God is
The only artist
Who felt love when He created
Instead of pain.
When He painted the sky
With the blushing pinks
Vibrant blues
Deepest oranges,
He was sighing to Himself,
Dreaming of the apples
Of your cheeks when you smile.
When He put every insignificant leaf in its
Significant spot on
A specific tree,
He smiled to Himself,
Dreaming about the freckles
That you, His royalty,
Have always hated about yourself.
And when He placed the
Moon and every star
In that same sky He painted,
He stood mesmerized
At the dimple
On the top of your left cheek.
And He thought about how
He named septillions of stars
Individually,
And could think, still,
Of more words than that
To describe how beautiful
You are to Him.
God is
The only artist
Who felt love when He
Created
Instead of pain
Monday, December 2, 2013
Monday, August 19, 2013
We have been beaten, but we have not been killed.
Since I've been back from China, I've been so hungry (not for food, though. China's ruined that for me.) but for knowledge. I came back with an eagerness to learn, but almost held myself back. I know that the more I learn, the angrier the enemy gets. The more I want to apply what I've learned, the enemy tries to blindside me. I had to force myself to look past what bad I knew would inevitably come so that the good could shine through. There needed to be some rough, broken times so that the light could shine through the cracks.
I started to read 2 Corinthians and something stuck out at me. A few different times, Paul rambles: he often mentions the struggle but hope that he wanted people to be inspired by. For some reason when I read chapter 6, verses 4-10, something stuck out at me. It's a bit long, bear with me.
I started to read 2 Corinthians and something stuck out at me. A few different times, Paul rambles: he often mentions the struggle but hope that he wanted people to be inspired by. For some reason when I read chapter 6, verses 4-10, something stuck out at me. It's a bit long, bear with me.
"In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. We have been beaten, have been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and have gone without food. We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love. We faithfully preach the truth. God's power is working in us. We use the weapons of righteousness in the right hand for attack and the left hand for defense. We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us impostors. We are ignored even though we are well known. We live close to death, but we are still alive. We have been beaten, but we have not been killed. Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, yet we have everything." - 2 Corinthians 6:4-10
I realized a few things, which I will share, but never felt that it was right to share it... until today. I read another verse that struck me, in a different book and I knew the two would go together. But first things first:
- If your display of being God's minister is a reflection of outward circumstances, you need to change something inside yourself.
Something that I learned in China (struggled with, but still learned) was that you cannot allow your outward circumstances to reflect your inward attitude, because your inward attitude always comes out in your actions and creates a new outward circumstance. You live on Earth, people. We're not in heaven yet; things are bound to get flawed, people are bound to hate you, bad things are bound to just happen. But if we represent those temporary, outward circumstances, we're not representing God, who lives in our hearts. We can't just ignore Him-- or should I say, neglect our duty to represent Jesus-- just because life threw a curve ball at you.
God is not to blame. He doesn't change, and we shouldn't change the way we represent Him.
In China, there were things swarming around in my head. There were so many things going on that I could have easily used as an excuse to not represent God properly-- good excuses, too, if I do say so myself. But had I let my outward, annoying, ugly, fist-clenching circumstances to overtake me, I wouldn't have portrayed, or at least tried to portray, God in a way that left people hungry. I'm glad I was able to look past everything that came in my way because I talked to people from all over the world about the love of God... Friends from England, Africa, Sweden and China! If I had let my emotions get to me, let the world get me down, or as I like to say, "human'd", those people would have never met Jesus on that day.
But before I could do any of that, I had to change something on the inside. I had to constantly remind myself of my purpose, of my ministry, of the goal. Not just the heavenly goal we all try to reach; there is a tangible, earthly goal: getting people to see Jesus so they too can go for the heavenly goal.
I had to check my motives for everything. There was a time I was jealous of my friend for how many people he or she was able to evangelize to, and so quickly. I kept thinking, "When is it my turn? When do I get to show people God?" and I'm not too sure if this is a God thing or just a Jackie thing, but immediately, I thought, "Not with that attitude." Like David, we're real people with real problems, so I dealt with it as he did, as the Bible taught me. "Create in me a clean heart..." (Psalm 51:10)
- You don't need a microphone to change someone's life. You need to be relatable.
When I kept reading this over and over, I couldn't help but think about how many people Paul was now able to relate to: the hungry, the homeless, the abuse, the kicked down, the hated, the poor, the ignored. It's easy to sympathize with people, but something that makes Jesus for everyone is that He suffered what we suffer-- He knows. He can relate. He can't just say, "So sorry this happened. If I were you i would just ______ and hope it works."
I was talking to a friend who isn't in the greatest place right now and I told him, "I can't tell you why this is happening, but I can tell you that it will be over, you will make it out, and then you will be able to help a new set of people."
No, it's not fun to go through something. But if you can't relate, if you don't keep your head up during your struggle so you can pour out to someone else during theirs, then no microphone, no writing talent will help them.
Side note - Your attitude during your struggle -- your loyalty to God, your faithfulness to Him, how you keep your head up, just your overall attitude-- is, in my opinion, equally proportioned to what people will learn from your struggle... and people are supposed to learn from your struggle. Nothing is wasted.
- You can't use your problems in life as an excuse to not be like Jesus. If you could, the only person with a good enough excuse to not be Jesus...is Jesus.
Things in life may hinder you, or throw you off course, but they cannot stop you without your consent. Do not let them stop you.
I think about what Jesus went through. Cross aside, during His ministry He was harassed and tested DAILY. People looked at Him and talked to Him like he was insane. People who loved Him yesterday hated Him the next. Thinking of the crucifixion, He was beat to a pulp, spit on, cut open and exposed and naked.
Though He was 100% God, He was 100% human too... and as humans we can agree that sucks.
Jesus had every excuse under the sun to not live like Jesus... but He did it anyway. He did it so the people He loved could be free.
You can't live without problems. There is no growth there, though I do wish that was the case. I've spent more time praising God and trying to live like Jesus during storms than I have in perfect weather, but I'm also the strongest I have ever been in my life.
I think to myself, I want to stay in bed. I lost my friend, my dad, and my grandpa in under two years. I lost a lot of friends because I don't party or smoke and drink anymore. I've suffered and have overcome/am trying to overcome addictions. I have every reason to stay in bed but I won't. I won't because someone needs to meet Jesus today. Someone needs encouragement today. Somebody needs love today. Jesus can strengthen me, and I have no excuse. He will give me the same strength that He used to get through what He went through--and for us.
- Knowing Jesus makes a difference
This is almost self explanatory for me; the sentences all contrast each other. We have been beaten, but we have not been killed. (YAY!) Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. (YAY!)
Knowing Jesus makes a huge difference in your life, whether you're struggling or kickin' back on vacation. The extra set of hands to fight with you, the extra wisdom coming in and more importantly, the joy in love we don't deserve to have poured out on us when we need it most.
There are two ways to stay joyful during trials: you can distract yourself and mask what's going on... or you can know Joy and know Him by name.
This leads me into the second part.
Knowing Jesus makes a difference because when we acknowledge Him, He lives in us.
"Greater is He who lives in me than he who lives in the world." - 1 John 4:4
This means a few things:
- We are privileged. It is a privilege to know that Jesus wants to live in our hearts and help us with all of the things that we so badly want to use as excuses not to live right. What kind of King does that?
- We are over-loved. Not smothered, but over-loved. Loved enough to replace parts of us taken out by the devil himself. Loved enough to fill the empty holes in us. Loved enough to replace insecurities. His perfect love, the love that casts out all fear, gets it right the first and every time.
- We don't have a single thing to be afraid of. The man who stared death in the face and said, "Not today," lives in our hearts. The only thing in life that we thought was an absolute, that we thought was a definite was completely made a fool of thanks to Jesus and He gave us the power to do the same thing. There is not a single thing to be afraid of because we carry the spirit of the Lord. We carry freedom with us.
- We need to share. God is a jealous lover and doesn't want to share you with death, but you can't be a jealous lover of Him. I used to put Him in a box, afraid that I would share my freedom with people and somehow lose it. I was wrong. I see myself getting set free daily -- as I share God with people, as I encourage people. Putting God in a box won't hinder God; He's God. He can show up. He doesn't need you. BUT it will hinder you and your spiritual growth.
