Disciplined Dependence

"Sometimes we are told, 'We are in a spiritual battle. As soldiers of the cross we must be disciplined; we must put effort and sacrifice into the Christian life.' Then perhaps a week later, another Christian appears to say the opposite. 'I was working too hard at being a Christian; God showed me that I must just hang loose - rest in the Lord.'

Though these viewpoints appear contradictory, they really are not. Only a Christian disciplined in the Word of God can rest in the Lord. Yes, we can cease our striving and learn to relax in the confidence that God is equal to every situation. But a lazy, undisciplined Christian cannot do this; he falls apart at the seems when tragedy strikes. The believer who is like a tree planted by rivers of water is the one who meditates on the Law of God every free moment; his thoughts turn to the Word of God like a magnet."

Isaiah 26:3-4 "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength."

*excerpt from Winning the Inner War by Erwin W. Lutzer

Abiding

Lately I've been a little unsure of what to write about on here. I generally can't ramble on about the day and make it a worthwhile read. However, sometimes the things that the Lord teaches me are a little too personal to share on the internet. Also, I have to say I am not the expert on anything I've written about so far (hence the theme verse at the top of the page). I am in no way teaching what I've mastered, rather, I'm sharing what I'm experiencing. It's merely an attempt to improve my expressive writing skills (if that's a skill) and hopefully brighten somebody's day now and then.

All that said, here's the devo of the ...month.... it's been a while....

"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me" (John 15:4).

The key word here is abide. According to Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, to abide means to stay (in a given place, state, relation, or expectancy): it's translated abide, continue, dwell, endure, be present, remain, stand, tarry (for) x thine own.

Here the Lord gives me a choice. It is a command, but at the same time, a choice. If I abide in Him, I will bear fruit. If I don't, I won't. Without Him I can do nothing. My need for Him is a fact. My dependence on Him is a choice. Submission. In order to obey, I must choose daily to abide in Him. Every time a circumstance comes to mind that I could dwell on that would interfere with my bond with my Lord, I must choose instead to abide in Christ.

"I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness" (Jn. 12:46).

"If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love" (Jn. 15:10).

"And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming" (1 Jn. 2:28).

Abide today, so you will not be ashamed tomorrow.

The only way to be truly content in this life is to abide in Christ alone. Stay near Him continually!

According to the Hebrew implications of the word, abiding in Christ means you are continually pursuing (following hard after), married to, established with HIM. He is the Living Word of God; He is you Head. He has given you His Holy Spirit to be with you always and comfort you (Jn. 14:26-27). Do not drown out His peace with your anxiety (1 Thess. 5:19). His (and your!) Father holds you in His hand and NOTHING can take you out. Dwell there. Do not worry about anything that detracts from this relationship.

ABIDE.

Sometimes I Wonder...WHAT Am I Doing?! part 2

Some thoughts this morning's message really complete my previous post. So here goes...

If I am struggling to find God's will in some area, it is because He wants me to search harder for it. The struggle to know will result in a deeper assurance that this is it once I do find it.

Proverbs 2:3-7 ~ "Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly."

Proverbs 3:5-7 ~ "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil."

Psalm 37:3-4 ~ "Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass."

To trust in the Lord. To delight in the Lord. To commit my life to Him. To acknowledge His control. To pray for the filling of "the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding" (Col. 1:9). Literally, to do all these things I must cry out to Him and lift myself up to Him. I can do nothing. He can and will do everything.

If my desire is for Him to use my life, I must no longer look at any aspect of my life as my own. What am I keeping for myself? (Gal. 6:8)

The Book answer was what I ended up with after all...

Sometimes I Wonder...WHAT Am I Doing?!

The expression "bored to tears" has become all too real for me the past few months. I am an on-the-go type of person and have always found ways to keep myself busy. I still do. Yet in the midst of all the busyness I somehow find myself looking for more. I don't need more to simply do. I need to be able to put more into what I do. How is that possible? I could find a book answer. After all, everything is plainer on paper. Not to say writing or paper isn't real, but in reality, some things aren't so plain! Seriously though, what can I do?
I love to work. Work that I enjoy is therapy. I can put my heart, mind, and soul into it and be happy and content with life. (Have I ever been truly content? I'm not sure.) My problem is if I spend too much time and energy on work that I absolutely can't stand, I about go crazy. So many people could experience so much more fulfillment in life by spending their days working according to their unique interests and developing methods to more efficiently provide for their families. This would do wonders for individual initiative. Yet here we are, pouring tons of precious time and energy into something often quite unrelated to our family life or passions, just so we can make enough money to pay the bills...
Just thinking about it frustrates me to no end.

