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Sparks of Reformation

~ True Reformation is a Blazing Fire

Sparks of Reformation

Tag Archives: Spiritual Warfare

Remember the Saints in Caesar’s House

24 Monday Aug 2015

Posted by Savannah in Spiritual Warfare, Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Caesar, Christ, God, poetry, Rome, Saints, Spiritual Warfare, Truth

caesarian-fun-1879

image via wikiart. An experience that could have awaited any of those saints who dwelt even in Caesar’s own household….

Remember the saints in Caesar’s house.

 

As they walked among the dead,

There the light abroad was shed;

Side by side and unafraid,

For in Christ their debt is paid –

Remember the saints in Caesar’s house.

 

When the threat of death was nigh,

Lifted they their hearts on high,

Holding fast to truth and joy,

All their deeds they did employ;

Remember the saints in Caesar’s house.

 

Even in the throne of hell,

There our brothers they did dwell,

Beset ‘round with wickedness,

They were bid be anxiousless;

Remember the saints in Caesar’s house.

 

Believing Christ and knowing God,

After Him they boldly trod,

Even as an empire fell,

They their souls refused to sell;

Remember the saints in Caesar’s house.

 

Pressing on to win the prize,

Beyond their death they cast their eyes,

Conquerors they were, and free,

To Christ only bent their knee;

Remember the saints in Caesar’s house.

 

Beloved of God their every name!

Every enemy’s come to shame –

For the wrath of God is strong

Against all who do Him wrong;

Remember the saints in Caesar’s house.

 

Therefore do we stand our ground,

For the Truth of God is sound;

Those who mock it, they shall die,

As has every power on high;

Remember the saints in Caesar’s house.

 

Scorning Christ and killing saints,

With their blood all Rome paints;

But overcome by light and peace,

Her black deeds have come to cease –

Remember the saints in Caesar’s house.

 

Christ does ever rule and reign,

Until that day He comes again;

Caesar’s sins are not forgotten,

For of God are the saints begotten,

Remember the saints in Caesar’s house!

 

Savannah Jane Parker – summer 2015
“God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Therefore, my beloved brethren, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” ~Philippians 2:9-13

A Dream

29 Wednesday Jul 2015

Posted by Savannah in Spiritual Warfare, Stories

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

Death, Dream, Fear, Mountain, Music, Song, Spiritual Warfare, Story

A dream....

image via wikiart

I slept, and as I slept, I dreamed.

It was a terrible dream. Somewhere in a wasteland, as I suppose it could be called, I was walking slowly, stumbling over the scree as I was descending into a wide valley in the early morning light. The sun was almost hidden in the haziness, though I could tell that it was red and threatening even through the strange, ominous fogginess that made it difficult to perceive anything at any distance. The darkness in the valley was vaguely relieved here and there by strange, flickering lights of many colors. I could not tell what they were, but I only got a sense of dread for having noticed them, dim though they were.

And it was silent. Very silent. But what struck me most vigorously was the stench, the reek, the smell of dead and rotting corpses at several stages of decomposition. Human or animal or both – I could not tell. Utterly revolted, I kept walking, hoping to somehow escape the wrenching odor. I wondered if perhaps I should have turned to begin going back up the hill, but I kept on going downward, as I felt a strange draw to continue down into the valley.

I was focused on my footing, for it was treacherous. Clearly a path, it wound back and forth on account of the steepness of the bare side of the mountain. In the glowing haze of the red dawn, I thought I could distinguish some clumps of trees or boulders a little ways off from the walkway in which I found myself. But I continued stumbling on, sick at body from the stench, sick at heart from the dread. It was neither hot nor cold, with neither breeze nor roaring wind to bring some relief to the stillness. I kept on going.

Suddenly, a sound came drifting softly through the mist and I heard it – from where it came, I know not – the chilling notes of some sort of pipe. No real tune, no real rhythm, just wandering notes. I stood stock still as soon as I distinguished it, for I had heard such music once before – and it was not in a place I wished to remember. There it had been dark and chilly and very bitter, unlike this unknown place, though it was similar, somehow.

