Let Pain Teach You To Live

Breaking Open, Not Breaking Down

We will all face breaking points, and many times we will splinter and crack. We all know broken hearts and broken relationships intimately. But with Jesus these are the opportunities not to fall down and stay down but to fall and rise differently. To rise with power, with hope, and with purpose. That is the goal. We get to rise, open to a new way of living.

To do that, though, we can’t avoid the breaking. We can’t stuff it down deep under a coping mechanism. We can’t outrun it by moving fast enough. We can’t numb it with another drink or another cynical.. comment. We can’t avoid it by manufacturing drama to gain attention. There’s only one way to thrive in life, and it’s definitely not by shutting down, it’s by remaining open.

Jesus encountered brokenness and, instead of using a supernatural field to hold suffering at bay, he embraced it fully, And he himself broke. But Jesus did it in a way that brought healing, that brought others in, and brought life.

Better still, Jesus invites us to live a healed whole life as those who break open toward God. For Jesus, this isn’t about leading us down a road where we break. He knows the road we are on is broken, so he is leading us to hope, healing, and wholeness.

Remember when we talk about breaking that is headed to a wide-open space that Jesus is preparing for us, where all the broken places are made whole. And so when we break, we break open to Jesus. We break open towards others instead of seeking the tempting allure of isolation. We break open and live life desperate, vulnerable lives that invite others to do the same.

Nehemiah had one of the most notable breakdowns in the Bible. It is found in the book that bears his name in the Old Testament. Nehemiah was living in a very difficult time for his people, the Jews – the people of God . They were in exile, which meant most of the things they held dear had been stripped from them. They had been uprooted from their homes and forced to serve a new king and a new kingdom. They had lost things like family, connections, familiar ways of life, and religious patterns. But like most difficult times, there were some who managed to do okay. Nehemiah was that guy.

In the midst of exile, he was actually prospering. He was prospering externally, at least. He had a good job. He had a prominent position in the kingdom. Sure, the king was not really treating his people well, but the king was treating Nehemiah well. We all have friends like this. While the COVID pandemic was one of the hardest season ever for many people, most of us know one friend who got a new job or house or whose child got into a good college. That was Nehemiah. And even amid all the good things in his life, he broke down too. It turned out the Nehemiah’s external condition did not mirror his internal one. It took Nehemiah’s hearing that his people were suffering in Jerusalem for everything to come apart. Things were going well for Nehemiah but not for the people he loved, and that was a great burden to him.

Nehemiah said this is his book: “when I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven” (1:4). He sat down on the ground and mourned and prayed and he didn’t eat, For some days, he did this. If you see me on the ground for days crying and I’m not eating, you can call it what it is a breakdown.

But the only reason we know of Nehemiah’s account is because he broke open. His mourning and fasting led him closer to God. In fact, everything about Nehemiah’s breakdown involved staying open to God. His heart was broken because he knew there were people who weren’t safe, weren’t well fed, and weren’t happy. He didn’t even his high position as separating him from the condition of others. It broke him, but it broke him open in a way that led to action.

Nehemiah did some amazing things. He rebuilt the walk around Jerusalem. He stood up against dangerous enemies. He restored the people of God back to health and connectivity. But when Nehemiah story started there was so much crying and so much sadness. I think Nehemiah would say, “I could never have done all that, had I not let go of my desire to control it all, had I not given everything to God and resolved to keep going.”

We all have breaking points, breaking moments. Would you choose to break open? To let go? Try opening your hands up right now. As you physically open your hands, think about the things you need to let go of in your heart. Breathe out what you need to let go of to keep going. Breathe in the resolve to keep moving.

To choose hope.

To let go is to choose hope. To keep going when your body and mind say that you can’t go on is to choose hope.

To choose hope is the opposite of losing hope. And we all lose hope sometimes. For mow, let’s just believe together that there is hope. We can let go, we can keep going, because we have reason to hope. Believe that God has a full, good life coming for you. Let hope fill you deep in your being.

What in life has caused you to breakdown?

Did you break open and find hope in Jesus?

What Are Justification And Sanctification?

The words justification and sanctification have largely fallen out of use in Western culture. Sadly, they are also fading from sight in the church as well. One reason for this decline is distressing is that the Bible uses the words justification and sanctification to express the saving work of of Christ for sinners. So what does the Bible teach about justification and sanctification? How do they differ from one another? How do they help us understand better the believers relationship with Christ?

