ENGAGED TO MARRY THE KING

The Bible frequently refers to the Body of Christ as the Bride of Christ, but what exactly does that mean?  In the Jewish culture, the engagement or betrothal was a formal bond between the bridegroom and bride-to-be.  The Jews saw it as a time of deepening intimacy, by getting to know one another better.   In the process of betrothal, a seal was made in the form of a dowry.  The dowry made the marriage legal even before the official ceremony.

                The dowry came in several different forms;

                1)            The “bride-fee,” paid to the father upon her departure (Gen. 34:12).

                2)            Gifts from the groom to the bride.

                3)            Gifts to the family of the bride (Gen 24:53).

                4)            Gifts from the bride’s father to the bride (Judges 1:15; 1 Kings 9:16).

               

                The bride was the owner of the dowry, and some have suggested the dowry was an advanced inheritance from the bride’s father.    Similarly, the new believer is given a dowry, a seal of promise, a guarantee of one’s inheritance until Christ’s return (Eph. 1:13).  The Holy Spirit is the down payment, providing both a foretaste of the believer’s spiritual inheritance and a legal claim to the fullness of the inheritance of the future (2 Cor. 1:22).

                The “bride-price” has been paid to our Father, who demands justice for our sins through a blood sacrifice.  Jesus, the bridegroom, paid that price for us.  In turn, we have made the commitment to place God as the King of our life and live our life according to His will.  We can only do this through the power of the Holy Spirit who transforms us, resides in us, and strengthens us to walk in Him.

                Aside from Christ, there is nothing that can help us acquire this goal.  We have already tried to live life on our own terms and failed.  We must rely on the One who can change us.  Ezekial 36:26-27 tells us that God will give us a new heart and put a new spirit within us, both of which will bring transformation.    “I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.  I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My stautes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.”

 

THE MARRIAGE

                Throughout the Bible, marriage is a metaphor for the relationship between God and His people.  The Hebrew definition of marriage literally means sanctified (to be set apart for a special purpose).  We are set apart to be the Bride of Christ.  In a committed, romantic relationship, each partner seeks ways to serve the other (Matt. 16:24-26), as is seen in the Bible with Jewish marriages. 

                In a Jewish marriage, a written contract was required from the groom to be given to the bride, which he read aloud during the wedding ceremony.  This contract was an obligatory document (a vow), detailing the responsibilities the husband would have to his wife during their life together (Ex. 21:10;  Lev. 18-21;  Deut. 24:5).  Its verbal and written responsibility included more than just the provisions for clothing, food, and shelter.  This contract explicitly stated the rights of the wife, the respect the husband would have for her, and a commitment to not make her cry.    He was expected to deny himself and provide for her needs.  The husband’s signature, as well as witnesses, were required on the document for the purpose of accountability.  The wife did not need to sign the document, as it was a commitment from her husband.  She was, however, expected to honor, respect, and serve him according to the law. 

                Equally so, the Bible is God’s commitment to us.  In it, we see thousands of promises that state He will care for us, provide for us, comfort us, and serve us as His bride. He tells us our rights, our responsibilities, and our future inheritance.   Marriage is a commitment to lay aside all that pertains to your own loyalties and goals and be joined to one another.   

                We are the object of God’s affection and He, in turn, must be ours.  We are commanded to love Him above all others, to “cleave” to Him.  We are one flesh (Gen. 2:24; 1 Cor. 6:15).  We must not allow anyone else to be placed above our relationship with Him, for this is considered adultery.  God’s role as our husband carries a great deal of responsibility, that He is content to meet.  He gives us love without conditions or restrictions, a love overflowing with understanding and honor, grace, mercy, and forgiveness.  All marriages, including the union we’ve made with God, are most successful when both parties respond to the Bible’s design for love.  

                Our wedding day will take place at the Second Coming of Christ, a marriage that was orchestrated for us before we were created, when we were first sanctified.  It will be the completion of our purpose and plan in life.  We have accepted that calling if we have accepted Christ as our Savior.   Though the ceremony is yet to occur, we can safely view our relationship with Christ as our engagement to Him.

FEAST OF TRUMPHETS & DAYS OF AWE

In the Old Testament, there are numerous times of celebration that the Lord referred to as Feasts.  These days of the year that God set apart were always meant for a special purpose like the celebration of harvest or a time to remember God’s great deliverance of the believers’ forefathers.  In today’s lesson, I wanted to teach you about a time of the year God had set apart called The Feast of Trumpets.

The Feast of Trumpets was celebrated during the Teshuvah season, that is during the month of August in the modern-world system.   Teshuvah is a Hebrew word describing the Judaic and Christian tradition of repenting and turning our lives around.  Teshuvah is required to last thirty days for “repentant Christians” and forty days for those who are not repentant in hopes that their hearts would soften and become repentant during the last ten days, referred to as “Days of Awe”.

During the period of Teshuvah, believers are to ask God for the ability to see the sins of the last year and ask Him for forgiveness as each one comes to mind. However, sins which were committed against another person must be forgiven by that person against whom the sin was done.  In other words, we are to seek forgiveness from others for the sins and offenses we, as individuals, have committed against them.  In turn, if a person who has offended us does not seek our forgiveness during this feast, it is our obligation to go to that person and give them the opportunity to ask forgiveness.

During this mind provoking time of repentance, the believer is encouraged to consider Matthew 6:12:  “Forgive us our sins against You as we forgive those who have sinned against us.”

According to Jewish tradition, during the Feast of Trumphets, God sits on His throne of judgment and three books are opened; the Book of Life; the Book of Death; and the Book of the Intermediates.  Those written in the Book of Life are the totally righteous who have fully repented of their sins, and had their repentance accepted by God.  Those written in the Book of Death are the totally wicked who are fit only for destruction.  The vast majority of people are written in the Book of Intermediates.  These people have until Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) to repent and be written in the Book of Life.  If they do not repent, they will be written in the Book of Death. 

The crucial message and point of the Days of Awe is this: it’s a time of serious introspection, a time to consider the sins we’ve committed that we haven’t confessed (agreed with God that it is sin) and repented of (turned away from).  Additionally, it’s a time or opportunity to seek reconciliation with people you may have wronged or of those who have wronged you.  An important point I feel inclined to share with you is the difference between saying, “I’m sorry,” to someone and asking forgiveness.

When we step on someone’s toes or accidently elbow them we say, “I’m sorry.”  I honestly believe that those two little words need to be reserved only for accidents.  Asking forgiveness is something we need to do when we do something to hurt another person, i.e. when we sin against another person.  Asking forgiveness requires that you humble yourself, take responsibility for walking in sin, and repenting to another person – and the Lord knows it’s not easy to do!  Let me tell you a little secret about asking forgiveness from another person – if you do it in humility and sincerity, you will feel like a thousand pounds have been lifted from your soul.  It’s scary, but unbelievably freeing.  

There are two things you need to know about asking forgiveness from another person.  One, you can’t go into it with expectations.  For example, if you believe the person also needs to ask for forgiveness from you, don’t expect it to happen.  If you do, it can lead you to walk away from the person heartbroken and potentially wrestling with more sin.  Your goal should be only to take responsibility for your actions and ask forgiveness.  If the other person also asks forgiveness may God be glorified, but don’t expect it.  Next, you need to understand that you are not responsible for the other person’s response to you.  If you sincerely ask for forgiveness and the other person blows up on you or rejects your attempt at reconciliation, that’s between them and God.  You’ve done what God has commanded you to do.  The ball is now in the other person’s court.  Don’t allow your freedom in Christ to be hampered by the other person’s sin (lack of forgiveness) if that is the case.

