Excitement in the boat, part 30: seeing is believing

The people went out to see what had happened; and they came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting down at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and they became frightened. (Luke 8:35 NASB)

Jesus had cast the demons out of the man, they had gone into the pigs, the herd had plummeted over the cliff into the sea, and drowned. The astonished pig herders ran away as fast as they could. They wanted no part of this, and reported the events to everyone who would listen. Of course, the story was so wild that, like we are prone to do, the hearers wanted to see for themselves and headed out. 

What they saw was so dramatic and so incredible that they were frightened. The former wild man was sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, sane, and learning to be a disciple. They had never seen anything so dramatic, so convincing. There was no doubt in their minds that Jesus was responsible for these events. 

When people look at us, especially in light of recent time spent with Jesus, what do they see?  Do they see a heart and life that is radically different because of Him? Does our life leave no doubt that Jesus is our Redeemer? Does the power of our unspoken testimony leave people amazed at the power of God at work in our lives?

Pray today for such abandon to our Lord that all will see the evidence of His work in our lives, as well as those of our loved ones, that they will be drawn to the Lord. 

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Link to last night's post: http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/08/lessons-from-battlefield-jotham-not.html

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The intent was to have a different terrorist group for which to pray this week, however the ongoing atrocities from ISIS/ISIL/IS demand that we continue to pray for divine intervention. There is not only an urgent need for transformation for them, but also an urgent need to pray for protection of those targeted by these radical jihadists. 

 Their leader is Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. To learn more about them and their goal of spreading radical jihad and sharia rule throughout the world, click here: http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/08/radical-obedience-abu-bakr-al-baghdadi.html

Lessons from the Battlefield, part 6: Jotham - not just his daddy's boy

2 Chronicles 27:1-6

 

Jotham, Uzziah’s son, became king after the death of Uzziah and reigned for sixteen years.  He did right in the sight of the Lord according to all that his father Uzziah had done.  He was faithful all the days of his life.  Jotham, however, did not become so prideful that he became presumptuous, as his father had done.

 

What was it that Uzziah had done?

S.

Sought the Lord

F.

Fought with God’s help

B.

Built towers in the wilderness and kept a sharp lookout for danger

K.

Kept the army equipped and ready for danger

D.

Delegated authority to capable people

Made engines of war invented by skillful men

 

In addition, to what Uzziah did, Jotham built the upper gate of the house of the Lord, built extensively the wall of Ophel, built cities in the hill country, built fortresses and towers, fought with the Ammonites and prevailed.

 

The summary of Jotham’s life is this:

 

He became mighty because he ordered his ways before the Lord.

 

What does it mean to "order your ways before the Lord"? Jotham looked at his father's life, saw his successes and his failure, and recognized the source of both. He chose, every day for his entire reign as king, to do things God's way, every time. He did more great deeds than his father had done. Pride was likely a temptation, but he knew firsthand what the price would be, and he chose humility. He chose obedience. He chose discipleship. 

If we want the kind of life Jotham had, one that pleases God, we need to do what he did. 

Choose humility

Choose obedience. 

Choose discipleship. 

Every single time. 

Excitement in the Boat, part 29: The Name

And Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Legion"; for many demons had entered him. (Luke 8:30 NASB)

When the demoniac met Jesus, he fell at His feet. Jesus looked down and said, "What is your name?"  The man answered, "Legion".  Of course, that wasn't the name his parents had given him. It wasn't the name by which God called him. It was actually a word that described his demon-controlled life. He had lived that life for so many years that he had become known by it. He identified with it. It was "who he was" in a terrible, sad sense, at least in his own mind. 

One of the unfortunate things about being held captive by forces other than our Lord is that we find it so hard to break free. Our failure to break free is often interpreted as an inability to be free, and that translates (in our minds) into the idea that we cannot be free. Before we realize what is happening, we begin to identify with our bondage and think, "This is who I am."  What we so often forget is that the things we do are not necessarily the things God intended for us, nor how He sees us. It is not necessarily how He intends to leave us, either. 

