26 January 2011

JOURNEY 201¦1 Unpacking

Hope you all had a wonderful week with God!

I have had so much fun over the past week, getting in His presence, time with family and friends and celebrating my birthday. However, all that joy was impacted by thoughts about several friends who are going through some difficult times.

They want to journey with God, but they keep finding themselves ‘stuck’ – stuck in mindsets, stuck in situations and circumstances, stuck in their relationship with God. It is easier to end up ‘there’ than you might think. However, it is just a simple to move away from the loop of discouragement and disappointment - which brought me to this week's journey message.

UNPACKING

While preparing to take a journey in the natural, we take time to pack all of the items that we desire to take with us. However, as we prepare and participate in a spiritual journey, we find that is often necessary to UNPACK some things. And one of the biggest things that we need to remove from our travel case is offense.

When traveling, there is nothing worse than being stuck in a car, on an hours-long road trip, with someone that you can’t stand. There is tension, impatience, strained conversation and even complete silence. It makes for a terribly miserable journey.

Spiritually, it is the same way. Offense creates a most unpleasant traveling atmosphere and can make it impossible to move forward at all. The offenses that are held create a prison which locks up the offended, while the offenders continue on with their lives. They have no idea that they have caused an offense or simply do not care. And the offended, when refusing to let go of the offense, sentences and imprisons him/herself. They waste days, months and even years of their lives being offended and waiting for an apology that might not ever manifest.

Understand that we must forgive – for our own sakes.

Corrie Ten Boom (a Dutch Christian holocaust survivor) is quoted as saying, Forgiveness is the key which unlocks the door of resentment and the handcuffs of hatred. It breaks the chains of bitterness and the shackles of selfishness.’ She is also noted as saying that, ‘Forgiveness is to set a prisoner free, and to realize the prisoner was you.

Sadly many have become imprisoned by harmful words and dreadful actions, spoken and committed against them. Yet the Bible tells us, ‘Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.’ Colossians 3:13

The Word also conveys the benefits of such forgiveness, ‘For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.’ Matthew 6:14-16

So, what does it mean to forgive?

Well, a search of the internet (Wikipedia) notes the following: ‘Forgiveness is typically defined as the process of concluding resentment, indignation or anger as a result of a perceived offense, difference or mistake, and/or ceasing to demand punishment or restitution.’ That means we must bring an end to the resentment which has grabbed hold of our heart and spirit due to the words, actions or inactions of another.

But what do you do when the offense is against God?

Offended by God. Some may not admit it or even realize it. Yet that is exactly what is being communicated in many of the conversations that I am having with Christians. They are displeased and upset with God because of circumstances.
- The healing did not manifest
- The home got foreclosed
- The car got repossessed
- The marriage failed
- The finacial reversal came (despite their giving)
- The child ended up in prison
- Worse, the child ended up in the morgue
- The prayer went unanswered (in their assessment)
- The need went unmet (based upon their perception)

They are offended. And the only one who can help them move past the offense is God. However, they are faced with a dilemma. My friend has a similiar challenge. She is having trouble communicating with God and embracing the reality of who He is. And as we talked, she questioned: ‘How do you talk to someone when they are the one that you have a problem with?’ My response was to liken the situation to a marriage. You don’t talk to the person down the street to fix problems in your home. You have to talk to your spouse - that is if you truly want reconciliation to take place.

Likewise, if you have an offense with God, you need to talk to Him about those concerns. He can handle it. He knows exactly where you are. He will answer you through His Word. But understand that you may have to deal with some ugly issues and truths about yourself in the process. It will definitely cause you to gain a broader perspective and to rearrange, if necessary, your focus and priorities.

I just started reading a book by Max Lucado titled, Next Door Savior and I was taken by something that He said in the first chapter: ‘The cache of Christianity is Christ. Not money in the bank or a car in the garage or a healthy body or a better self-image … the Fort Knox of faith is Christ. Fellowship with Him. Walking with Him. Pondering Him. Exploring Him. The heart-stopping realization that in Him you are part of something ancient, endless, unstoppable, and unfathomable.’

That is what JOURNEY 201¦1 is all about!
It is about knowing God, moving with Him and experiencing everything He has for you.

But if there is hurt, if there is offense, if you are unable to unpack those unhealthy emotions – it will make for an unpleasant and unproductive journey.

You may have to wrestle with some of the disappointments and unrealized expectations. You may have to wrangle with them on more than one occasion. Know that just because you unpack an offense, it does not prevent the enemy from coming back ‘at an opportune time’ to whisper it in your ear and try to get you to embrace those toxic emotions all over again. It is a process – one which will require determination, honesty, surrender, commitment and persistence, one which requires the inward dwelling of His Holy Spirit which graces us with the ability to ‘unpack offenses’ and, as we mature, to avoid ‘packing on’ the offense to begin with.

We must get to a place where we truly believe God and His Word and not just recite scriptures that we heard at a conference or have learned through repititious attendance at church services for the past twenty years.

As relates to others: I will not pick up the offense if I truly believe and understand Ephesians 6:12 which states, ‘we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.’ I will understand that the forces of darkness are always at work and I will not lash out at people.

As relates to God: I will not ‘pack on the offense’ if I believe God and truly know His heart.

Trust His words. 'I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome.’ Jer. 29:11

Be comforted by His promise. ‘Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, fenced in and hidden, which you do not know (do not distinguish and recognize, have knowledge of and understand).’ Jer. 33:3

Let peace prevail. ‘We are assured and know that God being a partner in their labor] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose.’ Rom. 8:28

Be confident. ‘For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.’ Jn. 3:16

Talk to God, repent for being offended, read His Word.
Unpack the offense, unpack the hurt, unpack the pain –
And be free!

Then JOURNEY in joy and in peace with God

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