Actions Reveal True Beliefs

I was working on something rather mindless the other day, and a great truth struck me in one of those precious “aha!” moments. I’ve said it before and thought it before, but I don’t think my mind had yet been completely renewed in this knowledge.

The simple fact is, our actions reveal what we really believe. We can say we believe something, hope we believe something, want to believe something, pray to believe something, etc., but we don’t really, truly believe it until our actions prove that we do.

I believe that the ground is solid and that when I step on it, the law of gravity will keep me from flying into space. I don’t have to rationalize it or analyze it or reflect on it logically. I step on the ground without even thinking about it because I believe so strongly in its strength. That is the way the renewing of the mind works. God transforms the deepest part of our hearts by His Spirit and His truth, and pretty soon we don’t have to try so hard to live the way we think He wants us to, because it just happens naturally, like stepping on solid ground.

For many years, I had set myself on a sort of a self-righteous pedestal, thinking that instead of going to church to receive from God, I would go to church to give to God. Looking back now, I realize that this is another example of how the battle is to see, not to do. I recognize now, because of God's speaking to me through the ministry of our church and John Piper, that we can't give to God. Everything is His already and He holds it all together by His own power and glory. He is absolutely supreme over all of life. May His glorious name be praised forever!

What I didn't realize before that I am so grateful to realize now, is that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him. He wants us to go to Him with open hearts, open minds, open hands, seeking to receive from Him. To receive His blessing, His conviction, His presence, His guidance and help, and an ever-increasing revelation of His power, glory and supremacy. When we crave Him far above anything this life has to offer and He is the supreme source of all joy and contentment in our lives, when we seek for and allow His Spirit to fill us and flow through us, then all that He has placed us here to do begins to happen naturally, easily, effortlessly, and with happiness. Praise God!

One of the most useful lessons I've learned is how to recognize and hate covetousness. I hadn't realized before just what it was or how damaging it is when we give in to it. We've all felt it. I think kids struggle with it in varying degrees multiple times per day, at least my kids do.

You know that feeling when you're driving or walking down the street and you see a beautiful home or a spiffy car and think to yourself, "Now why can't I ever have something like that?" Or you know a couple whose relationship is exactly what you think you want, and you begin to long for a relationship just like it and feel sorry for yourself when your own relationship(s) pale in comparison? Or you see a church that is growing by leaps and bounds and every ministry appears to be flourishing, and it causes you to be dissatisfied with your own church home if it doesn't happen to be growing in the same way or at the same speed? I believe that when those desires become inappropriate, when they cause us to be jealous, bitter, angry and/or to feel sorry for ourselves, we are sinning in covetousness.

So what is the antedote? If covetousness is the inappriate longing for something we don't have, then the natural antidote to it is to be grateful for and focus on what we do have. Thanksgiving. Honoring God for Who He is and where He's lead us. Trusting Him and being satisfied in Him. We have GOD the Holy Spirit living inside us (wow!!), and the promise of a heaven that far outweighs any earthly pleasure or accomplishment. How dare we sink into disappointment and dispair? Let's set our eyes on Him and seek Him for a fresh outpouring of His Spirit in our lives, relationships and churches. May He be forever glorified by all that we say and do.

We are where we are for a REASON! Not because we made a mistake or took a wrong turn somewhere. God moves and works through everything and anything. Our desires, our mistakes, our decisions, our inadequacies, and - miracle of miracles! - even our sin... May our eyes be opened to see what God wants us to learn from where we are right now, and to value what is truly valuable, and let go of all that is worthless.

A Simple but Life-changing Statement

I was reading John Piper the other day and came across a short, simple but incredibly profound statement that has provided much food for thought in recent days.

Here it is:

"The battle is not to do, but to see."

This struck me at the very core, and as I was pondering why, this is what I came up with. I believe that the Holy Spirit enlightened my mind and enabled me to grasp just a little bit of what this really means

Why is the battle to see rather than to do? Because when we see God, really SEE Him, as beautiful, merciful, gracious, righteous, fun, exciting, and the answer to every question and every problem and every need, we cannot HELP but love Him more than anything. The more we really see Him and know Him, the more we will value what He values, the more we will enjoy Him, and the more we will hunger for more of Him and greatly desire to experience ever-deepening revelations of Him and His nature and His character. The more we know Him, the more we SEE His greatness and inestimable value, the more His Spirit will fill us and move in us, and all of the actions that mirror His presence in our lives will flow from us naturally, easily, and effortlessly, for His glory and for the blessing of everyone around us.

Actions like:

Reading the Bible with joy and hunger and gratitude, instead of out of obligation.

Spending time with our loved ones instead of wasting it on mindless, fleeting and empty pursuits.
Valuing and appreciating all that God has trusted us with and being committed to using those precious gifts wisely.

I pray that God will continue to open our eyes to see all that is worthy to be seen, and close them to everything that does not honor Him.

(photo from an email)

He Will Work All Things Together For Our Good!

Something else that I think about more now than I ever have before is the Supremacy of Christ. He is supreme over everything and everyone. No words can describe it, but I will spend the rest of my life digging deeper into the riches of the Supremacy of God's Glory. (I know that I have just barely scratched the surface of this life-changing treasure store of truth, and I'm so excited to learn more...)

