Defeat or Disobedience????

I am doing a study on holiness that is so rich and so convicting. I feel compelled to share it here. I do not have a funny story or life event to go along with it. In fact, it is more sobering if anything.



How many times have you heard someone address a situation with the words "victorious" or "defeated"? How about when it is used by Christians? Such as "I have been victorious in my christian walk" or "I am defeated when it comes to [name a stronghold]". I grew up with those kinds of word-pictures as it related to sin. A relationship of being victorious or defeated. A viscous cycle of victory or defeat.



Here's a different way to look at it...

Its time for us Christan's to face up to our responsibility for holiness. Too often we say we are "defeated" by this or that sin. No, we are not defeated; we are simply disobedient! It might be good if we stopped using the terms "Victory" and "defeat" to describe our progress in holiness. Rather we should use the terms "obedience" and "disobedience". ~Jerry Bridges, The Pursuit of Holiness

Chew on that for a bit and tell you you don't come back humbled, even shamed.

Holiness is dying to self, dying to sin and living for Christ. God gives us the Holy Spirit when we choose Christ, choose to die to sin, and through the Holy Spirit we are able to see the eternal implementations of sin as God sees it. Boy, do we fall short with this view sometimes? Do we sometimes slip into satans grip and sin? Is it really just a mere "defeat" or is the truth of the matter that we have chosen to sin, chosen to be disobedient. To me, that is a much harsher picture that shakes my spiritual core and penetrates my heart and mind.

"When I say I am defeated by some sin, I am unconsciously slipping out from my responsibility I am saying something outside of me has defeated me. But when I say I am disobedient, that places the responsibility for my sin squarely on me. We may, in fact, be defeated, but the reason we are defeated is because we have chosen to disobey. We have chosen ti entertain lustful thoughts, or to harbor resentment, or to shade the truth a little." ~Jerry Bridges, The Pursuit of Holiness

Though the Holy Spirit helps us to live holy lives, free from the control of sin, it requires our action, our obedience. You "put to death" sin. You can't just sit back and expect the Holy Spirit to do all the work. You must make an effort to be holy.

For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live ~Rom 8:13

Victory and defeat are words that I am well acquainted with in my spiritual walk. But as I put on my spiritual glasses and look closer, I now see obedience and disobedience as I examine my life. How about you?

Oh Holy Father, help us to live by the Spirit, so that we will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature (Gal 5:16). Forgive us when we have looked at sin with shaded glasses. Forgive us when we have not taken the responsibility for our defeats as disobedience.

His Maidservant~Pamela

"BUSY" = B-eing U-nder S-atan's Y-oke?

A friend from church sent me this in an e-mail. I have seen it before but this morning it tugged at my heart because I have been so incredibly busy this summer. More so than usual. I felt inclined to place it here. Be careful, it may convict you too....

WOW, THIS IS VERY DEEP. PAY ATTENTION TO EVERY WORD!!!!!!

Satan called a worldwide convention of demons.

In his opening address he said,

"We can't keep Christians from going to church."

"We can't keep them from reading their Bibles and knowing the truth...."

"We can't even keep them from forming an intimate relationship with their SAVIOR."

"Once they gain that connection with JESUS, our power over them is broken."

"So let them go to their churches; let them have their covered dish dinners,BUT steal their time, so they don't have time to develop a relationship with JESUS CHRIST.."

"This is what I want you to do," said the devil:

"Distract them from gaining hold of their SAVIOR and maintaining that vital connection throughout their day!"

"How shall we do this?" his demons shouted.

"Keep them busy in the non-essentials of life and invent innumerable schemes to occupy their minds," he answered....

"Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, and borrow, borrow, borrow."

"Persuade the wives to go to work for long hours and the husbands to work6-7 days each week, 10-12 hours a day, so they can afford their empty lifestyles."

"Keep them from spending time with their children."

"As their families fragment, soon, their homes will offer no escape from the pressures of work!"

"Over-stimulate their minds so that they cannot hear that still, small voice."

"Entice them to play the radio or I-Pod whenever they drive." To keep the TV, DVDs, CDs and their PCs going constantly in their home and see to it that every store and restaurant in the world plays non-biblical music constantly."

"This will jam their minds and break that union with CHRIST."

"Fill the coffee tables with magazines and newspapers."

