Give yourself to prayer

Posted by Admin on Oct 25, 2014 in Timely Excerpts | Comments Off on Give yourself to prayer

This morning on a coffee run, the Lord said these words to my heart, “Give yourself to prayer.” I knew that Colossians 4:2 states, “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving“, and the early apostles stated in Acts 6:4, “But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

I googled the phrase, “Give yourself to prayer”, and landed on a great little sermon encouraging all of us who believe in Jesus to do just that. The author is a man named W. Clyde Martin, someone with whom I am unfamiliar, but I certainly bore witness to what he said in the message.

Here’s a small portion:

“This have I learned in the closet; There are special assignments given to prayer warriors. When one gives themselves to closet praying, God uses them in special ways. The Holy Spirit leads and guides us all to walk in certain paths, to do certain things each day.”

He concludes his message with these words:

“When God’s people “give themselves to prayer”, God gives them special assignments. Have you been chosen for a special assignment lately? Give yourself to closet praying and be alert to hear God’s special leading.”

For the entire sermon (it’s short), go to www.theprayerlife.com/martingiving.html Just copy and paste it to your address bar–my links aren’t working today. 🙁

I encourage you to prioritize alone-time with God. I know I need to!

Dorothy

James 1:21 Part 6—Reward

Posted by Admin on Oct 24, 2014 in James 1 | Comments Off on James 1:21 Part 6—Reward

Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. James 1:21

For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. 1 Corinthians 3:11-15

James said to Christians, “In humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.” In this entry, I hope to shed light on the question: Why do believers need to do anything besides receiving Jesus to save their souls?

In the three-part anatomy of man—spirit, soul, and body—it is your spirit that is born again. Neither your soul nor your body is made new when you receive Jesus as Lord, but in your spirit man, you become a new creation. It is by your spirit that you also receive direction from the Holy Spirit. Concerning this, the Bible says, “The spirit of man is the lamp of the LORD, searching all the innermost parts of his being” (Proverbs 20:27). The Word also declares, “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God” (Romans 8:16). In other words, the Holy Spirit communicates with you through your spirit.

Paul said this concerning your body and soul: “…present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:1-2).

You are urged to present your body daily to God for His service. Likewise, you are called to renew your mind (a component of your soul, which is comprised of your emotions and will, also) so you that you can be transformed rather than conformed to the world. Again, you renew your mind (or soul), not your spirit. Your spirit is already made new by virtue of your faith in Christ.

How do you renew your mind? James says “in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.” Renewing your mind is the same thing as receiving the Word implanted.

Your recreated spirit listens to God. It is your soul—your mind, emotions, and will—that has difficulty wanting to stick with the Word and following the Lord. Therefore, for the sake of your well-being, it is imperative that you prioritize two disciplines—listening to the Holy Spirit and giving the Word first place in your life. This builds strength within you—and as James says, saves your soul. Following the whims of your emotions or the reasoning of your mind can lead you down a disastrous course—and does nothing to renew your mind or save your soul.

When Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 3 that some believers will receive a reward while others won’t, is he referring only to the work of building the kingdom of God? I believe not. It is my opinion that he is referring to the works done in the body—all of them, spiritual and otherwise—“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10).

Paul said some will suffer loss on that Day when the quality of each man’s work is judged. How can a righteous spirit suffer loss on Judgment Day? In my opinion it will be the loss suffered by believers who didn’t take charge of their souls—mind, will, and emotions—by the renewing of their minds. It will be the loss incurred by those who habitually allowed their souls to call the shots without seeking the Lord or His Word; yet they, themselves, will be saved, as through fire.

My original question was: Why does a Christian need to save his soul? Because, even as you have wisely shunned hell by receiving Jesus, so, too, you can wisely avoid suffering loss on that Day when you see Him face to face—by obeying Him now concerning your soul.

Remember, becoming a new creature occurs instantaneously when you take Jesus as your Lord. Renewing your mind and saving your soul by receiving the Word implanted, however, is a lifelong adventure—and it holds great reward for your future.

Thank God for the mind-renewing power of His Word!

Dorothy

Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified. 1 Corinthians 9:26-27

James 1:21 Part 5—Assured or not assured—that is the question

Posted by Admin on Oct 23, 2014 in James 1 | Comments Off on James 1:21 Part 5—Assured or not assured—that is the question

Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. James 1:21

For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.  Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. 1 Corinthians 3:11-15

After my “deep-sea fishing expedition” (see the two previous entries), I became very familiar with James 1:21. In fact, it radicalized how I approached my flubs, flaws, and fleshly finagling. But even more amazing was what I learned about my original question: Why does a Christian need to save his soul? In pursuit of the answer, I was reminded of a section of 1 Corinthians 3 which addressed the quality of each man’s work built upon the one true foundation of life—Jesus Christ.

