I don't know exactly when, but at some point in my past I dropped the fear of introspection in the presence of Christ; and adopted it as a part of my regular repertoire.
Chris Tomlin, Louie Giglio, and Jason Ingram collectively penned "Here's My Heart".
It's a cry of each believer's heart to courage up and acknowledge what's really there, from the center to the crevasses, KNOWING God can and WANTS to take it all and transform it to something remarkable. But understand divine transformation can only take place in an environment of COMPLETE HONESTY before God. Light does not fellowship with the dark. All things must be confessed. He already knows what is there. Can I encourage you to courage up and confess it all? Life is fleeting. I ponder to myself how much time the enemy has successfully caused us to waste hiding behind our individual, woefully inadequate, bushes as God calls out to us, "Where are you?" (Gen3:9)
I went to see the new movie, "Tolkien". One of the standouts to me was how Providence is seen looking backward in time. That's not a challenge for most. We could, for example, take the biography of George Washington, and most would agree the Hand of Providence rested upon him. But, if one were to go back in time and take a front row seat beside George, would we SEE the hand of Providence? I conjecture to say, "No, no we would not." I suspect a good many of us would be tempted to think, "Just who does he think is?" Certainly those in the British camp thought this!
How about the disciples who walked with Jesus for three years; seeing, talking, walking, eating, sleeping by His side? All evidence leads us to understand their immense struggle to wrap their beings around, IN THEIR PRESENT TIME, the Cross, yet were compelled to defend the testament of their Christ, the risen King, POST-Cross, UNTO DEATH themselves.
The present, for reasons known only to God, cannot illumine Providence's Hand as clearly as a future retrospect gifts to us.
I recently read a query: are you living in present-past or present-future?
Certainly, no one could argue to the contrary that the past has brought each of us individually to our present, but I am utterly convinced that it is the lens we SELECT in viewing our present-past that determines our present-future.
Do we take up the courage to face.... really face... the one in the mirror ...with a deeply-rooted belief system that God not only desires to take our past and make our future remarkable, but that He is ABLE to do so?
Elisabeth Elliot said, "Of one thing I am perfectly sure, God's story never ends with ashes."
I love to read, particularly the stories of those who made their mark on this world. Do you know the one thing that seems to stand out in common amongst them? That against the odds of their beginnings, they DETERMINED to fix their being immovably upon A POWER....a Divine Power.... that COURAGEOUSLY called them to inspect themselves first and foremost .... A POWER that COURAGEOUSLY called them to face doubt YET move forward despite it..... A POWER that COURAGEOUSLY called them to defend what is right, not by their own standards, but God's.
There was a scene in the movie where the four main characters were together, when one of the characters declares, "I have the power to determine HOW I live." That line sent a shock-wave through my spirit.
Think on that for a moment.
The truth is we ALL do possess the POWER to determine HOW we live. God gave us a beautiful gift when He gave us free-will. But how many are rightly exercising said free-will? That is the paramount question we ALL must answer whether we want to or not. We will most certainly give an account for our stewardship of this life He gave to you and to me.
I would dare say many are going through their days in a slumber-like state, otherwise known as "going with flow". True Christians, however, do not... dare I say CAN NOT.... live life in such a careless, thoughtless, reckless manner, for the Spirit within compels us to take the path LEAST taken....
Understand, opposition in this life will ALWAYS be PRESENT, both from within and without!
There are a number of war scenes in the Tolkien movie, and one thing was clearly depicted: war is indiscriminate. It cares not what casualties are taken, only that vast numbers are taken. In the movie, the blow torches, the gas, the bombs, the guns.... they all had one purpose. Decrease the soldiers in number.
The world remains at war. It does not need a grand title such as World War I or World War II. It has been on-going since the Garden, and it will remain until Christ plants His feet back upon the world.
The question is will you WAKE UP? Will you boldly face the one in the mirror, and despite all the reasons not to.... take YOUR place in history?
Or will you be among the masses who sleep through this life, duped into the enemy's plethora of lies, inevitably becoming disenfranchised by the chasm that lays between what the world promised and what it actually delivered?
It is recorded that Jay Gould, an American millionaire, upon his deathbed, said, "I suppose I am the most miserable man on earth." Duped. One among millions. Are you among the millions?
This world is not my home, but while I am here, I do, by way of Christ's blood, possess His mark and His power, and with Providential courage, I am determined to take my place, my appointed place, for such a time as this, BY Him, Through Him, and In Him.
What about YOU?
(PS: Make all efforts to ensure your aim is on-point "against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Eph 6:12)
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