The truth is that we need to always live in a continual state of “Days of Awe,” where we are looking over our past behavior and holding it in contempt according to God’s Word which is our standard or plumb line.  Matter-of-fact, I encourage believers to do a daily spiritual inventory of their lives daily to see where they’ve sinned and who they’ve sinned against.  Remember that every sin we commit against a person is also committed against God, thus forgiveness needs to be two-fold; to the person and God. 

When you became a born-again Christian God forgave you of every sin you’ve every committed and every sin you’d ever commit, so I’ve had believers ask why they have to ask forgiveness of their sins.  The truth is, believers are told to confess and repent; to agree with God that what you’ve done is sin and to turn away from sin.  We do that continually (or at least we should) because we sin daily.

My prayer for you is that at this very moment you will take a few moments in prayer and ask God to reveal to you any sin you have committed in your life that you need to confess and repent from in your life.  I also want to encourage you to go to those you’ve sinned against and take responsibility for your actions and do your part and being a vessel for reconciliation and peace in the Body of Christ.  I’m praying for you and am here if you need help! 

THE ANATOMY OF A STRONGHOLD

I live on a 40 acre horse ranch in east-central South Dakota.  Every spring we get continual torrid wind and heavy rain that drench our ranch – including our long, dirt driveway.  When I drive my vehicle to go somewhere, it causes deep, wide ruts that will dry rock hard in the days that follow.  After they’ve dried, the ruts will force me to drive down them repeatedly.  If I try to drive out of the ruts, they will promptly and violently, grab the wheels of my van and jerk it back into its center.   These ruts are like stronghold in our lives.

Strongholds don’t happen overnight.  They are birthed from desire; a longing or inclination of the affections toward some specific object or person.  The problem with desire is that if gone unchecked, it has a domino effect; turning desire into motive, motive into thoughts, thoughts into emotions, and emotions into actions.  That’s the natural, fleshly progression, and if we remain in a pattern of sin, that seed of desire roots itself and grows into a stronghold in our lives. 

When my eldest son was just eight, I took him to an arcade where I watched him steal some tokens from someone else who wasn’t looking.  I took him not only to the manager to confess what he’d done wrong, but to the police station.  I asked a police officer to give my little guy a scare so he’d learn a lesson.  When the officer asked my son to step out of my vehicle and he put handcuffs on him, my son knew the cop meant business.  His alligator tears broke my heart, but I knew something he didn’t:  sin is always progressive.  Without spiritual intervention, tokens turn to CD’s, then car stereos, then cars.  My son learned a hard lesson that day that has stayed with him another 18 years!

Ephesians 2:3 says, “All of us also lived among them [unbelievers] at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts.” 

1 Peter warns us about unhealthy desires, saying, “…abstain from sinful desires which war against your soul (4:1). 

Desire is not a bad aspect of the human emotion, but it is a dangerous one. Without intervention, we are on a train headed for a spiritual wreck. Our emotions should never be in control of us, but we should be in control of our emotions by first looking at the desire behind our motives.

Galatians 5:16-17 says, “So I say, live by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.  For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature.” 

According to the Bible, there are things God wants us to desire such as Him, His will, what He desires, truth, mercy, and an array of other healthy things (SS 7:10; Is 55:11; Ps 40:8; Ps 51:6).  The way we measure our desire is by asking our Father in Heaven to show us if our desires are of Him, and if they aren’t, to flee. The truth is though, that most the time we know they are not of God and move forward into sin consciously.  But every time we sin we choose spiritual death, and continued sin in the same area leads to ruts or bondage in our spiritual lives.  The longer a specific sin goes on, the harder it is to get free from its grasp.

Strongholds don’t have to be a part of your life if you have a daily spiritual inventory where you take note of where you’ve sin and confess and renounce it to God in prayer.  Confession is to agree with God that you’ve sin and to renounce is to turn away from the sin and go the opposite direction.  Many people have strongholds because they vacate the latter, but it’s a crucial step to walking in freedom.

In closing, I wanted to point out to you that not all strongholds are bad.  2 Sam 22:3 says, “He is my stronghold, my refuge and my savior…”.   Psalms 9:9 says, “The Lord is a refuge for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.” And Psalm 27:1 tells us, “The Lord is my light and my salvation – whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life – of whom shall I be afraid?” 

If you have to have a stronghold I know of no better one that Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior.  Remember, that strongholds begin with desire, and there is no greater thing in this world to desire than more of Christ.  Pursue Him – He is a rewarder to those who diligently seek Him. 

TESTING GOD

Matthew 4:6

Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple.

“If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

Jesus answered him “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”

                This is Satan’s second temptation to Jesus after he had fasted and been tempted daily by the Devil for forty days in the Judean desert.  Satan deceitfully suggests that Jesus test God by jumping off a pinnacle on the temple.  Historical records tell us that the pinnacle that Satan wanted Jesus to throw Himself down off of was an extension of Herod’s royal palace that hung out over the Kidron Valley approximately 450 feet above the ground. 

                When Satan quotes Scripture, you need to make sure you double and triple check what he’s saying to you.  Here the devil quotes Psalm 91:11-12 to Jesus, but only in part to justify a presumptuous act, while the Psalm really only promises that God will deliver those who trust and abide in Him.  Matter-of-fact, the passage starts off by saying, “IF you make the Most High your dwelling…then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent” (v.9).  Jesus could have jumped and angels would have attended to His fall and needs, but in doing so, Jesus would have been compromising His relationship with His Father and testing Him and His Word. 

                Have you ever purposely sinned all the while telling yourself that God has promised to forgive you?  That is testing God.  Have you ever recklessly spent the money He provided you through your job then reminded Him that He promises to meet all your needs?  That’s testing God.  Have you ever gossiped about someone at church then prayed for them at the end of your conversation trying to convince yourself and God you weren’t gossiping?  That’s testing God. Or how about purposely and recklessly abusing your body with food, drugs or alcohol, then reminding Him that Jesus died for your sicknesses as well as your sins?  That’s testing God.   Have you ever murmured about God not providing all your needs when you wanted them?  That’s testing God.   Psalm 119:11 says, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”  Jesus took these words literally.

                Jesus was quoting Duet. 6:16 when He said, “…You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.”  Jesus’ response comes right out of Deuteronomy where the Israelites were wandering around the desert for forty years and began to demand that God give them water (Dt. 6:17).  They were testing His promise to care for them, even though He’d done so in great measure up to that point.  

Psalm 78:18 says the Israelites willfully put God to the test, and in the New Testament, as a warning to the Body of Christ, the Apostle Paul warned the Church not to do the same as the Israelites, saying,  “We should not test the Lord, as some of them did – and were killed by snakes.  And do not grumble as some of them did – and were killed by the destroying angel.  These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us…” (1 Cor. 10:9, 10).

For Israel, Jesus and for us, demanding miraculous protection as proof of God’s love and care for us is wrong. So is manipulating His Word to fit a circumstance bathed in rebellion and sin.  As we can see from the Israelites example, testing God is sin, and sin always has consequences; the greatest of which is separation from God. 

Where has the enemy of your soul been tempting you to test God?  Amazingly enough, God is so faithful, that even when we are tempted to test Him, He provides a way for us to escape sin’s magnetic draw and promising illusion.  1 Corinthians 13 says, “…And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.  But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”  God’s provision is first and foremost through Jesus’ example:  knowing that He will provide a way out and standing on that truth as Jesus did, using the Word of God as His strength and Defender.

TAMING THE TONGUE

I don’t know about you, but I put my foot in my mouth so much there should be the words ‘size 10’ tattooed under my tongue.  It’s not about just saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, but about those dreadful little white lies, exaggerating the truth, and even, do I dare say it? Gossiping!  When it comes to holding my tongue, it’s a wrestling match I’ve lost time and time again over my short forty-five years.  Why is taming the tongue so hard to do?

