by | Faith Lived Out
We all have different battles. We have different sins. But when you really think about it, our hearts are alike. We all have one thing in common: the need for Jesus Christ and his grace.
One way Webster’s Dictionary defines grace is unmerited divine assistance given humans for their regeneration or sanctification. Allow me to define that for you in the redneck version.
Grace is God favoring us when we don’t deserve it.
I’m reminding myself of this as I write. I don’t deserve an ounce of God’s grace. I have done so many detestable things in my life, I’m surprised He didn’t wipe me out a long time ago. I’ve stolen. I’ve lied. I’ve been drunk. I drove drunk. I’ve had premarital sex with multiple men. I’ve done drugs. I dishonored my parents. I’ve used God’s name in vein. I’ve watched pornography. I’ve overeaten more times in my life that I care to admit. The list goes on.
Oh yeah, and I’ve been in a relationship with another woman.
I’ve got a rap sheet a thousand miles long, and yet that one word, grace, still washes over me. It’s mine to take – a gift from God.
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. – Ephesians 2:8-9
Paul, the writer of Ephesians, and a man whose mission was once to destroy the name of God, wrote these powerful words. Paul may never have dishonored his parents, slept with another man, or smoked pot in his van before school in the mornings, but he did murder multiple Christians. His actions deserved death, yet what happened?
Jesus Christ met him on a dirt road, knocked him off his horse, and gave him the best gift any of use could ever receive, grace.
So, if grace was given to Paul, me, and your grandma Estelle (I don’t know anyone who has a grandmother named Estelle, but I loved the Golden Girls, so it just made sense to go with that), then isn’t this gift available to everyone who pursues a relationship with Jesus?
I’d love to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment below…
by | Faith Lived Out, Guest Posts
Excerpted from Pure Emotion by Susan Lawrence, who is a Women’s Ministry Consultant, speaker, and author of multiple Bible studies. She blogs at PurePurpose.org, and you can connect with her (through her blog) on Facebook and Twitter. Join the journey! We’re giving away two copies of the Pure Emotion Bible study at the end of this post.
There is freedom from guilt and shame—freedom in God to uncover our faces and not be ashamed but show God’s glory. Freedom in vulnerability. Freedom to become like him. Freedom in him.
But when a person changes and follows the Lord, that covering is taken away. The Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. Our faces, then, are not covered. We all show the Lord’s glory, and we are being changed to be like him. This change in us brings ever greater glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:16-18)
We need to know the difference between godly and ungodly guilt. Let’s not assume all guilt is bad or all guilt is healthy. Cling to what’s true. Guilt is the emotion that indicates you’ve done something wrong. Godly guilt is the real conviction that you’re in disobedience to God’s will. Godly guilt is true guilt.
On the other hand, we can experience guilt when there hasn’t actually been an offense or wrongdoing.
This is false guilt, and it is not godly. “If only…” “I wish I had…” “I should have…” sparks burdensome guilt. You might justify there was offense or wrongdoing because if you had done one thing differently, the situation would have changed. If you had just taken time to talk. If you hadn’t been mad. If you’d done it yourself. The list is endless. Yes, your choices have consequences, but God is big and powerful, and you do not have the power you think you do if you believe you caused something to happen when there was actually no offense or wrongdoing involved. See it through God’s eyes, not your own. He has a better view.
We also experience false guilt in “little things.” We forgot to call someone. We didn’t go to the family reunion. We missed an important day at work because of a sick child. We missed staying home with a child because we had an important meeting at work. Pick a situation—any situation—and you can feel guilty about it.
When you experience guilt, ask, “Is there an offense or wrongdoing God is convicting you of?” Your guilt, in the context of his correction, is real and should motivate you to change, reconcile, or whatever “next step” he guides you through toward reconciliation and growth. But if there’s no offense or wrongdoing except the ones you’re creating, you might be experiencing false guilt, and it’s time to label it for what it is and move on.
And then there’s shame, which is a deep sense of dishonor, disappointment, or condemnation.
When shame comes from God, it always involves something we’ve done that is contrary to his will and separates us from God. It’s deep, heavy and sorrowful. And it always drives us back toward God. Godly shame will never get us stuck. In fact, it can only do the opposite. It un-sticks us.
Ungodly, or false, shame is self-driven. We imagined we’ve done something dishonoring, disappointing or condemning. In relation to God, we presume his reaction to us without asking him for his reaction. We’re so disappointed in ourselves that we imagine we’ve dishonored him. Perhaps we’ve disappointed him, but we need to allow God to shame what we’ve done, not shame ourselves before we’ve lifted our faces to God to receive his reaction. While true shame focuses on something we’ve done, false shame focuses on who we are. Instead of our choice, action, or attitude being condemned, we think we’re condemned. We feel worthless, useless, and unloved. Those feelings don’t come from God. Satan loves when you get tangled up in a mess of guilt and shame. When you’re tangled in false guilt and shame, you can’t completely focus on God, and guilt and shame easily multiply.
Godly guilt and shame are always temporary, never chronic. Godly guilt and shame are productive, not destructive. Godly guilt and shame draw you closer to God, not distance you. When we regularly live with false guilt and shame, it affects our dignity and our hope. It’s corrodes our joy.
We don’t need to stay in a place of guilt and shame.
