In Our Grips

For though we live in the body, we do not wage war in an unspiritual way, since the weapons of our warfare are not worldly, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments and every high-minded thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, taking every thought captive to obey Christ. 

2 Corinthians 10:3-5

We don't just stop making mistakes and committing sins when we're saved. It's where we begin this beautiful journey of growth and transformation that happens in the moments of this life to carry us to the next. You see, we buy the lies that tell us these fleshly things are who we are and that we're stuck with them. But those are lies; God and His will for us is what is good and right and true. 

To follow Jesus, is a journey of learning to let go of what was and is for what will be. Our calling begins with that a step of faith to be obedient, struggling against the flesh while confined to it. To become a Jesus-follower is to become a warrior; He always equips His own.

God gives us spiritual weapons, to be used in the here and now battles. His weapons are not ones the flesh would naturally pick up and they're are more powerful than human eyes tend to see. However, we can only learn to use them as we let go of whats already in our hands. We are meant to carry these weapons, and them alone. But we can't handle them if we won't let go of greed, jealousy, anger, bitterness, resentment, selfishness and faulty mindsets.  

We have to struggle against what feels natural to the flesh to find out how to live in the spirit. But if we dont discipline ourselves to let go of everything else, we will never be effective warriors. Without those weapons, we will never know our true purpose.

Examine your hands. What are you holding onto?  If it's not of God, ask yourself, "Is this worth missing my true purpose over?"   

Filtered Souls

And not only that, but we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance,endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. This hope will not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:3-5

I nearly lost my husband to pneumonia recently. It was a scary and stressful time. But it confirmed once again to me that we grow more in our hard times than any others because testing burns off all the impurities to reveal what is beneath. It never feels this way because we see things in ourselves that we don't like during these times. But it's all part of the process to strengthen, change and increase our hope as we surrender all of us for all of Christ. These times are used by God as invitations for us to lean on and trust in Him. They stretch our faith and grow our character- if we accept His invitation.

It's amazing actually, how God can give us peace and security when things around us are raging. It's a precious experience to hear His voice in the midst of all the noise and to sense His call to relax and rest, knowing He is faithful. And to think that we miss out on this when we're living life ruled by flesh, unaware of what's taking place around us spiritually. We think what comes more natural is easier, but nothing in this life can bring us peace, rest and protection like living close to God in the spirit. 

The flesh, and it's need to rule, tries to to stand in the way. We feel more uncomfortable but more blessed. It is in the moments that we choose to believe Him where we notice all the ways He is involved in our lives and how significant His love really is. The power of His love is an amazing thing to witness. And wherever God is welcome, the presence of love is also. He meets all our needs and uses community as His witness. People start stepping forward to love on us, proving even more that He is active and near. 

The will of God is that we become more purified with every trial. Purification isn't a smooth process and it doesn't feel so good because the flesh isn't pure. But the master is the working the filter and, if you let Him, will have His way. He will be right there with you to comfort you and help you along. 

About The Church

I’m not a dreamer; I can’t say I have had very many dreams where I just know God was the originator and was teaching me something. But couple of weeks ago I had this dream that I couldn’t shake. It was one of those rare dreams that I just knew God had a message in. At first, I thought it was just for me, but upon waiting and further examination I realized the message was intended for a much broader audience- the church.

 

In the dream, I was cleaning house when someone called a loved one, and since he was no where to be found, left a voice message on his cell phone. I could actually hear the "friend" speaking as if it was on an old answering machine. She said something like, " Hey, don't tell Jennifer about how she offended me. She doesn't need to know. We will talk about it more later."  

I spent most of the dream trying to find out what I did wrong so I could make it right but neither she nor the circle she confided in would tell me, and they were all mutual friends and loved ones. She had grown a circle of enablers who treated this matter as though they were protecting her by not allowing me to know, hence not allowing me to make it right. These people defended her lack of courage by saying they just wanted to keep the peace, but then they continued to talk about it amongst themselves. The peace was already disrupted and distance and division had already set in. 

