an innocent man was executed!

BRUTALITY and INJUSTICE

A few years back, there was a man accused and convicted of a crime he did not commit.  Come to find out, he was truly innocent.  He was betrayed to the courts by a close friend for blood money.  Some friend.  What is amazing is that the man was aware of his friends' plan before the betrayal and stuck around.  The accused man was arrested and went before several courts that failed to give him due process and a fair trial.  They looked for false evidence to indict him quickly.  He was never allowed to be innocent until proven guilty.  He had many opportunities to defend himself but he chose not to.  He watched as one of the courts let a criminal with a long wrap-sheet free instead of setting him, an innocent man, free.  He not only was given a guilty verdict, but was sentenced to the death penalty with a severe beating administered before execution.  This mans' story reeks of injustice! 

GUILTY: TOLD THE TRUTH

What did this man do to deserve such a punishment? He told the truth.  He told the world that he was God's son, and because he was not believed he was charged with blasphemy.  See if you believe: During his execution, the sun stopped shining for 3 hours.  Yikes! kinda creepy, huh?!?  When this man finally died, the whole earth shook, the rocks split, the tombs of dead people opened and holy dead people came to life.  I'm pretty sure this has NEVER happened when anyone else has died.  Not even close!  It is obvious that these things were unprecedented and he was no ordinary man.  The guards who were guarding this man's body started freaking out at seeing these events and said something to the effect of: "oh poop! this guy really was who he said he was! he was God's son!" (my paraphrase) Believe yet?  Keep reading...

SUPERNATURAL

Not everyone (the higher-ups) was convinced though, and decided to take extra precautions to make sure that this crazy, guilty, blasphemous mans body did not accidentally do what he claimed it would do (raise from the dead).  There was no way on their watch that the cult followers would get to the body so that they could claim it raised 3 days after death!  Bodies don't just do that on their own!  So the high up important people made sure that the grave was impenetrable.  On the 3rd day after this man's death, there was another earthquake and an angel rolled back the rock covering the grave and sat on it.  This completely freaked out the guards, protecting the body, so much that they shook and looked dead.  Maybe this is where the phrase "scared to death" came from :)  

COVER-UP

The dead mans body was gone! His body really did raise from the dead on the 3rd day after death just like he said it would.  Only God could do such a thing.  The angel at the grave told the mourners that this man would appear to them soon and talk with them.  The guards went to the high up people and told them what happened.  Instead of recognizing that they put an innocent man to death, the higher-ups began a cover up.  They gave the guards money to say that the cult followers came and got the body from the grave when the guards were sleeping.  

MORE SUPERNATURAL

There are accounts of the raised-from-dead man appearing to his followers and then ascending into the sky in front of witnesses.  Everything the man claimed in his life became evidenced in his death and resurrection.  He was the son of God and no cover up could cover up this truth.  Still today, everyone is talking about this guy.  His story just will not go away.

WE ARE GUILTY AND DESERVE DEATH

This man that claimed to be God's son demonstrated power in his death and resurrection from the dead that only God himself could pull off.  So why didn't the God-man demand his rights, gain legal counsel, and show off his God-powers to save his life?  He could have! This innocent perfect man chose to take a guilty persons death so that all the truly guilty would not.  We are the guilty ones.  We sin against God and deserve eternity without God for this crime.  The man loved every person that would ever live so much that he died in all of our place.  He did not want us to get what we deserved.  God sees the sacrifice made by his perfect son as payment for crimes against him.  All who receive the death of this man as payment for their sin will be found innocent by God for eternity; for He is the ultimate judge.

THE INNOCENT MAN TOOK YOUR GUILTY VERDICT AND DEATH PENALTY SO YOU COULD LIVE!

The mans' name is Jesus. (I've been wanting to type his name for awhile now)

Ask for his death to cover your crimes against God today.  No one is innocent but Jesus himself.

Jesus will save you.  No need to accept a death penalty for eternity that Jesus already took on himself...that's just being stupid.

Make decisions in your life that are worthy of the death penalty Jesus received for your guilt.  Honor him with your life because he honored you in his death.

If you die on this earth without accepting Jesus' sacrifice for your crimes you will be found guilty before God our judge and sentenced to eternity apart from Him.  The ultimate death penalty is a very real place called hell.  Hell is no bueno to put it lightly.

Do business with Jesus and then share with the guilty how they can be exonerated of their guilt. Don't keep this to yourself. 

You now know about the worlds greatest hope...Jesus!  Receive the free gift offered to you by an innocent man that was executed willingly, so you might choose to live!