Then I saw something move. Further down the slope, not far from me, there was a human figure scrambling upwards; by his motions, he was apparently not using the path I was on, but making his way on hands and knees up the steep hillside. The strange music continued, not loudly, but chilling to my heart all the same. It was as though I was frozen in place, watching this person come towards me. I wished desperately to wake and be out of this place, but my dreaming continued on.

Terrible. It was a terrible dream, I said. For so it was.

As this person drew near to me, I could see that he was half-dead, wounded and maimed – but the expression on his face was worst of all. For when he, in reaching for his next foothold, looked up and saw me standing there, the reek of death all around, he paused and smiled – but it was with a searching evil in his eyes, bright with hate. And just then the tuneless music was silenced, and it was very still.

“What are you doing here?”

I was startled by his question more than by his raspy voice.

“I do not know,” I found myself answering as honestly as I could. “Truly, I do not know. It seems to me as if I have been here before, but things are very different from what I remember.”

“You have been here.”

“How do you know?” I couldn’t keep from asking, though I was growing sicker by the moment in the stench.

He only smiled broadly – in which I found no comfort – and he crawled nearer.

Suddenly, I heard something behind me. I couldn’t quite make it out, but it sounded massive – that was all could tell. I glanced briefly at the red morning sun, still low on the horizon, but illuminating the fog so that it seemed the very air was glimmering with dread. In all my surroundings, the red-hued sun alone held no terror for me; rather, it seemed a comfort, for the Lord is often figured as light to his people – and he is – even in their dreams. And I realized I was praying, for I was confounded and frightened.

The rumbling behind me grew louder and the very ground began to tremble. I felt as if someone was restraining me, keeping me from turning around to look behind me up the mountainside. So I looked straight ahead, as the man crouched on the steep hillside, half-glaring, half-laughing at me, but watching me closely as a cottonmouth watches his prey before he strikes. I most certainly felt a stranger in this reeking, still valley. And I waited, as the man was evidently doing, as well.

Then the murmur and massive rustling drew abreast of me and I could see what was happening. Apparently, a huge mass of every variety of people and beasts were descending the hillside, as if a great army was coming in to take possession of this already dead valley. I say it was dead, for so it seemed and smelled, but the ongoing flickering lights gave it an appearance of somehow being alive, in some sort of horrible way. The army of creatures were lost in the haze beyond my view to the left and to the right, but they were clearly intent on where they were going, some looking anxious, some looking listless, some looking angry, some of them even with their eyes closed, none of them, of man or beast, seeming to see me, but going on and on down the mountain slope. For the first time, I heard the shrieks of the hawks and saw the buzzards and eagles flying all together in dark masses above them. I hadn’t realized that the flesh-eating birds were missing from this terrible place until now. Dreams are odd, you know.

Even though I had kicked up scree as I had been walking earlier, this huge army didn’t stir up a stone. Clambering over boulder and barren hillside alike, the huge mass parted around where I was standing and, as it began to come back together on the other side, I saw them also part around the wounded man clinging to the rocks below, marching on in their silence. I still felt constrained and unable to move. The only sounds were the birds and the rumbling of the movement of so many creatures at once – until a sudden outburst of extremely loud noise began beating behind me – or was it behind me? I do not truly know. I suppose someone would call it music, beating, beating, beating – and there was a rhythm, fast, furious, focused – it was bitter to me and so loud that all I could hear – or, rather, feel – was the incessant rhythm beating upon me. If there were words, I know not. There very well may have been. It was most certainly a song of some sort. Instead of resonating within me, as songs often do, you know, it drove me to praying again, lest I lose my mind, my sanity, my self-awareness, even.

And then, even through the midst of it all, I thought I heard the tuneless piping that I had heard earlier, though much louder and more shrill and harsh. The thought came to me – though it seemed it must simply have been my imagination at work – that the screaming rhythm accompanying this vast army was in some sort of invisible battle with the lonely and hateful tuneless music which had come with the maimed individual – who was now just a little ways from me. It was all quite mind-numbing and I closed my eyes, for I was quivering, sick from the stench, unable to move or to shake the sense of some great conflict around me in which I had no part. Again, I wished to wake from this dream. But I slept on; and as I slept, I continued to dream.

