Archive for Salvation

March 31–Spiritual Dwarfs–Part Six–WHINY

Every Spiritual Dwarf is a LIAR. Each of them DENIES some TRUTH of GOD.

Hear Whiny as he speaks his LIES: ”I can’t believe everything keeps going wrong for me. It (He…She) is always so unfair to me. What did I do to deserve all this cruddy, yucky stuff…all these complications…all these toubles and illnesses….all this misjudgment…all these uncaring people in my life? Why do these things always happen to me? How long am I going to have to put up with all these hard times…all these hard people? Why does my computer always crash? Why does my shoe always break? Why do I have to go through all this? Why me?”

WHINY denies the HOPE we have in GOD and GOD’s ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE of our temporary circumstances. 

WHINY lays down a heavy, smelly dark blanket over our hearts and our minds so that we begin to suffocate on our own self-focused, self-pitying attitudes. WHINY blinds our vision from the HOPE we have in GOD so completely that we lose all ability to see outside of our own dim, depressing and limited perspective. WHINY keeps our eyes focused so inwardly on ourselves and our problems, according to our perspectives so that the TRUTH found in GOD’s ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE is unseen, unremembered, unacknowledged and unexperienced.

WHINY chooses the lies of weakness and discouragement, twisting our minds to believe that we are all alone in our troubles. And as we listen to WHINY’s feeble, self-pitying lies, we diminish, distrust and discard the HOPE we have in GOD and GOD’s ETERNAL PERPECTIVE.

WHINY is a LIAR and a COWARD who must be killed!

God tells us HIS TRUTH: God tells us to be strong! Be courageous! Trust God! Obey God! God is with us!

Have I not commanded you: be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.  Joshua 1:9

 God tells us HIS TRUTH: God calls us to fix our eyes–not on ourselves–but on our Savior Jesus Christ who endured horrendous trials and death–all for us–as He fixed His eyes not on the pain of the cross but on the promise of His Faithful Father! 

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:2-3

God tells us HIS TRUTH: God knows we will have troubles, even horrible troubles at times. But! Our perspective on our earthly hardships and hurts are put into a clearer, truer focus when viewed from GOD’S ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE. Whatever we go through on this side of heaven cannot even begin to compare with the promise of the eternal glory we will know in the presence of our God.

We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed…because we know that the One who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us wtih Jesus and present us with you in His presence…Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all! 2 Corinthians 4:8-9, 14, 16-17

God tells us HIS TRUTH:  God calls us to trust in Him! God is the God of all HOPE. In Him we have all joy and peace. In Him we have the power of the Holy Spirit!

May the GOD of HOPE fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with HOPE by the power of the Holy Spirit! Romans 15:13

To kill WHINY (and we must!) we must trust our Sovereign LORD’s Eternal Truth: In Christ, a very great and trustworthy HOPE in GOD has been given to us as we open our spiritual eyes to look through the lens of GOD’S ETERNAL PERSPECTIVE!

The heavy darkness is removed from our heads and our hearts! God’s light, God’s truth, God’s hope are eternal! And through Jesus Christ, they have been lovingly and fully given to us!

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane

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March 31, 2010 · Filed under God's character, Life Choices, Salvation, Transformation

March 30–Spiriitual Dwarfs–Part Five–SHAMEFUL

Every Spiritual Dwarf is a LIAR. Each of them DENIES some TRUTH of GOD.

Hear SHAMEFUL as he speaks his LIES: ”God cannot possibly forgive me for what I’ve done.  It is too awful. Too evil. Too embarassing. I chose to go my own way–and what I’ve done is so against everything I know is right. I knew it was wrong when I did it. But I still did it. And I did it even after I had truly accepted, and professed, Jesus as my Savior. How could I have made such a sinful choice? I deserve to feel this pain.This guilt is mine to bear. I knew better! I knew Jesus! I will never be free fom this shame. It is the weight I must bear for my horrible sin.”

SHAMEFUL denies the UNLIMITED MERCY of GOD that accepts JESUS’ DEATH on the CROSS is the FULL ATONING SACRIFICE  for our SINS and our SHAME.

