A Lifetime God - Martin Wiles

I will be your God throughout your lifetime—until your hair is white with age. Isaiah 46:4 NLT

For fourteen years, I had driven pre-owned vehicles, but things were finally about to change.

In 2002, I bought a new mini SUV. Shortly after purchasing it, my daughter left for college, and the SUV left with her. Life circumstances changed for me shortly before she left, and I couldn’t afford to purchase another new vehicle. For the next fourteen years, my wife and I drove used vehicles. Fortunately, we had little trouble, but we hungered for a new vehicle that we didn’t have to worry about breaking down.

Then suddenly, God put us in a different situation that would allow us to make a modest purchase. We looked for an economical crossover with a good safety record and a low price tag and found the car my wife had dreamed about. The icing on the cake was the car’s warranty—ten years or 100,000 miles. And several more warranties that covered major parts hidden within that one broad spectrum. It was almost like having a lifetime warranty.

God used Isaiah the prophet to assure the nation of Israel that God would be their God throughout their lifetime, if they so desired. I think they wanted it, although they often didn’t act as if they did.

God has been a lifetime God for me. I attended church before I slurped my first breath of air and have been ever since. Even in my times of sinful rebellion, I still loved and worshiped God. 

As my lifetime-God, he never left me. I walked away from him for several years, but he remained ready to accept me back when I returned. Unconditional love he calls it. 

I discovered there is no force more powerful than God—including Satan. Jesus said no one could snatch us out of the Father's hands. We can choose to walk away, but no force can remove us.

Knowing God wants our company for a lifetime gives a sense of security—one of the basic life needs necessary to live fully and peacefully without emotional upsets. When we have the assurance that God is our lifetime God, we can live with confidence, serve him with confidence, and die with confidence.

With Christ as our Savior, we have a lifetime warranty. He will never abandon us.

Father, thank you for your love that lasts a lifetime and even into eternity.

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Cheating Death - Martin Wiles

You boast that you have struck a bargain to avoid death and have made a deal to dodge the grave. Isaiah 29:15 NLT

During my teenage years, I often cheated death--or so I thought.

Growing up as a teenager in the 1970s made it easy to rebel. Everyone seemed to be against something. Add to this that I was growing up in the home of a conservative preacher, and it should be easy to understand why I chose to join the rebellious. 

My rebellion took me down the path to bad addictions: tobacco, drugs, alcohol. Like most teens, I thought I was invincible. Although the thought of death frightened me, it didn’t scare me enough to make me change my ways. Driving drunk or drug-intoxicated was the norm on the weekend. How I got home safely without killing myself or someone else is nothing short of a miracle. I cheated death, but only because God had other plans for me. 

Isaiah spoke about death for his listeners who thought they could cheat death. God would send their enemies, and when they came, death would follow. 

I may have cheated death numerous times as a teenager, but I won’t cheat it in the end. If Jesus tarries with his Second Coming, I will walk the way all others have walked. Sickness will overtake me. My organs will finally shut down. A tragedy will strike. Whatever the form, death will strike. 

Death is the great leveler. We may differ from others in social standing, religious beliefs, and other ways, but the ground is level where the end of life is concerned. Science may discover many medical marvels, some of which can extend life, but it will never make a discovery that will prevent death. 

As a teen, I feared death, even while thinking I was unconquerable. Although I don’t enjoy thinking about it now, I no longer fear it. My life is now in God’s hands. He has forgiven my trespasses against him, cleaned the slate, and assured me of a heavenly home. I can now face death with the calm assurance of an eternity with my heavenly Father.

I knew Christ as a teen, but from a distance. Now I know him up close. I cannot cheat death, but I can face it through faith, with the knowledge that I’ll be victorious over it through the resurrection of my body and spirit. 

Don’t think you can cheat death. No one can.

Father, even though I must walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I know you are with me and will protect me.

I invite you to try my book A Whisper in the Woods in eBook or paperback. If you seek hope and healing because of the hurts you have faced, this book is for you. Click on the title above to order your copy. And thanks to all our faithful followers who share our posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin.

From Sane to Senseless - Martin Wiles

When my sanity returned to me, so did my honor and glory and kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored as head of my kingdom, with even greater honor than before. Daniel 4:36 NLT 

I did it . . . went from sane to senseless.

