"Who Will You Be?"

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.

I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Romans 7:15-24

Have you ever looked in the mirror and saw somebody you didn't know?

Coming across the above passage made me think about days I've had like that. Where yesterday I was somebody I didn't know. Where yesterday I did things that were not like me…

We do many things we are ashamed of. But why do we do them? It might feel thrilling when considering doing something wrong, and it often feels good while you do it. But afterwards you might feel tainted and dirty. You might feel terrible and ask yourself, why did I just do that? Even though you probably knew that it was wrong, you still did it. And over and over we keep doing them….

I know that none of us are perfect, and that no matter how "good" we try to be, we will still fall. (But don't use that as an excuse for when you do sin!) There shouldn't be any excuse for us to do the same thing over and over when we know it's wrong.

Let's branch off for a second, and look at things that are considered "wrong". Most of us know about the Ten Commandments, so we know those are important to keep. We know that there are certain things in the Bible that God detests. For example,

The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. Galatians 5:19-21

Of course there are other things that are considered wrong. Humans have moral compasses, and while we don't always heed by them, we usually can tell when something we are about to do or say is wrong. If we don't feel right about it either before, during, or after at any time, then it was probably the wrong thing for us to do or say.

But don't despair, for there is always hope.

Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:7-8

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. Romans 8:1-4

But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. Psalm 5:11

Turn, O LORD, and deliver me; save me because of your unfailing love. Psalm 6:4

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1

Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! Romans 7:25

God loves us. No matter how many times we fall.

"How am I supposed to show love to somebody over and over and over who constantly rejects me?" ~Caleb Holt, Fireproof

It's amazing that God doesn't ask this question of us. For when we fall, we are in a way rejecting God, even if we don't mean to be. When we fall, it could mean we aren't as tuned into God as we should be. It could mean our passion to follow him is not as strong as we'd like it to be. Now, don't get me wrong; I know that reality says otherwise. Temptations are everywhere after all... But, in the end, just remember, it is YOU who makes the final decision.

"God wants true brokenness, not just a formulized ritual of confession when we're caught in sin." Jerry White, The Joseph Road. If we truly want to live a Godly life, we have to want it; we have to mean it. It must be real, otherwise you will always see someone else staring back at you from the mirror…

Just like Caleb Holt from the movie Fireproof. In the attempt to get his marriage back on track, he used a 40 day dare called The Love Dare. But for the first half of the dare, it seemed he and his wife's future wasn't going to get any better. But the reason for that was simple. Caleb first had to have his heart in the right place. He was simply going through the motions at first, relying solely on the dare to fix his marriage. There was no substance behind his actions. No passion. But once he realized that, he became changed. And in the end we see his changed nature rubs off on his wife, and the relationship is saved.

We're not going to change overnight. Caleb and his wife sure took a lot longer than one night. So don't pray to God and then expect things to be fine and dandy from then on out. It's a tough journey when we choose to follow God. How can we live holy for him when we are constantly tempted by so many worldly things around us? It's a difficult question to be sure. All we can do is simply try our best. God loves us no matter what don't forget. We just have to remember that it won't always be wonderful. But in those moments when we fall, look to find what is beautiful. God will guide you back to your feet if you let him.

Alright, let's recap now. We know about things that are wrong. We know that we do things we don't want to do, and we don't do enough of the things we want to do. We know that God has given us hope no matter what we do—he can set us free. We know that he loves us no matter what as well. And if we want to truly love him in return for all that he has done for us, then we have to make it real. I can't tell you why we do the things we do (or don't do). But in the end, when we stand before God, what will matter is if you can say to him, "Yes Lord, I've screwed up plenty over my lifetime, but ultimately I gave it my absolute best to try to stay on track. I learned from my mistakes and grew much because of them. I love you and thank you for choosing to love and stick by me no matter how many times I didn't love you in return. While I am ashamed of many things I have done, I am proud of the realness inside of me."

But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

You were running a good race. Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? That kind of persuasion does not come from the one who calls you. "A little yeast works through the whole batch of dough." I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is throwing you into confusion will pay the penalty, whoever he may be. Brothers, if I am still preaching circumcision, why am I still being persecuted? In that case the offense of the cross has been abolished. As for those agitators, I wish they would go the whole way and emasculate themselves!