SHAMEFUL holds us prisoner to our sins which cost Jesus Christ is very life. When we continue to listen, belive and act in ways that show we are still burdened and held captive to the power of SHAMEFUL–we are denying the UNLIMITED MERCY of GOD. We are living as if the blood that Jesus shed for us through His brutal and cruel crucifixion was not enough to pay for our sins and for the subsequent SHAME that accompany them.

SHAMEFUL is basically telling God that Jesus’ death on the cross really COULD NOT be the full atoning sacrifice for sin and SHAME. At least not for what I have done. That somehow I must also pay through feeling the SHAME of the weight and the sharp pain caused by my SHAMEFUL sins.

SHAMEFUL here is actually being fed lies from PRIDEFUL, twisting our minds with the lie that if I am filled with, and hold onto, SHAME  that I will somehow help to pay for the awfulness and evil of my sins.

This is a lie from the very pit of hell! This SHAMEFUL lie leaves Jesus nailed to the cross–as if His death just wasn’t enough for us to be free from both the penalty of sin and the burden of SHAME. This SHAMEFUL lie denies resurrection of Jesus and the truth that He is the mighty conqueror over sin and SHAME.

We need to absolutely understand that we can add NOTHING to what Jesus has already done for us! Thinking and acting any other way flies in face of our Holy God who paid for our sins HIS way NOT our way!

God tells us HIS TRUTH: God does demand that we come to Him in sincere confession and repentance for our sins. But, then, it is for us to believe and receive what the UNLIMITED MERCYof GOD has completely accomplished through  JESUS’ DEATH on the CROSS as the FULL ATONING SACRIFICE  for our SINS and our SHAME.

We should have sincere sorrow for our sins–and when we come to Jesus this way, we need to accept His death and resurrection in their full power. We need to agree with God that we have been set free to live life without being held captive to SHAME and regret. Our continuing in SHAMEFUL sorrow is a death blow to accepting the full power of Jesus that releases us from the bondage of both sin and SHAME.

Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly [SHAMEEFUL] sorrow brings death. 2 Corinthians 7:10

If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

But now God has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in God’s sight without blemish and free from accusation! Colossians 1:22

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free! Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5:1

We cannot be saved, forgiven, purified, holy, without blemish and free of accusation AND, at the same time, still be burdened–and held in bondage–by SHAMEFUL! We need to take God at His full Word–and accept His full Way!

To kill SHAMEFUL (and we must!) we must trust our Sovereign LORD’s Eternal Truth:  We are offered the UNLIMITED MERCY of GOD through JESUS’ DEATH on the CROSS as the FULL ATONING SACRIFICE  for our SINS and our SHAME.

Freedom, Darlin’s, Freedom! Accept it fully as Jesus offers it fully with a heart of love and nail-scarred hands.

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane

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March 30, 2010 · Filed under God's character, Life Choices, Salvation, Transformation

March 29–Spiritual Dwarfs–Part Four–SINFUL

Every Spiritual Dwarf is a LIAR. Each of them DENIES some TRUTH of GOD.

Hear SINFUL as he speaks his LIES:  “You’re not the boss of me! Nobody is! I am the final and only authority for my life! I decide what is right or wrong for me. No one has the right to tell me how to live. Or what to do. Or who to do it with. I will do whatever I want–when, where, how, how often and with whomever I want to do it! No one has the right to impose their judgment on me! This is my life! And I will live it the way I want to! I don’t have to answer to anybody!”

SINFUL denies that GOD alone is the SOVEREIGN AUTHORITY and RIGHTEOUS JUDGE over everyone and everything. SINFUL speaks the destructive, dangerously narcissistic lie that God is not the One who holds complete and final AUTHORITY over our lives–now and eternally!

SINFUL is blind, and not Justice, to the truth of God that SINFUL will have to answer for everything he chooses to do before our Holy God–the RIGHTEOUS JUDGE.

