How to Stand Firm in the 21st Century (Part 4)

9) Phil 3:10 "Suffering and resurrection power" In principle number 6 we briefly alluded to experience of suffering in the Christian life and how important it is to understand this reality in order to stand firm.  I would like to develop this thought a little deeper.    I've run in Christian circles where the emphasis is on suffering.  Somehow suffering is seen as some kind of special level of spirituality.  In my experience, this is never the case. While living in Madagascar the Lord showed me the purpose of suffering one day from this verse.  He showed me that suffering strips of self-reliance and forces us to come to grips with the message of the cross.  The message at the cross is that Jesus suffered and then rose again with resurrection power so that we can do the same.  Suffering always goes hand in hand with resurrection.  To take one away from the other.  If you are suffering right now, I want to encourage you take your suffering to the cross.  And move beyond it into a far more glorious reality--the resurrection power of Christ.  I remember feeling so lonely, so isolated, and cut off my first few months in Madagascar.   I lived in 6 different places in the first 6 weeks sleeping in some 12 different beds.  It wasn't much fun at all.  Whether you agree or not, I saw it as a form of suffering because I was going through all of this because of saying yes to Jesus and His missionary calling on my life.  

The temptation to have pity parties were tremendous.  "Woe is me!"  Have you ever been there?  "I'm going through such a tough time".   The Lord rebuked me very gently and showed me that He allowed this to happen so that I would draw nearer to Him.  In so doing, He showed me the cross.  I don't mean a wooden one in a church building, but rather the real power of the cross.  It is the place where we die to ourselves with the glorious end result of experiencing an inflow of heaven's power into our lives. Paul put it this way in Galatians 2:20 " I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live."  Stop.  Think about that for  a second.  "It is Christ who lives in me; the life I now live I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself for me."  Embracing the cross of Jesus isn't just the place where we receive forgiveness of sins.  It isn't just a place of suffering and anguish.  It is the place where we come to the end of ourselves so that we can experience the power and glory of the resurrection of Christ in our lives.  And I can honestly tell you that there is nothing like having Christ live on the inside. Do you want to stand firm in the 21st century?  Then take your suffering to the cross and embrace Christ's power available for you- TODAY.  

10) Phil 3: 12 "Keep pressing on": I love the idea of our Christian walk being similar to climbing a mountain.  David develops this idea frequently in the Psalms by alluding to our pursuit of God being like a climber ascending the hill of the Lord.  The reason I like it so much is because of this idea of pressing on.  Let's be honest, it is really easy to get comfortable and hit a plateau in our walk with the Lord.  Things become easy. Blessings abound our way.  And so we go into cruise control mode where we just let our lives coast along.  For many people living in the West this is all the more common because of the comfort of our culture and national prosperity that we enjoy.  Yet, as believers we are not called to get cozy and comfortable talking about "The good old days" in our walk with the Lord.  We are called to keep pressing on!  For some, the temptation is to give up because of how difficult this season has been.  You don't feel like you're coasting at all. You feel like you've been steadily losing ground and you wonder if it's worth it to even keep trying.  I have a word for you today: "Keep pressing on."  

Paul tells the believers that no matter how great his experiences in Christ have been (the resurrection power) and no matter how difficult his trials have been (the suffering), he has made a decision:  he must keep pressing on towards the high calling Christ Jesus.   No matter who you are, how long you've walked with the Lord, how easy or how difficult it's been, you need to continue in this walk of faith until you see Jesus face to face by "pressing on."  The greek is even stronger for this word. It means: "to run swiftly in order to catch a person or a thing; to run swiftly in a race to reach the goal; to seek after eagerly, earnestly with the endeavor to acquire."  This is your calling: to swiftly run after Jesus! To find His glorious love with which He gloriously loved you.  Remember your ultimate calling is to know and love Jesus. Period.  Everything else in life falls into place when you get this priority set.  And the only way to accomplish this is to run swiftly after Jesus.  I promise you that if you are swiftly pursuing HIm you will have no time for abandoning your place of sure standing.  

David Livingstone, the great missionary explorer of Africa, used to say: "I will go in any direction provided that it be forward." 

11) Phil 3:13 "let go of the past to move into your future":  Another key point for standing firm in the 21st century is to let go of the past.  Paul even goes one step further by saying, "this one thing I do".  I've thought long and hard about this comment and I think that he had difficulty forgetting the things that he had done in the past.  He attacked Christians ferociously.  Dragged them off to prison. Confiscated their belongings.  Yes, he had a troubled past that he needed to forget in order to keep moving forward in his walk with the Lord.  I wrote extensively about condemnation in last week's blog, but if Paul needed to press past condemnation in order to keep moving forward than I promise that you will too.   The best way to do this is to keep your eyes fixed on Christ and His destiny and purpose for your life.  You haven't been brought into the Kingdom, washed by His blood, and made an heir of His promises just so you can wallow in the place of shame and condemnation.  Hardly, you have been brought into the Kingdom for a specific purpose.  Don't let the enemy keep you from reaching it by living in the past.  Another thing that keeps people in the past is religion. 