In Christianity today, hot debates exist about the doctrine “once saved, always saved”. Both sides of the issue are adamant about their stance, each citing Scripture in support of their strongly-held positions. And in the meantime, many believers live their lives in turmoil, questioning the validity of their own salvation as they fall into repetitive sin and spiral into despair while they hear that no assurance of salvation is to be expected for the likes of them—“you are obviously an unsaved sinner—profession of faith or not—just look at your life”. At the same time, many other believers blithely go their way, with an “anything goes” attitude, believing that grace covers it all, and any concern over questionable behavior is sin-consciousness: “Hey! Jesus died for me and I never have to be concerned about my lifestyle again—I live by grace!”

Although most of us don’t live at either extreme, such extremes do thrive within the body of Christ, and are made worse—not helped—by both ends of this debate spectrum.

It is my opinion that the disparity between the Christian doctrine of new creation life and the actual experience of the average believer is at the root of this debate. Because of this inconsistency, I believe that the body of Christ needs to be aware of the three-part nature of man and how it operates—both as a unit and individually—within the born-again person.

You are saved by grace through faith (see Ephesians 2:8); you are a new creature in Christ (see 2 Corinthians 5:17); you are saved by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit (see Titus 3:5). Whoever comes to Jesus will not be rejected (see John 6:37), and that includes you, despite your struggles, questions, or inconsistencies.

At issue here is not “were you really born again when you asked Jesus to be your Lord?” The relevant questions—which you alone can answer—are these: “Are you being transformed by the renewing of your mind (see Romans 12:2)? Are you—by the Spirit—seeking to put to death the deeds of the flesh (see Romans 8:13)? Are you working out your salvation with fear and trembling (see Philippians 2:12)? And, are you putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, and in humility, are you receiving the word implanted, which is able to save your soul (James 1:21)?”

None of these questions—or the related Scriptures—are meant to be legalistic clubs by which you bludgeon bad behavior; no. They are the fresh air of the Holy Spirit and the active, life-saving, surgical capacity of His Sword, revealing to you His willingness to be actively involved in the details of your life if you dare to ask for and seek it.

James said, “Receive the Word implanted which is able to save your souls.” Paul said, “If any man’s work which he has built…remains, he will receive a reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire” (emphasis added).

I believe that those who receive Jesus as Lord will be saved. Of course, unfortunately, exceptions may occur; Hebrews 6:4-6 and Hebrews 10:26-27 are a couple of verses that indicate that this is so. However, Jesus said, “…I give eternal life to them [not referring to those discussed in the two Hebrews verses], and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand (John 10:28). If you are concerned about your eternal destination as a believer, then that—your concern—is an excellent sign that you have not discarded your salvation; be assured, and keep living for Jesus—you’re in.

I am able to believe in a secure salvation because I am convinced by 1 Corinthians 3:15. It says that some of us will receive reward; some of us will suffer loss—but those of us who do bear loss will be saved, yet as through fire. This tells me that some professors of Christ—whom we may discount due to their works or lack thereof—will indeed receive entrance into His presence on that Day.

Tomorrow I will focus on my original question: Why does a Christian need to save his soul?

Until then, rejoice in the consistency of our Savior and His faithfulness toward you.

Dorothy

I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. John 10:28, NIV

James 1:21 Part 4—Starve the carnivores

Posted by Admin on Oct 21, 2014 in James 1 | Comments Off on James 1:21 Part 4—Starve the carnivores

Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. James 1:21

NOTE: If you have not yet read yesterday’s blog, this entry will make more sense if you read that one first. As you read, realize that this is an analogy—it’s simply a way to represent abstract concepts with concrete images. I by no means think that this analogy using deep-ocean creatures means that there are actual fish-like creatures living within the soul. 🙂

A few years ago, the Holy Spirit led me on a “fishing expedition” into the depths of my soul to confront specific, long-standing, destructive thought patterns and to take them captive, via the Word of God, to the obedience of Christ. As I did so, He showed me an analogy using the biome of the deep-ocean floor.

The deep-ocean floor is a place where very little light penetrates and the pressure is crushing. In that realm swim creatures—carnivores—with disproportionately large mouths, jaws, and very sharp teeth. No plant-eaters live there—vegetation can’t grow there. Nutrition there comes from two sources—other deep-sea critters or whatever filters down from above. The deep-ocean floor represents the subconscious soul and the deep-ocean carnivores depict the baggage that, for whatever reason, stays attached to the soul of the believer. The surface of the ocean represents the everyday behavior and attitudes of a person—that which is visible to everyone. And the nutrition they feed upon? Bad behaviors, words, and attitude.

