Posted on in Kingdom Life

The Un-Offendable Heart

Have you ever been hurt by someone? Have you been offended at something that was said or not said, done or not done? I would venture to say that most all of us have. Looking across my own life and experience, I have seen how subtle offenses can quickly pry open old wounds, resulting in broken relationships, betrayal and bitterness that is kept for an entire lifetime. I’m convinced that offense, bitterness and envy, things that Jesus seeks to expose and remove from our hearts, are some of the primary reasons that His disciples forsake assembling together. Many Christians have settled for a “churchless Christianity” because they are bound with hurt and un-forgiveness, so they choose to avoid the vulnerability, accountability and responsibility that comes with church community, and rather, they surround themselves with people who will feed their insecurity. This is dangerous and unbiblical. The Bible speaks of a great falling away that will come before the return of the Lord (2 Thess. 2:3), and many wonder how something like this could even happen, but I believe that offense will be Satan’s greatest weapon in that day to divide and conquer.

And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. (Matt. 24:10)

Jesus, enduring the most offense out of any human in history has every right to be hard and bitter, yet He mercifully opens up His heart to us time and time again! In His short time on earth, He was despised, rejected, mocked, falsely accused and betrayed, while receiving little encouragement from His closest friends. It is nearly impossible to be alive and avoid offense, but we can avoid giving in to the temptation to retaliate or retain that offense. Being easily offended is more than having a sensitive personality; it is a spirit that has been around since the fall of man. Cane carried the spirit of offense, which led him to murder his own brother (1 Jn. 3:12; Gen.4:1-16). Cain saw how the Lord was pleased with Abel and blessed him, therefore, he became very angry. God told Cain, “You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master” (Gen. 4:6-7). The offense came as a test, and Cain had a choice on how he would respond. This article is not trying to justify the hurts that you have experienced, but rather my goal is to expose their existence, so that the Lord can heal and restore you. It needs to be dealt with in the heart, not concealed in the heart. Bitterness is like a poison that you drink expecting someone else to die from. Forgiveness doesn’t make the other person right, but it sets you free.

Jesus had what I call an un-offend-able heart, not that He diminished sin or the wrongfulness of other’s behavior, but He didn’t let it rule Him. He responded to the many offenses hurled at Him by silently going to the cross and dying for the very people who mistreated Him. God wants us to have an un-offend-able heart for the sake of freedom, so that our love for Him and others will not be hindered.

How do we obtain an un-offend-able heart?

  1.  Connect to Church Community (Eph. 4:1-6; Heb. 10:25)
  • How does God deal with us when we are easily offended? He offends us. God offends the mind to reveal the heart. Most of the time this is done through family members, church members, and spiritual authority that God has placed in our life. We shouldn’t be shocked at this, but we should learn to commit ourselves to God and ask Him to help us respond in the right way.
  • God desires that we remain connected with people in community because He uses its relational pressures and tensions to mold us into the image of His Son.
  • It’s fascinating how the human body works to heal itself when it is injured, but this can’t happen if the injured body part is disconnected from the body. We must stay connected to the Body of Christ!

2.   Learn to Be Secure in His love (1 Jn. 4:16)

  • If we don’t know who we are to God, or have the assurance we are loved by Him, then we will quickly search for identity and approval elsewhere. Insecurity is an open door for the enemy to breed all sorts of evil in our hearts.
  • We must take time to meditate (think deeply) about what the Scripture says about us as we ask the Holy Spirit to show us. We must spend more time in His Book than Facebook.

And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere without offense till the day of Christ. (Phil. 1:9-10)

3.   See the Bigger Picture (Isa. 49:1-5)

  • Jesus lived before the eyes of His Father, knowing that He sees and judges righteously. He is our Avenger.
  • If we don’t know that His eyes are on us, then we will quickly become bitter when we don’t receive credit from man for our devotion.
  • We must constantly refresh our perspective in light of eternity, for our Father sees us in the secret place. He is a Rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
  • We learn faithfulness and humility in the hidden years, and the Lord esteems it greatly. Like an arrow is prepared and hidden in a quiver before it is launched toward its target, must we embrace the seasons of hiddenness as unto the Lord where we feel the most under appreciated.

4.   Be Merciful & Bless Our Enemies

  • Being merciful can also mean giving others the benefit of the doubt. Many people get hurt by something that the other person is often unaware about. We must have mercy toward them in these situations.
  • Our “enemies” or adversaries are those who intentionally slander, accuse or oppose us (Our actions, values, words, biblical stances, etc). To bless them implies more than just forgiving them and praying for them, but actively looking for ways to give to or serve them without expecting anything in return. Jesus commands us to do this because He knows that it will transform our heart over time if we stick to it.

5.  Take up Our Cross

  • In the event that you are wronged, keep in mind that the first one to the cross wins. One of the best ways to combat offense is to transfer our personal rights to God. Nobody can hurt us if we have already died to our self and surrendered our sense of entitlement to God.
  • One of the core issues is that we naturally expect that people (and God) owe us something, thus when we are let down, we become offended.
  • Our lives are not our own (Gal. 2:20).

Side Note: Being unoffendable does not mean we are to be apathetic toward sin, but rather we are to respond to that which comes against us, not out of hurt or revenge, but boldness, gentleness and meekness.

Pursue peace with all people…lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled…(Heb. 12:14-15)

Whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. (Matt. 5:22)

But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. (Matt. 5:39)

Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven…(Matt. 5:44-45)

Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained a brother…(Matt. 18:15)

Blessed are the merciful…(Matt. 5:7)

Blessed are the peacemakers…(Matt. 5:9)

Posted on in Knowing God

The Coming Storm of Glory

A Prayer & Proclamation with Music

I decided to do something a bit different this week by putting a prayer and proclamation to music. Hope you enjoy and are inspired to know and make known the glory of Jesus!

