I Will Always Prove Sufficient

By Jesus, speaking in prophecy

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I am able to care for whatever you entrust to Me. Sometimes you voluntarily leave things in My hands because you know that I have your best interests at heart, and will always do what is right for you. At other times, you put things into My hands because all of your other resources have failed, and I’m the last option left.

Regardless of your reasons for leaving things in My hands, whatever you give Me to take care of and whatever you rely on My help for, I will always prove sufficient. I am strong enough to bear your burdens, rich enough to supply your needs, and loving enough to work all things together for your good.

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Since I am helping you to get through today, you can trust Me for tomorrow. While you don’t know how everything is going to turn out, and you may not even have a concept of how things could possibly work, I’m already there. I already know how I’m going to take care of you; simply believe that I will.

You’re making it today, aren’t you? Life is challenging, but you’re making it, right? Trust that I will be sufficient in your future also.

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When you leave something in My control, you not only exercise faith that I’m going to take care of it, but also that the way in which I will take care of it, and the timing of when I will take care of it, is going to be sufficient. When you leave the whole kit and caboodle with Me, you can then safely bet that while everything isn’t going to happen exactly the way you thought it would, I won’t let you down.

Just back up a little and give Me space to work. I’ve heard you, I’ve understood, and I’m going to take care of what concerns you. Do what I’ve shown you to do in the meantime, but leave the heavy lifting to Me.

*

I’ll do My part while you do your part. But first, we need to divvy up the work. Ask Me what I intend for you to do for yourself, and what I want you to trust Me to take care of for you.

Once you know what your part is, do that part and I’ll take care of the part I told you to trust Me for. Be faithful to do your work, and don’t feel that you have to meddle in Mine. I’ve got it covered. I’m going to hold up My end of the deal.

*

In Hebrews 11 [the chapter describing many men and women of faith] you’ll see that not every person’s faith was the same. But in the lives of all My heroes, faith was central to the performance of the most important act of their life.

I don’t call everyone to have the same kind of faith. But I do call you to hold on to your faith, because through it, you will perform your greatest work for Me. Faith will produce the most lasting accomplishments in your life.

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You gain peace of mind as a result of your times of deep communion with Me. That is something that will never become outdated. Fight to maintain your connection with Me. That’s how you can have the peace of mind and spirit that you need in order to face every twist and turn along life’s path.

*

It was a drastic change for the children of Israel to leave behind their homes and head for the Promised Land, not knowing exactly what they were going to accomplish in the desert, just knowing that I had promised them a better life.

It will take faith for you, as it did for the children of Israel, to continue moving forward toward the future I’ve promised you. But keep putting one foot in front of the other as you follow the path I’m leading you on, and you will arrive at your destination: a better and more successful life and work.

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Whenever you’re tempted to worry about the future, that’s the time to make a beeline for Me and to strengthen your faith. Everyone is tempted to worry and fear; that’s human nature. But you don’t have to accept being in a state of worry and fear if you fortify your spirit with faith. Seek Me for My help and answers. Sometimes it can take a lot of time in prayer before you find that place of calm and peace, but when you do, it will bring rest to your mind and spirit.

*

My Word is your faith-builder. Whenever you’re tempted to fear change or fear the future, go to the faith-builder. It will give you the sure footing that you need for each step that I ask you to take.

I’m walking this path toward the future beside you; trust that I know where we’re going. Even if you’re not sure of the steps I show you to take, you can trust Me to lead and guide you safely and well. I love you and care about each step of your life.

*

During times of change and uncertainty, draw closer to Me, go deeper into Me. Let Me be the foundation that you build firmly upon. Many people are building on the shifting sand of this world, but as you build firmly and deliberately upon the rock of My truth, the building of your life and work will stand strong, regardless of the uncertainties around you and the crashing and unpredictable waves of life.

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As you take hold of My hand, I will not let you go. As you stay close to Me, you have My assurance of supply and protection. As you stop, look, and listen, I will lead and guide you through whatever maze you find yourself in.

