The Religious Spirit and Our Calling

"What sorrow awaits you experts in religious law! For you remove the key to knowledge from the people. You don't enter the Kingdom yourselves, and you prevent others from entering." -Luke 11:52

Jesus was very popular among the religious leaders of his day.  However, it was not a positive popularity.  The Pharisees, because their power was threatened by Jesus, were the ones who plotted to kill Him.  The scripture says they hated him - they wanted nothing more than to put him away.  But it was the people who stalled the process of Jesus' crucifixion, because many believed He was the Messiah.

This gives us a weighty example about the truth of the religious spirit - it seeks to destroy true works of God in us, and it seeks to destroy our destiny. It reinforces the lie that we are required to perform religious rituals or duties in order to gain acceptance by God.

A man my dad knows owns a film studio in Hollywood.  He said for 30 years he felt ostracized in Hollywood - he was a black sheep to the church because he worked in Hollywood, and he was also outcast by the Jewish film producers in the area because he was a Christian. 

But the fact of the matter was, he was right where God wanted him to be.  When my dad met him and told him he had one of the greatest opportunities to make uplifting films that could change culture and draw people to hunger after Jesus, he said, "Boy, I wish I had known you 25 years ago." He had finally felt affirmed in his destiny.

Can you see any places where the religious spirit has operated in your life, living out rules and regulations in exchange for relationship and destiny?  Pray that God will redeem any areas where this has caused hurt, and that God would reveal His ultimate destiny for you, redeeming and restoring it for His ultimate glory.

“RELIGION: I obey; therefore, I am accepted. // GOSPEL: I am accepted; therefore, I obey.” - Caterina Santoro

Why Judgement?

 

“I lavish unfailing love to a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin. But I do not excuse the guilty.”  -Exodus 34:7

All throughout the Old Testament it seems like the Israelites are getting judged.  They are good for a while, then they get a bad king, and he leads them into idol worship.  Then God sends a prophet to judge and save the nation and they get cleaned up again and worship God.  Then they get a bad king and they start all over.  It’s like being on a roller coaster ride!

I used to think that God was angry and judgmental.  I couldn’t relate to Him because I thought He was sitting on His throne, furrow-browed and uncaring, judging the world of their sin.  I certainly didn’t measure up.  Finally, I had a REVELATION of Him and His love...

But recently, I had a revelation of judgement.  It may sound strange, but I finally understood why God judged people back in the Old Testament. 

God was angry with the people when they worshipped idols.  Why?  Why couldn’t the people just do what they wanted?  When idol worship was happening, sin was rampant.  There was MUCH more crime, abuse, corruption, greed, sexual promiscuity, orgies, and all sorts of craziness happening when a bad king who worshipped idols was in power.  (Habakkuk 2:15) Because God created people, He knew that the best thing for us was to place Him on the throne of our lives, worshipping and loving Him.  His heart broke when the people didn’t do what He said, not because of the mere fact that they disobeyed Him, but because of everything it entailed.  Most of all, it was because they were separated from Him and His love.

God could not let sin go un-judged, because that would mean the injustice the people did to one another meant nothing. Because God is a God of love and justice, He cares when we get hurt. So, He has to step in and set boundaries so we won’t continue to get hurt, continue to hurt ourselves, or continue to hurt others. Most of all, He needed them to know that He was their God, and by following and serving Him, they would experience long life, blessing, and God’s presence and love with them. God's judgement was because of His love.

Now, because of Jesus’ sacrifice, we are living in a season of grace.  But, we can choose whether or not we want to live within God’s protection, experience His healing, and live in eternity with Him.  Will you decide to live under His protection, so that His blessings can forever follow you?  (Ps 23:6)

Hiding Place

"You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance." -Psalm 32:7

We used to sing a song at church called "hiding place".  "You are my hiding, you are my hiding place..." It was a catchy praise tune, but it was also a great reminder of where we put our trust. 

Life can be harsh sometimes. When we're going through difficulty or we're experiencing rejection, hurt or betrayal, it's especially essential that God becomes our habitation.