Some of you reading this blog grew up very religiously with lots of strict rules of do's and don'ts.  And you may even think that Jesus is a strict task-master waiting to punish you.  If that is the case, you need to realize what Paul realized--Jesus came to set people free and to liberate their hearts so that they could enjoy God and live lives of significance in the Kingdom.  God has something great in store for you!  It may not look like it now, but He does.  Don't let sin, religion, or disappointments with people or situations (see How to Survive a Toxic Ministry Situation from July) keep you from moving forward into your God ordained future.  Press toward the goal that Christ is calling you to in Christ Jesus!  This is no surer way to stand firm in Christ than to keep moving forward towards His calling on your life.  

How to Stand Firm in the 21st Century (Part 3)

6)   Phil 3:7 "Be willing to suffer loss for Christ": Here lies one of the greatest challenges of walking with Christ and yet, one of the single most important determining factors in being able to stand firm in our walk with Christ in the 21st century.  Are you willing to suffer loss for the cause of Christ?  Yes, it's an easy question to ask, but a much more difficult reality to experience.  Unfortunately, many believers have been taught that becoming a Christian is equal to winning the lottery or hitting it big with heaven's jackpot.  They feel that if you are believer you should expect only continual blessing, material advantage, prosperity, ease, and happiness.  The only problem with this message is that it is not the Gospel. Jesus doesn't come to make our lives a living utopia on this side of eternity.  Please don't misunderstand, I fully believe that there are many blessings in walking with Christ.  And He does supply our needs- in His way and His timetable.  He is faithful and kind. A gracious God abounding in goodness.  There is no question about this.  And there are incredible benefits in serving Jesus- joy, peace, righteousness, forgiveness of sins, a relationship with God, answered prayer, deliverance, freedom, etc...  Yet, to live as if you will never have to go through a tough time or never have to make any kind of sacrifice is ridiculous. It simply doesn't line up with the Word of God.  Most of the great stories of the Bible that inspire us as believers such as Daniel and the lions Den, David & Goliath, Joshua and the walls of Jericho are so outstanding because of the opposition and difficulty our favorite Bible characters were going through at the time.  

I have found that believers who have never developed a theology of suffering--that believers will and indeed, must go through tough times on this side of eternity, are the first to collapse and lose their firm position the moment that tough times come their way.  Write it down: you will go through tough times, but Jesus is will never leave you or forsake you.  And in these tough times He will reveal Himself to you in ways you never thought possible deepening and enhancing your relationship with Him.  And He will use these tough times of testing to produce great fruit in your life as He develops your character.  Paul tells the believers that He has realized a secret: Christ is worth it all.  In other words, no matter the pain or sorrow of giving something up or walking through a tough time of rejection or being misunderstood for your faith, Christ will make Himself more real and more precious in your life than you could ever have thought possible.  

The end result is that to give things up for the sake of Christ ultimately produces much gain.   If you can keep your eyes on this truth you will be able to stand in the face of tough times and not surrender your firm position.  I have personally walked through some of the most difficult and trying times of my life the past 36 months.  This followed some of the most difficult times of my life for a period of two years which followed one of the most difficult periods of two years.  In each season I have grown to love and value Jesus like I never thought possible.  My life has been transformed.  My character refined and purified.  And my influence for Christ greatly increased. What am I saying?  Tough times are a part of every believers life, but God is faithful to us in each season and will make the season have eternal significance.  I look back and wouldn't wish some of the things I've had to walk through on my worst enemy and yet I would trade it for the world. I know that sounds weird, but I promise you Jesus will walk with you and if you will trust Him, He will make even your darkest season a source of great gain in your life.  

7) Phil 3:8 "Grow in the knowledge of Christ"--The surpassing worth of the knowledge of Christ.  This is the key to all spiritual endurance, Christian maturity, increasing intimacy, and holy passion for God.   What will keep you standing firm in the 21st century more than anything else?  Growing in the surpassing worth of the knowledge of Christ.  This knowledge isn't a head knowledge of memorizing a few facts about Jesus i.e. He was born of a virgin and died on a cross.  This is an experiential, personal revelation of Christ to our souls.  This is knowledge of the heart that comes by faith through the indwelling presence of Holy Spirit actively revealing the nature and character of Jesus to our souls.  I love how the Amplified version reads of this verse, "the overwhelming preciousness, the surpassing worth, and supreme advantage of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord and of progressively becoming more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him of perceiving and recognizing and understanding Him more fully and clearly.  That is so powerful.  So precious. And so profound.  

Are you growing in your knowledge of Christ?  

Are you learning to share His heart?  

Are you growing in His Word?  

Are you more deeply in love with Him now than you were when you first believed? 

 Are you growing in obedience?  Are you listening for His voice?  Are you spending consistent and concerted time in His presence?   

These are the questions that will determine whether your knowledge of Christ is deepening.  I have never met a believer who backslid who was growing in their personal knowledge of Christ. It's quite impossible.  Such people are standing firm in the face of whatever the enemy is trying to throw against them.   The 21st century is going to become an increasingly hostile and difficult place for believers.  Yet, those who know their God shall be mighty and do great exploits to demonstrate the all-surpassing greatness and glory of walking with Jesus (Dan 11:32).  You are called to be one of them.  