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Don’t doubt for a moment that I will clothe, feed, house, and prosper you. Speak success, speak faith, speak miracles, and you will see them.

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You may think that you’re in a difficult position, at a disadvantage, out of the loop, and facing great odds. That may be the truth. Men and women who are winners have a special attraction to difficulty, because it is only when faced with difficulty that they discover their power to overcome.

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No matter where you are or what you’re doing, I’m always with you. “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee” is an eternal truth that never wanes with the times or conditions, or for that matter, even the seasons and cycles of the heart and spirit.¹

*

During a storm, it’s easy to be preoccupied with keeping your boat steady and above water. That’s understandable. But never lose sight of the fact that I am at the helm of your boat. The key is seeing Me in all things—even in the wind and the waves—and then, in a spirit of faith, trusting Me to see you safely to the shore of victory, just as I always have.

*

During times of big change, sometimes it’s hard to know which end is up. You feel as if you’re hanging upside down and everything in your pockets—the things you’ve held on to and carried around with you for years—are falling out and lying in a heap below you. You wonder if your faith has fallen out of your pockets as well. You’re not sure what to believe anymore. You feel shaky and uncertain.

The winds of change can come and go, and even seem to hang you out to dry, but nothing can change the fact that you love Me and I love you. Love is the cord that binds us, and our love is strong enough to steady your faith in times of change.

Originally published February 2010. Updated and republished May 2012.
Read by Maria Fontaine. Copyright@TFI2012

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1 Hebrews 13:5.

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How To Fight The Devil!

How To Fight The Devil!

Compiled from the writings of D.B. Berg

Once we are "born again" (John 3:3), we not only find a wonderful new life of love, peace and happiness, we also find ourselves in a WAR!--A war of the Worlds between the World of evil and the Kingdom of God!

In the old World War I trench warfare, it wasn't until you came out of your trench and started attacking the enemy's territory, that he would really open up and let you have it with all of his big guns! Now that you're saved, as far as the Devil is concerned, YOU have "gone over the top", & he will do all he can to oppose and stop you! You are now a Christian soldier in GOD'S Army, and a potential threat to hundreds or thousands of others of the Devil's captives! He knows that you now belong to JESUS forever and that he can never get you back, so since he can't STOP you from being a CHRISTIAN, the next best thing he tries to do is to try to stop you from being an ACTIVE Christian. He'll try to make you a DEAD Christian, instead of a real LIVE one! He'll fight and try to stop you from SERVING the Lord, and defeat you from being a good sample to win OTHERS, because he's afraid that he might lose others from his clutches because of YOU!

GOD'S IN CONTROL!

God's Word says, "We are not ignorant of Satan's devices"--2Corinthians 2:11. We should BEWARE of the Devil's devices and be ON GUARD against the "fiery darts" (Ephesians 6:16) of discouragement, pride, fear, jealousy, selfishness, doubts, negative thoughts etc. which he hurls at us to try to hinder us! But the Enemy can't lay a finger on us unless the Lord ALLOWS him to!--And if the Lord does allow him to, it's only for our GOOD, to make us stronger fighters, to teach us lessons or to drive us closer to Jesus!

Always remember, that as a Christian, you have nothing to fear from the Devil or his forces because JESUS is WITH you! In fact, YOU have POWER over all the devils of Hell, including Satan himself! God's Word tells us, "Greater is He (JESUS) that is in YOU, than he (the Devil) that is in the World!"--1John 4:4. Jesus also said, "ALL POWER is given unto ME in Heaven and in Earth!"--Matthew 28:18--And YOU have JESUS and all of HIS power! He says, "Behold, I give unto you POWER over ALL the power of the Devil!"--Luke 10:19. So through the power of prayer in JESUS' NAME you can rebuke the Enemy & order him to "go jump in the lake and get the Hell out of here!" when he tries to oppress or distress you by speaking to your mind and tempting you with negative or discouraging thoughts!--And he HAS to obey you and FLEE!--James 4:7.

DON'T LET THE DEVIL GET YOU DOWN!

