Oh Pity Me-No!

A few years ago, I heard a sermon at The Branch Family church and the pastor briefly touched on the sinfulness of self-pity. I had never heard of self-pity as being a sin or demonic way of thinking and it wasn’t until recent that I experienced how sinful self-pity is!

In Matthew 16:21-23, Jesus identified self-pity as sinful (not of God) and illustrated how we are to stand against self-pity:

From that time forth Jesus began [clearly] to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders and high priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised from death.

Then Peter took Him privately and began to reprove and charge Him sharply, saying, God forbid, Lord! This must never happen to You!

But Jesus turned away from Peter and said to him, Get behind Me, Satan! You are in my way [an offense and a hindrance and a snare to Me]; for you are minding what partakes not of the nature and quality of God, but of men.

If you look up Peter’s statement in Hebrew it’s original saying literally means, “Pity Thyself, Lord”. In other words, Peter was telling Jesus that He should feel sorry for Himself. Jesus automatically recognized Peter’s way of thinking as demonic and rebuked him!

How was Peter’s thinking demonic? Because it was full of discouragement. It was a temptation to be 

filled with self-pity, hurt, and offense.

The truth is self-pity cancels out faith. You can’t have both at the same time. Self-pity causes us to indulge in loneliness or despair until we enter a melancholy mindset, a distorted way of thinking, seeing, and feeling. It’s a trap!

Those who pity themselves because of the circumstances of their lives fail to see God at work in them, while the faithful understand that God always has their best and eternal interests at heart.

Faith is the answer-trusting that everything we experience is for our good. We know every Christian’s favorite scripture:

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 

Romans 8:28

-And-

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 

Jeremiah 29:11

So why do we pity ourselves when our ‘luck’ is down?

Good Friday-Good it is!

"Only in Christianity can the torture, judicial railroading, false imprisonment & public murder of our founder be called "Good Friday."-Ergun Mehmet Caner

Today is a very emotional and exciting day full of gratitude and thanksgiving. Today is Good Friday. It is the anniversary of Jesus' crucifixion. Jesus' crucifixion is the day that Jesus bore spiritual torment for all of our sin, shortcomings, worry, lack, mental distress, sickness, physical and emotional pain, and fear so that we never have to. 


According to Isaish 53:4-5, Jesus' sacrifice covered every area of man's existence.The stripes He bore were for our healing. 

 With His Stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:5

Today is a good day to reflect and thank God for what He did. The Words says,

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 6:23 

He sent His son, who knew no sin, and placed all of our (past, present, and future) sins on Him. He paid the price, and we don't have to. Our slate is wiped clean and we can have a right relationship with God through His sacrifice. All we have to do is receive it and acknowledge Jesus as Lord.

That's beautiful. That's true love. We all fall short and it's great to know we have an Advocate. We are blameless.

I am beyond thankful and interested in walking in the FULL-ABUNDANT life that Jesus died so that we may have. We no longer have to live a life in bondage to sin, addiction, worry, lack, mental distress, sickness, physical and emotional pain, or fear! We're free to be free in Christ!

Happy Good Friday! =)

"Today we recognize Jesus’ death for our sins. But the story doesn’t end here. Resurrection Easter is around the corner."-Joyce Meyers

We're All On The Train

This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn't go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person's failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him. 

John 3:16 The Message

It's always a good idea to reflect on and remember what God did for us. Love.

Careless in His Care

When I dedicated my life to a personal relationship with Christ in 2009, I remember feeling free. The things that used to cause me grief, frustration, pain, or mental anguish no longer did. I truly felt free! I was careless in God’s care. I actually can think of times when others’ were annoyed simply because I wasn’t. My friend Kim and I would refer to this feeling as “Jesus Weed” (:D).  It’s an intoxication (a legal one) and the world could come crumbling down, but it wouldn’t cause us any strife. 

As my journey went on, I realized a year or so later that I lapsed out of that state of mind and went back into being controlled by my own emotions, circumstances, friends or family, and thoughts. That feeling of being free was a distant memory that I longed for yet faintly remembered.

