Blog Archives
Fire And Faith
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“These trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold. So if your faith remains strong after being tried by fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.”(1Peter 1:7)
“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12)
Man, I’m telling you what—just about the time that I start to feel ok with my own heart, the Lord (in His perfect kindess) turns up the heat, and a whole new batch of putrid, sinful humanity rises to the surface. I am at least grateful that I’m becoming familiar enough with this process that I anticipate Satan’s next move. Inevitably, the enemy of my soul chooses this moment to come, cleverly cloaked as my own conscience, and flog my soul with shame and condemnation. Should I choose to listen (and thank God I’m learning not to), having removed my breastplate of righteousness, my heart forgets the unmerited favor that Christ purchased for me with His blood, and I revert to hiding. And hiding is not good, because Jesus said:
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”(John 15:5)
So, if I felt like the task of overcoming the endless supply of sin in my heart was unlikely before, I have now guaranteed that I will be bearing NO fruit of the Spirit, because I have allowed myself to be cut off from the vine. Man, Satan is sneaky.
But you know what? I’m just not gonna listen to that garbage from the evil one, because I know that my fight is not a fight to prove myself to be, or make myself into, something good. My fight is the fight of faith. My job is to seek out and believe God’s Word: His job is to perform it. I can no more make myself a new creation than the man in the moon. No, the same Creator who knitted me together in my mother’s womb and caused me to be born, is knitting me into a new creation, and causes me to be born again. Over and over, God’s word affirms that my entire sufficiency is in Christ—and He is in me.
“…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”(Philippians 1:6)
“Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”(1 Peter 1:16)
| “ LORD, my heart is not proud; my eyes are not haughty. I don’t concern myself with matters too great or awesome for me. |
| But I have stilled and quieted myself, just as a small child is quiet with its mother. Yes, like a small child is my soul within me. |
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It is not my goodness God is testing. It’s my faith. My faith in the fact that all the fullness of His goodness abides in me…and that it is enough. So I’m going to bed believing God tonight—I’m going to sleep with a smile on my face. And, speaking of going to bed, it is 2:15am, so I’d better be doing that right now…
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Be Holy
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Thursday, December 01, 2005
Be Holy
“for it is written: Be holy, as I am holy”( 1 Peter 1:16)
“so you must be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:48)
OK, does anyone else, like, try not to think too much about these particular verses? I mean, be Holy-as He is Holy? – be perfect? Perfect?!!! Come on, what the heck- am I missing something here? Whatever happened to “no one does good, not even one”; or “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God”;– or how about “we all stumble in many ways”?
Now, I know that God’s Word CAN’T be wrong, could NEVER contradict itself– But shouldn’t someone tell God that it’s a little bit… mmm, I don’t know… IMPOSSIBLE for me to be perfect???
Ok– take a breath, Monica. Maybe we should ask God about this– you know, instead of freaking out and thinking you’ve found the one scriptural tidbit that could unravel the entire fabric of your salvation!
Ok, God. So. You expect me to be Holy, huh?
Yes.
…like You are Holy?
Yes.
As in, (gulp)…perfect?
Without spot or blemish!
Ummm, well, just so You know, I have actually tried to do that…-Ya, umm,… DIDN’T WORK.
I didn’t say, “DO Holy”. I said “BE holy”
Now I’m confused.
“DO this, DO that”–What does that sound like to you, Monica?
I guess that sounds like the Law .
Does trying to obey the Law make you holy?
No, because You said if I break the teeniest part of the Law, I’m guilty of breaking the whole thing, because all of its commandments come from the same God–YOU. And everyone knows that no one but Jesus can keep the whole Law perfectly! Which is WHY I’m so confused, because here I’ve been thinking we’re no longer under the Law, we’re under grace: but when I hear “be Holy, Monica” or “be perfect, Monica”, I start to see that giant cosmic finger wagging at me, and I start gearing up to try to do all of the right things with PERFECTION…And before you know it, I’m crumpled up in a little heap of failure at Your feet! I know there’s an answer to this, Lord…HELP!!!
Take a breath, Monica.
Ok.
Seriously.
Sorry.
Listen carefully. You keep talking about Monica TRY-ing, Monica DO-ing…and all the time I’m talking about something completely different– Monica BE-ing.
So, how do I make myself BE Holy?
How do you make a drop of rain BE wet?
That’s easy for You to ask –You’re God! Unlike YOU, I can’t just make something BE, you know, just by SPEAKING it!! All You have to do is say “Let there BE“, and WHAM– You’ve got light, water, sun, moon, stars, people…I mean, even if You were to tell me how to make a raindrop wet, I still wouldn’t have the power to make it be wet. You, on the other hand, simply say “Be Wet!” and it becomes…
Yes?…
… it BE-comes–WET!! Oh!
…and if I say to you “Be Holy!”?, you BE-come…
Holy!!
Right! And when I say, “Monica, Be perfect”, you BE-come…
Perfect? Like… You are perfect?
Without spot or blemish- Beautiful !
Really?
Do you believe Me?
Boy, do I know the correct answer to THAT question!– YES! Absolutely!…I choose to believe You!
Then, it is done. By the power of My Word and My Blood, you are even now BE-coming what I, in my perfect wisdom, know that you ARE– Holy, Perfect- Everything I ever dreamed of…my Bride!
Ohhhh, I get it– that’s why the bible says You “call the things that are not as though they were”…because whatever You call them is what they will BECOME!! Is that right?
Yep.
And You’re not going to smack me over the head with Your bath slipper for not doing everything perfectly?
People always ultimately Do what they Are– your DO-ing will catch up with your BE-ing, as you BE-come what you ARE–
Holy?
You got it!
Cool! Thanks, Lord!
You’re welcome. I love you.
Wow… I love You, too
