Transformation – Running After Papa

One mindset inherits the Kingdom – James 2:5

Question: Why are the poor so rich in faith? Is it because they are poor? Answer: I think so.

Does that mean I need to be financially without to be rich in faith? Answer: Maybe… Maybe not…

James 2:5 (NLT) – “Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him?“

Why?

When I close my eyes and imagine the preceding verses (James 2:1-4), I imagine the poor to look a lot like what I see when I see homeless people. I know that’s not always what the poor look like in this day and age. Perhaps that’s a bit of prejudice I need to work through, but that’s not the point I’m making here. I imagine the scene James describes in verses 1-4 with a well-dressed and known to be successful business person and a homeless person. That homeless person is dirty, disheveled, wearing ratty and mismatched and ill-fitting clothes. The homeless person also has the stench that comes along with living in the streets and not having the ability to bathe every day.

That’s the picture from which I write and from which God spoke to me in this verse.

Why are the poor rich in faith? I believe their situation in life has left them with no alternative but to completely trust in God for every single thing we take for granted. A legitimately poor person doesn’t know from where his or her next meal will come. A poor person doesn’t know how they will feed their family. A poor person doesn’t know what the next hour, much less what the next day, will hold. They simply exist now and trust in God to make the way for whatever their next step is.

They literally trust in God for everything.

Isn’t that exactly how the Lord Jesus has called us to live? Aren’t we supposed to die to ourselves (Gal 2:20)? Aren’t we in essence – no, in reality – supposed to depend on God for every next step? That implies that we take on the mindset of dependence as if we are poor… as if we are homeless…

Matthew 5:3 (NLT) “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.“

Discussion: Leave your comment below and share how this practically works in your life….

Running After Papa…

Amos Observations

A few verses jumped out at me this morning in my reading/journal time. I found myself in the book of Amos. Honestly, that’s not a book I find myself in unless I’m doing one of the “read through the bible” reading plans. But today, a few verses jumped out that I found myself writing and commenting on.

Amos 3:3 “Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction?”

What a simple, yet powerful thought. If I am going to walk with Christ – I must first agree to walk in His direction – meaning I have to walk in the direction He is walking, not walk in a direction toward Him. What direction am I walking? Did I agree on the Lord’s direction or did I just start “walking” without even checking. I am very prone to just start walking… perhaps that’s why I find myself not where I thought I’d be in my relationship with Him sometimes.

Additionally, the Lord will only walk in one direction – His direction… the direction of truth and righteousness… the right (correct) way. He will never vary or divert off that direction. All other directions are wrong… that just hit me… all other directions are wrong!

Lord – I choose to agree with you and your direction today… Where do you want me to walk?

Amos 3:7 “Indeed the Sovereign LORD never does anything until he reveals his plans to his servants the prophets.”

Amos 4:13 “For the LORD is the one who shaped the mountains, stirs up the winds, and reveals his thoughts to mankind. He turns the light of dawn to darkness and treads on the heights of the earth. The LORD God of Heaven’s Armies is his name.”

God is POWERFUL and mighty! He does not need my permission to move or act. Yet, he reveals his thoughts to man before he moves. If I can’t see God moving in my life, could it be he has no one to reveal it to? Am I available to hear Him – to be revealed to – or is my life too cluttered with less important things? Am I able to hear Him? Am I prepared to hear his plans?

Amos 3:10 ” ‘My people have forgotten how to do right,’ says the LORD.”

What a sobering verse. What a horrible place to be. I never want to be identified by the LORD as that kind of person.

Amos 5:12 “For I know the vast number of your sins and the depth of your rebellion.”

Another sobering verse. I am of vast sins and deep rebellion…. and God knows it and knows all of it.

Even with God’s love and redemptive plan of salvation through Jesus Christ, he still requires obedience – not as a way to earn salvation – not as an entry requirements – not as anything we could do that would require he “owe” us. God requires obedience as a bi-product of a changed life, a redeemed heart – a transformation of a dead in my sins being to a forgiven being and new creation- to save us from the calamity and consequences that follow a life of poor choices, vast sins, and deep rebellion.

Amos 5:14 “Do what is good and run from evil so that you may live!”

… Running After Papa

Fear. Mistrust. Judgement. Anger. Pride.

I’m considering a month long experiment – this morning in my quiet time I so enjoyed my extended time on the back porch with just a cup of coffee and the scripture, that I became disgusted with myself.

