Confessing Fear and Apathy

by Angie Thomas

I am so humbled and grateful to be on this journey with you this summer as we take theses amazing truths from Ephesians and ask the Lord to seed them deep in our hearts.There is great, really incredible news that our hearts need to hear.  Luke 8 starts out saying this about Jesus, “Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means” (Luke 8:1-3).

I love that immediately preceding the parable of the sower, Luke tells us about all these women who were following Jesus, who desperately wanted to hear what He was teaching.  They were hungry for the good news of the kingdom that Jesus was proclaiming.  They wanted to hear. Luke says they had been healed of their infirmities.  I can relate well to these women.  My heart is full of the infirmities of fear, worry, and possibly most troubling…apathy.  I need to be healed by Jesus.  I was really struck with the words in the introduction to our Seeds of Spring study: “Don’t be afraid to ask Him for His help to hear His voice and grant you the grace you need to follow in the steps that He asks you to take. Be excited!”

The words convicted my heart.  I had to confess to the Lord that I was afraid to see the weeds of sin in my heart and that I was honestly not very excited about the whole thing. Following Him in obedience takes work and sometimes I would honestly rather just ignore my sin, regardless of how miserable it makes me, instead of being proactive and dealing with it.  I mean, I can think of a lot of things I would rather spend my time and energy on than dealing with my sin.  I am just keepin’ it real girls.  Ignorance is bliss after all, right? But the reality is that there is a fuller and deeper life here on earth for me to experience if I allow Jesus to deal with this junk in my heart.  It’s kind of like watching television in HD versus regular definition.  Do I want to continue to walk through life with this muddled, fuzzy picture of what He is doing in and around me because of my sin, or deal with it and root it out by His grace so I can see and experience with vibrancy and clarity His work and His kingdom being established here on earth?

As I laid this all out on the table before Him in brutal honesty, these are the crazy fears I had to confess to Him:

-I am afraid of admitting to Him that I don’t have it all figured out, and perhaps acknowledging that I never will while my feet are rooted to this earth.
-I am afraid of losing control, of things not happening the way I want or think is best.
-I am afraid of being dependent on Him.  What will He ask me to do or give up?  Where will He ask me to go?

In short, I realized I want to keep my independence.  Surrendering fully to Him feels like throwing myself over a cliff.  But that thought could not be further from the truth.  Jesus said in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. “  Satan, the thief, is the one who wants to ruin my life, not Jesus.  Jesus wants to give me ABUNDANT life.

Paul knows this well as He prays in Ephesians 1:18-19 that God would make “your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for his followers, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength!” (The Message).

Endless energy and boundless strength!  Yes, please.  Sign me up for that, Jesus.  Thank you for loving us enough to lay down your life and suffering for us so we can truly experience abundant lives of beauty and purpose here on earth, not to mention for eternity.  Thank you for the promises in your Word which are the perfect antidote to my fear and apathy.  May we let go of our fears so that we can experience more fully your abundant love and peace and bring great glory to your Name!
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Lord, If You Can…

Thistlebend Quiet eMoment

by Laurie Aker

Focus Scripture: Luke 9:37-43 ESV

37 On the next day,
when they had come down from the mountain,
a great crowd met him.
38 And behold, a man from the crowd cried out,
“Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child.
39 And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out.
It convulses him so that he foams at the mouth,
and shatters him, and will hardly leave him.
40 And I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.”
41 Jesus answered, “O faithless and twisted generation,
how long am I to be with you and bear with you?
Bring your son here.”
42 While he was coming,
the demon threw him to the ground and convulsed him.
But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and healed the boy,
and gave him back to his father.
43 And all were astonished at the majesty of God.
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Read Mark’s version of this event.

Mark 9:21-29
21 And Jesus asked his father,
“How long has this been happening to him?”
And he said, “From childhood.
22 And it has often cast him into fire
and into water, to destroy him.
But if you can do anything,
have compassion on us and help us.”
23 And Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’!
All things are possible for one who believes.”
24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said,
“I believe; help my unbelief!”
25 And when Jesus saw that a crowd came running together,
he rebuked the unclean spirit,
saying to it, “You mute and deaf spirit,
I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”
26 And after crying out and convulsing him terribly,
it came out, and the boy was like a corpse,
so that most of them said, “He is dead.”
27 But Jesus took him by the hand
and lifted him up, and he arose.
28 And when he had entered the house,
his disciples asked him privately,
“Why could we not cast it out?”
29 And he said to them,
“This kind cannot be driven out
by anything but prayer.”

Mark’s gospel records the father’s faith struggle.
“…if you can do anything…” (Mark 9:22).

The father’s words were recorded for us all to read.
What if we were to hear our thoughts,
our doubts, and our fears so clearly?
What if someone were to record the dialog
that goes on in our minds?
We probably would be shocked.

Jesus repeated his words,
“‘If you can!'” (Mark 9:23).

TAKING THE TRUTH TO HEART

How many times have we unknowingly thought,
“If you can…”

We know that you are God.
We know that you can do all things.
And yet our flesh is so weak.
Our minds are darkened with sin.
Sin lurks in the corners of our hearts and undermines our faith.

We don’t want to be unaware of those seemingly insignificant thoughts.
We don’t want to just brush them aside.
We need to take every thought captive.

What appears to be an inconsequential drone,
a trifling wisp, is the insidious,
treacherous, and crafty way of sin and darkness.

One rotten apple can destroy the whole bunch.
One wrong thought left unaddressed infects our thinking.

2 Corinthians 10:4-5
4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh
but have divine power to destroy strongholds.
5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised
against the knowledge of God, and take every thought
captive to obey Christ…

Be vigilant.
Be on the watch.
Be persistent.

Be a watchman for your soul.
With the help of the Holy Spirit,
guard your heart, your mind, and your soul.
Speak the truth in love to yourself.

Philippians 4:8-9
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true,
whatever is honorable, whatever is just,
whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,
whatever is commendable,
if there is any excellence,
if there is anything worthy of praise,
think about these things.
9 What you have learned and received
and heard and seen in me–
practice these things,
and the God of peace will be with you.

AND BRINGING IT TO LIFE

Choose one truth from today and apply it to your heart.
Take it with you throughout the day.

PRAYER

Lord, help us have only truth in our inward parts.
Thank you that you love us even in the midst of our faith struggle!
Thank you that you are faithful even when we are weak.

In His hands for His glory,
Laurie

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The Imperatives of Suffering

by Michael McKinley

When Christians suffer, they need the indicatives, the facts of the gospel.  They need to know the promises of God, the benefits of being in Christ, and the reality of the presence of the Holy Spirit.  Those truths are our comfort when we are wounded, slandered, or tempted.

But suffering believers also need the imperatives, the commands.  Yes, we need to know the objective truths of the gospel.  But we also need to know what to do with our hands and our hearts and our minds in the meantime.  And we find in these imperatives sure footing for difficult times, a clear statement of God’s will when we don’t intuitively know what to do.

  • But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. (Matthew 5:44 ESV)
  •  Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:6-7 ESV)
  • Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. (James 1:2-3 ESV)
  • Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. (James 5:13 ESV)
  • But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. (1 Peter 3:14-16 ESV)

In your counseling and care, don’t neglect the imperatives!

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© 9Marks. Website: www.9Marks.org. Email: info@9marks.org. Toll Free: (888) 543-1030. This article on the 9Marks’ website may be accessed here.

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