Saturday, August 3, 2013
29 Things I Learned In 29 Days ... China Style.
As a lot of you know, Cathy & I just spent 29 days in China! I can go into detail about the trip later (I really fell in love with that country!) but I just want to share something I learned each day I was there.
- Public restrooms in western countries are a gift straight from heaven.
- God knows who you need in your life and when. And though you may hurt someone, or get hurt yourself, you have to trust that He's using you for something bigger than how you feel.
- Fear is a liar. God's call for you and will for your life is the truth. They cannot live together.
- God doesn't see you the way other people do, or even the way you see yourself. His standards are way better.
- To survive in another country, you only need to know a few phrases: hello, toilet, hot water, and how much?
- God doesn't teach just one person at a time.
- God may be using your specific situation to reach a specific person. Your attitude, faith, and hope in Him while you're in that storm or situation is equally proportioned to what that person will learn. Chin up.
- Discard of your doubts. Put on your fairy tale hat from pre school. God's dreams for you are wild. They need wild hearts to live them out.
- God's heart, care and love will never be fully understood, so don't try to understand or relate it to something. But if you want to take up that challenge of trying, I will personally get you the migraine medicine.
- Somethings are better left unsaid... and walked away from.
- Going to ministry completely blind, relying on nothing but God's eyes, is not the end of the world. BUT... not accepting the call that God has placed on you can be the end of someone else's world. Ministry isn't about you. It's about someone who needs you.
- Sometimes, loving people to death is the only way to nurse them back to health.
- Share the gospel everywhere you go; use the Bible if you have to. That's right people. ACTIONS are better than words on paper. The best version of the gospel is the one you're living.
- Don't put a period where God put a comma. Don't put a comma where God put a period. Question marks are okay sometimes. Exclamation points are a must.
- Sometimes, God waits for you to be totally isolated to teach you the hardest lessons, so we have no one to depend on but Him. When I was teaching and my students didn't understand something, they would look around at their friends and peers for help. I said, "I'm your teacher, I'm here to help. You can ask me to help you if you need it. I'm RIGHT here." You can thank Him when you get over it.
- Sometimes the best, most hands-on, action oriented help you can give someone is praying for them in private and trusting that God will do the rest.
- In life, you really need 2 things to survive: God, and a really good friend. If you're needy like me, birthday cake Oreos are okay.
- If you don't allow God to pick and choose your friends, the devil will.
- You can't reach everyone... and trust me... that's okay.
- Doing God's will for you life isn't always easy or fun... but man, the fruits taste great.
- Allowing God to build your future does not exempt you from having a plan and making and reaching goals.
- Don't pray for something if you can't keep an open mind about how God may answer.
- Your motivation for what you do can be, and usually is, more important than what you're actually doing.
- There is an unexplained joy in believing in something other than the work your hands can do.
- "When you forgive someone, that's for you. When you ask God to forgive them, that's for them." - Cathy
- If you don't understand, take a shot. Ask God, "Why?" You'd be surprised how often we feel like we''re sucked into things, or we think things are wasted or in vain when we never bothered to ask.
- It's okay to take time off to allow God to work in you and allow yourself to grow. It's actually necessary for you and the people you're going to reach. Despite what people believes, it's worse to not take a break.
- It is for someone else's freedom that you are set free. Don't sit on your freedom because you're afraid to lose it.
- Innocent bystanders don't stay innocent for long. Stay alert. The devil is prowling around like a HUNGRY lion seeking someone to DEVOUR.
Monday, June 17, 2013
Praise During A Storm
Storms. Everyone's seen or heard of one. They're either quick and painless, or wreak havoc on everyone in the way and there's no in between. Just recently, the area I live in in New Jersey was terribly hit by hurricane Sandy. Though where I live, in the northern part of the state, didn't get it as bad as the southern beach areas, though the storm didn't effect me directly, I was still left with the bitter realization of what the storm had done to others.
I told someone that I trust with every bone in my body and, to my surprise, she had been through the same thing, if not worse than me. And had been "clean off the 'drug'" for a few months now.
I was able to praise God because I knew He healed her, and I think she was able to praise God that something she suffered with for years, like I did, would benefit her as she would help lead someone out of the dark.
But if anything, the praise in me wasn't that I felt a lot better about what I had done, but that I had a new found hope in Jesus for what He hasn't done quite yet, but I believe He is ABLE to do.
3) Why do we praise during a storm?
Thankfully, through months of recovery and restoration, help from loved ones and strangers, and time, it seems though as New Jersey is somewhat almost normal again.
Storms in people's lives are so similar. We're either affected or we're not. If it's us, if we're the victim of the storm, we feel hopeless, useless, empty and just the way Sandy left everything in Jersey: big piles of garbage. If it's not us, if we just know someone going through one, we have to watch ourselves stay unaffected while the people we love are suffering through something we can't understand.
A while ago, someone I love dearly was going through a storm that I couldn't help him or her through and I knew very well that I couldn't possibly understand. Though it wasn't me, though I wasn't hit by the flooding and fallen trees of their storm, I felt the pain.
Praise turns that pain to joy, doesn't it though?
Praising God in a storm is the hardest thing- like ever! Cause when things are great we're like, "Yes! Praise be to God our provider and lover and breaker of chains and savior of our souls! Yay!"
Sadly, something I've realized, even within myself (remember, we're learning this together) is that we're humans. So sad right. But we're humans and we're a circumstantial people. Encouragement, love, anger, tips at restaurants, our tone to others. Everything we do is circumstantial; it's a product of who someone else is or what they've done or what we're feeling.
And sadly, praise has been clumped into that category of circumstantiality (I hope that's a word). We praise God when He provides and when someone is healed. We praise God when there are a ton of people at church this Sunday or when we're praying and we feel His Spirit is present.
But when we're in a storm, when it's raining hard down in our souls and trees are falling left and right in our hearts, we forget to praise God. "Forget." Or we're too depressed. Or we're mad at ourselves for what we've done and we don't wanna face God. Somehow it slips our mind who God is.
We forget that the God who provided and healed yesterday is the same God, whether you're going through a storm or relaxing in perfect beach weather.
Today I want to talk about praise in a storm, because it's a lot deeper than reading your Bible when you're disappointed in yourself.
1) Whether you like it or not, God is worthy of praise in a storm.
1) Whether you like it or not, God is worthy of praise in a storm.
Psalm 148 is very clear about who should give praise to God: everyone.
Angels and armies in heaven - He is their ruler.
Sun and moon and twinkling stars; earth and ocean depths - He is their creator.
Small animals, kings of the earth and all people - He is their master.
The things they all do on a daily basis brings praise to Him. When birds chirp in the sky. When the sun shines and the stars twinkle hours later. They are like a choir to our God, our creator, our ruler who deserves praise.
- Praise Him because the storm is not Him trying to trap you.
This is kinda self explanatory. James 1:13-14 says this:
"And remember, when you are being tempted, do not say 'God is tempting me.' God is never tempted to do wrong, and He never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires which entice us and drag us away."
Now, this doesn't mean you're not living out God's will for your life because you're going through a temptation or hard time. I don't remember where (no judging. Jesus is watching), but somewhere in the Bible is says, "You have allowed me to suffer much hardship, but You will restore me to life again." God is always fighting for us whether we know it or not, so sometimes He will allow certain things and storms to come our way. I can't tell you why, since I'm not God but from MY personal experience it's been to help other people with that issue, to build me upon the rock that is Jesus and to inch closer to what His plan is for me. And in the end, I was feeling emotions that were beside me. Not broken. Not scarred. Not mad. Appreciative. Thankful. Full of praise.
- Praise Him because He took your SHAME
I went to a spoken Word poetry night and I don't remember her name, but one girl (I will edit this when I find out) said something to the effect of this in her poem:
Jesus was hanging naked on a cross. Yes, He was naked. Churches have Him covered up but He wasn't because He didn't only take our sins and guilt but He took our shame.
