The Lazarus Blog-Rise Up, and Come Out!

The Author Ernest T Campbell penned this title for his book. This suggests to me that not only am I the prisoner, but at the same time, my own jailer! This is the case for many of us that ruminate, get stuck in an addictive pattern, or get triggered easily. 

We don't see an exit and because of that, as the jailer we begin to loathe and treat our prisoner cruelly. 

Transformation in Christ implies transaction, in the sense that as I surrender my life to Christ Jesus he in exchange gives me his Holy Spirit and all I need for "life and godliness" 2 Peter 1:3

"IF YOU BELIEVE YOU CAN OR IF YOU BELIEVE YOU CANNOT YOU ARE RIGHT!"

Henry Ford

For the just shall live by Faith. Romans 1:7

You must recognize that it is your own fears, anxiety, unresolved trauma that keeps you locked inside your own head with those negative mindsets and patterns of addictive behaviors. 

For as a man thinketh in his heart so is he. Prov 23

Recovery is the process, Jesus is the answer.

The first step towards seeing the truth, that will set you free is to admit that you are blind. 

"But now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains." John 9:41

Prayer: Lord I am blind, open my eyes to see Jesus, the light of truth. That I may follow him out of darkness and into righteousness. 

                                       "No matter the struggle, show up!"

  “You did not choose me, but I have chosen you and ordained that you, should go and bring forth fruit.”  St. John 15:16a  

This scripture has been a great comfort to so many. God knew all about me before I came to him and he knows all about me now.  He’d already known my shortcomings, about me missing the mark and my outright rebellion.  This scripture is a part of the firm foundation that we have in Christ Jesus. 

It’s an assurance that no matter the circumstances I see all around me today, God has declared I have been ordained to bring forth much fruit in Him.  So, I can and will keep striving forward.  This scripture also speaks to God’s sovereignty over all his creation.  For He is the God that speaks the end of the matter at the beginning.  Not just declaring the fall and rise of nations. But Jesus declared, “Aren’t there two sparrows sold for only a penny?  But your Father knows when any one of them falls to the ground, even the hairs on your head are numbered.”  Mathew 10:29-30  Fact; God is in control! 

So, when God created me, He did not consult me as to what my race, color, creed or gender  I would be.  He did not consider my thoughts on the predisposition I would be born with. Nor the family I would be born into or the lack of family I would have.  The country, city, state and even the year of my birth was entirely up to him; not to mention the pain and trauma suffered along the way.  Each one of these factors shapes my thoughts and decisions and they were all God ordained.  

But what the Father did do is send His only begotten son to show us His love and His character and to ask us to forsake all to follow Him.  So, no matter if you were born dirt poor or the child of a billionaire, according to the bible “There is no respect of persons with God.” Romans 2:11. 

So, when he calls and you come to him, you must bring your all.  Picture a child you called to dinner.  You ask have you washed your hands, and the child hides his hands behind his back.  Now, you know they did not wash them but the act of concealing their dirty little hands just compounds the matter.  Not washing their hands is one thing, lying about it is a totally different issue.   

Forgetting to wash is a mistake of memory.  The decision to hide when confronted is a willful act of defiance and that is a heart issue.  When you choose to conceal something from God, such as hurts, pride, unforgiveness, sexual frustration and the like.  It doesn’t matter that in your mind it is a great or small issue. The decision to conceal or hold it back, is the act of defiance toward God. 

What you are saying by your actions to this Holy sovereign God is, “What I’m concealing behind my back has nothing to do with you and I come to you in my own way and my own righteousness.”  What the Lord tells us through his Word is that not only is your public persona a sacrifice to me (Romans 12:1-2) but your private excursions are also monitored by the Holy Spirit. 

Some believe that if they confessed to Christ their hidden things that He would throw them away.  They believe in this made-up fear more than they trust what God has left on record for them in the Bible. 

One such record is found in Psalms 107 “Some of you were prisoners suffering in deepest darkness and bound by chains, because you rebelled against God, the Most High and refused his advice. You were worn out from working like slaves, and no one came to help. You were in serious trouble, but you prayed to the Lord, and he rescued you.  He brought you out of the                     

deepest darkness and broke your chains. You should praise the Lord for his love and for the wonderful things He does for all of us” 

Examine your heart: 

    · Am I concealing something from the Lord? 

    · Do I truly believe that HE would throw me away if I confessed my secret to Him? (Hebrews 10:14) 

    · Does this lack of trust and fear stem from lack of intimacy with my Savior? 

Some would say, “I caused this problem, and I have to clean it up my way.” Jesus says your way is not my way nor is it the right way and it will never be good enough; you must surrender your will and do it my way. John 15:5b “For without me you can do nothing.  John 14:6 I Am the way the truth and the life.  NO man cometh to the Father but by me. 

You did not make the vow of covenant, sacrifice, redemption, sanctification and grace.  We see all too well when life starts lif-ing just how little to no control we have over it.   

We didn’t even choose to be born, yet once we accept Jesus as lord and savior, we must learn to trust His judgement and sovereignty over our lives.  It’s as if the Lord says every day, “chose you this day whom you will serve!” If you chose Christ, you must surrender the care of your life and your entire will over to him.  This transformation is learned and demonstrated through discipleship. 

                                           “NO MATTER THE STRUGGLE, SHOW UP!” 

