buildingbodies4christ

building on the foundation of Jesus Christ

Archive for the tag “Jesus”

08 Oct 2014

Going, Going, Gone!

Last week, I found out my next door neighbor is moving. I told them I was sorry to see them go – and I meant it. They were nice neighbors. English is not their first language so there was always a barrier to communication. But we spoke the occasional “hi” from the yard. They have lived beside me for at least five years. But the thing I got a little bit excited about was that when they moved, they would be taking their dog with them! Disclaimer – I am not a pet person; I never grew up with pets, and I just don’t have a love for them. This dog has been my nemesis. Whenever I am outside the dog barks continuously until I go back in the house. Front yard or back. If the dog sees me in my living room, it will bark. I haven’t been able to enjoy any time in my yard since the dog has lived with them.

The dog is a rather large dog; mostly mutt but has some German shepherd in the mix. When the dog has been off the leash, it has charged at me – three times. The encounters have put me in a fearful mode when I attempt to go outside. I always check to see where the dog is before I venture outside. The past encounters have given me flashbacks to my childhood with other encounters with large dogs. I am not a big fan to say the least. So yes, I am glad this dog is going away. I did a little happy dance when I thought I could at last be at peace in my yard. Not only has this dog been a nemesis for my peace, I have had other neighbors bring dogs home and there’s a chorus of barking dogs whenever I am trying to write or study God’s word. I have started referring to those times as Satan’s tool of distraction. Once I submitted my annoyance to God, the dogs have no longer been an issue during those special times.

As I was contemplating these last three years of doggie distractions, I realized this was the time that Jesus had set aside time for me to begin a new work in me. I was reminded of the study we just finished up in my small group time. We studied the book of Jonah with Priscilla Shirer. She wrote (and spoke) about navigating a life interrupted. God has plans for us. Sometimes we have these “divine interventions” to get us on His plan. Over the last three years, He has been working on my heart and His plan. He wants me to be aligned with the things that He has in mind. It’s not too difficult to figure out that His plan involves people. He wants everyone to know about His love for us; His plan of salvation through Jesus, His Son; and how He wants to use each of us to reach our neighbors. Satan doesn’t want this to happen and will send whatever distractions or obstacles so the work will not be done!

For those of us who follow the commands of Jesus, we are told to love our neighbors as ourselves. Jesus suggested – I mean – told us to go out into the world and disciple others; to teach them to obey everything He commanded (Matthew 28:19-20). I think we all understand this is what we are to do. But if you are like me, you might not actually do it. The world is too big to conquer. We can’t reach it by ourselves. But my world is a bit smaller. God has placed me beside these neighbors. For the last few years, I have understood this is my world. I was happy the dog was going away, but I should have been sad about the fact that I would not be able to be a light to this neighbor anymore. I should be heartbroken that I will not have the opportunity to tell them about Jesus. The language barrier was always an excuse. Now, the dog won’t bother me, but the thoughts of missed opportunities might.

God’s plan is always about people. Jonah became angry over God’s compassion for the people of Nineveh. There are always obstacles to share the Good News. We need to have the compassion that God has because compassion always leads to action. The barriers will never stand in our way if we understand God’s perspective that everyone is worth the effort because Jesus died for them too. We will be compelled to tell! The opportunities like the dog will be going, going, then gone for good.

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:6-8

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01 Oct 2014

When God Interrupts

Have you ever been interrupted in the middle of a conversation? Isn’t it annoying? It’s also very rude. Yet, when God does it, are we perturbed by it? We can have the greatest vision for our lives, but if it’s not God’s will, He may come in and interrupt those plans. Sometimes He allows us to follow our own course, but at some time He will help us to see something much better – His will for our lives. On Tuesday, my nephew and his family flew out of the country to begin a new chapter in their lives. It’s not something we as a family really wanted for them. After all, they are taking precious little ones far from family. But God has placed a divine interruption right in the middle of their lives and ours. He called them to a higher purpose than living paycheck to paycheck. He called them to go and make disciples to those on the other side of the world. He called them to love people who don’t know Jesus. He called them to something better.