I’m learning that the more our faith grows the more our freedom grows. Faith is simply unlearning the senseless worries & misguided beliefs that keep us captive. Unlearning those things is a daily process and we’re in less captivity the more we renew our mind. The Word says:

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Romans 12:2

There is a joy that comes with this renewing. There’s peace. There’s love. And most importantly there’s FREEDOM!

So how did I drift from that honeymoon feeling of freedom in Jesus? Distractions. These distractions come from the world, the enemy, and ourselves.

The world consists of many things: people, the media, our culture, and anything else outside ourselves that we have no control over. Of course the world is not something we should isolate ourselves from, however, we should not allow it to consume us. We have to be ever so mindful that people, media, culture, jobs, and etc don't negatively influence us. 

Another main distraction is our own self and that includes our thoughts, fears, habits, mindsets, desires, and worries. Elevation church did a great series on this and referred to it as our flesh. Our flesh is something we should never allow to have control or influence. The Word says

The mind governed by the flesh is death, and those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God. Romans 8: 6,8

A great way to drift away from that state of freedom is by allowing yourself to have the final say. If that makes any sense. Simply put, you yourself can be the very thing keeping you from freedom or peace of mind.

Another big distraction or distracter is the enemy. He does whatever it takes to sow seeds of doubt, guilt, inadequacy, or condemnation. His technique is to feed us lies or to get us to a place of complacency where our faith cannot grow.

That is why it is important to daily renew our minds because the world, the enemy, and our own flesh is constantly trying to get us away from that place of freedom and joy and to a place of bondage and torment.

It's what Jesus intended for us when we walk in God's fullness-in freedom. We need to protect it at all costs!

My Moses

I’ve felt a strong pull to the story of Moses lately mainly because Moses was adopted and so was my husband, Stephen. On top of that, Moses’ wife was named Zipporah; the name which my mother chose for me BUT thankfully changed at the last minute *phew*!

Despite the irony, I’ve found such a better understanding for my husband just by studying the life of Moses. Excuse me if I get a little gushy, but I really just want to honor him by telling you how amazing he is. In Ephesians 5:25 husbands are commissioned:

Husbands love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.

I’m constantly thankful that he not only does that, but in all my dysfunctionality (a word I made up) he’s there and cares.

I wrote a song while I was single called “Destructive Habits” and the chorus goes:

I don’t want my destructive habits
I don’t want my emotional baggage
to threaten the unity of my marriage
I want to be satisfied with You and You alone, Lord

Well, the truth is we all bring baggage into a marriage, however, it is a good prayer to pray that it doesn’t threaten the unity of your marriage. The baggage can be either a threat or a source of spiritual unity in finding deliverance and intimacy with God.

The thing about Moses and Zipporah is they came from completely different backgrounds. It’s safe to say they had an intercultural marriage. Moses came from a family of status and means and Zipporah came from a religious background with fewer means.

Stephen and I, too, come from completely different backgrounds (identical to those above) and are constantly learning how to become one with such differences, upbringings, likes-and-dislikes. Despite these differences, Stephen is open and I love that.

Moses fled from his life of great means and I’d assume because he helped Zipporah’s sister’s he felt a desire to help people-just like Stephen. Before you knew it he was in a place that was completely different than he was accustomed to, yet he was open. And God used him even in all his feelings of inadequacies and despite his past.  I think I feel such a strong need to study Moses because indeed I have been placed with… my Moses :)

Where Our Ego Dies

Lately, my husband and I have been in dire need for new friendships. Entering into the married world brings us into a whole new caliber of life and we want friends and fellowship with people in that same caliber (married life). Paul encouraged us to

Be like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.  

Philippians 2:2

Although there are times when God may call us to fast, seek, prepare, and focus on Him in solitude (i.e. Jesus’ forty days in the desert), we were given God’s nature and His nature is relational. This is why He refers to Himself in terms of relationship: the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. This is also why many of the fruits of the spirit are in relation to others: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. We are called to be in community with our family of believers.

