anxious

The Freedom In Jesus Christ Our Lord

July 5, 2018 by Settled in the Truth

“Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying in sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD?”
– Isaiah 58:5

Guest Post by James Hill:
For most of my life as a professing Christian I had always thought fasting was a humbling of ourselves before God … until I read Isaiah 58 completely, and prayerfully sought to understand.

It was forty days ago that I woke one morning and realized I was on a fast. I had tried a few times earlier in the year but only went a day each attempt, but this time I knew God had decided to lead me in it. The previous year I had embarked on a fast that lasted forty days – drinking only liquids, water, coffee, diet soda, and the occasional French Vanilla. I didn’t really understand what I was seeking at that time, but God met me and opened my eyes to insights that helped me grow as a man – as His man. This year I knew what I wanted.

Freedom.

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter– when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?”
– Isaiah 58:6-7

It occurred to me that God was not just speaking of loosing chains and yokes that bind others – He was also speaking of the chains and yokes that bind me. As my fast began God shone light on this passage within the first day or two. It was obvious to me that God had drawn me to the fast because I was successfully and enthusiastically moving forward, but it was also quickly obvious that freedom is what He wanted me to seek.

As the days passed I began to wonder what deep aspects of myself God would reveal that have kept me bound, unawares over the years. What mysteries deeply hidden within would God bring to the surface? I’m afraid I still often regard my Creator as some grande mysterious Sudoku that I can unravel if I just concentrate hard enough. Or that He is some omniscient psychologist Who will take me back to the hidden secrets of my past. Much of the world can and has influenced my thinking and perspectives in this respect. What He did eventually first reveal to me was, at first realization, more profound than I could have imagined because it had nothing to do with me … not really. Instead of probing the roots of my beginnings He shared with me the roots of His creation.

I realized two truths in His revelation:

God created us perfectly.
God’s original plan for us was perfectly designed.

At first this baffled me because I have always had difficulty resolving that the creation was perfect, yet we are advised that the world and the flesh are wicked.

God created us perfectly.

There was no flaw in His design of mankind. The human body is an amazing system of functions that interact with such complexity on an ongoing basis. And it is perfectly designed to be selfish. Yes, I said selfish – but not with the negative connotation we would automatically assume. When our bodies are injured they proceed to heal. If they are hungry we are compelled to feed them. When they tire we rest. The body is designed to be self-sustaining, to look after itself. Perfectly selfish, but without the taints of greed or lust or ambitions that our own hearts can add. Our body can hunger, but we can then decide we need more than it needs and seek to amass to ourselves more than enough. We can pervert that hunger into greed. Our bodies were never flawed, and never the problem. Our souls, tainted by perversion, are.

God’s original plan for us was perfectly designed.

Before God opened my ears and eyes to better understand, I thought our gaining the knowledge of good and evil was our ruin, but it was always God’s intention that we have that knowledge. It was a must for our perfectly designed ability to reason and choose. So did God intend for us to fall? I pondered this question with a friend one morning. He also wondered if God designed us to fail. Yet if our design was perfect and His plan was perfect, and this is the way it went – disobey, eat the fruit, cast out of the garden, death – then that must be His design? No. Emphatically, no! Man ate the fruit, disobeyed God and experienced that disobedience in order to become aware of good and evil. Yet if man refused to eat and obeyed God, man would have experienced obedience and again become aware of good and evil. God wanted us to have that knowledge through obedience. Our tainted souls chose otherwise.

This was a huge release for me to finally understand the perfection of our Creator and all that He does. That our fall is not a consequence of either His secret motives or fallibility. Our God is awesomely perfect!

This gave me much to consider going forward. And it was in the latter weeks and days of my fast that two thoughts were impressed upon me that I verified through God’s Word in Scripture.

There is enough time … for everything.
The last shall be first.

The first idea was impressed upon me early morning at the gym. Yes, God kept me strong and active during my fast 🙂 The second was impressed upon me in the last couple days, during the evening while listing to a radio ministry program.

There is enough time … for everything.

When this thought first rose up in my mind I was deeply impressed at how thoughts of immediacy and urgency faded before it. There is no reason to be anxious or concerned about anything, because there is enough time … for everything. I was, however, concerned because I could not recall any Scripture that said that same thing. I was worried I just made something up for myself, so I set to prayer and searching to understand.

“Moses said to God, ‘Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?’ God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.””
– Exodus 3:13,14

“‘You are not yet fifty years old,’ they said to him, ‘and you have seen Abraham!’ ‘Very truly I tell you,’ Jesus answered, ‘before Abraham was born, I AM!'”
– John 8:57,58

I AM is the very present moment. And our God is omnipresent – everywhere at once, both in space and in time because He is not contained by either. If time were a straight line drawn on paper, then God is the paper it is drawn on. A thousand years ago God is present I AM, and a thousand years from now He is present I AM.

