Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Through my personal journey of recovery over the last almost 3 years now I’ve had some definite mountain top experiences and for sure some painfully low time in the valley as I trudge through the sins of others that broke my soul and much more difficult, faced with courage my own sins which sadly have perpetuated the generational brokenness which was passed on to me by my parents, and their parents before them.
All who are in Christ however should feel incredible joy, find great peace and comfort, and be empowered to break those curses for the fact is that nothing Satan can dish out is eternal, nor can it hold dominion over us once we encounter the living Jesus Christ through in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit and begin feasting on the Word of God.
His power, His grace, His redemptive healing, His atonement, His righteousness, all of Him was poured out for EVERYONE who calls on His name as Lord and Savior.
There are no exceptions. It doesn’t matter what we have done, sin’s death is not greater than the resurrection power of The Cross. That is the whole point of the Good News!
God’s Word lives forever, His truth lives forever. His grace, mercy, sanctification and justification are eternal. These are His Promises to us, we are all broken yet redeemed by the blood of the lamb and set free by the words of our testimony.
God’s word will NEVER PERISH, CAN NOT BE DEFILED and it NEVER FADES.
Father God you have filled me this morning with an incredible joy. The world is hurting and broken Father, Your creation suffers at the hands of darkness and evil and wanders lost, filling itself with the lusts of the flesh. Lord we desperately need Your healing, Your grace, Your power, Your redeeming love to infuse this planet, one heart, one soul at a time. Father God it is in You that I have that Joy this morning, for Your word, Your promises are eternal. Trials are for my good, our good, in them may we discover our need for you and strengthen our resolve to follow you, and realize that with each teardrop the hardness of our hearts are melting away so that we may become the men and women you called us to be, born again children, heirs to the kingdom set free by the pure and perfect works of your Son Jesus, through His sacrificial life, his atoning death, and His restorative resurrection that has become the living hope, the living promise that you have given to us all who surrender more each day our will in exchange for your promises. Thank you Father God for giving me new life, continue to reveal to me my own selfish and wicked ways and give me a surrendered heart that rejoices in You first above all. It is in Jesus’ precious name I pray…
19 Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed.
21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. 22 Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.
24 “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.
25 Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.
I used to live in the extremes. I think it comes from a lifetime of addictions and codependency, all or nothing thinking that could trigger manic joy or depression at the drop of a hat. Gratefully today that is no longer the case
The battle in working to overcome extremism in my thinking didn’t stop in trying to figure out who the “real” God is, not the god of my childhood dreams. Not the god that could never help me because he was too far off.
In that came a very real battle to discern the extremes of cheap grace and earned grace, both extremes that miss the mark of God’s pure and perfect love that paid the price for our sins.
Cheap grace dictates that I can do no wrong, which I believe is dangerously false. There is a life or death difference between thinking that because of the cross I can go on living as I was. I believe this passage in John clearly shows that it is Jesus’ choice who lives and dies and He bases that on who “hears His words and believes”.
John 14:21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”
A “believer” in Jesus Christ will be in-dwelled by the Holy Spirit and hunger and thirst for the word of God and live a transformed life seeking the removal of our old selfish ways and longing to walk, talk and love more like Christ each day.
It is Grace that gives us the new life so we can LIVE differently, to live for His glory and the byproduct of that single focus on glorifying God benefits of ourselves and those around us.
Which leads to the opposite extreme, earned grace, of which is impossible. As I have heard said many times, God does not call the qualified, He qualifies the called.
Romans 3:20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
We should not do volunteer time on the weekends, or tithe, or read our bible, or pray, or blog, or tell others the good news in the hopes that it will earn us favor with God. I do those things in response to the favor of God despite my incredibly unworthiness.
Balance is the key; to recognize that it was by grace that we were given sight, knowledge of God’s love, compassion, will and sacrifice for our lives, then to live fully aware of the sin that dwells in the flesh which can only lead to immense gratitude when that knowledge is pressed up against verses such as John 5 which shows that it is by mercy alone that Jesus chooses not to judge the sin that God the Father has given Him authority over.
