Freedom to be Honest

I saw an interview on cnn.com with Josh McDowell concerning the upcoming "Set Free Summit" and it made an impression on me.  I was not able to find the original video, but basically Josh McDowell was talking about the problems of pornography within modern culture and especially taking aim at the issue in the church.  He is a skilled writer, speaker, and apologist, but what impacted me in that short video was the freedom he had in speaking about his own painful childhood experience of suffering sexual abuse for years.  He candidly mentioned his abuser's full name, and the interviewer seemed surprised he was so candid.  But Josh went on to explain he had spoken to the man as an adult, forgave him for his cruelty, and that his abuser had passed away years ago.  The interview continued as normal, but it struck me how Josh McDowell's candor was quite abnormal - and a good thing.  Josh credits God with healing his heart and mind, and he shares his story not to shame his abuser, to dredge up pity for himself, but to encourage others to discover the healing and freedom only Jesus Christ can bring.

Many people tragically face abuse in their past quite alone, and the power their abuser once held over them weighs upon them heavily as they attempt to hide their past abuse, confusion, and current pain.  The pain people experience in this life as a result of sin is legion, and trying to cover up or deny the past causes pain to be multiplied.  Such concealment creates a perfect environment for a root of bitterness to grow.  Whether we have been innocent victims of wickedness or have been the cause of pain for others, Christ's blood washes us from guilt and shame.  Apostle Paul, when defending himself before King Agrippa, did not hide his misguided and violent past.  He said candidly in Acts 26:9-11, "Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. ¹⁰ This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. ¹¹ And I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities."  Paul's past involved persecuting Christians, but he did not sweep it under the rug.  On the biggest stage of his life he was open and honest concerning his past faults, all to the end he might testify publicly of his transformation for the glory of Jesus Christ.

What Josh McDowell did in publicly speaking of past abuse he suffered showed the powerful feelings of shame, fear, and pain no longer had an unhealthy grip on him.  He had not forgotten, but he had forgiven.  No longer was he ensnared in the bondage of guilt or bitterness, but in trusting God and forgiving others he discovered freedom.  A relationship with God had redeemed his life and forever altered his perspective.  I in no way wish to minimise the pain of abuse or to suggest coming to Christ will make life easier or take all your problems away.  The point is all sin, whether inflicted by others upon us or through us, gains power and strength when we try to conceal it.  It is only after we admit we are hurting we will consent to see a doctor, and only after we admit our addictions and failures will we seek help outside ourselves.  Simply broadcasting our painful past or present hell does nothing to free us from guilt or heal our hearts, but Jesus can do all if we will humble ourselves before Him.  When we have been delivered from guilt and sin there is no need to pretend we are perfect.  It is Jesus who transforms us by His grace, and those freed from the burden of guilt are free to be perfectly honest.  When we experience this in our lives or in others, it is most refreshing.

The Path and Destination

Early this morning I drove my parents to the airport to catch their flight back to San Diego.  As we slowly crept along, my mum commented on the GPS affixed to my windscreen.  A couple of times I had ignored the directives of the GPS and went a different way because I have learned various paths to avoid lights.  My mum wisely pointed out it was a good illustration of how we can go the way we think is best and ignore God's guidance.  It was a good point.  I turned on the GPS, plugged my destination into it, but could easily deviate from the path plotted for me - assuming it would recalculate to bring me to my intended destination.  The fact is, sometimes we don't know exactly where God is leading us, when, or how He will bring us to His destination.  We need to seek Him, and there is little point of asking for guidance if we have no intention to obey Him.

Jesus told a parable to illustrate the danger of covetousness, and there is great wisdom which can gleaned straight from the text which proves God's way is different from man's way.  Luke 12:16-17 reads, "Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: "The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. ¹⁷ And he thought within himself, saying, 'What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?'"  Many followers of Jesus are like this rich man.  God has provided for us bountifully, and instead of seeking Him how we should use all He has given our thoughts never leave our own heads.  Notice how the rich man "thought within himself."  The man in the parable is like a man who has a car, a GPS, but has no idea where he is supposed to go.  He was a man without a destination but the means to go wherever he wanted.  So he did what we all do:  he did what he thought best.

Luke 12:18-19 explains his thought process:  "So he said, 'I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. ¹⁹ And I will say to my soul, "Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.'"  Because the rich man did not seek God, he spoke to himself words he was glad to hear.  He did not hear from God until it was too late.  He was content with the prospect of wealth and ease on earth for his soul but did not realise he was spiritually poor before His Maker and Judge.  The rebuke from heaven came as a trumpet blast in Luke 12:20-21:  "But God said to him, 'Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?' ²¹ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."  The man who imagined his bills would be paid for years to come was now confronted with massive debt before God.  Such is the price of unbelief, covetousness, and selfishness.