8) Phil 3:9 "Walk in true righteousness"-  Here is probably one of the greatest verses in the New Testament.  Martin Luther led a reformation in the church based on one verse: "the just shall live by faith."  His contention was that righteousness couldn't be earned by doing good works or by human striving to attain God's perfection.  Rather, he declared that righteousness is by faith in the merits of Jesus Christ the perfect Son of God.  Where in the world did he get this idea?  From Paul.  Paul had tried to earn his righteousness before God.  Righteousness means right standing before God.  He had obeyed the laws, kept the commandments, studied the specialized teachings on implementing the law of Moses, sat under one of the most prominent spiritual mentors of the day, strived, tried, and came up with a net result of ZERO.  His righteousness was worthless.  He admits it freely.  He realized that man's effort, even at our very best is considered as filthy rags (Is. 64:6).  It's worthless, meaningless, and a vain hope for this life as well as the one to come.  This breaks down two ways.

First, there are the legalists among us.  I have struggled with this issue on many occasions in my life.  Did I spend enough time in prayer? Did I read the Word enough?  Legalism is such a bondage and turns the joy of knowing God and walking in His ways into a heavy burden and bondage that saps the joy right out of us. Oh the joy of discovering that I didn't have to earn righteousness on my own standing, my own accomplishments, and my own abilities.  The simplicity of trusting in Jesus to impute His righteousness into my soul that I now stand before my heavenly Father clothed in the perfection of His Son.  It's too good to be true and yet, it is perfectly true.  I am now considered righteousness.   Do I still struggle with sin and temptations right and left?  You better believe it.  Yet, the more that I walk in my true identity of righteousness as a son sharing the righteousness of the Son, the more I find grace and strength to overcome my old nature.   If you are struggling with legalism, it is because your faith has never understood the perfection of what Christ has already done for you.  Spend time in Word asking Holy Spirit for insight into what Christ really accomplished at the cross by His blood.  It will produce a new understanding in your heart that will be expressed with fresh faith to trust Him for true righteousness. 

Second, there are those who lean more towards licentiousness. These are the people who have no trouble with sin- over and over and over and over again. It's like a broken record.  They pray a quick prayer for forgiveness with no intention of ever changing.  Their argument is that they believe in God so things will be good no matter how they live their lives.  News flash: even the devil and his demons believe in God and have an eternal destiny in the fires of hell to look forward to. Belief is never enough.  Faith is far different from a mere belief.   Faith is active.  As such it produces a corresponding transformation in our lives.  This comes through the imparted work of Christ's righteousness in our lives.   In other words, a person who has truly believed and received the righteousness of Christ is a person who is progressively being conformed to His image.  I didn't say they were perfect. None of us are or ever will be on this side of eternity.  They are, however,  increasingly being transformed to look and act like Jesus Christ the righteous one.  His righteousness is continually coming to the fore. When they make mistakes they are quick to return to His open arms precisely because they realize who they represent; His righteousness in their lives produces the beauty of His personality in them.  They have right standing with God and have no desire to ever leave this secure place of standing firm.  

Through faith in Jesus we are considered  righteous-- partakers of Christ's righteousness.  What a glorious thought! We stand firm because He stands firm.  

How to Stand Firm in the 21st Century (Part 2)

3)  Phil 3:3 "Worship by the Spirit"- Worship is an integral part of standing firm in Christ and His strength.  It's an old English word that literally means to "assign worth to something."  It speaks of values and priorities in our lives.  In a general sense it focuses on the idea of What do we assign worth to in our lives.  It deals with the heart issue of allegiance and often implies some measure of sacrifice. True worship always costs something.  It requires us to let go; to no longer be in control and surrender to Christ and His purposes for our lives.    Paul is reminding the believers that worship must be of the Spirit in order for it to really satisfy our spirits.  This is why it is entirely possible to sing songs in a "worship service" and never once truly worship.  Obviously, genuine worship is far more than going to a church service and singing songs, but it illustrates the point well.  In Romans 12:1, Paul reminds us that true worship is to be aware of Christ's mercy and offer our bodies as  living sacrifice, implying obedience and surrender.  Then he says that this is your spiritual act of worship.   True worship then is much more than singing, but obedience and surrender to Jesus.  This requires a sensitivity to the Holy Spirit; a leaning and relying on His guidance.  So let's ask the question:  Are you listening to the Holy Spirit's still small promptings in your heart?  Are you obeying them?  Are you making every effort to surrender your life to His leadership and guidance?  This is worship. 

Having said that I don't want to minimize the importance of worship in the general sense of the word.  Singing to the Lord with a worshipful heart of adoration and respect is essential in standing firm in the 21st century.  I can't even begin to describe how many times worship of this nature has literally saved my life.  I learned during a very trying season when disappointment, discouragement, despair, and depression were my lot that if I could just get my heart singing to the Lord and thinking about His goodness and greatness, I would soon become aware of His beauty, power, majesty, and greatness.  This, in turn, broke the heaviness of hell over my life and gave me the courage and grace to continue standing.  Often during these times of vocal worship, my heart would be captivated again by His love and I would feel the need to be quiet and contemplate the truths Holy Spirit was illuminating to my heart.  Often, He would instruct me to surrender areas of my life as I engaged with what He was speaking to me.   So let me summarize by saying that worship is essential to living in worship.  And living in worship is essential to actually being able to worship.  And both require an active relationship with the Spirit of God.  

