Did you know that God desires to use you for kingdom purposes? If not it is time to get a clue. Here is some of my favorite Scripture:
“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, Because the LORD has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners;
To proclaim the favorable year of the LORD And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn,
To grant those who mourn {in} Zion, Giving them a garland instead of ashes, The oil of gladness instead of mourning, The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting. So they will be called oaks of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.”
Now mind you this was a prophetic word written some 700 years before the Messiah was to come. It indeed has indicated the coming One who would bring the Word, with healing for the brokenhearted, liberty to the captives and freedom to prisoners. Now fast forward to the New Testament, what Jesus left the disciples with was to go and do likewise in My name.
You know every time we bring the Good News of the gospel to the world there is the potential for amazing change in that person’s life should they accept it. But here is where I want you to envision just why you are here at this time “for such a time as this.” Every single one of us has a sphere of influence. I like the picture of a stone being dropped into water and the “ripple effect” that takes place as the stone hits the water’s surface. Let’s use that to reflect on the fact that every thing we do has some sort of impact on someone within our sphere of influence.
I am going to start with a typical day. You may get up with your spouse in the morning, that being your first encounter. Then it could be your children. I am going to stop here and we will see just how much influence we have right here. Please, I know that we all have days when we really don’t want to see or talk with anyone! Whether it be good old PMS or stubbing our toe on the way to the bathroom. And there can be aches and pains that can be highlighted by tossing and turning all night, whew! I am sympathetic to the kinds of things that can start the day off on a sour note. But here is a tough truth for you (and me), we have a choice to make--right from the moment our feet hit the ground--to share our love and blessings with those we share life with or we can lend a thud to their day. Can you see the huge impact you have on your family? How much better to send them on their way encouraged with a blessing and knowing just how much they are loved. So now we continue on to see who else we impact through our day. There are the neighbors, our friends, work relationships, people we meet in the grocery, and the post office…and that ripple just continues to spread wider and wider. That just amazes me!
Will you think of yourself as a “Change Agent” (Agent of Change), which reads according to one of Mirriam Webser’s dictionary editions: a change agent, or agent of change, is someone who intentionally or indirectly causes or accelerates social, cultural, or behavioral change. That’s it! Have you figured it out yet? You are here for a specific reason and it is not about you! I love what it says in
Matthew 5:16 "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”
Now that we have a glimpse of our purpose we need to look at reality and see that all does not always go according to Hoyle! For we all have stuff in our lives that has played a role in making and shaping us. Hopefully there is a lot of good, positive stuff. But for some of us it has been a journey through the pit. In too many cases the pitfalls we have experienced or are working through have become stumbling blocks that may have developed into strongholds. Check out the meaning of a stronghold in the Hebrew: castle; defense; fortress; be hunted; net; snare. Interestingly enough, we see that it is a good thing for the most part. After all king David declared that God was his fortress and high tower, but what about those last few meanings, to be hunted, a net and a snare. If you have been caught in the snare of blocked goals, unforgiveness toward another, generational sin, unforgiveness of ourself, not believing who God says we are and pleasing man over pleasing God, stay tuned. We are going to see how these strongholds have or can keep us from moving forward into the abundant life God calls us to live for Him.
Next time I will share with you from a time when I almost gave up on God. It was one of the most difficult times of frustration and disappointment in someone I love very much. But…God!
As we start our journey we will look at pivotal points in our life that became strongholds and those strongholds may be preventing us from living the abundant life. Let's begin by thinking about blocked goals. You know, the times when we set our sights on something like marrying our high school sweetheart but then he ran off with your best friend. Or maybe like me you always wanted to be a teacher, even as a little girl, but things got in the way and when you finally decided to go to college your husband said no (not to college but to traveling over 200 miles each day to attend classes.) And maybe your child had such a caring heart for others and you really saw them becoming a missionary someday but they got into trouble along the way and have yet to find their way back into the church body. These are things that can really take the wind out of our sails and cause some deep-seated resentment toward God or others. The story of my prodigal has served to teach me many lessons that have been extremely painful and even drove me to temporarily delve into unbelief and hopelessness.