Justification is as simple as A-B-C. Justification is an act of God. It does not describe the way that God inwardly renews and changes a person. It is rather, a legal declaration in which God pardons the sinner of all his sins and accept and accounts the sinner as righteous in His sight. God declares the sinner righteous at the very moment that the sinner puts his trust in Jesus (Romans 3:21-26, 5:16, 2 Corinthians 5:21).

What is the basis of this legal verdict? God justifies the sinner solely on the basis of the obedience and death of His Son, our representative. Jesus Christ. Christ’s perfect obedience and full satisfaction for sin are the only ground upon which God declares the sinner righteous (Romans 5:18-19; Galatians 3:13; Ephesians 1:7;Philippians 2:8). We are not justified solely on the basis of Christ’s work on our behalf. This righteousness is imputed to the sinner. In other words in justification, God puts the righteousness of His Son onto the sinner’s account. Just as my sins were transferred to, or laid upon, Christ at the cross, so also His righteousness is reckoned to me (2 Corinthians 5:21).

By what means at the center justified? Sinners are justified through faith alone when they compact their crush in Christ. We are not justified because of any good that we have done, are doing, or will do. Faith is only an instrument of justification, faith add nothing to what Christ has done for us in justification. Faith merely receives the righteousness of Christ offered in the gospel (Romans 4:4-5).

Finally, saving faith must demonstrate itself to be the genuine article of producing good works. It is possible to confess saving faith but not possess having saving faith (James 2:14-25). What distinguishes true faith from a mere claim to faith is the presence of good works (Galatians 5:6). We are in no way just justified for our good work. But no one may consider himself to be a justified person unless he sees in his life that fruit and evidence of justifying faith; that is, good works.

Both justification and sanctification are gracious of the gospel, they always accompany one another. They deal with the center sin. But they differ in some important ways. First, word yesterday for cake and address of the guilt of our sin, sanctification addresses the dominion and corruption of sin in our lives. Justification is God declaring the sinner righteous.

Sanctification is God renewing and transforming our whole persons – our minds, wills, affections, and behaviors. Sanctification simply put made “set apart” Set apart unto God for His use and glory. Until we are sanctified, God is limited and he should be will be show case as His is crown of glory and His royal diadem. It’s the delivery choice to live a holy and blameless life before God and Man and it doesn’t happen by chance, only by choice. You must want to choose to be sanctified by God by casting aside your own which is in desired and diligently following and obeying God.

It isn’t always easy, but God strength is made perfect in your weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).

But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and a silver, but also award and of earth, and some few honor armor and some fidgets on her. It’s a man beer for purchase himself from the Eashalle be a vessel up on her, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepare unto every great work.

Timothy 2:20-21

What will believers receive in heaven? We are sanctified by our great works. God promises those who are faithful will receive the crown in heaven. In 1 Corinthians 9:24-25 Paul describes or us how we crowns are rewarded.

The Obstacles In Our Way

Nehemiah 4:1-9

It has been said that to eliminate opposition is to immediately eliminate its effectiveness. We we are close to the finish line, that is when the opposition is the most rigorous abs relentless. Think about a football team moments away from putting the ball over the opposition’s try line. The opposing team does everything in their power to resist the progress on the opponents. They want to keep back.

In the Bible account of Nehemiah, Nehemiah had received permission and favor from the Persian king to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. He how to construct a team to help him (all volunteers), And Nehemiah with gaining momentum and seeing progress.

It was then that the opposition knocked on Nehemiah’s wall. We read that Sanballet, Tobiah, and Geshem mocked and ridiculed because the progress with making people increasingly angry, Therefore, they plotted to fight against the nation of Israel to stir up distractions. They wanted to deter Nehemiah we’re making any more headway.

Brick by brick, the opposition and accusations came. All uninformed, and all unfounded. There and watched you intimidate Nehemiah and called him to step back. Their intent was to stall him out by slowing him down. They hoped to make it hard enough that he’d finally gave up.

For Nehemiah, it was the three individual mentioned before us, the opposition often comes by the names of disappointment, discouragement, and self-doubt. Despondency can grip our hearts. The Question arises, “can we actually build the ruins?”

Nehemiah‘s response is a blueprint for each of us when we are met with severe opposition. We are to pray and then make a plan. Verse 9 of Nehemiah 4, tell us is that Nehemiah didn’t come down from his wall, but he prayed, and then he hosted a team member as a guard protecting the workers day and night. God saw his enemies, and Nehemiah didn’t come down from what God had called him to rebuild.

