Sanctify

What does that word have to do w/ me? i hear it used often in church, and i know basically what it means, but there's more than i could've ever expected. i've just begun to research it and already i've fallen into a gigantic abyss of knowledge thru the Scriptures. Webster: 1.) to set apart to a sacred purpose or to a religious use. 2.) to free from sin 3.) to make productive of holiness or piety

Yesterday i was reading in John 17 where Jesus is praying for His disciples. "Sanctify them by Your truth; Your word is truth." {vs. 17} Again i'm brought to a deeper understanding of the Scriptures, and how i need to be continually focused on them: bind them to my forehead, write them on my mirror, know them inside and out.

Jesus is talking with Paul when he says this: "I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me. {Acts 26:17-18}

"It is God's will that you are sanctified." {1 Thess. 4:3}

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Spiritual Warfare

Those words are typically not spoken in the Methodist church. Why? Jesus dealt with Satan on a regular basis. Even before people knew what amazing power Jesus possessed, he went into the desert where he fasted for 40 days. After fasting He was tempted by satan. We can read about the situation in Luke 4:1-13, Mark 1:12-13, & Matt. 4:1-11.

First off, Jesus was lead by the Holy Spirit to the desert. Jesus had fasted for 40 days and he was very hungry. Satan attacks Him when he is lacking strength. Ever feel like you just can't handle any more, and then the bottom seems to fall out of your current situation? Probably that's how Jesus was feeling about this time, even though fasting usually brings deeper insight and clarity to our understanding.

Satan's attack comes in the form of testing to see if Jesus will use His God-given abilities to fulfill a selfish need (the desire to eat bread). Jesus brilliantly uses Scripture to flee the temptation. Jesus confirms that man does not live on bread (physical) alone, but on the Word of God (spiritual). This signifies that we should also realize the importance of living on the Word of God for our survival.

Satan secondly tempts Jesus to rescue Himself from bodily injure by jumping off a tall building. Satan twisted Scripture in order to get Jesus to fall into his hands, but Jesus wisely used Scripture to clarify it's meaning. By this we can learn that satan knows God's Word, and can use it for his benefit. We need to be wise about not using the Bible as our scapegoat for testing God.

And thirdly, satan attempts to get Jesus to bow down and worship him. Satan tells Jesus that he'll give Him dominion over the world if He bows down. Jesus had had enough at this point and says, "Away from me satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only'." Then satan left Him, and some angels came to uphold Him.

After reading this passage i thought about those angels which are mentioned briefly. They came after all this tempting was complete. I bet they were rejoicing all the way through this situation. Each time Jesus would open His mouth, He tore satan's pride down a little further. Not sure if Jesus could speak with the angels, but if He could, that would've been quite the conversation.

This is what Spiritual Warfare is really about: Us recognizing when satan is tempting us and our ability to wisely use Scripture to fend him off.

Similarities in Scripture

Hezekiah ~ "Remember, O Lord, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes." {2 Kings 20:3}

Timothy ~ The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. {1 Tim. 1:5}

Solomon ~ "And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve Him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever." {1 Chron. 28:9}

Overcoming Temptation

"What a surge of hope and adrenaline to know that because I have chosen to follow Christ, I am a victor in the only game that really matters." ~ Lucinda Secrest McDowell

"Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. {Galatians 5:24}

"I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." {Galatians 2:20}

"Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature." {Romans 13:14}

"Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature." [Colossians 3:5}

Spiritual Work

So, what does the Holy Spirit do? This has been my question all morning. I keep thinking about what I've experienced of the Holy Spirit and what the Bible says about Him. So far these scriptures have jumped out at me.

