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But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you. O Israel, the one who formed you says, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. Isaiah 43:1 (NLT)
It’s time to move on. Yes, it was devastating when the career you loved and gave your life to was snatched from your hands. But that career, much as you loved it; good as you were at it; financially secure as it made you, wasn’t you. You were created by a loving God, a merciful God. A God that has plans for you to prosper you in ways money, status and security can never give you.
It’s time to move on. You were hurt by the words that were spoken, and rightfully so. They were calloused, unloving, angry words. And it hurt even more since the words were spoken by a ‘Christian’, maybe even a thoughtless pastor. It wasn’t fair. It wasn’t right. But hurting people, hurt people. Words don’t determine who you are regardless of who speaks them. That is, of course unless that person is your heavenly Father. He calls you by name. In Biblical terms that’s far more than a greeting. It’s the most intimate of terms reflecting a deep passion, a deep love. What does he say about you? He ransomed you. He paid the price for you. You are his.
It’s time to move on. Yes you failed. You failed miserably. Again. You couldn’t have seen it coming. From all appearances it was a good marriage. Now that person you pledged to love for the rest of your life has betrayed you and even if you could forgive and forget, reconciliation is impossible. They are gone.
Or, perhaps worse yet, you are the one who crossed the line. It was a line you never thought you’d cross. Now, you wear the scarlet letter on your chest. Others may not see it, you do. Life may be better now in many ways, but the ‘A’ on your chest still speaks of guilt and failure. Everyone sees the pain of the person jilted by love; few see the pain of the person who walked. But God does. God’s forgiveness isn’t defined by your sin, but by his great undeserved grace.
It’s time to move on. The Father says, “But now…”
The past is the past. Whatever it is that’s causing your pain, let him remove the guilt. Let him anoint you with the healing salve of his love and forgiveness. Allow him into those deepest recesses of your soul to bind the wounds that have held you captive. You are ransomed. The past no longer has any right to ownership. You are free to move on in his grace and power. It’s time to move on, not through your own power but the power of His Holy Spirit who comes to you to guide, strengthen and empower you.
PRAYER: Father God. There are so many that are hurting today. So many who are entrapped by their past. Draw them to yourself. Empower me to be a tool of their healing through prayer, forgiveness and Christ’s love. Amen.
Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. Proverbs 19:21 (NIV1984)
“It seemed like such a good idea at the time.”
How many times have you heard yourself or someone else mumble those words?
A couple sits across the courtroom from one another. Eight years ago they pledged their love to each other ‘until death do us part’. Now, the pieces of a family torn by doubt and infidelity and emotional abandonment are all that is left. As she looks at him she thinks back. He was a good Christian man. He was kind, generous, forgiving. Someone she could trust. Now, all she felt was hurt, all she saw in his eyes was anger. What happened?
The story is the same throughout mankind. We have plans. We have visions of what life should look like. Sometimes we make half-hearted prayers to God for wisdom, prayers which are really nothing more than asking his approval for our ideas.
Our plans can be for a successful career, a healthy family, or a large, burgeoning church. But things don’t go as we expected and we revert to our own strength and wisdom rather than look to God. We begin to compare, criticize, covet and complain about each other and about God.
Somewhere along the line we’ve gotten the idea that God’s plan for each of us is to live a fairy tale existence. The frogs of the world turn to princes. The princesses swoon at our kiss. The ‘magic seeds’ of entrepreneurial efforts become beanstalks that lift us to the heavens.
Jesus spent more of his time encouraging those who were down and out than he did catering to the social elite. Why? Because he knew man’s plans would inevitably lead to failure, pain, discouragement and destruction.
As the Lord spoke through the prophet Jeremiah, he assures us “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11) But that promise came to a people who were in exile at the time and far removed from Jehovah God.
God’s plan for us, as for the Israelites, was to prosper them AFTER they endured the trials of their own guilt.
