(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)
When we allow God to occupy His designated place in our lives, we can experience a precious rest of sweet harmony. Although we must navigate the maze of earthly living, our minds live in the amazement of heavenly dwelling, for we are experiencing what He desires for us. Though here, we live there.
“Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col. 3:1–3 NLT).
We join the ranks of the walking dead, as dead to things earthly but very alive to things heavenly. Carnal potential is given up for spiritual promise. We now see our lives as belonging to Jesus exclusively.
“Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, ‘Are you also going to leave?’
“Simon Peter replied, ‘Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words that give eternal life’” (John 6:67–68 NLT).
“And so, Lord, where do I put my hope?
My only hope is in you” (Ps. 39:7 NLT).
Recognizing Christ as our only source of abundant living establishes a desperate dependency on Him. He alone supplies unlimited love, because He is love. Nothing can offer greater significance than the identity as a child of God. No other position is more secure than in God’s care, where He states, “Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you” (Deut. 31:8 NLT).
Living with divine enablement for personal empowerment attains ultimate fulfillment.
“Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts” (1 John 5:21 NLT).
“That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty” (Eccles. 12:13 NLT).
“For the Kingdom of God is not just a lot of talk; it is living by God’s power” (1 Cor. 4:20 NLT).
Would you like to join the ranks of the walking dead -- as dead to things earthly but very alive to things heavenly?
Monday, October 31, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
Comfort Zone
(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)
Habitually we choose to dwell in the comfort zone of believing the lie that we can be complete without God. But this self-sufficient delusion only reinforces our bondage of living in servitude to our flesh. Oppression erodes our emotional fortitude and leads to death in all areas of life, because death is the result of living independently of Christ.
God does hold us accountable for deviance from His divine standard so we may have fellowship with His holiness. He also offers merciful forgiveness to the repentant that authentically choose Christ’s way instead of continuing to follow their own desires.
God’s design places Him at the center of our existence and makes Him responsible for our physical life, quality of life, and eternal life. Man’s desire, however, places himself at the center of his own existence, and he expects God to revolve around him while he pursues his own inclinations for physical life, quality of life, and eternal life.
One deluded soul was so convinced of his deception that he stated, “I don’t believe God is okay with what I am doing; but when I die and stand before God, I do believe I can explain it to Him and He will be okay with it.”
“Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?” (Rom. 6:1–2 NLT).
The self-sufficient soul seeks empowerment through God substitutes. Every attempt to find empowerment through any means other than Christ’s redemptive process through Christ’s redemptive work results in self-delusion and destruction. It is only through finding Christ relevant to every aspect of our lives that we can be freed from the power of sin.
Do you need to stop being comfortable?
Habitually we choose to dwell in the comfort zone of believing the lie that we can be complete without God. But this self-sufficient delusion only reinforces our bondage of living in servitude to our flesh. Oppression erodes our emotional fortitude and leads to death in all areas of life, because death is the result of living independently of Christ.
“Jeremiah, say to the people, ‘This is what the LORD says:Perversion traps the unrepentant in the pathology of the sin nature. Regrettably, the deluded self-righteous soul chooses empowerment apart from Christ’s redemptive process and becomes ensnared by legalism or is lulled into leniency. Neither excessive adherence to the law nor subscribing only to the permissive, merciful, and tolerant attributes of God encompasses God’s design for a relationship with His children.
“ ‘When people fall down, don’t they get up again?
When they discover they’re on the wrong road, don’t they turn back?
Then why do these people stay on their self-destructive path?
Why do the people of Jerusalem refuse to turn back?
They cling tightly to their lies
and will not turn around.
I listen to their conversations
and don’t hear a word of truth.
Is anyone sorry for doing wrong?
Does anyone say, “What a terrible thing I have done”?
No! All are running down the path of sin
as swiftly as a horse galloping into battle!
Even the stork that flies across the sky
knows the time of her migration,
as do the turtledove, the swallow, and the crane.
They all return at the proper time each year.
But not my people!
They do not know the LORD’s laws.
“ ‘How can you say, “We are wise because we have the word of the LORD,”
when your teachers have twisted it by writing lies?
These wise teachers will fall
into the trap of their own foolishness,
for they have rejected the word of the LORD.
Are they so wise after all?
I will give their wives to others
and their farms to strangers.
From the least to the greatest,
their lives are ruled by greed.
Yes, even my prophets and priests are like that.
They are all frauds.
They offer superficial treatments
for my people’s mortal wound.
They give assurances of peace
when there is no peace.
Are they ashamed of these disgusting actions?
Not at all—they don’t even know how to blush!
Therefore, they will lie among the slaughtered.
They will be brought down when I punish them,
says the LORD.
