Carrying my Chains

There are so many chains that hold us back and bind us up.  Everyone's chains are different at different times of their lives, in an effort to keep them from being truly free and unhindered by what surrounds them.  Here are some of the chains that bind me at times, maybe you have also carried their weight.

Anxiety

FEAR

Rebellion

CONFUSION

Melancholy

The chains are constricting, life sucking.  They hold you back from leaping into life and love.  They make you nervous and unsure of yourself and who you really are.  They are not godly and if you truly want to live life the way God intended; they have to go.  Identifying the chains is easy it's what comes next that is so hard....

When you know Jesus, you simply ask him to break the chains that bind you.  He literally sets us free by breaking the chains that bind us, loosening the hold they have over our lives.  Just getting to that point can be hard, because if you ask for help you are weak right?  Need a crutch to get through life?  I have learned to get over that.  I ask for help easily, because I know that trying to break those chains in my own strength will only get me more tangled and bound.

However...

Even after we are set free from our chains we can still choose to carry them around.  You heard me. What's binding us is broken and we have a choice to be free, but we choose to carry around the chain.  It drags heavy and weighs us down but we hold onto it because in an odd and disconcerting way, it has become comfortable and famliar to us to be fearful, to rebel, to be confused, to be a bit down.  So instead of casting that chain off completely and diving back into life, we hang back with what we know, giving that chain another opportunity to draw tight once again. 

I know.

I've been there.

I'm still doing it,

but that doesn't make it right.

You see Jesus makes a way, but we still have the choice to live in bondage, or in the fullness of life.

So today I have asked God to break the chains once again and I am casting those chains off, because they are holding me back, stopping me from doing things I love. Holding me back from reaching my goals and restricting me from loving those around me like I should.

I don't have time for chains with what we have to face in the next few months.  I am gong to need every bit or strength I have and then some. Goodbye chains, hello freedom.

Stand Your Ground

First we have to know who we are in Christ-Put on Your Tiara

Then we have to fight-Pick Up Your Sword

Finally, we have to stand our ground!

Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.(Ephesians 6:13)


Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong.(1 Corinthians 16:13)

After we have done all that God asks of us, we must stand firm in victory.  It is in victory, that we let our guard down.  It is in victory, that the enemy of pride comes in to tempt us.  It is in pride, that we will fall.  Picture it in your minds eye, you have battled long and hard, and God has given you the victory.  You are weary, battle wounded, and long for rest.  And rest you should, but there is something you need to do before you rest.  You need to praise God!  You need to sing his praises and give Him all of the glory.  If you win the battle, and forget to hand over the prize to the champion, you will be cut down by pride.  This is not an easy word to hear.  We like to take the honour. We like to hear people say:

Her faith has got her through 

She has overcome every obstacle.

You deserve all the good things you have coming to you, because you persevered.

If we let these praises rest in our hearts, they grow and bloom into the weed of pride.  Make sure you give all of the honor to the One who got you through, the One who overcame every obstacle, and the One who gave your strength to persevere.

It is here that we draw the line in the sand for the enemy and declare in victory:

This far and no further!  This ground belongs to Jesus.  All glory and honour to Him.

This the place where we can rest.  This is the place where we have taken the ground for the King.  

..but remember even a city in victory does not let down it's guard...

Learning How To Rest

I don't remember exactly when it happened.  It was in my teens that I became aware of it.  The fact that if I was not busy, then I must be lazy.  I think it kind of meshes well with today's lifestyle.  We get up, and go go go, until we drop into a chair at the end of the day exhausted. While there is some sort of satisfaction in having done a hard days work, I can honestly say there are many days that I get to the end and say, "Wow, I'm exhausted and I don't even know what I achieved today."  There seems to be so much emphasis on being all we can be, having all we can have, and doing all we can do, that the essential element of rest has been lost.  Now rest is seen as indulgent, a bit naughty and even sinful, when God never intended it to be. 

I will share two exciting tidbits from the bible about rest that may help to frame this thought.

...And evening passed and morning came, marking the first day.(Genesis 1:3)

When God separated darkness from light, the evening came first.  The time of rest came first, then followed by the day.  This amazed me.  I thought that day came first and then the night.  Instead evening was the first, a time of rest and refreshment, followed by the new day.  We must rest and be ready to for each new day and the challenges that come with it.

Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples. Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” (Matthew 8:23-25)

Even in the midst of the storm Jesus rested. I absolutely love this passage.  It is crazy!  The boat is about to capsize and Jesus is sound asleep.  Can you imagine the noise, the rocking, the water drenching through to your skin?  I don't know about you, but I wouldn't be sleeping.
We cannot allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by our circumstances.  Jesus knew who he was, he knew who his Father was, and so he kept his eyes and heart firmly fixed on the one who orders his days.  We do ourselves no favours; running ourselves down and trying to get through our 'to do lists'.  We need to start living with purpose and peace, not for process and product.  When the world around us starts getting demanding, we have to learn to shift our focus back to our God.  We must rest in Him, and live our daily lives with purpose and satisfaction, not to complete tasks, but to please God.  Not only will our weary bodies then find the rest they need, but it also strips away the pride of 'getting it all done'.

So I am still learning how to rest.  It is not easy, but Jesus is a patient teacher.  The two things I must continually remember are:

1. Rest before Action

2. We must know who we are in Jesus, and keep our heart beating as one with his.

Then we will find perfect rest, in the day to day tasks of our lives, and  even in the midst of the most ferocious of tempests.

