All Posts By

Cindy Colley

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

DD: Have You Killed God’s Anointed One? (The Crown, Chapter 6)

Posted on February 29, 2024

In 1 Samuel 24, David had this amazing opportunity to kill his foe. Saul went into a cave to relieve himself. At the risk of being graphic, it looks as if, in doing this, that he was squatting or sitting. Afterward, he rose up. Before he did rise up, though, David, who was apparently already hiding in the cave, stealthily crept over and whacked off a piece of Saul’s clothing. 

Here we have the morally faltering king of Israel, caught by the one He’s zealously trying to kill—caught quite literally with his pants down—and finding that he was utterly at the mercy of David for his life in that cave. It’s an incredible story for your family Bible time!

You remember the reason for David’s restraint. He told his men, who wanted him to complete the fatal task, “I will not put out my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord’s anointed.”

The Lord’s anointed. David, the one revered by the Pharisees (and all Jewry) even today, would not put his hand on Saul’s life because He was God’s anointed. Yet the Pharisees lived in the Judean world with the most highly favored, anointed One that God had ever chosen (Acts 10:38). Jesus was prophet, priest, and King of kings. He was God. And the Pharisees could not wait to get Him to the Roman cross. Had it not been for the Roman rule over them (and the prophecies to be fulfilled), they would have likely killed King Jesus long before Calvary. They killed the anointed One.

You and I can do it, too.

Hebrews 6:4-6:

For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.

Have you once been enlightened about the Lord? Do you know His story? Have you tasted salvation? Have you known just how good the Word of the Lord is in your life? Did you once rest in knowing the power and sovereignty of the anointed One?

What happened? Have you remained loyal to the Anointed? Or have you walked away? If you have walked away, as scores that I know have done in recent years, you have “put out your hand against the Lord’s anointed.”

You have crucified Him afresh.

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

DD…Let’s Not Skip Over Doeg!

Posted on February 28, 2024

I’d like to take the next couple of blog posts to tie up loose ends in the February Digging Deep study. We will talk more about the “persecution” aspect of the lives of David and the Messiah in March, but I wanted to notice a couple of things from Month 6 that are powerful in their applications for us. 

We had come to the end of our video podcast time before we even got a good mention of Doeg. Let’s take a minute with this incredibly destructive man and make some applications. His story is found in 1 Samuel 22:6ff. 

Doeg is the man who saw the priest, Ahimelech, give David the showbread from the holy place to eat as a common meal. He became a self-appointed spy for King Saul when he saw that exchange.  He saw Ahimelech give David the sword of Goliath that was in the “vault” under the protection of the priests at Nob. Ahimelech had been deceived by David to believe that David needed these things in the service of King Saul, when, in reality, David needed these things to protect himself from Saul. 

Doeg went directly back to Saul to report David’s confiscation of Goliath’s sword to Saul. Consequently Saul called for Ahimelech’s death. His footmen would not put their hand against the priest of the Lord. 

Once again, Doeg to Saul’s rescue! He ran the sword through 85 priests of God on that day. Eighty-five innocent anointed men perished at the hands of Saul, the sword being administered by Doug, that day! It’s hard to even think about the impaling of 85 men—the blood, the stench, the entrails, the cries of their families and then, the unthinkable…Nob’s women, children and animals were smitten and killed with the sword . There’s no telling how many people lost their lives that day at the hand of Saul, because of his envy of David. 

Who killed the innocent people that day? 

  1. David was involved. He chose to lie to Ahimelech about being in the service of Saul. (1 Samuel 21:2). David was also aware that Doeg was going to “tattle” to Saul (22:22). He knew he was going to tell the wrathful king. Yet, David continued on the self-protective path. David had a part in these deaths. David’s murder motive was self protection. (He was also ignoring the fact that God was/is sovereign and He would not allow the taking of the life of His anointed, himself—the future king of Israel.) We can also be sure that David, when the lie was told, did not envision the severe consequences. Mark it down: Sin is always worse than the sinner expects it to be. Oh, the devastation we could prevent, if we could think of this fact BEFORE the sin is committed.
  2. Saul killed these men, women and children. By command, he was directly responsible. His motive was wrath and envy against David. 
  3. Doeg killed these innocents. His motive was a desperate need for the approval of Saul. He was a small man. (A son of Esau—another man who could become very wrathful.)