My youngest son was difficult from the get-go. By kindergarten he was already having problems on the bus and with all authority figures. It is a long story but to bring you up to speed and when I suffered the biggest disappointment was over six years ago now. While sitting in jail and under my influence, he opted to see if the judge would let him go to Teen Challenge, in hopes of getting the help he needed to get his life straightened out. The judge court ordered him there and we were holding our breath thinking that this is it, this kid is finally going to turn things around. Teen Challenge is a twelve-month plus program that I really do believe in because they have proven very successful at helping anyone who is ready to help themselves recover from whatever it is that got them in the program! My son pulled himself out after seven and a half months and it was just like I was socked in the gut. I just knew this was the answer for my guy and that it would bring him back to the Lord and I was devastated. I wanted to throw my arms in the air and tell God that I give up, that’s it and that he is hopelessly lost. I really hope to never revisit this place again.
Let me say that pitfalls like the blocked goal described above can turn into your times of preparation! It can be a time of tilling the hardened soil around the heart. In a Bible study that I did many years ago called “Trials, Don’t Resent them as Intruders” the author, Juanita Purcell said this and it has stuck with me:
“Faith does not grow on a smooth road without obstacles. However, we must view trials as steppingstones—not stumbling blocks. Each trial we pass through should help us climb a little higher and draw us closer to Christ.”
We all have dreams that have been soured. And my prodigal’s situation is a perfect example of obvious disappointment. It is situations like this that the enemy uses us to render us hopeless! When we are in a hopeless mode it can lead to depression and depression is many times anger turned inward, a blocked goal. The plan didn’t develop the way that I thought it should have or would have if only…He had taken the road I knew would bring healing to his wounded spirit. What I found though, was that this was a lesson for me. You see God wanted me to know Who was in charge. And it wasn’t me!
I am very grateful for an amazing little group of people who I pray with almost every week and we have met for going on eleven years. They are my prayer partners and accountability group and I thank God for them often. They played a big role in helping me to get back to believing that God would make a way where there seems to be no way. For a good couple of months it was like I was numb. With their tough love and words of encouragement I soon found myself back on the journey of faith. It is certainly easy to see how I could have continued on the downward spiral of unbelief and become very bitter and angry. I could have missed out on walking in my kingdom purpose.
Faith is where I need to rest when it comes to my goals being prohibited.
Hebrews 11:1 (NKJ)
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Do I trust God with the unknown? Can I trust Him when circumstances take a different path than I anticipated? Will I be able to admit that I am not in control and that there is Someone much greater and more trustworthy than I could ever be? Who knows the beginning and the end and what is best?
Father, I am so guilty of trying to step in and take charge but then so disappointed when my way didn’t quite turn out as I expected. What I need to do is take a deep breath and then open the Word and look at the many times You were faithful to those whom You called Your own. Faithful even when they didn’t deserve Your favor but Your judgement. It is rock solid truth that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Right now I am choosing to trust in You.
Proud parents are continuously acknowledging--from the moment of birth--just how much their children look like either mom or dad. They might see characteristics of grandma and grandpa too, such as the nose, eyes, forehead or mouth. As the children grow and develop, the opportunity may arise to begin to see familiar temperaments as well. They may be positive or they could be negative. You will hear comments such as "look at her, she is such a girly girl, just like her mom" or maybe "boy, has he got a stubborn streak, just like his dad." It is inevitable that we will take on similar looks and characteristics as genetic dispositions. If only it was just the positive, good qualities that were evident, unfortunately that is not always so.
If we look at this a bit deeper, we can also see how it is possible to "inherit" those good and bad tendencies. Let me give you an example from my own life. Divorce is not a pleasant thing to think about and go through. Unfortunately in my family it is a prevalent occurrence. Not only has my mom been divorced twice but my grandmother once. I recently had it pointed out that my great grandmother had been divorced three times! That was extremely unusual and frowned upon in that day. Sadly, I too have also gone through a divorce. Now as a Christian, it makes me sorrowful and guarded to know that my three children could have the 'tendency' to fall into this unfortunate pattern and as a matter of fact one of my children has already succumbed to the divorce solution. It is interesting yet sad that my father too was also divorced twice. Therein that has only made for a double whammy for our family, argh!