On this blessed day, Jesus looked down at this man and said, in essence, "Legion? No that's not who you are. I'm going to remove that and you will be a brand new man. You are about to be the man you were born to be." And so it was. With a word, the Legion was gone, the man was freed, and he was, in a spiritual sense, reborn. He had much to learn about staying free and serving his Redeener, but he was free indeed. 

How does this translate to our lives?  Look at your own life for a moment. What is the thing to which you go back, over and over? For some, it will be bigotry, a critical spirit, gossip. For others, it will be anything from gluttony to sexual sin to fiscal irresponsibility. Just because you do not have the power to break free from that which controls you, from that which is killing you, does not mean that our God lacks power to set you free. He does not. 

Even in his demon-controlled state, this man was able to take the first vital step to freedom, and so can we. He fell at the feet of Jesus, and let Him take it from there. It was an act of absolute surrender, and it was the one thing that had been missing. Neither chains nor shackles could contain him, but one word from God could set him free, and it can do the same for you.  

Today, pray that we and our loved ones will fall at the feet of Jesus in total surrender of who we have become and allow Him to transform us into who we were created to be. 

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Link to last night's post: http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/08/lessons-from-battlefield-part-5-uzziah.html

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Our terrorist/terror group of the week is the former ISIS, now the Islamic State. Their leader is Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. To learn more about them and their goal of spreading radical jihad and sharia rule throughout the world, click here: http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/08/radical-obedience-abu-bakr-al-baghdadi.html

Lessons from the Battlefield, part 5: Uzziah

2 Chronicles 26:1-23

 

Uzziah was a good and much loved king.  He was careful to follow the Lord and, Scripture tells us, “Uzziah was marvelously helped by God until he was strong.”  (2 Chronicles 26:15c)  He made many improvements in the land and innovations in infrastructure.  In addition, he built a huge army and equipped them with the best weapons of war.  In fact, he became famous for the war machines he made.  

God blessed him with wealth, success, and fame, however, when he became strong, he also became proud and acted unfaithfully.  He wanted the power of the priests, and he took it upon himself to burn incense in the temple.  Although it sounds as if Uzziah was simply serving God by offering a sacrifice, this act was off limits for the king.  Uzziah was acting in direct opposition to God.  He thought he could get away with it because he was king, but he found out differently.  

God had called someone else to be the priest; Uzziah’s job was simply to be king.  From that moment of defiance and disobedience, he was a leper.  

​It is amazing that a king as beloved as Uzziah could do such a dumb thing, but aren’t we just like him?  Don’t we seek God’s face diligently when we encounter battles that are too much for us, then try to handle things on our own when we are strong?  It is easy to venture into territory God never intended for us.

It is vitally important that we choose to be content with the tasks God has given to us.  He has not called us to be a one-man (or woman) show.  He has called us to work in the body of Christ as a team with each one having specific tasks.  We need to be careful to follow His plan for us, and careful to remain humble even when He strengthens us. 

  

For the rest of Uzziah’s life, when people looked at him, they saw his leprosy.  The mark of his disobedience became the most striking part of his appearance.  Let's be sure that, when people look at us, they do not see the scars of disobedience and rebellion, but the peacefulness of a life filled with obedience and faithfulness. 

Excitement in the boat, part 28: the boat ride home

And all the people of the country of the Gerasenes and the surrounding district asked Him to leave them, for they were gripped with great fear; and He got into a boat and returned. (Luke 8:37 NASB)

"And He got into a boat and returned."  This little phrase might not seem momentous, but it contains a vital lesson for us. At the beginning of the passage, Jesus had invited the disciples to go for a boat ride. Jesus was the most exciting thing happening in their day, and they were up for anything.  They climbed into the boat and headed out. 

