three things:

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

In our last two podcasts, we looked at those first two admonitions: “rejoice always” and “pray without ceasing.” Today, we are looking at the third imperative that the Lord would have for us, and it’s tied very closely with those first two. In 1 Thessalonians 5:18 Paul says:

in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

So, obviously, the third admonition is always, Christian, be thankful.

No Exceptions: Thankful in All Circumstances

Notice the wording here: in everything—no exceptions! Those times when we tell ourselves this is NOT good, there is reason, even then, to be thankful to God. Thanks for what?

* Thanks that He is still with us. He hasn’t gone anywhere!

* Thanks that He has promised that He will help us through this—whatever it is.

* Thanks for what He is going to do with this. He will ultimately bring good out of it (Romans 8:28).

* There are many other things that we can always be thankful for in our lives.

It brings to mind the words of that classic Christian hymn, Count Your Blessings:

When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, Count your many blessings, name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.

The admonition here is to let every circumstance of life, in one way or another, elicit thanksgiving to God from us.

Three Pillars of Absolute Confidence

Of course, it is impossible to do that, unless you are firmly, resolutely and immovably convinced of three foundational truths about God:

1. God Loves You Personally

In John 3:16 we are told:

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.

That includes you, whomever you are! God, indeed, has such a deep and a personal love for you that He was willing to pay the ultimate price to save your soul. So that love is the basis on which God deals with us. He deals with us on the very basis of that everlasting, unconditional love for us—never forget that, no matter what is happening in your life today.

2. His Power Is Absolutely Infinite

I think of Peter when he was in prison in Acts chapter 5 (and again in chapter 12), facing likely execution. He was chained to guards in a prison cell and his chains fell off, the prison door just floated open, and an angel escorted him out of that prison because it was not God’s will for him to be there. The Lord Himself set Peter free, which obviously confounded the authorities.

That is our God. I like what Jesus says in Luke 18:27:

But He said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”

Likewise, in Luke 1:37, Jesus says:

“For with God nothing will be impossible.”

In case you think that that was just for that time, in Hebrews 13:8 we’re told:

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

That’s our Lord! I can guarantee you, based on God’s Word, that if there’s any situation that you find yourself in, if God does not have a good reason for you, believer in Him, to be in that situation, He can and He will deliver you. You can bank on it!

So have confidence and assurance that He loves you right now! That love will not change, it’s unconditional! His power is absolutely infinite. There is nothing—nothing—that He cannot overcome.

3. He Has a Wonderful Plan for Your Life

God says in Jeremiah 29:11:

“‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare [that’s shalom, that’s peace and prosperity] and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.’” (NASB95)

That’s His absolute assurance to you. And Paul says in Romans 8:28 (don’t you love this verse?):

And we know that all things work together for good to those that love God and have been called according to His purpose.

If you are walking in faith in Jesus Christ, God says: the only reason that I’m allowing this in your life, whatever it is, is because of the ultimate good I can bring out of it. That includes everything. Paul goes on in Romans 8:31:

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Oh, He has got us so well and so lovingly covered! He’s got a plan for your life, a good one, from beginning to end, based on His love for you and His infinite power. Nothing, and no one, can stop that plan from happening in your life! When those truths are settled within you, His love, His joy, and His peace well up in your heart through it all.

Resting on Three Pillows

I remember hearing the story of an old British pastor who was near death with friends gathered around his bed. Someone asked him how he had slept the previous night. I loved the pastor’s response. He said, “Well, I didn’t sleep too well, but I rested my head on three pillows: the pillow of His infinite love for me, the pillow of His infinite power, and the pillow of His infinite sovereignty. And really, I rested quite well.”

As a Christian, you have the wonderful potential, and the gift, you might say from the Lord in His Spirit, to rejoice always, pray without ceasing (you’ve got an open door to the throne of God), and in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). There’s always good reason to give thanks!

The Doorway to True Fellowship

Paul includes a vital stipulation at the end of this passage: “in Christ Jesus.” Jesus alone is the door into that kind of a relationship with God, into that intimate, eternal relationship that we are gifted with, with our Heavenly Father.

There is no other way! Peter put it so clearly in Acts 4:12 when he said:

Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.

That’s it. Is He—and He alone—your personal Lord and Savior? Have you invited Him into your heart and into your life, to be Lord of your life, and your only Savior? It’s like we’re told in Revelation 3:20, where Jesus says:

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.”

That’s Jesus saying that He will enter into intimate fellowship with anyone who opens that door to Him. If you haven’t done that yourself, it’s easy to get through that door—just receive Him, receive His invitation personally!

If you have, it’s from that space that He says, Christian: rejoice always (there’s always reason to), pray without ceasing (keep that communication line wide open with your Lord, 24/7), and in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Whatever your circumstances look like today, Christian—whether it is a rejoicing kind of a day or if it’s a Oh, Lord, help me! kind of a day—you have every reason to know you are blessed in the Lord. He is with you, He hasn’t gone anywhere, and He is for you.

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About Pastor Brian

Pastor Brian Larson ministered in Truckee, California, for more than 40 years, having moved there with his young family from Southern California in the summer of 1975 to pastor a denominational church in the area. He stepped out in faith in 1978 to begin a nondenominational fellowship in North Tahoe. By June of 1981, the small fellowship had moved to the high school auditorium in Truckee, and it was then that they became known as Calvary Chapel of Truckee. For more than 38 years, the emphasis of Pastor Brian’s ministry at Calvary Chapel of Truckee was simply on the building up of the body of Christ through the clear, objective teaching of the Word of God, the praise and worship of His Name, and diligent prayer. He firmly believed that as the body was fed and nourished in His Word, we would grow in His grace and love. In October of 2019, Pastor Brian stepped down as senior pastor of Calvary Chapel of Truckee and soon after moved to Connecticut where he has continued ministering to the body of Christ through teaching engagements and through his non-profit ministry True To His Word.