The red sun suddenly shone through the fog and I felt the heat of it on me and opened my eyes. The noise increased. A wind stirred up from somewhere and, if possible, the odor of death increased. The huge crowd still rushing around me hastened their pace, though I remained untouched. I saw that the man had drawn closer to me and that the mass of creatures was continuing to part around him, as well – and now I was able to see that, for many of them, person and beast alike, fear stirred in their hopeless eyes as they approached him and hurried by with quickened strides. The hot rising sun was breaking up the heavy, glowing fog, but the valley was still deep in mist, the strange lights still scattered here and there.

“Look!”

I do not know how I heard his grating voice amid the din, but I did, and tried to see where he was pointing with one of his two remaining fingers. The constraining hand upon me was lighter now, so, with difficulty, I slowly turned around to look up the slope, my back now to the red sun. There was a light – a clear light as of the sun on a lovely day – coming over the top of the mountain like a tidal wave, vast and broad, as far along the ridge as I could see.

“Your brothers.”

He spat at me, having drawn now so close in the midst of the passing armies that we were within the same small clear space among their droves.

“Your brothers,” he repeated. “They come to look on us.”

I drew my eyes from the beautiful light above me for a moment in order to look at him. But I recoiled from the bitter hate that I saw in the eyes of the creature as he said,

“You belong to us. You are like us. You are dead. But he – but he,” and his voice was quivering with rage, “– he said you shall no longer be dying! How many has he robbed us of! And doubtless there shall be more!”

Flinging his gaze up the hill at those whom he had called my brothers – who could now be seen cresting the top, a great army, indeed, each one clothed in light itself, as it were – I saw him quail, though defiant yet, while a couple of his wounds broke open again in his agitation. I was horrified at his rage, for in seeing this army walking in light a hope had returned to my failing heart. Though I found no sympathy whatsoever upon his vitriolic hatred, I was stirred with a little pity, even so, dead and dying as he was. By now seeming to have forgotten about me entirely, though he was so close he could have reached out and touched me, he spun around to look at the red sun, which was fast rising higher and higher above the roaring noise – noise as if all Sheol was fighting among itself. Raising his misshapen fist toward the sun, he cursed and cursed such curses as I wish never, never to hear again.

In the midst of this, as the last ranks of the massive herd of creatures parted around me and passed on down into the hazy valley behind me, I heard something familiar, even over the cursings of the dead man beside me; yes, and it was a very beautiful sound, indeed. It was a victory song – I knew it well. Its pleasing tones drowned out the raging noises that had been buffeting me; and all my fear fled at its coming. At the same time I heard the lilting strains, I caught a whiff of a pleasant aroma that scattered the scent of death even as the dew so quickly disappears from before the hot summer’s dawn. My strength was renewed and I found I had already joined in the singing without thinking on it. The constraint was entirely lifted from me and I lifted up my feet to run towards the advancing army whose well-known and well-loved banner I could see floating on the morning breeze blowing in from the sea. For, suddenly, I knew where I was and I knew what day it was.

It was the Sabbath morning. It was the day when all flesh gathers to worship the Lord and when all the sons of God, the redeemed of the Lord, go forth together to look on the flesh of the dead, from whence we all have been drawn, those miserable ones whose worm does not die and whose fire is not quenched.

And I awoke, at last. I quickly arose and went to the window, where I looked out upon a clear morning sun rising over the trees into a cloudless sky and I began to sing the song I had heard in my dream. The Sabbath day was here. Hallelujah. Amen.

Isaiah 66:22-24

Praise Him!

01 Friday May 2015

Posted by Savannah in Beauty, Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Glorifying God, Light, Photography, Praise, Scripture, Song, Sound, Spiritual Warfare

Praise Him!

“Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him for his excellent greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!” ~Psalm 150

What a noisy jubilation is this praise of the whole creation of our God, the Lord! Even as the his light is so bright we cannot behold it, for it is so pure and holy and beyond us, even is the noise of this praise to him so great we cannot quite hear it, for it overwhelms our little, poorly-tuned ears!

“And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, ‘To him who sits on the the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!'” ~Revelation 5:13

A Poem

03 Tuesday Feb 2015

Posted by Savannah in Journeys, Spiritual Warfare

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Christ, Covenant theology, Glorifying God, Home, Life, poetry, Prayer, Spiritual Warfare

A Prayer

Warrior Child

Belonging everywhere and nowhere,
In this, my Father’s world,
My feet to wander feel the call.

Draw me, O draw me, to you, O Lord,
Let my heart cease its roaming,
Finding all peace and rest in you.

Lord of the nations, Giver of strength,
Shaper of hope, my only delight,
Be my home, O Lord Most High!

In the torrent and the fog,
Beneath the darkness and the pain, 
You are there, you, my only home.

As the arrow shaft flies swift and far,
My prayer for your glory rises,
O Lord, hear my quiet call.

Looking forth on a broken world,
To which I belong, yet am unknown,
Where shall you call me and send my feet?

My Lord, King of the whole earth,
Give me warrior feet, a tongue of praise,
A song of power, and words of peace.

So send me forth into your earth,
Armed and strong, fit for the fight,
A humble child, always, only, at home in you.

Marriage and the Unmarried

27 Saturday Dec 2014

Posted by Savannah in Reformation, Spiritual Warfare

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Covenant theology, God, Love, Marriage, Romance, Scripture, Spiritual Warfare, Unmarried

The Seamstress

The Seamstress — image via wikiart.com

It is an interesting phenomenon to be unmarried, yet desirous of marriage. The subject can indeed be a very painful one, especially when situations in life that are already difficult are complicated with false ideas, especially about the purpose of marriage, romance, and one’s self.

So that is what I’m rambling about today: marriage and the unmarried Christian. First of all, it is clear that our culture has a rabidly unbiblical view of marriage and romance — and that Western culture has been afflicted with one ungodly view or another for many years.

Before I go any further, I just want to say that godly romance is a beautiful thing — and that, yes, I do find the painting with which I have opened this post beautiful because of the happiness and quiet seriousness there portrayed. Romance in a godly setting is a blessing, indeed, but those of us who have not been given this are truly no better off (as a form of pietism would fancy it) nor worse off (as our feelings sometimes would have us believe) than those who have it, because this, too, is from the gracious hand of our Father.

Anyways, it seems to me that for many in the church, “old-fashioned” ideas of romance, and of what married life is supposed to be like, have been taken up in an effort to replace radical feminism — but this sort of romanticized mindset still fails us. It cannot and does not truly bring peace to the believer either before or after marriage because it is not from a thoroughly biblical perspective. For, while this rather superficial view of the purpose of marriage may be more appealing to our Christian sensibilities than the harsh, impersonal sexuality of contemporary society, this does not mean that it is actually godly. The popular culture of our WWII-generation grandparents was dripping with an autonomous, nearly magical, perception of romantic love, marriage, and the purpose of life that it would behoove us younger folk to learn from and return to the Scriptures as our standard for gauging our longings for marriage and romance.

For, according to the Scriptures, the ultimate purpose of marriage is essentially the same as the purpose of our existence in the first place — the glorification of God, the advancement of the kingdom of Christ, and the edification of the church. Obviously, this is in the context of being a Christian and thus existing in the covenantal outlook on life that we are called to stand in as children of God.