• "But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you." {John 14:17}

It's interesting to me that Jesus told the disciples that the Holy Spirit was with them, and that they would be filled with Him. Probably they didn't realize the significance of this statement at the time it was spoken. And now we know about Penecost and the wonder of what took place when the Holy Spirit descended upon them.
• "But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you."{John 14:26}
  The very next verse say, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." After hearing Jesus tell the disciples that he would not be with them much longer, he preceded to let them know that the Holy Spirit would come in His place. He also tried to reassure them to not be afriad, but instead have peace. There's a challenge and a half! Their leader was predicting his death which meant these guys would need to step up and fill His shoes. How could they not be afraid? Because Jesus wasn't leaving them alone; He was giving them the Holy Spirit.
• "When He comes, He will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment." {John 16:8}
  Conviction: "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death." {2 Cor. 7:10}
• "But when He, the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to Me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you." John 16:13-14}
• "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." {Acts 1:8}
  

Open Letter Living

"You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts." {2 Cor. 3:3}

My thoughts today have been focused toward living by the Spirit. We hear statements all the time about being "Spirit-filled" or "Living in the Spirit" or "Motivated by the Holy Spirit". But what does this all mean?

I wish i knew more about this topic.

• "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?" {1 Cor 3:16}


• "So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature." {Gal. 5:16}


• "And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit." {Eph 2:22}

Complaining to God

Jeremiah 20 is a complaint from Jeremiah. He feels that God has deceived Him by not carrying out the destruction which Jeremiah so boldy has been proclaiming. Jeremiah had been doing exactly what God intented him to do, and yet Jeremiah didn't feel he was being rewarded according to his conduct. He was expecting something different from God, and now he was frustrated.

I love this prayer of Jeremiah. Often i feel that I've been doing God's will, and yet my life seems to be a wreck. Jeremiah was getting insulted because what he was preaching was NOT coming to pass. So, Jeremiah decided to not speak the word of God to these people. In verse 9 we see the consequence. "His word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, i cannot." When Jeremiah decided to hide his faith under a bushel, God had a different plan. He got a severe case of "heartburn". He needed to do what God had instructed him, or he too would come to ruin, just like the people to whom he was preaching.

"O Lord Almighty, you who examine the righteous and probe the heart and mind, let me see your vengeance upon them, for to you I have committed my cause." {Jer. 20:12} Jeremiah is crying out to see some results. Have I cried out lately for God to move so that i can see the results? YES, I HAVE! I seem to pray diligently for St. Paul to have a renewed affection for the Holy Spirit. To walk in step with Him. For their eyes to be opened to their hard-heartedness. For people to turn from their pride, and be sensitive to the feelings of others. For passion of the Holy Spirit to descend upon this church, which is to be called a house of God. It's pretty sad when we can only gather 5 people to pray on Sunday mornings for the faith of our church. Those are my prayers, my pleas, my requests for God to move in miraculous ways. I, too, want to see the Lord move. Just like Jeremiah with his terrible case of heartburn, so i refuse to be silent, but i refuse to open my mouth to complain to others.

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be giiven to you as well. {Matt. 6:33}

Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. {Prov. 16:3}

Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and He will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. {Ps. 37:5-6}

I desire to see Him restore me and St. Paul back to Himself.

Solitude

If i could write a poem, today it would be about "Christian solitude". Really there's no such thing since we Christians claim, "The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged." {Deut. 31:8} I know this claim is true, because i have experienced it every day of my life.

But there are times when i need a break from people, things, places, etc. Sometimes i wish i could have an out-of-body experience, just so that i wouldn't have to deal with my reality. That sounds pretty severe, but my heart cries out for escape some times.

Isn't it wonderful how God truly looks out for us and fulfills our every longing? At those moments when i want to run and hide, He provides me with the words and wisdoms i need to survive with joy. As i flipped open my Bible this morning, a prompting came over me to read Psalm 42. The first 2 verses caught me like a trap. "As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?" All these feelings which i've had about "escaping" come to rest in the reality that i'm missing my God. Things in life seem hectic, dull and useless because my source of Living Water has been cut off. Once I regain my focus, and exchange my physical hunger for my spiritual hunger. At that moment all my fears come to rest in the "shadow of the Almighty".