I realized that I am so lazy and waste so much time. I remember a time – and not too long ago – when I passionately pursued my relationship with the Lord. Where did that go? How did I get to here?

Through some recent experiences and observations that have been placed before me, I have spent a bit of time reflecting and getting really honest with myself… Frankly, that can be a really scary place. In that introspection, I didn’t like what I saw. When I peel off the sanguine exterior and the professional demeanor, I have come to realize just how true the old saying “… you are what you eat…” is in my life. Ha ha… not because I’ve become a cup of coffee or anything, but because of what my life has become… self absorbed, stressful, angry, and negative. Those characteristics are NOT what I am nor what I want to be. As a result of them, I’ve found myself more distanced from my family and friends and find myself a little lonely.

Those who know me, may not yet see it because mostly it stays on the inside, just simmering like a big pot of chili on low heat on the back eye of the stove. But I know it’s there. I know it wouldn’t take much for the pot to boil over and splatter that hot chili all over my kitchen and potentially on my family and friends.

How did it I get here? Fear. Mistrust. Judgement. Anger. Pride. These are my demons I battle regularly. They seem to have the most impact when my life is hectic and God get’s pushed out of my schedule so I can watch TV. There.. how’s that for being real? The idiot box is the prime source of everything negative, fearful, judgmental and self absorbing. The other biggest source other people. So many people are fearful, mistrusting, judgmental, angry, and self-absorbed… just like me.

This morning, I honestly and actually turned my own stomach.

So in my time with Daddy this morning, this little idea sprouted in my head… (I’m fairly sure I know where it came from… see James 1:17)

I’ve been captivated for the last several weeks on

Philippians 4:8 (The Message) Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.

What would it look like if for 30 days, I intentionally chose to eliminate every form of extraneous, non-best, input and influence from my life? What if (where I have control) I replace every worldly noise clamoring for my attention with something that kept my attention and focus on the Lord? What would that look like?

What if I renewed my mind with the God’s word in every way, shape, and form I could find?

Romans 12:2 (New King James Version) 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

What if I bathed myself in that which was true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of good report, and praiseworthy?

What if I was intentional about not wasting any time and for 30 days specifically focused on ONE THING… SOMETHING SPECIFIC… – be it passion for Him, creativity, patience, wisdom, humility, mercy, etc. – for the next 30 days?

What if I consumed everything I could get from God with every spare moment?

I don’t know what it will look like, but I’m pretty excited about the journey. Our pastor this morning quoted that God’s word is a “lamp unto my feet” (Psalms 119:105) and is meant to reveal the next step.

I wonder where my next step will be?

I will keep you posted on the journey…. It starts soon….

…Running After Papa

God has a plan

Reinhard Bonnke spoke at my church this weekend. During his talk, I wrote down just one statement. Four simple words. Find out what they were by reading my Examiner.com article…

If I believe God is personally interested in my life, then how I live my life is much more in a state of dependency.

I sometimes forget the very life-impacting point of those four words… God – has – a – plan. God’s plan for my life is planned in every detail.

God is not surprised by any circumstance that comes into my life. God – is – NOT – caught – off – guard. Let that sink in….

God is not caught off guard or surprised just because I am. That is very reassuring. It allows me to trust Him more.

Sacred Perfume

The Altar of Incense

In the set of instructions the Lord is giving Moses and the children of Israel for the Tabernacle, The Lord has them make an altar of incense. This altar is to be used ONLY for incense, twice a day, perpetually (Ex 30:7-8). He also is specific about only HIS incense will be burned on it, and only incense is burned on it. No sacrifices… no other offerings. (Ex 30:9). Of the Altar of Incense…

Exodus 30:10 “… It is most holy to the Lord.”

I did a search and discovered that this phrase, “most holy” is in the NKJV only 3 times before this verse. Twice it references that place in the tabernacle where God will reside – the Most Holy (Ex 26:33, 34) – and the only other reference is to the Altar of Burnt Offering where the offerings of atonement are made (Ex 29:37).

This is the first reference I found to the “most holy to the Lord,” and to me it implies that this burning of the incense is very special to God, thus He wants to keep it sacred, set apart, and undiluted and continual… remember twice a day… perpetually…

So what’s the significance of incense?

Interestingly enough, the word “incense” is only in two books of the New Testament – at least in the New King James Version – Luke and Revelation. Three references in Luke all refer to the act, time or place of burning incense in the temple under the Law. (Luke 1:9, 10, 11)

The next four references are in the book of Revelation. In three of the four references, incense is associated with and equated with the prayers of the saints.