Why is He worth our praise in a storm? Because what we're going through, He went through. He went through it naked, scarred and bleeding, beauty hanging from a tree, and He wants to help us. He wants to help us, the ones who nailed Him down. I think that deserves some praise.
- Praise Him because love has 20/20 vision
I love the expression love is blind. I love it because I can't quite catch the meaning. Love walks around with a guide dog? Love walks around is circles? Love has no idea where's it's going? I don't quite understand it. But it makes me think that most people don't know love.
To be honest, I want to praise Him because a king was crushed to a pulp and nailed to a tree so that I wouldn't be attached to satan at the hip, and that's true love. That's love.
And love is not blind. Love has 20/20 vision.
Love knew who you were, what you would do. Love knew you would be promiscuous. Love knew you would deny Him. Love knew you would be a drug, alcohol and pornography addict and STILL chose to die for you. Love is not blind. Love has perfect vision and the only thing He sees with it is the future you will have if He makes this sacrifice.
And I don't know about you, but storm or not, addiction or not, chains or not, I think He is praise-worthy.
2) Praise your shackles off
2) Praise your shackles off
Some of the hardest storms to endure are those of personal addiction. It's hard to praise when you can't see Jesus over the mountain. It's hard to praise when you don't know a life without that thing you're chained to.
And it's so easy to feel alone. To feel like you're suffering alone and the only time you can see Jesus through the trial is afterward and all you can imagine is Him shaking His head at you, disappointed. But that's not our God.
- Until God opens another door for you, PRAISE HIM IN THE HALLWAY.
Shackles are nothing compared to our God. Shackles around our bodies look like yarn compared to our God. Praise Him.
Break through those shackles, not only praising Him when those chains are off, but praising Him while you're still bound and refusing to let that stop you from living out His dream for you.
In Ephesians 6:20, Paul says something that shocks me every time, "I am in chains now, still preaching this message as God's ambassador. So pray that I will keep on speaking boldly for Him, as I should."
He didn't bother to ask the Ephesians to pray his chains would fall off, but his sole request was asking them to pray that they wouldn't hinder him. God still used him. How do I know? Because the man died in prison and I'm still reading his letters 2000 years later.
So yes, I think it's extremely smart to pray that God will help you through your storm and change it and heal you. But God doesn't care what is hindering you because He is rooting for you and that changes everything. A better prayer, in my opinion, is praying that God will still help you accomplish what you were knit in your mothers womb to accomplish, despite the chains.
- Until God breaks your chains, PRAISE HIM WITH YOUR SHACKLES ON.
Personal story:
There is an on-going storm, chain, addiction, battle -- whatever you want to call it -- that I have been going through for the past 8 years.
And I'm only 19.
And after falling into this temptation and needing forgiveness again just last week (yeah, Christians aren't perfect. Go figure) I found myself unable to praise Him. Not unwilling but unable. And as I laid my head down on my pillow, I felt Jesus next to me and I cried out to Him.
I was angry that God let this happen to me at such a young age.
I was angry that I couldn't control myself.
I felt fake and dirty and worthless.
And I'll be real and raw with you, I felt like I wanted to die.
And I kept thinking to myself, "God of the universe, breaker of chains, savior of souls, giver of life, maker of all things new. Why won't you take this from me? Won't you just let me be free?"
And I felt so strongly on my heart that if Jesus died for the entire world and all the people in it, but only one person changed their life and turned it around, He would do it over again. And that struck me like a knife.
And I began to praise Him and I said, out loud, if I have to suffer with this for years and years, but in the end I can help one person, I regret nothing.
And I began to praise Him because only He can make a girl who was a danger to herself a bringer of hope and because only He could make an addict sing with freedom and only He could make a sinner a leader and a lover.
- Telling someone could bring Him praise, and bring you to praising Him.
I'm not very open about this issue of mine, but I knew I needed to be. I needed to be held accountable, I needed to be encouraged and understood but I also needed to be loved to freedom.
I told someone that I trust with every bone in my body and, to my surprise, she had been through the same thing, if not worse than me. And had been "clean off the 'drug'" for a few months now.
I was able to praise God because I knew He healed her, and I think she was able to praise God that something she suffered with for years, like I did, would benefit her as she would help lead someone out of the dark.
But if anything, the praise in me wasn't that I felt a lot better about what I had done, but that I had a new found hope in Jesus for what He hasn't done quite yet, but I believe He is ABLE to do.
3) Why do we praise during a storm?
- It confuses the devil
The devil is such a touchy subject among Christians and non-Christians alike. But as the father of lies, I think he takes a little joy in our storms and misfortunes, to say the least.
But there is nothing more confusing to the devil than seeing you praise God when you should be distancing yourself from God. And there is nothing better for us than to foil the devil's plan, hand in hand with God.
Don't give satan a stage; praise God through a storm.
- It allows hope to become our anchor
Praising God goes hand in hand with having hope in Him. Jesus is our hope, and hope is our anchor (Hebrews 6:19).
Hope in Him should be the anchor of your praise during a storm; hope in what He is able to do/ will do for you should be the anchor of your prayers and cries to Him.
But we need to praise Him and trust that He will do a work in us.
- It makes us stronger
Praise during a storm is like, cardio workout mixed with Spin classes and leg day. It makes us so strong! But it makes us strong in Him.
Praising Him during a storm helps make our spirits stronger when our flesh has just 1+up'd us.It also give us the confidence to do what it says in Romans 4:17, "to call the things that are not as though they are."
Thank you, God, that I am free.
Thank you, God, that my chains will be broken.
Thank you, God, that I am free to live out Your dream for me.
It's crazy how many times I've thanked God in advance. For the issue I was writing about earlier, I have been thanking God for almost two years in advance for my freedom. And though it seems I'm still struggling, I am trusting God and praising God and no storm is gonna stop me.
Saturday, June 8, 2013
Defender
"Christian" is a loose term for what we do. A dictionary website defines Christianity as believing in Christ or following Christ. But that's just like, Step 1 out of infinite things. To me, it's who we are, not what we do. Everything we do is stemmed from who we are.
But are we doing the right things? Are we right people?
(quick disclaimer... everything i write, everything i 'preach' to other people, i'm either going through, or end up getting tested on. im not writing because i feel im superior, i just have a huge passion for the word. if you're convicted by anything i've written, we're learning it together.)
I am a big lover of the underdog in every situation. I have never heard anyone bring up the book of Joel in a sermon, so I wrote about it. Today, the book of Jude was totally sitting on my heart and playing with the strings. Underdog is also a loose term; after all, Jude made it to the bible, right? But I think there's so much gold in this book that we can't afford to hear another sermon about HOW GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD.
Jude starts this book out saying that he had planned to write about the salvation we all share, but God changed his plans. He had to write about the ABC's of Christianity:
Defend. The. Faith.
Not that salvation is more or less important than defending our faith, but you cannot preach one without the other. We can't offer the salvation of Jesus Christ to others without defending who we are and what we do.
We need to defend our faith because there are our brothers and sisters in Christ who have been attacked by the fiery darts of the enemy. We need to defend the faith for the kids we'll have one day, and the kids they will have. W need to defend the faith because, personally, I am sick and tired of going to funerals of people under the age of 21 who have died of drug overdoses.
Defend the faith because since before time, God has been defending you. Defend your faith because Jesus was literally crushed to a pulp for your freedom. Defend your faith because you've got the God of the universe on your side.
Defend your faith, and defend it gladly because it's not easy to be where you are.
Quick story:
I don't want to call it a storm, but recently, I've been going through an adventure with God about my future, realizing that what I was doing at the time was not it. After praying, fasting, freaking out, crying and seeking wise counsel, no I don't have it figured out but I know the next step God wants me to take. Then came the scariest, hardest, most gruesome part of the whole adventure: I had to tell my mom. Long story short, she told me that I was taking that step because I wanted to take the easy way out.
My heart broke. There is nothing easy about slaying your giants. There is nothing easy about trying to get the druggie to see what life could be like without being chained. There is nothing easy about getting a suicidal person to see the value behind their lives that the enemy has lied to them about for years. There is nothing easy about loving people so much you want to throw up. There is nothing easy about doing the opposite of what the world wants you to do.