One of the Devil's favourite tools with Christians is DISCOURAGEMENT! He tries to get you looking at your own mistakes, sins, weaknesses and failures! He just picks and picks at all your little flaws and shortcomings and exaggerates and blows them up out of all proportion! This is one of the Devil's favourite tactics. He knows that it's impossible for him to defeat you as long as you keep on fighting, so he tries to persuade you that you're a hopeless case, so you might as well surrender and give up.

What is discouragement? It is a loss of courage resulting from a lack of FAITH. "Faith comes from hearing the WORD of God" (Romans 10:17), so when you feel discouraged, the quickest remedy is to start PRAYING and QUOTING SCRIPTURES and reading the Word and telling the Devil he's a LIAR!--John 8:44. You have to FIGHT discouragement with PRAYER and the WORD! Then your faith will grow, the doubts will flee, and you'll be on the road to victory!

HOW TO RESIST TEMPTATIONS!

A temptation is the thought or desire to do wrong. Nobody can keep temptations from coming, but you DON'T have to YIELD to them! As the wise old saying goes, "You CAN'T keep the birds from flying over your head, but you CAN keep them from building a NEST in your hair!" In other words, you can't keep the Devil from saying things to you and TEMPTING you with his bad thoughts, but you CAN keep from YIELDING to him!

A lot of people condemn themselves & feel bad and wicked because they've thought or been tempted with sinful thoughts, but even JESUS was tempted in all points the same as we are!--Hebrews 4:15; Matthew 4:1-10. It's NO sin when the Devil tempts you to do something, it's ONLY a sin if you yield to temptation & DO it! The way to resist and get rid of temptations and negative thoughts is to read your BIBLE, PRAY and think about the LORD & good, faith-building, encouraging thoughts instead! "Whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely and good, think on THESE things!"--Philippians 4:8. Isaiah says, "Thou wilt keep him in PERFECT PEACE whose mind is stayed on THEE, because he trusteth in Thee"--Isaiah 26:3. If you keep your mind on JESUS you won't have time to think about the distracting lies of the Enemy!

PRAISE POWER!

The best defense is an OFFENSE, & if you really want to get the Devil on the run, just start PRAISING the Lord! Count your blessings and THANK and PRAISE Jesus for all that He has done for you! The POWER of POSITIVE PRAISE is just terrific and really puts the Devil on the run! Chase the Devil and his darkness away by simply letting the Light in! The Enemy hates songs of prayer and praise to Jesus, and he ESPECIALLY hates our positive, active SERVICE for the Lord! So don't just sit there, do something POSITIVE! Resist, defy & attack the Enemy by taking positive action & doing something good! Go on the attack and THINK positively, TALK positively, SING positively, PRAY positively, ACT positively!

SOCK IT TO HIM WITH THE WORD!

When you're being attacked by the Enemy, don't just stand there & take it, hit him back! Quote Scriptures & sock it to him with the WORD!--That's the way JESUS fought back when the Devil tempted and lied to Him! He just quoted Scriptures: "It is WRITTEN!" He fought him with the WORD!--Matthew 4:1-11.

When it comes to fighting the Devil, God's Words are almost like spiritual bullets or death rays, and they just BLAST him! Every word absolutely ZAPS him! In the Bible's description of a Christian soldier's armour, the one OFFENSIVE weapon described is "the SWORD of the Spirit, which is the WORD of God"!--Ephesians 6:17. In fact, it is "QUICK (alive) & powerful, and sharper than ANY two-edged sword!"--Hebrews 4:12. The Word is the most powerful thing you can use! The Enemy can't take the Word! He'll turn tail & RUN! So the next time he raises his ugly head & tries to tempt, hinder or slow you down, pull out the white-hot sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, and cut the Devil to the heart!

MEMORISE SCRIPTURES TO RESIST THE DEVIL!