“I AM the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.”
– Revelation 22:13

With such an awesome God Who is unlimited by space or time, and perfect in all His ways, how could anxiousness or fear stand before His way? Trust in Him means there is enough time … for everything.

The last shall be first.

I sat quietly in my van, listening to the radio. It was evening and I was considering how my fast was coming to an end. The inspirational program included a song about the first being last and the last being first. I could recall reading those words many times that our Lord spoke, and they were never so profound as they suddenly were in that moment. The last shall be first. I realized with such startling clarity that our Lord Jesus, for all intents and purposes, was always last. He never sought His own. He never argued to gain His own way. He never asserted Himself so that others would not take advantage. He put Himself last. If I argue with another over a parking spot, or a table at a cafe, or their noise at the library … I’m seeking my own. Trying to be first and only setting myself to the back instead. It’s turning my cheek, and taking the loss, conceding the parking spot or table; that is to put myself last and give the enemy nothing to work with. And God will honour me whenever I step out for His purpose. Jesus gave His life – any dreams or hopes or aspirations dying with Him. And now He has everything! God has my good in mind, so I should easily trust Him and stop trying to establish my own good. I do not have to fear, or to be anxious, or to entertain doubts. The awesome, perfect God Who is unlimited by space or time, seeks to honour and raise me up! Why worry?

The awesome, perfect God Who is unlimited by space or time, seeks to honour and raise me up!

And in this freedom God is preparing me to be of real use in His commitment to the well being of others. To help in their freedom from chains and yokes and to never be a cause of them.

This fast has been awesome 🙂

James Hill, President and CEO of UserTutor Corporation, is a guest author sharing his experience in walking with Jesus Christ. This article is printed with James’ permission and our appreciation.

Live By And Walk In The Spirit

July 11, 2017 by Settled in the Truth

“If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in [be guided by] the Spirit.”
– Galatians 5:25

There is so much said in such a short verse of Scripture. “If we live in the Spirit” is a hypothetical statement used by Paul to encourage believers who have received Jesus to walk in accordance to His Spirit. It is an intended redundant statement since as believers we have been raised to new life by the Spirit of God, even as our Lord was raised and emerged from the tomb by the power of the Holy Spirit. Its intended purpose is for all believers to respond, “Yes, let us walk in the Spirit!”, yet there are many who feel an absence of the experience to this new life in the Spirit. For many the conviction that comes from forces greater than ourselves seems missing.

Shouldn’t the experience of the Spirit of God joining with ours be something notable? Shouldn’t it go beyond the feeling that maybe we’re only just stirring ourselves up because we want so much to believe? The early church of Acts seems filled with examples of those who experienced something unique that stirred them to a greater participation and faith in Christ.

yet there are many who feel an absence of the experience to this new life in the Spirit

Our answer is, Yes, it is something notable and it does stir us up to greater faith! But our observation is that Acts also contains examples of those who did not seem to experience anything new, but instead continued on as they were before. Simon the sorcerer is recorded as believing, then he offered money to get the gift of laying on hands so others can receive the Spirit. Peter quickly rebuked him for turning the gift of God into merchandise. Ananias and Sapphira sold their possessions along with many others but kept back part of the proceeds for themselves. That greed led to lying about it which then led to their falling dead when faced with what they had done.

Those two examples were of believers who apparently received Christ, but continued to walk in their worldly ways and thinking in accordance to their worldly reasoning. Did they receive the Spirit when they believed? Yes, because the promise of God’s Spirit is for all who call on the name of Jesus – however – as notable and stirring as that impartation is, for many there are things still more notable and stirring to them than that Gift from God.

“For we also received the good news, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, since they did not share the faith of those who comprehended it.”
– Hebrews 4:2

Our faith is a reasoned choice and often tied into our worldly ways of reasoning. We rely on our experiences to determine what methods and outcomes we can expect in any given situation. To give you some examples to consider, who among us would have thought to look in a fish’s mouth for the temple tax? Or who would have reasoned that to feed a multitude with very little food we just simply multiply that food? Or to get to the other side of a stormy lake with no boat, who of us would have considered walking across it? Our worldly ways of logic would never have considered those options.

“For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.”
– 1 Corinthians 2:16

When the Spirit of God raises us to new life what happens is our spirit is blended with His – and we become one Spirit. The unity is so close and complete that one could not tell where he or she ends and God begins. Before we were raised to new life, the spirit that was in us as normal human beings is what stirred us to our actions and responses. It was the motivator and content used by our reasoning. Now we are one with God’s Spirit and the motivator and content has changed dramatically – but the reasoning still tends to remain the same. So we have the mind of Christ to think His thoughts – and our minds to think ours. And more often than not we rule out the promptings of Christ’s thoughts because they don’t seem logical to our minds.