In a way, I feel a bit envious of their new chapter. They know what they are supposed to do in this foreign place. They have their instructions and will have such an incredible time experiencing Jesus in a very different way. They are risking everything they have for the sake of the Gospel. But isn’t that what we are all called to do? Faith means nothing if it isn’t put into action. Faith means stepping out even when the vision isn’t fully revealed. Faith means we will go even when we don’t know what’s in that place where God wants us. Our faith is not for the faint of heart. It means taking huge steps so that God will be glorified in them. The unknown would probably scare us to death if it was revealed. Sometimes, it’s best not to know.

But faith means we place our lives in someone’s hands that is greater and knows all things. There is nothing that surprises our God. He is Sovereign. He sees our circumstances before we even get there. He is already there working it out for good even before we encounter it. God brings us the interruptions so that we can know Him better. We can understand another aspect of who He is. He is more concerned about our heart than He is about our comfort. If He needs to interrupt us, then it will be for our good. It is an opportunity to know Him better and to know His love in a greater way. And it’s always about bringing Him glory.

Yes, I am sad to see my nephew and family leave us. But I can’t wait to hear the stories they will have on how God has shown up in this new chapter. I can’t wait to be able to go to that place where they will be and see all God s doing through them. It’s hard for the grandparents to experience this season. I can’t imagine the loss they are feeling. But I know that God is going to take that pain and use it for another purpose. He is going to make something good out of all of it – I know it because God is that good. He takes it all for His glory and our good. God interrupts our comfortable so that we can experience a greater joy and greater presence than we could ever imagine. God is that good. His love is that good. We just have to have the faith that good will come out of those interruptions!

When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:14-21

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24 Sep 2014

What Now

For the last few weeks, God has been instilling His plan in my heart. I know; it should be very evident this is what He wants done. Last year, my church started a training program to help us disciple others. I got it. I understood this is the great commission – we are told to go to the ends of the earth to teach others about Jesus. But what about going next door? Yes, I should go there too. I struggle with getting out of my comfort zone. I am perfectly fine sitting here in my nice quiet little house typing away on my computer. I may reach a few with my postings. However, my neighbor may never know that I write these blog postings. They may never come to the place of understanding that God loves them so much that He sent Jesus for them. Jesus came to redeem them – to set them free from their bondage to sin. Oh, we don’t talk about sin anymore – from our mistakes; the mistakes that we commit over and over.

God’s plan. He introduced the plan way back in the garden. He set things in motion until the right time. Then He sent Jesus to finalize the deal. Jesus did what God asked of Him. He suffered and died on a cross so that we could live in His resurrection power. He came to give us life everlasting. Jesus came for the lost. He came to end our suffering. The suffering we no longer endure is the suffering related to our sins. We give the weight of those burdens to Jesus. We now suffer for a different cause. We suffer for the sake of Jesus’ name. We take on His task of spreading the good news around the world or next door. Jesus said that we will have persecution because of Him. We will suffer for His cause if we choose to accept the challenge placed before us. It’s a matter of if we choose obedience or not.

I recently started another Bible study from the book of Jonah. This one is by Priscilla Shirer. This is a powerful study about God’s plan to reach the lost. Jonah had the task of reaching people he cared nothing about. He ran in the opposite direction. He didn’t accept the challenge until God put him in an uncomfortable place, then he did it reluctantly. About the time I started the Jonah study, I read about the persecuted church in the book by Nik Ripkin called The Insanity of God.

We truly don’t understand persecution in this country. It’s a foreign concept to us. But in the first century church, they understood it well. Persecution was like the stamp of a foot that scatters dust; persecution drove the people further into the world to reach the lost. Persecution scattered the Body of Christ. For those of us who are not under persecution, we are 30% of all the believers around the world. The rest of the believers are enduring persecution. Believers in persecution are willing to risk it all for the sake of Jesus’ name being known. They stand up in the oppression for the things we take for granted. They risk death for the sake of the resurrected Jesus. Those seeking will travel miles on foot to find people who know Jesus. They find Bibles miraculously in order to increase their knowledge. People in some areas only have a portion of Scripture, and they memorize every word.