 

As a young boy, I never questioned the rules my parents, grandparents, or other authority figures dished out. If they said, “Don’t lie,” I didn’t lie—and never thought about why I shouldn’t. I figured they knew why I shouldn’t and wouldn’t tell me to do anything that wasn’t right. If they said, “Don’t steal,” I didn’t steal—and for the same reason.

 

But when adolescence hit, things changed. For some reason, I began to question things authority figures said. No longer did I accept the dos and don’ts at face value. Instead, I critically evaluated the rules, wondering whether they were right. Something inside me rose up, making me want to disobey many of the rules I had previously obeyed.

 

For eight years, I decided which rules I would and would not obey. No one was going to tell me which ones to live by. And I lived by few—as did most of my friends. My sanity had turned into insanity.

 

Then something strange happened when I was a young adult. My sanity returned. Suddenly, the rules made sense again, and I wanted to obey them . . . at least most of them. Some of my parents’ rules I discarded. They were legalistic and didn’t align with my interpretation of God’s rules. But most, I kept because they did align. I pulled a “Nebbie.”

 

Nebuchadnezzar was the ruler of the great kingdom of Babylon, but pride got the best of him. He went from sane to senseless because he imagined he had built his empire. For a period, God let him live like an animal to show him differently. When Nebbie came to his senses, God restored the kingdom to him.

 

I made some of the same mistakes old Nebbie did. When I chose to rebel and go my own way, I did so because I forgot to whom I was responsible. Nebbie thought he was in charge. God showed him otherwise. Even though Nebbie wasn’t a God worshiper, God still controlled his rule over Babylon. After all, God is omnipotent and sovereign—a big word that means He’s in control.

 

Nebbie also forgot his sole purpose in life was to obey what God had planned, not what he wanted to do. I forgot that for eight years, too. When I remembered life entailed obeying God with my entire being, my sanity returned—like ole Nebbie’s.

 

Leaving God out—or relegating Him to a position other than number one—is insanity. Giving Him first place makes sense.

 

Examine your priorities and see if you have gone from sane to senseless.

 

Father, keep me sane so I can enjoy the life You have created for me. 

Don't forget to comment below. 

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A Violated Conscience - Martin Wiles

Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night fasting. He refused his usual entertainment and couldn’t sleep at all that night. Daniel 6:18 NLT

Before I knew what a violated conscience was, I experienced what happened when I did it.

Long before my parents told me I wasn’t supposed to talk back to them, I felt a nagging sense of guilt when I did. When my eyes wandered onto a classmate’s test paper, a little voice in my head said, “Don’t do that.” During my teenage years, when I told my parents I hated them under my breath, a sense of shame arose in my gut. I always felt terrible if I lied about something that happened at school when my parents questioned me.

Early in my childhood, Mom and Dad taught me this voice was called my conscience. If a psychologist examined my brain, he would fail to pinpoint it, but it’s there, nevertheless.

Daniel was a teenager when foreign invaders captured his homeland. At around eighty, he was exalted by a succeeding king who gave him a position of honor. The new king was then tricked into signing a bad law by men jealous of Daniel. When Daniel violated the ungodly law, the envious crowd turned him in. Although the king had Daniel thrown into the lion’s den, he found himself in his own lion’s den. His conscience stalked him all night.

"Let your conscience be your guide" is an old idiom, the truth of which depends on what I’ve done with my conscience through the years. I can trust if I’ve programmed it with teachings from God’s Word. But I can't if I’ve pummeled it with lies and ungodly material.

Even though a doctor can’t locate my conscience, I know it exists. God created it as an invisible part of our makeup. He works through it by the presence of His Spirit. When we violate His guidelines, He uses it to let us know. When we’re sensitive to our consciences, we’ll quickly repent when we violate it or, better yet, listen before we’ve done or thought something we’ll have to repent of.

Can you let your conscience be your guide?

Prayer: Father, help us program our consciences with Your teachings so we can hear clearly when it guides us. 

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Searching for the Stray - Martin Wiles

If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? Matthew 18:12 NLT

Her name was Mou Mou, and she was a stray.

Where she strayed was the crumbling house, nestled next door to the house my wife and I rented. As we sat on our front porch eating lunch, we heard her meowing. I suppose the aroma of the fried chicken attracted her. My wife, a cat lover, threw her a few pieces of chicken. Although this little stray was skittish, a few pieces of chicken soon warmed her up to us.