From what place do you live your life? Is your heart hidden in God, or do you put your heart out there, unprotected, for all the world to see?

There is a great quote for all the single ladies... "A woman's heart should be so lost in God that a man must seek Him in order to find her."

During David's "pit" phase when Saul was trying to kill him, he wrote many Psalms to comfort and remind himself that His fate and his heart was in the hands of God.

There will be times in our lives where we feel disappointed, hurt, and vulnerable. But it is during those times that God is teaching us to find our habitation and our protection in Him. When we truly find our identity in the "hiding place" of our God, there is nothing in this world that can shake us. 

Is God your hiding place?

Having Good Boundaries

"Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control." -Proverbs 25:28

Have you ever heard the term 'boundaries' before? The word may conjure up images of a fence or a wall, but the idea of boundaries has come up in recent years as it relates to our emotional and spiritual health and interactions with others. Drs. Cloud and Townsend have written a great book on the subject entitled Boundaries. Why are boundaries important?

Boundaries give order to our lives, and our world. If we didn't have them, our lives would be out of order. Imagine if you always stayed up late and got up early. You would always be exhausted. Your work would suffer, your relationships would suffer, and so would your health. Exercise habits, sleep schedules, dietary choices, time management, financial management, and relationships are all about good or poor boundaries. The Bible talks about boundaries. In the garden of Eden, God gave Adam and Eve both freedom and boundary. The Ten Commandments are a set of boundaries that God set up to help us be successful in life.

Perhaps the most elusive type of boundaries are the ones we need to have have with others. They may or may not make sense to us due to the way we were raised.

Recently a friend was sharing with me an experience she had had over the holiday between her and a family member of hers. This family member had said aloud that he did not like her music, (she is a musician), which was fine, but the statement came across as rude and belittling. She told him he was that he was entitled to his own opinion, but that she didn't appreciate the belittlement. He later apologized for his behavior.

The stronger we become in Christ, the stronger our boundaries become. But, this doesn't mean we shut people out. Conversely, we are in a better position to give and receive love. We are safe to be ourselves because we have set good boundaries in place in order to do so. As we realize more and more about God's nature and character we realize how He operates. He invites us to live within certain boundaries so that we can live a free and holy life, pleasing unto him, and a blessing to those we encounter.

Where are God's boundaries? What kind of boundaries should we have as His children? Make sure you are not a "city without walls" so that God can use you greatly for His kingdom.

Pure Vessels

"And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, and there is no sin in Him." -1 John 3:5

Are you a pure vessel? Being committed to be a Christian involves a continual process of sanctification, and even more so if you are a teacher of God's word.  (John 17:19, James 3:1)  Although Jesus has paid the price for our sins, and we continually receive His forgiveness, there are still things He will require of us so that we become complete and more like Him.  (James 1:4)  This most often has to do with issues of our hearts. "Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life."  -Proverbs 4:23

Recently my husband and I went to a marriage conference and one of the sessions was about transparency.  The couple that was speaking talked about their journey of sanctification, which involved the man getting free from issues of adultery.   This of course caused a lot of strife in their marriage, and even though the man had repented to his wife for those things that had happened long ago, he found himself in "sin management", trying to manage the effects that this spiritual root of sin had on him.

This couple had been invited by a pastor to minister to a group of people at a leadership conference, but before they arrived, they had had an argument.  The man felt convicted that they should not minister to this group of people due to the fact that there was strife in their hearts.  As the pastor introduced him, he told him that they were not prepared to minister, and that their hearts were not pure.  The crowd went completely silent.  After a few moments the pastor held the microphone and repented for times when he and his wife ministered with strife in their hearts.  Ninety percent of the crowd got on their knees to repent and the Holy Spirit ministered to the large crowd for more than an hour.  It was very powerful!

As this couple described what had happened, the woman said that when we minister the truth of the gospel but have strife in our hearts, people can receive a double message:  one of God's truth, but then also of whatever unresolved sin is dwelling in our hearts. 

Are you a pure vessel?  Do you make repentance a regular practice in your life?   Pray that God will reveal and remove anything that may block His grace, light, and power in your life.  His word says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness." -1 John 1:9