A man known for wisdom can also be a great fool.  A fool is someone who does not regard God or trust Him as he ought.  Christians have all the wisdom of the kingdom of God through Christ Himself to guide us available, but we can choose to go our own way.  Psalm 10:4 says, "The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts."  If we desire to hear the wisdom and walk in the guidance of God, we must seek Him and ask with the intent to obey.  Take care that your thoughts go beyond your own brain so our prayer life is not reduced to an internal exercise which falls woefully short of heaven.  God knows where He is guiding us and knows the best way for us to go - even if it seems like it is the long way.  The long way is often the best way.  Jesus is the beginning, the Way, Truth, Life, and the end.

Fruitful in Drought

"He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper."

Psalm 1:3

Happy is the man who puts off evil and finds delight in God's Law, meditating in it day and night. David proclaimed such a man will be established by God by rivers of living water, will be fruitful in season, and his life will be marked by vibrant growth.  God is one who plants, feeds, prunes, and tends us with more care than any gardener or groundskeeper.  God desires we would be fruitful, but we are not merely a means to God's end.  We may buy a peach tree because we dream of homemade peach cobbler, but God cares about the tree more than fruit alone.  He has many angelic servants created for that express purpose they fulfill perfectly, but His glory is best revealed through these weak human instruments:  it is like we were thorn-bearing plants with poisonous berries who now have been transformed by God's grace to produce succulent, delicious fruit that enlightens the eyes.

Many Christians experience trying times as they walk with Jesus, and one of the most tricky seasons is when you are not feeling fruitful or useful in a church fellowship.  You might feel nothing like the established, fruitful, and happy tree spoken about in Psalm 1.  One thing all believers can count on is God is in control and knows exactly what difficulties and trials we experience.  It is lovely those spiritual streams of living water do not depend on our physical location or geography, nor on a ministry or particular person - as useful as these things can be.  Our supply of light and life comes through Jesus Himself as we look to Him in faith, regardless of the circumstances of our lives.  We can worship by the Holy Spirit in a dungeon or on a mountaintop, and God is able to make us spiritually prosper in hard times.  The God who causes the rain to fall also brings drought, and it is in the times of drought genuine roots of faith spread and deepen to seek moisture.  A drought does not need to make us bitter but stronger in our resolve to walk in righteousness and grace.  The man who abides in Christ in dry times can produce fruit sweetened by God's love, mercy, and compassion.

Psalm 92:12-15 says, "The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. ¹³ Those who are planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.
¹⁴ They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing, ¹⁵ to declare that the LORD is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him."  The delight in God's law is not a theoretical exercise but evidenced by obedience.  There is unrighteousness and hypocrisy in even good men so called, yet with God there is no unrighteousness.  God is able to use us and make us fruitful when we remain faithful to Him in obedience.  If worship has become stale, if praise has dried up, if our vision has become dim, fix your eyes afresh on our glorious Saviour Jesus Christ and believe His Word!  Only then will you be truly prosperous in whatever you do.

Stirring Up Ants

Not everything we do is completely thought through, is it?  Sometimes we do something just to see what will happen or "just because."  When I was a kid visiting my cousin's house in Ramona, large red ants were common.  At my house we only had small black ants, so the red ants were a novelty.  I remember pouring some silty dust on top of their nests and watching them scramble through the surface at a frantic pace.  More and more ants were agitated and mobilised to attack this phantom threat.  Pretty soon I would have to move back from the nest as thousands of ants emerged, jaws and antennae wagging.  I can't explain exactly why summoning those ants to the surface was fun, but it was an amusing pastime.  Perhaps there was a sense of toying with danger, imagining what those insects might be thinking, or maybe just "Let's see what happens when I try to fill the holes of this nest."

During our discipleship course we were speaking about how the mind of a Christian is a battleground which we must be prepared to fight.  Because we are in a spiritual battle, God has provided spiritual armour through the Holy Spirit who indwells us.  We must guard our heart with the breastplate of righteousness and our minds with the helmet of salvation.  The shield of faith is able to stop and extinguish those fiery darts he throws at us.  Our minds are always active like those nests of ants, and most of the activity is taking place underground.  While we were talking during the discipleship course, the picture came into my mind of Satan thinking to himself, "I wonder what happens if I do this?" and fires an immoral thought, a care or worry into our minds - like a child dropping dust on a nest of ants.  When he is able to influence our thoughts, our actions follow suit.  He plants the seed of a wicked thought, and when combined with desire in us it brings forth sin.  I think he enjoys seeing us scramble around in fear and worry as he watches at a safe distance, amused by our confusion.  This can become such a common event we assume this is how life is and don't recognise the spiritual attack.

Happy is the man whose God is the LORD, who discerns Satan's tactics and refuses to be distracted from labouring for the LORD when he drops a bit of sand down the hole.  Through faith in Christ we are enabled to take our thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ.  Our minds can often become a frenzied jumble of thoughts like ants because Satan is pestering us.  Instead of being preoccupied with Satan and his attacks, we are to keep our eyes fixed upon Jesus as we continue to follow Him faithfully in obedience.  Lambs familiar with the voice of the Good Shepherd will not be tricked to follow strangers.  No matter how much dust Satan kicks in our direction, we can be strong in the LORD and the power of His might.  We can stand in our armour and pray without ceasing, fixing our minds of Christ rather than the distractions, worries, and cares of this life.