It was this purpose for the people of God — dominion of the earth under God — that was in place even before there was woman. It was for this overarching reason that woman was even created, since God said that it was not good for the man to be alone in the execution of this task. Therefore, God gave him a wife for a companion and yoke-fellow in his work as steward upon God’s earth. In its most basic fundamentals, this is the purpose of marriage: it is a reason outside of ourselves, focused upon God, maintained by the help of the Spirit of God. The woman is not to be, as various pagan interpretations of femininity would teach us, either the moral and civilizing element of humanity, nor some sort of matriarchal goddess type of life-giver and therefore primary power in the world; rather, by the Word of the Creator, she is to be the helper suitable for her man, neither man nor woman existing without the other. (Please see Genesis 2:15-24 and 1 Corinthians 11:7-12.)

Elsewhere in Scripture, it is explicitly stated that marriage had the covenant of promise in view, as well, for “what was the one God seeking? Godly offspring” (Malachi 2:15). Children are sent into a family as heirs of the covenant of the Lord (Psalm 78:1-8;1 Corinthians 7:14; Deuteronomy 28:1-6; Acts 2:39; etc.). Hence, the vital importance of the Scriptural emphasis upon passing from generation to generation the knowledge of the word of the Lord (ex. Deuteronomy 6:1-9).

And then there is this: the marriage covenant is used time and again in Scripture to illustrate the relationship of the Lord God with those he was calling out to be his people, that they might know him and that he might be their God. Our Lord clearly delights in ornamenting, beautifying, and blessing his people, even as Adam loved Eve and showered her with kind words before she had ever done anything for him; and even more so as Christ Jesus loves the church and continually provides for her abundantly in every way.

But this example of the love of God as an illustration of what human marriage is supposed to mirror certainly does not mean that the husband is to live for his wife. This is where many people’s thinking seems to get twisted under the influence of some sort of romanticized ideas of “love.” It seems that Hollywood has taught the American woman to think that they can only be truly loved if her man’s life is centered on her and what she wants. But this is not exactly so…. Jesus does not live for his church; he died for her redemption and purification and rose for her glorification — but he lives and rules for the glorifying of the Father and obedience to his holy law. This is what men and women are to likewise live for, whether married or not.

And here is where the romance part comes into the picture. It is a beautiful blessing, indeed, but it is actually not fundamental to what marriage is. Marriage is a covenant relationship, implying that it definitely involves a legal status. Thus, a man and a woman can be truly married, though not partakers of romantic affection towards one another. The absence of the latter does not mean that the former is void, regardless of how Hollywood or Victorian Romanticism might seem to portray it. For romantic affections are certainly not the bedrock of marriage — though, in a biblical schema, the word of promise and the covenant of marriage is certainly the foundational bedrock of a lasting, solid, romance to be fostered and rejoiced in. Need I even mention the Song of Solomon here? 

Yes, romance is a desirable thing, for it is to be developed in the context of the promise of marriage. And marriage with one of a kindred spirit and like mind before the Lord, one going towards the same place and delighting in the same purposes and goals of life before him, this is indeed a desirable and good thing and it is here that the most unity and harmony is found. But it is not and cannot be the reason for which we live. Feelings, be they ever so strong and powerful, are never sufficient to be our purpose in life.

Finally, for those of us who are unmarried and desirous of marriage, there is much that could be said. But the heart and core of it is this — “‘The Lord knows those who are his,’ and, ‘Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity'” ~2 Timothy 2:19. And then there is this: “Only let each person lead the life that the Lord has assigned to him, and to which God has called him” ~1 Corinthians 7:17

God gives us what is best for each one of us at the very best time possible. Until we learn to apply this to ourselves in our deepest being, we are living in unbelief and denial of the very clear teaching of Scripture: “And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.” ~Romans 8:27-30

And prayer is vital to all of life, including in our own areas of need. We ought not to pray pietistically and self-destructively, but are to humbly seek great things from a great God. Are we, as unmarried Christians, in difficult situations with no one in sight as a potential spouse? We must remember the purpose of marriage and remember our own purpose in life, remembering that the Lord is working all things for the advancement of the kingdom of Christ Jesus and for the good of his church — and delight in this. For God knows what we need. We must love God and the things that he loves more than we love the idea of possessing that beautiful thing called godly romance.

