Humbled

     Have you ever been humiliated?  Maybe someone made you look bad in public.  Maybe you failed at something in which you expected to succeed.  Maybe you did something wrong that was exposed.  Or maybe you did something right that was misconstrued in front of a lot of people, and you were misjudged and embarrassed.  However it happens--deserved or not--no one wants to be humiliated.  But what about humbled?  Have you ever been humbled?  Humbling and Humiliation are not that far off from each other.  I believe being humbled is a bi-product of how God can use our humiliation, if we let Him.  This, in turn, makes us more like Jesus, which is always the goal for Christians (For those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. Romans 8:29).  

     I am going to share about the most humbling experience I ever had, how it changed my life and outlook, and how it led me into odds with certain fellow Christians. 

     I was nineteen years old in 2001.  I was doing many things right in my life, both superficially and deep inside.  I was faithful in daily Bible reading and prayer.  I taught children in AWANA and Sunday school at our local church.  I wanted to obey God and do right.  I was even facing a moral dilemma at work, and earnestly seeking the Lord about what to do, and having victory in following God's will in the situation.  I was an obedient Christian witness, seeing many come to Christ.  I don't share any of this to toot my own horn.  I say all of this to illustrate that even those who are doing right and really love the Lord can fall into foolish patterns, and need God's help to get out of them.  

     The previous summer (2000), I had served on a very difficult mission trip.  It was difficult for many, many reasons, one of which was that a young man--a fellow missionary--had been a stumbling block to me.  There were so many red flags with this guy.  He had pursued me in a very immature manner.  He hadn't simply been friendly or acted like he wanted to get to know me, though perhaps that was what he meant to do.  He had stared me down, followed me around creepily, talked to me in weird voices and said random things that I didn't know how to respond to, and made awkward advances.  Many references to sex and marriage were made.  I was both attracted to him and horrified by him.  I was honestly interested, but I was overwhelmed by the way he was approaching me.  I didn't know how to respond to his unusual behavior.  I was very impressed by him when we'd do ministry together, and I wished he would change his methods of pursuit, because I actually wanted him to be "the one" for me.  I was eighteen then, and loved the idea of meeting my future husband while doing ministry.  

     Some of his advances sexually aroused me beyond what is right for unmarried people.  Before this experience, I knew I had a sex drive.  I knew I liked boys.  I had even had a boyfriend in junior high (pretty innocent, but there was attraction).  However, this experience with this guy awakened something in me that wasn't supposed to be awakened yet.  Song of Solomon 8:4 says, Do not arouse or awaken love until the time is right.  Everyone talks about how women shouldn't make men stumble by their clothing--and I agree.  But no one was addressing this man making me stumble, or even acknowledging a man could make a women stumble.  What he awakened in me was something strong and powerful, that I would not exercise until my wedding night--with a much better man.  

Janelle and Walter's wedding picture

     One particular night back in 2000, this young man from the mission trip came onto me in a way that totally and completely aroused and woke me up sexually.  I won't go into further detail than this.  It was a clumsy advance, but the passion was there, and in that moment, there was nothing I wanted more than to give myself to him--body, mind, and spirit.  That terrified me!  This wasn't supposed to happen.  Not like this!  

     Even beyond the Biblical/Christian side of it, it angered me that he was doing this without properly establishing his intentions.  I felt disrespected.  I believe he was a young man who let his hormones guide him--not a predator--but I felt unsafe, and furious.  I rejected his advance that night, and he cried about it, and refused to look at me after that.  I was devastated.  I was humiliated.  I still wanted him, and somehow felt that I could have done something different, and it might have caused him to pursue me the right way.  That was unhealthy on my part, and that's another story.  

     Those red flags were there.  He had been inappropriate.  Maybe he was immature and inexperienced, and should be afforded a little grace.  Okay, he has it.  But it still made me stumble.  All that next year, I regretted how things ended between us.  I wanted him so much, and I cried about how it had gone.  The next summer rolled around, and I found out both of us would be going on another mission trip, and be around each other again.  I decided then and there that if he was still interested in me, I was going to snag him.  

