Whenever I am clotheslined by the enemies airing of my dirty laundry, I can go one of two ways:
1. fall into the old mud hole of guilt and anxiety, or
2. agree with him with this disclaimer:
It is true what you say about me, HOWEVER... God's word has something to add:
"And when you were dead in your sin, and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our sin, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us and which was hostile to us, and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross". Colossians 2: 13 & 14
Don't let anyone judge what He has justified.
Monday, April 1, 2013
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Faith facts
Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One who is leading.
Oswald Chambers
Bring Christ's Word - Christ's promise, and Christ's sacrifice - His blood, with thee, and not one of heaven's blessings can be denied thee.
Adam Clarke
Jesus Christ is not security against storms, but He is perfect security in storms. He has never promised you an easy passage, only a safe landing.
Annie Flint
In one thousand trials, it is not five hundred of them that work for the believer's good, but nine hundred and ninety-nine of them, and one beside.
George Mueller
Groanings which cannot be uttered are often prayers which cannot be refused.
C.H. Spurgeon
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Faith myths
Faith myth #3: I need to wait until I can be alone with God to exercise my faith.
Truth: Faith matures through hundreds of "in the moment" decisions to trust God each day.
Text messaging God in the middle of circumstances...sending an SOS...believing Him to be greater than the problem... is what the Bible calls "submitting to God and resisting the enemy" (James 4:7). If I wait until a better time, I will probably attempt to solve the problem myself and create a bigger mess. If I put God on hold while I battle temptation, I fall into the trap. Faith is a continual, present act of doing life with Jesus.
Galatians 5:16 says "Walk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh". The Spirit is my helper. He is always with me. His job is to enable me to trust God to overcome the current obstacles. God tells us He is a very present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1).
My alone time with Jesus each morning settles me in who He is and what He will do for me. As I go through the day, I draw on that truth as my defense. I may need to hide out in the bathroom a while longer until I am able to turn it over to Him, but He has not failed me yet.
Trust God now. Tomorrow will be now when you get there.
Truth: Faith matures through hundreds of "in the moment" decisions to trust God each day.
Text messaging God in the middle of circumstances...sending an SOS...believing Him to be greater than the problem... is what the Bible calls "submitting to God and resisting the enemy" (James 4:7). If I wait until a better time, I will probably attempt to solve the problem myself and create a bigger mess. If I put God on hold while I battle temptation, I fall into the trap. Faith is a continual, present act of doing life with Jesus.
Galatians 5:16 says "Walk in the Spirit, and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh". The Spirit is my helper. He is always with me. His job is to enable me to trust God to overcome the current obstacles. God tells us He is a very present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1).
My alone time with Jesus each morning settles me in who He is and what He will do for me. As I go through the day, I draw on that truth as my defense. I may need to hide out in the bathroom a while longer until I am able to turn it over to Him, but He has not failed me yet.
Trust God now. Tomorrow will be now when you get there.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Faith Myths
Myth #2: My thoughts have little to do with my faith.
Truth: The battle to believe God begins in my head.
What goes on in my mind regulates the spiritual climate of the rest of me. The outcome of either choosing to believe God, or mentally shriveling into doubt and unbelief, is determined by what I allow to stay in my mind.
My teenage years were filled with constant turmoil because I believed everything entering my mind originated from me. I'd follow one rabbit trail after another, trying to resolve ugly thoughts with reason or mental scolding. Guilt and doubt over my salvation plagued me until I learned the enemy often implants evil thoughts in our minds to rob our peace and joy. It had worked. My mental witch hunt kept me in a state of conflict.
Through discussing my problem with a trusted spiritual mentor, I recognized confusion, fear, and doubt as phantom rabbits sent to entice me into no-man's land. Rather than running after them and beating them into submission, I began training my mind to refocus on God whenever unpleasant and worrisome thoughts emerged. It felt unnatural at first. I wanted to chase those pesky critters. Yet as I let God deal with them, I learned the faith battle could be won right there.
Isaiah 26:3 says: "The steadfast of mind Thou will keep in perfect peace because he trusts in Thee."
Since our brains function in patterns, we can change our minds to operate in active faith. Taking issues before God in prayer each morning frees us from engaging in enticing worries as we go through the day. I often sing worship songs in my head as a reminder of God's presence at the gas station, grocery store, while doing laundry, even the mall. It's my way of establishing rhythms of faith as I live life. His peace is the gift of "staying" in Him. And if I can retrain my brain, anyone can.
We don't need to decipher where our thoughts come from, Ignoring the bad and focusing on the good isn't living in denial, it's remembering truth. And truth sets us free.
Evil thoughts may intrude, but possess no power over you as a new creature in Christ. Raising your shield deflects all the "what ifs" Satan can hurl.. Faith combined with Scripture is a spiritual weapon surpassing intellect. We don't abandon our brains, we surrender them.
