Dont Believe The Lies....

Today has been one of those days....you know, those days when the Enemy of our souls tries to throw us down, out and off course by whispering into our vulnerable, unsuspecting hearts every nasty lie and criticism he can find to sling against us....
I called a friend to tell her the lies that were eating me alive, from the inside out, and begged her to tell me how foolish I was being for listening....for tuning in even a little bit to the junk that was coursing through my mind.....and thankfully, she obliged me and shared with me some very valuable, and much needed words of wisdom.....
Having regained some strength of heart, I decided that I needed to further bolster myself against another onslaught of the enemy....just in case he wasn't quite through with me yet....and so I ran to the only Source I know where I can hear everything I need to hear to encourage and steady my heart....the Word of Almighty God.....Once there, I took in the Words of love, compassion, instruction, correction and wisdom that only my Father could speak over and to me.....and then, I found myself wondering out loud, "Why, Oh why am I so quick to believe the lies the enemy spews in my direction?" How about you? Do you find yourself relating with me on some level?
If so, I can only say with certainty that we'll probabaly ALWAYS wrestle with the voice of condemnation that our enemy raises so well, and so often, against us......BUT we can be sure that the closer we walk with our Lord the less likely we'll be to "own" or believe those lies....For each of us the lies may be different, but we know them when we hear them....that's for sure....the question is....how will you respond? Will you respond like me and let them beat and bog you down till you cannot discern which way is up; or will you put on the full armor of God and battle them?
I hope you'll battle them, Sweet Friend....from the moment they enter your mind. I hope you'll confront them boldly with all of the assurance you possess in Christ!
You are called with a Holy calling and purpose, to serve God and His people in ways that only you can accomplish....Now, does that sound like the destiny of someone who doesn't matter? I think not....
Stand firm.....and don't believe the lies!

Cracked Pots

"We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from oursleves....." 2 Corinthians 4:7 (NLT) Chronological Life Application Study Bible





At first glance, today's title may seem like an attempt at a joke.....I assure you, Sweet Friends; it is not....Why that title you may wonder? Well, quite simply because we're ALL cracked pots....Every believer in Christ is a "fragile clay jar" as today's Scripture reference reminds us.....
Imagine with me if you will, 2 ceramic terra cotta pots....one in mint condition, perfectly formed....you then take that clay pot and place clear white Christmas lights in it, plug them in and what do you expect to see when you step back to look at the pot? Yep, you guessed it......absolutely nothing.... Now, imagine with me that you take another terra cotta pot, but this one is chipped and has a big ole crack running down the length of the pot....add some more clear, white Christmas tree lights, plug them, step away from the pot and what do you expect to see now? Marvelous light pouring through that chip and large crack!!!!
Friends, I'm about to burst because I surely hope you're better beginning to understand what I'm getting at.....If we, who are in Christ, represent those jars of clay, then our "cracks" and weaknesses now take on new meaning....because it is THROUGH those very cracks, frailties, etc. that Christ has the best opportunity to shine and bring glory unto Himself....if we will allow Him to do so.....
As I've said, we're ALL cracked pots...so what then shall we do with that truth?

1. We embrace being a cracked pot: We need to simply accept our frailties and imperfections....I didn't say we should wallow and stagnate in them, just that we should "accept" that we have them....it's part of our human condition and who we are..... next

2. We must remember that God uses cracked pots: This has been and I dare to say, probably always will be, one of the most amazing truths for me to ever ponder, but there you have it in bold type....God USES cracked pots like you & I.....unbelievably, God chooses & allows us, with all of our "stuff"  to "partner" with Him in sharing the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ....He certainly, doesn't need us....amazingly, He chooses us!!!!
The missionary, J. Hudson Taylor, who opened inland China to the Gospel....said it best....he used to say...."All God's giants have been weak men who did great things for God because they reckoned on Him being with them. Sometimes God permits our vessels (earthen jars) to be jarred or shaken so that some of the treasure will spill out and enrich others. Suffering reveals not only the weakness of man, but also the glory of God." (1)

And that, is the absolute point.....We carry this Precious Treasure, the salvation of Jesus Christ, within our frail, fallible human vessels because our responsibilty is to allow others to see God through us....
So what are they, My Friends? What are your greatest failures, mistakes, struggles and sorrows? Name them, but don't dwell on them so as to allow the enemy to stunt your growth....name them with the certainty that our God has the power to turn them into your greatest ministry and works to further the cause of His Kingdom in this world!!! So serve on....cracks and all, but like those Christmas tree lights.....be sure to stay plugged in to the Power Source!!!



(1) Excerpted from; Weirsbe's Expository Outlines On The New Testament