“Oh, why have they provoked my anger with their carved idols
and their worthless foreign gods?” says the LORD. (Jer. 8:4-12, 19b NLT)
God does hold us accountable for deviance from His divine standard so we may have fellowship with His holiness. He also offers merciful forgiveness to the repentant that authentically choose Christ’s way instead of continuing to follow their own desires.
God’s design places Him at the center of our existence and makes Him responsible for our physical life, quality of life, and eternal life. Man’s desire, however, places himself at the center of his own existence, and he expects God to revolve around him while he pursues his own inclinations for physical life, quality of life, and eternal life.
One deluded soul was so convinced of his deception that he stated, “I don’t believe God is okay with what I am doing; but when I die and stand before God, I do believe I can explain it to Him and He will be okay with it.”
“Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?” (Rom. 6:1–2 NLT).
The self-sufficient soul seeks empowerment through God substitutes. Every attempt to find empowerment through any means other than Christ’s redemptive process through Christ’s redemptive work results in self-delusion and destruction. It is only through finding Christ relevant to every aspect of our lives that we can be freed from the power of sin.
Do you need to stop being comfortable?
Monday, October 17, 2011
Deception
(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)
The reality is that we live for the purpose of fulfilling our agenda of achieving happiness. It is difficult for us to admit we have an agenda; we want to deny selfish ambition in our decision-making processes. We want to be able to disguise our self-centeredness. Who wants to be labeled as selfish?
Even within Christianity we have made room for our own carnality. We want to follow God in a manner that seems interesting and stimulating to our flesh. Our walk becomes infected with selfish ambition and vain conceit, while we wear the garb of the righteous. Because we do not know how to connect to the Holy Spirit, we contrive our own version of His will: “It would make me happy to do what God wants, and I believe God wants me to . . .”
As we learn to understand and obey His commands directly outlined in His Word, it becomes easier to listen and follow His still small voice when He specifically whispers to our hearts. But our quenching of the Holy Spirit is almost as frequent as His convicting of our sinfulness. Pursuing the flesh then becomes the mission of our faith. The issue is for self to be promoted and preserved while we pose as those who walk with God.
“Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness” (Matt. 23:28 NLT).
“So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:6–7 NLT).
The condition of “living in spiritual darkness” can be exemplified in statements such as “I love the Lord”; “I’m trusting Him”; “I’m willing to do whatever He wants me to do.” These assertions are proven to be false in our lives when they infringe on what we want. Then we are quick to abandon our professed loyalties to God in pursuit of what will make us comfortable. We deviate from His path to follow our own agenda.
Regarding Jeremiah 7:1-15 Warren Wiersbe writes “Because the people believed the lies of the false prophets, the people thought they could live in sin and still go to the Temple and worship a holy God. According to verses 6 and 9, they were guilty of breaking at least five of the Ten Commandments, but the false prophets assured them that the presence of God’s Temple in Jerusalem guaranteed the nation God’s blessing and protection from every enemy.”
Do we fall under the same consequences when we teach and believe that a mere profession of salvation without a life transformation is adequate to secure the salvation of our souls?
The reality is that we live for the purpose of fulfilling our agenda of achieving happiness. It is difficult for us to admit we have an agenda; we want to deny selfish ambition in our decision-making processes. We want to be able to disguise our self-centeredness. Who wants to be labeled as selfish?
Even within Christianity we have made room for our own carnality. We want to follow God in a manner that seems interesting and stimulating to our flesh. Our walk becomes infected with selfish ambition and vain conceit, while we wear the garb of the righteous. Because we do not know how to connect to the Holy Spirit, we contrive our own version of His will: “It would make me happy to do what God wants, and I believe God wants me to . . .”
As we learn to understand and obey His commands directly outlined in His Word, it becomes easier to listen and follow His still small voice when He specifically whispers to our hearts. But our quenching of the Holy Spirit is almost as frequent as His convicting of our sinfulness. Pursuing the flesh then becomes the mission of our faith. The issue is for self to be promoted and preserved while we pose as those who walk with God.
“Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness” (Matt. 23:28 NLT).
“So we are lying if we say we have fellowship with God but go on living in spiritual darkness; we are not practicing the truth. But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:6–7 NLT).
The condition of “living in spiritual darkness” can be exemplified in statements such as “I love the Lord”; “I’m trusting Him”; “I’m willing to do whatever He wants me to do.” These assertions are proven to be false in our lives when they infringe on what we want. Then we are quick to abandon our professed loyalties to God in pursuit of what will make us comfortable. We deviate from His path to follow our own agenda.
Regarding Jeremiah 7:1-15 Warren Wiersbe writes “Because the people believed the lies of the false prophets, the people thought they could live in sin and still go to the Temple and worship a holy God. According to verses 6 and 9, they were guilty of breaking at least five of the Ten Commandments, but the false prophets assured them that the presence of God’s Temple in Jerusalem guaranteed the nation God’s blessing and protection from every enemy.”
