The warrior

 

"The Portion of Jacob is not like them, For He is the Maker of all things; And Israel is the tribe of His inheritance. The Lord of hosts is His name. “You are My battle-ax and weapons of war: For with you I will break the nation in pieces; With you I will destroy kingdoms; With you I will break in pieces the horse and its rider; With you I will break in pieces the chariot and its rider; With you also I will break in pieces man and woman; With you I will break in pieces old and young; With you I will break in pieces the young man and the maiden; With you also I will break in pieces the shepherd and his flock; With you I will break in pieces the farmer and his yoke of oxen; And with you I will break in pieces governors and rulers."

Jeremiah 51:19-23

“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword."

Matt. 10:34

The other day I was listening to a Wild at Heart podcast which was discussing how we must live life with an open hand. This means not clinging to the things of this earth and not having our identity hinged on the things or even relationships of this life. 

"Remember Lot’s wife. Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it." Luke 17:32-33

There is a call to maturity in Christ and it's increasingly becoming a necessity as a believer. As time moves forward there will be less grace towards this, less of an option to just sit in the pews and live like hell during the week. Less of an option to walk the fence. There is an increasing call to react to Jesus' life, sacrifice and claim to be God. Was He who He claimed to be or not and what does this mean for my life, for all our lives? The time to live with blinders on is quickly coming to an end, either with the end of our lives or the end of this age. A choice will need to be made. A choice to live in the bitterness, discontentment and unforgiveness of this dark world or the choice to see Jesus as the way, the only way, holder of absolute truth and fullness of life. 

The above verses in Jeremiah I believe have at least three meanings. One is against the actual ancient Babylonian empire, the second is against the Babylon referenced in the NT and the third is the kingdom of darkness, ruled by satan. Some of the same terminology from this chapter are also used in the NT regarding the end times Babylon. However, I'd like to highlight the spiritual kingdom of darkness. This is the kingdom Jesus is most at war with and which He will be most severe with. The portion of Jacob and Lord of hosts mentioned here, I believe, refers to Jesus. I believe Jesus is more concerned with breaking the kingdom of darkness than with earthly kingdoms. He wants to break the hold of demons and the agreements we make with them. He wants to break our unholy attachments to material possessions, jobs and relationships. God is a jealous god who will not tolerate us worshipping other gods, even relationships we have with other people, even spouses and children. 

Last night and this morning I listened and prayed along with both the bedtime and daily prayer using the Wild at Heart app. One of the things prayed for is that all spiritual attachments outside of the love and spirit of God be cut off between me and all other people. This is critical with regards to loving people the way God does. When we cut these unhealthy soul ties we can actually love others better, including spouses and children. We cease to see ourselves defined through these relationships, but through Jesus alone, so these relationships take their proper places in our lives and hearts. These above verses make it clear God will not abide anything less. The language is fierce and unwavering. We shouldn't take God's patience and grace as a sign of His slackness with regards to this or worse that He approves of our decisions. Yes He will be patient and show grace to us and even bless us, but we are mortal creatures and it's vital we get it right before we go to be with the Lord for eternity. 

So God brought a wonderful spouse and children into your life. This is a good blessing. However, we see over and over how people abuse the blessings of God. See 2 Kings 20 concerning Hezekiah. Your spouse is not God, neither are your children, neither is your job. Our identity is in Jesus alone. Interestingly, once we let go of these idols in our lives we actually are free to love our spouses and children better and we are free to do an even better job. Why? We are no longer tied to the death grip of the fear of losing these. We are free of the expectations these idols provide us with what only God can so our love for these becomes more pure and true. We can do a better job because we lose the fear of losing the job or failing somehow because it's on our shoulders. We give these burdens over the the Lord and trust in His goodness. We trust He loves our families and friends more and better than us. We trust in His goodness to provide. We trust if this job does eventually go away, He has another assignment for us. This life isn't about building our kingdoms, it's about building His and when we live life with an open hand we can let go and receive at the proper times. I'm not referring to avoiding pain and heartache, I'm referring to trusting in the innate goodness and high love of God in Jesus through times of suffering. 

