 Can you believe it, it's 2015. Nothing like starting the new year out with a new look, a new walk and a new way of thinking. We began our journey this year by lightening our load: emptying our hearts out before the Lord. As we continue our journey, let's talk about developing a new perspective.
Before we can have a new perspective, we need to be reminded that when we entered into a relationship with Jesus Christ, spiritually things changed: Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new - II Cor 5:17 and Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death? Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we should also walk in the newness of life - Rom 6:3-4. Spiritually here's what happened, we accepted Jesus, our old life died and was buried when Christ died. We were given a new life through His resurrection. Because our old life has passed away, we ought to walk (live) according to the new spiritual life we have been given. Now that's the spiritual deal but how do we make that become the real deal in everyday life? It begins with realizing what the Bible says about our old sin nature and then, daily acting by faith on this fact. ( Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve sin - Rom 6:6 and Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord - Rom 6:11). We are no longer slaves to our sin nature. We are exhorted to remember that we don't have to obey all the old desires (yes we will still have them). We can choose to walk in the newness of life. (I have been crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me - Gal 2:20) I have to be honest with you, some stuff that has nothing at all to do with my new life in Christ, and everything to do with my old life, I don't want to give up. The question we have to ask ourselves is this: Do we love Him enough to ask Him to change our desires, and to deny ourselves and reckon the old man with his desires DEAD? (For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God - Col 3:3). Otherwise, we become like the zombies in the show The Walking Dead. Our old man died but daily we allow him to get back up to eat away at our new life. Since we are new creatures and we know the old man is crucified, we have to start identifying whether our attitudes, actions, habits, motives and responses represent the old man or our new life in Christ. Once we identify it's the old man, are we willing to crucify him? (Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence and covetousness which is idolatry - Col 3:5). If we are going to live for Him we must first learn to die (...If any man will come after me let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me - Matt 16:24). on the journey with you, Diane p.s. spend some time in Colossians 3 this week, work on recognizing when the old man shows up and start reckoning him dead.  Welcome back and Happy New Year. It's 2015 and our journey to live for His glory continues, but let's not carry the weights and pressures from last year with us. Have you ever really poured out your heart to someone? Remember the sense of relief you felt once you got out what was bothering you? Again its David, in Psalm 62 who encourages us to release pressure by emptying our hearts out before the Lord (Trust in Him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us - Ps 62:8). The Psalmist instructs us to turn our souls inside out before the Lord. No matter what we are experiencing, feeling, or thinking, God is a safe place for us to lay it all out. We have to wring out our anguish, our hurt, our anger, our bitterness, guilt, and shame. Even if our disappointments are with God, we have to empty it out before Him - He is our refuge. Pouring out implies nothing is left in our hearts, nothing held back. We are assured that the Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart - Ps 34:18. The bible describes at least three ways to pour out our hearts before the Lord: we can cry out to Him, call upon His Name, or cast our cares upon Him.
Pressure can build and life can become overwhelming; therefore, we must learn to cry out to the Lord (From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I - Ps 61:2 and (Out of the depths I cried to you O Lord - Ps 130:1). Don't you get the sense that these cries were not silent cries, but this Psalmist cried out loud to the Lord. The reason we cry out is because the Lord hears our cries ( In my trouble I cried to the Lord and He answered me - Ps 120:1) and ( This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles - Ps 34:6). When David was hiding in a cave, he poured out all the inner turmoil that was pent up in him ( I poured out my complaint before Him; I shewed Him my trouble - Ps 142: 2) . We cry out to the Lord because He is our safe place to flee, our provider and sustainer ( I cried unto thee O Lord: I said thou art my refuge and my portion in the land of the living - Ps 142:5). We empty our cares and complaints by crying out to the Lord, but sometimes we find ourselves in such a deep dark place we can't even articulate what we are feeling. During these times we pour out our hearts by just calling on His name. The Psalmist in Psalm 116 understood this, he was greatly distressed and filled with anguish. Life had become like hell ( The sorrows of death compassed me and the pains of hell gat hold of me: I found trouble and sorrow. Then called I upon the name of the Lord: O Lord I beseech thee deliver my soul - Ps 116:3-4). Sometimes all we can do is say Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. His name signifies and invokes all that we need in life and death. When we call His name the Lord pays attention to our cry ( Because He hath inclined His ear unto me I will call upon Him as long as I live - Ps 116:2). Finally when life's issues begin to weigh us down, we can cast our cares upon the Lord (Cast all your care upon the Lord because He cares for you - I Pet 5:7). This casting means to throw our cares, like throwing a blanket on a donkey. We cast all the cares onto Him that make our hearts heavy and let Him carry the weight. We have all kinds of cares. Just like all the leaves in the picture above, lay each one at the feet of the Lord. He is our Great High Priest who ever liveth to make intercession for us (For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities...Heb 4:15a). So this year, let's take the lid off of our pressure and lighten our loads by daily pouring our our hearts before the Lord. feeling lighter already, Diane p.s. every time you feel pressure or weighed down practice crying out to Him, casting your cares upon Him and calling on His name |
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