Thank You Father God for your incredibly mercy that has patience and grace to account for my selfishness, pride, ego and idolatry that so infects my behaviors, many times without my knowledge but admittedly many times through fear and a battle for control over my life. I thank You for the Word that convicts and also for the Word such as these in John which reminds me so deeply yet again that my life is only made possible in You, by You, for You. Help me this day to be watchful for the divine appointments you place in my path, let me not seek to “make” something happen but instead be ready when You bring about some situation that You would have me speak or act upon that can help lead others toward Your light alone. Less of me and more of You Lord. The price you paid was too high, let me never take for granted or minimize Your work on the cross nor forget that God the Father set upon You the power to heal or condemn. In Your precious name I pray
As a sinner struggling with sanctification there is usually so much on my heart regarding the application of scripture against the lies of my past that influence my present. This morning however I was just struck in awe of the beauty and power of His Word alone.
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,
To the saints who are in Ephesus, and are faithful in Christ Jesus:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.
For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
Thank you Lord God for your word which fills us to the brim, gives us hope, reveals your incredible mercy and goodness, predicts a future of spiritual blessings and power in Your name to accomplish great things in Your kingdom, if only we will surrender our will to Yours Lord. I pray this day that the world comes to know You just a little better, every corner of the world through Christian’s being empowered to share what You are doing in their lives and by the majesty of your sovereignty over all creation. Make yourself known this day Father God, that we might experience the depth of Your love as Your created and adopted children and rebuke the lies of false religions that teach world domination through force and domination. May the force of your pure and perfect love be the light that blinds us all this day. In Your Son’s precious name I pray…
15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 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”.
So the last few blogs highlight I believe the pressure points that God has been working on in my heart the last couple weeks (months, years?!?!?) and not surprisingly even though I have been in a valley of despair feeling stuck in my walk, the clarity that is typical as I emerge from another dross burning session begins to come into focus.
Believe in me, then obey my commandments, as a result of our relationship be filled with joy, and now this morning His word points clearly to what this journey is all about.
“Feed my sheep”
If anyone can attest to the miracles of Christ by being transformed beyond the death march of addictions, depression, constant anxiety, isolation and other forms of separation from God, then you have a story of redemption, no matter where you are on that path.
It is in sharing that story, the miracles of the realities of salvation in Christ that you have experienced first hand that must be told.
We feed His sheep by telling our story, His story, to the one who is close, tell it to the many who are in proximity. Do not be concerned about what others think, shout from the rooftops the glory of God.
We have been set free!
Revelation 12:11
11 And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.
Father God I thank you for the struggles of Sanctification that are a reality thanks only to Your work of Justification. That you came in the flesh, struggled as we do, overcame the temptations of sin, died for all mankind and rose so that we may live free in You is beyond comprehension or description. I pray today Father for the heart that rests in Your finished work and a mouth that sings You praises boldly so all can hear. Let me remain focused on how great You are and not how short I fall. Allow me this day Lord to walk in obedience to Your will so that I may receive the glory of being of use in Your kingdom for Your purposes and Your glory alone, let it not be in pursuit of my silly, weak, fleshly desires. Let this day be a living testimony to the greatness of Your works throughout all creation, that others may seek their own freedom in You Lord Jesus. In Your precious name I pray…
This started as a simple entry in my own personal journal for Sunday October 13, 2013. They are questions from the sermon notes from my local church. They are questions that I would typically glance at and brush off with a “those are easy to answer” and move on with my day.Something called me in deeper this morning, to reflect on these, to honestly asses where I am, and I’m so glad I listened.
For the past hour I have been drawn in to a deeper awareness of the importance of Christ in my life, in being aware of the shallowness or depth of the thoughts in my mind, the desires of my heart, and my walk in the flesh.
