New Ownership

Imagine you've purchased your first home. The early sense of excitement begins to wane as you meet your neighbors and they tell you horror stories about your residence. They confirm your earlier suspicions that the home was once a drug den as they tell of countless nights of police raids and erratic behavior from both the previous owners and their "customers". Your heart pounds a bit harder as you hear how for many months after your predecessor vacated the premises their "friends" showed up at all hours of the night, banging on all the doors on the street looking for their dealer. Then that pounding heart drops into your stomach as you remember all the letters sent to your mailbox with a return address corresponding to a prison.

The previous owners, for reasons you can only assume, left no forwarding address. Their associates think they still in your new home. 

I believe the Lord offers forgiveness and mercy for all who seek Him, and I want to show His Love to all...but if menacing folk show up at my door at 4 am where my son sleeps, I don't think I'll be interested in entertaining. 

Now, this is YOUR house. You bought it. You are in control of the activities that occur within its walls, and you aren't leaving. So what do you do?

My first instinct is a simple one; change the outward appearance of the house as much as possible. Change the color scheme. Commit to new landscaping. Replace the mailbox. Whatever change is in my power, I'm going to carry out. I want to give any sinister character who shows up enough pause that they stop and realize there's a new owner here. 

Now think for a moment: if the crowd you ran with before coming to Jesus were to see you now, would they know just from looking that the old person isn't there anymore?

It's easy to say "God looks on the heart so my appearance shouldn't matter", but have you ever stopped to think about the fact that the world DOES look on the outside? God certainly knows your heart. He knows to whom you belong. But when your outward appearance doesn't change, you are leading people to believe the same old man or woman resides in your "house", and if they believe you haven't changed, they will expect you to act as you always did. This opens the door for increased pressure and temptation. 

Following the command and receiving the promise of 1 Thessalonians 5:22-23 to, "Abstain from all appearance of evil. And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." is not just about preserving your witness, it's about protecting your spirit and the work Christ has done in you. When He changes you, everything should change. Your walk, talk, attitude, and yes, perhaps even your dress should be different. 

Is it fair that we can't look or act like everyone else? I don't know, is it fair that a law-abiding home owner has to make changes to deter criminals? The point is, fair or not, if something matters to you, you will do what it takes to protect it. 

Romans 8 reminds us, "Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God." 

The process of making "new ownership" apparent requires assessment and hard work. I've been preaching for many years and following Jesus for much longer than that, and I'm still a work in progress in this area. The truth is that if you belong to God, then you aren't the new owner, He is. So seek Him. We must continually ask the Lord to do His sanctifying work in us and we must inquire of Him what our part is in this process so that people will know the old person isn't here anymore. 

Mama's Wing

The youth I lead in my local church are taking part in a discipleship program. One of the most important parts of the program is scripture memorization. We started by memorizing the entirety of Psalm 139, and have now moved on to Psalm 91. The former Psalm is all about God's love for us, how He has never taken His eye off of us since the day HE started weaving each of us in our mother's womb. The latter Psalm is about the protection God offers those who love Him and call on His Name.

Verses one through four read like this in the New Living Translation:

Those who live in the shelter of the Most High

    will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

This I declare about the Lord:

He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;

    he is my God, and I trust him.

For he will rescue you from every trap

    and protect you from deadly disease.

He will cover you with his feathers.

    He will shelter you with his wings.

Each day I recite these promises, and they never fail to make me think of my son, Kai. My four year old is as fearless as the come...in the day time, at least. But something happens at night. Suddenly, there's no such thing as "too close" to the mama he wouldn't let cuddle him hours before in the daylight. When the sun goes to bed and the rooms get dark and shadows are no longer the subject of funny imaginative stories, it's not good enough to know I'm in the house, he has to feel that I am there. Even being in the room with me won't suit. He has to press his little body against my side, until there remains not even the smallest gap between us. But he's not done yet. He pulls my arm around him and brings my hand to rest on his chest. In this position, I have one hand free to fight off any danger (real or imagined), but one hand is reserved for Kai to feel me there. 

When he started this ritual we had to have many discussions about my conditions for this arrangement. There can be no wiggling. He has to lie still beneath my hand. You see, I'm always in my bed, on my side. But for Kai to be under that hand is a choice he has to make.

Psalm 91 is FULL of amazing promises, which the passage says are our "armour and protection". But this is a conditional Psalm. The Lord offers protection in the day and night, from the trap of the enemy, malicious attacks, and even disease and calamity. BUT the choice is up to YOU if you will remain under his wing your squirm your way away from your Protector. 

Do you find yourself desperate to not only know God is there but to feel that He is? It may be time to ask yourself if you have submitted yourself to being under His hand, sheltered by His wing. No squirming. No fidgetting. No trying to figure things out on your own. Just finding your nook in His side. 

If you are tired of being afraid, restless, and anxious, ask the Lord to evaluate your heart and mind with a prayer like this:

Lord, thank You for your faithful promises. Your Word says that if I would choose to live in your shelter that I would find rest. I want to know what that feels like. I'm tired of doing it on my own. I acknowledge that You are the only one who could fully care for me and I submit to letting You do just that. Calm my anxious thoughts and teach me to rest beneath your shadow. Thank You that your Word is true, and thank You for loving me so completely. In Jesus Name, Amen.