What Glenn Writes

One of my favorite stories in Scripture is the story of Jonah. I know this is a great story for children illustrators and probably hits all the young reader Bibles, but one of the basic principles found in the truth of Jonah’s experience is that God is a God of second chances. When you read this Old Testament book, you will find Jonah had many of the same struggles and questions about God that we face today.

Jonah was also given a second chance by God to do what is right. I am grateful of this example showing God’s mercy proving His patience for those He loves.

There are so many Scriptural examples revealing His mercy and love for us. God establishes a pattern in not only revealing His heart, but in wanting to restore us in the perfect image He created in each of us.

Ephesians 2:10 actually calls us His masterpieces in the New Living Translation, with other translations calling us His workmanship.

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

We find God’s desire to work out of us the inherent sin nature and deliver us into a life where we are free from sin. This freedom is a promise, just like God’s mercy and love. We find one of these promises of freedom in 2 Corinthians 3:17-18, along with a description of how God is transforming us into the perfect image HE created in each of us:

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

God even provides an oath to give us new hearts, hearts to find Him, know Him, and follow Him in Jeremiah 24:7:

I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.

And, also in Ezekiel 36:26-27:

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.

These are promises God gives to each of us. Why? For the same reason I teach my children to obey the law of the land: to give them guidance in their decisions, keep them out of trouble, and to see the best for them – because I love them.

God loves us beyond our understanding. He desires to guide us in our decisions, to keep us out of trouble (or causing trouble), and to see the best for us – because He loves us.

As a parent, I have learned my children can be stubborn and it may take several lessons for them to get rid of a bad attitude, some form of disobedience, or work through a challenging behavior. As a believer, I look in the mirror after my morning prayer and see where my children get it.

Fortunately, as I give my children second chances and work with them through life lessons, God is also a God of second chances and working with me through life lessons. In this process, we are finding God exchanging the old for the new, working with His masterpieces, and giving us freedom to live without the burden and troubles sin brings in our lives. Truly, we are new creations as described in 2 Corinthians 5:17:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

I think it is good to remember this when we are going through those life lessons. We may question the struggle (just as my children sometimes question my discipline causing them to struggle), but when we seek God in the midst of the struggle, He reveals His love and mercy as a God of second chances.

I encourage you to continue to seek Him in the midst of your struggles, seeking Him in prayer and finding Him, revealing His great love and mercy. Contact me if you would like me to pray with you.

Glenn Sasscer

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There is something to be said about a purposeful decision. There are many things we do accidentally or even due to circumstances, but a purposeful decision is one where we are evaluating the potential results and outcome and determine the course we are taking. This may apply to our jobs, our health, our finances, but it is never as important as when we make a purposeful decision in our relationship with Jesus Christ. This is a pivotal decision, a life changing decision, a turning point in our lives, and we should recognize the significance of this purposeful decision.

I am careful in the words I used when I state, “…make a purposeful decision in our relationship with Jesus Christ.” I know some may argue Scripture tells us we only need to believe Jesus is Lord, citing verses like Romans 10:9.

That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

However, the Greek word used here for believe is “pisteuo”, which at the root means to give your whole trust and respect to someone. There is a substantial difference in just believing Jesus is Lord and putting all your trust in Him; or believing God raised Him from the dead and giving all your respect to God for His resurrection power.

We have to be careful with the intent of the original words used in Scripture. You see, Satan and all the demons believe Jesus is Lord, and they witnessed God raising Jesus’ lifeless body. If you read Romans 10:9 with a current English understanding of the word believe, then all the demons would have salvation… but this is not the meaning. Satan does not put his trust in Jesus. There is no demon giving respect to God, as Satan and all the demonic entities have rejected God and His authority.

When I consider “pisteuo”, I am thinking this is indicating a relationship with God. Actually, this is not only indicating a relationship, but it is defining the type of relationship with God – one where we give Him all of our trust and respect.

There is a considerable difference between just believing and making a purposeful decision for this kind of a relationship with Jesus Christ. Forget just believing… anyone can do this, but few make the purposeful decision to give all their trust and respect to God.

This is where I want to be… what about you?

Glenn Sasscer

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I know, I know… those who are steady readers are probably wondering what’s up with Glenn. I missed an article on July 5th when I was celebrating the holiday with my family, and I missed an article yesterday.

Slacker, huh? I have been called worse and very recently, but we will get to that later in this article.