Am I truly living out what God calls for me or just playing lip service?
This exercise was powerful for me so I felt it appropriate to share in this forum. I can’t recommend enough you trying out the questions for yourself.
October 12/13, 2013 Seacoast Grace Church Pastor Doyle Surratt
Step Up to the Good Life – Joyful Living
Life Group Questions
1. What do you treasure in your life right now?
2. What is the difference between happiness and joy?
3. How do we maintain spiritually healthy joy when facing suffering and unhappy circumstances?
4. What makes it possible for Christians to have hope?
5. How would you be different if you were able to overflow with joy and peace?
My Reflections
1. What do you treasure in your life right now?
Because my biggest internal battle is to authentically love Christ Jesus through my body, mind and spirit, I treasure mental and physical sobriety, purity in thought and action. It is an area that I fall far short in, but God knows my heart and in that I cherish His grace and mercy, that He loves me in spite of my rebellious and selfish actions that reaveal my disdain for His laws which He places in my path for my growth and His glory alone.
I am incredibly grateful that God is working out in me what I never could, that He has given me new eyes for authentic holy living. Sadly when push comes to shove those new desires seem powerless against my habitual journey into the realm of fantasy and escape, but I believe we can claim success in Him through our growth, progressive victory over our addictions and selfishness and not in the achievement of perfection.
2 Corinthians 12:9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
I am grateful for a faith that although tested through the lies of Satan remains on top each week, a constant renewal each day that although I may fall short of the bar both God and I set for myself, that The Cross remains real and my vision on what is in store and a strong desire to recognize what is already mine wins out in the end. It is not how often I fall short in faith and works but how often I get up and press on.
2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
I am grateful for the necessities of life that God is providing in abundance; food, shelter, water, clothing, transportation, money, employment… luxuries such as comfort, fast-food, deserts, technology, coffee/creamer, hygiene products, hot shower, a choice of clean clothes and comfortable bedding, 8 hrs sleep.
I am grateful for the relationships that are God honoring, fellowship in church, brothers and sisters in recovery, mentors in recovery and in the Church, standing shoulder to shoulder with volunteers in outreach ministries. These are people who desire to be the men and women God is calling us to be, destined us to be and are working out their faith. All of them as myself have good days and bad, but they remain plugged in through an awareness of their own brokenness and desperate need for a Savior, a healer, a hope giver, a friend, a protector, a confidant, our God.
I am grateful for the ability to live out my faith openly without fear of physical persecution, for God’s word that is available in so many forms, written, online, cell phone, audio. For the many Christian authors throughout history whose works are discernibly accurate and readily available for consumption at whim.
I am grateful for the talents God has given me, critical thinking and creativity, healthy desires and carnal. It is all gifts from God and the desires of the flesh that are broken only speak to my incredible need for pure and perfect reliance on my Healer Jesus. The ability to feel lonely for it becomes a longing for connection, the ability to feel unneeded for it nurtures a desire to go where I’m needed, the ability to feel loneliness for it draws me into deeper relationships, the ability to feel unworthy for it calls me to worthy pursuits, the ability to hate my sin as God does for it calls me to holiness and purity, to live a saintly life as best I can. The ability to feel emptiness for I now know that is a God hole and it reminds me that I need refueling in His word and through His community of believers.
I am grateful for my health, for the ability to serve God with hands and heart where He calls. For the ability to move furniture or haul computers around, to garden and paint, to play hard and work hard.
I am grateful for my son, whom I long to be a father of value to, not just by blood and circumstance. A man who raises a man. So far I have fallen very short in this area, seeking to be his friend and not having the courage to risk that friendship on the surface to speak and model a deeper meaning into his heart. God I know you are working that out in me, for I have never been that sort of man in my own life. Fear driven desires for comfort, fun and pleasure have left me shallow, living only in the flesh. God you are changing my heart, my desires, my will and for that I am incredibly grateful above all else. Without your sight and guidance I would remain dead as I was. 2. What is the difference between happiness and joy?
