Broken Chains

Broken Chains

Pastor Nate recently painted a beautiful picture as he preached the unfiltered gospel on Easter.  It came after he read from Hebrews 9:12-14:

12 With his own blood—not the blood of goats and calves—he entered the Most Holy Place once for all time and secured our redemption forever. 13 Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer could cleanse people’s bodies from ceremonial impurity. 14 Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds[f] so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.

What great news!  Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from our sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God!  Did you know that your conscience must be clear so that you will come to God, when the enemy would have you believe that you can’t?  Satan wants to keep us trapped in our past when there was no way for us to get to God and no way out of the punishment that our sins produced.  BUT GOD…came down and took on the form of a man and became our substitute so that we could become the righteousness that only comes from Him.  Now that you’re righteous, according to Proverbs 4, your path will shine brighter and brighter!

Here’s the picture:  You were once dragging around the sins of your past like a ball and chain on your foot.  Jesus has BROKEN that chain and you’re no longer tied to your past.  Now, if you slip and fall, it’s not because your past has a hold on you and you can’t break free, because Jesus BROKE that chain of your past and it no longer has any hold on you.  If you slip and fall, get right back up because you’re on the path that shines brighter and brighter and you can now come with a clean conscience before the throne of God and receive all the mercy and grace you need to overcome in this life!

Turn from Indifference

Turn from Indifference

During our last Night of Worship on Wednesday night, I was standing closer to the back during praise and worship.  This was a different viewpoint than what I’m normally used to, and I was surprised to see a countenance of indifference across many faces.  I began to think how could we be in a place where God was and be/feel so indifferent to what’s actually going on.  I didn’t get too far down this rabbit tail before I knew the Holy Spirit was showing me that was the very state I was in.

I think we would all like to think that we’re never indifferent when it comes to the things of God, but our words, actions, and thoughts give us away.  I even found my thoughts wondering during that time in praise and worship and it made me think even harder about what has caused my indifference.   Unfortunately, there are a bevy of options in our everyday lives that have the potential to distract us and pull us off course just a hair.  When we don’t handle these distractions when they come up, then we’ll find ourselves dedicating more and more time to them with each passing day.  What’s more than that, if we don’t place an emphasis on spending time in God’s word and talking to Him each day, then distractions start to drown out the voice of our Help.  Eventually, instead of living to please God in all that we do, we find ourselves straddling the fence and are now on a path of indifference.  There is a verse in Revelation chapter three that speaks of this:

¹⁵ “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! ¹⁶ But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth! ¹⁷ You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked. ¹⁸ So I advise you to buy gold from me—gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. Also buy white garments from me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see. ¹⁹ I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference.

This passage makes it clear that it’s better to just be hot or cold then completely indifferent and straddling the fence.  If we’re honest with ourselves then I think we would agree as times of indifference in our lives are never fun or fruitful.  I want to encourage you today as Jesus did the church of Laodicea.  Be diligent and turn from your indifference.  God has been too good to me for me to ever act so flippantly about anything in my life concerning Him.  I purpose to be diligent in handling God’s word and communing with Him every day as my act of turning from this indifference in my life!

Firstfruits

Firstfruits

Seems like I've been camped on Firstfruits for some time now. I got another opportunity to learn. And to fail. But first things first!

I had an opportunity to cave to a temptation for me--a simple chocolate temptation. Well, it was only a temptation because I'd decided to live without it for a few weeks. Now, the bag of chocolates was less than a dollar so I ate it all. Simple. Right?

Here's my opportunity to learn. I thought back to being led to do without the chocolate. A decision that had not been hard at all. Until this day when I didn't really think about it too much. Just grabbed a chocolate treat. Then the word, "Firstfruits" came back to me. What did this have to do with Firstfruits?  Well, to me it's about honoring God and His Word FIRST. So I thought about grabbing the chocolates off the shelf, And I realized that I didn't even bother to think if I was honoring the Lord.

Then I thought about all the help Jesus Himself said I would need. Like the Helper, Counselor, Strengthener, Comforter, Intercessor, Advocate, Standby--the Holy Spirit. Right inside me to help anytime I ask. But I didn't ask. I didn't honor His help because I didn't honor Him, put Him first.

Finally, the Lord reminded me of the Kingdom Principle of being ruler over little before we becoming ruler over much.  I so desire the Holy Spirit's help when ministering to others--ministry only possible with His help. But if I don't honor the Holy Spirit's help when reaching for a bag of chocolate, how can I expect His anointing to flow when the stakes are much bigger?

Point is, at least for me, I need to learn to honor the Spirit in the little things that might seem insignificant if I want to be used to do the greater things. It's time. Thank God for His grace but I can never know what opportunities I'be missed while I've been slow to learn.  Pastor says honor is a matter of the heart. My heart had a checkup.