We rely on our experiences to determine what methods and outcomes we can expect in any given situation

Being raised to new life in the Spirit means we have to die first. We need to die so we can no longer hold to the values and passions of our worldly experiences. When anyone dies all their attachments, affections, passions, guilt, ambitions, and possessions no longer have influence on them or attachment to them. When we die in Christ it is the same. All that we have held as important in our lives gives way to the importance we now place on our new life in Jesus.

But didn’t Jesus die in our place on the cross? Yes, but not so we would not have to die, but so that we could choose to die – with Him. And dying with Him means being raised to eternal life with Him also. We do not – and cannot – bypass the cross. Our act of faith in baptism or public confession is our declaration that we follow Jesus to the cross and die with Him.

“For surely you know that when we were baptized into union with Christ Jesus, we were baptized into union with his death. By our baptism, then, we were buried with him and shared his death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from death by the glorious power of the Father, so also we might live a new life.”
– Romans 6:3-4

[NOTE: There are many differing approaches to baptism from sprinkling to full water immersion to a no water public confession. The position we hold on this is that the method is not a point of debate. Our Father regards the hearts and when we come to Jesus and His cross in our response to declare and share in His death, whether sprinkled or immersed or neither, or in a church or a river or a bathtub, our answer is accepted before our Father. And we emerge in newness of life – a new creation!]

We do not – and cannot – bypass the cross.

Whatever the method of your baptism or public confession we encourage you to settle that in the truth that you have died with Christ and are accepted by the Father. The life you now live is in union with the risen Christ! And now “If we live in the Spirit” is answered. We do indeed live by the Spirit, as does everyone who turns to Jesus Christ.

So, are we then guided by the Spirit?

“Those who love their father or mother more than me are not fit to be my disciples; those who love their son or daughter more than me are not fit to be my disciples. Those who do not take up their cross and follow in my steps are not fit to be my disciples. Those who try to gain their own life will lose it; but those who lose their life for my sake will gain it.”
– Matthew 10:37-39

The phrase “not fit to be my disciples” means unable to be students, or unable to be taught and guided. Those who are still governed by their worldly reasoning cannot be guided by the Spirit of God. Consider receiving advice from someone you hardly know, and from someone you respect highly – who would you listen to? The one you respect highly, of course. And if the Spirit is guiding you, and your own reasoning is guiding you, if you have any attachments or affections that exceed your love for Christ then you will not listen to God’s Spirit … you would be unable to be taught or guided by Him.

Those who are still governed by their worldly reasoning cannot be guided by the Spirit of God.

“Jesus tells us not to seek after the things of this world, but the rent is due and He doesn’t seem to be taking care of it! And we need groceries, too!! I’ll need to get more hours at work, then, or a second job!!!“ Sound familiar? That’s our worldly reasoning looking into our wallet for God’s answers and provision. “Trust my Father” is Christ’s reasoning. Our reasoning has us anxiously borrowing, seeking, asking, focusing on our need and our reasoned solution. Christ’s reasoning has us convinced God has our need in mind and our solution at hand so we can move forward in the day without distraction, focused on what He wishes to accomplish through us by the guidance of His Spirit.

“I really should be calling for additional work because we need the money! … But I really feel like I should call old Mrs. Smith to see how she’s doing. Yet she’ll keep me on the phone for hours!!“ You have your worldly reasoning that has your best interests at heart, and you have the mind of Christ that says trust God and do good because your needs are met and the best interests of others is what’s at heart.

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.”
– Romans 12:2

Practice trusting God at every opportunity. Start developing new experiences that will form the new basis of your reasoning. Settle it in the truth that God is a good Father who is deeply interested in you and your needs, and is willing and capable to meet and exceed those needs so that you are free to respond to His thoughts and guidance.

“Taste and see that the LORD is good. How happy is the man who takes refuge in Him!”
– Psalm 34:8

Experience the Father and your new life in Him by trusting Him. You will never be disappointed! Filter every thought and reasoning through trust in Him and let it become your practiced response, and you will find yourself walking in and guided by the Spirit. And encourage others because you’re not the only one learning this 🙂

* A closing thought: It’s not all about you. If it were all about you then you’d be in Heaven now. No, you’re still here in this life because it’s about others. Trust Him and find yourself extremely useful to His purposes for those others.

