Crucified with Christ

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

Tomorrow is Good Friday, the day when we remember the cross and the sacrifice of Christ, who gave himself to rescue us from a life of sin and an eternity in hell. That's an act of love that's almost too much to fathom!

Because of His crucifixion, we no longer have the sentence of death hanging over our heads. The instant we choose to believe, to follow Christ, to make Him Lord of our lives, we receive new life - abundant and ever-lasting life. Our eternity begins in that moment. When we eventually leave this earth and this body, we will step into life in Heaven with a new body, free from the cares of this world.

Until that time, we undergo a crucifixion of our own. Not the agony of the cross, but a voluntary process of putting to death our old sinful nature and desires of the past. We let go of those behaviors and attitudes that do not line up with the life of Christ and we begin to live by faith in Him. We seek Him and His will for our lives. We release our former dreams and plans to receive the grander dreams and greater plans He has for us - dreams and plans that are infinitely more fulfilling than anything we could have come up with on our own.

We step into His plan - the purposes for which we were created. Our life takes on meaning and the world around us is changed because we allow Jesus Christ to live and act through us. For that to happen, we need his perspective, his wisdom and the boldness to step out in faith.

Are you ready to believe? Are you ready to step into the life you were meant to live? If so, pray...

God, I believe. I receive You, Jesus, as my Lord and Savior. I am ready to crucify my fleshly desires and step into the future you have for me. May I see what You see and hear what You hear and speak the words You want me to speak from this point forward. Give me a holy boldness to accomplish your will. Use me to reach others and point the way to You. Amen

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The Thoughts We Consume

The thoughts you consume will eventually consume you. 

~Sharon Jaynes

When I came across this quote by Sharon Jaynes this evening, I had to stop and consider the truth of it. Our thoughts do influence us. In fact, our thoughts form our character, determine our behavior and shape the decisions that create our very lives. If that is true, and I think it is, then were do our thoughts come from? 

Don't they originate with the thoughts we consume? The thoughts that are fed to us by our parents as children begin to shape who we are, not our own thoughts. When we go to school, we take in the thoughts of our teachers and those who created our school curriculum. Later, when we begin to search our things for ourselves, we consume thoughts of others from television, books and discussions - all of which we process and absorb or reject to form our own version of truth.

But what if we are taking in misinformation? What if we've been consuming negative, critical, untrue thoughts from others. Doesn't it stand to reason that if we are taking in a steady diet of that kind of thought, we will ourselves become negative, critical people?

Conversely, if we take in positive, encouraging truths, we will take on those kinds of thought processes. 

I believe that's exactly why the apostle Paul instructed us to think on things that will keep our thoughts headed in the right direction.

"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." Philippians 4:8

There are thoughts, when consumed over time will lead to depression, bitterness, anger and hatred. These have the power to consume us and destroy our lives. But the kind of thoughts the scriptures encourage build us up, keep us positive and balanced. They keep us looking forward with hope and expectancy for a great life. They keep us at peace with others and make us pleasant to be around. They build our faith and help us to encourage and support others.

So, it's time to take an inventory of the kinds of thoughts you take in and ruminate on during the day. Is there something or someone you need to stop listening to? Something or someone you need to start listening to? Are there some thought processes you need to take to the Lord and ask Him to help you change?

You've heard the old saying, "garbage in, garbage out." It's true, but it's also true that if we are consuming affirming, life-giving information it will eventually consume us and make us better people. There's no better place to start than to read the words of Jesus found in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John in the Bible. Start there and you're on your way to a great thought life.


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The Dark Night of the Soul

 "He asked them, ‘What are you discussing so intently as you walk along?’ They stopped short, sadness written across their faces.” Luke 24:17 (NLT)

In today's scripture, two friends are walking together. Jesus, the one they loved, has died. Worse, yet, the women said they had found the tomb empty. Jesus wasn't there. You can just imagine their sadness and confusion. Jesus was no where to be found. 

That's the way I've felt this week. I've fasted and prayed, failed and got back up, reminded myself that no matter how it looks or how it feels, Jesus is with me always. His Holy Spirit lives within me. He promised He would never leave me or forsake me...and yet, I've felt sad and confused because the one I walk with daily, the one who regularly speaks to my heart has been silent.

They call this the dark night of the soul - a depression that is linked to a crisis of faith, a crisis that comes when one senses the absence of God or gives rise to a feeling of abandonment by Him.

Before you jump in to tell me why it's so wrong to feel abandoned by God, let me say, I've been preaching all those things to myself all week. I know that the way I feel is not reality. I also know that we are not to live by our feelings and I know that this feeling will not last, but while in it, I'm miserable.

I miss that closeness with my Lord, those intimate moments when He whispers in my ear or let's me catch a glimpse of Him in things/people around me.

And in case you think it might be sin that's standing between us or that I have not been seeking Him, I've been spending more time in soul-searching repentance and in His word than usual.

