Month: October 2016

The word change in the Christian vernacular is typically used interchangeably with other words such as transformation and conversion. The meaning of course is centered in the acceptance of Christ as our Lord and Savior. To be transformed by our salvation, converted or changed in the process—to be saved. I’ve heard that for some, the transformation or change from nonbeliever to believer is a sudden, radical turnabout in their lives. In seemingly an instant, their desires and behaviors line up with their new found faith in Christ. They choose a new path and set out to stay on it.

However, I’ve encountered so many young women who struggle with the guilt of slipping back into old habits, unhealthy relationships and feeling such a sense of failure in their Christian walk. I can look back to my early twenties and relate to those feelings and certainly I can still relate today for different reasons than back then but my journey, like every other Christian, is at times difficult and will never be perfect.

The key however, is to examine why we find ourselves doing the same things over and over—continuing to choose to live in a vicious cycle of repentance, sin, guilt, repentance, sin, guilt…this cycle is exhausting emotionally and physically.

Note I said choose. I believe this is where a lot of us get in the proverbial hamster wheel and believe we can’t get out. We just keep spinning around and around wishing we could get out but we fail to make a definitive choice. The hamster will never know it isn’t getting anywhere but we are painfully aware of our lack of progress. The question then becomes what are we going to do about it? For those of us who were or are steeped in the deepest muck and mire it can seem easier to just stay there. The process of real, lifelong change appears to require a lot of concerted effort. It does. That’s where the rubber hits the road as they say.

I believe most of us don’t experience life-giving change because we don’t really want to—deep down we may desire such change but we don’t have the resolution to make it happen. Simply put, we don’t have the discipline and we don’t really want to live disciplined lives. We are rebellious and self-serving. Am I saying it’s hopeless? Absolutely not! But until we learn to tell ourselves no, we won’t ever really tell Christ yes.

In a culture where the agenda has long been a push for believing that everything and anything is acceptable; I believe it has become increasingly more difficult to grasp the concept of self-denial—to understand and adhere to healthy boundaries regardless of what the world says. Our fleshly desires and behaviors aren’t new (Eccl. 1:9). It isn’t easy living in a world where we have access to anything but must be wise enough to choose the best things. But choose we must. As a young friend of mine recently said, “change comes one good decision after another.” I believe Angela’s statement contains a key component to our Christian walk—we live it out one good decision followed by another and then another and so on. Freedom in Christ is found in obedience and discipline not rebellion and denial. Real, recognizable change comes in small victories made one at a time. It is in this one-good-decision-at-a-time, over time, that we discover who we really are in Christ.

I can remember looking in the mirror, knowing I was a child of God but not seeing Him in my reflection at all. I wanted to change my course, I wanted to get off the destructive path I had chosen. I had allowed others to redefine me and I truly lost my sense of direction for a long time. I knew how to make poor, in the moment decisions, what I had to learn the hard way was to make better decisions ahead of time; one at a time over and over until I was back on course.

So as my husband loves to say, “here’s the net-net” of the situation:

The first most important decision to make, if you have not done so, is choose to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6 (NIV)

Second, either buy a bible in a translation you like and understand, download an app or I like to use www.biblegateway.com for quick reference and study. Begin reading scripture every day and don’t get hung up on how much you are reading each day just read. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you revelation as you read. Be still before the Lord.

Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. Luke 9:23 (NIV)

Third, find a bible believing, bible teaching church who welcomes you with open arms. Those churches really do exist, I belong to one!

Finally, resolve to make those changes you know you need to make—one good decision at a time—over time—for all time. Amen.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)

C. Deni Johnson

 

As a child I took great care with my toys. I cherished each one and never wanted to damage any of them. Even after hours and hours of play my toys looked new. I guess it was no surprise then when I started school and the same care I placed on my toys I placed on my schoolbooks especially the crisp paperback workbooks issued at the beginning of the school year.

I have a very clear memory from probably the second grade involving one of those large, bound workbooks. Each day our teacher asked us to retrieve the book from our desk in order to “check” our homework. On one particular day I took notice of the condition of the students’ workbooks closest to me. They were worn, covers plastered with doodles and meaningless graffiti—the pages wrinkled. I then looked at my workbook and it looked new. Every page still crisp and the cover—front and back—free of any dirt let alone mindless scribbles from a 7 year old. The condition of my workbook had nothing to do with my adherence to homework assignments in the book. They were all complete. But instead of feeling good about the condition of my book I felt just the opposite. I began crinkling the first several pages of the book as quickly as I could when the teacher walked up to me and asked what I was doing. I have no idea what my response was but I stopped crumpling the pages.

