Spiritual Battle

Being a good Christian is something that can keep a person up at night.  Needing to feel like life is a stage and the actor\actress in us calls out loudly;

"Perform!".

But a peaceful voice always counters it..(and is many times shut down) that says:

 "Rest in Me, you are already accepted."

The Girl Next Door says:

"Impress"

The Activist declares,

"Impact!"

The Heroine (who feels its her duty to care for all) says,

"Responsibility!"

The Bystander in us whispers:

"Stay invisible!!"

The Judge Demands:

"Follow the Rules!"

The Intellectual Demands,

"I have to be right!"

The Dreamer sighs,

"Someday..."

(This list was compiled from Emily P. Freeman's book Graceful)

In this list there are things that are usually considered good traits, be responsible, impact others, don't make people uncomfortable, perform!  But these traits become our enemy if they challenge your real identity in Christ.  More often than not these voices say:

"We know who you really are, better cover up before someone finds out!"

Satan has constructed a good system of destroying the unique package of "God made you" and replaced it with "You are not enough if you don't do...any or all of the things listed."
Satan really only cares about us becoming useless for God.  But you do actually have the ability and power through Christ to choose to listen to the voices or not.  Christ's love and salvation for us is a free gift, so He's also given us the freedom to decide whether we want to hide behind the good Christian identities or believe the truth of our real identity in Christ.

The spiritual battle that rages around us has a specific target-to destroy anything and everything that glorifies God.  The earth is Satan's domain-temporarily. And realizing the bondage's he places in our lives is crucial!

Lies that we believe about our self include: I'm a failure, I must protect myself or be hurt, I always mess up, I'm not enough, I was a mistake and the list goes on.  The choice to change our real identity in Christ and mask it if it has any little flaw happens to all of us! We try to drown out the realization of our own choice to mar Christ's creation by pulling our self into good works to try and make up for the usefulness that could've been if we hadn't changed His plan and hide His perfect creation!

I recently returned from a conference in Indiana, Indianapolis, and at that conference I met my battle partners and prayer warriors.  They are my sister's in Christ and as this spiritual battle is fiercely real-
its about time I really started treating it like my love one's could die-and they can and are-spiritually dying. Satan can rob them of their true potential if there is an opening left wide enough for him to enter and begin to plant lies.

So what are your voices covering up?  What lies are chaining you to the ground?

Carry the Cross!!

Luke 9:23

"And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me."

The commitment Christ is asking from all those who follow Him is to be faithful, to trust, to serve, and to commit to live in a manner holy and acceptable unto God.  Just making the right moral decisions in our Christian life isn't enough, because then we are missing the 18 inches from head to heart if we 'just' make 'good' choices.  The true, on-fire for Christ Christian walk is a life that focuses on others and how to impact the world for Christ in all manners, all situations, and all places.

My pastor gave this quote in church last week:

"You don't need to know God's will and how the path will lead in order to trust Him. You simply need to follow."

Now the word "simply" doesn't mean "easy". Simply in this context means leaving the fleshly fear on  the doorstep where it belongs and taking the Savior's hand. Walking beside the One who died for you, who wants to protect and hold you and never let you go.

The Christian life isn't about rules, it's about relationship. Going to church on Sunday and Wednesday are wonderful times of getting challenged in the Word, fellowshipping with like-minded Christian friends and encouraging everyone to walk with Christ in the days to come.  But ultimately, your relationship with God is going to grow the most from your daily time with Him.  Setting aside the world's pressing agenda and, as the verse says, 'taking up the cross daily' to follow Him.

(Excerpt from L.L's books)
"When God's spirit is given His rightful place in a young person's life, He transforms their personality to reflect His beauty, His grace, His selflessness.  He can overtake any personality, whether you are outgoing or more reserved.  And either way, the end result is always the same: We decrease, He increases.  You don't lose your own personality. Rather, your personality becomes what it was intended to be: A tool to draw eyes to Jesus Christ and not yourself."

Living in this perverse world and crumbling society can be extremely difficult on Christians, living a
life set on fire for the Lord can be difficult, you will face persecution for choosing a different path, for carrying the cross as Jesus asks.  But you never saw any of the great men and women of the Bible live, what we consider "normal lives".  They never stopped defying the world's standards and following Christ's standards!

We were born to live lives that stand out and away from the world! God chose you specifically, for a certain purpose in this brief time on earth...I want to be able to say that I didn't "rust out for Him" I "ran out everything for Him!"

 

God Bless!!

Homemaking

"Homemaking is surely in reality the most important work in the world.  What do ships, railways, mines, cars, government, ect. exist for except that people maybe fed, warmed, and safe in their own homes?...The Homemaker's job is one for which all others exist."
C.S Lewis