So how can and do we break this vicious cycle?
God is teaching me many things right now and for the most part He is showing me how to learn to be dependent upon and put my trust in Him. I only bring this up because my "independent" nature has gotten me into so much trouble through the years! The world tells us that independence is good and I really do believe there can be a positive side to it. But God calls us to lay down our independent spirit and to take up complete dependency upon Him. Generationally speaking, our family has a problem with that. We have had to be survivors and have done just the opposite of what the Word tells us in Proverbs 3:5-8
"Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; reverently fear and worship the Lord and turn [entirely] away from evil. It shall be health to your nerves and sinews, and marrow and moistening to your bones." (Amplified version)
It is so ironic that God includes the healthful benefits of our being dependent upon Him! (The first thing I thought of when I read the 'moistening to your bones' section was how arthritis is deterioration of our joint cushioning and once again, our family as they age tend to develop this condition!) I am diligently learning to work through and break the habit of leaning on Kimberly Dawn's understanding and lack of wisdom!
The key focus here is that--while it is obvious that not everything we inherit is bad--there are or can be some debilitating 'bends' or 'tendencies' that affect our living the abundant life. Do you ever wonder why you only move forward with baby steps? Or why you might keep doing and revisiting the same negative habit over and over? It is possible that it could be a generational sin or tendency. After all the Word tells us the sins of the fathers will revisit to the third and the fourth generations! Now that is a scary thought and I am living proof that it is so. But the good news is we do not have to stay there!
While it is wonderful to inherit the wonderful and admirable qualities of our family and ancestors, when we are earnestly seeking God we need to allow Him to show us our short comings. That might involve a painful look into our past. It might be that you can recognize your stronghold as an excuse to continue to behave in an un-Christ-like way. The old "devil made me do it" mentality just does not fly for the Spirit led, abundant life. God really does have a better plan in mind for us and He has called us to go higher, and challenged us to a deeper level in our walk with Him. In Romans 6:6 we find that we are no longer slaves to sin. And that means that I really have been given the power to overcome every bad tendency--even if it goes back to the 100th generation!
1 Peter 2:9,10 (NASB)
"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a people for God's own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy but now you have received mercy."
Abba Father, I want others to see You in my life. I want them to see the difference You have made in me. It is because of You that I am alive! With all that You have brought me through and healed me from I can publicly rejoice and declare Your faithfulness to me and to my next generations. I am not who I used to be because Your love broke through the darkness that once bound me and caused me much pain. Let me continue to make myself available to Your refining fire then others will see how truly marvelous and in love with Your children that You are. I rejoice and praise You as I walk in Your marvelous light.
Breaking the stronghold of Unforgiveness Toward Others
This is a topic that will touch every one of us because even if we happen to be one of the few who has not held bitterness or offense toward someone (come on and let’s be honest), we may have been on the receiving end of either. It is a topic whose fallout is so detrimental that (especially lately) many books, sermons and Bible studies have been written about it. I am convinced that of the strongholds we will examine, it is probably the most debilitating. And God’s Word has much to say about this topic of unforgiveness.
Matthew 5:22-24 (NASB)
"But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, `You good-for-nothing,' shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, `You fool,' shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell. "Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.”
Wow, such strong words from Jesus! Really, I am certain that all of us can honestly say we have—even if for a brief time—taken on an offense toward another or internalized bitterness. In the verse above, the Word specifically says to first go and be reconciled to our brother (the one who has a beef with us) before we can even present our offering to God. Please take notice of the words in parenthesis, or the underlined scripture. This is addressing one we know might have something against us. To start with we are being asked to do something that is going to show obedience to God and then release that one for God to work deeply in their heart!
How about this verse from: Mark 11:25,26 (NASB)
"Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions. ["But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions."]
