Today’s LIE is one I find myself having to DETOX over and over and over again!

We shared last week about the lie of being UNQUALIFIED. The feeling that we are “not good enough.” This week we are talking about the LIE that I believe follows the LIE of feeling UNQUALIFIED, or at least it does in my life!

I, by the grace of God, shake the LIE of feeling unqualified, and as soon as I do the next lie creeps into my thinking…

I am not useful in God’s Kingdom. I do not have a future in this life.

Sure, I have an eternal future. I know that Jesus Christ is the One and Only Son of God. I know that God sent Him to die for my sins. I know that He died on the cross and that His shed blood covers my sin, and brings me into a right relationship with God. I know that because Jesus died for me, I will live forever with Him in HEAVEN, some day…but do I have a future here on this earth now?

The answer is YES, I do! I have a future! God desires to use me and has plans for me!

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares The Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  Jeremiah 29:11

This verse is a popular one and can be taken out of context. It can be the “Go To, Genie in a Bottle,” if you will. The verse that we tend to quote when we make a decision to make a change, or not make a change. To say Yes to something, or No to something. To basically do something we want to do, or not do something we do not want to do.

However, we need to remember the context in which Jeremiah is speaking these words. This verse is Jeremiah speaking to an exciled group of God’s people in Babylon! He is telling them that they are going to be in exile for 70 years, but that they are to still see their place in God’s kingdom work as vital and important! They are to put down roots, they are to have godly marriages and to raise a godly heritage! The promise that God is with them and will continue to bless them and bring them a future with hope and purpose, is for all of them as a group of believers!  The assurance that God is with them no matter what happens and the Truth that God wants only good for all of His people, is the heart of this verse.

So, in case you think, like I often tend to do, that God has no future for you in the earthly work for His Kingdom, look at this list from God’s Word, that keeps company with you and I!

*Abraham was too old, but God used Him in His earthly kingdom work as the father of a great nation!

*Moses was a murderer who stuttered and stammered all over his words, but God used him to rescue His people from slavery!

*Rahab was a prostitute who God used to hide His spies, and from her lineage came Jesus Christ Himself!

*David was a liar and a murderer, but God used Him as one of the greatest leaders of all time and called him, “A man after His own heart!”

*Jonah was a coward who tried to run away from God, but God chased after him and used him to proclaim His message of Truth to a desperate people!

*Peter denied even knowing God, but God restored him and made him the “Rock” upon which He built His church!

*Timothy was young, but God used him mightily to teach and train His people and God filled him with His wisdom!

LIE # 9– I am not useful to God in His kingdom work here on earth!

TRUTH # 9– I have a future! I am useful in God’s kingdom!

“Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”               Philippians 1:6

Friends, until Jesus Himself returns, GOD HAS “WORK” for us to carry on with!

DETOX the LIE! Do not allow the enemy to whisper his poison in your ear. The enemy who wants to thwart the work of God! Who uses any thing he can twist and manipulate to cause us to deny the TRUTH of God!

Speak God’s Truth over your life and watch how He will use you for His kingdom work.

You have a future! You are useful in God’s Kingdom! Ask Him today what He has for you to do.

Paul goes on in the book of Philippians to tell us that we must forget the past and look ahead to the future!

“Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”      Philippians 3:13-14

The end of the “race” here my friends, is the end of our earthly lives. The “prize” is Heaven and life eternally there with God and Christ Jesus. Paul is urging us to “PRESS ON,” to not give up running our race here on earth. To work hard at the future God has given us while we are still here!  Then, when we have run that race, we will receive the prize of eternal life in heaven!

It is a LIE that you do not have a future. It is a lie that you are not valuable to God’s kingdom work here on earth!

TRUTH BOMB

I have a future and am useful in God’s kingdom!

You have a future and a vital role to play. So DETOX the Lie, hold firm to the TRUTH, and “press on,” to run your race here well!

Together we can do it! The beauty of God’s plan is that we were created to build a community and run this race together!  

READY, SET, LET’S GO!

Speak Truth Love

Last year my phone rang, I picked it up with no expectation, just a friendly conversation.

I answered the caller in my typical, high pitched, happy voice, “Hi, how are you?”

