Day 95 – Locked up? (Galatians)

We enjoy great freedoms as Christians and as Americans, yet we act like prisoners.  What has you enslaved?  Fear, debt, sin, regret, love, career, church, kids, pride, vanity, sports?  Is there something in your life that ensnares your joy, silences your witness, or consumes your thoughts?  Paul writes, “For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1)

The Galatians, once full of faith and fire for Christ during Paul’s visit, have slipped.  They became vulnerable to false teachings and began circumcisions again.  Paul reminds them that “…a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ.” (Galatians 2:16)  There is no need to go back to meeting the requirements of the law.  Jesus replaced the law.  In fact, doing acts, like circumcision, for the purpose of justification is an insult to Jesus’ great sacrifice. 

Whether it is a vulnerable moment in faith or a blatant sin, we must walk alongside one another to pick the other up after a fall or to hold up our sister as her knees are weak.  Recently, in the early morning hours, I was exchanging text messages with a friend.  I shared with her that I couldn’t sleep and had been up reading information on recurrent lymphomas which only served to upset me.  “Statistically-it’s not good,” I wrote.  Having a similar personal experience herself, my friend wrote back, “What did u tell me about mans calculations versus Gods?! Shut down computer!”  I wanted to write back, It’s not nice to use someone’s words against them, but I knew she was right.  I needed to be reminded that my faith is in God, not man or myself.  My fears had locked up my faith. 

Paul expressly instructs us about caring for one another’s faith.  “Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.” (Galatians 6:1)  Paul is saying that when you are spiritually strong, you need to fill the gap for your sister in Christ.  Lift her up, redirect her, and pray for her.  Do this without judgment but in gentleness and love.  If she is sinning, pray with her and for her to be freed from this sin.  Don’t stand on the sideline condemning her.  “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2)  Though we can’t take on the sin of another like Jesus did, we can follow his example by praying for release from sin for our sister, forgiving her when her behavior harms us, and loving her despite her treatment of us.  Otherwise, Satan has an open invitation to imprison you with pride (at least I’m not as bad as her) or bitterness (her behavior was unforgivable).

In my friend’s gentle reminder, I could see that my fears are small and fleeting compared to my faith.  My faith can’t be bound for long.  Christ has set me free…I will not submit to the yoke of slavery – to sin, to fear, or to Satan.

My prayer today:

Jesus, thank you for the freedom you offered me.  I find myself “doing time” with my fears and with my sins needlessly.  Forgive me for failing to “stand firm” on the freedom you secured for me.  Help me to gently redirect my sisters when their faith weakens and to love them back to you when they sin.  Help us to bear one another’s burdens and become more like you.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen

Add a comment August 24, 2010

Day 81 – Liar, liar, pants on fire! (John)

Spiritual battles are not just fought over the unsaved, though Satan is vigorously waging war for them.  Satan is still interested in Christians.  Not for our souls, as Jesus has already claimed us.  Satan is  busy crafting new and innovative ways of bringing us down, attacking our character, destroying our families, and eliminating our influence.  We are infantry for Christ unless Satan can wound us, pulling us from battle.

“…the devil…was a murderer from the beginning, and he has nothing to do with truth, because there is no truth in him.  When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44)  Satan uses lies to distract us, deceive us, and destroy us.  He often uses our sinful tendencies against us but very subtly (at first).  Have you ever made a decision to stop doing something and then found yourself doing it again?  There’s a good chance that if you traced it back, it started very small and innocent. 

Adultery is an easy example to follow of Satan’s simple attack.  At first, you just enjoy having random conversations with your co-worker during your normal shift.  After some time, you start to seek one another out to talk about your lives.  Then, you decide to go to lunch with one another.  Soon, you seek other opportunities to spend time together like work-related training, team projects, after-hours work.  It seems perfectly harmless, but Satan is slowly and surely making you more comfortable with the growing intimacy in your conversations and incidental physical contact.  Once the heart desires a deeper relationship, Satan is using every opportunity to promote adultery.  Once adultery has occurred, the circumstances are ripe for TWO destroyed families, TWO destroyed reputations, loss of influences for Christ, and greater influence for Satan among the extended persons watching and experiencing the meltdown of these lives (family members, friends, co-workers, neighbors, church members etc).