My computer was hit by a virus on Tuesday afternoon. This was a sneaky one, as I figured out I actually got it last week. It stayed dormant, sitting around in one of my folders, just waiting for the right time to strike. This one pretended to be anti-virus software, and when I didn’t fall for the counterfeit prompt to run the bugger, it turned off my real anti-virus software, disabled my firewall, locked up my keyboard, and started downloading more viruses. I hit the button on my modem and prevented any real damage by shutting the PC down and restarting it in safe mode.

The last time I was hit with a computer virus, it totally ticked me off. I was seething for like a day or two, just ready to smash my monitor… because, really… it was my monitor’s fault, right? I know I pounded the keyboard, because the keyboard was probably in on the conspiracy.

Yeah… those things helped.

I am so very grateful for the Lord’s grace in dealing with this last viral assault. His peace remained with me throughout the purging of the files, reloading the operating system, extracting additional files, and everything else related to this stupid virus. 

I am reminded of the Apostle Paul’s words to the Corinthians on 2 Corinthians 12:9.

But [the Lord] said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

This became so apparent to me in the middle of this struggle to revive my computer. My anger contributed absolutely nothing to resolving the issue when a virus struck before; it actually came close to causing me to buy another keyboard and monitor. I also think it delayed the resolution since there was no way I could even think straight. This is so very clearly a weakness for me in my reaction… and so very clearly the power of the Lord to overcome my normal reaction with His grace and peace.

What was my difference? What did I do differently than before to receive the blessing of His grace and peace?

I think the difference from my perspective is the revelation that He is in control and He is in the middle of the storm. I wrote about this in recent articles.

After working through this problem late into the evening Tuesday and from early morning Wednesday, I was verbally assaulted in the afternoon by a coworker for the way I handled the virus. Supposedly, even though I did not have use of my computer, I should have still answered email, instant messages, and answered calls through a telephone connected to my computer (VoIP). I’m not sure what my coworker was expecting, but I know I did not expect the name calling and anger, especially after messing with that stupid virus.

Seems like there was one storm after another in the past two days, yet through both storms I knew God had not abandoned me or left me on my own.

Paul reminds the Jewish believers in Hebrews 13:5-6 about God’s promise to remain with us.

…God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

Some may consider a computer virus and angry telephone call as just an every day experience, but for me… my computer is an essential tool in my work and ministry, and my relationships are extremely important to me (even my relationships with coworkers). I believe the past two days are a testimony to God’s faithfulness.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

Do you have a testimony to share? Use the comments below and let us know how God has been faithful for you, or email me if you would like to write a guest blog article to share your experience. Sharing testimonies are a wonderful way to bless the Lord and worship Him.

Glenn Sasscer

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The fourth of July represents many different things to many different people. This past weekend was a unique celebration throughout the United States, causing many to reflect on past years, memories, and sacrifices made for our freedoms and liberty. A great price was paid for our freedoms, and our celebration is a tribute to the many victories causing and defending our freedom. 

In other parts of the world, it was just another day… just another weekend… no cause for celebration.

In the same way, I think many believers have forgotten their freedom in Christ. They are living just another life, being just another person, living with no cause for celebration. They forget to celebrate the great price paid for our freedom from sin, or to give tribute to God’s victory on the Cross. Too many times, we fall into a funk about our salvation and allow sin or guilt to overcome our thoughts.

If this is happening to you or has happened to you, yes… I know… I’ve been there many times myself. I do not think we are alone, nor is this unique to our times. Through the Apostle Paul, God speaks to us in His message to the Galatians in 5:1.

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

Further reading reveals the Galatians had a tendency to put themselves under the legalism of the church or under the rules of religion, forgetting the freedom of living in a relationship with Jesus and without the burden of sin. When man attempts to establish rules on how we are to have a relationship with God, our relationship is only hindered… and our sin becomes a greater burden.

Instead of setting our focus on sin, the burden of sin, the problem, the trial, or the legalism of the relationship, we should instead set our focus on the One who sets us free.

The Lord speaks through Paul again on this focus in Hebrews 12:2.

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

And, let me add one other from John, in I John 3:1.

How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!

When we set our focus on Jesus, realizing His sacrifice for our freedom, and through this freedom we are free to be loved and adopted by God the Father, we truly have much to celebrate in our life.

Let me encourage you to consider your freedom, live in your freedom, and enjoy your relationship with God.

Glenn Sasscer

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Perception is everything.

I remember beginning a new job back in 1995 and my first assignment was to evaluate the company to determine the best solution for a software system. For this project, I had to learn every aspect of the company and compare this to what was available on the software market. The timeframe was tight and as a new employee I wanted to establish a good reputation of being able to meet deadlines, as well as do a good job.