4) Phil 3:3 "Glory in Christ":  The idea here is that our source and sense of delight in life is found in Christ. We allow Him to satisfy us.  This is essential in standing firm.  Many believers never learn the principle of allowing Christ to be enough in their lives.  They are always chasing after "other things."  For some it's new teachings, conferences, and methods, none of which are wrong, in fact, they are often very helpful provided that the main thing remains the main thing: Jesus Christ.  For others, it's a need to have new possessions--cars, gadgets, gizmos, whatever.  The idea is that they find their value or delight in things.  They are continually trying to scratch some inner itch with external things when only Christ can truly satisfy the heart and soul of person.  We are all born with an innate desire to champion a cause, or a purpose, a dream, or life calling.  Paul is saying that Christ must be our cause, our purpose, our dream, and our calling.  Where do we find our sense of satisfaction?  Where do we find our sense of accomplishment?  Where do we derive our sense of self worth?  Ultimately, the foundation to all of these questions must center around Christ and His love towards us.  Without this we will float from one thing to another, from one title to another, from one pursuit or hobby to another.  Jesus is enough.  This is message to those who would stand firm in this tumultuous hour.   Delight in His love.  Delight in His favor towards you.  Delight in His all sufficiency for every trial and challenge that you face. In so doing you will soon be well on your way to learning how to Glory in Christ.  Obviously, this isn't a one time deal. This is life-long process of learning to trust Jesus to be enough for whatever physical, spiritual, emotional, or mental need you are facing in your life right now.   A great prayer to pray along these lines is "Lord teach me how to find my satisfaction in you in this area." 

5) Phil 3:3 "No confidence in the flesh": This idea is very closely connected with the previous one.  We must find our glory or confidence in Christ if we are ever going to hope to overcome the temptation to find our sufficiency and confidence in and of ourselves.  It is so easy to boast about our accomplishments, titles, positions, finances, job successes, gifts and talents, etc...  In so doing, we often acquire an over-inflated assessment of ourselves as if we have achieved or attained these things in our own abilities.  Paul goes on to demonstrate in the following verse how he possessed both the pedigree and position to boast about all kinds of spiritual and natural success.  He had a rich spiritual history, deep experiences, a fabulous mentor, and incredible credentials.  Yet, he realized that it was all based on his own merits, strivings, and human efforts.  None of which could even begin to touch the riches found in Christ.   Confidence in the flesh is a sure way to become a slave of legalism and empty religious practices.   Confidence in the Spirit and in what Jesus has promised and accomplished for us is a sure way to walk in freedom and authentic spirituality.  

 I like to think of it this way:   If we depend on the flesh, we get what the flesh can accomplish.  If we depend on the Spirit, we get what the Spirit can accomplish.  I don't know about you, but I've tried in my own strength and seen what limited and weak results I've mustered.  By contrast, I've also tasted the beauty of depending and relying on Jesus as my confidence and seen what incredible things He has worked in and through my life.   Practically speaking, this is only possible as we learn to incorporate Christ into our daily activities. For me, this often looks like a praise break where I will just start magnifying Christ for a couple of minutes spontaneously;  another good idea is short prayers of dependency throughout the day--one man of God used to say: "I never pray more than 30 minutes but I never go more than 30 minutes without prayer."  Start the day out with an invitation for Holy Spirit to come and use your life to glorify Jesus that day. It's a prayer that I don't think has ever been unanswered in my life.  

Finally, I find that many people have incredible latent talents and potential that they somehow have never been able to get on going with any kind of positive momentum.  In my opinion,  this is because we have never learned to find our confidence in Christ.  Up to this point, I've referred to over-assertive people; however, the opposite is also valid, under-assertive people need to find confidence in Jesus.  For me this has been a revolutionary idea that has brought a lot of momentum in my life. Finding our confidence in Christ doesn't mean that we forfeit our God-given talents.   My confidence is in Jesus. 

 Can I give you a practical example?  I knew I wanted to write.  However, I always lacked the motivation to write.  I thought it was due to this reason or the other.  Only recently did I discover that the real reason was the I was afraid; afraid that no one would read what I wrote, afraid that it wouldn't make sense;  afraid that....   It all stemmed back to insecurity which is the exact opposite of finding confidence in Jesus and learning to glory in Him.  The past 2 years I have prayed fervently, "Lord let my confidence be in you; not in a sense of compensation for my own inner insecurities."  I have just completed book number 2.  And they are both in the edit process; soon to be published.  One is a novel and one is motivational book on missions and Kingdom living.  Will people ever read them?  I don't know and I realize that is really isn't the issue anymore. My confidence is now in Jesus not in results, and I'm being true to the gifs that HE has deposited in my life.  Find your confidence in Him and there is no limits to what you can accomplish for His glory.  

How to Stand Firm in the 21st Century (Part 1 of several)

I was reading Philippians today.  My eyes landed on the first verse of chapter four.  

"My brothers and sisters, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord’s strength."