Contact me if you would like to know more about Jesus!

My Source: The Holy Bible

Santa + Jesus = Christmas?

Let's talk about Santa Clause.

St. Nicholas:
Santa Clause can be traced back to the benevolent monk, St. Nicholas, hundreds of years ago in our modern day Turkey.  Legend has it that he sold all of his wealth and traveled the land taking care of children and the poverty stricken.  One particular legend that impresses me most is that he saved 3 young girls from sex slavery by giving their father money for a dowry for them to get married.  Impressive.  Another version of this legend is that he threw the money into the fathers window with it landing in a stocking that was hung by the fire.  He didn't want anyone to know he was the giver.  This resulted in homes hanging stockings by the fire in hopes that St. Nicholas would visit and give gifts.  History tells us of a St. Nicholas living a radical life that our modern day David Platt would be impressed by.  Material possessions and status did not seem to be important to this saint.  He apparently loved his Jesus and lived out his faith in a real way.  I would have liked to have hung out with this guy!


Big fat red Santa:

December 6 was St. Nichoas' date of death and marked future anniversary gift-giving celebrations in honor of his sacrificial life.  At the end of the 1700's, St. Nicholas became known in the New York area by immigrant Dutch settlers who celebrated his life in December.  St. Nicholas was declared the patron saint of New York by both patriot Pintard and writer Washington Irving as they fanned on the popular stories of St. Nicholas' care for others.  St. Nicholas had the dutch nickname "Sinter Klaas" that gradually evolved into our modern day name of Santa Clause. Originally the image of Santa Clause was not that of a jolly round man dressed in red.  Instead, he might be seen as an elf like male figure or a small framed man wearing an array of colors and chewing on a pipe.  It wasn't until Clement Clark Moore's writing of "Twas the Night Before Christmas" and Thomas Nast's own illustration of Moore's poem that produced our current jolly, round, white, bearded, and red dressed Santa.

Commercialization:

In the early 1800's, Department stores took off with the new found private, family centered, gift giving holiday with the big fat jolly guy as the symbol of it all. They would attract hundreds of customers by advertising a glimpse at Santa in their store.  Here was born the commercial element to the holiday.  Later in history, Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer was created by Montgomery Wards to have a cheaper gift/promotional offer for their customers by Robert May in 1939.  It was a HUGE success ($$) and quickly became a staple of the Christmas story. Coca-Cola also has a rich history with their friend Santa.  Coca-Cola piggy-backed Nast's ever-changing depiction of Santa and began a holiday marketing with the happy Coca-Cola drinking Santa.  The Salvation Army jumped on the Santa band wagon in the later part of the 1800's to help collect money for the many Christmas meals they were providing for those in need.  Santa was just getting started back then.  He seems to be everywhere now.  Today, preparing for Christmas is signaled by Black Friday and Cyber Monday.  Department stores get us out and shopping a month early so we can spend, spend, spend on behalf of our Santa icon.

Santa, Jesus Christ, and December 25:
Santa Clause and Jesus Christ seem to be sharing the same day of honor in America.  We consecutively celebrate our Lord and Savior's birthday and the legacy of St. Nicholas as we share gifts and spend time with family.  The funny thing is that some biblical scholars don't even believe that Jesus was born in the month of December.  There is no mention in our holy scriptures of Jesus' birthdate.  It is a bit of a mystery.  Some scholars say that Jesus might have been born in the spring because of the status of the sheep and weather.  Others say that Jesus was both conceived and resurrected in the same month (March 25) therefore projecting his birth 9 months later on December 25.  The ancient church did not acknowledge a special day for Jesus' birth, instead placed heavy attention on his death and resurrection.  Some scholars believe that celebrating Jesus' birth on December 25 morphed from an already existent birthday pagan celebration of Sol Invictus (the Unconquered Sun).  Pagan celebrations of Winter Solstice, Saturnalia, etc. were also common and contributed to December being a festive month.  It appears that the church leaders chose to absorb pagan rituals as opposed to outlawing them in hopes that more attention would be drawn toward God and the birth of Jesus.  Christmas is a marriage of both secular and religious symbolism and tradition when you take into account the extensive history.

Somehow there became a merger of the hypothesized birthday of Jesus on December 25 and the death of St. Nicholas on December 6.  This merger reflects the Christmas we currently celebrate in America without most even considering how such a merger occurred.

