Psalm 15: Final Thoughts and Encouragement

Psalm 15:  Final Thoughts and Encouragement

When I first started this series, I pointed out a wonderful promise from the last verse of Psalm 15.  “He who does these things shall never be moved.” (Psalm 15:5, NKJV)

To recap, “these things” are listed in the previous verses.  The chapter starts by asking who may dwell in the Lord’s tabernacle.  The answer is those who walk uprightly, work righteousness, speak truth in their heart, aren’t a backbiter, nor do they do evil to their neighbor or speak evil against their friend.  They despise those who are vile, but honor those who fear the Lord, and they must swear to their own hurt and not change.

Our culture pushes the false idea that things can be fluid (like sexual identity).  It embraces the narrative that you can have your truth.  Others can embrace their own truth (which isn’t truth at all), yet their version of truth is seen as a worthy stance.  These concepts are in opposition to the promise given in Psalm 15, for he who does the things mentioned in that Psalm shall NEVER be moved.  In other words, they won’t be fluid and change with the shifting culture.  They stand firmly on the Word of God.  They have a solid foundation, built upon the Lord Jesus Christ.

Watching the shifting sand of our culture over the last several years has been very painful for me.  Things keep changing at a rapid-fire pace.  It can be overwhelming.  Because of that, I dug my heels in deep into the Word of God, diligently seeking to build a stronger foundation in my own life.  I have passionately sought out scriptures I could turn into prayers to help make my foundation even stronger.

One of the prayers I often pray is to “Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” (1 Corinthians 16:13, NASB)  For the Lord to help me be strong, He must prune me in areas where I lack.  He must challenge me to dig deeper into His Word so that my spiritual roots will go much deeper.  This is what will keep me from swaying when the fierce winds of an evil culture blow violently against me.

In this endeavor to build a more solid foundation, I came across something David Wilkerson said that resonated with my spirit because it was exactly what I was feeling.  He spoke of how the holy remnant of believers love truth and aren’t afraid to be reproved.  Rather, they will examine themselves through the light of the Word, allowing it to pierce them to the very marrow.  

By keeping our hearts open to the truth, the Lord will establish us.  He will grow those characteristics mentioned in Psalm 15 that keep us from ever being moved though the whole world may rise up against us.

I heard Pastor Allen Jackson from World Outreach Church say that ignorance isn’t a lack of knowledge.  Rather, it is ignoring the truth.  Many people would say that is what the world is doing.  I have even used the term willfully blind in my own conversations about the mindsets of many people.  However, let’s look at this in a different context.  What about us when we refuse to devote ourselves to the Word?  When we do that, isn’t it the same as what the world does?  Isn’t that ignoring the truth?  Let that sink in for a minute.

I challenge you with these questions because I have challenged myself with them.  If I want to be “armed” and ready to give an answer for the hope inside me, it is imperative for me to be an ardent student of the Word!  If I want to be prepared to give a wise, godly answer like Daniel did in his day, I have got to be purposely dedicated to studying the Word!

I believe a day is fast-approaching where we may be called before authorities, just like Paul.  Luke 12:12 tells us that the Holy Spirit will tell us what we ought to say in that hour.  However, Jesus was speaking this to those who were His intimate friends and disciples.  He spoke this to those who sought to deeply know His Word.  If we don’t abide in the Vine, getting our wisdom and knowledge from His Word, how can the Holy Spirit teach us what to say when we are brought before the authorities?  We need to be hiding the Word in our hearts now so when that day comes, we will not sin against Him. (Psalm 119:111)

What I have shared with you through this series is what the Lord has been impressing upon me to work out in my own life.  I share it with you because I have a feeling many of us are in the trenches where fiery arrows are being thrown our way.  Those arrows try their best to hinder us from building a strong and firm foundation.  May we all endeavor to allow the Lord to work Psalm 15 into our lives in a new and fresh way so that we will never be moved by the storms of our compromised culture.

© 2024, Stacy R. Miller

Psalm 15: One Who Swears to His Own Hurt

Psalm 15:  One Who Swears to His Own Hurt

One who swears to his own hurt is one who keeps his promises, even when it’s no longer advantageous to do so.  A person who swears to his own hurt and doesn’t change is one who is firm in their faith.  Their trust is in the Mighty God, no matter what the price.  