SINFUL’s self-focused and lying spirit acts from a heart, and a point of reference, that sets itself up as an enemy of God. 

SINFUL forgets-denies-ignores the truth that his very life is a gift from the SOVEREIGN GOD. And that his life is to be lived in accordance to GOD’s loving, righteous, protective boundaries and standards.

SINFUL rebels against any and every claim of authority over his life. Except for his own. SINFUL twists his God-given gift of freedom of choice into the ugly lie that he is in control. And not God.  

All that SINFUL believes will bring him pleasure–passing or habitual, comfort and control will in the end bring only tragic and eternal consequences to him.

God tells us HIS TRUTH: God is the SOVEREIGN AUTHORITY–holy and holding all power over life and death.  And God is the RIGHTEOUS JUDGE who has declared a death sentence as the deserved punishment for all of our SINFUL, rebellious–God-opposing behaviors.

There is no one holy like the LORD; no one besides You; there is no Rock like our God…those who oppose the LORD will be shattered. He will thunder from heaven; the LORD will judge the ends of the earth.  1 Samuel 2:2, 10

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his SINFUL nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.  Galatians 6:7-8

The mind of SINFUL man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace  Romans 8:6

The wages of SIN[FUL] is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23

But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still SINNERS, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

 SINFUL must be killed! Before he kills us–and separates us for all eternity from the loving presence of our Holy God. Our Holy God who offers us forgiveness of all our SINFUL thoughts, words and actions–through the death of Jesus. Our Holy God who offers us the gift of eternal life–through the resurrection power by which He raised Jesus to life! 

 God lovingly, sacrificially has given us the way for forgiveness and life eternal through Jesus. SINFUL  must be killed so that we may live in peace with our God, now and forever.

We must give up the SINFUL lie that we are in control. We must humble ourselves before our Sovereign LORD’s Eternal Truth: GOD alone is the SOVEREIGN AUTHORITY and RIGHTEOUS JUDGE over everyone and everything. And that includes you and me.

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane

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March 29, 2010 · Filed under God's character, Life Choices, Salvation, Transformation

March 26–Spiritual Dwarfs–Part One–Who’s Living as Your Soul Residents?

When we believe and accept Jesus as our only Way to the Father–to our Creator God, as our Savior from the death-sentence of sin and as the Resurrection and the Life for our promised eternal life, some really BIG changes take place within us.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from GOD… 2 Corinthians 5:17-18 

But wait a minute! I’m not entirely new yet! I’m not perfect! (Some close family members and dear friends are nodding vigorously right now, commenting: No Kidding! That is sooo NOT a Newsflash!)

However! God is perfect! And our God is calling, urging and supplying everything that every one of us needs to be conformed in every way more and more into the likeness of God’s Perfect Son Jesus Christ. 

So what’s our problem? Why are we not letting the BIG changes take place within us?

Well, my take on it personally is this: When we do NOT make full use, and enjoy God’s life-freeing power and all that our God has put within us–His Spirit and His Word–we leave room for some very ugly, old self patterns of thinking, speaking and behaving to continue taking up residency within us.

These old patterns are not only characteristics of my old self (which is supposed to be gone! Darn it!). But these old patterns actually seem to take on a life of their own as very yucky little characters.

I call them my Spiritual Dwarfs. 

Let me name just seven of them now. Over the next few days I’ll let you get to know each one in a little more detail:

  • Prideful
  • Fearful
  • Sinful
  • Shameful
  • Whiney
  • Grumpy
  • Dopey

You may even recognize a few of these Spiritual Dwarfs as—if not being full-time residents in your own hearts, minds and behaviors—at least, being allowed by you to come and visit way-too-frequently!

Our Spiritual Dwarfs are not planning to leave politely. And just as Jesus was crucified so that the old would be gone from within us. Our actions need to be just as fierce and drastic as God’s actions are against sin. We have only one choice: KILL THE DWARFS!

Jesus Christ was crucified to set us free to LIVE—now and for all eternally!  We need to allow God’s Holy Spirit to take up SOLE residence in our SOULS!