My heart was sad because of the announcement of a close friend of mine that he was going to abandon his Christian faith in favor of a cult. 

When I heard the news I was shocked because I had the privilege of leading him to the Lord and walking with him in much of his early spiritual formation.  This dear friend has a mighty touch of God on his life--following his conversion, the Lord  used him to reach people in some incredible ways.  Hundreds of lives have been touched for Jesus through his unassuming presence.  He has faithfully served in his local church for years.  Truthfully,  I admired him as someone who burned with a desire to see people know Christ.  

Sin slipped in not so long ago.   Confusion followed.  Condemnation from the enemy soon clobbered him.  Christians threw stones instead of love.  This lead to a wound of toxicity in his soul producing bitterness and the lies of darkness in his heart. Unfortunately, he has decided to believe these lies of the enemy, at least for the time being.  I'm fervently praying that Jesus would grip his heart again and draw him back.  

As I read this verse this, I thought about the importance of standing firm. It is essential!   What really shook me about my friend's announcement is that it seemed to come out of no where.  I had previously thought that he was in a pretty stable place spiritually.  I didn't realize what he was walking through as we have been disconnected for several months now.    As I dialogued with him I realized that this wasn't some instantaneous development that came out of nowhere.  Rather, this decision is the result of a gradual atrophy in several key areas.   He has been teetering for a while; my interaction with him was just the moment that he decided to give up standing. 

Paul's words shook me.  He knew that believers often start well.  This is often connected with lots of hype and emotion.   No problem there.  The challenge  is finishing well too. All athletes start a race at the same place.   What determines the winner is the rest of course.  In other words, in between initiating and completing is a time gap full of the complexities of life.  It is here that we win or lose the battles of our soul.   I think this is the essence of what Paul is trying to communicate in this verse.  Our relationship with Christ is won or lost on this question--are we standing firm in the Lord's strength?  Paul knew this was essential so he wrote the newly founded church in Philippi with an action plan for standing firm in the faith.  

I would like to share some thoughts on how to stand firm in the faith.  It is not necessarily easy, but it is possible.  And with God's help we can go the distance in our walk with Christ.  Remember it's not how you start that matters, but how well you finish.  My heart cries for people in my generation abandoning their faith at the first sign of trouble or a difficult time.  They are spiritual casualties of the enemy's warfare in the 21st century.  There is a different way.  You don't have to falter in your faith half-way to the finish line.  You can stand firm to the end no matter what hell throws your way--be it deception, condemnation, temptation, fear, oppression, rejection, infirmity, insecurity, lack, or doubt, etc..    

Here's some ideas on how to remain firm in the Lord: 

1) Phil 3:1  "Learn to rejoice":  This seems to be a theme of the book.  Paul is writing from a prison cell somewhere underneath Caesar's palace. His advice is learn to rejoice.  I like to think of rejoicing as the ability to find joy in Jesus no matter what situation of life you are going through.  We all know there are going to be tough times.  This is part of the human experience.  What distinguishes human beings who know Jesus and human beings who don't know Jesus is their joy.  Don't confuse this with happiness.  Happiness is base on current circumstances and situations.  If things are good and going my way, then I can be happy; but when things are ugly and difficult then I'm not happy.  True joy, rejoicing, is the freedom to move away from the shallowness of American culture and find joy in Jesus no matter what life is throwing at us.   Yes, it is definitely easier said than done.  The good news though is that Jesus delights in sharing His joy with us even when we feel like we are at the end of our personal capacity to experience joy. On multiple occasions I have been so discouraged and depressed that I wanted to give up on life.  

As I made the mental shift to focus on Jesus instead of the situation my perspective changed.   I saw things in a new light and found reasons to praise instead of complain.  This caused my heart to thank God instead of accuse Him.  Gratitude quickly produces hope that He has been faithful in the past and will be faithful in the future.  Soon joy returned back to my heart because I knew God was bigger than my situation.  The funny thing is that all of this took place without anything externally changing.  This is the power of finding our joy in Him!  Situations come and go, but He remains full of goodness and grace.   Train your heart to focus on His character and nature.  Discipline your mind not to "go there" as it relates to the negativity and "what ifs" of difficult situations.   And finally, learn how to praise Him.  For me this is most often with music and song.  People say I like to sing a lot.  My only response is because I can't afford not to.  It is my way of focusing on Jesus and finding joy in the midst of trouble.  Joy in Jesus will keep you standing firm.  Always remember that in His Presence is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11)

2) Phil 3:2 "Find godly leaders and models":  This is a key idea in learning to stand to firm.  Paul warns the believers to stay away from people that sound really convincing spiritually, but are teaching false doctrine.  A model is a pattern that a person chooses to follow.  So  a good model is someone who has been where you are and can help you get where you want to go.  A few verses later in verse 17, Paul encourages these believers to follow his example as well as those who are implementing the model that he left behind.  Good advice.  People who stand firm in the Lord's strength are people who have surrounded themselves with godly role models.  These are people who have a prove track record in the Lord.  People who have a consistent walk with Jesus and base their lives on His Word.  What makes someone a solid role model/leader?  I believe it boils down to one word--obedience.  They have learned  to implement the truths of God's word in their daily life.  This is so important as it is all too easy become fake in our spirituality.  I know many people who know the right lingo, but have glaring issues in their lifestyle.  The problem is that they haven't implemented the Word. 

