Janie

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November 8, 2024

God’s Favor in Trials

We all have Purpose. No matter What

The Lord created purpose in all of us and whether recognize this or not, we are meant to give Him glory in every area of our lives. However, what may keep us from realizing this is multifactorial relating to present or past circumstances, backgrounds, upbringings, values, etc. Across time we can analyze so many examples of the responses of those who went through trials, the driving force behind the response, as well as outcomes. God is in the midst, and he sees and knows how trials, in various degrees of difficulty impact our stories. He sees, knows, and takes into consideration our predispositions, personalities, and other culminating factors that make us who we are.

Although there may be happenings and circumstances that are not apart of His will, He wants us to know that He sees, He cares, and He can still use our stories if we make ourselves willing and available. Acknowledge that we live in a fallen world, but even still, God is triumphant over the plans and schemes of the enemy. It is up to us decide where we hold our attention, because ultimately this will determine our response which has the power to give God the space to determine the outcome for our victory.

The story of Esther and Joseph are fascinating to study side by side in noting how God used their diverse backgrounds and circumstances to fulfill His purpose. In the face of difficulty and seemingly impossible situations, they became strengthened in character and resilience in their willingness to remain faithful to God. Let’s delve and take a closer look at Joseph’s life in part one lives through what Scripture reveals and in part 2 dive into how this also relates in the story of Esther.

Joseph's Story

Joseph grew up, very privileged in his father, Jacob’s, household. He had eleven siblings and amongst them all, he was the favorite of the patriarch and he knew it. It’s possible that his upbringing as the favored child influenced the way he viewed himself in his own eyes. He was, to say the least, a tad too cocky, however, being the favorite of 12 sons to his father, he also may not have seriously considered this to be a flaw of character.

In his father’s household, Joseph was the first born to Rachel, Jacob’s favorite wife, who for some time had difficulty conceiving. Jacob openly acknowledged him with more favor than all of his brothers and even created him a special coat of many colors signifying this. Joseph wore this coat everywhere and bragged to all of his family of dreams he had of himself being exalted amongst them including one where they down to him. At this, even Jacob, questioned Joseph for revealing this but even still Joseph remained either unconscious or not convicted by his prideful manner and Jacob continued to openly play favorites. His brothers were jealous and angry, to say the least, and upon chance, outside the protective covering of his father, Joseph was attacked by his brothers then sold into slavery.

Joseph had always known that he was meant for something great, and that His dreams were from God. Yet never shying from boasting, he mishandled the vision he received from the Lord, and eventually paid heavily for this. We can learn here to use wisdom in how we handle the promises of God such as in who we share our visions with and how we view ourselves. God humbly chooses to manifest His power and glory through us, flawed as we are, but for the blood of Jesus that purifies us. We should also have a humble attitude knowing ultimately that we are only stewards of the abilities, talents, and gifts that God has entrusted us with.

Yielded Heart

Regardless, God is not the author of suffering, and it was never His original design for Joseph to be sold into slavery or go through all of the hardships that he endured. But despite this unexpected turn of events, devastating as this was, Joseph’s attitude and response represents the human capacity to preserve under all circumstances and despite odds, produce growth through strength of character that develops. Joseph suffered for a season of time after what his brothers did to him, but he did not allow the injustice and hardships he found himself in time and time again create a victim mentality in him. In everything, the posture of His heart was set towards honoring God in word, deed, and attitude.

Remember Potiphar’s wife? Unvirtuous as she was, she recognized great virtue and talent in Joseph. He was so excellent in all that he did, that Potiphar put him in charge of all of his household, so much so to the point that he did not concern himself with anything apart from his meal plan. She soon found out after her unsuccessful attempt to lure him to bed with her, that he was not only strong in deed but in character. With boldness and a clear conscious, willing her to have the same attitude, he refused her. This cost him his position as he ended up falsely accused by her and thrown in prison.

The posture of Joseph’s heart, set towards God in everything, allowed God’s favor to rest on him despite the challenges he endured. Joseph’s colored coat may have been destroyed by his brothers, but God’s mantle of purpose and destiny still rested on Him. He may have been falsely accused, shamed, thrown into prison, but He still had God’s seal of approval, blessing, and favor.

In everything, the posture of His heart was set towards honoring God in word, deed, and attitude.

Behold Him

There are seasons we may walk through in life that this may not seem so apparent, as such with Joseph, but remember that our outward circumstances past or present do not determine who we are without our permission. It also does not define or determine where we are headed without our consent. Joseph held on to the dreams of his childhood. He held onto the hope that he would be all who God had called him to be no matter the cost and no matter the obstacles and challenges he faced. He developed into and became the person of his dreams during the season he endured forced servitude and unjust persecution. This process did not occur overnight. Joseph prideful manner took a turn, and perhaps God allowed the circumstances he encountered to prune and refine Him. In our lives, every situation and circumstance, whether good or bad, should not be taken for granted as opportunities for growth.

If we keep our eyes fixed on God, everything will work out for our good and for His glory. God’s glory is not something we should expect to behold some time in the future. We have access to behold His glory even in our suffering at the present time. This access is dependent upon a yielded heart. There is glory in surrender.

Our outward circumstances past or present do not determine who we are without our permission.

Whatever you behold and what you set your attention on is what will shape and mold your character. Joseph endured various trials and chose to remain faithful and set his eyes on God. He had an attitude of excellence in everything that he did, maintained integrity, and showed himself faithful to the gifting God had placed on him. He truly exemplified how every situation and circumstance is an opportunity for growth. He could have allowed the unfairness of his circumstances create a root of bitterness in him, but rather he developed forgiveness and humility through his journey as later we read about how he blessed his brothers and entire family household after their reunion.

Whatever you behold and set your attention on is what will shape and mold your character.

God's Favor

Rather than being served, as he may have envisioned himself in his earlier days, Joseph learned the importance and honor of having a servant’s heart. He chose not to lose hope in suffering while many times for doing the right thing. Joseph is shown to persevere, never complain, excel in all he did, and continue holding on to the vision he firmly still believed belonged to him. If we choose to remain faithful to God in the midst of opposition, not only will he give us the strength to endure but we will gain the opportunity to learn to trust Him and become more like Him.

All in all, Joseph’s circumstances helped shape him into the leader he would become. In yielding rather than fighting the process, God’s favor was able to flow freely and manifest in his life even when it seemed least apparent. In our lives we can take this lesson knowing that we can trust God in all circumstances. With this revelation the apostle Paul wrote:

12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

– Philippians 4:12-13

November 24, 2020

Strength in Weakness

Janie Uncategorized 0

Today I would like to talk about God’s strength in our weaknesses. When Christ was hanging on the cross, many who saw Him thought that He was weak. He was in a very vulnerable position but even in the midst of this trial His eyes remained focused on the Father. This was the height of His surrender, no matter the cost.

Fear in Weakness

We all have weaknesses and shortcomings. Think of one that you may be facing in your life currently. How does it make you feel and respond? Usually, people tend to feel more on the terrible side of the spectrum. It’s possible that they become intimidated, feel unworthy, incapable, incompetent, and innumerous ways that reflect symptoms of insecurity and low self esteem. Then because of their weaknesses and how they feel about them, they respond accordingly most likely out of fear, especially fear of failure. Yet most often then not, the idea of failure is based on perception when hoped outcomes are not seen or expectations are not met. In response, one may try to conceal the product of failure.

