i came across a recent article by John Piper: “A Beautiful Woman Is a Person, Not a Body.”1 The message resonated in the depths of my soul. As i went to Facebook to share the message, i felt God briefing on my past.
my past.
There’s such a negative connotation, more often times than not, when talking about what is behind us. However, as we learn to discern God’s voice over Satan’s, we find Grace that trumps any shame and/or guilt. As humans, we wrestle between good and evil, between our spirit and flesh. As children of God, Satan knows he cannot destroy us. His goal, then, is to attack us and render us ineffective for being all that we are called to be *for God’s glory and His Kingdom’s sake.*
The devil intends to hinder our time on earth. (i.e. temping us into sin, suffocating us with discouragement and insecurity, shame and guilt, fear and anxiety, etc.) Ultimately he plans to barricade us from reaching lost souls, from advancing the Kingdom of God, from living freely and fully as we are called to be disciples of Jesus.
But i will declare *in the name of Jesus* “No weapon formed against [me] shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against [me] in judgment [i] shall condemn. This IS the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from [Him]!!” (Isaiah 54:17 *emphasis added)
And so, i will tell of the Good News of Jesus Christ all of my days. Even now, as i write, the devil schemes…clouding my thoughts, making me tired, and at other times ADD. Concerning the topic of our pasts, though, Satan will remind us. His vehicle is condemnation and condemnation is the epitome of hindrance. It prevents us from moving forward. We must know the heart of God is never condemnation but instead, conviction. i’ve learned to discern who’s voice to listen to when my past is brought up just in observing the way i feel. God is Almighty, and He forgives me! So, he wouldn’t bring up my past to hurt me; though, i do think God allows us to be reminded of things we’ve forgotten. We have a fleshly side, remember? The healing He has done in/from our past is what we are to focus on. It’s one of the major ways to pull me back into the Spirit. i, then, have an overwhelming reverence for God.
**Key reminder:
-Condemnation calls me into the pantry to overeat; it calls me into isolation, into darkness and depression…and ironically-further sin. The devil won a battle. (harsh truth)
-Conviction brings me to my knees and makes my love for Jesus grow deeper! It spurs me on into righteousness, into abundance and blessing, into growth and fruition. (goodbye Satan, you have no place here!)
i say all of this beforehand, because yes, i was reminded of my past just yesterday due to the article i stumbled upon. Naturally, i cringed when looking back at who i once was, but God is making me strong to stand firm on His promises. He makes light of our darkness and as we heal, we inevitably become passionate in pulling others out of that same sin that once held us in shackles.
So be encouraged! your biggest trials WILL be used for good and i believe He will give you a testimony if you’ll let Him! We need you and you have something to offer to the Body of Christ, because your story can reach someone more profoundly than mine ever could and vise-versa; together, we are stronger!
The article by John Piper is not just for wives but a wonderful truth for us all.
i remember striving so hard to look a certain way, to achieve an external image....and in doing so, i neglected the biggest heart check of my life. i made pretty "my house" and painted it well; i even had it decorated with an array of beautiful plants.
What a deceiving showcase.
If you were to walk inside my house...it looked like a tornado had hit some days and others it looked completely desolate. Both projecting a very unwelcoming home. Certainly no one was invited in...and so, i wrestled...My heart wanted more in my relationships, more depth in community. But i kept my brothers and sisters from coming passed the driveway, and i kept our Healer on the back burner.
Something kept whispering, "there's something more."
Fulfillment didn't come until i found the One Who's been waiting to make light my darkness. Who offers a firm foundation to rebuild upon. Who tidies up the mess from "you-Can't-Do-It-yourself Tornado." Who offers Himself as a well that never runs dry- filling the empty places inside and waters the landscaping *for His glory* so that others may see Him.
We aren't created to be shallow.
We were created to be *real*. To be transparent.
It's good to come undone. It's good to be humbled. It's good to have heart checks.
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As we are approaching Easter Sunday, it’d be good to reflect on the significance of today (Palm Sunday.) It is also the first day of spring. Two days of irony. Why?
1. The week before His crucifixion, Jesus (as King) rode humbly (on a donkey) up to Jerusalem. Amidst the shouts of welcoming praise, Jesus’ heart was sad. He wept. Jesus knew the city would soon reject Him. (praise/celebration for the One Who’s heart is saddened…irony)
2. For the most part, this past week has been warm, sunny, and in the upper 70s. But today, (day one of spring) it’s been cloudy, windier, and the temperature has dropped into the low 50s. Maybe the weather prior to today was less norm for this season, but us Georgians got spoiled pretty quickly therefore making today seem, well…ironic. Maybe it’s also the fact that my brother, his girlfriend, and i just had a bonfire earlier for warmth. (Anyway, enough about the weather…my mom always said she thought i was going to be a meteorologist, and so i felt it an opportune time to step into the stoplight, shine, and make momma proud ;-) No? ...okay, i won’t quit my day job.
This irony…happenstance? Coincidence? i oppose such thinking. Jesus is here and now. “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Cor. 4:18)
Mom and i were reflecting a couple days ago about how lost we in fact were. i used rhetoric to remind ourselves of what God has actually done in our hearts. “Remember when i was a child and asked you why we celebrate Easter and you said ‘i don’t know, i’ll have to google it.’” And if that’s you today, BE ENCOURAGED by what God can do in a human heart. He died for you. Believe that truth.
we spent Easter with our baskets full, but our hearts empty.
Jesus wept as He drew near and saw the city of Jerusalem. i’ll even go as far to say that He was weeping because of me. All those years i neglected relationship with Him, passing right on through the most intimate times of celebration (like Easter) and not even recognizing Him. No wonder i felt empty. “There’s something more.” There’s something more to His sacrifice than just having Him in our future. A HUGE “ah-ha” moment i had today was the truth of who i really made Jesus to be…a person i pushed into a place far from the past, far from the present…a place later in eternity. It’s why i felt i had no one to go to for healing in my life on earth. It’s the bigger picture of why i took control. Okay, y’all. This “ah-ha” moment is being revealed even more so right now. THANK YOU JESUS! He just brought scripture to mind (Psalm 46:1). It reads “God is our refuge and strength, a very PRESENT help in time of trouble.” The revelation is that Jesus is here now, not just when we get to heaven! Thank You, Lord! Wow.
While i was “lost,” i was attending the same church i go to now (Grace.) It’s named after the epitome of the Good News…the gospel of Jesus Christ and it’s further proof that we can be surrounded with truth, but not let it change our hearts and transform us.
we may have family who have come to the faith, who have been born again. It may be how you were raised…all you have ever known to believe. God asks of us to seek Him ourselves. Wonder from how we were brought up so we can be personally transformed by uniquely experiencing His love. We shouldn’t be naïve into thinking our family’s faith is our ticket into heaven. God doesn’t have grandchildren. We are Children of God-of the day and not of darkness.
Every day i go to work as a “Helping Hand” to clean homes, i am reminded of this powerful truth and so i am here to remind you: Let the Hand of God reach into your messy, broken heart. Make a home for Jesus there. i highly refer you to His cleaning. He’s not only good at what He does; He is perfect. AND He is always available, never "maxed out"! Only the best in the biz can mend your broken pieces. What a Love so faithful!
Much love,
-me: just a broken, regular person, who has discovered Grace, wanting to spend the rest of my life running free...but most importantly, living real, in hopes that other people would become real, too.
“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire.” –Hebrews 12:28
xo
References:
1. http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/a-beautiful-woman-is-a-person-not-a-body
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