For the first three months, I worked an average of twelve hour days five days a week, sometimes spending Saturday mornings to wrap up loose ends for the next week. I established an aggressive pace to meet the requirements of this first task.

I do not mind putting in the overtime when it is needed, however I also value my family time and relationships. After this assignment was successfully completed, I set a more normal workweek and pace, settling in on an average of about 45 hours a week. This provided a balance to meet the requirements of the daily job and still have time with the family.

What I find interesting is about two years later a coworker shared how few people would ever be able to keep up with my pace and wondered if I was heading toward a burnout syndrome or problems at home. I inquired as to why they were concerned and what pace they thought I was keeping. Apparently, my first three months had established a perception that carried over well past the reality and almost all my coworkers thought I was still working heavy overtime.

Perception is everything, even if it is wrong.

The challenge as a believer is to make sure my perception about my relationship with Christ is the reality of the relationship and not something different. We can be blinded by perception, just as my coworkers were blinded when they saw me walk into work with them and leave with them, keeping almost the same hours, but somehow I was working heavy overtime.

Let’s look at an example of wrong perceptions in our relationship with God: Do you know it is possible to walk before the Lord with a perfect heart?

Ok, now you are ready to slap the table, desk, or laptop and say, “Wait a minute, Glenn! Hold on! We cannot walk before the Lord with a perfect heart… only Jesus was perfect and anything else is a false teaching… you are just going too far, little man! You really need to watch what you are saying, writing, typing, or whatever it is you do with that fancy-smancy blog…”

Before you burn me in effigy (or worse, click delete), we need to look at the words being used here and the perception. 

The statement is: It is possible to walk before the Lord with a perfect heart.

You might be thinking this is impossible and take me back to Genesis to explain the fallen nature of man, sin, our corrupted flesh, etc., but not too many chapters after Adam and Eve become the first homeless family, we find God speaking to Abraham in Genesis 17:1.

And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be perfect.

I know this is not saying Abraham was perfect, but just that the Lord called him to be perfect (just as He calls each of us). The point here is this has been a part of our faith since the beginning of time (literally). 

Now let’s look at the success stories. In Psalm 101:2, David determines in his heart to be obedient to the Lord’s command to be perfect.

I will be careful to lead a blameless life… I will walk in my house with perfect heart.

What is David doing? He is making a purposeful decision to be obedient in his heart. To come to grips with this whole idea of perfection, we must first get rid of the false perception that it means a sinless, flawless existence. No, perfection in the Lord’s eyes means something entirely different. It means completeness, maturity, and unity with the Lord.
 
The Hebrew and Greek meanings of the word to describe perfect in this usage includes “uprightness, being totally obedient.” It means to finish what has been started, to make a complete performance.

To understand this concept, we need to change our perception of walking before the Lord with a perfect heart. In this understanding, a perfect heart is not one without sin in the past, but one that is responsive – one that answers quickly and responds to the Lord.

A perfect heart is defined by the way it performs, not what it has done.

The perfect heart wants the Holy Spirit to come and search it out, to expose what is hidden, to reveal the darkness so it may be cleared out, to shine into all nooks and crannies (whatever a cranny is, it needs to be searched out and cleared of all darkness and sin), or to just plain get rid of all that is not like Christ. A perfect heart desires to confess and be cleansed – it is made perfect in the act of confession, repentance, and renewal.

Those who hide a secret sin , however, do not want to be searched.

The perfection of our hearts is not a lonely quest, a single-handed attempt, or something we do of our own strength. A perfect heart is made through a relationship with Christ, through talking with Him in prayer, and through being totally given over to Him. He is not vindictive and hurtful in His searching of our hearts, but redemptive and healing.

The perception that we cannot be perfect in our hearts is wrong. Jesus can, does, and will make our hearts perfect when we seek Him out and ask Him.

Contact me if you need help with this request… no, you don’t have to tell me anything hidden in your heart (that’s your business, strictly between you and God). I’m just here to help you get the conversation started.

Glenn Sasscer

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When I was new to Scripture, I remember reading the words Paul wrote in a letter to the early Roman church and just thought he was one messed up guy. The words seemed contradictory and conflicting when I read them, but the Lord soon gave me a revelation as to their true meaning and what Paul was relating.

I am referring to Romans 7:19-20.

For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do– this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

As a new believer, I really did not comprehend this conflict between crippling sin and the desire to be holy as God is holy. I did not understand the struggle habitual sin brings into our lives, or the true desire to get rid of habitual sin while drowning in it. › Continue reading