Surrender

God specializes in creating something out of nothing where we are willing to surrender everything.

Desires That Bring Death vs. Death That Brings Life

I heard an excellent sermon a few weeks ago (well, I've heard many recently too, but you know what I mean). It was on a subject I have written about before, lived out and fully embraced, but too often, or repeatedly, fail at. It is the subject of giving everything over to God. Hopes. Dreams. Purpose. Giftedness. Happiness. Everything. Because unless we do, we are not yet truly embracing the Giver of all those things, but the things themselves.

How to do this without killing desire? Well, we call it sanctified desire. But even that is not good enough, as I have discovered. Sanctified desire is desire that has passed through the refining fires of surrender to God's will, God's purpose, God's dreams for us, those dreams and hopes and desires within us that are good and God-given. How can something placed in us by God fall short of His glory? How can something designed by God still bring us to destruction?

I know that I have not been immune to inadvertently placing my hopes, dreams, and purpose in between God and I. I know how it all feels. It can be very raw. However, thankfully, pouring my brokenness at His feet has put me in a position to recieve His grace in time of need. I suppose what I have percieved to be one of my weaknesses has turned into my strength. Because when I'm honest with Him about my weakness, He shows Himself strong. And it happens in the context of relationship, relationship that keeps having the roadblocks I dump into it removed (by Him) when I lament what they do to me. Sounds really bent, but we all do the dumping, few of us do the lamenting. I think it's because we don't percieve that our pain is from us dumping things between us and God. We think it's caused by our circumstances that are out of our control and in God's control and so we have a big question mark about God's goodness (though we Christians may rarely admit it). Which reminds me of a tree God planted in the beautiful garden He made for us in the beginning, the tree we were warned not to touch because it would bring death. The first couple doubted God's goodness when they were denied something that looked good to them, something, in fact, that God had made. They were led down a garden path of thinking that they should have this good-looking, God-made fruit that would give them something that seemed beneficial in their eyes. We look back and think they should have trusted God, they should not have listened to the deciever. But we fail at the same thing on a constant basis. I have learned my lesson on this topic over and over and over again. And it's not because I'm un-intelligent (did an IQ test for fun once). I think it's because life is a series of tests, and a battlefield. Being tested in battle. The battle for worship.

Satan knows that what we worship actually owns us. He knows most of us are too smart to overtly worship him, so he provides substitutes, whatever it takes, to keep us from actually worshipping the Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah, Son of God, the only way to the Father. Because then we would become like Him and that is life to us and death to satan's power. When Jesus said that “you will know them (true believers/false believers/immature believers/unbelievers) by their fruit” He was not kidding. He was talking about what forms in us and in our lives as a result of what we worship. And we all worship. The fruit of the Holy Spirit is Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness, Faithfulness and Self Control. As we grow in our relationship with God, our worship being purified, our inner self being healed as we spend more time with Jesus, we will exhibit this fruit of the Holy Spirit in increasing measure (it doesn't happen overnight).

There is a danger zone, however, one where the spiritual battle gets fierce. As we become more like Jesus, satan becomes agitated and afraid. As we begin to understand how the keys to God's Kingdom, the Kingdom of Light, work, satan sends an all out assault to try to stop and reverse this transformation and promotion to new levels of spiritual authority. Satan knows who has authority over him and who doesn't, who can begin to take back what he took from humanity and who can't. This may all sound like science fiction, especially if you're from North America or Europe, but that's because we think science has the answers, but the rest of the world knows better, hopefully N.A. and EU will start catching up. I know the thought of occult activity is unpleasant, but their power has a source, his name is satan, he has an army of spirit beings that do his bidding to keep humanity in bondage and ignorance. God also has an army. Evil spirits are cast out of people in the name and authority of Jesus Christ and they are healed of whatever bondage or illness that spirit was enforcing in them (not all illness is caused by evil spirits necessarily, but is a result of a sick and dying planet), I've witnessed it in Canada and it happens all over the world too. In Africa the Christians are raising people from the dead. In China imprisoned Christians with broken feet “somehow” walk out of locked prisons and their feet are healed. But secular media won't publish that, because everything in this world is controlled by spiritual powers and so, to keep things in doubt, satan controls what information gets out to the populace and discredits, where possible, the media that would print the acts of God. Powerless churches full of hoopla that cater to the thirst for entertainment and comfort, but fail to teach personal relationship with Jesus, obedience to His voice, and repentance from sin, and loving your neighbour as yourself, don't help either.

