| Thursday, November 20, 2008 |
| Spiritual Warfare |
“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” Ephesians 6:12
As believers, we are enemies of Satan. He does not want to see us succeed. We inhabit Christ and He dwells in us. Paul warns us about this spiritual battle in Ephesians chapter 6 when he instructs us to put on the armor of God. I think many Christians water down this truth. Satan is deceiving and whispers lies into your heart in order to put a wedge between you and your Creator. What lies has he been telling you? I want you to stop right now and ask the Lord to reveal those lies to you. Perhaps Satan is whispering to you that you don’t need God. Or maybe he’s telling you that you don’t deserve the love of God. Maybe he’s telling you that you don’t deserve good things. Whatever it is, you need to identify it (and there may be more than one) and deny it. Tear down the walls Satan has put up between you and God. Break free from the chains of deception.
Conviction of Sin and the Holy Spirit
“Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” 1 Peter 5:8. Satan controls us with sin. He first whispers lies into your heart. Once you start believing those lies and give in to the thoughts, you have already sinned. Next, the thought presents itself in a real way. You may resist in the beginning, but as long as Satan has a foothold on your heart and you listen to the lies, you will actively sin. “But each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death” James 1:14-15. That is exactly what Satan wants, for your sin to give birth to death.
We have the “spiritual forces of evil” attacking us, but the Lord also gave us the Holy Spirit: “God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us.” Act 15:8. While Satan deceives, the Holy Spirit speaks truth in our lives. The Holy Spirit also convicts us of our sin. We are convicted of our sin so that we may do something about it. Through the Holy Spirit we are able to examine our own thoughts and actions and are able to discern Biblical right from wrong. It seemed to me that the closer and closer I got to God, the more I sinned. I just didn’t understand how that was possible. I then realized that I was more in touch with the Holy Spirit and had a greater understanding of God’s heart and therefore was able to see my sins more clearly. How thankful we should be for the Holy Spirit! God is just and punishes sin. Jesus Christ came so that we could be forgiven for our sins because in order for God to remain just, someone had to pay. The Holy Spirit is in our hearts so that we can recognize sin and repent, which brings us into a more intimate relationship with God. The trinity is perfect.
Conviction vs. Condemnation
“See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.” Colossians 2:8. Not only does Satan tell lies, but he twists the truth (as any great deceiver does). I had been bound by a particular sin. The Holy Spirit convicted me of it and I took the necessary steps to make it right. I acknowledged my sin before the Lord, I asked for forgiveness, repented by removing anything in my life that would cause me to stumble in this particular area, apologized to the people I had hurt, and took responsibility of my sin by accepting the worldly consequences and asking for my accountability partners to pray for me. I knew in my heart that I had rightfully taken care of it and that my God had forgiven me. I also know that I do not deserve this kind of grace and that is only by the goodness and love of Christ that I’m able to stand blameless before the Lord. But even in all that Satan still had a grip on my heart. He spoke to my self-worth and twisted the lie that I didn’t deserve the forgiveness of sin and therefore caused me to give into guilt. I felt that I deserved nothing good because of my sinful nature to a point that it was hindering my relationship with God. Once I realized that this was not Biblical, I had to break from the chains of condemnation. I had to renounce the lies of Satan. I had to boldly stand before the enemy and refuse to surrender to his deception. Conviction is a necessary part of our walk with Christ, but condemnation holds us back. Please do not let Satan continue to have a hold of your heart even after you have repented of your sins. Please do not let the grace of God be masked by guilt. “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7
Titus 3:4-6 “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior.” |
posted by Carsen @ 11:49 AM  |
|
|
|
| Monday, November 17, 2008 |
| Different Standard, Still Human |
As Christians, the Lord holds us to a different standard than those of the world. (John 17:16, 2 Corinthians 10:2-3, Philippians 1:27; 2:1-5; 3:17). The church often holds leaders and missionaries to an even higher standard. We must have confidence that our pastors, elders, heads of committees, Bible study leaders, mission coordinators, worship team, etc are living Biblically and are earnest in their faith. We have to be discerning when it comes to choosing those in leadership positions.
With that said, God calls and works through broken people (David, Saul, Hannah, Job, Ruth, the Israelites). Though we have been made new, we are still human. Those in exalted positions are tempted. Pastors struggle with addiction. Missionaries struggle with lust. Elders struggle with pride. Committee leaders struggle with anger. Why are we so shocked when we find out our leaders fail? We trust them and put our confidence in them. But shouldn't we be putting our confidence in the One who called them?
