Today we listened for the lies at work in our neighborhood (yeah, it's ours now). Lies about who God is, and how involved He is with us - keeping people from seeing hope. Lies that they are failures, leading to lies that they deserve their suffering, leading to lies that God doesn't exist, or if He does, He doesn't dearly love them.
We've had enough of the devil's lies. We move in the opposite spirit from the one that's at work here. Jesus loves with fire in His eyes, and He loves openly in the presence of the enemy. We tell the truth to people about His deep love for them, and about His acceptance and forgiveness. And We make no apologies for who He is. God's Love is the truth.
Psalm 23:5 "You prepare a table for me in the sight of my enemies..."
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B believes he's worthless and he doesn't deserve to be anything but a drunk- all day, every day. The truth is that Jesus knows exactly what he made when He made you, B. He made you like a vessel, perfectly designed to receive and respond to God. And because you've suffered your whole life under this lie of worthlessness, Jesus has a special word for you about your value in God's eyes... You are precious to the heart of God, B. In fact, you're like a son to God. He treats you with tenderness and compassion, He knows you're weak. He will never speak harshly to you. In fact, Jesus never stops speaking the truth of your value in His eyes- let Him wash over you like water with words of life. Jesus dearly loves B.
Luke 8 and Mark 5: "Now on one of those days Jesus and His disciples got into a boat, launched out, and sailed all night to the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. When He got out of the boat, a man with an unclean spirit ran up to Him. He was being tormented constantly, night and day, and was screaming among the tombs and in the mountains. Jesus commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man, and the demons came out of the man! When the people went out to see what had happened; they found the man, sitting down at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind... then Jesus got into the boat and sailed all day back to Galilee."
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S believes she has to be a prostitute to survive and she's ashamed to turn to Jesus because of how she lives her life. Jesus knows all about your life, S... Every hope you have for something better... Every tear you've shed over what has become of you. He's not ashamed to publicly call you His own, and to love you. I can see Jesus welcoming, no, inviting the opportunity to be seen with you, saying "Yeah, she's with me. She's my special friend, and there's no one I'd rather be with. No one will ever change my mind about that." Jesus dearly loves S.
Luke 7:37-50 "there was a woman in the city who was a sinner; and when she learned that Jesus was reclining in the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume, and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and kept wiping them with the hair of her head, and kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume.
Turning toward the woman, He said to Simon the Pharisee, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave Me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet. You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume. For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little." Then He said to her, "Your sins have been forgiven. Your faith has saved you; go in peace."
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Many believe the enemy just has too much power here... he's everywhere you look. Now, that is just really a lie, because the bigger truth is that Satan is a loser, and he's afraid of the children of the kingdom of God when we love without fear. The truth is that Jesus is on the move. We are praying for Him to come and take over. We confront the darkness and lies with as much of the Spirit and Truth of God as we can carry, and we pray for more and more (hey... isn't there something about worshiping God in spirit and in truth...). Jesus is on the move and the darkness cannot stay in His presence.
1 comment:
Amen :-)
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