50 Days of Promises (42): Freedom

Posted on September 2, 2014 by George Crone

Romans 8:1-2

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

Law of Spirit

There are many paths to Christ, but only One Christ.

How or when we find Him I believe is in His plan for our lives and not something we have great control over. God chooses who He gives sight too and what our ministry will be long before we were even born.

My story is powerful, any Saul to Paul conversion of a man who was suicidal and dead in his sins with seemingly no hope who in a moment of complete brokenness and surrender finds his life transformed makes for a great testimony.

Many times when I share God’s story of salvation in my life I hear from seasoned veterans of Christ, solid men who grew up in the church and have lived their lives in pursuit of God and His glory who “feel” they don’t have a story. They seemingly have a sense that their testimony is boring.

That breaks my heart!

What I want them to know is that like Job, a powerful testimony of survival and redemption only comes at the price of incredible suffering.

As an only child with broken parents I grew up physically, emotionally and sexually abused. The damage that does to the development of a person is almost beyond description. A life lived in nearly obsessive pursuit of what the world says will make you happy; career, money, entertainment, expensive toys, nice vacations, peer accolades which Solomon taught so well will all leave you empty.

And as the years rolled on and none of that worked to fix that lost and broken child the desire to unplug, escape, to not feel grew stronger and the addictions to alcohol, drugs, pornography, food and materialism all grew more out of control.

In the wake of all that was affairs with married women, a child out of wedlock, damaged relationships, depression, nearly 100lbs overweight through food addictions, health problems like becoming pre-diabetic, high  blood pressure, heart problems and a pervasive emptiness that ultimately led toward thoughts of suicide.

Yes, I was given freedom from certain death in a spectacular moment of conversion. I was just a broken man plucked from the ashes by a grateful savior, the testimony is powerful.

But the message that God restored me for to share with the world is that you don’t have to go my route. The pain is too high and the suffering too great. The plan of God is that everybody is raised by Christ-loving parents who do the best they can to take a child born sinful and introduce them to God early so they don’t have to experience or induce mountains of pain that must be overcome.

That “I don’t have much of a testimony” that seemingly many elders in the church seem to almost feel like they missed out on is in actuality the greatest testimony of all. It is a life that was spared the incredible pain and suffering at the hands of evil, it was a childhood that went the way it was supposed too.

Does that mean it was perfect and pain free, no. But it means that you were handed down a relationship with Christ and have lived a life in reliance on God and He has blessed you with the ability to model healthy mature Christianity to people like me who have lived wrong my entire life and now ache for maturity and need it modeled before I can obtain it.

You are blessed with the opportunity to come alongside those new Christians and offer us a road map to deeper discipleship, to warn us when over-zealousness can lead to burnout or the trying to “fix” or “heal” everyone because we loose sight that it is God who heals and not us. Your life experience in the Word and Spirit is what this world needs.

We need less stories like mine and many more like yours.

Anyone who is in true relationship with Christ has a desire to bring hope and healing to a lost and broken world.

The message on my heart this morning is that by the grace of God everyone will experience the incredible joy and freedom that comes from knowing it is only the blood of Christ that sets us free.

And with that may the peace be known that EVERYONE is set free in their time and place to be best used in our life’s calling for the purposes of His glory.

Please don’t anyone ever think that your story is not God’s story. How I long, actually ache for the children of our world to understand the salvation of Christ, to seek and desire it and enter into relationship at as young an age as possible so they can grow up in reliance upon and in the safety of our Loving and Gracious Savior.

Trust me, nobody wants a testimony like those of the most broken. But for those like me that have that story, we were called to suffer and live as over-comers in His name so we could help those still suffering.

Redemption is possible at any age and on the heals of any sin. We cannot out-sin the cross.

The world is hurting and dying more each day. We are called to stand and proclaim the gospel from the rooftops as loud as we can; especially the truth found in today’s verse.

For many like me who have survived decades of internal suffering with shame our biggest enemy becomes self-condemnation and we have learned to survive by trying to “prove” our worth to others.

I know for me, in this first 3 years of struggling to learn who I really am in Christ I continue to battle the deep seated lies that I have to earn grace from God through good works and purity. My head knows that’s not true but my heart gives evidence that it hasn’t fully grasped that truth yet.

I believe some of the soul-wrenching strongholds of Satan that remain like a thorn in my heart will remain until I fully grasp that it is only The Blood of Christ that covers all.

There is no “cheap grace” nor is there “earned grace”. There is only grace.

I get the sense that God continues to allow me to get it wrong so He can reveal how He alone is the One who has it right. He gives us the Armor of God to equip us for spiritual battle on all war fronts and when we find ourselves behind enemy lines and overwhelmed in our weakness he offers only grace, compassion, forgiveness and encouragement to get up and press on.

John 21:17

He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.

There is truly no condemnation for those who love Jesus. You know you love Him when your heart begins to break for the things that break His heart.

Still have sin in your life? WE ALL DO! Does that sin grieve your heart, frustrate you, make you crawl back to the foot of the cross in broken repentance. Then you have the Holy Spirit in you.

In our old lives, we not only didn’t call it sin, we pursued more of whatever “it” was. Today we don’t, today our heart breaks over the fear or glimpses we get of the old man or woman we used to be. That is normal, that is just proof that God loves us and is Sanctifying us in His time in His way.

We are EXACTLY where we are supposed to be on our journey, whether seasoned or new we are where we are because of His grace and mercy. Glory to God!

Perfectionism is the greatest killer of the Spirit within. It is the voice that says “you should know this stuff, how many times are you going to make the same mistakes, how many times must I forgive you” and draws us to feel great condemnation.

THERE IS NO CONDEMNATION FOR THOSE IN CHRIST JESUS

It can’t be said loud enough or too often.

For you, the seasoned veteran of Christ who has spent your whole life doing the best you can to glorify God, or like me who took 45 years of pain, suffering and living in grotesque sin and debauchery through blindness… our path to Christ may be different but our message of Christ is the same.