So, why do I tell you all this? Because I have a sneaking suspicion that I am not the only believer that goes through this. In fact, I'm not at all sure that God doesn't orchestrate these dry spells in our relationship so that I learn to walk by faith, not by sight.

While I'm okay with that, because I want to be strong in my faith, I sure don't enjoy the process!

So, what do we do when we're experiencing a dark night of the soul? First of all, don't go buy a box of chocolate eclairs and eat them all at one sitting. (I may or may not have done this yesterday.) In fact, don't do anything to try to fill up that emptiness, for nothing but Jesus will satisfy. Just keep doing what you know is right. Pray, seek Him, read His word, pray some more. Praise Him, recall all the ways in which He blesses your life and thank Him for it. 

In other words, keep walking with Jesus, even though you can see, hear or feel Him at the moment, He is there!

Note: as it turns out, our two friends from the scripture above were not alone. Jesus was with them all the time, for in verses 15 & 16, we read...

"As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him." Luke 24:15-16 (NLT)

How about you? Do you go through times like this? What helps you get through it?


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Let God Turn Your Torment into a Mentor

Have you ever had a period of time when God felt so close you could almost reach out and touch Him? When reading His word came alive and spoke right to your needs? When blessing after blessing seemed to be dropping into your lap and then all of a sudden...nothing.

You can't feel him, reading the word is boring, your worship is flat and God seems a million miles away. It feels like you've been abandoned, deserted, lonely and deflated. As a believer, you understand and fully believe that those things are not true. God promised never to leave you. His Holy Spirit lives right inside you. His word is still true and just as powerful as it was yesterday. But today it seems He's no where to be found.

For the past 10 days I have been spending lots of extra time with God in the word, in worship and in prayer. It's been great and I've felt very close to the Lord, but this morning I woke up and He was gone. Not really, of course, but that's how it felt.

Suddenly, I felt like a failure. I kept trying to connect with Him, but He didn't answer my call. Was his ringer turned off? Was he hitting the "reject the call" button? Had I been blocked? I don't know if anyone else ever goes through days like this, but it's one of the hardest things ever for me.

This evening I was reading in 2 Corinthians, chapter 12. Paul starts out describing an amazing time he experienced with God, but immediately afterward he says...

"...in order to keep me from becoming conceited, 

I was given a thorn in my flesh,

a messenger of Satan, to torment me." 

(verse 7)

I don't like this verse. It's seriously messed up! Just when a believer is on a spiritual high, God allows a messenger of Satan to torment him. That don't seem right.

I've always heard that this thorn in Paul's flesh was a physical ailment of some kind. The bible doesn't specify exactly what it was, but this evening something occurred to me. It was a "messenger" of Satan. Messengers bring messages, don't they? And of course, a messenger of Satan would bring the kind of message that would torment a believer. Something like, "God has left you. God isn't speaking to you today. God is disappointed in you. Your prayers aren't getting through. You failed Him."

Those whispered lies and the feelings that accompany them are devastating to someone whose greatest desire is a close connection with God.

But, what if that messenger isn't such a bad thing? What if he's sent so that we might learn something. What if the torment was turned around, like switching the syllables in the word and...

the TORMENT - became a MENTOR

What if God is using it to strengthen our faith?

So, tomorrow morning when I get up, I'll pick up my Bible as usual. I'll pray. I'll worship and I'll expect God to show up. I'm sure He will, but if I can't sense His presence, I'll consider it a learning experience. I'll reject the lies of the messenger. I'll state truth, that God is right there with me, that He loves me beyond measure and I'll praise God for continuing to work me to make me stronger and more like Jesus, even if that means I go through a spiritual dry spell.

If you read the Psalms, you'll soon discover that David went through many days like this. Paul went through them, too. And Peter as well. It's a normal part of being a Christian. Our part is to stand strong in the truth and trust that before long, our feelings will follow.

If you would like more information about what to do when you're going through a dry spell or what they call "the dark night of the soul," I recommend this short (9 minutes, 30 seconds) message by Pastor John Piper called "What to Do When God Feels Distant."

Or this really short video from Francis Chan - "Do You Feel Distant from God?"

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Does God Miss You?

Most of us are familiar with Revelation 3:20, where Jesus said...

"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person and they with me." 

It's most often quoted in reference to an unbeliever opening the door to let Christ into their life, but what if that's not what Jesus was talking about?

If we read the verse in context, it's being written to a group of believers who have allowed their relationship with the Lord to become lukewarm. I imagine that involves seldom taking time to spend with Him in prayer and worship or seldom consulting Him for help or direction for their day.

Perhaps what Jesus is really saying is, "Hey, it's been a while and I miss you. Open the door and I'll come in and we can spend a little time together, maybe share a meal. You can tell me what's on your mind and heart and I can tell you what's on mine. I'd like to help you with anything that's bothering you if you will just open the door. Whadda ya say? Can we talk?"

How long has it been since you sat with the Lord and just had a good, long chat?

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