Does someone treat you unfairly? Maybe it is quite noticeable at your job that your boss favors someone who gets by with “stuff” and you who maintain utmost integrity barely get noticed for your efforts. There may be an unresolved conflict between you and another and you just keep hoping that it will go away. It could be that someone has done something in your past that was unjustified and you keep expecting them to apologize for what they have done but they are never even willing to admit what they have done let alone apologize for the hurt.
When I was a toddler my father left my mother to raise me alone. He was rather irresponsible and unable to hold a job. He apparently had a serious drinking problem that consumed much of who he was. While growing up, my father was not in the picture at all. I believe that I saw him once as a four or five year-old and my mom said I wet the bed that night for the first time in years. Argh! I really do not remember that incident at all (we can tend to block out hurtful experiences. What I do remember is my mother saying even until recently is that it is too bad I could not have known my father, as he was such a great guy. Excuse me--a great guy? To this day I remind my sweet little mother that “great guys” do not abandon their family leaving them to live in poverty.
I truly believe that many of the searching and longings in my life have come from not having a father’s presence in my life. I covered and buried it deeply not realizing there were deep-seated resentments that had woven their way into my little girl’s heart.
As God began to do a great work in me—the result of crying out to Him for a deeper journey with my heavenly Father—I was introduced to Neil Anderson’s materials Bondage Breaker and Victory Over Darkness. For those of us who recognize that we have “stuff” in our lives that need to be addressed and relinquished, Neil Anderson has developed the “Seven Steps to Freedom”. They are all based on our identity in Christ (such key truths to help us mature in Christ). The steps are a time of intense prayer and acknowledgement of all the areas in one’s life that have been given over to deviant behavior which can be the result of abuse. I am not going to go into this topic, but instances of abuses of all kinds would seem to be a good reason to never forgive a perpetrator of such heinous actions toward their victim. It is such a serious time of deep cleansing that it can take hours to go through and because of an enlisted intercessor, things can come to the surface that have seemingly been long forgotten or buried deeply. And such it was with me in regard to how I had stuffed the anger toward my father. The bottom line of my time going through the steps revealed to me that I needed to forgive the man who abandoned my mother and me. I was so shocked that I had harbored that intensity of unforgiveness. I did offer forgiveness to a man I would never see or know and the outcome was that I received instant healing because of my step of obedience to do so. You see, he had died several years earlier, so I could not go to him personally, but this step was sufficient and God heard my heart.
When we are angry, bitter or resentful, bad things happen to us emotionally and even physically if it continues without resolution. Being an amateur gardener I am reminded of that miserable thing we call quack grass here in northern Minnesota. It is so terribly persistent and I am telling you that you cannot leave a piece of the stuff behind or it resurrects itself with a vengeance. So it is with the spirit of unforgiveness or the root of bitterness. You must not leave a thread of it behind because it will indeed rear its ugly head once again. I have often said that if we truly forgive someone, we will have to really dig deeply to remember what the issue was in the first place. Have you noticed that? You see, you have truly let go and there is no root left to thrive.
So lets take a moment to pause and reflect on those little hurts that become big issues in our life and can even lead to things like aches and pains and, well, you fill in the blank. If there is someone with whom you need to mend the fence, will you take the time to really pray for the situation and that person? I have found that when I am up against a sand paper personality who rubs me the wrong way and just drives me crazy, all I have to do is to stop the mind game of the whys and wherefores and just pray for them. If I really mean what I am praying then how can I entertain bitterness or anger? It took me a while to figure out how that worked, but now I just ask the Lord to bless them and to show me how to be kind to them regardless of how difficult they can be.
Now, Father, thank you for teaching us about just how serious it is to harbor unforgiveness toward another. This is serious business to You and that means that even if it is difficult, I need to work my way through to understanding how to release ill feelings toward another and exercise forgiveness. I know that I do not want to be stunted in my spiritual maturity due to my unwillingness to comply and be obedient. Will you help me, Father, because this is not easy, to forgive and release where You reveal that I need to do so. I will trust You because I know You have my best interest in mind and that You do not want to see me living in a way that does not glorify You or show the world that You are our ultimate Healer and Redeemer! I will thank You now for the work You are about to do in my heart as You prepare and make it fallow and easy for the Holy Spirit to bring about miraculous change that glorifies You! Amen.
