BLOGS
“Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, We continue in our pursuit of godliness today as we look at the discipline of worship. The book we are using as our guide is Disciplines of a Godly Woman by Barbara Hughes. The word “worship” comes from the Saxon word “weorthscype” which later transitioned into “worthship”. I think this is an excellent way to view the act of worship overall. It is ascribing the proper worth to God. We worship God because he is immensely worthy of all praise. “Worship” in Greek is “proskyneo.” The first definition given at blueletterbible.org is “to kiss the hand…in token of reverence.” This reminds me of Psalm 2:12: “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled.” Jesus, the Son, is to be worshipped. If your life does not exist for this purpose, you will perish under his wrath. This leads well into Romans 12:1: “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” What is our “spiritual worship”? To give our whole bodies as a living sacrifice to God. Why does this make sense? We know there is a reason given because Paul uses the word “therefore”. So we must look back to what he is referring to. I would assert that Paul is referring to everything he has already written in this letter to the Roman Church, for us that is Chapters 1 – 11. In these, Paul laid out the wickedness of humankind, the wrath of God against unrighteousness, the gift of grace from God, the means of salvation through faith in Jesus alone, the freedom we have in the Spirit, God’s everlasting love for us, and God’s perfect sovereignty (in a nutshell, the gospel). What do we do with this knowledge? We do Romans 12:1. It is the ONLY reasonable response to what God has done (see also KJV and ESV footnote). We give our entire selves over to Christ. We surrender everything to him because he has purchased us. We don’t kill animal flesh in sacrifice; we kill our own flesh and live for Christ. That is worship and it is the only logical response to the work of Jesus. In light of this we should understand how all-consuming and life-saturating worship should be. It is not an activity we engage in for a few songs on a Sunday morning or when the mood hits us. It is how we should live every moment, giving ourselves over to God’s will and not our own. In this way worship is a unique discipline, it is both a means and an end in itself. All the disciplines we engage in (prayer, Bible reading, good works, using our gifts) will lead us to more worship of God. Yet, when we discipline ourselves to worship properly, it will also increase our godliness. Who worshiped God perfectly? God himself in the man of Jesus Christ. As Jesus said, “But the hour is coming and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.” John 4:23. Keeping it simple, to worship “in spirit” means that we are to worship everywhere, we are no longer confined to worship only in Jerusalem at the temple. To worship God “in truth” means we must know God and have a right understanding of who he is. Worship should not be done in naivety or ignorance, but should flow forth from a heart and mind well informed about the focus of our praise. That being Jesus Christ our Lord. True worship occurs from the inside to the outside. Once again, all of this steers us directly to God’s Word, as everything should. You must read and study the Bible so that you know who it is you are worshiping. As your understanding of God and his ways increases, your worship of him will too. When you find your worship lacking, whether on your own, with your family or within a congregation, it will be because your understanding of God is lacking. Dive in to his Word and refresh your soul there. Ladies, sincere worship does not happen by accident or just when a good song comes on the radio. True worship occurs when we have a right understanding of God and a Spirit-born desire to give our entire selves over to him. Worship should be the lifestyle of every Christian, displayed in all that we do and say. Take some time to examine yourself in this area and then begin to work at cultivating a life of true worship. Our God is worthy. “Pray without ceasing,” These past few weeks have been spent ensuring we have our hearts and minds prepared for the pursuit of being Christ-like. We have discussed the importance of training for godliness (see 1 Tim. 4:7-11), we have centered ourselves in the gospel, knowing it is our only source of godliness, and last week we discussed that our proper posture before God is one of complete submission to his will (the essential attitude of godliness). We are now finally diving into the disciplines themselves, starting with prayer. Do you think of prayer as a discipline? As something that requires deliberate work and training? Many of us don’t, and that may be our biggest problem. We often take prayer way too casually for what it is. Prayer is a gift to us that came at a great cost. Hebrews 10:19-20 tells us that we are able to “enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh.” For this reason we are able to “draw near” to God (v. 22). We are allowed to stand before God in prayer because Jesus gave up his own blood. So, allow prayer to flow continually, but never take it lightly. We need to realize that a healthy and effective prayer life takes great discipline. I think many of us would readily admit that we should be spending more time in prayer than we currently do (a sign we are un-disciplined). How do we make this happen? We plan for it and make it habit. We know we are commanded to pray in God’s Word. First Thessalonians 5:17 tells us to “Pray without ceasing” and Ephesians 6:18 tells us to be “praying at all times in the Spirit”. So we should be having a continual heart communication with God throughout our day. This is the result of a