by Angela Sanders | Mar 15, 2018
A woman caught in sin was brought into a public place today, not to be punished, but to be rescued.
Eyes cast down and shuffling, the young beauty was led to a seat by a senior friend.
“Is this spot okay, sweetie?”
Nods. Sniffles. Shifting. Backward glances.
Hot drinks came, and treats were served. By the time I learned the cause of the young woman’s discomfort, it was too late for me to leave the room. A chair blocked my exit and my coffee cup was full.
She’d know.
I tried not to listen. We all did, the other laptops and I, but we were soon captivated, not only by the words spoken, but the genuine love behind them.
“I don’t judge you,” the old woman began, her alto warming the drafty little room. “That’s not my job.”
No answer.
With empathy, she reached across the rickety table and offered a steady, weathered hand.
It was taken.
“Remember what we talked about last week in Sunday school? What does the Bible call this?” she asked, fully expecting an answer.
It came.
“That’s right, honey. Adultery. It’s not dating. It’s not romance. It’s sin.”
Sniffles and deep breaths. A feeble, half-hearted argument.
“I know your husband didn’t keep his promises, but you made a promise to God, honey. You have to keep it. As long as you are married, you have to keep it.”
I held my breath. We all did.
“Has God ever let you down?” In no rush, the old woman gave her friend time to think and shake her head no. “That’s right. He hasn’t. He saved you by the blood of Jesus and gave you a brand new life. He loves you more than you know, and He keeps on proving it, doesn’t He? He’s been getting you through hard times and helping you raise your little boy, hasn’t he?”
Soft sobbing.
“This man you call your boyfriend, he doesn’t love you like that. He doesn’t give. He takes, just like the devil takes. You’re worth so much more than all those gifts, honey, and if you aren’t careful, the devil’s gonna to steal everything you’ve worked so hard for. Plus, you don’t want to be the other woman, do you? You don’t want to hurt another lady who just wants to be loved as much as you do.”
Long seconds passed in silence. No one sipped. No one typed. No one moved at all.
A barely audible whisper. “No.”
Antique windows rattled under the pressure of gusting winds, and a tear escaped down my cheek.
“That’s right, you don’t!” the old woman boomed, her smile forming a wreath of happy wrinkles. She patted the table with both hands. “Now let’s practice that important word, shall we?”
Everyone exhaled. Fingers began to type. Coffee cups rattled and clinked. Casual conversation resumed.
The two women role played for a while to prepare the younger for difficult conversations still to come, her no’s growing stronger by the second, and I struggled to sit still. I ached to say “no” with her, to verbalize my support, to stand by her side when push came to shove, but I knew, deep down, He’d be there, the God who’d just used one beloved daughter to woo and win back another.
Eventually, the women left hand in hand, their carriage hopeful, determined. Work forgotten, I replayed the scene in my mind.
Compassionate, the old woman had called sin by its name, but hadn’t labeled the sinner. Cautious, she’d expressed disdain for sin’s effects without wounding the affected. Wise, she’d exposed the Enemy and exalted the Father. Humble, she’d spoken the simple truth in love, not adding to or sensationalizing it, not blaming and shaming, not lording her own righteousness over another or forcing a response, but giving the Holy Spirit time and space to work, which He did.
Amazing. Perfect. Rare.
Oh, what I’d give to go back and have some conversations over again!
by Angela Sanders | Mar 7, 2018
Few things are as unsettling as finding out you’re just as capable of evil as the next person, that, deep down, you’re just as critical, just as judgmental, and just as intent on getting even and eliminating the competition as the person who once crushed you.
Of course, if we saw temptation coming, we’d do a much better job of guarding against it. We’d pray more, study our Bibles more, practice poker faces and shutting our mouths on purpose, stay rested and sharp, and surround ourselves with painfully honest people who care more about pleasing God than pleasing us.
But we don’t.
Oddly enough, after years and years of living in this jungle, most of us still do a poor job of detecting the Enemy’s approach.
