Today I was feeling a little low and so I googled ‘do I believe I am worth more?’
You would not believe the response I got.
first answer that popped up was from ‘tiny Buddha’. Another one was from a medium; another one from positive psychology and the last one was from a fairy.
Needless to say not one thing that popped up came from a godly/Christ centered response.
I realized in a moment that our culture has no idea what self-worth is and if people like mediums and tiny Buddhas and fairies are giving us the answer, no wonder our society is starting to turn upside down.
I was mad that I could not find the answer I was looking for… And then I realized ‘how many people who do not have Jesus are searching for the same thing?’ The answers are filled with many ways to self-help and none of them including the word of God.
So I decided to go to the word of God.
1 Cor. 7:23
God paid a high price for you, so don’t be enslaved by the world
This hit me. We literally live in 2 worlds as Christians.
1. A life in Christ - bound and covered by his blood.
2. Life in a world- filled with self.
We are constantly inundated with distractions worldviews conflicting ads. Take care of self listen to self. And everything I’m reading are words just piled on top of words on top of words- with no real fix. But there is a fix for your soul… And it’s Jesus.
Finally - I found an article that was about Jesus and it said the same thing others did, but it didn’t tell me how to be whole in Jesus.
We can hear 1 million sermons but until we figure out how to apply what we hear, we just sit and wonder why there’s no change.
The key is the word of God. But sometimes that’s the hardest thing to get into. Every time I sit down to study there is some form of distraction whether it’s my dogs barking at me or my child falling off the couch or some new alert coming on the news or the phone. Something is always vying for my attention and I am bone weary. How do people balance jobs and houses and children. How do people feel confident in who they are how do they find confidence in Christ?
So, I began my search in the Bible. The 1 Corinthians says, ‘I was bought with a price. I do not have to be enslaved by the world.’ The point is getting to know the one who paid the ultimate price, Jesus. And God, too. Jesus died for us…and is now arisen and seated beside God.
With the very real, dangerous and depressing world caving in around us constantly, it almost feels like we have to pick ourselves up off the ground to even go to the Word. It’s easier to sit on the couch and watch TV and veg out.
And that is the tactic of the enemy. Make the world seem easy and the Christian walk hard and boring.
We are attacked with oppression, depression or anger. Just turn on the news for half an hour and see how many things we can all get upset about.
The world is upsetting.
Our only stability is Jesus. It’s not masks or vaccines, or government officials, or political parties. It is Jesus. The more inward focus people are - the more selfish they become- the more judgmental they become - the more angry they become - the more they want their way. And peace is out the window.
Jesus promises us peace -not like the world- but the peace that passes all understanding. Here is the kicker. You have to search for it. You have to seek it. God is there but he does not force us to be puppets in this world. We are designed to have a relationship with him to walk with him to talk with him. It’s a relationship that takes time to cultivate and grow just like dating. But It is with an unseen person. However, we have his word and his people to help us learn about him.
This is a war for our hearts. It’s a battle with a clear winner and I want to be in the winning side. Not only do I want to be on the winning side, but I want to take as many people as I can with me.
I am not the only one.
When you search the Scriptures, you see the long-standing enemy of God.
He was cast out of heaven with 1/3 of the Angels before Adam and Eve were walking on this earth.
We have been in a battle since the first humans were created and will remain in one until Jesus returns. This is not for the faint of heart. This is not Kumbaya, Namaste, .
If we are truly getting closer to the return of Christ, then the battle is going to heat up daily. The battle is for our distraction. It’s to disengage us from the battle so we are not effective. If we can be distracted and anxious and angry then we are in the perfect state to keep from advancing the kingdom.
The battle is for the souls of those who do not know Jesus.
If you were an enemy of God, what would your goal be?
We have two choices, we can give in to oppression and anxiety. We can sit down and find 1 million ways to wash our cares away.
Or we can fight.
Start by staying in the word of God. When we create space and time to be with God and study his word, we advance in understanding Him. We will be in a different frame of mind that is needed to be effective for the kingdom. It’s only going to be harder as we go forward. So today I pray that I choose Christ, I pray that you choose Jesus. I pray you choose to go to that place of just you and him and talk every day. This isn’t just a devotion time to check off your list. This is true warfare and we need to stay in the battle on our knees.
Realize who paid the price for us. realize how he paid the price and realize that you do not want to be enslaved to a worldview that has a cold dark distant ending.
Chose Christ.
Choose life.
It is possible to not live in oppression. Live daily with the creator and just watch his kingdom as advance.
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