Though much warring begins in the mind, God’s battle strategy is to engage the heart. “Above all else guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life.” (Prov. 4:23) The issues of life come from the heart – the place where God’s truth aims. Oftentimes, Jesus hid His truth within stories to be understood at a later time. The enemy, on the otherhand, wants you to lose your own story altogether which is destructive and disorienting.
Read MoreWhile battles rage around our identity, great fury is unleashed over our testimony. The two are intricately connected. The history of our encounters with God becomes the expression of our identity in Christ. Both our witness for Christ and our identity in Christ form the solid foundation of our faith. We become His living stones. (I Peter 2:4-5)
Read MoreHave you noticed the raging battles around our identity? Knowing who God is, who we are, and who our enemy is, keeps our footing firm on solid ground. When storms arise, Jesus is our lighthouse, the One who speaks peace to our souls. He rescues us and has good plans prepared in advance for us to do (Eph. 2:10). With every battle we overcome, our testimony strengthens as we continue trusting in Him. Any misplaced trust is sinking sand.
Read MoreJesus did not entrust Himself to everyone and neither should we. Though we fight not against flesh and blood (meaning physical only), our spiritual battles are mainly relational in nature. (Eph. 6:12) Oftentimes this Scripture verse is misunderstood. Consequently, we ignore the possibility of the demonic influencing the relational realm, when in actuality the demonic is sometimes hiding in relationships. The Kingdom of God is relational, so it makes sense that the enemy would hide there.
Read MoreFires within burn the hottest. They test our spiritual lives and bring impurities to the surface. As the dross is removed, our faith is purified and our witness for Christ is matured. That’s what God is after: purity and maturity. His glory is best seen when Christ in us is being fully formed. (Col.1 28-29) Though we’re never a finished work on this side of heaven, we press on towards Christlikeness -- always learning and growing. (Phil. 3:12-15)
Read MoreMost of us would rather bottle-up than break. Yet, it takes a broken vessel to release the fragrance of Christ. Brokenness is one of the preeminent signs of God releasing the apostolic ministry. When we learn, like the Apostle Paul, to embrace humility, we become a great threat to the evil one. “The sacrifices of God are a broken and contrite spirit.” (Ps. 51:17) Only when others encounter the life of Christ in us do we become living epistles -- letters of Christ read by those around us. (II Cor. 3:1-6) Broken vessels release their content; unbroken ones withhold it. Our witness is released through brokenness.
Read MoreMaybe like me, you are happy to participate in sports but are more of a trepid spectator when it comes to body building. It’s one thing to exercise the body, another thing to sculpt it. When it comes to the Body of Christ, however, there is no place for spectators, only participants. We are all Bodybuilders. Throughout our whole lives we are being sculpted into the image of Christ by the indwelling Holy Spirit. (I Cor. 3:11-12) We are meant to display God’s glory and make His image visible – tangible – in the earth. We do this in relationship with God and others, and great spiritual warfare surrounds this purpose.
Read MoreAre we out of our minds? Well, let’s hope so. The ways of the Kingdom are counterintuitive: you overcome hate by forgiving and loving, you are exalted by being humble, and you lead by serving. This makes no sense to the carnal mind, but we have the mind of Christ. So, if we think leadership is a ladder we climb, then we better start climbing down and start over. It’s the spiritual principle of dying to ourselves and laying down our rights and privileges. (Matt. 16:24-25) It’s about losing in order to win in this spiritual war.
Read MoreMoving slowly is key to discerning whether we are letting God fulfill His promises in our lives. Otherwise, we might be stepping in trying to fulfill them ourselves. And that never works. “An inheritance claimed too soon will not be blessed at the end.” (Prov. 20:21) God has sudden-lies, but as a general rule, we can see His wisdom in moving slowly — so we listen, not just hear; learn, not just teach.
Read MoreThe letter M is also the letter W. It just depends on the way its positioned. When it comes to me or we, both are important. Jesus said so, even when He reduced the Ten Commandments to Two: 1) Love God, and 2) Love your neighbor as yourself. (Matt. 22:37-40.) In a world of the one and the many, love is how life is best lived. And it is God’s love that positions us to be blessed as both individuals and nations.