While Jesus was napping in the back, a deadly storm arose and nearly sunk the boat. The disciples, some of whom were professional fishermen, were scared out of their minds. When they awakened Jesus, He commanded the storm to stop, and it did, which frightened them even more. By this time, they were likely exhausted by emotion and the physical effort of trying to save the boat. 

Those disciples may have been ready to head back to shore, but Jesus had a destination in mind and a divine appointment to keep. They sailed on. 

When they arrived at the country of the Garasenes, the narrative changes. Until that point, the disciples were clearly along for the ride. After that, Scripture tells us that Jesus got out of the boat, the demon-possessed man met Jesus, the herdsmen saw Jesus, the townspeople sent Jesus away. There is not another mention of the disciples in this story, nor any indication that they were still there. When Jesus was ready to go home, He "got into a boat", the implication being that this was a different boat than the one in which He arrived. There is no mention of the disciples again until Jesus was enroute to Jairus' house. 

It appears that the disciples, for whatever reason, "dropped Jesus off" at the shore and left him there. Can't you just imagine that conversation? "Hey Jesus, we are just exhausted by the storm. We need to get home, get cleaned up, and get some sleep."  "Jesus, we have had all we can take. We need a break."  We don't know what they said, but Jesus probably said something like, "No problem. I've got this. Catch you later." He let them go, and headed toward the demoniac. 

Jesus didn't need the disciples to handle that legion of demons, but the disciples needed to see Him do it. If they had, perhaps they would have understood His power in the face of evil a little better. Perhaps they'd have had an easier time of it when the crucifixion rolled around. It might have helped them to be faithful. It might have prevented betrayal. Of course, we will never know about those "what-ifs", but you can be sure some things would have been different if they had stayed with Jesus. 

It's easy to look at this story and think that we would never have left Jesus. We would have been so impressed by the calming of the storm that we would have wanted the full experience. Really? Exhausted and battered, possibly injured, we would have wanted to wade into yet another battle? Probably not. 

There is a tendency to think that, once we have survived one of those horrific storms of life, we are done. Maybe that's how the disciples felt. Sometimes the storm is simply a teachable moment that brings us to an oasis of smooth sailing. Sometimes, however, the storm is a teachable moment on the path toward another huge battle (like the one Jesus had with the legion of demons) that will bring a tremendous and decisive victory. Staying the course can take us to something so momentous that it will change our lives completely. Unfortunately, stopping on the other side of the storm will have a life-altering impact, as well. 

There was no way the disciples could have known what would happen, but there is one thing they could have done, and it would have changed everything. They could have stayed with Jesus. They could have waited for Him. 

This waiting and staying is hard. There is no doubt about that. If we want all that Jesus has for us, however, it is not optional. Are you in the midst of a storm? Have you just gotten through a life-storm?  Don't become complacent, thinking the lesson is over at the end of the storm. Don't "take a break" when the storm dies down. Maybe that storm was just a stopping point on the way to something much bigger, something life-changing. The only way to know is to stay close to Jesus, all the way through. 

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Link to last night's post: http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/08/lessons-from-battlefield-part-4-amaziah.html

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Our terrorist/terror group of the week is the former ISIS, now the Islamic State. Their leader is Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. To learn more about them and their goal of spreading radical jihad and sharia rule throughout the world, click here: http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/08/radical-obedience-abu-bakr-al-baghdadi.html

Lessons from the Battlefield, part 4: Amaziah the Half-Hearted

2 Chronicles 25:1-28

 

Amaziah was Uzziah’s father.  When he became king, he “did right in the eyes of the Lord, but not with a whole heart.”  He was willing to serve God on his schedule, but holding back a part of his heart eventually cost him dearly. 

​Amaziah assembled a large army in Judah, but the strength God had given him didn’t seem enough.  He hired 100,000 valiant warriors from Israel to assist his army.  It seemed like a good idea.  He needed to enlarge his army and the men he hired were proven soldiers, known for being both brave and fierce.  A man of God, however, brought word that the soldiers of Israel were not to accompany Judah’s army.  “God is not with them,” he said.  If Amaziah allowed them to fight with him, he would be defeated.  Amaziah’s unholy alliance would cost him dearly if he did not abandon it.    