I believe happiness is in the moment but joy is everlasting. Happiness is what you experience when eating ice cream or listening to the laughter of small children, happiness is in a hug and a heart-felt hello. Happiness is clean sheets and hot water, in light traffic on the freeways and watching an eagle in flight. Happiness is a feeling, an emotion a fleeting thing that is circumstantially dependent upon things of sight, sound, touch and thought being pleasurable in the moment.
Joy on the other hand is found at a much deeper level. It is the hope of things to come, the confidence in the promises of God. It is the assurance of salvation and the unnatural comfort in pain. It is an awareness of God’s presence regardless of outward circumstances. It is the peace that comes from knowing that the cross covers my sin and the grace we are afforded then are called to extend to others. It comes through the patience and long-suffering of one who knows Christ personally, has experienced the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and can feed deeply simply by picking up the word of God. It is found in the fellowship of true Christian friends, it is seen in the eyes of a believer who is faced with great hardship but exudes a peace that can only be described as supernatural. Hope is eternal joy because it is spiritually based on the finished work of the cross and not on anything one will ever experience in the flesh.
3. How do we maintain spiritually healthy joy when facing suffering and unhappy circumstances?
I believe it can only come from the promises of God. If we BELIEVE what God’s word tells us, then we can have great joy in Him, in what He is doing. When we die to our own needs and instead seek to participate in Kingdom causes we will begin to see God’s hand at work in the midst of our valleys or mountain tops. Prayer, worship, fellowship, service, sacrifice, love… these are the traits of a disciple.
John 14:15 “If you love me, keep my commands.
4. What makes it possible for Christians to have hope?
The Promises of God found in His perfect Word. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit who reveals himself in and through us in times when left to our own understandings or strivings we would be powerless. The finished work of the Cross which says God’s love for us is not based on what we have done, are doing, or will do but instead on what He has done for us, given to us, given up for us. Jesus Christ came as a sacrifice of pure love, a life poured out to show us how to live, then to die as the final sacrifice for all sins and give us the ability to rise from the ashes of our old self as He conquered the grave. We only have to believe in Him and follow. It is a heart change that He provides, but it is up to us to walk in His footsteps. For the Christian who truly seeks to follow the Master, there is eternal hope, an unnatural hope that defies worldly understanding, supernatural in nature because it is spiritual, beyond sight and touch but incredibly real to the one experiencing it. And in community there is no need to explain, for you can see it in the eyes of those who know Christ that what we experience is real at the heart level and shared among all believers, followers, sacrificers for Christ.
1 Peter 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead
5. How would you be different if you were able to overflow with joy and peace?
Freedom. To live, love and laugh in the deepest and most sincere level of experience. To walk and talk in pure truth, filled with a love and compassion for everyone, moving not through this life in pursuit of anything but instead being poured out in the moment, moving from divine appointment to divine appointment. Whether in a moment of solitude being refueled in the Word of God or in the one-on-one connection with a person in need and seeking only to fuel that person with an experience of Christ that they can carry with them for their own nourishment. Or in community, surrounded by seekers and sowers and reaching in to the lives of all who are in reach, seeing each relationship whether for a moment in a check-out line or a lifetime friendhsip, as an opportunity to reflect the light, love, hope, peace and joy that we are so freely given by God in His great mercy on us. To be a light in a darkened world, to spread the word of salvation that is available to all who will simply surrender their lives to the rightful owner, our Creator God who predestined our paths before time, if only we will cooperate with grace. To be more deeply involved in intercessory prayer,using the times of solitude not to find my own pleasure but to seek the growth and well-being of not only those I know and love, but those I don’t know and should love just as deeply. To pray for our leaders, our communities, our world. To seek justice and righteousness with an anticipation the coming of Christ, for the day when every knee will bow and the suffering of a fallen world is behind all of creation and Jesus’ rule is made complete.