Then, we will be conformed to be more and more like Jesus! Then, we will be transformed!

Then, we will know and live the truth that the NEW HAS COME!

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane

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March 26, 2010 · Filed under God's character, Salvation, Transformation, Uncategorized

March 23–Feed My Sheep

“Feed my sheep.”

John 21:16

Those three little words say so much to us who choose to follow Jesus.

They tell us what to do: Feed. We are to give what would bring nourishment…what would bring strength and wholeness to someone else…what would sustain and increase life. We are to feed others in the immediate…for right now…or their physical needs…and far more importantly we are to feed others for their eternal spiritual needs to be met. And those can only be fed—and fulfilled—by the love, the grace and the truth of Jesus Christ! 

And those three little words tell us who we are to feed: “My sheep”—God’s sheep—God’s people. That means all those God created, all those around us. We all are God’s sheep, and we all have gone astray in one way or another (Isaiah 53:6). And it is through the Bread of Life, our Lord Jesus Christ, giving His life to bring us eternal life and nourishment for our souls that all of us you believe are fed!

May we see all people through the loving eyes of Jesus—as His sheep. And may we feed these precious sheep with love, mercy, compassion and tangible help so that they may know and receive the fullness of life that comes the Eternal Bread of Heaven, our Lord Jesus Christ!

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane

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March 23, 2010 · Filed under God's character, Life Choices, Salvation, Transformation

March 21–In the Great Throng

With my mouth I will greatly extol the LORD;

in the great throng I will praise him.

For he stands at the right hand side of the needy one,

to save his life from those who condemn him.

Psalm 109:30-31

Today many of us will worship our God, “extol the LORD,” at a church service. We will be in “the great throng” to praise and thank our God.

May each of us recognize His nearness as His needy ones—each one of of us is just as desperate for God as are all others. And may we have joy and great peace in the knowledge that as children saved by our God—by the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus—no one can condemn us…not even our own sins. We are saved! Our God is with us!

May we each greatly extol the LORD and praise Him always—both in “the great throng” at church and in “the great throng” of people with whom we share this world each and every day of our lives!

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane

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March 21, 2010 · Filed under God's character, Life Choices, Salvation, Transformation

March 19–Good Eyes…One Master!

The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

No one can serve two masters.

Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

Matthew 6:22-24

Sometimes we can be so blind. So blind to ourselves…to our way of seeing, to our way of perceiving, that even we who have Jesus as our Savior don’t truly know Him—or allow Him—to be Lord and Master of our lives.

Maybe it is Money—the pursuit of it, the worry about it, the pride of having it, the plan and energy to obtain and keep it, the fear of losing it—that your eyes, the eyes of your heart and your perception, focus on and rule over your thoughts and behavior instead of Jesus as Lord. Maybe the Master of your eyes and, therefore, your whole being is Money…and all things Material. 

OR…maybe you don’t struggle with Money being your Master. So, what is it that keeps Jesus from truly being the Lord of your life?

Maybe it’s Your sense of Yourself and the Control you want and believe you have. Your way of thinking and behaving—Your perception that You are always right, that You have done everything You can, that people would all be better off if they would just do things according to Your plan—has become your Master. Your eyes, the eyes of your heart and your perception, focus on yourself and your apparently superior way of thinking and doing as the worthy Master of your life rather than humbly allowing God to be God and Lord of your life. You may even be sincerely thankful for your salvation, that comes from Jesus alone and will bring you into the presence of God when you die to this earth. But in the meantime, you’ll stay focused on maintaining the position of being Your own Master of Your life on this side of Heaven. Thank you, very much.

No matter what we look to as the Master and Lord of our life—Money, Self, Whatever—if the eyes of our heart focus on anything else rather than Jesus, we are living in and filled with darkness. Jesus alone is the True Light and the True Lord of the world. Not us. Not our stuff. Not our thinking. Not our doing. Jesus is the One and Only Eternal Master of all there is. Jesus is the Name above all names. Jesus is the Only One to whom our eyes should look and in whom we should place our trust as Master of our lives.