There are many benefits to being apart of the family of God, Rick Warren lists them as ‘birthday’ gifts when you’re born again: the family name, the family likeness, family privileges, family intimate access, and the family inheritance. These things are great bonuses to being in community, but community is also a pruning tool. It’s pruning because we must learn to love unselfishly. Jean Vanier says, “Community is the place our ego is called to die”.  The Word says,

You can develop a healthy, robust community that lives right with God and enjoy its results only if you do the hard work of getting along with each other, treating each other with dignity and honor. 

James 3:18

Only if you do the work of getting along with each other. Community is work. There are many people suffering, offended, or avoiding community with other believers because of the hurt they may of experienced while in it. The truth is, every relationship will be filled with challenges because we are a flawed human being coming together with other flawed human beings. Someone is bound to do something that could potentially offend you or that may not look like Christ, but we have to bestow the same grace on them that we ask God to bestow on us in our failures.

Rick Warren gives some great tips on cultivating community and I’d like to share them with you:

“Only the Holy Spirit can create real fellowship between believers, but he cultivates it with the choices and commitments we make.

They committed themselves to the teaching of the apostles, the life together, the common meal, and the prayers.

 Acts 2:42      

If you’re tired of fake fellowship and would like to cultivate real fellowship and a loving community, you’ll need to make some tough choices and take some risks:

Community takes commitment (dedication)
Community takes honesty (speak the truth)
Community takes humility (lose your self-importance)
Community takes courtesy (consideration of differences)
Community takes confidentiality (be trustworthy, open up)
Community takes frequency (investment of time)

Community is not built on convenience.” (Rick Warren)

I love the risks Rick Warren says we need to take in order to have true community. I believe without taking the risks above, you wont have the true community you’d like to have. And without community, you will always feel like you’re missing something because it’s what we were created to be!

Inwardly Focused

Lately my mind has constantly meditated on the scripture:

Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven. 

Matthew 7:21

Ultimately, I know it is not my job to determine who is or isn’t fit for the kingdom (no brainer), however, it has been baffling to see and hear about Christians who are so very full of the ‘gifts of the spirit’ but lack the ‘fruits of the spirit’.

My friend, Kim, works in the music-arts district at a French bakery and is constantly reminded that the area is, generally speaking, a non-Christian district. Her passion for Christ (as it should) has given her a high incline to share the Gospel with her coworkers, yet every Sunday rude Christians come in (after church) giving her coworkers even more reason to hate Christians and reject the Gospel.

Even more disappointing, the ‘leaders’ from churches we look up to come into the bakery rude and demanding. Now don’t get me wrong, I fully understand the concept of grace and bestowing it upon everyone including church leaders, however, my mind couldn’t grasp how some flourish in the ‘gifts of the spirit’ but not the ‘fruits of the spirit’. Then, my mother pointed me to this scripture and now I understand

God's gifts and God's call are under full warranty - never canceled, never rescinded.  

Romans 11:29

In other words, there is nothing we can do that can cause us to lose our gifts or talents (ie prophecy, healing, miracles, etc). God does not take them away.

Pastor Steven of Elevation Church even stated he uses the same skill and talent a drug dealer or drug pusher uses; he just uses his for God’s glory. Even more specifically a psychic is simply a prophet who uses his or her God-given gift…just not for God. A magician (a legit magician) uses their ability to perform miracles…just not for God. All this to say, just because signs and wonders accompany a person it does not mean they are for Team Jesus.

The end of Matthew 7:21-23 states

I can see it now—at the Final Judgment thousands strutting up to me and saying, 'Master, we prophesied in Your name, we bashed the demons, and we performed many miracles.' And do you know what I am going to say? 'You missed the boat. All you did was use me to make yourselves important.’

I think the key is right there “All you did was use me to make yourselves important”. We can’t be inwardly focused with our gifts. I think my mind is stuck on that scripture because it is becoming more and more aware of those who use their God-given gifts, talents, or visions to make themselves important, or to justify their fruitless decisions, or for self-righteousness, or to manipulate others.

