Accountability........

Okay, so what thoughts do ya'll have on accountability? I would really like to know. My old church believed very strongly in accountability and having accountability groups. Confessing areas of sin and struggle, and then having someone hold you accountable as you press on to 'grow' or defeat sin areas.  I will be honest, my husband recently told me I should be accountable to someone for my actions, or for my lack of actions. I realized, you know, that means accountability is more like a drill sergeant to keep you in line. Or at least that is how he meant it, and honestly I think that is how a lot of Christians mean it. The funny thing is the more you want to 'do' well and not have any area of sin or struggle in your life the more you will, if taught this principle, embrace accountability. At least that is how I see it.......I mean why on earth do pastors need to push accountability? What are they afraid of? And why can't they learn to trust the very life of Christ that now indwells every believer? And why oh why do they constantly regard everyone after the flesh? Are we our flesh, or are we who God says we are? 

So, here is my main question, what of accountability for believers? Do we really need to confess our sins and shortcomings with others? Is it something that is clear in Scripture? What about the Holy  Spirit? I thought we could trust him to lead us into all truth. My personal opinion is that I can share my life with my friends, not just some random person that I barely know in a group setting, and let them speak openly and honestly into my life. However, I would only do this if I trust the person and know that they clearly know the truth of the Gospel and who they are in Christ. Otherwise, I may get a lot of confusing advice just to fix me. I think I will stick with the Holy Spirit as my guide, first and foremost. And when I need to talk things out with a trustworthy friend, I will. I value my friend's thoughts. I think God can use others in our life to share truth. However, I do not believe I 'have' to have accountability. Also, I would much rather have my friends speak truth into my life reminding me of who I am, despite my struggles. My hope as I speak with my friends is that I will always point their gaze upward and be of great encouragement. Not try to fix them, because in God's eyes they are already fixed. Amen!

Only Believe........

We know that the only thing we 'must do' as new covenant believer's thanks to the finished work of the cross the Jesus did on our behalf, is to believe. A simple concept, right?!! Straight forward enough to know if you are sweating and striving you are missing it. But, I am coming to realize that as simple as the truth of that is, it's the hardest thing to actually 'do' much of the time. I find myself lately, getting caught up with worry, and with condemnation. I realize I am being hard on myself, when God is not. Why is that? Because I am not 'resting' to believe in what He already accomplished for me. The fact that it is Christ in me, keeping me, holding me and molding me. Not me figuring out my life into categories and seeing which ones need the most work, and which ones I have down pat. Nope, nuh uh. When I realized I am worrying, or letting my heart be troubled, I soon realized I am not resting in His shalom peace. Only I can 'let not'. So thankfully, here I am again at a point of realization that I am trying to make something happen in my time, that God is not. He just wants me to lean back in His arms and love on me. Wow!! Is it really that simple and yet SO incredibly difficult at the same time. I suspect this will be a life long lesson for me. How about you?

How do we glorify God?

That's it........So how do we???? Any thoughts.........................

Please tell me..........

What is a biblical worldview? Does anyone know what I am talking about? You know when you hear other Christians talking about teaching their kids from a biblical worldview...........Just what exactly IS a biblical worldview? Seriously, I am curious to know what you think. 

Shouldn't we just view the world how God does? "For God so loved the world........" 

Easter reflections.............

Celebrating Easter to me is a wonderful reminder that my Jesus lives! It is no different than any other day of the year! This year more than any other year, I am remembering what Jesus accomplished for me at the Cross and through His resurrection. The fact that this event happened 2000 years ago, does not make it just an historical event. Jesus is alive!! Yes he conquered the grave those 2000 years ago, and death did not defeat him. And He now sits at the right hand of God in heaven as well as in the heart of every one who believes in the truth of what happened for them at the cross. I just want to revel in the fact that He is, the I AM. So many Christians across the world today will remember this event as though it is an event in history. The truth is that the event happened and I can live in the benefits every single day! Jesus is with me every day! I am in Him every day!! I believe that God is the God of today. He wants us to live in the present every day! He is the I AM!!! 

Today I am reveling in the eternal truth of what Jesus accomplished through His resurrection. Jesus rose and we were raised up with him!! We are now seated in heavenly places with Him at the right hand of God!!!! We now have the very life of Christ in us, as us!!! He has become our new life and identity!!! Hallelujah!!! This is good news indeed!!!

Out of the mouths of babes.........