I am perplexed by this concept of persecution. I take for granted all that was done for my sake to know Jesus. I have multiple Bibles. I can worship openly. I can talk openly about Jesus. Yet, I do not have the compulsion to go next door. What do I do with the words contained in the Bibles I have around my house? Something is wrong with this picture. So what now? How do I change my comfort zone to include others who do not know Jesus? It starts with knowing Jesus so well; to be willing to die to myself in order to gain the passion (suffering) of Jesus. It’s the plan that began so long ago. It’s in my hands (and yours). We are the torchbearers of this generation. What will you do with the knowledge that you possess?

Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. Luke 24:45-48

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10 Sep 2014

I Wonder

As I was contemplating some matters on Monday, I began to think about the comedienne Joan Rivers. She recently died. She was known for her bawdy jokes mostly directed on her own looks or events in her life. She also had a reputation for judging celebrities’ fashion choices at big “red carpet” events. It wasn’t so surprising to hear that the funeral held over the weekend gave the comedienne a grand sendoff. What I do find surprising that the family chose to do this in a synagogue – which is supposed to be a holy meeting place. While I was pondering this thought, I hoped that the speakers did not offend God while they were in this holy place. I wondered if God laughed at the jokes offered in this setting. Do we really take God seriously as the Lord God Almighty? This God who made the universe with a word; this God who takes seriously His love for us and the sin in our lives that He sent His Son to redeem our souls from the very gates of hell.

I wonder also, when God’s patience runs out on us as a nation, will we ask “why are these things happening to our nation?” In a year or two, or ten, when everything comes to a head and disaster is upon us, will we run to God and ask Him why has He allowed us to suffer? I ponder these things and realize I too have laughed at the bawdy jokes before. I have judged unjustly. I have mocked God. I am just as guilty as anyone. I too have come running to God when my world was turned upside down wondering why such things have happened. I understand now, that God allows things to happen to turn us back to Him. Right now, I can see things spiraling out of control for this nation. I see things moving in the wrong direction. Will events that will happen or is already happening turn us back to God or will it push our society further away? Will we allow the correction or turn our fists against Him? These are the things I wonder.

My heart hurts to think about God being mocked and scorned. But it’s happened before. God sent prophets to warn His people, but they didn’t listen. He ended up sending His only Son, but they crucified Him. John the Baptist warned the people before Jesus came that the people of God needed to repent. Some did; others mocked John as a crazy man eating locusts in the wilderness. Jesus claimed to be God’s Son, and the religious people were offended. He was just another crazy man, speaking crazy things to warn God’s people about God’s wrath being stored up for a time. God’s patience will run out. We are getting away with the mocking for now, but there will come a day when the patience of God will end.

How will we as a society react? Let’s get real personal. How will you react? How will I react? I understand from my own perspective that at times I have lack of respect for an Almighty God. God isn’t looking at people who are far from Him to respect Him and glorify Him; He is looking at those who claim to be His. Do we as followers of Jesus respect and honor and glorify Him? This is our purpose. Every one of us has a responsibility to repent of our own actions and cry out to Him for forgiveness. Yes, God loves us, but He hates sin. In that tension is where we find ourselves today.

I wonder if anyone else feels the tension that is swelling up even now. Time is growing very short. Jesus came so that we would have forgiveness. Jesus came for the lost of the world. Jesus came to take the wrath of sin away. We have a part to play in this story. We have to ask for forgiveness for ourselves and for our nation. We have to be a part of the solution to the lostness of this world. We have to cry out for God’s patience for just a while longer while we reach our family and friends. It’s not too late, but one day it will be. I wonder if anyone is listening to the clock ticking besides me.

