The Removal of Blinders and Chains

Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him, if ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. John 8:31, 32

One of the greatest desires we have is to be free. Jesus came to set us free and this passage gives the promise of freedom but it is based on a condition. So often we want the freedom but are either ignorant of the condition or unwilling to meet it. True freedom comes by not only knowing Christ as our Savior but by continuing in His Word. Not just reading it and accepting what it says, but believing it, standing by it, abiding in it, obeying it, and applying it. It is not just giving mental assent to what God says and accumulating the facts, but it is understanding His Words as truth and seeing them as necessary for change, freedom, empowerment, and growth.

I use to look at this verse and think if I take in enough truth it will change me. It will fix what is wrong with me. So I read countless books, listened to incredible speakers, poured into God’s Word, and became a sponge for knowledge. The problem is that while it excited me and fed me I failed to see any real change deep inside and still lived in bondage in numerous areas of my life. Not only physical bondage but mental, spiritual, and emotional bondage. I cannot express to you the confusion that grew in me as I realized the results I was hoping for were not forthcoming. And to make matters worse, I felt I had once again come to a point in my life whereby I could not admit to anyone that my life still had gaping holes that left me feeling empty, hopeless, and insignificant.

The problem was that while I knew a lot of truth I still had blinders on that prevented me from really digesting, understanding, and taking in the truth. When God removed the blinders and helped me to finally grasp truth, internal changes came that left me open mouthed with wonder! Missing pieces started falling into place, the fog of confusion cleared away, chains of bondage began to fall aside, and I finally saw God as my true Healer and Deliverer. Each day is now filled with discovery that is leading to continual growth and change. I am passionate when I say, “If God can do this for me He can do it for anybody!”

Father, I feel like I am tasting freedom for the first time. It is daily being served on a platter of truth for which I am ravenous with hunger. With outstretched arms, receptive heart, and open mind I come to You. Amen.

Leaning in the Right Direction

Incline you ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live. Isaiah 55:3 (KJV)

I love learning the meaning of words. Without the aid of a dictionary and good concordance I lose the rich meanings of words and hence the valuable lessons God would teach me through them. The word “incline” has my attention this morning. It has the idea of bending or leaning forward, to be drawn toward an opinion, to put oneself in a position of being persuaded. I was surprised to learn that we are told in Scripture to incline two things: our heart and our ears. I immediately wondered what the connection was. God was all too eager to show me!

What and who I listen to affects the way I think and believe. What I think and believe affects my actions and my words. It is like a domino affect over my life. It also epitomizes the reaping and sowing principle. That which I allow to be sown into my mind will be reaped in my speech and behavior. This is a powerful truth I must grab a hold of if I am going to live in victory rather than in defeat.

I go into today with some choices. I can perk up my ears and listen intently to the enemy’s lies, to my distorted thoughts, or the world’s philosophies if I so choose. Or I can turn my ears toward the voice of my Father and His living Word. If I choose the first option I begin on a mental, emotional, and spiritual descent. It will lead me downward every time. Once there, I begin to loath and condemn myself, have harsh thoughts toward others, and live outside the realm of truth. This continues until I determine to incline my ears toward the voice of my Father.

Oh the change and freedom that comes when I begin to take my thoughts captive, stand against the schemes of the devil, and do some serious warfare praying and speaking! As long as I continue to lean forward and listen intently to what God is telling me I walk with courage, confidence, and wisdom. As His Word fills my mind it has a ripple affect on every other area of my life.

I choose today to be attentive to His ways, His Word, and His whispers. All day long, conversations will come my way and I will have to discern which ones I will listen to.

Father, I determine to incline my ear to Your voice. Speak clearly to me so that I don’t miss a thing You have to say. Your words live in me. Amen.

Determining Which Will Stay

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth. 3 John 1:4 (NIV)

I am learning there are many disciplines to the Christian life. There are things I must be practicing and implementing in my life on a continual basis in order to stand victorious against the attacks, lies, and schemes of the enemy. One of those disciplines is to walk in the truth. To live by, follow, occupy myself with, and link arms with the truth. To stand on it, in it and for it!

This is not a one time decision I make in the morning without further thought throughout the day. I must understand that I will be coming up against the enemies of truth all day long and each time I must remind myself of the truth, stand on the truth, voice the truth, embrace the truth, and enfold myself in the truth. If what I am seeing, feeling, thinking, or experiencing is contradictory to the truth, I must set aside what APPEARS to be true for what IS true.