There is a Healer, His name is Jesus, may you find Him now

 Father God, I thank you for the message on my heart this morning that reminds us that we are all the same, hungry beggars in need of Living Waters. You Lord are that source of nourishment, of life, of agape love that calls for us to simply focus our hearts, our lives, our every being on the One who gives us freedom to live out the Gospel as best we can. The people you used throughout history were human Lord, they were men, women and children who had faults, made mistakes, committed huge sins, at times succumbed to temptations and broke your laws… but in the end most all who were used by You and serve as an example for us today simply loved You, served You as best they could in their humanness, and You loved them and blessed them and gave us Your word so we could read and identify with them in our own broken lives. Thank you for calling us to become more Christ-like each day in our pursuit of You but offering the grace and compassion to simply say “I love you, get up, tend my sheep” when we come up short. Your faithfulness is what sustains us Lord, your grace and mercies are new each day and we humbly thank You for the price you paid. Give us the heart, vision and passion to find our personal ministry and empower us to press on for Your glory. In Jesus’ precious name I pray…

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50 Days of Promises (41): Power Received

Posted on August 26, 2014 by George Crone

Luke 10:1

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go.

Luke 10:17

The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!”

power

Can you sense the excitement these disciples felt?

They were sent out into the world by Jesus to preach the Good News of a new life that awaits all who repent and turn to Jesus for salvation. They were given power to speak boldly, to heal, to bring light unto darkness in the name of Jesus.

These were not extraordinary people chosen because of their amazing human abilities. These were people who simply believed in Jesus, listened with faith and then traveled in obedience.

They didn’t know what to expect once being sent into the mission field of neighboring towns, only that they were called to go and that the journey would be difficult and dangerous.

Luke 10:3

Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.

What happened next though rocked their world;  they were astonished at the power they had. And when they returned they were like children telling their father of the great adventures they experienced

And Jesus’ reply?

Luke 10:18-19

18 And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.

Jesus is excited too! He shares their enthusiasm.

God is well pleased when men and women of God, rich in the power of the Holy Spirit step into the world and speak truth, bring healing and spread encouragement and hope.

The rewards of this new life in Christ so far outweighs the old life of striving for more money, nicer stuff, and greater recognition.

The life lived in selfish pursuits of what the world offers leads to emptiness, sorrow and disappointment and even spiritual and ultimately physical death when taken to the extreme (addictions, crimes, betrayal, jealousy, resentments).

But a life of intentionality poured out to share the Gospel of Christ, to share the forgiveness and compassion we receive so richly from our Heavenly Father with all whom He places in our path each day is to live a life of abundance.

I love that I was led into Luke 10 this morning because I experienced this joy just this last weekend. A woman at church was abandoned by her husband leaving her with 2 small boys, 7 months pregnant, and a mortgage she couldn’t afford. A tragic situation but by the grace of God, her loving family, the heart of the church and the power of Christ through the Holy Spirit many rallied around her. She was flown cross country to be close to family, provided a nearly fully furnished home through donations and miracles of timing, and a long story short, I was blessed with the opportunity to help coordinate the volunteers on move-in day.

To experience the people coming together to help this young family, donating furniture, appliances, clothing, bedding, money, time, sweat and the heart-felt prayers… there was an incredible energy throughout the day and I feel like I know exactly how those 72 felt when they returned to Jesus to describe the miracles they witnessed.

To be a part of healing, whether for a moment or a lifetime brings incredible joy to God our Father in heaven, for this is what we were designed for.

Luke 10:21-24

Jesus Rejoices in the Father’s Will

21 In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 22 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

23 Then turning to the disciples he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! 24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”

It is beyond description the feelings of great joy I felt that night at the overwhelming sense of something good was done today. In that moment of awareness I realized the incredible contrast from my old life to the new which revealed the power of Christ in me.

I realized that on any Saturday in my past life it would have started with “what do I want to do today” and spent it in pursuit of “fun” trying to fill a void that I couldn’t define.

But today my thoughts and desires are filled with  “how can I be a blessing in someone else’s life today” and at the end of the day I am blessed with experiencing that fullness I had nearly given up hope of ever finding.

That fullness has nothing to do with the status of my checkbook ($52) or coming home to a nice house (460 sq ft apartment) or having a full refrigerator (1 frozen chicken breast in the freezer), or a new car (6yr old bought used) or fancy job (office is in the back of a parts warehouse) or a beautiful wife (single).

That joy comes from knowing that my life made a difference in the life of another, even if only for a day or a moment. That joy remains knowing that there is an endless supply of people in need and by God’s grace I will get to experience the joy of coming alongside others in my church with the selfless desire to bless another in any way we can, for no other reason than to glorify God.

Jesus Himself told us to keep our priorities straight, that no matter how good it feels to have the power of Christ in us to do good works, there is a greater joy we should be thankful for…

Luke 10:21

Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

My deepest and most sincere desire for the whole world this morning is that everyone gets at least one moment in their life, through a personal relationship with Christ can experience the Kingdom of God here on earth and be given eyes to see and ears to hear and will personally experience the incredibly joy that comes from knowing you are part of God’s great plan for the redemption of the world.

We are given power through Him who saved us and promised eternity by His side, this is our reward through faith in Christ Jesus and it is not something we have to wait for or work for, it is something we can live out and experience each day, starting today.

In the midst of darkness and pain WE are the light. WE are love, WE are one in Christ with a purpose to bring healing to others by revealing His incredibly love through our sincere love of others, ALL others (who is your neighbor).

What an awesome calling!

Father God, I thank You that You continue to reveal that as I long to grow closer to You and seek You with all my heart, mind and body and seek to keep dead the old man and live out a life that glorifies You that the byproduct is a richness of Spirit and gladness of heart that far outweighs any rewards I have ever experienced in the world. Your joy, Your peace, Your visions and purposes transcend where I am physically in this life. In that I can say without reservation that I thank You for allowing the suffering in my youth and leaving me to my nearly suicidal emptiness in my pursuit of all things of this world, for You designed us to never be satisified apart from You. I believe only now am I starting to experience only a glimpse of what true satisfaction is and I am overwhelmed at the joy of satisfaction in You. Not in me, but in allowing myself to truly believe that I am a part of You and that You are in me. I am incapable of the love that You pour into me but I’m slowly realizing that if I can only empty myself out that You can love others through me. I continue to pray for the ability to empty my life out for You Lord, for Your glory and to be Your disciple in any way You send me. Thank You for Your sacrifice that makes it possible for a wretch like me to experience even a glimpse of You. May Your kingdom come and Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. In Jesus’ precious name I pray…

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50 Days of Promises (40): Transcendent Peace

Posted on August 19, 2014 by George Crone

Philippians 4:7

 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

peace

Who doesn’t need peace in their life.

