Comfortably Complacent...

The calm before the crash....

That wretched word....it is so smooth and yet it cannot take you over without a fight. Many times it comes after what seems like to much fighting. Too much struggle. It comes with giving up.

   A trial crashed down upon your life...you  struggle, you  yearn, you fight...and then...you struggle a little more, and fight just one more day....

Only to wake up and find yourself exactly where you were before. You cry out for deliverance, and then, suddenly, there is a break in the storm. You don't have to fight so hard. Life is just a little easier..you can breathe. You send up a quick prayer of thanks, and lay your head down to rest for the night. You wake up. The struggle begins again. But this time...something is missing. The will, the passion? You are not quite sure. You just know you are tired. Exhausted, actually. Much too tired to fight. After all, life is fine the way it is. Why not accept the gravity; give in to the flow. Really though, what do you have to lose? Just pain, tears, and a whole lot a struggle. Yea..I think I'll pass on this one. I'm good. Jesus loves me, right? His love never fails. I'll just...rest...in ... Him! Yes, that sounds like a plan.

 It's strange though...you don't really hear His voice as much anymore. Stranger still, you don't really care. Why skip the crude commercial? It isn't that bad...and really, you're tired of hangin' with the "good" group. Why not go out with the fun crowd? You can be a witness! And I mean, it's not like you've stopped going to church. 

  You worship on Sunday, raise your hands in the air...it's kinda sub conscience though. The love isn't there. The passion is gone. Life has become empty. And you have become complacent. 

Jeremiah 48:11

"Moab has been at ease from his youth; 

He has settled on his dregs, 

And has not been emptied from vessel to vessel,

Nor has he gone into captivity. Therefore his taste remained in him, 

And his scent has not changed."

  Being at ease is certainly appealing. Skipping the trial and the pain...but with it; with it goes your separateness. Your holiness. Your light. You become just like the rest of the world. There is no salt in you! you taste as bland as the sick world you live in. The Holy Spirit cannot commune with you. Your "scent" has not changed. Complacency is worse than hatred, because it is far more dangerous. It is indifference, and once it has got a hold of you, it is almost impossible to be delivered from its grasp. 

Revelation 3:15-16

"I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, I will vomit you out of My mouth. 

Chills down my spine. This is serious. He says He will vomit the complacent out of his mouth. Oh, how easy it is to become complacent! To drift into the lukewarm waters. But that is not to what we are called. 

Romans 12:2

"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

 Complacency is poison. It deadens your heart to the voice of the Holy Spirit, so that you are unable to discern the will of God! It is a never-ending spiral straight towards the pit of hell. If you are struggling with living on the fence--one foot in the world and one in Christ--wake up!! You are falling, and losing your effectiveness. In fact, it is impossible to serve the world and Jesus.

Matthew 6:24

"No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other."

There is no middle ground. The very idea of a fence is facade. An illusion, straight from the pit of hell. 

Matthew 12:29-30

 "Or how can one enter a strong man's house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters abroad. Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit."

There is no middle ground. Every tree is known by its fruit. You are either bearing fruit for the kingdom, or rotting only to be cut off and thrown into the fire. The enemy cannot conquer you when you are strong and in hot pursuit of the Word. he must first tie him up, bind him, and then take away all he has. Do not allow the enemy that foothold in your life. 

1 Peter 5:8-9

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same suffering are experienced by your brotherhood in the world."

Jesus goes on in Revelation 3 to explain why He despises lukewarm attitudes so strongly, saying:

"Because you say, 'I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing'--and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked--I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of  your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see."

The road He calls us to is not an easy one, but it is the only one worth walking. Complacency blinds you to the sinful state of your heart, and you cannot see that you are "wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked." To be able to see, to be clothed, to remove the shame of our  sin, we must walk through the fire. We must be refined through the trials God ordains; we must walk a holy life, have  a separate spirit from the world, and be clothed in white garments of the Holy Spirit. Finally we must have the light from the Word penetrating our hearts, so that the truth of His teachings open our eyes to see. 

 It is never too late to return to the holy, passionate, fiery heart after God.

Revelation 3:19-22

"As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches."

Lost Love...

That first love...

Nothing can compare. When he completely sweeps you off your feet. Your life revolves him...you want to spend every waking moment by his side; you allow him to consume your thoughts and practically run your life. You dream of the day when you will be his, and he will be yours, forever. 

  Then one day he asks you to dinner, and you feel this special tingle in your heart..something is different. then he gets down on his knee and asks for you to be his forever. your eyes well up with tears, as he picks you up and sweeps you off your feet. 