Before long, she strayed over to our front porch. Since she meowed continuously, her name was easy to come by. Then one morning as I opened the front door, she didn’t greet me as she always had. There were signs of a scuffle. Perhaps a dog. Our little stray was nowhere to be found. We searched but with no luck.

Like the shepherd who leaves the rest of the flock to search for the one stray, God owns the business of searching. While the shepherd, like us, might not always locate the stray, God always finds the person He’s looking for.

I’ve been a stray on quite a few occasions. I was a stray before my father told me how much God loved me and wanted to have a relationship with me. God found me. I became a stray again during my teenage years when I strayed into territories believers shouldn’t tread.

God searched for me by pricking my conscience. He found me when I decided to listen and let Him take me back to the flock. And there have been times when it wasn’t sin that caused me to turn into a stray. Financial meltdowns, broken relationships, gossip, rebellious children, and death accomplished the same. But God was just as faithful to search for me when such times stole my time and focus.

Regardless of why you stray, God is faithful to search for you and bring you back to the safety of the flock.

What are some things that tempt you to stray?

Prayer: Father, thank You for searching for us and returning us to Your loving care when we stray. 

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Meandering Monday - Dangerous Drifting - Martin Wiles

Welcome to Meandering Monday, where we take a trip back to an earlier post and enjoy it again.

So we must listen very carefully to the truth we have heard, or we may drift away from it. Hebrews 2:1 NLT

I was a drifter…but not the kind that hops on an empty train car. Or not even the kind who moved from place to place to escape themselves, the law, or bad relationships.

I was a spiritual drifter. When my teenage years approached, I began to drift from the truth my parents had taught me. I wanted to do what I wanted. And I did…for about eight years. Although I drifted in my actions, God never let me drift from the truth I knew deep in my spirit.

Evidently, the author of Hebrews knew the danger of spiritual drifting—and even knew some of his readers were thinking about it or perhaps already had. They had heard God’s Word about Jesus…who he was…what he did. Drifting back into their old ways of living or drifting over into the camp of false teachings would prove perilous.

Any time we drift, we’re taken away from the truth. As a teenager, I drifted from the truth that obeying God’s commands was necessary for God’s blessings. I walked away from the greatest command to love God with my entire being. Drifting also stole my thoughts. As I began to think about enticing rebellious acts, I began to formulate how I would commit them. When my thoughts drift into forbidden areas, my actions will soon follow—and they did.

Drifting affected my relationships. I didn’t feel comfortable around church members. My lifestyle was different. My parents’ beliefs and expectations seemed old-fashioned and unreasonable. Instead of forming friendships with peers who would encourage me spiritually, I chose the ones who drifted like me. Since I wasn’t consulting God, drifting led me to many unwise decisions.

My drifting reflected selfishness. Life became about me and what I wanted. God’s plan wasn’t considered. Not until later did I realize that drifting wasn’t all it was cut out to be. I discovered God hadn’t moved; I had. Fortunately, he let me drift back.

It’s never too late to drift back to God if you’ve drifted away.

Prayer: God of mercy, we thank You for the forgiveness You so freely offer. 

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A Captive Conscience - Martin Wiles

But then David’s conscience began bothering him because he had cut Saul’s robe. 1 Samuel 24:5 NLT

My conscience spoke … but I didn’t listen.

My conscience had been programmed with the right stuff. Mom and Dad made sure of that. They took me to church every time the doors opened. I heard Daddy preach the Bible, and I listened as teachers told me Bible stories. At home, my rules mimicked God’s commands, and discipline followed if I didn’t adhere to them. I also experienced the positive side of God’s commands as I enjoyed love from my family that parroted God’s love.

Then I became a teenager, and things changed. I didn’t enjoy the rules anymore. And suddenly, Mom and Dad seemed overbearing. I wanted to get away … to do my own thing. Having friends who felt the same way didn’t help. Bad company can corrupt good morals. I didn’t stand for the right but reveled in the wrong.

As I enjoyed my bad behavior, my conscience bothered me. I knew my behavior was wrong and displeased my parents, my teachers at church—and God. At the moment, I didn’t care.

Eventually, my conscience got the better of me. I confessed, repented, and turned back to the way I knew was right. This soothed my conscience and made life more pleasant.