As I pondered on this, I couldn’t help but think about what we have seen transpire in our world in recent years.  In the last three years, we have heard many stories of Christians who refused to be vaccinated for religious reasons.  Others refused to bow to the culture and refused to bow to the idol of preferred pronouns.  In both scenarios, many of those people were fired from their jobs.  They saw it more advantageous to stand firm for their faith than to cave in and keep their jobs.   

We hear stories of the persecuted church in other nations where being known as a Christian costs them their lives.  While others may not be killed for their faith, they are shunned by their families and can no longer hold a job.  We are inspired by their unwavering faith in the midst of terrifying situations.  They are living out a verse that says, “Protect my life from the terror of the enemy.” (Psalm 64:1, CSB)  In the midst of trouble and distress, they have found delight in the Lord. (Psalm 119:143)

As persecution’s grip continues to grow tighter in our world, may we all endeavor to find delight in our Lord in the midst of trouble and distress, regardless of the cost.

© 2024, Stacy R. Miller

Psalm 15: Despising a Vile Person

Psalm 15:  Despising a Vile Person

In this study on who may abide in the tabernacle of the Lord, one of the characteristics is those in whose eyes a vile person is despised.  The fear of the Lord is for us to hate evil.  (Proverbs 8:13)  We must ask ourselves:  Do we really despise what is vile?  Think about what you watch or read.  Is there lots of cussing, sexual scenes, violence?  These are evil.  If we constantly allow these scenarios into our lives, they will taint us.  

I heard an example recently that fits well into this.  A man had a job where he was constantly exposed to cussing by his coworkers.  Though he wasn’t one to join in with them, after being exposed to it for months, when he would get frustrated, those wicked words would come into his mind.  Though he never spoke them, they had infiltrated his mind where he at least thought them.  That is dangerous. It explains why we need to daily wash ourselves with the water of the Word. (Ephesians 5:26)

What about our thoughts?  This is one where the Lord is really dealing with me.  It is hard to hide our thoughts from others, but God sees them.  Think about it — Over the course of the day, how many times do you think something bad about someone or about something they said?

We must fear the Lord.  We must ask ourselves if our lives show that awestruck wonder and fear of our Majestic Lord.  Do we treat Him with contempt, neglect Him, or treat Him casually, like He is just “the man upstairs?” I think the Lord knew this might be a struggle for many of us.  That may be just one of many reasons why there are over 100 names for Him throughout the Word.  He is showing us how holy and awesome He is.  I heard one pastor mention how God displays who He is from the very first verse in the Bible.  God means Elohim.  El means might and power.  Ohim means to keep a vow.  From the Genesis 1:1, He shows us He is the God of might and power and will always keep His Word.  When others may lie to us or fail us, He never will!

We were discussing the story of Ichabod in our Sunday school class.  Ichabod means “the glory has departed.  As we look at our society and the myriad of false churches that have risen up, we may feel overwhelmed, wondering, “Has God’s glory departed from our land?”  As we ponder that, it is easy to point fingers at the many false teachers we see, the violence that fills our land, the constant push of the Alphabet people and their pronouns, and we can look with disdain and disgust.  We must be cautious though.  To despise a vile person isn’t about the person.  It is about the sinful act of the person.  We don’t want to have a holier than thou attitude.

The best way for us to despise the vile is to become ardent students of the Word.  That helps us have a holy and righteous attitude toward the Lord and what pleases Him.  When we see the vile, it will pierce our hearts and move us to pray — prayers of repentance for where we have become complacent in our own lives, but also prayers for the lost ones who are caught in the trap of such vile sins.  

© 2024, Stacy R. Miller

Psalm 15: Doing Evil to Our Neighbor

Psalm 15:  Doing Evil To Your Neighbor

I want to continue today on the topic of doing evil to your neighbor, looking at it from a different perspective.  

A friend of mine shared an interesting, personal experience that I believe you will find insightful.  A new lady showed up at their bible study.  She had a very pushy personality. She took a piece of paper, passing it around the table, telling (not asking) each lady to write down her name and cell phone number.  My friend said it was obvious several ladies were uncomfortable with her request, but didn’t want to appear rude by not giving her the desired information.  It wasn’t long until this newbie got someone to loan her a large sum of money to get her car fixed.  One day she reached out to my friend, asking for a ride.  My friend, who had bad vibes from her first encounter with this woman, politely declined, as she was busy.  The woman proceeded to brazenly ask, “So is this how it’s going to be every time I call you?”