They may also try to conceal any self characteristics or actions that they believe are responsible for this. This is usually brought out of shame, so that even though they try to improve upon the weakness, the shame still holds them back, as they start believing things like their value is hinged on their success or ability not to “fail” or not to have the weakness anymore. As a result, who they are and what they do may become products of fear rather than a product of a healthy sense of self and identity. They may decide not to live outside of the box that they feel their vulnerabilities and inadequacies create for them. Eventually, this inevitably stunts their growth as a person as they will only ever live within their comfort zones, always fighting to overcome weakness while remaining fearful.

There is no way to overcome weakness in fear, no matter whether we try to improve ourselves by it, because we will always be overshadowed by the feeling that we are not enough. In truth, that is correct. In it of ourselves we are not enough. God created us to be carriers of His glory, and to have Him dwell within us and us in Him so that we can find fulfillment in Him. That’s how much He loves and values us despite our weaknesses. Ultimately, His perfect love casts out all fear.

When we realize how much we are loved, our focus becomes no longer on how well we perform, but about our relationship with Him. It was never His intention for us to be created with weakness because we were only ever supposed to live, move, and have our being in Him. In Him we are satisfied, in Him we have meaning and purpose in life. In Him we live, move, and have our being (Acts 17:28) and through Him, we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength (Philippians 4:13).

Response to God

Therefore, we are not victims to anyone or anything not even to weakness. Instead of reacting in fear from weakness God has given us access to take hold of His strength regardless of any circumstance that we might be facing. It is where we choose to shift our attention that will determine our response.

First and foremost, we should always focus on who God is instead of focusing on ourselves and believing lies about our identity. That is what the enemy is after, our identity. If he can keep us from knowing who we are in Christ, he knows we will always be stunted. But he does not determine that, we do. It’s our choice to believe whomever and whatever and the only way that we can come into alignment with what God believes about us is if we first believe on who He says that He is. The Word of God reveals God’s nature in every page by revelation the Holy Spirit imparts. When you start acknowledging and accepting who God is through His Word, He will start revealing Himself in us and how He sees us and has called us to be. In Him we find our identity, not in our weakness, and firstly we should respond by focusing on who He is.

In our weakness we should also respond with joy. Paul even is known to say that he rejoices in weakness.

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials
James 1:2-4

As human beings living in this world, falling into various trials is inevitable, because the world itself is in a fallen state and has been shrouded in weakness ever since the fall of mankind. Rejoicing in trial is not glorifying the idea, and stooping to remain in weakness, as if a martyr, but rather because of the truth that we are not of this world, do not have to be subjugated to a fallen state, and that we are overcomers. We rejoice knowing that God has given us power and authority over trials, weaknesses, and temptation, not because we wrestle against flesh and blood,

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Ephesians 6:12

We can rejoice in the Lord because He has given us victory over the enemy and every obstacle in our lives that we have and are yet to face. When we rejoice, it takes us out of a victim mentality into absolute confidence that we are already on the winning side.

This particular weakness that they faced and that mankind has faced ever since the fall is the weakness of sin. Once Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the garden, mankind came into a fallen state and their relationship with God was severed. However after Christ came and broke the curse of sin,

There is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
Romans 8:1

We are meant to overcome sin and when it enters through temptation, think of the Lord’s prayer how it focuses on God first and then ends with the prayer to

lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Matthew 6:13

Ultimately, our focus should be on God instead of ourselves. When we give glory to Him and promote His will instead of our own on a daily basis, our weaknesses will diminish in our eyes and won’t become so daunting.

So how about sickness? This is also a weakness pervading people of God today. Again, we should always focus on God over the problem, knowing that we are already healed by His stripes in the Spirit realm. Our faith should aim to move boundaries in the Spirit realm, even though it may have something to do with something in the natural. In the Word of God it says that

whatever we bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever we lose on earth will be loosed in heaven
Matthew 18:18

Even though there may be a weakness manifesting in the natural through an ailment of our physical bodies, we can be confident that we are spiritually backed up by heaven’s army and that

No weapon formed against us shall prosper.
Isaiah 54:17

Even though there may be a physical affliction, know that the weakness is not with you, but that it’s with the enemy trying to pin his loss and defeat on you. But here is the deal, we have already won through the blood of Jesus Christ. We do not identify with the weakness of the enemy but in the strength of Christ, taking upon himself our weakness, so that we may overcome our weakness in Him because

by His stripes, we are healed.
Isaiah 53:5

When we have weaknesses God is our strength, and for this we can rejoice. However, that is not to say that we should let our guards down. We should remain prayerful and diligently be led by the Spirit instead of the flesh. 2 Corinthians reads,

we are glad whenever we are weak but you are strong; and our prayer is that you may be fully restored.
2 Corinthians 13:9

It’s not enough to rejoice, we should also be prayerful and believe for full restoration from weaknesses. David said,

but who can discern their own error? Forgive my hidden faults, keep your servant from willful sins, let them not rule over me, then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression.
Psalm 19:12

After Christ sent us His Holy Spirit (see more here), He empowered us to live godly lives and take on His identity. We don’t have to feel overcome by sin or sickness, instead we are overcomers because Christ already took our weaknesses and transgressions upon Himself as he hung on the cross. We need to keep our focus on Him and the sacrifice that He made for us so that regardless of our response we can respond in joy. In the next post, we will discuss how this will help us walk more boldly and confidently walk in trust, faith, and obedience.

October 3, 2020

Purification: Esther’s Inner Beauty (Part 2)

Janie Uncategorized abide, Esther, separation, submission 0

Before Esther became Queen, she probably never expected God would use her to help save His people. Yet, this was her destiny that she was in preparation for long before it was fulfilled. Her preparation kept her ready to do the will of God and altered the course of history. So how did Esther’s preparation process look like and how can we relate it to our Christian walks in fulfilling the callings God has for us? In this post, we will discuss the first crucial steps in preparation that we as believers should go through.

A queen in training, Esther was one of the beautiful virgins brought to the palace for the beauty pageant. Like all the rest, she would have to go through lengthy preparations before her one night with the King. Let’s take a closer look at the process that would prepare Esther for her destiny as Queen.

Healing and Purification

Purification was the first step in the preparation process Esther went through which included 6 months of myrrh and oil. During that time period, many of the women probably dealt with cracked, dry skin, wrinkling, sunburn, sores, and other various skin conditions that would benefit from all the treatments they would receive. Think of all the oils, olive, myrrh, cassis, honey to name a few, that they would soak and be massaged in to help heal and moisturize the skin not to mention leave a pleasant scent behind. So as you can very well tell, the preparation process before meeting the king was essential. This is also true in our lives today that we should prepare ourselves for our King and the one who matters the most, Jesus.

Let us rejoice and exult and give Him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready.
Revelation 19:7-9

Esther had a year of spa treatments to prepare but we have our entire lifetimes. In Esther’s case, the transformation that occurred was apparent in the natural, however as believers, our transformation occurs spiritually from the inside out.

Jesus brings this transformation process when we seek him and usually involves purification. Esther had to go through several months of this for her one night with the king to seal a relationship with Him as Queen. For us, it’s the other way around, in which Christ seals us to Himself first and out from this we become purified when we choose to abide in Him. It’s a process that we have to be mutually involved with alongside the Holy Spirit who guides and molds us as we go through the process.

