How do you 'identify'?

Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin. (Romans 7:24-25)

It is hard to choose what we want most over what we want now, isn't it? The answer is in Jesus Christ - he has set us free. All determination or discipline in life begins with choosing how it is we 'identify'. If we identify as listening to our 'fleshly desires' just a bit too often, we are not likely to identify with our new nature in Christ Jesus as often as we should. Life isn't about behavior modification - it is about identity transformation. The power that is greater than our fleshly desires is resident within - we just need to begin to 'identify' with it more often!

We are not what we did. We are not the voice of discouragement that consistently condemns us, bringing us down. When we know who we are, we know what we need to do. We are more than a better version of ourselves. In fact, all things became new when we said 'yes' to Jesus. We are fully transformed, but do we live like we are? We belong to Jesus. He needs to become the source of our strength - the person with whom we identify most. The old man has passed away, the new one is beckoning to be set free!

We are no longer slave to our old desires. We can choose what we want most over what we want now. This is called discipline. When we walk by the Spirit who resides within, we will be less likely to give into the desires of our flesh. Our sinful nature will no longer be where we place our confidence or trust. The habitual action of faith - taking one right step after another - will bring 'disciplined transformation' within our lives. It is always a succession of steps in the right direction that brings about the 'spiritual habit' of right choices.

Those 'spiritual habits' are born out of our new identity in Christ Jesus. It might be hard to hear, but the greatest rewards in life are the ones that take the most time to develop. Where we 'come from' doesn't ever define who we are now. Remember, Christ's power within is greater than any struggle you have with your flesh. You might just need to 'identify' with your new 'identity' a little more! Just sayin!

More than surviving

Help us defeat the enemy! No one on earth can rescue us. Only God can make us strong. Only God can defeat our enemies! (Psalm 108:12-13)

Defeat:  To prevail over, vanquish, overcome in battle; to frustrate or thwart; to eliminate or cut off from what was expected.  We can all remember times when we seemed to be vanquished by some force bigger, more difficult to resist than our own abilities could handle.  Those moments invoked fear in us, or perhaps just plain sadness and a sense of helplessness as we stood there under the attack of whatever it was.  This sense of overwhelming frustration can overcome us with such force we almost cannot stand under the weight of it. I don't think these are times God intends for us to face alone!  In fact, he will help us defeat our enemies if we just ask him to and then stand assured in his help.

There is no power on this earth stronger than our God.  He is able to thwart the craftiest of plans laid against us - whether they be plans in the realm of our finances, health, or mental strength.  He is the one to make us strong. We don't find strength from somewhere within - because we don't possess the natural strength to be able to withstand the pressure mounting within, nor the stresses coming at us from without.  There is no one on earth capable of providing rescue - it is only by God's hand and according to his plan that we realize our deliverance.

I think there is no greater joy God receives than to actually hear us utter those words indicating we need his help.  To actually acknowledge that we are not going to "go this one alone" is something which gives him delight - not because he wants a bunch of mamby-pamby followers, but because he wants us to rest in him, ceasing from our own efforts to overcome what presses in against us. That dependence upon God doesn't mean we are weak, but that we have learned to trust and rest! You know this is beginning to occur when you are not calculating the ways you can thwart the attack, but rather find yourself leaning into God's graces a little harder and with excited expectation.  The attack is still quite real, but the anticipation of it defeating you is not!  In fact, you see quite the opposite effect - you see the plans of the enemy thwarted. This doesn't mean you know "how" the enemy will be thwarted, but just that you "know" it because you are trusting God with the plans and not yourself.

When the enemy is tightly closing in around you, the "war" seems like more than your can handle, this is when you need to talk yourself into trusting God and not your own efforts.  Our first response to "big issues" is often that of fear. God made us with this fight or flight response - we either will rise up when feeling threatened, or we will want to run away - both are equally "defensive" postures we may take.  To do something different requires us to center our attention and energies in a different "place" - we place those attentions and energies squarely in the hands of God.  This takes us "commanding" our attention to be on God and not the problem at hand. This is why David begins with praise and worship - to get his mind centered on God.  Where the mind goes, the heart will follow.  Where the heart is solidly directed, the outcomes will be different!  Just sayin!