Do we fall under the same consequences when we teach and believe that a mere profession of salvation without a life transformation is adequate to secure the salvation of our souls?
The LORD gave another message to Jeremiah. He said, “Go to the entrance of the LORD’s Temple, and give this message to the people: ‘O Judah, listen to this message from the LORD! Listen to it, all of you who worship here! This is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says:What idol has God spoken to you about repeatedly, but you would not listen?
“ ‘Even now, if you quit your evil ways, I will let you stay in your own land. But don’t be fooled by those who promise you safety simply because the LORD’s Temple is here. They chant, “The LORD’s Temple is here! The LORD’s Temple is here!” But I will be merciful only if you stop your evil thoughts and deeds and start treating each other with justice; only if you stop exploiting foreigners, orphans, and widows; only if you stop your murdering; and only if you stop harming yourselves by worshiping idols. Then I will let you stay in this land that I gave to your ancestors to keep forever.
“ ‘Don’t be fooled into thinking that you will never suffer because the Temple is here. It’s a lie! Do you really think you can steal, murder, commit adultery, lie, and burn incense to Baal and all those other new gods of yours, and then come here and stand before me in my Temple and chant, “We are safe!”—only to go right back to all those evils again? Don’t you yourselves admit that this Temple, which bears my name, has become a den of thieves? Surely I see all the evil going on there. I, the LORD, have spoken!
“ ‘Go now to the place at Shiloh where I once put the Tabernacle that bore my name. See what I did there because of all the wickedness of my people, the Israelites. While you were doing these wicked things, says the LORD, I spoke to you about it repeatedly, but you would not listen. I called out to you, but you refused to answer. So just as I destroyed Shiloh, I will now destroy this Temple that bears my name, this Temple that you trust in for help, this place that I gave to you and your ancestors. And I will send you out of my sight into exile, just as I did your relatives, the people of Israel.’ (Jer. 7:1-15 NLT)
Monday, October 10, 2011
Does This Describe You?
(excerpts from Desperate Dependency by J. Kirk & Melanie D. Lewis)
Does this passage from Jeremiah 5 describe you?
“And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires” (2 Peter 1:4 NLT).
The great and precious promises of God connect us to His divine nature. As a result of this connection, we possess the moral capacity to be holy and the emotional ability to be healthy. His promises give us the direction to arrive at His ultimate destination of Christlikeness.
God provides the solution for life change. By acting on His promises we have His resolution to all problems and deliverance from the social ills that plague us. We do not comprehend that the solutions to all of life’s problems stem from believing and acting on the promises of God. God is literally saying to you, “I can solve your emotional problems, your parenting problems, your relationship problems, your mental problems, all of your problems, if you will trust My truths.” If our Christianity does not make a difference with our problems, then we have a problem with our Christianity.
God is extending deliverance to us as we rely on Him. “It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies” (Zech. 4:6 NLT).
The question is, will you in your desperation depend on God? Will you respond to the invitation God gives to you? Will you continue in your self-effort? Will you believe the same lies? Will you commit the same sins? Will you experience the same problems over and over again? Or will you realize that you are a child of the King with an inheritance already in your possession?
Does this passage from Jeremiah 5 describe you?
Listen, you foolish and senseless people,The benefits of God include His purchasing our freedom through His Son, Jesus Christ. This freedom affords the privilege of entering His home as His child, where we can sit at His table dressed in our royal robes washed in the blood of Jesus. The price was not paid to merely release us to seek our independence or to indulge ourselves with the pleasures of this world. We are now free to belong to Him. It is sad, however, when the selfish mind misses this whole truth and insists freedom gives liberty to sin and do what we want to do when we want to do it. For these deluded individuals, eternal life in heaven is more important than being children of God. The idea of a relationship with Jesus holds no value to such people. It is yet another form of indulgence waiting for them in the next life of everlasting bliss. But for the authentic Christian, relationship with Jesus is vital. Possessing the privilege of the position as His child, our persistent pursuit is His divine nature and Christlikeness.
with eyes that do not see
and ears that do not hear.
Have you no respect for me?
Why don’t you tremble in my presence?
I, the LORD, define the ocean’s sandy shoreline
as an everlasting boundary that the waters cannot cross.
The waves may toss and roar,
but they can never pass the boundaries I set.
But my people have stubborn and rebellious hearts.
They have turned away and abandoned me.
They do not say from the heart,
‘Let us live in awe of the LORD our God,
for he gives us rain each spring and fall,
assuring us of a harvest when the time is right.’
Your wickedness has deprived you of these wonderful blessings.