In this post, we will discuss how purification involves separating, submitting, and ultimately abiding in God, which is involved in all of them. Let’s take a closer look at these three components.

Separating

Separating is when we choose to detach our identities from the world and carnal nature, which support feeding and elevating the flesh so that ultimately we become a god to ourselves, living only to please the desires of the flesh. This is contrary to what God wants for us and leads us to ignoring conviction from the Holy Spirit to turn away and separate ourselves for Him. God brings conviction of sin through love and not condemnation. Without acknowledging the love of God, sin would be impossible to separate from. Acknowledging and accepting the love of God enables us to turn to Him. As we turn to Him, He enables us to turn away from sin. Sin separates us from God and blinds us from the truth of who He is and who He has called us to be. He is a Holy God and cannot abide with sin. Therefore we need to be repentant and turn away from sin by turning towards Him and seeking His face.

It’s common to think that to turn to God means to first turn away from our sin. Though this is true it is not the first step that we should be taking. Turning to God fundamentally means believing in Him and His Truth. When a sinner first gets saved it is not because they were able to completely come out of sin but because they choose to believe that Jesus died and rose again to redeem him/her to the Father. When they turn to God, they are rejecting the lies of the world and their sinful nature and are embracing their new identity in Christ.

For if anyone is in Christ Jesus he is a new creation. Old things have passed away, behold all things have become new.
2 Corinthians 5:17

If you feel separated from God, there is a high probability that there are certain sins that you may be struggling with that are blinding you to God’s reality that He loves you and took upon Himself your iniquity.

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.
Isaiah 53:5

Here this verse does not just infer healing from sickness in the body, but also sickness in the soul as well. This includes familiar sins, addictions, weaknesses, etc. We can not separate ourselves from these chains ourselves. It’s only through the redemptive blood of Jesus that we can be set free and perceive God’s reality, that nothing can ever separate us from His love.

For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38

Separation is an identity mindset that involves turning to God and seeking His face and believing who He says we are.

Sin

To do this we need to believe the truth about all God says that we are. Your reality is made up of your perceptions and if not shaped by the Word it will turn to the world and human wisdom for answers. Yet the Bible says that

There is a way that seems right to a man but really leads to death and destruction.
Proverbs 14:12

There is only one way that leads to purity and that is through the blood of Jesus. No one in it of themselves is good. No matter how many good deeds done, or kind words spoken, human nature is sinful.

For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
Romans 3:23

The blood of Jesus was shed for the remission of sins and without it, we could never be forgiven and come before a holy God. Think back to the Old Testament when they sacrificed animals and smeared the sides of the altar with the blood among several of the other rituals that presented offerings and sacrifices for sin to the Lord. By this, people were heavily aware of the penalty for their sins and that the justice of God required payment. There were various rituals that involved some kind of grain, flour, or animal but ultimately, whatever was presented to the Lord had to be pure, untarnished, and without blemishes. Why did it matter so much that something spotless, and in the case of animals, innocent have to be sacrificed and offered to the Lord? One of the reasons is that the animal would take the place of a guilty part from an individual to an entire community, receiving the penalty of death through the sacrifice. The blood of the animal, it’s life source, I believe was smeared on the sides of the altar as a reminder that its life was given as a result of sin. Because it was unblemished, innocent, and made holy from being placed on the altar, it symbolically exchanged this to the people/person for their guilt and deserved punishment. This was a sign of how the Israelites were to be made right with God.

When Jesus came he ultimately was the last official Lamb that would stand in our place for the penalty of our sin. The wrath of God was placed on Christ when He died for us so that we could be made pure, holy, and blameless before Him when you decide to believe and follow Him.

Submitting

Once you are separated from the world and carnal nature, knowing who you are in Christ based on the finished work of the cross, you can begin the submission process. This is allowing the Holy Spirit to prune and refine you, bringing correction and conviction. In His love for us, He corrects us, and we show our love back through obedience. Obedience is not only following correction to not do something, but also instruction for what to do. The Word of God declares,

The Lord disciplines those that He loves and chastises those He receives.
Hebrews 12:6

and Jesus also said,

If you love me you will keep my commands.
John 14:15

Following correction and instruction is a choice, but at the same time we need to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit for these to be clear. The Holy Spirit brings conviction and brings us to repentance. When we repent the blood of Jesus purifies and cleanses us for all unrighteousness so that we are dead to sin. The Holy Spirit then raises us to life in Christ, giving us the power to overcome any temptation or sin we face. We can crucify the flesh, and live by the Spirit by renewing our mind with the Word of God consistently and submitting to His correction and instruction.

Just like separating, submitting is impossible to do on our own and if we have not first set ourselves apart for the Lord through separation, this would be like trying to sanctify ourselves and rely on works to make us right with God. Through submission, the Lord purifies us to be who He has called us to be and how we are to live our lives. Burn out and backsliding usually result when we do not submit to the Lord and try to sanctify ourselves through works. Trying to abstain from temptation without first yielding to the prompting of the Holy Spirit also leads to pride and self righteousness because then we start dictating for ourselves what is right and wrong and interpreting the Word of God based on what we want to believe about it. Yielding means repenting of sin, acknowledging our need for a Savior, and choosing to obey His Word regardless of the sacrifices needed to be made. We see this in action before Christ went to the cross saying,

Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.
Luke 22:42

It was Jesus’ destiny to go to the cross and to rise from the grave. He could not have achieved any of this if He first did not choose to submit.

Abiding

While submission is a choice made on our parts, abiding is a state of being that the Lord facilitates when He sees that we are fully submitted to His will.

If you abide in me and my word abides in you ask whatever you wish and it shall be done for you.
John 15:7

When we first submit by doing the will of God, in return He likewise fulfills our heart’s will and desire. Through abiding in Him, our own will and desires become more and more refined to be like His will and desire for us. We’ll find ourselves praying His will, plans, and purposes for our lives! As we come closer to Him through this process it becomes second nature to go through the process of separating and submitting. Obeying Him no longer would be a burden but rather a delight and also, because we are in Him, we are more likely to genuinely follow Paul’s example with this:

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
James 1:2-4

When we abide in Christ, He gives us the strength to preserve during times we face trials and have our faith tested. To get this place we first have to choose to separate our identities from the flesh and this world and submit our wills to His will through obedience. This ultimately will enable us to just be who He has called us to be.

April 21, 2020

Esther’s Inner Beauty and Favor with God

Janie Woman Warrior Beauty, Esther, Favor 0

Esther was a heroine in the making that God used to rescue His people from an evil plot to annihilate them. Set 100 years after the Babylonian exile, Esther was first introduced to the story after a decree had been made for all eligible beautiful virgins, of the 127 provinces in the Persian empire King Xerxes ruled stretching from India to Ethiopia, to be brought to the palace to beautified over a 12-month period and afterward presented to the king for one night. This process for selecting a new queen and Esther being brought to the palace would have never taken place if not for Vashti’s refusal to come before the king at his request during the last day of a banquet he was hosting.

Yet, behind the king’s drunken decision to exile Vashti and Esther entering the beauty pageant, God was working behind the scenes even though ironically, His name was never mentioned once in the narrative. Esther, seamlessly won the King over and in the process gained favor with those around her. In this way, God used not only her outer beauty, but inner beauty to save His people. Let’s take a closer look.

