Raising the White Flag

Talk about raising a standard...I'm talking about lowering a standard. Through counseling, I have come to realize that I have this imagined standard of what a Christian should look like: always on time, hardest worker that comes in early and leaves late, witnessing to every person that makes eye contact with, eating healthy, cleanest house, etc...add to this the hammer drop of knowing that if I don't meet this standard, I  am bring in dishonor to the name of Christ - sometimes not wanting to say I'm a Christian bc I didn't want people to think Jesus is as screwed up as me! Wow! What have I been thinking??? I'll tell you: condemnation! I couldn't even believe Romans 8:1 because of the phrase "walk according to the spirit". I seriously believed I should be "beat up" or condemned bc if I wasn't meeting my invisible standard then I must be walking according to the flesh! When in reality NO ONE - no not one is able to perfectly adhere to this standard! If they were, they would be Jesus!! Why could I preach that message to others and yet be blind to my opposite belief?

I  so thankful now that my eyes have been opened to the truth to see the word in a whole new light. I am so thankful that the heavy burden of the law has rolled off my back onto its proper place- Jesus. He has done all the heavy lifting! I get to walk in His grace and mercy with a smile. I have the priveledge of being the predestined one - to be adopted BY HIM, accepted just the way I am BY HIM, made holy and blameless BY HIM! Let's sing- What a priveledge to carry everything to God in prayer...

 I am working on tearing down this unreachable standard that the Old Testament called "the law", accepting the fact that God says I am righteous in Jesus (still blows my mind) and bloom into who my heart longs to be (a carbon copy of Jesus) by basking in His unconditional love. Just as an adoptive parent would have mercy on their new child that came from a home where they weren't groomed with the best character traits, Jesus knows we learned some bad habits when we walked as children of darkness. And as an adoptive parent would take on the role and responsibility of grooming the child into who they were meant to be, my Heavenly Father is doing the heavy lifting of changing me from glory to glory into who I was meant to be! I get to enjoy the ride!! Now if that isnt good gospel news, I don't know what is?? If that is the heart of our message, how could that not be a magnet for all those hungry for unconditional love??

Amen.

Watch Out! Danger Ahead!

Proverbs 22:3 - A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself...

We are all drawn to anointed people. To see a person flow in the power of the Kingdom of Heaven is something unforgettable and inspiring. However, if you begin to exalt gifts of the Spirit over fruits of the Spirit, you are asking for trouble; You are on your way to getting hurt by deep disappointment and disillusionment. You see, we often equate being anointed with godliness, but that just isn't the case. Just because you can flow in the gifts of the Spirit [notice- gifts are things given that are undeserved, regardless of performance] doesn't mean you 'earned' it by living holy. See what Paul has to say in the book of Romans concerning gifts of the Spirit: For the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable. Romans 11:29  In this context, Paul was talking about the Jewish people that had rejected Jesus as their Messiah. Although they were not being obedient to the gospel of Christ, their gifts and calling of God remained - these are 'irrevocable'. Google defines irrevocable  as 'not able to be changed, irreversible'.

So are anointed people obedient people? Not always. Do you have to be obedient to flow in your gifts? No. Do not be fooled into these two wrong camps of thought:

First Camp of Wrong Thinking: I am living right (obedient to the gospel) because I am anointed when I ...(whatever your gift is). This is not true. The enemy wants you to feel secure and avoid examining your life against the word of God because you are anointed. Don't be mislead - anointing does not equal holiness. If you have fallen into this trap of false security, I would urge you to talk with the Lord and ask Him to open your eyes to any weaknesses in your life. This is a good prayer to pray - guaranteed to be answered as it comes straight from the Word:

Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; And see if their be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way. Psalm 139:23,24

Second Camp of Wrong Thinking: I and those around me are going to be better people (more godly & holy) if we surround ourselves with anointed people. Again - this is just not true. The only time this statement would be true is if the anointed people consistently bear fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control Galatians 5:22,23

Remember - anointed people can flow powerfully in the gifts of God, then immediately walk into a disobedient life full of works of the flesh: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambition, dissentions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries and the like Galatians 5:19,20