     What was driving me?  Was it genuine guidance from the Holy Spirit?  Was it genuine conviction from God that I had handled the situation wrongly the summer before and needed to make it right?  Was it a genuine desire for closure?  No, no and no.  It was sex.  I hate to say that, but it's true.  This man had awakened a very deep, God-given need.  This desire and need became the guiding force.  Even though I was doing right in many other areas of life, I wasn't seeking the Holy Spirit in this situation.  I was following my sex drive.  I'll even add that I wasn't motivated to try to have sex with him outside of marriage.  I wanted to marry him, and then have sex.  So what I wanted to do wasn't sinful in itself, but that didn't make it right.  

     The short story is, all I did was give this young man more opportunity to hurt me.  He aroused me even more, and spoke passionately about our future as man and wife, and of our honeymoon, and the children we would have together.  I really believed this was the Lord--but it wasn't.  It was two sinners interacting with spiritual-sounding words in a spiritual environment.  I read into so many "signs" to make it seem like God's will.  For example:

  1) I once prayed that if this was guy was God's man for me, I'd see a state flag without an American flag that day, and I did.

  2) I had this devotional book that had a verse for every day.  The verse for his and my birthdays happened to be from the same chapter of the Bible, and I took that as God's leading that we were meant to be together.

  3) We had these matching keychains, and every time I lost mine (or tried to get rid of it after that relationship ended), it somehow kept coming back to me, sometimes in mysterious ways.  I took that as God telling me to hold out for him (by the way, I eventually threw it into the Pacific Ocean and never got it back--good riddance).

  4) I took things like us both being late to breakfast one morning as God's orchestrating us walking to the cafeteria together and ending up together.

  5) There was a certain song we both liked, and whenever I'd randomly hear it--especially after the relationship ended--I thought God was causing me to hear it to tell me to hold out for him.  

     None of these things were God's leading.  If this guy had somehow been the one God had for me, those things would just be funny little coincidences that went with the greater way God would have led.  But it wasn't God's will, so they mean nothing.  NOTHING!  They were normal things that could have happened anyway.  I used them as a crystal ball, instead of trusting the Lord.  I was trying to spiritualize my sexual need by reading into things, and I was wrong.  Following my own way had led only to hurt and humiliation, and my need was still unmet.  

     When this relationship ultimately didn't work out, I was crushed.  I was wounded deeply.  My hopes and dreams seemed shattered.  That was when the real guidance of God began in my life.  After I was done doing it my way, for my own needs, I was able to really hear God's voice.  I realized that I hadn't been truly seeking His voice in my life about this situation.  I was seeking confirmation about things I wanted to do anyway.  I was doing what I wanted and asking God to bless it.  My sexual need (which was legitimate) had become my god (which was not legitimate).  When I realized this, I repented.  I was horrified by how easy it was to get into that.  I wrote in my diary at the time, Sometimes, you don't know how crooked your path has become until you put it next to a straight path.  I had gotten off-track.  But God was merciful.  He loves it when we repent and come to Him for help.  He is our helper (Hebrews 13:6).  

     In the midst of the hurt, I felt God's comfort, and His speaking to my heart and life.  He led me to a fruitful ministry in the Los Angeles area, where I was in my element, seeing many come to Christ.  One of the first young people who came to salvation was discipled in our ministry, and is now a full-time missionary herself.  

     When I repented of imposing my will over God's, I decided right then and there that I never wanted to be wrong like that again.  I wanted to hear God's voice for real, and know when He was speaking to me.  I didn't want to go about my merry way, only to discover too late that I had been wrong all along.  I didn't want to waste my time on anything that wasn't part of God's plan for me.  I wanted to live in obedience to the Lordship of Christ in every area of my life, including my sexual desires and eventual marriage.  I decided that a right relationship with God was more important than my plans working out.  

     I had been humiliated.  I had been humbled.  I wanted to read the Bible all the time.  I wanted to listen to messages about surrender and sacrifice.  I wanted to see God work in lives as only He can.  I didn't want fake imitations.  I wanted the real thing.  I'd had enough of my way and where it led.  