Father, forgive me for continually looking to some future job or wife as a means to arrive in life and find meaning. Forgive me for the agreements I seem to continually make with the vile orphan spirit which tells me it's all up to me, you will only help me once I help myself and ultimately You really don't care about what matters most to me. Forgive me for me desire to do it on my own, for autonomy. Forgive, heal and help me to break these agreements once and for all in the mighty name of Jesus. Hear my prayers and have mercy on me and forgive me for the sake of Your Son Jesus Christ. Now I know You already do forgive me by the blood of Jesus, but I need to now forgive myself and all those who have offended or wounded me. I'm unable to do this on my own, so I call forth the power of the blood of Jesus Christ to do what I can't and release all forgiveness and break all soul ties of bitterness and unforgiveness between myself and all others. I break the lies of the enemy now in Jesus name. I bring the cross, blood and resurrection of Jesus into my life today. When I fail and am weak, may others see Your strength and glorify the name of Jesus, despite my own severe lacking. I do pray for Your war in my life against these wicked spirits and my wicked desire to be apart from You. Heal me and open my eyes, ears and heart to Your voice. May I welcome it and it's rebuke of the lies. I thank you that You continually forgive me, continually restore me, continually bless me and continually look out for my best interests and have since I was a child. Truly You are my Father and I am not an orphan. Look upon Your lowly servant today. Help me to put this new job opportunity in it's rightful place in my life and heart and let go of the lie that it's up to me to find a place to live for the entire time, find good community or a special lady. Those these are all good things and blessings, I let go of the lie that it's up to me to figure these out and make things happen. I say yes to Jesus and yes to everything You have for me Father and I receive Your yes to every answered prayer, blessing and provision in my life which You provide to me as Your son. Now, Father, I pray for Your peace and rest which surpasses my ability in the flesh to understand, but I will be made to understand as You work in my heart. Consume me with Your Holy fire of love and the water of life as these counter the evil powers of hate and death which are rampaging lies and destruction across this world. Thank you for providing me with a much needed long slumber last night. I'm sorry it took me two days of suffering as I tried to work it out on my own before I came to You. You are always good to me and immediately acted on my behalf, even though I made bad choices which were counter to Your wisdom in my life. I pray this season of suffering, fear and loss would be as beauty from ashes. Please take the ashes of my mistakes, sins, suffering, fears, tears and losses and make something beautiful from them. In Jesus name.

Broken Humanity and Social Media

                                                     

So I'm not even halfway through 'The Social Dilemma' on Netflix and I decided to move my phone charger upstairs and remove toxic social media from my phone. There are a number of people (Christian and non-Christian) vehemently stating we all need to get off social media right now, that it's a drug and teams of social engineers do nothing else but work on ways to manipulate our emotions and thoughts to get us to do what they want. In this documentary they share a quote: "when you don't purchase a product you are the product" or something like that. For the longest time I've been defending FB and other social media as nothing more than a tool and it's up to us to determine how to use it. However, I was wrong.

Here's a test to determine whether or not social media is manipulating you or not: Take a moment to consider where you stand on the issues of the day. If you strongly take one side and believe it's the irrefutable, unquestionable, absolute truth and you're willing to disrespect, belittle and bully others who don't agree with you, you've been hacked or manipulated. There's absolutely no legitimate excuse to treat another person like this, no matter how vehemently you believe you're right and they're wrong. If this is you, you need to get off social media RIGHT NOW!! Right now! Stop reading this, delete your account or temporarily suspend it and remove the app from your phone. I realized I was quickly falling into various camps. It felt like someone was holding a gun to my head and making me choose between only one of two positions. Now I'm seeing many of my friends and family on FB falling hook, line and sinker into this same trap. All I can say is stop believing the lie you're still in control and take real control of your life and get off social media. Stop watching the news, get off all social media and abstain from discussing the issues of the day until you can do so with a clearer head, willingness to really listen to others and no longer have the desire to verbally beat others down simply because they don't agree with you.

The last time we saw this level of manipulation, propaganda and brainwashing was Nazi Germany, but what we're seeing today is far worse. An entire country followed an evil dictator out of fear and/or pride. Either believing they would be killed or believing the lie of nationalism. For now the goal of this manipulation is relatively benign as it's used to get us to buy certain products, vote for certain candidates and vehemently believe in something we otherwise wouldn't so vehemently believe in. This can easily turn into something much more sinister.

So in the age of disinformation, manipulation, brainwashing, fear, anger and hate where can we find truth, kindness, brotherhood, peace and love? Jesus! And how do we learn about Him or reconnect with this old and best friend? Prayer, fellowship and reading His word. This reminds me of the movie 'Ray' about Ray Charles. The actor playing Ray Charles (Jamie Foxx) has this vision of his mother saying "Jesus is the best friend you'll ever have". My mother used to say "The Holy Spirit is a gentleman". Both of these women are right. We have to take responsibility for making the first step of admitting we have a problem and then asking Him to help heal our thoughts and hearts. Jesus isn't going to break down our doors, but if we let Him in He'll take care of us. Our hearts are the most precious and valuable things we have. Jesus died so that our hearts can be truly free and be with the One they were actually made for. He's the closest family member we all eventually realize, whether in this life or the next, is the most loving, loyal and best friend we could ever have. Closer than we could ever be to any other human being in this life. This realization will either lead us to an eternity with Him or without Him. Hell isn't a place as much as it is this realization.