That's why I defend the faith. Because the faith needs defending. Because the world puts the blindfold on us of either, 'Faith is too easy or faith is too difficult,' but no one defends the beauty.
Okay Jackie, great passion. How do I defend the faith? Great question, glad you asked.
The one person you'll be defending your faith to, more often than not, is the enemy. I've said this a thousand times and will probably get this engraved on my tombstone: There is no way to fight the KING OF LIES other than the ULTIMATE TRUTH. If you don't know the truth, do you even know what to defend?
Know it, because the enemy will twist it and manipulate it to get us to do something wrong or to condemn us. We need to know and recognize these things as a lie because what if we don't? What do we think if we thought the only truth in the entire world was a lie?
Knowing the truth is also acting on the truth. Like I said, we're learning this together so I'll be bold and be the first to say I've JUSTIFIED sins with the sufficient grace of God (2 Corinthians 2:9), or with Jesus saying, "In this world we will have trouble" (John 16:33). Using verses like these, I've justified sins, addictions and temptations. But my study bible puts it this way: Twisting the word is playing with fire... and I think they mean literally. Not only does this lead you into a chain-dominating, addictive lifestyle that will be a (bad word) to get out of, it belittles who God is, as if He won't judge those thing when we get to Heaven, like He won't know our motives when we quoted those verses for our own selfish benefit.
When you give those "properly excused" sins leeway in your life, there is no way you can defend your faith. How you live after you have a grasp on who Jesus is and what He did for us has everything to do with your faith.What you believe, what you think will always show up in your actions.
But are we doing the right things? Are we right people?
(quick disclaimer... everything i write, everything i 'preach' to other people, i'm either going through, or end up getting tested on. im not writing because i feel im superior, i just have a huge passion for the word. if you're convicted by anything i've written, we're learning it together.)
I am a big lover of the underdog in every situation. I have never heard anyone bring up the book of Joel in a sermon, so I wrote about it. Today, the book of Jude was totally sitting on my heart and playing with the strings. Underdog is also a loose term; after all, Jude made it to the bible, right? But I think there's so much gold in this book that we can't afford to hear another sermon about HOW GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD.
Jude starts this book out saying that he had planned to write about the salvation we all share, but God changed his plans. He had to write about the ABC's of Christianity:
Defend. The. Faith.
Not that salvation is more or less important than defending our faith, but you cannot preach one without the other. We can't offer the salvation of Jesus Christ to others without defending who we are and what we do.
We need to defend our faith because there are our brothers and sisters in Christ who have been attacked by the fiery darts of the enemy. We need to defend the faith for the kids we'll have one day, and the kids they will have. W need to defend the faith because, personally, I am sick and tired of going to funerals of people under the age of 21 who have died of drug overdoses.
Defend the faith because since before time, God has been defending you. Defend your faith because Jesus was literally crushed to a pulp for your freedom. Defend your faith because you've got the God of the universe on your side.
Defend your faith, and defend it gladly because it's not easy to be where you are.
Quick story:
I don't want to call it a storm, but recently, I've been going through an adventure with God about my future, realizing that what I was doing at the time was not it. After praying, fasting, freaking out, crying and seeking wise counsel, no I don't have it figured out but I know the next step God wants me to take. Then came the scariest, hardest, most gruesome part of the whole adventure: I had to tell my mom. Long story short, she told me that I was taking that step because I wanted to take the easy way out.
My heart broke. There is nothing easy about slaying your giants. There is nothing easy about trying to get the druggie to see what life could be like without being chained. There is nothing easy about getting a suicidal person to see the value behind their lives that the enemy has lied to them about for years. There is nothing easy about loving people so much you want to throw up. There is nothing easy about doing the opposite of what the world wants you to do.
That's why I defend the faith. Because the faith needs defending. Because the world puts the blindfold on us of either, 'Faith is too easy or faith is too difficult,' but no one defends the beauty.
Okay Jackie, great passion. How do I defend the faith? Great question, glad you asked.
- Know the Truth
The one person you'll be defending your faith to, more often than not, is the enemy. I've said this a thousand times and will probably get this engraved on my tombstone: There is no way to fight the KING OF LIES other than the ULTIMATE TRUTH. If you don't know the truth, do you even know what to defend?
Know it, because the enemy will twist it and manipulate it to get us to do something wrong or to condemn us. We need to know and recognize these things as a lie because what if we don't? What do we think if we thought the only truth in the entire world was a lie?
Knowing the truth is also acting on the truth. Like I said, we're learning this together so I'll be bold and be the first to say I've JUSTIFIED sins with the sufficient grace of God (2 Corinthians 2:9), or with Jesus saying, "In this world we will have trouble" (John 16:33). Using verses like these, I've justified sins, addictions and temptations. But my study bible puts it this way: Twisting the word is playing with fire... and I think they mean literally. Not only does this lead you into a chain-dominating, addictive lifestyle that will be a (bad word) to get out of, it belittles who God is, as if He won't judge those thing when we get to Heaven, like He won't know our motives when we quoted those verses for our own selfish benefit.
When you give those "properly excused" sins leeway in your life, there is no way you can defend your faith. How you live after you have a grasp on who Jesus is and what He did for us has everything to do with your faith.What you believe, what you think will always show up in your actions.
- Know the Author of the Truth
The knowledge of the Truth, which is the Word of God is so important, but that relationship with Christ needs to be there. Why? Because He loves us and wants it, because He knows what's best for us and does what's best for us, and if we didn't have that relationship with Christ... well, as my Pastor Miriam has said before, we become Christians that just know stuff. We become Christians that just come to church and warm up a seat.
If anyone knows me, I am one of the silliest people you'll ever meet and that doesn't change when I'm meditating on the Word: I advise all of you to DANCE with Jesus.
What?
Is?
She?
Saying?
Talking with Jesus is one thing, because for the most part we talk to Him and we don't wait for Him to talk back.
Walking with Jesus is cool, but all that's done on walks is observing.
Dancing is like this crazy thing where you need to work on yourself to better the person you're dancing with so as not to make them look bad, especially if they're not. Though there are no words, dancing is this crazy-intimate thing where the silence shared between the two partners is the loudest, most beautiful sounding passion ever. It takes trust to know your partner will catch you. It takes encouraging. And like all relationships, it takes time and patience to perfect.
Dance with Jesus.
Defend your faith in this way, by knowing Jesus personally because you will never understand God. That's like the understatement of eternity. You won't ever completely understand God. But if we are lacking in relationship with Him, we will start to belittle what we can't understand. What kind of defender of the faith puts their treasure in a box because they're not sure how it works? Without knowing Him personally, we can't let His beauty shine and defend the beauty.
- Keep in mind the ABC's of faith.
Christians, as ironic as this sounds, don't agree on much.
Contemporary or traditional?
Jeans to church, or skirts down to our ankles?
Should we keep the organ or get a guitar instead?
Those things don't even matter. They don't. What matters is the ABC's of Christianity. Prayer. Fasting. Breaking Addictions. Reading the word. Making a commitment. Before all else, defend the ABC's.
I mentor someone who I call my little sister. And though she has come such a long way, I still bring up the ABC's. Its not enough to just know it. As a mentor- no, as a BROTHER OR SISTER IN CHRIST, it is our responsibility- no, PRIVILEGE to make sure that the ABC's are defended and people are reminded of them. THIS is the common ground you will find between every Christian. Stick to it.
- Produce fruit
In Jude 1:12, Jude says that false teachers are like 'trees in autumn that are doubly dead; they bear no fruit and have been pulled up from the roots.' If apple trees do no produce, they are useless. Keep your faith alive, safe, radical and defended by producing fruit. Mentor. Volunteer in your church with kids. Sow seeds of encouragement to your enemies. Produce fruit. Don't allow yourself to be pulled up from the roots.
- Make sure God has good roommates
Towards the end of the book, Jude talks about bad people with ungodly desires but tells us we know better because the Spirit of God lives in us.
Who is God's roommate in your heart? Who is He sharing the space with? The entertained thought that will lead to sin? The addiction to things you know that will destroy you?