     This is a side note, but I remained a virgin until my wedding night.  It was hard, because after that night in 2000, I never got "un-aroused", but Jesus is truly enough.  We are all called to deny ourselves, take up our crosses daily, and follow Him (Luke 9:23).   This experience of unfulfilled sexual arousal for years is why I can't agree with those who say sexual sin is acceptable, and that it is unreasonable to expect people not to give into it.  Jesus is greater than that, and He can help us.  He helped me, even when it was hard and painful.  

     This humbling experience changed me for the better.  Before that, I was a good Christian who wanted to do right.  After this, Jesus was my everything.  Things that used to satisfy me didn't.  The next year, when I was 20, I became disillusioned with Christian bookstores, realizing that most of what was sold there wasn't meant for me.  There were a handful of Christian books I read that affirmed this truth, but most did not.  The Christian culture as a whole couldn't fulfill me.  Only Jesus could do it.  He became my Lord in a new way.  Only God's word, with the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, could speak to my real needs inside.  I carried a pocket New Testament everywhere I went, and there were days I couldn't go thirty minutes without getting it out and reading it, needing the life-giving sustenance of God's word.  I was hungry, and only Jesus could satisfy me.  

     Because I had been humbled by following (and spiritualizing) my own way for a little while, I was very sensitive to Christian-sounding teachings that didn't line up with the truth.  Around this time, I ran into the teaching that basically says you can do whatever you want, as long as it isn't defined in the Bible as sin.  This teaching goes on to imply that God doesn't guide your life or actions, doesn't have a plan for our lives, and that you don't need to check with God before making decisions.  You can do whatever you want (provided it isn't defined as sinful in the Bible).  One Bible teacher I otherwise respect but disagree with on this point says that God will meet you on the other side of your decision and make it His will.  I don't see this anywhere in scripture.  In fact, I see the opposite.   Where does faith fit into this teaching?  

     God guided people all through the Bible.  There are more examples that I can name here.  One of my favorite examples early in the biblical narration is from Genesis 24.  Abraham sent his servant to find a wife for Isaac.  The servant realized how vital it was to have God's guidance, and prayed for some very specific things, and God met every one of them, revealing what Rebekah was the one He had chosen for Isaac.  Psalm 32:8 says, I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.  Isaiah 30:21 says, And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.  The Holy Spirit was given to believers in Acts 2.  Prior to this, Jesus told His disciples that the Holy Spirit would comfort and teach them (John 14:26).  Saved people in the book of Acts had the Holy Spirit's leading and guidance (Peter and Paul most notably).  God clearly led His people, in the Old and New Testaments.  Why would we think God stopped guiding His people?  

     I've used this example in other posts, but it fits here.  Jonah could be used as an example of someone who did something that wasn't defined as a sin, and yet he did sin, because he disobeyed God's specific leading.  There was no scripture in the Mosaic Law that told him it was wrong to get on a ship to Tarshish.  He could have used that logic. He could have said, "There's nothing in scripture that tells me I can't get on this ship."  And yet he was disobeying God's specific directions to him.  I believe that is true for us today.  It isn't enough to avoid things that are technically sin.  We need to be immersed in Jesus Christ, to the point that we hear Him and obey His directions.  

     A song that was popular among my mission trip friends and me in the late 90s and early 2000s was called In the Secret.  I love the chorus  It says, I want to know You/ I want to hear Your voice/ I want to know you more/I want to touch You/ I want to see Your face/ I want to know You more.  This song is about a consuming hunger for Christ, and to hear from Him.  That summed up the Lordship He wanted in my life.  Just avoiding sin didn't seem to fit.  

     I will say that avoiding sin is a good start.  If something is said to be a sin in God's word, we are right to stay away from it.  But the Christian life is so much more than merely avoiding sin.  It is about loving God more than our own desires.  It is about making Jesus the Lord of our decisions, not just our salvation (though He certainly must be the Lord of our salvation before anything else).  It is about a relationship with God, where He speaks to us, comforts us, and leads and guides us, and we obey, and see the fruit of that obedience, both in this life, and in eternity.  

     We don't need to agonize over daily decisions (I need to run to the post office and the grocery store--which one is God's will for me to go to first?).  We make our daily choices, surrendered to God's leading.  Sometimes, He redirects us, as He did with the Apostle Paul in Acts 16:6-10.   We recognize He is always at work.  We consider how He is guiding and directing our paths, and obey His leading to the best of what we know to do.  When we are wrong, we promptly admit it and repent.  We move on, doing the next right thing.  