Father, hear my prayer and have mercy on me a sinner. Forgive me for being disrespectful and cruel to others. For trying to run over and bully others. Forgive me for treating Your children in an ill manner instead of treating them as beings created in the similitude of God. Help me to follow the examples and teaching of Your Son Jesus Christ, who You desire I follow, befriend, listen to and become more and more like. Help me to listen more to Your Holy Spirit as my counselor rather than social media and fake news. Heal my broken heart. Help me to desire Jesus more than life itself. Cloth me in Your word so that the name of Jesus might be glorified.

Adam and Eve or Adam and Steve?

And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him." (Genesis 2:18)

Men and women were created equal, but with important and divine differences. We shouldn't live in ignorance of this nor fight against it. The world does, but Christians ought not to. These differences are not only beautiful, but necessary. When we fight against it we fight against God and the order of His creation and thus will live profoundly discontented lives always seeking but never finding. Since the world accepts and even condones these evil practices many can be led astray and it’s made worse by the lie that for a season many can find “a sense” of the acceptance they’ve been seeking their entire lives, moments of pleasure or happiness. However, even though we may “doing well” in the eyes of the world, we will be miserable and/or dead inside and so the incessant seeking of the flesh continues.

When we ignore the differences between men and women we miss out on an aspect of creation and then wonder why our lives feel so empty. The relationship between a man and woman should reflect the wonder and beauty of God. This is why it's a sacrament of the faith. This is why gay marriage, adultery and fornication are so wrong. Each of these sinful practices are fleshly drives for perceived acceptance and momentary pleasure. They aren’t wrong simply because they are against “nature” or different than “the norm”, or even threatening to a particular way of life. The world makes the issue out to be discrimination and freedom of choice, the way of the world and acceptance, but it's not. Unfortunately, many on the other side of these issues do have prejudice in their hearts as they react out of fear, ignorance and hatred. All of these perspectives are wrong. It’s not about acceptance, freedom to choose, forcing views on others, abandonment, fear or hatred. You see at least the homosexual, the adulterer and the fornicator acknowledge outwardly their deep inward longings to be accepted, to find happiness, pleasure, love and acceptance in a crappy, hurtful and broken world. At least they see the hole in their hearts and are trying to fill it with some form of relationship. However, where they go wrong is in where they seek this. Other broken people, of which comprises all of humanity, are never the answer to these longings. Only a sincere and humble heart seeking after Jesus Christ is the answer. Everything else is at best a temporary distraction. Homosexual or heterosexual doesn’t matter. The sense of longing and deadness will still be there whether it’s sought in a same sex partner or opposite sex.  

Now to the response of the church.

The church seems to always have one of two reactions to these above sexual sins, especially homosexuality:

1.   1.    Excommunication. Get away from us we want nothing to do with you. You are wicked, foul, openly disobedient and outside of the faith. We want nothing to do with you.

or

2.   2.    We love you. We forgive you. We accept you. The above people are wrong. Come join us. No need to repent because you have nothing to repent of.

Both of these responses are wrong and not taught anywhere in scripture.

The crowd in camp 1 have missed the lesson of 2 Corinthians 2 about forgiving the offending brother. Also they ignore 1 Corinthians 5:9-13 with regards to the Christian response to the non-believer (i.e. the Christian worldview shouldn’t be expected or forced on anyone).

The crowd in camp 2 ignore Matthew 18 about confronting and responsibility to the sinful brother and 1 Corinthians 5:1-8 about the churches response to the sinful brother. They also completely miss the need for repentance (turning from sin to Jesus). While forgiveness and love are paramount in the Christian life, love is meaningless without a response and that response is often times repentance. 

If one person tells another they love them, but are unwilling to commit to an exclusive relationship, risk their own heart or tell them when they cross a boundary or hurt them, then is this really love? In the same way if we say we love God and others, but are cruel, unforgiving and intolerant how are we showing love? If we never set boundaries, enable destructive behaviors, never confront or admonish how are we showing love? It's far too easy to marginalize or dismiss people and it's too easy to accept others without boundaries.

We are all free to make choices which can ultimately destroy us, but does this mean others should stand around as bystanders using the excuse of "This is the choice they made, so we ought to accept it. Didn't Jesus say to love one another and not judge?" or “They are too broken to be concerned with” then criticize and do nothing to help. The response is to hold to Jesus Christ and Him crucified (1 Corinthians 2:2). Jesus always loved and yet He was always clear about what was wrong and why. He loved too much to allow us to keep on sinning in ignorance, but loved us enough to know we would. Yes His message was one of love, but also repentance.