                The Bible has a lot to say about the tongue and we find a mouthful of information in James 3:

“We all stumble in many ways.  If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.  When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal.”

                I live on a quarter horse ranch and time and time again we’ve “broke” horses by putting a rein in their mouths and teaching them obedience.  It takes a lot of time, patience, and perseverance.  At first, the horse pulls its head down trying to loosen the pressure in his mouth.  Then, if that doesn’t work, he “shakes” his head and tries to decrease the pressure by flailing its head back.  And if that doesn’t work, frequently they’ll buck you right off their back.  All this happens in a matter of seconds, so for the rider, there’s not a lot of time to mess around before you end up taking a trip via air, landing on the hard ground shaking your head and wondering what happened.  The trainer will go through this process time and time again until something crucial occurs: the horse submits to the “breaking” process and allows the rider to guide it opposed to doing what it wants to do.  

                The process of “breaking” a horse reminds me of my own battle with my tongue; sometimes it can be a real fight to overcome.  I can be just as resistant to being broke as any horse we’ve had on this ranch, trying to find ways to resist the pressure instead of submitting to it and allowing my mouth to be a well-spring of life instead of a stagnant water that brings spiritual death.  But the truth is that the tongue can single-handedly be the most damaging part of the body if not under the direct control of the Lord.   James 3:5 says, “…the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts.  Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.  The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body.  It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.”   

                Verse 9 goes on to share the conflicting struggle that goes on:  With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness.  Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing.  My brothers, this should not be.  Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?  My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs?  Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.” 

                One of the great things about the Bible is that it doesn’t keep you hanging.  It corrects a behavior, then generally outlines what is expected of us. Such is the case in this chapter.  While the author refrains from going into great detail about how our tongues can hurt other people, he does go on to talk about ways to keep peace in the body, alluding to the fact that the tongue causes chaos and separation amongst the body.  If we take verse 17 and look at the standard set for our tongues, we can clearly see where the opposite would cause disharmony in the Body of Christ:

“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy, and good fruit, impartial and sincere.  Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness”.

                There is only one way to get control of an out-of-control tongue, and that is in submitting (instead of resisting) the prompting of the Holy Spirit during those moments that we find ourselves with the proverbial match in our hands ready to set fire to a situation.  In preparation of those moments, we can pray and ask the Lord for His strength, wisdom, words and Spirit every time we open our mouths.  My prayer for all of us is that we will always be a part of the solution in the lives of those we come across and not part of the problem, that we will be well-springs of fresh water and not irritating salt water, that we will be those who build up the church and not tear it down, for it is the peacemakers who sow in peace and raise a harvest of righteousness which is Christ like. 

PUTTING THE KING BACK ON THE THRONE

In Joel 2:25, God promises to “restore the years eaten away by the locust” in our lives.  In this verse, the Old Testament Hebrew means to ‘make restitution, to repay good for evil’,” in other words, to make it right.  This Scripture always reminds me of my life before I became a Christian as it was full of drugs, alcohol, men/sex, abuse and more.  God has certainly restored the years in my life since then hasn’t He?  Yet, during this time of my life the verse is having a more present effect on me.  I’m thinking about my life as a believer and the mistakes I’ve made along my journey in Christ.  Does this verse apply to me now?

Over the last few months the Lord has taken me on a much deeper journey with Him that has challenged me to look more intently at my heart and motives. During this process I’ve been reminded of sin I’ve committed that I’ve overlooked or ignored for a long period of time.  Sin is an act of unbelief.  When we choose our way over God’s, we are saying that we know better than He, that we can take care of ourselves, and that we don’t need Him.  We become the proverbial living sacrifice that crawls off the altar to do our own will.

Sin is a real lack of faith too.  If faith is a combination of belief and trust, I’m missing the boat on one or both of those aspects.  When I gossip and am I really trusting God?  When I tell a lie do I really believe God’s Word and what He has to say about truth?  Am I walking in faith when I’m spending money I shouldn’t be spending all the while asking God to provide for us?  The truth is my lack of faith could fill pages.

When I think about God repaying good for evil in my life, I can’t help but think about how Jesus died for my sin.  It makes no sense that my King would die for me and the ugliness of my sin, yet He did, and that sacrifice carries over to my sin of today, it’s just not for my life before I became a believer. He restores the years (weeks, days, hours) eaten away by locust everyday if we ask Him to in prayer.  Restoration is a daily, sometimes moment-by-moment experience if we accept it.   

Not-so-ironically, Webster’s Dictionary offers the definition for restore as ‘to place or put a King back on His throne’.    Part of the process of confession and repentance for me during this period of time has been getting to the root of sin by asking myself where I’ve literally kicked God off the proverbial throne in my heart and put myself in His place.  Where am I running the show, believing I’ve got a better edge on life than He has?  Where in my life has pride overtaken me and become a crown of sin on my head?

Thankfully, we serve a God who is ever-ready to forgive us when we ask, and equally as eager to restore those days, weeks, months, or even years that we’ve taken over the throne in our hearts, and make something good out of it.  Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to His purposes.”  The idea that God can take my sin and use it for His purposes is astounding to me.  That is the greatest restoration of years eaten away by the locust that I can imagine.  

My prayer for you during this time is that you too will look closely at your heart and see where you’ve taken over the throne room and made yourself King.  It’s a humbling walk to take, but one that is necessary for true intimacy with Christ Jesus our Lord.  Run, run, run to the throne room, and join me in putting the King back where He belongs: on the throne of our hearts. 

LEARNING INTERCESSORY PRAYER

                Questions about how to pray are at the top of the list that I receive every day.  So many of you have been transparent about your personal struggles regarding prayer in your walk with Christ and it’s been my pleasure in the Lord to encourage you.  I’ve had several of my readers ask about intercessory prayer; that is, praying for others.  Do you know that both the Hebrew and Greek word for interceding is ‘paga’, and means, “to meet.”  When we pray to God on behalf of another, we are causing a “meeting” to occur between us and God and in spirit are bringing the other person to the throne room too.  It’s a powerful, spiritual encounter on behalf of another person. 

                I’ve had a number of you ask what it means to “cover” people in prayer and I wanted to share with you my personal way of intercession in hopes that it will encourage you.  If you know me, you know I love to pray and praise God; there is no greater joy for me than being in His presence.  But like everyone else, I have to live life and can’t spend all day in prayer.  I have two kids under four years of age!  So to bring balance to my prayer life I pray specific topics or people on specific days.  Of course, the Holy Spirit’s guidance and the urgent needs of those the Lord brings into my life trump my schedule, but overall, I have found that when I have some sort of outline or schedule it helps me stay on track spiritually.

                On Sunday’s, I am reminded to pray for the church.  I start by praying for my local congregation and its needs right on down to those listed weekly in the bulletin to include the ill, new births, and those grappling with grief due to a loved one.  Then I pray for the other churches in town and then on to the church in the whole, specifically, the Body of Christ. 

                Monday’s I spend praying in depth for my family.  Although I pray for my immediate family daily, I take this day to get into details about their lives by doing an “inventory” for them emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and physically.  For example, I have a loved one who is obese.  So I pray for healing in that area as well as his diabetes, his obvious food addiction, as well as his spiritual state.  I leave no proverbial rock uncovered in the lives of my loved one and spend time listening to the Holy Spirit on areas the Lord wants me to pray for them. 

                I have set Tuesday’s apart for my friends and their families and intercede for things I know they have in their lives that are happening or are scheduled to occur.  During my time of “listening” the Lord always brings to mind friends I’ve had for years or that I haven’t heard from in forever and shows me things in their lives they are struggling with.  Time and time again I’ll hear from these friends after praying for them.  It’s amazing!