True Christianity is wonderful and it is also very hard. Because dying to yourself, to allow His life to be formed in you, is painful at times. The wonderful part can only begin to be described. God is love. He loves us, unconditionally. He always loved us, even before we know Him. He cares about the details of our lives, about our hearts. He knows what brings death to us and in order to save us from that, He goes after the virus in our souls. The various idols that we worship. He goes after them, one, by one, by one. He challenges the idol, he exposes it's ugliness and the level of it's grasp on us, often by thwarting it. The common response is grief or anger as we feel the sting. Which, ironically, we blame on God, but if we had God in His proper place in our lives (on the throne of our heart), we would have peace and joy, not angst and grief. This is how God exposes the idols that have power over us.

This is how He heals us from mental strongholds too. Strongholds are ways of thinking that hold us in a death grip of destructive patterns that gained access through emotional wounding and sin, these can even be passed on through family lines to consequent generations. He removes all the shoddy dressings we've applied, He challenges the stronghold, exposes it's true identity, so that we can confess it for what it is, repent of it, and be healed. He does the healing. It's like magic. I am not kidding. I can testify to it in my own life. There is one prayer God always says yes to, and it is this: “Lord, remove any strongholds in me and heal my wounds.”*** Then brace yourself, but don't worry it will turn out well, and it will be worth it. I've survived and went on to thrive after several such encounters. God is good. Despite what you feel at the moment.

Love,

M

*** Before you pray this prayer, if you haven't yet invited Jesus into your heart/life, as your personal Saviour and Lord, you need to do so first. If you're not sure how, you can use the following as a guide:

“Lord Jesus I need you to cleanse me from my sins, I choose to believe you are the Son of God, as the Bible says, who came to die as an atoning sacrifice for all sin, so that I can be reconciled to Father God. I now surrender myself, and my life to you, come take your place in me as my Lord and Saviour. Thank you God for loving me so much that you sent your Son for me, I recieve your gift of life and love. Thank you for this fresh start in life. I welcome you Holy Spirit, to be my counsellor and comforter, as promised by Jesus. Amen.”

If you've just prayed this prayer to recieve salvation, welcome to the family! To learn more about your new life in Christ and to help keep you strong, ask Holy Spirit to guide you to the church that is right for you at this time, make contact with someone in leadership there and let them know of your new found faith, they will love on you and help you grow as you get to know Jesus for yourself. God bless you!

WHAT IF HELL IS REAL?

I just finished reading an article in Maclean's May 13, 2013 issue titled 'What if Heaven is Real?'. It brings forward interesting information and reports on books written by folks who've had near death experiences (NDE's) or have been dead and revived. They write that Heaven, or the idea of a heaven-like afterlife, is hot and that hell is colder than ever (in popular opinion polls). They state in the article that even modern Christians are struggling to reconcile a loving God with the idea that He would condemn sinners to hell. And my mind took off.

I see a problem, or a fault, with the popular understanding of what hell is, not only in this article, but in our society's beliefs on it, which this article reflects. If hell is not real, then what about evil spirits? We know they exist, so if there is a loving God and good spirits (angels) is it not logical, then, that these two groups live in separate areas? All the accounts of NDE's have reported love and comfort where they went (heaven). They did not report feeling or seeing any evil spirits. So where do the evil spirits come from? Very few people, especially journalists of popular news, want to delve into that one. If they really wanted to do some investigative reporting, they'd find a motherload of evidence pointing to the existence of a place that is devoid of love. God is love. There is a place where God isn't.

So how come those who don't necessarily profess or support Christianity in their NDE's, went to heaven? My answer to that is, their life is not over yet. The lack of judgement they speak of in their NDE experience of Heaven is in line with what the Bible teaches. Judgement will be at the very end, when all the dead are raised, standing beside the ones who will still be living. My understanding of judgement is not that it condemns people to hell, as many of us would do to each other, but that God will look at the heart and judge that a person should not be condemned to the place that is devoid of His presence, aka hell.

If we believe God is who He says He is, then He is perfectly capable of providing a way for His creation to understand things of an afterlife or death magnitude. Not only that, but He should also be able to communicate important knowledge on the importance and impact of this present life, even if He does it through imperfect vessels. Some, including myself, believe the Holy Bible to be that communication. It is one of the most supported works of literature in human history, the thousands of supporting, ancient manuscripts that have been found and authenticated by science elevates the Book to historical fact status. It is not scientific fact, because only that which can be repeated in a lab can hold that label. The historical fact label is achieved by well documented eye-witness accounts (like the Mayflower brought pilgrims to America). Which the Bible has.