God’s plan for each of us is first and foremost to have a healthy, vibrant relationship with him based on living a lifestyle according to his word. Anything that deviates from God’s word is man’s plan and destined to failure. Anything empowered by his Spirit and driven by his word will prosper; prosper by His standards, not the worlds.
Whether you are in ministry, a career or a blue-collar worker take a look at your plans. Make sure they are measured by relationship with God and not personal gain or tradition. God’s plans never go awry.
PRAYER: Father God. It’s so easy to superimpose my own desires and call them yours. Give me wisdom to earnestly seek your path and not the path more easily trodden. In Jesus name, Amen.
Just admit that you rebelled and worshiped foreign gods under large trees everywhere. Jeremiah 3:13 (CEV)
Admitting guilt.
Not an easy thing to do is it? It’s so much easier to explain our actions than just to say, “I was wrong.” It’s even harder to say, “I was wrong and I knew I was wrong when I did it but I wanted to do it anyway…so I did.”
A friend of mine tells about how frustrating his daughter can be a times. She’s a sweet girl. Compassionate, kind, smart…but rebellious. On several occasions she’s been caught doing something that she knows is wrong, but has gone ahead and done it anyway. When confronted about these things her classic response is: “But I want to.”
Translation? I knew it was wrong when I did it. I knew I’d get in trouble when I was doing it. I know I’m busted now and even though I’m being punished, I’m glad I did it because I liked it.
Before you pass judgment on my friend’s daughter or question his parenting skills, ask yourself this question. Isn’t that what we do when we choose our own way and not God’s way? We know we shouldn’t’ think that way, but…; we know we shouldn’t say this, but…’; we know it’s wrong but…’.
God speaks through the prophet Jeremiah to a stubborn rebellious people. He tells them, I know you’ve been unfaithful. You know you’ve been unfaithful. There’s no question about guilt here, not implication that you didn’t know better. I’m not asking for explanations. I’m not asking for promises [because frankly, you never keep them anyway!]. All I’m asking is admission of your guilt.
God doesn’t ask us to admit our guilt to prove we are wrong. He doesn’t ask us to admit our guilt so he is sure we are guilty. He simply wants us to admit our weakness. Why? Because his desire is to free us from the guilt, not condemn us; his desire is to forgive us, not criticize us; his desire is to lift us up, not burden us.
God likens Israel to a prostitute with more lovers than he can count! Not a very kind assessment of them. Yet his desire isn’t to expose their rebellion and failure, his desire is to cleanse them. Confession of sin is hard, but living in guilt is harder. Confession frees us to live, but guilt burdens us with baggage that follows us through life.
It’s interesting that God only asks one thing of the Israelites, confession. He’s already decided he’ll take them back. He’s already committed to loving them and forgiving them and welcoming them back into his arms. All they have to do is admit they were wrong.
The same is true for us today. Your Heavenly Father knows you are weak. He knows you are rebellious. He knows that even if he forgives you, you’ll do it again. But…He loves you and wants a relationship with you. All you have to do is admit it’s your fault. Hard to do? Yes, but essential to live freely in God’s grace.
PRAYER: Father, my failures are constantly before me. Still I find it hard to admit my weakness, even though I know you love me. Give me the strength to confess my weakness so that I can live in your freedom. Amen.
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 (NIV)
“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Matthew 5:27-28
For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. James 2:10 (NIV)
In the years of my ‘spiritual recovery’ these verses (along with others) exemplified the battle I endured and the awakening I had to what God’s grace really meant for me. Not only did I gain a new appreciation and understanding of grace, I realized the value grace gives me.
It’s so easy to let my mind wander; so easy to see a woman and admire her beauty and then, if I’m not careful have those thoughts linger.
It’s so easy to let the doubt of my ability creep in unaware and to lose sight of the fact that success doesn’t come from my ability to perform but from my openness to letting God use me through his Holy Spirit.