     Ultimately, God is Sovereign.  He can override all that isn't His will.  But that isn't a reason to avoid seeking Him or His leading.  The idea isn't to always make perfect decisions, but to be surrendered to Jesus in all areas of life.  He, not our wants or desires (or even needs), should be guiding us.  If that surrender is there, we can be confident that our decisions will line up with God's will.  We will still make mistakes at times, because we are human, and that is the nature of being human.  But we get up and keep going.  

     As another side note, it is also important to know God doesn't always lead believers to do the same things.  Within God's Word and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, He can lead us differently, and we must respect that.  My husband and I are led to have our son in a Christian school (where I also teach).  Other friends of ours feel led to have their children in public schools they feel comfortable with.  Still others feel led to homeschool.  We all need to realize God can lead us differently in these things, and almost anything else in life.  Some believers are called into full-time mission work, while others are called to work an office job, or in retail, or something else.  Obedience to His leading is the key.  This means the obedient Walmart cashier will receive the same rewards in Heaven as the obedient missionary.  Obedience to God is key.  

     I was humiliated, and then humbled, by my mistakes in making my own choices.  That humiliation and humbling led to a deeper walk with Jesus, and a disagreement with teachings that didn't fit with this truth.  Several of my friends went down the road of making their own non-sinful decisions.  That wasn't enough for me.  When I die, it isn't enough that people would say at my funeral, "She made a lot of decisions that weren't sinful."  I'd much rather have them say, "Jesus was everything to her, and look what He did through her life.  I want that!"  

     In what ways have you been wrong?  How have you allowed God to transform your errors into His teachable moments to make you more like Jesus?  

The Spirit-Controlled Temperament

      Personality profiles.  Temperament tests.  For a while, when I was in college, it seemed these different personality tests were very popular.  I knew a lot of people who swore by them, and had everyone categorized into different temperaments.  Several classes I took had us take these analyses.  Many jobs had in-service training days where we would take the tests to find out what kind of personalities we had.  

     These different personality tests go by different names.  The one most familiar to me is the one with the greek names (sanguine, melancholy, phlegmatic, choleric).  In this test, the person usually has one primary temperament and a secondary temperament, possibly even a third.  

    Several of my friends prefer the more specific and detailed Myers-Briggs test, which lists people as Introvert or Extravert, Sensing or Intuition, Thinking or Feeling, Judging or Perceiving (with these categories, the person is one of each, so four different categories within their personality, and a possibility of sixteen different outcomes).  

    My personal favorite is the Color Code, popularized by Taylor Hartman (in which one is Blue, Red, Yellow or White).  The reason I like that one the best is that it goes by one's core motive, rather than just outward behavior.  I feel it digs a little deeper.  

    Still another one I have encountered (the ministry my husband and I serve with uses it, in fact) is the DISC test. In this one, people are either introvert or extravert, and task-oriented or people-oriented.  That puts the person into one of four categories, but in this test, it is believed everyone really has all four in them in different amounts.   

    Regardless of which test or theory is used, there are some basic similarities.  These tests are very interesting.  People long to understand what makes them tick, and what makes other people tick, and how to relate to each other.  It can lead to greater Christian fellowship.  That is a good thing.  

     I have seen these things used helpfully, and even biblically (I'll get into what that looks like), but I have also seen them abused, used to either excuse sin or label people and limit potential for growth.  What does the Bible say about us and our temperaments?  Are these different theories healthy and right, or are they wrong?  Is there a right way to use them?  How about a wrong way?  And what about their cousin, Spiritual Gift tests?  

     In his book, The Spirit-Controlled Temperament (after which this post is named), the late Tim LaHaye theorized that the four temperaments (in his usage, sanguine, melancholy, phlegmatic, choleric) were biblical.  He cited Proverbs 30:11-14, which states, There is a generation that curseth their father, and doth not bless their mother.  There is a generation that think they are pure in their own eyes, yet is not washed of their own filthiness.  There is a generation, O how lofty are their eyes! and their eyelids are lifted up.  There is a generation, whose teeth are swords, and their jaw teeth are knives, to devour the poor from off tbe eartb, and the needy from among men.  