This woman showed up at the bible study, making statements that were later proven to be partially true, and some to be entirely false.  She did evil to the ladies at this study.  I told my friend it might be wise to discuss this with the ladies at the next study, giving practical tips on how to avoid being taken in like this again.  

As time has passed, most of the ladies are quite disturbed with this woman, and are now seeking a better way to handle the situation if it arises again.  It has brought disruption, confusion, angst, and some anger to the bible study.  Oh how easily the enemy can send in a new person to try to destroy the whole unity of a bible study group!

In doing no evil to our neighbor, we need to be very cautious. This Bible study group had another situation where loose lips could cause a great deal of harm.  One of the ladies went into a local restaurant that is owned by Muslims.  She told them that her Bible study group would be meeting at the restaurant the next week.  Not only that, she exposed one of their workers as being a Christian, mentioning how their coworker’s mom heads up the Bible study!  How very foolish and dangerous!!!  Needless to say, the Bible study group did NOT meet at that establishment the following week.

We are living in perilous times where dangers we have never seen now face us face us on a near daily basis.  We must learn to be wise as serpents but harmless as doves.  It is imperative for us to train our loose lips to have some restraint, lest we speak things which could put us or others in danger, thus causing us to do evil to our neighbors.  

© 2024, Stacy R. Miller

Psalm 15: Backbiting

Psalm 15:  Backbiting

Backbiting can be an easy trap for us.  In a stressful job, where there are a lot of politics in play, it can be a slippery, and dangerous, slope to open one’s mouth to gripe about perceived injustices.  Perhaps someone rumored to be a pot-stirrer comes to work in your department.  Do you open your mouth to warn others?  Or do you silently pray for the Lord to intervene?  If a coworker does you wrong, do you immediately begin to gossip about it?  What if a brother or sister in Christ does you wrong?  Do you immediately start talking badly or posting nasty things about them on social media?

When we choose to backbite, we fall down that slippery slope to the next thing listed in Psalm 15 — that of doing evil to our neighbor.  

For those of us who are talkative, it becomes an even stickier situation.  It’s one thing to talk an issue through with a close friend, seeking counsel on how to deal with the issue or asking them to pray with you about the situation.  It’s another when it crosses the line from seeking counsel to just wanting to vent for the sake of venting.  

Venting is commonplace, especially in a world where good is bad and bad is good.  It seems our values and freedoms are being attacked and/or taken away on a daily basis.  How can we not vent?  Trust me, I get it.  I am guilty of it as much as the next person.  Too often, the venting turns to verbal, angry, bitter words against those who are making the unfair choices and policies that are affecting our lives.

We must train ourselves to take all of these burdens to the Lord, casting them fully upon Him.  It is only then that we can truly sense the peace that passes all understanding.  It is that peace which will cause others to notice that we are different.  By training ourselves to handle these issues in a godly manner, we are actually doing good to our neighbor because we are showing them a better way.  We become a beacon of bright light in a world which grows darker every day.

© 2024, Stacy R. Miller

Psalm 15: Speaking Truth in Our Heart

Psalm 15: Speaking Truth in our Heart 

Continuing in our study from Psalm 15, we are going to address speaking the truth in our heart.   

To speak truth in my heart goes very deep.  What we think in our hearts is a very private thing.  We can hide our true thoughts so easily from other people.  However, God knows our hearts, even when we don’t speak a word. (Psalm 139:2)  So what about the times we say in our hearts, “What an idiot!”?  God sees it, and He isn’t impressed.  Granted, we live in a time where there is rampant wickedness transpiring around us.  However, we must be careful not to allow our spirits to become tainted by those vile things. 

I can’t help but think back to Hannah, who spoke the truth in her heart to the Lord.  She didn’t speak ill of Penninah or her husband.  She didn’t even gossip about the priest who thought her to be drunk.  Instead, she quietly took all of this to the Lord, pouring out all of her frustrations, hurt, and bitterness. 

In a world where social media is so easily accessible, it is so easy to post something in the heat of the moment.  With intense anger, our fingers can easily type out our raw emotions.  Too often, people go to social media first when they need to be taking the issue to the Lord. 

What are some of your deepest thoughts that need to be cleansed by the Lord? 

What about when we think things like:

What an idiot.

They are stupid.

What a moron.

They are so annoying. 

You get the point.  We may not audibly say these things, but God still sees them in our heart. 