Good eyes look to trust and obey One True Master, our Lord Jesus Christ.

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane

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March 19, 2010 · Filed under God's character, Life Choices, Salvation, Transformation

March 15–God’s Heart for All People

With all that is within me I want every single person in this world to know the love of God. I want every single person to realize that we all need God…that we all need His mercy, His peace, His hope, His gift of salvation and eternal life that comes through our Lord Jesus Christ alone. 

With all that is within me I want every single person to know that God gives full life and full freedom right now…that God heals and transforms hearts and minds and lives right now…by His unfailing love and unlimited power.

If I, who am frail, flawed and finite—and sometimes just so darn self-focused, stubborn-hearted and hard-headed—desire this for all people, how much more must our Holy, Eternal, Loving LORD want this for all of us!!?

For those of us who already know the saving grace and eternal love of our Lord Jesus Christ, I pray that you and I will choose to live in such a way that declares God’s heart towards all people…I pray that you and I will choose to be better ambassadors of Christ to all those around us.

We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors,

as though God where making his appeal through us.

2 Corinthians 5:20 

—————————-

God is patient with you [with all of us], not wanting anyone to perish,

but everyone to come to repentance.

2 Peter 3:9

May each of us choose to reveal God’s loving, merciful, welcoming heart for all people…at all times…in all circumstances!

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane

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March 15, 2010 · Filed under God's character, Life Choices, Salvation, Transformation

March 14-The FULL Grace of Jesus Christ

Yesterday I wrote of our tender and tenuous responsibility to judge our brothers and sisters (and ourselves) in the household of faith—for the LORD and with the LORD (2 Chronicles 19:4-7)—as representatives of our Holy God.

It is just as important for every one of us who claim to be a Christian to offer the FULL grace of Jesus Christ to those who have humbled themselves before our God and repented of their sins. We must no longer make anyone feel like an outcast or a failure. Because every single one of us needs the FULL sacrifice that cost Jesus His life in order to pay for our sins.

To offer the FULL grace of Jesus Christ, we can no longer malign any person for what they have done. In the FULL grace of Jesus Christ we can no longer hold anyone in bondage by our judgment or disappointment. In the FULL grace of Jesus Christ we can no longer point out anyone’s past sins or continue to point them out or discuss them with others.

The FULL grace of Jesus Christ puts an end to all condemnation in the heart of our Holy God towards each of us who receive His forgiveness and renewal. How much more should we, who are also sinners, put an end to all condemnation towards our brothers and sisters in Christ!! 

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,

because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life

set me free from the law of sin and death…

God did this by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man,

to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man,

in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us…

Romans 8:1-4

 

 God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us,

so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

2 Corinthians 5:21

Full life, full freedom from accusation and condemnation, full redemption, full forgiveness, full transformation of our standing with our Holy God happens only in the FULL grace of Jesus Christ! May we offer no less than this to our brothers and sisters in Christ!

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane

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March 14, 2010 · Filed under God's character, Life Choices, Salvation, Transformation

March 12–Call This To Mind

Yet this I call to mind

and therefore I have hope.

Because of the LORD’s great love

we are not consumed,

for his compassions never fail.

They are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:20-22

Call this to mind when you are overwhelmed with the hurting of your heart from the death of your mom or dad, your husband or wife, your child or grandchild or your friend.

Call this to mind when you are worried and uncertain about what the future holds for you as you face the diagnosis of a devastating disease that just won’t seem to let go of your body or your mind….or that of your mom or dad, your husband or wife, your child or grandchild or your friend.

Call this to mind when you are rejected, mistreated, ridiculed, abandoned, lost and alone.

Call this to mind when you are faced with your own sin and the ugliness of it and the destruction your sinful choices have brought to your life and your peace and to the life and peace of those around you.

Call this to mind and have hope in the LORD.

In love, peace and purposeful passion,                                                               Sylane

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March 12, 2010 · Filed under God's character, Life Choices, Salvation, Transformation

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