Let Me Tell You A Story...

My daughter came home from school the other day and asked me, "Why can't I watch Harry Potter or read Percy Jackson and the Olympians?"  Even though I've explained to her before--several times--why she can't watch or read such things, she asked me again because many kids in her class were talking about it that day.  She asked me again because she goes to a private Christian school and didn't understand why many of the kids in her class are talking about something that I've explained to her that we, as committed believers in Jesus Christ, are not to participate in.  I have explained to her that the basic tenets of Christianity instruct us to avoid and/or turn away from certain things which are clearly articulated in scripture, which would include anything related to pagan idolatry, witchcraft, or the occult.

The problem is, the devil is a great storyteller.  His silver tongue can weave a tale that would absorb and enrapture even the godliest person.  We know this is true because Eve was sinless when she encountered him on that fateful day when he told her the best story of all.  She was not crippled by fleshly weaknesses towards temptation and sin like we are.  She was perfect in spirit and perfect in flesh.  She was whole within herself and whole with God.  She was as God said she was, which was "very good." (Gen 1:31). 

Perhaps we have all wondered why Eve would choose to do something that God clearly and explicitly gave instructions not to do,  not realizing that we, ourselves, do the very same thing on a regular basis.  But we don't like to think about our own rebellion, so let's talk about Eve's.  Why would she choose Satan's lie and rebel against God?  Scripture shows us that it was because Satan captured her imagination, "..it was a delight to the eyes, and ... was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate;" (Gen 3:6).  Satan spun a tale that appealed to the potential towards rebellion and self-pleasure that lies within the heart of every human being because he is a master at his craft.

Scripture says, "For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry." (1 Samuel 15:23).  Scripture does not say, "For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.....unless the witchcraft has a really great storyline."  There is a reason why you can walk into any bookstore and find that up to 80% of what is offered to school-aged children to read is related to witchcraft, sorcery, the occult, animism, pagan mythology, zombies, vampires and a myriad of other topics that Christians are explicitly and clearly instructed to avoid and turn away from.  And the reason is, that the devil has had thousands of years to observe and interact with us.  He is a master at his craft of subtlety.  Make note of the definition of "subtle", which is, "making use of clever and indirect methods to achieve something."  Let that sink in for a moment.  Then understand this:  most of the time, people aren't even aware they are being deceived and manipulated by the enemy of their souls.  The devil desires our rebellion against God any way he can achieve it.  He doesn't care whether we do it knowingly or in ignorance, purposefully or on accident, a little bit or a lot.  He just wants us to operate in his image, rather than God's.  Rebellion over obedience.  Human reason over heavenly faith.  Some people may think, "Well, it's just a story."  Yeah, but look what happened to Eve when she listened to the one she was told. 

There is a reason God tells His children that will inherit eternal life to turn away from and avoid the works of darkness:

--"..what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God;" (2 Cor 6:15)
--"You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both the Lord's table and the table of demons." (1 Cor 10:21)
--"For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness." (1 Thess 5:5)

The devil's method of operation hasn't changed much since the Garden.  He appeals to our emotions and our reasoning and makes sin desirable, interesting and entertaining.  He made Eve's rebellion seem reasonable and inconsequential.  He told her a great story.  However, doing anything that goes against God's instructions to us as to how to conduct ourselves and live our lives, is rebellion.  And if the devil can't get us to do it out-right, then he will simply entertain us with it. 

As God's holy people, who have been bought with the precious blood of Christ and set apart as a nation of God's own possession that has been called out of darkness and into His marvelous light, let us live lives worthy of the calling we have received.

