by Shannon Tillman | Jan 30, 2025 | Bible Study
The nation of Judah had been repeatedly warned. The prophets called for the people to forsake their idols and return to the Lord. The nation ignored the warnings. One of the prophets, Jeremiah, not only delivered the message, he also witnessed firsthand the fulfillment of judgment. The people were attacked by the Babylonians as they had been repeatedly told. In an attempt to save their lives, the people tore down their own houses to build what was needed in a futile attempt to keep the enemy from victory.
Jeremiah 33:4-5a
For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says about the houses in this city and the royal palaces of Judah that have been torn down to be used against the siege ramps and the sword in the fight with the Babylonians…
What the nation of Judah did then is the same thing we do today. Households, and families are broken down in human-strategized attempts to fight the enemy. This only leads to defeat. What was needed for Judah is what we need now. Victory occurs when we repent of our sin and forsake our idols. If they had heeded the warnings from the prophets, repented from sin, and turned away from idols; the attack from the enemy would never have taken place.
How many battles do we cause ourselves? Instead of an honest evaluation of our sins, we tend to blame others or blame the enemy. What are the sins in our lives that we keep excusing? That sin damages not just us, but those around us. What do we rely on instead of God? That is our idols. Maybe it is money, a relationship, your own reasoning, your opinion, your decision-making abilities, control, power, or even enabling the sin of others is sin as well. Refusing to forsake the idols allows the enemy access into our lives. This can destroy our families. The next generation suffers because of our own choices to disobey the Lord.
The enemy was allowed by God to attack Judah because they refused to give up their idols. They had ignored the prophets who had warned them of the coming destruction. They continued with their same ways, same lifestyles, same sins. Just like this nation, we destroy our families by our own hands.
Jeremiah 33:5
‘They will be filled with the dead bodies of the people I will slay in my anger and wrath. I will hide my face from this city because of all its wickedness.
None of this had to occur. The people did not have to suffer, lives did not have to be lost, enslavement did not have to take place. If only this generation had chosen to repent and forsake their idols! Their lives would have been spared and their children would have been delivered from harm. It comes down to a choice. The same choice we have today. We can choose to ignore the Word of God and stay in sin, or we can repent.
I want to make a note here, this message was given to the people of God. Of course, those who do not know the Lord need to repent and turn to Jesus. But here, I am writing to us believers. We cannot coddle sin in our lives any longer, to excuse it as “not a big deal”. In the nation of Judah, the sacrifices in the Temple of God were still taking place. The people had “church” and their idols, too. This is what we are being called to stop. We must repent from having our lives somewhat in God and somewhat in the world. This sin is what led to the destruction of families, the downfall of a nation, and children forced to live in slavery. The choice to save our families comes down to our decision today. When we repent, God will restore our families in an amazing way.
Jeremiah 33:6
“‘Nevertheless, I will bring health and healing to it; I will heal my people and will let them enjoy abundant peace and security.
God wants to bring health and healing to our families. Once again, this is not just for the “unsaved”. God says He will heal “My people” (emphasis mine). This is referring to the people of God. We must face our sin and idols, not excuse them any longer. What needs to be removed from our lives so that blessing may come? God desires to brings us an abundance of “peace and security”. Another version of the Bible says an abundance of “peace and truth”. This is the standard. If any part of our lives or our households showcase chaos, worry, anxiety, falsehoods, instability, etc. then it is the evidence that we are not living in God’s healing but living in our own sin. But we can be changed!
Jeremiah 33:7-8
I will bring Judah and Israel back from captivity and will rebuild them as they were before. I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against me and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against me.
The Lord desires to set us free and help us to rebuild what we broke and tore down. We can be cleansed and forgiven. We then become new, which is reflected in our families. Instead of having broken lives and broken families, we will be testimonies of joy!
Jeremiah 33:9
Then this city will bring me renown, joy, praise and honor before all nations on earth that hear of all the good things I do for it; and they will be in awe and will tremble at the abundant prosperity and peace I provide for it.’
