And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s,
But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life. Mark 10:29-30
I had a couple interesting conversations with people about how the need to look perfect and like you have it all together can lead to depression, hopelessness, addiction and even suicide.
If you think about it, our society glamorizes the ideal. Photoshopping is not reality. A lot of us are tempted to portray only our “best side” on social media. There are subcultures in some religions that pressure people to look like they’re perfect and have no problems. And people with some “sins” or life challenges are hammered by internal and/or external shame.
The first thing Satan told Adam and Eve in the garden after they ate the fruit was that they should be ashamed because they were naked and to hide. He’s still telling us the same thing. That we should be ashamed of who we are and what we’ve done and to go hide.
A big part of my growth and healing journey has been to openly feel and admit my emotions and my challenges. When I acknowledge to another person (aka confess) Satan can’t shame me anymore over that thing. I’ve called him out and he holds no power over me there.
Satan tempts men to sin, then to be ashamed and to hide from each other and from God. Husbands hide from wives. Wives hide from husbands. Children hide from parents and we hide from each other in every aspect of society.
God gives us the solution. Confess, open your eyes and your ears to his love, receive Christ’s grace, let him heal you. Every sin is a result of a deep unmet need. Let Him meet the need and heal the wound and the desire for sin goes away. Then he touches you with his finger so you can shine like a candle on a candlestick.
With God, condemnation and shame are never part of the prescription. Don’t let Satan shame you. Call him out. Go to someone you can trust and confess the doubts, fears, emotions and thoughts he’s putting into your mind. Go to someone who is connected to Christ and let them walk beside you back to the Savior so he can heal you.
Today, I’m sharing one of my favorite hymns, “Be Still My Soul”
“Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.”
“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:13-16)
Today’s message from the 90 Day Light the World: Build The Kingdom Challenge is on Divine Restoration from Joel 2:25-26.
And I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpiller, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you.
And ye shall eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the name of the LORD your God, that hath dealt wondrously with you: and my people shall never be ashamed.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God” John 3:16-21
“Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” Luke 6:38
Have you ever felt like you were shown something that would happen, a big vision? Have you sensed that you were supposed to do something, but then nothing seemed to happen with it? This can be frustrating. After a while, it’s easy to give up, forget about it and get on with your life.
What I’m learning is that while that “nothing is happening” there really is something going on that probably doesn’t involve you directly. God is sending His angels to prepare the way. Sometimes that means getting other people involved, lining up resources and orchestrating things that are going to be needed. And what’s going on with you? You’re most likely being prepared to become the person capable of receiving the vision.
When the children of Israel were being led to their promised land, Jehovah told them, “Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.” Exodus 23:20
Often times, we believe it’s all on us to make our big vision a reality, but it isn’t. Whatever God does is always bigger than we think. Big things require more people than just you. And what God originates, He orchestrates. Here’s an example from my own life and from the Light the World movement.
Peace of mind can be one of the most elusive things we seek in life. It remains out of reach for most people because there will always be challenges and problems. If those things are allowed to disrupt your peace, you’ll never know it for any length of time. Philippians 4:6-7 holds the answer. I discuss it in Day 21 of the Light the World: Build The Kingdom 90 Day Challenge video.
How many times has someone said something on social media that offended you or led to you feeling hurt or angry? It’s really easy to misunderstand what someone is saying on social media or via text. It’s hard to know what someone really means without hearing their tone of voice, seeing their body language or being able to read their minds.
How can we apply Biblical principles of how to treat each other to how we interact with each other on social media platforms like Facebook?
“Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.
Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:17-21
This short video talks about how to apply this passage to how we treat each other on social media.
I believe that with any significant breakthrough there’s a surrender point. Surrender has been tricky for me to understand and articulate. Perhaps it’s something you have to experience and not something one can adequately describe to anyone else.
I’ve been to the sad frustrated “I give up. Whatever you want, Lord,” point. That place feels defeated. It feels like your confidence is shattered, and you’re just going to submit to be thrown and tossed wherever God wants to sling you.
I realize now that this is really not the type of surrender the Lord wants. Or maybe He is okay with it because it’s just a step along the journey. I don’t think God wants us to feel defeated, shattered or hopeless. I also don’t believe He wants us to see Him as someone who wants to inflict bad things on us to beat us down to submission. He loves us. He wants good for us. He isn’t taking joy in tormenting us.
After starting to grasp that EVERYTHING – literally EVERYTHING is a gift and that God uses every last thing to bring good into our lives, I have come to a different place of surrender. Now I feel an overwhelming trust.
It’s being a curious observer, absolutely knowing there is good in every single moment. It’s opening my eyes to see the good NOW. It’s trusting that the future is just like now – perfect. There’s no need to worry about the future. He’s orchestrating good there too.
I watch with hopeful anticipation to see where God is taking me and how it is all going to fall together. I have every confidence it will in the perfect way, time, place and with the right people.
My job is to put Him first — seek first to be the light He sent me here to be. I do my work, do my best, but I don’t feel the need to orchestrate, control or manipulate anything. That’s His job. Every day is a fun surprise to see where He’ll place the blessings and how things will eventually fall into place.
I hope I can stay in this place. It is the most amazing, peaceful and hopeful place. By all appearances, I should be distraught and an anxious mess, but I’m as calm as a sunny morning. God is good! Life is good! I am blessed.