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:7-9

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03 Sep 2014

Life and Death

Over the last month, death has been on my mind. I have had a few people die recently that have touched my life in some way. None of them were close friends or family, but all of them died suddenly. Maybe they had been sick in one form or another, but death is just always just one last breath away. We never know when death will come to claim us. God says He has numbered our days. We are just a fine mist; here today gone tomorrow.

For much of my life, I have lived it by just drifting through. I didn’t accomplish much. I lived just getting by. I lived going from weekend to weekend; from paycheck to paycheck. I worked so that I could live. But is that all there is to life; to just get by? Or is there something greater to obtain? Climbing the corporate ladder to success, but where does that really get us? I watched a program recently that showed a woman’s closet that was three stories tall. She was showing all her valuables stored in this closet. I wondered if that is what success is all about? A closet full of clothes and accessories? There’s got to be more, right? A couple of weeks later, there was a news report that the lady had a break in and some of her most valuable possessions were stolen. Imagine that? I am not judging this woman’s heart or her possessions.

After this report, I thought of where our treasure is placed. We are told in Scripture to store our treasure in heaven, not in the earthly things that can rot or be stolen. What we store in heaven will grow in abundance. Thieves cannot take away what is placed in God’s hands. Jesus said nothing that is put in God’s hands can be snatched away. I’m sure He was not talking about material possessions but the things that God treasures the most – people. His love is so great for each one of us. But most of the time we give very little thought to Him. We just drift through this life without real thought or purpose. But we are made for more. Jesus said in John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” Is my life full?

Did those who died recently, did they have the fullness that is promised in Jesus? I don’t know their stories. I don’t know what was in their hearts. I don’t know if Jesus was fully contained within so their lives reflected His love outwardly. That is not for me to judge; but I have to look at my own heart and life. This is for me to discern. This is for me to look and judge my own reflection – is Jesus evident in my life? Am I living with purpose and dedication to what Jesus wants to do through me? This is my time to reflect as I consider my own mortality. I want my life to touch others in a way that gives God the glory. I want to be a reflection of Jesus. I want to make a difference here so that I may gain treasure in heaven. This will be a successfully full life here. This I want desperately because there is a desperate world out there that needs to see Jesus. There isn’t much time left. My days are numbered. And who knows when Jesus may come again. I need to be busy; I have said it too many times; I need to make it count and do it.

No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it.

See, I set before you today life and prosperity, death and destruction. For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, and to keep his commands, decrees and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. Deuteronomy 30:14-16

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20 Aug 2014

The Perfect Place

Last week, I wrote about my love for waterfalls. I would love to live in a place where I had access to such natural beauty. Ideally I would have a view of mountains, a lake or a beach. When I was twelve, my parents and I moved to the North Carolina Mountains. When I went to college, my parents moved further into the hills of NC. Their house was placed amongst rhododendron with a small stream running along the back of the property. A waterfall provided the stream up the hill from the house which flowed beyond our house into a lake. You could sit outside on the deck with the sunlight filtering through in perfect peace. My parents eventually moved back down to the flat lands soon after I graduated from college. I didn’t appreciate those moments when I had them to sit in that perfect place in perfect peace. I was restless to move on.

I think I would be more creative in natural surroundings. I think my creative juices would flow best if I could hear the rustic sounds of nature just outside my door. Right now, I’m here in the midst of the blaring music, dogs barking and rushing cars flying down my neighborhood street. One day maybe I’ll pack up and move to a less hectic place. But where would I go? As I contemplate my perfect place, I realized as I walking my neighborhood one morning there is no perfect place. There is always something that would cause me some irritation.

I do not like critters – snakes, spiders, or crawling bugs invading my personal space. If I was at the beach, there would be all sorts of bugs encroaching on my territory. If I was at the mountains, there may be a few bears, lots of snakes, and other sorts of critters that would keep me in constant flux! Maybe if I moved to an island in the Pacific, I would find peace amongst the swapping palms; if the mosquitoes didn’t eat me alive. I’ve been to Maine and Alaska in the summertime. There are issues with bugs there too, not to mention the unfavorable weather for a hot climate girl like myself.