Wrestling with unforgiveness of the past sins that I have committed has taken me on such an interesting journey. It seems odd that I came to understand God's forgiveness even before I was capable of forgiving myself. How many of you have done some stuff in your past that has been unlovely, corrupt, ugly, even despicable?
On my journey I have found it quite interesting to see that God does not place sins on a scale of 1-10. A simple look at the Ten Commandments makes that rather clear. You can stretch them as far as you want and the bottom line is that without the shed blood of Jesus Christ, we have all fallen short of all of the Commandments. That is why our righteousness is considered as filthy rags as it says in Isaiah 64:6. But that being said, I will admit that it seems that the 'uglier' the sin we commit, the harder it is to reconcile, perhaps because our tendency is to rate sin.
Looking back at myself as a fifteen year old on my own, revisiting the stuff that I let myself get into made it very difficult to believe that God could and had forgiven my sin. Thankfully, and after much study in the Word, the truth prevailed and with a huge step of faith I received His forgiveness. I was then left to struggle with forgiving myself for what I had done! I knew what I had done and been involved with were wrong and that I was completely rebellious in my actions.
It is here that I would like to put in a plug for Dr. Neil Anderson's ministry, Freedom in Christ. This is just one of the ministries out there that focuses on our identity in Christ. I absorbed myself in his book Victory Over Darkness and God used it to change the way I saw myself. I can give credit to a 'book' because in this book were the many Scriptures that assured me that I was accepted by Him, secure in Him and significant to Him. I was able to believe that if God could forgive me, I had to be able to forgive myself.
You may have said to yourself, "How am I worthy of God's love?''
- I got pregnant out of wedlock and the father of the child convinced me that we did not know each other well enough to get married. He decided that I would have an abortion to solve the predicament in which we found ourselves.
- A "Christian" counselor once asked me, when my first marriage was on the verge of divorce, "Do you believe that you are 'good enough' to marry a pastor?" My reaction was that no pastor would ever want me for a wife, not with all that I had done in my past! I was not a born again believer at that time but was attending church and seeing a church counselor to try to save my marriage.
- One of my loved ones believes he is a 'good man' because he does lots of 'good things'. He also believes that he is not good when he does not do good. His belief is that to be a part of the kingdom of God you have to do lots of good things and keep your nose clean (so to speak).
My thoughts toward myself were that I certainly could never be used in God's work because of all my past failures. Who would want what I had to offer especially if they knew what I had done?
I wonder just how many folks out there are letting their past rule instead of willingly making the decision to say, "If God can, then I must"? When I do not forgive my past then I am saying that God is not able to see me through the shed blood of His Son Jesus. I am not saying that you cannot have Christ in your heart if you are unable to forgive yourself of past sins. But what I am saying is that it is a hurdle that once leaped and internalized will literally thrust you to the next level. Why walk around with a debility that is not necessary and that can be healed?
Too many of us with bad stuff in our past have simply skewed the truth, having a very shallow view of who we truly are as children of God. My friend Peggy, who has spent years studying the Jewish roots of the faith, once shared the analogy of our identity in Christ like this. If you take a piece of white wool and dip it into a dye, it absorbs that dye and becomes that dye's color. Now 'color' is not quite the same thing as our identity but the principle is the same. In essence, we have been dipped in the shed blood of Christ and we are now covered to the point that God sees us absorbed in Christ's blood. We have now absorbed His very essence. Ephesians 1:7 says, "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace."
When we become born again Christians, it is so vital that we make the decision to embrace the Word (God's truth) and all it has to say to us. In doing so, we can eventually get to the place where we see that we can forgive ourselves for our jaded past because it is first and foremost washed under the blood of Christ. The following list of verses are only a few that will help us to forgive ourselves because we have made the choice to believe them.
I am accepted...
John 1:12 God gave us the right to be His child.
Romans 5:1 We have been justified by faith.