What would St. Nicholas think of Santa Clause being created in his image?  I think he would be embarrassed by the attention and would redirect the attention to God and His ability to provide for our needs and bless us beyond our wildest imaginations.  He would instruct us to keep our eyes on Jesus, God's son, and not on any sinful earthly man. He would want us to enjoy the spirit of giving to others less fortunate than ourselves and honor the most vulnerable of us all..children.  I think he would see himself as unworthy to share such a holy day with Emmanuel.  Then, I think he would wonder how his physique became so round and why his wardrobe only consists of the color red.

What does Jesus think about sharing His man-made birthday with a man like St. Nicholas?  I think he would wonder why his people would need any other figure but himself to celebrate such an important moment in our history.  Baby Jesus changed everything.  He came to save us from our sins and eternal separation from God.  In that moment he became hope.  He bridged the gap that we couldn't cross on our own.  He lived his life in perfection.  There is no "saint" that ever lived that could even come close to His exemplary life.  We don't need another example in which to live our life after.  Jesus was it.  St. Nicholas lived his life attempting to live as biblically as he could.  He just chose to obey scriptures more than most so he sticks out.  He kinda became famous.  Most of us would hear his story and think about how we could become more like him. He represented good in this painful world.  His life challenges us on to greater things.  The truth is that he was only doing what God called him to do and what Jesus had already perfectly done before him.  Jesus loved children WAY before St. Nicholas was ever on the scene.  Jesus did not acquire for himself worldly wealth or even a home in which to rest his head.  Jesus traveled performing miracles and great wonders.  Jesus is all we need.  Any other symbol is mere confusion and a lacking substitute.  Our protestant reformers fought hard for freedom in this area.

Imaginative children and Santa:
Chuck and I tell our children that Santa is not real.  When others find this out we instantaneously become the grinch and come close to warranting a CPS call.  Such awkward moments! :) Santa is so engrained in the jolly happy season of Christmas that to extract him seems cruel and anti-Christmas.  Chuck and I are not the grinch and we do not desire to steal Christmas away from our children I promise!  We seek to make it very magical and fun.  We have created fun traditions that support more of our belief system.  We read the scriptures on the birth of Jesus out of The Jesus Storybook Bible on Christmas Eve.  We explain to our kids that we exchange presents on Jesus' birthday because the wise-men brought presents to our Jesus.  The star on our tree represents the bright star that led the shepherds to Jesus.  They go to sleep Christmas Eve in great anticipation of opening presents much like the anticipation of God's people that were waiting for their promised savior.  Macon knows all about St. Nicholas and the history I have written here.  She knows him as a really nice man alive a LONG time ago that had a big heart for children, sick people, and the poor.  What's funny is she still tries to convince Chuck and I that Santa is alive and real.  We just laugh and keep telling her the truth.

James Dobson disagrees with me.  He is quoted as saying “I don’t believe that those early, early fantasies really interfere with later Spiritual beliefs. I haven’t seen any evidence of that, either in the life of my kids or in the lives of those I have had anything to do with. To allow a little bit of fantasy in a child’s life enriches his intellectual life and I think he needs it. Children thrive on fantasy. It enriches our mental existence. Reality can be a pretty cold and hard place. I think children need the fantasy that Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and other childhood mythical creatures bring."

While I agree with him that children "thrive on fantasy" and that it is healthy for them, I disagree that the fantasy should be encouraged when it is paired with our saviors birthday and death/resurrection.  My daughter thinks that the princesses at Disney World are real and that they live happily ever after in Cinderella's castle.  I have no problem fanning this fantasy with lots of fun and excitement.  I can't quite do the same when the Easter Bunny, egg hunting, and Santa watching competes with Jesus' most important days.  Especially when our holidays are so busy and fast paced.

Having children really forces you to evaluate everything. I never gave Santa much thought until we began having children.  I realized I didn't know anything about the history of Santa and Christmas.  I, like most, was blindly drug around by the Christmas "have to's" and finished the Christmas holiday with a sigh of relief that the madness was over.  I wanted to reevaluate everything so that Christmas became intentional and what we wanted it to be.  My intentions in writing this post on Santa isn't to proclaim the "right" way to celebrate Christmas or to make you feel bad for celebrating Santa in your home.  I have many friends that celebrate St. Nicholas in their home with very creative explanations to their children so that the main focus is still Jesus.  An example of this is that "imagination is a gift from God and the imaginary character of Santa Claus reminds us of a man who lived a long time ago whose devotion to God is worth remembering".  My true intentions are only to provoke thought so that whoever reads this might think through their celebrations of Christmas. Christmas deserves to have deep meaning.  A holy reverence.  Lots of intentionality.  It deserves close inspection.  Remember, Satan is always lurking around anything that brings God glory.  He seeks to distract.  He can be found all throughout Christmas celebrations as appetites for greed, entitlement, and status are fed in the very rituals meant to honor our savior.  Scary reality.  So maybe what I'm saying is that there is a word of caution as we approach the activities surrounding December 25.  We should be aware of anything that would distract from Jesus clearly being the reason for celebration.  Without Jesus, we are no different from the pagans that celebrated the "unconquered sun" every December.