Our families can be known for joy, praise, and glory instead of pain, chaos and destruction. Others will hear of the good in our families, not the problems. Instead of fearing the enemy attack, we can live in reverence to the Lord and His goodness towards us.
Jeremiah 33:26b
…For I will restore their fortunes and have compassion on them.’”
Lord, please have mercy on us. In all ways we have torn down our own household, will you please restore us? We are sorry for the excuses we made about our sins instead of repenting from our sins. We choose to forsake our idols and serve you alone. Thank you for Your compassion on us. Thank you that when we repent, You rebuild us and our families. You are so good to us. Amen.
by Shannon Tillman | Jan 23, 2025 | Thoughts
I have never physically birthed a child. However, I was in a delivery room one time with a friend. I was not expecting to be there at the time when the little baby came, much less be asked to stay in the room during the process. (Just a side note: I am not the one you want with you in an emergency situation. I get woozy at the thought of blood. The mere talk about our body’s circulatory system can make me faint. Please do not show me pictures of anything medical in nature. I appreciate that the doctor fixed you up in surgery, but I do not want those images set before my eyes for your sake and for mine. It would be embarrassing that I fainted because of your pain!) While I thought the entire process was a horrific ordeal, the mom would testify that though the childbirth was difficult, the joy from the birth of the child was worth the pain!
The curse from Eve was difficulty in childbirth. Due to her eating from the forbidden tree of the knowledge of good and evil, she received punishment concerning the process of having children. The Lord told her:
Genesis 3:16b
I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children.
I want to take this verse and bring it to a spiritual application. Paul himself does this in the book of Galatians. Paul had been a missionary to the region of Galatia and saw many come to faith in Jesus. Later, after he left the area, doctrinal error came into the church. They believed that the addition of works helped them to be saved instead of faith alone in Christ. Paul wrote a letter to address the heresy. In the letter, he compared himself to a mother who had labored for her children’s lives.
Galatians 4:19-20
My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you, how I wish I could be with you now and change my tone, because I am perplexed about you!
Paul understood that spiritual labor is difficult, painful, and often messy. Ministry to others is labor. Yet, we are called to labor, to work, to invest in bearing “spiritual” children. It costs us time, energy, pain, and even loss. The labor is not completed at the moment of their acceptance as Jesus as their Savior. If so, then Paul would not have felt like he was in labor again for his spiritual children. The labor continues as we see our children grow as disciples. Sometimes there are moments of parental pride and other times parental pain. No matter the situation, this is an assignment. We are all called to co-labor with Christ to “bear” spiritual children, also called disciples, on this earth.
Matthew 28:18-20
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Good parents do not have children to abandon them, but to raise them. All the time, resources, discipline, conversations, caretaking, and everything else involved is to see the baby grow up to become a fully functioning adult. Parents want the children to have more than what they have, to accomplish more than what they did, and to raise up a healthy and whole next generation. This entails many sacrifices of the parents for the children. Each loving parent would say the joy of having the child outweighs the cost.
We are not called to live unto ourselves. We each must endure the labor to birth spiritual children in this world. It is our calling to fulfill the blessing originally given to Adam and Eve when God told them:
Genesis 1:28a
God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.
We need to be fruitful and increase in number. It is not an easy calling. It involves painful labor. It is duty as believers to reach out to the world and see lives changed by the name of Jesus. It is a giving of our lives so others may have life.
1 Thessalonians 2:7b-8
Just as a nursing mother cares for her children, so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well.
Our lives should be about others. We are to tenderly care for others, love others, delight to share the gospel with others, and to share our lives with others. This cannot be done from a distance, but engaging closely with those around us. This is an intensive, all-encompassing call to see lives changed! However, the messy, painful labor will be worth the sacrifice as we gaze upon the spiritual children God will give us!
by Shannon Tillman | Jan 16, 2025 | Bible Study
The prolonged time of distress weighs on me. I am faced with pain and losses around me. I hurt with situations in my own life, and I hurt with others who are suffering. The question we all seem to ask is, “How long, Lord?” We in our finite minds, trapped in time, want to know when the pain will end.
As I pondered the question, I received an unexpected answer from God, simply one word – “Rahab”.
His word caused more questions in my heart. “Really, Lord, that is how You are answering me? That is all I get? I want to know specific times and dates of when the situations will finally end. I want to see You move on my behalf and for others so we can celebrate your victory. Yet, all I get is the word “Rahab”? What does that mean?”
We find the story of Rahab in Joshua chapter two. Moses had died. Joshua is now the leader of Israel. They are commanded to conquer the Promised Land. They had been commissioned to do so forty years earlier, but due to the sin of unbelief, they wandered the desert instead, until everyone over the age of twenty died. Only Joshua and Caleb, the two men who believed God would give them victory were allowed to live. However, they had to bear the consequences of the wilderness journey along with the Israelites. Now the time had come for the people to take the land.
Joshua 2:1
Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim. “Go, look over the land,” he said, “especially Jericho.” So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there.
Even though Rahab was one of the people living in Jericho, she chose to rescue the spies from the king who wanted to kill them. She hid them on the roof of her house under stalks of flax. The king’s searchers were sent away to look for the spies, for she told them that the two men had left. After all was safe, she went to the spies and explained her decision to save them.
Joshua 2:8-9
Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof and said to them, “I know that the Lord has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you.
Rahab, a pagan, idol worshipper, Gentile, prostitute; believed the word of Lord. She knew that her land would be conquered by Israel, just as God had said. She had faith in the plan of God. Remember, the nation of Israel did not believe this word forty years earlier and were forced to wander the wilderness. Yet, this woman had faith and requested help from the spies.
Joshua 2:12-13
“Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them—and that you will save us from death.”
The spies told her to tie the scarlet cord to her window as a sign between them. Everyone in the house would be saved.
Joshua 2:21b
So she sent them away, and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window.
Because Rahab rescued the spies and followed the covenant by keeping the cord tied in the window, she and her family were saved.
Joshua 6:22-23
Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the prostitute’s house and bring her out and all who belong to her, in accordance with your oath to her.” So the young men who had done the spying went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother, her brothers and sisters and all who belonged to her. They brought out her entire family and put them in a place outside the camp of Israel.
Not only was Rahab saved from battle, she became a part of the Israelite community.
Joshua 6:25
But Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent as spies to Jericho—and she lives among the Israelites to this day.
Not only did she become a part of the Israelite community, Rahab put away her life of prostitution and became a wife and a mother. Not just any mother, she became a part of a kingly lineage:
Matthew 1:5-6a
Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King David.
Rahab was the great-grandmother of King David. This means that she is one of the many great grandmothers to Jesus Himself! Rahab, the Gentile prostitute, became a part of the genealogy that led to the Savior of the world.
How does this relate to my original question to the Lord of His timing for the end of my difficult situation? Here is what the Lord was telling me. If Israel had been faithful and conquered Jericho forty years earlier, Rahab would not have been born. She would not have had the opportunity to choose faith in God and to see the rescue of her entire family. She would not have become a part of the Israelites, married, and had children. She would not have been a part of the line that ultimately birthed Jesus, the Savior of the world!
What seems a delay to us, may be an orchestration for other people’s lives and other people’s families to be eternally changed! Our pain, our suffering, our “desert times”, may be a divine set-up for others to come to Christ. God’s answer for us to “wait” is giving others time to be saved.
2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
My focus must switch. Instead of asking “How long”, I instead should ask the Lord to rescue more and more “Rahabs” during this time of delay. We will see Christ “birthed” into our situations. Lives will be changed. “Rahabs”, those far from the Lord, will become a part of the people of God. We will celebrate what God has done. Every delay will become a reason for thanksgiving.
Hold on, dear friend, your deliverance will come and the lives of others will be delivered as well. Just like Rahab.
by Shannon Tillman | Jan 9, 2025 | Bible Study, Thoughts
You have everything you need for the changes you desire to make this year. How do I know? It has been promised to us.
2 Peter 1:3
His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.
Everything for a godly life has been granted to us. Everything! It is not by my might or my own so-called self-control (which causes me to break New Year’s resolutions by at least January 11th, sometimes sooner); it is by God’s divine power. This divine power is accessed through our knowledge of Him.
The question we need to ask ourselves would be: “Do my thoughts, words, and actions showcase a godly life?” If they do not in certain areas, then this shows a hinderance to the knowledge of God. We cannot excuse it away as a “character flaw” or “just the way I am” or even “it is not that big of deal”. Sin is sin! Lately, the Lord has been convicting me of how I become irritable over little things not going the way I think they should go. I could say “everyone gets frustrated sometimes.” Or I could look at this verse and recognize that there is a lack on my part of the knowledge of God which manifests itself in me not living a godly life in this particular area of irritation. No excuses, just facing the facts.
If the knowledge of God is the vehicle to this great gift of a godly life, then a hindrance to this knowledge would be a called a “stronghold”. A stronghold is where a belief is defended. A stronghold is the place where we defend our opinions or beliefs against the revealed word of God. The enemy loves to fortify our strongholds and make them even more resolute against the knowledge of God.
We, as believers, can have strongholds. These are thoughts which we choose to believe even though they are contrary to the Word of God.
For example, the lie of “I am unlovable” must be replaced with the truth. One example of this truth is:
Romans 8:38-39
For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The lie “nothing will work out” can be replaced with this truth …
Romans 8:28:
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
What about the lie “I cannot forgive”? The truth is God would not tell us to do something unless He would equip us to do so.
Matthew 6:14
For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
Or how about the lie that I will never be able to change:
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
How do we remove strongholds from our thoughts?
2 Corinthians 10:4-5
The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
We must evaluate our thoughts. What is raised up against the knowledge of God? Anything we choose to believe that is not based upon the word of God is a lie. These lies blocks “all things that pertain to life and godliness.” I have access to all things but strongholds block or limit the access. I have to look at the thought and ask, “Is what I am thinking in line with God’s word?” If not, I must reject the life, stop defending it, and instead replace it with truth.
God’s word leads to a godly life. Anything less than that points to a stronghold. We choose to live from lies or truth. We cannot blame others or our circumstances. However, to change, we must begin with the humility to admit not all areas of our lives are godly. Then, we can focus in on what needs to be transformed.
Start with the truth that His divine power has given everything we need for a godly life. And choose to live from the truth. You will be radically changed this year!
by Kevin Tillman | Jan 2, 2025 | Thoughts
“New Years and such things are extraordinarily valuable. They are arbitrary divisions of time; they are a sudden and ceaseless cutting in two of time.”
“Death is a time limit; but differs in many ways from New Year’s Day. The divisions of time which men have adopted are in a sort of way a mild mortality. When we see the Old Year out, we do what many eminent men have done, and what all men desire to do; we die temporarily.”
– G.K. Chesterton
I can’t be the only one … Every year as the final few minutes click down I sense a bit of anxiety. I mean, it is mixed with an anticipation of new things, but there is also a small bit of apprehension that this past year is gone forever. In reality, it’s just a number. January 1st is basically the same as December 31st. But, there’s still this sense of leaving something behind that’s never going to return. I like how Chesterton referred to this passage as a “mild mortality”. In so many ways I believe this to be true. We are laying to rest a past, and we’re doing it with intentions. As Chesterton stated this can be “extraordinarily valuable.”
There are many different views on New Year’s resolutions. Many scoff at the whole concept. I totally get where they are coming from. Anyone who has been a member at a gym before January 1st is well familiar with the influx of new people that suddenly show up in January. The vast majority of those new comers are long gone before February. But, not all of them. Some actually do make a new commitment and stick it out. The scoffers point of view, however, is understood.
Another camp of people claim that a new year is not needed. A resolution can be made any time of the year. This is true. As a matter of fact, that’s a good thing to keep in mind when those New Year’s resolutions start to fail in a few days or weeks. There is always the ability to recommit. This view is also understood.
A third grouping are those that make resolutions every single year. Some of the goals are kept, and some aren’t. But, despite failure or success, a new resolve is sought every year. I believe most people fall into this third grouping. There is just something within us that longs for positive change. It’s rooted in hope. Hope that there is something better in the future. I see nothing wrong with this outlook.
I do, however, like Chesterton’s further explanation…
“The object of a New Year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul and a new nose; new feet, a new backbone, new ears, and new eyes. Unless a particular man made New Year resolutions, he would make no resolutions. Unless a man starts afresh about things, he will certainly do nothing effective.”
– G.K. Chesterton
Why do some people keep resolutions while others don’t? Why do we keep some resolutions but not others? I guess we could start with the resolution itself. I mean I could commit to eating more chicken wings and burgers this year, and I’m confident I’d meet that goal. But, that’s not the way we typically plan. Instead we give ourselves lofty goals, maybe too lofty.
Chesterton stated, “Unless a man starts afresh about things, he will certainly do nothing effective.” He’s saying that the goal itself is merely an arbitrary objective. As a side note, studies have shown that simply setting a goal releases a small amount of dopamine. You don’t have to actually do anything, or achieve the goal. You just need to set it, and you’ll feel a little better. Later in time, set another goal. It’s a vicious cycle that never goes anywhere. Chesterton claims it is much deeper. A “new soul and new nose; new feet, a new backbone, new ears, and new eyes”. Basically we have to change our thinking. We have to change our outlook.
Time to get practical. How do you change your eyes, ears, nose, feet, soul and backbone? Think of this quite literally. If you desire to change your eyes you need to look at something else. Same for the ears. Who are you listening to? Where do your feet take you consistently? Maybe it’s time for a new path. What about the soul? Do you take time to refresh? I know we talk so much about spending time with God, but is it something that you actually do? Spend time in prayer, spend time in the Bible, and also spend time alone. I think we underestimate how valuable reflection and solitude are. I’d go as far as saying change the smells. This one’s actually easy to prove. If I’m struggling with my diet, I don’t need the smell of fresh baked cookies in the house.
As I’m writing this blog, I’m reminded of an old Vince Lombardi quote. Lombardi was the coach of the Green Bay Packers winning several championships, including the first two superbowls. The trophy awarded to the winning team now is name the “Lombardi” trophy in his honor. Lombardi famously began each fall camp with the statement, “Gentlemen, this is a football.” Then, the team began preparations starting with page one of the playbook and working on the basic fundamentals of the game. Was the goal to win the championship? Yes. Was that the starting point? No.
It’s a basic concept, but so important. We accomplish great things not so much when we set out to accomplish great things. We accomplish great things when we work on the basics of our lives. “I’m going to lose weight” can release some dopamine, and we might even believe ourself for a while. But, a better resolve might be, “I’m going to change the way I think about food.” Here’s a another one: “I’m going to read my Bible every day.” That’s obviously a good habit. But, what if we tweak that slightly to, “I’m going to grow closer in my relationship to God.” Do you see the subtle difference there?
As we enter into this new year, I encourage New Year’s resolutions. Chesterton is correct, there is a natural division we place on this time of year. Something has gone, and something else is here. It’s a new day, a new year. It’s an opportunity to make changes. But, sheer will power will only carry us so far. A lofty goal, while sounding good and making us feel better, will likely fall flat at some point. Instead focus on the basics. Focus on those aspects of you that will make drastic shifts. Change your eyes, ears, nose, feet, and soul and you’ll change your life! Start small if you need to. Ask yourself, what is one thing I could quit listening to and something else I could start listening to? What am I looking at regularly that could be replaced by something else? Pick one or two things to replace. Over time that small thing becomes a habit, and that habit will start making a significant difference in your life.
Happy New Year everyone!