                On Wednesdays, I pray for the world, starting with our current President all the way down to our local representative.  I pray for Israel and other countries and pray for God’s will over them.  I pray for the fulfillment of the Great Commission.  I pray for missionaries, for prisoners in prisons (those with and without bars), for Martyrs and for things I hear about in the news and the families involved.   

                Thursday is the day that I specifically focus on having an attitude of gratitude.  I spend the majority of my time praising and thanking God for things in my life and the lives of those I spend the rest of the week praying for.  Actually, I take time every time I sit down to pray to write out my praises and thanksgiving to the Lord on paper.  It helps me keep focused and I enjoy my time doing that immensely.  

                On Friday, I spend my time praying for those who do not know the Lord.  I start with those closest to me and go out from there to friends, people in my town, nearby towns, and so on.  I love this day because I try to leave business cards where ever I go that talk about finding freedom in Christ and take time to pray that the Lord will send people to those cards and give them the strength to call me and ask about Jesus.  I pray for the waitress that served me at the restaurant on Sunday afternoon and the cashier at Walmart that checked me out previously in the week.  The list goes on and is potentially endless until the entire world comes to know the Lord!   I even pray for people who go to church because not everyone who comes through a church door knows Jesus as their Savior.

                On Saturday’s I pray for the special needs of my family, my friends and their families, and for the sick.  Something I want to encourage you with is not just to pray during the time you set apart for one-on-one prayer, but pray throughout the day as the Lord brings people to mind.

                In closing, if I could teach you anything about prayer (besides the necessity of it), I’d encourage you to pray the solution, not the problem.  For example, if you struggle with anxiety, pray, “Father, Your Word says be anxious for nothing, but in all things, through prayer and supplication I am to make my request known unto You and You will direct my path.  So I trust that You are going to supply all my needs and show me the way to go in this specific situation.  I look on high for your guidance and will wait in surety until the answer comes!”  Believe me, your entire prayer life will change if you pray the solution instead of the problem! 

                If I could give you one gift in life it would be the gift of prayer.  There is no greater place to be than in the throne room before the King of Kings.  Please know you can contact me anytime and I will help you know Christ in any way possible; and if I don’t know the answer, we’ll find someone who does!  

FAITH AND THE POWER OF PRAYER AND FASTING

                In Matthew 17 we find Jesus’ disciples scratching their heads after they are unable to cast a demon out of a boy who suffers from seizers (v. 14-19, 22, 23).  When they ask Jesus why they couldn’t deliver the boy, Jesus appears to admonish them, telling them there’s a lack of faith on their part.  What seemingly appears to be a harsh statement from Jesus was really likely frustration.  These men had already been raising people from the dead, healing the sick, and delivering the demon possessed.  So, what happened here?

                Jesus said, “Because you have so little faith…” (v. 20).  Faith can often feel like one of those biblical commands we need to implement in our lives, but have a hard time understanding.  In truth, faith is easy to understand if you break it down.  Faith consists of two things; belief + trust.  When faced with a sin or a difficult situation, we must ask ourselves, ‘Do I believe God’s Word to be true?’  If that answer is ‘yes’, than you must ask yourself, ‘If God’s Word is true, can I trust Him?’  Both of these answers must be ‘yes’ in order for you to move forward because without belief and trust in God, faith is meaningless. 

                It is one thing to say you have faith, but quite another to walk in it.  The truth is, the Bible tells us that we are all given a measure of faith (Rom 12:3) and that we are to increase, build, strengthen it and make it grow (Mark 11:22; Luke 17:5 Romans 4:19; 2 Cor 10:5), so this means we have to continually work towards developing our faith.  We do that through purposely choosing to believe and trust God over our flesh, the world, and the lies of the enemy, and walking in Christ, which is faith in action.  Romans 10:17 tells us that faith comes by hearing and listening to the Word of Christ. 

                When we take God’s Word and write it on the tablets of our heart it gives us a foundation of truth that will hold up under any temptation or storm of life.  If you want to increase your faith, start by praying and asking God to increase your faith, and then look at areas of your life where you have continual failure and give those areas over to Him.  Ask Him to show you what you lack: belief or trust in faith?  As a counselor for almost twenty years, most times there’s a lack of trust due to being let down in life by others.  But we must remember that God is not human.  He does not leave us nor forsake us.  We can trust Him.

                Together, let us work over the following days at where we can increase our faith by giving our weaknesses over to the Lord in prayer, clinging to Him and His Word when difficult situations arise, and by trusting Him when things seem array.  He is faithful, and a rewarder to those who diligently seek Him.  I believe that to be true and I look forward to hearing from you about how your faith has increased in the coming weeks and months. 

SPIRITUAL WARFARE

                I’ve written two books on spiritual warfare, but I’m not one of those Christians who believe there’s a demon behind every bush.  I often tell the story of a woman who blames the flat tire on her car on Satan, but the truth is, she had over 100,000 miles on those tires and they were as bald as bald can be.  The truth is, the Bible tells us we fight against three things; Satan, the world, and our flesh (James 4:4; Gal 5:16,17; Eph 2:1-3).  On this nineteen day of my forty day fast I can honestly say I’ve gone toe-to-toe all three over the last few weeks!

                One aspect of spiritual warfare that isn’t often mentioned is testing and trials in our lives by the hand of God Himself.  The Bible clearly tells us that Jesus was escorted into the wilderness by the Spirit of God to be tested.  I thought it would be helpful for you to see how you can tell if the assault that’s coming against you is your flesh, the enemy of your soul, the world or God’s testing, and how to combat each one, as it’s something that I’ve incorporated into my life that helps me succeed in warfare.  In Luke 10:19, Jesus said, “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.”

                First of all, Satan’s attacks generally include confusion, accusations, feelings of rejection, condemnation, discouragement and hopelessness.  He knows your past like the back of his hand and he is an expert at reminding you of it.  The good news is that believers have been given direct authority over Satan and his demons in Jesus’ name so that we can have victory and freedom. 

                Next, our flesh usually gives us two choices:  stand firm or cave into desire.  Our flesh is generally obsessive and our sin stems from a desire, craving or yearning.  Matter-of-fact, James 1:14 says, “…but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.  Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”

                Then there’s the world, whose attack is always external.  Assaults tend to include pressure to conform to its likeness and generally feed on our senses.  The answer for us in combating the world is to renounce the lies of the world-system and replace them with truth found in God’s Word.  James 1:27 encourages us by saying, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:…to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

                Finally, we come up against God’s testing, which never – ever has confusion as a part of it, but clarity.  You know a decision needs to be made and you either chose to walk in righteousness or in disobedience.  God does not tear down our identity at any time, but affirms it, and there is always a promise of spiritual growth when it comes to God’s trials because He only tests us when He knows we already know the right answer to make. Furthermore, God never tempts us to sin.   James 1:13 says, “When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.”  For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempted anyone…”

                No matter what you are coming up against, Satan, your flesh, the world, or God’s testing, there is one verse that rings true for standing tall through them all; it’s 2 Corinthians 10:5:  “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does…we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ…”

                The Bible has a lot to say about what we think about, and God tells us under no uncertain terms it’s not the same as Him.  Isaiah 55:8, 9 says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.  “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”  God never leaves us to sin, but always encourages us to mature in Him and walk in righteousness.  The Bible goes on to say, “When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child.  When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me” (1 Cor 13:11) and “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.”

                In closing, know that prayer is essential in standing against spiritual forces, trials we face, battling our flesh and the world.  I honestly believe that spiritual warfare is 90% prayer and 10% hand-to-hand combat, and if you aren’t prayed up you’ll fail every time.  Spiritual warfare is not a choice, it’s a given.  How you respond to it is dependent upon if you are prepared, so put on your armor (Eph 6) and stand, ready to fight the good fight! 