Defend your faith, because it's worth defending, but defend your faith with a clean and right heart. Make sure the greater Spirit who lives in you compared to the one who lives in the world is GLAD to share room in your heart. Passions. Love. Care. Cleanliness. Good roommates.
Remember, you will be the only Jesus some people may EVER meet and the only Bible some people may EVER read. My friend Cathy told me this once, and since then, that is my main motivation to want to keep a clean heart. I want the Spirit of God who lives in me to flourish and pour out to others, not be suffocated by crappy roommates.
PS: In about a month, I will be in CHINA! Woop woop! God bless.
Monday, June 3, 2013
You and Delilah
Have you ever read a story in the Bible and thought, "Wow he was obviously not the brightest sheep in the pen."? That happened to me recently when I was reading the book of Judges, where there is a story of a man and woman named Samson and Delilah. Here's the pocket-sized version:
Samson was set apart by God. He had insane, God-given strength and long hair which was the source of his strength. God commanded him not to cut it or tell anyone the secret of his strength. He meets this hottie with a body named Delilah. The rulers of the Philistines desperately wanted to know the secret of his strength, and so they bribed his wifey with money to find out the secret. She asked him and actually nagged him so many times that he gave in and told her that his hair must never be cut. When he fell asleep with his head on her lap (...if you're single...don't do it) and a man went in to shave his head. He thought he would be just fine walking out of the tent, but he didn't realize his strength had drained from him. The Philistines gouged his eyes out and arrested him and he basically walked around like a fool until he cried out to God to let him take these meanies down, even if he has to die with them. God honored his prayer and Samson took down the two pillars of the temple, killing more people in his death than in his life.
There's really only one thing to say about this story: What the hell is wrong with him?
Like dude, God told you not to do something and you did the exact opposite! Dude couldn't you see that this lady was total trouble?!
For a while I had that mindset. Gosh, he really is stupid. That was a dud move. And the more and more times I've read this part of Judges, the harsh reality hits me:
I am Samson, and I am married to my own personal Delilah.
Let me give you some background on my boy Samson and some of his flaws:
First things first, he had a first almost-wife. She basically had tricked him and trapped him in a very similar way that Delilah had. When he saw this woman he was like, "Yup. Mom, dad, I wanna marry her. Bring her to me." And his parents objected! Dude no, she's bad news don't do it. See, one of his flaws was that he was deceived by his eyes. He was controlled by his eyes. He loved this woman because of her beauty. He loved Delilah for the same. This falsely-advertised 'love' he believed was what got him to trust this devious women so easily, and that is what led to his downfall.
His eyes controlled him, and because of this, in-turn, when he was captured, he walked around blind and powerless. It was how he had always been, deep down. Blind and powerless.
But he is who we are, whether we've admitted it to ourselves or not. Aren't lies so beautiful? Aren't men and women so beautiful? Isn't flattery so beautiful? Aren't these beautiful things so tempting? At first it is our eyes that are tempted, but where your eyes go, your heart goes and where your heart goes, your life surely follows. Following the deceit that was before him without thinking practically was eventually his greatest downfall.
Second: He used his gifts and talents unwisely. When I say gifts and talents, that is an understatement. This man could tie 300 foxes tails together in a swift motion. But he wasn't wise about things. After sleeping with a prostitute, he used his strength to get out of it by ripping the city gates from the ground. When he lost a bet, he used his power to kill all those men.
This past Sunday, my assoc. pastor Justin was talking about talents at one point in the message saying that God gives us all these amazing talents and gifts and we get to heaven and God is kinda like, "I gave you this amazing talent to sing and you did it for the cars and I gave you this ability to write or speak and all you cared about was money." Being wise with the talents God gives us is the only way we can give God a worthy gift, in my personal opinion, and a lot of us think we're walking around with just skin and bones, with no soul or gifts when in reality God wants to pour them through us, but for His name-sake not ours.
Third: He could not deal with persistence and gave in so quickly. If you read through Samson and Delilah's story in Judges, you'll see that she literally asked him, "What is the secret of your strength and how could you be tied up?" And every time, he would lie to her. But she literally almost nagged him to death and he gave in! When his first wife, who I mentioned before, asked him for the answer to something secret, he could only be bothered so many times before giving in.
This man could rip a lion's jaw open with his bare hands, but could not break free of his lust and disobedience.
Like us, he was lured by persistence, attractiveness, and how persuasive something sounded. He easily gave in because he was tired of what he kept hearing and did not want to keep fighting, which is odd for one of the strongest men in the Bible.
I hate to be the one to say he had great potential, but he did. He did and ruined himself. Potential, though a beautiful thing, is usually followed by something negative and, "What a shame."
I encourage you to be unlike Samson in this way: Don't be the person to just sit on your potential like a dang goose egg waiting for the right time for it to hatch. Now or never. There is no PLAN B! Make people say, "Wow, we did not see that coming."
Be resilient. The dictionary definition of that word is returning to the original form or position after being bent. When you realize, okay maybe this isn't what the plan for my life is, or maybe this isn't the talent God had blessed me with, RETURN to your original shape! God will let us bend and never break, but sometimes we allow ourselves to get that far.
I also encourage you to beware of your personal Delilah. She was a Proverbs 5:3 woman; honey on her lips and poison in her heart. She actually tied him up so many times and literally asked him, "What is the source of your strength and how can you be tied up?" I mean HELLO she obviously was wearing her intentions on her sleeve! But beware. Delilah is not always a person.
Delilah is that thing you keep in the back of your closet that you promise to never go back to but can't bare to throw it out.
Delilah is that number in your phone that you just can't delete.
Delilah is the voice that tells you one drink won't hurt.
Delilah is your downfall.
But we will mess up sometimes. And it's okay. Here's why:
This section of the Bible ends with this sentence... Judges 16:22 "But before long, his hair began growing back."
That's hope. That's a new mercy. That is our awesome God taking a garbage-dump of a situation and making it beautiful. And when we do mess up, which we will, we have to trust that He will do just that.
Ps- sorry about the weird highlight over the words. I wrote this on a word document before I pasted it onto here. Sorry!
Samson was set apart by God. He had insane, God-given strength and long hair which was the source of his strength. God commanded him not to cut it or tell anyone the secret of his strength. He meets this hottie with a body named Delilah. The rulers of the Philistines desperately wanted to know the secret of his strength, and so they bribed his wifey with money to find out the secret. She asked him and actually nagged him so many times that he gave in and told her that his hair must never be cut. When he fell asleep with his head on her lap (...if you're single...don't do it) and a man went in to shave his head. He thought he would be just fine walking out of the tent, but he didn't realize his strength had drained from him. The Philistines gouged his eyes out and arrested him and he basically walked around like a fool until he cried out to God to let him take these meanies down, even if he has to die with them. God honored his prayer and Samson took down the two pillars of the temple, killing more people in his death than in his life.
There's really only one thing to say about this story: What the hell is wrong with him?
Like dude, God told you not to do something and you did the exact opposite! Dude couldn't you see that this lady was total trouble?!
For a while I had that mindset. Gosh, he really is stupid. That was a dud move. And the more and more times I've read this part of Judges, the harsh reality hits me:
I am Samson, and I am married to my own personal Delilah.
Let me give you some background on my boy Samson and some of his flaws:
First things first, he had a first almost-wife. She basically had tricked him and trapped him in a very similar way that Delilah had. When he saw this woman he was like, "Yup. Mom, dad, I wanna marry her. Bring her to me." And his parents objected! Dude no, she's bad news don't do it. See, one of his flaws was that he was deceived by his eyes. He was controlled by his eyes. He loved this woman because of her beauty. He loved Delilah for the same. This falsely-advertised 'love' he believed was what got him to trust this devious women so easily, and that is what led to his downfall.
His eyes controlled him, and because of this, in-turn, when he was captured, he walked around blind and powerless. It was how he had always been, deep down. Blind and powerless.
But he is who we are, whether we've admitted it to ourselves or not. Aren't lies so beautiful? Aren't men and women so beautiful? Isn't flattery so beautiful? Aren't these beautiful things so tempting? At first it is our eyes that are tempted, but where your eyes go, your heart goes and where your heart goes, your life surely follows. Following the deceit that was before him without thinking practically was eventually his greatest downfall.