You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. Galatians 5:5-18

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other. Galatians 5:22-25

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does. James 1:22-25

Who will you be when you look in the mirror?*

Striving,

Whitney

"Parasites"

We have all done many terrible things in our lives. I know that I am not proud of some of the things I have done. And just like you, I would probably go back in time and change them if I could. Well, we can dream all day, but we know that's not the way it works.

Cause you can’t change the past, only the future.

Parasites are real creatures that live off a host by leeching into its life force. Eventually the parasite will grow big and strong if not curbed while its host grows weaker and eventually dies. Paints a creepy picture doesn’t it.

While parasites are very real, we also have metaphoric ones. Metaphoric parasites do the same as their real counterparts—except the damage is much worse; they end up consuming our very souls and minds. And they are much harder to get rid of than real ones.

Parasites can be anything; addictions like porn, gambling, violence, drugs, or alcohol; idols like money, people, jobs, technology and other material things. Basically anything that becomes something you revere more than anything else. So you can’t ‘live’ without your cell phone or computer? Are you spending more time with those things over spending time with things that really matter? How about spending so much time at your job you have no more time other than Sunday for spending moments with God? Parasites can get in the way of the more important things, and while they seem fulfilling and pleasurable for awhile, after every dose you begin to feel empty, and so continue in order to get more. But keep drawing and the harder it will be to stop. Keep drawing, and you will eventually lose yourself…

Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless. 1 Samuel 12:21

They rejected his decrees and the covenant he had made with their fathers and the warnings he had given them. They followed worthless idols and themselves became worthless. They imitated the nations around them although the Lord had ordered them, "Do not do as they do," and they did the things the Lord had forbidden them to do.” 2 Kings 17:15

They worshiped their idols, which became a snare to them. Psalm 106:36

Parasites get in the way of not only our lives, but the one thing we need to keep first at all times; God. "This is what the Lord says— Israel's King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God. Isaiah 44:6

If we truly want to be Christians, if we truly want to live genuine lives, then we must have God first. He must be in every aspect; He must be behind everything that we do. We cannot allow idols or parasites to take His place.

If you truly want to love a God who truly loves you, then surrender your everything to Him and let Him shine from your very core.*

Surrendering,

Whitney

"The Dragon" 7-15-08

The Dragon

There was once a great and noble King whose land was terrorized by a crafty dragon. Like a massive bird of prey, the scaly beast delighted in ravaging villages with his fiery breath. Hapless victims ran from their burning homes, only to be snatched into the dragon's jaws or talons. Those devoured instantly were deemed more fortunate than those carried back to the dragon's lair to be devoured at his leisure. The King led his sons and knights in many valiant battles against the dragon.

Riding alone in the forest, one of the King's sons heard his name purred low and soft. In the shadows of the ferns and trees, curled among the boulders, lay the dragon. The creature's heavy-lidded eyes fastened on the prince, and the reptilian mouth stretched into a friendly smile.

"Don't be alarmed," said the dragon, as gray wisps of smoke rose lazily from his nostrils.

"I am not what your father thinks."

"What are you, then?" asked the prince, warily drawing his sword as he pulled in the reins to keep his fearful horse from bolting.

"I am pleasure," said the dragon. "Ride on my back and you will experience more than you ever imagined. Come now. I have no harmful intentions. I seek a friend, someone to share flights with me. Have you never dreamed of flying? Never longed to soar in the clouds?"

Visions of soaring high above the forested hills drew the prince hesitantly from his horse. The dragon unfurled one great webbed wing to serve as a ramp to his ridged back. Between the spiny projections, the prince found a secure seat. Then the creature snapped his powerful wings twice and launched them into the sky. The prince's apprehension melted into awe and exhilaration.

From then on, he met the dragon often, but secretly, for how could he tell his father, brothers or the knights that he had befriended the enemy? The prince felt separate from them all. Their concerns were no longer his concerns. Even when he wasn't with the dragon, he spent less time with those he loved and more time alone.

The skin on the prince's legs became calloused from gripping the ridged back of the dragon, and his hands grew rough and hardened. He began wearing gloves to hide the malady. After many nights of riding, he discovered scales growing on the backs of his hands as well. With dread he realized his fate were he to continue, and so he resolved to return no more to the dragon.

But, after a fortnight, he again sought out the dragon, having been tormented with desire. And so it transpired many times over. No matter what his determination, the prince eventually found himself pulled back, as if by the cords of an invisible web. Silently, patiently, the dragon always waited.