Maybe the perfect place is the place where I am right now. God gave me instructions to move here several years ago. Until I get direction to move again, I am in His perfect place. Every time I have moved in my life, God has given me opportunities in those new places to learn something about Him that I might not have known if I stayed where I was. Sometimes we have to move in order to grow. Sometimes in the midst of staying we learn patience and endurance. God has placed me in different places for different reasons. I can be content right here and right now because God has something for me to learn in this place and in this time. I can’t rush the process of learning. Is it perfect for my creativity?

My house may not be in the ideal place for my creativity. But I have made a place in my little area where birds are welcomed; where squirrels lounge on my deck; where flowers bloom and trees grow. I have a little space of quiet in the midst of a busy neighborhood. And God has given me peace here. No matter what my circumstances, I have found my rest in Him. I have found my perfect place. And it has nothing to do with my physical dwelling. I will stay in this place because I don’t want to be anywhere else a part from Him. I am resting in Jesus’ loving arms, feeling His presence and soaking in His peace. Thank you Jesus for being my perfect place!

The Lord is my shepherd;
I have all that I need.
He lets me rest in green meadows;
he leads me beside peaceful streams.
He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
bringing honor to his name.
Psalm 23:1-3(NLT)

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13 Aug 2014

The Waterfall

I love to travel. I love going to different places that have natural beauty. I just am so much more aware of God’s presence in those places. Over the years, I have found a real love of waterfalls. I love to hear the water falling onto the rocks below. In the majesty of thunder and the roar of the water, the power that is exhibited in the rushing waters leaves me in awe. I lived in the mountains when I was younger, and I got to see a few waterfalls while traveling around in those hills and valleys. Maybe that’s where I got the fascination of waterfalls. Such beauty is those places and gives me such a sense of peace.

Recently, I heard a statement that I haven’t been able to get out of my mind. It was an imagery that resonates so acutely with the power of waterfalls. I don’t remember who made the initial statement, but it was in the context of God’s love for us. The speaker said that God’s love was like a waterfall. If we would get beneath that waterfall, we would experience such a profound change in our hearts that we could not be silent about it. Think about it. If God’s love was poured out on us like a waterfall, we would be forever changed! If we truly believed in God’s great love for us, we couldn’t be silent any longer.

Water changes the landscape. Whether it’s falling off a cliff or cutting a path through the valley, it’s changing the landscape of where it flows. All we have to do is look at the Colorado River carving the deep path of the Grand Canyon. Or look at the rocks below the waterfall to see the smooth stones in its path. The water takes off the sharp edges and smooths the rough places. If I consider things in a spiritual way, God’s living water does the same thing for us. The living water changes our landscape in our hearts. We are forever changed by the path it takes.

In John 4, we are told that Jesus gives us the Living Water. If we ask Him for this living water, we will never thirst again. “But whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14). This picture of water welling up in us gives me the idea that it has to overflow somewhere. It doesn’t just well up and evaporate or get stagnant. But it is living; it is flowing; it does not stay put. It carves a new path. It washes over to form a new life. The love of Jesus causes us to change. I think though we don’t actually understand this love. I know I have struggled to understand it myself. But I have to believe this truth. God said it, therefore I believe it. Because His words never lie. His love is powerful. His love is thundering down on us. His love roars in the deepest part of us, but we fail to listen; we fail to understand. We get sidetracked by our own interpretations instead of understanding the truth found in God’s word.

God’s love changes everything. His love sent Jesus to show us His reflection. His gaze is always on us; not of condemnation, but of love. His love is flowing like the waterfall. Stand up under it and let it transform you. There’s always room for one more under the falls. Soak it in and be refreshed by the Living Water.

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:16-19

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06 Aug 2014

It’s Free!

