02.15.09
Posted in God Centered, God in general, Spiritual Warfare, relationship at 3:27 pm by Administrator
We think of those we consider as steadfast christians. Previously, I discuss how I recently had a stay at a hospital. How does someone who is firm in their faith, end up in a position where they are in a state like this? I would suffice to say that we allow things into our lives that can serve as chinks in our armor where we can be attacked. We are told by Paul that:
Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. (Eph 6:11 NIV)
I found myself in a situation where I was stewing in anger and resentment. Letting the sun go down on our anger opened up those chinks in the armor of God that’s protects us. That is what happenned to me. I was so upset that it led to resentment. The resentment led hatred. So I found myself with an opening in the armor that protected me from attack that you could run an army through. God is very clear about how we deal with this. He tells us frequently in the bible about the dangers of opening up chinks in our armor due to resentment, anger and wrath.
Resentment kills a fool, and envy slays the simple. Job 5:2 NIV
The godless in heart harbor resentment; even when he fetters them, they do not cry for help. Job 36:13 NIV
But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; he does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded him. 1 John 2:11 NIV
In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent. Psalm 4:4 NIV
Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil. Psalm 37:8 NIV
I think what happenned to me could serve as a good warning to all. Sometimes we in our self-centeredness choose to focus on the things that we feel wronged about. We focus on our pain and our struggle. When inevitably we should give them up to God. I think this is one of the hardest things we as Christians are called to do. It is so natural for us to focus on how we have been wronged or how we feel that we lose sense of the love and people we are called to be in community and relationship with. To quote a counselor I had in the hospital, it as if we tell people that we love them and to come close with one hand and then we push them away and tell them to get the heck away with the other.
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08.22.08
Posted in God Centered, Spiritual Warfare, missional at 12:50 am by Administrator
I was reading my friend Bob East’s blog, Movin On where he talks about being missional and John Ortberg in the same post. The reference remindered me of a presentation that John Ortberg gave at the 2007 Willowcreek Leadership Summit last August. He talked about a concept he called one’s “shadow mission“. When he spoke about it, it really hit home with me and my own walk in relationship to God.
John Ortberg spoke about how everyone has a mission in life. As I thought about it I personally looked at it this way. When we are in relationship with God, He gives us opportunity to “join in his work” to quote Blackaby’s “Experiencing God”. Ortberg continued with an illustration about how one’s mission can be derailed. He said that many people think that when Satan seeks to thwart your godly mission that he tries to take us in the opposite direction. This, Ortberg said, could not be further from the truth. Often, Satan will take your godly mission and deflect it slightly. Just like archery or riflery, a small deflection can mean that you miss the target.
This bring Matthew 7:21-23 in focus quite well.
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
Ortberg said that in his case his mission is teaching and writing. However his shadow mission is seeking approval of others and seeking validation of his ministry through people. Ortberg made a chilling comment. If you do not know what your shadow mission is, then you are probably doing it. How about you?
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08.16.08
Posted in God Centered, Poetry, Spiritual Warfare at 4:25 pm by Administrator
Someone close to me was going through a hard time. The person kept saying to me that “I am nothing”. This crushed me, because I knew this was not true. This was a person who was sad and depressed. Yet it got me thinking about things. I wrote this poem about it.
THE NOTHING
The Nothing wanders the paths of life,
consuming the substance of all that we love.
Into its gaping maw, all sources of feeling go
Consuming the energy driving one and all
The nothing it lies
The nothing it deceives
The nothing just binds and torments
destroying that which is free.
Doubting one’s life, doubting one’s soul
The nothing grabs on and on doubts does grow
The nothing does linger, the nothing does lie
The nothing confuses with thoughts that die
The nothing leads us down, isolated back roads
Far from the paths of those walking by
The nothing tells people, hold on to their pain
for embarrassment it will bring
The nothing says no one will understand what we feel
The nothing discourages
The nothing says hide
The nothing whispers to us that
The nothing is inside.
Soon we believe it, the words we hold as true
The nothing resides within us
and there’s nothing we can do
Soon hope in us is fading
Soon light is cast out
Soon nothing does become us
and leads us to the dark night.
by Brett the Lofter — 5/5/08
The nothing is the essence of spiritual warfare. It is the loss of hope. We change that by embracing a relationship with God. This is one of the tactics of the father of lies. If you feel this way, seek out the Lord. Look in the Psalms for there are many there who have fought this battle too.
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