     LaHaye's book goes on to examine different personalities of Bible characters, and how they fit into the temperaments he was talking about in the book.  His ultimate point is that we all need the Holy Spirit's control in our lives to be what we need to be.  In our flesh--regardless of our in-born temperament--dwelleth no good thing. (Romans 7:18).  LaHaye cites several biblical examples of "Before" and "After" receiving the Holy Spirit (namely Simon Peter, and Saul of Tarsus).  He points out that their temperaments didn't change, but they were the best of what they could be, instead of the worst.  Peter went from being a Christ-denier who talked to much to being a courageous witness for Christ.  Saul (later Paul) went from a fierce murderer of Christians to a fierce evangelist.  Both of these men died for their faith in Christ.  Their personalities didn't change, but the Holy Spirit used their personalities for eternal purposes.  

     Whether LaHaye's quotation from Proverbs is a good enough example to say that these temperaments are biblical, we can obviously still see that God made people with unique personalities.  We can see that in the people around us.   We can see it as we read about the people in the Bible.  Temperament is part or reality. 

Here are some positive elements to temperament tests and studies:

They help us to understand ourselves.  Psalm 139:3 says that God is acquainted with all my ways.  There's no reason why we shouldn't also become acquainted with our ways, as God guides us to become more like Jesus.  Knowing yourself can help you appreciate how God made you, and anticipate how God wants to use you.  

They help us understand other people.  Paul wrote in Philippians 2:4, Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.  We should be interested in others, so we can grow in love toward them, and figure out how to get along and minister to them.  

They can reveal our need of Christ.  As we examine ourselves, we see not only our strengths, but our shortcomings, and our need for God's grace in our lives.  Paul wrote, For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do.  He knew he needed Christ.  In Second Corinthians 12:9, he wrote that God's strength was made perfect in his life through weaknesses.  

They can help us have realistic expectations of ourselves and others.  When you know yourself and others, you won't be disappointed with your limitations, because you're already aware of them.  Likewise, you won't be offended if someone points out a weakness they observe in you, because you'll have already been honest with yourself about it.  

     I think a biblical use of these tests is when the motive is to aid godly relationships.  I think the above points can be pure reasons for taking these different tests.  On other other hand, here are some limitations and potential misuses of these tests.  This isn't saying everyone who takes them or is interested in them does these things.  They're just things to watch for.

More factors than just temperament go into making someone who they are.  Birth order, life experiences, training, talents, and the length of time someone has been a believer also contribute to the personality, and impact their temperament.  I have seen people overemphasize temperament, but under-emphasize these and other factors.  

An overemphasis on self.  The tendency at times is to become self-absorbed.  Corrie ten Boom wisely and profoundly said, If you look at the world, you'll be distressed. If you look within, you'll be depressed. If you look at God you'll be at rest.  Learning about your personality for the right reasons is a good thing, and can draw you to God's mercy.  But being obsessed about it can become self-centeredness.  We are instead to be Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith.  (Hebrews 12:2).

It can label people and limit potential.  When I was at ministry Institute years ago, we had to take the DISC test, which I referred to earlier.  One of my very best friends in this ministry (we are good friends to this day) was crying as she took the written version of the test.  She was the last one done, and as soon as she finished, she got up and ran out of the room and shut herself in the phonebooth (yes, it was that long ago) and cried.  She shared later that she was terrifed the test would come back to say she had the wrong personality and shouldn't be a missionary after all.  I hated to see what that did to my friend.  Almost a quarter century later, she is still joyfully serving in this ministry.  Obviously, she didn't have the "wrong personality," nor does anyone else.  Sometimes people can feel pigeonholed into certain roles, which don't take anything beyond their score on a temperament test into account.  I know when my friends and I took the DISC test years ago, everyone started calling each other their letters, instead of their names.  It got old.  Whenever anyone acted out of character with their stereotyped result, people would say, "Wow, maybe you're a C instead of an S" or whatever.  It didn't seem to allow people to be more complex than their result on the test.  

It can be used to excuse sin.  While temperament can explain one's propensity toward certain areas of weakness, they must never be used to excuse it.  God calls us to repentance, and His Holy Spirit helps us become what He wants us to be.  