And since we know that these people deal with the same things as the rest of us, why are we so harsh and so quick to judge? And isn't Christ the only one who can truly judge the heart (Romans 14:10, James 4:12)? Why do we tear down with accusations, turn up our noses, and shake our heads? Is this an example of love?
We should be saddened by sin (Romans 12:9). We should hurt when others hurt (1 Corinthians 12:26). We should be praying for our leaders without any personal motive (1 Timothy 2:8). We should encourage one another (2 Chronicles 35:2, Hebrews 3:13).
"Therefore let us stop passing judgement on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way." Romans 14:13
(This blog is a place for me to share thoughts and express ideas. I'd love to hear what you think. I have much to learn and look forward to good conversations, whether you agree or disagree.) |
| posted by Carsen @ 8:29 AM |
|
|
|
| Thursday, November 13, 2008 |
| Becoming a Whatever Christian |
Ever feel like your relationship with Christ isn't going anywhere?
It's probably because you haven't died to yourself. "For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain" Philippians 1:21. For years I never understood this verse. I became a Christian in December of 2000 and not until recently has this verse really stuck out to me. I'd been taking baby steps in my walk with Christ, growing here and there. And then I reached a point where I was faced with a decision. Was I going to keep trying to have both the world and Christ? Or was I going to die to myself and gain what cannot be measured? Was I going to make the conscience decision to throw away all the junk in my life, good or bad, and give it all to Christ? Was I going to stand before the Lord my God and deny Him everything that He owns? Everything that He gave? Was I going to water down the depth of His love, His goodness, His death on the cross by choosing to live for myself? If you are not at this point or never have been I pray you get there soon. Because your life will change radically.
Are we willing to be Whatever Christians? Are you willing to say to God: "Whatever it takes! Whatever you want! Whatever you ask of me, I will do it."
This kind of gesture requires two kinds of faith: one, the faith in the goodness of God and two, the faith that your fellow Christians have your back when you lay it all down.
"His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness." 2 Peter 1:3. Do you believe this, dear Christian? Because if we truly believed that He has given us EVERYTHING we need, why would we be so hesitant to give it all away? I found 9 different times in the Bible with the exact phrase "He is good" which is followed by "His love endures forever." Out of His goodness flows love and out of His love flows goodness. I'm not talking about circumstances, but the very NATURE of God. "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." James 1:17. God is bigger than your circumstances. His good nature does not change with situations. Do you trust that?
Christians, we have been failing each other. We gossip and tear down instead of encourage and lift up. Why would anyone want to become "one of us"? If we can't love each other, how can we love our enemies? The wound of betrayal stings much worse coming from a friend than an enemy. We expect unbelievers to be selfish and hurt each other, yet we Christians do it to each other. "He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." 1 Thessalonians 5:10-11 (italics and bold mine). I have some really great friends that know my heart and support me when I follow Christ. They love me despite my sin and hold me accountable to my actions. They speak the truth in love and hold me up. They've got my back. It would be incredibly difficult to become a Whatever Christian without those people. Don't you see, brothers and sisters, that we were designed to live in community? Please do not isolate yourselves as so many Christians do. Jesus led by example by having a close group of disciples that He called friends. And church, please make community a priority. Please do not let your congregation become just a group of acquaintances, but encourage real, godly friendships to happen.
Are YOU ready to become a Whatever Christian? Are YOU ready to get down on your knees and make a life commitment to say "whatever you desire, Lord, it's yours"?
Lord God, I come to you now broken and in need of you. Fill me up and strengthen me so that I may live for you and only you. Guard my heart from the hardness of sin. Make yourself known to me. Allow me to serve you. God I ask that you protect my fellow Christians from the enemy. Continue to show me ways that I can encourage others. This task of becoming a Whatever Christian is not easy and I know I'm going to fail, but you are my strength and I run to you in times of weakness. Thank you for the cross Lord. Thank you that I have direct access to you. I praise you because you are good and your love endures forever. Let my life be a reflection of this. Amen.
(This idea of a "Whatever Christian" came from a sermon I heard at Father's House in Vacaville, CA. The pastor's name is Jules and the credit goes to him.) |
| posted by Carsen @ 10:23 AM |
|
|
|
|
| "As for me, I am in your hands; do with me whatever you think is good and right." Jeremiah 26:14 |
| About Me |
|
![]()
Name: Carsen
Home: California, United States
About Me: army wife, nurse, daughter, sister, Jesus-lover, and friend.
See my complete profile
|
| Previous Post |
|
| Archives |
|
|
| Sidebar Section |
|
| Links |
|
|
 |
|
