A Prayer From The Desert

From Daily Readings with the Desert Fathers   Imagine being taken or your inmost self being the possession  of the Holy Spirit. It seems to be the only way to be rid of sin. It seems there is nothing I can do to get rid of it. It has to be the Lord. 

The last sentence intrigues and inspires me. The prayer for guidance could be for so many important areas of life, but this desert Father chose this “that I may remember your presence day and night.” 

It wasn’t guidance in solving a problem or making the best decision for the family. It was guidance to be in the presence of God. Wisdom is this: Ginding ourselves in the presence of God. 

 

Mind Control

My mind has been on my mind. The mind is potent, all encompassing and controlling. It is more than brain power that runs us, it is the being power that is us. It steers us in the direction we go and gives us life. The mind is our identity. If there was a dichotomy of self, mind and body would be the two parts. Here’s the thought: What’s on your mind?

Depression is a real thing that controls many people. If not for a life time, depression can take control of people in certain times. Of course people blame chemical imbalances and maybe rightly so. First, I appeal to experience. There are dark times in life. Certain times of day can trigger that for me. Certain topics in life can cause me to spiral. I’m not sure if it’s depression, but its my downer times nonetheless. In these moments we enter into our default mode. Scripture calls it the “old self” or the “sinful” side of you, along with many other titles.

Most times the Christian focuses on the sin, this default mode. It burns a hole in your mind as you think of how to get rid of this sin and how to “flee from sin,” as scripture so pungently suggests. We focus on the sin so as to get rid of the sin that has enslaved us. We are its slaves. Our thoughts are constantly on this sin. But, her inlies the problem: Our mind is controlled by the sin.

Of course the answer is not to ignore sin and say it is gone when in fact it is not. That is not faith, it is lying. This takes the power of Jesus and his work on the cross as weak and futile instead of the power it holds. He gives us freedom from sin.

From experience to Scripture, here are two passages:

1) Romans 12:2- We are urged to “be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (v.2). God is the redeemer. He has created us to be holy and blameless and wants to make that a reality. The reality is brokenness but in “redemptiality” we are renewed. God desires that we not focus on our sin but be renewed by his transformational power. Don’t let sin control your mind. Be transformed by the one who can renew it. By His Spirit that God gives us we are transformed. We need renewal everyday. Its a constant revolution, as G.K. Chesterton puts it.

2)Hebrews 12:2- To annihilate sin from our life is our mandate but we must be careful the method of disposal we use. Instead of focusing on the sin, we need to run our race, “keeping our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith” (2). This may seem minor, but it has major implications. There have been countless moments where I have repeated this verse over and over and over and over. Whenever I have felt overwhelmed and taken by my old self and my comfort sins, this has been my verse to help me overcome and find victory in Jesus. Today, I have forgotten this verse.

As I ponder my mind, I need saturation. I need a saturation in the Lord. The lie of the enemy tells us to dwell on our sin to find a way to get rid of it. What a sneaky, evil guy. My saturation needs to be transformed from my sin to my Lord. May He, the one who holds the power to remove my sin, remove it. My job is to fix my eyes on Jesus; He is my perfection and the reason I can live.

 

To Post or Not to Post

When you look at my last post you may say, “Wow! That was a long time ago.” To those who continuously check my blog, I say sorry for that. But, let me explain this interesting journey I have been on.

I started reading a book called, The Imitations of Christ, by Thomas a Kempis and if you have ever read any of his material, he focuses a lot on humility. The second chapter hit me in regards to my blog. There was a statement, “If you wish to learn and appreciate something worth while, then love to be unknown and considered as nothing” (9). To put it in context, Kempis is talking of fighting pride and thinking more highly of others than yourself. At this point I asked myself, “Why am I writing my blog?” I have been aggressive in creating a nice looking blog and commenting on other people’s blogs so they would read mine, but to what end. My motives have been mixed.

On one hand I desired to reflect on culture and speak from a Christian world view and also post sermons and thoughts from sermons. But I had this conflicting motive that wanted to be known. I wanted to spread prove to the world I could write and had ideas that the world would love to hear. I desired fame. I feel weird even writing that out. Of course, in order to becomes a writer that may be necessary, but my heart was full of pride. I feel as though this has been a part of my life all along. I want to be known. In the end my life is one of anxiety and anxiousness. It is a life that is not content.

Identity. I am forgetting who I am. I am in Christ. He is who I am. Why do I need to be known. My purpose is not to be known, my purpose is in Christ and to make him known.

Kempis says, “All men are frail, but you must admit that none is more frail than yourself,” meaning I can sin at any moment. Who knows how long I can hold up before I relapse into sin? Into pride?

So this is why I have not written a post. I am working through motives. I probably will continue blogging regularly again. But I will probably sift through my motives each time I write. Until then, Blessings, Merry Christmas. May this season be one of Joy and Love in Christ. May you sense his Spirit, our Emmanuel.

 

Audio Message: Hope in the Curse

Here is a breakdown of Genesis 3 and the Story of the Fall, the curse, and the hope inside of it.

Click Here: Hope in the Curse

 

 

 

Hope in the Curse?

Genesis begins in wonder and glory as all of creation comes to order. The first sense of gloom comes in 2:17 when God warns not to eat of the this one tree in the middle of the garden “for when you eat of it you will surely die.” I so want the next verse to be this: “and they did all the days of their life.” Of course that is my fantasy and not what actually happened. Death comes, pain comes, the curse comes. The serpent loses his legs, women gains more pain in childbirth and will desire her husband. Lastly, man gets pain in work. The ground is cursed because of man and thorns and thistles enter the world. So much for my fantasy.

But, immediately after the curse something really intriguing happened: “The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.” I find this odd. Before this moment God was cursing man and after God banished man from the garden and grieves that he made man. Yet, God covers man with animal skin. Why? What does this mean?

Let me suggest a couple things. Man is made in the image of God. God took an entire day and set it apart for man. So to begin, God cares for man. Even though they disobeyed, are cursed and will taste death, God loves his creation.

Second, this act reveals God’s personality. This act of kindness shows God’s profound grace. Could this be a sign of what is to come? Does this not show us what he would do through his son? God sacrificed an animal to cover Adam and Eve’s shame. God also sacrificed his Son to cover the sin and shame of all mankind. These two express the hope of man. That God has the heart to save man from death.

But the consequences of sin are real. This act of kindess reveals that sin and shame are an intense reality that is not over yet. Yes, there is hope but every time we see death, every time we see pain, abuse, tragedy, violence, it is all because of sin and the fall of mankind. We live in a world of sin. It’s broken. BUT! If that depresses you, then look to the hope that comes from God. The hope that he still cares, that he is still working. His kingdom is coming and his will is being done. He is the perfect Creator who is making all things new and it all started with this one kind act in the midst of the fall: “The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.”