The very thought even as a Christian sounds so incredibly appealing. The pressures and pursuits of this world weigh down so heavily. Job, family, church, friends, volunteer ministries, bills; the responsibilities and commitments are everywhere all demanding more and more of our attention until there is little left over.

And without a doubt, the world marketing system is built upon that concept of peace. If I just get a better education I can get a better job and make more money then get a better car, bigger house, fatter retirement account, nicer toys, take better vacations…

… all so I can finally have the sense that I have arrived and I can be at peace

…when my family starts treating me better, my boss begins to respect me, traffic isn’t so bad, the prices aren’t so high, my kids begin to listen, my teacher quits giving so much homework…..

..When the world sees how hard I am trying, when God answers my prayers, when I finally catch a break, when my parents or my ex-spouse or ex-friends say “I’m sorry” …

…if we just party a little harder, get some better weed, find another bottle, buy another 6-pack, get a cooler place to hang out, get some energy drinks to go with this, find some hot girls to join us…

… boy I can’t wait until I get home to surf the internet, or lock my office door for just a moment, or cruise the beach looking for girls, or pick up a magazine on the way home, or stop at the video store to get a movie from the back room, or cruise the same street or bars where I can always find someone to pick up.

…Or get that promotion, that raise, land that big deal, get the contract signed….

I suspect I rambled on a bit much here, but in reality nearly every one of those I have pursued in my own life in years past, desiring to find “the one thing” that will finally give me that sense of peace that comes from believing “I have all I need”.

IT IS NEVER ENOUGH

Solomon through the Book of Ecclesiastes settles this completely. He was a man above all men, filled with riches, wisdom, success and pleasures beyond anything the world had seen up to that point and possibly even seen since then. He was incredibly disillusioned, never did any pursuit and attainment of anything this world has to offer provide lasting satisfaction in the end.

Ecclesiastes 12:13

Now all has been heard;
    here is the conclusion of the matter:
Fear God and keep his commandments,
    for this is the duty of all mankind.

God’s word, his commands and precepts are not there as a weapon to destroy us, to fit us into some type of religious mold to make us all robots. The bible is the highest form of love He could ever give us, written instructions on how to live our lives in a manner that brings us closer to being able to provide the same unconditional love to others that He showers on us. We don’t deserve it, we didn’t earn it, it is by His grace alone that He saved, is saving, and promises to save us.

But we must respond to His call, to be healed by Him, to be a student of His, and then to carry this message of healing and hope and love and mercy and kindness and charity and grace to others.

When we come to a place in our walk where we can tangibly and physically see the miracles of Christ’s work on the cross and experience the change of heart that the Holy Spirit and God’s word does at the soul level we are then called to take this message to others, through not only words but even more so the way we engage the world.

No longer are we to be in selfish pursuits of what I can get out of this world, but instead how can I help those who have less. If I have millions I can support entire ministries, and if I only have a few dollars I can try and help my community, and if I have nothing I can give freely my time and talents to my neighbors and the divine appointments around me.

There is a not a single possession or relationship on this planet that can give us what only God can; through the pursuit of Him we can attain true supernatural peace.

Here is today’s verse in full context

Philippians 4:4-9

4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5 Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Father God, I have come to realize that for many months I have been praying for You to reveal the idols in my life, the areas that I cling to for comfort and peace so that I may freely surrender them to You. It is no coincidence that in the last few weeks the various bible-studies I’m involved in have all verged upon Solomon and his pursuit of not just wealth but “everything under the sun” and he found them all lacking, empty. I see in my own life Lord how I still cling to having a financial cushion, relational ease,  physical comfort, and even sanctification at a pace that I expect. None of these things are bad Father and I thank you for them all, but reach into my heart Lord and help me rejoice and praise you when money isn’t abundant and relationships are messy and health is waning. You have provided exactly what I asked Lord, a heavy heart that can no longer rejoice in the pursuits of the things this world values but instead a heart that can only be filled with joy and purpose and passion when I’m pursuing You alone. May all of our lives be lived out in the pursuit of You first Lord and in that You will provide what wen need and we will do our best to rejoice in all that You provide and no longer wish we had more of anything that has no value without You at the foundation. Thank you Father God for your word that sets us free but only when we live it out. Knowledge is not enough, it must lead to action. This is difficult Lord, but Your grace abounds, thank You for your patience and mercy.  In Jesus precious name I pray…   

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50 Days of Promises (39): Everlasting Life

Posted on August 13, 2014 by George Crone

John 5:31-40
You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.

Sunset

It is interesting to me that my two different series (I Am & Armor of God) have seemingly converged. Yesterday it was pressed on my heart to finish the Armor Series (Sword of the Spirit) with the final verse speaking about restorative powers of the Bible and God’s Word that is alive and speaks to us but with a warning that intellectual knowledge of the word alone will do nothing for us.

In resuming the Who I Am Series this morning, I am led to John 5:31-40 which is almost a continuation of the thought that the Word of God is powerful but not a replacement for Jesus Himself.

It feels as if it is a warning  to us all that says don’t get lost in the religiousness of religion, don’t take one single source of the Armor of God and stand-alone on that, not even the bible, but instead make sure and embrace the relationship with Christ Jesus and get our own house in order.

John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

First and foremost one must come the belief that Jesus was who He said He was and did what is said He did.

For me, I know that to be true in my own walk. For nearly a decade as I became aware of my addictions that were overtaking me and my depression and even suicidal thoughts started to scare me I began to beg God to heal me. I do believe there were many people and seeds being planted in my life along those years but nothing ever seemed to change and my depression and spiraling toward more deathly behaviors continued to escalate.

Then one morning (January 3rd, 2011) I dropped to my knees and cried out SPECIFICALLY to Jesus. I was honest and said I didn’t understand the bible, I didn’t understand God and creation, but that I BELIEVED that JESUS died and rose again and in that I am forgiven and promised a new life IN HIM.

From that exact moment in time I have not had another drink or drug and have been on an insatiable journey to know more of and become more like my Savior Jesus Christ. That isn’t what I prayed for, but it is what has happened supernaturally.

John 5:24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

To know we believe the Words of Christ Jesus in our own life at the heart level is to have assurance of salvation and we and others will bear witnesses to our heart change. It is impossible that Christ through the Holy Spirit indwells a person but their life doesn’t look any different, their words remain the same, their selfish pursuit of personal gains and backstabbing, jealousy, lusts and idolatry and other sins like these remain unchanged.