Pastor Troy hit the nail on the head by answering my question “Well how do you know if someone’s really baptized in the holy spirit?” And he stated that the first evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit is the empowerment to be a witness.

And when the Holy Spirit comes on you, you will be able to be my witnesses. 

Acts 1:8

So the first sign is the transformation from being inwardly focused to becoming a witness that is all about Christ.  

If I’m all over the place-sorry! I really want to make sure that our wild goose chases are chases that bring God glory and not ourselves. Sometimes we are the very things that keep us from God. As long as we’re concerned with ourselves and our needs,  the devil’s job isn’t that hard. I think my mind is really grasping the sad reality when the Word says

For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. 

Matthew 7:13-14

Since I’ve started writing my prayers, I’ll write one here. I’d like to pray for everyone-believers, non-believers, friends, family, and myself:

Father,

Thank you that you saw us fit to be in this world. Thank you for giving us life. I pray that we will not take it for granted by only pursuing the things that bring us glory or comfort. I pray that you will show us ways daily that we can die to ourselves, our own plans, and our own desires for your Word says that if we delight in you, you will give us the desires of our hearts. Please open avenues to allow us to use the gifts and talents that you have given us, and let us not use them for anything other than to please you.  We want to know you personally. We want to develop the fruits of the spirit along with the gifts. Let us not hide behind your Word or manipulate your Word or gifts for our own advancement. We love you. In Jesus' name.

Amen.

Quotes:

"I spent way 2 many years living worried, whining, & wounded. Now, I'm choosing 2 live for something much greater than myself." -Anna Quesada

"Apart from Christ I am self-centered. In Christ, we can transcend the pull of selfishness & fully become lovers."-Dr. Gary Chapman

Cop Out

I recently recommitted to having a written prayer life. I love the perk of being able to look back and see how God answered the prayers I prayed. As I started writing, the thought hit me. Do we pray to comfort ourselves? Or do we pray because we really want a pow-wow with God? Even more importantly, do we faithlessly pray within boundaries?

I mean think about it. How many times do we pray a great audacious prayer and then tag, “if You see fit” or “if it’s in Your will” at the end? I think the answer is yes. Some people pray within boundary. Immature faith prays within reason. It prays what can rationally be done, however, rationality is faiths greatest antagonist. The Word says:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5

Our minds can’t grasp the mind of God or how He works. Yet, we must pray (of course according to His Word) but with confidence that anything we ask in His son’s name-He will give us (John 14:14).

Is it an issue of faith? Maybe patience? Why is it we pray within our own comfort zones? 

The Word says:

You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it. Matthew 21:22

But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do. James 1:6-8

We are co-laborers with God. We have a part and He has a part. Prayer requires action. You wouldn’t pray for a job but never fill out any job applications would you? Nor would you pray to go overseas but never get you passport?

Our prayers should be limitless. They shouldn’t be faithless. They shouldn’t be a cop out. We must believe, speak, and act according to our prayer life. 

Grudges-Grrr!

“Forgiveness doesn’t make the other person right, it makes you free.”

                                                                                                - Stormie Omartian

Grudges, while so small and seemingly unimportant, are so very powerful. They have the ability to grow into bitterness, unforgiveness, resentment, sickness, and in some cases daily paralysis. 

Grudges control us and our attitudes, and lock us in a prison of inner turmoil. They are so powerful, we often become unaware of the grudges we hold within our hearts.

I believe the root of grudges is hurt. Sometimes (not always) we can have legitimate claims to hurt or pain but we give the hurt power when we choose to lock ourselves in its prison.

Being easily offended and holding grudges is a sign that we believe we know what is and isn’t right. We are saying we are our own defenders, but that’s not what the Word says.

God, save me from my enemies.

       Protect me from those who come against me.

 Save me from those who do evil

       and from murderers.

God, my strength, I am looking to you,

       because God is my defender.

 My God loves me, and he goes in front of me.

       He will help me defeat my enemies.   