Often the only weapons you have immediately on hand to fight the Enemy with are the Scriptures that you've MEMORISED. This is why it's so important to memorise and fill your mind and heart with positive, encouraging, strengthening and faith-building thoughts from God's Word, Scriptures that you can continually quote to yourself and even to the Enemy when he attacks you! Fill your mind with the Light of God's Word, and the darkness will flee! Quote Scriptures and really REBUKE the Devil and declare your faith and trust in the Lord & His Word by even quoting it OUT LOUD! Drown his lies out! Just shout! Don't doubt! Kick him out!

ASK FOR PRAYER!

Sometimes we really need HELP from our brothers and sisters to fight the battle TOGETHER against the Enemy! "One can chase a thousand, but TWO can put TEN thousand to flight!" (Deuteronomy 32:30), and it is often a great help to have someone else pray WITH you when you feel oppressed, distressed or attacked by the Enemy! Jesus said, "Where TWO or three of you are gathered together in My Name, there am I in the midst of them!"-Matthew 18:20. There is great power in UNITED PRAYER!

FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT!

The best way to stop an attack is to COUNTER-attack! The best defense is an OFFENSE! Fight the Devil positively! Attack, attack, attack! The Bible says to "RESIST the Enemy and he will FLEE from you"!--James 4:7. We can't just be passive and expect GOD to do it all! We have to be good fighters and RESIST the Enemy! We have to wage a MILITANT warfare against him!

The only way the Devil can possibly defeat you is if you surrender! So KEEP FIGHTING and you CAN'T lose! Keep wielding the weapon of the WORD and you'll WIN! Keep on holding on to God's promises!--Don't let go! Keep on going for Jesus!--Don't stop! Keep on keeping on!

May God help us to be FIGHTERS who like to fight for the Lord with the weapon of his WORD, who enjoy defeating the Devil!

Copyright (c) 1997 by The Family International

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God´s Love

The Heart of It All: The Nature and Character of God

By P. Amsterdam: 

In earlier articles I’ve written about different attributes of God, including holiness, righteousness, justice, wrath, mercy, patience, and grace. Now we move on to God’s love. One of the best-loved Bible verses is 1 John 4:8, which states that “God is love.” And He is. This fact is seen over and over again throughout Scripture, and is clearly manifest to those who know and love Him. His love is seen in many ways in our personal lives so that we can, from our experience, say that God is love. Of course, love is not all that God is. God is each of those attributes that are His nature and character.

God’s love is seen in the triune nature of God. God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are love, and they love one another. Jesus spoke of the Father’s love for Him and His love for the Father.

Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, may be with Me where I am, to see My glory that You have given Me because You loved Me before the foundation of the world.[1]

A voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”[2]

As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Abide in My love.[3]

I do as the Father has commanded Me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. [4]

While there are no specific verses referring to the Father and Son loving the Holy Spirit, it can be inferred. Scripture does speak of the love of the Spirit.

I appeal to you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God on my behalf.[5]

When commenting on the love which exists within the Trinity, Ravi Zacharias offers the following insight:

If God ever says He loves, who was He loving before the creation? If God says He speaks, who was He speaking to before the creation? So communication and affection, or love, is contained in the Godhead right from the beginning … you see the love expressed within the concept of the Trinity, and Jesus’ prayer is that you and I would be one, even as He and the Father are one.[6]

God’s Care and Provision

One aspect of God’s love is His concern and care for His creation—His divine goodness toward all living things.

The Lord is good to all, and His mercy is over all that He has made. The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food in due season. You open Your hand; You satisfy the desire of every living thing.[7]

God’s love extends to every human. Ever since He created human beings, He has loved them. No matter where they stand relationally with Him, He loves them. They may not believe He exists; they may believe He exists but hate Him; they may want nothing to do with Him; but nevertheless, He loves them. His love, kindness, and care are given to them by virtue of their being part of humanity. Human beings were created in God’s image. He loves every single one of us, and His love for us translates into loving action on His part—His care and blessings given to humankind.

