Worship God (Revelation 22:9)

Because He is the Lover of my soul
I will sacrifice
Because He is my Mighty Fortress
I will surrender
Because He relentlessly pursued my heart
I choose to be in love with him
Because He is Higher
I will bow down
Because He is able
I will run to him
Because He holds my sorrows
I will give him myself
Because He is real-He is truth
I will lay down my idols... and crush them into dust

God doesn't want us merely to lay down our idols. He loves us too much to leave things hidden in the secret recesses of our hearts. He will uproot, and he will reveal, and empower and enable. He is a jealous God who wants our entire being to be surrendered and completely devoted to Him and Him above ALL. Let us crush our idols that keep us bound from actualizing a walk of abandon. Grind them to dust, and allow the wind to carry the specks of our former gods to the corners of the unknowable- as far as east is from west. Never to be brought together again.
Praise our God who does not leave us as we are but shakes us, breaks us and empties us. Come Lord Jesus and fill me with You and only You.

Put to DEATH

"Those we served before are dead and gone.
Their departed spirits will never return!
You attacked them and destroyed them,
and they are long forgotten."
Isaiah 26:14

What did I serve before?
Mostly my own flesh.
I can't serve two masters.
I need to put my flesh to death. All flesh.
The flesh that cries to the body- "feed me!"
The flesh that cries to the soul - "coddle me."
The flesh that cries to the spirit - "Pacify me"
The flesh that cries to the heart - "Sooth me"
The flesh that cries to the mind - "entertain me"

Death to the flesh, means dying to my fleshy desires and practices. These practices run deep.
How many things would I claim as a right, instead of recognizing it only as something I'm conditioned to accept, desire, demand that is not a right at all? Especially a God given right...
The right I have in Christ Jesus is the right to walk in Spiritual freedom. What is that? It's the freedom from slavery... to flesh. Freedom to worship openly under the blood offering of the lamb of God. The right to a new name given by God my father, and the right to live under the sovereignty of my new master- who I serve lovingly, staying willingly. All he demands of me is putting to death all other masters. Including my flesh.

To die = gain.
To live = Christ.

He's got it out for you.

"In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by the evil one." Eph. 6:16

He's got you in his cross hairs. How easily we forget this. Maybe we even find it hard to believe. Hard to feel like I'm even that important, that he wants to take me-lil' old me who is only one person and don't account fer much when you look at the world as a whole-out of the picture. Off the playing field, down with a fiery wound that does deep burning damage.

Really?!? Really Satan? Was I THAT big of a deal that you HAD to take me down?

Hard to imagine... unless we really think about what the word of God says about it. We might piece together a different picture.
The God of the universe goes to great trouble to express to us how each one of us- down to the hairs on our head (Matt 10:30) is VERY IMPORTANT to Him. He cares for us individually. He loves us individually. He prizes each and every single one of his children, and encourages intimate relationships with each one, even lil' old me. Luke 15 goes on and on, through several examples (first a sheep, then a coin, then a man) about how important the ONE individual is. Wouldn't God's immortal enemy fight with a method that matches his opponent's strategy? Of course Satan cares about the individual- because God does.
One of Satan's tactics is to get us to stop believing this. "You're not important" he'll whisper to us. "In the span of things, you're nothing, you don't matter" he convincingly coaxes. Here's a plummy little twist- he'll persecute us, and use his own wiles as an example of how God 'doesn't' care. "If he really loves you, how can he let this happen?" We can enter a spiral where we begin to doubt God's goodness and character.

"One day maybe he'll hold out his hands and say 'look at these hands- do these look like the hands of a God who doesn't care? All those times you wondered if I cared, do you have any doubts now?" -Randy Alcorn

Our God cares so much, that he gives us the tools to defend ourselves and fight back. In Ephesians there's a whole list of things. The defense for the fiery arrows of the enemy is Faith. Believe with strong conviction, loyalty and trust that the Lord our God DOES care. He DOES work in my life. He IS my defense and my shelter. The Holy spirit my comforter. The Son my savior and redeemer. Remember God is who he says he is- he goes to GREAT lengths to show us.
AND (from Eph 6) there are more tools:
Truth.
God's righteousness- note, not our own righteousness (which is as rags) but the perfect righteousness of God.
the Gospel of Peace- remind yourself about the peace we have in the gospel! Christ's redeeming power because of his death in our stead, it's no little thing folks. (How often we trivialize this!)
Salvation- it transforms us. We ARE saved. Forever! Live like it, in gratitude and worship.
The WORD of GOD- GET INTO THE WORD. Hide it in your heart, treasure it. Digest it and live it.
It's so important to be ready with these tools at all times. The scripture emphasizes over and over again, be ready for attack! Christ told us to expect it. (Matt 10) It's never gonna be a picnic. You're either gaining ground, or losing ground- there is no treading water. It's either sink or swim. Let's live in power and strength, liberated by walking in our God's way, worshiping in Spirit and Truth.