So this is the thing. If hell is a place where God isn't and He gave us the knowledge on the topic of Himself, if we choose not to enter into the place where He is, via the door He provided, then by default we remain where we were. The Bible tells us that in this age, hell is not allowed to take over, that the Holy Spirit keeps it back, to give us the opportunity to decide freely. We live on a planet that currently manifests the characteristics of both heaven and hell, through the choices we make each day. We see this and the Bible also speaks to that. Humans influence, and are influenced by, the spirit world. We see it and the Bible speaks to that. So what is causing all the confusion? What is causing all the doubt?

Suppose that doubt and confusion were functions of evil spirits who are the enemies of God and His angels and, because we are all created in God's image, enemies of us as well.

Why is Christianity the most controversial faith on the planet?

Why is Christianity the only religion who's God died for the love of mankind?

The NDE's all agree in their experience of love after they died.

“There is no greater love than this: that a person would lay down his life for the sake of his friends.” John 15:13 Aramaic Bible in Plain English

Would not the One who is Love, demonstrate the greatest love?

If there is no hell, why does the Bible tell us of the Son of God, Yeshua, Emmanuel (God with us) coming down to teach us and to die in order to provide a way for us to escape it?

The article surmised that personal healing was evident in many of the NDE's.

The Bible tells us that salvation (sozo), and as demonstrated by the accounts of the life of Jesus Christ, is for the healing of our spirit, soul AND body. The healing of the whole person.

If God is love, where does hate come from? If there is a heaven, why do people struggle to believe in a hell?

Because we want what we want, the way we want it. We are selfish from birth. We create God in our own image, to our personal likes and dislikes. We are being influenced.

The good news: If we are really and genuinly interested in truth, despite what it might do to our personal beliefs, we will find it. If all we want is to feel better and find support for our own theories, we will find that too, unfortunately the end results (and some current results) will be different and only time will tell.

Love has a source, so does evil. To believe in a heaven and not a hell, is wishful thinking, in my opinion.

My prayer is that people will see God's heart for us and His provision for our healing and reconciliation to Him. I pray that I would grow to be a more accurate representation of His heart toward others, that I would live my life in a way that brings honour to God and draws people to Him, rather than repelling them. God forgive me and God forgive the Church where we have so sorely failed in that. God help us all.

When Good, Even Godly, Is Bad.

This topic comes across my consciousness all too often.  It is a topic that elicits emotion in me, it exposes my impatience with others on matters that, although I've been given a grace to deal with in my own life, I am not immune from any more than anybody else.  So I'm going to write about it, because it might help me process those emotions, which have got me in trouble on occasion, and hopefully help others as well.

We each have been given gifts, one of mine (I think) is the ability to self-analyze and process my own soul and spirit issues and dialogue with God about it to get through to the other side of whatever the issue happens to be.  I say that, because some of what I might write next may sound proud, it's not coming from a place of pride, though, it's coming from a place of experience and observation.  I've been there, done that, and I am attempting to pass it on so that others can spare themselves the discomfort or agony or time wasted, that I have experienced and/or observed.

So here goes.

Any time the lack of something you want whether in your life or in someone else's or in or from another person (including God) elicits a negative and ongoing emotional response in you, you have a problem.  You might be thinking, "yeah, duh", at me right now, but hear me out.  If something is bearing bad fruit in your life it doesn't matter how good the tree looks, or even is.  If there is bad fruit (like negative and ongoing problems) the "tree" (whatever the desire is) is growing in the wrong spot in your life.  You've planted it between you and God, between you and another person, between you and the right thing to do.

That may also seem like a no-brainer, but in reality, it is not.  I have witnessed many, including myself, who have had a whole grove planted in the wrong spot.  The wrong spot being between you and God. The more you have planted there, the harder it will be to see God clearly, hear Him clearly, or even recognize Him.  Some of our trees look very Godly and we think God put them there.  He didn't.  These are often the worst kind, the hardest ones to see for what they are.  These Godly-looking trees.  These Godly desires.  These God-given desires.  If planted in the wrong spot they will bear bad fruit.  Bad fruit for you.  Bad fruit for others.  Bad.

How can something that feels so good, feel so right, feel so... God, be bad?  I think it may be dawning on you now.  Why do some people get drunk?  Why do we like to shop?  Why do we watch movies too late and eat too much chocolate?  We do these things, because they feel good, they suck us in, we want something from them.  Later, after we reap the fruit of our actions, do we realize an important truth.  What we did was took something that in itself might not be a bad thing, might even be a good thing, but by what we did with it turned it into something that bore bad fruit.  The same thing is possible even with a "God thing" or a "God-given" desire.  We take it and put it in a space that feels good, fulfills something that is lacking, but it is in the wrong space, between you and God.  No way?  Yes way.  Seen it too many times.  Sorry to say.

To be continued...