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” ... So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.[8]

Male and female He created them, and He blessed them and named them Man when they were created.[9]

God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”[10]

The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, shall bless us.[11]

You visit the earth and water it; You greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; You provide their grain, for so You have prepared it. You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it with showers, and blessing its growth. You crown the year with Your bounty; Your wagon tracks overflow with abundance. The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills gird themselves with joy, the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy.[12]

When Jesus told His disciples to love their enemies, He said that in doing so they would be imitating God’s love, for God shows love to and is kind to all, even the ungrateful and the evil. He makes His sun rise and the rain to fall on everyone. God’s love and His loving actions are extended to all people, no matter what their moral standard.

You have heard that it was said, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.[13]

Love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for He is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.[14]

Jesus also expressed God’s love toward everyone when He made the point that if God takes care of the birds of the air and the grass of the field, certainly He will care for people, as they have more value than the birds.

Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? [15]

Paul, when speaking to the Greeks, made the point this way:

In past generations He allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways. Yet He did not leave Himself without witness, for He did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.[16]

God’s Love Manifest Through Salvation

God’s love for all humankind is most clearly seen in His answer to humanity’s need for salvation. Every human is a sinner and in need of redemption in order to be reconciled to God. God, because of His love for each human being, brought forth the plan of salvation by which God the Son came to earth, lived a sinless life, and died, taking our sins upon Himself, thus making atonement for us. This means that humans can now be reconciled to God, no matter who they are or what sins they’ve committed. Jesus sacrificed His life for everyone, so salvation is available for all who accept it. He did this because of His love for all people, for the whole world.

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.[17]

In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.[18]

He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.[19]

God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.[20]

We can see from the above that God loves and cares for all of humanity, that He has concern for us, and that He takes action to care for us physically through His provision as well as spiritually through salvation. He has borne the full weight of our punishment, even though we all are sinners. Through Jesus’ death on the cross, we can see that God’s love is self-giving love. It is God’s nature to give of Himself in order to bring about blessing or good for others.

There can be some difficulty understanding God’s love for all of humanity in relation to God’s wrath or righteous judgment of sin and evil-doing. God’s love can be seen in His patience with humanity, in His being slow to anger, in His longing for people to receive His gift of salvation and giving them time to do so. God postpones deserved judgment as a result of His love. He patiently restrains His wrath because of His deep love for those He created in His image. Theologian Jack Cotrell puts it this way:

If God determined to give us what we deserve as soon as we deserve it, we would all have perished long ago. It is His loving patience that puts the punishment “on hold” until it is either set aside (with regard to the one who deserves it) or ultimately applied.[21]

The reason for God’s patient delay in bringing judgment for sin is to give people time to repent, to receive salvation, and by doing so avoid God’s judgment or wrath. It is God’s nature to give people time to choose redemption. He doesn’t wish for anyone to perish, and His patience gives people time to receive His redemptive love through Jesus Christ.

Do you presume on the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?[22]

The Lord is not slow to fulfill His promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.[23]

Count the patience of our Lord as salvation.[24]

God in His love has made a way that people can avoid the just punishment for sin and be reconciled to Him in a loving relationship. He sent a substitute, His Son, to take that punishment for humanity. He doesn’t pour out His judgment and wrath on the sinner because He has taken it upon Himself in Jesus. All that is left is for individuals to believe it, and if they do, their sins are forgiven, atoned for. That’s God’s love, His gift to humankind. He makes forgiveness of sins possible through His self-giving love. He laid down His life so that people could be reconciled with Him. He doesn’t force them to accept His gift, because He has given them free will, but in His love He patiently waits, longing for all to accept it.

Those of us who have received salvation feel God’s love in additional ways. We have become His children. We will live with Him forever. The relationship we have with Him after salvation is different, more personal, than what we had before. We commune with Him, we grow closer to Him, we get to know Him better. His Spirit abides in us. We feel His love in ways that only those who know and love Him can. As His children, our job is to share the good news of His love with as many as we can, to invite them to become His children and the heirs of His blessings along with us.

You have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ.[25]

Notes

Unless otherwise indicated, all scriptures are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Other versions cited are The New International Version (NIV), the New American Standard Bible (NASB), The New Revised Standard Version (NRS), The New King James Version (NKJV), and the King James Version (KJV).

[1] John 17:24.