One twig snap and he’s on you, wielding someone just as prone to wander from God’s path and protection as you are to distract, tempt, shame, or jab you where it hurts. Having left your spiritual armor at home because you didn’t feel the need for it, you panic and go primal, ignoring the still small voice that whispers, “Love.”
Anger, fear, jealousy, and pride take over, and you let the poison darts fly. Lethal and quick, your words, actions, and attitude spread wider and go farther than you could ever have imagined, sticking hearts, burning deep, and causing damage you’ll never even see.
It’s your fault and you know it (1 Cor. 10:13).
Oh, the Enemy’s behind it, of course, that heartless commissioner of kamikaze pilots, but you volunteered for duty. Convicted, your heart sinks and begins to suffocate under the weight of the sin you’ve committed.
Thank God for His mercy and grace!
He alone restores. He alone heals broken hearts. He alone takes what the Enemy intends for evil and uses it for our good (Rom. 8:28, Gen. 50:20). He forces His help on no one, though, so the miraculous sometimes takes a while.
That’s okay.
While you wait for the wounded to forgive and to heal, you’ll have plenty of time to confess, plenty of time to plan and do better, and plenty of time to forgive the person who once hurt you.
Because we’re all capable of evil.
by Angela Sanders | Feb 12, 2018
A story shook me to the core this morning.
Hezekiah. Heard of him? He was one of the godliest kings in Jewish history.
Anyway, God showed Hezekiah favor and rescued Jerusalem from a blood-thirsty bully, the king of Assyria, who had already conquered 46 Jewish cities. Not only did God deliver Jerusalem, but he annihilated the Assyrians, killing 185,000 of them in their sleep! The Israelite soldiers didn’t even have to get their hands dirty. The angel of the Lord did it for them.
Why? Hezekiah had pleaded with God to prove to the Assyrians He was not just another man-made god easily conquered. Sure, Hezekiah and his people got something out of it, too, but Hezekiah’s request revealed a sincere desire to see God glorified, a motive God could really get behind.
Later, Hezekiah got sick and almost died. Again, he pleaded with God for a longer life. His argument? He had honored and obeyed God all his life. This being the kind of behavior God could reward while glorifying Himself, he decided to let Hezekiah live for 15 more years.
Grace upon grace.
Healthy and wealthy once again, Hezekiah relaxed and enjoyed the abundant blessings of God. Comfortable, he grew lax and failed to exercise the same kind of discernment and wisdom he’d shown during hard times. When visitors from Babylon came knocking, he didn’t question why, but invited them in and showed them EVERYTHING in the kingdom, whetting their appetite.
Hezekiah’s foolishness would later cost his people. You see, carelessness, arrogance, and poor stewardship are things God just can’t get behind. They don’t reflect His character or inspire proper respect for His sovereignty, wisdom, and power.
Isaiah, God’s messenger, foretold the consequences of Hezekiah’s actions. Somewhere down the road, the Babylonians would carry off everything Hezekiah had shown them in his milk-drunk stupor. Everything. Even worse, the Babylonians would carry off his own descendants, castrate them, and use them as slaves in the Babylonian palace!
I must admit I cringed when I read that, deep down, where mothers ache when their babies get hurt. I got sick to my stomach and my eyes stung.
Apparently, the news did not have the same effect on Hezekiah. In fact, he called the Lord’s judgment “good.”
Um, excuse me?!?
Now, I’m sure one part of Hezekiah was just recognizing God’s wisdom and sovereignty like he always had before. Of course the judgment was “good.” A good God had handed it down. But the other part of him was just glad he wouldn’t have to live through it (Isaiah 39:8).
Bottom line? Hezekiah was okay with his descendants’ having to endure the horrific consequences of his actions as long as he didn’t have to experience it himself or watch.
He didn’t pull out the sackcloth and ashes. He didn’t repent. He didn’t even ask!
King Hezekiah just gave up.
Oh, he wouldn’t have had a leg to stand on, of course, and God would, in no way, have been obligated to do as Hezekiah asked, but he could have at least tried! He could have admitted fault and doubled-down on his commitment to reflect God’s character and be a good steward with all God had given him. He could have asked God reveal His mercy and grace by sparing Judah the hardship foretold, thereby glorifying Himself, but he didn’t.