Esther naturally found favor with everyone around her because she found favor with God. That’s not to say that she was perfect according to Jewish customs of the time. During around this time in 5^th century BCE, the Jews had been permitted to return back to their home land, Jerusalem. Although some left, many chose to stay behind. Esther and her cousin and adoptive father, Mordecai, who had raised her since the death of her parents, were part of the small Jewish community in Susa, the capital of the Persian Empire, who chose to stay behind.

The Jews who decided to go back looked down on them for not honoring their traditional heritage by living and worship together in their homeland. They also frowned upon them for allowing themselves be surrounded by people who worshiped pagan gods and who were immoral in several other ways. Although Jewish by birth, Esther mingled with people outside of her Jewish community during her time in the palace and may not have followed all the Jewish laws and customs to the letter, given that those in the palace believed that she was of Persian descent.

There is also a possibility that, though keeping her nationality a secret, followed from Mordecai’s advice, she was able to maintain following the Torah and traditional Jewish practices. Either way, the condition of her heart was what God measured, not how often she followed the Jewish practices of the time.

Finding favor with God is not a matter of outward appearances but of inner transformation. Our rightness with God can never be based on outward works but is based on the inner work of the Holy Spirit when we choose to yield to Him and accept Jesus Christ as Lord over our lives. Whatever we do outwardly then only becomes a representation of the revelation we have of God’s righteousness through us. When our identities and how we individually perceive ourselves become one with how God views us, that is when we will be able to walk in the fullness of all that Christ has for us.

So tying this in with Esther, the fact that she was, in the natural, a descendant of God’s chosen people, or that she may not have followed the Israelite law by the letter, or that she mingled with other peoples and cultures not her own, which at the time was very frowned upon by other Jews, shows that God can use anyone despite their perceived shortcomings and does not consider our outer works and appearances as prerequisites for His favor.

So in a sense, although the book of Esther does not mention God and even today some Jewish sects do not consider the book of Esther worthy to be a part of their religious texts for this reason, I believe that God was behind the scenes and used someone whom no one would have ever expected to accomplish His plan to save His people from death. Even though Esther did not live outwardly as other customary Israelites, this does not mean that her heart was not set on God.

Those whose hearts are turned towards God are the ones who find favor with Him and I believe that through various ways, Esther’s words and actions indicated the presence of inner beauty cultivated by having her heart turned towards Him.

As a woman of her time, she would not have had much authority or enjoy the same freedoms and privileges as her male counterparts. Yet despite this, she appeared to have honored authority in her life not necessarily because she had to but because she wanted to. When Vashti was called by the king to come in her crown to present her beauty to his male attendants during the banquet, she refused and as a result was banished from his presence forever. Esther, too, did something unprecedented by appearing to the King uninvited, yet the King honored her promising that even up to half the kingdom he would give her if need be. Could it be that Esther knew the dynamics of authority and carried this knowledge with wisdom that Vashti did not?

From the time Esther was first introduced to the story she was shown as submitting to the instruction of Mordecai even after she had been taken to the palace and was technically no longer under his supervision. She followed his guidance to not reveal her nationality and also changed her Jewish name from Hadassah to Esther. She made sure to continue communication with Mordecai and shared what was going on in her life at the palace. Esther respected him such that she was willing to risk her life under his council to go to the king unsummoned as queen for the purpose of preventing the planned massacre of her people.

Note here how Vashti did not come to the king when summoned and Esther went to the king unsummoned. Whatever Vashti’s reason for not going, although seeming to preserve her dignity considering the context of having to go before a large party of inebriated men, she refused and paid heavily for this. I believe that her consequence was harsh not necessarily because she said no to the king, but because her refusal most likely, according to the king’s response, humiliated him before his guests making him look like he had little authority over his wife, much less an entire empire. The decree set, from this incident, to reinforce that men be head over their households, hints at the attempt to save the face of the Persian Empire from having the authority of the king undermined by a woman.

Yet, based on action alone, what Esther, coming in his presence unsummoned, could have just as easily been seen to undermine the king’s authority as well. However, the king did not see it as such and eagerly extended his scepter over her to pardon and let her live for doing something clearly and strictly prohibited by law. The king was captivated by her inner beauty and favored not necessarily what she did but how she presented herself to him, in humility, and fully submitting to his authority.

When he saw Queen Esther standing in the court, he was pleased with her and held out to her the gold scepter that was in his hand. So Esther approached and touched the tip of the scepter.
Esther 5:2

Therefore, in the area that the king was displeased with Vashti, he was very pleased with Esther. Esther knew the power of authority and the importance of submitting to it. Many times, we may feel powerless when we are subject to authority above us that we don’t agree with or negatively impact us such as an unfair boss or parent. Nevertheless, when we use wisdom and truly honor them, like Esther, regardless of what they’ve done, it’s possible to still find favor with them and even influence them to do the right thing!

Respecting and honoring authority in Esther’s case meant deferring to them in matters that she could have chosen to make the decisions herself. She didn’t necessarily have to follow Mordecai’s advice since technically she was now no longer directly under him, but she chose to because she respected him as the one who raised her. This, no doubt, by showing other people that their opinions mattered, was probably what helped her gain favor with them.

Another example is her she choosing to follow the advice of Hegai, the eunuch in charge of the chosen virgins’ preparations. While all the other girls took from the treasury all that their hearts desire, possibly driven by greed, to appear with on their one night with the king, Esther did not allow herself to be consumed with all the wealth and possession she could have gained. Her eyes were set above material things and beauty, and instead of being inclined to follow her own instincts and desires, she chose to humbly and wisely seek and follow Hegai’s advice, respecting his authority as head over King Xerxes’ harem.

With this too, she technically did not have to follow anyone’s advice on how to please the king, especially since she was already considered very beautiful in her own right, but she chose to. By acknowledging authority and eagerly submitting to it in various areas, even when she was not necessarily required to, she showed people honor, respect, and validation that ultimately made them favor her.

I believe that Esther had cultivated a respect for the king’s authority similar to that of which she showed Mordecai and Hegai by willingly submitting to his authority not because she had to, but because she wanted to which showed through the way she treated and responded to him. This probably enhanced their relationship in ways Vashti may have never experienced with the king.

Even though the king was clearly enamored by Queen Esther, Esther was humble in how she saw herself before approaching the king. She did not let her well known beauty and favor she already curried with him and everyone else get to her head or make her believe that she could just waltz in his presence unsummoned without the possibility of major repercussions. When she submitted herself to the mission of going before him unsummoned, she did it relying on her own strength, beauty, favor, or ability but rather she completely submitted herself to the will of God and relied solely on Him to enable her to find favor with the king. This is seen by her approach to fast and pray in preparation for this mission.

Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.
Esther 4:16

Essentially, she submitted herself to God’s authority, by decidedly doing His will without knowing the outcome while willing to sacrifice her life for the chance to spare her people from annihilation. In the midst of this trial she exemplified humility and selflessness and most importantly that her heart was turned to God. Ultimately, her finding favor with the king was ultimately because she found favor with God.

With all that’s been said, I am convinced that her inner beauty complimented, if not outshined, her outer beauty. Adding to this, her desire to submit to authority, though encompassing other virtuous attributes, is not the only sign that proved her inner beauty and heart turned towards God that enabled her to find favor.