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light." (2 Peter 2:9)

"Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called.." (Eph 4:1)

"'How can there be peace,' Jehu replied, 'as long as all the idolatry and witchcraft of your mother Jezebel abound?'" (2 Kings 9:22)

"When you enter the land which the LORD your God gives you, you shall not learn to imitate the detestable things of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices witchcraft, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who casts a spell, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For whoever does these things is detestable to the LORD; and because of these detestable things the LORD your God will drive them out before you. You shall be blameless before the LORD your God. For those nations, which you shall dispossess, listen to those who practice witchcraft and to diviners, but as for you, the LORD your God has not allowed you to do so." (Deut 8:10-14)

"No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons." (1 Cor 10:20)

"Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things." (Phil 4:8)

The Gorilla, The Elephant And Taxes

A common saying you often hear is, "There are only two certainties in life:  death and taxes."  And while it is possible to evade taxes, no one can escape death.  It's like the 800-pound gorilla that follows everyone around, but everyone does their best to ignore it.  Like, as long as we don't make eye-contact with the hulking beast, it's not really there sort-of-a-thing.  But it is there, waiting.  No matter how much we consume ourselves with the things of this world and wallow in their distractions, we will all, at one time or another, have to wrestle that gorilla.  Some will do it the split second before they die in some random accident.  Some will do it periodically, every time they attend a funeral.  Some will do it as they suffer through a terminal disease.  And some will do it as they helplessly watch that person suffer.

The Bible actually speaks to us about three types of death:

1.  Spiritual Death
2.  Physical Death
3.  Personal Death

The Bible speaks of spiritual and physical death at the very beginning of the human story in Genesis when God tells Adam, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die." (Gen 2:16,17).  God was forewarning Adam that indulging in rebellion would give birth to sin, the fruit thereof, being spiritual and physical death.  The spiritual death of Adam was the separation of God and mankind, which was symbolized by the Temple curtain of the Jewish Temple.  The same one that was torn and forever breached by the death of Jesus Christ (Heb 10:19-22).  The physical death of Adam would come later, but it would inevitably come because the wages of sin always has been, and always will be, death, "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom 6:23).  The wages of sin is death.  Jesus paid the wages of our sin at the cross, thereby saving us from eternal spiritual death. 

That leaves personal death, which Christ tells us must take place to be His disciple:  "If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it." (Luke 9:23,24).  Like physical death, which cannot be escaped by any of us, personal death cannot be escaped by anyone who has truly accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.  He says so:  "So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:33).

This often comes as an inconvenient surprise to people who have long considered themselves Christian, but have never actually read the Bible, the Gospels in particular.  You don't have to read the Bible to receive salvation in Jesus Christ, but you do have to read it to live out that salvation according to Jesus' instructions and bear Him fruit.  That is because it is scripture which teaches us that:  1) spiritual death is certain without Christ; 2) physical death is certain for all of us;  and the 8000-pound elephant hanging out next to the 800-pound gorilla in the lives of many Christians today is that, 3) personal death is certain with Christ. 

If your salvation seems to have come at no personal cost to your way of living, then you may not want to make eye contact with that elephant.

"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit." (John 12:24)

"He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it to life eternal." (John 12:25)

"'Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them,' says the Lord, and 'touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, and I will be a Father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me', says the Lord Almighty.” (2 Cor 6:17,18)

Sibling Rivalry

I have four daughters ranging from one year to eleven years old.  Needless to say, I deal daily with a healthy amount of drama.  Sometimes the forty-five minutes it takes me to get them dressed, out the door and into the car every morning seems like the most tormenting, mind-unraveling, nerve-grating, emotional trauma-train event one human being could ever be asked to endure.  All those little personalities interwoven together.  All those individual perspectives and all those emotions wrapped up in those individual perspectives.  One of the excuses I hear most from my daughters is, "But she's SO IRRITATING!"  And my ever-ready response is, "There will always be irritating people in your life.  God is teaching you how to deal with it."

And so it is, in any given situation, at any given time, we are going to be around people that are irritating.  Whether it's at our job, whether it's in our family, or even in our church.  The devil particularly likes to wreak havoc in the Body of Christ, but God also often uses people that irritate us to test us.  God can and will use for our good, what the devil means for our harm.  Which means sometimes when you find yourself in a situation where you have all those personalities woven together, with all those individual perspectives and all those emotions wrapped up in those individual perspectives, it could be a test. 