Many have adopted a wrong image of Jesus who has been tamed by our culture, so that He has no authority to make demands on our time, money, energy, lifestyle choices, sexuality and more. Basically, we’ve formed our own version of God who is not worth our worship. This is absolutely catastrophic!

The Scriptures tell us that Jesus not only came and died for our sins, but He’s coming back in glory! All will see and all will know that He’s not a baby in a manger anymore. He’s not a broken man a cross. He didn’t stay in the grave, and He’s not staying in heaven forever. It’s time to wake up and open up the door because we’re about to hear the Lion roar!

The LORD shall go forth like a mighty man; He shall stir up His zeal like a man of war. He shall cry out, yes, shout aloud; He shall prevail against His enemies. I have held My peace a long time, I have been still and restrained Myself. Now I will cry…(Isa. 42:13-14)

The Lord reigns; Let the earth rejoice; Let the multitude of isles be glad! Clouds and darkness surround Him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne. A fire goes before Him, and burns up His enemies round about. His lightnings light the world; the earth sees and trembles. The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the LORD, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth. The heavens declare His righteousness, and all the peoples see His glory. (Ps. 97:1-6)

The Mighty One, God the LORD, has spoken and called the earth from the rising of the sun to its going down. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God will shine forth. Our God shall come, and shall not keep silent; a fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be a [raging storm] all around Him. (Ps. 50:1-3)

So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. (Heb. 4:16, NLT)

Posted on in Kingdom Life

Moments

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory…(2 Cor. 4:17)

Everyone’s life is made up of moments. Some good. Some bad. Some boring. Some unforgettable. Some don’t make sense. Some do.

Think about the moment a baby is born. What a picture of God’s love that He Himself has ordained to be a testimony to His creation for the rest of time. All are witnesses of our Creator whether they know it or not, for even the birth of a human child leaves us with no excuse but to ponder the depths of love and the eminence of divine power. As surely as when a mother looks into the eyes of her newborn for the first time only to be undone forever with an inexplicable love that no emotion could rightly express. And as surely as when a father first holds his helpless infant who bears his image, and he is gripped with unspeakable joy and gratitude, so it is with our God when He looks at us during our entry into existence.

I am growing continuously grateful for these divine occasions in our life that serve as reminders, for these are God moments that bear witness to His endless kindness, power and beauty. Those who want to see will inevitably find the fingerprints of His mercy upon each and every day that their heart is permitted to beat.

With that being said, we all know that it’s one thing to find God’s love and mercy during good circumstances, but to see it in the tragedy is another story. How do these moments ‘work for us’?

It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes. (Ps. 119:71)

Some Christians shake their fist at God with an offended heart when they face trials wondering why they are going through such hurt while the immoral drunkard down the street was just promoted. Beloved, be thankful and rejoice (James 1:2-3)! If you are going through hell, then be glad that you are GOING THROUGH! Though it’s hard to make clear sense of them in the heat of the process, moments of struggle teach us to lean upon the Mighty One. We learn to trust and depend on Him in the furnace of affliction, and it’s in the fire that we are shaped and refined into the image of Jesus Christ. I’m so thankful that God doesn’t leave me alone, for I know that if He does, that’s when I’m really in trouble. If God left Job alone, nobody would have ever known his name. He would have continued his wayward and comfortable life without ever tasting the depths of intimacy that God reserves for the one in pain (Ps. 34:18). It’s in these moments that don’t make sense that we are given the greatest opportunities to love and trust God, and He esteems it forever. Think about this, though Jesus knew good and well that He was about to raise Lazarus from the dead, He still wept with Mary (Jn. 11:33-38). Sometimes He delays breakthrough to express greater love to us and receive greater glory from us, and in the midst of it all, He weeps with us knowing it’s going to be okay in the end.

In this process, we also have to understand that not all pressure is directly from God. Some of it is because of our own sinful choices, some of it is because the Devil really hates us, some of it is because of the fallen world we live in, and some of it is a combination of all of that. Either way, God has the power to use that pressure to mold our mess into a trophy of His mercy and glory when we choose to trust Him.

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. (Rom. 8:28)

Now on the flip side, it is in these other moments where things begin to make sense that God intends to remind us of forgotten truths we let go of when things don’t make sense. For me, everything makes sense in worship. When God is put in His rightful place my thinking falls into place, and I begin to see the world around me with proper perspective. It is an eternal perspective that looks beyond yesterday, today or tomorrow, passed the fading world around us, and into the bigger picture of God’s heart. It is the grand dream of God from before the ages that we would actually know the intensity of the love that He has in His heart toward us. More than anything a father wants his children to know his love for them and for them to willingly return that love. Thus, God not only chose to display His love as a Groom laying down His life for a Bride, but He chose to display His love as a Father giving up His own son for His Family. You can ask me to give up my own life, and I might comply, but to give up my son’s life?! That couldn’t have been easy. But God never chooses the path of least resistance, He chooses the path of greatest glory. The cross was a moment that didn’t make much sense while our bloody Messiah hung naked and lifeless, but we can look back now and deem it as the finest moment in His-story (Heb. 12:1-2).

As we go through life, we have endless opportunities to see God from a new perspective. Same God. Different view. Whether we are on the mountaintop of success or in the valley of struggle, we have a choice to be still and know that He is still God. He is still our Provider, Protector, Prince of Peace and more. Whether it’s during the birth of a child, a marriage ceremony, a financial struggle, or the death of a loved one, look for His hand of mercy today and hold on to it. These moments are screaming from heaven a message for all of humanity, “I love you!”