Through the eyes of a child: The Children's Bible in a Nutshell

In the beginning, which occurred near the start, there was nothing but God, darkness, and some gas. The Bible says,'The Lord thy God is one, but I think He must be a lot older than that. Anyway, God said, 'Give me a light!' and someone did.. Then God made the world.

He split the Adam and made Eve. Adam and Eve were naked, but they weren't embarrassed because mirrors hadn't been invented yet. Adam and Eve disobeyed God by eating one bad apple, so they were driven from the Garden of Eden.....Not sure what they were driven in though, because they didn't have cars. 

Adam and Eve had a son, Cain, who hated his brother as long as he was Abel. 
Pretty soon all of the early people died off, except for Methuselah, who lived to be like a million or something. 

One of the next important people was Noah, who was a good guy, but one of his kids was kind of a Ham. Noah built a large boat and put his family and some animals on it. He asked some other people to join him, but they said they would have to take a rain check. 

After Noah came Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jacob was more famous than his brother, Esau, because Esau sold Jacob his birthmark in exchange for some pot roast. Jacob had a son named Joseph who wore a really loud sports coat. 

Another important Bible guy is Moses, whose real name was Charlton Heston. Moses led the Israel Lights out of Egypt and away from the evil Pharaoh after God sent ten plagues on Pharaoh's people. These plagues included frogs, mice, lice, bowels, and no cable. 

God fed the Israel Lights every day with manicotti. Then he gave them His Top Ten Commandments. These include: don't lie, cheat, smoke, dance, or covet your neighbor's stuff. Oh, yeah, I just thought of one more: Humor thy father and thy mother. 

One of Moses' best helpers was Joshua who was the first Bible guy to use spies. Joshua fought the battle of Geritol and the fence fell over on the town. After Joshua came David. He got to be king by killing a giant with a slingshot. He had a son named Solomon who had about 300 wives and 500 porcupines. My teacher says he was wise, but that doesn't sound very wise to me. 

After Solomon there were a bunch of major league prophets. One of these was Jonah, who was swallowed by a big whale and then barfed up on the shore. There were also some minor league prophets, but I guess we don't have to worry about them. 

After the Old Testament came the New Testament. Jesus is the star of The New. He was born in Bethlehem in a barn. (I wish I had been born in a barn too, because my mom is always saying to me, 'Close the door! Were you born in a barn?' It would be nice to say, 'As a matter of fact, I was.')

During His life, Jesus had many arguments with sinners like the Pharisees and the Democrats. 

Jesus also had twelve opossums. The worst one was Judas Asparagus. Judas was so evil that they named a terrible vegetable after him. 

Jesus was a great man. He healed many leopards and even preached to some Germans on the Mount. But the Democrats and all those guys put Jesus on trial before Pontius the Pilot. Pilot didn't stick up for Jesus. He just washed his hands instead. 

Anyways, Jesus died for our sins, then came back to life again. He went up to Heaven but will be back at the end of the Aluminum. His return is foretold in the book of Revolution.

(I found this on another blog, original author unknown)

Resting in Him as we grow in grace,and begin to see our lives transform!!

At my old church, as I have mentioned before, there was a huge emphasis on holy living. Holy living to them would be what was laid out by Paul in the New Testament, but viewed as commands or laws. Things like I mentioned in my most recent post, such as "do not deprive one another." What happens with this is, as we all know now, is a tendency to perform is put into place. An emphasis on all those things drives one to act, or discipline oneself to attain those standards. They are endlessly taught on from the pulpit from every angle. So as a wife I was to keep a well ordered home, organized, be hospitable, and prepared to have guests at any time, parent my kids well, by being on top of all their sin and correcting and punishing them for most every infraction, as well as encourage them and shape their character, be a submissive wife (which meant obedient or under authority, in a not healthy way, which I won't go into now), and to be ready for sex always with no excuses. Okay so those are just a few of the expectations laid upon a married woman with children in my old church. Not to mention all the character qualities we were to be on top of too. Is your head spinning yet? I know I have mentioned all this before, but just imagine having all these subjects brought to you over and over and over, at every possible angle to help get you to 'do' them all better. Imagine talking about it every care group meeting you have and feel like you are not measuring up, nor will you ever. Imagine your spouse seeing you fall short in a few of these areas and deciding you need to meet with your pastor to get 'counsel' on how to improve. Imagine how friekin' exhausted you are, but that is no excuse. You must carry on and take up your plow and keep plowing. 