Many times we may not even recognize the changes in our own lives that are positively affecting those around us, but God will bless us with feedback on occasion that can seem surprising.

A coworker at my office just the other day ran into his brother who used to work at our office years ago. Somehow I came up in conversation as my friend mentioned that I had become a Christian. His brother said “that guy?!?! He used to surf porn and drink allot”. They apparently spoke of God and the changes He has done in my life.

After he shared that with me I got home that night and wept over the goodness of God, that he could take a broken and dying person such as myself, give me new life and purpose and passion and power to share the Gospel from my own personal experience of moving from darkness to light and to have that affect people even when I’m not present. That is truly a miracle of biblical proportion and not of my doing.

John 14:6
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Belief in Jesus Christ as our Savior who died and rose for our sins is ground zero, that is where Saving Grace can truly take hold of a wicked heart and begin to remold it anew.

It is not an overnight get-rich-quick scheme, but the journey of Sanctification begins the minute we deeply in our hearts between us and Jesus tangibly cross over from doubt to belief, from fear to faith, from rebellion to relationship.

1 Corinthians 15:1-4
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures

Father God, the price paid for my life weighs on my heart this morning. What began this morning as a meditation and rejoicing in the Salvationary victory that alone is yours led me to the overwhelming awareness of the suffering on Calvary that You alone suffered for us all, for me. That while we were still sinners you died for us and rose again. The miracle of resurrected life is by God alone and to partake in that saving grace is overwhelming Father. To this day my heart aches at how short I come to the glory of your freely given gift and my heart hungers and thirsts to remain steadfast on this journey of redemption. Continue to fill my heart with both the joy and pain of what You have done for us Father, that I may each day become more willing to pour my life out in hands-on life giving service to love my church, my family & friends and the stranger in need, for ALL are my neighbor Lord. Let me not overlook a single soul that You died for, may all we be filled with an urgency that cries out to lead others to You through love, not judgment, for we all fall short of Your glory Lord and it is only Your Saving Grace that brings life and hope and peace and joy. Thank you Father God for Your life which gave me mine. In Your Precious Name I pray King Jesus… 

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Armor Series (7): Sword of the Spirit

Posted on August 12, 2014 by George Crone

Ephesians 6:14-17

14 Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

sword

I don’t consider myself a blogger or this a blog. In reality, my entire Journey of Redemption body of work across all medium over the last 3+ years began as journaling. I would get up in the morning, open the bible, read a passage, meditate and pray on what it is God had for me in His word, then put pen to paper and begin to write. I later got a journaling program for my computer which remained private. Somewhere along the line I decided to email it to my brothers in recovery and received positive feedback, which morphed into a Mailchimp newsletter and finally to a WordPress blog.

The process that I began with years ago of opening God’s word early in the morning, taking time to pray over that time with God asking what “He” wanted to reveal and to then reflect and write about it has not changed.

It has never been just an intellectual endeavor to stuff the Word into my head but instead an aching for His Word to reach into my heart and change my very being.

As I began to pray and reflect on what “the sword of the Spirit which is God’s Word” means to me this morning it became very clear in hindsight that this piece of Armor has been the very foundation of my sobriety, my growth both as a man and a disciple, and is my rock. Without God’s word I would be nothing.

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness

If you believe yourself to be a Christian but the Word of God does not hold a critical place in your walk then I would seriously reflect on how is it that God reaches into your heart and changes you.

I have heard people say “I talk to him all day long”. That’s great, my question then becomes “how does He respond and are you positive it’s Him”.

In my own life, since crossing over the line into an authentic relationship with Christ (at the age of 45) there has been no other source greater than the Word of God for encouragement and conviction, for hope and peace, for shaping my desires and molding my will.

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

I am so incredibly grateful that the churches I have attended regularly have either directly or been affiliated with serious discipleship programs. Currently I am in ROOTED which is an authentic biblical look into the heart of Christ and promotes deep inward reflection on what it means to be a Christian who is poured out in serving not just the Gospel, but providing hands-on healing to a broken and dying world.

We don’t serve because it’s the right thing to do or to earn brownie points with God, we serve because Christ saved us and calls us to then sacrifice our very life for his Glory.

Matthew 25:31-46 (NASB)

The Judgment

31 “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; 33 and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.

34 “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 38 And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 39 When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’

41 “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; 43 I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ 44 Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not [a]take care of You?’ 45 Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46 These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

I don’t know about others, but for me the most powerful part of that double-edged sword is the side of the blade that cuts inward working to carve out my own selfish, pride, ego, lusts, idolatry(s), fears, soul wrenching lies of the Accuser that come in the form of unworthiness, hopelessness, and powerlessness.

The Word of God tells us who we are, reveals to us our strengths in Him and weaknesses of the flesh, draws our hearts closer to our true callings, reminds us that we are not alone in our human weaknesses by showing us real men of the bible who both struggled in their humanness but when obedient glorified God and furthered the Kingdom in mighty ways.

God’s Word encourages us to step into the difficult situations for righteousness sake; no longer motivated for personal gain but solely for the glory of God.

The truly tragic thing is that I know several people who have spent their entire lives as a student of the bible stuffing massive amounts of “knowledge” into their conscious mind but none of it makes way to a heart change. They quote scripture in judgment and condemnation of those around them and completely miss the inner edge of that Sword, seeing themselves as righteous and others as lacking.

Philippians 2:3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves

Much like the Pharisee, they knew the words of God but they didn’t know God as was evidence by their lack of fruit, darkness of their heart, their pride and ego which was on display through their garmets, markings and holding dearly the law of God but not the heart of His word.