Resting in the Shadow

On my drive to work this morning, this verse came to mind, "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty." {Ps. 91:1} It amazes me how swiftly one's mind can work so early in the morning. My head got swamped with questions concerning this verse; questions such as, "Doesn't it seem like an oxy-moron to say 'rest in the shadow'? Are not shadow usually dark and dreary place?" (Well, i suppose they are if you're speaking of any shadow other than the Lord Almighty's.) "What does it take to dwell in God's shelter?" (My mind wandered to Ps. 24:4 'He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false.') "Who is worthy to dwell?" ("Because he loves me," says the LORD , "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name." {Ps. 91:14} Those who love Him are worthy, because they acknowledge His name.) "What does it mean to 'dwell'?" (Webster: 1. to remain for a time 2. to live as a resident 3. to keep the attention directed) "When is the last time i know i was dwelling in His shelter?" (As i was pondering these thoughts, i know i was being lead by the Spirit.)

Dwell in Me

"Those who obey His commands live in Him, and He in them. And this is how we know that He lives in us: We know it by the Spirit He gave us." ~1 John 3:24
"Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me." ~John 15:4

Again i'm faced with the truth that my passion in obey Christ's commands demonstrates my love for Him. I want to dwell richly in Him, because i know that's where my more-than-perfect life flourishes.

Fact: by the Spirit's dwelling in my spirit, i know that Christ lives in me. Well, in that case, why do i spend so little time and effort discovering what He's saying? Guess i better get my priorities in line.

My desire is for others to come to understand Christ's love for them, and the grace which He offers to all. So, to accomplish this goal i must figure out how to achieve it.

Remain in Christ (i can do nothing without Him)

Be Passionate About Obeying The Law

how can this be? how can the writer of Psalm 119 state, "My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times," {vs. 20} and again, "I rejoice in following Your statutes (laws) as one rejoices in great riches." {vs. 14}

then i find the answer to my question in verses 33 & 34. "Teach me, O Lord, to follow Your decrees; then I will keep them to the end. Give me understanding, and I will keep Your law and obey it with all my heart." this writer is praying for passion. it's not on his own strength that he relies, but on the mercy of God.

my feeble prayer: "Oh, that my ways were steadfast in obeying Your decrees!"

my heart's prayer: "Please give understanding so that i keep Your law and obey it with my whole heart."

Loving Others

"Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us." 1 John 3:18-20a
i find it very interesting that John chooses to say that we should love with actions, and not just words. Often i find myself criticizing others way too much with my words, and treating them kindly when i'm in person. Nothing like being 2-faced! Well, i suppose that i'm condemn either way, and so i must again return to Christ for a spiritual cleansing of my mind and tongue, as well as my actions.

Vacation

It's an interesting thing, especially when you vacation at your parent's house. So far it's been good. Visit many family and friends, shopped, and visited more people. That's about it.

Smelliness

This morning when i put gas in the car I seemed to stepped in some gas which had spilled from a previous filler. The stench from my shoes is nearly nauseating at times, and there's just no denying that i stink. As my nose is filled with the odor, my mind is filled with passages which speak of scents. These are just a few which spark my attention.

"All day long I have held out my hands to an obstinate people, who walk in ways not good... Such people are smoke in my nostrils, a fire that keeps burning all day." Is. 65:2, 5 I've not had smoke up my nose all day, but the stench from my shoes is enough to know that He is irritated by my "not-so-good ways".
Now my heart is moved to understand the passion that Jesus has for me. All day long He holds out His hand for me... And what do i do? Too many times I turn away by not acknowledging Him, denying Him, etc. If only my heart was completely set on desiring His will for my life...

"For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing." 2 Cor. 2:15 I can only imagine that the smell of Christ is pleasing to our Father. Isn't it great to know that even through our struggles, we still are pleasing to God?

Surrender

My thoughts lately have been focused around surrendering my will to God's. 2 verses have given me encouragement and reason to pray. These are the verses. Jer. 18:6 "Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand", and Ps. 40:8 "I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart."

Nothing like holy conviction to draw me to my knees by surrendering my will to His. I don't always want to do what He wants me to do, but i'm convince that when i surrender, life always seems to be better than when i do things "my way, right a way!"