One aspect of this relates to the emotions of fear, frustration and discouragement. I believe with my whole heart that the more intimately we know God, the more clearly we will see Him, and the less we will experience these three emotions.

Pastor Lee spoke a message this summer regarding fear, and near the end of the message he said that fear is selfish and it sets the enemy in motion. Faith is the opposite of fear and God moves in response to it. Whenever I find myself heading towards fear of anything - loss, injury, pain, confrontation, etc - I remember Joshua and Caleb, who didn't see the giants in the land as threats to be feared, but saw instead God's power, love and mercy revealed through His promises to deliver the land into their hand. I want to be a Joshua as I face every challenge of this life.

We all face giants every day, and God is absolutely supreme over all of them. And He has already promised that He causes everything to work together for the good of those who love Him. So I believe that if we are feeling fear, frustration or discouragement, it's because our eyes are focused on the problem instead of on our great Problem Solver.

(photo from the internet)

There's so much to say, and so little time, and I really don't want to write a huge blog entry that'll take an hour to read, so I'm trying to decide what to write about -- which one of the marvelous things I've learned in the last couple of months. Indecision has caused me not to write at all, and that's not going to happen anymore, if I can help it.

The most important and life-changing concept that God has revealed to me is that He is my all-satisfying Treasure. John Piper said that God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him, and this simple statement revolutionized my thinking. I found it at a time when I was struggling with sin and desiring inappropriate things. I was looking to other things to satisfy the needs of my heart, instead of going to the One True Source of happiness, joy, peace, satisfaction, enjoyment, fun, excitement, beauty, value, worth, acceptance and appreciation.

Everything in my life is so much brighter, clearer and more passionate, because I recognize, more than ever, the Value of the One Who gives it all to us and holds it all together. The rest of my life will be dedicated to knowing Him more intimately, appreciating Him more fully, and loving Him more supremely. By His grace and for His glory, may every single cell of my body and every aspect of myself be made an instrument of righteousness.

Wow, it's been a long time since I've written here. So why am I writing again? Because God has shown me again how important it is for us to remember where we've been... The lessons He has taught us, the mistakes we've made that we don't want to repeat, the way God has miraculously saved us from our own stupidity time and time again...

I have just come through what I consider to be a spiritual battle of epic proportions, at least in my own life. I want to remember and preserve where I went and what got me there and how God got me out of it, because I don't ever want to go there again.

Feelings: an expanding understanding...

All my life I thought feelings were something that happened to you because of the circumstances around you. Until a few years ago when our pastor's wife taught us a very simple concept. Instead of circumstances (A) equalling feelings (C), it's actually circumstances (A) plus our belief about those circumstances (B) that equals our feelings (C). So instead of looking like this A=C, the equation is really A+B=C.

For instance, when that family lost their 5 children in a car accident a while back, most people in that same situation would have been devestated to the point of not wanting to continue living. But because of their strong faith and belief that God is always good and that He brings good out of every situation that He allows, they made it through that time without being completely devestated. They were sad and grieving, of course, but they were still able to love and forgive and find deep and abiding joy and peace.

Not long after learning about the A+B=C equation, God revealed something else to me that's very important and was life-changing for me. The fact is, we are responsible for our own feelings. Our feelings do not control us, and the people around us do not control our feelings. In most circumstances, we are free to choose our own feelings. This helped me out a lot in my marriage. Whenever I would feel hurt, angry or frustrated, I would remember that I didn't have to feel those things if I didn't want to, and many times just reminding myself of that caused the negative emotion to dissipate or cease completely.

However, it wasn't long afterwards that God showed me how important unpleasant emotions can be. Anger and frustration can and should motivate us to seek needed and healthy changes in circumstances and relationships.

One day not too long ago my dad was venting about something that happens quite commonly in our culture. I think it had something to do with people nosing around in his business at the grocery store, asking questions that he felt they had no business asking. He was very irritated about it even though it had happened weeks earlier, and I asked him why he was wasting energy being irritated about something he couldn't change. I told him my belief that we control our own emotions, and the people and circumstances around us can't control our emotions unless we allow them to.

In response, he said something like, "If that's what you believe, then you've just said that you can treat people anyway you want to, because it's their own responsibility how they feel." I had never thought about it that way before, but the discussion helped me realize that even though I believe people are responsible for their own feelings and attitudes, there are an awful lot of people out there who don't believe it. So I said and I believe that even though we are responsible for our own feelings, it's important for us to try to treat people as though we were responsible for theirs. At least, that's what I try to do.

I know that God will bring greater and deeper revelation about this topic into my life, but until then, I wanted to chronicle this learnig process so far.

What God is teaching me right now, is that when He works through us, it requires very little straining on our part. I find when I’m “trying” to reach people for Christ, by “sharing” the gospel, or recommending Christian music, books, or movies, or by sharing “Christian” stories in strategic locations hoping that someone nearby was eavesdropping (does anyone else ever do these things?), it almost always backfires or falls to the ground with a dull thud. The times when God has worked through me in the lives of others have been time when I wasn’t “trying” to do anything. I was just being me, doing what God created me to do, and being who He created me to be at that time, in that place, and in that season. It was natural, it was easy, it wasn’t hard or painful, and I wasn’t afraid. No wonder Jesus said His yoke is easy and His burden is light.