Soul

Honor God with your Body

/ Jodie / Leave a comment

1 Corinthians 6:9-11

9 Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, 10 or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. 11 Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Since the creation of man & woman, the enemy has lied to God’s children and their doubt of the Almighty’s goodness has resulted in their choosing to sin against Him. Sin is sin, there is no “ranking”  in God’s word about which is the worst. But, there are several warnings listed about the severity of sexual sin and how it affects the individual and the ones in whom he/she is in relationship.

I know this all too well, for I did not heed the warnings. Not only did I believe in my mind that I had the “right” to do such things, my emotions confirmed the deceit that doing what felt good in the moment would fill the void of love, acceptance and worthiness that I so desperately craved. Decision after decision to disobey God’s commands drowned out the whisper of the Holy Spirit to RUN FROM ALL SEXUAL SIN until eventually, I no longer heard Him speak. My mind and emotions had convinced my will to surrender to the wooing of the enemy.

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

12 You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. And even though “I am allowed to do anything,” I must not become a slave to anything. 13 You say, “Food was made for the stomach, and the stomach for food.” (This is true, though someday God will do away with both of them.) But you can’t say that our bodies were made for sexual immorality. They were made for the Lord, and the Lord cares about our bodies. 14 And God will raise us from the dead by his power, just as he raised our Lord from the dead.

15 Don’t you realize that your bodies are actually parts of Christ? Should a man take his body, which is part of Christ, and join it to a prostitute? Never! 16 And don’t you realize that if a man joins himself to a prostitute, he becomes one body with her? For the Scriptures say, “The two are united into one.”[d]17 But the person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him.

18 Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. 19 Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

For years I allowed my flesh to be the lord of my life and slowly my experiences plunged me into a deep dark depression which tempted me to just run away from it all- permanently.

I was robbed of the joy of living and everything I held dear had either been stolen, killed or almost completely destroyed. Not only was my relationship with my Heavenly Father broken, but so was my relationship with my spouse. Oneness had always eluded us.

Fed up & desperate for change, I finally surrendered to the only One who could rescue me from the pit.

Psalm 103:1-5

1 Praise the Lord, my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

2 Praise the Lord, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—

3 who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,

4 who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,

5 who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

The first choice I had to make towards being made right with God was to call on the name of the Lord and ask the Holy Spirit for help. Then I had to be willing to acknowledging all the deep dark secrets that had been locked away from myself and others for so many years. Only then was I able to force my will to confess & repent to God, confess and repent to my husband and confess to others who helped me through the process of cleansing.

1 John 1:9

9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

As a daughter in the Kingdom of God who has received a rich inheritance I can tell you that there is only ONE WAY to obtain the love, acceptance and worthiness your soul was made to crave. Don’t be fooled by the lies of the enemy to engage in sexual sin. Jesus is the ONLY way, the ONLY Truth and the ONLY life. And He is the ONLY One who can truly set you free from the bondage of sexual sin so that you may once again honor God with your body.

John 8:36

36 So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.

The Blessings of the Locusts

/ Jodie / Leave a comment

Joel 2:12-14, 25-26

12 That is why the Lord says,
“Turn to me now, while there is time.
Give me your hearts.
Come with fasting, weeping, and mourning. 13 Don’t tear your clothing in your grief,
but tear your hearts instead.”
Return to the Lord your God,
for he is merciful and compassionate,
slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love.
He is eager to relent and not punish. 14 Who knows? Perhaps he will give you a reprieve,
sending you a blessing instead of this curse.

25 The Lord says, “I will give you back what you lost
to the swarming locusts, the hopping locusts,
the stripping locusts, and the cutting locusts. It was I who sent this great destroying army against you. 26 Once again you will have all the food you want, and you will praise the Lord your God,
who does these miracles for you.