Lord God You alone know my heart, even better than I. And you know my shortcomings, even better than I. I truly believe that You see me as an infant and when I fall you loving stand me back up and encourage me to press on. There is no condemnation for the child who is striving to learn, but only sadness and pain when you see a child of yours give up. Lord never let me give me up, continue to fill my heart with a desire that is never comfortable in complacency but is also balanced in grace. Let me never become destroyed in spirit by the law as I have in the past but be restored by the joy that comes from knowing You, trusting You, believing in Your promises. Give me hands and heart that seeks nothing else but to follow You, and eyes that can see where You alone are leading and courage and boldness to answer that call, wherever it leads. Thank you Lord for my life, a reborn life that was dead in trespasses but now lives under the vail of grace and mercy. Let me be filled with peace knowing that my life is truly in pursuit of You and let that joy drown out the lies of Satan that continually tells me I’ll never change, I’ll never have value, I’ll never measure up. It is true Father that I alone never can, but in You, through You, with You I am whole and complete, saved by grace. Thank you, in Jesus’ precious name I pray…
Search my heart Lord, know that my Spirit desires complete unity with You even if my flesh cries out to posses worldly idols and gains that have no value. Grow my faith in You Father that I would no longer be plagued with fears over money, comfort, pleasure, pride or greed, fill me with a heart that longs only to serve You and Your kingdom both for eternity and while here in this vessel. You alone are capable of the heart tranplant that I require Lord and I thank you for the work you are doing to undo the decades of self-reliance that I have used to protect myself. Give me a boldness to do ONLY Your will this day Lord.
5 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
3 But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. 4 Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.
5 For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.
7 Therefore do not become partners with them; 8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), 10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.
11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. 13 But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, 14 for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says,
“Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.
17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
God’s word is alive!
Do you remember a time when dial-up was all that we had for internet service? Bo be be bop be bo bop…. ring… ring… click, sqeeeeech, sqeeeel…. ahhh, connected.
Those were the days huh, access to the World Wide Web. We would wait for every page to slowly load in down the screen, emails would take full minutes to reveal it’s content.
But we were happy with that, before dial-up there was no connection to the information we so hungered for, it didn’t seem slow because we had nothing faster to compare it too.
If you were like me and many of my friends and relatives at the time, when they first came out with dsl and cable modems, the cost was crazy. Why would I spend $50 per month when my connection at $14.95 serves me up just fine.
I eventually was one of the first of my friends and family to adopt this new connection, and I was blown away at how fast it was. It was incredible, no more waiting for information at what I now realized in comparison was only a snail’s pace.
But wow, trying to convince my friends and family that there was a better way! Nearly impossible. They didn’t want to hear it. “How I am getting my information is fine, I don’t need more”, “That is a complete waste of money”.
How similar that is to people who were drawn in by the good news of Jesus’ work on the cross and God’s plan for our life but stay in the infancy stage of faith.
They don’t know what they are missing when they choose to go to church a few times a year, or even every weekend but never open the bible.
God’s word is so incredibly powerful, it is a complete instruction manual given to us. It is the fullness of God in print, given to us by His incredible love, mercy and understanding that we would need something tangible with which we can hang on to, mark up, dog ear corners, carry with us, refer too in times of trouble and hardship, or fill the air with hymns of praise.
For the man or woman in recovery like myself, or the prodigal out there still searching for answers, verses like Ephesians 5 above can leap off the page and change the direction of an entire day, and entire life.
God’s word is grounding, real, tangible. The teachings are those of pure and perfect love, it is from our Healer, our Savior who desires to live in and for love alone.
It is profoundly personal if we open His word with the expectation of getting fed, a nourishment to the soul that both challenges and sets us free.