I don't honestly know who can carry on like this. I sure couldn't. Anyway, what I want to address is the simple fact that there was never any room for an excuse, real honest to goodness legitimate reasons, if you fell short, (yup the law does that, does it not?) Oh there was always more 'grace' to grow (eh hem, 'perform'), and many 'means of grace' (resources) to go to, to help you discipline yourself better. But what was never addressed was, what if I truly want to improve in an area and just can't. Well, you and I know that under that law, which was what the teaching really was, that you will never measure up and always fall short. There never was any true victory that I can remember. I mean maybe I would be able to 'do' better in a given area, but honestly it was out of my own self effort. So, what if someone has a serious struggle within their marriage and sex is just not happening. What then? Well in that context, somehow you just have to get over yourself and do it anyway. I don't think so!!! That is so wrong on so many levels. Is God really that cruel that he would demand our performance in any given area, especially sex, when we are hurting on a deeper level. When does the law ever give opportunity to see deeper and address issues that have gone further than skin deep. I mean after all shouldn't our actions come forth from a pure heart. (Or are we to be satisfied with dead works?) A heart that is confident in Christ's work! A heart that is bursting forth with the life of Christ flowing out. So when the flesh fails, then the psyche fails or vice versa. How pray tell me will a law mentality deal with the hurts of the emotions and the mind that is full of wrong thinking? There is simply no room for people to process their hurts or issues in this context. They must dismiss it and move on, press on, muster up your strength 'by God's grace' of course to just keep at it. 

I'll tell you what - the world will never see confident whole victorious christians if the church keeps up this masquerade. 

I want to share that the only way to be set free is by giving up trying and run into the arms of grace and love. The only way for true victory and true wholeness is to give up!! Only Christ is the one who can conquer sin and defeat, and he already did at the cross. Do we believe that He completed the work or don't we?

There are areas of my life that I am finally getting freedom in. And let me tell you it's not by me mustering up one bit of effort. Nope!! It has been by simply meditating on the truth of God's lavish grace, of Jesus Christ, who He is and the work He accomplished. 

Years ago, my husband and I were at each other's throats. Nothing helped. Not counseling, not reading christian books, not either one of us getting our part right, not one single thing. We had gotten so entrenched in law that we were close to splitting up. He wasn't happy with me. I wasn't happy with him. Why? Because neither of us were pulling our weight sufficiently. He wanted me to get certain areas right and I wanted him to get certain areas right. And based on the teaching we were under, there were essentially no excuses for either of us. Does this describe that picture Paul portrayed in Romans 7 about the law being a domineering husband or what? We were at a standstill. And do you know what? Our pastors told us they couldn't counsel us, unless we cooperated. HA!! They didn't know how to help someone unless they just followed all their unhelpful advice on how to keep up the rat race and just perform!! They would listen to us a little bit and then tell us what sin issue we had, prescribe some reading to do and some steps to take and send us on our merry way. Folks this is truly sad indeed. It was like well just deal with your stuff and start acting right. Even though I was hurting and needed to be understood by Keith and vice versa. Recently, I was able to be very honest with my husband about an area that was always a struggle for us. After giving it up to the Lord and saying I can't do this anymore, Keith finally heard me, and we are seeing immediate fruit. It was just a matter of communication and genuine love, care and understanding being really felt, rather than the behaviour being addressed. It was really quite simple once you take the performing part away and get to the heart of the matter. God is so loving and kind. His leading into truth is so gracious. 

I want to say to anyone who is hurting and struggling to live in a way that they see is important and 'godly' but can't do it - to just give up!!! Stop trying and rest in what Christ has done. Let him heal your hurts and bind your wounds that have festered from believing lies and from thinking you have to do your part. Sit back and just let him work in you. One day you will wake up and find that that area isn't a struggle anymore and that you now have a desire to walk by His spirit as he leads you in your former area of struggle. Don't be afraid to fail. Don't be afraid to go and get actual psychological help or counseling to help your process through your hurts and failures. Don't be afraid to not actually 'do' or 'perform' in that area until you sense an ease. Remember His yoke is easy and His burden is light. 

There are many more areas of my life that I would like to see blossom as I walk out my life on this earth. But, I am trusting that He will lead me into all truth. I am resting in His timing to help me grow in grace and walk by the Spirit. I am learning to be patient with myself and not putting pressure on myself to 'get it right', but to just take life one day at a time. Grace really does give you space and time to grow and bloom!! Thanks be to God that Paul didn't get stuck in Romans 7 and moved on to Romans 8!!! We can too!! It's when we stop trying and start believing that Jesus is our very life that we will be at rest!! 