Father-daughter relationship so close that he is the one we turn to all day long to adore, worship, ask for strength, and seek counsel from. However, there also needs to be times of deeper connection and dedicated attention given to God. Instead of squeezing prayer into our already full days or using whatever time we have “leftover,” we need to be giving God the best times of our day. Plan ahead and decide when you will spend devoted time with God. Are you at your best in the morning? Spend time connecting with God then. Do you find yourself with energy in the evening when everyone else is in bed? Pray then. Or whenever it is you are best able to connect and engage. Plan ahead for prayer time and give God the best of yourself. Devoting yourself to prayer time will be more difficult in different stages of your life, but do the best you can. God understands your situation because he gave it to you. If your prayer time happens while changing diapers and feeding babies so be it, but don’t give up because you can’t “escape” for a few minutes alone. For those of you who simply have full schedules with activities or obligations, it is time to cut loose some of these from your schedule. Prioritize spiritually with God, not with the world. Put the effort into your prayer life. There is nothing more amazing than communicating with God Almighty. Use the time to adore him, telling him what you treasure about him. Use the time to put forward your requests and for interceding for others. Keep a prayer list (a real one, not just one in your head) so you can remember to pray specifically for needs and give praise for seeing prayers answered. The ultimate key to praying more is to be in the Word more. The more you know your Lord, the more you trust him and adore him. Your heart will desire to commune with him as often as possible. Prayer will be empty without first allowing the words of God to abide in you (John 15:7). Prayer is a great gift of sanctification to us. We are not blessing God with our attention; he is blessing us with his. In the book, Disciplines of a Godly Woman (the book we are following for this blog series), author Barbara Hughes gives a quote from E. Stanley Jones, a missionary and man of prayer: “If I throw out a boathook from the boat and catch hold of the shore and pull, do I pull the shore closer to me, or do I pull myself closer to the shore? Prayer is not pulling God to my will, but the aligning of my will to God’s will.” Prayer therefore is not about getting God to meet our needs or do what we ask of him, but a spiritual bending of our will to his. A mighty tool for sanctification and holiness, exactly what we are pursuing! Women, prayer is your lifeline to your Father in Heaven who loves you. How exciting that God has made a way for us to connect with him. What a great God we serve! Why not pray and tell him that now. At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. – Philippians 2:10 -11 Chapter three, Discipline of Submission. Seriously? The book we are following (The Disciplines of a Godly Woman, by Barbara Hughes) is a book written for women, so of course they HAVE to have a chapter on submission. My flesh, at times, continues to rail so fiercely against this word that I have to stop and correct myself. I have to take a breath, pray and think spiritually. Submission is what women are taught to AVOID as soon as we are capable of learning. “You are the boss of you, be independent, don’t let anyone tell you what to do, you can’t submit to someone else and be successful.” So when women bristle at the word “submission” we could say that we are reacting to years of training (often under the guise of “Christian” teaching). HOWEVER, is this socially-accepted-feminist-indoctrination the true cause of our rebellion against submitting? NO! What is? The SIN in our own hearts. Rebellion against submitting to authority is what SIN is all about! This chapter on the discipline of submission would fit just as well in a book written for men (okay, not the parts that pertain to women such as in marriage). Yet, ALL who are called by God are called to live a life in submission to Him. That is what the Christian walk is all about. That is what we are pursuing right now as we pursue godliness – attempting to bring our own will into submission to his. If I am railing against submission, I am railing against God himself. Now, that is a humbling thought. Submission can be defined as, “yielding to the authority of another”. I would add the word “willingly” to it (because submission is a heart issue, not just an action issue). In the book, Barbara Hughes calls submission “The Posture of Godliness”. It is our stance before God. He, being the Authority and we, his willing subject. Philippians 2:5-11 is one of my all-time favorite portions of Scripture (pick up your Bible and read the whole thing). I think it embodies both the example of Jesus Christ in regards to his submission (to the Father) and his Lordship over us. It begins in verse 5, “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,” In other words – Jesus enables us to think as he did. Having the mind of Christ is a huge gift (see 1 Cor. 2:16) – use it to overcome the sinful pride of rebellion. It goes on to tell us about the humility of Jesus while on earth: “though he was in the form of God… emptied himself… taking the form of a servant… humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death…on a cross.” If my mighty Savior submitted this way to his Father (even though he was God and all-powerful) I am without excuse (and so are you). Are you displaying the humility of Christ to those around you? Are you living up to the name “Christ-ian”? “Therefore God has highly exalted him…that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Jesus is declared LORD, all