A position of power

I come to you for protection, O Lord my God. Save me from my persecutors—rescue me! If you don’t, they will maul me like a lion, tearing me to pieces with no one to rescue me. (Psalm 7:1-2)

We began to look at the power of a truly 'defensible position' yesterday - the best of all being 'in Christ'. As we examine the need for a defensible position, we might find there are a number of reasons we would cry out to God for a place of refuge. Perhaps one of the reasons we seek a refuge is because of the slander and gossip of others around us. We might not realize the damage of gossip and the destruction to the reputation whenever someone sets out to slander and individual. We could be on either side of that coin - the one being gossiped about, or the one engaging in the gossip. The first needs a defensible position - a place of protection and refuge; the latter needs a 'come to Jesus' meeting!

David was not without his share of both. In fact, he had people who would falsely accuse him of many things, some right from within his own family. It is hard to stand strong in the midst of those types of 'wordy attacks', isn't it? It is even harder when those 'attacking' with their words and insults don't know the whole truth of the matter. Imagine what it might have been like to be a king back in those days. There would be some who would immediately see the benefit of this 'chosen king' to be the ruler of the land, but then there would be others who would never be content to allow him to rule. In other words, they would compete with him for a position of power. 

Most of the damage done by gossips and slanderers is meant to 'depose' the one they are targeting from some 'position of power'. It might be as simple as not being the employee the boss seems to 'like best', or not being the 'favored child' in the family. It could be that the gossip starts out 'innocently', but before long, the intent can turn uglier, especially when the person doing the gossiping is actually targeting the 'position of power' for themselves. God tells us our position is 'in Christ' - indeed a position of power. No wonder Satan chooses to attack us so much! He has always wanted that position and just like a spoiled child, he sets out to do whatever it takes to attempt to 'depose' us from that position.

It stands to reason that he would use words to attack us. Why do I make that supposition? The old adage, "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me," really isn't true, is it? Words can cut deep. They can scar - leaving deeply felt pain for a long, long time. Maybe that is why God asks us to 'manage' our words well - to allow the Holy Spirit to 'filter' those words, applying his touch of grace to them. Satan uses lies because he knows truth won't topple us. God uses truth because he knows it is the only thing that keeps us free! We might not escape the attacks of gossips and slanderers, but we do always have a refuge that we can run to where we will find truth and grace in abundance. Just sayin!

A defensible position

The seventh Psalm starts out with the words, "I come to you for protection, O Lord my God. Save me from my persecutors—rescue me!" We know that David spent a great deal of time either running from Saul and his warriors or fighting one battle after another to maintain his kingdom - and some of those battles were from within his own family. There is probably something quite 'practical' in these words because a warrior needed protection on occasion - just to get away from it all and to recover from the fight. An area of 'strong defense' was a godsend to a warrior. For David, he might have needed a 'physically defensible position' from which he could take refuge. It is also quite possible he may have needed a 'spiritually defensible position' where he could be renewed and refreshed 'in the battle'. 

We need both on occasion - a physical place that brings us a sense of safety and a spiritual place where our emotional and spiritual health is renewed. One without the other is really not all that great. Maybe that is why we have these examples in scripture, showing us that it is never wrong to need a 'place of retreat' along with the time to actually 'heal within the retreat'. One thing we may not realize about a place of refuge is that the warrior usually sought one not so much to hide and recover, but one that gave him an excellent 'defensible' position. That meant battle could be done from that place, but he had the advantage of those attempting to bring and attack against it. In other words, it wasn't a walled-off canyon, but a high vantage point that made it hard for the enemy to attack with him unaware of the enemy's approach.

Most of the time, we 'retreat' and think it means we just let our guard down. A place of refuge didn't mean the warrior no longer needed to keep guard over his life. It meant he was in a position to 'fight a good fight' - one he was likely to win because of the 'position' he enjoyed. When our defensible position is 'in Christ', we are both 'renewed' for the battle, and able to utilize the best of 'strategies' to overcome the enemy's attack. Without this 'defensible position', we are sitting ducks! Why would we choose to 'fight' alone? Psalm 3:5-6 reminds us, "I lay down and slept, yet I woke up in safety, for the Lord was watching over me. I am not afraid of ten thousand enemies who surround me on every side." The key to victory is found in finding that 'defensible place' in life. There is no better 'option' than to be 'in Christ'! Just sayin!