Often times God will use other people (and often times it will be particularly irritating people) to refine us in areas which we need growth or maturity.  Perhaps it could be a test of perseverance-- to have faith that God can overcome not only things within ourselves that need to change, but that He can  also overcome things in other people.  Perhaps it could be a test of prayer-- of whether or not we're truly going to make the effort to walk-out what it means to be the Body of Christ, which means to pray for each other and to bear each other's burdens:

"Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed." (James 5:16)

"Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ." (Gal 6:2)

There is a lot of scripture on how we are supposed to interact as the Body of Christ and we all have our particular part.  Sometimes we get territorial over our part or critical of other parts, but we are all equally important.  Sometimes we tend to get protective over something we feel God has assigned unto us, but we must remember to hold everything loosely because it all belongs to Christ anyway.  It doesn't belong to us and God can move us around wherever He wants to.  Sometimes the tighter we hold on to something, the more chance there is that God will put us in a situation to where we are forced to let go and we are humbled.

"Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;" (1 Cor 13:4-6)

"Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing." (1 Thess 5:11)

"For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think... For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another." (Rom 12:4,5)

"No one should seek their own good, but the good of others." (1 Cor 10:24)

Just Be Held

My oldest daughter was still in her bed when I went in my girls' bedroom this morning to rummage through their closet to get their church clothes.  As I was walking out of the room, she sat up on her elbow and sleepily said, "You're gorgeous, Mom."  I have to admit, it surprised me because number one, my hair looked like I had stuck my finger in a light socket; number two, I had on no make-up; and number three, I simply wasn't expecting it.  And seriously, my hair was really, really crazy bad.

I think reason number three, "I simply wasn't expecting it" was the most surprising of all.  I simply wasn't expecting it because most of the time I am too focused on my flaws.  Most of the time, my mind rehearses all the things I need to improve about myself.  Most of the time I am thinking about how badly I need to color my hair, how badly I need to lose some weight, how bad my complexion is getting, how desperately I need to slap a coat of toenail polish on my pitiful toes.  And that's just my physical flaws, because I am also thinking about my inner flaws:  praying that God would help me to not be so critical, so self-focused, so impatient, so easily flustered, so resentful of feeling perpetually overwhelmed, so ashamed of looking forward to bedtime on the days in which my children have hijacked all my peace.

I simply wasn't expecting it because "gorgeous" is not a word I would use to describe myself.  But that is how my daughter sees me because when she looks at me she doesn't see "me", she sees her mother's soul.   My daughter sees me similar to the way God sees me.  God sees me as something valuable, something that is worth cherishing.  Most of the time I'm so focused on how tightly I'm trying to hang on to God, that I forget it's okay for me sometimes to just be held by Him.  I'm more focused on bearing Him fruit rather than just sitting still in His presence.  But what I fail to remember is that to bear Him fruit, I MUST spend time just sitting still in His presence.  To bear Him fruit, I must do it as He holds me in His hands.

"I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing." (John 15:5)

"My Father who has given them to Me is greater than all. No one can snatch them out of My Father's hand." (John 10:29)

"But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD's love is with those who fear Him, and His righteousness with their children's children.." (Psalm 103:17)

Coming Out Of The Courtyard

Our pastor did a sermon series a while ago about courtyard Christians.  The premise of the series was that most Christians nowadays are spiritually content to hang out in the temple courtyard, rather than make their way into God's presence in the holy of holies.  The layout of the Jewish temple was built around the holy of holies, which was the earthly dwelling place of God's presence and the ark of the covenant.  Only the Jewish high priest was permitted to enter the holy of holies, and only after rigorous purification rites, and only once a year-- on the Jewish Day of Atonement.