to the glory of God. When God calls us to submit to him (James 4:7, “Submit yourselves therefore to God,”) is this not a good and right calling? Yes, it can be no other way. Every command given by God is perfect and leads to blessing for the believer (Rom. 8:28)! The call to submit is no different. So, let go of the resistance and walk this pathway of blessing with trust and joy. We submit to God by submitting to the authorities that he has placed in our lives as women. This will include our husbands, pastors, parents, employers and others. We do this gladly “out of reverence for Christ,” (Ephesians 5:21). We also submit to God in every action and decision we make every day. We choose to do what he wants us to do and not what we are (sinfully) inclined to do. Having a difficult time discerning God’s will in an area? Search the Scriptures, pray and seek godly counsel. There is a right answer. Women, stanch the rebellion in your flesh and live willingly under the Lordship of God. Joyfully submit to the One who holds your heart and all the world in his gracious hands. “By this gospel you are saved…Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures.” 1 Corinthians 15:2-3.
To be a Christian woman means to be on a path of increasing holiness. How do we live this out? God has granted us certain means by which we can attain the goal of being more like Jesus. All of this is accomplished through the power of the Spirit within us, but there are certain disciplines (intentional life habits) that we should be engaging in as we train ourselves for godliness (see 1 Tim. 4:6-16 and last week’s blog). Before we dive into the other disciplines we need to first understand the source of all godliness. That source is the gospel of Jesus Christ. We are using the framework of Barbara Hughes’ book, Disciplines of a Godly Woman, going chapter by chapter to train ourselves up in godliness. Today is chapter 2, “Discipline of the Gospel”. If I asked you to tell me what the gospel is, would you be able to do it clearly and concisely? Many professing Christians struggle with this. They may have spent years in church and they may read the Bible daily yet still find it difficult to put into words what the gospel is. This should not be. Why? Because it is the foundation to our belief in Jesus Christ and the means by which we have been saved. Without properly understanding the gospel we are ineffective Christians floundering around and often finding ourselves miserable as we try to be obedient to God. It is the gospel that will lead us to holiness. In the words of Barbara Hughes, “The Gospel of Jesus Christ is unrelenting in seeking to convert every area of our hearts and lives. The Gospel is all-encompassing. It is in fact the only source of godliness. Search anywhere else, and you have nothing more than self-reform at best and idolatry at its worst.” (page 21). As Christians, we need to understand that the gospel is everything to us. It shapes who we are and directs our daily lives. The gospel, broadly speaking, is the whole message of all of Scripture. Specifically, it is the way of salvation through Jesus Christ. A good summary is found in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, “ For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,”. Our God is a perfect and holy God who created everything, including us (Gen. 1:1, 27). He rightly demands a perfect and holy people to be his (Lev. 11:44). He gave us rules and commandments to live by, but humanity failed because we are sinners and unable to live up to his perfect standards. Every single one of us sins and rebels against God’s Lordship over us (Rom. 3:23). The penalty for this sin is death and separation from God forever (Rom. 6:23). We seem to be without hope, except God sent his only Son, Jesus, to save us (John 3:16). Jesus came to earth and lived the perfect life we could not live (2 Cor. 5:21). He then took the wrath of God for our sins upon himself and died on the cross, paying the price we could not pay (Rom. 4:25). After being dead and buried three days, Jesus rose again and ascended to Heaven to be with God (Luke 24:6, 50). Victorious over death and sin forever. If we have been called by God’s grace and in faith believe in what he has done for us, we are saved. “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” Colossians 1:16. In light of what our Savior Jesus Christ has done for us, our lives should be transformed! Through Christ we are no longer slaves to unimportant, meaningless ways of living. We have been saved through the gospel of Jesus and our lives have been redeemed for his good purposes. And this gospel message is, as Paul tells us, “of first importance” and is to be shared. We are blessed recipients of the gospel but it belongs to God, it is his gospel. We need to be sure we have a right theology about who God is. We must live for and serve the Jesus of the Scriptures. When we do so, we find our lives transforming. “The Gospel shapes everything about you. The discipline of the Gospel is coming to God on his terms… As women who understand and embrace the Gospel, we find God’s Word so dynamic that it at once defines us, satisfies us, and motivates us.” (Barbara Hughes, page 25). Women, know and understand the gospel. Allow it to not only redeem and transform your heart but also every day that you live. Christian women, are you working hard toward becoming more Christ-like? Is this high on your priority list? It should be. If we are authentic believers in Jesus, the Spirit cultivates in us a desire to please God and be more like our Savior. Author Donald Whitney calls these “holy hungers”. Indwelling longings (after conversion) to know and understand God more by reading the Bible, connecting with him through prayer, worship and other avenues of grace.
