The Truth Will Set You Free

When a young girl in our ministry was being cut and maimed, her life nearly destroyed, seven different counselors and psychologists could do nothing to help her. I was forced to quit toying with the abstract concept of demons and face them head on.  And when I found myself in spiritual battle with demons I was also forced to quit toying with the possibility of the Holy Spirit still speaking, guiding, and working in power and miracles. It became my reality. And she was set free.

I have changed several Biblical beliefs throughout my lifetime. I was told early on by a very wise friend, “Dave, know what you believe, but hold it lightly.”  I took it to heart. In the case of demons and the Holy Spirit, it was a crisis of belief that forced me to change, while other times it was a long hard look at the facts.

Whenever we think of making changes in our life we usually think of changing habits. But habits may not be the only thing needing change. What about beliefs? Only problem is, though, most of us think that we are never supposed to change our beliefs. It’s taboo -- forbidden. But if you are a Christ-follower, you changed your beliefs somewhere along the way. Once you were lost, self-centered and without hope. But now you have surrendered your heart and life to Jesus.

You may have a problem with the statement, “Know what you believe, but hold it lightly.” Let me say it another way. Throughout our lifetime we learn many, many lessons. Many, many truths. Inevitably, then, as life progresses, we have many, many lessons and truths to unlearn. Why? Because we did not get it right in the first go around. God alone is infallible. Not our cherished beliefs. If you think that you will never have to give up a cherished belief, and never have need to change your opinion, you will be disappointed and deceived. Jesus said, “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”

I also changed my belief about end times theology. I came to understand and believe that Jesus will return pre-wrath, not pre-Trib. In fact, I changed my belief drastically, coming to realize that the whole concept of a seven-year Tribulation period is a concocted theory of man, not the revealed truth of the Word. After nearly a life time of research, study and contemplation, I wrote a book about it.  But as I shared the truth, over and over, I discovered that no one in my circles was ever going to change their belief. Like the proverbial saying, “Don’t confuse me with the facts, my mind is made up.”  Old beliefs die hard, even when demonstrably false. If you recall, the earth used to be flat, not round.

Most of our beliefs are handed down to us, or they are shaped by those who taught us. The term for this is indoctrination¹.  You may think that beliefs take root in your brain, but they are implanted in your heart as well. They become tied to our emotions. And then they are reinforced by our support group. Hence, change is nigh unto impossible. We deeply fear toying with or changing our beliefs. It’s just wrong. Maybe even heresy². Most people want to keep an even keel, at all cost. Just maintain the status quo. It is too scary to think of making major changes. Not just scary, but very uncomfortable, too. Like, what would my church friends think? Or my colleagues. 

So then, if I may pass on an important piece of advice, Know what you believe, but hold it lightly. Truth will set you free.

¹   That may be why Scripture says, “Not many of you should presume to be teachers…” (Js 3:1)

²   Heresy, though, is to believe the lie, not the truth.

Prince Charming

The story of Prince Charming has been a part of folklore for a long, long time.  It is a theme woven into many a character and many a story. Like so many great story motifs, it must have some substance in truth and reality to have become such a captivating storyline.

So, who is this Prince Charming character? What makes this storyline so endearing?

Prince Charming is best known for rescuing the damsel in distress. Prince Charming is the deepest desire of a woman looking for peace and security in her fragile existence. She is not looking for the perfectly sculptured man, like the statue of David, created by Michelangelo.  No, Prince Charming is not even necessarily good looking. Prince Charming is the man who loves a woman by taking the initiative to protect, respect and unleash her. He cares deeply. He is committed, loyal, and attentive to needs and desires. Prince Charming is willing to give his life for the woman he loves, like Jesus, who gave his life for his bride.

In a recent interview a strong woman was asked a poignant question. “As a woman in a leadership role, here in a large church, can you describe your view of the role of a man in marriage?”  She replied, “If a man will lead, protect, and honor me, and if he would risk his life for me, I would follow him anywhere.”

Our country, today, has become incredibly polarized. One of those issues is the role of men and women. Chauvinism, sexist, paternalistic -- these are just a few of the words and concepts at the forefront of the issue. Like a tidal wave, it was slow to start, but it keeps rising, relentlessly. This upheaval is affecting the political landscape, the workplace, media, families, and individuals in very real ways. It is changing societal norms in every conceivable manner, and every single arena, including the church.