Like me, David listened to his conscience. David served as a warrior in King Saul’s army, but God had also chosen him as the next king. The prophet Samuel had anointed him as such when he was only a shepherd boy herding his father’s sheep. As David’s military conquests increased, so did Saul’s jealousy. Now, David ran, and Saul hunted him.

As Saul entered a cave to use the bathroom—a cave David and his army hid in—David crept up behind him and cut off a small portion of his robe. That’s when his conscience kicked in. Even though Saul reigned as a cruel and ungodly king, God had commanded that the people support the king. David apologized to Saul.

Our conscience makes up a part of humanity. God works to help us know the difference between right and wrong. When we choose the wrong, God convicts us. If we don’t listen, the conviction—and discipline—grows. Years of rejection can lead to a seared conscience. One where doing wrong doesn’t bother us anymore. A dangerous place.

The right response to God’s conviction is repentance and confession. When we do this, things between us and God are righted again. He can use us in His Kingdom’s work, and we will once again enjoy life.

Our conscience can be our guide only when we have programmed it with God’s commands and principles. Why not do that so your conscience can guide you properly.

Prayer: Father, give us the courage to program our consciences with the right things.

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Flashback Friday - Why Do Many Christians Not Live for Christ - Martin Wiles

 Why Do Many Professing Christians Not Live for Christ

Series: Hey God…I Have a Question

You can identify them by their fruit, that is, by the way they act. Can you pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Matthew 7:16 NLT

I remember the day she accepted Christ as her Savior, but now she was gone.

Mary* was a teenager who came from a shallow religious family. Her mother was the only spiritual light in her life. Mary followed in her mother’s footsteps for a number of years. She married a wonderful Christian man, and they had two children together. Yet for some unknown reason, Mary decided to walk away from them all—God included. Twelve years have passed, and she still hasn’t returned. Oh, she might take her grandchildren to church, but she continues to live a lifestyle that’s radically different from a dedicated believer. Read more...

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Pushing God Away - Martin Wiles

But you thought you could get along without me. Ezekiel 16:15 NLT

“I can’t wait until I turn eighteen so I can get out of this house and do what I want to do.”

How many times I said that to my parents, I’m not sure, but it was enough that the statement is indelibly inscribed in my memory. I loved them, but I didn’t love their rules. Looking back, the rules weren’t unreasonable. My state of mind just made them seem so. Rebellion, obstinacy, and selfishness ruled my life. I wanted to be on my own, thinking I’d have no one to answer to. Foolish of me to think that—and I soon found out I would always have someone to answer to. I pushed my parents away, thinking I didn’t need them, their protection, their love, or their presence.

God accused His people of doing the same thing. Comparing Himself to someone who found them kicking in their newborn blood and rescued them, He reminds them of how He loved them and cared for their every need. When they were old enough, He married them, but they rewarded His faithfulness with unfaithfulness. They played the prostitute every time they had a chance with the pagan nations who lived around them—pushing Him away as if He were unimportant and had done nothing for them.

Pushing God aside isn’t always an act of rebellion or hate. Sometimes it just happens because my focus is elsewhere. Hovering over my children more than I should instead of letting them learn independence and responsibility. Spending more time than I should trying to climb the career ladder. Giving a hobby more time than it deserves. Doing anything that brings me pleasure. Or using my money unwisely by buying too many play toys.

Nothing will fill the void that only God designed Himself to occupy. I need spiritual wisdom to live life successfully. Only He can give it. As Adam and Eve walked and talked with Him in the cool of the garden, so I need to spend time with Him daily. Otherwise, I’ll find myself traveling in unwise directions.

God gives people the free will to push Him away, but we’ll never find peace if we do. The joy and peace I thought I’d have when I left home didn’t materialize until I re-established a relationship with my parents.

Don’t push God away. Invite Him into every aspect of your life.

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Prayer: Father, may we see the need for making You a part of every detail of our lives. 

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Throwback Tuesday - Restless Wanderer - Martin Wiles

Restless Wanderer

From now on you will be a homeless fugitive on the earth, constantly wandering from place to place. Genesis 4:12 NLT

I’ve returned several times, but it was never the same.

Home may be the place they have to take you when you return, but no one said it would be the same when you got there. I left home immediately after high school graduation. I couldn’t wait to put my feet under my own table and make my own rules. Read more...

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