A Double Minded Man

June 3, 2017 by Settled in the Truth

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it shall be given to him. But let him ask in faith, doubting nothing, for he that doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he shall receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”
– James 1:5-8

“Maybe God will! … But maybe He won’t!” Is this what a double-minded person sounds like?

That’s certainly how many of us came to understand it, but the truth is, that is not the inner conversation of a double-minded person. Why? Because it is really just the confused debating of a single mind. It is the mind of one, single individual who is arguing both sides.

Our natural mind experiences questioning doubts and concerns daily, and not just concerning the things of Jesus. We will concern about a job interview, or work project, supper that evening, and any number of things we can be anxious over. It’s the natural state of the natural mind separated from God – anxious for everything, but still only one mind.

A double-minded person requires two minds: their own … and Christ’s.

“As the scripture says, ‘Who knows the mind of the Lord? Who is able to give him advice?’ We, however, have the mind of Christ.”
– 1Corinthians 2:16

We were all born with our own mind – all the heights, lows, and confusions that come with it. This is the mind we have learned from our experiences in this world, and the one we tend to hold to because it’s familiar. Then when we received Jesus we also received His mind. Two minds. But that doesn’t make us double-minded. When we are led by Jesus’ Spirit we are one with Him. We see things His way and we think like Him. It’s when we are in conflict with Him that we are double-minded.

At this point it would prove useful to clarify what being in conflict means. We have all held our doubts whether Jesus told us to do something or not, or we ask for something and wonder if He’s really okay with it. Those are just guesses on our part, not conflict – the musings of our old experiences with a worldly mind. We are not penalized by God for those! He works within us to help us resolve those anxious ways of thinking. Conflict, however, is not a guess. It’s a choice – most often motivated by our emotions – and it is contrary to what we know our Lord has said. But again, praise God, we are not penalized for those, either! Read on …

“Anyone who belongs to Christ is a new person. The past is forgotten, and everything is new.”
– 2 Corinthians 5:17

Jesus knew what He accomplished on the cross – our righteousness through faith, and peace with God.

“And the scripture came true that said, ‘Abraham believed God, and because of his faith God accepted him as righteous.’ And so Abraham was called God’s friend.”
– James 2:23

So Christ’s thoughts about our righteousness and peace are part of our minds – we know them because they are part of us – but many of us have other thoughts, too: “I’m terrible, I’m a sinner, I’m so awful!” And when we believe ourselves over Jesus we become double-minded. We are no longer thinking like Jesus, so there is no way we can be at the times and places He has prepared for us to receive because those times and places are also in accordance to His thoughts. It could not occur to us to be anywhere He has in mind because we are following our own opinion. We can’t receive from Him! He doesn’t penalize us – we penalize ourselves.

For let not that man suppose that he shall receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

Consider a time when any of us may have asked Jesus for something, and we have decided His answer is yes. So where would Jesus place His answer so that we can receive? It would be some place a righteous person at peace with God would consider. But it would never occur to anyone who judges themselves guilty and disapproved of by God. It’s not that God didn’t answer – it’s that the double-minded person is not thinking like Jesus.

Without His mind we are limited to our worldly reasoning, and too often we are limited by our worldly reasoning even knowing His mind. When Jesus fed the multitude the worldly reasoning was focused on how little fish and bread there was. The worldly mind would not have considered catching a fish and looking in its mouth for the tax money. Crossing the waters required a boat – walking across was never an option.

Now in all fairness, would those thoughts actually occur to any of us? Probably not, but what they illustrate is that our Lord is not limited in meeting a need. When we see an empty wallet, it doesn’t mean the answer is no or not yet. It just means the answer isn’t there. The undisputed truth is that Jesus can! And if you are persuaded of your righteousness and peace with God you can believe that Jesus will.

And you will find yourself at the point of place and time that He has prepared for your answer. Instead of debating and analyzing and worrying, you choose to settle in the truth: Jesus can, and He will. And you go on about your days confident in that. You stop worrying about the answer and instead just find yourself at the place and time He has prepared.

The undisputed truth is that Jesus can! And if you are persuaded of your righteousness and peace with God you can believe that Jesus will.

That is what a righteous person at peace with God thinks: “Jesus can, and He will.”

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists (He can) and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him (He will).”
– Hebrews 11:6 (brackets ours)

If you think something you need might not happen, how do you behave? You worry, argue, isolate, fixate and spend much time on yourself and your need. Not the behaviours of a righteous person and certainly not at peace with God. But if you are persuaded something you need will happen, how do you behave? Certainly what you WON’T be doing is wasting time focusing on yourself 🙂 … and if you’re not focusing on yourself then you are likely putting your energies into others.

Settle this in the truth then: you are righteous because Christ obtained that for you, and God delights in you because you are His child.

Jesus can, and He will.