The caller on the other end answered respectfully, but not with the amount of enthusiasm I expected. Obviously, something else was on his mind, and he was anxious to cut through the pleasantries.

He got right down to it with his next statement, “A job opening has presented itself, and I believe you are right for it.”

I froze right there and then! I should have responded with the correct “christian” answer, “I will pray about it.”

But something took me over and I blurted out, “I am not the one!”

I didn’t take time to pray, I didn’t take time to stop and think about it, I didn’t even let him explain what the job position was. I was simply overtaken by a horrible feeling of being UNQUALIFIED!

Me, on staff at a church? Oh, No!

I have been in ministry for over 30 years alongside my husband. I have seen what my husband has gone through and I have felt the stinging pain of rejection and negative comments way too many times. I am unqualified! I am not enough!

I have served overseas and have been criticized for the way I dress, raise my children and cook. I AM UNQUALIFIED!

I have taught Bible Studies and have been rebuked for being a woman and for my style.

I AM UNQUALIFIED!

I have lead small(and large), groups with my husband and have been told they are non-essential. I AM UNQUALIFIED!

My list is much longer, but you get my point.

God was calling me to a position in His church and because of past hurt, pain and rejection, I was rendering myself UNQUALIFIED, before I even bowed my knee to Him to ask for His plan.

Have you been rendered UNQUALIFIED by the church or by the world around you? If so, that is not God’s voice you are listening to.

That is the lie of the enemy!

God’s Truth says YOU ARE GIFTED BY GOD! You can and will accomplish great things through Him and the power of the Holy Spirit living in you!

LIE #8 – YOU ARE UNQUALIFIED!

TRUTH #8 – YOU ARE GIFTED BY GOD AND CAN ACCOMPLISH GREAT THINGS!

“A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.”

I Corinthians 12:7

“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”

John 14:12

After coming to my “spiritual” senses and praying through the next two days, God affirmed in me that I am qualified, because HE equips me!

TRUTH BOMB

GOD RENDERS US QUALIFIED WHEN WE CALL OURSELVES HIS

I LOVE my job at church and I thank God for gifting and qualifying me!

Detox one of satan’s greatest lies friends, that of being unqualified.

He uses past hurts, pains and rejections to render us defeated!

Replace the lie with God’s Truth, YOU ARE GIFTED AND QUALIFIED! Allow Jesus to render you QUALIFIED!

Speak Truth Love

Identity and Worth-are there two greater values in life?

Identity is defined as; “the state or fact of being oneself, and not another.”

Do you realize the FREEDOM in this definition?

This is not defining what you should be, what you should do or how you should do it!

No! Identity is clearly defined as YOUR state of being YOURSELF!

The problem is, we let the other little word, WORTH, get in the way and steel away our FREEDOM of being ourselves.

Worth is defined as many things, my favorite definition is; “excellence of character or quality as commanding esteem.”

Friends, so often we get caught up in the other definitions of WORTH…

“usefulness and importance…”

“wealth, riches, property or possessions…”

“good or important enough to justify…”

Now, these definitions are true in part, they are just not whole or complete until you add a clarifying piece to them. 

Who is it or what is it that defines the WORTH?

As believers in Jesus Christ, there is only one clarifying piece to determine our WORTH, that is the person of Jesus Christ!

This is what He says about you…

You are His child!

“But to all who believed Him and accepted Him, He gave the right to become children of God.”                                                                                                   John 1:12

He has adopted you and brought you to Himself! You belong to Him!

“God decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ.”                                                                                     Ephesians 1:5

You are a daughter or son of The King! You are chosen, selected, adopted and made family by The King of Kings Himself.

Truth Bomb

Your identity and worth is found in Him and Him alone!

So stop defining your worth by how much you do, what you do, or how well you do it. Begin to realize that your identity is in Christ, and because of that your worth is PRICELESS, LIMITLESS, MATCHLESS!

Lie #7 – I am worthless!

TRUTH #7 – I am of matchless value!

Detox the Lie and speak God’s Truth over your life!

Your identity is in Christ and Your Worth is Priceless!

Speak Truth Love

HOW FAR IS TOO FAR?

Have you ever taken a hike, bike ride or a walk and realized that you had gone too far?