Second: He used his gifts and talents unwisely. When I say gifts and talents, that is an understatement. This man could tie 300 foxes tails together in a swift motion. But he wasn't wise about things. After sleeping with a prostitute, he used his strength to get out of it by ripping the city gates from the ground. When he lost a bet, he used his power to kill all those men.
This past Sunday, my assoc. pastor Justin was talking about talents at one point in the message saying that God gives us all these amazing talents and gifts and we get to heaven and God is kinda like, "I gave you this amazing talent to sing and you did it for the cars and I gave you this ability to write or speak and all you cared about was money." Being wise with the talents God gives us is the only way we can give God a worthy gift, in my personal opinion, and a lot of us think we're walking around with just skin and bones, with no soul or gifts when in reality God wants to pour them through us, but for His name-sake not ours.
Third: He could not deal with persistence and gave in so quickly. If you read through Samson and Delilah's story in Judges, you'll see that she literally asked him, "What is the secret of your strength and how could you be tied up?" And every time, he would lie to her. But she literally almost nagged him to death and he gave in! When his first wife, who I mentioned before, asked him for the answer to something secret, he could only be bothered so many times before giving in.
This man could rip a lion's jaw open with his bare hands, but could not break free of his lust and disobedience.
Like us, he was lured by persistence, attractiveness, and how persuasive something sounded. He easily gave in because he was tired of what he kept hearing and did not want to keep fighting, which is odd for one of the strongest men in the Bible.
I hate to be the one to say he had great potential, but he did. He did and ruined himself. Potential, though a beautiful thing, is usually followed by something negative and, "What a shame."
I encourage you to be unlike Samson in this way: Don't be the person to just sit on your potential like a dang goose egg waiting for the right time for it to hatch. Now or never. There is no PLAN B! Make people say, "Wow, we did not see that coming."
Be resilient. The dictionary definition of that word is returning to the original form or position after being bent. When you realize, okay maybe this isn't what the plan for my life is, or maybe this isn't the talent God had blessed me with, RETURN to your original shape! God will let us bend and never break, but sometimes we allow ourselves to get that far.
I also encourage you to beware of your personal Delilah. She was a Proverbs 5:3 woman; honey on her lips and poison in her heart. She actually tied him up so many times and literally asked him, "What is the source of your strength and how can you be tied up?" I mean HELLO she obviously was wearing her intentions on her sleeve! But beware. Delilah is not always a person.
Delilah is that thing you keep in the back of your closet that you promise to never go back to but can't bare to throw it out.
Delilah is that number in your phone that you just can't delete.
Delilah is the voice that tells you one drink won't hurt.
Delilah is your downfall.
But we will mess up sometimes. And it's okay. Here's why:
This section of the Bible ends with this sentence... Judges 16:22 "But before long, his hair began growing back."
That's hope. That's a new mercy. That is our awesome God taking a garbage-dump of a situation and making it beautiful. And when we do mess up, which we will, we have to trust that He will do just that.
Ps- sorry about the weird highlight over the words. I wrote this on a word document before I pasted it onto here. Sorry!
Thursday, May 23, 2013
"Can you tell us what you're wearing tonight?" "Ephesians 6."
What are you wearing right now? What do you wear to bed? What do you wear to the gym? To church? On a date?
Right now, I'm babysitting my assoc. pastor's adorable son, Tate. With that said, I'm wearing an over-sized ESPN shirt that I won when I met the NY Rangers' Carl Hagelin and comfortable sweatpants. No makeup, no socks and best of all, no worries. And I would pretty much wear this anywhere, if that answers that other questions.
But I always have another outfit on at the same time, decked out in grace and strength, called the Armor of God.
Ephesians 6:12 says that our battle is not of flesh and blood but evil rulers of the unseen world. Some workout gear would help if you were running away from a flesh and blood thief, but this is a different thief... the one who comes to steal, kill, and destroy. (John 10:10) And trust me, unless you have on every piece of the Armor, he will. But if you do put on the Armor, after the battle, you will stand firm. I am a big fan of the word after. Who cares about before? What's important is after. After the shock, after the pain, after the fight, after you've given it all you've got. After the battle you will stand firm. It's in the Bible. It's a promise. God doesn't break promises.
Okay, Jackie, why are you telling me this? Glad you asked.
Because it's His armor, not ours. His strength, not ours. His protection, not ours. But we still need to put up the fight.
You cannot do it on your own, take it from someone who has tried. Apart from God you can do nothing. But with Him you can do anything.
First, in the amazing passage in Ephesians, the Word says, "Put on the belt of truth, and the body armor of God's righteousness."
I'll get into the belt of truth later, but right now I want to focus on the body armor of God's righteousness. Other translations say the 'breastplate of righteousness.' Tomato, tomato. Same thing. Either way, for the most part, body armor and breastplates are to protect your heart above all things. If you're wounded there, it's man down without a fight.
In Romans 3, the Word says we are made right, or righteous, with God by faith in Jesus Christ. We need to protect that righteousness with body armor out the wazoo because the next verse says, "For we ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." And it's true. Pastors, me, my church, the pope, Peter and Paul. We have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God. And the verse after that says that although we are this way, God has declared us righteous to Him.
But the devil would love to tell us otherwise. He makes it his job. He's the king of lies, and he's good at what he does.
To me, the opposite of righteousness is condemnation. Nothing puts a strain on your relationship with your amazing Heavenly Father like thinking you're not right with Him because of the devil's condemnation. I've said before in another post that the devil is the whispering voice that tells you to do something you know you shouldn't, and then is the first one to say, "God saw that." Nothing strains our relationship with God like condemnation, because in Jesus there is NO condemnation. It is a lie from the devil himself and we need to protect our right to be righteous in God because that ONE shot, that ONE fiery dart of the enemy straight to the heart will take you out and keep you out.
Next we have the shoes: "For shoes, put on the peace that comes with the Good News so that you will be fully prepared."
As I read this, I kinda freaked out. (No judging. Jesus is watching.) Prepare? For what?
Then as I was thinking on it, I realized that the Good News of Jesus literally sets us free. It breaks chains. It is the only truth in this entire world. The only way to fight off the lies of this world, the lies in your heart and the lies of the enemy is the Word, is the Good News.
Then I realized: When you're running for your life, literally...When the enemy, when the devil himself is chasing you...When your temptations are running after you like they need to hop on your back and whisper in your ear just to survive (because they do), how will you run without the right shoes?
I really stress getting into the word; if you think just going to church on Sunday and then maybe watching another sermon one day of the week is good to help you completely win the battle, you're wrong. You'll bend down to tie your shoes, enemy closely behind you, only to realize that all you've got on your feet are flip flops. Have you ever tried to run in flip flops?
Bottom line: You're not prepared.
Be prepared.
Read the word.
Put on your Good News Nike's and show the devil who's boss. (God.)
We are to put on the shield of faith to stop the enemy's arrows from even reaching us. This is important. Before even using the breastplate of righteousness, the enemy has to get through that first shield of faith. Keep your faith firm and strong. If you keep that shield of faith down, there is nothing stopping the enemy from getting into your heart. In my opinion, this needs to be the strongest form of protection of them all.
We are to put on salvation as our helmet so that the enemy's arrows won't get in our heads and tell us we'll never be good enough... salvation has made us new! Don't listen to that poo poo head.
Here's the best part: the second part of Ephesians 6:17 says, "...and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God."
First and foremost, the only way we fight the enemy off, essentially, is the Word.
When the enemy lies and tells you God has left you, we fight him with Psalm 139.
When the enemy tells you you have no purpose, we fight him with Ephesians 1:10-11.
The word of God is the only weapon we should, and are told, to use and thank goodness that it's the most effective one out there.
As I said before, I'm going to get back into the belt of truth. The word is often called the truth. And it's right; it's the only truth in the world. It's only right that it goes hand in hand with the belt of truth. After all, aren't swords always drawn from the belt of the warrior.
So are you going to put on the armor, or are you going to run in flip flops?