Revelation 5:8 “Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints“

Revelation 8:3-5 “Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. ⁴ And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand. ⁵ Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake. “

Just in case it hasn’t hit you yet, you and I – if we are in Christ – are the saints who are praying…

I think God established early- as he was establishing the Tabernacle, His dwelling place – that our prayers, our earnest and honest communication and communion with Him; our multiple times a day interaction and relationship with Him is sacred, set apart, and special to Him. I’m not talking about religious dronings and chants and repeated phrases over and over. I’m talking about sitting down and having coffee with your best friend conversation… real, authentic, genuine talking and listening. He doesn’t want it polluted with other relationships or polluted by the religious machine. He is our Daddy and he wants to spend time with his children. The very first commandment:

Exodus 20:3 “You shall have no other gods before Me. “

Exodus 20:5 “… For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, …”

Deuteronomy 4:24 “For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.”

Doesn’t that excite you just a little bit, that the God of the Universe is anxiously awaiting some time with you? That He deems is sacred? He thinks it is special? He keeps it holy? Frankly, it overwhelms me a little bit.

Thank you Daddy that you cherish spending time with me. I’m am so sorry to have let the worries of today cloud and crowd my time with you. I give you this day, this time to just sit and be with you. I ask for your grace to strengthen me to make time for this most important relationship, this son with his Daddy.

Running After Papa…

The Artist

Exodus 26

The Walls of the Tabernacle

It’s interesting as you read Exodus 26 that God has a very specific structure – or architecture, if you like – on HOW the tabernacle was to be built, but yet He left room for the creativity of the individual – the artisan – in places of the construction. For example, God very specifically defines the length, width, type and colors of materials, numbers of panels, connective and mounting procedures for the various walls – as well as how many layers of walls and in what order, but left the interpretation of “with artistic designs of cherubim you shall weave them.” (Ex 26:2 and Ex 26:31)

We all know that if 3 artists paint the same picture, they will all 3 look very different, because of the natural giftings and interpretation of the artists.

God’s tabernacle was very specifc in design. God’s tabernacle was very specific in structure. God’s tabernacle was very specific in function. But God left the “interface” to the community – how it was viewed and presented – to the creativity He instilled in its artisans.

You are an artist.

I have to believe God has used the Mosaic Tabernacle as a picture for our lives. He has defined a structure, an “architecture” for our lives, but has left the interface to our community to the creativity He instilled in us. This is the beauty of our individual testimonies. No two stories are the same… on purpose! Our job is to weave the tapestry with our story. God’s responsibilty is to use that tapestry to engage others and minister to others.

The Mercy Seat

Exodus 16:34 “You shall put the mercy seat upon the ark of the Testimony in the Most Holy.”

I love the way the Hebrew word is translated as the “mercy seat”. In looking up the origin of the word, it means “atonement cover” or “a central place where sins are forgiven.”

The connotation is that it is a separate place, a place specific for the purposes of atonement. Atonement is just a $2 word that means (according to Webster’s) “the reconciliation (to restore to harmony) of God and mankind through the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ.”

Some of the walls of the tabernacle were made with fibers and woven. Some of the walls were made from animals. Ex 26:7 says to use goat’s hair. It is unclear if that’s the skin of the goat with the hair intact, or if that’s the goat’s hair woven into cloth. But Ex 26:14 is very clear that two other layers are made by the skin of rams dyed red, and the skin of badgers. That implies that there were LOTS of animals killed in order to fashion together coverings for the tents. With the death of those animals, much blood was shed – I suspect that’s one of the reasons the rams skins were dyed red – to remind the Isrealites of the blood that was shed to make the covering.

Back to the “mercy seat”. One of the definitions is “atonement cover”. Are you starting to get draw a connection here? This mercy seat – this atonement cover – was a foreshadowing of what Christ’s blood would do for us… cover our sins. The death of Jesus – the sacrifice of the Lamb of God (John 1:29) – covered our sins and reconciled us back to the Father; back to right standing as Sons and Daughters of the Most High.