[2] Matthew 3:17.

[3] John 15:9.

[4] John 14:31.

[5] Romans 15:30.

[6] Ravi Zacharias, Ravi Zacharias Explains the Trinity, 2005.

[7] Psalm 145:9, 15–16.

[8] Genesis 1:26–27.

[9] Genesis 5:2.

[10] Genesis 1:28.

[11] Psalm 67:6.

[12] Psalm 65:9–13.

[13] Matthew 5:43–45.

[14] Luke 6:35–36.

[15] Matthew 6:26–30.

[16] Acts 14:16–17.

[17] John 3:16.

[18] 1 John 4:10.

[19] 1 John 2:2.

[20] Romans 5:8.

[21] Jack Cotrell, What the Bible Says About God the Redeemer (Eugene: Wipf and Stock Publishers, 1983), p. 358.

[22] Romans 2:4.

[23] 2 Peter 3:9.

[24] 2 Peter 3:15.

[25] Romans 8:15–17.

copyright@TheFamilyInternational2012

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A Transformational Encounter- Margaret Manning

A Transformational Encounter

By Margaret Manning

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Over coffee at the ubiquitous Starbucks, my friend shared the story of his departure from his Christian faith. He did not leave his faith over a whim or because of some intellectual crisis he couldn’t resolve with his dearly held beliefs. He left because his work as a journalist led him into Christian circles where he met some of the most influential Christian leaders and teachers. He left his Christian faith because, as he traversed these circles, he saw very little evidence of what he had believed was true Christian transformation. What he experienced was a group of men and women who resembled the world more than they did Jesus, and whose lives showed little resemblance of His character. The dissonance between what was espoused in word and what was clearly missing in deed caused him to doubt the transformative power of the gospel. If Christianity made little difference in the lives of these Christian leaders—to whom so many look for guidance and example—what difference could it make in his life?

All of us, at one time or another, have wrestled with a similar conflict. We may not walk away from belief or religion as my friend did, but we have been stung by disillusionment when our favorite leader, mentor, or friend turns out to have feet made of clay. Moreover, when we hold a mirror up to our own lives, we often see very spotty reflections of transformation. If we aren’t already discouraged at the lack of transformation in others, we certainly will be discouraged when we take a good, hard look at our own lives.

Why is transformation so difficult? And why do we seemingly see so little of it in our lives, no matter conviction or creed? We still lose our tempers, we get irritated at co-workers, we covet, we lust, and we are faithful idolaters. For Christians, this is especially problematic, because transformation is so clearly written into the good news of the gospel: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come.”¹ Yet, as my friend experienced, an honest comparison of Christians and non-Christians sometimes leads us to wonder about the possibility of real and lasting transformation.

Perhaps the elusive nature of transformation is illustrated in a conversation Jesus had with His own followers. Jesus asked His disciples: “And why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?”² Jesus suggests that a relentless focus on the foibles of others hinders the one who fails to see her need for transformation. So often, our critical gaze is relentlessly on others. We identify the failures of others before we honestly examine our own hearts; we vociferously pull the speck out of the eye of another, while we maintain a Redwood-sized log of our own. Jesus is clear on this point: “You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.”³ Even in this stern warning, the hope of transformation grows substantially when we remain diligently self-critical rather than persisting in an “out there” focus.

Diligence may seem like drudgery and antithetical to hope. After all, consider an artist: one might imagine that creativity is an unbounded force, flowing freely and continually. An artist’s canvas is never blank, the page never empty, the clay never unformed. The artist never experiences boredom or tedium with regards to her craft, but instead experiences the effortless flow of creative energy each and every day. There is little need for discipline, repetition, or structure in the artist’s world—or so we assume.

And yet, even an artist will tell you that creativity is something that must be practiced—exercised, as it were, just like any muscle. In fact, creativity achieves its greatest potential when bounded by discipline, and a tireless commitment to practice, routine, and structure. Rather than being opposed to creativity, discipline provides the conduit through which creative engagement grows and develops freely.