I asked the Lord after this experience: Is there any way to deal with the “deep-ocean carnivores” of the soul without having to plunge down to the depths? I figured there was, and sure enough, the Lord showed me something that has both revolutionized and simplified my life.

He led me to James 1:21. Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. Using the same analogy, He likened my baggage—longstanding, deep-seated issues—to ravenous deep-sea carnivores in my soul. This was the filthiness and that which remained of wickedness mentioned by James.

The Lord showed me that whenever I yielded to my flesh, to unforgiveness, to self-pity—the list could go on and on—I was actually sending death and flesh down into my soul, unintentionally feeding the carnivores. The more I yielded to unwise behaviors, words, or thoughts, the more the carnivores fed. The more they fed, the stronger they grew, and the fainter the voice of my recreated spirit became.

The carnivores do not represent demons. That’s a totally different ball of wax; Christians often label sin patterns and baggage “demons”, but more often than not, carnal behaviors are merely undisciplined flesh and unresolved sin patterns. Yes, those things can open the door for demonic activity, but nonetheless, they are two different things. And the good news is this: You have authority over every bit of it.

When I read the Amplified translation of this verse, it extended the analogy. “So get rid of all uncleanness and the rampant outgrowth of wickedness…” I visualized a rampant outgrowth of some deep-seated issue winding its way like a poisonous vine to the surface, seeking to grow in the open. And I realized then that there was no need to “deep-sea dive” as a rule; tendencies from the soul surface all the time. The trick is to confront those things as quickly as they arise and refuse to just shove them back down, patting a quick “good confession” over them in hope of covering them up.

The surfacing of such tendencies is not a cause for shame, but joy, like James wrote in verse 2. Here’s why. When the baggage and bugaboos of your soul send up shoots to the surface, that means you have the opportunity to get rid of them by laying them aside and receiving the word implanted. This is the God-ordained, one-two knockout punch you are to deliver to all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness.

The Lord very kindly showed me that the “deep-sea fishing expedition” we took together could have been absolutely avoided had I practiced throughout my Christian life this powerful one-two sequence—simply and on purpose laying aside temptations to sin whenever they arose and then receiving with meekness the Word into my soul. Instead, I cried and said “I repent” over and over and felt bad. And when that got old, I stuffed the tendencies down and covered my tracks with an appropriate “good confession”. Can you see there’s a huge difference between practicing James 1:21 and covering up negative tendencies with a quick “Praise the Lord; I’m free”?

I tested James 1:21. I started practicing laying aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, and then in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls whenever something that remained of wickedness started to surface. I even acted it out—I mimed grabbing the thought or behavior with my hand and called it by name as I swung my arm very dramatically away from me.

I would then talk to God and say, “Lord, with humility and meekness of heart, I receive that part of Your Word which is custom-made to abolish this ugly thing, and I send it down into my soul, bringing life and freedom to that region within me.” And I would wait on Him to give me a Scripture—one just right—that blew that negative emotion—whether lust, anger, self-pity, hopelessness, defensiveness, critical spirit, hurt feelings—whatever—out of the water and into oblivion.

God showed me that two things occurred as I acted on James 1:21 in faith. First, any baggage that lingered in the dark within in me was deprived of fuel as I put aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness. When I deliberately resisted and laid aside the lure of temptation, I no longer fed the “carnivores”, and as a result they grew weaker and less demanding. Secondly, as I received the Word implanted, I sent down the “pesticide” of the Word to the deep-ocean floor of my soul, and in effect, poisoned those things with God’s Word. I pictured them dying a lonely death and realized that God never intended “deep-sea expeditions” to be the primary way to deal with “carnivores”. The Lord’s chosen method for you and me to conquer filthiness and all that remains of wickedness is to simply lay it aside and receive the Word of God implanted which is able to save our souls.

One last ingredient in this one-two knockout punch of James 1:21 is found in the center of the verse. It is “with humility”, “with meekness”, and with what the Amplified Bible calls “a humble (gentle, modest) spirit” that you approach it all. It takes humility to admit that you’ve been hit with filthiness and any residual wickedness. It takes meekness to submit to the Word to address the desperate needs of your soul. And it takes a humble, gentle, and modest spirit to face those flaws honestly instead of glossing them over in an attempt to look spiritual. By maintaining a humble spirit, you address the heart of the issue and establish important “Thou shalt not’s” for yourself: No more cover ups; no more masks; and no more putting off the health and salvation of your soul.

Starve those carnivores!

