Put Me In My Place

As I prayed the other morning, I said, "I don't care what anyone else is doing or not doing.  It doesn't matter.  Lord, put me in my place."

As soon as those last words were out of my mouth, I thought, "Where did that come from?".  I then began to contemplate what that could mean.

"Our Place in Relation to God"

To the world, somebody being "put in their place" references a person being knocked down a peg or two after being perceived to be too lofty.  Certainly God also warns us against thinking too highly of ourselves.

"For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith." Romans 12:3

One common way in which people think more highly of themselves is to disregard God's ways in favor of their own understanding (Isaiah 55:9; Proverbs 3:5).  When you see someone who justifies disobedience to God's word, then you are looking at the fruit of pride.

Being high-minded may also cause you to become impatient with God, taking matters into your own hands and creating an Ishmael instead of waiting for God's promises to be revealed.  God had promised Abram that He would provide him a son.  Yet not waiting for God to bring this to pass, Sarai had Abram conceive a son through her handmaid Haggar (Genesis 16:1- 18:15).  Yet, Ishmael was not the son God promised.  From then to this day, the family feud which resulted continues to plague God's people.

At times, God may need to remind us that He alone is God and He alone knows what is best for us. Gd is not looking for man's ability, but is looking for vessels through which He can do even the impossible.  Just as we should not think too highly of ourselves, we should also not think too lowly.

Being "in my place" means that I am a redeemed child of the Most High God and a member of the Body of Christ.  It means I should be able to speak to a mountain and by faith have it moved and cast into the sea (Matthew 21:21).  It means I have been given authority over all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19).  It means that the power of God is available to flow through me, casting out devils, healing the sick, and showing forth miraculous signs and wonders to confirm His word (Mark 16:17-18).

Yes Lord, put me in my place.

Wicked Counselors

"Lo, their good is not in their hand: the counsel of the wicked is far from me." Job 21:16

"Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity." Psalm 64:2

"The thoughts of the righteous are right: but the counsels of the wicked are deceit." Proverbs 12:5

"Then said he unto me, Son of man, these are the men that devise mischief, and give wicked counsel in this city." Ezekiel 11:2

"There is one come out of thee, that imagineth evil against the LORD, a wicked counsellor." Nahum 1:11

The following message from Omega Ministries is entitled, "I Am Possessed".

When you think of demon possession, you will often think the most far out, bizarre, and fringe types of personalities.  However, some of the most demon-possessed persons look extremely normal to the naked eye.  They may even appear to be humble, charitable, pious, and holy as they move in religious circles. 

Satan sets up his ministers in the so-called churches for the express purpose of ensnaring the people and filling them with unclean spirits as a way to keep them from Christ.  Such persons actually become anti-christ in their thinking, all while falsely believing that they are serving the Lord.

• Our minds need to be anchored to the Lord.  In a storm, this is the only anchor who can keep us.
• People will be terrified as they realize that they have imagined being saved, but never really knew the Lord Jesus.
• Fearfulness will overtake the hypocrites (Isaiah 33:14).
• We are in the middle of a supernatural, metaphysical war.
• Demons are insatiable.
• Deliverance is good news and the children's bread (Matthew 15:26; Mark 7:27).
• Satan sends the spirit of anti-Christ into man's souls as a preparation for receiving the the Anti-Christ to come.  He sends you a wicked counselor to yoke you to itself, advise you, and lead you astray (Nahum 1:11).  The anointing from Jesus Christ can break this yoke, but you still must separate from the lies and the liars which had you bound.

Lord, What Are You Doing?

I had a conversation with the Lord last week about some situations with which we are dealing in our lives.  I asked the Lord, "God, I just don't understand the purpose behind all of this and why they seem to be dragging on so."

At that point, He asked me,"With all of these situations you are raising to me, which one would you have me to take away if I gave you that choice?"

Well, I really thought about that...I mean I thought about it long and hard.  There were many possibilities which came to mind, and I was initially excited about being able to tell the Lord which one burden I wanted Him to immediately remove.  Yet, the more I considered the question, the more trepidatious I became.  Which one would I choose??  I realized that attempting to do so would have me playing with fire.