If you are a true Christian the longing will be there whether it displays as a small flame or a blazing fire. The issue we need to address is how to add fuel to this fire, sustain it and grow it over a lifetime. We can do this through spiritual disciplines, by forming lifestyle habits (the means) that lead us to being more like Jesus (the end goal). 2 Peter 1:3 tells us, “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence.” When we are called to be his, we are also given everything we need to attain godliness. This is certainly good news! So why do we need to pursue godliness? Keep reading. After Peter lists qualities that include faith, virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness and brotherly love, he then says this in verse 8: “For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” God wants these qualities (which can all be summed up as being godly) to increase in us so that we are effective and fruitful in our lives. This is gospel effectiveness and spiritual fruitfulness with the ultimate purpose being increased glory to God. This is why Paul instructs Timothy to “train yourself for godliness” in 1 Timothy 4:7. The Greek word used for “train” in the original text is gymnazo, which translates “to exercise naked”. Yes, this gave me a smile when I looked it up but it makes great sense! We derive our word “gymnasium” from this Greek word. When we are working hard at something we throw off everything that may hinder us. Just like the athletes competing in the nude in the first Olympics, they did not want anything in the way of giving their best in hopes of winning. This idea is reflected for us in Hebrews 12:1, “let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,” We, as Christian women, need to lay aside the weights of this world and the sin that tries to entrap us and run the race God has set before us. This is what pursuing godliness looks like, working hard to be more like Jesus. “For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God” (1 Timothy 4:9). There is great hope in this endeavor, better than any fitness goal we could pursue, “for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” 1 Timothy 4:8. The training for godliness we do in this life not only benefits us now, but it will also bring us reward for eternity - what a profound impact we are granted! If this sounds like work to you, you are right. It is. Disciplined training should be intense (we shouldn’t think being like Jesus should be easy!). What we need to ask ourselves is this: is it worth it? You need to count the cost. Truly pursuing godliness may bring about: persecution, division in families, the end of friendships, the cutting away of worldly habits and hobbies, giving up possessions, it also takes time, energy and dedication. Is it worth it? Sorry, that is the wrong question. We have to ask, is He worth it? Is Jesus worth you devoting your life’s pursuit to? I will answer like Paul: “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.” (Phil 3:8). Losing the world and gaining Christ. Yes, he is worth it. Ladies, I encourage you to follow me on this mission of holiness. A purposeful quest to be more like Jesus as commanded in scripture. I will be using the book, Disciplines of a Godly Woman, by Barbara Hughes as a framework for the next 16 blogs I post (this blog covered chapter 1). We will hit on several topics such as the disciplines of prayer, of the mind, of contentment, of propriety, and of good deeds. Think of these as pathways by which we can encounter God. Follow along and let’s reap the benefits of training for godliness together. I am not a morning person. I struggle to gain consciousness and get my bum out of bed every. single. morning. I don’t want to talk to anybody and I don’t want anybody talking to me until I have at least brushed my teeth, put my eyes in and adjusted to being vertical. No way around it, mornings are tough.