Right now, I'm babysitting my assoc. pastor's adorable son, Tate. With that said, I'm wearing an over-sized ESPN shirt that I won when I met the NY Rangers' Carl Hagelin and comfortable sweatpants. No makeup, no socks and best of all, no worries. And I would pretty much wear this anywhere, if that answers that other questions.
But I always have another outfit on at the same time, decked out in grace and strength, called the Armor of God.
Ephesians 6:12 says that our battle is not of flesh and blood but evil rulers of the unseen world. Some workout gear would help if you were running away from a flesh and blood thief, but this is a different thief... the one who comes to steal, kill, and destroy. (John 10:10) And trust me, unless you have on every piece of the Armor, he will. But if you do put on the Armor, after the battle, you will stand firm. I am a big fan of the word after. Who cares about before? What's important is after. After the shock, after the pain, after the fight, after you've given it all you've got. After the battle you will stand firm. It's in the Bible. It's a promise. God doesn't break promises.
Okay, Jackie, why are you telling me this? Glad you asked.
Because it's His armor, not ours. His strength, not ours. His protection, not ours. But we still need to put up the fight.
You cannot do it on your own, take it from someone who has tried. Apart from God you can do nothing. But with Him you can do anything.
First, in the amazing passage in Ephesians, the Word says, "Put on the belt of truth, and the body armor of God's righteousness."
I'll get into the belt of truth later, but right now I want to focus on the body armor of God's righteousness. Other translations say the 'breastplate of righteousness.' Tomato, tomato. Same thing. Either way, for the most part, body armor and breastplates are to protect your heart above all things. If you're wounded there, it's man down without a fight.
In Romans 3, the Word says we are made right, or righteous, with God by faith in Jesus Christ. We need to protect that righteousness with body armor out the wazoo because the next verse says, "For we ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." And it's true. Pastors, me, my church, the pope, Peter and Paul. We have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God. And the verse after that says that although we are this way, God has declared us righteous to Him.
But the devil would love to tell us otherwise. He makes it his job. He's the king of lies, and he's good at what he does.
To me, the opposite of righteousness is condemnation. Nothing puts a strain on your relationship with your amazing Heavenly Father like thinking you're not right with Him because of the devil's condemnation. I've said before in another post that the devil is the whispering voice that tells you to do something you know you shouldn't, and then is the first one to say, "God saw that." Nothing strains our relationship with God like condemnation, because in Jesus there is NO condemnation. It is a lie from the devil himself and we need to protect our right to be righteous in God because that ONE shot, that ONE fiery dart of the enemy straight to the heart will take you out and keep you out.
Next we have the shoes: "For shoes, put on the peace that comes with the Good News so that you will be fully prepared."
As I read this, I kinda freaked out. (No judging. Jesus is watching.) Prepare? For what?
Then as I was thinking on it, I realized that the Good News of Jesus literally sets us free. It breaks chains. It is the only truth in this entire world. The only way to fight off the lies of this world, the lies in your heart and the lies of the enemy is the Word, is the Good News.
Then I realized: When you're running for your life, literally...When the enemy, when the devil himself is chasing you...When your temptations are running after you like they need to hop on your back and whisper in your ear just to survive (because they do), how will you run without the right shoes?
I really stress getting into the word; if you think just going to church on Sunday and then maybe watching another sermon one day of the week is good to help you completely win the battle, you're wrong. You'll bend down to tie your shoes, enemy closely behind you, only to realize that all you've got on your feet are flip flops. Have you ever tried to run in flip flops?
Bottom line: You're not prepared.
Be prepared.
Read the word.
Put on your Good News Nike's and show the devil who's boss. (God.)
We are to put on the shield of faith to stop the enemy's arrows from even reaching us. This is important. Before even using the breastplate of righteousness, the enemy has to get through that first shield of faith. Keep your faith firm and strong. If you keep that shield of faith down, there is nothing stopping the enemy from getting into your heart. In my opinion, this needs to be the strongest form of protection of them all.
We are to put on salvation as our helmet so that the enemy's arrows won't get in our heads and tell us we'll never be good enough... salvation has made us new! Don't listen to that poo poo head.
Here's the best part: the second part of Ephesians 6:17 says, "...and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God."
First and foremost, the only way we fight the enemy off, essentially, is the Word.
When the enemy lies and tells you God has left you, we fight him with Psalm 139.
When the enemy tells you you have no purpose, we fight him with Ephesians 1:10-11.
The word of God is the only weapon we should, and are told, to use and thank goodness that it's the most effective one out there.
As I said before, I'm going to get back into the belt of truth. The word is often called the truth. And it's right; it's the only truth in the world. It's only right that it goes hand in hand with the belt of truth. After all, aren't swords always drawn from the belt of the warrior.
So are you going to put on the armor, or are you going to run in flip flops?
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Take it into your own hands, or let it slip right through your fingers.
The book of Joel in the Bible has got to be one of my favorite books. I consider it a fly-over book, like a fly-over state... kinda just...there. But after actually digging into it, I found that it is one of the most beautiful books in the Bible. And there has been this burning, itching in my heart to write about this for a long, long time.
The book of Joel starts with complete and utter destruction. Literally. Locusts are swarming everywhere, people are hysterical, the people are (finally) calling out to God for help. There are thick, black clouds of darkness, the earth quakes and the stars stop shining.
And suddenly... God shows up. This is why it's one of my favorite books. In one sentence, the book changes.
Joel 2:12 - "That is why the Lord says, 'Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me your hearts.'"
Hope. That's what God is saying in short. "I love you. You messed up, but it's okay. There is still time. Come to me." And this is why it has been a burden on my heart: What if we're meant to be the one sentence in someone's life? Have you ever met someone and they say one thing to you and you never forget? What if we are called to be that person for the Kingdom's cause?
He's promising hope when in the next verse He says, "Return to the Lord, your God."
Here's where I'm going to challenge anyone reading this: who are you going to help? Who are you going to be one sentence to? Who are you going to help return to the Lord your God?
Down a little further in verse 22, God starts to talk about plants growing back, hinting at a little normalcy. But I don't think He is promising that kind of prosperity... He's is showing that when we go back to Him He will provide for us. He promises to give us what we need and He of all people knows that our deepest, most 'malnourished' (for lack of a better word) needs are spiritual.
I connect this to Joel 2:28 ... God says, "Then, after doing all those things, I will pour my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophecy. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions."
After.
No rain, no rainbow. No destruction, no peace.
My pastor, Miriam, said a reference once that reminds me of this: she talked about how a miner takes a diamond in it's rawest form and literally puts it through fire until all of its impurities come up, then the miner wipes them off and does it again until he can see his reflection in the diamond.
God said after doing all those things... After putting you through the fire, after wiping the impurities from you, I will pour out my Spirit. After the rain, I will send a rainbow.
Will you show someone how to praise through the fire? Will you show someone that God does things with us in mind? Or is it too much effort. Is the grace of God too near and dear to your heart to share it?
No offense, I know God is a jealous lover for me. He doesn't want to share me with my sin, He doesn't want to share me with the world. But I don't feel that way. I want to share Him to the world... and if that means showing Him to one person, being that one sentence in someone's life, then I will do it. In Isaiah, God asks, "Who will I send?"
Will you let Him send you?
Will you take it into your own hands, or will you let it slip right through your fingers?
In Joel 3:21, the last verse of this short, but impacting, book, it says, "I will pardon My people's crimes which I have not yet pardoned; and I, the Lord, will make My home in Jerusalem with My people."
My study Bible points out that Joel started the book with complete destruction and ended it with complete peace. That got me thinking, wow, this is our journey, isn't it? It's hard and rough...we are hysterical, there are thick, black clouds of darkness and the stars stop shining. But as we call out to God, we find more peace. We find more protection. And once He is done allowing us to learn through the fire, He makes His home with us in our hearts.
Will you show someone that this is the God you serve? Will you show someone there is hope? My heart literally burns with a passion for this... it has been on my heart for the longest time. Will you burn with a fire for God and light someone else's candle? A candle that the cold world has put out?
Will you show someone who God really is, not what the world's blindfold makes Him look like?
Will you take it into your own hands?
Or will you let it slip right through?
