Spirits and Idols

I am becoming aware of my tendency to bow to idols I never realized existed.

There are spirits that can control us. They can be spirits of unworthiness, arrogance, control, subjection, passivity, legalism, or hyper-emotionalism. You name it. I believe those of us who are in Christ and live lives controlled by the Holy Spirit should not fulfill the desires of our flesh. But I also believe that there are times when our flesh wins, and in those times, we are corrupted by sin. Sin is like a sticky substance that allows spirits to attach themselves to our lives.

The remedy for us is to confess our sins. When we do, the Bible promises that He is faithful to forgive us. 

When we do not confess and receive forgiveness for sin, we begin to walk in a manner controlled by a spirit other than the Holy Spirit. We then can become a spiritual tripping hazard for others and for ourselves. We will begin to process our environment through the lens of that controlling spirit. As we do, we will in essence be bowing down to that spirit. If we stay in it long enough, we will begin to expect everyone else to bow down to it as well.

When encountering someone under one of these influences, we will either bow down to that spirit as well, or we will reject the person. I believe we have to stand up to those spirits. 

My tendency is to back away. I am beginning to understand that my passivity to a spirit is, in itself, me bowing down or being controlled by a spirit of passivity. Many of us Christians see combat, warring, and standing up, as the opposite of Christianity. But I am beginning to see a bit differently. Why were we told in scripture to be courageous and not fear? Why are we told to get our ARMOR on? Why are we told to grab our sword of the Spirit and our shield of faith? It is because we are in a war. We are in a battle.

As believers, we are commanded to put on Christ, to be empowered by the Holy Spirit, and to live our lives in obedience to our Commanding Officer’s marching orders, which are found in His Word.

If I am to take a stand for Him, I cannot bow to spirits that are attracted to my sin–nor can I bow to those spirits in others. In our modern world, we no longer bow down to statues erected as idols. Our idols are more subtle. If we give into the influence of a spirit in ourselves or in others, we are bowing down to it. It is time to stand up against this. We need to know who we are and Who we belong to. We need to be filled with the Holy Spirit, ask for forgiveness for our sins, cooperate with the Holy Spirit, and obey the Word of the Lord. This is the best way to stand up against controlling spirits. 

As I processed these truths before the Lord, I discussed what I wrote with a trusted set of friends. I had one of them review it for me. I am so glad that I did. It was great to get another view or perspective on my story. She simply asked me, "Are the spirits and idols interchangeable or distinct." As I ruminated over that question, it was obvious that I must clarify this. They are indeed one and the same. I think that was the major epiphany I had after I sensed the Lord calling me out on this. I thought I was being godly, and He showed me I was actually bowing down to idols in the form of spirits that were controlling my behavior. He called me out and I see it very clearly now. That clarity is what motivates me to share it with others.

As Christians, we stand for the gospel. Our lives are to be lived in love, yes. But love tells us to do what is best for ourselves and others–not what makes us feel good. We all need to stand up and fight the spirits that are not in agreement with the Holy Spirit. How will we recognize the difference? The Holy Spirit will always line up perfectly with the Word of God. Always.

If you would like further clarity, feel free to comment or send a message to me with your questions.

 

When the Body of Christ Loves Well!!!

Typically, I only post a blog if I have something to say.  Over the course of many months, I have had very little to say.  Lately I have done a lot of reading, studying, ministering to others and been very quiet. Several studies ago, I did the Armor
of God study by Priscilla Shirer. She placed a challenge to the reader "for the next seven days, try not to say or do anything in response to feelings of insecurity, fear, or really anything that is out of alignment with your true identity in Christ.  You might be surprised at how quiet you become."  The challenge to the author herself was "not to say or do anything that originates from a place of insecurity... before I choose to accept an invitation... respond to a tweet...add a comment to a conversation, I stop and make myself consider the motivation behind it. Am I doing this because I want validation or the approval of a person, group or people? Or am I doing this from a posture of value and worth in Christ? I want to train and discipline myself not to placate old feelings that the enemy is dredging up from my past."

So I took the challenge seriously and since then, I have been much quieter in general.

However, lately, I have sensed it was time to begin speaking again, write again.  My mind is flooded with stuff again.

I had lunch with several ladies the other day, and I was reminded of some truths that no one in the body seems to want to discuss, face and admit.  The truth of the matter is the body of Christ is made up of human beings!  There in lies the biggest issue. If the Triune God had left that one thing out of the body, it would be absolute perfection.  It would not have all the issues that face Christians.

• I cannot tell you how many times I have heard others or thought it myself, "I can love and trust God, it is His followers I have problems with."
• Trouble with this thinking is scripture tells us to love one another and to bear with one another's burdens.

