GOD'S WORD TO ME--Walking with a Limp

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I Kings 18:21

"And Elijah came near to all the people and said, 'How long will you go on limping between two different opinions?  If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, then follow him.'"

Do you ever feel like your spiritual walk is more like a limp?  I know that I do.  Sometimes it is because I have been wounded or beaten up through spiritual attack as I try to traverse this life as a Christian.    But all too often I am reminded of my limp when I consider the great battle that rages between my spirit and my flesh.  More and more I am realizing that this battle is between polar-opposite opinions, God's good and perfect will and plan and the evil that entered the world with the very first sin. 

I  only have two choices in every situation.   I can choose God's way or the wrong way.  The wrong way, the way of Baal, consists of three entities.  I John 2:16 describes the three as "the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life."  This is the way of the world, the way of Baal.  How often I take this path and follow Satan's way in the world.  It is no wonder that I walk with a limp in so many situations.

My call is to follow the Lord Jesus Christ, for this is the only "Way" to walk without a limp.  When I create my own 'altars of sacrifice,' that I willing lay upon, it is no wonder that I then find myself limping, for I will always limp around altars of my own making.  (I Kings 18:26--Read it!) 

Lord Jesus, today I choose to follow You.  Open my eyes to see those places where I am  sacrificing my trust in You by trusting in my flesh, what I can see, and my own sinful pride, for these are the altars that make me limp.  Lord, continue to show me that a limp can quickly become lameness.  Forgive my idol worship of life in this world while forgetting You. Come, lead me today, that I might walk in Your strength and power! 

Standing Out Or Blending In?

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(Excerpt from Cheryl Gnagey's Spiritual Healing:  The Surrender That Brings Victory, Chapter 9)

"Just like Abraham was asked to sacrifice his own flesh and blood, Isaac his only son, we have an altar of death that we must face as well.  And the sacrifice we must bring to the altar is our flesh.  These two verses describe it well.

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God which is your spiritual service of worship. (Romans 12:1)

God is asking for our crucified flesh when He urges us to be living sacrifices.  You might be asking what your flesh actually is.  What is God really asking for?  Your flesh is made up of the body , the mind , our intent,  and our thoughts.  Our flesh is anything that stands in opposition to what God says.  And this is what God asks of us:  to put to death anything that is unacceptable to Him.  This crucifixion of our flesh unto death, given up as a sacrifice of our living being, is what God defines as worship.

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2)

This a a huge problem with Christians today.  We don't look any different, in most cases, than those who are not believers.  The world can barely tell the difference, if at all.  We do not stand out; we blend in.  We are conformed to the world when we watch the same television shows and movies that the world watches.  We are conformed to the world when our CD's, iPods, and radios pump the same kind of music into our minds and hearts that the world listens to.  We dress like the world. talk like the world, and think like the world.  We take firm hold o the reins of our lives every morning when we wake up, and we don't lay them down until we fall into bed at night.  We continue doing what we know is wrong to do.  We want the same things that the godless want--more money, bigger homes, all the newest toys--security in all the wrong things.  We often are independent, self-sufficient, multi-taskers who have no need for a God who wants to take away our control."

In order for God to have His rightful title of Lord of our lives, we must crucify our flesh.  We will make the choice to blend in or stand out.  So which one are you?  Are you a chameleon who changes with every situation, always protecting himself by blending in?  Or are one who, moment by moment, is courageously crucifying your fleshly and worldly drives in order to be the stand out Christian God desires you to be?

Full Surrender

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It is an easy mistake to make.  My children have stumbled on this throughout history.  I require obedience above altars, but often My children offer up their altars and sacrifices in place of true obedience.  Jacob, after wrestling with Me, began to do some very right things.  He began to walk in faith, even leading the way to meet his brother, Esau, instead of cowering in fear at the end of the procession.  He humbly made peace with the brother that he had gravely deceived, in the days that Jacob walked apart from Me.  Yet, Jacob, whom I had renamed Israel, found it difficult to walk in his new name, meaning "God rules".  Once again Jacob deceived his brother by committing to follow Esau southward to Seir, but instead he let Esau get a few days journey ahead of him and then headed north to Shechem. 

In the end, much sorrow would come to Jacob for this decision, for it is in Shechem that his daughter would be raped, and his sons would take out their revenge on the guilty party.  Yes, he did some right things, but I told him to return to the place where he first made a vow to Me, to that place where he dreamed of a ladder to heaven, to that place where he built a pillar for Me and anointed it with oil.  I called him back to Bethel, but he went his own way.  He was not surrendered to My will, therefore, he could not obey Me.  Israel went against his name, and chose to rule his own life.  In Shechem, he erected an altar and he called the place, El-Elohe-Israel, God, the God of Israel (Jacob), his true time of conversion.  But his altar-building was more important to him than his OBEDIENCE to My word.

My precious one, are you making the connection?  You do some very right things as well, but just like Jacob, you have learned to put right sacrifices ahead of the one sacrifice I require of you--your surrender to My FULL will.  Even after you conversion, you have stumbled on the idea of FULL surrender to Me.  Like Jacob, you push others out to meet meet Me more intimately, yet you cower behind them, afraid of what this might mean in YOUR life.  You speak right things, yet you do not follow your own teaching.  Repentance, Surrender, Obedience.  You speak My words all the time, but  "Sayin' ain't doin!'"   Your teaching is one of the altars you have set up.  Yes, they are good words.  But where is your obedience to My word that I have put in your mouth?

There will always be repercussions for lack of obedience.  The way you have been feeling spiritually is a sign of "altars above obedience."  The remedy is clear; obey My words and My will.  Set your goal to seek My face.  Strive after ME!  MY Presence!  For I am the Showbread, your BREAD OF LIFE, the Living Word.  Ingest Me and digest Me!  Search ME out!  I am here.  I can be found, if you would but surrender your all and come to Me!  I know that you are weary of how you live your life.  Let Me revive you.  Let me resuscitate you...              

(Gen. 33; Ps. 27:8; Matt. 11:28)