Read MoreLove is perhaps our most compelling motivator. Feeling struck, love can swoop in and set us into motion in a moment’s notice. It can move us to action, propelling us along the road of life. Unlike worldly loves that often travel express lanes, God’s love has its own lane, called surpass. This surpass lane is traveled on roads in the Kingdom of God. It’s a relational lane steered by love, reserved for Jesus and His follower. This lane is not usually the fastest, but it is the most committed and steadfast. On this road less traveled, though often risky, we are not easily deterred or distracted.
Read MoreAs long as the sun rises and seasons change, a gardener’s work is never finished. The gardener’s goal is not for plantings to stay a seed or a young plant but to become a fruitful tree. The same is true spiritually. Plantings of the Lord are expected to grow, always progressing toward maturity. The Apostle Paul affirmed this saying he labored that Christ would be fully formed in us. His goal was to see followers of Christ become like “oaks of righteousness.” (Col. 1:26-28, Is. 61:1-5) If disciples are not conforming to the image of Jesus, then we must discern why.
Read MoreIf you want to work with God, you’ll find Him in the garden of your heart. That’s where He does some of His deepest work. Be prepared, though, to get your hands dirty. Good gardening requires much digging, weeding and pruning. Without that, there will be no good harvest.
Read MoreDo Christians live to die, or die to live? Perhaps the answer lies in the metaphor of the seed. Only when buried can a seed find life. Down in the earth, the seed’s shell cracks, and new life springs forth. Likewise, for the Christian, we must lose our life to find it. (Matt. 10:39) Through Christ, the imperishable seed, we are resurrected to both eternal and abundant life. (Rom. 6:23, John 10:10) There can be no resurrection without death. (Phil. 3:10-11) Obviously, Satan was not a gardener. If he were, he would’ve never buried Jesus.
Read MoreNow you’re speaking my language! We all love that sigh of relief when we’re finally understood. Known. When someone starts tracking with us, sharing the same page, relating. In cross-cultural missions, I call that the art of the Gospel – heart-level communication that reveals Jesus uniquely within another language and culture. This usually means you’ve lived close enough and long enough with the people to speak their “mother-tongue” and to understand and know them. This is that most sacred place of exchange where great spiritual battles are won.
Read MoreThere is power in friendships. So much so that kings and kingdoms rise and fall because of them. What starts as a casual acquaintance can turn into a divine connection that changes a nation. Imagine Israel’s fate without Naomi and Ruth, Elijah and Elisha, David and Jonathan, Paul and Timothy, to name a few. Of course, they weren’t thinking of their friendship in those terms at the time. And neither do we. Perhaps this is in part what Jesus meant when He said the Kingdom of God comes without observation. (Luke 17:20) We would do well to take account of the company we keep. The enemy does.
Read MoreOpening your home is like opening your heart. Some of my most significant conversations have happened around the table. A simple meal becomes life changing. That’s what happened to Abraham and Sarah when they welcomed three visitors into their home. (Gen. 18) Sometimes all it takes is creating space for change to take place.
Read MoreConnection with others is a basic human need. Being seen and known makes us feel validated and valued, like we exist. When we’re ignored or neglected, we wonder what’s wrong with us and question whether we’re good enough. The feeling of shame experienced in an individual or group can be devastating. It strikes at our self-worth, our dignity — the very part of us made in God’s image that was blessed and pronounced as “very good” at creation. (Gen. 1:31)
Read MoreIt’s said ‘if we don’t use it, we lose it’ in physical fitness. I say the same is true spiritually. Active faith builds a healthier, stronger Body. Flexing our ‘spiritual muscles’ through daily exercises of loving, listening, obeying, and following God purifies and matures us. It makes us better fit in times of heavy lifting. When circumstances displace us, or decisions become too weighty, our spiritual discipline helps us bear down, to press into God and push back the evil one.
Read MoreWhen God puts His finger on something, we should take note. No doubt, the Holy Spirit has come to point the way. To mark the spot. When we can’t put our finger on it — that thing that keeps us in bondage — the finger of God can! He knows why something is the way it is and can set us free and heal us.
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