Living Without Limits

I am not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward--to Jesus. I'm off and running and I'm not turning back.

So, let's keep focused on that goal, those of us who want everything God has for us. If any of you have something else in mind, something less than total commitment, God will clear your blurred vision--you'll see it yet! Now that we're on the right track, let's stay on it.                    Philippians 3:12-16 (the Message)

Have you ever thought about the areas in your life where you experience limits?  I think it is common for us to allow our past experiences and beliefs to dictate our present choices and thus our future successes.   Paul reminds us in this passage that we can desire everything God has for us and that God is cheering us on toward that goal.

The more I hear and understand about how we create our own world by our attitudes, emotions and beliefs, the more I am convinced that it is true; we have exactly the life we want in our hearts. We may not be happy in all the areas of our lives, but if we are not, at least God has given us opportunities to experience the abundant life if we choose to. It is because of our own choices not to believe in His promises that we are not fulfilled.

I once heard of a man who was afraid of getting cancer because it was in his family. He went to the doctor who told him that all the symptoms he was experiencing showed he did indeed have cancer and that he had maybe two weeks to live. The man went into the hospital and in two weeks he died. Due to the agressive nature of the cancer involved, they decided to do an autopsy. They discovered that the man didn't have cancer at all: It was his imagination that killed him. 

When I was younger, I remember hearing about a man who accidently got locked in a refrigerator car on a train and died with all the symptoms of hypothermia--he even kept a written record of time and how he was feeling colder, sleepy, lack of oxygen, etc. The refrigerator car, however, was not "on" and the temperature never got below 60 degrees. The expectation of his heart was what killed him.

We experience what we believe with emotion, both in the negative and in the positive realms. The focus of my mind effects my emotions, which in turn effects my energy, health, and life.  When we focus on the limits instead of the freedom we will cement them more firmly in our lives.  Focus on your pain and it increases.  Focus on freedom and it increases. 

What would a life look like with NO LIMITS? 

• No more limiting pain to keep me from doing what I want to do. "I am pain free" 
• No more limiting sickness to keep me from having the energy I need. "I am in excellent health" 
• No more limiting emotions to keep me from experiencing God's full and abundant life of blessing. "I am filled with the peace and joy of the Lord" 
• No more limiting fear to keep me from speaking love into every situation. "I am filled with God's love and glory"

We can claim these truths with confidence because the Word tells us we are all these things and more. The promises of God are infinite--without limits--to those who believe in Him. 

I pray you will reflect on your life today and consider what limits you have allowed to be put on your life, then seek out God's promises showing you no longer need to live within those limits.  You are FREE!!  As you consider the freedom and picture a life lived without limits, may you also deeply sense God's incredible love for you and know His desire for you to live His abundant life.

What God Sees

It has been a great challenge to me throughout my life to see myself in a positive light.  My flaws are quite evident to me, and no doubt to those around me as well, but the more I think about my relationship with my Father, the more I realize He does not see me as I see myself.  It is important, therefore, to change my view to reflect HIS view and opinion of me so I may see the truth.

Here are some scriptures that help remind me of His viewpoint.  

• Jeremiah 31:3 says God loves me with an everlasting love. He draws me to Himself with loving-kindness. (not force, feelings of inadequacy, guilt, etc., but with sweet wooing, kindness and generosity)

• Psalm 5:12 says I am blessed by God and He surrounds me with favor as a shield. (I have often thought of his surrounding me as protection, but never noticed that His favor is a shield)

• Psalm 139:17-18 says His thoughts are precious toward me. If I could count them they would outnumber the sand! (that means He is thinking good things about me all the time--so many that I can't even begin to number them! I picture the love of my life and how many good things I think about him, then think about how puny my love is in comparison!)

• 2 Corinthians 5:21 says I am the righteousness of God in Christ.  Christ's righteousness is in me, and flowing through me: it is a part of who I am!  If I am His righteousness, I can love others as He loves me. It would be a tall order if He wasn't living within my heart, directing my paths and showering me with His love all the time! 

• Song of Songs 4:7 says that God thinks I am beautiful. He sees no flaw in me. (This is where I stumble! NO FLAW??? BEAUTIFUL??? That's what HE sees. Lord, help ME to see that, too!)

• Zephaniah 3:17 describes God's heart toward me as protective, delighting in me, calming me with his love and rejoicing over me with singing. (He is serenading me! He is so happy with me that He is humming as He thinks about me!)

These are not ways most people picture God's view of them, or there would be more wanting to know and spend time with Him!  If He sees me this way, I know He sees others this way. 

Matthew 11:28-30 in the Message says:

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion?  Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life.  I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me--watch how I do it.  Learn the unforced rhythms of grace.  I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.  Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly.

