Stepping Beyond Your Belief

Stepping Beyond Your Belief

“Unless there is a still center in the middle of the storm, unless a person in the midst of all their activities preserves the secret room in their heart where they stand alone before God, unless we do this we will lose all sense of spiritual direction and be torn to pieces.” —Anonymous Fourth Century desert monk

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Belief doesn't automatically cause life-change. That's probably one of the biggest hiccups in evangelicalism today: We think that if we know something in our heads, we’re automatically going to act on it. Not the case. That’s why there are so many believers stuck on the log of fleshly living. We have to step beyond belief in the brain only. We need to be willing to take a faith step by counting on it in our souls.

Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with Him… In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. …offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to Him as instruments of righteousness. —Romans 6:8, 11, 13 (emphasis mine)

The word count means to “mark it down,” to “reckon it as right,” to “make an account of it.” It is what an accountant does when he is keeping his books. Writing it down doesn't make it true; it is true, so he writes it down. It is true that we are dead to sin but alive to Christ, count it! This is the great bridge between belief and application—it's where we begin to personally own truth and begin to count on it as we face battles in the real world.


Are you a minister trying to flesh out a life of service and sacrifice for your congregation?

Are you a single adult constantly desiring and constantly being pressured sexually?

Are you a teenager trying to "just say no" to drugs and alcohol?

Are you a parent desperately trying to control your tongue with your kids?

Take a little advice from the desert monk: find a quiet space in the midst of your storm, right now, where you can stand alone with God and embrace the Truth of His Spirit in you. Then, count on Him to make that truth a reality.

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PRAYER: Holy God, I am counting on the truth that, in Christ, I am dead to sin and alive to You. I lay before You the temptations that I am facing today. Because I am alive in You, I count on the fact that I am dead to these things! I freely turn away from them now. By the power of Your Spirit in my spirit, lead me in the Holy, everlasting way! Amen 

Finding Real Joy

Today’s Word: John 16:22 

    

So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.

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Word of Ministry

One of my Sunday school lessons as a Youth Pastor was all about JOY. I had asked the class what JOY was and they all answered with the usual “being happy,” “smiling,” and “laughing out loud.” So then I asked them if they knew what REAL JOY was, which puzzled the class. “Hadn’t we just explained it to you?” They said…

I then put up the letters J-O-Y on the white board. “REAL JOY,” I continued, “happens when you put Jesus first, Others second, and Yourself last.” It was a simple lesson with a beautiful truth, and a life-long message. One should never forget that, and try to put it into practice throughout your life. And when you do, you will rediscover that simple truth again and again.

When Jesus was talking to His disciples about JOY, He was referring to the JOY of the Resurrection. They didn’t know it yet, but they were going to be a part of a glorious event that would change their lives and the whole world forever. They would have a short time of grief when Jesus died, but through the miracle of Resurrection, their lives would be JOYOUSLY transformed. They would know of a new JOY that would be with them throughout their entire lives – a JOY that would last for all of eternity.

These days, some so-called biblical scholars and progressive theologians are trying to take away that JOY. They explain the Resurrection in terms of symbolism and refute it as an actual reality. They make Jesus out to be a great teacher, but not the Savior and Lord that you and I know. Because of their own academic disillusionment, they have become JOY suckers of the Faith that once inspired them.

The sad thing is this: the more they try to rationalize the Gospels, the less JOY they feel in their hearts. They sour the sacred scriptures and end up academically alone. Instead of putting Jesus first, they have given their own research the priority. In the process, they lose their JOY in Christ and let go of their faith in God.

So what’s the lesson for today? The same as it was for me many years ago. If you want real JOY in your life, put Jesus first, Others second, and Yourself last. Try it. You’ll find it really works!

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Prayer:  Lord Jesus, in the midst of all our busy-ness, help us to put You first in our lives. Teach us to take care of others second, and give us the will to put ourselves last. In Your Holy Name, we pray Amen...