I have encountered multiple armies of locusts in the field of my life, my marriage and my parenting. Some of them destroyed only a portion of the crops and some have stripped every sprig of growth, leaving nothing but bare soil. Some of the locusts swarmed me, leaving me feeling completely overwhelmed and helpless. Some of them hopped all over me, becoming a pesky nuisance that distracted me and caused me to live in constant fear, not knowing what direction they would come to pounce on me again. Some stripped away everything of value to me, leaving me feeling absolutely hopeless about my future. And some cut my soul so deeply that death seemed to be the only possible relief. Some of those locusts invaded my field as result of my sin….and some trespassed on my land because of someone else’s.

At times I have yelled violently, shaking my fists at the enemy for sending these vicious attacks, but only recently have I realized that the enemy can do nothing without God allowing him to. Every army of locusts that are dispatched to my field MUST be given permission to destroy by the Creator of the universe. Nothing, absolutely nothing in this life happens to me without passing through the hand of God Almighty first.

It’s an earth shaking revelation to know that God has allowed, or even sent destroying armies of locusts to obliterate almost every living thing in my field. But, I am slowly beginning to understand that every trial, every heartbreak, every loss, every triumph, every devastation, every abundant harvest is from Him and FOR Him. And, every locust sent is for my ultimate good because it draws me closer to Himself and causes another area of my flesh to die so that I can grow to be more like His Son. He endured every swarming, hopping, stripping and cutting locust on my behalf, so that I may have life to the full……. and if that weren’t enough, He promises to restore what was lost to the locusts, as I return to Him and repent.

Lord, I praise you for the blessings of the locusts in my life. You are loving, you are righteous, you are healer, you are deliverer, you are redeemer, you are restorer …and you work ALL things for my good.

Steak

/ Jodie / Leave a comment

1 Corinthians 3:1-3

3 Dear brothers and sisters,[a] when I was with you I couldn’t talk to you as I would to spiritual people.[b] I had to talk as though you belonged to this world or as though you were infants in the Christian life.[c] 2 I had to feed you with milk, not with solid food, because you weren’t ready for anything stronger. And you still aren’t ready, 3 for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world?

During Sunday’s sermon, our pastor made a statement that struck me. Although I’ve heard the concept taught several times before, it never resonated in my soul like it did yesterday. I cannot quote him exactly, but the gist of what he was communicating is this: preachers & teachers were never designed to feed meat to the people…what is delivered is regurgitated milk.

It reminded me of myself years ago when I was a nursing mom. I’d eat a meal, my body would digest the nutrients I needed to survive and then it would produce enough milk to sustain our babies. Now imagine if I was STILL breast-feeding our 14, 12, 10 and 7 year old. Good grief! Practically, they could survive on their mother’s milk, but they would never grow to be strong, much less able to feed themselves- or others.

Unfortunately, the church of America is doing a poor job of weaning the infants among us. Instead of making disciples, preachers and teachers continue breastfeeding their young through the power of the internet, cable tv, books, podcasts, blogs… we even fill arenas and nurse 1,000’s of babies at a time. Sadly, a lot of those infants that consume milk from multiple breasts never learn to eat solid food on their own.

Why?

The short answer is, they just don’t feel like it. They know that chewing on the meat of God’s Word requires time, attention, surrender and a whole lot of effort.

Our son recently announced that he hates steak. He says it’s too hard to chew. Even though he loves the flavor and it fills his growing body, he refuses to eat it anymore. Instead, he just eats salad and a baked potato (because, in this household, you eat what is served, or you don’t eat!).

All of us, in one way or another refuse to eat steak in certain areas of our lives. Today I didn’t particularly want to chew on the verses that pertain to coveting my “neighbor’s” stuff. It would have been much easier for me to listen to someone else regurgitate how they conquered the sin of envy than to open the Word and allow the Holy Spirit to correct me.

2 Timothy 3:16

16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.

If you’ve been living on milk for a while I want to encourage you, my friend, to pick up your Bible and chew on some steak. When you do, your body, soul & spirit will be nourished and strengthened -and you will be able to run the race that God has set before you (because you can’t do it on salad and baked potato alone!)

Hebrews 12:1

12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.

Many Parts

/ Jodie / Leave a comment

1 Corinthians 12:12-31

12 The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. 13 Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles,[a] some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.[b]

14 Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. 15 If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? 17 If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything?