How secure is your placement?

But blessed is the man who trusts me, God, the woman who sticks with God. They’re like trees replanted in Eden, putting down roots near the rivers— Never a worry through the hottest of summers, never dropping a leaf, Serene and calm through droughts, bearing fresh fruit every season. (Jeremiah 17:7-8)

Doesn't that sound absolutely wonderful? Deep roots, no sign of being affected by drought, and bearing fruit each and every season of life - that is indeed a privilege. A privilege enjoyed by those who have placed their trust in Christ and have asked him to take control of their lives. 

I am prone to worrying a bit - I think I got that from my mother. I always used to say if mom didn't have something to worry about, she'd worry about not having anything to worry about. It has taken a lot of prayer to lay things down at the feet of Jesus and leave them there, but when I finally let go of the 'mulling over' of the things that give me concern, the peace is overwhelming and the solution I had not considered previously seems to come.

Today, I worry less and turn things over quicker. Do I still worry? Yes, at times. Is it necessary? Never. Why? God has me planted where I am growing as I should, my needs are met all of the time, and his protection makes my 'placement' secure. How about you? Do you feel secure in your 'placement'? If not, it could be time to ask God to show you just how secure that 'placement' is in him. 

Those who've placed their trust in Jesus are planted securely - roots growing into very firm soil. Nourishment is right there, and every protection we could ever need is only a breath away. The more we allow those roots to grow, by taking in the Word of God, giving over things that only hamper our growth, and listening intently to his voice, the more we will see evidence of how 'secure' that placement really is. Just sayin!

Aggravated?

What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we’ve been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you’ll have it all—life healed and whole. I know how great this makes you feel, even though you have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime. Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it’s your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory. (I Peter 1:3-7)

A new life and everything to live for - what that involves is a new start on life, and the joy of living life as we were created to live it - in close, personal relationship with God our Father. We may think of the "future" as way off in the "then", but in actuality, the "now" is the beginning of our future. We start living our future today - in Christ Jesus. We finish living our future some day - in Christ Jesus. Our future is without end - so is there really a finish? Eternity begins now and lasts a whole lot longer than our limited minds can imagine. God is keeping careful watch over us. 

Healed and whole. Too many of us deal with things today in our physical bodies and even in the turmoil of our minds which indicates we are far from "whole" and definitely not "healed". Wholeness and healing is finalized in our future state as we fall before God's throne in perpetual worship throughout all of eternity. Yet, today's promise is the beginning of this healing and wholeness. In the time between today and total healing / wholeness, we have a whole lot of what appears to be "aggravation" we have to deal with. It is this "aggravation" God wants to help us with in our daily walk.

Aggravation is simply an increase in intensity, seriousness, or severity of whatever it is we are dealing with. As the intensity increases, we experience an increase in anxiety, emotional response, and experiences we had not endured before. There is a "turning up of the heat" and we begin to sense the seriousness of the circumstances. All Christ has provided today and what is promised in him for our future state makes all this intensity and seriousness worth it! It also means we don't walk through this intensity or seriousness of issues without him. We have him alongside and inside.

Do you think today's issues are really little annoyances you can somehow get beyond if you just try hard enough. I don't know about you, but the harder I "try", the harder it gets to get beyond those things that cause me so much aggravation. "Trying" is not "doing" - it is the state of venturing out, but it is in our own effort. The reason we have issues with getting beyond the intensity of the circumstances is that we cannot get beyond it by our own effort. Our faith is what brings us out on the other side - not our efforts. Human nature wants to "do" in order to "get". In Christ's economy, our future state is today - we just have to "be" in that state in order to begin to realize the victory which overcomes today's aggravations and builds our faith as pure and holy. I don't know about you, but I am determined to live in the "future" now, not in the "then". Just sayin!