"Pound their minds with the news 24 hours a day."

"Invade their driving moments with billboards."

"Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, mail order catalogs, sweepstakes, and every kind of newsletter and promotional offering free products, services and false hopes."

"Keep skinny, beautiful models on the magazines and TV so their husbands will believe that outward beauty is what's important, and they'll become dissatisfied with their wives. "

"Keep the wives too tired to love their husbands at night."

"Give them headaches too! "

"If they don't give their husbands the love they need, they will begin to look elsewhere."

"That will fragment their families quickly!"

"Give them Santa Claus to distract them from teaching their children the real meaning of Christmas."

"Give them an Easter bunny so they won't talk about HIS resurrection and power over sin and death..."

"Even in their recreation, let them be excessive."

"Have them return from their recreation exhausted."

"Keep them too busy to go out in nature and reflect on GOD'S creation.Send them to amusement parks, sporting events, plays, concerts, and movies instead."

"Keep them busy, busy, busy!"

"And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip and small talk so that they leave with troubled consciences."

"Crowd their lives with so many good causes they have no time to seek Power from JESUS."

"Soon they will be working in their own strength, sacrificing their health and family for the good of the cause."

"It will work!"

"It will work!"

It was quite a plan!

The demons went eagerly to their assignments causing Christians everywhere To get busier & more rushed, going here & there.

Having little time for their GOD or their families.

Having no time to tell others about the power of JESUS to change lives.

I guess the question is, has the devil been successful in his schemes?

You be the judge!!!!!

Does "BUSY" mean:

B-eing U-nder S-atan's Y-oke?

I am afraid some of those things are model by my life. Grief. Humbling. Sad.

Forgive me Lord....Though I have not seen You, I love You; and even though I do not see You now, I believe in You. Filled me with Your inexpressible and glorious joy (1 Peter 1:8). I am willing to be made willing in those areas above that I have fallen short.

In His Graces~Pamela

An Approved Worker...

I'm back if but for a fleeting moment again. I so miss everyone and I know the busyness of my life has cost me losing blog followers. The women's ministry and youth ministry God has me involved in has been on fire and so my time has been wrapped up in that. I know we are right where God wants us because satan has been attacking so much and so hard (do I dare mention my 15 y.o. dauther peirced her lip when she has been told "NO!"?). BRING IT ON!!

This past weekend I kidnapped my husband and took him to a remote cabin a few hours from our house for his birthday. When I asked him what he wanted for his special day his exact words were "you and quietness". Well, he got it! The beautiful cabins were one room studio's with kitchenettes and showers. No TV!! No Computer!! We had almost too much quietness but it was such a rich time for us physically, mentally, and spiritually. We have decided we need to do this at least 4 times a year.

God recently showed me this great verse that I have chosen to be my memory verse for this week with The Beth Moore Siesta Scripture Memory Team bloggers. I have all these verses surrounding this one marked and highlighted but last week this verse really stuck out to me and has not left my thoughts...

2 Timothy 2:21 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)
So if anyone purifies himself from these things, he will be a special instrument, set apart, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.

Read the Amplified version...

So whoever cleanses himself [from what is ignoble and unclean, who separates himself from contact with contaminating and corrupting influences] will [then himself] be a vessel set apart and useful for honorable and noble purposes, consecrated and profitable to the Master, fit and ready for any good work.

What the verses are referencing to be purified from can be found here but it is primarily talking about our words, words that hurt, words that are arrogant and foolish. Cutting words. Fighting words. Then it cautions us against our "youthful passions", maybe put another way, our strongholds, addictions, shortcomings. OUCH.

This is what I know... this purification process, this aim for holy living doesn't come easy or without cost. BUT, it has now become what I crave. It has become my addiction, my focus. Holy living, usable for the Master!

So I pray...

Lord, make me a instrument for your use, set apart, holy. Prepared me for Your work, Your will, Your use. Holy God, purify my life, my mind, my heart, my thoughts, my words. I am Your maidservant. Humbly I seek You, reverently I worship You.

ABC's of the WORD..."W"

I'm at camp this week with our youth-pray that God will show Himself in a mighty WAY!! And hopefully this posted as scheduled. I couldn't miss stirring up the Word with Pam at Grey Like Snuffie and all you other bloggers in Christ!! You bless me so much with your individual posting so I will check in after we return.

