A couple of months ago, I posted a blog on how God loves to intervene in our ordinary days. While we go about our normal routines, thinking everything is as it always will be, He visits us with life-changing power and smashes the bars of our self-imprisoning mindset. He doesn't need angelic announcing (although at times He has used that to get our attention) and He certainly doesn't need for us to jump through a series of hoops in order to come in and work in our circumstances. He loves to turn ordinary into extraordinary!
I have witnessed the spiritual imprisonment of so many children of God lately..their desperate & heart-breaking situations have rendered them totally incapacitated. Sadness, grief, financial loss, broken relationships, & other kinds of "natural" disasters have locked them in cages of doubt, insecurity, & paralyzing fear. They can recite the verses, sing the songs, & proclaim the victory but don't feel or see the release so the downward spiral begins. The walls of doubt become thicker and the vines of unbelief grow increasingly longer, entangling them to where they can no longer move forward. God's plan gets set aside in favor of drawing away in isolation or seeking satisfaction and fulfillment through worldly avenues. While the results may seem to lead to freedom, they have just added the weighty chains of unrighteousness and the bondage of guilt to the other restraints. The chains may be wrapped in silk or satin, but they are chains nonetheless and the devil has now successfully caught them in his web of deceit. Along with this, they most commonly remove themselves from Godly influences that could strengthen and support them. Church is no longer desirable, Christians are "hypocrites", and rationalizations abound. The fires of negativity and discontent are fanned by others caught in the same trap. Escape is always available but not sought...for the temporal numbing of pain supersedes the desire for lasting results and fulfillment.
This is not how God intended us to live and it is certainly not the abundant life that Jesus sacrificed Himself to provide. The plan has always been for reconciliation, restoration, and growth but it is dependent on repentance & submission, both which grate against our human pride. We say we love God but don't obey His Word. We talk amazing "Christianese" but it is coming from our heads without really being rooted deeply down in our hearts. We attend meetings, Bible studies and church, in order to fellowship but worship, true adoration and appreciation of God, is absent. Our Bibles are dusty, our prayer closets empty, and our Christianity is more of a title than a lifestyle. Then we complain that our prayers go unanswered, our "walk" is stale, and our fellowship with God and others is unsatisfying.
There is hope, though, and you don't have to wait until Sunday or Easter. God is waiting, watching, & desiring to intervene in your life Today, right now. On this ordinary day, He wants to visit you and break all the chains that bind you. He wants to throw open your prison doors, lift you up, and escort you from your self-imposed captivity. He longs to release you from the burdens of guilt, anger, unforgiveness, & other derailing emotions that keep you from the joy of His presence and plan! He knows your weaknesses, failings, and fears but it doesn't influence Him. He has the ability to use you in spite of them if you surrender to Him. Today, right now, on this ordinary day, God is ready to bind your wounds, repair your broken places, & fill up your emptiness. He may choose to allow circumstances that you would beg release from, but if you let go of manipulation and allow His orchestration you will find freedom in the midst of them! Your life situation may remain but your burdens will no longer overwhelm you, because Jesus will be carrying them. You will find joy in sorrow, peace in turmoil, & love in abundance. On this ordinary day, choose life...choose God... choose for eternity! This ordinary day can be the beginning of a lifetime of extraordinary days! Don't just believe me - Trust Him & you will see for yourself!! God is good!!
No comments:
Post a Comment