Extreme Makeover: Spiritual Edition

It never ceases to amaze me how much a person can change over the span of a year, more specifically, how much can happen within a year to stretch our limits and put us in hardships we never imagined experiencing. I am here today to tell you that whatever you are going through and whatever you have gone through, praise God. He is so worthy of your time and your affection. If I'm going to be transparent with you, I must admit that this year has been a year of exponential growth for me. Towards the end of 2011, I found myself in a dark place. I remember being one to judge others and wonder how they could be so far from God and choose sin over truth again and again. Well, I get it now. Walking, or in my case, running, away from God and His promises is a very scary place to be. What is even more sad is that I knew His promises, and I still managed to get into a place in my life where I wanted nothing to do with them. How does that happen? I think Paul says it best in Romans 7:14 - 25 (The Message).

"I can anticipate the response that is coming: “I know that all God’s commands are spiritual, but I’m not. Isn’t this also your experience?” Yes. I’m full of myself—after all, I’ve spent a long time in sin’s prison. What I don’t understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise. So if I can’t be trusted to figure out what is best for myself and then do it, it becomes obvious that God’s command is necessary.

 

But I need something more! For if I know the law but still can’t keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don’t have what it takes. I can will it, but I can’t do it. I decide to do good, but I don’t really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, don’t result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time.

 

It happens so regularly that it’s predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God’s commands, but it’s pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge. I’ve tried everything and nothing helps. I’m at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn’t that the real question?

 

The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different."

 

 

We find ourselves doing well. Whether through success, popularity, or enjoyment, and we seem to believe that the satisfaction of our desires is far more important than the reality that we need God. And if we aren't careful, tolerance trumps truth. In other words, we begin to deceive ourselves and manipulate God's word to say what we want to hear. ...A great (and most obvious) example (yet one that almost never gets talked about) would be sex before marriage (yep, I said it). I've heard many of my (Christian) friends say that the Bible is out dated and this (abstinence until marriage) does not apply to our generation. Does this sound like tolerance or truth? I challenge you to ask God to show you if their are any areas in your life where you have allowed tolerance to win over truth. It's never too late to live in truth. I think C.S. Lewis said it best when he said "The pain I feel now is the happiness I had before. That's the deal." God's truth is an eternal happiness, but our attempt to satisfy our temporary feelings/needs often lead us to feel regret and shame later on. Too many people find themselves making permanent decisions off of temporary feelings. I am not here to judge, just to share my life experiences. I have found myself in this very place. I know God's word, but I find myself making exceptions in my everyday life. Let's change this!

 

Everyone is after the dishonest dollar, little people and big people alike. Prophets and priests and everyone in between twist words and doctor truth. My people are broken -- shattered! -- and they put on band-aids, saying, "It's not so bad. You'll be just fine." But things are not "just fine"!

Jeremiah 5:13-14

 

I was talking to my parents just the other day about things going on in the world, such as the recent shootings, the world wars, and the presidential election. I feel like this year has been a hot topic for end-of-the-world discussions (mostly due to the Mayan prediction that 12/21/12 was the end of the the world as we know it). My parents and I began to discuss what the Bible says about the end times, which then led to an observation that many people do not even know what the Bible says about it (including myself). Unfortunately, our generation has stemmed away from studying God's word. We may read verses here and there and we attend church, but how much do we meditate on God's word? Whenever I get into discussions with my parents about the Bible, I realize how little I really know. They grew up studying God's word and always impress me with their biblical knowledge. It made me think, where have my priorities been? I have somehow managed a lifestyle where my actions are not in line with my heart's desires. I can spend hours upon hours watching a TV series, shopping, or enhancing my social network, but I can only manage to give God 30-60 minutes of my time everyday, if that.

 

The technological advancements of our society do not lend any favors when working to limit distractions and give our sole focus to God. In November, I deactivated my Facebook account for this very reason. I found myself addicted to Facebook. It is so easy to access on my phone and was a great way to make other people's lives a priority over my own. I went two months without it and found that life does, in fact, go on even when you do not exist on Facebook. It was somewhat amusing at how many people texted or called me with worry that something had gone wrong with my account because they could no longer find my profile. I explained to them that I was taking a break, a "fast", if you will, so that I could get my priorities back in order. I have now reactivated my account and find the desire to scroll through my "most recents" a lot less tempting. It may sound silly to you, but I have found many small things in my life that looking back now, feel like wasted time. What about you? What in your life is taking away from you true heart's desire? Are your priorities in check?

