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! 

The Protection Your Heart Requires

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(Excerpted from Spiritual Healing:  The Surrender That Brings Victory--Chapter 8)

"The next piece of armor spoken of is the breastplate of righteousness.  This piece of the armor is critical if we are going to protect our 'hearts.'  The breastplate was a shield that covered the major organs of the body, from the neck to the hips.  Spiritually speaking, it covers our heart.  If we are going to fully follow God's commands by taking full vengeance on our sins so that we can have a heart that is united and healed by God, then we must use this breastplate in the battle.  Christ's righteousness was credited to us at the point of our salvation.  We were justified in the eyes of our Lord.  In other words, in God's eyes, it was 'just as if' we had never sinned.  But there is another righteousness that we must focus on now that we are saved.  It is the righteousness of holy living.  In order to live out a holy lifestyle, and thus live righteously, we must use the breastplate that protects us from this kind of warfare, making right choices in the midst of the battle of temptation.

Too often we think about making the right choices after we have been tempted and fall prey to the enemy's scheme by making a wrong and sinful choice.  That is why the breastplate of righteousness should be practiced and exercised every day so that at the moment of great temptation, it will be second nature to us to make the right choice.  You must practice seeing yourself as Christ sees you--as His righteous child--and do what a righteous one would do."

Are You Dressed Appropriately?

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The Full Armor of God

If you are a believer, you are engaged in a vicious battle.  I bet you didn't need me to tell you that!  As Christians we know that there is a battle raging in the heavenlies over our souls.  God has us; Satan wants us.  We have been schooled in this topic; we know that we are often attacked in the area of temptation.  But there is just one problem that I can see, in my life as well as in the lives of the believers I know.  We do not often WIN the battle at hand.  What is it that keeps us from winning?  Simple.  We are not wearing the proper attire for battle!  All to often we find ourselves in the midst of an all out attack, and our armor is still hanging neatly in our closet!  Or maybe this sound more like you. . .You always have your helmet of salvation on, but the rest of your armor has gone missing.  You are not even sure where you left your sword!

Today while I was reading in I Chronicles 12, I came across a description of David's military force.  Think again of the picture in your mind of you, as a warrior against the enemies of God, inappropriately lacking pieces of your armor.  Now consider David's army as described in the  Word:

• Mighty men of valor
• Men trained for war
• Men who could handle both shield and spear
• Men whose faces were like that of a lion
• Men who were swift in action

As I considered how often I go out each morning to battle, with my helmet of salvation tightly strapped on to my head and the Word of God, my sword, in my hand ready to fight if necessary.   Yet, I lack the rest of my armor.  Realizing this,  I began to understand just why it is that I am prone to lose my battles with temptation.  You see, I know I am saved; but I set out each morning, knowing the enemy desires to do battle with me, leaving behind the rest of my armor except for the study I have done that morning.  Though having my helmet on and my sword in my hand, it is not sufficient armor to win.  On these days, dressed inappropriately for battle, I cannot win.  

In my case I must go to that closet, take out and put on the pieces I so often leave behind.  There is the breastplate of righteousness, that covers and protects my heart, and the belt of truth that helps me discern the lies that the enemy tells me.  Going barefoot is of no military help when I leave my shoes of the gospel of peace on the floor of my closet.  Those shoes are a reminder that God and I are on peaceful terms now because of the shed blood of His Son on my behalf.  And what good is a soldier without his shield of faith?  One cannot walk in both fear and faith at the same time.  It is one or the other.  Without faith in full bloom, the enemy will terrorize us fear, shooting us with one fiery dart after another.  With no faith in place, no truth in place, no righteousness in place, no peace with God in place, our relationship with God and His word will not prevent us from being hit over and over again by an enemy seeking to destroy us.

We must learn that it is vitally important to our walk with God that we be Mighty Children of Valor -- trained to fight, able to use our shield of faith and sword of the Spirit together, with a face of strength, being willing to act quickly against every temptation of our enemy.  

This was the description of David's mighty men.  Is it a description of you?  If not, you need to go to your closet and drag out that dusty armor, and put it on!  Don't leave home without it!

 

Gods of the Flesh BecomeThorns in our Sides

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The land belonged now to Israel, but instead of removing everything (and everyone) that was vile to their God, Israel chose to "live among" the pagan worshipers. God had committed to the removal of the Canaanites, but Israel chose to keep them around. So God punished them by allowing the Canaanites to stay. They became thorns to Israel, the source of their destruction. What are your pagan strongholds?  What sins have you left "living among" you?

Israel stumbled yet again.  Israel had been given a promise from God that He would drive out every enemy before them.  They promised to obey His every command so that they might experience His victories.  But Israel didn't keep its end of the bargain.  When they walked away from God, He gave them exactly what they wanted.  He chose not to drive out the Canaanites since Israel would not join Him in the battle to drive them out.  The pagan people, with all of their idol worship, led Israel even farther away from God.  His beloved Israel, called to be set apart and pure, intermarried with the impure and became pagan in their belief, joining Canaanite gods to THE God.  The result of Israel's defiance and idol worship was that they would not become who God designed them to be.  His allowance of Canaanites in the Promised Land would forever be a test to Israel.  Would they follow and obey Him,  or follow their pagan neighbors and the gods of their flesh?

But have you noticed that we are not much different?  We have the same God, and we behave toward Him in exactly the same way.   God's word to us is full of His promises that He is waiting to fulfill in our lives, but we experience few victories over our sins because we are unwilling to "put them out of our midst."  So those sins and idols become thorns to us, taking us away from God.

God is not obliged to wave a wand and remove our sins, those things we worship rather than Him.  But the funny thing is this:  He is willing to destroy every one of them in us!  Most of us ignore His willingness to drive out our sin. Until we are willing to surrender them to Him, putting into His hand those sinful, pagan things that have become apart of our lives, we will not know the victorious life He has planned for us.  

The Israelite men desired and lusted after the Canaanite women.  They wanted what they wanted!  And we behave the same way when it comes to wanting what is in opposition to God and His will for us!  We have a choice set before us several times a day:  Will we remain pure and set apart from the world or will we partake and join with the world in all kinds of sin.  How long will we try to join the two together?  When will we understand that holiness can never be joined to unholiness?

Our defiance and disobedience keeps us from becoming everything that God designed us to be.  Will you settle for less by keeping your sins among you, or will you strive, by the Spirit and surrender and obedience, toward a deeper, more vibrant and victorious life?  You are choosing between the thorns and the beautiful, fragrant rose bud.  We shouldn't have to think very hard!