   Every day feels like an eternity as you earnestly wait for the blessed day when you official become man and wife. you become one. As the dawn of your wedding day occurs, you can hardly breathe from the excitement. you get yourself all ready--no one can deny the beauty of the lovely bride. The rest of the day seems like a blur, as you are lost in imagining your future with your Prince Charming. You are completely lost in his love. you feel as though nothing can get in the way of your paradise. 

"I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and they are not, and have found them liars; and you have  persevered and have patience, and have labored for My namesake and have not become weary. Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love."

Revelation 2:2-4

The days go by. You still love your soul-mate, but some things have changed. you don't swoon at the sight of his face; the tingling in your stomach no longer occurs when he enters the room. you still love him!! but it is not the same....

"But Jesus said to him, 'no one, putting his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."

Luke 9:62

  The weeks go by, then the months, then the years. You are grateful for his companionship, but he does sometimes bug, doesn't he? Those wonderful dates you used to have...oh, the good ole days..when nothing could pry you two apart. Now you spend more time arguing than laughing...and those sweet texts you would send back and forth. ha! kinda embarrassing....wish you could back? mm.. love to but... just don't have the time. 

    This story sounds all too familiar. but it is taken as fact. yea, the love is great at first, but that never lasts forever. I mean it can't, right? 

 You have been wooed, courted, and swept off your feet by the most perfect Prince ever to enter reality. That Prince is Jesus Christ. He created you, and loved every moment of you. He watched you grow and discover His infinite love for you, and rejoiced in your passionate love for Him. He waited with expectation to speak to you every moment; He adored when you quieted your heart and only listened to His thoughts. You two were inseparable. and such joy you shared!! 

  But the weeks went by, then the months, then the years. Your time with Him became shorter and shorter, and the noise of the world drowned out His still small voice. You still love Him, of course!! But that love...it has died from the beauty it once held. It lessened from what Jesus intended it to be. He faithfully waited for your sweet messages and dates together, but you were just so busy!! of course He'd understand....

 Our God is a jealous God. One of His names in the Greek is El Qanna. He calls Himself that name in Exodus 20:5, "For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God." Does this mean He is jealous OF you? NO!!! The God of the universe has absolutely no reason to be jealous of His very workmanship. No, He is jealous FOR you. Unlike man, whose love is more of an emotion than a choice, His love is eternal. And He is eternally in love with you. Yet how easy it is to ignore His voice! To allow other things to get in the way of His love. But in the end, what is more important than Him? Why do we allow our minds to become so consumed with ourselves and the things of this world that we neglect the God of the universe who gave Himself up to one of the cruelest tortures in history just so that He could call you His own. and He is head-over-heels in love with you. The rest of the verse in Revelation(v.5) says:

"Remember therefore from which you have fallen; repent and do the first work, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lamp stand from its place--unless you repent."

Is that convicting or what? God considers leaving our first love with Him a sin. Not a mistake, not a lazy thing that happens to everyone...a sin. Something He takes very seriously; enough to tell us to repent--or He will remove "your lamp stand from its place." See, when we allow His love to be squelched from our hearts, we also allow our effectiveness as His witness to be dulled, and we are no longer usable! How devastating is that? We have been given the love of your lives given to us freely, and yet so often we choose to let it slip away!! Jesus is clear on what we are to do. 

       1. Remember

2.Repent

3. Return

 Remember what is was like! Before the worry and stress of the world drained His life out of you. Before the envy of other things robbed you of the joy that was yours from giving all your love to Him. Remember the passion, the excitement, the joy.

 If you allow yourself to remember the sweetness of your love combined with His, and the repentance should come as a natural step. Repent does NOT mean confess, it means to TURN AWAY from it!! Complete 180 degree about-face. and to never look back. 

  Then...return. Return to Him! Let Him wrap His arms around you, and just enjoy the warmth of His love and presence. He has been waiting SO patiently...and desires nothing better than to hold you in His arms, pour out all His love on You, and to listen to your voice!! He has missed it so...and He has wanted to share so very many things with you; things that the business of this world has stolen away.

   I write this as much to myself as to you. maybe you have not lost your first love, maybe you are still in the beautiful season!! but the trials will come...and the world will start yelling their opinions in your ears. and you will have to FIGHT for that first love. cause love is not an emotion, not a feeling, not a high--it is a choice. But if you desire to be fulfilled, and be used in any great way (or even small ways) you must choose to love Him. He has never stopped pursuing you.