Luke 18:9-14

9 And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

 Father God, my heart both soars and aches when thinking about all that is contained in Your Word, Your loving Word that sets us free but only if that Word makes it into our heart and changes our feet, our hands, our thoughts, our words. The bible is Your gift to us that we might have something that gives us even the tiniest opportunity to grasp the realities contained within Your great love for us. May we all Lord become increasingly hungry to know more of You, to be insatiable seekers constantly drawing deeper into Your Word, never satisfied with where we are but always knowing that we will always be on this journey of sanctification reliant solely upon the blood of the Cross for our salvation. Help us hear your call on our lives, let us not be satisfied with who we are today, but only drawn to find greater ways to glorify You in and through Your work in our lives. May we live out that light and salt that you created us for, finding our purposes in You, for You and only because of You. Thank you Father God, Son Jesus and Holy Spirit within for all of the Armor that You are. May we rest in your grace and press on toward the goals You alone set for us always. In Jesus precious name…

 

 

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Armor Series (6): The Helmet of Salvation

Posted on August 5, 2014 by George Crone

Ephesians 6:14-17

14 Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

helmet of salvation

It could easily be said that each individual piece of armor, whether we are talking the gospel of peace, faith, the Holy Spirit, God’s Word, they all are the “one thing” that is missing in our lives in the deepest sense of the word and critically important in their own right.

We will never be able to perfect faith, but without it there is no hope. We will never be able to maintain perfect peace in our dealings with the world, but without peace there can be no exhibition of true love. Without the Holy Spirit or Truth or righteousness there can be no exhibition of Christ in us.

Our entire lives will be spent in pursuit of each of these things on a deeper and more profoundly whole-life encompassing manner. The Helmet of Salvation is no different.

Salvation is past, present and future

Salvation is something that we received from Christ at the time of crossing over into personal relationship and reliance upon Him; it is something that we will receive daily as we wake each morning and throughout the day in pursuit of His protection from our own character flaws that try to derail our purposes in Christ; and it is our assurance in the future that He will eternally save us from the evils of this world and the penalties of sin.

I believe that putting on the Helmet of Salvation refers to having an awe-struck awareness of what an all-encompassing miracle salvation truly is.

Awareness of our personal salvation (not something God did for the world in general, but something He did specifically for me and you) is the very foundation of attaining greater peace, deeper faith, and what provides the hunger and passion for God’s word and deeper discipleship.

Once we grasp the true depth of what God has done, is doing, and promises to do only then will we begin to grasp the meaning of salvation and in that become more willing to surrender our lives for the Gospel.

We are forgiven for our yesterday’s, the atonement of Christ’s blood on the cross covers all. It doesn’t matter the depth of the sin. Drugs & alcohol, pornography, gluttony of food, materialism, greed, blame, murder, rape… horrible sins the may have destroyed lives are covered.

Just look at nearly every single person, especially the men in the bible. David, “a man after God’s heart” lusted after his best friends wife, got her pregnant, had his friend killed and married her”.

Jonah loved God but ran from God when His plan differed from what Jonah thought was best.

Gideon was a lowly man from a lowly tribe whose only talent was obedience and faith.

 

The Apostle Paul, a murderer of specifically Christians yet transformed.

Peter himself denied Christ directly in Jesus’ presence at the greatest time in history when Jesus needed a friend most.

All of these men, unqualified, incapable, broken in their own ways, subjected the world to their own fears, failures and lusts were forgiven by grace and called by God. They were set free from condemnation of their old lives and given new purpose, direction, callings that required the surrender of their pursuits and following the new call God placed upon them.

John 6:68-69  Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. 69 We have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.”

Salvation is not something that was done so we could go on living in our old ways free from addictions and egregious behaviors. Salvation is a call to arms, a trading if you will from a life slavery to sin and selfish pursuits to a willing slavery to righteousness. We are all called to the battle field of life not only in Christ, but solely FOR Christ.

This is not to attain anything, salvation is not earned. Instead our lives become a glorious response to what has been, is being and is promised to be done.

This battle for total surrender is where I find my fight lately, to completely give up the dreams planted in me from my youth; the pursuit of money, career accolades, the next great vacation, the next nicer car, hotter girlfriend, new toy, fun adventure, it’s all becoming more and more meaningless.

I find myself almost in this void of longing for the seemingly fun escape of old life behaviors but knowing I can never go back and fearing the spiritual warfare that lies ahead as a soldier for Christ being as the calling to go deeper in ministry and personal sacrifice for the kingdom gains momentum in my head and heart.

Ecclesiastes 10:13  There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun: riches being hoarded by their owner to his hurt.

When we awake each day and put on the WHOLE armor of God we are being equipped to treat each and every encounter with each and every person as a Divine Appointment.

Our greatest rewards come not in the things we gain or achieve, but in the relationships we maintain. Whether for a moment or a lifetime, each enccounter is an opportunity to reflect the gift that no man can give, the gift of salvation that is found only in fullness of God the Trinity.

We should always be asking ourselves, how can I be an influence in this situation for the glory of God?

We we look at life in this way, whether the task is great or small, at home, at work, on the freeway, in the grocery store, every action of life becomes intertwined with the sole purpose of glorifying God and we find ourselves living on purpose instead of being tossed about.

We are not our own anymore. We were purchase at a very high price for a very specific reason; to make disciples of the world. To become fully aware of what our personal salvation is in all of its forms is to become truly free.

It by grace that we have been transformed by the redemptive healing of Christ on the Cross

It is by power through the Holy Spirit within that we are now fully equipped and capable to speak boldly and love passionately a world that doesn’t deserve it, just as that same Holy Spirit reveals the darkness in our own hearts in a loving way that encourages us to change and never convicts us to give up or self-condemn

And all of this was documented in history, shared with us in real-time each day, and prophesied for our future in a manner that is transforming through the Word of God so that we are now freed to live for His glory.

Father God, You are truly mighty to save. That you could take a broken man as myself, one who was depressed and empty to the point of considering suicide, who was self destructive in worst ways through addictions, hate, pain, emptiness and fill my life with purpose, hope, increasing joy. There is truly no power on earth that can bring heart change on that level. Spiritual warfare is very real God and the greatest evil I believe Satan pulls on your creation is a blinding to that fact. Help us Lord to always be looking inside to the areas where we have been fooled by the Deceiver and gift us the wisdom, strength and courage to live a life in pursuit of the calling you place upon each of us, a calling to bring change in a dying world for Your glory. Give us the discernment to champion righteous business dealings, to be willing to step into the difficult relationships as an emissary of peace and healing, to come alongside those with great need, the homeless, the widows, the suffering and bring hope, encouragement, material and spiritual healing in their lives. May we seek to be poured out for other in Your name Father and not our own. Continue to mold us into Your image so that we may live a life that is part of the eternal solution of salvation and not one that feeds the ever-present and sometimes overwhelming darkness that exists in the world today. Thank you Father God for our very life, may Your will and not ours be done this day and forevermore. In Jesus precious name…

 

 

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Armor Series (5): The Shield Of Faith

Posted on July 15, 2014 by George Crone

Ephesians 6:14-17

14 Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

shield of faith

Being a visual person, this exercise of meditating on the Armor of God has proven very good for me in drawing the Word of God deeper into my heart and soul and not just leaving it powerless in the recesses of my mind.