Along with humility she showed by submitting to authority and following advice when she could have indulged what rights she had to do things her own way, she demonstrated wisdom in this as well. Both before her time as queen and during it, she knew the value of this which enabled her to make wise decisions as well as maneuver and adapt to her environment.

Even though she was taken from all that she had known and would have to live in and serve in the palace for the rest of her life, especially after all heard what had happened to Vashti, the Bible never hints that she was resentful or fearful at all. With the awareness of Vashti’s banishment, there may have been some women coming into the palace afraid that what befell Vashti would come upon them or worse. It’s also possible that some dreaded and resented the indignity of being pampered in the palace only to continue go be treated as property, objectified, and hyper-sexualized as women. Surely, some considered the distaste of having to compete for one man, be willing to lose their virginity to him, and yet most likely never get to be a part of his life or enter his presence.

On the flip side, since this was a time when women were already treated as property, objectified, and not guaranteed nearly as many rights as men, it’s also possible that they felt that coming into the palace was a better life than they already knew, with far more wealth, recognition, privileges, and opportunity. Who knows, maybe it was a very happy day for several of the virgins entering the palace as they wanted to take as much advantage of it as possible.

Either way, these women, whether they realized it or not, went through a lot, and it’s possible Esther stood out among them by not letting resentment, or the height of recognition and wealth get to her head. Instead, she maintained virtue and inner beauty that showed her heart was set towards God. In this she found favor with God and thus with everyone around her.

Before she was ever chosen by the King to be Queen, she was chosen by God. She not only willed, but desired submission to authority and, with wisdom, sought council and advice, never solely doing things her way without the consideration of others. Her humility as well as her following through to do the will of God despite her not knowing the outcome or whether she would live or die will always be remembered as a reflection of her inner beauty and favor with God.

March 5, 2020

Light vs. Darkness

Janie Genesis Adam and Eve, freewill, sin 0

Before the creation of Man darkness covered the surface of the deep and God was present, a separate entity from the void and darkness around. When God said, “Let there be light” the creation power from within Him pierced the darkness and what was once void and empty became full of life. If God created the world through light, how did darkness gain entrance?

First off, what is darkness? Is it not the complete opposite of light? Where light sets free, darkness enslaves, where light brings truth, darkness brings deception, where light exposes, darkness conceals. Darkness was never created nor itself can create but is an ultimate byproduct of separation from God. In God is light, and anything outside of Him is only darkness, period.

Light in Mankind

In the image of God, mankind was created to be vessels, carriers of His light. His light would guide people to live pure, holy lives as well be able to fulfill their callings and grow in their relationship with Him. God would be at the center of our will, intellect, attitude, and emotions and living in His light would expand their capacity to carry and use it for His glory.

Yet outside of His light, lurked the darkness, the reality of what separation from God looked like. This kind of reality of darkness was a concept Adam and Eve never experienced yet were aware of. During their initial moments in the garden, God told them:

You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.
Genesis 2:17

Death would be a result of separation from God and His life-giving Light.

Although they were created for this purpose, God did not predetermine their inclinations to do His will automatically, but granted them free will. Through this, God granted them the capacity to discipline their wills to submit to His.

In His will, they would grow in maturity and relationship with God and would be empowered to fulfill their roles as faithful stewards of the Garden of Eden, eventually expanding outward, having dominion over and multiplying on the earth. God only had plans to prosper them, not to harm them, and to give them hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11), but His plans were conditional on whether they would choose to remain in His guiding light.

Light vs. Darkness in the Heavens

Aside from the earthly realm, possibly before the creation of mankind, tension stirred in heavens. It involved an angel, Lucifer, name meaning light bearer, who had the greatest position, beauty, wisdom, and power, to name a few, amongst all of the created heavenly beings. Yet despite being created to the utmost perfection, the light of God departed from him when he, instead of using what God had given him for His glory, desired to be elevated above God and keep the glory to himself rather than give it to God. As a result, God’s light departed from Lucifer and he, no longer bearer of his light, became full of darkness. He was cast out of heaven and was stripped of his position and beauty.

How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!
Isaiah 14:12

So the darkness became Lucifer’s reality once he decided to rebel against God. Previously, darkness had only been a concept that proved the potential for evil through freewill. Now, beyond concept, it wreaked havoc through its host that was granted freewill to choose it over God’s Light. As an agent of darkness, Lucifer deceived ⅓ of the angels in heaven to believe that he could rise above God and reward them if they joined him. With him they too fell, left to their own demise and evil inclination to steal, kill, and destroy, all that God loves and holds dear. Satan, as a snake, would lie in wait for an opportunity to deceive the first two human beings, tempting their freewill to turn away from God.

The Temptation

Did God really say,‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?
Genesis 3:1

Now this was posed by Lucifer, who was already completely separated from God and wanted nothing more than to make it his mission to separate from God that whom He loved so dearly, even to have made into His own image, mankind.

In love He created them with freewill to have the opportunity to love Him in return through obedience and devotion out of their own desire. This choice was laid before them in the form of a tree with the mandate not to eat from it less they certainly die (Genesis 2:17).

From the scripture, we see that Adam and Eve initially never seemed to question God or doubt His good intentions for them about this. Yet the serpent planted a seed of doubt and deception, so that Adam and Eve desired, to some extent, as Lucifer had, the privilege to be like God. For them, it would come as knowing both good and evil, which the forbidden tree supposedly supplied. Therefore, they thought only good could come out of this, despite God’s warning to them.

You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
Genesis 3:4-6

Just as Lucifer, as soon as they desired this temptation which was contrary to the will of God and disobeyed Him by eating the fruit, they became separated from Him and His Light and Truth.

Darkness

Immediately after eating from the forbidden fruit, their eyes were opened, and they felt shame for the very first time. Instead of knowing both good and evil, like God, they were in for something completely unexpected. Once their light departed, there was only darkness left and with this their entire perceptions became rewired to corrupted distortions. What was once good now appeared bad and shameful, though never the intent of its original purpose.

Even in a place filled with the beauty and the glory of God, their hearts became corrupted, tuned towards evil. No longer bearing His light, they were blinded to the Truth of who they were as made in God’s image and no longer knew who they were called to be. Instead of recognizing that they were beautifully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14) they were filled with shame and fear, even to the point of trying to hide from God when He called out to them in the garden.

Into darkness they remained after they departed from the garden, along with the generations upon generations after them, with nothing but a shadow of the redemption that was to come through the work of Jesus Christ.

If in God there is Light and Truth, then outside of Him is only darkness and deception. Satan embodies this deception and uses this as a major tool to separate people from the Light and Truth of God.. Its main aim is to cause people to believe that they can fill the void in their hearts without God, essentially choosing a path outside of His will, way, and Truth. It’s by our freewill that we have the opportunity to choose Light over Darkness, truth over a lie, freedom over bondage and live out our destinies to be carriers of His Light.

Conclusion

Conclusion- The rest is history. Literally. The book of Genesis sets the stage for how Light pierced the darkness during Creation, and then how Light departed causing Darkness to persist once more, but this time in the midst of the life that God had created. With freewill in mind, the presence of darkness only corrupted and distorted what God had only intended to be pure, holy, and set apart for His glory. In God, there is Light, and without Him there is only Darkness.