 I will never forget a speaker in chapel while at university making this statement:  "Show me your five closest friends and I will show you who you will be in five years."    Look for life-giving, Jesus-based friendships.  These are the kind where you want to invest time and energy.  Monitor your spiritual intake closely.  Where are you getting your spiritual nourishment?  Is it based on the unchanging truth of God's Word?  What is the caliber of this/these person/people's life?  Are they practicing what they are preaching?  Do they ever challenge or rebuke you?  If not, it's doubtful that they are really preaching the truth at all.    Remember this general rule of thumb: "Spiritually speaking you will become like the person you are allowing to speak into your life."   If you want to stand firm, you are going to need people around you that inspire you, model authentic spirituality for you, challenge you to keep growing, and encourage you not to quit. 

  One final lesson I've learned on this point.  If you are currently lacking in this department, ask God to bring the right people into your life.  I will never forget praying along these lines while in university. I was desperately lonely and felt my need for godly models.  Within 6 months God brought 7 young men into my life who are still some of my best friends today.  Additionally, he connected me to several great pastors in the Tulsa area who nourished my soul.  God is faithful.  He wants you to stand firm.  He wants you to have vibrant models and friendships in your life.  Ask Him! 

Conquering the cons of condemnation (Part 5 of 5)

7)    Let Jesus love you: This is essential in overcoming condemnation.  We need to fall deeper in love with Jesus. This is true.  Yet, the Bible is clear: We love Him because He FIRST loved us (I John 4:19).  This is true both the very first time we receive Christ as our Savior as well as every day following.  We must allow Jesus to love us.  Theologically, I accepted this idea since I was young.  We sang about it in Sunday School and children’s church: “Jesus loves me this I know.”  The only problem is that all that I only knew it in my head, but not in my heart.  I will never forget the first time in prayer when He whispered to my hurting heart to tell me that He wasn’t mad at me.  I think I retaliated with something really spiritual like, “well, you should be.”  This began a journey of learning to bask in His love.  I love what Graham Cooke says, “God is the kindest person  I’ve ever met.”  In His kindness He lavishes His love on us.  And the surest way to beat condemnation is to get so full of Christ’s love that there is simply no more room for self-hatred.  This will take time.  This will require perseverance.  Our hearts will fight such radical love, especially if we have a religious mindset that sees God as the big thug trying to take shots at us.

Let the truth of His love move from just being a promise to becoming a presence In your life.  Let His love move from your head to your heart.   In order for this to happen you’ll have to learn to listen for His voice.  At first, your own flesh will trick you into thinking that you are hearing His voice, when in reality you aren’t.  Keep believing and keep trusting the Scriptures.  Soon you will hear a different voice- quiet and peaceful that agrees with the truths of Scripture.  It is the voice of healing.  His voice. 

Practically speaking, this will require time. I’m not the kind of person who says you need to spend this amount of time or that amount of time with the Lord everyday.  But from personal experience I can tell you that it usually takes me a minimum of 20-30 minutes of soaking in the Word and in His presence before the other voices in my life: my flesh, fear, etc… is quieted and I can truly begin to hear His voice. 

8) Walking in the power of the Spirit:  Another essential key to conquering the con of condemnation is the power of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer.  Always remember that this is a spiritual battle.  As such, we need spiritual weapons with which to combat the tactics of our enemy.  Good news! Holy Spirit has been sent by Jesus himself as the Paraklete.  It’s a greek term that basically means the helper, the comforter, the advocate, the counselor, etc…  His role is to point us to Jesus and remind us of everything that Jesus taught in Scripture.  I don’t just mean some empty head knowledge of the facts of Christianity, but the revelation of the truths of God made alive and practical in our lives.

Throughout Scripture we are instructed to walk in the Spirit, pray in the Spirit, follow the Spirit, be full of the Spirit, etc..  Why?  This isn’t rocket science.  We need Holy Spirit if we are going to be victorious believers.  I love to teach on the book of Acts.  It demonstrates the power of Holy Spirit in the life of believers. What triggered this glorious inflow of heavenly activity? Acts two tells the story.  They were praying and waiting on the promise that Jesus had given them. They would receive the Holy Spirit and power.  Some ten days went by before the day of Pentecost arrived.  Then suddenly, a blowing wind with tongues like fire and they all start speaking in other tongues.  In our day, the idea of being baptized in the Spirit has suffered much unnecessary bad press.  A huge part of this is because of the hypocrisy and duplicity in the lives of people who say they are baptized by the Spirit.  Another criticism comes from those who say it isn’t legit due to some very one-sided exegesis.  My intention isn’t to go too deep into this topic right now; but I do want to tell you that the baptism in the Spirit is real.  It is available for all believers.  And it is absolutely essential in conquering condemnation. 

I learned the necessity of praying in the Spirit when waves of condemnation would try to sweep over me.  Tongues is essential in this regard.  As I prayed my spirit would rise up in me with faith and hope.  I gained new perspective.  Verses came to mind useful in fighting the good fight of faith.  Strength was released to resist the enemy.  This isn’t just a one-time deal. I’ve learned to pray in the Spirit everyday. As we pray in the Spirit  strongholds in our minds are pulled down.  And strongholds in the mind, i.e. our perceptions and paradigms, take time. So keep praying in the Spirit!

