Surrendering To Freedom

For Israel and Judah have not been forsaken by their God,the Lord of hosts, but the land of the Chaldeans is full of guilt against the Holy One of Israel. Jeremiah 51:5

Go with me for a minute as we imagine ourselves in the verse above. Think about those who obey God as being Israel and Judah and those who insist in their own way as being Babylon, the land of the Chaldeans. Now, we're all prone to sin and wander but what truly distinguishes the two is choice. One chose to obey, and when he or she fails gets right back up and on Christ's heels. The other chose to live his life as his own. One chose to trust that what God wants is best and the other chose to trust in himself and his own desires and choices. Now, which one are you?

Every way but God's way contains a series of invisible traps, invisible at least to the human eye. There are constant opportunities to get stuck in bad habits and unhealthy mindsets. The lies just keep taking over like weeds. Of course when you can't see the traps, you can't distinguish the truth from a lie either. The longer we go in this direction, the more lies we take in, as they disguise themselves as wisdom and truth. It is called bondage. 

Bondage are those lies we refuse to release. The more we hold on to whatever thought system we have been taught, the less we let in the truth. Our choices can place us in bondage or in freedom.

I'm not talking about rules. Most rules have traps too. I'm not talking about striving and trying to "be good enough". It is crucial that when we give our heart to Christ, we surrender our minds too. After all, we're all serving someone. 

Satan wants us to believe lies so we won't believe God's truths. He wants to keep us from His love and from fulfilling a purpose in Him. Satan wants us useless to the kingdom of God. But God will fight for us. He won't make us do anything. Unlike Satan, He offers a choice. But with every choice comes some impact. 

God wants us free so we can be fertile soil, constantly learning from Him. We can't do that if there is any single lie we cling to. We may not even know we're clinging to something until God sweeps the dust off it, and then speaks into us something different. Those are defining moments for our freedom. Do we let go of what was for what is and do we resist any other knowledge? 

Depending on our level of stubbornness and teachability, we may need to be completely broken, become what feels like an utter destruction, in order to get free. Sometimes, often, in many cases, some still prefer broken to the truth. But He will war for us even when it feels like He is warring against us. He will also offer us a choice. And it is amazing that choice is our biggest part- because He does the hardest work. We simply need to repent and follow. 

Making Warriors

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13

One of my gifted friends shared a perspective recently. She said that when we are transparent for the sake of others, when we pour understanding and courage out, we are laying down our lives for them. I know encouragement is powerful, but I never thought of it as self sacrificial as laying down one's life. But it makes sense- true encouragement is life-giving. It pours out from the overflow of life in one's own heart. 

 

Never underestimate the power of love through a kind or encouraging word. It is so easy to lose courage in this world of constant negativity. It is so easy to have courage one minute and lose it the next. It doesn't matter how strong someone is, how good they seem to have it or how many friends they have-- everyone needs encouragement sometimes. We all need to be reminded of the beauty within us and the good things others see in us because we're constantly hearing otherwise from the world and from our common enemy. 

 

Encouragement isn't flattery It isn't "sucking up". It is calling forward the good you see in someone and reminding them who they are to Jesus. It is giving courage to someone who doesn't have it. And it takes a secure person to offer courage to others. Insecure people are lacking so much courage that they aren't full enough to pour into others. But that can all be changed with some simple, honest, loving words. 

Encouragement is something simple, but powerful; it takes paying attention to what is going on with others. We can’t pour into others If we are disconnected. We can’t be open to what others need from us if we are disengaged or inwardly focused all the time. We have to get out there in the world and surround ourselves with people from all walks in order to have an impact. God wants us to make the most of this time but it isn’t about making ourselves comfortable and happy, but about pouring out into the world like Jesus did. Jesus didn't isolate himself from the people who needed Him. 

 

I never thought it was possible to give so much just by using my words and my mouth. I love seeing people light up when I speak a kind word. I love seeing their burdens fall off and their walk become lighter after reminding them who they are in Christ. I love how God uses each of us to make warriors out of one another. None of us are purposeless- we need each other to speak up and remind us who we are when we forget. We're all facing the same enemy, who wants to see us quit. 

 

What do the people around you need to hear today? Listen, observe, ask God. Notice the little things. Interact with others and listen to them talk for clues on what they may need to hear- maybe they son't even know themselves. But the Lord will show us if we ask. 

 

Every (Wo)Man's Pit

He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed.

Isaiah 53:3-5

I have wrestled with God a lot lately, and one recent morning I wrestled my longest bout without a break. There was nothing to distract me from what is going on inside me and so, as it began to come out I began to struggle. And God invited me to talk it through with Him because He understands.

It's easy to love people when you don't need anything from them. But since we're all human, we are all going to need something from the people around us at some point. We're made for community. When we begin to need things from others and yet we don't get it, we can easily veer in the direction of quitting - stopping ourselves from showing them anymore love. But true love doesn't quit and that is where following Jesus gets tricky. 