January 17, 2020

Steps to Stepping Out on the Water

Janie Courage Comfort Zone, fear, Focus 0

Facing challenges can be like stepping out on the water. It can be a source of great anxiety and fear, causing us to retreat. Peter faced this challenge quite literally when Jesus called out to him as He was upon the water. But before he took his first steps, there were prior steps that enabled him to make this bold move.

Avoid the Comfort Zone

One of the first steps before facing challenges is identifying where you might turn to for alleviation or avoidance of the challenge. For Peter, it may have been to remain in the boat the moment Jesus called out to him. For most of us, it might not be something to this extent but may be a habit, attitude, or behavior that helps us feel more secure or in control.

Sometimes we may not immediately be able to identify the discomfort until we catch ourselves leaning into our comfort zone. Whatever this might be, we have to learn to reject its meaning to us as being comfortable, safe, and desired. Instead of seeing it for only its short term benefits and relief, imagine the future in this place and if this is where you would want to be or further on.

If the answer is further on, cut ties with your comfort zone, it is not your friend nor does it care to be. A lot of the time, moving further in life involves challenges and the comfort zone inhibits this process. See it as its purpose to keep you from progressing in life, a danger and stagnation to goals and dreams, rather than a place of safety and assurance. This mindset shift will lead you to be uncomfortable in your comfort zone. No more hiding, it’s time to prepare to step out.

So, what if you honestly believe that your comfort zone is harmless and you do not mind where you imagine yourself to be by staying near it and dragging it around with you?

Clear Focus

So now that we are totally repulsed by what we consider our own personal comfort zones, different for everyone, consider where you need to go next. The answer is not to move so quickly just yet. Not every act of bravery wins battles, but ones of purpose and strategy. The guide for successfully facing challenges in any area of your life is found in the Word, and who is the Word? Jesus!!! Notice how I used the word toward instead of against, more on that in a moment, because before we move forward, we have to know which direction to face the challenge because though we may not be facing in the direction of our comfort zone, we still may not be facing the right direction.

This is where we need to have clear focus and Jesus is the one we need to focus on. By focusing on Him, we learn how to recognize Him and His voice when He calls out to us to walk on the water. Do you really believe that Peter would have stepped out if he hadn’t recognized Jesus or His voice?

At that time, the winds and the waves may have been scary, but I am sure what the Bible describes as them seeing something that appeared to be a ghost upon the water, was even more terrifying. The same concept applies that the thought of facing challenges seems more daunting than the challenges themselves. Little known to the disciples was that in that moment that Jesus was enacting what they themselves were capable of doing if they chose to keep Him the center of their attention. He embodied the representation of transcending all challenging circumstances as He approached them walking upon the water. As they focused on Him, they were able to recognize Him.

Finding Jesus in the midst of what seems daunting and impossible is the key that gives us the opportunity to focus on Him and know which direction to turn toward overcoming a challenge.

How ironic though, that by the disciples originally believing to see a ghost was a foreshadowing of what was to come, this by Him sending the Holy Ghost to be with us and give us the courage to face challenges.

But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.
Matthew 14:27

Take Courage

Easier said than done, especially when it is time to step out and face a challenge. Remember the ghost that was not really a ghost? Yes, it’s important to recognize that what may appear “scary” may just be our perception and not actual reality. We decide for ourselves what to fear no matter whether it’s for good reason or not.

If we compare the process of facing the fear in correlation to the story, we will find that the time Jesus sent them out is similar to our going about our daily lives as believers in Christ. The storm arising is from challenges that come in our path with our initial response to it being fear. Seeing Jesus walk upon the water is the choice that comes when we either decide to remain in fear or fix our eyes on Him in the midst of the chaos and storm.

Yet in the midst of this, when we become afraid, Jesus is there telling us to take courage. Notice that He said to take courage before instructing not to be afraid. Have you heard that replacing a bad habit with a positive one is more effective than simply getting rid of the bad habit. The same holds true here that overcoming fear is not necessarily learning how to remove the fear but to have courage in the face of it.

To take courage means to receive from God strength, perseverance, and encouragement. The definition of courage “is the ability to do something that frightens one” as well as “strength in the face of pain or grief.” So courage is emotional resilience given by God to undertake challenges in the presence of fear.

A lot of the time, fear does not magically go away on it’s own but requires Biblical strategy to handle and eventually be rid of by replacing with courage, that is why it is mentioned several times in the Bible to attain courage first before having no fear. So, our first attention should not be on the fear itself and how to eliminate but rather to acknowledge it then immediately take courage from God. Bravery, on the other hand, is synonymous to courage except that it is not accompanied by fear. By replacing fear with courage, we will eventually become brave as fear will no longer have any place in our hearts.

There are also several other verses in the Bible that point to taking courage before not having fear. This shows that the Word acknowledges fear to be a real hindrance that requires courage by focusing on Christ who then gives you what is needed to face the challenge.

When we focus on Jesus in the midst of the storm, how much more is it diminished just as the winds and waves were to the disciples as they beheld Jesus walking on water. With Him in our line of sight, we can directly receive courage from Him when it is time to step out on the water.

Summed Up

In this blog post, we discussed the initial steps it takes before stepping out onto the water in correlation to the story of Jesus walking on the water. The steps required to step out revolve around shifting our perception and mindset by:

Realizing that our comfort zone is not a place of safety but puts us in danger of stagnation

Focusing on Jesus gives a clear path towards how a challenge should be faced.

Taking courage from God is necessary to replace fear and step out on the water.

January 10, 2020

The Meaning of Water

Janie Salvation 0

Before God created the heavens and the earth, the Bible describes the Spirit of God hovering over waters.

Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
Genesis 1:2

There is much symbolism associated with water throughout the Bible that describes the nature of God and who He is to us. In this post we will touch on a few.

Provision

After Hagar, Abraham’s concubine, and Ismael, his son, were sent away they were about to die of thirst in the desert. Yet God heard their cry and provided for them and their eyes were opened to see a well in the desert. Whether it was there all along or divinely placed, God met their needs when they least expected it in the least likely of places. In our lives, we may be in a dry, desert-like season, but God is faithful to provide in a miraculous way. At certain times, I believe that God allows us to get to a point of desperation so that we can recognize Him as our provider and the main One we should be depending on for our wants and/or needs.

After 38 years of wandering in the desert, the children of Israel were restless and vulnerable. When they cried out for their thirst to be quenched, who would have thought that water could come from a most unimaginable source. Are you catching the pattern yet?

‘I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink.’ So Moses did this in the sight of the elders of Israel.
Exodus 17:6

Here, we see how water from a most unsuspected place became provision for them. Sometimes, God grants us provision where we least expect it that at times requires obedience before it manifests. Moses had a part to play by striking the rock for God’s will to be fulfilled.

This picture is parallel to how Christ is the rock from which provision of salvation flows from. In the story, Moses is instructed to strike the rock as a foretelling of Christ being struck and sacrificed in order for salvation to be available for all. Even though many people never saw anything special in Jesus, His offer of grace still stands for anyone who partakes in Him to have streams of living water flow them.

Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them. John 7:38

Life

Jesus is eternal life to all who believe in Him. To the woman at the well He said,

…whoever drinks of me will never thirst again.
John 4:14

We were created as vessels to be filled by God Himself and to find satisfaction and meaning in life through Him. However, there are so many distractions in this world that are vying to fill the void in each of us that can only be filled by God. It’s true that this is why some of the most successful people say that they are still not satisfied with their lives, even after reaching the height of their success. I have also discovered this to be true as sometimes enough can never seem enough. However, I have found that abiding in Christ is what is worth living for and that everything else will simply fade away some day.