"He is wooing you from the jaws of distress to a spacious place free from restriction..."

Job 36:16

How do we do this? How do we keep our first love ignited? 

"You will keep  in perfect peace,  whose mind is stayed on You, because He trusts in You."
Isaiah 26:3

We have to keep our eyes on the prize ladies!! we must keep our minds stayed on Him and His love.

We must keep our armor on, 

     "For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the the obedience of Jesus Christ.."

2 Corinthians 10:3-5

capture every thought and throw it at the feet of Jesus Christ! Fight the good fight, run the good race, and just....be still. and know that He is God, and He is madly, wildly, eternally in love with you. 

"Behold, this is our God;

We have waited for Him, and He will save us. 

This the the Lord;

We have waited for Him:

We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation."
Isaiah 25:9

A sucker for a sale..

for a sale...

So today, I write this with a heavy heart. I left it in the hands of a young Israeli salesman named Avi at West Town mall...

Now before you get all crazy on me listen to my story. You will feel my distress!

   So, my two younger sisters and I were walking along minding our business, shopping at West Town Mall. When out of nowhere, --literally out of nowhere--, I hear this strong accented voice saying "ladies, ladies.." I look to my left. and there he is. young, dark, tall Israeli, with a stare you couldn't escape. Tali started to whisper "ignore him" when I took a step toward his lovely, charismatic smile. "Can I ask you something?" I hesitate. "Sure.." Oh great. Here it goes. I'll never get out of here. 

"How do you do your hair?" Problem: I don't do my hair!! Really. I just get out of bed. hence my response: "nothing! I just get out bed." (look of obvious disbelief)

 "really." 

"yes!"

 "really?"

 "yes!!" 

"wow. do you ever straighten it?" 

"Sometimes!" (I said that last part a little too enthusiastically, grateful to be able to give him a satisfactory answer. "Can you...come over here for a moment, come over here." Ugh that accent. what did I do? I went. just like a crazy-head...

"Ok!" we all exchanged looks. 

"come sit here. I will not touch your hair!" *pause* "unless you want me to." yeah......right. and so begins my long, long trial of desperation and manipulation. "what is your name?" I feel a gust of pride. "Liel." His eyes widen. "liel? really? my best friend is named Liel. Lovely name; the best name." and the plot thickens. He proceeds to tell me how this straightener will beat all else, how it softens my hair, and brings out the healthy minerals. (it's true!! seriously amazing.) He then curls my hair, flattering it the whole time, of course. needless to say, it was a flawless curl.

 "I love it!" he smiled. 

grrr... "now how old are you?"

 "17." 

"You have a job?" 

"No." (my heart breaks a little at the memory of my wretched state.)

 "when I was 17 I had a job and lots of money all the time." (well, well, well, aren't we special?) I sigh. "now tell me, do you like it, or do you love it?" 

"well, that all depends on the price; whether I like it or I love it." 

He smiles (covering up his annoyance). "It is on its own $250, but I give it to  you for $150." Oh wow! that sounds a like a deal! NOT. but those eyes!! "I would but I'm broke, broke, broke." He doesn't even pause. "I tell you what. I will put in two shampoos, and will give you this card--this card lets you come in 10 times whenever you want to get your hair done however you want." Ok, now he's got me. This man is slick. "I just...I..." I put my head down. "I'm so stressed." He puts his hands on my head and lifts up my face. "do not be stressed, sweetheart." he clears the hair from my face. "you need this, right?" I pause. 

"this is the only deal. You cannot get this anywhere else. you must get this. please." I am beyond stressed. I DONT HAVE THE MONEY. why am I stopping? hesitating?? after a while, I finally come to the conclusion that I just cannot afford this right now. " you cannot? You really cannot?" I mournfully shake my head. "will you come back?"

 "umm..." 

"tomorrow?" 

"well, maybe more likely on Thursday." (right...)

 "Ok. You take this card." He writes down his name. "now you tell your mom, for your friend's mom how much you love this. How much you need this. come back and ask for me. It's Avi.  but you must come on Thursday. Please ladies." I take the card and hop out of my seat. "Liel!" he calls after me. "that is the most lovely name." 