Elizabeth George says, “Truth is what is based on and in agreement with God’s Word, what is real, and what is not a lie.” My thoughts must stand or fall according to that test. This is a process that takes time to practice, especially if I have lived with certain mindsets my whole life. The lies I have believed are exposed as I hold them up to the light of truth. They are then dismissed as I believe and receive the truth.

God is the only One who can help me to accept the truth over what I have been told, what I think I see, what I assume to be true. Lies and truth cannot coexist. There is room in my heart and mind for only one to reside at a time. Allowing lies to stay with me is easy. All I have to do is accept them without question or resistance. Not putting them through a comparison with truth is the same as putting out the welcome mat for them.

Truth on the other hand requires that I reject, renounce, and release the lies I have held to as I am taking in the truth. The longer I have held to lies about God, myself, and others the harder it is to exchange them for truth. But it is necessary, worthwhile, and possible. God said so!

Father, today I choose to stand on the truth of Your Word. Although the enemy will do everything in his power to keep the lies embedded in me, You are faithful to help me in the process of walking in the truth. I stand in agreement with You that there is only room for Your truth. Amen.

Learning to Fight Back

The enemy boasted, “I will pursue, I will overtake them. I will divide the spoils; I will gorge myself on them. I will draw my sword and my hand will destroy them.” Exodus 15:9 (NIV)

These words were voiced by the Egyptians as they proclaimed their intentions toward God’s chosen people. I can sense the venom in their words and the thirst for blood in their eyes as they spewed out their supposed conquest and victory. Of course, I delight to know that their threats were undone as they sank to the bottom of the Red Sea in the presence of their intended victims. The celebration of God’s people was profound that day.

God’s Word says that I too have an enemy. He is like a roaring lion and He is out to completely destroy me! Not just disturb, not just bother, not just intimidate….DESTROY! And he delights in his plan. I went to a Prayer Mapping event this weekend and saw so clearly the tactics he uses and the agenda he has. But I also learned how to fight him. I learned how to use my God-given authority to stand up to him. I learned the power of declaring God’s Word over each attack. I learned I don’t have to allow him to take up residence in my territory any longer.

For over forty years, he has delighted in the fact that I was unaware of his methods and schemes. He knew I was not putting on my armor each day and that I didn’t even know what the pieces represented for me. I was like the person standing on the battlefield confused and unprotected because I didn’t know who my greatest enemy was, what weapons were available for me, or how to use the weapons.

His greatest attack and subsequent victories over me have been in the area of my thoughts. How he has twisted and distorted the truth about God, about others, about myself, about my circumstances, and about the design, calling, and gifts of God on my life. In the past I simply tried to ignore him and hoped he would go away. Today I have come out with my armor on and fully intent on using it! He has messed with this daughter of the King far too freely and for far too long. The fight is on!!!

Father, how You must have grieved to see me walk through my days never using the armor or weapons You made so available. You knew the wounds I was sustaining were not necessary (so did the enemy). Now I know it as well! Amen.

When Untrue Words Have Been Spoken

Now, O Lord GOD, You are God, and Your words are truth. 2 Samuel 7:28 (New American Standard Bible)

No one, and I mean absolutely no one has the right to define us except God. Our words live and the words spoken over us and to us from early childhood and well into our adulthood are powerful and can stick with us. How necessary it is that we make sure every word that comes out of our mouth or enters our ears is in agreement with what God‘s Word says about us! If they are not, we must counter them with the truth and renounce them as the lies that they are. If however they are affirming truthful words, we must take them in and allow them to quench the thirst within us. Along with that we can take a negative word that has been directed toward us and ask God to help us construct a Scriptural acrostics that will transform the word intended for harm into a word of beauty!

For instance, a friend in Sunday School shared how she was called a “prude” at work because of her desire to read Christian books. At the close of class, as this woman was closing in prayer, God brought an acrostics to my mind using her word. I came home and decided to find a verse to go with each word in the acrostics and am delighted to see God fashion an arrow of affirmation! Here is what He gave me…..