1 Cor. 6:19,20 The Holy Spirit lives in me...I have been bought with Christ's precious blood.
Eph. 1:5 I am now adopted as His child.
Col. 1:14 I have redemption through Christ's blood and my sins are forgiven.
I am secure...
Romans 8:1,2 I am no longer under condemnation, free from the law of sin and death.
Romans 8:1 I no longer walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Heb. 4:16 I am now able to boldly ask of God Himself having mercy and grace in my time
of need.
I am significant...
John 15:5 I am a branch of the true vine and I abide in Him.
1 Cor. 3:16 I am God's temple and filled with the Holy Spirit.
Eph. 2:10 I am created in Christ Jesus for good works.
Eph. 3:12 I am free to boldly come before God without fear.
Oh, my friend, there is nothing that you can do to make yourself clean, good and usable to the King. Only by admitting your need of the Savior and accepting Jesus' death on your behalf, then becoming crucified with Christ because it is no longer you who live but Christ who lives in you!
Jesus, my Lord, my Savior and my Friend, I thank you for showing me that I can forgive myself as You have already done, of every unlovely thing in my past, present and future. It is because of Your amazing love for me that I can walk with a much lighter step as I live my life and serve You for the rest of my days. I will praise You, for Your Word tells me that I am fearfully and wonderfully made. I cannot even express my gratefulness for Your shed blood. Let me live my life in worship and wonder of Your majesty. Amen.
Much of what has been shared in dealing with this stronghold of forgiving myself will tie in with our next one, "Walking in the Truth", so we can believe what God says about who we are! Too many of us struggle with these issues, especially when coming from a self-debasing past.
Romans 1:7 “…to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints:…”
1 Corinthians 1:2b “…to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:…”
2 Corinthians 1:1b “…to the church of God which is at Corinth with all the saints who are throughout Achaia:…”
Ephesians 1b “…to the saints that are at Ephesus, and the faithful in Christ
Jesus:…”
Philippians 1b ”… To all the saints in Christ Jesus who are in Philippi…”
If you were alive in the first century and part of the early church, Paul would be addressing you as saint! Saint Ann, Saint Kimberly, Saint Zachary, Saint Mary, etc. How does that resonate with you? I am certain that for some of you it sits well. But if you are like me, this really seemed unreal. Forget it; I’m far from a saint! You see, Paul was addressing the church family in the reality of who they were because they had been washed in the Blood of Christ! When I ponder this, I stand amazed and honestly, it took me a long time to appropriate this mindset, and feel comfortable with its implications.
For some of us it has been a long and winding journey traveling the pathway to receive forgiveness from God and then round and around the mountain until I could forgive myself. That is why it seemed just too odd to be referred to as a “saint.” I know that I can't rely on my feelings or nothing makes sense! So let’s do some extensive traveling around and about the truth, because this is where we need to camp out. I want to examine truth and dispute the erroneous thinking around which we may allow our minds to wind. We are going to see how our emotionally driven thinking can keep us from walking in the truth.
Dr. Neal Anderson (Freedom in Christ Ministry) reminds us that we are saints who sometimes sin. I am hoping that at the end of this particular journey you will be willing to embrace your ‘sainthood’ so to speak, and not push it away as I did. It is vital to understand our identity in Christ and receive it. So on to some truth, and I will refer to Dr. Anderson often because of the impact his material and understanding had in my life as I grew to understand my identity in Christ.
Let me start with a description of the meaning of stronghold:
“…habitual, mental patterns of thought. These strongholds are memory traces burned into our minds over time or by the intensity of traumatic experiences…They are formed in our minds like deep tire tracks in a wet pasture: After the ruts have been established over time, the driver doesn’t even have to steer anymore—and any attempt to steer out of the ruts is met with resistance.”
This should help us to understand that we do not just flip a switch and recover from skewed thinking over night. The truth is there for us but we now have to form new ways of thinking and processing based on the truth of God’s Word. Here is something to ponder as we consider our positioning of being called saints and believers in Christ, and we will camp here for a bit.