 

I have recently been studying the book of Jeremiah, and this time, I'm reading it in The Message Bible. It has been so good for me. This chapter talks a lot about idolatry, and I have always had a hard time relating to the idols that are often talked about in the Bible, because I always think of idols as shrines and altars to other Gods. Reading this chapter using The Message version was helpful for me, because I was able to recognize idols in my own life. 

 

What is an idol?

 

"It is anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give. [...] A counterfeit god is anything so central and essential to your life that, should you lose it, your life would feel hardly worth living. An idol has such a controlling position in your heart that you can spend most of your passion and energy, your emotional and financial resources, on it without a second thought. [...] An idol is whatever you look at and say, in your heart of hearts, 'If I have that, then I'll feel my life has meaning, then I'll know I have value, then I'll feel significant and secure.'" - Quoted from Counterfeit Gods by Timothy Keller.

 

Well said, right? An idol can be anything. Your career, desire for success, family, friends, relationships, beauty, social standing... anything. I've spent a lot of time praying and asking God to show me the "counterfeit gods" in my life, and it has been eye opening. I encourage you to do the same!

 

In the book of Jeremiah, God calls Jeremiah to speak to His people (Israel & Judah) about their unfaithfulness. In chapter 2, God tells Jeremiah to go and proclaim that His people have exchanged their glory for idols. They have all rebelled against God.

 

"All I ever see of them is their backsides. They never look me in the face. But when things go badly, they don't hesitate to come running, calling out, 'Get a move on! Save Us!'"

Jeremiah 2:27-28

 

"If a man's wife walks out on him and marries another man, can he take her back as if nothing had happened? Wouldn't that raise a huge stink in the land? And isn't that what you've done -- 'whored' your way with God after God? And how you want to come back as if nothing's happened."

Jeremiah 3:1

 

Maybe I'm the only one, but this first verse stabbed me in the heart. There have been many times when I've gone off and pursued my own desires, but then as soon as I fell, I ran to God asking him to fix it. I didn't want to obey him from the get-go, but now that I'm a mess, I expect Him to help me out. In Jeremiah, the bible compares God's people putting other things before God to unfaithfulness. God wants all of us and we are off "whoring" ourselves out to the world to satisfy our fleshly desires.

 

"What an impressive start you made to get the most of life. You founded schools of sin, taught graduate courses on evil! And now you're sending out graduates, resplendent in cap & gown -- except the gowns are stained with the blood of your victims! All that blood convicts you. You cut and hurt a lot of people to get where you are. And yet, you have the gall to say, 'I've done nothing wrong.'" Jeremiah 2:33-35

 

Isn't it ironic how often times in our attempt for success we will hurt others to bring glory for ourselves. This is not at all what God asks of us. We should be bringing honor to His name by serving others and blessing those around us. It's a world of disaster when we find ourselves thinking that we can do life without God and that our plan for our future is better than any plan he's outlined for our lives. When you find yourself far, far away from God, what do you do?

 

"Just admit your guilt. Admit your God-defiance. Admit to your promiscuous life with casual partners, pulling strangers into the sex-and-religion groves while turning a deaf ear to me. Come back, wondering Children! I, yes, I, am your true husband".

Jeremiah 3:12-15

 

We have to repent of our sins, pick up the cross, and follow after Christ. We must meditate on God's word day and night so that we don't fall into the traps of this world that so easily take us away from our purpose-driven life. We need to develop a relationship with God. Not a one-sided relationship where we go to Him when we find ourselves in need of something, but one where He is constantly speaking to our hearts and guiding us in our everyday decisions so that we can be used to our full capacity to bring Him honor. Most importantly, we need accountability. We need people in our lives who will call us out when we go astray. When we have all these things, it's amazing how our own fleshly desires begin to line up with God's desires for us... it's a supernatural thing that I can't even explain.

 

As we begin a new year, I encourage all of you to run after God. I have never been happier than I am today, and it is because I know God deeper than I ever have. I have a peace in my heart that surpasses my own understanding and it is only because I know that no matter what happens in this world, I am promised an eternity with Christ. Please join me in that eternity!

 

I know my post tonight is lengthy, and I might say somethings that offend you, but please know that I am only writing what God has shown me relating to my own life. I am a living testimony of God's goodness and grace. If you don't know how to begin your relationship with the Lord, please contact me.

 

Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious - the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.

Philippians 4:8

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Many blessings to you as you grow this next year. I love you all!