I want to find what God wants me to do with my life (which isn't really mine), and I want to do whatever that is with my all. Sometimes it seems hard to figure out what He wants. I know what I want, well, at least I often think I know; but to want what He wants - that is the highest goal - and, as a result, the hardest.

More later maybe. I'm too burnt to figure out quite how to say what I'm thinking.

Spiritual Slavery: Self-inflicted

Ability to do whatever feels right, whatever looks good -now. Being allowed to make our own rules, to decide what is right or wrong. The choice to obey or to disobey authority. The choice to continue a life or to cut it off. All these things are being labeled "freedom." But are they really? I fear the prevailing ideas of our corrupted society have affected believers more deeply than we realize.

The heart of the matter: a matter of your heart.

Rom. 6:16~ "Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?"

Eph. 6:12~ "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places."

2 Tim. 2:24-26~ "And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will."

These fruits of the Spirit, patience, gentleness, and meekness, all stem from the peace of mind rooted in total dependence on the Lord. Such attributes are neither weak nor passive. When exercised with all godliness, they are so different from the world that sinners seeking to escape the turmoil of evil will be captivated by the disposition of true Christians.

2 Pet. 2:19~ "While they[wicked people] promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage."

Every Christian's goal: (should be) to be overcome with GOD.

Our method of achieving this goal: to identify and remove anything and everything that takes the place of God in our lives (idols!).

Some questions for you to ponder:

Who or what overcomes me? more specifically...

-What is the first thing I worry about? Why?

-Where is the last place I want to be(that I have to go)? Why?

-Who is the last person I want to see? Why?

-WHAT DO I DREAD? Why?

The answers to these questions can all be traced to roots of pride, bitterness, discontent, doubt, denial of God's goodness, the list could go on...

When fear and anxiety have consumed me, I have ceased to trust in the Lord. The result of this collapse in faith is discouragement - a negative perspective that serves the devil's purpose of detracting from my Christian walk.

Rom. 6:22-23~ "But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

God has given us the gift of serving Him. What an undeserved privilege!

We have a Master Whose joy is to protect us from harm and give us a fulfilling life. Why then do we so quickly return to the tyrant who shackles us with the chains of stress in the dungeon of discouragement?

Satan's all too effective tactic is to appeal to our pride. He cunningly flatters us with lies. "You can handle this." "Don't waste time asking God about that; take care of it yourself." As if we could bear our burdens alone...how foolish...yet how often we believe him.

1 John 2:16-17~ "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."

Ps. 55:22~ "Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved."

Right there is a simple command with an unending promise. Active obedience results in active blessings.

Jam. 4:7-8~ "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded."

1 Cor. 15:57-58~ "thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord."

Fill your mind with the Word. Purpose to find and to do God's will. Be captivated by God. Nothing can take Him from you or you from Him. Nothing can be more freeing than being wholly sold out to the Lord.

A Broken Heart

"He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds."

Ps. 147:3

"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise."

Ps. 51:17

A broken spirit - the realization of utter helplessness; a self-imposed depravity

The Lord desires brokenness because He delights in healing.

True surrender to God can come only from a broken heart.

Brokenness is necessary for a victorious Christian life because the Lord only uses fully surrendered hearts.

Nothing between my soul and my Savior, Naught of this world's delusive dream; I have renounced all sinful pleasure; Jesus is mine, there's nothing between. Nothing between, like worldly pleasure; Habits of life, though harmless they seem; Must not my heart from Him ever sever; He is my all, there's nothing between. Nothing between, like pride or station; Self or friends shall not intervene; Though it may cost me much tribulation, I am resolved, there's nothing between. Nothing between, even many hard trials, Though the whole world against me convene; Watching with prayer and much self denial, I'll triumph at last, there's nothing between.

Life, Light, and Little Things

"But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God"(1 Cor. 2:9-10).

What do I really KNOW about my God?
How much in life am I missing because I'm not looking?
How much more could I know about my God if I payed more attention to the little details in life?

I've been realizing that color in life - however drab or dull it may appear - all depends on the light that reflects it. Just as we perceive color by the frequencies of the light an object reflects, so also our view of circumstances relies on our mental illumination. The more time is spent in God's Word, the more we will see God's hand in events and circumstances. We will experience more peace, joy, and fulfillment, and less worry, discontent, and frustration. We will find joy in the little things. Life is a big thing composed of small things. When we miss the small things, we literally miss life.

This is my challenge - to find joy in the little things in the life God has given me; to be content because I have made the most of it. Am I making the most? I don't know. However, I do know that I often become so consumed with this question that the many small details the Lord would use to encourage me slip by unnoticed.
My goal in this area is well described in the words of Jim Elliot: "Wherever you are, be all there. Live to hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God."