I suppose I wanted to be like the other kids—I wanted to be a little careless and carefree but that simply wasn’t my disposition—in many respects that statement still holds true for me today. Inwardly I long for a sense of being carefree but instead I’m plagued with a hyper sense of cautiousness and conscientiousness. I lean toward being a “color within lines” kind of girl. I spend a lot of time and energy on making sure I maintain the baseline instead of raising the bar—holding too tightly to what I can see instead of trusting the Lord for those things I cannot see.

Of course being cautious and conscientious are not negative attributes unless they are personal strongholds to really living—to fully experiencing life. An unhealthy reckless life isn’t the answer but somewhere between that and a life stifled by fear and analysis paralysis is what I long for most days. Can anyone relate? I was taught to be a good girl and good girls always do the right and proper thing. I certainly would never advocate doing the wrong and inappropriate thing but I believe we are called to be adventurous not fainthearted as described in the following passages: (emphasis is mine)

This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa?” God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what’s coming to us—an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we’re certainly going to go through the good times with him! Romans 8:15-17 (The Message)

 When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army. He shall say: “Hear, Israel: Today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not panic or be terrified by them. For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.” Deuteronomy 20:2-4 (NIV)

Webster’s defines fainthearted as “lacking courage or resolution…timid.” Funny, I’ve always considered myself as being courageously cautious…is that possible? I’m not sure! I think that is an oxymoron at its finest!

In Matthew, chapter 25, Jesus teaches about the talents or in other words money. The essence of this parable revolves around our obedience as Christ followers to invest ourselves in the Lord’s work. We, as believers, are not called to maintain the minimum and sit idly by and “bury” our God-given talents but rather, we are to risk investing ourselves in Kingdom work allowing the Holy Spirit to manifest multiplied fruit. The following is the parable as told in the book of Matthew in the Message translation (emphasis is mine):

“It’s also like a man going off on an extended trip. He called his servants together and delegated responsibilities. To one he gave five thousand dollars, to another two thousand, to a third one thousand, depending on their abilities. Then he left. Right off, the first servant went to work and doubled his master’s investment. The second did the same. But the man with the single thousand dug a hole and carefully buried his master’s money.

  “After a long absence, the master of those three servants came back and settled up with them. The one given five thousand dollars showed him how he had doubled his investment. His master commended him: ‘Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.’

“The servant with the two thousand showed how he also had doubled his master’s investment. His master commended him: ‘Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.’

“The servant given one thousand said, ‘Master, I know you have high standards and hate careless ways, that you demand the best and make no allowances for error. I was afraid I might disappoint you, so I found a good hiding place and secured your money. Here it is, safe and sound down to the last cent.’

“The master was furious. ‘That’s a terrible way to live! It’s criminal to live cautiously like that! If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least? The least you could have done would have been to invest the sum with the bankers, where at least I would have gotten a little interest.

“‘Take the thousand and give it to the one who risked the most. And get rid of this “play-it-safe” who won’t go out on a limb. Throw him out into utter darkness.’

The following is an excerpt from Matthew Henry’s Commentary about the servant who hid his money/talent:

…if I have not made it more, as the others have done, yet this I can say, I have not made it less. This, he thinks, may serve to bring him off, if not with praise, yet with safety.

Clearly this example in scripture tells us we are not to merely strive for a life filled with examples of what we didn’t do or how well we played it safe. We are not called to mitigate our risk of potential failure, rejection or sacrifice. Instead, I believe we are called to crumple the pages in the name of Jesus—get a little messy in the trenches doing what only we, the Christian church, can do—proclaim the Good News that Jesus Christ is Lord and there is hope, power and restoration in the name of Jesus. We can no longer afford to sit in our pews or chairs and commend ourselves on how perfectly we look sitting there! We ARE to add more to the Kingdom not relish in the fact that perhaps, in our own minds, we have not made it less!

Nowhere in scripture are we admonished to sit in our holy huddles and proclaim that at least OUR proverbial covers are pristine, OUR pages are crisp. What are we saying? That we will not risk getting dirty so that in the end we can tell Jesus just how careful we were to keep His Word to ourselves? We didn’t get messy, we remained aloof to a world crying out for hope. We didn’t crumple any pages Jesus, but then, we didn’t make a difference either.

C. Deni Johnson