     If used the right way, these tests/studies/theories can be fun, intersting, and helpful.  If used wrongly, they can negate the good they are supposed to do.  Seek God's guidance as you examine how He made you.  No matter what temperament you have, you need the Holy Spirit to be what you were created to be.

     I have run into some odd things as I've taken personality tests.  I seem to be a contradictory blend of what some call melancholy and sanguine (moody, intense, overthinking, and internal yet also friendly, outgoing, and expressive), and its anyone's guess which one will override the other on a given day.  I think they actually balance each other out a lot.  On the color code (my favorite one, as I said), I'm a solid Blue (meaning my motive is intimacy).  I have spent my Christian lifetime working with the Holy Spirit on not indulging my moods, but instead choosing His joy, letting Him meet my emotional needs.  I have a capacity to love people and cherish my friends, but I've had to let the Holy Spirit work on perfecting that love, because in the flesh, I am codependent.  And others have said they see different temperaments in me than I see in me, which can be confusing.  I'll elaborate.  

     People can bring out the strangest things in us.  I find that I am not a controlling person (I honestly don't have any desire or inclination to control anyone at all), but I also won't be controlled.  I'm very independent and autonomous.  I think for myself and am not easily influenced.  To most people, this isn't a big deal or even a big part of my personaltiy, but to people who are inclined to be controlling, this is a threat, and they project onto me and say that I'm controlling.  I've been called a "force to be reckoned with" by some of my high-control acquaintances, and told I have this overwhelmingy strong personality.  I've also been called low-key, humble, gracious, and someone who takes corrections well by people who weren't particularly high-control.  These descriptions (a force to be reckoned with vs. humble, etc.) don't sound like they would describe the same person.  It goes to show how multi-faceted we all are, and how people see us differently.  Also, I find (and you probably do too) that different parts of your personality come out more with different friends.  With my good friend Chrissy, I am deep and insightful.  Our conversations are on the deeper things of life, and I love that.  With my friend Jill, I see the humor in everything, and we take joy in having God-honoring fun together.  I would say both of these are part of who I am.  These different friendships bring out traits that are already there.  If they weren't part of me, I wouldn't be drawn to these friends, nor they to me.  Sometimes, we just connect with people, and I think that is biblical (IE: David and Jonathan in First Samuel 18:1).  

     Before I close, I want to say something about Spiritual Gift Tests, a close cousin of Temperament Tests.  I am 100% against the ones that basically try to diagnose your spiritual gift just based on temperament.  Not all people of a certain personality have the same gift or calling.  Even spiritual gift tests that aren't like that make me a little wary.  I think we discover our spiritual gifts as we step out and follow the Holy Spirit.  God can equip us for different things.  My cousin Rachel has the gift of service.  She just has this supernatural ability to see needs in ministry and do them without anyone asking her.  She shows up early for Bible studies and sets up chairs and gets coffee ready.  I have tried to cultivate that in myself, but it isn't my gift.  I can see how God has used her.  But that also doesn't mean God can't equip her to do something else.  We can serve however God leads, and there might be a season of life when you serve in one way, and then another season God has something else in store.  If a spiritual gift test simply enables someone to think through the ways God seems to use them a lot, it is good.  If it pigeonholes them, that's bad.  

     Do whatever you need to run the race marked out for us (Hebrews 12:1).  If a temperament test helps you to know yourself and work on areas of your life with God's help, more power to them!  In the hands of the Holy Spirit, they can be very useful.  Keep your focus on Jesus above all else, and the rest falls into place.  

Judgment...or not?

 

Photo owned by the Los Angeles Times

     My home state is being ravaged by fires.  More specifically, the Los Angeles area is being ravaged by fires.  I was born and raised in what is considered suburban Los Angeles.  In my early and mid 20's, I did a lot of ministry in L.A. proper (as well as suburban L.A.).  In my late 20's, I moved further east, to a very scenic community on the edge of both the CA dessert and mountains (translations, it was 115 degrees F in the summer and occasionally snowed in the winter!).  I met my husband while living in this beautiful town.  This town was the furthest from Los Angeles I had ever lived at that time, and I liked the more rural, Conservative feel.  To this day, it is the most Christian town I ever lived in.  After marriage, my husband and I eventually moved out of state.  But I still love many people in CA, and in the Los Angeles area.  

