You gotta know when to hold em', know when to fold em'...on second thought, when you are playing God in cards, just walk away, walk away! Bluffing is an art.
Making it seem like you have a good hand when you ain't got nothing takes real talent: steel nerves, icy cold eyes and a rock hard jaw line. The best of bluffers know just how to raise the pot with that sly grin, while sporting the confidence of a 5,000 pound bull shark that is circling his prey. And when you get really good at it, your competitors will drop like flies, "I fold...I fold...I fold....so do I." Now the pile of money in the middle is all yours, but before you grab it, there is always that one player who works up the guts to ask you, "Hey fella, what was in your hand?" And with a devilish laugh, you reply, "A pair of deuces...suckers!" Winning on a pair of two's with king high takes some expert poker playing and exceptional acting skills! But...what if you played the same poker game with the same hand and all your cards were showing? How effective would your bluffing be? "I'll raise the pot by fifty!" "Dude, I can see your cards and you only have a pair of two's, what are you doing? You have nothing but trash? Just fold, that act isn't working." But no, you think raising the ante will really fool em, so your throw in a cool grand with a smirk. "Dude, didn't you hear me? I can still see all your cards and my lowly pair of fives still beats them - - but if you want to lose all your money, go right ahead!" Bluffing only works when people can't see what is in your hand. Pretty obvious, isn't it? Then if it is so obvious, why do people try to bluff God every single day of their lives? Look around, there are millions of people walking the earth thinking that God doesn't see who they really are. So they strut on the earth's stage playing the cool, calm and collected tough guy or the sweet holy girl believing that their bluff is working. But it isn't, because in the mind of God, all your cards are showing. Job 31:4 asks this rhetorical question: "Does he not see my ways and count my every step?" Answer: Of course he does! You can't bluff God because he is omniscient. That means he can see everything that is in your hand. Oh sure you can bluff other people. In fact, people do it to me as a pastor all the time. I will have people come into my office who need help but they are often acting the innocent part, wanting advice, smiling while saying what they think I want to hear. And more often than not, when they walk out the door they forget everything that was said. "Ha, that pastor is so easy to fool." But hear me out: God isn't. If you were to keep reading in Job 40:7-14, God confronts him and breaks the bad news that he has heard everything Job and his buddies have been whining about. So he calls Job's bluff by saying in very direct terms, "O.K., you think you are so smart and capable...then look on every proud man and humble him. Bury all the arrogant in the dust." In other words, if you think you have the right to challenge me and my justice, you must first prove yourself. Can you even compare to my Majesty? After he calls Job's bluff, Job is quick to admit that his hand is lousy. It is so bad that in Job 42:5-6 he says he "despises himself and repents in dust and ashes." Job folds, because he aint got nothing... And neither do you! The difficulty with most of us is that we are born arrogant & stubborn. We try to keep playing the game, acting the part of the bull shark, when we know we are only holding a pair of deuces. Wake up, your poker face is not working with God. And if you keep trying to raise the ante there will come a day when God is going to call your hand. This day is known in scripture as the "Great and Terrible Day of the Lord." Let us just say, you don't want to still be playing your hand at the table when all bets on the earth are called. God is going to come to earth as a fierce lion and he will be through messing around. Here's my advice: Fold...right now! In biblical language this means to Repent, turn back to God, and walk away from your game playing. Drop the act. Life is not a game, eternity is not like a window where you check in your chips, it is more like a court room...books will be opened...and bluffing will not be tolerated. So what will you do, it's your deal?
38 Comments
9/24/2023 10:06:40 am
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3/22/2024 08:02:58 pm
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3/23/2024 01:00:07 am
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3/25/2024 05:11:36 am
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3/25/2024 05:53:25 am
Thanks so much for your comment. We hope that you found it useful.
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3/25/2024 06:32:02 am
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5/13/2024 06:36:23 pm
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