The result? Hezekiah’s son, Manasseh, became one of the worst kings in Jewish history, turning his back on God and reinstating the wicked religious practices of his grandfather—a God-fearing parent’s worst nightmare—and everything Isaiah foretold came true under Nebuchadnezzar.
I just don’t get it.
How could a godly man like Hezekiah not show more remorse for his carelessness, arrogance, and poor stewardship? How could he not scramble to turn things back around once he knew he’d messed up? How could he experience personal relief knowing his actions would someday cause others grief? How could he not do a better job of raising his children in fear and admonition of God after years of experiencing God’s blessing and favor? How does a once-passionate servant of God grow lazy and apathetic?
You know, I say I don’t get it, but maybe I do, on some level anyway.
Maybe you do, too.
Now, I don’t feel the need to spill my guts here—details are superfluous in matters of motive—and I wouldn’t, in a million years, ask you to spill yours, but I think we’d all do well to take this cautionary tale to heart and get honest with ourselves and with God.
While we may not be able to undo damage already done or hold back the consequences of past actions, we can start over. We can do better.
The Bible says, “If we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
The truth is none of us have a leg to stand on before holy God, but we do have Jesus, a mediator who understands what it’s like to be us (Heb. 4:15). Through His obedient death and resurrection, we have forgiveness for sin, past, present, and future (1 Pet. 3:18); eternal life by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8); and the ability to live for God’s glory by the supernatural power of His Holy Spirit, no matter what we have or haven’t done to this point (Phil. 2:13).
It may be too late for Hezekiah, but it’s not too late for us! All we have to do is ask (Rom. 10:9-10, Gal. 4:6).
by Angela Sanders | Feb 6, 2018
Why are some Christians mean?
Well, it could be that the Christian in question really isn’t one. Maybe they had some kind of spiritual experience or said some words and now believe they belong to the family of God, but never truly surrendered their lives to Jesus Christ. If so, His Holy Spirit never came to live in their heart. Their desires are still their own. Their motivations are still their own. Their actions are still their own. Not God’s. Please don’t let them ruin your opinion of the One Whose name they’ve hijacked.
If they truly are a Christian, meaning they’ve accepted God’s forgiveness made possible through Jesus’ death and resurrection and been saved from the consequences of sin by surrendering their lives to Him, it could be they’re just out of practice.
Let me explain.
I have athletic ability. It’s genetic. When I work out, my muscles “remember” what to do and begin to take on the desired shape quickly. When I count calories and get enough sleep, I lose weight. When I watch someone execute a skill, I can do a decent imitation of them. When I train, I improve at that skill.
You’d never know it, though, if were you to observe me. At the moment, my muscle tone is lacking. I’m heavier than I was a year ago, and I’m not currently excelling at any particular skill. Why? I’m not working at it.
The mean Christian you know may be in the same boat. They’ve been reborn and so have the Holy Spirit inside them as a result of their God-given faith (2 Cor. 5:17, Gal. 4:5-6). He’s ready, willing, and able to help them discern the will of the Father and execute it, but they aren’t cooperating with Him. They’re not applying themselves, so they aren’t growing. As a result, they still act on their own desires and let selfish motives drive them sometimes. More often than not, they are a poor representation of the One they represent. Please don’t let them ruin your opinion of their Father.
They may be rebelling—if so, God will take them in hand presently (Heb. 12:3-11)—but it’s more likely they believe they are doing and/or saying the right thing. See, sometimes, my brothers and sisters and I do a poor job of training up the younger ones and teaching them what they need to know. As a result, they don’t practice submission to the Holy Spirit. They don’t know they need to, so they run ahead, falsely assuming that their identity as a child of God automatically makes them correct or gives them the right to do and say what they please. That’s on us. I beg you to overlook their behavior just as I would ask you to overlook the behavior of any other toddler who behaved inappropriately for lack of instruction.