Obedience in the New Testament.........

I found this post on Grace Revolution to be very eye opening. Thought it was worth sharing. Check it and the comments out...........

A new sister in the Lord.........

I am very grateful and I just have to share that I found a new sister. Yup!! Here I am over here in my neck of the woods with no grace church to speak of and it can certainly get very lonely. So, for some time now I have been praying that God would send some likeminded believers my way. Well, He sure did, no surprise there!! 

Last week I was able to get together with a lovely woman and her children and chat about what we both seem to be most passionate about. Grace, freedom, Jesus, who we are in Christ, joy, the gift of our salvation - The wonderful Gospel!!!! The funny thing is we met online first and realized we live 10 minutes away from one another. How cool is that!! 

Anyway, I just wanted to share this wonderful gift God just dropped in my lap!! And just for fun here is a portion of an email of my new sister preaching truth!! 

"I absolutely believe:0).....Mark 11:24:0) So, Lydia......the good things is when I have doubts, GOD still honors our prayers....remember the man who bought his sick child to JESUS and he said LORD if you can...and JESUS Said, If I can? All things are possible for him who believes...and the man said...(Mark 9:24)...LORD, I DO believe help me overcome my unbelief! Praise GOD...JESUS still healed his child! :0) All glory to GOD!  Also in Timothy where it says even when we are faithless...GOD remains faithful! I'm so glad even my faith is a gift from GOD and HE understands me completely. NOTHING depends on me, not my salvation, not keeping my salvation, not my well being....it's all about JESUS and HIM living HIS FULL Abundant life In me and through me! I only  need to REST in HIM, Praise GOD! It's all about JESUS! HIS DIVINE POWER has given me EVERYTHING I need for LIFE and GODLINESS through my Knowledge of HIM.
...2 Peter 1:3-5! :0)

HE doesn't LOVE me any more or any less because of things I do or don't do......John 6:28 & 29 ! :0).....What must we DO to Do the "works" GOD requires? JESUS said.......The work of GOD is this.... to BELIEVE in THE ONE HE has Sent."

To those concerned about Holy Living............

To whom it may concern,

 

I am sorry that somehow you get the impression that I don't care about how I live, based on what I have shared. It's just that I won't be identified by my behaviour, because life in Christ is not about behaviour, it's about life, abundant life, His life!!! Anyway, I trust the Christ in me and His grace to lead me into all truth and to teach me to say no to ungodliness and yes of course I hate sin, it's not in my nature to enjoy sin anymore! BUT, the only sin that matters now, is unbelief. God is not counting our sins against us, He dealt with sin once for all time at the cross. It's unbelief in the finished work of Jesus that seperates us from God - no other sin seperates us from God!! 

Holy living is not just living life free from sin, or in other words not sinning and doing righteous acts. Holy living is much more than that. God is holy, and we are holy because we are seperated to God and we are in Him, therefore we are holy. So our life in God is indeed holy living. It's about living out of who we are, not what we do. Colossians 2:9-10 "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority" We have been given fullness in Christ - or made complete. There's nothing more to have, or to need or to receive. We are complete in Christ!! 

Anyway, as for the Scriptures that have been mentioned, it's important to realize, and I am just now seeing this more clearly myself, that it is not the 'law', the mosaic law that is written on our hearts, but His laws, which Jesus said what they are in the NT, a new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another as I have loved you.........This is what is written on our hearts, not the 10 commandments. We have nothing to do with that law anymore. And we simply cannot turn His law written on our hearts into 'a law'. His laws are a fruit of the Holy Spirit working in and through us. We will respond the more we know who we are in him!! The more we see His love for us first, we will then be compelled to love as He loves, because it's him loving through us anyway!! We most certainly can be reminded that love is the way, but not out of a 'you have to do this', law kind of mentality. It's out of us seeing His love first -always - His love compels us!!