TEMPTATION & THE WORD OF GOD

“IF you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone,

but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

Matthew 17

                Have you ever noticed that the greatest time of testing often occurs when you are tired, hungry or alone?  In this case, it’s no doubt that Jesus was all three.  Scripture tells us that our Savior was not only led into the rocky and inhibited wilderness by the Spirit of God where he was “being tempted” for forty days, but Luke 4:1 tells us that He dealt with temptation every day by the Devil.  After enduring over a month of testing and fasting and not sinning, Satan pulls out the big guns and didn’t hold back any punches.

                “IF you are the son of God,” the Deceiver starts off saying, “tell these stones to become bread.”  Satan wasn’t challenging Jesus’ sonship as much as he was suggesting that Jesus had the power and the right to satisfy his own needs without relying on God because of who He was.  Satan was twisting the concept of faith (trust + belief) hoping that Jesus would show doubt with His Father and take care of His own needs.  If you had that capability at such a crucial place and time, why would you wait and rely on God?   We come across this crossroad in life frequently.  Why seek and wait on God and have faith in His will or direction in an area we are entirely capable of handling ourselves?  The answer lies in the Bible; we are to increase our faith by trusting and believing on God to provide all our needs, the most important of which are the needs of our souls that can only be fulfilled by His presence and Word (Luke 17:5).   

                Jesus’ answer to Satan shows us that he clearly was able to look beyond his immediate physical needs and the satisfaction fulfilling them would bring, and look at His circumstance from an eternal perspective.  Our Savior knew that capability and opportunity should never trump faith and submission unto God.

                “It is written,” Jesus answered the Devil, quoting Deuteronomy 8:3, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” 

                Jesus was hungry and wanted to eat, but he knew He could go without food and survive; he’d done so for forty days, and He knew by faith God would give Him the strength to endure longer if necessary, but He knew he couldn’t go without the Word of God, because only the Bible is living and has the power and ability to feed and sustain the soul.  Hebrews 10:38 tells us that God wants us to live by faith – trusting and believing in Him.  Jesus understood that to take things into His own hands would satisfy him for a moment, but to wait on God and trust in Him would satisfy Him not just in that moment, but eternally.  Jesus’ food was to do the will of His Father who sent Him, not what He wanted or thought was best (John 4:34).

                What is it you’re being tempted to do on your own accord and in your own ability instead of waiting on God and clinging to every Word that comes from His mouth?  Where is the enemy challenging who you are in Christ and enticing you to abandon the Father’s mission for your own agenda?  Are you Biblically prepared to fend off an attack of the enemy of your soul by the Word of God?  Like Jesus, we must be prepared for the battle at hand through faith and knowledge of God’s Word – and we begin to do that in prayer.    Equally so, we must continually be building and increasing our faith for the inevitable times we are in the wilderness and the enemy comes to tempt us to leave our first love behind and do our own bidding.

                In closing, please know that I pray for YOU daily – I mean that, so if you have any specific prayer requests, please do not hesitate in sending them my way. I love you guys.  God bless!     

THE SELF-ESTEEM MYTH

One of the biggest issues that believers struggle with is self-esteem.  One of the reasons, I believe, is because self-esteem is of the world and is something  we try to implement into our lives that is foreign into our god-given souls that’s not of God.  Self-esteem implies that we get our identity and worth from self and that which we are able to accomplish.  But God has something much more intimate and special for His children - it’s called sanctification. 

To be sanctified is to ‘be set apart for a special purpose’.  The truth is, it is easy to believe that we are not sanctified based on the message the world delivers us.  Everywhere we turn we are bombarded with commercials, billboards, magazines and television shows that remind us of where we fall short from the worlds perspective.  In addition, thousands upon thousands of children are physically and sexually abused daily.  Abortion clinics thrive.  These, among other devastating facts of our world, claw at our identity one message at a time, tearing it down by telling us we’re disposable and worthless with every assault.  But believers have the ability to turn away from these blatant lies and choose truth as their stronghold.

                Romans 8:29 tells that God knew us and chose us to be His children before the earth was created.   Jeremiah 1:5 tells us that during this time He sanctified us.  But what exactly did God set us apart to do?  We are to become Christ-like, for the sacred purpose of turning from sin and being cleansed from moral corruption.   

And we know that all things work together for the good of those who love God,

to those who are called according to His purpose.  For who He foreknew,

He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His son,

that He might be the first born among many brethren.

Moreover, who He predestined, these He also called,

these He also justified;  and who He justified, He also glorified.

(Romans 8:28-30)

                Everyone that God foreknew  (meaning those He chose and knew  before we were formed in our mother’s womb),  He predestined.  Predestined means He decided beforehand that we would be  conformed, (meaning to come together in the likeness  or  image of His Son, Jesus).    And those He predestined, He called, (meaning He named them).  Those He called, He also justified, (meaning He declared them righteous).  Those He justified, He also glorified, (meaning to give honor and praise).  We all hope to hear the words found in Matthew 25:21, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant’ from our Father when we ascent to heaven.  To hear these words is to receive His honor and praise.

                Putting our faith in these truths will build our god-esteem, meaning of course, who we are in Christ Jesus, opposed to self-esteem which is built by our own accomplishments or lack thereof.  Thus, it does not matter what the world says, but what God says is true.  Knowing and believing this gives us not only faith in who we are, but what God’s will is for our lives and what we are capable of accomplishing through Him.    

                We are sanctified, and as such, we have the capability of having full confidence in who we are in this world without having to adapt to it.  By choosing to reject the world’s standard of esteem and cling to God’s promises about who we are and His plans for us, we can walk in confidence, surety, and hope.  Run to Him now in prayer and ask His forgiveness for believing the worlds lies about who you are and grasp on to who He says you are and learn to walk in your special identity that He ordained for you as His child.     

SUFFERING AND THE BIBLE

On a night over two thousand years ago our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, journeyed into a garden with several companions.  This was no ordinary garden.  There was an olive press, surrounded by gnarled olive trees, but it would not be the tender fruit that would be crushed that night, but the spirit of the Son of God.  He would not just suffer but would agonize over the mission at hand, the horrific events yet to come, and the torture that his spirit, mind, emotions, and body would endure.

                The overwhelming load of all of humanity’s sins were upon Him.  It would be one of hell’s most triumphant hours, appearing to be a victory to all those who witnessed it in both the human and spirit realms.  Humanity would join in the hellish celebration, destroying the flesh of our Savior, mocking His royalty, and scorning His power.  When Jesus died, by all external evidence the bad guy had won the battle.  But that was not the end of the story.

                Jesus endured, persevered, and overcame the agony of the Garden and of his death (which lasted for only a short time) for the glory of the cross, which we know is eternal.  When we received Christ as our Savior, we made a vow, a covenant, to become one with Him and His sufferings.  In essence, when we accepted Jesus as our Savior we said the very thing the apostle Paul said in Philippians 3:10: “I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death.”

                Nowhere does the Bible teach that Christians are to be exempt from suffering.  As a matter of fact, Jesus told His disciples that the world would hate the, that they would be “as sheep in the midst of wolves” (Matt 10:16). They would be arrested, scourged, brought before governors and kings, and accused falsely.  Even their loved ones would persecute them.  The apostle Paul had a lot to say about believers’ suffering.  He made it crystal-clear that being a child of God means that we will endure difficulty on earth.  In Romans 817 he tells us, “Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory.”