As we travel on this road with God, we can rest assured that the teachings of Christ never change, and it never tires or grows weary. God’s word should be at the core of every Christian’s arsenal, there is no greater weapon against the darkness and sin in our own life or the grace and compassion with which we are to treat others.
To not read the bible daily, to meditate on His words for us, to not make it a point of reflection and direction, is to miss the fastest and most powerful access into the heart, desire and will of God for our lives.
He only wants our best so that we can glorify Him through a life transformed. There can be little transformation if we are not fully engaged with the Teacher.
Thank you Lord for you word that admonishes and offers grace; that calls us to the highest standard that we will never achieve perfectly this side of heaven but then offers so graciously and mercifully the truth of Your Son on the cross which covers our short-comings. Give me today Father God a heart that hungers to be a living testimony of Your word, not just a verbal recital. It is only through actions, a change of heart from selfish to selfless that we can impact those we care about and are close enough to influence each day. Give me a heart for your word God, one that is life transforming, that I may be your hands and feet this day and love others through actions and sacrifice; not just words. In Jesus’ name…
James 1:26 26 Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. 27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
Before Christ I lived for myself, either as a prodigal running from the demons and hurts of the past through drugs and alcohol and pursuit of good times, or like Solomon, through will-power getting and staying sober for 14 years but spending that time in pursuit of money, accolades through career, expensive vacations, nice cars, toys like motorcycles and video games.. It has always been about me either running from something or toward something.
I finally realized after decades of trying that nothing I had achieved in over 40 years had worked to fill the God sized hole in my heart. My external life was a success by many world standards but my inner life was dead, and I actually reached the point of thinking the outer self would be better off dead too, it was a dark time.
But on January 3rd, 2011 from a place of utter brokenness I dropped to my knees and cried out to Jesus, claiming His death and resurrection was for me personally so I could have new life. I didn’t have any expectation that that was going to change anything, but boy was I wrong.
I had no idea that I was going to enter a journey of what seems like self-induced hardship. A battle that never seems complete, the battle to root out all forms of selfishness, resentment, blame, pride, ego and idolatry.
No more drinking and drugging to escape the worries of the day, no more giving in to sexual impurities to fill the emotional emptiness that hides secretly down inside the soul that says you’re all alone. No more striving to accumulate things to feel secure about the future.
God’s gracious and powerful plan of redemption is to be completely reborn, to experience rivers of flowing water, to be transformed by the renewing of our mind.
Learning can be fun, albeit definitely emotionaly difficult as the truth to my own behaviors, beliefs and actions come to light. I love to learn, and reading God’s word, going to bible studies, actually listening in church to the pastor’s message, these have all been very rewarding; 2 years of aha! moments.
I had no idea that all the wisdom I was gaining was only the schooling, then comes the real work, to take our faith, our understanding of God’s plan and purpose for our lives and actually DOING something with it.
Our life has to change on the outside if we have any hope of reflecting what God is doing on the inside. This verse (and dozens if not hundreds like it) call us to be DOERS of the word, not just hearers.
This is where I find myself today, last strongholds hanging on tightly, beckoning me to take the easy way out… “you don’t have to do that today, tomorrow is a new day”, “God is a loving and forgiving God, He knows how hard your struggle is, one more time won’t change the universe”, “you’ve been the way you are for so long, you can’t change”, “look at where’s you’ve been, and you think you have something to offer now? ha ha, yea right”…
These and more poisons of doubt continue to whisper that I’m no good, not worthy of the glory God has planned. But it is all lies.
The way we show our love for God is by loving others. To care for those who are in greater need than ourselves. To pour out our hearts, our efforts, our money, our time to kingdom causes.
This is not easy, for a life filled with the pursuit of selfish things is in complete contrast to a life poured out for others, simply because it is the right thing to do.
The world is selfish, it’s ways are self-seeking. Obtain greater respect, reach higher levels, upgrade your existing stuff to better stuff, hang on to what you have so you have enough to take care of yourself.