I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths.
When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble. Hold on to instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life. ~Prov 4:11-13 (NIV)

or in the Message translation....

Dear friend, take my advice; it will add years to your life.I'm writing out clear directions to Wisdom Way, I'm drawing a map to Righteous Road. I don't want you ending up in blind alleys, or wasting time making wrong turns. Hold tight to good advice; don't relax your grip. Guard it well—your life is at stake!

What a beautiful promise from God. I hope this message is translated to the teenagers this week at camp. May these verses also encourage you as you walk this day with your God!!

Embrace Grace...Embrace Truth

Welcome to our blog Bible study of Embrace Grace: Welcome to the forgiven life written by Liz Curtis Higgs (author of "Bad Girls of the Bible") and hosted by Lelia. Everything in orange is from the author.

I posted chapter twos comments here. Today I have set this chapter to post and hopefully it worked. I am at youth camp this week, no computer, just lots of teenagers and hormones and hopefully a magnitude of God. Pray that He will make Himself know to these kids, that He will capture their hearts this week, especially my girls. They are so distant from Him (I can be selfish like that, right?).

This chapter is full of such rich scripture. "We can fall in love with Him all over just by opening the scripture". Isn't that just the truth? I hold my Bible in my hand and there is assurance, comfort, strength, hope...most of all there is love and forgiveness. This year I have been blessed to have a most wonderful lady come into our church and to be brave enough to stand beside me in the women's ministry. Our hearts are in unison when it comes to our Lord. We can't get enough of Him, do enough for Him, love Him enough. We are doing a Bible study together from Jerry Bridges book "The Pursuit of Holiness and though we have only completed two chapters, it is tearing me apart and remolding my mind and heart to this one truth from I Peter 1:15-16 (HCS)

"but, as the One who called you is holy, you also are to be holy in all your conduct; 16 for it is written, Be holy, because I am holy. "

Me holy? Truthfully, to me it seems impossible but as we know all things are possible through Christ. So we have begun this journey towards holiness, a journey we feel necessitates our leadership role in His ministry. It's embracing truth, embracing scripture, embracing Christ. And this blog Bible study ties in so well with this journey.

What place does God's Word hold in your heart? in your home? in your day-to-day?

As Liz writes... "the Bible simply isn't a book. It is a love letter." Yes, it has become the oxygen my soul need to live. I crave it, want more of it, cannot dig deep enough into it. In being in the Word, it makes me want more of Jesus, to love Him deeper, to hear Him better, to serve Him more fully, to walk beside Him every moment, and to become holy as He is holy and He commands that of us.

Job 23:12 (HCSB)
I have not departed from the commands of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my daily food.

Read aloud a verse of Scripture from this chapter that has challenged you, changed you, or comforted you. Why are those words specially meaningful to you?

Romans 8:38-39 (HCSB)
For I am persuaded that neither death nor life,
nor angels nor rulers,
nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,
nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing
will have the power to separate us
from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!

I am typing this portion at the hospital where I work weekends as a night nurse. I have a few moments of down time which has been so rare lately. Tonight I was at the bedside of a patient that was assigned to someone else. Her IV pump kept going off while that nurse was off the floor and I was the one that kept going into her room (It was a God-thing as you will see). After my forth trip in (each for a different reason-really, God kept calling back to her) I asked the patient what I could do for her and then she unloaded her anxieties and there wasn't just one. She was scared to die and she was worried about her estranged children. Then I looked down at her bedside table and there encased in a red leather carrier was a book. I asked her if it was a Bible and she replied yes. I then asked her if she was a women of faith. She again replied yes. Though our whole conversation would be too long to share here, I did asked her what God would want her to do with her anxieties. She stated she knew but I made her verbalize it- "cast all your anxieties on Him". She implied she couldn't so I reminded her of Deut. 33:12 in that "the beloved of the Lord rest between His shoulder" and that was what she needed to do. No matter how distant she was feeling from Him-nothing, no anxiety, no illness, could keep her from Him. That same principle applies to you and me. It is sometimes hard to swallow as it was for this patient, but it is His promise, strait from His Word!

If it's time to take the next step in you spiritual journey, how might God's Word help you move forward?