For those of you who haven’t been baptized in the Spirit, I would encourage you to take 3 simple steps. 

 1) Ask:  We need to be intentional about taking the first step of asking Jesus to baptize us in His Spirit.  For those who have asked before with no result—keep asking. I asked for months before Jesus filled me.

 2) Believe: This isn’t just some far-fetched notion that could possibly be a reality.  There are clear promises that produce faith in us.  The one that solidified my faith is Acts 2:39 “For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”  This promise is the baptism in the Holy Spirit and its available for all who are far off—a distant generation that I’m a part of and it’s available to everyone the Lord calls to Himself! 

 3) Receive:  It’s easy to get comfortable on point 1 and 2, but remember that the end goal isn’t just to ask or even to have faith.  We need to receive what has been promised and exercise that gift by learning to pray in the Spirit.  

Condemnation is a  con. We are called to conquer it through the truth of the Word, the honesty of confession, genuine repentance, the richness of God’s love, and the power of the Spirit. 

            

Conquering the Con of Condemnation (Part 4 of 5)

5)    Embracing the Father’s love: At some point in the battle against condemnation we have to address the primary issue: fear.  Condemnation is a tactic based on fear—the fear of divine rejection and/or divine displeasure.  The lie centers on the idea that we are so bad that not even God can love us anymore.   Obviously, when you analyze this lie systematically it looses all credibility.   Why would God’s love towards as believers suddenly cease because of past mistakes?  This makes no sense in light of the consistent testimony of the Scriptures that “while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.”  Jesus died for us when we were at our worst.  He loved us when we were dead spiritually speaking.

His sacrificial death on the cross isn’t based on anything that we have done or anything that would could merit.  It is because of His great love towards us! And this love was demonstrated before we were even born! His love is lavished on humanity independent of our response to it.  Obviously, we must embrace this love through some very specific instructions found in the Word: repentance through faith.   In that moment His love becomes more than a theological fact; it becomes an experiential one that transforms our life.   The amazing thing about the love of God is that according to John: “it casts out all fear. (I John 4:18)”  One translation says that it “expels” fear.  As we embrace His love fear is chased out of our hearts—as already stated this is make-up of condemnation.  Without fear, condemnation vanishes.  If God really isn’t mad at me why should I be mad at myself? If He isn’t condemning me why should I condemn myself? 

The story of the Prodigal Son if so beautiful in this process of helping our wounded hearts understand the love of God.  The Prodigal wakes up smelling like a pig.  He lived a swine’s life having run from the safety and love of his father’s household.  In that moment, he knew he had to return, but under different pretenses that before.  This time around he would be a servant not a son.  He would punish himself for his wickedness.  For surely, his father could never tolerate him again.  As he returns home the father sees him coming and takes off running in his direction. While the son tries to wallow in his self condemnation, the father doesn’t even give him the time of day.  He orders the best ring, the best robe, the best sandals, and a fattened calf killed for a party.  What a picture of extravagant love in the face of condemnation.   The most powerful way to overcome condemnation is to sit in the love of God and let Him so captivate your heart with His goodness and kindness that you  simply can’t afford to wallow in self pity any longer.  His love casts out the fear and your heart will soon be at rest. 

6)    Get rid of the source of condemnation:  Up to this point we’ve talked about external issues related to condemnation.  Let’s talk about some internal ones now.   This is of extreme importance in overcoming condemnation. Basically, we all have vulnerable places in our hearts that the enemy exploits.  It’s kind of like a scab over a wound.  Pick at it long enough and it will bleed.  Once it starts bleeding, it gets messy.  Likewise, as it relates to areas of in our lives.  We are forgiven in Christ, but often the temptation to go back to it again presents itself again and again and again.  The reason is because the devil is trying to pick at our wounds.  Once they start bleeding, WHAM, here comes the condemnation thick and heavy. 

I don’t know what your wound is where the enemy tries to assault you: over-eating, smoking, deception, lust, alcohol, pornography, etc..  The list is limitless.  What I’ve learned is identify the issue and then take steps to make sure that you don’t revisit it.  Obviously, I could write an entire series on how to overcome hidden sins and maybe one day I will.  For now, the idea I want to communicate is this: if you steal the enemy’s ammunition for condemnation from him, it makes it much more difficult for him to condemn you.  I know, it’s not rocket science. 

The verse that has helped me tremendously along these lines is Romans 8:1.  “Now there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus who walk not according to the lusts of the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”  I've heard several Christians quote this verse leaving out the last part.  "There's no condemnation for those that are in Christ Jesus."  Only problem? that's now what the verse says.  You can be a Christian and be controlled by the lusts of your flesh and I promise you condemnation will just be one of your many problems.   The key is learning to walk in the Spirit by putting to death the desires of the flesh through the cross.  Again, a potential discussion for another article.  Let's be clear: it is possible to walk with no condemnation as we learn to walk with the Spirit by staying away from the lusts of the flesh.  As we implement this approach, the enemy has nothing to accuse us with. 