Swallowing Sin

This was not an easy post to write.  It was more difficult than most because it speaks of sin and no one wants to hear about sin today.  Sin is seen to be negative and uninspiring, so often talking about it, is swept under the rug along with the truth, in fear of offending somebody. In fact it's unlikely that I will get many comments on this post due to it's message.

Did you know that carrying around sin is toxic?  Carrying around sin is like swallowing a bitter pill.  It spreads throughout your system quickly causing chaos in spirit, soul, and body.

Spirit (Faith, Hope and Love- Our most inner being which connects with God.)
When you are born again, and a child of God, Jesus has freed you from the bondage of sin.  However the choices you make determine how you will live.  Holy Spirit guides you, but if you choose to walk outside His counsel, your hearing will become clouded and your spirit darkened as you move away from light and truth.  People often say 'God can't hear my prayers' or 'I don't hear God's voice'.  Remember back to the last time you did hear him clearly.  Did you do what he asked? If not, you may find that disobedience could be causing the dull hearing.  He hasn't left you but you may have left him.

And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.(Romans 8:2)

But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) (Romans 8:9)

Soul  (Our imagination, memory, reason and emotions)
Our soul is a battleground.  We long to live as Holy Spirit guides us and yet we struggle with the day to day tasks that are put before us.  This is why knowing God's Word is vital.  The truths contained therein are not suggestions, they are essential to you making the right decisions.  Choices that will both honour God and prosper your soul.

Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. (1 Peter 2:11)

So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. (Romans 8:6)

But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. (Romans 7:23)

Body (Our soul and spirit's current home)
The body is where all of the telltale signs of sin manifest.  And often is is through the pain our bodies feel that we are alerted to the imbalance within.  The aim is to recognise sin in our soul before it becomes reality in our bodies.  As Paul so aptly puts it " Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.(Romans 12:2)

And Christ lives within you, so even though your body will die because of sin, the Spirit gives you life because you have been made right with God. (Romans 8:10)

When I refused to confess my sin,my body wasted away,and I groaned all day long.(Psalm 32:3)

Because of your anger, my whole body is sick;my health is broken because of my sins.(Psalm 38:3)

Here is an example from my life in the past week:

Diagnosis:
I notice that I have really tense shoulders and the beginnings of a migraine headache. Holy Spirit reminds me that I have been worrying about all of the things I need to do and get done.  I realise that I have been sleeping with tension in my shoulders, not able to sleep because my mind won't rest.  My mind is a part of my soul, which is under a barrage of thoughts that do not originate with God but with my own desire to get the job done.  I have effectively walked away from God and chosen to do things my own way.  The origin of my pain is sin.

Remedy
The remedy is not Asprin alone.  I need to get to the root of the problem, confess my rebellion, spend some time with God, ask for his peace and direction and place everything back in his hands.  I need to control my mind and trust God.

Result
The result is more sleep, relaxed shoulders, a pain free head and a heart full of peace, knowing that I am in the will of God.

All illness is a result of sin, the original sin in the garden of Eden. Before then, there was no illness.  I am not saying that all of the pain and disease in our life is a direct result of our personal sin, Jesus never said that.  In fact when he healed the blind man, he shot that suggestion down in flames. 

What I am suggesting is that we begin to take responsibility for our sin.  Ask God's specific forgiveness and let him cover us with his love and grace.  Not only will it draw us closer to him but it may allow us to walk a life that is less of a slave to sin, and more a life of victory that God intended us to have.

Are you ready to walk in victory?  I know I am

No I can't jump like this.  But you get the idea, right?

Five Mice and One Blind Woman

Last night we caught five mice in our trap.  I must admit I was shocked.  I knew we had one or two, but not five!  We are having a small plague at the moment due to the rain and now the cooler weather.  They had been frustrating me for weeks but we finally found out where they were hiding and caught them all overnight.  I do not like having mice indoors. They leave their tell tale signs all around the house, their smelly little calling cards.  They munch through wrappers to get to food and it unnerves me to see them scamper across the room while I type on the computer.

Sin is just like these mice you know.  Sin comes in quietly, sneaks in while you are not looking and makes itself at home, out of your sight.  But while you slumber, on the sly it begins to eat at you, a nibble here a nibble there, not so you notice too much, but it frustrates you. Then you start to notice the mess, the damage that it is doing in you life.  You may snap at a loved one, you may be worrying, tired, stressed and worn.  And then suddenly you realise what is wrong, there is something that has been left unchecked.  Something that has been let in and not dealt with.  Something that has been trying to get past you by being in the background but is really causing much damage. And not only that but soon it multiplies, just like the mice.

 I for one have had enough of these mice. Enough is enough I say!  I am taking care of you this minute.  The traps are set.  No longer will I ignore the little concerns on my heart.  I will take them to God and let Him deal with them, no matter how small they may seem. 

I wonder if you will pray for me over the next little while.  I have many new things happening in the next month or two.  I am speaking on the radio about Sam's Heart, I am attending a conference and speaking at one too.  I am doing magazine articles and speaking with and sharing with many poeple about Sam's Heart.  There are far to many "I"'s in this paragraph for my liking. Help me to keep my mind and heart focused on God.  These are all things that I have not done before and I know God will equip me to do what He has asked. I guess I would ask for his protection, guidance and wisdom to do all he has called me to do, so that he may be glorified. 

PS.   Sam now weighs 11.5kg.  Praise God with me!