the.Sold.Out.Soul

The power God gives us to take captive our thoughts is the same power we have over the feelings we store in our hearts.  Particularly in this world where people are emotionally charged about one cause or another, and so easily offended by God's truth, it is important for us to make sure that we have command over our emotions.  We cannot afford to let our feelings be in command of us.

Are you all-in?  Are you maybe in for a little here and a little there, but not fully committed anywhere?  Are you straddling the border and thinking that life simply must be that way in this imperfect world?  Let us consider once more what it means to be all-in with the Lord and what it takes to sustain that.

We do not always see where we are spiritually.  We sometimes think one fall wipes out all our progress.  Other times, we might think we have progressed much more than we have.  Let us seek God to know where we really are spiritually and how He desires to make us over today.

When you are on the mountaintop, you are sure of yourself and joyful.  The world is a magical place up there.  But who are you when you are in the valley?  Are you a different person, or do your faith and character remain constant?  That is the question.

We are a spiritual army designed to operate as a unit.  Too often, some of us try to go it alone only to stumble and fall.  If we are to be victorious in our warfare, we must band together and fight as the body God has designed us to be.  Each one should be accounted for and protected with no one left behind.

Forget about the superficial cures.  Forget about the counterfeit remedies.  Let us get to the heart of the matter by allowing the Lord to truly treat that which ails our spirits.  Let us lead those who are spiritually hurt, broken and dying to the great physician, the only one who can save a soul.

The blind man of John chapter 9 set the example for us.  The blessings of God may result in opposition from others or attacks from the enemy, but we should desire and chase those blessings all the same.  He blesses us to his glory even if the blessing comes with suffering.  To suffer for him is a blessing all its own.

God desires that we live in freedom, but that might not look the way we imagine liberty in this world.  There are many forces that wish to bind us yet have us believe that we are free.  The only way to live free of those bonds is to relinquish our will and live within the confines of God's, a freedom with bounds yet offering complete liberty.

Each of us has a story, a history, a thousand reasons why we are where we are spiritually.  Sometimes we put expectations on others that we have no business putting on them, and in the process we stunt spiritual growth instead of helping it along.  Let us instead practice the love of Christ, loving people where they are and being a positive agent of change for them.

A recent trip out west and my subsequent return trip home have raised a common question.  How can someone see so much of God's creation and know so much of his handiwork, yet not see him in any of it?  Let us pray for those who view the world this way, that they would come to know our God.