God gives us grace. We can receive God’s grace even when we don’t deserve it. We still sweat it out, because we have to sacrifice ourselves in order to place ourselves in God’s hands and receive his grace. We have to let go of our god of self-sufficiency to grab onto the God of all sufficiency.
Shame invites us into grace.
Let’s accept the invitation!
Susan has graciously offered to give away two copies of her new, Pure Emotion Bible study. Enter below for your chance to win. Each entry gives you extra points. Enter everyday from now through Monday for your chance to win!
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by | Faith Lived Out
I don’t remember how old he was. Not quite 50. I hadn’t seen him in years. My last memory of him wasn’t the most pleasant, either.
I was watching the season premiere of Duck Dynasty when I got the phone call. One minute I was laughing, the other I was debating on whether to cry or just stay in shock.
Life really does change in the blink of an eye.
Your uncle was found dead in the bathroom of Hardee’s with a needle in his arm.
Just like that. Another life destroyed by addiction. More kids without a father. Family members asking why.
I tried to soak up the reality that he was really dead, but I couldn’t get my mind off something else – his salvation.
Another life taken by addiction, but another soul lost.
You ask, “Wait a minute. How do you know he wasn’t saved?”
Jesus said in Matthew 7:16 we will know others by their fruit, that is, by the way they act.
Unfortunately, my uncle’s fruit wasn’t appealing. His words didn’t honor. His actions either. He was a lost man, seeking signifigance in everything but God, the true source of our significance.
And now there are no more second chances for him.
That breaks my heart, and I want it to break the hearts of others. I want my family to open their eyes to the truth. I want them to understand their purpose can only truly be fulfilled in one way – through Jesus.
I desire for them to stop pretending. To stop letting addiction take over their lives. To stop letting the abuse of their past control their future. My heart cries out for them to fully understand the meaning of redemption.
After our last breath, there are no more second chances.
My uncle died a lonely man, way too early in life. He died broken. Hurting. Lost. He will never experience freedom in Christ, because his fate has already been decided. That’s a reality I’m having a hard time swallowing, but I know it’s true.
I watched addiction take my dad, now my uncle. When does it end?
God, my prayer today is for everyone one of us who has or is still struggling with some kind of addiction. Whether it’s drugs, alcohol, food, or our jobs. Help us get our eyes focused on you as the only source who can fulfill our lives. Forgive me when I run to things besides you. Thank you for second chances. Thank you for your strength to overcome. Jesus came to bind the broken hearted and set the captvies free. May we surrender to you, throw our hands in the air and confess that we can’t do this life without You. May we run to you and pour our hearts out to you. May no final breath be taken without knowing we will spend eternity with you.
by | Faith Lived Out
Do you write in your Bible? I love to write in mine.
I frequently write dates in mine when a particular verse has significance.
This morning I sat outside, opened my Bible, and these were the words I read:
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him. – Psalm 37:7a
It’s funny real. I had just finished writing in my journal, asking God to show me the truth behind some issues on my heart.
Instead of giving me the why behind the what, He tells me to be still.
As I sat on that verse for a moment, I looked at the dates written near it.
8/30/10. 6/20/12. 10/10/12.
Apparently I’ve sought peace more than one time.
As I tried to think back on those dates, I remembered the significance of the October outlining. That was a day of sorrow. Heartbreak. A chapter of my life was ending, and it wasn’t ending so well.
I was being attacked with words by people I loved and it hurt. The verse reads on,
do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes.
I reflect on that verse this morning and thank God He brought me out of that season stronger. I’m reminded I had to fight that fight with His Word, not my flesh.
If only I did that right every time.
I like to fix things. If I know there’s a problem, tell me the solution so we can fix it and move on. Waiting is not my gift. When I know something in my heart isn’t right, I want to know the answer immediately so I can make it right.
However, God doesn’t always work that way. Sometimes it takes a while to get to the real issue. I guess that’s where the whole “be still” and “wait patiently” thing comes in.
Okay I’ll work on that, but God, could you tell me how long I’m going to have to wait?
Oh yeah, be still. I forgot.
Thanking God today for His patience with me.
What’s happening in your life right now where stillness and patience are needed? Share in the comments below…
by | Faith Lived Out
Note: This is a journal entry from my new book, Dear Dad. I’ll be sharing various journal entries throughout the year.
November 5, 2009
I learned tonight that I have resisted my fears and feelings for so long that it’s become a highway. I got some great advice tonight. Someone told me to take the road less traveled. It is time to make my own dirt road.
Show me, Father, how to take your hand. I know you are inviting me to release my fears, thoughts, and feelings. But how do I do that?
You know, I’ve gone so long telling myself that I didn’t have feelings—that I don’t know how to express them. Did you know how? What were you afraid of? Were you afraid to let people love you? I do have to say thank you that you were never afraid to tell me how much you loved me. I think you were always too afraid
to show me, but you were never afraid to tell me. That says something about our relationship doesn’t it?
To learn more about Dear Dad, click here..
by | Faith Lived Out
I wanted to share with you one of my favorite Bible verses.
I was introduced to these life changing words in 2010 and they are written on my heart for life. They mean so much to me, in fact, I had the address tattooed on my wrist just in case I needed a reminder.
If you’re struggling with shame, consider this God speaking directly to you today.