The Word of God is meant to penetrate our hearts and make us different people, and this specific passage in scripture speaks personally into the deep brokenness that comes from being a child of abuse and an adult as an abuser.

I wasn’t an abuser in the physical sense my own parents were, but instead became a doormat people pleasing fear-based adult who modeled escape-isms, insecurity, fear, powerlessness.

The core of my adult behaviors before Christ; and clearly some of the strongest character battles I still face today come from the lies of Satan, the deceiver, the destroyer.

He wants to keep us beaten down, broken, incapable of sharing our faith, silent, secluded, removed from God’s equation.

He does have the power and authority to influence external circumstances, but the true spiritual battle that Satan wages against our souls is through guilt, shame, fear, regrets, direct attacks against our self-worth.

Satan and his minions of darkness oppose the Truth of God.

How? By taking God’s loving convictions meant to spur us on to greater character growth and instead drive it into self-condemnation and shame. He takes God’s healthy moments of quiet discernment and pushes it into doubt; converts righteous hesitation straight into fear and inaction.

The Word of God

The Word of God speaks directly into our old broken self and says you are worthy because of what I’ve done, not unworthy because of what you have done. We are His beloved children, adopted and washed clean by the blood, not because we earned it or deserve it, but His nature of pure love once sealed in relationship cannot be broken by outside forces.

It is God who tells us who we are, what we are capable of, and forgives our sins, past present and future. It is He who drives us with passion and purpose to stand and speak boldly in His name regardless of where we come from.

To have faith that the Word of God is true and tells us who we are, to have faith that the blood of Christ and the redemption found through Calvary is real and for us specifically and individually, to have faith that the Holy Spirit is real and alive and living in each of us with the power to give us all that we need in any circumstance or trial to not only survive but to thrive in the battle; it is our faith that protects us from the relentless attacks of the evil one.

To believe in the magnificent gifts of  the Trinity of God is to have successfully armed ourselves with the Shield of Faith. 

Without faith, we have no walk, can bear no fruit, will never be able to see the glory of God in everything we experience, nor will we be able to withstand the lies of the Deceiver.

Faith is truly our shield in every sense of the word. 

Father God, You alone know how much I need this message this morning, a message of love, grace and mercy which says I am whole, complete, set free because of who You are, not because of what I’ve done. I thank you for Calvary; that supreme sacrifice which makes a relationship with You not only possible, but supremely desirable and solidified for eternity. There are no temptations, there are no condemnations, there are no circumstances or principalities that can separate us from Your love, from Your protections, from Your loving embrace 24×7. Help us all this day Father remain focused on Your Truths in our lives and let the constant droning of lies and oppression from a broken and falling world fade into background noise. Give us the boldness to speak against the lies of the Accuser by drawing deeply upon our faith that You are God, You are sovereign over all of creation and You are eternal and now, because of Your great love for us, so are we. Thank you Jesus for making our life not only possible, but filled with passion and purpose. You alone are our Salvation and it is in Your precious name I pray these things for all Your children, both those who know you and those who don’t yet…

—–

(For a list of 50 biblical affirmations of who we are In Christ with links to an in-depth study on many of them check out the I Am Series page)

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Armor Series (4) – Gospel of Peace

Posted on July 8, 2014 by George Crone

Ephesians 6:14-17

14 Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

GospelofPeace

 

The Good News is really good news!

Each of the pieces of armor have (obviously) an extremely unique and significant role in the big picture of how we are to live out transformed lives. It is an instruction manual if you will.

Each item represented has it’s own purpose, that if we will make the life concepts presented in each of these pieces a part of our core foundation in life we will be free and empowered to live as the men and women God created us to be.

Romans 12:2a

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…

Jesus Christ himself modeled what it is to wear the sandals of the Gospel of Peace.

Once His ministry began He never stayed at one place. He went into the world to share the message of salvation obtained through the healing and forgiveness found only through Him.

And His calling to the Apostles (and us as Disciples) is to spread that message to others.

Preparation

In all of the translations I looked up, this verse mentions readiness and preparation. It is not enough to hear the Good News of Christ and then simply repeat it. This is a call to have the Word of God, the Joy of Salvation, the Peace of Eternal Relationship built up and strengthened within our own hearts first; we must prepare.

The Good News must be a part of our very being, the core foundation of our existence. There can never been a true passion and purpose found in Jesus without first experiencing personally what the Gospel means to you as an individual.

Years ago as a new Christian I was wrestling with trying to figure out how Jesus, someone I can’t see but only ready about, could become personal in my life; how do I get “in relationship”

I was presented with a vision, a waking dream for lack of a better term. It was a movie scene that played out in my head one day.

The Dream

Standing at the sink doing dishes and looking out a window I could see my son and a neighbor boy playing ball in the front yard. It was a quiet street with well manicured lawns and tall shady trees. The sky was blue with some wispy clouds above, a truly beautiful and peaceful day. I could see the father of the other child across the street mowing his lawn but also very clearly was intentional about watching the children play as I was.

It was comforting to know that in this community that other parents cared as I did, that we were all parents to all the kids in our neighborhood. It brought about a peaceful feeling, a trust, an assurance. 

Then the images slowed. A school bus comes around the corner, the ball begins bouncing toward the street, the neighbor across the street catches eyes with me and we both realize what is unfolding at a lightning bolts pace. 

He runs from the mower toward the boys as both boys start running after the ball into the street. It is a horrifying scene, not a second to spare. I stand frozen in the window watching the scene unfold as the man sprints full speed into the street as a blur of red ball, yellow bus and kids clothes all mesh together in one terrifying second when then all merge on the same place and time. 

And then it happens, the frame freezes on a picture of the neighbor, having to choose between two boys who will surely be crushed to their death, chooses my son over his!

I gasp with horror as he barely reaches my son in time and he shoves him with all his might and him and my son narrowly escape certain death, but his son is hit, run over, crushed.

I could hear the sounds, the screeching of the tires, the yell of the children, the groans of the father, I can see the images; I begin to weep. 

