Monthly Archives: April 2013

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Vision Correction

“But I know this: I was blind, and now I can see!” John 9:25

 

This is me! Not physically, (although I’m about to replace all my reading glasses with stronger ones), but spiritually it is.

Have you ever been there? I’m not just talking about when you began to believe in Jesus. I’ve believed since I was a child. This is me because I finally see the truth about God’s love for me, for all of us.

I was blind for so long to God’s true love for me. When I finally began believing that this love is for me, that it’s not just a superficial love, but a truly “desperate need to be near you” love, I saw myself in a new light. I started seeing myself as God sees me. I viewed myself as Jesus looks at me. I began valuing myself.

I learned to love myself.

And loving myself allows me to receive others’ love and to give love more freely. I accepted God’s love and then researched the Bible to discover what God thinks of me.

And I was blown away. I was so desperate to know and to learn. The blindness was lifted from my eyes and my soul and God’s whispers and shouts of love leapt from the page and captured my heart.

I saw God for who He is. I looked lovingly upon Jesus and finally realized the depths of His love. I saw myself through their eyes and fell in love with me.

God loves me in spite of my imperfections. And I’m learning to overlook my flaws and see the person God created.

And I see those around me more clearly. And strangely enough their imperfections get blurred and their unique, quirky, beautiful personalities come sharply into focus.

I was blind to the truth, but now I see. We are beautifully imperfect people serving and loving and living for our perfect God. And we are loved by a wonderfully, beautifully, perfect God.

So if you catch me staring at you, please don’t get nervous. I’m focusing on Jesus in you and you are breathtaking.

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Mighty Warrior

“The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, “Mighty warrior, the Lord is with you!” Judges 6:12

We are mighty warriors! Did you know that? Do you feel like one? Do you act like one?

I know I don’t always claim the mighty warrior status. I have warrior moments and I do have more victories than I used to (thanks to Jesus), but I don’t act like a mighty warrior on a full-time basis.

Feelings are not a good indicator of the truth. Just because I don’t FEEL like a warrior doesn’t mean I’m not one. If God calls us His mighty warriors, than we are mighty and we are warriors.

Ephesians 1:15-20 states that the same power that raised Christ from dead lives in us. Let me say that again. The same power that raised Christ from the dead and made Him victorious over Satan lives in us. And yet we still live like we’re in chains.

But we are powerful!

Not by our own strength but by Christ’s power in us. He said that in our weakness He is strong. But that doesn’t mean we have to walk around like weaklings. No! It means that we understand that the only reason we can live victoriously is because of the power of God in us.

Jesus told us we would have challenging times, but to be joyful because He has overcome the world (John 16:33). Jesus has already won the battle against Satan for us. This should make living easier and yet we live weighted down by guilt, doubt, insecurity, bad habits, and defeat.

We need to act our way into a new way of thinking and feeling.

We need to act like mighty warriors. We need to put on our armor and defeat the enemy with God’s word. When arrows of doubt, insecurity, self-pity, anger, jealousy, gossip, envy, and pride fly toward us, we need to raise up our shield of faith and instead of retreating, begin our attack and defeat the enemy with the truth.

Knowing and memorizing scriptures allows us to defend ourselves against Satan’s mind games. The trick is recognizing when the enemy is pulling the trigger. At that moment is when we need to launch into our attack. A lie is replaced with God’s truth. A self-doubt is replaced with knowing who we are in Christ. Bad feelings toward others are replaced with the love of Christ. Pride is replaced with knowing that our strength comes from our surrender to God.

If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)

I am ready to be a mighty warrior – to see it, to believe it, to act like it. Are you?

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