Your sin has robbed you of all these good things.
A horrible and shocking thing
has happened in this land—
the prophets give false prophecies,
and the priests rule with an iron hand.
Worse yet, my people like it that way!
But what will you do when the end comes? (Jer. 5:21-25, 30-31 NLT)
“And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires” (2 Peter 1:4 NLT).
The great and precious promises of God connect us to His divine nature. As a result of this connection, we possess the moral capacity to be holy and the emotional ability to be healthy. His promises give us the direction to arrive at His ultimate destination of Christlikeness.
Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, you have no obligation to do what your sinful nature urges you to do. For if you live by its dictates, you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.Although we are not fully aware of all aspects of our inheritance, God’s promises provide a taste of the expectations He fulfills so we may live with earnest anticipation as we experience His life living through us. His promises are not merely for the hereafter, but encompass life here and now.
So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” For his Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children. And since we are his children, we are his heirs. In fact, together with Christ we are heirs of God’s glory. But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering.
Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. (Rom. 8:12–18 NLT)
God provides the solution for life change. By acting on His promises we have His resolution to all problems and deliverance from the social ills that plague us. We do not comprehend that the solutions to all of life’s problems stem from believing and acting on the promises of God. God is literally saying to you, “I can solve your emotional problems, your parenting problems, your relationship problems, your mental problems, all of your problems, if you will trust My truths.” If our Christianity does not make a difference with our problems, then we have a problem with our Christianity.
God is extending deliverance to us as we rely on Him. “It is not by force nor by strength, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies” (Zech. 4:6 NLT).
The question is, will you in your desperation depend on God? Will you respond to the invitation God gives to you? Will you continue in your self-effort? Will you believe the same lies? Will you commit the same sins? Will you experience the same problems over and over again? Or will you realize that you are a child of the King with an inheritance already in your possession?
Monday, October 3, 2011
Wayward Children
Do you ever wish your children would just make the right choices? You teach, you beg, you plead, but still they insist on their own way!
God teaches, and begs, and pleads too, for His wayward children to stop following after gods that are no help at all.
Jeremiah 3:12-25 (NLT) recounts His heartache. Although this passage was written with Israel as the example, it applies to us too!
Therefore, go and give this message to Israel. This is what the LORD says:
God teaches, and begs, and pleads too, for His wayward children to stop following after gods that are no help at all.
Jeremiah 3:12-25 (NLT) recounts His heartache. Although this passage was written with Israel as the example, it applies to us too!
Therefore, go and give this message to Israel. This is what the LORD says:
“O Israel, my faithless people,“And when your land is once more filled with people,” says the LORD, “you will no longer wish for ‘the good old days’ when you possessed the Ark of the LORD’s Covenant. You will not miss those days or even remember them, and there will be no need to rebuild the Ark. In that day Jerusalem will be known as ‘The Throne of the LORD.’ All nations will come there to honor the LORD. They will no longer stubbornly follow their own evil desires. In those days the people of Judah and Israel will return together from exile in the north. They will return to the land I gave their ancestors as an inheritance forever.
come home to me again,
for I am merciful.
I will not be angry with you forever.
Only acknowledge your guilt.
Admit that you rebelled against the LORD your God
and committed adultery against him
by worshiping idols under every green tree.
Confess that you refused to listen to my voice.
I, the LORD, have spoken!
“Return home, you wayward children,”
says the LORD,
“for I am your master.
I will bring you back to the land of Israel—
one from this town and two from that family—
from wherever you are scattered.
And I will give you shepherds after my own heart,
who will guide you with knowledge and understanding.
“I thought to myself,What God substitute do you keep chasing that is breaking the heart of God?
‘I would love to treat you as my own children!’
I wanted nothing more than to give you this beautiful land—
the finest possession in the world.
I looked forward to your calling me ‘Father,’
and I wanted you never to turn from me.
But you have been unfaithful to me, you people of Israel!
You have been like a faithless wife who leaves her husband.
I, the LORD, have spoken.”
Voices are heard high on the windswept mountains,
the weeping and pleading of Israel’s people.
For they have chosen crooked paths
and have forgotten the LORD their God.
“My wayward children,” says the LORD,
“come back to me, and I will heal your wayward hearts.”
“Yes, we’re coming,” the people reply,
“for you are the LORD our God.
Our worship of idols on the hills
and our religious orgies on the mountains
are a delusion.
Only in the LORD our God
will Israel ever find salvation.
From childhood we have watched
as everything our ancestors worked for—
their flocks and herds, their sons and daughters—
was squandered on a delusion.
Let us now lie down in shame
and cover ourselves with dishonor,
for we and our ancestors have sinned
against the LORD our God.
From our childhood to this day
we have never obeyed him.”
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