What about when someone lies about us? Let God be your defense. Forgive as you go — you may be judged more by your behavior rather than the false rumor.  The following verses may be a good reminder for all of us. 

Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips. (Psalm 141:3, NJKV) 

For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: “Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”; who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously. (1 Peter 2:21-23, NKJV) 

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, (1 Peter 1:6-7, NKJV) 

I will admit — this concept of speaking the truth in my heart can be dark because sometimes the truth of what I am thinking doesn’t follow what 1 Corinthians says about love.  Many times, my true thoughts aren’t loving or kind.  Instead, they are rude, easily provoked, angry, proud…I think you get the picture. 

Now let’s look back at where we started — speaking truth in my heart.  What about when someone does me wrong?  We must be real and honest with ourselves.  We must focus on speaking truth in our heart.  That isn’t the truth about what happened.  It is deeper — it is the Truth of God’s Word and how I am going to respond to what happened.  We have a choice.  Do we let a bitter root grow?  Or do we rise above, seeking to be found without spot or blemish? 

My prayer for us is that we allow the Lord to speak truth to our hearts where there are ungodly thoughts.  May we be willing to let Him transform us so our thoughts become the true, just, lovely, pure, and noble thoughts mentioned in Philippians 4. 

© 2024, Stacy R. Miller

Psalm 15

Psalm 15

I recently read through Hebrews.  One of the verses that stuck out to me is from Hebrews 12:14 where it tells us that without holiness, no one will see the Lord.  Shortly after that, I read Psalm 15, and found it deeply convicting, especially in the light of the verse from Hebrews.

In Psalm 15, David discusses the character of those who may dwell with the Lord.  You must walk uprightly, work righteousness, speak truth in your heart, not be a backbiter, do no evil to your neighbor or speak evil against your friend.  You must despise those who are vile, but honor those who fear the Lord, and swear to your own hurt and not change.

The final verse is powerful.  If you do the above, you will never be moved.

To walk uprightly is to be sound, wholesome, having integrity, entirely in accord with truth and fact.  I’ve heard it said that who you are when you are alone is who you really are.  That being said, how do we act when we are by ourselves?  Do we partake in sin because we think no one sees us?  Do we watch things on TV that would dishonor the Lord?  Do we read things that are not wholesome?  

When I read the part about truth and fact, it made me think of two things.  First, do I line things up with the Word?  Am I careful to be a Berean?  What about gossip I hear?  Do I quickly repeat it?  When I hear something on the news, do I immediately take it as truth and spread it?  Or do I seek to verify that it really is true?  If I neglect to fact check it, and spread it, I not only disturb others, but I may be joining the ranks of those who speak falsehoods.  

Something that recently challenged me comes from our Sunday school class where we are studying 1 Samuel.  I noticed that Hannah was tortured in her soul because she was barren.  What made it worse was how Penninah provoked Hannah because she was barren.  If that’s not enough, she tended to do it right around the time they were heading to make an offering to the Lord.  Elkanah didn’t have much compassion on her because his response was to ask her “Am I not better to you than ten sons?”  Wow, how insensitive!  

She finally gets near the tabernacle and was calling out to God with all of the hurt, abuse, bitterness of soul, and distress that she was facing.  At the place where she should have found comfort, solitude, and peace, she found something else — A priest who accuses her of being drunk.

Yet Hannah remained respectful toward him, calling him lord.  I had to admit in class that would definitely not have been the response I would have given him.

So bringing this back home to our own lives, what do we do when we are faced with issues regarding our enemies, insensitive comments from our spouse or other family members, or even our own church family?

Let us learn from Hannah.  Like what Psalm 15 mentions about walking uprightly, Hannah did just that.  She didn’t angrily retort to her accusers and tormentors.  Instead, she went right to the Father and cried out to Him.  The Lord greatly blessed her for her character and her trust in Him.  May we learn to keep our mouths shut when we’ve been hurt or offended, taking it only to the Lord.  We may find ourselves amazed with how He will intervene if we will only give Him the chance to do so.

© 2024, Stacy R. Miller

Be An Example

Be An Example

After doing the series on the false teachers, I feel impressed to start a new series.  I mentioned previously that my “journaling” is done through devotions. In this series, I am going to share some of things I have learned from examples in scripture.  There are many who are teaching that we can ignore the Old Testament.  Because of that, I am purposely going to use as many stories as I can from the Old Testament.  My hope is to help others see how important, and applicable, the Old Testament is in these turbulent times.