     I have seen many people on social media refer to the current fires as God's judgment on an evil city and its evil inhabitants.  Is this true?  Is God judging L.A. right now?  I can't claim to know the mind of God (who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counselor hath taught him? Isaiah 40:13).  However, I am going to give a few reasons why I do not believe these fires are God's judgment (though they can serve as a wake-up call, as any disaster can, and be used for God's glory).  

1) God would have spared Sodom and Gomorrah for 10 righteous, and Los Angeles' Christian population far exceeds 10.  In Genesis 18, the Lord revealed to Abraham that He planned to destroy the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.  Abraham appealed to the Lord to consider the godly people living there.  He began his bargaining at fifty--would God destroy them if there were fifty righteous?  The Lord replied that He would spare the cities for fifty righteous (we're not quite to this point yet, but there are also way over fifty godly in Los Angeles).  Eventually Abraham works his way down to ten righteous, and again, the Lord says he would spare Sodom for ten righteous.  Of course, only Lot and his family were righteous.  God knew there were not even ten, and He destroyed these cities.  There are many, many God-fearing folks in Los Angeles and it's surrounding area.  Pew research has 65% of the population of Los Angeles as Christians.  Now, obviously, not everyone who claims to be Christian has really had a born again experience.  Also, Pew Research lumps groups like Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses as Christians.  So let's look at how many Evangelicals (those who most likely have had a born again experience) are in Los Angeles.  Pew Research has Evangelicals at 18% of the population.  Eighteen percent of 3.821 million people (for simpler math, let's just say 3.8 million) is 684,000.  If God would spare Sodom for 10, it seems doubtful He would cast judgment on a city with more than half a million of His own people.  

2) California has a long history of fires.  Admittedly, the current situation is beyond the norm.  But it is a problem that has been going on in the state for ages.  I remember as a little girl, a fire came out way.  We were packed and ready to evacuate (it didn't end up coming to that), and some friends from church lost their home.  As God would mercifully have it, all seven of their kids were away at church camp when it happened, and the parents were able to get out of the house in time (barely!).  God helped them through that very difficult time.  But no one even once said, "Maybe God is judging our neighborhood!"  Like all natural disasters, it is a result of the fall.  

3) There are natural disasters everywhere.  The Bible does talk about unrest in the world and natural disasters being the beginning of birth pangs before Christ's return (Matthew 24:7-8), but this is not said to be God judging the people in the places these things are happening (actually, fires aren't even mentioned).  Two years ago here in Little Rock, AR, we had a tornado come through town, a quarter mile from our house.  Nobody said, "Maybe God is judging Little Rock."  It was accepted as a disaster.  A tragic disaster.  Think of all the cities every year affected by natural disasters--floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, fires--the list can go on.  Is God judging each of those cities?  If so, it would follow that people in Southern Europe are the most pleasing to Him, as they have the lowest amount of natural disasters on earth.  Of course, no one is speculating if God loves Southern Europeans the most, because we really know that isn't how it works.  Another point to add is that, as of this writing, it has not been determined how these fires in L.A. started.  There could be arson involved, and if so, that is human sin, not God's wrath.  There are too many variables for us to consider that God is especially angry with people in Los Angeles.

4)  There is sin everywhere, so why would God only judge one city?  Little Rock, where I live now, has the highest crime rate of any US state capital city (and yes, I know Los Angeles is not a capital city, but it still has a lower crime rate than Little Rock, per Neighborhood Scout).  Jesus Himself said in Luke 18:2-5, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way?  I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.  Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem?  I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.”  Rather than a judgment, it is a warning that life is short, and without Christ, everyone is doomed.       

    As I said, I can't claim to speak for God.  He certainly hasn't confided in me about why He has allowed these fires to ravage my hometown area.  But those are some reasons I don't see it as the wrath of God.  However, I do think God can allow and use things for His glory.  It is my prayer that revival will result from this, and that the Christians in L.A. will be emboldened to share Christ with their neighbors during this crucial time.  Maybe the good citizens of this city will start to question their leadership, and reconsider the way they vote.  Maybe some good changes can be made.  God is in control.  