                Paul was not a sadomasochist.  He knew the secret to suffering; that suffering on earth is only for a season and that believers will join Jesus’ glory, promise and resurrection for eternity.  He also knew what Jesus proclaimed time and time again through His life on earth – that when we die to ourselves and our own will, we enjoy eternal life on earth; that in the midst of turmoil and heart-wrenching chaos, we can attain God’s peace; that when we are faced with physical death, we receive eternal life and that in the midst of grappling with sorrow, we find intimacy with God.  These seemingly contradictory statements are complex to the finite mind and offensive to those who are perishing spiritually but are soothing to believers.  We have comfort, rest, and hope in Christ regardless of our circumstances.

                When I think of about suffering and the Bible, I think about Job, who was delivered into the hands of Satan to prove he was not serving God simply because God had blessed him (Job 1:8-12; 2:3-6).  Consider for a moment what Job went through:  Satan accused Job before God (1:9-11), took his worldly wealth (1:12-17), and killed all his children (1:18-19).  He struck Job with boils and sores (2:7) and caused the shedding of bleached skin, fever, and chills (30:30), intolerable itching, swollen limbs, ulcers that bred maggots (7:5), halitosis (19:17), choking, corroding bones, diarrhea, feelings of panic (21:6), depression, and terrifying nightmares that led to insomnia.  Job’s wife ridiculed him and encouraged him to curse God (2:9), and his friends accused him of sin that he had not committed (4:8).  In response to all of this, Scripture tells us that Job prayed (10:2), praised God (10:8), and prayed some more (13:20).  He hoped in the Lord (13:15), trusted in his Redeemer (19:25), and proclaimed God’s righteousness (Job 23).

                I’ve received numerous e-mails and comments about these blogs and I always enjoy hearing from you.  I’ve noticed that the number one issue you’ve been reaching out to me with is prayer for a difficult circumstance you’re going through; a broken heart, a past that haunts you, the loss of a loved one, a husband steeped in pornography, and alcohol abuse are just a few of your struggles.  I want to encourage you do that which Job did; pray, praise, and pray some more; hope in the Lord, trust in Him and proclaim His righteousness, and like Job, you will be called righteous.  Rest now in the comfort of God’s wings and call out to Him, for He is listening...and yes, I am praying. 

OVERCOMING UNBELIEF

When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples,

he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow.

Luke 22:45

 

“Exhausted from sorrow,” the disciples slept through a time when Jesus needed them the most.  He had warned them, saying “Pray that you will not fall into temptation” (Luke 22:40), then withdrew from them to pray by himself.  Jesus did not ask the disciples to pray for him because of the looming destruction of his body or because he needed strength to endure.  His request was for them to pray that they would not fall into temptation. 

The Gospels of Matthew and Mark reveal that Jesus went away and returned three times to find the men sleeping.  In response he said, “The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41).  The Bible passage stating that the disciples were “exhausted from sorrow” and Jesus’ comment that their spirit was willing but their bodies weak give the impression that the disciples may have been grappling with anticipatory grief regarding his pending death.  But what form of temptation did he want them to resist through prayer?  He feared they would fall into unbelief, where hopelessness is found and vision is lost.

In the fall of 1998, I had the pleasure of meeting and developing a friendship with Joni Eareckson-Tada.  At that time, Joni had been in a wheelchair for over thirty one years.  She became a quadriplegic in 1967 from a diving accident.    I was a prison Chaplain, and Joni and her staff worked with our people to form a program to restore wheelchairs for those who were physically disabled.  

During a conversation over lunch Joni and I discussed her diving accident and she shared with me that initially she felt hopeless.   Filled with anger towards God, she was consumed by a ‘why me’ attitude.   But this led her nowhere.  Confined to her bed, she became suicidal and ineffective for Christ.   She lost her vision and bathed in unbelief as she couldn’t grasp how God could ever use her or her life for His purposes.  Eventually she submitted to God’s plan for her life by believing in faith what Gods Word says about her in His Word, and in the years since, He has used her disability for His glory, helping literally thousands of people.  Joni has been more successful in Christ without the use of her legs than most that have total use of their body.            When it comes to unbelief, Smith Wigglesworth says it best:

God wants to sweep all unbelief from your heart.  He wants you to dare to believe His Word. It is the Word of the Spirit.  If you allow anything to come between you and the Word, it will poison your whole system, and you will have no hope.  One bit of unbelief against the Word is poison.  It is like the Devil putting a spear into you.  The Word of Life is the breath of heaven, the life-giving power by which your very self is changed.  By it, you begin to bear the image of the heavenly one.

Once again, if we do not have hope it’s because we have no vision.  Without vision, men perish.  Our vision must be God’s vision.  His vision for us is described in His Word, so we must learn His Word, stand on it, and apply it to our lives. 

‘Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen!”  (Hebrews 11:1).   Things hoped for and not seen are visions for the future.  The invisible is more real and tangible than the visible.  Faith is the foundation of all things in Christ, including transformation.   We should not let life’s circumstances shipwreck our faith.  We can trust, we can believe and we can walk in faith.  We should ask the Lord right now to increase our faith, remembering that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17). 

                As I close, look at where in your heart you carry unbelief about who God is and what He’s promised for us in His Word.  Follow this with confession in prayer and asking God to heal your unbelief.  In Mark 9, a father who lacked faith that Jesus could heal his son asked Jesus to help him overcome his unbelief (v. 24), and Jesus told him, “Everything is possible for him who believes.” 

UNDERSTANDING OUR COVENANT WITH GOD

A covenant denotes an agreement between two individuals (Jeremiah 31:31), a contract of love that is both reciprocal and interactive.  In the Bible, covenants were often accompanied by sacrifices and solemn oaths, which sealed the relationship with promises of blessings for obedience and curses for disobedience.  

                In Genesis 2:15, God told Adam he was not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, lest he die.  The covenant made with Adam was a promise for life if he obeyed, but death if he disobeyed.  There is no doubt that Adam knew what was expected of him and what the consequences would be if he disobeyed. In Gen 2:21, God created Eve and after an unknown amount of time, Eve was deceived by the serpent.  In turn, she led her husband astray.

                Adam, the spiritual leader of the relationship and the one whom God had instructed not to eat from the tree, broke the covenant with God.  We often rationalize why we sin, avoiding the fact that we did.  We think that if we can explain why we sinned, it somehow justifies the action.  Adam was led astray by his wife ~ she is the why.  The fact still remains, however, that Adam disobeyed, violating God’s command not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (Duet. 17:2).   In turn, Adam initiated the curse of ‘death’  when he sinned. 

                Death is always the penalty of a broken covenant through sin (Gen. 3:3).   Adam and Eve were separated from God, which is spiritual death.  The length of their human lives now became limited, among other consequences.  

                God does not take pleasure in death (Ezekial 18:32), but a holy God must separate Himself from anything which is not in harmony with His character.  When Adam and Eve sinned, they had to leave the Garden of Eden, the place where God dwelled and walked among them.

                Adam and Eve “broke faith” with God.   Eve allowed the serpent to place doubt in her mind and she walked in disobedience.   Remembering that faith is a combination of belief and trust, we can clearly see that it was by Satan’s seed of doubt that she was led astray.  Eve no longer believed or trusted what God had promised, and she took it upon herself not only to taste something forbidden, but  also to encourage her husband to do the same.

                God never presents a situation that is not reconcilable.  He initiates restoration with His children and continues to care for them (Gen. 3:21).  The old covenant remains: walk in righteousness and be blessed, sin and be cursed.

                Other personal covenants were made throughout the Old Testament.  God makes a covenant with Noah (Gen 9), and with Abram (Gen 15).   He makes covenants with respect to circumcision (Gen 17), as well as to groups of individuals, such as the people at Mount Horeb who were given the Ten Commandments.