Tick tock.
The book of Joel starts with complete and utter destruction. Literally. Locusts are swarming everywhere, people are hysterical, the people are (finally) calling out to God for help. There are thick, black clouds of darkness, the earth quakes and the stars stop shining.
And suddenly... God shows up. This is why it's one of my favorite books. In one sentence, the book changes.
Joel 2:12 - "That is why the Lord says, 'Turn to me now, while there is time. Give me your hearts.'"
Hope. That's what God is saying in short. "I love you. You messed up, but it's okay. There is still time. Come to me." And this is why it has been a burden on my heart: What if we're meant to be the one sentence in someone's life? Have you ever met someone and they say one thing to you and you never forget? What if we are called to be that person for the Kingdom's cause?
He's promising hope when in the next verse He says, "Return to the Lord, your God."
Here's where I'm going to challenge anyone reading this: who are you going to help? Who are you going to be one sentence to? Who are you going to help return to the Lord your God?
Down a little further in verse 22, God starts to talk about plants growing back, hinting at a little normalcy. But I don't think He is promising that kind of prosperity... He's is showing that when we go back to Him He will provide for us. He promises to give us what we need and He of all people knows that our deepest, most 'malnourished' (for lack of a better word) needs are spiritual.
I connect this to Joel 2:28 ... God says, "Then, after doing all those things, I will pour my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophecy. Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions."
After.
No rain, no rainbow. No destruction, no peace.
My pastor, Miriam, said a reference once that reminds me of this: she talked about how a miner takes a diamond in it's rawest form and literally puts it through fire until all of its impurities come up, then the miner wipes them off and does it again until he can see his reflection in the diamond.
God said after doing all those things... After putting you through the fire, after wiping the impurities from you, I will pour out my Spirit. After the rain, I will send a rainbow.
Will you show someone how to praise through the fire? Will you show someone that God does things with us in mind? Or is it too much effort. Is the grace of God too near and dear to your heart to share it?
No offense, I know God is a jealous lover for me. He doesn't want to share me with my sin, He doesn't want to share me with the world. But I don't feel that way. I want to share Him to the world... and if that means showing Him to one person, being that one sentence in someone's life, then I will do it. In Isaiah, God asks, "Who will I send?"
Will you let Him send you?
Will you take it into your own hands, or will you let it slip right through your fingers?
In Joel 3:21, the last verse of this short, but impacting, book, it says, "I will pardon My people's crimes which I have not yet pardoned; and I, the Lord, will make My home in Jerusalem with My people."
My study Bible points out that Joel started the book with complete destruction and ended it with complete peace. That got me thinking, wow, this is our journey, isn't it? It's hard and rough...we are hysterical, there are thick, black clouds of darkness and the stars stop shining. But as we call out to God, we find more peace. We find more protection. And once He is done allowing us to learn through the fire, He makes His home with us in our hearts.
Will you show someone that this is the God you serve? Will you show someone there is hope? My heart literally burns with a passion for this... it has been on my heart for the longest time. Will you burn with a fire for God and light someone else's candle? A candle that the cold world has put out?
Will you show someone who God really is, not what the world's blindfold makes Him look like?
Will you take it into your own hands?
Or will you let it slip right through?
Tick tock.
Monday, May 6, 2013
The Lord is my Shepherd ... BAAAAAAHHHH
I remember being in fifth grade in a private middle school and having to memorize Psalm 23 for religion class. Like John 3:16, Psalm 23 becomes a well known verse everyday, it is milked and repeated constantly, it is spoken at funerals and typically, I say it when I have to walk up my Pastors' scary steps to the attic.
It's a great chapter in the book of Psalms, but I have to think that we may have taken the life out of the first verse.
"The Lord is my shepherd, I have all I need."
I think that is the most underrated verses in the Bible.
Our circumstances change daily, but the Lord stays our shepherd. Our prayer and praise and worship should not change daily based on circumstance, based on life and what is happening, but they do. Why? Who gave us the bright idea that we should change how we speak to God when He hasn't changed at all? The Lord has been our shepherd since before we praised His name, and He will be long after we stop breathing.
I have all I need. I don't have enough money, I don't have enough bling on my neck or flowers on my table or enough cars in my driveway but I have my shepherd and therefore I have ALL I need.
My Pastor, Anthony, made a joke once about how it's funny we're always referred to as sheep... they're pretty dense animals.
Baaaaahhhh
But they're also very dependent on the one taking care of them. They are born and cradled, fed, and led by the shepherd and eventually trust him obediently, not out of habit but because 1) that's where the protection and nurturing is and 2) they are the exact opposite of self sufficient (can't find an antonym for it, bare with me) and are nothing without the shepherd. Had the shepherd not let and protected them, they would get lost and probably become prey for their enemies, who roam around seeking who they may devour. Yup, it's biblical, check it. 1 Peter 5:8.
And the thing is, this is a daily thing to be thankful about. WE change but HE doesn't.
Yeah but I don't feel like praying... The Lord who strengthens you is still your shepherd.
I got into a car accident and its gonna be so much money to fix it! ... The Lord who provides for you is still your shepherd.
But I've been going through a lot and then ____________ happened to me and _______ broke up with me and _________ walked out of my life and I lost my job and my parents don't get me and I've just not been feeling church lately.... The everlasting Lord your God who breaks chains, heals broken hearts, rains provision and answers prayers is STILL and always will be your shepherd.
Are you responding?
When a shepherd sees a member of the flock drifting he calls them. Our God, our shepherd, calls us by name when we drift away.
Are we ignoring Him? Are we responding to our shepherd? I've said this before, if you feel distant from God, guess who moved.
Psalm 23:1 is the most underrated verse I've ever read, I think. No matter where you are or who you were or what you'll do tomorrow, the shepherd is waiting for you to make your way to Him, and is relieved and overjoyed to learn He has not completely lost you.
BAAAH
It's a great chapter in the book of Psalms, but I have to think that we may have taken the life out of the first verse.
"The Lord is my shepherd, I have all I need."
I think that is the most underrated verses in the Bible.
Our circumstances change daily, but the Lord stays our shepherd. Our prayer and praise and worship should not change daily based on circumstance, based on life and what is happening, but they do. Why? Who gave us the bright idea that we should change how we speak to God when He hasn't changed at all? The Lord has been our shepherd since before we praised His name, and He will be long after we stop breathing.
I have all I need. I don't have enough money, I don't have enough bling on my neck or flowers on my table or enough cars in my driveway but I have my shepherd and therefore I have ALL I need.
My Pastor, Anthony, made a joke once about how it's funny we're always referred to as sheep... they're pretty dense animals.
Baaaaahhhh
But they're also very dependent on the one taking care of them. They are born and cradled, fed, and led by the shepherd and eventually trust him obediently, not out of habit but because 1) that's where the protection and nurturing is and 2) they are the exact opposite of self sufficient (can't find an antonym for it, bare with me) and are nothing without the shepherd. Had the shepherd not let and protected them, they would get lost and probably become prey for their enemies, who roam around seeking who they may devour. Yup, it's biblical, check it. 1 Peter 5:8.
And the thing is, this is a daily thing to be thankful about. WE change but HE doesn't.
Yeah but I don't feel like praying... The Lord who strengthens you is still your shepherd.
I got into a car accident and its gonna be so much money to fix it! ... The Lord who provides for you is still your shepherd.
But I've been going through a lot and then ____________ happened to me and _______ broke up with me and _________ walked out of my life and I lost my job and my parents don't get me and I've just not been feeling church lately.... The everlasting Lord your God who breaks chains, heals broken hearts, rains provision and answers prayers is STILL and always will be your shepherd.
Are you responding?
When a shepherd sees a member of the flock drifting he calls them. Our God, our shepherd, calls us by name when we drift away.
Are we ignoring Him? Are we responding to our shepherd? I've said this before, if you feel distant from God, guess who moved.
Psalm 23:1 is the most underrated verse I've ever read, I think. No matter where you are or who you were or what you'll do tomorrow, the shepherd is waiting for you to make your way to Him, and is relieved and overjoyed to learn He has not completely lost you.
BAAAH
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