"And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." Romans 5:3-5

"Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.  But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." James 1:3-4

You see, what if I chose the wrong thing?  What if I chose a situation that God was using to perfect me?  Was I willing to forgo being perfected in order to have some momentary comfort in the flesh? Yes, it might make my current days on this earth a little easier, but what if the resulting ease meant that I would fall short of the glory of God and not become what He has proclaimed that I should?  Did I want a trouble-free life or did I want to made perfect and entire, wanting nothing?  I could not have both.

The Ol' Switcheroo

A few years ago, a young lady we knew got saved and went off to college.  In her college town, there was a woman who led a church with whom she got involved.  Before you know it, the young girl had moved out of her dorm and into a house owned by this church, where she committed herself to doing whatsoever it was this church requested.

When asked what she was doing, she would say that she had given her life to the Lord.  In reality, she had given her life over to a witch who through enchantments and seducing spirits had perverted her away from the Lord.  Because of the amount of religious activity in which the young girl was engaged, she convinced herself that she was pleasing and in fellowship with the Lord.  However, she was drifting further away from Jesus every day because she was drifting further away from the Truths of Christ.  She fell for the ol' switcheroo, believing that outward works meant one was holy.

I warn you.  Do not ever think that a bunch of activity means you are close to the Lord.  Oftentimes, a bunch of fervor in religious circles is a cover for those who are actually running away from Christ. A lot of good - but dead - works at best will make you the equivalent of a Catholic nun. You become Mother Theresa, a woman who gave her life over to good works for the poor in India, yet died doubting there even was a God.  Why did she die in unbelief?  Because she never grabbed hold of the truth of God's word and let that word impart new life to and change her by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus is looking to mold you from the inside out, and external works will never be an acceptable replacement for this required inward cleansing (Romans 8:29).  No amount of good works alone will ever keep you when the times get rough, but only the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. 

If You See Me Wallowing in the Mire...

Let's say that you are walking one day and you find me on the side of the road.  There I am, in a huge muddy pit, just sloshing around in the dirt.

Although it initially looks like I may be struggling to get out as my members contend with the weight of the caked on debris all over my clothes, skin, and hair, you are just not sure.  As you watch me roll around in the mud, you wonder if in fact I might actually be enjoying it...and maybe to a certain extent I am.

Each day, you walk by and find me in that same muddy hole.  Each day I seem to be a little deeper in it.  The degradation of my condition worsens, and the stench from the pit soon becomes overwhelming.

You eventually discover that I have resorted to eating the mud around me, for lack of any other nutrients nearby.  Yet each day you walk by, and if only for a brief moment, our eyes meet.

In such circumstances, can I ask you a favor?

Sincerely Wrong vs. Willfully Ignorant

A brother called recently to talk to me about the story of Job.  He shared how - at the end of the matter - God never told Job why he was allowed to suffer.  His three friends insisted that his suffering must be the result of either his sin or his children's sin.  They claimed that this was a judgment against Job because he really didn't serve the Lord at all.  Yet, each of these friends were wrong (Job 42:7-8).

God starts off stating that Job was a perfect & upright man (Job 1:8) and He ends by justifying Job and blessing him anew (Job 42:10-17).  Yet here is the kicker: There were still things God needed to work out in Job.  Job needed to learn that God is sovereign (Job 38:1 - 41:34).  God does what He wants to do and He owes us no explanation...even while His hand of protection remains upon us.

The point here is that - through this process of suffering - Job was convicted and brought to repentance over having spiritual pride (Job 40:3-5, 42:1-6).  Job was a righteous man, but there were still things in his heart that God wanted to reveal so that Job could be further purged and cleansed (Job 33:14-29).

God is not primarily concerned with the things that are wrong within us; these are no surprise to Him.  He knows there are things in us that are are not in alignment with His will & His ways.  That is why He sent Jesus to be a sacrifice for our sin and the Holy Spirit to be a sanctifier of our hearts.  Perfecting God's people is something only the Lord can do, and He is faithful to complete the work He has started in us (Philippians 1:6).  However, in order to be perfected, we must stay sincere before Him.  Our job is to yield to Him as He does His work.

This is how we are able to live blamelessly before God, even with there still being things which need to be set right within us (Luke 1:6; I Corinthians 1:8; Philippians 2:15, 3:6; I Thessalonians 5:23; I Timothy 3:2-10, 5:7; Titus 1:6-7; II Peter 3:14).  Being upright is not about having no sin, but about not being in covenant with sin...and that is a big difference.