Are the roles of men and women even still relevant? Is it still worth defining and differentiating those roles? For those who may still be interested, let’s take a stab at it.

If we were to take our cue from nature itself, we might get a clue of the basic roles of men and women. Men are the pointed ones. They are designed to lead and point the way. Men rise to the occasion. They are designed to risk and protect. Men are action oriented. They are designed to lead, not by control or intimidation, nor by withdrawal, but with decisions and actions flowing out of sincere love.

Women, on the other hand, are connection oriented. For them romance is all about relationship. Women expose themselves. They are willing to be vulnerable, and that vulnerability must never be trampled, or the woman will close up, and become damaged goods. A woman brings joy to a man’s life.

Unfortunately, though, Prince Charming is not a longing in the heart of many, many women. That’s because men have the power not only to bless, but also to ruin. And ruin litters the landscape where many a man has rampaged. The abuse of women by men has caught up with us. And sadly, fathers and husbands are the single greatest perpetrators. Women are rising up in anger and protest. Sexual abuse is coming out of hiding like floodwaters rushing through a broken dam. Politicians, Hollywood, religious leaders, media, families -- in every arena where men and women rub shoulders, where men have some degree of power or superiority, women are being demeaned and abused.

Sadly, Prince Charming may be dead. I recently watched a movie, The Last Jedi. I was dumbfounded by the portrayal of the men and the women. The three strongest characters were women – Princess Leia, of course, then Rey, who continually risked her life to defend the Resistance, and Vice Admiral Holdo, who literally gave up her life in a death mission to protect her comrades.  All the evil characters were portrayed as men – Snoke, Kylo Ren, and General Hux. Then there was Luke Skywalker, portrayed as terribly flawed – checked out and totally detached. Fortunately, he was “redeemed”. We’ve come a long way, baby – for me, it was painful to swallow.

Rise up, oh Men of God. You still have the God-ordained opportunity and responsibility to be Prince Charming to your woman.

Saved From the Burn Pile

I learned a lesson from my Christmas tree fields. The trees were speaking to me, sharing their wisdom and insight.

Last year was a huge harvest year. Thousands of trees were cut and sold. So what I had left in my fields, after a couple of years of harvesting trees, was about twenty percent of the trees from the original planting, nine years earlier. These trees had been repeatedly passed over for two or three years. But as I viewed the trees that were left, I could see ever more clearly why they were passed over. Once they stood alone with very few other trees to hide them, all their flaws were evident, almost magnified. Some of them were slightly misshapen, some were just very slow in maturing, but the largest number were simply too fat. Way too fat. They were not tended well in the first few years, and trimmed too wide. As the years went by they were trimmed fatter and fatter. Eventually, they became non-sellable. They were only good for the burn pile.

But that’s not the end of the story. Once their flaws became transparent, once those trees were not hiding behind the mass of other trees, they had some hope. You see, the keeper of the trees (that’s me), did not want to see any of them go to waste. I didn’t want to just cut them down and throw them on the burn pile.

So I came up with a rescue plan. It was a plan that required a lot of work, a lot of effort, and a lot of hope. I got a chainsaw and used it almost like a hedge trimmer, and cut the trees back to normal size and shape. Then I had to go back over each one and meticulously trim the scarred and cut tips of the branches back to where the surgery was not noticeable and where new growth could produce a good looking tree.

It took hours and hours of painstaking, tender loving care. But it turned out, come the next season, that I saved some 300 trees from the burn pile. They were so happy. They cried out to me with joy and thanksgiving.  I know you don’t believe me, but I could hear them.

Now here is the lesson that the trees taught me. When we are able to hide from one another we think that no one knows about our flaws, our weaknesses, our failures, our addictions, our shame, our heartache. We grow fatter and fatter, more and more useless, defeated, and non-sellable. We are no longer beautiful, because we have not been tended well, and unless someone puts some tender loving care into us we will be good for nothing but the burn pile. But when we come into the open, when we become transparent, when we trust the real me with our brother and sister in Christ, the keepers of the trees, then we can find healing. In hiding we only buy time, and our condition grows worse and worse, fatter and fatter.

But sin tricks us, and we think we can hide. We think that the pleasure of sin is worth it. But when our ugly condition becomes all too evident we have a choice to make. Do we want to submit to the loving chainsaw, or would we prefer the burn pile?

“If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.” (I Jn 1:7)