God’s ways are completely unselfish, Jesus poured out His entire life, even unto death for us, the sinner who repents and seeks after His ways. To simply learn “about” Him is not enough, we must strive to be like Him in all our ways.
The walk must match the talk. The time has come for me to quit relying solely on the words of the wisdom God has placed in my heart, for without a life poured out for others, without a life that is completely devoid of conscious rebellious sin, there is no evidence of salvation, only lip service that heaps on the shame and reveals our true ignorance.
This is where I am…
Father God you know my heart, you know my self-will, you know my struggles. I profess that I am all in then battle to surrender the deepest of strongholds, selfishness and control. I continue to try and do this walk “our” way, and not Your way. Lord it is true what you wrote, that the Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. Help me Father God surrender all that I am to you, not just through profession but through my actions, my direction, my steps. Let my hands and heart become servants of the most Holy, give me the thoughts and desire that glorify you, that my life may reflect that of a disciple that I claim to be. Words and wisdom are no longer sufficient for me, nor do I believe the are sufficient for you. It is the foundation that sets us free, but then comes the challenge to live free. I desire to be that man that makes a difference in the world that I influence Lord. Empty out my shallow self-centered goals and open my eyes to the kingdom goals that you have in front of me. Destroy my fear, over-power my weaknesses, place boldness in my steps. In Jesus’ name…
I am one
But still I am one.
I cannot do everything,
But I can still do something;
And because I cannot do something
I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.
Excerpt from For Such a Time As This by Ray C Stedman
And when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and, kneeling before him, 15 said, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and he suffers terribly. For often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. 16 And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him.” 17 And Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me.” 18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was healed instantly. 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” 20 He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.”
Well at least I’m in good company! Even the disciples suffered from a lacking faith when facing difficult personalities, so much that they drew the rebuke of Christ himself. I guess I should cut myself some slack, they lived with Jesus, witnessed His miracles first-hand and yet still came up short in the faith department at times.
Matthew 26:40 And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour?
Being in recovery and heavily involved in Christ-centered Life Groups through church, embracing the fellowship of Celebrate Recovery, being involved in a 2yr course created by Ted Roberts (do the research if you want to know more of my specific struggle) and seeing weekly a Christ-loving pastor and counselor for support, encouragement and direction I regularly find myself being tested and convicted to face my fears.
In most cases my inability to step into difficult relationships and boldly proclaim how it is going to be by setting healthy boundaries is suppressed by ghosts from the past. Growing up with constant abuse in all forms as an only child my only option was to internalize the hurts, to believe that I deserve to be treated the way I was.
This might be taking great liberty with scripture, but as is typical when seeking the Lord’s counsel on a troubling life circumstance, I do not take lightly the verses I am led to in the still and quiet of early morning, especially when I am awakened by troubling thoughts and the verse is as powerful as Matthew 17:20.
34 “But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. 35 For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
Father God, I thank You this morning for Your word that comforts my fear and convicts me in my faithlessness. Correct my heart so that I no longer fear the people in my life who persecute out of their own brokenness but instead see them as You do, precisous children who are lost without you. Show me Lord when the time for caring, compassion, patience and grace is called for but please do not let me forsake the flipping of tables when necessary. I have a heart of fear Lord, but You know that it is a heart that I freely surrender to You and I know that You alone are growing me to trust that all good things come to those who believe and follow. I do count the cost Lord, and when I say I’m all in, it is with a heavy heart for I know that you continually call me to love myself and others in a way that is so foreign my flesh cries out to remain safe and comfortable instead of walking into the leper colonies of my world and boldly stand in and for Your glory alone. Give us all that heart today Lord, to trust you, remain awake and vigilent to what you are doing, and to remain faithful in trust that if we will only step into those difficult situation, You have in deed gone before us and will surely follow behind us. It is in Jesus precious name I pray.