When we receive salvation, the life of Christ enters us so that we come alive in Him. Water baptism represents this process of us being buried, submerged in the water, and then resurrected reemerged from the water, with Christ. 2 Corinthians describes this perfectly:

For I have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer I who live but Christ lives in me, and the life that I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the son of God who loved us and gave His life for us.
2 Corinthians 5:21

It is the life of Christ in us that sustains us to be in right standing with the Father when we were once enslaved by sin and death:

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 6:23

And this is why Christ died, so that we could have eternal life in Him (John 3:16) not just after we die but during our time here on earth as well.

I love the picture the book of John depicts after one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side to ensure that He was dead:

One of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.
John 19:34

Here, again, we see water in the process of God’s act of redemption for mankind through this fatal blow the Roman soldier gave Christ. If He were not dead yet, this would have surely killed Him with most likely the tip of the spear piercing His heart for there to be such an emission of blood and water to flow. John includes this imagery to expel any doubt that Christ truly expired as He hung on the cross. Through His death, the blood and water was a foreshadowing of what was to come for any who believe in Christ to be redeemed and enter into eternal life.

Mystery

There is a lot of mystery surrounding the concept of water in the Bible. For example, when the disciples were trying to cross over the sea of Galilee, they witnessed Jesus walking upon the water. As we all know, this is not humanly possible, but Jesus is not just human, but God in flesh, and with God, all things are possible. Peter had an opportunity to enter into this mystery by defying natural laws when he chose to believe and fix his eyes on Christ. Walking upon the water, Peter was imitating Christ through faith and obedience which made it possible for the impossible to occur in his life despite all the odds.

Another famous story is Jesus turning water into wine which, also from a natural perspective, is certainly impossible. Yet here we see another pattern similar to Jesus walking on the water in which there was an obstacle that needed to be overcome.

Though faced with challenge, Christ used water to show the mystery of combined faith and obedience for the impossible to occur. Still, you might be wonder how water was an obstacle in the story of Jesus turning water to wine when the main one was that there was hardly any wine left for the wedding guests.

After Mary asked Jesus to work a miracle to this effect, she told the servants involved to obey whatever Jesus told them. When Jesus requested barrels of water to be brought, those involved probably followed His instructions wondering how in the world how water could take the place of wine and may have never saw its potential to become wine as Christ did. Not yet seeing Jesus perform a miracle, the water was far from being what they needed at the wedding and was just as good as any obstacle blocking a practical solution for the dilemma at hand. Yet God is capable of using anything seemingly unfit and unexpected for His perfect will to unfold and His glory be revealed. Nothing is impossible with God, and just like in the story of Jesus walking on the water, the obstacle was turned into a stepping stone, and what seemed to have been an area of weakness was turned around for God’s glory when the people involved chose to trust in Him and obey Him despite not foreseeing the outcome.

Power, Authority, Deliverance

Most of the earth is water yet it’s a wonder that we are not threatened to be submerged by it at any moment. This is because God ensured a barrier between the land, sky, and bodies of water during creation. But just as He had the had the power and authority to create these barriers, He also has the authority to break them when necessary like in the time of Noah during the Great Flood. It was never God’s plan for humanity to be so wicked and far from Him that He would regret ever making them.

The LORD regretted making human beings on the earth, and he was heartbroken. -Genesis 6:6

.Along with the the extreme depravity, there was also commingling of the human race with angels that led Him to make to decision to wipe the slate clean as this was the only way to restore hope for mankind to return to their Maker.

The Great Flood wiped everyone out, except for Noah and his family, through the intermingling of sky, land, and sea. The rain poured from the sky and helped the once contained bodies of water to cross its boundaries into land where rain on its own was already filling rapidly with water. God allowed opened the physical boundaries that He created in order for the entire earth to be flooded.

Along with God being all powerful and just, He is also mighty to save. Think of the story when Moses and the Israelites were at the Red Sea. With Pharaoh’s army behind in hot in pursuit, God used His power to divide the water for a path of dry land to come between when there seemed to be no way for the Israelites to cross. In the time of Noah, He broke down the boundary, but here we see Him make one to deliver the children of Israel from Pharaoh’s army. Splitting the Red Sea, God enabled the Israelites to safely cross to the other side. With this same water, He was able to eliminate the threat against them and their destinies having trained men of war drown in their pursuit of the Israelites.We see here how water, though an obstacle at first to the Israelites, was used for God’s glory and helped demonstrate His power and authority.

Sacrificial Cleansing

The story of Noah and the flood, devastating as it was for the purpose of cleansing the earth of a very polluted human race, is also a story of cleansing that points to the Holiness righteousness, and justice of God. Although I’m sure the Lord did not enjoy this process, He knew this was what needed to be done for humanity to have a chance of being restored back to Him. Furthermore, we see time and time again that there must be some sort of sacrifice for cleansing and renewal to come. This is most true when Jesus sacrificed His own life to cleanse us from our sins through the blood that He shed.

In addition to this, baptismal water is also symbolic for the cleansing power of the blood of Christ to bring us into new life with Him. Even Jesus was baptized in water before His ministry on earth began. Its purpose was not a need for redemption but rather served as a representation of His part in the redemption plan of God. When we are baptized, it is not for remission of sins because we already receive that in salvation through the blood of Christ. Our baptism, like Christ’s, is symbolic for our calling to be like Him in His burial and resurrection and our commission to spread the news of salvation to the world. We are cleansed from just living natural lives, to living supernatural lives with meaning and purpose in God.

During Jesus’ ministry on earth, several of the miracles He performed involved water. An example is when He instructed ten lepers to wash in the Jordan. This, of course, was for physical healing, but how about for spiritual healing? Jesus washing the feet of the disciples showed His love and humility to love and serve them and to bring healing to their hearts out of a desire for closer relationship. While Jesus humbled himself, the disciples had a tendency to compare themselves to each other especially on who would be the greatest among them. This kind of comparison exposed their insecurities that they were not enough and thus depended on comparisons to feel worthy or strive to achieve a higher level of greatness. Meanwhile, Jesus taught them that reaching greatness did not mean being better than each other in status or ability, but was about humility and being willing to serve in even the lowest, dirtiest positions.

By washing the disciples’ feet, Jesus not only showed them that they could reach greatness through service and humility but also that they were enough, loved and worthy of His cleansing love that could never be earned or deserved. Back then, the feet was one of the, if not the most, dirtiest parts of the body. Imagine how your feet would look like during a time when walking was the primary mode of transportation on filthy dirt made roads laden with animal and human waste.

The water cleansing of the disciples feet is symbolic for Him not shying away from loving us, even at our dirtiest and worst. Nonetheless, He does not just snap His fingers and our struggles with sin and temptation are gone. There is usually a process of purification that occurs when we allow God to approach us in our mess and let go of our own measures to be right with Him. We need to surrender completely to His way of bringing us to Himself in right standing and can never come by anything we do.

Though we may not deserve this kind of love, does not mean that we are not worthy it. As our Maker, God declares us worthy of His love, and there is absolutely nothing that can stand in the way of that.