When I do mundane chores like mowing the grass, my mind tends to wander. Usually, I will start to think about spiritual things. Okay, most of the time it’s just meaningless stuff. One time while I was mowing, I started thinking about my perfect yard. Well, my dream of a perfect yard. As I was mowing, I was looking at mostly weeds with a little grass mixed in. When I first moved into my house fifteen years ago, I really worked to maintain the grass and keep the flower beds weed free. But I got sick and couldn’t maintain my yard as I should have done. I just didn’t have the desire to keep it up. Now that I am feeling good, the weeds are just too overwhelming. It would cost big bucks to get the yard looking good again. Now, I am just not willing to pay the price of a beautiful yard.

While I was pushing the mower – no riding mower for me – I was thinking about the cost to live these days. We like free stuff, don’t we. But everything has a price; nothing is really free. Except the freedom we find in Jesus. Jesus said He came to set the prisoners free (Luke 4:18). Our sins keep us bound and unable to live free. Jesus sets us free from our sin nature – our prison; our bodies of death and decay. Jesus paid the price for everyone. The cost of our freedom came through Jesus’ death and resurrection. Nothing we can do in ourselves will pay the price. The price has to be a perfect sacrifice. God says a lamb of perfection must be slaughtered in order to pay the price of sin.

God gave His people the of sacrifice thousands of years ago. But they had to do it annually. There was no way the sacrifice could do the work once and keep them from sinning. It was impossible. With Jesus all things are possible! He fulfilled the role of the perfect Lamb for once and for all. Nothing else has to be done. Jesus said on the cross with His last breath – “It is finished!” So with those words, I received a free gift when I said I believe Jesus died for my sins. He took the payment that was due for me and paid the price by His blood. But not just that, He defeated death by walking out of the grave. He didn’t stay dead! So not only do I have payment for my sins, I have the free gift of living with Jesus in heaven for eternity. It just keeps getting better. We live with the expectation that there is something more after we die. We have a hope that comes by the way of Jesus and His sacrifice.

My grass will wither and die – especially if it’s not raining. We too can be seen as grass to eternal beings. We too will wither and die one day. But with the promise that Jesus gives us, death for us who believe is just another transition to eternity with Jesus. One breath expelled here and a new breath taken in heaven. It’s not the end of us, but the true beginning. What a blessing to understand that Jesus sets us free from death, and it didn’t cost us anything to receive this gift. It’s free for anyone who will believe in His life and resurrection!

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Then he (Jesus) rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Luke 4:18-21

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30 Jul 2014

Liar, Liar

Have you ever told a lie? Has someone ever told you a lie? You might have answer yes to both of those. I know I did. But what’s worse is we believe the lies we tell ourselves. Last week, I mentioned the movie Frozen and the famous song. The icy queen tells a big fat lie in that song – well, I think it was a lie she told to her own heart. She sang that she was going to “let it go” and she sang she liked the cold anyway. Personally, I get it; we make excuses that we can believe so that we can live with the decisions we make. She was hurt, lost and alone. The decision seemed like a good one at the time. And she believed it was for the best. But was it really?

I am leading a group of women through the Daniel Plan (by Rick Warren). In session four, Dr. Daniel Amen speaks about how the thoughts we have affect our health (physical, spiritual and emotionally). His point was to capture those thoughts and ask – “Is this the truth?” If it’s not the truth, then let it go. (I know; I am carrying this song way too far.) The thoughts we have can harm us. Dr. Amen is a brain specialist. He says there are chemical reactions to our thought life. When we have positive thoughts, the chemical release is a feeling of pleasure. The negative thoughts are toxic. How true is that? Negativity kills our good moods!

How many times do we hear something over and over and start to believe it’s the truth? Scripture tells us that Satan is the father of lies. He is speaking his native tongue. Why do we let him speak to us in his own language? Why do we believe him? I think it’s because we don’t recognize the truth of God’s word to be The Truth. We are to think of the things that are noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable (Philippians 4:8). These are the things we are supposed to capture, not the things that keep us bound up in that negative place. The verse before this one, says that the peace of God will guard our hearts and minds for those of us who are in Christ. I love the picture of putting on the helmet of salvation – part of the armor that God gives us to protect our thoughts.