Resources:
www.history.com
www.biblicalarchaeology.org
www.stnicholascenter.org

chuck and amy are in counseling

Let me introduce you to my husband.  Chuck is a student pastor at our church.  He was raised in a Christian home where his dad Bill was in full time ministry.  Chuck has himself been in the ministry now 19 years and counting.  Chuck started following Jesus as a child.  Chuck memorizes scripture and weekly teaches the next generation the truths of God's word.  He prays.  He is an amazing husband and father.  He helps around the house! He prays over and for our children.  He prays over me every day before he goes to work.  He spiritually leads our family.  He has safeguards in place to pursue purity in his mind.  He practices integrity of character.  Pretty awesome, huh!?  I am truly a very blessed person to call him my husband.  I never want to get over the fact that God blessed me with him.






Now it's my turn.  My name is Amy.  I too was raised in a Christian family.  My dad was a pastor most of my upbringing and still currently a pastor of a church.  I began to follow Jesus as a child.  I have been on mission trips around the world serving Jesus "to the least of these".  I went a year to a Christian college.  I have Christian friends.  I have been to bible studies.  I lead a group of 9th grade girls every Sunday.  I LOVE praise music and sing it loudly in my car.  I pray and read God's word.  I have a heart for orphans and widows.  I can't stand injustice and will be loud with justice.  I love Jesus.  I sound like I have it "all together" don't I??  Oh...I forgot to tell you.  I'm also a counselor.  I've gone to years of school to help people navigate through very serious and painful experiences.

I write these things about Chuck and I, not to make us look awesome, but to set ourselves up to be de-throned.  In the church world..and maybe in the non-church world, people might assume we are above sin and brokenness because of our Christian heritage or position in the church.  That somehow we were chosen by God to work in the church because we are better than others.  That we are perfect.  These are all false belief systems and lies.  They do not at all align with the biblical figures we are given in scripture of ordinary people God chose for His purposes.  Many of them were JACKED UP people that did JACKED UP things when left to their own sinful selves.  Moses killed an Egyptian.  Abraham slept with his wife's maidservant in order to have a child that wasn't coming quick enough.  Jacob stole his brothers birthright.  David slept with Bathsheba then killed her husband Uriah to cover up his sin. Saul killed Christians.  Jonah was a runaway.  Peter denied Jesus 3 times when he SWORE he would never think of such a thing.  Shall I go on?  And these guys were the ordinary people that, through God, became extraordinary pillars of our faith.  They are our patriarchs.  They were kings, disciples, and leaders of the early church.  God has a history of using the unlikely.  The underdog.  The "jacked up" if you will.

Jacked-up and de-throned

So...all of this to say, Chuck and I are not perfect.  NOT EVEN CLOSE!!  We sin daily just like the rest.  We daily fall short of the glory of God and are in need of a savior from this reality.  We are "jacked up"!  Our Christian pedigree doesn't protect us from the hard truths of this world.  We are ALWAYS in danger of falling from grace!  We both have imperfect family-of-origins.  We both had parents who were sinners.  Our grandparents were sinners too.  We have had people hurt us.  Speak against us.  Misunderstand us. We have succeeded and failed at things.  We have hurt others and spoken things we shouldn't have.  We have wounds from our past and present.  We made decisions that we wish we wouldn't have and decisions we are very proud of.  We have struggled with pride and fought for humility.  We have hurt each other.  We have been tired and became selfish by not serving each other.  We have argued to make our point and win as opposed to listening to each other.  We fail as parents often.  We are real people with imperfect lives.  We did not make it 32 and 38 years of life unscathed.  We have "issues".  There are lies that we believe that we have to take captive and reject.  We have insecurities.  I could go on and on in this confessional booth.  Are we de-throned in your mind yet?  I hope so because I want you to stay with me for my next confession.

Chuck and Amy are in counseling.