“For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” ~Matthew 6:32-34 

This is the Word of the Lord; therefore, this is a promise. We are called to believe our Father; to kiss the Son; and to stand fast in the Spirit. This is spiritual warfare. We must fight according to the Lord’s terms, not according to the world’s definitions. Only then can we stand strong in the Lord and pray boldly with Moses before the throne of grace, “Let your work be shown to your servants, and your glorious power to their children. Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!” ~Psalm 90:16-17

Beyond, Over, Through…

06 Wednesday Aug 2014

Posted by Savannah in Journeys, Life, Spiritual Warfare

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Faith, Glorifying God, God, Kingdom of Christ, Life, Spiritual Warfare, Trials

Beyond, Over, Through...

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” ~Hebrews 12:1-2

In our journeys through life, we will all encounter seasons when it seems that the only thing we can see is woe, sorrow, and pain. It is in such times, especially, when it is vital for us to turn our eyes to the Lord in faith, looking beyond, over, and through our circumstances. Only by doing such, will we be able to attribute due praise to God and come to possess something of a humble spirit throughout our trials. Someday, we may be able to see the purposes of what God has been doing in us, even as Joseph did when he said to the very ones who had sold him into slavery in a foreign land: “And God sent me here before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you sent me here, but God.” ~Genesis 45:7-8a

Beyond…

Beyond ourselves there is the church, the whole body of Christ’s elect. We know that all things work together for our good – as a body, as well as individually – because we belong to the King of the universe. We must cling to the fact that he has reasons beyond ourselves for all that he calls us to endure. Our pangs and strife is not only for our own sanctification, but also, in one way or another, for the good of the brethren (as Paul explains in 2 Corinthians 1:3-11). The kingdom of Christ goes on. We are a part of a broader purpose and we are not alone.

“May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” ~Colossians 1:11-14

Over…

Over and above ourselves is the Lord himself. He calls us, each one, to personally depend upon him, to believe him, and so to trust that he is God, as he has said. We must trust him ourselves, looking over this world, over the church, over all things to the One who has ordained it all. We must fear him before all else, knowing that whatever he sends our way is for his glory and for our good.

“I know, O LORD, that your rules are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.” ~Psalm 119:75

Through…

Through the story of our lives up to this point, perhaps we can look back and see things we could not see at the moment they were happening. We must look forward, through the mists of the unknown future of both our own lives and that of all of history, to see the final end to which we are heading. If we forget to look forward, seeing forward through the rest of time, as it were, we forget to give God his due worship. He has shown us what is to come and has told us that he would never leave us. That is enough for faith – for true faith – for none of the strength we call our own is anything but a gift from him in the first place. In our daily lives, we are called to take our place among the cloud of witnesses bearing testimony to what God has done in history.

“All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name. For you are great and do wondrous things; you alone are God.” ~Psalm 86:9-10

Strength for Battle

23 Saturday Nov 2013

Posted by Savannah in Life, Spiritual Warfare

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Christ, Glorifying God, Holy Spirit, Hope, Mind, Salvation, Scripture, Spiritual Warfare

November Maples

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” ~Joshua 1:9

“Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him…Refrain from anger, and forsake wrath! Fret not yourself; it tends only to evil.” ~Proverbs 37:7-8

“The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; he is their stronghold in the time of trouble.” ~Psalm 37:39

“Fear not, little flock, it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” ~Luke 12:32

“And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.” ~I Peter 1:17-19

There are moments when my mind feels as if it is filled with a great, dark, impenetrable mass, cutting me off from things formerly well-known, readily remembered, and accessible to my usually fairly flexible understanding. Not only that, the very possibility of learning new things and broadening my scope of understanding and thought seems completely impossible at such times. There are other times, though, when it seems as if the full light might begin gleaming in again and I am able to think and discuss in a way that is much closer to my more accustomed manner. Much of the time I seem to be in a dimness in my mind somewhere between the two. Undoubtedly, my level of tiredness is closely tied to the variety of my mental ability; and even though I do not know the exact causes of these things, I do know that the vector-borne illnesses I’ve mentioned here previously are at the root source of this nearly-constant mental dimness and that terrible darkened state that comes upon me when I am more tired than usual.