So now that I have spoken the obvious, let's take a look at what may be the root of the issue. It is me, it is you, and it is any other human that has responded to the drawing of the Holy Spirit, accepted the price God paid to settle the sin debt that we owed by sacrificing His son Jesus, and welcomed the Lord's activity into their life.

Is it ok that I am flawed as a follower of Christ?  Will you allow me to admit that without God, I am an absolute mess.  I would not be someone any of you would care to be around.  At best, I would be self motivated to be kind. I would treat people better if there was something in it for me otherwise, I would do what is best for me.  I would say hurtful things if I thought it would make me feel better.  I would think of my self more than I do of others.  I would not love very well if at all. However, I have to choose to allow the Holy Spirit to help me, enable me and equip me so that I do not follow my nature of self-centeredness.

If you encounter me and find any redeeming value in me, it is the work of the Holy Spirit.  If you have experienced the me that I mention in the previous paragraph, I am so sorry.  That is truly the me that walks by the flesh.  That is the me that blows it and misrepresents God in the process.  In as much as I will die to myself everyday is as much as I can reflect the image of Christ in my life to each of you.

Anyone of us can wound and injure others either intentionally or unintentionally.  We need to be aware of the weightiness of our action and take responsibility for them.  We do not want to be like the diciples when they were trying to keep the little children from bothering Jesus, and Jesus scolded them for it.  He said do not keep them from coming to me.

Any of us who claim to be a follower of Jesus and yet walk out the desires of our flesh, need to remember that we may be preventing someone from coming to Christ based on the way we are living. I for one do not want to be a roadblock for someone else.

This is a great reason and motivation for us to walk dependent on the Holy Spirit in our lives and obey each thing He places on our hearts.  There are so many who have been hurt and wounded by the body, and they are staying away from Jesus because of His followers.  If you are one who is hurt, on behalf of the body, I am so sorry.  On behalf of Jesus, His arms are open wide to heal your hurts. On your behalf, please forgive and find a place to fellowship with other believers.  According to Hebrews we are not to forsake the gathering together and especially as we see the day of the Lord approaching.

We all need each other.  The word says the world will know we are Jesus' disciples by our love for each other. Let's love each other well.  Let's cut each other some slack.  Let's recognize that we are all imperfect vessels in need of help, guidance, love, forgiveness, compassion, and a huge dose of grace.

Let's desire to love one another, let's resolve to be unified in Christ and in love, putting others interest ahead of our own.  Can you imagine what a church operating in this manner would be like.  I for one love to see it.  It is not perfect, but it is good.  I love my church.

Broken Heart

In reflecting upon many things, I keep reminding myself that God is in control and not surprised by current events world wide, national, locally; and the things happening in our own personal lives, homes, churches and communities.  As world events seem to be getting darker, and evil seems to be gaining ground, I have to keep reminding myself that God is not taken by surprised.  Actually His Word demonstrates this very truth.  So if we will be in The Word and not consumed by being in the world, I believe we can be prepared and not be surprised by the events.  We will be prepared to offer the hope we have when others see these events and cannot make sense out of it and come to us inquiring of our hope.  

So today, prepare yourself.

The enemy has made sure each of us have grown cold and/or bitter from hurts we have experienced.  He has come against us through family, friends and yes even Christian friends or leaders.  All of these offenses can take us in two distinct directions.  One can be to our harm and one can be for our good, for the benefit of others and for God's glory.  We can hold onto our offense and allow it to make us bitter, colder toward others, lack compassion, and even hateful and harsh.  This path makes us a bad testimony to others.  On the other hand, we can take these offenses to God in prayer, ask for Him to help us as WE CHOOSE to forgive and release the offender.  What this does is free us from their offense.  To hold on to it doesn't punish them, it only punishes us.  The thing God showed me is that a broken heart can become very fertile ground for the Father to expand our heart's capacity for love and compassion if we offer our broken heart to Him.  We have to be willing and decide to forgive.  It is a choice of the will.  Then we have to walk out our forgiveness.  

No offense is beyond our capacity to forgive, no matter how bad it is.  I know pain, believe me I have experienced it in large supply.  I have suffered at the hands of many, but it is for my sake that I forgive.  So let it go, release the offender, and leave them in the hands of Jesus to deal with.  You will be set free as you do it.  

The picture that I saw as these thoughts were flooding my mind was that of a heart that was broken, but not destroyed.  The heart was now able to freely expand its capacity because of the fractures.  Can you see that image?  

So if you are a follower of Christ and your heart has been fractured, run to the Father and ask Him to lead you into forgiveness because you choose to forgive today.  Act lovingly toward them and allow the Lord to love the offender through you.  In the process, you will experience the expansion of your fractured heart and it will become stronger and you will be free!!!!