A student pastor and a counselor have a counselor!  We go once a month every month to a counselor that pours into our marriage.  He is a biblical Christian counselor that has dedicated his life to understanding God's word and how to recognize things that hold people captive.  He seeks to do the work of Jesus by setting people free as he points back to God's word in practical ways.  He is a truth speaker.  We need this kind of guy in our corner! Why?  Because we understand that our marriage relationship is VERY important.  The most important relationship we have on this planet.  Our relationship to God comes first, then our relationship with each other.  I don't know about you, but I was NOT born knowing how to do this marriage thing.  It is HARD!!  It does not come natural!  (when you are trying to do it biblically).  The standard God has set for us in this relationship is ONLY doable with the power of the Holy Spirit.  It is a supernatural union.  If we do it right it speaks the gospel to this lost world.

So let me level with you here.  In America...most of us have a primary care physician and dentist picked out and ready in the wings if we need them.  If our baby gets sick in the middle of the night we have that PCP on speed dial ready to get some wisdom to nurse them back to health.  Not sure anyone likes going to the dentist, but they usually send us those "friendly" reminders that it is time for our 6 month cleaning and check-up.  We reluctantly go because we know it is ultimately good for us.  Listen... this applies to the profession of counseling as well.  If we reluctantly go to our dentist 2 times a year to have good dental hygiene...then shouldn't we at LEAST put that much effort into pouring in our marriage relationship?  Shouldn't we invest at least that much energy into going to counseling individually to make sure we are addressing our "jacked-up-ness"? It is smart.  The bible calls it WISE.

"A wise man is full of strength, and a man of knowledge enhances his might,

for by WISE GUIDANCE (direction, counsel, guidance, good advice, wise counsel) you can wage your war, and in abundance of counselors there is VICTORY (deliverance or salvation).  Wisdom is too high for a fool;  in the gate he does not open his mouth." Proverbs 24:5-7

I WANT VICTORY!  I don't want to live in defeat!  I want this kind of counsel in my monthly routine!  We must put on the armor of God every day because we are in a battle.  Last post challenged us on recognizing how our enemy seeks to kill, steal, and destroy in very practical ways.  We can also battle these forces in very practical ways.  Have a counselor that you meet with periodically for enrichment in your life.  Have that person on speed dial so if a crisis comes your way and your soul is rocked to the core you have "a person" that you can talk to about ANYTHING. A counselor will hold that information in 100% confidence and is led by the Holy Spirit to instruct and speak wisdom into your life.  They are there to battle lies with you.

When we go to see our counselor I imagine us going into a meeting place to put on more armor for the battle.  If there is something in our marriage that exists for our harm...we will attack it and change our ways.  If there are things we can add to our weekly routine to keep us connected in the spiritual realm then we are going to add it.  We are engaging in the battle.  We are not going to just let things go.  We are going to work through them and become stronger because of it.  Satan works very hard at destroying marriages.  He's getting REALLY good at it.  The national statistics right now are almost at 50% divorce rate.  In other words, half of us make it and half of us don't.  Christians ARE NOT exempt from this statistic sadly.  Our reality is the same.  So are we going to allow Satan to continue reeking  havoc on our families and to destroy the very structure of the family unit that God ordained for our protection and learning about Him?  I challenge you to chew on this.

This process of thinking makes perfect sense to me.  I understand that it doesn't feel as simple when you first take the plunge into the counseling world.  So let's go there for a second.

Counseling.  The word elicits many emotions and thoughts.  Most very unfavorable.  This is what I hear most:

"if you go to counseling, then something has to be really wrong with you"

"the people who go to counseling are the crazy weird, weak, and/or bad"

"you don't need a counselor if you just talk to your friends about your problems"

"you only go to a counselor when things are REALLY bad"

"you are less of a Christian if you have to go to counseling.  Just read your bible and pray"

So with these belief systems surrounding the option of counseling, it is no wonder that even less favorable feelings exist.

Fear of exposure

Fear of vulnerability

Fear of my true colors being seen

Fear of change

Fear of the truth

Fear of reputation being tarnished

Fear of sin exposure

Fear of emotions

Fear of tears

Fear of rejection

Fear of abandonment

Fear of shame/embarrassment

Fear of .....

Lots of fear surrounding the option of counseling in our lives.  I feel like Jesus would interrupt this train of thought and say, "For God has not given us a spirit of fear (fearfulness, cowardice) and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline." 2 Timothy 1:7  He would remind us that fear does not come from Him.  We are to fear the Lord out of respect and awe of His holiness, but to fear the things of this world proves our security comes from ourselves and not the Lord.  Fear paralyzes us.  Keeps us from boldly pursing a life of freedom found only in Jesus.  Remember...Jesus wants us to be free...Satan wants us in chains of fear.  Let me be so bold as to say Satan has influenced our American belief systems that counseling is bad or for weirdos.  Why would he do that?  I think you can answer that question for yourselves.