                Covenants often had terms (Jer 11:2).  “Obey me and do everything I command you and you will be my people and I will be your God.”  This bond from God’s view is everlasting, but at times have been restructured to provide a fresh,  new approach on behalf of His children. 

                However, the old covenant was  temporary, meant to be replaced by the birth of the Promised Messiah.  It was designed to help us see the necessity of Christ, and it was precise in its expectation:  sin will bring death.

                In turn, the covenant brought condemnation to the believer (2 Cor. 3:9), as it exposes our  incapacity to make restitution on our own accord.    God’s Law was given to the world as the standard to reveal human sinfulness and inadequacy (Gal 3:24).   

                The Greek word for law is ‘Paidagogos,’ meaning “tutor.”  The Law serves as the teacher.  It defines the righteous requirements of God and exposes all people as guilty and unable to perfectly meet every requirement of God’s Law.  

                The Lord said He put the Law into our hearts and wrote them in our minds.  He did this not to bind us in legalism, but to show us the expectation and  desire He had for a  relationship with us.   

                The problem with the Law is that no one can possibly obey it at all times, and therefore  it puts us under a curse.  Galatians 3:10 says, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.”  The purpose of God’s Law, therefore, is to clearly identify sin in the believer’s life (Rom. 7:7).  If you know the expectation, or the Law, then you know when you haven’t met it or ignored it.  Knowing the Law means knowing the rules.

                Law is also the attempt to control the behavior of the outward man.  It doesn’t change his basic nature, but rather restricts him under certain conditions.    By itself, Law is simply a curse.  

                ‘...For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.’”

                In Old Testament times blood sacrifice was necessary for man to be cleansed of his sins.  A blood sacrifice is also necessary in New Testament times, but it was Jesus’ blood that delivered us from the chains of sin, as seen in Hebrews 10:1-18.    It is not sufficient, nor applicable to use other ways to obtain deliverance.  Confessing to others or man-made sacrifices are not acceptable replacements.

                “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins”   Hebrews 10:4.

                Animal sacrifices were used during the Old Testament with strict guidelines, but none of them could provide an all-inclusive sacrifice for sin.   After clarifying that the blood of bulls and goats cannot remove sin, God establishes what will. 

                “By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all” (v.10).

                Only Christ’s death fulfills God’s will as the viable sacrifice of sin.  There is no substitution.  Those who believe in God are no longer considered guilty but counted as righteous or justified before God.   Christ’s death perfects and “seals the deal” of the sanctification that was placed upon you before your birth.  One sacrificial offering by God has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. 

                At the Lord’s supper, Jesus pointed out that His shed blood constituted the basis for a new covenant (Matt 26:28;  1 Cor 11:25).  God tells us that our sins and lawless deeds will be remembered no more, because where there is remission of sins, an offering is no longer needed.   The problem with many believers is that they want to continue to live in Law and force others to do so  as well.    This is called ‘legalism’, a strict adherence to the Law with the misconception that “good works” can  secure salvation.   The legalist believes that what can be seen is real, whereas the unseen is less real.  But no one can perfect themselves through legalism (Gal 3:1-3, 5:7).  Any attempt to do so will bring bondage.  That’s why Scripture tells us that the law of the letter kills  (2 Cor. 3:1). 

PUSHING THROUGH THE OPPOSITION

                When I was pregnant with my oldest child, I couldn’t wait to give birth and experience this new life.   A month past her due date, the doctors decided to induce labor.  I was excited and eager to see the child I’d been carrying for over nine months.  

                Once the pitocin entered my body and I experienced my first contraction, I wasn’t so excited about induced labor.  Hours later, with contractions a minute apart, I was ready to be pregnant the rest of my life, as long as the pain subsided.    It seemed like a long time before the doctors allowed me to push and my beautiful daughter was born.   Naturally, the pain I’d experienced was overshadowed by the beauty of this child and the experience of being a first-time mom.

                When labor ensued with my second child,  I was a little bit more prepared than the first time around.     The pain was still intense, but I knew that it would end.  I knew I’d overcome the difficulty of labor,  and that the reward on the other side would be worth every second of the pain.   

                Such is the case with sin and strongholds.   When we’re in the midst of them, it seems as if they will never end.  It can be excruciating, and doubt attacks our heart, mind, and spirit.     But we cannot give up.  We have to believe and trust in God’s Word that we will make it to the other side if we follow His directions and put on the armor of  Christ.  We will be stronger and closer to Him because of it.  Allow me to give you an example. 

                My mother describes my teenage years and young adulthood as  “buck wild.”  Due to my behavior, I had many self-inflicted strongholds in my life when I became a believer.    In some areas I received tremendous grace from God  and was delivered from them immediately.   Other areas have been a struggle.  God’s grace has been no less sufficient in the latter, but the process has taken longer.  Why?   First of all, there are generational curses/sin in my family that are ingrained within me.  These are strongholds handed down from previous family members.   Now, when I counsel others, I often do a ‘generational chart’, which shows such strongholds as:  sexual addiction, alcoholism, molestation, and pride.  But when we become a believer, those curses are  broken by the blood of Jesus.    However, we still have to practice freedom in Christ every day, and it takes work, time, and utter dependence upon Christ.  

                The second reason for continued struggle deals with areas of our lives we don’t  really want deliverance from,  because  the sacrifice is too great or too scary to be released from bondage.  Let me explain.

                For most of my childhood I was sexually abused by a neighbor and a relative.    Since I didn’t have a loving, caring father to teach me appropriate love, I learned to secure that love through other means:  by allowing others to take advantage of me.   As uncomfortable and painful as the abuse was, in my distorted view, it fulfilled something I longed for, but didn’t receive:  love and acceptance.    

                I believed that if I wanted love and acceptance, I could have it through sex.  Doing so heaped a great deal of  shame and guilt upon my psyche, but I thought it a fair trade-off.   I carried that same belief system into my teen years and early adulthood.  When I became a believer I struggled tremendously with this area of my life.   For me, it was more than just sex, but casual flirtatious behavior I’d perfected with men.  Their attention, in my mind,  confirmed  that I was attractive, loved, and special.    If I flirted with someone who did not respond, I saw it as a challenge to conquer.   My entire identity was wrapped up in this behavior.   While I never stood on the corner and prostituted myself for money, I certainly did so for love and acceptance.  To give this up meant  I would have to rely totally on God. I didn’t like being promiscuous or flirtatious with others, and I soon identified it as an outward sign of an inward struggle.  It was a symptom of a much greater problem:  self-hatred, shame, and lack of self-esteem.   

                I told myself that I wanted freedom, but did I?   Grasping freedom meant letting go of the old behavior, the ‘old’ Leslie, and reaching for the unknown, a promise made, a surety of deliverance.   I was scared of who I’d become, or that I’d be left out in the cold by God.

                I slowly began to submit my identity, my needs, and my desires to God.  As afraid as I was, the Holy Spirit residing within me began to prompt change.  I looked for ways to escape flirtatious behavior with men.  I avoided eye contact that led others to believe I was available.    I shut down open doors as  soon as they opened.   It was a very difficult process for me to break free from and  few of my Christian friends who had not experienced this type of stronghold understood.   

                In making these changes, I began to understand that my heart was precious to God and should be given to the man He chose for me and no other.   I began to see myself the way God did ~ as a gift to be protected and cherished.  It took a lot of work and time to remain focused on God and not my insecurities or ungodly desires for attention.     I failed many times, but I never gave up, I continued to work on my goal of being delivered.   I prayed my way through many lonely nights when I was brutally attacked by the enemy.    I cried on many occasions, seeking freedom from God.   Eventually, I grew stronger and stronger.

