“We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.”

Colossians 1:9b-10

I recently signed up for a continuing education class and through the process of re-arranging and managing my time, I learned that there are a lot of things I need to unlearn in order for me learn effectively.

Learning is a lifelong process of gaining new knowledge, acquiring new understanding, and distributing the skills we have learned. But if we are not willing to unlearn some things as well, our learning is only processing knowledge and not useful for real life or real love.

When Jesus came to earth, He came to unteach us! He came to unteach our prejudices, our judgements, our self-reliance, our bad habits, our labels, our comparison and complaining, our religion, our bondage to sin, and our responses to offense and anger. There are many, many more! But Jesus came to help us unlearn our lifelong patterns of human nature and teach us His spiritual patterns of love and life.

We hear repeatedly from Paul throughout the New Testament (beginning in Acts 9:1-27), how Jesus turned his life upside down when he met Him on his way to kill Christians. Paul’s pattern of life prior to meeting Jesus was one of judgement, privilege, and prejudice. But after Paul met Jesus, he became one of the most powerful messengers for the Lord – because – his was a life that was changed. He had to unlearn his former way of thinking and what society thought was important, to learn the way of honoring and glorifying the Lord.

Paul’s life was transformed from a life that brought fear and division, to a life that brought love and unity. Paul unlearned his entire identity to identify with what mattered most to Jesus.

When we are willing to unlearn our behaviors and attitudes, we free ourselves for meaningful and purposeful conversations. (James 1:19).

When we were are willing to unlearn the fear of differing cultures, thoughts, and opinions, we free ourselves to love like Jesus. (Acts 10:34).

When we are willing to unlearn religion, we free ourselves to know the value of our relationship with Christ. (Philippians 3:1-11).

Unlearning will not only develop our relationship with the Lord and each other, it will help us use our new knowledge and understanding to live life without presumption, have faith without limitations, to love without resistance, and have obedience without hesitation.

Unlearning leads to a life that expresses godly character, courage, integrity and gratitude. “Don’t copy the behaviors and customs of the world any longer. But let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect” (Romans 12:2). What things can you unlearn to love, live, and serve Jesus better?

12 words

Live without presumption. Love without resistance. Believe without limitations. Obey without hesitation.

#SaturdaySoulSearch

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it might benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving, just as Christ forgave you.”

Ephesians 4:29-31

I had just started attending Bible Study when my pastor said it was almost 4:30[1]. I had no idea what he was talking about since it was obviously almost 7:00. But as the night progressed, I found this to be a proactive phrase I repeat in my mind when harsh words are forming on my tongue.

Our tongues can be our worst enemy sometimes, and unfortunately, our tongues are also probably our hardest temptation. As I don’t think it’s so bad to vent to those you can trust, I know how hard it is to keep the venting from going on to the next level of bitterness, anger, rage, and slander. And then it becomes easy to sling words around that do more damage than the original intent – even if it’s just an ash in our own soul. For one unwholesome word leads to another, and then as James warns us like “a tiny spark that sets a great forest on fire” (James 3:5) it begins to burn out of control.

Our words can bless and praise the Lord, or they can curse His creation (James 3:9). Our words can influence others whether they are a worthy reflection of God or an unworthy reflection of ourselves (Jeremiah 15:19 and James 3:3-4). And our words can breathe peace or bleed poison (James 3:8).

Now I’m not saying that I have this under control yet, cause taming the tongue is hard to do, but when I feel like I’m getting ready to dance with the devil, that alarm clock goes off telling me it’s 4:29 (Ephesians 4:29). Sometimes I repeatedly hit snooze, and sometimes I get up and go, but there’s not any time that God hasn’t reminded me Who my words should honor and that by speaking the words that are forming on my tongue I could “grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30)

So as much as speaking our minds may clear our heads, where does it steer our hearts? Does it soothe our soul or spoil our Spirit? Does it gratify peace or cultivate trouble? Does it bring glory to God or bring grief to the very one who gives us breath to speak? Is it almost 4:30?

12 words

Are our words headed towards grief or grace? Stop, breathe, and reframe.

[1] Origin unknown, but my pastor, Scott Sharman, gives credit to Brian Jennings.

#SaturdaySoulSearch

“Oh, that we might know the Lord! Let us press on to know him. He will respond to us as surely as the arrival of dawn or the coming of rains in early spring.”

Hosea 6:3

Have you ever stopped to think about the one thing that God can’t do? Wait a minute?! Did she just say that?! The God who makes the sun rise and the moon set? The God who changes the seasons and sends rain to refresh the earth? The God who makes the mountains crumble to the seas? That God? Is there anything that God cannot do?

Yes, I believe, there is. God cannot change the past. He cannot change the choices that we’ve made. But ya’ know what! He can redeem them! He not only will forgive our bad choices, but He’ll turn them into something good to be used for the future.

One of the greatest emotions I hear when I spend time at the jail is regret, remorse, and guilt. Many of the inmates sit day after day, imprisoned by their emotions and beating themselves up as they face the consequences for their choices.