Psalm 25:5 (HCSB)
Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; I wait for You all day long.

Psalm 119:169 (HCSB)
Let my cry reach You, LORD; give me understanding according to Your word.

And help me on this journey to holiness. As impossible as it seems to me, I have to EMBRACE THE TRUTH that is possible because His words states "you are to be holy in all your conduct". I'm afraid I've got my work cut out for me and for God!

Remember to pray for our youth camp!! Thanks!

His Maidservant~Pamela

ABC's of the WORD..."V"

Stirring up God's Word with scripture with Pam at Gray Like Snuffie's MeMe...

He said to them, "You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight. ~Luke 16:15

To value something is to hold it in high regard, to be of worth, to esteem. So I challenge you to search your heart today and let God show you if what you value is in line with what He values.

Be blessed!!

His Maidservant~Pamela

Embrace Grace...Embrace Faith

Here are my thoughts from chapter three in this blog Bible study of Embrace Grace:Welcome to the forgiven Life by Liz Curtis Higgs, hosted by Lelia. The author is quoted in orange. I pray you are blessed.

What does "faith in God" mean to you?

My mind began to swirl with responses when I first read this question. There are so many ways in which I could respond. However, my first response is that faith is believing but in reality, I have come to learn that it is more than just believing. It is a way of life, a way of living for me now. Liz states "Faith is not an act of man; it is an act of God, drawing us to Him". And that is what I have come to learn about my faith walk. It is about living to be drawn closer to Him, to seek Him in all things, all situations. It involved the heart and the mind-together. My whole faith walk has moved into different stages and this stage is currently a joy-filled stage. "Faith is not something you fall back on; faith is something you step into". How many times as we were growing in our walk of faith have we used it as a crutch to "get us though"? Awakening each morning we should be stepping into faith before our feet ever hit the ground. Not always an easy task and it takes determination and practice, like a toddler learning to walk. I have heard others say that they commit their day to God with special prayers before the get out of bed. A simple one would be "Lord this is your day, I am choosing to walk it with you".

"If you imagined Jesus looking at you, What might you see in His eyes?

I have a picture on my wall at home at the top of our stairs of the face of Christ, a replica of the "St. Veronica's Handkerchief" which was a celebrated painting by Austrian Gabrel from 1840. What is unique about this picture is that when you look at it, sometimes His eyes appear open, sometimes they appear closed. The legend is that if they are open He has found favor in you, if they are closed, well, let's just say, there is no favor. People, including my kids say the picture creeps them out because of how the eyes work. And it does work. Here is a sample of this picture...

Lately His eyes have been closed when I look at it and I would expect that response from Him right now. I am not meeting Him like I should be in our quiet time. Summer break has consumed me with so many other things I can't seem to avoid. He and I have also had this internal battle over a stronghold of mine for a couple of weeks now. I am not doing so good on my side of things. But, no matter where I am spiritually, I know my Savior has nothing but love in His eyes for me, even if they are closed in disappointment. He knows it all-knows when I am going to screw up and over commit and cheat Him of what He deserves. He understands how tough it is down here. I imagine He would say "Child you try too hard sometimes-just LET ME".

Since we cannot physically look upon the Lord's face, then where do we turn to "see" Him?

Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy ~ 1 Peter 1:8

This has been one of my favorite memory verses this year. I understand the joy that is being talked about here. I mentioned it earlier. This year I have been learning to look for Jesus in everything. I am not as good at it as I want to be but I do believe He shows Himself in that way...through the words of a blog friend, in my devotional reading, in a persons actions or reactions, in that perfect scripture for that exact time in my life and definitely within His creations. I guess my main thought here would be: He's everywhere and we need to train ourselves to see Him!

As Jerry Bridges states in his book "The Pursuit of Holiness, "we have misunderstood living by faith". More than anything, we are to see that sin, all sin (for sin is sin, there is no degree of severity to sin in god's eyes) grieves our God and that should grip our hearts and change our attitude to make us more aware of our actions, our words, our thoughts. In return, we will allow our lives to be more Christ-centered and we will pursue holiness in our faith walk. Faith and ones personal exertion at holiness go together! Embrace Faith! Embrace Grace! Embrace Holiness!!

His Maidservant~Pamela

Next week I will be away at youth camp (pray for me). I will try to post the next chapter before I leave.