Such misguided assumptions about an artist’s process often parallel assumptions about growth and creativity in the spiritual life. Perhaps we expect unbounded growth or instant results. Perhaps we expect the constant flow of good feelings surging through us. If we do not experience these things, or if we don’t perpetually experience something novel from the rhythm of worship, prayer, or study, then we believe that something isn’t right. As a result, we often chase after the wind of emotional experience or spiritual high, constantly seeking the “next thing” that will move us or make us feel good. Ritual, discipline, commitment, and structure seem impediments to growth, rather than the soil in which spiritual growth is nourished and fed. We mistakenly believe that spiritual transformation is like osmosis, a process over which we have little control or responsibility.

Yet just as artists expect that practice, routine, and repetition are necessary disciplines of the creative life, so too should those who seek to grow in faith. For spiritual practice sharpens insight and enhances spiritual creativity. Routine and discipline are the nutrients necessary for the spiritual life to flourish and grow.

The Christian can also nurture the hope of transformation in the stories of the less than stellar characters that cooperate in God’s great work of redemption in the Bible. Transformation in biblical terms entails God’s faithfulness, not human perfection. Noah got drunk; Abraham lied twice about Sarah being his sister, rather than his wife; Gideon became an idolater; Samson failed to honor his vows; David committed adultery; Paul and Barnabas argued over John Mark and went their separate ways; the disciples of Jesus all left Him in the Garden of Gethsemane and fled. The psalmist alerts us to the fact that God is not ignorant about humanity’s humble condition: “For God knows what we are made of; God is mindful that we are but dust.”⁴ Yet in spite of this dusty substance, God is at work in and through flawed individuals. Through Noah’s obedience, humanity was preserved. Gideon defeated the Midianites who were terrorizing Israel, and all the families of the earth would be blessed because of Abraham. As these biblical stories illustrate, God can and does use us despite our fits and starts in following.

Perhaps there is something further to be gleaned about the nature of transformation from the biblical story of Jacob. Favored by his mother, he schemed and connived his way into receiving his brother’s birthright and his father’s blessing. He treated his wife Leah with great contempt and ended up taking a great deal of his family’s dysfunction into his own family; he, too, favored the children of his wife Rachel. But Jacob had a profound encounter with God one night in the lonely ford of Jabbok.⁵ It was this wrestling match with the living God that proved truly transformational. Jacob received a new name, “Israel,” as well as a dislocated hip. He named this place of transformation Peniel, which means, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been preserved.”⁶ His life had been preserved, but he would forever bear the mark of that transformational encounter in a new name and identity—and in his permanent limp.

Could it be that our own journeys of transformation reflect a similar experience? For those who follow the God of reconciliation, the hope of the living gospel, God indeed changes our names and gives us new identities in the hope of us becoming all that God intends for us. But God undertakes this work in a way that doesn’t erase our humanity. After all, God is mindful that we are but dust. Yet, God takes this dusty substance and shapes it into something beautiful.

Though we often bear the limp of our humanity, transformation remains a gift of grace. Philosopher and theologian Dallas Willard explains that the renovation of the human heart “is at once new and very old, both very promising and full of danger, illuminative of our lacks and failures and bursting with grace, an expression of the eternal quest of God for man and of man’s ineradicable need for God.”⁷ Indeed, Willard continues, “Christlikeness of the inner being is not a human attainment. It is finally, a gift of grace.”[8]

The God who created us will not abandon us to ourselves, but promises to walk alongside us. God gives continual grace for transformation, all for the hope of God’s glory.

Fromhttp://www.rzim.org/justthinkingfv/tabid/602/articleid/11043/cbmoduleid/881/default.aspx.
Published on Anchor May 2012. Read by Bethany Kelly. copyright@TFI

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1 2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV.

2 Luke 6:41 NIV.

3 Luke 6:42 ESV.

4 Psalm 103:14.

5 See Genesis 32:22–32.

6 Genesis 32:29–30: Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.” But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there. So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared” (NIV).

7 Dallas Willard, Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ (NavPress: Colorado Springs, CO., 2002), 22.

8 Ibid., 23.

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