Outside the holy of holies was an elaborate system of courtyards that were built around it, each courtyard requiring increasing levels of purity for those allowed to enter them.  The barrier between the holy of holies and the outlying courtyards was a hand-stitched veil that was 60 feet high and 4 inches thick.  God dwelled on one side of the veil, mankind dwelled on the other.  The veil and the elaborate system of purification rituals required to approach it were a symbolic reminder that mankind is to never enter God's holy and awesome presence carelessly or irreverently.

Scripture tells us that, "..when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, He gave up His Spirit.  And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.." (Matt 27:50,51).  This means that the moment at which Christ took His last breath on the cross, He became our High Priest to intercede on our behalf and to bridge the gap between mankind and God for all eternity.  Through Jesus Christ, mankind has been given eternal access to the presence of God.  The blood of Christ washed away not only our sins, but also the veil that separated sinful mankind from Holy God, "Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way opened for us through the curtain [veil] of His body, and since we have a High Priest [Jesus Christ] over the house of God [those saved in Christ], let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and our bodies washed with pure water." (Heb 10:19-22)

This scripture says, "let us draw near with a sincere heart,"  which means that while Jesus made it possible for us to approach God, even to enter His presence, He still made it very clear that we cannot approach Him carelessly or without reverence.  We like to claim Jesus as Savior, but sometimes we're not all that thrilled about reverentially allowing Him to also be Lord over our lives.  That's because for us to allow Jesus to be Lord, we've got to chop some things off and pluck some things out, "If your right eye makes you stumble, pluck it out and cast it from you... If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off and throw it from you.." (Matt 5:29,30).  Plucking out your eye may mean turning off your T.V. or changing your reading preferences.  Cutting off your hand may mean avoiding certain things, situations or places.  Maybe some of us even need to clip off our ears by weeding out a music collection or turning off the radio.   In any case, if God asked you to do it, would you? 

 

Jesus said, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me." (Matt 16:24).  Matthew Henry's commentary on Matthew 16:24 says this denial must be a "continued act" of "self-emptying" because it is "both the strait gate and the narrow way" (see Matt 7:13,14).  This means that there will be many times in which a Christian may have to ask theirself, "Is He worth it?"

So, is He?  Is He worth striving to enter the holy of holies? To hear God's voice clearly?  To be unencumbered by the cares of this world, to be set free from emotional enslavement and to bear Him an abundance of fruit?

Or are we content to hang out in the courtyard because it doesn't require us to progressively purify our lives?  Determined to stubbornly hold on to the world with one hand while reaching for Christ with the other?  Content to forfeit the spiritual riches to be had by intimate fellowship in His holy presence?

Oswald Sanders said, "Each of us is as close to God as we want to be."  How badly do we want to draw near to God?

"Blessed are those hungering and thirsting for righteousness, for they will be filled." (Matt 5:6)

"Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work." (2 Tim 2:21)

"Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded." (James 4:8)

Wearing Your Helmet

Our women's Bible study group just finished "The Armor of God" presented by Priscilla Shirer, and I can say without reservation that it was truly one of the best Bible studies I've ever done.  I learned so much throughout the study, but one thing that particularly stood out to me was the lesson on the "Helmet of Salvation" from Ephesians 6:17.  You see, the helmet of salvation is our identity in Christ and our enemy seeks to create strongholds in our thinking that keep us from walking in our identity in Christ.  He prefers us to be crippled by self-doubt and grief over who we wish we were, instead of relishing who we really are in Christ.  He endeavors to keep us from doing what the Bible instructs us to do which is to be, "renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self [ie: helmet of salvation], which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.." (Eph 4:23,24).