Psalms 59 1-2, 9-10

Hopefully no one is trying to murder you. I think David had it a lot tougher than the pain and hurt we complain about in America, BUT even if it were that way-God says HE is our defender and HE defeats our enemies. Not us.

When I think about the grudges I’ve held, most times it’s because I want revenge. I want them to feel the same hurt I felt. We all do this in some sort of way. We give the silent treatment, we don’t return phone calls, we retaliate, we delete them from our facebook, we tell them off, etc etc. Pick your poison, but what we really want is revenge.

In the book, “Jesus For President”, the writers inform us, “Revenge is not for you! It’s forbidden fruit. The only one who can get revenge is God.”

God tells us in His Word to be quick to forgive (James 1:19) for a reason. God wants us to enjoy His peace, grace, mercy, and love, but that is impossible if we are bitter, resentful, and angry.

God is our Vindicator. All we have to do is trust Him. He says pray for those who hurt us. Isn’t that what Jesus did? He prayed for his murderers for they knew not what they were doing. Once we pray, it releases God to deal with the person who has wronged us.  We actually do ourselves a favor, and we receive freedom!

Joyce Meyers said, “I have decided I just don’t have time or energy to be angry. I want to enjoy my life, and I cannot do that if I let other people’s choices control my attitudes. I spent years being bitter because my father abused me, and I usually took it out on my husband, Dave, who had nothing at all to do with it. God taught me to stop trying to collect from someone who didn’t owe me anything.”

When you choose to forgive, your feelings toward the individual who hurt you may not necessarily change immediately. But if you do your part, God will do His part. Your part is to choose to obey God’s Word, and His part is to change the way you feel.

For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. 

Matthew 6:14-15

Here’s a prayer to pray if you knowingly or unknowingly are holding a grudge:

O Father, I trust in your forgiveness and grace. I ask that your Spirit work in my heart to release any grudges that I may have against anyone. I also ask that the Holy Spirit will help me to forgive those with whom I have held grudges in a new and more loving light. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Touched By An Angel

“God has created vast numbers of gloriously powerful spiritual beings for the express purpose of protecting us and delivering us from the evils of this world.”-Kenneth Copeland

I love the show, Touched By An Angel. It’s an older show (still comes on Hallmark), and it has so many biblical elements behind it. I love watching it because not only is it entertaining, but you can renew your mind while watching it! 

Isn’t it amazing that God appointed angels to watch over us, protect us, and deliver us in times of danger or uncertainty?

The author of Wild Goose Chase, Mark Batterson, talks about the sad reality that many people have yawning angels:

            Here's a thought that fired across my synapses not long ago: Do angels yawn? I know it seems like an inane theological question, but I seriously wonder if angels have the capacity to get bored. More importantly, I wonder if some of us are living such safe lives that not only are we bored, but so are our guardian angels.

Angels have many duties (all of which should bring you comfort):

-Angels minister to the physical needs of God’s people (Psalms 91:11-21).
            -They provide protection and deliverance from danger
            -They impart physical strength to man in his time of need
            -Sometimes they are even sent with man’s supply of food
-Angels impart skill and understanding concerning vision (Daniel 9:21-23).
-Angels serve as a supernatural means of communication between God and man.
            -For the purpose of direction
            -Encouragement
            -Revelation
-Angels are even used to execute His judgment on the unrighteous
-AND- Angels have a role to fulfill even after the death of a believer (Luke 16:22)

http://www.dianedew.com/angels.htm

ALL of which you see in action on Touched By An Angel. Lol

Honestly, the most intriguing element is that angels can take on the appearance of man.

   

Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. 

Hebrews 13:2

Angels have been mistaken for men and received by men of God as guests in their own homes. Genesis 18:2-6; 19:1-3 (Sodom and Gomorrah).

           

It’s amazing. Let’s thank God for his angels encamped around us. Let’s pray that our angels aren’t yawning but instead busy protecting us as we follow the Wild Goose (Holy Spirit) within.

His Word is the key they respond to. Unlock them!