One thing I have experienced often over the years (and think many of you women can relate) is the “attack of the ‘to do’ list” as soon as I open my eyes. I haven’t even put my feet on the ground yet, but I’m already worried about getting everything done. It is a rotten feeling and makes me want to roll over and hide from the world a little longer. Over the last couple weeks I have been fighting off this “morning assault”. For starters, I don’t want to begin my day downcast or feeling defeated! That is not the life for Christians. God tells us that we are “more than conquerors through Him” (Romans 8:37) and have “overcome the world” through our faith in Christ (1 John 5:4). Therefore, that is how I want to start my day – confident in Christ and what he has planned for me. There are several verses to use, but lately I have been keeping it simple. Maybe this will help you too if you share my struggle. I quote Psalm 118:24, “This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” However, I change the “let us” to “I will” and I make it a command. Over the years I have often encouraged women to preach to themselves and that is essentially what I am doing here. “THIS is the day that the LORD has made, I WILL rejoice and I WILL be glad in it!” This verse goes way deeper than the simple words it contains. The point is not to force happiness and positive thinking on myself each morning. That will get me nowhere, only God’s Word has the power to change my heart. Here is the thought process: “This is the day the LORD has made”: God has made every day; he is not just working as he goes along. No, he wrote out every single day of my life before I was ever born. This is laid out for me in Psalm 139, “Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” This is true for you as well. Imagine it, your life has been written out by God! So, what does God have planned for our days? Ephesians 2:10, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” GOOD works are planned. Once again, these are days prepared for us, by God himself, before we live them out (amazing!). And that is true for every single day of our lives. We who are in Christ just need to “walk in them”. This last portion is vital; we can’t sin and think we are walking in God’s will for our day. We need to walk in the “good works” prepared for us. Good works are the fruit of a life lived for the Lord. Our days need to be filled with what honors God. “let us rejoice and be glad in it.”: The above gives the reasoning for the remaining part of Psalm 118:24. Gladness and joy are the inevitable results of knowing that God has authored each of our days. When we get up in the morning we can be assured that whatever happens in the hours ahead has been hand-crafted by the One who loves us the most. He planned out each step of our day that we should walk in it. Everything submits to him: the events, the people and even the “to do” list. So, Ladies, the mornings may still be rough, but we can face the day ahead with hope and joy knowing that our God has it taken care of. We should trust him and walk gladly in the good works he has lovingly prepared for us. Looking at the world today we don't have to try too hard to find something to be offended about. Murder, abortion (redundant, yes), abuse, corruption, and deceit abound. All these having their root in sin. These are awful and we are right to be offended by them. But are these truly what weigh on your mind each day? Occasionally, absolutely, especially in light of recent tragic events. But my guess is that the offenses that trouble us the most are the "small" ones. The unkind word from a friend, the strange look we [think] we see someone give us, or the [perceived] treatment we get when we are around certain people. These types of offenses are what will consume us if we allow them to.
One place I see this too often is in the church. This is the place petty offenses should not be, for it is a worldly trait. The world hates, that is its signature emotion (see John 15:18-25). The opposite is to be said of the Church: "By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:15. The Church is to love one another. When we give in to an offense it will first wreak havoc on our own heart. It will consume our thoughts and play with our emotions. If we don't recognize it and deal with it, the offense will grow and will affect others and possibly the church as a whole. Growing like the weed that it is. We women seem to be especially vulnerable to this. We are very perceptive beings and also tender-hearted. When we choose to take offense at something, we unwittingly become the door through which the enemy sneaks into the church. Soon there is hurt, blame and division occurring. Don't be that door, Ladies! "Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense." Proverbs 19:11. We need to have a very long fuse and learn to quickly overlook offenses when they come. This verse tells us that it is to our glory to do so. Meaning it will enhance your gospel shine! What a beautiful thought. What if you really were treated unkindly or shut out by stuck-up Christians or intentionally left out of a group? Ask Jesus. His possible answer: "I was betrayed by a friend, falsely accused of crimes I did not commit, abandoned by those closest to me, declared guilty in a bogus trial, flogged, beaten, mocked, and spat upon. I was nailed to a large wooden cross and raised up for all to see. How did I deal with these great offenses? I forgave and I died. I gave up my life so that many of those same people would come to God." Would you still be able to argue your case while staring into the face of Jesus? Not a chance. That is why we need to look at him every day in his Word. I think our right response to an offense would be the same as Jesus’s. Forgive and die, die to self that is. Laying our lives down for the sake of the gospel and the purity of God's people. These things will happen, you will be hurt by other Christians. But decide not to hold on to the offense. Do not harbor ill toward one another within Gods family. Allow God to work in that person's heart and sanctify them, knowing he is doing the same in all of us. In fact, pray for them. One last point. Do not allow an offense caused by another Christian to keep you from Christ. Do not allow anyone to stand in the way of you and your Savior, Jesus Christ. To do so is beyond pitiable and ridiculous. If you find yourself pointing to someone else when asked why you don't attend church, go to study, enjoy worship or why you have stopped pursuing God then your faith is weak, if it exists at all. Shape up. If your relationship with the Lord is authentic, there is nothing and no one who will keep you from running after him whole-heartedly. Pushing aside every petty offense and freely forgiving those who are yet being sanctified, because you and your flesh "have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer [you] who live, but Christ who lives in [you]." Galatians 2:20. Ladies, for the sake of the Name of the One who called you, be not offended. I knew I was in trouble when I found myself looking at the back of the package, mentally calculating how many calories I would consume if I ended up eating the entire bag of Puffcorn. The total was at least enough to keep me from finishing it off (or maybe it was the gut ache I was starting to get). They shouldn’t be allowed to make food like this, it is so hard to stop. Pair it with a Diet Pepsi and I’m not sure life could get much better. Plus it’s cheap. Like a bag of happiness for only $2 – what a deal!
