Dear Precious Friends,
Another new day! WOW WOW WOW!
I ran across this picture early this morning... and just couldn't stop thinking about it. I felt the Lord asking me a question... Where the Spirit for the Lord is, there is freedom. What does it look like? Well it looks a lot like the image below... living like someone left the gate open. It's living without chains, fences and gates.. It's running through open doors with Godfidence!!!
12Therefore, since we have such a hope [that is, the hope of our glorious salvation], we are very bold….17Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
2 Cor 3:12, 17 (NIV)
I have some exciting news I needed to be reminded of today. That is what I love about Roxane's Reflections. I get to share what I need to hear.
God has set an open door before us as believers! He’s opened the gates! Scripture is so clear that God has prepared works for each of us. Ephesians 2:10 says:
For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)
God has called us, prepared us and prepared work for us. That means there are open doors. They may not be the doors we expect. They may not even be the doors we want. But they are open doors. (yes even in Covid) It's right where we are now. God knew we would be here for such a time as this.
Let's not squander the opportunity to accomplish God’s purposes. We don’t want to live our lives on the sidelines, especially when it comes to fulfilling God’s purposes. We want to live our lives knowing that God has left the gate open and any door He’s opened we want to run through because what’s on the other side is the fulfillment of God’s purposes in my life.
Let me repeat that. What’s on the other side of doors that God opens is the fulfillment of God’s purposes in my life. And I can’t think of anything greater. I truly can’t. I can’t think of anything greater than honoring God with our lives, glorifying Him and accomplishing God’s purposes.
Yet why is it we don’t always live like that. Why? When our heart’s desire is to run hard after the purposes God has for us and to love Him with abandon, why don’t we? I’m sure there are many reasons, but the one at the top of our list may be fear. Tough one to admit... we prefer to believe we fully trust God. But we know that sometimes fear still holds me back. It can take many different shapes, but all of them have the same root – lack of faith.
Fear is trusting that God can’t or won’t come through for you. It’s not trusting that God loves you so much that He will deliver you from whatever the enemy throws your way. It’s wondering if He will deliver you. It’s wondering if you’re worthy enough, important enough to Him or good enough for Him to lead you safely to the other side.
Today lets really look at the lack of faith that comes from not fully understanding and embracing God’s love.
I see a relationship between three things: Faith, Freedom and Action (living like someone left the gate open).
Faith => Freedom [Faith leads to Freedom]
Faith + Freedom => Action [Faith plus Freedom leads to Action]
If we are not living like God left the gate open, it is in large measure because of a faith issue. And for most of us, I don’t think it’s an issue of believing that Christ died for our sins. I believe it’s an issue of understanding how that act flowed out of a heart that loves us more intensely than we can think or imagine. He sent His only son to die for as payment for the sins we committed... Often times we can't forgive our neighbor or co-worker, or friend... REALLY???? His example is beyond our human ability to comprehend but we know God is LOVE and there is no greater love than what Jesus did on the cross for each of us.
When we know how much we’re loved by God, freedom comes into our life. We are transformed from the fearful or what will they think people we are in the natural to men and women who step out in boldness.
16“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned…
John 3:16-18a (NIV)
The fact that God would love us enough to send His son Jesus, the fact that Jesus would willingly leave all the glories of the Godhead and heaven and come to earth to live within the limitations of a human body and then die a horrible death – these things demonstrate – prove God’s love. God didn’t just say “I love you,” He proved it. His deeds prove His Word.
And yet, we believe verse 16 but somehow verse 18 doesn’t become part of our faith. Whoever believes in Him is NOT CONDEMNED.
Say it out loud “I am NOT CONDEMNED.” Go ahead – say it! I’ll wait!
Do our believe it? Has it gotten into our spirit to such a degree that you live life like God left the gate open? Are we ready to run through His open gates?
We have a very lost world right now... let's start living like someone left the gate open. Let's living without chains, fences and gates.. and in the freedom Christ gave us when we received His gift in our hearts. May we run through open doors with
Godfidence embracing our great hope with so much joy, so much boldness that we can't wait for a new day to share Him and do all that He has for us to do... so when people see us, they see Him.
AMEN!!!