God calls us to renew our mind according to His truth, and then adapt our behavior to align with that truth.  God's truth is the Bible and once we come to salvation, we are to adapt our behavior to align with scripture.  Once a person comes to salvation in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within them, giving them the desire and ability to be obedient to God's instructions.  Our enemy wants to keep us from doing this at all costs, therefore his kingdom of darkness expends great effort at poisoning our thinking with negative thoughts and unhealthy patterns of imagination to cripple our ability to clearly detect the leading of God's Holy Spirit.  It is the helmet of salvation--knowing and walking in our identity in Christ-- that protects our minds from receiving and rehearsing the enemy's lies.  It is the helmet of salvation that keeps a committed Christian from backsliding into the slimy pit of worldliness or from wandering into the weedy pasture of religiosity-- two extremes that are mutually devastating to a Christian's walk of faith.

So why are there so many Christians walking in disobedience, worldliness and religiosity?  Because our enemy is a great storyteller, always eager for us to listen to his version of truth.  That is why scripture tells us to "Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." (James 4:7).  To submit to God, you must agree with His truth.  To resist the devil, you have to not only stop listening to his stories, but you have to refute his lies with God's truth.  When Jesus was tempted in the desert, Satan told Him three grand tales, all three of which appealed either to Christ's flesh (stones becoming bread), His pride (worldly kingdoms will be Yours), or His faith (throw Yourself down from this ledge).  But all three times Christ refuted Satan's lies with the truth of God's word-- Jesus quoted scripture.  That is the example we have been given to "resist the devil" by our Lord and Savior.  So today, I am sharing 55 scriptures from the "Armor of God" study that testify to who we are in Christ.  These are 55 scriptures to be tucked into your helmet of salvation and used to "resist the devil".

My Inheritance And Identity In Christ

I am a child of God:  "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.." (John 1:12)