                As I continued to walk in deliverance, I became better at defending my honor in Christ.  Suddenly, one day I sensed that the Lord wanted to know that I’d been delivered from this abusive behavior.  I can’t explain the incredible freedom I felt at the moment.  I’ve walked in it since, and I’m closer to God because of it.  In the process, I had to learn to rely completely upon Him.   It was not easy, but worth the time and effort, I assure you.   It is amazing to see the changes in my life as a result.  

                For some people, the idea of struggling with sexual immorality seems foolish, but we all have areas that are strongholds and generational curses.   For some it may be pride, judgment, gossip, alcohol, drugs, or pornography.  Maybe you, too, are in bondage, because everything you try to let go of your demon, you are slammed by temptation.  I completely understand.  I experienced the same thing.  Satan doesn’t want you free.  He’s going to fight to keep you defeated by slamming your weaknesses into your face.  But if you push through and don’t give up, and if you struggle for deliverance, freedom is accessible. 

                There is a correlation between spiritual deliverance and labor pains.  Once you’re on the other side of delivery, the intimacy you experience with Christ is sublime.  

A NEW CREATION IN CHRIST

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things

have passed away;  behold, all things have become new.

2 Corinthians 5:17

 

                When I became a Christian I found great freedom in 2 Cor. 5:17.  I felt like I’d hit the proverbial jackpot!  Since I had so much ugliness and sin in my past, the thought of it being forever gone, never to haunt me again, gave me wings.  For months I went around telling myself, “You are a new creation!  You are a new creation,” not really understanding the depth of what it meant, but rejoicing in the delight it brought me.  

                Since then, I’ve learned more concerning God’s promise in 2 Cor. 5:17.  The phrase ‘new creation’ refers to God creating a new history in the believer.  In a physical sense, nothing changes, since the past cannot be altered.  Spiritually, however, the new believer’s past takes on an altered context, as well as a changed future.

In the Hebrew, ‘create’ (bara) refers to an activity that only God can perform.  And when we receive Christ as our Savior and ask the Holy Spirit to indwell us, this allows the Spirit of God to nurture our lives, and we become a new creation.

                As a result, we are given a new name (Revalation 2:17), which also implies a new reputation, authority, identity, and character.  I am no longer simply Leslie Montgomery.   I am now Leslie Montgomery, daughter of the King.  With that, I have all the rights that come with knowing Jesus.   I am no longer a sinner, but  a sinner saved by grace, a Saint.  I am no longer an old man, but a new man.  I am no longer an enemy of God, but His Bride.   My reputation is not based on what I did in my past, but who I am in Christ.  I am no longer a citizen of hell, but a citizen of heaven (Eph. 1:21;  Php 2:9).   I am His and He is mine, and He has given me a seal or dowry to solidify this fact by placing the Holy Spirit in me.

                The Holy Spirit is the very One who renews us and makes us a new creation.  Furthermore, He serves as our Teacher, Counselor, Healer, the One who convicts us of our sin and more.  It’s His presence in my life that continually assures me of who I am in Christ and what God’s done with me: made me new, pure, holy, and righteous.  And it’s the Holy Spirit that will enable me to carry out these high standards of integrity in my life. 

                I’ve wondered how this verse applies to me in a practical, daily way and I am reminded that God’s mercies are new every morning.  That means that every day when I wake up God is waiting for me to come to Him in prayer and offer mercy for the sins of the day before.  In essence, His mercies and forgiveness make me a new creation each and every day that I go to Him.  You cannot be in the presence of the Lord and not be changed.  After all, our goal in life is to become more Christ-like, and there’s no better place to do that than in prayer on the throne room floor.

                You too are a new creation in Christ if you have received Jesus Christ as your Savior.  If you haven’t, this is your opportunity to make all things new.  Do not hesitate to fall on your knees and ask Jesus to come into your heart, and then tell someone who can further minister God’s truths to you and get you connected to a good, Bible-based church.  You will find that there is nothing more freeing that leaving your past where it belongs: in the past. 

METAMORPHOSIS: GOD'S GIFT OF TRANSFORMATION

                When we hear the word “metamorphosis” we often think about butterflies, but did you know that its meaning comes from the Greek word morphoo, which means “the inward and real formation of the essential nature of a person”?  Entomologists, scientists who specialize in insects, recognize two basic forms of metamorphosis:  complete and incomplete. 

                In the complete metamorphosis, an insect travels through all stages of growth, starting with conception, on into adulthood, and finally becoming a butterfly.  During this process, it is not unusual for an insect to undergo multiple changes in physical form ~ both inside and out, but initially always from within.  In a complete metamorphosis, the function of the newborn insect is to eat and grow until it becomes an adult and can reproduce. 

                In an incomplete metamorphosis, the insect develops only partially, never realizing its full potential.   Extending this metaphor to Christianity can be helpful.  Without Christ as our Savior, we can never develop to our full potential because that can not happen until we evolve into  the image of Christ.  We can’t do that if our sins are not covered by the blood  He shed on the cross. 

                There is a parallel biblical comparison to incomplete metamorphosis called ‘metaschematizo’, which means ‘to change one’s outward form’.  ‘Metaschematizo,’ however, does not alter a person internally.  The Key Word Study Bible describes the difference between morphoo and metaschematizo in this way:

 

If one were to change a Dutch garden into an Italian one, this would be metaschematizo.  But if one were to transform a garden  into something wholly different, as into a baseball field, it is ‘morphoo’ ~ to change in complete form.

                ‘Metaschematizo’ is most commonly observed in modern medicine’s approach to  healing.    There are many tools, techniques, and books utilized for the purpose of healing and transformation, but they are merely band aids to a dying world.    They cover the wound, but the wound only heals on the surface, while the festering continues underneath.  Complete and perfect healing, as well as transformation, comes from one place:  the cross of Jesus.

                In his book, Winning the Daily Battle with Satan,  Ray Stedman (1917-1992) makes a very important point about the world’s attempt to change individuals:

“What are the usual methods of human reform?  ...they are legislation, education, and an improved environment.   Every problem we face is usually approached by  using one of these reforms, if not all three combined.  Legislation is law ~ the attempt to control the behavior of the outward man.  Law alone can do nothing to alter the inward man.  It does not change the basic nature of man but merely restricts him under certain conditions.

                “Education is one of the worst so-called remedies.  Education does not change the core of a man or woman ~ it only makes him or her more clever, and potentially more destructive. 

                “An improved environment does not change a person either.  When you take a man out of the slums, for example, and put him into a nicer environment, you do absolutely nothing to the man himself.  In a little while he’ll make that new environment the slum as well.

                “This is not to say that these reforms have no value.  But let’s not make the mistake of thinking that these reforms will lead us to...transform human nature and the inner human being.”

                I spent years in therapy as a result of childhood abuse and self-inflicted abuse as an adolescent and young adult.    I’ve read  many self-help books and attended hundreds of secular seminars on how to attain healing, peace, and joy.  In doing so, I eventually functioned in a  somewhat healthy manner in a dysfunctional world.  Nothing I tried, however, brought even a glimpse of complete healing in any area of my life.   Metaphorically speaking, I  even moved  from a Dutch garden to an Italian garden, but I sensed there was something more ~ I just didn’t know what.

                When I became a believer on November 2, 1993, construction began from within  and continues  today, transforming a garden overrun by weeds into a temple where the Holy Spirit  resides.  Although the remodeling  is not yet complete, the Holy Spirit is the contractor that oversees every step of the building process.  The goal is that the temple within will ultimately reflect the image of Christ.

                There is one place we can find true transformation and that is at the foot of the cross in prayer.  Metamorphosis does not occur on its own; we must pursue God’s will by pursuing Him. Who better can bring about real, lasting change than the One who created you in your mother’s womb for such a time as this, who set you apart for a specific and special purpose, and knows the will He wants to accomplish in your life?