2 Corinthians 10: 3-6 “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.”
Using the analogy of the tire ruts, we cannot deny that we all have patterns in which we habitually walk. Some are good but some are detrimental to our spiritual growth. The really amazing thing about this walk is that, as believers, we have not been thrown into the ring with the lions (so to speak) without appropriate weapons for the battle. The Scripture tells us that we have been given weapons for our battles that are divinely powerful to take down and destroy the fortresses (strongholds) that we have unconsciously built in our minds.
Next, the Scripture tells us that we can pit truth against error by weighing the truth found in God’s Word against the erroneous thinking that has embedded itself in our minds. “What does God’s Word have to say about who I am?” In God’s word it says that because I am in Christ I am a new creature, I am righteous and sanctified. But the battle begins when I dispute that truth...“No way; I am certainly not” or no, “I could never be because I _______…” (you fill in the blank.) It is here that we do the warring in our minds and, as the verse above says, we must take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ! Now the victory is ours when we make the choice to appropriate what the Word says about who we are and walk in that calling as a saint. Do we do it without error? Of course not, but turn that wheel firmly and pull out of the rut of wrong thinking and untruth to form the new pathway of truth.
Someone I love very much says that they are a Christian yet continues to live a homosexual lifestyle. I realize that it is easy for me to think that if they would only see themselves the way God sees them then they could leave that lifestyle behind. Another loved one has sought after attention by doing lots of wrong things and behaving in wrong ways. This has made for a very dysfunctional life for them. My heart’s cry is that they and others like them would see themselves as God sees them, being made in His image. I cannot help but think what a difference this could make if they would only see themselves through the Word of life. Not that there would be no struggles and temptations because we know from the Paul’s words “…For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. If, then, I do what I will not to do…” from Romans 7.
Realistically speaking here, if we measured every thought about who we are with God’s Word, we might see that what we do or what is lived out is based on what we believe about ourselves. There is some similarity here to the positive thinking process but if we believe in Christ and His redemption on our behalf on the cross, then we should be well on our way to walking as children in the light. Our actions must be the response to the way we see ourselves in light of the Word! Dr. Neil Anderson says that "...satan would like you to believe that your behavior tells you what to believe about yourself, but the truth is that your belief about yourself determines your behavior!"
Here is a great verse to memorize.
“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit, soul and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who called you is faithful and also will do it.” 1 Thessalonians 5:23, 24
Father God, things can sure get mixed up in my thinking and I do forget that as Your child I have received sanctification, redemption and the right to put satan and his lies under my feet. He has done a good job in keeping me from living the abundant life for way too long. Today let me know and believe that my identity is in You and with Christ in me I no longer have to live and walk in darkness. You have called me out of that darkness to live in and be Your light. Let me absorb all the truth Your Word has to say about who I am as a new creature in Christ and let my walk show to Whom it is I belong to. Thank You for loving me and for the privilege of being Your child!
I want to look at a couple of things that can really impact my effectiveness for Christ.
- If I am tuning in to what God’s will is for my life, then I am going to have to know His voice and respond in obedience when He calls.
- By getting to know and recognize His voice I should be able to detect when the enemy comes along to pull me off track.
John 10:27
“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.”
Am I willing to forego pleasing men to be in the will of my Father?
There are times it seems that so many things pull and vie for my attention and all I really want to do is what my Father has called me to do. But, there is this voice over here that says how good I might be at that task or asking me if I could serve on this committee; and there was that burning desire in my heart to take up that cause so near and dear to me. Oh, there are so many things that are calling my name. But then there are also the negative voices that say you are crazy if you think that you can do that or go there, or you are so unqualified to be even thinking of doing that job. But, I just want to please my Father.
God can call us to do some pretty out-of-the-box things that people sometimes do not see as ‘God’ things. How would you respond to a friend who decides to move to the inner city to minister with a group of like-minded folks who see the lost and hopeless as another facet of God’s treasure? I don’t just mean a two week stint, I mean until further notice thiswill be the residency of that friend and his/her family? You might respond by saying that they are just too radical and throw all the ‘what if’s’ at them. Would you try to convince them that they should not be thinking of doing such a crazy thing after all consider your family? And you might fire right off with whether they were really certain that it was God’s voice that they were responding to, right? These do seem to be pretty valid questions!