 

The very next day, as I listened to my pastor speak about the goals and vision for the church we attend, it became clear that this was a message about relationships. It was a message reinforcing that the way to accomplish the tasks set before us is to start with healthy relationships inside the church. It is then that we can have healthy relationships outside the church and make the greatest impacts.  

Scripture says: 

“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother." Matthew 18:15 "So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you,eave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift." Matthew 5:23-24 

We need people who will come to us with love and courage and tell us what we need to hear, not necessarily what feels good. We need to be those people. We are called to help one another by speaking into each other's lives. We do that through encouragement and affirmation  as well as saying the hard stuff in love. Every one of us needs people around us who will speak up with edification and encouragement and we need to welcome it. 

We need to be willing to sit in both seats in order to grow. Hearing the hard stuff is never fun and when you're the one saying it, it's heart wrenching. People who love each other don't want to bring pain, but pain is inevitable in this life. Perhaps hearing the hard stuff from people who love us and who have the right motives is the best kind of pain. Gaining perspective and being willing to see ourselves through the eyes of others keeps us humble and forms a closer bond within those relationships. 

Relationships don't grow by holding in our hurts and offenses and it doesn't keep the peace. It's an illusion of peace; it's division.  And when we refuse to step up or listen to the perspective and observations of others, we refuse growth for ourselves and others. God wants us, as a community to have good relationships that exercise the insights and words of one another. 

 

Puzzle Pieces

Coming to Him, a living stone—rejected by men but chosen and valuable to God—  you yourselves, as living stones, are being built into a spiritual house for a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2: 4-5

 

When I read this, I suddenly saw this puzzle box with the most beautiful picture on the cover. In that box is an overwhelming number of pieces needed to form this glorious picture. It’s a picture the owner can’t wait to see all put together because the image is something worth looking at. Therefore, every little piece is necessary since it contributes to the beauty of the final product. That’s us, the church. Individually, we’re the puzzle pieces, or living stones, that are chosen and necessary no matter how small a part we play in the overall picture. Our gifts, our God-given insights and our lives matter. Without just one of us, the picture just doesn't quite look complete.  

 

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.” (Verse 9) And this is our purpose-- to reflect the glory of God and proclaim His goodness. Those who were once in darkness and now see the light cannot help but speak of His glory and goodness. We cannot help but be excited about our freedom because we know all too well what it’s like to be lost. 

 

“As God’s slaves, live as free people, but don’t use your freedom as a way to conceal evil. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the Emperor.” (Verse 16)

Our faces shine brightly, like Moses’ once did, from the time we’re spending in His light. Even though we’re in this world, we’re obviously not of it. But we aren’t exempt from life’s pains – except they serve a different purpose in the believer’s heart. They serve to remind us of life’s temporal nature. They remind us to take nothing for granted and to savor every piece of God we get to see in the here and now, knowing that this is only the beginning.

 

“Dear friends, I urge you as strangers and temporary residents to abstain from fleshly desires that war against you.” (Verse 11)

We’re different. And in ways, we’re the same. When we live like we’re free, because we are, people take notice. It’s rare to see someone carry themselves with peace, a unique confidence, and in a loving and humble manner. The kind of peace we have the privilege of carrying has no room for pride and selfishness. The peace of Jesus is very distinct, and not of this world. His peace sets us free to try and try again. It unchains us from the condemnation of our sins and mistakes so we can afford to be adventurous with God. It moves us forward in love and without fear.

 

You are here as a valuable piece of the puzzle, an important living stone, that is necessary to complete the big picture. This means that your gifting matters and is crucial to the whole body. Your insight, derived from a relationship with God, is important to all of us. Sometimes you don’t feel very valuable, and we all have that struggle. But I challenge you to take the truth over your feelings. I challenge you to use your gifts without regret, share your insights and continue to be a working part of community so that, when the puzzle comes together, the image you bear of your Creator, shines through. Live like you’ve been set free and if you haven’t, what better time to seek freedom than now?