GRRRRRRR - go get em!

Dare You To Move.

If the Lord has placed a calling on your heart he will enable you to do it wherever you are. The calling is not dependent on the strength and resources of those who are called, but the one who calls. It’s not a waiting game. Don't wait to be completely prepared and perfected (according to your own standards.)
Jesus repeatedly spoke of being willing to forsake all things immediately, no waiting. Do it now.
When he calls you, immediate is the appropriate frame of time to respond. No turning back to tie up loose ends. No final farewells to the familiar. Cut loose and go.
Have you recognized a calling and burden in your heart that the Holy Spirit has been speaking to you?
Why have you not done what you have been moved to do?
Clinging to the familiar for strength turns quickly to shackles that chain us and keep us from growth and achieving the purposes the Lord has for us.
Sometimes, we need adjustment to our own vision. You may not even need to leave where you are. The things the Lord calls us to do might be accomplished in your current location and community; touching the people around you now. So often we're waiting for some grand opportunity or distinctly huge voice to move us. Sometimes the Lord does work like that, but sometimes He wants to use you where you are. If you have a burden, but have yet to receive a calling to somewhere out in the great blue yonder, look around you for ways the Lord can fulfill that calling right now!

I was recently discussing with a friend of mine why he's on a "scripture fast." I was taken aback. When I asked the reason for this foolhardy decision their response was this:
"I want a relationship that isn't dependent on some book."
That concept is not a new one.
II Chron. 34 talks about King Josiah of Israel who was one righteous king in a long line of very bad kings. The kings before him had strayed far from scripture. Because of their decisions they had left the original dictates of the Lord behind and all of Israel was practicing in blindness. So long was Israel so unconcerned with following the law of the Lord, the scrolls were lost to them, literally. In his conviction to turn to the Lord, King Josiah ordered a temple restoration. In the restoration, the scrolls of the law were recovered.

vs 19 "When the king heard the words of the Law, he tore his robes. 20 He gave these orders to Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Abdon son of Micah, [a] Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah the king's attendant: 21 "Go and inquire of the LORD for me and for the remnant in Israel and Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the LORD's anger that is poured out on us because our fathers have not kept the word of the LORD; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written in this book." ...
... vs 31 The king stood by his pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the LORD -to follow the LORD and keep his commands, regulations and decrees with all his heart and all his soul, and to obey the words of the covenant written in this book."

The word of the Lord-the Law and it's truth convicted the heart of the King and Josiah (who lived righteously) was immediately repentant. That is the power of the word of God.
The law is the Lord's communication with man : "Here is my plan for you. Live THIS way." and when Christ came and became the living fulfillment of the law, his life and teachings were literally God saying "This is my plan for you, Live THIS way." God's relationship is still through the law- because Christ is the law fulfilled. (Matt 5:17-19) It's our relationship with Christ that dictates how well we're carrying out His will.

"If you love me, you will obey what I command" John 14:15

Man's relationship with God has been set up with parameters and we have the answers for how we are to live. It's all laid out for us-in scripture. To fast from that is to starve the soul. All efforts to be righteous aside from following as the Lord has instructed is futility.
Do not starve your soul. The Lord wants you to live an abundant life.

What is beauty

“I just don’t see how a world full of such beautiful things could be bad.” – Ariel

I have always been a fan of the Pottery Barn. I pour over their catalogs and savor the items that make my eyes so happy. The clean lines, the rich colors, the special details all call out to me and say “relax, enjoy.” Halfway through the most current issue I was devouring last night, a nudge came from somewhere inside that cried out “What are you worshiping?” Immediately the elation I felt turned to confusion and then conviction as my stomach turned queasy. Ouch. I closed the magazine and set it aside. I wish I could say I went and read my Bible, but instead I just went to bed.