Precious ~ As you come to Him, the living Stone ~ rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to Him. I Peter 2:4

Redeemed ~ But now, this is what the LORD says ~ He who created you, O Jacob, He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are Mine.” Isaiah 43:1

Undeniably loved ~ The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness. Jeremiah 31:3

Daughter ~ So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when He adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.” Romans 8:15

(of the) Eternal God ~ The eternal God is your refuge, and His everlasting arms are under you. Deuteronomy 33:27

Father, I no longer have to believe what I have heard or said. Freedom is found when I use Your Word as my grid of truth. Amen.

Awakened by the Pronouns

Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him. Deuteronomy 13:4 (KJV)

The pronouns of this verse have jumped out at me this morning. I simply had to go back and underscore them for emphasis, because they are being emphasized to me by the Spirit in a powerful way even as I write this devotional. I am recalling the many individuals I have walked after, feared (trusted), listened to, obeyed, followed, served, and cleaved (clung) to in my life when all the while the Lord God Himself was yearning for me to turn to Him. I am not talking about my years BEFORE I knew Christ as my Savior. I am referring to the decades AFTER I accepted Him.

Until recently, I have found it easier to listen to, watch, and emulate the people God has brought into my life. Instead of seeing them as channels, tools, and object lessons that God was using to encourage, enlighten, and instruct me, I was clinging to them with all that I had in me. I was somehow convinced they were the ones who could fix me, nurture me, and sustain me. It was rare that I saw my journey as just between God and me. I somehow needed a third party with us.

God was not the one I ran to for advice, comfort, encouragement, assurance, or security. While I may not have ever thought of fashioning an idol out of wood or gold, I bowed before my idols of flesh and looked to them to meet my many internal needs. I longed for them to give me affirmation, attention, and love. I sought their wisdom, opinions, and leadership. The sad thing is, without His loving and steadfast intervention I would still be living that way. As a loving but jealous God, He simply will not allow me to replace Him with any individual or object.

He has had to patiently and persistently teach me that turning to Him was the best of all choices. What He had to offer me would far exceed what any person could give me or do for me. Oh the joy the I have found in finally embracing Him as my Counselor, Comforter, Companion, and Champion! He still uses people in my life but now I can hear His voice as they speak, feel His hands as they minister, and know His presence as we fellowship together. He is finally at the center of my life and worship!

Father, thank you for not giving up on me when I so often failed to look to You. I repent of my idolatry and whole heartedly prefer You! Amen.

The Entirety of Relationship

Thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart. Deuteronomy 6:5,6 (KJV)

With whom or what am I passionate about, obsessed with, or excited about today? Who or what has my undivided attention? In whom or what does my allegiance lie? Who or what has predominance, priority, and prominence in my heart and mind? God’s intent, desire, and longing is that I be completely, extremely, and enthusiastically consumed with Him and by Him. To not only seek Him diligently and obey Him completely but to love Him with all that I have in me!

It starts with an acknowledgement of Him. He is God! Creator of Heaven and Earth. He lays claim to all He created and has the power to sustain that creation. He loves me with His whole heart and soul and invites me to do the same in regards to Him. He is holy, righteous, and just. He alone is worthy of my worship, adoration, and praise!

All means all! Not partial, not divided, not lukewarm, not somewhat, not halfway…ALL. Loving Him with every part of my will, mind, emotions, spirit, soul, strength, thoughts, motives, and intentions. He is not only deserving of it but desirous of it as well.

I must do more than give mental assent and a nod of agreement to what He says. I must allow His Word to get into my heart. For that is from where my words, actions, and worship stem. To take what He says to me in Scripture and own it, digest it, and embrace it for the treasure of truth that it is. For it to become a part of my inner being.

This is what it means to live in relationship with God on a daily basis. But the key is to realize I cannot manufacture this on my own. If left to myself, I fail miserably. But because His Spirit lives in me I have the capability to flesh out the call of Deuteronomy 6. The ability to fall head or heals in love with God comes from Him! He will faithfully give me the desire, hunger, and longing for Himself. As it comes, I simply respond. Until I grasped this aspect of myself and God, I felt hopeless and helpless to live the Christian life outside of a mediocre and mundane mentality. When God opened my eyes to this truth my life in Him was revolutionized!

Father, You not only bid me to love You entirely, but You give me the desire and ability to do it. Love Yourself through me today. Amen.