When Peter, at first, did not want Jesus to stoop down to wash his feet, Jesus replied:

Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.
John 13:8

From this, we have the assurance that we need not be ashamed of ourselves, but rather accept the love of God and allow Him to wash us clean from all unrighteousness and any hindrance from us fulfilling His will in our lives.

Summed Up

We can gain a better understanding of some of God’s attributes through passages in Scripture that involve water. Here we discussed this through

-provision in the least likely of places,

-eternal life for all who drink of Christ,

-mysterious manifestations that occur when faith and obedience are combine,

-power, authority, and deliverance to bring judgment against and salvation from wickedness,

-and lastly, sacrificial cleansing to wash away sin and shame and bring us into right standing with God.

In becoming aware of these attributes we can have more confidence in God and connect with Him on a deeper level. In this state, we can just be who He has called us to be.

December 25, 2019

Our Connection to Him

Janie Perfection Adam and Eve, creation, Garden of Eden 0

We were designed to live, move, and have our being in Creator God from the very beginning. Though mankind was perfectly aligned in this at first it was eventually interrupted when sin entered the world through disobedience. Despite this, God made a way again for mankind to come back into alignment with Him, made possible by our connection to Him and who He is by nature. In this post, we will explore together some of the aspects of God’s nature and our connection to Him.

God’s Nature

Life Giving

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth but before He said, “let there be light,” His Spirit hovered over waters. Water is symbolic for life and was a tangible manifestation of the presence of God and who He is as the Life Giver. Everything created came from His will to give life from this force that was already apart of Him. I find it fascinating that in the Bible, Jesus is considered the Word, as well as the light which Father God gave to the world to bring eternal life (John 3:16). Here we see this nature in action in which God spoke the Word and light was brought forth, bringing life. In this, it is no mystery that Jesus was part of the creation process along side Father and Holy Spirit as part of the life nature. While creating this life, God decided to use a physical property of His creation, the soil, as well as his Spirit to create mankind. I imagine that He also used already created elements to create which may explain why scientists are able to observe similarities between certain animals, plants, and other various aspects of creation. To some, this is called evolution, but whether or not this be true, I believe that the process of life started with the Life Giver as the source of all creation.

Diligent

Together, as three in One Person, He diligently and skillfully crafted the seen and unseen worlds of the natural realm consisting of time, matter, space as well as the intricate design of the spiritual realm. Everything that God made He declared “good” and in perfect alignment with His will. I believe that His will was to dwell among us and for all creation to experience His presence. Since God, being Spirit, and many created spiritual beings were present and noticed in the natural realm, I believe that there was hardly any divide or boundary between the natural and spiritual world. and that each were accessible to the other. The Bible tells of several accounts in which the spiritual and natural world intermingled especially before and during the time of Noah. Before the fall, Adam and Eve were able to encounter God without anything separating them from Him.

His diligence, shown in so many ways, can also be seen in the distinctness of every person that has ever lived. For we are all fearfully and wonderfully made, and the fact that we are uniquely crafted shows not only His diligence, but His love for each and everyone of us.

Loving

His love sees and accepts us entirely for who we are. We were created as vessels for God to fill us as we abide in Him. As created in the image of God, we all have unique characteristics that point us back to who He is and enable us to be intimate on a personal level for which each of our experiences of Him are uniquely special. This intimacy was for His good pleasure to seal our connection and to sustain us in His Life so that we may have life to the fullest. Through His love, He also sealed our connection to him by handing dominion to us over the earth, ensuring freewill, a core principle of love of which it operates through it being freely given and received, and desiring colaborship. In all of this, His loving character connects us to Him from the core of who we are to who He is. Let’s get into this even deeper.

Our Connection to Him

Made in His image

Picture this, God extending apart of who He is in how He designed us. “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being” Genesis 2:7. Thus, we are spirit-beings living in physical bodies with endless correlations proving our link to Him. For example, just as God has three parts to His Personhood, we do as well. For Him, He is Three Persons united as One as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit whereas our three parts consist of the spirit, soul, and body. Additionally, just as we were created in His likeness, He came down to earth, through Jesus, in our physical likeness, to fulfill His mission. Jesus, coming in the flesh, revealed the image of the invisible God (reference) so that we could behold Him and relate to Him by our natural senses. By submitting to the will of the Father while in the flesh, He showed us that, we too, have the capacity to align ourselves with the will of God. No matter how high the fall of mankind, we have always and will always be designed for His glory as being made in His image.

Handed Dominion

Of all the places in the world, God chose the garden to be the home of the first of mankind. What was it about the garden that made it special for this purpose? If you look at the definition of garden, it means a small plot of land used to grow plants, fruits, and vegetables. But this place was not just any normal garden. It was a paradise where the tangible presence and glory of God was made manifest. In this utopia of sorts, Adam and Eve were meant to experience fullness of life in the presence of God as well as pleasure, productivity, and provision to name a few.

In preparation for their dwelling, God lavished creation with all kinds of good pleasure that Adam and Eve could enjoy. They never experienced any lack and had all of their needs provided for.

Additionally, the garden was a place of growth where Adam and Eve were meant to mature in their relationship with God and eventually expand out to fill the earth with their descendants as productive citizens.

God wanted Adam and Eve to have a sense of ownership and responsibility, and by doing this, showed not only generosity but trust when He gave them dominion over the earth. He could have decided to keep everything to Himself with the comfortable assurance that nothing could ever go amiss, yet decided, out of His love for mankind, to give them the experience of this kind of ownership and everything that it entailed, such as having the ability to love Him of their own choice, and to choose to do His will. God knew that Adam and Eve would be confronted by temptation and, knowing the outcome, took the risk anyway. Let’s just say that true love involves real risks.

Ensured Freewill

“You may eat from every tree of the garden, but from the one of the tree of good and evil you shall not eat or you will surely die” (reference). True love allows others to freely express themselves in their response. This tree was not created to be hindrance for their relationship with God, but rather something that would help mature it and prove their love for Him genuine. As a symbol of their freewill, it’s possible that the tree was not inherently bad. “If you love me, you will keep my commands” (reference). Adam and Eve were not robots on command, but had the choice between life and death, intimacy or separation that ultimately shaped the course of all history. Ultimately, the tree of knowledge of good and evil was a tangible aspect of their freewill to fulfill God’s will or their own.

Desired Colaborship

God knew that Adam and Eve needed to align themselves with His will in order to live out their destinies in the earth. This would require that they overcome temptation and co-labor with Him to maintain harmony on the earth and mature in their walk with Him. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” For instance, though God could have done this Himself, He gave Adam and Eve the task of name all of the animals. Probably in time, God would have expanded their responsibilities to include other tasks related to their individual roles created in them. Like a Father raising children, God wanted to ensure that Adam and Eve rose up to who they were called to be.

Summed Up

All in all, we were created to be connected with God, which shows in the way that He created us. Throughout the ages, God has never changed and the connection Adam and Eve were meant to have with God is similar to what God desires for us today. In His sovereignty and love He created mankind in His image with the capacity to share intimacy with Him. Among several, this opportunity comes with the responsibility of colaborship and dominion over the earth which is guaranteed through our free will to align ours with His. Because we were created in God’s image, we innately have the capacity to do His will, just as Jesus had during His time on earth. Ultimately, we are connected to Him, not by our might or anything we have done, but by God’s love and who He is.