What is pleasurable to the eyes- is that Beauty? That’s been a question on my mind as I’ve been defining in my life the issue of idolatry. In my quest for true beauty I’ve sought out scripture, and observed the behaviors of women I admire. I’ve come up with so many different answers it’s been dizzying. I understand that true beauty comes from a gentle and quiet spirit, and that is an area where growth will be continually necessary for me. (Thank you Lord for the strong Spirit I have been gifted with… help me tame it!) It’s been my heart to be beautiful to the Lord. Discouragement and doubt are quick to thwart my growth as I sojourn into what is ridiculously difficult for me. The image in my mind that keeps cropping up of my heart before the Lord is truly worthy of ridicule and scorn. There is no beauty there! I am a creature of such human frailty.

In a recent discussion with a friend I was expressing my near despair about my hopeless endeavors, and something they said surprised me.

“Well Sarah, I’d say just stop focusing on your own beauty altogether and seek after the beauty of the Lord.”

Eeeek… it was like my brain froze. A total ‘duh’ moment. I’d been missing the point altogether. The line between worshiping the Lord and worshiping the self can creep up on us rather swiftly, and I was certainly dancing on that line. (Side note: how often do we blind ourselves to what our heart is truly doing hiding behind what we see as a ‘pure’ motive?)

Focusing on the beauty of the Lord leads to a life of worship. That is where my definition of beauty should come from. All other beauty fades to insignificance in the presence of the giver and creator of all who reigns in magnificent splendor. To desire and seek after any other beauty is foolishness.

So now I am on a new journey. I’m still learning what it is to truly seek after the beauty of the Lord, but I have found it is easy to see. His beauty is so openly displayed that I now feel amazed at how I blinded myself to it in the search for temporary things. It is something that strikes the heart to just be in awe of who He is.

A blessed side effect of this transition of focus is that the pressure and discouragement suddenly fades. I now understand what it is I am to be, what I should desire. As I seek to focus on the beauty of the Lord, I learn that I never want to be seen, but instead all I want to be is someone who causes people to seek after the Lord-to see His beauty. If I am successful in that, my insignificance becomes a gift because His beauty, glory and grace will always be greater-He will never disappoint!

Hallelujah to the Lord who redeems!

Ps. 27:4 “One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after… to behold the beauty of the Lord…”

spotlight on courage, part 3

The key to courage:
Faith.

"So then faith comes by hearing,
and hearing by the word of God."
~Romans 10:17

When I think about the way my relationships have changed as a result of getting scripture into my regular diet- with the Lord, with the world, with my community... it's incredible. I can always rest in the confidence of who God is. The vitality of the word of God in the life of a believer becomes more and more relevant and evidenced as I continue to read. I can honestly say there has never been a time I have opened the word since committing to go forward in prayer that I have not been built into.
Key things that helped me getting into the Word:
Getting into a small Bible Study.
A place I felt was comfortable enough to ask questions, because the people there were trustworthy and knowledgeable about the word as well as humble. The fact that there was no other agenda than to read the Bible in community was helpful as well. Simply reading the word of the Lord and counting on Him to do the revealing. No written assignments. No model for application. Read the chapter, and talk about what it was actually saying. What was really going on.
Surprisingly, I have found this experience rare. There is a tendency in small groups to follow a guide or a manual. I more often find people getting together to read inspirational books on how to live according to the word of God. Why not just read the word of God? We can trust that He will not let His word return void. If the heart is willing to seek Him first and be open to what God is truly saying, then He will meet the heart of the seeker.
Setting up a pattern for study, and sticking to that pattern.
Mine was a chapter a day. Now, I may not always be able to repeat the whole chapter. But I have found that the Lord always reveals something-if I ask Him to. Sometimes it will be reading a long series of chapters and then a huge revelation will hit, and I look back at the journey and see how the Lord prepared my heart.
The fact that there was a group of people on the same pattern was a huge help. Getting an e-mail every day that just let you know there were others on the same page is a huge encouragement.
Learning the Cultural Context.
Understanding the cultural context of when the scripture was written is a very doable thing. In my case, the leaders of my study brought the Jewish culture of the time into the forefront in way I had yet to process. With that as a tool, pieces of scripture that I used to skip over and assume would never become clear to me were suddenly hugely revelatory, and put many things into a whole new perspective. Since then I have found if something seems not to make sense or is not easily understood, sometimes those things are the pieces I need to go back to the most. They can be the part of the passage that puts an entirely new perspective on things, or the crux of a lesson the Lord has for me.

Our God wants to be known. He has given us the means to know Him in His word.