Unforced rhythms of grace. We don't have to work at this. We just need to believe it. What JOY and freedom that brings!  

God knows who you are and all you have done and He still loves you completely, unconditionally and wholly.  He sees the wounds and scars on your heart and desires to heal them and make you whole. He wants you to trust Him and rest in the knowledge that His grace is sufficient to bring you through any circumstance, and that it won't seem like a burden to be in His company. 

I pray you will learn to live freely and lightly and that you will discover how to take a real rest in Jesus.  I pray you will search His words to discover how He sees you, and once you learn how valuable you are to Him, that you will rest and draw near to His heart so He might continually bring you love, joy, and peace.

Praying for Others

No matter what past history we may have with others, we need to see them through God's eyes of love. On some level we feel justified in recalling all the hurts we have experienced in the relationships, but that is an "old man" mentality, and according to Romans 6 that old man died when we accepted Christ in our hearts.

Since we now live under the New Covenant and are free to experience all the gifts we have been given through the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, we must reexamine our prayer lives, as well. Since we already have been given the inheritance of Christ by the nature of our commitment to His lordship, we no longer have to ask God to DO anything. It has already all been completed through Christ. (2Peter 1:3) Since the covenant for our inheritance is with Jesus, not ourselves, we can't screw it up by not holding up our end of the covenant: it has been sealed by Jesus. (Now THAT is some good news!)

With that in mind, we realize that we can "pray" for people by blessing them. A blessing in this sense is a spoken positive whereas a curse is a spoken negative. When we talk negatively about people and remind ourselves of things they did that hurt us, we are cursing them. When we talk about people and speak positive things about them -- in this case the things God says about them-- we are blessing them.

Here is an example: We think about a person and get a picture of them in our minds. Then we speak the truth of the Word while thinking about them, adding their names in the promises. "John (in this case I have used a fictitious person) has been given the mind of Christ. He makes wise decisions and hears clearly from the Holy Spirit who resides in his heart to teach Him. John has been made righteous (as it should be) through Christ. He exhibits the fruit of the Spirit in all his actions. John has the healing power of Christ residing within his body. He desires to live his life in a manner that reflects health."

This type of prayer reminds us of the provisions for all believers because of our salvation (safe from harm, healed, delivered, protected, anointed, reconciled, given all the promises, etc.) and causes us to see others as God sees us. If the person has not entered into a personal relationship with Christ, we can still agree with God's word for these things (God loved us all while we were still sinners and loves each of us equally) and that He will draw them unto Himself, because it is not His desire that any should perish.

By agreeing with what God's word says about others, we don't have to wonder about whether or not our prayers are "heard" because they are divinely inspired! The answer then does not depend on our faith, but rather on the choice of the person we are blessing, and their response to God's wooing. We are essentially all responsible for the outcomes of our own lives (we are given free choice by God) but we are drawn to God by His great love for us. It is for this reason that nagging or manipulation of any sort are not effective toward changing others--even if it is for their own good!

I recently heard an excellent analogy relating to this. It is much easier to fish than to hunt. Hunters chase their pray who run from them in fear, whereas fishers lure theirs with appealing bait. Could be why Jesus called us to be "fishers of men" instead of hunters!

Crystal Reflections

I have always been drawn to the reflections of the light in cut crystal and love to see the sparkle of it under bright lights. Normally I am not interested in colored crystal, but this vase caught and held my attention. I went back to it several times in the 20 or so minutes we were in the little shop, and while it cost way more money than I had intended to spend on a souvenir from my trip, my husband kindly purchased it for me as an early anniversary gift.

When I brought the vase home, it took me a while to decide where to put it so I could look at it often. It didn't really fit with any of the rest of my collection: it was like a peacock in a dove cote. For a while it settled on a cedar chest in front of a large window. The light from the window made the colors come alive. When the sunshine hit the glass, it became almost too bright to look at, and the rainbow patterns were reflected all over the room.

I was thinking about that colored vase and how my life is similar. When I allow the light of Christ's love to shine through me, the beauty of all the facets He created in me comes through and reflects His love on those around me.

It is my choice as to how brightly I allow His light to shine. He is always present and always desiring to beam His love to any and all, but just as the old children's song reminds us, we don't want to hide that light under a bushel. I can choose to be less than friendly or refuse fellowship with others.  Likewise, if I continually have a cloud of misery hovering in my mind the light will be muddied and fail to reflect His love.

As you go through your day, I encourage you to remember that your life is a reflection of what is inside you.  Your thoughts are broadcast through your body language, your facial expressions and your words.  As you draw nearer to the source of light, more will shine through you and color with warmth all those around.