One cold, moonless night their excursion became a foray against a sleeping village. Torching the thatched roofs with fiery blasts from his nostrils, the dragon roared with delight when the terrified victims fled from their burning homes. Swooping in, the serpent belched again and flames engulfed a cluster of screaming villages. The prince closed his eyes tightly in an attempt to shut out the carnage.

In the pre dawn hours, when the prince crept back from his dragon trysts, the road outside his father's castle usually remained empty. But not tonight. Terrified refugees streamed into the protective walls of the castle. The prince attempted to slip through the crowd to close himself in his chambers, but some of the survivors stared and pointed toward him.

"He was there," one woman cried out, "I saw him on the back of the dragon." Others nodded their heads in angry agreement. Horrified, the prince saw that his father, the King, was in the courtyard holding a bleeding child in his arms. The King's face mirrored the agony of his people as his eyes found the prince's. The son fled, hoping to escape into the night, but the guards apprehended him as if he were a common thief. They brought him to the great hall where his father sat solemnly on the throne. The people on every side railed against the prince.

"Banish him!" he heard one of his own brothers angrily cry out.

"Burn him alive!" other voices shouted.

As the king rose from his throne, bloodstains from the wounded shone darkly on his royal robes. The crowd fell silent in expectation of his decree. The prince, who could not bear to look into his father's face, stared at the flagstones of the floor.

"Take off your gloves and your tunic," the King commanded. The prince obeyed slowly, dreading to have his metamorphosis uncovered before the kingdom. Was his shame not already enough? He had hoped for a quick death without further humiliation. Sounds of revulsion rippled through the crowd at the sight of the prince's thick, scaled skin and the ridge growing along his spine.

The king strode toward his son, and the prince steeled himself, fully expecting a back handed blow even though he had never been struck so by his father.

Instead, his father embraced him and wept as he held him tightly. In shocked disbelief, the prince buried his face against his father's shoulder.

"Do you wish to be freed from the dragon, my son?"

The prince answered in despair, "I wished it many times, but there is no hope for me."

"Not alone," said the King. "You cannot win against the dragon alone."

"Father, I am no longer your son. I am half beast," sobbed the prince.

But his father replied, "My blood runs in your veins. My nobility has always been stamped deep within your soul."

With his face still hidden tearfully in his father's embrace, the prince heard the King instruct the crowd, "The dragon is crafty. Some fall victim to his wiles and some to his violence. There will be mercy for all who wish to be freed. Who else among you has ridden the dragon?"

The prince lifted his head to see someone emerge from the crowd. To his amazement, he recognized an older brother, one who had been lauded throughout the kingdom for his onslaughts against the dragon in battle and for his many good deeds. Others came, some weeping, others hanging their heads in shame.

The King embraced them all.

"This is our most powerful weapon against the dragon," he announced. "Truth. No more hidden flights. Alone we cannot resist him. Together we can overcome him."

Melinda Reinicke, Parables for Personal Growth (San Diego, CA: Recovery Publications, Inc., 1993), pp. 5-9.

Two are better than one, for they have a good return for their work: if one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)

Blessings,
Andrew

The Cup of the Lord - 3/3/08

You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he? "All things are lawful," but not all things are helpful. "All things are lawful," but not all things build up. 1 Corinthians 10:21-23 ESV

This is very similar to when Jesus said, "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other..." (Matthew 6:24) Have you ever sat at the table of demons and partook of the cup of greed, or taken a sip from the chalice of lust? Have you sought satisfaction in any source other than the Lord? I am sure that we all have on some level. Thankfully, because of the great sacrifice of Christ, His blood purifies us from all unrighteousness and enables to us to live free from these stumbling blocks. This is why "All things are lawful," because there is no sin that the blood of the Lamb cannot cleanse from our souls - but as Paul said in Romans,

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Romans 6:1-2 ESV

So then, let us not provoke the Lord to jealousy, and seek only those things which build up. You can rest assured that if you have dined at the table of demons, should you cry out to Him, His blood will make you white as snow, but this is no reason to continue in our sins. As we draw close to Him and find satisfaction in Him through "drinking the cup of the Lord," dining at the table of demons, although still a temptation, will soon lose its hold on our lives. If we truly know Christ and allow Him to fill up our souls to the point of overflowing, the empty pleasures of this world lose their glamor as the deceptions of Satan are revealed for what they are by the Light of Christ. (And if they do not, the question may need to be raised,: Do we truly know Him?)

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John 8:31-32 ESV

Cheers!
Andrew