Personal Jesus: Doing what is right in my own eyes

And He said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath. (Mark 2:27)

So often men turn simple things, which were intended to be simple, into detrimentally complex matters. Why? Control. We are afraid of the unknown and the intangible. However, when we quantify something or someone, when we label it or them, it or them loses some of it's awe. It's original sin continually slapping us in the face. The desire to be like God and it takes on so many different aspects that it can hide behind even seemingly holy things. Look at Mark 6: Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.” Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. 

See here how these people brought Jesus down to their level and stripped Him of His godhood. Now don't be too quick to dismiss their argument. Would you really have been so quick, if you were one of these people, to chastise them and stand for Jesus? Knowing what you know today perhaps, but if you were there, if Jesus had played with your kids as a child, if you had paid Him to work on your home or to build something; would you be so quick then to come against these people? It's far too easy to stand in judgement of these people. It's far too easy today, 2000 years removed, to make Jesus out to be this ethereal spirit man who is unreachable and these types of people as fools who should've known better. If you can try to understand the position of these folks, or the Pharisees, then you can start to understand the importance of faith and why Jesus continually pushed its importance in the Christian walk. Even here it was the lack of faith which held Jesus back from performing many miracles.

As something or someone becomes more known and understood, fear fades as does awe and mystery. So the question is this desire to quantify and understand stem from a holy desire to know and be known, to be holy as He is holy or to somehow gain the control and upper hand or to control our own destinies? The Jews created many laws around the Sabbath:  Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. (Exodus 20:8) Now holy doesn't equal adding burdens, laws, duties and following old traditions (necessarily). These are all burdens and so work. Jesus was fighting against this false premise throughout His ministry. Why? Well look at the Pharisees. They worshiped their ancient traditions and laws while ignoring the greater things (love and mercy, or God Himself). 

It is very easy to see the Pharisees were closer to the truth than any of the other religious groups of Jesus' day. This is also why Jesus conflicted with them more than the others. It's far too easy for the modern day pot to call the old kettle black. What's the point? The point is everything we do must be only and always to worship Jesus! NOT traditions, duties, comfort, personal beliefs  and especially NOT ANY person (other than Jesus of course)! 

If your church traditions and leaders help you to worship Jesus more, draw closer to Him, fall more in love with Him, trust Him more, be more concerned with God's praise and opinion of you, rather than the opinions and praise of man, then you are where you need to be. However, if your church leaders simply tell you what you want to hear or encourage you to worship traditions, duties and them, get out now! You must throw out any personal beliefs which contradict the bible, your personal Jesus and any traditions and duties which take your eyes off of the real Jesus! If you don't take a Joseph type stance on this (running away from his masters wife) you are in danger of falling, just as Joseph would've if he hadn't taken immediate action. 

Try this: "church wasn't made for man and man wasn't made for church. Both were made for God. However, Jesus was sacrificed for the salvation of man." Everyone must ask themselves how they ought to respond to this. The answer is profound and should impact the way you view God, church and life. Essentially, if its not about Him then something's missing and you should consider a change. 

The Battle With Sin: What's a man or woman to do?

First, we must look at what the Bible has to say on this subject.

How does the Father view us?

For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:26)

So then...

Then a voice came from heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:11)

The work/our effort:

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:5)

Our calling...

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. (Romans 8:37)

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? (I John 5:4, 5)


The problem with simply focusing in on behavioral management without pursuing a filling of the Holy Spirit:

“When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation.” (Matthew 12:43-45)


We are not a defeated people! There's nothing in us which is too ugly or broken for Jesus. Yes we need to do whatever we can to move away from any sin especially footholds and strongholds (these are areas which are routine sin struggles in our lives).


Practical steps:

1. Be honest with yourself and others. What sets the stage for the triggers which lead to the sin which so easily entangles? Is it anxiety, depression, anger or something else? What are the triggers? A person, a TV show, a video game, a website, something else?

2. What can we do?

No one is greater in this house than I am. My master has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do such a wicked thing and sin against God?” She caught him by his cloak and said, “Come to bed with me!” But he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house. (Genesis 39:9, 12)

Our response needs to be drastic. If we're feeling depressed or anxious or whatever sets the stage we need to flee. Take a walk, pray, get in the bible, get in your car and drive some where, call someone, get some exercise or do what you have to. Jesus uses an analogy of cutting off body parts to move away from sin. In other words do not accept sin in our lives. Fight it!

Then once this passes call someone again, ask them to pray for you and seek out more of God in those immature areas of our hearts.

There's a reason we are called to put on the full armor of God. It's not for looks. It's because we live in a world at war and we should expect and be prepared for battle. We shouldn't be caught off guard.

Are you a casualty of this war or are you more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus? Are you under the lie that you are defeated or the truth that you are a son, or daughter of God?