The feeling of there being a great, dark elephant sitting in my head, impeding all thought, is actually rather a frightening feeling. At such times I certainly feel as if I am regressing, as if I, myself, am trapped within my own self and unable to get out of the milling nothings stirring round and round the muddledness around the edges surrounding the great blacked-out area in the center of my “thinking space”….

It is at times like these when the words of Scripture speak strength, drawing me towards peace. I remember the Most High God speaking to Joshua, bidding him to stand strong and courageous, as he speaks to all his children, for He, the Lord, is with him, even as he is with us because he has called us in Christ. When the fretting and fears arise in my soul from this darkened state of mind–I often remember the kind words of David in Psalm 37: “fret not yourself; it tends only to evil…trust in the Lord and do good…he will act…be still before him…he is the stronghold of the righteous in the day of trouble….” How does one describe that? That God is our stronghold? I do not quite know how to do so; but I know it is because we are enabled to trust him, even as Peter describes: “Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” (I Peter 1:8-9) It is the glory of the Father to give the kingdom to those who believe in and honor the Son. He has given us his Son and his Spirit–and will he not with Christ give us all things?

Here also I must remember that God has called his children to be holy–and that means casting off fear and fretting and anger and pride–that terrible trust in and reliance on our own powers that invades and permeates all of us more than we would like to admit. These things are perhaps laid a little more openly to my understanding at times like those when the heavy, stone-cold dimness comes into my mind, separating me from myself, in a way. I love to think on the words of Peter: “Beloved, I urge you, as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct…honorable…so that…they may…glorify God in the day of visitation.” (I Peter 1:11-12) Over and over again, the Scripture teaches that the greatest purpose for our very existence is the glory of God. We need no justification to be. The fact that God has created us gives us a purpose. How blessed are those who seek after the will of God, those who truly seek his glory as their foremost purpose in life! And this is only through the gift of God. And it is a continual war, as the apostle has said. It is so easy to sinfully forget what it is to trust God, to believe in him, to honor him with our minds and hearts and not just with our hands and tongues. But he will do it. He will finish what he has begun in us–and there is strength–and joy–and hope–and life.

“Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” ~Jude 24-25

Denying One’s Self?

02 Wednesday Oct 2013

Posted by Savannah in Life, Spiritual Warfare

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Christ, Diligence, God, Illness, Scripture, Spiritual Warfare, Thought, Work

Oak and Moss

“And he said to them all, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.'” ~Luke 9:23-27

“Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword, from men by your hand, O LORD, from men of the world whose portion is in this life. You fill their womb with treasure; they are satisfied with children, and they leave abundance to their infants. As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness; when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.” ~Psalm 17:13-15

At times it is difficult for me to understand what “denying myself” means while under an illness that vastly diminishes my abilities–or, at least, that seems to myself to vastly diminish my capacities. I’m actually not crazy–I just feel that way at moments. I’m actually not incapacitated–I just have more physical weakness. I’m actually not constantly unable to think–just sometimes–after all, I am writing this……..so……what quite does “denying myself” mean?

Perhaps it doesn’t so much involve doing as it does the way I think about things. Perhaps it means not thinking negatively about everything and learning to be thankful. Perhaps it means learning to function at a lesser capacity with cheerfulness. Perhaps it means trusting my Father to see things through according to his own righteous will. Perhaps it means turning my too future-oriented eyes to the present and living there only. Perhaps taking captive every thought captive to Christ–however dim it be–is then what “denying myself” means at this time….

Of course, it is the duty of every believer to take captive their thoughts to the Word of God, forming his thoughts in submission to the Scripture. In the wearying course of life, there are many times when every day the hours grow long as one diligently pushes on toward the completion of the day’s work. Yet there are also times when a more restful pace of life is called for. And such are not times to inspire guilt. Such are times to even more cast our eyes and fasten our hopes, lives, and thoughts on the only Redeemer among mankind, the Lord Christ Jesus.