The cross is the central place where sins are forgiven (our other definition of the mercy seat.) Only the cross covers the sins of my past, my present and my future in order to reconcile – to restore back to harmony – my life with God. Salvation – willingly yielding control of every part of my life to the lordship of Jesus Christ – is a one-time event. When my submission is authentic, I only need to do this once. However, transformation is an ongoing process. I have, I do, and I will screw up – hopefully it will become fewer and fewer times as I journey. Regardless, when I screw up, it doesn’t take long for Daddy to draw that to my attention and I am quick to repent. This is where I go to the mercy seat again, not for salvation, but to ask forgiveness. Remember, the mercy seat is the central place where sins are forgiven. 1 John 1:9 tells me that God is faithful to forgive me if I ask him and James 5:16 tells me that I can be healed of my sin in the confidence and prayer of another brother in Christ.

The mercy seat in the Mosaic temple was a physical and literal place. It was a place where animals were sacrificed to atone for the sins of individuals, families and the nation. When Christ died for all those sins and so many more, the temple walls were ripped from top to bottom by God himself to signify that the mercy seat was no longer behind the veil. Jesus is the mercy seat. Jesus is in my life. However, I still like visible remembrances. So in my life, I draw on a physical mercy seat – sometimes its over the phone with a brother, sometimes its in my room with my wife, sometimes it’s at a table at the local diner.

How do both these relate?

When I am free from the bondages of sin in my life – because I go to the mercy seat – I am free to be the artistic interface to my community presenting – in my own unique perspective and my own unique testimony – all that God has done, is doing, and will do IN me because of the mercy seat!

Running After Papa…

Breathing

Today I had a great run.

It was a great run for a couple of reasons. 1. Physically, it was a really consistent pace with virtually no stops. 2. God really showed up, or should I say, I really listened well today.

You see, my typical M.O. for running it so watch my pace and try to keep a brisk clip going based on the pace (minutes per mile). But today I strapped on the heart monitor and decided to run based on a consistent heart rate, paying no attention to how fast I was running other than how fast my heart beat and how hard I was breathing.

I noticed something on the way “back” (I run an “out and back” loop most days) today. If I focused on my breathing and intentionally inhaled in deeper, through my nose, for three steps and exhaled consistently through my mouth, for 3 steps, I could lower my heartbeat by 5-7 beats per minute.

It was hard to maintain. It was not natural. It took effort. But it worked.

I tend to think of running posture as something that just “happens” naturally. But today showed me that when I focus on it, I am able to override “natural.” Physiologically, when I run with my head held high, looking forward, and my shoulders high and tall, then my chest has the best possible opportunity to fully expand allowing more oxygen-rich air to come into my lungs. As I focus on taking longer, deeper breaths, I get more “good” air in. I also have to focus on exhaling “bad” air out, intentionally trying to empty my lungs of oxygen depleted air to make room for more O2-rich air. I tend to notice that inhaling is not something I naturally focus on.

As I get tired, I naturally begin to let my shoulders “sag” and my back to slightly hunch over which keeps my lungs from expanding as much and keeps more of the oxygen-depleted air in my lungs. This results in my heart working harder – to the tune of 5-7 beats a minute – based on today’s run.

If you’ve read my blogs long, you know that I believe most physical observations have a spiritual connotation.

The idea of spiritually breathing is not a new one. It is simply the practice of Exhaling (Confession) and Inhaling (being filled with the Holy Spirit).

1 John 1:9 tells us that if we confess our sins, God is faithful to forgive our sins. This is the process of getting all the “oxygen-depleted” air out of our lungs. Sin keeps us from staying in step with the Lord and can hamper our walk with the Lord due to fear, or the inability to hear Him clearly.

Paul writes in Ephesians 5:18 to be filled with the Holy Spirit. That literally translates to “keep on being filled” indicating that it’s not a one-time event… kinda like breathing in. Again, this is not something I naturally focus on. My natural self tends to lean to the “one-time event” versus a continual focus to “keep on being filled.”

Today I had a great run.

Running After Papa…

The Gift

I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die. (Galatians 2:21, NLT)

What is “… the grace of God?”

We hear that word all the time living here in the Bible belt, and most of the time it’s coupled with the word “mercy.” Thank you Lord for your grace and mercy! You get the idea. So what is it?

I’ve tried to teach my children in various life lessons what the difference between grace and mercy is. It goes something like this: “Grace is getting a gift that you absolutely do NOT deserve and mercy is NOT getting the consequences or punishment you ABSOLUTELY deserve.” Simple… but effective….

Grace is an undeserved gift. Mercy is an undeserved pardon.