 "For what is life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away." James 4:14

Exactly how much time is "a little"? What will happen tomorrow? These are questions the author poses—but only God can answer. He compares a man's very existence, and all aspects of his life, to vapor. Now, vapor can take many forms—some large, even elaborate—but it cannot hold anything. When it disappears, it’s simply gone. The Bible says, "Naked you came into this world, and naked you will go out"—and just like vapor, holding nothing.

Well what could possibly give man's life meaning and substance? Certainly not fame, money or experiences for we will take none of these things with us. Jesus said, "you must be born again." So, when this life is over you will be eternally with him in the next.

Beloved, death is more certain than the sunrise, for no one is promised tomorrow. Scripture tells us, "it is appointed unto man once to die and then to judgement."

                  "Time is what we want most, but what we use the worst." William Penn 

How are you using the most precious commodity God has given you, time? On selfish ambitions? Conquests to fulfill your own lust? Vain glory? Have you surrendered your most precious commodity back to God to do his will?

When the time God has given you is up, there will be no more given. What you have done you will be judged for and what you did not do, you will be judged for. There is a popular saying that the cemetery is the most valuable piece of real-estate on the planet, due to all of the wasted potential and unfulfilled dreams that went to the grave with the person who never took the time to fulfil them. 

Jesus said, "the day you hear my voice harden not your heart." Is he calling you to surrender your will and accept him as Lord and Savior? To serve? To forgive others, so he can forgive you? One day he will call you to give an account on what you used the time he gave you to accomplish his will, on.

Time never stops or even hesitates and when your time is up its over for eternity. Eternity is not a long time, it’s the absence of time!

"No matter the struggle, show up!"

"No matter the struggle, show up!"

“Recognizing the difference”

“Behold I stand at the door and knock and if any man hears my voice and open the door I will come in and sup with him and he with me.”  Revelation 3:20

Jesus being the mediator between God and man, declared to us in St. John 3:17 “The Father did not send the son into the world to condemn the world but that through him the world would be saved.  Could you imagine Jesus saying, “come to me in order to be saved.” Then when you came to him, he would crush you for being a sinner.   That describes a tyrannical monster not a loving savior.

In our scripture we see Jesus standing at the door of our heart doing the most.  He is knocking and calling you all to get your attention.  I hear him calling you as I’ve heard him call me. Saying, “Son, I love you and I’m right here with you.”  Then HE makes you a promise.  He says that if you open the door, “He will come in.”

This promise has no conditions attached to it. There is no ritual that must be performed, no, special posture or words to be spoken.  You cannot make yourself righteous or clean yourself up in anyway and you cannot buy His favor with any amount.

Now let’s be clear, we in our tradition have used this scripture as if it pertained to the lost and made it about initial conversion.

However, Jesus is speaking to his church in this entire chapter.

He is talking to those of us who have accepted him as our Lord and Savior. Those who are actively working in the ministry.  So, why would Jesus have to do all of this to get our attention and then wait for us to open the door to let him in?

In short, “our ways are not his ways” and “what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.” Luke 16:15 add to that addiction, trauma, depression, deconstructing your faith, abandonment, loneliness, mental illness, lust of the flesh, the eyes and pride of life.  Just to mention a few of the things we must deal with in this flesh living in this fallen world.  We become distracted and begin to view life through the lens of these issues and not through the lens of the Holy Spirit and the Word.

So, when Jesus begins knocking and calling us right in the middle of some drama, or just as lust is taking a grip, or when the pain from betrayal of a family member, friend or church member seems unbearable and the flesh wants to fight back or right on the heels of a failure; so, why don’t we answer and let him in? 

Because the flesh, culture and the enemy are all screaming that Jesus came to condemn you.

Jesus came to seek the lost and make disciples, so he only comes to convict to get your attention to bring you closer to himself.  So, how do you open that door to him?  You surrender!

“The greatness of a man’s power, is in the measure of his surrender.”  William Booth

If you asked a person "Who are you"? They are more likely to tell you what they do or their occupation and in their mind these two separate categories mean the same thing.

For anyone this is a dangerous position. However, for the believer it's also sad.

No matter how proud you are of your career path, to identify yourself with it degrades you and can potentially set you up for a disastrous fall.

When God created mankind, not only were you fearfully and wonderfully made, you were made in the image of God himself.

We will never get to know and understand God without Him revealing himself to you; you also will never know all of who you are without Him leading you on this lifelong journey.

Your career, gifts, talents, family name, and socioeconomic status cannot sum up all of who you are.

To Jesus you are his vessel, a bride, servant, friend, priesthood, his righteousness, his child, his image and so much more. 

He died for you while you were his enemy. He wrote your name in the Lambs Book of Life before the foundations of the world.

As your are reading this, you are seated in Christ in heavenly places. Eph 2:6 "when we believed he raised us up to be seated with Christ in heavenly places."

Failure is not your enemy. Failures cannot define you. In Christ you either win or learn. Failure happens and we own it and learn from it.

You are not just worth more than you know; you are literally more than you know.

What stops us in our tracks is putting more faith in the carnal understanding of the temporary highs and lows of this life. And based on that we define ourselves. We then make our decisions from this flawed perspective. 

Your self affirmation should be "by the Grace of God, I am who He says I am."

As we continue in Phil 2:5 "let this mind be in you that was in Jesus Christ..." His attitude and perspective. 

The disciples were bold and confident because they had been with Jesus. Acts 4:13. We get our true understanding of who we are by spending time with our Lord and Savior.

Our prayer today: Lord reveal to me all that I am to you. I know putting my faith in my own perspective is wrong and I move forward trusting You more each day.

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