The idea of counseling is all throughout scripture.  A word search shows that 80 times the bible uses the word counsel or a closely related word.  (counsel 25, counsellor 22, consult 9, give 7, purposed 5, advice 2,determined 2, advise 2, deviseth 2, taken 2, misc 2)

My favorite verse from the search is this one:

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, COUNSELLOR, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6

Jesus was called "COUNSELLOR"!!!  I love this!

A good Godly Christian counselor goes through schooling and the pain of getting a license for one reason: To be apart of the work of Jesus in making "all things new" (Rev 21). A good Godly Christian counselors' greatest desire and reward is to be apart of the work of God in healing and restoring people unto himself. God is the ONLY one who heals but a counselor works as the hands and feet of Jesus by giving their gifts and schooling back to the Lord in this very special unique way.  We LOVE to watch Jesus set people free.  Free from lies.  Free from Satans' attacks.  Free from bondage and chains.  We are gospel centered and will always point people back to Jesus.

Here is a picture of the 3 our marriage affects the most.

We owe it to God, ourselves, our children, the people we lead, those we love on and minister with to do all that we can to be as free and healthy as we can.  When we don't deal with our insecurities we hurt those around us as we try and overcompensate.  When we don't battle lies then we pass those same lies down to our children.  When we allow fear to overcome us we sit back while our life gets out of hand.  We become hurt people that hurt people.  These 3 precious babies deserve self-aware parents that live out their freedom in Jesus, not parents that refuse both humility and change.  They are watching us.
  

Here's Chuck and I together.  We have been married 7 years now.  We have had really good years and really hard years.  We are committed to our marriage "until death do us part".  To keep this commitment we intend to place safeguards, education, relationships, accountability, and counseling at the TOP of our priority list so that we have a fighting chance.  Commitment in marriage does not happen by accident.  It happens very intentionally.

Find you a Christian counselor near you and invest in yourself.  Freedom and healing are at your fingertips.  Your loved ones and those you lead will thank you.

identity in satan

Absorb these words:

YOU ARE WORTHLESS

YOU ARE DISGUSTING

YOU DESERVE TO DIE

NO ONE WILL EVER TAKE YOU SERIOUSLY

YOU WILL NEVER LIVE UP TO THEIR EXPECTATIONS

YOU ARE A FREAK

YOU HAVE TO HAVE EVERYTHING PERFECT OR DON'T TRY AT ALL

YOU HAVE NO GIFTS OR TALENTS

YOU ARE FAT

YOU ARE UGLY

YOU ARE NOT LOVED BY ANYONE

YOU ARE ANNOYING

YOU SHOULD REJECT EVERYONES LOVE

YOU ARE UNLOVEABLE

YOU HAVE NOTHING TO OFFER

YOU ARE AWKWARD

YOU ARE DIRTY

YOU ARE ONLY GOOD FOR SEX

YOU ARE BROKEN

YOU ARE DAMAGED

YOU ARE BEYOND HELP

YOU ARE STUPID

YOU DON'T AMOUNT TO ANYTHING

IF THEY KNEW THE REAL YOU THEY WOULD REJECT YOU

YOU CAN NEVER TELL YOUR SECRETS OR YOU WILL BE JUDGED

YOU ARE ALL ALONE

NO ONE WILL UNDERSTAND YOU

YOU SHOULD JUST DIE
YOU HAVE TO PLEASE EVERYONE

YOU NEED CONTROL AT ALL TIMES

YOU CAN ONLY COUNT ON YOURSELF

YOU DON'T DESERVE FORGIVENESS

YOU SHOULD PUNISH YOURSELF

YOU CAN'T TRUST ANYONE

YOU ARE WEAK

YOU ARE A FAILURE

 I want to let you in on something…these are all lies and Satan is behind every one..  Sometimes the lies whisper and we can barely hear, sometimes they yell and we don’t feel we can get away from them. Let’s be aware of what we are dealing with here.  These aren’t insecurities, lies that we came up with, low self esteem, or things that make us who we are (identity).  They are all lies from Satan, our accuser.  The list could go on forever.  I only listed a few.

Satan speaks to us all differently but one thing is the same for all of us, they are all LIES and we all hear them.  Not all of us wrestle with the same lies in the list, but we all have our eye on several.