And then hardest part of it all; the wail of a father who knows that he has just lost his only son; the sobs, the pain, the unquenchable anguish. 

His sacrifice albeit noble, cost him everything. I run outside speechless, there are no words, there is no comforting him. I suffer with the man feeling his loss, mixed in with inexpressable amounts of gratitude which the human language will never be adequate to describe

He made a choice to sacrifice his only son so that my son, my family, that I could live in peace and joy. 

How can I ever look at this man the same again. How will my heart not be wrenched to agonizing pain and overwhelming gratitude the next time and every time I see him, think of him. How much will our family offer up prayers of gratitude to this man for his seemingly insane choice of me and my family over his own. 

Personal Gratitude 

Tears are streaming down my face at this moment as I recount this waking dream for you. For years now I can recall this Passion of Christ; recall what was done for me personally through the Cross of Christ, recall the sacrifice and the pain and be filled with incredible amounts of gratitude, of almost shocking disbelief at the selfless act of God for me.

Why would the God of all creation come to earth, live in the flesh, suffer a life of hardship, torment, pain, ridicule, rejection and death for me personally, for you personally, for a world of wretched sinners. Wouldn’t the obvious choice for an all powerful Creator be to uncreate and start again?

We don’t deserve His blood, we didn’t earn it, we are not good people, we do not have love in our hearts. There is only one who is Holy and Righteous and Worthy, and He died for us, each and every one of us.

The Father sent the Son who died and rose again and in that we are now given the Gospel of Peace and through the Holy Spirit are called to have this Gospel firmly planted in our hearts so that it changes us, calls us, compels us to take this message to others.

We must first adorn the shoes ourselves, to make the Good News personal, to feel the sacrifice at the heart level, to know that the price was paid was way too high, but that price was paid by a benevolent God who loves us, died for us, and now walks with us.

John 3:16-21

For God So Loved the World

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

 Do you know that God died for you personally?

Is the contemplation of Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension something you can tangibly point to in your life as having changed everything?

Have you had your mind blown at experiencing the power of the Holy Spirit place thoughts, feelings, words, actions or desires upon your whole being that clearly didn’t come from just reading a book?

Have you experienced the joy of witnessing the transformation of lives around you because they trusted Jesus and He changed them, gave them a softer heart, gave them the ability for the first times in their life to take ownership for their own wrongs instead of blame others, to find humility and grace instead of judgment and blame?

Have you found your own heart softened to a stance of compassion for the broken, the lost, the hurting because no longer do you see yourself as above them, but realize we are all just broken beggars seeking Living Waters?

Theology is the study of God’s Word, but the Gospel, the Good News of Christ is not an intellectual endeavor, it is a heart transplant of the highest order brought forth by having our head knowledge transformed into heart action.

The Gospel of Peace changes lives. It must however change our own thoughts, belief, attitudes and behaviors first before we can live out the calling to be fearless influencers to a hurting and broken world.

The Word is Alive

Father God, you reach into the heart so deeply with Your message of hope and healing. Your grace and mercy is unequaled and nearly incomprehensible. That You would sacrifice that most dearest to You for us, sinners, and love us as we are, in this state of humanness, weak, frail, fearful, self-righteous, prideful, selfish wretched selves. That You would love us so much that You would provide the only way to cross the uncrossable channel of sin through Your only Son. The price was too high Father, and yet the price was paid just the same. Let our lives not ever be arrogant enough to think we can pursue and achieve righteousness and salvation through our own works, but instead let our lives be the outpouring of gratitude and love, a mere reflection of the gifts You alone shower upon us. Thank You Lord Jesus, may You be the ruler of our lives, may we submit to Your gracious will which only has our best and Your glory at heart. In Your precious name Jesus I pray….

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Armor Series (3) – Breastplate of Righteousness

Posted on July 6, 2014 by George Crone

Ephesians 6:14-17

14 Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

breastplate

What comes to mind first and foremost for me is to notice what exactly the breastplate is covering; the heart and other critical internal organs

This is the largest form of protection that we are to wear, not carry. It is placed tight up against the body, form fitted to move easily with the body but with the very critical role of making sure that if we allow something past the sword and shield (skill items) that the wrapped around solid piece full covering breastplate will be the greatest and last line of defense.

Definition: 
  Righteousness – ˈthe quality of being morally right or justifiable.

We Must Get Our Own House In Order

God created us for righteousness, for goodness, for love. We are designed by the greatest Creator for great things. We must get our heart right with God.

I don’t think the order of the Armor is a mistake either. First was to point out who our true enemy is and his tactics of Spiritual Warfare, then we are to Gird our Loins with the truth of believing who we are in Christ and what He is doing in our lives.

Once we have identified the enemy and are gaining a clearer understanding of who God is, and who we are; it is now time to get our actions and behaviors aligned with God.

Righteousness is where the first true test of Free Will comes in to play in our lives. We have a choice with everything thing we do, from the food we eat, the type of employee we are for our bosses, the types of friends we hang out with, the words that come out of our mouths, the way we drive, the way we parent, the very meditations of our hearts.

Righteousness is a choice

The rub here however as I see it is that I desired and tried to be righteous my whole life and was rarely successful at best. I used to think of myself as a “good person” but as the bible tells us, none are good.

The Apostle Paul sums up our dilemma here perfectly, to desire righteousness but be unable to carry that out.

Romans 7:15-20

15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.

As long as we are on this side of Glory, our sin nature will always be calling to us like a siren song, beckoning us through temptations, fear, pride, lusts, ungodly desires. And as is so plain to see, the world is embracing those desires, feeding them, profiting off them.

The giant corporate machine of materialism and wealth could care or less if you get cancer using their products, or get diabetes, high cholesterol and stroke, or crash into a tree, or go bankrupt, or, or, or….

The world is craving more of everything at the expense of everyone else. It is a mindset of consumption and depletion.

But that is not our way any longer. We must be intentional in our battle to be different than the world, transformed, renewed.

Romans 8:3-4

3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Righteousness will never be something we will attain on our own, it is only God in us and through us who will change our hearts, fill us with purpose, passion, compassion, courage and love.

Romans 7:24a 

24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!…

Romans 8:9-11

9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

We simply need to reach into the wellspring of life in the arms of our Father in heaven, to seek His Spirit, His Righteousness, His Holiness, for it is only He who Justifies. His blood, His death, His resurrection is what makes us righteous.