Lord, your discipline is good, for it leads to life and health. You restore my health and allow me to live! 17 Yes, this anguish was good for me, for you have rescued me from death and forgiven all my sins.
My own heart has ached over the depth of my past sins. Satan loves to take righteous suffering and attempt to convert it to unholy condemnation.
For the Christian who is born again battling lingering strongholds, we must hold on to the truths of who we are in Christ which can be found in God’s word.
2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
I’m finding in my own walk there are times when I have great moments of living in God’s vision of me, confident, bold, aware, empowered, grace-filled. In those moments or days I can witness the Holy Spirit fervently at work, using others and me to accomplish great things, things as small as planting a seed of hope and encouragement to witnessing a prodigal soul crossing over the line to a new relationship with Christ.
And then there are those times when the worries of life resurrects the fears that I’m still who I was, and in that moment the doubts overwhelm, the shame returns, the boldness dissipates and my value in Christ fades into the background of awareness.
It is then when I’m most vulnerable
John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
I believe God has been showing me the intensity of spiritual warfare at work beyond normal sight. Dreams of Satan blending into the crowd at a nightclub, laughing as he parties with the people inside, personal attacks that invade my conscious thoughts after a long day of service for God that lead to a fall in the flesh which tries to destroy the value I had that day.
God knows the struggles we face in this world, and He knows our adversary and how easily we can fall prey to his lies. That is why He gave us the bible, the inerrant truth that warns us of the futility of living life without Christ, and in incredible joy, peace and freedom that comes in living in Him.
Ephesians 6:10-18 (ESV)
The Whole Armor of God
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the
authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evilin the heavenly places.
13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore,having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, 18 praying at all times in the Spirit,with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints
2 Corinthians 10:5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ
I believe what God is pressing on my heart this morning is that as authentic Christ followers, hungering for righteousness, seeking His living waters, seeking His purposes for our lives… we can take heart that our purposeful and intentional conscious battle with sin in our own lives are evidence that we are in Christ, and that a single poor choice in a brief moment of time is not proof that we are still who we once were.
Satan lies, God loves.
If you ever have doubts like me that somehow we missed the mark and want to know if we truly are in Christ and He is in us, we are not to examine our lives in comparison to others around us or those who have gone before us, but instead we look to the differences from the old person we once were.
Is my life different than it used to be?
Does my life bear fruit today unlike the selfish pursuits of the past?
Am I a part of a Christ-loving community instead of isolating or surrounding myself with other prodigals?
Are my desires truly growing toward the welfare of others unlike the indifference of old?
Am I convicted today by the sin that I used to pursue and so easily embrace in the past?
Are my relationships healthier, truly sharing the joy and sorrows of those near me?
Do I have accountability in my life where before there was only secrecy and shame?
Do I have a prayer life, one in which I seek growth and healing in Christ for myself and others and not just a new car, better girlfriend, higher paying job or nicer house?
If you can answer in the affirmative to some these things, and are working to improve in these areas, then trust that God is with you, in you.
There is great hope and joy to be had in that emerging new life, for the suffering of an authentic Christ follower is only for a season of growth made possible by a loving and gracious Savior who has great designs for our benefit and His glory.
Lord God I thank you for this new day, with your blessings and grace that is anew this morning. Today I pray for the strength to live a disciplined life, not because I have to, but because I willingly choose to. Your promises are great, help me to feel deeply your mercies and forgiveness and enjoy my freedom. Help me never doubt again that You are in me, and I in You, for my life doesn’t even remotely resemble the me of old. Let me sing your praise as I patiently work cooperative with You in putting completely to death the old fears and insecurities that threaten to rob my joy. You are my joy Lord, and today and the week to come while on vacation with my family, I will choose to sing Your praise. Thank you Jesus for my life, all of it.
Obedience to God’s will is the secret of spiritual knowledge and insight.
Eric Liddell – The Disciplines of the Christian Life
One Man's Journey of Redemption 