As for David, he could say he loved the law because he was under the law, and that's how he related to God IN THE Old Covenant, we aren't in the Old Covenant anymore! I don't love the law! I love the one who fulfilled it on my behalf!! I died to the law, I have nothing to do with it anymore!! Remember all those Scriptures I shared awhile back, regarding the law in the believer's life!! (Galatians 3:10-14 & 23-35; Galatians 4:21-31; Colossians 2:14-15; Matthew 5:17; Romans 3:20; Romans 4:15; John 1:17)

My point is very close to what you say, however I know what has been taught to you at church, and they do not teach people to live in WHO THEY ARE IN CHRIST. I never once heard any of these truths hammered home from the pulpit. It was always focused on 'how to live', not on who we now are. I know what kind of bondage people are in and they don't even see it. I now know the difference between grace and law and the Old and New Covenant and I see mixture being taught there. I am sorry, but that is heresy! Sorry, I don't know if I ever said that to you before, and I don't say it lightly either. Your church and my former church were  big advocates for the 'doctrine of indwelling sin' - remember the book, "When sinners say I do", (first of all Christians are no longer identified as sinner's, but saints, any reference to sinner in the New Covenant, is referring to the unregenerate), the first half plus of the book was all about sin. I'm sorry but that is bondage. Christians are NEW CREATIONS in Christ and Christ has become the identity of every believer!! For me to be convinced they are walking in the truth of the gospel, I would need to hear them switch directions entirely and go on a diet of pure grace, because they have got their people so sin conscious and so sin focused!! At the end of every message there were 'take it home questions', they always talked about sin and how to deal with it. We never revelled in who we now are. It was always about what we still need to do!! You can say it how ever you want, but that was what was happening. And based on your concern and focus on holy living in all our emails, above anything else, I'd say it's still true!! 
Anyway, I certainly don't want to focus on that. I'd rather share truth with an old friend and let the Holy Spirit do any shifting in hearts that needs to be done! Enough said on that!! 

God is not counting men's sins against them, He dealt with sin once for all time. While we do live on earth and still are in the flesh and will have human relational issues to deal with, we have nothing left to deal with between us and God! Until people understand who they are in Christ, and that they are new creations (don't forget, your church teaches you aren't and that you still have a sinful nature - that is not true!! You can't have both the indwelling Christ alongside of indwelling sin, plus the Bible clearly teaches we have died to sin, our hearts have been circumcised, we no longer have a heart of stone, but a heart of flesh),  until they see their whole salvation, that they are forgiven, free from sin because HE remembers them NO MORE, that they are free from curse, free from sickness, free from poverty, dead to the law, and the law has been cancelled and nailed to the cross, that Satan was defeated at the cross and made a public spectacle, that their old nature was cut out and a new one was put in, that they have died and been raised with Christ, and now belong to Him, and now have the very life of Christ within them and the righteousness of God imputed to them, and are perfect forever as well as seated in the Heavenlies with Christ Jesus........they will not be able to live in their salvation, and  will 'try' to live a life they  cannot. Only ONE lived the life, and He did it for all mankind! I would think you could never tire of speaking of this! And yes exhortations can come as reminders of who we are in how we live, but as far as I can remember that was all that was really focused on at our church,  not coming from a solid focus on grace but on SIN and how to deal with it! Why deal with it, it's already been dealt with!! The way to deal with sin, is to believe in the finished work of Jesus, and continuously be reminded of who we NOW are!! As far as I can remember the only thing required of us is to BELIEVE!! The New Covenant is based solely on Christ's performance, not ours. It starts that way and finishes that way, it's a righteousness based on faith from first to last. We do not need to perform or produce holy living in order to keep our salvation, maintain it or become sanctified. We cannot please God by our efforts or holiness. Only one could please God and that was Jesus, and as He is so are we in this world. So God is pleased with us!! We can want to do things that are good and right, but they do not earn God's favor or blessing or approval! God never drives or forces us to do anything, He woos us with His tender love and empowers us by His Spirit. 

Oh and as far as putting off the old self and putting on the new. We didn't do the putting off, God did, we just have to believe Him. Did you do anything to put off your old self? Cause if you did, that's works. And not to mention, not a complete work, a dead one!! Only Christ's finished work was satisfactory to God!!  Anyway, I am not against reminders of what sinful/godly living is and isn't, but it's not my focus nor will it ever be! It's going to look different for everyone, because all things are lawful for me, but not all things are beneficial!! 

Anyway, I am not sure why you need to persuade me or what you need to persuade me of that I am missing, are you worried about me or something? Is it your job or mine to persuade each other of anything? Or is it the Holy Spirit's? 

"I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."

The more we find out about who we are in Christ, the more we find out our true potential to reign in life and have true victory over sin!!! When we were born again, we moved from being in the flesh to being in the spirit. Let's live out of the unseen eternal realm of who we really are in our spirit!! Look not to the seen but the unseen my friend!! Grace and peace to you!!

*This post is from an actual email I wrote to someone, I thought it might be a helpful post!!! *

The law written on our hearts.........

Is it the old written code, or is it a new law, one of life in the Spirit of liberty and freedom?