I have peace with God:  "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.." (Rom 5:1)
The Holy Spirit lives in me:  "Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" (1 Cor 3:16)
I have access to God's wisdom:  "But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him." (James 1:5)
I am helped by God:  "Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Heb 4:16)
I am reconciled to God:  "And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation." (Rom 5:11)
I am not condemned by God:  "Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Rom 8:1)
I am justified:  "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.." (Rom 5:1)
I have Christ's righteousness:  "For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous." (Rom 5:19); and "God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Cor 5:21)
I am Christ's ambassador:  "Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ: Be reconciled to God." (2 Cor 5:20)
I am completely forgiven:  "..in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." (Col 1:14)
I am tenderly loved by God:  "The LORD appeared to him from afar, saying, 'I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness.'" (Jer 31:3)
I am the sweet fragrance of Christ to God:  "For we are to God the sweet aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing." (2 Cor 2:15)
I am a temple in which God dwells:  "Do you not know that you yourselves are God's temple, and that God's Spirit dwells in you?" (1 Cor 3:16)
I am blameless and beyond reproach:  "..yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach-- if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard.." (Col 1:22,23)
I am the salt of the earth:  "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its savor, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men." (Matt 5:13)
I am the light of the world:  "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden." (Matt 5:14)
I am a branch on Christ's vine:  "I am the true vine, and My Father is the keeper of the vineyard... I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing." (John 15:1,5)
I am Christ's friend:  "No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not understand what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because everything I have learned from My Father I have made known to you." (John 15:15)
I am chosen by Christ to bear fruit:  "If anyone does not remain in Me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers. Such branches are gathered up, thrown into the fire, and burned." (John 15:6)
I am a joint heir with Christ, sharing His inheritance with Him:  "And if we are children, then we are heirs: heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ--if indeed we suffer with Him, so that we may also be glorified with Him." (Rom 8:17)
I am united to the Lord, one spirit with Him:  "But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with Him in spirit." (1 Cor 6:17)
I am a member of Christ's Body:  "Now you are the body of Christ, and each of you is a member of it." (1 Cor 12:27)
I am a saint:  "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus.." (Eph 1:1)
I am hidden with Christ in God:  "For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God." (Col 3:3)
I am chosen by God, holy and dearly loved:  "Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience." (Col 3:12)
I am a child of the light:  "For you are all sons of the light and sons of the day; we do not belong to the night or to the darkness." (1 Thess 5:5)
I am holy, and I share in God's heavenly calling:  "Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, set your minds on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess." (Heb 3:1)
I am sanctified:  "For both the One who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are of the same family. That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers." (Heb 2:11)
I am one of God's living stones, being built up in Christ as a spiritual house:  "..you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." (1 Pet 2:5)
I am a member of a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession and created to sing His praises:  "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.  Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." (1 Pet 2:9,10)
I am firmly rooted and built up in Christ:  "..rooted and built up in Him, established in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." (Col 2:7)
I am born of God and the evil one cannot touch me:  "We know that anyone born of God does not keep on sinning; the One who was born of God protects him, and the evil one cannot touch him." (1 John 5:18)
I have the mind of Christ:  "'For who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to instruct Him?' But we have the mind of Christ." (1 Cor 2:16)
I may approach God with boldness, freedom and confidence:  "In Him and through faith in Him we may enter God's presence with boldness and confidence." (Eph 3:12)
I have been rescued from Satan's domain and transferred into the kingdom of Christ:  "He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of His beloved Son.." (Col 1:13)
I have been made complete in Christ:  "And you have been made complete in Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority." (Col 2:10)
I have been given a spirit of power, love and self-discipline:  "For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power, love, and self-control." (2 Tim 1:7)
I have been given great and precious promises by God:  "Through these He has given us His precious and magnificent promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, now that you have escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires." (2 Pet 1:4)
My needs are met by God:  "And my God will supply all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus." (Phil 4:19)
I am a (princess) in God's kingdom:  "But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.."  (John 1:12); and "For at just the right time Christ will be revealed from heaven by the blessed and only almighty God, the King of all kings and Lord of all lords." (1 Tim 6:15)
I have been bought with a price, and I belong to God:  "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body." (1 Cor 6:19,20)
I have been adopted as God's child:  "He predestined us for adoption as His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will.." (Eph 1:5)
I have direct access to God through the Holy Spirit:  "For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit." (Eph 2:18)
I am assured that all things are working together for good:  "And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose." (Rom 8:28)
I am free from any condemning charges against me:  "What then shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us!" (Rom 8:31); and "Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Rom 8:1)
I cannot be separated from the love of God:  "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?" (Rom 8:35)
 I have been established, anointed and sealed by God:  "Now it is God who establishes both us and you in Christ. He anointed us, placed His seal on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a pledge of what is to come." (2 Cor 1:21,22)
 I am confident that the good work that God has begun in me will be perfected:  "For I am confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will continue to perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus." (Phil 1:6)
I am a citizen of heaven:  "But our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.." (Phil 3:20)
I am a personal witness of Christ's:  "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:8)
I am God's coworker:  "As God's fellow workers, we urge you not to receive God's grace in vain." (2 Cor 6:1; and "For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building." (1 Cor 3:9)
I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realm:  "And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.." (Eph 2:6)
I am God's workmanship:  "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life." (Eph 2:10)
I can do all things through Christ, Who gives me the strength I need:  "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength." (Phil 4:13)

 

Lady With The Pink Hair

I met a lady with pink hair today.  Her kids started at my kids' school several weeks ago and I saw her for the first time last week....and I saw her pink hair.  Most of us like to think we don't judge each other, but we all do it.  So, it's really not a matter of who judges and who doesn't, it's more like a matter of who confesses to it and who doesn't.  Our minds are hardwired to evaluate and analyze, it is inherent to human nature.  So naturally, when I see someone with fluorescent pink hair my mind is going to begin to evaluate and analyze this thing that seems out of the ordinary.  And that is perfectly acceptable because that is what my mind was created to do.  However, what is not acceptable is for me to transcend from objective evaluation into subjective judgment.