Amaziah was worried about his investment, and argued that he had already paid them a substantial amount of money.  “Let it go,” the man of God said.  “God has more to give you than 100,000 talents of silver.”  He implied that, unless Amaziah obeyed, he would forfeit all the blessings God had planned.  Amaziah did exactly what the prophet said.  He dismissed the soldiers and sent them home.  

God did give him the victory he needed, but, unbelievably, although Amaziah had thoroughly defeated the army of Seir, he took the idols/gods of Seir and set them up as his own.  He abandoned the Lord and began to worship the foreign idols. A prophet came to him.  “Amaziah, can’t you tell that these ‘gods’ couldn’t save their own people?  How can they help you?” he asked.  “Shut up!” he replied.  “I didn’t ask you for your advice!”  “God will destroy you for this,” the prophet warned.  

Amaziah was determined to do things his way, and he wanted a fight.  He eventually talked Joab of Israel into fighting and, as he was warned, Amaziah was defeated.  He was taken hostage, Jerusalem was looted, and the wealth of the temple was taken as spoil.  

Amaziah spent the rest of his life as a captive rather than in the luxury of his palace.  The king became a prisoner, not because of chance events but because he wanted to go his own way.  The part of his heart held back from God eventually cost him dearly.  

Are you following God with your “whole heart” or, like Amaziah, are you holding back part of your life, your heart?  Is there an area in your life that is “off limits” to God?  Amaziah found that the “off limits” area was far too costly.  What will your “off limits area” cost you?  Why not surrender to our Lord and let Him have His way with your life?

Excitement in the boat, part 27: The assignment

But the man from whom the demons had gone out was begging Him that he might accompany Him; but He sent him away, saying, "Return to your house and describe what great things God has done for you." So he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him. (Luke 8:38-39 NASB)

We might well imagine that the newly freed man was eager to stay free. He had been in bondage long enough. His immediate response was to beg to stay with Jesus. He might have thought that Jesus could handle the demons again if they tried to come back, but certainly a part of his desire to stay with Jesus was pure gratitude. 

It may surprise us, but Jesus would not let the man accompany Him on the remainder of the journey. The problem this man had in the past was that, even if his demons were subdued, there was nothing to fill the void when they left. Now, he had Jesus, and Jesus was all he would need to stay free. 

It turned out Jesus had a plan for him that did not involve a boat ride. He was to go home and describe for his family the great things God had done for him. He was to share his testimony with anyone who would listen. In recounting his testimony for everyone at home, he would have repeated reminders of what God had done. 

So he went. Those three words indicate a lifetime of future faithfulness. Jesus said to go, and so he went. Oh that we would be as obedient! Oh that we would do that great work Christ has given us! His parting words were to go into all the world and make disciples, yet we are often hesitant to go to our neighbors and share the good news of Christ. It is sometimes more attractive to go around the world to serve God than to stay home and obey, isn't it?  

This redeemed man proclaimed his good news to everyone, throughout the city. He did not limit himself to the affluent sections of town, nor to the people with comfortable homes and nice children. He went everywhere. That "everywhere" included the nice parts of town as well as the "seamier side" of town. He went to the people who needed Christ the most, and to those who thought they needed Him the least, and so should we. 

How faithful are we in sharing what God has done for us? How quick are we to share His saving work with those we meet?

Pray today that we and our loved ones would be transparent and obedient in sharing Christ with all those He brings our way. 

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http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/08/scarcity-of-words.html

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Our terrorist/terror group of the week is the former ISIS, now the Islamic State. Their leader is Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. To learn more about them and their goal of spreading radical jihad and sharia rule throughout the world, click here: http://leannahollis.blogspot.com/2014/08/radical-obedience-abu-bakr-al-baghdadi.html