Today I'd like to give you my version of Pastor Janis' message from last week entitled "The Three Deadly Ds," and, in case you're like me, I'll give them to you up front: distraction, discouragement, doubt. Doubt comes from listening to lies. What's on replay in our minds? I'll tell you what's been reeling in mine lately.
LIES! That's why I crossed them out. That's not my true reality. I read Romans 8 in The Living Bible just a few minutes ago and I felt God's spirit calling to my spirit, reminding me of the truth.
"So there is now no condemnation awaiting those who belong to Christ Jesus. For the power of the life-giving Spirit- and this power is mine through Christ Jesus- has freed me from the vicious cycle of sin and death. We aren't saved from sin's grasp by knowing the commandments of God, because we can't and don't keep them, but God put into effect a different plan to save us. He sent his own Son in a human body like ours- except that ours are sinful- and destroyed sin's control over us by giving himself as a sacrifice for our sins. So now we can obey God's laws if we follow after the Holy Spirit and no longer obey the old evil nature within us.
"Those who let themselves be controlled by their lower natures live only to please themselves, but those who follow after the Holy Spirit find themselves doing those things that please God. Following after the Holy Spirit leads to life and peace, but following after the old nature leads to death, because the old sinful nature within us is against God. It never did obey God's laws and it never will. That's why those who are still under the control of their old sinful selves, bent on following their old evil desires, can never please God.
"But you are not like that. You are controlled by your new nature if you have the Spirit of God living in you...
"So, dear brothers, you have no obligations whatever to your old sinful nature to do what it begs you to do. For if you keep on following it you are lost and will perish, but if through the power of the Holy Spirit you crush it and its evil deeds, you shall live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
"And so we should not be like cringing fearful slaves, but we should behave like God's very own children, adopted into the bosom of his family, and calling to him, 'Father, Father.' For his Holy Spirit speaks to us deep in our hearts, and tells us that we really are God's children. And since we are his children, we will share his treasures- for all God gives to his Son Jesus is now ours too. But if we are to share in his glory, we must also share his suffering.
"Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will give us later," (Romans 8:1-9, 12-18, emphasis added).
Did you catch that part in the beginning about how the power of God's life-giving Spirit is ours and it has freed us from sin and death?! I got so excited. I mope through a lot of my days feeling utterly defeated. Feelings are liars (sometimes). If I listen to them and the lies they tell me then I am being controlled by my old nature (this version refers to it as the "lower" nature- ouch). But if I don't give in to what my sin nature begs of me, if I crush it (love that word choice) then I can follow after the Holy Spirit, and this way of life leads to peace and life (yes!). I want that life. The full life. The peace life. Beyond that, verses 14 and 15 tell me that if I am led by the Spirit of God then I am a child of God and I can call out to him, "Father, Father!" He's my good, good father- and yours too!
In a matter of six hours I went through the process of distraction, discouragement, and doubt. The devil's plan is simple, yet effective.
1. Get my eyes off God and on my circumstances.
2. Make me believe my happiness lies in my surroundings.
3. When I'm successfully discouraged, convince me God doesn't care.
4. Sit back and let doubt do it's work.
It's his textbook play. Every time. And still I get swindled into believing lies. You see there's a gap between our expectations and reality. They never quite match. What will we fill the gap with? Pastor Janis reminded us that we can either fill it with worry, doubt, and fear (lies) or we can fill it with the truth of God's word. His word says we can bring our needs to him any time (Matthew 7:7), he really does care what happens to us (I Peter 5:7), and he loves us enough to discipline us when we have wrong thinking (Revelation 3:19).
I hope you feel encouraged this morning to endure knowing that you are not alone and that this present suffering is nothing compared to the coming glory we will share. Lean into our Father. His Spirit is speaking to our hearts, speaking to the treasure in all of us, reminding us we're his. We are loved! Let's live our lives in the security His freedom and love provide.
Love,
Leah
Here's the link to Pastor Janis' message from last week: http://victoriouslifechurch.com/sisterhood-tug-of-war-week-2/
This song is called "Steady Heart." The lyrics of the chorus say, "Steady heart that keeps on going. Steady love that keeps on hoping. Lead me on." This morning I needed to tell my heart to be steady. Be strong and courageous. Trust God. Endure. "Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful... and do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised," (Hebrews 10: 23, 35-36, ESV). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfh_x5rFuWc
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