  Now, to get to the chicken of the soup, or the gold of the mine, or....the moral of the story. This little example of what happened to me tonight (which happens more often than I dare to admit) is a perfect analogy of what the world does to us. are we buying into the world? are we looking into the charming eyes of deceit and allowing ourselves to be drawn in? are we suckers for a sale? Now, truth be told, the merchandise wasn't bad. It was good! but the cost was very much outweighed the benefit.  the things of the world draw us in. we are made to believe that we "need" them. that we are getting a deal!! that the cost isn't real a cost at all. In reality, the price we pay for the things of the world is our very souls. 

    "For you were bought with a price, therefore glorify God with your bodies."

                                         1 Corinthians 6:20 

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for  yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and rust CANNOT destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal."

Matthew 6:19-20

Satan is the master salesman. The master manipulator. The glittering glass. he beckons you to come, to draw near. it's not that big of a deal. "i'm not even going to touch your hair.." and he's not ugly either. the things of the world are ATTRACTIVE.  and before you know it, you are trapped in a place you never intended to be, and the cost is your very soul. 

"The thief comes ONLY to kill, steal, and destroy, but I have come that they may have life, and life more abundantly."

John 10:10 

Check yourselves. are you buying into the swirling circle of "need" and deceit? are you selling what is eternal, for what is destroyed? Do not be deceived. Satan is smart. determined. and very, very active. 

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same suffering are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you."

1 Peter 5:8-10

Take to heart what truly matters. Fix your eyes on Jesus. Look full in His wonderful face. And the things of earth will go strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.

Holiness

GUYS–
this has been on my heart LIKE CRAZY. It is something we are all lacking in, and no one is recognizing the drought. It breaks the very heart of God and weakens the believer.
that is a lack of HOLINESS. In 1 Peter 1:13-17 it says
“Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance,but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior;because it is written, “YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.”…

So what is this? Is it a suggestion? A recommendation? NO! What separates us from the rest of the world if not a HOLINESS and PURITY? Yes, there are some costs, some things you’ll have to give up, some shows you will not be able to see. But what do you receive in return? A close COMMUNION with God, and an INTIMACY that it is impossible to receive any other way. Our calling is HIGHER. it is HARDER. it is BETTER. and IT IS WORTH IT. Guard yourselves! Prepare your minds for ACTION! Keep sober in your spirit, and FIX your HOPE completely on the grace of JESUS! and that is when you will be fulfilled.

Guard your heart...

“for out of it springs the issues of life…”

when I see these little elementary/middle school girls out at the mall with their “boyfriend”‘s or crying over a “break-up”, it puzzles me. Seriously? What do they even know about relationships? Sadly, this is the foundation for every other relationship they will ever have! It is a pitiful, sad imitation of what God intended a relationship to be. Now in high school, I see girls get their hearts broken every day, guys that just play with hearts for the fun of it, and it saddens me. There is a REASON why God said “Above ALL else, GUARD YOUR HEART. For out of it springs the issues of life.”

this is EVERYTHING guys. EVERYTHING. girls get their worth from what boys think of them, and guys lose the meaning of true love. we must WAIT on God’s best, and not settle for ANYTHING less! so that when that special person comes, in GOD’S time, the heart you have to give is not used and tattered by the many hands that misused it; but it is full and pure, a precious gift for the hands that will never let it fall.

I am.......He is.....

"Higher than than the mountains that I face...
Stronger than the power of the grave....
Constant in the trial and the pain....
                                                                This  one thing remains:

 

Your love never fails, it never gives up, it never runs out on me..Your love never fails, it never gives up, it never runs out one me, Your love..."

Through my every day, my every hour, my every second--Christ's love remains constant. If that is true, then why do I allow myself to become depressed and overwhelmed about all the cruelties of life? Why do I see my heart's desires and my spirit's dreams as an unattainable reality? Why can crushing depression seep deep into my heart until I've forgotten why I'm fighting in the first place?

  If God's love for me is truly unconditional, constant, and forever pursuing, why is it something I feel I have to earn to attain?

  I am nothing. Yet Jesus died to make me something. My heart is ugly. Jesus died because He saw something beautiful. I am weak. The Lion of Judah became a lamb to make me strong. I am empty. He came to make me full. I am broken. He was broken so I could be whole. I was rejected. I am my Beloved's and my Beloved is mine. I was jealous of others. He is jealous for ME.

 I am a failure. He is my victory. I am corrupt. He sees me as pure. I am  never enough.

"My grace is sufficient for you, My strength is make PERFECT in weakness." I am dead inside.

"I have come that they may have life, and have to the full!" I can do nothing. "With God, all things are possible."  I am..............

                                                              I AM.

"I am confident in this very thing, that He who began a good work in you, will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus."

Philipians 1:6