This empowered Nehemiah to encourage his wary workers. Like a coach preparing a team to go out for the final game. Nehemiah speech got them ready. He declared that they should not be afraid of their opponents. Instead, they are to remember the Lord and release their fears into His hands (verse 14).

With a resolute, common bond, they cried out with confidence and conviction. “ God will fight for us! And 52-days later the wall was completed. An unprecedented building project had been pulled off, and the opposition defeated.

God will always restore what is broken around you. He’s fighting for you. He will defeat your enemies and empower you to resist the opposition that comes your way. Resistance is always the fear cyst on the borderline of a breakthrough.

All we have to do ask. God keeps His promises.

3 Keys To Spiritual Hunger

As a child, I was never taught about the Lord. I didn’t even know He existed. With everything I went through in life I thought I was on my own. While I knew my dad loved me, he was busy raising 5 kids and didn’t have much time for me.

I couldn’t understand understand why my mother was so mean to me, and my father didn’t have time for me. It lead to a very lonely life. I remember I would lay in my bed at night crying and wondering why I was left there to fend for myself.

After every bad event in my life, I knew I had to pick myself up and keep going, but I never knew why I, when all I felt was loneliness and pain.

I just kept going through the motions of every day life and just took things as they came. Early in my childhood I had learned to put up walls to keep me from being hurt. That’s how I had learned to cope. If the walls were high enough no one could get it.

It wasn’t until later a whole lot later that I began to break down those walls I had put up around me. And I have to tell you it was difficult. I was used to not feeling, I had no emotional response in me. I didn’t cry, I didn’t smile. I had no happiness. I was a non-emotional woman.

It wasn’t until I was in my late 40’s that I realized what a missable person I was not only to myself and to everyone around me. It wasn’t until I began seeking the Lord, I knew I couldn’t live the way I was living. I had to let people love me, and I had to learn to love.

I began to have a spiritual hunger for the Word of God, and what it could teach me. It was one of the most formative things I learned, the power of spiritual hunger. The trajectory for my life was formed by such hunger and resulting more fullness that I knew how to express.

When I speak of spiritual hunger and desire, I don’t mean being shamed into a bunch of religious should’s like I should have quiet time, I should go to church, I should read the Bible or I should share my faith. Believe me, I have done that. I an talking about having an undeniable hunger for more of God,

A desire for God that releases heaven’s fullness to overflow into your life.

The world is moving so far away from God these days. Many don’t want anything to do with Him. And you know what that’s free will. If people want to forget God and go about their lives that doesn’t exist with God, who am I to try and convince them different. But I tell you, you will reap what you sow. (Solomon 2:44

I am here for the people who want a life of peace and a love so fulfilling that it will rock your soul.

God honors and blesses spiritual hunger. I humbly offer these three keys to understanding spiritual hunger:

Hunger Is A Gift

I regularly thank God for the gift of hunger in my life. Spiritual hunger is not something that you can make up or take credit for. It is a gift not of our, but of God, as He draws us near. It all starts with Him. (John 6:44). The good news is that if you are interested in Him, He is looking for hearts that are open in order to stir up a hunger that will lead them to satisfaction of the soul.

When we sense a burning sensation in our hearts, a tugging to get away and be with Him to know Him more, to read the Bible, to ask questions about Him, to just be near people who know Him, it’s not a random emotion or a passing phrase. It is the drawing of the Holy Spirit.

Hunger Must Be Acted On Or If Will Fade

An identifiable desire for God is the work of the Holy Spirit drawing you closer to heaven banqueting table, to a deeper relationship with God (Solomon 2:4). It’s an Invitation to feast on the things that truly satisfy the heart. (Isaiah 55:2). He’s stirring a hunger and awareness of your need so that you will come and fill up your soul. We must, however respond to that invitation. If there is no action on our part in response to that hunger, it will fade away. It’s a pretty simple Spiritual law. If you feed the hunger, it will grow. If you ignore the hunger, it will fade.

Hunger Begets Hunger

The experts say that sleep begets sleep for babies. The more sleep they get, the more sleep they will continue to have. The same is true with spiritual hunger. The more you get, the more you will continue to have. The more you taste, the more you want (Psalm 34:8), it’s a cycle of spiritual life and growth.

The opposite is true as we,k. The less spiritually hungry we are, the less we will desire of God, the less we will be filled. That is a cycle not of spiritual growth, but of spiritual apathy.