I absolutely love when I run into or hear of someone who is so sold out and convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are doing just what God has called them to do, radical or not.These are people who care about one thing and that is being obedient to their God-calling! The coolest part of this is that amazing things can happen when we are obedient to our calling.
The flip side of this is when we succumb to the nay-sayers that keep us from taking that step forward instead consider man’s opinion over God’s calling, even if we know we are capable. On the other hand, you may appear to be totally unqualified according to man’s standards and yet God calls you in spite of your lack of qualifications and you do something you never imagined that you could do.
This happened to me a few years ago when our church lost our worship arts director. She was a gem that the Lord brought to us to usher in contemporary worship. Our church decided to hold two services, one traditional and one contemporary. Her husband, after three years with us was called to serve at a different church and we were left without our worship arts director. She had asked me several times if I were interested but I just never believed I was qualified. I have minimal musical training but I love to worship. That was all I had to go on. After much persuasion and prayer I finally succumbed to the request and really gave it my best for a year. Friends, emotionally, it was one of the most difficult years I have ever had, I believe, primarily, because I allowed the varying comments of too many to cause me to doubt that I was doing what I was called to do. This affected the team, who lost confidence in me and began to resist my direction. It was a horrendous year emotionally and I have often wondered if I became too concerned with making the team members happy, or did I just not belong in that position? After all I was only there until someone came on board who was a ‘true’ director? I prayed and sought the Lord big time! I love the element that worship brings to the Sunday service and I love to worship, and I so wanted this to work out of my worshiper’s heart, but I leaned more on people’s varied opinions instead of my Father’s direction. I remember screaming out loud one morning, “Lord, I just want to please You!” Well, circumstances at home would present a difficult summer ahead and I resigned the position after a year to be available to my mother who spends the summer with us. God knew I would not have the time required for the job and that I would be needed at home and frankly, it was a huge relief!
At the radio station where I work, we run into so many opinions from our listeners and music is the subject that causes the most dissension. Some years back, we had a difficult time when we clearly felt the Lord was calling us to change our music emphasis to primarily praise and worship. We were headed for a top 40 Inspo format and three of us distinctly heard the calling from the Lord to open the music format up to praise and worship. Yes, it was different and yes, most stations were not going in that direction. Our calling was to raise a canopy of praise over northern Minnesota and Northwestern Ontario. We were called to help usher in the presence of the Lord in a very hardened and dark region. We definitely ruffled feathers and it would have been much easier to try to flex to fit the opinion of many listeners. But the risk in compromise is that you lose sight of your calling for the ministry and what it is that God wants to do. We have to remember our focus, our calling, our purpose and that God, the creator of the universe, has positioned us to accomplish His purposes and His voice is really the voice we need to be listening to, not the opinions of hundreds of people who may or may not know what that calling is. Yes, it is difficult and people can be hurt or upset if when we do not consider their opinions.
So why is it so…hard to move in God’s direction? Most of us want to be loved and accepted and I do not know anyone who likes rejection, but if you are doing what you are called to do you very likely will take some heat for choosing to please God instead of man. But, how precious are the words of our Father as we read of the parable of the servants who tended to their master’s business while he was off in another country!
Matthew 25: 20-21 “So he who had received five talents came and brought five other talents, saying, 'Lord, you delivered to me five talents; look, I have gained five more talents besides them.' His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'”
Father, I love You so much and I truly want to ‘dance’ for You and serve You with all my heart. But sometimes I hear voices that cause me to second guess whether I am doing the right thing.I am asking that You help me to know You more and to recognize Your voice when You call me to do Your will. I so want to hear you say well done, Kimberly; you have served Me well…enter into the joy of your Lord!” Your word says in Proverbs 16:7 that “When a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” The rewards for walking in obedience to Your calling are well worth the difficulty that can come when we are a God pleaser! Thank you for giving me the courage to press on for Christ’ sake and in His name!