What then is God’s undeserved gift to us that Paul doesn’t treat as meaningless in Galatians 2:21? It would imply the gift is meaningful.

If I did the search correctly, in the ESV translation, the word “grace” appears only 10 times in the Old Testament. Three different Hebrew words translate to those ten occurrences of “grace.” Eight of the ten times it is the Hebrew word chen (“khane”) meaning “1 favour, grace, charm. 1a favour, grace, elegance. 1b favour, acceptance.”

In the New Testament, the word we translate into the word “grace” is charis and appears 124 times in 116 verses (in the ESV) and means something totally different: “of the merciful kindness by which God, exerting his holy influence upon souls, turns them to Christ, keeps, strengthens, increases them in Christian faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of the Christian virtues.”

I bring this up only to point out that grace, as Paul is defining it, is a post-Christ idea. In fact, except for 3 verses in John 1 (prior to Christ’s birth), the word “grace” doesn’t appear in any of the gospels. The first occurrence is in the book of Acts, after Christ’s ascension.

For the next couple of chapters, Paul compares the bondage of living under the law with the freedom of living in Christ.

4 But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. 5 God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. 6 And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.” (Galatians 4:4-6, NLT)

The gift (the grace of God) is a life of freedom from the bondage of the law; a life free from having to perform; a life free of doing in order to earn God’s favor.

2 Listen! I, Paul, tell you this: If you are counting on circumcision to make you right with God, then Christ will be of no benefit to you. 3 I’ll say it again. If you are trying to find favor with God by being circumcised, you must obey every regulation in the whole law of Moses. 4 For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace. (Galatians 5:2-4, NLT)

The gift (the grace of God) is living life in the power of His Spirit and love.

For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love. (Galatians 5:6, NLT)

For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. (Galatians 5:13, NLT)

The gift (the grace of God) is a life of transformation into something new.

15 It doesn’t matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation. 16 May God’s peace and mercy be upon all who live by this principle; they are the new people of God. (Galatians 6:15-16, NLT)

I will not treat the grace of God (the gift) as meaningless….

Running After Papa…

Blisters (Eph 6:15)

¹⁴ Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵ and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; (italics added) Ephesians 6:14-15, NKJV

I run. I have for several years now. I don’t really run because I like running, although I do enjoy the benefits and the feeling after a good long run. I started running in order to get some discipline in my life, so I decided to train for a marathon. Fast forward a few years. I got really lazy in my training and only did the long runs one year and…. as you might guess… injured my heel which has plagued me with planar fasciitis for over a year. Fast forward again. About a year ago, I started changing my running style to take all the impact out of my running by going to more of a “barefoot style” running – simply put, I land on the ball of my foot and then let my heel touch before springing off my foot for the next step. This style takes a while to build up stamina and strength in your calves as they do A LOT more work.

Last year, I purchased a pair of shoes called Vibram Five Fingers which are basically gloves for your feet with “fingers” for your toes and all. They have zero support and are basically a sole for your foot so you can run barefoot style without gettting cut up or bruised from rocks and stuff in the road.

I say all that to say this. Yesterday, I ran too far in my shoes and I got serious blisters on both feet. I had been running about 2-2.25 miles in the Vibrams and then I would change into my running shoes and run 2 or 3 more miles. That is my normal M.O. That is what I do and how I build up endurance.

Yesterday, I tried to run 4 miles in my Vibrams. This is NOT me. At 3.3 miles, my feet were so hot (where the blisters are now brilliantly showing themselves) that I took my shoes off and walked the rest of the way home barefoot… in the grass… gingerly.

On the way home, Papa brought to mind Eph 6:15. The NIV version says “…with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.“ When I asked how this all fit together, He showed me:

Don’t give the opposition a second thought. Through thick and thin, keep your hearts at attention, in adoration before Christ, your Master. Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you’re living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy. Keep a clear conscience before God so that when people throw mud at you, none of it will stick. They’ll end up realizing that they’re the ones who need a bath. It’s better to suffer for doing good, if that’s what God wants, than to be punished for doing bad. (I Peter 3:14-17, The Message)

and

I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. (Psalms 139:14, NKJV)

What God showed me in that I don’t have to be anyone else. While I can look to others who are farther along this life of transformation; those I consider spiritual giants; those heroes of the faith; I am NOT to strive to be like them. God made me to be me. According to the Ephesians passage, I am to know and understand and live in Truth and Righteousness. This brings all glory to God. But I don’t have to wear anyone else’s shoes. When I do, I get blisters, they rub my feet wrong. They slow down my pace. I just have to be me (crucified) in Him. If I try to be someone else, I am not living the 1 Peter passage. I won’t “Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why I’m living the way…” I am. I praise him for make me just like I am. I am free to be me in Him. That’s how I’ll be most effective for His purposes and to give him all the glory and praise that He is due.