Dorothy

James 1:21 Part 3—Deep-ocean floor

Posted by Admin on Oct 20, 2014 in James 1 | Comments Off on James 1:21 Part 3—Deep-ocean floor

Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. James 1:21

At this point in our study of James, I want to take a couple of days to share what happened to me a while back. I had been following God and was sold out to Him and His Word with sincerity of heart for over 35 years. Yet, inexplicably, throughout the years when encountering innocent comments or random situations, seemingly out of nowhere I’d get hit by an onslaught of strong negative emotion, anger, fear, or defensiveness. Then a few years ago God led me to confront some deep-seated and mainly subconscious aspects of my life which were at the root of much of the occasional turmoil I experienced. Honestly, I would have rather “let sleeping dogs lie”, but evidently the Lord felt it was time to deal with these things. Over a period of two months He prepared me for this “high noon at OK Corral” showdown. (I didn’t realize it at the time, but looking back—yup, He was getting me ready.)

Many teachings exist in Christianity and other religions and philosophies about venturing into those subconscious regions and taking a look to learn about and heal the vulnerabilities of self; my opinion is that such quests, without the express leading of the Holy Ghost, are foolhardy at best and can cause a lot of confusion and even open the door to deception. It is also my experience that plenty of soulish flaws surface everyday without any need to dig at all. Surely those things can provide you with more than enough material about which to pray and apply the Word; leave the rest alone.

That said, I had learned to hold in the negative emotions that arose for the most part, but the discomfort I experienced was relatively constant. I simply chose to declare the Word over my unhealthy reactions and tried to get over them quickly with as little collateral damage as possible. My guess is that I’m not an unusual case in the Body of Christ, either. What I am about to share is a two-day intervention by the Holy Spirit to correct mindsets and thinking that had calcified in my soul for years. However, it was all avoidable; tomorrow I will share how God would prefer we deal with the deep-seated soulish issues—and it involves the purposeful, direct application of James 1:21.

When the time was right, the Lord targeted four destructive mindsets I had developed over the years and showed me how I reverted back to them again and again as defensive maneuvers whenever my peace felt threatened. Not a good thing for someone who’s a new creature and filled with the Spirit and power of God.

Long story short—after a lot of forgiveness of key people from my past—I did my part, God did His, and the strongholds were brought to the light and taken captive to the obedience of Christ. It’s been life-changing not to return to those old mindsets.

In the process of confronting and taking those things captive, I saw an image that represented what was going on. Before I describe this analogy, however, let me say this: I am not trying to start some new doctrine here—make no mistake about it. I merely saw in my mind a picture representing a very abstract idea, and it helped me. Bear with me as I describe it.

I pictured a flat stone being skipped across the surface of a large, placid body of water. And then I saw the deep-ocean floor where only specialized life-forms can survive the intense cold and crushing pressure. I sensed that the Lord was showing me that most of the time believers live at the surface of the soul, seeking to span the expanse and reach other souls with well-thrown stones of life—a good thing. But He showed me that deep beneath the surface was “baggage” which the author of Hebrews called “every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us” (see Hebrews 12:1, AMP).

Having taught about the biome that exists on the deep-ocean floor in science at the 8th grade level, I could picture those hideous creatures which inhabit that region. They are tough, creepy-looking critters comprised mainly of mouth, jaw, and teeth—sharp teeth. Those ugly things represented my baggage in this analogy, just swimming around in the deep dark bottom of my subconscious soul. Not a flattering thing.

Since creatures of the deep-ocean floor swim at depths that crush, they are rarely seen. Humans implode at that depth; only the most precisely-engineered submersibles can handle that pressure. And so it is with your subconscious. As I said before, it is my opinion that attempts to visit there are dangerous; you are not designed to handle that realm. I think that when believers try to dig deeply into their subconscious past and its effect on their psyche, they are in over their heads. However, the Holy Ghost may, on rare occasion, prepare you to accompany Him to that realm for the purpose of capturing a predator-thought and taking it captive to the obedience of Christ. This was my experience; I neither asked for it nor did I want to participate, but He took me there for a limited time, completed a specific task, and then we left with those captive thoughts to cast once and for all at the feet of Jesus.

The freedom and cleansing I experienced after this “fishing expedition” was remarkable; but I am practical and believe that such “outings” with God are very rare and may never happen in most people’s life span. So I questioned the Lord: As grateful as I am for what You have done for me, Lord, I sure would have liked to have gotten rid of all of those things much earlier in my life. How is this experience of mine going to edify anyone living their life, wanting to pursue You with all their heart, if they have to wait decades with all that baggage before You take them “fishing” to get free of it?

And His answer surprised me. It centered on James 1:21. We’ll dive into it tomorrow.

Dorothy

“Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?” Jeremiah 32:27