Matthew 6:33

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

Father God, I thank You yet again for the message this morning that clearly is in my path for me for it speaks in bold opposition to the shame and guilt of past sins, and offers grace and mercy for the struggle of present sins and promises Your faithfulness in the presence of future sins. I seek Your righteousness Lord, to have my heart and my mind and my life aligned with Your will, to treat others as greater than myself and be willing to sacrifice all that I am for the greater good and Your glory. I thank You that the cross covers my shortcomings in the flesh, and that Your Spirit will always be with me willing me and empowering me to make the right choices, to speak only truth in love, to be sacrificial with my time, talents and treasure, not in an effort to earn righteousness, but in response to the righteousness and justification that You have placed upon those who openly, willingly and joyously proclaim allegiance to Your kingdom. Thank you Father for rescuing me from my old life and giving me hope, promise, and desires to only look forward to the things that are to come. May we all serve Your will this day and not our own. In Jesus’ precious name I pray…

Posted in Armor of God, bible study, encouragement, faith, hope, Jesus, love, Series, The Cross | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Armor Series (2) – Girded With Truth

Posted on July 5, 2014 by George Crone

Ephesians 6:14-17

14 Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; 16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

BeltofTruth

Having girded your loins with truth

Definitions:
   To Gird – surround, enclose, encircle, circle, encompass, border, bound
   Truth – that which is true or in accordance with fact or reality.

At the end of the day, after all the struggles with people, places and things, I think none is more controlling, cunning, powerful or damaging than the temptations of flesh; and in that list of idols and addictions one rises above them all; sexual sins.

That single depravity in it’s extreme forms come from an incredibly deep brokenness rooted at the soul level that aches for acceptance, love, to be desired, needed, wanted. It is a self-worth deficit that Satan uses to separate us from true connections with God and others. It is a world of fantasy and escape, an attempted quick fix to fill what only God can fill.

If left unchecked sexual lusts becomes a weapon of self punishment that draws one deeper and darker toward the gates of hell with the sole desire of absolute destruction of the inner person.

To that end – “gird your loins” could be considered a very clear representation of the physical battle of lusts of mankind which all have profound foundations in the Spiritual battle for our souls.

This one area (sadly or gratefully depending upon your perspective) has proven to be my biggest adversary over the years. The only defense I have found against succumbing to the temptations of flesh is to be constantly and consistently reminded of God’s truths. 

Every character assassination that Satan sets up against us, whether planted decades ago that we battle to let go of, or spewed out from some hateful person just yesterday, it is all designed to tell us who we aren’t, it is only God who can tell us who we are.

2 Corinthians 5:17 
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

1 Peter 1:23
 for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.

Colossians 1:13
 For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son

Galatians 2:20
 I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

Colossians 1:12
giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.

John 5:24
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.

This list is divinely endless, God continues to shower His grace and mercy on us through the life, death and resurrection of His only Son Jesus.

This single truth alone must rebuke any guilt, shame, worthlessness or hopelessness that will come against us at different times in our lives

Our past is dead through Christ

To gird ourselves is to surround ourselves with the life transforming truth that God Himself speaks into our lives; we are lovable because He is in us, and He is love.

When Peter denied Christ 3 times (as predicted by Jesus – our behaviors do not surprise God) Peter was mortified with his own actions. And as the other Apostles looked to Peter for direction in those first few days after Jesus’ Crucifixion, Peter was useless, spiritually dead, isolating, broken.

Not because of God’s condemnation, but because of his self-condemnation, guilt and shame.

John 21:17 
He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And he said to Him, “Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You.” Jesus *said to him, “Tend My sheep.

When the resurrected Christ came to Peter, there was no mention of Peter’s denial by Jesus, no mention of past sins, only a introspection of how Peter’s heart was at this exact moment.

The truth of Jesus is to build us up, not tear us down.

He did not ask this question of Peter 3 times to rebuke him, but instead to rebuke the lies of Satan festering and taking hold in Peter’s heart. Jesus saw into Peters soul and knew that his self-worth was too low to be useful and where that condemnation was coming from.

Then Feed My Sheep

The truest way to combat the spiritual forces that seek to destroy us, the church and this world is to simply respond to Christ’s call on our life, to stand, broken as we are, put on the Armor of God, and spread the Good News of what Christ has done for us personally.

Do you have a testimony, do you have a personal story of how God changed your life? If so, outstanding!

Are you telling others about it?

And if you don’t have a personal testimony of how God, His Word, His Church, His Redemption touches your life, would it be unreasonable to ask yourself;

Do I really know Christ Jesus as my personal Savior?

Is it possible He is just The Savior, One you hold in the highest esteem, but that knowledge and even service to Him has done little to change your life or the company you keep outside of church?

If that question scares you, that is a good thing. Not because of condemnation, but because God wants to speak personally into our souls, into our life, into our fears, into our future.

If you don’t have that kind of relationship with Jesus, then ask Him directly “what does it mean to know You Lord” and watch, and listen, and wait… He will reply!

The bottom line is we must get to a place where we tangibly trust His truths about who we are, who He is, what He has done, and what is to come.

God’s love for us (truth) protects and binds (girds) our behaviors, breaks strongholds, righteously convicts selfishness, laziness, pride and lusts.

Why would God do this for us?

Ephesians 2:10
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

Abba FAther, I thank You for this first piece of Armor, this weapon against the lies of Satan who tries to tell me I am who I was when it is Your Word which tells me of  my value to You, because of what You’ve done, not my efforts and actions but Yours. It is Your Word that tells of Your great love for me, so much love that You sent Your son to die for me, personally, while I am still a sinner. For me to spend one second tortured by what I did 5 minutes, 5 years or 5 decades ago is to take away from the Cross, the very Atonement of Your blood which is the only cleansing agent capable of washing away our sins. Thank You for a freedom I don’t deserve, thank You for a joy I didn’t earn, thank You for a peace I didn’t purchase, thank You for a hope I didn’t manufacture, thank You for a purpose I couldn’t have imagined, thank You for the opportunities to serve, to love, to live. It is all because of and for You that we are alive this day, thank You Jesus. In Your precious name….

Posted in Addiction, alcohol, bible study, conviction, drugs, encouragement, faith, God's story, hope, Jesus, love, my story, pornagraphy, Recovery, Salvation, sex, The Cross | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments