Smart & Tough Christians

You Need Both to Survive

World Trends

Unlike my young days in the 1950's, something awful can happen on the other side of the world and the news can pop up on my phone within the hour. That event changes the mood of the world. Things are not localized like before. 

People can lie about science, politicians, influential people, and even claim you have never known true history until you read their version. 

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Romans 12:2a

Critical for your life today are two things: discernment and character. 

Discernment, Being Smart about Info

By discernment I particularly mean you can read something and know it is a lie or true. You might need to do a little research, but you are not easy to deceive. You have a filter of certainties so when things contradict what you absolutely know you know, you instantly know that thing is a lie. 

You are the kind of person who uses a salesman to give you the information you are looking for rather than the salesman talking you into anything. 

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter. Isaiah 5:20

You know good from evil, and the way you know the difference is sensible. Through the years what you learn gets confirmed and reconfirmed. You have the ability to judge well. "Judge" doesn't mean condemn people, it means to know right from wrong, smart from dumb, truth from lies.

You are still learning and will always still be open to learning because you know when the learning stops, the dying begins.

Satan’s a Genius

Satan knows the scripture. Satan knows evolution is a lie. Satan understands the psychology of man. Satan knows true history. Satan understands science. It doesn’t help him much, does it? The truth does not set him free even though he knows it. Without our choices in correct response to the truth, we are lost.

Character, Get It Done

Character is what makes your wisdom and discernment useful and also beneficial.

There are a majority of people who know what may be healthy living but instead of benefitting from all that they have read, they make jokes admitting what they should do, but don't. We all laugh because we all relate. We all do it.

Anyone, then, who knows the right thing to do, yet fails to do it, is guilty of sin. James 4:17

However, the person of character understands wisdom without application is like having a real treasure map hung on the wall and never followed.

The Bible is that treasure map leading to more than you can imagine.

You, Smarter than the Crowd

When the masses believe a lie, you not only resist being deceived, you have the courage to be bold when appropriate. That timing would also require discernment. 

It takes CURIOSITY to want to find the real truth.

It takes CREATIVITY to learn how to overcome your own habits and figure out how to change the direction of your life. Your intentional quest of nobility and wisdom.

It takes COURAGE to face your flaws and love yourself enough to abandon things that are destructive or useless. COURAGE to resist the push of the crowd.

Courageously curious and creative, growing wisdom daily while pursuing love and seeing others in that light.

Who You Are, Not What You Believe

Our character means so much. This is also God’s focus. Seeing the light takes a second. Living up to the light takes years of hard, tough work, but this is where the reward is.

The promise is to “him who overcomes” not to him who really tries or who really wants to be good. That is a toughness in character. A real backbone. Determination. Flexible persistence.

Three Bones

I like the saying, which is not a scripture “For success you need three bones: A wishbone, a backbone, and a funny bone”

For me the wishbone is desiring God’s best in my life and believing He will help me. The backbone is that toughness of character that under God’s influence becomes a grateful, generous, unstoppable sinner who believes he is called by God to be a saint. The funny bone gets me right past the failures. I repent, laugh it off, get up and go again.

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:8-9

We all need you to be smart and tough in your godly walk in this world. That’s the light. Tough love. Growing inner strength with wisdom.

Get fed from opening your Bible and have a great week.

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