Let me also mention here the difference between condemnation and conviction.  If you are a Christian involved in sin (gratifying the lusts of the flesh to use Romans 8:1 terminology), then  Holy Spirit has a very clear role in your life—to convict you because He loves you.  If this is you, the best approach is to repent and turn from your sin, the real definition of repentance.  In other words, don’t get the two mixed up. One comes from hell, the other from heaven. One is life-sucking, the other life-giving.  One pulls you closer to Jesus, the other further away.   Conviction is wonderful even though it may be painful in the moment.  Condemnation is oppressive both in this moment as well as in the next.   Conviction is like a doctor searching for a sickness.  He pushes on and says, "does it hurt here?"  You wouldn't scream at him and say, "You quack what are you doing?"  Rather, you would thank him for being thorough in his investigations to help you heal.  Conviction is just the Holy Spirit poking us where it hurts because He wants us whole 

Conquering the Con of Condemnation (Part 3 of 5)

3)    Confronting the enemy: During the battle of condemnation the enemy of our souls will assault our position in Christ.  The Word is clear:  we are sons and daughters in the family of God through the blood of Jesus.  Romans 8 elaborates this idea revealing to us the full force of who we are; we are heirs and co-heirs, recipients of the Spirit, dearly loved, free from sin, adopted into His family, etc…   This is all related to our new position in Christ once we are born again.  Many believers don’t realize who they really are in Christ, but every now and again we get a glimpse.  It’s so transforming and so liberating when these concepts go from our head to our heart.  Transformational Christianity is a threat to the devil. So he retaliates with condemnation.  “You’re not a son. You’re no heir.  You have no inheritance in the promises.  You are a failure. You are a looser.  Give up.” 

Instead of believing these lies and submitting to this barrage, I’ve learned a different approach: confrontation. This involves getting aggressive.   The best way to do this is to replace the lies of hell with truth.  Obviously, this means you need to have a few clear promises in your spiritual armory that you can pull out in the thick of battle.  Do you remember when Jesus was being tempted in the wilderness?  He didn’t fire back at the enemy by asserting his authority.  Rather, he knew the word and would respond, “It is written.”  Similarly, I’ve learned to throw the truth of the Word back in the enemy’s face when he assaults me.   I’ve had many conversations with myself that people would probably label as craziness.  However, I’ve found that the real power of the Word is when it’s spoken, not just quietly read.  We must be intentional about speaking it out loud.  I sometimes will look at myself in the mirror and speak forth the promises in God’s Word substituting my name for the generic “you”.   For example, I often quote 2 Corinthians 5:21 saying, “Stephen Kuert, you are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus” when the enemy is hounding me. 

Remember that this is spiritual warfare! And the victory belongs to the person with the strongest weapons.  I’m grateful that Christ’s voice of truth found in His Word always triumphs over the enemy’s voice of condemnation.  So use the Word as your weapon in this battle!

Another key element of confrontation is turning the accusations of the enemy around.  The Bible shows the enemy in several different places accusing the saints of past sins, failures, and short-comings.  This is his specialty—dragging up the past so that we forget our present status in Jesus, and in so doing we get our eyes off of our future.  Obviously, his lies of accusation are quite effective.  So I like to turn the tables on his little con, by reminding him of his future when he tries to bring up my past.  This has been really effective in my life.  It’s funny how quickly the lies of darkness evaporate when you start talking about the future judgment of wickedness.   Whether there’s really an element of spiritual warfare involved in reminding the devil of his future judgment or if it just reminds me of my ultimate destiny in Christ and therefore, causes my faith to be jumpstarted, I don’t really know.  What I can tell you is that it’s an effective means of overcoming condemnation.  Accuse the accuser with the truth of God’s word.  Turn the tables on this trick!

4) Recognizing the reason for  condemnation: Here’s another quick thought that has always helped me with this idea of condemnation.  The enemy knows our real destiny and Kingdom identity in Christ Jesus.  That is why he tries to stop  us cold in our tracks.  He fears the revelation of the sons and daughters of God in this hour—people who know who they are and what they are called to do in the Kingdom.  So out comes condemnation.  It occurred to me one day that the enemy only messes with people who he fears.  Mark this well: If Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is really living in your heart by his Holy Spirit, then you are a THREAT to purpose and plan of the kingdom of darkness.  So here are some questions to ask the next time the big con comes your way.  Why am I feeling so condemned right now?  Why is the enemy going to all the trouble to confuse me?  What is it in my life right now that he is trying to stop? 

 I remember when I used to play basketball.  My coach would often assign me to the best offensive player on the opposing team.  I was really fast and had sheer tenacity.  Other players often got frustrated from my defense. I followed them around like a dog on a scent.  Offensively, I was pretty weak, but that didn’t matter.  My assignment was to keep the other team from scoring not be a superstar.  It’s funny to see a really good basketball player who isn’t used to being hounded.  Psychologically, they often check out and even though they are the best player out there they soon take themselves out of the game because they aren’t used to being hounded.   Listen, if you have attracted some really tough condemnation defense, it’s because you are a genuine threat. So be encouraged and keep your head in the game!