It's hard to stay put when we aren't getting the pouring into that we desire. It's hard accepting that people may never give us what we have given them. The first thought we think is, "Okay, I will stop doing for them, giving to them, loving them."

But true love, Jesus' kind of love doesn't stop when we stop getting. True love doesn't reflect the actions of those being loved - it leads. It persists in the face of pain and loneliness. It moves on even when nothing but hate or apathy stares it in the face. It moves on when feelings aren't there and devotes to those who so often never reciprocate. True love isn't pretty and it isn't easy; it is flat out blood, sweat and tears. 

God reminded me of Jeremiah and Jonah and how they felt about those around them. They were so discouraged by the selfishness of those around them and I wouldn't be surprised if Jeremiah ever wanted to flee like Jonah did. Jonah eventually did as he was told. But then I realize if Jeremiah had fled Israel, God wouldn't have used his mouth to convict the people there. Yes, many of them just grew angry at him but some did have their eyes opened and accepted the conviction as a means to change.

Jesus also suffered heartbreak and pain. He didn't turn around and shoot the middle finger at the Pharisees or snub them. They frustrated him to no end with their legalism and religion but He kept doing what He was called to and answered their questions boldly, but honestly. He had a heart for the tax collectors and prostitutes even though He knew their self destructive tendencies. He loved Judas even though He knew he would betray Him. He loves each of us, knowing our inclination to get distracted, to commit idolatry and to quit. Thus I I am reminded of my own short-comings before God when I think about the things people do to disappoint me. 

Focusing on the shortcoming of humanity is one sure way to become depressed. This is where He reminds me to RE fix my eyes on Him. For if godly love gives up, what is love but unstable and untrustworthy.

"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Where Humility is Born

29 We have heard of the pride of Moab—
    he is very proud—
of his loftiness, his pride, and his arrogance,
    and the haughtiness of his heart.
30 I know his insolence, declares the Lord;
    his boasts are false,
    his deeds are false.

Jeremiah 48:29-30 ESV

Jeremiah prophesied to Moab about the pride that has consumed them. He was heartbroken and compassionate, but he drew a beautiful word picture about why this had to be stopped, why God was about to destroy them in order to stop this beast called pride. 

Pride makes us think we're independent from God, that all the blessings he has provided were merely created or earned by us. It leads us down a dangerous road- where if God doesn't destroy it, it will consume with us a whole lineage. 

Whenever we claim Gods works as our own, we've overstepped a spiritual boundary that, if not stopped, threatens humanity as a whole. Pride is a contagious beast; it causes us to think like Satan- that we are gods and we don't need our one, true protector to protect us from our spiritual enemy. You see, pride is a subtle lie straight from Satan himself that is meant to separate us from God so he can consume our lives.  Satan knows God is fiercely protective of us, so he works to convince us that we don't need God in order to bring division and ultimately spiritual destruction. 

Make no doubt about it, Satan doesn't want to see us flourish; he is jealous of us and how dearly God loves us - so much that he wants to destroy us. We have to be aware of every thought, every mindset, every lie in order to survive. It's quite overwhelming for us to do alone. 

But God! God disciplines us, teaches us, changes us using everything Satan throws at us. He uses those schemes meant to harm us to strengthen us into warriors who can be both offensive and defensive against Satan. We need intimacy with God to battle Satan's lies and schemes. God's presence alone brings light and overcomes the darkness. 

In this chapter of Jeremiah, God talks about destruction that is coming to the Moabites, and how He will strip away all those lies, exposing every part to the light so that the darkness cannot hide.  Whatever is to be healed must be revealed. We must be "broken" in order to be put back together the right way. We must have all our faulty thinking and heart troubles broken so that we can be restored. We must be willing to give up everything in order to see what we were made for. 

The process is painful, but it a gift of mercy from God. He is doing it to make us better! He wants to set us free and He cares more about our long term growth than our short term comfort. He has a great plan, although through human eyes, it doesn't always look that way.  His Word promises so and his spirit reassures us when we are willing to listen. 

We must ask ourselves- Where do we put our hope? What/who do we trust in? What do we boast of? If those things aren't centered on God, if the answer isn't God, we have some pride in us. We should then ask ourselves whether we deal with others in an understanding manner or in an abrasive and hardened manner. Do we show mercy and love graciously or do we make people feel they have to earn it? Do we readily apologize even we may not be fully at fault? Dp we insist on being right? These are all signs of how humble we really are. 

We can claim to be humble but our relationships and our attitudes tell the truth. It may even disguise as good, healthy things and even societally acceptable- but pride is pride. And scripture tells us over and over that every little root of pride must be ripped out. Having roots ripped out of us is going to hurt for a while, but it must be done. It's like cancer- not even the smallest trace is safe. 

"But afterward I will restore the fortunes..." He says over and over. This isn't necessary financial or monetary treasures like we tend to think. Our greatest fortunes are in our hearts, when they are pure and whole and free. Why? Because God looks at and cares about the heart.