18 But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. 19 How strange a body would be if it had only one part! 20 Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. 21 The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”

22 In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. 23 And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, 24 while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. 25 This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. 26 If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.

27 All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it. 28 Here are some of the parts God has appointed for the church:

first are apostles,
second are prophets,
third are teachers,
then those who do miracles,
those who have the gift of healing,
those who can help others,
those who have the gift of leadership,
those who speak in unknown languages.

29 Are we all apostles? Are we all prophets? Are we all teachers? Do we all have the power to do miracles? 30 Do we all have the gift of healing? Do we all have the ability to speak in unknown languages? Do we all have the ability to interpret unknown languages? Of course not! 31 So you should earnestly desire the most helpful gifts.

But now let me show you a way of life that is best of all.

I have had the privilege of being a part of several local bodies of Christ since I became a follower. Some bodies functioned very effectively Advancing His Kingdom. Some, unfortunately, decapitated the head and as a result, every other part began to die due to the lack of blood flow.

With these experiences in mind, when Doug and I started a ministry that was designed to support many local churches, I hoped to remain humbly submitted to the head and never say to an eye or a foot “I don’t need you.” Years later, I wish I could emphatically state that that’s always been the case, but I can’t. I am still a sinner, saved by grace…and I am still learning what it means to be a loving part of the body of Christ.

In my very short journey of being a disciple and “ministry leader”, I’ve realized that one of the most difficult aspects of being seen and heard is that hidden parts sometimes mistakenly think that I am more important. Given enough praise and acknowledgement for my function, I may be tempted to think that I can operate the entire body on my own. As that pride seeps further down into my soul, I might even begin to believe (albeit subconsciously) that I am the head and that my gifts, skills and leadership abilities are the sole reason for any advancement. Eventually, though, the less honorable parts will grow tired of my pompous attitude and of being ignored and they will cut themselves off from me- and perhaps even the entire body. As a result of my unexamined sin, serious injuries can occur, and if not dealt with quickly, the body will bleed out…

Fortunately, I’ve also realized that when those self-gratifying thoughts begin to rummage through my mind I can call 911 and the Holy Spirit will rush me to the ER. There, as I lay myself out on a gurney before the Great Physician He is able to show me an x-ray of my heart….and I am moved to repent. Then, as He submerges me in His healing antiseptic grace, I am once again able to know that His Son is the only rightful head of the church and ALL His children are crucial parts of His body.

Through the Roof

/ Jodie / Leave a comment

Luke 5:17-20

17 One day while Jesus was teaching, some Pharisees and teachers of religious law were sitting nearby. (It seemed that these men showed up from every village in all Galilee and Judea, as well as from Jerusalem.) And the Lord’s healing power was strongly with Jesus.

18 Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a sleeping mat. They tried to take him inside to Jesus, 19 but they couldn’t reach him because of the crowd. So they went up to the roof and took off some tiles. Then they lowered the sick man on his mat down into the crowd, right in front of Jesus. 20 Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, “Young man, your sins are forgiven.”  

I wonder….did that young man ask his friends to take him to see Jesus- or did his friends, out of their great love for him know that he was suffering and needed help to get to Him?

Either way, there had to be an agreement between them.

The same agreement must be made within the Body of Christ today.

Look around- there are “paralyzed” people everywhere…rendered incapable of getting to Jesus by themselves because of pornography, fear, addiction to drugs, a terminal illness, unforgiveness, adultery, rage, bitterness, shame, jealousy, greed…. their pain may or may not be physical, but they are suffering nonetheless.

Of course, in order for this to happen, every man- or woman who needs help must be willing to lie down on a mat and ask their friends to carry them to the Healer. Furthermore, those friends must be willing to sacrifice their time, talent and treasure to get their friend to Jesus…even if it means busting a hole through the roof!

All of us, at one time or another are that young man- desperate to be able to stand up, pick up our mat and go home. And, all of us, at one time or another are those “friends” that must help them get to the only One who can forgive and restore.

2 Chronicles 7:14

14 Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.

Romans 12:4-13

4 Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, 5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.

6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. 7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection,[a] and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.[b] 12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. 13 When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them….

 

Cactus

/ Jodie / Leave a comment

Isaiah 43:18-21

18 “But forget all that—
it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. 19 For I am about to do something new.
See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?
I will make a pathway through the wilderness.
    I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. 20 The wild animals in the fields will thank me,
 the jackals and owls, too,
 for giving them water in the desert.
Yes, I will make rivers in the dry wasteland
  so my chosen people can be refreshed. 21 I have made Israel for myself,
and they will someday honor me before the whole world.

I grew up in the foothills of Southern California in a little town called Glendora. About an hour away (depending on the amount of bumper to bumper traffic) is the “High Desert,” where my family used to ride dune buggies and 4 wheelers through the rugged terrain. I absolutely loved circling the wagons (aka: motor homes), suiting up in my protective gear, and exploring the dry wasteland for hours on end. I’ll admit, the desert isn’t the most beautiful landscape to behold- but just as everything else God created, there IS a purpose for its existence.

It’s astounding that wildlife and plants can live- even thrive- in the dry, scalding heat in the area between the San Gabriel Mountains. Still, Our Father, in His infinite wisdom, made a way. Take the cactus. It’s a prickly thing on the outside, but its soft interior is able to absorb and store water in order to survive drought-like conditions. Not only is it self-sustaining, its stored water supply (which turns into a thick, sticky substance) has been known to save countless numbers of people who have found themselves dying of thirst in the desert.  However, as with all reservoirs, if not refilled, it will dry out. As a result, not only will the cactus die, but it will greatly impact those whom depend on its nutrients for life.

I’ve often acted like a cactus…prickly on the outside, yet able to sustain myself for long periods of time without any Living Water. I can even tap further into my water reserve to share a drink with those who need help. Eventually, though, if my water supply isn’t replenished, my reservoir will run dry and my soul will begin to die.

When I enter into a dry wasteland, my natural tendency is to hop on a dune buggy and ride to a more lush location. But sometimes, God allows me to live in the desert for reasons known only to Him. Maybe it’s to show me that I am not designed, like the cactus to be self-sufficient. I must depend on The Living Water each and every day for life. And, when the rains don’t fall, my roots must be forced (just as cactus roots are) to dig deep and wide into the underground rivers that run through the desert. Only then can I live life to the full and share my thick, sticky substance with others.

Fog

/ Jodie / Leave a comment

Mark 16:5-6

5 When they entered the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a white robe sitting on the right side. The women were shocked, 6 but the angel said, “Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Look, this is where they laid his body.

Sometimes there are seasons in our lives when our soul becomes empty and our relationship with the Lord no longer feels “life giving.”

Although we may know that Jesus was crucified and died for our sins, when the circumstances of life become unbearable with feelings of grief, anger, jealousy, injustice, unforgiveness….and our prayers seem one sided, we begin to believe that “He isn’t here.” If we continue to give way to these emotions instead of seeking the One who is always present, the more dense the fog becomes and the more hopeless we feel.

Fortunately, for us, our Father is not intimidated by the low lying clouds in our mind, will and emotions. He patiently waits, showing His love for us in subtle ways (which we often fail to see because we are blinded in the fog by the enemy). Until, in desperation we come crawling back to Him, begging for the clouds to evaporate into life giving water.

When we are able to push past our emotions and allow the Holy Spirit to dig down into the depths of our soul, we find that the emptiness isn’t a result of Him, but of us. In that moment, as we re- encounter our risen Lord, we are consumed by His love and in His presence we are compelled to pour out all our sins at His feet. As He whispers “you are forgiven” a mighty surge of living water consumes our soul and we are filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, which once again compels us to, “go into all the world and preach the good news to everyone.”  Mark 16:15

And at last I see the light

And it’s like the fog has lifted

And at last I see the light

And it’s like the sky is new

And it’s warm and real and bright

And the world has somehow shifted

All at once everything looks different

Now that I see you

-I See the Light, from Disney’s “Tangled”