Understand, Christians are sanctified, or set apart for God, the moment we give our lives to Jesus Christ, but our transformation into His image takes a lifetime, the rate of that transformation contingent on the consistency of our cooperation. Rather than hold a grudge against those who don’t know yet how to be, I hope you’ll become a part of the solution, giving God complete control of your life so you can show them how it’s done.
However, it could also be that what you’re interpreting as meanness really isn’t. Maybe the Christian in question is just passing along the truth of God’s Word, and it’s making you uncomfortable. If so, don’t be upset. Be glad! God, the Creator of the Universe, the Great I Am, is talking to you! That’s a blessing no matter how it makes you feel in the moment because it means He’s giving you an opportunity to draw closer to Him, where you’ll find joy that transcends circumstance and peace that surpasses human understanding.
Maybe you’ve never put your faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection for salvation from the consequences of sin by surrendering your life to Jesus. If this is true, I hope you will so the discomfort will pass. Maybe you’re a child of God, but you’re operating independently of Him at the moment, causing yourself and others unnecessary grief. If so, I hope you’ll confess that sin and fall back in line with the Father’s will for your life. Your actions are causing more damage than you probably realize.
Granted, some Christians are careless, speaking the truth of God’s Word like they’re supposed to, but lacing it with disdain, self-righteousness, and the like, thereby wounding those they’re supposed to help heal and poisoning their opinion of the Father. If this has happened to you, I apologize. Again, I hope you can dismiss the toddler at your heels yapping, poking, and showing out while the Father, compassionate and full of grace, is trying to speak to you. He will correct them in due time, I assure you.
In a perfect world, the words mean and Christian wouldn’t ever be spoken together. There’d be no reason. But this isn’t a perfect world, and none of us, Christian or non-Christian, is perfect. Not yet (Phil. 1:6). Our flesh gets in the way. The only thing that sets Christians apart from non-Christians is the hope we have in Jesus Christ, confident assurance that His death and resurrection were enough to spare us the consequences of sin we so obviously deserve and secure our place in God’s Kingdom now and forever if only we put our faith and trust in Him.
Whatever your experience with us, please don’t stay angry. Instead, once the initial sting has subsided, I hope you’ll be encouraged by our behavior. After all, if God loves, accepts, and forgives sinners like us, He loves and will accept and forgive you, too. If you do a better job, then, of cooperating with His Holy Spirit than we have, you’ll run spiritual circles around the rest of us, and we’ll soon look to you as an example of sincere faith and love.
by Angela Sanders | Jan 18, 2018
“MEMA!”
Squealing with delight, I dropped my Sunday school art work and ran as fast as my five-year-old legs could carry me, dodging purses and parents in hot pursuit of one of my favorite people in the whole wide world.
She hadn’t seen me yet. She couldn’t have because she was headed in the opposite direction.
“MEEEMAAA!” I yelled again, turning her head and everyone else’s.
Blue eyes big, she squatted and received my biggest, best bear hug ever.
But she didn’t squeeze back. Not exactly.
“I didn’t know you were coming!” I blurted through welling tears, pressing my face into her neck.
No answer, just an uncharacteristic pat-pat on my back.
My heart squeezed. In a flash, hot and cold together scurried up my neck and over my scalp. Mema was too small. Her shoulders were too sharp. Her hairspray didn’t smell right.
People stilled and my ears began to ring.
“I think you’re looking for someone else, Sweetie,” a total stranger whispered in my ear.
That day, I became a bit of a skeptic, looking once, twice, three times before leaping at anyone or anything. It hasn’t kept me from making mistakes—I can be stubborn sometimes—but it’s definitely spared me a lot of hurt and confusion, especially when it comes to spiritual matters.
This being true, I encourage everyone to do the same.
Listen, it may look like God and sound like God from a distance, but that doesn’t mean it is God. Wait, watch, and listen before you embrace it.
What should you look for? That which is consistent with God’s Word (John 17:17). Everything else is false.
How will you know? Read the Bible for yourself, all of it. Memorize it. Meditate on it.
Then and only then, when imposters pose, you’ll know it and stand equipped to spare yourself and others untold grief. Remember, children aren’t the only ones in danger of being led away and harmed by strangers.