Truth: The battle to believe God begins in my head.
What goes on in my mind regulates the spiritual climate of the rest of me. The outcome of either choosing to believe God, or mentally shriveling into doubt and unbelief, is determined by what I allow to stay in my mind.
My teenage years were filled with constant turmoil because I believed everything entering my mind originated from me. I'd follow one rabbit trail after another, trying to resolve ugly thoughts with reason or mental scolding. Guilt and doubt over my salvation plagued me until I learned the enemy often implants evil thoughts in our minds to rob our peace and joy. It had worked. My mental witch hunt kept me in a state of conflict.
Through discussing my problem with a trusted spiritual mentor, I recognized confusion, fear, and doubt as phantom rabbits sent to entice me into no-man's land. Rather than running after them and beating them into submission, I began training my mind to refocus on God whenever unpleasant and worrisome thoughts emerged. It felt unnatural at first. I wanted to chase those pesky critters. Yet as I let God deal with them, I learned the faith battle could be won right there.
Isaiah 26:3 says: "The steadfast of mind Thou will keep in perfect peace because he trusts in Thee."
Since our brains function in patterns, we can change our minds to operate in active faith. Taking issues before God in prayer each morning frees us from engaging in enticing worries as we go through the day. I often sing worship songs in my head as a reminder of God's presence at the gas station, grocery store, while doing laundry, even the mall. It's my way of establishing rhythms of faith as I live life. His peace is the gift of "staying" in Him. And if I can retrain my brain, anyone can.
We don't need to decipher where our thoughts come from, Ignoring the bad and focusing on the good isn't living in denial, it's remembering truth. And truth sets us free.
Evil thoughts may intrude, but possess no power over you as a new creature in Christ. Raising your shield deflects all the "what ifs" Satan can hurl.. Faith combined with Scripture is a spiritual weapon surpassing intellect. We don't abandon our brains, we surrender them.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Faith Myths
Myth #1: My faith isn't real if I don't feel it.
Truth: It is not hypocritical to choose faith when the feeling is absent. In fact, true faith is a decision, not a feeling.
Most of the time I don't feel great faith. My feelings come and go, and are influenced by circumstances. If I allow emotion to determine when to trust God, I'll ride a spiritual roller coaster. Emotion-based faith is strong when charged by worship services and Christian gatherings, but shrivels when faced with adversity.
Ralph W Sockman, D.D. urges believers not to rely on emotion:
"Habit must play a larger place in our religious life. We worship when we feel like it, we pray when we feel like it. We read the Bible when we feel like it. Leaving our religious exercises to the promptings of impulse, we become creatures of impulse rather than soldiers of Christ. An army made up of creatures of impulse would be only a mob. So is a church."
God cares about my feelings and uses them to sense the working of His Spirit, but I cannot count on them to gauge truth. It is actually a matter of the will. Saying no to my natural tendencies and yes to God is a spiritual discipline honed by purposeful, daily intake of His word, and claiming His promises for myself. Just like building muscle, faith in Jesus Christ grows strong with intentional use.
Emotions carry us to random places. A whim shifts from one thing to another based on whatever strikes its fancy. Yet anyone can choose faith at any time, regardless of feeling. Trusting God when we don't feel like it, or when our feelings are contrary, is what He considers "faith more precious than gold" ( 1 Peter 1:7).
Truth: It is not hypocritical to choose faith when the feeling is absent. In fact, true faith is a decision, not a feeling.
Most of the time I don't feel great faith. My feelings come and go, and are influenced by circumstances. If I allow emotion to determine when to trust God, I'll ride a spiritual roller coaster. Emotion-based faith is strong when charged by worship services and Christian gatherings, but shrivels when faced with adversity.
Ralph W Sockman, D.D. urges believers not to rely on emotion:
"Habit must play a larger place in our religious life. We worship when we feel like it, we pray when we feel like it. We read the Bible when we feel like it. Leaving our religious exercises to the promptings of impulse, we become creatures of impulse rather than soldiers of Christ. An army made up of creatures of impulse would be only a mob. So is a church."
God cares about my feelings and uses them to sense the working of His Spirit, but I cannot count on them to gauge truth. It is actually a matter of the will. Saying no to my natural tendencies and yes to God is a spiritual discipline honed by purposeful, daily intake of His word, and claiming His promises for myself. Just like building muscle, faith in Jesus Christ grows strong with intentional use.
Emotions carry us to random places. A whim shifts from one thing to another based on whatever strikes its fancy. Yet anyone can choose faith at any time, regardless of feeling. Trusting God when we don't feel like it, or when our feelings are contrary, is what He considers "faith more precious than gold" ( 1 Peter 1:7).
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