To start off, we need to look at what the New Testament says about the Old Testament.  It makes it clear that we are not to ignore it.  Also, if you would remove Old Testament quotes from the New Testament, you wouldn’t have much of a Bible left to read!

“For I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our fathers were all under the cloud and they all passed through the sea; and they all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; and they all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ. Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased; for their dead bodies were spread out in the wilderness.  Now these things happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they indeed craved them. Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.”  Nor are we to commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in one day.  Nor are we to put the Lord to the test, as some of them did, and were killed by the snakes. Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were killed by the destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let the one who thinks he stands watch out that he does not fall.”  (1 Corinthians 10:1-12, NASB)

The last sentence compels me to look back at what was just spoken.  The Bible tells us to examine ourselves. (2 Corinthians 13:5)  I want us to examine ourselves in light of this Old Testament example so that we don’t become one of those who falls when we thought we were firm.

First, we see it was Christ who was with them in the wilderness.  He is the One performed all of the miracles through Moses.  He gave them food to eat and water to drink.  He kept their clothes from wearing out in that forty year walk through the wilderness.  Because we are quite familiar with the miracles that happened in this forty year journey, our tendency can be to read it with a sense of familiarity.  Doing so causes us to miss out on some marvelous truths.  The Christ who was with them, is the same Christ we serve today.  The miracles He did then, He can do for us!  As we see globalism on the rise, with its sinister agenda, we should find great comfort in this.

Next, we see that God was not pleased with most of them.  They were idolaters, sexually immoral, they put God to the test, and they were grumblers.  I find it interesting that when they grumbled against the Lord, they were killed by the destroyer.  Proverbs tells us that life and death are in the power of the tongue.  It is destructive to grumble and complain!  With the barrage of bad news every day, we need to be mindful that we don’t get pulled into that downward spiral of grumbling and complaining.  It would be so easy to fall into the trap of saying, “I wish we could go back to the days of ____.”  Ecclesiastes 7:10 warns us not to say, “Why is it that the former days were better than these?” For it is not from wisdom that you ask about this.” (NASB)

We have great potential for idolatry in our lives today.  Commercials and advertisements are designed to convince you to buy their products, even if it means going into great debt.  It reminds me of the bumper sticker that says, “He who has the most toys wins.”  

Globalists like Yuval Harari have bragged about new technology that will help them to become “gods.”  Hmm….like that worked out so well in Garden.  They are looking to become gods while we should be seeking to become more godly.

I am highly competitive, even with myself.  With the rising prices, I have been trying to keep my spending as low as possible.  My goal is to see how much I can put in savings every payday.  Hebrews 13:5 is a good motivator for me. “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for God said, “I will never leave you, nor forsake you.” (NASB)  It’s not the love of money that I struggle with.  Rather, it is being content with what I have.  It is those urges to go shopping just for something to do.  Those excursions can come at a costly price.

In these turbulent times, we must seek to be an example of those with whom they Lord is pleased.  That being said, now is a great time to pause and examine ourselves to see if we are battling any of the things mentioned in the above verses.  If we are, it is time to repent.  It is time to seek the Lord.

© 2023, Stacy R. Miller

Don’t Forget to Love!

Don’t Forget to Love!

One thing that has become fascinating to me as I read the Word is when there are lists.  Since all scripture is inspired by God (2 Timothy 3:16), it makes me pause to look deeper, pondering why the Lord put the lists in that particular order.

A good example is from 1 Corinthians 16:13.  It tells us to be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.  (NASB)  The NKJV tells us to watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong.

As I look at each piece of the verse, it sounds like warfare stuff — ways to build ourselves up spiritually so that we can stand brave and strong under the face of pressure.  However, the commands don’t stop there.  The next verse is very telling.  We are commanded to let everything we do be done in love.  At first glance, it almost seems out of place because the previous verse is focused on things to make us strong and ready for warfare.  I believe this verse is strategically placed here because the Lord knows we all want to be bold and strong.  However, it is easy for us to forget that being bold and strong also needs to be done in love.

It’s like some men who work out at the gym.  They focus only on building up the muscles in their arms (trying to impress the ladies), while neglecting to strengthen their legs.  My brother shared a funny story from the gym.  He knows a guy who was focusing only on the upper body.  The guy was mocking my brother for the kind of workout he was doing.  This resulted in my brother challenging him to a bike race.  Mr. Macho-Arms didn’t think it was much of a challenge, so he accepted, only to be crying out in pain within a matter of minutes.  He had no idea how much time and effort my brother had put into a full body workout to strengthen his legs.