In my younger years we used to love playing ‘capture the flag’. We’d spend hours designating the prize, (the flag) and use whatever means possible to protect it from being ‘captured’ by the enemy.
In real life what is at stake is far more valuable. In real life the prize isn’t a flag or some other earthly item that has little real value. In real life the prize we protect is our peace of mind; our relationship with God; our relationship with others; those things we hold dear. But it can all be taken away with a fleeting thought; a lapse in judgment; a giving in to the desires of a ‘desperately wicked heart whom no one can trust.’
My failure at times to take captive my thoughts has taught me two things which I hold dear to my life. One is my desperate need for a Savior and my reliance on Jesus to empower me when attacks come through his Holy Spirit.
Secondly, I find myself far more patient and understanding when I hear the stories of those who, in a fleeting moment have let their thoughts be taken captive by the enemy. When I remember my own weakness and failure it is far easier to bear yours.
If you are in the midst of bearing the consequences of thoughts turned into actions let me assure you there is forgiveness at the foot of the cross through Jesus Christ.
If you are under that internal attack in which every thought seems to attempt to distract you from the goal; if the enemy is throwing everything at you to pull you away, let me remind you there is power in that blood of Jesus. He understands your weakness. He understands how easy it is to let rebellion, worry, doubt and sin enter in. He is near you, ready to forgive, strengthen and encourage.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I don’t know what battles of the mind will come my way. What I do know is that I’m weak in and of myself. Empower me by your Holy Spirit to take every thought captive so I can enjoy the passionate love relationship you desire to have with me. Amen.
You have accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord. Now keep on following him. Colossians 2:6(CEV)
About the only thing I remember from my high school psychology class is an experiment run with a fish in a large aquarium. I don’t remember why it was run, but the results have stuck with me for a lifetime.
Sociologists put a large fish in a glass aquarium. The fish was allowed to swim freely about this large tank, but its food was always put in the same spot on one end of the tank. The instincts of the fish taught it that it could get food at a certain time, in a certain spot every day.
The next step in the experiment was to put a clear glass pane at the halfway point of the tank with the fish on one end and the food on the other. The fish would try to get to the food, but the glass pane prevented it from doing so. Food was placed in its normal spot but the fish couldn’t get to it. It became violent. It slammed its head against the glass in effort to get to the food but to no avail. Finally, it gave up. It simply stayed on its end of the tank. When the glass pane was removed and its freedom was returned the fish simply stayed on its end.
There are many lessons that can be taken from that experiment, but one that I think of often is how it pertains to those of us who have chosen to follow Christ. At the very beginning of our journey, we enjoy the euphoria of knowing our sins are forgiven; of realizing that someday we will spend eternity with Christ; of being reunited with loved ones on the other side.
Then adversity slips in. It can slip in under the guise of old habits. It sneaks into relationships that either intentionally or otherwise tries to pull us from our walk. It creeps in unaware through apathy. It saps our energy through expectations we put on ourselves or others put on us.
Adversity leads to failure and with failure comes a desire to try again but the glass pain of adversity thwarts us until we quit trying out of fatigue, frustration or fear. We find our little corner is comforting and we grow complacent. We know that someday we’ll be delivered. Until then we are content to stay where we are, unaware that we are growing weaker and less able to withstand the rigors of life.
It’s time to remember that when Jesus died on the cross for you, he didn’t do so in order that you can remain stagnant. Having Christ in your life isn’t a ‘get out of hell free card’. Adversity will come. Hard times will attack. There will be times in your life when you just want to quit trying. Don’t do it. True spiritual growth and strength comes when we determine within ourselves to keep up the good fight. Stumbling and falling is inevitable, but failure isn’t an option for the true Christ-follower. And the best part of all? When you fall (not if, when) Jesus is there to pick you up.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, there are so many times when I’ve let the glass pane of adversity and struggle keep me from the fresh food of your word. Empower me with your Spirit to overcome the adversity that keeps me from fulfillment in you. Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 