Why? Why aren’t we all looking at the same lie? Because God made us all unique and Satan can’t take us down all in the same way.  He has to get creative because God is creative.  He has to come up with many ways to take us down because God made us in many different ways.  God wants us to celebrate how we were uniquely created, Satan wants us to be ashamed and hide our uniqueness.  They are opposites.  They absolutely want the exact opposite thing for you.

Satan wants you to think that he is harmless.  That it is okay to listen to lies because he will make you feel better.  That he has the answers to your pain.  The bible makes it clear that the thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy.  If you will allow me to take some freedoms, I would like to take this scripture and make it personal to you and I.  If Satan had to be clear with us and tell us what he is up to, he would have to say “I have come only to STEAL, KILL, and DESTROY YOU (enter your name here)”.  

Look at the lies on the list.  Do you see how he is doing it?  Do you see how he is trying to steal your freedom? Do you see how he wants you to die?  Do you see how he is destroying the life you are living?  Do you see that HE is the cause of your pain????????? 

Any answer to your pain that he promises will give you relief is a death trap.  (Alcohol, Drugs, Gossip, Sex, Pornography, Adultery, Denial, Secrets, etc ) All of these things promise temporary relief from pain but long term consequences.  When someone has these things in their life they are our most tangled up brothers and sisters.  It happens to our church and non-church friends.  They need freedom! They need Jesus in a real way!

Let this sink in for a minute.  This is a HUGE concept to really understand.  We are about to make war with this truth so really let it sink in.  This is what is happening every day of our lives.  The BIBLE tells us this…do we really believe it??

The bible tells us “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”  Ephesians 6:12  It’s not what we see…but what we don’t see!

 This is the part I get fired up about:  So lets wage war!!!!!  You guys ready for this? There is no need to be scared because the Bible tells us that “greater is He who is in me, than He that is in this world”.  Bottom line…The Holy Spirit is IN us and that is GREATER than Satan who is in this world.  HE is stronger!!!!!!!!  Jesus is stronger than any lie Satan whispers in your ear.  He is stronger than Satan himself.  The power is in you and you can do “all things through Christ who gives us strength”.  Sound familiar?  Listen..God’s word is a weapon.  Not just for our memory.  Fight!!!!

So now that we know lies, who they come from, who is stronger….now we need to know and believe the truth.

I have another quote.  Something Jesus wants to say.  You see…Jesus LOVES honesty.  He is always honest.  He has already told you this in his WORD.  Here it is:  “I come that you will have life and have it to the full” 

Jesus' desire is for you to live a free joyful life.  He doesn’t want you to believe anything on this list.  Remember he wants the opposite for you as Satan.  Jesus wants you to choose Him so you can choose life the way he created it.  Free and Full

Now comes action.  We can actually do something practical to war against satans lies.  We are going to write out the truth statement to the lies Satan speaks to us.  For example...If one of your lies is "YOU HAVE NO GIFTS OR TALENTS".. then your truth statement could be something like "I WAS FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY MADE (PS 139) SO I KNOW THAT GOD CREATED ME WITH ABILITIES TO SERVE HIM CREATIVELY." Using scripture is smart because it will always be the strongest truth statement to tell yourself.

*pick a lie that is one of the hardest for you to admit.  Resist choosing the safest lie to admit.  if your lie is not on the list..go with what is in your head.

*you might not even believe the truth that you are writing down.  Doesn’t matter!  Put what you know is truth.  Sometimes it takes time for true beliefs to sink in bc the lies have been there for a long time.

So right NOW..while you are reading this...write down your lie and truth statement.  this isn't for everyone but you.  It's for you!

now..call or text your trusted person RIGHT NOW and tell them what your lie and truth statements are.  Resist the urge to JUST read this post and really EXPERIENCE what is being written.  Freedom is at stake.

AFTER YOU HAVE CONTACTED YOUR PERSON CONTINUE READING:

What are you thinking right now?

What are you feeling right now?

How does this make you feel/think about yourself?

What was it like to talk to each other? To have to experience it together?

Compare talking to your trusted person about your lie/truth statement with what you experienced in reading the list at the beginning of this post.