     People are very quick to judge Los Angeles, and California in general.  As a Conservative Christian who lived in California the first 34 years of my life, I am sick to death of it.  People need to wake up and realize that crossing a state line or national border does not change human nature.  Prejudice is evil, whether it is about someone's skin color, or what state or city someone is from.  Get to know people before passing judgment on them, or thinking that God is passing judgment on them.  It is easier to judge nameless, faceless masses, but there are innocent people in Los Angeles who are in danger right now.  People like you, who have children like yours.  They have hopes and dreams.  Pray for them, instead of insisting God is mad at them (and feeling superior yourself).  You're not superior, and neither am I.  We all need Jesus--not just people from L.A. but EVERYONE.  Even me.  Even you. 

Important

      What is your biggest regret?  Maybe not taking a job opportunity you were once offered?  Letting a friendship fizzle out?  Sometimes I regret having that dessert when I wasn't hungry after dinner.  Other times, regrets are bigger and more serious than that--such as saying something hurtful to someone I love, or not saying something I know I should.  

     19th century American evangelist Dwight Moody had a big regret, one he said he'd give his right arm to undo.  He called it the "greatest mistake" he ever made.  It occurred on October 8, 1871.  He was preaching the Gospel in Chicago, and at the close of his message, he asked the audience, "What will YOU do with Jesus?"  He gave them a week to decide, and urged them to come back the next week, where he would again ask that question, and urge them to make a profession of faith.  He never had his chance.  That night, the Great Chicago Fire ravaged the city, killing approximately 300 people, and destroying millions of dollars worth of property.  Moody deeply regretted letting people leave without giving them that opportunity to receive Christ as Savior then and there.  

Dwight L. Moody

     Sometimes, people ask me why evangelism and the Gospel are so important to me.  Dwight Moody's story says it all.  Second Corinthians 6:2 says, ...Today is the day of salvation.  

     One of my big concerns with a lot of church ministry is that the Gospel is rarely presented, and an actual invitation is given even less often.  In most Vacation Bible Schools, for example, the Gospel and an invitation to receive Christ are given one day of the week, maybe Thursday or Friday, and it's this big deal.  My concern is, what about children who only come on Monday and don't come back?  There's a total lost opportunity, just like Moody and the Chicago Fire.  Tomorrow isn't a guarantee.  We need to be preaching the Gospel at EVERY opportunity.  The Apostle Paul felt so urgent that he said, ...For necessity is laid upon me.  Woe is me if I do not preach the gospel! (First Corinthians 9:16).  In his final letter to his protege Timothy, he wrote, preach the word.  Be ready in season and out of season...do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.  (Second Timothy 4:2,5).  

     It is true that the Holy Spirit can work in hearts, even if we fail.  Maybe some who heard Moody's sermon that night in 1871 really did believe in the message of Christ, and receive Him as Savior, without Moody giving that invitation.  We can rest in God's Sovereignty, but we must never use it as an excuse to avoid obedience to the Great Commission.  Jesus commanded us to preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth (Mark 16:15).  He didn't say, "But if you don't want to do it, don't worry, I'll override your timidity and save them anyway."  He commanded us.  A command from Jesus isn't something we can question, or theologically try to get out of.  It's right there in the Bible.  No excuses.  God is the one who saves, but we are called to share His message with a dying world that needs Him so desperately.  

     I have been in trouble for sharing the Gospel many times in my life, always (ALWAYS) from Christian people who should have been in agreement with me.  Somehow, the Gospel didn't fit with their program.  Oops, I led someone to Christ and it wasn't even Thursday.  I messed up VBS!  Bad me.  I'm being facetious, if you can't tell.  The problem is that we get into our routines and programs, and don't put ourselves on God's plan, and worse, we don't obey Christ's commands.  We must not stop preaching the Gospel!  The Gospel is important!  Important!  More important than convenience.  More important than the church's programs or plans.  More important than "how we've always done it" before.  More important than getting along with everyone.  If the Gospel isn't part of the program, the program is wrong and needs to be changed.  

     Don't let Dwight Moody's regret become yours!