Running After Papa…

Overcoming – Updated (Rev 12:11)

How do we overcome the power of sin in our lives?

I was recently listening to “Overcome” by Jon Egan and the Desperation Band on the way home from my son’s Lacrosse game, when I was captured by one of the lyrics at the end of the song. I’ve sung this song dozens of time, so it wasn’t a new song for me, but this time something clicked. The repeated lyric is “And we will overcome, by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony, everyone overcome.” Revelation 12:11 is the verse that bridge it taken from.

Revelation 12:11 (NKJV) “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.”

I really began to ask the Lord about it. So how do we overcome? What is the significance of this verse? How does the rubber meet the road and why? (If you read my blogs very often, you’ll find that’s a very common question I ask…)

1. The blood of the Lamb

First things first… This is the fulfillment of God’s law. This gives us the LEGAL RIGHT TO OVERCOME. “Hebrews 9:22 (ESV) “Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.” When we’ve been washed in the blood of the Lamb, we are forever the possession of God himself. There is MUCH that could be said here, but that’s for another day… Here’s the meat of this post…

2. The word of their [our] testimony

This is gives us the POWER TO OVERCOME. This is where the rubber meets the road. We’re all familiar with Proverbs 18:21 “²¹ Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.” But for me, in getting to that verse, I’ve glossed over the prior one, verse 20.

Proverbs 18: 20-21 (NKJV) ²⁰ A man’s stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth; From the produce of his lips he shall be filled. ²¹ Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.

When those two verses are put together, we’re talking about a whole meal! What we claim – the words that we speak – is what will fill our stomachs. This is a very interesting picture as the stomach is essentially where digestion of our physical food begins after we eat. “You are what you eat,” is a saying we learned to help us make healthy choices of our meals. How appropriate! So it is with the words we speak. When we speak words, we listen to those words, we hear those words, we believe those words – we digest those words. When we speak words of defeat over our lives, our character, our circumstances, our children, etc., etc., we begin digesting those words. Those words “satisfy” our stomach and we continue to live in those things we believe. “You are what you eat,” becomes much more like “You are what you speak.”

It’s time to stop the madness! It’s time to begin confessing the words of life. Even if it’s not evident yet, speak it. For example, “I was unhappy, but God has given me joy and helped me overcome. (Gal 5:22)” or “I was an angry man; but God has given me patience and helped me overcome. (I Cor 13:4)” or “I was afraid and let fear rule my circumstances, but God has given me a spirit of power, love and a sound mind and helped me overcome. (2 Tim 1:7)” Speak what God has or is making you BASED on what HE says about you in his Word – the Bible.

Hear me… I am NOT advocating a “name it and claim it” theology. God is NOT a Genie, but there is a “working out” of our salvation. There is a process of transformation and I believe renewing our mind with the Word of God and what God says about us is part of that process.

The word of your testimony is what breaks the power of sin in your life, but only if you’ve been bought by the blood of the Lamb.

3. They died to themselves

“… and they did not loves their lives to the death,” is how Rev 12:11 ends. This is the MEASURE OF OVERCOMING!

Galatians 2:20 (NKJV) “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who lives, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”

I find this to be the most difficult verse in the Bible to really live out. My wants, my desires, my needs, my expectations, my rights… and the list goes on. If I’m offended, my flesh is probably alive. If I am angry, my flesh is probably alive. If I feel slighted, cheated, short changed, cut off, hindered, delayed or detained, my flesh is probably alive.

Only when I am fully dead to me, can I be fully alive in Christ.

THIS is overcoming defined!

So here are three questions for today’s take-away:

1. Are you legally God’s? This is critical and the first thing and most important thing. All eternity rides on the answer to this one. Without #1, you can’t do #2.

2. What is God helping you overcome in your life? Speak it OUT LOUD! verbalize it! Hear yourself say it audibly!

3. What part of you do you need to die to? This IS the victory!

If you want to discuss the answer to any of these questions, email me at shoe@3.148.167.37.

Running After Papa…