Pleasing God

10 Wednesday Jul 2013

Posted by Savannah in Life, Uncategorized

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Tags

Belief, Christian, Faith, God, Life, Lord, Spiritual Warfare, Unbelief

image via wikipaintings

image via wikipaintings

“And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” ~Hebrews 11:6

Indeed, it pleases God when we draw near to him in faith. The apostle even says, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you” (James 4:8). This is a precious promise of our Lord that we do well to keep in mind and continue steadfastly to believe, especially in times when we feel distant from him.

The writer of Hebrews brings this out poignantly as he explains that our drawing near pleases him when we “believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” We cannot simply think that because we use the name of God or say prayers addressed to him that he will draw near to us. That is what ancient Israel did, crying out to God as if he was one among their many idols. But he is not like them and refused to be numbered as such.

In response to their unbelieving drawing near, he said: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite” (Isaiah 57:15). The explanation from Hebrews further illumines what this means–this means that the one to whom God will draw near is the one who comes with a submissive spirit, believing that God is God and that he accomplishes all his word. In this way is our faith proved to be real–when we believe that he is the Holy One who he proclaims himself to be and that he fulfills his promise, rewarding those who seek him with his presence and all things besides (Hebrews 11:6; Romans 8:32). God does not draw near to those who do not believe he is the Lord of all or who do not believe that he will keep his word and draw near to them–to do this is to have true faith. And with this God is pleased.

While our incarnate Lord spoke on earth, he said this: “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:44). This is another point that it is good to think about in consideration of these things, as well. If we come in faith, believing God, it is because he is drawing us. Our sensibilities may certainly not be aware of that, but it is so. Therefore, when we are in times of doubt or distance or confusion, it is good to remember that God will draw near to those who draw near to him in faith–and that if anyone is coming in faith, it is because he is drawing us to himself.

And in this truth we may stand with firm assurance and plead with God as David or wrestle with him as Israel until the hour when he grants our plea and rewards our seeking with his felt presence in our hearts, with strength in the trials of life, and with all good things besides. For he has already given his Son for us–will he not then finish his work, blessing us and enabling us to come to him in lowliness of heart as a little child? Not only does it please him when we draw near in faith, but it pleases him to give us this faith and draw us to himself.

“Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. He will again have compassion on us: he will tread our iniquities under foot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea.” ~Micah 7:18-19

Hallelujah!

The Lord Reigns!

19 Wednesday Jun 2013

Posted by Savannah in Spiritual Warfare, Uncategorized, Unity and Diversity

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Church, Creation, Glorifying God, God, Gospel, Spiritual Warfare, Universe

image via wikipaintings

image via wikipaintings

“The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad! Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.” ~Psalm 97:1-2

The LORD reigns!

Is this not a beautiful summary statement for the deepest core of Christian life and doctrine?

We live because he lives. We exist by him, through him, for him. We bear witness to the truth that he lives and reigns. We were saved that his name might be known among the nations and the spiritual rulers of the world through us, his church, all the congregation of the redeemed.

This is the heart of the gospel–that God reigns! If it were not for the fact that God is and that he reigns, being neither merely a part of the being of the universe, nor so removed from it as to be ignorant of it, what would the gospel be but another false teaching that does not give satisfying meaning to us or to our own place in the context of the whole fabric of the universe?

For if God is, he is God. If he is God, then he reigns. If he reigns, his are the standards of right and wrong. If he reigns, his is the word of judgment and of pardon. If he reigns, his is the purpose and plan for all of creation. If the purpose and plan for the universe is his, in this–and only in this–we may truly find our own purpose and meaning of our own lives and contexts.

Our Lord commissioned his church to proclaim the good news of the kingdom–what good news is this–that God, the merciful, everlasting, just, covenant-keeping God, reigns! Is this not one reason the Scriptures call the saints, “believers,” for they believe the testimony of the One who reigns from on high?

“Not to us, O LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness! Why should the nations say, ‘Where is their God?’ Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.” ~Psalm 115:1-2

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