If you exalt the gifts of the Spirit or the anointing over the fruits of the Spirit, you may very well surround yourself with people that, because they are not walking in obedience to God's word, will hurt you and disappoint you. If you have had the wrong mindset that anointed people are holy people, then when you see those anointed people walking in an unholy life or making unholy decisions - you will become disillusioned. You believed the lie that surrounding yourself with anointed people will encourage & inspire you, when in reality, it is the fruit of the Spirit in people that will uplift you and encourage you consistently and faithfully. Can anointed people be filled with the fruit of the Spirit? Absolutely. Can anointed people lack the fruit of the Spirit? Absolutely. If you have been hurt by those that are anointed, but bear little or no fruit, I would encourage you to pray Solomon's prayer from 1 Kings 3:9:

Give your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil.

May the Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace. Numbers 6:24-26

An excerpt from my book, Eating from the Lord's Table (order a copy here):

DAY THREE

On Mount Carmel, God showed up with holy fire like never before.

He showed Himself alive and well so that even the false prophets

had to fall on their knees and cry out, “The Lord, He is God! The

Lord, He is God!” (1 Kings 18:39) That is the kind of fire the world

needs to see again. The unbelievers and scoffers need to know that

in the midst of all these religions, there is One True God that still

answers by fire. Once people see the moving of God Almighty, you

won’t have to beg them to come to the altar for 30 minutes; You

will no longer have to convince them of the truth–it will be evident

and undeniable. Just as the resurrection of Jesus was sure and

unquestionable, for Luke started the book of Acts stating that Jesus

showed Himself alive “by many infallible proofs” (Acts 1:3). The

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines ‘infallible’ as “incapable of

error; not liable to mislead, deceive, or disappoint; certain”1. Now is

the time of infallible proofs. How can you get to that point in your

life? How can you pray and be certain God will show up in mighty

power? One prerequisite for holy fire is rebuilding the altar:

1 Kings 18:30—Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near

to me.” So all the people came near to him. And he repaired the

altar of the Lord that was broken down.

Before the fire can fall, we must rebuild and reestablish the broken down altars. We must bow our knees once again and put our faces

to the ground. We must cry out to God and lay on the altar of God’s

mercy once more. We come humbly to God’s throne where sin is

dealt with and reconciliation with the Lord occurs. This is where we

are washed of sin and wrong mindsets are forever changed.

Gimmicks and fads in the church just won’t work. You have got to

rebuild the altar.

Remember, what you experience in your private prayer closet will

show up in your public ministry.

Prayer

Lord, Abba, Comforter, Keeper, Wonderful Counselor, we love

You. We long to stay in constant communication and

companionship with You. Reveal any deception in our lives. I pray

we never be deceived by ourselves, the world, or the enemy. Open

our eyes to any sin we need to forsake. Keep us, Father, as the apple

of Your eye and hide us under the shadow of Your wings, in Jesus’

name, AMEN.

Notes from my heart - February 17, 2009

Found this entry in an old journal of mine and wanted to share -

Tear stained sheets - evidence of God's goodness - Thank you Lord for delivering me from the constant ripping of my heart - every time my heart was torn a little more - hot tears were released on my pillow - my mascara that I had relied on to get myself some attention - some affection - just a small glimpse of love was now running down the tip of my nose. I searched so hard for even a hint - just a shadow - a fleeting mist of some sort of evidence that I was worthy of love. What's wrong with me? Why has this mascara washed off along with my self worth - trickling slowly on my sticky pillow? I just wanted to be loved - I just wanted to be affirmed. How could I feel more lonely with someone in the house, than I feel now - all alone?

The reality of God's continual presence is made manifest now. My pillows are dry. My heart is being sewn up, piece by piece by the gentle hand of the Holy Spirit. I no longer have to grasp the wind in hopes of affirmation. God, my Lord, my Friend has held me close every night. He has rubbed his strong hand through my hair and told me over and over how beautiful I am - No need for the mascara, the tanning bed, or the high heels. In my PJs, with crazy hair and bad breath, my Beloved Jesus still looks at me face to face and whispers so gently with all his heart:

"I love you, Nikki"

Then I became in His eyes as one who found peace.

(Song of Solomon 8:10)

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Prayer of Jabez: (It really works!)

Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!