Here's how i think this experience went down:  

we started out feeling depressed and down when we focused on Satans lies and life how he wants us to live it.  We felt horrible.  Then we replaced the lies with truth.  We had a totally different experience. It felt empowering.  But then we probably started feeling nauseous because we were anxious to confess a lie to our trusted person.  We probably went through all the reasons why we should ignore this blog post and go on with the rest of our day not participating.  We pushed through.  Once we took the leap of faith and called that trusted friend...We felt our moods lift.  We felt hope.  We felt normal in our experiences.  We felt good about ourselves.  We began to see ourselves the way God sees us.  We began to feel the effects of being free.  We made a movement from being under Satans rule to being under the protection of God.  We saw that we have the power inside of us to make a change.  We just did it.

Here is a point to never forget:  SATAN CAN NOT LIE TO US WHEN WE STAY IN COMMUNITY WITH EACH OTHER LIKE GOD CREATED.  He has no power in light…only in darkness.  The Bible tells us “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9.  When we don’t talk about the lies and the secrets, then Satan gets to beat us up.  If we choose to confess/share our stuff with the trusted people in our lives then God promises to purify and forgive us.  Do you see the difference again? One leads to self-hatred, the other leads to purity and forgiveness.  Which one do you think feels better?  Which one do you want in your life?

This post originally came from an assignment from my husband Chuck to talk to our student girls about identity in Christ.  I was struggling with the topic.  I wanted something new and raw that these girls could really chew on.  I told God I knew He had something to say to these girls about Identity and that I would tell them anything He told me to. He spoke this talk into my heart (the DAY of the event) and I have never been the same since.  My eyes have been opened and I’m on a warpath to expose Satan in all his schemes.  I HATE how he hurts people.  I started realizing that even as believers we have a daily choice on whether to find our ID in Jesus or our ID in Satan.

 I would say most of the time we choose to find our IDENTITY IN SATAN and what he tells us about ourselves.  We are trusting the wrong authority.

Do you desire to have an identity defined by Satan? Or by Jesus?  By someone that wants to kill you? Or by someone that wants to give you life?  Satan does not discriminate.  He will go after you, your small children, your grandparents, your marriage, your pastor..he hates us all.

The choice is yours.  No one can make it for you.  It is time to see all of this for what it is and wage war to protect the identity God has created you to have.  No longer be okay with Satan and his lies.  Fight them.  Hold them captive and replace them with truth.  You have the power in you to do this.  Start today.  Commit to saying your truth statement to yourself every time you hear the lie.  As God heals your mind you will believe the truth.

If you have not asked Jesus to come into your life then that is the first choice you need to make.  Without the holy spirit guiding your spirit into truth and giving you the power to overcome Satan and his schemes…you don’t have a chance in battling these lies.  Need a savior to rescue you from these lies? Jesus is ready with arms open.  All you have to do is ask.  Romans 10:9  "If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."  He is a safe person to find rest in.  You can trust him.   “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." - Jesus. (Matthew 11:28-29)

Here is a practical thing to help you remember this principle of identity every day.  John 10:10 is where I was able to "quote" Satan and Jesus today.  If you notice the same number is repeated twice.  Every time you hear a lie in your head you need to yell 10, 10.  Which side of the 10 will you choose to believe? Satan? Or Jesus?  Then make your choice.  Never give up fighting for your identity to be in Jesus.  You can’t afford not to.  You will be blessed for fighting.

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10

Eye Opening

My eyes are beginning to open.  I can no longer see this world naively.  There is a battle going on that demands my attention.  I have a choice to make.  Will I duck my head in the sand and pretend that what looms around me doesn't exist, or do I stare this thing in the face?  God has me on a crazy journey.  There is nothing special about me that qualifies me for this journey.  I'm not really sure why me?  Ephesians 6:12 has me all jacked up.  Enough that I started a new blog at 2:00 in the morning.  I don't have all the answers...I just have a million questions.  I want to see this world and life we are living from God's point of view.  What exactly is he seeing?  I'm deeply bothered by the things I encounter on this journey.  The further along I go, the more depressing the view gets.  Sin is everywhere.  You can't escape it.  The evidence that this world is broken in pieces glares at me constantly.  I see Satan win battles all the time and I'm sick of it.  Jesus has ultimately won the war but we seem to be blind and unappreciative of this reality.  We listen to the lies that Satan dishes out because our faith in Jesus is so small.  I'm committing all of my blog entries to exposing Satan and his lies.  I will show the difference between a mind that listens to Satan verses a mind that trusts in Jesus.  I want to hit on anything that causes destruction to our souls and families.  Anything that Satan tries to kill, steal, and destroy will be on my agenda.  I have no idea what I'm getting myself into but I know God will see me through.  Pray for me and my journey.  I want Jesus to be heard loud and clear.

"The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy.  My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life." John 10:10