This reminds me of the love chapter in 1 Corinthians 13. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:3, ESV)  I have heard inspiring stories of Christians who have been burned at the stake.  Notice that this verse makes it clear that if we are strong enough to endure being burned at the stake, yet we have not love, we gain nothing.  What an awful thought!

It’s the same thing as the gym experience.  We can focus on building our spiritual strength, and we should do so.  However, if we neglect to love in the midst of it, it does us no good.

Times of great persecution are fast-approaching the Church.  We need to be preparing ourselves for it, and part of that preparation involves learning to love those who are going to persecute us.

Do you need to focus more on loving those who oppose you?  I know I do.  That is just one reason why I chose to memorize 1 Corinthians 16:13-14 several months ago.  I pray that verse often for myself, but also for the persecuted and remnant believers.  It is a good reminder to me not to forget to love.

© 2023, Stacy R. Miller

Preparing For The Storm

Preparing For the Storm

We recently watched the damage inflicted by Hurricane Ian.  As I watched the images and time-lapsed videos of Ian coming to shore, I couldn’t help but think of it in a spiritual sense.

Jesus spoke of many horrific things that must take place before He comes.  We often refer to trials and tribulations as storms of life.

When facing a hurricane, people have the wisdom to do certain things in preparation for it.  They know to board up windows, make sure they have enough flashlights and batteries when the power goes out, have plenty of water on hand, and easy meal preps that don’t require cooking or baking.

But what about all of these things Jesus told us are going to happen?  First, we don’t have an exact timeline for these events, like we would a coming hurricane.  What about the fact that much of what Jesus says are things we haven’t ever faced?  So how can we even prepare for the unknown?  

While we can try to do physical prepping to help us in these end time days, spiritual prepping will be much more beneficial.  I can’t help but think of the contrast between the foolish man who built his house on the sand and the wise man who built his house on the rock.

Those who build their spiritual house on the sand will be the same ones who want to bury their heads in the sand.  They will want to sleep during the coming storms, choosing to be oblivious to what is taking place, too lazy to do anything to prepare them for what is coming.

However, we commanded in 1 Thessalonians 5:6 not to sleep like some do, but to watch and be sober.  To watch means to be alert, awake, be vigilant, watching out for the snares of sin.  To be sober means to be free from intoxicants, showing sound judgment in all things, to be calm and collected in spirit.

I have a rather humorous story to share with you regarding how to show sound judgment in all things.  A coworker was talking about buying silver to have on hand when the financial system collapses.  As I listened to her, my stomach started to churn a bit because that isn’t something I have done.  Yet, as I pondered further, I responded to her comment by chuckling and saying, “There are benefits to living in a rough area of town.  I don’t have to worry about all of that extra prepping because when everything crashes, we will be dead within two weeks.”  My coworkers were a bit shocked by the bluntness of my comment, but they had to agree with the wisdom in what I said.  It is something my husband and I have discussed.  It’s not a pleasant thought to dwell on, but when we know where we are going, we have found a sense of peace in it.

My mom said she doesn’t understand how I can watch prophecy updates and stay on top of what is happening in the world and still have such a positive, joyful attitude.  While I watch prophecy updates once or twice a week, I am in my Bible every day, often three times a day. I focus on the eternal much more than the temporal things of this world.  That helps me stay sober — calm and collected in spirit.  It helps me to rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, and be steadfast in prayer. (Romans 12:12)  As I draw closer to the Lord, the last thing I want to do is bring shame to His Name.  This has led me to pray every day that I will be faithful to Him, even unto death. (Revelation 2:10)

I hope this gives you some clarity in these dark days.  What stood out to me is the part about being calm and collected in spirit.  In all honesty, that is not my nature.  So what must I do?  I must be a studious student of the Word, learning more about the Lord, allowing Him to build these traits in me.  I must be diligent in prayer, showing my dependence upon the Lord to help me in these areas where I lack.

If we allow the Lord to work these traits in and through us, as this world grows darker, our light will shine brighter.  The Lord will give us sound judgment to know how to answer difficult questions from those who are curious to know why we can remain so calm in a world of chaos.  May we all be faithful, even unto death. (Revelation 2:10)

© 2022, Stacy R. Miller