But then the thought came: If only I craved God as much as I craved this food. This may sound silly, but oh how it cut my heart. Ladies, have you had a similar thought? “If only I craved God as much as I crave ____________.” Fill in the blank with whatever you desire: a man, your favorite TV series, pumpkin spice anything, money, wine, beauty, a baby, comfort, attention or chocolate. We spend our lives running after what our flesh craves. We throw our money, time and efforts at these things. And why not? Many of them come cheap and easy! Like Puffcorn on a shelf at the store for $2 a bag. We can just turn on the TV, buy more clothes, hit the coffee shop, pop a bottle, or go through the Drive-Thru. Happy and satisfied...until… tomorrow. Then we find ourselves back in line, making more purchases, or searching for new thrills. I don’t want to live that way! And the Bible tells me I shouldn’t. As a Christian, I have been set free from the bondage of sin. It no longer has a hold on me, so I don’t have to cater to the demands of my flesh. “Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.” Roman 6:12, 14. Thinking of Puffcorn having dominion over me sounds silly, but when I give in to this type of temptation that is exactly what I am allowing. That is awful. My heart’s desire is to crave God more than anything else. I want to yearn for him above all temporary pleasures. I want Psalm 42:1-2 to describe me, “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.” I want God alone to have dominion over my attentions and affections. So how do we make this happen? I think Psalm 34:8 is fitting, “Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!” The answer is to consume more of God so we can comprehend more of his goodness. When we understand more about our amazing God, our faith increases and our hope is established in him. We take refuge in him like the Psalm says and not worldly pleasures. Then we can say, “How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” Psalm 119:103. The result is an increased desire for more! This is a good craving, a holy craving. One you are encouraged to indulge in daily and eternally. So turn away from whatever it is your flesh is screaming for and set your heart on pursuing more of God. “For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.” Psalm 107:9. Ladies, train yourselves to crave God. Pray for a hunger for the spiritual. The cure is double - when we have more of God, our souls are satisfied and the cravings of the flesh are stilled. This is what they call a win-win and it’s forever. So taste and see that the Lord is good today, open up his Word and find your satisfaction. I was miserable and sick, tired and weary. Desperate for encouragement and mercy. I knew what I needed to do, exactly what I tell everyone to do when they are feeling this way. Go to the Lord and read his Word. I didn’t want to, I didn’t feel like it. But I grabbed my Bible anyway, hoping for something to sooth the dismal feelings rising within me.