Satan can and will influence the desires of your heart.  Faith in Christ does not protect your heart from Satan’s attack.  “…the devil had already put in into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray [Jesus]…” (John 13:3)  Judas was a disciple!  Judas was one of Jesus’ companions who had the lucky opportunity to be with Jesus physically and learn from Jesus first hand.  If Judas, with all of those advantages, was subject to Satan’s influence, how much more are we at risk?

For you, adultery may not be an issue, but what is?  You can be sure that Satan knows your weakness.  As Christians, we need to acknowledge our sins and shortcomings, ask God to forgive us and strengthen us against their hold in our lives, and guard against Satan wielding those weapons against us.  Memorize scripture related to your weakness, recite it in times of struggle, pray for protection, share your struggle with a trusted Christian friend who will pray for you, and be a soldier for Christ!

My prayer today:

Whew!  Lord, the fighting can be fierce!  Thank you for the tools you’ve given me to fight against Satan’s attacks.  Give me strength through Bible study, prayer, and Christian fellowship.  Forgive me for my sins, and thank you for releasing me from their bondage.  Help me to be a warrior for you, Lord, through my character, behavior, and transparency.  Thank you for loving me despite my losing record.  Amen

Add a comment August 10, 2010

Day 76 – It’s not that bad! (Mark)

I think I become desensitized to my own sins.  When I think about sins like gossip, stealing time from my employer, or letting my thoughts linger on inappropriate things, I realize that it becomes “okay” over time.  I feel guilty at first, but after doing it a few times with no negative consequences, I become comfortable with the behavior.  I take comfort in knowing others are doing it too (sometimes with me).  Unfortunately, sin is sin, no matter how well I’ve adjusted to it or how trivial it seems.

In Mark 7:23, Jesus addresses sin from the heart.  “‘Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from the outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?’ (Thus he declared all foods clean.)  And he said, ‘What comes out of a person is what defiles him.  For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness.  All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.’”  One could argue that the heart drives our words, thoughts, and actions.  In that case, we must guard and guide our heart through our choices.

Sin is so serious that Jesus states, “And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off.  It is better for you to enter life crippled than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire.  And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off…and if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out.  It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell…” (Mark 9:43-47)  Jesus is addressing major gateways to sin – the eyes which covet and commit adultery – the hands which steal and murder – the feet which carry us to places of sin to meet up with other sinners.  God made me perfectly with 2 eyes, 2 hands and feet, and 10 fingers and toes, but Jesus is saying it is better to be deformed or disabled than to allow oneself to commit sin.  We must see sin, in all its forms, as defective, dangerous, and disgusting – something that we cannot tolerate to have in or on us.

Can it get worse than needing to lob off a limb?  YES!  ”Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.” (Mark 9:42)  As a Christian, if you cause another to sin, the punishment will be so severe that you will wish you were drowned!  Suddenly, a little gossip seems a lot more serious.  My “misdemeanor” sins are death-penalty eligible.  Scalpel, please? 

My prayer today:

Lord, first, change my heart.  It is the “heart” of my sinful, evil nature.  My heart can be so generous, patient, loving, and selfless when I choose to fill it with scripture, godly company, and prayer.  On the other hand, it can be hard, cruel, careless, and complete self-centered when I allow it free reign.  Help me to nurture the fruit of the spirit, rely on the Holy Spirit for guidance, and look to Jesus’ example to model how I should use my heart, eyes, hands, and feet.  Forgive me, Lord, for all of my sins – those of commission and of omission.  Amen

Add a comment August 3, 2010