The lesson for us is so clear. We can easily become complicit in destructive behaviors, even spiritual deaths. Every time we bend the truth, we elicit possible, even probable harm in the lives of other people…and we do it without any possible way of knowing how far our lie may go in its final consequence. 

Further, we don’t have to always be the one who is the direct tempter in order to be complicit in sin. When I fail to teach my children and they, in turn, influence others to do wrong or even to abandon the Lord, I am complicit. When I support my children in sin, I am complicit in their continuance in that sin—all the way to hell. I am complicit in their bringing others, possibly my grandchildren, with them to that ultimate tragedy. When I give my dollars to venues of sin I am complicit in the behaviors that result. When I am a leader in the church and I look the other way, rather than addressing, I am complicit. 

When I become too attached to any human being (thus unequally yoked—2 Corinthians 6:14-18) I become tempted to do things I might otherwise find unconscionable. I do not want any part of Doeg behavior on my conscience as I stand before the Lord on the final day. May I bypass all impressive people in my attempts to be pleasing and make my strong desire for approval to be ever heavenward. Then, in a providential turn, the people who are worth pleasing will be pleased with my life and choices.

God is so good to us in the examples of the Old Testament that are for our learning (1 Corinthians 10:11).

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

Pokémon and Priorities

Posted on February 27, 2024

 

Last Sunday morning on our way to worship, I got this text from our daughter, who was obviously getting kids in the van and voice texting at the same time. Immediately after the following text, I got another in which she just simply (and sarcastically) said, “Thank-you Siri!”

As you can tell, the first sentence is really to me. The rest is a lesson given to Colleyanna (a.k.a. Call Ana). I could have gone through and punctuated and re-spelled, but somehow the rawness of Siri’s eavesdropping and recording made this even sweeter to me. I’m thankful for her and all parents who are trying so hard to chip away at selfishness and instill priorities of faith and devotion to the Almighty. I know many who have power-packed conversations all day long in Deuteronomy six fashion with absorbent and intentional minds. Yesterday, I went over to Hannah’s  house to join a Bible Study with non-Christian women that she had scheduled at her house. Watching Ezra sit at that table and look up the verses we were using was another palpable thanksgiving moment for me. None of this is likely or even possible without the huge and overarching Providence of a God that knows how to accomplish our heavenward goals for children far better than we can imagine.

Here’s the fun little text about dropped Pokémon cards and priorities:

Please tell us where you’re sitting and get our sermon sheets. OK now call Ana. It’s not his fault that you dropped your Pokémon stuff he didn’t do that. I know it’s easy to blame him but he didn’t do that you dropped him and it’s OK will get them. Will get them organize will get them where they need to be but right now you know how must it make Jesus feel if we’re on our way to worship him and we are way more worried about Pokémon cards then we are about making sure we’re ready to worship and we’re way more worried about Pokémon cards than we are about safety how how much that make God feel I understand that the Pokémon cards are very important to you. I understand that there are things that are important to me too, but we need a set our priorities, straight, OK

So, Thanks Siri.

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

Fairview Purity Day!–March 9th.

Posted on February 22, 2024

I know you look around and see so many good things to do. I’ve already been invited to more than one event on the ninth of March. But let me tell you…I doubt you will find a more beneficial one if you have daughters between 10 and 20, than this one at Fairview  in Pulaski, Tennessee. In fact, even if you have boys, it would be a great thing for you to experience, so that you can better show them the characteristics they should be searching for in the ladies they spend time with and, one day, marry.

Oh, I know. I’ve heard it just like you have. “Purity days are not how we should teach our girls about waiting for marriage to have sex. In fact, when we keep emphasizing purity, we diminish from the healthy joy of sex, once our girls marry.”

That’s a theory that is simply untrue. Oh, we must constantly tell them that God has saved the best for his children. We, as mamas, must teach them about their sexuality and about how God has reserved that wonderful act, where one man and one woman share the most intimate act known to humanity, for marriage. We must make sure they know about and look forward to the physical union  that God made for much more than just procreation. These conversations come naturally to mothers who are growing pure hearts in little girls. But to say that a big group of girls learning together about cultivating a heart of holiness in a world of eye-candy and  expected sex in dating relationships, is a waste of time–well, that is absurdity.