I opened to a place I had marked from reading in the past. It was Isaiah. What great words of comfort did my God have for me this day? Here is some of what I read: “Therefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against his people, and he stretched out his hand against them and struck them, and the mountains quaked; and their corpses were as refuse in the midst of the streets.” Isaiah 5:25 Yes, thank you, Lord. That is exactly what I needed to hear at this very moment. Along with the “woes” pronounced in the verses previous to this one and warnings against alcohol consumption. So very refreshing and enlightening. Come on, God! Is that what you are giving me in my time of distress, seriously? I wanted to cry (okay, so maybe I did a little). I wanted to lodge a complaint that this Christian thing should be easier. God is supposed to be there for me when I need him. He is supposed to make me feel better. He is supposed to help me. Me. The truth of my self-centered mentality smacked me in the face. I may have thought I was reaching out for God but I was only looking for myself in the pages of his book. Treating God and his Word like a gumball dispenser: I was hoping for red but got green and was upset. No instant comfort was granted to me. I had to remind myself of some very important facts. First, the Bible is about God and not Jesicah Lehman. The same can be said for my own life - I walk it, but he authored it for himself (Psalm 139:16). I then made myself mentally list what I knew of God: he is good, he is loving, he is sovereign, he is just, he is present and he is strong. And he loves me and will keep me forever. I know this, not because of what I read that day (though it is still God’s Word and valuable truth); I know this because I have read it thousands of times, over and over in his Word before this moment ever came to be. That is what sustains me, his Word in me already. So even if the scripture I read at that moment did not seem to comfort me, I still held to God. I reminded myself of the truths of who he is and who I am because of him. Did I feel better after all of that? Not really. But my feelings are not what matter. I am sure of who my God is and I fully trust him in every way. Even if what he gives me for the day is sickness and scripture that does not console. Ladies, always go to God and his Word. What you read may not tickle your heart strings. You may read about corpses in the streets, but there is always blessing in reading God’s Word. The comfort you find may not be instant but for those who are his, it will certainly be eternal. A common struggle for women is the feeling of being all alone. Is this you? Whether we are physically isolated or in the middle of a crowd this feeling can overcome us and bring a sense of desperation. I want to encourage you today, but first understand this: You are not alone. Don’t believe it for a second. It is a lie and it comes from the Deceiver. He is trying to pull your attention away from your Savior. Don’t you let it happen. You are not alone. Believing this lie negates what God tells us in his Word. You cannot believe both. You can’t declare that you are a Christian and then also complain that you are all alone in life. Those two cannot exist together, they are mutually exclusive. This is one area I can talk about with an authority that comes through experience. Read my blog here to learn my story. It took me a few years of pain to realize God was all I needed and that he had not abandoned me. He has since put me into a physical family of believers which has been a huge blessing. But first, I had to learn to understand the full sufficiency of God in my life. That is what I want you to realize today. God is with you and he is enough. In the Bible, the verses that reference God being present pile sky high. Even a simple online search comes up with over 1,100 verses on God’s presence. Here are just a few. Matthew 28:20 Jesus tells us, “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Hebrews 13:5 quotes the book of Joshua in God’s declaration of, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” Speaking of Joshua, from that book we get the awesome words, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (1:9). The promise of God’s presence in the Bible is a central message. We see it in the tabernacle and temple of the Israelites as God dwelt in the midst of his people. God’s presence provided security and direction for his people. It also brought courage for battles against massive enemy nations. In the New Testament we see God’s physical presence in the very flesh of Jesus Christ. Then in the Holy Spirit that he sends after his ascension. The Spirit brought boldness to the apostles as they proclaimed the good news to the world. We have one and the same Spirit within us today. Can you ever be separated from your Savior? Psalm 139:7 asks that same question, “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?” Verses 9-10 give the answer, “If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.” There is no amount of time, distance, or any situation that can separate you from God or his love (see Romans 8). (I should clarify…if you are not a born again believer in Jesus, then never mind. You are utterly alone and should feel desperate. I hope you feel the darkness that is pressing upon you. Sorry, you will get no lovey-dovey talk from me to encourage you today. You have no union with God Almighty. That is reserved for his family members. I do hope the desperation causes you to shout out for his salvation and brings a desire for reconciliation. Then there is true hope for you!) Will you feel lonely? Yes, but don’t trust your feelings. As is clear from scripture, we are never left alone or forgotten by God, he is ever present. God will use loneliness in your life to draw you to himself. He will allow you to be disappointed by everyone around you until you realize he is your only source of fulfillment. God will strip away every person, if need be, until you stare him in the face and say, “Yes, God, you are enough for me.” If you are feeling alone today, see what you are experiencing as a blessing. Know that God is bringing you closer to himself. Others can help and fellowship is must, but your relationship with God is primary. You need to understand this and live it out. Practice the presence of God in your life, talk with him and hold onto the truth of his Word. You are not alone, for God is with you and he is enough. |
Archives
October 2018
Categories
All
|