I have! My husband and I had just moved to Northern California from Southern California and were excited to explore the many hiking trails in our new home.

We selected a beautiful trail that began at the ocean near Bodega Bay. The trail was clearly marked and looked like it would be a nice 6 1/2 miles. We parked our car at the trail head and began the steep first mile of the hike. There was quite a bit of huffing and puffing (mostly on my part), as we reached the top of that first mile peak. The trail leveled out after that and we walked along at a nice, easy pace. As we hit the 3 1/2 mile mark, it looked as if we were in the middle of nowhere. We were up very high, not even close to ocean level, and there was dry brush all around us. The coolness of the ocean air was gone, and the sun was hot!

We could see no signs of the trail ending, and there was no where to go but forward. The hours rolled on and eventually the trail turned downward and ended in a cool redwood forest. It was the completion of 6 1/2 miles and we were stuck! I realized in that moment that we had GONE TOO FAR!

Instead of turning around at the half-way point and hiking back to our car. We had GONE TOO FAR, hiked 6 1/2 miles, and found ourselves carless, and having to face the 6 1/2 mile hike back to our car! 

Have you ever been there? Have you gotten yourself further and further away from God, and instead of CALLING out to Him and allowing Him to come near, you just keep going further and further away?

TRUTH BOMB

YOU CAN NEVER GO SO FAR THAT GOD CANNOT FIND YOU!

You are never too far from God! You may feel like God is not near. You may struggle to gain or regain that intimate oneness that is possible between you and God. You may even feel that God has “left the building,” but The Truth is, God is near to you if you call out to Him!

“The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in Truth.“                                                                                                                   Psalm 145:18

If you have called on God and told Him you believe that He is The One True God, and you believe in His One and Only Son Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, then GOD IS NEAR TO YOU!

Are you struggling to believe that God cares enough to be near to you when you do not necessarily deserve His presence?

Friends, I’ve been there. But the Truth is, the God of the universe does not stay near to you because you “deserve” it, or your behavior dictates it! God stays near to you because He passionately loves you! God’s character of Love deems us worthy even when our behavior does not.

Do not let the lie of the enemy penetrate your mind and heart and keep you away from your loving God!

LIE #6: I am alone! God is not near!

TRUTH #6: God is close to me!

True, our sin did once separate us from God, but when we chose God, He chose us! And, because He is God, He will never leave us. He is always close!

“Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to Him through the blood of Christ.”                                                         Ephesians 2:13

If you have believed the lie of the enemy, and allowed yourself to wander away from God’s presence, DETOX THE LIE! CALL OUT TO HIM! He is close and He will come near to you!

Happy Mid-Summer Friends!

Stay the course. Continue to detox the old lies and replace them with the Truth.

God’s Word is the Truth!

Speak Truth Love

THIS WEEK WE CELEBRATE FREEDOM AS A COUNTRY!

In the same way that we acknowledge that our FREEDOM as a country came at a cost, we also realize that our spiritual FREEDOM came at a cost!

Jesus Christ paid the cost for our spiritual FREEDOM with His blood on the cross of calvary.

“He is so rich in kindness and grace that He purchased our freedom with the blood of His Son and forgave our sins.”                           Ephesians 1:7

While most of us own the fact that we are “FREE,” too many of us buy into the LIE that we are not forgiven.

Our sin and the past or present life that we live, is just too awful for God to forgive. We live lives that accept part of the truth….we have been set free through the blood of Jesus on the cross, but we do not walk in the freedom that we are fully forgiven as well.

Lie #5– I am not free and forgiven. I still live in bondage to sin. What I have done is too bad for God to completely forgive.

Truth #5– I am free and forgiven! Nothing is too bad that God cannot forgive it!

“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.“

 Romans 8:1

TRUTH BOMB

THERE IS NO CONDEMNATION FOR THOSE WHO BELONG TO CHRIST JESUS!

So as you detox the lie that there is a sin so bad that God cannot forgive it and set you free, and you replace it with the TRUTH that YOU ARE TRULY FREE AND  FORGIVEN, I pray you will raise the American flag high and celebrate the freedom of our country, but also raise your spirit high as you live in God’s freedom and forgiveness!

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY!

Speak Truth Love