You see, I cannot judge the lady with the pink hair because the lady with the pink hair has a story.  We all do.  The first thing that came to my mind when I saw her was when I colored my own hair candy apple red and bleached an inch of the tips blonde.  I was in my mid-twenties and I suppose it was a statement to the world as to how comfortable I was in my own body, as to how confident I was about my own identity.  Only looking back, am I able to see and admit to the reality that on the inside I was still trying to figure out who I was and where I belonged.  I was yelling about my confidence on the outside, while doubts whispered and lurked within.  But I cannot project my story onto the lady with the pink hair because she has her own story. 

I've come a long way since my mid-twenties and while I would be tempted to think that she and I now have very little in common, I had the pleasure to find out today that we actually have quite a lot in common.  You would not think she has a yard full of chickens like I do.  You would not think she has names for her chickens or her own pair of rubber boots that she wears out into the muddy chicken yard like I do.  You would not think that the lady with the pink hair would have the same feelings about the influence of cable television on her children as I do.  When she told me today that they do not have cable television, I was thrilled to find a kindred spirit.  She loves her chickens and she loves her kids....just like I do.

I cannot judge the lady with the pink hair because that is not what Christ calls us to do. Christ calls us to love.  He calls us to disciple.  He calls us to be His hands and His feet.  He calls us to listen to each other's story, and then to share and celebrate His story.  I love you lady with the pink hair.  I love you even though I don't know you because that is what Christ calls us to do.  I hope you are as beautiful on the inside as you are on the outside.  I hope that we can be friends and I hope that I can hear your story.

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.  By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:35)

"...for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7)

The Pitiful Bush

As God continues to minister to me about faithfulness and seasons, He gave me a visual understanding in my spirit's eye.  He showed me a bush.  But the one He showed me was no burning bush, it was a grubby little stump.  Actually, it was more like a pitiful bouquet of sticks.  At least, that's what it appeared to be at first.  As God showed me the pitiful, dormant bush, He then showed me the bush being planted.  The bush was planted in rich, dark soil, but it still appeared like a dead bunch of sticks protruding above the surface.  And it stayed that way for a long time. 

But what God showed me next, was that despite the meager appearance of the bush above the surface of the soil, there was a lot going on underneath the soil where I could not see. Despite the bush's scraggly appearance, it was indeed alive.  However, all the energy and life that was within the bush was being used to form an intricate root structure within the soil.  As long as the soil was maintained and the bush was regularly watered, the root foundation of the bush continued to thrive below the surface of the soil.  And even though above the soil the appearance of the bush remained spindly and scraggly for quite a while, one day it inevitably began to change.  One beautiful day, those scraggly pitiful sticks above the ground began to show the evidence of what had been taking place below the ground all that time.  It didn't happen overnight and the first signs of change were mere nubs that began to protrude from the wad of sticks sticking up from the ground, but over time, those little nubs transformed into glossy green leaves.  As the bush matured, one day another set of nubs began to appear on it, and over time, those nubs transformed into delicious, ripe fruit.

What God communicated to me is that most of us would have just looked at that pitiful bush, assumed it to be dead and never bothered with maintaining the soil or watering it.  Some may have given it a tug or two to see if it still had a root structure, then maybe would have watered it for a while, but would have given up after a short time when they weren't seeing any results.  We are a very "results-oriented" culture.  We want microwave and drive-thru results when it comes to our spiritual efforts.  Leonard Ravenhill once said about prayer, "We want to sow radish seeds, but reap a forest of redwoods."  How true is that in our own lives? 

Jesus promises that if we abide in Him we can't help but bear fruit, "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing." (John 15:5).  Jesus is the rich, dark soil of our spiritual lives, therefore when we abide in that fertile soil we are able to grow an intricate root structure that will not only tether us to the foundation of Christ, but will also provide the strength we need to weather even the worst of storms that take place above the soil.  The deeper the root system, the stronger the tree.  When you see a tree blown over from a bad storm, you see that the only roots that were holding it in were the ones at the surface.  To weather the storms of life and to weather the storms of persecution, trial and tribulation, you gotta have some deep roots.  And deep roots take time to grow.

"Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him." (James 1:12)

"And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up." (Gal 6:9)