If your kids are in school, they are hearing the devil’s message about sexuality at every turn. If they are on social media, at all, they are feeling the pull. If they watch any amount of indiscriminate videos online or television (cable or screened), they are getting the sexuality bullet-points from the devil. I’m just saying any immunization from the message that is being shouted all around them about relativism and sexuality, is worth your time and attention. It’s worth your drive.

I’m not sure exactly what topics will be covered on that day. But I know the ladies who are planning this. I know their deep love for their daughters. I know the spiritual-minded nature of their  Bible-focused hearts. I know it will be where I’d want to be, if I could, with my teen-aged daughter. Here you go…

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064531279575&mibextid=LQQJ4d

 

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

Alabama Supreme Court Grants Legal Protection to Frozen Embryos

Posted on February 20, 2024

The Alabama Supreme Court ruled Friday that frozen embryos are children. The landmark  decision has longterm implications that could ultimately provide legal protection for unborn embryos, including those that have been frozen in the in vitro process. The wording was strongly based in the Word of God. (“Theology-riddled” is what opponents call it). 

The ruling was based in Alabama Constitution Section 36.06 which argues that each person was made in God’s image, meaning each life has incalculable value that “cannot be wrongfully destroyed without incurring the wrath of a holy God.” 

The ruling specifically said “Section 36.06 recognizes that this is true of unborn human life no less than it is of all other human life—that even before birth, all human beings bear the image of God, and their lives cannot be destroyed without effacing His glory.”

Opponents of the ruling are warning that the ruling may have “harmful consequences” for fertility treatments in Alabama, of course referring to in vitro implantations and the freezing of left-over embryos. The problem of abandoned “freezer embryos” is mammoth nationwide. There are currently over a million frozen embryos and the numbers are drastically rising each year. Hundreds of thousands have simply been abandoned and cast aside. 

The case before the Alabama Supreme Court was one in which the embryos had been accidentally dropped at the storage facility. Parents had filed a wrongful death suit. The Alabama Supreme Court overturned a Mobile County court decision to dismiss the suit. The couple may now sue for wrongful death. 

I have great sympathy for this couple in this wrongful death scenario. I offer prayers for the hundreds of thousands of abandoned lives in storage facilities across our nation. And I have never been more proud to be an Alabamian. I hope you will pray as this ruling faces the possibility of appeal. Who in this world will stand against the atrocity that most commonly accompanies in vitro fertilization, if not Christians?

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

Snippet from Digging Deep Writing Week…Out My Window

Posted on February 19, 2024

Death and its power never ceases to amaze me. I don’t want to be unfeeling or irreverent, but it has come to every single person (except Enoch and Elijah) since the sin in the garden. Yet we all act shocked when it comes to our house. It is the most predictable event and yet we are never prepared for our loved ones to go. We act as if we never imagined this could happen and yet we knew, beyond doubt, that it would happen. 

During my writing weeks in some of the past Digging years, I’ve opened my window to find a giant flag waving or a beautiful field sprawling for acres (or a crowded parking lot). This year I opened my window to see peaceful rows of flower-strewn graves and one lone, aging man sitting on a bench under a big oak tree with his head bowed. I have looked out there a lot this week. As I have been writing, two of my dear friends in this life have lost loved ones—one a daughter at the age of 35, and one a younger brother at the age of 60. I knew and loved these people who now know so much more than I do about the subject at hand. 

And that is, perhaps, the reason that death has a hold of terror on most of us. We cannot know it. We cannot speak with anyone who has experienced it, except of course in prayer and study. It’s a thing as natural as birth or walking or talking and, yet, when it comes our way, we are bowed low beneath its burden.

And God made it that way. Since the garden, Satan has had his malignant hand in our earthly affairs, subjecting us to pain, sorrow, death and its grief. He is not done with you and me. 

But, additionally, when I think about death, the sadness it brings is also a result of the great gift of fellowship. God made us with longings for relationships. I know this because he made us in His image and no one has given more for relationship and communion with you and me than the Father and Son. No one has given more for family. We are in His image, so we treasure relationships, too. We long, deep within our souls, for the benefits that come when we care for others and they reciprocate. We are meant to be social and when we are disconnected, we become less than what we could be—in our eternal hopes, in our earthly influences and in our personal peace.

But the Son showed us powerfully that the ultimate victory over death is His. The Spirit then revealed all that we need to know about what happens at, and after, death.

I hope you’re planning to study with us (or in some systematic way) next year. It’s not all about dying. It’s a whole lot about living. And it’s all we really know about either–the Word of God!