And many of us are imprisoned too. We all have made bad choices and though some of our consequences are more severe than others, those consequences and the choices we made do not define who we are moving forward. They simply help us remember who we were, what we did, and hopefully, motivates us to learn from those mistakes.

But in order to move forward, we must realize where our mercy, forgiveness, and freedom comes from. It isn’t something we get from ourselves. It isn’t something created by others. It comes from God Himself.

David was one of the greatest men in the Old Testament. He was a shepherd, a giant-killer, a warrior, a poet, and a king. And of course, it was from his lineage that Jesus was born. But David was also a sinner! A repeated sinner. And His sins were great, but so was his God!

Psalm 51 begins with David crying out to God, “Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins”. This Psalm is a great example of pressing on to know the Lord. David’s plea to God was heartfelt for he realized how deeply he needed the Lord. He realized the impact of his sin. He realized how faithful God is. And he was confident in the hope of salvation that was gifted by God. David knew that mercy comes from God alone. And he knew the power of confession, repentance, and dependence on God to make better and right choices in the future.

If you too are beating yourself up, or you just can’t move past your poor choices, this is a great place to start in seeking God’s trust. As you read all of Psalm 51, reflect on your stumbling blocks and then on the character of God. Ask God to help you move past your regret and help you determine what to do next. Ask Him to help you with your temptations (He will always give you a way out). But most of all, ask Him to “create in you a new heart and renew a right spirit in you”. Then expect His response! Freedom will surely come when we seek Him with broken spirits but hopeful hearts.

So no, God can’t take away your past, but he will turn your darkness into light. He will move you into new seasons of life. He will take those mountains of guilt and throw them into the sea. And best of all, He can and He will change your future! Will you press on to know Him? Will you trust Him with your heart? Will you let Him guide your future? Will you accept His forgiveness and freedom so you too can joyfully sing His praise?

Oh, that we might know and remember the Lord, for His mercy is great and His love is unfailing!

Psalm 51

#SaturdaySoulSearch

“No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

1 Corinthians‬ 10:13‬ (NIV)

It had been years since I dropped in for a visit, and feeling a bit giddy, ignored that inner voice telling me I shouldn’t. I just wanted to catch a glimpse of the past. It was my birthday, and we were driving past it anyway so what could it hurt to take a little peek. Maybe there was a spa! Maybe there was shopping! Maybe we could grab a bite to eat!

And so we did! We parked and went inside. But it was much harder than I thought it would be. The lights. The sounds. The attraction of the fun I had missed for the past six and a half years.

And then that critical moment of decision; to stand firm or be swayed by my emotions. And sadly, my emotion took hold of that moment. I had found the perfect slot machine. Breaking down the fortress that had guarded my heart for so long, I slid some money in and sat down to play. As good as it felt to let down my guard, it also felt dangerously wrong, especially when the very first spin hit a nice jackpot.

But as quietly as the devil whispered welcome home my friend, the Spirit whispered remember me? For it was the Spirit who broke me free from the devil’s grip and brought healing from the pain I hid behind each time I sat behind those enamoring yet deceitful machines.

Delighted as I was by my win, I was even more delighted when Scripture began to flow through my mind. “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it” (1 Corinthians‬ 10:13)‬‬

I had always strived to memorize Scripture but felt like I had greatly failed. The words and the references did not flow as smoothly through my mind as my self-critical expectations would aspire. But God had secretly inscribed His weapons on the tablet of my heart and began to fight for me as I recalled the truth of His promises and the Hope of His purposes. He reminded me through His Words that I now belonged to Him. It was my choice whether to go back to Egypt or trudge forth in the Freedom of His beautiful promise. But God seemed to make it easy as He took His Sword and cut deep inside my heart, melting the temptations into blissful restraint.

The time I had spent with the Lord, digging into His treasures, had not been wasted after all. As His words came hurling into my mind, it brought great joy and comfort as I acknowledged His whispers of Truth.

There is no luck to encounter in God’s Word. It is a confident win that will not return void (Isaiah 55:10-11). It may sit stagnant in the vault of your heart for a while, but God will pull it out, put it to use, and whisper it when you need it the most. It is there to rescue us, to testify for us, to encourage us, to comfort us, to empower us, to heal us, and to discipline us. And when we fail, He will use it to redeem us.

Friends, whatever temptation you are struggling with today, seek God’s Word. It may be new to you, or it may already be written on your heart, but He has provided a way for you to endure the temptation if you will seek Him, trust Him, and let Him fight your battle.

12 Words

When temptation whispers in your ear, let Truth whisper in your heart.

Lord God, I thank you for your Word that counsels, protects, teaches, and encourages me. Help me to hide Your Word in my heart so I can hear your voice of Truth when I am being tempted. Thank you, God, for loving me and making a way for me to find victory in my struggles. I rejoice in your name and give thanks for your faithfulness! Amen.

Scripture Reflection:
Psalm 119:9-16
Isaiah 55:8-13
Ephesians 6:10-17