I don’t know who coined the term, but we need to get rid of our stickin’ thinkin’! We need to dismiss those lies that we hear in our hearts. Our own hearts will lead us astray. Our hearts will deceive us. That’s just hard to believe, but it’s true. I can look back over my past and see where heart has told me something that I believed for years. I didn’t reconcile it to the word of God. God said He made us in His image. However, we can believe aren’t worthy. We can believe we are bad people because of all the things we have done and said. There maybe things in our past that is bad. But the truth is: that God sent His Son for us even when we were so far from Him. God said He loved us, even when we don’t love Him.

I remember being in a bar (in my drinking days) and a total stranger came up to me and told me how beautiful I was. I laughed and everyone around me laughed at the drunken woman. A few days later, I was in another bar in another town, and a man did the same thing. This time, I was the only one who heard it. I was taken aback. I don’t remember what else was going on at that time in my life, but I was far away from God. I think that was God using them to tell me He loved me even when I was far from Him. He saw me as beautiful even when I couldn’t have been further from the truth of it. He never moved; I did. And when I turned around, He was right there waiting on me.

He loves us; He never lies to us. We just need to believe in His love. And He will never lead us to wrong thinking. Capture any thought that does not reflect His truth and dismiss it as a lie from our enemy.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2

Posted in Faith and tagged , , , , , , , ,
23 Jul 2014
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Let It Go!

“Let it go. Let it go.” Is the song in your head yet? When I was at the beach with my family, I finally had the opportunity to see the movie “Frozen.” I had heard the song “Let it Go” everywhere, but I didn’t have the context of the song. My niece told me I should write a blog about it, and I laughed it off. Yet, here I sit writing away! But it’s more than a song; it’s a verse in the Bible. It’s about running our race without anything hindering our progress. I was challenged in a sermon recently about throwing off those things that hinder my progress in my walk with Jesus. Is there an area of temptation that is keeping me from experiencing a deeper relationship with Jesus?

I remembered the song. Forgive me, I don’t remember the “star” in the film, but the woman with the icy touch was hurting the people she loved. She froze her sister’s heart and only an act of true love could unleash her to live. But instead of loving, she fled and locked herself into a protective ice castle so that she wouldn’t hurt anyone else. She determined this was the best thing for all concerned. But it was not the case. She did hurt the world even though she didn’t realize it.

After contemplating my own condition, I wondered if I have also locked myself in a protective environment that is unintentionally hurting those around me. We are meant to be out in the world loving the people God places in our lives. But I isolate myself with the church crowd. I really don’t have opportunities to witness to others about the love of Jesus. I don’t place myself in those places where I am called to minister – outside my walls. True love unleashes us to offer love to others. His true love is placed in us not only to benefit those within our walls, but it’s to reach out and love those around us – our neighbors, our co-workers, those we meet in the street. I have failed in this commandment too many times to count.

The past is behind me – let it go. I don’t want anything hindering my walk. I need protection too to keep me from tripping on this walk. I need to pick up the armor of God as I walk out my door. I want to be in the world but not of the world. I need the full armor on. I will put on the helmet to protect my thoughts. I cover my heart and soul with the breastplate of righteousness. My feet are ready to carry me to those places God wants me to go. The shield of faith is lifted up to keep Satan’s attempt from making me stumble or fall on this walk. And I am wielding the sword which divides the soul and spirit – not in judgment of others because I have no right to judge. The sword which is the living word of God is active and will do the work but we have to be the ones carrying it forward. How will they know if we don’t go?

So I am challenging you too. Let it go. Throw off that thing that is hindering your race. Only true love can release us to do more for His glory but first we have to lay “it” down before Him. Then pick up the full armor and get busy. I’m up for the challenge, are you?

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3

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