Author: Brian Burdett

“And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart had turned away from the Lord, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice” – 1 Kings 11:9

God gave Solomon every blessing imaginable and Solomon threw it away! God made him king over Israel. God appeared and spoke to him twice. God gave him wisdom, wealth, power, and peace. And yet, despite ALL that, Solomon wandered away from God. He indulged the lusts of his mind and body and it ruined him spiritually.

In his greed for sexual delights, international influence, and greater earthly wealth, Solomon collected an enormous harem of pagan women. As he devoted his mind and body to sexual gratification, his heart turned away from the God Who had blessed him beyond measure. Solomon is a vivid reminder of the devastating effects of listening to your heart with all its deceptive sickness rather than listening to God’s unchanging command.

Don’t let that happen to you! Follow God and discipline your heart to be in line with His will and Word. Earthly love is wonderful, but true and lasting satisfaction can only be found in our relationship with God. For this reason, our earthly relationships must conform to God’s will and heart rather than the other way around. Pursue earthly relationships that strengthen your relationship with God and glorify Him. God’s people must always be careful about whom they give their heart to. That is God’s clear and unchanging command in both Old Testament and New. #FollowJesus in your earthly relationships!

“And said, ‘O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you, in heaven above or on earth beneath, keeping covenant and showing steadfast love to your servants who walk before you with all their heart;’ – 1 Kings 8:23

Yes, this is your incomparable God!!! He is utterly faithful toward His people. His love is a steadfast love that doesn’t rise and fall with His mood. His love isn’t transactional and doesn’t consider what you’ve done for Him lately. God’s love is extraordinary, rooted in grace, and more solid than any rock. His love is better than any love you’ve ever shown toward anyone or anything. The Hebrew word for God’s steadfast love is “hesed” and hesed is one of the defining qualities of God’s nature. For God, hesed isn’t a mood or feeling, it’s Who He is!

If Jesus is your Lord, then you’ve been reconciled to God by His grace through your faith in His Son. That means you’re a recipient of God’s steadfast love and He’ll always keep His covenant of grace toward you. He will always be gracious toward you, remembering that your sins have already been paid for by Jesus on the cross. He will always forgive you when you confess your sins. He will always keep His promise to never leave or forsake you. Indeed, God has permanently sealed you as His beloved child by sending His Holy Spirit to live in you.

In light of God’s hesed, live your life with total devotion to God. Know that He loves you more fully and completely than you can possibly imagine. Let His love transform you. #FollowJesus

“But the Lord said to David my father, ‘Whereas it was in your heart to build a house for my name, you did well that it was in your heart. Nevertheless, you shall not build the house, but your son who shall be born to you shall build the house for my name.’” – 1 Kings 8:18-19

How do you handle it when God says, “No”? God doesn’t exist to rubber-stamp the prayers and plans of His people. Sometimes He says, “No”. Even when we have the absolute best intentions to serve and glorify Him, He can still say, “No”. That’s exactly what God told King David. David wanted to build a magnificent temple for the Lord in Jerusalem. His intentions were pure and holy. He LOVED the Lord. God still told him, “No”.

God’s reasons are His own. His knowledge and wisdom are perfect and complete. His timing is also perfect. He understands “the big picture” in ways we never will. When He says, “No” it’s always for the best. But do we trust that when God says, “No”? Do you?

Being told “No” when all we want to do is please and glorify God can be disappointing, confusing, embarrassing, and frustrating. We seldom understand because we lack God’s perfect knowledge and timing. But can we accept His answer anyway? Can you be at peace about the matter when God says, “No”? Many Christians today are more interested in God’s approval than His timing. We want Him to say, “Yes” but remain determined to move forward no matter what He says. We assume we heard Him wrong. We struggle to accept “No” and halt our plans.

David shows how to properly handle God’s “No”. He wasn’t angry and didn’t plow ahead anyway. He accepted it even though he probably didn’t like it. He continued serving faithfully as he had been serving. He prepared things to make it easier for his son who would receive God’s, “Yes”. Praying, preparing, serving — that’s how to handle God’s “No” when you #FollowJesus

“Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.” – Acts 13:38-39

This is Good News!!! Through Jesus, everyone who believes in Him has forgiveness and freedom. Forgiveness for every sin. Freedom from the power of sin, death, and the devil. Freedom that can’t be gained by hard work, good deeds, rule following, or self-discipline but only by God’s grace. This was good news 2000 years ago and it’s still good news today!

Acts 13 is a beautiful example of the unchanging message of eternal life and hope available through faith in Jesus. What should you do with this message? Believe it and share it. Believe in the Lord Jesus and believe that God has forgiven your sins through Him. Believe that God loves you, embraces you, has adopted you, and lives in you. Believe in the Lord Jesus and believe that you are free. You don’t have to sin. You don’t have to fear what lies on the other side of death. You don’t have to fear the accusations and condemnations of the devil.

Then share this message with others who need hope, forgiveness, and freedom. Share this message with your closest friends and family. Share it with neighbors and coworkers. Share it with strangers. Share it near and share it far. Support, pray for, and encourage those who share it even farther! While the Bible presents some complicated truths and doctrines, this good news isn’t complicated. Forgiveness and freedom. Embrace it and offer it to others. #FollowJesus

“And said, ‘You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord?’” – Acts 13:10

Paul’s words to the false prophet who kept interrupting and distracting his Gospel presentation sounds pretty harsh to our modern ears. However, it’s literally true about any false teacher who keeps people from hearing the truth about Jesus Christ. Interrupting, opposing, distorting, and distracting the truth about God’s Son is the work of the devil. It’s deception and unrighteousness intended to deny people access to eternal life in Lord Jesus. It is the message of Hell delivered by the minion of Hell.

We can too easily overlook the spiritual implications of the false prophets and teachers flooding the internet and social media. They are quite literally trying to guide people into Hell and block their reconciliation with the Lord. This isn’t a trivial matter of ignorance or error which should be quickly forgiven. To intentionally twist the message of the Gospel, turning it into a pathway to earthly treasure or a glorification of saving oneself by good works is the message of Satan.

If you are a Christian, you must be discerning about who and what you read, watch, and listen to. Compare what they say to what the Bible says. Compare what they say to what the best Christian minds have concluded across the centuries. Everyone makes mistakes and there should be grace for that. But those who adamantly and consistently teach a message different from and contrary to God’s Word and Gospel of Grace must be rejected utterly. Don’t continue watching or listening because you like parts of what they say or how they say it. The devil thrives in half-truths! Stick to the Bible and those who teach faithfully and directly from the Bible in proper context and rightly interpreted. They may not be as slick, as entertaining, or as popular but that’s who you need to like and follow online as you #FollowJesus