It is a difficult journey when friends, relatives, significant others, or persons in authority refuse to accept an individual’s courage to stand up for themselves, their ability to disagree, or one’s right to say “no!”  We want to be acknowledged, accepted, believed, validated.  …yet often, many are not.  Societal awareness of this problem has grown as publicity has increased, yet I think we are far from solving these issues because they concern both hearts and power—and without a transformation that only the Holy Spirit can affect, the changes we long for will not happen.

If you have been in a position where your words, your opinions, or your emotions were ignored, you can recognize the frustration and helplessness such disregard brings.  I also recognize feelings such as these cannot be associated with an all-powerful God.  Yet I wonder what He feels when we disregard His words and His “no’s”?  We recognize that He has feelings such as love, anger, and compassion, but how do we recognize His response when we seem incapable or unwilling to accept “no” for an answer?

Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.  If you had known me, you would have known my Father also.  From now on you do know Him and have seen Him.” (John 14:6-7) What we know about God and our relationship to Him is revealed through Jesus—and the words that Jesus spoke are true. 

So why is it so difficult to accept deep in our hearts some of the things written on the pages of the Bible?  I’m pretty sure that most of us as Christians have a nodding assent that the Bible is God’s Word, and we believe His Word is truth revealed.  But sometimes circumstances cause our faith to waver or break down (and eventually build up!).

There was a special event held for grandparents at my granddaughter’s elementary school—we met with our grandchildren in the school cafeteria and painted mugs supplied by a local company.  After creating our amazing works of art, the company packed them up, took them back to their studio, fired them, and returned them to the school so that the children could take them home.

It was a fun time and I enjoyed making a flowery creation—we both looked forward to getting our mugs back so that we could see how they turned out.  I recognized what was coming when Eugenie started to open the bag holding my mug and a look of dismay crossed her face.  Sadly, it had shattered—and I was so disappointed!  I tried to put the larger pieces together to get an idea of how it might have looked, and I think it would have been pretty, but I just could not envision what it might have been if it hadn’t broken.

Sometimes when things like this happen, I just try to sweep away the pieces and forget about it, forget about my disappointment, and close my heart to what might be happening inside me.  But this time I decided to stop.  I didn’t want disappointment in this broken little mug to consume me; and I did not want even a little bit pride in my creation or greediness in my possession of it to wander through the passageways of my soul.  I loved the moments Eugenie and I spent together in painting our mugs, but it seemed as though that mug meant more to me than just our time together.

It reminded me of my life—that no matter how hard I worked at making it nice, pretty, or desirable, particularly to God, the fact remains I am but broken clay.  My best efforts do not make me whole; they do not make me attractive, loved, or worthy of saving—simply because it is only the Potter’s hands that can make whole what is broken.

…which brings me to the point of my post:

“There is therefore now No condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” (Romans 8:1-2)

Jesus initiated this truth when He taught, “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.  Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” (John 3:17-18)

Keeping laws cannot make us whole, or acceptable to God (because as fallen human beings, we do not have it within our nature to keep them perfectly); they cannot relieve us from condemnation, and they do not save us!  Only belief in the Son of God ensures eternal life, and only the Spirit of life can give life and freedom from the brokenness caused by sin.

However, faulty religious beliefs place burdens upon believers that God never intended—a sense that the cross of Jesus isn’t quite enough to save a person, that hidden sins lurking in one’s soul could disqualify them from kingdom citizenship, God’s compassion, or kingdom usefulness. 

Truth is, the burden of our salvation was placed on Jesus; and God continues to carry the weight of our redemption and transformation.  “And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6)

As I was thinking about this recently, a floodlight of recognition filled my soul!  Of course, the enemy wants us to sin, to effectively cause a wedge to grow between ourselves and our Savior—satan and his minions are on a mission to “steal and kill and destroy”!(John 10:10) His tactics include lying, “for he is a liar, and the father of lies.” (John 8:44); satan also relentlessly accuses believers in Christ, “for the accusers of our brothers [and sisters] has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.” (Revelation 12:10)—and it is his intention and to render us ineffective, …by accepting demonic accusations, causing us to reside under a cloud of condemnation. …to skew the message of the cross with legalism instead of grace, and to keep us from praying because, “…the prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”  (James 5:16) Or as the NKJV puts it (the context of this verse not only addresses the sin issue but states the power we have in prayer!), “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.  The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.  Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.  And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.” (James 5:16-18)

Now, more than any other time in my life, I am seeing the powers of hell rage!  Now, more than ever before, I am seeing the enemy’s battle objectives to steal, kill, and destroy actively present, and in many cases embraced by the culture and societies of this world.  …and that draws me to the conviction that now, more than ever, we need to believe God’s Word, embracing His uncompromised truth, seeking Him daily to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and committed to prayer.